MAQUIS
Act 7 - Scene 1
Chakotay eased the Val Jean into orbit around the planet Sikaris. They had recently come to the aid of a cargo ship, which had lost propulsion leaving it drifting in space. The pilot recommended the planet as an ideal place for some R&R.
As they hadn't had a warm welcome from the planets they had already visited, Chakotay chose to send Kathryn and Ayala down as scouts to check whether the planet was as friendly as they'd been informed.
He had a chat with them before they transported, "Don't draw attention to yourselves," he said looking straight at Ayala, who was inclined to be a little high-spirited. "We need to replenish food supplies and assess whether it's safe to send the crew down to the surface for shore leave."
"Should we make contact with any of the officials?"
Chakotay smiled at her, "You aren't in Starfleet now, you need to practice becoming invisible in plain sight."
"Did Captain Tal tell you whether we need currency?" asked Ayala.
"No, you'll have to find out on the surface."
"When do you want us back?" Ayala was hoping for a couple of hours as he was looking forward to spending time with Kathryn. As the weeks had flown by he'd become increasingly attracted to her.
We'll transport you back at 1300 hours, stay safe," said Chakotay just before they disappeared.
Scene 2
"Well where do you want to start?"
"That market looks interesting, let's start there."
They wandered around the stalls, looking at the merchandise, trying to blend in with the locals. Ayala asked if he could hold Kathryn's hand, so they looked like a regular couple - that was his excuse anyway. Kathryn started to look at some bales of material, while chatting idly to the stall holder.
"This material is beautiful, it seems to change colour when the light changes."
"You have excellent taste Madam; I haven't seen you around here before, are you an offworlder?"
"Yes, we were stranded out here by an alien entity, we're trying to find our way home."
"Do you have access to any stories in your database, we value literature above all things on our world."
"I was going to ask you about currency, we need to replenish some of our supplies and our engineer needs some tools to make repairs to our engines."
"Madam, you can buy anything you want on our humble planet, the only currency you need is literature."
"It was nice to meet you and thank for your advice."
The stallholder asked her to wait, he took the bale of material she'd admired and cut off a generous amount, the he wrapped it up for her."
"For you lovely lady as a welcome present to Sikaris. "
"Thank you, I can understand why your planet has a reputation for hospitality."
"One last thing before you go, when you return to trade your stories would you consider using my good self as a broker?"
"I will tell my Captain about your kind offer, what's your name so he will know who to contact?"
"My name is Daved Otel, my brother is a magistrate so he has access to many things you may want."
"Thank you for your help, I'll tell the Captain everything you've told me then he can decide what to do."
She joined Ayala, who was standing nearby smiling, "I thought he was going to offer to come back to the ship with us. They seem to be very eager to acquire our literature .
Kathryn thought it was charming that they enjoyed books and reading so much, "Well we need some supplies so the crew will have to start writing and we'll have to collect all the literature in the databases including the personal logs."
"We have some time before transport, shall we get a drink and something to eat, we can listen to the chatter around us and see what else we can find out."
"Are you suggesting that we have a date?" teased Kathryn.
Ayala enjoyed flirting with her, "Yes Ma'am!"
"That sounds wonderful!"
They spotted a bar, with tables outside and sat down waiting for someone to take their order.
"I'm afraid that I never got the chance to offer my condolences on the loss of your crew, I think we've all been focussed on survival so much that the niceties were lost."
"Thank you, I still wake up crying after dreaming that it was all a mistake. I suppose, in time the grief will fade and I'll be able to think of happier times with the crew members I knew before."
Ayala wanted to cheer her up, "I know that Chakotay will get us home. For a rebel he is remarkably disciplined and honourable."
"What about you, why do you join the Maquis, did the Cardassians invade your home planet, like the others?"
"I told the Maquis that I believed in their cause but I was just looking for a chance to fight and pilot ships at high speed."
Kathryn laughed, "Well at least you're honest about it, how do the crew spend their leisure time."
"You're more than welcome to join our card game as long as you're really bad at poker!"
"I'll definitely keep that in mind," as Captain she had been excluded from playing cards with her Starfleet crew.
They stopped talking when their food arrived. Luckily they could identify most of the ingredients and nothing moved independently.. Included was a bottle of alcohol similar to white wine. By the time they'd finished they were both very relaxed.
"Did you get into a lot of trouble with Seska when you ignored her order to snub me in the mess." asked Kathryn.
"It wouldn't bother me as I don't like her anyway. I can't put my finger on it but something doesn't feel right about her. You learn to rely on your instincts in order to survive."
She thought about sharing her concerns about Seska but decided not to, until she was sure.
"We'd better get to the transport site or Chakotay will have a fit." warned Ayala.
Kathryn got to her feet unsteadily, "That drink must have been stronger than I thought."
Ayala put his arm around her, with the excuse that he didn't want her to fall. As they reached the site Kathryn stumbled which gave him the excuse to put both arms around her. He tipped her chin and kissed her, it started innocently but quickly became more heated., they didn't even notice the transport start. When they materialised they had to separate quickly.
Scene 3
They couldn't understand why Chakotay was so angry after their return, after all they were both free agents. He took Kathryn aside to hear her report. She recounted everything they learned on the surface but left out the intimate dinner for two.
"You're drunk!" accused Chakotay.
"I apologise, we had a drink and I didn't realise how strong it was."
"Are you in a relationship with him now?"
"I'm sorry Captain but I won't answer questions about my private life. We completed our mission then used the remaining time on the planet to relax."
"I could see how relaxed you were, you didn't even notice the transport had started."
Kathryn lost her temper, "I'm sorry I was indiscreet, that was wrong but I won't apologise for having some fun. We are both single so I don't understand your problem."
"Dismissed," snapped Chakotay with a face like thunder.
Ayala had been summoned by Chakotay as well, he was waiting outside for him to finish with Kathryn so he heard everything. He was shocked by Chakotay's reaction, he'd never seen him so angry or rude before.
Kathryn was so upset that she rushed past him without noticing that he was there.
Ayala was annoyed that Chakotay had upset Kathryn, "What is the matter with you, I've never seen you behave like that, you owe her an apology."
"She is one of the crew and I'm the Captain, I'm entitled to speak to her in any manner I choose - stay away from her."
"Is that an order, sir!" asked Ayala half jokingly.
"As her Captain, I'm responsible for her welfare, if that's what it takes, then yes!"
Ayala couldn't believe what he was hearing, it almost sounded like Chakotay was jealous. He walked away because he was worried that if he stayed he wouldn't be able to control his temper. He went to the mess to get something to eat, unfortunately Seska was the only person there.
"I heard you were getting fresh with our dear Captain Janeway, how did Chakotay take it?"
He didn't want to take the bait but he had to find out, "Why does Chakotay care who she goes out with?"
Seska laughed, "It must have escaped your notice that our wonderful Captain is in love with her himself, he's showing classic signs of jealousy."
Ayala hit himself, "Of course, it makes sense now."
Seska took her sandwich and left, she didn't foresee this little menage a trois developing but she saw plenty of opportunities to pay Chakotay back for ending their relationship plus she hated Ayala, he had been suspicious about her from the beginning.
In the morning Chakotay called a meeting of the whole crew. He told them what Ayala and Kathryn had discovered on the planet surface and asked each one of them to write a story about why they joined the Maquis.
"I've collected all of the literature from the database and your personal files," he looked at some of the males, "Some of you have very questionable taste but I've included it anyway. I want all stories completed by tomorrow."
Kathryn decided that she would write about Tom Paris, she had bailed him from a penal colony in order to catch Chakotay.
Bendera was thinking about the night he met Chakotay on Telfas Prime.
Kurt Bendera
How I joined the Maquis Rebels
I was raised on a farm, it could have been an idyllic childhood but there wasn't enough danger and excitement for a young man with an abundance of restless energy. All my friends at school knew that I would accept any dare they gave me, the more dangerous the better. I ended up in the emergency room most weekends. The problems really started when I was sixteen; my family blamed it on hanging around with the wrong crowd, what they didn't understand was that I was the ringleader.
One warm summer's evening, I met my friends at an abandoned dirt track that we used for racing old shuttlecraft. Unfortunately for me, my local rival turned up and challenged me to a drag race over the local farm land. I tried to be sensible and refuse, then he started to call me a coward - well I couldn't let that go, could I?
Nobody else knew that my shuttle needed repairs, I was going to have an extremely bumpy ride. At the early stages I was winning, my shuttle was faster than my opponents. I even showed off to the spectators by doing a few rolls. We'd nearly cleared my family's land when the inertial dampers started to malfunction. Just after I started the next roll, I realised that I couldn't pull out of it and crashed into a field in which the crops were ready to harvest.
It was touch and go whether I survived. I finally left hospital to return to a family who hadn't forgiven me for almost dying over a stupid dare and the loss of a whole field of crops. I'd been found guilty of reckless endangerment in my absence by the Youth Justice department. My sentence was two years house arrest which meant that I wasn't allowed outside my home without an adult family member with me.
On my eighteenth birthday my father told me that he knew farming wasn't for me so he'd used his contacts and found me a job on Telfas Prime in the mines as an apprentice engineer. I was used to repairing the machinery around the farm but I was self taught.
On my last day on the farm, I was suffering from two emotions. I was really excited about leaving Earth and living on an alien planet, facing new challenges; however I was really sad about leaving my family. I would miss getting out of bed in the morning to the smell of mom's pancakes for breakfast.
On board the shuttle to Telfas Prime, just before take off, I felt a little sentimental about leaving my home planet, I shook it off. When we entered orbit around the planet I was really excited about finally getting to see my new home. That excitement lasted until I actually set foot on Telfas Prime, the planet was barren, no trees, grass, hills, only rock and a fine red dust .
After I had scanned everyone around the landing site, I saw a man standing in front of a battered old truck, holding up a sign with my name on it.
"You must be Kurt, your father asked us to collect you and to make sure you reach the boarding house, safely."
"I'm sure that he wanted to guarantee that I didn't escape and show him up in front of his high rolling friends."
"I can assure him that you won't have any energy left after your shift to get up to any mischief."
He was right, the work down the mine was backbreaking and dangerous enough to appeal to my adrenaline junkie side. It is a cliché to say that I became a man there but I did, I also put aside my addiction to danger for a short time.
On a Friday night after work, a group of us would shower quickly, put on some fresh clothes and head down to the local saloon for a beer and occasionally for some company. There was only one rule for these all night drinking sessions, don't touch the Supervisor's girl. He had been seeing, Freya, one of the working girls, every Friday night for the last ten years.
When we arrived at the bar I knew there was going to be trouble because there was a native American, with tribal markings tattooed on his face, chatting with Freya. She was definitely enjoying herself, the stranger was a lot more attractive than Ed, who resembled a bullock and was built like a tank.
For the next hour Ed's rage built up slowly until steam should have been coming out of his ears. He finally had enough and walked over to the stranger.
"Either go upstairs with her or stop chatting; she's a working girl and you are stopping her from seeing her clients."
The Stranger was obviously unaware of Ed's feelings for Freya because his next move was homicidal. He walked over to the owner, threw some gold pressed Latinum in front of her and booked Freya for the night.
For Ed, that was the last straw he walked over to the stranger and hit him with a vicious roundhouse punch. I was quite willing to stay out of it and watch but some of the locals piled in, which made it an unfair fight.
I took off my valuables and gave them to a friend I could trust, then I went to help the stranger. After punching and kicking my way to him, we stood side by side and fought until either they were lying on the floor or they had run away with their tails between their legs. After the fight finished they dragged the bodies out and left them to the tender mercies of passers by.
We helped to put the bar straight and left compensation for the damage. While walking back to our respective lodgings, Chakotay talked about the Maquis and the adventures they'd had.
He asked me a question, "Why did you help me, those were your people back there."
I laughed, "I like a good fight plus it wasn't a fair fight when everyone piled in,"
"Would you like to join my crew, there is no payment, occasionally we don't eat and you'll always be getting into fights that you can't win."
"Well after that offer how could I refuse! That is how I became a member of the Maquis."
The only thing that Tabor remembered clearly from his past was his family's stay in Crell Moset's hospital on Bajor.
Tabor - My family and other experiments
During the Occupation of Bajor my family were slaves on Terok Nor refining the uridium ore mined on the planet's surface. Everyone had to work or there was no food for them including the children. The conditions were hellish on the station, it was overcrowded brutal and ruled by fear. The Cardassian in charge, Gul Dukat took the most beautiful Bajoran women as his whores.
My job was to shovel the ore, mined on the planet, into carts to be transported to the refinery. I was only fourteen but I was physically strong from the manual labour.
I remember the visit of Crell Moset to the station as they postponed work so he could inspect the Bajoran slaves. The rumour was that he was looking for a family to study Bajoran genetics and the lucky family would return to Bajor and live like civilised people again. There would be access to replicators, sonic showers and all they wanted from the family was their cooperation in a few experiments.
When we saw Doctor Moset, he didn't look like any of the Cardassian monsters on the station however we soon discovered that he was the biggest and most cruellest monster anyone had ever met. He walked along the line of Bajoran slaves then stopped to examine my grandfather, there weren't many older Bajorans left, as they'd been worked to their deaths. He checked my Grandpa's teeth and listened to his heart and lungs. He nodded to the guard and we were all told that we were the lucky family chosen to return to Crell Moset's hospital complex.
We didn't need time to pack as we had no possessions except the clothes we were wearing. The shuttle door opened when we reached Bajor causing us to cover our eyes because the light was so bright. It was always dark on the station. We disembarked in the hospital grounds, so there wasn't far to nurses told us to strip, they burnt our old clothes, replacing them with clean white trousers and a tunic. We were taken to a communal shower and told to shower using the soap provided, which smelt strongly of disinfectant.
After we were clean they separated the family into males and females then lead us to two different wards. My mother and baby sister were in the first ward and I slept in the second ward with my brother, father and grandpa.
Dr Moset came to make sure we arrived in good condition. Secondly he wanted to make sure we knew the rules of the hospital. The first rule was that we were allowed to move freely within the hospital and the grounds but not outside of those boundaries. Secondly, male and female family members could mix during the day but we must sleep in our allocated wards. The most important rule was that we were not allowed to leave our wards during the night with no exceptions. He emphasised that there would be harsh punishment if we broke the last rule.
We were so glad to get away from Terek Nor that these few rules seemed perfectly reasonable. During the first month we ate good food three times a day, we had access to showers and washing facilities; they even provided us with books, games and music for our leisure time.
We had a set routine, after breakfast we would tidy the wards, then we sat down at the table for lessons. My grandfather had been a professor at a university before the Occupation. However on the station Grandpa was forced to do manual labour, he had to break the rocks into smaller pieces for the refining process. He may be old but he was in good physical shape. After our lessons finished we were allowed to play outside until supper.
After two months of good food and exercise, we were starting to feel more positive about our future. Mum and Dad had stopped worrying about being kept prisoner in the hospital, until that night, we all refer to it as that night because everything changed from that point in time.
I was lying in bed thinking about going to sleep when three nurses and a doctor unlocked the door and walked into the ward. One of the nurses had a torch to check whether everyone was asleep. I shut my eyes and tried to relax to convince them that I was asleep. It must have worked because they walked past me. All four staff members stopped at Grandpa's bed. Earlier in the day he had mentioned to one of the nurses that he was having trouble sleeping, so they gave him a sleeping draught before he went to sleep. They took the brakes off Grandpa's bed and wheeled him out of the doors. I was too scared to get out of bed because I believed Dr Moset when he threatened harsh punishments.
I must have dozed off because I didn't hear them bring him back. When we got out of bed in the morning he was still asleep. During breakfast he woke up because we heard him screaming. We rushed back into the male ward to help him; he was lying on his bed writhing in agony. The screams stopped abruptly because he didn't have enough energy to continue. One of the Cardassian nurses came in, after she was alerted by my father, to give him an injection. When he settled down, we examined him to find dressings on his stomach, which covered a fresh wound, it appeared that he'd had surgery the previous night. I told father what I'd seen last night which seemed to frighten him.
When a nurse appeared, my father tried to ask her why they had operated on my grandpa but she just put a finger to her lips and disappeared again. Later that day the sedative wore off, we helped grandpa to sit up to find that all of his hair stayed on the pillow. He asked for a bowl and proceeded to vomit for the next couple of hours. Finally he fell back, on the clean pillow we'd found, totally exhausted and fell asleep.
Nobody wanted to sleep that night because we were all worried about what they would do to us, however everyone was so tired that nature intervened. When my family woke in the morning, nobody else had been touched however grandpa was getting sicker. His skin had a yellow tinge, plus he was in more pain. His screaming was so loud that a nurse gave him a sedative to shut him up. By the end of the second day he was so weak that even I knew that he was close to death.
We thought that they were only interested in my grandfather and his suffering but we discovered how wrong we were that night. I was woken for the second time by staff opening the locked door but this time there were two doctors and six nurses. One doctor went to my brother's bed and the other one walked over to my father, they took both of them away. I felt so ashamed that I didn't try to save my grandpa that this time I got out of bed and followed them. Luckily I was so small that nobody noticed me. The horrors I saw in the operating theatre will live with me for the rest of my life. I stumbled back to the ward and curled up into a little ball under my sheets.
When mother came to wake me the next morning, she was already crying. I could have told her what I'd seen the previous night but I chose to be silent. In fact I became an elective mute even after the occupation ended. My grandfather took another four days to die. My brother lasted for a couple of days then he joined grandpa with the prophets.
I joined the Maquis to kill Cardassians. Each time I killed one I thought of how helpless I felt in that ward watching that monster experiment on my family. If I survive our journey home, I will still kill Cardassians until my final breath.
Smithee wondered how much of her previous life she should include but she chose to be brutally honest, it wasn't as though they could send her to Cardassia to stand trial.
Ann Smithee
I was born on Risa, before you think it must have been a fantastic place to grow up - it wasn't. I never knew my father, he was a native of Risa but that is all my mother knew about him. I think you may have guessed that my mother was a hostess, her job role was to give pleasure to the guests.
I know all children think their mother is beautiful but mine really was. She had long blonde hair, large breasts complemented by a tiny waist and perfectly shaped hips with long shapely legs. The Controller used to tease her saying that she was built for sin. I was a small, scrawny, boyish looking girl with unruly hair. Although I would start the day in respectable clean clothes, by the end of it my clothes were dirty, ripped, with the occasional larger hole.
When I reached the age of consent it was obvious that I wasn't hostess material. My future career as part of the cleaning crew was chosen for me. It was a job which required a lot of discretion, knowing when it was safe to enter one of the guest's rooms and when to stay clear.
My final day on Risa started like every other day. There were no signs that I would finish the day as a murderer. After work finished I walked over to the resort, where my mother worked, to meet her for dinner and our weekly chat. When I reached her rooms there was a sign on the door to show that she was entertaining a guest.
The Controller was coming into the hotel as I was leaving. Out of interest I asked him why mom was working.
"We had a request for company from two Cardassian guests, unfortunately only your mother was free. I promised her an extra three days vacation to persuade her to work tonight. She told me to apologise for missing your evening together and she promised to spend her vacation with you."
I was so excited at the prospect of spending three whole days with mother. Working as a hostess meant that she didn't have many days off. I decided to wait until she finished, to surprise her with a late supper. I went to the kitchens to charm them into giving me some treats for mom. Luckily as I grew up on Risa, they all knew me so I was able to get away with it. I chatted with the kitchen staff for the next couple of hours while I tried some of the dishes they'd prepared for the late evening's entertainment.
All sessions with a hostess should finish before midnight, so I walked slowly carrying the tray to mom's rooms about 11:50. When I arrived her door was open so I walked straight in. She was lying on the bed moaning and holding her face. I thought she must have a headache until I saw the blood. I dropped the tray and rushed over to her. After gently lifting her hands I gasped, she had been slashed from her cheek to the corner of her mouth. It must have been a sharp knife because the incision was clean and the inside of her mouth was exposed. I pressed the alarm and waited for help while talking constantly, trying to reassure her that everything would be alright.
She was never the same after that night. She told me that everything that had occurred that night. They had both arrived drunk and aggressive. She suggested that maybe they could return the following day for their visit but this suggestion had angered them. They decided to punish her for the suggestion that they couldn't perform. They both raped her at knife point then as soon as they had finished one of the Cardassians held her down while the other one cut her.
She slipped further and further into depression until she killed herself, leaving me a letter. The letter gave me a purpose, she wanted me to kill the monsters who had attacked her! In addition she left me some gold pressed latinum to finance my efforts.
I hacked the controller's computer to find the names of my prey. I discovered that they were frequent visitors to Risa and even more fortunate they were due to arrive on Risa the following day so I would have to act quickly. I waited patiently to find out which hostess had been reserved for their entertainment. When I found out that it was my mom's friend, Amara, I thought it was a good omen for my success.
When the Cardassians arrived at Amara's room she poured two glasses of champagne with the added ingredient of a drug that would temporarily paralyse them. I waited outside while the drug did its job. When I walked in they were both lying on the floor, totally immobile. I walked in carrying a Bajoran dagger and sat in a chair. I showed each of them a picture of my Mom so they knew why I was going to kill them. The first cuts I made were through their neck ridges, they couldn't scream so I allowed them to bleed for a few minutes. Then I made small nicks in their veins and waited for their lives to drain away. I thought it would be cowardly to run away.
Afterwards, we locked the door and Amara and I left Risa on the next shuttle. I hooked up with the Maquis as soon as I could so I could continue to kill Cardassians. I joined the Maquis because, I was already a murderer, I started young and my conscience and compassion died on my last day on Risa.
The crew gave Chakotay their assignments the next morning, even Seska, although her story was more fictional than the others. He decided to negotiate for the supplies and equipment personally. As Kathryn had made the contact on the planet, she was the logical choice to go with him. Seska looked pointedly at Ayala when Chakotay informed the crew. The relationship between Ayala and Chakotay had been awkward since the first visit to the surface
Scene 4
After they transported, Kathryn showed Chakotay where the market stall was..
"Mr Otel may I present my Captain, Chakotay."
"I have arranged a meeting with my brother Captain, as you requested, would you like some refreshments first or shall we start the transaction?"
"If you don't have any objections, I like to get down to business quickly."
"As you wish Captain, follow me please."
They followed him until they reached an imposing building, with well kept formal gardens with a covered seating area in the middle of the garden. When they reached the patio, a Sikarian was waiting with a drinks tray and small cakes on the table, in front of him.
After the introductions were made they started the ancient art of bartering. The magistrate greedily pored over the fresh stories on offer. When he looked at them again, there was a fanatical gleam in his eyes.
"After I spoke to you yesterday Captain, I took the liberty of looking into you present situation. You have a small ship, which is well armed but no match for our elite fighters. What if I keep these stories without giving you anything in return.
Chakotay looked straight at the Magistrate without blinking. "At this exact moment, members of my crew are standing outside your personal residence with enough explosive to send your house into the next galaxy."
Canan, could you verify the security of my family residence please?
"Yes Sir, it should take a few minutes."
"Affirmative sir, the security forces couldn't believe that we knew about it so quickly."
answered the guard.
"What do you want? asked the magistrate.
"We only want what you promised in exchange for the stories, we're not thieves."
"He used his communications device to order his employee to get the supplies ready for transport.."
"When my crew confirm that the supplies have reached them, I will order my people at your home to return to the ship."
Everything went smoothly, leaving only Chakotay and Kathryn on the surface waiting for transport.
"Do we have to start kissing now!" teased Chakotay.
Kathryn walked over to him and pecked him on the cheek, "That is all you're getting."
"For now!" whispered Chakotay.