Chapter 4
Kathryn sat in the briefing room on Voyager, leaning against her elbow and chewing on her inner cheek as she listened to the conversation around her.
She had summoned the three elected deputies representing each of the Gianfar settlements – with whom she had been meeting when the attack had happened earlier that morning – and sat them at the table with the Maradib Preceptors. It was a bit of an experiment, but she needed all of their insight anyway, so she might as well have them all in one room. But there was more to gain from this as well – she had been put in charge of overseeing the investigation to find out who had attacked Dråkin-Mati, so Kathryn wanted the chance to observe the two parties together and see how they interacted. Seven had sent word that she'd found evidence of sabotage in the power relays for the shield, so they now knew that this attack had been premeditated and well-planned, all the way down to the cloaking technology to hide the attack ship.
Once the representatives were seated, their first order of business was to determine what to do about the upcoming summit. All parties agreed that it was probably best to postpone indefinitely for now, at least until they received better news from the surface concerning both High Councilor Lyat'ib's and Prime Minister Kumara's statuses. The two leaders were the main architects behind the new collegiality between the planets, and it seemed like both sides were skittish to discuss anything without knowing more about their respective leader's status. Given the reluctance of all those present to make any decisions whatsoever, Kathryn feared that the alliance might just unravel without the two leaders, so she did what she could to keep the idea of the summit alive. It could still happen, she reminded them. Even if, god forbid, the two leaders didn't make it, the alliance could still go on. They had come so far already, it would be a terrible shame to put an end to it now.
Kathryn's mind went to Chakotay for the thousandth time that day. She had yet to hear from him directly, but other reports from the surface had mentioned spotting him helping with the search. This reassured her that he was alive and well, but despite knowing that he was fine, she wouldn't be satisfied until she heard his voice or saw him with her own eyes or felt his heartbeat under the palm of her hand. She loved him for doing what he could to help on the surface, but still, she found herself once again wishing he were here with her instead – not only would he be safe up here, but he also had a way of understanding the Maradib that she couldn't quite replicate. He'd gained so much insight into their society and culture over the last several months working with Tibeya and his archaeologist friend Belinda, trying to convince the Maradib that change wasn't necessarily a bad thing and that archaeology wouldn't unleash chaos in their society, as some believed. And he had warned her, months ago, that he wasn't sure the summit was a good idea. So now she found herself longing for his presence at her side; his steadiness, his ability to listen to and read people, his knack for mediation. And she missed having him as an ally, someone she could turn to for support, or just share a roll of the eyes with.
"When are we going to address what everyone is thinking, but reluctant to ask out loud?" One of the Maradib Preceptors asked, pulling Kathryn out of her thoughts. Were the Preceptors mindwalking among themselves, she wondered? It was likely, as it was allowed for high-status Maradib such as these administrators.
"Which is?" Kathryn asked.
"What happened today," the deputy from Dråkin-Mati answered – a woman named Lin Fasu – and all heads bobbed in agreement. "We heard rumors that it was an attack, but no one has deemed it worthwhile to inform us. Is this true? Those are my people down there!"
Kathryn hesitated for a moment before she sighed and leaned forward to lean her elbows on the table to answer Fasu's question. "I'm afraid so."
"Who would commit such a despicable act? Target civilians?" The representative from Kop, an aging, balding man named Peter Einbach, asked.
"We don't know yet. We are gathering information as we speak."
"It has been hours already, and yet you know nothing," one of the Maradib Preceptors spat. "Perhaps we should conduct our own investigation."
Kathryn reined in her irritation at the way the Gianfar deputies nodded their heads in agreement. Should she be happy that they and the Maradib Preceptors agreed about something? "By all means, Preceptor, I'm a little short-handed, I could use all the help I can get!" She drawled. "But let me remind you, the Federation and Starfleet Command have granted me full jurisdiction here, and as the leading authority I would require that you share any information you might discover. And I'm afraid that is non-negotiable."
The Preceptors flinched – no doubt this touched a nerve. The Maradib were deeply private and secretive, both as individuals and as a society, and just the notion that they would have to share knowledge seemed to repulse them. Which was why the trade negotiations had lingered for so long in the first place. Once again her eyes darted to the empty chair on her left, where Chakotay often used to sit when he'd been her first officer.
In truth, Kathryn had yet to actually start her investigation, since she'd been so busy with everything else, but after spending a good chunk of the day in this room observing and listening and thinking, she was starting to have some ideas. First she needed to rule out some suspects. The Maradib Restorationists were among them, of course, but to investigate them she would need Tibeya's help, as well as Chakotay's. She doubted the Preceptors would allow her to ask too many questions about the internal politics of Maradibaya, so she needed to rely on a more forthcoming source of information. However, the fact that Seven had found evidence of sabotage in the shields decreased the odds that the Maradib could have perpetrated this. It would mean that one or more of them had traveled to Kop without being spotted (highly unlikely), learned how to use and disrupt the shield technology (possible but also unlikely), and then left without raising suspicions (also unlikely). Given the anonymity, knowledge and coordination it would require to accomplish this, they were not Kathryn's first suspects.
Her next move was therefore to look into the Gianfar colonists themselves; she couldn't rule out that the culprits might have been discontented colonists who – for whatever reason – might have objected to the summit and the trade negotiations with the Maradib. She knew that Kumara was facing some opposition from a number of parties. Xenophobia was unfortunately not fully eradicated, even in Federation settlements, and neither was extremist thinking. To investigate this she needed access to the resident and visitor manifest from the colony, as well as any reports of criminal activity, threats, and discontents. However, the minister's office had been understandably busy and her request so far remained unanswered. But even when she did get access to the documents she needed, it would be a tremendous task to comb through all of that information.
Simply put, she would need help.
She discreetly looked at the time. Luckily, she had called in the big guns, and his ship would arrive any moment now.
As if on cue, her combadge came to life. "Admiral Janeway, the Katherine-Johnson has just arrived. Captain Tuvok has agreed to your request for a meeting and will be coming on board momentarily."
Kathryn couldn't quite contain a smile. As usual, her Vulcan friend had perfect timing.
It would take a few minutes for Tuvok to transfer from the KJ to Voyager, so Kathryn took the opportunity to bring the conversation back to the summit. Once the debate was on again, she excused herself and encouraged the delegates to keep the dialogue open. She left two security officers in the room in her stead, just in case. Kathryn acknowledged the bridge officers with a nod as she crossed over to the captain's ready room.
Sara was already there, sitting behind the desk, and Tuvok was standing with his hands clasped behind his back. Kathryn couldn't help it, she beamed at the sight of him. "Tuvok- Captain Tuvok," Kathryn corrected herself as she approached him. He raised his hand as if to give her to Vulcan greeting, but Kathryn was faster. She pulled on his shoulders to give him a quick hug. She felt him pat her back awkwardly before she pulled back, bringing her hands to rest on his upper arms. "It's good to see you," she told him.
He gave a nod. "Likewise, Admiral. I only wish it were under different circumstances."
Kathryn nodded. "Yes. I'm looking forward to hearing all about your command, but there will be time for that later. For now we have more pressing matters."
Sara invited them to sit before she poured them both some tea. Tuvok was already up to speed about the situation, so they jumped right in. Kathryn quickly reminded him why she'd called for him. "You have much more experience as an investigator," Kathryn told him, "and I could use your logical input on this. I have my hunches, but not much else I'm afraid."
"Of course I will help in any way that I can. In fact, I believe I am one step ahead of you, Admiral." Tuvok handed her a PADD. "I contacted the prime minister's office in Kop and was able to obtain several of the files you had been requesting."
Kathryn raised her eyebrows, impressed, as she took the PADD. "I've been waiting all day for these documents! Did you use some Vulcan mind trick I don't know about?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Nothing of the sort, I assure you. But I have dealt with the Gianfarians in the past, and I believe I have learned some rather effective tactics of persuasion."
Kathryn smirked. "You'll have to share those with me at some point. Have you started looking at those yet?" Kathryn asked as she gestured to the PADDs.
He shook his head. "Not yet. I thought it best to await your orders."
Kathryn nodded, smiling. Always the dutiful officer. "Alright, we can get started on that later. For now, I'd like you in the briefing room with me. I'd like your take on the delegates."
"As you wish."
Sara chimed in. "I just got the tactical report on that weapon that impacted and drained Dråkin-Mati's shield. It had a very unique signature. There's one element in particular that I'm not familiar with," Sara added as she searched her cluttered desk for the right PADD (that cluttering used to drive Kathryn crazy when Sara had first taken command, but the younger woman seemed perfectly at ease with it. Organized chaos, she called it.) "Ah yes," she declared triumphantly at last, frowning down at a PADD before handing it to Kathryn. "A molecule called Kiradil."
Kathryn shook her head. "Doesn't sound familiar. You're right, it might be worth looking into."
The door chimed and Sara called for it to open. B'Elanna stepped in, stopping short when she spotted the three of them sitting together. "Oh. I can come back."
Sara stood to her feet. "No, please come in, Commander. Tea?"
"No thanks." She greeted Kathryn and Tuvok with a nod as she approached to stand by the desk.
"What have you got for us, B'Elanna?"
"I've boosted the sensors about as much as I can without drawing too much power from auxiliary. If that mystery ship returns, we should be able to pick it up, even if it's cloaked.
"That's great news," Kathryn said. "Good work."
B'Elanna nodded. "As for the transporters, that's another matter… Until I can get help from someone on the ground, I'm stuck. Our transporters work fine, the problem is the interference. There's not much I can do from up here until we can set up pattern enhancers on the surface."
Kathryn caught Sara glancing at her and she nodded her approval. Sara redirected her attention to B'Elanna. "Understood, we'll start that process tomorrow, once our shuttles have returned to resupply. For now, we have another task for you," she said as she handed her the PADD.
B'Elanna nodded eagerly. "Good, I could use something else to focus on. Otherwise I just think about all those people down there, and…" She cut herself off and shook her head, as if to rid herself of the visions. She did look a little frayed at the edges and Kathryn frowned in mild concern. She'd seen her like this before. "What is it that you need me to do?"
"Find out more about the weapon and the ship that attacked the settlement," Sara replied with a nod toward the PADD. "We have the basic weapon's signature, but we'd like you to dissect the report, run diagnostics, simulations, anything you can think of that might help us figure out who launched that weapon."
B'Elanna nodded. "I'll get right on it."
"No you won't," Kathryn cut in, meeting B'Elanna's confused gaze squarely. "Take a break first, Commander. Go check up on your daughter. That's an order."
B'Elanna exhaled, making her shoulders sagging slightly, but after a second her lips twitched. "Yes, Admiral."
After B'Elanna left, Kathryn stood to her feet, finishing her tea with one large gulp. "Well, I'd better go back in there. I don't trust these people enough to leave them in a room together alone for too long."
"On the contrary," Tuvok said as he joined her, "I found that to be most effective at times."
oooOooo
Chakotay had recruited Ensigns Celes and Hickman, as well as two additional Voyager crewmembers to help him search through the area where he had first woken up, what felt like days ago now, though it had only been a few hours. He had been standing with the rest of the delegation, so it followed that they must have been thrown back within a short radius of where he'd landed. The process was slow-going though, and Chakotay always had to keep an eye on the little girl Emani, to make sure that she stayed with them or didn't put herself in danger – or come across dead bodies. He was determined to shield her from that, at least.
Suddenly there was a humming sound from above, and when Chakotay looked up, he recognized the Maradib shuttle design. The shuttle landed in the nearest open area, and Chakotay smiled when he saw Tibeya come out of the hatch, carrying two bulky bags. She hurried to them and Chakotay walked up to greet her. He idly noticed some people staring at her, especially local residents, but Chakotay didn't hide his pleasure in seeing her.
"Tibeya!" he greeted as he extended his hand. That wasn't the Maradib way of greeting, but Tibeya gripped his wrist tightly nonetheless. "I'm glad you're here. We've been looking for High Councilor Lyat'ib, but no luck so far. We could use your mindwalking skills to locate him or the other Maradib delegates." And by extension, the prime minister.
Tibeya nodded. "For once I am grateful for my defective mindreaper abilities. I will start searching immediately. I have also brought some of our artificial gravity generators to help the process of lifting debris," she said with a nod towards her bags. "I have more in the shuttle." Chakotay huffed in surprise. The year before, the archaeological team had used artificial gravity generators to pull Kathryn and Tibeya out of a cave-in on Maradibaya. He had assumed that those were Starfleet technology, but now he realized that it must have been a Maradib invention. One more thing to trade for, should the negotiations resume. In any case, having such devices at their disposal now would greatly increase their efficiency. Tibeya went on. "I was also tasked with transmitting a message to you: Admiral Janeway requested that you send news as soon as possible. She appeared quite anxious to hear for herself that you were safe."
"You saw her?"
Tibeya smiled at the wistfulness and relief in his voice – a small, indulgent twitch of her lips – understanding what he was really asking. "She is well. Concerned for your safety."
"I haven't been able to communicate with anyone so far, no one replied to my hails earlier-" Chakotay started but was interrupted when Tal Celes intervened.
"Oh no! Sir, I forgot!" (Chakotay kept telling her that he wasn't a 'sir' anymore, but she seemed unable to get past that fact.) "I was supposed to tell you that Lieutenant Kim heard from Seven of Nine that the communication problem was solved."
Chakotay struggled to stop himself from glaring at her, or from telling her that this might have been something that would have been useful for him to know before now. But she looked contrite enough as it were, so he merely nodded. "Thank you." He returned his gaze to Tibeya. "I'll contact her now." Chakotay turned to the others. "Help Tibeya with the generators – I'll be back in a moment."
Chakotay stepped a little further away from the group to have a minimum amount of privacy, briefly glancing over his shoulder to ensure that Emani was still sitting where he left her to play with the tricorder, and he pressed his combadge, his heart suddenly pounding in a mix of trepidation and anticipation. "Chakotay to Admiral Janeway."
Nothing happened for five long seconds. He licked his lips anxiously. He was just about to try again when her voice reached him at last.
"I've never loved the sound of your voice as much as I do right this moment, Chakotay! Are you safe? Are you okay? Please tell me you're okay."
Chakotay let a relieved, shaky chuckle bubble out of him. "Kathryn. I'm okay. Really. It's a relief to hear your voice too. I was afraid that something might have happened to Voyager."
"No, we're fine. You're not injured?" She pressed and his smile softened.
"Not seriously. I saw the Doctor earlier, he gave me a clean bill of health." It was only a little lie.
"I was so worried, I thought…" she trailed off, her voice cracking.
"I know. Me too."
"Tell me," she started again after a short pause, "how bad is it down there?"
Chakotay updated her on the progress he'd seen happen over the last few hours, but didn't mince his words when it was time to describe the state of the settlement.
"Tuvok just got here with the Katherine-Johnson, along with a ship from the medical corps, the Weissman-Karikó. They should start sending shuttles and equipment down to the surface shortly. I've been stuck up here," she added with no small amount of irritation seeping into her tone, "otherwise I would have gone down there right away."
It was good that Tuvok was there with her. As Kathryn's trusted friend, he would be able to look out for her, keep her from doing anything reckless. "There's nothing you could do down here that we're not already doing," Chakotay replied. "Besides, I'd rather you found out who would do this." There was a simmering rage deep inside him, which bubbled near the surface every time he took in the devastation and death toll.
There was a pause, and when Kathryn spoke again, her voice was lower, as if she didn't want to be overheard. "I'm trying to figure it out, but it's going to take a while. Tuvok has agreed to help me with research on the Gianfarians, but when you return to Voyager, I might need your help getting information out of the Maradib. Tell me, what do you know about the Preceptors? They came with Tibeya, as a new delegation on behalf of the rest of the council. So far they haven't been very forthcoming. They seem more determined to go back to their isolationist position than provide any help."
Chakotay inhaled as he considered. "There are four of them – they're part of the administrative branch of their governmental structure, one rank below the councilors. They're usually next in line for the councilor positions, so I would be mindful of their personal agendas." He pursed his lips. "Kathryn, if this attack was some kind of attempt at a power grab by eliminating Lyat'ib…"
She finished for him. "Then they might be behind it. I got it. I'll keep a close eye on them. But at this point I'm more inclined to distrust the Gianfarians."
Chakotay frowned, but before he could ask, a clamor of voices rose behind him.
"Mr. Chakotay!" Tibeya called, interrupting the conversation. "The human child is running away."
"What?" Chakotay's head whipped around, and sure enough, Emani was sprinting off, running as if the hounds of hell were at her heels. Clearly something had spooked her, but what? He sighed as he returned his attention to the conversation with Kathryn even as he started going after Emani. "I'm afraid I'll have to cut this short, Kathryn. I'll contact you again when I have news about Lyat'ib and the prime minister. Tibeya just got here, we'll find them soon."
"Promise you'll be careful?"
"Always."
"You know, it occurred to me that I didn't kiss you goodbye this morning. Remind me to remedy that when you get back."
Chakotay smiled. It felt good to smile. "I will gladly hold you to that, Kathryn. I'll check in again later. Chakotay out." With a sigh he darted off after Emani in earnest. She was faster than he had expected, so it took close to a minute for him to catch up to her. She didn't stop when he called her name, so he had to pull her to a halt by sweeping his arm around her when he got close enough. She fought him for a second, crying for him to let her go, her arms flailing to free herself.
Chakotay made calming sounds as he spun her around. When she stopped fighting him he loosened his hold on her arms. Chakotay's heart broke a little at the sight of fresh tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry I left you alone, Emani. It won't happen again." Chakotay tilted his head as he knelt down to be at eye-level with her, still catching his breath, new beads of sweat beading at his hairline. "Why did you run away? Did you get frightened by something? Was it my friend Tibeya? She looks a little different but she's very nice, I promise."
Emani shook her head, doing her best to dry her eyes with the back of her hands, but in so doing, only smearing moisture on her dirty cheeks.
"No? Okay. Well, good." Chakotay bit his lips as he looked around, considering what other reasons she might have had to run off. She had run far enough that most of the buildings here were still standing, but the windows and roofs were gone or shattered. The streets were completely deserted. Obviously everyone had run to help at the epicenter.
When his gaze returned to her face, her lips were trembling and a moment later the answer burst out of her in a heart-tearing sob. "I want to go home! But nothing looks the same anymore!" She managed to say, her breath catching with every sob. Chakotay's heart squeezed, helpless to know what to do to comfort her. She still held the flashlight and she lifted it up to her chest, clinging to it, as it were the most precious thing, even while her little body was wracked with sharp inhales, making her whole body shake.
Chakotay let out a long sigh as he stroked her hair gently, wiping some of the tears flowing down her cheeks with his thumb, his heart going out to her. "I know," he sighed. "Maybe I can help. Do you live with Travid?"
"Sometimes."
He assumed this to mean that Travid was her caretaker while her parents were away or at work. "What about your parents? What were they doing today?"
She looked down at that, sniffling and kicking dirt with her toes, but eventually she said, in a small voice, "My daddy went to work."
Chakotay nodded, relieved to see that her tears were slowly subsiding, even though her breathing was still ragged. They were making progress. "Alright. Where does he work?"
He held his breath as she considered, casting her eyes at the ground. "I can't remember."
Chakotay exhaled. "Okay. We'll do what we can to find him, alright? But until then you need to stay with me and my friends, okay? You can't run off like that. You're much too fast for me," he added, hoping to lighten the mood. She nodded, sniffling. "Do you still want to be my assistant? I could still use your help," Chakotay told her gently, flashing her a hopeful smile.
Emani nodded once more.
"Good. Come on." Chakotay lifted her in his arms, gathering her against his chest, some instincts telling him that she might need the comfort of being held. She wound her arms around his neck trustingly. As they made their way back, he was relieved to find that more and more Starfleet personnel seemed to be busying around. Those were likely reinforcements that Kathryn had mentioned a few minutes ago – Tuvok's crew and the medical corps. They included medical personnel and some equipment, like rovers, which allowed much more efficient transportation. Chakotay felt the knot in his stomach loosen somewhat at the sight, relieved to see that more qualified personnel had arrived to lend a hand and organize. He also saw Tibeya's artificial gravity generators at work as he approached and he knew that the search and rescue would go faster now.
When he rejoined Tibeya, Tal and the others, he saw with relief that they had recovered Prime Minister Kumara, Lyat'ib and one of the two Maradib delegates in his absence. They were helping medical personnel settle them into healthpods.
"How are they?" Chakotay asked.
"Alive!" Ensign Celes cried with relief, wiping sweat and dirt off her cheek with her sleeve.
Tibeya nodded. "It did not take long for me to hear the Councilor's mind – allowing me to narrow down his location. I must accompany the High Councilor to the medical facility now. Once he is well enough to move, I have been ordered by the Preceptors to return with him to Voyager, and then to Maradibaya. Moreover, Admiral Janeway was pressed for answers, I believe she wanted my help in finding them. I must do what I can."
Chakotay nodded, placing a grateful hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure she'll appreciate that. Can you let me know when you're ready to go back to the ship? I'll accompany you back to Voyager, if you have room for me." She agreed before she turned on her heels to catch up with the medical officers.
Chakotay turned to the others. "Alright. There's more work to do. Let's make the most out of whatever daylight we have left. Assistant Emani, aim that light right over there, if you please."
She nodded in stern determination and complied. Chakotay winked at her, and it felt like a small victory when she smiled in response.
oooOooo
A quick note about the names for the two 'relief' ships: a few months ago NASA named one of their shuttles after Katherine Johnson, a female African American mathematician whose work was essential to sending the Apollo 11 astronauts to the moon in 1969. That's just fantastic, so I thought it would be fun to reference her here too! And I got the inspiration for the name for the medical ship, Weissman-Karikó, from two of the researchers responsible for the ground-breaking technology behind the Pfeizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. I humbly use this story to tip my hat at them and all the scientists who have been working so hard on making the world a better, safer place!
Next up: a happy reunion! Stay tuned!