I do not own nor profit from Star Trek or Gene Roddenberrys creations.
The air had grown cold again. The leaves that once fluttered green and vibrant, died off in a mystical fashion, falling to the ground waiting to be blown away to their next destination. Janet had barely been in contact after hearing about Khans guilty verdict, but called once in a while to see if Safiya was still alright. Safiya wasn't like her, she couldn't go from man to man, giving herself to them in hopes of finding happiness in them. She had stupidly found some sort of happiness in the one man the world would say she shouldn't have. Janet had surprised Safiya though, when she revealed she was seeing a nurse. A young woman who she met on her last off-planet experience. At least someone was getting loved. As the nights grew colder though, so did she.
It was a long and tiring trip back to Abydos. The tram dropped her off in Cairo. It was hot still, and humid, as the sun still beat high. She wrapped her face in a shawl, and put on visor glasses, mounting a sandcat and making for the high desert. It was a ride she had not made in years. The feel of course fur under her fingers, the pliable leather saddle beneath her, the unmistakable smell of sandcat breath. It took her back, back to days where things were so much easier. Before she knew her dad, before she knew Khan, where she was just a child. The sun was setting, and her surroundings got cooler, as it happened in the desert. Blistering in the day, freezing at night.
The sandcat ran through the night, tireless. That was the main reason why they made the best desert transportation, they could run for days on end without needing rest, they were fast, and were able to conserve the water stored in their bodies. Plus they had excellent night vision so far from the cities. The cat breathed heavily, as it pressed on. Through the night they went, until sun began to break over the far horizon. Her lips were chapped from dusty sand, and her shawl was dirty from travel, but Abydos began to grow on the horizon, and Safiya knew it would not be long now. Her fingers gripped the cats fur as she urged the beast onward.
She rode hard until she was in front of her mothers door, leaving a a cloud in her wake. She left water and food for the cat for it's hard labor, and left it to rest in a shaded area. her mother welcomed her with open arms, holding her child tight, and finally, Safiya broke down. She broke down because she was angry, and then cried because she felt weak. Her mother held her close in the living room, letting her release her tears.
"Mom..." She finally snapped her head up in realization, "I need to see something." She jumped up from her mothers lap and ran to the basement. Her mother followed on her heels. A sigh of relief came over her.
"They arrived one day, I figured you needed them, so they have just been sitting down here." Her mother sighed, seeing her cluttered basement. Safiya stepped gingerly between cryo-tubes she had beamed to her mothers basement. One place she couldn't imagine anybody looking. Especially not the Federation. "I just don't get, honey, how did you do it without him knowing?" Her mother looked down at one of the frozen faces.
Safiya was inspecting one of the tubes for damage. "Well, it wasn't easy, thats for sure." She grunted, getting down onto her hands and knees to look underneath. "It was a difficult task. I decided that if the tubes were ever taken out of the torpedoes, and then beamed somewhere, I would make them default to this location. That way dad wouldn't be able to hide them. Their destination would be untraceable. He would have to keep them in the torpedoes." She rolled over, dusting her knees off.
"Clever, but what do you do now? They won't be able to stay here forever, Safiya, you know this." She sighed. If for any reason, they did suspect this crew to be here in the desert, it would destroy the peace they had enjoyed for millenia.
"I don't need them to stay here forever. But, they will have to stay here for a little while. I need to procur some things first." She sighed. "But rest assured, they will be gone within the week." She stood up, rubbing her moms arm. The two women went back upstairs, as the younger one cast a last glance over the tubes.
Khan had a long time to think. He had been sentanced to death and had nothing to do in his bare cell other than think. No books, no music, no tv, nothing. He didn't even get a blanket for fear of him hanging himself before he could be put to death before an audience. The thought moved him none. He laid on his cot, imagining what it would be like. How would they put him to death? A public hanging, or perhaps a beheading like they did in the old days? A firing squad, quite antique. Or perhaps they would just give him a lethal injection. That perhaps would be most likely. Give him a dose of barbituates and potassium... put him to sleep, then supress his breathing and finally his heart. He smirked at the idea.
Would she show up to his execution? Would she care enough to show her face? Does she still care? He couldnt help but turn his thoughts to her, wondering if she would even be affected by his death. She was probably enjoying her life in London now, moving on. Giving him a passing glance in some distant thought. After distancing himself from her, he couldn't blame her for not wanting any thought of him. He had said more cruel things to her before they reached earth, and even more as he was apprehended. He could see her heart breaking, and though he hated it, he knew it would be for the best. She would move on, be happy with someone else hopefully, and would forget about everything they had. Did it hurt him? Of course. He loved her, he would have done anything for her, but his rage blinded him. She stole away the one thing his mind had been bent on, and it made it easy for him to turn her away. But the anger had since passed, and quite unexpectedly, remorse took its place.
The image of her naked body beneath him, begging for him filled his mind. How she had been so submissive to his wants and desires, how he had been so submissive to hers. She wanted to give herself all to him. The more he thought about her large green eyes holding his gaze as he released into her, the more he longed to see her, at least one more time. Love her like a monster, one last time. He dreamt all the time, of her in his lap, riding him as his lips trailed across her breasts, or of her legs wrapped around his hips as he took her in the shower, the water cascading down her body made her look heavenly in his eyes. He thought back to that first night. Her lilac dress on the floor, and her openness with him. Of all people, of all criminals, of all dangerous things to fall into, he was the one who crossed her path. But she wanted him, she had made it clear, asking him to take her body before she changed her mind. She was bold in that moment, and he happily obliged to be her first.
He remembered the last time as well. The way she rode his face. The thought was so real, he could taste her on his lips, and he shuddered. He longed to make love to her body once more, but would have to settle on his thoughts. He only had two more weeks to be with those desires anyways, and it would all be over, the pain would finally be gone.
The bottom of her long black coat dusted behind her as she entered the warehouse. Her face was covered in the traditional shawls of her people, as she walked through the large room. Her footsteps echoed through the expanse. At the far end, a tall figure stepped from the shadow and waited for her approach. She had her hands in her pockets, as she walked briskly. She looked upon the mans alien features as he greeted her. He spoke common tongue well enough.
"Cyan Tracks, I presume."
She tilted her head in greeting. "Good evening." She spoke in her most sultry voice.
"The evening will be good, you bring what you say you will?"
"I have a sample, and if I like the ship, then I will give you the rest." She held his gaze, her icy blue eyes not faltering from his. He glanced over the information she uploaded to his PADD.
"Come, see and look." The alien motioned for her to follow him. They stepped through the far door. The metal slammed behind them as she looked over a giant starship. "The USS Bradburys prototype. It was brought to working." He wheezed in excitement.
"And, you would give me this... Simply for these files?" She arched her brow.
"Earths defense systems, black mail, black mail!" He was laughing. "I could crush with this information. Personnel files, alias', every spy on planets would be exposed and killed." He clapped his hands excitedly, then saw the look on his buyers face. "Except you... of course." He said smoothly.
"Tell me... Does it fly? Is the warp core intact and operating? Is transport operational?"
"Yes, yes and yes. I fly it here to you. It works." His lizardlike features drawn as he was antsy.
"Then it would be no problem to show me." She pressed. "Otherwise, I don't think the word of a neophyte black market trader is enough to convince me that even this is worthy of these files." He was angry now. This was the biggest haul he had ever gotten, but the people he worked for wanted... No, needed those files. This was the sweetest thing they could offer in order to get them. She was right that he was new, this was his first major transaction, and his nervousness was dripping off of him. She walked away. She was halfway through the warehouse when she heard his shrieking.
"WAAAAAIIIIITTTT!" He ran back to her. "It flies, but I fly it." He hissed finally.
And fly, it did.
As soon as they touched back down behind the warehouse, they stepped out of the craft.
"You register this ship to me, and this is all yours." She held up a memory stick of all the things he desired. With quickness, he pulled out a PADD, and brought up a page to the title of the starship. Without thinking, he signed it off, handing it to her so she could do the same. Once she signed it, she sent it off to make it permanent, and handed him the data stick.
"Whatever you do with it, enjoy." She smirked beneath her shawl before re-entering the starship, and taking it into orbit. Quickly, she pulled out her own PADD, and began searching its systems for hidden codes and overrides.
"Naughty naughty." she smirked, deactivating a deadswitch. Anything on that ship that was not designed to be on that ship, or rather, that was installed by the black market gangs, had been wiped. Tracers and inhibitors mostly. She had been working for hours upon hours in orbit, in the dim lighting when she was hailed.
On the screen was the lizard she had made the deal with. He was badly beaten, tied to a chair. "Y-You tricked! Tricked!" He cried, his head lolling to the side. "Blank! Files of nothing! Files of blankness!" A hand lashed out, punching him across the face.
"Please, you didn't think I would actually just hand over Star Fleets secrets, did you? Perhaps, the next time you go making deals, you make sure the product you are getting is qenuine and of good quality." She paced, her hands behind her back.
"We expect our merchandise BACK!" Another lizard stepped into view now. This one had short horns on his crown, with red and brown scales, as opposed to the black and greens ones of the lizard who made the transaction. "You have no idea who you are messing with, girl. Return the ship, and may decide not to kill you."
"You wouldn't be able to even if you tried." She glowered. "You have no idea how dangerous I can be when given the opportunity. Take this as a lesson, Ek'neth to see me yourself next time. Don't send your peons. The loss of your prototype will be a lasting lesson I am sure. I will take it as payment for having to deal with your lackey." She ended the transmission, knowing that Ek'neth would kill the one who made the deal. That was not her concern now.
It was three days to get the ship working to where she wanted it. Most of the programs she installed were the same ones that she installed on the Vengeance once upon a time ago. Of course, after having already done it, it was so much easier to to do. On the fourth day, she boarded her company.
"Oh, this is lovely, Safiya." Her mother walked through the halls of the Bradbury 2, getting a tour of the ship that still smelled brand new. "Well, I suppose it will be homely enough." She smiled. "I'll need to make you some food for your replicator." She clapped her hands, thinking of ways to make her childs ship more comfortable.
"Well momma, I hope it will be good and well enough." She sighed. "I don't know when I am coming home next momma." She turned and looked her mother in the eye. She didn't know when she would be back. She was waiting for now, she had only a few more days before Khans execution, and there was still so much to do.
Ain didn't stay on board any longer than she had to, having never been used to leaving her home. She set to reviving two of the cryotubes. If her plan were to work, she would need someone who knew Khan even better than she.
Two augments sat before her in the medical bay. She revived a doctor, Gavin, and a pilot, Essex. Their vitals were stunning after being cold for so long.
"What are you doing here? This isn't is our ship." Essex looked around.
She stepped back. "You are no longer on board the SS Botany Bay. You are on board the SS Bradbury 2. I run this ship. You are not prisoners, however I require your assistance." She sat down on another biobed and told them the basic story. Everything from Khan to them waking up. Their features were livid, hearing of their prince in captivity, doomed to die.
"We must go down and get him." Gavin jumped up.
"No, you cannot. However, I can. I need you two here, if you will please, help me." Her eyes begged as she looked between the two men. They looked at each other, and then back to her. Gavins brown eyes and Essexs yellow ones sized her up. She was not the same type of human they had encountered the last time they were awake. She wanted to help their prince, not destroy him, as they had wanted to do years before.
"What was your plan?" The doctor moved in closer, as they went over details, Gavin and Essex interjecting their own ideas for the efficiency of the rescue. Safiya wasn't sure how well it would work, and what they decided on was extremely dangerous for Khan. It would require quick acting, but if it went off without a hitch, they would off scott free.