Part sixteen of "Little blue world" - an AU series
by Jinny W
July 2001
Disclaimer: Paramount owns all. I'm just playing.
Summary: The crew of the Liberty make a dangerous trade for Sam's life.
~~~
"You really should be more careful you know".
"I know. Ouch."
"Hold still."
"I'm trying to."
The doctor gave Harry another one of his practiced disapproving looks as he ran the dermal regenerator over his wrist. "Tell me again how you did this on a smooth edged console?" he asked sarcastically.
"I wasn't paying attention".
"That much is obvious."
"We've all had our minds on other things at the moment."
"Oh?" said Doctor Zimmerman, his voice light. "You mean like sending inexperienced young women on dangerous away missions?" He snapped off the controls. "There, you're done."
Harry gingerly ran a finger along his wrist. "Thanks", he said.
"Don't mention it. But don't do it again, either."
"Come on Doc, give me a break. You haven't seen me in here for weeks." Harry looked around at the sickbay, which had been reorganized drastically since his last visit. An array of new medicines and equipment had found homes in cabinets along one wall, while the other was decorated with colourful two dimensional prints of holo-images. "You've obviously kept yourself busy. I like what you've done with the place." When the doctor just grunted Harry looked at him more closely, a sudden thought occurring to him. "Are you angry because the Captain didn't decide to send you?" he asked.
"I believe I am suitably qualified to check up on Samantha", he replied stiffly, obviously piqued.
"You'd have to do more than that", Harry said. "Kes is going to disable the weapons array while she's there."
"Are you telling me Kes knows more about engines than I do?" Zimmerman snorted testily. "I could have been trained just as easily as she could."
"Maybe", Harry said slowly, realising the doctor was genuinely annoyed. "But part of the point was also to distract Jonas, to put him at ease. The command team agreed - for the most part", he added, thinking about Tom, "that Kes could put him off his guard better than any one else who was suggested. And she is familiar with Neelix's ship. That gave her an advantage over any one else."
"Perhaps", the doctor said mildly, "the problem was that I wasn't suggested."
"Maybe nobody thought..." Harry trailed off falteringly. "I mean..."
"Nobody thought of me?" Zimmerman finished for him.
"Well... yes", Harry said.
"Perhaps if I was kept better informed as to what went on at these meetings, instead of having to hear things second hand from my nurse, then I'd be able to add my suggestions to those of the command staff".
Harry smiled weakly, realising what it was the doctor was really upset about. "Maybe I could mention that to the Captain", he suggested. "You could be properly filled in about what happens at each briefing."
Zimmerman glanced at him in surprise. "Alright", he said. Harry had the distinct impression he hadn't expected anything to come from his complaining. "I'd appreciate that."
"Not that you usually miss that much", Harry admitted. "A whole lot of suggestions being thrown around, before being shot down in flames by Mr. Tuvok for being too illogical, followed by more arguing, and then-"
"I get the point", Zimmerman said, waving him to silence. He glanced at Harry, who had remained sitting on the bed while they talked. "You're worried about Kes too, aren't you", he said, more quietly.
Harry looked up at him, startled by his perceptiveness. It was easy to forget that behind a layer of sarcasm the Doctor hid his kind, compassionate nature. He nodded, not trusting himself to speak.
"I may not hear about all the command decisions down here", Zimmerman said with a small smile, "but a fair amount of gossiping goes on in this room."
Harry felt his face flush at that. "I'm sure it does", he said. "Well", he slid of the bed, rubbing his wrist once more for good measure, "I'd better get back to it."
"Mind your limbs on the way out", the doctor shot after him mockingly. As the doors slid shut behind Harry he shook his head slowly. "Who'd have thought", he said to the empty room, "that I would miss those awful Starfleet briefings?"
~~~
"I have something to tell you."
The words burst free from B'Elanna's lips as soon as the doors closed behind her. Chakotay glanced up at her from one of his armchairs and smiled.
"Something wrong with the comm system?"
B'Elanna moved quickly to sit in one of the other chairs. "This is big, Chakotay, this is really big."
His smile slipped away at the intensity in her voice. "What is it?"
"I cracked the code," she blurted. "My team was making headway, but I gave everybody a break because they were all..." she made a face, "alright, because I was getting impatient and a little snappy."
Chakotay couldn't help grinning at that admission.
"The thing is," she went on, "that I was so sure we were really close. It was bugging me. So instead of taking my break I just kept working on it. I chipped away a piece and them wham", she slapped her hands together, "the whole thing blew apart."
He frowned at her. "The padd exploded?"
"No, idiot, the encryption code came apart. I broke it."
"And?"
B'Elanna was so edgy that she couldn't stay sitting. She slipped out of the chair and began pacing around the small room.
"This is big Chakotay, really big."
"You said that already."
"Okay", she stopped pacing and turned to face him. "I've never seen a configuration like this. It's really ingenious. At first I thought it looked similar to some Klingon designs I'd seen before, but the really brilliant thing about it is how simple it is. I mean, you could put it together by-"
"B'Elanna", Chakotay broke in. "What is it?"
She blew out a breath. "A cloaking device." She sank back into the chair, then edged forwards, leaning towards him. "A cloaking device, Chakotay. Think about it. Using the specs it looks like we could modify our engines and cloak this ship. It would take some time to put all the new parts together, but I could get it up and running, I'm sure of it."
Chakotay was still staring at her in shock. "I suppose I should have expected something special. That's amazing."
"I know". She sighed and shifted anxiously in her chair. "After everything that has gone wrong for us, this is almost too good to be true. The thing is, before I came up here I put the file back together again. No one else knows what I've found. Harry hurt himself on his console - if you can believe that - so he'd left to see the doctor. I mean," her eyes widened, "should we tell everybody about this? Shouldn't we keep it a secret?"
Chakotay shook his head, his mind working rapidly. "I suppose I could tell the teams you had working on it that it isn't a priority now that our rescue attempt is imminent."
"But what about Kathryn?" B'Elanna made a pained face. "Should we tell her? How do you think she'd react? The Federation position on using cloaking technology is pretty clear."
Chakotay stared at her. "That's a good point."
"It's not that I don't trust her, but she's still Starfleet." B'Elanna ground her teeth in annoyance. "If we do get through the wormhole, and drop all the Starfleet crew off somewhere, won't they go through an intensive debriefing? What use is it having a secret like this if we lose the advantage by Starfleet finding out about it straight away?"
"I guess you're right. I agree with you," Chakotay said, his face troubled. "But I don't like the idea of lying to Kathryn about this."
"I don't like it either."
Chakotay fell silent as he thought the issue through. B'Elanna watched him impatiently, itching to say something further but restraining herself. After a few minutes Chakotay activated his communicator.
"Kathryn? Can you report to my room please."
Kathryn's voice came back over the intercom. "I'll be right there."
B'Elanna stared at him blankly. "You're going to tell her?"
He sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair. "Kathryn and I have to trust each other if this ship is going to function properly."
B'Elanna began to protest. "But after we drop them off -"
He held up a hand to stop her. "I don't want to argue about this, B'e. It's my decision. Kathryn has trusted my judgement in the past. I need to return her trust."
"Yes, but-"
"There is no but. Kathryn and I have spoken about what's going to happen when we return. We can rely on her."
"You don't even know that she-"
"No", he said shortly, "I don't know what she'll do. But I'm going to tell her anyway. That's what trust is, B'Elanna."
B'Elanna started a string of muttered curses but broke off as the door chime rang.
"Come in", Chakotay called.
Kathryn stepped inside. "You wanted to see me? Hi B'Elanna."
"Hello", the half-Klingon woman mumbled.
Kathryn shot her a puzzled look, then turned back to Chakotay.
"I was just in my room, catching up on some reading. What's up?"
"We have something to tell you."
Kathryn glanced at both of them in turn, noting the sour expression on B'Elanna's face. "Is something wrong?" she asked, looking at B'Elanna in concern. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine", she muttered.
Chakotay gave her a warning glance. "More than fine actually. B'Elanna has cracked the encryption code and has accessed the hidden files."
"You're kidding? That was quick." Kathryn beamed at the younger woman. "Well done." When they both remained silent she glanced again from one to the other, the smile dropping from her face. "Am I missing something? What was in the file?"
B'Elanna spoke quickly. "They're shield modifications", she said. "Extremely advanced, using a very ingenious design. I've never seen anything like it."
"Shields?" Kathryn echoed in some surprise. "That's unexpected. Harry thought they might be weapon designs, didn't he?"
"It's a cloaking device", Chakotay said, before B'Elanna could respond.
Kathryn's eyebrows shot up. She gazed at B'Elanna in astonishment, her mind working rapidly. "That's incredible!"
"I know", Chakotay said.
"Does anybody else know about this?"
"No", Chakotay said quietly. "B'Elanna has only just told me. We were discussing whether it was necessary to keep it a secret."
B'Elanna gave him a dark glance but said nothing.
"Well of course we should", Kathryn said. When both of them looked at her she went on quickly, "This has to be the best advantage the Maquis have ever stumbled on. We can't let the rest of the crew know until you've had a chance to pass the information on to the other cells. Just in case someone lets it slip. It would completely ruin the surprise value if the news got out." When they continued to stare at her she added more slowly, "That is, if you know a way to contact them with this information." She glanced at B'Elanna. "Would they be able to modify their shields as well?"
"Yes", B'Elanna said shortly.
"I don't understand why you aren't more excited by this", Kathryn said. "Oh," she added softly, as realization dawned. "I take that back, I do see why."
"The question is", Chakotay said, "if we are going to keep this quiet for now, can we make the required alterations and test the system without all of your engineering crew knowing what's going on? Could the three of us manage?"
"It would take a while longer", B'Elanna admitted. "And no offense, Chakotay, but I don't know how much help you'll be."
"None taken", he said, chewing his lip thoughtfully. "What about Harry?" he said suddenly. "Could we tell Harry as well, let him know this is top secret?"
"Are you asking me if I trust him?" Kathryn said.
"I suppose I should ask you", Chakotay said to B'Elanna. "You've got to know Harry fairly well lately. Can we trust him?"
She looked from one to the other slowly. "Yes", she said, after a pause. "Yes I think we can."
"Then that's settled. You'd better go and tell him what's going on right away. This is strictly need to know."
B'Elanna nodded and stood to go. As she slipped out of the door her face was still noticeably troubled. Kathryn sat down in the chair she had vacated. Despite B'Elanna's departure, the tension in the room remained high. She found herself unwilling to look squarely at Chakotay.
"So", she said quietly, "are you going to tell me what all that was about?"
"All what?"
"That expression on B'Elanna's face. Like she very much wanted to punch somebody. Possibly me."
Chakotay shook his head. "She... she's just a little..."
"Unsure if she can trust me?" Kathryn finished.
"No," he said quickly, "it's not that. It's just that... Once we get through the wormhole... if we get through the wormhole," he corrected, "we'll be dropping the Starfleet crewmembers off somewhere. You're bound to be called in for detailed debriefing about everything that went on here."
"And you both think that I'll tell them you have a cloaking device", she said, now meeting his gaze.
"B'Elanna thought..." Chakotay made a face. "Look, I know that she really likes and respects you, Kathryn, but you also believe in playing by the Federation rules. We're the ones who gave that up."
"And the Federation signed the treaty forbidding the use of cloaking technology", she said, still watching him carefully.
"Yes," he said, his eyes flickering over her face. "Are you angry?"
She shook her head. "No. No, why would I be? You told me, didn't you?"
Chakotay didn't say anything. She smiled at him ruefully. "So", she said, "are you going to ask me, or are we going to keep dancing around it?"
"Ask you what?"
"Am I going to tell Starfleet that you found cloaking technology along with the transwarp drive?"
His dark brown eyes met hers, their expression solemn. "Are you?"
"Chakotay", she whispered, "I can't..."
His communicator bleeped. "Chakotay here."
"Captain", Tuvok's voice came back, "Mr. Jonas is just about to drop out of warp."
Chakotay instantly straightened in his chair. "Is the message ready for transmission?"
"Yes".
"Start sending it now. And call Kes to the bridge. I'll be right there. Chakotay out."
Kathryn was already on her feet. "This is it", she said tightly.
Chakotay nodded at her. "Is she ready?"
"I think so."
"Good. We've got no margin for error here."
As they both hurried from the room Chakotay was surprised to discover he felt relieved that she hadn't answered his question. For some curious reason, the idea that Kathryn would betray their secret made him feel more ill than the thought of losing the leverage itself.
~~~
"He's definitely receiving the message", Tuvok reported.
Silence hung heavily across the bridge.
"Any response?" Chakotay asked.
"Negative."
Kathryn stood close to Kes, her arm wrapped protectively around the younger woman's shoulders.
"I'll be fine", Kes whispered to her. "Did Neelix tell you that he isn't going to come with us?"
Kathryn glanced at her sharply. "No, he didn't. I knew he and Rexal were close, but I didn't know he'd decided yet."
Kes gave her a warm smile. "I'm very happy for him. He's been a good friend to me. He wanted me to know before I left, just in case anything happened."
Kathryn rubbed her hand along Kes' back, but didn't reply. She stared at the small craft which hung so menacingly in front of them, trying to imagine how Sam Wildman was feeling at this moment. "Come on Jonas", she thought to herself. "Be smart."
"Receiving a transmission."
"On screen."
Tuvok shook his head. "It is audio only. Routing it through now."
"Chakotay, my old friend". Even through the rustle of static the sarcasm and tension in Jonas' voice were clearly evident. "I'm so hurt that you don't trust me to take care of Samantha properly. That I'd send you a recording of her to try and fool you. Whatever happened to trust?"
"We just want to make sure that Sam's alright", Chakotay said calmly, ignoring Jonas' taunt. "We'll start to move, as a sign of good faith. Once we conclude the trade, we'll move completely out of your way."
"That's very reasonable of you", Jonas replied.
"We just want Sam back unharmed."
Jonas laughed shortly, an utterly humourless gesture. "I'm sure that's not all you want. But that's what you'll get. Now, about that head start you promised me -"
"We'll give you an hour".
"I want three."
Chakotay shook his head, a useless gesture under the circumstances. "Unacceptable. We'll give you two."
"Done," Jonas' voice was silky smooth now, his confidence obviously growing. "I await the arrival of your young envoy."
He cut off the transmission.
Chakotay nodded curtly to Kathryn, then managed an encouraging smile at Kes. "Be careful," he said.
"I will."
"Bridge to transporter room. Activate site to site transporter. Energize."
Kes' lithe form shimmered and disappeared. Kathryn felt a knot form in her stomach as she imagined Jonas' greeting.
"Keep that lock on her," Chakotay instructed.
"Aye sir".
The tension on the bridge grew exponentially as they waited. Kes had to distract Jonas for long enough to remove the necessary part from a console, check Sam's health with the tricorder the doctor had provided her, then hail them for transport back. The seconds crawled past. Kathryn concentrated on her breathing, an old relaxation technique that often helped her to pretend she felt more confident than she appeared. Looking around her she could see the strain reflected on the other bridge crew. Chakotay's brow was furrowed in concentration, his hand tightly gripped the arm of his console. Without thinking, Kathryn moved towards him and rested a hand on his shoulder, rubbing it reassuringly. He reached up to touch it, then turned to flash her a brief smile.
"If he hurts her-", he whispered.
"There won't be enough of him to crawl back down that wormhole," Kathryn hissed.
He gave her a grim smile. They both jumped slightly as a console beeped.
"They're hailing us", Tuvok reported.
"On screen."
The viewscreen activated. Kes and Sam Wildman were standing side by side while Jonas lingered behind them. Sam looked drained. Dark circles under her eyes testified to her exhaustion, and her hair was limp and dirty, but otherwise she appeared unharmed. Although Kes' eyes were wide her voice sounded firm.
"I've examined Sam", she said calmly. "She's dehydrated, but not hurt in any way." She met Chakotay's eyes and nodded slightly.
"Well done, Kes", he whispered under his breath, giving her a thin smile.
"You see," Jonas crowed from behind them, "I know how to treat a lady. Now start moving."
"Transporter room," Chakotay ordered, "Do you have a lock on them both?"
"Aye sir".
He nodded curtly at the screen then used the Liberty's thrusters to edge the ship sideways.
"Alright", he said to Jonas. "We've shown you our good faith. Now we want our crewmembers back."
In reply Jonas spread his arms wide and slapped both women on the shoulders. Kes jumped slightly in shock and Sam visibly winced. Jonas let his arms hang around them while he smirked at the screen.
"Such a shame. I did so enjoy having visitors", he said, kissing Sam noisily on the cheek, then letting his arms drop. A glimmer of anger flickered in Sam's eyes, but both women looked noticeably relieved.
"Get them out of there", Chakotay ordered, his voice tight.
On the viewscreen the women's forms began to shimmer and dematerialize.
"I've got them", a voice reported.
Jonas glared at him coldly. "Now move the rest of the way."
Chakotay gave the order and the Liberty began to drift further away from the opening of the wormhole.
"I'm going down there to check on them", Kathryn said, striding from the bridge. As she left she hailed the doctor, ordering him to meet her in the transporter room.
"See you in the Alpha Quadrant", Jonas said smoothly.
Chakotay glowered at him. "Not if I can help it", he said.
With one final sneer Jonas disconnected the transmission. Neelix's small craft powered up its engines once more and began moving towards the shimmering opening.
"So", Tom's voice called out derisively from the bridge doorway. "We're just going to let him go."
Chakotay glanced around at him. "We got what we wanted, Tom."
Tom folded his arms against his chest and leaned against the doorframe. "I guess you usually do", he said.
Chakotay turned back to the screen, ignoring him. As they watched, Neelix's ship sped up and entered the wormhole. They could see it continue in for some distance before a flash of blue light obscured the aperture. When the light faded, the small ship was gone. After a few moments of silence, Kathryn's voice hailed the bridge.
"They both appear to be fine, but I'm going with them to sickbay. The doctor wants to run some tests on Sam."
Kes' voice broke in. "I've got the component, Captain. His weapons are neutralized."
"Good work, Kes."
"Captain," Sam's weak voice came over the comm system, "it's good to hear your voice again."
Chakotay smiled. "Yours too Sam. Take care."
From the doorway Paris snorted. Chakotay swung around in his chair, his face impassive.
"Do you have something to say to me, Paris?" he demanded coolly.
Tom cocked one eyebrow. "Criticize the hero of the hour? I wouldn't dare. Even if it does all appear too easy. Too good to be true."
As the Liberty swung around to face the wormhole Tom jolted and almost fell. Tuvok glanced over at him. "Are you alright, Mr. Paris?"
Tom rested his arm against the wall and glared at him. "I'm fine", he snapped.
Chakotay stood, vacating the command chair. "You have the bridge, Tuvok. Hold position here for two hours, then call me. I've got a few things to organize. We're going home."
Tom chuckled, a low hoarse sound. "You're actually letting him get a head start? What are you, a saint? Or just an idiot?"
Chakotay walked slowly towards him, then paused, inches from his face. "No. But I keep my word." His eyes swept over Tom's face, and he hesitated, as if about to say something more. "Excuse me", he said instead, and stepped past Paris into the hallway.
"Excuse you," Tom said mockingly. "What?" he said sourly to Tuvok, who was still watching him with one raised eyebrow.
"I did not say anything", said Tuvok, moving to take the empty command chair.
"Good", Tom muttered. When Tuvok's back was turned again he pulled a flask from his pocket, flipped off the lid and took a quick drink. "Good", he repeated to himself, shoving the bottle roughly back into his pocket.
~~~
"Neelix to Chakotay".
"Chakotay here".
"Captain, are they alright?"
"They're both here, and they're both fine. The doc is just checking them out. I'm on my way to sickbay to see them now."
"I'll stop by there soon. I was wondering..."
Chakotay smiled at the uncharacteristic hesitation in the Talaxian's voice. "Let me guess", he said, "seeing as you're going to be leaving us in less than two hours - or we'll be leaving you - and Sam has just returned, you want to get the crew together to have a quick celebration."
"I would like that very much."
"Done. You can call everyone to the mess hall for a quick round of drinks. We'll give you a brief but rowdy farewell."
He could almost hear the grin in Neelix's voice. "Thankyou. Thankyou, Captain. Neelix out."
Chakotay was still smiling as he stepped through the doors into sickbay. Kes and Sam were both perched on one bed, while the doctor bustled over a nearby console. Kathryn stood by the door, watching the proceedings with her arms folded nervously across her chest. She turned towards him as he entered.
"Hi".
"Hi". He touched her briefly on the arm, then moved towards the two women.
"Kes", he said, brushing her shoulder. "Well done. I can't thank you enough."
"I was glad to help."
Sam still looked drawn but she managed a small smile. "I'm alright, Captain. He scared me, but he didn't hurt me."
He nodded at her. "We were worried. When it took Jonas so long to get here, we thought something had gone wrong."
Sam shook her head, her limp hair rustling against her shoulders. "I don't know what happened, I'm sorry. He kept me in an enclosed section of the ship. I hardly saw or heard anything until we got here."
"It's alright. I won't interrogate you."
Sam's eyebrows drew together thoughtfully. "There was something odd, Captain. I thought I heard Jonas talking to someone. I assumed it was himself, but later he picked up some supplies, so perhaps he was talking to a trader." Her forehead wrinkled as she considered further. "We made more than one stop. He did come back to the ship with fresh food at one stage." She shrugged resignedly. "I had no idea where it came from. He didn't talk much to me. I didn't ask."
"Excuse me, Captain".
With a quick apology he moved out of the doctor's way. Kes rested her hand on top of Sam's and squeezed it as the doctor opened his tricorder. Chakotay edged away, then turned to talk with Kathryn again.
"I wanted to tell you something about Tom," he said softly.
Her eyes flickered over to the others, but they didn't appear to be listening. "What about Tom?"
"About his recent behaviour."
"I know he's been upset." She clasped her hand against his arm. "Maybe we should talk about this later."
He looked as though there was something more he wanted to tell her, but he merely nodded. "Okay".
A cry from the bed caused them both to spin around. The doctor's tricorder had started to buzz rapidly, and both Kes and Sam were doubled over in pain, clutching their stomachs. Chakotay hurried towards them.
"What is it?"
The doctor ran his scanner over both of them, his fingers flying rapidly over the controls. "I don't know", he said. "Something's very wrong."
Kes let out a another moan. Sam yelped and pressed her arms against her abdomen.
"Wait a minute", the doctor said, "I'm getting an odd reading."
Kathryn pressed closer towards them. "What is it?"
Doctor Zimmerman glanced over at them both, fury blazing in his eyes.
"They've been poisoned", he said.
~~~
end of part sixteen
~ read part seventeen ~
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