Disclaimer: Same as always. As an afterthought, maybe I should've had one disclaimer at the beginning of the story and let it cover the whole thing. Next time, maybe…

Teri- Thanks for reviewing! Since you were wondering, I re-watched "Space Seed" to get some of the details from the story, including the time span of Khan's rule.

Chapter Eight

He had finally finished it- the whole thing. In the time it took for Julian to pour over Khan's journal, the Botany Bay had gotten three more loads of prisoners. In the time it took for Julian to read a page or two, however, he had already begun to sympathize with Khan more than he had before. He did not agree with the tyrant's methods, but undoubtedly, he had meant well.

Julian sighed and shut the book. It was all very confusing, but he knew he could sort it out later. As for right now, his priorities were to get Khan and his people back in their own time period and to free his prisoners.

Straightening his uniform, he rapped lightly on the door. "Would you mind bringing Khan here?" he asked the guards who were likely standing outside. The quick footsteps that followed assured him that Khan Singh was being fetched, so he sat back down and waited.

"Tell me," the elder man said as he entered, "whether you are still plagued by feelings of inferiority."

Bashir opened his mouth to deny feeling inferior at all, then stopped himself, realizing the futility of it all. "That's nothing that a book can change. I actually had a question of my own."

"Well, that is nothing unusual."

Taking that for encouragement, Julian cleared his throat. "When you wrote this, you seemed genuinely concerned for other people… up to a point." Khan nodded. "Have your ideals changed at all?"

"No. You may be surprised, but reading back on my earlier thoughts, I found that I did not disagree with a single word."

"Well, according to what you wrote here, most of your empire was acquired through negotiations. You convinced authorities from these countries that you could protect them better than any other ruler. It says nothing about taking hostages to barter with or making military targets of anything."

A hint of hesitation entered Khan's eyes. "That is true enough."

"But not entirely true?"

"It was entirely true," he insisted. "I wanted a kingdom, and they wanted a king."

"It seems to me that you were given a new kingdom in the form of Ceti Alpha V."

"It was a savage world."

"It wasn't unlivable. Besides, you left it before you could claim it entirely, which would have forced you to overextend yourself. That was a large problem for the Ottoman Empire in the 18th century, as you may recall."

Khan Singh narrowed his eyes at Bashir and turned away, which Julian was getting used to by now. Obviously, he didn't want the doctor to know what he was thinking. Finally he laughed grimly. "You may not be a tactician, Julian, but you are correct in this case. It is… possible that I let my thirst for escape override my common sense. Unfortunately, that is a mistake that was made many, many years ago, though it seems like mere days."

"Would you go back if you could?"

Khan slowly turned to face him again. "Yes, I would," he admitted. There was something… human in his voice at that moment. That, perhaps, was more shocking for Bashir than meeting him in the first place. It made Khan less of a distant historical figure who was responsible for all discrimination against the genetically engineered.

These thoughts worked themselves around in Julian's brain, and he forced himself to speak again. "I could help you do that," he offered.

A genuine smile appeared on Khan's face. "Then come with me to the bridge." He tilted his head. "You'll want me to leave the prisoners behind, I suppose."

Julian nodded and accompanied the other man. "Absolutely. They are citizens of the Federation, and it's my duty to help them get home as quickly as possible."

"Quickly? Doctor, if you can travel through time, why should that word have any meaning?"

"Well, time is all relative, I suppose, but the same amount of time has passed for, say, your bodily functions. You age at the same rate… Was that a joke?"

Instead of answering, Khan pushed Julian into one of the bridge's chairs. "Set a course for Meezan IV," he ordered the helmsman. "We have some passengers to drop off. And be quick about it!"

Julian could only shake his head and give a disapproving frown.