Star Trek: DTI: Forgotten History by Christopher L. Bennett

Author:Christopher L. Bennett
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Pocket Books
Published: 2012-05-03T17:36:29.160000+00:00

IX

U.S.S. Hypatia NCC-S415

Stardate 7584.7

“Fascinating.”

The ship Spock beheld on the Hypatia’s main viewer spoke of paths not taken by the Vulcans of his reality. Its spindle-and-hoop arrangement resembled a Suurok-class vessel from the era of the Vulcan High Command—an institution that had apparently survived into the present of this vessel’s timeline of origin. Yet it was more advanced than the ships of that era in some respects—particularly weaponry and shielding—while in other respects was less sophisticated than present-day Federation ships of this timeline.

“Indeed,” said Deputy Director Simok of the Department of Temporal Investigations, who stood next to Spock on the Hypatia’s old-style bridge. The Capella-class survey vessel, attached to the DTI, had already been on its way to join the Enterprise in its survey of the Vedala planetoid before both had vanished into the renewed subspace confluence and this vessel, identified in its transmissions as the Muroc, had appeared in its place. Director Grey had asked Simok to oversee the mission personally, given its potential importance. “I have spent decades refining our theoretical understanding of alternate quantum histories. Yet it is compelling to perceive firsthand proof of their reality. Is that illogical?” he asked, raising a brow with what Spock had come to recognize as self-effacing humor, for Simok was secure enough in his Vulcan disciplines to be untroubled by the occasional, justified exception.

“Not at all, sir,” Spock replied with commensurate good nature. “A model may be soundly derived through logic and mathematics, but is still an unproven abstraction unless it is grounded in evidence. Logic is a means of evaluating fact, not supplanting it.”

“Well spoken,” Simok replied. “But you have had such firsthand experience before. What fascinates you about this vessel?”

“For one thing, how easily one may discern its timeline’s era of divergence from its design. It is almost purely Vulcan, with no technological borrowings from other species, particularly humans. As a result, it is . . . limited compared to Federation designs. An illustration of the truth of Kol-Ut-Shan,” he said, citing the Vulcan philosophy which humans translated as “infinite diversity in infinite combinations.”

“The principle that we are stronger together than apart,” Simok said, then nodded toward the Muroc on the screen. “Let us hope these Vulcans appreciate it as we do.”

“Agreed,” Spock said with an intensity he saw no need to hide from Simok. His curiosity about alternative engineering history aside, he found himself experiencing an unwonted impatience to resolve this matter, and not merely for the sake of his comrades on the Enterprise. He disliked being away from Saavik at this time. In the three months since he had rescued the preadolescent Vulcan-Romulan girl from the abandoned Romulan colony known as Hellguard, she had made considerable progress at overcoming the feral behavior she had acquired there, but she still needed close supervision. The colonists in whose care he had left Saavik were neighbors who had established a cordial relationship with Spock and his protégée, but they had children of their own and might be overburdened by the

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