A/N: Hello all! I cooked this one up a little faster than the last few chapters, so I'm glad about that. Honestly I'm eager to push on to Chapter 11, but I do have other things to work on, but well see what happens. Dialog ahead! Usual disclaimer. I own nothing but the folks I dreamed up!

Chapter 10: Advice

The Finch was under stocked. Given the scout ship was scheduled out of service temporarily, there was no need to have its stores filled for extended missions. What that meant was no potable water, no food slot cards and more immediately, reduced medical supplies. As he surveyed the dismal scene, Aakar did not need to wonder long on why Khan had selected him over so many others to be revived. Of the original eighty-four, he was as close to a full-fledged physician as any of them had been. While he did not have standard medical training, he had taken enough courses to be rendered competent with stitches and regular needle syringes. But that was centuries ago. All these new things, in this new time…how was he supposed to master these 'modern' tools when he was introduced to his first hypo-syringe mere hours ago? The middle-eastern man sighed. Regardless of how competent he was or wasn't in his skillset, he was expected to play doctor and be damn successful. Lucky for them they healed fast.

"Kahn."

Aakar had sought his leader, whom he found sitting at the Finch's helm, staring at the star-spackled view-screen. Though Kahn did not turn to face Aakar, the man tilted his head only enough to show the other Augment had his attention. "Forgive the unpleasant nature of my briefing, but we have very little in the way of provisions—and that does include infirmary stores. The majority of our medical supplies are located within the six emergency kits throughout the Finch. And…we have no food, or at least, not any that I can see."

Khan remained silent.

Brow furrowing, Aakar hesitated in speaking further, but as the seconds wore on with no response, he found himself questioning the extended silence. "…Sir?"

"And is this a problem Aakar?" Khan's voice came low, but subdued still, no doubt a consequence of his bodily damage that had improved only slightly since the shuttle from Earth.

"Well," Aakar ventured, not entirely sure what to make of Khan's reply. "I'd like to say no, but sir, our people are not fully healed and you, you have been seriously injured Khan…"

"Your observation is noted, but I assure you I will be fine."

"…Khan, I must insist-"

"Will that be all Aakar?" The senior of the two queried dismissively, wondering if Aakar really dared to continue.

"No, Khan," the other man relented before turning to leave. Nearly off the ship's small bridge, Aakar would offer a comment while departing. "My concern sir is for your wellbeing…we need you." And then he was gone, doors sliding open and shutting quietly behind him. Alone once more, Khan's blue-grey eyes fell upon the various instruments and readouts that indicated course and location, but not destination. The pain in his chest was immense and Aakar's report, as necessary as it was, did nothing to lift Khan's befouled mood. The discomfort he could deal with, he was no stranger to it, but the idea of the lot of them starving to death was a daunting one. Not that he'd let such a thing happen. They had all come too far to be felled by such minor setbacks. While it would have been nothing to raid a simple outpost for everything they needed, Khan was much too aware that every Starfleet and greater Federation presence in Sol's system was likely on to them and searching. That so, the reality only left for two options, storm an outpost right away and tempt the unlikelihood of not running into trouble, or leave the system altogether and hope for the best somewhere else. While the preferred choice seemed obvious, they could only get so far without any damn water.

But that was not Khan's only worry.

For the longest, the chief Augment's primary concern was the safe recovery of his crew. He had gone through so much and paid more than his share only to have his best intentions thwarted almost completely…repeatedly. Yes he had to plan for the next step, scheme to stay ahead of his enemies, but when would he finally have the time to mourn his situation properly? Though Khan Noonien Singh seldom fell victim to bouts of self-pity, it was not in his nature, Aakar's departing words were like an albatross about his neck. It was often too easy for Kahn to lose himself in the need to lead his people, now and as in the days of his near imperial reign-blind nearly to all else. Their welfare was and had always been his responsibility—and in so, it escaped him at times that his people felt they had a responsibility to him. And not just for following his orders. Indeed, what good would he be to them dead or otherwise indisposed? Arrogance aside, they truly did need him. There, in the vastness of space and in a vessel advanced beyond their immediate comprehension, for his people to lose him now could spell certain doom for the ones he knew he could still save.

Khan moved a hand to the wound on his chest, grimacing hard at the fire of his touch. No doubt he had aggravated the worst of his injuries and the news of sparse medical supplies was not encouraging. He was torn. Did he risk the health of his followers further by attempting a raid, or did he just get the hell out of Sol and cross his fucking fingers? No, no he couldn't do that. There were three overall goals threading through his sharp mind; recover the rest of his Augments, find a new home where they could thrive in peace, and exact final vengeance on the Enterprise…and not necessarily in that order. None of it could be done if they died of thirst or starvation before finding other viable resources. At once Khan began to scan for low-manpowered posts. One of the pluses of hijacking a scout ship was that everything was optimized for investigation. If they were going to steal a proper battery of items for nine, the Finch certainly was their best option for success.

The squeals of the two women could be heard up and down the hall as they loped out of the science labs toward the turbolift. "Oh my gosh, this ring of yours is positively exquisite! You are sooo lucky!" Carol gushed as the turbolift doors hissed closed before them. "I told you he'd get you a ring…and to think you were doubtful!" The blonde grinned widely.

"I was not!"

"You were so!"

"Ah, either way, this is insane!" Uhura exclaimed, gesticulating excitedly. "I'm comming my mother tonight so she can get a load of this thing, she'd not gunna believe it!"

Zipping into the mess hall, Uhura elected to treat herself to a thick slice of tiramisu while Carol indulged in a triple chocolate milkshake complete with cherry and whipped cream. Slipping into a corner booth, the two women continued their spritely conversation. "So how'd he do it?" Carol questioned eagerly. "Did he get down on a knee, or did he serenade you? Come on girl, tell it all!"

Uhura launched a beaming smile and giggled as she waved the other woman off. "Please, I might've died if he had! No, none of that, but he was super sweet. He held me close and said the ring was an avowal to show everyone that I was spoken for," Uhura recounted in a comically dramatic voice, hugging her arms as she did so.

"Oh really? Spoken for he said?"

"Yes ma'am he did!"

"Oh my, my, all these blokes better watch out now, hard as it'll be…you are a stunning thing you know."

Uhura couldn't help but blush behind the comment. "Well, do try to look my best, but this ring is like magic guy repellant. You can see it from a mile away I swear."

"Let me see it closer," Carol urged reaching for Uhura's hand. Taking the woman's slender digits into her own, Carol inspected the gemstone further.

"Good gracious, is it actually glowing?"

"Yes! Isn't it insane?"

"Well I'll be damned…it looks like a diamond you know."

"Yeah, that's what I thought too when I first saw it, but of course when it started shining its own light…"

Carol released Uhura's hand and folded her arms over, a playful sneer on her face. "I'm totally jealous Miss Uhura. I just wanted you to know that. You're smart and gorgeous, you have a catch of a Vulcan and a rock that's going to go down in history. I tell you Uhura, you're going to be the envy of this whole bloody ship!" Of course these exclamations of Carol only made Nyota blush harder.

"Oh stop it! I'm supposed to be modest you know?"

"Bullocks! Someone's got to toot your horn, so it might as well be me," Carol informed with a heavy degree of pride.

"Alright Carol, have it your way."

"I will thank you!" The woman added with a grin before sipping on her shake. "So, what are you going to do? Please tell me you have a date now."

"Nope. Hadn't gotten that far."

The blonde's face fell. "Well, alright, if no date, do you at least know where you want to get married at?"

"Eh, I don't know," Uhura shrugged absentmindedly. "I would have wanted Earth, but it's entirely possible that he might want to have a ceremony on New Vulcan. Or depending, we could just end up doing it here on the ship. Like I said, I really didn't want to wait five whole years to do this…so I'm thinking it'll just be on the Enterprise…"

"Or maybe some exotic planet?" Carol offered.

"Maybe."

"Okay, so, what about kids?"

"Geez Carol, can we get to the wedding first before you shove me down the aisle eight months pregnant?"

"But you'd make a beautiful mommy bride!"

"Ha! No."

"Fine. But you are going to have children right?"

"Gosh I don't know. Probably?"

"I'm sure you will, but let's talk about your dress, are you thinking something more traditional, or contemporary?"

"Oh my god Carol, I don't know!"

"Well you had better figure it out missy! If you say you aren't going to wait five years, these are things you're going to have to consider! Is it going to be small and intimate, or is it going to be a giant party? Bridesmaids, cakes, flower arrangements, location, your hair, the dress…all these things go into planning a wedding m'dear. It's a lot yes but don't worry, Carol Marcus, Wedding Planner Extraordinaire, is at your service!"

"…my hero."

"So, how did it go?"

"I trust you are referring to the presentation of Lieutenant Uhura's ring?"

"Yeah, what else could I be talking about?"

At once Spock sucked in a bit of breath to respond, but Kirk already had his hand up to stop him. "No, don't answer that."

Somewhat confused, the Vulcan appeared as though he did not know how to continue, finally settling on answering his friend's initial question. "It went very well. Nyota seemed most happy."

"Awesome," Kirk grinned. "So, did you guys discuss any plans for a possible ceremony?"

"No. I at present am not sure what Nyota would like to do. She has not indicated to me if she wished to have a human ceremony or a Vulcan one…at this point though, I am inclined to leave the decision up to her."

Jim nodded. "That's probably a good idea, cause nine times outta ten, she's probably gunna call all the shots anyway. It'll make things easier on you in the long run anyhow. My recommendation? Just nod and go along with whatever she says, it'll save a lot of headache. Trust me on this Spock, women transform into strange and frightening creatures once they get into wedding mode. I've seen it…and it ain't pretty."

To this Spock gave over an almost baffled expression. "I am not sure I understand…"

"And you probably never will, but that's okay because no man in this universe is going to hold that against you. Talk to Bones. Yeah he might have gotten a divorce, but he has been a groom at least once in his life, so maybe he can give you some pointers."

"Do you believe that the Doctor would be willing to recount his wedding preparations given that his marriage ultimately ended in failure?"

"Good grief Spock," Jim admonished, "first off, you won't know until you ask. Second, whatever you do, don't bring up the whole failed marriage bit when you talk to him! You want him to give you advice, not turn you off from getting hitched when he starts bemoaning that awful backstory of his."

"I see."

"Uh huh. And definitely talk to Uhura too. As I understand it, weddings are supposed to be about compromise—or at least that's how its been on Earth in the last few hundred years. Be sure to take notes…you'll need them to help root through your fiancée's scattered wedding-brain."

"Duly noted."

Leonard McCoy was in the midst of preparing a traditional cuba libre for himself when his door alarm chimed. A curious brow shot up as he turned toward the door, wondering who'd be coming to see him besides Kirk. He certainly wasn't expecting anyone. "Who is it?"

"Commander Spock."

"The hell?" Leonard mumbled in genuine surprise. "Yeah, come in."

In short order Spock was across the doctor's threshold, hands clasped behind his back in standard Vulcan posture. "Greetings Doctor, I do hope I am not interrupting."

Leonard only glanced back at his still empty glass and the extremely large bottle of Captain Morgan on his table (it did have to last as long as possible). "Nah not really. So please, to what do I owe the pleasure of this most unexpected visit Mister Spock?"

"It was suggested to me by the Captain that I ask your insight on the matter concerning wedding ceremonies."

Leonard was silent for a second as his brain struggled to dissect what the Vulcan had just told him. "Wait…what? Hold on now…did you just say wedding ceremonies?"

"Affirmative."

"As in…whose? Yours?"

"…Yes."

"Well I'll be good and goddamned," McCoy announced to the air with a roll of his eyes as he turned back to his rum, ice cubes and waiting decanter of coke, mixing the drink more quickly than he might have otherwise.

"Is there something the matter?"

"The matter? Now what could possibly be the matter? Maybe it could be a Vulcan of all beings coming to a human divorcee for insight on a wedding? Oh how the cosmic turn begins!" He stirred his drink with a finger and took a large swig.

"Pardon me, but it seems I have offended you," Spock replied stiffly. "Please disregard Doctor, I shall take my leave…."

"Oh stop it," Leonard said flatly with a wave of a hand. "Hava seat." When Spock was slow to move, the man was insistent. "Well go on, sit down." Finding the doctor's couch the closest piece of furniture, Spock sat and waited for McCoy to join him. "You wanna drink?"

"No thank you Doctor."

"You say that now."

"I'm sorry?"

"Never mind. Okay so, you'll have to excuse me for being a little surprised. The idea of you getting married is a bit of a shocker…I'm tryin' to wrap my head around it. Its still Uhura right, or did that change between castoff and now?"

"No Doctor, it is still Lieutenant Uhura. I have successfully requested her hand in marriage and have given her a ring. Considering I am admittedly ignorant to the nuances of human nuptials past this point, you are the individual I am most comfortable asking."

"I'm flattered," McCoy replied unconvincingly. "Judging by what you're tellin', I'll assume that you are gunna opt for a human styled wedding?"

"That was my intention, though I have yet to confirm this with Lieutenant Uhura."

"What? Okay then if you haven't talked to your own fiancée yet, why are you talkin' ta me?"

"Because I understand that human women are prone to bouts of pathos and hysteria when planning such significant life events. I simply wish to be prepared for as many outcomes as possible."

Leonard only looked at him. "If your ears weren't so pointed I'd say you weren't doin' nothin' but ice-skatin' uphill, but since you have no clue what you're talkin' about, I'll cut ya some slack. Look. This is one of those things you can't just…throw logic, at as backwards as that may sound. No matter how hard you try, the shit won't stick. My best advice to you Spock is go with the damn flow, cause let me tell ya, that is a wild and dangerous river you're about to embark on my friend. Now Uhura's a good woman, but even the most level-headed dames can flip ah script on ya in a heartbeat if they don't like the way things are goin'. All I can say is that when she's happy, you'll be happy. But just remember, it's your wedding too so if you wanna preserve a bit of dignity, bargain early an' be consistent. You'll be glad you did."

"…Interesting."

"You have no idea."

As irony was oft to have it, Khan's long range scans for a suitable outpost to victimize found only one…Jupiter Outpost 92. Close enough to their current location to access easily but far enough away that no one would be able to assist the outpost once the attack began, the small space station was something of a godsend. Yet the Augment scowled. For months he had been forced to remain out there in Jupiter's system, a prisoner of the covert Io Facility; his task: oversee the design and construction of the USS Vengeance. But that was another time. The Facility, according to his readouts, was all but abandoned and more importantly, on the opposite side of the gas giant. Just the same, the fact that Jupiter Outpost 92 and the near deserted Io Facility were in such close proximity gave Khan a promising idea. But no sense in putting the cart before the horse. Lurking just behind Ganymede, Kahn brought the ship to a halt and assembled his crew.

"As you all may or may not know, we are bereft of supplies and other necessary provisions to make our voyage through space an agreeable one. I have brought us to the Jovian system in order to pillage a small outpost stationed here. Jupiter Outpost 92 is staffed by six individuals. It is entirely possible they by now have been alerted to our departure from Earth and subsequent acquisition of the Finch. Either way, I suspect them to have potable water and essential foodstuffs adequate for our numbers. We will hit them fast and hard, leaving ideally no survivors. We shall load the ship and proceed with our next course of action. All of you are to arm yourselves; all of you are to go. I shall remain aboard to intercept those who might happen upon our activities. This mission should not take more than seventeen minutes so please endeavor to be efficient. You will deploy in two teams of four; Lilith, you will lead Oren, Aakar and Sven—find the items we need and get them back to the Finch. Roe, you shall lead Devindar, Kaida and Aavai; locate the outpost personnel and dispatch them. Loot anything that appears of value and provide additional support to Lilith's team should they need it. Are there any among you that does not understand his or her orders?"

"No Khan!"

"Good. Prepare for deployment in five minutes."

Khan would watch as his people come-space pirates readied themselves for their third incursion since their revival earlier that morning. Once they were out of sight, he returned to his seat at the helm of the Finch, feeding coordinates to the transporter pad while divining the best place to beam them for optimal mission completion. As his fingers flew over the blinking station, a stitch of white hot agony rode the nerves up and down the afflicted side of his body. Khan felt himself jerk once in a seizure-like fashion, electing only greater pain from an entire half of his person. Suddenly in traction, Khan could only wait for the wave of blinding spasms to pass before he could resume his very important task of initiating the attack on the Jovian outpost. At one point holding his breath, the Augment pressed his fingers into the dress that covered the charred flesh and ribs of his pulse-rifle wound, nearly drawing blood from how hard his bit his lip. Pulling his fingers away, he found fluid on the tips. Seepage.

Immediately Khan was forced to stifle the substantial nausea that precipitously overtook him. He'd vomit much needed nutrients later…his people were ready to work and were counting on him to press the damn button. In a few short moments the Finch was in transporter range…the outpost still unaware of what was about to befall them. Khan's deep voice echoed through the small ship as his crew stood upon the pad, listening to the countdown. "Transport in three…two…one…mark." The shine of fantastic light enveloped the group, spiriting them away for the murder they would commit in their leader's name. In the meantime Khan would simply try to breath normally, the taste of coppery fumes filling his mouth once more.

A/N: Do please tell me what y'all thing so far...I thing its coming together nicely, but you guys know how to keep a girl humble-so be honest! Thanks for all the follows/faves/alerts and reviews, they really are a major motivator and part of the reason I was able to churn out this chapter so quickly :) Till next time!