Chapter 49
In the middle of the night shift, the Red Alert siren went off. By the time Spock arrived on the Bridge, the Red Alert had been canceled by Sulu, who had the watch that night. Young was right behind Spock.
"Report!" Young took the center seat, and Sulu moved to the Helm.
"Red Alert was triggered automatically by the approach of the vessel you see on the screen, sir."
"That's a vessel?! It's huge!"
"Yes, sir, but I recognized the vessel as that belonging to First, the race we encountered two years ago. Twenty-nine is the Ambassador from his people."
"I have him on audio, sir," informed Uhura. "He's asking for Captain Kirk."
"Put him on, Uhura."
"-speak to Captain Kirk, please?"
"This is Captain Young. How can I help you, sir?"
"Is that the Enterprise? Where is Captain Kirk?"
"Yes, it is. Captain Kirk is not here. We have Ambassador Twenty-nine aboard. Do you wish to speak with him?"
"Is Spock there?"
"Yes, he is. Spock?"
"How can we assist you, sir?"
"Spock! I have to talk to you! Request permission to bring you aboard."
"One moment." Spock turned to Young. "Captain, it sounds urgent. But you should know that our transporter cannot retrieve me, and communicators only work sometimes. Depending on the length of this conference, I could be unreachable for hours."
"Do you trust him, Spock?"
"Yes, Captain. I am not concerned for my safety."
"Very well, then. You may go."
xxxx
Spock was gone for four hours. Upon his return, he and Young were closeted in conference for another hour. Messages were dispatched to Starfleet, and Spock returned to First's vessel. This sequence was repeated several more times throughout the day. After the final reply came from Starfleet, Young called a briefing.
Scotty sat down next to Sulu. "Di ye know wha' this's aboot then? Rumors ha' bin flyin'."
"Uhura knows some of it, but Spock and the Captain haven't said a word."
Uhura sat down with a smile. "Save your guesses, gentlemen. We're about to find out."
Young and Spock entered together, and the murmuring ceased.
"You all know that First's vessel arrived yesterday, and that Spock has spent many hours over there in conference. I'm going to turn this briefing over to Spock."
"Thank you, Captain. First has come here to get Captain Kirk and the six of us. He wishes us to come to his galaxy for the purpose of solving a planet-wide dilemma, which has the potential to destroy an entire civilization. Many lives are at stake. This mission would be entirely voluntary, as it is outside the jurisdiction of the Federation. Starfleet has, however, given their blessing for us to undertake this mission, and has approved an extended leave of absence for each of us. But I must point out that our circumstances will probably be highly unpleasant, and survival is by no means assured.
"An even greater problem is that Captain Kirk's participation in this mission is absolutely essential. Due to the nature of the problem and its solution, Captain Kirk is the only one they trust sufficiently to do what is necessary. Therefore, Starfleet has given their approval to attempt to rescue Captain Kirk from the Klingons."
"Spock, I know you think he's alive, but-"
"Doctor, I know he is alive. I do not know his condition. But before a rescue is attempted, I must know whether you all consent to go. Without all seven of us, there will be no mission."
Without hesitation, they all agreed to go.
"Very well. I expect the rescue attempt to take another day, possibly two. You will need to prepare your departments to do without you for several months. Captain, that is all I have at this time."
"Thank you, Spock. Seems like we ought to pray. Any volunteers?"
"I will, Captain," Sulu spoke up. "Lord, it's a miracle if Captain Kirk is even alive. Rescuing him is a different matter, but no less miraculous. We need another miracle, God. Please help us get Captain Kirk out of there alive. And whatever is going on in First's galaxy, may we be able to help them, and so spread Your love to all we meet."
"Amen," echoed several others.
"Thank you. Meeting dismissed."
xxxx
Spock accompanied First on a reconnaissance trip to the Klingon home world. They made numerous high speed flybys, gathering data. On the first pass they located Kirk, the only human on the planet. On several subsequent passes, they discovered his surroundings. In the capital city, he was in a large building with many people in it. Translating what was being said, they deduced this was a public beating. Examining the data in the admissions office, they discovered the beating was only part of the show, the finale. Also, there was another show set for the following night. An hour later, Kirk was alone. First wanted to snatch him and run.
*I would not advise it, First. If he simply disappears without any explanation, those responsible for keeping him get blamed for his escape. Such blame would most certainly result in their deaths.*
*Why is that a concern?*
*I know Captain Kirk. No matter what they have done to him, he would not want them to die because of him. No, we must devise a way to take him that places blame on no one. I think we have seen enough. Take us back to Enterprise, if you would. I have an idea, but I will wish to consult with Dr. McCoy. How good an actor are you?*
xxxx
Kirk was tired but happy, and the days passed quickly. He continued to subsist on the IV's for nourishment, but since he wasn't doing any workouts, the hunger and thirst were not major issues. Most nights, he got a few hours of sleep, but much of the time he spent praying. Most of the daytime hours, he spent in conversation with Koh and Konti. Each afternoon, Kezak came and they spent an hour or so discussing the show. They managed to add something new each night to maintain audience interest.
Kezak was pleased with the shows. Kirk and Konti worked extra well together. The new elements flowed, even without practice, adding pizzazz to the performance. The crowds went wild. The only ones who were unhappy were Korn's superiors. They attended every show and scowled in anger throughout. Konti worried about them. Kirk said they wouldn't create more trouble until the next week, after he had survived a seven-day-long session without falling apart.
"Are you sure you'll survive it?"
"As sure as I can be about something that hasn't happened yet. And we have all of next week to come up with something else that will satisfy them. Of course, you could simply kill me."
"Kirk! You know I can't do that!"
"Konti, I know you don't want to. I also know that if you have to, you will, and God will give grace to endure it. I have known from the beginning that there would come a day when it was time to die. I neither fear it nor blame you for it. I will still be your friend, even as you plunge the knife into my heart. But if I can find a way for someone else to do the deed, I will take it. Do not harbor bitterness in your heart at the means of my going, no matter who kills me."
xxxx
The last night's show began normally. No one had any premonition of doom. The flitter ride to the arena was full of joking around. Kirk's back was a bloody mess, but he so steadfastly ignored it, that the others did too. Konti surprised them all by insisting that Kirk take the pilot's seat, when they boarded. Kirk was both eager and reluctant.
"As a plan for killing me off, this has one major flaw: the three of you die too. I've read somewhere that crash-landed flitters tend to blow up."
Nonetheless he took the pilot's seat. Konti sat beside him.
"I know you can do this. The possibility that you were not trained for this is non-existent. Never mind what the instrumentation says; close your eyes, put your hands and feet on the controls, and just do it."
So Kirk did. The takeoff was smooth and effortless. One of the things that amazed Kirk was how Spock, whoever he was (sigh), had been able to leave him with skills and the wisdom of years, without any specific memories as to how he had acquired them.
His command of the craft was so automatic that he was able to joke with the others all the way there. The touchdown was as light as a feather. He turned to Konti. "Thank you."
"You've just been promoted to my chauffeur. That was beautiful!" Konti grinned.
Their collective good mood spilled over into the show. The drama went like precision clock-work, even the part they ad-libbed. Kirk made several risky moves during the obstacle course. He made it look as if he was disobeying Konti's direction, thereby getting himself into dangerous situations. Konti knew Kirk could negotiate the entire obstacle course without any help from him, and probably do it on a dead run without one misstep. Though none of it was in the script, Kirk was playing games, partly because he was in such a good mood, and partly because he was bored.
Kezak played it up for all it was worth, and the crowd loved it. Konti was forced to discipline Kirk on the spot with a lash across the back of the legs. The crowd went wild at Kirk's staged response, but Konti knew he was laughing. Nor was his good humor diminished by Konti's anger, which he felt through the vigorously applied lash. Underneath the anger, Konti was also laughing for joy, because they could do this without any need for words, advance planning, or rehearsal.
Kirk did it a total of four times, so that by the time they were ready for the grid maze, Kirk had collected an extra ten lashes on the back of the legs. Still, they looked nothing like as bad as his back. Konti climbed onto Kirk's shoulders, once more ignoring the bloody mess. He anchored his feet between Kirk's arms and his ribs.
Kezak explained to the crowd that Konti's feet were pinned in such a way that he could not jump off unless Kirk released him. So if Kirk fell, Konti would die too.
The grid maze was Kirk's favorite part of the show. The pattern was randomly generated, so it was never the same twice. He could also read Konti's emotional state through the contact with his legs. Satisfied that Konti was not really angry, Kirk plunged into the maze, happy as a lark. No one but Konti, and perhaps Koh, knew how happy Kirk was, because he presented a picture of pure dread, as he took each step.
Konti could feel that Kirk wanted to go faster. Perhaps they could manage it, if he could make it appear as though he were driving Kirk faster and faster, while he grew more and more reluctant. It worked, like a complex dance. Kezak was ecstatic, and could hardly contain his desire to tell the crowd what they were really seeing. He would have to content himself with the knowledge that there were three in tonight's audience who would understand and appreciate it.
No longer content to just get across the arena, Konti drove Kirk into several dead-ends, and went back and forth in many different directions. Kirk got the impression that Konti was actively trying to confuse his sense of direction. He would have laughed out loud, except with the head device on, he had no idea who might hear him besides Konti. So he just enjoyed being teased.
Suddenly the entire arena was plunged into darkness. Konti's impression was of a massive power failure, but emergency lighting was out as well. The darkness was complete. They were within a few feet of the edge of the grid, but he could not be certain the floor wasn't live, so they would stay right where they were until power was restored.
Kirk sensed Konti's alarm immediately, but it was clearly not panic, so he was content to await further developments. They were so accustomed to doing the show without talking that neither thought to attempt communication.
The crowd took several minutes to react. At first, they assumed it was part of the show. When the darkness and silence continued, they became uneasy. Then someone yelled, "He's escaping!"
Before the crowd could become a rioting mob, Konti bellowed a response.
"No, he's not! We haven't moved! Please, stay in your seats; remain calm; we will finish the show just as soon as power is restored."
The crowd took a collective sigh and settled back to wait, more or less patiently. The next moment, someone in the back stumbled in and announced the whole city was affected. Meanwhile Kezak had found a megaphone, and he jumped into the shocked silence.
"We regret the interruption in tonight's entertainment. I have technicians working on the problem right now. We should have an update on the situation very shortly. If it becomes necessary to cancel the remainder of this show, we will be offering a choice of alternate dates, as well as a full refund if so desired. In order to receive your free tickets to an alternate showing, or a refund of your purchase price, we will need complete information from you before you leave tonight. Remain seated until an usher obtains the required information from each of you. Again, we should know in a few minutes whether the show will have to be canceled. Remain calm; bear with us, as we sort out this unfortunate interruption in the night's entertainment."
Kezak continued to soothe the crowd, and within a few minutes more, had them thinking that nothing very terrible had occurred. Konti hoped he was right, but if the whole city was down, that was definitely not nothing. While Kezak talked, the arena was suddenly filled with a weird light - wildly pulsating colors.
Kirk's impression was that something very large had just been transported into the space behind them. That impression was based on the rush of displaced air that passed by them, as well as a tingling sensation as of being too close to an energy source. He could feel Konti trying to look over his shoulder without unseating himself, so Kirk carefully turned around. He felt Konti's body go rigid at what he saw.
The weird light emanated from a huge creature. Konti forced himself not to turn away or close his eyes. He dimly heard Kezak assuring the crowd that this was not part of the scheduled entertainment, but to remain calm; it would undoubtedly be explained shortly. Konti doubted that the explanation would be at all reassuring. A booming voice began to speak somewhat stilted Klingon. Konti could see nothing that resembled a head, much less a mouth, but the voice obviously came from the creature before them.
"You will undoubtedly have discovered that you have no power. There is no power in this building, nor in the city, nor anywhere on the planet. You will want an eye-witness confirmation of this truth. I will take your spokesman and show him."
Kezak suddenly disappeared. The creature, however, remained. The silence was deafening. Two minutes later, Kezak reappeared, though not in the spot from which he had disappeared.
"Tell them what you saw," the voice boomed.
"The visual effects were astounding - quite realistic. There appears to be no light anywhere on the planet. The only power comes from his ship - biggest thing I ever saw, though it's hard to judge perspective with the naked eye. Anyway, I'm impressed."
"But you don't believe it?"
"My business is entertainment. One of the tools of my trade is to make the eye see things it isn't really seeing. So don't expect me to take your impressive graphics as proof."
"What will it take to convince you that I have complete power over your planet? Must I kill hundreds or thousands of you?!"
"Perhaps not. Tell me this: you did not come here just to say 'hello'. What do you want?"
Konti was impressed with Kezak's boldness. If he was afraid of the creature, it certainly didn't show. But then, Kezak was a superb actor.
"Breakfast."
Kezak did a perfect double-take. "Say again?"
"Breakfast. I require a meal - a very special meal. I could simply take what I want. But you seem to be a people of some honor. Perhaps you would choose from among you twenty specimens. I only require one, but I like to have some choice. And be sure to include that tall one over there." He gestured at Konti and Kirk. "None of you have enough arms, but he seems to have more than the rest of you."
"That's two people, one sitting on top of the other."
"Oh. Well, include them both then, and yourself as well. Then you only have to find seventeen others bold enough to die for their world. That should not be difficult among so many."
"You want me to line up twenty of us, from which you will choose just one, which you will eat. After that, you will go away and leave our planet alone?"
"I am not likely to come this way again. There are many planets."
"And what assurance do we have that you will not take up residence and require a daily sacrifice?"
"None. But you are in no position to bargain. Shall I just take what I want?"
"No, not yet. Answer this question, if you will: we may all look alike to you, but we do not all taste the same. Do you have dietary requirements, as to type of blood, for instance?"
"I am omnivorous - blood type is of no importance. What matters the most is the attitude of the specimen. Fear stinks."
"I see. Then a prisoner would not be a suitable specimen?"
"That would depend. Do you have any that would face death without fear?"
"Perhaps. May I have a few minutes to discuss this with my people?"
"You may have five minutes. But do not try to leave the building. The exits are all disabled. I will return."
"Wait!"
"What is it?"
"It would help if you left us with a light. Without it, five minutes would not be enough time to find the people I need to talk to."
"Very well. One light."
