The Sequel to "Yesterday's Terrors"
Chapter 5"The time is 04:30 hours. Good morning."
Kathryn Janeway blinked tiredly into the garish light that now suffused her quarters. The sudden brightness hacked into her eyes like a dozen knives. What in the galaxy had possessed her to program the computer to automatically illuminate her quarters at eighty percent each time the alarm went off? She would have to change that. She felt exhausted. After all, she had only had two hours sleep. Sometimes sleeping a little left you more exhausted than not sleeping at all. She rubbed her tired eyes and yawned. Flinging her legs over the side of her bunk she dragged herself out of bed, almost sleepwalking to the bathroom. She slipped off her thin white cotton nightdress -- she had thrown Camet's replica of her peach silk nightgown into the flames of the fireplace at her mother's house, making sure that nothing remained to remind her of the events that had transpired aboard the Toka Zebok -- and stood under the sonic shower. Today of all days she could have done with a real water shower, but there simply was no time. Besides, there were more important things to think about than creature comforts...
The sonic waves droned in her ears. Not that the shower was excessively loud, but she had not had much sleep and her headache was definitely getting worse. She contemplated going to sickbay to get a hypo before the pain became intolerable. She would do that if she could find time before the away mission. She had to be in top form today. There would be no room for mistakes.
After two unbearable minutes under the nerve-grinding discord of the sonic shower she stepped out and moved over to the small basin to brush her teeth. Almost by accident she caught her reflection in the mirror. Nasty black shadows had settled around her usually lively eyes, and her complexion looked pallid at best. Her fingers began to examine the circles under her eyes, pulling slightly at the tired skin. She looked old. Loosing a good night's sleep had never been much of a problem for Starfleet Academy cadet Kathryn Janeway, but it seemed that the years were finally catching up with her. She would have to watch herself a bit more, maybe change her diet, drink more water, cut down on the coffee... Well, maybe measures did not have to be quite so drastic. Kathryn Janeway and coffee were inseparable!
She fixed her face so she no longer looked like death warmed up. It would not do to appear weak and sickly before her crew. She was a Starfleet captain, and that meant that she had to project an aura of invincibility, even if it was just an illusion.
Having left the bathroom she donned the black cat suit she was to wear underneath the black monk's cloak for the approaching away mission. The cat suit in itself left very little to the imagination. It was a tight garment made from a new synthetic material that allowed the skin to breathe in heat and also kept the wearer warm in colder climates. The garment clung to her every curve, making her feel a little self- conscious. But it was unique in its practicality. The fact that it fit her body like a glove made it ideal for running, climbing, and similar activities she might be required to engage in planetside. The suit's color not only matched the monk's cloak, but would also serve her well should she have to suddenly hide in shadowy corners to avoid capture. The black hooded cloak -- the hood was large enough to totally hide her face -- was merely a camouflage that would ensure that she would not be readily approached by anyone in the capital, since Delphidian monks were renowned for their reclusion. They lived like hermits, and on those rare occasions when they ventured beyond their monasteries, not to mention beyond their homeworld, they restrained themselves from talking to strangers. Even among themselves conversation was rare, and took only place in hushed voices. Generally aliens avoided the monks.
Apart from making it extremely unlikely that she would be approached by anyone on Cardassia Prime, the cloak was completely impractical. She certainly would not be able to run, let alone climb in it. It was so long that its seams were dragging over the floor, which was great, because the length hid her Starfleet regulation boots from view. But she had to watch her step; otherwise she would trip over the material. She definitely would not wear it before it became absolutely necessary, even if it meant that she would feel a little exposed wearing only the tight cat suit. But Kathryn Janeway had never been one to harbor unnecessary hang-ups. She took a last look at her appearance in the full-length mirror in her bedroom and was pleasantly surprised. Her complexion looked much improved and for a woman who had just hit forty her body was still in pretty good shape -- well toned and slim. Of course, being in Starfleet meant working out on a regular basis, and she ate very little at the best of times, often skipping meals and substituting them with coffee to keep herself going. This morning was no exception. There was no time for breakfast, so she would jump-start herself with a cup of strong Columbian coffee.
Rubbing her temples, Kathryn went over to the replicator in her dining are and replicated a large mug of the black hot beverage. Then she grabbed the padds with the data that she had discussed with Chakotay and previously with Ross Marlow, flung the black cloak over her arm and left her quarters to make her way to the briefing room. The briefing was scheduled for 05:00 hours. All of Voyager's senior officers, as well as Chakotay, B'Elanna Torres, Tom Paris and Kurt Bendera were invited. This was a "Plan B Meeting", and headaches and knotted muscles aside, she felt a small thrill of triumph when she passed Ross Marlow's quarters, who was still asleep, blissfully unaware of the things that were going on around him.
Everyone was already assembled in the briefing room. Additional chairs had been put around the table so that everyone attending the meeting had a seat. Janeway wished everyone a good morning and took her position at the top of the table to open the meeting. She deposited the padds on the table, then hung the black cloak over the back of her chair and sat down. Cradling her coffee with both hands she glanced around at her people. They returned her gaze expectantly. Janeway noticed that Chakotay, Tom and Tuvok were wearing the same black suits. B'Elanna Torres and Joe Carey were sitting next to each other at the far end of the table. They looked tired. She was not surprised. The engineering team had had a tough night. She had no doubt that Carey and Torres had still been sweating over the improvements to the shuttle minutes before they were supposed to attend the briefing.
Janeway focused her attention on Joe Carey, who was currently the senior Starfleet officer in engineering.
"Mr. Carey, how are the improvements of the shuttle coming along," she inquired.
Carey straightened himself and cleared his voice before he started,
"We have completed the adjustments. The shuttle's energy output has been increased by thirty-six percent. That should be enough to support the cloaking device for six to eight hours independently from Voyager's power source. The shuttle is ready for launch, Captain."
She allowed herself a satisfied smile.
"Excellent."
Janeway turned serious.
" I want to make it absolutely clear that this meeting is highly confidential and may not be discussed with anyone outside this room. Mr. Marlow is not to be informed of anything concerning the shuttle or this meeting. Is that understood?"
Everyone nodded in agreement, although some of the assembled seemed more than a little confused by her order. It did not matter. They did not have to know everything. What was important was that the away team more or less understood what was going on. Chakotay knew how she felt about Marlow, and he shared her feelings in this case. Tuvok accepted her decision and did not question it further. As for Paris, he seemed mildly surprised, but not excessively so. His reaction did not bother her much. He was not officially a member of her crew, just an observer. His rank had not officially been restored, and he was an ex-convict. She did not feel the need to explain her command decisions to the likes of him.
After a short silence Janeway resumed the meeting.
"Good. Now lets discuss what's going to happen today. We will reach Cardassia Prime in approximately three hours. Our contact there will transmit the coordinates for a secret rendezvous point planetside. Once we have received those, an away team consisting of Mr. Marlow, Mr. Chakotay, Mr. Paris and myself will take a cloaked shuttle to the planet's surface and meet with the leaders of the underground movement. We will be wearing the traditional attire of Delphidian monks, which should provide us with a certain amount of privacy as well as a certain degree of camouflage. Once we have established contact with the resistance we will transmit an encrypted message to Voyager, containing the details of our rescue plan. Whether we take the shuttle back or use the transporters to beam the members of the resistance up will depend on the situation we find ourselves in at the time. As Mr. Carey said, the cloaking device will only be functional for six to eight hours. We may need more time than that. Then again, we may not. We'll have to play this by ear, so to speak. However, transporters are only to be used in an emergency. I don't want to endanger Voyager's cloak. Oh, and there's one last thing. For the duration of the away mission Mr. Tuvok will be in command of Voyager. Mr. Bendera, you'll be looking after the well-being of the Maquis."
Tuvok interrupted,
"Captain, I was under the impression that I was going to be part of the away team. For your own protection I would strongly advise..."
Janeway raised a hand to stop him. Gravely she turned towards her security chief who was all prepared for the mission, wearing the assigned outfit.
"Mr. Tuvok, after long consideration I have decided against your joining the away team. As much as I hate to admit it, Mr. Marlow was right about one thing. Voyager needs to be in competent hands while the away team is on Cardassia. Someone needs to be here to get the team out of trouble should things go wrong planetside. I'm sure you understand the importance of an experienced commander in such situations."
Tuvok still did not look very happy, if a Vulcan's facial expressions could ever be read in such a way. He was not convinced of the logic behind his captain's decision.
"I understand, Captain. However, might I suggest that you remain onboard to command the vessel while I join the away team in your stead? The risk to your safety is considerable. May I remind you of your last encounter with the Cardassians? In their eyes you are a wanted criminal."
It was as passionate an objection as she had ever had from her Vulcan security chief. But Janeway shook her head impatiently.
"This is not up for discussion, Lieutenant. I have made my decision. I'm going to lead the team. You'll stay here. Understood?"
Hesitantly Tuvok consented.
"As you wish, Captain."
Tuvok was less than happy with Janeway's decision. But over the years he had spent under her command, he had become accustomed to her sometimes reckless and stubborn, yet successful leadership. Janeway was his commanding officer. All he could do was resign himself to the fact that she had made a decision and keep a close eye on the team while they were on the Cardassian homeworld. However, he would voice his objections in his official log, and he told her so.
"Do what you deem necessary, Mr. Tuvok, " she responded dispassionately.
Janeway was as accustomed to Tuvok's little quirks as he was to hers. He had often voiced his objections to her command decisions in his log. She had expected as much. Tuvok hated any and all deviations from Starfleet protocol. That was part of his strength and part of his weakness as an officer. The most famous captains in the history of the Federation had all ignored, twisted or re-interpreted protocol at some point in their career. It was their ability to adapt their command to the situation at hand that made them great. Tuvok, as most Vulcans, was incapable of such impulsive actions. This character trait made him a first class security and tactical officer, but he would have made a mediocre captain.
Janeway now directed herself to Harry Kim.
"Mr. Kim, I want you to run a thorough systems diagnostic. Let me know the results as soon as you've got them. It is of the utmost importance that this vessel is functioning at peak efficiency. Mr. Carey, I want you to take another look at Voyager's cloaking device. Make absolutely sure that it is working. I don't want any nasty surprises. Miss Torres, I need you to come up with an emergency backup system for both Voyager and the shuttle, in case the cloaking devices fail. Do you think you can do that?"
B'Elanna shot her a hostile glance. Was Janeway questioning her engineering abilities? Had she not seen what she had done to the Maquis base on the asteroid? She had practically performed miracles in the past, and she had had no small part in improving the efficiency in the shuttle's energy output during the night. Hell, she was the best engineer they had! She was more than a class above Carey. B'Elanna had the very strong impulse to give Janeway a piece of her mind. But then Chakotay cleared his voice, and as she glanced in his direction she caught the warning in his eyes. So she responded with a simple, clipped,
"Yes, Captain."
Janeway allowed herself to relax a little. Things were going just fine for now.
"Good. If you're a member of the away team, get your gear together. We don't know exactly how much time we'll have later. You'll all attend another meeting here at 06:00 hours for Mr. Marlow's benefit. I can't stress this enough. What we have discussed does not leave this room. This meeting never happened. Understood?"
She glanced around at her assembled senior crew and Maquis guests. Satisfied that they would follow her last order she left it at that.
"Fine. Lets do it. I'll be in my Ready Room. Dismissed."
The small group dispersed. Only Chakotay stayed behind.
"Kathryn?"
He had startled her. She had been studying some data on a padd, assuming that everyone had left the briefing room. He had risen from his seat and taken a few steps towards her. She could not help but notice how attractive he looked in the tight black suit. Damn, she did not need such distractions right now. Not now that they were so close to Cardassia. Kathryn felt her cheeks flush and her palms were getting moist. She swallowed hard and took a deep breath before asking,
"Yes, Chakotay? Is there something else?"
She could still feel the hostility from him and was fully prepared for another argument when he said,
"I would like to request that Kurt Bendera joins the away team. I don't trust Marlow, and I don't trust Paris either. That leaves you and me. I think we could do with another man on our side."
She considered his request for a moment, then shook her head.
"Four people on Cardassia Prime are more than enough, Chakotay. The bigger the team the greater the risk of discovery."
"Then leave Paris here and take Bendera instead!" he argued hotly.
"I need Paris to fly the shuttle. He's the best pilot we have. And I believe Mr. Bendera will keep your Maquis in check while you're gone."
He knew she was right, but so was he. Bendera had a knack for keeping the hot flaring tempers of the Maquis under control. But Chakotay could not bring himself to trust Paris. Not again. Not after he had betrayed Chakotay's cell to Starfleet.
"I think you're making a mistake here, Kathryn."
She deliberately averted her gaze from him before responding. She did not want to see his reaction to what she had to say, and she much less wanted to see him in that damn suit again. It was too distracting. She still had to come to terms with her feelings for him. Hell, she was not even sure if she had feelings for him, but something was stirring in her right now, and she did not like it much.
"Captain's privilege, Mr. Chakotay. If that's all..." she responded icily, rising from her chair and escaped through the doors to her adjacent ready room without another glance at the tall, darkly handsome man in the briefing room.
As the doors closed behind her, the Maquis leader let out an exasperated sigh and stormed out onto the bridge. Why did she have to be so difficult? Why did they always have to argue? And why did she have to look so damned gorgeous in that cat suit?
At 06:00 hours everyone was again assembled in the briefing room. This time Ross Marlow had joined them. The atmosphere around the table was tense. Marlow was more than a little surprised to find out that they were not going to use the transporters after all. They were going to take a cloaked shuttle, and despite his numerous protestations, Janeway did not budge on the matter.
"Captain, with all due respect, I am the expert on this mission. Don't you think you should give my advice some thought," he asked, the sarcasm plain in his voice.
For long seconds the captain stared at him in total silence. Marlow met her glance unintimidatedly, as if they were measuring each other's stamina. Eventually Janeway broke the strange spell,
"I've given it plenty of thought, Mr. Marlow. As a matter of fact I've thought about nothing else since you mentioned your plan to me last night. I told you then I was unhappy with using the transporters when they aren't reliable. We're going to take the shuttle. End of discussion."
Marlow rubbed his chin in agitation. He had always known that Janeway would be a problem. There was no way he could allow them to use the shuttle instead of the transporters. It would complicate the entire plan! It could even jeopardize it. But all his reasoning with her had gotten him nowhere so far. Maybe it was time to approach the matter differently...
"Captain Janeway, you know that Admiral Nechayev has given me carte blanche on this mission. I suggest you stick to her orders. Otherwise I may be forced to inform your superiors of your refusal to cooperate."
Janeway took a deep breath. It seemed more and more obvious now that her first impression of Ross Marlow had been spot on. The man was nothing but bad news. In the name of diplomacy she tried once more to explain her decision to him.
"Mr. Marlow, I am the captain of this ship, and my first duty is to my crew. In my opinion it is too risky to use the transporters for anything but absolute emergencies during the course of this mission. We can't ensure safe transports as long as the cloaking device is draining our power systems. And we can't drop our cloak while we are in Cardassian space. What if the transporters cause a power fluctuation and the cloak fails? Voyager would be exposed, and you know as well as I do what that orbital defense perimeter is capable of doing to a vessel. I won't risk the safety of this crew. What you're suggesting is putting the lives of these people unnecessarily and recklessly in jeopardy, and I won't stand for it."
To her surprise Marlow's only reaction to her explanation was an arrogant grin. Then he dropped the bomb.
"Well, Captain, since Starfleet Command put me in charge of this mission, we are going to use the transporters regardless of whether you deem it safe or not."
Janeway shot out of her seat, her face aflush with anger. Her voice assumed a low, threatening tone.
"You'll do no such thing, Sir. You seem to forget that Voyager is still my ship!"
Unfortunately the clear warning contained in her message had been wasted on Marlow. With an impatient sigh he addressed everyone in the briefing room, taking control of the meeting as if Janeway were no longer there.
"Ladies, gentlemen, we're running out of time here. Lets drop this matter for now and jump to the next point. Mr. Chakotay, I don't think you'll be needed on this away mission. In my opinion you'd be better utilized aboard this ship, keeping your troops in check, so to speak."
Chakotay was just about to tell Marlow what he really thought of him when Janeway jumped in,
"Mr. Marlow, you don't know these people. I assembled this away team, and I have good reasons to ask Chakotay to join us...."
She had been right all along. The man was insufferable! He seemingly got a thrill out of undermining her authority. Marlow sighed dramatically.
"Captain, it seems that we are bound to be at odds today. I'm sure you had your personal reasons to include Mr. Chakotay, but my primary concerns lie with this mission, not with your personal preferences."
Ouch! That had been below the belt! He was walking a very fine line. Kathryn's eyes narrowed threateningly.
"What exactly are you implying, Mr. Marlow," Janeway clipped.
A lascivious grin spread across Marlow's face. He was going in for the kill.
"Oh, come on, Kathryn! Everyone knows about you and Chakotay. Hell, your little affair with the bad guy almost got you marched out of Starfleet! If it weren't for the fact that they need you and Voyager for this mission, Starfleet would have kicked you out months ago!"
Finally Marlow was showing his true face. He was starting to behave just like the little viper she had assumed he was. Janeway felt her blood drain from her body. She could not believe he had addressed her like that in front of her senior officers. Who the hell did the man think he was? She gave him an icy look. Fighting hard to keep her temper at bay, jaws clenched tight, she hissed,
"That's quite enough, Mr. Marlow! I don't know what means of diplomacy you have become accustomed to during your time on Cardassia, but they won't get you anywhere here. This meeting is over. You're all dismissed. Get back to your stations! Mr. Marlow, I want a word with you in private!"
The group dispersed with Marlow remaining behind. Janeway began to agitatedly pace the room. Anything to stop her from vaporizing the man with a phaser... Ross Marlow remained quietly in his seat. Eventually she shouted at him,
"What the hell did you think you were doing talking to me in that tone? And in front of my crew!"
Marlow turned towards her, still the picture of perfect composure, his voice patronizingly compassionate,
"Kathryn, I wanted to spare you this embarrassment in the company of your senior crew, but you gave me no choice. I cannot allow you to go ahead with your plan. I can't pull rank on you, since I don't officially have a rank, but Admiral Nechayev has put me in charge of this mission, and I intend to implement my original plan. It's all for the best of this mission!"
Janeway crossed her arms in front of her and measured Marlow carefully. She could not believe he had the audacity to call her by her Christian name, after all he had said. She had a hundred insults she wanted to throw at him, but she bit her tongue. Marlow was still calm, at least outwardly, and it simply would not do for her to loose her temper while he remained so very much in control.
Suddenly she said,
"And how exactly do you intend to stop me, Mr. Marlow? And, by the way, it's 'Captain Janeway' for you."
She had deliberately used the polite form of address despite the fact that he had asked her to call him Ross.
Marlow stepped closer towards her.
"Kathryn, I advice you to be reasonable. We can still work on this together! I won't beat around the bush, Kathryn. You're an intelligent and very attractive woman with more courage than most male Starfleet captains, and I like you. I really don't want to do this, but if you refuse to follow my recommendations I will inform Starfleet Command of your refusal to co-operate. And I will recommend your instant dismissal, Captain."
Kathryn measured him carefully. Then a sarcastic smile rose on her lips.
"Well, it's always good to know where I stand," she said and turned to leave the room.
Marlow's features went from confused to threatening. Quickly he called after her,
"Have you forgotten how Starfleet Command currently feel about you, Captain? I'm beginning to think their doubts in you were justified. You've obviously been brain-washed by that Maquis."
She had stopped dead in her tracks and he moved up behind her.
"What did he do, Kathryn? Bed you? Force you? Did you like it? He must have been one hell of a revelation under the sheets!"
That was all it took. Something in her snapped. She spun around and slapped him hard across the cheek. Marlow's hand went to cradle his burning cheek, his eyes sparkling with uncontained fury. Then everything happened very fast -- too fast for her to do anything about it. The man jumped for her and in an instant she found herself pressed hard against the bulkhead. He was holding her arms over her head, pushing her form into the bulkhead with the full force of his own body so that Janeway's breath was knocked out of her and she was completely trapped. Moving his mouth so close to her ear that his lips almost touched her skin, he hissed,
"That was a mistake, Captain! I'm taking command of your ship. You can spend the rest of the trip in the brig. I'll inform Admiral Nechayev of your extremely unprofessional behavior. She already believes that you're psychologically unstable anyway."
His grip on her wrists tightened painfully, and she shuddered in revulsion as his hot breath made contact with the skin of her ear. Then he continued,
"Count yourself lucky that this is a Starfleet vessel! If we were on a Cardassian ship right now, I'd make sure I'd teach you a lesson you'd never forget. I'd make certain you'd need all the Starfleet counselors you could get..."
She saw the malice in his eyes, and knew that he had great difficulty restraining himself from teaching her those lessons despite the fact that they were aboard a Starfleet vessel. He was still crushing her into the bulkhead, restraining her arms so that she could not activate her combadge. It was time for another strategy, before she ran out of time...
She forced a smile and said almost seductively,
"I'm sure we can resolve this matter amicably, Ross. If you run your plan by me once more, maybe I could be convinced after all...."
A grin spread across his face.
"That's more like it. I thought you might respond to me this way. You like to be dominated once in a while, don't you Captain?" he said and released the pressure against her body just a little to let his eyes travel across the curves of her body. Janeway took the opportunity to strike. She raised her knee and aimed for his groin. Doubling over with pain, a multitude of curses escaped Marlow. Immediately Janeway tapped her combadge.
"Security to the briefing room!"
Marlow, quickly recovering from the blow, lashed out at her, but she had anticipated his move and managed to dodge the assault. Split seconds later Tuvok and Chakotay stormed into the room, followed by a couple of security guards who grabbed hold of Marlow. Janeway straightened herself and ordered icily,
"Take him to the brig!"
Chakotay looked shocked. Despite his Native American heritage she could tell that his face had gone decisively pale.
Tuvok stepped towards his captain and asked,
"Captain, are you alright?"
Was that a tinge of concern in the Vulcan's voice? Janeway was flattered. After all the years they had worked together, Tuvok apparently saw her as more than just a superior officer. Vulcans rarely forged friendships with humans, but it was not unheard of. As a matter of fact Spock's father had even married a human woman. But Tuvok was already married, and his 'feelings' for her -- and she did not care about Tuvok's constant denial of those, because she had often seen emotions cross his feature, however subtle they might be -- were purely platonic.
"I'm fine, Tuvok. But we have a problem...."
Tuvok said opposite the captain in her ready room. Chakotay had been pacing the room for a few minutes, trying to talk some sense into her. But he was not having much luck.
"Kathryn, you can't possibly mean to take him on the away mission! Not after what he just did," Chakotay argued hotly.
Tuvok for once agreed with Chakotay.
"Mr. Chakotay is correct, Captain. It would be reckless of you to take Mr. Marlow with you. As a member of the away team he would be carrying a phaser. The risk of another attack is too high."
Marlow's attack had done nothing to alleviate her headache. And Chakotay's and Tuvok's objections to allow Marlow to join the team despite the attack in the briefing room were not exactly relieving the pressure on her temples. She pinched the bridge of her nose, took a deep breath and said,
"Chakotay, sit down! You're making me dizzy!"
The Maquis was a little surprised by her sudden outburst, but he complied. When he had settled in the chair next to Tuvok's she continued,
" Gentlemen, I appreciate your concerns, but I'll have you, Mr. Chakotay, and Mr. Paris to protect me from any further assaults. I don't intend to give Marlow a phaser. He'll have to rely on us to defend him if the need occurs. But the fact is, we need Marlow. He's the only one who has a thorough insight into the Cardassian culture. Furthermore, he knows the capital of Cardassia Prime like the back of his hand. Frankly, we can't afford to go on this mission without him. He'll do us no service locked up in our dungeon."
Chakotay shook his head in disagreement. He argued,
"What makes you think he'll still help us? I saw the look in his eyes when you sent him to the brig, Kathryn. I've seen eyes like that before, in the Maquis. It's pure and unadulterated hatred! That man is holding a serious grudge against you, Kathryn. What if he hates you enough to turn you or even the whole ship over to the Cardassians? After all, he used to live with them. Maybe he got to like them!"
Tuvok joined the discussion,
"I concur with Mr. Chakotay. There have been incidents in the past where Federation agents have been found to work for more than one side. Double agents are not a rarity, Captain. And Mr. Marlow's attack against you proves that we cannot ascertain where his true loyalties lie."
Frowning, Janeway folded her hands in front of her and measured her two advisers. They had a point. Marlow did not exactly hold warm, fuzzy feelings for her, and there was a risk that he might hand them over to the enemy, but his experience was absolutely essential for this mission. No one else on Voyager had intricate knowledge of Cardassian computer systems, encryptions, protocols, etc. They would just have to go on as planned. There was no time for last minute changes. They could not return into Federation space and get a new advisor. They needed to get the rebels off the planet now, before more bloodshed occurred. Janeway closed the meeting.
"Well, gentlemen, I'm afraid that's a risk we'll have to take. Dismissed."
Clearly reluctant to end the meeting on that note, the two men left the room for the bridge.
On her way to the brig Janeway had dropped by the sickbay. The EMH had given her a hypospray for her headache. Feeling a lot better she was on her way to face Marlow once again. A security guard sat next to the entrance, watching the prisoner. Janeway sent him away. She wanted to talk to Marlow alone.
Arms crossed in front of her she stood centimeters away from the force field of his cell. Marlow sat on a bench at the wall, making no effort to get up and giving her the most infuriating grin.
Kathryn steeled herself. She wanted to kick the man out of an airlock, but that was not exactly a choice at the moment. She would just have to put up with him until they had the rebels securely onboard.
"Mr. Marlow, your earlier behavior is unforgivable and will have repercussions. I have filed a report with Lieutenant Tuvok. I'll also report this incident to Admiral Nechayev as soon as I get the chance. But at the moment I'm concerned with more pressing matters."
She was searching his face for some show of emotion, but he disappointed her. His face remained a mask of arrogant indifference. She continued,
"In a few minutes we will enter Cardassian space. Don't get me wrong, you belong in the brig! But right now I need you on the bridge. You'll also still join the away team. But you won't be carrying a phaser. That privilege is revoked. And make no mistake! If I catch you making even the slightest hostile movement toward me or any of my crew, I will shoot you down, and I won't waste time checking if my phaser is set for stun."
Marlow rose and stepped toward the force field. His arrogant grin appeared to spread even broader.
"So you need me, Captain! What makes you think I'll cooperate?"
Janeway turned to leave the room. Just before she exited through the doors she called over her shoulder,
"You either co-operate, or you can spend the rest of this mission in the brig. It's your choice!"
With those words she left the brig.
A few minutes later two guards entered the brig and lowered the force field to Marlow's cell. He was more than willing to leave his prison, and was escorted to the bridge without incident.
Janeway could not help wondering about Marlow on her way from the brig to main engineering. Maybe the years he had spent among Cardassians had done some permanent psychological damage to him. Or maybe the genetic alteration process he had gone through had done something to his brain. Genetic alteration was a relatively new procedure, implemented by Starfleet medical to help camouflage Federation spies posted in hostile territories. Until about ten years ago, spies had simply been surgically altered to appear Cardassian, or Romulan, or whatever else their mission required them to be. But then genetic alteration had been introduced. The procedure literally changed the subject's genes into alien genes. Without it, spies could be uncovered through a simply blood test, but with it they were basically undetectable. But since the treatment was still in its teething period it had only been administered to a handful of agents.
Janeway had instantly disliked Marlow at their first meeting, but she had never until now thought him a raving lunatic. It was as if there were indeed two souls trapped in one body... One human, and the other one Cardassian. Was he really to blame for his actions? Or was he in fact a sick man in need of psychological rehabilitation? Schizophrenia was not as common a condition in humans as it had once been. Ever since pre-natal gene screening procedures had been introduced a couple of centuries ago, such illnesses had been nearly annihilated. But who knew what effects dramatic procedures such as multiple genetic alterations could have? Since the procedure was still in its experimental phase side effects were not yet known. And Marlow had gone from human to Cardassian and back. That double treatment and long term residence in enemy territory, not to mention the extreme levels of stress Federation spies were sometimes submitted to. They had to contact the Federation from hostile territory, and discovery often meant painful death through torture. So, double exposure to an experimental procedure, extreme long-term stress and years of living among enemies... Should she give Marlow the benefit of doubt?
At 07:00 all the senior staff, except for Carey and Torres who were busy in Engineering and Shuttlebay Two respectively, were assembled on the Bridge. Janeway, who had been both in Engineering and in the shuttlebay in order to convince herself personally that the cloaking devices were working, stepped out of the turbolift and took her seat next to Chakotay. To the right of her captain's chair sat Marlow, sporting a smug expression, a guard standing on either side. Nevertheless she kept an eye on him.
"Entering the Chin'toka System," Tom Paris announced at the helm.
This was it. They had entered Cardassian space. Crunch time. Janeway shifted in her seat, her eyes fixed on the viewscreen. From the corners of her eyes she watched the two men on either side of her. Both dressed in black suits, they had their eyes fixed on the viewscreen. Chakotay seemed tense. It was to be expected, since the Maquis had regarded the Cardassians as their archenemies for years. They had fought against them in the DMZ, but never this deeply into Cardassian space. For a Maquis to stride this far into Cardassian territory would be tantamount to suicide, so it was no surprise that he was a little on edge.
Marlow, on the other hand, appeared strangely relaxed as if he did not have a care in the world. Considering the developments of the past hour and the danger they were going to face in the hours yet ahead, his behavior seemed out of place. Then again, maybe all those years spent among Cardassians as a Federation spy had made him accustomed to that kind of danger. They certainly had done something to him.
As for herself, Janeway felt her stomach knot as they passed the planets of the Chin'toka system. So far Cardassian sensors had not detected them. But what if there was a glitch in the cloaking device? What if it failed? Even if it powered down for only a nanosecond they might be detected. Would Starfleet and the Federation come to their help? Probably not. That was the reason for choosing Voyager for this mission in the first place. She was officially a Maquis ship with no ties to the Federation or Starfleet. Kathryn swallowed hard at the implications. They were on their own. If they were captured, they would be treated as terrorists. The Cardassian's would no doubt torture them to extract information about the remaining Maquis, their hideouts, weapons, ships, etc. Eventually they would all be executed.
Kathryn Janeway tried to control her breathing as Voyager passed the brown Cardassian worlds of the Chin'toka system. She did not seem to be able to get enough air into her lungs. Her moist hands were clenching the armrests of her chair until her knuckles were white with the effort. Quickly rubbing her wet palms on her pants she tried to assume a more relaxed stance. It was important that the crew could look to her for moral support. No point in frightening the hell out of them, even if that was exactly what this mission was doing to her. And she certainly was not going to let her apprehension show in front of Marlow!
Voyager passed the Chin'toka and the neighboring Orias system without incident. At the current speed of warp six they would reach the Cardassian homeworld in less than fifteen minutes. Janeway felt the familiar butterflies as the away mission approached. Butterflies were a good thing. It meant that her body was producing more adrenalin than usual, which sharpened her mind and quickened her reflexes. But that knowledge did not make her feel better.
Next to her Marlow cleared his throat.
"Captain, may I once more appeal to your better judgment. Using the transporters would be much safer than traveling to the planet in a cloaked shuttle."
The man clearly did not know when to stop! Janeway's eyes literally spat fire as she growled,
"Mr. Marlow, we've been over this a thousand times. I've made my decision. We're taking the shuttle."
She saw another grin spread across his features and already steeled herself for another stinging remark. Marlow did not disappoint.
"Captain, if you don't mind my asking, did Mr. Chakotay use his charm to talk you into this? It sounds like one of his miscalculated, ill-devised, kamikaze Maquis tactics..."
"What?!?"
Chakotay jumped out of his chair, moving towards Marlow ready to resort to good old-fashioned fisticuffs. Janeway jutted out of her seat and stood between the two raving men who looked like they were just about to kill each other. Her stance left no room for debate.
"Gentlemen! I expect that you conduct yourselves according to protocol while you're on my ship. Sit down now, or I'll have you both thrown in the brig!"
Her eyes were burning with barely contained fury. How dare these two behave like hooligans on her bridge? And how dare Marlow bring this up again?
Chakotay returned to his seat while the two security officers who were still standing on either side of him pushed Marlow non-too gently back into his chair.
Suddenly Marlow requested,
"Captain Janeway, may I see you in your ready room?"
She could not believe he had the guts to ask! Did he really think she would spend another second alone with him? The man either delusional or incredibly cocky. She would have put anything on the latter.
Chakotay, too, had difficulty believing it. If Marlow thought he was going to allow him to threaten Kathryn again, he was even more deluded than Chakotay had previously assumed. The Native American shot out of his seat and grabbed Marlow by the collar before anyone could intervene.
"I'm going to teach you a lesson, you two-faced vole," Chakotay spat into the man's face.
This time Marlow lost his calm and rose to the bait.
"Is this how you solve your problems in your little terrorist cell, Chakotay? Who are you to judge me? You are the scum of the quadrant! An officer who deserted Starfleet to lead a bunch of renegades and endanger the peace treaty! And he doesn't shy away from sleeping with the enemy as long as it gets him what he wants! Tell me, Chakotay, is that how you recruited your little bunch of renegade females? Can you recommend one of them? The nights are so long on Voyager... What about B'Elanna? She looks like hot stuff. Or even better, how about Kathryn here? I bet our feisty little captain here can be very entertaining! Tell me, Chakotay, how was it for you?"
Chakotay was about to punch Marlow's daylights out, when one of the guards that had been watching Marlow switched sides and restrained the big Maquis. Marlow had risen from his seat, but the other guard made sure he moved no further.
The Captain was furious. She stood in front of both of them and spat,
"Gentlemen, I'll have you know that if you don't see fit to contain your tempers, I will confine both of you to quarters. Mr. Marlow, if I hear one more obscenity out of your mouth I will ban you from this mission, and you can spend the rest of this trip in the brig. Is that understood?"
Marlow simply grinned in response.
"Let me teach him a lesson he won't so quickly forget, Kathryn," Chakotay hissed as he struggled against the guard who was still restraining him.
The Captain took a few steps towards the Maquis and looked him straight in the eyes. The she said as calmly as she could muster,
"You'll do no such thing, Chakotay! There are a lot of lives at stake here. I strongly suggest we concentrate on the task at hand!"
Janeway's restrained had the desired effect on Chakotay. He calmed down visibly and returned to his seat. Janeway let out an inaudible sigh. This was like having two pubescent Klingons onboard her ship...
"Oh, how the mighty have fallen," Ross Marlow muttered quietly under his breath, referring to Chakotay's not so privileged treatment by the guards and the Captain. Janeway did her best to shut him out of her mind. No point in rising to the bait. In the end Tuvok put an end to the argument as he announced,
"We're entering orbit of Cardassia Prime."
Everyone's attention was now focused on the viewscreen. The brown Cardassian homeworld lay before them, covered in clouds. The orbital defense system was impressive. Janeway could not begin to count all the weapons platforms, mines, etc. But she was sure that Tuvok would be able to give her a definite number if she asked him. Good old reliable Vulcans. She would have one of them any day in exchange for Ross Marlow...
"Captain, we're being hailed," Ensign Kim reported nervously.
As the youngest member of her crew she knew that fear must affect him worse then anybody else. Especially with the current tension between herself, Marlow and Chakotay. It really was not fair of Starfleet to send Harry along. He had only just graduated from Starfleet Academy, and he deserved better then being pulled into this mess, not to mention having his record ruined this early in his career, and through no fault of his own...
"On screen," Janeway demanded.
On the viewscreen the distorted image of Gul Dunar appeared. The message was being transmitted at such a low subspace bandwidth in order to avoid detection, that it was difficult for Voyager's crew to understand or see anything. The image became more and more distorted as the message went on, and in the end Janeway could not make out a single word.
"Can you clear it up a little, Mr. Kim," she inquired impatiently.
Harry was already busily pushing buttons on his OPS console.
"Just a minute, Captain, I've almost got it," he replied.
The image of Dunar on the viewscreen cleared up, as did the garbled message.
"This is Gul Dunar to the Federation Starship Voyager. Are you receiving?"
"This is Captain Kathryn Janeway. We can hear you just fine, Dunar. It's nice to see you again!"
Janeway flashed him a genuine smile.
"Likewise, Captain. I will now transmit the rendezvous coordinates."
No time for small talk. There was such fevered urgency in Dunar's voice that Janeway hated to think what had transpired since their last meeting. She only hoped that Voyager was not to late. There was a moment of silence on the bridge that seemed to last a little too long for comfort. Janeway turned in her chair towards the ensign at the OPS console.
"Mr. Kim, is there a problem?"
Kim looked distraught. He was busily working the buttons on his console, but it was obvious that he was not having much success.
"There seems to be some subspace interference of some kind, Captain. I don't know what's causing it, but it's blocking the transmission," the clearly frustrated Mr. Kim announced.
Tuvok double-checked the ensign's findings, then reported,
"Confirmed, Captain. I cannot ascertain the source of the interference."
Janeway was just about to take a look herself when suddenly the OPS console bleeped and Harry announced excitedly,
"It looks like whatever was interfering with the transmission had gone. I've got the coordinates, Captain!"
Janeway allowed herself a quiet sigh of relief before she addressed the Cardassian on the viewscreen.
"Gul Dunar, we have received the coordinates. We will rendezvous with you at 10:00 hours. That will give us both two hours to get organized."
"Very well. I look forward to seeing you again, Captain."
She allowed herself a smile.
"Likewise. Janeway out."
Harry Kim cut the transmission.
"Alright people, lets do it," Kathryn said as she walked to the turbolift, Chakotay, Marlow and his guards and Paris trailing behind her. Somehow she questioned the wisdom of having both Chakotay and Marlow on the away team. But she trusted Chakotay explicitly. He had saved her life the last time they had encountered the Cardassians. She felt saver with him on the team, although that explanation was probably not adequate for Starfleet Command... She would take the heat later if necessary. Her one real regret was that she needed Marlow as an expert on all things Cardassian...
They had made their way to shuttlebay two and boarded the shuttle that had been fitted with the cloaking device. Janeway looked around at her fellow teammates. Chakotay and Marlow had been avoiding each other since their last outbreak, which was a good sign as far as she could tell. They sat quietly on opposite sides of the shuttle. Better no exchange between them at all, then an exchange of fists. Chakotay was keeping a close eye on his adversary, ready to jump him should he try to attack the captain. Good. It made her feel safe.
Tom seemed calm at the helm. He was preparing the shuttle for take off. Janeway's head spun with the problems at hand. She did not trust Marlow, Marlow did not trust Chakotay, Chakotay trusted neither Marlow nor Paris, and Tom... God only knew! The butterflies in her stomach were still fluttering about, and she felt like all her muscles had knotted. A shudder went over her spine. She had a feeling of impending doom about this mission. Something was terribly wrong, but she could not put a finger on it. Something was telling her that she was just about to make a big mistake. Something that had happened. Probably something very small, a minute indication of trouble. Maybe she was simply feeling this way because she was uncomfortable in Marlow's presence. But no. There was more to it than that. She felt as if she had missed something. An important detail. Maybe she should have brought Tuvok along after all....
"All systems ready, Captain," Tom announced at the helm.
Janeway squared her jaw. She was sitting next to Tom in the co-pilot seat. Through the viewscreen she could see into space through the wide-open bay doors of shuttle bay two. There was no point in stalling now. However she felt about this mission, as long as she did not have any concrete problems to point at they simply had to proceed. Taking a deep breath she ordered,
"Engage!"
The shuttle glided elegantly through the forcefield that protected the shuttlebay from decompression, and they slowly sailed towards the brown planet.
The bridge was deadly quiet. Everyone was staring at the viewscreen. There was nothing to be seen, but they all knew that the shuttlecraft was there, only cloaked.
Tuvok sat straight-backed in the captain's chair. He had told Ensign Kim to monitor the shuttle's progress. Voyager's sensors had been specially adapted to monitor ships fitted with her special type of cloak.
Tuvok believed the ensign was perfectly capable of dealing with the task he had set him. Nevertheless he kept a close eye on the shuttle himself via the console attached to the captain's chair. So far the mission was going as planned. No glitches in the cloaking device, no unexpected complications. But Tuvok was uneasy.
Everyone on the bridge was holding their breath, and the only sounds to be heard were the occasional beeps coming from the various consoles.
"Sir, the shuttle has landed just outside the capital's western borders, as planned," Kim announced enthusiastically, finally exhaling the breath he had been holding for what had seemed like an eternity.
"Thank you, Ensign."
Tuvok did not share the ensign's enthusiasm or relief. He would not have a single relaxed moment until the away team, and above all the captain, were back onboard, preferably in one piece.
It was an overcast day, although it was not too windy yet. However, the clouds were moving fast in the sky, and that probably meant that the wind was soon going to pick up. As expected the temperature on Cardassia was a little higher than human comfort required. Cardassia Prime's sun was a little closer to the planet than Earth's sun. Naturally the Cardassians had evolved with the higher temperatures, much like the Vulcans on their desert planet.
The shuttle had landed in a derelict field, just outside the capital. Nothing much grew, except for a few weeds. A few homes were scattered about the area, but nothing closer than about a kilometer to their position. In the distance, further to the west, they could see a row of glassy domes -- the airponic environments in which most of Cardassia Prime's crops were grown to feed the ever-expanding population of the fruitless planet. East of their position, and therefore closer to the capital, stood several industrial replicators, also used to feed the population.
Chakotay had noticed Kathryn's fascination with the aerponic environments and the industrial replicators and walked up to her.
"Amazing, isn't it? An entire world relying on a few machines and a few dozen greenhouses..."
A little startled, Janeway looked at him. She had not heard his approach. Either Chakotay was extremely light-footed, or she was not as alert as she needed to be. She preferred to think it was the first, since the latter could easily get her killed on this mission.
"Yes, I bet those things are guarded and armed to the teeth. We should get moving from here. Who knows how many surveillance devices the Cardassians have installed to safeguard their food production technology..."
"Well, if Marlow is half the 'expert' that he claims to be, he should be able to enlighten us," Chakotay said with a slight smirk. His sarcasm did not go unnoticed. She rolled her eyes and ignored his comment. There was no point in encouraging Chakotay's antipathy towards Marlow. It was hard enough to keep the two men from going at each other's throats without spurring them on.
Janeway turned towards Ross Marlow.
"Mr. Marlow, do you know anything about the security details surrounding those replicators," Janeway asked pointing towards the capital at the large industrial structures. She was surprised at how neutral her voice sounded, as if she were indeed talking to an expert and not to the man who had spent the past few hours insulting and assaulting her.
Marlow approached and nodded. Janeway felt herself tense as he got closer. Immediately her hand went to hover over the phaser that was attached to her waist, just in case... Marlow either had not noticed her reaction, or he ignored it. He said,
"Yes. You're looking at about a hundred heavily armed guards per unit, all around top level shielding, land mines in the surrounding areas, automated defense perimeter."
Janeway frowned. Land mines? Automated defense perimeter? It sounded a little too dangerous for comfort.
"How much distance do we have to keep from the structures to avoid triggering the defense perimeter or the mines," she continued. Marlow considered her question for a moment.
"We shouldn't be in any danger as long as we keep about a kilometer's distance from the replicators. It means we have to walk around the capital in a wide circle before actually going in, but believe me, you don't want to walk into one of those mines, Captain."
Janeway nodded courtly. So far Marlow seemed to
be cooperating. She had expected him to be more difficult after all that
had transpired between them, but he was all professional, now that they were on
Cardassian soil, so to speak. Despite the man's aggressive tendencies he
seemed to be able to keep a clear head when the situation would allow no less.
It was encouraging. But she would still keep a close eye on the
man. How did the old adage go? 'Fool me once, shame on you! Fool me
twice, shame on me!'
And Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation Starship Voyager had no intention
of trusting Ross Marlow ever again.
She looked around their small group.
They had all donned the black monk's robes and equipped themselves with the bare essentials for an away mission. Emergency rations, hand phasers, tricorders and combadges, although the latter could only be used in an absolute emergency, since a comm-signal would easily have been spotted by Cardassian ground sensors. In order to contact the ship they would have to rely on the low bandwidth subspace transmitter the rebels had used to contact Voyager earlier. Now they had to walk about one and a half kilometers to reach the main plaza, or to be exact, right in the main building of Central Command where Dunar and a few of his men would rendezvous with them. Janeway had been more than a little surprised to find that the coordinates lay in such a strategic place. She had no idea of how they were going to get into the building, but she would cross that bridge when she got to it. Maybe Dunar was wise to hide literally in the lair of the beast. After all, who would expect it? Still, it seemed awfully risky for a secret meeting....
Janeway took a last hesitant look at the shuttle, or rather the indentation it made in the field, for the shuttle itself was not to be seen. Then she steeled herself and said,
"We've got a long way to go in the next ninety minutes. I suggest we get on our way."
And so they went, Janeway first, followed closely by Marlow and Chakotay to either side, and Tom Paris trailing a short distance behind.
They had walked for about thirty minutes when they reached the borders of the capital. Walking across the field had taken a little longer than expected, since the soil was soft, and their boots kept sinking into the ground, thus making walking difficult. In the distance, somewhere near the industrial replicators, something howled. Janeway shivered involuntarily. She knew what animal had made that sound. She had killed one of the damn things in the past. The bloodthirsty canine creature would have torn her and Justin apart if she had not killed the beast. Toskanar dogs were used for only two things: dog fights and the chase of escaped prisoners. Thirteen years ago Justin Tighe and a small group of Starfleet Rangers had rescued her and Admiral Paris from certain death and probably worse things than that. She and Justin had barley been able to escape the gaping fangs of their vicious houndlike pursuers. She remembered the panic she had felt then as if it had happened yesterday. Justin, of course, had long been dead. It had taken her years to properly get over his and her father's loss on Tau Ceti Prime. But this was no time to indulge in her old guilt complex and the usual what-ifs. Right now she had to concentrate on this mission, or there would be many more casualties, and this time it really would be her fault. The Toskanar howled again.
"What the hell is that thing," Tom Paris asked.
"Toskanar dogs," Janeway answered grimly.
"Well, I hope they're not as nasty as they sound," Tom quipped.
"No. They're worse," Janeway informed him.
Tom moved closer to her, so he did not have to raise his voice so much.
"Sounds like you have some experience with them."
Janeway did not look at him, for fear that he might see in her eyes just how much the mere thought of those creatures scared her. She simply said,
"That was a long time ago, Mr. Paris. I suggest we concentrate on the present."
Smoothly done, Captain, Marlow thought with an evil twinkle in his eye. He had studied her past to the smallest detail. He even knew such intimate things as the fact that her father used to call her 'Goldenbird' as a child. Ross Marlow knew exactly just how much experience with the dogs Kathryn Janeway had. He was well aware that, due to her former experiences with the Cardassians, this mission was scaring the hell out of her. And that knowledge gave him a certain amount of satisfaction, although not nearly enough to appease him. On top of that she was doing a damn good job at hiding her anxiety. But that would change...
Quietly they proceeded deeper and deeper into the capital. The main plaza was located right in the center of the city. Around them the streets grew busier the closer they got to the city center. Some people shot them a few curious glances, but most of the population ignored the four Delphidian monks whose features lay hidden under the large hoods of their black cloaks. Hands folded in front of them, and heads down, they approached the heart of the capital in total silence and at a steady but unhurried pace.
The main plaza was buzzing with life. It was market day. In the center of the square traders sold everything from vegetables and delicacies to antiques and jewellery. Street artists were drawing portraits of passers by, and Cardassians of all ages crowded around baskers who kept everyone entertained -- some with music, some with dance and others with pantomime. Kathryn Janeway had never seen Cardassians in their natural habitat before. She had only ever run into them in combat, far away from their families and their homeworld.
A group of children noisily descended the long stairs of a large and magnificent building to the South of the plaza. She had never seen Cardassian children before. It was strange to see their innocent and carefree faces. They did not look like enemies at all... Janeway recognized the building they had just exited as the Cardassian Institute of Art, one of the Empire's most distinguished institutions. Under different circumstances she would have taken the opportunity to study Cardassian art. Kathryn Janeway loved art. She even painted a little herself whenever she got the time. But this was neither the time nor the place for cultural studies.
Janeway's gaze turned toward the opposite site of the plaza. Another imposing building stood there. How strange for a society to have their cultural heart so close to their military center. However, the buildings were directly opposed to each other. Creativity to one side, destruction to the other. The Central Command building was housing a special exhibition of ancient Cardassian armory for a limited amount of time. Today was the final day of. A sign just below the roof invited citizens to visit the exhibition. Dunar was no fool. It was an easy way for the away team to get in.
A rather fresh wind had set in, making it unexpectedly chilly. On top of that it was beginning to rain. Janeway resisted the urge to pull the cloak closer around her form as the artists packed up their musical instruments and covered their canvasses. The away team moved further to the north of the plaza, and formed a close circle around a small table that offered tiny pieces of some kind of cake for tasting. They pretended to try the cake. The Captain spoke first,
"We're going to rendezvous with Dunar's people in there."
She indicated at the large building to the north.
"But I'm not going to take all of us in there. It's too dangerous. Mr. Marlow and I will meet with Dunar. Chakotay, you and Tom are going to stay out here. If we're not back within fifteen minutes you'll contact Voyager and beam up if necessary."
Chakotay protested,
"You can't be serious, Kathryn. You're not going in there with that man. You can't possibly trust him!"
Janeway hushed her voice a little more, and her tone left no room for debate.
"Mr. Chakotay, this is no time for a tactical discussion. If you've got a problem with my command decisions, follow Tuvok's example and file a report!"
He wanted to retort, but he bit his tongue. His temper was rising, and if he were not careful he would give them all away. After all, no one in his experience had ever seen Delphidian monks argue -- at least not in public. And the things he had to say he could not possibly whisper. He wanted to shout some sense into her. But she was the captain, and by now he knew her well enough to know that once she had gotten something into her head she was not easily dissuaded.
Tom held his tongue as well. It was hardly his place to criticize the captain's leadership, but he did fear for her safety. There was something about Marlow that made him want to punch the man's lights out. Marlow was bad news. He had met his kind in the prison colony in New Zealand. Most of them had been traitors...but then people had called him, Tom Paris, the same thing. And he would hardly think of himself on the same level as Ross Marlow. Sure, he had done some pretty horrible things in the past, but he liked to think that there was still at least one ounce of decency left in him. Marlow had none. Despite the fact that Janeway had tried to keep the incident in the briefing room secret, news of Marlow's threats and physical attack on her had gone around the ship at warp speed. What kind of a creep was that guy?
Tom and Chakotay watched intently as Janeway and Marlow made their way towards Central Command. They kept watching until the two black cloaks had disappeared through the large entrance doors that lead to the armory exhibition. Then Chakotay said,
"Com'on, Paris. Lets mingle. We're way too suspicious standing here, staring at those doors."
They were just about to take a look at some of the other market stalls when Chakotay stepped on something solid. It cracked under his boots. He stepped aside. On the floor lay a Starfleet padd, the screen slightly cracked. It had probably fallen out of Janeway's cloak. He quickly picked it up. If a Cardassian found Federation equipment here, they would no doubt immediately alert the authorities. The Maquis leader was just about to tuck the padd into his cloak, when he caught a glimpse of something on the damaged screen. It was a map of the Central Command building. Kathryn could not possibly have such detailed knowledge of the building. This looked more like Starfleet Intelligence material. The padd had to be Marlow's. A small red dot marked a chamber that looked like a control room. Out of curiosity Chakotay pressed a button on the padd and the next page appeared. A view of the planet from space. The orbital defense perimeter could be seen, but what startled him were the red dots scattered all over the planet. Chakotay waved Paris over and they both stared at the padd. Chakotay zoomed in on the position were a few red crosses were congregated near the capital. Suddenly it struck him. The dots marked the positions of the aerponic environments and the industrial replicators they had seen on their way into the city. This padd contained some kind of an attack plan. But why attack? They were here on a rescue mission, right? Chakotay pushed another button on the padd and the next page appeared. It contained detailed instructions on how to access the controls to Cardassia Prime's orbital defense perimeter. But as far as Chakotay knew the controls could only be accessed through a central computer system, which was located somewhere in the basement of Central Command...
Suddenly his heart lurched and a wave of nausea hit him. His gaze swung onto the doors through which Marlow and Janeway had disappeared. The man had no intention of helping the resistance. His real reason for being here was not a rescue mission, but a mission of destruction and annihilation. Marlow intended to destroy the Cardassian food production industry, so that the population would starve to death unless help could be found. But even if that help could be found, Cardassia would have a hard time recovering from such a blow. Replacement technology would have to come from forces outside the Cardassian Empire, such as the Federation, or more unlikely the Romulans, the Ferengi, etc. The economy of the planet would be in ruins. Certainly this would have an enormous impact on the balance of power in the Apha Quadrant. Cardassia would no longer be the formidable force it had been for centuries. The main powers in the known galaxy would be shared between the Romulans and the Federation. But why would Marlow want to do this? Was he working for himself? Was it an act of revenge against the people he had been spying on for nearly a decade? No one really knew how Marlow had fared during the years he'd spend with the Spoonheads. Did he hate them that much? Surely Starfleet would not authorize a mission like this...
"I knew the guy was a loony when I heard about his attack against Captain Janeway," Tom interrupted the silence.
Yes, why had he attacked Janeway? Was he indeed suffering from psychological instability, or was there something more to his mission? Maybe Janeway's decision to take the shuttle instead of the transporters had interfered with his original plans.... But why would that change anything? Unless... unless... Of course! Marlow could not allow the survival of witnesses of his evil deeds. If he indeed intended to access the main control room, Janeway would no doubt be there to see it, too. Even if they split up and he disappeared for awhile, she would no doubt add two and two together and connect the destruction of the Cardassia's food industry at the hands of the planet's own orbital defense system with Marlow's disappearance in the Central Command building. So he had to get rid of Janeway, which meant he would have to kill Chakotay and Paris, too. He would probably make the whole incident look like an accident... A malfunction in the transporters so there would be no witnesses! He had probably rigged the system somehow so that the patterns would be lost. Had he intended to kill the away team all along? And now Kathryn was alone with the madman... They needed to get to her, and fast!
Chakotay was just about to storm the Central Command building with Paris in tow, when the plaza was suddenly abuzz with Cardassian soldiers. They were converging on Central Command. Had Marlow been discovered? Holding their breaths Chakotay and Paris stood silently and watched the proceedings. Finally soldiers emerged from the building. They had taken a prisoner. Someone wearing a black cloak. Had Marlow got his comeuppance? The prisoner hung slumped between the two guards, obviously unconscious. The cloaks hood hung to the side, and strains of auburn hair blew in the wind. The prisoner was Kathryn Janeway!
She had run straight into Marlow's trap. Helpless Chakotay and Tom looked on as Kathryn was roughly dragged away by the guards. They could not help her. There were too many soldiers now. It would be a suicide mission. And although Chakotay would have happily died for Kathryn, there were more important things to think about right now. They had to stop Marlow from carrying out his mission of destruction....somehow!
Chakotay unclenched the fists he had formed in frustration and tapped the combadge that was hidden beneath his cloak.
"Chakotay to Voyager."
"Tuvok here!"
" We have an emergency! The captain has been arrested. Get Torres to check over the transporter system. It's probably been sabotaged. Then beam Paris and me up. I'll explain later. And please, don't take too long!"