MAQUIS
Chap 15 - Act 1
Kathryn read all the reports about the Q. At the academy she attended the class about the alien entity. Q had plagued the flagship and its Captain Jean-luc Picard for many years. He wrote that,
"He's devious and amoral and unreliable and irresponsible... and definitely not to be trusted."
Kathryn demanded an answer, "What do you want Q?"
"To educate you, of course. As usual you have no idea what you are dealing with here.
Kathryn was losing patience, "Why don't you enlighten us without the sarcasm."
"This creature is older than I am and most dangerous. He isn't a Star child, whatever that means. This entity is an Ancient, their race is more powerful than the Q. I was sent here to escort him back to the Continuum. He can't stay here as you are ill equipped to deal with him."
Astra was outraged, "I am going to transport with him to the Planet where I will take him to the Monastery. The monks are waiting to welcome him to his new home."
Q turned his full attention to Astra, "Who is going to stop me from taking him. I can't see anybody here with omnipotent powers?"
He clicked his fingers and nothing happened. He bent down to look straight at the Ancient.
"So your powers are active old man. I was wondering how long you were going to let this pitiful species speak for you."
"I was waiting for you to shut up and stop showing off in front of that female," he said pointing at Kathryn.
"Don't try to distract me with a pretty face. You know you can't continue to defy the Continuum."
"You are wrong. You are a typical Q, youthful, arrogant and narcissistic. I don't have to go anywhere with you because you can't make me."
Chakotay stood in front of Star. "You have your answer now disappear before I forget that I'm not a violent man."
"How dare you question me. I will not return to the Continuum without that old man. I will be a laughing stock if the others hear that I was beaten by two-legged primates.
"Q, you are not welcome on this vessel," explained Kathryn.
"Okay I will leave the ship but I'm taking souvenirs."
Q clicked his fingers to leave the ship taking Kathryn and Star with him.
Astra was distraught, "I have broken my solemn vow. I promised to stay with Star until my dying breath."
"You protected him to the best of your ability. None of us can fight an omnipotent entity he is too powerful."
"Where will I go? I have no purpose here any longer."
"Nonsense," said Chakotay, "We need your help to find out where Q has taken Kathryn and Star. We need to get them back."
Astra wiped her eyes on her sleeve, "Of course Captain, you must forgive my moment of weakness."
"Where do you think he's taken them?" asked Chakotay.
"My guess is that Q tried to take them to the Continuum. The Q are not as powerful as Star so they would need extra Q to contain him. Also he is as stubborn as a donkey."
"Good that will make them easier to find," he thought ironically."
Scene 2
Kathryn was in a towering rage, "How dare you abduct me from my ship. What gave you the right to take control of this entity. He is free to choose where he wants to exist."
Q couldn't believe that he was so attracted to this female human. He was enthralled. She didn't care that he could end her existence with a click of his fingers. The old man was smiling at her rhetoric.
"Madam calm down, I have no intention of harming either of you. As a matter of fact I had no intention of coming here. He abducted you not me." pronounced Q.
Kathryn arched her eyebrows, "Would you care to explain yourself?"
"I apologise Miss Janeway. It won't surprise you that Q is economical with the truth. Q tried to take us to the Continuum and I redirected him to the Monastery."
Kathryn glared at Q, who defended himself, "I was truthful. I didn't intend to come here."
Q looked around the room with disdain. The cell contained minimal furniture befitting a monastic life.
"You could have insisted on more luxurious surroundings old man; at least a bed for your old bones."
Star smiled, "I have everything I need here thank you Q."
Kathryn hugged the small figure, "I hope you have a long and peaceful stay here."
"Q, do not return to this planet. You will never find the Monastery as it will not be visible and we will protect the monks with deadly force."
Q pounced on his mistake, "Oh so there are other Ancients living here, that is interesting."
Kathryn spoke to Star, "I don't think he's listening. For an evolved species the Q are childlike."
"I agree, they seem to have to have regressed since we last had any contact with them."
Q was starting to get annoyed, "Carry on talking about me as though I'm not here."
"Miss Janeway pass on my gratitude to your Captain. He risked his ship and crew to protect me."
"I will, but what about your bodyguard? What will she do now?"
"Astra is free to follow her own path now. I will thank her personally before you leave this planet."
Scene 3
Q clicked his fingers and moved them back to the Val Jean. As soon as he appeared on the bridge Ayala punched him then stood ready to repeat his action. Kathryn considered staying quiet but reluctantly saved Q from another blow.
"Star diverted Q's attempt to take us to the Continuum. He is at the Monastery now settling into his new quarters."
Ayala helped Q up from the floor. "You deserved that because you would have abducted them if Star hadn't intervened."
Chakotay and Astra raced onto the bridge. Astra was frantic.
"What did he do with him? Is he dead? I made the wrong decision, I should have waited on the planet for longer."
Kathryn tried to calm her down, "He is at the Monastery safe and well. Star said that he will contact you before we leave the planet."
She calmed down, "What about the creature who attempted to kidnap Star and your Crew member."
Chakotay grinned, "I think Ayala dealt with that admirably.
Q wasn't in a good mood, "I have been threatened, assaulted and ignored. All I wanted to do was help an old man live out the rest of his existence in comfort."
Chakotay tried to have the last word, "Q you're not wanted, get off my ship."
"I will go now because I want to go." He pointed at Kathryn, "We will meet again."
Scene 4
The following day Astra went to see Chakotay.
"How are you? Have you decided what you are going to do next?
"I would like to join your crew Captain. Now Star is settled in his new home I don't have a purpose any longer. I always wanted to explore the Galaxy. I was an orphan when the monks took me in so I have no relatives to keep me here."
"Any Captain would be happy to welcome you into their crew. Your training and skills make you a valuable asset."
"Thank you Captain!"
"Ayala will allocate you a bunk. You can spend the next couple of days settling in then we'll assign you some duties."
If you don't mind Captain I'd like to start immediately. I'm not used to leisure time as I have been on duty twenty four a day for as long as I can remember.
Chakotay thought that it was a refreshing change to hear one of his crew not bitching about their shifts.
"We have a small armoury with antiquated weapons. I would like you to check each item to make sure they are functional. Then clean and repair the defective weapons."
"Yes Sir!"
Chakotay wondered if he could convince any of the others to call him sir."
"Captain will be fine Astra, our crew is quite informal."
"Thank you Captain, I won't let you down."
"If you make your way to the bridge I'll introduce you to the rest of the crew."
Astra found Kathryn waiting outside for her.
"What did he say?"
Astra blushed, "He said I was a valuable asset."
"See I told you he'd let you join the crew."
They walked to the bridge where the crew were assembling.
"I've called this meeting to introduce you to the newest member of our crew. Astra will be joining us as tactical officer. She will also teach advanced hand-to-hand combat skills."
"We should rename the Val Jean, the waifs and strays home," commented Seska nastily.
Chakotay glared at her, "I expect everyone to make her feel at home."
Astra heard Seska's negative comment and made a mental note to deal with her later
After Astra's shift finished she went straight to her bunk, flopped on the bed and fell fast asleep.
She was walking in a beautiful garden. The sun was beating down. There were flowers everywhere in bright, jewel like colours. In the middle of the garden was a tranquil pool of water with fish. Star was sitting on a bench right next to the water.
"Am I dreaming?"
"Don't worry Astra, I am using your subconscious state to communicate with you."
"Why did you leave like that? I would have found a way to get rid of that loathsome creature."
"It was time for me to go and leave you to follow your own path."
"I will miss you. At least I know that you won't be alone."
"Thank you for your kindness, loyalty and strength. I will miss you Astra "
Scene 5
When she woke up she was lying on her bunk, wearing the same clothes. Her hair was a mess with tufts sticking out in all direction.
When she saw the time, she dressed and showered in a record time so she wasn't late for her first shift.
Astra had a bright enquiring mind and wanted to learn everything she could about her new home and job. Kathryn had promised to give her a guided tour. She timed her arrival perfectly as kathryn had just finished her shift.
"It's not a large ship so it won't take long. At the end of the tour we could have breakfast together then I'll ready for bed - I hate night shifts."
"I'd like that, thank you."
Kathryn was showing her the work stations on the bridge, when she heard Seska whisper to B'Elanna,
"I see Chakotay's pet projects are getting friendly,"
Astra walked over to Seska and whispered to her, "The next time you make a remark like that, you won't have to move. I will dissect you where you stand."
The day finished without bloodshed. Seska made the sensible decision to treat her new crewmate with a little more caution.
Scene 6
Astra had been part of the crew for two weeks before she joined her first away mission.
She was working with Kathryn and B'Elanna on the bridge. They were teaching her about the warp engine. Both women admired her ability to learn so quickly. There was no need to repeat anything as she grasped the concepts after the first explanation.
They were interrupted by the sound of a faint distress call. The interference made it difficult to understand the message.
"... anyone who hears this message, we need help ... we're under attack ...
Kathryn asked B'Elanna to fetch Chakotay and Ayala. When they arrived she replayed the message and asked them what they wanted to do.
"We'll trace the signal and find out if the distress call is recent. Then we'll decide what action to take," ordered Chakotay.
They triangulated the signal to a nearby uninhabited planet.
Ayala reported "The atmosphere is breathable but warm. The planet is covered with tropical jungles."
"Have you traced the distress beacon yet," asked Chakotay.
"We've narrowed it down to a small search area."
"Kathryn you're in charge, pick three people to go with you to the surface to look for this crash site"
"Astra, Seska and Ayala you're with me"
Scene 7
Straight after the landing party beamed to the surface they started to shed layers of clothes. The humidity was so high that the slightest movement left them bathed in sweat.
"Why don't we return to the ship. We can tell Chakotay that there was debris but no survivors."
Everyone looked at Seska in disbelief.
"I knew you were uncaring but I didn't realise how callous and cruel you are. How could you leave anyone on this planet, in this heat, to starve or dehydrate," said Ayala.
"Have it your own way, If we get captured it's everyone for themselves. I'm not going to sacrifice my life for someone I don't know."
"I never thought she would sacrifice herself for anyone of us," remarked Astra.
Kathryn laughed, "I'd be last on her list of people she wants to save"
"We'll split into two teams, it will enable us to cover more ground. Astra you're with me. Ayala and Seska you can search the other part of the grid, keep in contact with us regularly."
Seska followed Ayala moaning continuously,
"Why did she pick me? She knows that I hate her. Perhaps she hopes that something poisonous will get me!"
"She isn't the only one." said Ayala, under his breath.
"You're like all the others, she has all the men wrapped around her little finger."
"She is popular with other members of the crew because she is professional, witty. friendly and beautiful," replied Ayala.
"Sh… I can hear something - this way."
"Wait, Kathryn we've found something, I am sending the coordinates to you."
Ayala followed Seska, keeping a close watch in case it was an ambush. They discovered the wreckage of a Kazon ship. Ayala started to search for survivors while Seska was watchman.
Seska sat down on the floor, closed her eyes and dozed because it was so warm. Suddenly she felt a cold blade against her throat. Another attacker twisted her arms viciously behind her back to force her to stand up. Two Kazon males gestured for her to be quiet or they would cut her throat.
"Seska if you're slacking off I'm going to ask Chakotay to give you kitchen duty for the next four weeks."
As he entered the clearing one of the Kazon stepped from behind the tree, aiming a gun at his head. They took his radio, tied him up and shoved him on the floor, next to Seska.
Ayala started to struggle when he heard Kathryn's voice calling him. It earned him a vicious kick from his abductors.
Kathryn saw the wreckage but couldn't see Ayala and Seska anywhere. She told Astra to stay back until she found out what had happened to them. Kathryn went to look inside the wreckage. She had her back to the Kazon who came up right behind her. He hit her on the head with a rock. Then carried her over his shoulder to dump her with the others.
When she regained consciousness, the Kazon asked her about the whereabouts of her crewmate.
She glared at him. "I have no idea what you are talking about"
He gave her a vicious backhander which split her lip. She wiped the blood on her sleeve and grinned at him. The other Kazon stopped him from hitting her again.
"Don't spoil the merchandise. They won't pay the ransom if you beat them. There are other ways to punish the female without leaving a mark"
Astra was sitting in a tree hiding amongst dense foliage. When she heard that conversation she felt sick. She vowed that particular Kazon would not wake up in the morning. She saw what she'd been waiting for, one of them was leaving the group to wash in the river. She lowered herself down the tree and set off after him.
Astra watched the Kazon lean over the water to wash. She waited until his head was under before she hit him with a sizable branch. He collapsed face first into the water and was washed away down the river. One down, three more to go.
When the next Kazon left the group to urinate she was in a tree waiting for him. She waited until he lowered his trousers then she dropped on him. He lay on the floor dazed so she cut his throat with expertise before he could cry out. Two down, two to go.
There were two Kazon left with the prisoners and even they realised there was something wrong. They decided to stick together rather that split up to look for their friends. Their captors moved the three prisoners into the middle of the camp so they could guard them easily
"Come out with your hands up and we'll spare your life. You can leave the planet unharmed."
Astra smiled, no wonder the Borg wouldn't assimilate them. It would have halved the collectives' intelligence.
As time passed the Kazon were getting jumpy. The slightest movement or sound made them flinch.
"Shall we kill them, then wait for the others to come tomorrow."
"If the Maje returns and we don't have currency or the captives, we are dead men walking."
The older Kazon took up his position to guard the camp and make sure the prisoners behaved themselves. There was a sudden flash of light then the Kazon slumped to the floor. The other kidnapper turned him over to see a large throwing knife sticking out of the dead Kazon's neck. Astra emerged from behind a tree with another throwing knife in her hand. The survivor calmly untied Kathryn, Ayala and Seska then backed away. He never broke eye contact with her. She nodded, he turned around quickly then ran away like the hounds of hell were after him.
Kathryn stood up rubbing her wrists. "Thank you I didn't like my chance of getting off the planet without being assaulted."
"Don't worry he won't be threatening any other females in the future."
When they returned to the ship Chakotay took one look at them and sent them either to the sickbay or to their bunk.