No Cold Wind
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| Zine | |
|---|---|
| Title: | No Cold Wind |
| Publisher: | Orion Press |
| Editor: | |
| Author(s): | Ann Zewen |
| Cover Artist(s): | Michael Goodwin |
| Illustrator(s): | Christine Myers |
| Date(s): | 1990, (reprints 2001 and 2007) |
| Medium: | |
| Size: | |
| Genre: | gen |
| Fandom: | Star Trek: TOS |
| Language: | English |
| External Links: | Orion Press, flyer of the reprint, story online here |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
No Cold Wind is a gen Star Trek: TOS 228-page novella by Ann Zewen. It was published 1990 by Orion Press. It was also reissued in 2001 as Orion Archives: 2270 No Cold Wind (in digest size) and then re-released in 2007 in regular size.
Summaries
Set at the end of the five year mission, this story projects additional insight into why Kirk would willingly accept a desk job at Starfleet Command. Kirk joins a privateer crew in order to gain information about a force invading the galaxy. Spock is seemingly killed, and Commander Scott soon decides he never wants command of a vessel. [1]
Captain Kirk is forced to abandon Spock on a moon which comes under attack by the Kelvans. Kirk is given the choice of resigning or facing a court-martial, and resigns his commission, only to become a pilot for a trading ship owned by a beautiful young woman. Is Kirk's career over? Is Spock truly dead? Can anyone thwart the Kelvan invasion fleet? [2]
The Kelvans are baaaack - this time in their own large, many-tentacled bodies. They gain knowledge by eating others and absorbing their RNA - which they have now done to Rojan and the other Kelvan colonists, as well as to the starship Thalis. They are running around eating people they find interesting and wiping out everybody else. When they encounter the Rycherians, they learn that the younglings of the species, at first maturity, are spectacularly powerful telepaths. So they kidnap them, to eat them later when they get suddenly smart, but since they can't communicate with the kids (who are earless) the Kelvans go off in search of Spock (whom they know about through Rojan) to be their control and go-between. Meanwhile... the Rycherians, whom the Federation is anxiously courting to keep them away from the Romulans, have appealed to the Federation to find their children. Keeping it all very hush-hush, Kirk is sent with secret orders to have Spock recruit the Sedolan Vulcans, a colony who practice completely open telepathy - no secrets at all - to help negotiate with the Rycherians. That's where the Kelvans find him, take him, and then destroy the planet while Kirk & crew watch, not knowing Spock has been kidnapped. Kirk is blamed for Spock's death, unable to explain to his crew that he was under orders not to touch the Kelvan ship. Back on Earth, Kirk is "allowed" to resign, under clouds of suspicion of cowardice. He joins the Zephyr, a privateer ship under contract to patrol Gorn space, do battle with Orion pirates, and slurp up any available booty. There he falls in love with the mysterious Talya (T'Alya), who turns out to be half-Vulcan and half Elasian, with a wild temper and no training in controlling her touch telepathy, hence an aversion to touch that is quite an obstacle. Kirk, of course, is really on a secret mission to find the Kelvan ship and rescue the children. Talya becomes pregnant, then very ill with complications and absolutely refuses to go to Vulcan because she had promised her mother not to. So, Kirk takes her to McCoy, then goes off again hunting for the Kelvans. McCoy is unable to save Talya. Spock and mr'Antor, the eldest youngling, undertake to destroy the Kelvan ship and get out with the other kids in a pod. Spock gets a mental message from Kirk as they get closer, so he speeds up the timing. They escape, the Zephyr picks them up, the Kelvan ship explodes, and Kirk collapses when Talya dies. Spock takes the Zephyr back to Enterprise and barely saves Kirk from dying of broken-bond shock by mind-meld, only made possible by using mr'Antor as an anchor. The experience of the broken bond is so powerful that he resolves not to bond at all, since any bond with him, by either a human or a Vulcan, would almost certainly leave one of them to suffer that fate. Instead he will seek out kohlinar, and he deliberately avoids Kirk to keep from being swayed in his resolve. [3]
From the Editorial
For those of you who wonder where an author gets an idea or title, I can only say that I had two primary inspirations. One was a long dissatisfaction with any explanations given as to why Jim Kirk gave up command to accept the promotion to admiral and why Spock chose to return to Vulcan and enter Kolinahr. As for the other inspiration, if you realty want to know, run, don't walk, down to your nearest record store and buy a copy of Harry Belafonte's Paradise in Gazankulu. Then listen to the song "Skin to Skin," not just the hauntingly beautiful melody, but the equally haunting words. No other explanation will be necessary.
The Author Comments About Mind Links
I know that the limited K/S I have read tends to treat this link both more casually and as a more complete form of communion, as well as one with sexual ramifications. That's a significant area in which I differ with K/S writers. While I acknowledge that a link *can* and often *does* have a sexual aspect to it, I don't think it always does; and I see the two forms of link as being quite different. I actually *have* dealt with the difference and depicted what a sex-based link might be like for Kirk (but not with Spock). By entering sex into the equation, I believe you change the nature of the link and make it a more dependant factor, which is one reason I have trouble with the Kirk/Spock sexual link. As one gay friend of mine once told me in explaining why *he* didn't believe in the K/S concept -- Kirk would have difficulty in commanding if he had such a link with Spock, while Spock would never see the logic in it. It was an offhand quip on his part, but I find a certain truth in it, one which I dealt with in "No Cold Wind." [4]
Inside Gallery
illo by Christine Myers
illo by Christine Myers
illo by sample text
illo by Christine Myers
Reactions and Reviews
1998
"No Cold Wind," by Ann Zewen ([email protected]) is one fantastic novella. It first appeared in print by Orion Press. In "No Cold Wind," Kirk meets and falls in love with a half-Vulcan woman, who has her own ship, when he becomes a crew member aboard the ship. The writing is absolutely top-notch. This is a romance story, but also an adventure story. The plot is extremely good and imaginative. Characterizations are very powerful and believable. I believe this novella was nominated for a Fan Q award. Randy Landers and Ann Zewen herself would remember if this was the case. I highly recommend reading this story. Oh yeah, there's some very nice hurt-comfort in it, as well. [5]
1999
Again, hetstuff, not my bag as a rule. But this was well enough written that it pulled me in anyway -- which takes some doing folks!! Very good original characters, and the Boyz are their own true selves -- well, except for them not being together anyhow ;-)> [6]
Ann Zewan claims not to believe in the sexual aspects of K/S, and Orion Press as well know does not publish slash. No way, uh-uh. But in her story "No Cold Wind," at the end of the five year mission Kirk thinks Spock has been killed, so practically the first thing he does is go and fall in love (and becomes bonded to) a half-Vulcan woman. Surprise, surprise.
The whole emotional dynamic is a kind of suppressed slash, though I think in fact the characterizations of Kirk and especially Spock are only fair.
It seems to me that resolutely non-slash writers have more trouble writing Spock than Kirk. For instance, Zewan has Spock going to Gol because he's felt the pain of Kirk's bond breaking (when his wife dies, but it's a long story) and he can't face it. And he doesn't say a word to Jim because he can't face an emotional confrontation right now. In other words, he's a coward and a weenie, and not the Spock *I* know.
Kirk cries (!) and carries on (in privacy, thank goodness), becoming convinced because Spock is cool to him that their friendship meant nothing. Double weenie. [7]
2006
Enjoyable novel with some nice aliens, excellent characterizations, and nice job of tying up some loose ends. The plot is slowly revealed in the reading, but here's the summary... The Kelvans are baaaack - this time in their own large, many-tentacled bodies. They gain knowledge by eating others and absorbing their RNA - which they have now done to Rojan and the other Kelvan colonists, as well as to the starship Thalis. They are running around eating people they find interesting and wiping out everybody else. When they encounter the Rycherians, they learn that the younglings of the species, at first maturity, are spectacularly powerful telepaths. So they kidnap them, to eat them later when they get suddenly smart, but since they can't communicate with the kids (who are earless) the Kelvans go off in search of Spock (whom they know about through Rojan) to be their control and go-between. Meanwhile... the Rycherians, whom the Federation is anxiously courting to keep them away from the Romulans, have appealed to the Federation to find their children. Keeping it all very hush-hush, Kirk is sent with secret orders to have Spock recruit the Sedolan Vulcans, a colony who practice completely open telepathy - no secrets at all - to help negotiate with the Rycherians. That's where the Kelvans find him, take him, and then destroy the planet while Kirk & crew watch, not knowing Spock has been kidnapped. Kirk is blamed for Spock's death, unable to explain to his crew that he was under orders not to touch the Kelvan ship. Back on Earth, Kirk is "allowed" to resign, under clouds of suspicion of cowardice. He joins the Zephyr, a privateer ship under contract to patrol Gorn space, do battle with Orion pirates, and slurp up any available booty. There he falls in love with the mysterious Talya (T'Alya), who turns out to be half-Vulcan and half-Elasian, with a wild temper and no training in controlling her touch telepathy, hence with an aversion to touch that is quite an obstacle. Kirk, of course, is really on a secret mission to find the Kelvan ship and rescue the children. Talya becomes pregnant, then very ill with complications and absolutely refuses to go to Vulcan because she had promised her mother not to. So, Kirk takes her to McCoy, then goes off again hunting for the Kelvans. McCoy is unable to save Talya. Spock and mr'Antor, the eldest youngling, undertake to destroy the Kelvan ship and get out with the other kids in a pod. Spock gets a mental message from Kirk as they get closer, so he speeds up the timing. They escape, the Zephyr picks them up, the Kelvan ship explodes, and Kirk collapses when Talya dies. Spock takes the Zephyr back to Enterprise and barely saves Kirk from dying of broken-bond shock by mind-meld, only made possible by using mr'Antor as an anchor. The experience of the broken bond is so powerful that he resolves not to bond at all, since any bond with him, by either a human or a Vulcan, would almost certainly leave one of them to suffer that fate. Instead he will seek out kohlinar, and he deliberately avoids Kirk to keep from being swayed in his resolve. [8]
References
- ^ from the flyer for the reprint
- ^ from Media Monitor
- ^ Zinedex
- ^ So this is gen?, February 1999
- ^ alt.startrek.creative, February 1998
- ^ alt.startrek.creative, February 1999, comment by Greywolf the Wanderer
- ^ from Mary Ellen Curtin at kscircle (March 9, 1999)
- ^ from Karen Halliday's Zinedex (January 2006)