Sorry, I saw someone on Twitter stating that Spock ships Squidbob and couldn't help myself. Nyara's gonna find out and use it to needle him later on in the story.

When you think of Lore, just think of Pandora but sans the tall blue aliens.

Spock's "First Contact" with NastyNellie2424 was made in 2256, when he was an instructor at the Academy and Captain Pike before he was made admiral had consulted him about the whole deal, not knowing that his own alien daughter had written fanfiction in loving memory of the late Leyenar Oh. "There's a bit of sensational reading that's gone sort of viral around campus. Harmless stuff, but kind of racy. Uh…explicit.", Pike had said.

"If you are referring to the fictional work entitled Captain Jack Sparrow (Finally) Dies, you correctly assume that I am familiar with it," Spock had said, proud of the even tone he managed. "Indeed, I could scarcely be otherwise, as the text was forwarded to me this morning by forty-two of my students, and, somewhat more alarmingly, by twelve of my colleagues."

Pike ran a hand over his face, sighing softly. "Have you had a chance to, uh, look it over?"

"I read it, and it was the most absurd thing I have read. At first glance, it seemed like a harmless Pirates Of The Caribbean fan fiction, but then, I don't know, it just got weirder and weirder as I went through it and...oh, dear. The author has some flair for engaging dialogue, and depicts scenes of physical violence with a clinical accuracy that bespeaks combat training, but aside from that aspect, however...I mean, the Kraken having a crush on Davy Jones, is that even possible? But the scariest out of it all was the fact that Captain Sparrow and Lord Beckett were depicted as being involved! I mean, is that even possible? Then again, it might make all so much horrible sense since it was written "in loving memory of Lei-yeh-nar Oh"—"

"Now, now, Spock," said Pike as he calmed the Vulcan down. "No need for you to behave so erratically. Whatever this NastyNellie2424 fellow thought of Sparrow and Beckett, you thought the same thing about SpongeBob and Squidward as well."

"But captain, there is no logical rationale for these two characters to be such close friends, given the number of times they infuriate one another, if that relationship were not bolstered by hours of hot off-screen sex." Spock countered.

Pike face-palmed.

And right now, here Spock was, in his quarters, having decided to give From Arinne, With Love another chance. He had gotten to the part where the in-story Enterprise sailed to Arinne to rescue Admiral Salazar, and the occasionally grumpy doctor Melinda "Smiles" Penwallow had just called S'Tyge a "pointy-eared hobgoblin". At that part, Spock wondered if this really wasn't essentially a real person shipping thing about him and Kirk, since if Dr. Penwallow wasn't female, she could almost have been Dr. McCoy. In no time at all, he was able to make the connections.

Commander S'Tyge D'Varo=Himself

Jamie Pierce=James T. Kirk

Lieutenant Tish Uhura=Nyota Uhura

Noroi of Arinne=Nero

Lieutenant Commander Niall McLoughlin=Montgomery Scott

Ensign Boris Egorov=Pavel Chekov

Lieutenant Kenji Narukami=Hikaru Sulu

Admiral Salazar=May or may not be Christopher Pike

It made all so much horrible sense, down to the part where Pierce became the Enterprise's captain following Noroi's defeat. Spock contemplated asking Kirk if he was NastyNellie2424 and purposefully misspelled Leyenar as "Lei-yeh-nar" so he could hide it, but he had gotten the wrong person. The real NastyNellie2424 wore red, and she might as well had a target painted on her back, and she had light pink skin with neon green hair and red eyes with multiple pupils and irises. Like all the red shirts except two, she had a target painted on her, and right now, she was excited. The planet they'd ventured to, Lore, was covered in lush vegetation and populated by beautiful creatures. The inhabitants, the Loreans, were humanoid in shape with iridescent purple skin, black eyes like black holes and jet black hair. They seemed to be a matriarchal society with women taking up all the important jobs, and the party that had come out to greet the crew were armed with what looked to be an interesting combination between highly advanced technology and nearly prehistoric weapons.

"We come in—" Kirk began, but then he was knocked out cold.

The crew hadn't even had time for proper introductions before they'd been forced to follow the... private guards? Police-people? Soldiers? to the tallest tree which served as the sovereign's dwelling.

It was as if they were trapped in a movie set—a fake replica, a cracked mirror hiding all they were not meant to see.

They went willingly, because they were outnumbered and because Kirk had ordered them to—no way he was going to lose a crewmember over something so trivial as a misunderstanding. No way he was going to end what in all effects qualified as a First Contact in fighting. No freaking way. He was James Tiberius Kirk, he had overcome worse things in his life than a bunch of aggressive hosts. He was going to charm the hell out of them and get his people back to safety, to the Enterprise.

Once Uhura had turned the universal translator on, the woman on the throne who appeared to be the queen spoke:

"I am Niadra, the High Priestess of Lore. And you are the leader of the invaders, I presume?"

Collecting the loose strands of his patience, Kirk smiled, taking care not to show his teeth in case it was considered a sign of hostility and produced his best I'm-a-diplomat-and-I-know-what-I'm-doing tone:"I am Captain James Kirk of the starship Enterprise , on a peaceful mission to discover new planets and civilizations," he said, reciting an introduction he'd rehearsed on countless missions. "My people and I meant no offense coming here."

"We are not interested in this. We do not allow alien presences on our planet; you came here uninvited, but we shall not allow you to leave." the High Priestess insisted.

"And why is that?" Kirk demanded, swallowing down his frustration at the aliens' evident lack of cooperation. It was as if they were determined to see a threat, even if they had to create it.

"It is obvious our planet has many resources that are valuable for your Federation…" the High Priestess answered promptly; there was a hint of condescension in the artificial voice conjured up by the translator. "...and we shall not allow our society to be conquered. We are our own people. We will remain as such. We will not allow you or your Federation to interfere with our cultures."

Nyara growled. She had to step up. "The Federation does not pose a threat to your individuality," she declared, "We merely seek to provide help for those who are in need. Our laws are founded on the absolute, mutual respect we hold for our different cultures. We mean no harm."

"You have trespassed. This is our space, and we do not welcome visitors. Surely it is a small portion of space if compared to what your Federation owns." Niadra spoke again.

"The Federation owns nothing," Kirk said, stressing his point perhaps a little to much for it to still sound polite. "We are a peaceful alliance of planets."

"Peaceful enough that you carry with you the most advanced weapons your Starfleet can produce."

"With all due respect, Your Holiness, I said peaceful, not defenseless."

"It is true that they brought medical equipment," said the woman who appeared to be Niadra's advisor. "Perhaps we should give them the benefit of doubt."

"These are invaders on our planet." Niadra snapped.

Kirk bowed his head. "Maybe there is a way we can prove our good faith to you, so we can better understand each other. We wish to negotiate our release. You cannot condemn 463 individuals based only on assumptions. It's hardly just."

"That is true, Your Holiness." said the advisor. "It would be dishonorable to say the least. I believe it only fair that we let them have a chance."

Niadra's lip quirked upwards in a slight smile. "As is the custom of our nation, we shall allow you to fight for your freedom. If your champion wins, you will be free to leave but if they loose, we shall see to the complete integration of your crew in our society. There will be no discrimination against you, though you are, of course, a different species."

"So you demand we adapt entirely to your culture and moreso, and yet accuse the Federation of forcing others to do the same?" Nyara snapped, rightfully outraged.

The captain's eyes flashed indignantly. "I can't allow that! Many of my crew have families back on their home planets—children!"

"I'll do it. For everyone's sake." Nyara declared. "High Priestess Niadra, I am Lieutenant Nyara E. Pike of the Enterprise. Send me your finest warrior and I will meet them in combat."

Niadra saw the determination in the Meechan's eyes, and nodded slowly.

Later on, Nyara entered a dome-like arena covered in a force field and held firmly in the tree's branches. She held a spear in one hand, her Starfleet uniform replaced by a sleek suit of armor, golden war-paint glistening in the sun. Her opponent was at least three heads taller than her and was wielding the exact same spear Nyara had, his chest bare. Niassi watched, worry evident in her eyes.

"Jasiu..." muttered a servant girl who was next to Niassi.

"Who's Jasiu?" asked Niassi.

"He's the best warrior Lore can offer. The High Priestess has trusted him to be her personal bodyguard, there's no way your friend can make it out of this alive." said the servant girl.

After the advisor informed Nyara of what the duel was about, it began with the rumbling sound of a hundred yellow drums as the Loreans shook tinkling bracelets in unison. Nyara and Jasiu crossed steel for the first time, a harsh clang resounded, shaking the silent crowd. The black metal reflected the distant sunshine in an ominous glare. The fight went on, and Jasiu was brutal but Nyara was quicksilver, savage. After all, she belonged to a warrior race and had spent five years trying to survive in the wild. Still, it wasn't enough, not by a long shot. The Lorean was fighting in familiar territory, in a friendly environment, and had probably trained for years for such a thing.

However, Nyara's eyes were still blazing with fighting spirit. She crept closer, and closer, and Jasiu was taken aback. Close-distance combat was his weakness. And before anyone knew it, Nyara had Jasiu's heart skewered on her spear.

The audience stared in stunned silence for a while before Niadra rose from her seat and spoke. "Cenat xamiel Pike laidenor." Well done, Lieutenant Pike.

Everyone cheered, and a feast was held for the victor. Two servant girls escorted Nyara to her seat of honor while Kirk and Spock were seated next to each other, giving the Meechan ideas.

"Tanah!"

"What?" cried Uhura, pretty sure the word was directed at Kirk and Spock.

"Tanah se pucha!" said a servant girl, pointing at the captain and the Vulcan.

"Ina't! Suba ye tenkar!" the advisor shushed her.

Suddenly, the room fell silent as Niadra opened her mouth to speak. "Tubeh. Tanah mar pucha dunkar mey."

"What?" Uhura asked again.

"I..." Spock mumbled. "I have no idea." He wasn't entirely sure what the Loreans' declaration had truly meant. Was it simply because he was next to Kirk, or maybe they had assumed they were...a couple?

Niadra walked over to Kirk and Spock before asking "Would you like to have a ceremony of unity?", confirming the latter. Nyara giggled maniacally from her seat of honor.

"With all due respect, Your Holiness, we are not together." Spock said.

"He's right." Kirk added. "We're just good friends, and besides, he has this beautiful girlfriend."

By the time the crew finally left Lore, the first chapter for a sequel to From Arinne, With Love was out, much to Spock's chagrin. "I'm getting to the bottom of this." the Vulcan vowed as he set his PADD down.

Break In Two:Electric Boogaloo

By NastyNellie2424