AFTER THE CREDITS The Way to Eden

Author: Ster Julie

Series: TOS

Rating: PG

Characters: Spock

Genre: Drama

Part 1/1

Number 34 in the After the Credits series

I find myself disturbed after the day's events. Doctor Sevrin and his young followers wanted no more than anyone else, including myself—original innocence, Eden, Sha Ka Ri. This is what I tried to convey to Captain Kirk, to no avail. What these young people sought was the simpler life, but what they found instead was disillusionment, even death.

When I close my eyes and try to meditate, I see the still face of Adam, dead, mouth horribly disfigured, and my thoughts stray back to myself, to when I left home at such an impossibly young age. Adam took a wrong step on his journey to his dream. Perhaps this is what my father feared when I left home, that I would end up so young, so dead, after so wrong a misstep on my journey.

I suspect another reason for my difficulties in my meditation is my reaction to the odor that clung to the clothes of Dr. Sevrin and his followers. I am convinced that it was the residue of a hallucinogenic substance. It certainly affected my judgement. The Vulcan harp was never designed to produce such dissonant chords. I will have to spend many hours retuning and rebalancing it. I may have to purchase a whole new set of strings and restring the harp.

I keep coming back to Adam. He may have been a follower of a madman, but he reminded me so much of my own brother. Sybok had the same spirit of a wild mustang in him. Ready to bolt, to experience, to feel, logic be damned.

Stop recording

Personal log, continued.

I was more successful in my meditations. I began by saluting the katra of my brother and was pleased to sense a resonance with Sybok over the distance, wherever he is. I next recited the brief ritual for the dead for Adam and for Doctor Sevrin. After I recognized the similarities between Adam and Sybok, the hindrance to achieving the proper meditative state was removed my meditations went as normal.

I have ordered a new set of harp strings. My lapse in judgment proved to be expensive. The strings will cost me an entire month's pay. In the meantime, I will practice my keyboard skills and learn some of the new music I acquired from Mr. Flint.

End personal log.

FIN-