The Human Factor (Star Trek: TOS story by Deborah Cummins)

Fanfiction
Title:	The Human Factor
Author(s):	Deborah Cummins
Date(s):	2009
Length:
Genre(s):	slash
Fandom(s):	Star Trek: TOS
Relationship(s):	Kirk/Spock
External Links:	on AO3
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The Human Factor is a Star Trek: TOS K/S story by Deborah Cummins.

It was published in the print zine Legends #5.

Summary

"Following the fal tor pan, Spock finds himself in great upheaval. Everything is alien and unknown, seemingly unknowable. Questions plague him: who is he as a Vulcan, what does it even mean to be Vulcan? Who are these people, these humans who call him friend? But the most difficult task of all is learning how to once again be Spock."

Reactions and Reviews

This is one of many stories written over the years where the subject matter deals with Spock‘s recovery on Vulcan following the fal-tor-pan. And while I have thoroughly enjoyed reading many of those stories, I have to rank this one as the best (with Jenna Sinclair‘s brilliant Dawn running a close second). It is brilliantly written, presenting a perfect picture of what it must have been like for Spock to be reborn into a world he barely remembers.

And if that weren‘t enough, we also get a glimpse of the anguish and despair and hope that not only Kirk experiences during this time, but what Amanda is dealing with, as well. Both deeply love this man, yet neither can do little to help Spock as he struggles to become what he once was. Memories of his past, instead of bringing comfort, only result in blinding headaches from which there is no relief. No matter what he tries, he is unable to find the answers he needs in order to achieve peace. Meanwhile, both Amanda and Kirk remain on the sidelines, wanting to help but not quite knowing how. Amanda, consumed by guilt over the fact that once again her son is in pain and she is unable to reach out and help, turns to Kirk to see if he can provide her son with the comfort and reassurance she cannot. What follows is a journey of pain, heartache, hope, and the desire for a new future and a new relationship together, yet both know such may not be possible. And like their future, the story itself ends on an uncertain note as they return to Earth to face the consequences of Kirk‘s actions. Neither knows what the future will hold – all they do know is that whatever that future is, they will face it together.

An absolutely wonderful, moving story that I will be reading again and again.

First of all, an old story of DC's in one of the early "Naked Times," "The Misunderstanding," is one of my favorite K/S stories of all time (I read it more than twenty years ago, and I still love it), so it was a real thrill for me to see her name in this zine.

Briefly, this story takes place at the beginning of "Voyage Home," when the crew of the Enterprise is preparing to leave Vulcan and return to Earth to face charges for going to the Genesis planet to save Spock's katra. Spock's return from the grave has come with a price, all of his Vulcan controls seem to be lost and he is struggling with his tenuous emotions, and Kirk, too, is struggling--struggling not only with his guilt that his crew may suffer legal consequences for his defying orders, but also with his unrequited (or so he thinks) love for Spock which he has had for literally years. This writer not only has that rare ability (rare even among professional writers) of being able to write intelligently, but she is also extremely adept at characterization. Her Kirk, Spock and McCoy (as well as the supporting cast) live and breathe. I especially loved her portrayal of Kirk with all his nobility and yet his all- too-human side too--for example I loved the flashback scene in which Kirk is embarrassed after becoming sexually stimulated during a workout with Spock. I also loved the part where Kirk, with his typical self- deprecating humor, almost laughs when he realizes that the intrepid starship captain who'd "faced down Klingons, Romulans and a host of other lethal enemies without so much as breaking out in a sweat was terrified of walking up to his Vulcan friend, looking him squarely in the eye, and saying three simple words." Spock was equally well drawn; DC writes very believably of his internal war with his Vulcan and human natures. I even liked DC's portrayal of Amanda, such as when she talks to Kirk about the difficulty of loving a Vulcan. I was especially intrigued with DC's very adept explanations for a lot of the grey areas in the first three movies (which were, IMO, pretty shallow compared with the series). If only the movies had had this depth of characterization!

My only problem with the story was that it was over too fast. The ending was completely satisfying, but still...I would loved to have seen Kirk and Spock actually make it into bed.

I'm not usually a fan of long separations; the idea goes against what I perceive as normal. Carrying a torch for someone for ten, fifteen, twenty years, is a thing of movies and romance novels, not real life. So it takes an extremely good writer to, well, not convince me, exactly, but allow me to put aside my own preconceived notions of human nature and just enjoy the story. That's exactly what happened with this story.

It opens with Spock's reeducation after the fal-tor- pan. As he struggles to relearn what he's lost, certain memories and emotions have already risen to the surface. His love for Kirk. It's an old love, begun some time during the first five-year mission and endured through all the intervening years, through his flight to Gol and then return to the Enterprise and Kirk, and through the ten years since. Years of contentment, if not happiness. But then came Khan and everything changed. And now Spock must fight to gain back the control which made his place at Kirk's side bearable. If such a future is even possible for them. For this is Vulcan before the trip back in time to save the whales and, in so doing, save the Earth. Kirk has been ordered back to face a trial, a trial they all feel will lead to imprisonment. All Spock can see is that Kirk threw away everything, his career, his ship, his future, "For me, broken thing that I am. For me." Spock's pain is doubled and the reader experiences its every stinging facet. Not only through Spock's thoughts but through Amanda's, who watches and waits for the return of the son she knew. And then the story shifts to Kirk's POV and we discover that he had walked into the same trap that Spock had. In love with his friend for nearly two decades but lacking the courage to tell Spock, lacking the trust that, even if Spock did not return the feelings, he would not flee from Kirk's side. So he, too, has walled off his feelings, the fear of discovery always there, the just plain old fear of what could or might be. But things have a way of coming out, especially when two people are in such vulnerable positions. In a moment of shared weakness, everything is revealed. They share an almost chaste kiss. A happy ending? Not hardly. Both men, still second-guessing the future, still afraid, step back from what they could have because of what the future might hold. Resigned to their fate, they prepare for their trip back to Earth.

Of course, the reader is aware that Kirk does not go to jail and that the men spend the rest of Kirk's life at least serving together. I'd like to think that there is a next step. Or a next story, if we're lucky. Or if Kirk and Spock are. If they are, if we are, it's a story I very much look forward to reading, because, all concerns aside, this is a story well worth reading. It's a finely crafted piece of work not to be missed.