Ch. 22

The sapphire colored veil she was being forced to wear was absurd. It was transparent unless the light hit it at the wrong angle, and then she couldn't see anything. As soon as the doors to the receiving hall opened, allowing light to cascade in, Kathryn grimaced as once again her entire field of vision became the veil. Madelyn tugged at her hand at the same time Stefan nudged her in the back, and she slowly moved forward, forcing herself to trust that her daughter wouldn't let her trip over anything too obvious.

After five days of traveling, Milo's ship had dropped out of warp only a few hours earlier, and in short order, he and Sheila had appeared in her quarters. They had arrived at the planet, and immediately, their audience with the sovereign that had bought Kathryn had been scheduled. They'd brought her a new outfit, and she was extremely thankful that it covered more than what she'd been forced to wear to the auction. The silky dark blue material would flow with her as she moved, revealing only tantalizing glimpses of her skin as she walked. Despite the conscious feel of being more covered, it did not escape her notice how thin and flimsy the material actually was. Easily torn. Easily removed. Repressing a shudder, she shut down that line of thinking.

They'd beamed down. Milo, Sheila, Stefan, Kathryn and Madelyn. Neither she nor Maddie had been put in any restraints, and she'd given Maddie specific instructions to do as she was told and to not draw attention to herself. She could only hope her daughter would follow instructions for a change. They'd waited for several minutes until Milo's name had been announced and he, with Sheila hanging on his arm, strode forward.

Taking cautious steps, following behind Milo and Sheila, Kathryn was thankful to see her vision clearing slightly as her eyes adjusted to the light filtering through the veil. She could at least now see where she was walking, even if she couldn't make out specific details about the obviously huge hall they had entered. Tall marbled columns and windows with colored glass lined both sides as their little party moved down the middle of it. Kathryn couldn't see very far, but Maddie's ooo's and ah's made her think it must be magnificent. She could also see they were not the only ones there. More than one moving figure caught her eye as they passed, and while they appeared humanoid in stature that was the only thing she could tell.

Stefan tugged on her shoulder, and she stopped, watching as Milo and Sheila, a few steps in front of them, bowed at the waist in front of a small rise of stairs. Kathryn could only imagine this was the dais for the ruler here. She could see far enough to make out a throne or a chair of some kind, but no one was there. A voice boomed out across the hall and she felt Maddie jump next to her.

"Milo Cyronious and Lady Sheila of Bartome, his majesty welcomes you."

Milo and Sheila straightened before turning to the side and taking several steps back, leaving Kathryn and Maddie front and center. Kathryn felt Stefan shift behind her, placing his hand on her back. It was almost as if he was encouraging her to be strong, and she was almost thankful for his presence. At the very least, it wasn't Krat or Skor she was stuck with at this particular moment. She could almost let herself believe it was Chakotay standing so close to her, lending her his strength, his support. She felt Maddie move beside her, and she squeezed her hand tight, encouraging her daughter to stay still.

Finally, she saw movement on the dais as a figure stepped out from the side. Even through the veil, Kathryn could tell he was humanoid. Tall. Powerful. She felt her heart speed up even as she schooled her features into her command mask. He approached her slowly, taking his time on the few stairs, and something about the way he walked made her think twice. It was so similar.

He wore dark pants with a light colored shirt, not at all the robes she'd been expecting. The closer he came, the more detail she was able to make out. Dark hair. Skin that was darker than hers. So very much like…he was only a few steps away now and she could almost see his features. Her breath caught in her throat as he reached out a single hand to lift the veil covering her face.

Kathryn felt like crying. "Chakotay?"

He nodded, and his hand stroked the side of her face. She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch, allowing herself at least for a moment to rejoice. He was here. They'd made it in time. There were so many questions, and they still had to deal with Milo and Sheila and whoever was supposed to actually be the ruler here, but for one tiny moment, Kathryn simply indulged in the comfort of his touch.

Maddie was tugging on her hand now, and Kathryn thought she must be ecstatic to see her father. Opening her eyes, Kathryn had to struggle past a moment of extreme dizziness before she was able to speak. "How…how did you find us?"

Chakotay gave her a little wink before glancing over to his right. She followed his gaze to where Milo, Sheila, and Stefan stood. She couldn't wait to have them hauled in by Starfleet Security. She'd break open their whole slavery ring and have every single one of them serving time.

"Mama!" Maddie was insistent, pulling on her arm, and she looked down at her daughter. She looked very upset, and Kathryn couldn't understand why. But even as she looked down at Maddie, another wave of dizziness swept over her, and she had to close her eyes against it. When she did, her mind flashed over the image of the three people she had just seen. Milo. Sheila. And Stefan.

Stefan.

Kathryn frowned. If Stefan was over there, whose hand was on her back? She opened her eyes again to look at her husband. He was still standing there but now he looked concerned. Pained almost. She saw his mouth move but it wasn't Chakotay's voice she heard.

"What is it?"

Thinking he was talking to her, Kathryn was about to explain the dizzy spells, but then a voice from behind her spoke.

"She's fighting it."

The room began to spin again, and this time a wave of nausea swept over Kathryn, and she actually brought her free hand to her mouth, hoping she wasn't about to have a real issue. She had to let go of Maddie's hand, placing it instead on her daughter's shoulder to try and steady herself. What was wrong with her?

"Kathryn, look at me."

The voice was smooth as velvet, and she felt his heavy hands on her shoulders. He must be panicking by now with the way she was acting. She managed to lift her head, wanting to assure him she was fine. He leaned in, taking her completely by surprise with a hard kiss, but she happily returned it, wrapping her arms around him.

But it didn't feel right. The way his tongue moved in her mouth, the hard, well defined muscles her hands caressed, his hand encircling her neck possessively. She moved back to break the contact, but he wrapped his arm completely around her, hauling her body against his, trapping her there. His mouth continued to possess hers and the hand around her neck allowed her no retreat.

Then suddenly, he swore and pulled away from her. Madelyn had kicked him in the shin. "You're not Daddy!"

Kathryn didn't understand. She fully agreed with her daughter, but she could still see Chakotay's features in front of her. And then he raised a hand and backhanded Maddie across the face, sending her crashing to the floor.

"No!" Kathryn launched herself at him, knocking him back several steps in the process. Even as she tried to strike him, her vision made the room spin, and he easily caught her flailing hands. Taking a page from her daughter's book, Kathryn lashed out with her foot, landing a glancing blow only. The man holding her laughed and easily pushed her away, down on the floor. She slid across the cool tile, winding up almost on top of Maddie. Immediately Kathryn turned, gathering her legs beneath her and looked up, readying herself to charge again, but found herself face to face with the muzzle of a weapon. Freezing her movements, her gaze tracked upwards until she saw the person holding the weapon, and for the first time she truly laid eyes on the man she assumed was her new captor.

He did have dark hair, and the coloring of his clothing matched what Kathryn thought she'd been seeing, but the rest was different. Small ridges lined the sides of his face, and intricate raised markings, darker than the rest of his skin ran the length of his arms. Arms that were bare from the shoulder down with very well defined musculature. Remembering how his body had felt under her hands, Kathryn knew the rest of him was just as solid. Even as she felt Maddie tuck in behind her, Kathryn met his eyes, eyes that were a cold cobalt color, and she managed to ground out, "Who are you?"

He laughed easily at the growl in her voice, and for the first time, she also heard the reaction of others in the hall as they nervously laughed with him. Ignoring her question, he looked over his shoulder at Milo. "You certainly weren't lying this time. This one has the demon in her." He turned his attention back to Kathryn and wiped his thumb across his lower lip and chin. "I like her."

"Do you want me to reestablish the connection, sire?" A small waif of a figure seemed to float out from behind him. Kathryn frowned and looked again to Stefan. This waif must've been the one with the hand on her back. She was no bigger than Maddie, and she looked as though a strong wind could knock her over.

"No, I think we've had enough fun for now," the man whose name Kathryn still didn't know addressed the waif, "but why was she acting like that? Like she was sick?"

"Her mind was harder to hold, sire. It is unlike the previous ones. Different." The waif's voice sounded like chimes.

He seemed to give a lot of weight to the waif's words. "Will it get better with time?"

"Unknown, sire."

Kathryn listened intently to the exchange, hating that she had been duped so easily. It gave her some hope though that apparently she wasn't easy to control, but she'd have to keep an eye out for the waif. And dizzy spells. Apparently those weren't normal either, and she filed that knowledge away, hoping she'd be able to make use of it.

"Very well. You may go." He turned towards Milo. "You may go as well. I'll keep this one."

Milo half bowed and glanced quickly in Kathryn's direction. She couldn't decide if his look was pitying or condescending. Sheila's was easier to interpret. She was smiling. And then the three of them were gone, and Kathryn was still facing the business end of a weapon.

"And you." He gestured with the weapon for Kathryn to rise. She did, keeping Maddie tucked behind her as much as possible. "The little one should know that striking the king is an offense punishable by death. Because her actions allowed me to see your true spirit, I will allow it to go unpunished this time."

Biting back the reply she really wanted to say, Kathryn managed a simple, "Thank you." She couldn't quite bring herself to say sire, but she did think she should try diplomacy first. "My name is Kathryn Janeway. I am a Starfleet admiral with the United Federation of Planets. I don't know what Milo may have told you, but my daughter and I were brought here against our will."

A smattering of laughter broke out after her words. The man in front of her shrugged. "I know of no…Starfleet, but I have no doubt you were brought here against your will." More laughter followed his words. "It matters not." Kathryn started to retort but he spoke over her. "I have other matters to attend to. Your paltry concerns are irrelevant to me." He snapped his fingers and four armored guards stepped to his side. "Take the little one down to the kitchens. She can stay with the dogs."

"Wait! No!" Kathryn immediately began backing away, keeping herself in front of Madelyn. She sized up the situation in a single glance. The guards were wearing protective plating over their shoulders and down their torsos, and two of them had hand held weapons holstered on their belts. All four men advanced on her from different angles. She tried desperately to stay between them and Madelyn, but the space of the hall worked against her. Even as she managed to keep two of them at bay, the other two came behind her, snatching Madelyn.

"Mama-" A strong hand clamped over Madelyn's mouth, cutting off her cries even as she continued to struggle. Kathryn turned in time to see one of the guards lift her daughter kicking and screaming. Strong arms wrapped around Kathryn from behind before she could take two steps. Slamming her head backwards, she only managed to hit the much taller guard's heavily armored shoulder, which was more painful for her than him. And Maddie was still being carried even further away.

Kathryn screamed in futility and pounded her heels against the guard's unprotected shins, eliciting a grunt of pain, but the hold around her middle only tightened, pinching her arms against her sides. "Maddie! I'll come for you!" She was still yelling when the guard carrying Maddie exited through a door, closing it behind him.

"Will someone please dose her, already? She's giving me a headache."

"It's about time." When she heard the guard holding her mumble, the king's words filtered through Kathryn's agonized haze. She tore her gaze away from the closed door and saw one of the other guards open a pouch on his belt and withdraw a syringe filled with a pale green liquid. It reminded her of something she might've seen in Chaotica's lab, and she knew she didn't want it anywhere near her.

But it was futile. No matter how many courses in self defense she'd taken, one woman couldn't fend off three armored men when they already had her partially restrained. The long needle sank into the soft tissues of her neck, and her cry of pain ended in a whimper as she sank into oblivion.

:)