Chapter 40
The observers' panel was returned to Starbase 7. Enterprise was given ten days shore leave. Pierce held open court for the panel's findings to be presented. All the senior officers attended, even Young. Each of the panel members said essentially the same thing they'd said three months previously. Except that now, Sam, Chuck, and Gliff were Christians. And they were pretty bold about it. But because Lila and Sullivan too refused to make up evidence, Pierce had little choice how to rule the case.
He found the Christians not guilty, and declared that Starfleet would not discriminate against officers who proclaimed their Christian faith. The entire courtroom cheered, and gave Pierce a standing ovation. As the crowd calmed down, someone in the third or fourth row shouted, "What about Captain Kirk?"
More or less immediate silence, as they awaited Pierce's reply.
"Captain Kirk was acquitted of the charge against him. This case is not, and never was, about Captain Kirk personally."
"The Klingons kidnapped him, and you've done nothing about it! Isn't that discrimination?"
Pierce glared for a moment, tempted to fine the offender. But decided against it. Public opinion ran pretty hot on this subject.
"That issue is outside my jurisdiction. Court adjourned."
The senior officers bid an affectionate goodbye to Chuck, and the Enterprise departed.
xxxx
In the days that followed, Young watched carefully to observe differences in the crew, now that the observers were gone. He couldn't find any. Perhaps they were still performing, because they knew he was watching. But it didn't seem so, and Spock certainly wasn't.
The daily sessions in the gym continued whenever their schedules permitted. Spock continued to make no visible progress, and Young continued to take full advantage of Spock's inability to see. Young was a bit surprised at McCoy's reaction. They were eating lunch and McCoy joined them.
"Mind if I join you?" McCoy sat without waiting for approval.
"By all means, Doctor, please do." Young was cordial. Spock did not reply, knowing it to be pointless to try to avoid McCoy, especially when he had no particular reason to.
"Cat got your tongue, Spock? Or has the Captain finally beaten you speechless?"
"I am quite well, Doctor."
After a moment, McCoy went on. "Spock, are you going to keep this up forever? It's okay to accept defeat. The crew is tired of watching you get beat all the time. It's demoralizing."
"Doctor, if I am not demoralized, why should they be?"
"They want to see you win. It's funny, but in any fight between you and Captain Kirk, they were always on his side. You two didn't care who won, that wasn't the point. And I understand it still isn't as far as you're concerned. But they resent Captain Young's overpowering superiority. You never did that to Jim, although you could have."
"The situation is entirely different," Spock quietly insisted.
"Is it? Jim knew you could beat him every time. Why didn't you?"
"Jim's skill level was increased by being rewarded for doing something right. Had I constantly thrown him new techniques without allowing him to master anything, he would have learned little besides how to fall."
"My point exactly."
"Doctor, it is not the same thing at all. I have told you before what I am trying to do, and it has relatively little to do with our respective skill levels. However, if you think it is seriously affecting crew morale, perhaps we should hold our training sessions in the free fall court."
"At this point, I don't think that would help. They'd know you were still doing it. They need to see you win, or stop trying, one of the two."
"I will not cease my attempts to conquer the blindness."
"Then I hope you win soon. I'm praying for it."
xxxx
The very next week, Spock suddenly got it. At the end of another completely one-sided workout, Spock flipped Young onto his back. Young spoke from the floor.
"Was that an accident, or am I getting careless?"
"I do not know, Captain."
Young rose, and resumed the attack. Spock downed him again. They extended the workout another hour, during which Young tried everything he knew. Spock was there, on time, to counter every move he made.
The next night, they did it again, with the same result. Crew members cheered. They ignored them. The next night, Young began to teach Spock how he moved silently. Spock learned it in the space of a week. Thereafter they worked out together two or three times a week.
xxxx
An incident aboard the Enterprise diverted attention from Spock. They were ferrying scientists to a conference. Spock was keeping out of sight, because his facial appearance tended to bother the unaware. So Young was entertaining the scientists, with the help of his wives. One scientist whose name was Belsham insisted on demonstrating his latest invention.
"Captain, I insist. It is not a breach of security. You cannot possibly duplicate my work. There is no risk involved. But perhaps, not here in the lounge. If too many know, it would spoil my presentation at the conference. Do you have a more private setting?"
"Yes, but how much space do you require? My office, or one of the briefing rooms, perhaps?"
"Your office would be perfect. I don't need much room."
They left the reception quietly. Young told Gisa where he was going, but not why. Belsham followed Young to Deck 5, and entered his office peacefully. However, as soon as the door closed behind them, Belsham pulled out a phaser and stunned the Captain, who didn't even see it coming.
Belsham pulled out a small black box, fiddled with its controls, and ran it over Young's body like a scanner. Chuckling to himself wickedly, he pushed more buttons on the box. There appeared in front of him an exact replica of Captain Young. Belsham addressed it curtly.
"Back to the party on the Rec Deck."
The replica nodded acknowledgment and left. Belsham repeated the operation three more times, sending the second replica to the Bridge, the third to Engineering, and the fourth to Auxiliary Control. As the real Young began to stir, Belsham quietly left.
Spock, Uhura, and Sulu were on the Bridge when Young #2 arrived. Spock heard the footsteps, correctly identified them and vacated the center seat.
"Thank you, Spock," Young sat down. "Helm, new orders. Alter course to 278 Mark 3."
"Aye, sir." Sulu complied, then looked puzzled. The new course would take them to the Rigellian system. He glanced at Uhura, who shrugged her shoulders.
Spock felt something was wrong. "Captain, the scientists will miss their conference entirely, if we divert to the Rigellian system."
"Can't be helped. This is Priority One."
"May we know the nature of the emergency, sir?"
Spock seldom addressed Young as 'sir' anymore. Uhura noticed at once. Furthermore, to her knowledge, there had been no communication from Starfleet for several hours, and she was sure Spock knew that. Something was going on, and she didn't like the feel of it.
"There will be a briefing in one hour. Meanwhile, I'll be in my office. Spock, you have the conn."
"Yes, sir."
As soon as Young was off the Bridge, Spock returned to his station. Rapidly querying the computer, he addressed Sulu and Uhura as well.
"Mr. Sulu, on my authority, make a wide swing back to original heading. And override any attempts by Auxiliary Control to take over the Helm."
"Aye, sir." Sulu was grim.
"Uhura, confirm that there has been no signal from Starfleet for the last four hours or more."
"Yes, sir, I confirm. Checking now. It was 5.7 hours ago."
"Thank you." He returned to the center seat. "The computer informs me there are no less than five Andorian/Morenan hybrids aboard this vessel."
He punched the all-call intercom.
"Intruder alert. Repeat, intruder alert. All hands, apprehend and hold anyone having the appearance of Captain Young. Repeat, capture any and all Captain Youngs aboard this vessel. Security Detail to Auxiliary Control, on the double."
Spock touched another button. "Bridge to Engineering."
"Scott here, sir."
"Mr. Scott, an intruder disguised as Captain Young is presently approaching Engineering."
"I see 'im comin'. Thanks, Spock."
"Bridge to Sickbay."
"McCoy here, Spock. What's going on?"
"One of the Captain Youngs is at your door. Please keep him there. The intruder is to be assumed armed and dangerous."
"Okay, Spock. I hope you know what you're doing. McCoy out."
"Young to Spock."
"Spock here, Captain. Where are you, sir?"
"On the Rec Deck, of course. Spock, I don't know what you're trying to pull, but it's not funny. I've got over a hundred people staring at me."
"Sir, I strongly advise you to stay where you are and wait for the Security detail. And I quite agree, this is not funny."
"Spock, don't make me threaten to court-martial you."
Before Spock could reply, he heard running feet, followed by a bit of scuffling. Uhura took this opportunity to advise Spock that Aux Control had apprehended Captain Young in the act of diverting power from the Bridge consoles.
"Young to Bridge."
"Captain, Spock here. Where are you calling from?"
"My office, Spock. I just woke up with a phaser headache. What's going on?"
"I do not yet know, sir. What precipitated the phaser attack, if I may ask?"
"I don't even know for sure that it was. It just feels like a phaser headache, and I woke up on the floor of my office. One of the scientists wanted to show me a demonstration, but he's not here now."
"Which one, sir?"
"Belsham. Excuse me, there's a security detail at my door. Come in, gentlemen. You'll get no protest from me." Turning back to the intercom, "Well, Spock, I believe regulations place you in command. What do we do now?"
"I regret the necessity, but I am placing all five of you in the brig for the moment."
"I understand, Spock. Let me know if I can help sort this out."
"Acknowledged. Spock out."
Spock instituted a ship-wide search for the scientist known as Belsham. He was found hiding in the vicinity of Aux Control. Interrogation revealed he was not in fact a scientist at all. He had obtained the black box from an unknown source and did not know how it did what it did. His motive had been to hijack the Enterprise for personal profit. A petty criminal, and not very smart. He no longer had the black box, and wouldn't say what he had done with it. Further search did not turn up the black box. Spock convened a senior officers' briefing.
"We have two problems: a way to conclusively prove which of the five is the real Captain Young, and secondly, the dilemma of what to do with the other four. Since we do not know how they were created, we do not know to what extent they really are Captain Young."
"I've examined all five, and medically, physically, they're exactly alike," McCoy reported.
"Isna the one who was in his office, who reported a phaser headache, the real McCoy?" Scotty asked.
"Not necessarily," Spock replied.
"Medical exam showed all five suffering with mild phaser symptoms," McCoy explained.
Sulu protested, "Surely the one who came to the Bridge and tried to change our course is one of the imposters!"
"The one caught in Aux Control too," put in Chekov.
"Unfortunately, Security is not absolutely certain which Captain Young they found where." Spock's voice held no hint of accusation.
Uhura suggested, "Can't we just talk to them?"
"We can, and I have. Each is trying to portray himself as the real Captain Young."
"But does any of it ring false?" Uhura persisted. "Surely, you would know, Spock."
He ignored her for the moment. "Doctor, could you tell them apart?"
"No," McCoy admitted. "Not yet anyway."
Spock postulated, "Each of them may in fact believe that he is the real Captain Young."
"But their memories can't all be identical. Only one of them was on the Bridge," Sulu pointed out.
"I am reluctant to attempt the mind-meld. If the four are in some sense part of the real Captain Young, tampering with their minds could endanger the tenuous link between them, and prohibit any future rejoining."
"Not to mention what it might do to you, Spock." McCoy frowned.
"That risk is present with any mind-meld."
"Does the computer have a record of vhat occurred in the Captain's office?" Chekov asked.
"No. The recording function was inactive at the time," Spock revealed.
Sulu had another idea. "Could his wives tell which one was real?"
"I am hesitant to involve them. The sight of five identical husbands would surely distress them."
"They seem pretty competent and level-headed to me," was Sulu's opinion.
"Spock, the one who came to the Bridge, we knew for an imposter at once, because of the things he said and did." Uhura was thinking out loud.
"Such imposters have been revealed in the past because of flaws in their programming," Spock replied.
"Wouldn't these have been programmed with the element of obedience to Belsham?" Sulu suggested.
"Turn them all loose and see vhich ones obey him?" Chekov pursued the idea.
Scotty summarized, "Seems ta me we gotta find that black box an' undo th' damage somehow."