In the Shadow of Ares: Act III

The early morning - starship time - had come. After Vanessa Katalepis had been taken off the Enterprise, Jim had done what he hoped Diana wanted: he gave her space.

He had remained with Bones in his office, talking over his best friend's justifiable concern that Hackett had access to some sort of nanotechnology before they'd even been told to bring Vanessa in. It concerned Jim, no doubt about that, but if Diana trusted Hackett's intentions, then there must have been truth in them. He had every intention of discussing it with the Commodore before the Enterprise left spacedock.

When he'd voiced his unusually optimistic opinion, Bones promptly accused him of being naive, told him to get some sleep and kicked him out of Sickbay. Never mind the fact that there was no chance he could sleep now. Every time he closed his eyes or had a moment of silence, he found himself thinking of Diana.

He couldn't imagine making the same decision Diana had. Then again, he had made plenty of equally difficult decisions for his crew. And there was the crux… he did what was best for the crew. And Diana's heart was a helluva lot bigger than his. She felt so… openly. He never had to wonder what she was thinking. He'd only spent a few weeks with her, but he could tell how desperately Diana wanted to help the woman. She was right. If Diana did one thing, she loved.

And you are falling at terminal velocity, Jim. A voice that sounded suspiciously like his mother scolded him. Against his better judgement, every third thought about Diana seemed to bring him right back to the gardens on the Yorktown. The way the blue light had cast an ethereal haze over her, the way her fingers ran over his lips while he was begging - as much as Jim ever begged - for her to stay on the Enterprise. He had been profoundly selfish in that moment, but it had seemed right. If Sulu hadn't called….

Jim shook his head clear of the pleasant, but ultimately dangerous and distracting thoughts. If he wasn't going to sleep in his quarters, he had no point pacing in them at all. The only reason Sulu had called him was because he'd been doing his duty and looking out for the crew. Jim didn't like the idea that something - or someone - was distracting him from doing the same.

Besides, normally by this point in these kinds of… fascinations, he'd had his dalliance and left. Or she'd been transferred. And that was years ago. When was the last time you really got swept up in someone? It had been far too long. Bones frequently told Jim he talked a good game, but in the last year or so, especially just before they'd lost the Enterprise, Jim had withdrawn. He was still his typical charismatic self, but, there'd been no spark. And Diana wasn't a spark, she was a supernova. Every time he saw her, he couldn't stop himself. He was back to his old self and then some. And it wasn't physical attraction. It was… it was past infatuation. He was constantly in a state of awe and wonder around her. And he found himself drinking in every opportunity to be near her. Like he was… making up for lost time somehow. Which was impossible.

He needed to focus on what he did best.

Jim had just pulled his uniform shirt back on when his computer terminal chirped at his desk. He grabbed his regulation boots and took a seat at his desk before accepting the communication. The face that greeted him should have been a breath of fresh air. But, Commodore Paris's expression was knit with concern and Admiral Kent was beside her.

"Commodore Paris," Jim quickly slipped his boots on, hoping it wasn't too noticeable. "Admiral Kent. This is a surprise. What can I do for you?"

"I wish this was a social call, Captain Kirk." She sounded even more troubled than she looked, and she was an evenly keeled commanding officer if he'd ever seen one. Thoughts of anything except business dropped out of his mind. "But, events have taken place on the Yorktown that require your attention."

Jim tried to puzzle that out, his eyes darting around the room a bit. "My attention? Specifically?"

"The Augment protesters on the Yorktown have escalated since their encounter with yourself and Ambassador Prince." She and the still-silent admiral shared a dour look, then faced him again. "They overwhelmed a security force and have stolen a ship."

There were only three other ships in spacedock, and he rattled them off internally with ease. The Compton, the Republic and… Jim blurted, "The Farragut."

"Yes, Captain." Admiral Kent spoke. "As you might have guessed, your presence on the station agitated the protestors. Security tried to break up the protest once it was clear they were becoming violent, but they'd already gone. I think they caught wind that Ensign Chekov transferred from your ship, because the moment they realized the ship was running a skeleton crew, they used sheer numbers to get past security."

"Chekov's on the ship, then?" The senior officers nodded. The floor dropped out from under him. "Are they still in spacedock? We'll send a task force - "

"They were able to get the ship out of spacedock and into open space before we could stop them." Paris said. "Captain, you must retrieve the Farragut. You are the only ship as advanced as her. She is smaller and can go faster, but the hope is that your advanced sensors can track her."

Jim nodded. "Yes, ma'am. We'll leave immediately." After a moment, Jim asked the question didn't want - but needed - to know. "Any reason to suggest the crew's still alive?"

"Captain Garrovick was onboard at the time of the takeover. His command codes were used to override the docking control. That's no guarantee, though." Admiral Kent replied. "My gut says they are. These are civilians, some with limited militia experience from back home. They're desperate. They don't know how to pilot a Federation starship, so they'd keep them alive for that, if nothing else." The admiral looked haggard as he finished. Not that Jim could blame him. He'd never heard of this kind of security breach to the Yorktown. Maybe they'd been so focused on external threats like Edison and his swarm…

"We'll bring them back." He told them both, already formulating a plan.

"Good. And Captain, tell Ambassador Prince... " Kent trailed off, a hand idly playing with his beard as he chose his words. "It's not her fault. The Augmenters were already keyed up. This isn't on her."

Jim was careful not to say anything other than "I will, sir." But, he was sure as hell thinking it.

Of course it wasn't her fault. If anything, this was Earth's mess. She would just have to be on the ship while they cleaned it up.

"We're sending you their last known coordinates. Good hunting."

He nodded once, then reached for the panel. "Understood. Kirk out." The screen went black and he caught his reflection for just a moment. He was visibly shaken, jaw set, eyes wide. Chekov was on the Farragut for his ambitions. And they'd targeted the ship because of Chekov and his relationship to Jim.

Chekov deserved better. That was not another letter he was going to write. Not today.

Jim rose and grabbed his communicator, flipping it open. "Kirk to the Bridge. Is everyone back on board?"

"Affirmative, captain." Spock's even tone was exactly what he needed to keep him focused. "All crew have been accounted for and reported in."

"Good, I need everyone at yellow alert and the ship ready to leave spacedock in 15 minutes." Jim swept out of his room, heading towards the turbolift. "The Farragut's been taken hostage, and we have to get her back. I'll be on the bridge in a second, Kirk out." Without hesitation, he cut the comm and immediately opened another line. "Kirk to Ambassador Prince."

There was a momentary delay as he reached the turbolift, but her voice filtered through. "Yes?"

"Diana, you need to get up to the bridge. We have a situation."

"Jim? What's happened? Is it Vanessa?"

"No. But, I have a feeling we'll need someone who can negotiate, and you've got a few hundred years on me." He almost closed his communicator, then faltered. For a moment, he thought of Chekov shamelessly flirting with Diana, the way she'd known to get his mind off of seeing his young friend leave. He'd spent countless hours drinking and getting to know him over the last year. He had to think she would understand. "It's Chekov."

It took less than an hour to track the Farragut, launch the Enterprise, and race to catch up with them. The senior staff were assembled on the bridge, and it had become a waiting game. Diana had joined them shortly after she received Jim's call, but she had no opportunity to speak with him. Instead, she took up a position at the railing. If the situation had been less serious, she was sure someone would have mentioned that it had now become "her spot". She had a place to stay out of the way, but where she could have the benefit of observation.

It was just as well.

She had no idea what she would have said to Jim that could comfort him. In her opinion, that group should have never been allowed to spew their hatred. But, considering what Jim had said about the Federation, they had chosen to see the best in people and this was the exception to their rule. A violent exception.

The entire bridge was on the razor's edge. No one spoke save their periodic updates. If the captain had made his log, it had been prior to Diana's arrival.

Even Doctor McCoy was unusually quiet as he brooded beside the chair, watching the viewport. Everyone waited for the moment that they caught up to the Farragut.

From Commander Spock's brief explanation of the situation to her, the Augment protesters had taken the vessel by sheer surprise. And none of them understood how the main systems work. The engines on the Farragut were newer, but the Enterprise had the benefit of skilled crew and enhanced sensors. If they could glean where the ship was headed, they could at least engage in an attempt at negotiation while possibly plotting a more direct course.

It turned out, that would not be a long wait once all parties were assembled.

"Captain, I believe we have identified the Farragut." Spock said from his console. "They have dropped out of warp outside of the Fibonan system. It is unknown as to why."

"Scotty, any theories?" Kirk asked, glancing over at his chief engineer.

Mister Scott scrutinized the details in front of him, and yet again, Diana found herself at a loss that she could not understand them the same as the rest. She would have to be patient. She did not have time to learn engineering today.

"Looks like the warp bubble collapsed. They're dead in the water. Rest of the ship's systems are up, but there's a good chance that them what took the Farragut dinnae have a clue how to fly her." Scotty shifted to face the captain. "Which means there's an even better chance they forced the crew into flying it, or tried themselves. This could be an accident or intentional. But," He bobbed his head from side to side as he thought. "If it's an accident, they're lucky they didn't blow the damn core."

"Are her shields up?"

"They do not appear to be." Spock replied.

Kirk leaned forward in his chair. "Then drop out of warp ahead of her and come about. Lieutenant Uhura, hail them."

"Aye, sir." Both Sulu and Uhura chorused from their various positions. Again, the dance of the bridge picked up tempo. It was easy to forget that she had once been bound to an island, with no knowledge of such things in Man's World. When surrounded by such skill, she felt closer to her Amazons on Themyscira.

Diana could only imagine what the maneuver looked like to the outside observer. The ship came out of warp, space returning to normal on the viewport before Sulu executed the quick turnabout. The Farragut came into view. In the distance, a star system she did not recognize.

"Their shields have gone up, but no weapons." Scotty said, almost amused. "Looks like they haven't managed to wheedle any security codes from the command staff."

"Yeah, well, I wouldn't bet on that." Kirk muttered. He stood, that smooth, practiced motion she could tell was as normal to him as breathing. She had been right about him. They would have to pry him out of the chair one day. The Enterprise was his home, his purpose. "Uhura, anything?"

"They're not responding." Uhura turned to face the captain. "They might not be able to."

"They managed to get the engines and shields working, I'm gonna give them the benefit of the doubt that they know how to run weapons and comms, too." He grumbled. "Put me through. We'll see if they hate me enough to chat."

Diana crossed her arms over her chest and rested her finger along her jaw. It was as much an action to force her to remain silent as it was a way of keeping her heart from racing. There was no way to tell what exactly the civilian protestors would do. They had come this far. It was possible they saw no other way out.

Humans could be such fools. But, in some ways, that was why she loved them.

Desperate fools. Prone to rash, regretful action.

"Attention, unauthorized crew of the USS Farragut. This is Captain James T. Kirk of the Federation starship USS Enterprise. You have illegally commandeered another Federation vessel, and I have been authorized to ensure that you release your control of the vessel and to ensure the safety of her crew." He paused. No response. He reached up, wiping his mouth as he thought. When he spoke again, Diana nearly jumped. "If you do not respond to our hail, we will be forced to take more drastic means."

Diana opened her mouth, ready to protest that he had jumped so quickly to a threat, but paused when she caught Doctor McCoy's eye. The doctor gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head. The realization slowly dawned over her. Of course. He's bluffing.

"But, I don't want to do that. I want to talk. I understand you blame me for what happened to Khan, but if you'd just open the line, I am more than willing to negotiate." There was still silence. Jim sighed before trying one more time. "No one needs to get hurt." He finally turned to Doctor McCoy, shaking his head, visibly frustrated.

Finally, Uhura's console flickered. "They're responding. Putting it onscreen."

The bridge of the Farragut flickered to life on the viewscreen. Diana's heart dropped to her stomach as she recognized the face of the man who had led the protests on the station and several of his cohorts. They had taken up positions around the smaller bridge, but that only made them look more menacing. Somehow, the fewer numbers seemed all that more threatening.

Many of them were manning stations, phasers in hand.

However, there were a few notable exceptions. The young man in the engineering station wore red now, instead of gold, but it was impossible not to recognize the curly mop of hair. His left eye was visibly swollen, but to his credit, Chekov didn't seem beaten. He seemed angry.

"Chekov." Jim breathed. Diana could see his shoulders tense, and his right hand balled into a fist at his side. "Chekov, talk to me."

"Your pitiful crewmember isn't going to speak to you, captain." The lead protestor stepped forward, shifting the phaser rifle so that it was pointing directly at the ensign's head. "He's too weak to stand up to us. To me."

"And who are you, exactly?"

"Jason Tambor. Not that it matters to you, Kirk. You never bothered to understand Khan, you only wanted to lock him away."

Diana gripped the railing, careful not to let her strength get the best of her. This was so foolish. What could they possibly hope to accomplish by hurting Chekov?

"So, what? You steal the ship that you don't know how to fly because you're mad at me, and…" Jim motioned to Chekov. "You asked him nicely to fix your mess with the warp core. He's decided he won't be doing that because he's a Federation officer." Jim crossed his arms over his chest. "He's doing his job. You're civilians, but you just turned yourselves into criminals."

"We're not criminals. We're the only ones who care about the future of the human race." The man growled. The sound seemed more threatening over the slightly tinny, processed comm signal.

"Right." Jim nodded, clearly skeptical. "And I'm sure a big part of that involves the 'purity' of the human race and the 'natural evolution' through Augmentation. I'm pretty sure we all heard the pitch before, and it ended terribly the first time. You're not going to change anyone's minds with this stunt."

"You have no idea what you're talking about!" Tambor stepped forward. "Khan promised us life! Power! He saved my niece! She was dying from a terminal illness, and the Federation was content to let her languish until she was a husk. And your Vulcan took that away from us!" He jabbed a finger towards Spock, who simply quirked an eyebrow. Diana did not know the particulars, but she had a feeling it wouldn't help. "And what's worse is that you have them in your Starfleet. You call me a criminal, but you have a bodyguard who's clearly augmented unlike anything Khan ever predicted!"

Diana's eyes widened. Of course. When she had realized that Jim was going to be attacked by a mob, she'd pulled him from the sea of people and soared off to confront Conner. At no point had she considered the effect that may have had on them. They saw her as an Augment.

They could not be further from the truth. Yet, their actions now had the proper color to them. These were not desperate individuals who felt trapped - they felt privileged and betrayed. They saw Augmentation as a game of Haves and Have Nots. Khan had been careful only to show them what they wished to see. They knew nothing of the mania that the virus caused.

"That's not… she's not - " Kirk huffed, trying to think. "You have no idea how dangerous Khan is. He's crazy - "

"He is superior! Superior ability breeds superior ambition. He understood this. We understand it."

The statement sent a chill through Diana, resonating deeply. In her bones.

Damian had said the exact same words when she had asked him what he was trying to accomplish with the Augment Project.

I'm creating the future, Miss Prince. My father never had the ambition to see beyond Gotham. I do. And superior ability leads to superior ambition. The League will be so much more than you ever thought it could be.

Damian Wayne. The son of a vigilante philanthropist and a twisted cult of assassins. His ambition and misguided intentions left a mark, that was for certain. It was a twisted, angry scar across humanity..

Jason continued. "So, you tell us where you've taken Khan and return him to us, or we will kill every member of this crew. Starting with him." He stalked back over to Chekov.

To his credit, the young man remained steady, glancing up at Jim through one swollen eye. "Don't give him anysing, keyptin." Tambor jammed the phaser against his temple and the crew visibly tensed.

"Do not doubt my intentions, Captain Kirk. You have 15 minutes." Tambor threatened, dark and lethal. Diana knew that darkness. She knew it all too well.

The viewscreen cut out, replaced by a starscape and the drifting Farragut.

"Dammit!" Jim spun, smacking the back of his chair in anger as he stalked towards Uhura. "Hail them again!"

The communications officer tried, but she shook her head. "They're ignoring us now."

"Jim, they're gonna kill the kid if we don't stop them!" McCoy voiced the concern all of them had with a gesture towards the ship on screen.

"I know that, Bones!" The captain scowled. "But, I can't just fire on them."

Diana stepped down onto the bridge as Spock did the same. Within moments, the three men had convened in the center of the bridge, intent on devising a plan.

"His loyalty to Khan conveys a more personal relationship than simple fanatic." Spock remarked.

"Hell, Spock, this guy's madder than a hatter." Bones scoffed. "Thinkin' he's got a personal connection with his cult leader is the definition of a fanatic. For all we know, he never even met the guy and he's just spouting this junk because he sees all aliens as a threat."

"Well, he's not gonna talk to us." Sulu offered from the conn. "If we can't talk to him, we can't reason with him."

"Is there any way we can get on that ship? Or disable it from here?" Kirk turned his attention to Engineer Scott.

"No! Well, maybe." Scotty sighed, clearly mulling over the possibilities. "If I can reach Starfleet Command, they can send me command codes to override the shields. Maybe we could beam a small team onboard. But, that'd take hours."

"Nothing in Tambor's body language suggested he was bluffing." Uhura chimed in from her seat. Diana was inclined to agree.

Her stomach rolled. This was not the way, and she could tell. But, as Sulu had mentioned, if they would not respond to Kirk because of his role in Khan's demise…

"What happened to Khan?" Diana's voice cut through the murmurs.

The cluster turned to look at her. Jim's jaw had gone a bit slack, as if trying to determine what to say. "It's… kind of long story." He said, non-committal.

"Then make it brief. I know who Khan was. I knew the man who gave him those Augmentations. Damian Wayne. The son of a man known as Bruce Wayne." She didn't give an inch to Jim. She stared him down, one hawk to another. "The man who brought the Justice League together. They called Bruce The Batman. And he was fiercely ambitious. When he died, the world was never the same. And Damian tried to fill that void by creating more superpowered people."

"Right, Augmentation was a corporate initiative for an old terrestrial defense force," Jim replied. The pieces were falling into place before his eyes. "You're telling me that Khan knew this guy and willingly allied himself with superheroes?"

"Damian was not his father." Diana's heart sank as she tried to push thoughts of the young - now gone - man away. "He believed - he gave Khan his axiom: Superior ability leads to superior ambition. Jim, I know Khan and the motives of his project more intimately than any of you could."

"I understand that - "

"What I do not know is why they are so obsessed with him 200 years later. Why are they convinced he helped them? Clearly, he blames you and the Enterprise. But, how could they be so enamored with a man who had been in stasis for centuries?" Diana's questions spilled in a rush, one after another, but each one of them was still measured and required an answer. Yet again, she struggled to understand humanity after she had left.

Jim looked pained, with recollection or with the difficulty of making a complex matter brief, Diana could not tell. "Two years ago a rogue Starfleet Admiral took Khan out of stasis. This admiral thought we would go to war with the Klingon Empire and thought Khan would be perfect for Starfleet's army. But Khan turned on him, started recruiting people under the name John Harrison."

"He started recruiting a cult. Promising people cures to terrible illnesses if they took out specific Starfleet operations." Bones cut in. "Turns out Khan didn't appreciate Admiral Marcus keeping the other augments in cryo-stasis"

"A lot more happened that day, but in the end we were able to take Khan into custody, alive. He was placed back into stasis and he and his other augments were sent to a far colony world. None of us know where exactly." The tone of Kirk's voice was enough to chill Diana. What had happened?

"Based on his reverence, it would be safe to assume Tambor is one of John Harrison's acolytes." Spock interjected. "If so, he would think of Khan as someone who helped him directly. However we lack the time to verify this."

"But, it means you genuinely don't know where Khan is." Diana turned towards the viewscreen, brow furrowed. "You would not be able to give them the answer they seek because you simply don't have it."

"And I'm not risking Chekov's life by trying any sort of direct assault." Kirk said. It was if discussing Khan's impact on the crew, even in minimal terms, had strengthened his resolve.

"You don't need an assault, you need a negotiation." She turned to face them all. "Give me a shuttle and I'll meet them: alone. I will need a crewman to pilot it, of course, but they can remain on the shuttle. I will make Tambor see reason."

McCoy nearly exploded. "Are you outta your damn mind? You want to go in there alone? I don't care if you can twist a support beam with your bare hands, that's still suicide!"

Diana wouldn't budge. "Doctor, this is what I am meant to do. I am an Amazon, I was raised to temper anger so that cooler heads would prevail. I have been doing this longer than you have been alive. Besides," She quirked an eyebrow in defiance. "They think I am an Augment. And I knew Khan. That alone means I can use that to parlay."

"Sweetheart, you mighta known Khan, but so did they. And he was so nuts by the time we caught up with him, he crashed a goddamn starship into San Francisco. He leveled blocks, nearly took out Starfleet command! Countless people were killed! And they worship him!"

"The first step in dismantling a god is to make his people understand he does not love them, Doctor." Diana kept her tone level, but that cold knot in her stomach turned even colder. "They called me the god-killer once. I don't need a sword to do that." She turned to Jim. "You must let me speak to them. If you don't, then they will continue to fester their resentment towards you and it will cost the lives of the crew. On both ships."

"Diana… This is an incredible risk." Kirk softened. She could hear the subtle shift from captain to friend. "Even if I authorize it, there's no guarantee they'll talk to you."

"I believe they will." She stated. "And I believe that you will find a way to get onto the ship should my negotiations take longer than expected. But, I am an ambassador of the Federation, this is exactly what they want to hear. You asked me to be here because of my skills. It has to be me."

Jim took a deep breath, his eyes on hers for almost too long. Finally, he broke away and nodded. "Okay. Go. We'll keep working here."

Diana made her way to the turbolift, determined and already considering what she would say.

"Lieutenant Uhura, get Mister Scott on the line with Starfleet Command, let's see if we can get the command codes and frequencies needed to disable the Farragut from here." Kirk was already making his way to the comms officer, but he cast one last glance over at Diana as the turbolift arrived. "And Miss Prince: Do me a favor and leave the armor at home. There's no telling what might set them off." When she didn't reply, he stood straight. "I mean it. Please."

As Diana boarded the shuttle and took off a few minutes later, she adjusted the ambassadorial jacket and Federation pin on her shoulder. And she checked to make sure her lasso was still securely underneath it.