Meeting of Minds (Star Trek: TOS story)

See A Meeting of Minds for articles with a similar title.

Fanfiction
Title:	Meeting of Minds
Author(s):	Ida Vega
Date(s):	1996
Length:
Genre(s):	slash
Fandom(s):	Star Trek: TOS
Relationship(s):	Kirk/Spock
External Links:	Side by Side Collection on AO3
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Meeting of Minds is a Kirk/Spock story by Ida Vega.

It was published in the print zine KaleidoScope #4 and subsequently in Side by Side #23.

Summary

"A/U: While Kirk is on Vulcan helping with their entry into the Federation, he takes a trip to an ancient ruin and meets up with a young Vulcan, not realizing it is the son of the Vulcan diplomat he has been working with."

Reactions and Reviews

1996

Interesting alternate universe story about Kirk meeting Spock on a pilgrimage/trek to a Vulcan shrine and their eventual relationship against a backdrop of a diplomatic mission for Vulcan to join the Federation. Spock saves Kirk after his slip and fall from a mountain trail and they continue on the journey together. Spock remains incognito so as not to influence the negotiations and this causes much difficulty later between him and Kirk.

Speck ends up at Koon ut Kalifee where T'Pau senses there is another. Guess who. Lots of nice moments in this story, but also lots of weird moments. Like the flesh-eating plants of Spock's childhood (I don't know where to start on that one) or Kirk exclaiming, "Ewww, gross!" when told about putting dead animals in the plant and "Ouch! Prickles!" when "he encountered his lover's bewhiskered chin" and many other such examples of highly unlikely dialogue. Weird moments really do abound like when Kirk holds "a spicy Argelian meatroll" at a diplomatic function.

All they have to do is try to keep warm in their sleeping bags and "the next thing they knew, they were kissing." Boy. Those guys.

Some interesting Vulcan history is presented, albeit through narration. But at one point they're at a sacred shrine in a sacred pool and they engage in "aquatic horseplay" and another kind of horseplay right there in the sacred pool. Boy. Those guys.

However, despite the difficulties, this author has some good story ideas and creates a unique picture of Vulcan.

2007

Alternate reality is a nice change from time to time and I enjoyed this story a lot. Kirk is in Starfleet, pretty much as usual except that Spock has never entered his life, as the Vulcan is bound to his homeworld by responsibility and tradition. One of those traditions is a pilgrimage to the ancient hall of Katras. As circumstances would have it, Kirk is on Vulcan with a few days free and decides to make a trip through the desert that takes him on a similar path. Shall we say their paths meet? Yes, and that meeting ranges from the dramatic to the sublime.

There are many nice moments and both men are consistently upstanding and committed to doing the right thing no matter how it affects them personally. I find this says a lot about why they are, in any universe, heroes. The ending b

rings us round to the level of high drama once more, as Spock must fulfill that most confining of all obligations: pre-arranged marriage. There is a bit of the unexpected here, and a bit of what we always hope for in such a situation, a last-minute save. The circumstances of the rescue, if you will, are somewhat unique and very satisfactory to all concerned. Entertaining fare!