Title: Spock's Logs 12 Author: Istannor Series: TOS Part: 1/1 Rating: [PG13] Codes: Summary: We give our thanks to Ambassador Spock's estate for allowing us to view these records. It allows us an unusual insight into the process by which the most famous Command team in Starfleet history, became a team. This is Spock's accounting of the events surrounding Charon. Disclaimer: These are the characters of Paramount and Viacom. They own them. I only check 'em out from the library. I promise to bring 'em back. Spock's Logs 12 Stardate:2022.5 I have waited long enough. There has been no further communication from the surface except a plea from the Federation Envoy for us to be patient. I have been patient. The Captain and all of the members of the landing party were led away this morning from the Imperial Compound and the Envoy does not know where they are. This is unacceptable. I have readied a landing party and begun a surface scan to locate the Captain. I expect to be notified shortly with the results of that scan. The Starfleet representative on Charon has beamed aboard and we have met for several hours. There is no agreement between us on what steps I should take next. He is of the opinion that I should wait for the conclusion of whatever ceremony the people of Charon are currently engaged in. I am of the opinion that I should locate my Captain and secure his release. Wait... I am being summoned to the bridge. Pause Resume dictation That was Admiral Nogura. I have been commanded to maintain orbit and to not interfere. We continue to scan. If we locate the Captain and we find that his vital signs are unstable, I will be forced to disobey. I will not allow James Kirk to die because of McCoy's ill-timed objections to unusual rituals. Pause log Resume dictation I am unsure of myself at this point. I have attempted to meditate and I have found no solace. We were contacted when Jim found Sulu. Sulu is in Sickbay now and seems to have no more than bruises, lacerations, and a concussion. Next we were contacted for Ensign Glover. She was apneic, with an agonal rhythm, and an obvious victim of drowning. They resuscitated her without any difficulty and she is now sleeping in the Sickbay. They will monitor her for approximately 24 more hours before she is released. When they called us to come down to the surface, I expected the worst. Thankfully, it was not what I feared. On arrival, I initially noted a dead creature, approximately 4.8 meters tall, a hundred fifty kilograms in weight, and covered by a dull gray-green fur. It was quite obviously dead, since a long stick was still stuck down its throat. It had bled orange blood. That was when I saw Jim hunched over Leonard McCoy. He was already delirious, but he had clamped down on McCoy's leg with all the strength that he had left. He was bloody, with human blood and the blood of the dead creature. His skin was obviously scalded and had begun to blister. I rushed over to assist him. I could see that McCoy was still alive and M'Benga had already begun to work on him. The medic was attending to Lieutenant Jacks, who appeared stable. Jim screamed when I touched him. He began to say over and over again: "I'm naked, I don't have any skin left. Forget me. Save my crew, Spock, save my crew." Even in agony, he sought the safety of his crew first. I was grateful when Chapel gave him a shot and sent him into oblivion. I have spent each off-duty shift in the Sickbay. I watched as they put the first tube down his throat, the second one in his subclavian vein, The third one through his abdominal wall into the stomach, the fourth one into his rectum, and the fifth one into his urethra. Then they lowered him into a bath that cleansed him of the dead and dying skin cells, next it was a bath filled with his own healthy skin cells. Finally, they lowered him into the isotonic, sterile, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti- fungal, bath where he will float, suspended for four days in an induced coma, until all of the cell grafts are secure. I now must spend four days attempting to deal with my anger with Dr. McCoy. Jim would help me deal with what I'm feeling now. I fear saying anything to McCoy because the words that I wish to say to him are coated in rage. I almost lost my only friend and the premier commander in the fleet secondary to McCoy's indiscretion. Jim, I am sure, would find some way to forgive him. Presently, I am at a loss. I will speak with each member of the crew as they awaken, and debrief them. I will save McCoy for last. That is logical as he was the second most injured of the party. I will keep my words to a bare minimum, and tell him nothing of what I actually think of what he did. This will give me time to address my issues regarding his behavior. It is one thing for him to be narrow minded, no, almost racist, in his behavior towards me. It is quite another thing for his behavior to endanger the lives of others. I can not contemplate an eventuality in which I would willingly endanger the life of my Captain for the sake of a ritual. End log Resume dictation M'Benga woke Jim up today. I was there. I wanted to make sure that one of the first things he saw was my face. I knew that he would immediately understand that he was home and safe. I was rewarded with a smile which immediately reassured me I had taken the correct course of action. I sat beside him for an hour today before he fell asleep. I made sure to tell him that everyone was safely on board. We spent the greater part of the hour discussing McCoy. Jim has requested that I be kind to the doctor. He has assured me McCoy will punish himself far worse than anything either he or I could do. He then reminded me of how badly I had castigated myself after I had mistakenly sent a signal during the battle with the Romulans. He reminded me of the nature of mercy. "To him who shows mercy, mercy is given," was his actual comment. How like the words of Surak: "He who shares his water, never dies of thirst." Jim smiled and assured me that we would get something together to make sure that everybody got a little laugh off of McCoy and at the same time brought him back into the family. I watched him close his eyes finally, when he could fight sleep no longer. Then, I sat next to him for two hours longer and pondered the concept of mercy. I found that in the third hour that Jim slept, I was able to enter into a meditative trance. The knowledge that everything would be resolved no doubt assisted me in achieving that state. When I returned to awareness, I had reached acceptance. I must admit to a certain curiosity about what Jim will do to McCoy. In fact, I am anticipating the event. Now, I will go speak with McCoy again and practice what I have learned.