The scent wasn't earthly, it wasn't fresh, but it was intoxicating, it was sweet. The next day, Chakotay and Kathryn walked through the gardens that acted as limits to the city of Kalb, the Toaran's second biggest city. Director Prallen had given Chakotay directions to an area a couple kilometers out of the city. He had told the commander there were caves and caverns to explore during their shore leave. The Toara man had known exactly what would pique a Voyager's interest. Exploration? Why Not? Kathryn looked wide-eyed at the colors of the flowers and shrubs. There were combinations of blues and oranges that shimmered in the green light and brown-greys that appeared to sway without wind. She felt mesmerized.
Her arm still linked with Chakotay's, Kathryn barely noticed the changes under her feet. The short, neat grass gave way to a meter of stone, then soft, fine, grey sands dotted with boulders, eventually turning into the cave and cliff system a kilometer away. The hike was short and beautiful.
It looked like another spot of rain was headed their way. The drops were splashing on the rocks just a few feet away, creating a silvery glowing effect that made everything seem to ripple and shimmer.
Chakotay heard the woman beside him hiss between her teeth quietly. He looked down and to his side at his companion. "Okay?"
She only nodded. Unconsciously, rubbing the back of her hand on her pants.
"Where are we going?"
Chakotay had been surprised at first when Kathryn hadn't asked him about his intentions. They'd been walking for a while in a comfortable silence, and she hadn't mentioned anything to him that might hint at her restrained curiosity.
This time she gasped. Chakotay recognized that kind of intake of breath. It wasn't nothing this time; something was causing his friend pain.
That's when he heard the sizzling. Something caused a pinching pain in Chakotay's right shoulder. He looked at his uniform...the grey turtleneck was exposed through his jacket, his skin red and angry in the small tear.
"Chakotay...it's acid!" Kathryn released his arm and grabbed his hand and started running forward. She could see the cliffs with gaping cave entrances protruding. It was only a hundred meters away. She could hear the cloth of their uniforms hissing under the attack of the acid, and she felt the accompanying pain of the rain as it melted through to the skin of her shoulders and arms underneath.
The rain began falling harder, splashing their faces and eating at their soles, it still tore through the command team's uniforms. The two dove for the cave and landed, entangled with each other on the ground, with a huff.
"Damn."
Chakotay felt his pain dissipate.
She never cursed. She had changed.
"Prallen could have at least warned us there was acid rain! Kathryn was mad...not yet furious, but mad. She wasn't ranting at Chakotay...more to herself. He leaned against one of the walls of the shallow cave, and watched as his captain stood and began pacing; a slight limp plaguing her left leg.
When she turned towards him he saw an angry, red, teardrop-shaped mark on her left cheek, it had a small stream of blood that navigated past her mouth and under the curve of her jaw winding downward with the gravity of the planet.
She fell out of step, then she slowed to a stop. She glanced down at her pants. Chakotay followed her gaze. The acid rain was spraying off of the rocks as it hit and some was making its way into the cave, occasionally sizzling as it hit her pants.
"I suggest we move further back."
She started pacing again, working her way further into the dark cave.
Janeway briefly ran the tips of the fingers of her right hand across the damp surface of the cave wall beside her.
They heard it at the same time. A handful of pebbles fell from the back wall of the cave, tumbling down the uneven rock. That was odd. The ground hadn't even rumbled this time. Chakotay stood from his pensive crouch and made it to the back wall before his captain. He ran his hands over the surface. The wall was warm, at least three degrees warmer than the cave. Kathryn put her hands against the wall and slid them over the surface.
Both of them leaned closer to the wall. There was something different, something wrong. The rock wasn't rock. It was a force field. Chakotay moved the palms of his hands in a wide sweep across the wall to his right then to the left. The force field was only two meters wide, and it didn't even go all the way to the roof of the cozy little cave.
Chakotay had an idea. He kicked at the bottom right corner of the force field, testing the rebound force. Surprisingly the field flickered out. Chakotay knew the Toara weren't as advanced as the Federation, he just hadn't realized how poorly developed their technology was. His companion gave him an unbelieving look.
"Not quite the standard procedure for disabling force fields, Commander, good job." A smile threatened the corners of her mouth.
The colors and textures of rock had disappeared from in front of the command team. Chakotay shrugged his shoulders and headed forward.
"Director Prallen said the caves were safe." Chakotay swore he almost saw her roll her eyes.
"Yes, but he didn't mention the acid rain." Chakotay smiled.
"He said the storms were beautiful and dangerous."
Janeway sighed. "That's true Chakotay, but how could a storm be beautiful when you're too busy getting burned to see it?" You'd be surprised Kathryn.
The captain and commander strode silently through the winding, rock corridors. The fine sand beneath their feet turned to rock. Kathryn hesitated slightly when the rock and gravel transformed to a smooth metal. Maybe we shouldn't be here...
"Don't worry Kathryn, it may just be an old forgotten vault. Surly Prallen would have mentioned anything else to us. The force field was primitive compared to what I saw in Kalb."
She seemed to accept that.
Kathryn's boots made a soft clicking sound on the glimmering metal floors. Chakotay's steps were quiet. There were no doors to lead anywhere else. Every ten meters there was a sign in the Toaran language accompanied by a yellow arrow. They had to be heading somewhere. But where?