Part eleven of "Little blue world" - an AU series
by Jinny W
June 2001
Disclaimer: Paramount owns all. I'm just playing.
Summary: Kathryn's good memory helps her make an exciting discovery.
~~~
"Would you stop doing that?"
"Doing what?"
"Making that annoying whistling noise."
"What whistling noise?"
"I think it's the way you suck air through your nose."
Tom groaned at that. "Remind me never to share a room with you."
Kathryn raised her eyebrows archly. "Who's offering?"
"No one", he grinned, "but just in case."
"Remind me again why it's so great to be spontaneous?"
"Well", Tom said, "we certainly caught them by surprise. They weren't expecting us."
"Caught being the operative word."
She could sense Tom smiling at her through the gloom of their cell. "For all they know this could be part of an elaborate plan. We get on board, let them capture us, then escape and wreak havoc on their systems."
"Only that wasn't the plan, was it?"
"No", he admitted. "But they don't know that."
Kathryn snorted. "I think they'll figure it out when they come back later today and we're both still sitting here."
Tom leaned closer to her, lowering his voice. "Did you hear what one of the guards was saying last night? About Chakotay?"
"No. What?"
"Apparently they had him locked up in his quarters. He climbed out through an air vent, and worked his way through the innards of the ship -"
"Let me guess", she cut in, "wreaking havoc on their systems."
"More or less", he agreed. "He managed to override all of the environmental controls. Fiddled with all sorts of systems before he reached the escape pod. What a guy." Tom broke off, then added, "Sorry. I didn't mean-"
She shook her head. "I guess things didn't go so well after that point", she croaked.
Tom fell silent, fiddling with the cuffs of his sleeves. "I wonder why he decided to do that?" he asked after a while.
Kathryn tried to keep her voice light. "You mean went and got himself blown up?"
"No, I mean why did he head for the escape pod? If he had free reign of the ship, why didn't he go towards, I don't know, the engines or something. Try and sabotage them."
"Maybe the engines were too big a job", she suggested.
"After getting the better of Seska? Hardly."
Kathryn shifted uncomfortably on the floor. "I don't know Tom," she sighed. "Maybe he thought he could make it to the surface of the planet before they caught him."
"I suppose if I was stuck on a Kazon-" Tom began, then broke off with a low chuckle. "Sorry," he said, "that's not really funny, but I was going to say if I was stuck on a Kazon ship with only Seska for company I'd probably want to get off in a hurry."
"You have me for company instead", she pointed out.
"Much better."
"I wonder if he knows about Seska? Knew about Seska, I mean, being a Cardassian?"
Tom shrugged. "Who knows. I wouldn't put it past her to throw it in his face. Mind you," he added, "I wouldn't put it past her to keep lying or try to convince him to join them either."
"But she's started to alter her physiology", Kathryn said, "I wonder how recent that is?"
"I don't know." He fingered his belt absent-mindedly. "Pity they took our transporters away."
It was Kathryn's turn to laugh at that. "That's hardly surprising", she said, "given that this whole thing started because they wanted our technology."
"They have transporters, of a sort."
"Maybe they don't have site to site ones."
"Maybe they were hoping we carried replicators around with us", he joked.
Kathryn rolled her eyes. "Idiot", she said. She regarded the younger man for a moment. "Don't think I don't know that you're trying to take my mind off of it".
Tom shrugged. "It doesn't help much, I know".
"Thankyou anyway, for trying."
"You know", he said, "B'Elanna's just going to say 'I told you so' about this one."
"Told you what?"
"That we should have brought her."
"Maybe we should try-" she broke of as a Kazon guard thrust open their door. He gestured towards both of them with his weapon.
"Up", he ordered.
"Up where?" Tom said cheerfully.
"Tom", Kathryn said quietly.
"Sorry".
The Kazon towered over them while they clambered to their feet, then pointed towards the door.
"I guess that means out", Tom said, stepping into the corridor.
"Maybe Seska wants another argument", Kathryn said as she followed him.
"Maybe she wants you to beg for forgiveness."
"You know," Kathryn said, as another Kazon led them down the corridor, "Call me picky, but I'd rather not."
~~~
Jonas bided his time. He wasn't the cleverest of men, but he'd managed to survive months of conflict in the Demilitarized Zone through a combination of luck and tenacity. Although the former seemed to have deserted him, he still had plenty of the latter. And so he waited.
The long dull days in his cell gave him much time to think. He imagined daring escapes, plotting ludicrous scenarios where he took over the ship and led the Maquis back to the Alpha Quadrant. Most of all he reminisced.
He remembered the destruction of his parent's home in the DMZ (although they both escaped unharmed), his recruitment by Seska, living by their wits as they battled both Starfleet and the Cardassians. Jonas had no high ideals. He wasn't a spiritual man, nor a particularly brave one. There were times he didn't care why they were fighting, and longed for an easy escape from his spontaneously chosen lifestyle, a simple option.
He'd betrayed his crewmates before, although only ever in small ways, in a series of incidents which no one (to his knowledge) ever discovered. One time he fell asleep on guard duty and allowed a Starfleet patrol to sneak up on their position. Another time he deliberately burned himself on a conduit so that he could evade a particularly risky mission. On another more serious occasion he took money from a Cardassian functionary for the names of Starfleet sympathizers. Jonas was no hero, he knew that much.
Had Kathryn known him a little better, she would have understood that his behaviour since their stranding in the Delta Quadrant was no aberration. He continued to think of himself first, and seized opportunities whenever they arrived to lighten his own burden.
He'd suspected that Seska had ulterior motives for her interest in him - he knew enough about his own conduct to see it mirrored in others. Still he welcomed her advances. She kept him company, amused him, pleasured him. Although the time they spent together was tense, it certainly wasn't dull. Seska knew what she wanted, and she knew how to get it. He admired her for that.
When they began plotting an alliance with the Kazon it seemed merely another good opportunity to make life a little easier. A trade agreement would mean less attacks, easier passage through Kazon space, perhaps even some reciprocal benefits. Like Seska, Jonas believed that Chakotay's refusal to share their technology was evidence of Janeway's hold over him.
When he was being honest with himself, Jonas admitted that Janeway frightened him. She was a strong woman, highly intelligent, and used to getting her own way. In a curious manner she even reminded him of Seska. Janeway, however, held ideals which he despised. She seemed besotted by Starfleet rules, and remained blindly convinced that the Federation's principles were worth fighting for - and dying for - even on the other side of the galaxy. If she'd only been gambling with her own life it wouldn't be so bad. But no, she dragged Chakotay, and the rest of them, along in her wake.
He was furious with himself at being captured by such a person. He'd gone along with her ruse to locate Seska in the hope that it would win him better conditions. But days had passed, and here he was, still stuck in this tiny room.
He dreamed of escape, but when he seriously considered his options he realised he lacked Seska's skill for daring acts. In the end, he merely did what he did best - he seized an opportunity.
Neelix had been bringing Jonas his meals three times a day. For some reason he stopped coming, and sent a young Starfleet crewman in his place. Neelix, while maintaining a pretence of friendliness, had established a careful routine when entering Jonas' cell. The new delivery boy, however, obviously didn't consider Jonas a threat. At lunch time, when the forcefield was down, he turned his back.
Jonas pounced.
~~~
Seska pounded down the corridor, her anger rising with every step. The few Kazon she passed stepped quickly out of her way. Some felt real fear of this strange woman. Others smirked after her, shaking their heads at the new Maj's foolish choice of companion. When she reached her destination she thumped several times on the door.
"Come in", a voice called out, as the doors opened.
Seska strode into the room, her hands balling into tight fists.
"Why did you do it?" she blurted.
Jimiyu glanced up from the page he was reading, and stared at her blankly. "Do what?" he asked mildly.
"You know what. Why did you let them go?"
Jimiyu fought to keep a smile from his face. "Oh, that", he said. "I made a deal with the Talaxian woman."
Seska felt like she might explode. "You what?" she demanded.
He raised a bushy eyebrow and regarded her steadily for a moment. "Why do you come charging in here, making angry demands of me?" he asked.
Seska forced herself to respond more quietly. "I'm just trying to understand why you did this... this crazy thing."
The Maj continued to watch her. "Is this the way that all Federation women behave?" he inquired after a few more seconds had passed. "Did you behave this way with Shonah, always shouting at him, making demands?" His eyes narrowed dangerously. "Did he like it when you ordered him about?"
Seska took a deep breath before responding. "Forgive my apparent rudeness", she began carefully, "but when I'm anxious I don't couch my words in pointless niceties."
"So I noticed."
"I demand nothing of you", she went on, gritting her teeth, "but I did think that you would benefit from my experience in a way that Shonah was not willing to."
"I see." His eyes flickered with amusement. "You wish to be a sort of-" he fumbled for the word "- consort. You wish to share my power."
Seska winced. "I wish to make you more powerful", she said.
"For my own benefit", he said dryly.
"For both our benefits", she added, "I don't deny that."
He regarded her steadily, then nodded. "Good", he said, "at least you're not lying to me about that."
"These humans-" she began.
"These humans were of no use to me", he said.
Seska held her hands tightly by her side. "But I wanted them."
Jimiyu nodded again. "Yes, I know. Shonah told me about your curious obsession with this Janeway woman." His eyes darkened slightly. "He believed you were jealous of her."
Seska snorted. "Why would I be-"
The Maj continued as if she hadn't spoken. "In fact, he told me that he was virtually certain that this Zhokotay had been your mate, and you were fighting this Janeway woman for possession of him."
"Chakotay", she corrected him, then went on quickly, "but he was not my mate. And I wasn't fighting Janeway for him."
"Then why were you fighting her?"
Seska thought rapidly. "Our peoples are enemies", she said truthfully. "There was a temporary peace between us, but not an honourable one. I sought justice from Janeway, and she continually fled from me."
"It seems to me she was flying towards you this time", he noted.
"She was looking for Chakotay."
"Who was not your mate."
"No."
"I see."
Uncertain whether he believed her or not, Seska watched him quietly for a few minutes.
"What did you trade them for?" she asked eventually.
"For the debt", he replied. "The Talaxian woman said she would write off the debt I owe her if I returned the prisoners and their transporter belts."
Seska opened her mouth, objections ready, then thought better of it.
"Five crates of rellamite ore is worth more than I can afford", he added as an afterthought.
She nodded wearily and turned to leave.
"We will be leaving this system now", he said. "Your quarrel with these people will have to be left behind."
Seska nodded at him silently, although it was far from an agreement.
"Come to me tonight", he called after her. It wasn't a question.
She froze in the doorway, then forced a smile to her face.
"Yes Maj", she said meekly, and let the doors close behind her.
~~~
"I'm sorry", Harry said, throwing down the padd, "but I still don't understand it."
"Understand what?" B'Elanna mumbled, without looking up at him.
"How they managed to contain this reaction using such a volatile fuel source. I've seen experiments like this one described before, and the catch was always the same. Brilliant in theory, but the matrix always destabilizes."
"Humph", said B'Elanna.
"Unless we're reading the ratio wrong", he suggested, "and its really a different fuel mixture. They could have purified the dilithium even further."
"Mmm", B'Elanna replied.
Harry shot her sharp look. "Or maybe their engineers just climbed into the core and started swimming around."
At that she looked up. "What?" she said.
"You're not listening to me, are you?"
"I'm sorry Harry," she sighed, "my mind really isn't on this at the moment."
"We've been working on this for days, it's not surprising you're sick of it", he said.
She shook her head. "It's not that. This is a fascinating challenge, as Tuvok would say. I just wish Kathryn had let me go with her."
Harry nodded in sympathy. "But if we figure these specs out, we might not even need to go back to the wormhole", he said. "We'd have a much safer option. We could be home in months instead of years."
"I know."
"And it's obvious why she wanted you to stay and work on translating them. You're the best there is."
B'Elanna smiled weakly at the compliment. "Thanks", she said, "but I'd still have liked to go. The Maquis have a little experience with springing prisoners, you know."
Harry smiled. "Sure. But Tom has his own skills in that area too."
"I guess so." She sighed again. "Neelix's friend sounds like she has had some interesting experience with the Kazon too."
"Did you hear what the favour was that she owed Neelix for?" Harry asked.
"No, why?"
Harry shrugged. "Because Tom said Neelix turned the same shade as Talaxian tomatoes talking about it. I thought he might have told you."
"Why would he tell me?"
Harry grinned wryly at her. "I don't know. I just thought he might have."
"Hmm." She reached out for the padd he had discarded. "What did you say was the problem with the mix-" she began.
A hail from the bridge interrupted her.
"Torres", an anxious voice reported, "we've got a problem up here."
"Hogan?" she said, "what's up?"
"You won't believe this, but it looks like someone's stealing Neelix's ship."
"What?" B'Elanna leapt to her feet, with Harry close behind. "I'm on my way up there," she barked. "Try and put a tractor beam on it."
As she hurried onto the bridge half a minute later Hogan relinquished the command chair to her.
"They're sending a signal back through the tractor beam, trying to disrupt it", he reported, as he took another station.
"Compensate", she snapped.
"I'm trying. Damn it." He swore as the smaller ship broke free from their grasp.
"Who the hell is that?" she asked, adding a Klingon curse for good measure. "Tuvok", she said quickly, "train phasers on the ship."
"Aye", he replied.
"Target their engines and fire."
"Weapons are offline," he reported.
"What?"
Tuvok ran his fingers quickly over the controls. "It appears someone has severed the bridge controls."
B'Elanna swore again. Tuvok raised an eyebrow at her colourful language, but didn't comment.
"Hogan, see if you can raise them. I want to know who that is."
"Hailing", he said, then shook his head. "They're not responding."
"Override the controls", she snapped, "force the channel open."
"I don't believe it is possible to-" Tuvok began, then broke off as Hogan established a visual link with the bridge of Neelix's smaller craft. "I stand corrected", he murmured.
"Jonas", B'Elanna hissed, leaning forward menacingly in her chair. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
Jonas glanced up at the monitor, obviously trying to obstruct her override. "Leave me alone, Torres", he said.
"Not a chance."
"I'm not going to rot in your brig forever".
"You're not stealing Neelix's ship either."
Jonas laughed, a strange hollow sound. "Looks like I am", he said, terminating the connection.
B'Elanna cursed again as his ship powered its engines and began to speed away. "Follow him", she ordered.
"Setting a course", Hogan said.
"We should send a signal to Rexal", B'Elanna said, swinging around in her chair, "telling her we might not make it to the rendezvous point."
"I'm not sure that will be necessary", Tuvok pointed out.
"Why?"
"According to the direction he is now taking, it appears Mr. Jonas is also heading for the Nistrum ship."
B'Elanna sank back into her chair. "Not if we get to him first", she muttered.
Looking at B'Elanna's expression just then, Harry was profoundly relieved not to be sitting in Jonas' seat.
~~~
As soon as Rexal told them what they had found Kathryn felt an illogical hope building inside her. She tried to calm her pounding heart with sensible reminders - Chakotay could have programmed the signal before his pod was attacked. It didn't necessarily mean anything. Still, her stomach churned as Rexal lead them to a console where she had been recording the incoming transmission since they first detected it the day before.
"How did Chakotay manage to release a Federation type transmitter?" Neelix was saying. "Would he have had access to any Federation technology since they kidnapped him?"
"He wouldn't have needed to", Tom said, strolling over to join him. "Something like this", he tapped the screen, "is easier than it looks. With Chakotay's skill he could have put this together from parts he stole from the Kazon ship. The Federation signal it's using could be programmed into it. It's not the same thing as the device actually having a Federation signature."
Neelix blinked at him. "I think you lost me. What's the difference again?"
Kathryn rested a hand on Neelix's shoulder. "One is created by the resonant signature of the components themselves, which is unique to its manner of construction. The other is a method of communicating. Like a code. This is a Federation code."
He beamed at her. "Welcome back, Kathryn. It's good to see you. You too, Tom," he added as an afterthought.
She squeezed his shoulder. "It's good to see you too Neelix. One night in a Kazon brig was more than enough for me." She leaned over to examine the signal. "This is oddly clear", she said, "and it looks like a prerecorded message. I wonder how it survived the explosion." She glanced behind her at Rexal. "How did you know this was meant for the Liberty?"
The Talaxian shrugged. "The numbers looked like a code. I did some quick calculations with your alphabet, and the only word that translated easily was 'liberty'. It was repeated at regular intervals so you couldn't miss it."
"Rexal was always good at languages", Neelix told them. "I wonder how the Kazon missed it then?" he added.
Kathryn shook her head. "I don't think they're looking. I doubt they even scanned the pod to confirm that Chakotay was dead." She felt herself stumble over the last words, but if the others noticed they didn't comment.
Rexal filled the temporary silence. "It's probably also on a frequency the Kazon do not use. My guess is that your Captain thought that if you found the message you would know it was from him, even though it was made with Kazon components, and could use it as a locator beacon much in the same way as you used Mr. Jonas' transmission.
Tom pulled a face. "I wasn't sure I understood how Tuvok did that either."
Kathryn began punching commands into the console. "I need to run some encryption algorithms", she said. Neelix moved aside so she could slip into the seat. "'Liberty' seems to be the only obvious word," she murmured, "The others conform to a different model." She instructed the computer to ignore the word 'liberty' while it searched for a pattern.
Tom and Neelix shared a look over her head.
"Kathryn", Tom began, as her fingers flew over the interface, "perhaps it would be best if we moved to a safe distance from the Kazon before we-"
"I've got it," she announced abruptly, as the terminal beeped its agreement.
"So quickly?" Neelix asked.
"It's a standard Starfleet decryption code", she said.
The first four lines of numbers on the screen disappeared, replaced by a text message, while the bottom lines on the screen changed into different numbers. The word 'liberty' still appeared at regular intervals.
Kathryn frowned. "Delete the word 'liberty'," she instructed the computer, "and the numbers that were left over."
She eagerly ran her eyes across what remained. Tom and Neelix leaned closer to do the same.
"Every day is sad and lonely, every night is sad and blue. Do you ever think of me, my darling, as you sail that ocean blue?", Tom read.
"It's a poem", Neelix said, "that don't make any sense."
"Chakotay picked a funny time to start sending love poetry", Tom said, giving her a sideways glance.
"No", Kathryn said suddenly, "it isn't a poem. It's a song."
Neelix looked skeptical. "A song?"
"Yes", she said, "don't you remember? It's the song that Sam Wildman sang for us one night in the mess hall."
Tom read over the words again. "So it is", he said. "What does that mean?"
"I don't know", she said. "Except that Chakotay definitely sent it." She thought quickly. "Wait a minute", she said. "Computer, display the remaining numbers again."
"Look at this", she said excitedly, tapping the screen. "This is the simplest code he could have used."
Neelix coughed. "Is it?" he said tentatively.
"Look at these numbers underneath the words", she continued. "3.3, 6.4, 1.1, 19.6, 2.2, 3.5, 21.3. Then the same numbers repeated again. I bet they're pointing to letters in the song lyrics."
"But three point three would be referring to 'is'," Tom pointed out, "which only has two letters. How can that be right?"
Kathryn chewed her lip, thinking quickly. "Hold on", she said.
The other two watched her bent head while she whispered to herself.
"The chorous", she said, her head snapping up. "He's referring to the chorous, which isn't written here. This," she tapped the screen, "is only the first verse."
"Why would he do that?" Neelix asked.
"Just in case the Kazon did read it, I suppose", Tom suggested. "I don't imagine they're familiar with much folk music from earth's 20th century."
Kathryn began singing under her breath. "I've got it", she said. "Here." She began typing the lyrics onto the monitor.
"'At my window, sad and lonely, oft times do I think of thee. Sad and lonely, and I wonder, do you ever think of me'," Tom recited. "How come you remember that?"
Kathryn shrugged. "I've heard Sam sing it a few times. I liked it."
"Okay. Three point three", Tom read over her shoulder, "The third word is 'window', so that's a 'N'."
"Six point four is the E in 'lonely'," Kathryn said.
Together they spelt out the letters, as Neelix watched them. "Neary?" he said, "What does that mean?"
"No", said Tom, correcting him, "'Nearyou'. It's two words. That's the message. Near you."
Kathryn felt her breath choke in her throat. "He's nearby", she said softly.
"I knew it", Tom crowed, slapping her so hard on the back that she coughed. "Sorry", he added.
"It's alright", she laughed, "he's alive!"
Neelix read the message again. "But look at the date", he said, pointing to the corner of the screen. "This message has been transmitting for seven days. Isn't that when Seska said he was killed?"
Tom frowned at him. "So?"
"So doesn't this mean that was recorded before the pod was launched?" He looked from one to the other. "Chakotay could have been killed after he recorded it, couldn't he?"
Kathryn turned to face him. "But Seska said he died when the pod was destroyed. This beacon was put inside it, telling us that he wasn't really aboard."
"Then Seska lied", Tom said.
"I don't think so".
"But you just said you think he's alive", Neelix said.
"I think he is", she took a deep breath, then began explaining. "I don't think Seska was lying, she looked genuinely nettled when I accused her of killing Chakotay."
"That's true", Tom agreed.
"I think she was deceived as well, and so were the Kazon. Don't you see?" she gestured at the screen. "Chakotay put this in there for us, but he wanted the Kazon to think they had killed him so they would stop looking for him."
"Alright", Neelix said slowly, "then where is he now?"
"Down on the planet?" Tom suggested.
"No", Kathryn said, "he had no way of getting there".
"He could have used the Kazon transporters," he pointed out, "remember what the guard said about his skill at sabotage?"
Kathryn felt a brief surge of pride at the memory. B'Elanna had been right after all, she thought. He could take care of himself.
"But that would be too difficult", she said, "he would have had to take supplies with him, or found food, water and shelter down there. I think he was more likely to have done something simple."
"It's a pity the message doesn't say," Neelix said. "It's still amazing that he managed to collect enough pieces from the Kazon ship to be able to-"
"I know where he is", Kathryn said suddenly.
The others looked at her blankly.
"Near us", she said, looking at them both with shining eyes, "it says he's near us."
"What else is nearby apart from the planet though?" Tom asked, then comprehension dawned on his face. "The clever bastard", he said admiringly, then shook his head. "Can you believe this Neelix? I'm just surrounded by brilliant people. How can a guy like me compete?"
"Umm", said Neelix, who was obviously still confused, "where is he then?"
Kathryn let out a chuckle. "It's so simple", she said. "He's still hiding on the Kazon ship." She laughed even louder. "He never even left it."
~~~
end of part eleven
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