A new day, a new chapter. Unfortunately a little on the long side but it could not be helped. I'm sure no one is going to really complain about THAT
Chapter 33: Gods of War part 1
The Dominion world of Proxus was one of the major troop training centers in the Dominion. One hundred and twenty seven cloning vats were scattered throughout the planet and massive Jem’Hadar training centers occupied the central continent where millions of warriors were trained to fight and die for the Dominion. Jem'Hadar and their Vorta handlers were the sole occupants of this harsh barren world.
The Founders had liquidated the previous inhabitants of the planet in order to clear the way for their troop training center. Above, circling the planet was a shipyard, hardly the largest in the Dominion but it served a dual purpose. The shipyard created fighters and light ships for the Jem’Hadar to train in ship to ship and boarding actions. The shipyard also acted as an extra layer of security as it provided a ready attack fleet to supplement the standard Dominion security force that was stationed in system.
The invasion of the Galactic Empire and the collapse of the Bajoran wormhole had spurred the Founders to begin a crash troop levy of their cloning facilities and shipyards. They knew that the Empire had a massive firepower advantage over their own empire. The founder spies still active in the Alpha Quadrant were quick to point out the swiftness of the Imperial advance and their utter dominance of the Alpha Quadrant.
The Dominion knew that they would eventually become a target. The Empire would come for them. They knew because if they had the power and speed advantage that the Empire possessed, they would conquer the entire galaxy as well.
They wanted to be ready for them as they could be. Already thousands of new ships were ready, waiting for the crews being trained on worlds like Proxus. Soon millions of troops and crewmen would be shipped from the training centers to waiting fleets. Then it was a matter of waiting for the inevitable.
What the inhabitants of Proxus did not know that the inevitable for them was today.
The Stardestroyers emerged from hyperspace on the far side of the planet, turbolasers immediately raking across the delicate spider web like frames of the shipyards in orbit of the planet. The half completed warships contained within were soon vaporized by the murderous fusillade of the stardestroyers. Romulan warbirds began decloaking in waves flanking out from the initial Imperial lines and center, much like the wings of a hawk closing on their prey.
The Dominion defenses were not surprised however. Jem’Hadar did not sleep, rarely were fatigued and were always vigilant. They were the perfect warriors for the Founders and they lived to die for their gods. Intense white antipolaron beams lashed out like great whips and lanced into the advancing Imperial lines as the first swarm of Dominion fighters peeled away from their patrol pattern to engage. Heedless of their losses they plunged into the fray firing their weapons in quick bursts.
The first Romulan warbirds were utterly crushed by the Dominion counterattack but the first wave of fighters were caught in a barrage of flak fire from the Adjudicator as it pressed onward, sweeping through the burning shipyards like an avenging angel, her attendant stardestroyers following closely behind, however, not in as tight a wedge formation as the triumvirate was accustomed to fighting in.
Captain Tarsi learned from his mistakes and he was going to make an object lesson of the Dominion.
Tarsi watched the last of the Dominion fighters fall away like burning embers as another wave began to attack. The automatic shading activated as several powerful bright white antipolaron beams flashed against the Adjudicator’s forward screens.
“What is the source of those beams?” Tarsi snapped calmly.
“Anti-ship batteries on the extreme edge if the field of engagement. Their antipolaron weapons have some form of shield piercing effect we have not encountered before from any of the other races we have faced.”
“Is it a danger?” Tarsi asked seriously.
“No sir. They are simply slightly more effective than the phasers and disruptors we have been dealing with. However the beams are wreaking havoc with our provincial allies.”
“They fight and die for the Empire. There is nothing more we can do. The quicker we secure this world the quicker they will stop dying. Impart this to the Romulan Admiral and increase speed, I want to clear this shipyard and close with those anti-ship batteries. Have the Bombard begin launching Bombers, we need to soften up the ground defenses before I commit troops.”
“Yes sir.” His XO replied.
Tarsi looked back out the view screen in time to see a Dominion heavy cruiser, the first true capital ship to enter the fray get bisected by two Romulan warbirds heavy forward armament and explode in a brilliant flash of plasma. He smiled softly.
This is where he belonged. The Empire had been spending too much time regrouping and rearming, but now, they were back in the fight and by the Emperor, he would avenge his losses to Kirk at Vulcan. He would expunge his shame in glorious battle and victory. But in the back of his mind, it gnawed at him. A quiet certainty that all would not be right until he defeated the Federation commander in combat.
“Sir, we have an enormous warp signature port side aft. A Dominion attack fleet is dropping out of warp, at least 1200 ships, perhaps more on the way.”
“They are committed then.” Tarsi said with a squeeze of his right fist. “The die is cast, alert all commands, the Dominion intends to make this into a fleet engagement.”
“Aye sir.”
The Imperial fleet cleared the smoldering shipyards and began engaging the powerful orbital batteries that defended Proxus. The enormous orbital batteries had been built to withstand assaults by fleets of ships, essentially enormous antipolaron cannons wrapped in a mesh of heavy armor and shield generators, while not aesthetically pleasing in any way they were devastatingly lethal. They now dueled with the approaching Imperial ships as Dominion fighters swarmed around them, strafing the big ships, once again heedless of losses and heavy fire.
Warbirds laid down a horrifying volley of fire as they marched through the Dominion fire. TIE Bombers and their escorts began to peel away from the fleet in tight formations and descended upon the planet. Soon heavy flashes could be seen from orbit as the TIE Bombers began delivering their payloads.
The massive Dominion fleet was closing quickly, the fighters zipping ahead, concentrating their fire on the Imperial lines, saturating them quickly as the massive capital ships lumbered after them, preparing to go head to head against the larger Imperial ships.
“What in the name of the emperor is that?” Tarsi asked sharply as he caught visual sight of the Dominion fleet. The fleet itself was large and coming in fast, but at the heart of the advancing line was an enormous warship. It bore the same overt menacing design that all Dominion ships shared but there was one difference.
This vessel was larger than the Adjudicator.
“Sensors indicate that the vessel is approximately 5 kilometers in length. Power output and weapon placement would indicate this to be some form of super battleship. It dwarves anything we have faced from the Federation, Klingons or Romulans. Only a Borg cube was more powerful.”
“And we both know how well that turned out for us.” Tarsi said with a cold smile. He suddenly came to a decision.
“Bring us around to an intercept course, flank speed.”
“Aye sir.”
“Let’s show these bastards just what their so called super ships mean to us.” Tarsi said with a wicked grin as the Adjudicator turned its superstructure to face the incoming Dominion attack wing.
“Have the rest of the triumvirate follow me, but drop back to supporting position, the Adjudicator will take the lead.”
“Aye sir.” His XO replied hesitantly.
“A page out of Lord Nemesis’ book.” Tarsi muttered as the Adjudicator accelerate and the first of the Dominion fleet’s heavy weapons lashed out against the shields, bathing the bridge in an eerie bright white light.
A cloud of small fighters dropped down on the Adjudicator and wove their way through the ship, trading fire with the lighter batteries. Tarsi watched this with satisfaction as they continued onward through the Dominion lines and the super battleship began to open fire on the Adjudicator. Devastating volleys of plasma torpedoes were quickly followed by volleys of antipolaron beams.
“Hold your fire.”
“Sir?”
“Do not engage the Dominion battleship until I give the order, continue closing on target.” Tarsi ordered calmly.
“TIE Bombers report that anti-air defenses have been destroyed in sectors 34 and 50. Ground defenses have been suppressed in sectors 34, 50,62 and 78.”
“Excellent, have the Scimitars begin landing operations as soon as possible in those sectors. Detach the Javelin and Bellicose to provide orbital fire support.”
“Romulan forces requesting permission to flank the Dominion fleet.”
Tarsi stared at the enormous battleship looming up on his screen and the Dominion fleet scattered around him. The Adjudicator had penetrated her picket line, and was now deep in the heart of the fleet. The rest of the triumvirate was only now starting to penetrate the picket line while the rest of the fleet was hanging back and trading long range fire wit the enemy. The Adjudicator was all alone in the center of a massive enemy fleet.
“Not yet.” Tarsi replied softly.
“Sir, we’re deep in their lines, they will collapse on us in moments if we do not begin pulling their fleet apart.” His XO cautioned. He began to worry that his commander may be trying too hard to prove himself after the humiliating defeat over Vulcan. The Adjudicator was powerful but she was not invulnerable.
“Not yet, continue closing on the Battleship and hold your fire. Tell the triumvirate to pace me but not penetrate past the picket line.”
“You’re all but asking them to encircle us.”
Tarsi nodded.
“Let them come.”
The surface of Proxus was alight with launching anti ship missiles and light interceptor craft. The clone vats were surrounded by bristling defenses that were coming online as the first waves of TIE Bombers were detected. Jem’Hadar troops were streaming out to man defensive station and fill in bunkers and trenches. They did not know fear as the first bombs dropped and began blasting apart the defenses with unerring accuracy.
Proton torpedoes slammed into the larger defensive structures, huge missile batteries were torn apart by the explosions, the concussive shockwave killing the troops unfortunate enough to be close to the batteries. Thermal detonators floated down, almost casually drifting into open Bunker doors or ventilation shafts and exploding with devastating effectiveness, turning bunkers into murderous boxes of tritanium and stone. Thousands of troops died in the first pass of TIE Bombers.
Angry emerald bolts soon descended from the sky in support as they walked up the field of engagement, obliterating anything they touched.
Zataan watched the devastation with an expression of muted horror, one that he did not allow the other Vorta to see and most especially the Jem’Hadar who were racing throughout the complex. Shouts and curses were all he could hear right now as another wave of TIE Bombers roared overhead, delivering their payloads with horrifying effectiveness. Two bombers suddenly pitched hard to the left as an anti air missile exploded in their midst, the proximity fuse sending a cloud of penetrating flechette rounds that obviously found vulnerable systems.
He watched the bombers slowly descend trailing thick black smoke before they disappeared behind a small hill. The anti air battery responsible for the blow soon found itself under attack by plasma torpedoes.
“Where did those come from?” Zataan asked in shock.
“The Empire seems to have found a worthy ally in the Romulans. Those weapons are coming from cloaked ships.” Another Vorta responded coolly.
“How do you know?”
The Vorta pointed to a spot several kilometers away. Several plasma torpedoes suddenly sprang out of the thin air and exploded as they struck Dominion armor gathering in the assembly areas behind one of the bunker complexes.
“They are disrupting our defensive units. Obviously they actually intend to land troops.”
“Then they don’t meant o simply destroy us?” Zataan exclaimed with growing alarm. The other Vorta handlers glanced down at him. Zataan was the youngest of the assembled instructors, fresh out of the Vorta training academies back on home world. He was not used to seeing the lessons they taught to the Jem’Hadar in actual practice.
They all knew the moment the Imperial fleet began sending down ships and concentrating on their defenses that the fleet was here to invade not destroy.
“Attack those ships.”
“We cannot, our tactical sensors are not locking on to the signatures. Their cloaks are too powerful.” A Jem’Hadar warrior replied stonily as another volley of plasma torpedoes wiped out a troop concentration.
“Then set the weapons for manual and trace back the weapons fire to their point of origin.” Zataan replied in exasperation.
“Yes sir.”
The other Vortas nodded approvingly. Zataan was young but he was starting to apply what he knew to this battle.
“Enemy troops are being disembarked.” A Jem’Hadar announced without fanfare.
White armored stormtroopers suddenly began appearing in columns of brilliant red light. They immediately began fanning out and firing, engaging what little Jem’Hadar troops remained in their immediate area of attack.
“You know what this means. They intend to take the cloning vats. This cannot be allowed.”
“We have our duty.” Zataan replied hesitantly. They had to set the self destructs on the cloning vats or the Founder’s greatest weapons would fall into enemy hands. A unprecedented event in the history of the Dominion.
Actually, Zataan mused, an all out attack on a Dominion world was an unprecedented event in the Dominion history.
“Look at them, precise, fearless, fast. They are a force to be reckoned with.” One Vorta noted with chagrin as he watched the Stormtroopers sweep a defensive line clear, and secured another beachhead. More troops were beaming into the defensive lines.
“Enough talk, set for self des-“ Another Vorta snapped as the chamber shook violently and a console exploded to their left. The lights dimmed for a moment and snapped back into place.
“What happened?”
“Enemy weapons fire concentrated on us for a single volley.” A Jem’Hadar explained.
“They have avoided harming the vats until now, why would they-”
“Shield status!” another Vorta snapped eyes wide in alarm.
The Jem’Hadar was about to answer when a blaster bolt took his head off and the corpse slumped forward. More Jem’Hadar fell to precise shots as Stormtroopers flooded into the control room. One Stormtrooper stalked up to the Vorta paused for a moment as he contemplated them. He suddenly raised his rifle and blasted one of the Vorta. The others cringed backwards all save Zataan who stared at the stormtrooper in shock. The stormtrooper nodded to his companions and they quickly moved to secure the stations. Zataan could hear the sounds of battle raging throughout the vats.
The stormtrooper removed his helmet and Zataan was surprised to see that the he was actually a she.
Mara brushed back the sweat slicked hair from her eyes and glanced around quickly. She nodded to herself and raised a comlink to her lips.
“Objective A-22 secured. Bring in the Romulan techs and begin immediate dismantling operations. Beam me back up. I’m ready to lead the assaults on the Eastern continents’ vats.”
“Aye ma'am. Preparing to transport.”
“Why?” Zataan asked.
Mara paused and looked at the young Vorta with a hooded expression.
“Why did you kill him? There was no need. Surely we can talk about this. The Dominion is not beyond sharing technology with a worthy adversary. You will find us an open and friendly people who do not seek out conflict. Or if you wish we can be a strong right arm to rely upon in battle.”
Mara smiled.
“I heard about your people. Born diplomats and liars.”
Zataan opened his mouth to protest.
“That’s alright. I’ve had my fill of people like that. I killed him because I knew he would not break.”
“Break?” Zataan asked weakly as the other Vorta stared at the stormtroopers surrounding them. Romulan technicians beamed in and without a word began dismantling the nearest consoles.
She pointed to the corpse with her blaster.
“He would not tell us what we wanted to know. I have a gift for these kind of things. He would not break under duress so therefore he was useless to us.”
“Duress?” Zataan swallowed.
Mara’s smile was ice.
“Oh yes, my good Vorta. This battle may be over for you, but your usefulness to the Empire has only just begun. My advice…talk soon, quickly and honestly. Otherwise you’ll wish that.” She jabbed at the corpse with her blaster again. “was you.” She replied and suddenly disappeared in a swirling column of light.
“You know, Doctor, I have been practicing medicine for most of my adult life. Even though some of my medical knowledge is just a little out of date I think I can manage to find where you keep the neurostimulators.” McCoy said with a smile.
Doctor Beverly Crusher shook her head in chagrin.
“I’m sorry Dr. McCoy, but with my transfer over to the Excalibur and getting your crewmen up to speed on some of this equipment I haven’t had much time to think or do anything.” She explained.
“That’s quiet alright, I understand. I hear that the Excalibur doesn’t have a sickbay.”
“At least one that they can understand so I have to set up a makeshift one ASAP before we ship out.”
“So go do that and leave me here to fend for myself. It won’t be the first time.” He watched her closely. Dr. Crusher was a fine doctor but there was something else bothering her.
“You know, you can feel free to unload on me whatever it is that has you burdened.”
“Doctor, really, I couldn’t.”
“Please, call me Leonard and you know as well as I do that the stress levels around here have been through the roof lately. Now that we’ve finally gotten caught up with the wounded from the Battles of Earth and Vulcan it leaves us with some time to finally reflect and I’m willing to hazard a guess that it has to do with your son on the Excalibur.”
Beverly nodded slowly.
“DO you have children?”
“Yes, a daughter.” McCoy replied with a sad smile.
“Then you know what it’s like to worry about them. He’s come back from years of being away and he has not come over here once to see me. I can’t help but wonder.”
“He’s a grown man, Beverly. Let it be. The last thing he probably wants is his mother coming to him and prying into his life. Take it from me, I learned the hard way that once they think they’re grown up, the relationship changes. We’re no longer parents, we’re just really good friends.”
“Sometimes, I don’t think he even sees me that way. I really worry about Wesley.”
“I’m sure he’ll be fine, but if you feel that strongly about it, go to him. I think I can handle it from here.”
“Thanks Leonard.” she said with a smile and a squeeze of his shoulder before quickly leaving the sickbay. McCoy glanced around and saw a series of needle like devices laid out on a table.
“You.”
“Doctor?” the nurse replied hesitantly.
“I have absolutely no idea what these are…you’re either going to tell me what they are or you’re going to get these out of my sight. nothing unnerves a Doctor more than equipment he can’t understand.” McCoy griped.
“Yes Doctor.”
“Kelly, I’m having trouble reaching this conduit. You’re smaller than me, can you squeeze in back there?” Wesley asked with a sigh of exasperation as he sat up from his prone position by the power converters. Huge lines ran from the bowels of the Excalibur through various crystalline junction boxes. This box was the last one in their tour of the main power junction. Once these controls were set, Kelly and Wesley hoped that enough power could be fed into the hypermatter reactor’s power regulators to allow them a full power start up and actually get this hunk of neutronium moving.
So far the only pleasant news they had was the discovery by a maintenance crew on the inner layers of the hull of what appeared to be shield generators. Alliance engineers were currently examining them to make sure. If the Excalibur had a shield grid as well as her heavy armor, they would be quite a force to be reckoned with.
The only one that did not seem pleased with the results was Jim Kirk. He wanted the Excalibur moving as of now and nothing was happening. Wesley had lost his sudden insight on the controls and it was like they were back to square one. The Empire was moving through the Federation, slaughtering ten thousand civilians on each world no matter the size. Some colony worlds had less than 50,000 inhabitants, when the empire came, fully ¼ of the population was gone after they left.
It was a slow, deliberate, methodical slaughter and there was no doubt what the last stop was. Earth.
The fleet was becoming anxious to do something. Loved ones and innocents were dying and the fleet that swore to liberate them from this evil was still hiding. Wesley could feel the frustration and anger in the officers around him as he tried in vain to understand the systems around him. Before he could just look at them and he would instinctively know what it did and what was wrong with it.
While he had his insight the engineering teams had made great strides in repairing and understanding the vessel. Now things were not so smooth. Everyone was becoming impatient and people were dying.
Wesley watched Kelly shimmy her way to the edge and reach around into the conduit. Oddly enough the repair droids seemed to avoid this area lately making it hard to order them into these junctions. Kelly found it odd that the droids seemed to be functioning on an independent AI system and were very nearly autonomous. It did not make sense from an engineering stand point to have a self repair system that you could not direct yourself.
Wesley’s eyes narrowed as she struggled to get her arm into the junction box with her hyrdospanner in hand. Her tongue peaked out of the corner of her mouth as she worked.
“This is a lot harder than I thought it would be. Sometimes I look at this beast and I am in awe of the engineering and technical marvel that it is. Then there’s moments like this that I wonder who the hell designed this thing?” she muttered as she finally reached what she needed.
“Sometimes I look at situations and I judge them for what they are.” Wesley said casually as he rose form his half seated position and wiped his hands off on his pants. behind him at the control station he could hear Riker drilling his new bridge crews on the controls. He was taking this command extremely seriously, partly because he knew that the Excalibur was now the offensive lynchpin of the fleet, and partly because he did not want to fail in the eyes of James T. Kirk.
Wesley smiled coolly.
Neither did he.
“What do you mean?” Kelly asked curiously and watched him for a moment. Strange shadows were playing across his face. He had been acting very odd of late and even worse ever since he lost his sudden insight on the Excalibur’s systems.
“Only that sometimes you must look at difficult decisions in a more detached way, much like a science experiment. You have to balance certain factors and come up with a solution.” Wesley began to pace slightly, hands clasped behind his back. Kelly watched him and felt a chill run up her spine. She suddenly glanced down and noted how far over the edge she was in this junction box. The yawning chasm below was dark, only intermittingly lit by engineering team lights and the Excalibur’s own muted control systems. Otherwise it was a great pit beneath her that did not seem to have a bottom.
She shifted uncomfortably and started to pull herself back up, a suddenly alarmed for no discernable reason.
Wesley turned on his heel and pinned her with his eyes.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m…trying to get up.” she answered hesitantly.
Wesley smiled weakly.
“But we have to finish these repairs to the power system. Captain Riker wants to run a full power up procedure in a few hours to see if we can’t start moving and finish the repairs as we’re underway.” Wesley explained softly. There was a hint of menace in his voice and Kelly did not like it one bit.
“Well, we can wait a moment, can’t we?” she replied hotly and started to pull her arm out of the junction box. Wesley’s eyes narrowed and the smile became a frown.
“There are people dying every minute we delay.” he stated and Kelly suddenly felt the gantry give way.
“Wesley!” she shouted and found her arm jammed in the junction box. It almost felt as if something had a hold of her arm. Wesley watched her as if he were observing a wounded animal he had come across in the forest. An odd mix of concern and resignation.
“I struggled with this decision a lot longer than you can guess Kelly.” he stated coldly as the gantry slipped further down, screeching on metal, but Kelly noted with despair that the great cavernous bay seemed to be absorbing the sound. The bridge crew was oblivious as they ran their drills in the distance. Desperation made her hyperventilate and she struggled madly to get purchase on the edge.
“But in the end it was pure logic that made it crystal clear for me.”
“What in the hell are you talking about Wesley! Help me!” she shouted as the gantry finally slipped off the lip of the level and she now hung from her trapped arm, legs pistoning uselessly against the unyielding metal walls and hoping against all hope to catch a handhold, a foothold, anything to save her from the hungry pit below.
“It was you that brought this on yourself Kelly. You stupid bitch!! Why the hell did you have to question it huh? Why did you have to make a point about my insights?” he hissed angrily.
Kelly’s eyes widened slightly.
Wesley Crusher did not look well. He did not look sane.
“Wesley, listen to me, you don’t know what you are doing. Help me here and we can talk about this.” she tried to remain calm and say it an easy monotone, in the hopes of reaching through the madness that had suddenly taken a grip on his mind.
“I know precisely what I am doing. This is for the best trust me. Once I do this we can get back on track and I can save those people dying instead of fumbling around in the dark hoping to come across the key systems that will get the Excalibur moving. All I need to do is this one act and everything will be alright.”
“Wesley, you are going to KILL me.” she stated and the very starkness of the statement even gave her pause.
Wesley nodded and she could see tears welling up in his eyes.
“I know. And believe me, I’m sorry, but in the end there is one clear message that makes this possible.”
Kelly began struggling valiantly, trying to pull herself up by her trapped arm, one hand desperately clawing at the lip of the floor to find purchase.
“The needs of the many outweighs the needs of the few…or the one.” he stated and nodded to her. “Goodbye Kelly, I am so very sorry.” he whispered.
“Wesley you bastar—”
The power conduit flared to life and Kelly screamed as electrical current arced around her and purple tendrils of electricity danced along her body for a moment. She stiffened and her arm suddenly came loose. She plummeted down into the darkness.
Wesley very slowly and hesitantly walked over to the edge and peered down. There was nothing but darkness and the low lights of engineering teams deep in the bowels of the Excalibur winking slowly. He fought the hot wet tears that were starting to stream down his face and the aching void that now opened in his heart as he realized with terrible finality what he had just done.
Good, my young apprentice. You have done well.
“I didn’t want to kill her.” he whispered.
You had no choice, do not think on it now but revel in the feelings that it inspires in you.
“What are you talking about?” Wesley asked in horror.
You cannot lie to me. Look past the societal imposed guilt, the mock sorrow that you think you should feel and take a glimpse at your true feelings. Feel the electrical exhilaration. Take heart and joy in the fact that you are alive and she is dead.
Wesley shook his head.
“I did what needed to be done. The needs of the many…” he muttered like a mantra in the vain hopes that it would banish the feelings that were swelling within him. The ugly truth that stared back at him with a cold smile just where the Sith lord said they would be, right past the mores imposed on him since childhood, buried right beneath the false sorrow and shame.
The chuckle was cold and dark.
Indeed. Well, you have taken your first steps into a larger world. Now you must grieve.
“What?” he stammered.
Put on a good show, my young apprentice. Let us close the book on this chapter and begin a new one. Your training has now begun and soon you will be able to wield the weapon that I forged for you.
“Weapon?” he whispered mind abuzz with thought. He suddenly realized what it was that he was talking about. “But Princess Leia has that lightsaber.”
Yes. She does. She has what is meant for you and when I am finished with your training, that young Jedi will not be able to deny it to you.
Wesley shook his head as more tears came to his eyes. Real tears of sorrow as he realized that he was on a dark path and the worse part of it all was that he did not see a way off it.
“My God!! Someone help, Kelly fell!!” he shouted, voice choked with emotion.
All he could think about as Riker and the bridge crew stormed over to him was an old saying he never really understood until now. Something about the road to hell.
He floated serenely in his thoughts. There was nothing but peace and solitude and emotion was all cleaned away. The confusion it caused his logic no longer existed now there was only pure logic and his thoughts were slowly coming into order. He could spend days like this but he knew there was little time.
The door chimed.
He opened his eyes slowly and allowed his breathing to come back to normal, felt his heart rate rise slowly and his body come out of its meditative state.
“Come.”
The doors hissed open and James Kirk stepped in with a smile.
“Spock, I hope I wasn’t intruding but I thought it would be good if you could join us for dinner. Bones is holding a place at the best table in the mess hall.”
“I am not hungry.”
“I checked. You haven’t eaten in three days. Bones made sure to pass on the fact that as chief medical officer he was damned if he was going to let the finest First Officer in the fleet starve.”
Spock arched an eyebrow.
“I sincerely doubt that Doctor McCoy used those words, Captain.”
Kirk grinned, passing a hand absently through his hair as he walked over to where Spock sat.
“Well, he didn’t use precisely those terms, I admit I embellished a little but nonetheless.”
“Captain, it is a well known fact that Vulcans can go for a week if not more without basic sustenance. It is insulting that humans try to pass on their metabolic limitations on the rest of Starfleet’s personnel.”
Kirk smirked.
“How awful of us to care, Mr. Spock.” Kirk sighed for a moment. “DO you want to tell me what’s bothering you or do I have to drag it out of you in a game of 3-D chess?”
“That would not be wise, the game would not last long enough.”
Kirk laughed.
“Alright so how about you tell me.”
“To be bothered as you put it is an emotional state, Captain.”
Always the same game with Mr. Spock. Some things never changed. McCoy demanded that Kirk drag it out of the green blooded hobgoblin. He knew better. Spock would tell him in his own time.
Spock regarded the young Captain, one of the few beings in the entire universe that he would admit to calling friend. He would die for this man. But he could never know, must never know. He was a Vulcan and these feelings were most shameful sometimes. But he could see that his friend needed to know.
“I’ve missed you on the bridge Mr. Spock. usually you’re the most dependable officer in the fleet. I can always look to you for advice or support or even criticism. But you have been surprisingly quiet ever since this campaign began and I am worried.” Kirk watched his old friend for a reaction. None was evident on Spock’s face. “I also noticed that you and Commander Data have spent an inordinate amount of time in the holodeck. Hours and sometimes even days. Bones chalks it up to true love but I know differently. What are you doing in there?”
Spock cleared his throat and rose slowly from his seated position. He examined the young Captain’s face for a long moment.
“We are running simulations.”
“Oh?”
“The Battle of Earth and Vulcan provided a good baseline from which to measure Imperial firepower and our own as well as tactics, strategy and effectiveness. We have been running extremely detailed simulations using the latest in Federation AI and logarithms to come up with a scenario that may predict the future of the war.”
“What did you find?” Kirk asked quietly.
Spock stared into Kirk’s eyes for a long moment.
“Out of 892 completed scenarios, 1458 mini campaigns, 52,000 simulated battles and 174,000 comparative studies of technology the Federation does not win the war in one single instance and successfully sues for peace twice.”
“twice.”
“That is correct. Mr. Data is compiling the last statistical analysis before we make a report to you.”
“What does your report say, Spock?” Kirk asked.
“Captain. There is no chance that we can win this war. Logically we must conclude that a diplomatic solution is our only distant hope.”
Kirk nodded.
“And what do you think?”
“I concur with Mr. Data.”
“No, Mr. Spock what do YOU think.”
Spock stared at Kirk and both men stood in silence for minutes.
“I am a creature of logic. There is no other conclusion I can draw.”
Kirk nodded to himself. He walked towards the door and paused as they hissed open.
He turned his head slightly towards Spock.
“Your simulations, scenarios, mini-campaigns and logarithms…did they tell you what would happen to the Federation, its people and its ideals if we surrender now to the Empire? Did it outline the lives that would be lived in tyranny for generations to come, the sacrifices and atrocities visited upon people we were sworn to protect?”
“No, Captain.”
“That’s my logarithm for this war Spock. I’ll read your report. Now, Bones and I will be waiting for you for dinner. That’s an order.” Kirk said with a soft sad smile.
“Understood.”
The doors hissed shut leaving Spock alone to contemplate the logarithms of the human heart.
