Lotos Days
By Penny A. Proctor

"All right, you can go home," Dr. Vela said, "but you have to remain sedentary for at least 48 hours. Your ribs and your lungs need rest to heal completely."

"Thanks," he said, fastening the shirt she had given him. He wasn't up to something that pulled over his head.

"Don't think you're fooling me. I know how stubborn you heroes can be, so I've arranged for a nurse to keep an eye on you." She raised a hand, signaling someone behind him.

"I don't need a nurse," he protested.

"I cook, too," Kathryn said from behind him, and he turned around.

Her skin was so pale it was almost translucent, and she had dark circles under her eyes, as if she had been awake the entire eighteen hours he had been in treatment. He was so struck by her appearance that his fingers fumbled with the fasteners.

"Here," she said, "let me." Moving closer, she moved her fingers quickly over the three remaining strips. Then she bowed her head until her forehead rested lightly against his shoulder.

He closed his arms around her, suddenly aware of the preciousness of life. She must have felt the same way, as she held him as carefully as if he were a gift. "Let's go home," she said.

Day 30 – Voyager

Crippled as she was, Voyager's bridge bustled with as much activity as if she were in orbit. "We are receiving data from the Delta Flyer," Ensign McMinn reported from the Ops station.

Sitting in the command chair and feeling damned uncomfortable in it, Tom Paris nodded. "Begin analyzing in accordance with the parameters from Commander Tuvok. Astrometrics, begin parallel analysis."

"Aye, sir," came the virtually simultaneous response from McMinn to his left and Megan Delaney over the comm system.

There was nothing to do now but sit back and wait. Tom had gained a lot of experience in waiting over the past few weeks, but he still didn't like it. He would have preferred to be on the Delta Flyer with Tuvok and the others, no matter how crowded the smaller ship had become. No, scratch that, he thought, he would be prefer to be on the Flyer with Tuvok sitting right here, on Voyager's bridge.

After correlating all the data from the three investigators, it had become clear that ships from all three worlds – the Vordai, the Grevel-Ash and the Minenne – had been disappearing from the same corridor of space for the past three years. Until now, none of the worlds had admitted it publicly or checked with one another for possible explanations. Even now that they realized they had a common problem, they were too suspicious of one another to let one world or another take the lead in the investigation.

The situation had come to a head when the Flyer reached the last confirmed position of the missing shuttle. Tuvok has suggested that a specialized scan of the area might yield new clues. However, a scan of the nature he proposed was beyond the capacity of the Flyer. Since the Vordai possessed the most sophisticated scanning technology, he requested the assistance of a Vordai ship – which was promptly rejected by the other two representatives.

As the situation threatened to deteriorate from bickering to actual hostility, Tuvok suggested an alternative plan. The Flyer could scan the area and relay information back to Voyager for analysis. As a neutral party, Voyager posed no threat to the security of any of their worlds.

And so, Tom Paris sat and waited while data streamed from the Flyer to Voyager and other people monitored and analyzed it. He hated waiting.

Then McMinn shouted from the Ops station, "I think I've found something."

Tom looked up at the young woman and saw that her face was pink with excitement. "What have you got, Jamie?"

"It's very faint, but I think it's a coherent path of polarized hadron particles."

Tom hit the comm system. "Astrometrics, can you confirm an apparent path of polarized hadron particles?"

"Confirmed, Lieutenant," Megan Delaney replied.

The Delaneys and Icheb had spent the past three days recalibrating the system to detect even subatomic residue from the missing shuttle. It might be paying off, Tom thought, trying to contain his excitement; polarized hadron particles were a by-product of class 2 shuttle engines, and Voyager's shuttles, rebuilt several times, tended to leak more than the norm. "I'm going to Astrometrics," he said rising. "I want a comm link open to Tuvok by the time I get there. "Mr. Ayala, you have the bridge."

He almost ran from the turbolift to the Astrometrics Lab. Everyone working in the Lab was staring at the display. It showed an intermittent trail of particles, enhanced to a glowing red by the computer, that ended abruptly. "Bingo," Tom said softly. Relay this data to the Flyer. Tuvok, stand by to receive our report. I think we've found the trail."

"Very good, Mr. Paris. The report is coming in now," Tuvok's voice came over the comm system.

"It's definitely residue from a ship," Jenny said. "The thing is, there is no way to be certain that it came from our shuttle."

"Excuse me." A different voice came over the comm system. Tom touched a control on the main console and the screen split in two, showing the particle trail on the right and the Delta Flyer on the left. The speaker was the Vordai investigator, a short, slender being of indeterminate gender named Lam. "We may be able to help in that regard. No Vordai ship would leave such a residue. Our engine designs are quite different from yours - there is no dilithium in our systems."

"It could theoretically be Grevel-Ash," said Dasson Vre, the Grevel-Ash investigator, "but we've had no military or commercial traffic in this sector for six weeks. It would have to have been an unauthorized ship." Her tone implied that no self-respecting Grevel-Ash pilot would dare make an unauthorized flight.

"What about the Minenne?" Tuvok turned to Shertra, who was frowning deeply.

"No, it could not be Minenne." He offered no explanation. "Commander Tuvok, the trail ends abruptly. It does not dissipate or scatter, it simply ends. Could your ship have been destroyed?"

The question caused Tom's heart to turn over. Icheb spoke up quickly. "It is extremely unlikely, Investigator Shertra. Had the ship been destroyed, the distribution of the particles would be very different, covering a larger area and dispersed in a more random fashion."

"What caused that abrupt end, then?" Dasson Vre asked.

"The logical hypothesis is that the shuttle's engines went off line at that point," Tuvok said.

"Then where did it go?" Lam, the Vordai, asked. "It didn't just disappear."

"Not without engines," Tom said. "It must have been taken aboard another ship."

Shertra made a small hissing sound. "Can you adjust your scanners to search for traces of orium dihydronase?" The other two investigators looked at him in surprise.

Voyager's crew looked confused. "We have no data on that substance," Tuvok said. "What is it?"

After a glance at his fellow investigators, he said, "It is a by-product of Gunrath'u warp engines. They use an orium-based fuel in their larger ships."

Tom looked at Dasson Vre and Lam. Their faces had gone carefully blank. "You all think the Gunrath'u are behind this, don't you?"

None of them spoke at first, but finally Shertra replied. "The Minenne have lost about a dozen small scout and cargo ships in this sector over the past three years. The presence of my counterparts from Vordai and Grevel-Ash leads me to believe that they can say the same. It is possible that the ships have been singularly unlucky. But the Minenne are not in a position to accuse anyone without proof. If you can locate an orium dihydronase trail, our governments will at least have something to discuss with the Oligarchy."

"Can you give us a molecular diagram of this stuff?" Megan asked. "Maybe we know it by a different name."

"I am not a scientist, and in any event, the Gunrath'u regard the formula for their fuel to be a military secret."

Tom looked at him pointedly. "She didn't ask for the formula. She asked for a molecular diagram."

"I understand," Shertra said, "but even that is considered classified."

Dasson Vre coughed. "I, ah, may be of some assistance with this. Delta Flyer, stand by to receive a transmission."

Twenty minutes later, Icheb said, "Beginning the new analysis."

Almost immediately, a bright yellow trail lit on the display. It originated from the right of the screen, traveled to the end of the shuttle's red path, then turned 90 degrees and ran off the top of the screen.

Tom managed not to whistle. He gestured to Megan to send the data. "We definitely found something, Tuvok."

Tuvok's eyes narrowed slightly as he reviewed the new data, a change that suddenly made him look grim and dangerous. "I believe," he said slowly, "that we now have a viable theory."

Day 36 – Gunrath

Pounding, ringing, shouting. "Kathryn! Let me in, please! Chakotay! Please!"

It was Emanni, sounding hysterical. Kathryn rolled out of bed and ran to the door without even grabbing a robe to cover her nightshirt. The Minenne woman practically collapsed on her, sobbing.

"Emanni, what is it? What happened?" she asked, leading her friend to the main room. Chakotay came out to help ease her on to a chair. "Has something happened to Hrano?"

Emanni lifted her head, her eyes glowing deep orange, and her words tumbled out so quickly it was hard to understand her. "I remember. I remember it all. They lied to us. It's all a lie. It's all a lie."

Kathryn knelt beside the chair. "All right," she said soothingly. "You need to slow down. Take some deep breaths."

"How did you get here?" Chakotay asked. "It's after curfew."

"What?" Emanni turned to him, and looked at him blankly. "Curfew?"

"It's after curfew," he repeated patiently. "How did you get here?"

"I - I ran," she said. The question seemed to be helping her focus. "I had to get away from Hrano. I didn't see any guards." She took a huge gulp of air and then seemed to settle down a little bit. "I remembered everything. At first I thought it was a dream but then I woke up and it all came back to me." She grabbed Kathryn's hand. "I'm not a convict. I'm a pilot for the Minenne Star Navy. Pilot First Class Emanni ad Vienne of the scout ship Seeker. My ship was stopped illegally by a Gunrath'u warship and we were taken prisoner for no reason."

Kathryn swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. "Are you sure? Couldn't it have been a dream?"

"It's my whole life. My parents, my sibs, my schooling... no, it's not a dream." Her face twisted into something like a snarl. "The Oligarchy can't be trusted. We're taught that as children. They had to wipe our memories to get us to work for them."

The door chime sounded again, and kept sounding as if someone were leaning on it.

"If that's Hrano –" Emanni began.

"Did he threaten you?" Chakotay asked.

"No, he didn't say anything, nothing at all. He just ... looked at me."

The chime kept sounding. He stood. "I'll go."

Emanni closed her eyes and looked away, but said nothing.

Kathryn positioned herself on the arm of the chair where Emanni sat, creating a partial shield for the distraught woman. She was feeling stunned by what she had heard, and uncertain what to believe.

Chakotay returned, bringing Hrano with him. Emanni's eyes darkened to red, and with a snarl she suddenly leapt from the chair and attacked her husband, her hand pounding against his chest.

Kathryn moved swiftly, grabbing her friend from behind and tugging her back, while Chakotay tried to pull Hrano away. Hrano, meanwhile, was trying to catch Emanni's hands and stop the assault. When none of them were successful, Kathryn changed tactics; she took hold of Emanni's right arm and forced it up her back, and leveraged her to the side. Chakotay took advantage of the moment to pull Hrano back.

Emanni howled in frustration and struggled against Kathryn's grip. Her fingernails, always pointed, had extended into claws, and her free hand raked bloody trails across Kathryn's arm. Surprised, Kathryn increased the pressure on the arm she held. "Stop it," she said. "Stop it now."

The authority in her own voice surprised her, and apparently surprised Emanni as well, because she stopped struggling and blinked. Her free hand dropped to her side and the claws retracted. For a moment, Emanni's heavy breathing was the only sound in the room.

"Tell them," she finally said. Her eyes had faded to dull orange but her voice was ragged. "Tell them."

Hrano glanced at Chakotay and then at Kathryn before looking evenly at his wife. "It's true.. None of you belong here. You were abducted illegally and brought here."

Once again, the room fell silent. They stood, frozen and unmoving. Kathryn felt preternaturally aware of her surroundings, of Emanni's tensed body, of the anger in Chakotay's eyes, of the sticky trickle of blood on her arm. It was as if time had slowed down to let the ramifications of Hrano's words sank in.

"Why?" Chakotay asked hoarsely, and the moment was over; time snapped back to its normal pace.

"The Oligarchy needed workers." He kept his voice level and his eyes fixed on his wife. "We took more losses in the Minenne War than were disclosed. Then, five years ago, an epidemic killed hundreds in the labor class. If other worlds know we're vulnerable, war will begin again."

Kathryn tightened her grip on Emanni as the claws extended again. "And that gives you the right to make us slaves?"

"No. It doesn't. What we're doing is wrong and I'm ashamed to be part of it."

Emanni made a spitting sound, but no move toward him. The claws retracted again.

"You should go now," Chakotay said.

"Not yet. Please." Hrano turned to him. "I want to explain."

"We've heard enough."

"Let him speak." Kathryn glared at Chakotay, then let Emanni go and glared at her as well. "He's the only one of us who knows the whole truth."

Chakotay looked unhappy but didn't argue; he stepped away from Hrano as if distancing himself from a bad smell. Emanni turned and laid two hands against the wall, bracing herself with her head bowed.

"All right," Kathryn said. "Everyone is calm now. Explain."

Hrano took a deep breath and pressed a hand to his chest. "I was in the military during the Minenne War – every adult Gunrath'u was required to serve in some capacity. I'm not much of a soldier, so they put me in administration. I am very good at administrative details."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Chakotay asked harshly.

"I was so good they made me aide to General Tenglis."

Emanni sucked in her breath, making a hissing noise. "You know Tenglis?"

"Yes." Hrano cocked his head. "How do you think I got permission to marry you? It was completely against regulations. I had to get special permission from an Oligarch. The General finally gave his consent but more or less disowned me. I can't go back to him for anything more."

Kathryn said, "Hrano, get back to the point."

"Oh. Sorry. Anyway, I was Tenglis's aide. When he told me about his idea for rebuilding the labor class, I thought it was for the greater good. The only thing holding this sector together is the perception of Gunrath'u's strength. If the truth were known, the Grevel-Ash and the Vordai would be at each other's throats in an instant. Emanni, you know that's true."

She did not answer him. He turned to appeal to Chakotay.

"I lost my entire family in the last war – my wife, my parents, grandparents, brothers, everyone. And serving with Tenglis, I saw the destruction on both sides. When he told me about it, I thought that keeping the peace was worth the sacrifice of a few hundred lives."

"I doubt they felt the same," Chakotay said quietly.

For the first time, Hrano's face betrayed an emotion as his mouth twisted into a self-mocking smile. "That didn't occur to me then. There weren't that many people involved; they only go after small ships, and only when the need is crucial. It didn't seem to be that much of a sacrifice. Everyone was alive, well-treated, even happy. I told myself that we took people against their will but we gave them a good life."

"A false life." Emanni spoke quietly, but the bitterness carried clearly.

"A new life. They weren't particularly important to me – they had been our enemies only a few years before – and whatever they left behind wasn't real to me – until..." he looked at his wife. "Emanni, I loved you from the first time you smiled at me. Do you remember? It was at the end of the first interview. You'd been so despairing when you walked in and by the time we finished talking, you were smiling. You were the first one who was real to me."

Without looking at him, Emanni said, "But you didn't do anything about it. You just went on lying."

"What was I supposed to do?" he snapped. "I'm not in the military any more, I'm just a low level functionary. If I'd gone through channels they would have removed me – it's in Directive Alpha-6. If I'd gone public, they would have killed the prisoners to protect themselves. All they have to do is turn off the central transmitter and the suppression chips will self-destruct. It's in Directive Alpha-13."

"You could have gone to Tenglis," she said bitterly. "If he was your friend, you could have tried to make him see how wrong this is."

Hrano chuckled bitterly. "I was his aide, not his friend. The General does not listen to former aides and he does not change his mind. He trusted me enough to give me this job in the first place. Once I asked permission to marry you that trust eroded. Vela watches me like a lab rat, and so do half the Directors. If I so much as hint that I sympathize with the prisoners, I'll be transferred or killed."

"Why did you marry me? What were you thinking?" Emanni's voice sounded raw. "Didn't you realize how I would feel if I ever remembered?"

"But I didn't think you would. The memory wipe has only failed once before, and Vela swore it was a fluke, a one-of-a-kind happenstance." He paused, then added, "And I guess I thought – I hoped – you would love me enough to listen to me, and forgive me."

Emanni turned slowly and faced him. Her eyes were tinged with green. "Did you know I have a son? He must think I'm dead."

He paled. "No. I didn't. They don't give me any histories."

Kathryn looked at him closely. He'd kept his hand pressed to his chest and a dark stain was beginning to spread below his palm. Emanni's claws must have inflicted more damage than anyone realized. "You're bleeding," she said.

"It's nothing."

Emanni blinked, and the last of the anger in her vanished. "Oh, sit down and let me see," she said, sounding resigned.

He dropped heavily on to the sofa, sagging backward. As Emanni went to him, Kathryn moved to stand near Chakotay. He was almost rigid with tension and she rubbed his arm gently.

Emanni opened Hrano's jacket, revealing a shredded shirt and bleeding stripes across his chest. "Oh," she murmured. "Look what I did." Then her face crumbled and she started to weep, covering her face with her hands and rocking back and forth.

Hrano touched her shoulder tentatively. With a small cry, she buried her face into his shoulder. His arms closed around her and he nuzzled his cheek against the soft fur of her head. She held herself tightly, not responding to him, but she didn't push him away. "I'm sorry," he whispered. His eyes closed. "I'm so sorry."