Time is a God and We Cannot See Her Face

PART 6

{Song: "Creature" by Penny and Sparrow}

"Mr. Spock. Sensors indicate a minute drop in the machine's power emanations." Sulu glanced up at the hovering Commander. "Do you think the shuttlecraft explosion could have done some damage?"

A week after their brief shore leave, the crew encountered the wreckage of the ship Constellation and the planetkiller machine responsible for it. The damage that Commodore Decker had caused to the Enterprise when he forced Spock out of the captain's seat still had Spock's green blood boiling. Now with the Kirk and Mr. Scott aboard the failing Constellation, and Spock and Sulu doing everything in their power to distract the planetkiller without taking a deadly hit, they were, on top of that, nursing a faulty transporter. Spock stepped over to Sulu's station and peered into the sensors.

"What about that, Spock?" Kirk's crackled voice came through from his station on the damaged ship. "Is it possible?"

"The drop in power is definite, Captain, but negligible," Spock replied. "The object is still pursuing us, thereby causing us to drain our power reserve at a much greater rate."

"Mr. Spock," Uhura announced, "transporter is now operational."

"Transporter operational, Captain. Shall we beam you aboard?"

"Negative. Mr. Scott and I will stay here, but prepare to beam the damage party aboard."

Spock cocked his head. He hadn't expected Jim to object. "Captain. There is little to be gained by staying aboard the Constellation."

"Except, possibly, the destruction of that thing out there. Carry out your orders."

There was no arguing with that tone. The Captain was formulating a plan, and Spock needed to be patient. "Acknowledged. Transporter room, beam damage control party aboard."

"Aye aye, sir."

"Spock, listen." Jim's beckoning drew him back to the comm. "Maybe Matt Decker didn't die for nothing. He had the right idea but not enough power to do it. Am I correct in assuming that a fusion explosion of 97 megatons would result if a Starship impulse engine is overloaded?"

"No, sir. 97.835 megatons."

"Right, 97.835. Will it be powerful enough to destroy that thing out there?"

"Negative, Captain. The hull is pure nitronium.  There is no known way of blasting through it."

"Not through it, Spock. From inside it. Will it be enough?"

Something rather like fear stiffened inside Spock's spine. The longer Jim stayed out there, the greater likelihood they'd all be blasted to bits by the planetkiller. "Insufficient data," he replied coolly, despite how illogical it was to deny what Jim was implying. "I shall try to take further sensor readings."

"Do the best you can, and make it fast. Sure would love to make it back in one piece for the Christmas party tomorrow. Otherwise you will have to wear the Santa suit instead of me. No wait, Scotty could, he looks better in red than you do."

"Aye, very funny, sir," Scotty's voice quipped through the comm.

Spock ignored the Captain's bad attempt at humor, flew through a series of tests, and reported soon as he was certain. "Captain? The object's neutronium hull makes sensor readings of the inner mechanism impossible."

"Spock, you... don't know?"

"Correct." Spock's tone lowered. "Captain. You are getting dangerously close to the planet killer."

"I intend to get a lot closer. I'm going to ram her right down that thing's throat."

Spock inwardly cursed using words his mother would not be proud of.