Chapter By Chapter> Star Trek: The Vulcan Academy Murders chapter 5

Chapter By Chapter (usually) features me reading one chapter of the selected book at a time and reviewing it as if I were reviewing an episode of a TV show or an issue of a comic. There will be spoilers if you haven’t read to the point I have, and if you’ve read further I ask that you don’t spoil anything further into the book. Think of it as a read-along book club.

Well, it’s been a fun few days as I fight off the remnants of a cold, which is why this is coming out on Thursday instead of Monday. Next week should be back to the usual posting spot, but while I’ve got comic reviews on cliffhangers I can at least get this one moving. Last time we had some really good character moments until we got the mental alert that something is wrong with one of the patients. That took two short chapters, but this week we only have the one big one.

I am not usually a mystery fan…because I’m not very good at solving mystery stories. Even Scooby-Doo is hard, and I was still disappointed when DC Comics didn’t even try during their run, or at least the ones I got through before I gave up. I only bought this book because it had the same characters I enjoyed in The IDIC Epidemic, and I’m not usually into medical procedure stories either. This as I recall IS a mystery story. This is where the last part of this article series intro really comes into play so let me repeat it: There will be spoilers if you haven’t read to the point I have, and if you’ve read further I ask that you don’t spoil anything further into the book. Think of it as a read-along book club.

I’ll hold off on clue discussion past the “read more” jump so anyone coming in on the homepage who might want to read along or hasn’t read the book yet and wants to go in clear to solve the mystery along with our crew. I do insist you not spoil or even hint to a clue or the solution from later in the book than the chapter we’re discussing here. So any hints, spoilers, and “wait until later” comments that take place after the chapter we’re currently on (chapter five in his case) are not allowed and I will delete words, lines, or whole posts if I have to. I’m not that hardnosed usually and won’t be making a habit of it, but considering this is a mystery we should all solve together (it’s been so long from my original reading that I’m practically coming in fresh, only remembering how they did it and I’ll try to keep myself in check on that) I’m going to a bit more strict for the rest of this book. With that, let’s go check on our patient.

So all we know going in is that Sorel’s bond with his wife is telling him something is wrong with her, sending everyone from the restaurant to check in. With that, chapter five begins.

Our current cast is driving to the hospital. Sorel can feel his wife dying even before they get a call from the hospital that something has happened to the stasis field. This whole chapter is using the telepathic bond between Vulcans as part of the tension. Sorel feels her death before they reach the hospital, but despite already knowing that resuscitation is impossible with this procedure, Daniel’s first instinct is to attempt it, McCoy coming to help. Meanwhile, Sorel has gone into a form of mental shock (best I can describe it) with his wife’s passing. He needs his family, but his son has left to collect Sorel’s daughter from the spaceport. Thanks to Kirk, Sarek is able to reach them at the spaceport and Kirk uses his authority as a Starfleet captain to get them beamed to the hospital. I’m guessing going from transporter unit to transporter unit is more stable than just having the Enterprise or the orbiting station they use to beam them directly to the hospital, possibly even into the room where Sorel is current recuperating, something we see often in the 24th century shows where someone will get beamed directly to Sickbay rather than the transporter room.

For one thing the transporter trip is going to take time, and Sorel doesn’t have it. Luckily, Sorel trusts Daniel and even melded with him to get his mind back when Daniel was undergoing the same procedure, so it’s hoped that he can at least keep Sorel from going any further back until son Soton and daughter T’Mir arrive to help bring him all the way back. They’ll also be characters in our story. Our final new addition is Sendet, a tech that Sorel’s wife used to work with. He seems (the Vulcan equivalent of) a bit disappointed that he can’t help because he isn’t family. We have to start building our suspect list sooner than later, but will he be on it?

Another good character moment happens while Kirk is calling for assistance. Sarek tries reaching Soton at home (I’m surprised spellcheck isn’t yelling at me with all these Vulcan names that aren’t famous Star Trek characters) and learns he’s picking up T’Mir. The “answering machine” says they’re going to his father’s house but they aren’t there. Hoping they’re still at the spaceport, Kirk calls them and arranges the transport since his status comes with less red tape than even the ambassador and respected teacher. Sarek notes that Kirk switches between command and diplomacy as the situation requires, something fans tend to forget in the Kirk/Picard debates. Kirk can be diplomatic, and this isn’t about his ego. He just made a new friend and that friend needs his kids fast, so he arranges it as fast as he can. It’s a good showing for Kirk, and it isn’t about his ego or his rank. That’s what makes him worthy of being a ship’s captain, having the friends he has, and why he’s a hero to a lot of science fiction fans in the real world. I don’t even think Lorrah is trying. She can correct me if I’m wrong (should she stumble upon this article), but it’s because the story needs Kirk to do this, not to show off that he can do this, and that he’s the right character TO do this. That’s good writing. You don’t show off; you tell the story.

Are there any more cast members coming? Can Sorel be saved? Why didn’t the hospital call until they were halfway to the hospital, or was the issue with the instruments tied to the issue with the field itself? Keep reading along to find out, as we continue on with the sixth chapter.