Platonius Redux
A Cycle of Drabbles
McCoy
Some Klingon once said that Jim was a tin-plated dictator with
delusions of godhood.
Ha! He should have seen the captain on Platonius.
All the powers of a god, and he turned his back and walked away.
Not the first time he's walked away from paradise, or power. I
wonder if he'll always be able to resist the temptation.
I plan on being there to help keep him grounded.
Spock's going to need help too, though he'll never admit it.
He showed us a side of himself that we need to keep private.
That's going to be tough for me.
Spock
I must request a transfer off the Enterprise. Perhaps I should
resign my commission. I have compromised my position as first
officer.
Once again, Jim was endangered by my actions. I was powerless to
assist him. I behaved abominably toward Nurse Chapel. I was
humiliated, and worse, I lost control.
I could not absorb the Kironide that finally allowed Jim to
prevail against the Platonians. If I can not support him, if all
I do is cause him pain, what good am I?
I fear after all these years, my father was correct. A Vulcan can
not serve with humans.
Philana
That dark one was really very handsome. I enjoyed watching him
cry. I had great plans for him.
It had all seemed so simple. The doctor would cure Parmen and we
would keep the others as playthings. We were tired of Alexander.
He had become much too predictable.
Perhaps not completely predictable. He did try to kill Parmen.
I almost wish he had succeeded. My husband is too weak to defeat
a puny human.
Damn Captain Kirk. He tried to destroy our life here. No. When
the Enterprise leaves we'll still be here. All those pretty
speeches will change nothing.
Chapel
Damn those Platonians. I want to kill them.
That's no way for a healer to feel.
I work so hard at keeping control, at never letting slip how I
truly feel. What I truly want. And, now my façade has been
stripped from me in front of my commanding officer. In front of
Spock.
What do I do now? Do I try to explain? Do I pretend it never
happened? Do I leave this ship?
I will not be driven from my home, my place, by some unfeeling,
uncaring aliens. I will repair this. I will heal this. I must.
Uhura
I hate that it happened like that.
For three years, since he took command of the Enterprise, I have
wanted to tell him. I have wanted to let him know how safe I feel.
How he takes away my fears, my uncertainty.
I have wanted him to know how grateful I am for the way he values
my ability. He simply expects me to be the best at my job.
Because of that, I work harder than I ever imagined I could. And,
I am the best.
I wanted to say that to him, and so much more. In private.
Kirk
I better talk to Spock. He probably thinks that I blame him.
No one blames him for losing control.
I need to talk to McCoy, too. He probably feels guilty about
being at the center of this mess.
Chapel. Oh, poor Christine. To have her feelings stripped naked
for all of us to see. I know how much this cost her.
And, Uhura. Not that I haven't thought about her like that. But,
she's too fine an officer, too good a friend. I wouldn't risk
ruining what we have.
I should check on Alexander.
And, I need to keep control.
Spock
The captain has assured me that my regrettable loss of control
was completely understandable. Parmen's powers were too
formidable.
Jim feels responsible for what happened on Platonius.
He said he should have taken greater precautions before beaming
down. I fail to see how that would be possible. We did full scans
before we sent the landing party.
He has asked me to refine our first contact procedures so this
sort of thing won't happen again. He said that I am the only one
who could improve upon existing protocols.
The captain depends on me. I have much work to do.
Uhura
The captain came to my door and apologized. Apologized! I am
the one who buckled, who confessed my fears, who made him worry
about me when he was trying to save us all.
I wanted him to understand that I meant everything I said. That
he did keep us safe. That we would all follow him wherever he led.
He needed to tell me that he would never hurt me. He needed to
talk about the whip.
I let him say he was sorry. Then I reminded him of who he was and
what he meant to all of us.
Chapel
Something is wrong with Captain Kirk. I could see it in his
eyes when he came to talk to me.
He came to talk about Roger Corby, and Spock, and my place on the
Enterprise.
He came to tell me how much he valued me, and how much Dr. McCoy
needed me.
He helped me forget my humiliation. He helped me feel valuable
and necessary.
I hid my face, but he put lifted up my chin. He made me look at
him.
Then I looked at his eyes. He seemed to be struggling with
something. I had better tell McCoy.
Alexander
I did not trust them at first. Those people from the
Enterprise. They were so big, and they looked just like the
Platonians.
Then the captain protected me from Parmen.
I felt sad when I lied to him about Platonius, but Parmen would
have killed me if I told the truth. Besides, I thought if my
masters had someone new to torment they might forget about me.
I should have known better.
I'm glad Captain Kirk took me with him. He'll look after me. He
doesn't care that I'm small. He just cares about me. He makes me
feel big.
McCoy
That boy's going to be the death of me. He finally came to
Sickbay to see me.
He'd been to see Uhura and Chapel. He says they are recovering.
He's given Spock a project. That should fix whatever ails him.
Spock does love his work.
Jim's looked after everyone but himself.
Chapel said something was wrong.
I'm an idiot. I just figured out the trouble. That damn
Kironide's still working. He's been trying to control absolute
power. Worrying about fixing everyone else, and trying to keep
from tearing this ship apart with his mind.
I hope he'll let me help.
Parmen
I watched the captain when he first realized what he could do.
The power to force another's obedience is irresistible.
I remember the first time I felt the Kironide.
It was an unbelievable feeling of power. The world was mine. I
had but to command.
Kirk knows what it feels like to command.
I wonder how he will cope with this unlimited, new power.
Will he turn his back on it like the good Starfleet officer, or
will he seize the power? Use it. Like I did.
Once he has tasted of absolute power will he be able to abstain?
Kirk
McCoy finally filtered that damn stuff out of my blood.
For the first time in days I am not afraid to think.
I haven't slept at all. I was so afraid that I'd have a nightmare
and accidentally blow us all up.
No. That's not what I was really afraid of. I was afraid that I
wouldn't want to give it up. The power. It was so easy to think
something and have it happen. It was so seductive.
This is not something I can talk about.
I've turned my back on power before, but it gets harder every
time.