A/N: Hey there :) So...this is my first attempt at a Star Trek story and is the first story in the Vulcan Archives series :) I've written some other stories for Doctor Who, Supernatural, and Sherlock, so this will be my first story based on a movie and trying to incorporate an original character into it. So, just to get this out of the way so you know what you're getting into and can decide if you'd like to keep going, this story will be Spock/OC. Fair warning to start, I haven't seen much of the original series or any of the different continuations of it, so this story will be largely based on the 2 movies (1 story per movie), with a few things that I do know about Star Trek popping up here and there. This story will be about 10 chapters long, updated daily, and will be broken up between a sort of flashback/backstory chapter and portions of the movies, I wanted to add original chapters to sort of give more meat and explanation to the relationship Spock has with the OC as it will already be mostly established in the 'movie' portions.

Just to give a tiny little note about the OC, Cora, I'm making up two alien species and a planet for her which we'll learn about in this story, much like the opening of the movie, we'll see key moments in her life :)

So...there we have it :) Spock/OC, haven't seen much of Star Trek beyond the movies, and I offer my sincerest apologies if I write Spock OOC, I will try my very, VERY best not to. Lol, at least I'm being open and honest about my lack of Star Trek knowledge, because I know that it has some very serious, loyal, and amazing followers that I would never ever want to insult by lying about what I do and don't know of it :) So...if that hasn't completely turned you off attempting to read this story, all that's left to say is...

I hope you enjoy :)

~8~ is a scene break

Disclaimer...I don't own Star Trek...otherwise I'd not have to work in Accounting lol :)

~8~

Planet: Hestia

Hestia was a beautiful planet, at one point in time at least, full of deep green grasses that seemed almost blue in color, with tall trees, the most brilliant flowers in the brightest of colors, home to the kindest of species, the Empathics. They were a quiet race, filled with a quiet strength, who strove to be understanding, to be compassionate, to be empathetic as their species described them to be. A peaceful people, war had not been a part of Empathic life since the earliest stages of their history. Violence, in general, was frowned upon, peace upheld at all costs, with a true and genuine respect for the life of all and for the bonds between species. The Empathics strove to maintain balance, focused their efforts towards that instead of waging wars against one another, and succeeded in coexisting with peace between all the different tribes and subsets of the species. For all shared one unique characteristic that bound them together closer than any other species, a bond that made the pain of one the pain of many, the joy of the many the joy of the one. They were a kind and gentle race many centuries ago…

Until the Mas'heirs arrived.

The Empathics were struck down, chained, subdued, generation upon generation, century after century, forced into the bonds of slavery, coveted by the Mas'heirs for a gift that had been so commonplace amongst their peoples that the Empathics saw it merely as a natural part of life. The planet suffered, the trees fell, the flowers died, the grasses dried, and the species itself struggled to survive under the harsh and cruel reality that had become their lives. What should have been a gift among their people, became a curse, tying them tighter into the chains that enslaved them.

And just like that, the brightest race of their system, fell into darkness.

~8~

"Push mother," a young boy cried as he held his mother's hand, the woman, her brilliant red hair now matted and dark with sweat as she struggled with her labor. It was her latest child, her latest out of many, her eldest, merely 10 years old, crouched beside her, clutching her hand, offering her strength, his siblings gathered around him, offering too the strength their mother was failing to hold onto.

It was too much, they knew it was too much, she had reached and surpassed her expectancy, given birth to as many children as was safe to her health to give...yet the Mas'heirs forced another birth from her. It was dangerous, all the tests had proved so, yet…this was the goal of the Mas'heirs. On their planet, for their species, with a gestation of one year on their planet...pregnancies were hard, made all the worse by the treatment of the Mas'heirs. If an Empathic woman was lucky, she could birth 6 to 8 children in her lifetime. Ten was a remarkable feat to reach, an 11th child was...the most their physiology could withstand, and not many reached that point.

This...this was her 11th child.

Which terrified the family for more reasons than one. Not only was there a terror and concern for the mother...her body taxed far too much by attempting this last child. There was a danger that her body could no longer sustain itself afterwards. There was also...the child itself. To be an 11th child...was to be special. They all knew it, it was…to be so connected to a family, the larger the family the stronger the offspring, and theirs was one of the larger ones.

The Mas'heirs had been planning this for some time, with many other families as well, a sort of perverted breeding program of sorts. It was how they divided the different Empathics, the men to work as servants, the women, once they reached a certain age, to become breeders, women who existed only to birth more children, more Empathics, all in the hopes of reaching the beloved 11th child. The Mas'heirs...were ruthless in maintaining the population, Empathics who failed to birth more than 5 children were executed, along with their children, all of them put to death because one person physically couldn't have any more children. Unfortunately...not many families reached the safety number of 6 children.

The ideal child, the 11th child was stronger than most. And the stronger the Empathic, the higher the price the Mas'heirs could sell her for when she came of age. They had plenty of Empathics, average ones, that they could use for various means, but the 11th children...they were something worth enormous value throughout the galaxies, THEY were the ones that were paid the most for. Despite being stronger, the Mas'heirs rarely kept them, choosing instead to sell them off.

"I can't…" their mother wept, "I can't…please…"

"Once more, beloved," the older man at her feet, the man she had been bound to by the breeding program, begged her, "Just one…"

She bit her lip and pushed as hard as she could…a baby's shrill cry filling the room moments later as she panted, falling back against her meager pillow, sweat covering her brow.

"What is it?" she breathed, her voice hoarse, her heart racing far too fast she knew.

The man looked at her with love in his eyes, a love that came from forming a family, a respect for each other, a love in such terrible circumstances, "It's a girl," he whispered, scarcely able to speak he was overwhelmed by emotion. He got up and moved to her side, presenting the baby to her, wrapped in a thin blanket, with a small tuft of wet red hair, screaming.

The woman reached out, only able to touch the girl's hand, and squeeze it, the babe starting to calm as she felt her mother's love enter her, her eyes blinking open slightly to look at the woman who sniffled, seeing the unnaturally light eyes of their people looking back at her. Their people had lighter eyes than most, but of deeper coloring, in teals and mints and silvers. The baby's was a teal color, like the man before her, but with her hair. The woman looked at her beloved, watching her with tears in his eyes as they both knew...she wouldn't make it to see the baby grow, the birth had been too much.

"What shall we name her?" the man whispered, knowing time was short, wanting to give her this last honor.

She looked at the baby, "Cora..." she managed to get out, using the last of her strength to lean over and kiss the child's forehead, the way of greeting and parting for their people.

The man smiled, "Heart," he translated the word from their language, leaning in to kiss his beloved's forehead as he saw her mint eyes flutter closed, "Rest, beloved," he whispered in her ear.

He reached out and held her hand, his newest daughter in his other, as he felt his wife squeeze it before breathing out her last breath. He looked at his children, all of them able to feel his sorrow, as he held the child. He looked at his newest daughter and gently pressed a kiss to her forehead before holding her out to his eldest, "Dyre," he offered the boy.

The child, barely 10, stepped forward and took his youngest and last sister from his father as the man turned and wept. The boy swallowed hard, walking back to his siblings, all of them gathering around, before he kissed Cora's forehead, all of the others coming to do the same, wanting to comfort her as they felt her pain at realizing their mother was gone.

~8~

A teenaged Dyre winced as he knelt, his arms tied around a thick tree trunk, his chest pressed against it, exposing his back, raw, already scarred in some areas, his father beside him, tied similarly, "What will they do to her papa?" he whispered, begging the stars that his sister would be alright, she was his youngest sister, his littlest one, she needed the most protection.

His father was silent, a solemn look in his eyes, they both knew what would become of the girl. 11th children were always treated and conditioned more than any other, they had to be broken sooner, faster, harsher, given the nature of their familial strength. Despite losing their mother, the girl had 10 siblings, scores of cousins, a large family...she was a prime possession to the Mas'heirs.

Cora had been taken, she'd only failed to make one of the Mas'heirs's children laugh. She'd gotten them to smile and hum, but not laugh. And that was a failure to the Mas'heirs. They could hear her crying in the house she'd been dragged into as a thump was heard, the crack of a whip. The same whip that had struck them only moments ago for trying to help her.

She was only 6.

Their father closed his eyes, listening to the sounds of his daughter crying, realizing he was powerless to stop it, to save her, to protect her, and began to sing a prayer of old, "Minde eh la tone dee da ta, rah ma serini ni yan tal day..."

Dyre swallowed hard, recognizing the song, and closed his eyes, joining in, hoping their prayers and whispered songs would reach Cora, and that she'd be ok, that it would give her the strength she'd need to endure the beatings of the Mas'heirs.

She would need strength more than anyone.

~8~

"You must go," Cora stood before her father a little more than a decade later, now 19, the man whispering in her ear as he was allowed a single moment to hug her, the Mas'heirs were feeling kind today, and so they should, they had just been paid a hefty sum for her after all, "Go and do not turn back, not for anything, not for us. Just go."

"Papa..." she shook her head, she was shaking herself, how could he ask that of her? To not try and free them too?

No, not freedom. She wasn't free.

She'd been sold.

To Starfleet.

The organization was always collecting the best of the best and the Mas'heirs were 'honored suppliers' of Empathics. Not many were given the chance to enter Starfleet, not many at all, because not many 11th children lived past the death of their mothers if the mother died. It was a true testament to how strong the family love was and how strong the child was to endure past that. As a newborn, Empathics depended on the love of the family to sustain themselves, to grow stronger. For a mother to die, for a baby to live on past that...Empathics like that were treasured among Starfleet.

Starfleet did not take many Empathics, the need for them had died out ages ago but...only about 20 years ago, there had been an attack on the USS Kelvin and since then, Starfleet had resumed its use of Empathics, feeling the need to detect treachery in their enemies and better negotiators. Which was where the Mas'heirs came in. They could sway anyone with an average Empathic, but the rarer ones, the 11th children, they could be sold for the highest value and often were. She had been one of the lucky ones, sold to Starfleet for training, to become a negotiator among their ranks. It was an honor, it was the highest hope of the Empathics themselves, because Starfleet was the best option, the best escape, the lesser of all the evil prospects they had a hope to be sold into. It was her only chance to leave, in essence it DID mean freedom.

In another way, it was merely another chain to bind her. For Starfleet, the Empathics that were bought by them, were trained and enlisted to the Fleet for life. They were given freedom, yes, more than they had on Hestia, and for that she could be thankful. She would not be struck for failure, she would not be starved for disobedience, she would not be subjected to the torture that arose from mere weakness.

But she would have to leave, knowing her siblings and her father would still be subjected to it.

"Go," he whispered again, stepping away from her, tears in his eyes, but a smile on his face as he rested his hands on her shoulders.

He couldn't do much for her as she grew, he couldn't protect her the way she needed, the way a father was meant to, but he could do this, he could let her go, he could see her fly away from the hell that their planet had become. He could pray that she grew stronger, that she grew more powerful, and that she found happiness away from the nightmare that was their lives.

He leaned in and kissed her forehead in goodbye, "Go."

Cora took a breath, looking back at the shuttle that had come, that held the Starfleet envoys within, the men and women who had bought her for, what she knew, was twice what the Mas'heirs were hoping for. They had used her as well, to prove the worth of the endeavor, used her in demonstration of the envoys, their willingness to pay was only a small example of what she had done and could do, and seemed to impress the envoys more so than anger them.

She swallowed hard and picked up her small pouch, the only thing she had to her name, 10 small items that represented her siblings, the cloth she had been wrapped in as a baby which was the last thing her mother had touched, and a small cloth doll her father had managed to make her to help alleviate her nightmares as a small girl.

But she wasn't a small girl any more, she was older now, she was…stronger. The Mas'heirs…they wouldn't have subjected her to half the torment if they didn't believe she was strong or had the potential to be strong. She didn't see it though, none of her people did. They didn't see their gift as a gift any longer but a curse. The Mas'heirs had taken what was meant to be a sacred bond, family, and warped it, used it against them in a bid to make stronger Empathics, Empathics of more value to sell. But family was still the most important aspect of the life of an Empathic, your siblings, parents, children, beloved, everyone tied to you through familial bonds. And it was not something she wanted to leave behind, not to Hestia, not to the Mas'heirs will.

She could only hope, one day, she might do enough for Starfleet that they would journey to Hestia and help her people.

And so, with that, she turned and walked up the steps towards the shuttle, standing in the doorway as she looked down at her father, the steps lifting, sealing her in till she couldn't see him any longer, but she knew…he was watching as the shuttle took off, flying her off into the stars, to Starfleet.

~8~

Cora walked silently through the halls of Starfleet Academy, her head bowed, trying to refrain from making eye contact, it had been drilled into her for so long, you don't look your superiors in the eye, and everyone is your superior. Unfortunately, all the Cadets were well aware of her origins, her eyes giving it away rather clearly, and they knew she was what they'd call 'an easy target' as she had been conditioned not to fight back.

She gasped as she fell to her knees, having tripped as another Cadet stuck his foot out as she passed, her books falling around her, papers scattering, tablets cracking. She winced, quickly moving to gather them, ignoring the jeers of the boys as they walked off, not bothering to help.

"May I be of assistance?" a voice asked above her.

She glanced up for only a moment, before tensing, her head jerking back down as she saw a Vulcan male, one of her superiors, standing above her, "No sir," she murmured, rushing to gather her papers.

Spock looked at her…he couldn't see her face from there, just the top of her head, but…he'd caught a glimpse of her eyes. Blue. VERY blue. Almost teal in color, reminiscent of an image his mother had shown him once, of some oceans on Earth. It was an…uncommon color on a human which, logically, told him she was a humanoid 'alien,' like him.

And for her to have that particular shade and appearance...he was fairly certain he knew which species she was, there were not many that had that unique eye color. And her behaviour was indicative of that species. She was an Empathic. A species he knew was noted for their ability to not only sense the emotions of those around them, but also to influence them as well. It was said they could determine if someone was lying or had ill intent, that they could force someone to tell the truth, manipulate someone to feel a certain way, from happiness to sorrow to even pain. They were...great assets to the Fleet and he was aware of only one Empathic Cadet enlisted at the moment.

She blinked when one of her books was held in front of her, the Vulcan having knelt down to offer it to her, but kept her head bowed as she took it, "Many thanks," she whispered, clutching it to her chest.

"Might I inquire as to your name?" he asked, wanting to be certain he was correct in his assumption as to who she was.

"Cora."

"Is there a reason you will not look at me Cora?" he eyed her.

The moment she had been invited into the Academy, the moment she set foot in it, she should have been given permission by the different authorities of the facility to speak and interact freely with the students and staff, as was customary. Empathics were very...submissive as a species, as set to following orders as Vulcans were to following rules. They followed their emotions and feelings as strongly as Vulcans did their logic and minds. They had to be given permission by the ones in charge in order to feel secure enough to speak out or speak up. She was clearly speaking, yet she still refused to look at him.

She bit her lip, closing her eyes, "It is not proper," she whispered, as though reciting a lesson, before standing as he did and bowing slightly to him, "Please excuse me, sir."

Spock stood there, watching the red-haired girl quickly walking away, and tilted his head a moment, before looking at his hand…it had been the hand he'd offered her book back with…the hand her own had briefly touched as she took it…

It felt cold now and was strangely…tingling.

A/N: Fairly short, I know. This was meant to be more of an introduction chapter than anything :) The next one will be a portion of the movie, and then followed by the first time Cora and Spock really and truly speak :) There will be much more to come about Cora and what she can/can't do, her strengths and weaknesses. I'll try to keep her as believable as I can and keep away from her being a Mary Sue. In the context of her people/species...the only thing unique about her is being an 11th child, and she's not the only one to be one even then :) I just thought it would be interesting to see how having an 'empath' around might change things, to have someone there who can feel Spock's emotions without him needing to openly express them might be an interesting dynamic for a relationship of sorts :) Also, there's a reason the Mas'heirs aren't described just yet ;)

For a reference, I imagine Cora to look something like Brooke Williams :) She's the actress in the cover and there's one up on my tumblr that's bigger :)