Tuvok managed to stay on his feet as he landed in the strange room. He could see Kathryn sitting in a nearby chair, looking distinctly ruffled but resolute.

"Captain."

"Hello Tuvok."

She didn't turn towards him. The tone in her voice was grim.

"Have a seat Mr. Tuvok."

Tuvok turned to see who was speaking. He was shocked to see a Cardassian sitting beside Kathryn on the edge of a large bed. But Kathryn was sitting in the chair... Tuvok pulled out his tricorder but it wasn't working. The Cardassian laughed.

"We have not brought you here to confuse you. Have a seat in that chair. That is your real Captain."

Tuvok hesitated a moment and then went to sit in the chair beside Kathryn's. He looked over at her but she didn't turn towards him or speak. Her eyes were firmly fixed on the copy of herself that was sitting casually on the bed.

---------------

"Harry, have you found a way to penetrate that shield yet?"

"No Commander."

"They're just going to keep picking us off one by one it seems."

"Commander, we're receiving a communication from the planet."

"On screen."

Jalen appeared on the screen again.

"Commander, I wish to inform you that we have brought another member of your crew down to the surface of our planet. Our friends wish to speak with him."

"Like they want to 'speak' to Captain Janeway, no doubt. Why are you abducting members of our crew and what do the Cardassians want with them?"

"I assure you that our friends have no hostile intentions towards your crew Commander, they are merely assisting in an investigation."

"Against their will. I demand that they are returned to our ship. Why are you allowing this?"

"We have not displayed any hostile intent Commander. I see no reason to worry."

"Then let me speak to them."

Jalen hesitated a moment and seemed to be consulting with someone off screen.

"That is not possible"

Again, the communication suddenly went dead.

---------------

Tarnak spoke to Tuvok.

"We have brought you here to assist us in answering a little question of ours. Your Captain has some information that we want. However, it requires that you perform a mind meld to access it."

Tuvok stared at the Cardassian, wondering if he was really being asked to do what he thought he had heard.

"I will not perform any such action without the consent of my Captain."

"And you won't be getting that consent Tuvok."

Kathryn was firm. She didn't know how they planned to threaten Tuvok, but she knew what would happen to her if she did not co-operate.

"Do you really value some barely significant information over your Captain's life? I think that Starfleet is not what it once was."

"I obey the orders of my Captain, and I hardly think that such information is 'barely significant' if you have gone to such trouble to get to it."

Tarnak had not counted on such loyalty, but it was hardly surprising. Vulcans didn't feel emotion... the life of his Captain was not something that he could be blackmailed with. He must hardly care for her at all.

"Khalay, return."

The shapeshifter became like a puff of grey cloud again and then vanished into Kathryn's body.

"We can't have you getting too sick Captain."

Tarnak got up and left without any further explanation.

Kathryn turned to Tuvok and began to speak in a low voice.

"Tuvok, I have no way out of this. He will kill me, but he may let you and Voyager go. Is there any way that we can get a message to Chakotay to tell him to get Voyager out of here?"

"No Captain. This planet is surrounded by a protective layer which is only penetrated by the technology of the native inhabitants."

They filled each other in on all that they had learned.

Kathryn was silent for a few moments. If this wormhole did lead to the Alpha Quadrant, it could be a way home for Voyager. But it was undoubtedly heavily guarded by Cardassian vessels. She hoped that Chakotay would find a way through. The information about the Kappa Anomaly, whatever it was, was likely to die with her. It was undoubtedly important, since even she was not allowed to know what it was and the Cardassians were willing to kill her for it. What was it that was so important to everyone? The crew that had trusted her to carry the information back to Starfleet had discovered it in a far corner of the Alpha Quadrant. When they had met Kathryn, they suspected that they were being chased by someone who knew what they were carrying. The Cardassians must have captured and killed them by now. Kathryn could only assume that if they had come after her, the crew of the Helix must not have been very forthcoming. She was also overpoweringly repulsed at the thought of the thing that was residing in her body. Could it read her thoughts? Could it control her?

The door opened again. This time, however, it was one of the Jemarh'ka.

"Hello Kathryn. I am Maral."

"You brought me here. You spoke to me when I got here. Who are you?"

"I am a nurse. I was not permitted to tend to you before. Let me look at that."

She dabbed gently at Kathryn's lip.

"What is the nature of your connection with the Cardassians?" Tuvok asked.

"The Cardassians discovered the wormhole leading to our system before I was born. For as long as I can remember, we have traded ladarium ore with them in exchange for their technology. They have never asked us to do anything like this before. We do not keep prisoners in our society..."

Kathryn interrupted at this point.

"Please, they are keeping us here against our will. They have deliberately infected me with a killer disease in order to coerce me to give them information. This isn't right."

She looked at them sadly.

"There is nothing that I can do. It is not my decision."

"There must be someone that you can speak to. Do you know where my ship is?"

The girl shook her head and backed away.

"I do not know anything."

With that, she left.

Kathryn sighed in frustration.

---------------

"Commander, the Cardassian ship is returning."

"Get a lock on it Mr. Kim."

"Done Sir."

"How many life forms on board?"

"Two... no three. One just beamed up from the planet."

"Beam them aboard."

---------------

"Tuvok, we can't just sit here and accept this, we have to do..."

The door opened again and this time Chakotay walked in. Tuvok and Kathryn were both shocked. This was either very good, or very, very bad.