Chapter Four
Captain Janeway and her diminished staff worked diligently to find something, anything, that would lead them to the Maquis raider. The ship, listed as the Val Jean in the Federation archives, was more than forty years old and had been scheduled for retirement on one of the Federation border colonies before it had been stolen by Chakotay, the ships captain.
Chakotay's file was one Janeway had studied rigorously after Admiral Paris had given her this assignment. He had been a fine officer – called one of the best by every commanding officer he'd ever had – one with fine tactical senses, a distinct sense of duty, and complete and unwavering loyalty to the Federation. He'd been a Commander when he'd handed in his resignation. Janeway knew that loyalty had been tested when the Federation had signed over his homeworld, Dorvan, to the Cardassians in the last treaty that had been negotiated by Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the Enterprise and Gul Evek himself.
It had been annihilated after his father and family were killed by Cardassians a short time afterwards. The Cardassian government insisted they had no involvement and Janeway tended to believe them – Evek especially had been absolutely irate about the incident, at least in public, and the Cardassian official response had been to hunt down and incarcerate as many of those responsible as they possibly could. At least, that was what the Cardassians claimed.
Janeway knew there were those in Cardassia who were as vehemently opposed to the treaty as the Maquis. Cardassian colonies in the demilitarized zone had taken up arms, as the Federation colonies themselves had. During her briefing, Sisko had said they had their own private little war, with the Maquis and the Cardassian colonists blowing hell out of one another at every chance they got. It was a classic case of escalation and neither side showed the least inclination to stop the killing. That was, after all, why Starfleet was so insistent on stopping the Maquis – everyone know that, sooner or later, the wrong person would get killed and the escalation would grow to include more than the disgruntled colonists.
In many ways, Janeway felt guilty. The Maquis were, as far as they could tell, fighting for their homes, their land, and their own people. To them, the Federation had left them in the hands of their mortal enemy – they had, after all, just finished fighting a war with the Cardassians. Ronara Prime, the world over which the Thomas Paine and the Al-Batani had fought the Cardassians so many years before, was one of those worlds that had been given to the Cardassians – and one of the worlds that supported the Maquis. When she had fought on the Al-Batani, she had been fighting to protect those people. Now, the Maquis had taken up that same fight – and Janeway was hunting them down.
But, the words she had given Sisko after their confrontation with Evek remained true. Averting war was more important than her guilt. She had her mission and intended to follow it out, as any Starfleet captain would, even seventy thousand lightyears from home, lost out in the Delta Quadrant. More importantly, Chakotay had her friend, even if he didn't know it. Tuvok had not wanted to be used as an intelligence operative, but he had been perfect for the task. Janeway was going to get her friend back.
She sat in the captain's chair, pouring over the sensor data that Voyager had collected. The Val Jean's ion trail was non-existent – whoever was the engineer on that ship was damn good to create such a perfect mask – but there had to be something. Eventually, she found what she was looking for – a short pulse of ions. It could be accidental, something that just slipped by their masking system. But, I prefer to think that Tuvok has managed to find a way to send a signal. It's just the kind of thing he would try, especially now that he knows I'm here to get him back.
"Mr. Paris, I've isolated the ion trail of the Maquis raider. Set a pursuit course – they can't have gotten far in that old ship of theirs," Janeway ordered. The Bridge was busier than it had been earlier – Rollins was still at tactical, but now she had an operations officer to substitute for the missing Mr. Kim, as Ensign Lang had slipped easily into the position. Still, the Bridge was understaffed.
Voyager leapt forward in pursuit, and about an hour later the trail of breadcrumbs ended. Her shields up and weapons powered, Voyager skated towards the damaged Maquis vessel. The ship powered her engines and turned to run, but Voyager had her in range this time and there was no planet to duck behind.
"Voyager to Maquis raider Val Jean. You are ordered to stand down and prepare to be boarded," Janeway ordered. Silence came back over the com as the two ships engaged in a game of cat and mouse, then on the screen a man blinked into existence. He didn't wear the red uniform that he had when he'd served in Starfleet, and his forehead sported a tattoo that it didn't in his official Starfleet file.
"I'm Captain Chakotay. Stop calling my ship the Val Jean. This is the Liberty, and my answer is no, Captain Janeway," he said. He had a deep, solid voice, one that spoke of a powerful will. The voice matched the eyes, Janeway reflected, and she met his with a steel of her own.
"Don't make me open fire, Commander."
"You want us to surrender to you, just so you can hand us over to the Cardassians? I'd rather die quickly, a free man, than let my crew become prisoners of your allies." Chakotay's voice was filled with a spite that Janeway recognized. Moreover, she understood Chakotay's fears – probably better than even he did. Her decision, though, was taken from her as a klaxon sounded. For an instant, she thought it was on her own bridge and she half turned to stare at Rollins before she realized it wasn't coming from Voyager. A Bajoran woman came into the viewscreen and whispered frantically into Chakotay's ear, and she heard a familiar voice speak in the background.
"Captain, the warp core has gone into overload," it said flatly. Tuvok.
"What? What do you mean, the warp core has started to overload? That can't…" The individual voices lost their clarity as more people began speaking at once, but Janeway strained to hear more words spoken by Tuvok. It quickly became clear that whatever was wrong on the Val Jean – the Liberty, she allowed – was serious. Quickly punching up the data on the console to her left, she saw the building overload in the Liberty's engines.
"Commander Chakotay, your engines are going critical. Let me save your crew. I promise I'll protect them," Janeway said. "I won't turn them over to Evek."
The fire in Chakotay's eyes again met the steel in Janeways. "My crew, but not me?" he asked. Janeway winced.
"I'm under orders to turn you and one of your officers over to Evek," Janeway admitted, letting the steel bend a little. The clash in their eyes lightened as both recognized the struggle behind those of their opponent. This is a man who would have been a great captain – and he could have been a great friend, if we hadn't been on opposite sides. It's a pity this is the way things are, I think I could have liked him very much.
Chakotay was the one to break the contact. Janeway knew it was a capitulation. "All right, Captain. If you agree to protect my crew, then I'll agree to your terms," he said quietly. In the back, Janeway heard a protestation from the Bajoran woman, but Chakotay ignored her. He returned his gaze to meet Janeway's levelly. Willing to sacrifice himself to save his crew and willing to do whatever was necessary in the cause of liberty. His ship was aptly named, Janeway reflected.
Both ships lowered their shields and Voyager proceeded to beam the Liberty's crew aboard, confining them in one of the cargo bays. Once all were aboard, Janeway took the time to watch from her bridge as the Liberty's engines went critical, then the tiny, rugged vessel exploded in a single, scorching blast. The end of the Liberty, Janeway thought. And, for a second, she felt an intense sadness.
The second passed. Janeway glanced over at Rollins. "Keep the ship here, Ensign, and do what you can to salvage anything that might have survived the blast, as well as try to find out what caused it. I'm going to go greet our guests in Cargo Bay One." Rollins nodded, and Janeway strode into the turbolift. Paris slipped in beside her. "Mr. Paris?" Janeway asked.
"I should be there, ma'am," he said. Janeway looked at him, appraising him and trying to determine his motives. Finally, she just nodded and the lift doors slid shut.
Janeway and Paris were joined by a pair of security guards outside the bay. Andrews nodded at her as she tapped the console adjacent to the door, then it slid open. Andrews looked nervous as Janeway walked through first, seemingly uncaring for her own safety, and followed quickly. Paris tried to follow, but the second guard grasped his arm and held him out of the bay.
Janeway glanced about. There were about thirty men and women scattered throughout the bay, dressed in darkened colors and vaguely military clothes. In the front of the room, leaning against a set of cargo containers, was a group of four people, and Janeway walked up to them. The eyes of the other Maquis found her and the chatter stopped.
"Commander Chakotay," Janeway announced. He pushed off the box. Chakotay was considerably taller than she was and physically imposing. She already knew from their earlier conversation that he was mentally imposing as well. Their eyes met – a clash of wills – and he faltered under her piercing stare. "Come with me, Commander," she said. "You can bring your officers." Chakotay nodded towards his companions.
"Tuvok, Seska, you're with me. Mike, you watch over the crew," Chakotay said. Then Janeway turned her back on him and strode back out of the bay. Andrews, again uncomfortable, kept his back towards the door, covering his captain, while Chakotay and his shipmates walked behind.
Chakotay stopped short when he saw Paris outside the doors. He glanced at Janeway, whose look said plainly that he shouldn't try anything. He compromised and refrained from making a comment to Paris, now dressed again in a Starfleet uniform, but leveled him with a look that could melt duranium. Paris averted his eyes. Satisfied, Chakotay increased his stride so that he was even with Janeway.
"Where are you taking us, Captain?" he asked. Janeway glanced sideways at him.
"There are vacant crew quarters on several decks. Normally I'd just take you to the conference room, but security wanted to limit your access to the bridge, so we're going to use one of them to talk," Janeway said. She stopped short outside a door that was labeled crew quarters, but had no nameplate. She tapped on the console for a second, and the doors slid open. Janeway gestured for Chakotay and Seska to sit on one of the couches, but caught Tuvok's arm.
Chakotay glanced up. Janeway held Tuvok's arm in what looked like a light grip, and they were exchanging glance. Finally, Tuvok turned away and faced Chakotay. "I'm sorry to inform you, Sir, that I was assigned to infiltrate your vessel. I am Captain Janeway's tactical and security officer," he said.
Chakotay's mouth fell open, and then he snapped it shut. "Were you going to deliver us into the waiting hands of Evek and the Cardassians, Tuvok?" he asked.
Tuvok's face didn't register a response. "No, Captain. My orders were simply to infiltrate the Maquis in order to serve as an informant in an attempt to prevent further attacks on Federation interests, and then turn you over to Captain Janeway. They made no mention of the Cardassians, although from the recent events that have taken place, I assume our orders have been altered."
Seska stared at Tuvok. "Were you the one responsible for the warp core overload? I knew that wasn't an accident. It was far too sudden and untimely."
Tuvok paused. "When it became apparent that Captain Chakotay was no longer able to escape from Voyager without direct combat, I decided to change the situation in order to give Captain Janeway a tactical advantage and allow the conflict to reach its natural resolution without bloodshed," Tuvok said. "The answer is yes, I was responsible for the overload of the Liberty's warp core." Chakotay turned away in disgust.
Janeway sat across from Chakotay and Seska. "My orders, until immediately prior to our departure, were to find and recover Lieutenant Tuvok, take the crew of the Val Jean into custody, and then turn the crew over to Federation security on Deep Space Nine. That was changed when I received new orders that included Voyager being accompanied into the Badlands by Gul Evek and his warship and turning the two of you," she gestured at Chakotay and Seska, "over to Evek."
"Do you intend to follow those orders, Captain?" Seska asked.
Janeway shrugged. "To be perfectly honest, Ms. Seska, at this point I'm not sure what I'm going to do. My own mission objectives changed the instant we all got pulled into the Delta Quadrant – my primary goal is first to get my ship and her crew back to the Alpha Quadrant."
Chakotay looked over. "Understood, Captain," he said. "That seems reasonable. I have two questions: first, what do you intend to do with us in the meantime?" he asked.
Janeway shrugged. "For now, I have little choice but to keep you confined in the cargo bay. The brig is too small to hold all of you and neither can I give you free access to Voyager."
Chakotay nodded. "All right. My second question is this: one member of my crew, B'Elanna Torres, my engineer, didn't return with us from the Array. Is she in your custody?" he asked.
Janeway glanced up. "No. In fact, one of my crew, Ensign Kim, also disappeared following our encounter with the Array, as did one member of Gul Evek's crew. Evek agreed to remain in orbit around Ocampa and search for each of our missing men while Voyager went in pursuit of you."
"You let Evek take custody of one of my people?" Chakotay growled. Janeway blasted him with another glare.
"I'll have you know, Commander, that I wouldn't give anyone over to the Cardassians if I had an alternative. I didn't know that your crewman was missing when Evek and I agreed to split up for the common cause. But even if I had, it would not have changed my decision, and while I don't want to hand the two of you over to Evek, I have my orders and I will if it becomes necessary."
Chakotay turned away and nodded. Janeway reached out and rested a hand on his arm. "For what it's worth, Commander, I understand why you defected to join the Maquis. And I'm sorry it all has happened the way it has."
Chakotay turned back and met her eyes. "Do you, Captain? I don't know what you think you know, but every member of my crew has suffered at the hands of the Cardassians, and unless you have done the same you could never understand why we have chosen to act as we have."
Janeway stood. "Perhaps, Commander," she murmured. "But, unlike you, I fought on the front lines in the last war. I read your service record – you never did. And unless you have, I don't think you could ever understand why we have chosen to act as we have." She walked towards the door, followed by Andrews. "Mr. Andrews, take these two back to Cargo Bay One and put them with the others," she said. "One last thing, Commander. Mr. Paris is a member of my crew and I expect you to treat him with as much dignity and respect as you would have me treat one of yours, no matter what past lies between you," she said. Then she left. Andrews and Tuvok remained to return Chakotay and Seska to the cargo bay.
Paris met her outside. She glanced at him. "Why did you want to be here, Mr. Paris?" she asked.
Paris grimaced. "They think I betrayed them, and perhaps, by helping you, I did. But I never spied on them, for anyone. And despite what they think of me, I still consider many of them… fine people, and perhaps friends. I just wanted to make sure they were all right," he said.
"One of them is missing, like Harry and Glinn Talek. Their engineer, B'Elanna Torres," Janeway said as Paris walked behind her. She saw him wince and turn away. Janeway reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. "Tom, we'll do whatever we can to find and help her, even if she doesn't want our help. We'll do whatever we can to help all of them." Tom nodded.
His eyes blinked open, vision blurred. Pulling himself upwards with what strength he had, his body was very woozy – it forced him to remain on the cushioned surface he was lying upon. Sensation came back slowly, as touch and vision were supplanted my smell – a dry, bleach smell that he associated with hospitals. Then his ears kicked in, and he vaguely recognized the sound of a struggle.
"Let me go! I'll kill that petaQ! Cardassian taHqeq! Release ME!" There was a roar, dulled by his numbed senses, and he felt motion as there was a crash. There were several dull thuds. Another crash, and growls from two people – he could make out what sounded like a man, returning the blows.
"Hurry! Get the sedatives!"
"We can't restrain them like this! They'll kill each other!"
"Just flood the room with anesthetics!"
There was a slam and a hiss. The struggle abated as both combatants realized what was happening, then the woman threw herself into a final assault. "This is for the dead, you bastard! Tohzah! I'll send you straight to Gre'thor!" There was a gasping choke. As the gas sent him back into unconsciousness, he heard both of them clatter to the floor and the door open once more.