I gather that the consensus is everyone is mostly pleased with the pacing, even if I did tease a little at the end of the last chapter. I have this all thought out and planned and I have come to the conclusion that it will be a pretty long story, so once I get to those moments there will be plenty. Loving all of the guesses towards the mystery aspects too and some of you have such great ideas and you back them up with convincing arguments which makes it fun for me to read and I think I must be doing something right.
Thanks to scaw77, polkadotmonster, Diversdown, ShimmeringWater, SharkGurl, Wolfstar04, WarriorDragonElf54, Elliesmeow, Korvescence, Mira SeverusSirius Black-Snape, EvilLittleKittys, Kat7CA, TheGirlWhoImagined, Young-Maiden, Deathcab4kimmie, summertower17, JobanaBallack, kykyxstandler, Peridot Eyez, Nakia-Park23, Monsieur Montparnasse, ShadowsFolly94, blown-transistor, LookAliveSunshine03, AvalonTheLadyKiller, Harleyluv and all of the Guests!
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the OC
By the time Nina had made it to the dock, everyone else was already packing into the shuttle to transfer out to the base. To say her mind was frazzled wouldn't even begin to describe her emotional state and she was tossed more than a few concerned glances. Her hair was still down and she was dragging her coat behind her along with her pack that consisted of her PADD, her communicator, about a dozen hypospray's and a standard phaser. Scotty was immediately at her side to help her with her things as she attempted to straighten her appearance in a decent fashion.
Jim was already pulling a face while readying a snarky comment from his mouth (she had grown to tell the signs), "What happened, did you break a mirror?"
She huffed, "That's real funny, and no, I'm very careful about that. I went into my closet and couldn't find the left shoe to a pair, so I was left with three."
Spock elaborated from the confused look on Jim's face, "Bad luck comes in threes."
"It's true." Nina argued.
Jim looked like he wanted to face palm, "Nina, you're too weird for words. No one believes in that stuff."
"I don't know." Bones cut in, "I'm starting to believe three is a bad number. Look at how many Augments the analysts are looking for."
Nina felt sick at the thought as it had gone blissfully unnoticed by her until Bones had to go and articulate it. It was more than superstitions getting to her that morning though. Her heart was heavy from her walk back alone on the bridge after having gone over in her head everything Khan had said to her, including the unsettling goodbye. Less than half of his words remained burned in her memory and she couldn't interpret much of the meaning. After being told they'd be on the opposite side of things, she supposed it made it easier to fit back among her own crew. The fact that he'd seen her as something other than an enemy whilst she had helped him was nothing short of amazing and she dreaded the idea of being placed against him now. The guilt from lying to her friends was still there and she despised her weaknesses for having let Khan manipulate her so far as to gain power and information in his chase for his crew. She wondered how long it would be before he would play his hand. Starfleet was already anticipating him and his escaped comrades to warp to the base. Hijacking a shuttle, they'd run the risk of it being intercepted and he'd come too far for anything other than success.
The Enterprise was in port at the base waiting for their arrival and the door to the shuttle closed as they piled in together. Bones was already grinding his teeth at the feeling of flying again and though Nina didn't want to laugh, she was at least brought some comfort for not being the only one to suffer from a silly setback. The chatter was kept to a minimal, though whether it was from lack of sleep or because of the matter at hand was unclear. Their duties were simple so long as nothing was happening, but when Khan would show—which he undoubtedly would—that's when things would turn messy. The idea of waiting on the edge of an impending fight was leaving a bitter taste in her mouth and she would much rather be going on a five year mission rather than orbiting the borders of Earth on a Starbase while the Enterprise would be left in port, begging to be used. It was a shared feeling amongst them all, to be called home by their ship while otherwise rendered useless.
"Captain, might I suggest you inform the crew of what we were discussing before our take-off?" Spock said, slicing through the quiet of the shuttle like a knife through butter, "It would serve productive if we were on equal levels of knowledge on the current situation."
Jim merely made an indication with his brow that he had heard, looking too lethargic for any other response, "Vance's office was trashed. They had placed guards by the door immediately after the discovery of his body as a precaution, but no one had bothered to check inside his office for anything until about 0500. Apparently files were missing and the underside of the desk was torn apart. We can bet that whatever secrets Vance was hiding, Khan and his crew mates now have."
Nina thought she was going to visibly start shaking in her seat while Bones managed to bring about a glare for her to keep quiet even through his flight sickness. She understood that trashing Vance's office would erase any small suspicions of her being there, though it had to be more than that. He or one of his comrades must have gone back for the remaining vial's she left behind. With Khan, they wouldn't fall into the wrong hands as he had said he didn't want his people's abilities exploited and that was the only saving grace.
"What else do you think Vance was hiding?" Uhura wondered, "It would be nice to know what we're up against."
"It's likely information from the study on his people that he doesn't want getting out." Bones said in attempt to nip the conversation in the bud.
"In the cold light of day, it's just us standing between him and his crew." Jim remarked, "I want us all to be ready for that."
A nervous look was shared between them and the air in the cabin was stagnant with palpable tension. No one wanted to believe that they were back in a similar situation again now that they were aware of Khan and the skill he possessed. He came close to achieving his goal as a solo act the last time with careful planning and bidding his time before striking at the hearts of Starfleet. With extra help, his chance of a favorable outcome for his crew was almost imminent.
They rode out the rest of the flight in reserved silence with the odd question asked towards another person. It didn't take them long before they were at the loading bay of the base along with a number of shuttles transporting other star ship crews, "We're going to be housed here in quarters for now." Jim explained.
"Aye, but Captain; wouldn't it be better if we loaded groups of Khan's crew onto different ships and left the Starbase? Give him less of a chance of obtaining them, wouldn't you say?" Scotty asked innocently.
Jim frowned as he began to explain, "Starfleet doesn't want an unnecessary waste of resources. With the disturbance in Klingon space, ships aren't permitted to leave the neutral zone so we wouldn't be able to go far. The only place left to go would be deep, uncharted space and that was supposed to be for the five year mission, not for smuggling frozen people in cryo tubes. Besides, it was a unanimous decision that they don't think Khan will have the resources to come here and many of the science teams still want a chance to study his crew as do historians."
"So we aren't going to be on the Enterprise?" Nina concluded.
"No, for the time being we're grounded here." Jim finished sorely, and it was within reason as none of them had yet gotten the chance to step on to the Enterprise since its repairs.
"Oh that's just great!" Bones exclaimed, "Instead of being stuck on Earth while waiting, we'll be here. Was this some kind of sick joke to leave us stranded?"
"Doctor, you should head to your quarters to immediately recover your strength once we arrive. The flight in, as well as your overall attitude suggests you are suffering from exhaustion." Spock spoke while McCoy's brows furrowed.
Everyone winced in preparation for his rebuttal, "Excuse me, recover my strength?! Are you insinuating I am not well enough to do my job, because I'll give you a medical exam right now?!"
"It was not my intentions to insinuate anything against your capabilities Doctor. Quite the contrary, I was indicating in regards to your own health as you are of more use fully alert." Spock returned calmly.
"Fully alert?"
"Alright enough." Jim cut in with a scowl, "The other shuttles are starting to unload, we should catch up."
Bones continued to mutter other unpleasant things under his breath like an oracle chanting curses. Nina was able to pick up something about a 'green blooded goblin', before his bludgeoning words ceased and everyone was grabbing their packs for the exit. The base was cold and had an artificial feel while always remaining dark as night. All of the other crews were adorned in black uniforms the same as them and they resembled more of an army rather than of peaceful explorers sworn to search the cosmos for new life forms. It was with dismal purpose the nature of their stay, and it was easily perceivable by the sluggish steps taken.
"Stranded orbiting the planet and doing minimal work; this is turning out to be prison after all. I don't think this trip can get much worse." Bones grumbled to Nina. They spotted a figure up ahead waving their group over and Nina suppressed a groan at the sight of Carol's cheery face, "Then again, there's something to be said about imagination." Bones finished as he noticed the look on her face.
For Nina, it could only ever get worse. "It's fine. I have other things to worry myself with anyways." It wasn't completely a lie as she was the type of person to push her personal life to the side in order for larger things at work.
Their group halted before Carol, offering some murmured greetings while she smiled in return, "It's good to see you all again."
"What are you doing here?" Jim asked in confusion, "Have you been transferred to a new ship?"
"No, actually I haven't been assigned at all. I'm doing work strictly for the academy and thought I would offer my service such as the current situation lies." She explained as they continued walking through the hanger with her as a joined part of their group, "They already arranged living quarters and I placed Lieutenant Uhura and Nina with me."
'No you didn't!' Nina's mind screamed in rage while she did her best to keep her composure even with the look of pity being tossed from Uhura. Bones wasn't the only one who knew of her 'stupid feelings', it was common knowledge among almost everyone except Jim. It made Nina wonder if everyone was that good at hiding it, or that Jim was blind and she really was see-through.
"That's a good idea." Jim agreed with Carol, "We should all stick close together while we're here."
"There's a briefing happening at 1100 hours, so you should all unpack now while there's time." Carol instructed, "I can show the girls to our new quarters."
"I'll see you later then." She said softly to Bones. She couldn't bring herself to turn around and face the sympathetic look that he'd surely be giving off. They made it seem like she was accursed with feelings and she'd rather they save their pity as it didn't do her any good. She joined at Uhura's side as they followed Carol into another sector of the base where it seemed all of the females were being housed temporarily. It certainly was no five-star establishment, but already being off planet she felt freer than she had in a while and a sense of accomplishment enveloped her.
"This is where we'll be staying." Carol said as she held up her ID to the door. The room was coated in dull gun metal grey and paired with simple furniture you wouldn't find anywhere else, "I'm afraid we'll be sleeping on cots for now."
Lucky for Nina, her insomnia prevented her from sleeping on the most comfortable of surfaces so being landed with cots didn't dampen her mood any, "It will suffice."
"There's no point in unpacking if we barely brought anything." Uhura stated, "Have you overheard any of the plans?"
Carol shook her head dejectedly, "Unfortunately no, and there aren't many officers willing to share with a traitors daughter at the moment. I imagine you're sympathetic to that Nina."
She put on a brave smile, "People have been looking at me differently—actually—me and Bones both. Even though we've been given a pass, I don't expect the odd looks to go away anytime soon." Her hands started to fiddle with the hem of her shirt and she knew she had to get out of that room, "We'll I'm gonna have a look around, maybe head to the briefing early." She excused as she went to the door.
"Oh Nina, I didn't get a chance to say earlier, but could we maybe talk when there's time?" Carol said stopping her.
"Yeah sure, why not?" She said as gleefully as she could muster before hightailing it out of there. She had never felt so cornered, even in Khan's presence there had been more room to breathe. Stranded on a Starbase, she now had nowhere to go to escape Carol Marcus's conversation.
He watched the sky from his vantage point with dismal interest. It was overcast and the rain fell with languid care against the side of the building. The rain collected on his hand as he held it out in surrender to the wind on the railing of the small balcony. Here he was alone with his thoughts in a place he didn't suspect himself of returning to again. It served him with no beneficial purpose to double back yet he found himself drawn to the idea of being present in that particular spot. It was his only desolation place and he rather enjoyed being in solitary even after striving to restore his crew. His thoughts were something no one could ever help him with and thus time had not brought change to that plight.
It was only one small thought that called to his attention, but it was enough to be a distraction, one unforeseen and undesired. Nina's absence was apparent to him and only continued to grow more obvious. While he was left feeling nothing of her departure, he was still bombarded with other emotions he had not felt in over three hundred years. A powerful hate, but there was regret there also and it manifested behind his eyes. Her appearance had become a constant disturbance, one he'd hoped to conceal from his two awakened family, but alas they were too clever for that. They saw in her the very same image he had been captivated by since first he glanced her way on the Klingon home world. There was more grave about her than cheer, something lackluster that he could not overlook. Had it always been there, or was she molded by time and circumstance?
He recalled his own reaction to their first meeting and though no words had been exchanged, he had been enamored by the idea of her. It was as if he was no longer alone in his cause now that an old ally he would have likely never called upon had returned to him. But then he was only to be reminded that his eyes were betraying him and he was merely seeing with renowned hope, a mirage of something not available to touch. The person he mistook her for was lost long ago, and where blue eyes should have been, he was left to gaze into depths of dark brown. As her people came under attack of the Klingons, she'd kept close to her Captain's side and he had known then that those were the actions that went beyond the call of duty. She was in love with her superior officer and the man remained ignorant to the fact that the frail creature that followed him would likely lay down her life to ensure his survival. Such sentiments he found pathetic and he could call to mind a time in his past life in which he had bear witness to such nature. When Kirk had displayed his frustrations against him, it was she who called Kirk to stop. She'd said Jim and not addressed him as Captain. So it was he knew then that there was no help that would come to him from a shadow and he had surrendered for a number he had longed to hear.
The rest of her personality he had collected behind the gilded glass of his cell until he had enough information to indeed judge that it was mere coincidence and nothing else. Physical appearances and mannerisms alone were not enough to convince him of wishful thinking. Her name was Nina and she was unknown to him. So why did he fall back to her for assistance; it wasn't as if he needed her in any way. Curiosity was a compelling thing and its song called so sweetly to him that he couldn't resist the small temptation. They came so far and few between as it were. It was something else though, something he did not want to call attention to because of the unrest it caused within him. He was never one to forget a promise nor failed to uphold one and he was growing far too comfortable around her as of late because of a misconception.
He left her balcony and returned to the stagnant air of her quarters while he searched her artifacts with his eyes. She kept curious things, objects that had long since lost their use in favor to the technological era. It was the last place he expected to find books and he was without shame as he traced the titles of the spines with his fingers. His hands had forgotten the feeling of page and ink beneath his grasp and her shelf was filled with many rich texts that it was difficult to choose only one. Stuck between Hawthorne and Steinbeck, he carefully plucked another book from its place. Moby-Dick, by Herman Melville, a favorite of his from before as he often likened himself to Ishmael. As of late the argument could be made that he was more of a Captain Ahab, though his obsession to save his family was hardly comparable to the man who doomed his crew on the Pequod.
His eyes scanned the cover before placing it back in its sheath on the shelf. He was drawn to another title precisely because a page had been marked, indicating it had been the last one to have been read by Nina. She struck him as one who would enjoy Victor Hugo and judging by the state of the novel, she had read it many times. He wondered what the attraction to Les Misérables was for her. In his mind she reminded him very much as Éponine, not so much in looks, but of character and spirit. He did not see the comparison as a bad thing for she was by far the most coercive character in the book.
"I thought I might find you here." He was undisturbed by the feminine voice standing behind him, "We are ready for the next step." He returned the novel to the shelf before facing his female comrade. Her pale eyes followed a path to where his hand had last been and a fragment of a smile pursed her lips, "I love that novel."
"As does our human accomplice." He stated with no real purpose.
"Nina?" The female tasted the name on her tongue with a sharp expression, "She looks like her. I was startled too, when first I saw her here."
"It matters not." He affronted, "She is human and there is nothing more to the meaning."
"And how have you come to separate the two?"
The challenge in her tone made his blood boil under the surface of his skin, "You are questioning me."
"No, sir." She stated sourly while backing down immediately, "I have simply come to collect you, unless I am interrupting something?"
"We may leave."
She gazed upon him no more as she signaled for them both to be beamed out. His mind-frame shifted back to the task at hand and the idea of finding his family once again took the utmost priority in his heart. They would not so easily be ripped from him this time as they were the only thing left driving him towards a perceivable goal. The helplessness of having thought he lost them last time would not be a feeling he would succumb to again and the Vulcan Commander would have his wroth for daring to deceive him with such a cruel vanishing act. It would not be soon before long that he would be upon them and his revenge would begin.
Oh God, typing in his POV was way harder than I thought it'd be. It took me three days to type out his small part and I hope it pays off, because right now I don't know if I'm feeling it. I thought that chapter nine was more than enough time to at least give you all a little something about what his feelings are even though I have many things I want to address yet (like Nina's hands, who she reminds him of, what does he truly think of her) and those will all come in time. I'll leave you to decipher what you think he's feeling so far. I finally got one of his crew mates to talk,the female though I haven't given out her name yet and that's just something to anticipate, though I won't be going with Kati because every other story already has and I don't like to be one in the same. Also, if there are any Les Misérables fans or Moby-Dick fans out there, give a shout out because I love talking about such great old texts in my stories and it is a salute to them.
On a side note, I was very saddened this week by the passing of James Gandolfini. I am a diehard fan of the Sopranos and Tony Soprano was a villainous character any one could always cheer for and I like to give the benefit of the doubt to many other villainous characters like him, so this chapter is dedicated to him.
