In Any Reality (Star Trek: TOS story by Brianna Falken)

Fanfiction
Title:	In Any Reality
Author(s):	Brianna Falken
Date(s):	1995
Length:
Genre(s):	slash
Fandom(s):	Star Trek: TOS
Relationship(s):	Kirk/Spock
External Links:
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In Any Reality is a K/S story by Brianna Falken.

It was published in the print zine Scattered Stars #7.

Summary

"At war with Vulcan for 40 years, an Earth ship captained by Kirk runs into the Vulcan ship captained by Spock when both ships answer distress signals."

Reactions and Reviews

1995

I usually find A/U stories a bit much. The Kirk and Spock characters are not what I want them to be. I was pleasantly surprised with this story. Kirk was strong, capable and a Captain. Spock was kind, intelligent and a Vulcan in the truest sense of the word. And slime ball Mitchell was still a slime ball.

The story moved along at a brisk pace, well written and taught.

Interesting use of the Gorns, as the catalyst that brings both Vulcans and Earthers together.

Brianna Falken's 81-page novella is probably a good 1996 STIFFIE nomination. I thoroughly enjoyed this a/u story where Captain Kirk and his FO Gary Mitchell of the Peregrin help rescue ship crash victims along with Commander Spock of the T'Faravon. In this universe, humans have battled Vulcans for forty years. Both writing style and plotting are interesting, I have little to criticize and much to enjoy.

I do wish the cliche, "unbridled passion" could be banned from writing. Brianna occasionally gets stuck in "cliche-dom" but is original and refreshing for most of the story. I especially like her added touches such as the "starving Acturian mac'wids.

She adds several new characters in her story but basically concentrates on Kirk and Spock which is as it should be. It takes her a long time to get to the actual k/S, but that in NOT a problem, She's written a very entertaining story.

I really enjoyed this long alternate reality adventure story. Brianna's style is improving with each story she writes, and I found this one to be her best to date.

One of the main strengths is the intriguing plot. There's a lot that happens in this story. The Federation and the Vulcans have been at war for forty years. Kirk is the captain of the Peregrine, a heavy cruiser, but this ship isn't as sophisticated nor as powerful as the Enterprise, Spock captains the Vulcan ship, TFarayon. (Great names for the ships - both birds of prey! And naming a science research vessel, the Cousteau, was a nice touch.) We learn the two men have met before but only in battle, never face to face, there's a great scene taken from Balance of Terror, complete with invisibility screen and new secret weapon, Spock plays the part of the Romulan Commander in the episode, Kirk recognizes one of the battle maneuvers as a chess move, and this leads the two enemies to play chess over subspace with Uhura's help. This was a sell-conceived plot twist, and one made completely believable by the author's obvious research of chess moves and quotations.

The first time they actual meet is just electric, There's's a fantastic description of Spock dressed completely in a black tunic with silver embroidery, black thigh-high boots, and with "a glossy, black mane {that] swirled lazily around his shoulders, casting blue highlights with each graceful step." And then later one tendril of Spock's hair curls around Kirk's wrist. Oh-my-goodness! There is an immediate attraction between them, a sense of recognition.

The sexual tension between Kirk and Spock heats up from there as they join forces to solve the mystery of who really started the conflict. I loved the slow build-up, the getting-to-know-you phase. These two so disparate men would not just hop into bed together. They have years of mistrust, and their own self-images to overcome, And the sex is all the sweeter and more poignant because of the wait, both for the characters and the reader.

Another strong point is the dialogue. (I always pay particular attention to dialogue, since this a weak point in my own writing and one I am working to improve.) These characters sound absolutely real to me. I can hear them so clearly. All right, I had a small problem with Kirk's "Ravish away" line, but other than that, the author has a fine ear for how the characters sound. I also liked how the author used the dialogue to tell the necessary back story instead of straight narrative.

Characterization is well-done, I especially liked the little touches such as the appearance of Kirk's patented flying kick, and McCoy's bouncing on the balls of his feet. These really bring a very strong visual picture to the reader's mind. Gary Mitchell is appropriately depraved.

Perhaps there is a slight overuse of adjectives and modifiers such as "Mitchell grinned mirthlessly" and "Bradely muttered sarcastically."etc, but the writing is clear and vivid, and for such a long story the pacing is excellent.

Personally I'm a sucker for a great mind meld scene and any story that has Spock in long hair, but I'd be willing to bet this is one story you won't be putting down in the middle.

This long short story, almost a novella, is definitely worth the price of this zine, and is one of the best, most satisfying alternate universe stories I've read in a long time, I sat down on a sunny morning and indulged myself for hours, enjoying the plot twists and characterizations thoroughly.

Plot is definitely Brianna Falken's strong suit. The complexities of "In Any Reality" were very cleverly realized, involving snippets from known episodes, including a unique interpretation of the Corns, called Takklits here. I especially liked the way the author didn't shrink from the presentation of the horror of the Takklits" purpose in preying upon humans and Vulcans.

Gary Mitchell is strongly portrayed, and though I thought he verged on stereotype, the author managed to avoid diving too deeply into the commonplace when she introduced a reason for Mitchell's irrational behavior: drug use. The Vulcan healer Seller was a clearly realized character, as was the unfortunate ensign who was paired with Mitchell.

And best of all. Kirk and Spock were instantly recognizable in this alternate universe, even though Spock was the captain of a vessel opposed to Kirk's ship. The meld that the two enter with Seller into the mind of the Takklit was compelling, and our captain's quick decision to participate in the meld is vintage Kirk. While I thoroughly enjoyed this story on both first and second readings, there are a few things which will keep it from vaulting to the very top of my list of favorite K/S stones. The ending bothered me especially. To think that a truce/peace could be hammered out in a mere month is ludicrous. And I think that the "secret" that Sarek and Spock and Nogura keep from Kirk at the reception was childish, and not the sort of thing sophisticated military/political men would do to one another. Kirk's emotions throughout this section strip him of strength and will.

I don't understand what transpired between page 144 and page 151 to make Spock change his mind about the wisdom of a sexual relationship with Kirk. It seemed a red herring, or a plot complication that the author never picked up on. Simply having Spock say that resisting the attraction between them would no longer "be logical" isn't enough to satisfy me.

And I wonder at the ease with which the Vulcens were incorporated into the Peregrine's crew, and the simple way Spock became the ship's second-in-command. Ms. Falken has written a very strong, dominant Spock. That's what she shows us. She tells us, through his own words, of his desire to remain in the sciences, but I didn't really see that Spock. I didn't buy his ability to play second fiddle to Kirk even for one second. The author has the ability to write intricately plotted stories that make sense, a real talent in our fandom. This story could easily have been expanded to a novel, and maybe even should have been, since I think that would have taken care of some of the hitches I mention above, For me, some of the characterizations, even Kirk's and Spock's, at times verge on the naive, or on K/S stereotype, but just occasionally. Once this author makes her characters as consistently sophisticated as her plots, we are going to be treated to some really dynamite stories, even better than this truly superior effort.

Kirk is the captain of the Peregrine (great name) and Gary Mitchell is his first officer in this lively, inventive A/U tale. Kirk and company eventually meet Vulcans, a heretofore unknown (or at least unseen) race, and of course. Kirk meets the most magnificent Vulcan of all (totally unbiased opinion).

Early on, a simple and deceptively small action sets up intrigue. After talking with Kirk, we suspect that old Gary Mitchell is up to something...

Good use of expositional dialogue between Kirk and McCoy as we learn about the Vulcans. The scene where the Peregrine meets the invisible Vulcan ship (wonderfully named the T'Faravon from the J.S. Cavalcante Vulcan lexicon) was taut and exciting—including very clear and understandable ship technology, I really felt the author understood the terms which then nukes it believable to the reader.

Little touches like "the Falkbeer counter gambit" and all the stuff about "pergium" helped to make this story come alive. But best of all, I understood and could visualize what was happening. This is no mean feat in scenes with lots of people and lots of action. This was fun to read — without having to wade through a morass of boring, confusing, and indecipherable "techno-babble." I was so happy to enjoy the space battle. The chess moves analogous to battle maneuvers was an inventive idea. It was involving and loads of fun.

Kirk is the starship captain that we know and love. In addition, we get the treat of seeing Kirk execute his famous "flying kick" during a wrestling match.

With bated breath, I anticipated the first meeting between Kirk and Spock. I was not disappointed. The author set up the excitement very well and gave quite a nice payoff. Oh boy! I loved "dancer's body" and "soaring onyx brows" and especially "glossy, black mane". That's Spock for ya...

The villainous character of Mitchell is very well done and as an example of how nasty he really is, be engages in "slam, bam, thank you, sir" with a hapless lieutenant.

The direct, uncompromising descriptions first of the spacecraft crash site and then of the reptilian creatures attack on the humans are examples of one of this author's strengths. She is able to tell a tale in a solid, no-nonsense manner that proves to be very effective. The horror of what the creatures did still comes through even though it's told as a past event.

And I, too, cursed the intrusive communicator beep as much as Kirk did just as Spock is helping him down from the wrecked ship. Talk about mesmerizing slow-motion!

The mind-meld with the reptilian creature had lots of interesting images as Kirk, Spock and the healer moved through the mental landscape. The problem arose with the explanation of the conflict, which in itself was very imaginative and realistic. It was all told in a narrative and I kept wishing for some actual scenes or at least to view it through the eyes of the alien. How was this information given to them, anyway? Did they hear it? Did they read it? Did they divine it?

I found it difficult to accept the type of drug addiction that Mitchell had as believable in the 23rd century. As described, withdrawal from this drug causes homicidal tendencies. It seems questionable that this would be the drug of choice for anyone.

When Kirk and Spock finally attempt sex, it's of the interuptus variety along with an unintentionally funny moment when Kirk spreads his arms and pronounces 'Ravish away!' But the ending of the scene is well done as something mysterious happens to them. The author is skilled at setting up suspense—such as when we don't know who emerged from the shadows until Kirk says the name.

A difficulty in the story was the narrator often making comments on things that the characters wouldn't know...

What a great idea — Uhura singing to the Vulcan ship!

The myriad details in this story were all kept straight—everyone was in the right place, information was remembered for later and timelines were on track. This is so important in a story this long and involved.

I'm sorry, but it was funny when Spock asks Kirk: ' 'Have you ever known a male before?' and Kirk answers: ' 'You mean sexually?' No...I mean have you ever known anyone who was man....

Okay. okay. I admit to thrashing around on the carpet when Spock 'ran his tongue up and down the exposed crevice' and lapped at the 'taut, quivering testicle.' Then, when he did even more with his tongue. I admit to the proverbial cold shower.

A little disconcerting was the prosaic analogy of an itch needing to be scratched right along with purple prose like "routed ecstatically on the massive probe'. One or the other. I guess. Also, I'm certain the author didn't mean "screaming' as used by Kirk at the point of orgasm to seem like he was being tortured. And I don't think "cramped muscles" scream. Ache, maybe. Roll-Your-Eyes-If-You-Must-Dept.: This is one hot sex scene —may not be intellectually stimulating, but it sure is stimulating. When Kirk says 'I'll do anything you want'. I said. "Oh boy!"

The scene where the wormhole entrance was blown up was very exciting. Again, just enough techno-babble to draw in the reader without bogging down the action. But most importantly, this story maintains a good balance of plot, action and K/S. Everything that happens concerns Kirk and Spock instead of them just being along for the ride.

The prospect of parting from Spock that Kirk must struggle with was very poignant and true to character. Also wonderfully Kirkian for him to want to have a big party after successfully completing a mission.

How beautiful when Spock tells Kirk: 'It is said that a true bond is perfection and lasts throughout eternity.' And the simple answer that Spock gives when Kirk asks if two males can bond: 'A telepath is drawn to a compatible mind. The form that mind inhabits is of no consequence.'

But I don't think the word 'ripped' as in "Spock ripped his penis from the voracious mouth" is the right word. Ouch! Also a dubious reference to the "Bobsey twins".

What a neat, neat scene when Spock cuts his braid to give to Kirk. So Vulcan and so poignant. The parting scene, as well, was so nicely done—careful, slow, unembellished—just lovely. Spock says: "May random factors continue to operate in your favor." Cute!

With a few hints taken out, the party scene at the end might have been more suspenseful. Hints that something was up like when "brown eyes twinkled mischievously" and Sarek saying 'The human captain is most worthy, most worthy indeed.' But Sarek's comment concerning mint juleps— 'l find the color most appealing.'—was totally delightful.

Taking the story all the way up to the beginning of the five year mission was absolutely wonderful. Proof positive that I thoroughly enjoyed this story—I read it fast. Even wiih the TV on, with a demanding, noisy cat, with the phone ringing, with hunger-pangs and with two thousand pieces of artwork due in one week.

1998

An adventure with a clear case of good and evil that forms a background for the interactions between two antagonists. That plot gives fuel to the story. With some touches we get glimpses of minor characters-just enough to bring them alive. Hot sex and a fairy tale ending-what more do you want? More of the same stuff-that's what I'd want! I loved watching Kirk and Spock-absorbing who they are and what they're made of. Great reading.