This story has a special place in my heart, I read it during a summer holiday years ago and every time I come back here I can remember the feelings of that summer. I can't remember if I left a review at the time, but I just wanted to say that I think you've really done justice to khan's character; he is a very complex character but you didn't try to soften him for the sake of the plot, and Madelyn is a perfect companion for him because she knows what he is and she doesn't try to justify his actions. I hope that you're okay, you said that you would update the last chapter in a month but it's been years, it would be nice to have a sense of closure, if you have the last chapter already written I'm begging you to update because I really want to read their happy ending. Thank you for sharing this incredible story

I read the original and loved it. I am enjoying the re-do as well, somehow it feels more cohesive. Like maybe the original was a bit rushed, yet and still very well written and intriguing story.

I really enjoyed your reimagining of "Space Seed" and touching on plot points that weren't addressed in Into Darkness. Your story did a lot more justice to their relationship than the original series did, which was very glossed over and came off as superficial, IMO. Here I can understand why they've come to appreciate one another whereas the original episode is rather a reach.

I was the most interested in your parts of the story, kind of skimmed through much of the STID part of the story because it was a section of the story that I already knew, so not as interesting as the part of the story that was new. Not uninteresting per se, just not nearly as interesting as before and afterward.

The only other small qualm I had about the story was toward the end. I just really started to have a problem with the disparity in description between the two of them. There were times where the description of Khan (and TBH, anyone whose seen the movie, knows what he looks like) started bordering description with the eyecandy descriptions. OTOH, the description of Madelyn is pretty vague, dare I say incredibly so, in comparison to Khan. I really don't know what Madelyn is actually suppose to look like, even by the end of the story. Yeah, there was an actress' image I started fitting in for Madelyn, but I honestly have no idea what Madelyn is really suppose to look like, not even by the end of the story. So, in comparison to the at least handful of no holds barred descriptions of Khan in later chapters, that was disappointing. Sure, it's quite obvious that he loves her for far more than her body at the end (and I do recognize that journey of his, physical to cerebral), but I'm certainly not going to hold it against the guy to lovingly appreciate her body in a fully descriptive way. I mean this is the woman he's committed to, after all. I know what he wanted to do when he saw her in her evening gown, but it would have been a nice change to read that level of physical description coming from him that we had been getting from Madelyn for the previous few chapters and certainly from a few of the following.

All that said, I'm surprised this story is more favorited than it is. I got about two thirds of the way through another story "higher up on the page" and of the two, this is CLEARLY the stronger story.

Waiting for another shoe to drop here. I am hoping the solar system that was chosen here is definitely more stable in this time line. I'd rather them merely infighting to build a civilization than infighting and then one day in the near future, everything goes BOOM! That would really just suck.

Dangerously close. LOL! Yep, apparently she just has that memento/symbol for schnits and giggles. What amazing deduction skills the High Command has (sarcarm).

I'm thinking the syringe was Joaquin's power play to keep the Augments pure, or maybe just his bloodline. But considering all the samples, I do wonder still if they weren't trying for a next generation (s) that would be able to breed.

I'm wondering if the unnamed Vulcan was Sarek.

Forgot to mention this in the previous chapter, but I liked the hair reference similar as to how it discussed in Space Seed. That was a very nice touch. I actually liked this better because I think the biggest problem with the original is that it had nothing new to offer. Star Trek was cutting edge and yet the scene comes off as him being aggressive and pretty much forcing himself on her and she was not only passive, she was pretty much fangirling over it. It's rather disturbing to watch today. This scene here , it's affectionate, a suggestion, not a demand, and I love it.

Now for this chapter, hmm. I guess the only way I could best describe my reaction is to suggest hunting down a clip of Bicentennial Man where Andrew Martin talks about the act of lovemaking being a transcendental experience. Rupert Burns' reaction to that speech? Yeah, that was pretty much me here. I was actually giddy by the end of the chapter because they just seemed so great together (and cue the Rupert Burns reaction here). I honestly can't remember the last time I felt that about a romance, in fanfiction or a novel. (Shrugs) Maybe not since reading Persuasion.

I think Foster worked for the Bene Gesserits in another universe. That wasn't a compliment, but Foster would probably take it as one.

Something Khan thought at the end of the chapter came off as sinister - what's happening in a few weeks? But I may have misread that and he was think more along the lines of Madelyn's regard for him if he put off visiting for a few weeks, Foster's dealings aside.

BTW, I know Madelyn is supposed to be brunette, but at 5'4", I pretty much gravitated towards Jessica Chastain, with the red hair. Yeah, I know Madelyn's a brunette, but my mind is set on Jessica Chastain, with red hair. (Maybe if Madlyn Rhue had been a brunette...) Sorry.

Khan's flirting reminds me of Worf from TNG describing Klingon courting, " She throws things and he recites poetry and ducks a lot."

Well, the lunch ended differently than I thought. Wasn't going to put it above the doctor to have her abducted it broad daylight because he'd made arraignments with Suzette to get away with it.

I laughed out loud when he thought "he was always better." Oh my God, this guy and his ego!

She may have bested him, but what I really came away with was that she just taught him a master class in empathy.

I'm still scratching my head over Joaquin's line of thought of giving Madelyn the nothing left to lose option would make her MORE cooperative. All he did was change her from a known variable into something definitely less so. Again, for an Augment, who would be "better", would know that this would be a very questionable strategy upfront. Trying to logic that out without falling back on the fact that "the scriptwriter wasn't on his side".

Ouch. Really. It's all I can say about the chapter.

Okay, I figured Otto was likely a plant, but I may have been wrong for who. I just don't understand why Madelyn picked Kelly. (Shrugs) Maybe because I think when the chips are down, you've got to be your own cheerleader. You got to start with yourself and build out. To me, it seemed like she wanted to rely on Kelly when she couldn't rely on herself. Doesn't really work out well.

Of course, I'm also a little surprised that she's not acting more like a Mama Bear circling the event horzon of despair. I would think that having the most precious being taken from her might have left her with more of an attitude of "Eff it, let the universe burn", particularly after falling out with Khan. In that attitude, you could put her in a room full of Augments (who were either directly or indirectly involved with the cause of her loss) and she would be more dangerous then all of them combined because self preservation wouldn't cross her mind for a nano second. All she would need is opportunity.

Well, Otto is an Augment, which means he can be manipulative, and possibly put there by Khan (unbeknownest even to Otto) to both test Otto's loyalty and protect Madelyn (whose butt may still be thoroughly in the fryer as far as Khan is concerned, he just wants to be sure that only he deals with her). Despite that, I think I'm starting to like the guy.

When he was thinking, I'm not a psychopath, she's got it all wrong, I thought "It's certainly what you've been advertising." He kills like it's a house chore. Why is surprised Madelyn would think he's riding the crazy train." And yea! for Madelyn dressing him down. I could say he's been a complete jackweed, but that's really understating it.

Whoa. Sorry, Kelly can't keep her mouth shut if someone shoved a $100 bill in her hand and Madelyn thought it wise to divulge her future plans? For a semi Augment, she's a slow learner. "I'm not sure. I need to think about it." should have sufficed and then Madelyn simply ghosts Kelly after that because the less Kelly knows would be better for both of them.

"If you care for her as much as I do..." Um, right. He wouldn't be the first one to develop an attachment to his "prized brood mare". I will be impressed if, at some point down the line, he starts looking at her as a human being and not chattel.

Not sure if there's enough information to show why she's teaching her courses as English and not history, sociology, or even psychology. It's a rather gray area being operated in, even if the analysis part based on opinion backed with examples could fall into English. Just haven't seen it used nearly as much as the other subjects. Lower undergraduate history courses do a lot of regurgitating of facts, but when students start taking their undergraduate thesis classes, it is rather similar to what McGivers is teaching. (Shrugs) That's a bit of a headscratcher to me as to what parameters would make it qualify as English courses, perhaps the higher focus on the writer's introspection? Again, gray area. (Eh, sorry, fridge logic debate...)