The Sun Rising

Fanfiction
Title:	The Sun Rising
Author(s):	Eva Stuart
Date(s):	1981
Length:
Genre(s):	slash
Fandom(s):	Star Trek: TOS, Alexander the Great
Relationship(s):	Kirk/Spock
External Links:	a sample of the art for this story by Roo
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The Sun Rising is a Kirk/Spock story by Eva Stuart. The art is by Roo.

It was published in the print zine Classified Assignments #1.

Series

In order of publication, possibly not in fictional chronological order:

• The Sun Rising (Classified Assignments #1) (1981)
• The Anniversary (Classified Assignments #2) (1982)
• Love's War (Classified Assignments #2) (1982)
• Legacy (The Voice #1) (1982)

• The Solution (Classified Assignments #2) (1982)
• The Still Centre (The Voice #2) (1983)
• Patterns (T'hy'la #3) (1983)
• Winter Storm (The Voice #3) (1984)
• A Day in the Life (The Voice #3) (1984)
• The Visit (The Voice #4) (1985)
• The Lion and the Lamb ("touched" #5) (1985)
• The Rescue ("touched" #6) (1986)

Summary

"Sent through the Guardian on a trial run, Kirk picks the time of Alexander for his and Spockʼs journey."

Reactions and Reviews

1981

Kirk and Spock return to the 'Guardian of Forever for a historical investigation of Alexander the Great. For ease of close examination and since Alexander has always, been a special hero to Kirk, Kirk decides to take part in the victory games following the conquest of Tyre. The theme is the examination and comparison of the relationships of Alexander and his companion, Hephaestion, and Kirk and Spock. Since this story carries a mild thread of K/S, the inner thoughts are mostly of Spock try inn to understand how Hephaestion deals with his love for Alexander so he may apply it to himself and Kirk. 'The Sun Rising' is full of action in the arena and on the battlefield, and the descriptions of the Alexandrian era are very colourful . It is an interesting idea.

1997

This is one of a series of stories where Kirk and Spock go back in time via a Guardian research project to the era of Alexander the Great. Eva draws a parallel between Alexander and Kirk - bright, charismatic, visionary types -and Hephaistion and Spock, watchful, proud, followers yet independent, trying not to cage their impetuous lovers. She makes a lot of use of parallel and contrasting relationships (such as Asla/Ka'atra, Kriton/Kyleth in other stories) and sometimes this gets a little too obvious, making me want to say something snide like "Yeah, yeah, I get it already."

Other than that, I appreciate the Alexander stories for a very simple reason - it's a meeting of two separate fantasies, K/S and Alexander/Hephaistion. (Don't worry though, there are no foursomes involved...) I don't know if anyone who hasn't read Mary Renault's Alexander trilogy will enjoy this story as much. Those books had quite the impact on me, so it's fun to see the skill with which Stuart weaves K/S into the story I've loved since I was fourteen.

The best part here (in my opinion) is the new insights gained by Kirk and Spock, who have only just begun their relationship — insights that will continue to haunt them in later episodes, concerning mostly Kirk's need to be where the danger is and Spock's need to protect him. Here, Kirk wants desperately to meet Alexander, his hero, although he knows as well as Spock that they must be careful not to change history.

Kirk enters himself and Spock in the soldiers' games, specifically the wrestling competition: the winner will be crowned by Alexander, giving Kirk a chance to meet him face-to-face...if he wins. As it turns out, Spock and Kirk are the semifinalists. Spock recognizes the dilemma — Kirk is winded, there's no way he could win — and offers to take a fall so that Kirk can have his wish. Kirk, of course, won't let him do any such thing — cheat, in front of Alexander? Unbearable. Spock wins, but Alexander has caught something of their relationship and in the end wants to meet them both.

I must say that the author is playing rather fast and loose with the principle of not changing history (after all, Alexander does remember Kirk and Spock - even on his deathbed, in another story - and they do have an impact on historical events, if a small one) but other than that, I really like this story and the rest of the series.