Mirror!Nyota POV
He was prudish. Nerdy. Socially dense as a doorknob. Not to mention a bleeding heart. All this and yet Nyota couldn't keep herself from looking at him differently now. Fondly. It was disgusting but she couldn't help it. He had made her expectant; hungry for the unique blend of discipline he devised just for her.
She didn't believe either of them ever thought a harmonious bond could have been forged between them. When she first came to this universe their focus then had been on their differences. There were many but they soon realized it wasn't an issue for being telik. Despite how they thought the other should be, they still were Spock and Nyota. How could the bond still bind them together otherwise?
This Spock had mentioned something about it during their first week together and she was seriously entertaining notion now. The meld after her sleeping memories bleed over to him had changed this Spock. He tended to her with a mix of what she needed and what he wanted.
And how could she have said no? Maybe she could have but this mission today had cemented something for her. Today this Spock had gone from weepy wannabe to irresistible idol.
It had started as a routine check in with a science team Hilos VII. It was a common practice and procedure that any recently docked Starships deliver supplies to any science and diplomat stations within 8 billion kilometers.
With Enterprise's recent trip to DS2 and the closest ship to intercept, they slowly made their way over to the mineral rich stellar system. But then a recent transmission from U.S.S. Zulu had Kirk ordering them to haul ass over there.
She hadn't really worried about it until see read the transmission. The laboratory station based there had been late with their monthly report. There wouldn't be so much cause for alarm if the report hadn't also been a duplicate from the month before. That coupled with the fact that no one outside of the planet had seen any of the team in person for two months had put Starfleet on alert.
Nyota had sat back and waited for the crew to sort things out. Kirk and Spock weren't going to send her anywhere. Nyota had no longer tried to actively escape the ship and her universe in effect but neither man was going to put it her change of heart to the test. Smart cookies.
Besides Kirk had needed her to comb through the transmissions between the native Hilogians and the Starfleet officers working alongside them. Transmissions between them had slowed to a trickle. Then seemingly apropo of nothing there had been flurry communications for a week and a half before it dropped back to nothing.
Seeing the strange call list gave no one warm fuzzies. Kirk was hoping that Nyota could find something in the transcripts that the other communication ops missed. Afterall she was still the chief communications officer for the most decorated crew in the fleet.
When he first approached her he looked reticent. He held the order PADD between both hands and gave her a look that was a cross between reluctant and desperate. " So I don't know if you know Hilogian but I-"
" I speak it, sir." she said, breaking off his awkward rambling.
With all the xenodiversity Nyota was unfamiliar with in this universe Hilogian was actually something she did speak. It was one of the few worlds that the Imperial fleet had yet to crush because they were mean sons of bitches. Or sons of Hilogians as the saying went.
In her verse no one fucked with the fleet and you sure as hell didn't fuck with Hilogians either. They would just as soon cut your throat as they'd have you over for tea. Which they often times brewed from blood.
Nyota couldn't help but wonder how these aliens had some sort of dealings with this Kumbuya club Spock called Starfleet. If they were still warriors here how the hell did they manage to join in with this galactic peace corp?
Kirk had brightened at her answer and dropped one hand away from the PADD. " Oh, well in that case, I could really use your eyes on these transcripts. Natives say they don't know anything about delayed reports or conflicts happening on or around the base but it just feels off. The amount of transmissions between the two would mean someone would know something."
She nodded with a yes sir and accepted the PADD without further comment.
It was then that she felt the first thrum of pleasure curl within her. She paused and furrowed her brows in confusion. She didn't feel pleased necessarily. Glad to help this goofball maybe but not pleased.
Then she turned her head and found Spock regarding her from his station. The sensation of pride intensified as their eyes met and had her swooning back against her seat. She had no idea this Spock could be so heady. The enjoyment he felt at her ready acceptance to help had hit her like a sniff of uncut Orion Spice.
Nyota, blinked heavy-lidded and smiled at him. Was he flirting with her? Probably not but that was the closest version of a mental nuzzle he had given her since their melding two nights before.
Spock had only given her a slow deliberate blink, the Vulcan's version of a wink before returning back to his work. Cheeky thing.
Nyota bit at her lip and bullied her focus from the addictive pull of Spock's thoughts to that of the transmissions.
She went communique by communique. While her eyes glazed over a few times she noted something interesting. There was a break in their transmissions before they went back to normal but the transmissions she was given were only from local channels. What about subspace calls?
Slowly she maneuvered her way around her comm station and pulled up the Hilos VII communication records. Nyota poked around the archives until she found the fragments file for deleted materials.
The latest files to have been added were from the two missing days of communication. All were subspace and from an Hilogian sun sprinter to the science station planetside.
" Gotcha bitches." she chuckled as she extracted the files. Not thoroughly deleting the files was a rookie move on the part of whoever had done so but most criminals made dumbass moves.
Nyota hummed and tapped her foot to the beat of the song as she pieced the recordings back together manually. Her comm apparently had the option to do so automatically but she liked piecing puzzles back together. It helped her to better understand the picture they were illustrating.
And this picture was ugly as fuck. Apparently the Starfleet science team here had stumbled across some rare mineral deposits on a recent survey. There were notes that there might even be dilithium crystal pockets that could be harvested if their tri-coder readings were correct.
All those notes happened the day before the radio silence between the native population and Starfleet. In the subspace transmissions it appeared some locals spilled the beans about the findings. They raised a stink about it to some high end generals and one seemed inclined to agree once he heard the terms.
The science team was drafting an official report offering to split any findings with the Hilogians 95 -5 in their favor if anything of value was found and/or mined. They just wanted to be able to maintain their station's power reserves and study the minerals.
Looked like that offer to bend over and let them have at it wasn't good enough for the Hilogians.
" It never is." Nyota quipped. She had gotten a scar on her thigh from one of those horned fuckers that ached anytime she thought about them. That these satyar cunts hadn't changed in this universe sucked. Actually it really sucked.
As she read over more of the transcripts Nyota cursed under her breath. " Ah shiiiit. They fucked up now."
One of those military bozos had made up a plan to get everything for themselves but again, most criminals were dumbass. Looked like someone was trying to cover up the operation going south.
Nyota finished humming her song as she wrote up her findings and transferred onto the data PADD Kirk had handed her earlier. She couldn't wait to tell him about this clusterfuck.
As she waltzed over, she caught Spock's gaze leaving his view screen to her. She put an extra sway in her hips, enough that when he looked at her ass he might wanna do more than just meld. The bond between them grew taunt as she passed him. Someone liked what they saw, no matter how guilty he felt about it. She allowed herself a small victorious smirk before tucking it away.
Kirk saw her approached out of the corner of her eye and turned in his chair to address her. " Uhura. You got news for me?"
" Yes, sir." She drew to attention automatically. It was the wrong style however and she quickly moved from her Imperial ready stance to that of the fleet's here when Kirk gave her a look of warning.
She cleared her throat and started again. " Yes, sir. They're dead."
The bridge grew silent aside from the beeps and clicks of their consoles. Kirk blinked at her incredulously and shook his head as if he misheard. " Come again?"
Uhura tapped the PADD and brought up a couple of windows side by side before handing it over. " Yeah, they were royally fucked. One of the generals, I'm having a hard time with the names, organized a robbery for their files detailing the mineral findings and locations. Then they found out they couldn't hack into our network. And I'm guessing no one else was alive with the know-how to log them in."
Kirk furrowed his brow over the information. Or maybe her language. She wasn't really sure." Why do you think they're dead, Lieutenant?"
She reached over and enlarged a window. " Last shipment they transported their rations into the cargo bay instead of beaming aboard the U.S.S. Zulu to take part in rec with her crew. They've been doing that every ship that supplies them that it's basically a tradition."
She enlarged another window to the forefront and directed Kirk's attention with her finger. " They transported these supplies sight unseen at the same time they sent out the duplicated report to Starfleet. Then there's the whole flurry of communications that happened between the local pop and the science station. I figure that was a cover up as they tried to figure out what to do with the bodies."
" The bodies?" Kirk repeated faintly. The pale shade of blue in his eyes let Nyota know he wasn't necessarily doubting her. He just didn't want to believe the information.
" Yeah. Classic M.O. for these guys." she sighed, casually as if it were a minor inconvenience. " See. There's a transporter log here. Before they received their supply shipment from Zulu there's a list of fifteen separate beams labelled 'miscellaneous cargo' to a Hilogian sun cruiser."
Spock stepped around to get a better view of the PADD while Kirk sat back, thinking. Only Janice Rand stated the unspoken conclusion. " There were fifteen members assigned to the Hilos VII science base…"
Nyota snapped her fingers and jabbed one in her direction. " Exactly. Fifteen once living now dead reasons not to contact Starfleet and let them, err, us know what they did." she said trying to cover for her faux pas.
Spock had moved back beside her now, looking just as troubled as his Captain. He had reviewed her findings, looking desperate for a point to refute it. When his lips thinned into a straight line she knew that she had been dead-on-balls-accurate with her defragmentation. If a Vulcan can't refute your shit, you're fucking right.
Kirk looked at her again and Nyota had been temporarily stunned by how young he appeared. Not a day over thirty at the oldest she thought glancing over his boyish good looks.
Her Kirk seemed as young as he was but his looks were...well, everyone could tell he got into a lot of fights. They didn't always seem to go in his favor from what she could tell from his laceration count. This angelic double gazed up at her. His hopefulness for a different conclusion made Nyota wish she had one. Poor bushy brows.
" You're sure they're dead?" he asked again.
Nyota twisted her lips. The thing that had stunned her before now made itself clear. She actually felt sympathy for Kirk. He cared so much and...he was hurting because of it. He shouldn't have to but he was because this Kirk was loyal.
That's why she would make these Hilogians pay. The only good Hilogian was a dead one.
She shook her head. " It goes along with their historical code of warfare, sir. They take no prisoners. If they feel offended they'll fight to the death. The science team's offer was taken as such from what I see from these transmissions. That they didn't call all out war with you guys, err, Starfleet means that whoever did this is trying to cover it up from their fleet as well."
Kirk remained grim as he reviewed her assessment. At the end of it he swallowed and handed the PADD back to her. " Good work, Lieutenant. Unfortunate news however. We're going to have to find out a way to snag the people responsible."
" A trade." she blurted.
Spock seemed as if he wanted to stop her but Kirk's interest had been piqued. " A trade? Of what exactly?"
A familiar rush of bloodlust had filled her veins there as she detailed her plan. They would go uncover, broadcast on all frequencies of services and merchandise that weren't found in a moral market. With the Hilogians still scrambling to properly decrypt Starfleet's network they'd be rabid to hire them on. Once they had the guilty parties identified they do a big reveal and arrest them. She had to remind herself that they arrested and didn't torture and main people here. Honestly, what was the point?
Kirk agreed and with some fine tuning from Spock and Hendroff they made their preparation for smoking the suspect Hilogians out.
The dirty sellouts bit faster than they could have replayed it, eager to have some sort of help with the mess they made. Nyota dressed in some of the clothing that Spock had bought her to go as the resident hack for hire. Hendroff was their arms specialist, Leslie was their plug and Spock played a Romulan who their ship and worked as her personal bodyguard.
Their point of contact was going to be on the bridge of the Holigian's cruiser. Scotty had retro-filtered a forcefield that modeled the display and perimeters of a Romulan bird of prey to cover the shuttle they would travel in. Nyota had nodded in approval as she circled around the Galileo now Kil'Trowa. " Sweet tech."
The red shirts tagged to be a part of their 'crew' looked like kids playing dress up. They screamed science explorers as they milled around. All their collars were neatly laid and their freshly pressed shirts were all fastened at the cuff.
Nyota took her time remaking each one to her satisfaction, until ( at least) the clothes looked the part.
Hendroff walked up beside her looking like a wall of muscle wrapped in Flavian leather. Nyota snapped her fingers at her misfit dolls and pointed a freshly polish fingernail in his direction. " Now that's a space pirate."
Hendroff grinned at the compliment and struck a pose. His thick arms flexed beneath the leather until the made the tight material groan with effort to confine him. She hummed in appreciation and shifted on her feet. " You should dress like this more often, Hendroff."
He's deep, immediate blush confirmed her earlier suspicions that this version of their Chief security officer had some sort of schoolboy crush on her. He pulled at the odd lapels and belts that hung from his shoulders, shyly preening before her. " You think so?"
She toyed with a lapel and gave him a wolfish grin. " Oh yes. Dressed like this, you'd be the biggest pussy magnet at the ten-forward."
His blush went from pink to red so dark it threatened to go violet in color. His mouth bobbed open and close with nothing but hoarse gasp sputtering from his lips. She winked and giggled. He was too easy.
The bond thrummed seconds later as Spock drew closer to her. Nyota had shrugged her shoulders to try and reduce the sensation. It still wasn't easy to be as open with him as was his practice. He felt like broadcasted constantly. Calculations, speculations, emotional hopes and fears. How did her counterpart ever dealt with it?
The irritation in her mind evaporated immediately as she had turned then to have her own cheeks burning red. Had she said Hendroff was a pussy magnet? Well, he officially lost his title.
Her jaw went slack and her voice came out in a rasp. " Well fuck me…"
Spock had exited the lift and come to join them looking like alien sex on a stick. Temporary tattoos accentuated the sharp angels of his face while semi-permanent piercings cemented his roguish Romulan appeal.
Ops had fitted him in a tight sleeveless top and even tighter slacks. From the clear outline of his muscles beneath the fabric it was a wonder the Vulcan officer could even move.
Kirk and McCoy had walked in beside him, ready to brief the away team before they headed out. They may as well hadn't even been there for as much as Nyota registered their presence. Spock was so breathtaking she couldn't stop staring at him.
How could this be the same dopey Spock she had met just weeks before? He cradled his phaser harness and a long, Romulan trenchcoat in his hand as he looked everyone over.
His dutiful, rountine inspection afforded Nyota a moment of inspection of her own. Her gaze greedily took in the broad set of his shoulders and torso before trailing down to the tapered pathway to Spock's sinfully narrow waist before he caught her.
He looked over at her then sensing her gaze. His dark eyes were focused on her so keenly that Nyota had to remind herself it was him and not an actually Romulan. Well hell, who knew that baby-faced Spock could play his parts so well.
" Lieutenant." he said once he finally approached her. She had nodded half-heartedly, embarrassed that she was so affected by his appearance. She opened her mouth to say something but faltered, doing no better than Hendroff earlier. Damn the thirst in this place was contagious.
If she had been looking at his face, she might have missed him flaring his nostrils as he scented the air. Nyota swallowed and shifted on her feet as she knew exactly what he was smelling.
Kirk clapped his hands together as a call to attention, unaware of their byplay. " Alright. Let's review the mission."
He had done so with McCoy interjecting every so often before he dismissed them onto the incognito Galileo. Nyota took care not to look at Spock more than she had to. Her arousal at the sight of them was affecting them both. She had to get her head in the game if she planned on cracking any skulls.
Spock settled in beside her, running through the shuttle system's precheck. Maybe she had been too quiet because she found him giving her long, assessing looks as he went through his list.
The others seemed oblivious of the awkward energy between them, attention fast on their duty and the mission at large.
" Commander Spock, we're approaching the Hilogian Sun cruiser Meozar. We'll be inside their transporter range within 6 minutes."
Spock nodded and rose from his seat. " Thank you, Ensign. Remember that our objection is to have the Hilogians in question feel as comfortable with us so that they may divulge any information that would incriminate them and whoever else was involved with the attack on our science station. While I am in command, Lieutenant Uhura is in the lead as she takes on the role of an electronic systems mercenary."
Nyota turned to him then and saw Spock nod at her gently. I trust you, the gesture seemed to say. Not only to do this mission. Of that he seemed to have little doubt. His newfound faith in her was something else they gained from the meld.
Nyota had been giddy from it. She had never had someone trust her before, not like this. It was novel as it was scary. There was an interesting fear she felt in not wanting to let him down.
He looked up again to address the crew and missed the swell of appreciation lighting over her face. " While the Lieutenant performs her subterfuge, Lieutenant Hao will attempt to block their communications system to keep any messages from being delivered to or from the home world with Hendroff as backup. I shall keep track of our process and stand guard over Uhura."
They chimed in with an aye before Spock concluded the briefing. " Once they are exposed, we'll transport them directly to our brig with the recorded evidence. Last point will be to contact the Hilo's High Lord council, Starfleet and Captain Kirk of our findings."
A low beep signaled them that the Hilogians were ready to beam them aboard. Hao took a signature lock of the crewman, in case of emergency before clearing them ready for transport. "I'll be ready to take everyone back as soon as you hail me. Good luck, Commander. Lieutenant."
Nyota had stood among the away team with an odd sense of newness. Huh, this is the first away team I've been apart of that's sole mission wasn't killing the offending party.
She mentally shrugged but caught Spock staring at her as if he had heard her mind. She never learned the truth of his look. He was already dematerializing into a flurry of light.
When she came to again they were aboard the rogue Sun cruiser. The gilded surface of their bridge screamed ' look at my warrior's wealth' a little too much. Everything was either drenched or dripping with gold. Her Kirk often liked to say that something was shinier than a Hilogian's asshole for this very reason. If it could be, it would be slathered in gold.
Nyota sighed and smiled in relief as she materialized on their bridge. Finally, she had a chance to be herself. No more having to be the doe-eyed version of herself that everyone knew and adored. Today, they would love and respect her.
Nyota looked out from the transporter pad to the Hilogian crew surrounding them. They seemed wary but not ready to immediately gore her. The Hilogian Captain had made himself easy to spot. Satyr-looking beings were garbed in intricately twisted swathes of blue satin with the exception of one.
He was draped in a red that was so shiny it flashed as he moved in the golden interior of their bridge. Bronze bracers and greaves covered the massive bulk of his limbs instead of everyone else's silver armor. He also adorned a decorative chest plate strapped to the expanse of his large torso. Nyota noted its battle-scarred appearance. That fellow would certainly know how to handle himself.
Every Hilogian present with horns had them capped with gold but the ones covering the Captain's had been engrained and studded with gems. He had really been a sight to behold and it seemed like the feeling was mutual.
His eyes went from the obvious threats of Spock and Hendroff before resting on her. He gave her an expression she was long used to seeing. Sexual interest, mistrust and a guarded respect you gave someone you didn't quite know the M.O. of.
He grinned at her with thick blunt teeth and gave a slight bow of his huge head. " Welcome, Ms. Samera. I am Kotalis, the Captain of this vessel and a Tiin general of the High Lords' army. So good of you to join us."
He extended one stocky arm towards her and in an invitation to help her down from the transporter platform.
An easy grin spread over her face as she sauntered down the steps towards him. " The pleasure is mine, Kotalis. It's not everyday we run into a Tiin General that's happy to see us."
Male, female and trigender alike watched the alluring motion of her movements, accentuated by her dress as Nyota sauntered down. The rest of the team was making its way down as well but all eyes were fixed on her progress. At this rate
Nyota smiled to herself for being able to so thoroughly cause a distraction. She did have help though. The dress Spock had begrudgingly bought for her as a means to be done with their shopping trip was a gift that continued to keep on giving.
It was a backless emerald masterpiece. Ending just below rear with a high neck, its short hemline fluttered around mid-thigh. It left her shoulders bare to the eye, highlighting the armlet Spock also bought her when he noted her interest. The thin, golden metal coiled around her bicep, gleaming over her scarred skin.
She extended her arm and gently laid her hand within the plate-sized mitt of the Captain's. He careful closed his hand around hers.
" Charmed." he said roughly. He held her gaze with his rectangular-shaped pupils. Nyota did her best to keep hers neutral as her scar on her leg throbbed. He traced her face before letting his gaze travel further south. " Very charmed."
He had been lifting her hand to kiss it when Nyota felt a hard jerk at her elbow. The move effectively yanked her hand free of the satyr's and had the general blinking up in confusion as his lips were met with thin air.
Nyota turned to face who had moved her arm and was greeted with the Romulan version of Enterprise's commander. The deadly attention he gave the Hilogian Captain reminded Nyota of her own Spock. However, this Spock was mimicking a Romulan and expressed the volatile alien's nature full on.
He slowly released her elbow and glanced between her and Kotalis with a firecesome scowl. Settling his gaze on her, he spoke to the Captain.
" I am Eshol. And we are pleased to meet you-" He paused and lifted a hand to her shoulder. Her dress left his mark visible unlike her uniform. His finger traced the outline of the dotted scar as he finished speaking. " - some might say, charmed. Others might not."
Nyota bit the inside of her cheek his telepathy sang through her. Possessiveness and hard pressed jealousy trailed in the wake of his fingers. He did not care for the Captain attempting to kiss her or his eyes cataloging her beauty. So he had given the horned warlord something to look at when he traced his fingers over her skin, his mark on her shoulder.
It was as much a claim as it was a deterrent. Spock or rather, the Romulan Eshol, was letting Kotalis know that. While her number of admirers was obviously high, the list of her could touch her began and ended with him.
Kotalis huffed heavily through his nose and eyed them both. His jaw worked from side to side, grinding his teeth. " I see. Very well. We have business to settle. Come Ms. Samera, let us discuss it at the console."
Nyota moved at the sound of her middle name with Spock lurking behind her. The rest of her crew trailed after the rest of the Hilogians that were present. They flanked the satyrs as much as they actively flanked them as well though the odds were still in the Hilogians favor.
When they arrived at the consoles, Kotalis gestured for Nyota to sit at the shimmering block of an engineering station. The metallic surface was so reflective it hurt for Nyota to look at it head on.
She took care to make a show of sitting down, crossing and re-crossing her legs as feigned trying to get comfortable. A few Hilogians around her took the bait and stared raptly at the shapely length of them. Hendroff took the opportunity as she had hoped he would to case the bridge and assess the power of Hilogians should a scuffle occur.
Kotalis' oblivious ass ran through a clearly practiced renditioned story of what had happened as Hendroff did. By the time the casing was done Kotalis was finishing up with what he needed done. That they 'came across' some information that could be highly valuable to them but couldn't decrypt it.
Nyota smiled brightly and made appropriately timed noises of empathic listening. At the end of his prattling he looked to see whether or not she was convinced. Nyota removed the data crystal hanging from her necklace between her fingers and waved it at him. " Looks like you could use some help. May I, Captain?"
He grinned and held up his hands in appreciation. " Please, no Captain. Kotalis is fine. And by all means, do what you can."
" And our terms still apply?" Spock asked gruffly. He was really quite good at being a Romulan. So angry and suspicious. Poor thing missed his calling.
" We are agreed." Kotalis answered. He punctuated this with a pound of his fist on his forearms. " You will find the data we want decrypted already displayed on the screen."
Spock nodded towards her to start with the dummy data crystal. Phase one had been completed successfully. Nyota arched a little and recrossed her legs as she inserted the crystalline chip. " Great. Then here we go."
She noted the shift in Kotalis' gaze away from the screen to her legs. If anything had gone wrong with the mission she figured it would have been then. She wasn't sure of the Hilogians familiarity with Starfleet network's displays and programs and wanted to divert his attention as she activated the root kit into their system.
While Kotalis and the others would think she was cracking Starfleet's firewall, what they actually were witnessing would be her running through a program Chekov had coded together to fake a Starfleet Network heist. Meanwhile the root kit would ravage their ship's controls just short of life support and console operation. In no more than five minutes, no messages would go in or out, no shields could be activated and offensive capabilities would be offline.
She started to tap her way through Chekov's program when Spock began phase three of the Hilogians' entrapment. " Samera, are those Starfleet files?"
Nyota had nodded and continued to plug in codes and digits as if the network was giving her a hard time. " Yeah. The real deal."
" Stop." he barked. She huffed but complied, looking put off. " Here we go again."
Spock rounded towards Kotalis and sneered with a flash of his teeth. " What game are you playing, Kotalis? You said nothing of Starfleet or the federation in your transmission."
Kotalis snorted and jabbed a huge, meaty thumb towards his own chest. It clunked against the breast plate as he began to defend himself. " I play no games, Eshol. I need the files pertaining to our worlds decrypted, that is all."
" Then why not go to Starfleet? They are known for their weakness of having transparency." Spock countered.
Kotalis pursed his fleshy lips over his teeth and brayed within his throat. " On this particular matter, I do not believe it to be the case."
Nyota tilted her head and hardened her stare, just a fraction. She had to stay the good cop to effectively goad this stool pigeon into singing. " What exactly are you not telling us about this job? I can get you into this system with just a few more minutes but if we're going to have Starfleet raining down on us because you know something we don't, you need to tell us now, Kotalis."
Kotalis' heavy brow fell over his eyes as his pride and wariness warred with his want and relief to tell the truth. Between Nyota's pleading look and Spock's venomous looming he finally buckled thirty seconds later. He lifted his chin. " They stole from us." he said accusingly. " Well, they tried to and we went to reclaim what they were making plans to take. Some of their men were lost in the process."
Spock scoffed in a way Nyota had no idea he could even manage. The vitriol emotion behind it momentarily startled her. Was this still the same Spock from this universe? " You raided a Starfleet base?"
Nyota used her surprise to act as if the news was a shock to her. " What? No? You wouldn't do...or did you?"
Kotalis' brow furrowed again. Seemed he didn't like being accused. He bellowed and pounded at the console with his fist. " I took what was ours! We don't need them as much as they need us! I told my men what to do and they took measures to ensure they followed my orders to the letter. If that means fifteen less Starfleet soldiers then so be it. Tiin army males do not take offense lightly!"
Spock waved off his angry ranting and smirked. It was so eerily familiar Nyota had to blink in a double take. For a moment, it was as if her Vulcan had come to this universe. What chilled her more was the fact that she would have no way of knowing,...not until they were alone.
She turned her head away as Spock made a gesture of Romulan agreement and nodded at the agitated Hilogian. " You and your transgressions are safe with us. We just appreciate not being caught off guard. I am certain you can understand such a preference, yes?"
Kotalis nodded but still looked none too pleased. He probably hadn't planned on telling them anything. He seemed more at ease when Spock nodded to her and she began 'working' again. Their little tiff had done wonders for the rest of their team.
Hendroff had sent his security crew to flank the Hilogians nearest them as if they were getting ready to defend their boss Eshol when Spock had gotten 'angry'. Those Hilogians definitely noticed and took on more offensive stances. Meanwhile the ops team slinked closer to the comms closest to them.
Leslie then set phase four into play. With their attention diverted he sent a test message out to Hao. If she received it she would message Spock that they needed to alter their mission as the root kit hadn't done its job in shutting off communications. The last thing they needed was the Hilogian High Lords contacting Kotalis about the proximity of the Enterprise.
Nyota continued to run the program accordingly and was pleased when no one tipped her that the message to Hao had gotten through. Looked like Chekov still had it when it came to hacking, no matter what universe they were in. Nyota was getting close to the planted information being cracked and told Kotalis as much. " Not much longer until you get what you were looking for Kotalis."
He grunted and leaned a bit closer. " Good. I want this done."
" Open says me." she chimed and displayed the falsified reports that the murdered team supposedly log. Nyota stiffened as he drew even closer and sniffed her. " Good. Now with that out of the way-"
Goosebumps rose in apprehension along her arm and had her ducking out of the way of the satyr's hand attempted to grab her by the back of her neck. Spock surged forward but was stopped short when three Hilogians came at him with spears and a phaser at the ready.
Nyota rolled out of the chair, unsheathing the knife tucked in her hair as she did. Kotalis whinnyed derisively as she rolled to a stop a good distance away from him. She had come to her feet in a fighting stance and the thin blade in hand.
" You cannot be serious." he grumbled.
She tilted her head and shrugged. " Try me."
The satyr was more than happy to oblige. He charged at her with his hooved-feet pounding the metal floor tiles in a rumbling thunder. Nyota figured he was aiming to knock her off balance as she tried to avoid him in her ridiculously high stilettos. It was of no concern. It was just the thing she had hoped he would do.
Nyota ran towards him full tilt. Kotalis seemed amused by it and overly confident. Seconds before they collided Nyota dropped to the floor and slid between his legs. Clicking one heel down she slowed her momentum and regained her footing with the other.
Before he could turn she slashed along his hamstrings and stabbed the blade deep within the muscles of his lower back. The spine would have been her preference but she couldn't chance that she wouldn't have been met with bone instead of the thick jelly between them.
Kotalis spread his arms and howled up at the ceiling in pain. " YOU Bitch!"
Nyota's laugh floated up behind him. " You're an observant one."
He swung his head back, looking to catch her with his massive horns. Nyota was already feet away. The blade that she had tapped and sheathed at her sternum was out and in hand. She wished she still had the one still lodged in his back but she could retrieve it later once he was down. Spock would surely want it back. " Surrender."
" You'll have to kill me first, human!" he spat.
She smiled and chuckled. " That's not my orders but it is my preference."
He bellowed again and charged once more. She ducked and weaved around his arms as he tried to cave her face in. To his credit his punches were powerful but slow. When she felt the distance between her and the console wall getting shorter Nyota switched to the offense.
The first swipe Kotalis avoided but he was too slow to stop the second strike that landed over his forearm. His hide-like skin barely parted at the blade's bite and had her cursing again.
Both knives Nyota weilded were 'borrowed' from Spock's martial arts wall. And while they were plenty good for stabbing those pieces of shit didn't do anything for cutting. She should have whetted them before she departed. However the chance of Spock seeing them and taking them away had kept her from doing so.
Nyota continued to fight even though she had yet to gain any ground. She needed something sharper or a phaser to bring the billy goat bastard down. Of course neither Kirk or Spock had given her one of the latter. They had told Hendroff and Leslie that she needed to get her phaser certification renewed but Nyota knew. She was still firmly planted on the naughty list. Seemed with these guys having weapons was more of a privilege than a right.
Nonetheless Kotalis's arms were starting to resemble hers from the amount of cuts on them. With each one she made Nyota grew more and more confident that one of the others from her team would finish their fights and help her out.
Kotalis huffed in tired irritation and grabbed for her again. " When I get a hold of you, Samera, will regret-"
" -ever being born? Ever coming aboard? The only thing regret are these blunt-ass knives!" she growled, swiping at his face. She grinned as an angry orange line appeared on his skin. " Though I suppose you don't share that sentiment? It's alright. We're almost done-AH! Fuck!"
A stray phaser beam caught Nyota in the arm and had her hissing out curses. It was a glancing blow but the stinging zap to her bicep had stunned her right arm into paralyzation. Her fingers released her grip on blade and sent it clattering to the ground. Her arm fell uselessly at her side and had her scrambling back to defense.
Her misfortune hadn't gone unnoticed. Kotalis snatched her left arm and slammed her against the console. Spots filled her vision as Nyota fought to stay conscious. Fuck he was strong, more like a blunt instrument to her Spock's exacting blade.
She could feel how easy it would have been for him to snap her neck. She wheezed at the air and groaned angrily. Kotalis loomed above her with a mirthful chuckle." What happened to all of your gloating, little human?"
He squeezed harder and Nyota shut her eyes with a gag. White bursts of stars began to fill the dark void of her vision. Nyota screamed at her debilitated arm to move but to no avail. It laid there limply against the console and fueled the angry embarrassment in her chest.
She was stronger than this, better than him. That fluke phaser shot had ruined an already bad situation. She swore then if she died in this nursery playground of a universe then she truly did deserve it. Not that she wanted to die. She had yet to be free.
The Holigian hooted victoriously above her and yanked her arm behind her. " Serves you right! Playing with things you have no business touching will always get you in the end."
Nyota winced as he forced her arm to fold against her back and roughly pinned her in place. He snorted in agitation and stiffened behind her with a groan. The familiar blade that had been lodged in his back reappeared at her face and beneath her chin. " That Romulan bastard didn't teach his pet any manners."
Nyota yelped and growled in pain as he pressed the blade to her cheek with a chuckle. " Don't worry though. I plan to give you a long final lesson in them."
He had pressed the latium closer and was maneuvering his hand under the hem of her dress when a sickening crack issued behind them. The knife clattered to the console and his grip on her arm loosened long enough for her to slide out from under him.
Nyota fell to the floor and froze. Spock had the Holigian by the horns or rather his horn. He had broken the other one off. Fury lined his face as he tossed it carelessly behind him. Kotalis seemed just as stunned as Nyota was but quickly recovered as Spock looked to break off the other.
The satyr threw his head and had Spock shuffling his stance to keep from falling. Kotalis used the opportunity to slug the Vulcan with a right hook. Spock stumbled back into a crouch and gaped at the air.
Kotalis chuckled and leveled his remaining horn at his head. " Good that your pet can watch you die."
Spock grabbed his horn as he charged forward and growled as he held the massive Hilogian at bay. Their eyes met and Spock gave him a smile that was nothing but teeth. " You should have never touched her."
With a sudden, stupendous jerk of his arms, Spock twisted Kotalis head until he was nearly looking behind him. Nyota could tell from the loudness and number of cracks that the Vulcan had broken the alien Captain's neck.
Spock pushed his limp body away and stood to his full height. His voice boomed an order to the rest of the Hilogian crew to surrender. They were quick to comply after his stunt with Kotalis. Not to mention his face. They bond was closed between them out of his respect for her but Nyota knew he was seething.
" Hendroff. Leslie. Take care of the crew. I'm beaming the lieutenant back with me to the Galileo to treat her injuries."
" Aye Commander." they nodded. She had been slowly moving to regain her feet when his strong arms barred her to his chest. Nyota's one working arm went around his neck as he whipped out his comm and ordered Hao to transport them.
They materialized on the cargo bay of the shuttle a mere seconds later. Spock was moving as soon as the beam released them. As he marched over to where the med kit was housed, Nyota still wondered over his mood. It was hard to gauge. His appearance was Romulan, his touch was Vulcan, though silent at the moment and his expression strangely human. He looked confounded.
He opened the kit and pulled out a derma-repair wand. He jaw audibly clicked as he fought to keep his mouth close. Nyota bit her lip as he took a hold of her chin and gently turned her head so that he had a good view of her cut. A silent growl shook the air between them as he set to work knitting the skin back together.
Nyota swallowed and searched his face. This was the first time this Spock had ever felt so distant from her. He was like a different person. She hated it. " Spock?"
His eyes snapped up to meet hers, away from the cut. " Yes."
His voice was flat. Nyota hadn't known that this was what a completely emotionless Vulcan sounded like until right then. Well maybe one that was trying really hard be. She swiped her tongue against her lips and watched his eyes verve down to watch its progress over her mouth. She wished he would kiss her. Rage at her. Do his typical goody-two-shoe it's against the regulations speech. Anything but this empty holding back. " Thank you."
He ground his teeth and looked away. " No thanks is necessary."
He resumed his work until the cut had healed and the feeling began to return to her arm from the phaser's hit. Once finished, Spock settled back on his heels and closed his eyes. Nyota took the time to give him a good look over.
He had been hurt too. There was a shallow cut at his forehead and the skin at his knuckles was a raw dark green. His clothes looked to be in the worst condition with tears and splits in various areas.
She fidgeted for only a moment before snagging one of the biotic towelette packets. She ripped it open with her teeth and crawled closer. One of his eyes cracked open to see what she was doing and appraised her. " Yes."
" May I?"
Both of his eyes opened then, surprised. " Yes."
He sat with his legs folded in front of him and held himself still. She hesitated for only a moment and moved in. She hoped he wouldn't protest her climbing into his lap but she wanted to contact. Anytime she and her Vulcan would fight they would use the tactile time to recover and settle their nerves.
Spock stiffened as she did but didn't tell her to move. When she began cleaning his cut he relaxed altogether. Nyota leaned away from him and dragged the medkit closer so she could grab items at will. He placed his hand automatically at her lower back to keep her from falling.
Nyota smiled when she continued to patch him and he kept it there.
She still didn't feel anything from him and it was beginning to worry her. She took him and flipped it palm down onto her leg. Snagging another towelette she took her time with cleaning his battered knuckles. " I'm sorry."
His eyes narrowed and she felt a flash of rage pass between them. " You have nothing to apologize for."
Nyota shook her hard. She kept her gaze at his hand. She didn't want him seeing how hot her face burned with embarrassment. " I let the Hilogian get the upper hand on me. I was weak."
The hand resting on her leg gripped her tightly while the one at her burned posessively at her skin. " You are not weak. It's not your duty to fight alone. We are a team."
She really wished he had kissed her then. All broody and tattoo covered, this Spock had her melting in his lap. She cleared her throat and tried to regain her composure. " Yeah. A team..."
Spock studied her for a moment before returning to watch her work. The cargo bay was silent as only the two of them sat there healing each other's wounds.
Spock allowed her to take the hand he had at her back away and rest it on her other leg. She noticed he hadn't moved the other one. Maybe the close contact was soothing to him too?
When the silence got to be too much, Nyota tried to pull him out of his shell again. " You are really good at acting, you know that? All that time we were together on the mission I felt like you were jealous of Kotalis and angry that he had tried to kiss me." she chimed.
She dapped the towelette of quad-biotics at his hand and smiled. " Looking as pissed off as a wet cat."
He blinked up at her face and caught her eye. " I was not acting. Much of what you saw from me wasn't."
Nyota stilled and held his gaze. " What? But you're-"
" I am Vulcan." He rushed cutting her off. " My emotions are always there, just beneath the surface of my logic. What you saw was me not hiding them."
Nyota felt off kelter. Not hiding his emotions? So he had been jealous? He had been furious at Kotalis's hurting her?
" Yes." he admitted, interrupting her thoughts.
She looked at him again and saw the rekindled fury in his eyes. His hand came up to her cheek and brushed at the newly healed skin. " It is illogical. Crude of me to think it...but I wish I could kill him all over again for touching you as he did."
She blinked at him as the anger in his eyes cooled to something more gentle but no less passionate. " I wish I could have kept him from hurting you in the first place. You have nothing to apologize for. I am sorry."
An exhale could have knocked her over then Nyota was so stunned. He traced to two finger over her cheek and ran it over her jaw. An apology. A promise. She opened her mouth to question him when the tell-tale buzz of transporting filled her ears.
Hendroff, Leslie and the rest of their crew appeared. They were haggered but no worse for wear. Seeing the pair of them on the floor Leslie snickered. " Looks like we came at a bad time?"
" Report." Spock commanded. He had already come to his feet and was helping Nyota to hers. He was distant again. Funny how it bother her now. She used to not be able to stand it, now this Spock had her strung out for it like a junkie. Especially after what he had said. She bit her lip and listened to Hendroff's report.
All the information pertaining to the Hilogian starfleet base had been transferred over to the Enterprise's system. The Hilogian that had surrendered had been beamed directly into the brig. The team had spent the rest of the time sweeping the ship for anything that might have been overlooked.
They had found evidence of other raids, these against fellow federation members. Whether the Hilogian High lords had known about these transgressions or not was going to be up to the U.F. to decide. Either way these murders were captured.
Kirk had congratulated them on a successful mission but Spock stayed stony for the rest of the day. It wasn't until he emerged from the shower that evening at he bore a resemblance to his typical self.
Nyota had been waiting for him outside the bathroom on her knees with her head bowed. He seemed taken aback by her posture until she tilted her head up and then to the side in a silent invitation.
He licked his lips and paused for a while considering. " Go to bed, Nyota."
Her heart dropped. He was rejecting her. Just as she always feared and thought he would. She started to rise and walk back when she felt him push her down within their bond. She sank back to her knees and looked up at her, curious.
His face was blank but the bond between them slowly blossomed. " On your hands and knees."
She complied, feeling his eyes watch her as they made their way to his bed. She waited at the edge, watching him discard his towel and dress for the night. When he finished he came to where she sat and hooked his arm around her waist. It wasn't sexual but incredibly intimate.
He pulled her against his chest and laid his held at her shoulder. She could feel that he had still been angry with himself. He felt he didn't deserve her comfort or gratitude.
I want to give it to you, please. She said within her mind, knowing he would hear. She was used to speaking with her Spock that way. When they were in the territory of his bedroom, they played by Vulcan rules. She would sub but never made it easy for him. And he in turn, would dom her into an abysmal pleasure.
The Spock currently behind her scoffed and moved his hands to hold her closer. " I'm not like him."
What do you mean by that? You're Spock. Albeit a sad one.
She snuggled against him as she spoke, relishing his touch as he softened against her. He sighed heavily and murmured into her hair. " On my third date with Nyota, I asked her to meld with me."
Nyota jerked in his hold and spoke aloud then. " You asked to meld?!"
He pulled her back to him and cradled his face into the soft, wavy bob of her hair. " Of course. Like I said, I'm not like him."
Nyota felt his fingers sliding over toward hers and she readily met and laced them together. He hummed contentedly at the contact and resumed speaking. " She agreed but I do not believe she knew where I wanted to go with it."
Nyota turned in his arms to look at his expression. Faint as it was, Spock's face still had a trace of whimsical reminiscence. " I asked her to show me something that she had never shared with anyone else. To tell me a secret we could have between the two of us. I wanted to see how open she would be but I also wanted to see her in the face something she'd rather have hidden."
Nyota blinked as he raised his hand to her face. " Would you like to see me?"
Nyota was shocked by him for the third time today. What he was offering to do, to show her, felt so wrong for her to take. But she craved it like she craved being free. Who was Spock in this world? Why was he sad? This was her chance to see. Staring at his long, pale fingers she decided to take it. " Yes. Let me see you."
He made a sound as if he were disappointed that she had agreed but when his hand came over her there was a feeling of relief rolling off from his fingers into her skin. " My mind to your mind. My thoughts yours. We are one."
Her vision blanked and she was met with the last seconds of Vulcan, her - no, his mother reaching out for his hand and his coming up empty as he was beamed aboard the Enterprise.
- Mirror!Spock
She was prudish. Prissy. Irritatingly smart to be so gullible. But she was lovely and his.
Nyota. How this one confounded him. Spock had his work cut out for him. Long hours in the privacy of their quarters spent refining his already fierce companion.
He knew this version of his bondmate loathed him for it but he wouldn't have it any other way. Spock trained her as he did himself with Vulcan speed and strength because he would accept nothing less. His Nyota could best him but it took more than raw power and brawn. This little one had yet to use her claws in their sparring...well the mental ones. She scratched and bit at him plenty and it made coming and knotting inside her all the more sweet. Yes, his soft bondmate hated his training but she was getting quite good under his tutelage.
Spock had relished the first time she had knocked him down to the floor. She looked so surprised at her own strength that he could not help the single breathy chuckle that left his lips. He devoured her soon after because of course he was training her in that too. To be so responsive to him that he only had to look, breathe a certain way and his fingers could be met with her wetness if he touched her cunt.
He smiled at the thought as he and his Vulcan crewmates made their way down the hall. He always enjoyed fucking her after a mission or bout and the one he had with the Hilogians had been particularly thrilling.
Yoval, his second, broke him out of his plans for revelry. " Avon-telik du veh, Osu? ( Are you hungry, Commander?"
Spock sighed and flexed his hands. " Ri hem-tukh nash veh. ( I am not hungry for food)." he replied. He tapped in the code for the gymnasium and stepped in as the doors hissed open. Yoval followed him in with a knowing eyes while Koven angled his face to the side in query. " Ko nash veh? ( Your female?)"
Spock closed eyes and nodded. He was happy to have them as a confidants in his newfound trails. He had attempted to woo this new Nyota to him with little success. She like her orgasms plenty but ignored the rest of his overtures. It infuriated him because he had seen how much she cherished such things from her Spock. Chocolates, music played by his hand, reciting poetry and..snuggling...all had been met with her cold-hearted indifference.
Well not all. Nyota did enjoy the flowers. He had littered their bed with rose petals and tiny, purple d'lechu blossoms. When she had awoken this morning she had actually smiled. Running her fingers over the petals she gathered a clump of the fragrant mass into her palms and crushed it to her face. A low hum left her after a dainty sniff.
The sound had gone straight to his groin it held so much pleasure. She must have felt his reaction within the bond because her eyes quickly snapped to his. She held gaze with a defiant glare and cast the flowers back onto the bed.
He growled at her and went to her to relieve their tension, or his at least. The climax he found there felt empty and hollow. He had wanted to knot inside her but wanted her to want that too. He had snarled as withdrew from her exhausted form and cursed in his mind.
Why did she have to be so difficult? Didn't she know they were both stronger when they were aligned? They both craved it and the bond between them demanded it. Spock didn't desire her guilt and grief rubbing up against him every time he pushed his way inside her. He didn't want her defiance as he tried to comb her mind. This Nyota was soft but she was still a feisty female. It made him want her all the more.
Cracking a few Hilogian skulls in the mission he had thereafter hadn't been enough to curb Spock's appetite for satisfaction. He needed to maim something. Own it. Fuck it. Claim it. He wanted her but her claim of him was annoyingly out of reach.
Yoval stripped to down his trowers and began to wrap his hands. He knew of Spock's bonding and recent problems. Spock had advised him and his other Vulcan crewmen in the ways of human courtship. They honored him all the more for it as they cherished their human bondmates. Being half human gained Spock insight on things his full-blooded brethren had no way of comprehending. Yoval, as loyal and faithful as he was especially admired him.
However Koven seemed troubled. Perhaps Spock's stress was too obvious with latest obstacles with Nyota. He had killed half of the Hilogians they had taken on this mission with no thought to his person. In his recklessness he had injured himself but Vulcans did not show weakness. He did not show weakness. " So'el'itju. ( Train in dance of combat)"
Yoval came to the ready but Koven hesitated in raising his hands. " Osu. Balou tu shom. Nam'tor du kombat. ( Commander. You need rest. You have been weakened.)"
Spock snarled at him and put all eight of his canines on display. " Ikap'uh t'du ru'lut! Far wak du ra kharthau! ( Shut your mouth! You will do as I command!)
Koven was right of course. Spock had dislocated his right arm and had to manually it back into his socket when he had broken one of the Hilogian's horns. His rotator cuff still throbbed. There was a long list of other things he had hurt during his scuffle with the satyr people of Hilos.
However, Spock could not so weakness in front of others. That Koven had called him on it had Spock livid. Even as loyal as his men were, Yoval could easily use the opportunity to become chief among their small Vulcan clan.
To lose his position could spell disaster in many forms. Spock could lose his command, his life, his claim to Nyota. For the last he would gladly suffer the second outcome but he tempered himself.
Koven genuinely cared for him and despite his better judgement Spock was partial to him. He was their youngest male and had been there during Spock's first ranking among them. Witnessed his greatest joy in claiming Nyota. Defended him as they were sent out like wolves among monsters to take down their prey. For their kindredness Spock would feign wellness and act as he always did. Impenetrable.
" El'itju. ( Combat dance)" he demanded again. It was no time to get distracted. Spock couldn't afford anymore. This Nyota had his mind like a raging sandstorm, blinding him to nearly everything that wasn't her.
He was already treading into dangerous territory with having his mind so open to her. For whatever reason this Nyota seemed to need that from him.
The more he made himself mentally available, the better his new mate seemed to fair. However it left Spock feeling off balance. The warm, soft caress of her mind throughout the day had his mind relaxing when it should have been on guard. He experimented with having their bond open only during their rest but the results were not favorable. She would cling to him and whimper as she slept, sometimes crying from feelings of rejection.
After those arduous nights, Spock had decided to do what was best for both of them. Limiting her in such a way wasn't optimal care for her health. Bondmates required a certain elements to thrive. Touch was one Spock was sure she did not lack but this Nyota needed him far more mentally than he was used to. It was no matter. He would train himself in this way for her. They were one and he could not have her ailing. Her weakness was his failure and her strength, his success. Balance must be maintained or they would fall.
Spock finished wrapping his knuckles and flexed his fingers to gauge his comfort. His hands still ached from his fists colliding into the dense bones of the Hilogians but he had been through much worse. Besides the cut to his forehead and his arm, there was nothing else to trouble himself with. Nyota had stayed safely tucked away in his quarters. When McCoy had suggested Nyota as a member of the away team Spock informed him she wouldn't be fit for duty. " Due to my own rough handling of her." he said casually. He had lied but it wasn't quite the truth.
He had merely fucked her senseless that morning until she drunk with it. McCoy had bought the ruse but he caught Kirk's gaze lingering on his profile. He must have noticed the recent uptick of Spock's brooding over Nyota and wondered over the reason. First her hair, now domming her every chance he got. What the wiley blonde Captain suspected Spock could only speculate. And he hated speculation.
Freeing himself of his tunic and shoes, Spock clenched his teeth. That message...had Kirk been the one to send it? And if not him then who? He growled in frustration and turned to face Yoval. " Puk-tor (Fight)."
Spock dropped into a crouch as the younger Vulcan engaged him in a flurry of kicks and swipes. His body ducked and weaved automatically, feeling the air for which way he should move.
As uncreative and methodical as Yoval fought him, he did so with speed. Spock dodged each blow with just the barest hint of the other's touch. Doing so was as much encouragement as it was a taunt to try and best him.
If Yoval truly pushed himself Spock would be forced to engage him from a more defensive stance. As it was, Spock lost himself in the art.
He took So'el'itju and every other martial art literally, making each movement deliberant and sharp as if he were a dancing knife.
Yoval paused in his routine to readjust his stance when Spock seized the moment to strike out. One, two, three jab to his chest and Yoval fell to his knees with a ragged breath. " Bath' paik. ( Damn/Shit) " he rasped.
Spock left him to catch his breath before offering a hand to help him up. It was much a move of dominance as it was of kinship. The Vulcan belonged to Spock, his to command and protect. With his acceptance of his hand, Yoval had reinforced the notion.
Spock was just about to call for another drill with Koven when six humans flooded the room. " Duvun'uh!" he shouted but it was seconds too late.
The first one in shot Koven in the head with a phaser. It was set to stun but even then the location of the shot could have his life in peril if his brain swelled.
Yoval ran forward in a blur of speed and snagged the phaser from the Jr. grade lieutenant's hand. He crushed it soon after but it opened him up for four of the humans to pile onto him with punches and kicks.
Spock was moving to aid his second when the other two who hadn't joined in with beating Yoval slowly came forward to engage him. Spock eyed them as they split to flank him. He was having trouble in trying to guess who might have ordered their attack. They were from all three branches of the ship, two blue, two gold and two redshirts.
He could assume that it might have been Kirk but it felt too obvious. Kirk was an intelligent predator and this attack along with its combants were stupid.
" Come to die?" he asked them. He moved nothing but his gaze as they circled around him.
They weren't dumb enough to taunt him outright but one of them did say something of interest. " You can't always be there to protect her."
A flicker of fear stole over him. He reached out to touch Nyota through the bond and found her safe and within the space of his quarters. At his frightened graze, she reached back in concern. He was about to assuage her discomfort from his reaction when pain blistered through his body.
Spock seized and coughed in anger. How witless. He had let his guard down and they had used his fear to their advantage.
Another paralyzing jolt hit him and had Spock crashing down to his knees. An agonzier? It must have been but he hadn't had one in years. How did someone gain his frequency to create one? His mouth split with yowl as one of the gold shirts kicked him in the stomach and the red jabbed the device into his neck.
He heard Yoval wailing in equal pain to his left while Koven was disturbingly silent where he laid. As their leader he needed to protect them. Gritting his teeth he forced his body to rise back up and take them on.
One of the men cursed and yelled to another. " I told you, you should have stunned him and not the little guy. This big fucker is a tough son of a bitch."
The one with the agonizer, dressed in med blues, waved it in the air and shrugged. " We have this. He's not so big and bad that he can stand an agonizer. He's still halfbreed garbage. Go get another phaser while we hold him off."
Spock narrowed his eyes and the man laughed at him. " Oh? Struck a nerve, did I? Don't like me calling you halfbreed, Commander? I thought you liked facts and all that shit? Like the fact that your father raped your human mom to conceive you."
Spock lunged for him but came up short as someone in gold, he couldn't remember his name, swung out with a knife. The agonizer had his mind slow to move and comprehend. Had he not just come back injured from a mission Spock could have been done with these men thrice over but that he spent the rest of his energy not healing but fighting further slowed him.
The man swung again and had Spock backing into the blow of a bat. He blanked for a moment and received two more whacks from it before he dodged away. He was flagging but confident he could take care of them. Most likely..." Stand down and I'll kill you quickly."
The Med blue petty officer snorted and shook his head. " You ain't gonna kill shit. You're an ugly fucker, you know that? How the hell did you ever get any pussy? Is that why you made Uhura your bitch? Your little alien fuckslut. How long did you have to force yourself on her before she finally liked your ugly, dog dick, Spock?"
Spock surged forward and managed to slip past the others. He grabbed him by the throat and began to choke him when he was caught in the ribs with the agonizer from the man's depersate flailing.
The others pulled him away in those moments as the medical officer struggled to breathe. When he looked back over to Spock, hate burned in his eyes. " I don't know why the Imperial fleet ever let Vulcans serve. You robotic, unfeeling fucks aren't good for anything but manual labor and calculations. You have no place in command and no business fucking a human!"
Spock gasped at the air as he fought to keep them off. With all eyes on him, maybe his subordinates could escape. Then there was Nyota. He could feel the violence singing through the veins of each one of the men who touched him. They wouldn't stop with the three of them. They'd probably cull the rest of the Vulcans on the ship and do Surak knows to his beloved. They would have to kill him, however, before he ever allowed that.
As quickly as he could Spock reached out and struck the nearest man, an Ensign...his name was rolling sluggishly across his brain, in a series of strikes. He fell with a choke and died before he hit the floor. The others stepped back out of distance with weapons at the ready.
Spock hacked and spit onto the floor. Bright green colored his spittle. He worried over how frothy it looked too and wondered if one of these men had punctured his lung. It would explain his labored breathing.
He had to kill them, assure himself of Nyota safety before he collapsed. But his strength was subsiding along with his consciousness. He half slumped to the floor again and gasped at the air. The men grew a bit braver and started to close ranks around him. Spock blinked up at his heckler and glared.
The medical officer stared back with an ugly smile peeled across his face. " Well, well. How the mighty have fallen."
He spit in his face and chuckled as it slid down Spock's cheek. " Just so you know, there's no hard feelings, Spock. I just hate you and they do too."
Spock's brow furrowed. They? There was more than one traitor? He trained his focus back onto the human hovering above him and scowled. He didn't seem to appreciate his look and sneered back at him. " You're nothing more than a rapid mutt that needs to be put down. No one wants you, especially your slut. Where's your precious pet now, Spock, huh?"
Spock blinked sleepily as unconsciousness threatened to overcome him. " Behind you."
" Wha-"
Phaser fire lit the room. Nyota had taken three of the four remaining men down before they could counter her. No one had thought that she would have come, including Spock. He stared at her and felt his ka'tra soared in surprised gratitude.
This Nyota came for him. With no gain to be had to herself she had risked injury or death to save his life. He did not deserve her but he was a proud Vulcan. What a magnificent mate he had.
Nyota ran over towards the last man, a red ops ensign and shocked him square in the jaw.
Spock almost came at the sight it thrilled so much. Was this still the new bondmate he had left in his den or had his own Nyota returned with fire and fury in her spirit?
He kept his question to himself as he watched Nyota plant cargo beacons on each one of the unconscious men and the one Spock had just killed with k'ai'sumi. With a tap of her badge, all four were beamed out of sight. Spock blinked at the empty space and caught a flash of light swirling just outside the porthole. Four odd shapes came into focus before the ship passed by them.
Spock looked up at Nyota with his end of the bond blazing. Oh Surak, he cherished her. He would have told her as much too if she hadn't been leveling the phaser at the fallen man's torso who she hadn't beamed away. " You son of bitch. Who sent you!?"
The man babbled unable to give a straight answer in the face of her anger. " I don't know, I can't say. I, you, have to understand. I- YARRGH!" He hollered into the quiet of the gym as Nyota shot him in the groin. " I need a name! Who sent you dammit?!"
The ensign was still cupping his stunned privates as he spat out an answer. " You won't find them. You two are as good as dead! Fuck, it hurts! You fucking bitch- OW!"
She shot him again this time in the knee. Spock blinked contentedly as he watched her work. His hellcat had finally gained her claws. She held the phaser up and angled it so he could see the gauge. " I've got this set low now so it hurts like a bitch but you won't pass out like the rest of your gang did. You keep playing with me and I'm going to keep shooting you."
" No! No, wait! Cochran!" He cried holding up a single hand up as she aimed for his other knee. " I don't know who either one is. Seriously. I just know that the orders came from above my CO. Just don't fucking shoot me again, shit."
Spock peered at the groveling man and flexed his hand. He should take his mind. Find who or all of those hunting them. Maybe the lackey knew more than he was letting on? He started to reach over when the man began to foam at the mouth.
Nyota cursed and looked to Spock in horror. " Spock! What's happening?"
Spock huffed and forced his hand to the dying man's face. " Cyanide pill. He must have had it concealed somewhere in his mouth."
He groped his fingers along the man's clammy skin and rushed to find a mental connection before his mind fell silent from the poison. Only the faintest trace of a thought came to him. She is different.
The emphasis the man placed on is chilled Spock. Nyota. Someone was actively questioning this version of her. He started to look over in her direction to warn her when she clamped her arms around his neck.
Spock issued out an umph and froze in her embrace. Did she mean to hug him or did she want to use this moment to her advantage? It had crossed his mind that she may have tried to escape when she felt him under diress.
She had tried so many times before in so many fashions that Spock had began to think about it as a game they played. She was the mouse in the maze of his universe and he was the cat leisurely hunting after her. But thoughts of her trying to knock him unconscious left his mind as soon as he heard her sniffle and felt the wet heat of her tears.
" You stupid, sadistic Vulcan. You almost got yourself killed. And where would I have been then huh? Hpmh, you're so selfish. You didn't even stop to think how I felt."
Spock was mute to her scolding as she pulled him tighter into her terrified hug. Terrified...for him? " Don't you ever do that again, you hear me?"
He swallowed thickly and nuzzled shyly against her face. " Yes, K'diwa."
She sniffed and wiped angrily at her eyes as she pulled away to look him over. " Oh my God. You look horrible. Does your Nyota end up spending all her time making sure you take care of yourself? What were you thinking?!"
" I wasn't." he admitted as she rose up and ran to find a medkit. She fussed over the supplies, some half used, others expired as she hurried back over. " Well. You should have...been thinking that is. You could have been killed, Spock!"
" That is a reality I am often confronted with." he retorted. He held himself still as she quickly cleaned all the wounds she could see. Even in her fury she was still gentle with her touch. Each dab of the towelette felt feather soft on his skin. " Thank you."
Nyota huffed but Spock could feel her pleasure and relief in his words. She figured he must have not been so bad off he if was arguing and apologizing. " Stop purring at me and hold still. I need to help the others too."
Spock straightened to attention and grabbed the hand she was using to close the cut at his forehead. " There was another man, an Ensign, Tolyver. He left to retrieve a phaser-"
" - yeah. That was kind of him." Nyota commented wryly. " Saved me the trouble of having to go find one in my room. Your Nyota, has some pretty wicked booby traps in her drawers. I figured I'd take my chances with these buffoons instead and get here as soon as I could."
Spock blinked her with glittering eyes. " You- took it from him?"
" And sent him outside with his buddies." she said. Her smile widened a bit before faltering back down. He could feel her remorse in having to do what she did. She had known those people, albeit vaguely in her universe. While she did what she had to do, this Nyota didn't relish or feel peace in having to get her hands dirty.
She was tending to his hands now. Spock watched as she bit at her bottom lip. He had half a mind to kiss her but wouldn't do anything to disrupt her attending him. It was the first time she had done so of her own volition and it felt...indescribably pleasant. He sighed with a purr in his throat as she soothed away the ache in his hand.
"Seriously Spock, you had me so scared. I had no idea of what was happening to you and then when - What?" she asked watching his face.
Spock cleared it of his boastful expression and wore a more placid one. " You were worried about me."
Nyota snorted with disagreement but her skin was say otherwise. " Yeah well, don't let it go to your head. It's already big enough as it is."
" You care for me." he declared. A gleeful pride brightened within him as Nyota trying feign ignorance on the matter. " You've been acting stupid recently and this morning you just...I didn't have a good feeling coming from you."
Spock paused and thought over Nyota's profession. She said she had felt his disquiet. Was that the reason for her need to be close within the bond? As soon as he reached out to her she must have come rushing to his aid to have arrived as quickly as she did. He hadn't told her where he would be once he returned from his Hilos VII mission but she had been there in the doorway of the gymnasium in a matter of minutes. Fascinating.
He gave a lift of one eyebrow and pulled his attention back to her nursing. " Do not worry yourself over the superficial injuries. I can get them mended later."
She shook her head and continued her work on his other hand. " Nope. You would just take nap and keep on going like nothing happened. It's a collection of bangs and scrapes like this that add up to you getting beat as bad as you did right now."
He frowned and then smoothed his lips into a small grin. " To what are you referring?"
" The med bay. You hate going to the med bay. And you're hard headed about doing anything McCoy tells you to do."
He looked at her with smiling eyes. She was right but how had she known? He had never told her about his aversion. And from what he knew of their melding she had never tried to glean any information from him. Curiouser and curiouser. " That may be. However, I am in possession of a most fearsome mate."
Nyota blew out a breath from pursed lips and gave him a mischievous look. " Oh? Is that so?"
He nodded sagely and turned to the side so she could use the bone knitter and soft tissue regenerator on his ribs. Her delicate hand resting along his lower back almost felt as good as the cool wave of energy mending his muscles. " It is so. She dispatch not one but five Imperial soldiers."
Nyota looked away from his side and up at his face through his lashes. " She does sound scary."
Spock blinked at her and reached out a hand to cup the back of her neck. " She has been quite challenging to keep occupied and content. There's not a day that passes that she does not try to leave me."
Nyota made an expression he was unable to decipher and look back towards his side. " Maybe it's the way you try to keep her occupied and content?"
Spock brushed his thumb across the hair at her nape and made a Vulcan gesture of a shrug. " I do my best with what I know. I give her everything I have to give. Show her everything she needs to know. As my woman she has been difficult to take in hand but she has only disappointed me once."
He felt her hand jerk at his back and her voice came out much colder. " When was that?"
" The day I feared I could lose her to McCoy as she tried to escape me. He like everyone else on this ship covets her and would savor the chance at kidnapping her. Unlike everyone else he has medicine to do it with. I did not want to lose her. I do not want to lose her."
Nyota looked up then as his sentiment sank into her from his hand. He pulled her forward for a kiss and only had to fight her once to keep her moving towards his mouth. At the end of it she looked bashful and uncertain. Spock assumed it was probably due to the nature of his kiss.
She probably thought he had been trying to lay claim to her but he knew he had her. She had come for him. That in itself was an assertion of their bond. This kiss had been for her, in an appreciation of who she was. He looked at her with adoration while his jaw ticked with the urge to bite her. " My bondmate took everything I taught her and honored me with it. She did not care for her actions but she made me feel pride."
Nyota blushed and fidgeted before him. Nice of her to be struck silent for once. " Spock." she began. " I-"
A hoarse groan filled the air as Koven came to consciousness. Nyota ran to help him even as he turned and vomited on the floor next to him. Spock fetched the med kit and helped to assist her. She had been right. Spock wouldn't have gone to the clinic or sent his injured men there. He was being hunted and Nyota's behavior questioned. Until he found out who was behind it, Spock was going to have to command that they go nowhere alone and sleep with no less than one person in their quarters.
He handed Nyota another towelette and felt his angry fear return. Her arrival to him could not have come at a worse time.