Chapter Seventeen
Hunter beckoned to Kort to join him and Spock. The Klingon had been pacing the room in frustration. He was worrying about T'Sorf, whom H'Narth had taken with him, but he came and sat by Spock and Hunter.
"Kort and I have encountered the Morana before." Hunter said. The Vulcan did not react. Hunter knew that there was no need for him to repeat his words.
. "We have not been entirely truthful with you, Mr Spock. Or, more precisely we have been guilty of omitting certain details about the past."
"Ravik?" Spock asked, conjecturing correctly.
"Ravik." Hunter replied, "Everything comes back to Ravik." Spock raised an eyebrow. Hunter looked to Kort and received a nod. "How much do you know about the work that was taking place on Ravik at the time of the attack, Mr Spock?"
"I am aware of a number of projects that were being researched on that planet. Several eminent Vulcan scientists were involved in research on various projects." At the mention of Ravik, both T'Hana and Kravok looked across. Hunter seemed not to care if they were listening.
"There was one project in particular," Hunter said, "It was not one which was shouted about too loudly, if you understand me."
Spock was unmoved. He had researched some of the projects that had been instigated on Rakik – many of these had been experimental in nature, some more fanciful than others. Much of the data relating to findings and conclusions had been lost irretrievably in the destruction of the planet. Such a great loss.
"You are referring to a classified project?" Spock asked, patiently. Hunter nodded in agreement.
"How long would it take for the Enterprise to reach even the next nearest galaxy to our own, Mr Spock, assuming that she were travelling at maximum warp?" Spock frowned – an almost imperceptible drawing together of the muscles of his forehead.
"I assume you do not require an exact calculation." Spock asked, dryly. Hunter nodded, amusement twinkling in his eyes.
"I would estimate thousands of years to reach the Andromeda Galaxy – thousands upon thousands to set foot in the Triangulum Galaxy by which time her entire crew would be long dead, even if the capacity for such long distance travel were conceivable, which at our present level of technological development, it is not."
"And yet such travel is not impossible – as Starship logs show, there are recorded incidences of encounters with species whose origin lies not within our own Galaxy but far beyond." Spock was unimpressed.
"Research into enhancing warp capacity has been ongoing since the concept of the warp drive was first conceived, yet hyperwarp theories remain in their infancy. May I also point out that research into space travel has not been confined to enhancing warp capacity. Other concurrent ideas include the use of wormholes…"
"Spock, our research was into what you referred to as 'hyperwarp' theories. And, as you rightly say, such theories remain in their infancy." Hunter interrupted.
"Today's dreams are tomorrow's reality, are they not, Mr Spock? Travel to the distant reaches of the Universe will not always remain beyond our reach. I believe it was one of Earth's poets who said, ' a man's reach should exceed his grasp.' Spock looked unimpressed at Hunter's platitudes. He said,
"Gentlemen, as we speak there are at least five different research projects looking into hyperwarp theories – the Enterprise's Chief Engineer consults frequently on at least two of these. I am not aware of any secrecy surrounding this area of research."
"The truth of it is Spock, we were getting close on Ravik. We had in our possession, an alien craft from a distant galaxy. At its warp core was a completely unknown crystal fuel source that had astonishing properties. And not just for use in enhancing warp drives." There was no need for Hunter to expand.
"We believe that the raid on Ravik was intended to destroy any trace of the work going on there. It may surprise you to learn, Mr Spock, that of those scientists who survived the attack on Ravik, and who had been involved in this project, only Kort and myself are still alive. Hunter paused, "Since Ravik, Kort and I have been following up leads, seeking out information, pursuing rumours and ….We are convined that the survivors of the crashed alien craft - the Morana - have contacts at the highest level of Starfleet."
"We are also suspicious about the fact that the Enterprise and a Klingon ship happened to arrive at Skara at the same time." Kort turned to Kravok and T'Hana, who were listening actively now. He asked them, "Why did the Klingon ship approach Skara?"
"We do not know the true nature of our mission. We were told it was scientific. Only H'Narth knows the truth. T'Hana said.
"And the Enterprise received an anonymous distress signal, did it not, Mr Spock?" asked H'Narth.
"Yes. The source appeared to be from a particular location on Skara but the transmission was brief and could not be retraced for confirmation. It now seems logical to postulate that the signal was a trap." Spock looked thoughtful.
"What is it, Spock?" asked Hunter.
"I believe that the Enterprise was lured to Skara some days prior to her arrival here. We had been in pursuit of another vessel of unknown origin, but probably Klingon for several weeks. It kept hovering just out of range of our sensors, on the fringes of the neutral zone and Federation space. The course that was set taking us into the Skarran system was determined by this vessel's activity." An eyebrow climbed into Spock's brow, "Captain Kirk will not be flattered to learn that he was the victim of a trick."
"They need a ship." Said Hunter, "Think about it. They lost one of their craft. They are stranded in our Galaxy and have only ordinary warp capacity." Hunter said.
"Not just any ship." Spock conjectured, "A starship."
"Piklamer said that they have business on Skara. Suppose they have reason to believe that this planet is rich in some mineral deposit or other substance that they need to restore their hyperwarp function" Kravok suggested.
T'Hana and Kravok exchanged glances. "I am a xenomineralogist. Perhaps that is why I was selected for this mission." Kravok said.
"And I have studied hyperwarp theories extensively." T'Hana said. Kort nodded.
"The unknown crystals we discovered in the hyperwarp core shared some of the properties of the rare crystal, porathium, but in other ways it was quite different."
"Porathium is a notoriously unstable substance, hence its limited use in engineering." Spock observed. "Not to mention its extreme rarity."
"I have had some success in dealing with porathium." T'Hana said.
"T'Hana is too modest." Kravok said, "She is a leading expert in her field."
Kravok looked thoughtful, "I have noticed deposits of another rare mineral on Skara. It caught my eye as I lay on the ground after being subjected to Nor's instrument of torture. I thought at first that it was miridium but it had a glitter to it, of an indeterminate colour, like gold but shot through with magenta."
"Bretinium?" Spock said, and Kravok nodded, "Saldur of Rigel VI suggested in some recent research that bretinium is a far more interesting element than previously believed – he went as far as to say that it could have a role to play in developing an alternative to dilithium crystals in warp systems."
T'Hana's eyes were shining with excitement, "I am familiar with this research. What if the mysterious crystal found in the warp core of the Moranan craft could be replicated using compound elememts - from bretinium combined with porathium?" Spock nodded, but pointed out what was, to him, an obvious flaw in T'Hana's theory,
"Even if porathium could be stabilised for such a purpose, the effect would be temporary and highly dangerous."
"Even if the Morana, have worked out a way to make these elements work together, they lack the knowledge to fit their power source to a starship engine." Hunter said.
"As do we." Spock pointed out, although his eyes sought out T'Hana's.
"As you say, it would be highly dangerous, given porathium's notoriously volatile nature." T'Hana paused, "But it could be done. I developed a stabilising technique that had some success in an initial trial. I have not had an opportunity to replicate it."
There was a hushed silence in the room as the scientists appreciated the importance of T'Hana's words.
Spock brought them all back to reality, "No doubt the Morana will be coming for you soon." He said to Kravok and T'Hana. "And you may also be of use to them, now." He said, looking from Kort to Hunter.
"Returning to your conspiracy theory," Spock said "It would seem logical to assume that whoever is in league with the Morana, is also in league with the Klingons."
"Another ship will be coming here." T'Hana said. Spock nodded. He was also anticipating the Enterprise's return, but given that the Morana intended to seize the ship, the knowledge that Jim might soon be here, was no longer of any comfort. Moreover, Spock feared that Piklamer planned to use him to blackmail Kirk into handing over the Enterprise. Kirk had once risked his career to save Spock's life. Spock knew that Jim would not put his ship and its crew at risk for any man. But knowing that he had killed his First Officer and his friend would destroy Jim, as the thought that he had killed his captain had once almost destroyed Spock.
A sudden sound from the corridor outside, alerted the captives to someone approaching. Kort made some rapid hand signals to the others who took up the positions indicated by him. Spock and the others lay over the beds, pretending to rest. Kort positioned himself behind the door. The door opened and T'Sorf was pushed roughly inside. H'Narth stood in the doorway with a Moranan guard at his side.
Moving silently from behind the door, Kort acted swiftly, bringing his fist down hard on H'Narth's arm, knocking his disruptor from his hand. T'Sorf scrambled to pick it up. With lightening speed, Kort, and T'Hana also leapt into action. T'Hana aimed a kick at the Moranan's chest and as he buckled, Kort caught his arm and wrested his weapon from him. Keeping his weapon on the Starling guard, Kort pushed H'Narth to the floor.
"Spock! You must force a mind meld with him. Obtain as much information as you can." Kort said. The Vulcan shook his head,
"I cannot." He asserted, quietly, "It is not the Vulcan way. He walked over to H'Narth, placed his fingers on the meld points, known only to Vulcans, and planted a thought in the Klingon's mind, telling him to forget what had happened and putting him into a temporary trance. The second guard shrank from Spock as he approached him. "I do not intend to harm you." Spock reassured him, moving his fingers swiftly into place as Kort and H'Narth held the guard still. Hoping that he could influence a Moranan in the same way, Spock repeated his action. The guard slumped to the floor.
"T'Sorf!" Kort took his son by the shoulders. "Did they harm you?" T'Sorf shook his head. "Father, they have a laboratory. I saw it." He turned to Hunter, "There are humans here, also."
"I say we get out of here now." Kravok urged. "If we can get over the perimeter fence we could make it to the river, seize a boat." There was a moment's indecision as they all considered Kravok's plan.
"It may be our best chance." Hunter agreed.
Outside, the Skarran darkness was lit by spotlights from its many moons. The planet's largest moon was waning but two other, smaller satellites were full and bright and the way to the perimeter fence was clear. But it was already too late. Shouts from the building warned that their escape had already been discovered.
"There's no time." Spock said, his sense of frustration palpable. "The boy could make it alone if you help him over the fence," He said to Kort. Kort looked at his son in anguish; having just lost and found him twice over, he was reluctant to let go of him again, but he nodded, signalling to Kravok to help him. The others prepared to fend off the Moranan guards.
"Quickly, T'Sorf. His father said.
"I am ready," T'Sorf anwered. Kort looked at his son, anxiously.
"Remember, when you clear the fence, take a boat and follow the flow of the river. Look for distinctive landmarks that you may recognise. T'Sorf nodded, impatient to be gone. "Be wary of the Skarrans." Kort added. T'Sorf nodded again, breathing in deeply to strengthen his resolve.
"Wait!" Kravok said. "Take this." He pulled a small but deadly looking knife from his boot, saying, "It is a tajtiq, a traditional Klingon blade." T'Sorf looked to his father for approval and received a brief nod.
Without wasting any more time, Kort and Kravok used their hands to lift T'Sorf upwards against the fence until he was able to grasp the top of the posts and pull himself over. "I can see the boats." The boy whispered. "They are unguarded." He lowered himself down the other side of the fence and ran towards the river.
"Qapla, puq." Kort said, though he knew that T'Sorf was already out of earshot. He felt a slight pressure on his arm and realised it was Kravok, pulling him away. "Come away from the fence – they may not notice that T'Sorf is missing immediately."
As the Moranan guards approached, Kort fingered the disruptor he had wrested from H'Narth, and Hunter levelled the pen-shaped weapon, but it was obvious that they were outnumbered and there was no cover. Nor stepped to the fore of the group of guards and with him was a man, a Human whom Nor held close to his chest, an arm circling his throat. Nor's weapon was fixed on the man's head.
"Do any of you recognise this man?" he asked. Only Kravok and T'Hana shook their heads, but even they could tell from the man's uniform that he was a high-ranking Starfleet officer, retired . "Surrender your weapons or he dies now!" Kort and Hunter exchanged looks, Spock noted.
"Gentlemen, you must do as he asks or Admiral Caton will die." The Vulcan prompted. Still, the two hesitated.
"The Admiral is in no danger." Hunter said, quietly, his eyes never leaving Caton's. Spock understood instantly.
Caton released himself from Nor's hold, "Forget it Nor, they're not fooled. Mr Kort and Mr Hunter, I presume?" he said, looking the two up and down and nodding, "Yes, I recognise you now." Turning to Spock, he said, "And the inestimable Mr Spock, First Officer aboard the Starship Enterprise. I had hoped to make your acquaintance several weeks ago along with your captain's, but ion storms have a way of hijacking the best of plans."
Kort and Hunter kept their weapons trained on Caton. "You are outnumbered, gentlemen and the disruptor has already been disabled by Nor's terlak." Caton said, indicating the pen-shaped weapon in Nor's hand. Kort's look of disbelief quickly turned to anger as he tried to fire a blast from his weapon and found it inactive. Nor levelled his terlak at Kort leaving Hunter with no choice. With an apologetic glance at Kort, he tossed his terlak to the ground.
Spock was analysing the situation. If Admiral Caton were one of the links in the higher echelons of Starfleet, then he had already tried to hunt down Kort and Hunter and kill them. Why would he spare them now? Perhaps he was of the opinion that they might now be of use to him. At any rate he was unlikely to order their execution immediately.
"I look forward to conversing with you, gentlemen." Turning to T'Hana, he said, "And lady. Especially you. Always a pleasure to meet one who is the lead in their field." T'Hana's eyes burned with hatred, and for a moment Spock thought that she would spit at Caton, but she managed to restrain herself.
"And you, Mr Spock. A great scientific mind also. A man who turned down the Vulcan science academy to serve with humans. Piklamer tells me of your great loyalty to your captain, your deep affection for him and Dr McCoy. Spock remained stony faced, saying nothing. He forced himself to think of T'Sorf. By now he would be in the boat, navigating down river. The longer Caton amused himself by baiting them, the greater the boy's chance of escape.
"I regret that you must return to your quarters. It is a pleasant night for a walk in the forest, but for you that is not presently an option. I will see that you are provided with food and drink and in the morning we will talk more." Caton signalled to the guards who closed around the captives, forcing them to retrace their steps to the hut they had been held in before their escape. H'Narth was standing outside the door to their prison, leaning against the wall, rubbing his temples. He scanned the group as they filed past him into the room. Frowning, he made as if to speak but no words came. His eyes were empty of recognition.
"Spock! What did you do to H'Narth? He didn't know us. He didn't even notice T'Sorf wasn't with us." Hunter asked. Spock looked all innocence,
"I merely suggested that he forget everything that has happened since his arrival on Skara. His memory will return gradually. We are fortunate that Nor and the others failed to notice T'Sorf's absence." Kort looked worried.
"There are many dangers in the Skarran forest." He said. Hunter put a hand to his friend's shoulder, "T'Sorf's a resourceful young man. He will find his way to the shuttle. We must hope that Captain Kirk will be there.
Kort saw T'Hana look at Kravok. He knew what they were thinking. What if the Klingon ship reached Skara ahead of the Enterprise and the Klingons intercepted T'Sorf's signal first? At least T'Sorf was Klingon in appearance. He could lie about the rest.
"One named Spock!" Nor's voice, impatient. "Piklamer would speak with you again." The delay in Spock's getting to his feet was caused by a sudden bout of coughing that left him bent over double and gasping for breath. If Vulcans could be said to have a vulnerability, it was their susceptibility to chest complaints. Not a problem in the dry heat of their own world, but on planets such as Skara where the temperature dropped below what was comfortable for the average Vulcan, and there was a dampness to the air, a potentially serious hazard. As Spock was finding to his discomfort. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Hunter shift instinctively to aid him, then draw away.
"Take care, friend." He said. Spock nodded, but Hunter could tell that his mind was preoccupied. The Vulcan was preparing himself mentally for Piklamer's interrogation.
Piklamer's quarters were bathed in a soft red light.
"I trust I have created the right ambience to put you at your ease, Mr Spock. You showed me last time we spoke, some glimpses of your home world, of your quarters aboard the Enterprise. Spock made no comment. He was fighting the anger the room's 'ambience' provoked, for Piklamer had taken the images he spoke of from his memories, uninvited. The Skarran toxin pulsed in Spock's veins heightening his emotions and compromising his attempts to compose himself into a state of readiness for the Moranan's assault. Dealing with his emotions was a complication that he could do without. Unless, Spock thought, with sudden insight, he could use his emotions to his advantage.
Piklamer approached. This time Spock was in no doubt of the Moranan leader's intention. Piklamer wasted no time. He advanced on Spock raising his terlak to the Vulcan's forehead. The muscles in Spock's face and neck tightened in anticipation. Emptying his mind of everything but the disciplines that he had been taught, Spock raised his shields against Piklamer's onslaught, deflecting his intrusive probing. He was aware of Piklamer grunting with impatience and for a moment the terlak was withdrawn as the Moranan adjusted its settings.
Counting on the element of surprise, Spock dropped his guard as Piklamer approached him for the second time. He would be expecting resistance or compliance, but not what Spock had planned for him.
Slowly, Spock let down the wall that he had built up to protect himself from the Skarran toxin, allowing the darkness of is insanity-inducing poison to flood out and overwhelm his adversary. He hurled the darkness inside him at Piklamer, blinding him with it. Piklamer's face contorted in agony and Spock experienced an unashamed moment of triumph as he felt the Moranan's defences come crashing down. Immediately, he steeled himself for the backlash.
Piklamer's retaliation was swift and ferocious. Spock resisted for what seemed like an eternity, enduring wave after wave of the Moranan's poisonous hatred, countering each new wave by deflecting it back on its creator. He felt the Moranan's fury, his shock, his disbelief and outrage. "You dare do this to me, Vulcan?"
Spock knew he could not hope to maintain his resistance against the Moranan for long. How long since he had left the others? Ten minutes? Fifteen? He was weakening, straying into thoughts that he must keep hidden. Just as Spock feared he could hold out no longer, a sudden, white flash obliterated all thoughts between the two men and Spock careened backwards, crashing to the floor.
It was not the force of another onslaught from Piklamer that thrust him off balance, but the opposite, the sudden, unforeseen withdrawal of the Moranan from his mind. So intense had their connection been that Spock had felt its severance with all the violence of a physical blow. Dazedly, the Vulcan looked to his opponent.
Piklamer was lying on his side, his head bent to his chest, clearly in distress. Rasping, laboured breaths betrayed his physical state. He was exhausted. Still he rallied enough to fix Spock with a look full of intense hatred, "Get him out!" He screamed, unable to do more than threaten. "Get out! Nor, attend me!" As he half-staggered, half-crawled out of the Moranan leader's quarters, Spock noticed the look of utter astonishment on Nor's face, as the man lunged past Spock and his guard, pushing them aside in his haste to reach Piklamer.
"Wait!" Piklamer cried, and the guard supported the exhausted Vulcan as they waited to hear what the Moranan leader had to stay. Piklamer dragged himself to his feet and crossed the room to Spock's side. He shoved the guard aside and Spock collapsed to the floor. Piklamer loomed above Spock, one foot resting on the Vulcan's chest, asserting his physical presence after his mental defeat.
"If you were not of use to me, Vulcan, I would kill you now for what you just did, but we are close to finding our way out of this god-forsaken galaxy and you are going to bring us what we need. You will not catch me unprepared again, one named Spock. And you will co-operate next time, or that fine mind of yours will be left in shreds."
"Spock!" Hands reached out to him as he fell forward. Too many hands. Touching him. Too many thoughts, sensations, cannot shield.
"Wait! Leave him. Our emotions are overloading him."
Hunter's voice. Where is Kirk? Why does he not come? "Jim!" Spock cried aloud, his voice raw with emotion.
"He's confused. He thinks you are his captain." Kort said to Hunter.
"Spock." Hunter said, steadily, then waited.
"Help me, Jim!" Spock said.
"Spock, it's Mark Hunter. Do you recognise me?" The Vulcan fixed on Hunter's face, struggling to make sense of his features – they kept rearranging themselves. "McCoy?"
"No, not McCoy. Hunter."
Spock's eyes swept wildly around the room, taking in each of its occupants in turn, then, his eyes closed and he slipped from consciousness.
"Has he lost his mind?" Kravok asked, moving to where Spock lay, unresponsive on the bed. Hunter did not have an answer for him.
Author's note – I hope the scientists among you will not be too offended by the made up science in this chapter. Aurelan