Chapter 4 - Problem Solved

Still in his nightclothes, McCoy stumbled along the corridor to Kirk's room. He banged on the door as if he had forgotten about the buzzer function.

"Bones? What's the emergency?"

"You were captain Cook! We went to Tahiti, and I said I wouldn't do it, and the woman died, and they weren't human, and..."

"Have you been drinking?"

"No, dreaming. Please let me in and listen to me, I need to talk about this." McCoy sat down with his head in his hands. "The root of the problem finally got through to me. It has been bothering me with visions of Lily-Lee dead in a pool of her own blood and the horrible feeling that it was my fault. Specifically, that it was my fault for fucking her when she was too small for it. We had a big scene tonight and I threw her out because I felt I couldn't trust myself, I wanted to do her so bad, and now she's angry with me."

"Whoa, whoa, back up slightly here. Are you two in a relationship?"

"That's part of the problem! I wouldn't admit it, even to myself, that I was in a relationship with a creature like that. I told myself that it had only happened once (all right, twice) and that didn't count. Maybe it was acceptable as a strange alien fling, but she's not really human, and I couldn't bring her home or anything. What would people say? This night it struck me with full force. Not really a human. Primitive. No civilisation. Not like us. But good enough to have sex with." McCoy looked up at Kirk, who was listening with a concerned look on his face. "How many times in history has this happened, Jim? How many? Did it ever turn out to be a good thing for the "primitive not-really-humans" that agreed to go away on the ships? The Tahitians, the Aborigines, the Inuits? My god, the sins of my ancestors are coming back to haunt me." Kirk sat down on the edge of the bed and waited for McCoy to say everything he needed to get off his chest.

"What sort of person am I, Jim? Does this attraction mean that I am open-minded and not discriminating, or does it make me a slave owner?"

"That was a very, very long time ago, Bones. I like to think that mankind has improved a lot since then."

"Have we?"

"Yes, we have. Do you think anyone here on this ship would frown at an interspecies relationship? Do you think I would? Me?"

"Maybe not you. But in a way, yes, even you. You have only slept with beautiful, humanoid aliens from advanced cultures that we admire."

"Well..."

"No apes, monsters or blobs."

"Bones..."

"Everybody will think I'm a pervert. Hell, I think it myself!"

"Okay, there will never be a good moment for this so I'll just say it now. I have also had some types of sex with Lily-Lee." As Kirk had expected, there was a long and very uncomfortable silence and McCoy just stared at him. "Bones, the real difference between then and now is that you don't have to be a human to have civil rights. It was MY decision to bring her."

"You have also... I don't know if I should be jealous or relieved."

"Pick the one that doesn't make you punch me."

"No, I won't, this... this actually makes me feel better. I should go and explain to her."

"Are you sure, Bones? Long explanations about the horrible old history of your home planet far away. Including discrimination, blood and death. Doesn't sound like her thing. Just apologise and give her a nice present."

"Hey, you're right! Something new, of course. But what?"

"I don't know."

Both men were thinking hard. "I've got a good idea. But you will have to help me, Jim."