I Go Into Darkness

by Almadynis Rayne

Jayne Castle, interdimensional traveller, is chosen to be the academic investigator for Khan's trial. In her research she discovers key details that people are forgetting...

I Go Into Darkness…

Almadynis

This is my take on Khan, based on the movie "Star Trek: Into Darkness", along with various and sundry other references that I will probably mention eventually. Also done in collaboration with Dr. X as confirmation of personality disorders accuracy. LovelyAmberLight graciously played beta.

Disclaimer: If you recognize it, it's not mine.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jayne Castle, student, stared at the Admiral with a large dollop of incredulity. "You…want me…to be a part of the Singh trial? As what?!" She had known the Admiral for several years, ever since she had been accidentally pulled into this dimension from her home. The mistake had been made from this side, so she was given every provision and comfort as she 'transitioned'. "You know how long I've been here. I don't have the knowledge even your children do of your history—"

She was cut off by the stoic man's bass, "Which is ideal. Every child is taught of the Eugenics Wars and has already formed an opinion of previous events. As you have not yet reached that part of our history in your classes, you will be an unbiased party, working for neither the defense nor prosecution." He handed her a packet of papers, knowing that she preferred physical documents to emails or the PADD. It was a courtesy rarely given to her, as it was seen as wasteful and backward-thinking. Someone was trying to get on her good side. "Your studies at the Academy are temporarily suspended pending the trial. You will report directly to Judge Isley. For the duration of the trial, for only business concerning the trial of Khan Noonien Singh, you are being granted clearance above Top Secret."

Jayne's eyes almost popped out of her head at those tid bits. She had been granted entrance to the Federation Academy so that she could have the best teachers to catch up on all the bits and pieces she needed to know to survive in her new world. It was natural to apply for further education at the Academy when she was finally up to date, but that had yet to occur. Her professors said that she had only reached the equivalent of a 16 year old's standard education. However, she knew that Judge Beverly Anne Isley was the highest court judge there was, for the entire planet. She was seen as the best, being known for her unbiased outlook on every case she oversaw. Isley had ruled against the public opinion several times because of how she entered her courtroom. Jayne also knew enough that a Top Secret clearance was supposed to be at the top of the list for such things—it actually had it in the name! So what did it mean that she would be granted above Top Secret?

"Sir? What am I supposed to be doing?"

He had been about to leave, the packet of information in her hands, when her question stopped him at the door. "Ms. Castle, you have tested at an IQ of 135, which means you are a certified genius. You are from another dimension, making you unbiased. Your teachers have noted in your file that you have a strong science and math background, while also being very imaginative: fond of fiction and fantasy. You are able to empathize with others easily. In short, Ms. Castle, you see the world very differently than do the rest of us." His eyes pierced her to her core with intensity. "I would recommend that you read that packet and begin to try to 'see' Khan Noonien Singh." Without another word, he left her apartment.

Jayne stared blankly at the closed door for about a minute before turning her attention to the sheaf of papers in her hands. In big letters it had stamped on it FOR JAYNE MARIE CASTLE'S EYES ONLY. She giggled slightly at the attempt of the Federation to do things 'her way'. Such things had been in television shows in her world. Perhaps it was someone's idea of a joke.

She took the cover off and began to read.

Four hours later, her head ached, her eyes were sore, and she was ready to hit something. She typed in the number that was in the folder, connecting to the Judge's PADD. Her gray hair, done up in a loose bun, had several flyaway strands. Her green eyes were just as sharp as any twenty year old however, holding a deep wisdom and intelligence. "Ms. Castle? I was not expecting to hear from you so soon."

Jayne swallowed back her nervousness, "Mrs. Isley…may I be frank, please?" The older woman raised an eyebrow, but waved her to continue. "Is this a joke?"

The eighty-nine year old great-grandmother sat forward in her chair, her sharp gaze strengthening still further. "What would make you ask, Ms. Castle?"

"Because this…this…pile of paper…" Jayne couldn't find a polite word that would do the offense any amount of justice in cussing "…is not only useless, it's pointless!" She finally finished, taking a deep breath to center herself again.

Beverly sat back again, her hands coming up to fold on her desk, staring at the twenty-six year old redhead for long moments before she spoke. "Perhaps your assignment has not been made clear. You are to collect data from a variety of resources so that you may present me with your findings on the mental and social workings of one Khan Noonien Singh. With those findings, along with several others working on this same academic project, I will determine a sentence for him that will give all parties closure and a feeling that justice has been done."

Jayne tilted her head quizzically, "I thought I was going to be a part of his trial…?"

"Khan Noonien Singh pled guilty six hours ago to the charge of murder. However, he contests the degree of murder charge. Since that determination is largely in hands of the prosecutor, it is unusual. Given the unique circumstances surrounding this case, I am entertaining several avenues of thought. Yours is just one. However, you are the most unbiased entity on this planet while still being human. It is why I personally chose you." Jayne gulped nervously at that little info packet. "Whatever you need to help you make your decision and reach a conclusion will be given to you. All you need do is ask. Now...would you like to think before you begin making requests, or was the packet enough to spark your interest?"

By Federation law, no one could force her into anything. However, they could make life difficult for her—especially since two years ago she didn't exist—but the more common way to manipulate anyone in this society, Jayne had discovered, was to use their own curiosity against them. Humans were curious by nature. Some psychologist somewhere had suggested using that fact to get people to do what you wanted. It was remarkably effective. Especially since the Federation had over one hundred years to perfect it into an art form.

Jayne huffed a breath and tucked a few strands of hair behind an ear. "Yes. You 'sparked my interest'. First, I would like to do this in as much chronological order as possible. So, I want to start with any and all notes, recordings, journal entries, anything that Admiral Marcus made on the subject of Khan. How he was discovered, woken up, dialogues, medical reports, handler visits…everything. What is in this—" she held up the packet with contempt, "—is a joke. It mentions Khan's time under Marcus with one paragraph. He was working with the Admiral for over a year. That is a very long time for things to happen."

Isley's grin was slow, but wide. "I see that I chose well. You will have all such information within the hour." The screen clicked blank.

Holy… It had been a test? It would take longer than an hour, longer than several hours, to gather as much data as she had asked for. So, they had it all ready, and were waiting for her to make the request. She got up to make herself a cup of hot chocolate from the replicator unit and grabbed a hypospray of headache reliever while she was at it. All things considered, this was looking into being a long night.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

A long night turned into a long week as she sorted through the data. Electronic recordings of the incidents. When she had gotten to the torture she had thrown up several times, but had forced herself through it. If Khan could sit through it without voicing a sound, she could have the courage to watch. She didn't eat anything for two days afterward however.

Jayne was amazed that Khan hadn't killed anyone before the London Archive bombing. Which brought to mind…why didn't he? She stopped the video of another encounter between Marcus and Khan, sitting back at the sudden thought. From what she had heard others say of the man, he shouldn't have hesitated to kill Marcus as soon as look at him…and considering what Marcus had done to Khan, she wouldn't have blamed him either. However, Khan had stayed his hand. Why?

She frowned intensely, thinking hard. "I'm missing something…" she murmured to herself, sitting up quickly to shuffle papers, hunting the document with the first encounter of Alexander Marcus and Khan. She finally found it at the middle of a pile and her eyes swept over the page, grabbing a nearby highlighter once she found what she was looking for. "Oh God in Heaven…" she breathed, her eyes widening in horror.

She had decided to read in chronological order, but had missed a key piece of information. Admiral Marcus had threatened Khan with the murder of his crew—72 people—to get the Augment to cooperate. It had been one sentence in a barrage of information. No wonder she had missed it, but the implications… All of a sudden, Jayne's blood ran cold as her mind raced.

She immediately called up the judge's connection; she got the sleep-tousled hair of a white-headed old woman. "Ms. Castle? It's very late. Are you alright?"

"I need every original document and surviving evidence of the Eugenics Wars and the years preceding them. Everything." Jayne demanded instantly, no pleasantries whatsoever. If she was right, it changed everything.

Beverly Isley was used to speaking with people. She was talented at finding the truth while still being able to play politics when she needed to. What she saw in the face of her appointed academic investigator was an intensity bordering on obsession…but that had been seeded on purpose, the Federation taking advantage of this human's curiosity. They knew her personality, as they did everyone's. It was one of the ways they used their people to the best of their capacity. Jayne's profile had indicated a tendency to hyper-analyze when the subject interested her. It had made her even more desirable for the Khan case, since hyper-analysts not only saw details others missed, but thought about the topic to a degree most would think obsessive-compulsive. It made them ideal for projects involving intricacy and attention to detail.

Beverly knew in that one glance that their gamble on Jayne's unique circumstances and traits had paid off. The girl had found something. Something big, something that scared her; the judge could see it in her eyes. "I'm afraid surviving records of the Eugenics Wars are scarce, Ms. Castle. I will have copies made of everything we have to you first thing in the morning, but it will not be much. Perhaps 20 to 30 pages of personal notes."

Jayne deflated. She needed to confirm or deny her theory. As any good scientist, the only way to accept a theory was to try many times to disprove it. The longer the theory held up to the intensity, the more chances it was correct. But she needed to know more about the Eugenics Wars to begin to disprove her idea. Without original records, how could she…? She blinked when the obvious crossed her mind and she looked up at the judge. "Then I need to interview Khan Noonien Singh."

The judge sat back in her chair at the very idea of an untrained, young, impressionable female having a conversation with the accused. Let alone being in the same room with him! "That is very dangerous, Ms. Castle."

Jayne's eyes hardened, "Mrs. Isley. I am trying to do what you asked of me. If what I have found is right, then the implications are staggering. But I need all the data from every resource possible to confirm or deny my findings. At the moment, that means picking through the Eugenics Wars. And apparently the only real records you have are in the mind of Khan himself." She was almost glaring at the older woman, which the judge found very interesting. Whatever the girl had discovered was making her aggressive. "I need to speak with him as soon as possible. Interview him at least once, but probably multiple times to get everything."

Beverly was silent for long minutes, just looking at the young interdimensional traveler. She had proposed Jayne Castle's involvement. This reaction, and any subsequent trauma associated, was her fault and her responsibility. She gave a deep mental sigh, knowing that the mental health of one girl—no matter how extraordinary that girl happened to be—was nothing against the thousands of deaths Khan had caused. "You'll be given details in the morning with the rest of the surviving records. Get some sleep in the meantime, Ms. Castle. You look exhausted."

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Jayne waited anxiously in the little room as they went to get the most wanted mass murderer on the planet. So that she could talk to him. Oh God, what was she doing? This was insane! But if she was right… She steeled her spine at that thought. If she was right, then everything was going to change. Everything had to change. She hummed to herself, trying to ease down off the adrenaline high she had been riding for hours as she had gone through the pages on the Eugenics Wars. Each piece of paper was a nail in the coffin of things. One page after another. The very ideas and implications were horrific. And the man she was going to talk to was the product of those ideas. All things considered, he was actually very reserved.

"I'm surprised you are familiar with that tune. It predates the Federation by over 300 years." A calm voice had her spinning around in shock. He had come into the room soundlessly. He was just standing there, hands cuffed in front of him, as if he was on a leisurely stroll. As if he wasn't accused of killing over 4000 people.

Jayne cleared her throat and licked her lips nervously. But it was deliberate. She wanted to see how he would react to an apparent weakness. She had played up the image on this first trip. Her hair was in two braids instead of her usual one. Each pulled over the corresponding shoulder. Holding them together was a lace-like bowtie. Her skirt was lined with lace and came to her knees. Her shoes were white sandals. Her shirt was very professional, in direct opposition of the rest of her outfit, with its style and blue shading. She wanted to give the impression of a nervous, young female barely out of the academy.

If he was what she thought he was, he would react a very specific way to her apparent vulnerability. Unless of course he saw through her façade. That was also possible. He was over 30 points smarter than she was. It was always possible that he was only playing to what he thought she wanted. Time would be the deciding factor. No one can keep up a lie forever. And overwhelming evidence would make it very obvious if he was lying.

"It's one of my favorites," she said quietly, keeping her voice a soft contralto. Delicate and very feminine.

His face didn't change that much, but she caught the minute twitch in his shoulders. He might as well have shouted. She, still playing the meek girl, jerked visibly away from him at his twitch. She saw his eyes soften at her movements; it was only for a second before his normal half-glare half-stoicism came back, but she caught it. It was more evidence.

She looked down and hurried to sit down at the table, making sure her movements were slightly shaky with apparent nerves. "Mr. Singh…let me start by saying that I'm not working for either the prosecution or the defense. I'm a non-partisan academic that they've hired to look over the evidence to make sure no one misses anything." She gave a quick glance up to flash him a small tight smile before setting up a recorder. "Oh, ummm…sorry. My name is Jayne. Jayne Castle."

The amusement was very obvious in his eyes, he was laughing at her. But she was expecting that. It was the reaction she wanted. "You may call me Khan. Mr. Singh is very cumbersome." And there he went, trying to put her at ease, make her more comfortable. Whether by his own nature or for his own gain remained to be seen. "I'm sure the evidence is very damning in its completeness. Why come speak with me, Ms. Castle?"

A test? To see if she would reciprocate his invitation? Well, that was easily solved. "Jayne. Please." She gave him another quick smile, but this one more sincere. The amusement in his eyes hitched up a notch. He wasn't being very subtle. Perhaps he didn't think he needed to with such a naïve girl-child? Or she was right and it was something else. "And it's not the current records that have holes in them, Mr…I mean, Khan." She blushed softly with a small apologetic smile. "It's with the notes on the Eugenics Wars." She looked at her hands, rubbing them nervously as she spoke. She didn't dare take a peek at him, she could watch the tapes later to get his full reaction. "I know this is a sore subject but the original documents from the time period are practically nonexistent. I was hoping you could tell the real story, in your own words of course! If you would be willing to that is, Mr…Khan." A pair of cuffed hands came into her view, settling on top of her own to stop her rubbing them.

Her eyes darted up to his in fake wide-eyed shock. He wasn't smiling, his facial expression hadn't changed at all…but his eyes…it was his eyes that told the story. Jayne felt her heart clench as another nail was put in the coffin. Another test to disprove her theory had failed.

His voice was softer when he spoke, more gentle, though not by much. If she hadn't been so focused on him, she would have missed it. "I am willing, Jayne. Where shall I begin?"

"Ummm…at the beginning?"

The laughter in his eyes was back, but he obliged her as he began to speak.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Son of a bitch!" Jayne cursed, throwing pillows across the room as she vented to the heavens. "You two-timing, ego-centric, double-crossing ASSHOLE!" She dropped, breathing hard as she finally ran out of steam. She put her head in her hand as she leaned back on her sofa, staring up at the ceiling. She huffed. "How can I be the only one who has caught this? Wait…I can't be. There is no way I can be the only one to think of this. Which means…" she cursed again. Why did it always seem to be her?

She called up the judge, who answered promptly as always. "Ms. Castle. It has been over two months since we last spoke. You have been speaking with Mr. Singh for over seven hours on three separate occasions. As well as interviewing most of the crew of the Enterprise. Are you ready to present your findings yet?"

Jayne nodded, "Yes. But I am going to want a live broadcast of my conclusions."

Beverly jerked back visibly in reaction. "You what?"

"I want a live broadcast across Earth when I present my findings. Khan is to be present, as well as the defense and prosecution." Jayne stood her ground as she practically glared at the woman. There would be no hiding what she had found. No sweeping it under the rug. Nothing but cold honest truth. "If you want my conclusions, which I haven't written down anywhere," She crossed her arms over her chest in defiance. "then you will have a live broadcast."

It was almost a dare and Beverly knew it. She noted just how serious the twenty-six year old was, and relented. "Very well. I will set one up for tomorrow at 9am. You will have as much time to speak as you wish." She immediately blanked her screen. What had the child found that made her personality change so? Jayne had become aggressive and challenging. Almost…protective? Beverly shook her head as she began to make the arrangements. She would find out in the morning.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Jayne made sure that she wore no emblems of the Federation or Starfleet. Nothing except civilian attire. Her hair was braided in her customary fashion. Her outfit was plain but professional. She looked every ounce the academic. Considering she was about to talk to billions of people, she wanted to look her best.

The room was a normal judiciary room, in a normal judiciary building. Khan and his world-appointed attorney were sitting behind a wall to her left. The prosecuting attorney, the best on the planet, was sitting behind a wall to her right. The judge was directly in front of her, sitting on a raised dais. Jayne herself was standing on a slightly raised platform, in a circle of blue light. That light was to prevent dishonesty. It was on loan from some alien race she hadn't learned about yet. The trial was so high-profile that she had heard several different species were listening to the proceedings. Including the Vulcans.

Jayne hoped her arguments were enough to placate the race. Or at least that it was linear in thinking and logical.

When all the people were settled, she got a green light by the camera aimed at her. Judge Beverly Isley started, "Citizens of Earth, this live broadcast has been requested by the main academic investigator I hand-picked to go over all the evidence relevant to Khan Noonien Singh." She gestured to the circle Jayne stood in, "This blue light will prevent Ms. Jayne Castle from voicing any dishonesty. In deference to the months of work she has put into this case, I ask you hold all questions until the end of her testimony." It had been explained to Jayne that with all live broadcasts, the audience—namely, the whole planet—was encouraged to email questions and comments to the speakers, since such televised shows were all high-profile and concerned all.

Jayne took a deep breath as she focused, trying to center her thoughts. She gave what she hoped was a sincere smile to the camera pointed her way. She had been coached, saying she should ignore the little thing that would follow her every move, but she had no idea how she would be able to do that. She knew that her nervousness was evident. There was no way it wouldn't be. She was speaking to over 22 billion people…and if she thought about it too long, she was going to hyperventilate. She took another deep breath, her chest clenching in anxiety. But she forced herself to speak, "Let me start by saying that I am not working for either the prosecution or the defense. I was chosen by Judge Isley as the best human on the planet for this task. I am not from this dimension, as some of you may know. I was pulled here accidentally when an experiment went wrong. When I left my world, it was the year 2015. I have spent the past two years catching up on your history, math, science, and other socio-political issues that you have been learning since infancy. I've still not learned them all. Because of this simple fact, I was picked as the most unbiased human alive." She breathed, trying to calm her racing heart. "It was also mentioned that I am a certified genius. I have a background in math and science from my own world, while I still keep an active imagination by enjoying fantasy and fiction novels. All of these reasons mean that I just tend to see things differently than most. Thus, I was chosen in this respect to act as a nonpartisan academic investigator to get to the heart of what occurred."

Jayne couldn't stand it anymore. She couldn't keep watching that little bulb…it was too stressful, when at least half of her brain was worrying about how the 22.813 billion people were perceiving her. Did she forget to brush her teeth? Was there a booger up her nose? Was her hair coming undone? She turned to face the judge, her hands still wrapped around each other in her nerves. "I thought to start by examining things in chronological order. Just as Mr. Singh would have experienced them. However, I ran into a key that informed me that starting at the finding of the SS Botany Bay by Admiral Alexander Marcus wasn't sufficient. I had to start at the very beginning…which would be the Eugenics Wars themselves." She could feel her hands sweating because of how tightly she was holding them, so she let go. "In my position as academic investigator, I was given all resources possible in accordance with Mr. Singh's case. When I asked for more than the textbooks given about the Eugenics Wars, instead requesting the original documents those texts were based off of, I found a rather large problem. Only 23 pages exist. All are individual accounts, written as journal entries, from across the globe. As such, they are immediately subject to intense scrutiny because they are inherently biased by design. As any journal would be. Only a few details were constant throughout." To give her hands something to do, she raised fingers to illustrate just how few those details were. "One: the Eugenics Wars happened almost simultaneously across the entire planet. Two: one by one, each country was taken over by these seemingly 'supermen'. Those two details were the only ones that were in accordance with these journal entries. Meaning that they are the only things that we can trust to be accurate. Everything else was subjective."

She turned to Khan, gesturing to him. "This also meant that to get to the very beginning of my investigation, I had to go the source. Mr. Singh himself is the only surviving record of the Eugenics Wars. Also subject to bias, of course, but more reliable than 23 pages. I spoke with him at length about the Wars. Their beginning, middle, and end. What actually happened from his perspective? After all, this trial is about Mr. Singh. His perspective of the events could be vital." Jayne shook her head, "I was shocked to say the least. At first by Mr. Singh's candor. He spoke with little to no emotional components, simply giving facts while letting me draw my own conclusions. While it was in his own interest to do so, that he did it without prompting or hesitation I found quite telling." She gave him a slight bow of recognition for his effort. His expression did not change, but she could see his acknowledgement of her in his eyes. She turned back to the prosecutor's side. "So, as I was asked to do, I am going to boil down a seven hour discussion to its main points. Starting with this: the Eugenics Wars did not start with the supermen. It began with the scientists."

She gestured, "It actually makes quite a bit of sense if you think about it. How did these so-called 'supermen' get here? They were literally created in a lab. Why? Well, the answer is as simple as it is horrible. Because they could." She shook her head as she began to forget about the camera and her own personality began to assert itself. "Can you imagine that? I can't." She sighed, "Scientists the world over began a race. The phrase 'publish or perish' comes to mind, though perhaps that is from my own world and not your own. That phrase was paramount to all scientific thinking in my dimension. If you discovered something, you published your findings as soon as you could. Your name would be acknowledged by the scientific community. Otherwise, your name would perish, never to be remembered. I am almost certain that concept of 'publish or perish' drove those scientists to make their 'supermen'. One gene after another. And they had to see what their meddling had accomplished." Her tone was intensely sarcastic at that observation. "So one 'superman' after another was created. Each slightly different from the last as the scientists found a gene and rearranged it." Her tone changed again to a bright curious one for her next sentence, "Let's see what this does!" Jayne's voice changed to an intense disgust. "All in the name of scientific curiosity, over two thousand 'supermen' were created." She gave a heavy sigh. "As all major science of the times, it was funded by the government. More specifically, the military. An army was the goal. The perfect soldier. Even in my world, militaries were trying to figure out ways to make soldiers stronger, faster, with more endurance. Reaction times decreased. Etcetera. After all, we humans as a species have spent thousands of years perfecting how to kill each other." She gave a small sad tilt of a smile that vanished quickly.

"The only difference between my world and yours is that mine went the way of drugs and chemical warfare. Yours towards genetics. And now that each country across the globe had a small collection of 'supermen', they were going to use them. The Eugenics Wars began and blood flowed." Jayne had to stop, her active imagination working against her as she could picture the events, the screams, the terror. "Can you imagine it? Try to think about how you would feel if a man in a white coat was the first thing you ever saw. Your entire life was lived without any sort of caring parents. Your world revolved around tests the scientists put you through, and then one day a man puts a gun in your hand and send you off to kill people for reasons that you still have no idea how to comprehend. It's no wonder that they rebelled against their creators and took over themselves." She blinked away the visions, refocusing on the judge. "And we still haven't gotten to the creation of Mr. Singh. One scientist in particular, who had followed all the back and forth and the resulting chaos, decided that one last segment of 'supermen' would be needed. This time, he worked in secret without the crumbling governments or militaries being any the wiser. He focused on key traits that he thought the most useful to deal with the problem they themselves had formed. Strength, speed, endurance, intelligence, determination, metabolic rates, and various and sundry other things that I won't get into. But there was one in particular that none of the other 'supermen' had ever developed. The location of this gene was unknown. So, with time and patience, this one scientist made 'superman' after 'superman' trying to find this one gene. This one trait. He thought it was that important. The key to everything, winning the whole war. I, for one, agree with him." She gave the judge a sincere smile. "The instinct to defend. To protect."

Jayne's demeanor changed again as she smiled softly, "It took him 96 tries to finally find it. Another 4 to tweak it to how he wanted. The culmination of every adjustment and fix came with his 100th 'superman': Khan Noonien Singh himself." She gestured over to the defendant, who had yet to twitch or make any sort of expression. "You call these 100 created 'supermen' Augments. Mr. Singh calls them family." Her grin that she gave Khan was bright before she focused back to the other side of the room. "Now, once the Augments were created and taught, the scientist gave them everything he could and released them to, he hoped, end the Eugenics Wars. Khan was swift, efficient, and ruthless in his eradication of the created humans that had enslaved mankind. He took over in their place, ruling Asia with an iron fist. He became Emperor of the continent and his word was law. His rules were simple, but very strict. Breaking them was met with immediate and consistent consequences. Many people died as he established his power base. However, you must remember that actions taken during war cannot be governed by peace-time laws. The two are inherently incompatible. In my estimation, Mr. Singh's actions were merciful and just. His laws were easy to understand, distributed to every corner of his fiefdom, along with the consequences if they were broken. Those consequences were kept to the letter. After Mr. Singh took over, the continent prospered and grew bountiful as they recovered from the Wars. This also made them a very enticing target for the other countries to envy. Those 'supermen' could never be what Mr. Singh inherently is. They were not defenders nor protectors. More survivors, if you want to put a word to it. Unfortunately, survivors beat protectors and defenders in most cases. The humans spread dissent and the politics of the times began to work against Mr. Singh and his people. He fought, and kept fighting, until those he considered his own began to turn against him. The humans he protected and defended turned against him. It was at that point that Mr. Singh called the Augments together and they left Earth on the SS Botany Bay. Only 85 of them made it to the ship."

Jayne took a deep breath. Her voice was becoming scratchy. A glass of water had been set out just for her, so she took several swallows before she kept going. "Speed up a few hundred years and the ship is found by one Admiral Alexander Marcus of Starfleet. He wakes Khan and asks him to make weapons. Marcus was convinced that a war with the Klingon Empire was eminent and he wanted to be prepared. However, Mr. Singh had just been through a war. He knew what a war did to those he protected. Fifteen of his family was already dead. He was not going to start another one to lose more. So, Mr. Singh refused." She was not going to cry on a live broadcast damnit! "Marcus threatened Mr. Singh with bodily harm, going as far as to torture him. It all came to nothing until the admiral threatened Mr. Singh's family." She shook her head, silently wondering at the idiocy of some people. "As a defender and protector, Khan immediately gave in. He already knew what Marcus was capable of. He had no doubt that the admiral would kill or torture to get his own way. Khan went to work. One particular project halted him however, four months in. The idea of the weapon was a simple one: a chemical agent designed to effect Klingon biology but not a human's. Mr. Singh realized that Marcus was not only preparing for a war, he wanted to start one. He stopped working." She could hear her breath hitch as she continued, "Khan finally gave in when he was forced to watch as Marcus tortured and killed twelve of his fellow Augments, his own family. One for each day Khan refused to work." She wrapped her arms around herself as she saw in her mind's eyes the records of those sessions. She felt sick again. But she had to get through this. 73 lives depended on it. "Only 72 Augments were left sleeping…and Khan began to plan. Meticulously, he designed and built special torpedoes that were stronger and more deadly so they would satisfy Marcus' orders. Inside each was a compartment just large enough that Mr. Singh could smuggle a family member into it. And he did. Over and over until they were all hidden away from Marcus.

"But Marcus had taken notice. When Khan was focused on another task, Marcus secreted them all away. He didn't want the only reason Khan was working to vanish." She shook her head, "In his conversation with Mr. Singh he said that Khan's actions had forced his hand. Marcus claimed to have killed them for Khan's treachery." She huffed a breath. "Obviously, Admiral Marcus did not understand the ramifications of dealing with someone with Mr. Singh's personality. No matter what species, race, color, religion, creed, or gender. If you remove the leash on a Protector, the consequences are going to be large and bloody."

Jayne leaned back on a banister in a place where she could see everyone in the room. She looked at them evenly. "I'm not sure your dimension has ever seen a true Protector before. I'm not sure that your society really needs them anymore. In my world, we not only needed them, in certain parts of the world they were trained from birth. The best Protectors had the personality associated, but certain aspects could be trained. I've known Protectors. My father was one. My mother was one. I am too." She saw Khan's eyebrows go up, which was the equivalent of someone else doing a spit-take. "I have thought about what I would kill for. What I would die for. The circumstances that might bring such things into being. Khan Noonien Singh is the quintessential Protector. He fits every stereotype and has every characteristic. So when Marcus claimed to have killed his family, those that he protected, his leash vanished and Khan was free to enact his vengeance onto Marcus. There was nothing to hold him back anymore."

She tilted her head to look at them, "He chose Thomas Harewood specifically. Gave him a choice. The choice was an easy one that I would have made myself. My daughter or a building. There is no choice. I will pick my family every time. Mr. Harewood made the same choice. Mr. Harewood did claim that Khan threatened him. I'm not sure if I believe it, though I do believe that Mr. Harewood may have misinterpreted something said as a threat. After all, perception is a very delicate thing. The London bombing was designed to uncover Section 31 to the world and gather the Admirals, Captains, and First Officers in one known location. The goal was to kill Marcus and fundamentally weaken Starfleet. Khan had no idea that Marcus would manipulate Captain James Kirk into going after Khan, illegally following him to Qo'noS. Khan went there because it was the one place Marcus couldn't go. He had planned to take his family there. When Kirk confronted Khan, threatening him with the very warheads he himself had designed, all 72 of them, Khan immediately surrendered. As any Protector would. Once again, Khan had people to defend. His family was alive, still sleeping, exactly where he had hidden them. But now Marcus had to cover up his own illegal actions. Namely by killing Khan and anyone he had spoken to. He also hoped to incite a war with the Klingon Empire in the process. Kirk and Khan joined forces to face Marcus. While Kirk's motives were to take Marcus in for his own trial, Khan's personality would never let him leave a confirmed threat alive. Marcus had proven, several times in several ways, that he was an active and continuous threat to his family. Khan eliminated that threat in the most efficient way possible."

She moved forward, that blue circle of light had never left her, traveling around the room with her. "Which is where the more interesting events began to occur. Captain Kirk is very stubborn. As is Mr. Spock, his first officer. Neither Kirk nor Spock had realized what Khan was. So Spock ordered the removal of the 72 Augments from their hiding places without telling Kirk or Khan. A 'back-up plan' he called it. So, when Khan threatened Kirk's crew if his family was not returned, Mr. Spock made the most logical choice to him with the available information. He transported the torpedoes, which he knew Khan would assume his family was still inside. However, Spock had rigged the torpedoes to explode. Once again, Khan was made to believe his family was dead. His leash vanished yet again…but this time was even worse than the first. Imagine feeling the dread and hopelessness of your loved ones dying, thinking it's your fault. Only to have hope return. The elation, exhilaration of another chance. You didn't fail! And it to vanish again. Literally blowing up in your face. The offering of hope, only to take it away again is a kind of psychological torture. He used the Vengeance's controls to direct his crash into San Francisco—namely: Starfleet Headquarters. Starfleet had taken his family from him not once but twice. The ship crashed."

Jayne took a deep breath, taking another drink of the water. "So…those are the events as perceived by Mr. Singh. Now, there is something that I am not sure even Khan himself has realized. To be fair, his focus was elsewhere." She gave a hard stare at the prosecutor before turning to the judge. "Khan Noonien Singh can not be tried by this court."

Both people jerked backward at her pronouncement. "Explain," Beverly said calmly.

"Khan and the other Augments are genetically modified humans. Their genetic code is so far removed from our own as to be their own species. As such, their acceptance or refusal to join the Federation of Planets should be logged."

"They came before the Federation existed!" the prosecutor couldn't contain himself any longer. He had heard this unknown woman spout out one hair-brained statement after another. "And that man" he spit out the word in disgust, "is not a protector or defender! He is a sociopath! Plain and simple! Stop trying to justify what can only be called murder!"

Jayne didn't rise to the bait, she only raised an eyebrow at the immaturity and unprofessional attitude of the so-called best lawyer on Earth. "Yes, they came before. When they were awoken they should have been given the same offer as every other planet of sufficient technological advancement. They weren't. The Augments, of which Khan is their leader, are another species that is not included in the Federation of Planets. When Admiral Marcus threatened Khan and killed members of his family, Marcus declared war on the Augments. As an admiral, it was with the weight of Starfleet behind him…and the Federation as well. Every death that Khan was responsible for came after that. As I have already stated, and your own rules indicate, wartime actions can not be tried by peacetime laws.

"And as to him being a sociopath…when the Vengeance crashed into San Francisco, he took no precautions or safety measures. He was fully planning to martyr himself. It was only because of his biology and his careful planning of the crash itself that he survived."

Beverly shot a quelling look at the prosecutor before she turned back to Jayne. "Explain what you mean when you said he was careful in his crashing of the ship."

Jayne shrugged, it was obvious, wasn't it? "To inflict the maximum amount of damage, all Khan would have to do was open fire on the planet. The Vengeance's armory was fully stocked. He didn't. He also could have hit the warp drive engines at about four miles up. The damage would have put the entire west coast into the Pacific by opening a fissure on the San Andreas Fault. He didn't. He was extremely careful, even in the middle of his rage, to target Starfleet Headquarters and do as little damage to the surrounding civilian population as possible."

Judge Beverly Anne Isley sat back as she thought about all the information and implications of that intel. Jayne had done her job…now it was the judge's turn. "Ms. Castle…would you say that Mr. Singh's vengeance has been satisfied? Will he continue to seek out the destruction of Starfleet?"

Jayne was taken aback by this. She hadn't expected such a question, but took it seriously. "He has no reason to. Especially now that he again has people to protect."

"If you were to sentence Mr. Singh, how would you do so?" Beverly asked.

Jayne blinked and blinked again before answering. "Khan is a protector. To his mind, he was doing exactly as his instincts told him to. I'm not saying he is a good man or a bad man. He's neither really. A protector will do anything and everything to get their goals accomplished. Khan has done that. He removed the threat Marcus posed in the most efficient way possible, even going so far as to potentially prevent further similar events occurring when he revealed Section 31's seat in London. When he was informed that his fellow Augments were in fact alive, he again surrendered and has not even attempted to escape. This benefits him, but benefits his people more. He could have escaped a dozen times over if he wanted to. His people hold him, leash him. Just as any protector is leashed by those he protects.

"If I were to be in charge of Khan's sentencing, I would wake all of his family. I would find them a Class M hospitable planet that had no intelligent life, and I would leave all of them there with enough supplies to last five years. No technology though. I would station some sort of defense in orbit to discourage visitors, with the programming that it becomes inactive after a set amount of time. I would hope that with time and a few more generations down the line that the Augment population would be more equalized to the socio-political climate of the current days and could then integrate into the Federation." Jayne shrugged.

Beverly raised her own eyebrows, "You would not integrate them on Earth?"

Jayne shook her head violently, "No! One: Khan does not see himself as human. None of them do. Their social structure is different just as any unique culture. And the climate of the humans on Earth is not exactly friendly. I doubt either side could forget and move on right now. Too many bad memories on either side. I said that Khan wouldn't start anything. I didn't say that if something started he wouldn't finished it. He would, instantly and violently to discourage other such acts in the future.

"You have to remember. Khan is essentially a wartime Emperor. He was the best of those tyrants…but he still ruled with finality. Every rule had a consequence that was delivered immediately. He was ruthless…but it was because he cared." She shook her head. "I'm not sure how to explain this so you can understand. A Protector protects. Period. But the best way to protect their own can vary. In Khan's time it was by being the most ruthless and uncompromising ruler there was. It prevented invaders by intimidation alone for years. Take a look at your historical records of one Prince Vlad Tepes. He did the same thing. His people loved him for it. They still remember him as a folk hero. It's all in the perspective."

The prosecutor turned to the judge in disbelief, "Are you really going to listen to this nonsense?! That girl is highly suspect all by herself! She's from the same barbaric time period that he is! She has no formal education but what she learned here. She's practically illiterate! She's young and could be easily fooled by this obvious sociopath." He sneered at Jayne, who was staring at the man in as much disbelief as he was showing her. Apparently his professionalism didn't go as far as his reputation said it did. "If Kahn was such a great leader, why did his people turn against him? Every school child knows what kind of monsters history created. All the people Kahn killed is evidence the history books are correct! And how could anyone know why the barbarian didn't take further action toward destroying the coast? For all we know, the ship was too far damaged. Augmented or not, Kahn was born on earth. His genetic material came from humans. He was born human. He was raised human. He is human. And a Federation court has every right to try him for murder. Besides! He's already admitted to murder. By so admitting, he's acknowledged the court's authority over him and his people. Even if he wasn't human, even if his species wasn't part of the Federation, acknowledging a court's authority is legal and binding. That's the law!"

Jayne couldn't help it, she began to giggle. Every eye turned to her instantly with as much disbelief as the prosecutor had given the judge. Their expressions were priceless, she died laughing, holding onto her sides at the hilarity of the situation. "You have got to be kidding me. That is hilarious! Aha ha ha ha ha!" When she was finally able to control herself, she realized that she had just, quite literally, laughed in the faces of the court. Oops. "Sorry…" she said sheepishly. "But it really is funny…"

"You are not helping your case, Ms. Castle." Judge Isley intoned.

Jayne blushed deeply, "Sorry." She said again, glancing at Khan to ensure he realized she hadn't meant it, she could see his own amusement in his eyes. She had just been more blatant about it. She took another drink of the water as she tried to control herself. "Let me take it point by point then. I'm uneducated…before I came to this world I had the equivalency of a Master's of Science in Applied Mathematics and Applied Statistics from a certified university. I said I had a math and science background." She spread her hands. "It's been over 300 years since then, things change and new discoveries are made. Of course I'm behind. That doesn't mean I started at an infant's level. The main things that I have been learning is your history and the upgrades you have discovered since the 2000's.

"Two: I'm young and easily fooled. Don't you think I know that?" She raised an eyebrow at the man. "I am well aware of my intelligence. Actually, while I am a certified genius with an IQ of 135, that is the low end of the spectrum. Genius level starts at 132. I am well aware of this. I'm actually just smart enough to know how stupid I am. It's quite irritating, really." Out of the corner of her eye she saw Khan blink, but ignored it. "I taped every conversation I had with him and have made them available to the public. Including my own notes, and the intricacies of his body language that let me know what I was seeing. I compared that body language to all recordings of him on the Enterprise and the Vengeance. They match perfectly. He was not playing to me. He's always like that."

She took a breath again, holding up her fingers to illustrate her point. "Have you actually read those textbooks? Each is a different accounting of the Eugenics Wars, and all were published almost one hundred years after the Wars were over. Ever played the game of Telephone when you were a child? In that amount of time, with only an oral history, so many things, details, would have been lost or changed completely. Every school child is wrong…because they were taught the wrong thing. It's not their fault, but there you go.

"What was next? Oh, the ship was too damaged. Have you read the reports about the ship? Wasn't too damaged to hit the engines. He actually did hit the engines, helped him aim the ship." She shook her head, eyeing the prosecutor simply for a minute. "You know, if it were my world, I wouldn't wonder why you were acting like this. Ignoring concrete evidence. In my world a lawyer is only really worried about winning, regardless of the facts. I guess I had been under the impression that 300 plus years had changed things. Guess I was wrong." Oh, the man's face was priceless. She only stopped herself from giggling by sheer force of will power. She turned so that she could tune out his face, but Beverly's was just as bad. She turned again to see Khan, sitting there eyeing her with the first expression in his gaze she couldn't identify. That was weird…it was almost…admiration? Huh… "Well, I've already talked about how Mr. Singh doesn't consider himself human, so I'll move along. What next? Oh, he acknowledged this court's authority. Now that is a good point. Give you full credit for it." She turned, now that she was certain she could contain her laughter, to face the rest of the room. "However, you are holding his family. Of course he would submit to this court's authority. He is using himself as a picture of good behavior so that you don't further harm his family. After his experiences with Marcus, he has no reason to trust that you will leave them sleeping, so Khan is cooperating completely in every aspect. Thus giving you no reason to use his family to 'motivate' him." Jayne spread her arms in a 'come and get me' manner, inviting more arguments from the prosecution side. The man was silent, still reeling from her basically calling him a barbarian.

Beverly Anne Isley watched the girl she had chosen herself and her hearts clenched in a type of pride. This project had unintentionally given the twenty-six year old a way to mature and gain a sense of self. It was quite amazing. Too bad it had to be in the shadow of Khan Noonien Singh. "Ms. Castle, your points are well thought out and justified." She tilted her head in acknowledgement of the child's contributions. "In light of all the evidence, I cannot in good conscious try Khan Noonien Singh for what were essentially war-time actions. Just as this court cannot try a Klingon or Romulan. However, Khan has already proven himself a threat to Starfleet and the Federation. He cannot be allowed to stay on Earth, no matter his origins." She looked around at the four people in the room steadily, letting them all know she had given as much thought to her decision as possible. "Therefore, given that Ms. Castle is apparently familiar with this kind of…Protector personality, this court will enact her suggestions immediately. All the Augments will be taken to a Class M hospitable planet with no intelligent life, with enough supplies to provision them for a period of five years. No advanced technology will be given, but they will be supplied with texts and manuals on how to survive and sustain themselves. A satellite will be put into orbit, programmed to shoot on encounter of any ship that comes into range of its sensors. It will be set to automatically deactivate after a period of 150 years. At that time, the Federation will approach the new homeworld of the Augments with the intention of welcoming their kind with open arms." She raised her gavel and banged it with the finality of her authority.

"No!" the prosecutor instantly protested, but was ignored by all sides.

Khan made his first expression in months, he smiled. A true, genuine smile of gratitude. He stood tall and faced the judge, bowing slightly. Beverly inclined her head in acknowledgement. Khan turned to Jayne, who was staring at him in amazement, and bowed even lower. She blushed instantly, knowing that it was a courtesy, thanking her for everything she had done to save him and his people. As a Protector, and with what she had done, Jayne had no doubt that another family member had been added to the list in Khan's mind. It was only logical. But it wasn't needed. She shook her head once, telling him so. He blinked, smiled again, and inclined his head slightly. It wasn't agreement, but it was acknowledgement of her decision.

Beverly's voice cut in, "How can you do that?"

Jayne and Khan blinked up at her. "Do what?" Jayne asked, confused.

"You just had an entire conversation with him…and neither of you spoke a word."

The twenty-six year old blinked again and shrugged, "Well…he thinks like I do. It's not that hard to know what he's thinking because all I have to do is imagine what I would think if I were him. Go from there." She paused as she thought a moment. "That and it's almost like the conversations I used to have with my parents from across the room. Not too different at all."

"So, what did you say?" her tone was curious. The trial was over, sentencing had been given. The cameras were off…there was no showmanship here anymore. Just honest curiosity.

"Oh, well he thanked me for the work I put in to helping his family and offered me entrance into it. I politely declined. That was all."

"Why would you decline? It seems to me that you would do well in an Augment society." Beverly raised an eyebrow.

Jayne laughed brightly at the idea. "I'm human, Ms. Isley. As much as my personality might mesh with theirs, I'm still only human. I would be…less in their eyes. Can't really help it. I don't blame them. It's just how they look at humans. Being stronger, faster, smarter, they do have precedence for their beliefs. Besides, I want kids. Khan and his people would never interbreed with any human. It would dilute their genetics." She smiled at the judge and Khan, who was looking at her again with an unreadable expression. She really didn't like it when he did that…it was like hearing a muffled conversation. She knew one was taking place, but couldn't grab the words.

"Hmmm…well, I would like you to oversee their transfer. You will pick the planet and make all the arrangements. Would that satisfy your motherly instincts?" Beverly asked, amused at the protective side the girl had shown in deference to the case.

Said girl blushed, but nodded. "That obvious, huh? Well, in my defense…I've always wanted kids." She gestured and explained in a way that the Augment would understand. "My father was adopted, so I'm the last of my genetic line. I was orphaned a year before Starfleet tried that experiment to duplicate the time anomaly that Ambassador Selek came through… I'm going to have lots of kids." She nodded with a finality of her own.

Khan's voice was gentle and reassuring her, "I am certain you will be a wonderful mother."

She blushed crimson at the compliment. It meant a lot, coming from a man like him. "Thank you. Maybe the free advertising I just went through will give me some suitors." She referred to the fact she had just addressed over 22 billion people.

He smiled, "Of that, I have no doubt."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jayne diligently oversaw every detail of transferring the Augments to their new planet. She even went so far as to research several and bring them to Khan for a final ruling. She was overruled on when to wake up the cryogenically frozen people, but she was so afraid something would go wrong that she roped in one of the best medical officers to oversee the thawing process as they were on their way to the new Augment Homeworld—to be formally named later.

So, after one month of planning and another three months to get to the edge of Federation space at Warp 4, she watched as 72 people walked off the ship to see their new planet for the first time. It had a temperate climate, no large predators that would be a threat, and lots of fresh water. The only reason it hadn't been settled previously was because it was in a horrible location for any type of strategic planning. She looked over as the teams unloaded all the supplies that would help the Augments build their own small city and start the road to a unique civilization. She tripled checked to make sure no boxes were missed before she finally put her ever-present PADD down. "One good thing about this: I had to get comfortable with their version of electronic email really fast." She giggled as she aimed the comment over at Khan who was giving her that look again.

It was the last few details left. The ship was getting ready to leave, the satellites were in place (it had been decided to put several up since the Augments would have no other way to defend against space invaders), and the teams were getting back on the ship. The Augments as a group were either watching the humans leave like hawks, making sure they didn't do anything threatening, or already had their heads shoulders-deep in the many crates, checking the inventory.

Khan's voice suddenly sounded from over her shoulder, close enough that she actually jumped in surprise. "You were wrong."

Jayne jerked her head over to him, confused and her heartbeat ramped up at his solemn three words. Oh that could be interpreted so many ways… She tried to keep her voice calm as she answered. "In what way?" She could see in the corner of her eye as several Augments came forward, presumably to back up whatever scheme Khan had up his sleeve this time.

"If the human has proven themselves, then there would be no reason for them not to be accepted into our society." His hand came up and she watched, frozen solid at the abrupt change in his behavior, as his fingers gently moved a stray hair away from her eyes. "I spoke with Beverly Isley. Earth is not expecting you to return."

Jayne stood there blinking at him for long minutes. Her eyes shifted to the other Augments who had caught on to their leader's plan and were grinning in turn. A few nodded, one quite eagerly with a bright smile of encouragement.

Khan continued when her silence went too long. "You know that I will protect you and any children you may have." She slowly nodded that fact, but said nothing. "As a proven human, you will be given every courtesy and right as any other Augment. Every law we follow will apply to you as well, and vice versa. You would not be seen as 'less', as you put it. You have proven your worth, Jayne Marie Castle." A shiver went down her spine at the way he said her name, like a caress itself. "Why don't you stay? You know that you would be happier here than you ever could be on Earth."

Jayne lifted her face up to his, searching his eyes for one simple thing. When she found it, she gave him a small smile. "Yes," she said simply before throwing herself at him, hugging him tightly. He chuckled in her ear and raised his arm to signal the ship to take off without her.

After all…the leader of a race of super humans couldn't exactly come out and say that he cared about her. It would undermine his power base. But that was okay…she had practice reading Protector's expressions and the emotions they hid in their eyes.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

And done! I hope you enjoyed!