Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any of its characters. I make no money from this. It's just for a bit of fun ;)

Notes:

- This is my first long story so I'm quite proud I've managed to stick with it and see it through to its completion :)

- Special thankies to QS who has done such a wonderful job as beta :) My apologies also go to her for having to correct all of those mistakes lol

- The story is set in the early seventh season.

Chapter 1

It was late, and a full moon dominated a clear, star-filled sky. He would have stopped to take in the astounding sight if he wasn't running for his life through a jungle wilderness with only the moonlight to guide him. How had things disintegrated so quickly? It just seemed like any other trade mission. All scans had shown the planet wasn't a threat, and even the communication with the trade minister had gone quite well. Unfortunately, before they knew it, they had walked straight into a trap. Shortly after they beamed down, they were surrounded by hostile faces with dangerous intent. They realised their scans had picked up an illusion and this was the reality they were now facing.

Glancing down at the limp form he was carrying, he knew he had little time left. Whatever technology this race had implemented had blocked communications and transport within the area they beamed into. He had no idea how he even managed to escape, let alone with his precious bundle. The sound of weapons fire in the distance made him dispel all negative thought and just focus on one task: get back to the ship. Stopping to shift the weight in his arms, he tried one more time.

"Chakotay to Voyager, do you read me?"

"Go ahead, Commander," came the stoic reply. Bless that Vulcan, he was delighted to finally hear his voice.

"Tuvok, I need an emergency beam out!"

"Standby."

Chakotay looked around cautiously, worried his communication would alert his hunters.

"Strange, we cannot get a reading of your biosigns..."

"Damn it! I thought I was far enough! Tuvok, it was a trap. I need a transport right now! Find a way!"

"Acknowl..."

From the static, Chakotay knew communications had just been disabled once more and didn't bother to waste time trying to contact them again. He had alerted the ship, they knew what was going on and they knew they had to get the away team out of there. He continued on.

As Chakotay continued to evade his captors or executioners (he was sure the latter was the definite possibility), he felt a slight movement in his arms. Convinced he was safe for a few moments, he stopped to check on her. Keeping out of sight and hidden by some bushes, he gently eased her onto the ground. For the first time he realised she was in pretty bad shape. Although the abdominal wound she suffered wasn't bleeding out, he was fairly certain it had caused severe internal damage. She was pale, clammy and breathing in short, quick breaths. As she began to regain consciousness, he could see her facial expression turn into a grimace. It bothered him that he couldn't do anything to relieve her pain, and it bothered him even more that he probably had made her condition worse. He knew, however, that in that moment he didn't have a choice. Looking at her once more, he found her eyes met his.

"Report, Commander."

Her voice was but a whisper, and it obviously took a good deal of effort even for her to say that much.

"I managed to contact Tuvok, albeit briefly. He knows we need an immediate transport, but they're obviously having a problem trying to penetrate whatever shield our gracious hosts have managed to deploy. From what I've gathered, it seems to work at blocking communications and transport in a certain area. We just need to focus on staying alive and moving as much as possible. Hopefully at that point we'll manage to get outside the shield and get back to the ship. Now, we need to get moving."

Chakotay moved to pick her up, but she did her best to resist his efforts.

"No, Commander...you need to get moving. Order..."

"Kathryn, I'm not leaving you. We're going together, and that's final."

Chakotay moved to pick Kathryn up again and noted there was no resistance. Looking at her face, he saw she had lost consciousness once more. After checking for a pulse and finding one with relief, he stood up and continued moving. Unfortunately, no matter what way he turned he could see flashlights and hear voices in the distance all around him. He knew it was only a matter of time before they got to them and he was thankful they had at least made it this far. Convinced and dejected that he could go no further, he took cover in the best concealed area he could immediately reach. However, it was only a few more mere minutes when they were surrounded by armed guards with cloaked faces, only their dark green eyes visible. Chakotay was forced to his knees and restrained by two guards on either side. Kathryn was dragged out to lay just a few metres away in front of him, her limp body not objecting to the movement. Their leader stepped forward with a low chuckle.

"Very good, Commander. You've been one of the very few that have managed to avoid our welcoming party. We do enjoy when we get to have fun with our guests, but you have effectively ruined our plans with your little communication to warn your ship."

The leader knelt down beside Kathryn and took out his dagger. Upon spotting the blade, Chakotay knew exactly what was going to happen and began struggling to free himself. The guards kept their hold and he was forced to watch the next horrifying event as the leader raised his dagger above Kathryn.

"No! Tell me what you want from us!"

The leader simply smiled. "I'm afraid we have no use for you anymore."

As quickly as it had happened, Chakotay managed to break free, set to kill the leader for what he had just done, only to feel a burning sensation in his back with a force that sent him hard into the ground. He felt pain immediately, and his chest began to feel quite tight. As he gasped for breath, he could feel blood being sucked into his lungs and his throat as he quickly began to cough up the vile liquid, desperate to get life into his body. Chakotay kept his eyes on the leader as he removed his dagger from Kathryn's chest, angry with himself for not waiting for a better opportunity. Taking a quick glance at his captain, he was certain she was dead and also certain he'd be joining her soon. Moving his stare back to the leader, he watched him stand over him and draw his phaser to his head.

"Better luck next time, Commander."

With that, Chakotay knew nothing.

TBC...