Claire De Lune

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C. R. Faddis The aerie ,

}

.d hitching

would

sel've.

each other

Twenty

up the branches

solidly founded in a wide crotch (Ie nest was in disrepair, long "t the one side, but between the rroaned as he reached an aching ,en shoved the Vulcan t)ast him, trunk ..imself, gulping fQr air. 1Y switched to breathing through La avoid the sour taste heavy in Spock st'irred around the broad "W.~

made it,"

minutes

of

dizzy,

brought

dangerous

them to the

climbing,

swinging,

deep cut: cf the great

r.~st,

of limbs that could have swaddled a shuttle~raft. deserted and falling away in a gnarl jf 10(> .; .:>tir deeply d1.'"ided trunk it was a safe Ldven. ~1cCoy arm down to help Spock hoist himself ).nto try cup, away from the edge, and fell l.ack ai;ainst the ro", The nest had a bitter smell, slightly foul, and ~1chis nostrils as quickly as his lungs couLl reco' the air. His head slammed with pain.

beHide him and also managed to sit up, tWLP ing hL limb behind him, against which he then sagged.

McCoy '"heezed unne cessarily,

shak

ir

.~

arms

more an exclamat ion of asto!! i~.hrnent

,an a statement. Overhead, through the heavy thorned brar.ches 2:1d S.Lende:, film .Leaves. the orange moon loomed, close and ominous. McCoy looked at it witr. 'iate. ~'!1e Kismet IV's moon was a killer. Who'd have thought it? t

up here?" he asked, then slid ""''l':>S5 '-he smo()'I-t, "Spuck, Spock, hey, is it better .=ed-laced flooring, whisking the fluffs of dirty down from his path. Spoc~ stil~ .~lung to the branch, and in the pale orange glow that filtered througrl; his f <'ice had' ,.) color at a 11. McCoy touched him and the Vulcan flinr.hed as though burned: hi. arm hac been slashed open on the climb up by one of the vici.ous thor! ;. M "oy was urprised that he would react, but did not comment on it. Instead, he dug .nte hi.. rnedikit and came up with the spray-dresshlg, giving the gash a once-over. 1. he Vuh;an was still shivering, though. And the moon loomed. Ugh, if I could just think, 'he light to check its readings. feet Sllould be lessened."

dammit," "It's

McCoy growled, and lifted the tric~Jr'der stronger. But we're off the ground, the

Spock shifted around and captured his gaze: wounded wild, eyes that tried to say things the lips would never "Would it .~w close the

I

ilelp if I sedated you?" McCoy asked Vulcan must be to snapping~

eyes, dare.

cautiously,

eyes

that

ce. ~.d be

suddenlyappr.,:iating

into c.. -

"The...pain curled and dry.

is...endurable," Spock forced. His lips were stiff, But to ease fov a moment, that was dangerous.

his

tongue

McCoy nodded and slumped back against the side of the nest, and at least tried to thjnk. Theve must be something he could do--it was horrible to watch Spock's Vulcanness destroying him, that unique and splendid gift of telepathy becoming his Achilles' heel. But the moon, the moon was still low on the horizon, it was going to be a long night, and the ship wouldntt arrive until late the next day, not even at Warp 8. He checked

the

tricorder

again,

and the magnetic

flux

was up again

by almost

four

points. Bad news. Whatever it was in the soil here that reacted so fiercely with the lunar presence, it was affecting even him--and he had no telepathy at all! Looking over the lip of the nest, he could see the eerie ground-static playing along the base of the tree like St. Elmo's Fire, a green-glowing current. 'Spock's trembling and

could be felt,

sticks that braced the nest.

transmitted

like morse

code along

the reeds

When the effect had begun--when the moon had risen--

they'd been on the plain by the downed shuttle, and Spock had ignored it. But that had been hours ago, and it had him by the throat now. McCoy knew that if he himself was having trouble keeping his thoughts straight, it had to be exponentially worse for the telepath, whose neuro-transmission-waves were higher in amplitude and much more vulnerable to "static." No wonder they'd located no sentient life on this world-anything brighter than a Dodo would have become a raving lunatic its first night out. McCoy could not endure watching, feeling the shivering: the pain of it demanded He crept across the creaking sticks again, posting himself at Spock's assistance. side, but not touching him. Spock was an athlete cast in bronze, a frozen wrestler squeezing the breath from his opponent--the trunk of the tree. Was it Spock whc trembled, or was 'it the tvee as he suffocated it? Spock did not seem to move, the tree cer'tainly did not move, yet the nest shuddered. McCoy rubbed his eyes, which were Threatening to leave his skull. The pain was blurring everYthing. He considered sedd~ing himself, but that would be wrong: Spock needed him, he had to hang on as best he could, bite the bullet. He rested his temple in the crook of his arm and clung to the side of the nest, daring to close his eyes at least.

was

It seemed he'd slept only a moment, but the moon was much higher, and something wrong: Spock. The First Officer waR ill. Was that it? HiR breathinf~was deep [Jdjne<1, crowded with p<.ii.n, but.not wldIllP<'I';;, llot :;\)1,::. 1\I,,:...lll~; willi I ill I.' "I'i.-::.

.md chok..d

off sounds. McCoy forced himself to fulL The glow

corder.

with

green

from

fire, the

"I'm getting

the

river

silly,"

moon was stabbing. Styx,

with

Charon

overhead

to

dml

11111I1. It'd tor'

in evcry greet

them

direction in

his

tIH' t.r' iWdS aliv.> bark.

McCoy told himself, and squintedat the readings. The flux

was off the scale, he'd have to recalibrate. Spock to see what he might be able to do. "Don't

aw..ke
The grounJ

He didn't

bother,

turning

instead

to

touch me!tI Spock howled.

t McCoy shrank back. It had been a cry, a plea, and a warning. grinding his palms to his forehead. He felt unreasonably dizzy. SpOCr, though, there must be something he could do....

McCoy grimaced, He had to help

I t

t

Spock snatched the hand at his arm away and shoved it from him with all his sLrength. With a bewildered shriek, McCoy skidded over the lip of the nest, sticks and fluff flying. He clawed without thinking at the thorny bough at the edge, completely disoriented~ clinging by instinct alone. His grip was tearing away with the

bark.

Time stopped.

.

Then a bone-snapping grip was on his forearm, and he was looking down on himself as though it were in daylight, and he looked foolish dangling there with bits of bark in his hair and his feet splayed out, and he had a ridiculous, befuddled look on his face. And he pulled himself up, back into the security of the nest. Spock let go of. him, and he fell back into his own brain with a wrenching pain. It made him vomit, and he hung over the edge again 'until he could breathe. His head was an empty barrel being played with a sledgehammer as though it were a tympanum. His knees were quivering. His shoulder screamed. But he had one thought clearly: S~ock's contact had effected an instant and powerful mindmeld. No wonder he didn't want to be touched! Whatever control he'd had before, it was gone now. The doctor "Doctor,"

sat up slowly.

the voice breathed,

"Yuh, 1'm okay," The moon

almost

now from both their. shivering.

soundlessly.

McCoy managed..

glared.

"You..,.might help," McCoy

The nest was creaking

Spock shuddered.

sat straighter,

massaging

his temples.

"How?" A semblance

of the old Spock reclaimed

the taut

t

"Meld with me." McCoy struggled

to think.

III~')dangerous?"

"Yes."

Forced.

"I can't think." "Nor I." McCoy

glanced

at the sky.

! ,

i

"Moon's nearzenith--you

might

make

it anyway."

"No." "I'm scared, "Together,

Spock.tI

combined,

we are stronger."

I

'I(?

face; the formality.

.

..

That

sounded

"You

sure?'l

Spock

dropped

"Bones...Hold

like some of the old Spock.

his head

into his hands.

me,H h.e moaned,

pain weighting

his voice

"Now, or not ever."

The Enterprise located them late the next afternoon. They were peacefully sleeping in the most curious position: curled in ~ach other's arms in a nest in a great sentinal tree, a long hike from the shelter of the damaged shuttlecraft.

"Claire de Lune" appeared originallg in THE OTHER SIDE OF PARADISE I. That zine 1s out of print, but can be had in xerox from T'Kuhtian Press. SASE SS7 8.!.Ni8Jl,East

T,ansing, HI

48823

t

~7"" <.To- be" b,... t