“A signal flare,” said Calhoun immediately.
“Very good, Captain. A signal flare.”
“Clever.”
“Illogical. Totally illogical. Yet against all odds, the Enterprise detected the flare and rescued the crew. When pressed by Captain Kirk on his reasoning for such a suicidal ploy, Spock said—and this is Kirk’s paraphrasing, I must emphasize—that he reasoned it was time for an emotional outburst.”
“Are you saying that Spock was seized with this…” Shelby hesitated. “Shal…?”
“Shal’tiar. Perhaps he was. The thought process is similar to what my understanding of Shal’tiar is. But since he solved the problem very quickly, it was transient at best. Selar, however, has been faced with the insolvable problem far longer, and I believe it is straining her to the breaking point.”
“The problem,” Calhoun said, “being her son’s condition.”
“Exactly.”
“But…wait,” said Shelby. “What does Cwansi have to do with her son’s condition? For that matter, how do you know any of this?”
“As to the former, I have no answer. To the latter: I struggled with Selar when I came upon her in Robin’s quarters, and my mind brushed against hers. I perceived the concept of Shal’tiar in her thoughts, her very being. The human equivalent of it would be an untameable rage. When in the throes of Shal’tiar, a Vulcan will proceed on a path to solve a problem, and it doesn’t matter who is standing in the way or who may get hurt. Think of it as a form of temporary insanity, except since a Vulcan is involved, the insanity is painstakingly methodical. Selar has come up with a plan to save her son, Xy, and she is not going to let anyone or anything—especially a thing as trivial as morality—stand in her way.”
In the ensuing, thoughtful silence, Calhoun said, “Morgan?”
Needing no further prompting, Morgan’s voice said, “Every word is true, Captain. Or at least she believes every word is true.”
“And how long does it last? This Shal’tiar?”
“Until she accomplishes her goal. Or comes to her senses on her own. Or until she dies. There’s no way to tell. I’m sorry, Captain. I truly am. But that woman out there with Cwansi is not the Selar you’ve known all this time. She is, for all intents and purposes, an enemy, and if you do not treat her as such, under the influence of Shal’tiar, she will not hesitate to kill you if you get in her way.”
“Selar would never do that.”
“Aren’t you listening? She is not Selar. Not for the time being. Not in any way you understand.”
“This is insane,” said Shelby. “Cwansi kidnapped. Selar seized with logic madness. I don’t know how this day could possibly become any stranger.”
Calhoun’s comm badge beeped. He tapped it and said, “Calhoun, go.”
“Captain, this is Burgoyne.” S/he sounded frustrated, concerned. That was understandable considering hir attachment to Selar and her apparent complicity in Cwansi’s kidnapping. “We’ve been patrolling the perimeter, enforcing the shutdown, and just made contact with your son’s ship, the Lyla.”
“Xyon’s here?” That was coincidence that didn’t sit well with Calhoun. “Did he say why?”
“Yes, sir. He said—” Burgoyne hesitated. “He said that Kalinda insisted he come here, and that the rest is too insane to say except in person.”
Calhoun stared at Shelby, who closed her eyes in pain. “I had to open my big mouth,” she said.
Starship Excalibur
i.
The moment Calhoun strode into the conference lounge where Xyon and Kalinda were waiting for him, he knew something was off. Kalinda typically sat in a very relaxed manner, looking with interest at the world around her as if she were seeing things that no one else was able to perceive. This was, as Calhoun knew, quite likely the case.
This time, though,Žhat when he saw her, Kalinda was sitting stiffly with her shoulders squared, gazing fixedly at the doorway so that she was looking straight at Calhoun when he entered. Upon the captain’s doing so, Kalinda got to her feet, her spine perfectly straight, her chin held high. She acted as if she were looking down on Calhoun from a much higher posture even though she was a head shorter. “Greetings, Captain,” she said. “I regret the unusual circumstances of this latest encounter.”
Xyon was seated with his feet up on the conference lounge table, as was his custom. As was his custom, Calhoun swatted Xyon’s feet off the table. “What the hell have you gotten me into?” said Xyon.
“I thought I had left matters in a satisfactory manner to all concerned. Why don’t you tell me what happened?”
“Well, to begin with, Kalinda has been possessed by the ghost of Si Cwan.”
Calhoun looked from Xyon to Kalinda and back again. “Excuse me?”
“I don’t know that I would have put it in that manner,” Kalinda said calmly. “It is a little more complicated than that. Unfortunately, it’s not anything I can readily explain.”
Calhoun stared at her, at a loss, for one of the few times in his life, as to how to proceed. “How inconvenient for both of us.”
“Inconvenient but nonetheless true. I am indeed Si Cwan. And I am here to save my son…except,” she added, “I perceive that I am too late. And it is your fault.”
“My fault?” Calhoun was more amused than annoyed at the charge. “How is it my fault?”
“Your vessel intercepted ours. Had I been allowed to pass unmolested, I might well have headed off the ship that took Cwansi. Instead your first officer insisted on escorting us here, when here is the last place I need to be.”
“And the first place is—?”
“With my son, of course,” she said matter-of-factly. Kalinda paused and then regarded Calhoun with what appeared to be sympathy. “Captain, I know this is a great deal to ask you to accept…”
“Oh, you think so?”
“But you of all people know that there are aspects of this universe that are beyond our comprehension.”
“Yes, I know. I know that there are new frontiers beyond those dreamed of even by Starfleet. On the other hand,” he said, circling the table, “I’m reminded of Occam’s razor, which states that the simplest explanation tends to be the correct one. So I ask you, which is more likely? That you are the spirit of a dead leader inhabiting the body of his sibling to warn us of danger? Or that you’re a troubled young girl who has simply gone over the edge?”
“It’s obviously the latter. But you, Mackenzie Calhoun, have not always been so quick to embrace the obvious.”
Calhoun turned to Xyon, about to ask him to explain what had happened when he noticed something. “Is that a lump on your head?” When Xyon nodded, Calhoun asked, “How did that happen?”
“Kalinda Cwan ambushed me with a latinum brick.”
“What?”
“I required his ship,” Kalinda said imperiously.
“And you expect me to cooperate after you—?”
“I couldn’t lay a hand on her,” said Xyon.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean after I came to, to prove she’s who she says she is, Kalinda invited me to try to touch her face. I tried. I tried a lot.”
“So what? Even Moke could beat you in a fight. What does that prove?”
“Thanks, Father,” Xyon said with an annoyed expression. “I’d like to see you take a shot at her.”
“I’m not going to—”
“Try,” said Kalinda, coming around the table to face Calhoun. “Try to lay a hand on me.”
With no hesitation at all, Calhoun thrust his hand forward. To his mild surprise, she deflected it. To his greater surprise, she blocked the next several attempts.
Calhoun stepped back, assessed the situation, and then lashed out with a snapkick. Kalinda bent backward, avoiding it, and slammed upward with a double-handed block, knocking Calhoun off his feet. Calhoun rolled and came up quickly as Kalinda advanced on him, and then suddenly dropped to the ground and brought his legs around in a scissor hold that cau
ght Kalinda across the knees. She went down, narrowly missing striking her head on the table as she did so. Instantly Calhoun was atop her, one knee on her chest holding her down, his fist cocked.
“Yes, well, you always did get lucky when you fought me,” Kalinda said with a growl.
“Cwan, you pompous ass, you—” And then Calhoun heard what he was saying and his eyes widened. His fist remained frozen where it was.
“Still embracing the simplest answer?” said Kalinda.
ii.
Robin Lefler had never wished more to be Vulcan than she did now as she walked through the corridors of the Excalibur. She was grateful for the fact that Elizabeth Shelby was alongside her, but her emotions were still running riot within her.
The ship had once been her home, the ship’s population her crewmates. On the one hand she felt as if she had returned to where she belonged; on the other, she felt like a complete outsider. It had been rough enough when she had boarded the ship to be brought to Bravo station. Fortunately she had had Cwansi to focus her attention on, which had helped the sense of disorientation. Now Cwansi was gone and she felt adrift, a rudderless ship.
Crewmen didn’t know how to look at her. Whereas with Cwansi in her arms there had been smiles and coos and compliments for the baby, now everyone seemed uncomfortable because of the tragedy that had befallen her. Moreover, it was general knowledge that one of their own was in some way mixed up in it. There were guilty feelings in the mix, even though there was no reason for any of them to feel this way. It wasn’t as if Selar had confided her plans to any of them.
There were murmured words of sympathy and plenty of downturned looks. Were the gods out to get her? If so, why didn’t they just cause her to spontaneously combust and be done with it? Why did everyone she loved have to suffer? Her husband dead; her child gone; her own mother dying horribly and being transformed into a bizarre computer entity. Was she such a terrible person, done such awful things, that she had so much negative karma to bring this much tragedy to those around her?
Shelby’s hand rested on her shoulder and gave it an affectionate squeeze. “It’s going to be okay.”
“How is it?” she said in a low voice, even as she forced a smile toward a passing crewman who greeted her by name.
“Because Mac is on it, and he never fails. Ever. You can trust him.”
“I trust him with my life. But asking me to trust him with my son’s life…that’s a different story, you know?”
Shelby nodded. She understood, and Robin took some comfort in it.
They entered the deck five conference lounge, as Burgoyne had instructed them to do upon arrival. Burgoyne had not met them at the transporter room; instead s/he’d issued the orders to the transporter chief who, in turn, conveyed them to Shelby. Robin was reasonably sure she understood why. Burgoyne probably didn’t feel as if s/he could face Robin. S/he had been Selar’s companion, after all. There was probably no one on the ship who felt more guilty over what had happened than Burgy, a shame since it really wasn’t hir fault, yet s/he was doubtless blaming hirself.
Shelby entered, Robin right behind her. She recognized Xyon immediately and recognized Kalinda even though Kally’s back was to her. Calhoun was studying a star chart on the wall screen.
“Okay, we’re here,” said Shelby. “What have you got?”
Kalinda turned, took one look at Robin Lefler, and then, to Robin’s utter shock, threw her arms around her and kissed her passionately.
For a heartbeat, Robin almost melted into it, because there was something astonishingly familiar about it. Then realization slapped her in the face and she peeled Kalinda off her. “Kally! What the hell—?”
“I’m sorry, I…” Kalinda was clearly trying to compose herself. “I should have warned you. Or restrained myself. Or—”
“I don’t understand,” said Robin, wiping her lips clean and giving Kalinda a very puzzled look. “Could someone explain what’s happening here? I mean, I only just came off medication; I’m not sure how much excitement I can reasonably handle now.”
“Yes, well, I don’t know that explaining is going to help much,” said Calhoun.
Kalinda stepped forward and took Robin’s hands tentatively. “Robin…it’s me. It’s Cwan.”
She stared at Kally.
“I know that look,” said Calhoun. “I had a very similar one on my face not too long ago.”
“What does she mean? Kally, what are you“y, d a talking about?”
“I know this is a lot to grasp, Robin, but I’m Si Cwan.”
She released her hold on Kalinda’s hands and backed up against the wall, a look of revulsion on her face. “That is…this is sick. This is a sick joke.”
“It is not a joke.”
“Kalinda, for the love of God—”
“Your favorite color is purple,” said Kalinda. “You enjoy standing outside in light rain because you like the way it feels on your face.”
“Stop it.”
“When you were a child you had recurring dreams about the ocean,” Kalinda was speaking faster and faster. “Your favorite quote is by Voltaire, that God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh. Your favorite joke includes the line, ‘Hark, I hear the cannons roar.’ You hate the Terran foods tomatoes and cinnamon.”
“Shut up!” Robin screeched. Her eyes were wide, as she punched Kalinda in the face. Kalinda staggered but did not go down.
“Oh, right, she gets to hit you,” said Xyon.
Refusing to rub her face even though it was already beginning to swell, Kalinda said as patiently as she could, “Robin, if you’d only—”
Robin clapped her hands over her ears and sank into a chair. She wasn’t looking at Kalinda. She wasn’t looking at anyone.
“Mac,” said Shelby, feeling as if she had wandered into the final act of a mystery play. “What the hell is going on?”
“Kalinda,” said Calhoun, “has a connection to Robin’s son. She believes Si Cwan possessed her. At first, I thought Kalinda was insane, but at this point I don’t know what to think. Here’s what I know for a fact: Kalinda insisted on Xyon coming here with her because she was sure that Cwansi was in danger. And she was right. Whatever else Kalinda may think about what’s going on here, she was right. Which means that even if I reserve judgment over her more dubious claims, she’s earned the benefit of the doubt. And she’s now telling me”—he paused while indicating a point on the star chart—“that the Spectre, the ship carrying Cwansi, is heading toward the outer rim of the galaxy. Whether that’s really his destination, I obviously couldn’t say.”
“You mean you believe her?” Shelby looked incredulous. “This young, disturbed girl claims to have some sort of psychic knowledge of the baby’s whereabouts and, oh, by the way, she’s actually possessed by the baby’s father, and you’re just going to accept this? Mac, have you gone as crazy as she is?” she said to Mac, then turned to Kalinda and said, “No offense.”
“None taken,” said Kalinda.
“We’ve alerted Starfleet to the baby’s kidnapping, Eppy, but the fact is that the Spectre can elude most normal means of pursuit. Without any sort of edge, any sort of inside information, finding it is going to be problematic. If Kalinda, Cwan, or whoever this is, claims to have a means of tracking him, then I for one don’t see the downside.”
“The downside is that you’re taking a starship on what is probably a wild-goose chase,” Shelby said. “You can’t really be considering this, Mac; it’s absurd!”
Despite the gravity of the situation, Calhoun smiled. “I’ve missed this,” he said. “This thing between you and me, back when you were my second in command, and we’d have a disagreement and you’d explain all the reasons why what I wanted to do was wrong on every level; then I would go ahead and do it anyway and it would all turn out all right.”
“Yes, except that now I outrank you,” Shelby reminded him. “So I get to have a little more say than when I was your first officer.”
&nbs
p; “That’s true,” he said. “However, you have a post on Bravo station, which means that, sooner or later, probably sooner, you’re going to have to return to it. At which point, I leave, and I don’t think you’ll have much luck stopping me from pursuing the course I feel is right once I’m out of your immediate piece of space.”
“Thanks for your continuing respect for the chain of command,” she snapped, and then stared at Kalinda, hoping that if she did so for long enough Kalinda would return to normal and this whole demented interlude could be put behind them. “Mac, what could possibly make you think she’s Cwan?”
“I beat her in a fight.”
“You did not beat me,” Kalinda said, annoyed. “You momentarily gained the upper hand while I was coping with a body that is still not wholly familiar to me.”
“Mac, for God’s sake—”
“Eppy, listen to me,” Calhoun said firmly, no trace of humor in his voice. “I have already freely admitted I don’t know what to believe. But what I never forget is the way someone moves in a fight, especially when it’s someone who knows what he’s doing, as Cwan did. I fought Kalinda, and, yes, I know it sounds ridiculous, but Kalinda moved just like Cwan. It wasn’t a perfect imitation of him. I mean it was him.”
“Do you hear what you’re saying, Mac?”
“Yes, but I don’t think you’re hearing what I’m saying. So I’ll make it clear.” He tapped the star chart. “Kalinda says the baby is roughly here, heading”—he paused to indicate the outer rim—“here. I know it lacks common sense. And at this moment I think the situation calls for uncommon sense. I’m not asking for your permission or endorsement. I’m telling you that I’m going. I don’t need you abandoning your post to accompany us, but I think the Lady Cwan deserves the opportunity to join us if she’s so inclined.” He looked at Robin. “Robin? Care to join us?”