The Seduction of Sybok

[ns_exile]

Eternity.

It’s not a large word but one that holds images of infinity and time never-ending. Usually when one says they’ve spent an eternity in prison, it’s an exaggeration or only the perception of the slow passage of time. But in the creature’s case, “eternity” was very close to the truth. How many years had it been here now, trapped in the centre of the galaxy behind the prison barrier? It stopped counting after several eons as all it served to do was remind it of how at one time it was free to roam, free to play with the worlds it encountered.
Of course its idea of play was not exactly what the planet dwellers thought of as play. By human standards, it was the equivalent of a child pulling the wings off of flies though on a city-destroying, apocalypse-inducing scale. Countless worlds were treated in this fashion as the creature grew bored with one world and moved onto the next.
But one civilization was ready for it. They had watched as the creature tore one of their colonies to shreds and then moved onto a second and then a third. They were determined not to lose a fourth and devised a way to fight the creature. It was a long battle, carried over many light years and came at great expense to the pursuers of the creature, but they finally weakened it enough to trap it and held it in stasis until they could devise a prison. Even after all the harm it had caused, they respected its life enough not to kill it outright and took it to a geologically dead planet near the centre of the galaxy, imprisoning it on the surface and binding it to the rock.
With no tectonic or geothermal energy to fuel it, the creature languished for eons. Slowly extricating itself from the rock that imprisoned it, it fed on the energy of the weak sun the planet orbited and after a few more millennia it was able to exert some of its old power on the landscape and move the rock through force of will alone. Slowly and surely it grew in power but it was still a shell of its former self - the planet still held it prisoner, the barrier that was erected to keep it inside sapped its energy enough to keep it planet-bound. The creature realized that if it were to return to its former glory, it needed to escape this prison and roam free across the galaxy, away from the prison barrier.
More years passed and one by one the opportunities for escape came and went. Spacecraft from dozens of different cultures penetrated the barrier and entered orbit around the creature’s prison and each time the creature reached itself out to try to merge with the assortment of probes and small starships. Each merging attempt failed as they couldn’t handle the energy of the creature or the occupants realized the danger and destroyed their ships rather than be taken over. It returned each time to the surface of the planet to regain its strength after each exertion. This will not work, it thought. These craft are too puny to hold my essence… I need something larger and more powerful. Slowly its mental powers began to return. It reached out tentatively with its mind, probing the space around the planet first, then reaching out towards the prison barrier. Patiently it waited year after year, then probed again, each time pushing a little harder on the barrier until finally its thoughts made it through and out into the void of open space. It was like breathing cool, dry air after a lifetime of stifling humidity as it felt its mind break free of the prison bonds that held it to the planet. The creature’s range was still limited, but it pushed farther until finally it felt the first tickles of sentient thought. It channeled more of its energies into its thoughts, making itself known to the small enclosed minds that it encountered. One by one, the minds that could sense it rejected the creature’s thoughts with mixtures of confusion and dismissal; some went insane with hearing this other-worldly voice in their heads. The creature grew frustrated and channeled more and more energy into projecting its thoughts until it thought it would destroy itself through the exertions.
Finally, it touched a receptive mind. Hesitant at first, it pushed a little harder, touching the thoughts of this puny intellect and sensing an inner turmoil. The creature smiled to itself, this was the same turmoil that had once allowed it to enslave whole worlds and bend them to their will – the lost soul yearning for a purpose. The old ways of the creature came back into play and it delved deeper into this open mind and saw flashes of the brief life of this little being. Outcast from his people… flashes of faces that were expressionless but the being knew were filled with repressed rage… forbidden knowledge found deep in the archives of his people… inquisitions and accusations… then finally the threat of banishment from his home planet.
The creature pushed its mind into the small being’s and drew out a name.

“Sybok.”

At first the reaction was the same, the initial puzzlement and disbelief… but this time it was different, there was a feeling of intense inquisitiveness. This lost soul was yearning for something and the creature knew just what to provide: spiritual enlightenment. This puny being’s mind was powerful and intelligent but at the same time arrogant and gullible, perfect fodder to twist to the creature’s needs.
“Sybok,” it said again. “Hear me. You seek answers that none are able to provide you and have forbidden you to learn. I have come with the knowledge you seek.”
There was more puzzlement but the disbelief was waning cautiously. The creature sensed Sybok stand and take in his surroundings, making sure that what he was hearing was not some cruel trick being played on him. But he was still on his home planet and there was very little chance that his stoic kin would do such a thing.
“Who are you?” came the reply finally. “Where are you?” Excitement was building in this Sybok but doubt flooded his thoughts. It didn’t matter to the creature, it had been through tougher challenges and more stubborn minds than this.
“Need you ask, Sybok?” This being was a wealth of information for the creature. As it delved into Sybok’s mind, it discovered 40 years worth of research into the myths and religions of dozens of cultures and a piecing together of the common threads in each one. Seizing upon that, the creature saw what it was that Sybok needed the most and the deception began to unfold with a well-practiced ease.
It drew on and flashed deity images from a thousand cultures into Sybok’s consciousness, tantalizing him with what Sybok wanted to see as the truth. It deftly linked them together, exploiting the commonalities of myth to weave a common picture, a unifying prescience. For an hour the creature wove its deception, showing Sybok manufactured images from false histories, how the creature smote the “unworthy” and elevated the “chosen”, miracles and wonders performed that had no other explanation than from a being of mythical proportions. Finally, the show was over and Sybok swooned where he stood, his mind reeling from the barrage.
“You have many other questions more worthy of my divine attention,” said the creature. “But they must wait for now. My time is short and I must prepare you.”
There was another pause as Sybok steadied himself mentally and physically. More puzzlement and confusion came. “Prepare me for what?”
“Your journey to find me, of course,” the creature said. “I have chosen you to be my messenger, my wisdom will flow from you and together we will enlighten the universe.” The creature smiled inwardly; it was almost too easy sometimes. “You have searched for the meaning of the universe, the way to find me. You are my devoted follower and will be rewarded.”
“Yes!” came the jubilant response, “I will do whatever it takes to find you. But you must guide me, a journey cannot begin without direction.”
“Of course,” said the creature. It projected more images into Sybok’s mind – the stars in the sky of his prison, the barrier that separated the creature from the rest of the galaxy, and finally the surface of the prison planet itself, in as much detail as the creature could summon. It felt itself weaken and knew that it was close to breaking the link. Gathering a final surge of energy, it sent one last message.
“You will find me in…” the pause was imperceptible to Sybok but it was enough for the creature to pluck the name from his open and willing mind, “Sha’Ka’Re. Look for me there, Sybok. You are my chosen one, do whatever you need to reach me.”
Sybok hesitated a moment. “But the Great Barrier… our science tells us it’s impenetrable.”
The creature was fading now, growing impatient, but it knew the correct response for a mind such as this. Using the lure that it had used countless times before, it replied with one last burst of strength, “It is a test of faith, my chosen one. The true believer will find his way to Sha’Ka’Re to join with me and have all his deepest and most profound questions answered. Have faith in me, Sybok, I have chosen you to be my messenger. Spread the word and find your followers, there are many who are in torment as you. Help them out of their pain and confusion and bring them to join with me. It will be glorious!”
With that, the strength faded and the creature withdrew from Sybok’s mind, recoiling back into itself spent but with a newfound optimism that it hadn’t felt in eons. The eternity of imprisonment was coming to an end and it had found the perfect pawn to set it loose in the galaxy once more.


*********************************


“Sybok!” Amanda exclaimed as she opened the door to her home. The always-disheveled Vulcan smiled broadly at her, something she was never really able to get used to even when he lived with Sarek, Spock, and herself.
“Amanda,” he said, “Always a pleasure to see you.” He held out his hand to her which she warmly clasped and returned the beaming smile. Amanda had always liked Sybok, his charm and enthusiasm were infectious; the fact that he was an emotional Vulcan had always added a touch of novelty to an otherwise stoic household and she had always hoped that Spock would learn from Sybok to embrace emotions and stop being so damned logical like his father.
“It’s wonderful to see you too, Sybok,” she said. “You’ve been gone so long, I was beginning to wonder where you had disappeared to. Especially after the Mt. Salaya ruling by the council…”
Sybok’s smile dimmed slightly at her words and a small fire appeared in his eyes. “Yes, well after that debacle I decided to lay low for a while and try to continue my studies in private. It’s not easy, I have to say, but I think I’m making some headway.” The smile began to return to full force and he released her hand, spreading his arms as if presenting himself. “May I come in? I miss the old homestead.”
Amanda’s smile faded altogether and she looked sullenly over her shoulder. “I don’t think that would be a good idea, Sybok.” Her voice was very apologetic and Sybok could sense the conflict within her. He always had a good relationship with Amanda, especially since he never known his birth-mother, and she had always been secretly in his corner when it came to disputes with Sarek, though she would never speak out against the emotionless ambassador. Sarek was her husband, after all, and she had to support him. “Sarek would not accept you in our home.”
The smile on Sybok’s face did not abate. “Nonsense!” he said in a loud voice that he was sure would be heard throughout the house, “The prodigal son has returned and needs the wisdom of the great ambassador! Surely he would not deny his firstborn son the pleasure of his company!”
Before Amanda could speak, she could feel the presence of her husband coming up behind her. Sarek moved beside her, his hands folded in front of him as was his manner, and turned to his wife. “I will deal with this, my wife. Please attend to other matters, I wish to speak with my son alone.”
Amanda gave Sybok an apologetic look as she turned from the doorway. She placed a hand on her husbands arm, imploring him with her thoughts to listen to Sybok rather than dismiss him outright. Sarek gave her a small comforting nod before she turned completely and disappeared into the house.
Sarek turned to his son, whose beaming smile brought the stoic Vulcan to a state approaching irritation. He never quite knew where he had gone wrong with Sybok, why he decided to embrace his emotions rather than supress them as a Vulcan should. If it were not for the fact that Sybok was Sarek’s firstborn son and a reminder of his long-departed first wife, Sarek would have banished Sybok from his home long ago. “You have been gone a long time, Sybok. It has been 4.23 months since you last stood on my doorstep and it seems since then that trouble has followed you.”
Sybok’s smile disappeared fully this time and he lowered his arms to his sides. “So what have you heard? From what Amanda has said, I’m assuming you know the full story.”
Sarek simply nodded and stepped aside from the doorway, motioning with a hand for Sybok to enter. “Come and sit. We have much to talk about.”
“Yes, we do,” answered Sybok as he stepped across the threshold and into the house. He headed immediately for the chair that he used to call his own when he lived there. “I see nothing has changed,” he remarked as he sat and looked around the room, his dusty robes settling over him. “Then again, you never did let Amanda redecorate.”
Sarek took his place in a chair opposite his son. “The layout of the room is quite logical therefore the desire to change it for purely aesthetic reasons would be a mistake.”
“Hmmmm,” mused Sybok, “and we couldn’t have the great Sarek making a mistake now, could we?”
“Spare me your sarcasm, Sybok. It does not affect me and is therefore irrelevant,” Sarek said with total coolness. “What is not irrelevant, however, is your ban from Mt. Selaya.”
“A closing of minds is more like it,” scoffed Sybok as his face hardened with anger and frustration. “I wouldn’t be surprised to hear if you had something to do with it, you never did agree with my research.”
“Research?” Sarek said with a raised eyebrow. “Is that what you’re calling your myth-chasing now?”
Sybok leapt to his feet and exploded with anger. “Sha’Ka’Ree is NOT a myth!” he stormed, his body shaking with rage. How many times did he have to defend himself against Sarek’s lack of faith? Ever since the god of Sha’Ka’Ree revealed himself to Sybok, it had been an uphill battle with his father. Even Amanda, who more than anyone should have believed in what he expounded on every chance he could, regarded Sybok with little more than amused tolerance whenever the subject was brought up. “I’m getting closer in my research but the closed, stodgy minds of the government ministers believe in hiding information from the free will of the people!” He started to pace the room, arms flailing in the air as he entered into one of his rants. “I have submitted myself to test after test after test to prove that the voice of God in my head was not the result of some neurological malfunction and over and over again nothing is found to indicate that there is any problem!” He stormed over to where Sarek was seated and bent down, hands grtipping the arms of Sarek’s chair, putting his face inches from his father’s.
“It’s not just up here, father,” he said, tapping the side of his head with a finger. “The voice of God is real and He is calling me! Sha’Ka’Ree is not a myth and when I find it, the different cultures of the galaxy will cry out in joy and touch the mind of God for themselves!” He stood up again and looked down at his father. “You think I am insane.”
Sarek shook his head. “I believe you are misguided. You have a brilliant mind, very much like your mother’s, but it has been poisoned by your embrace of emotion.”
Sybok shook his head and resumed his pacing. “No, I reject your hypothesis. If anything, cultivating my emotions has helped to clear my mind and see things that a purely logical approach cannot. Logic destroys faith and belief and without either, Sha’Ka’Ree would be long forgotten and we would be denied union with God.” He stopped his pacing and turned to look at Sarek, who was still sitting with exact composure. “I will show you. The myths of Sha’Ka’Ree are true and there is a God waiting there for us to join him, testing our worthiness.”
Sarek shook his head and a brief flash of disappointment crossed his face. “I had wished for better things for you, my son. Chasing deities and old beliefs is beneath you. What has it done for you to this point? You have been banned from the Vulcan Science Academy, your public speakings are considered radical and unlistenable by the population, and now you have been banned from ever setting foot on Mount Seleya due to your research into forbidden subjects.”
“Forbidden,” Sybok retorted with malice in his voice. “A people who pride themselves on their scientific and mental prowess forbidding one of its own from the quest of knowledge… doesn’t that seem a tad illogical to you, Father?”
“Not at all,” Sarek answered without a pause. “You more than anyone have studied our history in great detail. You know what our society was like two thousand years ago, we were on the verge of destroying ourselves. Ridding ourselves of our emotions was the only way to save our people.”
“I do know our history,” said Sybok, “and Surak had it all wrong. The key was to master emotion, not suppress it. Yes, our ancestors were full of intense hatred and anger but at the same time there was also great love and Joy. What Surak should have taught us was a reigning in of the bad emotions and more expression of the good; instead all he did was turn Vulcans into logic zombies, devoid of feeling and compassion. We turned our backs on our beliefs because they didn’t coincide with logic and Sha’Ka’Ree was hidden from us as a result.” He stopped his pacing and sat back down on his chair, hunching his shoulders as he looked straight across the room at his father. “We have an historic chance to rediscover what was lost but Vulcan has closed its mind and heart to the truth and knowledge, all over the fear of facing the emotions that dwell in each of us.” He leaned forward in his chair, drawing himself closer to Sarek. “Is fear logical, father?”
“Fear is an emotion,” Sarek replied stonily, “and is therefore illogical. You have mastered your emotions to a certain extent, you reject the violent anger and choose to embrace love and joy. But not all are as wise and in control as you, Sybok. To unleash certain knowledge upon the general public and lure them back to the days before Surak could potentially have disastrous results on all that we’ve accomplished in the past 2000 years.”
Sybok looked at the floor and shook his head. “This is an old argument and I’m not going to indulge you. I have better things to do with my time than listen to moldy arguments about logic and emotion.” He looked back up at his father. “I had hoped you might understand and maybe have some sympathy when you heard about what happened regarding Mount Seleya.”
“What were you trying to accomplish?” asked Sarek. “I was told they found you deep within the mountain where it is forbidden for all but the high priests to go.”
“I was attempting to communicate with the Katras of our forbearers, the minds of ones who lived long ago and still held fresh the stories of Sha’Ka’Ree and who might understand my quest,” Sybok explained, his hands moving animatedly as he spoke. “I wanted someone else to hear the voice of God as well, since it seems the living do not want to hear anything of the sort. I at least thought the spirits of the dead would be more receptive, considering their situation. But now that has been denied me by the cold, logical ones who rule over this planet.”
“Even if you were successful in melding with a katra, there is little reason to believe that they would give the information freely,” came another voice as a figure entered the room. Sybok looked up and saw the lithe frame of his brother Spock cross the room and stand beside Sarek. “Katra from that time are leary of others since they were newcomers to the teachings of Surak and still held emotions of suspicion and mistrust.”
“Spock!” cried Sybok and he leaped up from his chair, crossed the room and threw his arms around the young Vulcan, hugging him tight. Spock noticeably winced at the contact but quickly composed himself and endured Sybok’s enthusiasm until finally released as Sybock held Spock by the shoulders at arms length and turned on the beaming smile. “It is so good to see you! I hope the old man hasn’t turned you against me in my absence.” He gave Spock a wink and released him, crossing back to his chair and sitting down while Spock remained standing at his father’s side.
Cocking an eyebrow and folding his hands behind his back, Spock said, “Father has said nothing to me regarding you. Only that you have had some trouble in regards to your research.”
“Research that you promised to help me with…” said Sybok, wagging a finger at his brother.
“An error on my part,” Spock said. There was a flicker of fear on his face as he looked briefly down at his father’s disapproving face, then back to Sybok. “I should never have agreed to help you with your indulgence and I will not be assisting with your… ‘quest’.”
Sybok’s face fell again. “I had high hopes for you, brother. I had hoped that some day your human half would come through. But now I see that the Vulcan in you has taken hold and will not let go.” He shook his head. “I had hoped you would join me, together we could solve the mystery of Sha’Ka’Ree and show everyone what unbelieving fools they are.” He paused a moment as he studied Spock’s face. He rose from his chair and started to move closer, bringing a hand up from his side in a claw-like position. “Perhaps if you melded with me, heard the voice of God in your head, you would be a true believer…”
Sarek was instantly on his feet and grabbed Sybok by the wrist. “You will do no such thing,” he said simply. Father and son stared each other in the eyes for many tense moments as Spock watched the war of wills. Finally Sarek spoke again. “You will leave this house and never return. You are my son but I cannot allow this behaviour or allow you to indulge your emotional quest for fantasy. Now you threaten Spock and I cannot stand by and watch you corrupt him when he has come so far.”
Sybok gave a sarcastic laugh. “’He has come so far’,” he mocked. He pulled his hand loose from Sarek’s grasp and backed away. “You’ve done nothing more than turn him into a puppet, suppressed his true heritage in favour of stoicism and emotional repression. I imagine that you are trying to secure a place for him at the Vulcan Science Academy.”
“I am.”
“I figured as much,” Sybok spat. He looked again to Spock and his features softened with pity. “I weep for you, under the foot of this relic…”
“Enough,” barked Sarek more forcefully than he intended as his composure slipped momentarily.
This elicited a sardonic smile from Sybok. “Maybe I’m not such a black sheep after all, Sarek. The Terrans have a saying - ‘The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.’”
“Leave,” Sarek said simply and softly, his composure regained and his face stony.
Sybok looked at his father and then to Spock, sighing and shaking his head. “You closed-minded fool.” He shook his finger at Sarek. “You’ll see. You’ll both see. I’ve been chosen by God himself to bring us back to Sha’Ka’Ree. I will find it, I will pass the test and be one with God.” He straightened himself up, drawing up to his full height. “Give my love to Amanda, and my regrets that I shall never see her smiling face again.”
Sarek nodded simply and went to the door, holding it open. Sybok followed, pausing to put a hand on Spock’s shoulder. “Walk with me to the street, please,” he said.
The young man looked to Sarek for guidance and got a small nod in return. “Sybok, there is to be no mind meld,” he warned.
Sybok shook his head. “No melding, I give you my word. I’ll leave the son that you will actually acknowledge alone, I only wish an escort until I’m clear of your house.”
Sarek stepped aside and let the two brothers pass out the door and to the walkway that led to the front gate of the house and to the road beyond that. Sybok was silent until he heard the door close behind them and he chanced a glance over his shoulder to make sure they were not being observed.
“I still wish you would come with me,” he said as they approached the front gate slowly. “We could make a good team, you and I. Just think about it, the Sons of Sarek who find Sha’Ka’Ree and bring spiritual enlightenment to the galaxy.” The broad, charismatic smile reappeared on the elder brother’s face. “And then we get you in touch with your human side and let you feel as you were meant to. I tell you Spock, emotions are liberating! I wish you would give in to them and let them flow!”
Spock shook his head. “No Sybok, I could never do that. I have worked too hard to gain acceptance in our society. To give in to emotion would be to face ostracism again, as well as losing any chances of attending the Science Academy next season.”
Sybok sighed and looked skyward. “Ah yes, the ‘Robot Factory’, stiflers of free speech and knowledge. They’re part of the reason I was banned from the chambers in Mt. Seleya.” They reached the gate and Spock opened it, allowing Sybok to pass through it to the street. He looked wistfully at Spock, emotions of love and pity playing across his face. “I do love you, Spock. I know what you’ve been through in your life so I can understand your reasoning for wanting to choose the Vulcan way and not follow your brother on the quest of a lifetime.”
Spock nodded. “It is acceptance that I seek,” he admitted, “and though you refer to the Science Academy as a ‘robot factory’, it is what I aspire to do.”
Sybok looked pained. “Is it? Or is it that stuffy old man inside that house pushing you into a life you are not suited for?” He came closer to Spock and grabbed him by the shoulders again, staring directly into his eyes. “I know you, brother, your soul is freer than this. Do not let Sarek push you into a life that you do not want. You have a yearning spirit that needs to explore and to get off this barren rock. Go to Earth and join Starfleet or Andor to explore the Ruins of the Clans... experience something else instead of the pure emotionless logic and unfeeling knowledge that the Academy will pump into you.”
Spock looked hesitant and Sybok could feel the conflict within him, but a few moments later the stone-cold Vulcan look was back on Spock’s face. “My path is clear,” he said, his voice low.
Sybok smiled knowingly. “Is it?” he asked again. He gave Spock’s shoulders a light squeeze, then released him, backing away. “Time for me to go. I have great things to accomplish!” The rabid smile was back and his voice carried over the street and the houses lining it. He lifted his hands to the sky and swept them open as if clearing the way for his travels. “Sha’Ka’Ree awaits and with it an audience with the Almighty!” He dropped his hands and strode down the street, head held high in the afternoon sun as his dusty robes swirled about his feet. A few meters down the road, he stopped and turned to face Spock, who was still standing in the same place watching his brother leave. Sybok raised his hand in the Vulcan salute and cried, “Live long and prosper, brother Spock! Great things await the both of us, I can feel it!”
Spock returned the salute. “Live long and prosper, Sybok. You will be missed.”
Sybok grinned from ear to ear and turned his salute to a pointing finger directly at Spock. “You will catch up to me some day! I know you will!”
With that, he turned away and strode down the road. Spock watched him until he was out of sight before turning back towards the house, his head swimming with Sybok’s words. Most illogical, my path is clear, he thought to himself… but at the same time he could not ignore the possibilities that came into his mind. He entered the house and was relieved to see that Sarek had returned to his meditation in his study while his mother busied herself outside in her small garden. He strode to his room, closed the door behind him and sat down at the Spartan computer terminal in the corner.
“Computer,” he said softly. “Comparative analysis of the educational curriculums of the Vulcan Science Academy and all major universities on Andor, Tellar, Alpha Centauri, and Earth… including Starfleet Academy.” He sat quietly as the computer did its work, hands forming a steeple in front of his face as he pondered the possibilities.

***************************************

“Your pain runs deep… reveal it to me!” cried Sybok, gazing intently into the eyes of the human before him, another lost soul who had made his way to join with him in the quest for enlightenment, a chance to join with the Almighty. Now on this tiny cargo ship, Sybok traveled from system to system with a small group of followers that he picked up since his banishment from Vulcan 30 years previous. Together they roamed from system to system, chasing every rumour and legend they could find regarding the place of creation. In turn he was chased from many systems as his evangelization was considered highly disruptive. Many times he was asked (politely in some cases, not-so-politely in others) to take whatever ship he could find and leave. One of his followers had run a small cargo business before losing everything to Orion pirates and managed to keep one ship in service that Sybok adopted as his “chariot to the stars”. His Army of Light was growing quickly though and the quarters inside the small ship were getting very tight. Besides, it was too small and too under-shielded to make it through the Great Barrier – for that, he was going to need something bigger and more powerful.
Piercing the open human open mind with his honed telepathic abilities, Sybok saw the pain in the man’s soul, the wife and child that died in a hovercar accident, the years of drug abuse after that… each moment relived in excruciating detail as the man was forced to face his pain instead of burying it within him and weighing down his soul. Anguish swept across both men as they re-lived the funeral, the empty house, the packing of his child’s belongings to put in storage, then the escape into madness as he traveled to worlds that produced drugs so powerful they put to shame anything Earth had ever produced to dull the pain of existence. Finally he made his way here to the far reaches of space, following the rumours of the man who had all the answers and saved souls.
The rest of Sybok’s followers looked on with rapt attention, each reliving their own experience with this unique Vulcan. They watched as the human’s face turned from pain to absolute peace, gasping heavily as the emotional release sapped the energy from his body and he crumpled to the floor. Sybok knelt beside him and wrapped an arm around the human’s shoulder, supporting him as he regained his strength.
“You harboured a lot of pain, my friend,” he said, that broad smile shining on his face. “But you are free now! Come join your brethren and together we will all find what we are looking for.”
The man looked up into Sybok’s face, then wrapped his arms around his shoulders, hugging him tight as tears of joy flowed from his eyes. “Thank you, oh thank you,” he sobbed over and over. “I was told you had all the answers, I’m so thankful the rumours were right!”
Sybok closed his eyes as he hugged the man back tightly, feeling the peace wash over him. “I don’t have all the answers, my friend, but together we will find them.” He extracted himself from the human and brought him to his feet, turning him to face the others gathered in the room.
“Brothers and sisters, please welcome another member of the Army of Light! He is free of the pain that has dogged him for so long and will help us complete our quest!” He started to pace the room, his eyes moving from follower to follower. “Sa’Ka’Ree is almost within our reach!” There was a fire in his voice that had never been there before, a new confidence in his purpose. “Through much work and research, I have finally found Sha’Ka’Ree, I have passed yet one more test that God has laid out for me!”
The followers all cheered, some with tears in their eyes as the end of their journey loomed. Sybok laughed long and loud with them. “Yes, revel in it, my friends! The Army of Light will prevail!” More cheering followed and he took it all in, absorbing the joy and optimism that filled the room.
“But now, my friends I must rest!” he shouted over the din, the cheering quieting as they longed to hear him speak and he paused until they were quiet. “I must rest and meditate on our next move in this quest. I know where Sha’Ka’Ree is, now I must contemplate the test of the Great Barrier that God has put in our way. But we are righteous in our task and we will pass the test, my friends! Together we will find all our answers but I must first ponder certain questions.” His smile was broad but uncertainty was in his eyes as he moved towards the door that led to his private meditation room. “Please rest for now, I will return after my contemplations.”
Murmurs of “goodnight” followed him as he left and his followers went to their own cubby-holes to rest. Sybok closed the door behind him and immediately slumped to the floor, falling on his knees and burying his face in his hands. He sobbed heavily, hoping that no-one outside the room could hear him. He was close to despair – he had figured out that the Great Barrier was breachable, the shielding of a large starship could easily deflect its energy with the right configuration. That was the puzzling part, the Great Barrier seemed more designed to keep certain types of energy in rather than keeping objects out. But that was in the back of his mind now, the more pressing matter was how to get his hands on a starship of sufficient size to get to Sha’Ka’Ree. Every avenue he could think of was closed to him – he couldn’t buy a ship, he didn’t have resources enough for even a ship like the one he was currently on; borrowing one was out of the question, who in their right mind was going to loan something like a starship to a rag-tag band of zealots? Theft was a possibility but there had never been any way to get himself close enough to beam aboard or dock with anything even resembling a starship. By his estimations, he needed something as large as a Federation Miranda or Constitution-class starship at the very least, or one of those new Excelsior-class ships that had just started production in the shipyards around Mars and Earth. But those were scarcer than hen’s teeth, as the Terrans liked to say, and there were no opportunities presenting themselves. Desperation was starting to set in as the prize was in sight! Without a shadow of a doubt, he had pinpointed Sha’Ka’Ree’s position a couple of light years inside the Great Barrier but with no ship to get him there, the quest was liable to fall apart and his disillusioned followers scattered to the interstellar winds. He had brought them to the edge of the Neutral Zone in the hopes of finding inspiration but instead all he found was emptiness and want.
Pulling himself together, he dove into the mental discipline that he had learned while growing up on Vulcan, the meditative trance that allowed him to focus his mind on a single problem. His embrace of emotion had made the task a little harder than for the logical Vulcan, but it had served him well. He was also ever hopeful that the voice of God would come to him again as it had that one time and deliver to him visions of what was to come. But as always, all that came to his searching mind was silence and he chided himself for his impatience. It is all part of the test, he reminded himself again and again. God gave me a vision to guide me, now I must prove my worth by passing these tests to reach Him.
Falling into a trance, Sybok meditated on the question of how to get a starship involved in his quest… the largest starships were part of the military, for the most part… the military responded in times of crisis… but to provoke a crisis worthy of military presence was difficult, most planets were capable of defending themselves against anything that he and his small group could ever hope to muster. Again and again he ran through the list of systems in his mind, analyzing their defensive capabilities and rejecting each one in turn. One by one, he brought each system he had studied to mind and his frustration grew as nothing suitable could be found. He snapped out of his trance and was immediately on his feet, roaring his frustration to the ceiling as picked up the nearest chair and threw it against the wall in pure Vulcan fury. He stood there seething, trying to focus his mind outside the ship to look for that voice that came so rarely, the voice of God to give him direction.
It’s another test, he told himself and he slowed his anger and refocused his will onto the task at hand as his fists still clenched tight at his side. There were only a few star systems left to mull and the worst of the bunch was Nimbus III. No, he thought, there must be a better solution than that. Nimbus III is a forgotten world on the edge of absolute anarchy, how could I create a crisis worth the attention of a government’s military on a world where crisis was a way of life? The realization dawned on him almost immediately. “Of course!” he shouted in the small room and he headed quickly for the door, exiting back onto the small bridge and headed straight for the captain, who looked at the grinning Vulcan with total surprise.
“Is there something wrong, Sybok?” he asked as the Vulcan walked briskly over to him and slapped a strong hand on his shoulder, making him wince.
“On the contrary, everything is just fine,” said Sybok reassuringly. “I’ve had a vision and I know where to go now.” He leaned down to look into the captain’s face. “What do you know of Nimbus III?”
The captain screwed up his face in disgust. “More than I care to. I’ve made cargo runs out there before, it’s a giant dirt ball with the refuse of the galaxy living on it. It’s a wild place, Sybok, you don’t want to go there.”
“Refuse you say,” said Sybok with one of his trademark laughs. He released the Captain and paced about the bridge, gesturing wildly with his hands as he spoke, “What you call ‘refuse’, I call ‘lost souls’ full of pain and yearning for answers.” He turned abruptly to the captain. “A place that is wild is merely a place yearning to be tamed and to be given direction! We shall go there, my friend, and my Army of Light will grow larger beyond our wildest dreams.” The smile on his face was bordering on maniacal and the captain felt himself shrink back in his chair a little. He loved Sybok dearly and had pledged to follow him to the ends of the universe if necessary, but there were times when Sybok scared him a little. “Tell me,” the smiling self-proclaimed prophet continued, “what else is on that ‘dirt ball’?”
The captain had to think about it a moment. “I dunno,” he shrugged. “There’s no government to speak of… closest thing there is are the three representatives from the Federation, Klingons, and Romulans… though I’ve heard a rumor that the latest Romulan representative ran off into the desert in a fit of madness and was never heard from again. I’m sure the pointy-eared bastards have sent a replacement by now…” he gave Sybok a sheepish look. “No offense intended, of course,” he said, lowering his head.
“None taken, my expressive friend,” Sybok laughed and clapped the captain on the back with his hand so hard, he pitched forward in his chair, nearly falling forward on the deck. “Those caretakers of Nimbus III will be our key to fulfilling our quest. Once we have taken the capital and have the three representatives in our hands, the rest will all fall into place. That is our next test, my friend. God has pointed to way to manpower and a solution to our dilemma! We have much work ahead of us, there are many people in pain that we must light the path for.”
The captain smiled at the thought of his own session with Sybok, the pain of his poor and destitute life lifted away and his existence given more meaning by this miracle worker . “As always, Sybok, you show us the way. I’m plotting a course for Nimbus III with as much speed as this bucket can muster.”
The men could feel the deck shift under them slightly as the ship turned and the inertial dampers fought to keep up with even that small a change as on the viewscreen stars wheeled about them before settling down as the ship fell into its new course.
The captain looked at the information display overlaid on the stars. “We’re at warp 5, ETA is about 2 weeks… give or take a day.”
“Excellent!” said Sybok as he watched the stars streak by. “That will give me time to prepare. The challenge will be great but we must prove ourselves worthy.”
He smiled to himself as he stood watching the stars, arms folded across his chest in a display of triumph. It’s finally coming to an end! Soon I shall walk into Sha’Ka’Re and come face to face with the Creator himself and solve the mysteries of existence! It will be glorious… and where better to start the chaos that will bring about my redemption, he thought with a sense of irony, than on the ‘Planet of Galactic Peace’?

The creature watched with an anxious mind as the events unfolded, lurking in the back of Sybok’s mind as he converted one lost soul after another to his crusade towards the centre of the galaxy. Excitement was building as it watched the Army of Light grow and storm the capital of Nimbus III and it chose that moment to withdraw back into itself, conserving its energy for the meeting it knew would come. Sybok was performing far beyond its expectations and the creature was as confident as it had ever been that its long captivity was coming swiftly to an end. In what seemed the blink of an eye, it sensed a familiar disturbance in the energy field that surrounded this area of space that contained its prison and it reached out with its mind once more, touching Sybok’s and guiding him closer. It disregarded the second, smaller disturbance that pierced the barrier and watched eagerly as a small craft with Sybok and three others aboard entered the atmosphere. It reached out easily with its mind to the shuttlecraft, wresting control from the being that had been piloting it and guided it to a soft landing near the area that it had years before sent to Sybok in a vision and watched as the four men exited and marched over the small hills to where the creature laid in wait. Bottled-up excitement and rage threatened to explode from the creature as it laid out its plans, laughing inwardly at his jailors, hoping beyond hope that in some part of the galaxy their race continued to live and swore vengeance on them. My freedom alone will be revenge enough… but once I’m free of this place and have regained my strength, the galaxy will tremble before me and never again will I be locked away! But there will be time enough once I have merged with the ship… bring it closer… just a little closer… but they have arrived. It is time to put on my best show…