Unfinished Business

Chapter 17 : Tears

March, 2273

The Ilia probe walked down into the bridge pit and then crossed to stand in front of the main viewscreen. She did not speak again.

Decker looked at Kirk and asked what they were going to do now. Kirk didn't really have any idea, but he ordered everyone back to stations while he tried to decide what options they had. He asked Chekov how long they had before those devices reached their final positions, and Chekov replied that they had twenty-seven minutes. Not long to figure out how to save everyone on Earth.

Kirk walked about the bridge pit, thinking, while Decker leaned on the railing and watched him. And then the captain leaned forward and pressed one of the buttons on the arm of the command chair, and called Engineering.

"Scott here."

"Mr Scott, be prepared to execute StarFleet order 2005." McCoy stared at him in consternation, and Uhura's face turned in his direction, not certain that she had heard what she thought she had.

"When, sir?" The Chief Engineer's voice was calm and firm.

"On my command."

"Aye, sir."

One of Scotty's junior officers stepped over to him, questioning why the captain would order self-destruct. "Because, lass, in my opinion, he thinks, hopes, that when we go up, we'll take the intruder with us."

"Will we?"

"When that much matter and antimatter are brought together, oh yes, we will indeed." There was a small smile on the Scotsman's face.

On the bridge, Chekov called out eighteen minutes until device activation. Uhura informed Kirk that StarFleet had been apprised of their situation. McCoy simply stood there, watching what was going on, saying nothing. Behind Kirk, Spock sat quietly at his station, one elbow resting on the console, his fingers idly playing with his chin as he thought.

Kirk turned his chair about. "Spock?" When there was no response, he rose and stepped up out of the pit, crossing to stand directly behind Spock. "Mr Spock."

"Hm?"

Kirk could not remember ever hearing that sort of response from Spock. What was going on in that Vulcan brain?

Spock swiveled his chair around, and looked up at Kirk, saying nothing. He tilted his head, looking now at McCoy, who had approached and was standing beside Kirk, slightly alarmed. This was most certainly not expected behavior from the Science Officer. Was that a tear on the Vulcan's face?

Kirk looked at Spock again. "Not for us?"

"No, Captain, not for us. For V'Ger." He nodded slightly, and clasped his hands together in front of him. "I weep for V'Ger as I would for a brother. As I was, when I came aboard." His voice vibrated with emotion.

Decker was beside them, now, as well. All three men were staring down at Spock, uncertain what to do next.

Spock continued. "So is V'Ger now. Empty. Incomplete. And searching. Logic and knowledge are not enough." One tear slid slowly down his cheek.

McCoy looked closely at the Vulcan, and then spoke, carefully. "Spock. Are you saying that you found what you needed? But V'Ger hasn't?"

Decker looked back to Spock, his eyes bright. "What would V'Ger need, to fulfill itself?"

"Each of us, at some time in our lives, turns to someone. A father, a brother, a God. And asks, why am I here? What was I meant to be? V'Ger hopes to touch its creator, to find its answers."

Kirk nodded his head. "Is this all that I am? Is there nothing more?"

And then they were interrupted by navigator deFalco, calling for the Captain's attention. On the viewscreen, something was happening. There were wide beams of blue light. Sulu reported that forward motion had slowed. From behind the three officers standing behind the railing, watching the viewscreen, Spock spoke. "Captain, I believe that is our destination."

Chekov looked at his instruments, startled, and reported an oxygen/gravity envelope forming outside the Enterprise. And Sulu reported that forward motion had stopped. The probe lifted her arm and pointed at the center of the viewscreen. "V'Ger."

Uhura broke in then, informing them that she had found the source of V'Ger's radio signals, directly ahead. Spock rose, and stood beside Decker, his hands clasped behind his back in his familiar stance, watching the viewscreen with the rest of the bridge crew. "That transmitter is a vital link between V'Ger and its creator."

The probe turned to face the standing officers. "The carbon units will now provide V'Ger with the required information." And then it turned, and headed for the turbolift.

Kirk turned to follow her, calling out to McCoy and Spock to join him. He told Decker that he would contact him every five minutes. But Decker wanted to go along. Kirk stood there a moment, watching and thinking, and then turned the comm over to Sulu. The four of them followed the probe into the turbolift, and the doors shut.

To the side, Uhura sat at her station and watched them. When the doors closed, she turned back to face the viewscreen, an expression of concern on her face. She sat there and thought about all the things that she had heard Spock say, and the emotion she had heard in his voice, and the tears she had seen on his face. Something had changed within him. Something deep and strong. He must come back, so that she could talk to him about what he was feeling, and why. She needed to know. She needed it desperately.