As the shimmer of the transporter dissipated before their eyes, Janeway, Tuvok and Paris were greeted by the cautious looks on the local people. Some appeared to be exceptionally wary while others looked upon them with mild curiousity. Others carried looks of downright anger over what happened the day before. Some shouted obscenities at them as they walked down the street while the stares of others simply bore into them. Some scurried away from the scene in hopes that their attention could be avoided.
"Well, I really can't blame them for being upset but at the same time, I wish they would just listen to our side of the story," Tom muttered under his breath.
"I doubt many of them would Mr. Paris. Just remember that in their eyes, we were harbouring a person who is extremely aggressive to them. Even if some were sympathetic to their cause, coming to us could possibly alert Catar, Fadru or someone else to their presence which they most likely want to avoid especially after the incident involving Mr. Kim," Tuvok reasoned.
Tom gave an exasperated sigh, knowing that the Vulcan would come up with a logical explanation even to a situation such as this. He continued to walk with the two until they reached Fadru's office and stepped inside. Catar hovered over Fadru's, who was sitting calmly behind his desk, listening to the rants that the officer had to say. Marchella was calmly moving about the nearby rooms, humming to herself as she went along and was seemingly oblivious to the tension mounting around her.
"This is unacceptable! We have to go after them and kill them all! Don't we know where some of their camps are located? We did before I left."
"We do but you are also aware that they continually change camps. Since we are unaware of any patterns and it has been a while since we last checked them, they could very well be anywhere by now! That includes the mountains which is very harsh territory."
Catar gave a slow exhale as he turned around to be greeted by the trio. With barely suppressed anger, he stormed to the other side of the room. Janeway stepped up to Fadru, who couldn't help but smile as he leaned back into his chair and placed his hands behind his head.
"Dear Captain Janeway, what brings you here again? I thought the discussion we had yesterday was perfectly clear. If you want your officer back, you have to find him before we do," he mused.
"It was crystal clear but I had a couple of questions for you before we continued further in our search, if that was alright with you of course," she explained with a smile.
Fadru motioned for her to continue, despite his misgivings. Janeway crossed her arms as she approached the desk and cautiously eyed him. She could tell the distrust unintentionally planted within him the day before was still there smoldering in his eyes, despite the calm look that now crossed his face. The willingness to help them upon their arrival was utterly gone over this apparent misunderstanding.
"This bad blood between you and the kayart, you wouldn't happen to know about how long ago it started, do you?" she wondered.
"It was several hundred years ago but I am uncertain what that has to do with anything," he snorted. "What else do you feel you have to know?"
"I was just curious, that's all. Secondly, why do you feel you have to stop them? They are your own people after all," she posed.
Fadru jumped to his feet, pushing his chair back in the process. Stepping around the table, he towered over the unwavering captain, who simply stared back at him with a straight face and her arms crossed.
"Do you realize how many people they've attacked Captain? Both locals and visitors from other planets, the numbers head into the hundreds of thousands over the centuries. I don't care why they do it or the fact they include my own people but our job is to exterminate them before they take over completely. There must be thousands of them scattered over the planet," Fadru angrily replied.
"I can imagine more than what you realize Fadru. I can sympathize in a way. When we first met these creatures, my crew and I were very upset over what happened to our crewmember for he was brutally attacked and was near death for several days. Since he has rejoined us, we've slowly had to learn to accept him for what he's become and what he can now do. Do we want to kill him for the 'monster' that he's supposedly become? No. In fact, we've even learned more about the creatures ever since his transformation," Janeway explained.
Fadru slammed his hands against the table, surprising the captain slightly. An angry glare now sat upon his face.
"Do you honestly think that people haven't tried negotiating with these creatures? They have so many times over the centuries, that we've lost count. Every single one of them paid the ultimate price for their stupid endeavour. We realize now there is no possible reasoning with these creatures. All they want to do is terrorize and maim the populace. That's why we bring it upon ourselves to stop them with extreme prejudice," Fadru retorted. "If you've come here today hoping to persuade me to help you, I'm afraid I'm going to have to disappoint you yet again."
Janeway couldn't help but give a deep sigh as she stared at the volatile man looming above her. Some part of her knew that talking to them wasn't going to help but at least she got what she came for.
"Don't hold your breath. I knew you weren't going to help us even before we arrived here tonight. After all, you said so yourself that you made that information perfectly clear yesterday," she replied. "I know what you're going to ask. Why did even bother coming here? Well, I wanted a few clarifications and that's exactly what I got. We've been doing our own research for most of today and we plan to work with what we have. If not tonight, then first thing in the morning."
Fadru gritted his teeth before sweeping his eyes over the room. Catar was standing nearby, arms crossed and ready for anything while Marchella wasn't even paying any attention to the rising situation. She hummed to herself as she cleaned off a table. Staring at it for a moment, she gave a small smile of satisfaction before she walked over to Catar. Quietly, they exchanged a few words, he gave a small nod of the head and she made her way out the door. Returning his attention back to the trio, he gave a deep sigh.
"I'm afraid I have to ask you to leave my office and you are not welcome back here. If you desire help, it will not be from anyone in this building," he said.
Janeway stared at him, an angry look crossing her face before she twirled around and stepped out of the building. Tuvok and Tom quickly glanced at each other before following her out. Once outside, the captain turned back towards her two comrades.
"So what do we do now that we're not welcome back there? As much as I hate to admit it, I think Tuvok's right when he said people are going to going to be nervous, whether they're sympathetic or not," Tom wondered.
"I'm not too certain short of calling every person possible from the ship to start a search of the entire forest. At the moment, we should at least check out the scene where it happened. Maybe we can get some clues from there. Tuvok might see something that we may overlook," Janeway told them.
They began to walk again, this time in the direction of the market from the day before. As they walked past the stares of the locals, Tom occasionally glanced at the crowds surrounding them. He saw a few glares of contempt, while others had a look of curiousity about them and whispered amongst themselves. Several people weren't even paying any attention to them as they stepped up to the spot where Harry had transformed the day prior. Tuvok knelt down and placed a hand where Ensign Harry Kim lay sprawled out the day prior. He glanced down one of the nearby streets and slightly cocked his head to one side.
"You say he went down this street right here?" he questioned.
"Yeah, he did but where he went after that we don't know. As you know already, Captain Janeway was dragged off and I was knocked out before we could really see what direction he went in. Not unless we ask around but depends on who's going to be cooperative. Ask too many wrong people, we could have a riot on our hands," Tom replied.
He folded his arms, as he intently watched the area as if hoping that Harry would suddenly show up out of nowhere. Soon enough, the captain motioned for them to follow, which they quickly complied and they headed down the street in question. Glancing around the area, they tried to find any physical evidence as to which way he had gone. Suddenly, Tom felt a hand grasp his elbow and he twirled around to find Marchella standing next to him, a morose look sitting upon her face.
"Marchella, what brings you here?" he quickly demanded.
"Listen to me carefully for I don't have much time to talk right now before I arouse too much suspicion. Here, take this," she explained, shoving a small device into Tom's hand. "There's a flower shop near here, ask for Tatiana. If she's managed to return from tending to your friend, she'll help you somehow. If you can't get a hold of her, ask around here for a man by the name of Ranalli. He's a sympathizer and could also help. I will try to get in touch with you later once I am free of Catar's ever-watchful eye."
Before any of them could get out another word, the Tanaschi glanced from side to side and she was gone as quickly as she arrived. Janeway stepped a few times in the direction that Marchella and disappeared into, wondering what their brief encounter indeed meant. She glanced back at Tom Paris, who held the tiny device that was recently thrust into his care and could tell that he was as bewildered as she was. Tuvok carefully watched with his usual Vulcan demeanor, showing only a slightly raised eyebrow to the recent incident. It was Janeway who finally voiced their unspoken curiousity.
"What was that all about?"
00000
Harry found the adrenaline of rushing through the trees exhilarating. It was the first time in a while that he could feel the sensation since leaving Rysaria and despite the unfamiliar surroundings, he was almost feeling at home. Slowing down a bit, he glanced up towards the sky to be greeted by the moon, which was partially obscured by the planet's shadow. Closing his eyes, he grinned as he basked in the light it gave off.
"What I wouldn't give to be back on Rysaria," he muttered.
"Silly Mikah, where do you think you are?"
Startled, his eyes flashed open in surprise and twirled around to find where the voice originated from. Movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention and he breathing quickened once he saw who it was. He hurried towards the newcomer, both transforming into humanoid form as they got closer. Harry brushed his fingers though Ekaterina's hair, taking in the scents that he had come to know about her. He knelt to greet her bulging stomach, caressing it gently.
"This is just another dream but I can't stop thinking about you. I've always wondered if it's about the children you're about to bear. I wish to see your face again along with our children once they are born. If I knew of a way or chance that we could meet, I would take it," he quietly said.
"I wish that as well Mikah but you are a long way away and the babies are soon due. Even if your ship did turn back around, you would not arrive in time. Take care in knowing that they will be taken care of and they will survive. Even if you fail to get home, your legacy will live on Rysaria with me," Ekaterina replied.
Harry pressed against her stomach for a few more seconds before rising to his feet. Cupping her face in his palm, she closed her eyes at the touch and without waiting he leaned in and kissed her.
It only lasted for a few seconds before the pain hit.
Dropping back down to his knees, Harry gasped for air as an intense throbbing shot through his body. His shoulder and thigh ached and he gritted his teeth. Ekaterina knelt beside him, worried for his safety. She quickly glanced down his body before meeting eyes with him again.
"Listen to me before you wake back up. Don't fight this for it's a part of who you are now. I'm hoping that these mereflow will eventually explain why. Take care and I will see you again soon my love," Ekaterina explained.
00000
Harry's eyes snapped open, the pain that filled his injuries was now returning. He could hear a voice calling to him but could not make out the words. Pressing his head back against his rocky pillow, he gasped for air as he felt the blood surge through his body. His cheeks reddened suddenly since he knew right where it was going.
'Must be what they were talking about earlier when they said that nular gun makes the body more sensitive to stimuli,' he thought. 'Somehow have to deal with it without drawing a lot of attention.'
When he began to squirm around and attempted to crawl off the table, he felt a gentle pressure against his shoulders which kept him against his bed. Harry's fuzzy eyes turned to the figure that stood beside him, wondering what was going to happen.
"What do you think you're doing? You're still too injured to be moving on your own!" a familiar voice scolded him.
Harry felt his mind clear once he realized that it was Salvert standing next to him, of which he was immensely thankful, but no less mortified. Taking a deep gulp, he turned his attention to the man, who held a hand against his good shoulder.
"You have been dreaming and restless for the last few hours. I have been here the entire time to make certain you didn't hurt yourself. Luckily, you haven't but there was another problem, which I'm certain you're aware of now. I've been trying to clean you off to no success but maybe now that you're awake, I can finish this in addition to taking care of your wounds," Salvert quietly told him.
Harry nodded as he allowed the man to continue with his ministrations. As he prodded the area near the wound, his eyes occasionally glanced up to watch Harry, whose attention was elsewhere.
"If you're thinking that this is from the nular gun, you're right. I wasn't kidding when I said that everything is sensitive. The dreams, however, are most likely not. Something is bothering you," the Tanaschi explained. "Is it something you care to talk about at this moment?"
Harry shook his head, the figments of his dreams still swirling around in his mind. Seeing a heavily pregnant Ekaterina, even in his dreams bothered him. He wasn't too certain if they ended up having a partial telepathic connection in the end. There had been a few times lately that he had dreams of her, talking to her as if they knew exactly what was going on. He also wasn't too certain how much he should tell Salvert or Tatiana yet for he felt that was still some uncertainty on his part before glancing up at the man.
Salvert quickly noticed Harry's hesitation and carefully eyed the alien man that lay bare before him. He took a deep breath before, wondering if what he witnessed was indeed part of something more than he was being told.
TBC...