Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Paramount and I really don’t care.
Note: This story depicts some violent scenes from their past I don’t believe the descriptions are more graphic than you would find on television, however for safety’s sake I have rated this NC17
Second place in LTTY havent we met before
Rated: NC 17
When she had taken this mission, she had a strange feeling looking at his file. It was almost as if she knew him, but she didn’t. Kathryn had carefully studied all the files, memorized all the pictures and pertinent facts and she was certain she didn’t know any of these people, except, of course, Tuvok. But, the nagging feeling wouldn’t go away. She had managed to push it back, keep it out of her thoughts, until today. Today, god what a day!
The plasma storms, the tetryon beam, the displacement wave, 70,000 light years from home her ship was in shambles and then—him. There was definitely something about him that disturbed her greatly, but she had no idea what it was. The captain had enough problems, stranded out here, a third of her crew dead, sixty or so Maquis, who should have been her prisoners, roaming her ship and the Kazon, native to this area and none too friendly. She needed to concentrate on the important issues not some odd feeling in the pit of her stomach when she looked at him.
She had a plan of sorts, to try to blend the two crews together. She had discussed it with Tuvok; it was logical. Voyager was badly damaged and the Maquis had no ship at all, thanks to the heroic actions of their captain. She needed more crew, they needed a ship, it seemed they were in this together now and if Captain Chakotay would agree to become her first officer, they would survive it together.
If only she could get past this strange feeling she had about him—well, she had to. Kathryn ordered coffee; thankfully, the replicator worked. She paced in front of her viewport waiting for the other captain to arrive. She had sent Tuvok for him, the comm system had not yet been repaired, and now she had to be ready to present him with her plan.
“Come.” She steadied herself as she turned to face the opening door. “Captain, welcome to my ready room. May I get you something?” She nodded Tuvok’s dismissal.
“Tea.” He eyed her. She was very different, it had been a long time, but he would have known her anywhere; she didn’t seem to know him. He wondered if that was Starfleet training or something worse.
“Captain, please have a seat.” She moved behind her desk and offered him the chair in front.
“Thank you.” He accepted the seat and the tea, watching for signs of recognition, but did not find any.
Captain Janeway explained her plan to him while he quietly sipped his tea and listened. It was the same voice, the same quiet determination.
“You intend to make me your first officer?” She nodded a slight smile came to her lips; if he doubted it was her, that look would have confirmed it. “How do you know you can trust me?”
“I guess, I don’t.” She laughed, but somewhere in side she knew she could trust this man, she just didn’t know why. “We will have to trust each other if we are going to make this work.”
“I will challenge you; I won’t hesitate to question you or tell you when I think you’re wrong.”
“Any good first officer would, but I don’t expect that challenge to come in front of the crew.”
“I have good people I will want in responsible positions.”
“We will need good people. If the position fits, we will go with it. I expect the entire crew to live by Starfleet rules.”
“They won’t like that, but they follow orders well for a bunch of rag tag rebels.”
“I suspect that is only their outward appearance. Once we clean them up, I’m sure they will do nicely.” She smiled.
“Janeway, I think we are going to make a good team.”
“I have no doubt, Chakotay, that you are correct.” She didn’t understand their instant, effortless, rapport but she was grateful for it. Life would be much easier with his help.
As the weeks and months went by, the rapport continued to build. Together they formed one crew; Starfleet and Maquis blended well into an efficient and strong crew. The Captain still occasionally had strange feelings of deja vu around the Commander, but she was able to dismiss those without much concern. She never bothered to tell him.
Kathryn and Chakotay rapidly built on their instant compatibility, quickly strengthening their command relationship and turning it into a fast friendship. Various members of their respective crews took their cue from the command team and formed ‘alliances’ of their own.
Kathryn was very hesitant about taking their relationship further; she was concerned about how their growing closeness would affect their new crew. Chakotay waited patiently, suspecting there was more to her resistance than even Kathryn knew. Chakotay tried to make some discreet inquiries with the doctor and checked the medical data base but found nothing. Finally the Maquis in him surfaced and he hacked his way into her Starfleet files. There he found his answer. It held only one small note about that time, that Lieutenant Janeway had been captured, along with Admiral Paris, by the Cardassians but spent only a few hours in their custody before being rescued by Lieutenant Justin Tighe of the Rangers. Lieutenant Janeway suffered no injuries or residual psychological effects. That explained it; she had no memory of him because officially it never happened. Starfleet had declared it so and they must have suppressed her memories.
From the beginning, the captain and commander attended ship functions together; a show of solidarity they claimed. Their easy relationship did indeed inspire a smooth transition for most of the crew, but the crew wasn’t blind to the escalating emotions behind it; they weren’t opposed either.
Neelix planned a party for the one-year anniversary of the combining of the crews and Chakotay convinced Kathryn that they should use the occasion wisely. Using all his charm, powers of persuasion, not to mention an almost lethal dose of dimples, Chakotay convinced Kathryn to allow next week’s party to be their first public date. Of course they were in public together all the time, but this time she agreed not to correct anyone who assumed they were a couple.
Chakotay and Kathryn ate dinner in a small café, on a friendly planet where they had been trading for the past week. The customs here were a little different; most people slept during the day light hours and worked or shopped during the night, which meant they were having dinner while most local people were fixing breakfast. The difference made the negotiations a little harder, but they had eventually worked it out and were now trying to readjust to their own time schedule.
“I’m not sure if its night or day anymore.” Chakotay stifled a yawn.
“Well, after dinner you can go home and take a nap. B’Elanna, Sam and I are going shopping.”
“Shopping? For what?” He laughed. “I just can’t picture the three of you shopping.”
“Why not?”
“B’Ella doesn’t shop; she replicates tools and weapons or at least the parts so she can build them. You never get anything for yourself and Sam, well maybe I can see that.”
“Well, I’ll have you know that we are dress shopping.”
“Spirits and I almost believed you.”
“It’s true.”
“OK, I’ve never seen it but, maybe Sam occasionally wears a dress but you and B’Ella, never!”
“We do! At least I do or did and now that we all have ‘dates’ for the party we decided to dress appropriately.”
“Hi, are we too early.” B’Elanna stuck her finger in Chakotay’s pie and took a taste.
“Just help yourself, B’Ella.” He pushed the pie in her direction.
“Nah, not that good.” She pulled up a chair and sat down. “So are you ready or should we go away?”
“I’m ready.” Kathryn finished her coffee. “Hi, Sam.”
“Hi.” She shyly stood behind B’Elanna’s chair.
“So, I hear you’re going to buy a dress.” Chakotay teased B’Elanna and for his trouble got a kick under the table from Kathryn. “Ouch!”
“Bite me, old man.” B’Elanna shoved him. “Gonna make your head spin, you’ll see.”
“It certainly gives me something to look forward to, all three of you dressed up for the ‘ball’.” He got up to pay their check. “See you ladies later.”
He chuckled as he watched the three of them walk off. They were all talking at once; he wondered if anyone knew about what. They ducked into the first shop and came out laughing even before he could cross the street to the beam out point. It was odd to see them like this but somehow very refreshing. He returned to the ship; that nap sounded good.
Chakotay thought he heard the chime; he rolled over in the darkness and checked the time; it was 0200. He heard it again. Thinking it was Kathryn back from her shopping trip he called for the door to open, pulled on a pair of sweats and stumbled into the other room.
“Back from shop…” Chakotay froze at the sight of B’Elanna, a stricken look on her face. “B’Ella what’s wrong?”
“Chak, she’s gone.” B’Elanna rushed toward him.
“What? Who?”
“Chakotay, wake up and pay attention.” She put her hands on his arms. “The Captain, she’s gone.”
“What the hell do you mean gone?” Chakotay could feel the panic rising; he tried to push it down.
“Tuvok is already working on it. Sit down and I’ll tell you.” She ordered tea from his replicator as she continued. “We were shopping, in and out of stores. She found a great dress and went into the room to try it on. She didn’t come out. I went in looking for her, nothing. She was gone, the dress was gone.”
“She can’t just disappear.” He ran his hands through his hair. “Did you ask? Did…”
“Chak, I’m not stupid. I looked, I asked. I checked and double-checked. Nobody knew anything. People claimed they never saw her come in with us. Sam and I got out of there and called Tuvok.”
“OK, what are we doing now?” He jumped up. “I’ve got to get dressed.”
“Tuvok has the planet crawling with security. He contacted the government. They know nothing. We can’t even pick up her comm signal.” She yelled into the bedroom. “He’s waiting in the ready room.”
“Let’s go.” He charged out of the bedroom.
Security teams in rotating shifts combed the planet for three days and nights. The government had offered its assistance but no leads turned up. The Captain had vanished without a trace.
On the third night Chakotay returned to his quarters for the first time. The doctor had ordered him off duty and threatened to relieve him of command it he didn’t sleep. Now he knew how Kathryn felt when they threatened her with the same thing. He went back to his quarters; he was just as reachable here. He showered and tried to eat some replicated soup. Chakotay knew he should sleep but it wasn’t to be. He couldn’t fall asleep on his own and refused to take any drugs; if something turned up he needed to be awake. He stuffed the pillows under his head and stared out the viewport. Kathryn was out there somewhere and he wasn’t leaving until he found her.
“Ayala to Chakotay.”
“Chakotay here”
“Chak, I need a site to site to your quarters.”
“Mike what the hell is going on?”
“Chak, trust me.”
“Computer, authorize a site to site for…”
“Two, there are two of us.”
“What? OK. Computer site to site for two – on lieutenant Ayala’s command. Authorization Chakotay beta seven.”
Chakotay cut the link and waited for his guests. Ayala showed up with a small, very scared looking alien in tow.
“Mike, what the hell is this?”
“He knows where she is.” Ayala eased the man forward. “It's OK.”
Chakotay walked up to the little man; he towered over him. The alien looked at Ayala and Mike nodded.
“Let’s sit down.” Mike offered. “Chak he’s scared. Never saw a transporter or a starship and well, man, you are twice his size.”
“Sure, let’s sit.” Chakotay moved to the chair and waited. “He knows something about Kathryn. You’re sure?”
“No, he knows where she is.”
“Mike, how do you know this?”
“Don’t ask man. I don’t want to lie to you.” Ayala locked his eyes with his friend and former captain. It was the old way, the Maquis way; he waited for Chakotay to acknowledge it. “I didn’t hurt anyone.” Chakotay nodded his agreement. “OK, tell him.”
The alien went on to explain the lucrative slave trade on the surface. Alien women were a premium. They were taken, trained and sold as slaves. Chakotay tried to say Kathryn would never cooperate, never go quietly. The man assured him everyone obeyed eventually or died. They had certain training methods to convince the less cooperative. He knew where she was and would be able to lead them there, but it would be dangerous and very, very, costly.
“You will show us.” Chakotay appeared to be running out of patience.
“Chak, easy.” Mike reached across and touched him. “Don’t scare him now.”
“I need the money.” The small man suddenly became more forceful.
“First you show me where to find her.”
“No, the money.” The man nudged Mike.
“I told him you would pay.”
“You told him wrong.” Chakotay laughed, moving menacingly close to the man.
“If something happens to me; she dies.” The small man showed a little confidence.
“If I say so, you die.” Chakotay got up and strolled over to the desk picking up a phaser. “Ya know. If you die and she doesn’t come back, I get to be captain.” He shot his teacup with the phaser vaporizing it, laughing as the man paled.
“I draw you a map, you pay.”
“Computer site to site for all people in my quarters to stellar cartography. Authorization Chakotay beta seven.”
The shimmered away and materialized in the empty stellar cartography lab. Chakotay stepped up to the console and had the computer extrapolate a map of the planet.
“Show me.” Chakotay turned the phaser in his hand. “Now!” He shoved the man forward.
“Over here.” He pointed to the ‘distant continent’ as the natives called it, the place where no one lived.
Chakotay enlarged the area on the screen. “Where?”
The man glance at Ayala and Mike stepped forward, between them. Chakotay shoved Ayala back against the wall.
“You’re finished here.” He waved the phaser at Ayala. “Go play with your girlfriend, B’Elanna and leave me to handle this.”
The alien man was visibly less comfortable once Ayala left them and quickly gave Chakotay the exact information he needed. Chakotay deposited the alien in the brig, stopped to change his clothes and proceeded to transporter room two; Ayala and B’Elanna were there. All three, dressed in black, slung the packs Ayala had packed on their backs and checked their weapons. Chakotay punched in the coordinates and hailed Tuvok.
“Tuvok here, Commander”
“Tuvok, you have command. I will be on the surface. Don’t try to track us. Just sit tight and wait for me to contact you.”
“Commander, this is highly irregular. Starfleet regulations require…”
“This is a Maquis operation, Tuvok. Don’t interfere.” They waited for his response; he was quiet. “Tuvok any interference could cause someone to get hurt—that someone might be the captain.” They stood on the transport pad and waited again.
“Understood, Commander.”
Chakotay smiled. “Computer, energize.”
They materialized in a wooded area, then proceeded cautiously in the given direction and just as the man told him they found the door leading to the underground tunnels. Chakotay checked his reading, nodded and B’Elanna slipped through the partially open door, Ayala and Chakotay right behind her. On their way in, they quietly encountered and disposed of several guards. It was a simple operation. Most of the security was posted much farther down the mountain; these people had never encountered a transporter. They eliminated the few guards on duty in what was the planet’s sleep time and proceeded to check each cell for the captain.
Chakotay found her first. She was wearing her tattered blouse, which afforded her almost no coverage and her underwear. He approached slowly, quietly calling her name. She looked up. When she recognized him her expression changed to one of terror and she opened her mouth to scream. Chakotay quickly placed his hand over her mouth to quiet her.
“Kathryn, it’s me, Chakotay.” He fought him wildly. “B’Elanna get in here.” He called out.
“She’s down the hall.” Mike was instantly at his side.
Kathryn broke free and moved back into the shadows. Chakotay nodded to Ayala to try to reach her.
“Captain?” Mike softly called out. “Captain, it’s Ayala.”
“Mike?” She moved closer. “Good to see you.” She stood crossing her arms across her chest in an effort to cover herself with what was left of her blouse.
“Here.” Mike gave her his shirt. “Put this on. Are you OK?”
“I’ve been better, but I’ll be fine.” She moved out farther once she had the shirt on. “Chakotay.” She seemed surprised that he was there.
“Let’s get B’Ella and get out of here.” Chakotay ordered and Mike was out the door.
“Chakotay, I’m not sure…”
“Not now, we have to get out of here.’” He moved her towards the door, checking that it was clear and leading her down the hallway.
Ayala and B’Elanna were up ahead quietly making sure no one got in the way of their exit. If Kathryn noticed the bodies on her way out, she said nothing. They made their way to the beam up point and back to the ship without further incident. Chakotay accompanied Kathryn to sick bay while Ayala and B’Elanna returned their guest to the planet and erased all necessary transport and computer logs. The alien was never on Voyager.
The doctor examined the Captain, repaired some mostly superficial wounds and released her to her quarters. Chakotay waited in the office to take her home.
“Commander, I am releasing the Captain to her quarters.”
“Is she OK, did they…?”
“The Captain is fine. Any injuries she had have been treated and I am giving her two days medical leave. Any further information is not for me to discuss with you.”
“Fine, can I take her home?”
“She is quite capable of taking herself home, Commander, but I believe she is waiting for you."
“Thanks.” He exited to find Kathryn waiting. “How are you?”
“OK. They only roughed me up a bit and made a lot of threats. I’m fine.”
“Good, I was afraid..”
“Let’s go.” She took his arm and walked toward the lift. “I want to talk to you about that.” She waited to be sure they were alone in the lift. “I was afraid of you -- well, not exactly of you, but afraid when I saw you down there. I can’t explain it—just when I saw you I was filled with fear. Does that make sense?”
“How are you now?”
“Fine.” She looked around the lift and back at him. “Maybe, it was just the circumstances.”
“Yes, maybe.” They finished the ride in silence. Once he saw her settled in her quarters, he left her to get some sleep.
The next day the reports of her rescue were on her desk. No mention of the alien was made in any of them, no mention of the Maquis or anything out of the usual line of Starfleet missions; even Tuvok’s report was right in line. They notified the planetary government of the Captain’s return and broke orbit.
Over the following weeks, Kathryn experienced strange, frightening, feelings when unexpectedly confronted with the Commander. She had begun to wake in the night frightened and cold in her own bed. A few times he heard her cry out. It wasn’t quite the horrible sound he remembered but it was close. Chakotay noticed how wary she had become, always checking his whereabouts, making sure he didn’t surprise her. He made an effort to find way to warn her of his presence long before he arrived, but still it happened occasionally and she was becoming concerned that the crew would notice. It had gotten to the point that she was anxious at the mere thought of being alone with him.
Beta shift was over; Tom and Chakotay were in the lift when the Captain joined them. At the last second Harry called out and Tom ducked through the closing doors to wait for him. As soon as the lift door closed, she felt the panic again. It happened more and more lately, she was finding it increasingly difficult to conceal. She knew he noticed it was evident in his eyes. He moved to the farthest corner of the lift; it still didn’t put much distance between them.
“I’m sorry, Commander.” She saw the pain in his eyes. “Chakotay, I don’t understand why I feel this way—this fear when I’m with you. I know you haven’t done anything to warrant it, but..” She turned away. This man had done nothing wrong, he had served with her and worked hard to blend the two crews. He stood by her, all of her decisions, even those he disagreed with, and he had personally risked his life to save her. Not so very long ago she was hoping to deepen their relationship and now, she could barely control the irrational fear that swelled up in her whenever she was alone with him.
“It’s all right, Kathryn.” He smiled kindly and tried to ignore her involuntary jump when he touched her arm. “It’s probably just a residual reaction to your recent ordeal. You’ll be fine. Sleep well.” He left her at her door and continued on to his own. He knew the reason for her reaction, but he didn’t know if telling her would make it better or worse.
He tried to sleep, tossing and turning and finally deciding that a cup of tea might settle him; he got up and replicated one. He could hear movement on the other side of the wall. That was her bedroom, he noticed that although her quarters were slightly larger than his were, the lay out was basically the same. Her bedroom shared a wall with his living quarters but he would have thought the soundproofing in a ship this new, at least in the captain’s quarters, would be better. If she did anything but sleep in that room he certainly didn’t want to know about it. He had heard her cries several times over the past weeks and it was difficult not to try to help her. Tonight she was crying softly, anyone else might have missed it, but he knew.
Chakotay had no idea what they were going to do. They were trapped on this ship together for what could be the rest of their lives; they worked together, lived next to each other, there was no way to avoid each other. Hell, he didn’t want to avoid her; he loved her. Only a few short weeks ago, he would have said she loved him, too. Now, she couldn’t bear to be in the same room alone with him. He debated telling her the truth, but there must have been a reason fleet never did. He had no way of knowing if telling her would make it better or worse. They had no counselor on the ship and knowing might do greater harm then not knowing. She was quiet now, so he went to bed.
Three nights later he was aroused from a dead sleep by the screams. He recognized them immediately; the same intensity he heard over and over in his head for years. He pulled on his pants and went to her quarters.
Kathryn was screaming and thrashing, hands tightly gripping the sheets, her body drenched with sweat. He moved next to her, taking hold of her arms and gently shaking her to wake her.
“Kathryn.” He kept his voice low and soft. “Kathryn, wake up.”
Her eyes opened, round blue terror stared at him. She fought his hold on her, struggling hopelessly against his superior strength until she slumped against the pillows defeated.
“Kathryn, I won’t hurt you.” He brushed her damp hair away from her face. “Kathryn?”
She looked at him, the same round watery blue eyes, pleading for help, pleading for understanding.
“I’ll make coffee, we need to talk.” His decision almost made, he left her and waited in the other room.
When she came out, she was wearing a long robe; she had combed her hair and wiped away the tear tracks from her cheeks. She sat in the chair and accepted the coffee he handed her.
“I don’t know why I keep having these odd reactions to you and now I’m having nightmares.” She studied her coffee as she spoke.
“You have experienced other reactions? Something besides this -- apprehension?”
“Yes, and..” She looked up at the concern on his face, it was mixed with something—maybe it was hope. She smiled. “Several actually, but the one that concerns me is the feeling that I know you or should know you.” He was watching her very closely. “I know it’s silly but from the first time you came aboard I‘ve gotten the feeling that I know you. That isn’t possible, of course, I would never have forgotten if I had met you before.”
“Are you sure?” He smiled at her blush.
“This is not a smile I would have forgotten.” She grew more serious. “I want to spend time with you, yet I’m afraid—of what? I don’t know.”
“I do.”
“You do what?
“I know what’s causing it.” He shifted under her intense gaze. “At least I’m pretty sure I do.”
“Tell me then.”
He didn’t know how much to tell her. He knew part of what happened to her. He had seen some of it, heard her screams through other parts. He knew she had been beaten, raped, tortured in ways he probably couldn’t even imagine and he knew she had survived. What he didn’t know was if she could have recovered with her memories in tact. Would telling her destroy her? If he didn’t tell her would his presence cause her to remember anyway? Was it better to tell and have some control over her reaction? He decided to tell her the story of his capture by the Cardassians.
“Some years back, when I first captained a ship for the Maquis, we had been captured, beaten and tossed in a cell, the usual preliminary greeting by our friendly hosts. It was me and two of my men.” He saw added concern on her face. “Neither of them is with us now.” He tried to reassure her.
“I see, did they…?”
“Not then, later on another raid Wilson was shot and T’albt was killed when we were pulled into the Delta Quadrant.
“I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, they were good men.” He took a deep breath; she still had no idea why he was telling her this. “They didn’t bother with us much at first cause they had better toys to play with. Seems they had captured themselves some real prizes;-- Starfleet prizes.” He was watching her closely; nothing yet. “They captured an admiral and a young female lieutenant….”
“I was captured by the Cardassians once.” She looked puzzled. “Admiral Paris, Tom’s father, and I were captured but I have only fuzzy memories of it. They tell me I was unconscious for most of it and we were rescued quickly, soo…” She looked up at him with sudden recognition. “Tell me more.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes—no, but I think I need to know. Is that where I know you from?”
“Yes, they wanted information from the Admiral, so they roughed you up a bit, stripped off your uniform and tossed you in with us.”
The guards were running up and down outside the cell yelling about the new captives. Apparently they got themselves a Starfleet admiral and a sweet little lady lieutenant as a bonus.
“Well, that might keep them happy for a while.” Wilson said dropping to the floor.
“Yeah, we get to live another day before they cut our hearts out.” T’albt joined him on the floor.
“If it keeps them busy long enough, we’ll be gone before they get around to us.” Chakotay paced the cell.
“Let’s hope you’re right, ‘cause…”
He was cut off when the cell door opened and a guard stepped in.
“Hey, Maquis, this is your lucky day.” He laughed. “We are too busy to play with you now, but we brought you a present.” He nodded his head and a second guard tossed a naked young woman into the cell. “A real nice Starfleet bitch for you to play with, a virgin too!” He laughed again and licked his fingers. “Just be sure to leave some for me, cause I’ll be back for her.” He turned to go, tossing his last comments over his shoulder as the door slammed. “Have fun, boys.”
The three of them stood, shocked, looking down at the girl as she huddled in the corner of the dark cell trying to cover herself. Chakotay looked back at the other two and they moved away. He approached the frightened woman. She was bruised but not badly, her eye was swollen and her lip bled as she shivered in the corner.
“Here.” He removed his shirt trying to hand it to her, she didn’t move so he dropped it and turned away. “Put it on, it’s cold in here.” He could hear her struggle into his shirt and scurry back into the corner.
“Thank you.” It was a quiet voice but a strong one.
“Yeah.” He turned to see her cowering in the corner; she was young and strong, too bad. The Cardies would enjoy this one for a long time. “You have nothing to fear from us, we won’t hurt you.” He gestured toward the others. “Sorry, I can’t say the same for our hosts.”
“Kathryn, maybe that’s enough.” She looked up at him standing next to the chair, the big blue eyes filled with unshed tears and he shuddered with the memory of those same silent eyes pleading for help he couldn’t give her. He dropped to his knees pulling her close to his chest as he fought to control his own tears.
“Chakotay, please I need to know.” Her voice was muffled as she spoke into his chest.
“Kathryn, Starfleet suppressed these memories; they must have had a good reason.
“I’m sure they thought they did, but I have the right to know.” She pulled back a little to see his face. “Maybe I couldn’t handle it then, I don’t know. I’m strong enough to know now, please.”
“I’m not sure I am.” He tried to smile.
“Chakotay, you were a prisoner, just like me. I understand there was nothing you could do.” She wiped a tear from his cheek. “Please.” He nodded and continued.
They spent a day or more, sometimes it seem like a lifetime, listening to the tortured screams of the other prisoners. The woman recognized the Admiral’s voice and cringed, hiding her face in the corner while they tortured him, endlessly. Each of them knew their time would come and there was nothing any of them could do about it, short of escape and that looked less likely as time went by.
The door opened and the guard came through it obviously surprised to see the woman alone in the corner, dressed in a man’s shirt and untouched.
“Well, what is this? He kicked the woman, then move toward the other three. “Three of you and you can’t handle one little Starfleet whore?” He laughed. “You are more pathetic than she is. In here.” He shouted and the room filled with armed guards, must have been six or seven of them. He nodded his head and three of the guards lifted the rifles smashing the butts into the men. After several blows he stopped them. “So maybe you don’t like woman, we can accommodate that.” He laughed. “But first you get to watch us have some fun.” He motioned with his head and two of the guards dragged the woman over kneeling her in front of him. He reached down and tore open the shirt. “Take it off.” He ordered, but she didn’t move. He kicked her in the face, knocking her backward on to the floor, then tore the rest of the shirt off.
The scuffle behind him drew his attention only long enough to be sure the men were subdued.
“Line them up here.” He pointed to the wall on the side of him. “They should have a good view from there.
Chakotay stopped talking. The pictures flashing through his mind turned his stomach.
“Chakotay?” He had moved to sit on the couch as he spoke; now she moved there too. “Chakotay, are you all right?”
“Kathryn, that’s enough. You get the idea.”
“Yes, I get the idea, but that’s not all, is it?” She lifted his chin. “He raped me, but that’s only the beginning isn’t it?” Her tears flowed as his did, but she wouldn’t turn away and she wouldn’t let him.” Chakotay nodded. “How many?”
“I don’t know. All of them, more, who ever came in.” He choked back his tears. “They took her separately, together, they violated her in every imaginable way and I watched.” He dropped his head. “I’m sorry.”
“You didn’t …” She stopped. “Did you? Did they…?”
“NO! Oh god no, that’s the only thing they didn’t think of.”
They sat quietly for a while, then she replicated them some tea.
“Can you tell me the rest?”
They left the girl crumpled, unconscious and bleeding on the floor. She was cut and bruised and cover in filth. Chakotay cleaned her with what was left of his shirt and dressed her in T’albt’s shirt; Wilson had vomited all over his. He sat with her head in his lap for hours but moved away quickly when he heard the guards at the door.
They snickered at the men, pushing them back to the wall and dragged the semiconscious woman from the cell.
“Where does she find the strength?” Wilson mumbled as he covered his ears to her screams.
“She’d be better off if she’d just give in and die.” T’albt offered.
“She won’t.” Chakotay threw his head back against the wall, trying to fill his mind with something else, but her screams kept coming through.
They dumped her back in the cell sometime in the night and came for her again when the morning shift needed entertainment. The three men listened to the screams and when they stopped they hoped it was over. It wasn’t. They dumped her back in the cell only to drag her out in a few more hours and dump her back again when they tired of her.
She was beaten and bruised, so disfigured they would not have know it was her except for the tattered remains of T’albt’s shirt that clung damp and dirty to her battered body. Blood oozed from the breaks in her skin and every abused opening in her body, she shivered in the cold as silent tears kissed her blue cheeks. Chakotay and Wilson put her between them to try to warm her while T’albt stood guard.
The three men took turns watching for the guards. They knew she would only be treated to even worse abuse, if such a thing were possible, if the guards knew they were trying to help her. Chakotay was standing guard when they heard it. A noise in the hallway outside their door brought all three to their feet. They pressed close to the wall behind where the door opened and waited.
The door opened slowly, not with the loud bang the Cardassians were fond of.
“Chak?” A soft whisper filled the room.
“B’Ella?”
“Yeah, Man am I glad to see you!” She shined her light at him for only a second then turned it off. “Let’s get out of here.” She checked the exit and motioned for them to follow her.
“Go on.” Chakotay told the others as he gathered the woman in his arms.
“Man.” B’Elanna shined the light at him. “She’ll slow us down—you sure?”
“She comes.”
“Let’s move.”
B’Elanna took the point, leading them to a crossway where several other Maquis waited. Together they snuck through a series of dark hallways to the outside. Once they were finally outside B’Elanna flashed a signal and they shimmered away, materializing on a ship.
“You don’t look too bad, old man.” B’Elanna couldn’t hide her relief at having him back.
“Took you long enough, kid.” He was only partly teasing, B’Elanna was the youngest member of the crew even though she lied about her age he knew she was only sixteen. They made their way toward what served as a sickbay.
“Who’s your friend?”
“Don’t know. Fleeter.”
“Fleet?” She stood back and stared in amazement.
“B’Ella, what? I should let them have her ‘cause she’s fleet?” His anger was evident in his voice.
“No, Chak, calm down, just surprised.” The reached the bed they called sick bay. “Put her down.”
“So B’Elanna knows, too?”
“No.” He shook his head. “When she saw you, you were….” He looked up. “Let’s just say you didn’t look like your self. No one who saw that girl would know who you are.”
“I see, so what happened then? How did I get back to fleet?”
“We sorta brought you.” He had to laugh at her surprised look, a welcome relief from the harsher emotions coursing through him. “We didn’t mean to, it just sort of worked out that way.”
B’Elanna and Seska tried to clean up the woman and make her comfortable. There wasn’t much they could do with a little water and disinfectant. The Maquis didn’t have much in the way of medical supplies and this ship had been off world a long time. The woman’s face was distorted and bruised, her body looked like it had been in a meat grinder; they cleaned her and dressed her in lose clothes.
“Nice guys, the Cardies.” B’Elanna wondered why Seska seemed unmoved.
“I’m sure they’d do the same for us given the chance, so stop wasting time with this ‘fleet bitch and get back to those engines.” Seska chided B’Elanna.
“I don’t take orders from you, Chak asked me to do this and I’m doing it.”
The ship lunged ending the argument. There was a battle going on that they were not equipped to fight, so they ran. They dodged the Cardies and snuck off, limping toward an old outpost. Just before they entered orbit, they were spotted by a fleet ship. They ignored the hails and tried to sneak away. This time they weren’t lucky and the more powerful ship got the better of them.
Chakotay gave the order to abandon ship. They beamed as many to the surface as the transporters held up for, then packed the one functioning shuttle and launched three escape pods.
Chakotay landed the shuttle close to the deserted base. Once they were assured of it’s safety, they rounded the others up. Everyone pitched in gathering what supplies and weapons they could; they knew if the ‘fleeters followed them, it wouldn’t be long before they were forced out into the hills to hide. Chakotay had the girl placed in the one private room that still had both a bed and a roof. Since they had no way of treating her wounds or relieving her pain, he was glad she didn’t wake up.
The following morning, she opened her eyes, as far as they would open, silently searching her surrounding. It was light and dry and she felt warm; she was no longer in the Cardassian cell, but she hurt too much to move.
“Good morning.” He talked softly but his voice startled her just the same. “Sorry.” He could see the recognition in her eyes, her mouth opened, but no sound came out. He saw her panic. “It’s OK. You’re safe here. Don’t worry about your voice, it had quite a work out.”
She began to relax and then he saw the horror close in on her and she slammed her eyes shut. She tried to roll away but found she couldn’t force herself to endure the pain that movement would cause.
“I’m gonna get you something to drink. I’ll be right back.” He went out in search of something warm for her to drink.
“Chak.” Wilson came on the run. “They’re here.” Saw the shuttles just down the mountain. Won’t be long before they find us.”
“Who?”
“Fleet.”
“OK, round them up and lets get ready to move. I’ll be right out.” He took the tea into the room. “I’m gonna try to sit you up. You need to drink some of this.” He helped her up; she stared at him wide eyed. “I know that hurts. Here try this.” He held the cup to her lips and she slowly sipped from it. “I’m gonna have to go. Your people are coming after us. I’ll leave you here, where they can find you, they’ll take care of you.” She stopped sipping and nodded. He lay her down on the bed and pulled the blanket over her. “Have a good life, Starfleet.” He smiled and turned toward the door.
“Luck, Maquis.” Her voice was rough and low, he turned back to see her try to smile. “Thanks”
Chakotay nodded and ducked out the door shouting orders as the others scrambled toward higher ground and a safer hiding place.
Kathryn replicated them more tea and returned to sit beside him.
“Thank you.” She placed her hand on his leg and rested her head back against the couch.
“I’m not sure I did you a favor.”
‘”It explains a lot. What I can understand, I can deal with.” She took a deep breath. “They should have let me deal with it then.”
“I’m sure they were trying to protect you.”
“Yes, just as you have been since you got here. Now, I understand.”
“What?” He sat up to watch her. Her eyes were open and she stared at the ceiling. “What do you understand?”
“I understand that you felt guilty, even though you had no control over their actions.” She lifted her head and smiled as the tears welled up. “I know now why you stayed so close, always trying to protect me.”
“I don’t think you do.” He brushed away the tear that snaked across her cheek. “True, I carry too much guilt. Some part of me says I should have tried harder, died trying to protect you. Realistically, I know that would have been useless. It wouldn’t have helped you, they would have killed me and done what the pleased to you anyway. If I had died maybe you would have never gotten home. No, the guilt is real, but unfounded and only a small part of why I strive to protect you.” He cupped her face with both his hands. “Kathryn, I love you. I don’t know how it happened or exactly when, I just know that I do.”
“Chakotay..”
“Don’t, Kathryn.” He put his finger on her lips. “You need time to absorb all of this, work it through. Just know that I love you and I will never hurt you.”
She rested her head on
his chest, feeling his arms close around her. What he told her had
changed everything and nothing at all. She knew the truth now and
she would deal with it, so many little pieces of her past were falling
into place. She didn’t fully understand this mutual devotion but
she knew she felt it and was grateful for it. Life would be much
easier with his help; they would survive this together.
Epilogue:
The celebration of their joining had been waylaid by the disappearance of the captain, many months before, but Neelix was not one to forget. On their eighteen month anniversary, he scheduled a party in celebration of the Talaxian holiday of unity, which no one could actually prove he had made up. The Captain and the Commander arrived together.
An elegantly dressed command team moved toward the center of the room. Her rich blue dress swirling above her knees matched the moist crystal blue eyes that gazed at him lovingly as he led her to the dance floor. Although the question was never actually asked, it was clear to everyone when he drew her into his arms that this was far beyond a working relationship.
“You look beautiful, Kathryn.” He breathed in the sweet scent of her hair as they moved together. “I must be the envy of every man here.” He felt her chuckle, looking down he followed her gaze.
“Not quite.” She laughed as several young men vied for the honor of dancing with their chief engineer.
B’Elanna dressed in a short, low cut, black dress, had to all but beat the men off with a stick. She maneuvered her current partner in their direction, sliding up very close to Chakotay as they danced.
“B’Ella, You do look – umm-lovely tonight.” Chakotay gave her an appraising look.
“Bite me, old man.” She laughed and leaned in closer. “Admit it – I look HOT!”
“Kathryn, this crew continues to amaze me, but I don’t think anyone can top that!” He laughed as he watched B’Elanna switch partners yet again.
“Oh, really?” Kathryn slid her fingers into his hair. “I do.”
The music played on, but
they didn’t hear it anymore. As Kathryn drew his lips down to hers
the only sound they were aware of was that of two hearts beating as one.
An unlikely alliance, destine to last through time.
The End.
