Catalysis

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Fanfiction
Title:	Catalysis
Author(s):	T'Hera
Date(s):	1987
Length:
Genre(s):	slash
Fandom(s):	Star Trek: TOS
Relationship(s):	Kirk/Spock
External Links:
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Catalysis is a Kirk/Spock story by T'Hera.

It was published in the print zine Naked Times #14.

Regarding the title: Catalysis comes from the Greek word meaning dissolution, and is defined as "the speeding up or, sometimes, slowing down of a chemical reaction by adding a substance which is not changed thereby."

Summary

"Spock is drugged and raped at the prison where he is aiding in repairing the computers, which later brings on a premature pon farr just as he and Kirk are on their way to Vulcan."

Excerpt

"Are you feeling all right, Spock?" Kirk had been watching the Vulcan as he diligently segregated the various ingredients of the carefully prepared casserole. Head down, brows knitted, he was arranging the food on his plate into small, neat piles. As far as Kirk could tell, he hadn't eaten a bite. At Kirk's question, the Vulcan started and looked up as if surprised to see him there. High on his cheekbones, bright color flared, and the hollows beneath his eyes were more pronounced. As if aware of Kirk's scrutiny, he turned his head away. Suddenly, a thought struck the human. He realized where he had seen that look before…"

Reactions and Reviews

1995

Spock is taken hostage by an evil prison inmate on a planet called Nirvana. The Enterprise is helpless until the bad guy makes his demands known. This is shown as two days later. Can you imagine Kirk sitting around for two minutes, let alone two days while Spock is held prisoner? Oh well, this story is still interesting, fast-paced and nicely descriptive.

When the bad guy injects Spock with a potion that, shall we say, enhances his sexual desire and then proceeds to do something about his condition, there's certainly no gratuitous sex here. It's: "Bokhart stripped and sank to his knees before the Vulcan." That's it.

At one point in the story, McCoy orders the medics to "get him started on an IV drip right away." I guess medical science has not progressed very much.

When Spock goes to Vulcan to recuperate and Kirk visits, Spock reveals he will die from unconsummated pon farr. So he considers having a "gonadectomy". Good gravy! What a thought! What does he want to do—go sing with the Vulcan Castrati Choir?

But, never fear, this never comes to fruition. Thank goodness.

1997

This zine is almost old enough to qualify for The Classic Corner (June 1987)... and is one of my favorites, I periodically dig it out of the stack to reread.

The title sent me scurrying for my dictionary. Catalysis comes from the Greek word meaning dissolution, and is defined as "the speeding up or, sometimes, slowing down of a chemical reaction by adding a substance which is not changed thereby."

Spock is the one headed for dissolution. He has been captured, held by a nefarious group of prisoners on the planet Nirvana, a hell-hole of a place where the Federation sends its most unsalvageable criminals. When Kirk retrieves him, he finds his first officer has been addicted to an insidious drug named Lysepterin, or 'L1 for short, that is a powerful aphrodisiac, and which induces erotic dreams that can persist for months. The medical mumbo-jumbo is well-done, although I question how the prisoners had been able to come by such a drug in such a restricted environment.

The experience leaves Spock an emotional and physical wreck, (he's been raped, forced by the drugs into sexual response, and his hand as been crushed by one of the inmates). After McCoy treats his obvious injuries Spock is sent home to Vulcan to recuperate while the Enterprise undergoes a refit. Kirk drops by for a visit, and whether it is the aftermath of the drug, or the rape, or just his presence that causes it. Spock goes into pon farr. (The motivation here is not quite clear).

Kirk handles the situation in a calm practical manner, and I really appreciate the absence of hand-wringing and soul searching. When Spock considers a "radical excision of the interior gonadal structure," a "gonadectomy," Kirk acts, not only to save Spock's life but also to save his life as a functioning sexual being. This is the first story I can remember that refers to the "hollows just above the buttocks" as a normally erogenous zone in Vulcans, and as a site of agony in pon farr. I also enjoyed the trip to the Vulcan museum and the wonderfully described depiction of ancient Vulcan warriors.

There seems to be a definite division in the story between the first part which details Spock's captivity and the second part which describes the pon farr. The two parts could have been integrated better, and as they stand could almost be two separate stories. But both parts are done so well that it doesn't take away from my pleasure in Catalysis.

Worth a second rereading if you have this zine, and a first if you do not.

2001

Well structured in its every facet, this takes through the gamut from adventure to hurt-comfort to pon farr to sublime satisfaction. It is a very entertaining and enjoyable trip.

First of all, you're swept up in Kirk's frustration as he waits helplessly on the bridge with Spock in the hand of a group of escaped prisoners on the planet below. The Vulcan is very effectively drugged and tortured before being returned to the Enterprise, making for some nail biting moments. This whole section held the reader in suspense and let you glimpse how terrible a motivated human feels when his hands are tied. This part could have been gen/adventure.

There's some good old-fashioned anguish in the grand tradition here, too, as Spock fails to respond to treatment. Unable to shake off the powerful addictive drug to which he was mercilessly subjected, he flashes back to his ordeal. While we see Kirk's affection for his friend during this period, it isn't clear what direction this might go. We could easily be reading hurt/comfort or pre-K/S at this juncture.

Later, when Spock returns to Vulcan to recuperate, Kirk follows to show his support—without the author revealing just how deep his feelings run. Soon, however, an all too familiar set of symptoms appears, and Kirk is the one to recognize the pattern and devise the cure. Now we see real K/S in what is a revealing and erotic experience for both men.

Perhaps it was the unique progression in this story that captured my attention. Not only did the story line move naturally along, but every level of fandom was traversed. Richly done, it had the complicated involvement of a much longer novella and I truly enjoyed every aspect of it.