All over the Enterprise, people breathed easier as things became—not normal, precisely, but less chaotic. Kirk, taking the long way to the brig, noted the expressions of the crewmen he passed. Some seemed almost relaxed; most appeared strained, but calm enough; and if a few cast Kirk dark looks when they thought he couldn't see, he didn't blame them. He wasn't happy with all of the decisions he had made lately, either. But Bones assured him that though morale was low, it wasn't disastrously so, and the crew still had faith in him. Whether that faith was deserved, Kirk supposed only time would tell. Everything was going as well as could be expected for a battered starship millions of light-years from her home—with one exception.
Kirk found that exception sitting in his cell in the brig, as still as if he were carved from stone. Khan watched him cross the room with no expression on his face, only rising to his feet when Kirk reached the barrier. They faced each other through the glass, blue eyes facing brown. It was both like, and unlike, the first time Kirk had confronted Khan in this cell. So much had changed between them, and yet nothing had changed at all. Kirk hesitated, unsure where to begin.
Khan broke the silence first. "Captain," he said, and Kirk marveled at how he turned the rank into an insult. He realized he was wrong: there was an expression on Khan's face, one of cold, tightly controlled fury.
It was not how Kirk wanted to start this conversation. "Kati is doing well," he offered. "Dr. McCoy says she'll be out of Sickbay by the end of ship-day."
"I'm glad to hear it," Khan said coolly. "And what then? Will you imprison her here in the brig, as well?"
"That depends on you."
"She is to be hostage to my good behavior, then," Khan said, and the cold rage became a little less controlled.
"No." Kirk shook his head, frustrated. "That's not what I'm saying."
"You gave me your word, Captain," Khan spat. "I've proven my word is good; what is yours worth?"
"I promised I would revive your people once we returned to the Alpha Quadrant," Kirk countered. "In case you hadn't noticed, that's not going to happen anytime soon."
Khan's face twisted and he stepped closer to the glass. Kirk was suddenly very grateful for the barrier between them. "So you are liar and a hypocrite, just like Marcus," Khan snarled. "She was wrong; I was a fool to believe you were different."
She? Kirk wondered, but only for a heartbeat. "I am nothing like Marcus," he said, fighting to keep his voice level. "I gave you my word, and I intend to keep it to the best of my ability. But the situation has changed. I have no idea how long it will take us to get back to home—it could be decades. And I cannot afford to turn loose on my ship a small army of supermen who will probably mutiny the moment I let down my guard. So I'm offering you a choice."
Khan said nothing, but his eyes narrowed slightly. Kirk decided to take this as a good sign.
"The first is that you and Kati return to stasis, and we keep all of you on ice until we return to the Alpha Quadrant, whenever that is. Then I revive your crew, just as I said I would. You stand trial for your crimes, and I do everything I can to make sure your people can live their lives in peace as Federation citizens."
"Those cryotubes are antiquated," Khan said. "Several have already failed." His expression faltered slightly. "They are unlikely to last long enough to reach the Alpha Quadrant."
"I know. Bones and Scotty think they can keep the tubes running longer, and construct new ones as needed. But Bones also says that past a certain point, the longer someone is in stasis, the smaller the chance they can be revived successfully. He believes your people are on the edge of that point, and a few additional decades may mean some of them don't make it." Kirk let out a slow breath. This was Spock's "logical" solution. "It's not my favorite scenario."
"And the other?"
"We find a promising M-class planet and put you and your crew down on it, along with as many supplies as we can spare. If your colony is successful, you live out your lives in peace. If not..." Kirk shook his head. "Anything could happen out here."
Khan looked intrigued. "A challenge," he mused. "A planet to win. That is a fair offer, Kirk. I—"
"Wait. There's one more." Kirk steeled himself. He was less sure than ever of the wisdom of this choice, especially after being reminded of the volatility of Khan's temper. But after his talk with Rev Bem, he knew the offer had to be made, no matter how foolhardy he was to make it. "You join my crew, join the Enterprise. You all receive Starfleet field commissions, and you all take orders from me. Including you."
Khan's eyes widened, then narrowed. "You just expressed your reluctance to let loose a 'small army of supermen' aboard your ship," he said. "How is this any different?"
"If the rest of your people are anything like Kati, they're completely loyal to you," Kirk said. "If you tell them to follow my orders, and the orders of my officers, they'll do it."
"You mean to make me an officer aboard your ship?"
"Yes."
Khan was frowning now. "You would be a fool to trust me so much," he said roughly.
"That's what everyone else said," Kirk muttered. Louder, he said, "You told me you believed I was the one who could save us all." His mouth was very dry. "Do you still believe that?"
Khan was silent for a long time, searching Kirk's face for something—what, Kirk didn't know. Slowly, he said, "Yes, I do."
Why Khan would believe that, Kirk couldn't understand, nor why it mattered so much to him that Khan did. He let out a slow breath. "Then you'd be a fool to betray me."
"Enlightened self-interest."
"Exactly."
"Of course," Khan continued, "there is benefit for yourself, as well. You've sustained heavy casualties; your ship is undermanned. No doubt you think you can use my crew to your own ends."
The slight emphasis he placed on use told Kirk what he thought of such an arrangement. Kirk leaned closer to the glass. "Let me make this clear," he grated. "I don't need you. I don't need your crew. Serving aboard the Enterprise is an honor and a privilege, not a penal sentence, and if you see it differently I won't have you or any of your people, no matter how useful you may be."
Khan was silent for a long moment. "And if I refuse all of your choices?" he said finally.
"Then we go with option one—you and Kati go back on ice, and I wake you when we get to the Alpha Quadrant."
He looked away, his expression unreadable. "If you need time to consider—" Kirk began.
"That won't be necessary," Khan said, as coolly as if they were discussing travel arrangements aboard a cruise liner. "I have no desire to return to stasis, and while the challenge of carving out a colony on an alien world has its appeal, neither do I desire to live out the rest of my life in exile. I accept your offer of a place aboard this ship, for myself and for my crew."
It was the best choice, and the worst choice, he could have made. Kirk wasn't sure whether he felt dismayed or relieved. "Fine," he said. "Ensign—"
The officer at the security terminal lowered the glass barrier, and then there was nothing between Kirk and Khan but half a meter of empty air. Khan made no move to step out of his cell; Kirk made no move to step aside.
"Kati tells me she's an astrophysicist," Kirk said. "I'll give her the rank of ensign and assign her to astrometrics. What about you? Do you have any specialties besides designing illegal weapons?"
Kirk regretted—almost—the words as soon as they left his mouth: he had resolved not to antagonize Khan. But Khan only shrugged, unconcerned. "I was once an engineer of sorts," he said.
"Engineering, then," Kirk said. "The rank of commander seems fair, since that's what you held as John Harrison. Since Harrison isn't your real name—"
"Khan will do."
Kirk lifted an eyebrow. "That means 'ruler,' doesn't it? I don't think so."
Khan's lips twitched in a half-smile. "Very well. My name is Khan Noonien Singh."
The name stirred something at the back of Kirk's mind, but he couldn't place it. Stiffly, he offered his hand. "Welcome aboard the Enterprise, Commander Singh."
Khan's handshake was firm but not crushing, and equally stiff. "Thank you, Captain."
It was not, Kirk reflected, the most auspicious start. But it could have been worse.