DISCLAIMER: See Teaser.
ACT ONE
Ressik, 1372 by Earth's calendar
Janeway continued to circle the room to examine it, as a troubled Alain trailed after her. It was full of light, with simple, straight-lined grey wooden furniture. There were dark wooden abstract sculptures on the wall near the step to the upper level, and vases with flowers in several places around the room. Through the archway, she could see a large abstract-patterned tapestry that hung in back of a long narrow grey table. The tapestry's earth tone color scheme complemented the furnishings and wall sculpture of the main room.
"Where is my uniform?" Janeway asked, as she began to pace. "My communicator?"
Alain's concern deepened. "I'd better call the doctor again," he said, worry clearly written on his face.
Janeway stopped and turned to face him. "I am Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation Starship Voyager. I would like to speak with whoever is in charge here."
Her strange words frightened Alain. "If you'll just lie down, I'll brew you some nice warm kenomay," he said.
"Just tell me this," Janeway insisted. "Am I a prisoner here?"
Alain's eyes widened in alarm. "Please, dear," he said. "You've had a high fever for three days. You mustn't push yourself too quickly."
As she spoke with Alain, Janeway managed to gradually edge further back toward the archway and onto the upper level. She looked to her left and into the foyer she had noticed earlier, where she saw another tapestry hanging in back of a bench. A lighted panel in an adjoining wall next to a door covered with geometric grillwork caught her eye, and she stepped down into the foyer and pressed a small metallic square in the panel's center. The door opened at her touch.
"You really shouldn't go outside" said Alain.
Janeway walked cautiously through the open door, slightly unsteady on her feet, and stepped out into a modest courtyard dappled with sunlight. She stopped to survey her surroundings, shading her eyes against the brightness. The home's smooth, pale surface reminded her of Mediterranean villas she had stayed in on Earth. She took note of the carefully tended garden, blooming with unfamiliar alien flora.
Alain stood in the doorway of the house, watching as Janeway made her way out of the courtyard. "Kamina, please come back inside," he said. Alain followed briefly, and then stopped in frustration when he realized that she wasn't paying any attention to him.
*****
Janeway walked down several streets lined with more white stucco-covered dwellings similar to the one she had just left. The murmur of a crowd caught her ear, and she followed the sound, passing through an arcade on her way toward what appeared to be the town square. Several children ran past her, and a young woman crossed her path and waved and smiled in recognition. Janeway nodded a greeting to the stranger.
She stayed under the shaded arcade and watched the assembled townspeople and a genial looking man in his 50's named Batai standing in the middle of the gathering. He had just finishing planting a young tree, and was kneeling, busy tamping down the earth around it before rising to address the group.
"This sapling is planted as an affirmation of life," Batai said, "in defiance of the drought and with expectations of long life. Whatever comes, we will keep it alive, as a symbol of our survival."
The group applauded. Batai spotted Janeway on the edge of the crowd as she moved out from under the arcade and toward him. He waded through the townspeople to reach her.
"Kamina! You're back on your feet!" he said with happy relief. "How do you feel, my friend?"
"Are you in charge here?" Janeway asked.
Batai was slightly taken aback by the brusque tone of the question. "In charge?"
Janeway planted her feet and placed her hands on her hips. "I want to be returned to my ship immediately," she demanded.
The people surrounding them reacted to her words with curious glances. Batai moved closer to Janeway, and asked quietly, "What ship is that?"
The honest confusion in the man frustrated Janeway. She looked around at the listening townspeople, took a breath, and tried again in a softer tone. "Please, just tell me -- what is this place? Where am I?"
Batai stared at her for a moment, and then had an insight. "The fever – it's taken your memory."
Janeway stared back at him. She was very annoyed by her inability to get straight answers from anyone, and decided to take a different strategy. Smiling a bit ruefully, she said, "That must be it. Perhaps you can help me."
"Anything, my friend," Batai said.
"My name is Kamina, and you are?"
He was once more on his guard at the strange question, but answered, "Batai." When Janeway failed to respond to that, Batai added, "Council Leader Batai."
"Ah, Batai. And you say I've been ill," said Janeway.
"For over a week. Alain should've put you in the hospital, but he insisted on caring for you himself."
"Alain…," Janeway said, waiting for Batai to fill in the blank for her.
"Your husband," Batai responded, with a slightly incredulous expression on his face. He then smiled and chuckled, saying, "If you don't remember that, maybe it's safer not to go home."
Janeway allowed herself a smile. She was finally getting information, even if it didn't correlate with what she knew her real life on Voyager to be. "And… what is this place?" she asked.
Batai was on edge again, alarmed by his friend's apparent total memory loss. "Perhaps you should see the doctor."
"No. Please," Janeway said. "I'm sure it will come back to me."
Batai indicated their surroundings with a sweeping gesture. "This is the community of Ressik. Northern province."
"What planet?"
Batai was mystified for a moment, and then took Janeway's arm. "Come," he said. "Let me take you back home."
Janeway shook him off. "No, really, I'm quite all right," she said. "If you'll just answer me. What planet? "
Batai carefully said, "This is the planet Kataan."
"Katann… not a Federation planet."
Batai looked at her, puzzled. The townspeople surrounding the two of them had continued to follow the curious exchange. Janeway looked at individual faces in the crowd and gave them her best reassuring smile.
"I… uhmm… think I'll just take a walk," she said.
Batai hesitated for a moment, not wanting to embarrass his friend, and then said, "But you've been ill for a week."
"Exercise will do me good," said Janeway. "I'd like to… reacquaint myself with the surroundings."
She nodded to Batai and the crowd, and then began to stride purposefully out of the square. Batai stared after her, along with the mystified townspeople.
*****
Janeway roamed the hills beyond the town for hours, searching for clues to what she felt was her mysterious abduction. She climbed a small ridge to look out over the town of Ressik, its pale buildings rising out of the hillside they were built upon as though they had always been there. She stood for some time on the ridge, visually tracing the course of the wide river that wound through the green countryside and past the town, and staring at the mountains in the distance beyond it. After a long time spent studying her surroundings, Janeway climbed down and went on her way to explore the area further.
*****
Nightfall. In the softly-lit living area, Alain sat at a small table idly stirring a bowl of soup. He heard the door chime, and jumped up to activate the mechanism that would open it. Janeway stood there, very tired.
"Thank goodness," Alain said, as he ushered her in. She walked past him without a word, and settled into the chair she had awoken in earlier, grateful to be off her feet.
"I've had people out trying to find you everywhere," Alain said. "Why did you worry us like that?"
Janeway remained silent. He tried again. "Are you hungry?"
"Hungry, thirsty, exhausted," Janeway answered. "I suppose that proves this isn't a dream, doesn't it?
Alain stared at her, stunned. It was a moment before he could find his voice to ask, "You think this – your life – is a dream?"
The note of anguish in his voice touched Janeway's heart, and she tried to soften her reply as much as she could. "This is not my life. I know that much."
A stricken Alain turned away quickly, so that she would not see him blinking away tears. He walked over to a small kitchen area along one wall and filled a bowl for her. "I've kept something hot for you," he said, returning with soup, which he handed to her as he asked, "Where did you go?"
"I walked," she said. "For hours." Hoping to forestall more questions, Janeway picked up her utensil and took a spoonful of the soup. She sniffed at it unobtrusively before putting it in her mouth, and wished momentarily that she had a tricorder to check if it was safe for her to eat.
"And you just out of bed." Alain took a seat opposite her, grateful to have her back, devotion shining in his eyes.
Janeway focused her attention entirely on eating her supper, savoring every mouthful. They remained in silence until she said, "It's delicious."
"You always say that," he said with a smile.
She looked up at him, reminded of her apparent history with this man. Janeway decided to approach him again for more information. "Would you try to… answer some questions for me? No matter how strange they might seem to you?"
"Of course."
"Are there other planets in this star system?" she asked. "Do you visit other systems?"
Alain just gaped at her, shocked.
She could easily understand his response, given the level of development of the community and its surroundings that she had observed earlier during her exploration. She decided that a less direct line of questioning might yield better results. "All right. Do you have a communication system here? How do you send messages to other communities? Other places?"
"The usual way – by voice-transit conductor," Alain responded, pleased that he could at least answer this question. "Do you want to send a message?"
"Umm hmm. Yes. When can that be arranged?"
Alain shrugged. "Tomorrow." He watched Janeway continue to eat her soup for a moment, and then asked, "Don't you want to ask about… us?"
Janeway again caught the note of anguish in his voice, and her face softened. She rested the hand holding the spoon on the table momentarily. "Of course. Anything you could tell me would be helpful. We umm…" She played with her soup for a moment before asking, "We are married?"
Alain nodded, clearly in pain that she had no recollection of this. "Three years ago. The happiest day of my life was the day we got married," he said. Alain paused for a moment and smiled. "You're probably tired of hearing it, but I've loved you since I was seven years old. That's when I decided I was going to marry you, and no one was going to change my mind." He reached out and covered her hand with his. "I'm glad I was so stubborn."
Janeway stared at him. His warmth and sincerity were obvious, but his manner made her uncomfortable about questioning him further. She awkwardly tried to return to her agenda. "And what do I do, here in Ressik?"
"You're the best iron weaver in the community," he said, with great pride. "At least I think so. You prefer playing the flute, of course."
"The flute?" Janeway was puzzled. Her sister Phoebe was the artistic and musical one in the family; she was the scientist.
"Yes," said Alain. He rose and went to a nearby bureau to retrieve the instrument. Janeway took it from him, and turned it over in her hands. It vaguely resembled a tin flute; but was otherwise completely unfamiliar.
"When did I learn to play it?"
Alain laughed and said, "I'm afraid you've never learned, dear. You do keep trying."
Janeway put the flute to her mouth and attempted to play a few notes. After several metallic squeals and sour notes, she smirked and said, "I see what you mean," as she set the instrument down. "Thank you for the soup, and thank you for your help," she said. "Tomorrow, will you help me to send a message?"
Alain gave her an indulgent smile. He felt comfortably back on familiar ground now that his wife wasn't saying strange things anymore, and it was enough for the moment. "Of course," he said, taking her hand. "Now, will you come to bed?"
Janeway tensed. She looked toward the wide hallway in front of her, surmising that it most likely led to a bedroom, and then leaned further back into the reclining chair and made herself comfortable. "Oh, I'll sleep here," she said.
"Kamina, please come with me," Alain said, with genuine concern in his voice.
Janeway tried diplomacy to ease the awkwardness of her situation. "I've been sick. I'll be tossing and turning. It wouldn't be fair to you."
Alain smiled and said, "Let me be the judge of that." He moved toward her, leaning over her and stroking her arms to persuade her, and as he did, his shirt fell further open.
Janeway's eyes were drawn to a medallion on a chain around his neck. It was an exact miniature of the probe she had seen onVoyager's viewscreen earlier. She stared at it for a moment, and then taking it in her hand, she asked, "Where did you get this?"
Alain was taken aback. "Kamina, it's the first gift you ever gave me."
*****
Voyager, 2372.
Bridge
"I've got you. It's all right," Chakotay said, as he gently finished lowering Janeway to the deck, his hand still supporting her head. He knelt over the motionless figure of his Captain for a moment and then raised his voice to engage the comm system.
"Chakotay to Sickbay. The Captain's been hurt."
