After nearly an hour, the crew had adjusted to the shock of their displacement to this strange part of the world and had calmed somewhat. Repairs proceeded with reassuring steadiness, proving that a well-trained Seafleet crew could adapt to almost any situation. Even so, the crew was still relatively on edge and many people nearly jumped out of their skins when they heard a sharp noise over the water.
"HOY!" shouted a voice. The voice belonged to the pilot of the little ship coming up on their stern. It wasn't much bigger than a skiff and had been painted almost every color imaginable. A short wild-looking man was waving at them, now that he saw he had their attention. He shouted at them, but they couldn't understand him. "Joun-au! Shu Neelix tu hin bei'shu zou-ang Baxial! Do-ung shai'chin sui'su gi-o?"
Kim shivered – the man's strange language just proved they were further from the Federation than anyone had ever been.
"Can anyone understand him?" said the captain, echoing Kim's thoughts. When no answered, she beckoned Lieutenant Tuvok over to her.
"If you intend for me to Meld and learn his language, I must remind you I will need to be in physical contact," said Tuvok.
"Well, then. I'm glad we understand each other. Take whatever preparations are necessary; I'll get the rope ladder," said Janeway, glad at last to have something to focus on. She dashed below and when she had returned, the stranger's boat had pulled alongside their own. With the lieutenant's help, she lashed the ladder securely to the pins and lowered it. The stranger scampered up and hopped aboard. She could sense some of the crew stiffening, but they made no move to attack. Even if he turned out to be hostile, they outnumbered him twenty to one.
Not that someone dressed like that could be threatening. He wore a bright, multi-colored tunic, striped breeches and mismatched boots. He grinned brightly at them all, chattering in his strange tongue nonstop. Janeway tried not to stare, but he was so unlike any tribes from the Federation. Brown speckles dotted the sides of his face and his hair was limited to a narrow mane that ran off his head and two patches of whiskers on both sides of his jaw. Tuvok took his hand and suddenly they were both staring at each other with great intensity. The stranger listened to a sound only he could hear – Tuvok, speaking in his mind – and then he was nodding. Tuvok carefully placed one hand on the stranger's face and concentrated. Something changed in the air, just for a second and a light flashed first in Tuvok's eyes, then the stranger's.
"I don't feel any different, but – oh! Can you understand me?"
"Yes, we can," she said, walking up to him. "I'm Captain Kathryn Janeway, of the Federation sailing ship Voyager."
"Fantastic!" he said, gripping her hand as Tuvok moved away. "What a title! I don't have one nearly so impressive, but all the same, you can call me Neelix. I'm a Talaxian trader and I have never seen a ship like yours before."
"We're not from around here." A thought struck her. "Maybe you could tell us about these waters."
"Oh, well you don't want to stick around too long. Kazon ocean robbers control this area. I can point you in any direction you'd like, but you'd need a guide willing to brave the danger."
"Ocean robbers?" she repeated.
"I believe he may be referring to pirates," said Tuvok. "Those who attack ships to steal what they have; is that what you meant, Mr. Neelix?"
"Yes. Yes, Kazon pie-rats, very dangerous. If you're smart, you'll leave now."
The captain thought for a moment. They needed whatever help they could find at this point. Suddenly, she had an idea. Smiling, she turned to face Neelix.
"You've come pretty far out on your own," Janeway said sweetly. "Braving these dangerous waters all by your lonesome."
"Oh, well…" he blushed in his own way and Janeway could see he was flattered. She barreled on, wondering if this could work.
"Do you know this area well, Mr. Neelix?"
He straightened his shoulders at that and Janeway knew it was working. "I am famous for knowing it well, Captain."
"Would you be willing to guide us, just for a little while?" His smile faded a little. It seemed knowing it well and willing to travel it as if he did were two different things.
"Of course," she continued, voice sweet as honey, "We'd be willing to compensate you for your trouble."
"Ah, now you're speaking a language I understand! In fact, that's why I hailed you in the first place – you seem to be full to bursting with goods for trade." He ran his fingers over her coat. "Goods like these fine Federation uniforms – quality fabric like this would turn a healthy profit in any port!" He quickly released her coat, perhaps realizing he'd overstepped his bounds. "The closest island is back the way I came – south by south-east. But I think we'd better take the long way. Pie-rats were closing in a ship just as I was passing. Probably getting ready for a raid."
"What did the ship look like?" said Tuvok, impassive as always, and suddenly Janeway knew what he was getting at.
"It was bigger than mine, but smaller than yours. The sails were kind of like rounded triangles and there was a red flag with a strange mark, flying from the mast."
"The renegade ship," Janeway whispered. Then she shouted, "Get that skiff aboard! Helm, bring us around, heading south by south east. Once the boat is secure, hoist the main sail! The rest of you, suit up. I have a feeling we'll be fighting before this day is over."
Janeway heard the cannon fire before she could clearly see the boats. Another minute and they'd be in range. She ran her fingers along the hem of her hauberk, trying to keep calm. Her chain mail and brigandine were heavier than her uniform, but she felt more comfortable in it. The weight of her sword was reassuring on her belt. The rest of the crew stood ready in armor, tense, waiting. Even if the primary goal of Seafleet was exploration, not battle or conquest, she couldn't help but feel grateful for the amount of protection standard battle gear allowed them. But now the danger was much closer. Arrows flying about, cannon fire – not to mention how much more trouble someone would be if they fell overboard weighed down by their armor. It didn't quite seem fair that the officers should get chain mail to go with their brigandines while crewmen only got brigandines, but those were their orders. Besides, there was plenty of armor to go around and that was something to be grateful for. All of them had been issued a standard sword and bow. Both were designed as simple as could be, but of respectable strength.
"I see them!" someone shouted and she brought her thoughts back into focus.
"Helm, come to starboard a little," she said. The helmsman obeyed immediately. Now everyone could clearly see the smaller renegade ship engaged in a pitched battle with a larger, though somewhat more crude, pirate ship. The pirates, if they could be classified as such, were firing away at the renegades with longbows and primitive cannons. Primitive, but by no means ineffective. The reddish mainsail was in tatters, the mizzenmast was broken and several holes had appeared in the hull.
"You know," Paris said, coming up beside her, "If we wait a little while, those pirates ought to take care of the renegades for us."
Janeway felt a surge of anger at his words, but kept her voice calm. "We were instructed to arrest them, Mr. Paris, not execute them." Now she turned to face the main deck. "Run out the guns and prepare to fire! Archers, to your positions!"
There came shouting and scrambling at her words, accompanied by a rattling sound that meant the gun ports were swinging open.
"Is this entirely wise?" asked Tuvok. "We are attacking without provocation."
"Those renegades are our responsibility and in my judgment, part of that responsibility means keeping them safe." Janeway planted her hands on her hips. "Mr. Neelix, would you join me please?"
Neelix came up without hesitation, looking very nervous. He did not want to be a part of this fight; that she could see, but he was their best chance at communication.
"I need you to tell the pirates – if you don't mind, of course – that the red ship is under our protection and we mean them no harm. But they should know we are well prepared to defend ourselves and we will, if it comes to that."
"Are – are you sure, Captain?" He licked his lips and his eyes darted about. "Someone like you would be better off remaining on the Kazon's good side."
He wasn't fooling anyone. He was only concerned with his own safety. She fixed him with a steady gaze. "Your ship isn't leaving until I say so. And I say it's not leaving until we're done here, so I believe it's in your best interest to help."
"Fair enough. You make a compelling argument." They both walked to the bow and he smoothed the borrowed brigandine he wore with somewhat shaking hands. Neelix cupped his hands around his mouth and began shouting in his original language. He made several extravagant gestures toward the renegades, toward Voyager, toward the captain herself before stopping. One of the pirates responded, pointing and waving, then tapped one of his crewmates on his shoulder. The other crewmate trained a bow on her, then all of them did.
Neelix shrugged. "Well, as you can see, they don't care who you are or what you can do. They claim that boat for themselves and are willing to ignore you if you leave immediately."
Janeway had expected no less, but all the same she thought it fair to warn them.
"Tuvok, get below to direct the cannons – wait for my order. Archers, ready to fire!"
The sound of twenty bows being drawn met her ears and she kept her eyes on the pirates. She watched the head of the first one swing back and forth, realizing she was ready to take them on. He let out a shout and the pirates fired.
"Fire!" she yelled, staying low. Fleet trained archers were very good and they would not shoot fatally unless they had to. Sure enough, two or three pirates were struck in various places, but none seriously. As for the pirate arrows, many were poorly made and flew wide.
"Captain," came Tuvok's disembodied voice. He was using the relay box and she moved over to it, calling again for the crew to fire.
"I do not believe we can use the cannons without causing further damage to the renegade ship. They are too close."
That would be a problem – the pirates would have no problem shooting it themselves.
"Captain!" yelled Ensign Kim. "There's another pirate ship, closing fast from port!"
Wonderful. As if she didn't have enough to worry about now. Worse, it was much closer than it should have been. If they hadn't been so absorbed in this battle…
"Mr. Tuvok," she spoke into the relay box, "there's a second ship on our port side. Prepare to fire on that one, if it comes to that."
"Aye, Captain."
This new ship was moving at a good clip. Janeway racked her brains, trying to come up with some kind of strategy, when all of a sudden there was a change in the air. There was a heaviness to it, somehow. A sound so low she only felt it in her chest and limbs rumbled up from the bottom of the ocean. It brought a wave with it that sent Voyager reeling, but they were in no danger of capsizing.
"What the hell was that?" she demanded of no one in particular. The strange rumble came again and some sixth sense warned her that something very bad was about to happen. She heard shouts of surprise and alarm coming first from the pirate ship, then her own. They were pointing at something directly ahead.
A colossal figure of a man was rising from the water. It must have been two hundred feet tall. She waited for the water to run off him, but it stayed put. With a deep chill, she realized this figure was actually made of water. She knew only one force capable of this.
"Sorcerer… Heaven protect us!"
WHAT FOOLISHNESS IS THIS? YOU PRESUME TO ATTACK EACH OTHER EVEN NOW! ENOUGH FIGHTING!
It was speaking, in voice that sounded like waves breaking on the rocks. The face frowned at them and one hand slowly reached out. It was big enough to grasp all four ships at once.
TOO MUCH IS AT STAKE! I DID NOT GO TO THIS TROUBLE SO THAT YOU COULD DESTROY YOURSELVES! WE MUST PROCEED IMMEDIATELY!
The equally colossal hand was now hovering over their boats and sheets of salt water fell from it. It fell with enormous crushing weight and Janeway felt the breath being squeezed out of her lungs. The deck shivered under her feet and she knew the ship could not take the strain. She wanted to fight, to run, to do something, anything!
This, after all, was not how she pictured her death.
Janeway woke to – to something other than her ship. She seemed to be floating through white mist. There was nothing to see and nothing to focus on. Before she could become upset with being acted on so often without a chance to react on her own, the air changed. The mist, which had previously been innocuous, seemed to swirl around inside her lungs, searching for something. The swirl became a whirlpool, drilling down to the very core of her being. It spun faster and harder, becoming uncomfortable, then agonizing. Something within her broke, setting the whirlpool free. All the heat was pouring out of her, racing out of her chest through the hole.
Behind her, someone let out a raspy scream. She felt her heart wrench as she realized it was Harry Kim.
They can't do this to us! Not to my crew!
She didn't even have the breath to scream in frustration before the darkness took her.