Covenant (Star Trek: TOS story by Brigit Whelan)

K/S Fanfiction
Title:	Covenant
Author(s):	Brigit Whelan
Date(s):	2006
Length:
Genre:	slash
Fandom:	Star Trek: The Original Series
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Covenant is a K/S story by Brigit Whelan in the zine Within the Mirror #15. The art is by Suzan Lovett.

Summary

"Unsure of Spockʼs loyalty, Kirk comes up with a plan that will guarantee that Spock will stay with him always."

Reactions and Reviews

I have chosen to review this one story from WTM 15 because it is my favourite story in the zine. Despite my distaste for violence on the whole, I like Mirror universe stories because they often explore interesting angles and ideas and this is no exception. Kirk realising his dependence on Spock, decides to force a bond on him. Kirk thinks he has all the facts but in fact he has very few! The plan backfires on him big time! This story creates a nice dramatic irony in the way that we know the characters are in love with each other way before they do. This can be hard to achieve – after all if their love is so blindingly obvious we can see it, then why are Kirk and Spock being so dense!? But Brigit gets the balance right for me here. Kirk’s realisation that he “had done the one thing he’d sworn years ago he’d never do....; depend on someone’ is not accompanied with any recognition that this is because he loves Spock. Oh no, in his world dependency is just a weakness to be dealt with by out-scheming your opponent. Kirk does not want love, he just wants to make sure that he ‘will never have to worry’ about his dependence on Spock again, because Spock will be unable to leave him. This is a totally believable thought for the mirror Kirk. We know how any Kirk loves a good plan, and enjoys out manoeuvring his opponent. Yet as readers we can see behind Kirk’s defences and understand why Kirk has allowed this dependence to happen.

Spock tries to break the bond, but finds that it is strong because their minds are so compatible. Spock can barely believe in their compatibility, but, from the interaction Brigit has already written for the characters, we certainly can! Now bonded to Spock permanently and finding that his usual sex life is being curtailed, Kirk finds his plans have somewhat backfired! It looks as if these two men will be too busy with resentment and anger to ever stop to realise how compatible they actually are... but luckily Spock suggests he teaches Kirk how to shield and now facing a shared goal they begin to draw closer. Spock still insists he’s leaving once Kirk has learnt and Kirk almost looses what he has just learned to want! Brigit includes a scene here where Kirk tries talking to the ships log to sort out his feelings – this is something I usually think is very corny, but its handled well here. Brigit gets away with it, because her Kirk thinks it’s a bit silly too, he’s not comfortable doing it. But he talks on revealing all kinds of things about himself and his love for Spock – which in a neat touch of irony he cannot see for himself concluding with ‘it hadn’t done any good’ before erasing the recoding! But, as we know, it has done good and soon he and Spock are finally together after one last incident. Kirk starts listening and Spock finally is able to accept him. I like Spock’s unwilling admission “for some unfathomable reason my being desires union with you. I do not understand it but I cannot deny it.” This is utterly in keeping with the Spock in this story and I love how right up until the end, it is the reader rather than Spock who understands his motivation. A nice sexy sex scene ends the story.. with Kirk on top ...ahh satisfying and a great read. Thanks Brigit.

Oh and I should also mention the very, very good drawing by Suzan Lovett which accompanies this story. The pose is a perfect match for the story – I’d guess it was drawn to commission, but the passion and tenderness and fierceness are all depicted in this top class illo!

I really like this author’s view of the Mirror universe. This Kirk and Spock are not our beloved heroes just made harsher as they are so often written. These are “real” three-dimensional people with characters molded out of different circumstances and different times, as indigenous to their world as our Kirk and Spock are to ours. They are dangerous, sly, calculating, exotically different and very, very sexy.

The story takes place after the Mirror version of The Deadly Years. Here Kirk blames Spock for convening the competency hearing as in our universe, but his solution is far different. He is determined to have Spock’s unquestioned loyalty in the future. He has the Vulcan drugged and induces pon farr. When Kirk services him the two are bonded. Not a unique scenario—the first time I came across this plot was in “A Thin Flame” by Cynthia Drake written twenty-five years ago although in that story it is our Spock the Mirror Kirk uses. This author treats it in an entirely original manner. While Kirk wants just to keep Spock close and under control, the Vulcan despises the situation and desperately wants his freedom. It is when he sees a healer to break the bond that the fireworks start.

The story is very well paced and extremely well written. I couldn’t put it down. This writer is not fast or prolific, but boy, is she good! As far as I know Brigit has never written a story other than Mirror ones. Any chance of seeing a mainline K/S story some day, Brigit?

I enjoyed this story, too, although for different reasons than I liked Dark Matters. This version of the Mirror universe is totally ruthless. Every one has a price and Kirk is terrified that his enigmatic first officer might withdraw his loyalty at any time. We see near the beginning that each is fascinated by the other, but have managed only a (usually) profitable alliance.. Following the events of The Deadly Years, Kirk realises that he needs a way to ensure the Vulcan’s protection. He researches a little, then has Spock drugged to initiate a pon farr. Kirk realises that at the right point in the cycle, just before the plak tow kills, he’ll be able to force Spock to bond with him, thereby achieving his aim. The rape is vividly described and Spock is helpless to resist. There follows much anger on both sides, as Spock find out that not only is the bond true, but that his own sub conscious desires it. He urges a healer to break it, but Kirk is able to feel the attack and defend the bond...They have a long way to go, though as Kirk continues to have sex with others, refusing to accept that the bond means this is totally unsatisfying for him. His research has failed to inform him about the effect on Spock, who suffers in silence before finally reaching a breaking point. How Jim then persuades him to explain fully about bonding and then teach him to use the bond properly form some of the most satisfying passages in the story. Things are not so easily solved, however, as Spock still feels he must leave the Enterprise. There’s a clever twist back to the opening scene at that point, and Kirk must use their bond to find Spock. Only then, in the final scenes can they talk of a true ‘Covenant’ between them and there’s the most expressive love scene at last, beautifully illustrated by the wonderful Suzan Lovett. Wow! Don’t miss this story.