Lieutenant-Commander Hort looked up as Kathryn and Magnus Rollins entered the Pearston's Science Lab. They had given him five hours in which to analyse the stone flower and his expression had been sceptical when Magnus insisted that it was possible to produce results in less than the time stipulated. Kathryn had grinned inwardly at Magnus's discreet but firm order, to which Hort shrugged and promised he'd do his best.

Now, as they entered, the man, a Ketarchan with pointed ears and yellow eyes, appeared unable to contain his excitement. Normally very reserved, he actually pulled his mouth into a smile.

"Admiral! Captain! I have some results for you," he said.

A sharp thrill coursed through Kathryn as she stepped forward.

"What have you got?" asked Magnus.

Hort's fingers hovered above the stone flower. He changed his mind, and gesticulated with the tricorder.

"Well, Captain, I can tell you the vase is malachite and the flower with its stem and sepals is alabaster. It is more realistic than a real peace rose. I've never seen anything like this. Boothby would have been proud."

"Commander Hort, I realised that the stone must be alabaster, but can you tell if it came from Earth?"

"It is not from Earth, Admiral, Captain Rollins. Although the localities differ, the chemical composition is identical, otherwise it would not be alabaster and malachite. I've matched it with Earth stone. There's no difference, yet I know this is not from Earth..."

"I thought alabaster was found only on Earth, and mostly in the Ural Mountains of Russia," said Magnus, frowning sharply.

Kathryn nodded in agreement. Her own research had determined the same result regarding the main localities of  malachite and alabaster on Earth. The flower seemed to glow more now than it had down on Surra. Perhaps its clinical surroundings were responsible. It appeared a little out of place in the stark surroundings of the Pearston's science laboratory.

"I was under the same impression. Although there are no alabaster and malachite on Surra, it could still have been produced here."

"Correct. The stone could have been brought from another planet, even Earth," responded Magnus.

"There's something else, Commander Hort. I asked also specifically that you check for DNA residue on the sculpture," continued the admiral.

"Indeed, Admiral. Many had handled the sculpture, unfortunately, and the last three hours have been spent isolating them..."

Kathryn's heart was in her throat. She could feel the heat suffuse her as she waited for Hort's revelation.

"I need to know if - "

"I've found a match, Admiral," Hort replied, then looked at Magnus. "Captain, I could not have done this without your help."

"It was nothing, Hort. We need answers."

"Commander, please..."

"Well, the first and most puzzling thing is that the entire sculpture was covered in blood."

"What!?"  Kathryn and Magnus cried out simultaneously.

"The piece looked squeaky clean and without dust, but there were traces all over of  blood." Kathryn was still gaping when Hort continued, "The blood is not human blood."

She could hear Magnus breathe a sigh of relief. Still, it was puzzling that the stone flower was covered with blood. Was it dipped into it? Did Chakotay, if he was responsible, deliberately do it?

"It was from someone else who handled the flower then," Magnus offered.

"I don't think so," Hort replied, a little absently. He frowned heavily. "But Admiral, it may not be as important as the other clues I found..."

That had her attention instantly. Magnus made a clicking sound with tongue.

"You're going to stand there and withhold information just for the fun of it, Hort?" Magnus asked. Hort looked to Kathryn a lot like Voyager's EMH had whenever he had made an amazing medical breakthrough.

"Admiral, Captain Chakotay did handle this ornament. I cannot determine whether he  made it - "

"I am certain that he did, Commander. It's a peace rose and it holds special significance for us..." Kathryn replied.

Magnus nodded in understanding, saying "Captain Chakotay was a very talented craftsman. There is no doubt that he made it. Wherever he is now, I can tell you this was his handiwork. We just need verification."

"Chakotay once made one. He destroyed it because he thought it wasn't good enough. I haven't seen the one he destroyed, but I can tell you that this is superlative work. Every little detail, even the trembling of petals in a breeze... I have not seen anything like this myself."

"That," interjected Magnus, pointing to the rose, "is reason enough to know that Captain Chakotay used this as a message."

"I understand. Then Admiral, could you explain this?"

Hort lifted the sculpture very carefully from its temporary stand. He produced a sharp light and held the sculpture against it.

"I don't see anything, Hort, except that the sculpture is flawless."

"That is just it, Admiral. I thought it was a chip right inside the central tube of the lower part of the vase."

"A flaw?"

"Aye."

"I've heard that some artists create a deliberate flaw of a particularly unique quality as a signature of sorts," offered Magnus, rubbing his chin

Kathryn couldn't remember any artist from Earth's glory period doing that. 

"But you said you thought it was a chip, Commander," she said to Hort. "You're thinking it may be something else?"  Her heart was thundering. What was it Hort saw?

"How it was done escapes me, Admiral. But look..." Hort shone the light over the section of the vase where the flaw was. "I need your help here... Captain, could you hold this for me?"

When Rollins held the light over the base of the vase, Hort used a magnifier over the lit section. Then he started scanning, projecting the images on the screen of the monitor. Kathryn gave a little gasp. What they thought was a flaw, was a tiny line of text as yet unreadable, completely undetected by the naked eye. Slowly, Hort adjusted the settings and on the screen they saw first a blur which slowly became clearer and more defined into letters they could discern.

"What the - ?" Rollins said softly.

Kathryn paled, then felt a warmth spread through her. There it was, a message.  Suddenly the face of Nu'ara flashed before Kathryn and her enigmatic words finally found meaning. She swallowed, trying hard to contain herself. The three of them looked at the words. From a great distance, far, far over mountain ranges, past planets and stars and sectors, Kathryn seemed to hear Chakotay's voice as she silently read the words.

The rose of peace I made for you

where Empress Mirah rules a few

Kathryn felt dizzy, the text blurring for the mist that formed in her eyes. The stone flower was made by Chakotay. It was only he who knew the significance of the peace rose for both of them. No other person knew. He had crafted this brilliant artwork. He had always had talent, only he never believed he could do what he had done, perfecting to heaven's door the flower before them. And then he sent this message which, as hard as she found the truth to swallow, meant that Chakotay was imprisoned somewhere.

She wanted to rush out of the lab and search for him; she wanted to find him, find where Empress Mirah - whoever she was - ruled; mostly, the words portended one other magnificent, incredible truth for her.

Chakotay was still alive. She believed it with her heart and soul.

He wasn't dead. For years she had refused to mourn him, even after he was officially declared dead. Her faith that he must still be alive - else how could she have had such persistently vivid dreams of him? - had always been strong and without ceasing. Eventually she and her mother and Adam Ponsonby had been the only ones who believed that somewhere in the universe, Chakotay was alive. Many others had advised her to give up... She pictured Chakotay's face during his last communication from the Serengeti. He had looked clear, excited at the thought of returning home to her. They had had such a short time together. She heard his words...

"First, I must look for a gift for you. I can't come home without bringing you something..."

"Chakotay, you just come home, will you? That will be my gift. I miss you."

"Already?"

"We've only just...you know..." Her words had trailed away. Chakotay's eyes had darkened. They had started their marriage on such a shaky footing and only a month after they married had they consummated their union. He understood. His voice was thick  with yearning when he spoke again.

"Maybe I should consider a posting closer to home."

They had never spoken of children. It had been too soon, too fragile a topic to discuss that far into their future. But Chakotay's words had a ring of hope to them.

"Surprise me then, when you come home, okay?"

He never returned.

All she could think of in those early days after his disappearance was the look of tenderness on his face and his reassuring words.

Her mind rocked back to the present when Magnus Rollins touched her arm. She looked at him through the sheen of her tears.

"Kathryn..."

"What is it?"

"There's another message. Hort just focused on another part of the flower. Harder to spot this time.  Here, on the smallest petal, along the third vein from the bottom..."

She had to blink before she could focus again. The words bobbed about unevenly, drifting on water, until they remained still.

"In darkest nights I think of you,

the day brings pain in added hue"

When she could recover sufficiently, she looked at the two men.

"I think he - "

" - is in physical pain." Rollins's eyess had turned dark with concern.

"I must find him, Magnus. I'll leave immediately."

"Kathryn, perhaps some of the preliminary research can be done here," Magnus suggested.

"The shuttle Oregon, Magnus, which you promised me. I cannot waste a single second. I'll do it all on my way - "

"But Kathryn, the Oregon is a type 11 shuttle. I promised a shuttle. What - "

"I have to be prepared for any eventuality, Magnus. And besides, the Pearston has two type 11's."

Rollins nodded and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"I can't talk you out of this, of course, and the Pearston will already be on another mission in about a month's time. The shuttle is equipped for four months interstellar travel..."

"Then all the more reason to take the Oregon. All the data on gems and minerals have already been downloaded to the  shuttle's computers."

"You've not changed..."

"What do you mean, Captain Rollins?" Kathryn asked, smiling.

"You're one step ahead of whatever it is you're one step ahead of."

"A unique way of putting it."  Magnus frowned heavily.  She appreciated his concern. "I've had five hours of waiting for Hort to complete his analysis. I have done the preliminary work," she assured him. "Don't worry, Captain."

"Well, Admiral. We leave Surran orbit in thirty six hours. Hail us if you need anything. And Admiral?"

"What is it, Rollins?"

"Good luck on your search. Bring Captain Chakotay home..."

"I'll tell you this, Rollins: I'll not return to the Alpha Quadrant without my husband."

********** 

The shuttle Oregon was a type 11 craft, with warp six capability. Armed with fore and aft torpedo launchers and phaser arrays, Kathryn knew it suited her needs if she should come under attack. She didn't rule out hostile sectors where she might be forced to defend herself.

Her fingers moved deftly over the panelled array of the conn station. Turning once to look at the aft section, she saw the stone flower, secured on a small stand just in front of her sleeping berth. She gave a small sigh. Only two clues and she felt as if she were on a scavenger hunt and Chakotay was the prize. He had really perfected a marvelous sculpture. She thought of the one he had destroyed because he thought he didn't have enough talent. The stone flower was brilliantly made. How could he have had so little faith in himself?

She corrected that thought. The sculpture was the expression of perfection, of supreme faith in his abilities. She had not inspired that confidence. Something else, or someone else, did. The attention to the finest detail on the stone flower told her as much as lack of it did. He had made it for her expressly. Only for her, for she was the only one to whom it could mean anything. Yet, who was the person in whose blood the stone flower had been immersed?

Still, the clues... Somewhere on a planet lived an Empress Mirah. Whoever she was, she must have extreme influence over Chakotay. Now, Kathryn could run freely with the idea that Chakotay was alive. Her hope had flared brightly again. All she had to do now was find her husband, whatever his condition. All she wanted to do was just get him home.

She was heading towards  Megiddo, a planet in the Albion Star Cluster, deep in the Gamma Quadrant. Megiddo was where she'd find "The Sculptor". It was the only name in the database for this artist. Admiral Picard had made mention of him during one of the Enterprise's sojourns in the Albion System. The Sculptor was a perfector of rare artistic eggs and the insects and animals of his world. He was reported missing by the High Council of Megiddo, a fact registered on the Gamma Confederation Register for missing persons. There were no records, however, of The Sculptor being found or whether he was dead.

Kathryn shrugged. It was a valuable lead, one she had to follow. She had remained awake for sixteen hours straight the day after she left the Pearston to research the origin of the blood trail. It was Megiddan. Beverly Crusher, the Enterprise's Chief Medical Officer had treated patients on Megiddo during that ship's visit to the Albion Star Cluster. Kathryn found a match with the planet's race by studying the medical records for that world. The Sculptor had to know something. If she could find him, her task of finding the homeworld of one Empress Mirah would be easier.

The rose of peace I made for you

where Empress Mirah rules a few

It was clear Chakotay meant for her to find it eventually. The message was for her; he had made her a peace rose before. Where was he? Where? She knew that he must be experiencing pain as well. What was it he said in his cryptic message? He could think of her during the night, in the dark hours. Was it so allowed that he could only think of her during those hours? If he could think of her, could it therefore mean any thoughts of loved ones, like wife, mother, family, home? In added hue... Daylight but not daylight. Was he inside some facility where he couldn't escape and where day was almost the same as night, except that it registered in some unique way for him, or them? Whatever it was, during the day he was not allowed to think of her. Thoughts of loved ones brought pain... Why would it happen like that?

"In darkest night I think of you,

the day brings pain in added hue"

Sighing, Kathryn engaged autopilot. Her body was beginning to protest. She had already been awake too long and according to Earth time, it was 0200. She needed rest. In the aft section she sat down on the bunk and rubbed her eyes wearily, then looked at the small shower alcove. On a hook hung Chakotay's burgundy robe. The day before they entered Earth's orbit, she had replicated it for him. Now for this journey and in the hope that she would return to Earth with Chakotay, she had brought along clothing and some of his books.

On a sudden impulse, she got up and buried her face against the robe. It still bore his smell. Memories flooded her, moments when they had been happy, the easy banter between them, the new sense of relief and freedom after their first night of love. They stormed at her, those memories.

"Oh, Chakotay... I miss you so," she whispered, the words muffled in the softness of the  garment. For a few minutes, Kathryn sobbed heartbrokenly.

When the tears had dried she prepared for a shower, the exhaustion finally eating into her. With the sonic shower, she felt a little better. Kathryn pulled Chakotay's robe around her, her hands brushing tenderly over the lapels. Lying down on the bunk, she could already feel sleep overtaking her, swirls of mist  that were soon too overwhelming to let her stay awake much longer. Her last coherent thought was of Chakotay's smiling face.

********** 

Three days later the shuttle Oregon entered the Albion Star System. Contacting the High Council of Megiddo, Kathryn was assured safe passage and would be meeting with one of their representatives. She had been glad that she encountered no hostile species. While she had not been afraid, the Federation being blessedly still within hailing range, the fact that she was traveling alone in a Federation shuttle would have put her at a disadvantage had she encountered any hostilities. 

She was dressed in uniform again for the first time since she'd left Federation Space. Checking her sensors, she knew that she would reach Megiddo at 1900 Earth time, although it would be midday on that homeworld.

She felt the old anticipation again of making contact with a race for the first time.  She breathed in deeply as she entered co-ordinates for Megiddo's northern continent. Around her it was dark, the shuttle now cruising only at impulse speed. Behind her in the aft section the stone flower stood like a beacon. There was no turning back, no thought of returning without Chakotay. Megiddo was only a lead, but it was something. She prayed she was on the right track. She had already used three weeks of her four month leave of absence. Only twice had she relayed messages to Headquarters, to Magnus Rollins on the USS Pearston and to her mother and stepfather. They had been pleased to hear from her, and more than optimistic when she told them about the stone flower.

Now as she neared the orbit of Megiddo, Kathryn could hardly contain her excitement. She had no room for disappointment. Chakotay was alive somewhere and he was calling her. The only thing Commander Hort had not been able to establish was when the vase and flower had been sculpted; they  could glean nothing from scans of it.

"It's as fresh as the day the mineral was mined, Admiral," Hort had told her.

"If that is the case, it's reasonable to assume that the vase must be at least two years old," she had whispered reflectively.

It was the only conclusion she could come to. Chakotay would have wanted to get some word to her as soon as possible. If he started work on the vase in the first year of his disappearance, then it had left the planet more than two years ago. It meant that Chakotay had made other pieces, and that he endured extreme pain. She knew that he would regiment his control. He had done so many times on Voyager; there was no reason to think that he couldn't do it now. Still, she didn't rule out that he - and others - might possibly have been tortured. Somehow, an Empress Mirah had them under some kind of mind control.

Megiddo appeared suddenly, surprising her by its size. It was smaller than Earth, with a green hue. A single belt of asteroids circled the planet.

"Well, here's to Tom Paris," she murmured as she maneuvered the shuttle deftly through the asteroid belt and entered Megiddo's atmosphere minutes later. When she finally touched down on the launching pads just outside the First City, she breathed a huge sigh of relief. Stage one of her search was under way.

She was met by a smiling Megiddan who clasped his hands together and bowed slightly in greeting.

"I am Admiral Kathryn Janeway, of the United Federation of Planets."

"Greetings, Admiral Janeway. I am First Minister Calb. Welcome to Megiddo. I well remember your Admiral Picard."

Kathryn smiled. Shielding her eyes from the sun, she looked up at the tall man. He was Chakotay's height. "I have met Admiral Picard. He sends his greetings."

Calb nodded solemnly, then pointed to another transport. "We must leave for my home."

"First Minister," she started as soon as they were seated in the Megiddan craft, "I am on official business. I am searching for a sculptor..."

"There are only nine master sculptors on Megiddo today, Admiral. Which one do you mean?"

"One who is called 'The Sculptor'."

Calb stiffened. Kathryn felt her neck hair bristle; she was filled with disquiet. She glanced at the First Minister. He knew something, and what he knew didn't bode well, judging by the way his jaw clenched and his lips pursed.

"Is something the matter?" she asked, dreading his answer. She could feel a slight nausea in the pit of her stomach.

"The Sculptor... His name was Raël. He - he is dead, Admiral Janeway."  Calb's reaction was too intense to be detached. Disappointment sank deep into her.

"Raël?" she whispered, her own distress evident in the way the name quivered from her lips. She was beset by the prospect of having to turn back. She had been so certain she'd find something, find the Sculptor, Raël, who could lead her to more substantial clues.

Calb said no more as he brought the shuttle down near his abode. They alighted in silence and he  motioned that she follow him. She thought he was leaving her alone to deal with her acute disappointment. He was friendly though; she knew her resentment was unreasonable. When they were inside the cool courtyard of his home, he indicated she should sit down. He left her alone after she seated herself on a bench in the shade of a tree, and reappeared minutes later with a woman. The woman's face looked sad, her eyes dark. Her gown was tied at the waist by a chord of silver ribbon.

"This is my bond mate, Ress," said Calb. Kathryn nodded solemnly, feeling close to tears.

"My greetings to you, Ress," she said softly, feeling her voice breaking.

Ress bowed her head slightly and clasped her hands together in the same way Calb had done earlier.

"Greetings, Admiral Janeway. You seek one who is no longer with us," she said by way of explanation.

"Yes, I - "

"Raël was our son, Admiral."

"Your - your...son?" she asked, a little stuunned. It explained Calb's reaction in his transport when she questioned him about The Sculptor.

"We have lodged  his disappearance with the Gamma Quadrant Confederation, but we have not told them that our son was returned to us. He was already dead when he was brought here, Admiral."

"H-how?" she stammered.

"Raël was at the Convention for Art and Culture in our First City when he disappeared mysteriously," his mother said quietly, her voice filled with sadness, yet dignified. "He was very talented in the field of stone sculptures of the insects and animals of our world, and also produced beautiful, ornate eggs..."

Calb had disappeared into the house again and out of the corner of her eye, she watched him as he returned with something in his hand. It was a sculpture of an animal that looked to Kathryn like Earth's mongoose, when she got a closer look at it.

"This is Megiddo's fastest animal, Admiral Janeway. It is called the shebre. Raël was a master craftsman, the best in his field on Megiddo."

Like the stone flower of Chakotay, the sculpture of the shebre looked so real that for a few moments Kathryn was stunned.  She had only the mongoose of Earth as frame of reference, but the hairs on the animal  appeared to bristle, its eyes seeming to dart excitedly. Kathryn shook her head. Raël was a very talented man.  

"Your son was gifted," she said, her voice filled with awe.

"He was, Admiral Janeway," Ress replied with pride. "We...miss him."

"You - you say as well that his body reappeared here mysteriously."

"Yes, right to this courtyard. It seemed almost as if his last wish had been to be here, in his home. Only, he was dead. It was very strange indeed."

"Why did you seek him, Admiral Janeway?" Calb asked.

Kathryn sighed. Raël was dead. He couldn't tell her anything now, not anymore.

"I wished to learn from him the whereabouts of another who is also a gifted sculptor," she replied. "My husband also went missing, three years ago. I thought that Raël could lead me to him."

"What little we know, Admiral, we will share with you. We are sorry that your husband is also missing."

"When we found our son's body here in our courtyard, we also found something else." Something clicked in Kathryn's head. A blinding flash. It was the only way it could have been done if it had to be done secretly. She sensed what Ress was going to say. "Inside Raël's body was hidden a sculpture."

"Inside him?" Kathryn thought it was highly covert, but it also explained the blood traces on the stone flower. Raël had died and somehow, Chakotay had found a way to get the sculpture off the planet where they were held. He used Raël's body as a carrier. It meant that there were definitely more than two persons wherever Chakotay was kept a slave.

"Yes. We could not understand it, Admiral," Calb added. "No such flower grows on this world. Someone must have put it there. We did not know why. Now, I understand a little better. It was a message, was it not, Admiral?" Kathryn nodded sombrely, but her heart had skipped ten beats since she heard how the stone flower had been carried across at least twenty sectors. "We donated the stone flower  to the Arts and Culture Ministry and an off-world traveler bought it from them. We did not wish to be reminded...you understand?"

Something else hit Kathryn like a jackhammer.

"Wait a minute. When you said that your son's body reappeared here in the courtyard, I thought you meant that they had dumped the body here. Are you saying that Raël was transported here?"

"Our sensors indicated a transport had taken place seconds before we found his body." There was a pause, then Calb spoke again. "We tried everything to determine from where his body was transported."

"First Minister, could I do something?" They both nodded. Within seconds, Kathryn used her site to site transporter, locking on to the stone flower that was still in the shuttle. The next moment, Chakotay's stone flower appeared on the bench. Kathryn looked at Ress and Calb. Their eyes lit up in recognition.

"Yes, that is the sculpture."

Kathryn's heart bled for Calb and his wife.

"I have reason to believe," she started, "that thoughts of home and loved ones would have brought pain..."

"We thought so too, Admiral Janeway. One of his friends said on the day Raël disappeared, that his last words had been - "

"That he could be a better sculptor?"

"Yes... How did you know?"

The pieces of the puzzle, many still too haphazard, were slowly beginning to fall into place. It was the words Chakotay's First Officer, Commander Algernon, had relayed to her after they had extensively interviewed the trader in the marketplace where Chakotay had last been seen. Chakotay had apparently whispered the desire to have greater talent...

"It was something my husband wished too, First Minister Calb. I am beginning to believe that whoever expressed the desire to enhance their gifts, whether in words or thoughts, was transported by some means." They were quiet for a few seconds, allowing the new revelation to sink in. Ress hooked her hand through her husband's arm.

"Please, Admiral Janeway, will you join us at our table for a meal?"

Kathryn nodded gratefully, lifting the stone flower carefully.

"Tell me," she asked on a sudden inspiration, "do you know who the off-world traveler was who took the stone flower?"

"She did not give her name, Admiral Janeway, but she was a  very tall woman with flowing black hair and yellow eyes..."

It couldn't be  Nu'ara, but the strange star traveler Yohara Par spoke of could have given it to someone, who in turn gave it to the Arts Exhibition of Surra, where Nu'ara had taken one look at it and gone into a trance...

"I will be here a few days, First Minister - "

"Then you will be our guest, Admiral. We will assist you in anything you wish to know about our son, or to further your search. Perhaps there were many others like your husband and Raël..."

"Thank you. I would like to get in touch with your Science Institute."

"I will arrange that, Admiral. After our meal we will show you Raël's art works."

Kathryn nodded, then proceeded to transport the stone flower again to the shuttle. She gave a deep sigh. She was disappointed to hear of Raël's death, but the new clues were more than she had hoped for and made up for the intense disappointment she'd felt initially. Now that she had the beginnings of an idea, she was anxious to see the Head of the Science Institute and to study Megiddo's star charts.

She was getting closer to Empress Mirah. She was getting closer and her heart was pounding at the thought that she would see Chakotay again.

I'll see you again...

*** 

END PART FOUR

PART FIVE