Spock Must Die

Chapter Fifteen — “YOU MAY BE RIGHT”

From the Captain’s Log, Star Date 4205.5:

It has taken a good many hours, and the participation of all department heads, to prepare a comprehensive — and what is more important, comprehensible — report of this entire imbroglio. And even after the report was filed, there were a number of additional questions from Earth, which is hardly surprising. However, we were able to answer them, and our role in freeing Organia has won us official commendations from Starfleet Command, which I have passed on to all hands.

There remain some additional questions which Command has not asked us, which is probably just as well, for I am far from certain that we know the answers — or ever will know them.

Kirk paused in his dictation and Spock, who had been monitoring the recording of the Log entry into the computer, turned from his station toward the command chair.

“May I ask, Captain, what these questions are? It is possible that I could be of assistance.”

“I think perhaps you could, Mr. Spock.” Kirk put the hand microphone back into its clip on the control board. “Some of them, in fact, concern you — which is why I was hesitating about logging them.”

“Why should you, Captain?”

“Because they are more or less personal, and in addition, not essential for Starfleet Command’s understanding of the affair. You needn’t answer them yet if you’d prefer not to.”

“I could make no judgment of that,” the first officer said, “without knowing what the questions are.”

“Obviously. Well, then…While we still had the replicate Spock on board, you were absolutely adamant about refusing to cooperate with him, and upon the need for his destruction. Yet at the same time you refused to explain the source of your adamancy. This was a considerable danger to you personally, because both attitudes were so unlike you that — as I told Dr. McCoy at the time — they caused me to wonder if you were the replicate. In fact, for a while I was nearly convinced that you were.”

“I see,” Spock said. “I have no objection to explaining that, Captain — not now. You are aware, of course, that because of my Vulcan inheritance, I have certain modest telepathic gifts.”

“Aware? Great heavens, man, they’ve saved our lives more than once; how could I forget that?”

“My question was rhetorical,” Spock said. “You are doubtless aware also that true telepaths are exceedingly rare in the universe, which is most fortunate for us, for as adversaries they can be exceedingly formidable.”

While he spoke, McCoy and Scott came onto the bridge; Sulu and Uhura were of course already there. Kirk looked inquiringly at Spock, but the first officer showed no sign that he found the addition to the audience at all objectionable.

“They can indeed,” Kirk said, “if our experience with the Melkotians was a fair sample.”

“Yes, or the Klingons’ with the Organians. But for the purposes of the present discussion, it is the rarity of the ability that is of interest. It has never been adequately explained. One hypothesis is that many humans may be telepathic at birth, but that the ability burns out almost immediately under the influx of new experience, particularly the burden of pain of other creatures around them.”

“It blows its fuse,” Scott suggested.

“Something like that,” Spock agreed. “Another hypothesis is that for any type of mind which depends upon an actual, physical brain for its functioning — as opposed, say, to energy creatures like the Organians, or mixed types like the Melkotians — the forces involved are too weak to make transmission possible, though extreme stress may sometimes help — except, perhaps, between two brains whose makeup is nearly identical as in the case of twins. There are many instances recorded in Earth history of apparent telepathic links between monozygotic twins, but fewer of such links between heterozygotic twins, who are born together but are genetically different.”

“I begin to see,” McCoy said. “The replicate’s brain was even more like your own than an identical twin’s could be — and you had a telepathic rapport with him?”

“Yes and no,” Spock said. “Bear in mind that although his brain was essentially mine, its biases were opposite to mine — even its neural currents ran in the opposite direction. The link between the replicate and myself was not telepathy, but something I should call ‘telempathy’ — an emotional rapport, not an intellectual one. I could never tell what he was thinking, but I was constantly aware of his physical sensations — and of his emotions.

“I will not describe this further, except to say that I found it very nearly intolerable. However, it gave me all the assurance I needed that his motives, his morals, his loyalties were all the opposite of my own. Yet intellectually, without doubt, he had at his command all my experience, all my accumulated knowledge and training, even my reflexes — and all my intimate knowledge of the Enterprise, its crew, and the total situation. And hence, I knew that he was a terrible danger to us all, and under no circumstances could he be negotiated with. He had to be eliminated, preferably before he could get in touch with the Klingons (though unfortunately he did), there was no other possible course.”

“Fascinating,” McCoy said. “So the second hypothesis now stands proven, apparently.”

“I would say so,” Spock said, “insofar, that is, as testimony can ever be accepted as evidence. I am personally convinced, at any rate. Of course, even if valid, logically it does not exclude the first hypothesis; both may be true.”

“That may well be,” Kirk said, “but it still leaves me with some loose ends. Why didn’t you tell me this at the. time, Mr. Spock? It would have saved me considerable fruitless worry, and would have speeded up the solving of the problem of the two Spocks — maybe before the replicate could have gotten away.”

“If you will pardon me, Captain,” Spock said, “such an outcome did not seem to me to be at all likely. The replicate Spock’s identity had yet to be proven by his actions; there was no other way to be sure. And even had you accepted my explanation, you would on reflection have realized that the rapport involved might seriously impair my efficiency or judgment, or make me, too, dangerous in some unpredictable way. I knew I was in control of myself — though it was precarious — but you could not. It would have occurred to you, further, that it might have been safest to confine me as well until the identity problem was solved — and for the good of the ship I needed to be a free agent, or in any event a free first officer.”

“Hmm,” Kirk said. “That also answers another of my questions: how you knew when the replicate was no longer aboard the Enterprise, and roughly where in space-time he was instead — and again, why you refused to tell me how you knew.”

“Precisely. May I add, Captain, that I did not come to these decisions entirely unilaterally? I asked the computer what your probable responses to a proposed revelation of the ‘telempathy’ might be, and was told that your confining me was highly probable indeed — about eighty-three per cent, to a confidence limit of point zero zero five. Ordinarily, I would have preferred to have consulted Dr. McCoy on a psychological question of that kind, but under the circumstances I was denied that recourse.”

“I see,” Kirk said. “Very well, Mr. Spock, we won’t transmit this additional information to Starfleet Command, unless they specifically ask for it. I don’t see how it could enhance their present understanding of our report, anyhow. But you had better record it in the library. It may be of some value to the Scientific Advisory Board, should they have any project on telepathy going, or want to consider starting one.”

“Very well, Captain.”

“Another message from Command, Captain,” Uhura reported. “We’re to report to Star Base Sixteen for two weeks down time and a new assignment. Incidentally, the communications officer there, a Lieutenant Purdy, wants me to teach him Eurish. I hope he’s cute.”

“Very well. So ordered. Mr. Sulu, lay a course.” Kirk paused for a moment. “And I will add, Mr. Spock, that it’s nice to have you back.”

“Thank you, Captain,” Spock said. “It has been an interesting experience. I myself have only one regret: that my method of disposal of the replicate had to be so improvised that I was unable to recover your class ring for you.”

Kirk gestured the subject away. “Forget it, Mr. Spock. It was a very small price to pay, and I can always get another. I’m only grateful that there are no more loose ends than that.”

“I’m afraid there is still a loose end, Jim,” McCoy said thoughtfully. “And what’s worse, it’s the same one we started with, way back on the benchmarking job. But maybe, after his ‘telempathic’ experience with the replicate, Mr. Spock can answer that one too.”

“What is it?” Kirk said.

“This,” McCoy said. “Does the man who comes out of the other end of a journey by transporter have an immortal soul, or does he not?”

There was quite a long silence.

“I do not know,” Spock said at last. “I can only suggest, Doctor, that if someone were to give me an answer to that question, I would not know how to test the answer. By operational standards, therefore, such a question is meaningless.”

“I suppose so,” McCoy said resignedly. “Somehow I thought that was just what you’d say.”

Kirk had rather expected Spock’s response, too. But he noticed also that the first officer looked, somehow, faintly worried. Or did he?