Black Fire (14 page)

"Keptin," Chekov called out from the security sensor, "they haf launched another rocket."

"That's it!" Kirk ordered, "Chekov, trace the course of that launch. We're going to follow it. Sulu, I want us to match its speed. Stay at a discreet distance. I don't want to be spotted now."

"I don't believe it!" Douglas said in astonishment as he studied the sensor readings. "That ship has warp potential and a matter/antimatter drive! It's smaller and more maneuverable than the
Enterprise
. Its drive isn't consistent with the method of launch they used."

"Stay with them, Mister Sulu," Kirk said calmly. "We'll have our answers soon."

Leonidas was exultant. The first officer observed and charted and enjoyed every bit. His excitement grew as they neared the huge red giant he had mentioned before. It completely dominated the region around it. Its glow could be seen from an incredible distance.

"Captain," the first officer announced, "we're getting awfully close to that red giant."

The view-screen showed the dull, red object overwhelming everything around it. Martin was at the science station, eyes on the sensors. "Sir, we're headed directly toward it. It could have a tremendous magnetic field. We can't get too close until we know for certain."

"What about the ship we're following?"

"Heading right for the sun, Captain. No, it's veered; it's skirting the red giant."

"Keep following it, Helmsman. Adjust course," Kirk ordered quietly.

The sun was so large it took a full day at warp three to circumvent it. When they arrived at the far side, Leonidas was riveted to the view-screen.

"Look, Captain, a small, very hot sun, a baby, probably formed when the other exploded. That must have been something! I'll bet it engulfed everything in this area when it went red. There can't be a planet here, sir. Not with all of that energy spewing out. It must have destroyed all of its planets, if it had any."

"No possible way there could be a planet in this sector?"

"I can't see how."

"Then where are our furry friends going?"

"I'm at a loss, Captain. Their course is taking them between the two suns. The gravitational forces will pull them into one sun or the other."

"I don't think they're suicidal, Leonidas. They must know were they're going. Follow them, Helmsman."

Sulu acknowledged, and continued concentrating on their course. It was Martin who hesitated. "Captain, we're getting too close. We're becoming affected by the pull of the large sun, and if the helm compensates, we'll be pulled toward the small one. We can't safely go any further."

"Are you sure, Martin?"

"He's correct, Captain," Leonidas reported. "We'll burn up if we attempt to go any further."

"Hold it right here, Sulu. Any solutions, gentlemen? Their ship seemed to go into a corridor between the two suns. Why can't we?"

"We're too big, Captain. A small ship could manage it, if it were careful to stay in between the pulls of both suns and travel at an awesome speed. It's a real tightrope in there!"

"A shuttle, then," Kirk suggested.

"No, Captain," Leonidas interjected. "The distances are immense. A shuttle wouldn't have the range or the speed necessary."

Kirk retreated to his quarters to be alone with the problem. He wasn't going to give up now that he had come this far. He was determined to follow that rocket ship. After an hour of deep concentration, he called his staff together.

"Gentlemen, I have made a decision. We are going to follow that ship into the corridor."

"But, sir." Douglas nearly jumped out of his chair; standing abruptly, he voiced his objections loudly.

Kirk's eyes narrowed. "I appreciate your opinion, but my mind is made up." Looking squarely at Douglas, he continued, "This is an order. We will take
the Enterprise
through the corridor despite the difficulty and the danger. I don't promise it will be easy, but we have no choice. I believe we were too conservative in our earlier estimation of the size of the corridor. We have the best crew in Starfleet. If anyone can get through, we can—and we are going to! It is up to you, gentlemen, to do it with the largest safety factor possible. We must hurry.

"Sulu, you will take the helm during the entire maneuver. It'll be tricky and you're the best we have. Martin, you will navigate."

Martin interrupted. "Captain, I suggest we go through the corridor at maximum speed. The magnetic fields will not affect us if we are traveling at multi-warp speeds. However, I think the entire mission too dangerous. I must log my objection."

"Then do so, Martin. But do your duty." Kirk instructed, "Douglas, I want all ship's systems at peak efficiency. We might have to draw upon our reserves quickly. Uhura, send a message to Starfleet headquarters, announcing our rescue attempt and location."

Douglas was livid. "Captain, it's impossible," he shouted.

Kirk replied in a steely voice. "To find out if something is impossible—try it!"

The
Enterprise
followed the rocket, balancing her way through the corridor with the precision of a man on a tightrope. With Kirk at her helm, she made her perilous way through the magnetic fields, balancing carefully so as not to be drawn to either star and a fiery end.

Kirk looked around at the tense faces of the crew on the bridge. They all reflected intense strain. Each was silently guiding the ship, as if by individual will, through the dangerous passage. Only when Martin announced the sensor readings of the planet ahead did anyone relax, and with a common deep breath they eased their tension. Once more, the
Enterprise
, whose captain would not be defeated by what seemed impossible odds, had successfully ventured where no man had gone before.

The crew had mixed feelings about the captain's obsession. Those who knew him trusted his judgment; they knew he would risk death to save his ship. Those who were new on board wondered about his sanity. Kirk wasn't worried about any of their opinions. The decision, and the responsibility, was his.

Kirk's meeting with McCoy was private. "Just what condition are we likely to find Spock in, if we're lucky enough to find him at all?" he asked.

"I thought you'd get around to that question soon." McCoy gestured to a chair and the captain sat down. "I'll be blunt. There are three possibilities: one, he's fine."

"Odds?"

"I'm not Spock, Jim, but I'd say eighty or ninety to one—against."

"That bad?"

The doctor nodded. "Two: The sliver's moved and he's paralyzed. Odds: I'd say an eighty percent probability. Three: He's dead; probability of the injury killing him, twenty percent. All this is conjecture, Jim. He could have been killed by those furry creatures, you know. I'm a doctor, not an actuary!"

"I know," Kirk said softly. "I know, but I've got to believe we'll find them—alive. If only I had been there when Spock decided to take off …"

"It's not your fault, Jim. You were barely alive. And I don't like the strain you've been under lately. You aren't made of iron, you know."

"I was declared fit for duty, Bones. I can handle it, if you'll just help me. Don't put false barriers in the way. Equip yourself as well as you can. I don't know what we'll find."

"I've already put together a medical kit," McCoy said, anticipating Kirk's request. "I've got everything imaginable in there, including the kitchen sink."

The ship had to come first on his list of priorities, but Kirk found his priorities becoming confused. He had already chosen between his first officer—no, his friend—and his ship, surprising himself with the ease he had in risking the
Enterprise
and her crew on a possible wild-goose chase. He had always recognized the complexity of his feelings for Spock. They had always had the military, professional aspects, yet he knew Spock's friendship was one of the most important personal relationships he had had in his adult life.

Losing Spock was like losing a part of himself. Together, they were in balance: the emotional human sometimes feeling too much, and the logical Vulcan who masked his human side needed the humanity of his friend to be whole. Each complemented the other. He wondered if Spock realized how close they had become.

Lying in the dark of his cabin, Kirk realized it would be difficult to fully accept Spock's loss.
Maybe that's what drove me to this far sector of the galaxy. If I can't find him, or find him dead, I know I'll be able to adjust. I'll function. I'll carry on with my duty. I'll even be able to enjoy life eventually, but I'll miss him deeply
.

Premature gloom, he chastised himself.
First we seek, then we adjust to whatever we find—and I will find Spock— I can feel it!

5

"It's very tricky, Captain," Leonidas briefed Kirk. "We have managed to keep within a narrow passage between the gravitational pull of both suns. Those life forms are more advanced than we first thought. They managed to find the precise corridor between the magnetic fields."

Kirk watched the view-screen as Leonidas spoke. "I don't underestimate them, Leonidas. They blew up the
Enterprise
and lured Spock into their trap. If that's a sample, we're dealing with very dangerous opponents."

"I can draw a map of this system now, sir. I believe we are coming up on a planet hidden between the two suns. It has to have a strange orbit, trapped as it is." He programmed the ship's computer to render a graphic display of the system derived from the data he had collected thus far. "I'll project it on the view-screen."

Clearly inspired by his subject, Leonidas explained, "Usually a red giant is not dense enough to have much of a gravitational effect, but this one, having such mass, is different. Because of the gravitational pulls, a planet trapped between the two suns would be in a delicate balance, having an elliptical orbit. The balance would pull it off center, nearer the red sun, but still too close to the small one. It would be impossible to live on the side facing the bright sun. I then assume the planet doesn't rotate but, like our moon, puts the same face toward the red sun all of the time. In that case, it would be very cold at the far end of the orbit, when it is farthest from the red giant. It must be unbearably cold. Possibly, that accounts for the hair growth and their high metabolism. It would keep them from freezing. Somehow this planet must have survived the explosion of the sun when it went red. It must have been on the very edge of the system then, and cold anyway. The creation of the small hot sun must have created havoc. What's amazing is that any life survived at all! It has to be a very inhospitable place, at best—and the people have to be tenacious.

"I can't tell whether there are any moons—but I would assume, with all that matter having been spewed out, there could be one or more, which would also be trapped in peculiar orbits. It's a really fascinating system, Captain. I know of no other remotely like it. It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for an astronomer."

With the word
fascinating
, Kirk's heart lurched. Spock would have said that.

"In order to leave the planet they had to have the ability to plot the fields and avoid the pulls. We're dealing with an advanced technology, Captain. I still don't understand why they use that archaic launch technique."

"We'll soon find out, Leonidas," Kirk said, stretching his legs straight out, studying the chart.

"Keptin, there's an object, dead ahead." He put his probe on visual, bringing the picture to the view-screen. "Look, Keptin, dat's it, the planet."

Kirk grinned with satisfaction. "I see it, Chekov. Keep it steady, approach slowly, and put us in a high orbit."

"Aye, sir." Chekov began adjusting their course.

"No, Captain," Leonidas interrupted, "we can't establish a standard orbit. The far side of the planet is too close to the hot sun. Put us in a pace orbit, Chekov."

Chekov looked to Kirk for approval.

"Do as he ordered, Chekov. He's the expert."

Martin continued monitoring the sensors as they established orbit. "There seems to be a high population density in a relatively small area, Captain."

"That would make sense," Leonidas observed. "It would be too hot to live on the far side of the planet, and most of the habitable side would be too cold. I estimate only a very small area at the equator to be habitable at all, and that area will be very cold for our comfort."

"Prepare a landing party, Chekov. We're beaming down."

1

IIsa was beginning the evening task of bathing her interesting diversion: Spock. His passive resistance to her ministrations amused her; she found him a challenge. She'd never taken such an intent interest in a captive before, but Spock's pride and strength, before he was incapacitated by his injury, were admirable.

Spock understood his position well; he was essentially her pet, an amusement for her. Knowing his admiration for the art objects in her household, IIsa took pains to bring him things to study and enjoy. The area of the room in which he was kept was cluttered with the collection. Each article was in itself beautiful, but the entire collection amassed in a small area was offensive to the Spartan Spock.

Spock looked up as IIsa entered the room. Her smile revealed her delight in tending to him. Bringing a basin of warm water from the hearth, she came toward him for the daily ritual.

Knowing he had no choice, Spock allowed her to bathe him. He said nothing, trying to withdraw from his humiliation. He found it difficult to remain passive, but logic dictated that the situation called for acquiescence.

"You are very quiet this evening, Spock."

He was silent.

"When I speak to you, you will respond," she scolded, cuffing him.

His lack of reaction infuriated her; although Spock knew she found enjoyment in pleasing him, he knew she derived amusement in inflicting pain. He couldn't risk angering her.

"The days are shorter," he commented, "and much colder."

"We are approaching our coldest season."

Always calculating the passage of time, Spock estimated that he'd been in IIsa's keeping for a little over a month. She finished her task, combed his hair, and stood back to admire her handiwork. He withdrew further into himself for his continued sanity.