#Undercover Vulcan

[rizuno]

Chapters: 4/18 Fandom: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies), Alien (Original Movies 1979-1997), Alien: Isolation (Video Game) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: James T. Kirk/Spock, James T. Kirk & Spock, James T. Kirk & Leonard "Bones" McCoy Characters: James T. Kirk, Spock (Star Trek), Leonard "Bones" McCoy, Hikaru Sulu, Montgomery "Scotty" Scott, Pavel Chekov, Nyota Uhura, Keenser (Star Trek) Additional Tags: k/s - Freeform, spirk, Survival Horror, Gore, Xenomorphs (Alien Series), Facehuggers (Alien Series), Technology Fusion, Alternate Universe, Interplanetary Towing Vessel Enterprise, James T. Kirk's Immune System, Undercover Vulcan, Slow Burn, Slow Build Summary:

Oh, to have a Science Officer on board the Enterprise! Wait. Jim doesn't have a problem here...does he?

[lightshiningforth]

Unless I missed something major, I think fans as a whole ran off the rails a bit with the whole “Vulcans kiss with their hands! Every little hand touch is kissing and their human peers don’t know! Handshakes are MAKING OUT, from a Vulcan perspective!” thing. It’s funny, sure! But I don’t think it’s true.

IMO, this little gesture is only a “kiss” inasmuch as it’s a gesture of affection. Not a “kiss” that elicits physical pleasure. Would they do it in front of so many people, otherwise? Vulcans are private with their pleasure.

I don’t think these are “kisses,” either. Expressions of intimacy, sure. Symbols of particular relationships, absolutely. But not a 1:1 comparison to a classic, mouth-to-mouth, human kiss. And hardly making out, as it’s generally defined (that’s Spock and his MOTHER in that first pic, remember).

Now, do Vulcans do weird sexual stuff with their hands?

Yeah! They sure do!

Pretty consistently.

That said! I don’t think that type of intimacy makes the hands themselves inherently charged or sexual. I imagine there’s a combination of cultural expectations, ritual, and telepathy involved. So, a Vulcan could shake or hold someone’s hand in a different context and be completely unfazed. Well, perhaps not completely - polite, non-intimate greetings on Vulcan seem to take place by default at a distance (🖖 😐 “Peace and long life.” …..3 ft away…..🖖 😐 “Live long and prosper.”) But I imagine they would be slightly bothered by the irregularity of the gesture, not hot and bothered from oh-so-sensitive hands.

Besides, humans can hold hands (romantic) or shake hands (nonromantic). They can even kiss (romantic/sexual) and kiss (friendly greeting). Surely, Vulcans can touch hands (romantic/sexual) and touch hands (nonromantic/nonsexual), and this has everything to do with the context of the social situation and very little to do with the hands.

[bumblingbabooshka]

Recently started voyager and I’m on like early s1 and like wow Tuvok always bringing up that he can mind Meld with people.

He just goes I could mind meld with them, like all the time.

love that man.

(Also everytime I see him on screen I think wow he’s been married to his beautiful wife of 67 years and he has four children wow)

Tuvok thriving

[sapsuckers-and-stardust]

I love fics where Kirk and Spock have to go undercover as "normal" people and that ends up with Kirk dressing like a lumberjack or a suburban dad but Spock is wearing a gay little outfit because that's just how Vulcans dress.

[searchingforserendipity25]

regardless of whether cardassia is part of the federation in his universe or not, surgeon garak is clearly still a spy, or was at least trained as a spy, so him being in starfleet is so interesting. for many reasons.

not least the implication of a group of obsidian order operatives (tain. it was tain being a dick) plotting who they can best send undercover into the military heart of starfleet, and going with the guy no one really likes.

in this universe where cardassian crew members are not unusual in starfleet, how often has tain made fun of him (and tormented him, and starved him, and locked him in dark places) for having the sort of tendency towards weak sentiment that was really more suited to a federation lackey than a true servant of cardassia?

deep cover is not exile exactly, except that it is. really he is only a mole in the shallow ground, not even a second identity to hide behind, and not much hope of returning to cardassia besides an eventual retirement -

if the order (tain, being a dick) doesn't find it more expedient to send him to vulcan or andoria or wherever else.

the thing about deep cover agents is you never can trust them again; it's a one-way ticket to serve the state, everyone knows they don't come back right, they don't come back at all.

but he's expendable, and he's good at torture, right? surgery is like, reverse torture. he'll be fine! what's the worse that can happen, he slips so deeply into cover that federation ideals cloud his identity, his skills earn him renown and satisfaction and his loyalty ends up compromised when a rip in the multiverse puts him in the path of an holographic version of his hot coworker?

[stra-tek]

Random spoilerific reasons to read Star Trek novels, with little to no context:

Ro/Quark is a thing

A Jem'Hadar joins DS9, tries to fit in but eventually snaps and tries to kill everybody

You learn the origins and final fate of the Borg

A thinly-veiled Dr. House clone joins the Voyager crew

Geordi briefly has 2 girlfriends at once (due to different writers not co-ordinating enough, but still)

There's a TOS book that's a musical

There are YA stories about Jake and Nog making mischief on DS9

YA stories about Worf, Geordi, Picard, Beverly, Kirk, Spock and McCoy at SFA

YA series about the Kelvinverse gang (including Gaila!) as cadets, taking on a drug problem at SFA and a very unique Borg scout in San Francisco

We very briefly meet the people who are to Q what the Q are to humanity

Janeway/Chakotay is a thing

Kirk's first mission in command of the Enterprise! Erm, at least twice.

Kirk was married between TOS and TMP

Her name was Lori

In the future, you have yearly marriage contracts that you either update or you don't and I think that's amazing

Trip didn't die! He faked his death to join Section 31 and go undercover as a Romulan

It's not great, tbh

The ENT books get better after the Romulan wars though, it's proper founding of the Federation stuff

We meet Jack Crusher (erm, the OG) when 4 timelines start overlapping and he's a bit unhinged

Teenage Kirk stole a car and his choice was go to jail or join Starfleet

What happened when Voyager got home? Seven broke up with Chakotay like 30 pages in

Kirk gets cloned, and his clone becomes the sub of an evil invincible super genius and its all very gay

George Kirk was Robert April's first officer on the first ever mission of the unnamed starship with the Naval Construction Contract 1701

Robert is a hard-core pacifist and has to turn command over to George whenever it's time to fire weapons

Data becomes fully human for a couple of days and it's really sweet

They never say "wristwatch" or "phone", it's always "wrist chrono" or "personal comm"

There are gays but they don't say that word because it's the 1990's and Rick Berman runs the franchise

Spock has a son in the past with Zarabeth

Everyone in the post-Nemesis era does spy missions all the time non stop, as if Starfleet has abandoned exploring the cosmos for doing Space Mission: Impossible

Bashir does it better than anyone else, he takes on Section 31 from the inside

Remember Control? It's from the novels, except the novels do it SO MUCH BETTER.

Remember how we never found out who Future Guy was? We do.

It's very underwhelming, nobody we know

We find out how the Romulans and Vulcans split

Surak was a Vulcan internet blogger

A Borg Cube eats Pluto

Janeway dies

Janeway gets better

At least one TOS book features a wizard

There's a Star Trek TOS/Here Come the Brides crossover novel

It had cameos from The Doctor (as in, Who), Han Solo, Starbuck and others

Whole book series about Section 31

Whole book series about the Department of Temporal Investigations

One time they do the Bill and Ted thing to escape confinement and it works

Wanna know how Riker and Troi met?

Wanna know what Picard got up to on the Stargazer?

Andorians have 4 sexes and it's very complicated

Data comes back from the dead as Data 2.0, and it was fresh and exciting because it happened long before ST: Picard did it twice.

Lal comes back too and we get father/daughter android stuff! They have a home and everything but keep having to save the universe

One time Mirror Seven is led around on a leash naked on Terok Nor

Geordi becomes captain of the USS Challenger, decides it's not for him because plot, and goes back to engineering on the Enterprise

Kirk is shot on the bridge and dies

Kirk gets better

They watch 3D holos of old Doctor Who episodes in the Enterprise rec room

The Enterprise also has an AI named Moira, which was Zora long before Zora

The TOS crew get together for one last mission. About three times.

There's a Perry Mason book except it's about Kirk's lawyer from that TOS episode

Data 2.0 owns and runs a massive gambling empire on Orion

Spock keeps randomly showing up everywhere in the TNG era

Scotty keeps randomly showing up everywhere in the TNG era

Bones keeps randomly showing up everywhere in the TNG era

You're on Tumblr so you already know about Killing Time

There's a guy named McKenzie Calhoun and he's a total badass and captains a ship of weirdos and misfits

Kirk comes back from the dead, saves the galaxy repeatedly, has an intersex child (who identifies as male) with a Romulan/Klingon hybrid

Kirk beats up Worf

Kirk's child has superpowers

Kirk's child saves the galaxy at age 6

The Kirk stuff is 100% ignored in the other novels

About 50% of the novels are ignored in the other 50%, and the ones that are meant to be in direct continuity with each other aren't always quite

Just like the TV shows and movies, then

Lwaxana Troi meets Q, and it goes as well as you'd expect

Someone tells Data, yes you idiot you had emotions all along and he's like, oh shit you're right

McCoy is left in command of the Enterprise as a joke by Kirk, who is then immediately kidnapped

Ro Laren is captain of Deep Space Nine

Picard/Beverly is a thing, they get married and have a child named Rene. No running away and raising your kid in secret here

Riker and Troi are married, serve on the Titan together with a bunch of adorable weirdos and have a daughter named Tasha

You get to watch all the 24th century characters die horribly in the end along with their entire universe. Holy fuck it's a bleak horror show. Personally, I love it. But if that's not your cup of tea I'd skip the Coda trilogy

[pavel-chekov-appreciator]

When Sarek is dying of Bendii Syndrome, his wife Perrin complains that Spock never came to visit or say goodbye. I don’t think they ever had the best relationship, but at this point Spock and Sarek are absolutely much closer and on better terms than they used to be. Which makes me wonder why exactly Spock never saw his father again before going off to do undercover diplomacy on Romulus. And I think I know the answer.

Because the most prominent symptom of Bendii Syndrome is a breakdown of emotional control.

Sarek, at this point in the disease’s progression, has basically no control over his emotional reactions. He is dying and he is afraid and he is sad and regretful, and he is, most likely, on top of all that, deeply ashamed. This has to be a humiliating experience for a man like Sarek. And I’m sure Spock knows this. Knows his father has precious little dignity left.

And how do you think he would feel, seeing his son?

The son he’s had an incredibly complicated relationship with for his entire life. The son he has so many regrets regarding. The son with his mother’s expressive human eyes, a mother who died old and fulfilled but so tragically young from a Vulcan perspective. The only child he has left when he once had three.

This man would have a breakdown. He would cry. In front his son. And then he would feel ashamed. And their last interaction would be bathed in regret and shame and deep, unresolved sadness.

Spock wants to see his father. He wants to say goodbye to him. He probably wants to meld with him, which seems to be something traditional for Vulcans in the end stages of their lives. But his father’s dignity could not bear it, and he knows this, and he avoids him and allows him to die with that little bit still intact, knowing at least that he never cried in front of his son.

[manygeese]

ok I know it’s been a while but we’re back at it again with the Sally and Esperanza au (inspired by @poppitron360)

basically if you missed the first one, Leo and Esperanza move to New York, Esperanza meets Sally and they fall in love 🥰 when Leo and Percy are eight and nine respectively, Gaea swallows them up, they go to CHB, Leo gets claimed instantly, Percy has to wait until 3 years later when he gets the TLT quest and saves his moms from the underworld

ANYWAYS! What would HoO look like in this AU?

The first thing I’d change would be who gets the Hera Swap Treatment™️. And ALSO! Who would be in the Seven in general. I think, instead of Percy (to enforce the familial tragedy lol make him suffer), Reyna would be in the Seven. So in this AU, Leo and Reyna get swapped.

So the Lost Hero trio would be Reyna, who wakes up on this unfamiliar bus with no clue where she is but a gut feeling something is wrong. Annabeth, who is searching undercover for her boyfriend’s brother (AKA her partner in crime). And Piper, who also has no clue what’s going on but is really bummed that the people she thought were her best friends don’t seem to know her anymore.

Really interesting opportunity to discuss Reyna’s connection to Rome, since Bellona doesn’t have a Greek equivalent. Who would she be claimed by? How would she fit in? When they hold campfires, does she feel a distinct sense of camaraderie that she’s longed for for so long?

Also, concept: Reyna, Annabeth, and Piper stop by the Jackson-Valdez household before making their way to California. Percy’s just like “sure, you can crash for tonight. Gods know you’ll need the rest (and my mom’s special blue cookies for good luck)”. But Piper’s just like “what HAPPENED? Why is this apartment so SAD?” Like the happiness has just been sucked out. Esperanza isn’t even there, she’s at the garage, pretending like her son is at home. Sally is looking through baby photos and stress writing and doing a million different things because maybe by the time she actually thinks about her son he’ll be in her arms again.

The Son of Neptune (or Son of Vulcan, in this case) trio would be Leo, Jason, and Hazel I think because I have a distinct image of Hazel and Jason having awkward cousin vibes. Like, “their older siblings play Mario kart together on Christmas so they’re friends only because of proximity” cousins. And Leo’s over here doing horribly crooked cartwheels to lighten the mood.

I have Thoughts about Son of Vulcan in this AU omg. So many Thoughts. Jason and Hazel finally getting each other when they kill Alcyoneus together, while Leo is fighting for his life to free Thanatos and kill all these freaky-deaky monsters. Jason and Hazel freaking the fuck out when Leo chugs gorgon blood like it’s whiskey. Jason and Leo finding Hazel standing on a rock surrounded by cereal babies. Hazel side eying Leo wondering if he’s her old crush from grade school back in the forties. Just. Son of Vulcan trio.

Another thing, I think these two books should happen at the same time because I think it’d be interesting to let both of the swapped heroes integrate more. Like, give me fearless leader Reyna whipping her (tween) troops into shape, but Camp Half-Blood just being like “dam this lady’s super cool but she needs to chill the FUCK out. stop training my eight year old brother in sword fighting he’s gonna kill me the next time I have to wake him up early”. Give me an unconfident Leo learning to be a leader after being in his brother’s shadow.

also I yapped to @puzzled-pegasus about this so here you go

[schn-tgai-saavik]

Forever sad that Robin Curtis return to Star Trek in The Next Generation, but not as Saavik.

We could have gotten Captain Saavik! Half Vulcan and Half Romulan, still an incredible angle for the Reunification storyline.

Also reunited with Ambassador Spock? That would have been awesome for the fans and for the cast too I bet.

Rather she played a Vulcan isolationist woman (T'Paal) undercover as a Romulan (Tallera). Seems like she can't get away from that type of role (Saavik being half Vulcan half Romulan)

She's still so pretty.

[deepspacedukat]

The Lifeline - Part Three: To Have An Open Flame

Vreenak decided it was his turn. He's the kind of chaotic stability I needed right now, tbh. Anyway, still winging it. Enjoy!

Part One here. Part Two here.

Cross-posted to AO3 here.

~*~

Vreenak (DS9) x Reader

[A/N: There will be suggestiveness in future chapters so 18+ ONLY, MINORS DNI!!!]

Warnings: References to Romulan politics, espionage, stalking, references to an interspecies relationship, pre-Romulan/Human relationship, interspecies romance, threats, angst, time travel bs, references to marriage/a mating bond, skeptical Vreenak, Romulan undercover as a Vulcan, mentions of a previous Vulcan/Human failed relationship, he's falling and he doesn't even know it, Romulan reading a Human romance novel.

~*~

I really have no reason to be nervous, I thought to myself as I got my lunch from the replicator. He's probably just uncomfortable with his new surroundings, and being Vulcan, it's difficult for him to express his discomfort.

Turning with my lunch tray, I caught sight of my current objective: Velek sat alone at a table in the mess hall, eating his lunch and reading a PADD. Thinking of those icy blue eyes again made my heart thud in my chest. Really, he was gorgeous, but he was also grumpy enough to make him a bit scary. Well, maybe he himself didn't scare me, but the thought of being on the receiving end of his anger, suppressed or not, definitely did.

Come on. Realistically, what's he going to do? Scowl you to death?

With a deep breath, I made my way over to him, putting on what I hoped was a friendly smile and not a terrified grimace. As I approached, his eyes flicked up and practically froze me in place.

"Yes, Lieutenant?" He asked in an almost deadly-quiet tone.

...I hated that he still sounded so sexy. Really, it wasn't fair. I was actively trying not to fall for any more Vulcans, and he was not making it easy.

"Hi! Er, uh, good afternoon, Lieutenant," I said trying to sound less terrified and more confident. "Is this seat free?"

He glanced at the seat across from him and back at me, seemingly considering his options. The Mess Hall was almost full, so seating was limited anyway. It wasn't like this an unreasonable request, but I guessed he was still trying to find a polite way to refuse. Just as I opened my mouth to apologize and go try to find another seat, he sighed.

"Yes, it is currently unoccupied," he said setting his PADD aside.

"May I...?" I gestured to the seat, trying to give him an opportunity to refuse, if he really didn't want me there.

"...You may." Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, I thanked him quietly and sat down, trying to be mindful of his space so that I wouldn't make him more uncomfortable than he already appeared to be. "I trust you're ready for the anomaly scan analysis?"

"Oh, yes. I'm looking forward to seeing how this pulsar cluster differs from a couple of the others I've read about," I answered, and at that he lifted a sharp eyebrow.

"You've worked with these sorts of phenomena before?" He sounded genuinely interested, which I took as a tentatively positive sign.

"Well, as they're rare, I haven't had the opportunity before, but phenomena like these have been of particular interest to me since the Academy, so I've read pretty much all there is to know about them," I explained. "I've studied all the procedures, and I know that actually doing something in the field is much different than just studying the theories involved, but I'm confident in my abilities, so..."

I trailed off with a shrug.

"What about you? Have you ever studied a pulsar cluster up close before?"

"Twice, yes, but not in many years. I was barely thirty when I saw my first, then fifty when I saw my second," he said, and I felt my eyes widen. I knew he was older than he looked by Human standards, because of his Vulcan heritage, but it still took me by surprise that he was over fifty. It really shouldn't have stunned me, hell, even Torek was over seventy. Did...Did that mean he was closer to maybe...ninety?

Mental math aside, I nodded my head, trying to focus on the science aspect of the conversation rather than Velek.

"Oh really? That must've been so fascinating." I leaned a little closer in my seat. "Were they about this size, or...?"

"Both were smaller, actually," he said; some of the barrier in his gaze came down as he spoke. "Neither of the events I observed were quite this strong, either. I must admit, if I was not–"

He cut himself off abruptly as if he'd caught himself from saying something he shouldn't.

"I...am intrigued to see what differences this cluster will yield," he finished quietly, and if I was not very much mistaken, the tips of his ears had turned a darker shade of green than they were before. He crammed a bite of food into his mouth, staunchly not meeting my gaze, and I did the same, not wanting him to feel as though he was obligated to speak if he didn't wish to.

After a few moments of quiet, furtive looks between us, Velek and I accidentally met each other's gazes and froze.

"We're lucky to have you here, you know," I said, trying to set him at ease. "We've been a bit short-staffed lately, so your arrival couldn't have been better-timed."

"...Your gratitude is...appreciated, but misplaced," he began, some of the coldness seeping back into his tone. "I am here for the work. Nothing more."

With that sentiment out in the open, I realized I'd likely overstayed my welcome. Feeling awkward and out of place, I got to my feet.

Maybe his surroundings weren't making him uncomfortable. Maybe it was me.

"My apologies. I'll just...get out of your hair. Have a good rest of your shift," I said giving him a sheepish, apologetic smile and walking away before he could say anything. Shoving my mostly-full tray into the replicator to be recycled, I made my way back to my station. My appetite was gone.

--

Vreenak watched her walk out of the Mess Hall with a sinking feeling. Why did he care whether he'd hurt a little hevam's feelings? She was nothing to him. He was here specifically to avoid acquiring a Human wife. What did it matter if her poor, weak little emotions were injured?

He huffed quietly to himself and picked up the report he was supposed to be reading. Instead, though, his mind was focused solely on the expression that had crossed her face just before she rushed out: a mixture of pain, embarrassment, and regret. Had he truly been so intimidating? A sigh escaped his lips. Of course he had! He was the Vice-Chairman of the Tal Shiar, for Elements' sake, of course his looks were as cutting as his tongue was in Senate sessions.

Putting his own half-empty tray into the replicator, he made his way back to his station, trying to force his mind back into neutral territory to maintain his cover. That same look kept returning to his mind's eye even as he worked.

Later that night, they read through the next chapter of her book. Really, she'd chosen such a trite little story. Were these two actually meant to be together? He hated her, yet she was still mooning after him like a pathetic baby set'leth crying for its mother. It was hard for him to imagine the story ending well, but her Trill friend mentioned that it had a happy ending the last time she visited the Lieutenant's quarters. Why would anyone endure something so painful? Was love really worth that much?

Vreenak read a bit slower that night, finding himself repeatedly distracted by the way she looked. The shape of her nose, the curve of her cheeks...her rounded, extremely Human ears...

Eventually, she went to bed, and Vreenak did as well, but disturbingly, he found himself thinking about the message. 'Vree, honey,' she'd called him. She'd shortened his name, and he had the rather unsettling thought that in her voice, he actually liked how it sounded.

When he drifted to sleep that night, there was a small smile upon his lips at the ridiculous yet heady thought of her saying the entirety of his real name. Not that he would admit to such a thing, of course. Exhausted minds were prone to playing tricks on their owners.

Days passed, during which they kept to their little routine. They'd complete their shifts with minimal interaction, go back to their respective quarters, and Vreenak would read along with her in that insipid romance novel. The male love interest was, for lack of a better term, a complete veruul. If he simply admitted how he was feeling, there would be significantly fewer problems, and they could have ended this terrible book several chapters earlier.

Vreenak was grateful beyond words that he was not that dense. If he cared for a woman, he'd be brave enough to confront those feelings and do something about it. What a coward, that character was to hide behind his fear of losing her as if it was some sort of cloaking device! He was glad they were nearly three quarters of the way through.

He put the book away when she did, and assuming that she was off to bed, he went to change out of his uniform. He'd stripped down, and thrown on a dark green pair of sleep pants and a matching robe, but as soon as he went to begin his evening routine, the door chime sounded. Who would call on him this late at night?

--

When the doors to Velek's quarters slid open, I blinked in surprise. He was already out of uniform, wearing instead a dark green silk robe.

"Do you require something, Lieutenant?" At Velek's harsh, impatient tone, I used all of my restraint to keep from staring at the exposed stripe of his chest peeking out from behind the soft fabric. I must've looked like a startled deer!

"I apologize for disturbing you. The Captain just wanted me to check in and see how you were adjusting to your new post," I answered, which was partially the truth. Velek had been withdrawn - more than other Vulcan crew members I'd encountered, in any case. Despite extraneous socializing being considered largely unnecessary and illogical, most Vulcans engaged in at least a little bit of it. Velek, though, did not, which suggested continued discomfort on his part. "May I come in?"

After a long, hard stare, Velek stepped aside, and I took the opportunity to slip past him into his living space...

His...still-utterly-bare living space. Other than a few data PADDs and an empty glass on a table near the viewport, his quarters seemed virtually untouched. Had he not unpacked in the nearly two weeks that he'd been here?

"I apologize for my appearance. I was attempting to meditate and did not anticipate having a guest," Velek called, but he didn't make any move to draw the sides of his robe tighter around himself. At least he was comfortable enough to take that small liberty. Given the view, I certainly wasn't complaining.

"Where are your candles?" The question flew from my lips before I could stop it, and he paused.

"I neglected to acquire more before my last transfer, and as they cannot be replicated properly, I do not have access to them." Maybe that was why he was so short-tempered! He couldn't meditate properly! I knew how important the candles were to the process, and I knew the replicated ones gave off an unpleasant aroma - something about the synthetic oils didn't settle correctly into the wax mixture.

"Oh, I see. I, um...Is there anything I can do to make adjusting to this post any easier?" I asked as I turned to face him, only to see his eyes skimming slowly up my body as if he'd been observing me. No. That was too much to hope for.

"Nothing comes to mind at present," he said, and I nodded my head.

"Has everyone been treating you alright since you got here? Are they making you feel welcome?"

He walked over to his sofa and took a seat, crossing one leg over the other.

"As the rest of the crew have respected my desire not to socialize, I have no reason to complain." The ice had reentered his voice.

Oh. Right. He didn't like me. The glimpse of his bare chest had all but obliterated my rational thoughts.

"Oh, good. Well, uh, I apologize for interrupting your evening. I'll just go report to the Captain and leave you in peace." I practically bolted from his quarters before I could do something really stupid like asking if he wanted a completely logical cuddle.

--

How odd that she would run out like that right when he was going to break down and offer her a seat and a drink. Granted, he wasn't wearing his uniform, but he didn't look that bad...did he?

He glanced down at himself and felt an uncomfortable wrinkle of insecurity. A bit of his chest was showing, but he knew he looked better in this than he did in a Starfleet uniform. There was no question that this was more sensual, and she'd already admitted to her friend that she found him attractive, so...what was there for her to dislike?

Unsettled, he made his way to bed, but he couldn't coax his mind into a state peaceful enough for sleep. When Vreenak left his quarters for duty as a slightly more tired version of Lieutenant Velek the next morning, he spotted a box beside his door with his alias on the digital tag. Bending to inspect it, his brows lifted at the note it contained.

'I hope these help you feel more at home. Welcome aboard!'

Attached was a file giving written consent for an open flame in his quarters from the Captain. An open flame? Opening the box, he discovered a bundle of traditional Vulcan meditation candles.

There was only one person from whom these could have reasonably come. Glancing at the door to the quarters beside his, Vreenak couldn't help but feel a hint of surprise. Why would she be kind to him when he hadn't been that way to her? He'd attempted to shut down every friendly overture she'd made toward him, but he clearly hadn't succeeded.

And, did this mean she hadn't disliked what she'd seen of him the night before?

...More importantly, why should Vreenak care what she thought?

Quickly moving the box inside, he took a deep, steadying breath and headed to his station in the forward science lab. Sure enough, she'd beaten him there as always.

He wondered, as he often had these first two weeks, whether she'd slept better than he had. The skin beneath her eyes was darker than the rest, and Vreenak was stunned to feel concern bloom in his chest. Her self-deprecating jokes about insomnia had at least some basis in truth, then.

Again, why should he care? She was just a Federation officer! She was a mystery to be solved, a whisper from a potential version of the future, nothing more. He had a mission to accomplish. There was no time for him to become sidetracked by trivialities like some hev– some Human's health. He realized he'd been watching her for several seconds, but before he could turn away, she caught him staring.

Maybe that Trill was right. Vreenak must be getting older if he was slipping so severely.

"Good morning, Lieutenant," she called with a tentative smile stretching her lips. Forcing himself to move, he stepped over to the adjoining station and started his work for the day.

"The candles you left me..." he began, but as soon as he spoke, she looked over at him and his mind went blank. What...had he been saying?

"They...They are the traditional type. A-And, they're not replicated, I promise," she murmured when he didn't continue. "I apologize if I overstepped, but I just thought...I mean, when I was at the Academy, two of the three cadets I shared quarters with were Vulcans, and I always kept a few extras in case they needed them. It's sort of become a habit, and when you said you didn't have any..."

She trailed off, and Vreenak had to exert more force than he expected to keep himself from smiling at her. Vulcans didn't smile. Why did he suddenly resent that?

"It was not necessary, but...I appreciate them. You have my gratitude." He might not really be Vulcan, but the thought and intention behind the gesture touched him. He'd done nothing but be brusque and prickly with her, but she'd still managed to find enough kindness in her heart to offer him yet another olive branch. She was as stubborn as he was.

They worked on their respective tasks, side-by-side in silence for a moment before she spoke.

"So...does that mean we can be friends now?" The mischief in her voice made him glance at her out of the corner of his eyes.

"Do not push your luck," he muttered, and though his voice was as intimidating as it had always been with her, she simply smirked and turned back to her terminal.

And he was proud of her reaction.

The realization made him pause. Proud? What reason had he to be proud of a Human? He should hate her! She was the reason he'd been inconvenienced with this mission in the first place. Her call from the lonely darkness of the Delta Quadrant was what had summoned him from his cushy position in the Senate.

He should be home on Romulus, not wasting his time on a Federation science vessel. Abruptly, he stood and made his way to a different station, acting as though he required access to another set of data simply so he could put some distance between them.

This Lieutenant would not be his wife - she was nothing to him - therefore, there was no reason for him to become attached. Simple.

...So, why did he feel the loss of her proximity so keenly when he reached the other side of the lab?

Vreenak had become too involved in his role as Velek. To a Vulcan like his cover, she would be a perfect candidate for a mate. Studious, dedicated, accommodating, warm...the likelihood of her rejecting his attentions would be low...

Instinctively to a Vulcan, she would be perfect. For a Romulan, however, she was barely adequate. She needed more...more...something. Cunning, perhaps? Her naïveté was clearly uninspiring.

Yes, that was it. Vreenak was simply delving too deeply into his cover. All he needed to do was remind himself of why he was here: to investigate a Federation officer who would, at some point in the future, come to know three influential Romulans by name when she shouldn't. Threat assessment and, if necessary, removal.

Throughout his shift that day, his thoughts kept straying to the candles in his quarters. He told himself it was just one more piece to the puzzle.

~*~*~

Romulan Words:

hevam - derogatory term for human

veruul - fool

~*~

Taglist:

@akamitrani @android-boyfriends @attention-bajoranworkers @bigblissandlove1 @darkmattervibes

@emilie786 @groovyqueer @horta-in-charge @live-logs-and-proper @rookietrek

@slutty-slutty-vulcans @starrynightgardens @toebeans-mcgee

[walkingstackofbooks]

Give me a Julian Bashir who's forced to go undercover as a Vulcan for some reason.

A Julian who can let his enhancements off the leash without so much as a raised eyebrow or funny look. But who also has to completely reign in his emotions - his sense of humour, his righteous anger, his grief - for far longer than is healthy for him.

I think he'd think he'd be fine with it; after all, he spent most of his life hiding his enhancements, how different could hiding his emotions be? Only to discover that while his enhanced abilities have defined his life, his emotions are what define him.

[At first I was thinking in a 'he disguises himself through the Academy until his discovery' way and how that would change him.]

[And then was like 'what if his parents did it at Adigeon Prime and then pretended they'd adopted a Vulcan (and maybe gaslit him into thinking he was Vulcan along the way?)']

[But both of those require quite a high level of suspension of disbelief]

[But also what if it was Terok-Nor-AU where Julian's discovered during the Academy and goes on the run and disguises himself as a Vulcan until the Federation turn up on Deep Space Nine]

[And then the more obvious idea turned up of it being an undercover mission]

[Either on Sisko's orders (although I can't really imagine why apart from somehow infiltrating the Vulcan baseball team which actually is just funny]

[Or a Section 31 mission, because while I can imagine there could be a few select Vulcans who would find S31 'logical', I feel like it would be pretty high-risk to try and recruit a Vulcan to actually be an agent, so the next best choice if you needed a Vulcan for some reason would be Julian I guess.]

[But like imagine Sloan showing up as Julian's handler halfway through the mission to check in and he's not even met with so much as a scowl bc Julian's in too deep...]

[rizuno]

Chapters: 3/16 Fandom: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies), Alien (Original Movies 1979-1997), Alien: Isolation (Video Game) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: James T. Kirk/Spock, James T. Kirk & Spock, James T. Kirk & Leonard "Bones" McCoy Additional Tags: k/s - Freeform, spirk, Survival Horror, Gore, Xenomorphs (Alien Series), Facehuggers (Alien Series), Technology Fusion, Alternate Universe, Interplanetary Towing Vessel Enterprise, James T. Kirk's Immune System, Undercover Vulcan, Slow Burn, Slow Build Summary:

Jim performs Captainly duties, like logs, meetings, and more meetings. These duties do not include a fixation on the new Science Officer. ...Well it's not Jim's fault the man is a weirdo!

[tiredsurvivoronmain]

Chrisker AUs masterlist and summaries

Tyrant!Wesker AU (temp name) - Infrequent nsfw, set after RE5 and before RE6, the increased height he gained from Uroboros stuck and is 8ft tall (made him a bit bigger than he actually was in canon), he loses his right arm and all his abilities/powers, is being held captive by the BSAA and had the choice to assist them or be terminated (he chooses to assist), Uroboros is dormant inside him, angst and talking between him and Chris and coming to terms with their feelings for each other now that they're no longer fighting each other, some humorous moments, Wesker eventually gets his abilities and powers back when Chris gets taken captive by a BOW organisation and he goes to rescue him. Animal AU - Anthros, Chris (Chrisbear) is a brown bear, Wesker (Wesnake) is a leucistic python with various mutations and behaviours (eg. has venom, displays thanatosis), mostly set during their STARS era, mainly cute and silly stuff, Jake is fostered by Wesker and Chris co-parents for a short time, Uroboros tentacles are snakes. Time travel AU - Infrequent nsfw, RE8 Chris x RE1 Wesker, Chris gets sent back to 1998 during the mansion incident, he intends to kill Wesker but is unable to, he tries to convince him to abandon his plans and to save him from himself, Chris is dominating/bossy and Wesker is into it.

RE x Alien/Xeno!Wesker AU - Infrequent nsfw, Alien x RE crossover, Umbrella = Yutani company, Spencer is the main evil, Wesker is a scientist studying and experimenting on xenomorph DNA, set in space, a decommissioned space station has been converted into a private research facility, scientists are very competitive to impress Spencer and will often kill each other off, Chris is Wesker's personal security, Wesker experiments on himself with xenomorph DNA to overthrow Spencer, secretly becomes the subject of observation and experimentation to Spencer and the other scientists without his knowledge, Luis is a scientist with a goal to destroy Umbrella from the inside, Carlos is chief security on the station and works with Luis. Medusa/Blind lover AU - Infrequent nsfw, Wesker is the gorgon, Chris is blind, Wesker is treated like a God to the townspeople, Chris loses his sight to a snake (irony), Wesker spoils Chris rotten and is possessive of him like a dragon guarding it's treasure/maiden and kills anybody who tries to take him away. Star Trek AU - Wesker is a Vulcan science officer, Chris is a helmsman, slow burn, mutual pining. Good!Wesker AU - Some nsfw, everything is the same except Wesker is an undercover agent in Umbrella and acting as a mole, after the events of RE1 Chris and Wesker work as partners to fight Umbrella and take down other BOW organisations, a lot of hurt and comfort, Wesker is excruciatingly gentle with Chris. Normal AU - Infrequent nsfw, no Umbrella, viruses or BOWs, Chris and Wesker remain in STARS and live normal lives, very domestic, old man yaoi, mostly set when Chris is in his early-mid 40s, they're happily married.

[bumblingbabooshka]

She’s undercover and not suspicious at all

[wowthesewomen]

Strange New Worlds: Badges and Medals

The Prop person on the show mention that they didn't put any significance to the Badges, but I still wanted to see if there was something we could add to it and who has what.

Both Una and La'an have or were at least in consideration for receiving a Starfleet medal of Gallantry. Una for Marcel Disaster and La'an isn't unclear to which event was for.

What pops up:

Badge #3 only the full Commander or Higher up have it - could it be a ranking Badge?

April and Una have in common Badges #2, #11, #12 and #15 and they are the only ones that have it - could be when Una was on April's Ship? Spock also have #2, and he mention meeting Una when he was an Ensign - could he have started on April's ship too, and this Badge was when the 3 were in action together? Or (cutting that because Spock work for the first time with Una as an Ensign on the Enterprise) so maybe a mission that was related to Enterprise, before the current crew?

Badge #13 - Only April, Batel and M'Benga have it - maybe for something that happen during the Klingon War? We know that Enterprise with Una and Spock wasn't involved, and I suspect that La'an was undercover.

which leads me to the fact that La'an has the least Badges and three of them #9, #6 and #14 she only shares with the higher officer April, makes me wonder if they weren't from some undercover work during the war.

Badge #18 is only given to Spock - maybe some work related with Vulcan?

Badge #19 is only given to Una - my heart makes me believe that this one is from King Jr when she rescue La'an.

going by this site (someone look into the badges/awards/medals from TOS) it looks like Una' badge (19) looks like the Starfleet Command Citation for Conspicuous Gallantry which seems to be listed in her personal file in "Ad Astra per Aspera)

Let me know if you have any more ideas about them, since they are all open for interpretation

[trekbait]

THIS is why you keep FAILING to blend in on ANCIENT EARTH!

Getting stuck on Earth of the past is a surprisingly common occurrence for Starfleet crews. Between slingshots, Q, Devidians, orbs, Borg, kemocite explosions, rogue temporal agents and stray tachyons stuck in your ablative armour; we estimate 80% of time travel occurrences land officers specifically on Earth in North America in the 100 years between the 1930s and 2030s (give or take).

This is your guide on how to stay undercover until you escape.

What year is this?

Try not to ask this question. It is not something that comes up in regular conversation so it will look weird. Instead, look for a shop with large folded batches of paper on display. These will be newspapers and will invariably show the date in the corner of the front page. 

If you have 24th-century technology, you might also be able to tell from the level of pollution or radiation in the atmosphere, or from astrometric readings.

Continue to check the news for more information about this era, its society and historical events that you may be influencing.

Where are you from?

Try not to be specific lest they know the place and ask if you know someone there. Keep it to a general “up north”. If you’re quite far north already, substitute with “down south”.

If you stand out a fair bit, suggest that you are from France (unless you are in France, of course, but this is statistically unlikely). But do not suggest your Vulcan officer had a rice-picking incident or that you are a secret agent; such stories may be read as too outlandish. Plan your cover as soon as possible and research your era and location to get your facts straight.

Funny looking pyjamas

People of this era consider Starfleet uniforms to look like pyjamas. Go with that and say you had to leave your flat in the middle of the night due to a fire or an argument with the “missus”. This is also a good opportunity to appeal for advice on where you can find replacement clothes. 

If necessary, do not be afraid of stealing period-appropriate clothes to maintain your cover. It may not be moral, but you will be less disruptive to the timeline by stealing a shirt than walking around in full uniform. 

You should avoid high-security places when committing theft without technological aid; interacting with law enforcement can be deadly in this era. This is especially true for officers who cannot pass as humans of the local dominant ethnic group; these individuals should lay low as much as possible.

Non-human officers

The unexpected nature of time travel may preclude preparation for non-humans to hide their more obvious alien features. Some species (Betazoids, Deltans, Baku) can easily pass as humans and will have no problem blending in. Others may pose a challenge. Here are ideas of how to stay covert;

Vulcans, Romulans: Wear a hat, sweatband or long hair to cover your ears and eyebrows.

Bajorans: A band-aid over the nose and pass it off as an injury.

Trill: Pass off your spots as tattoos or wear a hood to cover the sides of your head.

Former Borg: Pass off your implants as jewellery or a body mod. Draw on some extra tattoos to add to the effect. Alternative communities can provide great cover to non-humans due to their non-conformity with the dominant society.

Orions, Andorians, Bolians: Add makeup and glitter to your face and say you’re going to a festival (Andorians should also wear a hat for the antenna - pick a flashy one to add to the festival aesthetic).

Cardassians, Ferengi, Klingons etc.: This is a lot harder. These species should stay hidden as much as possible unless there is a “comic book convention” in town. In this case, steal a lanyard and offer to pose for a photo to anyone who gets suspicious. They will assume you are in an elaborate costume seeking attention

These later examples will protect officers in casual interactions but will be out of place if entering more formal environments.

Zippers

Clothing items and bags on Earth often used a device called a “zipper” formed of metal teeth. You placed the ends together then pulled a tog up to close the two sides of the fabric. You won’t be familiar with these because they have been banned by the 2274 Oddenbery Accords after zippers were instrumental in the collapse of space-time in the Kandari sector that cost 6 million lives. 

It goes without saying that 20th-century humans should not be made aware of the mortal danger zippers pose to the universe or you may alter the timeline. Holographic versions are safe to use if you wish to practice their function and blend in.

Currency

Old Earth still relied on capitalist economics and the use of currency which had no intrinsic value. This currency often took the form of circles of decorated metal and printed slips of paper; in later decades it was also electronic, traded via plastic rectangles. The plastic rectangles will be unobtainable to you (and if stolen, would allow your movements to be tracked) but you should be aware of their purpose. 

Currency was required to even access the most essential services such as shelter and food so your first priority should be acquiring some of these scraps of paper. 

Theft: Ideally you don’t want to steal from individuals. Poverty was widespread and you could impact someone's life significantly. Instead, if safe to do so you should aim to steal from an institution such as a bank’s currency dispenser (such companies would not be impacted by small-scale theft due to something called “insurance”).

Trade: If you have on you something that holds an intrinsic value that does not contain components from the future, consider taking it to a “Porn Shop”. Tell the shop owner you have something to sell and you can obtain legal tender from them. 

Labour: Those at the bottom of the socio-economic hierarchy obtained currency via performing labour for most of the day. Your best bet is irregular work such as cleaning; this will give a very low return of currency despite intense labour but it is your best way to stay under the radar.

Gambling: Humans of this century gambled a great deal more than they had the resources to. If you have an unfair natural advantage in the games they play then you should find people willing to place a wager. Humans bet on anything, from animal races to elections or their whole economy.

Humans were particularly attached to their money and gave it names like “Abe” or “Benjamin” to create a bond with it. You should come up with your own (human) names for any money you obtain to blend in with capitalist exchanges.

Note that this region was fond of “tipping”. This is when low-wage staff were given extra money by the customer beyond the stated value of the service to compensate for their employer paying their staff less than that needed to survive. This will often be indicated by holding out a hand or a quiet cough.

Colourful metaphors

Profanity is common on old Earth in a way that is seen as inappropriately aggressive today. Nobody pays any attention to you if you don't swear every other word. So you may need to employ some yourself in casual conversation to truly blend in. Many words used then are now automatically censored by our universal translators such as ****, ****, ***** him, go **** yourself up your ******* *******, **** ** ***** **** then ***, and *. 

Transport

North America of this era was obsessed with a highly inefficient and dangerous form of personal transport known as the automobile (or “car”). These will likely end up being your primary form of transport and being a proficient driver of these vehicles is important for blending in. So you best spend an hour on the holodeck familiarising yourself with the control scheme of its interior.

Mass transit also existed, though due to chronic underinvestment in the regions you are statistically most likely to arrive in, you may find it difficult to obtain. The most common of these are “buses” which are large automobiles capable of moving around 50-100 people at a time along major routes. Usage will require currency; be sure to check the fare before boarding as some may require “exact change” to be provided.

And the timeline?

Let’s leave that side of things to the boys at the Department for Temporal Investigations. But what we will say is that this era is particularly savage. You may be tempted to right injustices left, right and centre (there are a lot) but if you, say, save a woman from getting killed by one of those deadly automobiles we mentioned then you could find out that the whole timeline is thrown off course. 

So follow these tips, keep your head down and look for a way home. That is unless you cause the death of a pivotal revolutionary figure and need to take their place to restore the timeline. Naturally.

What tips do you have for passing as a local on ancient Earth? Let us know below and Follow us for more essential tips in your Starfleet career!