The Companion (Star Trek: TOS story)

K/S Fanfiction
Title:	The Companion
Author(s):	Ray Newton & Sandy Newton
Date(s):	1992
Length:
Genre:	slash
Fandom:	Star Trek: The Original Series
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The Companion is a Kirk/Spock story by Ray Newton and Sandy Newton.

It was published in the print zine Before the Glory.

Summaries

"In an alternate universe, the Vulcans went on Quest for a compatible mind to save the life of their young ruler, Spock - and found Kirk in the poverty-ridden backwaters of Earth."

"As a child, Kirk is taken to Vulcan as a companion to the young ruler, and eventually the bondmate Spock will take when he enters pon farr."

Reactions and Reviews

The story premise was very well thought out and executed. I could believe that such an alternate universe existed, and that Fostering was a very logical and acceptable practice with the obvious benefits for the two individuals involved. It was lovely reading about a Kirk and Spock sharing their lives together from early boyhood to manhood. However. I must also admit that I found this Kirk a bit unsettling because at tines he seened too accepting of his role in life. And while there were instances where he didn't always follow the rules, that bit of boyhood impetuosity didn't seem to be enough to characterize a young alternate 'Vulcan Empire Universe' Kirk. I expected a bit more rebellion on his part before he and Spock grew closer together as Companions. I liked the intensity of the plot twist that almost prevented them from being true bondmates, and the gentleness and love snown between them throughout the story.

This tale takes place in a very original a/u in which some Vulcans are brought up with non-Vulcan Companions who are selected as children to become the mates of these Vulcan in pon-farr. This is only done for Vulcan children who turn out to be incompatible with the Vulcan mates selected for them. That is certainly a solution to the problem which is both elegant and logical. I very much liked the characterization of Sam and Kirk's relationship with his brother. Since I dislike jealousy. I found the strong jealousy element in the plot repellent. I also wondered how it could be that checking Kirk for compatibility with Spock would only involve a surface mind touch. It seems to me that a superficial meld would only show superficial compatibility and that if the Vulcans wanted to be sure of Kirk's compatibility, a deep meld would be necessary.