The moment the bridge lights returned to normal intensity Tom let
out a cry of victory. Voyager would not be fated to spend its
remaining days drifting through space, a willing trophy waiting to be
claimed by the Kazon or any other scavenging race. He set co-ordinates
directly out of the system, eagerly awaiting the captain's return to the
bridge to give her quintessential orders. He should have suspected
trouble when Chakotay walked out of the turbolift with Neelix instead. There was a certain urgency in the commander's voice when he ordered him
to break orbit that put Tom's hackles on end.
"We'll be in full view of the planet in a few seconds," Tom
announced, carefully monitoring his navigational instruments. "Their
orbital sensor net has picked us up. They're scanning the ship." An
alarm chirped. "We're being hailed."
Chakotay didn't hesitate. "On screen."
The peaceful view of Alsauria dissolved to black, replaced with
the image of a dark, intimidating figure. "I am Third Magistrate Augris
of the Mokra Order."
The commander didn't sound the least bit intimidated, however. "Commander Chakotay, of the Federation starship Voyager."
"May I assume you're seeking permission to conduct business with
us?"
"No. Some of my crewmembers have already been to the surface. We've lost contact with them."
That explains why he sounded tense earlier. Tom had a feeling
things were going to get worse before they got better.
Augris didn't look the least bit surprised by Chakotay's
information. "I see. You must have been unaware of our regulations. I'll transfer a complete copy for future reference."
"I have reason to believe they're being detained." There it was. Tom silently cursed himself for the accuracy of his own pessimism.
"Detained? That's possible. I'll look into it for you. I'll
contact you shortly."
"Thank you." Chakotay closed the channel.
"He's not like any Mokra I've ever met," Neelix said suspiciously. "I can't believe he'd really help us."
Chakotay had to admit that his first impression of the magistrate
could have been better, but Augris really hadn't said anything to
indicate an ulterior motive. Despite his gut feeling, he had to give
him the benefit of a doubt. "If there's any chance for a diplomatic
solution we have to pursue it." Still, there was no sense in turning a
blind eye. He moved to the command pit and began accessing the file of
Mokra Order regulations. Studying their ordinance structure was always
a good way to learn about a society, and the more he knew of their laws
the better chance he had of getting the away team back. "In the
meantime I want continuous scans of the surface. Standard search
pattern."
"Aye, sir," the officer manning Ops acknowledged.
Tom was no Betazoid, but he had to agree with the Talaxian. There
was just something about Augris that didn't fly right. Their away team
was in trouble.
Leena listened uneasily to Chakotay's talk with the magistrate. She paled as she realized what scene probably lay behind Augris'
bureaucratic facade. She considered what Neelix had said about the
Mokra Order and felt her gut clutch. She had seen missions go wrong
before. A tight, simple plan could come suddenly undone by some trivial
error. The away team couldn't have been down there for more than an
hour; plenty of time for a quick stop and go, but not so long that they
would arouse much suspicion, much less a response. So how did the
Mokra Order know where to find them so quickly? What wasn't Augris
telling them? If they had the officers in custody they could be
interrogating them now, maybe even torturing them. Conversely, the
government might just want Voyager to think they had the crewmen. Leena couldn't see why, though, unless they were buying time to organize
a retaliatory attack. Perhaps Augris thought they would make some sort
of panicked call to their resistance contacts, and he wanted to discover
who those were? The worries chased themselves in circles around her
head. You're making this too complex, she admonished herself. There’d only been time for some snafu, no time for the plots within
plots she was imagining. What was logical?
The captain might have been spotted with a known rebel. If the
Order was as paranoid as Neelix claimed she might even have been picked
up for jaywalking. The reason really didn't matter: with such an active
resistance on the planet, the authorities would likely link any unusual
event to rebel activities, including a group of trespassing aliens. Interrogation of the away team would result for details of their
association with the resistance. Of course, having absolutely no
information to give them, the away team would be branded as
uncooperative and subjected to punishment, even death. It was only a
matter of how long the inquisition would last before that judgement was
reached.
If she could trust this line of logic, what would become of the
ship? Was Chakotay capable of captaining a Starfleet vessel? Granted,
the man held his own as a leader. He had a friendly air of authority
and a charisma that helped him bond with the crew. His ability to evade
the Cardassians for such a long time with an antediluvian craft showed
that he knew how to survive. He had even sacrificed his own ship to
prevent Voyager's destruction. Chakotay had proved himself under
Janeway's command, upholding Starfleet standards.
Still, that must have chafed him. He had been a Maquis captain. With no one to countermand him, why shouldn't he be a Maquis captain
again? There were no Cardassians out here to fight, so perhaps the crew
wouldn't notice the subtle shift away from Federation restraint. The
Maquis were brash, bold and stubborn. Voyager was a single ship lost
in the midst of unknown peoples. An overbold misstep could easily
plunge the ship into more than they could handle. It had chilled her to
listen to Chakotay negotiate with Augris. She just didn't trust his
finesse and control the way she did the captain's. What would it be
like to have to go through this sort of situation again and again,
worrying whether Chakotay would take the decisive action rather than the
wise one? Her mind dredged up case studies from her Advanced Tactical
Strategies course at the academy. Decker, Hilton, Kirk, Sulu: all
former ship commanders who flew in the face of Starfleet, making up
their own rules whether or not the situation truly deserved it. She
remembered how disturbed she was reading those case studies - more
precisely, how often the captains escaped the review board with a
minimal amount of punishment. Her professor had explained that times
were different back then; starship captains were given more leeway in
such command decisions because the Federation was still going through a
delicate adolescence. That wasn't such the case anymore, though. Starfleet would be less forgiving of Chakotay's brand of leadership
today, even barring the fact that he wasn't even a legitimate candidate
to captain one of their ships.
And what would become of her? She could follow the line of
command, obey orders, but how could she function in a crew that didn't
hold her loyalty - if she even had a place at all, that is. Officers
surround themselves with people they can trust. Usually that meant
people who were like them, whose actions and words seemed right to the
commander. How long would it take Chakotay to see her caution as
cowardice, her reserve as arrogance?
The doors to the captain's office whooshed open, breaking Leena
out of her trance. To her indignation fifteen minutes had elapsed since
Commander Chakotay had severed communication with Augris, and already he
had commandeered the captain's office.
He went straight to Ops. "Any progress, Harry?" Leena heard a
genuine note of concern in his question.
"Not yet, Commander," came the grim reply. "We still haven't been
able to pick up any kind of transponder signal from their communicators. The sensor net might be interfering with our scans."
"Do what you can, but keep trying. Augris will be coming aboard
in less than two hours for a personal meeting. I'd feel a whole lot
better about talking to him if I knew we could pull our people out of
there in case things fall apart." He turned and looked stone-faced at
Leena. "While we're on the subject, Lieutenant, assemble a security
detail to escort the magistrate's party from Transporter Room 3 to the
conference lounge. I've invited him aboard as a gesture of good faith,
but I want an eye kept on him. I don't want him looking at anything he
shouldn't see."
At least he was smart enough to worry about their visitor. "Aye,
sir."
Leena reviewed Augris' transmission while making her selections. She didn't trust that shady looking figure. Her stand-by replacement
could cover the bridge. Leena put her own name in the last entry,
following Lt. Karlock's. She knew Karlock well, having worked
extensively with him in the past. Karlock had a knack for catching
details, even when it looked like he wasn't paying attention to what he
was guarding. Tuvok would agree, nothing less than the best would be
appropriate for this particular assignment.
Harry still had not located the away team by the time the
magistrate arrived. Uneasily, Leena looked on as Chakotay greeted
Augris. The official seemed to ignore his surroundings, but she
distrusted his arrogant air of nonchalance. Chakotay seemed not to
notice the way the official walked around the room as if he owned it.
"I know we can work out an arrangement that your superiors will
find reasonable," Chakotay said congenially. "As you say, I'm sure this
has all been a misunderstanding."
"I truly hope so, Commander." Augris continued to lazily scan the
room, seemingly not paying attention to anything in particular,
including Leena and Karlock. Then he looked evenly at Chakotay. "Tell
me, Commander, if your Federation is as open-minded as you claim,
perhaps you can explain the presence of your guards in this discussion? I'm beginning to get the impression you don't trust me."
Chakotay's lips tightened. Of course, Neelix had said the Mokra
Order was very paranoid. "Of course not, Magistrate. This is
Lieutenant Calloway, our head of security on Voyager. Ship's protocol
dictates that she be present during all diplomatic affairs."
"And what of him?" Augris threw an intimidating glance at
Karlock, but the guard did not react. "What rationalization do you have
to explain his presence?"
"Mr. Karlock is Ambassador Neelix's personal guardian."
The Talaxian decided to contribute his own voice to the
commander's falsehood. "That's right, and I must insist that he stay. I'm sure you can appreciate the desire to feel protected, having brought
your own attendant."
Augris' eyes flicked reflexively to his bodyguard, then afforded
himself a hint of a smile. "That's understandable, I suppose. However,
that does not change the fact that you have surrounded me with your
sentinels, Commander."
"I would hardly call Lieutenant Calloway and the ambassador's
escort 'surrounded', Magistrate."
Augris looked down his nose at the first officer. "Really,
Commander, I won't stand to be mocked or insulted. I came here in the
interests of helping you find your missing comrades, nothing more. If
you do not intend to afford me the respect I deserve, perhaps I should
take my leave of you."
Chakotay frowned. It seemed that Augris was taking full advantage
of their situation. The magistrate well knew how important it was for
them to recover the away team, and that he was their only source of
assistance. "Surely we could work out some type of compromise?"
Augris sat there feigning serious contemplation of Chakotay's
appeal for a minute before responding. "The ambassador may keep his
assistant, but the woman must leave the room. I could never trust a
woman to keep a conversation confidential."
Leena felt her cheeks burn with fury, but checked herself before
she could say anything to antagonize the magistrate. She reminded
herself that tolerance for the cultural beliefs of alien races was one
of the tenets of Starfleet. Despite his chauvinistic attitude, Augris
was a guest, and one who knew the whereabouts of Captain Janeway and
Lieutenant Tuvok. Leena was afraid, though, of what holding such a
bargaining chip would mean.
Chakotay looked at her sternly. She
could only guess what was running through his mind. He couldn't seriously consider Augris' suggestion. At the very least he should comment on Augris' unhealthy, sexist attitude toward women.
The commander stood up, not giving Augris even a sideways glance, and faced her. "It looks like I'll have to ask you to leave the room, Lieutenant."
A muscle in Leena's jaw twitched. The commander wasn't putting up
much of a fight to keep her there. He had chosen the quick fix over
caution, without a hint of disapproval. She could tell that Augris was
up to something, but it wouldn't do any of them a bit of good if she
wasn't there to find out. "Sir, I wouldn't advise that course of
action."
"We'll be all right, Lieutenant. You have your orders." His face
was set and cold, but his eyes flashed a sincere apology.
Leena scowled, ignoring his olive branch. "Yes, sir." Sending a
commanding look to Karlock, she made her way out. Leena caught Augris'
leering grin and shot him a withering look. If only she'd had a phaser
handy, she would have shot him with that, too.
The minutes ticked by. Leena gnawed on the bitter pill Augris had
fed her. He'd played her and Commander Chakotay for suckers, and he
delighted in letting her know it, too. He had practically dared her to
defy the commander's orders, knowing full well that it would provide him
more ammunition in the negotiation for the away team. Leena imagined he
wouldn't scruple to drive a dirty bargain if he could let down his
official face.
Still, the commander had capitulated too much to Augris. He could
have made some excuse to keep her in there. He probably could have
found a way to keep Lieutenant Tuvok. It reinforced the idea that
Chakotay hadn't accepted her as chief of security, even temporarily. She glared at the conference room doors. Not knowing what was going on
behind the bulkhead drove her mad. What rash concessions might the
commander make? Or would he push the magistrate too hard, dooming the
away team?
Leena almost jumped when the doors snapped open. The magistrate
had concluded the meeting and decided to make his leave, his bodyguard
in tow. Like finely tuned machinery, Leena's team stepped into
position and led the way back to the transporter room. Leena noticed
the magistrate's look of smug satisfaction as they passed and her
anxiety climbed another notch. Whatever happened in there, it seemed
that Augris had them in a corner. She stopped Karlock as he exited the
conference room. "Let's take a trip to the security office, Karlock. I
need to know everything that went on in there."
Leena felt the muscles between her shoulders clench as she walked
back onto the bridge. Somehow it didn't sound right. The room was
mostly quiet, save for the padding of hurried footfalls and the low
tones of rushed conversations. The trilling of an electronic control
pierced her ears through the relative silence, making her flinch.
She quickly assessed the bridge. Tom sat at the navigation
console looking completely stressed. A couple of engineers milled
about, busily attending to minor repairs. Ensign Harry Kim and Neelix,
the ship's morale officer, looked busiest of all in the oddest of
collaborations, totally absorbed by the data on a science console. Commander Chakotay, she noted with a twinge of bitterness, was nowhere
on the bridge. She could only guess what he was up to. As she watched
the activity, irritation suddenly stabbed her. She had no tasks
assigned her.
Reassuming the tactical station, she immediately queried the
computer for the commander's location. As she suspected, he had
returned to the captain's office. He sure has some nerve. Does he
think no one's noticed his little manoeuvre? The chair is still warm,
as they say. She would have to enlighten the commander about this
oversight, but first she had to attend to a higher priority. She
quietly made her way behind the bridge to the captain's ready room and
pressed the chime. After a brief eternity, the door slid open.
Commander Chakotay sat cross-legged on the floor over in the
captain's lounge, gathering up an assortment of trinkets placed in front
of him. Leena had long since heard about the commander's meditation
rituals. 'Vision quests' as it had been put. She wondered what sort of
visions he was actually looking for, though. The fact that he had
already made himself at home in the ready room didn't inspire any
reassurances about his intentions.
Chakotay finished packing up his spirit bundle before focusing his
attention on the entrant. "Hello, Lieutenant." He pushed himself into
a standing position and presented her with a congenial smile. "I trust
that our new 'friend' the magistrate has left?"
"Yes, sir. Magistrate Augris and his attendant were escorted to
the transporter room and beamed off the ship without incident."
The commander sat down behind the captain's desk and sank into the
back of the chair until it tilted. "Thank you, Lieutenant. That's one
burden I'm glad to get rid of, at least for the moment."
"Permission to speak, sir?" Leena ventured. The mention of
Augris' name brought back a memory of their unspoken disagreement. Might as well have that out now.
Chakotay's smile evaporated. He suspected what she wanted to talk
about. He shifted his weight and casually leaned over the captain's
desk, folding his hands in front. "What's on your mind?"
"To be candid, sir, I think you should have tried bargaining with
Augris a little more before throwing me out of the conference room. He
had an agenda for that meeting."
"I know you're weren't happy with that decision, Lieutenant, but I
didn't think it would be wise to provoke him. We couldn't have afforded
the time to forge a compromise if he had walked out. If anything, it
was probably better that we got him to stay. After you left he started
making veiled accusations that we have been in league with the local
resistance movement. I would guess that he's been interrogating the
away team the entire time also."
"Yes, sir, I know. Lieutenant Karlock already debriefed me on the
meeting. That raises another question, though. Since we now have a
reasonable idea of what Magistrate Augris is up to, why does the bridge
look as though the captain's already back on board?"
"We're doing all we can at the moment, Lieutenant. If you've got
any ideas for a rescue plan, I'd be happy to entertain them."
"Not at the moment, sir, but if there's any way to get the captain
off the planet you'll be the first person I see. You can count on
that."
Chakotay stiffened at the subtly threatening tone. He nodded,
perhaps finally understanding the cause for her attitude. "Dismissed,
Lieutenant."
Leena pivoted and marched out of the office. If the commander
couldn't provide her with any useful work, she'd just have to find it on
her own.