chapter thirty three: onward march
Janeway was tensely crouched in the forest surrounding Licknok Moor. The bronze-plated ablative armor emblazoned with the Ashkari crest lay heavily on her chest, and her wrists and ankles were protected by sheathed circlets. In one hand gripped the handle of the force shield tightly, the other held on to the Casting weapon. Ahead of her lay the flat green plains of Moor Di'an, and the fortress city could be seen, miles away, by the horizon. Around her the troops of the Panizhe were gathered. Behind every tree, every shrub, crouched a group of women with one thing, and only one thing, in their minds. The tension was thick and palpable; a strange energy seemed to suffuse them. How could so many people be here, and still not be seen? She wondered silently.
Ahead, one of the scouts gave the go-ahead signal. With a grim nod of her head, Janeway crept forward.
"Well, it looks like it's time, alright," said Paris, the cavalier tone in his voice concealing the nervousness he felt inside. The Delta Flyer skimmed the treetops of the forest in full stealth mode. Ahead, scanners picked up the activity within Licknok Moor. The city seemed to be functioning as per normal: if the Empress knew of the coming attack she was definitely being way too calm about it. Or we could be walking into a trap, thought Paris. Sudden images of unspeakable horror popped into his head: hidden garrisons suddenly springing from the walls of Licknok Moor, drowning the Panizhe with their sheer number; a hailstorm of terrible fireballs raining down from above, cutting them down like weeds; death, destruction, destruction, death.
Feeling uneasy? The soft caress of his wife snapped Paris out of his loop of grisly images. Torres slid her arm around his seat and kissed his hair gently. This softness, so unlike her, was surely a side-effect of the Joining, thought Paris. The Joining... hoo boy. That mere thought was enough to put a smile on his face. It had been an fantastic experience, all right, but it had also been a rather painful one. If they survived this...
"Did I mention that you look really good in black body armor?" he asked Torres, eyeing her heavily ornamental Warrior's suit with an appreciative eye.
"I'm disappointed, Tom, I was expecting you to say that I looked better out of it."
He couldn't help but smile at that one. "Hmm. Maybe you have a point." He turned back to his console and continued his preparations, his fears smoothed away by the knowledge that Torres would always be with him, no matter what.
"You're smiling now," Torres observed dryly, leaning over the edge of his chair and whispering into his ear. "I suppose you're not nervous anymore."
He chuckled. "On the contrary, being around you always makes me nervous," he joked.
Torres straightened up, folded her arms and gave him a look that he could feel through the back of his head. "Oh, really." You're treading on thin ice, flyboy.
"Well, you didn't have to hit me so hard yesterday night!" he protested.
It wouldn't have been half so fun otherwise, she replied smugly.
Paris shook his head and laughed again, softly. If I survive this, all I have to do next is survive the rest of my life. "Let's get this baby on the road."
The war room was filled with an expectant silence; Myriam watched the projection of Licknok Moor with a critical eagle eye, directing troop movement. Slowly, always slowly, to avoid detection. Beside her, Loess stared intently at the glowing lines with a strange light in her emerald-green eyes. Seven stood slightly further away, surrounded with padds, poring carefully through the Auguries one last time. She had spent the last hour or so meditating and practicing the specialized techniques that Tuvok and Loess had taught her; now she felt something wasn't 'right' about the Auguries and was re-reading them to see what they had missed out.
That worried Myriam, but not as much as what she already knew was wrong.
There was a small commotion at the door of the war room; the door was pushed ajar, then slammed back, then pushed ajar again. Josh's voice floated through the crack: "Bryanna, you can't go in there now!"
Fragments of Bryanna's protest floated back to them: "I need.... attack on Tiaguad... my sister is alright!"
More scuffling, then a cry of pain from Josh. The door slammed open, and Bryanna darted in, her cheeks flushed in defiance. "He wouldn't let me in!" she protested to Myriam, hands on her hips.
Behind her, Josh limped in with his hand on his left shin, a grimace on his face. "She's not supposed to be here! I'm supposed to look after her, but she... she—she kicked me!"
Bryanna was not in the least apologetic. "He was trying to stop me! I want to know what happens in this attack!"
Myriam held her hand up; the children were distracting her from the task at hand. "You may stay," she told the both of them, "but only if you stay completely silent."
Bryanna stuck her tongue out briefly at Josh, and went to find a corner to settle down as the boy sulked.
Voyager was skimming the atmosphere of the planet, creating a warm red glow around the perimeter of the ship. On the darkened bridge, the red glow was all too apparent, complementing the flashing crimson of the red alert signal. Chakotay sat tersely in the captain's chair and watched as Kes skillfully manipulated the helm controls. Voyager was soaring like an eagle; an eagle that would lead the fleet to victory—or death,
Even as he sat thinking those morbid thoughts, he couldn't entirely take his mind off Janeway. She had to be planetside now, waiting outside of Licknok Moor, waiting for the signal for the offensive. He could imagine her, crouched at the edge of a dark gloomy forest, staring grimly across the plain with the firm set of jaw that told the person on her wrong side that he was in big trouble. And that image made him realize all the more how much he loved her. Where had all this emotion suddenly come from? A week ago she was no more than a colleague and a dear friend. Now she was his wife. The love came from inside us, he thought, a love that was caged until we had the courage to let it out. He felt a smile coming and let it show. He reached his thoughts out to her. I love you.
Planetside, Janeway paused in her onward march, looked upwards and smiled. I know.