A/N - Wow, thanks for all the reviews! I really didnt think there would be so much support!

Thank you so much Blue, Freedom Reader and jenetri - youre reviews really perked up my day!

Hope this makes up for the shortness of the first prologue lorza.b but i knew if I didnt post the first bit I wouldnt get round to doing the second! Hopefully the chapters should be at least this long.

Thanks for the review sexy-jess I've been thinking of this storyline for a while. The inspiration is another fic called 'Tarsus IV' where a young Vulcan called S'lek is on Tarsus with Jim which got me thinking 'what if?'. I'm not sure how long it will be, but it shouldnt be more than 20 chapters (at a push!), it just depends how far I go with it and how many of my planned subplots I actually use! lol

Disclaimer:Star Trek:2009 is not mine - Please do not sue! Striyon is mine so hands off my vulcan cuteness!

Jim quietly curled into the warmth next to him, sighing as he got comfortable underneath the old, tattered blanket.

"Jim... Jim..."

Jim whined as he was gently jostled, refusing to leave the sweet comfort of sleep.

"Ashayam, the day has begun. It is logical to wake now."

The tattered blanket was gently ripped from his grip and he squeaked as the cool air hit his naked flesh. Jim frowned and grumpily opened his eyes to see Striyon leaning over him, bathed in the soft glow of the lamp, with a gentle tenderness in his eyes, though his face was as inexpressive as ever. He chastely kissed his mate and spoke quietly, as if afraid to break the calmness between them, "Jim, we need to show the others we are unharmed. They will worry if we do not return to the cave today."

"I know" grumbled Jim, stretching his sore arms and wincing as he aggravated the pains in his lower back, "Doesn't stop me from wanting more sleep. You were kinda rough." Jim sat up slowly, wincing as he jarred bruises and sore areas.

Striyons eyes became almost pained as his mate moaned, his dark eyes staring unwaveringly at his sore bondmate "I apologise Ashayam, I would never wish to harm you. But we must leave, if only to make sure that the others are safe."

Jim scowled at Striyon but he knew he couldn't argue. Striyon always knew which of his buttons to push the same way he knew how to reprogramme an intergalactic spacecraft. 'Damn him and his magic powers!'

Jim tried to reach for his old tattered clothes but his back shouted in protest as Jim clenched his mouth with a pained hiss. Striyon finished doing up the buttons on his trousers and passed Jim his ripped clothes, gently massaging Jims tired back. Jim pushed his head through the neck, enjoying the comfortable silence between the two of them as they finished dressing, surreptitiously grazing each other's flesh as they went.

Once Jim was dressed, he refused to be carried and limped to what was left of their provisions, grimacing with every step. Striyon followed behind, trying not to chuckle at his stubborn bonded but still being ready to catch him if he fell.

"This is good" said Jim softly as he finished cataloguing what they had left, "there's enough for the trip back to the cave and then we can probably go hunting around tomorrow for more." Jim cracked a weary smile, "Kodos' men are probably getting too comfy without us there to keep them on their toes." Even as he attempted to make light of the situation, Jim knew that what he had called adequate provisions were in fact not even enough for a typical lunch for one on Earth but they would have to make do. It was all they would get and was more than what they usually survived on.

Striyon picked up the provisions bag and packed the blanket into it, zipping it up and lifting it on one shoulder. "I shall carry the bag Jim; the journey will be hard enough on you without the added strain."

Jim scowled at Striyon, "Are you calling me weak?"

Striyon raised his eyebrow bemusedly, "Of course not, I merely implied that I should take the bag since I am roughly three times stronger than you and am more used to the heat. I did not mean to cause offence." Jim glared at his mate as he passed, knowing that if Striyon had been human he would have laughed.

Striyon stared after his husband; eyes dimming with sadness, Jim was not weak. No-one who had survived the horrors they had would ever be weak. Striyon would not air his concerns but he knew even Kodos was now running out of food. The crops had failed so badly that even the Governors 'rationing plan' was not enough. The other half of the population that had survived the genocide would be dead within a few weeks unless help arrived. Striyon prayed to Reah, asking, no begging the ancient goddess of the underworld to spare them. To let his k'diwa live out the life he deserved before joining his ancestors in the Great Oasis.

"Come on slowpoke. You're the one who said we had to leave!"

Jims piercing yell jolted Striyon out of his dark thoughts and he jogged to catch up to his mate at the entrance to the dark cave. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he felt the first warming light on his face in a week. Jim laughed at him as he purred unconsciously and walked out into the light.

It would take 6 hours to reach the hidden cave where the rest of their group lived. Together they were a group of 9 children, all found by Jim in various states of starvation and injury. Their ages ranged from the youngest Kevin at 6 to Striyon himself at 16. Each child had a job; some were as simple as keeping the cave tidy others foraged for food or collecting water. Jim and Striyon had the most dangerous job; they had to sneak into the city to steal food and supplies while trying not to be caught.

"Alright Ashayam, let us leave now", and Striyon took his first step out of their cave.

They were 3 hours into their trek and had stopped by a deserted town's well to fill their bottles with fresh water. Striyon forced Jim to sit in the shade and rest while he gathered the water, shooting concerned glances at his beloved whenever Jim was not paying attention, just to make sure he was alright. Striyon had been warned that he would have these disturbing episodes of emotion once newly bonded but Jims species meant that he was even more protective, it was so easy for a human to be hurt.

Jim snoozed under a dying tree next to the well, staying awake only to spite the Vulcan – that would teach him to treat Jim like a girl! He fell deeper and deeper into relaxation before a brush of skin against his arm shocked him into waking as he scrambled back into the tree. Striyon was sat next to him holding out his hand with a mildly perplexed tilt of his head as he pulled Jim towards him so they could snuggle, though neither would ever admit to calling it that.

Jim jumped awake quickly, not knowing what had woken him but couldn't make a noise before Striyon had covered his mouth with his hand. Jim's eyes widen as he heard noises in the distance, voices. Jim began to hyperventilate, there was no way they could gather their supplies and leave without being noticed by whoever was making the noises.

Striyon removed his hand from Jims mouth and whispered softly in his ear "Stay behind me, I will protect you". They both stood as quietly as they could and inched towards their bag, the Vulcan first with his eyes on the road the voices were coming from. His inattention caused him to trip on a root and fall hard on the stone road.

"Hey over here, I heard something!" shouted a voice from the road as Jim hurriedly helped his lover stand. "Oh God... Oh God..." Jim whispered in vain, backing away from the road as someone came into view.

Striyon shielded his mate with his body, expecting phaser fire but all that came was a terse silence. He opened his eyes, not knowing when he had shut them and looked up to see the form of a stunned man. A stunned man with dark hair and a phaser pointed at the ground. A stunned man staring at them. A stunned man wearing a Starfleet uniform.

Striyon refused to show hope and his voice cracked alarmingly as he croaked "I-Identify yourself", while attempting to hide Jim better behind him.

The man seemed to snap out of his daze as he straightened, "I am Captain Pike of the USS Vantage. We were sent to help with the recent crop failure." Here he seemed to lose his confidence as he stared at our too thin bodies and stuttered slightly as if expecting the news we had to give, "W-Where is everyone?"

Striyon did not answer him; instead Jim spoke softly, giving only the simple answer, as he stared at this Pike with pained blue eyes.

"Dead."

Pikes body seemed to crumple as he closed his eyes in what seemed to the Vulcan to be guilt. When he opened them again he stared at them with too-bright eyes, licking his dry lips slightly before asking "We were too late? I don't understand, there should have been enough food stores to support everyone with the ration plans. Why would they starve?"

Striyon held Jim as he let out a mirthless laugh as he shook with unshed tears, "They didn't starve. They were killed."Jim buried his face in the Vulcan's shoulder tears slowly falling silently from his eyes.

Pike looked at them aghast, as if he had been told that the sky was falling down around him.

"W-What?"

"The Governors 'ration plan' was to kill the least desirable 50% of the population as determined by his own views on eugenics. There are 9 survivors out of 4000 that we know of." Striyon spoke tonelessly, without emotion, but Jim could feel the simmering anger and hatred through their bond.

Pike fell to his knees and vomited, shaken he stared wide eyed at the ground for several minutes before he raised his eyes to meet Striyons. When he spoke, his voice was broken and shook "Where are the others?"

"Safe."

Within a few hours, all 9 survivors had been beamed up aboard the USS Vantage and were in the Sick Bay. All of them apart from Jim and Striyon had been sedated, as the oldest they were expected to give Starfleet a 'report' of what had happened. Jim and Striyon had already given their accounts of the last few months and were lying on Jim's bed holding each other as Striyon gently stroked the blondes back, trying to calm his wild emotions raging through the bond.

According to Starfleet, they were the only ones who had any idea what had happened – the other half of Tarsus IV had not known of the killings, they had thought that they had been split into two to make distribution of rations easier. When the residents found out, Kodos' palace had been stormed, but it had been too late. Kodos had already fled, leaving behind a genocide that could never be forgotten. In the following months, mass graves would be dug up where the bodies of men, women and children had just been thrown in. They would be the luckier ones, some had simply been thrown in and buried alive.

Both boys were startled as a nurse walked over to them briskly, "Come now you two, we need to give you both a health check."

She scanned Striyon first, "Hmmm... malnutrition, signs of stress and a slightly raised heartbeat for a Vulcan. You should be fine after some rest and good food." Jim let out a quiet sigh, unwilling to admit he had been worried his bondmate had been injured when he fell.

As the nurse waved the scanner over Jim, her eyes widen and she gasped. A cold shudder went down Striyons back when she urgently shouted "Doctor... I need you over here now please."

"What is wrong with him? Is he injured?" Striyon asked worried as he held Jim to him tighter. Jim panicked looking from the nurse to the approaching doctor. When the doctor read the scan report, he hissed through his teeth and looked pityingly at Jim "Tell me what is wrong NOW!"

Neither of the two answered him and Striyon started to growl as they backed away from him. As the Vulcan lunged for the scanner, the doctor quickly injected him with a sedative and he fell to the ground in a deep sleep. "STRIYON!" Jim yelped as he tried to get off the Sick Bay bed to run to his lover.

"Don't worry dear, he'll be fine. He's just sleeping. It's for his own good." The nurse cooed at him in an attempt to calm him. When Jim still refused to lie still, she used another sedative to knock him out as Pike entered the Sick Bay. As Jim fought passing out, he heard bits of a quiet conversation happening near him between Pike and the doctor as darkness began to seep into his vision.

"How are they?"

"...most... fine... damage... force... rape..."

As Jim finally succumbed to the darkness he could have sworn he heard a choked gasp as he floated away.

Jim didn't know that once he woke up, his life would have gone to hell. The scan had picked up damage caused during Pon Farr and the doctor had assumed it was a result of rape. Jim had been kept sedated for over a week as Starfleet tried to work on the best course of action. When he woke Jim would have to beg Pike for news of the other survivors, beg to see his lover only to find that Striyon had been taken by his parents while still unconscious and was already on his way to Vulcan, his parents not knowing that he had gone through Pon Farr early. Not knowing that they were leaving his k'diwa behind... and that Striyon would never forgive them.

Yowch, hope you don't hate me for splitting them up. They'll meet up eventually again... probably, havent really decided yet. While theyre split the bond will be dulled but still there. At least they will know each other is alive! Thats good right?

Next chapter will probably be after the movie which should be more or less canon.

Translations!

K'diwa – beloved

Ashayam – beloved (similar to T'hy'la but more emotional)

Rhea – the ancient Vulcan goddess of death and the underworld

All my translations com from the Vulcan dictionary on www. starbase. de /vld (no spaces)I would really recommend it!