Chapter 12

Sunlight barely brightened the mosaic-window when the Yan-Tai stormed into the room. Without any ceremony the Amazonian women dragged the two Starfleet officers from their beds and down the corridor to the immense central hall. This was the room where the Starfleet officers had been beamed into that first day – it would seem the Yan-Tai liked herding their flock together every once in a while.

As Chakotay and Tom were shoved into the room, Chakotay quickly took inventory of the personnel assembled in the room. On Voyager the situation was such that he knew every crewmember. Even on the new mission he had taken the time to get to know every new member personally. He knew as captain this was no longer required of him, but he had been with the Maquis long enough and on board Voyager long enough as First officer that he knew the value of knowing your crew. It was not just a matter of knowing where everyone could be assigned efficiently (that sounded very Tuvok even to him), but also a matter of building trust. When Voyager had fist set out ten years ago, Janeway had been hesitant at first in opening herself that way. But after they had been stranded she had made the effort to get to know everyone and it had been worth it.

Now, with a mental list of everyone that would have beamed down and he had seen that first day when they had been gathered, he quickly scanned the group. Of the male Voyager crew only Reg Barclay was absent, but that was as he remembered from before. Obviously the women had little time for a sick man. Unfortunately the Daedalus crew had not mixed greatly with the Voyager crew tese past few months, and he was unsure if that crew was complete. He hoped they were.

The Starfleet personnel were all assembled in a large double ring. Inside the ring stood eight armed Yan-Tai and of course the perimeter were guarded by more females. Chakotay and Tome were dragged to stand with these women. There was no escape.

One of the inner-circle Yan-Tai spoke: "We have greeted you with open arms and all due hospitality," the Amazonian woman began. "Yet all of you had denied us the one thing we had asked of you," she continued in her big voice, and Chakotay could see the same pride coursing through him ripple through the men. They might have been captured and their future might be uncertain, but they had stood firm against their captors. Perhaps it is a good thing Reg wasn't here: he wasn't so sure how long Reg would have stood up to the Yan-Tai. "And now," the woman interrupted his train of thought; "two of your number had had the audacity to try and escape!"

At 'escape' the women in the room jeered at the Starfleet men. One overcome woman actually struck out and hit the nearest man with a meaty fist. Fortunately the poor man struck was Vorik and he was composed and strong enough to merely shrug the blow off. What did surprise Chakotay was the quick flash of a smile he glimpsed on Harry's face. He had thought the two men got along fine.

"No, sister!" the big woman next to Chakotay spoke to the one that had hit Vorik. "We must not blame these ignorant, puny little beings! They merely took their cue from their leader, this Chakotay and his friend," she said while shoved Chakotay. It felt like his arm would come off she was that strong. "I propose they be given the most severe penalty we of the Yan-Tai can bestow upon a visitor! What say you?" she thundered.

"Yes!" the women cried in unison, and somehow Chakotay knew this was not going to end well for the two of them. These women would have made Kahless look like a female Ferengi.

"Um, what exactly do you mean by 'penalty?'" Tom asked the woman. She slapped him.

"Do not speak!" she thundered. "You have no more worth and no more right to our hospitality!"

Tom picked himself up from the ground and Chakotay could see the belligerence radiating off the younger man and just knew Tom was about to say something he and Chakotay were going to regret later on – if there was a later. In an attempt to stop Tom from signing their death warrants, Chakotay stepped forward between the Lieutenant and the Yan-Tai woman. But looking at her brutal face Chakotay suddenly remembered what it was like to stand against the Cardassians and the same streak of devil-may-care that made Tom so unpredictable at times swam to the surface in the Captain.

"Hospitality hardly matters when the guests are prisoners. Do with us what you will, but we will never submit to your request." He calmly but forcefully told the woman. With a shriek of rage she backhanded Chakotay across the face and the force of the blow sent him skidding across the floor. As he lay on the ground, struggling to remain conscious, he thought he saw the cool blue shimmer of a Federation transporter beam. He closed his eyes in a moment to collect himself, and in that moment he heard a familiar tart voice:

"I would not hit the Captain of my ship again if I were you. We are armed, after all, and our weapons are far superior to yours," Kathryn told the Yan-Tai. Chakotay opened his eyes to find her holding a phaser rifle aimed at the big woman that had hit him. Gathered around her – armed to the teeth as well – were B'Elanna, Seven, Libby, Ellrose and several other women from both Voyager and the Daedalus. Fierce pride surged through him at the sight of their women. They were half as big as the Yan-Tai and delicate, yet he would put his money on them every time.

While the Yan-Tai were still trying to decide what to do, Tuvok stepped forward and neck-pinched the big woman that seemed to be in command. For a moment Chakotay thought it hilarious to see Tuvok was not wearing any shoes. As they had all been dragged out of bed, all of the men were in various states of undress, even the Vulcan Commander.

As the big woman fell to the floor, Tuvok held out his hand and lifted the blade she had been carrying from her in mid-fall. By the time the woman hit the floor Tuvok was armed.

Then all hell broke loose. The Yan-Tai obviously disliked people ruining their plans and attacking their leader. So they attacked.

The moment the big Amazons had charged half of them were already flattened by well-placed Federation phaser blasts. The Starfleet women calmly fired at the charging aliens and every shot flattened at least one Yan-Tai. The men, of course, did not wait to be invited and with Tuvok in the lead did their share to spread destruction among the Yan-Tai. The battle might have been fierce, but it lasted less than a minute. Even Chakotay had been able to join in the fight after Tuvok had calmly strolled by, pulled him to his feet and continued to flatten a Yan-Tai. Even when other Yan-Tai stormed into the room to support their fallen friends, they had no chance. By the looks of it Kathryn and, especially, B'Elanna were angry. When those two women are riled they riled everyone with them and then there was going to be hell paid by those who had caused them to be angry in the first place. As the Yan-Tai soon learned it was easier to fight a Tar'g.

The dust of the battle finally settled. Looking around Chakotay saw a floor littered by Yan-Tai, but no Starfleet personnel. Turning around he saw Kathryn behind him, still frowning. He walked over to her and smiled.

"You came," he told her.

She smiled back, her weapon still at the ready. "It took some persuasion," she told him. "But in the end you have just left too much of an impact on our lives for us to leave you behind."

He looked around at the remains of the short fight.

"Just do me one favour," he said as she aimed her rifle at a moving Yan-Tai.

"And what would that be?"

He ducked his head slightly as he teased her. "Remind me never to pick a fight with you women in the future."

She laughed out loud and tapped her com-badge. "Ensign, beam us up," she told whoever was on duty in the transporter room. Again she looked over at him and he grinned at her. The cool blue of the Federation transporter beam started the disassembly of their molecules as her laughter rang out through the huge hall.

The End.