'Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven' - Chapter 5
It was a few hours later into the shift when Jim stood up from his chair and walked over to Spock, who was looking intently into his viewfinder. Jim had often wondered if it was a security blanket, like the chair was for him, as Bones liked to often remind him.
“Captain,” Spock said as he looked up.
Jim smiled at Spock already knowing that he was approaching.
“Is he an Augment?” Jim asked.
Spock’s eyebrow flicked up slightly, a little surprised at Jim’s bluntness.
“His estimated age suggests the possibility. Dr. McCoy’s report is a strong case for such a belief.”
“What about the historical records, was there a Khan among them?” Jim asked.
“Khan is traditionally a hereditary title common among the central Asian countries and those of the Muslim faith. There is a large number of Khans in the late 1990’s. The historical records of the Augments were destroyed by the governments of the time which makes searching difficult,” Spock reported, telling Jim everything and nothing at the same time as was his way when he didn’t have all the facts at his disposal.
“What is piquing his interest?” Jim asked.
Spock turned back to his viewfinder and checked the information. “Currently he is looking at historical records of earth from the 21st century onwards. Specifically political changes.”
“Understandable,” Jim said.
Spock just did one of his small noncommittal nods that Jim was finally starting to ‘read’ from him.
“He is reading quite fast and his interests are varied. Connections between some searches do not seem logical.”
Jim smiled at Spock not understanding the human mind. It would also mean that Jim would have an annoyed First Officer for most of the day until Spock was able to make sense in his own way.
“Let Bones know what he is reading, it might help him in his psych evaluation of this Khan,” Jim ordered.
“Very well, Captain,” Spock replied, his tone implying he didn’t like the implication that Bones would know something he didn’t.
Jim just smiled wider. “Keep me updated.”
Jim walked back over to his chair and sat down. Immediately, his Yeoman was at his side, with one of the seemingly never ending PADDs of administrative sign offs that were the bane of a captain’s existence. At the Academy, they alluded to the administrative responsibilities and stressed the importance of it, but they still didn’t fully prepare you for the never-ending stream of them.
“Thank you, Rand,” Jim said as he picked up the PADD that she had handed over, dismissing her for the time being so that he could go over the reports she had highlighted for him. His interest perked up a little bit when he saw that one of the reports was from Scotty about the ship, but he pushed that down the list and worked on the ‘normal’ administration first, leaving the best until last.
He was half the way through the report from Scotty about the treasure trove of a working and almost pristine condition early 21st engine on the Botany Bay when a, “Captain,” from Spock had him looking up and over at his First Officer.
The look on Spock’s face had him putting the PADD aside and walking back over to Spock’s station.
“Yes?” Jim asked.
“Our visitor is trying to get around the security measures,” Spock reported.
“Hmm,” Jim pondered this new information. It was something that Jim would likely have done himself if he was in the same situation. “Will he be successful?” Jim asked.
Spock’s look told Jim everything he needed to know about that question. “Fine, give him a little bit more access. That should ease his curiosity for a while.”
“Also, captain, Lt. McGivers is accessing the library in relation to information on the SS Botany Bay,” Spock said.
“She is the historian, Spock and I did say I wanted a report. Keep an eye on Khan though,” Jim ordered.
“What increase in access do you wish to grant this Khan?” Spock asked.
“I shall leave that up to you. Keep in mind our earlier discussion, but make sure that nothing too operational comes to his notice,” Jim said.
“Very well captain,” Spock responded before turning back to his station.
Jim left him to walk back to his own place and the report from Scotty, where even through the written words he couldn’t seem to quite contain his excitement.
oOo
Marla screwed up her nose as she looked at the search results displayed on the screen in front of her. There appeared to be no record of a ship named “Botany Bay”. All the various search algorithms she used, she kept getting the same results about the original site for the penal colony of Australia. Further searches about Australia came up with their assistance for the space program of the United States of America but no indication at all that they were involved in building their own ships. The DY-100 class were built predominately on U.S.A. soil. It was a complete mystery and was making her report difficult to write.
She gave up on the Botany Bay search and instead started to find out what should could about the man. A name had been provided on the manifest patient list, ‘Khan’. She wasn’t sure if it was a surname or a first name and there was such a plethora of responses, it needed fine tuning. So she started using what little she knew of the man using local and year searches, guessing that he might be around his thirties. It took a while, but a tiny mention in an article had her furiously searching for other related articles.
The sparsity of the information seemed in contradiction to the implied standing of the person. Khan Noonien Singh was apparently prominent in the Asian region during the 1980’s and 1990’s, although other information on the same area neglected to mention him. From where he was referred to, it seemed that he was a stable influence in a very volatile region. There was even the mention of an Empire but all her previous research of that era had never remarked upon one in that region.
The only thing that was lacking was an image to ‘prove’ that the man they had on-board was the same as this Khan Noonien Singh. As she stared longer at the articles, she realized that she had the perfect way of verifying the reports. He was lying in the Sickbay and Dr. McCoy might be able to help her out.
oOo
Marla spotted Nurse Christine Chapel as soon as the doors to the Sickbay opened. She was standing near a biobed that was surrounded by an isolation sheet, like the one that had been around Khan when she saw him in the room earlier. There were two other beds also surrounded by the isolation sheets, being monitored by other medical staff.
She walked quickly over to Nurse Chapel.
“Excuse me, Nurse Chapel,” she asked quietly.
“Yes, Lt. McGivers isn’t it?” Nurse Chapel asked.
Marla nodded. “Is Dr. McCoy around?”
“He’s gone to the lab to oversee the testing for the virus we have here,” Nurse Chapel explained.
Marla’s gaze flicked over toward the room where Khan was located, “Is he--” she started to ask before she was interrupted.
Nurse Chapel reached out a hand and gently patted her on the arm in a soothing fashion. “No, patient Khan is perfectly fine in that room. It is our normal isolation room and operates on a different air flow unit from this one. These patients would normally be located in that room with the isolation sheets in use, but we had to leave them out here. Makes it easier for us to contain and monitor them, anyway. Plus we don’t fully know his past medical history, nor his inoculations, although we have guessed as strongly as we can.”
“Thank you. He is, well, unique. No other historian has ever had access like this before,” Marla told her.
Nurse Chapel laughed and Marla wasn’t sure if she was being made fun of by the other woman. Nothing in what she had just said was funny, as far as she was aware.
“No, no. It’s okay. It’s just that you and Dr. McCoy share the same expression just then. Although his is normally when he is waxing about some new virus or understanding of xenophysiology that he has discovered. It’s nice to hear about the past and someone being passionate about it,” Nurse Chapel said.
Marla jumped slightly when she heard a loud exclamation coming from the other room. One of the other nurses had moved toward the room, but stopped when they looked over at Nurse Chapel. The noise could only mean one thing.
“He is awake?” she asked.
“Yes and he remembers his name, Khan.”
Marla looked down at the floor, hiding her smile that she had already learned his name and also hiding her want to ask if she could see him, talk to him. She was hesitant to ask in case she was rebuffed. But she was also mentally berating herself for not realizing that the way they would know his name to put on the manifest patient listing was if he had told them.
“You can go and visit him. I am sure he would appreciate someone to talk to who understands him time,” Nurse Chapel offered.
“What? Really?” Marla asked, looking up in surprise at how easily her desire was read by Nurse Chapel.
“Sure, but keep it very simple. He doesn’t remember too much and Dr. McCoy would not like his patient to be too unduly taxed.”
“Yes, I understand. Thank you very much,” Marla offered before she walked over to the door to the patient’s, Khan’s, room.
She took a breath to steel herself before stepping closer in order to trigger the automated door.
oOo
The patient, Khan, was reclining on his biobed, the computer station pulled across his lap so that he could see the screen easily. He looked up at her entry.
“My name is Lieutenant McGivers, Mr. Khan,” she introduced herself.
“Just Khan, Lieutenant,” he replied as he looked her up and down.
She tried not to fidget under his gaze. He stared at her face for a short time before his eyes narrowed a little.
“To what do I owe the pleasure of a visit from a beautiful woman?” he asked.
“I am the ship’s historian, sir,” she told him as she walked over to the bed. She wasn’t sure quite what to make of this man who complimented her so easily.
“Khan, just Khan will do. And your name?” He pushed the computer screen away and back into its normal place at the side of the bed.
“Marla. I have studied your time, and I would very much like to speak with you, if that is okay?” She was standing at the side of his bed, a little unsure where to go next. There were no chairs in the room and sitting on the bed would only be appropriate if the man was family.
“Marla. It is a lovely name. A study of the past? When there is this future to be seen?” Khan sat up straight, so that he was at eye level now with her. Up close, his eyes were a dark brown with little flecks of hazel in them.
“’If you want to understand today, you have to search yesterday,’” she quoted at him.
Khan furrowed his brow as he looked at her, obviously trying to remember where the quotation came from.
“Pearl Buck,” she informed him. “She was a Nobel Prize winner for literature.”
“Hm, I am appreciative of today. Although not as appreciative of the fashions. Why do you wear your hair as such?” he asked, reaching out as if to touch her hair.
Marla took a step back, lifting a hand up to pat at the simple up-do hairstyle she had done that morning. “I like it. It is neat and out of the way. Can you tell me about your ship?”
“It is not flattering on a beautiful woman. Have you seen the ship?” Khan responded as he beckoned her to step closer again.
“I was part of the landing party who discovered you,” she replied.
“Ah, so I have you to thank for saving my life?” He smiled at her.
“Oh no. That was most definitely Dr. McCoy, not me.” She shook her head, knowing that what she said was true. She might have asked Captain Kirk to save him, but the decision was solely his and Dr. McCoy’s, who for all his gruffness, was renowned for his compassion and bending the rules.
Khan was smiling at her still, “Did you like my ship?”
“Yes. It was not what I was expecting at all. The photographs and records we have are minimal.
What were you doing out there?”
“Tell me more about what you thought. How is it different from this ship?”
“It’s a lot smaller for one,” Marla said, before laughing and realizing what she had just said. “That’s not to say that is a bad thing. Your crew was much smaller.”
“Was?” he asked, his eyes intent on her, and his previous smile fading quickly away.
“Is, they are still alive. The medical staff are over there monitoring them day and night. Sorry, I am used to speaking in the past tense.” She put her hand on his arm, consoling him for the thought that his crew, his friends, might have been dead.
“How big is the crew here?”
“I don’t know the exact number but it’s over 800 crew members, I think. This is the largest ship in Starfleet. I am very lucky to be serving on it.”
He put his hand over hers and she inhaled and held her breath for a moment when she realized that he was rubbing his thumb gently over her hand.
“No, Marla. It is lucky to have you.”
She didn’t know what to think. Khan was looking at her so intently and he reminded her of... She pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind. She had learned a valuable lesson and she did not want to taint this man of the past with comparison to a man of her past.
“What was your ship doing out here?”
Khan waved a hand in the air. “I don’t remember. Tell me more about your life here. You must have friends on the ship?”
“I am new to the ship, only came on board from Starbase Twelve. The previous Historian received an assignment back on Earth.”
“Lucky for me, I am sure I would not find them half as interesting as you.” Khan had placed his hand back on hers, holding it in place between the warmth of his palm and his other arm.
“Um,” she said as she tried to slip her hand out. She felt a little skittish around this man who could so easily hold her hand captive, and no amount of tugging could release it as he was holding her hand very tight and secure. “Can I have my hand back?” she asked, mentally smacking herself for how wavering her voice sounded.
“Your hand?” he asked as he looked down. “My apologies, it has been a long time since I have had any human contact, especially from a beautiful woman.”
Khan let go of her hand and she quickly pulled it behind her back so she could rub some feeling into her fingers.
“I should go. I shouldn’t tax you if you are not up to it.” She took a step backwards and away from the man.
“On the contrary, I find your presence very calming and not at all taxing. Please stay and talk with me more?” Khan swung his legs off the side of the bed as if he was going to get up.
“No, please stay. I am sure Dr. McCoy would be most displeased if I set back your recovery. I will come back, if that is okay, when you are up to it and remember more about your past? Thank you for talking to me.” Marla quickly turned and headed for the door.
“I would like that very much,” Khan called out after her. She stopped and turned back toward him. “When you come back, I would like to see the real Marla, not the officer. I am not sure if I like this time, where a women’s beauty is hidden. You and I can have a friendly chat then, yes?”
“I am a woman of history, sir. My interest is in my studies, but I would like to speak to you again. Thank you, and I hope you feel better soon.” She left the room and without making eye contact with any of the medical staff in the main Sickbay room, she exited that room as well, consumed by her own thoughts of this Khan. She was just as confused about him and his past as when she entered the room.
oOo
Chapter 6 this way