Homeward Bound (Star Trek: TOS story)

Fanfiction
Title:	Homeward Bound
Author(s):	Seven of Six
Date(s):	2003
Length:
Genre(s):	slash
Fandom(s):	Star Trek: TOS
Relationship(s):	Kirk/Spock
External Links:
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Homeward Bound is a Kirk/Spock story by Seven of Six.

It was published in the print zine T'hy'la #23.

Summary

"The Mirage Planet is a deadly trap - and the being there is determined to learn Vulcan secrets. After the ordeal is over, Spock determines to repress what he learned there."

Reactions and Reviews

"I'm a sick puppy," Kirk tells himself, about twelve pages into this story, effectively summing up the main problem I had with this tale. In "Homeward Bound," Kirk is out of character. He wants to dominate Spock, for Spock's own good, you understand. And Spock is out of character too, coming across as hopelessly naive and far too passive.

I know we can find examples in aired Trek when Kirk was manipulative, overbearing, and maybe just a bit too eager to order people around. And yes, there is that kinky scene in which he's clearly enjoying the opportunity to wrestle with a scantily clad, knife-brandishing female who is intent on killing him. But Kirk isn't with some stranger here—he's with Spock. And I think it's too big a stretch to imagine him engaging in various forms of sexual harassment to encourage his reluctant Vulcan first officer to loosen up. I also think it's out of character for Spock to let Kirk get away with this. Later on, after the relationship is established, this dominance/submission thing seems more like a mutually agreed upon S&M game, and so becomes a bit more bearable. Unfortunately, by then the damage is already done, because in the early part of the story it really feels as if Spock is being coerced. Granted, he's physically stronger than Kirk, and he could have stopped him at any point. But that doesn't make it okay for Kirk to keep going, because emotionally, Kirk has the upper hand, and we all know that emotions can be far more powerful than physical force. There is one section of this story I found particularly disturbing, in which Kirk orders Spock to say, over and over again, that he loves him. The Kirk we know is a very persuasive guy. More often than not, he doesn't need to use force, even against his enemies. Yet here he's using it against someone who is supposed to be his friend.

Oddly enough, later on in the story, this abusive Kirk gets all huffy over Orion slave girls being raised to serve their masters. Go figure.

And then there's the fantastic "bath hut" with which Starfleet has seen fit to provide Kirk and Spock. I mean, a sauna is one thing, but a hut, complete with a thatched roof, a doorway hung with swaying fronds, and the sound of chimes and bird calls filling the air? Not on Kirk's ship, I think, no matter what Starfleet thinks. (I have to confess, though, that I did like the malleable floor that conformed to the shape of any body lying upon it-that's an idea with possibilities.)

Despite the problems I had with "Homeward Bound," there were some nice touches in this story. The scene in which Spock is manacled to the wall, suffering from induced pon fan, is quite powerful (especially the bit with the phaser, which, unfortunately, is really not used to full effect later in the story). And I wholeheartedly agree that Spock, in his isolation, might not know which of his emotional struggles were arising from his human nature and which were common to all Vulcans. Unfortunately, the interesting bits and pieces were not enough to save the story for me. I have always been much more of a Spock fan than a Kirk fan, but I have never, even in my most anti-Kirk moments, imagined the captain as being as insensitive, pushy, and generally obnoxious as the Kirk we see here, who almost seems as if he belongs in the Mirror Universe.

While exploring a mysterious planet that appears and disappears at will (called the Mirage Planet), Kirk and Spock are abducted, Spock forced into pon farr, and Kirk must perform fellatio on him before their captor will free them. Once back on the ship, Spock withdraws into himself, avoids Kirk, and finally asks for a transfer. Kirk doesn’t want to lose Spock but feels he must agree to his request, until one night when he is awakened by the sensation of Spock in his thoughts, and feels his love and desire. Kirk finally forces a talk with Spock, and seduces him. However, this Spock is so unsure, so uncertain, and so hesitant that I really felt that Kirk was pushing too far, too fast. Soon after this seduction, the Enterprise rescues some Vulcan passengers from a damaged ship, and after they leave Spock retreats into himself, away from Kirk. Kirk, of course, is not willing to lose Spock as a friend and lover, and seduces him once more. Again, Spock is very unsure; even more uncertain than before, but Kirk disregards his feelings and seduces him again, and even forces Spock to say he loves Kirk, making him say it over and over again.

The Kirk of this story seems to have convinced himself he’s doing all this for Spock’s own good, but there’s a strong element of coercion in all these encounters between Kirk and Spock that I didn’t like. And Spock is entirely too passive, letting Kirk do whatever he wants, regardless of how Spock feels about it. During a mission on a pleasure planet, Kirk continues his seduction, but adds some bondage to their lovemaking. (Actually, this part bothered me less than what had gone before, because at least now it seemed to be sort of a game they both were agreeing to, with the use of safe words.) This pattern of dominating Spock continues in all of their encounters but one. After Kirk has anal intercourse with Spock for the first time, Spock ties Kirk up and reciprocates. But this only happens once, and Kirk is clearly dominant and their relationship unequal. As Spock says : “You like me like this, don’t you? Completely exposed, completely vulnerable.” And Kirk calls himself a “sick puppy” at one point for liking what he’s doing to Spock. The editor did warn that the story contains some mild bdsm content. Normally I don’t care for stories with bdsm, but maybe K/S fans who do will enjoy this story more. Disregarding the bdsm content, there were a few things about the actual story that didn’t make sense to me. I found it impossible to believe that Star Fleet would remodel the space between Kirk and Spock’s quarters into a deluxe sauna and bathroom, complete with a sloped and thatched roof, a seaweed hung doorway, bird calls, and a floor made of some substance that molds to the contours of the body! The sauna/bathroom was a minor point, but I had a big problem with McCoy’s portrayal in this story. When Kirk and Spock beam back from the Mirage Planet, Spock is obviously unwell. Kirk tells McCoy they’re fine, just tired. When McCoy persists in questioning them, Kirk tells him that the alien that abducted them induced some Vulcan diseases in Spock, but then reversed the effects, that they’re fine, and prevents McCoy from examining Spock. I can’t believe McCoy would ever agree to this. From the description of Spock when they beamed back (“He was swaying on the platform, staring dully ahead”) that alone should have been enough for McCoy to examine the Vulcan. Then Kirk tells him that Vulcan diseases were induced in Spock but reversed, and McCoy still doesn’t examine Spock, and leaves the decision of whether to be examined or not up to Spock and Kirk? I’m sure it would be mandatory Star Fleet policy that all personnel be given a thorough medical examination if captured by aliens. Not to mention common sense would tell you that this would be a good idea! Not only that, but Spock secludes himself in his cabin for 5 days, saying he feels unwell, and McCoy still doesn’t force an examination. And then Kirk is the one to approve Spock’s return to active duty and McCoy is talked into agreeing, all without ever examining Spock. I’m sorry, I just did not buy any of this entire sequence of events and it really threw me out of the story.

However, I do think Seven of Six is a talented writer. I thought the whole idea behind the Mirage Planet (that one of Trelane’s people, who was not benevolent, was responsible) was very creative. There is an easy flow to the writing that I liked, the author’s descriptions of the Mirage Planet, the Vulcans they encounter, and especially the pleasure planet they visit are interesting to read, and the plot held my attention. However, I didn’t see much of my Kirk and Spock in this story, and it also had a few parts that didn’t make much sense to me.