Chapter 2

The Kazan Ogla

From the discussion back and forth between the ships Logan was able to get to know the Starship Captain and her crew a little. He couldn't help but compare them to the mutants he had known. Captain Janeway reminded him of Storm. She was determined and a great leader, if a little headstrong. Tom Paris seemed a little like Bobby. He probably had a bad experience in the past and was now covering up his insecurities with his sarcastic wit and dry humor. Tuvok he knew from the time on the ship. He had known he was Starfleet but didn't really care. He was proper like a Starfleet officer but what gave it away to Logan was his smell. He smelt like Starfleet. All Starfleet personnel had a slight mothball smell from their uniforms. Now that he was back with his captain he seemed even more proper than when he was on the ship with them. If that was even possible. Neelix was hard to place. In a way he reminded him of Hank. Smart but a little goofy. But with that Mohawk he was hard to take seriously. Logan thought the chances of them finding B'Elanna went down sharply when he heard him talk. But, they had been in worse situations and had gotten out of it before so he wasn't going to put it past the pudgy little alien to surprise him.

He and Chakotay beamed over to the Starship and then they all beamed down together to the planet. On the surface it was a dry, flat, endless desert. Ahead of them in some crags of rocks was a wreckage of a town. As they walked towards the Kazan shanty town Ensign Paris spoke.

"Why would anyone want to live in a place like this?"

"The rich cormaline deposits are very much in demand"

"The Ocampa use it for barter?"

"Not the Ocampa the Kazan Ogla."

"The Kazan Ogla. Who are the Kazan Ogla?" burst Captain Janeway. Logan snorted to himself he didn't care who they were to talk to as long as the mission was completed. Neelix continued.

"They are" and pointed towards a rough group of brown skinned aliens with stiff hair that stood up about their heads. They all wore sandy colored clothes and a ripe smell was coming off of them. Logan's extra sensitive nose almost quit on him. Noticing the lack of water on the planet he thought it had probably been years or even never since the people had last had a bath. Neelix continued.

"The Kazan sects control this part of the quadrant. Some have ore, some have water. They all trade and they all kill each other for it." He whispered

"I thought you said the Ocampa had our people?" questioned Captain Janeway but before she could get an answer the Kazan had approached within hearing distance.

Neelix yelled out "My friends. It's good to see you again." The Kazan Ogla suddenly grabbed Neelix and lifted him above their heads. Not in greeting but in anger. The rest of the Kazan quickly surrounded Janeway, her crew, Wolverine and Chakotay. They took their weapons and quickly hustled them into the shanty town.

Neelix was taken all the way to the doorway of a building and placed in front of it. All the while he was muttering "I must speak with your Machai, your ever wise Jabin."

Wolverine was not pleased by this turn of events to say the least. He almost popped out his claws. He hated the idea of being trapped within these lowlifes. But, he had no choice. Chakotay went along with it and so did Janeway. He growled and made fists but luckily his claws stayed firmly entrenched in his arms. He had no wish to get discovered now after all this time. So he decided to go along with it for now.

"Very amusing" cut in Neelix. Wolverine could hear his heart race from where he was sitting on the other side of the street.

"I enjoy a joke as much as the next man. "

A Kazan Ogla walked out onto a platform and Neelix called out "Jabin" all guns were raised at him, "My old friend." As he descended the steps Neelix muttered about "water, water Jabin, water to replace all that I borrowed. Show them Mr. Paris."

Wolverine rolled his eyes. Neelix was nothing more than a thief. He grew more uneasy and got off of his butt and balanced himself on his feet but still stayed low enough that no attention was drawn to him.

Tom Paris pulled out a water bottle from his pack.

"Their ship has technology that makes water out of thin air" exclaimed Neelix.

Wolver groaned… He knew that was a disastrous slip of the tongue. He knew Neelix was nervous from his heartbeat racing but still…

The leader opened the bottle of water and sniffed it. Then he tried some.

"You have more?" Jabin asked. Captain Janeway wasted no time.

"Janeway to Voyager. Energize."

Two huge crates appeared in front of the Kazan Ogla clan and exclamations of wonderment were sounded and many ran to the crates in greed.

"There's more where that came from if you can help us." Stated Janeway.

At least the negotiations are starting. Thought Wolverine. If this Jabin guy were smart he will ask for the technology to make the water instead of continually being paid off.

"How can we help someone who is so powerful they can create water out of thin air?" Asked Jabin curiously.

"This man led us here suggesting we might find a people called the Ocampa. Do you know where they are?" said Janeway pointing to Neelix.

"Ocampa… She is Ocampa. Why would you be interested in such worthless creatures? They live only 9 years. They make poor servants. We caught her when she wandered to the surface." Stated Jabin. Neelix looked towards the Ocampa female with longing. Wolverine caught it.

Great, just what we need. A lovesick wannabe hero. Thought Wolverine. He shifted a little on the balls of his feet and kept his eyes on Neelix but his ears on the negotiations. He wasn't about to trust Neelix now. He knew just how desperate a man could get when it came to the one that they loved.

"The surface. You mean they live underground?"

"The entity in Space that gives them food and power also gives them sole access to the only water on this world. Two miles below the surface."

"This same entity has abducted two of our people. We believe they might be with the Ocampa."

"There's no way to get to them. We tried the entity has established some kind of subterranean barrier that we cannot penetrate."

"But she got out." Chakotay broke in for the first time pointing toward the Ocampa female.

"Occasionally some do find their way to the surface. We don't know how. But the Ocampa seal the tunnel afterwards." Explained Jabin.

"Maybe she could help these good people find a way down." Said Neelix quietly. Wolverine noticed that his heartbeat had steadied. Maybe he wasn't going to do something stupid after all. He thought.

Jabin just laughed

"You'd be wasting your time. I've used every method of persuasion I know to get her to help us. She won't"

Wolverine growled again. He knew what he meant by persuasion. Unfortunately a guard noticed and locked his eyes on Logan. Not that he would hinder Logan if he needed to escape. Neelix's heartbeat picked up.

"She's worthless to you." He persuaded, "let us trade you water for this scrawny little thing."

"I'd be more interested in acquiring this technology that allows you to create water from thin air. "

I knew his slip of the tongue would put us in a bad spot. I just hope the Captain of the Starship wasn't stupid enough to give it to them. All you need is a bunch of violent aliens using a technology that can produce anything. Oh wait, the Klingons already have it. At least they have a sense of Honor. These guys don't seem to have even that.

"That would be difficult. It's integrated into our ships systems." Stated Captain Janeway. Wolverine caught Neelix's heart pumping on overdrive.

Suddenly Neelix ran up behind Jabin and put him at phaser point.

"Tell them to drop their weapons." He said forcefully. "Drop them my friends or he dies in an instant." Wolverine was surprised that the little alien could do so well. When he obviously had never done this kind of thing before. He looked around at the uncertain but still advancing aliens.

"Do it" shouted Jabin and immediately they placed their weapons in the dirt. Wolverine growled and took this opportunity to leap to his feet and began pounding on the nearest guards. He didn't dare use his claws but adamantium enforced fists worked just as well. The rest of the Starfleet command grabbed their phasers and turned them on the rest of the tribe.

"Step aside" growled Neelix. The Kazan's fled from the little phaser that Neelix held and he shot the containers of water. The water burst forth.

"Come on." Whispered Neelix to the girl.

Wolverine at this point was continuing to beat anyone senseless that got close. Of course by this point no one was. He looked around and saw that Neelix had the slave, everyone else had their phasers trained on the tribe and that his prey was fleeing towards the water barrels trying to save it. He came up from a crouch just as Neelix suggested to Janeway to get them out of her. She complied and Voyager beamed them up to the relative safety of the Starfleet vessel.

The instant they were materialized Neelix who appeared in front of Logan grabbed the slave and held her close.

"My dearest didn't I promise to save you?" he whispered sweetly. Logan grunted in disgust and admiration. The alien had used them well. He had probably planned on using them from the start to retrieve his "dearest". The rest of the team looked around uncomfortably, from the display of emotion and from the realization they had been used. At least I'm use to being used thought Logan in a dark humor.