The BLTS Archive- Early Trek
#6: The Games We Play
by T'Lin (LinkyS@aol.com)

---

HAPPY 35TH ANNIVERSARY, STAR TREK!!!

A request was made on the DFF list for more S/Mc ... I am always happy
to comply. (and although the request came from the DFF, this story is
NOT part of the fest)

Disclaimer: 35 years ago today, STAR TREK was born. I intend no
copyright infringement on the universe that was created all these
years ago and is now the property of Paramount/Viacom. This original
piece of fanfiction (ŠT'Lin, 9/8/2001) is written for pleasure ... I
make no money off of it. I promise to return everyone to their
rightful place when I am finished here.

Archiving: Yes, the usual places ... just let me know.

Feedback gladly accepted.

---

He had been at me since he arrived onboard. Constantly bombarding me
with his insults and gibes ... whittling away at my defenses. I
believe it had become a game for him ... a personal challenge to see
if he could breach my Vulcan facade ... to make me betray myself with
a very un-Vulcan display of emotion.

Little did he know that I thrive on such challenges. I had spent my
youth dealing with a similar type of taunting ... learning to deal
with the never-ending torment of my peers with an uncanny
ruthlessness. I found myself encouraging his taunts ... returning his
gibes with a vengeance ... even initiating our confrontations at
times.

Needless to say, I was as stunned as he when our 'game' turned into
something far more intimate. Not because I lacked any desire for him -
far from it, as I found myself becoming aroused each time we
confronted one another - but because I had thought that there had been
something between the good doctor and our Captain.

It was obvious to me that they had known each other prior to McCoy's
being assigned to the ENTERPRISE, and their familiarity hinted at a
*very* close relationship. But now I wonder ... had I mistaken their
friendship for something more? Or have they had a falling out? Perhaps
I'll never know ... either way, I am grateful.

Funny how yesterday's encounter started no different than any other
between the doctor and myself. At the time, I never would have guessed
that it would end as it did ...

---

"Damn it, Spock ... don't you see the potential danger in this
situation?" McCoy said, exasperated.

"Of course, Doctor," I replied with a barely audible sigh. I once
again found myself in the position of playing 'devil's advocate' when
it came to upholding the Prime Directive. This was actually one of my
favorite past times, although I would never admit that to McCoy.
Choosing my words carefully, I continued, "as usual, doctor, you are
allowing your emotions to cloud your judgement. If you would employ a
bit of logic to the situation ..."

"But Spock, how can you just *sit* there, and not want to *help* these
people?"

"It is not a matter of 'wanting' or 'not wanting'...we have no choice
in the matter. In such cases, it is only prudent to employ
'arie'mnu'."

"A-rie-what?" McCoy sputtered, as he started to loose control.

I smiled inwardly ... this round was near an end, and once again, I
had the upper hand. "'Arie'mnu' is 'Passions Mastery' ... it is the
philosophy and code we aspire to."

McCoy scowled, as he muttered under his breath, knowing I would hear
him, "I have a few suggestions for what you can do with your passions
... and mastering them is NOT one of them."

Jim Kirk cleared his throat, "enough, gentlemen ... if you want to
trade barbs, do it on your own time. We have work to do here."

"Of course, Captain," I said, as McCoy echoed my sentiments. With a
final look in his direction, eyebrow cocked, I acknowledged that our
conversation was over for the time being, then gave my full attention
to the captain.

He quickly appraised us of the latest developments on the planets
surface, and what little we were able to offer by way of assistance.
The primitive nature of the indigenous population made open assistance
nearly impossible ... especially in light of the fact that the crisis
was due to a natural disaster.

Had the planet been space faring, we could have used our technology to
stop the flood, and provide food and shelter for those left homeless. 
But this was a much more primitive culture ... our technology would be
nothing more than witchcraft to them.

Had it not been for the Federation observation team that had been
on-planet for the last 7.6 months, we would never have known about the
flood ... nor would we have been able to divert some of the water in
an area that had never been explored by the local inhabitants. In
that, we were able to save the majority of the village, but not all.
Nor were we able to save their crops or pastures. We can only hope
that the animals sensed their danger and fled in time.

Some day, as the natives venture out and explore their environment,
they may find traces of our assistance ... then again, the flow of
water may erode the banks of the new channel sufficiently to erase all
traces of our interference. Either way, it was all we could do for
these people without interfering with their natural development. Some
would argue that we already have, so why not interfere more by
providing medical assistance, and food to these people. As I look over
to the doctor, I know this is exactly what he is thinking, and I know
that we *will* be continuing our debate over the issue later.

As the briefing ended, the Captain asked, "Bones ... have you finished
your exams of the observation team?"

"Yes, sir ...and I've also corrected some of their 'camouflage' ..."
seeing the puzzled look on Kirk's face, he continued, "apparently, the
cranial ridges of the women are smaller and less pronounced than the
men ... the two women in the observation team had to remain hidden
from the natives at all times because theirs were exactly like the
men's ... and would have marked them as 'different' if they had been
seen."

"Bones ... these people have been here for months ... why are we just
getting around to fixing this problem now?"

"Well, as you may or may not know, for the first 6 months of this
expedition, the team was not allowed any interaction with the natives
... they were simply exploring the non-populated sectors of the
planet, and observing the villages from afar. We had altered their
appearance according to images we had gathered from preliminary scans
of the planet. In those images, there were three distinct different
types of beings ... we had assumed male, female and child, using
Earth-norm as our guide."

He paused to call up a file on the computer, then continued, turning
the screen so the captain could see the images there, "as you can see
from these images taken by the observation team, there are actually
six distinct variations ... for lack of more concrete terms, we have
dubbed them 'Alpha male', 'Beta male', 'child male',  Alpha female',
Beta female', and 'child female' ... as you can see, the females are
quite different in appearance from the males. Unfortunately, the two
females in the observation team looked like 'beta males', and are, to
put it bluntly, too 'female' to hide that fact."

Kirk smiled at the doctors observation, as he recalled the women in
question ... "yes, I see your point." Clearing his throat, he
continued, "is there anything else, Bones? Spock? Scotty?"

"Aye, captain ... ah was wonderin' if it was at all possible to check
out the source of this flood before we leave ... ah just wanna see fer
meself that is isna gonna repeat the process of build-up and release
every few years. Ah know the scouts from the observation team have
said it was a fluke thing, but ah wanna make sure."

"Of course, Mr. Scott ... get a team together, and do whatever tests
you deem necessary ... you have two hours. Is that all, gentlemen?"
There was affirmation all around, as Kirk continued, "dismissed."

As we stood to leave, Kirk touched me on the sleeve, and said, "Spock,
may I have a moment, please?"

"Of course, Captain." I nodded to McCoy as he caught my eye, my silent
communication letting him know I would see him later, then I turned my
full attention to the captain. "You wished to speak with me?"

"Yes ... I ..." then he paused, as if lost for words. After a moment,
he continued, "I am concerned. I value you as an officer, and I would
like to think of you as a friend. I also value my friendship with
McCoy ... we have known each other for many years." With this, he
stopped once again, and started to pace across the room. When he
reached the end of the table, he turned and placed his hands on the
backrest, continuing, "damn it, Spock, I don't want to have to pick
sides, or spend all my time breaking up these petty arguments between
the two of you ..."

"I understand, sir ... will that be all?" I asked, admitting to myself
that he was right ... we had let our little 'game' get a bit out of
hand.

"Just ... try not to let him goad you ... he has a tendency to push
the limits of what is acceptable behavior. It is one of his failings
that I tend to overlook from time to time." He once again rounded the
table, and as he stopped in front of me, he placed his hand on my
shoulder, adding, "Don't worry ... I'll speak to him, as well."

The familiar gesture caught me a bit by surprise, but I did not let it
show. With a nod, I turned and left the room, returning to the bridge,
where preparations were underway for us to leave orbit.

---

Several hours later, I entered the officers mess hall. Kirk and McCoy
were sitting at a back table, speaking quite animatedly, yet quietly.
I got myself a salad and was about to find a table by myself, when
McCoy caught my eye, and motioned for me to join them.

As I sat, they resumed their meals ... apparently, the discussion was
over. We ate in silence for a few minutes, when finally, the captain
stood and said, "well, I've got some paperwork to do." He then turned
to me, asking, "Spock, would you care for a game of chess later?"

I was about to say yes, when I caught the slight shake of McCoy's
head. Realizing that he obviously wanted to talk, I said, "I am sorry,
I have other plans this evening."

"No problem, Spock ... some other time." and taking his tray to the
recycler, he left the mess hall. As the door closed behind him, I
heard McCoy sigh from the other side of the table. I turned to see him
shaking his head at the closed door, and presumably the man who just
left us.

"I assume you also got the lecture, Spock?" he said, as he returned
his attention to me.

"Yes, I did ... and he is correct. We should not allow our differences
in opinion to arouse us so. The time may come when our 'debates' would
waste precious time ... time that would be needed to save lives." I
noticed that McCoy was smiling, and had no idea why ... I raised my
brow in puzzlement, and asked, "do you find this situation amusing?"

"No, it's not that, Spock ... it's just ... well ... your choice of
words was ... well ..." He stopped, a slight blush coloring his
cheeks, as I mentally reviewed what I had said.

"Ah, yes," I said, as I realized exactly what I had said. "I see what
you mean. I suppose it was a rather unfortunate word choice." I could
not believe I had slipped like that. Unfortunate, indeed ...
especially considering it was true, in my case.

"Well, not necessarily 'unfortunate' ... probably far more accurate,"
he said with a wink, "than many other words, if you get my drift."

"Indeed." I was finding this conversation nearly as stimulating as our
arguments ... and I believe McCoy was as well. To hide my confusion, I
resumed eating my salad ... sneaking a glimpse of him through my
lashes every few minutes, only to see him staring at me in return. As
I finished, I sat back and looked him in the eye, asking, "doctor,
would you like to continue this conversation in private?"

"I would like that very much ... if I recall correctly, didn't I
promise to teach you a little something about 'passions' that did not
include mastering them."

"Yes, I do recall you saying something along those lines." I took a
quick look around to see if anyone was looking our way, then placed my
hand on his, adding, "I find the prospect of such lessons quite
fascinating."

"As do I, Spock."

---

We chose to go to McCoy's cabin. A wise decision, as neither of us
wished to confront the captain again this evening, and that was always
a possibility had we gone to mine. The fact that I keep my quarters
closer to Vulcan norm was also a factor, I would assume.

Regardless, I found myself wondering exactly what would transpire once
we got there. Alone at night, I had indulged my inner fantasies on
occasion, but I had never actually participated in the act. I know I
should tell McCoy this, but I could not bring myself to say the words.

Instead, since we were alone in the turbolift, I once again took him
by the hand, and opened my mind to his ... nothing intrusive, or
prying. He turned to me, saying, "it's alright ... I'll be gentle with
you." and lightly kissed me.

He pulled away just as the lift stopped. I hastily dropped his hand as
the lift doors opened, but there was nobody in site. The walk to his
cabin was a short one. For this I was grateful, as my arousal had hit
full force when he kissed me. As soon as the cabin's door closed
behind us, I pulled him into a tight embrace, and returned the kiss,
pressing our bodies together to show him how I felt.

I felt his hands slipping under my shirt ... their coolness sending
ripples of pleasure throughout my body. As our tongues dueled for
supremacy, his hips ground against my groin ... I could feel his
hardness pressing into my own and I slipped my hands down his torso,
and around his hips, pulling him closer against me.

He shifted his head slightly, breathing heavily, as he whispered,
"looks like I don't have to teach you about passion after all."

"No Leonard ... just as we aspire to 'arie'mnu', we also have the
ritualistic 'shaukaush sadalaya', or 'passions release' ... after all,
it is unhealthy to keep all ones passions locked away at all times."

And with a smile and a lifted brown that Spock would be proud of, he
simply replied, "fascinating."

---

Last night had just been the beginning ... who knows if it will last. 
We decided to keep our relationship private for the time being. We
also promised ourselves that we would keep the 'game' under control
... the gibes and digs were far too stimulating to forget about
completely ... besides, Kirk would get suspicious if we stopped all
together. We could not have that.

In three days, I will be leaving the ship for a Scientific Conference
on Carstair III. The ENTERPRISE will remain in orbit, providing
security for the conference, as well as taking advantage of the planet
for some much needed shore leave, if the authorities permit ... I had
initially planned on spending all my time at the conference, but now,
I may ask the good doctor to join me in a bit of R&R.

---

The End