Act 9 - Scene 1
Chakotay advertised for passengers as soon as they were in orbit of a planet called Veda. They crew had two days to enjoy some R&R , afterwards they would leave orbit to visit four planets in the system to drop off their passengers .
Everybody had been waiting for Carlson and Bendera to return from the surface, to confirm that the climate was as perfect as they'd been told. They reported that Veda had a warm climate with lots of sandy beaches and a warm blue ocean. There were plenty of resorts, hotels and shops, it was a perfect venue for shore leave.
Chakotay had organised this break as relationships between the crew had been strained since the incidents in the dark matter nebula. The Doctor had explained how certain members of the crew couldn't be held responsible for their actions. That didn't stop Gerron, Seska and B'Elanna from feeling resentful of their attackers,
Ann was sitting with Kathryn on her bunk chatting.
"I heard that the Captain and Ayala got into a fight when we were stuck in the nebula, I don't suppose you know anything about that?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about, stupid men getting wound up over nothing."
"So you do know, spill the beans." asked Ann curiously.
"There's nothing to spill, I am staying well away from men, they're nothing but trouble. For the first time in my life, I am free and single with no responsibilities."
"You're crazy, every woman on the ship has had a crush on Chakotay at some point," argued Ann.
Kathryn put an end to the conversation, "I'm too old to be distracted by a pretty face."
"Are you packed for our shore leave tomorrow?" asked Ann.
"Yes, I've packed my swimsuits, sun lotion, sunglasses and something wispy for the evening - I even included a book. I can't remember the last time I had chance to read without being interrupted.
"Veda sounds as though it's identical to Risa, my home planet." commented Ann feeling homesick even though she could never return.
Kathryn was determined that they would both enjoy their shore leave,"I'll meet you in the transporter bay at 09:00 hours, remember to bring your sunscreen, we'll check into the hotel quickly then choose a beach.
Scene 2
When Ann arrived at the transporter , Kathryn was already waiting.
"Come on ladies, all the beaches will be full by the time you get there," teased Bendera, who'd already taken his R&R, so he agreed to operate the transporter for the others.
As soon as they reached the surface they had to wear their sunglasses as the sun was dazzling. Ann and Kathryn had decided to share a room so they booked in quickly and changed into their swimsuits for the beach. Due to all the physical exercise and training, Kathryn made the brave choice to wear a bikini, she checked herself in the mirror to make sure she hadn't made a horrible mistake.
"Relax Kathryn you look wonderful, your bikini fits perfectly, there will be a lot of woman who will be jealous of your toned stomach, me included."
Ann had chosen a one-piece swimsuit because she wasn't very confident about her body. They both tied a sarong about their waists, put their belongings into a beach bag and left their room to find the perfect spot to relax and sunbathe.
Kathryn spotted two sunloungers on the beach, by a cute little bar serving cocktails, a perfect spot to relax. Ann spread towels over the loungers while Kathryn fetched the drinks. When they were both lying down with a drink in their hands, luxuriating in the heat from the sun, they started arguing good naturedly about the perfect cocktail. Kathryn took all the extra fruit and ornaments from around the side of the glass then drank the contents. Ann giggled as she tried to find room to sip the contents of her drink through the fruit cocktail and ornaments on the rim of the glass.
Ann was one of those people who couldn't sit still for very long, she tried to persuade Kathryn to go for a swim but failed miserably.
"You go, I'm too lazy and really warm now, I'll make sure you have a drink waiting for you when you come out of the water."
Kathryn reached that wonderful stage of relaxation when the body is warm, mellow and half asleep. She woke up suddenly when she heard a male voice calling her name. She sat up confused, then scanned the beach to see if she could identify the person who had called her. Her heart stopped when she saw a man who looked exactly like Lon Suder. The man walked away so she got up to follow him.
"Kathryn, where are you going, the bar is that way," shouted Ann, who had just emerged from the water, laughing. Kathryn told her about the man who looked like Suder and her belief that he'd called her name.
"Lon Suder is dead Kathryn, Ayala and the Captain shot him on board the alien ship. You've been under so much stress recently that it's not surprising that your mind is playing tricks on you."
Scene 3
"You need a distraction let's go shopping for something fabulous to wear tonight. I've never been to a nightclub before, I was too young and poor for the clubs on Risa.
Shopping was the best late afternoon activity on Veda. They managed to buy everything they needed for the evening and some extra items for their personal wardrobes onboard. Kathryn couldn't get used to dressing in civilian clothes for work. Ever since her late teens she had worn a uniform during the day.
They had decided to make a special effort for their evening. Having already booked the restaurant and asked around to find the perfect night-club, all they had to do was get themselves ready.
Kathryn used the bathroom to change, she found the perfect dress in a boutique in the hotel complex; It was a black corset with a midnight blue skirt and black stiletto heels. She undid her hair, to wear it long with a simple headband. When she emerged from the bathroom, Ann was stunned,
"Kathryn, you look beautiful and for a woman who has sworn off men, it is an incredibly sexy dress."
Kathryn laughed, "You can dress up for yourself, it doesn't have to be for men all the time."
"When Ann emerged from the bathroom Kathryn was equally complimentary,
"You look lovely, I'm glad you took my advice, that colour is perfect for you."
Ann was wearing a simple cream sheath with a lace overlay, which highlighted her natural colouring, she wore low heeled pumps instead of heels, because she was scared of breaking her ankles.
Scene 4
They walked over to the restaurant, which was situated across the road from the hotel, on the edge of the beach. After eating battle rations they were both looking forward to real food, the restaurant's speciality was fresh seafood.
After they ordered, Ann went to the bar to get a drink. Kathryn was looking around at the different species enjoying themselves and watching the incredible sunset, at that moment she heard a male voice calling her name again. This time she was determined to find out who was calling her. She scanned the room and spotted a man leaving the restaurant, she was sure it was the same man from the beach, so she stood up and followed him.
Ann called her, "Is everything okay Kathryn, where are you going?"
"Ann, I won't be long!" replied Kathryn, hoping that it was a case of mistaken identity again.
She followed the human male but made sure she stayed well behind him so he didn't get suspicious. He didn't turn around once so she couldn't identify him properly. She wasn't looking where she was going, so it was inevitable that she would bump into someone, luckily it was Ayala.
"Whoa lady, watch out!"
Kathryn was very apologetic until she realised who it was. She told him what had happened on the beach and restaurant. They both turned around to find the mystery man but he seemed to have vanished for a second time.
Ayala agreed with Ann, "Kathryn, I can assure you that Lon Suder was dead before we left him on the Numiri ship. You been through some terrible trauma recently perhaps you should see the Doctor when we get back,"
Ayala put his arm around her shoulders and escorted her back to the restaurant, luckily he was meeting Gerron there as they'd heard about the restaurant's reputation. Kathryn invited Ayala and Gerron to join them, the food was exquisite and after a few awkward minutes everybody relaxed and started to enjoy themselves. Even Gerron started to unwind and respond to Ann's gentle nature. Kathryn and Ayala were indulging in some outrageous flirting.
Ayala held her hand, "I don't suppose ma'am that you would be interested in going dancing later."
"I never allowed my crew to call me ma'am or sir, I preferred Captain." replied Kathryn.
Ayala whistled, "I don't think anybody would call you sir wearing that dress."
Kathryn really enjoyed Ayala's company, he was so uncomplicated and very easy to talk to, most importantly he made her laugh and have fun. Sometimes she felt guilty enjoying herself as though she'd forgotten about her crew but she was sensible enough to know that she wouldn't survive the journey home feeling depressed all the time. Perhaps she should speak to the Doctor about some counselling when she returned to the ship.
Scene 5
When they finished their meals, they left the restaurant to walk to the night-club as two couples. Gerron and Ann hadn't stopped talking since they left the bar,B'Elanna wouldn't have recognised him. Ayala and Kathryn walked behind them holding hands.
"They make a cute couple," commented Ayala.
"I think they're very compatible, both had terrible childhoods but still survived with their innocence intact."
"Do we make a cute couple," asked Ayala, holding his breath.
Kathryn replied, "We could do," she was unwilling to make a commitment yet but she was definitely attracted to him.
They reached the night-club, unfortunately it was playing techno music and had strobe lighting. Gerron agreed to look after Ann and ensure that she got back to the hotel safely. Ayala and Kathryn headed towards a beach bar, which was lit up by torches and had a single guitarist playing blues music. Ayala went to the bar to see if he could find an acceptable Whisky while Kathryn found a table. He returned with a bottle and two shot glasses.
"I tried a few and this was the only drink which came close."
Kathryn knocked back her drink in one, "It's not bad!"
Ayala tried to encourage Kathryn to relax as he was really eager to get to know her better. As the evening progressed she found him funny, charming and very attractive. They were both surprised when they discovered how late it was. Ayala reluctantly suggested that he should escort Kathryn back to the hotel.
When they reached her room, he gave her a chaste kiss as he didn't want to rush things. As he turned to leave he spotted a man standing in front of a door at the end of the corridor staring intently at them. He didn't say a word before he started to run after the mysterious man. When the man realised Ayala was after him he ran down the stairs. Ayala was extremely fit so he was fairly certain that he could catch him. However when he reached the end of the stairs the man had vanished into thin air for a third time. When he returned to Kathryn's room she was still waiting outside worried about him.
"What happened, I turned around to open the door then the next minute you were gone."
"I saw a man staring at us and considering what happened to you today, I wanted to identify him, unfortunately he got away after a very neat vanishing act."
"Do you think it was Suder?"
"It did look like him, which is why I wanted to catch him. I'd feel a lot happier if you were back on the ship,"
"I'll go and wake Ann and tell her that we're leaving."
"I'll have a good look around then I'll order the crew to return to the ship. If Suder did survive he's not going to be well disposed towards any of the crew," he kissed her on the cheek and left her to pack.
Scene 6
As soon as Ayala returned to the ship, he was debriefed by Chakotay, who decided to inform their passengers that they would be leaving earlier than advertised.
"This mystery man seems to be fixated with Kathryn, I know she can handle herself but I think that she should be assigned extra security when she leaves the ship."
"Agreed, how was your shore leave?" asked Chakotay, knowing full well that he spent most of it with Kathryn.
"It was going really well, if we ever see this man again I'm going to beat him senseless for spoiling my precious shore leave.
Chakotay laughed, "I don't think you will be the only one wishing him harm."
The next morning Chakotay ordered the crew to clean the ship to make it neat and tidy for their passengers. Some members of the crew weren't happy about being turfed out of their bunks so the passengers could have somewhere to rest.
Chakotay smartened himself up and joined Kathryn and Ayala to welcome their passengers. The passengers consisted of a Talaxien, a couple from Veda who had new jobs to go to and a Numiri male. The couple were the first to arrive closely followed by the Talaxien, who didn't stop talking. The last passenger was late, Chakotay was loath to leave him behind as he hoped these passengers would recommend them to their friends and family.
At the very last moment the passenger rushed up the ramp to join the ship. Chakotay, Ayala and Kathryn audibly gasped as Lon Suder appeared in front of them.
Chakotay recovered first, he ordered Bendera and Carlson to restrain him.
"Take him to sick bay and tell the Doctor to explain to me how a dead man just walked on the ship. Arm yourselves and do not leave him until Ayala or I relieve you."
Chakotay walked away totally confused, there had to be a logical reason, dead men do not get up after being shot by two phasers. Ayala joined him to wait for the results of the Doctor's tests. He restrained himself from checking that Kathryn was safe because he knew she'd commanded a federation starship and wasn't easily unbalanced. They both jumped up when the Doctor asked them to join him in sickbay.
"Well Gentlemen I have solved our mystery, this individual is a clone of Mr Suder. Apparently the Numiri have a shortage of females and take strong DNA samples from other species to strengthen their breeding stock."
"Would he retain any of Suder's personality traits or memories?"
"Definitely not, a physical resemblance is the only thing they shared."
Chakotay ordered Ayala to release the Numiri male who was called Nymet and apologised for their reaction on his arrival, blaming it on a case of mistaken identity.
They decided to take Nymet to his destination first, they felt that they owed him some compensation for his treatment when he boarded the Val Jean. Kathryn was assigned the job of helping him disembark smoothly. She made sure he had his luggage and some extra luxury items from the crew to apologise for subjecting him to a unnecessary, intrusive medical examination.
He started to walk down the gangway, just before he stepped off onto the planet he turned around and winked,
"I'll be back for you soon Kathryn."