One Man's Mate
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| Star Trek TOS Fanfiction | |
|---|---|
| Title: | One Man's Mate |
| Author(s): | Jinx (pseud, full name used in King Grope) |
| Date(s): | mid to late 1970s, probably 1977 |
| Length: | |
| Genre: | gen |
| Fandom: | Star Trek: The Original Series |
| External Links: | |
Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
One Man's Mate is a Star Trek: TOS story by Jinx.
It was published in the print zine Obsczine [1] and King Grope.
Summary
Kirk’s casual bedmate turns out to be a Klingon spy, and Spock comes to arrest her; Kirk is embarrassed and insults Spock; Spock’s feelings are hurt. Later, Kirk allows suggests Spock accompany a Vulcan trader back to Vulcan for the trader’s pon farr and this causes Spock to forgive the captain for the earlier sharp words.
Reactions and Reviews
... is a well-written, gentle story. It was later reprinted in another zine (not "Standing Orders" [2], as I incorrectly reported in the last NTS). Kirk, on shore leave, picks up Slea in a bar, and takes her back to his hotel. After listening in on them all night, Spock intrudes on them, arrests her— she is a Klingon agent—and takes her away. In his embarrassment, Kirk is furious at Spock for not at least warning him. When Spock points out that Kirk did accompany Slea voluntarily, Kirk blurts out that he is glad he is Human: "At least we don t go through all the fun and games the Vulcans do!" Spock is hurt, humiliated and offended. He does not understand Kirk's embarrassment about being found in bed. Kirk s reference to pon farr seems to indicate that he finds Vulcan ways ludicrous and distasteful. Spock contemplates asking for a transfer, but decides to wait. The Enterprise leaves; Kirk forgets about the situation and what he said in anger. Spock remains cold to him; he is hurt and lonely, and thinks Spock just wants to return to Vulcan for awhile. Spock, meanwhile, trains a replacement for himself. Later, on a planetary assignment on Hylos, Kirk helps defend a Vulcan merchant named Shaun, when he is attacked by hostile locals. He becomes aware that Shaun is in pon farr, and knows he can't make it back to Vulcan on time by himself. And there is no one on Hylos to help Shaun. Kirk returns to the ship to enlist Spock's aid, but is afraid to offend him. Spock arrives, transfer tape in hand. Kirk carefully describes the problem, and grants Spock 15 days of leave to pilot Shaun to Vulcan. Spock thanks him for his assistance to a fellow Vulcan, removes the tape before Kirk can see it, and offers a game of chess that evening. Kirk promptly accepts, and offers to polish up his game for Spock s return. "I shall look forward to returning, sir." was Spock's only answer, but somehow, it was enough. . . . [3]
"One Man's Mate"... pits Kirk's tomcat habits and macho pride against Spock's sense of duty. The basic idea is a good one; it's a pity Marion Dougall didn't develop it more thoroughly. [4]
References
- ^ not be confused with Obsc'zine
- ^ This other zine was not "Standing Orders," a zine that doesn't exist, but King Grope.
- ^ from Not Tonight Spock! #9
- ^ by Jane Aumerle in Star Canticle #2