A/N: Warning: Significant character death. Thanks to everyone who read/reviewed this story. It's been a blast!
Chapter Ten: A Change of Heart
By the time Khan and Marla reached the bombing site, the 'revolution' seemed to be mostly over. Rebel colonists, including their former leader Martin Canterbury lay unconscious next to their banners that read such things as, 'Paladin Go Home!', 'No Tyrants Allowed!', and 'Khan Unfair to Colonists!' It would have been laughable if it were not so pathetic. Even the bombs, made from fertilizer, did little damage beyond blowing out a few windows.
"What are you going to do with them?" Marla asked.
"Lock them up," Khan replied.
Otto approached them. "It seems a total of 43 colonist were involved. Only a few of them had weapons. Most were holding those signs."
"But you fired on them anyway?" Marla said in an accusatory tone.
"We stunned them to prevent them injuring themselves," Otto explained.
"You talk about them as if they're children."
"They are children," Otto snapped uncharacteristically. "You know I am fond of you Marla, but you lack our understanding."
She put her hands up in surprise. "I don't know what happened between you and Valentine, but kindly don't take it out on me!"
"Stop it, both of you! Otto have the rebels restrained and taken to the detention center." Khan walked away leaving Marla wondering why she was still holding a disruptor.
"Here, I don't want this." Otto took it and stuffed it in the back of his trousers, then embraced his friend.
"I am sorry for being cross with you, Pet."
"Perhaps you can work things out with Valentine," Marla replied. "Though she doesn't look like she's in a mood to listen. Good luck."
Marla ran to catch up with Khan, leaving Otto to face a panicked Valentine. At least her uncle was starting rouse. She ran past Otto to kneel at her uncle's side. "Uncle Martin," she cried. "Are you all right?"
"He's under arrest," said Christoph as he pulled Martin to his feet.
"For defending his home?" Valentine replied angrily. "Then arrest me too!"
"Christoph, I will take care of them," Otto said quietly. The Augment guard released Martin and helped round up the other rebels.
Otto took them both by the arm and led them away from the scene. When they were out of sight Otto released them. "Go home and stay there, both of you."
Martin and Valentine looked at each other in confusion. "What will happen to the others?"
"They will be detained until Khan decides what to do with them."
"I can't just leave them." Martin put out his hands. "Arrest me."
Valentine put her hands out as well. "If you're going to arrest him then arrest me too!"
Otto stared at them in amazement, then shook his head and started to laugh. "I am beginning to understand how Marla can drive Khan halfway to madness at times."
"Just arrest me, I was one of the ringleaders," Martin pleaded. "Valentine had nothing to do with it."
"I do not wish to arrest either of you, but I understand it is a matter of honor." Otto placed the cuffs loosely around Martin's wrists.
"Please don't let anything happen to him," Valentine whispered.
"I will do everything in my power to prevent that, I promise."
"I'm sorry I told you to piss off," she added.
Otto touched her cheek. "I am loyal to Khan first and foremost, but I see no reason why I cannot be your friend as well."
Martin attempted to pull the handsome Augment away from his niece. "Let's go before they start wondering where we got to."
With a final glance at Valentine Otto led Martin to the detention center.
The next day Khan ordered his senior officers to HQ to discuss the fate of the rebel colonists. Joachim immediately wondered why he had been called away from the bridge of The Paladin for so simple a problem. "Why not exterminate all of these inferior beings and have done with it?"
"Because some of the colonists are actually useful," said Etienne, the chief engineer. "I say we publicly execute the ringleaders and send a very clear message to the others."
Otto was alarmed by this suggestion, but it was Marla who openly objected to it. "No one got hurt, even the bombs where designed to just make noise, not kill. These colonists feel powerless and were using a very ancient form of non-violent protest to make their feelings known. If you start killing them they will become violent because you will have shown them that's all you understand. I beg you to use your superior intellects to solve this without violence."
Khan turned to his first officer. "Surely you have an opinion, Otto."
"I realize we must do something to prevent future insurrections, but I agree with Marla. Surely we can find another way."
Khan considered the advice of his crew. "I agree that an example must be made of the rebels, otherwise we will dealing with these 'harmless' insurrections indefinitely."
"Khan, please reconsider," Marla pleaded.
He turned on her angrily. "I did it your way and look where it's gotten us. I warned them and still they defied me!" He then addressed the rest of his officers. "Tomorrow morning in front of HQ. I want all the colonists present to witness it."
The crewmembers filed out leaving only Khan, Marla, and Otto.
"May I make a suggestion?" Otto asked.
Khan nodded.
"Exile them."
"Where?"
Otto went to the computer and brought up a large hologram of the planet. "Here we are in the south." He turned the globe and pointed out a valley in the frozen northern hemisphere. "The climate is harsh, but there is water-ice, actually-and plenty of natural resources, though it will not be easy to exploit them. The rebels could be resettled here. The difficult terrain and the harshness of the climate will make in necessary for them to focus solely on their own survival. They will not have the time or the resources to harass us. Your point will be made to the other colonist and you will have rid yourself of the insurrectionists."
"That's a wonderful idea, Otto!" Marla said happily.
Khan was intrigued by Otto's plan, but saw one glaring problem. "I can't leave them to their own devices. Who will make certain they stay put?"
"One of us will have to act as overseer," Otto replied.
Khan raised an eyebrow. "And you will volunteer for this onerous task?"
"If you see fit to assign me that duty."
"If it were anyone else I'd say you were trying to grab power, but not you." Khan's words were friendly enough, but Otto could see the growing anger in his eyes. "Always the peacemaker, Otto. I admired your ability to encourage cooler heads to prevail, but now I see that your sentimental heart is split in two. Do you think I don't know what you tried to do last night?"
Otto looked alarmed but remained silent.
Khan turned to Marla. "You would have been proud. That Valentine woman came crying to him and he let her uncle go."
"That is not what happened," Otto protested.
"Fortunately for Otto, Martin Canterbury has some loyalty to his fellows and demanded to be taken into custody." Khan spun on Otto and grabbed his first officer by the throat.
Marla attempted to pull Khan away from him. "Please let him go!"
"I trusted you, I loved like a brother and you betray me for a woman!"
"You are wrong," Otto protested. "I never betrayed you. I still love you as my brother and my king. The only crime I am guilty of is being weary of death."
Khan pushed Otto away from him. "Don't test me again, brother! You will not find me so forgiving next time."
After Otto left, Khan felt suddenly fatigued. Taking Marla by the hand they retired to his quarters. Marla lay down on the bed while Khan retrieved a wooden box from his dresser, then sat down next to her. "I have asked you this before but I need to hear your answer again," he said, stroking her hair. "Do you still love me, all that I am?"
She took his hand and kissed it. "With all my heart, but I can't pretend it doesn't take its toll on me."
"My dearest Marla, there are three things I must ask of you. First, I want you to become one of us, strong, long-lived, and impervious to disease. I wish to begin the process immediately."
She sat up and met his eyes, but did not seem surprised by the request. "What if it changes me? What if I wake up one morning and have the uncontrollable urge to rule the world?"
Khan laughed. "I'm not overly concerned, you're not an impressionable child as I was."
"I'm going to have to think about that for a minute," she replied. "What's the second thing?"
He placed the wooden box between them and opened it. Inside were two rings, one a simple, but elegant diamond solitaire, the other a large, plain titanium band. "Be my wife."
That did surprise her; it was several moments before she could respond. "I suppose if I agree to the second thing I'll have to agree to the first thing in order to survive being married to you."
He grinned. "Is that a 'yes'?"
Marla's eyes welled with tears; she nodded and threw her arms around his neck. Khan held her tightly, then placed the diamond engagement ring on the forth finger of her right hand. He prompted her to do the same for him as was traditional in his culture.
As much as he wanted to make love to his bride-to-be, there was one last thing he needed to ask her. "The third thing is that I need you to forgive me for what I have to do tomorrow. You must understand that not only do I have to send a message to these colonists, I must demonstrate my resolve to our own people."
In reply, a tearful Marla kissed him, then pulled him down on top of her. For a time his beloved helped him forget the unpleasant task that awaited him.
The next morning, per Khan's orders the Augments made certain every colonist was in attendance whether they wanted to be or not. As soon as the colonists were gathered in front of headquarters, the 43 prisoners were marched out to face Khan.
He looked over at Marla who stood to one side next to Etienne. After only one injection she already looked stronger. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Valentine Canterbury push her way through the crowd until she was stopped by Otto. He whispered something to her then turned his attention back to the proceedings.
"These 43 men and women stand accused of sedition and insurrection," Khan began. "You were all warned that any act of rebellion would be met with the harshest punishment. You brought this on yourselves. Who speaks for you?"
"I do." As Khan anticipated Martin Canterbury stepped forward. "I take full responsibility for the entire incident. It was my idea."
Khan knew he was lying, but admired the man's loyalty to his comrades. "Mr. Canterbury, I have come to respect you, but I told you there would be no second chances. An example must be made." Khan took the man by the hair and pulled his head back exposing his neck. He drew the kirpan he had tucked into the back of his trousers and slit the man's throat in one smooth motion. His strike was so quick and deep Canterbury was dead before he hit the ground. Covered in the man's blood, Khan regarded the horrified faces of the colonists with grim satisfaction.
In the distance he heard Canterbury's niece scream. Otto caught her in his arms to keep her from collapsing to the ground.
Khan wiped the blade on his trousers, then once again addressed the crowd. "Look and remember, everyone of you!" He turned to the 42 remaining rebels. "The rest of you will be exiled to a frozen hell on the other side of this planet. Consider yourselves fortunate that you will not meet the same fate as your leader."
With a nod he told the guards to disperse the crowd and lock up the rebels until Otto could complete the arrangements for their exile. Khan agreed to Otto's request to oversee the rebel humans because he trusted his first officer implicitly, despite the younger Augment's recent lapses in judgment.
Marla appeared at his side and took his hand. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up."
"'What, will these hands ne'er be clean?'" he said, quoting Shakespeare's Lady Macbeth.
"You did what you had to do," Marla said with a strained expression.
Taking her chin in his hand, Khan looked deeply into her eyes. "For your sake I hope I never have to do it again."
The next morning Otto finished gathering supplies for the new colony and had them beamed to the settlement site. With Etienne's help he constructed several temporary shelters and supply huts. It would be up to the rebels to build the rest of their new home.
Khan called it a frozen hell, but Otto liked the forbidding wildness of it. True it was harsh and unforgiving, but it reminded him of winter in the Bavarian Alps. There was a stark beauty about it to which he could easily become accustomed. It was unfortunate that he could not share it with Valentine.
That night, Otto returned to the colony in time for Martin Canterbury's funeral. When he arrived the ceremony had just gotten underway. When they saw him approach, several of the colonists barred his way.
"We can't even bury our dead without being harassed by you people," said the one called Anderson, still bruised from being beaten senseless by Khan.
"I did not come to harass you," Otto said sincerely. "I came to pay my respects."
"It's all right," Valentine said as she held out her hand to him. "He tried to help my uncle and for that I'm very grateful." Otto stood by Valentine's side as they buried her only family. After the funeral Otto accompanied Valentine to her quarters and stayed with her so she would not be alone.
"When do you leave?" she asked him.
"Tomorrow," he replied. "The Paladin will transport us there after breakfast. The supplies are already there and I have set up temporary shelters—"
"I want to go with you," Valentine announced abruptly. "I can't bear to stay here any longer."
Otto kissed her forehead tenderly. "I would like that very much, but it is not in my power to give you leave to do so."
On the morning the rebels were to be exiled, Khan had just settled at his desk when Olivia came into his office. "What is it?" he said irritably.
"One of the colonists—the Canterbury girl is here to see you. I searched her thoroughly and found no weapons on her."
Khan sighed heavily. "Send her in."
Valentine Canterbury took a chair opposite Khan's desk, but refused to look at him. "What do you want?"
"I have a request," she whispered.
"Then you will look me in the eye and state it quickly," Khan said impatiently. "I have work to do."
With considerable effort Valentine turned to gaze at the man who had butchered her uncle just two days before. "I don't want to stay here anymore. I want to go north with the rebels."
Khan snorted. "With Otto, you mean."
She nodded. "Please, I can't bear the thought of never seeing him again."
"He cares for you, though I have no idea why. I question whether you are worthy of him," Khan said cruelly. "The rebels are not going on holiday, they will be fighting for their very survival. The last thing Otto needs is some silly girl distracting him from his duties. You've done enough damage to his career as it is!"
"I never meant to—I love him!"
The tears Khan had expected from the girl finally began to flow and it annoyed him further. He was just about to refuse her request and order her out of his office when Marla appeared in the doorway. She was obviously surprised and concerned to see a tearful Miss Canterbury in his office, but did not interrupt, disappearing into the corridor.
"Your request is granted," Khan said, his voice catching in his throat. "Stop crying, you only have two hours before they leave."
The confused girl wiped her eyes and nodded, then ran out of his office.
He didn't do it for Valentine Canterbury; he certainly didn't do for Otto. He suspected his first officer's life would be far less complicated without that woman underfoot.
Khan had granted the young woman's request so that he could see the joyful smile on Marla's face when he told her he had done so. Perhaps this small act of kindness would lift just a little bit of that heavy burden he had placed upon his beloved's shoulders.
The End
A/N: Though it's sad to see this story end I have started another story for you Sherlock/BC fans you might want to check out: "The Case of the Imperfect Beauty", a Sherlock/Frankenstein crossover. I recently saw Benedict as the Creature in the National Theatre Live production of Frankenstein and was inspired by his amazing performance.