her feet. He placed a possessive hand upon her shoulder.
“Are you well?” he asked her urgently. “Shall I summon the doctor?” Marla recalled that Khan’s followers included at least one superhuman physician. Hawkings or Hawkins or something like that.
She shook her head. She was more rattled than injured. “That won’t be necessary,” she whispered.
With my luck, the doctor would try to finish me off!
Satisfied, Khan turned his attention back to Zuleika and the others.
“Understand this, all of you,” he said, raising his voice so that entire camp could hear. “This woman is under my protection. Anyone who threatens her shall answer to me.” His formidable gaze swept over the varied faces of the onlooking superhumans. “Have I made myself quite clear?”
A chorus of muttered assents answered Khan’s query, but Marla could not help noticing the grudging, halfhearted nature of the responses. She was still persona non grata as far as her fellow castaways were concerned, no matter what Khan dictated.
Congratulations, Marla,
she told herself ruefully.
You’re an outcast even among exiles
.
She blinked back tears, overcome by both her brush with death
and
her timely rescue. Her legs felt like rubber and she sagged against Khan, drawing on his strength and presence.
He’s all I have left,
she realized.
Without Khan, I would be completely alone
.
Somewhere out on the veldt, beyond the flickering glow of the campfires, an alien beast roared like thunder, sending another shudder through Marla’s quaking frame.
Dinner consisted of Starfleet field rations in self-warming packets. Although Khan intended for the colony to be self-sufficient as soon as possible, saving their provisions from the
Enterprise
and the
Botany Bay
for emergency use only, he had made an exception for this first night on Ceti Alpha V. Tomorrow, they could begin hunting for food and game.
Marla sat alone by a smoldering fire at the outer fringe of the camp, transferring her personal log entries onto a data disk; it was her hope that her daily recordings wouldsomeday provide valuable insights into the early days of New Chandigarh. She watched from afar while Khan mingled with his people, making a point of dropping by each of the campfires for a few minutes or so, to share a laugh and some words of encouragement. Marla understood why he was doing this; it was important to maintain the group’s morale. Still, she couldn’t help feeling somewhat lost and abandoned, like an Academy plebe attending her first collegiate mixer. The obvious mirth and camaraderie emanating from the other fires only heightened her sense of isolation.
Outside the camp, the night-shrouded savanna seemed alive with mysterious rustlings and cries. Unknown animals barked and howled in the darkness, making Marla wish she knew more about xenobiology. The irksome insects, undeterred by the smoke, were growing more aggressive by the hour, buzzing about her face and nipping at every centimeter of her exposed flesh. The voracious pests made the vampire ants of Borgo III seem like vegetarians.
Marla caught herself yearning for the controlled climate of the
Enterprise
. “Stop that,” she whispered to herself. “It’s too late for second thoughts.” She had made her own bed; now she would have to sleep in it.
She washed down the last of her stewed tomatoes and dehydrated eggs with a gulp from her canteen. The decontaminated river water was lukewarm and tasteless, but she finished off the whole canteen in seconds, then found herself wishing for more. Alas, strolling down to the Kaur for a refill was not an option; Ling and her party had already reported sightings of large carnivorous reptiles dwelling along the banks of the river.
Marla wondered what other predators roamed this alien wilderness.
Enterprise
had not had time to conduct a fullbiological survey.
At least we don’t have to worry about hostile natives,
she reflected. Captain Kirk had taken care to ensure
“Are you well?” he asked her urgently. “Shall I summon the doctor?” Marla recalled that Khan’s followers included at least one superhuman physician. Hawkings or Hawkins or something like that.
She shook her head. She was more rattled than injured. “That won’t be necessary,” she whispered.
With my luck, the doctor would try to finish me off!
Satisfied, Khan turned his attention back to Zuleika and the others.
“Understand this, all of you,” he said, raising his voice so that entire camp could hear. “This woman is under my protection. Anyone who threatens her shall answer to me.” His formidable gaze swept over the varied faces of the onlooking superhumans. “Have I made myself quite clear?”
A chorus of muttered assents answered Khan’s query, but Marla could not help noticing the grudging, halfhearted nature of the responses. She was still persona non grata as far as her fellow castaways were concerned, no matter what Khan dictated.
Congratulations, Marla,
she told herself ruefully.
You’re an outcast even among exiles
.
She blinked back tears, overcome by both her brush with death
and
her timely rescue. Her legs felt like rubber and she sagged against Khan, drawing on his strength and presence.
He’s all I have left,
she realized.
Without Khan, I would be completely alone
.
Somewhere out on the veldt, beyond the flickering glow of the campfires, an alien beast roared like thunder, sending another shudder through Marla’s quaking frame.
Dinner consisted of Starfleet field rations in self-warming packets. Although Khan intended for the colony to be self-sufficient as soon as possible, saving their provisions from the
Enterprise
and the
Botany Bay
for emergency use only, he had made an exception for this first night on Ceti Alpha V. Tomorrow, they could begin hunting for food and game.
Marla sat alone by a smoldering fire at the outer fringe of the camp, transferring her personal log entries onto a data disk; it was her hope that her daily recordings wouldsomeday provide valuable insights into the early days of New Chandigarh. She watched from afar while Khan mingled with his people, making a point of dropping by each of the campfires for a few minutes or so, to share a laugh and some words of encouragement. Marla understood why he was doing this; it was important to maintain the group’s morale. Still, she couldn’t help feeling somewhat lost and abandoned, like an Academy plebe attending her first collegiate mixer. The obvious mirth and camaraderie emanating from the other fires only heightened her sense of isolation.
Outside the camp, the night-shrouded savanna seemed alive with mysterious rustlings and cries. Unknown animals barked and howled in the darkness, making Marla wish she knew more about xenobiology. The irksome insects, undeterred by the smoke, were growing more aggressive by the hour, buzzing about her face and nipping at every centimeter of her exposed flesh. The voracious pests made the vampire ants of Borgo III seem like vegetarians.
Marla caught herself yearning for the controlled climate of the
Enterprise
. “Stop that,” she whispered to herself. “It’s too late for second thoughts.” She had made her own bed; now she would have to sleep in it.
She washed down the last of her stewed tomatoes and dehydrated eggs with a gulp from her canteen. The decontaminated river water was lukewarm and tasteless, but she finished off the whole canteen in seconds, then found herself wishing for more. Alas, strolling down to the Kaur for a refill was not an option; Ling and her party had already reported sightings of large carnivorous reptiles dwelling along the banks of the river.
Marla wondered what other predators roamed this alien wilderness.
Enterprise
had not had time to conduct a fullbiological survey.
At least we don’t have to worry about hostile natives,
she reflected. Captain Kirk had taken care to ensure
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