Chapter 47: McCoy

On the bridge of the Enterprise, Buffy sat in a chair till this day she had never occupied. On the main viewscreen Spacedock grew slowly larger. The ship was nearly home. Buffy turned away from the console to look at the viewscreen. She could almost forget the Enterprise was running on automatic because it had even less than a skeleton crew. She could almost forget that the ship was patched and scarred and battle-worn. She could almost forget the person who should be sitting in the chair she sat was gone.

"Stand by, automatic approach system," Kirk said. "Advise approach control."

"Approach control, this is USS Enterprise," Uhura said. "Ready for docking maneuver."

The controller came back with a crisp, clear voice. "Enterprise is cleared to dock."

"Lock on."

Sulu transferred control to Spacedock. "Systems locked."

"Spacedock," Kirk said, "you have control."

"Affirmative, Enterprise. Enjoy the ride, and welcome home."

"Enterprise confirms. With thanks."

The ship approached the dock in a huge curve, arcing around its flank and spiraling in to approach threshold number fifteen. The great enclosed docking bay allowed people to work outside the ship, yet it protected them from the free radiation of space.

The Enterprise sailed closer and closer to Spacedock, heading straight at the closed radiation-shield doors.

Finally, at what seemed to him the last second, the massive doors parted silently. The Enterprise coasted in and moved slowly and silently into the bay. It passed ships under construction and ships under repair, ships in storage, and decommissioned ships only waiting to be dismantled.

The enormous bay stretched off into darkness, with only a single pool of light in its entire length. The Enterprise came abreast of the lights, where NX 2000, USS Excelsior, floated among its acolytes as they readied it for its first voyage. It was a beautiful ship, sleek and new, its burnished hull untouched by radiation or micrometeorites or battle.

"Would you look at that?" Uhura said.

"My friends," Kirk said, "the great experiment Excelsior, ready for trial runs."

Kirk glanced at Sulu, approving of his restraint. Excelsior was Sulu's next assignment, his first command.

"It has transwarp drive," Sulu said matter-of-factly.

"Aye," Scott said, "and if my grandmother had wheels, she'd be a wagon."

"Mr. Scott," Kirk said with mild reproof.

"I'm sorry, sir, but as far as I'm concerned, there's nothin' needed for space travel that this old girl doesn't already have."

"Come, come, Scotty," Kirk said glancing toward Buffy. "Young minds. Fresh ideas." His voice grew dry. "Be tolerant."

Buffy looked at the viewscreen at the Excelsior. She and Dawn before Dawn's recent assignment to the Reliant and her own unofficial training cruise on the Enterprise been assigned, just as they had been with the NX Class a hundred years before, as Engineering designers. Their designs were all throughout Engineering, including the transwarp drive.

Sulu looked toward Buffy who met his eyes. He too had been part of the team to design the Excelsior. Though his hand could be seen in other parts of the ship such as the bridge.

After the Enterprise passed Excelsior, everyone noticed movement behind the row of small ports along the upper level of Docking Bay 15, the ports that opened out from the cafeteria. Everyone sitting there, drinking coffee, shooting the breeze, relaxing, saw the Enterprise's approach. As the great ship limped its slow, stately way to its berth, all along the line the people rose in silent acclamation.

"Enterprise, stand by for final docking procedure."

"Standing by. Mr. Sulu, activate moorings. Stand by umbilical and gravitational support systems."

"Aye, sir. Moorings activated. All systems standing by."

"Admiral!" Chekov exclaimed. "This is not possible!"

"What is it, Mr. Chekov?"

"Energy reading from C deck . . . from inside Mr. Spock's quarters."

"Mr. Chekov, I ordered Spock's quarters sealed!" Kirk said angrily.

"Yes, sir, Captain Summers and I sealed the room ourselves. Nevertheless, I am reading a life form there."

"This entire crew seems on the edge of obsessive behavior concerning Mr. Spock," Kirk said, his voice angry and quiet. "I'll have a look. Mr. Sulu, continue docking procedure. Buffy, you have the conn."

"I'll have Dawn meet you," Buffy said as Kirk strode from the bridge.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 - 0

Kirk strode toward Spock's room, his temper frayed just short of breaking. If one of the cadets had entered Spock's room, if this were some tasteless and thoughtless practical joke then Kirk would soon be giving someone a lesson in the uses of black humor.

An alarm was ringing softly. Kirk broke into a run as he saw Dawn coming from the other way, they slowed so as to come upon the intruder unaware.

At Spock's door they stopped short.

"I feel someone is in there," said Dawn. "The emotions I'm feeling though are confusing."

They looked and saw that a violent force had ripped away the seal and wrenched open the door, as if an intruder of enormous strength had been too distressed, too desperate, to try any method but direct force.

"I fused this door with a blast of my own energy. The only person who should have the strength to wrench this door open like this…" said Dawn.

"Is Buffy," said Kirk finishing for Dawn as he touched the alarm, and it faded to silence. "I left her in command so it's not her. So, someone else has somehow acquired the strength to do it. Do you see anything?"

"Too dark," said Dawn.

They stepped cautiously forward, waiting for their eyes to become acclimated to the low light.

"Jim . . . T'Lekus ... help me . . ."

Dawn and Kirk looked at each other, the voice was Spock's.

"Take me up . . . up the steps . . . of Mount Seleya . . . through the hall of ancient thought . . ."

They peered more deeply into the shadows and saw

The indistinct form plunged toward them out of the darkness, knocking them aside. Dawn grabbed it and wrestled with it. Its strength was enormous. Using skills, she had learned centuries ago from Buffy she got a judo hold on her opponent and wrenched him down and into submission. They both fell to the floor and into the lights from the corridor.

McCoy struggled against her.

"Bones! What the hell are you doing? Have you lost your mind?" Kirk asked.

McCoy stared at them blankly. "Help me, Jim, T'Lekus. Take me home." His voice rasped, totally drained of strength.

"That's where we are, Bones," Kirk said gently. "We are home."

"Then ... perhaps there is still time... Climb the steps, T'Lekus … Jim... Climb the steps of Mount Seleya..."

"Mount Seleya," Dawn as she looked toward Kirk. "Is on Vulcan."

"We're home! We're on Earth!" said Kirk.

McCoy's empty stare continued. Dawn loosened her hold on the doctor.

"Remember!" McCoy said. In Spock's unmistakable voice. "Remember!"

"Remember?" Dawn said trying to remember why that word sounded familiar.

"Jim," Buffy said through the intercom, "docking is completed. Starfleet Commander Morrow is on his way for inspection."

McCoy shuddered, tried to rise, and fainted.

Dawn caught him before he hit the floor. "Buffy, I need medics. Now!" She held McCoy, feeling the doctor's pulse race frantically, thready and weak.

"Bones, it's all right," Kirk said as he looked at Dawn as if asking her for confirmation, she only shrugged. "It will be all right."

The skeleton crew, with the exception of Dawn and McCoy both of whom were in sickbay, of the Enterprise assembled in the docking chamber in preparation for Starfleet Commander Morrow's review.

"Tetch-hut!" The boatswain's pipe wailed eerily, the doors slid open, and Fleet Commander Morrow stepped on board, his aide close behind.

"Welcome aboard, Admiral," said Kirk.

Morrow grasped Kirk's shoulders. "Welcome home, Jim," he said. He tightened his hands. "Well done."

"Thank you, sir," Kirk said, as Morrow stepped back. To break the tension he said wryly, "I take it this is not a formal inspection?"

A ripple of half-repressed laughter spread through the small group.

"No. At ease, everyone." Morrow glanced around. "Where's Captain Summers and Dr. McCoy?"

"Sickbay," said Buffy having noticed Jim's hesitation. "My wife is tending to Dr. McCoy after a small mishap. Nothing serious."

"Ah," Morrow said. "Well. You have all done remarkable service under the most . . . difficult . . . of conditions. You'll be receiving Starfleet's highest commendations. And more important extended shore leave."

The youngsters, particularly, reacted with pleased surprise and anticipation.

"That is shore leave for everyone but you, Mr. Scott. We need your wisdom on the new Excelsior. Report there tomorrow as Captain of Engineering."

"Tomorrow isna possible, Admiral," Scott said, "And, with all appreciation, sir, I'd prefer to oversee the refitting of the Enterprise. If it's all the same to ye, I'll come back here."

"I don't think that's wise, Mr. Scott."

"But, sir, no one knows this ship like I do. The refit will take a practiced hand. There's so much to do." He glanced at Kirk and Buffy. "It could be months."

"That's one of the problems, Mr. Scott."

"Well, I might be able to do…"

"You simply don't know what you're asking."

"Then perhaps the admiral would be so kind as to enlighten me."

"I can cut you new orders to stay and oversee the Enterprise," said Morrow.

"I'd thank ye for that."

"But the orders would have to be for you to oversee the ship's dismantling."

Kirk and Buffy looked at each other. They knew how old the ship was, but normal lifetime operation would have seen at least another ten years they thought before finally being decommissioned.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Scott," Morrow said. "There isn't going to be a refit."

"But ye canna do that!"

"Admiral, I don't understand," Kirk said.

"I don't either," said Buffy. "We know the Enterprise is forty years old. But normal lifetime is at least fifty."

"I know," said Morrow. "But sadly, the Enterprise's day is over." His sorrow was sincere, but he made no pretense that the order was anything but final. "The ship is obsolete. We kept it on as a training vessel, mainly because you insisted, Jim. But after this last trip . . . well, it's clear just by looking at the ship that it's seen its last encounter."

"Ye've no e'en done an inspection!" Scott cried. "Ye canna just look at a ship and condemn it to the scrap heap! All ye need do is gi' me the materiel I requisitioned."

"Your requisitions have been through a thorough analysis. We gave the ship every point we could I made sure of that. But it simply isn't cost-effective to bring it back to optimum."

"Cost-effective!" Scott muttered angrily. ""Optimum!"

"Scotty," Buffy said gently as she felt Scott's anger.

Scott looked at Buffy, and resentfully subsided.

"Scotty, go on over to Excelsior for the time being," said Morrow.

"Nay!" Scott said. "Do ye no' understand? It isna possible!"

"Indeed?" The frost in Morrow's single word lowered the temperature ten degrees. He was not used to having his orders questioned, much less directly refused.

"My nephew Peter is still on board the Enterprise," Scott said. "His body is. I must take him home, to my sister. To his grave."

Morrow relented. "I see. Of course, you must go to Earth. But Mr. Scott, the preliminary test of the engines is urgent. You're the best man for the job. In a day or so his…"

"I canna promise. Some things there be that are more important than starships, and one of them is family, one of them is ties of blood." Scott said and he hurried from the docking bay.

Kirk turned to Morrow. "Admiral, I requested I'd hoped to take the Enterprise back to Genesis."

"Genesis!" Morrow exclaimed. "Whatever for?"

"Why a natural desire to help finish the work we began. Dr. Marcus is certainly going to want to return…" said Kirk.

"It's out of the question. No one else is going to Genesis."

"May I ask why?" Buffy asked.

Morrow sighed. "Jim, Buffy . . . in your absence, Genesis has become a galactic controversy. Until the Federation Council makes policy, you are all under orders not to discuss Genesis. Consider it a quarantined planet . . . and a forbidden subject."

Morrow's expression forbade argument in general, and argument before the assembled ship's crew in particular.

"Dismissed," Kirk said.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Kirk stared out the window of his apartment at the night and at the bridges on the bay, lines of light leading out of and into an infinity of fog. Reflections overlaid the distant city.

Jim turned to them and raised his glass. "To absent friends," he said.

Buffy, Dawn, Uhura, Chekov, and Sulu raised their glasses in response. They all drank.

"Admiral, is it certain?" Hikaru said. "What's going to happen to the Enterprise?"

"Yes," Kirk said. "It's to be decommissioned."

"Will we get another ship?" Chekov said.

"I can't get an answer," Kirk said. "Starfleet is up to its brass in galactic conference. No one has time for those who only stand . . . and wait."

"How is Dr. McCoy, Dawn?" Uhura said knowing that Dawn had continued Dr. McCoy's care after they left the Enterprise.

"Home in bed, I had to give him sedatives," said Dawn. "So, he could sleep. Though he promised me he'd stay there. As far I can tell it's exhaustion." She sighed. "We'll see."

The doorbell chimed.

"Ah," Jim said. "It must be Mr. Scott, fresh from the world of transwarp drive. Come!"

The door responded to his voice and whirred open.

Expecting Scott, Jim started at the sight of a much taller figure standing cloaked and hooded in a Vulcan robe, half hidden by the shadows in his foyer.

The figure reached up and drew back its hood.

"Sarek," said Buffy and Dawn as they held up their hands in the Vulcan greeting.

Ambassador Sarek strode into the light as he returned the greeting. "T'Lekus, T'Lin," he said.

"Ambassador," Jim said, feeling flustered, "I had no idea you were on Earth . . ." His words trailed off.

Sarek said nothing.

"You know my officers, I believe," Kirk said.

Sarek moved to the window and stared out, his back to the room. "I will speak with you, Kirk and T'Lekus and T'Lin," he said, "alone."

Kirk turned toward his friends. "Uhura, Pavel, Hikaru perhaps we'd better get together again another evening." With a gesture he silenced Chekov's hotheaded objection before it started; he shook Hikaru's hand, appreciating his equanimity, and he returned Uhura's embrace as he showed his three compatriots to the door.

"We're here," Uhura said, "when you need us."

"I know," Kirk said. "And I'm grateful."

He let them out, watched the door close behind them, and turned back to Sarek.

"How is Amanda, sir?" Buffy asked.

"She is a human being, T'Lin. Consequently, she is in mourning for our son. She is on Vulcan."

"Sarek, we apologize," said Dawn, "We are bound here to testify, or we would have come to Vulcan, to express our deepest sympathies. To her, and to you."

Sarek cut off Dawn's explanation. "Spare me, T'Lekus. I have been to your government. I have seen the Genesis information, and Kirk's own report."

"Then you know how bravely your son met his death," said Kirk.

"Met his death?" Sarek faced Buffy, Dawn and Kirk, and the cold expressionlessness of his eyes was more powerful than any fury. "How could you, who claim to be his friends, assume that? I ask you, T'Lekus, and you, T'Lin, who know our customs so well, why did you not bring him back to Vulcan?"

"Because he asked me not to!" Kirk said, in protection of his friends.

"He asked you not to? I find that unlikely in the extreme," said Sarek. He stopped just short of calling Kirk a liar.

"His will states quite clearly that he did not wish to be resumed to Vulcan, should he die in the service of Starfleet. You can view it I'll even give you his sepal number," said Kirk.

"I am aware of his sepal number," Sarek said with contempt. "I am also aware that Starfleet regulations specifically require that any Vulcan's body be resumed to the home world. Surely this would override the dictates of a will."

"The trivial personal wishes of an individual?" Kirk did not give Sarek a chance to reply to his barb. "I'll tell you why I followed Spock's request rather than the rules of Starfleet," he said bitterly. "It's because in all the years I knew Spock, never once did you or any Vulcan treat him with the respect and the regard that he deserved. You never even treated him with the simple courtesy one sentient being owes another. He spent his life living up to Vulcan ideals and he came a whole hell of a lot closer to succeeding than a lot of Vulcans I've met. But he made one choice of his own Starfleet instead of the Vulcan Academy and you cut him off!"

He stopped to catch his breath.

"My son and I resolved our disagreement on that subject many years ago, Kirk," Sarek said mildly.

Kirk ignored the overture; he knew why Buffy and Dawn were remaining silent for he knew they could feel his anger and were likely biting their tongues to keep from letting his emotions overwhelm them. "For nearly twenty years I watched him endure the slights and the subtle bigotry of Vulcans! When he died, I was damned if I would take him back to Vulcan and give him over to you so you could put him in the ground and wash your hands of him! He deserved a hero's burial and that's what I gave him the fires of space!"

Sarek behaved as if Kirk's outburst had never occurred, as if he believed that by refusing to acknowledge it, he caused it not to exist. "Why did you leave him behind? Spock trusted you. You denied him his future."

Kirk noticed that he didn't direct that statement at just him but Buffy and Dawn.

That was when Dawn remembered where she had heard a Vulcan say, Remember, before. "His Katra," said Dawn. "If he performed the mind meld before, he would have transferred his Katra to someone else. I think I know who and it wasn't one of us. We were separated by a glass wall when he died." She looked toward her friend, Jim Kirk. "Jim can you pull up the Enterprise's flight recorder. I need to confirm my suspicion."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

The flight recorder from the Enterprise lay under seal and under guard. Dawn had to call in multiple favors with the Admiralty to get Sarek in to watch it with her, Buffy and Kirk. Even the recording couldn't be taken outside the records storage center. She, Buffy, Kirk and Sarek had to go to it.

Ordinarily the recorder would lie essentially suppressed, quiescently tracking only the routine mechanical functions of the ship. An alert increased its powers of observation and set it to making a permanent record of the ship's crucial areas. The engine room monitor had watched Khan's attack and Spock's last moments of life.

"Engine room, flight recorder, visual," the computer voice announced. "Star date 8128 point seven eight." It froze at the decimal that had been chosen. "Point seven eight . . . point seven eight . . .".

On the screen, Spock lay dying against the glass of the radiation enclosure, frozen in time.

"Back!" Kirk snapped. "Point seven seven."

The random-access search skipped to the last words between Buffy, Dawn, Kirk and Spock.

Sarek looked at Buffy and Dawn and nodded. Even today they honored the Vulcan way that T'Pol had taught them.

"Back! Point six seven," said Kirk.

"Flight recorder, visual. Star date 8128 point six seven, point six seven.

The tape had reached the point before Buffy and Kirk left the bridge and Dawn had left sickbay, before Spock entered the radiation chamber, a time when the Enterprise was still in imminent danger of being caught up in Khan's detonation of the Genesis device. Spock was poised in freeze-frame at the radiation chamber control console.

Spock's image flowed into life. McCoy entered the picture, intercepting Spock before he reached the chamber. They argued in eerie silence.

Spock felled McCoy with a nerve pinch. And then . . . Spock knelt down and pressed his hand to McCoy's temple. Spock's lips formed the silent word.

"Remember."

"Hold," Kirk said. The image froze.

"Augment and repeat." The scene scrolled smoothly back. The central image expanded.

"Audio," Kirk said.

Spock felled McCoy with a nerve pinch. And then . . . Spock knelt down and pressed his hand to McCoy's temple. "Remember!" he said.

"Freeze!" Kirk said as he looked at Dawn, realizing what she had back in his apartment. "Bones?"

"That's why he was saying remember," said Dawn. "I found it weird for him to say the word at the time but dismissed it due to his medical needs."

"One alive, one not," Sarek said. "Yet both in pain."

"One going mad from pain!" Kirk said. "Why, why did Spock leave the wrong instructions?"

"Do you recall the precise words, Kirk?" Sarek cocked his eyebrow.

"You know I found it odd that Spock was so adamant that he did not wish to return to Vulcan," said Buffy. "Even Dawn and my wills, which won't activate for several hundred more years, have a line about returning us to Vulcan for burial."

"Since you are considered Vulcan because of your adoption by T'Pol," said Kirk who nodded in understanding. He thought about the will. "Uhm let's see. Failing a subsequent revision of this document, my remains are not to be returned to Vulcan?"

"Spock did not . . . did not believe that his unusual heritage would permit the transfer of his katra," Sarek said. "He did leave the possibility open. But he never made a revision. The good Dr. McCoy. Who, if the process had worked properly, would have known what to do? Perhaps Spock was correct. Perhaps he was unable to transfer . . ."

"He transferred something! And it's driving McCoy insane!" said Kirk.

"Had Dr. McCoy ever experienced the mind-meld before?" asked Sarek.

"A couple of times, in emergencies," answered Buffy.

"How did he react?"

"He didn't like it. To put it mildly," said Kirk.

Sarek raised his eyebrow again but forbore to remark upon the comment. "Did he become physically ill, afterwards?"

"I was ship's counselor, during Jim's original five-year mission, as I am sure you remember, Sarek," said Dawn. "But I also held a medical degree. In fact, I've taken over briefly as Chief Medical Officer a couple times. So, I would have been the one treating him, and I don't remember treating him for symptoms resulting from the mind meld. And you know, Sarek, that I know to look for symptoms given my own body's reaction to T'Pol's mind meld."

"Yes," Sarek said. He knew that Dawn not only had some form of emotional control over what she received from her empathic gift. But he also knew she went through Pon Farr.

"Dawn could it be that Doc is rejecting Spock's katra now," said Buffy. "After all people can reject replacement limps or blood if the donor isn't a perfect match for the patient."

"It's possible," said Dawn. "It wouldn't be unprecedented. His mind could be rejecting what Spock gave to him."

"Since the result is that McCoy was unable to assimilate the new information even so far as to rescind the provision of Spock's will that may now destroy both of them." Sarek shook his head. "It would have been better if Spock had been near you two T'Lekus, T'Lin, or another Vulcan when he died. He did not prepare well. He left too many factors open to chance."

"This is hardly the time to criticize Spock!" Kirk said angrily. "Or to deplore Murphy's Law, for that matter."

"What is "Murphy's Law"?" Sarek asked.

"Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong," said Dawn

"How apropos," agreed Sarek.

"What do we do to make things right?" asked Kirk.

"You must recover Spock's body from the Genesis world," Sarek said. "You must bring it, and Dr. McCoy, to Mount Seleya, on Vulcan. Only there is the passage possible. Only there can both find peace."

"What you ask," Kirk said, "is difficult."

"You, T'Lekus and T'Lin will find a way, Kirk. If you honor them both, you must."