Hello, all :) Here's a Star Trek fic for ya. Now I must thank Warrior717 for her help with this. Without her, this story would most likely have been buried at the bottom of my hardrive, gathering dust. So, if any one of you needs a beta reader, I highly recommend her :)
Anyways, I simply cannot believe that Vulcans, being desert dwellers, are somehow completely unaffected by the total opposite of their normal environment, despite their meditation techniques, hence why this story was born. I hope you enjoy :)
Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or its characters.
Captain James T. Kirk was a man of many talents, but on some occasions it didn't seem to matter just how much of a sweet talker he could be, or that he'd cheated on the Kobayashi Maru test. Some diplomatic talks were just doomed to fail, like the one currently in progress for instance.
Kirk squinted at the large, looming aliens standing before him, currently herding them back towards the wall. The universal translators were useless as the lead alien's words blurred into a long string of unintelligible gibberish the more aggressive he became, and Kirk could barely make out a thing in the dark. The indigenous life forms preferred the least amount of light as possible, due to their original evolutionary status as underwater dwellers.
A loud noise like hydraulics firing up sounded behind him, making him jump in alarm, before he was pushed out of an airlock door and found himself falling through the air, the round alien construction he'd been standing in moments before moving further and further away.
He briefly heard the startled sounds of his crew members falling around him, before his body connected to water in a loud splash.
For a moment, everything became a chaotic blur of blue—water rushing in his ears—before he finally found his way up to the surface.
He gasped in a large breath of air, sucking in the heavily oxygenated atmosphere, before shifting his gaze to the choppy waters surrounding him. He saw the telltale red shirt of a security ensign rise to the surface to the left of him, before the bright gold of Mr. Sulu rose to his right.
"Everyone alright?" he asked, breathlessly.
Sulu nodded at him confidently, if a little startled, while the young security ensign who had come with them voiced a quick, "Fine, sir."
"Mr. Spock?" He turned a circle behind him, looking for the familiar mop of dark hair. When he didn't see anything, his face immediately pulled in puzzlement. "Mr. Spo—"
Kirk gasped as he was suddenly grabbed from below, hands clinging to his legs and torso with bruising force as he was momentarily pulled under the water.
He immediately kicked out instinctively, trying to remove the constricting grip preventing him from paddling successfully, and his legs collided with something solid. Startled, he looked down through the water.
He wasn't prepared for what greeted him.
Spock was desperately clinging to him, floundering under the water, eyes uncharacteristically wide as he struggled not to sink. The extra weight of the heavy Vulcan pulled Kirk down under the water, and he made a noise of alarm as he fell further below the surface.
Shocked, he kicked and paddled, as Spock crawled further up his torso, clinging to his shoulders in a death grip. Struggling to take in the situation, Kirk had the urge to yell, running on insufficient breath himself, before Sulu suddenly dived in under the water, and placed his arms around them both. The ensign soon followed, and together they hauled them up, pushing towards the surface.
They all took in a deep breath as the surface of the water once again greeted them.
Spock coughed and choked, spitting out water and desperately attempting to breathe in fresh air as the three of them held him up as he clung to Kirk.
"Spock?!" Kirk yelled once he'd caught his breath. The Vulcan was shivering all over—while he held him with an arm round his back—almost as if the three of them were the only thing holding him up between life and death.
Kirk patted him on the back as Spock began to cough again, before he appeared to slowly calm down, bringing back his control.
"C—Captain," Spock stuttered, as he continued to shake, his bangs wet and plastered to his face. Kirk had never seen a Vulcan look more miserable. "I apologise. V—Vulcans cannot swim. Our s—skeletal structure is too d—dense to remain buoyant for long."
Kirk felt a wave of shock and pity flow through him, as Sulu gave him a look of alarmed concern. He deflated. "No, no, there's no need to apologise, Mr. Spock. You have nothing to be sorry for."
"Vulcan's are desert creatures, sir," piped up the ensign. "They don't cope well in wet environments."
Oh, Kirk thought, and he briefly closed his eyes in dismay as realisation hit him.
When he opened them again, he took in their situation, surrounded on each side by vast, deep ocean water, with the one Vulcan (also now a member of an endangered species) held aloft between them.
"Ensign,"
"Yes, sir."
"Try and contact the ship and get us beamed out." The man looked startled and gave him a concerned look. "Sulu and I will keep a hold of Mr. Spock," he explained further.
"Aye, sir," the ensign nodded, and carefully extracted himself, reaching to his belt and pulling out his communicator, hailing the ship. It was lucky they'd made the damn things waterproof.
Kirk looked back at Spock, who was held between them. His face had taken on a light green tinge, and his eyes stared off into the middle distance—unfocused. Kirk felt a sinking feeling in his gut. They needed to get to warmth soon.
Spock needed Bones's healing expertise.
"Sir, they're not responding. The natives must be blocking us. It appears they want us dead, sir."
Kirk opened his mouth and closed it again, before repeating the process, absolutely speechless. Sometimes space could be the most hostile of places. And even now, the wetness of the water lapping at them, soaking through their clothes, and the effort of paddling to keep them upright, was getting to him.
"Did you try to boost the signal?"
"Yes, sir. No effect."
"Damn," Kirk grumbled, before hoisting Spock higher against his shoulder. His mind was a whirl as he went through all the possible survival techniques he'd learned during command training, only to come up short. There was no way to beam out, no contact with the ship, and no current way to rig up something that might work from the devices they already had in their position. There wasn't even any debris to cling onto...
If he didn't think it would lower crew morale, he may have said some very colourful swear words by now.
"Captain."
Kirk started at his first officer's word, directing his focus back on the shivering Vulcan. He was pointing, one long finger raised, aiming vaguely off towards the distance.
"What is it, Spock?" he asked, giving the Vulcan his full attention.
"L-land, Captain." Spock stuttered.
"Land?! Where?" Kirk turned around, staring off in the indicated direction, but felt dismayed as all he saw was more ocean. "I can't see anything, Spock."
"I can, Captain. Vulcan eyes are significantly superior to humans. There is land in that direction."
Kirk turned back around, staring off into the middle distance where the Vulcan had been pointing to. Could there really be land out there? He looked to Sulu and the security ensign for assistance.
"Well, I think we should do as he says. He might be right, and if so, it could be our only option," said Sulu. The ensign nodded in agreement.
Kirk took a few deep breaths as he took in the distance, before making up his mind.
"Ok, but it's gonna be a long journey. You'd better be right, Mr. Spock. You'd better be right."
He twisted around, attempting to move Spock into more of a floating position, despite the fact that he kept sinking.
Sulu grabbed Spock round the middle, trying to hold the Vulcan up, while Kirk eased Spock's head back towards his chest, attempting to wind his arm around his first officer's neck, under his chin, to keep his head out of the water.
He placed a hand behind the Vulcan's head, and began to tug backwards, as they started to swim as a group towards the horizon.
The fact that Spock was not protesting, worried him.
Nearly four long hours later, Kirk, Sulu, and the trusty ensign finally made it to the edge of a swampy, marshy landscape, coming right up out from the ocean.
The first moment the thick mud had reached Kirk's feet, he hadn't been able to repress a large sigh of relief. They had been at their wit's end.
Kirk marched up the mucky incline, pulling the Vulcan with him as he used up his last dregs of strength to get them to shore.
Finally reaching a relatively dry patch of earth, Kirk lay the now disturbingly limp, unconscious Vulcan gently to the ground, one hand supporting the back of his first officer's neck so as not to jostle him, before collapsing to the side himself a second later. He was exhausted. His chest heaved in rough pants and his limbs felt like lead as he basked in the relief of solid ground behind his back.
He could hear the sounds of Sulu and the ensign doing relatively the same thing around him, as they dragged themselves up out of the ocean.
Time seemed to drift as he lay there. It could have been thirty minutes or up to an hour, as the mildly warm sun brushed his face. So far from home, and yet that golden sight was one he was always familiar with.
Finally pulling himself up from his exhaustion, he slowly rolled over onto his side, his limbs numb and tingling. At least they'd survived, he thought. It was one thing he and his crew seemed to do best under any situation, and he prided himself in that knowledge. He really did have the best crew in the fleet, a crew who would be searching for them right now, as they could always be relied upon even in the direst of circumstances to do.
Kirk glanced over at Spock from where he laid beside him, and his positive outlook dropped.
Feeling a wave of determination, he scrambled unsteadily up onto his hands and knees and began to unstrap the small emergency backpack from his makeshift away team suit. Zipping it open with shaking fingers, he began to frantically pour everything out. Seeing what he needed, he grabbed a small package and began to unfold it, revealing a blanket equipped with thermal plastic ready for use.
Taking one more concerned look at his dripping wet first officer, he dismissed the possible repercussions of a flustered, embarrassed Vulcan and smothered the blanket over Spock, tucking it in under his chin. Spock remained deathly still.
Beginning to panic, he whipped drops of water from his own brow, before placing his hand to the Vulcan's neck. He jumped at the startling, unnatural cold of the clammy skin, before his fingers sought out the Vulcan's throat, searching for a pulse.
He wished he'd listened to Bones's constant complaining on Vulcan anatomy when he felt the super fast beating under his fingertips, his brows furrowing in uncertainty.
He was startled as there was the squelch of movement beside him, and another set of fingers came to rest beside his on the Vulcan's throat.
"His pulse is too slow," came out of the ensign's mouth, before the man momentarily lifted the blanket back, and placed his hands over Spock's chest, feeling. "And he's having difficulty breathing. This thick, humid air is too moist for him. Vulcan lungs can be quite sensitive if the level of moisture reaches too high."
Kirk stared in bewilderment as the ensign reached into the small medkit, pulled out a hypo, keyed in the settings he wanted and consequently pressed it to the Vulcan's neck.
Spock gasped, sucking in a large lungful of air as his eyes snapped open, before he coughed, spitting out some excess water.
He panted, quickly stabilising his breathing, before looking up.
"Captain?" he queried, his eyes taking several seconds to focus. Kirk saw an odd, clear film creep over them as he squinted. The ensign seemed unfazed.
Kirk sighed. "Yes, Spock. Good to have you back with us. You had me concerned there for a minute."
The Vulcan just stared back at him blankly, and Kirk gave up on getting a response, instead gazing back at the now rather shy-looking ensign.
"Since when did you become a physician, I thought you were in security?"
The young man blushed, his cheeks going a shade of pink.
"Ugh, I studied Vulcan anatomy, sir, after the destruction of their planet."
Kirk paused momentarily to comprehend this, before his lips quirked up in a smile.
"You saw a planet die, along with most of its members, and your first reaction was to learn basic Vulcan anatomy in case you ever happened to come across one of the members of that endangered species in need of help, am I right?"
The ensign blushed harder and looked down, while Spock watched on in fascination. "Yes, sir."
Kirk's mouth opened in a large grin, his eyes smiling, as he gave the ensign a firm slap on his back. "Good man! Remind me to give you a promotion."
The ensign's eyes widened in shock, before a shy smile made its way slowly onto his face.
"T—Thank you, sir." He stuttered.
"No problem." He pulled a questioning face. "What's your name?"
"Flynn, sir. Flynn McGregor."
"Well, Flynn, you're now in charge of making sure our resident Vulcan stays well. How are you feeling, Mr. Spock?"
"Better, Captain. Much more satisfactory than three point seven minutes ago, for which I understand I have Mr. McGregor to thank." He gave the ensign a small nod in acknowledgment, which was returned.
"Good. That's good, Mr. Spock."
There was a rustle behind them, and Kirk turned to see Sulu emerging from the vegetation, a large amount of long leaves balanced in his arms.
"I thought I'd take the liberty of collecting materials for shelter. It's going to be dark soon, and I'm not sure any of us want to be sleeping in the mud." His lips curled up in a small smirk at the end, as he dumped the pile onto the ground next to where they sat.
"Mr. Sulu, you never cease to surprise me," said Kirk.
"Just always the unexpected, sir. But seriously, this planet's going to get very wet at night, and if we want to at least attempt to stay dry we're going to need them."
Kirk nodded, before reaching to his belt and unhitching his communicator.
"Kirk to Enterprise, come in Enterprise. This is Captain Kirk to Enterprise, do you read me?"
Nothing but static came through the small device as Kirk frowned.
"We do not know the range of which the interrupter spans. It may be possible that if we travel far enough we might be able to outreach its limits, since the natives most likely would not have expected us to survive the initial impact with the water."
"No. That's true, Mr. Spock, but how do we know that they haven't just blocked transmissions from the entire planet?"
"That is also a possibility, but judging by the race's lack of interplanetary contact so far, it is unlikely."
"It's too late to travel further now, though. I don't think I could walk another few metres, let alone a mile. And you need rest."
Spock inclined his head, "Understandable, Captain, but I must remind you the night will not be pleasant."
"Yeah, I know, Spock." Kirk nodded and closed his eyes. "But we're just gonna have to tough it out. I'm sure we can handle one night. We've all had survival training. I guess this is just another chance to put that training to the test."
Kirk smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.
The sun had reached a low point on the horizon and the air had become almost chokingly thick with fog. And if it was bad for them, then it was even worse for the Vulcan.
Spock had laid down under his blanket and meditated in an attempt to raise his body temperature and somewhat dry himself off, but every now and then Kirk could hear the intermittent coughs, slowly growing in frequency, coming from his direction. Flynn had lifted the blanket and shifted it further over the Vulcan's head, attempting to block out most of the moisture, but it didn't stop it all.
They had a small, square-shaped solar powered heater they'd charged up in the last rays of the sun placed in the middle of the makeshift camp, and they'd passed out small heat packs between the four of them to use throughout the night.
Sulu was curled up under his blanket on one side of the mound of earth they'd perched themselves on, while Flynn was set up next to the Vulcan so he could keep a close eye on him.
Kirk himself was situated on the other side of Spock, in an attempt to keep the Vulcan warm and dry, for what good it would do in this sort of environment. Kirk was already soaked through from the high moisture levels in the air, just from sitting up next to the heater.
"Captain, are you going to have a ration?" Sulu asked, holding out a bar of something and a packet containing a dry, pre-prepared meal.
"In a minute," Kirk replied, looking back out as the very last dregs of light disappeared on the horizon, the light from their lamps and torches beginning to illuminate the area. "Has Spock eaten?"
"Not yet, Captain. There is a Vulcan meal from his pack, but it needs preparing."
Kirk looked around in interest as Sulu handed it to him, and squinted at the instructions.
Grabbing a water bottle, he opened the packet, and began to pour some in as instructed. It was a brown powder, and began to turn into what looked like some sort of soup as he mixed it up, simultaneously warming it over the heater.
Getting up, he moved and sat next to the Vulcan, poking him in the side when it was done.
"Psst, Spock. Wake up. It's time for dinner."
Kirk watched as the Vulcan blinked his eyes open, coming out of his trance. There it was again, shimmering in the torchlight, that extra film over his eyes. Kirk frowned as he swore he'd seen it earlier, but dismissed it for now.
Spock continued to blink rapidly in the fog, before his eyes settled on him.
"I apologise, Captain, I am having difficulty seeing through this fog. My eyes are not accustomed to such intense moisture, and I believe my inner eyelids are attempting to compensate." He blinked a few more times.
Kirk smiled. "So I wasn't imagining things," he said.
"No, Captain."
"Right." Kirk continued to stare at the oddity for several seconds, before snapping out of it. "Umm, I've brought you your dinner."
"Evidently, Captain, as that is what you previously suggested you'd done, although you did not need to prepare it for me."
"Well, Mr. Spock, that's what friends are for."
The Vulcan blinked, before Kirk realised he was holding his hand out in preparation for receiving the packet.
"Oh!" Kirk started, handing it over.
Spock's eyebrows shot up as his fingers closed around the package.
"It is warm," he stated.
Now it was Kirk's turn to blink. "Well, yeah. I warmed it up over the heater for you—"
"That was not required. It is not stated in the instructions that you—"
"Yeah, yeah, I know, I just thought you'd be more comfortable with it warm."
There were several long moments where it was quiet.
"Thank you, Captain."
Kirk looked up in alarm from where he'd taken to awkwardly fiddling with his boots.
Spock had already turned away and was busy tucking into his meal, using the attached plastic spoon, but he'd heard it all the same.
Kirk smiled. "No problem, Spock."
"Captain! Commander!"
Both Kirk and Spock looked over at the sound of their names called in such urgency, to see Ensign Flynn desperately looking up at the sky in awe.
"Look!"
Kirk's eyes trailed up to the sky, and he immediately stood up, his mouth hanging open.
"No way..."
The entire atmosphere of the planet was glowing in swirling shades of blue. They danced along the sky as if being pulled by great cosmic winds, the strands sparkling as they curled around each other before eventually burning up on the horizon.
"Oh, my," came Sulu's voice, as he slowly sat up from his tangle of blankets.
"Fascinating," Spock quietly inputted.
It was like some epic version of the Earth's northern and southern lights. Only blue, and very amplified. The thick fog in the atmosphere seemed to catch the light, making it look like a sky full of fairy dust.
"This system's sun, it must—"
"Bombard the planet with a heavy amount of charged particles. The planet's exceptionally strong magnetic field evidently deflects it all, resulting in a rather—"
"Spectacular display. Yes, Mr. Spock."
Spock closed his mouth and looked at Kirk.
"My choice of words would not have been "spectacular", but rather—"
"Yes, yes, Mr. Spock. I know."
Spock gave him a blank look.
"But we all accept that what you really meant to say was "spectacular"."
Kirk stared at him with a deadpan expression. He struggled not to laugh as the telltale eyebrow rose in response, but the Vulcan remained quiet at his provoking, gazing back up at the incredible show of nature before them.
"This is so worth the damp and wet," Fynn whispered softly on the air.
"Indeed," replied Spock.
Kirk slowly moved to turn the lights out and tuck himself into his makeshift bed, lying back so he could gaze up at the millions of stars, mixed with the continuous, ever-changing blue light.
He held a hand up into the air through the fog as it sparkled, reflecting wisps of neon light.
Looking out over the water was a pure phenomenon.
Gazing to his side, he looked over his resting crewmembers, seeing them all gazing up in awe at the sky. Sulu rolled up in his blanket, and Flynn sitting diligently on the other side of Spock, keeping a careful watch out. The Vulcan was staring at the light with a barely restrained raw fascination. A look of pure wonderment and excited glee held just below the surface on his face. Like a child wrapped in complete amazement. Kirk couldn't help but smile.
"Night, Spock," he whispered.
He heard the rustle as Spock turned towards him, his eyes glinting in the dark, before he softly replied.
"Goodnight, Captain."
He couldn't help it as a smile graced his lips, as he began to drift off into sleep.
"Captain!"
Kirk started as he was shaken from sleep, to be met with the bright morning sun shining in his eyes, and Ensign McGregor leaning over him.
"It's time to wake up."
Looking over at his surroundings, Kirk sat up.
The fog had cleared greatly overnight, creating a much crisper and clearer view of the landscape, and the rest of the away party were already up.
He rubbed his eyes. It would seem he had slept in.
"The sun's rising higher in the sky, and we've agreed that it would be a good idea to leave soon and try and find a signal before midday."
"Right, that's a good plan," Kirk said, stretching and trying to get up, clearing the haze from his brain. "How is everyone?"
Sulu was currently folding up his blanket, putting everything away in his survival pack. It seemed Flynn had already done his, while Spock was surprisingly still curled up under his blanket, eating a ration bar. At closer glance, Kirk could see the paleness of Spock's skin, along with the light green tinge still covering his face. It was more pronounced in the harsh light of day.
Kirk felt a small part of his stomach sink. The long dip in the pond and the dampness of the fog had done more of a number on the Vulcan than he'd thought.
"We're ok, although I had to give Commander Spock a few more shots during the night, and create a makeshift cloth to put over his face, but the fog's mostly cleared now. I thought it best we get moving while we can."
Kirk felt guilty that he hadn't been aware of any of this going on as he'd slept, but he was glad the man had been there for his friend.
"Ok, I'll just quickly pack up and get some breakfast, and then we can get a move on. How are you feeling, Spock?"
"I am adequate, Captain," was the reply.
Kirk nodded.
They sludged through the swamp for what felt like miles, heading for what they hoped was inland.
Kirk and Flynn stayed close to Spock, in an attempt to keep him as dry as possible, making sure he didn't stumble on the muddy, slimy ground and fall into the cool wet, while Sulu scouted ahead, keeping an eye out for dangers and waving his communicator around in search of a signal.
"Captain, I do not require the assistance of you or Ensign McGregor at this time; I am quite capable of walking by myself."
"Yes, we know, Mr. Spock. Just better safe than sorry. We don't need you getting any more wet and cold than you've already been."
Spock turned a stoic face on him as they trudged through a significantly thick patch of mud.
"I appreciate the concern, Captain, although it is unnecessary," the Vulcan said defiantly.
"Yeah, yeah. Course, Spock," Kirk answered.
"Whoaaa, everyone slow down."
Kirk looked up as Sulu put out a hand, telling them to stay put.
"Do you taste that?"
"What is it, Sulu?" Kirk queried.
"On the air, it tastes like..." Sulu giggled slightly before putting a hand over his mouth. "Nitrous Oxide."
Kirk barely had time to respond as the Vulcan suddenly began to fall. He quickly grabbed Spock's arms and hauled him up as he moaned.
"What were you saying, Spock," Kirk said, before a laugh forced its way out of his throat against his will.
There was a conglomeration of unusual native plants growing ahead of them, and it wasn't hard to guess where the gas was coming from, as the metallic taste in the air strengthened.
They all turned and began to move out of the way, getting out of the path of the gas.
Kirk grabbed the unconscious Vulcan and began to lift him up, struggling to drape him over his back and run in a desperate attempt to get them both away from the Nitrous Oxide: a substance drastically harmful to Vulcans, especially in large amounts.
"Damn, this planet really hates Vulcans," he murmured under his breath, as he panted through uncontrollable laughing and feelings of amusement.
For his logical friend's sake, he was beginning to hate this planet.
The shadows were beginning to lengthen as the sun lowered in the sky, when the miraculous burst of static finally came over the communicator.
"Captain Kirk, is that you?"
Kirk sighed in relief at the voice of Scotty over the communicator, and slouched slightly, Spock still draped on his back, knees held by Kirk's hands and head resting over his shoulder. The Vulcan had begun to shiver again.
Flynn walked ahead, leaning on Sulu, a large cut down his leg from where he'd fallen into a muddy hole.
The Vulcan had remained passed out in reaction to the organic gas coming from the large group of native plants. Kirk had only just managed to get the Vulcan away from the affected area, before he'd laid him down on the ground, trying to revive him. When it was clear Spock wasn't going to wake up, he'd wrapped an arm around his waist, and hauled him back onto his back, opting to carry his first officer the rest of the way. Leaving his friend behind was not an option.
"Scotty! Oh, is it good to hear your voice." He breathed.
"Aye, sir, I'd imagine it would be. Ya been down in that wasteland for far too long."
Kirk smiled. "Tell me about it. It's been a long journey. Four to beam up, Scotty."
"Aye, sir. Right away!"
Kirk sighed as the weightlessness of the transporter beam enveloped him and his passenger, before he found himself standing in the transporter room. He subsequently collapsed to his knees on the pad.
He was briefly aware of McCoy running in their direction, before Spock was being gently removed from his shoulder and laid down on the ground, tricorder buzzing over his body.
"Spock!"
He looked up to see Uhura running to the pad and kneeling next to Spock's form, whom Kirk noticed now had his eyes slightly open. She looked up at him, and he gave her a tired smile.
She returned it, as if saying thank you for returning him safely, before leaning over Spock and talking quietly to him as McCoy did his work. She then moved forward and gave him a kiss.
Kirk watched as the couple kissed a few more times as Spock was put on a stretcher and moved away towards sickbay, a nurse fussing over an annoyed Flynn's leg with Sulu sitting next to him in the background, and couldn't help but smile.
At least he'd brought his friends home safely.
Thanks for reading! And if you have a moment, I would really appreciate your feedback. It's very important to a writer :)