Title: Genetic Side Effects
Author: Lt.Kara.Thrace
Rating: K+
Pairing: established J/C
Genre: Drama/Romance
Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply.
Archive: Sure, just let me know first.
Summary: Are the Corains all that they seem to be or is there something more sinister at work? A bizarre affliction causes members of Voyager's crew to reverse age, what is the cause and what does it have to do with their visit to Corai? Established J/C.
Author's Note: I apologize for any errors I have and/or will make when discussing the technology of Star Trek; it is not my specialty nor is it the focus of this story. Chapters will be individually rated.
Chapter 7The chancellor led them down a corridor with many doors and tapestries; Jarick entered one of these rooms, most likely his quarters. Their destination was the door at the end of the corridor, "The rest of the council is waiting to meet you then we will all go to dinner," he explained as he opened the door.
Inside seated around a table with five chairs were three men and a woman. The chancellor made the introductions from left to right, "John Zar, in charge of the military, Sera Jones, in charge of planetary relations" the middle chair was empty, "Kamin Jerad, in charge of finance and Erik Black, in charge of the judicial system. There are more officials but they head the smaller departments which are more specific and fit into one of these departments and are not members of the council, they report directly to one of the council members."
Zar was considerably younger than the rest appearing to be in his early thirties. His short black hair was untouched by gray, his eyes were an icy blue but his mouth was twisted into an awkward smile in an attempt to disguise his mood. He wore a burgundy, long sleeved shirt and his cloak was draped over the back of his chair carelessly. It was black. He had a forbidding manner and was no doubt capable of making tough decisions very quickly.
Jones was in her mid forties with deep friendly brown eyes and long, straight black hair that always seemed to get in the way despite being repetitively tucked behind her ear. She wore a simple emerald dress and no jewelry. The back of her chair was bare. Her friendly manner made her well suited to her position as head of planetary affairs. She waved at the guests with a genuine friendly smile.
Jerad was in his fifties with short blonde hair and blue eyes. He seemed bored yet somehow more elegant than the council members to his left, he nodded in greeting. He appeared to be in his sixties, much older than the others but resembled a fox lying in wait incredibly intelligent but inconspicuous, he could blend in anywhere. There was more to Jerad than met the eye.
The most puzzling was Black. He simply sat there leaning back on his chair, eyes closed with a little smile, almost a smirk on his face. His hair was brownish-red and tied back out of his face. He wore robes of a sort; they were large on his skinny frame and were a deep green. He wasn't bored or friendly; he seemed serene as if in a meditative state. He did not acknowledge the away team or chancellor.
"The dining hall is this way," the chancellor gestured to a door that had gone unnoticed, "I must change my attire to something more appropriate," he glanced down at the flight suit, "I will join you in a few minutes."
The council members stood up and followed the away team through the door. Beyond it was a massive hall with magnificent sculptures adorning the walls and floor. The long table held foods that looked similar to earth foods but slightly different in appearance and smell. They were directed to their seats and joined by general Jarick who now wore his full dress uniform as he had on Voyager. Chakotay was seated on her left, B'lenna to his left and finally the security officer to her left.
The cut on Jarick's face had stopped bleeding but had not been bandaged or stitched up. By the way it glistened there was a clear coating of some sort preventing infection. There would definitely be a permanent scar.
Already seated around the table were a number of Corains who were chatting amongst themselves. Something about this whole scene struck Kathryn as odd. Most of the Corains looked similar. Their features, build and mannerisms were remarkably similar in fact. She turned to Jarick who was seated beside her, "general I'm curious, many of these people seem to be similar, are they related?"
"Not exactly," he was behaving oddly, "I can't explain right now," he spoke in a barely audible whisper, he was saved further explanation by the timely entrance of the chancellor.
"We welcome our guests of the Federation," he stood in front of his chair at the head of the table, all eyes were on him as he picked up the goblet in front of him, "A toast to our new friends," everyone echoed the toast and drank, then began to pile food on their plates.
At first Kathryn was worried about the alcohol content of the drink but noticed that it was different and extrapolated that it was lower in alcohol content since no one who was drinking it was drunk but others certainly were.
The food was delicious, there were mostly vegetarian dishes with bright coloured and juicy fruits and vegetables but there was also roast Zaktar, which was considered a delicacy due to the difficult of hunting the beast. Desert consisted of something that vaguely tasted of ice cream it also contained fruit.
When the dished were being cleared away Kathryn was feeling a little dizzy. She stumbled as she got to her feet; Chakotay caught her elbow, "Are you all right?"
"I'm a little dizzy, that drink must have been more potent than I thought."
"Come to think of it I'm feeling a little strange."
Jarick looked concerned, "If you're not feeling well there are medical facilities here. I will arrange for you to meet with the council later if you'd prefer that."
"Yes, thank you."
Jarick left them for a moment to speak with the chancellor and returned, "the council will be ready to discuss trade tomorrow. You should probably get some rest."
"Right, I'll contact Voyager and we'll beam up."
"I'll have a transport take you to the edge of the city so that the shield doesn't affect your transporter technology." That was the last thing she heard before the world around her faded out to black.
Kathryn woke up in sickbay, her head pounding, it felt like the worst hangover she'd ever had. She opened her eyes and found the doctor and someone she didn't recognize standing in front of her. The young man with short black hair and gray eyes spoke, "Are you okay?"
"Who are you?" His voice had sounded familiar and he was wearing the exact same dress uniform as Jarick had earlier. He even had the same scar across his face and very similar features, but it couldn't be. Jarick was in his fifties, the young man before her was in his early twenties.
"You are going to find this hard to believe but I'm general Jarick, perhaps you should take a look in the mirror," he held up a small handheld mirror in front of her.
She gasped at her appearance, "How is this possible?"
TBC?