Chimera (Star Trek: TOS story by Katherine Cooke)

Fanfiction
Title:	Chimera
Author(s):	Katherine Cooke
Date(s):	2005
Length:
Genre(s):	slash
Fandom(s):	Star Trek: TOS
Relationship(s):	Kirk/Spock
External Links:
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Chimera is a Kirk/Spock story by Katherine Cooke.

It was published in the print zine Beyond Dreams #8.

The Becoming Real Series

• Deflectors Down
• Starbase Eighteen
• The Hidden
• Chimera

Summary

"Captured by Sybok, Kirk pretends to be under his bondmateʼs sway,hoping to thwart his plans for galactic conquest."

Reactions and Reviews

An enjoyable and well written follow up to events in The Hidden. It starts with Sybok kidnapping both Kirk and Spock after their betrayal at the end of the previous story. The characters are well drawn here and Kirk‘s decision to help Spock escape was realistic and in character. The situation he finds himself in and how he ends up being rescued in excellently done, as the descriptions of the strange ship he finds himself on and how this ties in with what Sybok is planning helped to maintain the tension.

This was also true of the way in which Kirk‘s actions are described, never revealing too much at once, like slowly unpeeling an onion which helps to maintain the tension and suspense. The fact that Kirk returns alone to the Enterprise after his encounter while Spock is still missing helps fuel the suspicion that he is possibly acting under Sybok‘s mental control via their bondlink is well described, especially in the light of some unusual behaviour from Kirk at this time. The final outcome was very elegant, and tied up all the loose ends very well.

In fact this whole series of stories are all very good, well written with plenty of angst and adventure along the way. Like all the best fiction, it sets up a seemingly impossible situation for the characters, then sets about solving them in a previously unthought of way.

Part Four opens with Spock regaining consciousness in an escape pod. Here‘s an example of the fine writing in this section: ― ̳Oh, Jim.‘ Breathy sound, the void sucking away voice and name into a creeping dominion of silence. Spock knew he was close to death, but he refused to make peace with the night while he could still hold that one name in his mind.‖ Nice, no?

In a desperate attempt to save his beloved, Kirk has managed to knock Spock out, bundle him into a one-man pod, and release him to space. Spock has virtually no chance of surviving, but Kirk trusts their luck rather than see his lover die a certain death at Sybok‘s hands. (The flashbacks the author includes to explain Kirk‘s decision are truly harrowing.) Kirk later manages his own escape (how?) and rejoins the Enterprise. He‘s been given back his command because the bond has remained dormant and seemingly inaccessible. The captain is walking a very thin tightrope. He must maintain control over his rage and his urge to vengeance against Sybok; his ability to act against Uhura‘s doubts as to his loyalty; and his designs to trap his enemy and stop his plan to take over Vulcan and the Federation. Meanwhile Spock has been saved by aliens only to watch his love set off alone for a final confrontation with Sybok.

There‘s lots more that happens in the series than I‘ve been able to relate. Believe me, I‘ve barely scratched the surface. The pacing is excellent; the level of tension is kept high throughout. Add to this each and every sex scene in the series, and there are plenty of them, perfectly fits the time and place it occurs. Each is different and unique and arises naturally from the situation the two men find themselves in at the time. Sounds easy but it‘s not. All in all Becoming Real is quite an achievement from an author I‘ve come to count on for a very satisfying K/S experience.