MAQUIS
Act Twelve, Scene 1
The Val Jean was in orbit around the planet Shyamala. They crew heard that they could barter for supplies in their markets as they didn't use currency. The advance team beamed down to the planet. They realised it would be difficult to blend in with the natives as their skin colour was blue.
As soon as they returned to the ship, Chakotay went to talk to Chell.
"I know you don't normally go to the surface. As none of us have blue skin, this is one planet where you will definitely fit in and we won't."
"I'm honoured Captain. Will anyone be coming with me or do I have to do this alone?"
"I was thinking about sending Kathryn Janeway with you, we can disguise her as your slave. She has had extensive training in negotiation and hand-to-hand combat."
"That would be acceptable, I never believed what Seska said about her. I've always found her to be charming and respectful, which isn't the case with all the members of this crew."
Chakotay had to talk to Seska again about her relationship with Kathryn Janeway. She wasn't making any effort to help her settle in, which meant that she'd disobeyed a direct order of his.
Scene 2
He went to the Mess to talk to Kathryn about this assignment. She choked on her coffee when Chakotay told her that she'd be dressed as Chell's bondservant."
"I will not wear revealing outfits and I refuse to be tied up. If I am going to a hostile planet I want my hands free and clothes that will not hamper me in a fight."
"You won't have to wear provocative clothes but you will have to be tied up, that is one of their laws."
Kathryn could see that Chakotay was having trouble staying serious.
"If you laugh our deal is off. Good luck trying to recruit Seska or B'Elanna for the job."
"What sort of provocative clothing would you be prepared to wear?" asked Chakotay trying to stifle his enjoyment of this predicament.
"If you continue this topic of conversation I will shoot to kill."
"Yes Ma'am." said Chakotay as he beat a hasty retreat.
Scene 3
Chakotay went to give last minute advice to Chell and Kathryn before they beamed to the surface. When he saw what she was wearing he was speechless. She wore a black dress with thigh high slits on both sides. The outfit was modest yet most of the top buttons were open. It was even sexier because she had a sulky pout. Chakotay couldn't take his eyes off her especially when he noticed that she had bare legs.
"Well I'm glad to see that both of you are getting into character."
Kathryn flirted with him, "Do I look sexy enough to pass inspection?"
He tried look at her appearance objectively, but failed, so he told the truth.
"I don't think you'll have any trouble convincing the slavers that you are desirable."
She took great delight in his discomfort, "Perhaps you should make a bid?"
"This is the only time I've ever regretted having no money!"
"As soon as you purchase the supplies get out of there. We don't need another planet that we are barred from visiting"
Then he brought the rope from behind his back.
"You're enjoying this!" said Kathryn through gritted teeth.
"I don't know what you mean?" answered Chakotay innocently.
As they got ready to beam down, Chakotay gave them some last minute advice.
"Don't speak unless you have to and Kathryn you must try to appear a little more subservient."
Kathryn gave him a withering look before she disappeared.
Scene 4
They materialised about a kilometre from the nearest market. The sun was beating down on a desert road. There was sand everywhere the eye could see. Kathryn was already starting to sweat. She used her sleeve to wipe away the sweat trickling down her face. Chakotay thought it would give them an authentic look if they arrived dusty and dirty from their walk. Unfortunately Kathryn was wearing flimsy sandals which made it an uncomfortable walk.
Half way through their marathon walk they heard the sound of horse's hooves behind them. They waited for the cart to catch them up. Luckily Chell convinced the driver to let them sit on the back until they reached the market. They heard the noise of the market before it came into view. It was teeming with cattle, people and carts piled high with produce. The smell was a strange mixture of manure, fruit, spices and perfume.
After they said goodbye to their chauffeur, they headed to the first merchant to buy the staples. Next they haggled for fresh fruit and vegetables. Kathryn was impressed with Chell because he was an expert haggler. Before they reached the dairy food producer a tall, loud, muscular man stopped Chell,
"How much for your slave? I run an establishment for clients who want something unusual. You don't see many slaves with her skin colour. I'll give you a good price!
"I'm sorry Sir, she's not for sale, my wife is very fond of her."
I'll give you a better price than the male pink skinned slave who was sold at the auction last market day."
Kathryn suddenly became interested in the conversation. She whispered in Chell's ear making it appear that she was shy.
"Do you know who bought the pink skinned slave, we might be able to breed from the pair."
The large man became excited at this prospect, "If you manage to breed them here is my address. I would like the first pick of the female babies."
Chell shuddered at the idea of selling babies to this vile creature.
"The slave is now owned by a farmer in the next district. His homestead is about a day's walk from here."
"Thank you for your help sir, I have to conclude my business soon," said Chell, hoping he would take the hint.
Chell arranged for all the supplies to be delivered to an area near an abandoned homestead.
Scene 5
They made sure that the supplies were safely delivered to the ship. Kathryn wanted to go to the farm where the human slave was taken. She knew it would be hard to convince Chell to disobey Chakotay's orders.
"Why don't we have a quick look at the condition of the humanoid slave. If he is being treated well then we'll leave. I couldn't sleep properly if I left a fellow human be abused and mistreated."
Chell wasn't happy, "The Captain's orders were to return to the ship as soon as our mission ended."
"You can tell him that I made you do it. He will have no trouble believing that. I'll accept all the punishments, please!"
Kathryn knew that Chell had a soft spot for women. He found females less aggressive and easier to talk to.
"Okay but remember to tell him that I protested and you forced me to go!"
They continued their master and slave ruse on their walk to the homestead. Kathryn walked five paces behind with her hands tied in front of her. Chell held the other end and kept tugging the rope occasionally to make it look realistic.
It was nearly dark when they arrived at their destination.
"It must be this one, there aren't any other buildings nearby," said Chell wearily.
"I know, approach the owner and ask them for a bed for the night. Tell them that I can sleep in a barn or outhouse. I should be able to find the slave and find out if he is being abused."
"What can we offer as payment?" asked Chell.
Kathryn produced a bag of salt from the bag she was carrying which was scarce on this planet. Chell sighed and walked up to the house. He was sure that Chakotay was going to throw him in the brig when he returned and throw away the key.
"Sir, my horse bolted on my way back to my home. I have a two day walk in front of me, with my slave."
He pulled the salt from his pocket and handed it to the large male.
"Could you give me a bed for the night and a place for my slave in a barn or outhouse."
The man looked him up and down, "I suppose so but only for one night, I don't like strangers. Tell her to go to the barn behind the house. My slave sleeps there, they can share the food between them."
Scene 6
After Chell untied her hands, Kathryn tried to find the barn. This was difficult because there weren't any lights. She found a door and pushed gently. The door creaked open as it was hanging on one hinge.
"Hello, is there anyone there?" shouted Kathryn to show that she was friendly.
There was a rustling noise not far away from where she was standing. She walked over noisily so she didn't startle the occupant. There was a nest of straw and old rags. Kathryn knelt down and lifted some of the old rags with great care. The whole nest moved and a person emerged from the straw. The first thing she saw was dirty, tangled, blonde hair. Then a thin face ingrained with grime, bruises and dried blood. The man tried to sit up slowly, she could tell he was in a great deal of pain. He blinked, trying to focus on her face,
"Captain Janeway is that you?"
Kathryn found some water, soaked one of the rags and wiped away some of the smut. She felt faint, in front of her was a battered and broken Tom Paris.
"Tom, I thought everybody was dead. How did you manage to escape?"
She could barely hear him because his lips were swollen. He had been hit in the mouth so hard that the swelling had split.
"I was right by an escape pod when we were hit. I managed to eject it just before the ship exploded."
"Do you know if anybody else survived?"
"I'm sorry Captain, it was chaotic. I didn't see any other escape pods when I landed on the Ocampa homeworld."
She could see that he was struggling, "Try to get some sleep and I'll plan our escape."
He curled up in a ball again and fell asleep quickly after Kathryn started to rub his back. She could feel the scars through his thin shirt, he had been flogged recently.
She knew they had to escape soon because the brutal farmer would start work as soon as the sun rose. By that time she had to make sure that they were long gone. In his appalling state he wouldn't be able to walk so she had to find some transport.
She went out the door and looked around the yard. She spotted a stable and it seemed to have an occupant. The horse was enormous, he would be capable of carrying two people easily. She slid into the stall and put the saddle and bridle on the horse. She was thankful that her grandfather had taught her these skills. Kathryn lead the horse over to the barn and gave him some feed so he wouldn't make a noise. Next she went to find Chell so they could get out of there quickly. Luckily the house only had one storey which meant she didn't have to climb anything. Chell had left his window open so Kathryn leaned in and woke him up.
"Chell we've got to go, hurry up because things might start to get interesting."
Chell opened an eye and groaned, "I knew you were going to be trouble the moment I saw you in Chakotay's arms."
He was still dressed, all he had to do was grab his bag. He clambered out of the window and followed Kathryn to the barn.
"We are taking the slave with us. Help me to get him on the horse."
Chell was terrified, "You're stealing his horse and slave he's going to kill us. I want the words, don't ever listen to a beautiful woman, on my grave pod."
Kathryn stifled a laugh and mounted the horse. She sat with Tom lying over the front of the horse and Chell mounted behind her. She urged the horse into a slow trot. They thought that they'd escaped easily until they heard the commotion behind them. The horse nearly bolted when the first gun was fired. Kathryn dug her knee into the horse's flank to encourage it to gallop. Finally the huge animal understood what she wanted and started to increase its pace. She told Chell to crouch lower while she struggled to hold Tom's inert body in place. The next bullet hit Kathryn in the arm. She held the reins in one hand. She was grateful for the shock as the bullet wound didn't hurt so much. The next sound she heard chilled her to the bone - dogs. They started to howl which meant that they had found the scent.
Kathryn kept pushing the horse until She could just about see the rendezvous for the beam out. If only she had Voyager's resources they could have transported to the ship from here. The Val Jean didn't have the same range. As soon as she got within range she asked the ship for an emergency beam out.
"Chakotay we're coming in under fire, with wounded," She shouted.
Just before she transported to the ship She remembered that Tom had been a member of this crew. Since his arrest they believed that he'd betrayed them to the Federation. Chakotay had a difficult relationship with Tom when they were fighting on the same side.
When they appeared on the ship she was hoping that Chakotay wouldn't recognise Tom. When she saw Chakotay's face she realised her prayer hadn't been answered.
He glared at her and pointed towards his office.
"I want an explanation now!"
Kathryn started to explain then she felt dizzy and everything went black . Chakotay rushed around to help her. When he tried to help her to stand he discovered that she was bleeding heavily from a bullet wound to the shoulder.
"You are the most aggravating, stubborn woman I have ever had the misfortune to meet." He picked her up in his arms and took her to sickbay.