Path: newsspool2.news.atl.earthlink.net!stamper.news.atl.earthlink.net!elnk-atl-nf1!newsfeed.earthlink.net!newsswing.news.prodigy.com!prodigy.net!prodigy.com!border1.nntp.dca.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!diablo.voicenet.com!yellow.newsread.com!bad-news.newsread.com!news-toy.newsread.com!netaxs.com!newsread.com!POSTED.newshog.newsread.com!not-for-mail Newsgroups: alt.startrek.creative.erotica.moderated Approved: ascem@earthlink.net Organization: Better Living Thru TrekSmut Sender: ascem@earthlink.net Message-ID: <15a.45306197.2ee2958a@aol.com> From: Istannor@Aol.com MIME-Version: 1.0 Mailing-List: list ASCEML@yahoogroups.com; contact ASCEML-owner@yahoogroups.com Subject: New: TOS : A Higher Duty: PG: 21/28 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Lines: 204 Date: Sat, 04 Dec 2004 05:55:17 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 209.198.142.218 X-Complaints-To: Abuse Role , We Care X-Trace: newshog.newsread.com 1102139717 209.198.142.218 (Sat, 04 Dec 2004 00:55:17 EST) NNTP-Posting-Date: Sat, 04 Dec 2004 00:55:17 EST Xref: news.earthlink.net alt.startrek.creative.erotica.moderated:85917 X-Received-Date: Fri, 03 Dec 2004 21:55:24 PST (newsspool2.news.atl.earthlink.net) Title: A Higher Duty Author: Istannor Contact: Istannor@aol.com Series: TOS Rating: PG13 for violence Part: 21/28 Codes:TOS Summary: This is set during the second 5 year voyage of the Starship Chapter 21 Spock finally changed out of his blood soaked clothes. The delegates were safely placed either in the secure Federation Embassy, or transported to Cygnian or Enterprise medical facilities as indicated. Refreshed, at least outwardly, he went to the sickbay. When he entered, only one bed was full. McCoy must have decided to use the auxiliary sickbay for the other wounded. Spock read the pad on the wall. It told the story of Kirk's injuries. Kirk was on full life support, placed in an induced coma by McCoy. The gentle rise and fall of his chest was machine driven. His hands were enclosed in plastiform along with both of his legs and his arms. They had done open reduction of his multiple displaced fractures of his long bones. A microfilament had been laid in all four of his extremities to promote straight bone regrowth. For now, some of the bones floated unattached, awaiting the bone regenerator to complete its slow progress. His jaw and nose had been broken. The swelling made his face almost unrecognizable. Spock's heart twisted as he looked on the wreck that lay before him. He had to shake his head to achieve clarity. Kirk's cranium had been bandaged where they had repaired his depressed skull fracture. His internal injuries were not as extensive. He had not lost any major organs, but he had bled into the upper lobe of his left lung. McCoy had personally repaired that. He was still reading, when Dr. McCoy entered quietly behind him. "Spock," He moved to stand beside Spock. "They hurt him real bad this time." "Will he live, Doctor?" McCoy tried to respond through the sudden lump in his throat. A hoarse whisper came out finally. "I don't know, Spock, I honestly do not know." They both stood there for some time longer then McCoy broke the silence. "I have to go check on the new ones they just sent up. M'Benga kicked me out and told me to take a break. I think I need to go back and work on some strangers for a while." McCoy reached up and angrily wiped tears from his cheeks where they had slowly run down, trapped in the crevasses of his life's journey, written in the lines of his face. "Shit and damnation." He left. The Vulcan crossed over to the Biobed and sat in the chair at his Captain's bedside. No doubt McCoy had anticipated Spock's presence. Spock needed to stay. If anyone needed him, they knew where to find him. On the bridge Scotty, Uhura, Sulu, and Chekov conspired to intercept everything before it reached Spock. They would handle it all, until the Vulcan returned to the Bridge. He sat there for the rest of the shift, unmoving, willing his friend to live for them both. Laughing hazel eyes, and the first true smile of welcome Spock had ever received in Starfleet, haunted his thoughts. Spock was still there in the morning. A nurse had been through several times to check on Kirk's condition. He had been very careful not to disturb the Vulcan. Finally, McCoy came back and walked over to Spock's side. He gently placed his hand on Spock's shoulder. "Spock, why don't you go to your cabin and get some rest. We are going to start our second phase of bone regrowth right now, and you'll just be in the way. I'll call you when we are finished." Spock looked up at McCoy, nodded once, and headed out of the sickbay for his quarters. Renna met him in the hallway as he exited. Two security personnel escorted her, and it was obvious that she had planned to visit the Captain. "Lady Therenna, the doctor is not currently allowing visitors. He just cleared the sickbay." Renna looked at a loss for a moment. "Where are you on your way to, Mr. Spock, if I may inquire?" "I was returning to my quarters." "May I accompany you? I find myself needing to talk to someone right now. Please." Spock looked at her with open appraisal; he finally sighed, "As you wish." He dismissed the security team and turned to escort her to his cabin. They strolled down the corridors in silence for a few minutes. Spock and Renna were lost in their own thoughts. They reached Spock's door without speaking. When they entered, Renna slowly surveyed the room, taking in everything from the Vulcan firepot, to the Lyre, and ending finally on the Chess set which held a prominent position on Spock's desk. She was the first to break the spell that held them. "You should know, I envy you." She wandered around the room lightly touching objects, verifying their solidity. "In fact, I would like to hate you, but I can not." "Envy is illogical, as well as hate." replied Spock. "I am not a Vulcan, Mr. Spock. We renounced the teachings of Surak. Honor, family, passions, attachments of duty and loyalty, rule us as surely as Logic rules your world. There is no logic in my love for your Captain. There is no logic in your love for him. I, at least, am free to admit it," she then whispered with longing, "even if I may not act on it, as I wish." "I am not certain I understand what you mean, Madame." "Yes, you do. Both of us have limited ourselves. You, who feel so much, and love so deeply, are doomed to a life of denial of the very things that motivate you, because it is not the Vulcan way. There is something beyond Logic. There is no use denying it, Mr. Spock. I am a far stronger telempath than you are, and I know what I say is true. Even had I not read it from you, it is so woven in the essence of Jim, that I would have to be struck empath null to miss it. He accepts you without reservation. On Romulus we have a term for such as you, "twinned by the fates". Now, there is me, who in a relatively short time, has learned to love one of my peoples' greatest enemies. I must deny him, and my needs, for the sake of honor and duty. If we were on my homeworld, I would take both of you as my Consorts and I would be content. Being able to read minds has its drawbacks, you must agree. Once we see the true essence of a person, we are either hopelessly and irretrievably attracted to them, or repulsed just as surely. That is the reason for shields, I think. It has nothing to do with privacy. Without shields, we would have no freedom to choose, no freedom to ignore the truth about those who surround us." She sighed. "The universe is a place of infinite irony wouldn't you agree?" Renna said the last with a wistful tone. "What would you have me say, Therenna?" "Nothing. What can you say: "I am sorry you love James Kirk, and wish to bond us both, but you know that you can not have him, or I?" That would not be helpful in the least. Perhaps you can just tell me you understand." "I do understand." She smiled sadly and walked over to where he stood. "Yes, you do. Hold me, Spock, please; let me see him in your mind; let me feel you in my mind. I may not ever get the opportunity to do so again. This type of sharing is not encouraged on my world." She moved closer toward Spock and slowly leaned her head against his chest. "It has been a lifetime since I met a man who accepted me, and cared for me, as your Captain did. I will remember his thoughts, his joy, and everything we shared. For one space in time, I felt like the galaxy's greatest treasure. I will lose all of that if he dies and I will lose it all if he lives. I must go home, therefore, I lose. Please, do not make me lose now." Spock's arms encircled and comforted her. He knew it was what Jim would want him to do. Some small voice told him, it also was because he, Spock, needed comforting also, but he was not ready to hear that voice. He shared with her some of his memories and she gave him equal value. They stood silently for long minutes, embracing and talked into the late night hours about Shikahr and Romulas, Rhihannsu and Vulcan. When he finally walked her back to her quarters, he had discovered akindred soul, and she had found a refuge. It was time to return to the bridge. Perhaps, he thought, he could lose himself in his work. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ASCEM messages are copied to a mailing list. Most recent messages can be found at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ASCEML. NewMessage: