Chapter 16

And there it was.

After weeks of traveling and months of waiting, they were there: Riverweed. He could finally buy a ship and rush out into the darkness of space to save his family. He would desolate Star Fleet's forces and make Marcus pay once and for all…and he'd take his family with him. Little Wolf, Fox, Squirrel, Beaver, Fawn, Silver Moon, and Sharp Quill.

With their help he would rescue his people and return to destroy his enemies. From there…he didn't know. Be a father, maybe—whatever that meant. Maybe he'd marry Silver Moon; why not? She cared for him and he…held her in deep regard. They had children: kind, intelligent, wild children.

The future looked good.

Khan held both of his kids in his arms and looked down at them.

"Ready?" He purred and Little Wolf smiled.

Little Wolf cocked her head to the side: "I'm always ready, old man. Now get a move on before you turn senile or hurt your hip!"

Khan dropped her and pressed lightly on her stomach with his boot. Sharp Quill laughed at the pair of them and shook her head.

"All you people are crazy," She grabbed Khan's elbow and pulled him along. "Come on, then. Looks like I got to do everything around here." She sighed and Khan lifted at eyebrow at her. In all fairness, she really didn't do much of anything. Perhaps, she was bored.

Behind him, Little Wolf jumped to her feet and scurried around them. When they got into town, she slowed and walked behind Khan with her hand fisting into the back of his shirt. Warily, she watched the people coming and going into and out of the shops. About twenty Star Fleet officers watched the group with bored expressions on their faces but they didn't pay them any mind. Khan walked forward with his head held high and Sharp Quill's frail hand guiding him to his destination.

"And here we are." Sharp Quill released him.

Khan looked around. The ships are alright, he guess. There were three that were large enough to handle crews of a few hundred or so. They would have a decent speed but their weapons systems, shield and warp capabilities needed improvement. Khan chose the black ship. He paid for it and they all piled onboard. He steered them into space as they found their rooms.

…

"Where are we going?" Little Wolf walked into the cockpit and sat in the co-pilot's chair.

"Earth." Khan glanced at her and then looked back at the controls, frowning. They'd need more fuel soon, which was odd: they had left with a full tank. There must be hole somewhere that he hadn't noticed in his inspection. There was blackmarket not too far away that was hidden in a crater; he could make the appropriate repairs there and refuel.

"Why?" Little Wolf jolted him out of his thoughts.

He looked at her and furrowed his brow: "What?"

"Why Earth?"

"My family is there." Back to the controls. The engine was overheating; their shields were malfunctioning.

"Your parents? Aunts? Uncles?" Little Wolf began swinging her feet back and forth and back and forth. Khan ignored her: someone was hailing them. Strange, he didn't see any ships in the vicinity. It was a distress call: biological weapons. Many dead, more needed medical assistance.

They were being attacked. The enemy ships had Star Fleets logo; would they please come and help? Hello? Was anyone there? Please! Someone come! Don't leave! Don't—!

An explosion.

End transmission.

"John? What was that? Are they hurt? What happened? John?" She poked him in the should and he switched the communication module off instantly.

"Khan." He corrected quietly as his eyes stared out into the darkness. Where was that ship?

"What?" Little Wolf frowned. Con? A con of what? Soup? Vegetables? Was he hungry? What was he talking about? What did food or cons has to do with everything?

"My name. It's Khan." He looked at her and saw her worry. Her tiny heart beat rapidly in her chest. "It's alright, little one. You're safe." His hand found her hair. He considered hugging her but decided against it; it would only waste time. He needed to fix the ship or they'd perish like that other vessel…wherever it was.

"Khan what happened to them? Are they alright?"

"No." He stood up and slipped out of his jacket.

Repairs. He needed to make repairs.

What was wrong again? Oh, right. The engines. Shields. Ugh, he may as well check the warp core—it was an explosion waiting to happen. They all were. Then he needed to check the electrical lines, and—why not?—look at the replicaters to make sure they were operating correctly. They wouldn't get very far without food, water, and medicine after all. Why didn't he check all of this before? He knew he should have gone with the blue ship—it was faster, but no. He just had to go with the black one.

"Where are you going? Khan?" Little Wolf watched as he walked swiftly from the room. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he never even hear her speak.

…

Five hours.

It had taken five hours—time he could no longer afford to waste—to check everything. Refueled and repaired, they quickly made up the lost time.

Little Wolf shadowed him wherever he went and every now and then, Fox would follow him as well. Right now, Khan was sitting in the cockpit and programming the ship's autopilot. Fox sat in his lap and watched intently as Khan's fingers tapped and swiped at the monitor.

"I try?" Fox asked hesitantly in English; Silver Moon had been teaching him.

"Not right now." Khan murmered. Fox chatted to Little Wolf for a minute and she gave Fox the English word he was looking for.

"Soon?"

"Maybe." Khan shifted him on his lap and looked around the room. Finding a PADD, he rose to his feet and grabbed the device. He sat back down and pulled up a game on it for Fox.

"Try this," Khan stated and Little Wolf translated for him.

…

"Long day?" Silver Moon asked Khan. It was midnight. They were in the cafeteria. Sharp Quill and the children had gone to bed hours ago.

"A bit," he admitted and his blue eyes burned with irritation. He still couldn't believe his own carelessness.

"You'll see them again," She stood up and stretched her back. Khan's calculating gaze followed the motion as he watched her arc her spine and tilt her head backwards.

"What are you looking at?" She asked in a mock stern voice.

"Nothing," he feigned innocence. "Just the wall."

"Oh, really now?" She stalked forward and sat down on his lap, leaning lightly against his chest. "Because I was hoping you were looking at me."

"Well, I don't know," he raised his eyebrows and a corner of his lips began to curl upward. "It's a pretty interesting wall."

She slapped him playfully and he chuckled.

"It's nice to see you, too," she said sarcastically and he chuckled harder. "Maybe I'll just go talk to the wall, then." She made to get up but he pulled her back down. Her mouth opened in protest and he leaned forward, pressing their lips together.

She pulled away: "or maybe not."

He smirked. "No?"

They kissed again. Slowly, she broke away and stood up, pulling him to his feet with a light hand around his wrist.

"Maybe we should continue this conversation elsewhere," She suggests coyly.

"Perhaps we should." He agrees.