INJASUTI
CHAPTER FOUR
"Paris to Chakotay…"
Chakotay woke sluggishly from a deep slumber as Paris's voice penetrated his tired brain. He hit his commbadge.
"Chakotay here."
"In an hour we'll be in orbit around Injasuti, Commander."
"Thank you, Paris. Give me ten minutes."
He rose stiffly from the awkward position he had been lying in after collapsing on his bed. He hadn't slept in forty eight hours and had been exhausted beyond anything by the time the doctor finally forced him to rest. Now he had a crick in his neck. Rubbing it and rolling his head brought a little relief. His uniform was creased. A very quick sonic shower and a fresh uniform later, he felt much better. It was two days since Kathryn had vanished from the bridge, two days in which he had been fraught with worry and constant restlessness. He hadn't slept for thinking of Kathryn somewhere, alone, perhaps hoping that Voyager would reach her and rescue her.
Once again he was thrown into the role of rescuer. How many times had he done that in the past? He would never have left Quarra without her…never. Once before, when Kathryn had cast all Federation rules aside and hunted down Ransom, in the process almost killing Lessing too, he had saved her from herself. Kathryn had been on a downward spiral into depression and had clung to him for support; she'd looked to him to save her.
Now, this.
For the first time, he was forced to admit how much he really needed her, how he couldn't breathe without her. Her absence left a deep, aching void inside him. He had taken so much for granted. Always, when sitting on the bridge, she'd be there beside him. A ship as small as Voyager, with still years to travel before they reached home, made avoiding one another impossible, not that he ever wanted to avoid Kathryn. Yes, he had become accustomed to her always being within his perimeter, and if she sometimes, just sometimes, encroached on his space, invaded his bubble, he had welcomed that intrusion. Those were the times he thought she needed him too. Now she was gone. It had taken him by surprise, that he could feel this rudderless without her by his side. For the first time he was left without an anchor, without someone on whom he too, could depend for support. For the first time, her sudden disappearance brought to the fore the real possibility that they might never find her.
He made a decision.
He would not leave the sector until he located her.
"I'll find you, Kathryn, even if I have to turn this sector inside out…" he muttered to himself.
Ten minutes later, he entered the bridge. Tuvok rose to his feet and nodded. Chakotay sat down in Kathryn's chair. There was no time now to feel as he always did, that he was usurping Kathryn's place or position. In less than an hour, they would be in orbit of Injasuti.
"Commander," began Tuvok, "I've detected a signal. Source is the northern hemisphere of the planet."
"We're being hailed, Commander," Harry Kim said.
"On screen."
The faces of two humans appeared on the main viewscreen. For a moment, Chakotay felt a punch to the gut. Were they ever going to get used to seeing other humans in the Delta Quadrant? Humans living for more than a thousand years on the planet Injasuti? Early on in their journey, they had met the 37s. He would never forget the feeling of pride when they entered the cargo bay and found it empty after Kathryn had told the crew that those who wished to remain on the planet should be there. Kathryn had been a little despondent at the time and their loyalty to her, to Voyager, to their collective task of getting home had been the tonic she had needed then to carry on. Their friendship too, had deepened since then.
Now they saw two men on the viewscreen. Their faces appeared strong, full of character. They wore red shirts under gold breastplates with gold epaulettes. Chakotay blinked. The military garb looked familiar to him. The two soldiers looked at Voyager's officers as if they were seeing ghosts, reflections of themselves. Tuvok was the only Vulcan.
'The feeling's mutual,' Chakotay thought to himself. Injasuti soldiers looking at humans from another world…Voyager's humans looking at Injasuti as if they knew them from a time long ago.
"If I didn't know better, I'd mistake them for Roman centurions," Tom Paris whispered. Chakotay had to concur. If not centurions, then higher ranks such as tribunes, or generals.
"Maybe they are?" ventured Harry.
"Harry, audio." Harry jumped, startled by Chakotay's curt command. There was not much time for silent conjecture.
Chakotay stepped forward, stopping just behind Tom Paris.
"Greetings," said the officer on the right. "I am Proconsul Saladin Peroni. My commander is Consul Gaius Balthazar Barca."
Chakotay blinked. Gaius? Recovering instantly from his surprise, he stood, hands rigidly at his sides.
"Greetings. My name is Commander Chakotay, acting captain of the Federation starship USS Voyager."
"Commander Chakotay of the starship Voyager," repeated Balthazar Barca, his shock of blonde hair cropped short like Chakotay's. "We have never encountered beings like ourselves from other worlds before."
"He looks shocked, Chakotay," whispered Paris again.
"Quite pale too," murmured Harry. "I wonder he didn't say 'ave'."
"We are from a planet called Earth. We must travel thirty five years of our time to reach our home. Yes, we are called humans, although we have crew who are from other worlds serving on this vessel."
"Then it would be good that we meet, to explore our histories. But we must ask: what brings you to Injasuti?"
"Our immediate business is our commanding officer, Captain Kathryn Janeway. She vanished from the bridge of our ship through what we suspect is a sporocystian lifeform, or some other source. We believe she may be traced here, on Injasuti - "
"Captain Kathryn Janeway?"
Chakotay watched the exchange between the two consuls. Hope rushed through him. They knew something!
Tom Paris turned to look at him and mouthed, "They know, Commander…"
Chakotay gave him an imperceptible nod.
"Yes. Do you know if such a person has recently been transported to your world?"
"Commander Chakotay, it is of the utmost urgency then that we speak with you and officers of your vessel. A woman has indeed been transported here and we believe it to be by the Procurator, a being not of this galaxy. By your description, a sporocystian lifeform. The Procurator is invoked by an Injasuti sect to bring lifeforms here. We believe the latest transportee must be your Captain. We must warn you, however, Commander Chakotay, that she is not under our jurisdiction. The Injasuti Sect is rooted in religious fanaticism and therefore your task to get her back will be most difficult…"
"We have been through similar and worse situations," Chakotay responded. "We will get her, Consul Balthazar Barca." Chakotay felt he had at least the support of Injasuti High Command in searching and locating Kathryn. "There is another serious, and perhaps related, issue we wish to report to you."
"What can that be, Commander?"
Chakotay took a deep breath. His hope soared that Kathryn was on Injasuti. They would rescue her. Now that they knew she was here, it gave him a sense of security that they need not look any further than Injasuti for her. Their instincts to start with the Almazin System had been correct.
"Consul," he started, "we have on our ship the bodies of twenty eight females, their babies and four males. These persons all died on a vessel that had sent out a distress signal two days ago. We arrived too late to save them. We believe they may have been murdered…"
Again the two consuls exchanged glances, and this time Paris didn't bother to whisper a retort.
"By a person or persons from this world. Bloody killers…"
"We knew that a vessel had left Injasuti," admitted Saladin Peroni. "They had our permission to resettle in another sector. We are indeed very sorry to hear that they have been killed. They were killed by the Injasuti?
"Injasuti? Are you not the Injasuti?"
"That we are. But the great Injasuti Sect exists in an area they call Place of the Weeping Water. Commander, if they were murdered by their own sect, then they fled because they did not agree with the Offering. It is too long to explain. When you are in our orbit, we wish that you will meet with us to discuss this serious infraction by the Injasuti and at the same time see that you get your captain back."
"Thank you, Balthazar Barca. We will prepare a team to meet with you…"
Then the screen went blank. The senior officers breathed a sigh of relief.
"Captain Janeway is here, on this planet, Commander," exclaimed Harry, his mood much lighter after he’d felt guilt at losing her.
"But it might still be difficult to retrieve her," answered Tuvok.
"The Captain is not a dog, Tuvok," Paris bit out, "or a piece of lost property. Why is the word 'rescue' so difficult to use?"
"Well then, Mr Paris, it will still be difficult to…rescue Captain Janeway. It appears as though the two factions are themselves worlds apart."
"In any case, it seems even the High Council is unable to deal with what goes on inside the Place of the Weeping Water…" Harry clamped his lips together, giving them a speculative glance. "Well?"
"I would concur. The sect must be well-protected."
"By the Procurator, no less," Paris muttered.
"Who happens to be in another galaxy far - "
"Enough! Meeting in half an hour," Chakotay barked before he left the bridge and headed for the privacy of his quarters. He needed to seclude himself for a few minutes before addressing the senior officers.
The meeting was over. Chakotay felt the excitement bubbling through him. The senior crew accorded him the same respect and regard for his leadership that they always accorded Kathryn. He had been apprehensive, thinking that his anger, which had simmered the last two days just under the surface, would get the better of him. They had been good about accepting his apology, and consensus had been reached about the various tasks assigned to individual officers. He was proud of them, proud that they could conduct themselves in this crisis with the discipline and decorum that was the hallmark of Starfleet.
Chakotay, B'Elanna Torres, Chell, Neelix and Marcus Kiridis formed the away team that gathered in the transporter room.
"Kiridis, it's your job to research the planet's history. Find clues to the Captain's whereabouts. There must be something in their libraries. Lieutenant Torres will accompany you," Chakotay told a still befuddled Kiridis who couldn't quite come to grips with the fact that he had to beam down to a planet and spend time there. Yet he was keyed up to meet the Injasuti, to determine their language or languages, to trace their history. During the meeting he had told Chakotay that he'd been researching the history of Carthage.
"Did you know, Commander," he began, "that a historian called Appian 1 of Alexandria was imprisoned because he wrote in his Histories of the Punic Wars that a colossal disc in the shape and appearance of a giant Roman shield came and scooped up the fleeing Carthaginians as their city was being destroyed by the Romans?"
"Boy," Paris had said sardonically, "that must have been the longest sentence that has ever come out of your mouth."
"Their civilisation was too simple to absorb the existence of…flying saucers…" remarked Tuvok dryly.
"It's true! They called Appian a heretic!"
As always, Chakotay had to referee the heated exchanges, managing to calm them down.
Now he looked at Marcus Kiridis whose curly hair would probably always look unkempt and whose face was ruddy from the prospect of seeing his ancient cousins. Chakotay leaned over to his side.
"Speak Phoenician, do whatever you can to find out as much as you can…"
"Aye, Commander."
"Good. Neelix and Chell, find the food reserves and energy sources. There is dilithium. We could boost Voyager's reserves."
They nodded. Minutes later, they beamed down to a piazza. They were to meet with officials of the High Command, with the away team breaking up into smaller groups to maximise the search for Kathryn. Chakotay couldn't help but smile when he saw the tall obelisk in the middle of the square, adorned with bas relief. He had joked with Kathryn about the first city having an obelisk and that he'd tie Kiridis to one just to keep him on the planet. Kiridis moved instinctively towards the column, then retreated when Chakotay shook his head. There would be time for studying columns and needles later.
They were met by several officials. The away team split up as designated and each group was assigned two officials. No soldiers were dressed like centurions this time, but more like senators in long robes fixed at the waist by ornate cords.
A middle aged man remained as Chakotay watched the others leave. Then he turned to the official.
He could have been a member of my family… The man's features were tanned, with light brown eyes and blonde hair. He wore gold - or the precious metal of the planet that resembled gold - sleepers in his ears. His wrist was adorned with a broad bracelet with intricate patterns on it. Like the gentlemen who accompanied the other members of the away team, this man was dressed like a Roman senator of old. When the man smiled, Chakotay expelled a relieved sigh.
"Commander Chakotay, I am Hamilcar Bakchan. I will escort you to the Senate Building."
"Thank you."
They crossed the piazza. By the end of it, Chakotay was surprised to see a landing pad for shuttles. When they reached the first shuttle, a young pilot who stood outside and who seemed to be waiting for them, struck his chest with his closed fist, then stretched out the arm, palm down, in what was a Roman salute.
"Ave, Senator Bakchan."
"Plotius, this is Commander Chakotay of the starship Voyager."
Chakotay was struck by the young man's appearance. But for the black trousers and high boots, he might well have been a centurion. The man had a shock of black hair; his grey eyes formed a startling contrast. A handsome young man, Chakotay thought.
"Greetings, Plotius."
The young soldier nodded and clicked his heels. Chakotay's brow lifted in surprise. If he’d ever wondered about daily life in ancient Rome or military protocols of that period, it was playing out to precision before his eyes.
They entered the shuttle and once they were ready, it lifted off. It seemed like only minutes after he felt the familiar feeling of his stomach sinking when the shuttle touched down in front of an imposing building with tall columns that framed the front. Chakotay blinked. Were they in ancient Rome? Injasuti possessed advanced technology, but it was a technology that existed in harmony with its ancient cultures.
There were people milling about, some standing in front of large frescoes, others wringing their hands at nooks spaced at intervals in the walls of buildings.
Once they were outside and walking towards the steps that led to the entrance, Hamilcar stopped and pointed to a man in front of one of the nooks. The man had his hands cupped, then closed his palms in what was a gesture of supplication.
"They are prayer nooks, Commander. These nooks are all over the city. Citizens may use them whenever they wish, even during the dark hours.."
Chakotay nodded. The impatience was building up inside him. He wanted answers and didn't want to pause to look at interesting sites and sights. There would be time for that. All he desired now was to see the First Minister or Emperor. Hamilcar must have noticed his impatience for he stopped his conversation and marched briskly into the building. His leather sandals made hardly a sound on the stone floor.
Finally, they stood outside a great double door which slid open as if on cue.
Hamilcar Bakchan looked at him, then inclined his head, pointing to the front of the room.
"Commander Chakotay, you may enter. Our Emperor has been expecting you." Bakchan bowed, touched his forehead and then moved off silently.
Chakotay took a deep breath and entered through the door. He found himself in a great hall with very high ceilings. On the ceilings too were paintings. There were frescoes on the wall panels. Chakotay recognised chariots driven by soldiers, women carrying urns, figures of what he thought were their deities. From Kiridis's projections, the Injasuti had settled here more than two and half thousand years ago, and the frescoes depicted images from their early history.
Then he pulled his gaze away from the paintings and stared straight ahead where he saw someone sitting on a chair. As he drew close, he saw that it was an old man, so old that Chakotay couldn't help but gasp softly. The old man wore a white tunic with rich maroon bands running the length of each shoulder to the ankles. A magnificent maroon toga was edged with ornate brocade, one end of it caught in the crook of his arm.
Creases lined the old man's face. Against his white, almost translucent skin, his lips showed blue, as if he had been standing outside in the cold. Tiny capillaries lay so close to the skin they snaked like miniature rivers across his arms and neck. His dark hair was long, and brushed back so that not a strand was out of place. Black eyes like two shiny beads stared at him.
Was this the emperor?
"Commander Chakotay," the old man began, and with a bony hand pointed to the chair opposite him, "please, sit down…"
When Chakotay had seated himself, he waited for the old man to speak again. Somehow it felt sacrilege to speak without being expressly invited to do so. The emperor's voice, a light baritone which he had not expected from such a thin, wiry frame, sounded thready.
"We have not expected to see people who resemble us in every way on our world, Chakotay. What do you say to that?"
"We are travelers who were stranded in this part of the galaxy, brought here by a sporocystian lifeform. We are returning to our homeworld."
"You are far from home?"
"Yes, Emperor - "
"Scipio."
"Scipio?"
"Named after a forebear from our Ancient World. Is our Ancient World this homeworld of yours?"
"Yes, Emperor Scipio. But I must…"
Chakotay stopped when the old man's hand went up.
"I know about Captain Kathryn Janeway."
Chakotay closed his eyes a second then returned the emperor's glare.
"We cannot leave this world without her, Emperor."
"Who needs this woman more?" asked Emperor Scipio. The question was fired at him, like an arrow shot from a bow. The old man's arms rested on the side bars of his chair and his chin lifted as if he dared Chakotay to challenge him.
Surely, Chakotay thought, they couldn't want to keep Kathryn a prisoner here?
"Captain Janeway is our leader, the one who commands our vessel and whose task it is to guide us all home."
"Surely Commander Chakotay, you can perform those same tasks?"
Chakotay grimaced inwardly. Of course he could lead Voyager home. Tuvok could lead Voyager home. What did the old man mean or want?
"Yes, that I can do. But Voyager, our vessel, is under the designated command of Captain Janeway. I am her First Officer."
"Again, Chakotay, why do you need her?"
Chakotay sighed deeply.
"Because we need her. She is a member of the family of Voyager, the one who sits at the head of our table."
"And the crew of Voyager loves this…Captain Janeway?"
"Yes."
"And Commander Chakotay?"
"What about me?"
The emperor pointed a bony finger at him, his eyes narrowed, the blue lips thinned even further.
"Did not your father tell you that your loyalty will be tested to the very core of the man you are?"
"My father? How - ?
"Do not question me how I know. I know. Now, what about Chakotay? Does he need Captain Janeway?"
"My needs are irrelevant; they drown in the face of my ship's needs…"
"Do you not think, Commander Chakotay, that if Captain Janeway knew of your needs, that the factors in that equation would change?"
Again, Chakotay remained numbingly silent, shocked by the emperor's prophetic and profound words. How many times had he wished that Kathryn would know of his needs? How many times had he lain awake at night, thinking about her, about a moment when she would pause and reflect and then instil herself with the knowledge that he needed her? How many times? As many as there were days in a year?
"She…does not know…" he said, the words wrung from him, the admission as painful as the knowledge itself.
"Chakotay, disable your translator. When you have done so I will speak."
Frowning, Chakotay disabled his commbadge then he nodded to the emperor. The old man opened his mouth to speak.
"Siete necessari come l'aria che stessa respiro…"
It sounded Italian, beautiful and melodious, uncorrupted by the commbadge noise. Chakotay frowned a second, then realised that it must be a derivative of Latin. He shook his head. He had no idea what the meaning of the words was. When the emperor indicated that he reactivate his translator and repeated his words, Chakotay understood them as, "You are as necessary as the very air that I breathe…"
He remained quiet, his heart thudding, a thrumming sound in his ears. When did the realisation dawn that he could no more live without Kathryn than banish the lungs from his body? Was it just after they returned to Voyager from their idyll on New Earth? He had searched and searched the database for a poem that would more or less speak such words as Emperor Scipio mentioned. He had found it and had copied the poem on papyrus, stored with the utmost care in a drawer in his cabin. I would like to be the air that inhabits you for a moment only. I would like to be that unnoticed & that necessary
When he could breathe evenly again, he looked up, his eyes warm and moist. The emperor sat back and studied Chakotay, his finger under the chin.
"Only when that need within you is imparted to Captain Janeway, will she be freed from her bonds, Commander Chakotay, from those who hold her as their Queen."
"Queen? I…"
"Captain Janeway is to be inducted tomorrow as Queen Khaira, of the Injasuti. They have been searching for a match and a match has been found. Was not your vessel scanned?"
Chakotay remembered that Voyager had been scanned not long before they received the distress call from the stricken derelict. He nodded.
"Queen Khaira? Was that why they took her?"
"Commander Chakotay, as Queen Khaira she will be the Incarnate of the Supreme Goddess Tanith."
"And what does that mean?"
"She will conduct the Offering."
"The Offering?" The Chakotay remembered the dead women and babies. Did they flee from the Offering and were murdered as a result?
"A vessel left Injasuti's orbit ten days ago," began Emperor Scipio. "There were women and their babies and the husbands of four of the women. It is most unfortunate that we could not stop them from being killed by their own sect. I believe their bodies are on your vessel now. The senators will arrange for their transport to our burial sites and their families informed so that they can bury their loved ones."
"I understand."
"Now, Commander," the old man said as he rose stiffly from his chair and closed the short distance between them. He inclined his head towards Chakotay.
"The Offering is a ritual that has long been forbidden by the Injasuti High Command. However, this practice continues because their Procurator protects them and a dome-like force field surrounds the Place of the Weeping Water. We cannot reason with this lifeform, nor can we disbar the sect from continuing this heinous and barbaric ritual… All our attempts to enter their safe haven have failed. We are on the brink of war...when we will launch one final offensive to destroy the force field. I fear it will be impossible. "
"What happens during this Offering?"
"A girl child is taken from its mother and killed by the Queen as human sacrifice to the Goddess Tanith."
Chakotay turned ice-cold at the emperor's words. All those dead babies on that ship. Their mothers…things fell horrifyingly into place. And Kathryn…
"Captain Janeway will never agree to that. Never. Never!
"But Queen Khaira will, Chakotay."
"How can we stop this?"
"Queen Khaira must know of your love. That is all that will free her."
***
END CHAPTER FOUR