Chapter 6
Captain Kirk found Dr. McCoy sitting at his desk. As soon as Kirk entered Dr. McCoy stood and handed Kirk two data disks, one red and one blue. "The blue disk is my report on the incident in your conference room."
"Already? That was quick. I'm still trying to figure out everything that happened."
"Then let me help you, Jim. Lyra is a victim of child abuse." Dr. McCoy pointed to the blue disk. "That Coulter woman throttled her own daughter! And in the presence of three Starfleet officers, no less!"
"Dr. McCoy," said Kirk. "Child abuse . . . is a very serious accusation . . . ."
"It's more than that, Jim. It's my official diagnosis as Chief Medical Officer of the USS Enterprise."
For a moment, the two men were silent. Then Kirk said, "Bones, Mrs. Coulter was not even near Lyra when . . . ."
"She sent that blasted monkey of hers to do her dirty work, Jim, and you saw what happened. When that monkey choked Pantalaimon; Lyra felt the effect. And not just Lyra; did you see what happened to Coulter when you drop-kicked her monkey away from Will so he could help Pan? You knocked the wind out of Coulter and she fell to the deck holding her gut and gulping for breath; and you were nowhere near her!
"And earlier in the corridor, I heard Pan tell Lyra not to eat too much because he did not want a belly ache if she got one. Jim, apparently these 'daemons,' whatever they may be, are somehow linked with their people in a way I cannot even begin to understand. That being the case, Coulter was strangling her daughter as sure as if she did it with her own hands."
Kirk sighed. "Bones, we know so little of these people and their customs. For all we know Mrs. Coulter may have been using child disciplining methods that are common and acceptable to her people . . . ."
"Blast it, Jim!" spat McCoy. "Don't make excuses for Coulter! She was brazenly abusing her daughter in front of all of us!"
Child abuse was rare on Earth. A general practitioner, even a pediatrician, was more likely to run into a case of chicken pox or food poisoning. But McCoy knew what he saw was child abuse, pure and simple.
When McCoy was the same age as Will and Lyra, he was visiting his grandparents in Kansas and went to play at nearby Martina McBride Park. The park was named for a local resident who became a famous singer in the early 21st century. In the middle of the park was a marble statue of a young girl that he thought was a representation of the singer herself as a child. But his grandmother told him that it was a reference to one of the singer's most famous songs.
It was a song about a little girl who was being abused by her mother. In the song, the girl died as a result of the abuse because no one who suspected anything wanted to get involved. And Dr. Leonard McCoy would be damned to hell if he just sat back and allowed the same fate to happen to Lyra.
"What do you suggest that I do, Bones?" said Kirk. "Should I send a landing party to Cittagazze to accompany Mrs. Coulter and her daughter? Assuming they manage to avoid the Specters, and find the window to Lyra's world, what do they say to the natives once they get there; 'Take us to your social-service authorities?'"
"My recommendation is on the blue disk. Lyra will come with us, back to our world in the 23rd century."
"For the moment, doctor, I'll have to take that under advisement. As for the other disk," Kirk held the red disk up. "Is this your report about Spock?"
"No, captain. It's about me. I'm putting you on notice. Effective immediately upon our return to our Earth, in our correct time; I am resigning my Starfleet Commission."
"Bones?"
"I will have pressing duties on Earth," said McCoy. "Someone has to take care of Lyra and Will. The poor kids will be scared and out of their element, especially Lyra. They'll need someone to watch over them; advocate for them. And it looks like that someone is going to be me!"
Before Kirk could respond, Nurse Chapel's voice came over the intercom. "Doctor! Captain! Come quick! Commander Spock and Lyra are awake!"
"I don't believe this!" said Mrs. Coulter. "You have no right to keep my Lyra away from me!" Mrs. Coulter looked from Captain Kirk, to Dr. McCoy, and then to Spock. "I am Lyra's mother!"
Marisa Coulter was seething with rage, but it was rage tempered severely with unaccustomed impotence. She was on a ship in space, unarmed and outnumbered. In addition to the three Starfleet officers in the conference room with her, there were two security guards just outside the door. And they were armed with the formidable anbaric pistols that these daemonless creatures called 'phasers.'
"It is our opinion; my opinion, as Chief Medical Officer of the USS Enterprise, that allowing you to take Lyra would not be in her best interest," said Dr. McCoy.
"In addition to being abusive to your own daughter," said Spock. "As head of the General Oblation Board; you are responsible, directly and indirectly, for the abductions and deaths of hundreds, quite possibly thousands, of children on your own world."
"Lies!" spat Mrs. Coulter. "All lies! Everything Lyra has told you are lies! And ridiculous lies at that! You can't possibly believe her outlandish stories about 'Gobblers' and secret experimental stations 'up north!'"
"Not only do we believe Lyra's account," said Captain Kirk. "Mr. Spock experienced everything that happened to Lyra through her own eyes."
Captain Kirk told Mrs. Coulter that Vulcans are 'touch-telepaths,' who have the ability to 'mind-meld' with other individuals. And that such a mind-meld was inadvertently initiated between Spock and Lyra when he snatched Pantalaimon from the deck in an attempt to rescue Lyra's daemon from the golden monkey's assault.
Spock stated that he had experienced Lyra's memories from the moment she and Pantalaimon hid in the closet of the Retiring Room at Jordan College to the sudden shock of mind-meld when Spock and Pan first made contact; and everything in between. Including the pain and terror of when Lyra and Pan were almost severed at Bolvangar.
And all through Spock's annoyingly matter-of-fact account, spoken with just the slightest tincture of accusation, Mrs. Coulter stood stony-faced, though her golden monkey daemon, barely able to contain his rage, looked as though he was about to attack the Starfleet officers at any moment.
Not that Kirk was overly concerned. Spock had informed him that Pantalaimon, what Lyra called her 'daemon,' is actually a physical manifestation of Lyra's soul; her katra, as the Vulcans would say. And that among Lyra's people, it was forbidden to touch another person's daemon. So deeply ingrained was this social taboo that even individuals of Lyra's species who were joined in mortal combat would take great pains to avoid contact with their opponent's daemon, (although their daemons would fight each other.)
Because of this, Lyra was the only person on the Enterprise who was in any actual danger from Mrs. Coulter's daemon. And at that very moment, both Lyra and Pantalaimon were four decks below in sickbay; safely away from Mrs. Coulter and her repulsive golden monkey daemon.
"Just who in the devil are you, lady?" spat Dr. McCoy. "Were you by any chance a man named Dr. Joseph Mengele in your past life? Hell, as head of the General Oblation Board, you were Adolph Eichmann as well as Mengele, rolled up into one disgusting little stylish package!"
"So . . . you believe in reincarnation?" said Mrs. Coulter fiercely. "Well, I look forward to seeing you tremble before Father MacPhail himself as you kneel before the Consistorial Court of Discipline on my world for your heretical beliefs!"
Mrs. Coulter's golden monkey made a move like he was going to lunge at Dr. McCoy, but McCoy didn't even flinch.
Instead, Dr. McCoy snorted with disgust.
Now Captain Kirk had had enough. "Security," said Kirk. The door to the conference room opened and Ensign Striebeck came in, phaser drawn.
"Please, Captain Kirk," said Mrs. Coulter. "Please let me at least say goodbye to my only child; my dear, precious Lyra!"
"Mr. Striebeck; get her and her damned monkey off of my ship!" said Captain Kirk.
The security team shepherded Mrs. Coulter and her golden monkey daemon into the corridor. Kirk, Spock and McCoy followed them out of the conference room. Abruptly, Mrs. Coulter stopped in the corridor and rounded back to face Kirk and the others. The security team leveled their phasers, but held their fire.
"Know that you will not keep me from my child forever, Captain Kirk!" said a seething Mrs. Coulter. "I will have her back! And when I do have my dear Lyra back in the safety of my arms, I shall see to it that you are all held accountable for your manner with me! YOU WILL ALL SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES!!" Fighting back tears, Mrs. Coulter turned and continued down the corridor in the direction of the transporter room, with the security team providing escort. The golden monkey daemon continued to glare at Kirk over Mrs. Coulter's shoulder.
When Mrs. Coulter and the security team had rounded the corner, Kirk, Spock and McCoy went to the turbolift. Kirk took the control handle and said, "Bridge," and the turbolift began to move. "I want to be ready to initiate Light-Speed Breakaway Factor as soon as possible, Mr. Spock."
"We are nearly ready, captain," said Spock. "I would like to make a few more adjustments before we execute our return maneuver."
Although Spock had been unable to determine the circumstances that had caused the Volynov and later, the Enterprise, to travel spatially into a parallel universe as well as temporally to the late 20th century; he was able to theorize, after running dozens of computer simulations, that reversing their entrance vector should return them to their proper universe and time.
"Well, at least that is over," said Dr. McCoy. Though in truth, for Lyra, Pantalaimon, and Will, much more was yet to come. "Could you gentlemen drop me off at sickbay. I would like to make sure that the children are safely restrained before we head back."
"It may be a while before we are actually able to leave, Bones," said Kirk.
"I estimate another thirty-seven minutes and fourteen seconds will be required to run additional tests and complete all final adjustments, captain," added Spock.
"Well, I don't know about you, Bones," said Kirk. "But if I was twelve-years old, I wouldn't want to be strapped down for half an hour, maybe even longer, just waiting. Tell you what, Bones, why don't we drop you off at sickbay and you can bring Will and Lyra to the bridge. I'll let them look around for a short time; provided they keep to the side and stay out of everyone's way."