[A.N. This one gets a bit more graphic again. Sorry. And I will try to get to reviews soon - thank you for reviewing. I've been concentrating on writing.]
One thing that Spock could be thankful for was that Vulcan justice was logical and discreet. There was so little market for gossip on the planet that the only news agencies were small and refined, and dealt with imparting information of actual relevance rather than titillating interest. The trial was to be held in a closed court, since there was no public interest in the case, and so only those directly involved would be privy to the details of the case. Those present would not include journalists, despite the interest of non-Vulcans in a case focussed on the half-human son of the Vulcan ambassador, and the first officer of the flagship of the fleet.
Still, the first morning of the trial was – difficult – to say the least. Although Kirk was at his side, and would not hear of leaving, he felt entirely alone as he walked into the small and secluded trial room. The room itself was ancient, with thick walls of desert stone that kept the temperature almost too cool. A panel of Vulcans sat in an arc on the far side of the room, traditionally robed and hooded so that it was difficult at first glance to tell which were male and which female. The panel did not deliberately advertise their identities. At the centre of the panel was a Vulcan matriarch, venerable and aged, and although her hair was still black in the main her face was so creased that her skin seemed to be made of bark.
Spock took his place opposite the panel, standing very rigidly in his Starfleet dress uniform. He knew the uniform might offend some, those old stalwarts who still believed that Starfleet was an instrument of force and war, but it was his right to stand in his uniform, and it felt like armour.
An aide stepped forward and tied a light, earth-leaf green sash about his waist, marking him out as the claimant. As the defendant, Robert Heaton would have a sash of black.
Kirk was standing to his left, as was his privilege as friend and supporter of the claimant, and was just as rigid as Spock was in his own braided and decorated dress uniform. On his right was a lawyer for the prosecution, a stalwart and mature Vulcan lady who had proved herself quite adept and sympathetic despite having never taken on a case of this nature, the crime being almost unheard of on Vulcan outside of the special circumstances of pon farr. Spock was grateful that this woman would be between himself and Robert Heaton, when the defendant was led in to take his place on the other side of the courtroom. There were no special arrangements here to separate him from the sight of his attacker, since defendants were expected to be able to control their reactions with logic. All he had was his lawyer, and Jim's presence, and that would have to do.
The last time he had seen Robert Heaton had been in the Enterprise brig, severely bruised and downcast. Now he was entirely healed and looked nervous but arrogant as he walked into the court flanked by two Vulcans and a human that Spock assumed was his lawyer. He had no supporter with him, and Spock found himself glad of that.
'They advised him to take a Vulcan advocate as lawyer but he refused and said he'd only take human,' Kirk murmured close to Spock's ear. 'I think that can only be to our advantage.'
Spock nodded but did not speak. After a momentary glance to his right he did not look at Robert Heaton any more. He had been for two sessions with a Vulcan Healer so far and his reactions were far more controlled than they had been, but he knew that the circumstances of this trial would be likely to reopen all of his mental wounds.
He sat as the court sat, his hands clenched at his sides, aware that very soon the questioning would begin.
The matriarch at the centre of the curve of the panel stood, as did he and Robert Heaton, so that they were the only ones standing in the room apart from various ushers and bearers. The bearers at either side of the court shook frames of bells to demand silence. All noise died away, and she spoke.
'S'chn T'gai Spock, son of Sarek, son of Skon, heir to the estate of Sarek on this world of Vulcan, thou dost stand before me, claimant,' she said, her language ancient and far from the tongue spoken by most in this area of the planet.
Spock inclined his head. 'I do, Ans'hi T'Par,' he said, keeping his voice clear and audible.
'Robert William Heaton, son of David Heaton, heir to the farm Wood's End, on the planet Alphonae Prime, thou dost stand before me, accused.'
Spock kept his eyes rigidly on T'Par, but after a moment of hesitation he heard Robert Heaton reply, 'I do, Ans'hi T'Par,' and was perversely pleased to hear that his voice did not have Spock's strength.
'S'chn T'gai Spock, thou dost accuse this Robert Heaton of multiple counts of physical harm upon thy person, and of multiple counts of rape upon thy person, whilst thou were held in slavery on the planet Alphonae Prime,' the matriarch continued.
There was a slight murmur amongst the panel, and the various people in attendance behind the defendant and claimant. Although it was given out that a trial was to be held the actual charges were not usually known by anyone but those directly involved until the moment that they were spoken in court, so as to avoid any hint of prejudice. Spock closed his eyes. Even amongst the emotionally stoic Vulcans, the word rape caused a ripple of shock. He heard the attendants ring their bells for silence. Kirk touched a hand to his arm, and Spock opened his eyes again, forcing himself to speak.
'I do, Ans'hi T'Par,' he said, and this time his voice was not entirely steady.
Kirk touched his arm again, and he was grateful of the influx of reassuring emotions that reached him through that touch.
'The claimant and the defendant may sit,' T'Par said.
Spock sank gratefully back into his seat. For the moment his lawyer, T'Ansa, would take control of proceedings, while the rest of the formalities were got out of the way.
He had thought that the trial he had participated in on Starbase 73 had been hard, but it was nothing to this. There he had heard only pertinent questions and his replies had been made in a room on his own, only to his liaison on the viewing screen before him. Now he was in a room which must contain around fifty people, preparing to speak candidly and in detail about one of the most horrifying events of his life.
'Commander Spock, you have been asked to recount the first time the rape occurred,' his lawyer murmured to him, and Spock realised that he had been far from paying attention to what was going on.
He stood, very aware of everyone around him, of the faces of the panel shaded by their hoods, of Robert Heaton and his human lawyer across the aisle, of the many people behind him waiting to hear what he had to say. This was hard. He had to push aside his emotions in the matter and simply speak, but this was so hard.
'I had been held in slavery for two months,' he said. 'T'Ansa has provided you with details of my capture and enslavement.' He realised that he was speaking too quietly, and he cleared his throat, determined to speak clearly and rationally. 'Slaves were often flogged as punishment for minor misdemeanours. To facilitate this the victim was attached to an upright board, with the hands chained to a ring above the head. The flogging would usually take place at noon, and one would be left there until morning, when one was released for work. The victim was not allowed food, but was given water at nightfall.'
'Commander Spock, you are generalising,' T'Par said without emotion. 'I have asked you for specifics.'
'Yes, Ans'hi T'Par,' Spock said obediently. 'I had been flogged that day for questioning an order. I cannot tell you the precise date, since I had lost track of standard stardates at that time. I was left chained to the flogging board. That evening, after dark, Robert Heaton was sent to give me water. He was with a group of six friends, all of similar ages.'
'The defendant's age is eighteen Earth years?' T'Par asked, and the human lawyer gave an affirmative. 'And he is considered an adult on his planet of residence, Alphonae Prime?'
'Yes, he is,' the human lawyer confirmed.
'Continue, Spock,' T'Par said with a nod.
'I believe they had been consuming alcohol and chewing a native stimulant,' Spock said.
'This is your belief?' T'Par interrupted.
'I smelt alcohol, and they carried bottles of alcohol. I also smelt the honey leaf, which is the stimulant, and saw one of the attackers place some in his mouth,' Spock said.
'Very well,' T'Par nodded. 'Go on.'
'Master Robert – that is to say, Robert Heaton – brought a bucket and let me drink. Then – '
Spock paused, and he felt Kirk's hand touch his back, very softly, just enough to impart a sense of companionship.
Spock cleared his throat again. 'One of Robert Heaton's friends asked, Have you ever fucked a man before? He – the friend – suggested that it was a means of control, of keeping slaves in their place. When I sensed the threat was real I tried to rationalise with them, and one of them struck me. I became – quite alarmed. I – pleaded – for them to leave me alone, and they laughed. Master Robert – Robert Heaton – told me that if I made a noise he would kill me.'
Spock swallowed, clenching his hands on the top of the rail before him. He looked down, saw a glass of water, and took a sip. Kirk murmured, 'Are you all right, Spock?'
He straightened himself again, trying to steady himself, not replying to his captain.
'They removed my clothing, cutting the underwear with a knife. Robert Heaton first, and then his friends – touched me intimately.' As T'Par opened her mouth to ask for clarification he expanded, 'They touched my genitals. I had been subject to a piercing there to prevent promiscuity, and they used it to impart pain. They – then forced my legs apart. One of them took a bottle and inserted the neck into – my anus, with some force – causing considerable pain. But – the instigator said, Don't play with him. Fuck him. Show him you own him. He – his exact words were, I'll give it to him so hard he won't know if he's loving it or hating it.'
Spock stopped again, taking in a steadying breath, while the Ans'hi T'Par regarded him without reaction. He glanced sidewards at Kirk, and Jim gave him a reassuring nod, although his face was blanched at Spock's testimony.
'And then – he raped me,' Spock said.
A silence seemed to fall. After a moment T'Par said in a steady voice, 'You must define for the court the nature of this attack.'
He kept his eyes very firmly on the spot just above her head, and said, 'He penetrated me anally, repeatedly and forcefully, with his erect penis, until ejaculation occurred. When he stepped back, Robert Heaton took his place and performed the same actions. They both inflicted – great pain.'
'Robert Heaton, this Robert Heaton stood here, penetrated you anally, repeatedly and forcefully, with his erect penis, until ejaculation occurred,' T'Par said relentlessly.
'Yes, he did,' Spock nodded. He felt as if he could hardly see, as if he were floating somewhere beyond this room.
'And then – ' T'Par prompted him.
Spock clenched hard at the rail again. 'I – continued to ask them to stop, but they would not. They were giving each other verbal encouragement. Each one – performed rape as I have described it. They pushed the bottle into me again, and brought it out to show me my blood and – other fluids – on the neck. They inserted the bottle into my mouth and ordered me to clean it. When they were able they repeated their actions of rape, in the same manner as before. I – believe that in all there were thirteen separate instances. Robert Heaton raped me twice that evening. He attempted a third time, but – could not sustain an erection. Some time after his failure they left me.'
The silence seemed to expand and fill the room. Spock could feel the mental emanations of shock from the Vulcans present at his description of what had happened. His legs seemed to have lost all strength. Without asking for permission, he sat, descending so fast onto the chair that there was an audible thump. And then his lawyer T'Ansa stood and said, 'Ans'hi T'Par, I request that my client be allowed to leave the room for a short recess.'
Spock's ears seemed to be singing, and he did not hear what T'Par said, but he felt Jim's hand on his arm, and he stood unsteadily.
'Two hours, Spock,' Jim murmured to him as he walked him out of the room.
'I – I beg your pardon?' Spock asked.
'They've given you a two hour recess,' he told him.
The door was opened by a silent attendant, and he walked through. As the door closed he heard an explosion of quiet murmuring from inside, and simultaneously felt the sting of a hypo at his arm.
'My god, Spock, what did they do to you?' McCoy asked in a low, rough voice, pushing him to sit down on a stone bench in the corridor, crouching down before him to look at him intently as his medical scanner whirred. 'You're white as a sheet.'
'They asked him to recount that – first time,' Kirk said somewhat awkwardly, in a hushed voice.
The door opened behind them again, and T'Ansa swept out into the corridor. She glanced briefly at the doctor and then crouched beside him in front of Spock.
'You gave courageous and valid testimony,' she said in a low voice. 'I felt a large amount of sympathy in the panel.'
She reached her hand up to Spock's face. Instinctively he lifted his own hand to stop her, but then he relented and dropped his hand to his lap. Her fingertips touched his forehead, and he felt the lightest of mental touches as the lawyer assured herself of his condition.
'I would suggest you use this time to meditate,' she said. 'It is important that you can conduct yourself adequately in the trial room. You are aware that you will have to recount each incident, and be able to take questions on the matter. This trial will take a number of days.'
'Yes,' Spock said somewhat dazedly.
'The meditation chambers are situated on the south side of the building,' she continued.
'Thank you, we'll find them,' McCoy said quickly. He nudged at Spock's arm. 'Come on, Spock. She's right. You need this time.'
'Yes,' Spock murmured. He stood with McCoy's hand on his arm. The doctor leaned in to say, 'You did really well, Spock. You got through that. You'll get through the rest.'
He walked quietly with his friends on either side of him, trying hard to draw upon the disciplines and methods that he had been through with his Healer before the trial began. It was absolutely imperative that he was able to continue, no matter how hard. As his lawyer had said, there would be some days to go for the trial to run its course, and he could not allow the trial to collapse on his account.
