Date: 01 Aug 2014 20:17 Title: Chapter 3
So, that Spock and Kirk have agreed that things are bad and the only way to get answers is to put him through something that he’ll probably suffer for. You can see Kirk suffer for this decision but even Spock, in his state, sees the logic in it. He was the first and the only way they’re ever going to get any answers is to find out what happened to Spock at the ruins.
McCoy’s desperate gambit is nasty on a number of levels. Spock’s drug addiction is so acute at this point that the withdrawal will be horrible for him. McCoy’s clearly at wits end and now that the woman he loves is being affected by this, he’s going to go for broke, despite whatever ethical and personal concerns he has for Spock’s well being. The situation as desperate as it is, I agree that this is really the only course of action, but I wonder how long it’ll take Spock to really forgive McCoy. The two have built such a rapport in their time together with Spock in command, I’d hate to see it suffer but I think it will.
The reveal of what the thing is was well done. Chilling to have someone take over your body like that and not be in control. Poor Spock but poor Weller, too. The ending was somber. Lonce bit the dust, which I hadn’t expected at all … poor McCoy.
The dynamic between Spock and Lauren continues to grow very organically and I’m happy to see the two come to some sort of mutual understanding. Now, the question remains how to get Spock off the drug without hurting him worse. His dependence on the drug has got him short tempered and I can’t help but wonder if the worst is yet to come. Spock seems to keep falling into one horrible thing after another … can he manage to avoid the worst in his detox?
Author's Response:
Glad you made it through to the end. Yes, Spock just keeps falling in it over and over, but Lauren always seems to be there to wipe him off or dust him off or do whatever else it takes. Hopefully he will open his eyes and see that she is one of the very best things in his life.
Date: 01 Aug 2014 18:10 Title: Chapter 2
I like the take here on drug addled/addicted Spock, who is a bad, bad man when he wants something. He doesn’t spare any words or actions when he’s undergoing whatever is going on here. The dude unleashes the full power of being a half-Vulcan and it’s quite a sight to behold, made me go “Whoa!” when I saw it. Lauren should have listened to her instincts about getting out of the way, but I can understand why she wanted to stay there: she is a doctor afterall and she is the one who got him hooked on this stuff in the first place. She definitely has some responsibility for his actions.
Spock being super-evil wasn’t too surprising, but seeing Kirk go hardcore on him was. There’s definitely some sort of alien influence going on here, but what is the question. It has to have something to do with that black blood that Lauren tasted when she biting Spock’s lip.
What this is, it seems to be sentient and seems to be jumping around from person to person. Now it’s in the Zaran, which is probably a bad thing seeing as how she’s chief of security. She can use and abuse that position fairly easily I imagine and this thing seems to like to do that.
And the end of the chapter … what’s McCoy about to do?
Author's Response:
Thanks for the comments. Yes, Spock-not-being-himself is very fun to write about. He has all those psychological layers. Is he not being himself or was this really part of him all along? Bad, bad boy! You might try reading "The Darkness and the Rapture" and see how truly bad he can be.
I can see that you started catching on when Kirk got rough with Spock. A bit of Admiral brutality there. But as you say, this thing is worst of all when it happens to the Security Chief. She can and does abuse her authority.
Date: 01 Aug 2014 17:27 Title: Chapter 1
Ah, McCoy. You capture his southern charm perfectly here in this initial opening. He was really crooning over this one here, wasn’t he? And the lady friend he was with was totally feeling those vibes he was sending out. Not familiar with the Zaran species, but they sound a bit Deltan to me.
And then we have Kirk who’s complaining about McCoy having a love interest? That’s the pot calling the kettle black there, eh Admiral? But, despite whatever Kirk’s feelings, Spock’s got himself into some deep trouble. The deep kind of trouble that could end his career. Murder? But he evidence is pretty damning and the lack of Spock’s memory is almost as damning.
Kirk is put in a tough place here, but I have to question why he let Spock go down on the landing party anyway. He’s still recovering from his near-death experience, one, and two he’s an addict. The dude is barely fit for duty, really, but I suppose Jim thought that Spock needed to feel useful.
But Spock’s actions look pretty damning with those memory lapses. He ends up on the bridge, ordering people to leave the planet, and yet doesn’t seem to recall? Does Spock have a body double mucking around? Were this another era of Trek, I’d cite the Founders, but this is way before them.
And the psycho-tricorder thing … yikes. Only Darkness. Ominous to say the least.
Author's Response:
It was nice to give the good doctor a love interest for a change. I got the Zaran species from a wonderful novel by Marshak and Culbreath called "Triangle". The females go into a mode called "Mate hunt" when their hormones are stirred up. They strip off practically all their clothes, freeing sensors in their skin that lead them to their potential mate. In McCoy's case, I guess she would have to pursue him through the ship. If they ever reached this point, it would have made for some interesting images. But I don't think McCoy would have played very hard to get.
Maybe Kirk was a wee bit jealous that this gorgeous Zaran was interested in Bones, instead of him.
Yes, I think Kirk let his feelings for Spock unduly influence him. No matter how much Spock pressured him to join the landing party, it was not such a great idea. But it has yet to be proven that the damning assault has any connection to Spock's little problem.