The Rover

K/S Fanfiction
Title:	The Rover
Author(s):	Greywolf the Wanderer
Date(s):	2009
Length:
Genre:	slash
Fandom:	Star Trek: The Original Series
External Links:	The Rover
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

The Rover is a TOS Kirk/Spock story by Greywolf the Wanderer.

It was published in the print zine T'hy'la #28.

Summary

In this AU, Kirk has been expelled from the Academy for cheating on the Kobayashi Maru and Sarek has blocked Spock's entry into Starfleet, so they're both thrown on their own resources.

Excerpts

"He was exquisite, poetry in motion: tall and slim, with black hair and eyes and olive skin. He'd let his hair grow some, compared to the other male Vulcans I've met-he kept having to brush it out of his eyes. On one side he'd tucked it behind a gracefully pointed ear, almost as if to say "Yeah, I'm a Vulcan-so what?" . . . Above the jeans he wore a long-sleeved black turtleneck and a battered black denim vest with a couple of vertical lines of some kind of alien calligraphy on the back-not quite Arabic, but something like that. For all I could tell, it might have been Vulcan for "rent boy." It seemed pretty obvious that was his gig, although I'd never seen a Vulcan rent boy before. Hell, since the day I got kicked out of StarFleet Academy for "cheating" on the Kobayashi Maru, I hadn't seen any Vulcans at all.""

Reactions and Reviews

This has been a difficult story to review. Not because I didn’t enjoy it—I did, and not because it was poorly written. Quite the contrary. There are, however, several elements of the story that may turn off readers so this is loc is a “heads up.”

Let’s get these out of the way first. “The Rover” is an AU story. That alone is reason for some fen to dislike a story. Why I’m not always sure. It’s always been the litmus test for a good AU if the characterizations to remain the same despite the situations in which Kirk and Spock find themselves. Here those characterizations have been stretched somewhat but not out of all proportion. Kirk has been kicked out of Starfleet Academy for “cheating” on the Kobayashi Maru and become the equivalent of a 23rd century truck driver. Spock has left Vulcan to make his own way on earth. In order to support himself he turns to prostitution after Sarek has blocked other avenues of revenue. The first person voice will also seem artificial to some readers, but I’ve always liked the immediacy and intimacy of this form of storytelling, and Greywolf does it expertly. The last objection many readers will have is perhaps a bit harder to dismiss. The first encounter between Kirk and Spock takes place minutes after they first meet in a roadside café. They know virtually nothing about each other except that Spock has asked Kirk to pay for a cup of tea because the Vulcan is broke, and Kirk has fallen head over heels in lust with the slim gorgeous body in front of him. They go to the bathroom where Spock sucks Kirk off. Not the most romantic of encounters, but it is typical of many homosexual male/male first matings, I believe. Moments later they go to Kirk’s living quarters in his rig to continue having sex. They then go their separate ways and months pass before they meet again. It’s bit hard to see these two characters we’ve come to love act in such a brutish manner with each other, but it is gritty and very realistic. In my opinion, Greywolf pulled it off, and while I winced once or twice, I went along for the ride and admired the courage he showed in telling it like it is. The good stuff? The story is extremely clean and well written with sharp clear prose and great pacing. Sex scenes are hot, very well realized and there are plenty of them. And I did love how Kirk comes to Spock’s aid when he needs him most. Hurt/comfort of the best kind.

“The Rover” is definitely not your run-of-the-mill story. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole way. I enjoyed it.

If this review had a headline it would be something like 'Greywolf at his Best'. (I have to admit that I‘ve been an admirer of his work ever since I read the Dirhja Series and it hasn‘t changed. So I might be a bit subjective here...)

At his best because whatever it is that you like about his style, you‘ll find plenty of it in this story; it was utterly pleasant to read and he had me whining, squeaking, purring and grinning in considerable turns all time long. The Rover is an AU story - they are young and while Kirk has been kicked out of the Academy Spock hasn‘t even been able to enroll. So Kirk‘s on the road doing cargo business when they meet at a bar and almost immediately descend on one another...and that‘s how everything starts. And oh what an enjoyable start! I fall for his sex scenes every time again and hardly read anything more delightful regarding that matter. By the way: I highly recommend the shower episode. And just when I thought - Okay, and what now? it took off. More physical joy, someone to rescue, a future to face. The shared particular connection between them right from the beginning is as greatly described as Jim‘s thoughts, occupied by a certain Vulcan and a silver lady. I like how much and profound they feel bonded to each other, even if they aren‘t bonded. However Greywolf does it, he does it oh so very, very well. You can feel their hearts, you know, feel their passion, longing and their fulfillment. It so wonderfully deep – it‘s the only word I can really think of to be suitable for what I felt. The atmosphere he created kept me company for days afterwards and that‘s when I can truly say I love a story. His Spock is just so good, explicit, right and, this time written from Kirk‘s POV, it applies for Kirk just the same. There‘re gorgeous H/C moments in the story and what else can I say than there‘re simply superbly heartbreaking for a poor little K/S devoted girl like me. So everyone who can imagine feeling or would want to feel the same: Read it! There‘ll be no regrets, promised. I‘m sorry I‘m not going into plot details too much but for me it had been a joy to just immerse myself in the happenings and I wish that to all the other readers as well. It‘s such a classical, marvellous Greywolf story, the two of them against the rest of the universe, facing together what ever may come. I love it so much!

What? Whether I enjoyed reading it? Aye, you can say so, extremely I did.

From experience, I always have high expectations of Greywolf, and in The Rover, he didn't disappoint.

This AU story played out the destiny theme, where Kirk and Spock, in whatever universe, are fated to be together. Even though the circumstances of their meeting are very different to canon, the characters of Kirk and Spock are recognisable and believable. They meet at the start of the story in unusual circumstances and their chemistry sparks in a series of seriously hot sexual encounters. From there, the story progresses to a darker episode - and lots of hurt/comfort! - that finally opens doors to new opportunities for them both and a satisfying ending of this tale.

Both the first-person narrative, which is well- paced, and the dialogue, have a very contemporary feel to them when compared to TOS, though that in no way detracts from what is an entertaining and enjoyable read.