'Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven' - Chapter 8
Khan heard the sound of water coming from the bathroom space and he quickly closed the page he had been looking at, returning the screen back to what Marla had up originally. He also closed down his search for her username and password. The bed still had a slight dent from where he had sat down so he stepped over quickly and sat back in the same spot. He rested back on his elbows, all the better to give the impression that he had been patiently waiting for Marla to finish in the bathroom while admiring her paintings. She had an amateurish hand, but some skill. Her admiration for men of the past, of great men, pleased him.
As the door opened and she walked out, he sat up a little bit, pleased to see the demure smile on her face. She was an attractive woman, a hint of red in her hair and pale skin which he admired. It was not marred by freckles or other blemishes. For all the equality of this new order, the women were often baring a lot of flesh. They were also quite forthright and did not understand their place.
“Please come and sit with me,” he invited, making sure to keep his voice cajoling. She was a hesitant woman, probably quite innocent from what he knew of them. He needed an ally on this ship and if it was a beautiful woman, all the better for him.
She sat on the bed after initially looking over at the small space where her computer was located, but ultimately chose to be closer to him. He did not doubt his ability to entice her closer.
“I am flattered that you chose to paint me,” he said, sitting up straighter and looking her in the eye.
“I just wanted to understand you better, and art soothes me. Helps me keep things clear,” Marla said, looking away from him, but not before he caught her blush staining her cheeks.
When she glanced down at her hands, which were clasped in her lap, he reached over and covered her hands with one of his. She looked up wide-eyed, and he was sure that his belief in her innocence was well founded. “You have chosen great men to paint and admire, and in my time I was feted and revered.”
He raised his other hand to slide around the back of her neck, tangling a finger into her hair, which he was displeased to see was still tied up high on her head. She opened her mouth slightly, inviting him closer, so he leaned forward slowly.
“If you were in my time, you would be treated as a Queen,” he whispered before leaning the final distance and pressing a kiss to her lips. With her innocence, he had to gentle his desires that she inflamed. He felt her in-drawn breath but then she softened and closed her eyes so, he deepened the kiss.
He kept his hand just holding her in place at the back of the neck, all the better to adjust the angle so that he could control the kiss. Her hands had fluttered slightly under his at the first touch of their lips but now they were relaxed and he gripped them gently, noting the feel of sweat on her skin.
He pulled away slowly, pressing one final gentle kiss to her lips before waiting for her to open her eyes. She did, blinking a little before her eyes widened, realizing what had just happened. He smiled at her and leaned forward to press a kiss to her cheek and then to whisper in her ear, “Lovely.”
He knew how to ensnare an innocent woman and he was sure that Marla was stunned by his attention. It was time for a strategic retreat. Leave her with questions and a desire for more. He had done this with their previous conversations, knowing that she would seek him out again.
He stood and walked toward the door quickly, turning only once he had reached it, hand over the button to release it, and take him out to the corridor and the presence of Tweedledum and Tweedledee.
“I am loathe to leave you, but I fear you make me feel too strongly. Until tomorrow,” he said before pressing the button and walking out into the corridor. He tried to hide his smile from the two trained monkeys assigned for his ‘security’, after watching one of Marla’s hands slowly rise up to touch at her lips. The woman was now his, marked and ready to be of service to him and his people.
As he walked along the corridor, resisting the urge to touch the stark whiteness of the walls, he made sure that not one thing missed his attention. Things were too shiny on this ship, but there was some commonality that he did recognize. The two goons were still following him closely, but he noticed a young man enter a door off the side up ahead of them. This section did not have any personal rooms; there were two laboratories on that side and a mess hall on the other side but the door that he went in was only a small space. The closer he came to the door he realized what the room was for and he decided to test how much latitude he could get from the goons.
He stopped in front of the door, turned back to his ‘escorts’ and tilted his head toward it. The two men stepped over to the side and out of the way of anyone else walking along. He pushed open the door and looked at what a public toilet looked like in this new time. There was a second door off to the far left and two cubicles to his right. One of the cubicles was occupied and a sign was on the other saying it was out of order. He walked over and pushed the button to open the far door and inside he could see two urinals. He let the door shut and walked over so that he could lean back against the sink, waiting for the young man who he had watched enter the room finish in the cubicle.
While he waited, he thought back over all the information he had read on Marla’s computer. The most intriguing was the secondary control room in Engineering. He couldn’t wait to get back to his room and get access again. Marla had let him know that her other role on the ship was as a Control Systems officer. Using her login information wouldn’t raise any eyebrows or suspicions while he looked at what he really wanted to know.
The youngster was taking a long time in the cubicle and Khan glared at the door, willing it to open. The longer he waited, the harder it was to control his temper. He looked over to the main door and mused that his followers hadn’t yet come inside to see where he was and what was taking so long. They still hadn’t come into the room when Khan finally heard movement from the cubicle and then the toilet flush. He stood up straight as he waited for the door to open.
When it finally did, it was a very young man who came out. He had tight curly hair and a look of surprise on his face to see Khan waiting.
“I’m very sorry to make you wait,” he said in a thick Slavic accent.
Khan stepped up close to him, looking hard to memorize the face of the young man.
“I will not forget your face,” Khan stated, before walking past him, pushing the young man as he did so.
oOo
Bones had just sat down to talk with his staff, who were enjoying a break in the rec room, when he heard Khan speak.
“Doctor, I need to speak with you,” Khan said.
Bones looked over his shoulder to see Khan standing right behind him. His security escort standing a little further away. Bones turned back to the table, seeing the card game paused while the players watched Khan with interest.
“Excuse me,” Bones said as he stood up from the chair and nodding at the staff seated around the table. The smooth movement of it backwards alerting Bones that Khan had to have stepped back.
“This way,” Bones said as he pointed toward a space over by the waterfall, away enough from other people that Khan could speak without being overheard.
“Excellent,” Khan agreed and led the way over.
Every discussion Bones had with Khan, proved to him that Khan was a dominant personality, an old fashioned alpha male. If the man had been a dog, Bones could see him marking his territory all over the ship.
“This ship is strange,” Khan said as Bones joined him. Khan was rubbing the leaves of the tall plant between two fingers.
“It’s no different from any other of this time,” Bones replied.
“You are supposed to be military, yet I see nothing but pleasure around.” Khan was looking around the room.
“People need time to relax.”
“Hmm,” Khan said in non-committal tone, looking back at Bones.
Bones tried to hold his posture and keep his expression neutral, giving off none of the unease he felt under Khan’s stare.
“I think you need your room back,” Khan finally spoke again.
“How so?” Bones asked, a little confused at the change of topic.
“I am well, am I not?” Khan asked, waving a hand gently down his body.
“You are physically fit,” Bones replied, keeping his replies as short and with the least amount of information being given away. The comment from Khan about the room made sense. He wanted out of the Sickbay.
“There are people who need that room more than I. I should move into separate quarters,” Khan announced.
Bones noted that it wasn’t a request, just a statement of fact.
“I will consider it, and talk it over with the captain,” Bones said.
“Are you not the Chief Medical Officer?” Khan asked, stepping forward a little so that he could speak quieter to Bones. The noise of the waterfall as it splashed into the shallow pool at the base was louder than Khan’s speech.
“We have rules, and a captain. I can advise and I will advise what I believe is best for my patient,” Bones replied, clasping his hands behind his back and standing still while Khan leaned in toward him.
“Your patient. I am pleased to be your patient. You take excellent care of people. But I am well now.” With that statement, Khan stepped back, nodded at Bones and walked past him.
Bones let out a sigh, before glancing over his shoulder to watch Khan walk from the room, followed by the two security men. A quick glance around the room proved to Bones that Khan was also the center of attention of all others as well.
Bones watched the water droplets splashing up and falling back down into the pool and onto the rocks and mossy plants at the waters edge, while he thought about how to mention this new request to Jim. There was no knowing what the man could get up to outside of the monitoring they could do on him in Sickbay, but Bones could also understand the desire to be out of there as a patient. Bones would leave the final decision up to Jim, no matter when Jim tried to get Bones to make the decision instead.
With the resolution made, Bones walked out of the rec room, leaving the happy noise of the crew and the calmness of the pond behind him.
oOo
Jim thanked the Yeoman who had poured a small portion of liqueur into his glass. He lifted the glass up to his lips as he turned to face the guest of honor, Khan. Their dinner was completed and now was the time for some questioning that he and Spock had discussed earlier that day.
“Forgive my curiosity, Mr. Khan, but my officers are anxious to know more about your extraordinary journey,” Jim said as he picked up the glass to take a sip, looking around the table at his senior staff; Bones, Spock, Uhura, Scotty and Sulu.
“And how you managed to keep it out of the history books,” Spock added.
Jim noted the flash of anger in Khan’s eyes, directed toward Spock, before he masked it and a slight smug smile was left on his face. “Adventure, Captain. Adventure. There was little else left on Earth.”
Jim kept eye contact with Khan while he noted that Spock had sat up straighter in response to Khan not acknowledging his speaking.
“There was the war to end tyranny. Many considered that a noble effort,” Spock pointed out, finally getting Khan’s attention.
Khan had tilted his chin up as he turned the chair he was sitting in so that he could face Spock directly. “Tyranny, sir? Or an attempt to unify humanity? How many wars are fought in the name of so-called tyranny? As the lovely lieutenant understands,” Khan turned his head to look at Lt. McGivers, who was sitting to his left, before continuing to speak. “History is often written by the victors and yet she endeavors to discover the real history.”
“Unify? Like a team of animals under one whip?” Spock asked and Jim noted that Uhura had tensed slightly as Spock spoke.
Jim wasn’t sure if Spock had discussed their conversation with Uhura. He hadn’t put any restrictions on whether Spock could speak to anyone else about it, but Spock tended to keep things close to his chest most of the time. It could be that Uhura was just responding to Spock’s own tensing up. Jim had learned to watch Uhura’s reactions to help him in understanding Spock better. These thoughts made Jim glance over at Bones, who appeared to be nonchalantly interested in the conversation going on around him, just sipping from his liqueur glass. However, the tight grip on the glass was telling Jim that Bones wasn’t as uninterested in the conversational direction as he appeared.
“It was a time of great dreams, of great aspirations,” Khan proclaimed, waving a hand in the air.
“Under dozens of petty dictatorships,” Spock responded.
Khan leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. Jim had been made to listen to Bones giving him lessons on fluctuations in body language over and above what he received at the Academy, but this was a classic ‘I’m not gonna listen to you’ pose if ever he saw one. Like a toddler refusing to eat something they didn’t like the look of. He knew that explanation because it’s what Bones told him he did on a regular basis.
“One man would have ruled eventually. As Rome under Caesar. Think of its accomplishments,” Khan proclaimed.
“Many of those accomplishments predated Caesar under the Republic,” Spock said. “His transferring the Republic into a Monarchy has been suggested as the start of the Fall of the Empire. The later years indeed indicate that--” Before Spock could finish his sentence he was interrupted by Khan.
“You are an excellent tactician, Captain. You let your second in command attack while you sit and watch for weakness,” Khan said with a smile that Jim thought was a little too smug.
Jim heard Bones put his drink down with a decisive thud onto the table, while out of the corner of his eye he saw Scotty sitting up straighter. He knew he had to respond quickly otherwise two of his staff with quicker tempers than himself would say things that Starfleet might regret.
“This is a social occasion, Mr. Khan. As I said earlier, my officers were keen to know more about you and your time. Mr. Spock delights in debate and learning. You do have a tendency to express ideas in military terms.”
“It has been said that social occasions are only warfare concealed. Many prefer it more honest, more open.” The smug smile was still on Khan’s face and Jim had a great desire to see that it was wiped off.
“That is not a quote I am familiar with,” Jim said. “I am most interested that at a time when Earth needed great people to stand up against tyranny, you and your people seem to have fled. Were you afraid?”
“I’ve never been afraid,” Khan declared hotly, smacking a fist down on the table.
Jim focused on Lt. McGiver’s hand which she had moved over to place on Khan’s forearm.
“You left at the very time mankind needed courage,” Jim pushed, seeing if Bones’ comments earlier about Khan not used to being questioned was true.
“We offered the world order,” Khan said, almost hissing it out between his teeth. The man had a temper.
Jim found it hard to hide a smile at Khan’s reveal. “We?” he queried.
The mask of temper that had been coloring Khan’s face slipped away and Jim saw his advantage disappear. Khan had reigned his temper under control. “Excellent. Excellent,” Khan said as he sat back into his chair. Lt. McGiver’s hand dropped off his arm as he raised it up so that he steepled the fingers of both hands in front of his chest. “If you will excuse me, gentlemen and ladies, I grow fatigued again. With your permission, Captain, I will return to my quarters.” Khan stood and starting bowing very slightly to each of them.
Jim stood and returned the slight bow. Khan turned on his heels and walked out of the room.
Lt. McGivers had also stood. “Thank you for the dinner, Captain. I shall retire for the evening as well.”
Once she had left the room, Jim sat back down in his chair and turned toward Bones, quirking an eyebrow up at him.
“Is that enough confirmation for you that he is an Augment?” Jim asked.
“Wasn’t up to me to answer that question fully, but I think we still need to keep a close eye on him.” Bones had picked up his glass again and took a sip when he finished speaking. “Spock was right, he was likely the last of the tyrants to be overthrown, that much is definitely certain.”
“I must confess I always had a sneaky admiration for ones like that one,” Scotty pointed out. “And he keeps a very clean ship.” Scotty lifted up his glass in order to toast his cleanliness.
“Is that an indictment on my watch?” Jim asked with a smile on his face, teasing Scotty.
“Aye, can’t stand how white and shiny everything is here,” Scotty said with a wink. “I’m sure I can come up with some improvements. Those cleaning bots gave me a good laugh.”
“He was the most dangerous of them,” Jim said, getting the discussion back on track, after a smile in Scotty’s direction. “Although from what we know, possibly the best of the lot. They were stronger, braver, certainly more ambitious, more daring. Supermen, in a sense.”
“It was true that he didn’t attack others until attacked himself and kept that area of the Asian continent war-free for many years,” Uhura pointed out.
“This romanticism about a ruthless dictator is--” Spock said with as disapproving tone as per normal when Jim suggested a plan that Spock thought wouldn’t work, before Jim interrupted him.
“Spock, we humans have a streak of barbarism in us, as you are fond of reminding me on an almost daily basis. Appalling, but there, nevertheless I agree.”
“There were no massacres under his rule,” Scotty pointed out.
“And as little freedom,” Spock countered.
“Spock, you misunderstand us. We can be against him and admire him all at the same time,” Jim explained, slightly enjoying the miffed look on Spock’s face.
“Illogical,” Spock replied.
Jim laughed at seeing Uhura trying to hide her smile behind her glass as she lifted it up to take a sip.
“You bet your green-blood we are. That’s what makes us so ‘fascinating’,” Bones said, mimicking Spock’s tone on the last word, although with his southern accent it gave it an inflection that had all of them laughing--except for Spock.
“Well, this evening has certainly been, ‘enlightening,’” Jim said, not being able to resist his own slight reminder of the first meeting between Spock and himself. “Good evening all, and I shall see you tomorrow.”
As Bones walked around the table, Jim walked over to summon the Yeoman to clean up the remaining dishes. He noted that Bones put a hand on Uhura to hold her back and speak quietly to her before letting her go. Jim filed it away to keep in mind for later.
oOo
Marla walked around the corner, saw the security detail outside the room they had assigned for Khan, turned around and walked back around the corner again. She stood still, biting her lip as she thought about what to do. She wanted to speak to him, but it was late and she was unsure how forward it might seem. She took a deep fortifying breath, walked around the corner again and then over to the door to Khan’s room. She didn’t make eye contact with the two security personnel who were standing on either side of the doorway. As she waited for Khan to answer the chime, she clasped her hands behind her back, all the better to stop any nervousness from showing.
The door slid open and Khan smiled when he recognized her.
“Please come in, Marla,” he invited as he lifted an arm to gesture toward the interior of the room. He had released his hair so that it hung lose around his shoulders.
She walked into the room and headed for the middle of the living area. His room was the same size as hers, one of the single junior officer rooms, although his was located on a higher deck.
She turned to face him and jumped a little to discover how close he was, he moved very silently, but she relaxed when she noticed him smiling at her.
“I wanted to apologize for how they treated you at dinner. Mr. Spock and the Captain should not have questioned you as they did. They don’t know how difficult it must be for you, being in this time,” she said.
He slid a hand up her neck, gently cradling her head. “Marla.” He whispered her name in such a fond manner that she found herself closing her eyes, focusing on the feel of his warm hand holding her so securely.
“I am very pleased that I found you,” he said quietly, before she felt him press a kiss to her cheek. She felt his breath ghost over her lips, before he was pressing a kiss to them.
She lifted her hands to rest just above his waist as she let him kiss her, enjoying the feeling of security and of being cherished.
When he pressed a little harder she pulled away from the kiss, keeping her eyes downcast, not quite ready to look at him yet. She sighed as she felt him run a hand through her hair.
“You would have made a beautiful queen for me. My people would have loved you,” Khan told her.
She looked up at him at the revelation that he had ruled a country, or something similar, back in his time.
“Yes, I had an empire and your Mr. Spock was wrong to call it a tyranny. I cared for my people, made sure that they were safe and secure. It was more than most governments have ever done. This new world does not understand me, or my kind. You do though, and it shall make being here worthwhile.”
“Thank you,” Marla said, a little uncomfortable with the compliment. He looked like he was going to kiss her again and as much as she wanted it, she knew she should go back to her room.
“I should go,” she said as she stepped back and away from Khan, away from the warmth of his embrace.
He nodded and bid her ‘good night’, before she turned to walk out of the room.
oOo
Jim stretched his neck, hoping to hear a crack or something to relieve the boredom that he felt this day. Another day of just traveling through space. Khan, blessedly, only went on two walks around the Enterprise after their interesting dinner the night before.
Spock had found no further details about Khan, and Lt. McGiver’s report was thorough but more about the ship and the past than Khan himself. Which left Jim with a lot of nothing except normal business to contend with. There had been a couple of Starfleet reports that came through and he sent one back with the confirmed information about the ship and its passengers. He didn’t trust Khan, but the man had seemed to accept his shadows and didn’t try and access through their firewalls to areas that he had no right to access. It was times like this that Jim hated, made his palms itch and now he only had Bones to bother and Bones was resolutely ignoring him. Jim glanced in the mirror to look at Bones, who was stretched along the couch, feet crossed on the desk and reading from a PADD. The computer station was there and could easily be accessed but Bones was reading from a PADD instead.
“What’s so interesting there, Bones?” Jim asked as he turned and leaned back against the drawers.
“Some reports,” Bones said, not looking up from the PADD.
‘Right, that did it’, Jim thought and he started to walk purposely toward Bones. It got Bones’ attention, but at the look on his face Jim knew it was the wrong sort of attention. It was a very pissy look, which some people thought was Bones’ only expression but Jim knew there were degrees of annoyance and Bones had over 360 of them. The PADD was now resting on Bones’ stomach, face down, and one of Bones’ long fingered hands was holding it in place. Jim would have a good fight on his hand to try and get it.
“Surely work can’t be that interesting?” Jim asked, now leaning against the table, a coaxing smile on his face.
“Go away, Jim,” Bones said.
“What was it you told me the other night? To put my work down and come to bed? What’s good for the goose...” Jim said.
“Jim,” Bones said, his tone implying that he did not have the time to deal with Jim at this moment.
“You speaking as my CMO now?” Jim asked.
“Yes, now leave me alone,” Bones said and he went to pick up the PADD again.
Jim leaned forward to try and get a look at the report, which had Bones dropping it back down onto his stomach and making sure Jim couldn’t see.
“I know you know all about confidentiality. You do learn things and they do stick in that head of yours. Now would be a good time to remember it.” Bones was still glaring at him.
Jim tried one last tack, reaching forward to run a hand over Bones’ shoulder. “C’mon Bones, you know you will like it better.”
Bones just shrugged his shoulder, dislodging Jim’s hand and picking up the PADD, deliberately turned away from Jim’s view.
“Go make friends with your hand,” Bones responded in a grumpy tone.
“You want me to make friends with my hand?” Jim asked, knowing that his tone was a little on the incredulous side.
“Yes, now go away.”
“Like in that bed right over there?” Jim asked, pointing through the screen to their bed which was visible at that moment.
“Yes.” Bones still wasn’t looking up.
“I can do that,” Jim said, a wide grin on his face, fully prepared to make sure his hand and Bones’ ears got a good show.
As he walked into their sleeping area, pulling off his undershirt, Bones spoke again and spoiled his fun.
“And be quiet man. I don’t want to listen to the complaints from Spock about the god-awful noises you manage to make which they can hear through the walls. Also I am sure you don’t want to deal with Uhura tomorrow either if you disturb her sleep.”
“Sometimes I wonder at your powers to spoil my fun,” Jim complained.
“I’ve got a fourteen year-old teenage daughter. You’re easy to deal with.”
Jim laughed at the memory of the last message they received from Eleanora about Joanna’s latest scrape. “True,” Jim agreed. “Look don’t be too long, okay?”
“Sure,” Bones replied, his focus still on the PADD in his hands.
Jim smiled as he continued to get ready for bed, eager to find out if the next day would be as normal as this one, or a little more eventful.
oOo
Chapter 9 this way