MAQUIS
Act 14 - Scene 1
Chakotay, Ayala, Kathryn and B'Elanna were sitting around the table in the Mess. Chakotay had called a meeting to discuss the recruitment of new crew members as Gerron and Ann's departure had left them short handed.
B'Elanna was blunt as usual, "How are we going to persuade people to join us? Our journey will take a lifetime to complete. I doubt that people in this quadrant have ever heard of Earth. Oh and then there is the danger of being a small fish in a pond of much bigger fishes who all want to eat you."
Ayala laughed, "Phrased like that I think I'll jump ship when we land on the next inhabited planet."
"I can smell smoke," warned Kathryn."
There were thin trails of Smoke starting to seep under the door. B'Elanna leapt to her feet, knocked her chair backwards and raced out of the door.
"B'Elanna, what's wrong?" shouted Chakotay.
Everyone else ran after her to see if they could help. When they reached the engine room, B'Elanna walked out with soot all over her face and a nasty burn on her hand.
"We aren't dead in the water yet but you have to land on the next planet. The engine needs a major repair and I haven't got any of the tools to do it. I hope there is a planet nearby with a high-tech civilization or the ship will be staying where it is.
Scene 2
They found a suitable planet and managed to land while they still had the power. They touched down not far from a large, busy city filled with tall skyscrapers. There was a diverse mix of races so the crew didn't stick out too much. Chakotay and Ayala visited the bars, markets and transport hubs to post advertisements for passengers.
A local gave them a tip. He told them that the fares which paid cash went to a particular bar in the city to talk to the Captain's face to face. As soon as they arrived at the bar Ayala ordered the drinks while Chakotay went to find a table. They were chatting when a beautiful woman interrupted them.
"Excuse me Captain, my name is Astra. I would like to reserve passage on your ship for myself and my ward. We wish to travel to Sheng Dian, which is the fifth planet in this star system."
Chakotay looked up at her and smiled, "Sit down and we'll discuss terms. I'm afraid we won't be leaving yet until we take on a few more passengers."
"Perhaps I didn't make myself clear Captain. I would be willing to pay you for exclusive passage on your ship. My ward is special and needs peace and quiet."
Chakotay quoted a price which was three times dearer than the normal fares on that planet.
"That will be acceptable Captain." she reached into her bag and drew out a small drawstring purse filled with local currency. She pushed it over the table to him.
After he counted the money Chakotay couldn't believe their luck. With this currency they could buy the tools and have enough left to buy some essential supplies.
"When would you like to leave ?"
"As soon as possible Captain. I will collect my ward and meet you back at the ship."
Later that day Chakotay saw Astra walking towards the ship with a small figure dressed in a cloak and hood. When she saw that the ship was ready to leave, Astra grabbed the child's hand and started to run.
He decided to take off as soon as their guests settled into their rooms. It was obvious that they needed to leave in a hurry.
Scene 3
They were preparing to leave when they heard the sound of an officer giving loud orders to his men.
Chakotay looked outside to find the ship surrounded by a battalion of armed soldiers.
"What the hell?" he shouted.
"I'll take Kathryn and we'll try to find out what is going on?" said Ayala.
They walked down the gangway with their arms raised. The officer in charge marched over to them as soon as they set foot on the ground.
"Sir, Ma'am, we have orders to search your vessel for two dangerous fugitives. Although one of them is a child, he is deadly. His bodyguard has already killed two of my scouts by herself."
Ayala spoke first, "I'm sorry, I haven't seen anybody who matches your description. We will definitely keep a lookout and inform you straight away when we return."
He turned around to return to the ship. The Officer in charge nodded to two of his men who grabbed Ayala and put him in handcuffs. Their mistake was to ignore Kathryn. She hit the first soldier, who tried to grab her, with a roundhouse kick which sent him flying. She smashed the next man in the nose with her elbow. It took four soldiers to restrain her on the ground. Ayala grinned, which earned him a punch in the mouth. They were a little embarrassed about their struggle to subdue a woman.
The Officer ordered four of his men to pick Kathryn up and carry her into the ship. He pushed Ayala in front of him and prodded him with his gun to keep him moving.
The soldiers dumped Kathryn on the floor in front of Chakotay.
"Captain, we have orders to search your ship for enemies of our state. We will not harm your crew as long as they don't interfere with our search."
Chakotay ordered his crew not to fight because there were too many of them. After they left, he expected the shouting to start when they discovered their passengers. He helped Ayala to untie Kathryn.
"It took four of those cowards to tie me up. How dare they restrain me like an animal."
"Calm down Kathryn. Think about what we are going to say when they discover our passengers?"
"Captain our passengers are hiding in the sickbay. The Doctor is going to hold them off for as long as possible" whispered Hogan
"Keep me informed," ordered Chakotay.
"What are you going to do?" We don't know anything about these people so why should we risk ourselves to protect them?" asked Seska.
"You're all heart Seska. We'll hand over a small child and a tiny woman to be executed - you may not have a conscience but I do!" snapped B'Elanna.
The room went quiet when the commanding officer returned.
"I apologise for any inconvenience Captain. I'm sure you understand that we've got a job to do. We'll get out of your way as soon as possible. Have a safe journey!"
Everyone stared at each other in disbelief!
"Let's get as far away from the planet as we can then we'll try to solve this mystery," ordered Chakotay.
The crew prepared to leave the planet for the second time. Thankfully there were no incidents - this time.
Scene 4
The Doctor helped Astra out of the locker then lifted her charge out afterwards.
"I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes," exclaimed the Doctor. "They looked straight at you. How did you convince them that there was nothing in the locker?"
Astra's charge pulled his hood over his face. She had drummed into him that he couldn't take his cloak and hood off under any circumstances. It was important not to let anybody see how special he was. Astra pulled down one of his sleeves because his skin light was shining through.
"I can't tell you what happened exactly because I don't know. My ward has special abilities. On our planet the army were planning to dissect him to learn about his abilities."
The Doctor couldn't hide his revulsion, "Are they barbarians?" "Who would treat a poor defenceless little boy like a laboratory specimen?"
"There is a monastery on Sheng Dian where the monks are willing to look after the boy. They will educate him and train him in martial arts. The Abbot said that he can choose to join their order when he is old enough. Or go out into the world again equipped to defend himself."
"Doctor would you consider telling your Captain a small white lie about the search. I need to keep the boy's secret for as long as possible."
The Doctor considered her request quite carefully. Lying wasn't part of his programming but he had another idea.
"Mr Paris I presume you've been awake for most of our private conversation."
"Not fair Doc, who could sleep through Stormtroopers ransacking the sickbay?"
"I'm sure the Captain will thank you for keeping your mouth closed. I've heard that you are indiscreet and a coward and those are the kinder rumours I've heard"
"I'm wounded Doc, how can I help?"
"Roll up your sleeve Mr Paris. I'm going to give you a small injection to fake the symptoms of Chickenpox. It's an old childhood disease from Earth."
"How long am I going to be sick Doc?" asked Tom
The Doctor explained, "For as long as it takes the antidote to work."
"How is this going to help the lady?"
"Tell the Captain that you warned the soldiers, who searched under your bed. You told them that they could catch your disease. Then you enquired why their superiors didn't care about their health."
Tom was uncertain that this plan would work. "I see, you're going to tell Chakotay that she hid the child under my bed."
Then they heard Chakotay's voice. "Doctor are you going to explain how this woman and child managed to evade a full battalion of soldiers"
Tom Paris interrupted Chakotay, "I hid them under my bed. When they saw my skin rash they decided to search somewhere safer."
Chakotay only spoke to the Doctor and ignored Tom. "Good work Doctor, I think you've saved two more lives today."
Scene 5
Astra took the boy to their bunks. When she was certain they were alone she removed his cloak and hood. His skin tone was a pure brilliant white which hurt most people's eyes when they looked straight at him. Astra was wearing contact lenses which protected her eyes
"Star Child are you injured?"
"I'm well Astra, did any of the crew suffer any injuries because of me?"
"No Star, you saved them when you made us invisible."
"Good I don't want anybody else hurt on my account. I still think about that poor family, their only crime was to feel sympathy for our plight and give us food and a bed for the night."
"It wasn't your fault, you aren't responsible for the actions of the animals who are chasing us."
"If it's not my fault, can you explain why so many people who meet me don't survive long afterwards?"
"It's been a long day for you. Change your clothes to the all-in-one suit with the hood and try to get some rest. I'll stay outside the door to guard you while you sleep.
Astra took a chair outside and sat down on the floor, cross-legged to meditate while Star was asleep.
"I an sorry to interrupt your meditation but I thought you might be hungry. If you want to continue after you've eaten - I understand.
"Thank you, sometimes I forget about the little things like eating."
She sat down with the bowl and started to eat.
"How long have you been looking after your ward?"
"Since he was born. I trained as his personal bodyguard and I have been looking after him ever since."
"He's lucky to have you. Why are the soldiers so interested in both of you?"
"The army seconded Star and ordered him to report to their headquarters. He declined but it seems that they still want him."
"They seem to have gone to a lot of trouble for a simple desertion."
"Military service is compulsory on our world."
"They claim that you are a skilled assassin who has murdered two of their soldiers."
"Do you always interrogate your passengers Miss Janeway while they are eating?"
Kathryn laughed, "Only the interesting ones. I'll leave you to finish your meal and I'll be back soon to make sure you have everything you need."
Scene 6
Kathryn knew that their passengers were hiding something. Tom and the Doctor knew their secret because they were present during the search. She decided to visit sickbay to get a report on Tom's progress. Kathryn had to know what made the tiny, petite woman and little boy become fugitives?
The Doctor knew they were in trouble as soon as she walked into sickbay,
"How's my favourite patient Doctor? Is he making satisfactory progress?"
"Mr Paris is coming along nicely Captain."
"He wasn't too upset when the soldiers ransacked the room?"
"No, he managed to convince the soldiers, with my help, not to search under his bed. We hid our passengers in his storage locker."
Kathryn looked suspicious, "What's going on Doctor, I smell a rat and I will not give up until I find the answers."
Scene 7
The sound of an alarm interrupted their conversation. Kathryn left and made her way straight to the Bridge.
"There are three alien ships dead ahead. The lead ship has demanded our surrender. They identified themselves as Hirogen. They will not talk or negotiate with their prey," reported Carlson.
"Have you tried to negotiate with them?"
"Yes Ma'am, they refused to talk to me because I am their prey."
Kathryn went to Chakotay's bunk to wake him up. He got dressed as she told him about the Hirogen and their demands.
"Have you heard anything about this species before?"
"From what I've learned they're ruthless and only exist to hunt."
Astra was listening to the conversation about their predicament. She crept away and returned to her room.
She shook Star gently, "Wake up, we need your help."
He rubbed his eyes and sat up quickly because he could hear how worried she was.
"What do you need me to do?"
"You need to make this ship and everyone on it invisible. There are Hirogen in front of us and they're intent on pinning us all to their trophy walls."
"I will need time to build up this much power Astra. I can't be interrupted while I am building up the energy required."
"I will make sure you are in a safe place where nobody can stop you. I will be in my usual position outside of your door."
Star was eager to start. He took off his suit and stood in the middle of the room. The skin glow started to increase. His light became so bright that it would have blinded human eyes. All the lights on the ship started to glow brightly. Some of the consoles on the bridge started to spark.
Bendera warned Chakotay that there was a massive build up of energy in the living quarters on the ship.
"I'll go down there and see what's going on. Kathryn, you're with me."
The first thing they saw was the dazzling light which created a halo around Astra. Star was nowhere to be seen.
"Is everything okay?"
"You must trust me that Star will be able to protect this ship if you allow him to do so. I will explain everything after he's finished."
Kathryn rarely trusted people before she got to know them. Yet her instincts told her that the woman and the boy would not do them any harm.
"I will wait for you on the bridge, don't let me down."
Scene 8
Kathryn reached the bridge to learn that the Hirogen had broken formation and disappeared. Chakotay didn't expect her calm reaction and started to get suspicious.
"What caused the energy build-up?" asked Chakotay
"I'll leave Astra to explain everything to you."
About thirty minutes later Astra and Star walked onto the bridge. Star didn't wear his hood so everybody could see his skinlight. His eyes were silver and he started to fade as the power reduced.
Astra cleared her throat, "My charge is a Star child, with extra sensory perception. One of his gifts is the ability to make objects invisible. Although making this ship invisible and convincing the Hirogen that they'd made a mistake took a lot out of him."
The Bridge Crew were stunned, "What is he?"
"Well isn't this a fine kettle of fish. How did humans get hold of an ancient? He looked at the boy carefully, "Young man, you are definitely not as young as you look."
A strange man had appeared on the bridge without them noticing. Astra leapt to her feet and went into a fighting stance.
The man stared at her as though she was an annoying insect,
"Stand down guardian, I'm not going to hurt him."
"I've heard stories about the Q and none of them were flattering! What do you want?"