Forging Alliances

Forging Alliances is a Star Trek: The Original Series manga story from the 2007 anthology ‘’Kakan ni Shinkou,’’ published by TokyoPop, written by Paul Benjamin and drawn by Steven Cummings. In this story, a Vulcan celebration of Surak’s life is disrupted by an attack of le-matyas.

Publisher’s Information

 * From the back of the anthology Kakan ni Shinkou
 * ’’Bones gets to the core of Vulcan emotion…’’

Summary

 * Captain's Log, Stardate 3982.4.
 * The Enterprise is in orbit around the planet Vulcan, our Science Officer Spock’s homeworld. Ambassador Sarek, Mr. Spock’s father, has requested his son’s presence at an important ceremony. It is a celebration of the birth of Surak, the Vulcan philosopher who turned his people from violent warriors into the logical, emotionally-reserved beings we know today.

At Sarek’s invitation, Kirk and McCoy joined Spock at the ceremony. But just as it began, at least six le-matyas and a feral Vulcan boy attacked the group. After the attackers were subdued, Sarek recognized the boy as S’Vol, son of Forge wildlife expert Tar’ak. S’Vol disappeared months ago in Vulcan’s Forge during his Kahs-wan maturity test and had been presumed dead.

After administering to a Vulcan who had been poisoned by a le-matya during the attack, McCoy joined Kirk, Dr. Sassik and Tar’ak to investigate the boy and a le-matya he’d defended. During the conversation, Tar’ak, Spock and Sassik became excessively argumentative and attacked Kirk and McCoy. The aggravated Vulcans had been knocked out, Sarek called to alert McCoy of “illogical behavior” around the hospital. McCoy discovered the boy was covered with the saliva of his le-matya.

Reviving Spock, the agitated Vulcan determined S’Vol to have composite DNA of animals native to Vulcan's Forge, and that he was projecting feelings of madness telepathically. Spock speculated that if S’Vol had been injured during his Kahs-wan, he might have been protected like a cub by a female le-matya sensitive to their shared DNA. As Vulcans tried founding their way into the room, McCoy found a chemical that suppressed Vulcan telepathic abilities and injected S’Vol. The Vulcans returned to normal.

Tar’ak explained that his son had been born prematurely, with his mother dying in childbirth. To save his son, he petitioned the council to allow him to alter his son’s DNA. He ended up stronger than other Vulcans until the time of the ritual.

Sarek completed the ritual, welcoming Kirk and McCoy not as observers but as direct participants.

Characters

 * James T. Kirk • Spock • Leonard McCoy • Sarek • S’Vol • Tar’ak • Sassik  Surak

Starships and vehicles

 * USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)

Locations

 * Vulcan

Races and cultures

 * Human • Vulcan

States and organizations

 * Vulcan council

Science and technology

 * vulcan hospital • telepathic suppressor

Ranks and titles

 * Ambassador • doctor

Other References

 * The Forge • le-matya • Kahs-wan • Surak birth celebration • le-matya poison

Related stories

 * - Episode that introduced Vulcan’s Forge and Le-matyas.


 * - Episode that introduced Sarek.