A visit to Tartaurus
Thonius was on his way home from work. It was a cold, dark night and his family was in the back seat. The roads were really foggy and it was difficult to see what was ahead. On his way around the corner, a dark silhouette interrupted the gray fog. Thonius had little time to swerve and, while he didn't hit the shape head on, he did hit it very hard. Thonius pulled over with a screech. He jumped out of the car and saw the damage to the side. Whatever he had hit, it had been large. Perhaps it was a bas'cus (similar to the terran deer). Thonius looked through the back window where his wife sat looking shocked. His son was wide-eyed. Thonius told them both to stay and went back to see what he had hit. There was a form similar to that of his own lying on the road.
"Oh God." Thonius whispered as he ran over to the form. Flipping it over he discovered that it wasn't a Tartaurian, as he had thought, but a being similar to him in shape with pointed ears and an arch swept brow. The creature was holding his chest and gasping for breath. Thonius's wife was suddenly at his side.
"Tia, I told you to stay in the car." His wife made a sign for forgiveness but not for disobeying her husband, instead for the poor injured creature in front of her. Ti'lonius, their son, came over. He looked scared.
"Father, did we hit a demon?" he whispered. Thonius nodded.
"Help me get him into the car."
"But father, helping a demon is a crime punishable by death!" Ti'lonius objected. Tia cuffed him on the head.
"We don't leave injured creatures on the side of the road, demon or no." she scolded. Ti'lonius nodded and helped load the demon gently into the car. He then gathered into the front with his father, while Tia sat in the back comforting the demon with kind words. He attempted to speak through his painful gasps.
"Jim…Help… me." The demon moaned.
"Shhh, relax," Tia nurtured. The demon didn't attempt to speak again. Upon arrival at their abode, Tia made as to carry the demon inside. Thonius shook his head.
"It is said that allowing a demon into the house is bad luck. Put him in the barn." Tia nodded her consent and carried the demon around to the barn. Thonius left her to her work and went inside, but Ti'lonius stayed to help. Together, they removed the demons shirts and felt the wound. His arm and several of his ribs were broken and he had a gash across his stomach. Tia and Ti'lonius set upon their work.
Spock awoke and attempted to sit up. A wave of nausea caused him to lay back down quickly.
He was on top of a bed made of grasses and under a blanket so thin it was almost useless. Spock shivered, causing pain to shoot up his arm and down his torso. A gasp escaped through Spock's lips before he could catch himself.
"Hello?" a feminine voice queried. Spock looked up and saw a humanoid face looking down at him. 'She is most likely a Tartaurian.' Thought Spock. That's when he noticed he was trapped by a mesh wire fence that surrounded what looked a lot like a stable stall. The female tartaurian continued.
"Do you understand me?" She wondered. Spock nodded,
"Yes, I understand your language, but not why I am in a cage." Spock replied, unusually short of breath.
"You are a demon. We cannot trust you." The woman responded.
"I am no demon." Spock deadpanned. The woman smiled.
"I was sure you would say that. Here." She opened the stall and returned with a picture, which she showed to Spock. The picture depicted 4-5 Vulcans crawling out of a smoking hole.
"Your kind fell from the sky in a metal tube. The tube was destroyed, but several of you survived. We cared for you and greeted you with open arms and you met us with cold indifference. We then swore to shun you like the demons you are."
"Yet you tended to my wounds…" Spock murmured.
"Yes. We didn't want to be responsible for anyone's death, not even a demon." The woman replied. Spock inhaled deeply.
"What happened to the other demons?" Spock queried.
"A disease came and wiped them out. Or so we thought." The woman looked Spock up and down. Spock knew what had really happened. The vulcans were studying this planet on a research shuttle. The shuttle wrecked and sent out a distress signal, and the Enterprise was sent to pick up any survivors. Remembering their mission reminded Spock of Kirk. Spock wondered if he was okay, and hoped Kirk didn't worry about him. He hated it when Kirk was upset or worried. Spock took another painful breath.
"Perhaps you would be so kind as to bring me some water, and another blanket?" Spock queried: he was absolutely parched, and FREEZING! The woman nodded and left Spock for a few minutes. She returned with a large water pail, a cup, and a thick quilt. She layed the quilt over Spock and helped him to sit up. The wave of nausea returned and Spock had to fight to keep his Vulcan stoism. The woman filled the little cup from the pail and brought the cup to Spock's lips. He drank greedily, and over half the pail was empty before his thirst was quenched. The woman layed Spock back down and exited the stall.
"Go back to sleep, Demon." She grunted before leaving. Spock closed his eyes and was almost instantly asleep.
Kirk was frantic with worry. Where the Hell was Spock? He sends him to scope out the surroundings and he disappears. Figures. Kirk followed Spock's trail through the woods and came upon a road. He found Spock's phaser. It was crushed and ruined. Cold fear clawed at Kirks stomach. His only hope was that Spock was better off than the sad piece of machinery in his hand. Kirk shivered, but continued his search, following the road towards the town he could see in the distance.
Thonius heard the doorbell ring. He rushed down the stairs and opened the door to find the Aklin (Somewhat akin to a mayor) standing there.
"We have heard that you are harboring a demon in your stables." The Aklin said. Thonius frowned,
"Yes we are." Came a reply from behind Thonius. Ti'lonius was joining the conversation.
"Father hit it with the car. It was badly injured and we brought him home and tended to his wounds." Ti'lonius replied. The Aklin looked at Thonius,
"Is this true?" He queried. Thonius nodded,
"I couldn't leave him there to die. Not while I could help him."
The Aklin looked at Thonius,
"You are kind. I cannot punish you for helping one in need, however, you do need to hand the demon over to us." Thonius agreed,
"He's in the stables."
Spock was awakened by the sound of stable doors opening.
"He's in the third stall." Came a man's voice. Spock endeavored to sit up as his stall door was opened. A Tartaurian male entered. He was holding a thick rope in a noose shape. He made crooning noises as he neared Spock, mistaking Spock's pained gasps for fear.
"Shh, it's okay. We won't hurt you." He said. Spock was too tired and injured to put up much of a fight as the man lowered the rope over Spock's throat. The male pulled it tighter, but not tight enough to choke Spock, and tied it to prevent it from getting larger. He then tugged on the rope roughly. Spock was pulled forward onto his broken arm. Barely stifling a gasp of pain, he struggled to his feet. He pulled the quilt over his shirtless torso to provide warmth. The woman from earlier, who had been watching, nodded at Spock and told the man with the rope that Spock could keep the quilt. The man nodded and Spock thanked her. The rope was jerked again and Spock was pulled out of the stall. Another male with a large tattoo cuffed Spock and he was lead out of the stable. The man with the rope paused to speak with the man who owned the stables.
"Since you seem to be so worried about the demon, I thought you should know that we are putting him by the post if you want to visit." The owner nodded his understanding and gave Spock a pitying look. The look sent chills down Spock's spine, and he feared for his well being. Spock was dragged over to a car and the man with the tattoo pulled out a large metal cage. The rope-bearer indicated that he would like Spock to crawl inside. Spock shook his head,
"I would rather walk." He said.
"This isn't an option, Demon." The male growled, "Just get into the cage." Spock refused. The man with the tattoo pushed Spock's head into the opening and then pushed him in the rest of the way. This made Spock wince with pain and begin gasping again. The interior of the cage was small, so Spock couldn't move much. The rope attached to his neck was tied to the bars of the cage. The two Tartaurians, satisfied that Spock wasn't going to escape, lifted Spock into the back of the car. The man with the tattoo crawled in next to Spock's cage and the former rope-bearer got into the front. The car started forward. After a long, uncomfortable ride, they reached a town. The car pulled up in front of a wooden post in the middle of what looked very much like a town square. It had a metal loop on it and, as soon as Spock was out of the cage, the two males tied him to it. His hands were uncuffed, but Spock couldn't unravel the knot. Exhaustion and pain overcame him and he slid his back down the pole until he hit the ground. He wrapped the quilt around him and watched the tattooed male lay a dog bowl of water and one of vegetables down within reach. He also drew a circle to show where one could stand and be out of Spock's reach. A large group of people soon gathered to see the oddity. The former rope-bearer, who Spock realized was the Aklin, stood in front of the crowd.
"This, my fellow citizens, is the last demon to befoul our dear planet of Tartaurus. We bring it into our town in order to give it a chance to repent before the Paasasole ceremony. Show it how you feel in any way you choose, however I ask that you do no permanent damage to our little beast. Thank you." Spock gulped as the full hatred of the crowd was turned to him. Shouting, rock throwing and much more commenced. Tartautians approached Spock and kicked punched, and jostled him. The shock of their hatred, along with his exhaustion, caused Spock to, basically, short circuit. He lost consciousness, but not before he saw the Aklin smile approvingly.
Kirk was following the road and came upon a small town. Many of the citizens were reading papers and talking about a demon in the neighboring town.
"Spock….." Kirk gasped. He then looked for a ride into the next town. Unsuccessful, he decided to proceed on foot.
Spock awoke the next morning with a cool cloth on his head. He shivered and pulled it off, but wondered who might have been kind enough to help him. He looked down and discovered that his quilt was gone and his pants had ripped down the seams. He was basically sitting there in his briefs. Spock blushed and looked around. The town was still asleep, aside from a fat man at a newsstand. He glared at Spock and so Spock looked away. Spock noticed his water bowl was untouched. He crawled to it and drank heartily. The food bowl had flipped, but Spock at some of the food anyway. It tasted of apples. Spock stood and leaned against the pole to work on the knot. Nothing. As he sat down, his pants ripped the rest of the way, so Spock discarded them into a pile next to his pole. When he turned back around, his quilt was laying on the outside of his circle. Someone had sewn up the holes from his ordeal that night. Spock swore that it hadn't been there earlier, but he was alone on the streets (except for the damned newspaper guy who was still glaring at him… and Spock was sure he didn't fix his blanket…..) Slowly, the streets began to fill with people. Spock wrapped himself in the quilt, partially because of cold, and partially because he was embarrassed to be almost nude in public. Spock coughed loudly, which sent a flash of pain down his chest and caused the gash on his stomach to burn. As the town woke up, people began to notice Spock. Some glared at Spock, and some ignored him. One person threw a shard of glass at Spock, which missed (fortunately). Spock watched the ground in order to avoid eye contact with anyone, but he would occasionally look up. He missed Jim.
Spock was awoken by a group of children. He hadn't realized that he had fallen asleep. The children were poking Spock with a large stick. Spock pushed the stick away, but to no avail. Finally, he jerked the stick away and sat on it. The children cried and ran away. A few minutes later a group of men came and roughed Spock up a bit, stealing back the stick. Spock wasn't surprised when the children returned.
"Demons suck!" One child said. Another nodded,
"Yeh, they're really dumb." Spock's eyebrow rose,
"I am not dumb." He deadpanned. One of the children laughed.
"He really does speak! Let's see if he cries!" They cried. After a thorough beating with a stick (which ended because it was dinnertime…) Spock layed back down, his aching body protesting his every move. He was asleep before he knew it.
Kirk entered the next town. He was walking through the streets, lost when he found a townsperson who asked if he required any assistance.
"Yes, um… I'm looking for the…umm…"
"Demon?" The townsperson finished. Kirk nodded.
"Yeh, we got lots of people coming in looking for him. Can't complain though, it brings in cash." Kirk nodded his agreement and the townsperson sent Kirk in the direction of the town square. Kirk arrived in time to see a doctor bandaging Spock's body. He looked like a mummy. Relief that Spock wasn't dead made Kirk giddy, and he burst into laughter as he made his way over to Spock.
Spock's arm and torso was being re bandaged by a gentle doctor when he heard familiar laughter. He looked up and saw Jim running towards him. Despite his surprise, he managed to keep himself in check. The doctor finished, stood, and turned around. He saw Kirk make as to step into Spock's circle.
"Sir, we ask that all visitors remain outside of this circle. We don't want any injuries." Kirk nodded and stood outside of the circle until the doctor was gone. He then ran in and hugged Spock, who flinched.
"Sorry, forgot you were injured." Spock shrugged,
"Captain? Are you well?" Spock looked Kirk up and down, scanning for injury.
"I'm fine, what about you? You look like a freakin' mummy?"
"It is a long story." Spock looked uncomfortable so Kirk changed the subject.
"How long until the Enterprise picks us up?" He asked.
"60 hours." Spock answered.
"We need to get you out of here." Kirk said. By now the streets were full of people.
"No Jim. They'll get you too." Spock argued. Kirk grudgingly agreed,
"But I can't just leave you."
"Just leave the town. I don't want you to get caught." Spock replied. Kirk nodded,
"Very well. I'll come back after dark?" Kirk asked. Spock nodded,
"That would be most logical." Kirk turned and walked away briskely. It didn't occur to Kirk until he was almost out of the city, but he realized he had forgotten to ask Spock why he had been almost naked…
Spock was basking in the suns with his eyes closed. To the casual passerby, he looked asleep. Suddenly, Spock sensed a presence nearby. Remaining motionless, he felt someone reach down for the bundle that was his pants. Spock reached around and grasped the wrist of the culprit. It was a young girl with brown eyes.
"Oh." She said. Spock noticed that she was holding a bundle in her arms. He let go of her wrists and watched as she backed away, blushing. After a moment, she once again approached Spock's circle, and she grabbed the pants. Spock didn't move. A second later, she tossed Spock the bundle and disappeared into the crowd. When she was gone, Spock picked up the bundle. Unraveling it, he discovered it was composed of a black shirt, a pair of lime green flannel pants, and a ….Sock monkey? Spock wondered if the girl thought he was lonely, and also if she was the one who fixed his quilt. Shrugging, Spock put on the clothing. His only complaint was of the color of the pants. Did they have to be such an ostentatious color? He picked up the sock monkey and squeezed it's tummy with his thumbs. He then layed it in the crook of his broken arm and crawled over to his food and water. After a scant meal of vegetables, he leaned against the pole to watch the town. A minute later, the children from the day before returned with their stick.
"Hey! The demon has a toy!" one yelled.
"I want a sock monkey!" the other cried out. The first child reached to grab the monkey out of Spock's hand, but Spock pulled away. He knew he was being illogical, but the sock monkey was his only reminder that someone cared for his well-being. He was reluctant to let it go. The second child hit Spock on the head with the stick-HARD. Spock's vision went black for a moment and he became a bit dizzy. The one with the stick grabbed the toy whilst Spock was incapacitated.
"Hah!" he cried out in triumph. Spock crawled to the edge of his circle and reached in an attempt to get the toy back. The child held it just out of reach.
"Reach for it, Demon!" The child called out. Spock tried, but eventually fell back in an attempt to retain at least some of his pride. The children, realizing Spock wasn't 'playing' any more, turned and walked away. They left the sock monkey just out of Spock's reach, where it smiled teasingly at him. Tears burned behind Spock's eyes and he recalled how he was treated at the hands of the vulcanian children he grew up with. The only place he had been truly loved was the Enterprise, by Jim most of all. A solitary tear slid down Spock's face. Spock picked up his quilt and made a knot at the end, which he threw towards the sock monkey. Using the knot, he dragged the monkey closer. After several attempts, he was successful. Spock unknotted the quilt, and curled up underneath it, head on his arm, and sock monkey curled into his chest. There was a while until dark, so Spock decided to get some sleep. Spock slept fitfully, and was haunted by nightmares of being surrounded by a crowd of Tartaurians and beaten with sticks. In his dreams, Kirk came to rescue him and the Tartaurians set upon him as well. Spock couldn't move to help, but he could hear Kirk calling his name….
"Spock….Spock! Wake up…. It was just a nightmare." Kirk had his arms around Spock, and Spock pushed his face into Kirk's chest. Kirk rubbed Spock's back in a comforting motion.
"Jim…" Spock began. Kirk pulled him closer.
"Shh, Spock. It's okay." Kirk soothed. Spock shook his head and endeavored (unsuccessfully) to pull away.
"Pardon me, I apologize for such a blatant display of emotion." Kirk held Spock tightly.
"Spock, go back to sleep. I'll be here for a while." He replied. Spock grudgingly concurred, and Kirk layed down on the ground next to him. Slowly, Spock fell back asleep. Kirk watched his chest rise and fall until dawn. He then tucked Spock into the blanket and discovered the sock monkey. 'That's odd…' Kirk thought. Kirk placed the monkey next to Spock and gave Spock's hand a squeeze. He brushed some hair off of Spock's forehead and brushed his lips against it. Kirk pulled back, embarrassed to have kissed Spock without his knowledge. Self-consciously, Kirk left the town, and Spock, for the day.
Spock awoke to discover the Aklin staring at him with an emotionless look.
"Good morning, Demon." The Aklin said. Spock remained silent. The Aklin shrugged,
"What else can I expect from a demon? It won't even speak to me." Spock remained silent.
"Well, down to business then. Noontime tomorrow is your Paasasole. Make sure you're prepared." The Aklin stated. Spock finally spoke,
"Prepared?" he queried. The Aklin smiled,
"To die of course." The Aklin turned heel and strutted away. Spock knew that the Aklin meant it. His only hope was that the Enterprise would beam him and Kirk up before his Paasasole. The streets filled with people, all giving Spock dirty looks. Spock felt lonelier than he had ever felt before. Because he was at the end of his restraint, Spock decided to meditate in order to relax before he broke down. Around noon, he was disturbed, by a man who came to feed Spock. Spock ate, but the he layed back down to watch the two suns of Tartaurus set in the sky. Before Spock knew it, Jim was at his side.
"Spock? Are you okay? You're awfully quiet." Kirk asked after a long, awkward silence. Spock shook his head,
"They intend to execute me tomorrow." Spock deadpanned, not tearing his gaze from the stars. Kirk noticed his eyes were watery.
"When?" Kirk asked.
"The ceremony begins at noontime." Kirk was really worried.
"We have to get you out of here. Noontime on Tartaurus is two hours earlier than on
Earth. If the Enterprise is going to pick us up at noon, they'll be too late." Spock was well aware of this. Kirk fumbled with the knot on Spock's rope for a minute before pulling out his phaser and blasting it. Spock stood, but before the two could escape three men came from the surrounding buildings, alerted by the light from the phaser. They recaptured Spock and tethered him and Kirk to the pole. The confiscated Kirk's and phaser and left one man to guard the prisoners.
"I apologize for getting you in such a predicament." Spock apologized.
"It's not your fault, Spock." Kirk replied. After an awkward silence, Spock spoke,
"Jim, I believe since I am due to be executed tomorrow, I should tell you something."
"Spock, you won't die tomorrow. I promise." Kirk replied. Spock shook his head,
"In the event that you cannot keep this promise, I wish to tell you…" Spock was interrupted by Kirk's hand on his shoulder.
"Spock, you will not die tomorrow. I will not condone it,"
"Nevertheless, I…." Kirk looked like he was going to interrupt but Spock was faster.
"ILOVEYOUJIM!" Spock blurted. Kirk looked shocked,
"You what?"
"I love you…" Spock clarified. Kirk scrutinized Spock.
"Really?" He wondered. Spock nodded seriously. Kirk placed his hand on Spock's. Spock looked up into Kirk's eyes. Kirk leaned forward,
"I love you too, Spock." Kirk reciprocated. Kirk's lips met Spock's and Spock pulled him closer. Kirk felt Spock's warm tongue snake into his mouth. Kirk did the same, and the kiss lasted a whole minute before their guard told them to stop. The couple layed down under Spock's quilt. Spock cuddled into Kirk's chest, and Kirk held Spock in his arms. They both fell asleep and didn't move until the morning when they were summoned.
The Aklin stood outside of the circle. He didn't look surprised to see Kirk, so they figured he had already been informed of their escape attempt last night.
"Wake up, lovebirds. I need to prepare the demon for his Paasasole." Spock rose and a guard led him away from Jim and to a large, ornate church. Around the back, there was a large pool of 'holy' water. Spock was made to bathe in it, and was then clothed in a thin white robe. His other clothes were burned. The guard took Spock over to an alter and Spock was forced to lay on it. The Aklin met him there a few minutes later, leading Kirk .
"You have five minutes to say your goodbyes." He sneered. Handing Kirk's reign over to a guard, he made his leave. There were now four guards around the alter. Kirk looked at Spock, who was strapped down.
"How much longer?" Kirk asked.
"One hour and four minutes." Spock replied. Kirk nodded, tears in his eyes.
"I am sorry, old friend."
"I am not dead yet, Jim." Spock replied. Kirk smiled sadly,
"Perhaps this will end happily after all." Kirk noted, hopefully. Spock nodded. Kirk gently brushed back Spock's bangs. He looked so vulnerable laying on the alter. Kirk leaned in and the two kissed. There was disgust in the guards eyes but they made no move to stop them. Kirk broke off the kiss and squeezed Spock's bound hand. He was then led away by two of the guards as the ceremony began.
First came the music. It was cheery and seemed oddly out of place with Kirks mood. 'They can't execute Spock! He's done nothing wrong.' Kirk thought. People were allowed to poke and prod Spock until the Aklin stood to speak. The congregation then sat and focused their full attentions upon their leader.
"Greetings, fellow citizens. I have called you today to witness this Demon's Paasasole. This Demon has come to our town and threatened the fragile balance of life." The crowd cheered, but to Kirk everything the Aklin had just said was BS. While the Aklin continued, Kirk looked at Spock. He had his eyes closed as if accepting his fate. Kirk wanted to call out and comfort Spock, or at least tell the Aklin how he actually felt. Finally, he did.
"This man has done nothing wrong! He isn't a demon, He's my friend! Of all the people I know, he is one of the best." Kirk called out. The Aklin looked outraged.
"If you feel that way, then you too shall perish."
"At least it will be because I stood up for what's right!" Kirk countered.
"How many people agree with this man's words?" The Aklin asked. No one spoke, although some looked slightly guilty. The Aklin looked contented.
"Good, then let the execution begin." The Aklin raised a stone knife.
"No!" Kirk called out. The Aklin stabbed Spock's chest. Spock didn't cry out, even when the blade was removed, dripping green blood on Spock's white robe. The Aklin cut Spock's bonds and removed his robe. Spock was losing a lot of blood. He was lowered onto his back, completely naked. The Aklin was preparing to make a slit down Spock's torso when the gathering was illuminated with light. Both Spock and Kirk realized they were on the ship.
"Captain? Mr. Spock?" Scotti wondered what had happened during their absence. Why was Spock naked, bleeding, and covered in wet bandages? And why was Kirk trailing a rope around his neck?
"Call for a medical team, Now!" Kirk replied. Scotti nodded and did as he was told. When the medics arrived, Spock was put onto a gurney, and his indignities were covered with a sheet. Kirk was told to go away while McCoy worked on Spock. When McCoy left sickbay in favor of his office, Kirk ran over.
"How is he? Will he live?" He queried.
"I hope so." McCoy grunted as he continued out of the room. Kirk frowned and followed.
"What does that mean?"
"Goddammit Jim! Why don't you go see for yourself!" Kirk complied. When he reached Spock's biobed he noticed Spock was unusually pale and his breath sounded forced. He looked at Kirk.
"Jim?" Spock murmured.
"I'm here, Spock. How do you feel? Tell me the truth." Spock looked sheepish,
"I fell like….. I believe the human term is 'crap'." Kirk chuckled,
"I'm not surprised. Not after what you've been through." McCoy entered the room.
"Jim, Spock needs his rest." Kirk nodded and gave Spock's hand a squeeze.
"Can we have two minutes?" He asked. McCoy nodded,
"Two. And then both of you had better get some rest." Kirk nodded and McCoy left the room. Kirk leaned in and he and Spock kissed passionately for a minute before Kirk made as to leave.
"Goodnight, Jim." Spock murmured.
"Goodnight, Spock. I love you."
"Love you, too.