Crossover - Michael Jan Friedman [31]
Spock shrugged. “I could use the Vulcan mind meld to determine the identity with certainty. Would you have me do that?”
Apparently, Belan hadn’t considered that approach. However, he was quick to accept it.
“Yes, if necessary, ” he replied.
The Teacher nodded. “To what end?”
At that point, Belan faltered—as if the reason were obvious, but he hesitated to name it. “We seek justice,” he said finally.
Young Skrasis stepped forward to join Belan. “Surely, logic allows us to seek retribution for what was done to us.”
“No,” Spock replied. “Logic tells us that each of us is responsible for our situation, in equal measure. Each of us made a decision to violate the laws of the Romulan Empire in our quest for knowledge. We freely chose this path, knowing what the consequences would be if we were caught.
“Now we face the justice of the Romulan Empire.” He paused. “Would you have us mete out the same style of justice to the Romulan agent among us? An individual who no doubt serves his or her society with dedication and conviction?”
The Vulcan waited. He surveyed the faces of his followers as they grappled with what he had said.
They were Romulans, so there was a measure of resistance. But they were also his students. He was confident that logic would prevail. And to help it along, he raised his voice again.
“Before beginning any course of action,” he instructed, “we must ask ourselves if it serves any useful purpose. In this case, revenge would serve no purpose at all.”
Skrasis remained unconvinced. “But the spy is still among us,” he pointed out. “Our every move is very likely being reported.”
“And what would the infiltrator have to report?” Spock asked. “That we are discussing the wisdom of Surak? That would only serve our purpose—to spread Surak’s wisdom throughout the Empire. Thus, our captors would become our messengers. Logical, is it not?”
Skrasis shook his head. “The Romulan soul—and our joint heritage—cries out for retribution. To ignore that would be to deny who we are.”
The Teacher saw that Skrasis had made his point with the others. The students were waiting for their mentor’s reply.
“It is illogical,” he agreed, “to deny one’s nature. However, the intellect is also part of that nature. Surak teaches mastery of the intellect over passion. As his followers, we do not seek to subvert the impulse for retribution, or for that matter, any other impulse. Instead, we seek to ensure that emotions are not the guiding principles in our lives.
“Reason must prevail. The principles of logic must apply. Otherwise, it is impossible to advance—as either a single being or a society. In the present case,” he concluded, “we would only lose by seeking revenge on our betrayer. And instead of furthering our cause, we could very well destroy our own legacy.”
At that, even Skrasis was silent.
It began with young D’tan, one of the unificationists who had traveled with Spock from Romulus. He raised his hand, offering the Teacher the Vulcan salute.
Then another student did the same, and another. It was the Vulcan equivalent of applause, and it quickly engulfed all of his charges.
Skrasis was the last to respond. But in the end, he raised his hand as well.
The Vulcan felt a rush of pride—a natural response which it would have been illogical to deny. He had reached all of those before him, even the difficult Skrasis.
It was a satisfying moment. And it was made more precious because he would enjoy so few of them before the Romulan sentence was carried out.
Nodding almost imperceptibly to his students, Spock raised his own hand to return the salute.
Scotty sighed.
“The Yorktown is now crossing the Romulan Neutral Zone,” the computer said in its familiar, agonizingly friendly tone. “Thank you for your inquiry, and enjoy your starship adventure on the U.S.S. Yorktown.”
Montgomery Scott looked at the viewscreen and felt nothing but tired. He knew the news should have filled him with excitement, fear, anticipation—all of the things that he had felt when he made