Author's Note': Based on the TOS episode 'The Omega Glory'

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Life Is Not Always Easy

Chapter 46 : Freedom

August, 2268

They found a vessel in orbit about the planet. This was unexpected. It turned out to be the USS Exeter, which had been patrolling in this area six months ago. Kirk issued orders to Uhura to assemble a boarding party after they could not raise anyone on the Exeter. Kirk, Spock, McCoy and Lt Galoway beamed into the engineering section of the Exeter. All they found were empty uniforms, with some kind of crystals falling out of them. There was no one alive, at all.

Kirk and McCoy headed for the bridge, meeting Spock and Galoway. They found the helm on automatic. Kirk asked Spock to head the last log tape, hoping to find information on what happened. McCoy continued to scan the crystals found in and near the uniforms. He announced that the crystals were actually what was left of the crew - once the water had been removed. Spock played the last log he could find - of the captain giving a warning. As a result, they beamed down to the surface quickly, trying to prevent whatever had caused the disintegration of the crew of the Exeter.

Spock sensed Nyota's uneasiness, and tried to calm her. They would find a solution. They had McCoy with them.

They found something strange, and another StarFleet officer. There appeared to be two races - one civilized, and the other barbarian. Tracy explained what had happened, calling it a disease. He said they could never leave the planet. Spock slowly began to decrease the amount of data on his link to Nyota. If what Tracy said was true, it would have a very detrimental effect on both of them.

As Kirk watched and listened, he began to feel that Tracy had been interfering with the planet's culture. McCoy had medical equipment beamed down to him, and tried to discover what they were infected with. And then Spock burst in, carrying Galoway, who was injured. They had been trying to find the Yang barbarians, to discover information about them. Spock said the Yang were massing to attack. They had found the proof that Tracy had killed hundreds of the Yang recently.

Kirk pulled out his communicator to pass information up to the ship so that StarFleet could be informed, when Tracey opened the door, phaser in hand. When Galoway flinched, Tracy vaporized him. The others found themselves under guard, while Tracy informed Uhura that the Enterprise party was ill and unconscious. When Sulu began to ask questions, Kirk burst forward and yelled. One of the Coms knocked him unconscious. Tracy assured the Enterprise that Kirk was delirious with fever. Sulu asked that he be informed that there was a problem on the Enterprise, when he recovered. Tracy said that he would.

Nyota sat at her console, perplexed. She knew that Spock was not unconscious, although she did not have the sense that he was telling her everything. Why would Tracy say they were unconscious when they weren't?

Tracy told Kirk that the inhabitants of this planet did not catch diseases, and lived very long lives. He brought in one of the natives, and asked him his age. He was over 400 years old, and his father over a 1000. Tracy wanted Kirk to order McCoy to research and find out what the immunizing agent was that allowed this. Kirk attacked Tracy, but Tracy won. And then he put Kirk in the cage with the two barbarians who had been captured earlier. Spock watched from another cell as Kirk fought with the male, who was very muscular.

***

In another part of the village, McCoy was using his medical tricorder and taking notes on his PADD. When he noticed that his guard had fallen asleep, he walked over to the table, reaching slowly for a weapon laying there. His guard awoke quickly, slamming his sword blade down to the table. McCoy did not flinch, but continued reaching, retrieving a glass from the table as though that had been his intention all along.

***

Back in the cell, Kirk was still fighting. Even the female came at him. Eventually, the female came close enough to the bars that Spock was able to reach through and subdue her with a nerve pinch, just as Kirk succeeded in flipping the male head over heels to the floor. The male saw the female fall and crawled to her, checking for a pulse.

***

Spock worked at the bars in the window, managing to loosen them. Kirk clung to the bars on his cell, trying to stay awake. He told Spock to keep talking to him, not to let him go to sleep, and to keep working on the window, if they ever wanted to regain their freedom.

The male Yang started up. ''Freedom? That is a worship word, do not speak it."

Kirk looked at him. "It is our worship word, too."

And shortly they were both working on the bars, trying to loosen them. When the first bar came out, Kirk foolishly turned his back, and the Yang hit him with the bar. Spock stood at bars to his cell, calling to Kirk, who did not respond. The two Yang vanished out the window.

When Kirk regained consciousness, Spock told him he had been out for seven hours and eight minutes. And then Kirk saw the keys on the floor.

***

McCoy continued to work. His guard heard something and opened the door. Kirk and Spock charged at him, overpowering him. McCoy gave them a run-down on his research, telling of a drastic biological war far in the past, while Spock worked at arranging communications with the Enterprise. He was just ready to start when a phaser blast caught him. Tracy stood in the doorway, phaser in hand. When McCoy informed him that there was no fountain of youth here, Tracy became even more psychotic. He ordered Kirk out of the room, threatening to kill the other two if Kirk did not do what he wanted. He ordered him to have phasers and power packs beamed down. Kirk looked at him and took the proffered communicator, flipping it open and calling the Enterprise. When Uhura answered, he repeated Tracy's request.

Confused, Uhura turned and summoned Sulu to her console. Sulu cautioned that they could not comply without verification.

Nyota sat there, trying to reach Spock. But all she could get was a vague sense that he was alive. There was no other response at all. She did not understand it, not a little bit.

Tracy pointed his phaser at Kirk, who asked if they could comply if the landing party was in danger. Sulu responded that they had landing parties standing by, ready to beam down at a moment's notice. Kirk replied that they were not in any immediate danger, and signed out. Tracy looked at him. "You have a well trained bridge crew, captain, my compliments."

And then, while he was off-guard, Kirk attacked. He managed to get away and ran off, down the streets of the city, tracy in pursuit. Tracy came up behind him, raised his phaser, and fired. But the phaser was exhausted. Tracy picked up an axe laying there, and came at Kirk, who managed to knock him down. And then he found that there were spears all around. The Yang had gotten into the village.

The Yang leader had all the StarFleet officers brought into his presence. Spock and Kirk discussed what was happening, what might have happened in the past. Yangs were Yankees? Coms were Communists? Was it possible. And then one of the Yangs carried in a very old, very tattered flag, handling it reverently, carrying it to a place of honor.

The leader of the Yangs began to speak, telling them that this had been the last of the Com places. What was theirs, was theirs again. And then he placed his hand over his heart, looking at the flag, and began to recite something. Kirk listened to the distorted syllables, and he knew - he KNEW what the man was saying. Immediately he began to recite the words of the pledge to the flag along with the leader, sending consternation all around the room.

The leader demanded to know how Kirk knew the holy worship words. Kirk began to tell them of another tribe, in another place, and Tracy interrupted, trying to subvert what Kirk was saying. He even called Spock the servant of the evil one. He told them that Spock had no heart. McCoy tried to explain, but they dragged Spock forward, and the leader put his ear to Spock's chest.

The priest stated that one of them lied. And he held up a very old, browned paper, the greatest of holies. He said only the chiefs and sons of chiefs could speak the words. The tongues of the evil one would burn with fire. He would start, and they must finish. He spoke, the words sounding like gibberish. Kirk heard something, that sounded vaguely familiar, but he could not place it. In desperation, he asked them if their book did not state that good would always triumph over evil. And so it was that Kirk wound up with one wrist bound to one of Tracy's, with a knife stuck in the floor, and everyone lined up to watch the fight.

McCoy and Spock discussed what was going on, and Spock asked McCoy what he would suggest. And then he had an idea. He turned and stared at the woman who had been in the cell with Kirk, concentrating hard on what he wanted her to do. She reached out, picked the communicator up off the table, and brought it to him, flipping it open, while Kirk and Tracy wrestled over the knife.

And then Kirk got the knife, and it was at Tracy's neck. The Yang leader told Kirk to kill Tracy, that good must destroy evil, but Kirk only slashed the strap that bound their wrists together. And then everyone in the room was stunned when three figures materialized, phasers in hand. Sulu and two security guards came to Kirk, who ordered them to free McCoy and Spock and place Tracy under arrest.

The Yang leader knelt before Kirk, calling him a great God. He said he was his servant, and his people his slaves. Kirk told him to get up. The Yang leader stated that when Kirk would not say the holy words, he doubted him. Kirk replied that he had not recognized the words, that they had been said so badly, and without meaning. And he walked to the table and opened the box, and drew out the old papers, pushing away the priest, who said these words were only for chiefs. Kirk said loudly that these words were written for all the people. And then he began to read. "We the people.."

Kirk told them that these words must apply to everyone. The Yang replied that the holy words would be obeyed. Kirk passed the papers back to them, and then he rejoined his friends. Very shortly, they beamed back aboard the Enterprise.

***

That night, in his quarters, she examined the remains of the phaser burn on his chest. McCoy had treated it well, but it was not completely healed yet. She could faintly sense that he was suppressing the pain that was not quiet gone yet. "Didn't McCoy give you something for the pain?"

"I chose not to take it."

"Why? I can tell you're still in pain."

"It is manageable. McCoy's nostrums usually leave me nauseated. I see no reason to add nausea to the pain, which I can control. Also, I have no wish to be unconscious at this time."

"Why not? If you're in pain, a little sleep wouldn't hurt."

"I have a better way to forget the pain." And then he demonstrated what he had in mind. And she agreed with him, whole-heartedly.