Yesterday Son Read Free Page A

... Cave? Face?
    Kirk straightened. The image in his mind was clear—a Vulcan face painted on a cave wall—nothing he’d ever seen before. “I got it that time, Spock. Call it empathy, telepathy, what you will, I know, now. This has to do with ... biology, doesn’t it?”
    The Vulcan nodded mutely, then leaned his head in his hands. His voice was strained. “Yes. My barriers must be slipping, if I could broadcast that loudly. Of course, we’ve been mind-linked, but ... I’m tired, that must be it. ...”
    “Never mind the explanations. I know, and it doesn’t matter how.” Kirk looked at the Vulcan and [23] breathed, “It’s incredible ... 5,000 years ago in that frozen hell ...”
    “Zarabeth bore my child.” Spock finished for him.
    They stared at each other for a long moment, and finally the Captain stirred. “Maybe there’s another explanation. Maybe Zarabeth painted you. You can’t be sure. ...”
    “I am sure. The face on the wall shows unmistakable Vulcan characteristics, but it’s not my face. The eyes are different. The hair is longer. The features are those of an adolescent, or not much older. There are other things. The artifacts found in the cave along with the paintings show a higher level of civilization than the evolving race in that hemisphere had yet achieved. Traces of worked metal—a stone lamp that used animal fat. Anachronisms in that time period.”
    Kirk was convinced, but shook his head. “Tormenting yourself over a child that lived and died 5,000 years ago doesn’t make sense. There’s nothing you can do about it.”
    Spock looked at him calmly. “I am going back to get him.”
    The Captain didn’t know what he’d been expecting, but it wasn’t this. “But ... Spock ... how?” Even as he said the words, a sudden, still-painful memory bit at him. “All is as it once was ... let me be your gateway. ...” He took another swallow and felt the brandy burn his throat. “The Guardian of Forever, you’re going to use it to go back.”
    The Vulcan nodded.
    “Spock, that planet’s been declared off-limits, except for the archeological expedition. They won’t let you get near it, let alone go through. To get permission to use the Guardian would take a lot of clout—probably by someone the rank of a planetary governor, at least. ...” He thought for a second, then answered himself again. “T’Pau.”
    “A logical deduction, Captain.”
    Kirk thought of T’Pau, tiny, frail, ancient ... but packing enough authority in one request to override [24] a Star Fleet Admiral’s orders. Yes, she had the clout, all right. Would she use it?
    Kirk said as much. The First Officer looked grim. “She will intercede, when I tell her the reason. The family is all-important on Vulcan. Family loyalties overrule even planetary law. Vulcan is virtually governed by an oligarchy composed of several prominent families. Mine is one of them. And T’Pau will not let one of the family live and die alone, far from his people.”
    “I don’t envy you your mission, Spock,” the Captain shook his head. “I wouldn’t want to have to explain this to her.”
    “I am not looking forward to it, I assure you. But it must be done. It’s my duty.” Spock stood up, hesitated. “I assume that my request for leave can be approved immediately? We can divert to Andros in the Antares system with a loss of only one hour and thirty-two point four minutes.”
    Kirk nodded and got to his feet. “It’s settled. I’ll have your leave request processed immediately. If we drop you off on Andros, you should be about a week getting to Vulcan. ... Getting clearance and returning to Star Base 11 should take you about another ten days. Good thing we’ve got that overhaul coming up. ... Yes, that’ll work ... I’ll be ready to go when you return. With luck, we’ll be back before the final inspection is finished. Well? What are you standing there for?”
    “Captain, I must go alone—I absolutely