Nyota sat slumped in what was left of the captain's chair. An open can of cold beans resting on her chest, spoon dug into the tomatoey legumes. The debris around her popped the occasional spark, she was lethargically amazed by how quickly she had become accustomed to the devastation. No longer noticing the faint looming smell of bodies and metal around her, she found herself slowly drifting off to sleep, numb to the wonder of a reply to her second signal.

'System authorisation required'

The voice of the computer startled her. Falling off the chair, she stumbled to her feet and over to the comm.

'System authorisation re-'

The screen cut out, fizzling into static. Nyota frowned, thumping it with a fist, the lights of the room flickered, and the ship's dull hum faltered as suddenly a thud jolted her and the debris around her.

Holding on to the comm, she scrambled over it to look out of the view screen. It felt as if the ship had drift into something. An asteroid? Space debris? She peered out, only seeing white dots of stars before her.

'Proximity '-ert, proximity '-ert' The computers voice was distorted as it tried to issue a warning. Looking back out into space, she notices a hunk of metal drifting away from the Enlightenment, and came to the conclusion of space debris. It was more than likely they'd bump into things without any active sensors or piloting.

The room faltered again, energy surged through the bridge, sparking out the console in the centre, and the ship's computer. The power flickered in the communications comm.

"No!" Nyota dashed to it, palms flat on the desk, terrified its energy might overload, desperately willing it to stay alive. After a minute, it settled.

She let out a shaky sigh of relief, relaxing her shoulders and letting her head drop.

"Can you-… hear me..?"

Nyota's attention snapped up to the faint, static voice.

"Hel-lo..?"

She frantically adjusted the frequency, engaging the microphone.

"Hello?! I'm here!" She responded, "Hello, do you copy?"

A crackling silence hung before her, she dare not blink in case she had just dreamed the voice coming out of the console.

"Enlightenment?" A mans voice asked, crackling followed again. "Ah, that's better." Suddenly the voice was crystal clear. Nyota swallowed back tears.

"Yes this is Enlightenment. The ship has been devastated, I'm the only survivor. Help me."

"Alright, do not panic." The British voice said, and strangely, Nyota did feel a little calmer, relieved to have established some kind of contact. "What is your exact location?"

"I don't know." She replied, "All my systems are down, I've no computer, and I've diverted what's left of auxiliary power to life support, but it won't hold out for much longer."

"Set all of your frequency transmitters to maximum capacity; I'm going to try to upload a temporary computer system to your ship." The voice told her, she obeyed.

"Okay, set."

Silence hung for a long moment, before the screen before her blinked into a new system programme. A harmonic staccato of bleeps replayed calmly from the comm.

'Reading ship system.' The computers voice was that of a calm English woman. 'Enlightenment. Starfleet class Federation Surveyor, Kelvin-type. Current star date: 2259.42. Time: 11:52hours Earth, British Summer Time. The temperature is ten-degrees celsius and falling. There is one complex life-form aboard this ship.'

"Well hello complex life-form." The man said through the comm, "Do you have a name?"

"Uhura. Lieutenant Uhura."

"Well Lieutenant, according to the coordinates I'm getting now you appear to be drifting into the Sarojan system." He told her, "Unchartered space indeed…"

Nyota could hear the thought in the man's voice. "I just wanna get out of here." She sighed.

"Working on it, as I said, do not panic."

"How soon can I expect a Starfleet rescue ship now they have my coordinates?"

"Technically Starfleet do not have your coordinates." He said, "But I do, and I am much better than Starfleet."

Doubt pulsed through her. "What do you mean? Who are you?"

"My name is…" There was a pause. "My name is Khan."

"Khan. That your real name?" She heard what sounded like a faint laugh.

"Yes, it is."

"Well, Khan, if you would be so good as to pass on my coordinates to Starfleet so they can send help out, that'd be appreciated."

"Small problem with that. Starfleet believe you are dead. Starfleet believes your entire crew is dead. You haven't contacted Earth in a week, and rescue ships have tried and failed to find you."

"So tell them I'm alive! Tell them they were wrong! Give them the coordinates. Help me."

"Yes, I shall."

The signal cut, a code appeared on screen stating the communication had been terminated.

"What the-? Hello?!" Khan was gone.

She couldn't believe it. "Asshole."

xxxx

"The circuitry to the fuel compartment is much better on this one." Admiral Marcus made comment as he studied the new structure analysis for the prototype warheads. Khan stood, observing, thinking only about Lieutenant Uhura on the USS Enlightenment.

"Now, see what you can create for me when you just cooperate and do as I ask." He smirked. It was the nearest thing the man could manage to a compliment.

"A more pressing matter has come to light." Khan said, interrupting the analysis. Marcus stopped toying with the hologram simulation before him.

"What exactly would that be then?"

"Whilst working on the prototypes I came across a signal, Sir, a distress signal. It is from the USS Enlightenment. There are survivors."

Marcus eyed him.

"That ship was confirmed lost, Khan. Starfleets best searched for them, you expect me to believe they overlooked something?"

"Yes, I do."

"The Enlightenment is none of your concern Khan." The Admiral dismissed him, turning his attention back to the warhead. "Focus on your own section, focus on the work you are doing for me. We have more pressing problems."

"Admiral…" Khan tried to push him.

"I don't want to hear it Khan. The Enlightenment is gone. Get back to work." He gestured to the door.

If only doors were still slam-able, Khan thought to himself as he angrily left the room. If the Admiral wasn't prepared to take him seriously, he would help the Lieutenant himself. He could not just stand by and do nothing when he knew perfectly well there was a person alive up there.

xxxx

'The temperature is six-degrees celsius and falling.'

Nyota shivered. Life support was failing. The glow of energy powering the comm was getting duller, soon she would be out of power completely, left to freeze to death in this oblivion.

She bombarded the transmission line Khan had contacted her on. Hailing and signalling, trying everything to get him to respond. He might have been rude, but right now he was the only chance she had to get back to Earth.

An alert notified on screen, one which Nyota did not expect to see.

'Docking Bay: AirLock one opened.'

She grit her teeth, and quickly called up the ships security cameras, sparing some energy to bring up the camera in the bay. It was pitch black, this was pointless, she couldn't see anything. Activating the microphone, she accessed the ships channel.

"Hello? Has someone boarded?"

This wasn't right. She would have to manually allow access to someone wanting to get onto the ship, involving authorising the opening of an airlock. Turning her attention back to the security camera, she saw something dart across the screen.

'There are two complex life-forms aboard this ship… of which one is human.'