Title: Home (Multichapter fic with 35 parts)
Beta: Lissaea at Livejournal
Warnings, Themes and Tropes, etc.: bondage, torture, prostitution, explicit sex, drug use
Summary: The Vulcans need a new home planet, so the Enterprise and her crew set out to find one for them.
"They'd come all the way for this? Which mad astronomer had sent them out here? Whose twisted idea had it been?"
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek or any of its characters.
– Home-Part 9 of 35 –
"Course to Saketh set again, Captain," Sulu said.
"Warp 3 ahead, Mr Sulu," Jim replied and with that he got up out of the captain's chair. "You have the con."
He had to update their mission logs, then call Pike. An interesting solar system had taken them off course. One of the planets there, only five hundred kilometers in diameter was spewing out ice and hydrocarbons despite its circular orbit. The data they'd taken would keep the Astrophysics department happy for some time; however, they still hadn't encountered any suitable planets, which was bad. That's the first thing he'd have to tell Pike. On the upside, they'd avoided running into pirates, which was good.
He didn't record his personal views in the mission report, nor did he share them with Pike, but they were keeping him up most nights. How perfect would the planet have to be for the Vulcans to want to found a colony all the way out in the Calder system, in an utterly lawless part of the galaxy?
Once they were there, in just under a week's time, maybe he could sleep then. Maybe Bones would stop nagging him to take more rest, which the doctor had been doing daily for the past month of their meandering journey to Saketh.
As they decelerated and allowed themselves to be caught in Saketh's gravitational field, the planet abruptly swung into view on the main screen.
They had done a preliminary analysis using the long range sensors, so what they saw wasn't a surprise-a blue and white planet spun beneath them, looking a fair bit like Earth and not even a tiny bit like Vulcan. Jim's breath caught in his throat. There was silence on the bridge.
Barely even aware of his body, he stood up and glanced around the bridge. Everyone's eyes were glued to the view screen except Spock's. He wondered what was going through the Vulcan's mind. Was he thinking of all the logical, clinical arguments in favor of this place? That it was a rare, natural, class M planet-one that didn't need climate control or terraforming, that was essentially 'ready to move onto'?
"Lieutenant Sulu," Jim said, "put us into a low orbit and map out a pattern that will allow us to scan the whole surface."
Spock still didn't look up from the controls at the science station. Jim didn't blame him. He couldn't imagine how hard it must be to look upon the planet that was supposed to replace your home. As if anything ever could replace it, let alone this … water-world.
"I want to check out the surface. It's safe to beam down, isn't it?"
Spock turned to face him. "Affirmative, Captain. The air is non-toxic and as there are no continents, only islands and archipelago, no large native life forms are to be expected.
"Verify that, Mr Spock. I don't fancy ending up as some predator's lunch."
"Yes sir. There are also a large number of thunderstorms, which we should avoid."
They'd come all the way for this? Which mad astronomer had sent them out here? Whose twisted idea had it been?
He wanted to throw his hands up in the air in frustration; he bit down hard on his bottom lip instead.
"Just … try and find somewhere on one of the larger islands, somewhere that looks vaguely inhabitable to you."
The landing party materialized on a narrow beach in a small estuary; it was high tide. In the distance the dark blue of the ocean was visible, under a white sky. A breeze cooled Jim's skin and rustled the leaves of the trees.
Around him tricoders were beeping. He stepped up behind Spock to peer over his shoulder at the readings the device was picking up. Spock didn't pay him any attention-Jim cleared his throat, but without interruption the Vulcan's pale, slender fingers whizzed across the controls, adjusting them frantically. Just as Jim decided to step around to face him, Spock looked up.
"Spock, what do-." Jim but himself off when his first officer, ignoring his very existence, walked off towards some blue flowers. Some of the away team had stopped what they were doing to watch.
"What on Earth, Jim?" Bones said, walking up to him.
Jim looked at his friend. "Search me."
All away-team members were staring at their captain now. Jim motioned to Bones to follow him up the beach.
"Hey Spock, what's up?"
Jim needed Spock to co-ordinate the survey team, but he knew his first officer well enough by now to know that it must be something pretty 'fascinating' to distract him so completely.
When he received no reply he asked in a louder, clearer voice, "Commander? If you'd enlighten us on what has caught your attention?"
Although Spock's behavior was uncharacteristic and therefore a little worrying, especially considering the nature of their mission, it was more than a little funny to see him take off because he was so spellbound by a flower of all things. He had to work hard to suppress a grin that was trying to sneak onto his face.
Those thoughts flew out of his mind though when he saw Spock's expression. It was so … open. Then it was gone again, and maybe he had just imagined it. Yeah, almost certainly. He knew Spock suppressed his emotions and only massively big events could change that. He felt himself shiver. It was damned cold on this planet actually.
Spock turned to Jim but also looked around to make sure the rest of the science team, who'd slowly made their way hesitantly towards them, were paying attention too.
"This flower", he said quietly, then took another breath and replied in a cold, even tone, "it is almost identical to a desert flower that used to grow on Vulcan. This flower is of a different variety and far larger, no doubt an adaptation to this planet's environment. My initial analysis positively places the plant's genetic ancestry as coming from the planet Vulcan."
Jim met Spock's eyes. "Commander, I want you to adjust our survey of the planet. I want everyone to scan for signs of Vulcan fauna and flora and to take back plant specimens for further research. If someone makes such a positive identification I want to know immediately, ok?"
Spock nodded and set about briefing the science team. Jim stepped to one side and Bones followed him.
"We've come across Earth vegetation in the most unlikely places before," Jim said.
He knew from history books that enthusiastic settlers had brought a lot of plant and animal life into space with them before the human race had managed to organize and document its colonists. Adding to that, humanity was still looking in awe upon the newly erected pyramid of Giza when Vulcans first started exploring space; they'd had thousands of years to spread their plants throughout the galaxy.
Bones nodded. "It's not really such a surprise, eh? But it's a good omen none the less, don't you think?"
Jim sighed. "Heaven knows we need to find some positives."
The party dispersed to take readings and collect samples. They were now just a bit further inland, in a small valley that had been hidden from the beach by some trees. He sent Bones off with Ensign Kim, while he teamed up with Spock. He wanted to find out what Spock had to say on this peculiar matter. But before he could say anything Ensign Kim shouted out.
"Found something, Captain!"
Spock and Jim hurried over. Kim was standing near what appeared to be an enormous rhubarb plant with thin, emerald flowers.
Jim noticed Spock had become distracted—again-and was taking a reading of a tree they had just passed.
So Jim bent down next to Kim, who showed him the readout; it seemed the rhubarb like plant was Vulcan too.
"This tree also appears to be of Vulcan origin, although I have never seen anything like it on Vulcan myself," Spock said as he joined them.
Kim handed her tricoder to her superior. Spock looked at the giant rhubarb. He cocked his head sideways.
"Fascinating.".
Although someone who'd only just met Spock might think he was mildly interested at best, to everyone who knew him the excitement was unmistakable. And his mood was highly infectious. Jim didn't want to get his hopes up about this place, but hell, if Spock was excited … this was way better than what he'd expected to find down here. These were plants that for all he knew where thought to be extinct!
"It would appear many of these plants are ones that are edible to Vulcans," Spock said, touching one of the large leaves carefully. "These would appear to be derived from crops that are common on Vulcan."
Jim's heart missed a beat. There was an uncomfortable silence as Spock's slip of the tongue hung in the air. He couldn't recall a time Spock had accidentally said anything like that before. It wasn't like Spock, wasn't like him at all, to make such a slip-up in language.
He didn't want to meet Spock's eyes, but he forced himself to anyway, as Spock looked towards him.
But Spock had seemingly recovered more quickly than he had. "The plants seem to have adapted in many ways to the local climate. Their leaves are approximately one hundred times larger than any similar plants I observed on Vulcan."
Jim's communicator beeped. "Kirk here."
Reports of Vulcan plant life were coming in from almost every away-team member. Only one report was about something else; Lieutenant Gaal had been unable to fully describe to him in words what it was he had found and so he'd urged his captain to take a look himself. Jim was curious and had told him he'd be with him in a minute. He'd sent Bones on ahead.
That had been five minutes ago now.
"Spock?"
"We should finish our analysis here first," he replied. "Ensign Kim, if you would collect some samples … ."
Kirk tapped his foot on the soft ground. He wanted to leave, and under other circumstances he would have gone on ahead and ordered Spock to come with him. But it wasn't an emergency and there was no danger to anyone apart from himself (he might burst with curiosity), so he let Spock go about his work. It was meticulous.
Finally Spock and Kim got up.
"Right, ready to go," Jim said and set off at a brisk pace, leaving them to catch up with him.
The valley was relatively level, although Jim could see that they were nearing the end of it and soon they would have to climb the hill ahead. At that moment though, they found Bones. He was standing with the rest of the landing party between some of the massive rhubarb plants and some gigantic flowery bushes. As Jim looked around he became aware that they were standing in a clearing of sorts. Large leafy plants shaded the ground, but there were no trees growing here. The long clearing led all the way up the valley in a straight line which ended near the crest of the hill. It looked too straight to be natural.
"Report."
"There seems to be a structure under us, under this 'road'," Lieutenant Gaal answered. "Part local stone, part metal alloy. The structure extends for at least twenty meters into the ground; too far for the tree's roots to penetrate. And it is too close to the surface to allow the large trees much earth to grow on. This is only a guess, since we need to study the geology with more than a tricorder, but I'd say this structure was once raised well above the ground."
Jim's eyes sought out the edges of the clearing, and indeed, the area was still slightly raised compared to the surrounding land.
"That would explain why it hasn't yet been covered over with earth for trees to grow on even though we're at the lowest point of the valley," Jim said. "Age?"
"I cannot date it exactly, not without a reference point, Captain." The lieutenant sighed.
Everyone turned to look at Spock. It seemed as if Spock's approval was necessary for everyone to trust the lieutenant-as if his analysis was faulty by default, and Spock's was the ultimate answer. The thought that his crew thought Spock was the only one capable of wielding a tricorder didn't feel right to him.
Spock gave his own tricorder a cursory glance, but it looked as if he hadn't been able to extract any more from his device's data than the lieutenant already had.
"Let's follow the path," Jim ordered. "It doesn't look like anyone has been here in a very long time."
So they trekked through the clearing. The hill was getting closer.
"Look, Commander," Kim said from up ahead.
When Jim thrust a table-size leaf out of his way he was able to get a clear view of the path ahead. Or more precisely of the end of the path, which had led them all to a sheer rock face-some kind of granite rock by the looks of things. Rather anticlimactic. He walked over to where Kim and Spock were standing.
The rock was covered in a velvety moss with a few small flowers also trying to grow on it. When neither of them paid him any attention he took out his own tricorder. The moss was native, the rock was indeed some kind of granite, but apart from that … what scanner settings were they using?
He looked up from his instrument to see Spock touching the moss. Then Spock dug his fingers into it and started to strip it away. He took away a large section of the vegetation and then cleaned the rock face of dirt with his bare hands. His milky fingertips were dark and wet and soon his whole hand glistened in the dappled light.
Jim didn't know why Spock was doing this, but he joined in. That's when he felt it. There was something beneath the moss. Something was carved into the stone. At length they both stepped back to survey their work. They had uncovered several symbols.
"Spock, the origin of this writing?" he asked.
"It is Vulcan."
Jim sat down on the ground, feeling too giddy to stand. A broad grin was plastered across his face.
Who would have thought it? All the way out here-Vulcan ruins! He wanted to hug Spock. He doubted Spock would let him though, not this version at least, maybe his older counterpart would have, though if he did, it would probably be as part of a plot to influence the history of this timeline somehow.
Suddenly Jim had a very clear picture of who'd put this planet on the list-of who was responsible for them being sent to this godforsaken place. This godforsaken place that had Vulcan ruins on it! It was no doubt Spock, old Spock! He laughed out loud and couldn't stop.