Not Alone

Star Trek TOS Fanfiction
Title:	Not Alone
Author(s):	Suzan Lovett
Date(s):	1981, 2006
Length:
Genre:	gen
Fandom:	Star Trek: The Original Series
External Links:
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Not Alone is a Star Trek: TOS story by Suzan Lovett.

It was published in R & R #15 and later in Antinomy.

Summary

From the publisher: "There's a murderer on board the Enterprise, and Spock is the intended victim."

Excerpt

"Kirk was halfway through the corridor before the doors were fully open. McCoy had just picked up another hypo and turned toward Spock when the Captain burst through the Sick Bay door. "Bones, stop!" Ignoring the surprised looks from the line of crewmen and nurses, Kirk headed straight for the doctor and plucked the hypo from McCoy's hand, frozen in mid-air. He held the hypo tightly, as if someone would try to take it away. Only then did he allow himself to lean against a bed and try to still his pounding heart."

Reactions and Reviews

Ms. Lovett employs just the right amount of techno- terms in her stories to make them completely believable and professional. This is a good example. There is good rapport between Spock & Kirk, teasing, easy dialogue at the beginning when it suits the occasion. Every word seems right, as if you were hearing rather than reading it.

Early on, the K-S relationship here is defined by concern over each other’s safety and well-being among an alien civilization. It turns out that concern is justifiable as strange things begin happening to Kirk. He is having frightening dreams – but are they dreams or something much more sinister?

Once more, the caring comes quickly to the surface and we are privileged to see just how attuned Spock is to his favorite human and how efficiently his protective instincts are launched. The story is liberally infused with moments of self-sacrifice that touch your heart – hurt/comfort at its best and with a peculiar twist. In the end, Spock has an explanation for resolution of the situation that silences even McCoy: Love.

Lysisinia, a planet that had been contacted a century earlier, has finally appealed for Federation membership. Kirk and Spock have been charged with delivering the Federation articles and preparing the way for the diplomats who will shortly follow.

Their guide, a young woman with silver eyes named Hiann, seems most gracious, but the radioactive residue from wars fought eons ago, is making Kirk ill and Spock very uneasy. Spock decides to stay awake to guard his captain‘s rest while they are spending their last night on the planet. Spock wakes, not having planned to sleep, with Hiann in their room with a request Kirk and Spock answer just a few more questions. Most distressing of all is the fact he cannot easily rouse his captain. Kirk orders Spock to go alone, and when he returns, Hiann is not to be seen.

The mission over, Kirk and Spock return to the ship. Over the next few days several deaths occur onboard, and Kirk seems to dream the details of each one before it happens. With horror he realizes he‘s responsible for actions that take place while he is asleep. Then Spock is attacked. He hasn‘t quite put it all together yet but definitely knows he is somehow a terrible threat to Spock‘s life. The price for commanding the Enterprise has suddenly become too high. He dares not sleep while he makes his plans and when he‘s ready Kirk takes a shuttle and sneaks off his own ship. When at last he has gotten far enough away he sets the automatic controls and finally goes to rest only to find Spock waiting for him. His first officer has figured it out and proposes a solution of sorts. Hiann‘s essence has entered Kirk‘s mind, and wishes to control him and thus prepare for the invasion of her people that is to come. Spock proposes to join Kirk‘s voluntary exile and hold his captain‘s mind safe and secure while Kirk sleeps. Together they will arrive at a solution.

All is well until a large carnivore on the uninhabited planet where they‘ve taken refuge attacks Spock. As the venom from the animal‘s fangs slowly robs Spock of his life, Kirk realizes he can no longer count on Spock‘s help to keep Hiann‘s influence at bay.

There are five small illos by Suzan that accompany this story. Again all are wonderful.

'Not Alone' uses yet another well-worn plot, the Kirk-is-infected-with-an-alien-presence-and-Spock-rescues-him-with-the-mind-meld theme. Unfortunately, Lovett does not do as successful a job at salvaging the story from mediocrity as did C. Mak, but the introduction poem and art make it worth reading and the characterizations are accurate.