Author's Note: Language Warning! Also please let me know what you think of this chapter! Only one chapter left after this.
"Well I know I can't put him back, he'd just escape again, or try to mess with her dream. Can't kill him; can't keep him. What to do….what to do," she spoke to herself in hushed tones, but he still managed to hear the echoes.
His eyes grew wide and searched the darkness of his surroundings. He couldn't see a thing, but he could feel his wrists, bound tightly with chains, losing circulation. He could smell the scent of his own blood, a matching taste rested on his lips.
"Hey!" he shouted hoarsely.
He heard a breathy chuckle in response.
"Ah, you're finally awake," she spoke.
He turned his head but couldn't see any movement; he couldn't even tell which direction she spoke from. Her voice echoed all around him.
"Where am I?" he asked.
"Nowhere? Everywhere? Take your pick, it's all the same,"
"Where are you? Show your face!" he demanded.
Suddenly a dim light appeared behind him, slowly making its way around to his front.
As his eyes found the source, he jumped back, but being tied down he barely moved an inch. He was shocked that the once pretty, green-eyed young being now appeared old, withered, and deformed. Her breathing seemed labored and each movement looked as though it took great effort. She was growing frail.
"What's the matter? My true form isn't good enough for you? And here I thought you liked me for my personality!"
She chuckled but her rasped voice was thrown quickly into a coughing fit.
"You're weak," he said, finally able to chuckle at the turn in tables.
"Don't look too smug commander, it has nothing to do with you. I'm not sure what's going on but it definitely wasn't your little idiotic stunt in the hospital. I've been through much worse before and come out just fine. This...this is something else I don't-" she was cut short as she grabbed at her side and fell to her knees, shouting in pain.
And then he heard it, familiar voices in a chorus chanting in an unfamiliar language.
"Shit," Mara muttered.
"What is that? What's going on?" he asked frantically.
She looked him dead in the eyes, defeat, and annoyance obvious as her smirk turned to a grimace.
"They're awake," she spat.
She grabbed her abdomen in intense and increasing pain as Chakotay's expression went from confused to calm. This was it. He'd be free.
With one last cry of agony, Mara's form began to crack and crumble until nothing was left but a pile of dust.
With a sigh of relief and a chuckle he waited for himself to wake, but nothing happened. He was stuck in the darkness, the emptiness, the silence.
"No," he cried, shutting his eyes tight.
"...tay." he heard a muffled voice, echoed in his mind, but his eyes remained closed, his head shaking.
"Chakotay, you're ok, you're safe," there it was, the voice that had filled his every waking thought, the sweet mixture of honey and gravel calling out to him.
"Kathryn," he whispered.
"It's me, love, open your eyes. You're okay now,"
As his eyelids cracked open he was met with the harsh lights of sickbay.
"I'm awake?" he asked.
Once adjusted to the brightness, he looked up at her beautiful smile and felt relief wash over every ounce of his being.
"Yes, you're aw-" she began, but Chakotay sat up quickly and kissed her, catching her off guard.
A tear escaped and fell down his cheek as their lips met fiercely. He kissed her as if he had been waiting his entire life to do so, and she returned it eagerly. She was all that mattered. Her petite body safe in his arms, her lips on his, that was all he had craved throughout his misadventure through hell.
He pulled away upon hearing a few gasps from different people and a whistle coming from none other than Tom Paris. Behind him stood Harry Kim, B'elanna Torres, the Doctor, and Kes. He hadn't realized they weren't alone, and while rumors of the romance had been circulating since day one, there had never been any official confirmation. Everyone stood staring, silly grins on their faces, except for Harry Kim who was blushing terribly and all of a sudden very interested in inspecting the tops of his shoes.
"Finally! Time to cash in on my replicator rations!" Tom said gleefully.
Kathryn looked at Chakotay as they both tried to conceal their amusement but a small smirk from him and they both burst into hushed laughter.
She quickly composed herself and facing the giddy members of her crew, she asked for a moment in private with the Commander. Never before had Chakotay seen people clear a room so fast.
She turned back to face him with a devious smile and a raised brow.
"Now, where were we?" she asked.
He chuckled but held up a hand to stop her.
"As much as I want to get back to that, I need some answers. What happened?"
"We were all under the control of some kind of entity who was able to control our minds while we were asleep. But the doctor managed to figure out something was wrong and had the good sense to call for help from the Shaqrien. They gave him instructions on how to wake people up, but since the entity was occupying your mind directly, you were the most difficult to wake. We gathered around and chanted words from an ancient script they gave us. And now here you are, safe and sound. The nightmare is over."
"And Mara? The demon, what happened to her? Where did she go?" he asked nervously.
"Returned to sand and placed in a locked box. We're safe I promise; she's gone,"
He released a deep breath, realizing he had made it through. It was done, and the brokenness of the Kathryn he had seen in the nightmare was nowhere to be found. Here was the woman he knew, smiling, confident, and fully alive.
He pulled her close and kissed her again, feeling her muffled chuckle on his lips.
Pulling back he looked deep into her eyes and without hesitation, he began to say "Kathryn, I lov-"
The moment was interrupted as the ship jolted and threw them off balance.
"What was that?" he asked nervously.
"I have no idea, but I suggest we find out. Get in uniform, I'll meet you on the bridge," she replied.
He nodded and got back to his quarters to change from the sickbay gown into his uniform.
As the turbolift doors opened to the bridge he saw everyone at their battle stations, the angry light of a red alert washed over the entirety of the ship.
"Ah you made it, just in time for the warm welcome our new friends have prepared for us," Kathryn said as he took his seat next to her.
"Status report, Mr. Kim," he stated.
"Six..no seven alien vessels approaching. Two-point five lightyears out. They-"
With a loud bang, the ship rocked violently, the crew holding on for dear life.
"Damage?" Kathryn yelled.
"Shields down to thirty percent...They're hailing us, Captain,"
"On screen," she commanded.
"We are the Cronam. You are trespassing in our territory. We wish to speak with your leader immediately,"
On the viewscreen sat a singular, sky blue creature, eyes a devilish red, and daker spikes starting at the bridge of his nose which continued upward into what would be his hair.
Kathryn stood, shoulders squared and jaw set in anger. She approached the viewscreen with her best death glare in place.
"I am the captain of this ship. We were unaware that-"
"We do not recognize females as anything more than what they are….servants. We wish to speak to the highest-ranking male aboard this vessel,"
Chakotay leaped from his chair, placing a calming hand on her shoulder, silently telling her that this is not the time to argue.
He stepped forward.
"That would be me," he said.
"Very well, we wish for you to board our vessel and discuss an arrangement. Perhaps there is something you could offer us in exchange for safe passage through our space. Come alone, no weapons, no deveices or else we will take necessary action,"
"I'll do it, prepare for me to transport momentarily,"
The alien nodded and the screen blinked as it turned pitch black.
"Commander my ready room...now," her voice pierced his ears with anger.
Silently he followed behind her, ready for the verbal dress-down he was about to receive.
"What the hell was that!"
"Kathryn we don't have much choice, they knocked seventy percent of our shield power down within a single shot and I have half a mind to guess that was probably a warning. We can't argue with them and we can't avoid their section of space entirely,"
"I don't like this, Chakotay. I don't like you going there alone...unarmed no less,"
"Kathryn, we don't have a choice,"
"We should have at least discussed this with the senior staff,"
"There isn't time,"
He stepped closer, and at that moment wanted to kiss her gently, in case this went wrong, in case this would be the last time. Not wanting to break her rule of separating their personal lives from their working relationship, he opted to take her hand in his.
Much to his surprise she smiled a teary smile and took a step closer, pressing her lips gently to his. She broke away and cupping his face, whispered, "Stay safe,"
"I will, Kathryn. I promise,"
And with that he made his way to transporter room one, leaving his phaser and commbadge behind in her ready room.
"Energize,"
He rematerialized among a group of ten, seven-foot-tall males, towering over him and glaring downward to his 'small' frame of six feet.
"This way," one of the aliens with medals covering his chest, seemingly to symbolize authority, stepped forward and grabbed his upper arm. He led him to a small room and tossed him into a seat.
"Tell me, do you treat all your visitors with this level of hospitality?" Chakotay said, sarcasm poorly concealing his anger.
"You aren't a visitor,"
"I was under the impression that I was coming here to reach some sort of agreement, we have materials, food, literature, what is it you want?"
The alien looked at him quizzically and then chuckled as he shook his head.
"Answer me this, Commander...How do you do it?"
"Do what?"
"Follow a woman! You are obviously stronger, and smarter...you had the sense not to go against us, seeing as we are far superior. She would have reacted with her emotions. Why do you waste your life being commanded by that weak little cunt?"
Chakotay's anger rapidly formed into a seething rage. He went to stand but before he could, his wrists, torso, and ankles were bound by thick metal bands. They'd sprung up from the seat before he'd even had the chance to blink. Kathryn had been right, this was a trap.
"What the hell is going on?" Chakotay did his best to remain calm but had quickly lost patience. The more he struggled against his restraints, the tighter they became. He took a deep breath and glared at the man across from him.
"Do you know what the punishment is on my planet for women who attempt to rise above the rank of servants? We kill them, we start by skinning them slowly, from the ankles to the tops of their pretty little heads,"
"If you lay a fucking hand on her I swear you'll regret it," Chakotay spat.
"I wouldn't threaten the man who has you strapped to a chair. Don't worry we aren't on my homeworld, and besides, I have no patience for such a prolonged death. I told them to make it quick," the man said with a foul smile.
"What did you do?" he yelled as his heart fell to his stomach.
"I followed the law of my people. I've corrected a grievous wrong in this quadrant. I removed a woman from a seat of power...and punished the people who were dim-witted enough to follow her. You see, right as you beamed aboard my ship, I beamed a group of my men aboard yours,"
"You son of a bitch,"
"I'm not quite sure what that means but I'm guessing you're angry. Don't worry, it's customary to leave one behind unscathed...to tell others the frightening tale of the all-powerful Cronam,"
"I don't believe you," Chakotay said.
Amused with Chakotay, the alien stood tall and tapped his a square shape on the side of his neck, presumably their version of a commbadge.
"Open a channel, I'd like to listen in on our men's adventures aboard voyager," he commanded.
There were faint screams echoed through the room. The alien closed his eyes, a look of pure bliss on his face. He was savoring the sweet sounds of misery as they graced his auditory senses.
Chakotay recognized the voices as they got louder. He heard Neelix first, a shout and then a groan in pain. He heard Sam Wildman and a few other Ensigns beg for their lives before the pleas were cut short. It went silent for a while, and Chakotay tried desperately to keep his tears at bay.
The next thing he heard was B'Elanna growling as the men approached her. He heard a great struggle and one of the Cronam men cry out in agony. There were shouts of anger, insults directed at her that made his blood boil, and then in her final moments they asked her to beg and she told them to go to hell.
He heard her grunt in pain and felt a piece of his soul disintegrate.
He shook his head and struggled against his bindings, not caring that they were getting so tight that it was beginning to constrict his circulation.
"Stop! Stop it now!"
"Don't worry commander. They'll barely feel any pain. Well...most of them anyway," he joked.
"No. The audio...it could be faked. I still don't believe you," Chakotay said, praying that his guess would be right.
"Why don't you see for yourself," he replied with a chuckle.
"Beam the Commander back aboard Voyager once our men get back, and prepare to hit top speeds on charted path alpha," he commanded.
"Yes, sir" a faceless voice resounded through a comm system.
Before Chakotay could protest he was injected with something in the side of his neck and his world went dark The next thing he felt was the familiar tingle of a transporter take him away. He felt his grogginess fade as his adrenaline kicked in. He wasn't sure how much time had passed since he was knocked out, but none of that mattered. He felt his weight reappear on the familiar hard ground of the ship.
His eyes were closed tight, not wanting to open, closing tighter as the scent of blood invaded his nostrils. With a shaky sob of a breath, he opened his eyes.
"No, no, no, no," he fell to his knees as he screamed out aching cries.
He was back on Voyagers bridge. In front of him was Tom Paris, dead and slung over the helm.
He slowly looked around. Tuvok's bloodied hand could be seen on the floor behind his station. The rest of the crew's bodies were scattered, the whole bridge was coated in the blood of its crew. He bent to his right as the few contents of his stomach emptied onto the floor. Attempting to gather himself, he looked down, but to his horror he was met with the body of Harry Kim. His throat had been slit, his corpse tossed carelessly in front of the captain's chair.
Kathryn, he didn't see her on the bridge. He stood and ran to her ready room. Hesitantly he opened the door, and there it was, the final blow that permanently ended his will to live.
Her clothes had been ripped, her pips removed and tossed around the room. He could see clearly a stab wound on her torso, her body was swimming in a puddle of her own blood. Her head faced the other way, but he heard a cough and his head shot up immediately.
He ran to her side, lifting her into his lap.
"Kathryn?...Kathryn!"
Her eyes fluttered open, but only halfway.
"You're okay," she smiled, blood dripping from the corners of her mouth. She coughed as a tear glided down his cheek. She lifted a hand to wipe it away.
"I'm okay Kathryn, and you will be too. Just hold on,"
He grabbed her comm badge from the floor and hit it calling out for the doctor.
She moved her hand to take the badge.
"It's no use, they disabled the systems," she wheezed.
"I don't … I don't know what to do Kathryn. Tell me what to do," he sobbed.
"Hold me," she cried. "I don't want to die alone."
"I'm right here love, I'm not going anywhere,"
He lifted her gently and brought her closer in his arms, kissing the top of her head and rocking his body slightly, whether to calm himself or her, he wasn't sure.
"I'm so sorry Kathryn...I'm so sorry," he stroked away his tears that landed in her hair.
"Chakotay...I love y-" within a single second her eyes had glazed over and her last breath released from her lips.
"Kathryn?... Kathryn please!" he yelled, tightening his hold on her body.
"I love you too," he whispered through his tears.
He shut his eyes, praying to the spirits, to anyone who was listening, that this wasn't real. He opened his eyes and it was still there, it was still real...she was still gone.
He glanced around the room and remembered his phaser. He had left it in her desk drawer before beaming aboard the other ship. He gently laid her down and walked over to the drawer and took out the phaser. He blinked away the tears as he set it to kill.
"We'll be together soon," he muttered.
He knelt next to her body and took her ice-cold hand in his. He looked down at the weapon in his hand, and slowly raised it to his head, looking into her vacant eyes one last time.
He felt his finger move to pull the trigger, but suddenly a hand rested on his shoulder and pressed against the phaser to lower it away from his head.
He looked up to see Tuvok, alive and unharmed.
"How...how are you here I saw you...you were dead,"
He looked down as Kathryn's body began to shake violently.
"Kathryn?" he shouted.
"Commander, you are dreaming. None of this is real, let me help you," he moved his hands over Chakotay's head.
"My mind to your mind, my thoughts to your thoughts," he stated.
He heard the chilling laugh emanate from the supposedly dead body as Kathryn's soft features melted away to reveal the demon staring back, laughing hysterically.
He clamped his eyes closed and allowed himself to fall into the mind-meld.
"Chakotay?" a voice called out.
"Kathryn?" he groaned.
His eyes cracked open, wincing as they met with the harsh light of sickbay.
"No, it's B'Elanna," she said calmly.
Tuvok stepped back from the biobed, and with a nod to B'Elanna, he walked away from Chakotay's curtained off area of sickbay.
He shot up, but she pushed him back down immediately.
"Woah, take it easy. You've been out for almost twenty-four hours straight. You were one of the last to wake,"
"Where is she?" He whispered.
B'Elanna avoided his gaze.
"B'Elanna, where is she?" he asked, his voice conveying his lost patience.
"She hasn't woken. She's the last one. She's in the biobed next to us," as she finished speaking he whirled his feet over the side of the bed and hopped off. He went as quickly as he could, his legs unsteady, to her bedside.
He was thrown back to the image of her younger self, so broken, so small. His heart was aching.
Tuvok approached the two, after having spoken to the doctor.
"I've tried a number of times to establish a mind-meld with her, but it proves to be unsuccessful. The doctor isn't sure how to proceed. She is otherwise quite healthy, and no amount of stimulus has brought her around,"
Chakotay nodded, numb to the information at hand.
"I have to go back," he muttered.
"What was that?" B'Elanna asked.
"In this...state, this place...whatever you want to call it. I was able to travel through other people's nightmares. I was stuck in Kathryn's, but once she almost remembered. I had been able to get through to her, just for a second, but if I try again...I might be able to save her,"
Just as B'Elanna was about to protest, the monitors tracking Kathryn's vitals began to blare. Her body convulsed as the doctor raced around, shouting commands to Tom about what he needed. He injected a hypospray into her neck and immediately it calmed her body down, but her brainwaves continued to go haywire.
"Whatever you plan on doing Commander, I suggest you do it soon. I'm not sure how much longer her body can hold out," the doctor said.
Taking a deep, calming breath, he looked at her helpless state. He had to do this. He would be the one to save her, or he'd die trying.