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The teaching assistant looked up at the kron. Twenty-seven minutes to go. Just once, she wished he'd dismiss the class early. She had so much left to do before the holiday. And she wanted this holiday to be very special. She hadn't seen her son in over two years and he was returning home tomorrow. 'Don't worry about him so much,' she scolded herself. 'He's a grown man.'
She looked over at the teacher. Ser Sarkaam was pacing solemnly at the front of the classroom, explaining the correct solution to the problem he had assigned. 'He'll never dismiss them early. Not this one. Works right up to the last second to squeeze some little bit of knowledge into their ten-year-old heads.'
She smiled as she looked around the room at twenty-three young faces. 'But they love him. And he is an excellent teacher.'
She sat up a little straighter as she realized the lesson was coming to an end.
"Now. We have some time left. So I shall tell you a story."
The students shifted in their seats with anticipation. Ser told the best stories of any teacher in the school.
"How many of you have heard of Kirk and Spock?"
Several hands went up, but not all.
"Very well. This is one of our most beautiful and important legends.
"Hundreds and hundreds of years ago, there lived two great heroes named Kirk and Spock. They traveled all over the galaxy in the starship Enterprise. Kirk was her captain and Spock was always at his side. They had many adventures and faced untold dangers. They saved whole planets and even the entire galaxy several times.
"But Kirk and Spock were more than just captain and officer. Their friendship was legendary. You see, they were t'hy'la. Do you know what that means?"
Most of the students shook their heads no.
"T'hy'la is a word for someone who is more than a friend, more than a brother, more than even a lover." He frowned at the giggles. "T'hy'la is one who is the other half of your soul. Yes, Rawna?"
"Ser, is it like being married or bonded?"
"In some ways, yes. If you are very fortunate, your mate is your t'hy'la. But sadly, very few people ever find their t'hy'la.
"Now, as I was saying, Kirk and Spock had many adventures. After they had completed a particularly long and arduous task, they were summoned home by the admiral N'gura. Yes, Aono?"
"That's something I have often wondered myself. N'gura threw a great party for them and at the height of the celebration, he announced that he was taking the Enterprise away from them."
"*Why?!*" the children cried out in disbelief.
"Well, Admiral N'gura was in some ways a foolish man. He thought Kirk and Spock would like that. He thought they would be happy to rest on their laurels and bask in the admiration of the people of the galaxy. Have any of you ever heard the expression 'a gift from N'gura'?"
"That's where it comes from. When someone gives you a gift that turns out to be a bad thing, it's a gift from N'gura.
"For two long years, Kirk and Spock stayed home and were very unhappy. But then, their planet was threatened by a terrible monster and naturally N'gura turned to them to save it. And they did."
"I wouldn't have," interrupted an arrogant boy in the second row.
"Thankfully, Bessu, I doubt we shall have to turn to you in a similar crisis.
"When Kirk and Spock returned home, N'gura told them they could name their own reward. They asked him to give them the Enterprise for as long as they wanted her. And he did.
"Many years went by and Kirk and Spock went on adventuring and generally doing heroic things.
"During this time, Kirk's son was growing up. And he wanted to be a great man, too. So he built a wonderful machine. But it was stolen by an evil man named Khan and he turned the machine into a terrible weapon. Kirk and Spock went after Khan to retrieve the machine but he fired it at them and it was about to destroy the Enterprise and everyone on it. They were helpless. Even their great wizard Scott couldn't help them. So Spock made a great sacrifice. He gave up his life to save the starship and her crew. Yes, Donnj?"
"Kirk was on the bridge which is where the captain should always be in a crisis. So he didn't know what his friend was doing. And by the time he found out, it was too late. Khan was defeated and the ship was safe. But Spock--his t'hy'la--was dead.
"Now there was a third man--a healer named M'coy--who was often on these voyages. Yes, Aono?"
"No." The teacher chuckled. "But he was a very good friend to both Kirk and Spock. And before Spock made his sacrifice, he found M'coy where he was sleeping--"
"Who could sleep at a time like that?"
"I do not know, Bessu. And next time you have a question, please raise your hand.
"Spock went to M'coy and gave him his katra. Jevra, what is a katra?"
"Your katra is the essence of all that you are," a tall girl quoted solemnly.
"That is correct. Spock's body was sent to a place called Genesis. Now when Kirk and M'coy got home, M'coy became very ill and was put into a hospital because they thought he was insane. But Kirk found out that M'coy had Spock's katra so he freed M'coy from the hospital and set out for Genesis to retrieve Spock's body--to see if his t'hy'la could be made whole again. Bessu?"
"But Spock's body would be all rotten and icky. Who would want that?"
"Things do not rot in Genesis," the teacher explained in an exacting tone. "Now. Before Kirk could leave, a great sacrifice was required of him. If he went on this voyage, he would never be allowed to command a starship again. And Kirk made that sacrifice gladly for his friend.
"When they got to Genesis, another sacrifice was required of Kirk. His son. Now Kirk didn't want his son to die so he tried to bargain. You see, Kirk always believed he could get out of anything. But his son, who was almost as brave as his father, went ahead and made the sacrifice because it was partly his fault that Spock had died in the first place. Kirk grieved for his son but he went on, so that his death would not be in vain.
"Finally, when he had retrieved Spock's body, a third and final sacrifice was called for. Kirk had to destroy the Enterprise. That beautiful ship had served them faithfully for many years and Kirk was filled with sorrow to have to destroy her. But he did. And they were able to leave Genesis." The teacher's shoulders slumped a little as a familiar hand waved at him. "Yes, Bessu?"
"How could they leave if they didn't have a ship?"
"The great bird of the galaxy?" The boy's voice filled with excitement.
"No, another bird." Ser saw the child's disappointment and immediately regretted his impatience. "...who had been sent by the great bird," he added kindly.
"Kirk and M'coy took Spock's body to an enchantress who was able to bring him back to life and restore his katra. So the heroes went home. Yes, Bessu, it was the same bird.
"On the way home, they had one more great adventure and saved their world again. And the people were so grateful that they wanted to restore the things that had been lost. So they built another ship named Enterprise and gave it to Kirk and Spock. Rawna?"
"But Kirk didn't get his son back."
"No, Rawna, he didn't. And there's a great debate among scholars about how great a loss that actually was. But that's another story.
"Now after many years, Kirk and Spock grew old and got tired of adventuring. And the second Enterprise was getting old, too. So they went home.
"The people naturally wanted *someone* to keep doing great deeds so they built a third ship named Enterprise and gave it to another man to command. When they launched the vessel, they asked Kirk to go along on the first voyage for good luck. And he did. But during the trip, something terrible happened and Kirk died saving the ship."
"Like Spock," Rawna whispered sadly.
"Not quite like Spock. But because Kirk had been such a great hero, the gods sent him to a special place called the Nexus. In the Nexus, you can have anything you want just by wishing for it. Like N'gura, the powers that be thought Kirk would enjoy this."
Ser paused thoughtfully. "But I don't think he did. I think that, more than anything else, he wanted to be with his t'hy'la. And I think that, although the Nexus could make him think Spock was there, Kirk knew it wasn't real.
"A hundred years passed and the people built another Enterprise--"
"How many Enterprises were there?"
"Sorry, ser." A small hand went up.
"How many Enterprises were there?"
"At least five, maybe more. On this one, the captain was named Picard. And he was brave and noble but he came up against a terrible monster named Soran. And Picard knew that he couldn't defeat Soran. So he went to a wise old woman and she told him how he could bring Kirk out of the Nexus.
"Picard traveled to the Nexus and asked Kirk to help him. Naturally, being a hero, Kirk agreed. And together, Kirk and Picard defeated Soran. But Kirk was killed. And so he died alone, just as he always knew he would. Yes, Jevra?"
"How could he be alone if Picard was there?"
"He was alone because Spock was *not* there. You see, when t'hy'la are separated, each of them is alone in a way that the rest of us can never really understand. Kirk was very much alone--horribly alone--when he died."
The teacher heard a sniffle and looked over to see his assistant wipe away a tear.
"Picard went to Spock to tell him what had happened. Now for a hundred years, Spock had thought his friend was dead. So when he heard about this second death, he didn't grieve. Instead, he found out everything he could about the Nexus. And this is what he learned."
He watched with pleasure as the students leaned in, wide-eyed with curiosity.
"You can never really leave the Nexus. A part of you always stays there. So although Kirk was dead in this world, he was alive in the Nexus.
"Spock put his affairs in order and set out for the Nexus. And he was never seen again.
"And many people believe that the two of them are alive still, together forever in the Nexus."
The teacher smiled, enjoying the moment of thoughtful silence. He looked around the room and saw that every eye was still on him. A small hand crept shyly upward.
"I don't know. But I'll tell you where I think a part of it is. I think it's here." He pointed to his head. "And here." He touched the spot over his heart. "As long as we remember them and their story, Kirk and Spock will never die."
He looked at the kron and stood.
"I see our time is almost up. Now remember that the year changes on Nu Anno. So when you come back to class next week, what year will it be?"
"Very good. Enjoy your holiday. Class dismissed."
The students raced out of class, laughing and jumping. One boy lingered in the second row.
"I got a story from the library link about a king named Arthur. And it said that when we need him most, he'll return. Do you think Kirk and Spock could do that?"
The teacher smiled. "I think perhaps they could."
"Thank you, Ser. Happy holiday."
"Happy holiday to you, Bessu."
The boy ran happily after his classmates.
The teacher and his assistant straightened the room for several thoughtful minutes.
"Yes, Zanni?" He turned to his assistant.
"I've always liked that story."
"Yes, it's one of my favorites, too."
"Do you think any of it could be true?"
"It's difficult to say." The teacher stopped working and leaned against his desk. "Some scholars have dated those stories as far back as the twentieth century. But others say that, if Kirk and Spock had lived at all, it couldn't have been earlier than the twenty-third. It's sad that so many records were lost in the Three Hundred Years War."
"But what do *you* think, Sarkaam?"
The teacher steepled his hands.
"I like to think there are always...possibilities."
"Hmmm." She twisted her hair thoughtfully.
"Thank you, Sarkaam. That's very kind. Have a good holiday." She picked up her study kit and hurried to the doorway. She turned back to the teacher as she pulled on her coat. "Now don't forget, you're joining us for dinner on Nu Anno. My son Zhames will be there. I'd like you to meet him."
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