(TOS)/VOY: T'Kuht Rising - author's preface
Macedon
"T'Kuht Rising" represents a departure, on a number of levels,
from anything I have posted to the group before. It plays with
tense and time, with a somewhat unusual point-of-view character,
and with the impact of violence on a life. I have not pulled my
punches. Portions of this story might be "rated R" for sex and
violence--but they are not gratuitous. To quote my old writing
teacher, Harry Crews: "Tell it like it is."
Although "T'Kuht Rising" is not precisely a 'sequel', having read
"Out of the Past" first is recommended. Otherwise, references
made in "T'Kuht" may leave the reader at sea--not to mention
wondering how the hell Spock's son ended up on Voyager in the
first place. "Out of the Past" is available in the a.s.c
archive.
I labeled "T'Kuht" (TOS)/VOY because Sokar's memories--which make
up a large portion of the story--often concern figures who were
first introduced in the original series. But it is no crossover
in the traditional sense.
Why am I returning to Sokar? A conversation with Peg Robinson
led me to note that stories are rarely written (I could think of
none!) in first person from a *Vulcan* point of view. Perhaps
this reluctance springs from a fear that Vulcan voices are too
dry, while first-person all but requires a quirky narrator to
keep things interesting. How does one write sentiment without
sentimentality? It presented me with an irresistible challenge.
<g> Besides, Sokar's story was not really finished in "Out of
the Past," so I'm giving him a chance to tell the rest of it.
However, "T'Kuht Rising" is more than game-playing with Vulcan
headvoices. It's also an exercise in a different yse of TIME in
narrative. Vulcan headvoices on Indian time. <g> Don't look
here for linear links between scenes, and the varying verb tenses
is no accident.
I invite response, either private or public. This story is not
my usual exercise in writing first-drafts. It was composed off-
line and uploaded (thanks to Gina for teaching me how). Thus,
feedback is precisely what I'm after. I want to know how my
experiments worked. :)
A small side-note: the decision to make Amanda Grayson Jewish was
a nod to Leonard Nimoy who is, as many fans know, a Jew himself.
(Traditionally, Jewish descent is counted through the mother.)
And the birthday party is fondly dedicated to Nora.
Macedon
jr...@psuvm.psu.edu