Chapter 16

Kathryn Janeway knew this was her only chance to save her own skin and prevent the murder of several hundred people, her crew and Chakotay among them. She certainly would not be wasting her time by getting changed. She got up from the bed and began to search Camet's quarters. There had to be something that could help her... a phaser or disruptor, a control panel, anything... But her efforts were fruitless. Camet was no fool. So she turned her attention towards the door panel. If she could at least get out of his quarters...

To her surprise the door opened as she approached it. At first she thought Camet had already returned, but then two Cardassian guards appeared in the doorway. The bastard had wanted her to think that she could get out, only to see her hopes crushed.

"Can we help you, little lady?" one of the guards sneered as he pushed his way through the door and towards her.

"I'm sure I heard Camet order you to get changed!"

"Maybe she requires a little assistance..." the other guard chimed in, as he also approached Kathryn, who was backing off.

"Get back to your posts, men!" another voice suddenly bellowed. "You'll be lucky if Camet doesn't blow you up with the asteroid for this indiscretion!"

The guards quickly returned to their posts.

Dunar entered the room, the door closing behind him. He approached Kathryn, who continued to back off.

"They were right. You should get into these clothes. You'd better get to it, if you value your life!" he barked.

Kathryn swallowed hard. She was no longer alone. Her chances of finding a way out of her predicament had just gone from pretty bad to impossible. Hesitantly she went back to the bed and picked up the silky garments.

"I guess it won't do much good to ask you to turn around while I'm getting changed."

To her utter surprise Dunar complied and turned his back to her. Then he spoke.

"I'm not here to replace those to idiots in front of that door. I'm here to negotiate."

Kathryn snorted in disbelief.

"Negotiate? What's there to negotiate?" she asked incredulously.

Dunar turned around to face her, despite the fact that she had not finished changing into the silky nightwear. He seemed unperturbed by that fact and kept his gaze purely to her face. There was no scorn in his eyes.

"The information I shall now give you is extremely confidential. If you as much as mention a word of what I'm about to tell you to anyone on this ship it will sign both our death warrants. Is that clear?"

Janeway nodded, still not quite sure what to think of all this.

"Please get changed while I'm talking. If Camet returns and you're not wearing that, I hesitate to think what he'll do to you."

"I won't do anything until I know what's going on."

"In that case, I shall have to leave you immediately."

Dunar walked towards the door. Kathryn waited until he had almost reached it, then she called out to him,

"Wait! Alright, but I want to know what's going on here."

Dunar returned and began his story whilst Kathryn opened the zipper to her dress.

"This is a time of great change for Cardassia. The Empire is on the brink of revolution. There is a powerful underground movement, which opposes the military dominance of our government. Cardassia is a police state, an empire ruled by the corrupt hand of a military dictatorship. Every step of every citizen is recorded by the military and the Obsidian Order. They are the groups that truly rule the Empire. But there are people who want that to change. These people live in constant fear of their lives. Their government regards them as dangerous terrorists who ought to be silenced by any means necessary, including murder. I am one of these reformists. I have been sent by the underground movement to spy on Camet and to remove him. However, I believe that my true agenda has been discovered by certain members of the Obsidian Order. They'll let me complete this mission, but then I will no doubt be killed. I have family in the DMZ, a wife and two children. They will no doubt be tortured and killed for what I have done. I am willing to help you and your crew escape, even destroy these three ships, if the Federation agrees to grand my family and myself asylum."

Kathryn attempted to take all of this surprising information in. There was no sign that Dunar was lying. He seemed to be sincere in his request for asylum. But could she afford to trust him? She was in an extremely precarious situation. What if he were simply toying with her? He might just be trying to incriminate her, so as to give the Obsidian Order a legitimate reason to arrest and try her. However, if Dunar was to be trusted than this could be her only chance of escape. She had no choice but to take what he had said for face value. Carefully she answered,

"Well, I can't speak for the Federation Council, but I will grant you asylum aboard Voyager. I'm sure if we explain your situation to the council they may be persuaded to help. But how do you suppose to help us?"

Footsteps were approaching the door.

Dunar pulled a sharp knife out of one of his heavy military boots.

"Here! Hide that somewhere. It's all I can do to help you right now..."

Kathryn glared at the dagger. Could he not give her a phaser? She would never be able to kill a person with that thing. The mere thought of sticking it into someone's body made her shudder. As the footsteps halted in front of the door she reluctantly accepted Dunar's offer of help, walked over to the bed and hid the weapon under the sheets.

She had barely concealed it when Camet entered, a little surprised to see Dunar in his quarters.

"Dunar, what are you doing here?"

"The guards were getting a little restless and tried to touch your hostage. I thought it best to stay with her in order to make sure they did not lay hands on her. She also had been up to no good. She was trying to escape when the guards entered. I simply made sure she obeyed your orders."

"How very considerate of you! I may just have to give you a promotion when we get back to Cardassia Prime! Well done, Dunar. Now, leave us. And take her dress with you while you're at it. Destroy it. She wont be needing it anymore..."

Dunar did as told, turned on his heals and left the room in crisp military strides.

Camet ordered the computer to play some soft Cardassian music. For alien music made for alien ears Kathryn found it strangely intoxicating. Then Camet went to a small cabinet and took out two short glasses and a bottle of kanar.

Kathryn walked over to one of the arched viewports near the bed, gazing out at the stars and the asteroid below the vessel, hoping that Dunar would initiate whatever plan he had before Camet blew up the asteroid.

She heard him approach her at the viewport and suppressed a shudder. Her robe was pulled tightly around her, since the negligee he had replicated for her was a little more revealing then the one Mark had given her. With horror she felt his breath on her neck as he sniffed her hair in a primeval gesture.

Tentatively she turned, only to have a glass of kanar shoved into her hand.

"Here! Drink up! Lets get in the mood!"

Kathryn reluctantly rose the glass to her nose and sniffed its contents. She had of course heard of kanar, but she had never tasted it before. It had a sharp smell to it. Tentatively she took a sip, and instantly pulled a face. It was disgusting. The drink left her throat burning as if it were pure fire. It was obviously very high in alcohol, and left an aftertaste that reminded her of petroleum.

Camet laughed.

"It takes a little getting used to."

Then his features became stern.

"Drink it all!"

Kathryn held her breath and downed the drink, suppressing the shudder that crept up her spine, only to have Camet fill up her glass a second time.

"Again!" he barked.

She did as he asked.

No sooner had she finished that he snatched the empty glass out of her hand and threw it together with his own against the bulkhead, where it smashed noisily. Kathryn jumped a little at his crude demonstration of violence, but quickly caught herself.

Camet then pulled her to him with one arm around her waist. The hand of the other arm began a slow journey from her face to her waist. Abruptly she felt herself pressed against the bulkhead behind her. Seconds later Camet's mouth covered hers. Kathryn held her breath in revulsion. She could not imagine being violated by him. Never would she allow this. She had to get to the bed... had to get her hands on the dagger...

Camet hands now roamed every inch of her body through the soft material of the garments she wore. He had pressed her so tightly into the bulkhead that she could barely breathe. Then his hands began to unfasten her robe. She could not stand his hands on her any longer and began to fight back with all her might. Punching and kicking she tried to push him off her, but it was a hopeless struggle. The robe fell off her shoulders and landed in a pool of silk at her bare feet. Right then she managed to pull her knee up and aim it right at his groin. Camet jumped back and doubled over, his face distorted in a grimace of pain. He lifted his hand as if to strike her, but just before the hand impacted with her face he stopped it in midair.

"Oh no! Lets leave that for later. I'll enjoy your beauty before I destroy it."

He grabbed her by both arms and flung her onto the bed behind him. Then he was on top of her again, but this time his hands actually made contact with her skin as he pushed the nightgown tantalizingly slow up her legs, his rough hands enjoying the feel of the soft skin that was revealed. He bent down again to force his mouth onto her, one hand rising ever higher up her leg, the other roaming over her upper body. Kathryn's mind was reeling, her hands desperately searching for the dagger. His hand had reached mid-thigh and was rapidly moving further. There! She grabbed the knife and stabbed it blindlessly into the monster of a man who loomed above her like a predator. Camet immediately went rigid, a look of surprise on his face, his eyes beginning to fill with fury. Then he collapsed on top of her, the bulk of his enormous body immobilizing her, pushing the air out of her lungs. Kathryn's hand was still clutching the dagger that was now deeply embedded in Camet's chest. A warm fluid began to run from it onto her right hand and then spreading further onto her own chest. She had to move, get him off her. Kathryn could not breathe. She was trapped under Camet, and no matter how hard she tried it seemed impossible to push him off her. It took her what felt like an eternity to get free. Then she finally managed to role away and lay gasping on the bed, trying to catch her breath, her eyes closed, faced flushed.

When her eyes opened again she saw in horror that she was covered in the man's blood. Her negligee was soaked, her hands and arms covered with it. It was enough of a shock to make her jump off the bed. Revolted she tore the negligee from herself and wiped the blood from her skin with one of the bedspreads, all the while fighting the urge to retch. Then she quickly covered her shivering body with the robe.

Suddenly the sound of Cardassian alert claxons blurted deafeningly through the room.

After Chakotay had informed Tuvok of Janeway's precarious position aboard the Tokar Zebok, the Vulcan had immediately ordered for Voyager to get ready to engage the Cardassians. Engines were powered up, and Tuvok was just about to leave sickbay and return to the bridge when Chakotay's hand grabbed his arm.

"Wait, I need to be there!"

"Captain Chakotay, you are in no state to go anywhere right now, and you are officially a prisoner of the Federation. I will handle the situation."

"I have fought plenty of Cardassians in the past year. I might be of strategical use to you up there!"

Tuvok frowned. He hated to admit it, but Chakotay had a point.

The Vulcan shot the EMH a questioning glance.

"Doctor?"

"He's as good as new. An impressive example of my medical expertise, if I might add..."

"Come!"

The Vulcan and the Native American sprinted out of sickbay before the doctor had a chance to finish his sentence.

In the docking bay of the Maquis base things were turning chaotic.

The lights of the stationary ship they had been guarding for hours suddenly came to life. The Cardassian guards around Voyager ducked for safety as the mighty engines of the ship whirled up everything in the vessels vicinity. One of them tried to contact Camet, but the radiation from the engines caused too much interference to establish communications between the interior of the asteroid and the Tokar Zebok. The Cardassians managed to scramble out of the docking bay before the doors into space opened, barely avoiding a horrible death in the vacuum of space. Voyager slowly left the bay.

"Sir, I'm reading three Cardassian Galor Class warships on the other side of the asteroid." Harry Kim announced.

"Do you read human lifesigns on any of them, Ensign?"

"Yes, there is one on the largest of the three ships, Sir."

"Can you get a lock on it?"

"I should be able to. Their shields are down..."

"I guess they weren't expecting company...", Stadi added.

"I've got a lock on the human lifesign."

"Beam her to sickbay!" Chakotay barked passionately.

Harry threw a questioning glance at Tuvok.

"Sir, her lifesigns are stable."

"Alright Ensign, beam her to transporter room 2." Tuvok responded.

"Transport complete, Sir."

"Raise the shields."

"Yes, Sir."

Tuvok's combadge chirped.

"Janeway to Bridge."

All eyes were on Tuvok now.

"Captain, it's good to hear your voice."

"It's good to be back. I'm on my way to the bridge. What's our status?"

"All systems are functioning within established parameters. All crewmembers are accounted for with the exception of Commander Cavit, who was shot by the Cardassians. All surviving Maquis members and Mr. Paris are also onboard and confined to cargo bay 2, with the exception of Captain Chakotay who has joined us on the bridge. I found it prudent to have him here, should we engage the Cardassians. He has plenty of experience in battle with them."

At that moment the turbo lift opened to reveal a disheveled Kathryn Janeway clad in nothing but a silk robe.

"Good job, everyone. Nice to see you all again. Ensign Kim, hail Starfleet Command and get me Admiral Nechayev, now! Make it clear that this is a matter of the highest urgency. I'll take in my ready room."

She threw a quick look at Chakotay, then wordlessly disappeared into her ready room. No one would ever know what exactly she said to Admiral Alynna Nechayev, but whatever it was, it must have been pretty convincing.

Not five minutes later she returned to the bridge, now wearing a uniform, which she had replicated and changed into whilst talking to the admiral. She appeared not the slightest bit shaken by her experience on the Tokar Zebok, an adventure the crew could only speculate on.

"Mr. Tuvok, go to red alert. Janeway to Paris!"

"Captain, nice to hear your voice!"

"Mr. Paris, please come to the bridge at once. I need you at the helm."

"Yes, Ma'am!"

"Ensign Kim, hail the Tokar Zebok!"

"Aye, Captain!"

Seconds later a man whom Kathryn Janeway had gotten to know less than an hour ago addressed them all.

"This is Dunar, second in command of the Tokar Zebok. You killed our captain. We will destroy you!"

Kathryn glared at the man on her viewscreen.

"I'm afraid we won't be able to accommodate you right now, but I'm certain we will meet again, very soon."

She turned her attention to the helm.

"Mr. Paris, lay in a course for Deep Space Nine."

"Captain, don't you intend to engage the Cardassians?"

"We have orders to return to Deep Space Nine immediately. Take us out of here Mr. Paris. Maximum warp! Engage!"

Then she turned to the Maquis captain who stood on the upper level of the bridge amidst two Starfleet security guards.

"Chakotay, a word alone in my ready room."

"Captain, I insist that a security detail joins you." Voyager's chief of security took position between the Maquis and his captain.

"I don't think that will be necessary, Tuvok. Or will it?"

She threw a meaningful glance at the Maquis captain, who shook his head. Silently Tuvok stepped aside and Chakotay followed Kathryn into the ready room.

"Kathryn! I'm glad to see you're all right. But what the hell is going on here? Why didn't you engage the Cardassians?"

"Have a seat, Chakotay..."

Reluctantly he complied.

Kathryn wrung her hands on the desk in front of her, uncertain how to begin. Finally she said,

"Chakotay, you and your cell are now prisoners of the Federation."

"What? After all you've seen? After all you've been through with the Cardassians? You can't seriously still believe that they are honoring the treaty..."

Janeway lifted a hand to silence him.

"Chakotay, you'll be taken to Deep Space Nine. Starfleet command cannot ignore the fact that you've damaged Federation property during your time in the DMZ. However, they are offering you a deal. All the charges against you and the members of your cell will be dropped if you agree to help us expose the Cardassians one more time. I have intelligence that Cardassia is close to a political turn over. The Federation cannot afford to go into war with Cardassia, so we have orders to help the members of the underground movement to gain power. It's a unique opportunity to forge a lasting alliance with the Empire. I will be in charge of the mission, and we could use some experienced people to help us. I suggested you and your people, and Admiral Nechayev agreed. What do you say?"

Admiral Nechayev agreed... Chakotay thought.. and pigs might fly...

Just about everyone in Starfleet knew Nechayev to be one of the most relentlessly unforgiving admirals there had ever been. She was a rule sticker. It did not sound at all like her to agree to such a gung-ho plan. Nechayev offering him and his cell a way out? What the hell had Kathryn compromised to achieve this? No matter how tempting the offer, he had to be sure he could accept it. He had to be absolutely certain that there were no strings attached, that justice would be served.

"What about our homeworlds? Will we get them back?"

"Hopefully the new government will honor the treaty. The Federation will keep a watchful eye this time around. If they are discovered to be in breach of the treaty again, Starfleet will offer their support."

Chakotay sat pensively for a while, rubbing his chin in thought. Finally he looked up and spoke,

"Alright. Of course I'll have to speak to my cell, but as far as I'm concerned, I'm with you, Kathryn."

She gave him a heartfelt smile, then rose from her desk and stated tiredly,

"Alright, lets get the hell out of here."

She was already walking towards the door to the bridge when he called,

"Kathryn..."

"Yes?"

She turned around to face him.

"Are you alright?"

"Of course."

"Do you want to tell me what happened aboard the Tokar Zebok?"

"I have an awful lot of work to do, Chakotay..."

It did not take a genius to realize that she was avoiding the topic. Chakotay was not going to give into her though. He cared too much about her. He had seen her almost break in the tunnels, when she first heard Camet's voice. He was not about to let that happen to her again. She would have to deal with her experiences, and he would to everything in his power to help her.

"Alright, then how about I'll tell you what the members of my cell think about the deal the Federation is offering over dinner tonight on DS9?"

"I'm sorry, I'll be too busy planning the mission."

"Then I won't leave this room until you've told me what happened."

Kathryn stared at him incredulously.

"Are you going to make me call security?"

"Are you going to make me teach you a lesson again?"

His voice was taking on a threatening tone that she was only too familiar with. However, she was not about to be intimidated by him on her own ship.

"That's quite enough, Captain Chakotay. You're dismissed. If you haven't left this room in three seconds I will call security."

She was just about to tap her combadge when Chakotay snatched it from her.

"I don't think so, Kathryn."

She was pushed into the wall behind her chair.

"DON'T!"

Tears were beginning to shine in her now wide eyes, threatening to spill over. Chakotay softly stroked her cheek with the fingers of his right hand, and the tears began to spill. He picked her up and carried her to the couch.

"Hush, Kathryn. It's all right now. You're safe. But you can't keep this bottled up inside yourself. All I ask is that you stop being the captain for an hour or two tonight and tell me what happened. Don't you know by now how much I care about you?"

Kathryn wiped at her tears and disengaged herself from him. Then she locked eyes with him and simply stared for several minutes, not saying a word. Chakotay felt as if her gaze went right through to his brain. It was as if she were probing for something. Finally she answered his question.

"Yes. I think I do."

Then she pulled his head down to her and kissed him very briefly, but gently.

"20:00 hours, my quarters?" she asked with a smirk on her face.

"Yes, Ma'am." Chakotay grinned and left.

THE END
To be continued in      "The Evil That Breeds Within"