Unfinished Business

Chapter 18 : V'Ger

March, 2273

The five stood on the hull of the Enterprise, watching the blue lightning flashes. From the air all about them, small spots of blue light flew toward the Enterprise, and turned into hexagonal stones, which attached themselves to each other, forming a bridge that lead to something. The probe pointed. "V'Ger."

They began to climb down a steep slope, composed of some sort of slabs of components, almost like electronics of some sort. The probe proceeded them, standing beside something that looked vaguely familiar. Spock held a tricorder in his hand, taking readings. The construct that the probe stood beside looked old, and beaten up. Blue lights slid through the slabs that made up the slope they descended. After a short while, all five stood next to the construct. Kirk walked closer, seeing something on the side, and began to rub his fingers against the corrosion on the plaque embedded there. He found a "V" and a little further along, "GER". He looked, stunned. "V'Ger."

And then he began to rub at the corrosion again, and found the whole name "Voyager VI". And Decker saw something else. "NASA. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Jim! This was launched more than three hundred years ago."

Kirk walked around the construct, looking at it, while Spock and Decker did the same, at different points. "Voyager series, designed to collect data and transmit it back to Earth."

Decker spoke again. "Captain, Voyager VI disappeared into what they used to call a black hole."

Kirk speculated that it had emerged near the machine planet and fallen into its gravitational pull. Spock added that the inhabitants of the machine world would have thought it one of their own kind, but primitive. They would have discovered its simple programing - collect all data possible, learn all that is learnable, return that information to its creator. Spock speculated that the inhabitants of the machine planet had built this larger construct to assist the smaller one in completing its mission, to return to its creator with the knowledge it had amassed. And Kirk then realized that it had amassed so much knowledge, that somehow it had achieved consciousness, and become a living thing.

The probe spoke then. "Kirk unit. V'Ger awaits the information."

Kirk raised his wrist, and spoke into his communicator. "Enterprise. Order up the library computer records on the late 21st century probe Voyager VI."

On the bridge, Uhura listened to her instructions with confusion. Do what?

Kirk continued. "We want the old NASA com signal that commands the probe to transmit its data. And fast."

Sulu was hanging over Uhura's shoulder, listening as well. "Aye, Captain." And they both got busy, trying to find the required data.

Decker turned to Kirk, eyes alight. "That's what it's been signaling. Its readiness to transmit its data."

Kirk nodded. "And there's no one on Earth capable of sending a response."

McCoy repeated what the probe had said on the bridge. "The Creator does not answer."

There were more lightning flashes, and deep, deep sounds. Kirk moved, out toward the edge of the small platform they stood on. He called V'Ger's name several times, and finally, lifting his hands up, he made a declaration. "We are the Creator."

The probe immediately responded. "That is not logical. Carbon units are not true life forms."

"We'll prove it. We'll make it possible for you to complete your programming. Only the Creator could accomplish that."

Kirk's communicator chimed at him, and Uhura's voice came through. "We have just received the response code, Captain."

"Set the Enterprise transmitter on the appropriate frequency and transmit the code now!"

"Transmitting."

When the entire sequence of numbers had been transmitted, there were flashes of light, and strange sounds, all around them. Spock was still taking readings with his tricorder. At least that much seemed normal. And then he turned toward Kirk. "Voyager is not transmitting its data, Captain." and he went to the construct and began to attempt to remove the outside panels.

The Ilia probe spoke. "The Creator must join with V'Ger."

Kirk spoke into his communicator, telling Uhura to repeat the final sequence. There were more flashes of light, and more strange sounds. And again the probe stated that the Creator must join with V'Ger. She looked in Decker's direction, with an expression of pain on her face, and he stared back at her.

Spock finally got the outer panel off, and told Kirk that it had not transmitted its data because it had not received the final sequence. And he pointed to a frayed connection, hanging loose. Kirk pointed. "The antenna leads are melted away!"

Spock caught his hand, before he could touch anything. "Yes, Captain, just now. By V'Ger itself."

"Why?"

"To prevent reception."

Kirk stared at Spock, hardly believing what he was hearing. Behind them, Decker spoke. "Of course. To bring the Creator here. To finish transmitting the code in person. To touch the Creator."

"Capture God?" McCoy was his normal caustic self. "V'Ger's liable to be in for one hell of a disappointment."

Spock looked at him. "Perhaps not doctor."

Kirk turned from McCoy to Spock, wondering what he meant. And there were many more flashes of light, from all the various panels of components that made up the slope they had come down, and there were sounds, more ominous seeming now. The entire area seemed bathed in blood-red light. Spock motioned and lead them away from the ancient construct they had been standing beside and from the probe. When the four officers were grouped together, he spoke again. "V'Ger must evolve. Its knowledge has reached the limits of this universe and it must evolve. What it requires from its God, doctor, is the answer to its question 'Is there nothing more?'."

McCoy looked at Spock, not understanding. "What more is there, other than the universe, Spock?"

And Decker had the answer. "Other dimensions. Higher levels of being."

Spock added, "The existence of which cannot be proven logically. Therefore, V'Ger is incapable of believing in them."

Now Kirk spoke. "What V'Ger needs in order to evolve is a human quality. Our capacity to leap beyond logic."

Decker looked back at the Ilia probe, and then turned back to the other officers. "And joining with its Creator might accomplish that."

McCoy was rattled. "You mean this machine wants to physically join with a human? Is that possible?"

Decker looked back at the probe once more. "Let's find out." And he started off in that direction.