Path: newsspool2.news.atl.earthlink.net!stamper.news.atl.earthlink.net!elnk-atl-nf1!newsfeed.earthlink.net!prodigy.com!news.glorb.com!newsprint.newsread.com!newsread.com!newsstand.newsread.com!POSTED.monger.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: <20041019202254.95852.qmail@web41908.mail.yahoo.com> From: Marcia Wilson-Cales MIME-Version: 1.0 Mailing-List: list ASCEML@yahoogroups.com; contact ASCEML-owner@yahoogroups.com Subject: By the Firepot Beast Content-Type: text/plain Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Lines: 633 Date: Tue, 19 Oct 2004 22:55:02 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 209.198.142.218 X-Complaints-To: Abuse Role , We Care X-Trace: monger.newsread.com 1098226502 209.198.142.218 (Tue, 19 Oct 2004 18:55:02 EDT) NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 19 Oct 2004 18:55:02 EDT Xref: news.earthlink.net alt.startrek.creative.erotica.moderated:85135 X-Received-Date: Tue, 19 Oct 2004 15:55:06 PDT (newsspool2.news.atl.earthlink.net) TITLE: By the Firepot Beast AUTHOR: Kelthammer SERIES: MU TOS CHARACTERS: The Big Three: Spock's POV; McCoy, Kirk.=20 SUMMARY: Betrayal begats betrayal. The Balance of Power is swaying on the= ARCHIVE: Sure, just lemme know =20 A long-dead Terran writer once described eyes "blue and bleak." It fits yo= u. Circumstances have forced you here, and the resignation stands with you= r posture as you brace for the worst I can give you. A sensible attitude. = We have been allies by circumstance, but never friends.=20 =20 I do not take pleasure in knowing our captain is losing control of his crew= . But I am not standing idle and letting it happen, either. As he throws = away the most valuable men and women, I take advantage of his waste. You a= n unexpected gain. =20 You still carry the soft red dust of the planet on your uniform. I can sme= ll the damp storms that wrecked its atmosphere, clean and fresh.=20 =20 =93Are you prepared?=94 I ask. =20 =93As much as I=92ll ever be.=94 Your reply is soft but by now I know when= you dissemble, and when you are sincere. =20 I stand then, and we regard each other. You are so much like your twin, on= ly far more subdued and secret. You had to be different in this way, to su= rvive in this Universe. I remember the meld with the other one, and look f= orward to this one with you, hoping for a similar experience=85a better exp= erience=85 =20 The captain pushed you too far. Secure in his grip on everyone aboard, he= miscalculated. The expression on your face said it all. It was not the h= orror of a man who had been discovered in a crime, but of a man who did not= understand what he was being accused of. =20 If you had been charged with a crime involving any of the twenty telepathic= species, it would have been solved simply, with a mind-adept glancing insi= de you for guilt or innocence. But the Draymians were not gifted in any su= ch way, and the procedure was waived. They demanded justice on their terms= . =20 I saw your eyes when the captain spoke, agreeing to their "trial." They w= ere bleak and weary, forced to listen to things you did not want to hear. =20 You shift slightly, trying to maintain your calm. In that small movement I= see a shadow out of place on your throat, just barely above the scrape of = the shirt-collar. It does not belong there. =20 "Take off your shirt." =20 The shirt comes off slowly, and I understand your hesitation when I see you= r bare arms. =20 The agonizer is rarely placed against bare skin. The electrical charge req= uired to shock the body will raise burns on flesh. On some species, welts = and open wounds. Kirk=92s =93discipline=94 had created small dry red burns= inside the elbows and wrist joints; I see the glimpse of another at your t= hroat, just barely hidden by the black undertunic. There is no point in sa= ying anything. I look up and down, taking note silently, acknowledging wha= t was done. Your face is impassive again. =20 =93Continue.=94 =20 Whatever I order you to do, you are determined to survive it. I see that i= n your eyes very well. You survived Kirk, you can survive Kirk=92s First O= fficer. The black comes off in a sharp, angry jerk, and worse marks are re= vealed in the light of the firepot beast. The hot flame makes them painful= , but you won=92t move away. Not unless I tell you to. I know you won=92t= ask permission. =20 Kirk was exceedingly angry. I see four agonizer burns, and a single square= pressure dent where he was forced to manually regulate your heartbeat when= it stopped. Like reading a trail, I can see where his attention drifted; = sternum, navel, diaphragm. I turn you around and see the same on the other= side. =20 The clay of the planet has worked through the uniform fibers in places, lea= ving pale rose smears of sweat and mud against a shoulder, across a floatin= g rib, a forearm, down your spine. There could be more wounds in better li= ght. I pause to rest my hand just above an agonizer burn. You feel the he= at off my palm and shiver.=20 =20 "Why have you not tended these?" =20 You are just a moment in your reply. The pause is deliberate; poignant. =20 "I was ordered not to."=20 =20 I watch you for signs of panic, but your heart beats only slightly faster. = Kirk has numbed you to much. You are hoping that whatever is done, will b= e done quickly before sensations return. =20 I call for T'Har, the only Vulcan female on the ship. She is also the only= Vulcan I know of with xenomedical training. Her record says she is a tech= nician, of course. Her entrance makes no sense to you, for we converse fir= st in Vulcan. =20 "The Doctor needs medical attention. He is..." I pause, and imitate your = exact mannerism. "forbidden to see to himself." =20 T'Har nods, unsurprised. It is so like Kirk to give such a command. Over = time, even his originality is taken for granted. =20 I return briefly to my reports--an update on Sulu's perpetual machinations.= Properly motivated, the man would be a captain worthy of Kirk--but it is = simpler, even safer, to kill one's successor than it is to find one's own s= hip. Again, I consider that perhaps I should offer Sulu his own ship. My = father wishes me to gain in power. T'Har says something in the Empire's pa= tois, something medical that makes as little sense to me as Vulcan does to = you. You remain a mask as the hard alien clay is soaked away. The burns a= re paper-thin and fall away, exposing the full wound. T'Har makes a commen= t of disapproval underestandable to both of us.=20=20 =20 The salve follows, and the sharpness of its scent is unpleasant to you, but= you also control your expression there. To me is is pleasant, reminding m= e of the spine-flowers in the winter desert. My mother often complained it= made her smell like a "spice rack explosion." Such odd use of language al= ways surprised my staid, stern father into amusement. I think it was one r= eason why he kept her. My father's family is not known for their flexible = demeanor. =20 T'Har starts at the marks inside the wrists and works down to your shoulder= s, using light, then firm circles of the fingertips. From the shoulders, y= our throat. She traces your jawline, square and stubborn. You reflexively= shut your eyes as she brushes across the lids, and the thick lashes brush = her skin. I see you swallow.=20 =20 You are helpless; I must show that I will not abuse that helplessness. But= I think of your twin's hot defiance. It conjures up the warrior of old in= side me. Vulcans relish conflict, though they will not speak of it. By th= e old laws, I could have claimed victory when my mind won over his. The ol= d laws do not necessarily apply to aliens. Logic dictated another action,= to return everyone back to their rightful place. Instead, I had reason to= consider the advantages of seizing control over you=85A pity there is no p= arallel to the concept in your language. "Hostage" is the closest analogy = you would understand, for the Tr'eneh can buy or trade their freedom. You = will not be harmed by myself nor by my allies, but now my enemies are yours= . This may very well shorten your lifespan. =20 You knew what you had agreed to when you turned to me. Once I had divined = the reason for Kirk=92s hold over you, it was a simple matter to raise the = price. But Kirk acted before I could, and threw you aside. You had nothi= ng to expect save an assassination in the near future. My offer was not ex= actly an offer=85more like a trade. Your loyalty for my protection=85and t= hat protection would extend to that of your kith and kin. =20 All this, because my operative was in the most fortuitous place and time=85 =20 You know all Vulcans on board are sworn to me. None would rise against ano= ther Vulcan anyway; their oaths are automatic, given to the highest ranking= of our people. That they consider me without question is an honor I canno= t deny. =20 *** =20 Storn reports himself to my cabin, saluting sharply, then turning it to a q= uick Vulcan greeting. I bid him enter. =20 =93Commander.=94 He bows his head, and the tools around his belt wave from= the motion. =93There is an altercation between the captain and ship=92s s= urgeon.=94 =20 Our people have an efficient language. I do not ask him why he is informin= g me. He has reasons to. =93Speak.=94 I tell him. =20 He bows his head again, offering the clear and undiluted memories inside hi= s mind. =20 Never taken lightly, I do not refuse. It is more than his desire to give m= e an uncluttered account; he is extending his trust to me. =20 His skin is warm as my own under my fingertips. =20 For a moment, I am still in my cabin, warmed by the firepot, then I am in S= torn=92s body, crammed inside the narrow confines of a relay conduit. Cabl= es and meters surround me from all sides, graphs and guides that increase t= he ship=92s ability to function, but needs constant upkeep. Light filters = upward, an air vent protected by a screen that leads to the soft mechanical= sounds of Sickbay. =20 =93I never caused any plague! The shots were straight and across the board= !=94 =20 Storn stops working, stops moving, listening. =20 =93Nobody ever said you DID, doctor. At least no one from Command.=94 Kir= k=92s voice is thick with amusement. =93But you can certainly see their p= oint of view. If you were being good, then the fault must be with your sup= eriors, correct? And nobody wants that.=94 =20 =93Captain, I don=92t care what anybody says! The plague of colors had not= hing to do with the medicines the Empire measured out! My God, half that c= olony was made of children! At least let me investigate the facts before I= beam down to a kangaroo court!=94 =20 Soft sound; Kirk is folding his arms across his chest. =93You=92re asking = a lot, McCoy. I don=92t have to grant you any priviledges.=94 =20 Stone-silence, then the doctor releases a sigh. =20 =93What do you want, captain?=94 =20 =93I thought you=92d never ask=85=94 =20 =93Just=85just tell me what you want done.=94 =20 =93Now, now=85don=92t be impatient. Think of my view, doctor, You=92re ask= ing for a chance to prove your innocence. I don=92t have much potential fo= r a return investment, do I?=94 =20 =93You=92ll know I=92ll conceed to anything that doesn=92t fall out of the = guides of my Oath.=94 =20 =93Still full of that Hypocritic ideal, are you? It must be lonely at the = top.=94 =20 =93Captain=85tell me what you want.=94 =20 =93I want access to your drug stores.=94 =20 Storn hears the silence grow thick and hot; horrified. =20 =93We=92ve been over this before, captain. I know what you want with those= drugs. No.=94 =20 =93No? Too bad for you.=94 =20 =93I=92m not trading my reputation from one bad end to another! The Draymi= ans MAY execute me, but if I give you free run of my Sickbay it=92ll be twi= ce the hellhole it already is!=94 =20 =93Don=92t complain to me, McCoy, if you can=92t control your own people.= =94=20=20 =20 "They aren't my people, they're yours!" =20 "That's right. They're mine, and that's how it is." Kirk=92s arms fall to= his sides. His voice grows hard; confrontational. =93Either way, I=92ll = get what I want. I=92m sure M=92Benga will be more=85tractable. Nice know= ing you.=94 =20 Kirk's voice is mocking, trying to get a reaction out of the other. Storn = does not know this with his own cultural limitations, but my mother's views= tell me much: Kirk wants his McCoy's agreement badly, and he has tried ev= erything but harsh coercion. In the replayed memory, I read a mosiac of un= savory emotions: self-directed disgust, anger, and thwarted hopes. What ga= me is Kirk playing that he would have such things inside him? He is the mo= st powerful man on the ship, but he acts as though he is fighting for power= on a survivalist level. Something has tipped the balance against him. Wh= at? =20 And why, I wonder, would Kirk turn on one of his closest allies? I would h= ave never predicted such a maneuver. Kirk has always been loyal to those w= ho were loyal to him. His rewards are traditionally as ingenious as his pu= nishments. He cannot bear one thing that I know of, and that is betrayal. = Even those who betray others in order to support him soon find, the captai= n will let them rise no higher in rank. =20 For some reason, the doctor has done something that constitutes as betrayal= to the captain's mind.=20 =20 I do not know why Kirk wants access to the drug stores. You do. That is w= hy you will eventually die. =20 Of course, Kirk did not expect you to be cleared of the charges. Nor does = he suspect my part in it. If he did, I would not guess his reaction. =20 It was a simple matter to summon you via communicator when I knew you were = alone. You came warily, with the strain of the day already on your shoulde= rs. =20 *** =20 I did not waste time. Vulcans do not believe in small talk. =20 =93You are about to be charged with genocide on a planetary scale.=94 =20 =93I never caused any plague. But it doesn=92t matter.=94 You answer wear= ily. =20 =93Why does it not?=94 =20 =93Because they need a scapegoat. Someone to blame for all those deaths. = They=92ll nail me to one of their biggest posts and leave me to die of expo= sure. And they=92ll all go home and have a good night=92s sleep, believing= the ghosts of their dead kin are at rest too.=94 =20 Despite your words, heavy sarcasm is present. I lift an eyebrow. =93Are y= ou so prepared to die?=94 =20 =93I can hardly prove to them I didn=92t cause the plague.=94 =20 =93What if you could?=94 I press. =93I know the captain made you an offer= =85which you refused.=94 =20 Spying is taken for granted. You are not at all surprised. =93And what do= you want?=94 =20 =93Only your loyalty.=94 =20 Your eyes flash, and I see your twin=92s impotent rage as I pin him against= the wall. =93You have all of that you=92re going to get.=94 =20 =93Oh? You do not seem to understand, doctor. And you underestimate the a= bilities of Vulcans. I can prove your innocence. Have you considered what= the captain will do to you when you succeed despite him?=94 =20 You pale. You have already considered that unlikely possibility. =20 =93Kirk is an excellent administrator of revenge.=94 I remind him. =93And= I believe, uncaring of family ties since he has none himself. You have fa= mily, do you not?=94 =20 =93Stop.=94 Your hand goes up, shaking. It is all too likely Kirk will ta= rget them if McCoy dares survive the trial. He has selected relatives of h= is enemies in the past. They appear to be his favorite method of attack, a= s if he is lashing out against a Universe that left him berefit, but not ot= hers. =20 =93You win.=94 You swallow. =93God=85damn you, you win.=94 =20 =93You will find I am not so harsh a taskmaster.=94 I continue my casual p= ose against the desk. =93It is simply I need a physician I can absolutely = trust.=94 =20 =93Why not import yourself one then?=94 You snap. =20 I almost smile. =93I am afraid that is not possible. They are needed wher= e they are.=94 On Vulcan. With my parents where they can be the most usefu= l. =20 It is true that I do need a personal healer. I had initial hopes for M=92B= enga, who is skilled in Vulcans, but McCoy by debit, has become the expert = in my hybrid nature. And M=92Benga is all too corruptible. Not a flaw he = was born with, alas, but his genius was carefully corrupted at a young age = by experts. My discreet inquires on his nature were disappointing. =20 =93I will not require you to renege on any part of your Oath.=94 My voice = drops as I speak, and you stop breathing. =93I know your limits, doctor. = More than you do yourself.=94 =20 You lock eyes with me then. I know you think of your twin, and what I saw = inside that one=92s mind. It gives me an advantage over you you are hardly= aware of. =20 I think you are not so unalike, you and he. He is simply living in an envi= ronment that permits him the leeway to fight. He would have been an unrele= nting battle of wills, and he would have fought me until nothing was left. = So I use another tactic. I make this your choice, and chain you with yo= ur own sense of honor. =20 You say nothing as you leave. There is no point. Many things can happen i= n the length of time it takes to conduct a trial and return the convicted h= ome. For all our plans, Kirk may yet kill you before beamup. =20 *** =20 T'Har leaves as quickly as she has entered. You slide the tunic back on sl= owly, still in pain. =20 "Why does the captain make you an enemy?" =20 Disgust flashes over your face. "You'd have to ask him that." =20 I almost smile, for I can imagine a powerful disagreement in the heart of t= his shism. And yet, not so long ago, there would have been a time where my= loyalty to the captain was unswerving. You are no doubt confused that I w= ould actually be capable of this quiet subterfuge. It is not, after all, t= he Vulcan Way...but it is certainly Human. =20 "How is it the captain seized total control of your department?" =20 You stop, not looking at me. "It can happen if you're resourceful." He st= ates the obvious. "And I wouldn't call it total control." =20 "If you have allies, I suggest you employ them." =20 You hesitate, choosing your words with care. "I hope it won't come to that= , Commander." Your dark blue eyes flicker across the flame of the firepot = beast. "My allies have a way of dying." =20 A thin thread of emotion I cannot identify. Humans can convey so much with= out actually speaking. Myraid, complex, changing...and yet logical if one = takes the time to comprehend. There is nothing I can say to his comment...= yet. I merely grunt, accepting his unspoken wishes. Whoever he is protect= ing, he cannot damn them by asking for their help. I wonder who they are. = =20 =20 In time I will learn. =20 =20 =09=09 --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? 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