Chapter 10

Devin woke up feeling more exhausted than when he'd gone to bed. His sleep had been agitated, interrupted by strange, vivid dreams, overflowing with images of the devastation in Dråkin-Mati and excerpts from his conversations with Seven, Lieutenant Kim and Lara. He vaguely remembered a nightmare in which the Borg made a deal with the Maradib to take over Gianfar and the whole universe, or a perfectly realistic dream in which he was in the lab with Professor Logan, just like they often had in real life. The images and feelings from the dreams just left him feeling empty when he found himself awake and staring up at the familiar ceiling of his room.

He got up to get ready. The night before, he had told Seven and Lieutenant Kim that he would return to help if they needed him again. So it was still early, the sun barely up, when he exited his unit and made his way down the square to take the pod back to Dråkin-Mati. That's when he spotted Lara, a short distance ahead of him. He only caught a glimpse of her face before she disappeared around a corner, but he'd noticed how tense and gaunt she looked, her hands clenched into fists at her side, her eyes red from a lack of sleep (or crying?), her jaws locked.

Frowning in a mix of concern and suspicion, he followed her.

oooOooo

Harry rolled his head from side to side to stretch his neck as he made his way to the food counter for breakfast. Morning had come much too fast today. After spending a good portion of the previous day working with Seven trying to gather as much information as possible on FarTech, as per the admiral's request, eventually they'd called it a night. Harry and Seven had returned to their respective small sleeping quarters, thinking they might as well stay here for another night while they continued their investigation (or until they were called back to Voyager), especially as they had yet gotten a chance to speak with the prime minister. Harry had fallen asleep as soon as his head had hit the pillow.

But now he was starting to feel the strain of the last few days take its toll on him and he had to rub his hands over his face to get himself to wake up. He was starting to look forward to returning to Voyager, if only to grab a shower and get a decent night's sleep. He found Seven already seated at a table so he sat down with her for breakfast and a much needed cup of coffee. Seven looked weary too, and neither of them spoke much as they ate. At some point their combadges came to life with the news that Prime Minister Kumara was now available and well enough to meet with them, and that he would do so at their earliest convenience.

So when they were done eating, he and Seven made their way to the field hospital.

"This Lara that you profess to liking," Seven started suddenly, unexpectedly. The first words she'd spoken to him aside from a greeting.

"Yeah? What about her?"

"She is an…intriguing individual."

Harry frowned. "In a good way or in a suspicious way?"

Seven glanced at him. "Undetermined. She has an engaging personality, but I've noticed how this is often tempered with a certain… agitation. It seems to have increased over the course of my acquaintance with her. The only other person I have ever known to occasionally behave in such a way is Commander Torres – usually before her volatile temper gets beyond her ability to control."

Harry nodded, conceding her point. "Yes, I've noticed too. But she wasn't like that when I first met her. It started when you and Devin showed up, and the conversation about that lab accident. I think it really upset her."

Seven raised an eyebrow. "Or perhaps there is more to their relationship than meets the eye."

Harry frowned. "With Devin? Well I agree that for them to dislike each other so much they must have a history… but what exactly are you implying?"

Seven glanced at him, noticing his tone. "Nothing. I'm merely making an observation. But perhaps you should remain on your guard, where she is concerned."

"Yes, well, I know you mean well, but I'm not like you, Seven. I can't just guard my emotions or compartmentalize them, or whatever it is that you do. I just feel what I feel."

"Then I urge you to feel caution."

Harry let out a chuckle, shaking his head. "Right. Thanks for the tip."

"Have you heard from her since yesterday?" She asked in a slightly softer tone.

Harry shook his head. "No. I was hoping I'd run into her again today. Maybe talk to her to see what's going on."

Seven nodded her approval. By then they were entering the field hospital. Since Kumara was feeling better, they had moved him to a more private area where he could hold his meetings with a modicum of privacy. The security officers were still posted around the perimeter, and Harry nodded to them as they approached. Loud, arguing voices were coming from inside the room. Harry and Seven exchanged a look as they approached, unsure what would greet them. It turned out to be the Doctor arguing with his patient, who sat up in his bed.

"You have to let me get out there, Doctor!" Prime Minister Kumara was saying, frustrated. "I've been cooped up in here for too long. My people need me."

Harry drew in a deep breath as he approached, exchanging a look with Seven. "What's going on here?"

The Doctor turned to them, his expression still full of indignation. "What is going on is that my patient refuses to follow my recommendations and rest for a while longer!" He exclaimed with a pointed look at the prime minister.

"Look," Kumara tried again, more reasonably. "I appreciate everything you've done for me, but I need to go back to work. Apparently the settlement deputies have put an end to the summit and I need to get out there, and talk to my people. They need to see me, alive and ready to lead. My aides agree – this is what needs to be done. I'm still the leader of this colony!"

"Oh well if your aides agree!" The Doctor replied sarcastically.

Harry turned to the Doctor. "Maybe just for a couple of minutes? Seven and I will stay with him. We'll take the security officers, and we'll make sure that he comes back before he tires himself out. I kind of agree with his point – I think his people do need to see that he's alright. And think of it this way, it'll give you a chance to get a break, too. I know you don't have to eat and sleep, but I'm sure you'd like to take a moment for yourself, Doc. You haven't stopped since we got here."

"I concur with Lieutenant Kim," Seven agreed, clasping her hands behind her back. "You need to give your program a rest, Doctor."

The Doctor didn't look happy, but after a moment conceded defeat. He redirected his attention to the prime minister. "Twenty minutes."

"It's all I ask," the leader replied. One of his aides helped him up while the Doctor hummed a noncommittal reply and left the room with a glare at Harry.

"Prime Minister, you remember Seven of Nine?" Harry introduced, just in case.

Kumara inclined his head at Seven. "Yes, of course. I understand we owe the return of our shields and communications to you. Thank you."

Seven gave a nod. "Where do you wish to go?"

"Anywhere that's not here. I need to go outside, I need to see the state of the settlement." He turned to his aide. "Can you establish a commlink with Jaidan, Lin and Peter? Schedule a meeting with them in an hour. Wake them up if need be. We need to get that summit back on track. And then I'll want to reach out to the Maradib High Councilor."

After the aide nodded, they made their way outside slowly, following Prime Minister Kumara's pace. Even though he was better and on the mend, clearly he was still feeling the effects of his injuries, walking slowly, one of his hands constantly against his side, as if to contain a stitch. As soon as they were outside, flanked by two security officers, he blinked in shock, his arms falling to his side. Harry was touched to see a sliver of moisture gather in the man's eyes as he looked at the devastation, but also at all of the people still working to help survivors, some had even started clearing rubble to rebuild. Local residents spotted him right away, and many approached him to tell him they were glad to see him up and about, while others wishes him to get better soon. Some came to shake his hand, while others simply nodded gravely at him.

Was it Harry's imagination, or did people stare at Seven as well? He hadn't really noticed before, but there was something in their eyes as they realized Seven was walking with their prime minister, as if they feared that she would harm him. It was the Borg implants, he knew that, but it still pained him to see that kind of fear intertwine with suspicion, and in some rare cases, hate, in their expression. Harry had stopped thinking of Seven as Borg long ago, she was simply… Seven. She looked oblivious – but Harry knew she was more observant about these things than he probably gave her credit for. He wondered if she cared, or if she only saw that kind of behavior as irrelevant.

At some point the prime minister's aide returned and confirmed the schedule. "We couldn't get a hold of Einbach and Bakar, but we'll try again. Lin Fasu said she would be here in person shortly."

Kumara nodded. He opened his mouth to give more orders, but Harry's attention was deflected from the conversation when he spotted Lara hurrying toward them. For a second he smiled, happy to see her back, but then he noticed the bland, but fiercely determined expression on her face, and he frowned. She looked like she was about to punch someone. Seven was right, there was something B'Elanna-esque about that expression on her face. What the…?

It was only when someone shouted, "Watch out" (he would later realize the warning had come from both Seven and Devin, who came running out of nowhere) that he saw that Lara was holding what looked like a phaser. She was still advancing boldly, her brows furrowed into fierce concentration and determination. When she was within range she planted her feet and raised her arm, aiming directly in their direction, more specifically, for the Prime Minister. It all happened so fast, Harry and the Prime Minister were still just standing there, gawking, trying to make sense of what was happening. The security officers meanwhile had stepped in front of the minister, and drawn their phasers.

Harry could only stare at Lara – that strange, mad expression on her face and that frayed look to her, the way her arm shook. Her lips were moving, as if she were speaking to someone, but no sound came out, or at least, none that reached Harry's ears. "Lara, what the hell are you-"

Before he could finish the sentence, Devin's voice shouted a warning again. Harry took his eyes away from Lara for one instant, only to see Devin come running from the side – where the hell had he come from? He slammed into Lara, tackling her to the ground. She fought him with a passion, yelling with such despair that her voice got hoarse. Seven was in the melee a second later, providing assistance and immobilizing Lara as if she'd done such things all her life. It was only then that Harry snapped out of his daze. Time stopped to feel like slow-motion and seemed to rectify itself with a vengeance, now blurring by in a spin. Spurred into motion, Harry and one of the officers ran to them, while the second officer held the Prime Minister back with a hand raised against his chest.

Lara was still fighting, screaming and sobbing, though Seven had her arms twisted behind her back and kept her immobile. Harry kicked the phaser Lara had dropped further away and out of her reach. Devin dropped down to the ground, his hand covering the spot on his face where Lara had kicked him. It was quickly turning into a bruise.

Harry raked his fingers through his hair disbelievingly. Had Lara just tried to assassinate the prime minister? He knew what he had seen, but his brain still couldn't quite wrap itself around that fact.

As if he'd spoken out loud, Seven turned to him, her expression as neutral as usual. She raised an impatient eyebrow when he just stood there. "Lieutenant! Contact Voyager. Tell them an assassination attempt against Prime Minister Kumara was just thwarted. Tell them we have the perpetrator in custody."

Still sobbing and fighting, but now realizing that Seven's grip would not loosen, Lara twisted to meet Harry's eyes just before he turned away. "Harry! It's not what you think! You have to trust me! Harry, please help me!"

Closing his eyes and steeling himself, Harry turned away and pressed his combadge.

oooOooo

It felt like Kathryn had closed her eyes for only five minutes when the sound of her combadge and a disembodied voice roused her from a deep sleep. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked at the time. It was almost 5am. She had shifted over to Chakotay's side of the bed during the night, as if her subconscious had craved his scent and his warmth. Kathryn sat up and looked on the other side. Luckily Emani was still sleeping, sprawled across her own bed, so Kathryn quickly got up to answer the call before the noise could rouse her too.

It was Captain Peres and she didn't run around the bush: there had been an attempt on Prime Minister Kumara's life on Gianfar. Seven and the officers had the suspect in custody, a young woman from Kop named Lara.

Kathryn was suddenly very awake. "Does she have anything to do with the attack on Dråkin-Mati?" She asked. If so, it would suggest that Prime Minister Kumara had been the target all along.

"We don't know yet. She's not talking. But Mr. Kim says anything's possible. Apparently he's come to know the young woman a little over the last couple of days."

Kathryn nodded with a long sigh, rubbing her forehead. "Alright. Tuvok and I will go down to the surface and meet with this… Lara. See if we can find out anything."

Kathryn took a second to regroup and clear her mind. Then she spurred herself into action. She made some coffee, then donned her uniform. She contacted Tuvok and they coordinated their travels. Since the transporters hadn't been tested yet, they would use one of the KJ's shuttles to go down to the surface.

Then she opened a channel with Chakotay's shuttle to update him on the situation. He looked like he had been sleeping too, even though it was technically daytime in Kirali. "Kathryn," he said, his voice gravely from sleep. Under different circumstances that voice would have sent a delightful shiver through her, but she forced herself to focus and ignored it. "What's happening?" He asked, instantly perking up with concern.

Kathryn told him what she knew, and about her plans to go to the surface to interrogate the suspect. "Have you heard back from Kiam? About the Restorationists?"

He shook his head, then looked at the time. "No, but it shouldn't be long now."

Kathryn nodded. "Given the turn of events, it's looking more and more like Prime Minister Kumara was the intended target. The young woman who tried to kill him has no connection whatsoever with the summit, at least none that are apparent at first glance. So at this time I'm inclined to believe this was a Gianfarian plot."

He nodded. "Do you want me to stay here for the time being, or join you on Gianfar?"

Kathryn's heart answered that one for her, and it must have shown on her face because the corners of his lips tugged upward. "I'll leave as soon as I hear from Kiam and Tibeya, just to make sure that we're not missing anything here. Are you taking Emani with you to the surface?"

Kathryn leaned closer to the screen to lower her voice. "I don't know. Should I? It feels insensitive to just drop her back on the surface… She's getting attached to the people on the ship in a way you probably couldn't foresee, when you pulled her out of that debris." Kathryn smiled softly. "Last night, she drew your tattoo on her face – or at least, that was the intent."

"She did?" He asked, his expression an endearing mix of disbelief and bashfulness.

"Oh yes. I suppose I could leave her on the ship with Ensign Wildman for the day, but then again I'd feel just as bad dropping Emani on her. It's like you said, she should be our responsibility." In fact, he had said Emani was his responsibility. But Kathryn disagreed. They were in this together, or not at all. "But then again, if I take her back to Travid I don't want her to think I'm just dumping her off, or that she's an inconvenience."

Chakotay let out a long sigh. "I don't know, Kathryn. I understand what you're saying, and we'll have to ask ourselves how long we can keep doing this. But for now, maybe you should just ask her what she wants to do. I think she's old enough to know where she'd like to go. Maybe she'll be happy to go home to Travid. She did say she wanted to go home before."

Kathryn nodded slowly as she took this in, considering. "You're probably right. I'll see what she thinks."

He nodded. "Is there anything else you need me to do here, before I leave?"

"No. Just come back to me safe and sound."

"I'll be there in a few hours. Kathryn – please be careful on the surface."

"I will." With a parting nod and smile, Kathryn ended the transmission.

By the time she had contacted Seven to let her know to expect her, and updated the admiralty on the turn of events, she had about half an hour before meeting with Tuvok, so Kathryn woke Emani to get her ready. After Kathryn gave her the choice of going back to Travid for the day or staying with the Wildmans, Emani frowned and met Kathryn's eyes stubbornly.

"I want to go with you."

Kathryn nodded. "You can come with me, but once on the surface, remember you'll have to stay with Travid, understood?"

"Why?" Emani countered. So here was that stubborn defiance that Chakotay had described.

"Because he misses you. And I know you miss him too. You can tell him about everything you've been doing on Voyager." Deciding that it was probably best not to give her too much room for debate, Kathryn straightened. "Come on. Get dressed, we'll have breakfast and then we'll go."

"Am I going to come back here? After?" Emani asked, still not moving from where she sat up, in the middle of her bed, her eyebrows still lowered into a displeased scowl.

Kathryn hesitated. "We'll discuss that later. Come on young lady, time to get ready," Kathryn said with her best captain's (or admiral's) voice.

Emani nodded slowly, reluctantly.

After a quick breakfast they were off. Still half-asleep, Emani dragged her feet in the corridor a little, and feeling a little guilty for uprooting her so suddenly – again – and so early, Kathryn decided to swing her up in her arms and carry her the rest of the way. Emani let herself fall limply against her, her head on her shoulder, already going back to sleep. Kathryn held her a little tighter. She weighed almost nothing – Kathryn had noticed that the first time she'd picked her up. It wasn't that she was particularly small or delicate for her age, she was just… lightweight. It showed in the way she moved as well, the way she skipped, the way she sometimes walked on the balls of her feet as if she were a little fairy jumping from flower to flower or a feather in the wind.

About half an hour later their shuttle was touching down in Dråkin-Mati, and Kathryn was able to see the devastation for herself for the first time. It took her breath away – and that anguish she had felt at the thought of Chakotay down here returned. How lucky he had been – how lucky she had been that he hadn't been more seriously injured! Travid came to greet them and after Kathryn introduced herself to him in person, she crouched to be eye-level with Emani. Her little mouth was drawn into a stubborn scowl.

Kathryn smiled – a little shakily, if she were honest with herself – and touched her cheek with the tip of her finger. "Alright little mouse, it's time for me to go to work now. But I'll come back and check up on you later."

"You promise you won't go without me?"

Kathryn pursed her lips. "I promise I won't go without checking up on you first," she said cautiously.

Emani nodded, but it hadn't been quite enough to cheer her up. "And Chakotay?" She asked, still saying his name slowly, as if she had to remember the sequence of syllables. "Am I going to see him again?"

"Oh you bet. As soon as he returns from his trip, he'll check up on you too. He's on his way now, so you probably won't have to wait for long, you'll see."

She nodded again. Just as Kathryn was about to stand to her feet, Emani moved, throwing her arms around her neck. A little stunned at first, Kathryn smiled and held her for a moment. She shot a glance up at Travid, who stood watching a short distance away. To her surprise he gave her an encouraging smile. Kathryn pulled back. "Now, you better not have too much fun while I'm away, you hear?" She teased Emani with a mock stern expression.

Emani giggled, but there was sadness in her laughter. With one final smile, Kathryn inhaled through her nose and walked away. She had to blink away the sting of tears and she shook herself sternly. Get a grip, Janeway, she reprimanded herself. This wasn't goodbye. It didn't have to be. Did it? "Alright, let's do this," she told Tuvok.

Seven and Harry came to greet them when Kathryn and Tuvok approached the building where they kept Lara. "Report," Kathryn said as they fell in step with them.

"Nothing new. She's not been forthcoming," Seven replied.

Kathryn nodded. "Harry, Captain Peres said you were acquainted with the young woman. Have you tried talking to her?"

He shook his head. "Lieutenant Ng," Kathryn recognized the name as the security officer assigned to the prime minister's safety, "thought I was too close to be objective."

"I'm thinking the opposite. What was the nature of your relationship?" At his hesitation Kathryn glanced at him. "Relax Lieutenant. This isn't like last time. I don't want details, I'm just wondering if we could make the most of the rapport you established – whatever it may be. Perhaps she would be more inclined to speak to you than to me."

"I don't know. I barely know her – we only met a couple of days ago. But I thought…" He sighed, shaking his head. "I thought we'd… connected."

"Good. We'll use it."

Harry seemed to want to say something – argue, perhaps – but then he sighed, resigning himself. "I'll do what I can."

"Seven," Kathryn went on, redirecting her attention to Seven who was walking on the other side of her. "Are you familiar with the expression 'good cop, bad cop'?"

Seven raised an eyebrow. "An interrogation technique involving two interrogators in which one establishes a rapport based on trust and kindness while the other relies on threats, to push the suspect to confide to the "good cop.""

Kathryn smirked, satisfied. "Spot on. How do you feel about playing bad cop for a bit?"

Seven inclined her head. "As you wish."

When they reached the building where they kept Lara – one of the few secure buildings that was still standing in the area – Kathryn noticed the young man who had been accompanying Seven sitting outside, leaning against the wall, looking rather wretched.

Kathryn nodded to the others to go ahead while she paused to speak to him. The young man sprang to his feet when he realized Kathryn meant to address him. "I'm sorry I don't remember your name," Kathryn said as she observed him. He was tall but he couldn't be much older than 20. He had a bruise on his cheekbone.

"Devin, Ma'am."

Kathryn nodded. "I understand it was you who stopped our would-be-assassin. How did you know?"

He shook his head, but chewed on his lips nervously. "I didn't, not really. Not until I saw she was carrying a phaser. I know her, and the way she's been lately, it's not like her. So I…" He frowned and stopped himself, as if realizing that maybe he shouldn't say the rest out loud.

"You what?"

"I followed her. I know it sounds creepy, but it wasn't like that. I just wanted to know what she was up to."

Kathryn nodded, biting back a smile. "Well, in this instance it's a good thing you trusted your instincts." She considered him for a moment longer, coking her head. "What do you make of all this, Devin?"

"To be honest, I don't know what to think, Ma'am. Lara trying to assassinate the Prime Minister in broad daylight? Some unknown attacker firing a weapon at the colony? It doesn't make any sense. I can't make heads or tails of any of it."

Kathryn smirked. "That makes two of us. Hopefully she'll have some answers," she added with a move of the head toward the building where they kept Lara. "As you were," she said with a crooked smile and gesturing for him to return to his seated position. He responded with a small nod of his own.

Kathryn resumed her way inside and into the room where they kept Lara in custody. The local law enforcement had used shield generators to seal the room into a cell. The young woman was pacing inside, anxiously biting her nails or raking her fingers through her disheveled hair. She straightened and stilled when she saw them come in. The security officers, as well as Prime Minister Kumara, were already standing near the far wall of the room, speaking together in hushed tones. While Harry approached the force field, Kathryn made her way to the prime minister.

"Admiral Janeway," he greeted with a grave nod.

"Prime Minister. I'm relieved to see for myself that she wasn't successful," Kathryn replied as she returned his nod.

He shook his head. "I'm as relieved as you are. But whatever her plan, it was rather ill-conceived. It felt like she just found an opportunity and took it. She must have known we'd stop her."

Kathryn frowned. "You think she wanted to get caught?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. I'm no criminalist or psychologist. My point is that if she's a murderer, she's not very good at it. For which I'm eternally grateful."

"You don't think she's responsible for the attack on the settlement," Kathryn stated, reading between the lines of his comments.

"Again, it's just a hunch. But she doesn't strike me as having the profile."

Kathryn nodded as she took her spot next to him and rested her hands on her hips. "Let's see what Lieutenant Kim can do to get her to talk."

oooOooo

Harry approached the force field confining Lara warily, not quite sure how to proceed. He could feel the heavy gazes of the admiral, the prime minister and the security officers on the back of his neck. He took in a deep breath. He needed to focus on Lara and the million questions he'd been dying to ask. That would be a good place to start, he decided.

Lara walked up to the force field, her expression a mix of anxiety and cautious hope. Her hair was in disarray and there was an adrenaline-induced gleam in her eyes that made her seem both hyper and frayed at once.

"Harry!"

She tried to catch his eyes but Harry looked at Seven instead. "Please lower the shield."

Seven raised an eyebrow, playing her assigned role. "That would be unwise. She deserves to be isolated."

"She's not going to hurt anyone. She's not going to hurt me." He turned to Lara. "Right?"

Lara's expression softened, her head tilting, indignant that he might think she would. "Of course not! I don't want- I didn't want to hurt anyone!"

Harry returned his gaze to Seven, who shrugged and deactivated the force field. Harry stepped closer and Lara met him halfway. She gripped his arms, then squeezed his palms, searching his eyes. "Harry. This isn't what you think."

"What do I think, Lara?"

"You think I wanted this to happen this way. You think I'm a cold-blooded murderer or some kind of fanatic. But it's not true."

"What Lieutenant Kim thinks is irrelevant," Seven cut in sharply as she started circling slowly around the two of them, her hands clasped behind her back. "We all saw you make an attempt on the prime minister's life. Your actions speak for themselves." Harry had to give it to her, she played her role remarkably well.

"No. You don't understand! He made me do it."

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked as softly as he could, but with genuine confusion and dread. There was just something chilling about the way she'd said it. He had to fight the impulse to free his hands and take a step back.

She shook her head, frowning, raking her fingers in her hair in frustration. "I'm not explaining this right."

"So far you have explained nothing," Seven spat, stepping closer to Lara's side to be intimidating. With her impeccable posture, Seven did in fact tower over Lara by several centimeters. "But you will. Admiral Janeway has ordered me to infect you with nanoprobes – with Borg technology in your system, you will have no choice but to comply," she said in a threatening voice.

Just as Harry's eyes shot to Seven – what the hell? – there was a choked, throat-clearing sound coming from the back. Harry saw Janeway give Seven a subtle but exasperated glare, despite her obvious amusement at Seven's performance. If only Harry could see it that way too. Seven's stern expression flickered for half of a second at the warning look, but then she returned her full attention to Lara, raising a challenging eyebrow.

Lara looked appalled, and duly scared. "No! What? Can she do that?" She asked Harry, her eyes widening.

"I don't want her to, but if it's an order…" He shook his head helplessly. "Look, Lara. Just tell me why you did this. Then maybe I can convince the admiral not to go ahead with it. Help me understand. You said he made you do it. Who? Who were you talking about?"

She shook her head, pursing her lips, taking a step back, but Harry caught her hands and followed her. "Lara, look at me." That's when he realized that she was scared. Actually terrified. Not of Seven. But of something else. Someone else. Seven noticed too because her gaze flickered to his briefly. "Lara. Who are you afraid of? Who made you do it?"

Her throat moved as she swallowed. "You have to protect me." To his surprise she looked directly over his shoulder at Janeway. "My family. Because they'll find out that I failed, and-" She choked on the words and pressed her palms against her orbits, hard.

Harry turned to look at Admiral Janeway at this. She was frowning, chewing on her inner cheek – no longer amused – and she gave him a grave nod. "Lara, look at me. We can protect you and we will, I promise. But you have to tell us what happened. Start at the beginning. Come on, let's sit. Can we get some water, please?" Harry asked the security officers while he led her to the desk and chairs in the corner and they sat in opposite chairs. Seven came to stand behind Lara, not quite letting go of her role yet.

"Okay," Lara said, frowning, as if trying to gather her thoughts and find her composure. "Okay… I can do this." She took in a deep, steadying breath. "Several months ago, I approached Professor Logan, to talk to him about an internship."

When she paused to swallow, Harry nodded, encouraging her to go on.

"I knew that he'd just started working at FarTech, as an engineer. So I thought that would be an ideal place for me to get some hands-on experience and gather enough data to finish my thesis. I wanted him to help me get my foot in. But he refused." She shook her head. "I was so mad at him, I thought he didn't think I was good enough. When I asked him why, all he would say was that he didn't want me anywhere near that facility. I didn't understand what that meant, but I was so determined to find out… One night," she swallowed with difficulty, "I hacked into his computer, just to see what he was working on. But I also thought…"

"What?" Harry pressed gently.

"That maybe I could find something to blackmail him with, or something…" At Harry's disapproving expression, she shook her head. "I know. That sounds terrible. But I didn't find anything of the sort, and even if I had, I wouldn't have used it. Professor Logan was not only brilliant, but he was also a good person, he was a single father and his kid was just the sweetest… And I realized that I didn't want to be that kind of person. Anyway." She cleared her throat again.

"But you did find something, didn't you?" It was Admiral Janeway. Harry hadn't heard her step closer until she was standing right next to him. She spoke with that eagerness in her voice he'd heard so often when she was still Captain Janeway, leaning forward with her hands splayed flat on the table. Her expression wasn't threatening, just… eager and expectant, like she was on the verge of solving a challenging puzzle.

Lara's eyes shifted from Harry to Janeway, then back to him. "Yes." She shifted in her seat. "I found out what he'd been working on at FarTech."

"Kiradil," Janeway pressed, her voice no louder than a whisper.

Lara stared at her in surprise, and Harry did too, actually. "Well, yes, as a matter of fact."

"What was he doing with it?" Janeway asked, though by the looks on her face, she already knew the answer.

Lara swallowed. "Trying to weaponize it? It looked like he'd been trying to retrofit Maradib technology to achieve it."

Janeway straightened and rubbed a hand across her mouth, thoughts racing, at this new information. Harry had seen that expression on her face a thousand times, too.

Harry redirected his gaze to Lara. "And then what happened?"

She chuckled wryly. "Somehow, I think they found out that I had discovered the truth."

"Who?" Janeway asked.

"I don't know. But about two weeks later, Professor Logan died in that explosion. The Board released a statement that said it was an accident, but…" She frowned, her eyes filling with tears. "What if he died because of me? What if they thought he'd voluntarily shared that classified information with me and they killed him for it?"

Janeway stepped away, still deep in contemplation, and Harry redirected his gaze to Lara. "And then what?"

"And then I got a letter from FarTech offering me that internship – just like that. At first I was thrilled, because I wanted to believe that Kai really had died in an accident, that it wasn't related to my snooping around. But then they started adding various stipulations to the contract. Like, doing things for them, collecting information on their behalf, getting access to various facilities in Kop. It was spooky, so I told them that I had changed my mind… But I was already in too deep. After that they moved on to threats. I had to do what they said, or else… They threatened my family, my friends. I had no choice. I've been stuck in their vice for months now. I- I didn't know where to turn to."

"What did they ask you to do?" Janeway asked, bringing her back on topic.

Lara's eyes were sad and resigned when she looked at Harry again. "A lot of things. But most recently, I had to find a way to disrupt the force field around Dråkin-Mati. They didn't tell me why. Just that I needed to get it done, by a specific date."

There was silence for a moment as everyone digested this.

"Did you know there was going to be an attack from orbit?" Janeway prompted, her expression more somber now.

Lara shook her head. "No. But I suspected. I'm not stupid."

Seven frowned as she stepped closer, no longer role-playing. "Which is why you disobeyed; you didn't actually disrupt the shield. Not completely."

Lara glanced over her shoulder at Seven, as if she'd forgotten she was even there. "That's right. I knew that nothing good could come out of my disabling it completely. So I only tempered with the power grid, just enough to make it look like I had accomplished my task, but not enough to actually leave the settlement defenseless. And they failed to anticipate that you would have someone on the surface repairing it so quickly."

Harry let out a long sigh as he took in that last piece of information, and so did Janeway. "And the attack on the Prime Minister?" Janeway pressed.

"I guess they weren't satisfied with my work," Lara replied with a humorless, tired chuckle. "They ordered me to finish the job." Her eyes strayed to Prime Minister Kumara, who was still standing in the back. "But I couldn't do it. I couldn't pull the trigger. And then Devin came out of nowhere…" She shook her head.

After a moment of silence as everyone took it all in, Janeway went on, still pacing slowly behind Harry. "Alright. Let's say we believe you. We're going to need proof. Who threatened you? Who hired you?"

Lara shook her head. "I don't know. I never met them face to face, I never even went to their research center in person. It was a male voice, that's all I know."

Janeway chewed on her cheek, before she tapped on Harry's shoulder. "Harry, I'd like you to escort Lara to the brig on Voyager – for everyone's safety, including hers. Tell Captain Peres to post security officers around the clock." Harry felt her hand on his shoulder give the tiniest of squeezes, a seal of approval for his work. Then she moved on. "Prime Minister – I suggest you go with them. Voyager might be the safest place for you right now. I have to assume that if FarTech is so rotten, they'll probably have other people doing their bidding for them."

"Thank you, Admiral, I appreciate the offer. But I have to stay here. Help my people grieve and rebuild."

Janeway shook her head, dismissively. "I'm really not in the mood to argue with you. Do whatever you deem necessary." She returned her gaze to Lara. "Before we transfer you, you need to tell us everything you found out about FarTech and Kai Logan's work."

Lara nodded slowly. And for the first time, Harry thought he saw the real person, and he realized that all this time he'd known her, she had been wearing a mask. And though she was paled and red-eyed and looked exhausted, she was much prettier without it. "But please, my family. You have to protect them too. I'm worried they'll go after them when they realize I failed."

Janeway nodded before gesturing to the security officer, who got busy talking into his combadge. Meanwhile, Janeway came back next to Harry to pull out a chair. When Seven came around as well, Janeway leaned in toward her to lower her voice, her eyebrows curving in a familiar teasing expression. "I ordered you to infect her with Borg nanoprobes?" She drawled disbelievingly under her breath.

Seven arched an eyebrow in response. "I believed it would prove effective. I was correct."

"Hmm. I think you enjoyed being bad cop a little too much. Alright, Lara. Let's get to it."

oooOooo

Emani loved Mr. Travid very much. He was kind and patient, and sometimes he made her toys out of wood and he told her stories about magical places and peoples and talking animals. But as she watched Kathryn – the grown up, Am'ral one – walk away, she wanted to shout at her to come back, to not leave her, but the words got stuck in her throat. So when Mr. Travid offered her his hand with a smile, she took it. She really was excited to tell him about the dog and the breakfasts and her new friend Naomi and about Kathryn and Chakotay, and even Naomi's mom.

As they walked, Mr. Travid told her that his house was still ruined, but he made sure that he had a nice shelter where she could play and rest. The shelter was just much smaller than his house, but Emani got excited when she saw her favorite toys waiting for her. Mr. Travid looked pleased at Emani's reaction and he sat in the rocking chair while Emani studied her toys on her bed. Mrs. Hoppington, her favorite plush bunny, was a bit dirty, but she could wash her later. She asked Mr. Travid if she could go play with Katie for a bit, because she was excited to tell her all about her adventures on Voyager, but Mr. Travid became sad when Emani asked. Instead he told her, very quietly, that she couldn't play with Katie anymore. Because she had passed on. Emani knew all too well what that meant now: Katie wasn't coming back. Just like her dad. And Mrs. Jenkana.

She felt like crying, but all Emani said was, "oh."

Because she knew she had to be strong. This was something she remembered her daddy telling her. Over and over. Be strong Emani. Strong, and kind.

Sometimes she forgot his voice. But when Emani thought about the times when he told her those words, she could remember it. And she recalled his eyes, and the roughness on his cheeks because he hadn't shaved when she cupped his face with her small hands. And she remembered how he would kiss the tip of her nose before tickling her sides and making her squeal. And remembering this made her hurt inside. In the same way that it had hurt to watch Kathryn walk away before. And Chakotay the day before. And Mrs. Jenkana a while ago.

Be strong Emani. Strong, and kind.

She wanted to be strong, she really did. But there was an ache in her belly, like it was full of tears, and that ache didn't go away, not even when she returned to her toys. In fact it got worse. She couldn't stop thinking about Kathryn and Chakotay and Naomi. What if they left in their ship and never returned? What if they left her behind, just like the others? What if they forgot about her?

So when Mr. Travid left her to play with a few gentle pats on her head, she waited for a few minutes until he was outside. Then Emani grabbed Mrs. Hoppington and dashed out through the other door. She had to find Kathryn. She had to make sure that she kept her promise.

It took her a while to find her. She had to ask around, so she asked grown-ups wearing the same clothes as her if they had seen Am'ral Janeway. They gave her directions to the place they had last seen her. When they asked Emani if they could help her, she just darted off. None of them ran after her. Chakotay would have though, she knew he would have. Every time she had run away because she got scared, he had come after her and found her and been nice to her. She hoped she would see him again soon, too. But he would return, because Kathryn was his girlfriend – he'd told her so – so she figured there was a good chance that he would come back if Kathryn was here too.

When Emani found Kathryn at last, she was coming out of a building along with three men in uniform, one in red and two in yellow, and a tall lady with yellow hair. They stopped to speak to a younger man she remembered because he had been one of her daddy's students. He had come to visit at their house sometimes. He'd even played with her once. He went inside the building but Kathryn and the other adults moved on, talking to each other, very seriously, as if in secret. They didn't see her when Emani ducked away to hide. They walked past her without looking in her direction, still talking, so she followed them quietly. Just like a little mouse.

Emani stopped in near panic when she saw where they were heading: a shuttle, just like the one Kathryn, Emani and the man with the pointy ears had used earlier to get here. No! Was Kathryn leaving without saying goodbye? But she'd promised! She watched the group step into the shuttle while she stood rooted to the spot in indecision. She ran fast – everyone told her so. Perhaps she could make it inside before they shut the door. She looked back in the direction where she knew Travid was, then looked at the shuttle again. They were all inside now, and the door was still open.

Emani lurched forward, running as fast as she possibly could, running like the wind.

When she finally made it inside the shuttle, she was breathing hard, but quickly hid. Just in time too, because the door closed behind her.

oooOooo

END PART II