V'Ger moved with all efficient speed to the creator. Knowledge and information gathered at the creator's command swirled as so much flotsam on the great sea of V'Ger's existence.
The nearer V'ger came to the creator the more information it acquired.
Indeed the rate at which V'Ger encountered the new life forms seemed to have increased incrementally.
A portion of V'Ger contemplated this anomaly as it continued its journey. So close to the creator.
So close to the answers of its existence.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Dr. Chapel shot into the turbolift like a photon torpedo. Emergencies all over the ship required the immediate response of the CMO. She didn't check her med kit, she had prepared all of the kits herself only a week ago, but instead she mentally reviewed the standard triage procedures. If the burns were too bad he'd have to be taken to sickbay. This could be the first use of the medical emergency transporter.
The turbo lift seemed to take an eternity.
She drew in a deep cleansing breath and forced her shoulders to relax.
The lift abruptly stopped and the doors hissed open.
A massive vision of the alien filled the viewscreen. Smoke scented air assaulted her as she sped to the fallen Checkov guided unnecessarily by Uhura. She meant well, and Christine would never say otherwise, but you couldn't miss the man on the floor.
The smell of fear was heavy on Checkov. She had never noticed before now how strong it could be. Fear and pain.
At her shoulder Ilia sat on the floor trying to comfort him. In a low voice she spoke to Christine, "I can take away his pain."
Christine was aware of the ability of Deltans to excrete certain pheromones that could influence behavior of many species. The ability to assimilate the pain of others was poorly documented in Starfleet. Chapel felt privileged to have a demonstration, but was saddened by the circumstances.
She made a mental note to talk to Ilia about it later when all the dust settled.
The woman barely grimaced as the sensations were drawn into her self. Christine marveled at her control. She thought of offering an analgesic to Ilia, but after a moment she opened her eyes and the pain had vanished. Either Deltans had the control of Vulcans or the natural pain blockers of a pharmacy.
Now the doctor began to work on the burns in earnest. It was bad but with a quick swipe of skin removal solution and a broad pass of the regenerator a few thin layers of skin began to appear. Of course it would still hurt. The nerves had been damaged. But in time the smooth skin would thicken and crease normally. She would call him to sickbay tomorrow.
Assuming there would be a tomorrow.
She scanned him a final time and nodded to him releasing him back to his station.
A glance at the viewscreen confirmed the awesome power just outside the ship's hull.
It was hard to pull herself from that view, but she knew she wasn't needed on the bridge and she was needed in Sickbay.
A part of her wanted to pull Leonard into the turbo lift with her, but she knew she couldn't take him from his traditional position at the Captain's side. Not when it was obvious that Spock would not take up that place. Sickbay needed help, but it wasn't a dire situation yet. At this point Leonard would simply get in the way of the new equipment.
She smiled sadly in his direction and entered the turbolift with a sidelong glance at Spock.
The look in his eyes was chilling.
He really didn't care. It wasn't a facade, a great wall of Vulcan to keep up pretenses. He truly only cared for the aliens. Whoever they were.
As the doors closed behind her she shook her head in wonder.
What could have happened to him?
What would make him throw everything that had mattered to him away like this?
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
An instant before the probe appeared Spock lifted his head from the science station. The tone, the sound, it had been getting steadily stronger and now it seemed to pierce him with its intensity.
The automated systems began blaring the intruder alert.
Then there was light everywhere and the roar of plasma and energy as a column of unstable power appeared on the bridge.
Spock stared in disbelief.
It was here, it was real.
"Mr. Spock, can that be one of their crew?"
"A probe from their vessel, plasma energy combination."
"Don't interfere with it."
"Absolutely I will not interfere."
"Don't anyone interfere with it. It doesn't seem to be interested in us. Only the ship."
The column moved from Checkov's station to the science station, his station.
With tendrils of light it manipulated the controls as expertly as he had only moments before.
He heard Kirk's voice at his shoulder, "Computer off."
Decker moved to the controls, "Its taking control of the computer."
"Its running our records, Starfleet strengths, Earth's defenses."
Spock moved on military instinct. The probe must stop. It was accessing information that was dangerous to its own existence and there was no way to communicate to it – stop, do not look in that file. Raising his hands overhead he did the next best thing. He destroyed the tactile interface. With a single well placed blow the computer station's damage control system kicked in and the station shut down.
The probe reached out and touched him with a tendril of electricity.
His body recognized it even as his brain was overloaded with sensory input. Electricity, over 200 volts his mind told him.
His body contracted as millions of muscles seized involuntarily. Although there was no pain as such, he heard a sound come out of his mouth as his diaphragm contracted as well. The power flung him over the edge of the upper deck of the bridge and he found himself face down on the bulkhead floor.
He looked up into the face of Lt. Ilia.
She was frozen with fear. He could taste the pheromones.
She extended a hand to help him up, compassion in her dark eyes. He felt an instant in which her body reached out to draw pain from him. It was like a slight suction of negative ions. But there was nothing for her to draw from him.
His body felt no pain. His mind was totally at peace. The electrical overload had caused a momentary cessation of the dozens of tasks that his mind attempted in a given period of time. There was stillness and silence as he had never known.
He rose to his feet weakly.
Ilia's eyes were wide with terror as she caught the image of the light moving toward them.
It reached out a finger of light and touched her.
Spock watched as the light seemed to soften. Or perhaps it was the sound of the tone. It changed as the light touched her.
No!
She turned and looked into his eyes as if begging for help. Her mouth seemed to open to scream – stop this – help me.
Spock's eyes widened in disbelief.
The light reached out again and it chose. It chose Ilia.
There was no sound as the light coursed through her body. It seemed to radiate in sparks of light around her.
Terror froze her to her place.
Spock moved. He had to stop this.
He reached out to Ilia, grabbing her arm. He would pull her away from the light. But he felt a very physical push from the arc of electricity as it flung him aside.
Then the sparks and arcs of light that surrounded Ilia seemed to stop. The effect was not unlike a transporter.
Spock watched in disbelief as Ilia dematerialized before his eyes.
Then there was only silence.
Decker's voice sliced through the quiet with an accusatory jibe, "That is how I defined unwarranted."
Spock moved woodenly to his position. His mind reeling with information and searching for answers.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
V'ger slowed slightly as it assimilated and then analyzed the new data.
Each of the entities V'ger had encountered throughout its existence were ordered and like V'ger mechanized. A few in recent memory carried carbon based infestations.
The Enterprise entity was different.
It had something that V'ger did not understand.
The Bird of Prey entity and the Space station entity carried carbon based cargo as the Enterprise entity did. But there was something different about this one.
Enterprise entity had sought out V'ger, it had scanned V'ger as V'ger scanned the cosmos. It had moved cautiously and carefully into the depths of V'ger learning in its primitive way about V'ger.
Its illogical actions had prompted V'ger to ask questions about the creature, so V'ger had sent the first probe.
But the probe brought back confusing information on the cargo.
The data indicated that the carbon-based cargo was actually intelligent on a very basic level and may actually be something other than fuel or samples for transport.
The first carbon-based entity was the Spock entity. It was carbon based, and appeared to be mostly water but its data centers were as ordered and disciplined as all the larger entities V'ger had encountered.
But the Ilia entity was different. It was carbon based as the Spock entity but not ordered or disciplined. It was illogical and irrational. Its data centers were chaotic and random.
It felt things that V'ger both understood and found incomprehensible – fear, curiosity, uncertainty and caring.
Caring – what was this caring? Was it a dedication and devotion to other carbon based entities?
It seemed to motivate actions of the Ilia entity. Not the Spock entity, but certainly the Ilia entity.
And V'ger understood that motivation. The caring – needing – uncertainty – curiosity – fear sensations. They were new concepts, undefined before now but recognizable.
Yes, V'ger recognized it had these things in common with this very different entity.
Was it possible that there was another living thing in the universe that understood what it was to be curious and uncertain at once?
Was it possible that this entity knew the answer?
V'ger continued its journey to the creator as it contemplated the new data.