ST TOS - 095 - Heart of the Sun by Pamela Sargent & George Zebrowski

Author:Pamela Sargent & George Zebrowski
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9780671002374
Publisher: Star Trek
Published: 2020-07-14T16:00:00+00:00

Kirk gazed at the viewscreen for a while, then looked up as McCoy approached his command station. The physician had a conspiratorial look on his face. McCoy glanced aft at Myra Coles, then said in a whisper, “I could probably dream up a reason for getting her off the bridge for a while. Another medical scan, maybe—after all, the stress of space travel—”

[123] “Don’t bother, Bones.” Kirk preferred to have Myra there; she could snipe at him all she liked as long as she did not interfere with anything crucial. He did not want her to think that he was making decisions behind her back; he would not give her a chance to claim later that he had treated her unfairly, ignored her advice, or had not properly considered the interests of her people. She deserved some consideration for that. She had put her trust in the Federation, and had been its advocate on her world. He would have to do his best not to betray that larger trust.

“Captain!” Tristram Lund shouted from engineering. “The asteroid’s thrown up its field again.”

“Confirmed,” Ali Massoud said from his station aft. “Sensor display here shows the same thing.”

“Let me see that, laddie,” Scott’s voice said over the communicator. Kirk waited, knowing what the chief engineer would tell him. “It’s true,” Scotty continued. “The field’s up, and we canna’ transport anything through it without grave risk. The field density readings are very clear about that. They exceed all safeties!”

“Spock, did you hear that?” Kirk asked. “Come out physically, through the lock.”

There was no reply.

“Spock! Can you hear me?”

“The channel is still open, Captain,” Uhura said.

“Spock!”

“Spock here.”

“Can you hear me?” Kirk asked.

[124] “Yes,” Spock responded. “My communicator link was cut off, but the field does not seem to affect my suit’s subspace channel.”

“The field is still up, Mr. Spock,” Scott said. “You’ll have to get out of there on your own.”

Kirk gripped the arms of his chair. “Spock, can you find your way back to the shuttle?”

“Yes, Captain. I read its position clearly.”

“Leave now. That’s an order.” He waited for Myra Coles to say something. Mercifully, she was silent.

“Captain,” Massoud called out from his station. Almost simultaneously, Kirk heard Scott’s voice on the intercom.

“Go ahead, Scotty,” Kirk said.

“The worldlet’s acceleration is increasing,” the engineer said. “We’re losing even more time, Captain.”

Kirk’s fingers tightened on his armrests. Next to him, McCoy cursed softly. He could almost hear what Myra Coles was thinking, what she would say at any moment now. You’ll let it go into the sun, Captain, rather than kill one of your officers. You’ll put Spock’s life, above that of my world. What will you do if he can’t get out in time? Will you destroy the mobile then? You should have listened to me, you should have brought him out. ...

It was all taking on an air of inevitability, he thought. One by one, the doors to reasonable choices were closing.

[125] Who was it, he found himself wondering, that had said, “Life must be lived forward, but understood backwards.

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