#Spock: (somewhere in the universe) It's happening again.

[bumblingbabooshka]

T'Pel/Uhura - our dear poll winners!

[electronickingdomfox]

"Killing Time" review

Novel from 1985, by Della Van Hise. Published right after Ishmael, it involves again time-tampering. Only this time, the villains (here Romulans) are successful in their attempts to rewrite history, so most of the novel is set in an alternate universe. The basic difference is that, in this new universe, the Federation was founded by Vulcans instead of humans, so Spock is the starship captain, while Kirk is a mere Ensign with a troubled past.

The story presents some interesting concepts, like the flow of time and history being somehow ingrained in the very fabric of the universe, so no matter the alterations, it tends to revert to its original course, or rip itself apart (a concept which, in some shape or another, was also present in The Entropy Effect and the previous novel). There's also much discussion about "alternate selves", paths not taken in life, and whether these versions of ourselves still exist somewhere and can be reached through dreams. Sometimes, the "mechanics" of time-alteration are a bit iffy, or poorly explained. For example, it seems very unlikely that people like Uhura or Scotty would have the same exact post in the alternate universe (shouldn't they be replaced by Vulcans?). And since it's explained that travelling at warp drive makes one immune to the time alterations, why aren't more starships (the Enterprise included) spared from the effects? Anyway, this is just to be nitpicky; after all, the story doesn't require much more suspension of disbelief than other TOS novels.

Other than a bit of purple prose here and there, I didn't find the writing bad. And characterization is pretty fine. The portrait of Kirk as a rebellious Ensign is a curious precedent for the 2009 movie Kirk, and his grief is quite moving. Spock and McCoy's interactions are spot-on. And so far, this novel has the best, most complex portrayal of the Romulan Commander (from "The Enterprise Incident"), as a cunning, powerful woman, and yet vulnerable in her love/hate for Spock. It's perhaps the latter who comes off most out-of-character; at times Spock seems a bit too emotional and soft, though not to the point of being unrecognizable.

On the other hand, the structure is a bit clumsy. A good chunk of the book keeps going over and over the effects that history alteration has on the mind, turning people crazy, or inducing dreams about the original reality. Since the Romulan scheme is fully revealed quite early on, these chapters don't have all that much interest: we already know what's happening, we already know why people are having those dreams... (So no, I'm not interested in the content of Ensign Kirk's dreams, since I already know what's there; stop trying to put him in that vid-scan thing, McCoy). However, the plot takes off once the characters finally decide to do something about all this mess, and get involved in further Romulan schemes. The later chapters, thus, are more interesting, and there are some pretty emotive scenes towards the ending.

In conclusion, this isn't one of the best novels, though it has its high points. It would have been rather unremarkable among the long string of TOS novels, were it not for the controversies surrounding its publication. For those, see the "Spirk Meter" at the end.

Spoilers under the cut:

The Enterprise is patrolling the Romulan Neutral Zone, when several crewmembers start experiencing disturbing dreams. A common theme in those, is seeing Spock as the Captain, in a somehow changed Enterprise. While Kirk sees himself as a mere Ensign. There are also some rumors about an experiment going on in the Romulan Empire...

After an abrupt change, the next chapter presents a totally different reality. Kirk is now an Ensign recently assigned to the "VSS ShiKahr", commanded by Spock. Having been in prison for the murder of an Academy teacher (of which he has no recollection), Kirk was subjected to the Talos Device, which left him having frequent nightmares and addicted to drugs. He was given the choice between a rehabilitation colony, or forceful draft into the Fleet. Anyway, he has little interest in serving in a starship, or life in general, since he knows he'll never get his own command due to his past. His life is made even more miserable by his bully roomate Donner. Soon thereafter, strange phenomena are experienced by some crewmembers. Spock gets fleeting glimpses of another reality, that leave him dizzy. And one crewman succumbs to madness, and tries to blow up the entire ship, after sabotaging the matter/antimatter valves. After performing some scans on the insane man, McCoy discovers that his brain has two separate sets of brain waves, as if they belonged to two different persons altogether. Further cases of insanity throughout the galaxy are suspected, when a Vulcan Admiral orders the ShiKahr to invade the Romulan Empire in a suicidal mission. Spock, of course, stalls the order as long as he can.

The narrative changes focus then, to present what's going on in the Romulan ship "Ravon", where Commander Tazol remembers his recent confrontation with her wife Sarela. She was strongly opposed to the Praetor's plans to interfere in Earth's past, and assassinate three key figures in the founding of the Federation, so it never comes to be. Sarela is afraid the plan will be a total failure, like all the other plans of the Praetor to tamper with timelines. Nonetheless, Tazol is a complete blockhead, and proceeds with the plan. The idea is receiving the Praetor aboard (a mysterious, hooded figure that only his close advisors have ever seen face to face), and then enter warp drive to avoid the history-altering effects. That way, everyone aboard the Ravon will keep intact their memories of the so-called First History, along with its records, to later compare them with the situation in the Second History (the altered timeline). It turns out that, as Sarela expected, Second History isn't all it's cracked up to be... The Federation wasn't founded on Earth, true, but in its place, a similar Alliance of planets was started in Vulcan. The Romulan Empire has hardly benefitted from this, and now its enemies are mostly the tough Vulcans, instead of humans. The Praetor orders Sarela to his quarters, for a private discussion of the situation, much to Tazol's chagrin.

Meanwhile in the ShiKahr, McCoy has been performing vid-scans (a kind of visual recording of people's dreams) on several persons. Some of them show dreams of a "golden-haired Captain". While others show disturbing "negative scans". McCoy is a complete genius, because from this flimsy evidence he concludes, correctly, that reality has been shifted. And those that have ended in different positions in life, will become maladjusted to the changes, and eventually turn mad. Also, those showing negative scans now, are persons who are already dead in the original timeline (and this opens up an interesting ethical dilemma when reverting the changes, since it will mean instant death for those persons; sadly, this isn't further explored). For his part, crazy Admiral is still doing his crazy thing, and now orders the ShiKahr on a diplomatic mission, on a planet of savages that weren't expecting diplomats at all. The landing party is attacked, Donner is killed (good for him) and Spock is injured.

Cutting back to the Ravon, Sarela discovers that the Praetor is actually... a woman! Something that's not allowed in the Romulan Empire, thus the need for the permanent hood in public (and it also explains why all the Praetor slaves are now pretty boys...). Automatically, Sarela's respect for the Praetor goes up tenfold (huh, wasn't the Praetor a complete idiot a second ago, with all those stupid plans? The fact she's a woman should change nothing!). Well, as it turns out, the stupid plans weren't hers, but came from her father. She just went ahead with them because it was too late to back out, and also because she still expects some good to come out of it. Thea (the Praetor) explains that she's going to use Spock to sign a peace treaty with the Alliance, and introduce Surak's teachings among Romulans, to further the cause of peace (doesn't sound like a very evil plan, if you ask me). By kidnapping Kirk, she'll blackmail Spock into doing all this, while disguised with the hood as if he were the real Praetor. She still holds a grudge towards Kirk and Spock, since in First History, those two stole a cloaking device from her, revealing thus that she's the Romulan Commander from the series. Thea suspects that the Vulcans will, sooner or later, discover the time tampering and revert it, but some effects of Second History (like the peace treaty) will be indelibly embedded in the universe, anyway. Sarela agrees to help her, specially after she receives her own pretty boy slave.

For his part, Spock instructs Christopher Pike (here still a happy captain of a ship) to stop the crazy Admiral, before he causes all-out war. After this, the ShiKahr intercepts a Romulan shuttle, apparently crippled and adrift, and takes it aboard. The only passengers, apparently, are Thea and Sarela, and they're taken into custody. However, hibernating inside the shuttle, and thus not detected as life forms, were Thea's slaves. They wake up a while later, disguise themselves as Vulcan guards, and order Kirk to the briefing room. Sensing a trap, Kirk attacks them, but the Romulans subdue and kidnap both Kirk and his new roomate: Richardson. They depart in the Ravon, and leave the two hostages stranded in a desolate planet, with just basic survival gear. Spock learns about this too late, so he has no alternative but cooperating with Thea. Secretly, though, he plans to infiltrate the Romulan Empire to get the secret of time travel (unknown to the Alliance), and the details to revert the timeline.

Spock, dressed as the Praetor, McCoy, half-dressed as his...slave, and S'Parva, some kind of dog-girl with telepathic powers, accompany Thea back to the Ravon. Spock, as many other people, is also succumbing to madness, which in his case manifests as pon farr. He covers it up as a simple infection, and requests the medical assistance of slave-McCoy to create a distraction. The moment is seized by S'Parva to get inside the computer system. Later, Spock reviews the data, learning about the slingshot effect to travel through time. Both Spock and S'Parva receive also telepathic transmissions from Kirk and Richardson, respectively (S'Parva having formed previously a mind link with Richardson through an experiment). This way, they learn the location of the hostages. Nonetheless, Spock ends up losing consciousness due to the worsening of his symptons. Thea, who still loves Spock in some way, forms a temporary bond with him, and helps him out of pon farr (that is, they fuck).

Once in the Praetor's palace in Romulus, Thea learns about all the incidents of madness happening in the Empire. And finally, after a lengthy conversation, Spock manages to convince her of the necessity of reversing the changes. If this goes on, soon half the galaxy will be destroyed by madness. Spock regrets that he can't stay with her, as his present persona will disappear along Second History. Nonetheless, he will bring Kirk along to the past, to restore the timeline; that way, both of them will keep some remembrance of this alternate history, and will later use their influence to realize Thea's plans for peace. Thea relents, and after rescuing Kirk and Richardson, they make a slingshot maneuver in the shuttle, arriving in Earth's past. However, Thea leaves them to their own devices from now onwards.

Having arrived in San Francisco a while before the assassination, Kirk, Spock and Richardson enter the conference room, where the three politicians are due to make a speech. Kirk creates a distraction by revealing Spock's alien features to the surprised humans, and this prompts the assassins to reveal themselves. In the commotion, everyone escapes to safety (including the politicians), while Kirk and Spock confront the assassins. These are actually human-looking androids, and after a difficult fight, they destroy them, though Richardson is killed in the process. Then Spock takes out a disruptor to destroy the android remains (his excuse for not using the disruptor earlier being that Kirk needed to reassert himself as Captain by getting into a fist-fight, which is... a bullshit excuse, really). After this, Kirk and Spock (also mortally wounded in the fight) go to the rooftop. And there's a pretty sad scene, where both wait for their current selves to disappear in the reality shift, thus dying in a sense.

Everything is back to normal, though Kirk, Spock and Richardson keep having dreams about their alternate lives. Kirk also finds a ring that belonged to his other self, and reflects with melancholy about the fate of "Ensign Kirk". After a mind-meld with Spock, both of them get a clearer view about the events of Second History, and decide to cooperate with Thea to achieve peace. In the end, Kirk leaves the ring behind, knowing it will disappear and return to its real owner, somewhere.

Spirk Meter: 10/10*. Now, this novel is generally regarded as the K/S novel par excellence. Is it very slashy? Yes. But is it something completely in a different league? Well, no. Most of the Marshak & Culbreath novels are as slashy as this one (and The Price of the Phoenix definitely more). Hell, a good deal of this stuff is just taken from TOS episodes, and while in "Amok Time" Spock got out of pon farr by rolling around with Kirk, here he uses the more conservative approach of sex with a woman (and Kirk is totally okay with that, not showing the slightest jealousy). I suspect that most of this fame is simply due to the novel's publication history, and not to the actual content. I've encountered two versions of this incident. The most popular one tells of readers being so scandalized by the novel's first edition, that some higher-up (even Roddenberry himself) had to intervene, and censor the novel for subsequent printings. Della Van Hise's version (presented in several fanzine articles, that you can read in sites like Fanlore) tells a much less exciting story: Basically, the editor made some cuts here and there, she approved of the changes, and then sent the novel for printing. There was an error, and the unedited version was printed instead. When the publishing house noticed it, they corrected the mistake in the second edition, which was the one supposed to see the light from the beginning. In my opinion, Van Hise's version sounds more realistic. I have difficulty believing that the same public who received Triangle a couple years before without batting an eyelid, would start a riot for this. Let alone that Gene-t'hy'la-means-lover-Roddenberry would give two shits about it (was he even that involved in the franchise by 1985?). Apart from this, the edits seem very cursorily: a slight toning-down of some affectionate scenes, cutting curse words here and there, removal of partial nudity (even in medical settings that have absolutely nothing to do with K/S), etc. They really don't look like the kind of heavy censorship of someone set against K/S after a scandal.

Now, for the slash elements (I read the first edition, so this is based on that version): Kirk and Spock are quite affectionate, often reassuring each other with a touch on the shoulder or the hand, or confiding things that they wouldn't trust to anybody else. The mental link between them (which is a staple in many novels and comics, and thus not that remarkable) is given, however, a special relevance, with them often using it to transmit warm feelings, and even communicating over great distances. The link is so strong, that some effects of Spock's pon farr start affecting Kirk. And when the reality first shifts into the alternate universe, Kirk experiences great anguish, upon feeling the link broken. It's also noteworthy that other characters that share this kind of link (Spock and Thea; Richardson and S'Parva) are in romantic relationships of sorts. Apart from the permanent link, Spock performs several mind-melds with Kirk. The first time, when he finds the Ensign sleeping in the garden and suffering nightmares, he attempts a meld to soothe his mind (similar to "Requiem for Methuselah") but Kirk rejects it. Spock, who's already starting to go crazy, attacks Jim then, and forces a mind-meld with him. The fight and Kirk's submission are vaguely homoerotic, and this was by far the most censored passage in the book. The second meld happens when they're both waiting for "death", Spock resting his head on Kirk's shoulder, and the Vulcan uses it to bring Kirk to the other reality along him. The third meld was already covered in the plot summary. Apart from this, when Spock receives glimpses of his previous life, he misses a companion by his side, once wondering if the man he sees there is his t'hy'la. And when Kirk visits his quarters at night to get his medication, Spock interviews him while still shirtless, and understands that he can't keep secrets from him. But perhaps the most blatant examples aren't what Kirk and Spock actually do, but what other characters think about them. Thea is unreasonably jealous of Kirk, and kidnaps him with the belief that Spock will do anything to rescue him, since he's his treasured human and dearest to him in all the combined universes. Actually, this isn't the real reason why Spock complies with Thea, but he agrees with her assessment that "James Kirk is even deeper in your blood than Vulcan". Richardson, as well, has the impression that Kirk and Spock belong together in any universe.

Although this is definitely a K/S novel, there's also a bit of Spones, and it's kind of hilarious that it went totally unnoticed by censors, considering the sexual element is more blatant, compared with the rather spiritual relationship of Kirk and Spock. For starters, when Kirk is first having dreams about Spock as a Captain, McCoy dismisses it as just a typical fantasy of wanting to be under Spock's authority (which totally seems like McCoy projecting there, since that's not the real cause at all). Once Spock gets the first symptoms of pon farr, McCoy is very stubborn about going with him to Romulus to treat his illness, even if he has to be his slave to do so (and as previously seen, those slaves are also the Praetor's lovers). And when Spock gets worse, McCoy confronts him about being so proud and rejecting something that should be pleasurable, pointing out that many people would want to sleep with him... while blushing himself. Finally, McCoy refuses to leave Thea alone with Spock to do her thing, and has to be brought out basically by force (like, what was his alternate plan?). It doesn't help either that McCoy is said to care for Spock more than professional ethics should have permitted.

Also incredibly explicit is Kirk's relationship with Richardson. Kirk comes out from the shower totally naked in front of him. And later they both swim naked in a pond, while Kirk experiences the heat of pon farr through his link. Not enough? Well, Richardson often calls Jim "Juliet", while Kirk calls him "Romeo". Yup.

*A 10 in this scale is the most obvious spirk moments in TOS. Think of the back massage, "You make me believe in miracles", or "Amok Time" for example.

[tobiasdrake]

We go from the best fight in the X-Men filmography thus far straight to Charles Xavier sitting in a room, looking into the camera and explaining the plot. Okay guys. XD

One of the main jobs this film has is to bridge First Class, which became more or less a reboot, with the original trilogy. So they can go in new directions and do different things with the characters without outright saying, "The original movies up through Origins: Wolverine aren't canon anymore, sorry."

Days of Future Past is what's commonly referred to as a soft reboot, where continuity gets to start over from scratch but with an explanation offered in-universe that connects it to the previous continuity.

Time travel and multiverse shenanigans are often the go-to for carrying out soft reboots. The Chris Pine Star Trek films, for instance, take place in an alternate timeline created when Spock and a bad guy traveled back in time and messed up the series canon.

The Marvel multiverse is basically designed to allow Marvel writers to make continuity-free re-imaginings of the Marvel universe and then go "That one is Universe 42069, it has its own canon somewhere out there in the multiverse unrelated to the mainline comics."

DOFP intends to do that for the Foxverse, liberating the cast of the newer X-films from the shackles of the old canon and letting them spin out in a new direction.

But before we can do that, Charlie Boy needs to explain the plot that will get us there.

Magneto chimes in to explain Mystique's powers, like Bobby and Kitty don't already know her. XD

Actually, come to think of it, Kitty only formally became one of the X-Men in Last Stand, the movie that took Mystique's powers away. And Bobby wasn't really an X-Men X-Man until that same movie, despite being present for the whole trilogy. They actually might not know who Mystique is.

Huh. Objection retracted.

Then again, Colossus recognizes her. And he was no more involved in X-Men Stuff than Kitty was.

Xavier goes on to assert that he, too, has watched First Class and thought it was pretty sweet. Don't let the face of Patrick Stewart fool you; Despite this personal history having never come up in the original trilogy, it is still an important part of the two characters' relationships with one another.

As an artistic note, I love how she shapeshifts into a human form when he says, "I knew her as Raven." A subtle call-out to their conflict from First Class - or, at least, what it was supposed to be in First Class even though the film doesn't convey it well.

We're told, in the film, that Xavier never appreciated her natural mutant self and preferred that she try to pass as human. They kinda botched their attempts to show it, but it was the clear intent. In a subtle reference to it here, when Magneto talks about her we see her in her true form, but when Xavier reminisces on how fondly he remembers her, she shifts into her human guise.

These two men both fondly remember Mystique, but they have very different memories of who she was.

(Where is she, anyway? Did the Sentinels get her? Is she still mutant-cured?)

Yeah, Xavier's good at that. Remember that time he was losing a tense negotiation with Magneto and Jean so he just started throwing punches, basically forfeiting the argument and pushing Jean into Magneto's arms as hard as humanly possible? Not so different from what happened with Mystique when you think about it.

Xavier offers a sanctuary for mutants on the run from the dangers of the world, and that's great. But his powers of persuasion leave much to be desired.

Logan gets all sad and grimly reports that Mystique killed again after that. Bit of a weird moment. Like, it's performed as if he's referencing the death of another character that was important to him. Something we would instantly recognize and be like, "Oh, fuck, my heartstrings."

I have no idea who that might be, though. He didn't even know her in her youth to be sad about who she became. One time she beat him up and then he stabbed her, and then another time she tried to trick him into having sex with her under false pretenses. That is the entire extent of their relationship.

Why are you so sad about Mystique killing people, Logan? Who did she ever kill that could be haunting you like this? Don't you have enough ghosts already? Do you really need to borrow Charlie's?

The Sentinels are using Mystique's powers to acquire Sunspot's heat powers and Colossus's steel plating and Iceman's cryokinesis.

Meanwhile, poor Mystique can't do any of that. It sucks when people steal your powers and then get whole new abilities you didn't possess out of them.

You know, you'd think in the decades she was hanging out with Magneto, the two of them would have done something about this. Did the fact that humans captured her and performed invasive experiments to steal her powers just... slip Mystique's mind?

"Less than 50 years." My dude, that is a long-ass time to be working on one project. XD These things were in production hell for half a century.

Xavier's like, "When Mystique killed Trask, it convinced the world that they needed his program. And then the humans stayed mad about it for FIFTY YEARS."

FIFTY YEARS. Two generations later, it was still just Trask that they were mad about. Nothing else that happened in that time, nothing in the entire original X-Men trilogy, ever moved the needle one way or the other. It was always about Trask. They were very slowly building the Sentinels the entire time and nothing else mattered.

Senator Kelly's entire anti-mutant career was pointless because humanity already had made up its mind to kill mutants with Sentinels. Trask is the one and only bullet point of history that matters. XD

I understand why this is so janky. Stopping the assassination of Trask is meant to be the emotional goal of the film. We have to stop Mystique from becoming a murderer, because that sets her down the road to being evil.

But "We have to stop her from killing the man making Genocide Machines" wouldn't be a compelling narrative on its own. Because. Like. Fuck that guy. Mystique did nothing wrong.

So the assassination also needs to be the apocalyptic cornerstone around which the fate of the universe revolves. Killing Trask has to directly cause the creation of the Sentinels, but the film also wants to be set in the 70's and has to account for the fact that none of this was a thing in the original trilogy.

So. The humans just. Stayed mad about Trask for fifty fucking years while working on the slowest weapons development project in the history of the arms race. Which has the knock-on effect of meaning that none of the mutant-human relations stuff from the original trilogy mattered, 'cause the humans were building the Sentinels behind the scenes that whole time.

That is an incredibly bleak revision. @_@

Nobody tell Charles, but if there was enough hatred towards mutants to sustain a fifty-year grudge over Trask's death, it wasn't really about Trask's death.

[lenievi]

Spones Day 2023 fic

Canon divergent universe where TMP never happened. Takes place a few years before TWOK (but if TWOK happens is in the stars). Kirk has retired from Starfleet (just so you’re not confused), because I like that tidbit from Generations.

#McCoy didn’t know they were dating #first kiss #strangely proactive Spock

~1000 words. | G

---

The door to the Transporter Beam-up Center opened, and mixed groups of various species started to come out. McCoy moved to the side to not stand in their way, his eyes scanning the crowd for Spock’s familiar face. It was a few minutes before he heard, “Doctor McCoy.”

McCoy startled. “I need to buy you a cowbell.”

Spock lifted an eyebrow at him. “You’ve been saying that for years, Doctor, and I’m still waiting.” He raised his hand, fingers spread in a Vulcan salute. “We meet again.”

McCoy blinked and looked at his hand. His third finger quivered as he tried to connect it with the fourth one, hoping to form a V, but with no success. He gave up, shaking his fingers a bit, relieving the slight pain in his ring finger. One day, one day, he would succeed.

Spock held out his hand, the corner of his mouth twitching in amusement. 

McCoy glared at him. “You could’ve done it from the beginning.” He clasped Spock’s hand, soaking in the warmth he hadn’t felt for three months. “How was the trip?” He let go.

“Commanding a ship full of cadets on their training voyage is hardly a trip, Doctor.”

“You visited Vulcan before that, didn’t you?”

Spock gave a stiff nod. “Sarek sends his regards.” He beckoned toward the exit. “Shall we?”

Spock led him to a nearby restaurant.

Even after three years, it still felt odd whenever Spock invited him out. Sometimes to a science or technical museum, sometimes to a restaurant, sometimes to an arboretum. Just the two of them. If anyone had told him that ten years ago, five years ago, hell, even three years ago, he would scoff and tell them not to drink anymore. But Spock kept reaching out, and McCoy kept saying yes.

“Have you spoken to Jim recently?” McCoy asked after they ordered. He kept his eyes on the tabletop, not wanting to see Spock’s judging expression.

“Not since before my trip to Vulcan,” Spock said. “He acquired a dog.”

McCoy raised his head. “Jim has a dog?”

“His name is Butler.”

McCoy blinked.

“You would know that if you called him,” Spock said, his eyes piercing.

“Well…” McCoy wet his lips. “He could call me.”

“You informed him rather vehemently you didn’t want to see him unless he comes out of retirement.”

“You can’t tell me you think he can just live on a farm in Idaho and be happy.”

“That is not for us to judge.” Spock sipped his tea. “He appears to miss you.”

McCoy’s stomach did a funny flip. He reached for his glass of water and clasped it in both hands. His argument with Jim was ugly, and they hadn’t seen or talked to each other for two years.

“So, uhm…” he started but was saved by the waiter bringing their meals. The plates were placed, and McCoy grabbed the utensils. He should not think about Jim. Spock had always made it clear that they should resolve it themselves and did not wish to discuss it.

“It’s good to see you, Spock,” he said instead.

Spock smiled. 

They dug into their meals.

“My father offered me to work with him and accompany him to Ensis,” Spock said between bites.

McCoy frowned. “You want to leave Starfleet?”

“It would not immediately come to that, but it is an option I am considering.”

First Jim. Now Spock. McCoy had stayed in San Francisco because he wanted to stay close to them. Then Jim left. He stayed because Spock would have someone welcoming him back whenever he left on a training voyage. He stayed because… because he… 

He swallowed.

“I wanted to ask for… your opinion,” Spock said, his eyes focused somewhere behind McCoy’s shoulders. 

“My opinion?” McCoy put down his utensils. He didn’t feel hungry anymore.

“I have… always appreciated your company, Doctor.” Spock frowned. “Leonard.”

McCoy's heart skipped. He didn’t remember the last time Spock used his name.

“In the last three years, perhaps before that, the appreciation evolved, changed.” Spock looked him in the eyes. “I do not enjoy the thought of not seeing you for months.”

McCoy didn’t know what to say. His mind was flying at warp speed. The almost realization a minute ago. Every time Spock invited him to go somewhere. Every time McCoy invited Spock to his apartment, sharing meals, cooking together. The soft brushes of their shoulders, as they passed each other in McCoy’s narrow kitchen. The soft brushes of the back of their hands, as they walked down the streets or halls of the museums. Spock’s fingers on his elbow, demanding his attention. So common, so frequent that he didn’t even notice them anymore.

“Are we dating, Spock?” McCoy blurted out.

“As there hasn’t been an official agreement, we are not.”

“Do you want to?” McCoy asked before he could think about it.

The tips of Spock’s ears darkened. “That was the matter I wanted to discuss today. In order to answer my father’s offer, I first needed an answer from you.”

“Why?”

“I have already told you. I would have… missed you.”

McCoy could not hold back his smile, his cheeks growing hot.

“If you did not answer positively, creating a physical distance between us would be a logical thing to do.”

“The distance wouldn’t help,” McCoy murmured.

“Perhaps.” Spock inclined his head. “But it appears we do not have to test it.”

“But your father –”

“My father is aware.”

McCoy opened his mouth and closed it. “You…” He wet his lips. “You talked about us with Sarek?” Us. There was an us.

“My father thinks highly of you,” Spock said. “Mother too. She’d like it if you accompanied me next time I visit Vulcan.”

McCoy blinked.

“You don’t have to give me an answer today.” Spock bit his lower lip. McCoy hadn’t seen that habit in years. “But I would like to kiss you.”

McCoy nodded, lost for words. His heart beat loud in his ears. He raised his hand.

Spock leaned across the table and pressed their lips together.

[hummingbird-of-light]

June of Doom 2024 Day 2 (@juneofdoom)

2. “It didn’t have to be this way.”            

| Scream | Double Cross | Made to Watch |

~

"You know, it didn't have to be this way." The familiar and yet somehow strange voice reached his ear and Hikaru Sulu turned his head back and forth, but wasn't able to see the woman standing somewhere behind him. He tried to pull at the restraints that bound his upper body to a chair, but it simply didn't help. They were too tight.

"Shizuka, please, you're not yourself. You're infected."

The helmsman's heart skipped a beat as he felt a sharp, long blade slowly lay across his right shoulder. A katana.

"We were promised to each other, Hikaru. You and me. Forever and ever."

Slowly, Sulu shook his head, remembering how he had gotten into this situation.

A call for help from Starbase 45, colonists who suddenly seemed to be going crazy and turning on each other. Captain Kirk had immediately set off with the Enterprise to help the people.

The scientists' investigations had revealed that the brains of those affected had been infected by bacteria that had apparently entered their bodies via contaminated drinking water.

Commander Spock, Dr. McCoy and the other medics and scientists had immediately begun developing an antidote, but a few selected crew members had been assigned to mediate the disputes between the colonists and warn the residents about the water. Including those staying at one of the largest hotels.

And that's when it had happened. Sulu had met her again. Shizuka. She had recognized him immediately and before he could even react, she had pulled him into her room and dazed him with a phaser shot.

"Ever since we were children, our parents have said that we would get married one day. I loved you, Hikaru. I always dreamed that we would live together. But you ... you just ran away."

Slowly, the sharp blade lowered and Sulu felt it cut into his flesh. He clenched his teeth convulsively, suppressing a cry of pain. Hot blood began to flow from the wound.

"You left me, Hikaru. You destroyed everything."

Anger filled Sulu at those words.

"I've told everyone. My parents, your parents, you – I have no feelings for women!"

The helmsman had realized early on that he was not interested in the female sex. But neither his parents nor the rest of his family had understood. It was not without reason that he had fled his home country of Japan to America as soon as he was old enough. There – in a foreign country – he had finally been able to be who he wanted to be.

"I could never feel about you the way you feel about me, Shizuka. And even if I had been able to, I would never have agreed to an arranged marriage."

It was an old tradition that should be abolished! They were living in the 23rd century! No one should force young people to marry someone they had no feelings for. But his family would never have understood that either.

"I have found a man in America whom I love like no other. We are happy and have a family. And ... I wish you had found someone for yourself who loved you in the same way, but–"

Sulu cried out in pain as the blade of the katana suddenly rose, only to be lowered again a moment later with a slash.

"You were mine, Hikaru! You were everything to me!"

Shizuka's loud, angry voice drowned out the roaring in Sulu's ears. Blood spurted uncontrollably from the stump that was left of his arm.

"I would have loved you more than any man in this universe can!"

With a second blow, Shizuka also severed the left arm from the torso. She had set herself the goal of making Sulu pay for his actions ... and he clearly felt it.

The shock set in very quickly and Sulu was almost glad that he barely noticed the hellish pain.

Shizuka finally stepped in front of him, daring to look Sulu in the eye. But the helmsman hardly recognized her. Her face was strangely distorted, her eyes bloodshot. Her skin was pale, ashen. There was nothing left of the once pretty girl.

"Shizuka! Stop that! You have to regain control!" Sulu looked at her desperately, tears streaming down his face. He couldn't stop them from flowing.

"You'll regret it! You'll regret not choosing me!"

The blade rose once more and Sulu knew that the next blow would sever his head.

He closed his eyes helplessly and thought of his family waiting for him in Yorktown. Ben. Demora. He tried to imagine their faces, because they would be the last thing he wanted to see. His gorgeous husband. His lovely daughter. They were his everything. And all he wanted was to hold them once more.

"You'll regret that–"

Shizuka didn't finish the sentence. She couldn't, because a phaser shot hit her in the back and caused her body to slump.

"Hikaru!"

That voice. Sulu cautiously opened his eyes and a faint smile formed on his lips at the familiar sight of a crewman dressed in yellow. He was standing in the doorway, breathing heavily.

"Pa...vel."

He had come to save him. Of course he had. What else had Sulu expected? Pavel was always there for him. He would never let him down.

The last thing Sulu saw before he fainted was his friend's face. And he was incredibly grateful for that.

[leehallfae]

spock being gay is like a fundamental truth of the universe to me but i’m so deeply fascinated by whatever’s going on in snw. chapel’s still on civilian exchange at this point, she hasn’t even joined starfleet yet. whatever happens on pike’s enterprise, we know that she’s eventually headed for the academy, where she meets korby, falls in love with him, & gets engaged. but then he just kind of. disappears? so she fucks off to space, hoping that maybe he’ll turn up somewhere along the way, except wait, shit, working alongside spock again makes her realize she’s still in love with him. okay. it’s fine! chapel is a professional. she’s perfectly capable of just dealing with this on her own. one teary space-drunk confession that was totally not her fault might make things a little more complicated, but at least now she knows exactly where she stands. she’s been shot through the vacuum of space & survived, for god’s sake, she can handle a little unrequited love.

meanwhile, her fiancé? ex-fiancé? has turned himself into an android with a robot sex slave hanging on his arm. chapel missed him oh god she missed him but she doesn’t know what the hell to do about that, except in the end, it kind of takes care of itself. so it’s back to the enterprise like always, back to being quietly head-over-heels for spock, except lately, he hasn’t been himself. he hasn’t been eating. as his friend & his nurse, she can’t not help. cooking always reminds her of captain pike & she thinks of him fondly as she makes the broth. what she hopes, really, is to be a friend to spock, to show him there are people who care. it’s by no means a surprise when she isn’t wanted, but it stings all the same. spock knows what he wants. it’s not her. it won’t be her. that’s okay, though, because it has to be. she pretty much gives up any remaining hope when he beams down to his homeworld for the sole purpose of having crazy illogical sex with his vulcan wife. (did doctor mccoy really think he could keep that one a secret from her, of all people?)

but i digress. the point is, the next part of the story exists already. no matter how many passionate heterosexual kisses snw launches spock into, it all ends the way it ends. dear god do i feel for chapel, but it’s almost kind of funny. woah he’s kissing a woman ?!? that’s soooo groundbreaking. spock i’m so sorry they’re doing this to you. don’t worry, i saw you chuck that soup at her.

[nursc]

it is a strange feeling. the rush of familiarity which tugs at her stomach at his words, the memory of it immediately superimposed with her own spock's voice. they were at the heart of an event that should be impossible according to the laws of physics and good sense, they had no idea what happened to their friends, and how they were going to get out of this, but trust spock to find something logical.

it made the universe a little less scary. like she could trust it not to sweep the rug from under her. lights flicker on the panel. gone before she could focus her eyes on the readings.

❛⠀⠀⠀i think you are on the right track,⠀ ⠀ ❜⠀⠀she says, a burst of excitement lighting her tone.⠀ ⠀ ❛⠀⠀⠀there's gotta be a loose connection around there somewhere. the light poofed out. try again. ⠀ ⠀ ❜⠀

                                              An onslaught of emotional imbalance is to be expected when faced with the unknown. Spock was not immune to these experiences himself. Upon waking, rising through a haze of displacement, elsewhere, he was struck with a sudden sensation of confusion, alarm, fear. Blinking into his awareness, it took several moments to reassert his reality, commanding control over every inch of his mind.

But scanning the darkened terminal, he confesses none of these things. He merely nods, slinking to the deck of the causeway to inspect the panel beneath. The ship’s shifting may prove any re-wiring difficult as he cannot predict how one conduit may respond.

Nonetheless—

“ An attempt is logical, ” he concurs, fingers peeling across the seam for purchase before ripping it from the base. The lights waver, flickering in oscillating dissonance, though Spock manages to locate the power module inside, “ Is there any change on the display? ”

[mystery-star]

Waiting for you - Spock

Pairing: Spock x reader (gender neutral)

Warnings: mentions of injury and death

Words: 1838

Star Trek universe: AOS

A/N: Just a lil thing I wrote because I haven’t written (at least for Spocko) in ages. And didn’t feel like writing on a series.

-

“She’s here. She’s here” you heard someone shouting beside you and looked around and finally you could see the Enterprise approaching in one of many tunnels above you. You smiled and stepped forward a little and waited for the crew to dismount. When you saw the first of them, your smile got broader and you got onto your tiptoes to look out for your husband. Not many people of the Enterprise had someone waiting for them and those who did seemed overjoyed. It made you look down for moment because you had a feeling that Spock wouldn’t greet you like others greeted their loved ones. Finally, you could see him and slightly raised your hand, hoping he’d see you. When he did, he came straight towards you, stopping half a meter in front of you

“(Y/N)” he said “What brings you to Yorktown?”

“I’ll give you three guesses” you replied and just threw yourself around his neck “I’ve missed you, Spock” you breathed against his skin and he hugged you back slightly.

“Am I therefore right to conclude that you came here in order to see me during my shore leave?”

“Right” you let go of him but only that you could kiss him. He cupped your face and kissed you back. At some point his hand found yours, slowly stroking his first two fingers against yours. But then he pulled away from you all of a sudden, just holding your hand. You turned around and saw two older Vulcans behind you.

“Commander, might we have a word? Alone?” you wanted to ask why you couldn’t come when Spock threw a glance at you and squeezed your hand

“Do you mind?”

“Just be quick” you pecked his cheek “I’ll be waiting for you, okay?” you handed him a keycard of the hotel where you had booked a room for you both. He gave a nod, then let go of your hand and followed the two men. With a sigh you looked after him and returned to the hotel, knowing he would be clever enough to find it when he was done.

But he only came when it was dark and you were already in bed, reading a magazine on your PADD.

“Have you been waiting with sleeping until I return?”

“Well, you got some days of shore leave, then I won’t see you for another two years. I want to use every minute with you that I can” he gave a nod and sat down on the bed, placing a device on the nightstand. “What did they want?”

“I will tell you in the morning”

“Alright” you put the PADD aside and stretched yourself a little before sitting up, crawling closer to him and wrapping your arms around him again, kissing him. “We now have better things to do, don’t you think?” he kissed you back and placed one of his hands in the small of your back, pulling you closer while he ran his other hand over the side of your face. After the kiss he leaned his forehead to yours and you bumped his nose with yours. “Did you have fun out there on the mission?”

“I have written and called you three times per week, as we have agreed on, and informed you about what you call ‘adventures’ and have also answered each question concerning them I was allowed to answer”

“Well yes but your last message was two days ago. I need a recap of the past two days. Or retell me your favorite mission. Doing it face-to-face is much better” you pecked his lips. He gave a nod, pulled you into his lap and started telling you how the Captain had attempted to make peace between two species that didn’t work out as planned. Then he went on to their arrival to Yorktown and suddenly his communicator beeped “Tell me that’s your private comm”

“It is not” he leaned forward to get it and you just wanted to stop him but let it happen with a sigh. Placing you back on the bed, he gave your hand a squeeze, took the comm, opened it and left the room. With a sigh you fell back on the bed, glancing to the PADD and considering if you should continue reading but then looked at the ceiling, repeating everything you had planned to do with Spock in the following days in your mind. Soon Spock returned and you sat up with a smile but his words ruined it “I must go”

“Go? Go where? Aren’t you on shore leave?”

“I am. However, there is a matter that requires my assistance”

“What is it?”

“I cannot tell you much but I must leave Yorktown”

“You’re shitting me”

“I do not joke”

“But… but… will you at least get that time off later on? How long will you be gone?”

“I suppose it should not take longer than 36 hours”

“Oh well…. Then you owe me yet another debriefing upon your return” he gave a nod, came closer to put his comm on his nightstand and pecking your forehead.

“Please make yourself a pleasant day tomorrow”

“Okay. And then I’ll be waiting here for you… again”

-

But Spock didn’t come home the evening or morning after he had left, so you decided to make yourself another nice day exploring another area of Yorktown. In the late afternoon, you suddenly heard how the station went on alert and after looking around you saw that a swarm of tiny ships tried attacking Yorktown. Around you everyone was in panic, screaming, rallying kids and running away while you stood there frozen, staring at the many little ships on the other side of Yorktown.

“We have to leave. Come. Now” someone next to you shouted, pulling on your arm

“Can we go somewhere safe? Like a… bunker?”

“A bunker on a Starbase?” the man started laughing slightly and shook his head.

“Or can we do something? Something to help? Is there a defense station or militia? Or help evacuate people?”

“That’s Starfleet’s business” as if on cue, there was an announcement, informing the public that there was an attack and that you should not panic. You let out a snort and watched how the people around you seemed to panic even more. You looked around and finally saw a security, officer, going over to him.

“Excuse me, Sir?”

“Don’t worry, we’ll all be safe, just stay calm and…”

“No, I wanted to ask if I can help something.”

“Help?”

“Yeah. Weapons, evacuate people or something” he looked at you, considered it a while then said he’d have to check it out. But before he could return, they managed to somehow blow up all the small ships. Somehow you couldn’t believe that this was everything and sure enough, there was another announcement informing the public that a great part of the ship had been destroyed but that three of them had gotten into Yorktown but that they still had the situation under control and would do everything to stop them. For some reason, you found that three ships hand entered Yorktown almost worse than the initial attack. Because you knew there probably wasn’t much you could do unless the ships came to that part of Yorktown, you sat down in a café, ordered a drink and watched the news on the big screen that gave a permanent update on the situation at the other end of Yorktown. Not even 15 minutes later, you heard that everyone was out of danger and the intruders had been rendered harmless. After a sigh, you finished your drink and then returned to the scene of the action, maybe there now was something you could help, like tidying up damage or helping the wounded. You stayed there and helped until it was dark and the volunteers were sent home, so you returned to the hotel. But you didn’t get far and the receptionist called you over.

“You are (Y/N) (Y/L/N), right?”

“That’s me, yeah”

“I have message for you, from a doctor Leonard McCoy”

“I know him. He’s the doctor on the Enterprise. What is this message about?”

“He lets you know, that your husband… Commander Spock will spend the night in Yorktown hospital”

“Ho-hospital? They’re back? What does he have? Is it bad? Can I visit him? When did they get back?”

“He only told me that so you know where your husband is and in case you wish to see him. I don’t know anything else” you nodded and with a thank-you you ran out of the hotel, to the hospital, where you had brought a few people earlier today. You went to a visitor station to register your visit and once you knew where your husband was and that he currently could be visited, you rushed to the elevator and then to his room. When you saw Spock lying in bed awake, you let out a deep breath and moved closer.

“Spock” you breathed, not sure what to say and having a hundred questions at the tip of your tongue. "How are you?” was the first you asked

“I am well, (Y/N). The doctors insisted I stayed the night to ensure that my condition does not become worse” you nodded and came closer, taking his hand, pressing a kiss to it as you sat down on the edge of the bed. To your delight, he squeezed your hand.

“What happened? To you, I mean?” he explained how on the mission his side was impaled by a piece of metal and that McCoy didn’t have the correct equipment to properly treat him. “At least you’re safe” you ran your free hand through his hair. “When did you even get back?”

“4.2 hours ago”

“That was… that was when the attack happened” he agreed and said it was them who played a great role in stopping them. “Oh so that big ship that destroyed the central plaza was you, the Franklin?”

“Indeed”

“And what about the Enterprise?”

“She has been destroyed”

“Oh no. What about the crew? Are they safe?”

“We have not yet been able to ascertain who has survived the attack on the Enterprise and who lost their life, however, I am certain that at least 350 people have survived”

“Out of 428 that’s still a lot that could have died”

“Besides, I also know of at least 16 casualties from the crew” you gave a nod

“And what now? I mean is your mission over? The Enterprise is gone”

“We do not know yet but it is certain that we will remain her for longer than the originally scheduled 12 days of shore leave”

“Well, then we got more time to do something as long as we’re here. And I get to see you longer. Ha that visit was worth it” you leant down to kiss his forehead. “Now we just gotta make sure you’ll be on your feet as soon as possible because I have lot planned for the next days”

-

Taglist: @softsapphicideals

[kintatsujo]

okay, so

to me, at least, the start of a story is a question.

It doesn't have to be a Big Important Question:

The majority of the core LOP cast started as characters I was using in one panel jokey things and parody skits, and the reason Blue has elf ears is very simply that he was created to stand in for Spock in a Star Trek parody strip (yes I had a massive crush on Spock as a tween)

The actual question that LOP's canonical story was born from was, "if these four characters are siblings, what's the in universe explanation for that?"

(and the answer created more questions and now I have a very long space opera about fantasy politics)

Sometimes an original character just comes from the question "you know what would be cool?" or "you know what I'd like to see?" and now you have this concept to flesh out.

(Because of course characters are, at their core, concepts of hypothetical people, so it becomes a character as soon as you know at least one concrete thing about them.)

Then once the story's question is in place (and again, it can be as simple as "how do these characters fit together?") new characters will naturally arise if you're looking out for the blanks to fill.

Not just "here is the mentor" and "this is the love interest."

Lette, arguably one of the most important LOP characters, came from "I need someone who can get Green from point anime convention to point military base." And a lot of HER characterization and backstory came from explaining why she didn't just come out and tell the others that hey, her dad happened to be in charge of said base, and hey, that's a big coincidence that one of the sibs landed in her dad's lap and the other landed in hers (minor spoiler for non readers, it wasn't a coincidence)

To me, a long story is an interrogation of itself. Yes, there are absolutely times that I go "I want to write this scene--" the story then becomes about the question of "why is this scene happening?"

(Synn, for the record, came from me going "I want Blue to have some guy who's just... fucking MAD at him. Silver dug him up from somewhere and now he's out for RAVANGE." Now they canoodle on Lette's couch on the reg--you don't have to stick to the original question!)

important note, a character absolutely can start with just "I like these design ideas and want to put them on someone," with the question being "so who is this dork I just drew?"

It's all a game of questions and answers.

Now all that said, something I do constantly is go "nine seems like a reasonable number of characters in this case" and then I have to come up with who they all ARE. I recommend thinking about contrast and group dynamics; looking at a collection of character traits and randomizing a bit is perfectly fine for the purposes of getting started (for the record because AI is such a thing these days; go with the simple randomizer instead, machine learning engines have bias and you actively don't want that. Like never mind my general opinion on AI sourcing, the way AI works makes it not the tool you want, here.)

The governors from the current storyline of LOP actually partially started from a DM NPC chart for DND. I took the personality and motivation rolls I got and adapted them to LOP where appropriate, dropped what I didn't feel like keeping, and ended up designing an alien rat.

Then once I had seeds for each of them I started thinking about their dynamics with each other and what their motivations would mean for the story I was already planning to tell.

Their character designs also were adapted from a randomizer (again, a randomizer, AI is not genuinely going to do what you want here because it has bias I cannot stress this enough!) and the personality rollups were assigned to them, once again, by lots, and that created new questions: This relatively youthful looking character rolled that she wants to retire because she hates her job, is there a reason for that? And now Callianthe is a mom who wants more time for her kids, which is excellent for me because it gives the actual child that was already in this story (and who I keep trying to get more screen time) someone her own age to interact with.

Related, there's more good questions that aren't deep but can give you a lot to work with: "how do I get this specific character more active in the story in a way that feels logical? How do I give this character something to do? What are they doing?"

And now you have a sideplot to work with.

okay actually I DO have thoughts about how to construct stories and come up with ideas for them but I have to go do some shit so hold that thought

[minithefutureawaits09]

You said, “Jump” instead I fell hard for you. (Part 2.)

Pairing: Spirk

Universe: AOS, teen-fic.

A/n: This may or may not end up a series because...because...I...dunno we’ll see. Link to part one :https://minithefutureawaits09.tumblr.com/post/650840335516336128/another-drabble-cause-why-not-pairing-spirk

Any who’s, Let’s begin.

——

Jim sat feeling awkward in the foyer of the Embassy. He’d been told by the woman at the desk that she’d sent a message and Spock would come down to retrieve him. This place was well-taken care of. From the shiny marble floors to the Vulcan script on the walls. Every detail in its place. He felt extremely underdressed.

With his plain brown jacket, black t-shirt, jeans, and worn tennis shoes. His hair he’d bothered to make look decent at least, rather than the messy unkempt style from day to day. The sofa was nice too, a simple blue color to complement the rest of the room. If he was being honest it reminded him of the Emerald City from "The Wizard of Oz," just with the way they had described it and the way this room looks. Just as he started to wonder if he’s been forgotten about a voice says his name,

“Jim?”

”Over here, Spock.”

He stands up and waves, shoving his free hand into his pocket. A smile tugged his lips upward as he eyed the other’s outfit. It was a set of robes, much more casual and comfortable looking but similar to the one that the receptionist was wearing. It was a solid black with soft grey designs over it and again, much nicer than what he was wearing. He held onto both of Spock’s arms loosely as he stood much closer. Taking in those brown orbs as they reflected the light, yet seemed to have a nervous glitz about them.

“I was beginning to wonder if you had forgotten about me,”

“I apologize, though I did not forget, the elevator took longer than anticipated arriving.”

“It’s alright. How’re you this morning?” “I am functioning adequately, and yourself?”

“I’m tired, but happy to see you.” “Did you not get enough sleep last night?”

“It’s from the trip here, it was a bit farther than I thought it was.” “I see. Though, I am pleased to see you as well.” “So...”

“Shall we head back for chess?”

“Sure. Lead the way, Spock.”

Jim took hold of Spock’s arm as though he was being escorted. He could see the way he seemed a little bothered, but didn’t say anything. Was he making him uncomfortable? He didn’t seem uncomfortable last night from his touch, in fact it was the opposite. Well...It also might have to do with the receptionist who seemed keen on staring at them, it was just them at the park last night. He made uncomfortable eye contact with her a couple of times.

Once in the safety of the elevator, Jim asked quietly,

“Spock, am I making you uncomfortable?”

“Not at all, Jim. It has just been a few years since I have been touched like that.”

“Alright. If you say so.”

It wasn’t a lie, etiquette classes had been almost 7.5 years ago. Though this was likely not what Jim was intending by his question. He knew was referring to the way Spock’s posture had stiffened which was actually a reaction he both couldn’t quite control in time and didn’t know he had. He also realized this may be an opportunity to talk to his partner about the differences in their culture.

They arrived at the door in silence, Spock put in the code, and it slid open. He followed him into the room. Wow. It looked similar to the apartment he and his mom were staying in, though arranged differently.

They were standing in a hallway-like area, on the right, were two small archways that lead to the kitchen and a dining room. On the left, there were three closed doors, he guessed one was the bathroom and had no idea what the others could be. At the end of the hall where it opened up, he guessed might be a living room and a couple of bedrooms.

Spock took his jacket, and he removed his shoes next to the Vulcan's.

“This way, ”

Jim nodded and he took hold of Spock’s hand, who warmly closed his hand around the human’s. He was lead into the open room. He smiled, he’d guessed right. The room was the living room. Decorated with a couple of black sofas, a glass coffee table, and a television on the wall. There were a couple of wide floor-to-ceiling windows on either side of the tv and they both had light grey curtains that appeared to be silk.

There was a small table that he hadn’t noticed, by one of the doors. It had two wooden chairs on either side. Spock let go of his hand and pulled out one of the chairs, gesturing for him to sit. So, he sat down and was effortlessly pushed in.

“If you will wait here, I will go retrieve the chess set.”

Jim nodded and Spock disappeared back down the hall. He heard a door open and close. He let out a sigh. He wondered if the Vulcan felt as out of place as he did at the moment. He likely didn’t the young human reasoned, and he seemed way stiffer than when they’d meet at the library. Did Spock even notice the change in his behavior or was Jim overthinking & over analyzing things that weren’t there? Was he trying to read the fine print that didn’t exist, or between the lines thinking some secret message is going to show? Maybe this wasn’t a good idea- No. He wouldn’t turn down an opportunity to hang out with his friend.

First the long and tedious walk here, then the awkward talk with the receptionist, the underdressed feeling, and now the stiff boyfriend. Could his day be going any more funky? He sighed again. The word pulled the boy up short now that he thought about it. Boyfriend. B-o-y-f-r-i-e-n-d. This was the first serious committed relationship in his life. Although his company was certainly not appriciated nor welcomed in the beginning he honestly isn’t sure what he’s going to do without it. Sure, he’s lived before without the Vulcan’s presence in his life but he’s not sure he can go back to doing so again.

The blonde was scared from his thoughts by a sniffle. He lifted his hands to his eyes to realize they were wet. Had he been crying? He doesn’t remember ever starting. He wiped the tears away with his hand, but they kept coming. He heard the door down the hall open and he started to panic. Jesus Christ, why can’t he hold it together all of a sudden?

He places his head down, face hidden by his arms as he hopes maybe his partner will think he fell asleep in the shot time from exhaustion. He’s saying a silent prayer his breathing isn’t going to be the thing to give it away. He could always blame it on a nightmare. Yeah, that’s what he’ll do. Say he fell asleep briefly after laying his head down and boom. Nightmare happened.

He heard footsteps and the faint noise of game pieces in a box coming toward his general direction and stopping closely.

“Jim?”

He opted not to respond. He’d have to come up with another excuse if he did.

He heard the box be sat down in front of him, and a gentle shake of his shoulder followed. Again no response. When the shake firmed up he moved quickly, wide-eyed and a gasp. The hand had shot back out of surprise as quickly as possible. He wiped at his eyes as a few tears continued to fall.

He glanced over at Spock and at first he saw a surprised look come across his face when he moved so suddenly before the Vulcan pulled whatever emotion he was feeling back under control.

“Jim, are you alright?“

“Y—Yeah, jus’ a Nightmare I suppose,”

God who’s cracking sad voice was that?

“Did you actually sleep adequately last night?”

“B—Best I could, I did have a few terrors last night too,”

And they were real bad, he was up for awhile after with his mom. Though why did he just admit that? He internally scolds himself. There was no reason for that.

“Come,”

Spock had taken one of his hands and was pulling him up and leading him to somewhere.

“But what about—”

“The chess game can wait,”

“But I-”

“Jim, please.”

Jim conceded the argument after that, and stood up. He felt an arm around his waist and was pulled close to the Vulcan, his free hand resting against the chest in front of him. Letting go of his hand momentarily, and with a gentle touch, the blonde felt his tears be wiped away. He looked up to meet the other’s concerned look. Though his face remained neutral for the most part, he could see the gloss of concern coating those chocolate like orbs he’s coming to adore, and the hint of a frown pulling at the corners of his mouth.

He looks away feeling ashamed, this was a stupid idea; his cheeks start prickling with warmth as he feels the tears form against his will in his eyes. Spock rests his forehead against his partner’s, and the floodgates open. He tries to shove away, to pull himself together and stop making an embarrassment of himself but the firm grasp around him only tightens.

“It is alright Jim,”

A firm but gentle voice tells him. He’s acutely aware of the swaying motion that started. It’s actually what got his attention; that and the warmth surrounding his thoughts. Emotions that are not his own flowing freely. Understanding, reassurance, were the strongest followed by one he’s unsure of. Admiration? What was admirable about his ugly crying, or the half lie he told? What was so admirable about him in this state?

The warmth around his thoughts pulled a little firmer as the voice whispered,

‘Nash-veh ashaya du,’

He opened his eyes, just as the action was mirrored by his partner.

“Is that you I’m feeling?”

He heard the chuckle in his head that confirmed his question. It was. A smile broke out on his face, even if it was still pink and puffy from his tears. He felt himself be guided over to one of the sofas.

His memory has a small gap. He’s not sure exactly how they got into this potion because in all honesty he was busy mentally talking with Spock. He was listening to his explanation what the difference of what their touch last night versus now was.

It was likely Jim was too out of it to really comprehend what Spock was saying. He wasn’t reacting at all like he’d calculated precisely, or maybe he had overestimate, or— That’s when he felt the leveled out breathing. The stilled mind under his fingers, which he withdrew for a much more comfortable position leaving behind a pleasant tingling sensation. Just picking up on Jim’s surface thoughts now, surface emotions. He closed his eyes and before he knew it, he too joined the other in sleep.

[bearsinpotatosacks]

Maybe Death is Just Going Home- A Spones Fic

The wind was soft on the back of his neck. Stroking the weak skin that was exposed. Sunrise was still underway, the blues and yellows and greens all mixing together. 

His garden was thriving under the care of his yard workers, who he'd employed to do the tough work his brittle body couldn't take anymore. The pond near the fence was full of lily pads and flowers, fish showing their faces occasionally. Flowers poked their heads up to the sky from the raised flower beds. A wind chime jingled somewhere to his right.

He remembered a time when he didn't let himself enjoy these things. The song of a bird or the way a flower bloomed. It was the days of being a strict Vulcan, of denying the emotions that drove his species to pure logic and repression, of pushing his human half to the point of breaking with every breath.

His friends helped him cultivate these sides of himself. Jim through kind words. Leonard with initial harsh behaviour, that he realised was his affection and watched it melt into true care and love. 

His heart panged at the thought of them, a pain he rarely let himself indulge in. There was little chance of seeing them again. Who knew how much time had passed for them? How old they'd be if he found a way to return home, an impossible feat, or if they'd even be alive?

There was even less of a chance of seeing Jim again. His research into finding him again had failed, even with the alternate technology he had at his disposal. There was no way to cheat death, especially one that happened in another world. They'd already done so with him and he didn't think it would be allowed a second time, or a third if you counted this universe's Jim.

He opened his eyes again. Meditation was meant to clear his head. But everything was too muddled lately to sort. He could feel the end coming. 

The skyline far away melded into the sky. Ships left and arrived from ports. Cars and trains with families all on their separated journeys. Infinite possibilities.

He turned his gaze to the grass springing up and spreading out away from the glass of the city. The growing season was coming. Flowers blooming, the sun on his face. Storms were frequenting the skies more often, the grounds soft and supple from the rain. 

He closed his eyes and smiled to himself as he felt the ache deep in his bones. Today was a good day to die.

"How old are you now?" A familiar voice pricked his ears. "And yet you can still cross your legs so wound up like that without pain?"

He opened his eyes. "Leonard." His husband.

"Who else is it gonna be?" 

He raised an eyebrow and took in what was most likely a hallucination. Leonard's hair was grey and hands worn, circa their encounter with the Klingons just before the Enterprise was decommissioned. Just before Jim went missing.

His red uniform was smooth, unwrinkled against his body. A look of mischief filled his eyes, a rare sight but a welcome one. He'd accept anything after all the years.

"You do realise that this isn't real, and therefore there is no point in conversing with you,"

Leonard feigned hurt with a hand on his heart, "I came here to give you a peaceful send-off and here I am being insulted by the man I call my husband,"

"The statistical probability of seeing you as a hallucination, in a much younger state than I left you in, is impossible, " 

"We have done many impossible things over the years,  and besides, the last time I knew, you don't have conversations with hallucinations," He crossed his arms and sat on the wall to a raised flower bed.

"What is your suggestion then?"

"I'm an angel, sent from God, to convince you to come along and die,"

"There are two faults with your proposal,"

"Two?"

"Yes, two," He said. "That is a very Christian focused theory, Leonard, and as you know my belief systems are of Surak's teachings and Judaism,"

"Last time I checked, Christians and Jews have an overlap in a religious book, our old testament, your Torah,"

Spock nodded.

"And ain't the story of Abraham in there, where he was told by God he was gonna have a kid of his own,"

"Yes, your point being?"

"And ain't the Exodus story, the one o' Moses, have God showing themselves to Moses to convince him to free the Jews,"

"These are theologically correct, Leonard, but I am still waiting for a point," He smiled again, he missed their debates.

"If those events happened in our religious books then what's saying it ain't happening right now, bringing me to you," 

"I didn't know you believed these tales so strongly, from what I believe these tales are to learn lessons from, not to take any literal meaning. And both of your examples were God showing themselves, and we both know you are not God," He looked at him. "Therefore you're not here."

"My second point was that I am ready to die, and God, being all-seeing, would know that," 

Leonard got off the wall. The look of mischief replaced by concern and love. Death had always been a sensitive subject for him. One of the most common disagreements was regarding Spock's longer lifespan. And it didn't matter how many times he told him that they could have a relationship just like any other, he knew he'd never let the subject go.

"I do have one more question," Spock continued. 

"What?"

"Your belief in angels, does it encompass the idea of the dead becoming them if they have lived good lives?"

The air wavered between them as their emotions poured into it. He thought they were both glad they knew some things without words.

"Yes,"

"Then that means that to get to me you must have died, which is counterintuitive to your plan of convincing me to die,"

"Why?"

He shuddered, his eyes filling with tears as his hands shook. "Why? Why do you think the knowledge that you died alone, without seeing me or having me by your side as you left this world,  would ease me into death?"

The image of a fragile Leonard, delirious from pain medication, calling for him with his dying breaths flashed to the forefront of his mind. He shook his head to rid himself of it but only made it clearer as the silence dragged on.

Leonard's face broke into a slight smile to ease him. He stepped towards him and reached his hands out to him.

"I knew you'd say something like that, so I want you to know I was at peace," He said. "After one hundred and eighty-three years, Spock, I was very fulfilled and welcomed it, just like your doing now," 

Their eyes locked and words ceased. Spock's head cleared, like all he needed was a conversation with him to clear up all the metaphorical mud in his head.

"Come home to me, Spock,"

And he did. Standing up from his position on the terrace and fitting perfectly into his arms like he always did. 

His hands traced the stubble on his chin as Leonard carded a hand through his hair, now black again due to his soul matching the time period. Their lips touched in a simple kiss and everything felt complete.

The sunrise dissolved away with the sounds of spring. And Spock was home once again in Leonard's arms.

And that's it! I got inspired by that scene in Beyond where AOS Spock saw a picture of the original crew and my angsty bittersweet brain got this question. How did Spock Prime die and how can I make that queer and peaceful?

I hope you enjoyed this, I enjoyed writing this!

[hummingbird-of-light]

In Our Favor

Part 5

McCoy

It was strange to be the only two at the table with Francine and Granddad. Before there had always been a group of the boys, but Robbie and Jim were on Georgiares and Spock on Vulcan.

McCoy smiled over at Francine, who still wore a frown looking after Andre.

“Averie is more likely to join us,” he said quietly.

“I can’t not feed someone in my home,” Francine replied. “Especially someone working to keep us all safe.”

“They appreciate it, they just aren’t used to sitting down with us. It isn’t part of their normal duties.”

“I suppose,” Francine said. She let out a huff. “How was the flight? And how’s Robbie?”

Conversation resumed like normal between the four and after the meal McCoy and Scotty offered to wash up.

“What do ye want to do tomorrow?” Scotty asked when they were settled in the garden looking up at the stars. The air was cooling, but McCoy kept close to Scotty.

“Shouldn’t you get packing?” McCoy asked with a smirk.

“Don’t have much to pack anymore,” Scotty said softly. McCoy heard the old hurt in his voice.

“I’m sorry,” he said quickly. “That was stupid of me.”

“It’s alright love, just the truth.” Scotty took McCoy’s fingers and joined them with his. “At least it feels more homey coming back this time.”

McCoy said nothing, worried he’d say something else dumb. Instead he gave Scotty’s fingers a squeeze.

“Besides, I think ye packed well enough for us both. My few things will be easy.”

Silence fell between the two.

“Where do you think we’ll get sent first?” McCoy finally said. He gestured at the sky above them with their joined hands.

Scotty let out a light laugh. “I dinnae ken. Probably somewhere close to start.” He let go of McCoy’s hand and rolled up onto his side to look at the prince.

“I know ye think we won’t be sent on missions without each other, but it’s likely Len. Especially since becoming a doctor will take longer.”

McCoy looked up at the concern on Scotty’s face.

“I might get assigned to a ship while ye’re still studying,” Scotty continued. “Our courses are going to be different. Engineers get sent out more often on ships to train in their last year. I read that.”

McCoy’s heart was pounding in his chest. He had read that too, but had chosen to ignore it. He swallowed down his own worries and fears to reassure Scotty.

“That’s at least three years out darlin’. We’ll have plenty of time to get used to it and the idea before then.” He smiled and reached up to stroke Scotty’s face gently. “I’m sure they’ll keep us so busy that any time apart will just fly by.”

A small smile pulled Scotty’s mouth. “I hope so,” he whispered.

McCoy tugged him down again for a kiss. “I’m cold,” he grinned. Anything to distract them both.

“Well, I suppose I should get ye inside then.”

Inside the house, Andre had gone and been replaced by Anthony.

“Good night your highness,” he said politely, from where he had settled himself in the living room. He had chosen a spot where he could see the front door and through to the back. “Mr. Scott-McCoy.”

“Good night Anthony,” McCoy called as he led Scotty up the stairs quickly.

Part 6

Scotty

That night Scotty couldn't sleep. Everytime he closed his eyes, he thought of what it would be like if he were to go out on a mission alone. Or, even worse, if Leonard was supposed to leave on a shuttle. So much could happen out in space.

Nightmares of the time when his husband and him had been kidnapped by Romulans filled his mind and he didn't even want to imagine for something like that to happen again. It was a horrifying thought. And there were so many dangers out there in the wide universe...

So, instead of sleeping, Scotty stayed up and stared at Leonard's calm face, hoping that he at least was having sweet dreams.

He could only hope that nothing would ever take that peaceful smile from his love's lips.

In the morning, breakfast was already ready for them. Francine had made sure that there was enough food for a whole bunch of people before she left for work. She probably wanted to make sure that every member of the family and security got enough to eat.

Anthony was just about to leave when Scotty and Leonard made their way downstairs. He nodded at them.

"Good morning, your highness, Mr. Scott-McCoy."

"Good morning. Ye're about to leave?" Scotty asked, throwing a quick glance into the kitchen and seeing what his mother had prepared.

Anthony gave him a nod.

"Yes, sir. Avery will be here any minute," the bodyguard answered and Scotty quickly ran into the kitchen and grabbed an already fully loaded sandwich. He handed it to Anthony.

"Please. Take it. My mother will nae be amused if she finds out that ye left without breakfast," the young Scotsman insisted and his counterpart glanced at Leonard who shrugged his shoulders.

"Scotty's right. You have no choice."

Scotty couldn't believe it when he saw a soft smile on Anthony's face as he took the sandwich.

"Thank you, sir. I... will thank your mother later when I'm on my next shift."

Scotty chuckled softly and nodded.

"Aye. She'll be quite happy to hear that ye ate."

After all, Francine was everyone's mother.

The week passed them by way too quickly, but at the end of it every member of 'Team Alpha' was basically part of the Scott's family. And everyone was quite sad when the boys and them had to leave.

Scotty felt his heart beat out of his chest as he got out of the car and stared at the shuttle that would fly them to San Francisco.

A new life was awaiting them. And he wasn't sure if he was ready for it yet. He thought back to his nightmares and worries.

However, when Leonard grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently, Scotty took in a deep breath. Aye... it would be okay. It would be just fine.

"Oh, me lads!"

Scotty was surprised when Francine appeared out of nowhere and pulled them both in a hug, sobbing violently.

"Francine."

"A mhàthair."

The poor woman didn't stop her crying even when the boys tried to talk to her and patted her back.

"Please, please, please be careful! I-I-I wish ye all the luck in the world! And I love ye two so much!"

"Francine, let them go."

Granddad placed a hand on Francine's shoulder and squeezed it softly. There was a smile on his face, but Scotty could see that he too was sad about the boys leaving.

And he felt it in his hug that followed Francine's. It was tight and filled when love and care.

"Take care of yerselves, lads. Ye can do this! I believe in ye!"

[auxiliarydetective]

Standard Language in Sci-Fi shows (specifically Star Trek and The Orville)

So I was just scrolling through my dashboard and encountered this post, presented to me by my dear friend @enterprise-come-in. To sum it up, it talks about an episode of Star Trek TOS where the crew receives a message from an alien species, not through the comms but through telepathy. Everyone is surprised to hear it in their native language, including Kirk who hears English. The post also makes a point to make it clear that the universal translator is not implanted given to Starfleet members' but rather a part of the comms system. The conclusion of this is that, in Star Trek TOS and all other versions of Star Trek chronologically before it (like ENT), as well as possibly ones after it (like TNG), the standard language on Starfleet ships is NOT English.

Of course, you would expect it to be English, because English is the most commonly spoken language in the world as of now and spreading. To believe that it would just lose it's importance like that is unlikely. But the standrad language is not English. So what is the it then? We can already rule out Vulcan, Russian and Swahili because those are the languages Spock, Chekov and Uhura hear and are surprised to hear. Going by how commonly spoken it is on Earth, my next guess would be Mandarin. We can neither deny or confirm this because nobody on the bridge says anything about Mandarin. I just watched the scene to check if Sulu was there, assuming he might know Mandarin because of his heritage, even though he didn't grow up somewhere where Madarin would be commonly spoken. (Please don't attack me for assuming this, I just assumed it for convenience.) But, as far as I, having never watched a single TOS episode before this, can tell, Sulu isn't there.

So is the standard language Mandarin? I don't think so. You see, according to my research, significantly more people learn English as a second language than Mandarin. Also, there's a phenomenon of English spreading into other languages with the foreign language adapting English words. This happens with all the languages I can actively speak, those being German and Spanish (technically, I could speak Castellano and a more Latin American form, but because I can't really tell what my "accent" really is, I'll just say it's Spanish and call it a day, but it's probably more Castellano than anything else). I'd say it's not a stretch to say that this happens with other languages too.

So, my assumption is that the standard language of Starfleet and the Federation in general is an amalgamation of multiple different languages, the most prominent probably still being English, with Vulcan maybe being second place and Mandarin somewhere in there too. But if I say that the most prominent language is English, I don't mean that you can actually tell that it's English. To those of you who know German, think of the difference between Hochdeutsch (aka the German you would learn at school) and Bayrisch (Bavarian) or Plattdeutsch or Schwäbisch (Swabian), but make it worse. For English speakers, think of the difference between your standard English and the worst accent you can think of, but worse. The accent is so bad that you can't tell it's English anymore. That's what I think the evolution of languages and globalization would cause and thereby make the standard language of a united Earth. Lots of languages fused into each other so far that you can't really pick them apart anymore. And once alien languages come into play, these "human language" speakers might pick up words or speech patterns from them and the language keeps evolving.

That's how English can "lose it's importance" and disappear and why Kirk is surprised to hear actual, clear, unmorphed English.

On a different note, let's talk about The Orville, because with The Orville, it's a very different story. In The Orville, the universal translator is presumably an implant. This is evidenced by the fact that the crew members can understand each other and foreign alien speakers - unless they deliberately speak in their native language, at which Isaac has to translate, see s01ep11, New Dimensions, for example - but can't understand the Krill in s01ep01 Old Wounds because they have a very advanced language that Union translators can't process. In later episodes, however, they can. Note what I said about Isaac because he is once again more advanced than the Union, being able to understand the native languages of alien races as well. He probably as a more advanced translator program. There would be no need in this universe for a standard language because the translators are implanted. You can literally understand pretty much anyone unless they deliberately hinder you from doing so (which we, in our present time, would probably do by speaking a different language). So, the universe of The Orville probably doesn't have a standard language like Star Trek does.

[thelordofdarkreunion]

Magnificent Scoundrels- Similarities

So, I found that the British marching song “Over the Hills and Far Away” is in several of these universes.  What a coincidence.  Therefore, I decided to write a shorter, more heartwarming story.  At least I hope that is the reaction, but you shall be the judge of that.  As usual, I own no one except Drake.  Enjoy the story.  

The stars were out that night.  Not the sort of stars that one saw amongst city pollution or in areas that had been civilized for far too long, but the type of stars one saw in the wild and untamed regions.  They formed a massive sparkling curtain over everything, and those on the ground could clearly see the length and breadth of the entire galaxy laid bare before them, framed by the pitch black midnight sky.  

The night itself was cold.  Not the type of cold that cuts through clothing to the very bone itself, leaving one gasping for breath, and not the type that perpetuates throughout the air, leaving one to huddle within the great masses of a coat for warmth, but the type of crisp cold that seems to invigorate the body and mind, leaving a happier and more lifelike person in its midst.  

Throughout a wide valley, the sickly green grass shadowed in the dark, sat encamped the various forces of the Scoundrels.  It had been decided that they should stay on the small planet they had recently defended against a slave raid, and so they were all camped in the rolling plains, a fair sized town within sight, and more importantly, within range.  

Fires studded the night, with the various forces of their respective commanders camped around them.  The smells of cooking wafted through the air around the fires, but not to where the solitary rock, far from all else, where Thomas Drake sat in his dark coat.  Three figures walked towards him, their footsteps soft in the grass.  Unborthered, he continued to stare peacefully at the night sky.

“Drake.  We want to know.  Why did you want to kill the prisoners?”  Without turning, Drake smiled.

“Ah, yes.  Kirk, Vir, and Shepard.  My three most moral companions.  Everything has more than one meaning, and my actions had several.  First, they are murdering, torturing, slavers, and thus deserve no pity or remorse, and secondly, I wanted to see what you would do.  You did not crack.  You stood by what you believed in.  I like that.”

“So you killed someone over a test?”  

“Correct.”  The three frowned at each other in the darkness.

“And was it a test for Cain, too?”  This elicited a low chuckle from Drake, who had still yet to turn around.

“The reasons remain the same.”

“But you knew he would do it,” snapped Kirk.  

“No.  I did not.  That’s why I did it in the first place,” replied Drake placidly.  

“They treat all of us with disgust.  I read your damn briefing, Drake, and one of the mottos of their precious Imperium is “suffer not the xeno to live”.  That is ridiculous.  We can’t serve along people who on a fundamental level want to kill us all,” said Shepard.  

“They’re getting better.  They’re getting better,” said Drake.  “The thing is, though, your three realities are somewhat similar.  A galactic government of all species, dedicated to the concept of peace.”  He stood slowly and gestured to the stars with a gloved hand.  “Now look up.  Tell me what you see.”

“That one’s Polaris, that’s Sirius, Vega, Antares...that wasn’t what you were looking for, was it?” replied Vir, slightly sheepishly.  

“Not quite.  But I appreciate the astronomy lesson.  I suppose...what do all those stars, what does that infinite black mean to you?”  

“Freedom.”  The response was instantaneous.  Shepard and Vir looked approvingly at Kirk.

“Good answer.  Couldn’t think of a better one.”  Drake chuckled again.

“Yes, I rather thought so.  You are all in agreement.  But to them,” he gestured in the direction of the Imperial camp, “Where they come from, that infinite void means nothing but existential terror.”  He smiled in an odd, knowing fashion.  “Their universe is quite different.”  It seemed as if someone was going to say something, to interrupt, but suddenly Drake held up a hand for silence.  “Listen,” he commanded.

A sound wafted through the air, the wavering singing of a single sentry from the Imperial camp.  

“When duty calls me I must go,

To stand and purge another foe,

But part of me will always stay,

Through the Warp and far away.

Through the Warp, to near and far,

To Tallarn, Krieg and Ultramar,

The Emperor points and we obey,

Through the Warp and far away.”

It was not particularly good, but it had a feeling of loneliness, of homeliness, of nostalgia to it.  Then, something quite strange, and quite wonderful happened.  Another voice, this time from Drake’s camp, replied in kind.

“Over the hills and o’er the main,

To Flanders Portugal and Spain,

Queen Anne commands and we’ll obey

Over the hills and far away

All gentlemen who have a mind, 

To serve the queen both good and kind

Come list and enter into pay

Then over the hills and far away.”

Drake smiled in the darkness.  

“Recognize that song?” he asked the three men standing near him.  In response, Shepard’s voice, slightly hoarse in the night air, sang through the night.

“40 shillings on the drum,

For those who volunteer to come,

With shirts and clothes and pleasant pay,

Over the hills and far away.”

He smiled.  “Not much of a singer, I’m afraid.  But, yeah.  I know the song.”  Kirk pursed his lips.

“I’ve never heard it before.  You?”  Vir shook his head negatively.

“No.  Never.”  

“It’s an old, old, British marching song.  The Imperials apparently picked it up from somewhere.  The other version is from the War of Spanish Succession,” said Drake.

“When was the War of Spanish Succession?” asked Vir.

“You know the names of all those stars but you don’t know when the War of Spanish Succession was?” replied Drake.

“Hey, well, it’s-” “Relax.  I’m teasing you.”  They all turned around as an unidentified voice shouted into the night.

“Hey!  Give us another verse!”  A reply came almost instantly from the Imperial encampment, with several more voices joining the unidentified guard.

“If I should fall and rise no more,

As many guardsmen did before,

Then ask the pipes and drums to play,

Through the Warp and far away.

Through the Warp, to near and far,

To Tallarn, Krieg and Ultramar,

The Emperor points and we obey,

Through the Warp and far away.”

And in response, Drake sang back.  

“Then fall in lads behind the drum,

With colors blazing like the sun,

Along the road and come what may,

Over the hills and far away.

Over the hills and o’er the main,

Through Flanders Portugal and Spain,

King George commands and we’ll obey,

Over the hills and far away.”

He smiled.  “And that version is the one from the Peninsular War.”  He had a beautiful tenor voice that carried clearly through the crisp night air.  

“Pretty good.”

“Thank you.”  This was accompanied by a small theatrical bow.  There was a small rustle, and a dark shape appeared.

“So.  What’s happening?  We having a sing-along up here or something?” asked Peter Quill.

“I would not be adverse to such an idea,” replied Drake.  

“Alright.  What should we sing?” asked Vir.

“Hmm.  I have noticed that human history remains the same in all of our universes until roughly the year 2000.  So, should we want to sing something that all of us know, it would have to be either an insane coincidence or something from before that year.”  He frowned.  “Exactly how well versed in really goddamn old music are all of you?”

“Know it all,” said Quill.

“That’s kind of my specialty,” grinned Vir.

“Pretty well,” said Kirk.

“Yeah,” replied Shepard.

“Well.  What a coincidence,” drawled Drake.  “What song then?”

And so, the various crew members and soldiers in the different camps were regaled with song.  It lasted ridiculously long as shouts for more echoed through the still air.  Beautiful harmonies, surprisingly well executed, simples songs, several loud, long, and rowdy songs, everything they could think of, and several other requests.  It was, interestingly, rather good, and even a few villagers from the nearby town gathered to listen despite the late night.  

Under the sharp blanket of stars, in altogether different and isolated positions, sat Cooper and John-117, and though they did not join in, they both heard.  

Cain and Solo had both gone to bed.  When later told of what had happened, they both shrugged indifferently and moved on.

And, in three separate spots in three different encampments, three different individuals shook their heads.  

“Humans,” muttered Kril, Mordin Solus, and Spock at the same time as they heard their commanders singing.

If you have any questions, comments, concerns, criticisms, or request, please, feel free to ask.  

[netrophensisposts]

Drastic Measures - spoilers for Discovery season 1

This is one of those that, on paper, should be an amazing read. You've got Georgou before she commands the Shenzhou, you've got our universe's Lorca, you've got some truly loveable characters and a slice of Star Trek History in the making. But somewhere along the way it just....it lost something.

I don't know whether it's just me but after the first few chapters the story itself just seemed to lose any sense of any...well, story. At some point it loses its momentum and it felt like things weren't happening much inside the story, despite what the text describes.

Added to the rather intimidating 40 chapters, and honestly....I'm kinda disappointed. After how they handled Georgou, Pike, Saru, Burnham and Spock in Desperate Hours I really wanted to see what they could do with these characters.

For now this one's going on the to-read-again pile, cause I really want to give this a second chance down the line.

Next up is a classic original: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K Dick