Armageddon
Act 25 - Scene 1
"This is the Val Jean requesting permission to land for emergency repairs."
"They're still not answering Captain. Do you want me to continue broadcasting the message on all frequencies."
Chakotay nodded and turned to speak to Kathryn, "Suggestions?"
"Why don't I take Tom with me and see what's happening on the surface."
"Are you sure you're ready?"
Kathryn had only just returned to duty following their encounter with the Hirogen. The Hirogen vessel had been in pursuit since they broke orbit. The hunt for them was still in full cry. Chakotay had to evade the Hirogen vessel before they called for reinforcements.
"We have to complete the repairs before the Hirogen pick up the scent again. This is the only inhabited world we've found."
"I still have a few tricks they won't have seen."
"I cannot sit on the ship while other people risk their lives! If I can't function as a full member of this crew - I will have to leave."
Chakotay understood her reasoning because they had similar values.
"Make sure you're careful and don't take stupid risks."
"We will be fine Chakotay. I'd like to solve this puzzle - it's intriguing."
A scan of the planet showed life forms and evidence of vast cities. They had attempted to make contact with the surface but still hadn't received a reply.
Kathryn couldn't wait to get off the ship. She wasn't a good patient so her temper had frayed during her time in sick bay. She found Tom in the Mess.
"Get some weapons from Hogan. We're going to take a little trip to the surface to see why the inhabitants had refused to answer our hails."
"Yes Ma'am, I'm getting bored of staying on the ship. I could use a bit of excitement."
"We'll meet at 0400 hours in the transporter room,"
Scene 2
As soon as they reached the surface they knew they were in a war zone. They were both experienced soldiers. Although nobody is prepared for the horrors of war.
"We'll follow this road. It looks as though it has seen some action."
Tom was enjoying the fresh air and sunshine from two scorching suns.
"Doesn't this remind you of a perfect summer's day on Earth?"
"Definitely I can almost smell the corn ripening in the fields on my grandfather's farm."
"I heard that your father was an Admiral. Were you pressured to follow in his footsteps."
"I always wanted to make him proud of me. I put too much pressure on myself to succeed especially after he died."
"I am a complete disappointment to my father. When I went to the prison settlement he cut off all contact with me."
"I found him to be a man of strong principles who didn't suffer fools gladly. As long as you were good at your job, punctual and obeyed orders he was fine.
"Unfortunately those qualities don't make a good father."
"I don't think anybody is irredeemable Tom. You are the only one who can turn your life around - nobody can do it for you."
"Well at least I have one person who believes in me."
"Tom can you see an angel lying on the floor with huge white wings."
"Excuse me Captain, did you say angel?"
"Yes, look over there," she said pointing to a figure lying on the road.
"It must be a fancy dress costume. I bet those wings are stuck on," said Tom, hoping that he was right.
They walked over to the creature and bent down to examine it. Tom checked the wings with care.
"They are part of his back. There must be a more rational explanation."
"We'll have to take him back to the ship for treatment," decided Kathryn.
Tom laughed, "I'll let you explain this to the Doctor."
Kathryn contacted the ship. "Tell the Doctor to prepare for an emergency transport of an humanoid with wings."
"Repeat your last message there must have been interference."
"Negative - I did say wings. We will try to identify this life form when we get him back to the ship."
Scene 3
After they returned to the ship Kathryn went straight to sickbay. Her first problem was the crew - everyone wanted to see their new guest.
"Move along people. The Doctor won't be able to work if you're crowding his work space.
"Thank you Captain, haven't they ever seen a humanoid species with wings?" asked the Doctor.
"I've seen a humanoid species with wings in illustrations and paintings."
The Doctor was still puzzled, "I don't understand?"
"Do you have images and a definition of the word 'angel' Doctor in your memory banks?"
"They don't believe that I have a heavenly angel lying in my sick bay?"
Kathryn laughed, "I am a scientist so I believe in hard facts and the analysis of data. I would like you to notify me as soon as he wakes up please Doctor. I am interested to talk to our angelic guest."
"I'll let you know as soon as he is conscious, Captain."
"Why have you wrapped his wings around him?"
"Everytime he is restless, his wings start to unfurl. When he can't spread his wings he starts to panic. It seems to comfort him having his wings in this position."
Kathryn went to the mess to grab some food. Chakotay grinned at her when she sat down with him.
"Have you come to any conclusions about our angel yet?"
"I am trying to keep an open mind and not make any assumptions yet."
"He has caused quite a commotion among the crew," commented Chakotay.
"I admit I can't wait to talk to him and learn everything I can about his species and what is happening on the planet.
Scene 4
Amroth opened his eyes then shut them again because of the bright light. He knew that he wasn't on his planet but had no idea where he was. The last thing he remembered was an Daemon arrow aimed straight at him. He started to unfurl his wings.
"You can't do that in here, our sickbay is too small."
A creature made of lights came into view.
"Where am I?"
"Don't worry you are safe. We found you on the surface injured and unconscious. Our crewmen brought you back to the ship for treatment."
"Were any of the Daemons who attacked me still there?"
"You were alone when Mr Paris and Captain Janeway found you."
"I am a Saraphim. We have existed here for many thousands of years in harmony with the planet. Around one hundred years ago the Daemons invaded our home. We have been fighting a war ever since the invasion.
"I'm more interested in your physical health than the state of affairs on your planet."
"I must get back to my brothers so we can continue the fight."
The Doctor urged him back to bed. "I'm afraid you will have to rest for a few more days until you can return to your war."
Kathryn walked in at exactly the right moment, "It's nice to meet you Mr… Amroth.
"Are you the leader of these lifeforms?" asked Amroth.
"No, our Captain will be along shortly to welcome you."
"I must get back to fight the Daemons with my brothers. The war is not going well for us."
"We will return you to your planet when the Doctor has finished his treatment."
"Where am I?"
"You are on board the Val Jean spaceship. We travel with our crew to different planets on our way home."
"My people have lived on Arcadia for many years. One hundred years there was an invasion and and we have been fighting a war ever since."
"Have you tried to negotiate a truce with the Daemon?"
"They're not interested in peace. They are a violent aggressive species who enjoy fighting and killing."
"Could we act as negotiators between the Daemons and yourselves?"
Amroth couldn't understand why these strangers wanted to help them . He wondered if he could persuade them to help the Saraphim win the War.
"The leader of the Daemons is a monster known as Be'elze. He may talk to you but remember our people call him the Prince of Liars for a reason."
The Doctor interrupted their conversation. "I'm sorry Captain but I must ask you to leave. My patient needs to rest."
Scene 5
Kathryn told Chakotay everything she had learnt about the situation on Arcadia.
"They've been at war for a hundred years. I know this isn't our usual line of work but couldn't we offer them some help to negotiate a truce. I have acted as an intermediary in several conflicts."
"Kathryn this isn't a Starfleet vessel," warned Chakotay.
"You must have had some training in conflict resolution at the Academy."
Chakotay's instincts told him to leave this one alone. He knew that this was important to Kathryn. Her role as Second Mate didn't stretch her talents or training.
"If you try to contact the leader of the other faction and he is agreeable we will arrange a first meeting."
"Thank you Chakotay, you don't know how much this means to me."
Kathryn went back to tell Amroth that Chakotay had agreed to act as an intermediary in their conflict. He was asleep so she went to the Bridge to contact Be'elze to arrange a meeting. It took a long time to reach him but he agreed to meet her the following day.
Scene 5
When Amroth woke up he was starving. He hadn't eaten for a week so he needed some raw flesh. He noticed some of the crew outside talking. He watched them like a hunter observes his prey before the kill. He would need four of them to make a decent meal. Although their blood would make an adequate replacement. He needed to get back to the killing. They had the Daemons on the run after a stealth attack on their headquarters. They had captured a group of small Daemons for dinner. They were lovely roasted on a spit with herbs and spices.
The Doctor noticed that he was awake. "I'm glad that you're awake, I'd like to take some blood for testing.
"I'm feeling a little weak, could we do it tomorrow?"
"Captain Chakotay wants to talk to you. Must I postpone his visit until you're feeling better?"
"Your leader allowed you to heal my wounds it would be rude to turn him away."
Chakotay waited by the door to examine their guest before he had a chat with him. He walked over to the bed when Amroth spotted him.
"I hope you're feeling better and my crew have looked after you."
Amroth smiled with his lips closed. "Thank you Captain, you and your crew have been excellent hosts."
"I'm glad to hear that Mr Amroth. I hear that you're eager to return to the fighting."
"I wouldn't say eager Captain but I want my brothers to know that I'm alive and will join up with them again soon."
"Did you say that your race was the first to settle on your planet?"
"Yes Captain."
Chakotay looked puzzled. "When we scanned your planet the were a lot of buildings at ground level but nothing in the air."
"We prefer to save our wings for other uses. I'm afraid I can't speak for my ancestors but I would prefer more aerial housing."
My Second is going to meet the leader of the Daemons tomorrow. I hope that you've told us the truth about the state of affairs on your planet. I will hold you responsible for her safety."
After Chakotay left, Amroth lay back on the bed thinking about his options. The Captain didn't trust him - that was obvious. He would have to do his best to convince these people that the Daemons never tell the truth. He hoped that there were no attacks planned for the following day. That would be hard to explain especially if the female was injured.
Scene 6
The following day Tom and Kathryn transported to the surface for their meeting.
"It's a shame that such a beautiful planet is the scene for a war." said Kathryn.
The sky was a deep indigo blue. The light and heat from both suns provided the ideal conditions for a perfect day.
"Let's meet our first real live Daemon."
"Do you think Amroth has been completely honest with us?" asked Tom.
"I don't think Mr Amroth could disguise his hatred for the Daemons. It's amusing that you and Chakotay are suspicious about our angel. Perhaps you're more alike than you think."
Chakotay had been surprised that she wanted to take Tom with her to such a sensitive meeting. He suggested that she should take Ayala with her instead. She hadn't got time to explain that she wanted to mentor the troubled young man. She knew that Chakotay didn't trust Tom after their previous experiences.
They reached the compound, "Our host should be here soon."
Tom spotted some animals in a field then a creature on two legs appeared and started to walk towards them. As it came nearer they both froze with their mouths hanging open. The Daemon had a humanoid body with skin the same colour of a flame at its brightest. Then Kathryn noticed that it had a tail. As the Daemon stepped onto the path they noticed that he had hooves. An accurate description would be cloven hooves.
The Daemon stood in front of them snarling. When he opened his eyes they were a deep red colour with black pupils. Kathryn and Tom withdrew their weapons which made the Daemon even angrier.
"I would like to offer you my deepest apologies. I am ashamed to be late. Punctuality is important"
Kathryn and Tom holstered their weapons hoping that Be'elze hadn't seen them.
"I would like to invite you both to a meal in your honour in my dwelling. My community is looking forward to meeting you as we don't meet many strangers. Especially people who want to help us."
As they followed him to his home he bent down to stroke a small four-legged animal which resembled a dog. Before they entered the dwelling Kathryn whispered to Tom.
"I think someone has been telling lies."
There was a long table groaning with the amount of food on it. There were Daemon of all shapes and sizes sitting down ready to eat. They smiled and moved up so Kathryn and Tom could sit down.
After the meal Be'elze asked Kathryn if he could have a private conversation with her is his room. There were children playing there. Be'elze laughed and chased them out of the room.
"Those little devils get everywhere on the Homestead. I don't think they understand the word private."
He sat down in an enormous high backed chair after offering her a seat.
"I think it would be useful if you could tell me what you know about my planet?"
Kathryn told him everything from finding Amroth to her offer to negotiate a truce.
"I'm afraid that the Saraphim has been telling lies. Everything happened as he said but our roles were reversed. Arcadia was our planet not theirs. They invaded a hundred years ago and devoted themselves to wiping us out. We are the only survivors of our whole race."
"Amroth convinced most of our crew that you were the aggressors. "How many Daemons live here?"
"Around thirty including women and children."
"Why are they attacking you still?"
"They proclaimed that they won't stop killing until every one of us is dead."
"Why?"
"They sent a scouting party to the planet before the invasion. One of our farmers was the first Daemon to see them. He was so frightened that he reacted instinctively and shot him with his bow and arrow. That incident was the start of the war."
There was a loud blaring noise. Be'elze reacted instantly to the alarm.
"Follow me Miss Janeway, we have to move quickly because one of our scouts sounded the alarm. We have a shelter under the barn. The Saraphim won't land because we have some skilful archers. They have had plenty of experience shooting them out of the sky."
As they ran to the barn they picked up some of the children who couldn't keep up.
"Hurry everyone they're almost here." shouted Be'elze.
When they were sure that everyone was present, Be'elze shut both enormous doors. One of the children started to cry. Be'elze picked her up and started to comfort her by rocking her in his arms.
The Saraphim were trying to frighten the Daemons by shouting and screaming. The noise changed suddenly to loud howling. One of the children sitting by Tom burst into tears. He put his arms around her.
"What's wrong honey?"
She looked at her Father to make sure that it was okay to talk to the stranger.
He nodded, "Go on Balthazar, these people need to know what we is happening on Arcadia."
"They stole my Hellhound, Lucifa. They will kill him then eat him for dinner."
"Are you sure?" asked Kathryn.
"Yes they feed on raw flesh. We have found the remains, after they have eaten Daemons, tossed into the rubbish."
"We will return to our ship and tell our Captain everything you've told us including the raid." said Kathryn.
"Thank you for visiting our community. We have enjoyed your company. We wish you eternal peace and love."
"Thank you for the delicious meal. We will talk again after I've spoken to the Captain.
Scene 7
As soon as Kathryn and Tom returned to the ship she organised Amroth's move to the Brig. Then she returned to her bunk to change her clothes.
Hogan knocked at her door, "The Captain wants to see you on the Bridge."
"Could you tell me why you have moved our injured guest into the Brig?" asked Chakotay
Kathryn told him everything she'd learnt about the Daemon. "They have committed genocide on a huge scale."
Chakotay stormed to the Brig to confront Amroth.
"You lying bastard. Your kind have eradicated a whole species. They didn't start the fighting - you did."
"He is an expert liar. My people are peaceful, loving and gentle," argued Amroth.
Kathryn was furious, I was in their compound when one of your raiding parties attacked them.
His beauty dimmed when they discovered his true nature.
He snarled, "They are vermin. They spread filth and diseases wherever they settle."
Chakotay moved closer to his prisoner, "We will decide your fate later."
"Kathryn fetch Ayala then meet me in the Mess," ordered Chakotay.
Kathryn found Ayala lying on his bunk,
"Have all my dreams and hopes come true?" commented a smiling Ayala.
"No time for flirting Mike, Chakotay will tell you everything when we start the meeting."
"Care to give me a hint?"
"Our friend Amroth isn't as angelic as we thought."
Scene 8
B'Elanna, Seska, Hogan and Astra were waiting for them. To start the meeting Kathryn told them everything about her visit to Arcadia.
"The Val Jean doesn't have enough fire power to threaten the Saraphim." said B'Elanna.
"We can't interfere in this planet's affairs. Who knows what damage we could cause to the timeline in this sector," added Chakotay.
"I thought that you left Starfleet years ago. Why are you quoting the Prime Directive?" goaded Seska.
Chakotay replied, "I didn't agree with a lot of Starfleet's directives. The Prime Directive was the only one that made sense."
"We have to do something. We can't stand by and allow a genocide." said Kathryn. She was aware that she had sworn to uphold the prime directive.
Astra listened to the different opinions. She was capable of destroying the Saraphim with one blink. Unfortunately that would attract the attention of the Q and the Ancients. She decided to deliver some more effective weapons to the Daemons than bows and arrows.
Chakotay held up his hand to silence the argument.
"I've listened to everyone's opinions. I will inform you of my decision in the morning."
Kathryn waited outside for him, "I thought you could do with a drink."
Chakotay smiled, "That's the best offer I've heard all day."
"I'll meet you in your office, I've got to collect the fake whiskey from my storage locker."
Scene 9
Chakotay was leaning back on his chair with his feet on the table when Kathryn walked in. There were two glasses waiting on the table. She poured a generous measure into each glass and sat down in the chair opposite him. Chakotay tried some of the mystery drink. He spat it out and started to cough at the same time as his eyes started to stream.
"What the hell is that - rocket fuel?"
Kathryn was laughing so much that her eyes started to water.
"Didn't anyone ever tell you to sip mystery drinks ."
Chakotay wiped his face on a towel and sat down again, "I'll get you back for that one.
"Have you decided what to do yet?"
"We haven't got the firepower to make a permanent difference. If we protect them while we are in orbit the Saraphim will wait until we go to finish the job. I don't think we can help them and that isn't fair."
"They are such a gentle people. They're farmers and love their animals. Their leader reminds me of my Grandpa.
Chakotay poured out another drink, "What would you do in my place?"
"I swore to abide by the Prime Directive. Yet we are so far away from home and you have to ask yourself if the same rules apply in this quadrant. The Daemon species will become extinct if we don't do anything. They are scared, hungry and defeated."
"If I had a Starship it would be a different story!" said Chakotay
"I think we both know that we can't help them. We need to think about any weapons we can spare to help them defend their land and compound."
Kathryn poured another generous double into both glasses.
"Are you trying to get me drunk Miss Janeway?"
"You don't have to drink with me Chakotay, you can watch me get drunk instead."
Chakotay started to laugh at the same time as he took a large mouthful of drink and started to choke.
Kathryn laughed so much that her eyes started to water, "That was smooth Chakotay!"
"I knew you would be trouble as soon as I took you back to the ship."
"I have no idea what you are talking about Captain," said Kathryn looking innocent.
"Do you want to lead the way to the armoury Kathryn?"
Kathryn tried to stand up but discovered that her feet weren't working. Chakotay stopped her from falling. He held her for a little bit longer while she steadied herself.
"You can let go now, I think I can walk as long as I have the wall to hold me up."
"Perhaps I don't want to let go."
"We'll revisit this conversation after we've raided the armoury."
They tried to not to wake any of the crew but they kept laughing. Chakotay heard something so he pushed Kathryn into a store cupboard. He tried to put his fingers to his lips but he couldn't find them. This made Kathryn giggle so Chakotay put his hand gently over her mouth. Chakotay opened the door a little to check that the walker had gone.
"Come on, let's hurry before we have to explain everything to the crew."
They searched the armoury for spare weapons purchased from the planets they visited. Then they added everything else they could spare. On the way to the transporter Chakotay dropped the case on his foot. Kathryn waited until he finished swearing then told him to get a move on. Finally they transported the weapons to the Daemon's compound.
Scene 10
In the morning Chakotay was sitting in the mess with his head on the table groaning. B'Elanna walked in smiling.
"Did you have a good night Captain?"
Chakotay raised his head and glared at her, "Do You want to clean the mess for a month?"
Kathryn came in next. She foraged around the cupboards for breakfast.
"I'm starving, do we have any leftovers?"
"You're not normal. Why aren't you suffering - that's not fair,"
"An old Janeway hangover cure, I asked the Doctor for a shot of vitamin B12."
Chakotay stood up slowly, I'm going to sickbay to talk to the Doctor"
Epilogue
Be'elze looked up at the sky and smiled. He had discovered two boxes outside his living quarters that weren't there before. After fetching his crowbar to open the first box, he found a variety of weapons with instructions. In the second box there were strange devices that resembled the bow his warriors used. But they were a different design. He also found a sheet with instructions for the use and maintenance of crossbows.
.