Chapter four done! This chapter is slightly shorter than the others, but only by a little bit. I have to give my shoutouts really fast.
Thanks to DJFireHawk, Micah Eruviel, tehehehe and zeynel for following this story! I hope you enjoy it!
Thanks to RinzlerlsTron123, trickstersink and yarnell15 for favoriting!
Of course, big thanks to PuraStones, zeynel, exaigon and IWillNeverStopFangirling for reviewing. Your reviews help me write and I hope that you continue to review!
Also, thanks to the almost 4,000 people who have viewed this story. This is by far the best story I think I've written and it pleases me to know that people like it and are willing to take time to read it!
Just to let all of you readers know, I am now split 60/40 on whether or not to make this a Khan/OC story. 60% of my brain says no, the other 40% says yes. However, to let you know, this story will probably not involve an OC character. I am most likely going to make a series once I'm done with this story, so if I want to put in an OC, I will most likely do it then.
Also, I am making some cover art for this story! So exciting! Although, I'm not the best with faces...I'll work on it.
Enough chit-chat! Here's the next chapter!
"Scotty!" Kirk waited for a response, but got none. "Spock, our ship. How is she?" He asks, walking towards Spock quickly.
"Our options are limited, Captain. We cannot fire and we cannot flee."
Kirk looked around. "There is one option." Spock looked curiously at Kirk. "Uhura, when you get Scotty back, patch him through." Kirk ordered.
Uhura nodded in confirmation. "Yes, Sir."
Kirk made his way towards the turbo lift. "Mr. Spock, you have the conn."
Spock followed Kirk. "Captain, I strongly object." He said, stepping onto the lift with Kirk.
"To what? I haven't said anything yet."
Spock continued as though he hadn't heard Kirk. "Since we cannot take the ship from the outside, the only way we can take it is from within and as a large boarding party would be detected, it is optimum that we take as few members from the crew as possible." The turbo lift opened and Kirk made his way down the hallway. "You will need resistance requiring personnel with advance combat abilities and innate knowledge of that ship. This indicates that you plan to align with Khan, the very man we were sent here to destroy." Spock rattled off at breakneck speed.
"I'm not aligning with him, I'm using him." Kirk responded, walking towards med bay. Although, to be honest, Kirk wasn't sure if he was using Khan or not. He needed Khan's abilities, but he didn't want to use him as though he wasn't human. As much as Kirk wanted to ignore it, Khan was human just like the rest of his crew. Khan had the ability to help them, if they truly needed it, and Kirk knew that he needed part of himself to trust Khan in order for his idea to work.
"Enemy of my enemy is my friend." Kirk said.
"An Arabic proverb attributed to a Prince who was betrayed and decapitated by his own subjects." Spock retorted coolly.
"Still. It's a hell of a quote." Kirk replied.
"I will go with you Captain."
"No. I need you on the bridge."
Spock reached out and grabbed Kirk's shoulders. "I cannot allow you to do this."
Kirk sighed and turned towards Spock reluctantly. He searched the Vulcan's face for any sign of emotion, and he found faint traces of worry, concern and, worst of all, fear.
"It is my function aboard this ship to advise you in making the wisest decisions possible, something I firmly believe you are incapable of doing in this moment." Spock said, trying to get Kirk to see his side.
"You're right!" Kirk said, his voice rising slightly. "What I'm about to do, it doesn't make any sense, it's not logical, it is a gut feeling." Kirk said, putting emphasis on the last words. Spock turned his head to the side, not sure if he was understanding Kirk's logic.
Kirk continued what he was saying. "I have no idea what I'm supposed to do. I only know what I can do. The Enterprise and her crew needs someone in that chair who knows what he's doing. And it's not me." Kirk paused for a moment. "It's you, Spock."
Kirk walked away, as Spock watched him leave.
Kirk entered med bay, putting an extra spring in his step to make up for the time he had lost arguing with Spock. Kirk spotted Bones and Khan, and made his way over to them.
"Tell me everything you know about that ship." Kirk demanded, staring Khan in the eyes.
"Dreadnought class. Two times the size, three times the speed. Advanced weaponry. Modified for a minimal crew. Unlike most Federation vessels, it's built solely for combat."
Kirk takes in what Khan said. Khan looked at Kirk, hoping that Kirk would see that Khan wasn't lying.
"I will do everything I can, to make you answer for what you did."
Khan looked at him. Punishment is always needed for those you seek help from. Nobody can help another person without putting consequences on the other.
"In exchange for what?" Khan asked.
"You said you'd do anything for your crew. I can guarantee their safety."
Khan rolled his eyes and Bones gave a small cough in the corner. They both knew that Kirk held empty words; that Bones and Khan already had a plan for Khan's crew. Bones turned towards Khan, hoping that Khan would help Kirk anyways, without needing anything in return.
"Captain. You can't even guarantee the safety of your own crew."
All of a sudden, beeping was emitted from the corner where Bones was sitting. Distracted, Kirk looked over Khan's head towards Bones. "Bones, what are you doing with that Tribble?"
Bones looked at the screens above the table where the Tribble was laying. "The Tribble is dead. I'm injecting Khan's platelets into the deceased tissue of the host. Khan's cells regenerate like nothing I've ever seen and I want to know why."
Kirk took a step towards Khan. "Are you coming with me or not?"
On the bridge, Uhura managed to get contact back with Scotty.
"Mr. Scott, we are patching you through to the Captain, right now."
Uhura waited for an answer, but all she heard was the sound of running feet. Undeterred, Uhura stood up and stretched. She loved her job, but sitting for hours on end made her muscles feel weak, which made her feel tired, which was something that she couldn't be at this moment.
Uhura finished by swinging her arms around and popping her neck, before sitting back down in her seat.
Spock leaned over Uhura. "Lieutenant, from our current position, is it possible to establish contact with New Vulcan?" He asked.
Uhura faced Spock, giving a small nod. "I'll do my best."
"Thank you." Spock replied, as he sat back down in the Captain's chair.
Kirk and Khan made their way through the corridors, surrounded by multiple officers as well.
"You want to do what?" Scotty asked over the communicator in disbelief, still running through the Vengeance.
"We're coming over there." Kirk said simply. "As soon as we've maneuvered the Enterprise into position, which is happening as we speak."
"To this ship? How?" Scotty's voice echoed through the halls.
"There's a cargo door. Hangar seven. Access port 101A. You need to find the manual override to open that airlock." Khan said with authority.
"Are you crazy?!" Scotty responded. "Whoever you are." Scotty added as an afterthought, not truly knowing who Khan was.
"Just listen to him, Scotty. It's going to be alright." Kirk said, giving a curt nod to Khan.
Khan just stared straight-ahead, not bothering to acknowledge Kirk.
"It is not going to be alright! You want me to open an airlock into space, where upon I will freeze, die and explode!" Scotty snapped into the communicator.
"Mr. Sulu, what's the status of the other ship?" Spock asked.
Sulu punched a few buttons, scanning their ship for any change in activity. "Their systems are still offline. I'm aligning our ship now."
Sulu began maneuvering the Enterprise into position, using small bursts from their side thrusters.
On the bridge of the Vengeance, Admiral Marcus and his crew were still trying to figure out who managed to shut off their weapons.
Admiral Marcus had gotten tired of waiting, and only a few minutes ago, had ordered one of his finest security officers to the bridge.
The door to the bridge opened, and his security officer stepped in. He was a large man, with huge muscles and blond hair that had been cut cleanly around his face.
"Admiral." The officer nodded.
"Officer, I need you to search the hangars of the ship. That's where all the controls for overriding are. See if they have been tampered with. If they have, inform me."
"Yes, Sir." The officer responded. He loaded his phaser as he walked down the hall towards the hangars.
Scotty slid into a hallway, much larger than the smaller one he just came out of. Scotty turned both ways before spotting the control board.
On the Enterprise, Kirk and Khan climbed down into the launching portal, dressed in spacesuits to protect themselves from the harmful atmosphere.
"Scotty, how are we doing over there?" Kirk asked.
Scotty's voice came over the communicator. "Captain, I wish I had better news. They've blocked their access to the ship's computer. They'll have full weapons in...three minutes." He confirmed. "That means the next time I won't be able to stop them from destroying the Enterprise. Stand by." He said.
"Commander, our track is aligned with Port 101A of the other ship." Sulu informed Spock, double-checking to make sure he hadn't made a mistake.
Spock opened a channel to Kirk. "Captain, the ships are aligned."
"Copy that." Kirk replied. "Scotty!"
"I'm in the hangar." Scotty said, as the door behind him closed with a swish. "Give me a minute."
On the Vengeance, Scotty sprinted through the hangar, slowing down after only a few steps, already exhausted. "I'm running! Stand by!" He informed Kirk breathlessly.
Scotty reached the end of the hangar, and stared at the portal hole in shock. "Whoa, whoa whoa. Hang on there, Captain. This door is very wee. I mean- small!" Scotty said, correcting himself. "It's four square meters tops. It's gonna be like, jumping out of a moving car, off a bridge, into a shot glass." He finished his metaphor.
In the launching portal, Kirk shrugged. "It's okay, I've done it before."
Khan looked at Kirk with a slight annoyance. Kirk didn't particularly enjoy the way Khan's stare made him feel like he was being x-rayed.
"Yeah, it was vertical. We jumped onto a-" Kirk stopped, seeing the look on Khan's face. "It doesn't matter. Scotty!"
"Did you find the manual override?" Khan asked, trying to get themselves back on track.
"-the manual override, Scotty?" Kirk asked, finishing his sentence in sync with Khan.
"Not yet, not yet." Scotty said, sprinting back to where he had come from. He reached the control board and tapped in a code.
"Captain, before you launch, you should be aware that there is a considerable debris field between ships."
Kirk ignored him. "Spock, not now."
I would choose to listen to your First Officer, Khan thought. He knows what he is talking about. A large debris field may be a large problem for you, especially if you were to hit some of it.
"Scotty, you good?" Kirk questioned.
"It's not easy!" Scotty's voice filled the launching portal. "Just give me two seconds, you mad bastard." He spat in annoyance.
Khan squatted towards the floor, mentally and physically preparing himself for the launch. Kirk eyed him, before copying his move.
On the bridge, Bones leaned towards Spock. "Tell me this is going to work."
Bones was concerned about this plan. Not only for the safety of Kirk, but for the safety of Khan as well. After hearing Khan's story, Bones realized that he had been through an awful lot for one person, and that made him so despicable. Bones could understand some of Khan's reactions. Bones was grumpy after his wife left him, taking his children as well. That was the hardest part for him; losing his children. Part of him had hope that he could see them again, but the other half of him knew, deep down, that there was no way he could see their faces.
"I have neither the information nor the confidence to do so, Doctor." Spock replied sharply.
"Boy, you're a real comfort." Bones said, shaking his head.
Back on the Vengeance, Scotty finished typing in commands. To make things easier, he stuck his communicator into his mouth. "Come on, come on, come on." He muttered under his breath. "Yes!" He said, punching the air with victory. "I'm set to open the door!" He told Kirk.
Kirk looked towards Khan. "You ready?"
Khan didn't bother to look at Kirk. "Are you?" He questioned, knowing that Captain was at a slight disadvantage compared to himself.
"Spock, pull the trigger." Kirk commanded.
"Yes, Captain." Spock replied. "Launching activation system on three, two, one."
The launching portal opened, and Kirk and Khan were sent into space.
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