Part nine of "Little blue world" - an AU series
by Jinny W
June 2001
Disclaimer: Paramount owns all. I'm just playing.
Summary: Kathryn and B'Elanna move the Liberty a step closer to finding Chakotay, while Seska struggles with her position on the Kazon ship.
~~~
"All right?"
"Ready when you are."
B'Elanna slid open the access panel and began rapidly punching buttons.
"We should have nine minutes until the guards come back", Kathryn said. "Should I phaser it open?"
"No need", B'Elanna grinned and snapped the panel shut. "This ship has worse security than Tom's ration account. Not that you heard that from me," she added.
As she spoke the doors hissed open.
"You're a handy person to have around", Kathryn remarked, as they made their way inside.
"I do my best."
Kathryn held up her hand for silence as they crept down the corridor. Luck had been on their side so far this morning. B'Elanna had been able to adjust their transporters so that they could penetrate the station's dampening field and beam onto the Kazon ship. Thus far it had proved to be virtually deserted. They were able to make their way through several decks, only having to hide twice from stray Kazon crewmen.
"Seven minutes", Kathryn reported.
B'Elanna tapped a few buttons on her tricorder. "Do you want to split up?"
"Hang on", Kathryn replied. "I'm getting a Federation power signature from this direction. It's very weak though."
B'Elanna followed her up to a pair of heavy set doors.
"Behind here."
"Should I-" B'Elanna began, pointing at the panel next to it. Before she completed her sentence the door slid open. "Or not", she finished.
A Kazon male stepped out of the doorway. He froze in surprise at seeing them, and B'Elanna took the opportunity to throw a rapid punch that knocked him down. She shook her fingers irritably as he crumpled in a heap on the floor.
"Kazon have such hard heads", she grumbled.
Kathryn chuckled. "Maybe we should have brought Chakotay's boxing gloves."
They bent to grab the unconscious man by his arms and dragged him into the room from which he'd come.
"Over there." As they let him slump to the floor, B'Elanna pointed to a console on the far side of the room. Resting on top of it were a tricorder and a small dermal regenerator. "Anything look familiar?"
Kathryn strode over, then swept both items into her carry bag. She scanned the room again, her lips pursed thoughtfully.
"It looks like this is it."
"Great. We can get the hell out of here before he wakes up," B'Elanna said, poking the inert Kazon with her toe.
Kathryn shrugged. "I guess I was just expecting something a little more... spectacular. Weapons maybe."
"It had to be small and portable", B'Elanna replied. "And I'd wager that Seska didn't trust her new friends enough to hand them a charged phaser."
"True." She threw another look around the room. "Five minutes until the guard comes back. Think you can hack into their system and download the memory core in that time?"
"No problem." As B'Elanna got to work, she shot Kathryn a shrewd glance. "Are you sure you were never planning a career in terrorism?" she asked.
Kathryn snorted. "Are you trying to recruit me, Torres?"
B'Elanna tried to hide a smile. "Maybe."
"I came to capture you, remember?"
B'Elanna's fingers flew over the console as she spoke. "I was thinking that perhaps your perspective had changed since then, that's all."
Once again, words spoken lightly carried a deeper undertone. Kathryn forced herself to respond in kind.
"If you mean, have you endeared yourselves to me, the answer is yes, most of you have, a little."
"A little?" B'Elanna chuckled. "I assume that 'most of us' includes our intrepid Captain." When Kathryn didn't respond, she added, "Alright, be coy then."
"Who's being coy? There's nothing to admit."
"Oh, come on. You wouldn't be this edgy if we were chasing after Neelix."
Kathryn pulled a face at her but didn't reply.
"I knew it", B'Elanna said.
"Knew what?"
B'Elanna shook her head. "I don't see what your problem is. We might be stuck out here for a long time. Why not admit it?"
"We might be home next week", Kathryn countered.
"So you wouldn't get involved with him, just in case? That's crazy."
As Kathryn merely shook her head again, the half-Klingon frowned at her, then detached her tricorder from the console with a wrenching click. "All done," she announced.
The Kazon groaned. B'Elanna made a face of her own. "Let's get out of here."
With a nod of agreement, Kathryn activated her communicator beacon, and they disappeared in a shimmer of dissolving atoms.
~~~
Seska paced the length of her room, her mind churning over the events of the past few weeks. Her decision to leave the Liberty had been correct . She could hardly have stayed, forced to watch Chakotay fawn over the Starfleet refugees while they limped, day by painful day, towards the Alpha Quadrant. No, her decision to act now had been right. But what of her choice of ally?
It was becoming increasingly clear that Shonah had no respect for her abilities. The Kazon, she realised belatedly, were a misogynistic species, still primitively clinging to the ridiculous notion that women could not hold positions of authority. At first she had adapted, trying to couch her orders as suggestions, to frame her ideas so that they could be interpreted as his own. She was growing tired of these games. The Cardassians respected their women. They knew from long experience that they were every bit as capable of intricate - and devious - thought as themselves. Seska's own background and her years of tactical training attested to that.
She could play many roles. Mistreated Bajoran, loyal comrade, trusted friend. Lackey, however, was something different altogether. She felt as though the walls were squeezing in on her, in this grim prison of her own making.
Even in the earlier days on the Liberty there had been a strange kind of pleasure in her pretending. Later it brought its rewards - a privileged position by the captain's side, a place in his bed. She drew up short at the sudden onrush of memories.
She had loved him once, in an odd sort of way. They would come to each other in a familiar ritual of need. She, craving his fierce passion, the sheer mindlessness of their coupling. He, always restless, seeking release, and something else, something he never quite seemed to find in her.
Although her affection for him had withered in time, at odd moments she still ached for the physical release he could bring her. Since their separation she had sought out others - Jonas being the latest - but each new conquest left her dissatisfied, mentally if not sexually.
Now Chakotay's death jarred her in a way she had not anticipated. A peculiar weight had lodged itself in her chest. No rationalization on her part could drive it away. She slammed her fists against the cabin wall in frustration. This is not how it was supposed to end. Stuck on the other side of the galaxy, on a ship of fools.
Seska took a deep breath, and began to plan an alternative strategy.
~~~
"Are you sure this will work?"
"I have calculated the odds of our success. But I suspect that is not what you mean."
Kathryn grinned wryly at her Vulcan friend. "No. But go ahead and quote numbers if it makes you feel better."
Tuvok opened his mouth (no doubt to argue that he would not feel better in any case) but she held up a hand to forestall him. "Let's just get this over with."
She nodded towards the Maquis crewman who stood guard by the door. He stepped aside with a respectful bob of the head. Kathryn smiled inwardly, pleased at the recognition. Since her run in with the two discontented men in the mess hall she had noticed a marked change in the way the crew treated her. The difference was subtle, but to someone as in tune to reading the responses of a crew as her, it was conspicuous. She had to admit she felt pleased by their respect in a way she hadn't expected.
Although she had years of command under her belt, there was something oddly satisfying about leading this particular crew. Perhaps it was the lack of uniforms. She sensed they were evaluating her behaviour, decisions, and priorities from a curiously anarchic perspective. Although she'd always felt that a captain had to earn the crew's respect, she was coming to realise how much for granted Starfleet captains took the obedience of their crew. This subtle shift was due to much more than the punch in the nose, too. From the first she had know that this crew would be hard work. She had put in the effort, and now the rewards were starting to show.
Whether the younger woman was aware of it or not, some of B'Elanna's recent remarks had been both timely and perceptive. Kathryn had been thinking about the way she viewed these people, and Starfleet, and herself. It was hard not to - being here among them, hearing their stories, and sharing new challenges with them. She had liked to think that she didn't view the Maquis situation in simple black and white terms before. Getting to know these people had made her realise how much their beliefs had been oversimplified by distance. Media coverage (no matter how well meaning), and Starfleet briefings (no matter how indignant) hadn't prepared her for the stories she had heard. Or the friendships she had formed.
Now they were using one of these Maquis to track down another. Kathryn and Tuvok stepped into their makeshift brig. Jonas sat, unshaven and sullen, in the far corner of the room. He raised tired eyes towards them.
"More questions?" he said. "I've already told you everything I know."
Tuvok stood back while Kathryn talked to the young man.
"Yes, you did." She stood at ease, with her arms crossed across her chest. "After we found out what was really going on with Seska, that is. And after Harry Kim's name had been cleared. No thanks to you."
Jonas' eyes flashed with an unexpected emotion. Kathryn watched him carefully. Was it anger at Seska? Or at her?
"Is it true what they're saying about her?" he asked.
"That depends on what they're saying."
Jonas stared at her belligerently, before adding, "That she's a Cardassian."
Kathryn blinked at him, keeping her voice measured and careful. "Who told you that?"
"Neelix. When he brought my food."
"Oh." Kathryn weighed up the obvious tension he radiated and decided on honesty. "Yes, it's true. The doctor says she must have had cosmetic surgery some years ago to spy on the Maquis."
"I don't understand why she would do that. Spy on us like that. We trusted her."
Kathryn opened her mouth to comment on the novelty of his perspective, but decided against sarcasm.
"Actually, it's Seska I came to talk to you about", she said.
"Oh?" Jonas eyed her warily.
"We know she's with the Kazon you two wanted to make a deal with", she said bluntly. "And they also have Chakotay, who no doubt is not too pleased about being their guest."
Jonas continued to stare at her silently, so she went on.
"We want you to help us find them."
"Me?" He croaked out an approximation of a laugh. "How would I know where they are?"
At that Tuvok spoke up. "We know that you have personally been in contact with the Nistrum ship in the past. We recorded the conversation in which you arranged a meeting."
Jonas' eyes narrowed. "But I never met them."
"No. Seska did."
"And I didn't talk to them after that. You had me here under guard ever since."
Kathryn felt herself growing rapidly irritated by his whining tone. "We didn't say you knew where they were", she snapped. "We said we want you to help us find them."
Jonas flinched before her ice cold glare. "How?" he mumbled, after a few moments.
Tuvok leveled a phaser at his chest and gestured for him to stand up.
"You will come with me", he said calmly.
Jonas threw a panicked look at Kathryn, who couldn't help smirking. "I wouldn't argue with him", she observed. "He's a little crabby today."
Tuvok raised an eyebrow at that, but merely said, "Indeed I am."
Jonas quickly stood, ready to follow him.
~~~
Seska felt a rush of adrenaline course through her as the idea took shape. All she needed was some leverage, real or fabricated, and she could get to work. So absorbed was she in her thoughts that at first she didn't hear the crackling static on her computer console as it dipped deeper and took on the resonance of a human voice. Only when the voice began forming her name did she wake with a start and move towards it.
She punched a few buttons to clear the signal, and heard her name again.
"Seska? Are you reading me?"
"Michael? Is that you?"
"Yes." His voice was still crackly, but audible. "I've been trying to patch through to you without going through the ship's main array. I wanted to talk to you, not to the Maj."
Seska chastised herself for the brief flicker of joy she felt at hearing his voice. Was she so desperate now that any friendly voice could rouse her?
"What do you want?"
"I want to help you. To help us."
She shook her head, then realised he couldn't see her. "I can't get a visual. Can you boost your signal."
"No. I'm sorry", Jonas mumbled something inaudible, then said, "I've had enough trouble trying to escape the Vulcan's notice as it is. I have to make this quick."
"It's good to hear from you", she said, deciding that a little flattery (even if it was honest too) wouldn't go astray.
"You too. Where are you?"
"I have my own quarters. We can talk freely."
"No, I didn't mean that. I meant-"
"How are things on the Liberty?"
Jonas hesitated, as if weighing whether her last answer was a deliberate deception, before responding. "Not so good, actually."
Seska thought quickly. "Do they know that you were helping me?"
"No, no they don't."
Seska cursed silently, wishing she could see his face. It was much more difficult to judge a conversation by voice alone.
"They didn't have any evidence that I was involved, so when they let Harry out, they let me out too."
"Do you think Janeway trusts you?"
Jonas made an odd sound, halfway between a laugh and a cough. "I don't know. I don't really care. Her opinion doesn't matter so much around here at the moment anyway."
"Oh?" Seska was intrigued. "Why? What's going on? Isn't she in charge now?"
"Well, technically she is." Jonas coughed again then went on. "The other day Kuchel and MacIntyre made a scene in the mess hall. Told her she didn't deserve to be Captain, and that it was her fault we lost Chakotay."
Seska couldn't help grinning. "What happened?"
"She completely fell apart. She tried to order them to behave - you know, show proper respect, and all that - and they just laughed at her. Soon after that more people starting saying what they think. Behind her back, when she walked past, to her face."
"And?"
"And she couldn't do a damned thing apart from get upset about it. I even heard she was crying in her quarters about it later."
Seska laughed, then remembered something. "What about some of the others, the Starfleet people, and B'Elanna. Didn't they stick up for her?"
Jonas mumbled something she didn't catch under the static. "- couldn't really do much then", he said. "And B'Elanna came out against her too."
"She what?" Seska frowned. "I thought they were buddies now."
"So did I. But apparently they got into a fight over how to rescue Chakotay and it became a slanging match. Janeway said something about her not even making it through the Academy, so what would she know about strategy. Then it went downhill from there."
Seska couldn't help grinning in triumph. "So. Janeway's having a little difficulty keeping the troops together without Chakotay's help. How interesting."
"How is Chakotay? Is he co-operating or getting in the way?"
Seska was silent for a moment, unsure how to respond.
"Seska?"
"He's fine", she lied. "He's", she thought quickly, "been keeping out of the way." Well, that much was true anyway. Since Chakotay's death the Kazon ship had been almost peaceful. The thought of Chakotay drew her mind back to her position on the ship. With Janeway losing control on the Liberty, perhaps it wasn't too late to orchestrate her return.
"I have to go", Jonas said, "Can you tell me how to find you?"
"I'll call you next time", Seska replied.
"But-"
"I have to go too. We'll talk soon."
As she broke off the connection, her mind was too full to wonder why Jonas wanted to find her. They don't want Janeway to lead them, she thought. And if they don't know exactly what my role was here... she ran through the possibilities rapidly. Chakotay was the only one she had admitted her real actions to. With him out of the way, she could concoct some story. Perhaps try to pretend that she had misguidedly tried to bargain on their behalf with the Kazon but was double-crossed and kidnapped instead.
She pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind, where they could simmer until later. For now, she needed to sort out her position on this ship. And that meant going head to head with the Maj.
~~~
Tom peered over Tuvok's shoulder as he typed commands into the tactical console.
"Tell me again how you did this?"
Tuvok came close to sighing, but restrained himself and responded calmly. "As I explained, Mr. Jonas was able to keep his conversation going long enough for me to triangulate the position of the carrier wave relative to the time displacement of the signal we were receiving. Then I was able to-"
Tom shook his head slowly. "No, never mind. I trust you." He slapped the Vulcan on the shoulder.
"How gratifying", Tuvok said dryly.
"Now that we know where the Nistrum ship is, what are we going to do when we get there?" Tom asked Kathryn, who was reclining in the command chair.
She shrugged. "Rescue Chakotay, capture Seska, tell the Nistrum to leave us alone", she waved her arm in the air expansively. "Something like that."
"You don't know, do you?"
"I'm improvising somewhat, yes."
"Want some help?"
Kathryn ignored the skeptical look Tuvok gave her, and turned back to Tom. "What did you have in mind?"
"Neelix told me he had a Talaxian friend, another trader who had a ship docked at the Pyyrah station we just left. Apparently this friend owes him a big favour."
Tuvok spoke up. "Neelix did not mention this at our tactical briefing."
Tom shrugged. "He didn't know that Rexal was here until B'Elanna mentioned seeing another Talaxian when she was scouting the station. Then he went to see who it was. By then Kathryn and B'Elanna were already doing their stuff on the Kazon ship, so I didn't see the point in mentioning it. I guess he didn't either."
Kathryn couldn't help grinning at his description of their espionage. "Go on", she said.
"Well, I was thinking that we might have trouble sneaking up on the Nistrum in this ship. We're smaller too, although we could hold our own in a fight, we'd have trouble overpowering them."
"But you think this Talaxian friend might be willing to let us take his ship instead?" Tuvok asked.
"Her ship", Tom corrected him.
Tuvok raised an eyebrow. "Why would she put her ship in danger?"
"We're not necessarily taking it into a firefight", Tom said, "We just need to think of some excuse to get close enough, distract them, and sneak our people off the ship."
"This is your tactical suggestion?" Tuvok said.
"Sure. Why not?"
Tuvok opened his mouth, preparing to give a number of reasons why not, when Kathryn interrupted him.
"I think it's worth a try."
Tuvok looked at her incredulously. "Kathryn?"
"We can at least ask Rexal if she'd be willing to help us", she said. "If so, we'll explain to her what the risks are. If she wants to help us, well, I think it's a better idea than just chasing after the Nistrum in this rustbucket. No offense", she said to the ship, tapping the nearest console gently. "But you're not cut out for this sort of operation."
"I'll go tell Neelix to call her", Tom said, bounding off the bridge.
"Don't give me that look Tuvok," Kathryn said, without turning around.
"Which look is that?"
"That 'I can't believe you're surprising me with an insane command decision just when I though I had you figured out' look." She spun in her chair to flash him a smile. "I know you, remember."
Tuvok regarded her steadily. "Then you also must know I will insist on accompanying you on this fool's mission."
Kathryn's grin grew broader, then she sobered. "I know it sounds like a crazy risk, old friend," she said more seriously, "but this way someone can stay back with the Liberty, to keep the crew out of harm's way and to act as back up in case we make a mess of it."
"This crew would be willing to risk their lives to save Chakotay", he said.
"In this case, they don't all have to", she said, sighing. She began drumming her fingers on the chair's arm. "Remember when Seska was left in charge here, while you were on the array and I was on the Ocampan homeworld?"
"Of course. Her actions resulted in the capture of sixteen Starfleet crewmembers".
Kathryn swung irritably in her chair. "She couldn't sit still. That's what worries me."
Tuvok frowned. "Sit still?"
"She had to be doing something. She didn't trust Chakotay to control the situation, so she made her own assessment and acted impetuously.
Tuvok nodded in understanding, but it seemed that a hint of a smile played about his eyes. "Perhaps there is some chemical property of that chair which causes its occupant to engage in rash actions", he observed.
Kathryn laughed at that. "Perhaps there is, old friend. Maybe that's why Chakotay was so hard to catch all those years."
Tuvok eyed her carefully. "Perhaps one could say that you did catch him. In a manner of speaking", he added.
Kathryn stared at him, startled into silence by the comment.
"You did manage to locate the Maquis ship after all", Tuvok went on placidly, "In fact you joined the crew and continued to observe the behaviour of its Captain at close range."
Kathryn continued to watch him, trying to decipher his calm expression. Was this Tuvok's oblique way of telling her he knew that she was feeling compromised by her experience here? And beyond the Maquis issue, that he had noticed her attraction for their leader?
"Tuvok", she said slowly, "you know if you keep saying things like that, I'm going to have to recommend that you be appointed to fill the missing role of ship's counselor."
The security chief visibly winced. "Point taken", he said.
She laughed and turned back to the viewscreen. "Yours too", she said.
A chirp from her communicator interrupted her levity.
"Go ahead."
"Tom here. Neelix has just contacted Rexal, and she said she's happy to help us. If we drop anchor here she'll set a course from the station to rendezvous by tomorrow."'
"Remind me to thank Neelix later. That had to be some favour."
She could almost hear the smile in Tom's voice. "Oh, it was", he said. "If you want to see a Talaxian blush like a Risan sunset, ask him what he did for her."
Kathryn chuckled. "I will. Thanks."
As she broke off the transmission, B'Elanna stepped onto the bridge, a small datachip in hand.
"Did the trick with Jonas work?" she asked breathlessly.
"Tuvok was able to calculate their last position", she replied, "and I don't think she suspected anything."
"Great". B'Elanna moved closer to her and inserted the chip into the main computer console. "Check out what I've found from the Ogla database."
Kathryn smiled as the information began scrolling across the screen. "Weapons, shields, propulsion systems..."
"The Nistrum will have different codes", B'Elanna said, leaning back against a console with her arms crossed, "but the systems are exactly the same."
"Why would warring Kazon sects have ships that are essentially identical?"
B'Elanna shrugged. "Maybe they built them together in more peaceful days. Or maybe they acquired them from someone else in the first place."
"Maybe. This will definitely give us an edge."
"That's what I thought at first", B'Elanna said, "but there's more."
Her eyes gleamed as she brought up another page of data.
"What's this?" Kathryn frowned in confusion as a composite of unfamiliar text and coloured icons appeared on the screen.
"It was in the mainframe, in a buried file", B'Elanna said, trying to keep her voice steady. "They've obviously stolen it from someone else but then didn't know what to do with it."
Kathryn shook her head, still not understanding. "What is it?"
"A hacker's bonus prize." B'Elanna looked as if she wanted to start doing a little jig. "Specs", she said happily, "It's what looks like someone else's engine manual. Someone much more advanced than the Kazon."
Tuvok spoke up at that. "Specs for what?" he asked.
B'Elanna grinned at them both. "Amongst other things", she said gleefully, "a transwarp drive."
~~~
end of part nine
~ read part ten ~
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