1. David Tennant
Friction burns.

2. A politician
I’d turn into Lady Macbeth.

3. A mathematician
Goes against every moral fibre in my body.

4. Someone who HAS to be right, ALL the time.
Would end up dead, murdered by kitchen knife.

5. Someone allergic to cats, either medically or out of detestation.
What do you MEAN you don’t love my lickle babies because they clawed your favourite trousers to pieces?!

6. A physicist.
Fuck offfffff.

7. Someone with dyslexia.
“That’s not how you spell ‘September’/'financier’/'masticate’/'troglodyte’/'desideratum’ -” “I BLOODY KNOW.”

8. A Star Trek fan.
No I shall NOT straighten my hair and tell you that I’m an illogical woman who’s beginning to feel too much a part of that communications console. …Fuck.

9. A hardcore Catholic.
One child is too much. Fifteen are clearly associates of Satan.

10. Someone who watches “intellectual comedy” programmes and consequently believes they are intelligent.
Because you’re fucking not.

Also ALICE COOPER:

Zoe Saldana played Uhura in the recent Star Trek film and today we get to see her in some bikinis. Today is a good day to be a Star Trek fan and a good day for guys who like girls who are in bikinis. Which basically covers all of us guys who like girls, so I don’t really have to say anything else. We can all just look at the pictures now and know that trekkies and normal guys do have something in common. Thank you Details Magazine for bringing us all together.

Havia muita incerteza sobre o novo filme devido ao fraco desempenho que a última série apresentou e, principalmente, ao fracasso de Star Trek Nêmesis, mas a Paramont não ignorou as grandes quantias que ganhou com a marca e resolveu investir numa nova produção! A atitude da empresa foi entregar o projeto ao nome do momento J. J. Abrams gerando desconfiança por parte dos fãs devido Abrams ser fanático por Star Wars e ter pouco conhecimento da franquia, mas o resultado não podia ser melhor! Foi o melhor “filme pipoca” do ano com bom desempenho na bilheteria e se o maior desafio era trazer Star Trek para o grande público além do universo nerd, Abrams conseguiu usando a fórmula da série clássica que muitos achavam estar desgastado.

Na história, o vilão Nero e sua tripulação voltam ao passado alterando o futuro em busca pelo embaixador Spock e promover um genocídio intergalático. Por força do destino o cadete Kirk e os membros originais da nave Enterprise acabam se cruzando e cabe ao Spock do futuro orientar o futuro capitão da nave estrelar, a partir deste ponto o enredo foca o relacionamento de James T. Kirk com Spock do passado.

Todos os personagens foram bem desenvolvidos no enredo garantindo bons momentos, Karl Urban como Dr. McCoy (sua atuação lembra muito o original de DeForest Kelley) e em especial Chris Pine que faz um James Kirk encrenqueiro, cara-de-pau e mulherengo permitindo uma sutil homenagem ao intérprete original William Shatner com pequenas canastrices. Não houve mudanças significativas com Sulo (John Cho) e Chekov (Anton Yelchin, a não ser pelo fato de sua descendência russa) já o engenheiro-chefe Scotty de Simon Pegg não é diferente de outros personagens do ator britânico, as alterações foram feitas em Uhura (Zoë Saldana), pois teve que ser modernizada, mas é na figura de Spock que a mudança foi maior, de todos Zachary Quinto é o mais parecido fisicamente, porém a sua personalidade foi mudada devido aos eventos do filme, curiosamente a sugestão de Quinto para o papel foi dos fãs e graças ao sucesso da série Heros o papel foi conquistado.

A grata surpresa está na presença de Leonard Nimoy, o ator vive mais uma vez Spock que veio do futuro garantido a felicidade dos fãs e enfatizando as mudanças na cronologia sem desprezá-la. O Spock original no enredo serve como uma espécie de mestre Yoda ao guiar o jovem Kirk ao seu destino e garantiu os melhores momentos de toda a franquia tendo o direito de encerrar o filme com o clássico “o espaço a fronteira final…”. Apesar de equilibrar ação com muito bom humor, além dos diálogos emotivos comum nas produções anteriores de Star Trek o filme tem um fraco vilão não sendo levado a sério pelos heróis.

Abrams fez um filme família, nunca em toda história da franquia o tema “pais-e-filhos” foi explorado com tanta intensidade. Pode não ser o melhor de Star Trek, mas é uma volta triunfante agradando a todo o público prometendo uma continuação superior.

Curiosidades

- O filme foi promovido na recente série Fringe de J.J. Abrams, dentro da história um paranóico chamado Michael Carlin diz ser o Spock esse personagem é interpretado por Clint Howard que já havia trabalhado em um episódio da série clássico ainda criança.

- Zoë Saldana (Uhura) fez uma fã de Star Trek em “O Terminal” (The Terminal, 2004) de Steven Spielberg.

- A voz do computador é de Majel Barrett Roddenberry esposa de Gene Roddenberry (1921 – 1991), o criador da série. A atriz participou desde o primeiro episódio-piloto até a última série para TV. Morreu de leucemia em dezembro de 2008.

- Não só  J.J. Abrams veio de Lost, os produtores Damon Lindelof e Bryan Burk são os responsáveis do atual sucesso da série.

- A frase final do filme “… onde ninguém jamais esteve” é uma referência a “Jornada nas Estrelas: A Nova Geração” na série clássica a frase era “…onde nenhum homem jamais esteve”.

Por: Rodger Kenzo, colaborador do Barril de Porva

Tahiti 80 transformed legos into a cosmically romantic feat with their music video, ” A love from Outer Space.” I love indie bands and how theycreatively use pop culture to construct a work of art–musically.

Watching this video brought me back nostalgic memories of when I was in middle school and  when I used to adore that  1999 WB Alien/ Teen romance show  ” Roswell”.

I was  such a huge fan of Max and Liz, the cosmic Romeo and Juliet of my time, that my imagination used to escape me when it came to thinking about the possibility of aliens existing.

Ten years later, the 12-year-old inside of me still looks up at the stars and wonders if aliens do exist, could they possibly be romantic partners to humans like in the movie  ” Star Trek” (Uhura and Spock) or in  1970’s “Starman”?

Every day, new evidence is popping up over alien life existing in distant planets but those facts–compacted in scientific jargon– doesn’t leave too many young dreamers a chance to daydream about stellar romances in space since it’s hard to decipher all of that ( true but technical) stuff.

If aliens land on earth in 2010, would do they look like a green martian or Jason Behr? This is the big question I want everyone to think or comment about…

]]> http://deadlyjelly.wordpress.com/2009/11/02/star-trek-2009/ Mon, 02 Nov 2009 05:55:14 +0000 deadlyjelly http://deadlyjelly.wordpress.com/2009/11/02/star-trek-2009/

Q: How many ears does Captain Kirk have?
A: Three. The left ear, the right ear, and the final frontier.

On Saturday evening, Jed and I went to MarkJ’s house, where his brother supplied the latest Star Trek movie. It was an amusing, entertaining film, and if you think I’m only saying that because I don’t know MarkJ’s brother well enough to slag off his taste in movies, I appreciate your dilemma. You’ll have to use your discretion. Sorry.

Star Trek 2009 is a reboot of the Star Trek franchise, telling the back-story of the crew and the series of flukes via which James Tiberius Kirk comes to be captain of the Starship Enterprise.

No idea what the plot is about. It involves a fleet of Romulans. I’m not sure why the producers didn’t choose more compelling intergalactic villains for the franchise premiere – for example, the horny-headed Klingons; or the terrifyingly ridiculous-looking and inalienly strong Gorn. But there you go.

Anyhoo, the Romulans pootle around the universe applying impressive special effects to planets. Apart from that, even Eric Bana’s freakishly small head fails to make the Romulans look the least bit threatening. They have no exoskeletal anomalies, no surplus proboscises, no multiple recessed jaws; they are even a standard Caucasian colour. Although their blood is greenish-yellow, there isn’t half enough of it splattering about the set.

I suppose they do have impressive cranial tattoos – but then so do lots of people – I mean, it’s hardly chillingly blood-crawling.

Q: How many Star Trek landing party members does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: Only one, but the extra red-shirt will die in the attempt

The movie introduces Kirk as a foetus, and unfortunately the character does not appear to mature in any measurable way throughout the course of the movie apart from a rudimentary mastery of his motor functions. Impossible as it may seem, Chris Pine’s incarnation of Kirk made me wistfully yearn for William Shatner.

Even Uhura, embarking on her mission to boldly sleep her way to the top, keeps Kirk firmly at bargepole’s length. Which tells you all you REALLY need to know.

But since you asked nicely, I will of course tell you more.

Kirk is so whiny and boisterously annoying, you want to ground him until he reaches adulthood – about 20 years. The only new life forms he is interested in seeking out are the female variety (demonstrating a disturbing fetish for bottle-green redheads).

Q: Does Kirk become the first cadet in the history of the Academy to outwit the Kobayashi Maru Simulation with his blistering intelligence and encyclopaedic knowledge of Klingon war strategy?
A: No, Kirk CHEATS.

Q: Following his suspension from the Academy, does Kirk unexpectedly disguise himself as the First Officer and blag his way on board the USS Enterprise?
A: No, he is smuggled aboard by his friend.

Q: Does Kirk detect a Romulan trap using his powers of deduction and encyclopaedic knowledge of Romulan war tactics?
A: No; by pure chance, he overhears Uhura talking about it in her underwear (although the fact that he recalls the information at all with Uhura clad only in her underwear is undeniably admirable).

Even worse, Kirk’s bravery does not translate to skilled combat.

Q: When a Romulan is stamping on Kirk’s fingers as the rest of him hangs from the edge of a drilling platform, does Kirk lunge for his assailant’s ankle and pull himself back onto the platform while simultaneously hurling the Romulan to his death?
A: No, Sulu saves Kirk’s dangling ass with a timely sword thrust.

Q: When another Romulan is in the process spanking Kirk with nothing more than his fists and a big sneer, does Kirk distract him with a talking newt before bludgeoning the Romulan’s head to a fine paste with his thumbs?
A: No, he pulls the Romulan’s own gun on him.

And this is the permanently pubescent person chosen to explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and new civilizations and boldly pilot the USS Enterprise where no man has gone before.

In fact, the only positive character attribute exhibited by Kirk is a totally unfounded bravery.

Well, Kirk might be brave, but so is Rambo, and I wouldn’t hand the reins of the Starship Enterprise over to him.

Although I would if the only alternative was Kirk.

The vaunted friendship between Kirk and Spock is made possible only by virtue of Spock’s paucity of emotion.

For some reason, the story features two Spocks. Obviously, this is a good thing – but replacing Kirk with Spock altogether would have been better still.

Spock’s ears appear to have been ‘modernised’ into immobile wax sculptures on either side of his head. Why? WHY? What was wrong with Spock’s original aural devices? I’ll tell you what: NOTHING. Spock’s ears used to be sublime perfection: those delicate pinnacles of silicon pointiness that looked like they might fly off into the control console at the slightest hint of turbulence; that, when you flicked them with your index finger, made a satisfying thwippety thwippety sound that resulted in a cochleal orgasm.

Q: How can you improve on that?
A: You can’t.

Terrific movie; well worth a watch.

So this halloween I dressed up as Lt. Nyota Uhura…. and you’re wondering where I’m gonna link this to underrated Motown Songbird Agatha Natalie “Kim” Weston…

Well after the party I had my iTunes on, and Kim Weston’s “A Little More Love” (a fine example of Country Soul Meets Uptown Soul) I noticed, as iTunes shows the album liner cover of the song your listening to, that I had taken a picture earlier in the evening that had an, as a friend pointed out, had an uncanny resemblance to Ms. Weston.

And I thought, since she is hands down my favorite singer (even, yes people more so than Miss Martha Reeves), it was about time to pay some sort of homage to this woman.

Born in Detroit’s “black bottom” December 30th, 1939, she signed to Motown in 1962…. and… well… cut a string of gems that went virtually unnoticed, from Torchy Soul Ballads that burn with a radiant incandescence like “Just Loving You” to pitch perfect pop like “Looking For The Right Guy” to vampy James Bond theme-esque Northern Soul stunners like “Thrill A Moment” before breaking through with two moderate hits: “Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While)” & “Helpless”

Most of you know her as the lady outsouling Marvin Gaye on “It Takes Two”

Kim Weston is possibly the best example from the Motown stable of how political the music business can be. Basically her career at Motown was stalled out of fear that, since she married Motown A&R president Mickey Stevenson, she would receive favoritism. So excellent release after excellent release never got the attention they deserved…. (I’m going to put as little blame on The Supremes as possible from my analysis of this, since she remained chartless even as Brenda Holloway had decent chart hits).

Ok, why do I love her so much…. Her voice is literally (especially on her Motown output) the combination of Honey and Butter on your biscuit, with Tabasco on your fried chicken. Otherwise everything you’d want in soul food for your ears. Satisfying, sweet, substantial, spicy, memorable…

In most emotive ways she reminds me alot of Judy Garland, the utilization of a large voice to do more than, just sing loudly. The utilization of a large voice to enhance key words and phrases to make a direct point. To convey a variety of emotions in just one word… or half of a sentence.

… with nary a false moment to detect…

Anyways… I don’t wanna go too deeply because I’d probably find a way to try to make you like every song she ever recorded…. and I won’t. But I’ll (of course) include a YouTube clip of her on Ready, Steady, Go! from 1964 of her singing “A Little More Love”

Enjoy it as the Sunday Soul it was meant to be.

Based on my studies, Uhura had the shortest skirt in Star Trek. It’s so short, they had the poor woman wear spanks. You know those panties that cheerleaders wear? Yeah, not cool.

For Halloween I pay homage to Uhura, the token black woman of Star Trek. The length of my dress is longer than anything she ever wore on set.

Other than my high school alumni T-shirt…

Shut up!

OK, so for now, it’s just Spock and Uhura (Kirk will have to wait as I am not made of gold-pressed latinum).

But here’s the good news, they are currently on sale at the Barbie site.  I know, right!

This is probably the last time this year I will have discretionary spending, so I had to move now.  Next week when I’m back to paying rent, I’ll probably be mad at myself, but I will endeavor not to have buyers remorse.

I promise, no backyard pantomimes where I act out all the kissing scenes from my  favorite fics!

So, Halloween is coming up and I’ve got to think of a costume. At the moment, I have two events planned so I might as well just use the same costume twice.

My current idea, or hope, is to get together a Star Trek TOS costume, like Uhura’s. If given the choice, I’d actually prefer to be part of the science division but the dresses look best in red. Red shirts always die! Everyone know that.

I honestly do not have the kind of budget to pay £40-£50 online to get a ready made one, so I have no choice but to try and make one …

Internet research has come with some answers. But I just found this video

She makes it look really easy, I hope it’s that easy in real life. And all I need is a oversized red t-shirt! I don’t already own one, so I’ll have to shop for one, but I actually have no idea where you can purchase them! I guess I’ll have to ask around a bit, not my biggest talent.

I pass a fabric store on the way home, so I can just get off a few stops early to buy the ribbon etc.

The only other glitch in this plan is that I’ll have to drag out the old sewing machine, I think it broke, but perhaps it was fixed? It may have gotten broken again, so I have no idea what it’s current status is. That’s not even thinking about the whole palaver I’ll get trying to thread the damn thing.

It’s a challenge, which I’m going to really try and actually complete, despite the outcome.

If all else fails, I’ll just go as a sylar victim and draw a bloody line across my forehead. It does take the creativity out of it a bit though.

Help?

Star Trek,2009 – Direção: J.J. Abrams – Elenco:Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Leonard Nimoy.

Sempre fui fã da série clássica star trek, e sempre gostei de seus episódios, mesmo não tendo visto muitos. Mas quando soube que J.J Abrahams estava produzindo um novo filme da série,e o melhor mostrando as origens de cada um dos personagens maravilhosos que víamos em tela, só tive uma reação: ficar ansioso.

O novo filme só podia vir de um grande fã da série, e novo Midas das telas J.J Abrahams. E afirmo isso, não só por saber que ele é fã mesmo, afirmo por saber que tudo que vi em tela veio de uma pessoa que conhecia cada episódio da séria clássica.

O filme tem os requisitos básicos para uma aventura fodona de star trek: grandes personagens cativantes, muita ação, romance, viagem no tempo, e até mesmo o nosso grande Leonard Nimoy.

Outra coisa que é impressionante é justamente a falta de pretensão que J.J demonstra ao criar um filme com clichês enormes, só que propositais e tão bem conduzidos que alguns até passam despercebidos.

O filme tem grandes cenas de ação, deixando de lado a parte filosófica da série que até fez fãs por isso, mas nem por isso deixa de ser bom. Pois J.J se propõe a fazer um filme divertido e cumpre isso muito bem. As vezes os “pilotos” das séries televisivas não contém muito do que a série em si proporciona, e aqui J.J. faz o piloto “pai” de star trek, que tem em seu verdadeiro piloto, um outro capitão Kirk que nem era Wlliam Shatner ainda. Aqui somos apresentados aos personagens de forma tão cativante, que não consegui achar um, veja bem, um personagem mal trabalhado ou enjoado o filme inteiro, nem o vilão Nero conseguiu isso.

Pra quem é fã, é uma coisa inexplicável ver Kirk novamente, só que mais jovem, Spock, McCoy, Uhura, Sulo, Chekov, Olson e toda a tripulação da Enterprise em ação, descendo a planetas desconhecidos, lutando juntos, demonstrando sentimentos de amizade, atirando Phasers, Discutindo, e tudo o que a Enterprise sempre fez de tão bom para nossas vidas de fãs da série. Para quem não é fã, impossível não gostar de tudo que falei mesmo assim. Ótimo trabalho despretensioso e cativante. E como fã que sou, só tenho uma coisa a dizer a vocês: Paz e Prosperidade.

3.5/5

Things I am not excited for: My Biochemistry exam, all my other midterms, the monotony of my daily routine and the struggle for meaning in my life.

Things I am excited for: Movies and Music, duh!

An Education – I don’t know if this movie is actually playing in any local movie theaters, but I would gladly sacrifice a night of studying to see this movie about a girl becoming a “women” in 1960’s England. I always thought Peter Sarsgaard was a charmer. And the apparently fabulous performance Carey Mulligan couldn’t hurt. As a young women entering adulthood,  it will be interesting to see a story about a real girl trying to find herself. And anyone who has seen Olivia Williams act, especially in her latest work Dollhouse, knows she is magnificent.

The New Swell Season Album – I always feel guilty loving Swell Season because I just think about how great Glen Hansard is with the Frames and how underappreciated that band is. But anything with Glen Hansard should be loved and adored. That man is a musical genius, and works even more magic with Marketa Irglova. NPR makes life worth living with its exclusive first listens. Check out their new album, Strict Joy, in its entirety on NPR.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113630469

Precious – Yes. A movie about real black women. Very gritty, but real. I am excited to see this movie about an obese, black teenage girl stuck with an abusive mother just because someone dared to make a movie like this and did it well. I really want to see Monique doing some real acting. And Mariah Carey not being a diva!?

Finally, this maybe lame, but I have finally decided what my Halloween costume should be. Uhura from Star Trek. BAM.

Man, I knew this was going to be a sporadic project because this semester is going to be tough, but I wasn’t expecting it to be quite this bad.  I had four papers due last week!  How ridiculous!

But they’re done and over with and now I can finally get around to discussing the second episode I watched, Charlie X.

The biggest thing that struck me about this episode was how it set Kirk’s personality into the mold that he would follow for the rest of the series (from what I know of it).  He was clearly uncomfortable acting as a father figure for Charlie, despite all of the crew members recommending that he do so.  And to give him credit, it does seem like he tries.  He tries to give Charlie advice and tries to sympathize with him, but this all goes up in smoke as soon as his authority is challenged.

While Kirk usually does use his head and figure out an intelligent solution to a problem, like he does in the end of the episode by overtaxing Charlie to stop him from being a threat, he spends most of his time trying to force people and situations to bend to his authority.  While his crew members are advising him to use Charlie’s respect for him as a way to control him, Kirk chooses instead to assert his authority as captain and try to force the boy to accede to his demands.  He calls security on him and confines him to his quarters, and even yells at him or tries to use physical force on a number of occasions.  It’s an interesting display of bullheadedness and I’m not sure what to think of it.  I can’t tell if it’s supposed to be emphasizing Kirk’s role as the dominant masculine figure on the Enterprise or if it’s just included as a foil to his later, intelligent solutions.  I suppose it could be a combination of both?

It’s also interesting to note that his way of connecting with Charlie was trying to teach him to fight.  Clearly this is the first thing that someone who has been isolated on an empty planet for years needs to learn, right?  It is a good attempt by Kirk to spend time with Charlie, but hardly helps with his emotional development, which in the end is where the problem is coming from.  Charlie’s obsession with Yeoman Rand is the starting point.  His actions towards her are the first ones that turn crew members against him, which results in them “being mean to him”.  He doesn’t know how to act around people or how to manage his feelings, choosing instead just to get rid of everyone who offends him.  Kirk is not equipped to deal with the emotional development of the boy and therefore cannot completely solve the problem himself.  Instead, it is the fortunate intervention of the Thasians that saves the day.  This is a weakness in Kirk’s character– he relies on his own emotions a great deal, but is not always able to relate to those of others.

On a side note, I was also intrigued by the interaction between Uhura and Spock in the break room scene where he is playing an instrument and she is singing.  When the most recent movie came out this summer, I thought the relationship between Spock and Uhura was supposed to be this great, unprecedented change in the characters.  But from the two episodes I’ve watched so far, it seems to fit.  In “The Man Trap”, Uhura is shown leaning on the arm of Spock’s chair quizzing him about love (picture below), and in this episode, she makes up and sings an entire song about him.  I’ll have to quote someone else for this one– EurWeb’s Cameron Turner says, “Spock and Uhura –  there’s really only one word for it:  logical.”  Based on what I’ve seen so far, it is!  I’ll be interested to see if this dynamic continues through the rest of the series.

Uhura and Spock in "The Man Trap"

Title: Return from Lycaon IV [1/1]
Author: recumbentgoat
Character/Pairing: Uhura/Spock, Kirk, McCoy, Sarek, Amanda
Rating: NC17
Summary: Spock finally confronts the inevitable.
A/N: This is the epilogue to You Better Run Girl! This was originally supposed to be smut free. Don’t believe me? Well, neither did Spock and Uhura. Cuz apparently make-up sex is highly logical. *cues Sexual Healing* (Info on Section 31)

‘Yes Bones, what is it?’ Kirk looked over at his intercom, momentarily pausing his conversation with Spock, who stood before his desk, hands clasped behind his back.

‘Jim, I’m gonna have to cancel dinner. Ny just showed up and wants to talk. Looks like she had a fight with that Vulcan bastard she married.’

‘Uhhhh….’ Kirk glanced over at Spock in time to witness his stone façade slip.

McCoy cut the connection off with a quick ‘Thanks, Jim. Talk to you later.’

Kirk closed his mouth and let the awkward silence lay between them. He wanted Spock to fill in the gaps and he wasn’t going to push the situation. As usual, though, Spock had a way of testing people’s patience. And Kirk was feeling tested for sure.

Exasperated, Kirk said, ‘Look Spock, I need you to talk to me. Do I have to make it an order? Is that what you need?’

Spock had been standing there for some time, certainly longer than socially accepted within human circles. He had restored his face to its customary blankness, but now his eyes dropped to the floor and he asked, ‘Jim, may I speak plainly? As…as a friend?’

Kirk’s stomach clenched with worry as he realized how serious this fight must’ve been with Uhura for Spock to wind up in here. He waited for him to continue, watching Spock’s face closely for any hint of emotion.

‘I have avoided Nyota for several weeks regarding our wedding plans. I…find myself at a crossroads both personally and professionally and I am uncertain on how to proceed.’

‘But Spock, you’ve already married her back on Lycaon IV. I don’t understand why you’d hesitate to go through what’s essentially just a matter of course.’

‘No, Jim. It is more. My father and T’Pau have to verify and recognize the bond as well.’ Spock stopped and took a deep breath, ‘The antidote has not worked.’

‘Whaaaat?! When did this happen? Leonard said that you’d know right away and it’s been weeks…’

‘I know that, Captain. However, I had to be sure and so waited longer to see if the antidote would be effective. It has only suppressed my ability to shift.’

‘Oh jeez, Spock. Bones is going to flip when he finds out.’ Kirk rubbed his forehead, dreading the conversation. ‘No wonder he’s been at me lately, trying to make you go to Sickbay. Shit, he must’ve known something was up…’

‘Captain, I am resigning my position effective immediate.’

‘What?!! Spock, what the hell are you doing?!’ He looked up at him stunned, not anywhere near recovered from the news that the antidote failed and yet here was Spock trying to resign.

‘Captain….’

Kirk snapped, ‘Believe me, Spock. This is very much off the record. And no, you can’t resign! Denied!’ He frowned angrily at the Vulcan, who only calmly raised his eyebrows in response.

‘I understand, Jim. However, I do not think you fully understand the implications. If Starfleet is made aware that they have an emotionally and physically compromised officer serving aboard the Enterprise, they are within their right to do as they wish with me. They could ground me or dismiss me.’

‘Like hell! I’d never allow it.’ He pressed his lips tight, trying to clamp down his agitation for Spock’s sake.

‘Jim. Please. I appreciate what you would do to help me. But there is also the matter of Section 31.’

‘What?!’ he sputtered. Damnit, Kirk thought, he had to stop sounding like an imbecile. ‘Section 31 is a joke, Spock. An old wives’ tale for gossipy captains.’

‘Do not equivocate, Captain. I know you have your suspicions regarding the events on Lycaon IV and I share them. If knowledge of my transition were to become widespread…’ Spock looked away, ‘I am not comfortable with people knowing my status.’

‘Well, we don’t have to say anything. They don’t need to know…..’

‘I cannot lie. I cannot ask every one to lie for me either. I have not told Nyota yet.’ Spock looked down at the floor, studying his boots. ‘Neither have I told my parents. If I do, there is a possibility that I would be declared v’tosh ka’tur…a Vulcan without logic…and exiled. My marriage bond to Nyota would not be recognized.’

‘But…Spock. Who would do that to you?’

‘Captain, there are many Vulcans who do not embrace IDIC, some in my own family. And as illogical as such actions are, there is a great deal of political maneuvering within the family. Sarek’s position would become exceptionally vulnerable.’

Kirk sat back in his chair, genuinely stumped as to how he could help his friend navigate such a minefield. ‘Spock, I know one thing. Nyota loves you. And I’ve seen the two of you together. You make a great team, you guys really do. You’ve got to talk to her and go over your options together, then go from there. And talk to your parents, Spock. I don’t believe for a second that they wouldn’t work round the clock to protect you. And you can be damned sure that I’ll be doing the same on my end.’

Spock was still studying his boots.

‘Damnit Spock. It’ll work. I’ll make this work.’ He leaned forward as Spock slowly raised his head and looked back at him.

‘I know, Jim. You have my gratitude for your optimism.’

Tapping his stylus on his palm, Kirk added, ‘You need to tell McCoy. In fact, you need to tell him as soon as you leave me. Understood? You know he’ll want to plunge back into the labs to find out where he went wrong.’ He narrowed his eyes at Spock, ‘And I take it the decision to re-up for the next five year mission is contingent on what answers we find?’

Spock nodded his assent, ‘Nyota and I planned to do so after our wedding, but all remains in doubt now.’

Kirk dismissed Spock with some well-meaning reassurances, but privately admitted to himself that there would be a long road ahead for everyone.

‘It wasn’t a fight, Len. Spock doesn’t fight. It’s too damned illogical.’ Uhura folded her arms and leaned back in her chair with a frustrated sigh. McCoy propped his feet up on his desk and put his hands behind his head stretching a bit.

‘No, he just ignores you. Like he’s been ignoring me.’

‘He has? Why?’ Uhura frowned.

‘Been trying to get him down here for a follow up. Told Kirk that he’d better get on him or else I will. So what’s his problem?’

‘I don’t know! I’ve been working my butt off on this damn wedding for weeks and I need help. I contacted Lady Amanda expecting that she’d have the details of who’s in the groom’s party so I can make arrangements for them at home–then, I come to find out that Spock hasn’t talked to her since Lycaon! God, that was embarrassing. So when I asked him about it, he gave me the old two-step and said he needed to meditate.’ Uhura sighed. ‘I’m sooo tired! And stressed!’ She leaned forward and put her forehead on the edge of the desk.

At that moment, the door to McCoy’s office slid open to admit Spock, who stepped inside, and put his hands behind his back. He fixed his cool gaze at some point over McCoy’s head.

McCoy’s eyes narrowed, ‘Well, what do you want? Did Jim finally tell you to come down here?’

‘Yes, Doctor, as a matter of fact, he did and what I have to tell you pertains to you both. Though I would have preferred to tell you each separately.’

McCoy put his feet on the floor and muttered, ‘Kill two birds with one stone? Perfectly logical.’

‘What is it Spock?’ Uhura lifted her head from her arms, looking at him worried. She could feel nothing of him through the bond and couldn’t read his face; the knowledge chilled her.

‘The antidote failed.’

McCoy shot to his feet, incensed, ‘What?! Why the hell didn’t you tell me this weeks ago?!’

Spock finally returned Uhura’s stunned stare and apologized to her, in Vulcan, for avoiding her and not telling her immediately.

‘Why, Spock? Why did you wait?’ She felt the sting of tears as she answered him back in Vulcan.

‘I was weak. And ashamed. I want to give you everything, k’dwa. But this is no longer possible. If you choose to walk away….from me. From us…I would not stop you.’

‘Damnit, Spock! Why do you do this to me?! Why do you give up so easily? Why don’t you fight for us?’ She stood from her chair in distress, her hand covering her face to hide her tears. She turned from Spock and faced the wall, trying and failing to compose herself.

McCoy just stood there watching them, hands on his hips, his anger fading into bleak concern as his two friends volleyed back and forth. He thought back to his earlier warning to Spock when he’d given him the antidote–that if it didn’t cure Spock, he’d become a carrier and any children he had with Nyota would suffer the same fate.

McCoy went over to Uhura and handed her a tissue for her tears. ‘Here, darlin’. It’ll be okay. You’ll see.’ He took her in his arms and held her as she started to sob into his chest. He looked over her head at Spock, who was openly frowning at them. ‘Spock, just let me run a few more tests on you and I can get going again on what’s wrong…’

‘I should inform you that the antidote was not a complete loss. It did suppress my symptoms. And I thank you Doctor…for I do appreciate your efforts on my behalf. However, would you carry out the research on your own? I do not want others to know of the antidote’s failure.’

McCoy winced a little when Spock said ‘failure’, but then Uhura lifted her head from McCoy’s chest, her cries having quieted. Spock watched her for a moment then extended his two fingers towards her. ‘Attend me, my wife.’

She thanked McCoy with a teary smile and an affectionate pat on the chest, then, after a second’s hesitation, reached out to Spock to touch his fingers with her own.

McCoy watched them leave then sat heavily down into his chair suddenly drained. He wiped his face with both hands and then decided that maybe it wasn’t too late to join Jim for a nightcap.

Uhura dropped her hand from Spock’s as they walked through Sickbay and out into the corridor trying to ignore the looks from the medical team. And from Christine. Her eyes felt hot and puffy from crying. She was numb, but mostly from the tension that had been released after building up for so long. She looked over at Spock, his mouth and eyebrows set in a grim line.

She didn’t know which to be more upset about: that he didn’t tell her what happened or that he started shutting her out. She was still practicing her Vulcan mind exercises, but she didn’t always have the strength or the ability to reach out to Spock through the bond. It was so easy for him to just cut her off with nothing.

They were in his quarters and she sat down behind his desk and folded her arms. ‘I’m not going to walk away from you Spock. But I’m not going to be hurt like this every time you decide you can’t handle human emotions. You used to be able to talk to me….’

‘Nyota, I made a mistake. One that I will endeavor to not make again. Will you believe me?’ He walked over and knelt down beside her. He took her hand and stroked the back of it, ‘K’hat’n’dlawa, it will be harder than I thought. I may be exiled for what I have become, not to mention that our children would suffer this burden as well. I could not bear for you to suffer such a stigma.’

She turned to face him, ‘Spock, I love you! I made a commitment to you a long time ago. Nothing’s changed that—not even this. Why do you think I agreed to marry you when we were on Lycaon? I could’ve said no, but I didn’t. Don’t shut yourself off from me, Spock. I need to know what you’re going through.’ She put her other hand on top of Spock’s.

He closed his eyes and let his shields down, opening the bond to her. She cried as she felt his emotions sweep into her mind. His dread as he realized the antidote hadn’t worked. His growing shame and embarrassment. Fear of disappointing and despair at losing her. Love for her. And now concern as she began crying harder at the revelation of his emotions.

Spock hugged her close, then stood and gathered her in his arms to kiss her gently on her lips. He kissed each tear stain under her eyes, tasting the salt. He tucked her head under his chin and rubbed her back, trying to soothe her as she continued crying into his chest.

‘I need to feel you Spock. I know we’ll have fights. We’ve had plenty of disagreements already. But you don’t need to shut me out. You’re not just off by yourself anymore. You have me. We’re supposed to rely on each other.’ She drew deep, calming breaths.

‘I am sorry, Nyota, for hurting you. I truly am. I only meant to spare you more pain.’ He looked down at her and wiped a tear from her cheek with the pad of his thumb. Then he placed another gentle kiss on her lips, intending to lead her to his bed so she could rest.

Uhura had other ideas though and she opened her mouth under his tentatively, hoping that he would respond. It had been a long time for them. A long time in not sharing each others bodies and she needed Spock’s touch. The bond, revitalized by their physical intimacy, practically sang as Spock slid his tongue into her mouth. New emotions, made even stronger by Spock’s disciplined denial, swarmed Uhura, sending an electric current through her body. Want, need, lust. She was overwhelmed by how much he had missed her and yearned for her company.

Spock broke their kiss, ‘It was illogical to have kept us parted. How could I have denied us from feeling this?’

‘I know you wanted to keep from hurting me, but you only wound up hurting yourself too.’ She stroked the side of his face, then traced a finger from his sensual lips to the very tip of his ear. ‘Do you know what I want, Spock?’

‘Nyota, I know you intimately.’ Spock murmured softly before kissing her again. His hands were on her breasts now, thumbs grazing her hardened nipples through her uniform before lowering down along her back. Her ass filled his hands in a very pleasing manner he decided, and then slipped under the hem of her skirt to explore her further. He dragged her red underwear down, relishing in her cool, smooth skin against his palms. He pulled her close, so she could feel how hard his cock had become and she rolled her hips against him.

They kissed each other, tongues darting and flicking against each other, savoring the other’s taste and feel. Uhura lowered the zipper on Spock’s pants and pulled his cock out gently. Spock groaned as she squeezed and stroked his length. Their bodies and minds aflame, he picked her up and brought her to his bed.

Not bothering to remove their clothes, he laid her down and quickly settled between her spread legs. He pushed her red skirt up past her hips. They kissed again briefly as she guided him into her and he began bucking into her impatiently. Under his shirt, she scraped his back with her fingernails as he pumped long, hard strokes into her. His boots dug into the bed, gaining traction for him to thrust faster as she lifted her hips to meet him. Their eyes were closed, as if to protect from the intensity of both the physical and mental sensations.

Suddenly, Spock grabbed each of her wrists and pulled them over her head, pinning her arms to the bed. His pace slowed and she opened her eyes in surprise to look up at Spock. His intent black eyes were staring back down at her, ‘Am I fulfilling your needs, Nyota?’ He punctuated his words with a stroke that made her gasp. ‘Tell me. Tell me how you love me. That you are only for me.’

‘Yes! God, yes! I love you Spock! Please fuck me, please don’t stop. I’m yours, baby. Only for you.’ She keened as he renewed his quick pace, arching up powerfully against Spock as her orgasm ripped through her body and mind, triggering Spock’s own loud and groaning release.

Later, much, much later, after Spock woke her with a steaming cup of Vulcan tea, Uhura sat next to him as he contacted his parents on Vulcan. She sipped her tea and asked him what time it was over there.

‘It is late at night. I imagine that my father will not be pleased for contacting them at such a time.’

It was Lady Amanda who answered after several beeps, the room was dark and her hair down. She squinted at them and then her eyes widened as she realized who was calling.

‘Wait, just one moment, you two. Let me get him from the study.’ She left the screen, calling softly for Sarek.

Spock looked over at Uhura, his eyebrows raised in surprise, ‘She seems to be expecting us.’

‘Well, I think she knew something was up when I contacted her earlier. Mother’s intuition I’m sure.’

Sarek and Amanda came back into the screen and sat down, with Sarek speaking first, ‘Tell me what has happened, Spock.’

**The story continues with Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.**

Title: You Better Run Girl! [15/15]
Author: recumbentgoat
Character/Pairing: Uhura/Spock, McCoy, Kirk, Sulu, Scotty, Chekov, Adam Braxton, others
Rating: R, for violence
Summary: Smackdown! Consequences and decisions.
A/N: Yay! Finally!! Thanks again to everyone who’s been reading. There’s an epilogue after this called: Return from Lycaon IV.

‘You mean to tell me that the Romulans have been violating the treaty for 40 years?!’

‘Perhaps not continuously. However, there is indeed an influence here that could interfere with Starfleet’s plans. Whatever those plans may be.’ Spock quirked his eyebrow at Kirk and waited.

Kirk sighed, ‘They want to start a mining operation immediately.’

‘That could prove difficult if the staff suddenly turn into werewolves, Captain.’

‘Damn, don’t I know it. Headquarters is going to flip. So you don’t know what the Romulans were researching?’

‘Unknown at this point, Captain.’

‘But there was enough motivation to flout the treaty.’

‘Indeed.’

Kirk was less than pleased after Spock made the rest of his report, though his eyebrows rose at McCoy for relieving Spock of duty.

‘Not like it mattered in the end.’ McCoy muttered. ‘And I’ll caution you from bringing too many people down here, Jim. This whole planet should be quarantined.’

Over Spock’s logical protests, Kirk ordered Spock and McCoy to return to the ship to get started on tests. ‘Look, Spock, you’ve got to be the one to update Starfleet. You can return once McCoy’s done with you, but let him get started first. We’ll be fine down here—Uhura can take us to see Braxton and see if he’ll offer assistance. Our main priority is finding that plant now to see if it’ll help.’

After emptying the Galileo of more supplies, Spock and McCoy returned to the Enterprise as Kirk, Uhura and Sulu began their walk to the settlement.

Back in Sickbay, McCoy’s fiery blue eyes glared down at Spock, ‘Mr. Spock, if you don’t stay in that bed I’ll call security!’

‘Then call them, Doctor.’ Spock’s black eyes flashed in a manner very unlike Spock.

McCoy hissed, ‘Spock, what the hell’s the matter with you? We’ve only been here a couple of hours, I only have a little more to do on you then you’re free to go!’

As soon as McCoy had returned, he literally ran to Sickbay with all the tricorders, people staring after him in the corridors at his wild appearance. He told his startled staff to drop everything they were working on and to help him.

They were all getting up to speed on Spock’s case and Chapel even called down to the lab to get more help. There were about ten people currently working on Spock. Who couldn’t seem to lay still for one second.

M’Benga took another blood sample as Spock impatiently pressed his lips together.

‘Nyota has become increasingly uneasy these last few minutes and I am concerned for her. I apologize for my lack of control…’

‘Captain, we’re not far now.’ They had walked at quite a good clip despite Sulu wanting to stop and point at interesting plants and trees all along the way. When they arrived, Braxton was waiting for them and Uhura noted how on edge he seemed.

Kirk and Braxton spoke at length with each other. No doubt Kirk was telling him that like it or not, Starfleet was planning on sticking around this time, Uhura thought. Of course, he’d be his usual persuasive self. She looked back at the two. Sure enough, Braxton was smiling and nodding. Probably agreeing to help with whatever was needed.

She and Sulu roamed along the fringes of the settlement wondering where everyone else was. It was unusually quiet and she and Sulu exchanged wary looks as they drew their phasers.

But there was no one in the longhouses. ‘Hey, Adam!’ Uhura called out to Braxton and he and Kirk both turned to her, Kirk frowning. ‘Where is everybody?’

At that moment, behind Kirk, the door to the building opened and a dark-haired Romulan stepped outside firing a huge phaser rifle. It was Sulu who fired back first, from across the way behind the other longhouse, wounding the Romulan in the shoulder.

Behind him, spilled out three more Romulans who were armed to the teeth. Kirk, Uhura and Sulu ran and took cover, but Braxton had wolfed out and got caught in the crossfire. He fell to the ground and Uhura couldn’t tell if he was wounded or dead.

Insane howling sprung up from within the building and the Romulans realized they had a fight on two fronts now. They were still out in the open, backs against each other, one of whom was faced out towards the settlement waiting to shoot at whoever made a move first.

The werewolves slipped out of the door one by one, Uhura recognizing Denita and her sons fur coloring right away as they slowly circled the Romulans.

The Romulans weren’t firing for some reason. When she heard growls behind her, she didn’t run. She only thought it must be some of the others from Braxton’s group. It was a costly mistake. She screamed as her phaser was knocked from her hand. The lead werewolf snarled very close to her face and she sank to the ground in fear, her eyes closed.

There were six other Romulans with this group of werewolves. Kirk had somehow circled behind them and shot at the loose circle, downing one and wounding a couple of others. This caused everyone to scatter and before anyone could regroup, Uhura was caught by the wrist and hauled to her feet.

This werewolf shifted into a dark haired bearded man who was quite tall and around Braxton’s age. He called out to Kirk, ‘Kirk! We have Lt. Uhura! And we will not let her go until you remove Braxton and his people and leave this planet for good!’

Some of the werewolves with this nameless man shifted and Uhura was shocked at their fierce, feral appearance. Two of whom had pointed ears and upswept eyebrows. Another shoe was hitting the floor somewhere Uhura thought distractedly.

She aimed her next words at them, speaking in Romulan, ‘We wouldn’t hurt you. Just because of your heritage, we wouldn’t hurt you. The Federation will….’

‘Silence, woman!’ The nameless one twisted her wrist and she choked off her sentence. ‘They do not speak Romulan. They do not speak at all!’

They were at a stalemate. As the man and Uhura began edging out of the settlement, Braxton crawled to his knees and shifted back to human form. ‘Brian! End this and let Uhura go! She has nothing to do with our conflict.’

‘Oh, but she does Adam! Starfleet abandoned us! When the Romulans came, we forged a bond, a friendship with them. They settled with us and helped us when the Federation turned its backs on us!’

‘You have a shitty memory, Brian! The Romulans wanted to fucking experiment on us! Breed us and enslave us! They’re willing to sacrifice their people to do it! They’re not going to let you breed a new race! They’re not going to make you rich from the trillium either! They’ll take what they want and dump you anyway. You’re a fool for believing their promises!’ Braxton crept along the ground as he and Brian shouted back and forth at each other.

Uhura tested his grip but he held on tighter, hurting her wrist. It was the three of them mainly in the area between the building and the longhouses.

When the Galileo suddenly swooped overhead, everyone ducked. What she wasn’t prepared for was Spock. Spock, who must’ve leapt twenty feet from the shuttle to the ground. Spock, with his spiked black fur, snapping teeth and enraged yellow eyes as he fell on Brian. It was no contest. Spock was stronger and quicker and he completely obliterated him. His roars shook the air.

Uhura scrambled away as chaos exploded in the settlement. Spock was wading through a swarm of werewolves, swatting away the smaller ones.

She could hear shouts, random phaser bursts and howls and screams punctuate the air in different areas of the settlement. She scrabbled around in the dirt looking for her dropped phaser and got off a couple of shots at a werewolf attacking Spock. Where the hell had these Romulans come from? She jumped when Scotty sidled up next to her, his face pale and his eyes wide.

‘My god, lass! I had no idea. Mr. Spock! He’s a berserker!’

‘I know, Scotty! I know! Just shoot!’ They picked off werewolves one by one from the swarm.

She got a glimpse of Flaherty and Karelin, big guys from Security, duking it out with two Romulans. Kirk ran by, shirt torn and dirty, and pointed his phaser at the Romulans who surrendered reluctantly before Flaherty and Karelin wrestled them to the ground. Kirk ran off to re-join the fighting.

Hostilities were slowly coming to a close. Many werewolves lay on the ground wounded. Who they were, she couldn’t tell. Others were dead, in their human form. Denita had shifted and was sobbing over Braxton, who wasn’t moving. The dust was settling and it grew quiet except for the groans and cries of the wounded.

Four Romulans had survived out of the fifteen that were part of the attack. Spock, breathing heavily with his fur splattered in…blood, either his or from others, was guarding them. Kirk stood next to him shouting orders to his crew to get the most severely wounded on the shuttle first back to the ship. The Galileo made several trips. McCoy and his staff had their hands full for many hours.

So it was awhile before Uhura, Spock and the rest were able to return to the ship. Spock for some reason hadn’t shifted back to his Vulcan state. Maybe he was still too keyed up or maybe he thought he’d just be one more werewolf getting treated in Sickbay, she didn’t know. But it was a strange, quiet trip back to the ship.

Scotty later told her how Spock had quickly assembled an away team to go rescue them. ‘I didn’t even know he’d been relieved of duty until McCoy contacted the shuttle! And by then we were already half-way there! I never seen him so agitated. And we all about fainted when he shifted and leapt out of the damn shuttle! In mid-air! Hell of a fighter though. Damn, he was amazing. And I’ll never forget it!’

She only had a lightly sprained wrist and was otherwise discharged right away. Spock had finally shifted, showered and dressed in Sickbay and then re-joined her and Kirk in McCoy’s office. One of the computer techs had finally gotten access to Braxton’s data pads.

‘Genetic engineering. Or at least, that’s what they were aiming for in the end.’ McCoy sat back in his chair, tiredly rubbing his eyes. He’d gotten the bourbon out. The one for special occasions.

‘So that’s what Braxton must’ve been shouting about at the end before….’ Kirk stopped, not looking at Spock and continued, ‘That thing about the experiments.’ He peered into his half-empty glass.

‘He admitted as much, Captain.’ Spock stood by the door, his hands clasped behind his back. It was good seeing him in blue again. ‘In the beginning, the Romulans had withheld their true intentions and since they came with support and needed supplies, they were welcomed with open arms. Many in the settlement began personal relationships with them. When the new generation came up, somehow the truth came out and the situation degenerated rapidly into two sides. Brian’s group wished to stay werewolves all the time and he was quite convinced of their superiority. The Romulans wished to exploit that and create a new race that they would then subjugate and use as a fighting force.’

‘Jesus.’ Kirk was stone-faced.

‘In the end, Braxton and his people balked. It would have been incredibly effective had the Romulans succeeded. However, like Starfleet in days of yore, they seemed to have been subjected to the same kind of inconsistencies in support, leadership and decision-making for their mission.’

Kirk snorted at the Starfleet bit, ‘Good one, Spock.’ He knocked back the rest of his drink and McCoy leaned over and re-filled his glass.

‘Gosh. Lucky us.’ McCoy drawled. He frowned, ‘I feel really bad for the kids though and the grandkids. Yeah, they’re all grown, but to have been raised for the express purposes of some experiment your own parent was planning…’ He shuddered.

‘Indeed, Doctor. And now their numbers…their families have been decimated. It is a considerable tragedy for all involved.’

‘Captain, what will Starfleet do with them now?’ Uhura asked.

‘The planet’ll be quarantined except for a small mining operation and a fully staffed outpost to guard the trillium. Well, that’s if a cure can be found first.’ He looked at McCoy pointedly and then shrugged, ‘They’re playing it close to the vest right now.’

In the end, they were in orbit for weeks as it seemed that Starfleet was determined for them to find a cure before attempting to establish a larger, permanent presence. Romulus had initially decided to dispute the original treaty that ceded the planet to the Federation forty years ago, citing that the indigineous population were really Romulan subjects.

But once the Federation brought up the genetic engineering experiments, the Romulans knew their leverage was lost. The purposes for their colony had been a sham and now they were paying the consequences for having bartered away the planet, having not realized its trillium 323 value until too late.

Later, Braxton, who had survived and spent a few days in McCoy’s Sickbay, declared himself the head of the settlement and gave its allegiance to the Federation. Romulus claimed that he was a murderer of its citizens though and demanded a full investigation. Kirk spent several long tedious hours dealing with diplomats and an anxious Starfleet Headquarters.

For Spock and Uhura, it was planetside where they stayed mainly. Though Kirk laughingly called it a honeymoon present, he granted them shore leave indefinitely so Spock could re-group in private. He preferred to be away from the prying eyes of the rest of the crew and Uhura couldn’t blame him. It gave them more time to search for the shape-shifting plant anyways. Well, when they weren’t busy making love all over the place.

But today, Uhura, Sulu and Chekov were combing the nearby forests for that elusive plant. They all wore protective gear, masks and light gloves, to protect from the possible plant emissions. Uhura’s hopes would soar at Sulu’s occasional shout, only to have them dashed when he found something he could bring back to the ship’s botanical garden. Chekov would then scold Sulu for being so excitable.

So she almost missed it when she was hurrying along a path already searched previously by Chekov. Small, clustered dark leaves, close to the ground. She debated for a moment.

‘Hey guys! I think I found something! I’m going to try and confirm it though!’ She whipped off her mask and got close to the plant just as Sulu and Chekov bounded up next to her.

‘Nyota! Be careful!’ Sulu laid a restraining hand on her arm, but she leaned closer. Sure enough, right before her eyes, the plant transformed into a light pink lily that she remembered her grandmother had grown in her garden. She reached out her gloved hand…

‘Hey! Nyota! No!!’ Sulu pulled her back about ten feet from the plant as a precaution. It took her a moment to clear her head. She smiled wanly.

‘Yeah, that’s it. That’s the one.’ She then grinned like a lunatic and Chekov hugged her.

It was a lucky break. McCoy practically crowed when Sulu brought the plant into Sickbay. The medical personnel made quick work of it and after the weeks of struggling without it, another piece of the puzzle had finally clicked into place.

Five days later, McCoy held up a small glass of amber liquid and swirled it in front of Spock. ‘Bottoms up, Mr. Spock.’

Spock took the glass from McCoy’s hand. ‘How effective is it?’

‘Well, Spock. I won’t really know that until you drink it. I’ve used it to vaccinate the rest of the crew and it’s been working. But as for reversing the effect? I’m not entirely sure. None of the others have stepped forward to volunteer either.’ He looked at Spock sadly. ‘There’s a chance that it could only suppress your symptoms. And then you’d always be a carrier, so if you and Nyota want children, well, they’d be affected.’

‘Have you told her that?’

‘No of course not! That’s up to you! Look, Spock. I won’t quote percentages. But you’ll know in a day or so if it’s working or not.’

‘Of course, Doctor. I thank you for your dedication above and beyond the call of duty. You have my gratitude.’ He raised the glass and downed the contents in one gulp.

Title: You Better Run Girl! [14/15]
Author: recumbentgoat
Character/Pairing: Uhura/Spock, McCoy, Kirk, Sulu, Adam Braxton, others
Rating: NC-17
Summary: McCoy and Uhura meet with the settlers. Uhura gets a surprise. Or two.
A/N: Inspired by my prompt over at the meme.

There was relative calm over the next couple of days as Uhura worked to fix and download Braxton’s data pads to their tricorders. McCoy was busy too as people started coming by in groups of two and three to meet him and get checked out.

Uhura saw McCoy’s legendary Southern charm swing into action and it helped their cause out a lot in winning the settlers’ trust. She noted McCoy’s passing anger in his eyes when Denita off-handedly remarked that since Brian had gone, there had been no doctor for them to go to. Uhura and McCoy exchanged looks. But all in all, it was a successful interaction, since it also allowed McCoy to share the recorded details of the shape-shifting plant from Spock’s tricorder.

It was quiet now that the visitors, who promised to search for the plant, had gone back to their settlement. Spock had taken to meditating, with McCoy and Uhura working on their respective tricorders.

‘Damnit.’ McCoy stopped working. ‘Jim better get his ass back here fast. I’m running out of room on my medical tricorder for all this data I’ve collected.’

‘Just use Spock’s.’

‘It’s not the same and that’s not the point. The longer we’re in this godforsaken place, the odds’ll keep mounting against us. And I’ll be damned if I’m running around at night like a lunatic.’ McCoy paused, ‘No offense, Spock.’

Spock didn’t answer and McCoy continued, ‘What did you think about Denita’s remark on Brian? He’s a real bastard for not fulfilling his original obligations as a doctor.’

‘I have a feeling this conflict goes a lot deeper than him just stopping being a doctor. I think these folks got a lot closer to those Romulans than they’re letting on.’

‘When do you think you’ll get those data pads working again? I’m really curious as to what kind of research could be on them.’ McCoy scratched his beard absently. And then stroked his beard when Uhura smiled at him.

‘I think you should keep that beard, Len. You look good. Very rugged. Muy macho.’

‘Really? Hmmmm.’ He cocked an eyebrow at her and pretended to twirl his mustache.

Uhura laughed. Then she stopped and stared over at Spock who had been lying on one of the bunks.

‘Oh Jesus, Ny! Why do you do that!?’ McCoy whipped his head around and followed her gaze to Spock, who was apparently mastering the fine art of shifting. He did it two more times, unmoving, eyes closed with hands clasped over his chest, like some kind of sleeping god.

McCoy whispered to her, ‘See? This is what I’m afraid of. The longer he’s in this, the harder it’ll be to get him out of it.’ He shook his head and prayed to high heaven for Jim to come back soon.

The days and nights started to drag by as the initial excitement of finding the scouting party wore off. Braxton came by to visit often, sometimes in werewolf form, which was rather surreal. McCoy would stand outside waving his medical scanner at him and they would watch each other warily before Braxton got bored and wandered off.

The others would come by too, though they were much shyer and kept their distance. Uhura would stand on a ledge inside, peering out of the window watching for the pairs of glowing eyes that moved in the dark. She could always recognize when it was Spock.

McCoy’s unease had been growing to the point where he was reluctant to stray very far from the outpost. The gash in his calf was healing well, but he picked at the scab constantly, bitching about how it itched. He was really a terrible patient, Uhura thought.

‘Len, you know what to watch out for. Stop being so paranoid. Besides, you’re always lecturing everyone about getting exercise and being healthy and all that. So put that damned tricorder down and let’s get outside and get some fresh air.’

He grumbled, but they decided it was best to go check on the comm. link booster, which was only a few minutes walk away, up a small hill nearby.

‘Tell me again, Ny, why the fuck we should trust these people?’ McCoy cursed as he and Uhura bent over the damaged equipment. She was muttering a few of her own curses as she picked up some pieces, assessing the extent of the damage.

‘We don’t know, Len. It could’ve been an accident. Braxton said before how they had damaged their own stuff when they were shifted. We can’t just go accusing people of being Romulan collaborators. And please, don’t bring this up with any of them until we can talk to Spock.’

‘Would you give me some credit? Jeez, between you and Jim and Spock, you’d think I’m some greenhorn. Damnit, I may just be a country doctor, but I know a thing or two about not pissing off creatures that can eat my ass!’

They hauled the equipment back to the outpost with the hope of fixing and re-installing it on the roof of the outpost where they could keep a better eye on it. McCoy grumbled about why they hadn’t done that in the first place and Uhura glared at him.

McCoy knew he was spared from Uhura’s comeback when Spock showed up, looking very dirty and tired and a little put out…for a Vulcan.

‘What happened to you?’ McCoy took out his scanner and ordered Spock to sit down. ‘Jesus, Spock, please tell me you haven’t been fighting again. Ny, could you help me out here?’

Uhura got out the supplies and they started cleaning and bandaging up Spock’s cuts. Mostly superficial, though there was a nasty one on his chest. Seeing the green, rough gash splitting his skin took some getting used to. Uhura let McCoy take over.

‘The comm. link was destroyed. I followed the young ones from their encampment, but there were too many of them for me to effectively protect it.’

‘I might be able to fix it. But I don’t get it Spock. I really don’t. What do a bunch of kids get from sabotaging the comm. link?’ Uhura sought out Spock’s mind, as much as she wanted to reach out and hold Spock’s hand, she knew how McCoy had a way of noticing these things.

‘Perhaps to prevent an established Federation presence? Uknown. Insufficient data. I do know that the doctor, Brian, is their leader.’ Spock closed his eyes briefly.

McCoy sighed, ‘Why don’t you go clean up and rest, Spock?’ He avoided looking at the two of them. Rest? Yeah, right. He wished he could go hide in his office in Sickbay right now. It really sucked being stuck with two people madly in love with each other.

Uhura turned the sonic to its highest settings and got in the shower with Spock, tugging off his blanket. He crushed her to his body, burying his nose in her hair, breathing in deeply and then kissing her.

She could feel the exhaustion gnawing at him, but he burned for her too, that fading bloodlust turning into merely lust. And he wasn’t willing to let that go. He pulled at her zipper, but she stopped him. ‘No, Spock. He’ll hear us. Let me.’ She looked up at him and he closed his eyes, acquiescing. The sonics pulsed and hummed over their bodies. He was half-erect already, but his control was still tightly wound.

‘Let go, baby. Just relax.’ She teased him with her tongue and when she took him into her mouth deeply, he finally relaxed enough that his cock swelled. He was incredibly close already, and it didn’t take long for her to make him come. She was on her knees, hands gripping his spread thighs when he climaxed.

She wasn’t prepared for him to shift though. It was disconcerting to feel his skin become furred so rapidly under her hands or the clawed fingers holding the back of her neck. He pumped his hips as he came, her lips firmly around his cock. He settled down into his normal self and she looked up at him wide-eyed as she wiped her mouth.

‘I…apologize, ashayam.’ He was panting. ‘I am still trying to assert my biocontrols. Clearly, there is progress yet to be made. Thank you, however.’ He sighed, closing his eyes, and let his head hit the back of the shower. The sonics continued to pulse around them and Uhura stood up.

‘No problem, babe.’ She smirked and gave him a peck on his cheek before stepping out of the shower. She was out of the bathroom before Spock, who was re-wrapping himself.

It was Sulu she noticed first, over by the door staring up at the ceiling. McCoy and the Captain were sitting at the table. Kirk staring intently at McCoy’s medical tricorder. McCoy looked up and folded his arms.

Kirk looked up at Uhura, ‘Lieutenant.’ His face was blank.

Spock fell in beside her, hands clasped behind his back.

‘Aaand Mr. Spock.’ Kirk got up and walked over to them. ‘It’s good to see the both of you in such fine shape.’ There was a glint in his eyes as he looked down at Uhura. ‘When I give you an order to get down, Lieutenant, I expect that it’s followed. Instead, you ran off, causing everyone a great deal of concern. You’re lucky to be alive.’ His golden eyes snapped at her. ‘Well?’

‘Yes, Captain. I’m very sorry. I was disoriented. And scared.’ She kept her eyes straight ahead, watching McCoy drum his fingers on the table in her peripheral vision. Sulu was still staring at the ceiling.

‘Understandable. Please don’t let it happen again. And may I now have the honor of kissing the bride?’ Kirk smiled broadly at her, his hands on her shoulders.

‘Oh Captain, of course you can! It’s good to have you back!’ She laughed and Kirk kissed her on both cheeks and hugged her tight. Spock stood stiffly at attention.

Sulu came over and hugged her as well as Kirk slapped Spock on the shoulder, ‘Well, congratulations, Mr. Spock! Nice uniform. You look like hell!’

Spock thawed somewhat and nodded his head, ‘Thank you Captain for your well-wishes. I am glad that you have returned. I think you will find the current situation rather perplexing.’

‘Perplexing, Spock? You’re a werewolf. Which, by the way, I find absolutely fascinating.’

Spock quirked an eyebrow at him and was silent.

Title: You Better Run Girl! [13/15]
Author: recumbentgoat
Character/Pairing: Uhura/Spock, McCoy, Adam Braxton, others
Rating: R
Summary: Uhura and Spock talk shop. Spock makes a point. Or two.
A/N: Thank you to everyone who’s been reading along! Another bit of inspiration: Cycle of the Werewolf a novella by Stephen King (with fantastic horror pictures!) Inspired by my prompt over at the meme.

‘Why do you say that? What do you think is going on?’ They were back standing near the tunnel entrance to Spock’s burrow.

‘A few years after arriving here, some Romulans landed to establish a colony. They were not successful. Braxton told me that they were turned, but that some could not adapt and so died. However, I think the rest were killed in some kind of disagreement, causing a division in the community. He would not divulge the whole story. Nevertheless, despite that conflict, I believe a sense of loyalty to the Romulans remains, which is not unexpected, considering how Starfleet initially bungled this situation.’

‘Mmmhm. You know what Braxton said to me, what he thought when he first saw you? He thought you were Romulan. No one’s ever even seen a Romulan until we first engaged them at Earth Outpost 4.’ She sat down on the ground and leaned against the rocks, trying to enjoy the rare sunshine. ‘I knew something weird was going on.’

He let himself show surprise, ‘Indeed, it was quite an interesting revelation. The Romulans appeared ready for a long-term research commitment of some type. Hence the building and some of the equipment inside. Braxton remained silent on the subject.’ He folded his arms, remaining on his feet, looking down at her. ‘Despite having ceded this planet to the Federation after the Earth-Romulan War, they somehow thought they could continue with their previous attempts at colonization. They had not yet discovered the cloaking device, so it must have been for some other reason. It is a rather puzzling set of circumstances.’

‘I wonder what happened that set everyone against each other?’ She looked up at him. ‘What do you think the deal is with the grandkids and the rest of the other children?’

‘None of whom are actually children anymore. However, there is a desire to remain wholly werewolf. There is a sense of…alienation from their humanity that I find absolutely fascinating. Though….the familial relationships seem rather…intertwined and emotionally complicated. I imagine it is due to the amount of time spent with each other in complete isolation.’

‘Hmphf. People abandoning their humanity? Interesting. And I guess werewolves don’t mate for life.’ She shot him an amused look, ‘You’ve become pretty adept at understanding complex human relationships.’

He quirked an eyebrow, ‘Perhaps werewolves do not mate for life. Vulcans, however, most certainly do.’ He swept her with an enigmatic look. ‘And I have had considerable experience observing those relationships during my time in Starfleet, in addition to the new advantage of sniffing said relationships out.’ He tapped his nose. ‘We all do.’ There it was again, that glittering, slitted gaze.

Goosebumps rose on the back of her neck and shoulders at his possessive stare, knowing that he was including himself with the werewolves and realizing that his scent must be all over her. That they all must have known at the settlement despite the professional front she and Spock had put up.

Her eyes skidded away, ‘I think I should check in with McCoy and let him know he’s got some visitors coming tomorrow.’ She flipped open the communicator and hailed McCoy.

‘Great! That’ll give me some more data to work with once Kirk gets back with the ship.’ McCoy actually sounded cheerful. ‘You plan on coming back here tonight, Lieutenant? Or are you going to let me worry again?’

She smiled at McCoy’s obvious guilt-trip. It was working, ‘Yes, Len. I’ll be there by tonight, I expect you could use the extra hands tomorrow. And Spock will have some interesting things to tell you too.’

‘Alright, I’ll expect you soon. McCoy out.’

‘Uhura out.’ She looked up at Spock. ‘I should get back. I’ll find a way to get those data pads working again.’ She stood up and dusted herself off and began walking back to the outpost. She looked forward to getting back, if only for the boots that she had left behind last night.

Spock hesitated for a moment before falling in beside her.

As usual, things weren’t quite working out as Uhura planned on. Her feet were getting incredibly sore from all the walking they had done that day and it was slowing both of them down now. She rebuffed Spock’s repeated offers to carry her before she finally snapped.

‘Spock, I’m fine! I can manage it. I’m a grown woman who can walk on her own two feet. But thank you. Again!’

‘Nyota, it is illogical to insist on refusing, especially since you actually expect to arrive before darkness and before I shift, but that will not happen if you continue to refuse me. It would be logical for me to carry you the rest of the way. Your concern for my own feet is duly noted. However, I have become quite accustomed to being barefoot.’

‘Spock! I said no!’

‘You are being irrational.’ He paused. ‘I could order you to do it.’

‘Ha! Unlikely! Besides, you’re the one that’s been compromised.’

‘I believe you are enjoying this. You would not refuse me in my other…state. At our current rate of pace, you will not have a choice.’

At that, she stopped and let Spock swing her up into his arms. It was a relief, damn him, but she still felt embarrassed. They made better progress, but it wasn’t enough to make up for lost time. She was tense as the minutes ticked by and it got darker out.

‘I find myself illogically wishing for more time in the day. I would at least have time to meditate more, since it allows me to remain emotionally centered once I shift.’ He looked down at her with his small smile. ‘Do not worry, t’hy’la. I shall not be carrying you off every night, as fascinating as that has been.’

She blushed, ‘Only fascinating? Jeez. And what will you be doing tonight?’

‘Hunting.’ His face was a mask, shadows from overhead trees passing over it. ‘I need to eat.’

‘Does it bother you? Eating meat?’

‘’Bother’? That is a human emotion.’ His voice was flat in denial.

Bingo, thought Uhura. And then the flop sweat hit her, their bond blinked and stretched and Spock changed with hardly a break in his stride.

She tensed for drama as they neared the outpost. McCoy was standing outside, leaning against the wall with his tricorder in one hand and his phaser in the other. Apparently, he’d been tracking their progress. He dropped the tricorder to wave his medical scanner over in their direction as Spock lowered her down to the ground.

‘Well, kids, it’s way past curfew.’ McCoy muttered as he stepped closer to them, stopping at Spock’s low growl. ‘Just getting more readings, Spock.’ He frowned, but lowered his hand anyway.

Spock just blinked at him before turning to lick Uhura’s ear and then ran off into the woods. McCoy rolled his eyes and said nothing.

Title: You Better Run Girl! [12/15]
Author: recumbentgoat
Character/Pairing: Uhura/Spock, Adam Braxton, others
Rating: R, just because
Summary: Uhura and Spock find the rest of the original scouting party.
A/N: Inspired by my prompt over at the meme.

As a werewolf specimen, Braxton’s coloring and build were similar to his human form. Supple, light brown fur with considerable amounts of grey shot through it and a wiry frame. She suddenly realized why his clothing was so baggy, probably to accommodate the change into the werewolf shape. She tried not to flinch in fear, but her heart rate shot up as she sat frozen and wide-eyed.

And suddenly Braxton returned to normal and slowly exhaled. ‘I’m sorry Lieutenant. I should’ve given you warning. It just seemed easier to show you.’ He had the grace to at least look embarrassed for the fright he gave her.

‘It’s okay, Mr. Braxton. But yes, some warning would have been nice.’

Spock’s head popped out of the tunnel entrance at that moment and spotted them sitting nearby.

‘Good morning, Adam. I see you have met Lt. Uhura.’ He stepped out, bare-chested, with the blanket wrapped around his hips

Braxton’s eyes widened, ‘Spock, good morning. Yes, I’ve been showing Uhura some things to eat.’ He looked back at Uhura, ‘You’re not a vegetarian though are you?’ She shook her head no. ‘Oh good. It’ll be easier for you then.’

Uhura gave Spock a quick once over, ‘Mr. Spock, I’d like to get cleaned up. Is that possible?’ She could get used to Spock dressing like this forever.

Braxton interrupted before Spock could respond, ‘Perhaps we could kill two birds with one stone? I’ll take you to meet the others and you can clean up in the stream nearby. We can sit and get acquainted afterwards.’ He looked very pleased at the idea.

Spock raised an eyebrow and nodded to Uhura, ‘We shall accept your invitation, Adam. Thank you.’

They were thigh-deep in a rushing stream not a half hour later while Braxton went ahead to let his wife and colleagues know that they had visitors coming. She rejoiced as she splashed water on her face and arms. Spock’s eyes traveled up her body and fixed at her breasts.

‘Spock.’ She turned away from him and said over her shoulder, ‘Don’t start something you can’t finish.’

His brows rose innocently, but he didn’t look away and she felt a smug appreciation tug the bond. Apparently, there was much to her back half that was aesthetically pleasing also. They stole small moments of pleasure as they shared Spock’s blanket to quickly towel off and they dressed in record time.

Uhura was surprised when they reached the settlement. She wasn’t quite sure what she was expecting, but from the existing records she had read, they were only supposed to be here for two years. Yet, here was a concrete building slightly larger than the outpost and an old, broken down four-wheeled vehicle next to it. There were two structures that were constructed from tree limbs and bark, closely resembling Iroquois longhouses. Somehow, despite the odds, they had managed to carve out an existence here.

Outside there was a loose gathering of people watching them approach. None were smiling and Uhura shot Spock an uneasy look. They were polite enough though as Braxton introduced them and Uhura smiled and shook everyone’s hands. His wife and three sons were there along with another older woman and two men from the scouting party.

But whatever tension there was soon eased as they began peppering her with questions about Starfleet and their mission and what they could expect in the future from the Federation. Uhura only told them what she knew, that the Enterprise was expected to investigate fully into their disappearance, but now that they’d been found, they would report back to the Federation and it would be handled from there. She glanced around for Spock, but he had slipped away with Braxton into the building.

Braxton’s wife was named Denita and she and the other woman, Katy, went into one of the longhouses to talk. The other men drifted along inside. She spent the next couple of hours visiting with them as they told her about their lives there and how they struggled to raise their children.

‘Adam said there were grandchildren and also I noticed that one of the women and two of the other men from the original scouts aren’t here. Where are they? Do they live near by?’

Denita and Katy glanced at each other before Denita responded, ‘Vicky died some time ago. As for Brian and Jovan, they…..live separately from us. Our grandchildren and some of Katy and Vicky’s children…many of them have chosen to live their lives differently from us. It’s painful to talk about.’

‘I’m sorry. I don’t mean to pry. It must not have been easy living this life.’ Uhura tried not to notice the uncomfortable glances that the sons were exchanging. ‘You know, our ship’s doctor is here at the original outpost. I think he’d like to take a look at everyone. Perhaps, you all could come by tomorrow?’ She’d covered her unease with an extension of help that was eagerly received. She was saved from the slightly awkward situation by Braxton, who called for her outside the longhouse.

Spock was standing with him carrying a couple of very out-dated looking data pads. ‘Lieutenant, we must depart. Adam, thank you for showing me your research and I shall return these as soon as I am able to.’ They said their good-byes and were promised a return visit tomorrow with Dr. McCoy. They said nothing to each other until they reached Spock’s burrow.

‘Spock, is it me or are these folks really uncomfortable with the idea of Starfleet being around?’

‘Considering that a few of them are Romulan collaborators, it is not surprising.’

Looks like that other shoe finally dropped Uhura thought, shaking her head.

Title: You Better Run Girl! [10/15]
Author: recumbentgoat
Character/Pairing: Uhura/Spock, McCoy briefly
Rating: NC-17, just to be safe
Summary: Morning wood. Uhura listens to Spock’s theory.
A/N: Back to regular, vanilla sex I’m afraid.

They lay there for some moments before Uhura asked Spock where exactly they were.

‘Four kilometers north of the outpost.’

‘No, Spock. Where are we?’ She gestured around her.

‘Ah. We are in a burrow.’ He crouched, and stepped across their ‘bed’ of grass, giving Uhura a nice eyeful of his morning wood (he blushed and avoided her laughing eyes), and pushed aside the blankets on the ground that he’d been wearing earlier. They had been covering a large hole that was the entrance to a tunnel now filled with sunlight.

‘Looks like a tight fit. How’d you manage to find this?’

‘Adam Braxton. The man I told you and McCoy about, the one who helped me.’

She raised her eyebrows. ‘How did you find him again?’ She held out her arms to him in an unspoken demand.

He complied readily, folding himself in her embrace and leaning over as he murmured, ‘Hunting. I have come up with an interesting theory.’ His cock nudged her thigh as he kissed her lips.

Uhura sighed, ‘Oh, that’s nice. I missed that. Again?’ Her eyes were languid with renewed desire and he kissed her more deeply this time.

When he first penetrated her, she closed her eyes and moaned softly. She could almost pretend that they were on the Enterprise and this was nothing more than their usual morning routine when they had a chance to wake up together. He filled her and the scrape and glide of his cock left her gasping and moaning for more. She brought her knees up, opening herself wider to him.

It was good to hear him back to his normal self, giving small grunts and sighs of pleasure, to see how he tightly closed his eyes as if he felt too much. And he did, because she could feel it now for herself. His relief that it was morning, his love for her, even his gratitude for the bond they had, which anchored him now in a way that Uhura hadn’t realized he needed.

She ran her hands over his back and shoulders, reveling in the feel of his hot, smooth skin and the hair on his chest that rubbed against her breasts and nipples as he pumped in and out of her. He came quickly inside of her and clenched at her hips hard. Seeing his face as he came was enough for her, but when Spock rotated his hips, grinding into her, she bit down on his shoulder as her own climax hit. Their shudders reverberated through the bond and Spock sagged against her.

He rolled over, gathering her in his arms. He took her hands and placed them over his eyes, which he closed. She laughed, knowing that her cooler body temperature was soothing to Spock.

‘So…what was your interesting theory? Before we got pleasantly interrupted?’ She looked down at him and lifted her hands partially from his eyes. ‘Or are you still thinking?’

His dark eyes opened to half-moon slits, ‘Poor ship to surface communication, interference with transporter operation and tricorders. I believe this is happening because of significant amounts of a naturally occurring mineral variation of trillium 323. However, I will need confirmation from the ship’s computers and to run some tests.’

‘Oh. Interesting.’ She smiled, then frowned, ‘And?’

Spock pressed her hands back down over his eyes and folded his hands across his chest. ‘And, when refined, trillium 323 is one of the main components in cloaking technology.’

‘Ahhhhhh. Hmmm, but you have a hunch about something?’

He hesitated, reluctant as always to admit to a human reaction, ‘Yes.’

‘Spock, you know I hate dragging things out of you. What is it?’

‘It is nothing. Merely a feeling of…unease.’

‘Waiting for the other shoe to drop.’

‘Quite. The captain was under considerable pressure to investigate this planet. Not just for the disappearance of the scout party.’

‘What makes you say that?’ Her frown deepened.

‘Only that the case was closed on this investigation for a number of years. Yet, only five months after we obtained the Romulan cloaking device, were we sent here. It could be coincidence, however….’

‘However, it’s unlikely, right? Somehow Starfleet found the connection between the planet and the device.’ She shrugged, ‘Well, it’s not unusual for Starfleet to go after something valuable.’

‘This planet was once in Romulan space, about forty years ago. I do not know if they tried colonizing the planet. I surmise that they tried, and failed, as we did. However, this was before either the Federation or the Empire realized what they had in their possession. The ball, as they say, is now in our court.’

‘You think things are going to get complicated.’

‘They already are complicated.’

At that moment, somewhere in Spock’s wolf-nest, a communicator whistled. Spock sat up and reached into the grass heap, producing the communicator McCoy gave him. ‘Spock here.’

‘Spock! You pointy-eared bastard! Where the hell is Uhura?!’

‘Good morning, Doctor McCoy. I trust you have rested well?’

‘No thanks to you! Now shut up and put Nyota on!’

Spock passed Uhura the communicator and gave her a look. ‘I will be meditating for an hour.’

‘Ok.’ She gave him a sympathetic smile. ‘Hi, Doctor. Good morning.’

There was a pause on the other end, ‘Yes, Lieutenant. It is. And how are you this morning?’

‘Oh, I’m fine.’ She couldn’t keep from smiling and glanced down at Spock. His eyes were closed though. ‘Spock and I were just….about to get started.’

‘Right, you can spare me the details. Where the hell are you anyway?’

‘A few clicks north of you. I’m going to take a look around now, so I’ll get back to you today when I find something.’

‘Ok, look, Ny….are you alright? How are you feeling?’

‘I’m okay, Len. I really am. And so is Spock. I’ll tell him you asked.’

McCoy laughed. ‘Don’t get fresh. Well, keep an eye on him and be sure to check in with me in three or four hours. Ok?’

‘I will, sir. Thank you.’

‘Alright, darlin’. Talk to you in a bit. McCoy out.’

‘Uhura out.’ She closed the communicator and rifled through the grass heap looking for her uniform. She shook it out and looked for her underwear.

‘Do not stray far from the outside entrance, Nyota. Please take the communicator and phaser with you.’ Spock didn’t open his eyes.

She struggled to zip up the back of her uniform, ‘I won’t. And yes I will.’

Uhura ducked down into the hole before Spock could respond to her illogical statement. She was eager to get outside and move around.

When she got outside, she looked around, they were near an outcropping of rocks that sheltered the tunnel entrance.

Marathon sex had a way of making someone really hungry and her stomach growled. She’d kill for a protein bar right now. She’d even take a bite of that thing McCoy killed yesterday. Wishing for a tricorder to help her find something, she took to examining the trees and bushes for something edible to eat.

Remembering not to go too far, she kept the outcropping within her field of vision. There was rockier terrain here. Hilly too. Not like the old growth forest at the outpost. She sighed. She’d just have to wait for Spock. Maybe he knew a place where she could bathe. Something!

‘Hello.’

Uhura jumped and raised her phaser as she turned. An older human man with pale skin stood there with a curious, but friendly expression on his face. ‘Hi. Who are you?’

‘My name is Adam Braxton. Spock told me about you.’ He held out his hand.