Title: Kiss of the Spider People
Series: Star Trek: Voyager
Author: Singing Violin
Rating: T
Summary: Janeway gets into some hot water with some hostile aliens. Set shortly after "Coda."
Disclaimer: They're not mine (except the aliens), so don't send me money for my story. This one might count as parody, though it's not funny.
Feedback: Yes please.
Archiving: Anywhere.
Author's note: Many thanks to quantumsilver, who helped quite a lot for someone who is "not my beta."
Chapter 1: First Contact
Two days earlier …
He bowed low in deference to his leader, who waited patiently, reposed upon her ornate perch, for his report. Her arm reached out, and with a single pointy tip, she signaled for him to speak.
"My queen, my mother," he began, "the Voyagers come. They have already entered our space, and within 64 cycles, they will approach our coordinates."
She clicked her approval while gesturing with another thin limb. "What are their capabilities?" she asked.
"We can match them in velocity," he replied, "and in battle, we would easily prevail. But the rumors are true: they can effortlessly transform matter into energy and back."
She paused for a moment, contemplating the news. "So it is possible," she answered, "what our tinkerers have failed to accomplish for 33554432 cycles."
"Yes, it is," he confirmed.
She stood then, her four legs raising her up to loom above him. "And you have a plan to obtain this technology?" she asked.
"Yes. You have already heard that they will not trade it, not even for their own lives?"
"Indeed, we learned that from our recent detainees. Thank you for their capture. They were delicious."
He bowed lower, his antennae erect with pleasure at the praise. "There is additional information," he began with pride, hoping that she would favor him with a suitable reward when his mission was complete. "The second-in-command of the Voyagers is a former sworn enemy of its leader. They reluctantly agreed to join forces for the purpose of survival."
She crept slowly around the room, thinking. "And how can we use that to our advantage?"
"It is very simple," he replied happily. "We need only assassinate the leader. The second-in-command will assume its duties, and as we have given that creature the command it desires, it will be pleased with us and return our favor. And if it does not comply, we shall threaten to kill it too, and so forth, until one of them concedes."
"And how do we know that they shall not all die, leaving us with no way of interpreting their documentation?"
"Half of them were under the second-in-command before they joined forces. They have different ideals. There is unrest among them. Several have turned already. They want to survive, and will do whatever it takes to keep their lives."
Her antennae gyrated with amusement. "Such petty creatures, valuing their own lives so highly. And how do you plan to carry out the assassination?"
The answer pleased her very much.
"Kathryn," Chakotay called, tapping her lightly on the shoulder.
She jumped slightly, turning to face him. "I'm sorry, what?"
Amused, he smiled, revealing the dimples in his cheeks. "It's your turn."
"Oh," she responded sheepishly, "right." She then raised her cue, angling herself for the shot.
Chakotay cleared his throat loudly, and she blinked, realizing that perhaps her strategy was not the right one. Repositioning herself, she tried again. Lightly, she tapped the cue ball, and it shot past her target, hitting off the wall and stopping in the middle of the table. She stood back, astonished and disappointed at her failure.
The commander shook his head, just as baffled as she, and mused as to how honest he should be with her. "Kathryn," he observed, "I've never seen you scratch before. You can usually beat me in your sleep. So, you're either letting me win … and Gods know why after years of cleaning my clock … or there's something on your mind."
She tried to smile at him through her embarrassment, but was only about half successful, and he suddenly found himself rather worried. The recent shuttle crash had affected him too … he'd had repeated nightmares in which the outcome of the crash was not nearly as favorable. He knew that Kathryn's experience – being pressured by an alien masquerading as her late father to let go and accept death – had been as disturbing, if not more so, than his own struggle to revive her – but he had believed that their moonlight sail on the holodeck's version of Lake George and concomitant discussion had eased most of her conflicted emotions.
It hadn't. At least, not the ones that were distracting her now. It had started on New Earth, when she had found herself overwhelmingly drawn to her first officer and, stricken with the revelation, asserted that they needed parameters for their relationship. In truth, she'd wanted nothing more than to turn around from that heavenly massage, throw him to the floor, and kiss him … but she was still clinging to the hope … somehow … that she would be able to return home in time to marry Mark. To admit her feelings for Chakotay would be unfaithful of her, so she denied them. Furthermore, if, perchance, they were able to escape from that planet and resume their duties aboard Voyager, their relationship would have to change, and might provide unwanted complication and distraction.
It was after they returned to the ship, however, that she regretted not having acted on her feelings. She was suddenly imbued with a deep sense of loss, and the feeling that she had given up her only chance for something very special. Although she treasured the bond they had developed and the platonic companionship he provided – she wouldn't be comfortable playing pool alone on the holodeck with just any member of her crew – her recent experience had reminded her of how deep her feelings for him still ran. To make it worse, she'd witnessed his tears over her dead body, and even as she'd puzzled over the situation, her heart had leapt at the discovery that he, too, harbored a continuing attachment to her. But when that vision had proven to be just another illusion cruelly provided by the alien who wanted her essence for its "nourishment," she found her heart once again ripped painfully from her chest.
She'd wanted to admit to him what she'd seen, after he'd given her a rose and she'd invited him to the holodeck for an intimate celebration for two, but had ultimately lost courage and decided discretion was best. She was desperately afraid to find out that he'd truly moved on.
And now, as he regarded her curiously, she found it difficult not to admire his slightly-graying hair, the intriguing shape of his tattoo, his shapely muscles –
Again, he placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. "Do you want to come to my quarters and talk?" he asked quietly, heart pounding with the realization that this was the boldest overture he'd made to her since his Angry Warrior speech, and that, should the invitation make her uncomfortable, he could completely lose the opportunity to find out what was bothering her. Heck, if he managed to sufficiently unnerve her, he could lose much more than that – her friendship, his job –
She blinked, considering the request and its implications. But before she could reply, her communicator beeped.
"Tuvok to Captain Janeway," she heard. "Please report to the bridge."
At once relieved to be rescued and annoyed at being interrupted, Janeway answered quickly. "I'm on my way," she responded, moving towards the exit with Chakotay tailing her closely.
The figure that appeared on the screen seemed angry, but what gave that impression, Janeway couldn't say. Its oddly-shaped figure, supported by four thin, hard legs and accentuated by four more limbs underneath what seemed to be its head, gave no obvious sign of any emotion. When it spoke, however, the instinct was confirmed.
At first, the translator could not process the language, but after a slew of clicking noises had been dispatched – from somewhere inside its exoskeleton – the computer finally found meaning in the sounds.
"You have violated our space," the alien accused. "You will submit to boarding and questioning."
Janeway held up her hand, her calm and composed demeanor nothing like the timidity she had displayed just a few minutes earlier. "I apologize," she began, "but we did not know it was your space. We come from very far away, and we wish only to find our way home. If you can give us the coordinates of the boundaries of your space, we can navigate around it – or, if you prefer, perhaps there is something we can offer you in trade for passage through your space."
She expected a refusal, and was prepared for more desperate tactics, but was surprised by their easy acquiescence.
"Yes," answered the alien, "we would be willing to allow you to pass through our space, for an appropriate price. We shall be on your ship in sixteen cycles."
Not knowing what a "cycle" was, nor why they insisted upon meeting on her ship, but not wanting to push her luck, Janeway agreed. "I look forward to meeting you in person," she said.
The alien bowed slightly by way of bending all of its lanky legs simultaneously, lowering its torso between them. "It shall be a pleasure to eat you."
With that, the screen went blank, and Captain Janeway raised an eyebrow, eying Harry Kim. "Let's get that translator checked, shall we?" she ordered.
"Aye, Captain," he responded, but paused for a moment, looking uncomfortable.
"Is there something on your mind, Ensign?" Janeway asked.
The young man took a deep breath, pondering his response, and decided to share what he was thinking. After all, the captain had always been receptive to him; although he missed his parents dearly, she had become somewhat of a mother figure to him, and that had helped him to adjust to life without them. "It's just that … they give me the willies," he admitted. At that, Tom Paris snickered from the helm.
Janeway turned to glare at her pilot, and he quieted immediately. Then she rotated around, meeting the eyes of all of the bridge officers in turn before she spoke. Their expressions revealed that more than one of them shared Ensign Kim's misgivings, and the captain resolved to put a stop to it before it got out of hand.
Her voice was tinged with regret and anger. "I understand irrational fear, but it must be battled and overcome. This is a Starfleet crew, and we are still members of the Federation, even though we are very far from home. Xenophobia has no place among us. These may be non-humanoids, but until we know differently, they are potential friends and allies, and they are to be afforded the same respect we would show any other race. Is that clear?"
There was a muted murmur of "Aye, Captain"s as Harry colored slightly, embarrassed by his outburst.
"Now," she continued, "we have some guests who will be arriving shortly. Obviously, our accommodations won't be suited to their needs, so are there any volunteers to help with designing something more comfortable for their visit?"
She looked around, and most of her crewmen still seemed rather ill at ease. The eldest member of the bridge crew spoke up. "I am willing to coordinate the effort," he answered, "but I will require assistance."
"Good," she replied. "You'll lead the team, Mister Tuvok. Recruit whomever you need, though I suggest Lieutenant Torres and Mister Neelix, for starters." The Vulcan nodded his assent and turned to exit.
Chakotay grinned at Kathryn as she sat down beside him. He marveled at her complete and instant transformation into the authoritative captain, even as he whispered a word of reassurance. "He'll do a good job," he said.
Her eyes shone with anticipation as she returned his smile, albeit briefly and muted. "I know. Now if only I knew how long we have to wait …"
Four hours later.
Kathryn was on the verge of falling asleep in the captain's chair – she had been planning to retire following her game with Chakotay – when the hail alert sounded. Perking up immediately, she commanded, "On screen."
The face of the arachnoid creature once again appeared, large and menacing, but in its enigmatic countenance she saw only the potential for new knowledge and friendship.
It did not bother with formalities. "Prepare for our arrival in your Shuttle Bay," it instructed.
Captain Janeway was not put off by the curtness – she, after all, had been trained to tolerate a wide variety of different cultures among alien species – and replied warmly. "I will greet you personally," she answered.
She gestured for Chakotay to follow her to the turbolift, then gave the bridge to Lieutenant Paris. As the doors closed, she tapped her communicator. "Janeway to Tuvok, please report to Cargo Bay One. And tell your team to bring whatever they have ready to the conference room. Our guests are arriving."
"Acknowledged," he answered.
Chakotay turned to his commanding officer. "Captain," he queried, "why are they arriving by shuttle, and not beaming aboard?"
Her eyebrow shot up at his astute observation. "I suppose it's possible they don't have transporter technology yet. Odd that their weapons and propulsion systems could be so advanced while they lack something as basic as a transporter, but technologies do develop differently in different cultures."
"Computer, halt turbolift," Chakotay ordered.
"What is it, Chakotay?" asked Janeway.
"Captain, I'm just thinking that there's more going on here than we know. They outmatch us in weapons, they can chase us if we run, and yet they will happily negotiate with us instead of taking whatever they need by force. To top it off, they don't have basic transporter technology – and, if they don't have that, they probably don't have replicator technology either. There's something amiss here, and – don't say it – it's not their lack of humanoid bodies that's bothering me."
Janeway sighed. "I appreciate your candor, Commander, but until we know otherwise, they are to be trusted."
He opened his mouth again, but she interrupted him before he could object. "Don't worry, I'll be careful. Resume."
It was with dismay that Kathryn received their request. While they did not name specific technologies, and she wasn't about to reveal all of their abilities, they hinted at the desire for instantaneous molecular travel. She refused graciously, citing the Prime Directive, but it was unclear what else Voyager had to offer – and without a satisfactory prize, their fate was uncertain at best.
She was describing the plethora of historical knowledge and wisdom that she was willing to share when she caught one of the aliens fiddling with an electronic device. She held out her hand and demanded to see it, expecting to be rebuked, and once again was surprised by easy obeisance.
As the alien handed her the device, bowing in apology for its misstep, the sharp end of its limb grazed her hand, and she yelped slightly as the pain startled her. Within a moment, however, the sting subsided, and the cut was soon forgotten as she examined the device. As she had suspected, the alien had been downloading Federation files – no doubt in an attempt to capture the technology she would not willingly give.
Surprising her yet again, the other alien rose from its perch and approached her. "My apologies for this egg's misbehavior," it spoke. "We shall discipline him while we consider your generous offer."
Janeway nodded, as puzzled as ever with the turn of events, but not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth. The aliens did not even attempt to retrieve their device, and she was left momentarily stunned, holding it as they exited the room, followed by the security guards assigned to escort them.
When they were gone, she turned to her crewmembers. "I suppose that'll be all for now," she stated. "Dismissed, but prepare to reconvene on short notice."
Quickly, they filed out, leaving only Chakotay, who eyed her with concern as she yawned, finally succumbing to her fatigue.
"Let me walk you to your quarters," he offered, and, still mulling over the odd behavior of the aliens, she agreed without thought.
When they arrived, she invited him in, intending to receive his thoughts on the situation. He sat beside her on the couch, but his words were lost as her eyes drifted closed.
He rose from his seat, disappointed because he'd hoped, after the tactical discussion, he could revisit the topic they had touched upon in the holodeck. However, she was clearly too fatigued to carry on a coherent discourse about anything.
"Kathryn," he called quietly, and she blinked, struggling to focus on his face.
"I'm sorry, Chakotay," she responded sleepily. "What were you saying?"
He sighed. "It doesn't matter. I think I should be going. Please get some rest, Captain, while you can. We don't know when they'll be returning."
She acquiesced immediately. "I guess I'm more tired than I thought," she admitted. "I'll see you in the morning."
Nodding, he turned and exited her quarters.