Legacy Volume 3

First Published July 2007
203 pages
Three stories, including one eighty-six page novella
Nine articles
Five interviews

                      Kathleen Resch

                      Gayle F.

                      Noel Silva

                      Marnie S.

                      Anonymous
Cover by Virginia Sky
Interior art by Liz, Linda W., Myra, Ivy Hill
Managing Editor: Jenna Sinclair
Associate Managing Editor: Kathleen Resch
Associate Editor for Art—Liz
Associate Editor for CD Database—Linda W.
Associate Editor for Conventions—Robin Hood
Associate Editors for Fiction—Jenna Sinclair and D’Anne
Associate Editor for the Internet—Lyrastar
Associate Editor for Interviews—Kathleen Resch
Associate Editor for Letterzines—Dorothy Laoang
Associate Editor for Zines—Carolyn Spencer

Legacy Volume 3

Contact Jenna at kszines@aol.com if you want to order two, three, or four zines to obtain a price.
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Want to read some of the zine before you decide whether to buy it? Sort of like picking up a book in the bookstore and flipping through the pages, it's a good way to discover if this zine is the right one for you. Just click on the links below to be transported into the special K/S world created by that particular author….

From It’s Academic by Deeb

“I’m bored,” Gary Mitchell announced. “It’s a beautiful sunny day in San Francisco and we’re wasting it sitting here on the grass on the quadrangle at Starfleet Academy!”

“You could be studying, you know,” his friend and roommate Jim Kirk replied.

Mitchell looked at Kirk who was hunched over his comp reader, deep in their latest comparative histories assignment. “You could do that later.”

“If I did,” Kirk asked, “when would we study for tomorrow’s big astrophysics exam?”

Gary sighed and with a shake of his head turned to watch the latest group of cadets as they changed classes.

“Hey!” Mitchell abruptly poked his companion, “Do you see that blonde over there?”

“Over there on the bench, in the sun, by the fountain. The one with the big…. Damn! You missed her.”

“At least look!” Gary complained, “I didn’t drag you out here just for the fresh air. You could use some time out of that cave they call our dorm room. You know, a social life.”

“That’s right, don’t get in the way of Jim Kirk’s trek to the captaincy, you’re liable to get run over.” Gary was only half-teasing and they both knew it.

Jim Kirk didn’t answer, he just kept reading. He and Gary had been roommates since freshman year and the streetwise Mitchell had been a real help to the very young cadet from Iowa. Likewise, Kirk had gotten the city boy through last semester’s survival training…alive.

“Okay,” Mitchell’s voice drifted through his concentration, “I know you’re going to want a look at this one.” When Kirk didn’t move he continued, “Your new astrophysics tutor just took over the bench where that cutie was sitting.”

Mitchell smiled. “Of course I did, I can’t have you flunking astrophysics now, can I? You know you’ll never make captain of the Enterprise if you flunk astrophysics.”

“I’m not flunking,” he argued, “and as for the Enterprise….” His voice lowered and softened. “She hasn’t even been commissioned yet.”

“For you, flunking is anything less than perfect. And we both know it won’t be long before they send the Big E out to lead the fleet on her maiden voyage. Now I realize that it’s going to be a few years until you and I get there, but just think of this as me helping to smooth the way a little. I didn’t get us just any sort of help….”

“What?” Kirk spun to look where his friend had indicated. He stared openly at the thin, dark-haired young man, enveloped in a black cloak and sitting on the sunlit bench. Ironically, the subject in question was also reading.
“Wipe your chin, Jimmy,” Mitchell commented, chuckling.

“That’s Spock?” Of course he knew about Spock, almost everyone did, but he had never actually seen him before.

“Yeah, his father was a big deal ambassador or something, but his mother was as human as you or me.” Mitchell put his arms behind his head and stretched out on the grass.

“They were killed in some sort of shuttle accident when he was just a baby. He ended up being raised by relatives here on Earth.”

Up to Top

From In Sickness and in Health by Khiori

The spoon bouncing off the wall mere centimeters from his head was, to use a human colloquialism, “the last straw.” Even Vulcan patience had its limits, and Spock’s was very nearly exhausted. He turned, careful to keep all traces of annoyance from his features.

Although Spock knew the utensil had been thrown with the clear intent of missing its target, the bed’s current occupant did not appear the least bit apologetic, although the action had apparently pulled at the still-healing wound in his side. The sight of his bondmate hunched over, arms wrapped around his stomach, in obvious pain, served as a vivid reminder of recent unpleasant events. Under normal circumstances, it would have him instantly at Kirk’s side, offering silent, sympathetic support.

“Yes, damn it, there’s something wrong! All I’ve had for the past ten days is soup and more soup. I can’t stomach it anymore! Why don’t you go tell McCoy I want some solid food for a change?”

“I shall pass on your request, however, I doubt the doctor will comply. Your injuries—”

“I don’t need a lecture, Spock, I need real food.” Kirk shoved the nightstand to one side, sending the bowl rattling and its contents sloshing over the side and onto the tray. Yet another task requiring Spock’s attention. He suppressed a sigh.

“Jim, although this may not be your usual fare, it is important you do not deprive yourself of nutrition. Otherwise, you could delay your recovery.”

“Yeah, well, forget it. I’m not hungry.” Kirk gave him a defiant look before turning slowly, painfully onto his side, away from both his dinner and Spock.

Any thoughts of pressing the matter quickly vanished. If Jim chose to prolong his convalescence with such childish behavior, then so be it.

He turned on his heel and entered his own quarters through the adjoining door. As it slid shut, allowing for a rare moment of solitude, he leaned wearily against the wall and closed his eyes.

James Kirk walked down the corridor, his hands clenched at his sides, nodding to the occasional crewmember who passed him in the hallway. His shift had ended nearly an hour ago and he’d spent the intervening time pacing the ship from stem to stern, going nowhere in particular, his stride long, frustration fueling his pace

Two months. God damn it. He turned down an adjacent corridor, made for their quarters. That’s how long they’d been on border patrol. Two endless months cruising back and forth along the edges of Federation space. The Orion smugglers who’d been plaguing this sector had obviously taken one look at the Enterprise and moved their business elsewhere. They’d seen a ship or two in the beginning but nothing for weeks now, and the crew was getting slack and lazy. He could feel it. Spock had commented on it just yesterday. He’d known they’d be reassigned soon, had been expecting Starfleet’s call for days now, his mind conjuring up a dozen possible scenarios that would fire his people up, get them back on their toes. Exploration of an unknown star system, perhaps. Negotiating a truce in a civil war. Squaring off against a Romulan warbird at the edge of the Neutral Zone.

But no. Kirk quickened his step, his thoughts turning to the message he’d received three hours before. Of course not. They were off to Nesa, a planet he’d never even heard of, to negotiate a trade agreement as a last minute replacement for the crippled Bismarck.

A trade agreement. Just about the dullest assignment possible. He could almost feel the disappointment ripple through the crew when he’d made the announcement.

The captain forced the scowl from his face as a yeoman approached from the opposite direction. She smiled at him. He smiled back, felt like putting his fist through a bulkhead.

God fucking damn it. His foul temper surged as she passed. Border patrol would have been better.

Mindful of the people at the end of the corridor, he resisted the urge to rub his forehead. The whole thing was giving him a monstrous headache but there was nothing to be done about it. He had his orders. He didn’t like them much but there they were. The best he could do was to finish the mission quickly so they could be on their way.

The door to their quarters appeared before him now. He knew Spock was inside, reading some incomprehensible report he’d received earlier in the day. Perhaps if he weren’t hopelessly lost in research, he could drag him away for a game of chess. Sitting across from Spock, watching those wheels spin in his head: it always soothed his nerves for some reason.

And saw his first officer sitting in front of his computer, an expression of rapt attention on his face. Kirk moved behind him, viewed the screen filled with mathematic equations, strings of symbols, and foot-long words that stretched from one side of the monitor to the other. He glanced over, watched Spock’s eyes flash back and forth across the screen. The Vulcan had barely even looked up when he’d entered the room.

Kirk wandered over to sit on the bed. Pulling off his boots he leaned back on his elbows, his gaze on his first officer again. Sensing his scrutiny, Spock peeled his attention away from the screen at last. He turned, took one look at the captain’s face and reached out to flip off the computer. Kirk raised a hand in the air. “No, no. You finish what you’re doing.”

Spock hesitated. The report was interesting; he’d been waiting nearly a week to receive it. But he could see the captain’s restlessness now. Shutting the machine down, he rose to sit at Kirk’s side.

The captain ran an affectionate hand along his cheek. “I didn’t mean to take you away from your reading. I’m sorry if I disturbed you.”

Yeah, right. He’d been edgy for days, kept his ill humor to himself, but he knew Spock picked up on it. Spock picked up on everything when it came to him.

Slipping off his tunic, he tossed it down the disposal chute, his disquiet churning just beneath the surface. “I haven’t been very good company for you lately, I’m afraid.”

They sat quietly for a moment. Kirk took his hand, twined their fingers together. “You know anything about this planet we’re going to?” Stupid question, he thought to himself.

Spock’s response was immediate. “Nesa, the fourth in the Cataran system. Circumference twenty-three thousand eight hundred and ninety-six miles, two natural satellites. Primary city is Tirqar, population approximately two million three hundred seventy-nine thousand.”

“Total planetary population is four hundred and seventy-one million three hundred sixty-five thousand nine hundred and seventeen as of the last recorded census taken three point four six years ago although, of course, the number will be higher now. Last month the planetary authorities petitioned for admission to the Federation.” Spock shot a quick glance to the side, saw Kirk’s smile grow. “Reports indicate a stable, peaceful society if somewhat lacking in the finer points of hygiene. Ruled by an hereditary nobility headed by a high chancellor named Hattushal Baroth.”

The captain shook his head but Spock just kept on going. His droning was having the desired effect. Kirk’s mood was visibly lighter now. “The coradium deposit recently discovered is located near Kusada and is, as you know, a vital, if rare, component in many types of medicine so consequently….”

There was a hint of amusement on Spock’s face. “I perceive your headache is gone,” he said.

Kirk stopped. Damned if it wasn’t. And how in the hell did Spock know he had a headache in the first place? He’d been working hard to shield his friend from his constant emotional barrages, thought he’d actually been making some progress. Apparently he was wrong.

The captain shrugged. If at first you don’t succeed…. “I am trying, you know.”

A few more moments passed in companionable silence. Kirk tightened his grip on Spock’s hand, pulling it onto his lap. Long fingers stretched out, ran absently against one thigh.

His reaction was almost instantaneous, his penis bursting to life. Something else he hadn’t been very good at controlling lately.

From Art: Artists Talk Back by Liz

In this section I ask a selection of artists—some from the time of the beginning, some more recent converts—important questions about their artistic practice. It was fascinating hearing from these artists who were always able to offer analyses of their work that Spock would be proud of. (Err, I mean he’d be proud of their analytical skills, I’m not sure what he’d make of their artwork! Although some of them endowed him with equipment he should be proud of!) I must add that, although I asked many artists to respond to these questions, some did not want to participate, some did not have time, some have moved on, some (sadly) have died, and some did not reply in time. The artists who speak here represent only a small proportion of those I would like to have interviewed. But what they have to say is fascinating and I thank them again for taking part.

My first question takes the artists back to the first time they picked up a pencil and thought “you know what, I think I’ll draw Kirk and…ummm…Spock…!”

What inspired you to draw K/S?

Now this may seem obvious—I mean Kirk and Spock are beautiful people, right? Who wouldn’t want to draw K/S? Kathy Stanis even wrote a story in which Spock himself wants to draw K/S, and I always had my suspicions about that woman in “Space Seed,” McGivers, who does all those paintings of heroic men. She seems to have something in common with our Shelley Butler if you ask me, liking her men buff and heroic. But actually the reasons that we draw K/S are as varied as we are ourselves….

Leslie Fish recalls “I was invited to illustrate an early not-quite-K/S-more-like-hurt/comfort-story, and the feedback from readers and editors was so positive that I was encouraged to illustrate my own stories.” Leslie was already writing and her creative streak had an outlet there, but a bit of encouragement helped her to find a new way of expressing her love for Kirk and Spock. So just think what an effect your LOCs might have; artists don’t get as much feedback as writers, but they like it when they do! Leslie, like many of our artists, had been drawing for many years before she encountered K/S. She explains, “I’d been drawing (usually horses!) since I was a small child, and I’d taken art courses throughout my schooldays.”

You know, I too cut my artistic teeth on drawing horses, perhaps there is a parallel here, although as Suzan Lovett points out “Kirk might be the stud of the galaxy, but please, he’s NOT, in actuality, a horse.” Luckily, both Leslie and I seem able to keep genital equipment well within the bounds of probability but I might ask Gayle F. if she has a horsey background!
Caren Parnes, who says “I had drawn all my life,” was not happy enough with her writing to express K/S in fiction, and so for her drawing became an important way of engaging with K/S. She says, “I needed to express my love for the characters somehow, and that’s how it came out. I really wanted to write about them…but I was very critical of the writing I did when I first got into fandom. But since I became totally obsessed with Kirk and Spock and I needed to express it somehow, I started drawing. I had been drawing since I was a child (often on my walls, much to my mother’s chagrin!) and in my teenage years I played with portrait drawing a bit, but just dabbling. Fandom gave me the opportunity to express my passion and really improve my style and technique.”

I can just imagine Caren’s mother coming home to discover a wonderful mural of Kirk and Spock frolicking in the daisies all around the room. Caren, if you still fancy drawing on the walls, you can paint a fresco in my house any day! Like Leslie Fish, Caren was helped on her way by positive comments: she says, “I think I really became a good artist only when I got lots of positive feedback from the fan community to keep working at it. My first Shore Leave (1984) was an awesome experience—I still remember that Terry S. bought a Spock pen and ink I drew for $100 at auction and I nearly fainted! These editors, writers, and artists whom I had been admiring in zines for over a year came to me and fawned over my artwork at that convention, and whether it was ego-stroking or the sense of inclusion it gave me (most probably both), that experience cemented my involvement in fandom for the next twenty plus years.”

I can certainly identify with that! I too nearly fainted when someone first paid money for my drawings. I was also very proud of my first published piece, so proud in fact that I showed everyone I knew, first carefully sealing up the other pages from curious eyes and calling the zine “a science fiction magazine.” As my first published drawing was a portrait it wasn’t too hard to get away with this little fib.

Suzan Lovett’s answer to “what inspired you to draw K/S” is a real contrast. Although she too says, “I’ve drawn most of my life, long before I knew fandom existed,” when Suzan found fandom, drawing K/S was not about expressing her own vision but about giving life to someone else’s alternate universe. She explains, “as ridiculous as it’s going to sound, I never quite bought the K/S notion in my own personal ST universe.” You know what, Suzan, neither did I. For me, K/S is a fairy tale of love requited, my own ST universe is darker, but in all honesty I think I prefer the K/S version!

Suzan continues, “I loved reading K/S, loved the visuals of it; two beautiful men, naked and together, what’s not to love?” We don’t know Suzan, answers on a postcard please. “But in ST, I never did any slash drawing that came solely from me. On the other hand, I was perfectly happy giving form to someone else’s words or ideas.” Thank goodness there were plenty of writers out there giving Suzan something to draw! Suzan makes a very interesting distinction between an artist and an illustrator. She explains “I’m not an artist; I’m an illustrator, and illustrators are mainly story-tellers, in shapes and forms rather than words.” I think that’s a lovely way of putting it, Suzan. I have always thought that drawing was my way of telling the K/S story and interestingly when I am drawing I always imagine the background story that the picture illustrates. The picture may come first, but the story always emerges for me as I work. It’s also interesting that in the cases where a story doesn’t emerge, I am almost always disappointed with the finished picture.

The Southern Cross also finds herself thinking up story outlines as she draws, but here she tells us how she got involved with drawing K/S: “I started drawing Spock when the show first aired. Kirk really didn’t have any appeal to me back then. I was very young and there was something about him that even at that age I didn’t trust as a female. I trusted him as a hero but not as a man. Spock on the other hand was much more honest and trustworthy. On the other hand, while the same-sex premise was a bit beyond comprehension at that age, simple bondage was not. Poor Spock suffered valiantly through being bound and gagged, usually naked! Looking back, that was probably a healthier pastime than smoking cigarettes, taking drugs or hanging out with boys. But what finally inspired me to draw K/S was I think a story by Cynthia and I can’t even remember the title!”

From The Internet: Jesmihr: The Journey of One Author to K/S

Jesmihr is one of those writers who initially discovered K/S though the Internet. Having authored several highly acclaimed stories both online and off since 2003, in this personal essay she narrates her own history as a K/Ser and discusses how online and print publication are no longer disparate vehicles, but interconnected and often synergistic conductors of K/S.

It was just rotten enough outside to justify staying in and just cool enough inside to justify a fleece blanket. I was alone in the house, I had no pressing obligations, the phone was unplugged, and the doors were locked. The local church youth group had done their bottle and can drive just a few days ago, I’d talked to my mother yesterday, my friends were at work and my husband was out of town. There was, in short, no pestering on the horizon.

I heaved a sigh of deep contentment and plunked myself down on the couch with the blanket and the laptop. As I often do when preparing to spend quality time with the computer, I called up Google right away.

“Goog,” I said, looking into her bright, round eyes entreatingly, “Find me some Star Trek stories, would you? I’ve read all my paperbacks and I still want more. You’ve got some nice, fresh ones for me, don’t you?”

“Yeah,” I said. “You know the kind I like. Lots of adventure with a heavy emphasis on the friendship between Kirk and Spock.”

“All rightie,” she said. “Just type in ‘Kirk Spock Star Trek friendship fiction,’ then, and I’ll see what I can find.”

“Aw, Goog,” I protested once I saw what she’d produced. “These are all the same as last time. Don’t you have anything new?”

“You’ve only read the stories that are listed on pages one through twelve,” she reminded me. “If you want new fiction, you’ll have to dig deeper. Try page twenty-one…I’ve got some great stuff there.”

“Hmm,” I said, my skepticism evident. “Nothing personal, but you tend to get a lot less relevant the further I travel through your pages. If I go as far as page twenty-one, you’ll probably just show me some obscure list of movie stars who were friends of Dr. Benjamin Spock’s and who once made the trek to his childhood home in Kirk, South Dakota and later wrote fiction based on the trip.”

“There is no Kirk, South Dakota,” Goog said. “And anyway, Dr. Spock grew up in New Haven. Trust me: I’ve got stories for you on page twenty-one.”

“You are such a know-it-all,” I muttered. But I went to page twenty-one anyway, eagerly scanning for new fanfiction to feed my burgeoning TOS obsession.

I was thrilled to find that Goog was right: there were all kinds of stories I’d never seen before. “Hey, these look really good,” I said. “Thanks. But…what’s this ‘K/S’ I keep seeing? And…what do they mean ‘slash?’ You know I don’t like lots of blood and guts. These stories aren’t going to be really violent, are they? I’ll get all dizzy and freaked out if there’s too much gore.”

“Noooo,” Goog said, glancing away and whistling with a suspiciously casual air. “They’re not violent—not most of them, anyway. They’re just…ah…a little different than the others you’ve read. Try one of them. Go ahead. What have you got to lose?”

“Well, O.K.,” I said, clicking on one of the links and settling back into the couch. “Here goes nothing.”

From Letterzines: Not Tonight Spock! Issues 1 to 6 by K.S. Langley

The first all-K/S letterzine was Not Tonight Spock! The first issue appeared in January, 1984, and the last one was published late 1986. It was published bimonthly, for most of its run, averaging 40 pages per issue. The editors were Sarah L. and Linda B. (who also edited and published K/S fiction zines, such as Twin Destiny, under the imprint of Enterprising Press). It was, in this fan’s opinion, a fun, interesting, and informative letterzine that was eagerly anticipated each issue. Slightly larger than the normal digest-sized letterzine, each issue included an “Issue Topic” for discussion. In addition, there were regular columnists and essayists, featured interviews with well-known K/S fans, ads for and reviews of K/S zines, convention news, humor, puzzles, and trivia. Artwork included back covers by Ann C., a regular cartoon feature by Joy F., and nude centerfolds by well-known artists (Barbara G., The Southern Cross, and TACS). This letterzine reached an international subscriber base (including the United States, Canada, England, Australia).

Excerpts are quoted in part, not in whole; they are not reproduced in their entirety. They are not copyedited; they stand as written. Notes from the author or editor are in brackets [ ].

EDITORIALLY SPEAKING
The editors expressed their raison d’etre: “We hope NTS will become a place for all K/S fans to share thoughts, ideas and opinions concerning our 2 favorite guys as well as a place one can drool over what’s available and what’s proposed in K/S zines.”

OBSERVATION DECK
Issue Topic: Do you perceive the K/S as equal relationship/partnership?

Responses to this question were mixed, with fans taking into consideration the differences in rank and intellectual and physical attributes (not those attributes—get your minds out of the gutter!), the emotional versus the physical sides of the relationship, and with some drawing comparisons between the K/S relationship and traditional “married couples.”

Fiona James wrote:
“Yes, of course K/S is an equal partnership—if it isn’t, what are we reading it for?

Now, that does seem to be a rather sweeping statement; I can think of plenty of stories where they don’t appear to have an equal partnership…for most of the story. The point is, by the end, the apparently weaker partner (usually Kirk by virtue of his lesser strength and lack of telepathic abilities) proves himself to have as strong a personality as the apparently stronger partner. Come to think of it, Spock as a slave does seem to be weaker than Kirk as a slave…but that’s a whole new subject.

…Real life proves that most marriages are not an equal partnership, even when they appear to be, and biological accident ensures that where sex is concerned, one partner takes, the other gives. In K/S both partners give and take.

…With K/S they didn’t start with sex. They started with love and went on to sex as an expression of their attachment to each other…. Kirk and Spock are both themselves and allow each other to be themselves too.

…And one last word—K/S is monogamous, whoever writes it. A zine full of heterosexual stories, written by different people, makes them the most active bigamists in the business, passionately in love with half a dozen different women in the course of the zine…. And I think that that monogamous quality is also a major attraction.”

From Zines: 1990: Still Going Strong by Jenna Sinclair

Everything changed for me in 1990. I was thirty-seven years old. I’d been very happily married for many years and had young children. I was happy with my life, my family…and I was a closet Star Trek fan.

Note, not a K/S fan. No, not yet. I had heard about K/S back in 1978, with the publication of Thrust, but since then I’d stayed out of fandom. Which didn’t mean I didn’t think about fandom. Or Kirk and Spock. Or that incredibly intriguing idea of Kirk and Spock being lovers….

So in 1990, through a series of outrageous coincidences that no one would believe but are really true anyway, I found myself with the first few K/S zines being mailed to my door. To say that I fell into the concept hook, line, and sinker would not be an exaggeration. For the rest of the year, I don’t believe I read anything else but K/S, which I spent a load of money on. I know I helped my kids with their homework, wiped their noses when they had colds, and lovingly put them to sleep each night…but I don’t remember doing any of it! It’s a good thing I wasn’t hit by a truck while crossing the street, because I probably crossed that street thinking about the various ways Kirk and Spock could make love. I was a total basket case, though nobody knew it. But any K/S fan would know what I was going through. They would nod wisely and say, “I’ve been there. There’s nothing like that first flush of K/S love.”

I came on board at a very good time; 1990 was a good year for zines. Let me tell you about some of them.

Have you heard about the K/S novel that’s been called a primer for same-sex love-making? It’s hard to write scenes with Kirk and Spock when you’re a heterosexual female, it’s years before the internet takes off, and you’re too embarrassed to go to the library and look up “anal intercourse.” But somehow K/S writers started writing sex scenes back in 1976, and doing a very fine job of it, too. But in the novel Portraits by Charlotte Frost, published by Merry Men Press, the author goes through the intimate sex scenes between Kirk and Spock so meticulously that there’s no question of who has put what where. The story starts out with a strong sequence as Spock goes into pon farr on board the Enterprise, and very rationally, very logically, he and Kirk decide that Kirk should be his partner. The experience is a traumatic one—not sexy, not fulfilling—that nevertheless strengthens the friendship the two men share.

The next part of the story finds Kirk and Spock both being kidnapped by aliens who are intent on fighting a war with the Klingons, and…. But I don’t want to tell you anything more. You should read this novel yourself. If you can get a second-hand copy with the original covers by Chris S., that would be great, because they are worth looking at.