Disclaimer see Chapter one: Bajoran words from Cyber spaces dot net

Code S

Miral picked up the change in mood from among the children and became restless within the harness carrier against her mother. B'Elanna and Tom tried to calm her, without much success, but at least she wasn't exercising her lungs, just being fussy and agitated. The young boy at Chakotay's left side clung tightly to the tattooed males leg and wouldn't let go, whimpering his face hidden against the male's thigh. The girl started wide-eyed, both hands clasped tightly onto his right sleeve, thus he couldn't move very far or fast, but managed to walk/drag himself over to the shelter of the marque. He looked at the two FNN reporters and asked if they were still broadcasting.

"No private recording." It was Reanna's surprise reaction that prompted Zach to talk about a special code would be required, before anyone could do anything with their recording. Copper at first had frowned, but then caught on and agreed. "That's right, you'll need the special code," he affirmed.

=/\=

The techs at FNN were puzzled by this mention of a special code, but their Gaffer, who'd just entered at that moment was not. He scolded the Boss and ordered him out of his domain, permanently.

"Jack Foord, what are you doing here?" he pointedly asked the nearest tech.

"Ordered here, Gaffer," feeling a little unsure of that fact.

"You were assigned to the Presidential party. So get yourself over there on the double and get our equipment off that upstart reporter whoever he/she/it is. I won't stand for that sort of sloppy insolent reporting from anyone," he said crossly. "Copper notwithstanding!" he added to the questioning expressions. Foord quickly got out of his chair and left the control booth at a run. When the Gaffer said jump, you jumped. "The rest of you look lively," he said, taking his usual seat and watched with interest Zach and Copper's camera work; taking in how the tattooed male was talking to the two children, his voice gentle, kind and firm.

"What troubles you?"

=/\=

"Nukaq?" Chakotay asked, looking to the young boy, who now sat in his lap, having managed to unstick him from his leg to sit cross legged on the ground within the marque. The boy still clung tightly to him, sobbing, whilst he rubbed the youngster's back, trying to calm him. The older girl stood stock still at his shoulder, her fists tight in his jerkin, twisting the material, but looking at something only she could see.

"You won't send us away, will you?" she asked timidly, eyes wide in panic.

"Send you away where; Nukaq?" his tone gentle and quiet.

Data cocked his head a moment and then quietly explained to those close by that the name meant, younger brother or sister. Spelt NUKAQ and pronounced NOOK-ah.

"To safe place!" she said, her eyes returning to her current surroundings. Noting his puzzled frown, she added. "Away from the war, to families to look after us. Warm places."

"I see," he responded carefully, taking in the fact that she was still very wary, unsettled, feeling the constant twisting of her hands in the material of his jerkin. "Where were you taken?" his tone measured reassuring.

His crew mates and the Brass were puzzled, believing that these children were from the time of the Breen Attack, but it was beginning to sound as if they were from elsewhere, but where - they wondered.

"Dark, cold, smelly, metal room. The only light came when the masked persons came in," she said haltingly, shivering with the memory.

"Masked?" Paris asked, puzzled, whilst B'Elanna still tried to console a grizzly Miral.

"Breen," Ayala said, joining them, with his small entourage of three children of differing ages and backgrounds, having asked his group to describe their captors.

Deanna knelt down before the girl, Chakotay, had called Nukaq, gently getting her to look at her. The emotions she felt coming from this child slammed into her Betazoid senses, knocking her physically back on her heels, it that gave Riker cause for concern, so he called her name, which helped centre her again.

"Nukaq, where do you come from?" she asked carefully.

"Where the war raged. Where it wasn't safe, to be…." her voice trailing, tears forming in her dark eyes. Chakotay and Deanna shared a glance at each other of their concern and puzzlement.

"The war raged in a lot of places, Nukaq," he said softly, feeling the boy calming against him, his arms around the young boy. "Do you remember your parents?" The girl shook her head, her tears spilling over, yet her eyes were distant and unfocused again.

"Taken away," she whispered, causing the boy to whimper again. Deanna Troi suddenly sensed something and cautioned Chakotay to stay quiet. "Wandered, found each other. Big buildings, many boxes," she halted.

"Warehouses?" someone asked.

"Ships coming in, going again. Found warm place, sleep," she let go of the jerkin and turned fully to Deanna, locking eyes with the half Betazoid. "Uniforms came, found us, gave us food. Woke up in dark smelly metal room that vibrated…."

"Deanna?" a voice asked concerned, as the two females stared at each other.

"Counsellor Troi!" the voice strong and commanding. The woman blinked, breaking the contact with the child, shaking her head to clear it, of the sadness and despair.

"You are safe here, with Chakotay," she quietly informed the girl, who nodded and sank down beside the male, curling up against him. He put his arm around her drawing her close to his torso, a question on his face, to the Counsellor. Before answering him, she sat down facing him with a soft sigh. "Both children, if not all of them, have been through a traumatic time," she began quietly, gathering her thoughts. "I'm not sure, but I feel they mainly come from the DMZ and the outer Federation colonies and not Earth." That revelation was new to those listening around them. Ayala nodded his agreement.

"Their medical records would back-up that statement," noted the EMH, surprising the Brass.

"Why bring them here?"

"Silver metal," said the oldest child with Ayala.

"Children can go where adults cannot," noted Data. "And in the main they do as they are told," he added.

"Child labour! That's outlawed," said Hayes, incensed at such an act.

"Officially. But people always find ways around the law, Admiral," Chakotay added, anger in his tone.

"Our parents were persuaded to hand us over to the uniformed people officially," the child's tone conveying the sense of betrayal they felt at such an act, by those who should have cared for them.

"Uniforms? What type of uniforms?" Riker asked gently.

"Grey uniforms."

"Starfleet security or so they said."

"The grey uniforms wore hoods and hid most of their faces with masks."

"We didn't meet the Grey uniforms until after we'd been taken to their ships." Which child was talking/speaking didn't really matter, as all the children were adding what they knew to the whole; gathering around the senior staff and Admiralty Brass. The adults were not liking what they were hearing at all.

"So your parents had no idea about these grey uniformed persons?"

"It was the security people that spoke to our parents." Silence greeted this news, Chakotay frowned a moment, trying to get his thoughts around what the children were telling them, there had to be more to it, so he asked a question.

"When did these security people and grey uniforms come to your parents?"

"After Tevlik!"

"The slaughter of the Maquis," said Paris snr.

"And their families," added Tom Paris, cuddling his wife close.

"They believed they were safe there. Whoever betrayed them to the Jem'Hadar…" Hendricks didn't finish the thought, feeling sick to his stomach, which was reflected in his expression as well as his voice.

"I'd like…" growled a male voice only to be cut off by a strong command.

"Ayala, don't!" Chakotay said firmly. "We'd be no better if we went after that person or persons, and thus do our fallen comrades a great dis-service." The Hispanic male breathed deeply to quell the anger and nodded his agreement. Janeway had joined their group along with all the children and gave the males arm a reassuring squeeze, in understanding and acknowledgement of his grief.

"I have been looking over the data, Reanna gave us about those people," she began avoiding calling them by name so as not to upset the children milling around them. "One thing did stand out. Code S."

"What is Code S?" asked Nechayev. Suddenly all the children tried to talk at once, calling out words that started with that letter.

"Safety, Silver, Secret, Slave, Servant, Soiled, Starving, Seek, Searching!"

"Staring!" said the boy in Chakotay's embrace, once the others had run out of s words.

"Nukaq?" he enquired. The boy didn't say anything he just pulled a small soft toy out of his pocket and then pulled the stitches on one seam, his fingers feeling inside the stuffing and quietly pulled out something silver. He held it up, so that it caught the light. "An earring?" puzzled.

"May I see?" asked Deanna, holding out her hand. He put the jewellery into her hand carefully. "I believe it's a Bajoran styled earring, but I've never seen one like this."

"That main piece looks like an eye."

"Open eye. Sellen-jer," said the girl quietly.

=/\=

NB: Sorry for the lengthy delay in updating this chapter, been having log-in problems with my Google account. It is still a problem, but I can live with it for now.