INJASUTI
CHAPTER THREE
Injasuti - place of the weeping water.
Kathryn awoke, instantly attuned to a sense of displacement. She tried to remember when this displacement had started. She had been on the bridge of Voyager, speaking to Harry Kim. A memory began to swamp her, of Harry looking horror-struck at her. The next moment she’d felt queasy, floating, floating…
Then she knew no more.
There was a fragrance, of burning oils, perhaps, she thought with a frown. Roses and frangipani tickled her nostrils. Slowly Kathryn looked around her. She was in a large airy room, on a queen sized bed, covered with the softest sheets she could imagine. They lay like a cloud that had gently descended on her. Next to the bed on a stand she saw the source of the floral fragrance - a three pronged oil burner, the prongs in the shape of what appeared to be priestesses holding aloft a glass bowl filled with crystals and oil.
"Where am I…?" she whispered softly to herself.
She tried to sit up, groaning slightly as her head began to spin a little. After a minute or so, the dizziness abated. She noted an ornate double door, the entrance to the room, great arched windows, a French window that opened to…somewhere. There was a large rug on the tiled floor.
Touching her bosom, she realised her uniform was gone, although her commbadge was pinned to the silken night gown she was wearing. Tapping her badge, she began, "Janeway to Voyager…". The only response was a soft crackling sound. 'I'm either out of range or there's too much static,' she thought.
Giving a sigh, she moved to get up from the bed. Right at that moment the doors opened. In the doorway stood a young woman. Kathryn drew in her breath sharply. A human woman who had beautiful long hair, a silky black sheen to it. She wore a simple, long chiton with a cord tied at the waist. The woman appeared distraught as she scuttled swiftly towards Kathryn.
"Eminenza!" she cried out.
"Wha-what?"
"Your Highness!"
Kathryn realised the woman was speaking in a different tongue, which her commbadge, now serving as a universal translator, picked up and translated to English. Who had reconfigured her commbadge?
"H-Highness?"
"Please, you must not rise too soon!"
But Kathryn would have none of it as she swung her legs over the side and heaved herself off the high bed. With her hands against the mattress, she braced herself; for a second the dizziness overwhelmed her, but it eased as she remained quite still, her eyes closed. She felt the woman's hand supporting her back. When she looked up it was to stare into a pair of very concerned green eyes.
"Your Highness requires rest…" the woman said, her voice tinged with worry.
Kathryn gazed long at her, at the wonder of seeing a human female in this quadrant. It couldn't possibly be humans from the 37s. Voyager had left that region of the quadrant years ago.
"Are you - are you the Injasuti?" Kathryn asked quietly.
The young woman nodded, a smile transforming her concern to relief.
"We are the Injasuti, Your Highness. It means Place of the Weeping Water…"
Kathryn acknowledged the woman's explanation with a nod, wondering what the significance of 'Weeping Water' was.
"Tell me, what is your name?"
"I am Hanim, Your Highness. I am your handmaiden."
"Why am I here, Hanim? My people must be looking for me. What have you done with my uniform?"
Hanim smiled again as she led Kathryn to the window which opened to a private courtyard. Only when they were standing in the paved courtyard did Kathryn realise that they were on an upper level of the house overlooking what appeared to be a magnificent terraced garden. From the house the terraces stretched a distance of about two hundred metres, sloping towards a stream. Beyond the stream was a long valley banked by a range of mountains. Everything looked verdant, from the grass to the trees beyond the river on the slopes of the mountains.
Kathryn turned to look at Hanim, another jolt going through her at the strange beauty of this woman.
"Your uniform has been placed in safety, Your Highness - "
"Please…not 'Your Highness'. My name is Kathryn Janeway…"
"Yes, I know. You are Queen Khaira, our new Queen."
"What? Khaira…?" Then Kathryn realised that the universal translator probably made her name sound like Khaira. She began to wheeze, then slowed down her breathing until the wheezing eased off. Hanim looked worried again; she made soft, clicking sounds as if she were talking to a small child.
"Please, Eminenza, you must not upset yourself. I have sent for Ishtar to bring you food. You have not eaten since the Procurator brought you here."
Kathryn absorbed Hanim's words. Her Latin was very rusty, but she was certain Procurator meant a caretaker. The Caretaker that brought them into the Delta Quadrant had died. His mate Suspiria? It couldn't be her, but could another Nacene be responsible for bringing her here? The Nacene were sporocystian life forms that could traverse subspace. Why did Hanim refer to her as eminenza? Didn't that refer to a deity or priest of a high order? Why was she a queen? Queen Khaira? Why did they bring her here? Where was Voyager? She had last spoken with Chakotay while standing on the bridge of her vessel. The away team had been on an alien vessel investigating the deaths of sixty men, women and children. The questions milled about in her consciousness and she felt queasy again, the breathtaking vista before her slowly fading, its beauty holding no power against the dizziness that overcame her again. When she gave a light groan, Hanim was quick to guide her back to the bed. Kathryn moaned when her head hit the pillow; seconds later she fell into a deep sleep again.
"She is very beautiful," said Livia Gaiden to Supreme Commander Afzhal Serinius.
"She is our only hope. Long we have believed that a successor would come, for now we know that there is no hope for Queen Toreth. She is living the last moments of her life. She has served Injasuti well, but it was necessary to invoke the Procurator to match a successor…"
"It is hard to believe that Queen Toreth is in her dying moments. It is sad, Supreme Commander. She has a son who has lost a mother…"
"But we needed a female successor and you know Queen Toreth was the last of her line. All relatives are male, with no daughters to become Queen of Injasuti…"
"They are of the same blood, Supreme Commander? Queen Toreth and Queen Khaira?"
"As near as possible that the Procurator could match. Khaira was a star traveler, and like us, is a human."
"Perhaps she comes from our Ancient World? Our historical records show that a great ship brought our ancestors here. There is a map of antiquity in the Great Library of the First City, which shows where our Ancient City was situated."
"Livia, I am Afzhal Serinius. Do you not think I would know that?"
"I beg your indulgence, then, Supreme Commander. But do you not think that Queen Khaira could be from our Ancient World?"
"Who knows? Perhaps, Livia Gaiden. Perhaps. The most important thing is that Khaira is Toreth's natural successor and as such must succeed the throne. She is to be mated as soon as possible to produce a girl heir. Toreth took a mate of her own choosing, against the will of the Injasuti. Her son was removed from her as punishment. The boy's father has been killed in battle…as you well know."
"I know," replied Livia.
Livia did not want to remind the Supreme Commander that Queen Toreth's mate had been murdered. No queen before Toreth had had a mate, but rather several eunuchs to please her. It was the law, and Supreme Commander Afzhal Serinius was a pragmatic stickler concerning Injasuti's laws governing their Queen, who was the Incarnate Goddess Tanith. He had served Injasuti for two generations. Although he was old, he had a strong and wiry body. Sometimes his piercing eyes filled her with fear. There were many who feared him.
Livia gazed at the doors, the entrance to the new queen's boudoir. She felt a certain apprehension. The eunuchs who serviced Queen Toreth had been told to prepare for the new Queen… Only upon the Queen's permission could the number of eunuchs be determined. Then Afzhal spoke, his voice stern.
"Her handmaiden Hanim Abbya has said that Queen Khaira is still ill from the Procurator's Transfer. I believe the distance was very great through which Khaira's body had to be transported," he informed Livia.
"Yes. It has made her ill these two days, Afzhal. I have instructed Hanim to oversee Queen Khaira's ablutions and meal. She must be very hungry."
"Well, Livia. Your task is clear. Prepare Queen Khaira for the Offering. We have procured a girl child. The mother is proud that her daughter is to be offered to venerate our Supreme Goddess Tanith. It is our only hope to avert a war with the Militia of the High Command."
"Do you know what has happened to the fleeing mothers and their children, Afzhal?" asked Livia, her question a little hesitant.
"Was not your cousin one of those cowards who fled?"
"I am most sorry, Afzhal. But yes, Laurana fled."
"I can tell you that their vessel was stopped. I can tell you they have been punished. That is all I will say."
Livia remained silent. Years ago she had been the honoured mother whose girl child Raeesa was sacrificed to the Goddess Tanith. She had been very young then and offered no resistance as she gave up her child. Now she felt differently. She visited the Tophet regularly to pray that her child's spirit lived with the gods and that she remained blessed for having been chosen. She still missed her little Raeesa who had resembled her father with her quick smile and laughing eyes.
She lived for her Queen, but understood that Laurana could not offer her only child, a pretty little girl named Talot. Laurana did not believe as she had once believed with great fervour that the Offering was necessary and the highest honour for an Injasuti girl child. They had escaped ten days ago. Only those connected with the High Council knew what had happened to their ship. She had prayed to Tanith, to Etbaal, to Eshmoun and all her deities that her cousin and the other women would be safe wherever they tried to settle. Her heart went out to them. If the gods willed that she, Livia Gaiden, become heavy with child again and blessed with a beautiful little baby girl, she would also flee Injasuti and settle safely far away.
But who would want her? She who prepared the old queen to conduct the Offerings and who would also guide the new queen into a life of submission to the gods and Afzhal Serinius? Beyond the boundaries of the Weeping Water were many who hated what happened here in the name of religion and supplication to the gods. They hated her as much as they hated Afzhal Serinius. Who would want her now?
The way Afzhal spoke made her realise that he knew a lot more about what had happened to the women who fled, and it was not good news. Not good news at all. Afzhal has been known to engineer the disappearance or deaths of dissidents.
But she was glad too that they had a new Queen now. Who knew, perhaps Queen Khaira would become powerful enough to change the order of things. Yes, they were heading for a war with their own people. The Queen was their only hope. Once she conducted the Ritual Offering, all would be well again with Injasuti. Or better still, perhaps it was possible that Queen Khaira would refuse to be party to the killing of babies and then the Injasuti High Command would commend her for such a brave stance against Supreme Commander Afzhal Serinius. In her heart of hearts, Livia hoped for such a deliverance, for she was tired of seeing mothers weep with the falling of the waters and the sound of their wailing echoing for many days around the Place of the Weeping Water.
How would they breach the invisible wall erected by the Procurator? Her own knowledge was limited. She was not a scientist. Why, oh, why did she feel so uncertain of things now? Why?
Sighing, Livia turned towards the door leading to Queen Khaira's chamber.
Kathryn was lying in a half slumber when she heard voices outside the doors of her chamber. She felt better, but still quite seriously troubled over her appearance and purpose in the life of the Injasuti. She hoped; she had full faith in Chakotay and the crew to find her as soon as possible. She had been right in connecting the dead women, babies and four men to Injasuti, eleventh planet of the Almazin Binary Star System. Now she was here, and what little information she could glean from her handmaiden Hanim meant she was here as a successor to a Queen who had died or was dying. Not only that, she had been brought here by a Procurator. If her instinct was right, that meant it was a sporocystian life-form, the Nacene, who originated in another galaxy. They could transport anything through subspace, which was why she felt so ill and nauseous most of the time she had been awake after being shunted here. Her physical body had gone through enormous pressure and radical corporeal change during the transition. As the Caretaker did to Voyager, the Liberty and the Equinox, so the Procurator had done to her. If that were so, she was a minuscule element closer to knowing how, perhaps, humans were brought to this planet.
"I hope Voyager gets here soon…" she whispered to herself.
Thinking of rescue, of Voyager, brought back memories of her life on board her vessel, their hardships, their victories. In all of her trials, Chakotay had been right there beside her, loyal to the core. She knew that she could count on that loyalty to bring Voyager into Injasuti's orbit.
It brought memories of Chakotay. Now, even in these dire moments of knowing more or less the role she was to play here, just lying in bed, for the first time in so long, she could reflect on what Chakotay meant to her.
The world.
Just that thought brought tears to her eyes. All those little incidents came rushing back - those times his hand had been on her shoulder, or tentatively touching her cheek, those times his smile turned her legs to mush, the pain of punishing herself to curb those feelings… She thought of their last time together on Voyager. When she rested her palm over his hand, he had given her a look and there was so much expectation in that look, that now her heart burned with the shame for not acting upon it.
Why was it suddenly now that they were separated with light years between them, that she missed him so? Not the first officer who cautioned, challenged, protected; not the mentor who listened to her needless ranting of being stranded in this quadrant, who listened to her joys, the victory of the day when this crewman or that officer helped save the ship; not the friend who allowed her to touch him at will and not expect any reciprocation because she didn't want to give any…
She missed Chakotay the man.
"Please…please…come soon, Chakotay…" she whispered.
The voices became louder outside her door. She listened to their conversation. Now she knew that the unfortunate women had tried to escape with their children, to settle where they could be safe and not give up their babies. Now she knew that some higher order had seen to it that they were punished. And she knew that the male voice outside her chamber was the man responsible for that punishment.
Their punishment had been death.
Could their culture, their rigidity in applying their religious rites and rituals be at once so honourable and at the same time so unspeakable and merciless to those who did not want to be a part of it?
Kathryn recalled that Earth's history held a shameful record of intolerance so great that entire races had been wiped out - all in the name of power and superiority. Why would a world more than thirty thousand light-years away from Earth be any different? Was it only humans who claimed for themselves such a terrible record? Was it human nature to inflict needless pain and humiliation? Did she think that Injasuti, a planet on which humans had been settled, would be the benchmark of all the best elements in human nature?
Sighing, Kathryn waited for the doors to open. Another woman stepped into the room. Kathryn thought her to be in her thirties. Her skin was tanned, like Chakotay's, and her blonde hair parted in the middle and caught in a single braid. When she reached Kathryn, the woman knelt down in deference. Her head remained bowed. The braid trailed right past the woman's lower back, Kathryn noted. She touched the bowed head.
"Please," she told the woman. "You do not need to bow before me… Rise…"
When the woman stood up, Kathryn took a good look at her. She was tall, her eyes light brown. She looked sombre, wringing her hands nervously as she met Kathryn's gaze.
"I heard what you said about your cousin…"
"Your highness! It was not meant for you to hear… I humbly beg your forgiveness…"
"What is your name?"
"I am Livia Gaiden, senior housekeeper to the Queen."
"Livia…a Roman name," Kathryn said reflectively.
"It was handed down through hundreds of years, Your Highness."
She sounded proud of her heritage, Kathryn noted.
"Your people are humans…"
"If that means like you, then yes, we are humans," Livia answered softly.
"Livia…"
"Your Highness?"
"You sounded distressed about your cousin. If you do not say a word to anyone, I can tell you that my people found the vessel in which your women and cousin fled. I am so sorry… but they were no longer alive…"
Livia remained quiet a long time, then nodded solemnly. Kathryn thought that Livia was very strong not to burst into tears, although she looked very close to it.
"Hanim will see to your meal now, Your Highness," she said seconds later, a little more composed. "Afterwards, you will be dressed in your royal garments and taken to the Place of the Weeping Water…"
"I wish to speak first to the First Ministers of this world…"
Livia's eyes went wide with distress.
"Please…do not do that, Queen Khaira. We are at war with our own people. It is why we have made an entreaty to our Procurator to bring you to us, so that we may have a successor who will help us overthrow the enemy…"
"Your own brothers?"
"They do not wish us to continue our rituals, Queen Khaira. We pray to Eshmoun, Baal and Tanith that the tide will turn without resorting to weapons…"
"By killing babies? By bringing me here?"
"It is a most holy of holy communions, Your Highness. You will soon see what we mean by that."
"Livia, what I think is that you don't look very enthusiastic about killing babies. But you are still tied to a tradition and ritual that has been part of your culture for thousands of years. I cannot help but think you would like all of this to end…"
Kathryn let her words hover between them. She sensed the uncertainty, the struggle within this young woman.
"Please, I have to leave you now."
"Tell me, Livia, why my communicator cannot pick up my people's signals"
Livia paled.
"Afzhal Serinius reconfigured it, Your Highness."
"That still doesn't mean that my people can't transport me away from here. What is blocking the signals?"
A sigh escaped the young woman.
"I have said enough, Your Highness - "
"I must know!"
A long pause ensued. Then Livia gave another sigh.
"This area of Injasuti - it is the size of three great cities - is protected by the unseen wall."
"A force field."
"Yes."
"It cannot be breached?"
"Many have died trying to get in or out, Your Highness." Livia looked very unhappy now. "Please, I cannot tell you more…"
Kathryn nodded. A force field erected by whom? Voyager would certainly disable it, of that she was certain.
"Now, Livia Gaiden," Kathryn began in an imperious tone, "tell me what my role is as Queen Khaira."
"Your Highness! I may not speak!" Livia whispered as she bowed her head and wrung her hands together.
"I must know."
"Only Afzhal Serinius may tell you, Your Highness."
A soft knock made Livia turn towards the door. The handmaiden had made her appearance again, pausing in the open doorway waiting to be invited inside the room.
"Hanim is ready for your ablution and your meal," Livia said, then quietly made her exit.
"Where did this come from?" asked Kathryn later as a platter of food was placed on a small table in the courtyard. Her conversation with Livia earlier was nearly forgotten as she became immersed in the smell of the exotic meal. She was hungry; she hadn't eaten in two days, although she remembered vaguely being given water to drink.
"Olives from the groves in the palace compound and dates from Injasuti's great date palms, brought here by our ancestors…"
"How long ago was that?" Kathryn asked as she picked up a succulent date and brought it to her mouth. She relished its sweet taste. She hadn't eaten dates in years, not even back on Earth before Voyager left for the Badlands.
"Five thousand years ago…"
"You have a binary star system, Hanim. How long for Injasuti to complete an orbit?"
"Two hundred and twenty days, Your Highness."
Kathryn worked it out. That meant that their ancestors arrived here about two and a half thousand years ago…Before the common era…
Kathryn concentrated on her meal, enjoying the food. There were small crusted loaves made from flour that could only have been produced from…wheat, she decided. Then the most succulent slivers of veal and lamb followed. It was a feast such as she hadn't had even on Earth. Was Injasuti a replica of Earth? Lamb meant there were sheep and their young grazing somewhere, and veal meant young cattle… Kathryn frowned heavily for a second, then decided that her question would be answered during the course of the day. It was morning still, the suns just on the horizon, glowing red in the distance. Down below, she could see men and women working in the gardens and she received a jolt when she was reminded they were humans, like her.
"This food is delicious, Hanim…"
"I know, Mistress. My own husband prepared it in the kitchen of the palace…"
"Your husband? What is his name?"
"Lucius Metellus."
This time Kathryn managed to suppress her surprise. A young woman called Hanim, an Arabic name, married to a man with a Roman name and surname. It was getting, as Alice would say, curiouser and curiouser…
"Were some of your ancestors Romans?"
"There are frescos in the Great City that depict chariots, Roman soldiers wearing plumed helmets and breastplates. The chariots are pulled by fine horses. There is a heritage site where the original paintings can be seen in caves, before the cities were built." Hanim smiled shyly. "You will soon see the white horses of the Great Plains, Your Highness…"
Kathryn remained pensive after that. Injasuti appeared most favourable for shore leave, but the planet's political affairs made visiting precarious. She doubted whether she would see the frescos or the white horses of the Great Plains. Yet, Injasuti was a mix of Roman and other races forced into coexistence by whatever had brought them here. It made her intensely curious to see more of this world that was home to humans, more than thirty thousand light years from Earth.
She certainly hoped that whatever her role was here, it be played out with dignity at least. When Voyager arrived… Giving a great sigh, Kathryn realised that it would take Voyager two days to reach Injasuti. She'd soon hear from them, she knew. Knowing that her people would be in orbit within hours gave her the freedom to continue her interrogation.
"Were the Romans the only people who were brought to this world?" she asked.
"We are from the Ancient World - "
"Earth."
"If that is what it is called, then yes, Your Highness. We have legends about a great ship that brought our people here. They were fleeing from the Romans…"
"Indeed?"
"Yes, Your Highness. Then all of them were transported to the great ship and brought here."
Who would flee from the Romans? Most everyone had except the tribes that filtered into Western Europe from the near east. Rome was responsible for the total annihilation of Carthage and its peoples…Or so history taught them. Kathryn smiled to herself. The timing put their resettlement here at around the time of the final destruction of the city of Carthage, one hundred and forty six years before the common era.
Now it was obvious to her that not all Carthaginians had been killed. Some had escaped, helped by an unknown benefactor. With historical names like Hanim, Afzhal and Ishtar…
"Tell me, Hanim, is your Queen who is ill, a descendant of Queen Jezebel?"
A light seemed to go on in Hanim's eyes and she gave Kathryn a broad smile.
"Why, yes, Your Highness!"
Then they were Carthaginians…
"Mistress, it is time for your royal dress. You are to be taken to the Place of the Weeping Water…" Hanim said later when she saw Kathryn had finished eating, leaving only a few crumbs on her platter. The Queen had not eaten in more than two days and had only been given water to sip.
Not wanting to object, Kathryn, felt for the commbadge, realising belatedly that it had been rendered inactive and programmed with Injasuti's frequencies…
Hopefully, came her desperate and silent plea, Harry Kim and Seven of Nine would be able to hack into the frequency and disable the force field. Hopefully Chakotay would come charging to her on one of the white horses of the Great Plains of Injasuti… Hopefully… Her silent thoughts were contrary to her earlier conviction that Chakotay would reach her through his loyalty to her alone.
"I hope that time comes very soon," she muttered under her breath as the young Ishtar cleared away the plates and vanished barefoot into the depths of the Palace.
"Eminenza?"
"I am looking forward to visiting the Place of the Weeping Water," Kathryn lied, then realised that her inborn curiosity was getting the better of her. She wondered about this place, as she wondered about the Supreme Commander and Livia and talks of eunuchs that had to service the Queen…
*
END CHAPTER THREE