Guy wants some love, Saint Walker makes a friend, Khan and Jaylah bond over flying and a kitten, and we get an Aya/Enterprise moment.
Chapter Tesha!
After a tiring day, everyone had decided to take some rest. Uhura and Ferris were happily chatting on a bench. "And there was that one time Sinestro challenged me to a death-defying duel, and..." Ferris giggled. (Reference to my other work Fight For Your Life, Thaal Sinestro)
"So did you win?" asked Uhura.
"Actually, I didn't." Ferris replied. "It's a funny story. Trust me, you'll be mind-blown when you get to know all the details. Now that I look back at it, I was such a big fat jerk back then. And, by the way...don't tell Monty."
Suddenly, an orange light landed on front of them in the shape of a Romulan. "Hey, Starfleet, glad to see you again." she said. "And your friend, too."
"Shiarrael?" asked Uhura.
"Yes, it's me." replied Shiarrael. "The Star Empire took everything in and agreed to aid you feds. The Klingons, not so much!"
Uhura groaned. "Out of all the officers, why did it have to be you?"
"I have no idea." the Orange Lantern shrugged. "I suppose...they just wanted me gone, considering what Senator Decius did to the entire Senate when he got that same ring I have now. The Empress was very angry. And I just know that my ring's slightly different..."
That notion seemed to surprise Ferris. "Different? Whaddaya mean by "different?" she asked.
"Desire powers my ring." Shiarrael explained. "There are a lot more like me, as I discovered on some strange planet called Okaara. And they all welcomed me with open arms."
"An actual living Orange Lantern Corps...and they're good guys? Gotta tell the others!" said Ferris. "C'mon, orange, follow me."
And so they all met up in one place. "This is wonderful! I did hear that the Orange Avarice Entity, Ophidian, had a secret good side to him but I didn't expect it to manifest like this." said Saint Walker.
Spock spoke up. "Then again, it might be logical since desire is another form of greed."
"At least she's not like Larfleeze." Hal said. "Look at her, she's actually being civil. Larfleeze was just one big fat hog."
The two Klingons in the room just glared. Of course, they didn't appreciate having a Romulan around. Anti-Matter Kirk noticed this and told his leader "Sindy, don't forget to keep your Klingons in check. Who knows if they'll just do something awful?"
"Noted, Lantern Kirk." Sinestro whispered back.
Suddenly, Jaylah spoke up. "So, what are we gonna call this little team now?"
"Team?" asked Kirk.
"Yes, we can't call it the Enterprisers anymore since some new additions are in, me being one of them." said the Green Lantern.
"Howzabout the Rainbow Rodeo?" Guy piped up.
"The Color Corps!" said John.
"The Bad Bunch!" Kilowog joined in.
And it continued on like that for about 30 minutes much to Sinestro's annoyance, until Khan raised his hand.
"What's the meaning of this?" Kirk spat.
"I...I just wanted to suggest a team name." said the Dawnbreaker. "Since I'm now part of the Rainbow Rodeo, or the Color Corps, or the Bad Bunch, and so on..."
"Go ahead, lad." Scotty encouraged him. "As long as it ain't something cheesy..."
"The Tomorrow Knights." Khan said. "I wish for all of you to live to see tomorrow. Kirk, you have my blood, so right now, I consider you a brother. My least favorite. Jaylah, you reached out to me when no one even dared to. Whatsisname, Sinestro, you two have a whole lifetime ahead of you, I do not want the war to ruin it."
"My name's Hal Jordan..." Hal grumbled.
"And the rest of you, you all have talents. I refuse to let them be lost forever." Khan declared.
"What about you, Khan Noonien?" asked Jaylah.
"I don't care if I live or die, it's your lives that matter." replied the Augment.
"Even Spock?" asked McCoy.
"Eh, I'm pretty sure he'll hold his own." said Guy.
"Alright, case closed." said Kirk. "The Tomorrow Knights is what we are, from now on. You agree?"
"We do." said everybody.
And that was how the Tomorrow Knights were born, and all the members went their separate ways. Guy was heading to a bar to get a drink when he ran into a certain Vulcan officer. He recognized her as the one who was with him when he, John, and Kilowog did a presentation at Starfleet Academy. "Well, well, well, if it isn't Professor Pointy Ears!" he said.
"Live long and prosper, Mr. Gardner." said the Vulcan as she held her hand up in the ta'al, the traditional Vulcan salute. "Oh, and my name isn't Pointy Ears, it's T'Lin. Lieutenant Commander, USS Reliant."
"When I asked if you wanna meet up with me later, this is not what I'd expected." said Guy. "You see, when I saw you, I just...fell. I mean, you look so confident. And fierce. From what Spocky ol' pal told me, the Vulcans used to be a warrior race before some guy named Surak came along and turned them into the logical bastards they are now?"
"Precisely. Those who refused to follow Surak's teachings migrated to another planet, and the Romulans are their descendants." T'Lin explained.
"Well, when I saw you, I could see traces of your warrior ancestors. You see, I fancy a woman who can beat me in a fist fight. So many ladies have tried and failed to strap a saddle on Guy the stallion. But let's face it. You're the wind beneath my butterflies, the sparkling glitter glow of my eyes. So, may I ask:have you ever been in love?"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Gardner, but I'm afraid I don't." replied T'Lin. "Emotions of any kind are illogical and should be repressed. And love, it's just a work of hormones."
"Well, I beg to differ!" declared Guy. "It's more like a collection of small things. Like a medley of songs. It's putting someone else's needs before your wants. It's sharing hot tea on a cold morning. It's laughing at a ripped dress." The Green Lantern took a step closer. "Love is a patched skirt you could never dream of throwing away. It's not a new, shiny satin gown. As a wise woman once said, love is like oxygen. Love is a many-splendored thing. Love lifts us up where we belong. All you need is love!"
"You're being ridiculous." said T'Lin.
"All you need is love!" said Guy.
GUY:
Just one night, give me just one night,
T'LIN:
There's no way 'cause you can't pay!
GUY:
In the name of love,
One night in the name of love,
T'LIN:
You crazy fool,
I won't give in to you,
GUY:
It's so easy, all you have to do is fall in love,
T'LIN:
Love hurts!
GUY:
All you have to do is play the game,
T'LIN:
Love scars!
GUY:
All you have to do is,
Take on me,
T'LIN:
No, no, no, it ain't me,
GUY:
Take me on,
T'LIN:
No, no, no, because you'll be gone,
In a day or two!
GUY:
I love you, always, forever,
Near or far, closer together,
Everywhere I will be with you,
T'LIN:
Love is a battlefield,
GUY:
Everything I will do for you!
T'LIN:
Don't speak!
I know just what you're thinking,
So please stop explaining,
Don't tell me 'cause it hurts!
GUY:
Open up your eyes, then you'll realize,
Here I stand with my everlasting love!
Need you by my side, girl, you'll be my bride,
You'll never be denied, everlasting love!
T'LIN:
What's love got to do, got to do with it?
What's love, but a second-hand emotion?
What's love got to do, got to do with it?
Who needs a heart, when a heart can be broken?
GUY:
You're breaking my heart
S'pose I never, ever met you,
T'LIN:
What's love got to do with it?
GUY:
Suppose we never fell in love,
T'LIN:
Who needs a heart?
GUY:
Suppose I kept on singing love songs,
T'LIN:
All of this music breaks my heart,
BOTH:
Yes, it breaks my heart,
Yes, it breaks my heart,
GUY:
I can't help falling in love with you...!
T'LIN:
I'm all out of faith,
This is how I feel,
I'm cold and I'm ashamed,
Lying naked on the floor,
GUY:
Take me on,
T'LIN:
Illusion never changed,
Into something real,
I'm wide awake and I can see the perfect sky is torn!
GUY:
They will see us waving from such great heights,
"Come down now", they'll say,
BOTH:
Everything looks perfect from far away,
"Come down now", but we'll stay!
GUY:
'Cause, love lifts us up where we belong,
Where the eagles fly, on a mountain high,
BOTH:
Love makes us act like we are fools,
Throw our lives away, for one happy day,
GUY:
We can be heroes, just for one day...
T'LIN:
Though nothing can keep us together?
GUY:
We can steal time, just for one day,
BOTH:
We can be heroes, forever and ever,
We can be lovers, just for one day,
We can be heroes, forever and ever,
We can be lovers, just for one day!
GUY:
And you can tell everybody,
BOTH:
This is your song,
It may be quite simple but, now that it's done,
I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind,
That I put down in words,
GUY:
We can be heroes!
T'LIN:
How wonderful life is,
GUY:
We can be heroes!
T'LIN:
How wonderful life is,
GUY:
We can be heroes!
T'LIN:
How wonderful life is,
BOTH:
While you're in the world!
I will always love you,
And I will always love you,
And I will always...
Love you!
In an adjacent area, Saint Walker was healing a wilted tree when a Starfleet officer walked next to him. "Wow. That...was...amazing."
"Are you surprised?" asked the Blue Lantern.
"N...no, I'm just...How'd you do that?" the officer asked. She had two rows of spots on the sides of her forehead, which Saint Walker found quite mesmerizing.
"Oh, it's only one of the many things the blue ring can do." he replied.
"Dr. Nilani Tigan. I am a Trill, from a planet of the same name. You must be Lantern Walker!" she exclaimed.
"I am." replied Saint Walker. "Bro'Dee Walker. How do you do? And...you have lovely spots."
"My spots?" Nilani giggled. "They go all the way down each side of my body, from the top of my forehead down my neck to my toes. All Trills have those spots."
"That's wonderful!" said Saint Walker.
"Y'know, my spots aren't all that I am." replied Nilani. "I'm a doctor. I made it my mission to help sick people all over the universe. Even in the darkest and dankest of situations, I never lose hope."
"Hope...Back when my home universe was still thriving with life, hope was what my corps was all about. I once tried to find redemption for Sinestro and look where it got him. It seems you and I are more alike than I thought." he said.
"Friends?" asked Nilani, extending a hand to him.
"Friends." replied Saint Walker, and the two shook hands.
And thus began another beautiful friendship...or could it be something more? We might never know.
Suddenly, a green bolt shot past them. "Lantern Aya?" asked Saint Walker, "What's going on?"
"Ennie and I are spending some time at the hangars." Aya said happily.
That surprised the both of them. "Ennie? As in...the Enterprise?" asked Nilani.
Aya nodded. "If today's date goes well, I might as well propose to her. I can already see our wedding. Mogo's officiating, Narada's our maid of honor, and everybody we love is in attendance. It's gonna be the most epic wedding in the history of the universe."
"Very well." said Saint Walker. "I wish you best on your date."
"Thank you!" Aya said and zoomed off in the direction of the hangars.
"So, I've been thinking of your position on our silver lady, commander." said Kirk. "I figured we can't go on treating you like a mere asset. I mean, that's what Admiral Marcus thought of you, amirite? Aside from your official status as Dawnbreaker and the Federation Alliance's ultimate weapon, we decided to give you a new position."
"Security officer?" Khan asked, in a mocking tone.
"Engineer. We'd like to keep you for a while."
"Not a bad decision, captain, to have the man who built the warship that almost destroyed your precious Enterprise in the engineering division."
"Actually, we only thought the red shirt matched your ring better."
Khan laughed. He noticed yet again that laughing and smiling was becoming increasingly easier, both due to Jaylah's constant influence and the lack of imminent danger.
"Anyway, you'll be working down in engineering. Under Scotty."
"Under? You mean I won't be chief engineer?" Khan stopped walking and smiling. Kirk stopped, too, and turned around.
"We have a chief engineer."
"Captain...I designed a ship, superior to yours, all alone, and within months. I designed every single piece of equipment, every weapon, every circuit, every code of programming that made the Vengeance so superior. And you want to me to work as a subordinate?"
"Commander Scott will not be relieved of his position. He earned his place here."
"Captain," Khan hissed now, "Working as anything less than head of a department is an insult to my intelligence! Need I remind you that I am not even a member of Starfleet? I don't have to..."
"Exactly. You're not even a real commander. You're a criminal in rehabilitation. To give you a position on this ship is already more than you could have dreamed of." Kirk was in captain mode now, Khan could see it.
He bristled. "You want me to work under a lesser human being?"
"There's no such thing, commander. Mr. Scott is a genius." Kirk bristled now, too. "You'll work with Mr. Scott or it will be noted in your file that you are unwilling to cooperate and as a result will be put back into cryo-sleep, and I know full well that doing so means throwing away the only chance of winning this war." Kirk spat.
When the meeting was finally over, Khan was once again accompanied by Jaylah on the way out. "Hey, what's eating you?" asked the Green Lantern.
"They made me work for your oh-so-precious Montgomery Scotty." Khan grumbled.
Jaylah offered him her hand. "Feeling down? Well, then, there's no such thing like flying to liven things up. C'mon, let's take to the skies!"
A few moments later, they were flying high above San Francisco. They rocketed over the city, barrel-rolled and banked sharply left, then right, weaving through a tunnel, over and under neon signs. They flew past a high-rise that reflected their own image back at them. Jaylah couldn't help yelling. "Yeah!"
"I'll have to admit, flying can be fun!" said Khan.
They sat on the Golden Gate Bridge, watching the sun slowly set. A small ping was heard from their rings, and they laughed upon finding out that Aya had sent a picture of her sitting on the Enterprise's captain's chair with the caption "We're engaged!". That was when they heard a ruckus. The two Lanterns immediately flew down to see what was making all that noise, and it turned out to be a couple of delinquents trying to drown a stray animal. It was Jaylah who spoke first. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"None of your business, lady!" snapped one guy.
Hearing this, Khan just wanted to shred the hell out of those thugs but Jaylah stopped him. "Save your power for the war, I'll handle this!" She then used a construct to dunk the two delinquents in the cold water repeatedly. The Red Lantern smiled, watching his new friend do all the work. After the two men had fled shivering, the Lanterns carefully opened the sack that had been trapping the animal and found out it was a small black kitten. It began to squirm in the sack, scared for its life. Khan's eyes softened as he reached his hand inside to grab the kitten. When he picked it up, he felt it shiver and squirm, starting to meow more frantically.
"It's alright, little one, I got you." said the Dawnbreaker, then wrapped the kitten up in a soft blanket construct.
Later, at a nice home near Starfleet Headquarters that served as the Tomorrow Knights' lair, said team was baffled. "What did you just say?" Kirk yelled.
"I said me and Jaylah are going to take care of the little one." Khan declared. "She has nobody else."
Meanwhile, Hal and Uhura were already busy fawning over the baby kitten as Jaylah gave her a nice warm bath. "Awwwww! She's so adorable!" said Hal.
"I know, right?" said Jaylah.
"Can we keep her, captain?" asked Uhura. "Pleeeeeeeease?"
"If that Earth animal makes my Hal happy, then I like it too." Sinestro smiled.
"Alright. After all, what harm can she do? Khan, Jaylah, you better take good care of her. She's now your responsibility." said Kirk. And that was how our hero and his pardner ended up in custody of a kitten.
When she ate dinner and fell fast asleep, Jaylah asked "So, Khan Noonien, whatcha gonna call her?"
"Saaya." replied Khan. "It's Hindi for shadow."
"It's a pretty name." said Jaylah. "I love it, but I doubt if James T. will allow her aboard the Enterprise. I do hope he does..."
Aww, looks like Khan found the Daisy to his Doomguy! (There might be some possibilities that Saaya might be like Dex-Starr, but I doubt it 'cuz her new caretakers, the Tomorrow Knights, are all nice to her.)
Also, in the next chapter, Khan's gonna visit someplace veeeery important and Uhura finally gets to meet the man of her dreams.