Disclaimer: Star Trek and associated characters created by Gene Roddenberry. I own nothing at all. …which makes me all kinds of sad, 'cause I really wanna borrow Spock for a while.
Kings and Pawns
by Vulcan High Priestess (aka jlneveloff)
Written for the LJ community reel_startrek, Round Two.
Based upon the film The Count of Monte Cristo, written by Jay Wolpert (loosely based upon the novel by Alexandre Dumas père) and directed by Kevin Reynolds. I'd like to think I changed enough to make it my own but probably not…maybe not at first, but there are bigger changes closer to the end…and potential plot holes as a result XD
Genre: Drama, Action/Adventure, Romance, Angst
Beta: slwmtiondaylite1
Rating: PG-13
Word Count (chapter): ~2449
Summary: In a Universe that has always known power and corruption, it is only a matter of time before the power takes over once again and innocent people are sacrificed. Spock/Uhura. Alternate MirrorVerse.
Warnings: Language, mild adult situations, violence and the occasional plot hole
Author's Notes: This is complete,all ~62,700 words of it,but I will not be posting every chapter in one sitting to save inboxes just in case ;) Also this is my first...well, novel length story, so there is the chance that I may have plot holes...You have been warned ;)
In 2233, the Romulan Nero invaded the Terran Empire.
Twenty-five years later, he was captured to stand trial for the atrocities he carried out.
Starfleet, now in charge, hoped to create a world for the better.
But in a universe that had always only known power and corruption,
And it is only a matter of time before the power takes over once again…
…and innocent people are sacrificed.
CHAPTER ONE
PLANET OF ELBA II
Lieutenant Commander Spock maneuvered the small shuttlecraft quickly and carefully through the rough terrain and gaseous green clouds of the isolated planet called Elba II. It was a hostile environment, with an atmosphere known to be poisonous to humanoids. In other words, it was the perfect spot for an escape route. The ISS Enterprise had been en route to capture the emperor, the Romulan called Nero, but had been caught in a heated battle. The emperor's technological advances that had been implemented into the fleet had proved useful as the Enterprise had been capable of holding her own and even disabling the massive Narada. However, Emperor Nero had managed to slip off his ship via an escape pod, which Spock and his team now pursued.
Spock glanced behind him briefly before returning his attention to piloting. "Lieutenant Kirk, have you properly prepared the environmental suits?"
Lieutenant James T. Kirk was Spock's best friend. They had known each other since childhood and, despite the vast differences in their personality and culture, worked well together. Spock had entered Starfleet several years prior to Kirk, who led the life of a delinquent, despite his intelligence – something Spock did not understand; something he could not comprehend. Spock had even spoken to his mentor, the no-nonsense Admiral Richard Barnett, in an effort to persuade Kirk to join Starfleet to no avail. Eventually, Kirk was persuaded to follow in his friend's footsteps when another admiral – Christopher Pike – talked to him after encountering him after he initiated a bar fight. Spock had never known what the exact words were that Admiral Pike used to convince Kirk to join the fleet, nor had he ever met him but he was pleased it worked nonetheless.
Kirk turned his head at the sound of his name, a smirk on his face. "Yes, Commander."
"Very well," Spock replied before setting the shuttle on the surface gently. Standing, he turned and saw that the tactical officers he ordered to accompany him were currently putting on their environmental suits, helping one another. Kirk had already donned his suit and held Spock's for him.
Spock took the suit with a nod and slipped it on over his uniform. Helmets were passed to one another, as well as phaser rifles. Despite Spock calculating the need for massive firepower to be almost nothing, as the emperor, most likely, would be alone, it was protocol to bring along arms. "My scans aboard the Enterprise did not indicate any large groups of life forms and the dimensions of the emperor's escape pod were only large enough for one individual, two at most. Therefore I do not suspect we will encounter any situation requiring the use of force, but please be aware of your surroundings at all times. This environment is unforgiving for humanoids so please ensure that your suit is functioning properly and alert either myself or Lieutenant Kirk if it is otherwise."
Once the helmets were securely fastened, checked and rechecked to ensure safety, and communications between helms were turned on, Spock, Kirk and the two tactical officers stepped into the harsh atmosphere. Spock opened his tricorder and scanned the area, attempting to pick up any sign of the emperor. Finding nothing, he lowered it and favored his rifle instead. "My projections of the route the emperor's escape pod was on indicate that it touched ground approximately two-hundred meters north of our current location."
The officers nodded their understanding and followed Spock as he led them through the hazy fog. Few minutes later, the men heard a sound in the distance, and froze in their spot. "I believe we are closing in," Spock whispered. He crouched down and slowly moved forward. He rounded the corner and ducked behind the large boulder and quickly motioned with his hand that the others should follow course.
Kirk knelt beside the half-Vulcan and peered over the boulder. Before them was a large basin filled with a thin layer of green fog and several Romulans, each wearing their own protective suit and helmet. And each carried a phaser rifle. They were guarding a large shuttle pod – much larger than the escape pod they saw the emperor flee in – which had been abandoned several meters to the left of the scene.
"Well…looks like your scans were wrong," Kirk murmured under his voice as to not attract unwanted attention. His eyes scanned the scene before them. "They planned for this."
Spock nodded, his gaze following Kirk's. "It appears so." He raised his tricorder once again to see if he could get a fix on them now. "The atmosphere on the planet must have interfered with the accuracy of the scanners." Spock recalibrated the tricorder and it chirped, indicating that it was now reading the situation accurately. He slightly shook his head, more so at himself than for any anything else. "I should have compensated. Am I to assume that this means that you will be taking your leave?" he asked his friend, a lift of his eyebrow, his only outward sign of amusement.
Kirk chuckled. "No way. I never abandon a friend in the face of stupid, suicidal danger. However," he good-naturedly stressed, "I must officially object to this course of action and am only here under direct orders. Officially. There. I covered myself." Kirk reached inside his pack and fumbled for a second, trying to grasp something. "Unofficially, for that little stunt you pulled on the bridge," he said, finally grasping what he was looking for. "King's to you."
Kirk tossed Spock a black chess piece – the King. Spock caught it singlehandedly and held it before him, examining it. He was a little mystified at Kirk for bringing up the game they had played since childhood in the middle of a battle situation. It was a childish game to be sure, and highly illogical, but it was still something they did. Every time one of them bested the other, whatever the situation may be, they were 'king' of the moment.
"Very well," Spock said, tossing a bemused glance towards his friend before pocketing the chess piece.
Kirk caught Spock's expression and snorted quietly. "Hey, don't worry. I'm sure I'll get it back in no time."
"Of that I have no doubt," Spock replied, preparing his weapon for combat. He peeked over the top of the boulder and mentally calculated their odds as well as strategies that provided the best outcome. "I estimate the chances of our victory to be less than 34.2 percent. In order to the achieve maximum probability, I suggest that we attack –"
Kirk interrupted him. "Spock…how many times must I tell you? There is no such thing as a no-win scenario."
"The calculations would argue that point with you, Jim," Spock countered.
"Well, we've got the element of surprise on our side, right?" Kirk insisted. "Besides, there are only a couple more of them than us, so…
Spock paused, noticing that Kirk was preparing his phaser rifle for combat, cocking it. The two tactical officers noticed as well, and began to ready their weapons. "Perhaps, but, Jim, I implore you not to-"
"Write me up if you have to."
"Lieutenant Kirk, I order you…" Spock attempted to pull rank but was thwarted by Kirk's sudden desire to endanger his life.
Lieutenant James T. Kirk suddenly leapt to his feet, gave a battle cry and charged forward, his tactical officers at his side. Spock suppressed the urge to sigh; it would be of no use. And yet he could not simply stand by and watch as his friend got everyone killed. Spock got to his feet and rushed forward, rifle at the ready. The Starfleet officers fired their weapons as they ran towards the enemy, ducking behind rocks as needed for protection.
The Romulans were indeed surprised. They struggled to return fire, yet found themselves quickly overtaken by the smaller, more agile Starfleet officers. One after another they fell to the ground. Spock's crew was not left unscathed, however, as they took phaser fire. One Romulan managed to strike one of the tactical officers, killing him.
A few minutes later, and the battle was over. Spock stood from his hiding spot and surveyed the area, taking note of the Romulans that lay dead on the ground. He moved towards the entrance of the shuttlecraft and was suddenly surprised by a Romulan soldier who was a little late to the party. Spock effortlessly rammed him in the stomach with the grip of the phaser. As the Romulan leaned forward to protect his abdomen, Spock struck him over the back of the head, knocking him unconscious.
Kirk jogged to Spock's side. "Hey, can you do that mind voodoo thingy you do? Figure out where Nero is?"
Spock's eyebrow rose by its own volition at Kirk's word choice. "Mind meld, Jim," he corrected. "I believe so. I must remove his headgear as well as some of my own protection, but I believe that the personal risk is minimal. This Romulan, however, will most likely die of suffocation," Spock said as he knelt on the ground. He pulled the helm off the fallen enemy and pulled his right hand free from the protective glove. He positioned his fingers on the Romulan's psi points and delved into his mind, looking for all signs of Nero.
Above him, the humans watched him as well as their situation, to ensure that they were not attacked by surprise. Spock's eyes had closed as he concentrated on his task but the Romulan had awakened and began to panic while he slowly began to suffocate. He thrashed about, but Spock's superior strength, as he was not undergoing the effects of asphyxiation, held him still.
After a moment, Spock pulled back from the mind meld, having found what he needed. The Romulan struggled for breath, hands grasping at Spock's legs, in a desperate attempt to beg for mercy. Spock stood, ignoring the Romulan's silent plea. "The Emperor is inside the shuttlecraft. He has secluded himself inside one of the storage compartments. We must apprehend him."
Kirk led the team as they hurriedly entered the shuttlecraft. Spock lingered behind. He knelt beside the suffocating Romulan once more, taking the discarded helm in his hand. "Vah mau vah tor-yehat ri stau," he stated in Vulcan, looking into the Romulan's eyes. "As far as possible, do not kill." He slid the helmet back over the Romulan's head. The Romulan's eyes widened as he took deep breaths, finally able to breathe once more.
Having been raised by his father, Sarek, Spock was taught to live by Surak's teachings, to put aside emotion and embrace logic and peace. That was not to say they did not feel; they did feel deeply, passionately. However, they refused to allow their emotions to overtake logic. Despite the harsh treatment Vulcans had received over the past twenty-five years – though to be honest, the prejudice had been there ever since Vulcans first landed on Earth – Spock and his father practiced the ancient ways of Surak. It was their lifeline, so to speak; something that kept them going even when circumstances were dire.
Spock leaned over the Romulan and whispered harshly in his own language. "You will not stop us. You interfere and we will kill you. And I assure you, it will not be quick." The Romulan nodded his understanding and Spock stood so that he could join the others.
Spock found the others inside the shuttlecraft, going through the storage compartments. They had pulled the doors off each one, one by one, and so far came up with nothing. Kirk cast a curious glance at Spock but said nothing about his late arrival. Spock assisted in going through the compartments before finally, they hit the jackpot.
Kirk pulled the door of the last compartment open and shoved his rifle inside, ready to fire if necessary. Their orders were to bring the emperor back alive, but orders did not always translate to the best approach on the battlefield. Emperor Nero was huddled in the dark, defiant despite in his fate. Kirk ordered his tactical officers to pull him out. Spock and Kirk kept their weapons trained on Nero, in case he tried to escape.
As they put the cuffs on him, Nero remained silent but his eyes scanned the men, taking in their appearances. His gaze halted on Spock. "Well, well, well, isn't this ironic? Hello, Spock." He said Spock's name scathingly and began to chuckle maniacally.
Spock's eyes involuntarily narrowed slightly as he tilted his head in confusion. He had never met the emperor personally and as far as he knew, no one had ever told the emperor of himself. Yet the recognition was plain to see. Spock opened his mouth to ask Nero about this turn of events but Nero suddenly fell to the ground, unconscious.
"Oh, shut up," Kirk chided, holstering his phaser. "Had enough of your bullshit."
Spock blinked his surprise. He had wanted to question Nero about how he knew his name. But he supposed that logically, this was not the best place for such questioning. He would pursue that course of action once they were safe aboard the Enterprise. He knelt down and helped Kirk lift the unconscious Romulan and hand him off to the remaining tactical officer to take back to their shuttle.
Kirk wandered into the pilot area of the spacecraft and sat down in the chair. He began peruse through the information on the computer. Spock followed the subordinate officer and took the other pilot seat, peering over at Kirk's console as he tried to determine where the Romulans were going to take Nero.
"Set the shuttlecraft to self destruct to fifteen minutes. As it is the Romulans only method off this planet, we must ensure that they cannot follow us," Spock stated, slipping into rank. Kirk followed the orders, setting the destruct sequence to allow them plenty of time to leave the planet without fear of being followed.
Once everything was set up, the two men gathered their belongings and trekked back to their shuttle, where the tactical officers held Nero. All the Starfleet officers settled into their seats as they prepared to make their way back to the Enterprise, their mission a success.