Unto Harvest in Fullness of Time

Fanfiction
Title:	Unto Harvest in Fullness of Time
Author(s):	M.E. Carter
Date(s):	1999
Length:
Genre(s):	slash
Fandom(s):	Star Trek: TOS
Relationship(s):	Kirk/Spock
External Links:
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Unto Harvest in Fullness of Time is a Kirk/Spock story by M.E. Carter.

It was published in the con zine KiScon 1999.

This story was nominated for a 1999 STIFfie Award.

Summary

"With the events on Gamma Hydra IV still fresh in his mind, Kirk joins Spock as he works on repairing a sabotaged observatory."

Reactions and Reviews

Oh my goodness! This is so short and so meaningful. There is a tremendous premise here. Faced with writing a short story for a contest, which could have been good but meaningless, Ms. Carter has elected instead to fill in one of those major gaps in “canon”: Why didn’t anyone know Ceti Alpha Six had been destroyed?

Now we know. And the answer is wrapped in the blanket of love and understanding Spock bestows upon his mate following “The Deadly Years”. It is so insightful—so revealing of the nature of both men, that in its five short pages it left quite a mark! The declarations of love are creative and memorable. Spock: “...every hour granted me is yours, and every day, and every season for as long as I have breath to say I love you.” How would it be to be the object of such love? The most profound events or revelations sometimes occur under the most mundane of conditions. Such happens in this story. A moment frozen in time, reflected in Kirk’s thoughts as he realizes he owes everything “to the quiet being who chose to bend a remarkable intellect and even more extraordinary spirit to the service of his human captain. He had Spock by his side and—miracle of miracles—in his arms and in his heart. Perfect just the way it is written, this makes you yearn for the next chapter, and the next.... M.E. is a remarkable talent and I hope she loves sharing her K/S with us as much as we all savor the experience of reading it.

Thanks, Jenna, for choosing to share with those unable to attend KiSCon.

For such a short story, this one packs a huge wallop. Considering who wrote it, I'm not surprised.

Set shortly after the events on Gamma Hydra IV, Kirk is still feeling its effects, not so much the physical manifestations of aging, but the aloneness he felt and the anger he was unable to control as he lashed out at all around him. Including his lover, Spock. Feeling as he does, he decides to join Spock, who has transported over to a damaged automatic observatory. Much of the station's equipment has been stolen, and Spock and his team are trying to save the remaining data that was recorded but not transmitted. Spock quickly picks up that something is troubling his captain and leads him to a place on the station where they can speak privately. Kirk tries to explain how he feels, especially his regret for hurting Spock. Spock, of course, forgives him and tries to make Kirk understand that what he did, he did while under the influence of his sickness. They share a sweet, passionate moment together, one that threatened to overwhelm them. But their training kicks in, and they agree to make time for each other that evening. It's at this point Kirk's insecurities have him ask Spock for a promise that Spock will never abandon him. Spock, knowing that he cannot promise what is out of his control, assures Kirk that every hour granted him is Kirk's. Kirk is satisfied with that and with a last kiss, he returns to the Enterprise while Spock returns to his work. If that had been the end of the story, I would have said this was a short and sweet story by one of my favorite authors. But it's the added line that describes the observatory's equipment as it slowly shuts down, its last messages forever lost, that turn this story completely around (if you don't what the surprise spoiled, stop reading now.) Spoiler. Space.

• Priority One,* the weakest of them read. *Explosive event detected with evidence of destruction on a planetary scale. Location: sector R-15, system Ceti Alpha, planet six...

This story takes on one of my favorite plots in K/S, a "what happened after" an episode. In this case, the episode is "The Deadly Years" and while this is probably one of the shortest stories this author has written, it still packs quite a punch.

This is an established relationship story and opens with the Enterprise in orbit over an observatory, where it is discovered the computers in the observatory have been, as Spock describes "pirated". He and a team of specialists are trying to salvage whatever data they can when Kirk beams over, not so much to get an update on the situation; rather, he is still bothered by the events that took place over Gamma Hydra IV. It doesn't take long for Spock to realize this, so he and Kirk find a quiet spot to talk things out. And it is this conversation where the author really shines as feelings of loneliness and fear and hope for the future are discussed. Kirk especially finds it difficult to come to terms with what happened, not so much the rapid aging, but more how lonely and angry he felt as his life was rapidly being stolen from him. Worse, he feels tremendous guilt over the fact that Spock had to bear the brunt of that frustration and fear. But for Spock, while the words flung at him in Kirk's quarters did have an impact, he did not truly take them to heart. As he tells Kirk, "It did hurt at the time, but I knew you were motivated by unnatural circumstances. I was also convinced that in your heart you still loved me." For the first time he faltered and looked away, his voice dropping nearly to a whisper. "Knowing that, how could I do other than forgive you?" That pretty much melts Kirk's heart and he soon confesses to his lover that "Even though turning into a decrepit old man overnight was an experience I hope to God I never have to repeat, I think it somehow taught me that I'm truly not afraid of growing old...as long as you and I do it together." Reading denial in the dark eyes, he let a plea surface in his own. "I know, I know. Vulcan life spans and human life spans and all the rest of it. It doesn't matter, not really. All I want is to go on living with you and working with you and making love with you for years and years and years. And when the day comes when I can't do those things any more, it will be all right because we'll know we didn't waste a minute, that we shared our lives as best we could."

It's passage like those that tend to take one's breath away, something this author's stories do to me quite often. Her incredible skill in bringing these two men alive is virtually unmatched. Unfortunately, she is currently not active in the fandom, but at least she has left a legacy behind with her stories that all of us can enjoy for many years to come.