INJASUTI
CHAPTER ONE
Commander Chakotay glanced up sharply as Captain Kathryn Janeway made her way towards her command chair. Her movements were agitated, a little frown marring her forehead. When she sat down next to him, it was with a heavy sigh before silence settled between them again. She kept her gaze riveted to the main viewscreen.
"Is it safe to come out now?" he asked her several minutes later.
She turned to him, giving him a little sheepish grin.
"My apologies, Commander. I have been feeling a little under the weather lately. Too many hostile battles, command…you know the drill…"
"Understood, Captain." He felt relieved, glad that it wasn't anything worse than just plain tiredness. "But you were due for your medical two weeks ago," he added, bolstered by her apologetic look.
"Don't remind me…"
"It's my job, remember?"
"As counsellor? Friend? Mentor?"
He leaned over and touched her hand resting lightly on the console between them.
"Purely my job as First Officer. Our captain should know when to rest. It's been a difficult two months for all of us. Mostly, for the senior officers…"
"I…thank you, Commander. I should tell you it wasn't a good session, though."
"I suspected as much. You went down there like a bear with a sore head. The doctor can be an irritation at times - "
"At times, Commander? I should have B'Elanna reprogramme some of those subroutines. The ones that have to do with keeping his mouth shut and his eyes open. Well, you know what I mean."
"It's only once a month. Brave it, Captain. You've accumulated four days off duty."
He let his words hover between them, wanting her to realise how necessary it was that she take her off duty time seriously. He was ready to battle her again. The EMH had sent him a message that Captain Janeway had been more difficult than usual.
"Chakotay," she began softly, her shoulders sagging. The gesture was her form of truce, however brief. "You know how I hate these medicals. They - "
" - take you away from your duty, they impede in the running of the vessel, they expose niggly reminders that you need to relax, eat, take nutrient supplements, build up your strength again since the last time you almost died from the Heptrechian Flu."
He had remained by her side for almost four days straight until the doctor had him forcibly removed by the Security detail headed not by Tuvok, but Magnus Rollins. Rollins had brooked no argument from him, stating tersely that "the crew needs an alert Commander Chakotay to lead them home; Captain Janeway is on the road to recovery." He had gone to take a shower, slept for almost eighteen hours then resumed duty on the bridge, hailing the doctor every two hours to monitor Kathryn's recovery. It shook him to the core that, at the height of her illness, she had been too weak to even move her eyelids. He had insisted, with the EMH supporting him, that she recuperate for a week at least. During that week he had been like a watchdog, making sure she didn't move anywhere on the ship doing things that might tire her already weakened system. Sighing, Chakotay looked at his friend. Her tetchiness had abated, in its place was a smile that formed slowly on her lips.
She removed her hand from under his, this time placing it over his hand, patting it placatingly. He felt the odd twinge again. She could leave her hand there as long as she desired.
"Hey…you said it's your job to keep me in line, okay? I shall count on you for future reminders. I want to thank you again for looking after me when I was ill. I'm in great health, which I'm sure the EMH has already informed you. I don't mind, Commander, but right now, I have a ship to run and a planet to seek out for much needed rest and relaxation. Our crew is suffering from cabin fever."
"You can say that again!" he responded with heartfelt agreement. "Did you know that Lieutenant Kiridis has yet to take shore leave?”
"What?! He has never taken shore leave in six years?" Kathryn asked, her surprise genuine.
"Oh, he's taken leave, make no mistake. On the holodeck, off-duty days spent with Lessing and Sam Wildman in the hydroponics bay. Most of his free time is spent studying exobiology, strange tongues…"
Chakotay smiled at Kathryn's expression. She looked aghast and, he also sensed, a little guilty. He dealt with crew duty and crew rotations. She had always trusted him with that aspect of life on Voyager. Lieutenant Kiridis apparently never liked visiting other worlds, preferring to remain in his quarters, or, when practically forced out of hibernation by his friends, to spend time on the holodeck. According to his fellow crewmen housed on the same deck, Kiridis was not much of a communicator. "He's too much into studying books and languages, Commander," Chell, the Bolian had told him once. After that Chakotay had tried, and the one time Kiridis had gone down to a planet, he had been back on Voyager within twelve hours, complaining that he'd much rather spend time with plants in the hydroponics bay.
"I promise you," he soothed. "Marcus Kiridis will go on shore leave the very next planet we reach, Captain, even if I have to chain him to the first city's main obelisk."
"An obelisk?"
"Since he's into ancient cultures, I'm sure any first city will oblige."
"You're certain he isn't a throwback to an ancient scribe?"
"Apparently he claims to have Macedonian forebears…uh…according to Chell."
Kathryn chuckled. Chakotay breathed a sigh of relief. The medical was almost forgotten now.
"Thank you, Commander," she said softly.
He nodded, then turned away quickly, facing the main viewscreen. Her wide grin, her open regard, her unabashed appraisal always managed to cause his emotions to boil, to fill him with hope. A warmth spread through him. He had to banish her beauty or…be vanquished by her smile alone.
"And while we're on shore leave," he quickly recovered, "we should - "
"Also see what provisions and dilithium we can procure from the planet."
This time Kathryn's smile broadened, embracing him completely. He felt a punch to the gut.
"Good," was all he could manage.
After a few minutes, Ensign Harry Kim broke the silence.
"Captain?"
"Mr Kim, what is it?"
Kathryn Janeway rose, her eyes on Chakotay. She frowned heavily. He felt it too, as did the whole bridge. A slight shift, like a phantom passing over them or through them, through the entire ship.
"We're being scanned, Captain - "
"Noted, Mr Kim. Source?"
"Unknown. There are no vessels or relay stations within a hundred thousand kilometres."
"None on long range sensors?"
"None as yet, Captain."
"We'll maintain yellow alert. Meanwhile, keep scanning, Harry. I need to know what's out there."
"Whatever it is, it knows about us," Chakotay muttered, his fingers on the panels between the command chairs.
"While we know nothing about it. We're vulnerable, Commander."
"It may be not be hostile," he said. "Maybe just a cursory glance?"
"Cursory or not, I don't like its tone!"
After that, Kathryn remained on her feet. He got up too and stood behind Paris at the conn, staring out the viewscreen.
"There's something out there, Paris," he muttered softly.
"I hope it's an invitation to the dance, Commander. We could use some downtime…"
"This sector is almost devoid of planetary life. The only systems - "
"Almazin Binary System. Still ten light-years away…"
An idea made him turn quickly to join Kathryn who was seated in her command chair again. He sat down heavily next to her.
"Perhaps it’s from the Almazin System? It's one of only three star systems in this sector…"
"Worth investigating, Chakotay."
"Good. I'd hate to disappoint Lieutenant Marcus Kiridis…"
Chakotay was gratified when Kathryn's approving smile relaxed her face a little. She was herself in dire need of shore leave, and he had already planned on enforcing it upon her. They had time; a few weeks wouldn't make that much difference. Kathryn needed to recharge, but first, she needed to decompress, to allow the constant stress of the long hours and double shifts, of command and unpopular decisions to flow from her body, then to fill herself with new emotional nutrients. He studied her profile, mostly from his peripheral vision. He wished so much that she'd let go, acknowledge him as more than just her first officer, friend and mentor. It was his desire, something he'd only sublimated because he sensed she was not ready for anything more than friendship. Oh well, if she kept her hand over his in the gentle caress he'd come to love and enjoy, he supposed that he could live with that.
He had almost forgotten about the earlier scan when Harry Kim's voice sounded up.
"Captain…"
Instantly Kathryn was on the alert. She rose to her feet, hands on her hips.
"Yes, Mr Kim?"
"I've got something, on long range sensors. It could be a distress signal. Nothing recognizable from previous sectors we've traveled through…"
"But it's a distress call?"
"I'm certain it is, Captain. I've received no hails. This is a subspace signal…"
"Distance?"
"Approximately fifty thousand kilometres away," replied Kim, his eyes riveted to his consoles.
"Determine how long ago it was sent."
"Aye, Captain. It's repeated at intervals of a minute apart. It's an automated signal."
"Could be a stricken vessel," Paris said.
"The signal was sent about two hours ago," came from Harry, who didn't look up as he spoke.
"That can mean only one thing," Chakotay said. "Whoever sent the signal…we may be too late…"
Kathryn looked at him, nodding in agreement.
"Mr Paris," she ordered, "plot a course for the source of the signal. Bring us to within a thousand kilometres, or as soon as we have visual."
"Aye, Captain," Tom responded swiftly, quickly altering course, heading for the source of the distress call.
An hour later he dropped out of warp, engaging impulse power.
"We're here, Captain."
"On screen," Janeway ordered.
A second later a ship came into view, about half the size of Voyager. It was shaped like a needle, its point facing Voyager. There were no visible signs of viewports, nacelles, or markings of affiliation and identification, although the point boasted a small indentation which was probably its bridge. Chakotay grinned as he thought of his earlier repartee with Janeway about chaining Kiridis to an obelisk.
"We have our obelisk, Captain," he told her. She glanced at him, her mouth pulling into a tight smile.
Then, "Mr Tuvok?"
"A derelict, Captain. The vessel is dead in space. No engines running. Curious, there are no phaser banks that I can detect…"
"Life signs?"
"None, Captain."
"Any sign that there has been life on board?"
A quick scan by Tuvok. A few seconds later he responded. "There are lifeforms on board but none alive."
"None alive?" Janeway asked, jerking her attention to the space ship.
"I suspected we might be too late," Chakotay said softly. "We should maintain yellow alert, Captain. The vessel doesn't appear to be damaged."
"Agreed. Mr Kim, maintain scans of the region…"
"Aye, Captain."
Kathryn Janeway turned to face Chakotay, giving him a quirky smile.
"Well, Commander, it seems your prayers have been answered. I want you to head an away team to investigate the vessel. Take Tuvok, Ayala and Torres. I'll include your Lieutenant Marcus Kiridis in the away team…"
"Aye, Captain."
He moved towards the turbolift.
"Commander…"
He turned back, frowned at the tone of her voice.
"Be careful, Chakotay."
He smiled and nodded. There was no holding of hands this time, but he imagined that her palm rested against his chest as she spoke the words. They were comforting, her concern for his safety reassuring.
Ten minutes later, the away team assembled in the transporter room, ready to beam to the stricken vessel.
Chakotay kept his eye on Lieutenant Kiridis. The man looked out of sorts, like he was loath to be going anywhere, even an away mission. Chakotay knew him to be a Starfleet trained officer who had served on several ships before being commissioned to Voyager. Kiridis looked red. His skin was blotched, his hair a riot of curls and his ears…
"Kiridis!"
"Sir!"
"This is your chance to impress the captain. Understood?"
"Understood, sir. It's my first away mission…"
"Then, Lieutenant, let it not be your last."
"No, sir. I am honoured to be a part of this mission."
If he knew why he was on the team, he'd probably skulk back into hiding, thought Chakotay.
"Ready?"
The rest of the team comprising of Tuvok, Ayala and Torres nodded, their expressions a mixture of sombreness and expectation, the age old thrill of the unknown beckoning. They stood on the transporter pad. Chakotay nodded to Ensign Mulcahy on transporter duty. Seconds later they were engulfed in the soft glissando of the transporter beam before they dematerialised.
His first sensation after materialising on the alien ship was total darkness. Mulcahy had entered co-ordinates for the centre section of the vessel. No engines were running, as Tuvok had correctly stated. They were in a large room; several passages led from this section. Torres flicked on her wrist light, an action followed by the others. Her tricorder already open, she began scanning, as did Chakotay and Tuvok.
"I do not expect lifesigns, Commander," Tuvok offered.
Chakotay nodded grimly.
"Okay, let's break up. Kiridis, you're with me. B'Elanna, you and Ayala find the engine room. Tuvok, find the bridge. This vessel cannot just be devoid of life. There must be something - "
They nodded, then moved off into different directions. Kiridis followed him, and after about ten minutes, B'Elanna hailed him.
"Chakotay here. Anything, Torres?"
"Found the engine room, Commander. Everything's been shut down, as if someone had given the order to keep the ship dead in the water."
"Continue looking…"
He continued down a small passage, then paused by an open doorway to what seemed like a cabin. He shone his wrist light into the depths of the cabin, then took at step forward. Suddenly he stumbled against something soft.
"What the - ?"
He stopped abruptly, and looked down. On the floor lay a woman, her arms wrapped tightly around a very small child. Kiridis gave a loud gasp. Chakotay bent down, Kiridis following him. Chakotay turned the head of the dead woman, then drew in his breath sharply, his brow creasing in a deep frown.
"She appears human, Commander," whispered Kiridis next to him.
"I see that," replied Chakotay as he touched the rich dark hair of the woman.
That same moment, Tuvok hailed him from the ship's bridge.
"I know what you're going to say, Tuvok."
"We have found eight bodies, Commander. There may be more. There's something else…"
"Confirm what I've discovered," he said, instantly on the alert.
"They are humans, Commander Chakotay."
"I know. We have just discovered the bodies of a woman and her baby…"
"Torres to Chakotay…"
"Chakotay here. Have you found any bodies?"
"And they're humans. Not only that. There are children - the bodies of children here as well. They seem to be under the age of two earth years…the children are in the arms of their mothers…" B'Elanna's voice sounded sharp, metallic in its outrage.
By the time she had finished reporting, Chakotay and Kiridis stumbled upon more bodies. Three females with their babies. All human. He frowned heavily, then called the away team to assemble on the bridge of the vessel. Fifteen minutes later they were on the bridge, lit only by their wrist lights.
"I couldn't power up the engines, Chakotay. The codes are encrypted," B'Elanna said. "However, the distress signal originated from the engineering station…"
"Tuvok?"
"Altogether twenty eight females, four males and twenty eight children, Commander. This is most curious. Only the Liberty, Voyager and the Equinox have carried humans here in the Delta Quadrant as well as the 37s whose planet we left four years ago. These bodies…they are not alien lifeforms that have assumed human form. Their DNA is human. It is most curious. It would be interesting to know how they arrived in the Delta Quadrant…"
"Perhaps in recent years? Brought here by the Caretaker?" Ayala asked.
"I do not think so," offered Kiridis, who appeared to blush in the semi-dark as he spoke up for the first time. "They may have been here longer than we think."
"And you have a theory on that?" Torres barked, sending the man into sudden sullenness. "There are babies here. Babies who died…or were murdered…"
"Well, until we transport the body of one adult and one child to Voyager's sickbay, we won't know, so leave conjecture aside. Torres, check out everything. This ship didn't die all by itself. It may have been sabotaged."
Torres left the bridge, heading in the direction of engineering. Ayala followed her. Tuvok remained with him and Kiridis.
Chakotay hit his commbadge.
"Chakotay to Janeway."
"Janeway here. What have you found, Commander?"
"Captain, it's more serious than we thought. We discovered the bodies of twenty eight females, four males and twenty eight babies - "
"What?!"
"There's more. It seems the vessel has been sabotaged. All engines have been shut down. No life support, no auxiliary engines, nothing. We're still looking for clues."
"Cause of death?"
"We're transporting two bodies to the medical bay for autopsies. Captain…"
"What is it, Chakotay? You sound strained."
"The bodies are all human, Captain."
"Humanoid?"
"No. I mean human. Typical bipeds like us, with the identical human genome. We'll remain here until Torres has completed her inspection of the engine room and warp coils. Meanwhile, I'd like a secondary team to beam over. We've found some casings that can be used as coffins. These unfortunate individuals should be given a final resting place."
"They may be from the Almazin Binary System, Chakotay. It's the closest system. The distress signal was sent not long before Harry Kim picked it up on long range sensors, which makes that system their most likely source. If you suspect sabotage, it may very well not be the best thing to do to return them to their homeworld right now. We have absolutely no idea of how and why they died. If the ship was sabotaged and the people killed, I agree we may have to be careful."….
"Aye, Captain. Chakotay out."
Torres arranged for the transport of two of the bodies to Voyager's sickbay. They didn't wait for the second away team to beam over before they continued looking around. Kiridis had his eyes riveted on markings he’d discovered on the bulkheads on the bridge. Similar markings were found on the bulkheads of the main corridor leading to the bridge. They appeared to him like ancient script. He had given them a cursory glance when they had gone searching for clues. Now, suddenly, it seemed as if Kiridis had come to life.
"Never noticed it until now…" Chakotay said reflectively.
Kiridis brushed his fingers over the markings, from left to right, in an up-down zigzag fashion.
"We…are…the…Injasuti…" he said slowly as he followed each glyph.
"What?"
"That is what the text is saying, Commander."
Chakotay gaped at Kiridis in some astonishment. He swallowed, then finally found his tongue.
"Kiridis, have you been hiding your credentials?"
"I did not think that anyone would be interested, Commander. These people are from the planet Injasuti."
Just then Chakotay's commbadge beeped.
"Janeway to Chakotay."
"Chakotay here. What is it, Captain?"
"The crew of that vessel were most likely from the eleventh planet of the Almazin Binary System. A planet called 'Injasuti'."
"I know, Captain. Kiridis here has deciphered some ancient text found on the ship's bulkheads."
"Kiridis? He can do that?"
"Aye, Captain."
"That means - "
"They've been in the Delta Quadrant far longer than us, at least."
"Commander, finish up. I want the away teams back on Voyager as soon as possible."
"Aye, Captain."
"Commander, all the bodies have been placed in casings," Tuvok reported later. "I've estimated that they died ten hours ago. While their bodies have not yet decomposed, rigor mortis has already begun to set in."
"They deserve the dignity of a burial, a final resting place. But it's not our place to perform burial rites."
"I concur. We do not know about families on their homeworld who might want to perform such rituals themselves."
"Noted, Tuvok. We need to find their families."
"Also, I have found traces of certain gases that had been spread through the vessel. It is possible that they may have been poisoned. They all died at approximately the same time.
"We'll know for sure once we're back on Voyager and the doctor has completed the autopsies," Chakotay added. "Somehow it gives me a creepy feeling of being connected…"
"Because they are human?" Tuvok asked.
Chakotay remained quiet for several seconds, an image of the first mother and child he had stumbled upon coming to him. The woman had dark, almost black hair in long tresses that fanned about her and her baby. Her skin looked tanned. She resembled his people on Dorvan. For a moment he thought about his family who had died there, then pushed that thought violently from him. Could something similar have happened here?
"Yes, Tuvok," he said at length. "Because they're human."
"There, that's everything seen to. Once we're all back on Voyager, we'll head for the Almazin System. These unfortunate individuals must have family who don't know what has happened to them. We have no idea why they were killed," Chakotay said to the away team. "Once the doctor has completed the autopsies, we will know for certain how they were killed and probably be closer to knowing why. The fact that the ship has been left a derelict with no life support systems running, its crew dead, tells us that we must suspect foul play."
Chakotay looked at the away teams. They appeared calm now, not showing the initial shock that had marked their faces. Kiridis appeared strangely animated since he had deciphered what Chakotay thought to be cuneiform script.
"It's Phoenician, Commander. Quite easy to figure out once you get the hang of it."
"And you got the hang of it," B'Elanna retorted, her voice still sounding outraged.
"Were these people speaking an ancient language?" Chakotay asked, ignoring B'Elanna's unkind tone.
"That may very well be. I've…I've taken images of the glyphs for further studying."
"Good. You can team up with Seven of Nine in Astrometrics. I want answers, Kiridis."
"We won't know until we reach Injasuti, Commander."
"That's up to the Captain to decide. Now that we've found a ship full of dead bodies, she might want to play it safe right now. Shore leave will have to be put on hold until we have this cleared up…"
"Well, Commander, I should think that the captain would be curious to know where in the Delta Quadrant humans have settled. Humans who may be speaking Phoenician," Ayala said.
"It may be possible that a planet exists mimicking Earth's attributes, including her people," Tuvok offered sagely, raising one eyebrow. "Their mode of dress, such as I've seen on the males, is not unlike that of Vulcan…"
"Or any of the ancient cultures of Earth…" retorted Ayala.
"Also," remarked Kiridis in a dry tone, "if they are actually speaking Phoenician, they must have been in this quadrant at least two thousand years."
"That long?"
"The language has died out. The great Queen Jezebel was from Sidon, a Phoenician city. She spoke the language. The last ancients who spoke it were the people of Carthage, vanquished by the Romans in 146 BCE. Until the late twenty first century the people of Malta still spoke Phoenician."
"Cut the history," began Torres.
Kiridis opened his mouth to speak again, then closed it suddenly. Chakotay felt a little sorry for him, being bullied so by Torres.
"Okay, that's it," Chakotay cut in. "We'll transport the second away team first…"
Too many loose ends, he decided, leading to too much conjecture. Before B'Elanna ate Kiridis for breakfast, he had to get them all back on Voyager. The bodies had been laid in coffins, the babies with their mothers, and all the coffins ready to be transported to Voyager.
On Voyager, Kathryn Janeway stood next to the biobed in the medical bay, looking down at the body of the blonde haired young woman. On the other bed lay a child of no more than two years. The child looked like the dead woman; Kathryn realised that Chakotay had most likely transported a mother and child and had not selected the bodies randomly.
"Give me an hour, Captain. I'll have a full report for you by then," the EMH said, waiting for her to nod and make her way to the sickbay doors. She realised he wasn't going to continue until she left.
"You have an hour, Doctor," she said tersely before turning on her heel.
Back on the bridge, she waited for the away teams to report.
"Captain, by now you have seen the bodies of the woman and child we transported to the medical bay," Chakotay communicated to her from the alien vessel.
"Yes, they're definitely human," she replied.
"Also, Kiridis here has some startling information which he'll report as soon as we're back on Voyager."
"Kiridis?"
"Aye, Captain. Additional information about the Injasuti - their form of communication, to be exact. We'll have a more detailed report. Chakotay out."
Kathryn moved to stand behind Paris at the conn.
"Tom, take us on a course heading for Injasuti. If anything, I'd like to know why sixty men, women and babies died on a ship. The entire crew…"
"Aye, Captain."
"Captain!" Harry's voice sounded up again and Kathryn swung round instantly to look in his direction.
"I believe another scan is in - "
"What? Anot - "
"Captain! Captain!"
Harry's voice sounded horror-struck. Tom Paris swung round, his eyes growing large.
Kathryn Janeway felt it, like a phantom entering her body. She looked surprised, her mouth gaping.
In the next instant she was gone.
*****
END CHAPTER ONE