Crossover - Michael Jan Friedman [68]
Sitting, the Teacher invited Skrasis to do the same. The Romulan sat.
“I… I wish to explain,” the youth declared.
“No explanation is necessary,” said Spock. “I have known of your affiliation with our captors for some time.”
Skrasis’s face betrayed his surprise. “How is that possible? If the others had known, surely they would have killed me.”
“I told no one,” the Teacher informed him. “Your death would have served no logical purpose.”
Skrasis’s brow creased. “I do not understand. You allowed me to continue as your student. Why?”
Spock had thought it was obvious. “You were my student. The bond—”
The Romulan interrupted. “Surely, the bond does not apply when the Teacher knows that the student is betraying him.”
The Vulcan looked at him. “Did you wish to learn what I had to teach?”
Skrasis was silent for a moment. Then he nodded.
“Yes, I wished to learn.”
”Then my duty was clear,” Spock remarked. “And there is another, logical reason that you do not see.”
Skrasis considered the Vulcan, his eyes full of pain and confusion. “It seems there is much I do not see.”
Spock sighed. “You were the only one of my students I knew would survive.”
The infiltrator was stunned by this simple statement. The Vulcan could see the pain on his face.
“But you allowed me to report the escape attempt,” Skrasis pointed out.
Spock nodded. “A serious oversight on my part. I assumed the security procedure instituted by Belan would be enough to prevent that. Since you were with me or one of your fellow students at all times, I did not think you would be able to signal your superiors. However, you obviously had sufficient technical means to do so, even while being observed.”
A green tinge crept into the Romulan’s face, his shame threatening his composure. “A subdermal transmitter. It allowed me to—”
“I do not need to know,” the Teacher assured him. “Obviously your equipment was very effective.”
“They never would have gotten outside the compound,” Skrasis insisted.
“I have no doubt of it,” Spock replied.
Silence hung over both of them for a moment. Whatever the infiltrator had to say, it was not coming easily.
“Why did you come to me?” the Vulcan asked. “Your presence here puts you in considerable personal danger.”
The young Romulan had regained his control. “I wished to explain my situation to you,” he responded. “I wished you to understand that I harbor neither you nor your students any ill will. If it were my decision to make, I would not convict you of any crime at all.”
Skrasis didn’t bother to lower his voice, though his words were near treason.
“I wanted to thank you for your instruction,” he went on, “and to express my regrets about your future. And I wanted you to understand that I take no pleasure in my task. I simply do my duty.”
“As do we all,” Spock reminded him. “Live long and prosper,” he added, raising his hand in the customary salute.
Skrasis didn’t return it. He simply nodded, got up, and left the room.
But the other students were still outside, in the vicinity of the entrance. And judging from the sounds that followed, they were not eager to let the infiltrator escape.
The Vulcan had anticipated this. Rising, he went to intervene on Skrasis’s behalf. When he got there, his students looked to him, regretting his presence.
“You must let him pass,” Spock said, softly but firmly.
Biting their lips, the unificationists stepped aside to let Skrasis go by. The infiltrator continued past them, out into the courtyard and then toward the command center.
Only when he was gone did the soldiers approach the prisoners and set about the task of herding them together. The Vulcan noted that they were at last going to meet their fate—and the uncompromising hand of Romulan justice.
Proconsul Eragian, with Lennex and several officers from the Vengeance in tow, negotiated a corridor on his way to the Federation prisoners’ cell. He might have opted to interrogate them sooner, of course, but one of the cardinal rules of interrogation was to allow a prisoner time beforehand.
Time to contemplate the nature of his interrogator.