#spock saved your life kirk you should be a bit more grateful

[lenievi]

ok, but were McCoy and Spock in the room together and just exited it at the same time Kirk climbed the ladder OR were they standing in the hall, leaning against the wall, waiting for Kirk because idk they wanted to maintain the appearance of “philosophical discussions after missions”? Or did McCoy just want to see Kirk’s reaction to Spock’s version of expulsion from paradise?

[carrietrekkie]

Always Remember Us This Way.

This goes through my mind the last few days. It really didn´t fit in my timeline for Cathrin, its a little outstanding but I found it worth sharing. 

The other story goes on, the two had a way to go and the next parts are more romantic but for now...

Sometimes there is need for a sad story, so you warned!

And if you don´t mind, let me know what you think of it! Or if you want me to tag you!

A hectic remark than the shuttle bay exploded in red warning lights and panic screams.

“Everybody out here!”

The damaged shuttle crashed to the ground, teared everything in its way with it.

God, which one aloud this hothead to fly!

Behind her she heard someone stumble and felt to the ground.

“Oh no no no!” Cathrin jumped to the Ensign. “Leave it here! Get out!” She grabbed her arm, pulled it and the young woman slides over the floor to the door. Right in front of her the shuttle stroked against some heavy cargo boxes and transformed them into bullets. Deadly and fast.

To fast.

„Pike!“

She didin´t saw the box coming. She just felt how it hits her, teared her off her feet and slamed her into the wall behind her.

Cathrin heard a scream but it was not hers. She just felt how the weight of the cargo pressed the life out of her crushed body.

“Oh please no.” She felt a hand grabs hers that was free and still intact. “There is help on its way, don´t.” Una sobbed lightly, than raised her voice. „Someone needs to call the Captain!“

„I...“ „Don´t speak, save your power.“

Slowly Cathrin blinked at her friend, unable to say something comforting, then she knew were this goes. She was already dead, nothing here could save her. Every sound became duller, the pictures before her eyes vanished, her body gets number with every breath she managed to take.

Right before everything turned to silver glass she saw him. Chris stormed into the hanger, his eyes wide, heavy breathing. She breathed in, opened her moth as he replaced Una, grabbing her hand but it was too late.

As Chris fingers touched her, he could felt how her breath left her. There was a short glimmer in her eyes, as she saw him, a glimpse that she recognized him, but it disappeared in the blink of an eye and took her with it. She didn´t saw anymore how Chris collapsed, felt to the ground, right into Spocks arms and she didn´t heard him scream. This heartbreaking, painful and desperately scream that took every noise from the hangar before it took the heart of the USS Enterprise.

++++

Pink roses. There were all around this place. From a pale tone all the way to a dark, rich tone. Like her lips, when he kissed her too much. It seemed like everyone brought some for her, except him.

In his hand he holds a single white calla lily. Like the one that was her bridal flowers, the one she planted at their house in Mojave, like the one that always makes her smile.

 He heard the steps behind him. He didn´t need to turn around too knew to whom they belong.  There were always behind him these days. And he was thankful for that and it would come the time were he could say thank you for that, but not today.

“Chris.” It was strange for Spock to address him like that, but the Captain had asked for and he had consented it. Pike stood still there where he had left him. He heard him breath heavily, maybe he cried again, even if Spock wondered how he still had left tears to cry.

“I´m sorry, but it´s about time.”

“Yes.” His voice was rough, broken. “I know.”

A few steps away Spock stopped. The coffin was still open. Until an hour ago her friends had said goodbye, then Chris requested everyone to leave, since then he stood there. Now he moved infinitely slowly. His hand trembled as he turned to face her.

“She looks, like she´s sleeping.” A tear rolled down his cheek, gets lost in all the ones he cried before. “How could it be, that she is dead?” Chris looked briefly at Spock. He knew that this was not a question for which Pike expected an answer and he had none.

Carefully Chris strokes away a strand of hair, that strand that never stayed in that place she wished for. A small red line on her temple was all that could be seen from her injures. Her uniform covered, her smashed body. Chris fingers glided over her cheek, he wanted to remember every detail till forever. He grabbed out for her hand, closed his fingers around them and hold them.

How many times had those hands held him up, guided him, saved him, and now? It was missing, he felt like he was falling into infinity.

He stroked her wedding ring, than he pulled it gently from her finger. At least he wanted to keep it.

Then he leaned over her and kissed her lips before he put his forehead on hers.

“I love you, Cathrin.” His words vanished in his faint sobbing. „You saved me, so many times.” Chris wanted to say so much, but he couldn´t, he didn´t manage to express his feelings, the mourning overlaying everything.

 Spock's firm grip on his shoulder scared him to death, but he was grateful he was here. He reached for this hand and hold on tight, then straightened up and realized that not only Spock was with him. Just a few steps away stood Una. Her eyes tear-stained and tired.

“Everyone would understand if you can´t be there.” She approached toward him. “This here is for Starfleet not for her.” She raised her hand to dry some tears on his cheek. “Not for both of you.”

“I´m coming.” He put his thumb and forefinger to his eyes, took a deep breath, then Chris took one last look back to her. He did not need words, she could not hear them anymore. “Not like this Chris.” Una laid one arm around him, pulled him away. “That should not be the way you  remember her.”

 She was right. He didn´t want to remember her like that. Chris want to remember the beautiful things of her life.

 The first time he saw her in her blue Discovery uniform, so unsure because she didn’t knew, what it means to wear one.

As she stood before him in her light blue Enterprise Uniform, the feeling in his heart, that she never left him, even if they don´t were together at those time.

That Moment he found her on the seashore, wearing those staggeringly ball gown, her gaze into the stars, not knowing that he watched her and that look in her eyes as she gazed back over her shoulder to smile at him.

As she told him, she would stay with him, although there was a way back into her reality.

Her smile as he asked her to marry him.

The slight trembling of her hand as she put her in his to become his wife.

How proud she was on the day as she took her Hippocratic Oath.

Seeing her the first time as Commander, emerge from the command chair of the Enterprise after having the conn in his absence.

How she whispered his name when they slept together.

Her scent, her smile, her sense of humor. She so perfectly in his arms when she danced to their song.

Always remember us this way.

Yes, that was the way he will remember her and at some point he would be able to smile again if he thought about it, even if that day was not today.

Today he had to let her go, need to watch how Starfleet said goodbye to her, hopping that something carried him through this ceremony as it was expected from him. As Cathrin had expected it from him and so he turned around, grabbed Unas hand, grateful for that hold and walked away.

“Spock?” The Commander looked at him, he nodded, than he looked at Cathrin one last time. “Farewell my friend, I will never forget, what you have done for me.”

Then he unlocked Una and escorted Captain Pike outside und somehow they all made it through this mourning ceremony, heard the loving and emotional words, comforted friends and comrades, prepared her a worthy farewell. And as soon the protocol allows it, they managed to get Christopher away from all that.

He didn´t knew how many hands he had shaken, how often he had heard condolences and well-meaning words. Chris appreciated it but he was tired of hearing them, exhausted from his sorrow and this day. He only knew one thing clearly and now he must tell it to this two wonderful people.

“I´m not going back to Enterprise.”

“Captain?” Spock found his voice as first again.

„I can´t, it´s impossible.“

What could they said? Of course they understood it and yet it broke their hearts at all. He loosed more than just the love of his life on this day and everything on board would remind him of her. There was no place, no corner, no deck that wasn´t part of their story.

 And so Captain Christopher Pike left the USS Enterprise and on a peaceful afternoon on his ranch he handed over the command to Captain James T. Kirk. Just the two Captains, a few warm words and the hope that there where brighter days to come.

 “For you.” Chris handed Jim a leather bounded notebook.

“What´s that?” The young captain closed his hand around it.

“Cathrin left it to you.” He gazed towards the sinking sun.

“Ehm.” Kirk was unsure about that gift.

“It’s a book Jim.”

“I know what it is but why me?” Carefully he opened it up.

“These are her legacy, everything she brought with her from her reality.” He raised his hand to interrupted Kirk. “It´s for you, you and your first officer, no one else.”

“Only Spock and I?” Kirk softly shocked his head. “Are you sure you will gave it away?”

“I am.” Pike smiled lightly. He was able to do that a little bit more again, than he got serious again. “So she left?”

“Yes.” Kirk nodded. “She never get over it. I guess she goes back to her home world, her husband collected her things form her quarter a few day ago.”

“How´s Spock?”

“At least, from the point that I have, he´s doing fine.” Kirk gazed on the flowers that growing around the stairs. “He had one of them in his quarters.”

“You learn to know him better.” Pike shortly placed a hand on Kirks shoulder. “It took its time but anyway.” He brought on a little smile. “Thanks for coming here.”

“It was an honor, Sir.”

“Chris.”

Kirk nodded than turned to go but hold himself back al last time.

“Are you really sure Chris?” Kirk couldn´t believe it as he received the replacement order a few days ago. Him, the Captain of the Enterprise? How could he fill out such great footsteps? He saw the gaze of the man before him gets lost into the sinking sun.

“Her heartbeat drives me on and now.” Chris tired eyes turned towards him. “There is a long story behind this, that I couldn´t tell you.”

Jim understood. There was something around Chris and Cathrin everyone could feel but no one ever gets behind it.

“The Enterprise was once my home, our home, it is still, but not for me.”

“I will take good care of her.”

“Of that I´m sure.”

 That was there goodbye. Kirk never expected to see him again, at least not in this way he did finally. He carried this hour in his heart forever, back on Enterprise he closed away the notebook, it would take years if he started to read in it.

 Chris was not surprised by the offer that was carried towards him a few weeks later. A vacation replacement for an old friend. Just babysit some cadets on a J-class vessel. An easy training flight. No away missions, no plans of unexpected things.

 And so he walked on through the engine room that day knowing what was the next thing that comes. The inescapable, the fate he sealed so long ago, right in front of him. He always wondered what´s him finally made to go back into this hell of gamma rays and fire to save the cadets. On this morning as he opened his eyes he instantly knew it.

 It was Cathrin, it was always her. More than Starfleet she was his drive, his guiding light, her love had made him go through the most terrible things and even she was gone, she was still in his heart, mind and soul and so he could do this.

 Could carried the wounded girl out of the flames, catches the burned boy as he felt from the gallery and accepted his fate as the heavy doors shut down before him, cut him away from the students  screaming at him, trying to save him, hopelessly.

 The year past that day vanished in pain and sorrow. Every day like the day before, on and on as an unending time loop, till that rainy morning the door opened and two old friends entered his room.

  It took Spock month to collect everything he needed, to write down all that he know about Cathrin, to get the letters, pictures and memories of all her friends but he did it and he did it well. Chris memories are the last piece to this puzzle.

 After a rollercoaster ride he found himself laying on a blanked under a cherry tree, a softly breeze around him and a well-known and long missed touch in his hair. Chris was afraid to open up his eyes, scared that it was just a dream, like hundreds and thousands nights before but he pulled himself together and moved his hand to reach for the fingers in his hair.

Gently he touched it, they didn’t vanished, instead they closed around his and seconds later he felt a soft kiss on his fingertips. His nerves exploded, finally in a way that didn´t hurt him and then he heard that voice he missed so badly.

 “Wake up sleepyhead.”

“I can´t.” He felt a single tear running down his check.

“Why?”

“What if I open my eyes and you´re gone.” He breathed in. “Left me again.”

“I never left you.” A slightly giggle go with these words. “Or will.”

And then she whispered those words, she once sung for him.

“The part of me that´s you would never die.” “Cathrin.”

Then he opened his eyes. And there she was, like she never was away. That warm, loving look in her eyes, a lightly smile on her lips, her hair moved slowly in the wind.

“This is an illusion.” It must, Kirk and Spock brought him to Talos. But it felt so real, she felt so real and after those years of pain, sorrow and loneliness he was ready to get involved, to abandon himself to this world they created from him. And with no hesitation he leaned towards her, pulled her in his arm and kissed her, as his life depended on these single kiss. She broke off the kiss, smiling at him, tears in her beautiful green eyes as he gazed into his blue ones.

“You miss me?”

“You can´t imagine how much.” His fingers running through her hair, over her neck, along her collarbone. “I lost you and its hurts so much.” He felt how it broke out of him. With her fingers he catches the tears on his face. God, how he missed her touch.

“I´m so sorry for...”

He placed her fingers on her lips, she stopped talking.

“I love you.”

“I love you.”

 Again they merged in an affectional kiss, mixed up with tears and Chris hold her so firmly in his arms that he could felt the unusual effort in his muscle but he didn´t care, everything he cares in this moment  was her in his arms and from know on it would never be different again.

 And so, even if it was an illusion, they live her life together on Talos, far away from Starfleet and everything that could separate them. But Chris body was still damaged, it was not possible to heal him anyway, like hers so long ago.

Cathrin holds his hand, whispering to him and lays beside him as he closed his eyes forever and passed away on a cloudy day on Talos.

And with his last breath, they both fade away, together, right into the stars, forever…

[lordnochybaty]

OKAY. I HAVE MORE. (I can't help myself your writing is just too good 👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼) Spork (hihi I always loved that name oops) MaxAnne Quill/Gamora (idk if you ship them but you can do a friendship one on them too :3)

Hey again, thanks so much for another ask :D I’m so glad you enjoyed those enough to ask for more ships :D (Sorry it took a bit to answer, they take longer than I anticipated. ;))

MaxAnne, I actually already posted.

And sadly I can’t do Quill/Gamora, not even as a friendship, because I still haven’t seen the Guardians. (I know, I know!) So really, I very vaguely know who they are and that’s not enough to write them. XD

The time has come to answer for Spork :D (And since you haven’t specified, I’m focusing on AOS Spock/Kirk, because I like them better.)

who’s the werewolf and who’s the hunter

Spock is the werewolf. The first Vulcan werewolf to be precise and after he gets bitten, Jim is assigned to make sure all goes well. The threat of Jim killing Spock if things don’t go well is clear to everyone involved, even if it might not be clearly stated.

Vulcans are kinda offended because they insist it’s all about staying in control and that’s what they’re good at, so they hardly need a human to teach one of their own how to stay calm and logical. The thing is though that Spock actually acts less Vulcan-like than they would prefer. He has his angry outburst and illogical moments of pride. They blame it on his human mother which causes one of the worst of his angry outburst, his eyes actually gleam yellow and Vulcans decide that okay, maybe human hunter is necessary because Spock is clearly beyond help and some drastic measures are required to help him. (Or put him down.)

So, Jim arrives, expecting a wild, angry, half-transformed werewolf who can’t control his new powers and he meets Spock. Then it’s a long ass story about learning to accept yourself and parts of you that you can’t control, and Spock being epically great at self-control by human and werewolves standard, but still a little unpredictable punk by Vulcan standards.

who’s the mermaid and who’s the fisherman

When Spock saw a first big body of water in real life he caused a minor diplomatic incident. It was a lake so big he couldn’t see the end of it, and by the end of the pier so deep he couldn’t see the bottom of it either. He knew of course about water on Earth, how much more of it there was than on Vulcan, but he did not expect the reaction it caused in him when he saw it. It was overwhelming and peaceful and so tempting. The diplomatic event his father attended was held in a hotel with a secured and empty beach but far to the right, Spock could see an open one, full of kids and adults whose shrieks and laughter still traveled to him, muffled by the distance. The urge to at least touch the water was highly illogical but Spock was also five and very much bored with all the politics he had to endure for the last few days. He crouched by the end of the pier and reached towards the water. In hindsight, it would be smarter to just lie down, really.

He fell into the water far too deep for him and splashed around in panic before going down quickly, mostly in shock.

That’s when he first met Jim, a far too curious merman who slipped his uncle care to observe the air-breathers. He grinned at Spock and helped him back out, making him climb to the pier so the humans could save him without seeing Jim.

Sarek was quite disappointed in his son’s show of illogical behavior but human diplomats were charmed and suddenly convinced Vulcans aren’t that bad and inhuman. The diplomatic meeting lasted another two days and was quite fruitful and Spock kept sneaking out at all times to meet Jim and promise him he will come back when he can.

Years later, when he declined admission to the Vulcan Science Academy the lake was the only place he could think of going.

who’s the witch and who’s the familiar

Spock is the witch and Jim is an incredibly annoying familiar but none of Spock’s magic works properly without him. He always imagined finding his familiar like others did on Vulcan, one of their own. Logical and calm. Focusing their magic. Instead, he met Jim who instead of bringing focus to their combined powers, brought strength that rivaled with those most powerful in the federation.

who’s the barista and who’s the coffee addict

Jim is making some extra cash during the academy days. Full scholarship and Pike’s blessing are all great but it’s nice to have something besides that. Or bet anything on just this one chance. Part of him is convinced he will be the greatest Starfleet captain of all time and Pike will be so proud of him one day he will just keep telling everyone how he enlisted him. Part of him remembers always not being good enough, and always working far from the command level and it still makes him feel like he’s fooling them all. Barely passing through his classes on some dumb luck, few brain cells, and his father’s name. That part makes him take the job at the cafe so he has something he knows, something he feels he can handle without Pike or his dad.

Spock orders one coffee every day because Vulcans don’t drink coffee. It’s illogical. Caffeine is a natural poison and if one is too exhausted to start a new day they should invest in better sleeping and meditating practices, not poison. Spock likes the bitter taste but he does not deny that he’s satisfying his illogical need to prove himself different than those who shined him.

They sometimes indulge in some small talk. Jim sometimes flirts at oblivious Spock. Sometimes they accidentally get into an argument about astrophysics or interplanetary politics. It’s all going well until Jim randomly suggests chocolate flavored mocha for a change and Spock feels rebellious and curious enough to accept it.

By the end of that day, Pike wants to strangle them both.

who’s the professor and who’s the TA

The thing is, Kirk was supposed to be Pike’s TA. And that was grand because they got each other and Pike new Jim was full of shit but also actually a really good kid with a really good brain in his thick skull. But Pike decided to get hurt on the basic training trip with the new cadets and so Spock is taking over his classes, and his TA. And it’s vaguely possible Jim and Spock will kill each other before the term is over.

who’s the knight and who’s the prince(ss)

Spock is the prince, Jim is the knight from Earth assigned to watch over Vulcan’s prince during his stay on Earth. Jim takes his responsibilities very seriously. He makes sure Spock is safe, he deals with any threat against him and also maybe possibly buys him ice-cream because Spock said he never had any and really, that is a crime that needs to be stopped asap.

who’s the teacher and who’s the single parent

The problem with Spock’s child, T’huk, is that he’s ¼ human. Spock never considered it to be a problem, after all, he’s a ½ human, he should be able to relate. But it seems the genetics played a joke on both of them when T’huk ended up in some ways being more human than Spock. All Spock wants is to connect with him but sometimes it feels like a diplomatic mission instead of a family dinner.

When Jim, T’huk’s new teacher, enters their lives, Spock is both grateful and envious which is highly illogical but he can hardly do anything about it.

who’s the writer and who’s the editor

Jim is the writer… Or rather it was a request after their last mission, saving the earth, getting Khan and all that jazz, to make a book out of Jim’s logs. That’s when Spock informs him that Captain’s logs aren’t exactly private. Jim theoretically knew that? But never expect anyone to actually check those out. He tends to ramble A LOT. There may be a few rants that should never see the light of the day. Sadly, he’s still stuck in the hospital and conscious only for a few hours a day, so he begs Spock - begs - to go through those and check them out before they get sent anywhere. BEcause it will be embarrassing as hell for Spock to listen to those, but still better than others.

Spock is still so glad his captain is alive that he agrees without much hesitation. He regrets it very quickly. He never expected there to be that much material. The captain rants A LOT. Most of it is completely unusable. (No one needs to know how the Captain feels about the softness of his new uniform or hear his in-depth analysis of Doctor McCoy’s eyebrow movement as relating to his current mood.) Some of it is downright disturbing. (And Spock felt illogical need to avoid eye-contact with Lt. Sulu the next time he encountered him.) However, some of it is quite illuminating and maybe it’s worth the bother. (And Spock never expected so many of those logs to be about him and surely not in such context.)

[janeykath318]

How Kirk Got Swept Off His Feet(Literally)

Jim Kirk was bored of his hospital bed. Everything in him wanted to be up and doing things: helping with the rescue/clean up efforts, writing the condolence letters, checking on the Enterprise’s repair progress. Unfortunately, he was still to weak to stand for more than a few minutes at a time and wasn’t allowed to have his PADD more than an hour a day. All the grumbling he’d done to Bones was met with glares, hypos, or snide remarks like “you should have thought of that before you traipsed into a radioactive warp core, kid.”

The hardest times came as he lay there thinking of Pike and mourning the man all over again, wanting desperately to have had more time to show Pike that his faith in Jim hadn’t been completely misplaced. He was morosely thinking of what the Admiral would have said to Marcus if he’d lived to find out how deep and corrupt the head of Starfleet was, when a soft voice interrupted his reverie.

“Captain Kirk?”

Jim’s eyes snapped up as he took in the Admiral’s bars on the uniform of the woman who’d entered his room.

“Admiral,” he acknowledged, hoping he wasn’t about to be grilled again. Komack and Nogura had done a number on him the other day, so much that Bones had cut their visit short because Jim’s heart rate had been elevated too much.

He didn’t think he remembered having met this woman before, but there were a lot of Admirals and not all of them were in the public eye frequently.

This woman had neat dark brown hair pulled back in a bun, stunning cheekbones, and large dark brown eyes that were almost black. At first glance, She looked far too young to have made admiral, but something in her eyes suggested otherwise. Jim felt his fragility much more in the presence of this very fit, strong looking woman. He almost lifted his hand to smooth down his bedhead, then clenched it into a fist on a sheet. He might as well be putting lipstick on a pig at this point.

“How are you feeling, Captain?” She asked him.

“Better than I should be,” he answered. “But not great. Forgive me, but I don’t remember your name, admiral.”

“It’s Prince, Diana Prince. And it’s quite alright, Captain.”

She spoke with a soft accent that Jim couldn’t place and didn’t seem annoyed with him for not recognizing her. That was a good sign.

“So, Admiral Prince, I assume you’ve got questions for me. I’m impressed you got past my guard dog doctor. He’s put a lot of brass on the banned list for getting my blood pressure up with their near interrogation tactics.”

“So I heard,” Admiral Prince said, lips curving upwards even as she seemed to be assessing Jim. He tried not to squirm under the scrutiny, and chided himself for being ridiculous.

It’s not like she can read minds, he thought.

The old Kirk would have tried to charm his way out of an uncomfortable encounter, but Jim didn’t have the energy to keep up that mask right now. He found himself wanting to be honest with this woman. She looked tough, but fair.

“Captain, I am not here to judge your actions. We are attempting to get to the bottom of Admiral Marcus’s misdeeds and anything you can remember from your encounters with him would be helpful.”

Jim nodded. Finally, someone who wasn’t going to rub salt in his own self-recrimination and second guess his every breath. Starting from the conversation immediately after Daystrom, he recounted all his encounters with Alexander Marcus and his nasty end at the hands of Khan.

“He crushed the man’s skull like a melon, and the way he beat me, he could have snapped me in half if he’d wanted to. I don’t know how Marcus thought he’d be able to control a whole army of them. He pulled the wool over all our eyes and almost got me to commit murder out of revenge.”

“May I ask who you wanted to avenge?”

“Admiral Pike,” Jim said heavily. “The man who helped turn my life around and kept believing in me even when I screwed up. He was like a father to me. I was…..really compromised after he died, especially knowing I’d disappointed him so badly.”

“Christopher talked often about you,” Diana observed. “He said you showed great promise, but needed to reign in your impulsive behavior.”

Jim gave a rueful half-grin. “Sounds about right. I was never the best at following rules. He told me after Nibiru I was gonna get myself and everyone under me killed and he was pretty much right.”

She didn’t say anything, just kept looking at him with those all-knowing brown eyes. He didn’t know why he was spilling his guts to her, but he couldn’t help it. Everybody else (except Spock, but he was really busy) would just try to psychoanalyze him or brush it off.

“Do I really deserve this second chance?” He asked, waving his arm limply. “That’s what I’ve been asking myself.”

A flash of understanding went through the Admiral’s eyes and she took a step closer to him.

“James, a long time ago, I knew a very wise man who told me it is not about deserving, but about believing. Do you believe you did the right thing in going in to the warp core?”

“Absolutely,” he said firmly. “And I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

“And do you believe you can help return Starfleet to its original purpose?”

This was harder to say, but Jim nodded after some thought.

“I’m sure going to try, if I ever get out of here.”

He sighed morosely and got a smile from the Admiral. Something pinged in his memory and he tried to remember where he’d seen her before.

“You will, James. You always were too stubborn to stay down long.”

Just like that, he recognized her.

“Now I remember you! You taught my hand to hand combat class my first year and kicked my ass from here to China and back!” Jim exclaimed, grin widening as he recalled getting the wind knocked out of him on multiple occasions when she tested his skills during class.

“I did, and you certainly needed it back then,” the Admiral said.

“You bet I did, so cocky and clueless. That training saved my life, though, on multiple occasions.”

Jim gave her a grateful look, hoping she didn’t remember his stupid leering. Back then, he’d hit on every pretty sentient being. She probably could have broken his nose for it, if she hadn’t chose to ignore him.

An almost longing look passed over her face for a brief second before it returned to it’s calm collected state. He was rather dazzled by the dark eyes, similar to Spock’s but with far more expression and mystery.

“So you were listening, after all? You came across as rather indifferent at the time. It was infuriating because you were by far the most promising cadet in the class.”

Jim winced, knowing she was right.

“When you witness a genocide and fight insane Romulans trying to destroy earth, it sobers you up in a hurry.” He spoke quietly and she nodded, sadness crossing her features again.

“And what did radiation poisoning do?”

“Made me finally understand the Captain’s responsibility more clearly and the whole point of the Kobayashi Maru test,” Jim said shortly. “Pike was right. I didn’t respect the chair. Now I do.”

He fell silent, trying not to dwell on the memory of that awful chamber. He’d done what he’d had to do to save his family, but it had been horrific, to say the least. She asked him a few more questions about Khan and his motivations and he tried his best to answer them all, but by the end he was yawning and droopy eyed.

“Thank you, James, for your cooperation. This has been very helpful,” Admiral Prince said as she rose to leave.

“Anytime,” Jim answered sleepily. He wouldn’t mind being questioned by her again. It was one of the most refreshing conversations he’d had in a long time.

She looked down at him with a gentle expression and held out her hand. Jim shook it willingly, getting the sense that this was an incredibly strong woman. His fingers were tingling a bit when she let go.

“Rest well, James,” she told him. He mustered up a weary smile, finding hers to be very contagious.

“Thank you, Admiral. I’ll try.”

He drifted off thinking of brown eyes and wondering who–or what–she really was.

[justanothercinemaniac]

Epic Movie (Re)Watch #156 - Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

Spoilers Below

Have I seen it before: Yes

Did I like it then: Yes.

Do I remember it: Yes.

Did I see it in theaters: No.

Format: Blu-ray

1) So there is this longstanding opinion that of the first nine Star Trek films, the odd numbered ones are weaker than the even numbered ones. And of the trilogy made up by Star Trek II, III, and IV, this is definitely the weakest. BUT it is also the strongest of the odd numbered ones with the original cast and not a bad movie at all.

2) Leonardo Nimoy made his theatrical directing debut with this film, making him the first Star Trek actor to direct anything Star Trek. This would be a pattern later seen in feature film directors William Shatner and Jonathan Frakes, while a number of other cast members would direct TV episode of their respective series. According to IMDb:

Paramount studio chief Michael Eisner resisted the idea of Leonard Nimoy directing, because he mistakenly thought that the reason for Spock's death stemmed from a hatred that Nimoy had about Star Trek. (He believed that it was written in Nimoy's contract that Spock had to die in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)). Nimoy told him that the contract is "in a file in the basement of the building you're sitting in" and suggested that he "get someone to pull it" for him.

Nimoy does a fine job as director and went on to do an even finer job in the sequel Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. But more on that later.

3) There is a gap in the opening credits of the cast where Leonardo Nimoy’s name would go. Although he is in this film, it is largely at the very end while other actors play younger versions of Spock until then. I like that they left that gap. It signifies the hole left in the crew by Spock’s death.

4) One thing I think this film does better than Wrath of Khan (and which The Voyage Home will do better than this film even) is flesh out the original crew members who are not Kirk, Bones, or Spock. An early example of this can be found in this exchange:

Kirk: “Mr. Scott, have you always multiplied your repair estimates by a factor of four?”

Scotty: “Certainly sir. How else would I maintain my reputation as a miracle worker?”

5) Christopher Lloyd as Kruge.

I love Christopher Lloyd, okay? Back to the Future is my favorite film of all time and Christopher Lloyd is freaking amazing in it. So the Back to the Future fanboy in me is more than happy to watch him in this film. And while he is no Khan, Kurge is a very admirable villain. Nimoy casted Lloyd because of his ability to be operatic, something which can be seen very well. Lloyd plays Kurge’s unhinged nature very well and even makes him a physically intimidating bad guy. Again, while he’s no Khan, that does not make him a bad villain. In fact I think he’s the best part of this film. He injects every scene he’s in with such life and energy that you can’t help but be drawn to him. Lloyd even said in an interview that this was one of his favorite roles to have played.

6) Bones’ having Spock’s mind in him is a perfect example of both this film’s greatest strength and flaw: great characters, not as great plot.

Bones having Spock’s mind in him creates for some great internal conflict and characterization. DeForrest Kelley gets to have a lot of fun in the part and it is a treat seeing Bones outside of his comfort zone and finding the middle ground between him and Spock. Unfortunately outside of one brief bar scene it doesn’t lead to much action in the plot. And by action I don’t mean blowing stuff up as much as doing something. What if Bones did something he thought was logical because he had Spock’s brain, but screwed up immensely because he’s not thinking like himself or like Spock but like the someone who wants to be one or the other. I’m a sucker for character development and studies, which this film provides in mass so I’m grateful for that. But unfortunately some of the fun and energy of other Star Trek films is lost in the process. It’s not a fatal flaw, the film is still good, but I do think it is its biggest weakness.

7) It bothers me so much that they just dropped Carol Marcus (Kirk’s ex and David’s mother, as well as lead scientist on the Genesis project) in this film and its sequels. Like seriously? There was no room in the script for even a namedrop? Why isn’t she studying the Genesis planet? Why are you dropping this awesome new female character? Why!?!?!?

8) Oh Bones...

Bones [after learning about the mind meld]: “It’s his revenge for all those arguments he lost!”

(GIF originally posted by @marshmallow-the-vampire-slayer)

9) Nichelle Nichols was originally upset at her minimal amount of screen time in the film, but was pleased when she saw what she got to do with that screen time.

10) The fact that this captain is so casual and relaxed when he’s dealing with the theft of a ship concerns me.

11) While this film does do great with it’s characters, I feel like David and Saavik sort of suffer in this film. I think Robin Curtis does a good job in the part, but (in part of the writing and direction I imagine) she loses some of the energy and rashness Kirstie Alley brought to the part. She is a bit more of a stereotypical Vulcan, which is a shame because Alley’s strong headed nature was in part what made the part so interesting in the first place. David meanwhile is seen mostly as a scientist who made brash decisions in the past but (except for one notable FINAL decision on his part) largely does what is expected of him in the situation he finds himself in during the film. I would’ve been interested in seeing them push these characters and challenge them a bit more, but maybe that’s just me.

12) Remember how I said Kurge was the best part of this film?

Kurge [after his Klingon crew member blows up a federation ship]: “I wanted prisoners!”

Klingon: “A lucky shot!”

[Kurge murders Klingon]

Kurge: “Animal.”

13) I will say that the potential relationship (platonic or otherwise) between David and Saavik is interesting, but I would have personally preferred a focus on the relationship between David and Kirk as father and son respectively. That’s not to say the film is bad because it doesn’t feature it (you should only ever judge a film based on what it is, not what it isn’t), it is just a personal preference I have.

14) So Spock - while regenerating from a boy into a man - has to go through pon farr. Pon farr is the process where every seven years Vulcans (male and female I believe) become aroused. They get blood fever, become violent, and eventually die I think (my knowledge of deeper Trek lore is defined largely by Wikipedia) unless they mate. So Saavik helps Spock but all we see is...well...

Was that sex? Did they have hand sex or something? Or did we just cut away before they had sex? I know there’s a deleted scene in Star Trek IV where Saavik is pregnant with Spock’s baby, but since it’s deleted I don’t know if it’s canon. I just don’t really know what happened.

15) Hey, that’s John Larroquette!

You probably wouldn’t see that if you weren’t looking for him, but still.

16) The death of David unfortunately doesn’t have much of an impact on me. I like the decision to kill him off in theory and I like that it is done in defense of Saavik and Spock (therefore making his character more active in the plot), but I am not invested in him enough as a character for it to effect me. The worst part of it is how it effects Kirk, which I will admit is greatly effective seeing the famous captain break down (even if only for a brief moment) because of the death of his son who he barely knew.

17) I think the decision to destroy the Enterprise is the best plot point in this film. It is the last thing you would expect and a great portrayal of just what the stakes are. This ship was as much a character in the 18 years since the original series as Kirk or Spock and we witness it’s destruction.

Kirk: “My god Bones, what have I done?”

Bones: “What you had to do What you’ve always done. Turned death into a fighting chance.”

18) Have I mentioned I really like Skurge as a villain?

Skurge [after being told the planet is killing itself]: “Yes. Exhilirating isn’t it?”

I don’t find his final fight with Kirk to be very effective though. Like David’s death, it just sort of happens and then is over for me. This might just be my own take on the scene though.

19) Yes. This. A developing relationship between Bones and Spock.

Bones [to a comatose Spock]: “But it seems I’ve missed you. I don’t know if I can stand to lose you again.”

More of this please.

20) I LOVE the entire ending scene on Vulcan.

It is interesting, compelling, and very well done. The entire Enterprise crew sacrificing their careers and futures to save their friend moves me. Bones literally risking his life for an ancient procedure all at the chance that Spock can live again is great and speak not only to his character but to their relationship. But the best part is the very final scene, where an absent minded and slightly amnesiac Spock speaks with Kirk and we see just how great their friendship is.

Spock: “Why would you do this?”

Kirk: “Because the needs of the one outweigh the needs of the many.”

[Beat.]

Spock: “I have been and always shall be your friend.”

While weaker than the film which precedes and follows it, Star Trek III is still a worthy inclusion to the Star Trek canon. Its plot may be a bit weaker, but the analysis of the characters and their loyalty to each other (specifically to Spock) is the beating heart. There is some nice humor, great acting, and solid directing from Nimoy. All in all if you’re a fan of Star Trek or you liked Wrath of Khan, you should definitely give The Search for Spock a watch.

[averil-of-fairlea]

The Last Word

For the VERY patient @tsukuyomi011, who requested:

Khanxreader, who is a former member of his superhuman crew with whom he had established a ‘connection.’  Reader wants to destroy his will to save his crew from Marcus as revenge. 

Also incorporates a wee bit of this from @thefandomimagine (as a memory): Imagine losing your virginity to Khan. 

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(This is NOT part of the Drabble games)

You can feel him.

All night you’ve tossed and turned, kept awake by both the fierce external and internal conflict Khan Noonien Singh has aroused.

Ever since he’s been on board, you’ve tried to remain hidden. You were part of the Enterprise crew initially brought in to prep his confinement chamber, and you saw him. If it weren’t for your superhuman resolve, you might have fainted. There was too much activity for him to notice you - or so you hope.

No one knows your history with him. Sometimes you wish you could forget it.

Parts of it, that is. There were things you never wanted to forget.

He was your first….oh, hell, who are you kidding? If just in your tender, bruised heart, he’s been your “only.”

There were others after him, but no one surpassed him in passion and intensity. He was an unselfish but provocative lover, always bringing you close to the edge. From the first time to the last, he gave willingly, calmed your fears, never pressured you, always put your needs and desires ahead of his own, from the first time to the last.

But the first time…that was like a dream, a deliberate, drawn-out pleasure that eradicated the built-up anxiety that had you wringing your hands in anticipation. By the end of the night, you were using your hands and the rest of your body much more pleasurably.

If you must keep him in your mind and heart, that is what you’ll hold on to.

But that was then. This is now. Khan aboard this ship will bring nothing but pain. You’re sure of it.

After you bathe and dress in your uniform, mentally preparing yourself to get a glimpse of him, you wonder if Khan has any regrets about how he ultimately treated you.

If he truly loved you, he must.

Handing you over to those miserable zealots who couldn’t hold a candle to your intelligence, health and strength - all because Khan and his wary advisors had their suspicions that you were not truly on his side, even though you shared his bed and his vision loyally.

They thought you were hiding something, that a person of your might not only had the smarts to betray their efforts, but the will. Their detention, binding, and interrogation of you was nothing more than a preemptive strike.

You told them as emphatically as you could that you weren’t betraying Khan or his crew…that you loved him…that he had made a connection with you that no one ever had…that you had gladly risked your life to save him so many times…that you would do it again, in a heartbeat.

Your declaration of innocence and love should have been enough for them…for him. They gave you a potent truth serum, after all. You could not lie if you wanted to.

Thanks to a careless guard, you freed yourself, breaking necks along the way.

You had no idea what had happened to Khan and the rest of the crew. You were alone, full of fire and ready to exact revenge.

You stand nearby, watching him, your arms crossed as you glare at him. He recounts his story to Capt. Kirk and the others. The few times he looks your way, he doesn’t flinch.

You don’t know what bothers you most: that he seems unmoved, or that he can hide his turmoil so well.

Maybe he didn’t see me, you tell yourself…

You’re alive.

It’s Khan voice, in your head. He’s rebuilt the connection.

Frightened, you leave the area. You haven’t spoken in this manner for such a long time, and you’re still not ready.

Not even for revenge.

It doesn’t take very long for the realization to hit you: You have to tell Capt. Kirk how you know Khan. Warn him that he should never let his guard down. Ever.

“Captain!” You round the corner of the curved corridor and jog up to Kirk, falling in step with his fast, urgent pace.

“Not now. I’m prepping for a mission with this Khan character. “

You know all about trying to get on Admiral Marcus’ ship, the USS Vengeance. It’s a mistake. You have to stop him.

“With all due respect sir, it has to be now, because it’saboutKhan.”

He stops, curiosity and impatience making his blue eyes blaze.

“What is it?” he asks.

You don’t have time to mince words, nor do you have time to be eloquent. Your thoughts tumble at light speed: Khan, underhanded, imminent attack, superhuman, crew member, former lover, bad gut feeling, not good, must stop him, don’t go, don’t trust…

Capt. Kirk stares at you for a half a beat, processing everything you’ve just dropped at his feet.

Finally, he says, “I know something about going with your gut and being right. Follow me.”

Capt. Kirk asks you to go into more detail about your theories and to talk about that feeling that’s twisting you from inside out.

But - although he respects your intuition and appreciates your honesty about your past - without actual proof of a threat, he has nothing to go on.The captain doesn’t trust Khan one iota, but he needs his knowledge about Marcus’ ship right now.

You keep your distance, trying to blend into the surrounding activity, as the men are outfitted for their space jump.

I will return for you, Khan says. His voice in your head is at once emotionless and impassioned. How does he do that?

I will save you before it’s too late, he adds ominously.

Your eyes widen.

Save me from what?

There is no time to explain. Just know that we will be together. All of us.

Your eyes go from saucers to slits as you try to concentrate on breaking into his psyche. If you can still communicate telepathically, perhaps you can mine even deeper, to see what he’s talking about.

But he’s closed himself off. You can’t see past the ice of his eyes.

You’re out of practice tapping into my thoughts, Khan says. For that, I am grateful.

Before you can shout a warning to Capt. Kirk through your shock and despair, the two men descend into the chamber from which they’ll jettison from the Enterprise to the Vengeance.

You rush to the bridge, terrified that you won’t be able to get through Mr. Spock’s logic about Khan’s vague threat, but holding onto hope anyway.

Your single drop of confidence is well rewarded when you see, for the first time ever, Spock Prime on screen, larger than life.

If you weren’t so distressed over Khan, you would take some time to process the extraordinary situation of being able to converse with one’s own, alternate reality self.

“He is brilliant, ruthless, and he will not hesitate to kill every single one of you,” the older Spock is saying to the younger version of himself.

You’ve just walked in and you already know they’re discussing Khan.

Something rattles and rings in your head as the two Spocks talk about defeating Khan. You’re unintentionally distracted from the particulars of their conversation as you search your mind for what’s happening. It feels as if you are re- establishing the extra-sensory connection with Khan, even though he is nowhere close.

Quickly, you solve the mystery: you can actually sense that he’s dropped his shield. He’s engaged in some turbulent situation aboard the Vengeance that takes his mind off blocking you.

Now you can see what he’s got planned.

“Mr. Spock.” You approach him confidently. “I can help.”

Khan’s plan aboard the Vengeance unfolds quickly and violently.

You know from fighting alongside Khan that there is no quick recovery from his punches. But Capt. Kirk is resilient and stubborn as hell. As soon as he and the others are beamed back aboard the Enterprise, you know he won’t let his pummeling stop him from doing what needs to be done.

Even when the Enterprise loses power and hurtles towards certain destruction, somehow you know Capt. Kirk won’t let that happen - even if it means giving up his own life.

And it comes to that.

Through your grief, you reiterate your commitment to help Spock with his plan concerning Khan’s crew, He doesn’t say anything, but that Vulcan knows there’s more to your history with Khan than the half-bit you’ve had time to tell him, but he’s forced to trust you. He and Bones need you to share details about adequately sustaining Khan’s crew - and taking down Khan himself.

“You have to be merciless, Mr. Spock,” you say, just before he’s beamed to Earth. “Don’t underestimate one move. Don’t let him overpower you. Whatever you deliver, he can defeat. So you have to -”

“Understood.” And he’s gone.

Spock is out for revenge for the death of Capt. Kirk. He wouldn’t hear you say “please don’t kill him,” even if you screamed it in his ear.

Fortunately, he hears Uhura.

Khan’s blood revives the captain. And later, after seeing Khan in custody and aboard the Enterprise again, your courage is not only revived, but strengthened.

You ask to be present as he’s placed in his cryotube. You want to input the codes to induce his slumber and lock the capsule. This will be your revenge. Your justice.

Khan asks for a private moment with you. Capt. Kirk allows it, but orders everyone’s phasers set to stun, just in case.

All your trepidation aside, you initiate the special connection with him.

Did you ever love me Khan? you ask

Every moment, he whispers in your head.

You swallow, feeling tears sting your eyes.

I was going to save you, he says.

You were going to let me die along with everyone else on this ship.

You’re wrong. We are meant to be.

I used to believe that. You blink back your tears., but he already knows how deeply he’s gotten to you.

You still do, he says. I can see it in your eyes.

It’s love you see, despite everything.

There is the slightest twitch of his lips.

That must mean you have a plan to save me, he says.

You shake your head.

“This is as far as I can save you,” you answer aloud. “But there is one other thing I can do.”

His nostrils gently flare. He’s frustrated. He can’t discern what’s going on behind those beautiful eyes of yours, inside that clever mind. You’ve changed.

Khan doesn’t realize just how strong you are.

“One other thing.” Though hard and almost monotone, his speaking voice is beautiful. “Enlighten me.”  

You wave over Bones, the captain and the other techs, then face Khan again and take a deep breath.

“I forgive you.”