Star Trek - Blish, James - 09

by 09(lit)

  "I'm fine, Bones," he said. He reached out a hand to draw Anne Mulhall up beside him. "We're both fine, Bones."

  "Thalassa..."

  Anne spoke quietly. "She is with Sargon, Doctor."

  "With Sargon?" He looked past them to the three globes. They were broken, melted, black, dead.

  "Jim! Spock's consciousness was in one of those!"

  "It was necessary," Kirk said.

  McCoy flung his arms up. "What do you mean, man? There's no Spock to return to his body now! You've killed your best friend, a loyal officer of the Service!"

  "Prepare a hypo, Bones. The fastest and deadliest poison to Vulcans. Spock's consciousness is gone, but we must now kill his body, too. His body-and the thing inside it."

  On the bridge, Uhura screamed. Then she slumped against her board, trembling. Nonchalant, Hanoch-Spock left her to go to Kirk's command chair. The bewitched Christine waited at his side. He spoke to Sulu. "Shall I make an example of you, too, Helm? Take us out of orbit! A course for Earth!"

  Sulu hit his controls. Then he wheeled in his chair. "Look for yourself! The ship won't respond! Nothing works!"

  The elevator doors slid open. Kirk and Anne stepped out. Behind them came McCoy, his hypo carefully hidden. The alien in the command chair didn't trouble himself to turn; but just before they reached it, it said, Pain, Kirk. Exquisite pain. As for you, lovely one of the blue eyes..."

  Kirk had dropped as though shot, gasping, his throat hungering to scream. Hanoch-Spock pointed a finger at Anne. She froze, shudders shaking her-and Sulu, pressed beyond control, leaped from his seat only to fall, moaning with pain. As Anne crumpled to the deck, McCoy dove for the command chair; but Hanoch, holding up a palm, halted him a foot away from Spock's body.

  "I know every thought in every mind around me," he said. Chapel, remove the hypo from the Doctor."

  Christine, reaching into an inside pocket of McCoy's white jacket, obeyed. Hanoch said, "Good. Inject him with his own dose-an example to all those who defy me."

  She lifted the hypo toward McCoy-and without the slightest change of expression, wheeled to drive it, hissing, into Hanoch's arm. He stood up. "Fools!" he shrieked. "I'll simply trans-fer to... another space, another body!" Suddenly, he reeled. "It's you, Sargon!" He whimpered, "Please... please, Sargon, let me transfer to-"

  Then he crashed to the floor. Kirk rushed to the fallen body. Kneeling beside it, he lifted its head to cradle it in his arms. "Spock... Spock, my friend, my comrade... if only there had been some other way." He choked on unshed tears.

  The head stirred in his arms. Its eyes opened; and the bridge reverberated again to the rich, deep voice. "How could I allow the sacrifice of one so close to you, my son?"

  "There was enough poison in that hypo," McCoy cried, "to kill ten Vulcans!"

  "I allowed you to believe that, Doctor. Else, Hanoch could not have read your thought-and believed it, too. He has fled Spock's body. He is destroyed."

  Kirk found words. "The receptacles are broken, Spock. Where was your consciousness kept?"

  Spock was on his feet. "In the last place Hanoch would suspect, Captain." He gestured toward Chris-tine.

  She nodded, smiling. "That's why Thalassa called me 'necessary,' Doctor. Mr. Spock's consciousness was installed in me. We have been sharing it together."

  "We know now we cannot permit ourselves to exist in your world, my children. Thalassa and I must de-part into oblivion."

  Kirk looked up. "Sargon, isn't there any way we can help you?"

  "Yes, my son. Let Thalassa and me enter your bodies again for our last moment together."

  Though there was no transfer flare, Kirk and Anne both felt its heat as Sargon and Thalassa moved into them. Anne, in Kirk's arms, said, "Oblivion together does not frighten me, my husband." She kissed Kirk's forehead, her hand caressing his cheek. "Promise me we will be together."

  Kirk bent his head to her mouth, holding her close. Anne was shaking under the storm of Thalassa's grief. "Together forever, my Sargon... forever..."

  "I promise, my love. I promise..."

  For their last moment, they clung together on the edge of Nothing. Then they were gone, the dwindling heat of their passing, leaving Anne's eyes filled with Thalassa's tears. Still clasped in Kirk's arms, they stared at each other. Then, flushing at the public embrace, Kirk released her. He cleared his throat. "Dr. Mulhall... er... thank you. I... thank you in... Sargon's name... for your cooperation."

  The sapphire eyes smiled through their tears. "Cap-tain, I-I was happy to... cooperate."

  Christine, sobbing, turned to Spock. "I felt the same way, Mr. Spock... when we shared our consciousness together."

  Spock's left eyebrow lifted. "Nurse Chapel," he began, and subsided into silence.

  McCoy grinned at him. "This sharing of conscious-ness-it sounds somewhat immoral to me, my Vulcan friend."

  "I assure you it was a most distressing experience," Spock said earnestly. "You would not believe the tor-rents of emotion I encountered-the jungle of illogic." He almost shuddered.

  Christine smiled at him. "Why, thank you, Mr. Spock."

  "I don't understand, nurse. Thank me?"

  "You just paid her a high compliment, Spock," Kirk said.

  "Yes, you do turn a nice phrase now and then," McCoy said. He turned to Christine. "Thank the stars," he said, "that my sex doesn't understand the other one."

  Anne laughed. "Come along with me, my fellow woman. If they don't understand us after all this time, no elucidation by us can enlighten them."

  Kirk, smiling too, went to his command chair. Spock was standing beside it, still puzzled. "Captain, I really don't understand."

  "Sargon did, Spock. 'Together forever.' Someone may someday teach you what that means. Who knows? When that next Vulcan seven-year cycle rolls around again..."

  Spock gravely considered the idea. "Sargon was enormously advanced, Captain. I shall ponder this."

  As he returned to his station, Kirk's eyes followed him with affection. "Ah, well," he said, "for now that's how it is." He turned to Sulu. "All right, Mr. Sulu, take us out of orbit."

  "Leaving orbit, sir."

  THE ULTIMATE COMPUTER

  (D. C. Fontana and Laurence N. Wolfe)

  Obediently the Enterprise (to its skipper's intense annoyance) was making its approach to the space station. His impatience lifted him from his chair and sent him across to Uhura. "Lieutenant, contact the space station."

  "The station is calling us, Captain."

  "Put them on."

  The voice was familiar. "Captain Kirk, this is Com-modore Enwright."

  "Commodore, I'd like an explanation."

  Enwright cut across him. "The explanation is beam-ing aboard you now, Captain. He may already be in your Transporter Room. Enwright out."

  "Spock," Kirk said, and gestured toward the elevator. "Scotty, you have the con."

  The "explanation" was materializing in the person of Commodore Wesley, a flight officer slightly older than Kirk but not unlike him in manner and military bearing. Kirk's rage gave way to astonishment. "Bob! Bob Wesley!" The two shook hands as Wesley stepped from the platform. Kirk said, "Mr. Spock, this is-"

  Spock completed the sentence. "Commodore Wes-ley. How do you do, sir."

  Wesley nodded. "Mr. Spock."

  Kirk turned to the Transporter officer. "Thank you, Lieutenant. That will do."

  As the door closed, he burst out. "Now will you please tell me what this is all about? I receive an order to proceed here. No reason is given. I'm informed my crew is to be removed to the space station's security holding area. I think I'm entitled to an explanation!"

  Wesley grinned. "You've had a singular honor con-ferred on you, Jim. You're going to be the fox in a hunt."

  "What does that mean?"

  "War games. I'll be commanding the attack force against you."

  "An entire attack force against one ship?"

  Wesley regarded him tolerantly. "Apparently you haven't heard o
f the M-5 Multitronic Unit. It's the computer, Jim, that Dr. Richard Daystrom has just developed."

  "Oh?"

  "Not oh, Jim. Wait till you see the M-5."

  "What is it?"

  Spock broke in. "The most ambitious computer com-plex ever created. Its purpose is to correlate all computer activity of a Starship... to provide the ultimate in vessel operation and control."

  Wesley eyed Spock suspiciously. "How do you know so much about it, Commander?"

  "I hold an A-7 computer expert classification, sir. I am well acquainted with Dr. Daystrom's theories and discoveries. The basic design of all our ships' computers are Dr. Daystrom's."

  "And what's all that got to do with the Enterprise?" Kirk said.

  Wesley's face grew grave. "You've been chosen to test the M-5, Jim. There'll be a series of routine research and contact problems M-5 will have to solve as well as navigational maneuvers and the war-games' problems. If it works under actual conditions as it has in simulated tests, it will mean a revolution in space technology as great as the Warp Drive. As soon as your crew is removed, the ship's engineering section will be modified to contain the computer."

  "Why remove my crew? What sort of security does this gadget require?"

  "They're not needed," Wesley said. "Dr. Daystrom will see to the installation himself and will supervise the tests. When he's ready, you will receive your orders and proceed on the mission with a crew of twenty."

  "Twenty! I can't run a Starship with only twenty people aboard!"

  The voice of authority was cool. "M-5 can."

  "And I-what am I supposed to do?"

  "You've got a great job, Jim. All you have to do is sit back and let the machine do the work."

  "My," Kirk said, "it sounds just great!"

  McCoy didn't like it, either. Told the news, he exploded. "A vessel this size can't be run by one computer! Even the computers we already have-"

  Spock interrupted. "All of them were designed by Richard Daystrom almost twenty-five years ago. His new one utilizes the capabilities of all the present computers... it is the master control. We are attempt-ing to prove that it can run this ship more efficiently than man."

  "Maybe you're trying to prove that, Spock, but don't count me in on it."

  "The most unfortunate lack in current computer programming is that there is nothing available to immediately replace the Starship surgeon."

  "If there were," McCoy said, "they wouldn't have to replace me. I'd resign-and because everybody else aboard would be nothing but circuits and memory banks." He glared at Spock. "I think some of us already are just that." He turned an anxious face to Kirk. "You haven't said much about this, Jim."

  They were standing outside the Engineering Section. Now Kirk swung around to face Spock and McCoy, pointing to the new sign on the door reading "Security Area". "What do you want me to say, Bones? Starfleet considers this installation of the M-5 an honor. So I'm honored. It takes some adjusting, too." He turned, the door slid open, and they entered the Section. And the M-5 Multitronic Unit already dominated the vast expanse. Unlike the built-in Enterprise computers, its massive cabinet was free-standing as though asserting total independence of support. It possessed a monitor panel where dials, switches, and other controls were ranged in an order that created an impression of an insane disorder. Scott and another engineer, Ensign Harper, were busy at panels near the upper-bridge level. Kirk looked around. "Where is he? Dr. Daystrom?"

  He came from behind the console where he had been working, wearing a technician's outfit. The first thing that struck Kirk about him were his eyes. Despite the lines of middle age, they were brilliantly piercing as though all his energy was concentrated on penetra-tion. He was a nervous man. His speech was sharply clipped and his hands seemed to need to busy them-selves with something-a pipe, a tool, anything avail-able.

  "Yes?" he said. Suddenly, he seemed to register something inappropriate in the greeting. "You would be Captain Kirk?"

  They shook hands briefly. "Dr. Daystrom, my First Officer, Commander Spock."

  Spock bowed. "I am honored, Doctor. I have studied all your publications on computer technology. Bril-liant."

  "Thank you. Captain, I have finished my final check on M-5. It must be hooked into the ship's main power banks to become operational."

  Kirk said, "Very well, Dr. Daystrom. Do so."

  "Your Chief Engineer refused to make the power available without your orders."

  Good old Scotty, Kirk thought. What he said was, "Mr. Scott, tie the M-5 unit into the main power banks."

  "Aye, sir. Mr. Harper?" He and Harper moved off to the wall panel near the forced perspective unit.

  Spock was examining the M-5 monitor panel. McCoy fixed his gaze on the distance.

  "Fascinating, Doctor," Spock said. "This computer has a potential beyond anything you have ever done. Even your breakthrough into duotronics did not hold the promise of this."

  "M-5 has been perfected, Commander. Its potential is a fact."

  McCoy could contain himself no longer. The only fact I care about," he said savagely, "is that if this thing doesn't work, there aren't enough men aboard to run this ship. That's screaming for trouble."

  Daystrom stared at him. "Who is this?" he asked Kirk.

  "Dr. Leonard McCoy, Senior Medical Officer."

  "This is a security area," Daystrom said. "Only absolutely necessary key personnel have clearance to enter it."

  Kirk's voice was icy in his own ears. "Dr. McCoy has top security clearances for all areas of this ship."

  Then the M-5 suddenly came to life. It was a startling phenomenon. It flashed with lights, a deep hum surging from its abruptly activated circuits. As its lights glowed brighter, lights in the engine unit dimmed sharply.

  McCoy spoke to Spock. "Is it supposed to do that?"

  Daystrom was working quickly to remove a panel. He made an adjustment and Spock said, "If I can be of assistance, sir..."

  Daystrom looked up. "No. I can manage, thank you."

  The rebuffed Spock's eyebrows arched in surprise. He glanced at Kirk who nodded and Spock backed off. The M-5's deep hum grew quieter, less erratic; and overhead, the lights struggled back to full strength.

  Daystrom was defensive. "Nothing wrong, Captain. A minor settling-in adjustment to be made. You see, everything is in order now."

  "Yes." Kirk paused. "I'm curious, Dr. Daystrom. Why is it M-5 instead of M-l?"

  Daystrom's hands twisted on a tool. "The Multitronic Units 1 through 4 were not successful. But this one is. M-5 is ready to assume control of the ship."

  "Total control?" Kirk said.

  "That is what it was designed for, Captain."

  There was an awkward silence. "I'm afraid," Kirk said, "I must admit to a certain antagonism toward your computer, Dr. Daystrom. It was man who first ventured into space. True, man with machines... but still with man in command."

  "Those were primitive machines, Captain. We have entered a new era."

  Kirk thought, I don't like this man. He dispensed with the amiable smile on his lips. "I am not against progress, sir; but there are still things men have to do to remain men. Your computer would take that away, Dr. Daystrom."

  'There are other things a man like you can do, Captain. Or perhaps you only object to the possible loss of the prestige accorded a Starship Captain. The computer can do your job without interest in prestige."

  Kirk smiled at him. "You're going to have to prove that to me, Daystrom." He started to leave, but Daystrom's voice halted him in midstride. "Captain, that's what the M-5 is here for, isn't it?"

  It had not been a pleasant encounter. Spock alone seemed untouched by its implications. As the three moved down the drearily empty corridor, he said, "Captain, if you don't need me for a moment, I'd like to discuss some of the technology involved in the M-5 with Dr. Daystrom."

  "Look at the love-light in his eyes, Jim. All his life Spock's been waiting for the right computer to come along. I hope you'll be very happy
together, Spock."

  "Doctor, I find your simile illogical and your humor forced. If you'll excuse me, Captain?"

  "Go ahead, Mr. Spock. I'll see you on the bridge."

  "Yes, sir."

  Kirk's troubled expression worried McCoy. "What is it, Jim?"

  Kirk hesitated. "I feel it's wrong-and I don't know why-all of it wrong."