Uhura's Song by Janet Kagan Read Free Book Online Page B

a long, speculative look that made him acutely conscious of the fact that he had been grinning since he'd received the go-ahead from Starfleet. He added, "Perhaps you should put the whole crew on tranquilizers, Doctor. We're looking for a planet on the strength of a song. It's crazy, I know, but it's the only chance we have to do something useful."
     
     
The admission was not simply sobering, it was disheartening but before the full force of it struck him, Evan Wilson said gravely, "I think you're as crazy as Heinrich Schliemann- and you know what happened to him!"
     
     
"What?" he said, disconcerted.
     
     
"You don't know what happened to him?" she asked, her blue eyes widening in mild astonishment. "Ever read Homer's Iliad, Captain?"
     
     
Taken aback by the seeming irrelevancy, Jim Kirk frowned slightly; but there was something in the intensity of her gaze that reminded him of Spock about to offer an observation. I'll bite, he thought, if only to find out who this is I'm as crazy as. He said, "I don't know what translation you read, Doctor, but there was no Heinrich Schliemann in mine- or in the Odyssey."
     
     
"That depends on how you look at it." Smiling, she settled back into her chair and went on, "Heinrich Schliemann was from Earth, pre-Federation days, and he read Homer too. No, not just read him, believed him. So he set out at his own expense- mind you, I doubt he could have found anyone else to fund such a crazy endeavor- to find Troy, a city that most of the educated people of his time considered pure invention on Homer's part."
     
     
"And?"
     
     
"And he found it. Next time you're on Earth, stop by the Troy Museum. The artifacts are magnificent, and every one of them was found on the strength of a song."
     
     
While Kirk absorbed that, she rose and added, "If you have no objection, I'll give Mr. Sulu a hand down to the bridge. Broken ankle or no, he can still compute a course."
     
     
Feeling too good to resist the temptation, he said, "Is that medically advisable, Doctor?"
     
     
"Oh, yes!" She gave him that wicked smile again. "It's the best thing in the world for my health- he'd never forgive me if he missed this!"
     
     
Jim Kirk could feel the excitement on all sides. "Ready, Mr. Spock?"
     
     
"One moment, Captain." Spock watched the display screen; of all the bridge personnel, only he seemed unaffected by the charged atmosphere. "The data transfer is not yet complete."
     
     
Lieutenant Uhura turned in her seat. "What's taking so long, Mr. Spock?" she asked.
     
     
Spock straightened. "I assure you, Lieutenant, that your feeling of delay is just that- a feeling."
     
     
"I'm sorry, Mr. Spock." She said it with such a complete lack of expression that Kirk wondered for a moment if she'd suddenly turned Vulcan.
     
     
"As we agreed," Spock responded, "there is no apology necessary."
     
     
Uhura smiled, suddenly and brilliantly. "As we agreed, Mr. Spock," she said.
     
     
"Data transfer complete, Captain," said Spock. "The navigational computer now has the coordinates." The announcement was completely unnecessary- Sulu's burst of activity was sufficient evidence of the fact.
     
     
"Mr. Scott, stand by for warp three. Ready when you are, Mr. Sulu," said Kirk.
     
     
Sulu did not take the time from his calculations to acknowledge. Seconds later, Sulu said, "Course laid in, Captain."
     
     
"Then what are we waiting for, Mr. Sulu?"
     
     
"Aye, aye, Captain." Sulu grinned and touched his controls. "We're on our way."
     
     
Chapter Four
     
     
Leonard McCoy gulped a last mouthful of the tasteless stuff the Eeiauoans called food, followed it with a handful of vitamins and washed the whole mess down with a slug of coffee. For the fourth or fifth time that day, he considered prescribing a stimulant shot for himself. What little time he could snatch for sleep was being torn from him in nightmares that only repeated the horrors of his waking hours. Once again, he rejected the idea.