Chapter 3

 

After the communications link was terminated B’Elanna got her first full look at the impressive Ikonian leader. Shoya was tall by human standards and sported ebony hair and wings. Her eyes were a verdant green and she was just as muscular as all of the other Ikonians B’Elanna had seen, but it was her uniform that made Shoya stand out. Everyone else seemed to wear clothes that blended somehow with their appearance. The First Flyer wore a snow-white unitard that gave Seven’s cat suits a run for their money. It was form fitting and showed off her assets quite nicely in B’Elanna’s estimation. Even the heavily soled boots were white and only the gold belt around her tiny waist broke up the whole vision. A small canvas pouch hung from the belt and B’Elanna could only guess as to its function. Looking around she noticed that all other Ikonians present also wore a similar pouch.

 

"Is there any way I can assist you?" Torres asked politely. "I don’t want to seem forward and I know your people can probably fly in a lot easier if they don’t have to deal with me, but I’d really like to help."

 

"I appreciate your diplomacy, but I assure you there is no need for it. We thought you might wish to assist in the recovery effort and we would be happy for your help. I have a rescue team already searching for your friends and another team ready to be dispatched. I’ll take you to the transport center. From there we will travel to the staging area."

 

The look on B’Elanna’s face actually made the First Flyer laugh out loud. "No, I won’t be carrying you. The transport center is only a few blocks from here. Our offspring’s wings are often not strong enough to carry them until they reach puberty so we have hover sleds for them and for any Ikonians that do not wish to fly."

 

"Lead the way." B’Elanna was slightly embarrassed, but covered it nicely by asking about the Chthonians and their motives for the unprovoked attacks.

 

"Borea, please join us. There may be need for a healer," Shoya said before she answered B’Elanna’s questions. "The Chthonians have been attacking us on and off for centuries, but with our advanced technology they rarely cause any significant damage."

 

They left what turned out to be a palace of sorts and walked out into a main courtyard. The suns were already low on the horizon and B’Elanna was worried by the lack of daylight remaining for a search, but she kept silent as she listened to a small piece of Ikonian history.

 

"As I’m sure you know, there are certain minerals in the planets and moons of our systems that prevent complete scans, but we can usually detect the invaders by the time they come around Ikonia’s twelfth moon. It’s enough of a warning for us to raise our defense nets."

 

"Let me get this straight, First Flyer," Torres said. "The Ikonians have warp capability and advanced defensive networks, right?"

 

"Yes."

 

"I assume that means you also have more advanced weapons than the Chthonians?"

 

"Of course. Are you wondering why we don’t destroy them?"

 

Shoya looked slightly amused and B’Elanna had to squash her rising irritation. How could a species as advanced as the Ikonians tolerate constant attacks from a species that were essentially a bunch of thugs?

 

"Yes!" she blurted. "No offense, First Flyer, but why would you allow them to keep waging war if you have the ability to stop all this?"

 

"No offense taken. The Chthonians present no danger to us. We have ample warning before they reach Ikonia and any damage they do cause is limited to outlying areas, usually a field or remote barn. There is no call for loss of life over so trivial an incursion."

 

"What about loss of life to the Ikonians? How can that be trivial?" As a Klingon, or even half Klingon, she was stunned that these people wouldn’t retaliate.

 

"Lieutenant, Ikonia has not lost a single citizen since the first Chthonian attack and that was a very long time ago."

 

Torres raised her eyebrows, but refrained from further comment. If a bunch of pacifists didn’t mind being attacked on a regular basis it was no skin off her nose, but as long as her crewmates were being threatened B’Elanna was going to fight back.

 

They arrived at the transport center and Shoya introduced her to the lead operator.

 

"Lieutenant Torres of the Nemo this is our main transport operator, Charun."

 

Charun was the first Ikonian B’Elanna met that wasn’t muscular or particularly beautiful. Although tall, he sported a rather large hump on his back and large, elongated ears. His skin had a leathery texture and only a few tufts of hair sprouted from his head. Instead of the chiseled frame Torres had almost become accustomed to Charun carried a rotund belly that strained at the front of his leather jerkin. But when he smiled it changed his appearance completely. Charun’s eyes were a pale brown, almost yellow, and danced with mirth.

 

"Welcome to Ikonia. We don’t get many visitors here."

 

"Uh, thanks."

 

The transport operator turned to Shoya to update her. "Rescue team one still hasn’t found anything, but it’s slow going with all of the Chthonian patrols and the interference to the scanners. Also, the battle with the alien shuttle took place over a large area so team one is searching in a grid pattern. Rhea, Jemm and Eos went into the jungle on foot, Oceanus is checking the rivers in the region and Alecto is flying patrol."

 

"And the second team?"

 

"Standing by at the staging area."

 

"Well, let’s not keep them waiting."

 

Shoya led the way onto a small hover sled followed closely by Torres and Charun. The sides of the craft were a meter high and the controls were set low on a small console. Charun stepped toward the front of the console and began to power up the systems. It was then that B’Elanna noticed Borea wasn’t with them. The blue-tinted woman was standing beside them but showed no intention of joining the group on the sled.

 

"Aren’t you coming?"

 

Borea smiled and said, "Yes, and sometimes taking a hover transport is nice if I want to rest, but today I think I prefer a more natural means of travel."

 

Torres expected Borea to launch herself into the air, but noticed there were no convenient drops nearby. For a creature the size of a humanoid considerable lift would be needed to allow for a take off. The easiest way for that to happen would be to step off a precipice, but the transport center was on flat ground. B’Elanna had learned about Bernoulli’s Theorem concerning bird flight many years ago and a lot of her knowledge was rusty, but it didn’t look like that was what Borea was doing. Instead it looked like the young woman was about to try and push a boulder up a hill.

 

Borea stood with both arms outstretched in front of her, palms extended. One foot was placed forward with the knee bent while the other was stretched into a rigid stance slightly behind as though she expected resistance. B’Elanna was about to ask the healer what she was doing when something happened that made her eyes bulge and her mouth drop open as she gasped in astonishment.

 

Jets of a white substance shot from the palms of Borea’s hands. The white substance formed a hard surface about eight centimeters thick and B’Elanna suddenly realized it was a sheet of ice. Borea skated easily on the ice with her smooth soled boots and rose steadily into the air. The healer was tucked forward in a speed skater’s stance and she was using her powerful wings to provide additional thrust. Torres realized that they were rising at the same time and the hover sled had left the ground without her realizing it, keeping pace with Borea as she traveled alongside them at what B’Elanna estimated to be around eighty kilometers per hour.

 

She watched the ‘Ice Queen’ for a few moments and noticed that the woman’s speed and the friction she generated caused the ice to melt approximately three feet behind her. As fast as Borea was laying the ice out in front of her, it was melting behind her and falling down as rain. That was nifty. At least the ice wouldn’t break apart in mid air and crush someone as it collapsed!

 

"What…? How…?"

 

Turning astonished eyes toward the First Flyer, the Klingon could only stare dazedly and hope for an explanation that proved she hadn’t really hit her head somewhere along the way.

 

"I take it your people do not have individual abilities such as these?"

 

There was a hint of humor in the leader’s eyes and B’Elanna had the feeling they were enjoying her reaction.

 

"You could say that. How is this possible? I’ve never seen anything like it!"

 

Shoya laughed before she finally relented and tried to explain. "I guess you could call it an emergent property. When our people first settled on this world centuries ago they didn’t have these powers either. It was only when children started being born that the scientists learned the twin suns of Ikonia had an unexpected side-effect."

 

"A mutation?" B’Elanna gasped. She couldn’t even imagine how the ancient Ikonians must have felt. The alterations could just as easily have been negative as positive. Why had they stayed here?

 

"Not a mutation," Shoya corrected. "More like an enhancement of each child’s natural genetic abilities or inclinations. For example, if someone was naturally inclined to be a good swimmer they might have the ability to breathe underwater. If someone had a special link to the earth they might be able to communicate with animals; that sort of thing."

 

Torres let out her breath in a rush, trying desperately to wrap her mind around all this information. "Have you ever had anything bad develop? Are there any patterns?"

 

Shoya smiled, thrilled that her young alien visitor wasn’t repulsed by the Ikonian powers, but seemed fascinated instead. "No, nothing bad has ever developed. And yes there are patterns. Most of the Ikonian abilities seem tied in with the four elements; earth, water, wind and fire."

 

"Most? What are the exceptions?"

 

Shrugging an elegant shoulder the leader answered, "Oh, Jemm can manipulate the time stream and give us glimpses of the past and future. My mate, Erebus, has an extremely high IQ and a talent for futuristic sciences. He’s also quite good at blending into shadows."

 

"I see." B’Elanna looked over at Borea riding alongside them and another thought struck her. "Is that why her skin is so blue? When I first woke up I thought she must have been freezing."

 

"Yes, many times an individual’s features hint at their genetic talents."

 

B’Elanna had a lot to think about and realized there was much they still didn’t know about their hosts. Captain Janeway would be expecting a full report and on the heels of this latest information the engineer thought she should ask more questions.

 

"You said your people settled here centuries ago. What did they do before that?"

 

Shoya looked away from the console readout and said easily, "For many years they traveled on generational ships, exploring all corners of the known universe."

 

Wow! That could present possibilities. If the Ikonians had faster than warp travel…

 

"Did they use slipstream or transwarp propulsion or some kind of conduit system?"

 

"No, merely conventional warp drives. But they were explorers and wanted to see the universe, to meet new species and learn from them. For generations they traveled until they began to desire solid ground beneath their feet. They wanted to feel the wind in their wings again. The origin of the Ikonians has been lost in obscurity and we no longer wish to reach for the stars, even if we do still have the capability. We maintain warp capable vessels at the transport center although they are used infrequently."

 

Finally feeling overwhelmed B’Elanna grew silent for the rest of the trip, watching the wind whip through Borea’s hair and thinking. She listened absently to Shoya and Charun’s conversation, paying attention only when she heard the transport operator ask a question.

 

"Where’s Artemis? I haven’t seen her around lately."

 

"She’s with her father; studying at the hall of records. I sent word after the Chthonian attack, but I haven’t heard from her yet. I’m sure she’ll get here as soon as possible. You know Artemis; she won’t miss a chance to help if she can. Ah…we’re here!"

 

The hover sled drifted toward a small multi-colored group on the surface while Borea changed the angle of her ice projection into a slide. She was on the ground before the transport and saying hello to the others.

 

B’Elanna watched Borea pull a ration cube of some sort out of the pouch at her waist. She nibbled at the treat while speaking with the others and B’Elanna wondered how many calories the Ikonians managed to burn up when the utilized their abilities. Flying alone would require a tremendous amount of energy and with the other powers thrown in it was no wonder they were all so well muscled.

Torres considered the five individuals and their various colors with new eyes as Shoya introduced them.

 

"This is team two. You know Borea and the others are Latinus, Cloe, Hekate and Hermera."

 

Hermera?

 

B’Elanna locked eyes with a fiery redhead when she heard the name. She stepped forward and held out a hand, which Hermera took after a second of confusion. "So you’re the one who saved me? Thank you."

 

She took in the red hair and bright wings and couldn’t resist asking, "Red, huh? Does that mean you control fire?"

 

Hermera’s complexion took on a ruddy cast as she blushed shyly before replying, "I prefer the term manipulate."

 

"Impressive." Torres looked around and realized how quiet it was. Then she remembered the Chthonians and understood why. The Ikonians were being attacked by an alien race simply because they were viewed as aberrations. She had assumed it was because they could fly, but now it looked like there was a larger picture. All things considered it was a pretty good bet the Ikonians were waiting to see how she would react.

 

"I can’t even imagine having such wonderful abilities. I envy you."

 

Her heartfelt words were all that was needed to break the tension. The others smiled and stepped forward to speak with her.

 

"Don’t worry," the man introduced as Latinus said. "We’ll find your friends."

 

B’Elanna tried not to be too obvious as she studied his features. With elongated pupils and iridescent skin he reminded her of a reptile. Definitely an earth ability. Another young woman called Cloe didn’t have any particularly obvious markings. Her skin, hair and wings were a beautiful ebony, but she didn’t sport scales or fur.

 

Curious in spite of herself B’Elanna asked, "So, what can you do?"

 

Cloe smiled and winked. Suddenly she morphed and there was a huge leopard sitting on the ground in her place.

 

"You’re a shape-shifter!" B’Elanna exclaimed in delight; at least that was something she was familiar with. Cloe shifted back to her human form and shared a grin with the engineer.

 

Shoya allowed a few moments for the engineer to adjust before she decided it was time to get back to business. The Chthonians had patrols not far away and she intended to avoid them at all costs. This was extremely unusual since the enemy didn’t normally land on Ikonia or send atmospheric vessels into the Ikonian sky. They attacked from the air on large, space-worthy craft while the defensive network was in place and took off again. This was the only time in Ikonian history that the Chthonians had sent in ground troops. Shoya could only surmise that because the enemy had discovered an off-world craft and attacked it they were now trying to capture those aliens. It would be the first time in centuries someone was outside the defensive shields when the planet was attacked.

 

As an Ikonian Shoya would not take a life unless it was to protect another, but as a leader she understood that sometimes war necessitated these things. For centuries they had managed to avoid bloodshed, but this was the first time off-world visitors had been drawn into the fray. The rules had changed and she wasn’t quite sure how she would explain that to her peace-loving people if it should come to that.

 

Before she could speak movement at the edge of the clearing caught their attention and five strangers stepped into their midst. They were easily identified as Ikonian.

 

"Oceanus, anything?" Shoya asked briefly.

 

It was easy enough to see his abilities, B’Elanna thought. The sea-foam green of his scales was a dead giveaway and she remembered Charun telling Shoya that the man had been checking the rivers in the area. Although he was giving the report B’Elanna’s eyes were drawn to a silent female standing near the back of the group. This was the only Ikonian whose wing and hair color did not match. Her hair was white-blonde, but her wings were midnight black. The woman’s eyes and flesh were almost the same color and if not for the very narrow band of blue around the irises her eyes would have seemed solid white. Torres forced her curious gaze from the stranger and back on to Oceanus as he gave his report.

 

"Nothing so far," he answered in a melodious voice. "We started searching here where Hermera caught the ali…uh, visitor and moved out where both craft were last seen, but it’s a big area. We barely finished grid one."

 

Shoya nodded. "Understood. I’m sure avoiding the Chthonian patrols isn’t helping matters. Team two will take over. Get some rest."

 

Oceanus dipped his head briefly. "We’ll take up the search again in twelve hours."

 

His group left quietly while Shoya turned to the fresh team. "Lieutenant Torres, please accompany Hekate. She will be taking a hover sled and scanning the area. Perhaps you will spot something familiar. Everyone else fan out in a standard search pattern. We’ll start on grid two and be relieved by another team in six hours. Is everyone clear?"

 

"Yes, Shoya."

 

"Yes, ma’am."

 

Shoya took to the air along with Hermera and Latinus. Borea set off on another sheet of ice and B’Elanna was left alone with a small brunette. The woman’s skin tones were neutral despite her dark hair and tiny wings, but there didn’t seem to be anything significant about her.

 

"Come on," Hekate said softly and led the way to a small hover sled.

 

B’Elanna joined the other woman on the transport and waited while they lifted off. Immediately her eyes started scanning the jungle around them even though she knew Seven and the others weren’t nearby.

 

"Oceanus? Said this was where Hermera caught me, right?"

 

"Yes."

 

Torres remembered the bouncy ride in the Stingray before she had been sucked through the rent in the side and tried to think which way they had been traveling.

 

"I think that way," she said pointing to a more easterly direction.

 

Hekate silently changed course and they flew slowly so they wouldn’t miss anything. They were very close to the tree line and the Klingon thought it was so the Chthonians wouldn’t spot them.

 

"You don’t fly?" B’Elanna asked, more to fill the silence than any real need for information.

 

"My wings are too small to carry me."

 

If the Ikonian was upset about her lot in life B’Elanna couldn’t hear it in her voice. "Doesn’t seem to bother you much."

 

"My other gifts make up for it."

 

"Like what?" she couldn’t resist asking.

 

Dark eyes considered B’Elanna briefly before Hekate made a small hand gesture. At first the Klingon didn’t understand, but then fat raindrops began to fall slowly on her head. B’Elanna glanced up and blinked in surprise. A small storm cloud hung directly over her head and in seconds began to pour rain.

 

"Sorry I asked!" she said trying to duck out from under the small storm. "Make it stop!"

 

Hekate laughed and made another gesture to stop the tiny squall.

 

"You don’t look like a water person. Oops! Sorry, I don’t mean to be rude."

 

"It’s no problem," Hekate said, making a few minor course corrections and scanning the area intently. Although her gaze was on the canopy below she said, "And if you mean my coloring it’s because I can manipulate all four elements. Oh, not as much as someone born to one element but enough to get by."

 

B’Elanna was already drying off from the wind and residual heat of the setting suns. She had been hot before that little shower and would have to remember to keep her mouth shut about the heat around these people. Borea might turn her into an ice crystal!

They spent the next six hours searching in vain for the missing away team. Ikonian scanners were sophisticated even by Starfleet standards, but they still weren’t good enough to cut through all the interference from the mineral Hekate called nemolite. It didn’t help that they were also trying to avoid Chthonian patrols while searching in the dark.

 

The enemy patrol ships were too small to be called shuttles, but they seemed to be everywhere. Each time Hekate spotted one of the adversarial teams on sensors she would drop the hover sled to just above the trees and cut the lights. A few minutes later either a foot patrol would go by below or an enemy vessel would fly right across their path, the Chthonian scanners also proving quite useless. It was a tactic of sheer avoidance and had B’Elanna chafing at the loss of time. Turning the lights off and on was also playing havoc with her night vision and she spent most of the time simply trying to adjust. Considering how dense and dark the forest was B’Elanna thought they would have to run smack into the Stingray to find them.

 

Even the planetary alignment seemed to be working against them. Ikonia had twelve moons, but on this night only one was visible and it couldn’t shed enough light to cut through the heavy forest below. B’Elanna castigated herself thinking she should have been on the first search team while it was still light.

 

She refused to remember that would have been quite impossible since she was unconscious at the time.

 

When the allotted period for the second team’s search ended the headstrong Klingon refused to stop. "My friends could be in trouble; I can’t stop now! Seconds could make the difference."

 

"Lieutenant Torres, we will not stop searching," Hekate assured her. "The third team is already in place."

 

"Then let me go with them."

 

"I’m sorry, but you must eat and rest. You will do anyone little good if you collapse from exhaustion."

 

B’Elanna suppressed a hot response to the very idea of collapsing and realized her new friend had a point. She felt like she hadn’t eaten in days and there was someone she still needed to speak with.

 

"Fine. You win. But do you think it would be possible for me to contact my commanding officer?"

 

"Of course. You could use the communications link on the hover sled, but I think you’d be more comfortable calling your vessel from my quarters."

 

"We’re going to your place?" Not that B’Elanna minded, but her baser self couldn’t help wonder if she was being propositioned.

 

"Was there somewhere else you wished to stay?" Hekate asked innocently. "I’m sure Latinus would let you stay with him, but his home is in the ground."

 

"That’s okay. Your place is fine."

 

Latinus seemed like a nice enough guy, but the last thing Torres wanted was a night underground. All of this darkness was starting to give her the creeps and a little light would be a welcome relief.

 

Hekate used the same hover sled to transport them to her quarters in the main city. B’Elanna was relieved that it was a normal apartment with a living room, kitchen, two bedrooms and best of all a bathroom.

 

"Make yourself comfortable while I make dinner," Hekate told her. "When you’re ready the comm unit is in the corner."

 

After she finished relieving her bladder B’Elanna sat down at the communications terminal and quickly figured out the controls.

 

=Ώ=

"Crewman Jarok to Captain Janeway."

 

Kathryn Janeway set her book aside and responded to the beta shift comm officer. She wasn’t really reading, but finally had to leave the bridge to avoid driving her staff insane. Testy didn’t even come close to describing her mood the last few hours. She was still in her uniform, but had removed the red-shouldered jacket.

 

"Go ahead, Crewman."

 

"Incoming transmission from the planet, Captain. It’s Lieutenant Torres."

 

"Route it to my quarters."

 

Her terminal beeped and Janeway quickly activated the link, hoping that Seven and the others had been found.

 

"Report," she ordered as soon as she saw the familiar features.

 

"We haven’t found anything yet, Captain, but judging from the Chthonian patrols in the area I think that’s a good thing."

 

"How so?" the captain asked; unsure whether she should be relieved or terrified at this point.

 

"Well, from what I understand these Chthonians usually attack in strafing runs and then withdraw. The Ikonians are never outside the defensive networks in the main cities when they attack so there’s no reason to send in ground units."

 

"And you think the fact that they’ve done so now is significant?"

 

"Absolutely. Why send in a ground team if there’s nothing to look for?"

 

"All right, I’ll concede the invaders are looking for them, too. Do you have anything that leads you to believe the away team is alive?"

 

Janeway carefully squashed any hint of desperation in her voice. Now was the time for the captain and not the woman to be in charge; even if it felt like her heart was shattering without Seven beside her. Kathryn had been given this glimpse of agony before when Seven was so badly injured, but in a way it was worse not knowing anything.

 

"Sure, we haven’t found any wreckage. In fact we haven’t found anything that might be from the Stingray and that makes me think they’re holed up somewhere." B’Elanna glanced quickly over her shoulder to make sure no one was listening before she asked, "Permission to speak freely, Captain?"

 

"By all means, Lieutenant."

 

"These people, the Ikonians, are terrific, Captain. They remind me of those superheroes in one of Paris’ old cartoons, but they will not fight the Chthonians directly if they don’t have to. They spend more time avoiding enemy patrols than searching and it’s really slowing things down."

 

"So the only real chance the away team might have is Nemo."

 

"Not to put too fine a point on it, but yes."

 

B’Elanna spent a few minutes filling Janeway in on everything she had learned about the Ikonian people and their history and finished by saying, "I’ve been spending a lot of time with Hekate…"

 

"Hekate?" Janeway asked, startled by the familiarity of the name.

 

"Yes," Torres continued, missing the tone in her captain’s voice. "She says they’re not exactly pacifists, they just don’t like to fight unless there’s no other recourse. In fact a lot of them are trained extensively in what we would call martial arts. If we have to fight it out with the Chthonians Hekate says the Ikonians will help, but I’m just not sure we can count on that given their attitude toward violence."

 

"Understood. Lieutenant Jameson assures me the engine repairs are on schedule and should be completed in the next six hours. We’ll be underway as soon as she gives me the go ahead."

 

"That’s good news. We’re going to grab some shut-eye and head back out at first light. Maybe we’ll have better luck in the daylight."

 

"I hope so, B’Elanna. I truly hope so."

 

For the first time during the conversation Janeway let her command mask slip and show all the worry she was feeling for the away team, but more specifically for her beloved Seven.

 

"We’ll find them, Captain. On my honor we will and they’ll be fine. All of them."

 

"Thank you, B’Elanna."

 

The engineer started to reply, but Janeway caught movement behind her on the view screen. The sight of a lovely young brunette with small ebony wings took Janeway’s breath away. This must be Hekate. The woman wore what looked like a surfer’s body suit without leggings and Kathryn was astonished by the chiseled musculature of her thighs.

 

"Gotta go, Captain. It’s time for dinner. I’ll call you as soon as I know anything further."

 

"Understood. Janeway out."

 

Chapter 4

 

"What’s that smell?"

 

It had been nine hours since the cave in and Seven was astonished that Ensign Rosenfeld was just noticing the offensive odor.

 

"Guano. The bat cave is undoubtedly quite full of it." Apparently the entire colony had been disturbed by the ensign’s tactical light and chosen to flee. From the sheer number of bats that had exited the cavern prior to the rock fall Seven was convinced the only reason the air wasn’t already deadly was the high cavern ceiling. "The air will eventually become toxic."

 

They had been digging strenuously since Rosenfeld blasted the rocks loose overhead and an hour ago the young security officer had been forced to stop. Both of her hands were shredded by the sharp stones and without one of the medkits to repair her injuries she simply couldn’t continue.

 

"It smells like ammonia."

 

Seven nodded and continued to dig with her left hand. Her right was extensively damaged, but the Borg mesh protected the left and she couldn’t afford to stop. It was only Seven’s audacious strain of self-reliance that kept her going. At least they weren’t alone and with Paris and Buell shifting stones from the other side she hoped they would be free soon. Already the tactical lamp attached to Rosenfeld’s phaser rifle was beginning to run low and Seven didn’t relish being trapped in the inky darkness slowly suffocating to death.

 

"Bat caves typically contain high levels of methane, ammonia and carbon dioxide. You would not survive long contained inside such a cavern without a breathing apparatus."

 

"I’m sorry I freaked out. I guess they just surprised me."

 

Rosenfeld’s tone was conciliatory, but Seven was far from feeling benevolent. "Your actions were reckless. Once we are back on board Nemo I will notify Commander A’zal that you require further training."

 

The security officer’s stomach chose that moment to announce its presence, but Rosenfeld wisely refrained from further comment. There was nothing they could do about it anyway. All of the supplies had been left at the mouth of the cave and commenting on it would not improve the situation.

 

Seven ignored the other woman while she continued to work, but felt remorse for her outburst. It was true that Rosenfeld had made a mistake, but she had already expressed regret. It was unlikely that the officer would make a similar error in the future. Seven recalled the mistakes she had made on her path back to regaining her individuality, still made on occasion, and how forgiving Kathryn had been. Janeway had always been Seven’s example, her guide to humanity, and the former drone discovered she felt guilty for snapping at the security officer. Perhaps Ensign Rosenfeld was not the only one who had made a mistake.

 

Seven stopped shifting rock and turned around. Taking a deep breath she said, "I apologize, Ensign. I am…frustrated."

 

"It’s okay, Seven," Rosenfeld said, clearly surprised that Seven would apologize to her. "You’re right. My actions were reckless and I can promise that you won’t have to tell Commander A’zal. I’ll tell her myself."

 

Seven considered the ensign’s words and decided the matter was closed. She nodded once before she set to work again. By now even her Borg hand was becoming lacerated so Seven started using the blade of her hand to shift the rocks where possible. A few minutes later shale began trickling and bouncing down from the pile of rubble near the top and Seven reflexively glanced toward the ceiling. Several smaller rocks began to tumble and she realized they had moved enough stones that the mass had become unstable.

 

"Move away!"

 

Seven was pleased the ensign didn’t waste time trying to respond, but scooted toward the bat cave as far as possible. Wishing for the pile of stones to dislodge enough for an escape without crushing them, Seven was disappointed when all movement ceased after only a few seconds. Then she realized something significant had happened. Seven could barely see through the gloom with her enhanced vision, but it was definitely there.

 

"We are getting fresh air from the outside now," Seven said in a relieved voice.

 

"Are you sure?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Seven," Paris shouted from the other side. "Are you two okay?"

 

"We are unharmed, Lieutenant."

 

"Is there any way to push a medkit and some water through the opening?" Ensign Rosenfeld asked. "Our hands are torn up pretty bad from moving rocks."

 

"No. I’m sorry, but it’s too unstable. The whole thing might come down," Paris said. "We can’t chance it."

 

Although resigned to their current situation Seven decided she would not ask to be assigned to further away missions. It simply wasn’t worth being away from Kathryn when anything could happen to either of them.

 

"We require rest, Lieutenant," Seven finally said. "My nanoprobes will regenerate the flesh of my hands in a few hours, but Ensign Rosenfeld cannot continue until she has received medical attention."

 

"All right. We’ll take a break and get back to it in four hours."

 

Seven sat down against the rock wall and sighed tiredly. She had never become comfortable sitting since being severed from the Collective, but since her recent injuries aboard Nemo she tired more quickly. If Kathryn had known about that she never would have relented and let Seven accompany the away team to Ikonia, but Seven knew this mission was vital and hadn’t said anything. In addition to the unaccustomed fatigue she was also experiencing hunger more frequently.

 

Deciding there was nothing they could do about any part of their situation Seven closed her eyes and let her mind drift to thoughts of Kathryn; the blue of her eyes when she was happiest and the trademark lopsided grin that made Seven’s heart catch when she saw it and that was so characteristic of her partner. Seven wondered if it was too soon to escalate their relationship to the next level and how Kathryn would respond to a marriage proposal.

 

Or should she wait for Kathryn to initiate the next step?

 

Seven had asked the other woman to share her quarters, but really she had maneuvered Kathryn into it; using the excuse of cramped crew quarters aboard Nemo. Seven’s arguments had been logical and well thought out, but Kathryn had still initially resisted the idea. Through her research on human mating customs Seven understood that if an individual felt pressured they might begin to withdraw. Kathryn was fiercely independent and might possibly choose that course of action if she felt cornered. Such a possibility frightened Seven; she loved Kathryn far too much to take that chance and wasn’t convinced she could survive alone if Janeway decided to withdraw or terminate the relationship for any reason.

 

Finally deciding it simply wasn’t worth the risk Seven thought it best to let things continue as they were until Kathryn chose to escalate their relationship. Having resolved her inner conflict for the moment Seven allowed her body to completely relax for the first time in nineteen hours.

 

=Ω=

After a six-hour break B’Elanna and Hekate were back on the search at first light. Torres was stuffed to the gills from the breakfast Hekate had prepared and still amazed by the amount of food the diminutive woman could put away. Both last night and this morning Hekate had eaten enough for two Klingon warriors and was even now nibbling on a nutrient cube. B’Elanna would kill for a metabolism like that!

 

"We’ll have to be more careful with the suns out," the Ikonian observed, chewing absently as they flew away from Sedulous, the main Ikonian city. "The Chthonians may not have very advanced sensors, but if they see us we may not be able to avoid a direct confrontation."

 

B’Elanna was not in the mood for more failure and concentrated on visually scanning the forest below them intent on finding her missing crewmates. Eventually her thoughts began to wander and she was surprised to find where they had taken her. Since the argument with Tom the day before Karri Jameson seemed to be ever present in her mind. Deep green eyes and auburn hair combined with a lyrical voice pervaded the Klingon’s thoughts. Karri knew the away team was missing, even if B’Elanna wasn’t with them, and she wondered if the other woman was worried about her.

 

After being assigned aboard the Nautilus together Karri had made a few friendly overtures toward her that B’Elanna had politely, but pointedly refuted. Now, with her marriage over, B’Elanna found that she was considering something more with the other woman. Was it too late?

 

She remembered running into Karri on deck three a few weeks ago and the charge of electricity she had felt when their eyes connected. Even now she felt a surge through her midsection and knew that her love for the engineer had never faded. If the expression on Karri’s face at that time was anything to go by she still loved B’Elanna, too.

 

Torres knew that if she was the one missing Jameson would never give up until she found her and B’Elanna wasn’t about to give up on Seven.

 

They had been flying for about two almost silent hours when Hekate commented on the Klingon’s obviously tense demeanor. "I know you must be very worried for your friends, Lieutenant. I can only imagine how difficult this must be for you."

 

"Call me B’Elanna," the engineer said absently as she looked over the side of the hovercraft to the forest below. Maybe if she concentrated hard enough she could locate the missing Nemo crew through sheer force of will. Then again…

 

B’Elanna took a deep breath and said, "Yeah, it’s hard. My best friend and three of my crewmates are down there and I should be with them."

 

"You blame yourself?"

 

"Of course I do! If I had just fastened in to my seat none of this would have happened. The Chthonians wouldn’t be looking for them and we would be back on our ship by now!"

 

"You can’t know that," the Ikonian pointed out reasonably, unknowingly stoking the other woman’s ire.

 

"I know that if I were there they wouldn’t be defenseless against the Chthonians! I’m a warrior and I should be there to help protect them!"

 

"Are they really so helpless without you?" Hekate asked gently. "I find it hard to believe your captain would send defenseless crewmen away from her ship alone. And what of the friend you told me about? Is your friend also helpless?"

 

The question and resulting images that flashed through her head dissolved all of her anger in an instant. B’Elanna snorted at the thought of a helpless Seven of Nine.

 

"No. She’s the most capable person I know. She could probably wipe the floor with me, but don’t tell her I said so. I just wish I knew where they were, if they’re all right."

 

Hekate suddenly tensed and looked over the edge of the sled before she double-checked the scanners. "There’s something down there."

 

"What? Where? Are you sure?" Torres looked too, but didn’t see anything.

 

"I am sure that for a brief moment there was something on sensors."

 

"Is it a patrol?"

 

Hekate replayed the sensor logs and froze the image with the unusual readings. "No. It is not Chthonian. I have never seen readings like these before."

 

"It’s the shuttle," Torres said, leaning over the console. "I’d recognize the energy signature anywhere."

 

The other woman keyed the onboard communications unit and said, "Hekate to search team two. We’ve picked up readings from the Starfleet shuttle. It is in grid four, section thirty-two."

 

"Hey, is that wise? The Chthonians could have picked up that transmission, too! We should have checked it out ourselves first!"

 

The individuals on the search team each reported in on their headsets that they had received the transmission and would converge on the target location. If the Chthonians had missed the initial hail from the hover sled they would not have missed the five separate voices acknowledging Hekate’s call. Shaking her head in frustration B’Elanna could only clench her teeth and keep her eyes open for any Chthonian patrols.

 

"I am sorry, Lieutenant. I am not accustomed to thinking in a tactical manner."

 

There had been a time when B’Elanna would have ripped the young woman’s head off for such a stupid mistake without a second thought and although still aggravated by Hekate’s actions B’Elanna was no longer that person. It wasn’t Hekate’s fault that she wasn’t used to battling hostile aliens. That privilege seemed reserved for the Starfleet crew.

 

"It’s all right…and it’s B’Elanna, remember? Besides, we can’t do anything about it now. At least we’ve narrowed the search area."

 

"They would not have stayed with your shuttle?"

 

"No. The Stingray is just sitting there, which tells me they didn’t have any shields or forcefields. Otherwise they would have flown back into space. If they had stayed with the shuttle they would be easy targets for the Chthonians."

 

B’Elanna thought about Starfleet survival courses and considered how she would have responded had she been with the away team. They would have needed to get out of sight, but weren’t familiar with the Ikonian forest. With aggressive aliens on their tail and few alternatives she knew what she would do.

 

"Are there any caves in this area?"

 

"Yes, there are many caves, but scanners do not function well inside the earth."

 

"That’s my point. They’d try for somewhere protected on all sides where scanners wouldn’t work."

 

Hekate started to use her comm unit, but one look from B’Elanna was enough to stop her. "That way," she pointed.

 

She had just set the course for the cave when the communications channel activated loudly. Latinus reported excitedly, "I’ve found them! They’re in one of the Archon Caves."

 

B’Elanna cringed internally while Hekate acknowledged the communiqué. Then she asked, "Where is that? I need to contact Captain Janeway."

 

What does it matter now if the call is intercepted? The cat’s already out of the bag!

 

The other woman pulled up the coordinates on the navigational readout while Torres activated the con. "Torres to Captain Janeway."

 

Apparently the excitement in her voice transferred easily over the alien communications device. Captain Janeway’s face popped up instantly on the tiny view screen, her eyes wide in anticipation.

 

"What is it, Lieutenant?"

 

"We’ve found them, or at least Latinus has. We’re on our way to them now. I’m forwarding the coordinates to Nemo."

 

"I’ve got the coordinates, Captain," Ensign Kim stated from the rear of the bridge.

 

Janeway grinned and said, "Good work. We’ll rendezvous with you in approximately four point two hours."

 

The screen went blank and B’Elanna hung on as Hekate increased the speed of the hover sled toward the away team’s coordinates. After only a few moments Hekate reported, "There’s a Chthonian patrol directly ahead. They will be in visual range in thirty seconds. Dropping toward the tree line."

 

"How far is it to the caves?"

 

"Not far. Only two kilometers."

 

"Set us down. We’ll go in on foot and have a better chance to avoid the patrol than we would out in the open sky."

 

"Right."

 

The Ikonian quickly maneuvered them through the dense foliage and toward the forest floor. The hover sled landed with a slight bump and Hekate grabbed a headset, which was really a small device that slipped into her ear, so she could stay in communications with the other team members. Torres stepped off with all of her senses on alert.

 

She set off through the trees in the direction they had picked up the energy readings with Hekate close beside her. Her Ikonian friend might not be used to thinking tactically, but she had enough common sense to stay quiet in case they ran into an enemy patrol. It was easy to get turned around walking through the brush and B’Elanna wished she still had her tricorder to make sure they were headed in the right direction. It was too bad she had lost it when she had been yanked out of the Stingray.

 

B’Elanna spotted the duranium hull of the shuttle through the trees and started off toward the vessel when she heard a twig snap from a few meters away. She quickly dropped down, grabbing Hekate’s arm and pulling the other woman down beside her. With a finger to her lips she signaled her to be quiet. A moment later three large aliens stomped into view and Torres got her first look, up close and personal, of the Chthonians.

 

Mouth dropping open in astonishment, she thought that if anything the Ikonians had downplayed their opponents. The Chthonians were easily a half head taller than the Ikonians; who made B’Elanna feel like a child next to them. The comparison to the Hirogen had not been an exaggeration, but the Chthonians didn’t wear gunmetal gray helmets to cover their thick, bald craniums. They had heavy dark hair that hung in unkempt clumps below their shoulders. Their hands were the size of dinner plates and they sported wicked-looking claws on the ends of their fingers. Even from ten meters away B’Elanna could smell their unwashed bodies and her nose wrinkled in disgust.

 

The Chthonians started off toward the east and Torres wondered if they had somehow, miraculously, missed the Stingray or if they just hadn’t been able to get it open. The hostile species strode toward the trees with the carelessness of a bully that knows he is safe in his own territory. They had just reached the edge of the clearing and in another moment would be gone. B’Elanna would access the Stingray and try to enhance its communications array to contact the away team. If they were lucky she might even be able to transport them from wherever they were.

 

Torres started abruptly and turned horrified eyes on Hekate when her headset squealed and Shoya asked, "Hekate, what is your location? We have found the Nemo crewmen, but need your assistance."

 

All three Chthonians turned in unison and looked directly at B’Elanna and Hekate.

 

"Arrr!" one of them yelled, but all three of them charged the duo.

 

B’Elanna jumped into a defensive crouch and cringed internally when they all headed for her. She could understand why they did even if she wasn’t happy with it; Hekate didn’t really look like much of a threat. An instant later the Ikonian surprised B’Elanna by holding both palms out toward one of the Chthonians and blasting him with a powerful whirlwind. The attacker flew across the clearing and slammed into a tree trunk, but B’Elanna lost sight of him when the other two reached her.

 

She delivered a sharp snap-kick to the first one’s knee, but he didn’t even grunt in reaction. Instead he threw a roundhouse that would have taken her head off if it had connected where intended. Instead Torres twisted to the right and the blow struck her left shoulder. She felt like she had been hit by a sledgehammer and was thrown several feet away.

 

The Klingon jumped back to her feet with all of her battle instincts on alert, but her left arm was numb and her fingers were tingling. B’Elanna heard Hekate shouting for assistance from the other members of the search team through her headset. It was help Torres knew would never arrive in time and readied herself for another attack. She saw the man Hekate had tossed into the tree shake himself like a bear waking up from hibernation and charge toward the smaller woman again.

 

The one who had struck Torres sprinted for her and she ducked the next swing. All three of the Chthonians had been armed, but seemed to prefer dealing with the women hands on. The Klingon could only conclude that they liked getting their hands bloody. B’Elanna had learned from her first mistake and kicked out for the man’s knee again, but instead of a straight on attack she delivered the blow sideways and heard the satisfying crunch of cracking bone. She was smiling when the second alien hit her from behind and for the second time in two days B’Elanna was knocked unconscious.

 

Hekate saw the Klingon drop like a stone, but she had been backed up by the other Chthonian too far to do anything to help her. The other one was coming for Hekate again and she took a deep breath preparing to do something she had never done before; use her powers to harm another living being. It would take a lot of her energy reserves, but if she channeled all of her powers she could fire one large burst of flame that would incinerate the attacker. She didn’t want to do this, but she would never be able to withstand an assault from three of them. There was no question that the Chthonians would kill them if this went on for much longer.

 

Hekate’s reluctance to take another life caused her to hesitate. That hesitation was all her nemesis needed to reach his own conclusions. The Chthonian raised his disrupter rifle and aimed it straight at her. Hekate’s eyes widened and all of her energy was channeled into survival mode. In a blink she altered her molecular cohesion and teleported a kilometer away from the altercation.

 

B’Elanna regained consciousness after a moment, but couldn’t keep her eyes open and her limbs wouldn’t cooperate. Every instinct was telling her to pull it together, but the Chthonian must have done some damage when he struck her at the base of her skull. On top of all that she was hallucinating. She could swear she saw Hekate disappear when the Chthonian raised his rifle toward her.

 

The three attackers stood over her, one of them keeping his weight off his broken knee, and looked down at her.

 

"She is not Ikonian; she does not have wings."

 

The voice was thick, gravelly. It sounded like it wasn’t used very often, but the disgust in the tone was clear.

 

"She is …repulsive. Look at her head."

 

"And she was with the Ikonians. She may know much of their technology," the third one, obviously the leader, said. "Overlord Hephaestus will want to interrogate this…thing."