“I will not describe this further, except to say that I found it very nearly intolerable. However, it gave me all the assurance I needed that his motives, his morals, his loyalties were all the opposite of my own. Yet intellectually, without doubt, he had at his command all my experience, all my accumulated knowledge and training, even my reflexes — and all my intimate knowledge of the Enterprise, its crew, and the total situation. And hence, I knew that he was a terrible danger to us all, and under no circumstances could he be negotiated with. He had to be eliminated, preferably before he could get in touch with the Klingons (though unfortunately he did), there was no other possible course.”
“Fascinating,” McCoy said. “So the second hypothesis now stands proven, apparently.”
“I would say so,” Spock said, “insofar, that is, as testimony can ever be accepted as evidence. I am personally convinced, at any rate. Of course, even if valid, logically it does not exclude the first hypothesis; both may be true.”
“That may well be,” Kirk said, “but it still leaves me with some loose ends. Why didn’t you tell me this at the. time, Mr. Spock? It would have saved me considerable fruitless worry, and would have speeded up the solving of the problem of the two Spocks — maybe before the replicate could have gotten away.”
“If you will pardon me, Captain,” Spock said, “such an outcome did not seem to me to be at all likely. The replicate Spock’s identity had yet to be proven by his actions; there was no other way to be sure. And even had you accepted my explanation, you would on reflection have realized that the rapport involved might seriously impair my efficiency or judgment, or make me, too, dangerous in some unpredictable way. I knew I was in control of myself — though it was precarious — but you could not. It would have occurred to you, further, that it might have been safest to confine me as well until the identity problem was solved — and for the good of the ship I needed to be a free agent, or in any event a free first officer.”
“Hmm,” Kirk said. “That also answers another of my questions: how you knew when the replicate was no longer aboard the Enterprise, and roughly where in space-time he was instead — and again, why you refused to tell me how you knew.”
“Precisely. May I add, Captain, that I did not come to these decisions entirely unilaterally? I asked the computer what your probable responses to a proposed revelation of the ‘telempathy’ might be, and was told that your confining me was highly probable indeed — about eighty-three per cent, to a confidence limit of point zero zero five. Ordinarily, I would have preferred to have consulted Dr. McCoy on a psychological question of that kind, but under the circumstances I was denied that recourse.”
“I see,” Kirk said. “Very well, Mr. Spock, we won’t transmit this additional information to Starfleet Command, unless they specifically ask for it. I don’t see how it could enhance their present understanding of our report, anyhow. But you had better record it in the library. It may be of some value to the Scientific Advisory Board, should they have any project on telepathy going, or want to consider starting one.”
“Very well, Captain.”
“Another message from Command, Captain,” Uhura reported. “We’re to report to Star Base Sixteen for two weeks down time and a new assignment. Incidentally, the communications officer there, a Lieutenant Purdy, wants me to teach him Eurish. I hope he’s cute.”
“Very well. So ordered. Mr. Sulu, lay a course.” Kirk paused for a moment. “And I will add, Mr. Spock, that it’s nice to have you back.”
“Thank you, Captain,” Spock said. “It has been an interesting experience. I myself have only one regret: that my method of disposal of the replicate had to be so improvised that I was unable to recover your class ring for you.”
Kirk gestured the subject away. “Forget it, Mr. Spock. It was a very small price to pay, and I can always get another. I’m only grateful that there are no more loose ends than that.”
“I’m afraid there is still a loose end, Jim,” McCoy said thoughtfully. “And what’s worse, it’s the same one we started with, way back on the benchmarking job. But maybe, after his ‘telempathic’ experience with the replicate, Mr. Spock can answer that one too.”
“What is it?” Kirk said.
“This,” McCoy said. “Does the man who comes out of the other end of a journey by transporter have an immortal soul, or does he not?”
There was quite a long silence.
“I do not know,” Spock said at last. “I can only suggest, Doctor, that if someone were to give me an answer to that question, I would not know how to test the answer. By operational standards, therefore, such a question is meaningless.”
“I suppose so,” McCoy said resignedly. “Somehow I thought that was just what you’d say.”
Kirk had rather expected Spock’s response, too. But he noticed also that the first officer looked, somehow, faintly worried. Or did he?