Part III

Chakotay and Rennika were locked in an embrace. This time, it didn't stop there. He found his hands moving over her body, and soon she was slipping off his uniform. He moved his hands to take off hers, but she stopped them and stepped back a few feet. Slowly and seductively, she peeled off her uniform peice by peice. He appreciated what he saw, and she certainly appreciated what she saw of him.

* I wonder if Kathryn would...* Chakotay cursed at himself for think about Janeway when he was about to have sex with another woman.

Rennika noticed his slip, because she felt a frown push at her lips. “What is it?” She asked, her voice husky and breathless.

“ It's nothing. You're beautiful,” He whispered, walking into the space right in front of her and covering her mouth with his. His kisses moved down her body, and she moaned as his lips moulded over her heated flesh. She took him by the hands and eased him over to the bed.

* * *

Janeway sat with Tuvok working out their flight plan. They were going to encounter their first resistance soon, and she wanted to be ready. However, another thing was bothering her. It was 2352 hours, and Chakotay was still in Rennika's quarters, as he had been for the past half hour. *So it's finally happening.*

“ Captain?” Tuvok broke her chain of thought.

“ What is it, Tuvok?”

“ You don't seem to have your full attention on what we are doing. Need I remind you that this is a very important item of business that we're working on, and it could determine whether or not we survive this space?”

“ No, you don't, Tuvok.” Janeway said, half defensive at what he was implying. “I'm perfectly aware of that. Let's get to work.”

* * *

Rennika in ecstasy until Chakotay, with a final thrust, climaxed along with her. She heard him whisper a name, and it caused her to tense up and glare up at his face. “ What did you just say?” She demanded.

Chakotay, panting besides her, stared up at her for a moment. “ What?”

She rolled out from under him and stalked over to where her clothes lay. “ You said ' Kathryn'.” She began hastily to pull on a robe. Chakotay was chagrined, and quickly stumbled to his feet.

“ Rennika...” He wasn't sure what to say. She spun on him angrily and sputtered,

“ I will not be some sort of substitution for you! If you want to be with her, then go,” she gestured helplessly towards the door, “ and be with her, but don't involve me in some sort of dispute between you two.”

“ Rennika,” he got up and took her by the shoulders, oblivious to the fact that he was naked. “ Rennika, that's not what you are to me.”

“ Then what am I, Chakotay? What! A temporary concubine? I will *not* be that!”

“ Rennika, I care about you,” he said.

“ But you care about her more, isn't that it?” He could tell her anger was starting to wear off. He released her and sat back onto the bed, taking part of the blanket to cover himself up.

“ I don't care about her more than you. I love *you*, Rennika.”

“ And what about her?”

Chakotay stared for a minute at her. He'd never told anyone, although Kathryn knew. He had to be honest with her; she'd know he was lying if he denied it.

“ Yes. Yes I do have... feelings for her. But I know now that it will never be anything beyond that. I couldn't seem to grasp the fact that we weren't meant to be. Up until a while ago, I thought that there was no one in this world for me outside of her.” He stared imploringly into her eyes. “ But that was before I met you. I don't think of her first thing when I wake up. I think of you. Your eyes, your beautiful face, your laugh... I love you, Rennika. Everything about you.”

She looked at him for a moment, then sank into a chair across from him. *How could a girl resist that?* She thought to herself, wondering how the hell Janeway could have turned him down.

“ How can I be sure I'm not just a distraction for you? For all I know, you could just be slick with words,” she said, eyes serious, but a teasing lilt to her voice.

“ If you want, I can show you,” he said. She let her gazed wander down his body and noticed through the sheet that he was already getting hard again. *You animal.* She thought, licking her lips. Though she was still exhausted from the first round, that didn’t mean she wasn’t up for a second, and apparantly, so was he.

Rennika smiled seductively. “ I'll tell you what, Commander: I'll give you another try. She can be your captain on duty, as long as I remain your Captain off-duty.” She walked over to him, moving the blanket away from him and slipping her robe back down to her feet. “ Soon,” she promised, running her hands over his bare chest. “ Janeway will just be a memory. I can make you forget her.” Rennika whispered as they drew together once again.

Chakotay didn't realize just how strongly she believed what she had just said. Meta knew that she *would* make Kathryn Janeway a distant memory, one way or another.

* * *

Ragnar Mordus was slightly annoyed at having to travel all the way to the High Admiral's chambers from Elrak. He went to see the High Admiral Amaroth, and knelt before him.

“ Mordus, rise. I need to discuss some matters of importance with you.” Amaroth gestured to him. Mordus stood up, taking the padd in Amaroth's outstretched hand. “Take a good look at the person in that picture. Have you ever seen her before?”

Mordus shook his head silently, staring at the alien woman. She had light, almost blood colored hair. She had a strange color of eyes as well. Blue, a shade he didn't often see. He took in the image, then glanced back up at Amaroth.

“ Who's this?” He asked, his voice echoing back to him. He had a deep, monotonous voice. It could be imposing, menacing, or it could have no emotion whatsoever. Occasionally, his voice could be comforting. But Mordus was never the touchy-feely type. That the reason that Amaroth had always loved him. He grew up with this monster before him, and it had caused him to put Mordus as his right hand man, even though Mordus never actually did anything concerning matters of state. He simply was a hunter of sorts.

“ Your assignment,” Amaroth replied.

“ No name?” Mordus asked.

“ We don't know the name. She went in representing her people to try to get a traveling pass. She's The Assignment until you learn otherwise. Have you heard of a ship called Voyager?”

Mordus glanced up. “ Who hasn't?” It was the only thing he had to say. He had heard plenty. According to his sources, the ruling body had been arguing for the past five weeks about what to do with these people. His eyes found their way back down to the picture of the woman. He noted with interest that she had attractive features. A stubborn chin, balanced by an optimistic expression.

“ Of course you've heard about Voyager. You and everybody else,” Amaroth said. Mordus could her the bitterness in his voice. “ They've been creating so much hype with their... *insolence*.” He spat the last word out as if it burned his tongue.

“ And why haven't they been apprehended yet?” Mordus asked, without looking up from the female.

“ We can't seem to catch them.” Amaroth said, sititng back in his chair. “ She, their leader as far as we know, seems to change her approach to battle every time. Whenever we think we've got them figured out they manage to slip through our fingers.”

“ Unpredictable behavior in some people can be one of two things,” Mordus said. “She could be brilliant, or she could be insane. I take it you want me to be the one to apprehend them. I'm a hunter, not a warrior.”

“ I know. You don't go after ships, you go after people,” Amaroth said. “ Of course I know that. We just want you to track her. If you can get her, extract some information about that ship, we're fairly certain the ship will go down as well.”

“ I'll get started immediately.”

“ I'm sure you will,” Amaroth noted dryly. It might have been interperted as sarcasm from anyone else, but Mordus knew Amaroth well enough. He was putting his confidence in Mordus. Mordus nodded briefly to Amaroth, then he left to find Vaila.

* * *

“ I'd say that went pretty well.” Janeway said with a smile, looking over the ship. For one week straight, they had constantly been bombarded by Bromalian ships. Voyager had held up. Bromalian ships were superior to Voyager, but Janeway managed to escape destruction all twelve attacks.

Chakotay was in awe. He'd never seen her so sharp as she had this past week. But then again, she'd never studied a race so meticulously in all the time he'd known her. He was proud of his crew and his captain. Janeway was brilliant, Torres was at her best, Paris was flying like he had a supernatural skill, and the entire crew functioned together like they had been with each other for decades. Yes, they were polished.

Currently, they were busy repairing all the damage done to the ship. Janeway waited as her command chair was once again securely fastened to the floor of the bridge. She sat down with a satisfied smile and looked over towards the view screen.

“ Captain, the Argetti are hailing us again,” Tuvok reported. Janeway had been in contact with them since before the fighting, trying to get them to trade with Voyager. The Argetti had finally agreed, and advised Janeway to 'keep it quiet.'

Janeway spoke with Prime Minister Yulin, and they agreed on a time to meet.

When she, Paris and Neelix arrived on the Argetti homeworld, they were greeted by a few officials and Yulin himself.

“ Captain, I must say, I have heard a great deal about you!” He exclaimed, taking her by the elbow as they began to walk towards the building where the negotiations were to be held. “ I find it quite amazing to be face to face with the person who defied the order.”

“ It wasn't my decision alone, and we didn't have much of a choice,” Janeway said. “ If we could have taken a diplomatic approach, we would have.”

“ There's no need to defend your actions. I'm not accusing you of any wrong doing!” Yulin exclaimed. “ Ask anyone here. You are an inspiration and a hero to us all. It's incredible that you have the courage and strength to go against such an awesome opponent. The Order hasn't had any resistance in centuries! Why, I've even been hearing word that resistance groups have started forming.”

Janeway glanced in surprise over at Tom, then looked back at Yulin. “I wasn't aware that we had caused such an uproar. Surely from time to time ships...”

“ Yes, but alas, they usually don't survive the initial encounters. Twelve of them! Your people are lucky to have so cunning a leader.” Janeway flushed under the praise.

“ I really didn’t do much, it was all--”

“ One thing I despise in people,” He whispered, a glint of humor in his eyes as he spoke, “ is modesty.”

Relieved that he had a bit of a sense of humor, Kathryn smirked. “Well then, you certainly won’t despise me. I regard modesty as the most overrated virtue.”

He chuckled. “ Please, let's go a begin our talks. Then I'll give you a tour of the countryside.” Janeway nodded and they entered the building.

* * *

A few weeks later, Janeway was once again facing a foriegn diplomat; he, too, gushed about how amazing it was that they were defying the Bromaline Order. He even mentioned how one of the Order's supply ships had been blown up by a newly formed resistance group a few days earlier.

“ It's quite a breakthrough. We're seeing the beginning of a new age!” he exulted.

The next planet at which they stopped had a leader who wasn't so optimistic

“ They'll crush them within a year, at the very most,” he said confidentially to Janeway. “ No one can escape the Order.”

“ I'm not quite sure why everyone is so afraid of them. They haven't seemed that powerful from the encounters we've had, or half as ruthless as people make them out to be,” she said. “ And besides, I don't see how they could keep control over such a vast empire for so long. It would take years to move troops across space.”

“ Maybe. They used to be far less relaxed than they are now.” He sat down and offered her a seat. “ However, they'll soon revert back to their old brutality. You see, as long as they have the Gatekeeper Planets, there's no hope of resistance.”

Janeway arched an eyebrow. “I've actually been wondering for a while what Gatekeeper Planets are.”

“ They're the planets with the Gateways,” he said. At her blank look, he elaborated, “Gateways interlink the planets together. The Bromaline are descendants from an ancient people, very advanced-- Icarians, or something of the sort. The Order found a number of portals on a number of different planets spread throughout a wide reigon of space. They can move troops and supplies through the Gateways as easily as you walk through a door.”

“ Could we use it to get ho--” she began, but he anticipated her question.

“ It wouldn't work. It only transports small items at a time. There's no way you could fly a ship through them, nor will a transporter beam through to the other side. It only moves individuals, and only to planets that already have gateways.”

“ And how spread out are these Gatekeeper Planets?”

“ They're the main ports that spread all throughout the Order's space. If there are no gateways, there are no Bromalians. It's as simple as that.” He paused for a moment. “ They all tend to be near one another, although there's one that I hear is very far away, about 40,000 light years from here, towards the edge of the galaxy. It's called Axarus. It's a prison facility, I believe. But it's the only one out there.”

Janeway nodded. She realized that he had finished speaking about the Order, so she stood up. “ Well, it's been a pleasure talking to you, Ardrek.”

He made a gesture with his hands, some sort of goodbye. “ I wish you good luck on your journey. You, Captain, certainly will need it.”

* * *

Yulin had no warning. He was half asleep in the main bedchamber of his capitol, and then he was pinned down on the floor with a gun to his head.

A dark haired Bromalian woman circled around to stand right in front of him, then swung her leg back and kicked him in the neck, hard. He cried out, then felt himself lifted back up and thrown through a glass window in his room. He was grabbed again and spun around, his back against the hard surface of a wall. He was being held in place by a large Bromalian soldier, and the woman was now joined by a large, long-haired man.

“ Minister Yulin, you will answer these questions honestly and you will live. Answer them dishonestly, and you will die-- by the authorization of sub-index 6-1-0, Order Code 418. Is that clear?” The woman asked, her voice cold and harsh. Yulin nodded, terrified. The man stood in the back ground, dispassionately watching as the woman did her work.

“ You have held negotiations with a starship called Voyager, correct?” Yulin was as nervous as hell, and when he was nervous, he could never resist the opportunity to crack corny jokes.

“ I've never actually held negotiations with starships. People, yes, but I don’t recall the ship...” He faded off.

The woman wasn't amused. She glared at him pointedly, then reached in the back of her belt and produced a knife. She walked up to Yulin and stuck it right in his groin. “Minister, would immense pain in the place of your manhood loosen your tongue? Shall we see?” Yulin balked at this grisly thought.

“ Yes, I did have talks with them a few months ago!” He told her. He was not a brave man, and he wasn't about to sacrifice his manhood for false heroics.

“ You are willing to provide us with all the information we ask?” The woman asked. Yulin nodded, eager to get her to move the knife hovering oh so threateningly over his genitilia.

The woman nodded to the guard, who released Yulin. She lowered her knife and Yulin composed himself the best he could. The third man lumbered slowly forward, his dark, suspicious eyes raking over Yulin’s face. A cold smile twisted over his lips.

In a cold voice, the man intoned, “ I have a few questions for you...”

* * *

“ You handled yourself well back there,” Mordus commented as they left. Vaila Hath'Hart glanced over at him in surprise, but was grateful for the complement. Coming from Mordus, any word of rare praise was a stunning accomplishment.

“ Why thank you, Ragnar. I must say, you were quite thorough.” She smiled coquettishly, wondering where they were going this time. He noticed her eyeing him, and have her a thin, close-lipped smile. *Oh, for once I'd like to see you grin,* she thought to herself.

“ I've been compiling all the data we've recieved so far. The assignment is called Captain Kathryn Janeway. The late Minister Yulin did mention that Voyager had probably gone on to Arthros VI, seeing as that's where he reccomended they go for a resupply of dilithium.” Vaila nodded, taking this all in. She knew that Mordus was already forming an impression of Janeway. He was the best she'd ever known at doing that kind of thing. She had seen him once figure out a man's entire psyche from his sister-in-law's diary.

“ Arthros VI is near Thara-Fei. We can take the Celtus Gateway to Thara-Fei and it will only take a week to get to Arthros,” she said. She glanced at Mordus, who was frowning down at the information. “ We'll catch up with them soon enough. They us primitive methods of long-distance travel.”

Mordus nodded. He once again fell into silence as he read the data he had compiled. Vaila took the time to run her eyes over him. His looks always amazed her. For such a quiet, introverted man he was extremely handsome. He had long, black hair that was tied in a ponytail behind him. It ran all the way down his back. He was at least six foot five, and he had not an ounce of fat on his well-msucled body. He had dark opaque eyes, and finely chiseled features.

Of course, Vaila had worked with handsome men before. Some were far better looking than Mordus, but she'd never met someone quite like him. After twenty-three years of working with him, she still didn't know very much about him. He was very secretive and remote, keeping his emotions to himself. When he became interested in something, he'd become obsessive. A few years earlier, he had acquired an interest for Brexian cuisine. He had read thousands of books about it, and to this very day he never ate anything that wasn't Brexian. He had read all 72,000,000 megabytes of stored information on Brexian cooking, and he was a better cook than the Brexian professionals. Vaila loved it when he invited her to try some of his cooking. She had already deemed it the best food she had ever tasted.

His intensity was startling at times, even frightening. But she was sure he’d be the best lover she’d ever had. Hath'Hart knew enough about him to fear him in some ways, love in him in others. *Love. I would never have known it would happen when I first met him,* she thought to herself. She had been working to woo him out of his reclusive shell for awhile now, and was beginning to think she was making progress at breaking through to him.

“ Hath'Hart,” Mordus spoke up suddenly, turning to her. “ I've actually been thinking...”

“ About what?” Vaila asked, pushing a lock of short dark hair ouit of her face.

“ About when we're done with this one,” he said, waving the information he had about Voyager. “ We'll both have about two months free, so... maybe we could go to Pentarus. I've heard a lot of good things about it.” He stopped, then glanced at her to finish the sentence.

“ Why, Ragnar, I'd love to.” Vaila replied, surprised yet elated. Yes, she *had* made a lot of progress. It was the longest string of words she'd ever heard him utter. It was also the first time he'd actually taken the initiative.

He smiled, his expression indecipherable, and turned to continue walking. Vaila glanced briefly over towards him. *Once we're done with this, then we'll see.*

* * *

Janeway and crew were proceeding as usual. They had stopped at yet another planet, Talkuba Prime, when she first heard of Mordus.

“ Who's after us?” She asked, not quite sure of what she was hearing.

“ Ragnar Mordus, Amaroth's right hand man, although he doesn't do any of his duties. He's known as a bounty hunter of sorts, and he goes after individuals, not vessels. In this case, he's after you.”

“ Just me?” Janeway asked, slightly comforted in the fact that they were more concentrated on her than they were on her ship.

“ Mordus's very well known around here,” Taurtha said with a sigh. “He hunts people, not ships.”

“ And you know this because...?”

“ I have my sources,” Taurtha replied briefly. She glanced Janeway straight in the eye. “ I would advise you to proceed with extra caution; Mordus is a dangerous man. He is the most notorious bounty hunter in this quadrant. He never fails to catch his prey.”

* * *

As soon as Janeway got back to the ship, she consulted with Chakotay and Tuvok to implement a new command code. It would be known to Janeway, Chakotay, and Tuvok alone as a security measure. If one of them ended up in enemy hands, then the other two would combine their codes to cancel out all of the third person's command codes. Janeway knew that if the Bromalians got their hands on the command codes, the ship would be theirs without a fight. She wasn't going to let that happen. No matter what happened, Voyager would be ready for them.