Voyages (Star Trek: TOS story)

Fanfiction
Title:	Voyages
Author(s):	Patricia Roe
Date(s):	2000
Length:
Genre(s):	slash
Fandom(s):	Star Trek: TOS
Relationship(s):	Kirk/Spock
External Links:
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Voyages is a Kirk/Spock story by Patricia Roe.

It was published in T'hy'la #21.

Summary

"The events of Star Trek III and IV, from a K/S perspective. After Spockʼs death, Kirk comes to understand and accept his feelings for Spock as they recover his body, go through the fal tor pan, go back in time to save Earth and then finally come together in love."

Reactions and Reviews

If I had to pick one favorite time period or scenario in K/S, The Search for Spock is it. I think this story doesn't have much that's particularly

new—it just shows us behind the scenes, or more depth in the scenes—but it didn't fail to move me as I pictured these wonderful older men as Patricia gives them to us here, satisfyingly written.

My one complaint about the writing is the use of a lot of past-perfect tense. Scenes of what they "had" done are interspersed with present scenes; or else in the same scene. This tense is, of course, useful and sometimes necessary, but I felt there was too much of it here. Scenes of present action would be so much more dramatic, even if brief. The "had" thing is so much "told not shown." The beginningshows Kirk restless at night, thinking of his years withSpock, how he'd been so blindto how they could have been together. This is a good place to open the story, and here it's necessary to have past-perfect stuff, in his thoughts. But having a couple pages of it seems to set the tone for the story, so that I was overly aware the whde rest of the time of the "had" passages.

I want to point out that I'm talking about the past-perfect tense more than once because it's an interesting (to me, anyway) aspect of writing. But I'd rather you write any wonderful-feeling K/S than worry overly about this or anything else. I really liked this story, I want to also point out more than once.

We're told how it was when he had melded with Sarek just before the story opened. It's true this lacks immediate drama; however, it's all so good, Kirk's thoughts, and we're not deprived of his feelings, not at all.

Another thing is a personal opinion: that the narrator of these tales should use "Kirk," not "Jim." Patrida often uses Jim.

Then they're on the way to Genesis. Really nice scene between Kirk and McCoy, regarding Spock's katra and such. Then we skip to the Bird of Prey, leaving Genesis. I don't mind this at all, not being shown the action that we all know by heart from the movie; but still, there was a feeling here of being told more "had" stuff. But then there's another really lovely scene with Kirk and McCoy over an unconscious Spock, on their way to Vulcan. Talking about this second chance. I could quote many lines from this story that were particularly beautiful and moving. In the things Patricia has them say, especially Kirk, visualizing the characters is made very easy. Kirk, the thoughtful, sensitive, suffering older man. Beautiful. That's a talent with dialogue.

Then the "Jim...your name is Jim" scene. Sigh. But the Vulcan masters take Spock away to Gol; and then there's a scene about Sarek and Starfleet charges, etc., and two months pass. Kirk keeps going to Gol to try and see Spock, but is never allowed in.

"And finally Spock had been released." Sorry, but I want to point out how many scenes begin like this. Spock's being released wasn't that far into the past of this scene, the rest of which was present; it could have been shown. I know it's more work to write out all these scenes—and I know we don't want to write them all out—but the problem here probably was that there was too much of this. Also, sometimes the troubles that were spelled out in a scene would then be resolved off camera, and we'd come into the next scene with everything resolved.

Wonderful scene back in the San Frandsco of the past—Kirk's joy at having Spock back. Sweet banter. Here, I love "banter," because that's close to what we saw them actually doing. Back in the present, there are scenes about Starfleet, the public, the crew at a hotel; these seemed to be "unnecessary" details. But finally, Kirk and Spock go off to Kirk's apartment. This is absolutely wonderful. I love how Kirk is now nervous and babbling...and Spock pulls him into his arms and kisses him. Whew. And what Spock says afterwards. This was written with just the right words and tone to transmit just the right feelings to this reader- romantic and erotic both. Can't do better than that.

I also "bought" them having words a bit later, anger coming out. It's certainly not out of the question that both of them would have some bitterness over their past, and even some conflict over their attitudes now that they are finally together. This is really good. Especially Spock's gorgeous heartbreaking words about when he died.

Then beautiful scenes in bed, first just sleeping, exhausted...and then when they wake up the next day. This is hot, and beautiful. And clever, insightful charader depiction. More really great Spock lines. I think Patricia expresses both Kirk and Spock in a really nice way. There are in this story the kinds of lines I won't soon forget, things that turn me on much to see/hear them say to each other.

Ah, and the very end, the scene when Kirk and Spock leave together after the court-martial hearing. This is wonderful K/S.

Voyages by Patricia Roe is a 16 page story. This story basically cover some of the events in the movies of STAR TREK 3 and 4. It starts soon after Sarek's meld with Kirk and Kirk discovers that Spock did love him and want him as t'hy'la. The events happen pretty quickly, and about page ten we get to some sex with Spock taking the initiative. There's some nice dialogue and description throughout this story. You feel these people are really Spock, Kirk, McCoy and Sarek I basically enjoyed the story and have no complaints.

A lovely, emotion-filled story surrounding the events of STIII and Spock's rebirth and return.

Kirk learns that McCoy holds Spock's katra. He also realizes that Spock had wanted to bond with him and that Sarek knew it.

Throughout this story, Patricia does a beautiful job of creating atmosphere—the surroundings and the feelings that these places evoke. She also does a terrific job in showing us an older Kirk and Spock—they are so true-to-form—older and more mature, but still filled with passion.

One example of her evocative atmosphere is in the beginning of the story where Kirk is in his San Francisco apartment, unable to sleep because of thoughts of Spock.

"...translucent gauze billowed in a soft breeze at the open window" and "A foghorn sounding in the distance, echoing his depressed mood, and he gazed out unseeingly into the night." Kirk is tortured by thoughts of what he missed with Spock and how he ignored Spock's feelings for him.

Patricia does a wonderful melding of "actual" dialogue with the story. I love this type of K/S story-telling where the dialogue and events are combined into K/S...

[snipped]

Then a haunting scene on Vulcan when Spock's katra is back in his body. The Vulcan's want to take Spock away to retrain him despite Sarek's and Kirk's protests. So they wait for two months on Vulcan until Spock is ready to go with them. The story continues weaving the events of STVI with K/S and some parts are done very well, especially the scenes in the San Francisco apartment where they talk and share their feelings. However the parts that only recount what happened—telling things—do not add anything to the story. But in KinVs apartment—so many beautiful, wonderful moments. This is the heart of the story.

An emotional Spock expresses himself to Kirk in such a painful and poignant way, I could repeat the entire scene here—it was all gorgeous K/S....

[snipped]

Another talent that Ms. Roe has is with descriptions of the environment that create a mood for the scene. Sometimes just a few perfect words of description can set the tone. "A late afternoon sun was filtering through the gauze curtains when the sounds of downtown San Francisco at work and play roused Jim from the deepest sleep he had had for months."

Beautiful.

A few missteps: I agree with some of Kathy Stanis' comments in her review in February such as the overuse of past-perfect tense and the narrator using "Jim" instead of "Kirk".

Concerning the latter, I know some may disagree, but for me (and others) the use of "Kirk" melts into the background, while "Jim" is pointed up. Spock can call Kirk "Jim", but when the narrator does, it's jarring.

But...I loved so much about this story. I loved Kirk telling Spock about pizza. I loved Spock's explanation about "temporal physics" concerning the time it'd take to set things right.

I loved the end: "And finally, Jim and Spock's eyes met in a mixture of elation and relief. Command of a starship. They had it all. Everything. Each other—and the stars.

This is one gorgeous story.

From the time Kirk realized who held Spock’s Katra until he awaited Spock at the end of their Court Martial— it’s all covered here. While it’s done quite well and fills in a lot of gaps, it didn’t pack the emotional wallop I would have expected. We do see the terrible soul-deep weariness that we know must have overtaken Kirk after the Fal Tor Pan. He gave up everything of value to him to save his Vulcan, only to have him spirited away for an undisclosed amount of time with the cold masters of Gol. Gives me shivers. Perhaps I felt shorted for the same reasons Kirk did— the lack of contact between them. I did love Kirk’s taking an air car each day to the monastery where he stood in the fierce heat and stared at the forbidding stone walls. It clutched at my heart when he finally gave in to his feelings and stood with his hands flattened against the building’s baked exterior in a desperate attempt at some sort of contact with his other half. When the real contact comes, in Kirk’s apartment as they await trial, it is accompanied by a great deal of aggressiveness from Spock. Something I didn’t expect and wasn’t sure how to take. I’m never sure how to take a Spock who is sexually aggressive. It was a steamy, exciting reunion filled with promise for the future.

A well-written series of scenes from The Search for Spock and The Voyage Home, emphasizing Kirk's regrets about not having pursued the issue of a deeper relationship with Spock, and the separation enforced by the Gol masters after the fal-tor-pan. As in the movies, the story lightens up nicely on the Voyage Home. When the two at last find themselves alone, Kirk discovers that Amanda has successfully included her own ideas into Spock's retraining, and Spock is again well aware of and accepting of his feelings for Kirk.