Maquis Act 45
Scene 1
Kathryn was on her way back to the bunkhouse after her shift in the cornfields. She had aches in muscles she didn't even know she had. She hoped that the showers were working and there was enough hot water to ease some of her aches and pains.
She recognised B'Elanna walking back from the opposite direction clutching her back. Kathryn smiled, she wasn't the only one not used to hard physical labour. As soon as she saw her cot, she collapsed into it and closed her eyes.
"B'Elanna walked into their temporary accommodation swearing in Klingon.
"If that overseer touches my ass again I will cut off his arms. I will even sharpen my Bat'leth so I can remove them with a clean incision."
Kathryn laughed, "I empathise with you but we can't dissect their workers or they won't pay us."
"I'm sure the men haven't experienced any sexual harassment? " mused B'Elanna.
Kathryn smirked, "The Overseer's wife has a thing for Chakotay which isn't good news for him. The Boss ordered him to clean the shower block and the toilets last night because he caught his wife ogling him."
"Why couldn't Chakotay find work in an office or rounding up cattle. At least we would have been able to sit in the saddle," moaned B'Elanna.
"Working in the fields was the only employment we could find. We needed to buy food. Afterwards, we will have to locate a more technological planet to repair the engine. Then we can restock the weapons, id your," explained Kathryn.
"I can't wait to finish our business on this planet. I don't want to see another sheaf of corn for the rest of my existence," swore B'Elanna."
Astra interrupted their conversation. "I thought you would be getting ready for the dance tonight?"
Kathryn groaned, "I forgot all about it - I was hoping to have a hot shower and a long sleep."
"The Boss told me that his wife organised everything tonight and we have to attend. If we upset her that will result in unemployment for everyone," reported Astra.
She put a black dress on Kathryn's bed and a midnight blue dress on a chair by B'Elanna's bunk.
"The Boss's wife chose these dresses for you when I told her we only had our work clothes," added Astra.
B'Elanna hated wearing dresses and preferred her overalls. She stood up and held the dress in front of her. It was the most hideous piece of clothing she had ever seen. Klingon fashion for women was grim but this dress was worse. She picked up Kathryn's dress which was an exact replica of her own but in a different colour.
Astra took them off her, "Don't worry I will alter them and next time you will be begging to wear them."
"I suppose we'll have to get ready if our jobs are on the line," said Kathryn as she stood up, rubbing the base of her spine.
She hoped that Chakotay was in a better mood than he'd been lately. He avoided speaking to her apart from work.
"We'd better get a move on with a shower or the men will use every drop of hot water," warned B'Elanna.
They grabbed a towel each and headed for the shower block. The men were walking across from their bunkhouse.
"Brilliant, this will serve them right for taking all the hot water last night," gloated Kathryn.
Tom and Ayala saw them and realised they were too late. They turned towards the pump in the middle of the courtyard. A wash in freezing cold water was exactly what they needed.
When they returned to the bunkhouse their dresses were on hangers next to their bunks. Kathryn couldn't believe they were the same ones that Astra showed them earlier. They were perfect. When she put it on the dress fit like a glove. It clung to her curves and flared from the waist to show off her legs. The dress was classy and sexy. B'Elanna looked like a Klingon goddess. Her dress was a sheath. She pulled it down over her head and tried to yank it to her ankles.
"What are you doing - you will spoil the effect!" said Kathryn.
She went over to help her, "You have a stunning figure, why do you want to hide it?"
"It makes me feel awkward and self-conscious. I know who I am when I am wearing my overalls."
"Tom will love your dress. You look beautiful and sassy. You should have more confidence in yourself," remarked Kathryn.
"Why would I need Tom's approval?" asked B'Elanna.
"You were talking to him yesterday for over an hour," replied Kathryn.
"I was trying to find out where he found our new ship," said B'Elanna.
"Is there something wrong with the ship?" queried Kathryn.
"Before we travelled to the Island I studied the technology in the Base. The design of the ship is so advanced they wouldn't have the knowledge to design and build it on that planet."
"What did Tom say? asked Kathryn.
"He said it could have crashed on the planet after the native species died." replied B'Elanna.
Astra cut their conversation short, "Everyone is waiting for you to start supper."
Scene 2
Chakotay was lying on his bed in the male quarters. Ayala and Tom were ready to go for supper.
"What excuse are we going to give the Boss? He ordered everyone to go, to please his wife."
"Tell him I've hurt my shoulder. I can't do a full day's work tomorrow unless I rest it now," suggested Chakotay.
As Chakotay was the only worker who could operate the farm machinery - he knew the Boss would accept his excuse. After Q's warning, he didn't want to see Kathryn socially. It would be harder to lose her when she decided to accept Q's offer
He turned over pretending to be asleep as Ayala and Tom had a moan about their work gang. Chakotay hated the Planet and the blatant subjugation of the Beta species.
Two diverse species inhabited the planet. The Alpha tribe were humanoid with pale skin and delicate features. They were the dominant species. They formed the Government and were
employed in all the professional roles.
The Beta Tribe were predominantly used for unskilled labour. They had simian features with leaf green skin and dark green long hair everywhere. The males were strong but small. The females didn't work in the fields. They looked after the Alpha children and all the domestic work in the Alpha's houses.
Chakotay and his crew were working as farm hands with the Beta work gang to bring in the harvest. It was hard physical work but Chakotay told them that they had become soft. They needed to toughen up and improve their physical fitness. He wasn't the most popular member of the crew after his lecture. In return for their labour, the Boss agreed to supply fresh food for the crew's next journey.
When he was alone, Chakotay decided to go for a walk to clear his head. The Betas in his work gang invited him for a drink in their compound. He had never been there before but he had a vague idea where it was.
The night was pitch black so Chakotay took a torch from the rack. He lit it from the log burner which supplied the heating for the bunkhouse. It was warm and humid outside in the evening. During the day the temperature was unbearable, especially for the Betas.
Chakotay looked up at the twin moons in the night sky. They both had a pale lavender hue. He heard a small click then a Beta stepped out of the bushes with a large gun aimed at Chakotay's heart. His first reaction was to laugh! The expression on the Beta's face convinced him that it could be harmful to his health.
"What do you want? I don't have any money or valuable possessions to steal," stated Chakotay, who was trying not to laugh.
Chakotay heard a branch snap then something furry landed on his shoulders to pull a hood over his head. He felt a sharp pain in the back of his knees which caused him to collapse, face down.
Chakotay was still conscious. He wondered how they were going to transport him. Five pairs of furry hands rolled him sidewards onto a low board with wheels attached. They had been planning his abduction for some time.
One of the Beta tribe decided Chakotay shouldn't be conscious during his kidnapping as he could overpower them with ease. He gave him a little tap over the head with a cudgel. which was the last thing he remembered.
After the Harvest supper had finished, they pushed the tables aside to make room for a dancing area. Kathryn and B'Elanna had underestimated the strength of the local wine so they were too drunk to dance. They kept giggling over nothing. Once they began to push and fool around generally Astra decided to get them safely back to the bunkhouse. Astra couldn't get drunk because she was an Ancient with a high metabolism.
As they were leaving the building Atra spotted the Overseer. He used his position to force female workers to have sex with him. She noticed that he was following B'Elanna. Astra bent down to take her knife out of its sheath. She stood perfectly still waiting for the right moment. The Overseer sidled over to B'Elanna after checking that nobody was watching her. Astra moved into the shadows to avoid detection. He pushed B'Elanna against the wall using his body to cover her from direct sight. While he was trying to loosen her clothing, Astra aimed at his hand and threw the blade with deadly accuracy. She managed to reach him before he could make too much noise. She covered his mouth with her hand and whispered in his ear:
"You are a single cell amoeba! My friends and I need these jobs so you will remember two golden rules: look but don't touch and keep away from my friends. If you try this again, I will kill you after I have caused you severe physical pain."
The terrified Alpha was whimpering and nodding at the same time. Astra retrieved her knife from the centre of his hand. He ran back to his own quarters, cradling his hand. Then she turned around to help B'Elanna back to their bunkhouse.
Kathryn was walking back with Ayala. The cooler air had sobered her up a little. It was a perfect evening as it was warm with a slight breeze. Ayala took her hand to help her over a fence and didn't let go. Kathryn enjoyed Mike's company. After all the drama with Chakotay and Q, it was a relief to be with a man who enjoyed a simple life. She smiled at him and he kissed her instinctively. The mood was broken when they heard Tom Paris shouting. He ran towards them, closely followed by B'Elanna, who was stumbling all over the place.
"Ayala, have you seen Chakotay? He's not in his bunk and there are signs of a struggle outside our bunkhouse."
"If he is hurt he may have wandered away dazed and confused," suggested Ayala. He went with Tom to search the local area.
Scene 4
When Chakotay opened his eyes, he found himself in a clean, fresh smelling room. It resembled a log cabin on Earth. There was no technology anywhere. Although the furniture was small it looked comfortable. There were small touches around the room which identified it as a family home. Children's drawings were stuck onto the wall. There were piles of books and toys scattered around the room.
He turned his neck to find a line of Betas watching and waiting for him to wake up.
"I'm sorry that I struck you on the head. I overreacted because I thought you were going to proffer violence."
Chakotay didn't know whether to trust them but decided to play along.
"I don't suppose you could untie me - my arms are starting to hurt."
One of the Betas moved towards him holding a knife.
"Stand still or I will find it hard to free your hands without harming you."
As soon as Chakotay was free, he sat up and rubbed his wrists.
"Could you explain why you abducted me? I work in the fields with you so you know I'm not an Alpha."
"We need a representative to negotiate with the Alphas on our behalf," replied the Head Beta.
It would be better if they hear your issues straight from you. You know what you want to gain." answered Chakotay.
"They won't consider our request. In their opinion, we are primitive and uneducated. The argument is that we can't understand basic issues related to our lives. They have to make all our decisions for us," explained the Head Beta.
"Why do you continue with the myth that you are an inferior species? The Alphas believe that you live in mud huts and have no language or culture," asked Chakotay.
The Chief Beta explained, "We have lived in peace with the Alphas for thousands of years. We were happy to continue with the status Quo as we were all content with our lives."
"What changed your mind?" asked Chakotay.
"Recently a new faction of Alphas started to gain support within the Ruling Council. They want to eradicate our species. There is a shortage of resources on our planet. This faction believes that we are consuming too many resources. According to them, we don't contribute enough to our society."
"Why can't you show them your true nature and dwellings?" asked Chakotay.
"We hid our evolution from the Alpha because we didn't want to scare them."
"If you ask for a meeting then I will teach you some negotiating skills. On my world, people negotiate all the time," offered Chakotay.
"If we tell them that we have been deceitful for thousands of years they will not believe anything we say."
"Are there any Alphas that you trust?" asked Chakotay who already knew the answer."
An anthropologist from their university came to study our society and culture. The sophistication and depths of our beliefs and society astonished him. As soon as he published his thesis he became a pariah. They committed him to a hospital which treats Alphas with broken minds."
"Do you think the Ruling Council will take any notice of me?"
"You view our society as an outsider. After travelling to so many planets, you can explain that we can help them to husband their resources. They aren't aware that there are many plants that are edible. He showed Chakotay books which listed the plants used to feed animals in times of hardship"
"You could have asked for my help without using any violence." explained Chakotay.
"We didn't know how you'd react - your face markings are savage."
Chakotay suppressed a smile because he was talking to a life form who resembled a green monkey.
"I will do my best to promote your cause. You can find a lawyer who can get me out of the same hospital as your anthropologist" joked Chakotay.
The Beta's laughter was forced. Of course, they hadn't anticipated that outcome.
Scene 5
Ayala was searching the fields. He'd known that his best friend was struggling recently but all he could think of was Kathryn recently. He looked up when he saw something out of the corner of his eye. It looked like an Alpha or human figure. The figure was surrounded by a small group of Betas. The person spotted him and started to wave.
He shouted, "Chakotay!" then ran towards him.
"Where have you been? Everyone is out looking for you."
"I will apologise to everyone. The Betas wanted to talk to me but didn't give me an option to refuse their invitation," replied Chakotay.
Ayala was staring at the Betas who were milling around them.
"Are you telling me that these little fellas managed to get the drop on you sir?" asked Ayala.
Chakotay glared at him, "Wipe that smirk off your face or you will be cleaning the bulkhead until we get home."
Kathryn, Tom and Astra were running across the fields towards them.
Chakotay told them about his abduction. They told him everything that had happened since his disappearance, including Astra's incident.
"How are you supposed to get the Ruling Council to listen to you? We are itinerant farm workers," asked Kathryn.
One of the Betas answered, "Ask the Farm's owner. We have worked with him for many centuries."
Chakotay asked Kathryn to go with him. After everyone returned to their quarters Chakotay apologised to her:
"I'm sorry that I've been such a misery lately. I've lost my ship; some of my friends and the respect of my old crew in a short space of time," confessed Chakotay.
Kathryn knew exactly why he had been so miserable recently but she didn't need to contradict him. Then he smiled at her and she felt the usual flare of lust. No woman could resist that sexy smile.
When they arrived at the Farm House, the Beta cook answered the door. "What can I do for you?"
"We would like to talk to the Boss please," requested Kathryn.
"Wait here and I will check that he's available." said the cook.
She left the kitchen then returned ten minutes later.
"He will be here to talk to you as soon as he's finished his meal."
She pointed to the kitchen table and chairs where she expected them to wait.
When the Boss finally arrived he was in a good mood. Chakotay and Kathryn were his favourite hands.
Chakotay spoke first, "We have been asked to talk to your Ruling Council on behalf of the Beta tribe."
The Boss stopped smiling and stared at them stony-faced.
"Wait here, I have to talk to an official to arrange an interview with a member of the Council.
As soon as he left Chakotay took Kathryn's hand and opened the kitchen door ready to bolt.
"Something is wrong - let's get out of here!"
They almost reached the gate. It flew open admitting the soldiers who already had their weapons aimed at them.
"Down on the floor now! Hands on your heads." shouted the leader.
"What have we done?" asked Chakotay, who was very confused.
The Magistrate will charge you with inciting a rebellion."
They wanted to talk to you. There was no hatred or violence threatened.
Before the soldiers took them away, the Boss whispered in Chakotay's ear:
"I am the leader of the Alpha Sect - we are campaigning for a Beta cull. When we rid ourselves of this vermin, we can take back our planet."
"You are insane. This action is not necessary. They are a peaceful species," shouted Chakotay.
The next sentence made him shiver:
"The cull will begin at dawn!"