Chapter 4
1400 ZULU
Neelix's Quarters
He was utterly speechless. Had it not been such a disturbing afternoon, he was sure he could have found it funny that he, the sometimes annoying Talaxian who speaks too much for his own good, couldn't utter a comprehensive sentence. But it was far from funny at the moment. B'Elanna and Chakotay were gone. Sold. Kidnapped. Maybe…maybe dead.
He shot up from his chair, not wanting to think about it. But he couldn't help not to. It just didn't make sense at all. He had been reading up on the cultural practices of these people, and if he had read it right, they didn't believe in slavery, or hard labor. Sure, there were no doubt cases where the wayward Blithian would take a small dip into this dark side of civilization, but it went against everything that was taught in their educational structure. It was even taught in their folklore that making other things work for you against their will was a horrible thing to do. So why say that B'Elanna and Chakotay were sold into this scheme?
The Captain had said during the meeting that she thought they had a number of options to choose from. Either they stay and pester the government until they cough up something, or they look for their crewmates themselves, without the help of the Blithians, at least not officially. Well, he believed that they should take their chances and look for them themselves. That way no politician would get in their way and try to smooth talk them.
When Neelix thought of this, he remembered something that he had seen on the news program for Blithia. Something to do with a politician being found dead, assassinated. At first, Neelix had just shrugged it off, but now he got to thinking of the coincidence of this high official being killed on the same day that the Commander and Lieutenant went missing. Didn't the first person they talked to to arrange for a meeting between Voyager and their government say that Chakotay and B'Elanna would be talking to a high official? In fact, Neelix thought, he had said he was a very high official.
"Neelix to Captain Janeway", he said, as he pressed his commbadge.
"Janeway here. What is it, Neelix?", the Captain replied.
Neelix swallowed, thinking of the significance of this theory if it proved right. "Captain, I really need to talk to you. Privately. I think…well, I think I may have found something that may have to do with the Commander and Lieutenant's disappearance."
1643 ZULU
Blithian Cargo Ship
B'Elanna smelled the gruel that a kitchen aid had laid in front of her. If she had read Chakotay's expression correctly, then he was just as disgusted with his fare as much as she was with hers.
"Well, I guess that since we don't know the next time that we'll eat will be, we should indulge our appetites and eat this…stuff." Chakotay took a breath after he said this, as if trying to convince himself that this was the wisest course. By the look of his face, it didn't seem that he quite believed this argument.
B'Elanna nodded. She knew what it was like to not know when you would eat next, or what. Both of them did. This was just one of the many hazards when you were in the Maquis. B'Elanna almost laughed when she thought of the other risks. Torture, prison, disfigurement, death. Oh, and yeah, having to eat stuff like this, and be thankful for it. The horrible sacrifices you had to pay in order to let your opinion be made known. She raised her fork and chucked some into her mouth, swallowing as fast she could. "Not bad really. My mother's sister made me eat far worse when we went to her house. At least this isn't still moving."
Chakotay stopped chewing in mid motion, and looked at her. "Really? Well, I'm certainly relieved I was never invited to a family dinner. I'd probably blanche when I would see the food and one of your, uh, men folk would challenge me to some kind of battle. I'd be lucky if he would only break my teeth out for offending his dear wife and her remarkable cooking abilities."
B'Elanna looked at him, grinning. "Well, for one thing, I never invited any of my friends home, and for another, my uncle wouldn't have to challenge you. My aunt would have beaten him to it. And she would have done much worse then knocking your teeth out. I'm sure you would have lost a limb, or some other valuable body part."
Chakotay shifted in his seat, imagining what that body part could have been. Trying to take his mind off that uncomfortable scenario, he finally brought up their situation, far more threatening. "We need to talk about how we'll go about this. Tell me your plans, and we'll go from there."
B'Elanna swallowed the last of her meal. She knew that after they were done eating, they would be taken to get showers and medical attention. After this, Mortimer would then take them to task about getting what he was promised, a more efficient ship. B'Elanna was planning on giving him much more than that.
"Well, Mortimer will come and get us, and that's when we'll make it clear that we refuse to be separated. After some fuss, he'll eventually agree, I'm sure. That's when he'll take me to the engines and I work my magic." She took a deep breath, already nervous just by talking about it. "After that, it'll take about 2 hours for the engines to overheat, and by then we'll have persuaded Mortimer to let us out of the storage hold and into some other kind of quarters with a bathroom. From there, we can hopefully get up into the vents via the air duct I was thinking, unless another opportunity shows its face or the vent hole is too small, which I don't think will be the case. After that, if we're in the venting system, we can just hop out as soon as we see some room that looks safe or that has the equipment that we need. What do you think?" B'Elanna rubbed her chin, anxious to know what Chakotay would say. She realized that he was the commanding officer, and therefore plan everything, but ever since they were in the Maquis together, they worked well when they shared possible solutions and worked them out till they were a positive way out of their current situation.
Chakotay nodded, contemplating what their options were. B'Elanna had a good strategy with few faults, and if she was right in thinking they could get into the air ducts, they could go almost everywhere in the ship. And, Chakotay thought, that would be the best thing right now, considering their circumstances. "Ok, lets do it. But one thing," Chakotay said. He looked at the door on the far side of the room, the only way out of the kitchen. The man that had served them their dinner had gone out that door, to the waiting guards that were sitting right outside. No doubt Mortimer didn't give them any credit for their intelligence, thinking that they would try to make an escape, spatula and frying pan in hand.
He looked back at B'Elanna and leaned closer toward her. "If anything happens to the other one, the remaining one needs to get out of here and get back to Voyager. I know that neither one of us wants to consider that possibility, but its exactly that--a possibility." Chakotay held B'Elanna's gaze, making his point clear. There was, of course, the tragic but potential chance of such a thing to happen. It certainly was a common possibility before they were both recruited on Voyager, and now it exactly like that again. Both B'Elanna and Chakotay had an unspoken understanding that for right now, they were both in the Maquis again, where dangerous and life threatening conditions were everyday occurrences. And to counteract that danger, they were resorting back to Maquis tactics. It was, as it was said earlier, an unspoken pact that would no doubt never be revealed to anyone on Voyager, if they were able to get back there, that is.
"Understood." B'Elanna had a fleeting sense of fear, of one of them not making it back. She loved Chakotay, not in the way that she loved Tom, but in a platonic sense. Yet, she still thought that her love for Chakotay was stronger than that for Tom, simply because they had been through so much together and knew each other through and through. The thought of not having Chakotay by her side after this mission was acutely painful. 'Well', she thought, 'I guess we had better just not let that happen.'
Chakotay saw the expression on B'Elanna's fade and turn into something stronger. Just as he opened his mouth to ask if she was ok, Mortimer strutted through the door, heading toward their table. He had changed into a deep purple frock which swallowed him up to the ankles, reminding Chakotay of a some kind of disturbed plum that had enveloped the little man within its wet orb.
"Why hello. I'm sure you find the fare you have been served to be rather…primitive, shall we say, to what you are no doubt used to. But I assure you, that once you have worked on my ship and completed your task, I will grant you a much more delectable meal. Now, I'm sure you want to wash and change, and then get medical attention. So if you follow me, I will escort you to the medical unit." Without further ado, Mortimer seized his rather fruity looking garment and swished around, not looking back, and headed to the door.
Chakotay shook his head as he surveyed the little man in his gaudy outfit. "You must be very secure in your manhood to wear such a thing and flounce in it." He sighed and got up from his chair. "What do you say, Maquis? Do I look as if I need to take a shower? Because if you're any indication, I'd have to say that we both need a 20 minute sonic shower." He laughed at her glower, and then added, "Well, I guess that means a yes."
B'Elanna got up from her seat and put her hands on her hips, trying to look authoritive. "We'll just see how long that smile will last on your pretty face while they're giving you an enema. After all, I don't want anything to aggravate that horrible case of constipation, which is probably caused by having such a big head." She laughed at the look on his face. "Hey now, I'm just kidding. But you had better watch it, or I'll have to tell them of the horrible time you have trying to urinate."
"Ok, ok. Point taken. You look as fresh as a cotton blossom. Happy now?"
B'Elanna tried to put on a stern look, and then gave a curt nod. "Very. But that reminds me. What do we say about our injuries? I mean, how will we know that they're treating them right? After all, we're the only kind of our species they have ever encountered."
Chakotay rubbed his chin, thinking. "I haven't even thought about that. I guess just have them patch us up, no real work. And no enemas or prostate exams, got it?", he asked with a grin.
B'Elanna gave him a wry look and rolled her eyes. "Yes, I'll try to resist the temptation."
Chakotay laughed, then motioned her forward. "Ladies first." B'Elanna gave him a pointed glare, then followed the purple fiend.
As they both exited the room, a guard attached himself to either one of them. "You will both be taken to different showering halls to maintain security and decorum. Follow me", the guard said, the one trying to escort Chakotay.
Chakotay and B'Elanna looked at looked at each other. "Excuse me, but we will not be separated for any reason. No offense", Chakotay sarcastically said as he gave each guard a droll glance, "but we need to keep tabs on each other. In order to make sure of the other's safety, you understand."
The head guard gave them each a tiring look. "So you want to take a shower together? Absolutely not. You will just have to put up with not seeing each other for a mere 20 minutes. I'm sure you can handle that." The guard gave his underling a smile, who snorted in return.
"I'm sure that there are curtains to separate the showers. Now, unless we can't resolve this issue, I will need to speak to the Captain of the ship." Chakotay held his ground, looking directly at the guard, showing him that he was serious. He atleast hoped the showers had curtains. But if they didn't, well, they could just not look at anything they didn't need to see. This would just be one more thing they wouldn't tell anyone else when they got back on Voyager.
The guard narrowed his eyes, highly irritated that this…this alien thought himself important enough to have him, the head guard, jump through hoops for him. But then again, he didn't want to admit that he couldn't take care of this situation himself. "Fine. But don't you be thinking that after this you can do whatever you want. I'll quickly disabuse you of that notion, in a way you will never forget. Got it?", he sneered at the two of them.
Chakotay nodded, not trusting himself to say anything. He heard B'Elanna huff a sigh and he quickly shot her a warning glance. They couldn't afford to be locked up into tighter security just because of a stupid shower.
The 2 guards jabbed them in the back, a clear message for them to get moving. After walking for about 10 minutes, they finally came to an entrance with a keypad. B'Elanna smiled, thinking about how incredibly stupid the guards were. They just practically gave them a guided tour of the ship they were being held hostage on. If she had been in their shoes, she would have had blindfolds used and would have guided the prisoners down all kinds of hallways, disorienting them so that they wouldn't be able to memorize their way around the ship.
The head guard coded in a password and the door slid open. They were lead into a small locker like room where they were told to disrobe and then go into the next room where there would be showers. All the while, the guards stood there, obviously not planning on giving them any privacy. Chakotay cleared his throat. "Would you mind excusing us while we change?". B'Elanna crossed her arms and gave each one a spiteful glower. There was no way in high heaven she was going to take off her clothes in front of these 2 mammoths.
The head guard snorted. "Remember, you already used your free pass by demanding to stay together. I'm afraid", he said, leering at B'Elanna, "that we will have to make sure you won't try anything cute. No offense, of course." He smiled at his use of the same phrase Chakotay had used moments before.
Chakotay gave them each a fierce look, then turned to B'Elanna. 'Sorry', he mouthed. She shook her head, not believing this. 'Well, I can just keep my under wear on.'
She sat on the bench, starting to remove her shoes, and that's when she remembered. Her mind flashed back to the quarters she had been given when they were still on Blithia. She saw herself tuck the cabzis into her shoe, thinking for some odd reason she might want to use it. She first thanked Khaless for her instincts, then she started to think up a plan in order to keep the small weapon hidden from the 2 Blithian Nazis. She furtively looked around. She could just slip it under the bench, but she had no idea if they would even come back into this room. Someone may just come in to get their clothes to wash them, and they could be given some other clothes till theirs were ready. There was no way to tell. Then she thought of something. It certainly wouldn't be comfortable, and there was no way she would put her mouth on it afterwards, but it was a way to hide it. She stood up and cleared her throat to get attention.
Chakotay stopped taking off his shoes, motionless. What was she doing now? He tried to get her attention, but she refused to meet his eyes. Maybe she was too embarrassed by the whole situation. He certainly was.
The guard sneered at her. "What now?". These 2 aliens were becoming to be the most demanding persons he had ever met. Right after his life partner, that is.
"I have to use the restroom. Could you please show me where one is?". She shifted uncomfortably, hoping that he would think she needed to relieve herself right away.
The guard rolled his eyes. "Why don't you just go in the shower? It would save us all a lot of time."
B'Elanna's breath caught. She didn't count on him saying something like that. Now, she thought grimly to herself, she would have to improvise. "Well, unless you want to clean up after me, I can go in the shower. But I can assure you, it won't be pretty." She raised an eyebrow, trying to get her point across.
The guard grimaced, then turned to the lesser ranking one. "Show her where it is. And be quick."
B'Elanna started following him, then turned to Chakotay and mouthed, 'Its ok.' Chakotay gave a slight nod, worry burrowing his brow. She turned back to the guard and followed him to a small alcove. "Hurry up", he ordered harshly. B'Elanna nodded, trying to look embarrassed. She didn't have to try that hard. She stepped through the door, shutting it. She quickly lifted her leg and slipped the cabzis out of her shoe. She placed it on the floor, then hurriedly pulled her pants off. She picked up the small weapon. She slipped her underwear off, then looked at the cabzis. She was hoping that since it was thin and small enough, she could slip it between her cheeks. She could just clench her buttocks together, and hope that it would stay in place. She would have to be careful how she walked, not drawing any attention to herself. But considering the leers she got from both of the guards, they would both be looking pretty close. But this was the best she could do. There was no way she was going to put it anywhere else, so she would just have to square her shoulders and move on. Yet one more thing no one would hear about after they would get back to Voyager. She hurriedly slipped it into place. She tentivly took a step, getting the feel of it. She guessed that she could be able to do this, but not for very long. She pulled her pants back up, then flushed the toilet, going along with her ploy. She walked out of the room, and the guard escorted her back to the locker room. She was thankful to see that Chakotay wasn't there, probably already in the showers. She slipped off her clothes, down to her underwear. She stared directly at the guard as she did this, trying to make him embarrassed. It didn't. Clenching with all her might, she walked into the showers. She was sure the head guard would be disappointed to see her not fully undressed, but he would just have to deal with it. There was no way she would, or could, go completely nude. Not only would it be humiliating, but it would also no doubt become obvious she was trying to hide something.
When she turned the corner that lead to the showers, she was happy to see that there were, in fact, curtains in place to separate the showers. She could see Chakotay behind one of them, wetting his hair. He saw her and gave a small grin, then motioned with his head to the shower right next to his. She slowly walked over, trying not to draw any undue attention, which would be hard considering that she was the only female in there. She finally reached the shower and slipped inside, closing the curtain after herself.
Chakotay glanced at her and whispered, "This is one of the best times we can talk. Not only will we have some privacy, but the water will drone out our conversation." He waited until he saw her nod and then continued. "The man that was giving Bhun orders is one of the top contenders for the High Council. He was a direct opponent to Noortvan, which is probably why he had him killed."
Chakotay started scrubbing his hair, trying to look nonchalant. B'Elanna wetted her hair and started to do the same. She stared straight ahead, not wanting to embarrass Chakotay, and especially herself. Just as she started to think about their current predicament, she blushed deeply, then turned her face, hoping Chakotay didn't see her. She wasn't so lucky.
"B'Elanna, I realize that this is an uncomfortable situation, but we need to get through it. B'Elanna, look at me." She furtively glanced his way, then raised her eyebrows. "Yes?", she asked, with a hint of cynicism in her voice.
Chakotay sighed. "I know, I know. We'll never talk about this again. Agreed?". B'Elanna smiled. "You bet that tattoo we won't, or I'll be telling everyone on board about that one time you-".
"Ok, ok. Just keep your mouth shut, Maquis." Chakotay smiled at her, then his face got serious again. "To go on, I was saying that the man's name is Aqwerty, and he's already been investigated for all kinds of corruption, but nothing has ever stuck. I was reading about it at that bookstore in the lobby of the hotel we were staying at. So now we need to find out who Vrant is, the guy who Noortvan mentioned before he died, and the metals he didn't want Aqwerty to get."
They were interrupted by the guard who was banging a baton against the wall. "Ok, you two. Party time is up. Now I need to take you two to the medic, then I'm off duty. So hurry up."
Chakotay glanced at B'Elanna, who turned her shower off. "Looks like we have quite a few things to figure out, and little time to do it." He sighed. "Now we need to get that leg looked at, and then we can start our plan."
"Chakotay, wait." B'Elanna turned her shower back on, acting as if she hadn't rinsed her hair well enough. "Remember that small weapon I got before we were to meet Nootvan?". At Chakotay's nod, she continued. "I had put it in my shoe before we left, and, well, I still have it. I just remembered it when I started to change."
"Wait. So you still have it? Where?". Then it dawned on him. "Maybe I don't want to know. Well, however you get the job done", he said, with a wink.
B'Elanna rolled her eyes. "I didn't do it thatway, you idiot. Lets just say that its safe and sound, though maybe a bit uncomfortable."
Chakotay grinned. "Whatever you say. But hey, good job. We can use that if we need it. At least now we're not defenseless. Now, before those two hooligans come over and help us out, I suggest we mosey on out of here and get decent. Oh, and ladies first", he said with a twinkle in his eye.
1715 ZULU
Blithian Cargo Ship
Medical Bay
B'Elanna winced as the young Blithian poored what she hoped was antiseptic on her thigh. She knew that she was going to need stitches, considering how deep and long the wound was. She wasn't worried about that, since she had had so many in the past, but what she was worried about was that the young man was just that. Young, too young, in fact.
When B'Elanna had winced, the young Blithian looked up with a start, as if surprised that she was a living, breathing thing he was working on, not a plastic dummy. "Did that hurt?", he asked, eyes wide open.
B'Elanna shook her head. 'Might as well give the kid a break', she thought to herself.
"You know, I'm very surprised that you didn't come in here half unconscious. Not very many people could have taken this kind of pain and not seek treatment immediately, let alone walk for almost 24 hours on it without any pain medicine." He looked up at her curiously. To Blithian standards, she was quite lovely, even with those ridges on her forehead. In fact, they added an exotic air to her whole countenance, and he actually liked it. A lot, in fact, he admitted to himself.
B'Elanna was looking down at him, not having to guess what he was thinking. When he caught her eyes, he deeply blushed and went back to his work with newfound enthusiasm. B'Elanna smiled, thinking that even after being shot, crawling through impossibly small spaces, and numerous other (shall she call it?) tribulations, she was still looking decent enough to earn a blush or two.
"Umm, I think all I have to do now are the stitches, then you're done. Your companion was treated for a slight concussion. He's a few yards away in another curtained area, waiting for you to be done." He busied himself with his supplies as he tried to talk small talk to her. B'Elanna noticed a small glint, and looked over to the young man, and gasped. The stitching needle was impossibly large, looking more like a, what did they call them? Oh ya, she thought with a grimace. A crochet needle. The man was still talking as she stared open mouthed at the needle, gulping. Evidently he didn't notice his patient's discomfort. B'Elanna forced herself to slow down her breathing. 'Ok', she thought, 'Its only for a moments discomfort, then I'll be as good as new. God, why didn't they have the Doctor here? She will never again complain about him or his bedside manner, as long as he patched her up, with barely any pain.'
"Ok, you ready?", the man said as he turned toward her again, needle in hand. B'Elanna closed her eyes and nodded. To get her mind off the needle, she thought more of their situation. She had finally taken the cabzis out if its rather awkward position and had placed it back into her show, which thankfully had been left alone in the changing room along with her other articles of clothing.
"B'Elanna, you ok?", Chakotay asked the rather green looking Klingon.
She opened her eyes, and nodded. "I have a…a slight problem with needles." She didn't know if Chakotay knew this or not, but she really didn't care of he was going to make fun of her or not at the moment.
Chakotay glanced at the needle, and nodded. "I would too, if I were you."
B'Elanna laughed. "Thanks for the note of confidence, Maquis." She glanced down at her thigh. Nine inches already, and atleast another four. The Blithian noticed her looking at his work. "Only a few more minutes, and it'll be all over." B'Elanna nodded and smiled at him.
Chakotay saw the liik on the young man's face, and smiled. So, B'Elanna has a little admirer, huh? Cute. B'Elanna saw his smile and gave him a withering look. "Just sit down on the cot over there. And mind your own business. Got it?", she ordered. He gave her an innocent look, and then laughed as he sat down.
The young Blithian looked up, perplexed by their exchange. These two were by far the most puzzling couple he had ever seen. Too bad the female was taken, he thought to himself.
B'Elanna looked up and saw two new guards coming towards them. "Looks as if our guides are ready to take us to the engineering deck." She sighed and looked at Chakotay. The young medic had finished up with her leg and was putting his things away, so she and Chakotay had a moment of privacy. "You ready for this?", she asked. She was, of course, nervous about this whole thing, but she was sure that Chakotay was calm and therefore a buoy for her to hang on to.
Chakotay gave her a reassuring smile. "We can do it. Of course it won't go entirely as we planned, but hey, we were in the Maquis together. And how many times did we get away from the Cardassians and Star Fleet? This will be a piece of cake compared to them, believe me." He gave her a wink as the guards came to their sides, ordering them to their feet. "We may just be able to steal this ship right out from under their noses, what with my stealthy Indian feet and your Klingon fierceness."
B'Elanna snorted her reply, but gave him a grin as the guards led them out the doors and into the hall.
1845 ZULU
Blithian Cargo Ship
Engineering Deck
B'Elanna wiped the sweat off her forehead with her arm, and huffed a sigh. They had maybe five or ten more minutes of work left, and then they could set their watches to about two hours before the engines would heat up and break down. B'Elanna even thought that it may just take an hour and a half, after seeing the poor condition the engine was in.
"Ok, are you almost done, Lieutenant?", Chakotay asked as he looked behind himself to see of the guards were paying them any attention. Fortunately, they appeared to be in the middle of some kind of game, and by the looks of the younger one, the older one was winning by a long shot.
"Just about." After some more huffing and puffing, B'Elanna leaned back on her heels and breathed a sigh. "All done." She smiled at Chakotay, hoping to talk to him before the guards noticed they were done. They weren't so lucky.
After the guards reported to Mortimer that everything was in place, they were lead to a much nicer apartment, with a bathroom, B'Elanna noticed with a sigh of relief. Since bathrooms had to have its air circulated more than that of a regular room, that usually meant that it had a bigger air vent, which in this case, it did. B'Elanna estimated that though it may be a tight squeeze, she and Chakotay would be able to fit into it.
"You will be given food in two hours. The Captain would like you to join him for this meal. There are clothes in the closets for both of you. As I said, you have two hours to get ready." The guard turned on his foot and went out with his companion, locking the doors after himself.
Chakotay turned to B'Elanna and waggled his eyebrows. "What do you say we pull a Bruce Willis and crawl our way outta here?".
B'Elanna watched him head toward the bathroom and couldn't help wondering who Bruce Willis was. She shrugged her shoulders and headed after him, ready to get started. Chakotay had already started unscrewing the grill off the vent, and motioned her toward him.
"Ok, you first, Torres. I'll come after you, but you're in charge of guiding us through here. Can you do that?", he asked.
She nodded. She was pretty sure she could do it, and she even had a good idea where they could find some kind of communication system around here. The Blithians hadn't been too cautious when it came to leading them through the ship. She figured that they would go the opposite direction the engineering bay was in, and they would hit gold. She hoped.
Chakotay knelt on one knee, then motioned her forward with his head. "Lets get going before they come back", he said.
B'Elanna nodded and stepped on leg, grasping the ledges with her hands. She got all the way to about mid shoulder when she started to slide back out. She quickly scrambled the rest of the way through and went about 10 feet and stopped as she waited for Chakotay. She heard some grunts, and then he was right behind her, blocking the light from the bathroom. She started crawling, having a hard time because the space was so tight. She could only imagine how Chakotay felt at the moment. "Ok, I think we should take the next right that comes up, and I'm hoping that will lead us to what we need", she whispered to Chakotay. She heard him mumble a reply, and continued on down. She noticed a ledge about 15 feet ahead, and hoped it was a tunnel that lead to the right. She scrambled the rest of the way and discovered to her disappointment that it wasn't such a thing. But when she looked closer, she found that it was small door which may lead to something like a Jeffries tube, and that would be better than another vent to clamber through. She motioned to Chakotay to wait a minute, and then slid the door open. Sure enough, it opened up to a set of stairs. She gave Chakotay a thumbs up sign and then struggled out to the ladder. As soon as Chakotay was on the ladder beneath her, she started the long climb up. Three minutes later B'Elanna stopped at an access door. Hoping that this was the floor they would need, she started fiddling with the buttons on the panel. After about thirty seconds, the door silently whished open to reveal a stark hallway. B'Elanna looked both ways, and as soon as she was convinced the coast was clear, she clambered out of the cramped space into the hallway. While Chakotay was climbing out, she took a look around, trying to see if there were any signs or maps that would indicate where they were.
"Where are we?", Chakotay whispered close to her ear.
She shrugged, and motioned to her left, toward a doorway with writing on it. They tiptoed over to it, careful not to make any sound. Just as they reached it, the doors slid open. Chakotay and B'Elanna pressed themselves against the wall, but nobody exited the room.
"Maybe it's a motion detector", B'Elanna offered. Chakotay nodded, still looking toward the room. "On that case", he said, "Then we had better get our butts moving. They both sprinted toward the door, slipping through it soundlessly. As soon as they both were in, the doors slid shut.
B'Elanna looked further in the room, and almost started jumping up and down. The room had all kinds of control panels in it. There had to be some kind of hailing system of some sort in here. She rushed over and started to look them over. Right there, her mind exclaimed. The blue and red buttons were lit up, ready for nimble fingers to give them commands. "Chakotay, over here", she urged. He came up beside her and placed his arm around her shoulders.
"We did it, B'Elanna. Both of us." He squeezed her arm and let go. "Lets send Voyager a message, and then we can go back to our room and wait for Mortimer. Is there any way you can send it without alerting anybody else?", he asked.
B'Elanna nodded her head. "I think so." She started buttons, and after about three minutes, she looked up at Chakotay. "All we need to do now is send it." He looked in her eyes and nodded. "Then lets do it", he whispered. B'Elanna looked back down to the buttons, and pushed one. "And away its off", she murmured.
Chakotay smiled at her. "Well, I guess our little journey is hopefully gonna end pretty soon. As soon as the shop is dead in space, we can just wait for Voyager to come and get us. We had better head back." He motioned toward the small door. B'Elanna gave him a small smile. "Yes, lets do", she said.
They both slipped back into the tube again and started to make their way down. "So what do you say having a drink as soon as we're back on Voyager?", Chakotay asked, smiling up at her. "I bet that when everybody hears about some of the stuff we've-"
Before Chakotay could finish, they were thrown off the ladder into the wall. B'Elanna let out a surprised yelp, and caught a rung before she fell too far. Chakotay grabbed her foot, and as soon as he was balanced, he let go after gripping the ladder.
"What in the world-".
Before she could finish, the ship lurched again, even more violently. "Hurry, hold on and climb back up!", B'Elanna yelled. She got up to the small door and yanked it open, scrambling inside. She turned around and all but yanked Chakotay along beside her. "I didn't think the engines would have that effect", Chakotay huffed.
B'Elanna shook her head. "It wasn't the engines. It couldn't have been. I know this sounds crazy, but it sounded like-".
Another powerful tremor ran through the ship, throwing them both down to the floor. As soon as the floor was steady again, they both got to their feet and ran to the panels. B'Elanna's hands were flying over the buttons, desperately trying to find out what was going on. She finally got an image, and put it on the screen. What they saw was the last thing they ever expected.
"Kazons?! How in the world did they find their way clear over here, this far?", Chakotay demanded. B'Elanna could only shake her head numbly. "I-I have no idea."
Just then an image came over the screen. The ship was hailing them, and the bridge had answered the hail. But it wasn't a Kazon that was on the screen. It was some other kind of alien they had never seen before.
"Blithian cargo ship, put down your shields and power down your weapons. Prepare to be boarded." The face that said this was extremely harsh, its voice equally so. If cruelty had a visage, B'Elanna was sure it looked like this.
"What now? Do we just wait for them?", B'Elanna asked. Chakotay stared hard at the screen, then made up his mind.
"We'll tell them the truth. That we were taken hostage against our will, and that if they would take us back to Voyager, we would compensate them." He looked around, trying to see if there were any weapons. "but we should definitely arm ourselves, just to be safe."
B'Elanna nodded. She started looking with Chakotay, looking under chairs and along the wall. He tiny weapon could of course defend against 2, maybe 3 attackers, but there was no way she could stave off a whole shipload.
Chakotay waved B'Elanna over to a box he had just found on the far side of the room. "Its locked, so maybe that means it has weapons in here. Lets hope. Ok, we need to unlock it and see whats inside. Any ideas?" Chakotay started pressing buttons on the lock pad, but to no avail.
"Wait a minute", B'Elanna said. She looked around the room, trying to find a thin piece of metal. After looking everywhere, she spotted what looked like a broken piece of paneling. She hurriedly picked it up and rushed back to Chakotay. Just as she reached him, the ship bucked again, throwing them both to their feet. B'Elanna grabbed a chair and half pulled herself up. She looked around and saw Chakotay on the ground, holding his hand to his bloody forehead. She crawled over to him, ignoring the screaming pain in her thigh.
"Chakotay, are you ok?", she asked as soon as she reached him. He didn't answer her, so she pulled his hand away from his head to reveal yet another bloody gash on his forehead, but this one far worse than the older one. She took a breathe, then started to clean the blood off with her sleeve. "It'll be fine, Chakotay. Just you see. But we need to get out of here. Do you hear me?", she asked even more urgently. She could hear screaming coming from what seemed everywhere around them. They either needed to hide or-
The door suddenly opened with a harsh grating sound. B'Elanna whipped her head around, trying to see the immediate threat. What she saw dashed all their hopes to pieces.
Four aliens from the attacking ship stalked into the room, huge guns in hand. They didn't immediately see Chakotay or B'Elanna, so she quietly pushed Chakotay into a small alcove. She quickly shielded him with her body, then waited.
The aliens whispered among themselves and, thanks to the Universal Translater in her ear, B'Elanna could hear what they were saying.
"There were life signs in this room. I saw it myself." The voice was even harsher in life, if that was at all possible. She got a closer look at them and knew that there was no way she could fight these aliens hand to hand. They were each easily 7 feet tall, with braid, muscular bodies.
"Then I guess you were wrong, incompetent fool. We'll just blow up the ship after we're done getting all the prisoners together, then there won't be room for such an error."
B'Elanna bit her lip. If they were going to blow the ship up after they took all the crew off, then there was no way for her and Chakotay to live. They wouldn't be able to run off with it as soon as the aliens were on to their own ship. What if it was damaged? They certainly didn't have the luxury of having the time to fix it, or even to see what needed to be repaired. She made a split second decision, and she hoped with all her heart that it was the wisest one.
She climbed out of her hiding place, careful to not hurt the now unconscious Chakotay. When she scraped her shoe against the floor, the four aliens whipped about to face her.
"Hands up! Now!", one guttural voice demanded. All four had their weapons trained on her. Not one, she noticed, even wavered.
"My name is B'Elanna Torres. Me and my companion were taken hostage and placed on this ship." She saw one advance toward her, and she backed up, hands above her head. "If you would take us back to our ship, we would-" Before she could finish, the advancing alien brutally smashed her jaw with his weapon. She felt herself literally lift off her feet and hit the wall behind her. She lay there, stunned. She could feel blood trickle from the corner of her mouth down her cheek. She felt hands grasp the front of her uniform and lift her to her feet. She opened her eyes and found herself face to face with the alien that had struck her.
"Don't speak unless you are spoken to", he said, breath foul. B'Elanna nodded, and saw the other aliens poke Chakotay with the end of their guns. She bent her head, hoping she looked subservient. "My companion is fine. He just needs help up, is all." She held her breath, expecting another attack. But she had no choice. She had to tell them that Chakotay was fine, that he could walk. If she didn't, the aliens could easily shoot him just because he was an inconvenience.
After 5 seconds, she lifted her eyes and saw the alien give her a harsh glare, then commanded his companions to leave Chakotay alone.
She let out her breath and stumbled when the alien pushed her toward Chakotay. "If you can carry him to the ship, then he will live. Now go."
She glanced back at the alien and nodded. She pushed through the other aliens, giving them each a hard stare, then knelt down to Chakotay. "Do you hear me?", she asked.
Chakotay opened his eyes and nodded. "B'Elanna, what happened?" He tried to lift himself up, but fell back again with a moan.
"Just sit back. When you passed out, these guys walked through the door. Now they say that if I can carry you, they'll let us live." She put her arms under his shoulders and legs and lifted him up. She turned around to the aliens to show them that she could do this. The head alien nodded and waved her through the door, and fell in step behind her.
Chakotay looked up at her. "What happened at your face?", he asked as he touched the bruise forming on her jaw.
B'Elanna gave a bitter laugh. " I was trying to tell them that we were here against our will. It seems that our new captors don't like prisoners who can speak. Cold cocked me a stiff one, even lifted me up off my feet and into the wall", she whispered. She shifted Chakotay's weight, lessening the stress on her shoulder. "I'm thinking that you need to stop eating so much of Neelix's food. I've had to haul your sorry rear end all over the place since we've left Voyager, and believe me, its not fun. Or easy on the arms." She shifted his weight again, making Chakotay grimace.
"Sorry, but you have to admit, you're not that tiny either, Torres."
She smiled and gave him a grin. "Watch it or I'll drop you and say that I can't carry you anymore. Maybe then you'll turn into a bird and fly away."
"Stop and stand by the wall." B'Elanna stopped opposite the door and waited. The head guard opened the door, revealing a passageway that connected the two ships. "Go."
B'Elanna shifted Chakotay's weight again. Sure, she was half Klingon and had incredible strength, but there was only so much your body could take. After being shot, tackled, and punched numerous times in the last 32 hours or so, her body was screaming for rest, ready to just let-up and call it a day.
She looked down the passageway, then at the guard. She could tell he knew that she was having a hard time, and when he gave her a malicious grin, she also knew that he was expecting her to either give up or break down. She squared her shoulders and gave him the nastiest glare she could muster at the moment, not caring that he had the ability to strike her yet again. There was no way she was going to fail when she and Chakotay had gotten this far. She entered the passageway, sweat pouring down her face, muscles screaming their protest. 'B'Elanna Torres, strong and stubborn. B'Elanna Torres, strong and stubborn.' It became a mantra to her, saying it over and over again in her head, until she found herself face to face with another door, and stood to the side of it, waiting for the guard to open it up.
The guard came up to her, face to face. "You can put your companion down now." He stepped to the door and pressed a few buttons on the pad, and it opened it up.
B'Elanna released Chakotay, relieving the strain on her arms, and wiped the sweat off her brow with her sleeve. Chakotay rubbed her back and gave her an encouraging smile. She smiled back and raised her eyebrows, shaking her head, not believing that she had done it.
The guard waved them in, and they followed him as they stepped into what looked like another cargo bay. He motioned them to hold out their hands and put restraints on each of the other's wrists, connecting them. "You are now the property of the Nasgars. You will obey us in everything. You no longer have any freedoms or rights. You are slaves, and will work for the good of the mother planet." He gave them each a severe glower, making his point known. "You will be transported to a workstation and will stay there until you have worked your value." At that, he turned on his feet and walked out of the room, his fellow guards trailing after him.
B'Elanna sat down, dragging Chakotay after with her. She wiped her face again with her sleeve, and gave a heavy sigh. "So that's it. We didn't even have a chance. Now we're the property of… what was it? Nagars?"
"Nasgars.", Chakotay corrected. He too gave a sigh. "Well, we still have chances ahead of us, but right now I suggest we check our injuries and try to rest. Anything wrong with you?"
B'Elanna shook her head. "Just my jaw is killing me, and my leg is on fire. Oh, and ya, we're both gonna die on some workstation. Probably like a concentration camp the Nasgars are running. But other that than that, I'm peachy."
Chakotay nodded. "I may have a concussion, but other than the last thing you mentioned, I'm doing pretty good, considering. Ok, lets lie down." He started to lie down, but B'Elanna held her ground.
"What about your head injury? I know that we're both gonna die pretty soon probably, but I'm not going to let you out so early, or easily. We need to keep you up, just in case. How about if we talk about the Doctor's slide show he's been bragging about for the last week. Do you know what its about?"
Chakotay sighed. He would much rather go to sleep, but B'Elanna was right. But he certainly didn't want to talk about the Doctor's slide show. "Lets just talk about better times. You know, even before we joined the Maquis." He turned his head toward B'Elanna. You or me go first?"
B'Elanna stared hard at the floor. She didn't really like talking about her past. She would rather forget about most of it, let alone sharing it with other people. "You go first. You might fall asleep when I'm telling about my life." She glanced at her hands, and noticed a small cut she got when she was reconfiguring the engines for Mortimer. Before when they had a fighting chance. And that's when it hit her. She turned to Chakotay and asked, "What happened to Mortimer and the other crew? They mentioned blowing the Blithian ship up after they got all the crew off, so they have to be around here somewhere."
Chakotay looked around the small room. "My best bet is that they're in real holding cells. Maybe there wasn't enough room for us, so they stuck us in here."
B'Elanna nodded. "Good idea. So that means that atleast we know there are some people who would no doubt be willing to help get away from the Nasgars. Maybe we actually have a fighting chance."
They both heard a bitter laugh coming from the shadows across the room. "Better think again. The Nasgars are notorious for their pirating and slave labor. They're experts at this kind of thing. You never hear from past captives because they always die. There have never been any escapes."
B'Elanna squinted into the shadows. She recognized the voice, but couldn't be certain if she was right.
"Who are you?", Chakotay asked, sitting up by B'Elanna now.
They saw the figure scoot to the light. A familiar face came into view. B'Elanna was the first to talk. "You're the one that stitched up my leg." At the young man's nod, she asked, "Whats your name?"
"Taberoutingher." He laughed at the looks on their faces. "But my friends call me Taber. Considering how we're all going to die in a short time, you guys can call me Taber."
B'Elanna nodded. "I'm B'Elanna, and this is Chakotay." She scooted a bit closer. "Tell us more about the Nasgars."
Taber nodded and continued. "Well, they don't have the best reputation when it comes to trading with them. Theres always the possibility that they'll take you and your crew prisoners. As you no doubt saw, they're huge. Known for their strength and merciless fighting matches. Though they are cruel, they do have some sense of honor, or at least I've heard they do." He paused and gave a heavy sigh. "And last but not least, they're known for their so-called workstations. They kidnap whole crews and force them to work in them, mostly dealing with radioactive material. As you probably guessed, they need to restock their labor force quite often."
Chakotay nodded, thinking. "So no one has ever escaped?"
Taber shook his head. "Never."
"Well, how long do you think we have before we're transported to the workstation?"
Taber thought for a moment. "Well, it'll probably be at least 8 hours. I was shocked when I found out that they were so far away from their planet. Maybe they went on a hunting trip for laborers."
B'Elanna nodded her head. "Whats their technology like?"
"Well, they're pretty advanced, but I wouldn't say its their technology." At the confused looks he got, he continued. "They steal other people's ships and study that technology and add it to theirs. They have no real talent when it comes to studying for different ways to expand their world. They rely on other people's hard work", he said bitterly.
"That's probably why they had a Kazon ship", B'Elanna told Chakotay.
He nodded, "Yep, probably right." He looked over to Taber. "Are you tied to something over there, or can you join us?"
Taber smiled and got up. "Thought you'd never ask." He walked over and sat by B'Elanna, giving her an adoring smile.
B'Elanna smiled back, poking Chakotay in the arm, knowing that he had a big grin on his face. "Umm, can you look at Chakotay and see if he has a head injury or not?"
Taber nodded and scooted over to Chakotay. After examining him for about two minutes, he shook his head. "I don't think so, but if he does, its only a slight concussion. But if you want to sleep, one of us is going to have to take turns waking you up every hour or so."
Chakotay nodded. "Well, I think that the best thing to do for all of us is try to get some rest before we get to the workstation. But I think it would be wise to have a lookout. Just in case something unexpected comes up." He gave them each a winning smile. "And since I have such a delicate injury, which one of you would like to take the first watch?"
B'Elanna rolled her eyes. "Man, one of these days that head of yours is going to deflate. I'll go ahead and take the first one."
Taber looked at her. "Oh, I can do it. You look more worn out than I am, so you need to get some rest."
B'Elanna smiled at him and stole a quick glance at Chakotay. "Why thank you. I think I'm gonna take you up on that offer."
Chakotay rolled his eyes. "Just wake B'Elanna up when you get tired, and then wake me up real fast." He plunked down, dragging a surprised B'Elanna with him.
She poked him in the ribs before turning to Taber. "By the way, why are you in here with us and not with your fellow crewmembers?"
Taber gave her a leveled stare, and then answered her. "They refused to be in the same cell as me. You see, I'm a convicted murderer."