The Third Nature -Book One of the Triad

Voyager fantasies by Lt Taya 17 Janeway

"there's something wrong"

Chakotay stepped into the captain's ready room, hoping that she was there. It was an hour before the offensive was due to take place, and the ship was in a frenzy of preparation. He was somewhat relieved when the doors slid open smoothly, indicating that the captain was present.

She wasn't there. But, strangely, Naomi Wildman, the young daughter of Samantha Wildman, was. The half-Ktarian girl turned to smile at Chakotay as he came in. "Hi."

"Naomi, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in your room? The battle's about to begin." And how did the child get into the room in the first place?"

Naomi shrugged. "The battle hasn't begun yet. Chelon let me in." She gestured to the large prehensile plant the captain kept in her ready room, a gift from one of the races in the Delta Quadrant which they had encountered. She grinned. "Chelon says hi."

Charming, thought Chakotay, deciding to play along with the girl. "Hello, Chelon. How are you doing today?"

Naomi turned back to the plant briefly, then returned her gaze to Chakotay. "It says it's doing fine. Although a little bit of water would be helpful."

Chakotay nodded, groping under the captain's table for the watering can he knew she kept somewhere, hiding a smile. "Just as long as he doesn't grab me."

"It won't. I made it promise."

Chakotay watered the plant in mild amusement. "And does Chelon happen to know where Captain Janeway has gone to?" he asked, half-jokingly.

Naomi consulted the plant for a minute. "She's on the way from Engineering."

"Thanks." Chakotay finished watering the plant, and replaced the watering can. "Hey, he didn't grab me."

"Of course not. Chelon's a very honorable plant. It never breaks promises." Naomi got up from her cross-legged stance on the floor and dusted herself off. "I guess I'd better get going," she said. "Chelon says the battle's starting soon, and I don't want my mom to get worried."

Chakotay took her arm and escorted her out of the room. "He's right. Chelon's a very wise tree."

"Plant," Naomi corrected him. "Chelon doesn't think it's big enough to be called a tree."

Naomi and Chakotay took the turbolift down to Deck 12. Janeway was just coming up that way, and Naomi bud the commander goodbye and scampered off to her quarters. The captain took Chakotay by the elbow. "Just the person I wanted to see." At Chakotay's bemused look, she asked, "What?"

Chakotay shook his head. "I just had a very… interesting conversation with your prehensile plant."

"Oh, so you've been talking to Chelon too? I didn't expect you could. I thought it spoke only to females. Did it actually contact you telepathically?"

It took a while for the ramifications of Janeway's words to sink in. "Wait… are you saying that the plant is sentient?" He reeled. "I thought Naomi was just playing make-believe!"

 "You thought that Naomi was-" Janeway started to laugh. "No, it's true. I, too, got a nasty fright the first time it spoke to me. But Chelon is sentient- and furthermore, it's over seven hundred years old."

Chakotay took in a deep breath and tried to think rationally. "The plant you've been keeping all this while is sentient," he said. "Damn."

"It thinks you're amusing." She tugged him into the turbolift.

Chakotay tried to collect his wits. A sentient plant, talking telepathically to the rest of the crew. The universe, it seemed, still had its surprises in store for him. "Well… I'd like to be able to talk to him someday."

"I'll teach you… when we get the chance to." The lift rose towards Deck 1. "Meanwhile, there's something I wanted to show you."

Chakotay nodded. "I just got a report from all sectors. We're cleared for action."

Janeway nodded. "I know." We have out own communication system too, you know.

"Right." Chakotay smiled and hoped it didn't look too nervous. So the women had their own telepathic mindlink? It was an unnerving thought. And the relative ease in which his captain had sent him a message implied that she had had some practice with it. With all these strange powers at their disposal, it's no wonder that the women have the upper hand against the men in this society.

If Janeway could read his thoughts she didn't make any signal that she could. Instead she prodded him out of the turbolift as it arrived at the bridge. Kes and the Doctor had already assumed their positions. "In my ready room," she told Chakotay. He obediently followed her in.

Janeway walked around her ready room, giving Chelon a pat as she walked past, then finally settling on the couches beside the observation window. She gestured to the spot beside her. "Sit."

Chakotay sat down and gazed at her, wondering what she wanted to show him.

"Give me your hand."

He held his hand out to her, and she took it, palm up. Relax, she said.

He closed his eyes and tried to calm himself. He thought of his Vision Quests.

Suddenly she was in there with him, standing in the blank whiteness of his mindscape. She blinked, and took a few tentative steps towards him. She was shaky, but she managed it. "I want to teach you a simple spell before the battle begins."

"I can't use it."

"I don't think Nayrn is going to be paying much attention to what you're doing when she's coordinating a battle on the ground. It's a simple healing spell. It might come in useful."

"The doctor's on the bridge."

"He has other duties to perform. This is a precaution. Let me show you how it's done."

And she did, step by step, teaching him how to stimulate the simplest of body cells to regenerate, to produce the enzymes and proteins required for healing, how to stitch broken bones together, how to mend vascular tissue and so on. As he tried to emulate her steps he could feel them together, their minds and souls powerfully linked as one, with the thread of magic running through. Connecting them. He felt the deep chasm of power at his disposal, power that they could use at their whim.

It was intoxicating.

He blinked, and he was back on Voyager again, feeling the physicality of the world around him. She was still holding his hand, and her palm felt warm against his skin. He took another deep breath, trying to absorb whatever she'd just taught him.

She gave his hand a short, firm squeeze. "Everything alright?"

He nodded, feeling a sudden lassitude come over him. He just wanted to sit there forever holding her hand, feeling the warm tangibility effusing from her. But they had a battle to fight.

A communiqué from the bridge alerted them. It was Kes. "Captain, I've had word from the Ashkari forces on the ground. They've begun their offensive on Haldon… and there's something wrong."