Part VIII



A few weeks later, Chakotay was sitting in his quarters. His stomach was doing flip-flops. He was as nervous as hell. They were going to reach Shrelton within the next two weeks. It had seemed like Kathryn had been gone for so long, and he wondered if she'd still be alive when they got her back, if they got anything back at all. Tuvok hand warned him that it might be difficult to get her out. First thing was the matter of getting to Shrelton. It was a Gatekeeper Planet, and strictly controlled and populated by Bromalians. The next problem was how they'd find out which gateways went to Axarus. The third problem was how to find Janeway and rescue her from wherever she was.

For Chakotay, there was a fourth problem: How to face her. He didn't doubt that she'd be furious with him when she found out about Rennika, probably pull an “I told you so, Chakotay.” He almost hoped she did. Right now, a firm rebuke from Kathryn Janeway was very welcome. He vaguely remembered something he'd believed a while back, before her capture. He'd pledged that to get Janeway, they'd have to fight her to the death, and before that, fight him to the death. And where was I? He wondered. Going around with Rennika. He felt sick. He didn't know who he hated more, Rennika or himself.

The most painful thing about all this was the fact that the last time he'd seen her, they had been angry at one another.

* * *


Kathryn woke up on her stomach, bound hands and feet, with Mordus still asleep on top of her. Since the initial encounter, he'd been coming two to three times every day, treating her more like property than ever. He had stopped asking her questions. He’d simply enter the cell, slam the door behind him, subdue whatever struggle she put up with him, do what he had come to do, and either fall into a deep sleep or wordlessly leave.. In fact, she was in her cell all of the time now, the only company was his and that of the guards who brought in food. Mordus was using her to indulge in whatever sick fantasies he could concoct, trying ever so hard to recapture the fear and desperation from the first time he had forced himself on her. Janeway had refused to give him the satisfaction, no matter what he tried on her. He had asked her questions about the ship, but she still wouldn't budge on that. However, he didn't seem so angry about her not answering his questions anymore. Not like that mattered.

When Mordus finally woke up, he cut off the ropes and was dressed, leaving without a word.

Janeway stumbled out of the bed and managed to pull on the tattered remains of her clothes. A guard came in to give her a meal, the same Brexian Pokash that he always brought. Janeway couldn't help feeling his gaze on her, a dirty look. She felt so dirty, like she was a whore of some kind. Her humiliation must have been evident, for he smirked at her before he left.

Kathryn eyed the Pokash with a sick feeling in her stomach. She remembered it from when Mordus had given it to her the first day in his presence. She had thought it tasted good at the time. Now she hated it. It tasted like cardboard. The worst thing was that it reminded her, more than anything, of Mordus.

Her stomach was growling. If she wasn't starving, she wouldn't even have looked at the Pokash. Now, she cupped her hand (she wasn't allowed any more utensils) and scooped up a bit, bringing it to her mouth. She almost gagged, and her stomach did a flip. She spat it out quickly lest she puke.

Kathryn sank down to the floor right besides the bed. This room had become hell for her. This cell. It was so small and enclosed, and nothing but bad things happened to her in here. It was her prison. She closed her eyes, fighting back as a sense of claustrophobia came over her. She'd never been very claustrophobic before. It had never quite affected her. After the box, she had it slightly more. Now, this room that was about half the size of her quarters seemed like it was closing in around her. Kathryn bowed her head, closing her eyes. The darkness behind her eyes was vast, going on forever and ever. Like space.

She briefly wondered if she'd ever see space again, if she'd ever leave this planet. Her thoughts drifted to Voyager, wondering how they were doing right now. They began to focus on Chakotay. Kathryn felt dispair rush through her as she thought of him. Throughout her entire imprisonment, her thoughts had invariably wandered to him. She always fought them off, tried to think of something less painful, but he was always there. She wished that she hadn't been on bad terms before they left. If she was never going back, she didn't want him to remember her like she was then. She wanted him to remember her like she was on New Earth, the most peaceful time in her life. Longing shot through her for that peaceful setting. The woods around them, meadows and streams, the monkey, and of course, Chakotay.

Gentle Chakotay.

She opened her eyes to face her reality. She was in a gray colored cell, imprisoned by a sadist out to own her who had repeatedly raped her over the past three weeks, her body was sore all over, and she was on the verge of giving in to her dispair, on the verge of breaking.

Kathryn knew that with concentrated torture, she would have broken already, but that's not what Mordus wanted. He wanted her to give up because of him, to submit entirely, body and soul, to him. She closed her eyes once again, seeing the darkness that stretched infinitely in all directions. She longed for this darkness more than anything. It seemed as if it was calling for her.

It was in that moment Janeway seriously began to consider answering the call, traveling into the eternal darkness. It could only mean peace. It couldn't possibly be as painful as her life. She could exist in an oblivion, not even knowing that she was dead.

The thought was so tempting. Voyager seemed so far away. So very far away...

* * *


When they finally reached Shrelton, Chakotay managed to bribe a Bromalian Captain into allowing an away team to be smuggled on his ship. Chakotay left Paris in charge of the ship, and he, Tuvok, Torres and Carne were taken down to the surface. There were many very wealthy parts of the planet, and many very poor parts. They stayed in the slums, blending in fairly well, seeing as there were mostly aliens in the bad parts.

There was a large building where something like two hundred people were sleeping. They decided to stay there, sleeping in the dirty hallways. They were dark, dank, and smelled like defecation. There were open windows (no glass) and stained walls. “ Pretty disgusting,” Torres murmured.

“ Lieutenant, such comments are not conducive to the efficiency of this mission,” Tuvok told her.

Torres shot him a withering look, then her eyes once again flickered around the hall.

“ Hopefully,” Chakotay said, “ this won't take too long. I want to find the Captain as soon as possible.” He glanced around, then turned to Torres. “ You and Carne find a suitable place in here for us to stay--”

“ You actually think there will be a suitable place in this shithole?” B'Elanna asked. She was somewhat out of her element today, but she gestured for Carne to follow her nonetheless.

“ Tuvok, let's get started. We need to find those gateways and find out how to make them work,” Chakotay said. Tuvok nodded and they proceeded to leave the building.

* * *


“ What's wrong with you?” Mordus demanded, curious as to why she wasn't putting up much of a fight.

Kathryn didn't even hear the question. She had her eyes closed. Her mind was off in the darkness, as if it was an out of body experience. It didn't matter what happened to her, he'd never be able to get to her when she wasn't there.

Mordus finished what he had come to do, then he lay and relaxed. He ran his hands briefly over her body, studying it. “ You're too skinny. You look like a skeleton. It’s quite unattractive,” He commented. “ You haven't been eating very much lately. Don't make me get someone to stick a tube down your throat.” She still didn't reply. He was irritated by her lack of response, which he considered defiance. “ Open your eyes.” When she still did nothing, he slapped her across the cheek, then forced her eyelids open with two fingers. Kathryn still did nothing, and he stared at her for a moment, then let them snap closed.

“ Lord Mordus!” One of his men called from outside. “ You have a transmission coming in!”

Mordus stared down at Janeway once more. “ I’ll be there!” He called back. He stood up and was out of the room in a few seconds. Kathryn didn't feel any sense of relief. Instead, she just knew that he'd be back. She wanted to die. At least if she was dead, her torture would be over. She stared for a bit longer at the blackness before she finally opened her eyes again to see the gray room.

This room had become her universe. Within its walls was her entire existence. Her entire life, all her accomplishments, had come down to this. Second in her class at the academy, distinguished service during the Cardassian conflict, achieving Captaincy at the young age of thirty-one... It ended here. Being completely controlled by another person who appeared occasionally in this room of hers. She had gone from being a proud Starfleet Captain to being a virtual slave in just a short time. Or so long a time. It was a small amount of time overlooking her entire life, only about five months, and yet it seemed like she had been here for all of eternity.

She knew it wouldn't last too much longer. When Mordus was satisfied that he had completely conquered her, then he'd complete the job. He would kill her. She knew it, and took comfort in the thought. She wouldn't be here forever. It would be over eventually, and she'd be able to rest.

A faint feeling of claustrophobia came over her again. Yet, now it was somewhat comforting. The walls were so close, and it was comforting. She wasn't safe within them, but the rest of the universe wouldn't see her like this, wouldn't see her shamed and humiliated like she was. The walls were both her jailer and her protector, her shield from the universe.

She heard the door unlock, and Mordus was back in, a few minutes after he'd left. “ I have some business on Shrelton. I don't trust you alone with the guards.” He tossed a bundle at her. “ Put those on.”

Kathryn gingerly picked up the clothes after he'd left. They were all black and fairly intact. It was just a shirt and pants. She peeled off her clothes and slipped these on. Mordus must have used her old uniform to decide the size. Even so, they hung around her body, not showing any of her form. She stared at it for a moment, then sat back in wait of him.

* * *


Chakotay and Tuvok were watching the Gateways open and close from the shadows. Tuvok held up a tricorder, trying to figure out how they worked. “ Well...?” Chakotay asked.

“ Commander, they appear to be fairly complex. It will take more time to learn to operate them,” Tuvok replied. Chakotay nodded and allowed him to continue his work. After a few minutes, Tuvok announced, “ I believe I have compiled the data I need. We should come back later when it is less crowded.”

Chakotay nodded, and they turned away to go back to their building.

Less than a minute after they left, Mordus came out with Janeway next to him and one of his guards behind her.

* * *


Janeway was overwhelmed by the sunlight and the sky. Axarus never had any sun, and she hadn't been outside in nearly five months. The sky seemed to hang around her, infinite in all directions, and underneath it she felt so small and exposed.

She unconsciously took a step closer towards Mordus, almost as if for protection from the sky. It momentarily flashed through her head the irony of seeking protection from her tormentor, but then she forgot about it as she began to feel sick. The sky was so luminous, so vast. She began to feel disoriented and her walk was somewhat unsteady.

Mordus gripped her arm, and he noticed how pale she had grown, and how close she was walking to him. In that moment, Mordus realized just how much control he had acquired over this woman. It gave him a feeling of elation just thinking about it, and he glared at the guard who was just a bit too close to her. “ Step back a few feet.”

The guard did as he was told, and Mordus explained, “ We're going to the transmission center. I'll only be in there for a few minutes. You'll wait outside, and watch her. You're my best man, and I want to trust you with her.” The guard nodded obediently. Mordus let go of Kathryn, and as he handed her to the guard, he whispered, “ You touch her, I'll skin you.” Then he disappeared into the building.

The guard stood far enough away from Janeway not to have Mordus get the wrong idea, but close enough so that he could catch her in case she tried to bolt. Personally, he didn't think she'd try to run even if she was left alone. She looked like an animal trapped in a thermal light, standing as close to the building as she could. It could be a shock, he knew, coming to a regular world after being on Axarus for so long. Janeway's gaze was drifting around, stunned at the sheer numbers of people overflowing the marketplace.

She noticed a few food stands. At one of them, a tall, dark man was standing, and a shorter dark haired man were. She felt a surge of recognition go through her, and, for a moment, she thought she was seeing things. She blinked briefly, and then knew she was not. My god, that's Chakotay and Tuvok! Something came back to life in her that had been dead for a long time, and without hesitation, she turned to the guard and brought her knee up to his groin. He was taken aback by her attack, and as he doubled over in pain, she shoved him back against the wall.

Kathryn took off as fast as she could in her present state, screaming to Chakotay and Tuvok. The noise of the crowd droned her calls out, and the two men were oblivious to her presence. She was caught in the crowds, trying to weave her way around waves of people. She let out a cry of frustration when one plume of people after the other packed in before her, no matter how hard she pushed, or how fast she ran. They didn't seem to pay much attention to her, and didn't move to make way for the woman. The man with the gun, however, was far more imposing. Janeway had failed to lose him in the crowd, and all the people quickly moved aside to make way when they saw his weapon. He reached her as she was taking another breath to call them one last time. He took the butt of his weapon and hit her across the back, knocking her down to the ground. He then proceeded to continue to beat her as the crowd cleared a circle around them.

Chakotay noticed the crowd gathering in one tight spot, as did Tuvok. “ What's going on?” Chakotay inquired with a man who had just come from the crowd.

“ Oh, some man's probably beating up a slave. It happens all the time.” The man replied, the he disappeared into the crowds as well.

“ Maybe we should help,” Chakotay said, gazing with a dark look on his face towards the ruckus.

“ Commander, we are focused on rescuing the Captain. It is vital that we remain as inconspicuous as possible, and quell your... humanitarian impulses,” Tuvok replied. Chakotay glanced over at the crowd again, eyes troubled, but nodded his agreement.

“ You're right. Let's go back to the building.”

* * *


“ Idiot. You're lucky I was able to catch up to her, or God knows where she'd have escaped to!” Janeway heard Mordus's harsh words to the guard as she slowly regained consciousness.

“ I didn’t think--”

“ No, you didn’t think! That’s your problem!” Mordus’s voice lowered menacingly. “Understand this, Bradin-- if she escapes on your watch, you won’t pay the price. It will be your wife, your mother, your kids, your friends, do you hear me? They will pay for your incompetence! Now get out of my sight! I’ll watch her myself tonight.”

She was more in dispair right now than ever. She knew just how close she had been to escape. If only-- There was still a chance. Chakotay and Tuvok were nearby, if only she could get a message to them. But how?

* * *


Chakotay jumped when his communicator chirped. He had given specific orders to Voyager not to send any transmissions. They weren't going to use their communicators except when they beamed up. Voyager was in low orbit, hidden from all sensors, ready to beam them up as soon as the word was given.

He tapped it. “ Chakotay here.” There was no response, but the communicator chirped again. And then again. Suddenly, something dawned on him.

“ Tuvok, come here.” He whispered. A few minutes later, they had tracked the source of the transmission. Someone was signaling them. As Chakotay and Tuvok set off to find the source, the signal abruptly cut off.

* * *


“ What the hell did you think you're doing with my equipment!” Mordus demanded, ripping it out of Janeway's hands. Janeway didn't reply, but she took a few steps back, knowing what was coming. Her back hit the wall, and she could only wait.

“ Answer me!” He growled. “ Who were you signaling!”

When she still didn't answer, he raised the communications box above his head and slammed it across her face. It felt like being hit with an anvil, and she fell like a stone, bracing herself for the imminent beating.

“ Insolence, two actions of insolence today alone!” He yelled, and he grabbed his rifle and used it as a club once again, swinging it again and again at her. Janeway lost count as he pummeled her. Finally, he swung it, full-force, and connected it with the back of her skull. Janeway slipped instantly into blackness, the pain fading away.

* * *


Mordus didn’t drop the rifle until thick, red blood began to spill onto the floor in a puddle about her head, and for a moment, he seriously wondered if he had done it this time, if he had killed her. He was going to pick her up and carry her to a doctor, but common sense told him that carrying her might cause her more damage.

*I should leave her to die. It's more than she deserves,* he thought... but couldn't bring himself to do it. It reminded him of his childhood, when his favorite pet was dying. It was useless to him, but it was his, and he still had to protect it. He took a few steps back, regretting sending Bradin home, then hurried out the door, not bothering to close it behind him, to get a doctor.

* * *


When they arrived, they found a small residence. They continued through the rooms, searching for her. “ Commander!” Tuvok called.

Chakotay hurried into the room where she lay, surrounded by a pool of her own blood, a few of her limbs twisted at an unnatural angle, clearly broken. “ Is she alive?” Chakotay asked breathlessly, dreading the answer.

Tuvok felt her pulse. “ I believe so, but her pulse is very faint. We must get her back to the ship immediately.” Chakotay nodded, and he tapped his combadge. “ Chakotay to Torres,”

“ Torres here.”

“ We found her. Signal the ship.”

“ Is she alive?” Torres asked.

Chakotay paused. “ We're not sure yet.”

Part IX

Index

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