To Serve

Fanfiction
Title:	To Serve
Author(s):	A.T. Bush
Date(s):	1985
Length:
Genre(s):	slash, slavery
Fandom(s):	Star Trek: TOS
Relationship(s):	Kirk/Spock
External Links:
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To Serve is a Kirk/Spock story by A.T. Bush.

It was published in the print zine Naked Times #7.

Summary

"A slave story with a different slant. A glimpse into Kirk's ability to bargain with the devil, and into the devil's ability to command a fallen star."

Reactions and Reviews

1986

"To Serve," by A.T. Bush, is a slave story, and when it began, I thought I wouldn't care for it, but I read on and greatly enjoyed it. Spock is Captain and Kirk is a slave brought aboard for Spock's pon farr. Afterwards, Spock releases Kirk from slavery and gives him a position as a free man on the ship but tries to ignore and avoid him, knowing that he loves him. Kirk does the same, until at the end of the story they come to face the truth. This sounds very clear cut here, but the way Bush wrote the scenes is wonderful, sensuous, and quite touching.

TO SERVE by AT Bush is the winner of NAKED TIMES writing contest #2. This is an "alternate universe-pon farr story with a twist on the usual treatment of the slave/master scenario. Both Kirk and Spock come through difficult, emotionally striping conditions with respect and affection for one another while retaining their self-respect as well. This is an enjoyable story,a logical possibility.

1997

I recently acquired Naked Times 7 which contains this really well done piece by A.T. Bush. In this story, Spock is captain of the Enterprise and Jim is a young lieutenant (22 maybe 23) who has been recently sold into slavery. The author is a little vague as to how Kirk, who had been on active duty with Starfleet, got drummed out of the service on trumped up charges, and into the mess he is in. It has something to do with his brother, but this is incidental to the story. It is enough to know that Jim faces a life of misery.

Spock is minutes away from the onset of pon farr. Jim seems to have some knowledge of the Vulcan fever having served with a Vulcan at his last posting. Spock tells him that their current mission is important and he cannot permit himself to die. They enter into a contract of sorts. If Kirk will “serve” him in his need, Spock will let him go free as “Vulcans do not normally buy or keep slaves.” Kirk, who is fearful and skeptical but has few choices, agrees.

What follows is one of the best pon farr stories I have ever read. The author has this period lasting 4 or 5 days and portrays it with some very human and practical needs. Spock needs nourishment and the sheets need to be changed. Kirk is gentle, caring, and considerate and nurses the Vulcan through it. But his body is betraying him. He is bruised, sore, aches all over and is increasingly weak. Spock, he says, “we’re both losing strength rapidly, is there something we could do that would help you get through this?” There is. They meld.

When the fever is over, there is a role reversal. Now it is Spock who gently takes care of Kirk and worries about his condition. He makes sure that Jim has a fairly long convalescence with McCoy’s medical care under his watchful eye and in his cabin. “I will not allow you out of my sight,” he declares. And, as an honorable Vulcan he fixes everything (records, etc.) so that Jim returns to active duty on the Enterprise and under his command.

I find this author’s writing most...agreeable and would have liked it if she had expanded on the latter part of the story by adding 2 or 3 more pages and filling out the ending. But I think she had said what she wanted to say and at this point the reader knows the two characters are madly in love with each other and it’s just a matter of time before they act on it. Also, this piece was done as part of a writing contest and there may have been limits as to length.

Anyway, there is a lovely ending with Spock mouthing some kind of corny dialogue. “...such a brave little human and mine.” But hey, they’re in love! Naked Times 7 has some other nice stories and poetry but To Serve is really the best!!

2000

To Sense is a master/slave story, but it is different in the way that Spock buys Kirk as a slave, but promises to set him free if Kirk gets him through his pon farr. I like this story for many reasons. First of all because of Kirk's strength and perseverance and his determination to get through this even though he has been brutally raped and molested by others before this. The Kirk we see here is an alternate one, but still possesses the qualities that I have come to like and admire about him.

Spock's pon farr is different. Oftentimes, pon farr is portrayed as very violent and some of that occurs here too, but Spock is very cautious and explains to Kirk how to get through the pon farr in detail. What I enjoy as well is AT Bush's capacity of showing us how very vulnerable the pon farr makes Spock. I feel for him, and I feel for Kirk. The pon farr isn't exactly an enjoyable experience for either of them and still the author makes it plainly evident that there is care and maybe even love developing between them.

Spock keeps his promise and sets Kirk free. This is where the 'romance' begins. And I have only one thing to complain about in this story. That is the fact that the not very pleasurable, agonizing sexual encounters between Kirk and Spock during pon farr is much more explicit and detailed than the actual encounter between them when they finally come together as lovers. I would have enjoyed seeing them have a loving, sexy and caring relationship before moving onto the next story. And still this masterfully woven tale truly is a favorite of mine.

2001

'To Serve" by AT. Bush is a 23 page a/u story that I was revisiting again since I had bought NAKED TIMES 7 for a friend. (Warning: I do give away the plot.) In this story, Kirk had been sold into slavery by his brother and Spock buys him because he is in pon farr and needs someone to help him. Kirk is promised his freedom afterwards so he goes along with the pon farr demands willingly. So the first ten or more pages is basically sex. Not that I mind that at all.

After the initial sex acts, Dr. McCoy checks up on them and as both recover, he makes some suggestions to Kirk. Spock is the captain of a ship and Kirk ends up as an officer on it in the navigation department. After four months, McCoy starts meddling as he realizes that they both love each other. And it isn't long before they are declaring their love and having sex again. They discuss that maybe in the future Kirk might become a captain and Spock might become his science officer because he is more comfortable with science.

Aside from the fact that things happen a little too quickly and easily to make everything work out all right, this is a very nice story. It's well written. Since I bothered to reread it after so many years, obviously it keeps your attention. And I do have a very special fondness for Kirk as slave stories.