# Chapter 4 – Sanctuary

"Do you remember your name?" a man with a scratchy voice asked.

Another man in a chair, whom the first was addressing, thought carefully. He had just opened his eyes, trying to focus on the things around him. He was in a room with two others. The space was relatively small and the windows were blacked out. "I…" he began tentatively, but stopped when he realized he didn't know the answer. How could that be? It felt as if the memory was dancing just out of reach.

"It's too soon," the other one said. She was female. The same species as the first. The man in the chair vaguely recognized her voice. A shadow of a memory. There was also something about her that reminded him of something, but he couldn't remember what. "He needs to sleep it off," she added, clearly concerned.

"There's no time," the first one replied. He sounded irritated. "There's an unscheduled maglev on the way."

"Annika?" the man in the chair interrupted with concern. There was some sort of danger. "Ixchell? Robert?" The names came to him but he couldn't associate them with faces. He wasn't quite sure who they were, but he should have done something. It was his fault.

"They're fine," Scratchy Voice said. Something about this voice too was familiar. "You remember?"

"I…" the man in the chair began again, but faltered. So much, just out of reach.

"You are Amal Kotay," Scratchy Voice finished for him.

The man in the chair shook his head slightly. That didn't sound right.

Scratchy Voice turned to his companion. "Can you give him another shot?"

"No," she said firmly. "That's enough. We'll just have to wait until the effects of the stunner wear off."

"Chakotay," the man in the chair finally said. Another name revealed in his mind, although there was still a little uncertainty in his voice.

"Amal Kotay?"

"No, Chakotay. My name is Chakotay."

Scratchy Voice lifted some items from a nearby table. "Your identification papers list you as Chakotay Hansen, a Quarren citizen." Scratchy Voice looked up and smiled. "Congratulations. I first met you, however, as Amal Kotay. What am I to believe?"

Hansen. It was a name he recently acquired. Annika Hansen, his wife. Of course, now he remembered. They were on Quarra. They worked in the energy plant in CapitalCity… No, not anymore…

"Your wife is Annika Hansen," Scratchy Voice continued, as if reading his thoughts. "She has changed, just as you have changed, but I remember her as well. I had a run in with her when I first arrived here on Quarra. Seems I wasn't efficient enough. You have two children, Robert, almost three years old, and Ixchell, just under four months old."

The children! "Where are they?"

Scratchy Voice motioned to the door behind him. "Next door, sleeping off the effects of the stunner." He must have seen the horror on Chakotay's face, for he added, "the children weren't stunned, they're just sleeping. Your wife needs a few hours, and then she'll be fine. You should really have a few more hours yourself, but I need answers."

"Tom Paris," Chakotay said, recognition finally clicking into place. It was getting easier now, as if curtains were being raised in his mind, and memories that lay hidden suddenly revealed. But other curtains remained closed.

Tom turned with a start and looked at Chakotay. He placed the items he held in his hand carefully back on the table. "So you remember me as well."

"I do," Chakotay replied. "I remember all of you." Chakotay turned to the woman in the room and narrowed his eyes. "Amelia Jenkins," he finally said, another bit of memory taking hold. Chakotay looked at her more closely and discovered what it was she reminded him of. "You are pregnant?"

Amelia nodded. "Nearly six months." It was now her turn to examine Chakotay more closely. "Are you human?"

"Yes," Chakotay replied. "Just like you and Tom." He looked about the small room again. Some light penetrated scratched off parts on the window indicating it was still light outside. Other details appeared sharper now as his mind cleared. "Where are we?"

Amelia turned to Tom uncertain.

"You said you remember all of us," Tom said, starting to pace the room. "What do you mean?"

"We've been searching for you," Chakotay replied. "You, B'Elanna, Amelia, Harry, Vorik, others who've been missing."

"I knew it. What do you mean by 'we'?" Tom replied. "What part of the government do you work for?"

The government? Did he mean the Federation? But no, perhaps he means the government here on Quarra. "No," Chakotay said, another memory fitting into place. "Not the government. We're from Voyager."

Tom flinched at the mention of the word and whirled around again to look at Chakotay. "Ah Voyager, " he replied. "I wondered if that would come up. A whole crew abducted and Kathryn Janeway captain. I heard all about Voyager, the day before she and Jaffen were killed."

"Voyager is our ship," Chakotay said. "Mine and yours. Janeway was captain and I was her first officer."

"How convenient," Tom said sarcastically. "I suppose now you're the captain."

"It's true. Our memories of before our arrival on Quarra were manipulated. Many of you know of Earth, but remember it being crowded and lacking opportunities for employment. You only have a vague notion of where Earth is located, but in fact it's a great distance away in another quadrant of the Galaxy. You probably think you don't like space travel. Annika and I and most of the others only recently discovered our memories had been tampered with and recovered our ship and our true lives."

"Have our memories been erased?" Amelia asked, clearly interested.

"No," Chakotay replied. "Suppressed. New memories implanted. Some memories unaffected. But our memories have since been restored. There are ways of getting it all back."

"How is all this possible?" Tom interjected.

"Some sort of sophisticated stunner?" Amelia offered.

"A medical treatment," Chakotay said, his head clearing with each passing moment. The words wouldn't come at first, but then as he thought of Doctor Kaden he added, "A treatment for dysphoria syndrome, through the main hospital in CapitalCity, Division Six."

Amelia turned to Tom placing her hand on his shoulder. "Tom, that would explain some things," she said cryptically.

"Ayala to Captain Chakotay."

The new voice startled Chakotay and he looked back and forth between Tom and Amelia. It was evident neither had heard it. Ayala… Of course, on Voyager. Communications from the implant in his ear could only be heard by him. Yet another memory clicked into place. Chakotay lifted his hand up to his face to rub his chin and whispered, "Annika and the children?"

"I have a transporter lock on all four of you as I have since your departure from Voyager. I've been attempting to reach you and Commander Hansen for the past hour. Ships from the planet are on an intercept course to Voyager and we'll have to break orbit within the next five minutes to avoid a confrontation. I was just about to transport you all back if I couldn't establish contact. What is your status?"

Chakotay looked at Tom and then spoke directly into his hand not trying to hide the communication. "Tom Paris and Amelia Jenkins are standing right in front of me. I suspect there are others from Voyager nearby. Can you beam up everyone in the immediate vicinity?"

Tom looked alarmed and took a step backwards.

"Negative. We're too distant and aren't able to approach the planet. We can transport only the four of you and those in contact with you."

"Who are you talking to?" Tom asked. He had produced the stunner and it was aimed at Chakotay.

Chakotay showed the palm of his right hand. "Lieutenant Ayala on Voyager," Chakotay replied. "I have a sub-dermal transmitter and transporter enhancer embedded in my hand and a receiver in my ear. If we can assemble your group in the next five minutes, I can prove to you what I'm saying is the truth. I can get you all back to Voyager."

Amelia stepped over to Tom and pushed his arm down to aim the stunner at the floor. "Tom, this is what you always said would happen one day. Harry would tell you the same thing. There's a maglev full of government security on its way. Do you trust them or Chakotay?"

"Neither," Tom shouted. "They could be one in the same!"

"Tom, we have little time," Chakotay said. "Let's assemble your group."

Tom shook his head. "Your story is too incredible to believe."

"Tom that's not true," Amelia countered. "You've had the same suspicions. How do you explain what happened three years ago?"

"We're running out of time," Chakotay cut it. "Call your people together."

"It's not possible in five minutes."

"We have less than four minutes."

Chakotay thought for a moment, and then made a decision. He lifted his hand back up to ensure a clear transmission. "Ayala, beam up Annika and the children…"

Tom quickly stepped forward to Chakotay to interrupt. "Don't do it." The stunner was by his side. It was a request and not a threat.

"Captain?"

"Belay that order," Chakotay said and turned to Tom.

Tom swallowed hard, as if making a decision himself. "A team of a dozen security are on their way in a maglev. The planetary grid is obviously monitoring this location. Any transport will alert them to your transporter frequency. Even if your family gets through, planetary security will be able to block any future transports."

Chakotay grimaced. "Ayala, are Joe and Natalie back on Voyager yet?"

"A while ago, with Administrator Garrett who's been wanting to speak to you. Doctor Kaden has come up with something and wants to speak with you as well."

Chakotay nodded. "Good. All that will have to wait though. Break orbit and protect the ship. We're staying here with the missing group from Voyager. Return for us when you can. We'll be ready."

"Sir?"

"Those are your orders. The ship is yours."

"Understood. Ayala out."

Chakotay lowered his hand and looked at both Tom and Amelia. "When Voyager comes back for us, we have to all be together. It's time to assemble your group and prepare for the arrival of those security officers."

#

Annika opened her eyes and looked about. Chakotay was leaning over her where she lay, and she immediately reached up and embraced him. "The children?" she asked.

"They're right here and safe," Chakotay replied. "We must leave immediately, are you OK to travel?"

"Yes." Annika shifted back to sit up straight and looked about for the first time. A group of people stood around her, all in Quarren robes of the NorthernPrefecture, with packs and ready for travel. Chakotay was dressed as the others, and she recognized most of them. Tom Paris stood next to B'Elanna Torres. B'Elanna was holding Ixchell, and beside her stood a small girl she recognized from her vision, obviously B'Elanna's daughter, and standing beside her was Robert. On the other side was someone she knew as one of Voyager's night shift pilots, Amelia Jenkins if she recalled correctly. Next to her were two Quarrens she didn't immediately recognize, although there was something familiar about the male. "Explain," Annika said and moved to stand up. She felt dizzy and Chakotay grabbed her arm to help steady herself.

"Careful," Chakotay said. "You're recovering from a stunner."

Annika shot a look at Tom and leaned into her husband to regain her balance. "How long have I been unconscious?"

"About six hours," Chakotay replied. "There's a maglev full of security officers about two hours away from End. Most of the group here has already left and will rendezvous with us by tomorrow morning. All of Voyager's missing except Vorik are now accounted for."

Annika looked around again and then reached towards B'Elanna to get Ixchell. B'Elanna shook her head. "I'll hold your daughter until you get steady on your feet."

"Thank you," Annika said and then turned to Chakotay. "What's our plan?"

Tom stepped forward holding a robe and Annika's pack. "We have some places in the wilderness prepared for just this sort of thing," he said. "It's a bit of a hike, but we can get much of the way tonight in the cover of darkness."

Six hours. That would make it just about sunset. Annika took the robe from Tom and put it on over her head. "Won't we be followed?"

"Perhaps," Tom replied. "The other groups have left in different directions for a diversion. We have the young children and will take a more direct route. With luck, they'll take time searching End, and when they don't find us, will wait until morning to track us. By then we'll be too far ahead and be able to reach the sanctuary safely."

"The sanctuary?" Annika asked dubiously.

B'Elanna intervened. "Let's get started. I'll walk with you and answer all your questions." There was softness in her voice, very much different than her memories of B'Elanna from before.

Annika nodded. "That is acceptable." She took the pack and placed it on her back, but then grabbed Chakotay's arm again. She still felt a little dizzy but didn't want to advertise it to the rest of the group. Chakotay would be walking beside her as well.

Tom came over, picked up B'Elanna's daughter and turned to Chakotay. "Carry your son to start out," he said and then made his way towards the door. "I don't want any tracks that might indicate there are children with us. They know you've brought yours."

Chakotay picked up Robert, who was eager to be held, and everyone followed Tom outside. The Quarren couple had two children of their own, who had been hiding behind their robes, and so there were twelve of them total in the group. The Sun hung low on the horizon to the west bathing the trees in an orange glow. They followed a main street through the center of the group of houses clustered about the maglev station towards the south end of town. At the end of the street, the pavement ended and they immediately entered the woods at the edge of the Never Summer Wilderness. The path was wide and well worn, obviously a main trail into the wilderness.

Tom, carrying B'Elanna's daughter, moved out ahead of the rest. Annika guessed that perhaps he was scouting ahead to make sure they didn't meet up with any other late season hikers on their way out of End.

"He's so good with her," B'Elanna commented. Her eyes lingered for a moment on the back of Tom as he headed up the trail, and then turned to Annika. "I don't know what I'd have done without him."

"The two of you are married," Annika stated.

"Yes," B'Elanna smiled, taking it to be a question. "Soon after we arrived here in the NorthernPrefecture. He treats Miral as if she was his own, but I don't know who her real father is."

Annika glanced to Chakotay who raised his eyebrows in response.

"B'Elanna," Annika said, turning back to face her. "Tom is Miral's father."

"What do you mean?"

"The two of you were married before your arrival to the NorthernPrefecture, on Voyager."

B'Elanna shook her head. "Tom briefly explained to me what you claim. I'm still getting used to this idea of an entire life that I don't remember. How is it possible?"

"I could attempt to tell you details to try and convince you," Annika ventured, "but I understand your suspicions. When your memories are restored, it will be disorienting. But I assure you, the two of you were married and Miral is both Tom and your daughter. Interestingly, I was actually the one who first discovered the two of you had conceived."

B'Elanna looked up the trail again, but Tom had disappeared out of sight. "I don't like the thought of not being able to trust my memory."

"It is, disquieting," Annika commented. "Rest assured, when we return to Voyager, we will be able to restore all of your memories."

The new knowledge of Tom and their daughter was enough for now. B'Elanna smiled widely, and Annika could only guess what she was thinking. Ixchell wriggled in B'Elanna's arms and stretched, bringing her attention back to those around her. Ixchell snuggled back into the nook of B'Elanna's arm, not yet finished with her nap. B'Elanna turned to Annika and winked. Annika couldn't help but notice the peace and gratitude B'Elanna beamed, something she had never seen before, particularly aimed at her. B'Elanna seemed much more casual and relaxed than Annika remembered.

"In fact, you and Tom were the first couple to marry on Voyager," Chakotay added. "It was a happy day."

"If your story is to be believed, that was after nearly seven years in the delta quadrant," B'Elanna said. "I'm surprised we were the first. What of all the others? What of the two of you? Why is it that you didn't marry first? You seem so perfect together."

Chakotay was still close enough to Annika to wrap his arm around her waist and hug her to bring her a little closer. It made Annika loose her balance for a moment, and she stumbled for a step before recovering and shot Chakotay an irritated look.

"Perhaps there was the beginning of a romance," Annika blushed. She of course had confessed to Chakotay about her social programs on the holodeck and the fact that a facsimile of him was the subject of her experiments in romance. Surprisingly, in return, Chakotay had told her of several instances where he attempted to initiate a closer friendship with her. That time on Voyager seemed like a lifetime ago. It was hard to separate out her feelings for Chakotay now to really remember how it was like to not love him.

"Were we good friends?" B'Elanna questioned. "On Voyager?"

Annika hesitated. She did remember her relationship with B'Elanna on Voyager before Quarra clearly. It had been one of perhaps mutual respect, but strained at best. If all went well, B'Elanna herself would remember, and for whatever reason it made Annika a little sad. Seeing B'Elanna holding her daughter, and the short time they had been together now, made her understand the emptiness of not having and sustaining true friendships with other members of the Voyager crew back then. "We were… friends," Annika finally said and elbowed Chakotay in the ribs to keep him quiet. She then motioned ahead towards Amelia who was walking at the head of the remaining group to change the subject. "What of Amelia? Who is the father of her child?"

"Oh, Harry," B'Elanna responded. "He and Yerid alternate working in CanyonCity at the maglev. It gives us an opportunity to check on who's coming up. It's how we knew you were coming and being followed by that security officer."

"Harry Kim?" Chakotay said.

B'Elanna nodded.

"How is Harry going to make it to the sanctuary?" Annika said.

"He has an old personal air vehicle on the outskirts of CanyonCity that he and Tom refurbished for just this situation. Tom has this talent for understanding and restoring obsolete technology. Harry will be able to get there undetected. He might even get there before us."

Annika understood. Air travel had ceased on Quarra decades ago with the completion of the maglev system. It had been too costly to maintain the needed infrastructure for traffic control. Besides, the planetary shield grid prohibited such travel at the required altitudes, but this personal craft must stay well below those limits.

"How did you end up here in the NorthernPrefecture anyway?" Chakotay asked.

"It was all Tom's doing," B'Elanna said and smiled at the recollection. "When I was released from the hospital, he scooped me up and set out for the furthest spot he could find away from CapitalCity. Harry, Ravoc, Yerid, and Neelix had been with me in the hospital, and somehow Tom convinced them all to come as well. He can be very persuasive. The others all worked at atmospheric processing and most were on some sort of list Tom had seen. There were others he wanted to contact, but the government was closely watching that facility and employee housing, and so we just got out as fast as we could and didn't look back."

"Tom doesn't trust the government?" Chakotay asked.

B'Elanna laughed. "Sometimes Tom doesn't trust anybody."

"Which facility, the energy plant?" Annika inquired.

B'Elanna nodded. "Exactly."

Annika glanced at Chakotay and nodded knowingly. Inspector Yerid she remembered, and now she also knew why she remembered the Quarren in their small group. "Doctor Ravoc, did he not work at the hospital with Doctor Kaden?"

"I don't know," B'Elanna responded. "You should ask him. He was more than happy to get out of the city with his family. Said he had been thinking about it for a long time. It's funny, but Yerid said almost the same thing at the time."

Of course. They had both been given the dysphoria treatment as well. Annika had seen Ravoc on the table before she and Yerid had been fired on and overpowered by that Quarren security guard who had burst in. Later, Chakotay and she had been released together separately, and so Tom didn't have a chance of contacting them before heading off with his small group to the NorthernPrefecture.

They continued their hike into the wilderness. They had left the main trail earlier, and now it was too narrow to walk side by side. Tom and Miral were still several hundred meters ahead. They had sometimes caught sight of him, but now it was getting too dark. Amelia set the pace for the rest of the group. Annika walked behind B'Elanna and in front of Chakotay. Ixchell stirred again and let out a cry. B'Elanna stopped and turned to Annika. The two exchanged a smile as B'Elanna handed Ixchell to Annika.

The Quarren sun had set a half hour before, and the twilight glow was fading. In the thick stand of evergreens in which they were hiking, it was getting a little too dark to follow the trail. Annika was just about to mention this to her companions, when a small light flickered on in front of her illuminating Amelia's feet.

"I think we should start using our lights," Amelia said. "We're far enough away from End. Use the lowest setting."

Annika wasn't quite sure where her light was in her pack, but Chakotay's light suddenly came on and she turned to see that Chakotay was holding another light. He switched Annika's light on and put the strap over her head. It was actually a headlamp, which would keep her hands free to hold Ixchell. Chakotay did the same with his light, and then picked up Robert again.

"Quite an adventure, huh?" Chakotay remarked with a smile.

Annika smiled back. Always the optimist, it was obvious Chakotay was enjoying himself. Despite the danger, the fact that he and her children were there with her gave her a sense of comfort. She discovered surprisingly that she was enjoying herself as well. Ixchell let out another cry. She was hungry.

Amelia, sensing this, turned back to the rest of the group, "let's take a short break here so Annika can nurse her baby and the rest of us can drink some water. Not too long, for we still have a way to go."

The group continued like this for the rest of the night. The night grew colder, but the Quarren robes, designed for this climate, kept them warm. Twice Tom came back and redirected their path to avoid coming close to other groups in the wilderness. At about midnight, one of Quarra's moons rose, and so when it got high enough, they were able to extinguish their head lamps and continue in the moon's glow.

Soon after sunrise, they approached a clearing and Tom and Miral were waiting. As they got closer, Annika realized there was someone else with Tom, staying towards the edge of the opening in the forest. At first, the newcomer looked to be Quarren, but soon enough it became apparent that he was in fact Harry Kim. Annika noted there was something odd in the manner that Tom and Harry were looking at them.

Tom stood and motioned for B'Elanna and the others to get behind him, but held up his hand to Chakotay and Annika. "You haven't been honest with us," he said.

"What do you mean?" Chakotay replied. "I have told you everything."

"What of Doctor Kaden?" Tom said. "Is he on board Voyager?"

Chakotay nodded. "Yes. He is our Chief Medical Officer."

Tom glanced over to Harry. Harry took this as his cue, and addressed the group for the first time. "Just before I left the city, the government instituted emergency protocols. Strict curfews in all the city states and prefectures and restrictions on maglev use. The planetary defense fleet has apparently been dispatched to protect Quarra from an invading force led by a star ship they referred to as Voyager. It was claimed that on Voyager, a renegade Quarren doctor has perfected a means of mind control and intends on using this to overthrow the government. They identified him as Doctor Kaden from Capital City. There's evidence that Administrator Garret has been abducted and is being held on Voyager. The suspicion is, his mind will be altered by Doctor Kaden to oppose the current administration and instigate unrest."

"We have only been interested in locating your group and returning to Voyager," Chakotay protested. Annika realized, however, there were those on Voyager who would advocate a change in power on Quarra, and so perhaps much of the government's statement was true. Chakotay had told her during the night that Ayala had mentioned Joe and Natalie bringing Administrator Garrett aboard Voyager.

"The evidence they presented was quite specific," Harry continued, ignoring Chakotay's interruption. "Doctor Kaden first led a small cabal who commandeered vessels and manipulated the memories of their crews to use them as workers on Quarra. Voyager was one of those vessels. There were several witnesses produced who corroborated the government's assertions."

"Some of that is true," Chakotay replied. "But it was others who took control of Doctor Kaden's procedure and used it against him. They've now used it to seize power in the government."

"On the contrary," Harry said. "The government claims it is Voyager that is now using Doctor Kaden and his procedure in an attempt to corrupt and conquer Quarra, or perhaps Doctor Kaden is continuing to manipulate the Voyager crew."

Tom shook his head. "Was Doctor Kaden the one who led this cabal?"

"Yes," Chakotay replied. "But…"

Tom held up his hand. "And you admit this Doctor Kaden is aboard Voyager?"

"He is on Voyager, but the government is not telling you the complete truth."

"Doctor Kaden is truly sorry for his past actions and is helping us now," Annika added. Her eyes met B'Elanna's, briefly and she couldn't help noticing the look of disappointment in the other. This small group had lived much of the past three years in isolation and suspicion, and there was a definite mistrust that exuded from everyone towards Chakotay and herself.

Tom chuckled. "Helping you indeed," he said and sighed heavily. "We had to leave anyway I guess."

Amelia looked about. "Who do we trust now?" she asked.

Annika was about to reply, but stopped when she noticed Tom holding his stunner casually aimed in their general direction, a look of confusion and concern etched over his face. "We continue to the sanctuary," Tom finally said. "Blindfold them for now. We'll decide what to do with them when we meet up with everyone else."

#

Author's note: Concerning Chakotay's name: the only time I recall "Amal Kotay" being used in the series was in the two-part episode "Workforce" which this fanfiction refers to, and only because he needed an alias when going down to Quarra in disguise. I've always thought Chakotay simply had a single name, and so it seemed natural he would take Annika's family name when they married.

I toyed with the idea of having Tom and Amelia married (with their memories manipulated, who knows what might have happened!), but decided against it in the end. As in the episode, it's nice that Tom was protective of B'Elanna and her unborn child even without his memories intact. Instead, I tried to keep a feeling of "oh no!" at the start teasing at the possibility of Tom and Amelia being together.

Amelia Jenkins did appear in the show as a minor character (see "Warhead"), although her first name is a creation in The Cheshire Cheese's C/7 story "Bargaining Chips" (I agree that she indeed is Amelia).

Anywho, it's been progressing slowly, but things should be coming to a head in the next two chapters as we learn more about Administrator Garrett and what Doctor Kaden has discovered. It's nice mixing things up a bit and having this story develop a little differently than the other Alternatives stories. After that, I'm thinking there's another two chapters to tie things up and conclude (so, eight chapters total). Thanks to those who've read the story up to this point, but particularly to those who have favorite/followed or left reviews! As you may know by experience, those do help motivate the writing of future chapters…