TAYA
Chapter 2
Kathryn awoke sometime later, hearing someone moving above her. She groaned as she heaved herself from the deck, Taya's screams, amplified by the implant, ringing in her ears. Tom Paris extended a hand to her, helping her into a standing position. She nodded her thanks and moved toward the unmoving form of her first officer. Cavit was gray and stiff, and she felt for a pulse on first his neck, then his wrist. There wasn't one. Tom reported quietly that Stadi was dead. Things moved quickly from there. She found herself in engineering, helping fix a problem with the warp core. Then, an ominous call came from the bridge, cut short in the middle of the sentence. She started to issue an order for a shipwide emergency lockdown, but got no more than a few words out of her mouth before she dematerialized.
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Kathryn appeared in what seemed to be some kind of farm. She noticed a large farmhouse, and moved towards it as an elderly woman came out, holding a large tray of food.
"Come up here! Come on, now! I have a pitcher of lemonade and some sugar cookies. Oh, you poor things, you must be tired out, so come on and have a cold drink, hmm?" Before Kathryn could reply, she turned her attention elsewhere. Kathryn followed the old woman as she moved out of side to the other side of the porch, hidden from view of the front yard. A tiny wooden cradle appeared, and the plaintive wail of an infant met her ears. Kathryn's eyes examined the cradle for a moment as her thoughts raced. If the entire crew has been transported to this array, then it's safe to assume that…Taya! My baby! She rushed to the tiny bed, scooping her baby out and cradling her gently. After a moment, she heard Tom Paris calling for her. She quickly wrapped her daughter in one of the blankets from the cradle, effectively hiding her from view. No one would be able to tell that she was carrying a baby unless she cried. Kathryn moved back out into the open, ignoring the questioning glances of a few of the crew. Tom looked at her oddly as he brought her to the strange barn he and Harry had found—it contained the holographic emitter they'd been looking for. As she watched, tightening her grip on her baby slightly, the wall before them disappeared to reveal the crew of the Maquis ship they'd been pursuing. She immediately fastened on the dark-skinned Vulcan man—Tuvok, her security chief. She barely had time to register this fact before she was transported to one of these areas. She looked to her right, and saw her daughter suspended beside her. Simultaneously, metal rods reached down from the ceiling, embedding themselves deeply into the abdomens of the people below them. Kathryn arched her back, hissing in pain, and let out a sharp cry, hearing her baby scream before sinking into oblivion.
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