Author's note: Apologies - I put this out as chapter Twenty-five yesterday - got in a muddle with my chapter headings. Thanks to Yamina Chan for pointing this out. Hope it hasn't caused too much confusion.
Chapter Twenty-four
Spock managed to coax warp two out of the pirate craft, but in order to evade detection by either the Klingon battlecruiser or the Enterprise it had been necessary to set a course that kept them on the far side of Skara, meaning a delay in leaving the Skarran system.
"I can't quite get used to having Klingons aboard ship and not in the brig." McCoy said to Hunter, "How exactly did you and Kort become friends?"
"How does any friendship begin?" Hunter said, "but with shared interests, common pursuits, time spent together building up trust. Kort and I are scientists. Kort contacted me because he had read about some research I had been doing. We corresponded and met up when we could – Kort had already left Klingon but it was not easy for him to obtain work - when I got the chance to work at the science station on Ravik I needed a partner and he was the obvious choice. Of course the authorities took some persuading."
"And when Ravik was attacked?" McCoy asked, gently.
"I lost everything. My wife, daughter. We were out riding – Kort, Blackstone and I when Ravik took its first hit. Those were dark days, Doctor, best consigned to the past. One thing I learned was that when a man is willing to risk his life for yours, he becomes something more than a friend. Even the word brother is inadequate." McCoy nodded, thoughtfully.
"And Blackstone? He said you saved his life on Ravik. Is he a brother too?"
Hunter laughed,
"Stephen is more like a son. He was so young when we met him. I knew his parents, both excellent scientists."
"He's not your typical Vulcan."
"No." Hunter admitted, guardedly. "Stephen had accompanied his parents to Ravik but was supposed to return to Vulcan after a couple of weeks. Unfortunately, soon after arriving, he contracted a fever and was confined to the sanitorium for six months. It was during his recuperation period that the attacks occurred. He then spent two years trying to survive on that ruin of a planet with a Human and a Klingon his closest companions and role models. He missed out on three crucial years of his Vulcan education. When he left the rehab facility to return to Vulcan, he had lost more than his family – he had lost his identity. Vulcan was an alien world to him when he returned there."
"He wasn't able to re-engage with Vulcan ways."
"Stephen struggled with his emotions. You are aware, of course, that Vulcans are not devoid of emotion? Their impassivity is a construct that takes years to build. Under it all, they feel like you and I. More so. The Vulcans almost destroyed themselves with their unbridled passions."
McCoy nodded. He knew all of this, had discussed it many times with Spock. From his point of view, suppressing emotion was not a healthy activity, not for humans at any rate, and since the Enterprise's First Officer was half human, the doctor saw it as his duty to encourage him to share his feelings.
Spock was not in agreement; he regarded his human half as a chink in his Vulcan armour that must be compensated for with concentrated effort. It was a topic on which they would eternally disagree. What amazed McCoy was that Spock had chosen to live amongst Humans where he was surrounded constantly with emotional incontinence.
Interestingly, Kirk, his closest friend, was a man who wore his emotions on his sleeve and Spock had witnessed the Captain use his human emotions to resolve command dilemmas or make command decisions on many occsions. In McCoy's opinion, Spock was fascinated by the very thing he purported to reject.
Blackstone, being an unknown quantity to the doctor, was a source of worry for him. He had no idea how the young Vulcan might act in a situation where he could not maintain control. More to the point, if Blackstone were to lose control, what might that mean for Spock?
"How is Mr Spock faring?" Hunter asked, as if he had been intruding on McCoy's thoughts.
"He's still in poor shape – under other circumstances I'd have him strapped down in sickbay, but he's insisting that Blackstone can support him, for now. And I'm shoring him up with medication."
"There was not time on Skara for me to become properly acquainted with your Mr Spock, but I did observe him to be a most determined individual." McCoy rolled his eyes,
"Tell me about it."
"You and Captain Kirk are fortunate to have such a man at your side, but I suspect you know that already." McCoy shifted, and muttered something about going to check on the stubborn Vulcan.
"Dr McCoy." Hunter said after him, "He values your friendship, too, not just the Captain's." He caught the flustered medic's eye, and smiled, "And he's not the only one capable of dissembling around here."
"Captain Kirk. I have the Aurora on the viewscreen." Blackstone beckoned Kirk over to what served as a viewscreen aboard this ship, though to Kirk it seemed no bigger than the computer monitor in his quarters.
"Right where we left her." Kirk said, satisfied.
"Not exactly, Captain. She has drifted approximately three point two three kilometres from her last co-ordinates." Spock looked at Jim with that suggestion of a smile, saying,
"Indeed, Captain, Mr Blackstone's accuracy is most refreshing." Kirk knew when he was being teased.
"Spock, I want to speak with the Westons." Spock nodded,
"It may take a few moments, Captain. This vessel's communications systems are not up to standard." Even so, Spock had contact with the Aurora in seconds.
There was a moment's silence as Weston and Kirk came face to face over the distance between them."
"Weston." Kirk said, grudgingly acknowledging the man's presence.
"Hopkirk, I mean Captain Kirk." Replied Roger Weston. He was visibly anxious. "I hope that your mission to Skara was successful." Kirk ignored the question. "Weston. I need to speak to your wife. We'll be docking alongside you shortly – have Nancy ready to board.
"What do you want with Nancy?" Asked Weston.
"That's none of your business, mister."
"Nancy is my wife"
"Don't worry, Weston, she won't be harmed. We just need to borrow her for a while. She may be able to help us." Kirk saw a spark of something on Weston's face. Damn the man. No doubt he was already wondering how to turn that to his advantage.
"How are the prisoners?" Kirk asked.
"Still safely in the hold. But I would like to know how long you intend to leave us marooned in space, Captain. Our supplies won't last forever, especially with our guests to feed."
"You'll be…rescued when I say so, Mr Weston, not before. And your cooperation now would be a good step in that direction." Weston's jaw dropped and Kirk permitted himself a smug smile – if Weston had thought to broker some kind of deal out of Nancy and what she could offer, Kirk's words were calculated to show him the error of his ways. Under no circumstances would the captain of the Enterprise negotiate with such a man.
It pained Kirk even to set eyes on the Aurora's captain. Nancy he could not get the measure of. Clearly she had colluded with her reprobate husband in smuggling the rocosymonite. How could she be the same woman whom Spock and the others held in such high esteem as a scientist? "Simple, Jim. She compartmentalises," he heard McCoy say. Kirk could compartmentalise with the best of them but he still had room for conscience. Did people like Caton and Nancy?
The woman sitting opposite him now was the cool scientist at ease talking with her peers. Earlier, seeing Kirk and McCoy again, she had shown no sign of remorse for her recent actions, only curiosity about why she had been brought to the pirate ship. In her mind, she had already moved on.
"Hypothetically, it would be possible." Kirk heard her say,
"I'm not interested in hypotheticals," he said, sharply, "I need to know it can be done." Nancy looked thoughtful.
"I believe I can help you, captain, however there is the question of what you can do for me in return." Kirk sighed. Here it was then, the inevitable plea-bargaining. He cut her off,
"I know what you're after and the most I'm prepared to offer is that you and your husband will serve time in an open facility instead of doing hard labour on some god-forsaken penal planet in a forgotten corner of the galaxy."
"Why, Captain Kirk, I was only going to ask for a glass of water." Nancy smiled at him, teasingly, "But I accept your offer. It's time Roger and I had a break from all this ferrying to and fro. We both have research to catch up on." Kirk pursed his lips in exasperation. He left Spock and the other scientists to explain what was required. McCoy had requested permission to check on the captives and Kirk sent Blackstone with him for protection.
Left alone on the bridge Kirk contemplated his adversary. From Spock's descriptions of his behaviour and demeanour, McCoy had speculated about Caton's mental state and whatever way you looked at it the man was dangerous. His callous abandonment of George Woodhouse was, it seemed the least of his crimes. Hunter and Kort believed him to be responsible for the attacks on Ravik and he was almost certainly responsible for the destruction of the Curie. He was a mass-murderer on a grand scale and Kirk was determined to bring him to justice.
It seemed hardly credible that Caton would perpetrate such evil for the sake of obtaining the hyperwarp for the Klingons. What had made him turn traitor? Had he suffered a betrayal himself? Just how far back did his hatred extend? Kirk felt a sudden dart of insight, something like a hunch. Did it have something to do with George Woodhouse? Something that predated their meeting at the academy? On the face of it, it was a preposterous supposition – and yet. George had told him that they had been friends at Starfleet.
Kirk thought of his own friends, McCoy and Spock particularly, of the certainty he felt about the extent of their loyalty, the depth of their bond, and concluded that no such true friendship could ever have existed between Caton and Woodhouse, at least on Caton's side.
Suppose Caton had realised at an early stage in his career that Woodhouse would always eclipse him, that whatever he did he would always be the lesser man? Aligning himself with George, earning the man's affection and his trust, becoming his acolyte had been a deliberate strategy calculated to serve his career well. It was a common enough tactic. But it had not been enough. What if Caton needed to see his own star rise whilst Woodhouse's grew dim?
On Vascus, he had found a way. George had told Kirk that he believed he had been close to brokering a deal with the Klingons when Caton had engineered their escape. What kind of deal had Caton brokered? A lifetime of intelligence on Starfleet for giving him the credit and he himself would take care of Woodhouse.
Except George had refused to die. Suffering horrific injuries, he could never hope to resume his former career path, which would have seen him a Starship captain in a few short years, but instead he had become a teacher and later he had accepted his position at Starbase Ten. Kirk wondered why George had never confronted Caton, never acted on his suspicions. There had been no proof; he could not trust his own memory of the accident, but surely he must have been curious to look Ben Caton in the eye and see what was reflected back?
Their paths had not crossed in all the years since Vascus. Caton had gone from strength to strength, sometimes through uncanny good luck (Kirk had done his research.) So many occasions when he had been in the right place at the right time. Now Kirk was sure he knew the reason why – he had received help from Klingon High Command. The higher they could help him rise, the more he could help them. It had been a symbiotic relationship of the most loathsome kind. Kirk felt a bad taste in his mouth, and realised that he was clenching his fist.
"Jim."
"Back already, Bones?"
"The prisoners are healthy enough. I can't help feeling mad that the rocosymonite's sitting unused when it could be saving lives."
"Don't worry, Bones. Getting that rocosymonite to somewhere it can be of use will be our top priority when we re-take the Enterprise." The medic nodded, thoughtfully.
"You okay, Jim? You seemed deep in thought when I walked in here."
"Fine, Bones."
"In that case, I'll go annoy Spock. Make sure he takes a rest." Kirk smiled. That's what friends did. Looked out for one another. In a way he pitied Caton, for he knew nothing of that.
Kirk's plan for boarding the Enterprise worked on the assumption that she had already been taken. It involved returning to Skara and landing back on the planet's surface. From there, they would contact the Enterprise and Kirk would sound suitably surprised to hear Caton, not Scotty in command. As the captain outlined the bones of his plan, he was aware of heads nodding their agreement around the table, but when he had finished, he noticed also, the grave faces. In conclusion, he added, "Obviously, there is potential for things to go wrong, but I believe we can do this. Comments, please." McCoy was the first to speak and Kirk could have predicted his response,
"I don't know, Jim. Sounds risky."
"There are always risks, doctor, but we're trained to offset them. Anyone else?" Kirk caught his First Officer's eye and saw the Vulcan incline his head a fraction. Spock was on board. That was enough.
Given the urgency of their mission, the return to Skara seemed to take little time. Most of it was spent in going over the details of Kirk's plan, ironing out inconsistencies, putting contingencies into place, all calculated to offset the risks that McCoy still felt uneasy about. By the time that they landed on the planet's surface, everyone knew their role and Kirk was confidant that overall, morale was positive. Even McCoy's usually persistent negativity had been replaced by acceptance.
"Kirk to Enterprise." Kirk took a deep breath and hoped he sounded convincing. "Scotty, come in, please."
"Captain Kirk."
"Who is this? Where's Mr Scott?" McCoy noted with amusement that Kirk was acting out his part even though Caton did not have him on visual, with his expression showing puzzlement and a little impatience.
"Admiral Caton speaking, Captain. I have assumed temporary command of the Enterprise, as the senior ranking officer aboard." Kirk allowed for a dramatic pause.
"Admiral Caton? I don't understand, Sir."
"I'll explain Captain but not over a communicator. Relay your coordinates to me and I'll have you beamed aboard." Kirk signalled to Spock who did the necessary calculations.
"Standing by, Admiral." Kirk advised, as he felt the familiar tingling that accompanied the start of beaming by transporter.
They materialised aboard the Enterprise, Spock slumped against McCoy, feigning unconsciousness. Kirk moved quickly to help support his weight. He gave what he hoped was a convincing start to see a Klingon aboard his ship. He looked from Kaathos to Caton, "What's going on? What's this man doing aboard my ship?" The doors to the transporter room swished open and two more Klingons walked in armed with disruptors.
"Take the captain and his companions to the brig and make sure they are confined separately from the other officers." Caton ordered, ignoring Kirk's questions.
"I'm not going anywhere without an explanation, mister." Kirk said and was rewarded with a blow from Caton that knocked him sideways. He picked himelf up, tasting blood and was about to retaliate when Kaathos stepped forward and struck him another blow, this time with the edge of his disruptor. Kirk hit the floor seeing stars and everything went dark.
He awoke to find McCoy dabbing at his head. "Hold still, Jim. Give yourself a minute," the medic cautioned. Kirk ignored his advice and sat up, immediately feeling nauseous. "Stick your head down for a bit." McCoy said, trying again. Kirk obeyed and felt better in seconds.
"Sylviana?" He said when he had recovered.
"She is here, Captain." Spock's voice. Kirk turned around, trying not to grimace – he knew McCoy had his eagle eye on him. In the palm of his hand Spock held a tiny insect, which flew into the air and shape-shifted into Sylviana's more familiar form.
"How many guards?"
"Only one. If Sylviana assumes her previous form, she can slip under the force field guarding the entrance." Spock said. "She will then need to overcome the guard in order to free us." Sylviana nodded, disappearing before their eyes. They watched, fascinated, as she flew under the force field and metamorphosed on the other side, into a fully formed Klingon male. McCoy whistled softly.
"I'd give my left leg to be able to pull a stunt like that." Spock looked at him in puzzlement,
"Really, doctor? I fail to see the relative benefit of such a sacrifice."
"I didn't mean it literally, Spock." McCoy said, without a trace of impatience for once; he was still too glad to see the Vulcan alive to be irritated by him.
Outside the cell, Sylviana greeted the Klingon guard with a swift karate chop to the neck. He dropped like a stone. "Ouch," Said, McCoy seeing how awkwardly the man landed, "That's gonna hurt when he wakes up." Relieving the Klingon of his disruptor, Sylviana then used it to blast through the panel to the force field controls and destroy the mechanism. Within moments, Kirk, Spock and McCoy were freed.
"Nice work." Kirk said. "Can you hold that shape long enough to get us to the transporter room?"
With Sylviana levelling the disruptor at them and ushering them down the corridor and into the turbolift, they reached the transporter room unchallenged. Once there, Spock quickly beamed Kort, Hunter, Blackstone, Kravok and Nancy aboard using the coordinates he had calculated whilst still on Skara. Kort and Hunter passed around an assortment of weapons.
"Now we split up." Kirk said. As they had planned, they split into two groups, Kirk, Hunter and Sylviana heading for the bridge, Spock and the others to engineering.
"Wait for the diversion, but if it fails to happen, you must do what you can to overcome whatever resistance you meet there." Kirk said to Spock, grimly. He did not wish them luck, knowing that the Vulcan would already have calculated the odds of success, without factoring in the random element of chance.
The turbo lift opened onto a sparsely populated bridge. Kirk and Hunter reacted with lightening speed, levelling their phasers at anything that moved, taking out three Klingons between them before Kaathos and Caton could work out what was happening.
Of the two, Kaathos was the first to reach for his weapon. But he was too slow. Kirk stunned him with his phaser and the Klingon commander dropped to the floor, leaving Caton to gape open-mouthed in disbelief at the scene before him. With Hunter covering him, Kirk stepped forward to disarm the Ambassador, but Caton stepped back, levelling his disruptor at Jim.
"I order you to put your weapons down." He said authoratatively. "I am taking part in a covert operation. Your interference could jeopardise the safety of this vessel and its crew."
His ship and its crew. The two things that a Starship captain pledged to protect and defend with his life. Kirk was not fooled for an instant.
"Was allowing my First Officer to be tortured part of your operation?" He asked.
"Mr Spock was not tortured."
"No? You destroy his mind and you claim that isn't torture. You'll have to do better than that, Caton."
"It was for the greater good." Kirk laughed out loud,
"The greater good! You call the murder of millions of innocent lives on Ravik a greater good. What good is served by such indiscriminate slaughter?" Caton opened his mouth to speak, but Kirk cut him off, "The only good you're serving, mister is your own."
"Lies!" Caton yelled, his fury obvious in his features. He lunged at Kirk, knocking the phaser from his hand. Kirk cursed himself for being taken off guard. In seconds, Caton had turned the tables on him and now it was Jim being held with a disruptor to his head.
Hunter dared not fire for risk of shooting Kirk. Caton backed Kirk to the turbolift. As the doors opened, and Caton shoved him through, Kirk yelled back to the bridge, "You have your orders, Mr Hunter. Carry them through," before Caton struck him hard on the back of his neck, and for the second time that day, everthing went black.
"Mr Spock!" Uhura saw him first; at the same time she saw one of the Klingon guards sink to the floor under a nerve pinch from the Enterprise's First Officer. The second guard followed suit, causing Uhura to blink in disbelief as a second, younger Vulcan stepped over the guard and joined Spock. There were others too, whom she did not recognise. Within seconds, Spock had deactivated the force field holding the Bridge crew, "Well, I must say we're happy to see ye, Mr Spock, even if you are lookin' a bit under the weather." Spock wasted no time in greetings.
"Mr Scott, your help is required in engineering." Tossing weapons to Sulu, Chekov and Uhura, he said, "Make your way to the bridge but proceed with caution, there are Klingons posted throughout the ship. This is Kravok, a friend. He will accompany you and pretend to be escorting you."
"Those Klingon devils had better not be interfering with my engines." Scotty exclaimed to anyone who was listening, but when Spock briefed him on what was actually going on in engineering, the Scotsman was lost for words.
"This is T'Hana and Nancy Weston. Between them, they are qualified to assist you in deactivating the hyperwarp." Scott looked from one to the other of the women, mesmerised,
"Aye, Mr Spock, but I'm the one who'll be doing the assistin'. To Nancy, he said, "I'm familiar with your work. It's a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance." T'Hana he observed with some surprise, which deepened when he took in Kort standing at her side.
"More friendly Klingons." McCoy explained, "Don't ask"
"Dr McCoy, I suggest you save explanations until such time as the Enterprise is secured."
Hunter was conflicted. Kirk had left him in no doubt of his next course of action, but as the turbolift had closed on him and Caton, Hunter's instinct was to rescue the Captain by any means possible. Beside him, Sylviana was transforming herself into a perfect replica of Commander Kaathos. Quickly, he helped her drag the real Commander to a spot where he would not be seen and crossed to the communications console to hail the Klingon ship. Then, Hunter returned to where Kaathos' lay, still out cold. "You remember what to say?"
"Yes, Sylviana answered as H'Narth's face wavered into focus on the viewscreen. "H'Narth, we have been betrayed. Caton has been working with the Morana against us. They mean to inflict damage on our ship and leave with the hyperwarp. Attack, now! Aim a torpedo at the secondary hull, then await further orders. On no account attack again before I issue the command. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Commander, but a single hit will not disable the Enterprise."
"Do not question my judgement. I have a plan in place, to seize the ship whilst protecting the hyperwarp. Your interference will not be tolerated."
"Should I beam more men aboard?" H'Narth asked, uncertain.
"Just await my orders." H'Narth put a fist to his chest then extended his arm in the Klingon salute, then the screen went blank.
"He was suspicious." Sylviana said, turning to Hunter.
"H'Narth is ambitious. He will obey his orders." Hunter's assertion was confirmed moments later when the Enterprise took a direct hit in the lower hull, the shock waves causing even the Bridge to shudder with the impact.
"Now it's up to Spock." Hunter said, clinging to the rail as a further shock wave threatened to throw him across the Bridge.
Moments before the attack, Spock and his companions were approaching the main engine room, which was heavily guarded by Klingons and Morana.
"Gentlemen." Spock said quietly, "Any minute now, the lower hull will receive a direct hit from the Klingon battlecruiser." As the only one not already apprised of the plan, Scotty reacted with exclamations of shock.
"Mr Scott, it was necessary to create some form of diversion, to enable us to seize control of the main engine room and access the warp core. The resultant chaos from a hit to this section of the ship will provide the necessary cover.
"Ye'll be lucky if there's a warp core to access if we take a direct hit," the Chief Engineer wailed.
"I suggest we brace ourselves for impact." Spock said, ignoring Scott's remark. Seconds later, they all went sprawling. Being forewarned meant that most were able to land in a way that minimised the risk of injury. "Anyone hurt?" McCoy yelled above the wailing klaxons in the corridor. He looked around as the juddering slowed, and saw Spock pulling himself slowly to his feet. "Alright, Spock?" He asked, quietly offering the First Officer a hand.
"If I required your assistance, I would ask for it, doctor." The Vulcan answered, a spasm of pain pulling the muscles of his face into a grimace. McCoy was instantly on alert, but right on cue, Blackstone was by the Vulcan's side. McCoy saw that he was holding his arm, and said,
"Let me take a look at that." Blackstone shook his head, "No need, doctor. It is broken, however I now have the pain under control. He looked at Spock and McCoy realised that Spock's pain had been Blackstone's – their minds were inextricably linked for the time being and they felt each other's pain. Had it been Blackstone's momentary loss of control that caused Spock to snap – reliant as he was on the younger Vulcan's support? McCoy shook his head. He didn't like this one bit, but for now he had to accept it.
Weapons at the ready, they advanced on the engine room. From the alarmed shouts, they could tell that the attack had achieved the desired effect of creating chaos. Those who had escaped injury were picking themselves up off the deck, still in shock.
"Set weapons to stun." Spock ordered, already aiming his weapon at a rising Klingon. "Mr Scott, seal this room off."
Most of their opponents were already incapacitated by injury or still dulled with shock and were unable to reach for their weapons quickly enough, but there were sufficient numbers of able-bodied Klingons and Morana to put up a fight and for a time Spock and his companions were engaged in some furious fighting.
Kravok was grabbed around the throat from behind by a giant Klingon and heard the words, "Traiterous dog," snarled in his ear. His disrputor clattered across the floor into the hands of another hostile Klingon and Kravok was convinced that he was about to die. Then, he saw T'Hana fire her disruptor at his captor, and a blast of fire zipped past his ear, hurling his assailant backwards into the wall¸ whilst almost in the same moment, Kort fired on the man who had picked up Kravok's weapon. Kravok flashed T'Hana and Kort a look of gratitude, all three thinking perhaps of the strangeness of fighting their fellow Klingons.
It was Spock who came off worst, singled out in the first moments of the fighting by Piklame, who levelled his terlak at the Vulcan, inducing agonising pain. Spock dropped to his knees, followed by Blackstone. McCoy saw at once what had happened but before he could react, another Morana had him by the throat, pulling him to the floor, where they grappled together for McCoy's phaser. Seeing McCoy's predicament, Scottly finished off his own assailant with a timely fist and hauled the Moranan off the doctor in time for McCoy to stun him with his recovered phaser.
Both turned to help Spock but the Moranan had the upper hand, increasing Spock's agony as soon as he saw them advance.
"Stay back!" he warned.
"You're killing them!" McCoy seethed, seeing Blackstone crumpled on the deck, barely conscious. Without his strength, Spock could not survive.
"You are outnumbered, Piklamer." Kort said, to distract the Moranan before lunging at him. Piklamer adjusted a dial on his terlak and turned it on the Klingon. Kort crumpled in agony, then dropped to the deck with a heavy thud. The Moranan aimed his terlak again, this time at Spock.
Before he could fire, a disruptor blast took him down. Kravok lowered his weapon and he and T'Hana crossed to Kort.
"He's dead." T'Hana cried angrily, looking around for someone to fight, but it was over – all remaining Klingons and Morana had been felled.
McCoy looked from Kort to Spock, and seeing that in the Klingon's case it was hopeless, he went to assist the Vulcan. It was a crazed First Officer who raised his head to look at the medic. "Oh no." Said McCoy in lowered tones. Mr Scott took command instantly,
"Do what you can for him, doctor. Nancy, T'Hana, come with me," he said, leading them to the warp chamber, where he let out a dismayed cry on seeing what the Morana had been doing, "What the devil's this?
Leaving Spock for a moment, McCoy crossed to where Blackstone lay unmoving on the floor. After a brief assessment of his condition, McCoy pressed a hypo against the young Vulcan's arm and in seconds Blackstone stirred. His face contorted in agony, filling the medic with dread, but in a moment or two, his eyes sought out McCoy's and he nodded.
"Stephen?" McCoy said, hesitantly. "Are you alright? Can you help Spock."
"He has already, doctor." McCoy swung round to see Spock sitting up and reaching for Piklamer's terlak, "A fascinating instrument. I would welcome the opportunity to take it to pieces." McCoy shot him a look that said how much he would like to take Spock to pieces, but he held his tongue, still shaken by the madness he had seen in the Vulcan's eye only moments earlier.
Turning back to Blackstone, he said, "Kort's dead, Stephen. I'm sorry for your loss." For a moment, it seemed that Blackstone would lose his composure, but he looked up and saw Spock watching him. Their eyes locked and McCoy wondered who was drawing strength from whom. Blackstone nodded, "Kort…" his voice faltered. McCoy looked at Spock but the Vulcan looked away.
In the turbolift, Kirk cursed his stupidity. How could he have let his guard down and given Caton an opportunity to overcome him? He shook his head to clear it and saw Caton watching him.
"You won't get away with this, Caton. Any of it. When did it all start, eh? At the academy? When you realised George Woodhouse was twice the man you could ever be. You had to destroy him, didn't you? Then you found even that wasn't enough, you had to destroy everything that he stood for – integrity, decency, truth. By undermining the Federation you thought you could appease the madness eating away at you. What I still don't understand is why."
As he spoke, Kirk was acutely aware of the disruptor pressing against his ribs, of Caton's restrained silence. He saw the light flashing horizontally, then vertically on the turbolift wall. Where were they headed? Not engineering. Caton must already have guessed that treachery was afoot down there. Kirk's heart was racing, still pumping adrenaline through his system, urging him to act, but the disruptor was a reality he couldn't ignore.
It would be foolish to underestimate Caton. He may have seized power through treachery and committing atrocities, but that too required a kind of intelligence, and Kirk did not doubt that Caton had a keen intelligence, a sharp, if damaged mind. He had once been a starship captain. Kirk needed to think like Caton. It was no use asking what he, Jim would do in this situation; he had to understand what made Ben Caton tick.
Suddenly it became clear to Kirk. They were headed to the transporter deck. Caton meant to beam aboard the Klingon battle cruiser. He had to reclaim the Enterprise or destroy her, for otherwise, he knew that the Federation, not the Klingon Empire would obtain the hyperwarp.
The turbolift doors opened to an eerily deserted corridor on deck seven. Caton pushed Kirk roughly outside and ushered him along the corridor towards the transporter room. Beads of sweat broke out on Kirk's forehead and coalesced. Was Hunter going to let him down? How many minutes had passed since they left the bridge. Five? Six? Any time now. He tensed in anticipation. Then it happened. An explosive shock battered the Enterprise's lower hull and the whole ship lurched sideways, knocking Kirk and Caton off balance. Caton went down with a thud. Kirk, prepared for the shock, bounced off the corridor wall and staggered to keep on his feet.
As Caton crashed onto the deck, his disruptor flew out of his hand and went shooting across the floor, clattering loudly. Kirk saw it sliding towards him and reached to grasp it only to find it spinning away from him as an aftershock tilted the corridor sideways again. And then Caton was on him, crushing him with his heavy bulk. Jim struggled against the larger man, shocked by Caton's sheer, brute physicality.
For a few seconds, they pushed against each other, then Kirk brought his leg up, kicked off Caton's chest and somersaulted backwards out of his opponent's grasp. A quick sideways glance confirmed that there was no time to reach for the disruptor and both men circled each other defensively, each looking for an opportunity to attack.
Caton took a swipe at Kirk with his bear-like arm. Jim ducked, feeling the draught, hearing the whistle of a blow that could have knocked him senseless. He retaliated with an adrenaline-packed roundhouse kick, but Caton, agile as he was strong, dodged in time and recovered quickly to take a sickening, rib-cracking lunge at Kirk's midriff. Winded and gasping, Kirk staggered backwards against the wall, willing himself back to strength, but as he struggled to stand upright, Caton advanced on him ready with a power- backed punch that crashed a second later into Kirk's face, splintering bone.
Jim felt himself glide down the wall onto the deck, choking on blood trickling down the back of his throat. The last thing he saw before the lights went out on him for the third time was Caton bend over to retrieve the disruptor and turn to point it at his chest.
Author's note - Poor Kort. I rather liked that big Klingon. The decision to kill him off wasn't taken lightly. Hope his death wasn't too much of a shock. Aurelan