The Secret Of Angalaria

by Gine

Chapter 2: In The Darkness

The shuttle finally hit solid ground, and at the same time all operational systems deactivated. It was completely dark. The Angalarian children huddled on the floor and both held one of Naomi's hand. The Kytarian girl whispered softly to them, but her breathless voice betrayed her own fears.

The captain knelt down beside them; she could sense the shock and fear the children were experiencing. "I want you to stay close together. B'Elanna and I will make sure that nothing happens to you."

Nalea and Brana stared at her. Their light, which usually glowed in a warm golden tone, was now silver blue. The innocent expression in their eyes was slowly changing. Kathryn wanted to cry, and for a moment she didn't know how to breathe, how to talk, how to reassure these pure little beings that they would find a way out of this situation. She prayed that Voyager would find them soon. Her hands softly stroked over the black and silver hair as her eyes rested on Naomi.

"I know you're afraid, but we will do whatever it takes to stop anyone harming you. I hope it won't happen, but if we should be separated, Naomi will be responsible for you. Naomi has been my assistant for many years and has been trained for a situation like this. I want you to do whatever she says."

Naomi put her arms around the children and the serious expression in her eyes tugged at Kathryn's heart. "You can rely on me, Captain. I will take care of Brana and Nalea."

"I know, Naomi. Don't give up hope. I'm sure Voyager is already on the way." Kathryn smiled one last time at the children then went back to B'Elanna who was still recovering from the heavy impact with the helm console. Thank God she had taken most of the blow on her left side.

"The medical tricorder is still functioning. You suffered severe contusions to your ribcage and left shoulder. There will be considerable bruising. The baby is fine." Kathryn stopped B'Elanna's attempt to stand up.

"No, don't move. I want you to sit down and rest while you have the chance to. I'm sure we'll soon have company. Stay calm. We can't take any reckless chances with the children here. That's an order, B'Elanna. Do you understand me?"

B'Elanna just nodded. She had not missed the serious and concerned expression in her captain's eyes.

It was still silent. The minutes ran by, but no one came. However they all felt the invisible threat. The air was cold and heavy as if the gravity had shifted.

The captain assessed the shuttle's status, as much as was possible with a wrist light and a med tricorder. She tried desperately to restart the engines, but the power was completely drained. A phaser test proved futile. They didn't have many options.

Whoever had kidnapped the shuttle would surely have anything but friendly intentions. Kathryn was deeply worried about the children. This was one of those worst-case scenarios she feared the most. She was responsible for the well being of these three children and her pregnant chief-engineer. What if it was not in her power to keep them safe? She knew she had to be prepared for the worst. Five lives depended on her ability to handle the situation. As captain she couldn't show weakness and had to stay in control. She would be strong. Whatever it cost her.

They would have to keep trying to contact Voyager. Without the shuttle, they only had their commbadges to send a distress call. Brana and Nalea would need one too, in case they were truly separated.

Kathryn pressed three communicators in B'Elanna's hands. "We should reprogram these for the children to send a hidden signal via subspace, B'Elanna. And I want you to disable the translation matrix in the children's badges and your own."

"Disable the translator?" B'Elanna cast a questioning glance at the captain. "Why would you want me to do that, Captain?"

"I want you to trust me on this, B'Elanna. I don't have time for a discussion. I'm sure we won't be alone here for much longer."

They just had tucked the last device inside Naomi's shirt when the shuttle doors were ripped open. Three masked man appeared, their weapons immediately trained on the children. B'Elanna pushed the children behind her and the captain automatically moved between the aliens and her little crew.

"These are just innocent children. You don't have to threaten them. They mean you no harm." The men didn't react to her words, nor did they speak a word. "I want to know why you attacked us and brought us here."

"I don't like it when my prisoners talk without permission." The deep-throated voice belonged to another man who stepped out of the shadows. He gestured to the masked men to move aside and marched into the shuttle until he stood directly in front of the captain. He was tall, at least 6 feet and he towered over her. His skin was mottled dark grey and blue. Instead of hair, small ridges covered his head. His face was covered with ugly scars and the ice-cold, piercing look from his stone-coloured eyes made Kathryn cringe inwardly. He grabbed her at her collar, almost lifting her off the floor. His face was now so close to hers that his hot breathe burned the soft skin of her lips. She heard the violent rush of her own blood pound in her ears. But she didn't look away. She parried his transfixed gaze. For a second she sensed his astonishment, but he regained his control quickly. He was certainly not a man who would accept resistance. Before Kathryn had time to react, his right knee shot up and drove full force into her stomach. She didn't know if the scream she heard was her own or from the children. His hand let her go and she crumbled to the floor.

"Nobody makes demands to Salox. You will learn how to obey, woman."

Kathryn couldn't breathe. The pain was all consuming. Slowly she tried to force much needed air into her lungs. A hand was tenderly rubbing her back and she turned around carefully, only to face the shock in B'Elanna's eyes.

"I'll be fine." She whispered the words as she realized that something wet was trickling from her mouth. Closing her eyes for a second, she willed away the pain until it faded to a dull throbbing, then she started to stand up again. B'Elanna helped her get up from the floor and again they took their place in front of the children.

Salox had watched every movement the captain made, sickly fascinated by her strength and unbreakable willpower but when he saw the two small Angalarian's behind her, his menacing eyes seemed to spit fire.

"I have waited a very long time for this day." He turned around and left the shuttle, his last words spoken to the guards.

"Take them to the detention centre."

They were brought to an upper deck. The deeper they moved into the ship, the colder the air became around them. Finally they reached a large hallway with several heavy metallic doors on both sides. The guards stopped and opened the first door. Behind it was a small passage that led to another door. Wordlessly they ripped it open and the prisoners were shoved into the cell behind it.

The children hadn't dared to speak a word all the way to the cell. Nalea held hands tightly with Naomi and B'Elanna while Brana never left Kathryn's side. His dark brown eyes searched her face and she could see the shock and concern about Salox's open violence. The door had barely closed behind them when Kathryn and B'Elanna were on their knees, hugging the frightened children. They whispered soothing words, while the little ones held on to them with wide eyes. They didn't cry, but to see their distress and the emotional trauma was breaking their hearts. Brana searched the pockets of his trousers, pulled out a small scarf and ever so gently wiped away the blood from Kathryn's lips.

"You are hurt." He looked sadly at her.

Kathryn tucked a strand of black hair behind his ear. Her hand trailed tenderly over his cheek before she finally rested her finger under his chin, urging Brana to look her directly in the eyes.

"I'm fine. As Captain, I am prepared for a situation like this. Don't worry about me." She made eye contact with Naomi and Nalea too and reassured them again. "I want you to trust B'Elanna and me. Don't talk to the strangers. I want you to stay behind us as much as possible."

The children nodded as they began to examine the room. It was dimly lit. Apart from the lousy excuse for a mattress, there was nothing but the cold metallic floor. One corner was partitioned off from the rest of the cell by a simple wooden wall. Behind it, they found a hole in the floor and a bucket. The pungent smell from both easily betrayed its purpose. They checked the walls for any gaps in the force fields, but found none. The door of the cell was locked from the outside. They had no way out. They could only wait and hope that Voyager could pick up one of their comm. signals.

Half an hour passed and B'Elanna had started to pace the floor in circles. The cold was slowly creeping into their bodies. Nalea and Brana were obviously resistant against it, but Naomi and B'Elanna had started to shiver. Their Kytarian and Klingon heritage was an advantage in warmer regions, but both suffered in the cold. Kathryn had removed her jacket and turtleneck. She made Naomi put on the turtleneck and covered B'Elanna with the jacket. The chief engineer tried to protest but the glare she received from her captain made it unmistakably clear. Don't argue with me.

B'Elanna and Kathryn watched the children sleep. Naomi lay in the middle of the mattress, Nalea and Brana stretched out left and right of her, each holding one of Naomi's hands. They had noticed their exhaustion and put the children to rest. After the traumatic events of the day, they hoped they would get at least a few hours of uninterrupted sleep.

"She has grown so much." Afraid to wake her up, Kathryn resisted the urge to smooth over Naomi's hair. Then her eyes met B'Elanna's and for a second she couldn't hide her concern and fear. B'Elanna couldn't remember any other time when the captain had let her guard down so openly. She wanted to say something, anything to reassure her and realized now as clearly as never before, that there was nothing she could say, so she sat down beside her on the floor and just took her hand.

Kathryn had closed her eyes and leaned her head against the wall. When she felt B'Elanna's hand in her own, she squeezed it softly.

"Don't worry, B'Elanna. We will get through this somehow." She opened her eyes again and B'Elanna knew immediately what was coming. She had seen this determined expression many times before. It usually meant Kathryn Janeway would volunteer, even if the mission was suicide. A situation that was too dangerous for one of her crew, wasn't for the captain.

"If what Namara told me is true, Nalea and Brana will not be in real danger for another 10 days. Did you see the look in Salox's eyes before he left? He wants these children, but he knows he has to wait." Kathryn paused for a moment, knowing it would not be easy to convince B'Elanna of her plans.

"Salox is certainly not interested in the children alone. Namara told us about people who would kill to find Angalaria. I'm sure he knows the secret legend and is searching for the door to the other side. He'll come back soon to find out what we know about the polara. I'm deeply worried about what this man could do to Naomi or you." Kathryn could no longer look at B'Elanna.

"If he comes back, you will not interfere. Don't confront him. Don't speak to him. I want you to stay behind and take care of the children. That's an order, Lieutenant." Once the words were out, everything fell into place. B'Elanna suddenly realized why the captain had made her deactivate the translation matrix in the commbadges.

"You think you can convince him that we can't understand him. That it's useless to question us." B'Elanna shook her head angrily. She would not give in so easily. "Sooner or later he'll call your bluff. And what about you, Captain? You will talk to him? We've already seen he's not a man to accept no for an answer. How long do you think you can hold him off?"

"As long as I have to." Kathryn's answer was only whispered. She grabbed B'Elanna by her shoulders. "You are carrying a new life, your first child, B'Elanna. I can't risk your health and that of your unborn child. I know it's hard to accept and that I am asking a lot of you, but I'll need your support and strength to see this through."

B'Elanna knew it was useless to argue with Kathryn Janeway and finally nodded her consent. They leaned back against the wall and listened to the noises around them with closed eyes. Sleep wouldn't come for them.

Something had changed. The typical soft humming vibrations when a ship flew at impulse were gone. The ship was no longer moving. That was odd. Kathryn knew there were no planets or asteroids in a radius of 8 light-years from Voyager's position. She remembered then that they had detected a large nebula with long-range sensors before they met the Angalarians.

If Salox was hiding his ship there, it only confirmed her suspicions about his motives. He was searching for the polara. Knowing he was no match for Voyager's weapons, he had taken advantage of the emergency situation onboard Talaris and attacked at the weakest moment.

He still didn't know what to make of Voyager's presence here but it was only a question of time before he would try to find out.

They heard voices outside the door and the captain knew their time was up.