MAQUIS - 15/3/2018
SCENE 1
Kathryn stretched out on the grass to luxuriate in the warm sunshine. There was a gentle breeze which rustled the leaves on the trees.
"If you want to rest Kathryn, I won't disturb you," whispered Astra.
"Don't be silly! I've been in bed for too long. I missed your company."
Astra sat down next to her best friend. She missed living on a planet with all the clean air, fresh food and a chance to spend some time by herself. She wasn't used to communal living.
The Crew discovered the planet by accident. The Doctor at the mining clinic advised them to find a safe place for Kathryn to recuperate. Life on a small spaceship wasn't conducive to healthy living.
The initial survey of the planet concluded that it had a similar atmosphere to Earth. As far as they knew it wasn't inhabited. According to the scans, there were no man-made structures anywhere on the surface.
Tom joined them to check on his patient.
"A little bird told me you were repairing a scanner this morning. I ordered you to rest not to undertake light duties," said Tom, raising an eyebrow.
Kathryn kept her eyes closed hoping he would take the hint. He stopped talking so Kathryn thought she was in the clear. She opened one eye to check he was gone.
"I knew you weren't asleep. You had a serious infection which almost killed you. Captain, you have to take it easy or you will suffer a relapse."
"I'm sorry Tom but I am going mad with boredom. I need to do something useful to occupy my time," complained Kathryn.
"I will ask the Captain but I know what his response will be," said Tom.
Ayala ran over to them with a towel tucked under his arm.
B'Elanna and I found a perfect freshwater river where it should be safe to swim.
Kathryn sat up and turned to Astra, " That sounds wonderful. Gentle exercise in the water should strengthen my leg muscles."
Kathryn waited for Tom to say something. Chakotay had put him in charge of her rehabilitation. Tom looked serious for once. Kathryn's heart sank because she knew he was going to say no.
Tom grinned and started to laugh, "A gentle swim would provide excellent physiotherapy. Don't tell Chakotay because I don't want to spoil his excellent opinion of me," said Tom.
Scene 2
Chakotay was lying on his bunk pretending to read. He heard the others laughing and joking as they collected their swimsuits and towels. Even Lam was going with them because Ayala offered to teach him to swim.
Ayala stuck his head around the door.
"Chakotay come swimming with us. Too much time by yourself will make you miserable and lonely."
Chakotay put his book down and sighed, "Have you ever thought that I enjoy my own company?"
Ayala snorted, "No, stop being stubborn and meet us there."
Chakotay couldn't watch Kathryn enjoying her swim with the others. He had made a bargain to save Kathryn's life. He didn't realise how hard it would be to keep it. He knew Kathryn had noticed his efforts to avoid her. What she didn't know was it was killing him inside.
Everyone was swimming in the river so he decided to go for a hike. He was suffering from insomnia so the exercise might tire him out. There was an area of forest he wanted to explore. He put some water and rations into a backpack and left a note informing them of his location.
The humidity was high and the heat was relentless. Sweat was pouring off him until he reached the edge of the forest. When Chakotay stepped through the trees the temperature plummeted. He stood in one place enjoying the cool temperatures. The smells of the trees and plants made him feel homesick.
As he walked into the forest he took samples of the flowers and fruit he didn't recognise. He wanted to take some fresh food with them when they left. The crew wanted to stay longer because it was so idyllic. He felt they deserved a small vacation because they had been through so much recently.
Chakotay felt tired so he looked around for somewhere to rest. He scanned the trees because he felt safer off the ground. When they arrived on the planet they couldn't find any traces of animal habitation. Their diet was vegetarian by necessity.
He spotted a tree with huge branches. The climb didn't look too difficult. He could wedge himself between the branches to sleep.
Chakotay could imagine the crew laughing at his clumsy attempt to climb the tree. He made himself comfortable and closed his eyes.
He woke up when he heard a loud conversation under the tree.
"We will start the hunt tomorrow at first light. The Alpha studied this prey and is confident they will be worthy and yield impressive
relics" said the Beta.
The Third disagreed, "They are weak and small. When we remove their inners there will be nothing left to consume."
Chakotay waited until he could no longer hear them before he went to warn the others. He didn't run because he remembered the Hirogen had acute hearing. He walked through the forest so he didn't give away his position.
He was almost free when he felt a hand on his collar. The Hirogen lifted him up until his feet weren't touching the ground.
"You were going to warn the prey and spoil the hunt. I must take you to the Alpha so he can decide your fate."
"My small pack is not worthy prey for masters of the hunt. You should wait until the prey is worthy," suggested Chakotay.
The Hirogen punched him in the face without warning. He felt the blood dripping from his nose so he smeared it across his face to make a point.
"Prey should be silent. You need to conserve your energy so you can run for your life. The Alpha will use your body as food to give his warriors strength before the hunt," said the angry, young Hirogen.
Chakotay realised the Hirogen who captured him was young and inexperienced. He may be able to turn his youth to his advantage
"I am certain the Alpha will blame you for ruining his hunt. You captured me too soon. I am the Alpha of my crew so other Hirogen will prize my relics especially the females." Chakotay wondered whether he had laid it on too much.
The young Hirogen slowed down to think about Chakotay's words. They had waited a long time for prey with good potential. The Alpha had put out a signal asking other packs nearby to join this hunt. Prey was scarce in this Galaxy as there were many uninhabited planets.
"I will allow you to rejoin your pack. We have disabled your engine so there is no chance of escape. The hunt is victorious!"
He dropped Chakotay on the floor of the forest and marched away to choose his weapons for the hunt. He wanted to kill this prey himself.
Chakotay stood up and dusted himself down. Then he set off to warn the others.
Scene 3
Ayala, B'Elanna and Tom were lying on the banks of the river. It wasn't difficult to dry themselves because the sun was so warm. Kathryn and Astra were in the water trying to teach Lam how to swim. They were applauding him for managing to float by himself.
Kathryn started to feel anxious for no reason. She looked around with a shiver. This was a perfect moment considering everything that had happened to them recently. She went to her pack to fetch a drink.
She heard something crashing through the undergrowth heading towards them. Kathryn slipped her phaser out of the pack and stood ready to shoot.
Chakotay emerged wide-eyed and bent over trying to catch his breath.
"Hirogen are here … we are the prey. They disabled the ship so we have to hide," blurted out Chakotay.
Nobody started to panic. Ayala and others discarded everything they didn't need and refilled their water canteens.
"We will split up and head to the caves in two groups. They are the ultimate predators so we don't want to make their hunt too easy" explained Chakotay.
"How many Hirogen are there?" asked B'Elanna.
"Two warriors and a younger male," added Chakotay.
Ayala hoped they were alone, "Are there any more on the planet?"
"Not yet but they have invited other Hirogen ships to join them for the hunt," explained Chakotay."
Chakotay took Ayala away from the others to continue their discussion.
"Are you certain they disabled the ship," asked Ayala.
Chakotay lowered his voice, "Yes, we have to kill them to escape from the planet. If they don't tell us what they did we'll have to encourage them."
"Let B'Elanna know but don't say a word to Kathryn Tom, Astra. They don't have the stomach for this type of work."
"Aye Captain," said Ayala.
He knew that Chakotay didn't want them to know because they wouldn't approve of his decision. The Hirogen were more bloodthirsty than the Klingons, Cardassians and the Romulans together. There were no words in their language for compromise, negotiation or surrender. Killing them was their only option
Scene 4
The caves were in a mountain range on the other side of the island. They could see the peaks from where they stood.
"We will split into two groups and approach the caves from opposite directions. The Hirogen will try to follow our trails so wade across streams or rivers as often as you can. We have to confuse their superior senses," advised Chakotay.
Ayala gave the next order, "I will take Lam, B'Elanna and Astra. Tom and Kathryn are with Chakotay.
Chakotay whispered when everyone moved away. "Would you swap Astra for Kathryn?"
"What is wrong with you? Since we left the mining planet you've avoided Kathryn like the plague. What happened in the prison? You can talk to me about anything."
"I thought I would be less distracted by Astra," confessed Chakotay with a half-truth.
"We need to keep Lam and Kathryn apart because they are the weakest. At full strength, Kathryn is capable of looking after herself. At the moment she has limits," explained Ayala.
They gathered the groups together to give them some encouragement.
"If you lose contact with your group leader head to the caves. Try to stay away from the open ground and keep moving.
Ayala headed west with his group. Chakotay, Tom and Kathryn headed off in the opposite direction.
Scene 5 - Chakotay
Chakotay walked in front leaving Tom to help Kathryn. He kept looking back to reassure himself that she was coping with the pace. Chakotay was aware they had to find cover before twilight. He wanted to slow down but the thought of what the Hirogen had planned for them kept him moving.
Kathryn couldn't walk fast enough so they kept falling behind.
"Chakotay, Kathryn needs to rest," shouted Tom.
Chakotay walked back to them feeling guilty.
"The Hirogen will start their hunt soon. The hunt will only end when we are dead. They will not give Kathryn a second chance because she is recuperating. We can rest here so you can drink and have some food then we have to keep going," explained Chakotay.
Kathryn wanted to know what she had done to upset Chakotay. Since she woke up in the mining clinic he had gone out of his way to avoid any contact with her. The crew had even noticed that he was avoiding her.
Kathryn stood up trying not to show how much pain she was in.
"I'm ready to go Tom!" shouted Kathryn. She decided to ignore Chakotay until he explained his strange behaviour.
The second stage of the walk was silent and fractious. There was no time to air their grievances so they put all their energies into survival.
When they reached the edge of the forest, Chakotay told them to rest. He needed a few minutes to work out a route to the caves which didn't leave them exposed. It was starting to get dark so he didn't have a lot of time to think.
The river bordered an open field. There were bushes and reeds along the river banks.
Chakotay spotted a tree trunk lying on the ground. It looked as though it had been struck by lightning.
"Tom help me move this undercover," asked Chakotay.
They managed to move the trunk towards the edge of the forest.
We are going to push the log into the water and use it as cover to swim to the cave entrance," explained Chakotay.
How will we avoid detection if the Hirogen are near?" asked Kathryn.
Chakotay pulled three reeds out of the ground nearby.
"When you strip the roots away it will leave a hollow tube. Lie back in the water and use the reed to breathe. You only need to keep the opening of it above the water. It should fool the Hirogen if they aren't too close to us."
Tom and Kathryn looked at the water with disgust. It was dark, murky with large bubbles erupting from the depths.
Chakotay lost his temper, "The Hirogen will kill you without mercy! Or you can face the slime and creatures in the river - your choice?"
"Aye Captain," murmured Tom.
Kathryn could feel her Irish temper starting to build.
"I landed up in prison because I was in the wrong place.
I was stuck in the middle of a brutal uprising. During our escape, the guards shot me in the back with a poisoned bullet. I was in a coma fighting for my life. Now you expect me to submerge my whole body into swamp infested water. I am entitled to moan!"
Chakotay couldn't stop himself from grinning. Kathryn was magnificent and sexy when she was angry. Then he remembered the deal he made with Q.
"I will apologise when we are safe. Get into the water and hold onto the log!"
Scene 6 - Ayala
Ayala's group headed towards the caves at a slow jog. B'Elanna and Astra didn't have a problem keeping up with the pace. It became clear that Lam wasn't a natural athlete.
"My legs are hurting - can't we rest for a short while?" asked Lam. He had never experienced a cramp in his muscles like this before.
Astra slowed her pace to jog beside him. "Relax your shoulders and try to float over the ground. It will help your momentum."
Ayala knew there was a lake in front of them. If they had the time it would be easier to walk around. They had to reach the caves before the suns set. He knew B'Elanna and Astra could swim. Lam couldn't swim which presented him with a dilemma.
Astra realised why Ayala was having an internal debate.
"Carry on with B'Elanna. I will find somewhere to hide with Lam. Don't worry I will look after him."
Ayala wasn't surprised that Astrid knew what he was thinking. She had made a selfless offer to help them survive.
"Have you brought your knives with you?" asked Ayala.
Astra took a few from her sheaths to show Ayala.
There was an ornate dagger with intricate relief work and enamelling on the hilt.
Ayala picked it up to examine the blade, "That is a work of art," said Ayala with envy.
"My teacher gave it to me! I keep it to remind me of him," explained Astra.
"Stay safe and make sure that Lam doesn't get both of you killed. We will meet you back at the ship when we have dealt with the Hirogen," promised Ayala.
Astra patted Ayala on the shoulder, "I have lived for over a thousand years. Trust me, there are no surprises left!
Ayala and B'Elanna started to prepare for their long distance swim.
Scene 7
Astra walked in the opposite direction with Lam who was starting to worry. He knew that Astra was a master knife thrower and a black belt in various martial arts. Yet she was a small, delicate female. He had seen images of the Hirogen and they were enormous.
Astra could understand his lack of trust in her.
"Fighting is not all about muscle and size," she tapped her head, "It is all in here! The best fighters use their brains before their fists."
"What are we going to do if the Hirogen capture us?"
Astra thought about telling him but decided that actions speak louder than words. In a split second Lam was lying on the floor looking up at him.
"That is the mistake the Hirogen will make - underestimating me!"
Lam stood and bowed, "Will you teach me how to do that after we escape from the Hirogen?"
You will have to do as you're told," warned Astra.
"Yes, Ma'am! If I can defend myself then I won't be a burden on other members of the crew."
Astra knew that Ayala's opinion of him had hurt his feelings.
"Don't listen to Ayala. Do you think he could cook tasty meals like you do on a shoestring."
They continued their walk back to the ship. Astra had concluded that they should go to ground near to the Javert.
"I am going to check the engine. The Hirogen dedicate themselves to the hunt. The hunters don't have any technical knowledge. They leave that to their minions," said Astra. what
Scene 8 - Ayala and B'Elanna
The water was bone-chilling. Ayala and B'Elanna discovered this fact after they jumped into the lake.
B'Elanna shouted, "Mike, we will die of hypothermia before we reach the other side."
Ayala couldn't hear her because his teeth were chattering too much.
"We have to do this or end up a wall display on an Hirogen ship," warned Ayala.
They started to swim at a slow pace. B'Elanna and Ayala knew they couldn't stop or they would freeze to death. He couldn't stop thinking about Astra and Lam. He knew the Hirogen had no scruples about killing women or children. He should have kept them together and found an alternative route.
B'Elanna stopped swimming and pointed at the opposite shore. The Hirogen warriors waiting on the shore were difficult to miss. Ayala looked behind him and spotted two more Hirogen waiting to cut off their escape route.
Ayala started to tread water so he could talk to B'Elanna.
"Do you think they have spread around the lake?" asked B'Elanna.
"They will be there to greet us wherever we try to land," said Ayala.
Without warning, B'Elanna disappeared under water. She came back up fighting as something dragged her down again. Ayala watched in shock as his crewmate disappeared for the last time.
As soon as the shock wore off he dived underwater to find her. His first attempt failed so he swam to the surface to get some air.
He grunted with pain when he felt a tight iron clamp grasp his leg. Then he felt the pressure which pulled him under the water. He stopped fighting. His last thought was how much he hated the Hirogen!