Star Trek 05

by James Blish

  "Therefore your statement that you believe this fantastic tale about transference of life entities between the Captain and Dr. Lester is intended to be taken seriously by this court."

  "Completely seriously."

  "Yet you have no evidence on which to base it."

  "I have stated my evidence: telepathic communication with the mind of Captain James T. Kirk."

  "You are a reasonable man, Spock," Scott said, exasperated. "But that is not a reasonable statement. Far from it. Far from it. Surely you must have had more than that to go on."

  "It was sufficient for me."

  "Well, it's not sufficient for a court. Your evidence is completely subjective. You know that, laddie. What has happened to you? We must have evidence we can examine out in the open."

  Spock threw a challenging look toward Kirk/J. "You have heard a great deal of testimony—except that of the chief witness. The one who should be the real subject of this inquiry is kept locked away in isolation. Why, Captain?"

  "She is dangerously insane," Kirk/J said. "We have seen evidence of that."

  "She is dangerous only to your authority, sir."

  "Mr. Spock, my authority was granted to me by Star-fleet Command. Only that high authority can take it away."

  "Then why be afraid of the testimony of a poor insane woman?"

  "This clumsy effort does not threaten my position, Mr. Spock. It does endanger your whole future."

  "The witness, sir! Bring on the witness! Let your officers put the questions!"

  Kirk/J hesitated a moment. Then he banged his gavel and nodded to a guard, who went out. "Dr. McCoy."

  "Yes, Captain."

  "You were at one time disturbed by my orders and reactions, is that not true?"

  "Yes, sir."

  "But instead of trying to destroy me, you were searching for a way to help me. For the record, tell the court your findings."

  "Physically the Captain is in the best of condition. His emotional and mental states are comparable to the time he assumed command of the Enterprise."

  "Mr. Spock, did you know the results of Dr. McCoy's examination?"

  "I know them now," Spock said. "And what have you to say now?"

  "I am disappointed and deeply concerned that there is no objective evidence to support my position—so far."

  "Since there is no evidence, will you give up your belief in the insane story of a woman driven mad by a tragic experience?"

  Before Spock could reply, the door opened and the woman in question herself was brought in by two guards. Kirk/J pointed to a chair, and she sat down.

  "Dr. Lester," he said, "I appreciate your being here. Everyone is deeply aware that you have already been subjected to inordinate emotional stress. Unfortunately, I have had to add to it in the interest of the safety of this crew. I had hoped that any further stress could be avoided. Mr. Spock disagrees. He is of the opinion that your testimony is important in determining the merits of his case. Since we are solely interested in arriving at a just decision, we must ask you a few questions. We shall all try not to upset you." At this, she nodded. "Now. You claim you are James T. Kirk."

  "No, I am not .Captain Kirk," Janice/K said composedly. "That is very apparent. I doubt that Mr. Spock would have put it that way. I claim that whatever it is that makes James Kirk a living being special to himself is held here in this body."

  "I stand corrected. However—as I understand it—I am Dr. Janice Lester."

  There was a snicker from the guards.

  "That's very clever," she responded. "But I didn't say it. I said the body of James Kirk is being used by Dr. Janice Lester."

  "A subtle difference that happens to escape me," Kirk/ J said with a smile. "However, I assume that this—this switch was brought about by mutual agreement."

  "No. It was brought about by a violent attack by Dr. Lester, with the use of equipment she discovered on Camus II."

  "Violence by the lady perpetrated on Captain Kirk? Tsk, tsk. I ask the assembled personnel to look at Dr. Lester and visualize that historic moment."

  This time the laughter was general. Kirk/J waited until it had ridden itself out, then continued, "And do you know any reason why Dr. Janice Lester would want this ludicrous exchanged

  "Yes! To achieve a power her peers would not accord her. To attain a position she does not merit by training or temperament. And most of all she wanted to murder the man who might have loved her—had her intense hatred of her own womanhood not made life with her impossible."

  Spock rose angrily. "Sir, this line of questioning is self-serving. There is only one issue: Is the story of life-entity transfer believable? This crew has been to many places in the Galaxy. You have not. They are familiar with many strange events. They are trained to recognize that what seems completely unbelievable on the surface is scientifically possible if you understand the basic theory of the event."

  "Mr. Spock, do you know of any other case like the one Dr. Lester describes?"

  "Not precisely. No."

  "Assuming you are correct in your belief, do you expect Starfleet Command to place that person"—his finger stabbed at Janice/K—"in command of this ship?"

  "I expect only to reveal the truth."

  "Of course you do. And with the truth revealed that I am not really the Captain—and knowing that she will not be appointed Captain—then of course you will become the Captain." Kirk/J looked at Spock with apparent compassion. "Give it up, Spock. Return to the Enterprise family. All charges will be dropped. The madness that temporarily overcame us all on Camus II will pass and be forgotten."

  "And what will happen to Dr. Lester?"

  "Dr. Lester will be properly cared for. Always. That is a debt and a responsibility I owe her from the past."

  "No, sir!" Spock said emphatically. "I will not withdraw a single charge I have made. You are not Captain Kirk. You have ruthlessly appropriated his body. But the life entity within you is not that of Captain Kirk. You do not belong in command of the Enterprise. I will do everything in my power against you."

  "Lieutenant Uhura," Kirk/J said with dangerous quietness, "play back the last two sentences of Mr. Spock's tirade."

  Speck's voice rang out from the speaker of the recorder: "You do not belong in command of the Enterprise. I will do everything in my power against you."

  "Mr. Spock, you have heard the statement you put into the record. Do you understand the nature of it?"

  "I do. And I stand by it."

  "And that is mutiny!" Kirk/J shouted, his face livid. "Deliberate—vindictive—insane at its base—but it is mutiny as charged and incitement to mutiny. Dr. McCoy, Mr. Scott, you have heard it. On the basis of these statements, I call for an immediate summary court-martial by powers granted to me as Captain of the Enterprise."

  "Just a moment, Captain," Scott said. "I'm not ready to vote Mr. Spock into oblivion so fast. Mr. Spock is a serious man. What he says is to be taken seriously, no matter how wild."

  "Come to the point."

  "I'm right at the nub of it, Captain. You don't put a man like Mr. Spock out of the service because of a condition akin to temporary insanity. Dr. McCoy, you said the woman may have become mentally deranged due to the radiation she was exposed to."

  "Yes, Scotty."

  "Couldn't the same thing have happened to Mr. Spock? He was a sight closer to the source of the radiation."

  "It's possible."

  "Then the mutiny is qualified by the temporary insanity due to the . . ."

  "Thank you, my friend," Spock interrupted. "A noble try. But I was not exposed to the celebium. I took every precaution. And I have been given precautionary treatment since then by Dr. McCoy. I am completely sound in body and mind."

  "Mutiny," said Kirk/J, pounding with the gavel. "A summary court-martial on the evidence and the charges is immediately invoked. A recess will be followed by a vote."

  "Yes," Spock said. "An immediate vote. This matter must be cleared up at once, before . . ."

  The gav
el pounded a loud tattoo. "Silence!"

  "Before our chief witness," Spock shouted above the din, "is left to die on an obscure little colony with the truth locked away inside her!"

  Kirk/J rose, his face red with hysteria, almost to the point of apoplexy. "Silence, silence! A recess is declared. The summary court will then be in session. There will be no cross-discussion. No conferences. No collusion. I order the judges to be absolutely silent as they arrive at a decision on the charge of mutiny. When I return we will vote. The evidence presented here can be the only basis for your decision.

  He stormed out of the room, leaving everyone stunned. McCoy began to pace. The silence stretched out. At last Scott said, "Who ever heard of a jury being forbidden to deliberate?"

  He went out into the corridor, followed by the others, leaving behind Janice/K, Spock and the guards, as well as Uhura.

  "What's there to say?" McCoy said.

  "Doctor, I've seen the Captain feverish, sick, drunk, delirious, terrified, overjoyed, boiling mad. Until now I've never seen him beet-red with hysteria. I know how I'm going to vote."

  "I've been through this with Spock. He is not being scientific. And neither are you."

  "It may not be scientific," Scott said, "but if Spock thinks it happened, it must be logical."

  "Don't you think I know that? My tests show nothing wrong with the Captain. That's the only fact that will interest Starfleet."

  "Headquarters has its problems—and we've got ours. Right now the Captain of me Enterprise is our problem."

  McCoy frowned. He started to pace again, but was halted by Nurse Chapel.

  "Doctor," she said, whispering, "I didn't notice it at the time. But in her first lucid moment, Dr. Lester asked why we were going to miss our rendezvous with the Potemkin. How could she know that?"

  "Hmm. Especially since the Captain didn't. Scotty, the vote is going to be called in a few minutes."

  "Let me put one last question. Suppose you voted with me in favor of Spock. That's two to one and Spock is free. What do you think the Captain will do?"

  "I don't know."

  "You know, all right. The vote will stick in his craw. He'll never accept it.

  McCoy angrily walked away a few steps and then turned back and looked hard at Scott. "We don't know that."

  "I tell you, he won't. Then, Doctor, that's the time to move against him. We'll have to take over the ship."

  "We're talking mutiny, Scotty."

  "Yes. Are you ready for the vote?"

  "I'm ready for the vote."

  Kirk/J was already back in the briefing room when they reentered. When they were all seated, he stood up. "Lieutenant Uhura, play back the tapes of the conversation in the corridor."

  Uhura, looking both grief-stricken and guilt-ridden, moved a switch. Recorded voices said:

  "Then, Doctor, that's the time to move against him. Well have to take over the ship."

  "We re talking mutiny, Scotty."

  "Yes. Are you ready for the vote?"

  "That's enough," McCoy said angrily. "We know what was said."

  "Enough to convict you for conspiracy with mutineers," Kirk/J said, drawing his phaser. The guards followed suit. "You are so charged. The penalty is death."

  Chekov and Sulu both jumped forward, talking almost at once.

  "Starfleet expressly forbids the death penalty . . ."

  "There is only one exception . . ."

  "General Order Four has not been violated by any officer of the Enterprise . . ."

  "All my senior officers have turned against me," Kirk/J said. "I am responsible. Execution will be immediate. Go to your posts. Guards, take them to the brig."

  Only Uhura, Sulu and Chekov were at their posts on the bridge, a sadly depleted corporal's guard. They were working, but their expressions were listless, abstracted. Sulu said at last, "The Captain really must be cracking up if he thinks he can get away with an execution."

  "Captain Kirk wouldn't order an execution even if he did crack up," Chekov said. "Spock's right, that can't be the Captain."

  "What difference does it make who he is?" said Uhura. "Are we going to allow an execution to take place?"

  Chekov clenched his fists. "If Security backs him up, how will we fight them?"

  Sulu said, "I'll fight them every way and any way I can . . ."

  The conversation was choked off as Kirk/J came onto the bridge, highly elated. When he spoke, the sentences seemed almost to tumble over one another in then-haste to get out. "Lieutenant Uhura, inform all sections of the decision. Have each section send a representative to the place of execution on the hangar deck. Mr. Chekov, how far to the Benecia Colony?"

  "Coming within scanning range."

  "Plot coordinates for orbit. Mr. Sulu, lock into coordinates as soon as orbit is accomplished. Interment will take place on Benecia."

  There were no "Ayes," and nobody moved. Kirk/J stared at his officers. "You have received your orders."

  Still no response.

  "You have received your orders. You will obey at once or be charged with mutiny." His voice began to rise in pitch, losing its male timbre. "Obey my orders or—or . . ."

  Then, suddenly, he reeled, staggered, and fell into his chair, seemingly almost in a faint. His body contorted for a moment and then became rigid, his eyes staring wider, but sightlessly.

  The others rose in alarm, but the seizure lasted only a moment Them Kirk/J was out of the chair and leaped for the elevator.

  Dr. Coleman was alone in the medical lab when Kirk /J burst in. "Coleman—the transference is weakening."

  "What happened?"

  "For a moment I was with the prisoners. I won't go back to being Janice Lester. Help me prevent it."

  "The only way to prevent it is by the death of Janice Lester. You'll have to carry out the execution."

  "I can't," Kirk/J said. "The crew is in mutiny. You must kill him for me."

  "I have done everything else for you. But I tell you I will not commit murder for you."

  "You can do it for yourself," Kirk/J said urgently. "If I am the Captain of the Enterprise, you will regain your position as a Ship's Surgeon. I will see to that."

  "I would have been content with you, as you were. I did not need a starship."

  "Unless Kirk dies, we will both be exposed as murderers. Does that leave you any choice?"

  Reluctantly, Coleman picked up an air hypo; selected a cartridge and snapped it into place.

  "The dose must be doubly lethal."

  "It is," Coleman said impassively.

  Kirk/J led the way to the brig. Judging by the woman's tense expression and the way the others were grouped around her, she too had felt that moment of transitory retransference, and was ready to fight to prolong it should it occur again.

  "I have demanded the sentence of execution," Kirk/J said. "However, to prevent any further conspiracy, you will be placed in separate cells. If there is any resistance, a sedative will be administered until you learn cooperation. Dr. Lester is first. Follow Dr. Coleman."

  Coleman went back out through the force field. Janice/K held back suspiciously, but then also stepped out into the corridor, Kirk/J behind her. After only a few steps he said loudly, "This woman obviously doesn't know what it means to obey an order."

  The hypo flashed in Coleman's hand, but not quickly enough. Janice/K saw it and grabbed that arm with both hands, struggling with all her poor strength to deflect it.

  Again the look of dizziness and complete terror overwhelmed Kirk/J; once more his body contorted and grew taut.

  The same paralysis gripped Janice/K, its rigidity immobilizing Coleman's arm as her conscious efforts could never have done. Then she screamed.

  "Don't! Don't! I have lost to the Captain! I have lost to James Kirk!" And then, in a cry of pure madness, "Kill him! Kill him!"

  Kirk, whose first move had been to shut off the brig's force field, met Coleman's rush easily; a quick chop and it was over. He turned to Janice, whose face was cont
orted with hatred and agony. "Kill him! I want James Kirk dead! Kill him!" Then, sobbing painfully like a child, "I will never be the Captain—never—never—kill him . . ."

  Coleman, who had been only momentarily stunned, tossed aside the hypo, clambered to his feet and came over to her. She began to collapse, and Coleman took her in his arms.

  "You are," he said, "as I have loved you."

  "Kill him," Janice said quietly, her eyes vacant. "Please."

  Spock, McCoy and Scott were all out in the corridor. Kirk seized each of them in turn by the hand. "Bones, is there anything you can do for her?"

  "I would like to take care of her," Coleman said pleadingly.

  "Of course," said McCoy. "Come with me." He led them away toward sickbay.

  Kirk looked after them. "I didn't want to destroy her," he said.

  "You had to," Spock said. "How else could you have survived, Captain? To say nothing of the rest of us."

  "Her life could have been as rich as any woman's, if only—" He paused and sighed. "If only . . ."

  "If only," Spock said, "she had ever been able to take any pride in being a woman."

  REQUIEM FOR METHUSELAH

  (Jerome Bixby)

  * * *

  Rigellian fever struck aboard the Enterprise with startling suddenness, its origin unknown. Permission was asked, and received, of Starfleet Command to abort the current routine mission in order to search for a planet with large deposits of ryetalyn, the only known cure for the disease. By the time they found such a planet, one yeoman had died and four more were seriously ill.

  Kirk, McCoy and Spock beamed down at once, leaving Scott at the con. McCoy scanned about him with his tricorder.

  "There's a large deposit at bearing two seven three—about a mile away," he reported, his voice grim. "We've got four hours to get it processed, or the epidemic will be irreversible. Everybody on the Enterprise . . ."

  As he started off with Kirk, Spock's voice stopped them.

  "Most strange," he said. "Readings indicate a life form in the vicinity. Yet our ship's sensors indicated that this planet was uninhabited."

  "Human?" Kirk said. "But we've got no time for that. Let's get to that ryetalyn deposit."