Written by the Victors, Chapter Two

"Ah, Kirk, my old friend, do you know the Klingon proverb that tells us revenge is a dish best served cold? It is very cold in space."

-Khan Noonien Singh, "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan"

---

"It took years, but Alia finally found a world on which to raise the children, a world outside the borders of any of the major governments. It was small and unspectacular, a world where they could be left in peace."

Aishwarya paused, taking another sip of her wine while Jason lifted his own. The history of this Universe was fascinating, in a dark and disturbing way. He had never done well in Temporal Theory class, but here, in this place, in this situation, he was finding that he could understand it perfectly. It was the change from theory to application. At the Academy, the cost of not understanding had been the difference between a passing and a failing grade.

Here, the cost of not understanding was much higher. It was the difference between life and death.

Rakiin straightened at a sound, rising and walking for the door. Herma'Taklan stood on the other side, kneeling before the Khanate. "My Lord."

"Is there a reason for this disturbance, Herma'Taklan?"

Herma'Taklan rose. He was taller than Rakiin, but even in his proud stance, he seemed smaller than the Augment. "There is news, Lord. You wished to be informed."

Rakiin smiled, and turned to face Jason and Aishwarya. "I am afraid that I must leave you now. Important business. I am sure you understand, Commander."

Jason pasted a fake smile on his face. News. What kind of news? Had they managed to find Alex and the other prisoner? "Of course, Lord Rakiin. Duty calls."

Rakiin gathered his cloak in the crook of one arm and bowed, taking a second to face Aishwarya. "Sister." Bowing again he left, the doors sliding shut behind him. Jason stared at the gilded doors, watching the bars to this cage seal around him. Aishwarya adjusted her skirts, brushing imagined dust from them. The difference between the two Augments astounded Jason. Rakiin, through all his smiles and diplomatic words, exuded as much violence as any of the Jem'Hadar who served him. Jason knew when he was being flattered. Everything here was to no doubt allow Rakiin to obtain the knowledge and technology Jason held from his own Universe. The room, the wine, everything. Jason was sure that even Aishwarya was a pawn on Rakiin's chessboard. Rakiin could have just as easily recounted the story to Jason himself. He probably thought that Jason would be more willing to talk to a beautiful woman.

Aishwarya, however, was a different matter. Either she was as genuine as she seemed, or she was an incredible actress. Jason remembered reading about the Augments who followed Khan on the Botany Bay, an equal amount of men and women. The history books said that even the women, astoundingly beautiful as they were, had the same violent aura as the men. Aishwarya lacked that edge. Her speech, her mannerisms, especially her eyes, all gave her the impression of being a woman who cared little for anything but her books.

Like he had said, either she was genuine, or she was an incredible actress.

Aishwarya uncrossed her legs and set the wine down on the table, rising to her feet. Jason set down his own wine and followed suit. With a smile, she opened the doors and spoke quietly to the Jem'Hadar who stood there. The Jem'Hadar nodded and bowed.

Aishwarya turned back to Jason and waved at the corridor. "If you don't mind, Commander, I was hoping that we might retire to the library. Not to imply that you have been anything but the perfect gentleman, but a lady should never be left alone in the company of a man in his bedchamber."

Jason laughed, a genuine laugh for the first time in what seemed like years, and followed her out of the room, the Jem'Hadar right behind them.

-----

The Gilgamesh was as large on the inside as she had appeared from the outside. Each corridor was large enough to allow a dozen people to walk side by side, lit by what appeared to be torches at an interval of every dozen feet or so. Jason stopped and reached out for one, his hand phasing right through the flame.

Aishwarya stepped up next to him as the Jem'Hadar fingered his weapon. Running her hand through the fire, she looked at Jason. "Holograms. Each and every one of them."

"They're incredible." Jason glanced at her, "No offense, but, given the state of the city outside, I had assumed your technological base to be lower than the one in my Universe. These holograms are as good, if not better, than the ones I know. They're actually giving off heat."

"They keep the ship at a comfortable temperature. Don't ask me how they work. I'm afraid that I was never terribly good at engineering." She stepped back and gestured towards a door. "Commander?"

Jason left the torch behind and stepped through the door, stopping in awe as he found himself in an enormous library, computer terminals casting a light blue glow over the room. Shelving units three stories high stretched on, at least forty units on each side. Stepping up to one, he gently touched the leather bound books. "Real books?"

Aishwarya positively glowed as she stepped into the room, appraising the library. "My own collection. Historical volumes dating back to Ancient Greece on Earth. Classical literature from a dozen worlds." Gently touching a glass case, she looked up at him. "My prize possession. A first edition copy of John Milton's Paradise Lost, dated 1668."

Paradise Lost... Home. The thought brought a wave of grief crashing over Jason. He and Alex were the only two left from home, and he didn't even know where Alex was.

"Commander?"

Jason shook himself out of it, "Sorry. Brain went on vacation for a second."

She shrugged, a pitying look on her face. "It's understandable. It's a wonder that you've been able to hold up as well as you have. The culture shock must be tremendous."

Smiling sadly, Jason shook his head. "Not so much. At least now I have an idea of where things changed." Running his hand over the books, he glanced at the Jem'Hadar who stood by the door. His weapon was held in a relaxed grip, but Jason had sparred with Jem'Hadar before. He knew how quickly that grip could change. "So. The last thing you told me was that Alia had found a world to raise the children on. What happened then?"

She led him to a large table at the back of the room, taking a seat in one of the high backed chairs. Open books covered the table, some printed, others in a flowing script Jason assumed was Aishwarya's own. "It was a second beginning for our people. We had the chance to live for who we were, away from the people that scorned us. Alia raised them all as her own, but she was consumed by grief and anger. She had watched her siblings die, and was the only one left. The hatred she carried for Humanity found itself passed down to the Children. Upon her death, the new Children of Chrysalis found themselves faced with a decision..."

-----

Colony of New Chrysalis:

Nine Hundred and Five Years Ago:

Enkidu stood over Alia's coffin, staring at the carved likeness in the stone. He had been one of the first of the New Children to be born and, as such, he was now eighty-nine years old. His body was still in peak physical condition, but his black hair had long ago turned white, and wrinkles had begun to form around his eyes, which were still as sharp as ever. Three days had passed since Alia had passed away, and the entire colony, though still in mourning, was beginning to unravel without her leadership. Some turned to Enkidu as one of the eldest for guidance, but the colony was polarizing into disparate camps.

"Enkidu?"

Enkidu turned and saw Moiraine, his wife and the mother of his six children, step into the tomb, still as beautiful as she had been the day Alia had married them seventy-one years ago. Resting her hand on his shoulder, she looked down at Alia's coffin. "I thought I might find you here."

"How are things above?"

Moiraine frowned and began to pace the length of the tomb. "Cuchulin is rallying support among the younger ones. The Third Generation are screaming for war."

Enkidu nodded. Alia had incubated the embryos in three groups, the last of which had only been twenty years ago. His eldest son, Morgan, was now older than some of Enkidu's own brothers and sisters. Cuchulin was one of the First Generation, but he knew how to play to the desires of the younger Augments. "I thought as much. Cuchulin is quickly becoming a problem."

"That Son of a Targ was always a problem, Enkidu. You just never saw it until now." Moiraine turned to face him. "The Third Generation is going to need an example, Enkidu. A show of force. With Alia gone, you are to be leader. No doubt can be left in the minds of any of us."

"Us?"

"I love you, Enkidu. I always have. But you must prove yourself to be the strongest, or none will respect you."

Enkidu turned and looked down at the coffin one last time. Without looking at his wife, he came to a decision.

"Bring Cuchulin to the central square."

-----

The buildings of the colony surrounded the central square, pre-fabricated walls rising on every side. The moons shone high in the night sky, casting their pale light over Enkidu as he watched Cuchulin step into the square. All around them, the inhabitants of New Chrysalis stood silently by as the brothers faced each other.

Enkidu was mere days older than Cuchulin, but the other man appeared years younger, his long hair still blond and his face smooth. Cuchulin had always used this to his advantage, relating to the younger Generations as though he were one of them and not one of the First. "Cuchulin."

The blond Augment smiled at his older brother. "Brother. Is this a challenge?"

"You brought this upon yourself, Brother. Alia chose me to lead in her stead, and yet you insist on challenging my decisions constantly. This cannot go on."

"Can't brothers disagree?"

"Not in this case, Cuchulin. Never in this case. Draw your knife." Enkidu pulled his own blade from his belt and held it in a backwards grip as he watched Cuchulin do the same. Slowly, they began to circle each other, fainting, gauging the other's reflexes and strengths. A quick flick of the wrist and Enkidu found himself bleeding, Cuchulin's blade having slit the skin of his forearm.

First blood.

Without warning, Cuchulin pounced, tackling Enkidu and driving him into the dirt. Metal flashed and Enkidu kneed his brother in the stomach, Cuchulin's knife driving into his shoulder. He barely noticed the wound as he flipped over and pinned Cuchulin to the ground, blade hovering over his brother's face. Cuchulin smiled, "Incredibly predictable, Brother. Do you really believe that I would have walked into this challenge without insurance?"

A cry from the audience grabbed Enkidu's attention, and he turned to see two of the Third Generation augments push a young child into the square, their knives drawn and at the child's throat. None of the spectators moved. Enkidu felt the fury grow within him, burning away reason.

They had his Great-Grandson.

Enkidu stood and backed away from the laughing Cuchulin, growling deep in his chest. He could not, he would not, endanger Duncan. The children were the hope of the Augments. Cuchulin laughed as he picked up a knife and brandished it at Enkidu. "You're weak, Brother. Far too weak to lead." He turned and addressed their audience. "Too weak to lead us in War! Could this man crush the Federation and build the Empire the great Khan Noonien Singh envisioned! He cannot even kill a single old man!"

"And would you follow the words of a coward who hides behind a child?" Enkidu stepped forward and looked at the others. "Would you follow him to your deaths? Because that is where he will lead you if we declare war now! We are only a few thousand strong. We cannot make war upon an entire galaxy! The great Khan attempted to take the Earth alone with a few thousand men and women and failed! How can we prevail?"

A shout rose from the crowd. "The Spartans triumphed at Thermopylae!" Murmurs of consent rippled across the square.

"And they ALL DIED!" Enkidu shouted to be heard over the growing noise. "You cannot build an Empire if you are dead! Would you rule over a Kingdom of bones? Of dust? Would you rule over the Kingdom of Ozymandias?"

There was a grunt as the two Third Generations holding Duncan hostage collapsed and fell dead to the ground. Duncan stood alone, the two knives in his hands glinting blood-red in the moonlight. A solemn look on his eight-year-old face, he nodded to his Great-Grandfather and began to clean the blades on his sleeves. Enkidu turned and stared at Cuchulin, lifting his knife. Cuchulin charged, swinging wildly. Enkidu dodged the attack and drove the knife straight into his brother's heart.

Enkidu held Cuchulin's body as it slipped to the ground, death swiftly approaching. His voice quiet, he whispered in his brother's ear. "'Nothing beside remains. Round the decay of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare, the lone and level sands stretch far away.' This, Brother, is where you would have led us."

Cuchulin's eyes darted about madly at the words, fixing on Enkidu. He opened his mouth to speak, blood frothing at the corners of his lips, but nothing came out except a sigh as he died.

Releasing his brother's body, Enkidu stood, Moiraine walking to his side, supporting her husband as he swayed. Shrugging her off, Enkidu surveyed the crowd. His people.

"We will have our revenge. That I swear. The Federation will tremble at our feet. But Khan was right to hide. We are not yet powerful or numerous enough to create his Empire. We will wait. We will bide our time."

"You would have us live like vermin!"

"I would have us prepare! We will go out into the Galaxy, mingle with the people of the Federation, infiltrate Starfleet! We will take what we need and use it against them! When they have forgotten us, then we will strike!

"And then, we shall create an Empire greater than any this Galaxy has ever seen!"

Surrounded by the cheering throng, Enkidu stood, his wife on one side and his Great-Grandson on the other.

Leader of the Khanate.

-----

"My people did as Enkidu said. We waited. We became very good at waiting." Aishwarya brushed her hand over one of the books, caressing it. "My mother told me that story time and time again when I was a little girl. It was, she claimed, the defining moment of our people's history. Enkidu became one of our greatest leaders, second only to Khan himself."

Jason listened patiently, blinking as he found himself forced from her story. All of his training was telling him to be careful, to pay attention to the Jem'Hadar at the door, but while she spoke, he found that he couldn't. He had been right in his first assessment of her. She was a performer, and she communicated her love of the stories to her audience.

"That story was why I became a historian, Commander. I needed to learn more. To understand the whys and the wherefores. An engineer becomes an engineer to learn how machines work. A doctor becomes a doctor to learn how the body works. I became a historian to learn how the Universe itself works."

It was strange. History vilified Khan and his followers, the children created by Project Chrysalis, reminding humanity over and over about how their superior strength and intelligence led to arrogance and war. "Superior ability breeds superior ambition." The saying went. But looking at Aishwarya, Jason began to wonder exactly how much beauty the Augments could have created if they had been given the chance.

Then he remembered Rakiin and the Jem'Hadar, and the violence that always seemed to lurk just beneath the surface.

Aishwarya rose and replaced the book on the shelf, running her finger over several volumes, ensuring that the book was in the right place. Satisfied, she returned and sat in her chair, facing Jason. "What is your world like, Commander? Don't worry. I don't want to know about the technology. I simply want to know what it's like. The differences in our histories, the people."

Jason took a deep breath. "Dead."

Aishwarya frowned and leaned forward. "I'm sorry?"

"It's dead. Everything and everyone. I don't know how, I don't know why, but everything collapsed. The stars went nova. I came here through an accident as everything died behind me."

"'Things fall apart, the center cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world; The blood dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere the ceremony of innocence is drowned.'" Aishwarya's voice was soft as she spoke the words, her eyes far away. Jason looked up at the sound. "The Second Coming, Commander. Yeats."

A long moment passed, a moment broken as Aishwarya spoke. "So you and your companion are the last survivors?" Jason looked up sharply, and she held her hands up in surrender. "Yes. I know of your companion. Herma'Taklan told us about what happened on the surface."

"I don't know where he is."

Aishwarya shook her head, a small smile reappearing on her face. "And I would not ask. My brother may care about power and technology, Commander. I, on the other hand, do not. I sincerely hope that your friend is safe."

Jason stared at the wall, imagining the ruined city beyond. "So do I."

-----

Alex cleared the last bit of rubble from the stairs, tossing it over the railing and watching it fall. Above him, he could see the hatch that led to the surface. Selene looked up at it, her face streaked with dirt. "Shall we?"

Alex smiled and waved her on. "After you."

With a mock curtsey, she started climbing the staircase, her flashlight lighting the way. As they got closer to the surface, the stone walls of the tunnel turned to duracrete and alloy. "I've got a question for you, Alex."

"Go ahead."

"Do you have a way to get off this planet?"

He paused. "Nope. I was kind of hoping that you'd be able to handle that particular one."

"Hmm. That may be a problem, then."

"Well, I'd figured that you had a ship."

"Yeah, and that ship's probably three hundred light years away by now."

"Stupid place for it to be."

"I know. Crazy, isn't it?"

"Insane. What's it doing there?"

"Running away."

"Okay. I'll bite. Why?"

"Because we blew up the Communications Array here on Earth and the Khanate are probably a little bit angry about that."

Alex stopped dead in his tracks. "You blew up a communications array? That was what was smoking and on fire up there? You did that?"

Selene turned and looked down on him, a confused expression on her face. "We're at war. We took out their communications in this sector by blowing that thing up. They'll be in the dark for months." She dropped her backpack on the stairs and stared at him. "Why? Do you have a problem with that?"

"What about the innocent people that could have been hurt?" How could she do something like that? Selene would never have endangered innocents.

She scowled. "There were no innocent people. That was a military outpost." She stopped and tilted her head angrily to one side. "What the Hell kind of person do you think I am? I don't kill civilians. I don't like to be at war. I just want to protect my people. With that array down, we can get hundreds of refugees out of Alpha Centauri and the Khanate won't be able to stop us." She stabbed an index finger into Alex's chest. "I don't fight for fighting's sake, but sometimes you have no choice if you want to protect the ones you love."

Feeling ashamed of himself, Alex looked down. He had responded as though she was the Selene he had known, forgetting completely that entirely different circumstances had forged the woman this Selene had grown to be. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have..."

"Damn right you shouldn't have." Sighing, she dropped her hand to her side. "And I shouldn't have gotten so defensive. I grew up with this war. I guess I forgot that you didn't. Sorry." She was silent for a moment before she took a deep breath and plastered a smile on her face. "Okay. Now that that's done and over with, shall we continue?"

Alex looked up and shrugged. "Yeah. Let's go."

The hatch at the top of the staircase stood in front of them, a dead control panel on the wall beside it. Alex reached out with his nanites, searching for a way to access the computer, but with no luck. Shaking his head, he shrugged. "No good. Looks like the panel was damaged in the bombardment. I can't access it."

Selene crossed her arms and stared at the door, considering the options. "Okay." With a fluid movement, she pulled a phaser from her jacket and shot the door, sending it flying out of the wall. Around them, the cavern began to shake, debris raining from the ceiling. Grabbing Alex by the arm, she barreled through the hole as the passageway collapsed behind them.

Coughing in the dust, Alex got to his feet. "What was that? I warned you it might collapse!"

Brushing herself off, Selene sighed. "Well, we're alive. Doesn't really matter now. Besides, I've been in much worse situations than that."

Shaking his head in exasperation, Alex looked around at their surroundings. A large bowl-like room, desks and podiums rising at all sides. Selene slung her backpack over her shoulder. "Where are we?"

"The Admiralty." Large sections of the roof were missing, some having fallen into the seats. Dim light filtered through the holes. "The seat of power for all of Starfleet."

"And this is all that's left. A bunch of dusty, empty seats."

Alex stopped, considering an idea that had just formed in his mind. "Maybe not." Turning, he walked from the room, leaving a bewildered Selene behind him. "Where are you going?"

"I want to check something out." Biting his lip, he shifted the pack over his shoulders. "With any luck, it'll still be active."

"What will still be active?"

With a smile, he faced her. "The Starfleet mainframe. You coming?"

Stepping into the hallway, he heard her sigh and chase after him.

-----

"I don't know where he is."

"And I would not ask. My brother may care about power and technology, Commander. I, on the other hand, do not. I sincerely hope that your friend is safe."

"So do I."

With a frown, Rakiin switched the recording off, the images of his sister and the Starfleeter fading away, leaving the darkened observation deck behind. Stroking his chin thoughtfully, he stared at the space the hologram had occupied, never looking at the two figures behind him. "And you are certain that she knows nothing of this recorder?"

Herma'Taklan's rich voice filled the room, "No, my Lord. Her Ladyship is completely unaware. There is no holographic device to be detected. The image is recorded by internal sensors."

The Khanate nodded, satisfied with the Jem'Hadar's answer. "Shade?"

The second figure approached, bowing as he reached Rakiin's side. "Yes, my Lord?"

"The Starfleeter. What do you sense, Changeling?"

Shade steepled his fingertips, the unfinished features of his face twisting in concentration, his mind reaching out and brushing Madden's, reading through the man's thoughts. "He begins to trust the Lady Aishwarya, my Lord. More, perhaps, than he believes he should. However, he truly knows nothing of the other's location."

"And what he said about his reality being dead?"

"The truth, Lord. As he knows it."

"Would it be possible to... extract... technological information from his mind?"

Shade shook his head. "No, my Lord. That information was contained in the nanites implanted in his brainstem. Without them, he knows merely the basics of his world's technology. The other one, Alexander Carver, however, is an engineer."

Rakiin nodded. "Very well. Herma'Taklan. Redouble the search for the other Humans. Do not harm them, but bring them to me."

The Jem'Hadar snapped to attention and bowed, "Yes, my Lord. Victory is Life."

The Khanate waved a hand dismissively. "Victory is life. Leave." The Jem'Hadar commander left the room, leaving Rakiin alone with the changeling. Shade stood silently at the Khanate's side, waiting for orders. Finally, Rakiin spoke, hesitation in his voice. "And my sister, Shade? What of her?"

The shape-shifter shook his head, his eyes downcast. "I can see nothing, my Lord. Her Ladyship is quite adept at blocking telepathic scans. However, I do not believe that one must be telepathic to see the interest she has in the Starfleeter."

"No. One doesn't." Reactivating the hologram, he watched Madden and his sister speak, completely unaware that they were being watched. "Perhaps, the Starfleeter may be of use to me, after all. Kill two birds with one stone."

Bowing, the Changeling left the room, leaving Rakiin alone with the holograms of his sister and Jason Madden.

-----

Author's note:
As a sidebar, Aishwarya's 1668 edition of Paradise Lost actually exists and is currently up for sale. Anyone got $15,000.00 they can spare?