tushanshu | Video; Dated August 19th

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Video; Dated August 19th

[When the video feed starts, there's nothing but the side of a black chair, the man sitting in it was looking away from the monitor in thought. The background was obviously a suite in the Fire Sector, if the elegant design and the lit yellow and red hanging lanterns were anything to go by. As the man looked out the window behind him, he finally spoke.]

If any foreigners have new information regarding those that reside in the palace, I urge you to contact me as soon as possible. It’s become quite apparent that the Emperor is rather selective with whom she shares information with.

[That deep, penetrating voice was one of idle interest, which may have been because he seemed distracted. Finally, the chair turned from whatever had his attention. The man was sitting straight and he gave a guileful look down to the camera, straight at the viewers.]

It has also come to my attention that I am not the only one from my "world" as it were. Some of you may have seen others wearing similar clothing to mine. [Blue eyes with green flecks glanced downward at the Starfleet symbol on his black, long-sleeve shirt.] I’ll spare you the details of my "home". You may call me: Khan. [There was a dark purr of satisfaction on the last word. Having free reign to use his actual name for the first time in over year was incredibly satisfying.]

Many have called for unity amongst us "foreigners" and I am ready to do what must be done so we not only get the answers we want, but also to eliminate this menace we were summoned to fight. My combat and strategic knowledge are available for any effective measures against this essence known as Malicant.

[If he’s fully aware of what saying that name means, the only give away would be his eyes becoming lidded as he raised his eyebrows upon uttering the name.]

There is also the abundance of foreigners with powers and abilities above and beyond the limits of baseline individuals. If a list has been made of these beings and their known capabilities, I request a copy if possible.

[A beat filled with an almost imperceptible squint.]

Thank you for your time, that is all.

[95% Encryption; Pepper Potts]

I believe Stark Industries is the leading force in technological advancement in Keeliai. Ms. Potts, I would like a tour of your facilities and a description for each of the positions you have available; and the ones that are not. I believe you'll find my extensive knowledge of technology to be an asset. Even to the considerable pool of intellect currently in your employ.

[100% Starfleet Encryption; Jim Kirk, Spock.]

Contact me as soon as possible. Whether it is over the network or in person does not matter to me.

[He leaned forward in his chair]

I imagine we both have questions that need answers.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Observation is something that Khan is constantly, automatically, doing. Even if he were to ever be escorted to incarceration aboard a starship, he would be looking at the status of that ship, its warp core. Thankfully that hadn’t happened yet. Jim’s physical tension doesn’t got unnoticed.]

Then you also know that Admiral Marcus sent you to kill them while eliminating me; his mess would be clean and a war begins at the death of you and your crew.

[Then a tone filled as much pressure as Jim was applying to his grip on that desk escaped Khan.]

Your crew was sentenced to death just as mine were, Kirk! Would you not do what I did in order to ensure their survival?

[A beat.]

Unlike myself, I see that some of your crew has come here with you. You must be pleased.

You're preaching to the choir. Any 'dramatic revelations' you think I'm going to have? Already done it, thanks. Nothing you tell me, no excuse you use changes the fact that you killed-- [he has to fight to keep the snarl out of his voice.] Admiral Christopher Pike, and countless other people, both Starfleet and civilian. I get it, you're savage. Ruthless. You enjoy it, huh? I did some homework of my own. You ruled, what, a quarter of the planet back when it was cool to be called a conqueror, right?

[The best of tyrants. It makes him feel sick just thinking about it. The Eugenics war never was a bright spot in history, but one has to know history to evade the traps it lays.]

Save it. You bring up my crew again, this conversation is over. Whatever this is, it's between you and me. Leave them out of it.

[He doesn't add an or else. It'd be petulant, and he already knows that's not the right way to handle Khan. One good thing about all the prior experience and knowledge he has from Spock, he supposes. There's no point even threatening him.]

[The miniscule square lights of the console that reflected in his eyes glittered about as Khan’s eyes never left Kirk’s face. A dark smirk marred his previously controlled expression.]

With all that said Kirk, what makes you think I would ever respect your wishes?

[Maliciousness crawled along the edges of his words and they in turn swung through the air with a dangerous weight behind them. All the cards have been laid on the table, and shooting the winner to take the prize seemed to the only play left.

Except there was one other, and Khan wanted to know if Kirk was aware of it, or even had the stomach to use it.]

Captain Kirk. James T. Write it down if you're having trouble remembering.

[It's a very, very mildly stated correction. But it's a correction, nevertheless.]

And you'll do it because I've got what you want. Knowledge. Information. I don't like you, Khan, let's make that clear. If it were up to me, I'd drop you on a planet in the middle of nowhere and leave you and all your popsicle friends there to rot. But as I'm sure you've noticed, I'm lacking in all the usual amenities that would allow me to fly away from this place. So we're stuck. And that means compromise and cooperation. And frankly, there's more at stake here than the fact I'd like to put you away somewhere dark and cold and throw away the key.

[A long silence, long enough that most might have cut off the communication. Finally, his words came along. Calm and quieter than before.]

There is no Starfleet or Enterprise here, you are merely James Tiberius Kirk and nothing more.

[There is a bored sigh and his tone is gravelly and drawn out.]

I require a communicator, tricorder, and phaser pistol.

[Had it been so simple for Marcus to force Khan to meet his terms? Probably not.]

[That feels like a fracture point, and Jim pushes down on it viciously.]

See, funny thing about asking me to leave my rank at the door and then demanding Starfleet property from me. I get to tell you 'fuck off' without any of those pesky 'Fleet repercussions about diplomacy.

[His tone sharpens. It's a measure of how far he's come that it's not shaking with anger.]

You don't get it both ways. Because while I'm here? I am Starfleet. I am the ranking officer on deck and you'll respect that, or you can get bent. Do I make myself clear?

Would you really want me to make my own devices Captain? At least you understand how those basic tools function.

[There is a grim delight in his voice. For Khan, this nothing more than icing on the cake.]

As you've stated, compromise and cooperation. Perhaps you should lead by example than by impetuousness.

[Bait. Clear and simple.]

One of your crew may drop them of at my location unless you see it better to do so yourself.

[Going on without even letting the bait sit there, well that was just part of making it more enticing.]

You are in the Fire Sector as well, or at least that is where the console you are on is located.

I told you not to mention my crew.

[And with that, he hangs the fuck up. Don't mind him, Khan, two can play the cross-console location hacking.]

[Looking away, Khan took a few minutes to consider what this meant. The after image of the monitor had burned itself into his eyes. He turned off the console and stood up.

Just then there was a knock at the door. Stiffening, he looked at the door as if it had just popped out of thin air before him. It took some time before he finally answered.]

Come in.

[Jim doesn't lock his doors. It's a point of pride. He's not afraid of anyone here. Not Khan, not the kedan. Nothing and no one. Being afraid is letting other people win.

So when Khan says come in, he doesn't even hesitate. He pushes the door open and steps inside. His posture is relaxed. Calm. Khan probably recognizes it, it's got a loose, boneless sense of motion and movement, the fluidity of someone who knows martial arts and isn't afraid to use them when it counts. But it's not an ostentatious show. Jim's also been a predator.]

So. This is it. Your big plan, summoning an ancient, unknowable evil here to say hi, pissing off everybody in a three hundred kilometer radius? Sloppy, Khan.

[While most would assume a walk through the Fire Sector had mellowed out Jim, Khan knew better. Reading people was something he did, and he did it well. Khan's stance was what it always was when he found himself in these situations. Anticipatory.]

As opposed to hoping it never shows? If any of us here want to return to our rightful places, facing the inevitable is necessary. Assuming eliminating the entity does the trick as the Emperor suggests.

[There's little in the way of his distaste at the mention of Eshai.]

Did you come here merely to admonish me Captain?

Why, [Jim begins tersely, his smile mocking and a little derisive.] is it working?

[Every instinct in him is screaming for him to fold his arms and back away. The tiny hindbrain part of him that knows that Khan's got a bigger stick than he does. Jim's never backed down from a fight in this life, but this man held his crew's lives in his hands and was going to kill them all and Jim was powerless to stop him. Not even just powerless, he was a liability.

He's an idiot, coming here. He's not even sure what he thought he could accomplish. All he knows is that he can't communicate over the damned console. He's always been better at face to face. Where you have access to all a person's cues and vulnerabilities.

But Khan's reading him at the same time, and that's... not a good idea. There's no fear to him, but there's plenty of rage, and Khan's better at chess than he is. Savagery, he'd called it.

This man killed Pike. Jim's wearing the man's 'Fleet ring on his left hand, but Khan's already noticed it, there's no point taking it off now.]

I came, [he says, slow and deliberate. He's trying to swallow down the rage in exchange for negotiation.] to make you an offer. When we go home, we return to the exact moment of our departure. You know. Theoretically. And I'm from a point in time you'd find really interesting. I'm in a position to secure your entire crew, and I'm willing to work with you to rescue them. Without bloodshed.

[He's had time to think about it. As much as he hates Khan, as much as he wants him dead,-- is there nothing you would not do for your family? No. There isn't. He'll play chess with Khan for them, knowing it's a losing game.]

But in return, there's a few things I want from you.

[The sardonic statement is something Khan hardly even registered, he was far too busy noticing the rhythm of Jim's breathing, the Starfleet Academy ring on his hand, the fact that he came in person instead of over the network. Similar to how he was not the one who sent the message, everything that was close to him was personal, with how he addressed Pike by name and no others. Weaknesses Khan could exploit if needed. What he did find interesting was that Kirk was here to do that very kind of assessment on him.

When Jim mentions his crew, Khan's steady, cool, calm observations change; more similar to a snake attempting to bite only to be stopped by it's glass cage and continuing to do so from different angles, attempting to find where there is no transparent barrier to stop it. Their time displacement was that cage, and Kirk's moment of time that's frozen is just what he's trying to bite at.

My crew is my family. There isn't a person he wouldn't kill, a race he wouldn't extinguish, a planet he wouldn't destroy to get them back.

But those options were simple, easy. Destruction was simple. These terms, were something he hated; another leash to hold him back from getting to all seventy-two of them. A game of chess is definitely what Jim was proposing, even though it must sound nothing like it to most anyone else.

Black goes first.]

What are your terms, Captain?

[Tempered patience rang through his words.]

Edited 2013-08-24 16:36 (UTC)

[He has to phrase this very carefully. A trap, to box Khan in. He has to set snares and wire traps and close him in a cage and throw away the key.

Jim is briefly silent, but he knows he can't leave it too long. Khan's not much, compared to Gary Mitchell, and he thinks about those soulless silver eyes.]

As long as you're here, you answer to me. Don't harm or antagonize anyone here, kedan or foreigner alike, that includes my crew. [Jim leaves himself conspicuously absent from the caveat. He doesn't mind being a target. God knows he's done it before.] These people are not your cannon fodder. If you're building something, I want to hear about it. If you're planning something, I want to know. If you so much as think I want to be aware of it. I'm pretty sure we can both agree that your mind's more dangerous than the rest of you.

[His tone is steady and purposeful, he doesn't flinch away. But after a moment, he lowers his voice.]

My fight's with Marcus. He used us both. Everything that happens between us is basically a case of wanting the same thing on different sides and being manipulated by Starfleet. Marcus goes against everything I stand for, everything I have ever stood for and believe me, if we get out of this I want nothing more than to take him down.

[He draws a breath. Holds it briefly, lets it out. This feels a little like signing his soul over to the devil, inked in art and blood and he doesn't even hesitate. Maybe that should worry him.]

I will work with you and I swear I will do everything in my power to help you get your people back. But if you betray me, or go back on our deal, all bets are off. I'm not going to threaten them, or you. If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead. And I'm not going to murder your people or by inaction allow them to come to harm. Whatever else you've done, you all deserve a fair trial. But I'm not going to stand idly by while you endanger anyone here. Do I make myself clear?

[Not once during the restrictions listed off by Jim did Khan blink or take his eyes off of Jim's. Standard requirements he expected. Being behind on whatever followed his actions in aiding Jim's Qo'noS, Khan was at a severe disadvantage on just how and when Kirk had access to Khan's crew.

The only way Kirk would have known is if Marcus told him, doubtful; or if Khan himself had told him. If that was the case, why wouldn't he have been able to do so? Too many pieces of the puzzle were missing for him to overcome the reliance on Jim.

However, there was one thing he was able to tell and that was that James Kirk would hold good on his word.]

Captain, while your resolve is admirable, I believe the only one capable of actually eliminating Marcus would be myself.

[A beat.]

As long as I am not antagonized, then I shall agree to your terms. I have not constructed anything, all of my time has been spent reviewing the network and all it has to offer.

[The only time he had been outside was when the kedan carted him from the palace to his suite. Sleeping hadn't even been an option, and the fatigue would come soon, he knew that.]

As for any plans, they have thus far been to attempt to get this entity to reveal itself so that we may do what it takes to get back to our rightful places in time. Though it has crossed my mind to visit the Emperor and ask some questions, but that may fall under your "antagonize" clause.

I wasn't talking about 'eliminating' him. He's a psychopath and a war criminal, and he needs to be brought to justice. Starfleet will not tolerate war-mongering, we are a peace-keeping and exploratory armada.

[The resolve in his tone is sharp as a whip-crack. For all that he's been disillusioned about the Fleet lately, he still believes in her ideals as much as possible. And he'll uphold those ideals, despite everything.]

I can't guarantee other people won't antagonize you. You aren't exactly easy to get along with. But I'll see to it my people don't, and we'll... work on the rest. You have a right to defend yourself, what you do not have is the right to manipulate someone into giving you a reason to defend yourself.

[Because he fucking knows you, okay?]

And yeah. About that. Do you really think that these people are ready to face this 'entity'? Half the people here are civilians or kids who've never even been in a fight. You have no idea what this creature's capable of, Khan.

[YEAH HE MAD ABOUT THAT. Jim gives him an utterly irritated look and doesn't even bother leashing the annoyance, and then he waves a hand.]

If you want to talk to the Emperor, myself or Spock will accompany you. We're the ones with diplomatic training. I'm not sure 'I come in peace' is even in your vocabulary.

So since it is apparently up to you Captain, you wouldn't drop Marcus on a planet in the middle of nowhere and leave him there to rot? [A pause.] Because Starfleet and it's personnel are peace-keepers, of course. I understand. [Lazily, sardonically said while he raised his eyebrows, politely interested and blinking ever so patiently.

He was taking full advantage of the fact that Jim left himself out of the terms of agreement.]

I shall abide by your terms and you shall safely return my crew to me when this turtle escapade is over. In the interim, Mal- [He paused, again taking advantage of Jim's exclusion in the clause.] that's French for "evil" by the by, has once before created it's own realm and pulled a few individuals into it. That may be the extent of it's influence. There he, or it, can create illusions and induce fear. Inflicting pain is a given.

[A beat.]

All things that can be learned by the network, so I would say I do have an idea of what this creature is capable of, Captain. As for the Emperor, do not assume she will allow it. From what others have shared of their experiences, it hasn't been done before.

[Not that he's seen yet anyway.]

Tricorder, phaser pistol, communicator. [ He stated plainly.]

Edited (WORDS AND DOTS AND FRENCH STUFF) 2013-08-25 01:44 (UTC)

If it were up to me, [Jim has no trouble reiterating the point Khan so clearly misunderstood, his voice is ice and iron,] I would leave Marcus down there with you. But what I want and what's right are two different things.

[As to the stuff about Malicant, and Khan's offhanded remark about mal meaning 'bad' (as if Jim's never read a book in his life, come on) he simply sets his expression back into neutrality. Later. They can talk about that later. To the latter half of Khan's little speech, he simply grimaces and then gives him a hard look before reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose.]

Yeah, well, in case you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly well-stocked at the moment. I've got some strings I can pull, let me pull them. I'll get in touch with you in twenty-four hours, and you'll have your kit.

[He's got enough of the spectre tech hoarded, he's sure Chekov and Spock can do something useful with it. It's either that or Kyle.]

In the meantime, here.

[He digs a microchip out of one of his belt pouches, and holds it between two fingers before handing it over.]

This contains all the relevant tricorder data I've accumulated since being here. And I've been here a while.

[It took him a while before he made his first appearance on the network, which might play in his favour here.]

Build something you can plug this into, and it's yours.

[A single, raised eyebrow was all Khan gave to Jim's clarification. Nothing more.]

Fair enough.

[Carefully, Khan took the chip between his fingers and eyed it momentarily before palming it. Building a tricorder was simple enough, getting the equipment to do so might take some time, but he finally had that for once.]

I should be here then. I suspect you'll be wanting a report on what employment I'll be looking into as well.

[All the little details that came with wanting to know of all his dealings and doings.]

If you even look sideways at Stark Industries, you and I are going to have a problem.

[He's seen some of what Stark's tech is capable of, and he doesn't want Khan anywhere near that.]

I've actually already contacted Ms. Potts about that. [The smallest of smiles came across his lips.] There's nothing for you to worry there. [It was pretty obvious to him from his talk with both Pepper and Tony that he wouldn't be working there any time soon.]

However, you did want to know of my activities. A man by the name of Jor-El did contact me through the network. Not only did he manage to break one of the strongest Starfleet encryptions, but he also did offer possible employment at Wayne Enterprises.

[He was definitely looking for a reaction from Jim.]

Apparently they are having difficulty finding adequate employees for their budding technology branch.

[Yeah, well, tough luck Khan because Jim isn't giving you a damned thing. He's never spoken with that Wayne guy, but it's hard not to acknowledge his existence. He's apparently been around longer than almost anybody, and he's pretty sure Kyle knows the guy, so guess who's getting a heads up on that front.]

And what exactly are you planning on contributing to this 'budding technology branch'?

[Keeping a guard up was actually impressive to Khan. Kirk seemed the type that would always wear his heart on his sleeve.]

Nothing as of yet. Apparently Jor-El is looking for possible talent to recruit, no specifics were given. However, it would be Starfleet based technology.

[He paused purposely, his voice became low and patronizing.]

I don't think either of us would want to see my weapons in mass production. [Level out the playing field? No.]

If you're such a genius, come up with your own tech. I assume you're at least passingly familiar with the Prime Directive, right?

[It's a tiny bit scathing. Jim's at least kept the 'Fleet technology out of local hands.]

What makes you think Marcus ever allowed me to be anywhere without his eyes and ears following me? The Prime Directive was non-existent when my only task was to design and construct weapons. A task I had to endure for other aside from myself.

[Bitterness was sporadic in his words.]

I assumed you'd rather have Starfleet's tame technology available on this reptile than the implements of destruction I offer.

[Grabbing the glass that was on the console desk, he drank from it and his voice was clearer.]

Either way, everyone works and I see little in the way of options that can use my knowledge.

Video; Dated August 19th

audio | 100%; Starfleet Encryption

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