#vulcan technology

[thresholdbb]

The apparently obvious solution to the Tuvix problem seems to be “create a Tuvix transporter clone, duh!”

Tuvix is already a transporter accident. Who’s to say he can be put through the transporter again without irreparable harm? As it is, the crew is hesitant to use the transporter until they understand exactly what happened. The orchid added an unstable element to the transporter process when Neelix and Tuvok were initially beamed up. Does Tuvix even have stable DNA? Are Vulcan and Talaxian physiology comparable long term? Will Tuvok’s ailment progress more quickly as Tuvix? Tuvix also doesn’t practice the emotional restraint that Vulcans do, so would his negative emotions be difficult to handle? We know Tuvok has a thread of repressed violent tendencies, and we simply don’t know much about Talaxians beyond what Neelix shares. Also, orchids can be pretty fussy (if they’re anything like Earth orchids) and that adds another unknown into the equation. Does the plant physiology affect the humanoid in any way? There are too many variables.

Most people seem to agree it should be a Riker-style transporter clone. The TOS transporter accidents ended up with disparate personalities, and tragically the dog clones didn’t survive the reintegration. We get “good Kirk” and “evil Kirk” but neither can function as a complete person.

Can we really say that Thomas Riker doesn’t exhibit the same kind of emotional divergence that Kirk had to a lesser degree? Thomas Riker joined the Maquis, which Will Riker would never do. With Riker we can get into the argument of nature vs. nurture, since Will got out of the situation whereas Thomas was left trying to figure out how to survive on a planet alone and isolated.

Then we look at the Boimler clones, who are Riker-style transporter accidents created in the same way and even paying homage to Riker himself. We see a similar slight emotional divergence between the two Boims. William Boimler (Titan clone) seems more self assured and an edge more ruthless, and he quickly lets Brad take the fall back to ensign. Brad thought they would both try to let the other take the assignment on the Titan, but that’s not the case. With the Boimler clones, we don’t have the nature/nurture argument that happens with the Riker clones. They are immediately slightly different. Brad seems to lose some of his confidence - is it situational or because of the cloning?

Maybe the transporter clones are exact copies of the same person without inherit differences due to the process. If it were a safe process, surely someone somewhere in the Federation would have started experimenting with transporter cloning? Even if they had, it’s ethically a bit dodgy.

In conclusion, we don’t know enough about transporter cloning to waste Voyager’s precious resources on an experimental process that might not even work. It could even make the situation worse.

[lenievi]

Because of Spock’s World my hc includes

with time, McCoy learns conversational Vulcan

Kirk never does

[vanilla-phantoms]

I am thinking SO ridiculously hard about pre surak Vulcan rn, specifically about hairstyles

Most Vulcans we see have that very uniform bowl cut, but not all of them, and I figured it must be something to do with practicality because it would be illogical to value appearance over functionality, but we also see most romulans with this hair, and I thought maybe some of this could be attributed to most of the romulans we meet being of some military status

Anyway I’m trying to think about what pre reform hairstyles would look like, since I’m trying to design a character for a fic I’m writing, and I don’t love the long-hair-on-men styles that I see most fanartists assign to pre surak vulcan (love how they look but don’t love the. Hm. Well it’s a bit racist innit. But that’s another post. Hope this isn’t hitting the hornets nest but please think about the traits and images you automatically associate with “violent primitive alien culture”). And I don’t see any reason WHY Vulcans should have long hair in the past other than it maybe being distinctly different from the present and a visually appealing design

Vulcans at the time of Surak were not pre industrialization. They had NUCLEAR warfare after all. They’re referred to as a “warrior race” but this was MILITARY warfare. Surely, the military officials of the past would’ve had practical haircuts too, maybe similar to the Vulcans we see on the show. The only difference I can think would be that they would be less uniform. More room for trends and self expression. (And there was surely more hairstyle variation among civilians but the character I’m making is a military official)

So that opens up a lot of possibilities, once we’ve figured out what would make sense it becomes a question of “what would’ve been popular then”. I think I’m going to find a time period of earth to base the hairstyles off of

[picardsbaldhead]

star trek baking show is something i desperately need. klingon and vulcan judges absolutely decking it out

[departmentq]

Fans celebrate the casting of Nichelle Nichols as Uhura as a moment for actors of color, which they should be.

But I also wanted to spotlight the casting of these iconic guest starring characters, seen in episodes of TOS.

Percy Rodriguez was cast as flag officer Commodore Stone, who was Kirk's superior in the chain of command. Stone is one of the officers that presides over Kirk's court martial.

Booker Bradshaw was the original Dr. M'Benga, seen in two episodes of TOS. at the time, M'Benga was Starfleet's first and only medical specialist in Vulcan Physiology, having spent a year's residency on Vulcan.

One of the finest minds in computer technology in the 23rd century, and creator of the duotronic computer, Dr. Richard Daystrom, was played by William Marshall, whose work in Shakespeare, and his roles as Paul Robeson and Frederick Douglass, added to the gravitas of his portrayal.

A flag officer, a specialist in Vulcan medicine, and one of the finest minds in a field of technology, played by actors of color, during the turbulent 1960s.

[zineobiology]

Welcome to the Zine O’Biology (closed! Release early 2025)

A multi-fandom Star Trek Zine.

Do you have strong opinions on Vulcan fra’als, Cardassian tails, or how the heck Trill symbionts reproduce? We want to hear from you!

The Zine O’Biology is a fictional comparative xenobiology academic journal set in the Star Trek universe. If you’ve always wanted to wax eloquent for up to 3000 words about your theories on alien biology, welcome to your new home!

We want all your theories about all your favorite aliens! This is a friendly but competitive academic journal where the content of every paper is a little bit suspicious (is this paper based on rumor or fact? What is the methodology?) and some competing authors leave snarky comments on one another’s work. So just like a real academic journal, except ours features the Great Green Anthurium.

We welcome xenobiology articles on all Star Trek aliens from all series!

The final format will be a PDF that you can scroll at your leisure or print at home in order to have a physical copy of the Zine. (This way there is no money involved.)

--SEEKING SUBMISSIONS FOR--

Alien biology articles

Alien biology artwork

In-Universe advertisements

Letters to the editor

ALIEN BIOLOGY ARTICLES

How do Andorian genders work? Are Cardassians actually lizards? Why do Klingons have so many redundant organs? What’s the biological purpose of Bajoran nose ridges? What’s the best cement mix for emergency surgery on a Horta?

You’ve been pondering alien biology for years. This is your chance to infodump all your favorite theories to an eager audience of your fellow nerds!

Articles will be separated into two categories: reproductive biology or general biology. Yes, we also want all your theories on what every species is packing downstairs…and how they use it.

Journal articles should be fun and engaging, but also written in your interpretation of a pseudo-academic style, since this is a highly respected Federation xenobiology journal. If you want to keep things more lighthearted and less academic, check out the section on Letters to the Editor.

ALIEN BIOLOGY ARTWORK

If you have independent illustrations about alien biology we would love to see them! If you would like to provide illustrations for one of our journal articles, tell us what species you want to illustrate and we’ll do our best to match you up!

Art should be in a square, scaleable format, printable at high resolution at 4x4 inches.

JOURNAL ADVERTISEMENTS

Even in a post-need future, academic journals will need a little extra funding. Submit your ads for Ferengi Oomox Creme, Self Sealing Stem Bolts, Gently Used Federation Technology, and, of course, “reproductive aids.” The weirder the better! Have fun with it!

All art needs to be printable at high resolution

Ad Sizes:

full page: 4.5" x 7.5"

Column: 2.21" x 7.5"

Half Page: 4.5" x 3.75"

Square: 2.21" x 2.18" (i know its not a perfect square but trust me)

Half square: 2.21" x 1.1"

Banner: 4.5" x 0.83"1.75

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Do you have a great idea, but it’s not enough to fill out a 3000 word article? Submit it as a “reaction” to a previous journal article. Feel free to lay into a mythical researcher who does NOT understand why their biological theory is wrong and yours is right!

Max length 800 words. Enjoy making these plenty frothy!

WE NEED SUB-EDITORS!

The creators of this Zine are all notorious Vulcan Fuckers. Since we want the Zine O’Biology to be open to all alien species, it is only logical that we seek your expertise.

We’re seeking fans from all over the Star Trek universe to spread the word that yes, it’s time for us to all come together in the spirit of explaining how our favorite aliens come together.

Sub-Editors will be in charge of helping us solicit articles and art for their specific race of aliens and editing those articles in order to fit into the Zine. If we don’t have a sub editor for a species, we’ll do our best, but the chapter on that species won’t be as good as it would be if folks with real fanon knowledge were involved.

WANT TO GET INVOLVED, BUT YOU’RE NOT A WRITER OR ARTIST?

WE NEED:

Graphic designers to help with Zine layout

Social media promoters

Alien art and article wranglers (ie: get your fannish friends involved!)

--HOW TO GET INVOLVED--

Fill out the Art or Writing (Applications now closed) Google Form letting us know your interests or reach out to the Editor in Chief at zineobiology@gmail.com

DEADLINES:

August 1, 2024: Last date for everyone seeking an art or writing partner to submit their request. We don’t guarantee you’ll be partnered up. It depends on how many people are interested and what aliens they want to draw/write.

August 18, 2024: Art/Writing partners notified. NOTE: it’s both fine and encouraged if you want to submit as a team from the start! This is for people who do not have a partner and would like us to find them one.

August 30, 2024: Final call for all journal authors, artists, and advertisers to let us know what species they’re working with, how many submissions they plan to send, and whether their submission will be general or reproductive biology.

October 20, 2024: All art, advertising, and journal submissions are due

We hope to have the Zine O’Biology ready for your enjoyment by New Year’s Eve 2024. We all have full time jobs and lives, so that date may change depending on the volume of submissions.

FAQ

What if my biological theories are totally different from another author’s?

Yes. Perfect. We love it.

We want to see everyone’s theories! Canon gave us scraps, but together we will make a meal! Expect to see many mutually contradictory articles. That’s part of the fun!

What about Smut?

Yes, we are accepting E rated submissions! The journal will be separated into two sections:

General Biology

Reproductive Biology

General Biology is everything but the genitals

Reproductive Biology should include actual descriptions of the mechanics and biology. Think of it as creating reference material for smut writers and artists.

[boldstarks]

Lady Y/N of House Fenrir (Dune AU)

word count: 581 words

I saw Dune Part One during the rerelease, and I saw Part Two during the Thursday previews, so I have a new fixation. The reader is the daughter of an archduke who rules a world called Fenrir and the surrounding moons.

The planet Fenrir is rich in natural resources such as coal, iron, salt, and other precious metals and gemstones. The artisans of the planet are known for their intricate jewelry, which is prized throughout the known universe.

Over the years, House Fenrir refined their mining machinery until they needed nearly no workers in the mines. This development of technology enriches House Fenrir and makes mining and harvesting resources easier, safer, and less time-consuming.

These technologies are also what House Harkonnen uses to harvest spice on Arrakis, making the Archduke a very important ally to the Baron and other Great Houses, who have come to rely upon their superior machinery.

Your father is Vulcan Fenrir, the twenty-second Archduke of Fenrir, and it is well known that he cares deeply for his family. You are the second-oldest of four children.

You and your older sister, Maron, were the product of Vulcan's first marriage to a Ferin woman named Clio Fotol. Clio was the daughter of a well-established merchant family on Fenrir. The people expected Vulcan to marry a member of the Bene Gesserit, and his match with a Ferin woman proved to be a popular choice.

Your mother, you, and your sister are beloved by the planet's people. The people's love didn't save Clio from falling ill and dying a short time later. By age five, you were motherless and feeling lost in the world.

Vulcan was more than ready to make your sister heir when the Reverend Mother Gauis Helen Mohaim approached him. The Archduke was told about the calls for him to produce a son to inherit his seat and that making your sister his heir would only put her in danger. After Clio's death, you and your sister were everything to your father, so he decided to arm you the only way he knew how.

He paid the Bene Gesserit to teach you both their ways. Maron was an apt pupil and flourished under the teaching of a reverend mother named Aurelia Tomner. She made her ambitions to become a full-fledged member of the Bene Gesserit known by the age of twelve. You, on the other hand, were much more strong-willed and rebellious.

Little did anyone know that Lady Aurelia had another task besides educating you and Maron: seducing the Archduke. She succeeds rather quickly in that respect. A little under a year after Lady Aurelia joined your household, she produced a rather large, screaming son whom your father called Bacchus.

Upon Bacchus's birth, you realized that you would no longer be inheriting Fenrir's seat of power, and you finally invested yourself in learning the ways of the Bene Gesserit. Through them, you learned there was a quieter kind of power that existed in the shadows behind the men who fancied themselves in charge.

During your training, Lady Aurelia gave birth to a second son for your father, and Maron became concubine to the heir of House Ginaz under the sisterhood's direction.

By age twenty, the Reverend Mother Mohaim decided that you were ready. You are now a full-fledged member of the Bene Gesserit and one of their most promising prospects. It was decided that your first task would be marrying and imprinting yourself on the Na-Baron Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen.

[lostyesterday]

Seven isn’t a major focus in the Voyager episode “Riddles”, but there’s one scene with her that I found interesting in relation to a disabled reading of her character. In Riddles, Tuvok becomes disabled due to brain trauma before being cured at the end of the episode. He is disabled in that he has difficulty performing mental tasks he previously did with ease, and that he is unable to exert the kind of mental control he previously did over his emotions (something I think Vulcans would largely consider to be a disability). There are a lot of potentially interesting avenues of discussion about this episode in relation to disability, but one thing that stood out to me was that nearly all the characters in the episode (including, for much of the episode, Tuvok himself) see Tuvok’s recovery from his injury as being synonymous with him returning to the way he was before – in terms of his personality as well as his abilities. Tuvok will be “recovered” when he is capable of doing all the activities he was previously able to.

The primary character to take a different perspective is Seven. Seven suggests to Neelix that aiming for the goal of Tuvok recovering his former abilities may not be the best idea. Perhaps “recovery” can mean learning to live with who you are now rather than trying in vain to become the person you were before. Seven draws an analogy to her own experience being severed from the Borg collective. Seven is a changed person – changed from how she was before the Borg assimilated her and from how she was when she was a Borg drone. Although she doesn’t say this explicitly in the episode, part of that change is that she became disabled. Seven’s body now relies on electronic implants and other external technology. Seven’s disabilities – along with all the other remnants of her past as a Borg drone, are things she must adapt to and live with. “Recovery” in the sense of returning to her previous state is impossible.

It’s interesting, because I think this is one of the closest times that Voyager gets to explicitly depicting Seven as disabled. Here, Seven compares her own experiences directly to another character who has become disabled. Here, Seven is able to understand a truth about what it means to become disabled later in life that the other nondisabled characters would have a lot of difficulty accepting. Personally, I don’t think season 4 Seven would have been likely to take this perspective, but by season 6, maybe Seven has come to a clear enough understanding of her own experiences and identity that she can relate to other disabled people.

[bogleech]

Suddenly remembered an “encyclopedia of science fiction” I had as a child, I don’t remember if that was its exact title, but it was a little paperback printed in the 60′s or early 70′s, and I’m not looking for the book itself but I just remembered it had an entry on a thing called a “moon bug” which it described as a moon-dwelling arthropod “shaped like a duck.” This is a wonderful concept but the thing is this book was an encyclopedia of other, existing science fiction things. It detailed things from monster movies, novels and even every famous piece of technology in the original Star Trek, but it did not give sources. For anything. Not even the obvious like the Star Trek ones, I just knew that’s where “klingons” and “vulcans” were from. Where is the moon bug from then?! Where was there a bug shaped like a duck that lives on the moon?!?! Any “encyclopedia of science fiction” I find on google is a bigger book with fully color illustrations, this only had a few black and white drawings every 20 or 30 pages. None of those drawings were accurate anyway (I remember a “triffid” drawn like a gooey blob of moss) probably to skirt copyright problems.

[thunderandsage]

peak tos fics

(aka fics that just get the original series in all it’s flaws and strengths and vibes, list may be updated as i read more stuff)

Be Still My Beating Heart by mystery_ink - janice rand and t'pring-centric, look we all know that tos doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to the way they treat female characters and instead of sweeping it under the rug this fic takes hold of some of those worst moments and examines them (including rand’s assault in “the enemy within”), also i found it shortly after this post so clearly some great benevolent divine interference was in play, I CANNOT RECOMMEND THIS ENOUGH

It Goes On, This Embrace by maryshelley - harboring Spock’s katra takes a toll on Mccoy’s mind—or: the search for spock remix that’ll take a hatchet to your heart, really digs into all the fear and love and determination and grief of the character dynamics and turns up present emotions all the way to eleven, the writing is also incredible (for people in the know, it’s a bit of a “harrow the ninth” spin on the search for spock)

K'oh-nar by AlexPrime - wherein spock’s guilt and shame over amok time and general self-loathing get exacerbated by a telepathic species and nobody is having a good time, an insanely rich character study

Point of Divergence by tihsho - a mirror mirror/city on the edge of forever mashup, the author is a genius as they take the core concepts of each episode and weave it into a truly astounding fic that packs more feeling in 3k words than you sometimes find in 300k novels

The Case by tihsho - wonderful worldbuilding of vulcan society and pon farr, takes the difficult route of staying true to the characters’ imperfections and honestly the fic is much the more bittersweet and interesting for it

Sometimes Things Are Better From A Distance by PunishedPyotr - explores the aftershocks of dagger of the mind in a genderswapped universe, explores the exploitation of mind-warping technology and consent (or lack thereof)—vy interesting both in the way it acknowledges how genderbending the characters makes the story appear different and how implanted false memories are honestly a nightmare to work around

[stitching-in-time]

Once again loving the art direction on Prodigy- the planet with the sea of clouds?? Yes please!!!! Putting a sail on a starship and flying it through the clouds like a flying pirate ship?? Heck yeah!!!! It's all so cool and so beautiful.

It's like they've taken every childhood daydream of fantasy worlds you imagine when you make up stories as a kid, and put them all up on the screen. So much variety! Such a grand scale! And it's all just gorgeous. There's not a frame of this show that isn't jaw-droppingly stunning.

One thing I always wished for on Star Trek was for the art direction to be less grey and beige, less military uniformed aliens with bumps on their foreheads, less every planet being a carbon copy of Starfleet design, less cookie cutter sameness- because they've got the whole galaxy as a canvas. Just look at the variety of scenery and cultures on Earth alone- how much more must there be out there on thousands of alien worlds? While Star Trek always had excellent design and world building with the major Star Trek planets and cultures like Vulcans, Klingons, Bajorans, etc, I feel like they missed a lot of opportunities with the one off planets and cultures to be bolder and more experimental and stranger and more beautiful, even taking into account the constraints the old shows had as far as technology and budget.

But Prodigy absolutely takes that challenge and runs with it. The colors! The sweeping vistas! The weird creatures! The beautiful lighting! It's all my wildest dreams come true!!! And it's not just beautiful to look at, it helps tell the story- a culture's aesthetic tells you something about who these people are, what they value. It grounds you in a specific time and place. That's what good design work does- it enriches the storytelling. And nothing on Prodigy feels like a throwaway, everything feels deliberately thought out to fit the mood of each story, with meticulous attention to detail. Gone are the days of reusing the same set or costume on three different planets like live action Trek. (I know, a lot of that was due to lack of time and budget, but still, when it's supposed to be different planets, you want things to look different.)

I love Star Trek first and foremost for it's storytelling, but there's so many times I've wanted to redesign sets and costumes to bring it up to the level of awesomeness these stories deserved. Prodigy is the first time I've watched Star Trek and just thought 'hell yes!!!' to all the visuals, the whole time. Animation is such a great medium for Star Trek, and we're honestly so blessed to have this show. <3

[sleepymccoy]

Please choose your favourite of my (imo) niche star trek headcanons

Now that I'm writing these, I wonder if any of them are straight up canon that I've forgotten lol

I'm gonna further defend my headcanons under a readmore, but it's up to you if you want to read that or just vote on the summary 😘

Scotty's actor is Canadian. Also he's so Scottish? Like, he's called Scotty, he drinks scotch, he is Scottish, so on. Too much. I think he has Scottish heritage, maybe his mum is Scottish, so he knows the phrases and his accent work is comedic but solid. But he himself was born in like Quebec

I have a whole post on McCoy's ex wife being Vulcan, it rules, give it a read here

The way America crumbles in trek history I think opens them up to invasion. I don't think Russia is still in charge, I think they've moved on from that and country borders are less political more cultural in TOS times. But I think briefly Russia had everything and Chekhov is joking about that when he says shit like that saying is Russian. We know, Chekhov, everything was Russian once, get over it. His joke is less about things being Russian and more like someone making the same joke about how everything was Roman once

TOS writers had a little cheat sheet of characterisation rules I saw here once and one said that Sulu has many varying interests, so if you need an info dump that's not one of the other main guys things, use him. So I've taken that and gone with he isn't actually into plants, it was just a six month project to better learn how to take care of them. He spent a lot of time complaining about them to Chekhov. Basically a hyper fixation and once he figured it out he lost interest, but retained all the knowledge

Cos Rand has that trick of heating up the coffee with a phaser on low. That's resourceful with ship technology that uses batteries, not mainframe power. I think she knows what matters when a ship breaks, and food and comfort need prioritising cos she grew up on a ship that was always broken. Broken ships are easier to tolerate if the coffee is served hot

I think Chapel's fiance kinda sucks in that ep, even if it was just a robot copy, and I think she loves being in space. I think she feels both relieved and guilty about it all, it's bad

[bumblingbabooshka]

I think B'Elanna and Tuvok probably work together a lot in a distant, professional capacity and it's mostly through notes about what will and will not blow the ship up. Constant updates about how not to blow the ship up or otherwise kill everyone aboard which are increasingly and endlessly complicated and if Tuvok weren't Vulcan and B'Elanna weren't built with a mind like a diamond they would both just collapse under the weight of it all and give up but instead they're lowkey kind of enjoying the challenge sometimes. When they aren't collapsing under the weight of it all. They started their messages with B'Elanna being so careful about sounding professional but by year 4 they're not even using honorifics or greetings. They might be employing shorthand. When they get back to the alpha quadrant the admirals are pouring over their notes, maneuvers, quick fixes, and long-term solutions in both horror and fascination. In year two they had to trap an alien slime in the turbolift which is nonsentient and unkillable and it helps the turbolift (which was previously broken beyond repair) run but WILL eat anyone inside that lift if the power coursing through its body reaches a certain level so that particular turbolift has to stay lower-powered and slow. No power can be diverted through that turbolift or anyone who uses it will be eaten. Engineering Win: If we incorporate this alien technology which uses star power instead of solar power which B'Elanna found detailed in an old book during a shore leave thrift sale we can increase the ship's systems' efficiency by over 50%! Security Fail: The star power technology makes people inexplicably think they are a star, their longing for the twinkling void causing them to throw themselves out into space. That's the sort of thing that B'Elanna and Tuvok are dealing with. There's so much that Tuvok brings to B'Elanna like 'this is horrifically dangerous' and B'Elanna replies like 'this is the only way the ship can keep functioning.'

[sleepyfan-blog]

Runneth Over

This is the next part in Cedric’s adventures in the Astartes Husbandry AU, and specifically the Introducing New Primaris Black Templars arc. For other adventures click here and here. First. Previous. Next.  

Tagged:  @egrets-not-regrets @kit-williams @bleedingichorhearts @i-am-a-dragon34 @undeaddream @gallifreyianrosearkytiorsusan

Warnings: Misconceptions, physical violence, poor coping mechanisms

Summary: Cedric and Melinth have a conversation. 

“... I had plans for the day, Chief Apothecary Melinth. Is there a particular reason why you called me into your office today?” Cedric asked, doing his best to project a mask of calm, even as resentment and frustration boiled inside of his hearts, threatening to cause problems if he let them. He would not lose his temper again. 

“I have several questions to ask of you, and they are important. Sit.” Melinth ordered, pointing at one of the chairs.

The younger apothecary obeyed wordlessly, suppressing the desire to grind his teeth in frustration, or cross his arms over his chest and scowl. “And these questions cannot wait until I have completed what I wanted to get done for the day?”

“Correct. As you may already be aware, I have been studying the gene-seed that was implanted in your two dead brothers. In part to see whether or not the Mechanicus somehow altered the structure of the organ itself, among other reasons.” The older Apothecary explained. “While the technology available to mortals and created by them in this time period are… Crude to say the least, we have been able to recreate certain much better technologies within a select number of bases, this being one of them.”

“... Is there a point to this, sir?” Cedric asked, trying to resist the temptation to roll his eyes as the other droned on. “As I told you earlier, the Mecnanicus did tell us Primaris Marines that we all have hybrid gene-seed. In order to try and reduce the likelihood of us developing or having certain gene-seed defects. We were told that our geneseed stock came from loyalist primarchs, as using traitor gene-seed, even stock from before they turned traitor, is heretical.”

“So you have said. DId you know that the Mechanicus are not the only ones who were working on trying to improve the astartes blueprint, and had access to different kinds of gene-seed stocks?” Melinth asks, as he seemed to be attempting to stare holes through Cedric’s body by the force of his eyeballs alone.

“I did not, though that doesn’t surprise me. Is there a particular reason why you are telling me this?” Cedric asked, realizing that he’d slipped a little in not addressing the other properly “... Sir?”

“Both… Malachai and Lestras, was it? Both of their gene-seed is sixty-percent  of the line of Dorn, which is what we were expecting. Do you know what the remaining 40% is? Any guesses or suspicions at all?” Melinth asked, leaning forward a little in his chair.

“Given that about sixty percent of all loyalist chapters are sons of Guilliman in part or full in M42… I’d hazard that the answer to that is probably Primarch Guilliman?” Cedric answered with a slight shrug of his shoulders. 

“That’s not - wait, what?” Melinth asked, startled “How? That makes no sense. There were seven loyalist Primarchs who survived the heresy. That is a fact. So how did Primarch Guilliman’s Gene-seed spread so far?”

“His is the most stable, of all of the Primarchs, including the First. Lords Russ, Khan, and Corax all vanished into the warp, to return when the Imperium’s need was at it’s highest. Lords Vulcan was brutally killed and lost - though the Salamanders and their successor chapters hope to one day find him. Lord…” Cedric hesitates for a moment, trying to remember if he’d ever been told when, exactly Melinth was from. Did he hail from a time before…? If so, this was an unfortunate time to reveal to the Imperial Fist that his Lord Father was Probably Dead. “Lord Dorn has been lost to us for a long time as well. He vanished one day during a bloody battle, with only one of his powerfists - arm included - to be found. The lord of the first is rumored to have once again been seen walking in Imperium Nihilus, accompanied by his sons- both those who were always loyal to the Imperium and those who had forsaken their vows after Lord Johnson vanished, presumed killed by his treacherous second in command.”

There was a flash of… Something across Melinth’s face as the older Apothecary listened to his words. The other stood as Cedric finished speaking and stalked around his desk towards him. “I don’t know how much of anything you, or the other allegedly Loyalist Alternate Marines I can trust, if anything. Did you know that Fabius Bile of the Emperor’s Children has been creating clones and astartes for thousands of years? That mad butcher is amongst the most skilled geneticists alive in any time period that has him in it. The remaining 40% of your dead Brothers’ gene-seed are of traitor legions. Specifically a twenty-twenty split of World Eater and Word Bearer. Both of their genetics indicate that they were cloned, rather than made naturally and taken to become Astartes.”

Cedric was on his feet and part of him wanted to back away as the older Apothecary got in his face. Fury at being called a liar swelled in his chest and he hissed back “I have been truthful as far as I know to every question you and the other firstborn marines have asked me, as much as my vows as an Apothecary allow me to be! Speak plainly, rather than dancing around the point like a throne-damned Alpha Legionnaire!”

“Fine, then. I suspect that none of you were created by Loyalists. What I think is that the group of you were actually created by Fabius Bile in order to infiltrate loyalist chapters. Whether or not you know that and are purposefully working to weaken those chapters or gather intelligence… Or you are sleeper agents, planted in those chapters and unknowing of your true purpose and you genuinely believe the things you say… I cannot tell at this time.”

“And what gave you that idea?” Cedric asked, his voice dropping into a low growl, furiously insulted at the accusation “You’re completely wrong on all counts, but please. Enlighten me as to what your thought processes is, so I can help you know the truth.”

“You and your alleged Primaris Marine brothers are incredibly skittish of older marines. Loyalist, renegade, chaos, it does not matter. All of you are wary of us, despite none of us having ever done anything to hurt you. While I understand wariness towards traitors of varying stripes, if you were created by loyalists, you would not fear us, the way you do.” Melinth states, voice hard and accusatory. “However, if you were created by Bile, deep down you would have an instinctive wariness of all factions, given that Chaos uses Bile’s creations as cannon fodder for the most part. Renegades would either kill you or force you to work for them, and us Loyalists would likely mercy-kill you to put you out of your misery and to keep you from falling into the hands of our enemies.”

Mercy kill. Mercy kill. Mercy kill. That phrase rang over and over in Cedric’s head as the older Apothecary continued to rant and blather on at him. Fury and anxiety warred for dominance in his hearts, and when the other gestured particularly sharply at him, Cedric’s body automatically flinched and took a half-step back, to avoid being struck by the Angry Firstborn Marine. “I’m not one of Bile’s creations. None of us are. We were created by the Mechanicus, as for the reasons why we are wary of all firstborn marines… We have ample reason to be, from our experiences in M42.”

“... That. That kind of reaction right there. The way that your body is still tense but hunched, like you’re expecting me to strike you. Have I ever once shown that I would strike a fellow loyalist out of anger?” Melinth growled, stalking closer to Cedric, or rather he tried to.

Cedric’s body automatically backed up, towards the door to the office as his mind scrambled to find something, anything to say. His dumb-fuck mouth decided to blurt something out before his brain to mouth filter could alter it “Just because none of you in this time have hurt me, doesn’t mean that was true in M42! You wouldn’t be the first firstborn son of Dorn who beat me because you were angry! Not even the first Apothecary to do so.” His mentor had been furious when he’d found Apothecary Alinciet physically training him in such a way, and forbade the bastard from ever coming near him ever again. He still had some of the scars of that physical altercation on his arms, though.

“... Explain to me what you mean by that. Right now.” Melinth ordered Cedric, voice thundering loudly in his ears, echoing off of the walls of his office.

“... No.” Cedric breathed out, barely louder than the rapid beating of his hearts in his ears.

“What do you mean by no?” The older apothecary growled, stalking towards Cedric again “I have you a direct order, Astartes. You will answer my fucking question. Who. Hurt. You?”

“Why should I tell you? It’s not as if firsborn Marines are in danger, which is the only thing you fucking care about!” Cedric hissed back, his eyes going blurry as tears threatened to fall from his eyes. He really needed to figure out why he was crying so fucking much. “And don’t spew grox-shit about actually giving a fuck about me or my brothers! You just accused us of being some of Bile’s creations, seconds ago! All of whom you would happily kill to be rid of!”

“Hold on, that’s not what I-” Melinth started to lie.

Cedric did not want to hear empty platitudes or lying grox-shit anymore. Which was why he committed the sin of interrupting a superior officer by hissing “LIAR! I am not the liar of the two of us, it is you! You don’t give two shits if I or my brothers live or die! If you did, you would not have handed our primary care over to a fucking Hydra and a chaos-corrupted death guard! Do not stand there and pretend to be pure of heart and standing in good faith when you long ago washed your hands of those of us among the living. When your only interest in Primaris comes from what you can learn from carving up our dead.” 

Melinth was up in his face, hands moving to grab at him and Cedric’s body reacted on instinct to defend himself as the other was not dressed in the black and white of a Black Templar, nor the robes of an off-duty Older Brother. Which is why Cedric ducked his grab, rolling to one side and kicking the bastard in the back of his weaker knee with lightning speed and devastating force.

Melinth cursed as he started to fall, twisting his body and going into a combat roll, grabbing something from under his desk.

Cedric did not give the older and more experienced Astartes time to recover, launching himself at the bastard, slamming into the other’s chest shoulder first and sending the other bodily into the nearest wall. 

Books and knick-knacks flew off of the bookshelf that Melinth landed heavily next to. He grunted in pain and growled “Stand down marine!” 

“No! You do not get to call me a twisted abomination meant to break my chapter and then try and take it back! You’re just like THEM! Simply more subtle and all the more insidious for it!” Cedric hissed, hauling the smaller marine up by his shirt before lifting and throwing him through the air at the other wall.

There was a satisfyingly visceral crunch as the older marine hit the second wall. He wheezed and scrambled towards the panic-button in his room “What… Like who, do you accuse me of being?” His breathing was shallower, and there was a bit of blood on his lips, where they had split.

A wicked, cruel thought occurred to Cedric. A dark vicious part of him nearly shivered in delight at such a thought, before he balked at his own dark desires. He would not beat this miserable shithead into his deathbed, like certain Firstborn bastards had done to countless of his brothers. He had to be better than that, or he would never be able to look any of them in the eye ever again. And he would prove Petras and the other detractors right. “You’re a primaris Killer. You may not be from M42, but you let Malachai die on that surgical table. I know you did. You’re far too skilled an apothecary and were too well provisioned to have not been able to… To save him. You gave us away to Chaos and renegade Astartes. It is only their curiosity and desire to see us willingly come to their side, along with the treaty that stays their hands from murdering us.”

“Primaris… Killer?” Melinth wheezed as he pushed his way back up the wall with his hands, staggering towards the panic button.

Cedric thought about stopping the other from getting it, but a wave of bitterness and lethargy locked his limbs in place, despite the rage pulsing through his body that nearly robbed him of his senses “Primaris Killers are a shorthand way for us to refer to loyalist firstborn marines who have killed more than one Primaris Marine because they wanted to, or in a fit of murderous rage. Not because the Primaris Marine was showing signs of heresy, not because they needed to be culled for medical reasons either.”

“I did not. Let Malachai die. I tried to save him. He was. Very badly injured. Even if we had a spare Dreadnaught to put him in, that would not have saved him.” Melinth answered, the hand that reached out for the “please help me” button shaking a little. 

“So you claim.” Cedric spat out “I have precious little reason to trust any firstborn marines with myself, much less my brothers. Some of whom I’ve had to watch die twice from the same wounds that they were given by-” His voice cracks, breaks, falters. He cannot, will not, volunteer this information without checking with those who had been killed by The Fucker and getting their permission to do so. He will not expose such a weakness without them agreeing to such beforehand. “-by a Primaris killer. If you think we are Bile’s creations, ask that Night Lord Apothecary if we are or not. He should be able to tell you, if he’s who I think he is.”

With that, Cedric turned on his heel and left Melinth’s office, slamming the door behind him. He stormed down the hallway, intending to head to the bakery that Roland’s bonded ran and worked in. Maybe they’d let him knead some of the dough? It would help him work out the fury boiling in his system without causing more destruction.

Instead he nearly physically ran into a green and gold blur that turned into Captain Ash’val. “Ah, there you are Cedric! I was wondering if-” The Salamander began to ask, starting to reach out to Cedric as he spoke.

The young Apothecary, who would normally be quite content to help the other with whatever he wanted, or allow the very tactile Astartes to hug him when the other wanted, deliberately stepped out of the other’s immediate grabbing range and interrupted him “I don’t have time for idle chatter today. I am helping Ramiel arrange the funerals for Malachai and Lestras, ideally everything should be ready to go by the end of the week. That way the temptation for you firstborns to carve them into little pieces and study them is removed. So that, at least in death, they will have a measure of dignity and respect afforded to them.” 

Ash’val made a small choking sound, as if someone had just slit his throat.

They hadn’t, because Cedric briefly looked him over. He was physically whole and intact, and therefore Not His Problem to deal with right now. The young Apothecary darted around the stone-still Salamander, moving swiftly out of the base and ignoring anyone who wasn’t an actual Brother of his when they called his name. 

Someone was following him, so Cedric dipped into the cross-training that Claude had absolutely insisted that all of them learn on how to be stealthy. He managed to shake the Firstborn who’d been following after him in the densely crowded streets of the mortal city before making his way to his favorite bakery, and to one of the few firstborn marines he genuinely and deeply trusted with both of his hearts. 

[shanastoryteller]

Happy Valentine’s Day! WWX and identity porn, or dealers choice ❤️

a continuation of 1

Jim was sort of excited about being shipped off to Tarsus IV because he loves space and seeing a planet in the early stages of development sounded really cool, even if the only reason he was going was because Frank couldn't deal with him for a second more.

Then he realizes that this place is just like Iowa but less technology and he's bored as shit.

He's staying with Frank's cousin who tolerates him better than Frank because she doesn't give a shit what he does as long he cleans up after himself and is quiet coming home, which he thinks might be some sort of psychic reverse psychology, because it turns out without anything to rebel against he feels like he can finally calm down for once in his life.

Maybe Frank was sort of right about him going stir crazy back home and making the rest of them crazy because of it. Jim is never, ever going to tell him that.

And maybe it is sort of fun, because high school is boring but there's an Orion girl in his class and he's, you know, fifteen, and working in the fields at least gives him something to actually flex at her.

Then he finds out there's a Vulcan on planet. Here. On a backwards bumfuck middle of nowhere planet.

Obviously he goes knocking on his door first thing.

He actually answers, which Jim hadn't been expecting. "What do you want?"

"Something to do," he answers, too surprised to be anything but honest. "What are you doing here?" He cranes his neck to try and see behind him, "Is it fun?"

"I'm working on my thesis, or trying to," he says, and something about the way he's speaking sounds a little off to Jim. He didn't think Vulcans talked like this - it's a little too casual and imprecise, but it's not like Jim and expert on Vulcans here.

"Want help?" he says. It's not like school is of any interest, and getting to talk to a Vulcan up close and personal is probably worth it anyhow.

He actually laughs.

Jim stares. "Are you sure you're Vulcan?"

"Now you sound like my father," he answers before stepping back. "Sure, whatever, someone has to organize my notes and I'd rather it wasn't me. I'm Sybok."

"Jim," he says, leaving off his last name because Sybok didn't tell him his father's name, and Jim thinks that's a good idea that he's going to copy.

[veryace-ficrecs]

Spirk Fic Recs

This list will include all ratings and tags, so read at your own discretion! :)

Entering Orbit by museaway - Rated M

Jim escapes to Iowa to avoid the media frenzy following the Narada incident, but a late-night miscommunication results in Spock turning up on his front porch.

Atlas by distractedKat - Rated T

Between what was and what will be stands James Tiberius Kirk, in all his fractured patchwork glory. Because saving the Federation was only the beginning.

Telsu by s0mmerspr0ssen - Rated M

Throughout his childhood, Spock suffers from 'emotional seizures'. It takes his healers and parents years to understand their cause - a special telsu bond: t'hy'la.

Let Me Help by Maifai - Rated T

The Narada incident has just been dealt with, and Kirk is realizing that he's in worse shape than he would like to admit.

This Place at the Crossroads by alpha_hydra - Rated T

Starfleet intelligence says that Earth is decades away from developing warp-technology. Then again, Starfleet intell didn’t count on one James Tiberius Kirk getting anywhere near the issue.

Sweetheart Come to Me by rabidchild67 - Rated T

Endearments are illogical. Until they aren’t. Spock learns a lesson.

Spaceman by treksfromlastnight - Rated T

Academy AU. Five times Spock realizes he's attracted to a barista at the academy spaceport, and one time he decides to do something about it.

Ashayam by Willowe - Rated G

Spock knows he has no right to refer to Jim as any sort of endearment, even in the privacy of his own thoughts. If he had only listened to this logic he wouldn't find himself in this position, standing on the bridge having just called his captain "ashayam".

Something Smart to Do by kianspo - Rated M

In which Jim finds himself fake-married to his first officer every other month. It's not his fault. Mostly. Dowries and Klingons are involved. Starfleet is decidedly not amused.

Antigravity by sinestrated - Rated T

Five times Spock was surprised by the brilliance of Kirk's mind, and one time he totally saw it coming.

Please don't touch the Vulcans by museaway - Rated M

The "yes" is out of Jim's mouth before he can think about it.

Miscommunication by sinestrated - Rated T

Jim's brain gets scrambled during an away mission gone wrong, with interesting results.