Chapter 2
"Ensign Tailor has scans picked up anything on long range sensors?" Asked Tuvok from just in front of the Captain's chair. He was now in command of Voyager. Both the Captain and Commander Chakotay had been missing for over two days along with Lt. Torres, Lt. Paris and Ensign Kim making him the highest ranking officer left on board. They had no clues as to where they went apart from a strange energy trailer they believed to be from the engines of the attacker's ship. They had fallowed it for about 32 hours before it had finally disappeared. They were now in a different zone as too where the missing officers were last scene only on the hope of a power trailer off an invisible ship.
"Not yet sir. Still nothing."
"Keep looking Ensign"
"Yes sir" Tuvok sat down in the Captains chair.
"Neelix to Bridge"
"Tuvok here"
"I think I've found something Sir"
"I will meet you in the Captains ready room in five minutes. Tuvok out" Tuvok stood up and left the bridge turning it over to Ensign Fuller.
Three heavily armed aliens entered the cell blinding them with a stream of light. The first two of the aliens had large angry looking guns but the third held a bundle of cloth.
Blinking back the pain of the light, Kathryn tried to see who these people were. The inside of the cell was too dark to really see their features but they looked humanoid from what she could see. They were fairly tall and well built. As each one went through the door they almost blocked it. Fighting to find her voice against the dryness of her throat she spoke.
"I am Captain Kathryn Jan…." grated Kathryn but was stopped by a back hander off one of the guards across her face. She fell sideways till her head hit the concrete ground with a large thud unable to cushion her fall with her bound hands.
"You bastard!" Roared B'Elanna kicking out at them. Chakotay was also trying to get at the guards.
"You will not speak unless you are spoken too, do you understand!" raged the guard that had hit Kathryn. The butt of his weapon dangerously close to Tom's face. Everyone stopped not wanting to be left again with no answers of where they were or why they were there. When the butt of the weapon was finally moved Tom turned to help Kathryn sit up. A fresh trickle of blood poured down the right side of her face merging into her other scabs and bruises. All of their bodies were like this. Reminders of the fight they had been in on the first day of their kidnap.
"Get up!" Shouted the same guard. They all struggled to stand in the small space. Their balance worsened by days of lying down. Harry had got his feet tangled in the spare ropes and was stuck struggling on his knees. "Quicker!" Another of the guards grabbed him by his hair and pulled him too his feet. Harry howled out in pain. The guards laughed at his outburst. Finding his obvious pain entertaining. Struggling to find his composer Harry managed to transfer his weight to standing. "Walk!" Taking the lead Harry followed the armed Guard out of the cell. They entered a harshly lit corridor, like one's upon voyager but more sterile and uninviting. The floor was a metal grid of some kind that dug painfully into their bootless feet. The guards walked quickly and they tried their best to keep up. Kathryn and B'Elanna had the hardest time as each had a guard behind them who kept pushing them forward to hurry up. Both were getting increasing annoyed and only a look from Tom stopped B'Elanna from turning round and kicking her guard in the shins. Finally they reached a small shuttle bay with one small craft sat in the middle. Its engines on and waiting. The ship looked old and slightly battered. It definitely wasn't any kind of comparison to what they had on Voyager.
"Is this the lot?" Inquired a new guard who came from inside the shuttle.
"Yes, that's all" Answered the guard who had was carrying the cloth. The new guard eyed the crew members up and down as a better would his horse. Seeing whether they were worthy of his transport. "What are your names?"
"I am Captain Kathryn Janeway of the federation star ship Voyager. I demand you tell me why you have taken us!" Began Kathryn taking the opportunity to get as much information as possible.
"Just your name will do 'Kathryn'. Your not a captain no more" Laughed the guard. "Not where your going your not"
"Where would that be?" Insisted Kathryn trying her hardest to keep the irritation of not being answered out of her voice. The guard just dismissed her and moved on to look at Harry.
"Name?" Harry looked at his captain for confirmation that he should answer. A firm nod said so.
"Ensign Harry Kim" Said Harry looking anywhere but into the eyes of this man. This man did not have the weapons or the physical threats that the other guards had shown them but his quiet brooding was definitely worse. He had an air of unpredictability about him, that made the hair on the back of his neck stand on edge. Harry visibly relaxed when the guard said no more and moved on to stand in front of Tom, completely passing B'Elanna but inspecting her all the same.
"Name?"
"Lt. Tom Paris"
"And the woman's?"
"Why don't you ask her?"
"Because I asked you! What's her name?" spat the guard right in his face. Tom smelt rot on his breath and he almost went dizzy at the foulness of his breath. Trying hard not to breath in any he answered.
"Lt. B'Elanna Torres" Finally he came to Chakotay. When he got to Chakotay he looked at him for a lot longer.
"Name?"
"Commander Chakotay. Why have you taken us?" Chakotay said the sentence with such calmness and cool it was as though he was asking the computer for the time. He surprised himself at how even he managed to keep his tone when inside he was seething. He had seen the way this guard looked at Kathryn and B'Elanna. Men like that made his skin crawl. Men who can't see passed a woman's sex to realise theirs an equal person behind there just as able as themselves. Men who see women as a thing to take out their frustrations on.
"Tell me Chakotay. Does your race always ask so many questions?"
"We wouldn't have to ask so many if the ones we did got answered" Retorted Chakotay.
"Don't get smart with me!" Teased the guard before bringing his fist firmly into Chakotay's stomach knocking the wind out of him. Chakotay doubled over in pain. The guard retreated back up to his shuttle with an air of smugness. The other guards were snickering behind him. "Oh and another thing Chakotay." Chakotay managed to break through his blur of pain just to see the guard's harsh face. "Keep an eye on your women. Pretty little things like that will find friends in no time." The guard laughed and went out of sight but shouted back "Load them in!"
Before they knew it they were being unbound and pushed forward again by the same guards as last time into a second entrance to the shuttle. This entered into a small thin cell again. This one was not empty like the other one they had come from but it was lined on opposite sides with a bench. The cell was barely a metre wide and only just high enough for Kathryn to stand in. The others had to crouch till they were seated. They entered in order they had walked out of there last cell and B'Elanna was sent sprawling over Toms lap as the guard pushed her harshly forward. He laughed at her struggle and laid a hand with a hard slap upon her bottom. B'Elanna lashed out kicking the guard firmly in the jaw with a satisfying crack. The guard hit back slamming the butt of his gun into her back then slammed the door shut leaving them in darkness. B'Elanna muttered a string of klingon swearing words as she erected herself to a sitting position in the last free place. The cell was very cramped and they had to place their legs between each others to fit in. No-one spoke as the engines roared louder and they felt the familiar motion of flight.