Description[]
- From solicitations
- What was once a paradise begins to crumble between Khan’s fingers. Following a planetary cataclysm, Khan must contend with the rapid deterioration of his formerly ripe and bountiful new home on Ceti Alpha V. In the face of dwindling resources and the beginnings of a revolt from within, Khan continues to hold out hope for rescue and the eventual salvation of his people. But for how long?
Summary[]
Using a pair of Starfleet binoculars, Khan confirms that, however unlikely it is, that Ceti Alpha VI is destroyed. In its place lies a rapidly expanding field of debris. The reception to this news is unsurprisingly a mild panic. If one planet exploded, how can they be sure their world is safe? Khan refuses to allow a panic to creep in and sends Joachim and Tamas to spread the word of Ceti Alpha VI's fate along with reassurances that all is well. McGivers sees through Khan's words however and can detect the hint of fear in his voice. Khan admits the situation is troubling but he feels that their progress is surely being monitored by Starfleet. Should the situation grow too dire, he is confident that a rescue ship will be sent. Unseen by the two, Tamas overhears their conversation.
Six months later, conditions on Ceti Alpha V continue to deteriorate. Though Joachim believes that this may simply be natural for the planet, Tamas shows him a barren landscape. Tamas thinks that Ceti Alpha VI's explosion somehow altered the very orbit of Ceti Alpha V, resulting in the ecological disaster, a statement punctuated by fragments of the sixth planet raining down like meteors onto the fifth. A later hunt yields no bounty, all the animals are dead and the forest is dying.
In the Botany Bay, Joachim examines what pitiful technology was left behind and confirms there is no way to call for help. Tamas enters with a mob and demands Khan takes action to prevent them all from dying. Angrily, Khan asks what action he should take. They lack the capability to launch the Botany Bay, and even if they did, they wouldn't get very far without warp drive. Literally the only valuable commodity on the planet is Commander Scott's cobbled together nuclear generator. The only course of action open to them is to sit and wait for Captain Kirk to return. Tamas accuses Khan of being obsessed with the man who defeated him resulting in a backhand that sends him flying across the room. With that, Khan dismisses everyone. As he walks out, Tamas hear Khan's almost obsessive chanting that "Kirk will come".
Three months later, the camp is pelted by a near continuous dust storm, the river is dried up, the fruit yield is a pitiful quarter of what it once was and the hunting parties now return with barely enough game to justify sending them out. The only issue that can be immediately dealt with is the issue of temperature as Khan orders the cargo containers stripped off all upholstery to make cold-weather gear. Joachim then leads Khan to the patients whose supposed mental illness has now progressed into a form of paralysis. Tamas enters to mourn their fate. Unable to move, to act, to do anything to save oneself from a slow and agonizing demise. But, they at least, did not choose that fate.
Tamas meets with other discontents who predict that the situation is now worse than any nuclear winter might have been. The situation has grown dire enough that Tamas is even suggesting mutiny, given the need for drastic leadership.
Khan asks Joachim for a progress report on building a subspace transmitter only for the lieutenant to confirm the futility of such a project without the necessary materials. The word "futile" sends Khan into a rage and he dismisses all company. In private, rage begins to build at the absent Kirk who left the Augments consigned to this hell.
References[]
Characters[]
- Marla McGivers • Khan Noonien Singh • Joachim • Tamas
- Referenced only
- James Tiberius Kirk • Montgomery Scott
Starships and vehicles[]
- Referenced only
- USS Enterprise • Saturn V
Locations[]
- Referenced only
- Ceti Alpha VI
Races and cultures[]
Other references[]
- month • planet • orbit • meteor strike • radio wave • 1993 • rocket • shuttlecraft • escape pod • warp engine
Appendices[]
Connections[]
| Media featuring Khan Noonien Singh | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Episodes/Movies | "Space Seed" • The Wrath of Khan • Into Darkness • "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow" | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Novels/Short stories | Space Seed • The Wrath of Khan • The Eugenics Wars (The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh, Volume 1 • Volume 2 • To Reign in Hell: The Exile of Khan Noonien Singh) • "Time Line" • Seeds of Dissent | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Comics | The Wrath of Khan (1 • 2 • 3) • Khan: Ruling in Hell (The First Six Months • 2 • 3 • 4) • Khan (1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5) • Stranger Worlds (2 • 3 • 4 • 5) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Timeline[]
| published order | ||
|---|---|---|
| Previous comic: Khan: Ruling in Hell, Issue 1 |
TOS comics Khan: Ruling in Hell |
Next comic: Khan: Ruling in Hell, Issue 3 |
| chronological order | ||
| Previous adventure: Not yet placed |
Memory Beta Chronology | Next adventure: Not yet placed |
Publication history[]
- 10 November 2010
- First printed by IDW Publishing.
- 6 April 2011
- Collected in the miniseries omnibus. (IDW Publishing)
- 21 December 2017
- Collected in Graphic Novel Collection Volume 26: Khan: Ruling in Hell. (Eaglemoss Collections)