Time to Get Down to Business

We can't see any way that the coincidence in names can be more than just that - a coincidence. I'm afraid that my mind starts to wander during Captain Kirk and the Duke's subsequent discussion; it's been a long and very tiring day, after all. From the smile on Kirk's face when the connection is finally broken, though, I gather that things have gone well. Kirk would never make a good poker player; what he is feeling always seems to be clearly visible on his face.

Next morning (though on a spaceship that's something of an arbitrary designation), by which time I and my fellow mages Jarlath and Synizn are feeling much better, our group heads down to sickbay, together with the Captain, Spock and Dr McCoy. The alien entity that had possessed Uhura's embryo is currently penned within what amounts to a magical force field set up in one corner of the bay. It's invisible, without a host amounting to nothing but a mind without a brain to house it, if that makes any sort of sense. This universe's scientists might say that was impossible, but we mages know better.

Whilst the force field is preventing it from doing any harm, it also prevents us from examining it. We are therefore going temporarily to expand the field so that we three mages will be inside it with the alien. That's not as dangerous as it might sound - at least, we hope it isn't! We believe that it can only be a threat to a pregnant woman, presumably because directly invading an adult human brain is too difficult, The only pregnant woman present is Uhura, and she - like the rest of the non-mages - will remain outside the expanded forcefield. To make assurance doubly sure, she is wearing a protective necklace. I said invading an adult human brain is too difficult, because what happened to Spock suggests that Vulcans might be more vulnerable. So he too is wearing a necklace.

1. "Let's get started, then," Jarlath says.

Add New Option

Go Back

View Forward Story Tree
View Back Story Tree