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Rectifications - Part 6 (Khan FF)

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The idea that had just emerged in Khan’s mind, he entertained thoroughly, but the more he thought about it, the more his determination grew. This was the only way.

Taking a sharp turn to the left he decided to make his way to the bridge right now when Kirk almost ran into him.

“Hey, I heard you’re back.”, the Enterprise’s Captain greeted him, “Where’s Ellie? And…whoa! What’s with all the blood, something happened to you two?”

Khan recognised genuine concern in the other man’s gaze, something that surprised him, but he gruffly retorted: “I happened to someone.”

“Yeah, figures…”, Kirk groaned and then nodded at his soiled attire, “You might…wanna wash up?”

“This can wait.”, Khan objected sharply, “I have a proposal to make and I am confident you will agree with me.”

“Oh, you are?”, the captain snickered, but he found it in no way amusing, not when his crew’s welfare was at stake.

“Walk with me.”, he therefore asked and explained at Kirk’s curious look, “To Med-Bay, to my crew.”

“Sure.”, he then nodded and together they made their way through the ship, “What are you suggesting anyway?”

“My crew needs a place to stay, a safe place.”, Khan told him and already saw wariness in Kirk’s eyes, a wariness that boded ill for his idea, “All of us were dormant for a long time, but we were not safe, not for a single moment. I learned that when Ling…was murdered. There is no place for us in your society, neither lying in a frozen sleep nor awake. What we need is a place of our own, secluded and remote where there is no interference.”

Stopping in the middle of the hallway, he turned to the captain and awaited his reaction.

“So…”, Kirk drawled, then shook his head as if to gather his senses, “You’re saying I should let Bones wake them all up and then let you all run wild?”

“In a manner of speaking.”, Khan ground out between gritted teeth, but was met with a laugh, “You’re not seriously…wait. You are serious…?”

He only gave a sharp nod as a reply and Kirk shook his head again and called out disgruntled: “Do you have any idea how I should explain that to Starfleet? To anyone?”

For a moment, Khan closed his eyes, but then regarded Kirk with the same scrutinising gaze he had once focused on him when he had been Kirk’s prisoner, he eyed him up and then spoke: “They are my crew, Captain, my family. You do not seriously assume I would leave them again without my protection, without any chance for them to defend themselves.”

Kirk opened his mouth as if to protest, but then simply breathed: “No. No, I don’t because I sure as hell wouldn’t do that to my crew.”

Khan tilted his head and enquired: “It is settled, then?”

“Yeah.”, Kirk replied weakly, still shaking his head, “I must be barking mad, but yeah, you have my word. I won’t let any harm come to your crew, least of all from Starfleet, we did enough already.”

“I expected no less from a responsible captain.”, Khan offered a sincere compliment as they resumed their way to Med-Bay, but Kirk chuckled, “Don’t try flattery, you’re really not my type.”

Startled, he was now the one to shake his head, but then he decided to ignore Kirk’s amusement even though it strongly reminded him of an old friend he was now about to see again after so many years of sleep.

“We will need a class M planet, remote and secluded, as I said, so far off that travellers will not simply stumble upon us, but close enough to reach other settlements with a Sarajevo-type cruiser.”, Khan listed the requirements of their new home, but stopped as he felt Kirk’s curious gaze on him and saw a bright smile on his face, so he added in irritation, “We will need the possibility to trade, especially while establishing our settlement.”

“Yeah, alright, I get that!”, Kirk laughed as they turned a corner and already saw the doors of Med-Bay, “It’s just…you planned this quite thoroughly.”

He had not planned that as he had wished to do it and knew that his plan was still alarmingly incomplete, but he did not allude to it and instead enquired: “Will you run a scan for a planet meeting those requirements?”

“Give me a few more to narrow it down and yeah, we’ll try to find something.”, Kirk nodded and Khan allowed himself a grain of relief that was instantly stalled as he heard, “But first I’m gonna have to convince Bones that this is in fact a good idea.”

The loud hissing of the doors to Med-Bay prevented him from answering and he entered, dumbstruck by the sight that greeted him.

Cryo-pods everywhere and a quick headcount told him there were 71 of them, all of them except for his own pod and Ling’s. It grieved him that they had lost her, but at least the rest of his crew was safe.

Only at his second glance did he find Eileen amidst all the capsules as she was just checking the functionality of one of them and the vital signs of its inhabitant. For a split second their eyes met, but then she turned away and went to the next pod.

“Hey, Jim.”, Dr. McCoy greeted them, telling from his frown leaving Khan out on purpose, “They’re all fine and sound asleep. Where do you want to get them?”

“Wake ‘em up, Bones.”, Kirk replied and for a moment the doctor stared at him blankly before he opened his mouth to protest with all his might, “Are you…”

“No, Bones, I’m not out of my corn-fed mind.”, his captain replied with a smirk, “But, honestly, what else can we do? It’s the only reasonable thing.”

“Reasonable?”, McCoy echoed, albeit with a much higher pitch and disbelief in his voice than before, “Jim, your definition of “reasonable” isn’t really up to date, is it?”

“It is the only reasonable thing to do, Leonard.”, Eileen cut in, her voice and her body slumped down from clearly visible fatigue and worry, “There is nothing else you can do.”

“Really?”, McCoy now snapped at her and Khan had to fight the impulse to protect her, an irrational impulse, but strong nonetheless. And it was unnecessary, as Eileen was well capable of defending herself, although her words missed the edge they had had before: “Yes, Leonard. What do you want to do? Put them with a private clinic? Brilliant idea, they’ll just store them there for as long as they fancy and then sell them to the highest bidder or exploit them themselves right away. And you can’t suggest Starfleet as an option because it is clearly not! Plus, we don’t even have his pod and so what do you want to do with…him? Imprison him until we get hold of another pod? No. Or worse, condemn him to live alone? We should give them the chance to live, to learn from the mistakes they made before they were banished into cryo-sleep.”

McCoy stared at Eileen and Khan did not dare to interrupt for once, because he was moved by her unexpected plea for him and his crew. She did not know them, none of them, but she nevertheless pleaded on their behalf. He was as moved as he was confused by her, again.

“Ellie…”, McCoy began, but she violently shook her head, “No. Give them a chance. There has to be some planet somewhere in the middle of nowhere. It won’t be easy, no, but…worth it.”

The ship’s doctor seemed by no way convinced, but he turned his gaze to Kirk and gruffly added: “So, how do you want to do that? Even if I agreed to wake them, which I’m not sure of as of yet, they’ll have nothing on that planet we still have to dig up somewhere.”

“True.”, Kirk nodded and looked at Khan, “Even if we get you a planet, you will need some materials to start on.”

“That is no obstacle.”, he swiftly replied, “During our time we amassed a considerable amount of assets. And when I was working for Starfleet as John Harrison, I got a hold of these and transferred a good proportion to an account Starfleet has not traced to this day, as far as I know. On the way to this planet we will surely meet merchants and the credits I ensured shall be compensation for your efforts.”

“Nifty.”, Kirk smiled, “I’ll scan for your new home. And you, Bones, wake our guests.”

“I still don’t like it…”, Dr. McCoy chuntered, but Eileen gave him a smile and reassured him, “You don’t have to. But the sooner you deal with them, the sooner you can get rid of them. And who knows, they might even like you.”

Together the two physicians made their way over to one of the pods and Khan recognised it, but as much as he wanted to join them, to be the first to welcome Kati back after so many years and, admittedly, also to talk to Eileen who avoided him, he had to make sure that they had a home to go to first.

So he stole another glance at the pod containing Kati, then one at Eileen before he turned away and joined Kirk in the scan he was already running. So far, three planets had popped up, but Kirk manually discarded two of them again and as he saw Khan approach, he explained: “Too close to other settlements, wouldn’t do any good.”

He merely nodded and scanned the information the console produced when he suddenly spotted a planet that met his requirements.

“There.”, he declared just a moment before Kirk suggested, “How about this one?”

The Captain smiled and zoomed in on the planet that had caught both their gazes: “Ceti Alpha V. Class M, not inhabited, quite remote but not exactly too far off. It isn’t all that fertile, but…”

“It will suffice.”, Khan decided, leaving Kirk staring in astonishment before he shrugged, “Okay. So Ceti Alpha V it is.”

With a nod, Khan turned away and for a moment he allowed himself to smile. They had a home.

It was true, the planet was not the most hospitable one, but it was fertile enough and would nourish them sufficiently. What he had not told Kirk was that he had instantly recognised the planet’s coordinates. It was the very same planet he had had to make a forced landing on when the cruiser had been damaged and he had spent a few hours in the golden forest, repairing the damage together with Eileen. The planet would not only suffice, it was perfect.

“Alright, initiating reanimation sequence now.”, Eileen announced and Khan saw her type final commands into the console on Kati’s pod. A few eager paces took him to the capsule and he watched every single second of the process, clenching his fists in anticipation and…hope. A feeling he had refused for so long, but it had now instantly flushed his entire being when he saw the changes in Kati’s appearance.

For a second, fear mingled into his beginning joy and he glanced at the console, trying to interpret the readings of her vital signs.

“Relax.”, Eileen reassured him calmly without even looking at him, “She’s fine, it just takes a bit.”

He merely nodded and kept staring at Kati’s pale face, he did not even look up as he heard Kirk come over to stand beside Dr. McCoy, for he was only focused on Kati.

“That should do.”, the doctor gruffly estimated, “We can open the pod.”

Only after Eileen had nodded her assent did Khan calmly watch them take off the lid and a familiar chill wafted out, circled around his feet but then quickly dissipated.

As if all the cold had fled the pod, Khan registered small signs of life on Kati’s face, saw colour return to her cheeks and her eyelashes flutter as she tried to open her eyes. Involuntarily he held his breath and only released it when her eyes opened.

With a hearty sigh, he looked into those brown eyes again, although still weary, so full of life.

“Captain…”, she breathed and he nodded, “Kati.”

“What’s…”, she began a question, but was shushed by Eileen who gently touched her hand, “Hi, I’m Ellie. Please, calm down, the effects of your long cryo-sleep need time to wear off. But I assure you, you’re fine.”

Kati managed a small and indistinctive mumble, and as Eileen released her hand with a smile, Khan took it instead, warming the cool skin of his friend as he told her: “I will explain everything and answer all your questions later. There is so much I have to tell you. But for now, rest assured that we have a new home.”

She was weak, but the smile on her blueish lips told Khan everything he had to know; she was as relieved as he was.

“Vital signs fine…better than fine, actually.”, Dr. McCoy stated and then threw a suspicious look at Khan, “You’re awfully robust the lot of you, what did they feed you?”

He frowned, but as he saw Eileen grin and shake her head, he filed the doctor’s words as a joke and decided to ignore them. There were more pressing matters at hand.

“If they all handle it that well, we can get them awake in no time.”, McCoy added and Eileen suggested, “Then let’s move on. Who’s next?”

She addressed him with this question, but did not look at him. Khan did not have an answer anyway, so she proceeded to the pod standing next to her and repeated her previous actions. They all worked together; the two physicians took care of their patients’ wellbeing, while Khan them and reassured them, told them of their new home.

In this fashion they revived his crew, one by one, Otto, Rodriguez, and finally Joachim, they were all there and all well. McCoy and Eileen went rounds to attend to all of them, warm them up and provide them with food and drink. It was remarkable to see her work as every gesture, every little action came naturally to her.

Khan’s gaze fell on Otto who was holding a cup of tea in his hands and frantically looking around, eager to get up, but not yet strong enough and Eileen kept telling him to stay in his pod just a little longer. He knew the reason for Otto’s agitation all too well and Khan feared the moment in which he had to take all of his remaining strength away, but he could postpone the moment no longer, so he went to the friend.

“Captain!”, he was greeted with a warm smile, even though Otto was shaking from cold and worry, “Have you seen Ling?”

The pang in his heart was expected, but yet it hit hard. Taking a deep breath, Khan tried to find consoling words, but he knew that none he could ever find would suffice to reduce Otto’s pain.

“We were betrayed.”, he wearily said in lack of anything else, “The crew of this ship has vowed to help us, but one of Starfleet betrayed us and Ling…”

He choked on the words he had to force out and hesitated, but Otto had already understood.

“No…”, the friend whispered almost silently and sobbed quietly when Khan forced himself to tell him the truth, “She was murdered, Otto, but she was avenged.”

Not able to do anything more for his friend, Khan firmly grasped his hand, but it only gave rise to even more despair and Otto’s barely held composure finally yielded to tears.

From where she had come, he could not tell, but Eileen took the cup from Otto, gently forced it out of his hand and then silently took a hold of it, offering consolation to a stranger and without a word. Otto wept and squeezed Khan’s hand in an effort to remain in control, squeezed so hard it almost hurt and would surely have to hurt Eileen by now, but she did not complain, did not even flinch, but she had tears in her eyes, however, Khan was under the impression that they were tears for Otto and Ling.

“Forgive me.”, he choked out when his sobs had slowly calmed down, his voice raspy, but Khan replied, “There is nothing you have to ask forgiveness for, my friend, not you. We will never forget.”

Otto nodded grimly and then managed a sheepish smile as he let go of Eileen’s hand, accepting the mug from her again. She did not wait for Khan, but spun around and was off, busying herself with other members of his crew, but clearly avoiding him.

“I…would like to be alone.”, Otto requested and he nodded, “Tell me if you need anything and I will try my best.”

“I know.”, he managed a smile, and Khan left him. His heart had sunken and so his steps naturally led him to the one soul he knew who had always been able to cheer him up, yet at the same time discuss his ideas with him in all earnest and care, Joachim.

“Hey, Cap.”, his best friend greeted him, smirking as always, “Long time no see. You look older.”

Involuntarily he chuckled to himself and retorted, “So do you, cold has never suited you well.”

“All I have to do is look better than you.”, Joachim replied with a wink, “And we both know I’ll always do that.”

Together they laughed quietly until Joachim firmly grasped his shoulder and earnestly said from the bottom of his heart: “It is good to see you.”

“Indeed.”, Khan agreed, but then his voice faded away as he knew nothing to say.

“What troubles you so deeply that you can’t look me in the eye?”, Joachim jested and he found himself smiling again, but instead of an answer, he told his friend, “While I was alone, I knew I missed you all, but seeing you all again makes me realise just how much I missed you.”

“That’s nice and all…”, he retorted with a cheeky wink, “But that doesn’t answer my question, Cap, and you and I both know that you wanted to avoid answering it.”

“You are one of a kind.”, Khan mumbled impressed and shook his head, but Joachim simply shrugged and grinned, his green eyes sparkling with mischief. Before he could restrain himself from it, Khan’s gaze searched the room for a particular face and once he had spotted Eileen near Kati again, his eyes remained with her.

“Who is she?”, Joachim asked curiously and Khan, caught red-handed, stared at him just to see him smile at Eileen warmly, “I mean, Ellie too is one of a kind. And… I like her.”

To this he said nothing, but his gaze returned to Eileen and again he wondered why she acted the way she did, why she had risked her life for his crew…for him as she had told him just before she had kissed him. It still was an utter mystery to him.

“But I guess…”, Joachim softly and clearly with a smile added, “You like her much, much more.”

Surprised at the very thought Khan’s gaze briskly shot to his friend and Joachim laughed aloud, amicably mocking him: “Don’t tell me that you wouldn’t. I can see it in your eyes.”

“No…”, Khan muttered unconvinced, but his eyes again looked for Eileen.

“Whatever she did, Cap, she won you over. A long time ago.”, Joachim added calmly and with a sigh, Khan almost admitted defeat. There was a reason why Joachim had always been his best friend and second in command, he knew Khan best.

“Maybe…”, he then whispered, his eyes still on Eileen as he evasively admitted that she was more to him than he had ever anticipated.

“Sure…”, Joachim chuckled unconvinced but as Khan remained motionless beside him, he nudged him, “Come on, talk to her. We both know you want to.”

He glared at Joachim for that, but of course this did not impress him in the slightest. Even worse, he had to admit that he was right, he did want to talk to Eileen, understand her actions and why she avoided him so purposely now, but…

“She does not want to talk to me.”, he replied quietly, but Joachim merely shrugged, “Maybe she has a reason for that. And that doesn’t have to be an aversion.”

“I know.”, Khan sighed and squared his shoulders before he went over to Eileen.

“Go get her.”, he heard Joachim laugh to himself, but he ignored his merriment and went to Eileen, as soon as he had reached her, Khan said, “We need to talk.”

“Nope, we don’t.”, was her brisk answer she gave without even looking at him, instead she focused on a console of an already deactivated - and empty - pod.

“Alright then, I would like to talk.”, he tried to reason with her, but he could not keep a hint of impatience out of his voice and this strain grew as she carelessly, almost gruffly replied, “Well, sucks for you, mate.”

For a moment he was tempted to grab her arm and forcefully turn her around, to make her talk…but then he sighed wearily: “Eileen…”

Within an instant she froze and with a shaking breath she turned around. All the anger had vanished from her eyes and she looked nothing but exhausted to him.

“Alright…”, she muttered in defeat, “What do you want to know?”

Khan needed a moment to find words, but then he simply managed to ask one: “Why?”

She looked into his eyes, but then averted her gaze and without having to ask what exactly he had meant, she started to talk: “I haven’t exactly had many friends to stand up for me. All I ever achieved for myself was my parents’ okay so I could study medicine, but they thought it just a whim, something of a fancy before I had to marry a decent man anyway. And by “decent” they meant rich. Jack fitted their prospect perfectly and on my wedding day, they were proud of me. When we got divorced, they weren’t proud anymore. Neither was my brother who had been rooting for Jack the entire time and told me he hadn’t cheated on me, but that I had driven him to do it because…you know. No one, not even my family, wanted to see my side of things, so I left, joined Starfleet. I was alone, just studied and worked, I had colleagues, sure, but no close friends. I thought I didn’t need them…”

Unsure where she was going with this, Khan frowned, but did not interrupt her as she looked at him: “Then I heard about you, how you fought for your crew, how you went to such lengths, to such extremes when you thought them dead. I mean…you almost obliterated HQ in Frisco and it was, well, it wasn’t exactly a nice thing to do, but…you fought for those you love. It…impressed me.”

“They are my family.”, Khan replied for it was self-evident to him, but apparently not for Eileen, he gathered that much from her incredulous gaze.

“Yeah, so you keep saying. But “family” doesn’t necessarily mean that they’ll risk their arses to get you out of trouble. For you it goes without saying, I’ve seen that many times over by now, but for me…I always hoped for that, but there was no one to fight for me when I needed them the most, no one to come back for me.”

She blinked furiously and wiped away tears of rage as they fell anyway.

“Eileen…”, Khan began as he understood that she had been alone for such a long time and did not only want company, but needed it desperately. Yet, out of lack of other possibilities, he raised his hand to grasp hers, but she slapped it away and glared at him: “And then, after I did not receive the help I was so desperate for, I thought I should help you, not only because it was the right thing to protect your crew, but also because I thought that maybe, just maybe I had to help before others considered helping me. And you…you thought I had sold you out! I wanted to help and I screwed up! Whatever I do, I screw up. So why should anyone ever help me…”

“You did perfectly on Hygia Station.”, Khan interrupted her and she stared at him, blinking in confusion, so she did not even jerk her hand away as he now tenderly took it, “You did so well that you fooled me as well along with all of them. I am the one who failed there, not you. I failed you. And…I am forever grateful for your help.”

“Oh please…”, she snorted, but he could see a smile tug at her lips, “I almost lost it when I saw Jack. And after Mr. Scott got us out and you were so angry I snapped. Sorry, I didn’t mean to…you know.”

Her voice trailed off and she tugged her hand free, turning away. Khan could not help it, he felt a pang of disappointment when she said she had not meant to kiss him. It had been raw, but that was exactly why it had felt so true and honest for him. Was he wrong?

“I’m…uh, I’m gonna check on…them.”, Eileen stepped out of their conversation and Khan let her go. He would have to ponder on her words, but he already felt understanding dawn upon him. Not only was she hurt, she was also afraid, What little hope she had left that someone would eventually stand up for her, fight on her behalf, she was already too scared to believe in it anymore.

He wanted to help, but for the moment he did not know how, he needed a plan first, any plan. He owed her this much.

Deciding to leave her to herself for now, he turned around to attend to his crew and caught a glimpse of Joachim who silently and reproachfully, albeit smiling, shook his head. He decided to ignore him.



A few days later, they had returned to Ceti Alpha V. His crew and the crew of the Enterprise had worked hand in hand and so within not even one hour, all their acquired equipment along with the newly painted U.S.S. Umbellion had been transferred to the planet’s surface. They were almost ready to build their new home from scratch.

The last few arrangements were made, so the time of their parting was imminent…yet Khan had found nothing to say to Eileen. He saw her talking to Joachim whilst they were transporting the medical equipment they had been given, saw them chat and smile. They had immediately gotten along very well, had been joking and mocking each other like old friends whenever Eileen thought Khan was not around, as she was still avoiding him, now more than ever perhaps.

But in this very moment, on the surface of Ceti Alpha V…she seemed saddened and worried by something she had not yet expressed to anyone, despite Dr. McCoy’s frequent questioning. Khan felt exactly as she looked, even though he had just acquired a planet for his crew, a home finally. Yet he was not happy, but worried, not relieved, but tense.

“Alright, that’s it, it’s all down now.”, Kirk’s cheery voice snapped Khan out of his thoughts. The Enterprise’s captain had taken it upon himself to supervise the transport of their goods and although Khan had at first suspected mistrust in the other man, he had by now seen that Kirk indeed also cared for this crew. He cared even more about his own crew and about the prospect that Khan’s would never come back to Earth to threaten its people anymore, but he could understand that.

“You’ve now got your own planet.”, Kirk addressed him and he nodded, “Make good use of it. And…if this whole thing goes sideways for one reason or another, don’t blame me, okay?”

Khan raised an eyebrow at this, but did not say what came to his mind first, but instead gave a more diplomatic answer: “We have sufficient equipment and a cruiser to help us acquire more should we be in need of it. Moreover, you have our gratitude for rendering all of this possible. You have nothing to fear.”

Kirk snorted and Khan was tempted to smile, but he did restrain from it when McCoy addressed his captain: “Jim, are we finished here?”

“Yeah.”, Kirk replied and turned to Khan, extending his hand, “Good luck.”

“Farewell.”, he said, accepted the man’s hand and shook it firmly, what made Kirk wince, something he had aimed at, but as he let go, Kirk said, “Maybe we’ll drop by just to check on you should we find ourselves in this neck of the woods.”

“By all means.”, Khan invited him, but looking into the other man’s face he knew they both knew these were formalities, not honest words and he was not surprised to see Kirk laugh, “Well, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t think I’d be heartbroken if we never meet again.”

“Likewise.”, Khan replied and Kirk chuckled, shaking his head, “If you were just a bit, let’s say…”

“Less savage?”, Khan offered dryly and with a wry grin, Kirk nodded, “Yeah, that. We would have gotten along quite nicely.”

“Perhaps.”, he admitted and nodded at Kirk again, a mutual understanding between them that they would both protect their crews no matter what and although their methods differed considerably, there was respect between them.

Dr. McCoy had nothing more to spare for him than a derogatory grimace and a reluctant, sharp nod of his head, a gesture which Khan returned, albeit with a scarcely hidden smile. The Enterprise’s doctor was not a complicated man and he was easy to play as soon as he had been seen through. He was a weak link, but that was not Khan’s problem.

What was very much his problem indeed came rushing back to him when McCoy turned away and Eileen reluctantly approached Khan. He still had no idea what to say to her. And apparently, she was no better off than him, because she awkwardly cleared her throat before she mumbled: “Well, I guess this is good-bye then…”

“Yes.”, he barely managed to reply and she nodded slowly, her lips pressed together so they were nothing more than a fine, white line. Her breath was shaky as she said: “Then…good luck with this, you all deserve another chance.”

So did she, but although he wanted to say it, he found himself unable to. Instead he asked: “What will you do?”

“Oh…”, she softly breathed, clearly surprised by his question, “I don’t know, actually. Leonard asked if I could help him in Med-Bay. So I guess I’ll stay onboard the Enterprise for now, but I’m not really cut out for Starfleet, not anymore. But for now Med-Bay is as good a place as any.”

Khan was sure that Dr. McCoy also had other, more personal reasons to ask Eileen’s assistance. Still he waited without a word, as did Eileen, who clearly wished for him to say something, but he still had no idea.

Behind her back, Joachim was wildly gesturing at him, urging him on, but Khan ignored him, even though he knew perfectly well that Joachim was right, he had to say something.

“Alright then…”, Eileen finally muttered, “There’ll surely be some colds on the Enterprise, I mean, she’s a big ship, five years in space, it’ll add up. Maybe a few injuries here and there, but at least it’s something to do.”

He nodded non-committingly, for she was right and she belonged with them, not with his crew, a crowd of people she did not know and did not fit in with. At least this was what Khan was trying to talk himself into.

“You lot don’t get sick, do you? So…”, Eileen then added with a sudden crooked smile and a trace of her strange humour, “Even if I…well, there wouldn’t be room for me anyways…”

She turned around without another word and Joachim glared at Khan, gesturing to strangle him violently. Which he deserved probably.

“Mr. Scott…”, Kirk began the command to beam them aboard the Enterprise again, but Khan finally found his speech again and called to Eileen, “I will make room.”

They all stared at him, most of all Joachim and Eileen, who whispered: “Beg your pardon?”

“I will make room for you.”, Khan repeated firmly, “If you want to stay here, there will always be a place for you.”

Eileen smiled insecurely, but it faded away as quickly as it had come and she averted her eyes, mumbling sadly: “This is your crew and I’m not one of them…”

“No.”, Khan affirmed, “Not yet. But you can be.”

She stared at him, mouth agape, but then muttered: “How? I don’t fit in, I’m not like you…”

“I don’t care about that.”, Khan interrupted and looked into her eyes, the familiar plethora of blue shades, willing her to understand what he could not say in front of everyone; he did not care about her origins, he cared about her.

She blinked a few times, then gasped in disbelief.

“Oh come on!”, Joachim called cheerily from the side, “You may not come from the same batch, but that doesn’t make you a misfit around here. First off, we’re all misfits, kind of. I mean, look at him. And I for one would be happy to have you here.”

Now Eileen chuckled while stealthily blinking away a tear and gave Joachim an amused shake of her head he answered with a shrug and a grin. As soon as Eileen turned her gaze from him, Joachim winked at Khan and mouthed: “Thank me later.”

That he would if he had actually talked Eileen around. And apparently he had, because she turned to McCoy and said: “I guess you’ll have to cope with your patients alone.”

“Ellie…”, the doctor furiously shook his head, but she gently put a hand on his arm and said, “I don’t belong with Starfleet, I never did and you know this. Send them the footage Mr. Scott gathered and never mention me again, they really don’t have to find me.”

“The footage of what happened at Hygia Station is already sent.”, Kirk chimed in, “They’d love to see you as a witness, but I for my part have never seen you again after that incident.”

“Jim!”, McCoy reprimanded him, but Eileen smiled, “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”, Kirk replied, “Just…be sure you want this.”

His eyes darted to Khan for a split-second, but everyone had caught its meaning. So Eileen’s gaze as well wandered to him and she actually smiled before she answered Kirk: “I want this. But I’ll miss you all.”

“Take care.”, Kirk simply said, patted her on the back and then nodded at McCoy, but this nod was only kept short to throw Khan a threatening glance; should he dare to hurt Eileen, Kirk would learn of it and avenge her. It was a futile promise, but Khan nevertheless bowed his head in gratitude. Eileen had more people to fight for her than she realised.

“If you need anything, if…he’s a bastard after all…”, McCoy began and Eileen already smiled, but then hugged her friend and reassured him, “I’ll give you a call, understood. You worry too much, Leonard.”

He grumbled, but let her go and within the next second, they were gone, beamed aboard the Enterprise high above them in Ceti Alpha V’s orbit.

“What the hell was that?”, Eileen muttered, her back still turned at Khan and her voice muffled by tears. Saying nothing at first, he went to her and put his hands on her shoulders, giving them a firm squeeze as he told her: “A promise.”

She went rigid and spun around to him, her mouth opened to ask a question, but Khan was quicker: “You will always have a place here, you will always have friends…of some sort at least. If our company grows unbearable to you, I will personally see you to a nearby space station so you can make your own way from there or, should you not be willing to endure me any longer, I will send you with someone I trust. You may think that you do not fit in, and some of my crew might give you this feeling, but I will make room for you. I will fight for you as you fought for me. This I swear, Eileen.”

“You…”, she whispered as a smile tugged at her lips, “You just have to be insane.”

Now he openly smiled at her and shrugged: “Look who is talking.”

“Oi!”, she called out and laughed, shaking her head again, but then suddenly threw her arms around his neck.

“Thank you.”, she murmured and pulled back, but Khan did not let her go. Instead, he allowed her just enough room to look at him before he pressed his lips to hers.

He caught her off guard in a raw and demanding kiss, much as hers had been and even though he had surprised her, she soon found her composure again and returned his kiss with equal fierceness.
When he broke away, he left Eileen breathless and muttered under his breath: “I will fight for you.”

With these words, he left her standing there to return to his crew and help start building their settlement. He did see Joachim’s cheering and knew that there would be no living with him after he had, in his opinion, persuaded Eileen to stay, so Khan ignored him for the moment.

Eileen, however, he could not ignore and neither did he want to when he heard her footsteps draw even with him and she linked her arm with his as she whispered: “There’s no need for this fight.”
“Good.”, Khan growled possessively and together they joined the rest of his crew.

Some looked curiously at them, but Joachim smiled broadly. There was much work to do, but Khan was really looking forward to it, just one glance around showed him all those he cared about and finally they were all together, a family.
The final chapter to this little story. I hope you enjoyed it. :)

Part 5: fav.me/d71rlrh
© 2014 - 2024 Thyme-Sprite
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