Ch.24

There were moments when she thought she was dreaming. And then there were those when she was sure she wasn't. This particular moment, Kathryn didn't feel sure about anything. And oddly enough, that was okay. Something in the back of her mind told her she should give a damn, that she should be jumping up to go do…something, but she just couldn't concentrate long enough to pin down what that 'something' was.

"So this is your latest acquisition?"

"Yes, she is powerful."

"Really? She doesn't look it."

"Well no, not at the moment, but you should've seen the display she put on earlier."

Fingers snapped in front of Kathryn's face, and she flinched. Slowly looking up, she saw him: King Odaro. Or at least that was the name she'd heard many times over the past few hours. A flame of hatred burned bright in her mind for a brief moment at the thought of him, but then she couldn't remember why and it didn't seem quite so important. And he slipped out of focus.

"Did you see that?"

"Yes," the voice said in quiet amazement, "I don't know that I've ever seen such pure contempt like that leveled at you before." A small chuckle. "At least not without the person being put to death soon, thereafter." The owner of the second voice knelt in front of her. "And you say she's under a full dose?"

"Yes, she slept for two ceros at first."

"Only two?" he looked over his shoulder with disbelief. "And she's already this…respondent?"

Turning back to Kathryn, he too flashed his fingers in front of her face, snapping at her. She didn't like it and grabbed his wrist, twisting the hand away from her. Laughter rang out and then she felt her fingers being pried open. She didn't resist, didn't even remember really why she had reacted so strongly. But the man in front of her, rubbing at his wrist with his opposite hand, backed away from her.

"Impressive."

"I told you." The figures walked away at that point discussing some matter of land, and Kathryn slowly lowered her hand back to her side.

And then there were more people. Some stayed for a while, some didn't. Or at least she didn't notice when they left. The king was there more often than not. Several times, Kathryn felt as though she was the subject of scrutiny.

"Was she worth the price you paid?"

"I'm sure she will be."

A guffaw of laughter. "I guess you'll find out tonight."

"Unfortunately, no. The queen will be in chambers this evening."

"That's a shame."

Kathryn was fairly sure by the way the two men leered at her as they talked that she was the subject of discussion. She just couldn't remember why.

The dizzy spells were unpredictable always hitting her quickly and without warning. Sometimes she felt nauseous from them and sometimes they made her entire body feel like it was simply floating. Content. Naturally, she preferred the non-sickening versions.

Chakotay came and went, as well. That agitated her more than anything else. What was he doing? Why did he keep leaving her? Was Maddie with him? She couldn't remember why, but she knew he needed to find their daughter because she couldn't. If only she could remember to ask him… The last time he stayed for several hours, but feeling a chill she'd looked for him only to find he was once again…gone. Her senses crystallized at that moment, taking in the darkened hall, the hard steps of the dais on which she lay, the presence of guards, and then the worst case of nausea she'd felt yet hit her. The room spun, tilting dangerously on its axis, bile rose in her throat, and she curled instinctively into a ball as she tried to hold on.

Feeling something flit against her face, Kathryn managed to pry open her eyes. The waif girl from before was stumbling down the steps away from her. A guard stepped forward to assist her. Kathryn watched, breathing deep against the nausea, as the two slowly made their way out of the darkened hall. For the first time since the morning she was able to think clearly despite the sick feeling washing over her. The waif's presence had made her sick before. So did that explain the nausea? Probably. Did it explain Chakotay's disappearing act, as well?

Kathryn shifted slightly, feeling the cold stone steps beneath her. If Chakotay had really been here, she wouldn't still be curled into a ball of pain on the floor. He would've made sure she was in the doctor's care before he disappeared. He wouldn't have left her here, although she was surprised to find herself still in the hall.

Judging by the darkened conditions, she assumed night had fallen, and it seemed that she and a company of guards were the only ones present. An entire day had passed while she'd slipped in and out of awareness. That was disturbing. If Chakotay had really been nothing more than a hallucination, that meant Madelyn had been on her own this whole time. The thought of Maddie having to fend for herself for all that time did nothing to help her slowly abating nausea. Kathryn gradually rolled over onto her back. She shivered in the cool night air and wondered if Maddie was cold too. The stairs were extremely uncomfortable, but getting up was too daunting of a proposition at the moment. She couldn't even remember why she thought she had to. Concentrating on the high ceiling, she didn't realize the fog that had lain thick over her mind all day was once again reasserting itself.

Bright sunlight was shining right in her eyes, and Kathryn blinked rapidly, throwing a hand up in front of her face. The last thing she remembered was staring up at the ceiling, hoping Maddie was warm, and now it was morning. She moved, wanting to sit up, and was immediately reminded by her body that she was no longer a cadet. The stone surface she'd slept on was very unforgiving, as her back and hips sharply reminded her.

Someone very near her cleared his throat and Kathryn lowered her hand. A man in white robes was standing over her, frowning. "Are you capable of standing?"

"Yes," she answered, forcing herself not to grimace as she slowly got to her feet.

"Very good." He nodded. "You will come with me."

Clearing her throat, she asked, "Where are we going? And where is my daughter?"

He didn't acknowledge her questions, just turned on his heel and began walking away. Kathryn huffed and began walking stiffly after him. She noticed all the guards around her, seemed primed and ready for a fight. Considering the last interaction they'd had with her, she couldn't blame them, but their jittery movements were making her nervous. "Relax, boys, I won't throw any punches if you don't."

One of the younger looking ones actually jumped at the sound of her voice and she slowly raised her hands in supplication. The guard on the right of her smirked at his companion and gestured for her to get moving, the plates covering his shoulders grated against each other at his movement. She couldn't help but wonder if they wore their armor all the time or was it just because of her. Reluctantly, with joints still stiff from the previous night, she began moving towards the side door where the man in robes was impatiently waiting. She could only hope that she would be able to find Maddie soon.


Kathryn paced the small room. She hated waiting. As best she could tell, four or five hours had passed since she'd been led out of the main hall, and apparently the king wanted her present for the afternoon's appointments. Or so she'd been told. No one deemed it necessary to tell her much of anything, but she had managed to find out that much. And, thankfully, she'd been able to see Maddie.

The bathhouse had left Kathryn feeling slimy. That had been the first place she'd been taken, and she'd been thrilled to find this kingdom did at least have the amenity of indoor plumbing. After that discovery, she'd been led to a different part of the same bathhouse where two women had silently waited on her, per the king's order. She was to bathe and dress in their custom, but after having been shown the room with the bath, Kathryn had at least been given the dignity of cleansing herself. Another small thing for which she'd been thankful. The oily scented liquid they used for bathing left a lot to be desired, and Kathryn thought to herself that if she ever made it out of this she'd never have dry skin again. The women had returned to her side to help her dress, and as it seemed a universal constant she'd been allowed to inspect her reflection.

She looked like she was about to attend some ancient Greek festival. The clothing was an odd mix between revealing and ceremonial. It was gathered at her right shoulder and her left hip with the pleated material sweeping tightly across her chest, but leaving a good portion of her midriff exposed. Her left shoulder and arm were bare while her right arm was covered all the way down to her fingertips. A loose skirt hung low on her hips and reached all the way to her sandaled feet. Kathryn automatically found herself straightening and consciously tightening her abdominals. She was not at the age where she enjoyed showing off her less than firm middle, however, she was pleased to note that without Milo's continued treatments the color of her skin seemed to be returning to normal. She could even see a few freckles again.

After the bath, she'd been brought to a dining hall with an extraordinarily long table. Taking the seat indicated, while trying to ignore the contingent of guards following her every move, she'd been served a hollowed out bread bowl with a hearty stew filling it. The spice of the first few bites had made her eyes water, but after that it had become palatable. As she was finishing, the man in robes appeared again at her side. So far he'd come and gone, leading her from one place to the next, never answering her questions and never staying long, unlike the guards who were like unwanted shadows. She was thankful they'd at least stayed outside the bathhouse.

"Because you have cooperated, you will now be taken to see your young," he announced.

It had taken a lot of effort not to jump out of the chair and hug the man at his proclamation. Instead she rose calmly and followed him. They walked through an open air hall, and Kathryn managed to see a glimpse of trees and foliage before they entered yet another part of the vast building that she could only think of as a castle. The smells of spices and cooking meat assaulted her, and she had to crinkle her nose to keep from sneezing. The man in robes was talking to a rather robust woman that seemed to be sizing Kathryn up, before she nodded and motioned with her hand for Kathryn to move further inside. Apparently, this was her kitchen.

"So this one is yours?" the woman asked and Kathryn nodded, barely able to contain the relief that exploded in her chest at seeing Maddie sitting on a stool to the right of the woman, looking for all the world like she belonged there. She was safe.

"Of course, I'm safe, Mama," Maddie said, jumping up and answering the question that Kathryn hadn't realized she'd said aloud. She hugged her mother tightly around the waist.

Reveling in that simple knowledge, Kathryn couldn't help but kneel down so she could inspect her daughter for herself. She was a little dirty, but other than that, she appeared fine. "You're okay?"

Maddie nodded. "Yes, Mama." She could hear the concern in her mama's voice. It was the same way her voice always sounded rougher after the ship had been attacked. "Kala is teaching me how to cook. She was shocked you never taught me."

Kathryn smiled at the ease with which her daughter seemed to adapt. All of those years living on Voyager had left her very resilient. Kathryn glanced at the large woman still eyeing her. "Well, do you think we should tell her I was busy running a starship-"

Maddie clapped a hand over her mother's mouth, silencing her. "Shhh, no, Mama. We can't talk about that. The Prime Directive."

"What?" Kathryn was shocked. Obviously Milo had traded here before, surely they knew about…

But Maddie was shaking her head. "They don't know about space and Earth and all that. I asked, and Kala thought I was making up stories."

"Where does she think we come from?" Kathryn asked but was disappointed when her daughter simply shrugged. Knowing her time was limited, she pushed past the million questions this revelation had just created in her mind and got back to the business at hand. "Okay, what about you? Are you being treated okay? Were you cold last night?"

"Oh no, the dogs were like big furry blankets." Kathryn tried to hold back her distaste at the idea. Luckily, Maddie didn't notice. "Can we get one when we go home?"

"Of course," Kathryn agreed, ignoring the pain at the thought of whether or not they'd be going home any time soon. The image of her daughter several years older and still working in this kitchen flashed unbidden through her mind, and she had to stifle a gasp at the thought.

"We have to go. You are due in the hall."

The man in robes was already at the door, and Kathryn hugged Madelyn tight to her. "Keep doing what you're doing, honey. Be good and remember all the lessons we taught you."

"I will, Mama," Maddie whispered back to her. "Daddy will come."

"I know." Kathryn reluctantly stood, swallowing hard when she released Maddie. "I love you."

"Love you, too."

Kathryn nodded and said thank you to the woman named Kala who gave her a gruff nod before returning to her vegetables. She could only hope that meant the woman would continue to look after Maddie. The robed man cleared his throat, and Kathryn fixed her captain's mask in place before walking past him through the doors, making him hurry to get in front of her.

And now she was once again being presented to the king. She considered the ramifications of what Maddie had told her. This was a primitive culture, not that primitive as she thought of the drugs they'd given her, but not warp capable. How did the Prime Directive now affect her dealings here? Did it? All she was trying to do was survive and protect her daughter. Would she hesitate to use a phaser here or transport out if given the chance? Hell, no. Primitive or not, she and Maddie were in danger here. The king had said something before about demons; she'd be more than willing to make them believe she was the devil incarnate if it helped her escape. Prime Directive be damned.

The doors to the grand hall opened in front of her. At least this time she was fully cognizant of where she was and who she was meeting. This time the meeting would not go the same way as the first. She promised herself that much.