Child of Two Worlds (Star Trek: The Original Series) by Greg Cox

Author:Greg Cox [Cox, Greg]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9781476783253
Amazon: 147678325X
Publisher: Pocket Books/Star Trek
Published: 2015-11-24T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

“I wondered when you would visit me.”

Soleste remained abed in the recovery ward, but appeared alert and well-rested as Merata entered the chamber, accompanied by Spock, who watched his charge’s every movement carefully. Only days had passed after all since Merata had attacked her sister in the transporter room immediately upon their arrival aboard the Enterprise. Merata had since managed another family reunion without violence; nevertheless, Spock remained on guard, even as he’d agreed to facilitate this meeting at Merata’s request.

As before, they had the recovery room to themselves. Rosha and Junah Mursh were presently recovering in their own guest quarters. After the near-altercation with Junah earlier, Spock had thought it best to limit this encounter to Soleste and Merata alone. Reuniting the two sisters was likely to be fraught enough without adding any additional variables.

“Does it surprise you that I delayed?” Merata replied icily. “When last we met, it ended badly for both of us.”

Spock pondered Merata’s motives. In truth, he was uncertain why the prisoner had finally consented to meet with Soleste. Perhaps her earlier encounter with her mother had somehow inspired this change of heart? He suspected that even Merata was not entirely clear on why had she had come to see Soleste or what she hoped to accomplish.

“Sorry about that,” Soleste said. “The kidnapping and all, I mean. At the time, it seemed smarter to grab you when I could and explain later.”

Merata’s expression darkened in a way that worried Spock. He quietly took a step forward.

“A poor excuse for treachery,” she snarled. “You betrayed my trust and stole my liberty.”

Soleste didn’t deny it. “But you understand now why I did it? Who I really am?”

Merata scrutinized the other woman from the foot of the bed. She frowned as she compared the injured tracker to whatever decade-old memories she retained of her elder sibling. “I recall a girl with two eyes.”

“Yeah. I remember her too,” Soleste said wryly. “Hang on. Let me show you something.” She reached up and unscrewed her ocular implant from its socket. She turned the crystalline device around so that its inner lens was pointed away from her. “Ordinarily, this pricy souvenir projects images directly to my optic nerve, but it has other uses.”

Merata tensed. “As a weapon?”

“More like a scrapbook,” Soleste explained. “To remind me why I kept hunting for you.”

She put the crystal eye in backward, then activated it by blinking her other eye rapidly. A lambent white glow lit up the implant as it projected a holographic recording into the empty air between the two women. Spock was impressed by the clarity of the three-dimensional image, which occupied a sphere approximately thirty-five centimeters in diameter. The Cyprians had clearly made great strides in holographic technology, putting many other civilizations to shame.

Inside the luminous sphere was what appeared to be a “home movie” of a sort. Images of a young girl, whom Spock assumed to be Elzura, playing happily with her family, including her mother, father, older sister, and baby brother, unfolded before his eyes.

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