In The Shadow of Ares: Act IV

"Ambassador, we've reached the Farragut, but they've not responded to my hails." The crewman said, worry etched onto his young features.

Diana approached him from the back of the shuttle, looking out the viewport. As she caught his concerned reflection in the glass, she reached out and rested a hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently. "Thank you, Crewman Oviedo. I imagine they're concerned that I am the Captain, not an ambassador. Please open a channel. I'd like to speak to them myself." She released his shoulder with another gentle squeeze, hoping she could allay his fears.

The crewman either knew better than to argue with her, or didn't have the confidence to voice his concern with a Federation ambassador. He tapped a few buttons, ones that Diana had quickly associated with the communications array on shuttles and in deck-to-deck transmission. "Channel open, ma'am."

She took a deep breath and moved to rest her hand on the open co-pilot chair. "Mister Tambor, I am Ambassador Diana Prince. I am offering to speak with you in the hopes that we can resolve this conflict peacefully. You do not know my name, but I can assure you, you know my face. We met yesterday when you attempted to assault a bystander. I believe you called me an Augment. If you would allow me to speak with you, I am sure that you will find interest in what I have to say."

The shuttle felt utterly motionless, but given the way the Farragut gently drifted to her left, she knew they must have been moving. A perfect metaphor for negotiation. One spoke in the hopes that in the silence between words, a bargain could be struck.

"Lower your shields and we'll tractor your vessel in. Only you will be allowed on board. If anyone else tries to get off that shuttle, we won't hesitate to kill them." She might not have been able to see Jason Tambor, but she could tell from the change to his tone that he had taken the bait. He was intrigued.

"Of course." She said calmly, then nodded to the crewman. He looked up at her with wide eyes, but she simply motioned to the console. After a moment of hesitation, the crewman dropped the shields.

The small vessel shuddered and groaned. Diana gripped the back of the seat, neck craning as she tried to see what precisely had happened. After a moment, she caught the blue haze of what must have been the tractor… well, beam. The Farragut started to move closer.

"Before we dock, send a message to Captain Kirk." Diana muttered. She didn't need to keep her voice low, but she had dropped into a natural state of subterfuge. It made no difference if she was scouting a warehouse or pursuing prey in Artemis's Glade: she was now in the belly of the beast. Best to treat it with proper solemnity. "Let him know we're going aboard. I am sure they will confiscate my communicator once I am on, and they will force the shuttle to stay depowered."

"Yes, ma'am." The crewman's fingers flew over the console as he quickly typed the message. The menu system flashed in red that it had been sent. It was just as well. The moment they passed under the Farragut's dish, the console flickered. "They're overriding our controls."

"Is it intentional?"

"I don't think so. Most ships have an automated docking sequence." Oviedo shrugged as his red shirt turned an unpleasant shade of purple under the blue lighting of the docking bay. "Still, I'd be on guard, ma'am."

She smiled at him, touched by his concern. It was a good reminder as to why she found herself constantly pulled back into humanity's orbit. Even the least of them had potential to be full of love and kindness, even for strangers.

She would do her best to answer Tambor's ignorance with that same love.

Diana had spent time on the Farragut. In the few weeks that she had spent on the Enterprise, they had briefly rendezvoused with the ship and exchanged crew. She'd taken the tour and she had even come to the docking bay. From speaking with Chief Engineer Scott over coffee, he'd explained that each Starfleet ship would seem eerily familiar on the inside: They all shared similar blueprints that only shifted based on an individual vessel's needs.

Unfortunately, that particular academia did not help her now. As she stepped out of the shuttle to face Tambor and a handful of his group, the Farragut felt like a whole new realm. Nevertheless, she hoped that would be a point she could use to her advantage. Tambor didn't know the ship that well, either.

"Stop." Tambor leveled his rifle at her, eyes raking over her. This was the first time either of them truly had had an opportunity to see one another. Tambor's eyes were dark and troubled, and his black hair had seen better days. He was haggard. She got the impression that even though he seemed impeccably dressed and confident on the Yorktown, the crew of the Farragut had given him more trouble than he expected. "Check her for weapons."

"That is not necessary." Diana said smoothly, holding her hands up in surrender. She cast her eyes around the room, gauging the moods and fortitudes of the rest of the group. They seemed to be holding up well, but a few of them were already restless. "I have a ceremonial lasso of my people underneath my jacket, but I can assure you that it will not be used if you truly wish to hold these negotiations in the spirit of truth. You will not be taking it from me." The last point she made directly to the civilian who approached her, intent on searching her for weapons. The blonde woman took a step back, then looked to her leader in confusion.

If Jason was distrusting of her, he was seemingly willing to set that aside for the benefit he perceived in gaining the allegiance of an Augment. "How do I know I can trust you?"

"I will be honest with you, as I have been thus far." Diana slowly reached for her jacket, unzipping it with care. The phaser rifles around her never lowered, but they didn't seem too keen to fire on her, either. Once her jacket was unzipped, she held it open so they could see her gold belt with lasso hook against the standard issue black shirt. She also had her communicator tucked into the belt. The moment Tambor caught that, he snapped his fingers and motioned to the blonde again.

"Take her communicator." As she complied, Tambor stalked forward. Presumably, he thought he could intimidate her. "And you better not try anything stupid. I'll kill the whole crew of this tub if I have to."

Diana smirked. "You saw what I could do on the station. Do you really think threatening me will get you anywhere?" She zipped her jacket back up. "I came here to talk, because I think you will listen to what I have to say. But first, I'd like to see Ensign Chekov."

Jason scoffed. "No."

Diana took her own step forward, arching an eyebrow. "Yes. Because until I see him, we will not speak of Khan Noonian Singh and the future he promised you."

Tambor's eyes went wide. Her tone and implication had struck precisely where she meant for it to. Without speaking, he nodded and turned, waving for the group to move out. They marched with enough purpose to suggest that some of them might have spent time in armed forces, but as Diana understood it, that would have been a short amount of time. Starfleet was not a military organization, so planetside defense would have been seen as saber-rattling after a certain point.

She didn't speak as they made their way to the bridge. Even when everyone crammed onto the turbolift, she swallowed the nervous lump in her throat and kept her thoughts focused on the task at hand. She knew she could have subdued several of them, but she could not guarantee the safety of the Farragut crew. And she had promised Jim that she had the solution. A promise is unbreakable. She could hear the youthful, coy words rolling off her tongue to another man, in another life. She would not disappoint the man who seemed to be both his ghost and his equal.

Upon arriving on the bridge, Diana made a direct line to the young man at the engineering station. "Pavel," She breathed as he turned to look at her.

"Ambassador," He smiled, even as his swollen eye must have made the expression painful. "Vat are you doing here? I sought - "

"I'm going to take care of Tambor and his people. Just be strong, as I know you have been." Diana smiled, gently resting her hands on either side of his face. It was an action her mother had done countless times. It was one she had shared with many Amazons to comfort them. Today, she hoped it gave Pavel the same.

"You've seen him." Jason growled behind her. "Now, you said you had information on Khan. You nearly killed me on the station, so why should I believe you care about us at all?"

Diana's smile faded. She slowly rose to her full height, then turned back to face the man who had been responsible for Chekov's injury. But, not for his mania. That is Khan's doing. "You assaulted an innocent woman. I defended her, as I did the captain when your mob descended upon him."

"She was a race-traitor." His words came out in the same ignorant snarl she had heard from countless men and women in Man's World. "Her parents chose to dilute the purity of the human race with inferior species - "

"Who are you to make the call that a species is inferior?" Diana challenged. "That was never Khan's crusade. That is your own."

"Khan saved all of us when aliens didn't care!" The blonde woman who had seemed so meek before blurted out the statement with such conviction and passion, Diana was caught off-guard. She had seemed a sensitive soul. Perhaps not. "My daughter would have died on Earth. The Vulcan doctors who came didn't even try to help her. They already thought she was a lost cause."

Diana shook her head. "Sister, you cannot blame all other species on the actions of a few. To do so would mean judging all of humanity by the worst of us."

"What do you know?" Another one of them scoffed. He looked about the same age as Chekov, but twice as fierce. "You're an Augment, you've already been blessed with the gift and Starfleet keeps you secret."

Diana sighed. "I am no Augment."

Tambor was stunned. "You're not? But, we saw what you did - "

"When have you ever seen an Augmented individual fly?" Diana asked.

His mouth worked for a moment before he finally managed, "But, there's been time. Khan could have - "

"Khan does not care about you. In fact, he cares about you less than the Vulcans you belittle." Diana could sense the tension in the room ramping up around her, but she pressed on. "Listen to me. I know that you think you know him, but you only know what he has wished for you to see. I knew Khan before he was an Augment."

"How?" The blonde again.

"Because like a Vulcan or Andorian or Romulan, I am simply not human. I am not an Augmented individual, I was given these abilities through my bloodline." Before they could interrupt her, she continued on, watching each of them as she spoke. She had to trust that at least one of them would listen to her. "I protected humanity before the Eugenics War. And when I knew Khan, he only cared about the power that he could gain. He was so dangerous after the Augmentation, we knew he could not be trusted."

"You're lying!" Tambor yelled, bringing up the phaser rifle.

Unflinching, Diana simply held her hands up to dissuade him. "I'm not. I love humanity with all my heart. There is a darkness and a light within each of you. Khan believed that humanity could never conquer that darkness: that you were never enough. But, I do not believe that. I believe that the light within each of you is always enough. You only have to be willing to love and to accept others." Diana glanced over at the blonde, stepping over towards her. "What does Augmentation mean to you? Abilities? Power?" She tilted her head. "Immortality? Were you to have children with Vulcans, those children would have longer lifespans and be immune to other diseases. Were you to have children with Klingons, those children would be strong and powerful.

"But, you shun people who have married other species for dilution without considering the possibility that part of your great evolution as a species was to sit at the same table as those who have been travelling the stars for centuries before you." Vanessa came to mind. Her sister who had travelled so far for humanity's progress and they would never know her sacrifice. "Humans have accomplished marvels without augmentation. You insult the memories of your ancestors by forgetting that they laid the steps you now walk towards the stars.

"And before you tell me that you think Khan cares about you, that he would say you are doing this for the greater good of humanity, you think about what he did in San Francisco!" The group was silent. It took her a moment to realize that her eyes had grown misty, but she continued on, emboldened and passionate.

"Khan did not think about you or your children or your families when he crashed a starship into the city. He would have killed any non-augmented human, he would have killed every Augment, including himself! I don't even know if I could have survived that kind of an explosion. And he didn't do it for you: he did it because he was so consumed with revenge and anger that he would have watched the world burn around him so he could be king of the ashes!" Diana gasped to fill her lungs before continuing, praying that they heard her, if not in their minds, in their hearts.

"You must understand, what Khan wishes for you is not a path you wish to take. You are all civilians. You never went to Starfleet, you never had to serve in a war. You never had to understand the burden of what you do. Khan knows it. I know it. There is a price to pay for this Augmentation, for this immortality." Diana clenched her hands into fists. "My… species is very long lived. I have seen centuries come and go and I can tell you that immortality is not something you strive for."

Tambor opened his mouth but she dismissed him with a wave of her hand. Damien's quest for immortality, to create a legacy worthy of Bruce had nearly undone it all. For a gift that was more of a curse. Lois would have laughed at all of them.

"You lose. Every time. There is a list that you must keep, you see. The list of those you have lost. The faces that haunt you before you sleep, the faces that you could not save or the eyes whose light you took. Whatever you think you will accomplish here will not outweigh that list." She swallowed. "I have one. Would you like to hear it?" Diana turned her attention to the blonde in the corner. She was clutching her phaser rifle, but almost as if a comfort, not as a weapon. "Antiope. She was the first to die for me. And then there was Steven Rockwell Trevor. Then, Etta Candy, Charlie, Samir, Chief, Bruce Wayne, and…" She swallowed. "And Lois Lane. And many of them were taken from age, but so many of them were taken by other people who believed that they, too, deserved something over someone else."

Diana refused to take her eyes off of the woman. "Sister, you do not want the name Pavel Chekov in your mind at night. You do not want to remember his face, and you do not want to visit the curse of violence on his loved ones." The woman's lip had begun to quiver. "I understand your suffering for your daughter. Would you ever wish that kind of pain on someone else?" She finally tore her gaze away to face Jason Tambor. He seemed thunderstruck. "In earth's ancient history, the name Jason belonged to a hero. A man who went to great lengths - a mere mortal - but let his pride and his greed doom him in the end. Is that the legacy you wish to leave? For a man who has manipulated you? For a man who simply thinks you, Jason Tambor, will never be enough?"

Tambor brought his phaser high to aim. Diana's breath caught in her throat. The moment stretched as she wondered if he would fire.

"It takes nothing to be hateful," She said softly, bringing her hand up to gently wrap around the muzzle of the phaser. Diana didn't need the lasso to see the truth in this man. It was as natural as breathing to see the truth in humanity most days. She was a goddess whose sole passion was for truth. Tambor had shown his heart without so much as a word. "But, it takes great courage to admit that you were wrong because you were afraid."

His hands were shaking. He couldn't have lined up a shot if he wanted to. He grit his teeth, desperately trying to fire, but it was plain that he had lost the nerve to.

"You do not have to go down this path." Diana said, hoping to coax the weapon free.

Finally, he wrenched the rifle away and threw the weapon to the floor in front of him. Around her, Diana could hear phaser rifles dropping like raindrops on a tin roof.

"Mister Chekov, if you could drop the shields, I believe the captain would like to see you for himself." Diana finally muttered, eyes still on Tambor.

"Yes, ambassador." Chekov's reply was muffled, but clearly relieved.

As the console chirped behind her from Chekov's commands, she took a step closer to Jason, crouching down to grab the rifle. He didn't stop her, but he backpedaled regardless. "I don't want to hurt you." She said softly, trying to close the distance again.

He simply stared at the floor, sullen.

A moment later, she heard the sound of transporter beams all over the bridge. When she turned, she caught sight of several security guards in red. At the front of them, to no one's surprise, was Captain James T. Kirk.

As soon as they finished materializing, the captain turned his phaser towards Jason Tambor, jaw set. "Mister Tambor. I think it's time you stand down."

Bringing in Jason Tambor and the rest of the civilian protesters had been… surprisingly easy. At least, from Jim's perspective. He had managed to get a brief, somewhat overblown account from Chekov before the Farragut's CMO decided he needed to treat his engineer, so he knew she'd said something to them about the cost of being immortal and how much Khan didn't care about them.

Once he'd secured them in the brig and set course for the Yorktown to turn them back over, Jim had made his last captain's log on the matter and withdrew to the observation lounge. It had become a habit.

He shouldn't have been surprised when Bones came in a few minutes after he'd poured a glass of scotch.

"You know, you probably shouldn't self-medicate." Bones took the bottle, looked at it, and poured himself a glass, "But who am I to judge. Hell of a day..."

Jim chuckled ruefully, then took a swig. He waited until the scotch finished burning down his throat before he glanced over at him. "I take it Doctor Talas kept you busy on her sickbay. Guess you've never had to keep up with an Andorian before."

"I can handle an Andorian." Bones' tone indicated Jim had hit close to the mark. "Chekov is fine, by the way. You'd barely know he'd been held hostage by an insurgent group today. He asked me to leave the shiner so he could impress 'ze ladies'. I said that sounded like something you'd do and he puffed up faster than a Gorn in the midst of a mating dance."

That got an honest laugh of Jim. "That kid doesn't know what's good for him." He shook his head, the mirth slipping from his expression as soon as it appeared. He cleared his throat, staring down at his glass as if it could provide him answers. "It's good he's over there. He needs to strike out on his own, have a career that doesn't involve me. That nearly got him killed today."

Bones reached over and put a hand on Jim's wrist, pushing the glass back to the table and catching his attention, "This wasn't on you, Jim. You didn't ask or taunt those loonies to take the Farragut. If they'd taken the Enterprise," He shrugged. "Well, then, I suppose you could take some of the blame, but Chekov wasn't in danger today because you put him there. He was in danger because, well, he's Starfleet an' this job isn't exactly kittens and caution. Although, I don't imagine he'll live that down any time soon. First day onboard and he gets held hostage."

He was right. Jim knew it, Bones knew it. It didn't help untangle that knot in his stomach, though. "No, but they saw me and they latched right on. If Diana hadn't been here..." He exhaled and scrubbed his face with his free hand before another thought struck him. "I mean, what did she say to them? Chekov wasn't making a whole lot of sense when I saw him. Did he say anything to you?"

Bones took a long breath, measuring his words, "From what I could get out of Chekov; she gave a long speech about how augmentation isn't improving humanity, it's ignoring how great humanity already is. And that attacking people for having kids with other species isn't protecting earth's purity, it's xenophobia and hypocritical. After all, a half Vulcan kid is going to be stronger and faster than a normal human, on par with an augment, so isn't that the same as augmentation."

He paused to take a sip of his bourbon, enjoying the burn before continuing, "Then Chekov said she went into how being immortal like what Khan promised them was no blessing... she started listing off all the people in her life she's lost because they just... grew old and died. And she didn't."

The surprise on Jim's face was plain. "Holy shit." He breathed. "Well, I guess that's one way to do it..."

"Kid said it was like listening to you when you give your big rallying speeches." Bones' smile was a dry one, and there was a very familiar teasing mirth in his eyes, "That he'd have followed her to hell and back, done anything she asked."

Jim grinned before he could stop himself. "Yeah, well, I read her records. You need to stop an asteroid, you called Superman. You need to stop a war, you called Wonder Woman." He shrugged and polished off his drink. "She just… has that effect on people." Chekov was starry-eyed around pretty women, but everyone knew there was something more to Diana. It wasn't just the regal nature, either. It was how much she cared. At least, for Jim it was.

"Effect on a lot of people, or just you, Jim?" Bones topped off both their glasses. "Because I've seen you mope about a girl before, but this is pretty prolonged."

"What?" He scoffed, shrugging it off in a lame attempt to avoid talking about what had plagued him for the last weeks. "No, that's... she's not... that's not what this is. I mean, she's clearly an accomplished diplomat or Admiral Kent never would have made her an ambassador. That's all I'm saying."

The dry smile was back on Bones' lips. Jim briefly debated throwing his bourbon into his face. "Horseshit. You've been starry eyed for her since you first brought her on board."

"She saved my life, she's the queen of the Amazons!" Jim protested with a fervent hiss. "She's Wonder Woman, Bones, a bona fide superhero from history and she is easily the most impressive hand-to-hand combatant I've ever met. She has the biggest heart I've ever seen. I mean, think about what she did for Vanessa. Trusting Hackett? She saw something that was enough to trust him. She'd just met the guy." The more he tried to extol her virtues, the more obnoxious the grin on his best friend's face became. "I can see how this might not be helping my case, but you get my point. She is pretty much a god walking among mortals. I'm just happy she picked my ship." Jim realized no sooner than the words left his mouth he'd been caught. And it wasn't as if lying to Bones would get him anywhere. "So, okay, yes, I'm interested. Doesn't mean I'm going to do anything about it."

"Good," Bones said, capping the bottle to keep them from a third glass, "Because if she's that good? She's out of your league."

Jim bristled, shooting him an annoyed look. "Thanks, Bones." He said, sarcasm dripping from his voice. "You know, it's a wonder you're divorced with that romantic soul of yours..."

Bones only had time to furrow his brow at him before the doors to the observation lounge opened behind them with a hiss.

Jim quickly turned in his seat and immediately found himself wishing Bones had not capped that bottle. "Ambassador Prince..." He said, forcing the formality so that - with luck - Bones wouldn't press the issue further.

It didn't work. No sooner than she walked closer, she pulled her jacket off and took a seat beside him on the stool. "Jim. Doctor McCoy." Her smile towards Bones lit up the dark room enough that Jim quickly covered his grimace with another swig of bourbon.

To make it worse, Bones leaned forward with an easy smile. "You know, sweetheart, you can feel free to call me Leonard any day. We're off-duty."

Jim set his glass down with purpose and cleared his throat. "Hey, Bones, didn't you have supplies to finish cataloguing before we get back to the Yorktown? I don't know when our next supply run will be."

All Southern charm, Bones simply chuckled and pushed off of the bar. "My work is never done."

"No, you don't have to go." Diana said with a smile. She'd only been there a few weeks, but it felt like she had always belonged. "I'm sure you have more stories to tell me, Doctor."

"Oh, I've got plenty, but I'm sure Jim can think of a few." Bones came around the bar and clapped Jim on the back with more force than was probably necessary. "Just do me a favor. I've cut him off for the night, so try not to let him get into any more trouble."

As his chief medical officer sauntered out, Jim casually called: "You're fired, Bones."

"You say that every week…" The doors shut behind him. Jim found himself - yet again - in the observation lounge, alone with Diana. Considering how quickly he'd tried to dive headfirst into trouble last time they were alone, he had a feeling this wasn't going to improve his track record.

"I get the impression I interrupted something," Diana said as she turned to face him. She seemed relaxed. The dim lighting over the bar only served to cast her in that same type of ethereal glow she'd been in at the gardens. She wasn't skittish around him - not that he could recall her ever really being skittish - so he had to assume they were going to… not talk about the gardens.

Dammit, Bones… Jim thought as he found himself completely unable to stop thinking about wanting to lean forward and kiss her. It was a terrible idea, but he wanted to finish what he'd started. This was weeks longer than he used to have patience for.

But, he also didn't want to risk the growing friendship. It was… important that he didn't just throw himself forward. He just wished he knew why.

"You didn't." He finally spoke, suddenly aware that he must have been staring. Or maybe he'd just taken too long to answer. "We were catching up. Bones filled me in on how Chekov's doing, and the Farragut's on its way now, so… we're good." He picked up the now empty glass. "And apparently I've been cut off."

Diana chuckled, then reached for the bottle of bourbon herself. He watched as she opened it with ease and poured them both another few fingers of the amber liquid. "Well, as a former queen, I can tell you with certainty that sometimes, it pays to ignore the medical advice."

He grinned boyishly. "That sounds like there's a story involved."

She returned the smile. "Several. I've been known to push myself well beyond the limits of what my friends and doctors would tell me." She held the glass up to clink the rim against his in cheers. He obliged and the two of them shared a swig. "But, heroes do not think of themselves in the moment - only of the world they wish to save. Sometimes, we inherently know that we are the only ones who can take the risk and that it must be done."

Jim's grin faded as his mind drifted back to a warp core long gone, to the burning itch of radiation as he gripped a metal rail tightly and kicked the dilithium chamber back into alignment. His breath growing shorter…. The world growing dimmer….

Jim took another drink. "Yeah, I know that feeling. It always seems like a good idea at the time."

Diana caught his eye, even as he tried to keep his gaze glued to the bar counter. She had a way of pulling his attention from anywhere and anything right to her. "Jim… you are not an easily rattled man. I've seen you stare down Romulan warbirds, centurions…. A Borg. Yet, I saw something in you today I've not seen before." She set her glass down. "The mention of Khan unsettles you. You were less sure of yourself today."

Jim looked up at her through the stray strands of blonde in his eyes. He could feel his resolve crumbling. He didn't like to keep secrets. He was an open book. He liked it that way. It kept things simple. She's the opposite of simple, Jim… "I have history with him." He finally replied, hoping to dissuade her.

"I read the official report." Diana remarked. "And it says you were severely injured when Khan damaged the Enterprise. Interestingly enough, I cannot see your medical records." She smirked. "I lack the clearance."

"Yeah, it wasn't pretty." He leaned back a bit, resting against the bar counter on one elbow. The bourbon had lost its appeal. He wasn't entirely sure he even needed its ability to loosen his tongue. The longer she looked at him, the more he wanted to just… let it out. "The truth is… Khan is probably one of the worst people I have ever met. And I had to ally myself with him to stop Admiral Marcus from starting a war. Then, to no one's surprise, the moment Khan had the more powerful ship, he attacked the Enterprise." She opened her mouth to speak, but he held a hand up to stop her. "We had the rest of the Augments on board in stasis. In trying to get them back, he severely damaged the Enterprise and we were caught in Earth's gravity. The only way to get the ship flying was to realign the warp core."

"How does one do that?" She asked, brow furrowed.

"In this case, manually." Every second leading up to that decision was still crystal clear in his mind. "Scotty told me the chamber was flooded with radiation. If anyone went in there, they were dead." He shrugged. "So, I knocked him out, put him in his jump seat, and I went in there. I kicked the damn core back into place."

Diana's eyes went wide, haunted. It actually stunned Jim to see that she was close to crying. "You sacrificed yourself for the ship."

After a long moment, he nodded. "Yeah. And I'd do it again if I had to. I died. I remember dying. It's the damndest thing."

Diana's glass trembled in her hand. Jim felt his heart sink as he realized that she was taking the tale to heart. "How are you alive?" The question seemed to somehow have meaning for her. He couldn't tell why.

"Khan's blood." He said. "Spock chased him down. He would've killed him if Bones hadn't realized that Khan's restorative powers extended beyond just injury… it could bring creatures back to life." The look on her face seemed to make his heart clench in exactly the kind of way that he did not want it to. He knew it had to have been Bones reminding him about how close he'd come to acting on a base attraction. But… maybe, it wasn't just infatuation. She'd only known him a few weeks, but here she was, as upset as if Kal had told her all this. Maybe even more. Maybe, there was something there. "See, I owe him my life as much as I owe him for my death. But, I'm here. I made it."

"And, that's why you feel so unsure…" Diana blinked away the tears. Reminding her that he had made it out through the other side must have done the trick.

"I never know what's the right decision when it comes to him." He shrugged. "I think that's part of why I was so… out of it during my years in deep space. I kept wondering how much of me was my dad and who that was. And then… there was always this voice telling me that I have Khan's blood running through my veins." His palm hurt. It wasn't until he looked down that he realized his hand had balled into a fist and he was digging his nails into his flesh. Sighing, he shook it out. "I keep wondering if maybe I'm acting more like him."

Diana's hand slipped to his arm. Her fingers were gentle and comforting. He knew they could bend metal without so much as cracking a knuckle, but she treated him with such care. "James T. Kirk." His name sounded somewhere between a scold and a tease. "You are nothing like Khan, and you never will be. You are open, you are giving and you are genuinely compassionate. And I am very honored to call you my friend." She squeezed his arm gently, smiling at him until he was forced to return the expression. "You are a hero. Look around you. Khan has no hold here and your crew is safe. You did this."

The way she said that resonated with him, but it didn't seem fair. He shook his head. "We did this. If you hadn't of been here today, I wouldn't have been able to talk him down." He paused. "I don't want to think about what would have happened to Chekov."

"You don't need to. Chekov is fine and the Farragut has set their course. And I'm sure some ensign will find him very brave for what he did."

Chuckling, Jim stood and took a step closer to her, the drink and his melancholy forgotten. "I didn't think it was possible to find someone more optimistic than me. Or as tenacious as me."

"I don't believe in no-win scenarios." She remarked, pivoting on the stool to face him. "Neither do you."

Dammit, Jim.

He crossed his arms over his chest, staring her down a bit. "Diana, I think you might have learned far more about me than what was in the official report."

"I didn't need a report for that." She shrugged. "You are an open book and everyone on your ship greatly admires you. I told you I would learn the measure of the Federation through its people before I accepted the ambassadorship. And you have shown me more than enough to accept the offer from Conner."

"So, you're staying?" Jim realized how eager he sounded as soon as the question was out of his mouth. He didn't particularly mind that. "I guess the Enterprise is appealing after all."

Diana's smile shifted from amusement to something else. Something more like what he'd seen on her face in the garden. "And her captain has his charms as well."

His heart honestly skipped a beat. Jim Kirk was a bit mortified with himself for it. He opened his mouth, intent on charming her, when a communicator chirped.

This time, it was Diana's. She pulled it free and opened it. "Ambassador Prince."

"Ambassador," Lieutenant Uhura's voice was velvety and warm, as if she had been looking forward to whatever news she was delivering. "I have Admiral Kent for you. Would you like me to patch it through to your quarters?"

Diana shook her head as she spoke. "No, thank you. I can take it in the observation lounge. Just give me a moment."

"Yes, ma'am."

Diana smiled, probably amused at the formality all over the ship. "Thank you, sister." She closed her communicator, then stood. "I need to tell the Admiral about my decision as well."

Jim thought for a brief moment back to the way Conner's arm had swung over Diana's shoulders. He found himself wishing for that kind of closeness and immediately fought it off with a grin. "Of course. The comm panel's over there. I'll leave you to it." He turned to leave, forcing his feet to carry him away from the woman who practically plagued his thoughts as of late.

"Jim?" He paused and turned to face Diana. When she smiled at him, he got the profound sense - not for the first or last time - that he was watching the sun rise. "Thank you for talking to me about Khan. I hope I didn't make it any more difficult for you."

"On the contrary," He said with a smile. "It was a weight off my shoulders." Nodding, he backpedaled until the doors opened. "Good night, Ambassador. See you in the morning."

Diana watched the doors to the observation lounge for far too long after Jim had vacated the room. Her mind was still reeling from the revelation that Jim had once died in the line of duty, and yet… here he stood.

She had half a mind to drop to her knees and pray to Athena for wisdom and guidance; for understanding of the enigma set before her. In so many ways, Jim Kirk took great pains to seem nothing like Steve.

And then she learned more.

She fought the urge to pray. After all, she had faith that the gods may still exist, but she had no trust left in them. She would not be so foolish.

Instead, Diana made her way to the comm panel near the viewport and flipped the switch to engage the transmission. After a moment, Conner's face flickered into view on the console.

"Diana, this is a pleasure. Although, I figured you'd just come talk to me when you got back here." Conner was in civilian garb. From the view outside his window, it was nighttime at the Yorktown as well.

"I still plan to visit, but this cannot wait." She replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "I wanted to tell you something that I think you need to hear. And no one has ever told you, so it's all the more necessary." Conner's brow furrowed, clearly dubious. "The war was not your fault, and no one could have done better than you." If Conner had anything he wanted to say, he didn't interrupt her. "And I see what you've done with Starfleet and the Federation. I trust that you are doing good things, even when humans try to ruin it for themselves, like they do." Exhaling, the weight on her shoulders seemed to slide off as she let the stress of the day finally leave her. "I'd like to stay here on the Enterprise. I will carry the torch forward if you keep the fires lit in the temple, my friend."

For a long moment, Conner was silent. Finally, he cleared his throat before replying. "Glad to hear it, Diana. I… Thank you. I'll… I guess I'll see you when you get here, then."

Diana could tell that he was thrown, probably more than he wanted to show. So, she simply smiled. "Yes. I trust you'll have a glass of wine with me."

"If you insist." He reached up to something out of her view. "Good night, Diana."

The console went dark.

Diana hoped it would bring him some small comfort to know that she had played the events of the war over and over since reading them, and she could not have seen any other way to solve the issue. It was the great sacrifice of any hero, and in this case…. The League had given them all.

A war among those who were meant to protect the earth.

In the ashes, the people of earth had risen like the phoenix.

Diana couldn't help but smile.

Humanity didn't seem to believe in no-win scenarios. They still believed in love.

And so did she.