The Caged Bird's Song ((Part Nine))
Title: The Caged Bird's Song ((Part Nine))
Pairing: Kirk/SpockPrime, Kirk/Spock, implied other pairings
Rating: PG-13 (story R in general)
Summary: Based on the following prompt- Instead of the XI universe, SpockPrime ends up in a universe where Romulans have enslaved humans. So logically SpockPrime seeks out Jim Kirk, who is a slave, and buys him from whoever. Spock Prime then goes to find the rest of the crew and his counterpart.
Author's Note: Well here it is. Part nine. Hopefully it's good. And, once again, I fail at accents so you'll have to imagine Scotty has it. xD
Part 9 of The Caged Bird’s Song
“What are we doing here?” Jim asked in surprised staring at the impressive shuttle port in awe. He now understood why he had to wear his collar and leash. They weren’t actually in San Francisco, just outside it in a city called New Ra’tleihfi. Only the wealthiest Romulans lived here. Humans were allowed, but only those owned by the Romulan inhabitants and were required to be leashed at all times.
The elder Spock, currently holding Jim’s leash, gave him an amused look. “This is where Miss Uhura and Mister Scott are,” he said simply.
“And they’re human right?” McCoy asked, his leash held by the younger Spock. He also looked amazed. They had decided to bring the doctor in case his medical skills were needed. It was obvious that they probably wouldn’t be needed though. Any humans working in this sort of place were high class slaves, very well cared for and practically free. Some even earned small wages. Jim could only have dreamt of being one of those slaves.
“Yes. They are human. From what I know, Miss Uhura is the head of translations and linguistics, and very skilled in what she does. Mister Scott is a chief engineer. Even the Romulan engineers value his opinion,” Spock Prime replied.
Jim nodded and started walking forward before a sharp tug on his leash stopped him. He turned back to see Spock raising an eyebrow at him. Of course. Jim was a slave. He should be acting submissive and well behaved. In the time he had been with Spock, he had forgotten how to behave as a slave. He had gotten soft. He quickly returned to Spock Prime’s side, ducking his head and putting his hands behind his back.
The four walked into the main building and Jim was amazed to see it was even more impressive inside than outside. Jim wasn’t sure he had ever been somewhere quite this nice. Everything was either shiny metal, or marble like the floor. It was an amazing mix of new and old. Jim felt dirty and out of place just standing there.
The younger Spock strode up to the front desk and spoke quickly and quietly to the Romulan man sitting there. When he came back, he handed a card of some sort to Spock Prime. “We can go in. The man informed me that humans are not allowed in. There is an area for them to wait,” he said.
Jim sighed slightly and nodded. “Alright. McCoy and I can wait. If I had to sit around in a holding area anywhere, this place would be one of my first choices,” he shrugged.
The two Spocks left through a set of doors while Jim and McCoy were led off into a back room. It was small and simple, a white room with gray carpet and wood benches, but both humans had stayed in far worse places. There was a water fountain with surprisingly cool, crisp water and even a platter of food on a table in the corner. Jim immediately grabbed a sandwich and even McCoy grabbed an apple. There were a few other slaves sitting off to the side, but they ignored the new comers. Jim was used to seeing slaves beat and starving with a haunted, miserable look. These were well dressed and looked well fed and taken care of. They chattered among themselves animatedly. It was amazing and even a little upsetting to Jim. How could these humans be so happy in slavery when the rest of their species was being treated like dirt? He shrugged it off and turned to McCoy.
“So Bones, what should we do to pass the time?” he asked, stretching out along a bench and putting his feet in the doctor’s lap. McCoy glared at them and shoved his legs away.
“Trapped in a room with you for God knows how long. Well this ought to be fun,” he grumbled. Jim grinned and shook his head, putting his feet back in his friend’s lap.
“Don’t be such a drama queen. You’re not nearly as grumpy as you pretend to be,” Jim said, nudging McCoy with his foot. “Too bad we’re not alone, hm? There’s a lot to do alone in a room with someone,” the blond continued, his tone teasingly flirtatious.
“You’re pretty Jim, but not that good looking. Besides, wouldn’t the hobgoblin get jealous?” the doctor retorted.
Fighting back a blush Jim raised his eyebrows. “Which one?”
“Does it matter? They both look at you like they want to pin you to a bed and have their way with you. Though the older one looks sadder,” he remarked almost distractedly.
“Whatever you say Bones,” Jim shrugged.
The man just shook his head and rolled his eyes, pulling out a PADD he had brought with him to read. Anywhere else, a slave who could read with a PADD with medical journals might have looked out of place, but not here. Jim stared at the ceiling, simply thinking for a while before dozing off into a light sleep.
***
The two Spocks decided to split up. The younger Spock would find Uhura, while Spock Prime would locate Scotty. They would meet back in the front room they had come in through.
“Jim and the doctor will be safe, but we would still do well to try to be as quick as possible. Do not attract too much attention to yourself either,” the younger Spock advised.
“Of course,” the elder agreed before going through a door. Spock stood there for a heartbeat longer before going a different way.
***
“Oi! Do I have to do everything in this place?! Someone, go take care of that leak!” a loud Scottish brogue echoed through the massive repair bay. Spock was too busy to take in the massive metal area though or the variety of ships in various states. He focused on the all to familiar and yet different Scottish man dressed in red barking orders at the other slaves who scuttled around.
Spock kept his expression carefully stoic as he walked past the Romulan guarding the door, only nodding once in acknowledgement to which he received a grunt and a wave in reply. He pretended to be looking over all the ships in fascination before he came to a stop beside Scotty.
The brown haired man turned to Spock, confusion etched over his face. “Who are you? Not to be rude sir, but I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before. Are you looking to buy something? Do you need a ship repaired? If you do I’m not the guy to talk to about that,” he asked.
“My name is Spock. And I am not interested in a ship. I am interested in you.”
Scotty looked flustered and a little embarrassed. “Oh. Well, I’m sorry sir but I’m not that kind of slave. I’m an engineer. If you’re looking for a pleasure slave you should go talk to…” He was cut off when Spock shook his head and held up a hand.
“No. I do not mean I am interested in you sexually. I am interested in purchasing you to be my personal engineer. I have a number of ships that would greatly benefit from your skill,” the half-Vulcan informed him, hiding his amusement at the relief that spread across the Scotsman’s face.
“Aye. Well I’m not for sale. Sorry sir. We have other slaves you could purchase who I’m sure would do just fine for you and… ‘ey! Get down from there!” Spock jerked in surprise at the ending of the man’s apology and watched as Scotty turned to yell at a small green man who was sitting on top of a ship almost completely devoid of an outer shell.
Turning back to Spock, the man sighed. “Sorry ‘bout that. Anyway, like I was saying, you should go talk to sales about buying a different engineer. They’ve made it quite clear to plenty of others like you that I’m not going anywhere.”
The older Vulcan nodded and Scotty turned back to his work, helping another engineer with something that seemed to be sparking dangerously.
Spock clasped his hands behind his back and began trying to figure out an alternate plan. They couldn’t leave without Mr. Scott. And he had no doubt the man was telling the truth about not being for sale. It would take a fortune to convince the Romulans to give him up, a fortune Spock didn’t have. Which left only one option. Kidnapping. Leaving the shuttle repair bay, he pulled out his comm device and signaling his younger counterpart.
***
The first thing Spock thought when he saw Miss Uhura was that she was beautiful. Smooth, dark skin and long, silky black hair pulled back into a ponytail cascading down her back. She wore a dress with a tight fit that showed off her curves and a short hem that revealed her long legs. He quickly quelled the emotions and focused on the mission at hand. He really needed to spend some time meditating. Uhura was the second human he had found himself getting distracted by, Jim being the first. It was strange that he had taken such an immediate liking to him and felt such an instantaneous connection to the blond man. That was an entirely different issue that he would have to think about later.
The linguistics department was a small but full of equipment Spock would love to have just an hour to spend with. He forced those thoughts of longing away as well and looked at all the men and woman working busily at their stations. A Romulan man wandered around the stations, keeping an eye on the slaves.
“Excuse me. Miss Uhura?” Spock asked as he walked up to the woman. She held up a hand and spoke rapidly in an alien tongue before pulling an earpiece away from her head and spinning around in her chair to look up at the stranger who had approached her.
“Yes? How may I help you sir?” she asked politely, though Spock could hear an undercurrent of irritation in her tone at being interrupted in her work.
“I have heard a great deal about you. I am interested in purchasing you,” he said. “Do you know how much your owners would be willing to part with you for?”
Her eyes narrowed in suspicion and she shook her head. “I’m not for sale. I am a leading expert in xenolinguistics, not someone to warm your bed or do your chores.”
To this, Spock simply raised an eyebrow. “I do not wish to use thee as a slave Nyota. I request thy help in a rebellion,” he whispered in Vulcan. He knew the other slaves working would be unable to distinguish between it and Romulan and the Romulan man in the room was out of earshot, while Uhura was quite proficient in the language.
At first, the woman seemed shocked. Then suspicious. Finally, realization dawned on her. “Thy art Vulcan,” she said quietly, staring up at Spock with new respect and understanding.
“Yes. I will not harm thee. I swear on the bones of my ancestors. Help us Nyota. Help your race, as well as mine,” he pressed.
Hesitation showed on her face and she slowly took the ear piece out. “I… I don’t know. What use would I be?” she asked, switching back to hushed Standard.
“If you would allow me, I will show you,” Spock answered, reaching towards her face. To any of the others it would look like the man was simply propositioning the woman, nothing out of the ordinary. Especially with one as pretty and exotic as Uhura.
Recognition dawned on Uhura and she nodded slowly. Spock lightly placed his fingers in the correct spots and whispered the traditional words. Their minds wrapped together, not in the quick, identical way his and the elder Spock’s had, or in the cool, logical way with other Vulcans. Instead it was easy and familiar. There was no spark, no romantic connection as Spock had imagined might happen. He quickly pushed the thoughts away and shared with Nyota all that his counterpart had shared with him. Minus a few certain private memories.
The meld ended leaving Uhura staring at the Vulcan with wide eyes. It had seemed like it lasted for hours, but in reality a very short amount of time had elapsed. “What was that? I mean, was that all real?” she said, a little shocked.
Spock simply nodded.
Slowly, Nyota’s mouth curled up into a small smile. In the meld, she had seen herself. Not as a slave who was frequently harassed and hit on and occasionally used for a higher ranking Romulan man’s pleasure, but as a strong, independent woman who was respected. She wanted that.
“I’ll help if you can figure out a way to get me out of here.”
To be continued…
Pairing: Kirk/SpockPrime, Kirk/Spock, implied other pairings
Rating: PG-13 (story R in general)
Summary: Based on the following prompt- Instead of the XI universe, SpockPrime ends up in a universe where Romulans have enslaved humans. So logically SpockPrime seeks out Jim Kirk, who is a slave, and buys him from whoever. Spock Prime then goes to find the rest of the crew and his counterpart.
Author's Note: Well here it is. Part nine. Hopefully it's good. And, once again, I fail at accents so you'll have to imagine Scotty has it. xD
Part 9 of The Caged Bird’s Song
“What are we doing here?” Jim asked in surprised staring at the impressive shuttle port in awe. He now understood why he had to wear his collar and leash. They weren’t actually in San Francisco, just outside it in a city called New Ra’tleihfi. Only the wealthiest Romulans lived here. Humans were allowed, but only those owned by the Romulan inhabitants and were required to be leashed at all times.
The elder Spock, currently holding Jim’s leash, gave him an amused look. “This is where Miss Uhura and Mister Scott are,” he said simply.
“And they’re human right?” McCoy asked, his leash held by the younger Spock. He also looked amazed. They had decided to bring the doctor in case his medical skills were needed. It was obvious that they probably wouldn’t be needed though. Any humans working in this sort of place were high class slaves, very well cared for and practically free. Some even earned small wages. Jim could only have dreamt of being one of those slaves.
“Yes. They are human. From what I know, Miss Uhura is the head of translations and linguistics, and very skilled in what she does. Mister Scott is a chief engineer. Even the Romulan engineers value his opinion,” Spock Prime replied.
Jim nodded and started walking forward before a sharp tug on his leash stopped him. He turned back to see Spock raising an eyebrow at him. Of course. Jim was a slave. He should be acting submissive and well behaved. In the time he had been with Spock, he had forgotten how to behave as a slave. He had gotten soft. He quickly returned to Spock Prime’s side, ducking his head and putting his hands behind his back.
The four walked into the main building and Jim was amazed to see it was even more impressive inside than outside. Jim wasn’t sure he had ever been somewhere quite this nice. Everything was either shiny metal, or marble like the floor. It was an amazing mix of new and old. Jim felt dirty and out of place just standing there.
The younger Spock strode up to the front desk and spoke quickly and quietly to the Romulan man sitting there. When he came back, he handed a card of some sort to Spock Prime. “We can go in. The man informed me that humans are not allowed in. There is an area for them to wait,” he said.
Jim sighed slightly and nodded. “Alright. McCoy and I can wait. If I had to sit around in a holding area anywhere, this place would be one of my first choices,” he shrugged.
The two Spocks left through a set of doors while Jim and McCoy were led off into a back room. It was small and simple, a white room with gray carpet and wood benches, but both humans had stayed in far worse places. There was a water fountain with surprisingly cool, crisp water and even a platter of food on a table in the corner. Jim immediately grabbed a sandwich and even McCoy grabbed an apple. There were a few other slaves sitting off to the side, but they ignored the new comers. Jim was used to seeing slaves beat and starving with a haunted, miserable look. These were well dressed and looked well fed and taken care of. They chattered among themselves animatedly. It was amazing and even a little upsetting to Jim. How could these humans be so happy in slavery when the rest of their species was being treated like dirt? He shrugged it off and turned to McCoy.
“So Bones, what should we do to pass the time?” he asked, stretching out along a bench and putting his feet in the doctor’s lap. McCoy glared at them and shoved his legs away.
“Trapped in a room with you for God knows how long. Well this ought to be fun,” he grumbled. Jim grinned and shook his head, putting his feet back in his friend’s lap.
“Don’t be such a drama queen. You’re not nearly as grumpy as you pretend to be,” Jim said, nudging McCoy with his foot. “Too bad we’re not alone, hm? There’s a lot to do alone in a room with someone,” the blond continued, his tone teasingly flirtatious.
“You’re pretty Jim, but not that good looking. Besides, wouldn’t the hobgoblin get jealous?” the doctor retorted.
Fighting back a blush Jim raised his eyebrows. “Which one?”
“Does it matter? They both look at you like they want to pin you to a bed and have their way with you. Though the older one looks sadder,” he remarked almost distractedly.
“Whatever you say Bones,” Jim shrugged.
The man just shook his head and rolled his eyes, pulling out a PADD he had brought with him to read. Anywhere else, a slave who could read with a PADD with medical journals might have looked out of place, but not here. Jim stared at the ceiling, simply thinking for a while before dozing off into a light sleep.
***
The two Spocks decided to split up. The younger Spock would find Uhura, while Spock Prime would locate Scotty. They would meet back in the front room they had come in through.
“Jim and the doctor will be safe, but we would still do well to try to be as quick as possible. Do not attract too much attention to yourself either,” the younger Spock advised.
“Of course,” the elder agreed before going through a door. Spock stood there for a heartbeat longer before going a different way.
***
“Oi! Do I have to do everything in this place?! Someone, go take care of that leak!” a loud Scottish brogue echoed through the massive repair bay. Spock was too busy to take in the massive metal area though or the variety of ships in various states. He focused on the all to familiar and yet different Scottish man dressed in red barking orders at the other slaves who scuttled around.
Spock kept his expression carefully stoic as he walked past the Romulan guarding the door, only nodding once in acknowledgement to which he received a grunt and a wave in reply. He pretended to be looking over all the ships in fascination before he came to a stop beside Scotty.
The brown haired man turned to Spock, confusion etched over his face. “Who are you? Not to be rude sir, but I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before. Are you looking to buy something? Do you need a ship repaired? If you do I’m not the guy to talk to about that,” he asked.
“My name is Spock. And I am not interested in a ship. I am interested in you.”
Scotty looked flustered and a little embarrassed. “Oh. Well, I’m sorry sir but I’m not that kind of slave. I’m an engineer. If you’re looking for a pleasure slave you should go talk to…” He was cut off when Spock shook his head and held up a hand.
“No. I do not mean I am interested in you sexually. I am interested in purchasing you to be my personal engineer. I have a number of ships that would greatly benefit from your skill,” the half-Vulcan informed him, hiding his amusement at the relief that spread across the Scotsman’s face.
“Aye. Well I’m not for sale. Sorry sir. We have other slaves you could purchase who I’m sure would do just fine for you and… ‘ey! Get down from there!” Spock jerked in surprise at the ending of the man’s apology and watched as Scotty turned to yell at a small green man who was sitting on top of a ship almost completely devoid of an outer shell.
Turning back to Spock, the man sighed. “Sorry ‘bout that. Anyway, like I was saying, you should go talk to sales about buying a different engineer. They’ve made it quite clear to plenty of others like you that I’m not going anywhere.”
The older Vulcan nodded and Scotty turned back to his work, helping another engineer with something that seemed to be sparking dangerously.
Spock clasped his hands behind his back and began trying to figure out an alternate plan. They couldn’t leave without Mr. Scott. And he had no doubt the man was telling the truth about not being for sale. It would take a fortune to convince the Romulans to give him up, a fortune Spock didn’t have. Which left only one option. Kidnapping. Leaving the shuttle repair bay, he pulled out his comm device and signaling his younger counterpart.
***
The first thing Spock thought when he saw Miss Uhura was that she was beautiful. Smooth, dark skin and long, silky black hair pulled back into a ponytail cascading down her back. She wore a dress with a tight fit that showed off her curves and a short hem that revealed her long legs. He quickly quelled the emotions and focused on the mission at hand. He really needed to spend some time meditating. Uhura was the second human he had found himself getting distracted by, Jim being the first. It was strange that he had taken such an immediate liking to him and felt such an instantaneous connection to the blond man. That was an entirely different issue that he would have to think about later.
The linguistics department was a small but full of equipment Spock would love to have just an hour to spend with. He forced those thoughts of longing away as well and looked at all the men and woman working busily at their stations. A Romulan man wandered around the stations, keeping an eye on the slaves.
“Excuse me. Miss Uhura?” Spock asked as he walked up to the woman. She held up a hand and spoke rapidly in an alien tongue before pulling an earpiece away from her head and spinning around in her chair to look up at the stranger who had approached her.
“Yes? How may I help you sir?” she asked politely, though Spock could hear an undercurrent of irritation in her tone at being interrupted in her work.
“I have heard a great deal about you. I am interested in purchasing you,” he said. “Do you know how much your owners would be willing to part with you for?”
Her eyes narrowed in suspicion and she shook her head. “I’m not for sale. I am a leading expert in xenolinguistics, not someone to warm your bed or do your chores.”
To this, Spock simply raised an eyebrow. “I do not wish to use thee as a slave Nyota. I request thy help in a rebellion,” he whispered in Vulcan. He knew the other slaves working would be unable to distinguish between it and Romulan and the Romulan man in the room was out of earshot, while Uhura was quite proficient in the language.
At first, the woman seemed shocked. Then suspicious. Finally, realization dawned on her. “Thy art Vulcan,” she said quietly, staring up at Spock with new respect and understanding.
“Yes. I will not harm thee. I swear on the bones of my ancestors. Help us Nyota. Help your race, as well as mine,” he pressed.
Hesitation showed on her face and she slowly took the ear piece out. “I… I don’t know. What use would I be?” she asked, switching back to hushed Standard.
“If you would allow me, I will show you,” Spock answered, reaching towards her face. To any of the others it would look like the man was simply propositioning the woman, nothing out of the ordinary. Especially with one as pretty and exotic as Uhura.
Recognition dawned on Uhura and she nodded slowly. Spock lightly placed his fingers in the correct spots and whispered the traditional words. Their minds wrapped together, not in the quick, identical way his and the elder Spock’s had, or in the cool, logical way with other Vulcans. Instead it was easy and familiar. There was no spark, no romantic connection as Spock had imagined might happen. He quickly pushed the thoughts away and shared with Nyota all that his counterpart had shared with him. Minus a few certain private memories.
The meld ended leaving Uhura staring at the Vulcan with wide eyes. It had seemed like it lasted for hours, but in reality a very short amount of time had elapsed. “What was that? I mean, was that all real?” she said, a little shocked.
Spock simply nodded.
Slowly, Nyota’s mouth curled up into a small smile. In the meld, she had seen herself. Not as a slave who was frequently harassed and hit on and occasionally used for a higher ranking Romulan man’s pleasure, but as a strong, independent woman who was respected. She wanted that.
“I’ll help if you can figure out a way to get me out of here.”
To be continued…