Chapter 11
"Chakotay, we are being hailed by the lead ship!" Seska announced over the comm-link.
He shook his head to clear the fog that the last explosion had cause there.
"Can you put it through to my combadge?"
"Yes, I think so. Wait a second...."
He heard a brief crackle of static, then a man's voice rasped,
"I am Gul Camet of the Tokar Zebok! We have surrounded you. Your defense systems are down. Surrender now or prepare to die!"
"I'd rather die than hand my people over to you, Camet! Your reputation precedes you! Camet the Butcher! No thank you. You're going to have to do this the hard way. Seska, cut the link!"
He tapped his badge again.
"This is Chakotay to all hands! We're under attack by Cardassian warships. Help the Starfleet crew out of the brig, and make your way to the docking stations. Try to get out of here somehow, and assist the Starfleet people! Do not surrender under any circumstances! Camet is leading them! I repeat! Get out of here and help the Starfleet crew! Camet has come to take over the base! Do not surrender! Chakotay out." He was already running in the direction of the unfortunately distant docking bay that contained Voyager, before he cut the comm-link. If they could get the Starfleet vessel to work, they might just have a chance.
Kathryn Janeway was lying flat on the ground, her arms and hands clasped over her head in an attempt to protect it from another shower of rock and debris. Already her knees and arms had numerous cuts and bruises from the repeated attacks, and the air was now so thick with dust that she could barely see or breathe. Then all was quiet again, and she wearily got to her feet, coughing violently as the all-surrounding dust invaded her lungs. For the past fifteen minutes or so she had been trying to find her way back to the main tunnel, ducking repeatedly to avoid the bombardment of rocks that assailed upon her with every explosion.
Now she could clearly make out brighter lights about thirty feet ahead of her. She desperately wanted to run, but it was impossible with all the debris on the ground. An earlier attempt to do so had only ended with her hitting the ground hard, as she stumbled over a boulder twice the size of her own head. Her knees were still bleeding badly from the fall, but she did not have the time to attend to her wounds. She had to find the Cardassians and her crew. They needed to get the hell out of here, before they all got buried alive. Kathryn stopped dead as she heard phaser fire from the tunnel she was approaching. Several Cardassian soldiers sped past the opening of the tunnel. She continued to make her way to the main tunnel, when she heard a voice that sounded vaguely familiar. Now what? Was she going to have a déjà-vu?
The stress is getting to you, Captain!, she chided herself mentally, but she could not help hearing what the voice was saying.
"I want Janeway! Make sure you get her! I don't care about the damn Maquis! Just bring me the woman! And make sure she's alive! I've waited a long time for this moment!"
Kathryn found herself immobilized with panic. This was no déjà-vu, this was real! She would have recognized that voice anywhere. It had followed her in her dreams over the past thirteen years. As much as she had tried, she could not get it out of her mind. All the counseling Starfleet could offer had not been able to erase it from her memory. She had even asked Tuvok to teach her some Vulcan meditation techniques, to help her get over the apprehension of going to sleep. For almost seven years after the incident she had heard his rasping voice, smelled his foul breath, whenever she closed her eyes.
Then she had found Mark, and the voice had fainted, until one day, it had vanished entirely. The odor of Camet's squalid breath, though, had stayed with her to this day. And now the voice was back, too, but not as some phantom in a dream -- this was reality. Gul Camet in flesh and blood!
Thirteen years ago she had been certain that she was not going to make it out of that Cardassian prison alive. He had made his intentions very clear to her. She would never forget his words, when he had explained the true purpose of their Cardassian torture techniques...
"Power. Control. The satisfaction of completely breaking another being."
She felt the icy chill those words had caused her engulf her once again, as if it had happened yesterday. Thirteen long years of coming to terms with what had happened back there, of fighting the terrible fears that he might still come after her. Almost as tormenting as the memory of his voice, the screams of her mentor, Admiral Paris, had haunted her for years. Camet had forced her to listen to his screams of agony and despair, as they slowly tortured him to death. Oh, she wished Owen Paris were here now, so she would not have to face those memories alone. She knew it was a selfish wish. Owen had never been the same after the incident... To tell the truth, at the time she had not even come close to imagining the full extent of the horror Camet could inflict on her. That had come much later. Roughly five years after the Rangers had broken her out of the Cardassian prison, she had stumbled across Camet's name again. This time it had been in the comfort of her office at Starfleet Headquarters. The news had reached her in the shape of the monthly report of an undercover agent who was supplying Starfleet with crucial information about the strategical plans of the Cardassian Empire.
Among other things, he had mentioned that a certain Gul Camet had been awarded the Proficient Service Medallion of the Cardassian Empire. Apparently his superiors had recommended him for the award, due to his ruthless treatment of prisoners. He had no scruples, when it came to torturing and killing people. Camet had been responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Bajorans, in his capacity as commanding officer of a Cardassian labor camp on Bajor during the occupation. He had literally slaughtered people. His ruthless command of the camp had earned him a name -- Camet, the Butcher. And the worst thing was that he took special pleasure in torturing and tormenting women.
He had slowly killed men in front of their wifes, slayed children before the eyes of their mothers... He had continued even after they had given them the information he wanted. Once he had started there was no stopping him. No pleas could make him end his butchering. When a woman finally had had no husband or children left, he had turned to raping her repeatedly before slitting her throat.
She would never be able to forget that report. She had never gotten another one after that. All contact with the agent had been lost. She could only guess at the terrible end he had taken...
Kathryn shuddered and fought the bile that was threatening to force its way out of her system. Could this day possibly have any more horrors in stock for her? Paralyzed with fear she sank to her bloodstained knees, not registering the pain anymore and unable to form a coherent thought. She just wanted this day to end.
Chakotay was making his way to the main tunnel. During the last explosion he had almost been knocked out by a huge rock that had fallen from the ceiling. It had barely missed his head, thanks to his quick maneuvering. There it was! The opening to the main tunnel shown brightly ahead of him. Suddenly he stopped dead in his tracks. In between himself and the opening to the main tunnel a figure was hunched on the ground, gently swaying back and forth. The eerie emerald light from the main passageway softly reflected off long auburn hair... Kathryn!
"Kathryn?"
There was no answer. She did not even acknowledge him with as much as a glance. Her body was still rocking back and forth. He came closer to put his hand onto her shoulder -- still no reaction. He moved around to face her and saw a flood of tears silently streaming down her cheeks, a hollow expression in her eyes. She looked haunted.
"Kathryn? What happened?"
No answer.
"Kathryn, talk to me! Look at me, Kathryn!"
He put a hand under her chin and bend her head up, so she would have to look at him. With a jump she got up and jerked several meters away from him, eyes wide. Involuntarily a long sob escaped her, almost as if she had not exhaled for several minutes.
What the hell had happened here? What terror could transform this courageous and commanding -- not to mention stubborn -- woman into a trembling wreck?
She was angrily wiping the tears from her cheeks with trembling hands. When she had composed herself a little, he asked softly,
"Kathryn, what's wrong? What happened?"
When she looked at him this time, her eyes were no longer hollow but expressed the full extent of the terror and the desperation that she felt.
Was there still a chance for her to get out of this? Could she trust Chakotay? Should she swallow her pride and ask him for help? She measured him carefully. He seemed sincere enough... or was he just a good actor?
Her head spun and she desperately tried to concentrate. She could try to make it through the tunnels, take her chances by herself and try to reach Voyager or at least a shuttle craft... anything to get out of here.
But it had taken her forever just to find her way back to the main passageway. She had lost her tricorder. How many tunnels were there? And how was she going to avoid the Cardassians, not to mention their sensors? She really did not have much of a choice...
Kathryn Janeway took a deep shuddering breath. She did not want to do this...
"Will you still help me to get out of here?"
Her voice broke towards the end of the sentence -- fighting the tears that were welling up, her voice low and husky.
Was she expecting him to leave her here? What kind of a monster did she think he was?
"Kathryn, of course I'm going to help you -- if you let me. But first of all I need to know what happened here."
Embarrassed about her loss of control, she rubbed the remaining wetness form her cheeks with the palms of her hands. Taking a deep breath she answered wryly,
"Gul Camet and I are... 'old friends'. The last time we met we were officially enemies."
She stopped as a shudder gained hold of her.
"Are you talking about the time you mentioned to me over dinner? When you were a prisoner of the Obsidian Order?" he probed.
"Yes... Admiral Paris and I had been taken captive during an undercover mission to collect intelligence from an array on a moon orbiting Urtea II. It was my first deep space mission -- I was still an ensign. When they realized that Owen was not going to tell them what they wanted to know, they tried their luck with me. But I was just as stubborn as the Admiral. Camet was in charge of the interrogation, and when I would not talk either he taught me a little about the Cardassian frame of mind. They don't use torture to get information -- they use it because they get a kick out of it..."
She fought back another shudder, then continued.
"They made me listen to his screams... as they tortured him.... Camet was going to kill Owen right before my eyes and then... well, you said you knew what they do to women... -- he would have if it hadn't been for the Rangers."
At this point the shudder she had vehemently tried to suppress for the past few minutes won the battle, and she had to pause briefly while it took its course. Chakotay approached her, trying to wrap his arms around her in an attempt to give comfort. He ignored the fact that she instantly tensed. She pushed him away and continued,
"I saw him earlier. He was talking to his men. He's ordered them to find me. I don't know how he could possibly know that I'm here... He's come to finish what he started thirteen years ago..."
She was shaking uncontrollably again, and he tried once more to wrap his arms around her. Still she did not allow it, so he settled for taking her hands into his.
"I promise you, I won't let him do those things to you. I know this place better than anyone. I'll get us out of here. But you're going to have to trust me, alright?"
He gave her hands a reassuring squeeze. A sarcastic laugh emanated from her.
"How can I possibly trust you, Chakotay? You took over my ship, took me and my crew hostage and refused to tell me what you're intending to do with us. For all I know you were going to kill us all anyway. I might as well trust the Butcher!"
"You said, you wanted my help!"
"I was wrong. I've changed my mind."
"I think you're forgetting something here, Kathryn! You're still my hostage, and I'm still the one in control!"
She glared at him.
"Then what do you think would happen if I gave our Cardassian friends a shout to let them know that you're here? They've been after you for months, Chakotay! How much control do you think you have if they get their hands on you? What do you think they'd do?"
He regarded her coldly.
"They'd kill me, and then they'd deliver you into the hands of your old friend, who's been after you for over a decade. If that's what you want, Kathryn, go right ahead. But if you want me to get you out of here, then I'll be the one in charge!"
He was right. The situation was absolutely out of her hands. But that did not change the fact that she did not trust Chakotay. What if he were to deliver her into Camet's hands in exchange for his own and his people's safety? Sacrificing the one for the many was a thing done commonly enough, and not just among Starfleet officers.
It made sense, especially when the one to be sacrificed was also his enemy. She had to find a way to go on alone. Maybe a bluff would shake him off. It was worth a try.
"You've got one minute, then I'll let my allies know where you are. I suggest you run!"
Chakotay had heard enough. They could not go on like this. They would never make it out of here. It was time to teach her some respect.
Chakotay rarely lost his temper, but the pressure of the situation was getting to him, and Kathryn Janeway was not helping matters.
"Try it!" he sneered at her, and then everything happened too fast. He grabbed hold of her and crushed her against the rock face. Kathryn let out a surprised groan. Then he lowered his head to her face and rasped,
"Scream, Kathryn! It's your last chance!"
Kathryn's eyes went wide with panic. He looked furious enough to kill her. Her mouth opened but no sound would come out of it. His hands were at either side of her head now, holding it roughly as if intending to crush it, while his body continued to roughly pressed her into the wall.
A sorry little sound made it past her lips. She had to do something!
Suddenly his mouth descended on hers in an angry and bruising kiss. Kathryn tried to push him off her with all the remaining strength her body could summon, but he was too big and much stronger. She continued to beat her fists into him until her arms grew too weak to continue. Her hard was beating so fast that she thought she was going to die, and her lungs were refusing to work for her.
Insolent bastard! How dare you?, she thought furiously.
Kathryn felt the power to fight him slip from her, and her struggle slowly subsided as her knees buckled. Believing her to begin to surrender to him, his kiss became more gentle, as did his hands.
Good god, what was he doing? She would not be able to take much more of this. She had to do something before all will to fight him left her. The man was intolerable. He's no better than Camet!, she tried to convince herself.
She began a renewed struggle, although it was so feeble an attempt to fight him that she was not sure he would even notice.
As much as he wanted to continue, this was neither the time, nor the place. They had to get out of here. The base was becoming far too dangerous. There would be time for this later -- he would make sure of that.
Chakotay reluctantly released her mouth and heard her gasp. He thought he had caught a brief glimpse of passion in her large blue eyes, but it was instantly replaced with outrage. She was positively fuming. Could he have been so mistaken?
He felt the urge to apologize to her, but refrained from doing so. He had to make his point, so he said,
"I hope you know who's in charge now. I'm going to get us out of here. If you as much as whisper to the Cardassians, I'll teach you another lesson, and this time I won't be so nice!"
Chakotay roughly took her arm and dragged her along with him. Kathryn's head spun. Had she actually begun to enjoy the kiss for a moment? That could not be. She must have confused the side effects of the neural toxin with the weakness that could be caused by passion. She still felt dizzy...
Kathryn stumbled over another piece of rock. Chakotay, who had been dragging her along with him faster than her remaining strength would allow her to go, just managed to break her fall. She was completely out of breath and gasped,
"Chakotay, please, not so fast.... I can't..."
Damn that neural toxin!, she thought exasperatedly. She was usually a fast runner. During her academy years she had won quite a few races, despite her rather petite size, and among her former crews she had always been famous for her stamina. Why did this have to affect her now? Chakotay allowed her a minute's rest. When her breathing had slowed a little she asked,
"What's your plan?"
He measured her carefully, then decided that he might as well let her know.
"I think our only chance to get out of here alive is Voyager. We have to get to the ship before they can take it from us. My ships would be shot down in a matter of seconds. They are too small -- not to mention decades old. Voyager has powerful defenses, and it's by far the biggest vessel we have. But we can't get there using the tunnels. They would find us in no time. We're going to have to crawl through the ventilation system."
When the shower of protests he had expected didn't rain down on him, he asked a little more gently,
"Do you think you're up to it?"
Sarcastically she answered,
"I didn't realize I had a choice in this."
"You don't." he asserted a little harsher.
He had noticed that being nice to her had no effect. He had been kind to her when she had been in his quarters, and it had only gotten him into trouble. If he had simply left her tied to the bed she would never have been able to escape in the first place. He was not about to repeat his mistake. It was going to get a little rough this time. Of course he was not going to hurt her, but there was nothing wrong with a little intimidation in order to keep her in line, was there?
Kathryn humphed.
"That's all very good, Chakotay, but how do you suppose to keep them from detecting us on their scanners?"
Uh…oh... This was not going to be easy. The conceit in her voice was driving him crazy.
"Let me worry about that, Kathryn! I suggest you stay close to me. Then they won't detect you. You try to run from me, they'll find you."
He was not about to tell her about the thoron particle emitter he was carrying with him. Just as well that he always had one on him. Life in the Maquis had taught him that it was always good to be prepared for an emergency. One emitter would be enough to hide both of them from the scanners, as long as she stayed close.
"Now come on! We've wasted enough time already!"
The last thing Kathryn wanted to do was follow this big Maquis, who had taken incredible liberties with her only minutes before, and who was going to do god knows what to her in the hours to come.
She hated being so completely out of control, entirely at the mercy of the enemy. The way this man ordered her about made her blood boil. But it seemed that she had little choice in the matter, if she wanted to get out of this mess alive. Chakotay was a terrorist, her enemy. He was dangerous, but compared to the Cardassians he was the lesser evil.
At least she hoped so...