"This is the best I could do for you, Admiral Janeway," said Modral, the chief scientist at the Science Institute. "The rest is up to you."

"Thank you. I have a small lab fitted out in my shuttle. I'll be able to do the configurations there while I travel."

"It is fortunate that we were able to do a full autopsy on Raël's body, particularly the brain patterns. Did you know that areas of his brain were still active like..." Modral paused.

"I know what you mean. It sounds like a reflex action. Much like a ghost limb."

"Ghost limb?"

"In old Earth medical science, patients who had amputations were still able to 'feel' the limb long after it was severed..."

"Yes...then that is it, I suppose," said Modral, still frowning. "I was able to devise a synaptic enhancer based on the movement of Raël's brain patterns in those last moments before they died completely. I am glad that I am able to see the results of the autopsy finally lead to something, Admiral Janeway."

Kathryn nodded, pleased with Modral's work. She had come to the Institute five days ago and given Modral all the specifications of what she needed. Now, the shiny synaptic enhancer lay on her palm. It looked like the one Captain Ransom of the Quinox had used to transport himself into virtual reality.

"The idea came to me that a similar enhancer had been used on Raël and my husband to control their thought processes. This one you've made, Modral, can be dangerous in the hands of the wrong persons. It will do basically the same thing. I know that there must be a control centre as well, since it must have been activated from somewhere..."

"Or someone..." suggested Modral.

"Yes...or someone."

"Well, Admiral, we wish you well in your search. You will remain in contact with us in the event that you might need additional assistance."

"Yes. Now I must say my goodbyes to First Minister Calb and his wife."

"They accepted the loss of their only child with much dignity, Admiral Janeway. Raël was one of the greatest artists for many sectors. There are nine master craftsmen left on Megiddo, and they are all involved in training up-and-coming sculptors..."

Kathryn's hand closed round the small synaptic enhancer. She gave Modral a final nod, to which he bowed and clasped his hands together in the formal greeting of Megiddo. She looked back only once from Calb's shuttle before she sped off in the distance of the House of Calb. They had given her the shebre that their son had made; it was something that would remind her of a young man who had died because he could no longer endure the pain of his memories...

She only hoped that Chakotay was still fighting it...

**** 

Promising that she'd pass by Megiddo again on her way home to the Alpha Quadrant, Kathryn left the planet's orbit, again deftly maneuvering the Oregon through the asteroid belt. She began studying the star charts she had been given by the Megiddo Centre for Interstellar Studies.

Her journey to sectors 574 through 593 was the focal point. Mirah had whisked away Chakotay, Raël and others almost the same way that the old Caretaker had done with Voyager, the Liberty and other vessels unfortunate enough to have been targeted for experimentation. Although a synaptic enhancer had been used to control the prisoners - Kathryn thought of them now as prisoners - surely, Empress Mirah's powers were not the same as the Caretaker. She must have used a different method, one that was exceptional enough to have tracked the desires and wishes of the victims over great distances. There must be a control device somewhere, one that ultimately had to be destroyed.

The star charts were effective. She could eliminate most planets that had no mountain ranges or natural underground caverns and river systems. Strangely enough, the sectors between 574 and 593  were mostly dead space, as Tom Paris would have said. Few star clusters, with not many homeworlds in their orbits. It was, she decided, a good hiding place. It was no wonder Chakotay's crew and the subsequent Starfleet search parties had found only dead ends. They didn't have much to work with. She didn't blame them, understanding how difficult it had to be, knowing that she herself had all but stumbled onto the first clue. Or, that the first clue came to her in the person of Nu'ara.

The shuttle made good time at warp six towards sector 574. No Federation vessels had traveled here before but data existed, given to the Federation by homeworlds with warp, transporter, and cloaking technology. The shuttle was aerodynamically designed for atmospheric flight, resembling the Delta Flyer a little. It made sense, since Tom Paris had designed the hull of the Oregon. She knew she would make good time getting to the various star systems.

Only ten planets fit the profile Kathryn was looking for. They were all D-Class, as Raël's blood composition showed traces of elements from D-class atmospheres. No doubt it would be in Chakotay's blood too, since it would be in the food they digested, the air that they breathed. The planets all had extensive mountain ranges and underground caverns. Narrowing it down even further, she could look for those worlds that had caves deep inside mountains. On Earth and other homeworlds in the Federation, it was easy to scan for lifeforms hidden under mounds of rocks. Her task would be to breach any protective shielding such formations would have, since the prisoners would be well hidden. It was clear to her that their presence was kept secret, or that they were on an world uninhabited except  for Empress Mirah and the sculptors. It was the only way she could possibly operate.

At night, Kathryn worked on the synaptic enhancer. It was intensive work that left her exhausted but still very anxious about Chakotay's fate. She couldn't shake off the anxiety and losing sleep wasn't helping her cause. At 0400 hours most nights, she just tumbled onto the bunk and didn't open her eyes again until the familiar beep from the conn station alerted her to the hour or that she was hailed in order to arrange safe passage for the Oregon. She had lost some weight, and didn't want to look in the bathroom's mirror again, for she knew that her eyes were sunken.

Her task to find Chakotay, to declare over and over her undying devotion to him, kept her driven. It kept her awake, although she was exhausted most of the time and just wanted to collapse into bed and sleep for twenty years.

Engaging the autopilot, Kathryn moved to the tiny alcove where she could conduct her experiments. She gave a tired little chuckle as she remembered her time on New Earth, how Chakotay had stood behind her and massaged her aching neck muscles. It had been a good time there. They had had the opportunity to become greater friends than before and without the burden of their tasks keeping them trapped behind their masks. Then, back on Voyager, things had changed a lot. She freely admitted to being a guilty party in the strained relations between her and Chakotay. Yet, she couldn't ignore his looks in unguarded moments. She had grown to love him, deeply, passionately, always, there was that wall of reserve that kept her from admitting her true feelings to him. She could see the wanting  in his eyes, in his stance sometimes, then the sigh of defeat.

Then Seven of Nine happened and she thought that she would lose Chakotay forever. How bitter and hurt she had been. But all that was in the past; she had forgiven him, for she knew that underneath it all, despite the motivation behind his proposal, Chakotay did love her. If anything, he loved her more than ever before and his proposal, when it came, was a desperate, final attempt to get her to commit to him.

She gave another little sigh. They had been so supremely happy before he left on his fateful mission.

She took the enhancer and performed a series of scans. It was going to take some work to modify it to her own specifications.

"Just one week, and this has got to be finished. Maybe even three days..." she murmured as she disassembled the enhancer and exposed the microcell. "Great, just my luck... Now, to figure how I can reverse the electromagnetic impulses..."

Hours later, Kathryn packed up and prepared for bed. Her back and neck muscles ached furiously. Rubbing it just made her miss Chakotay even more. Even in their short time together back home, he had done wonders with his miracle hands. She could feel the onset of a headache. Groaning, she stepped out of the sonic shower. It hadn't brought her the relief she craved. Reaching for Chakotay's robe, she gave a little grimace. Lately she had taken to wearing it just before bed. She felt closer to him then and she wished fervently that it was night where he was. Then he could dream of her like he said in his message.

She opted for steaming hot chocolate from the replicator. Smiling a little as she took the first sip, she thought how they had been so conditioned to rations on Voyager, how drinking steaming hot chocolate or eating pecan pie had been luxuries. Now, she had almost unlimited access and could order whatever pleased her. By the time she had finished drinking the warm elixir, her headache had subsided.

*** 

A week later, as Kathryn approached sector 574, she was ready to test the enhancer. Modral had built the enhancer based only on the last, degrading brain patterns of Raël, but during the last week, she had worked on modifications.

It was peaceful inside the shuttle; she had encountered no hostile vessels or alien worlds. She wore pumps and a gilet over a pair of pants, as comfortable as she could make herself. The small silver device  lay on the counter. Kathryn lifted it and attached it to her left temple, then entered a few commands on the computer.  She felt a slight whirr as the enhancer was activated. A mirrored enhancer showed on the monitor's screen, with a string of coded colours just beneath it. The colour indigo flashed on and off, to indicate neutral.

Kathryn closed her eyes for a few seconds.

"Now, think of Chakotay... Think of his love for you. Think of how much you love him, of the good memories you have..."

They played out - images of her and Chakotay together. Chakotay's face as he looked down while she still lay in bed and he held a cup of coffee in his hand for her. Chakotay smiling his dimpled smile; his eyes that creased when he laughed. She gave a little sob. The images had never been as clear as they were now. It was as if she could touch him, so close he felt. "I love you so..." the words tumbled from trembling lips.

Then her eyes flew open. On the screen, just below the enhancer, a block flashed bright red continuously. "It's working," she whispered. Her eyes, riveted to the damning flashing red light, welled with tears.

"Now, blink back the tears, Janeway. Think of nothing. Take Chakotay and home and love and happy memories out. Purge them all.. Think of a galaxy of stars, think of neutral things."

Slowly, the red changed to orange, faded quietly until the flashing stopped and the colour was dark blue. Kathryn stared at it for a long time, dispassionately, detached. It stayed blue.

"So that's it... Mirah controls them from a central computer, despite her own powers. Emotion causes brain waves to move in a particular way. No wonder... She could see whenever anyone had dreams of home... Then somewhere she'd set a control that would cause pain..."

Kathryn brought up the red again. Chakotay smiling at her, his hair wet as he stepped out of the shower at their home in Indiana. Kathryn smiled tenderly at the image. Chakotay moving towards her, a gleam in his eyes. She remembered that morning. She had walked into his arms and they had made love again. Her fingers pressed down on a key. Something happened. Like a crack of lightning, sharp pain lanced through her head. She cried out. The lances became a million little tendrils that curled around every nerve cell, pulling them apart. The flash was blinding, the torture unbearable. She gasped, then screamed. Her finger burned into the key that was the source of her agony.  A strange lethargy came over her as  everything went black and she started to keel over.

She groaned as she came to. The shuttle interior spun madly until eventually the dizziness stopped. Kathryn struggled to her feet, saw the angry red flash had returned to blue. Giving a little sob, she removed the device from her temple and stumbled dazedly back to her bunk. She brushed back a few tears she had been unable to stem; her cheeks were warm and damp as she lay heaving. Slowly her heartbeat returned to normal.

"Oh, my God... So that's what she does to them..."

For a long time Kathryn lay there, her eyes closed, tears seeping from her eyelids and dripping on the bunk. She must have fallen into a slumber, for she woke up with a start. She got up and seated herself at the computer again. Her fingers flew over the panels.

"Now, for the next and final phase..."

**** 

Kathryn felt the frustration eat into her for the first time since she'd left Earth. The entire sector 574 had produced nothing. There were worlds that had come tantalisingly close.  She had little time to admire the magnificent mountain ranges and investigate the deep underground caverns, as she had done a lifetime ago on Earth and on Mars. Much as she would have liked to explore, her eyes could only skim the surface, impressing on her brain the brief beauty of the magnificent landscapes. The shuttle passed over them, her scans producing no results. Just mountains, some with cave systems that challenged the best Earth had to offer. But no signs of life inside them, no shielding that would have alerted her to some presence in the heart of the mountains. On  planets that were inhabited, no one had heard of Empress Mirah; none of those races recorded any of their master craftsmen missing.

She felt dejected as she entered the co-ordinates for the next sectors. Megiddo's star charts were well researched and she'd find the planets easily enough. It was fifteen hours to the Baquad System, deep in sector 590. The planet Kelso was a D-Class world that fitted the profile of her specifications. The synaptic enhancer had been modified, and lay shining on the small counter in the alcove. She had built twenty more of the enhancers in case she needed backup. She sensed that Empress Mirah would not play by any rules.

Now, the black expanse mocked her with its silence. She rubbed her eyes tiredly. She hadn't eaten properly in days. On an impulse she ordered the computer to play some music. Seconds later, the soft strains of a Bach air filled the shuttle. Kathryn rested back against the seat and closed her eyes for a moment. She thought how the last time that air had played, Chakotay had been sitting in an easy chair in their apartment, reading Moby Dick. It was one of the quieter moments they'd shared after the debriefings and celebrations and their promotions. He had looked up when she stopped the music, thinking that it distracted him.

"Hey... Don't stop it. It's beautiful. What is it?"

"Bach's Air in G."

"Any more where that came from?"

She had been so ridiculously pleased. He had only begun to show his interest in music and relied on her own taste in the classics to guide him.

"Concerto for Double Violins... I think you'll like it. Reminds me of us."

"Us? How?" he asked.

"Just listen to it, and maybe you'll get a sense of the 'us'."

Kathryn gave a small cry. Chakotay had never told her whether he liked it. He was gone from her life before they had a proper chance to explore their togetherness and new-found happiness.

"I have to find him... I can't give up. I can feel I'm getting closer..." she murmured into the silence of the shuttle.

Suddenly there was a beep from the conn. She rocked to attention and responded with, "This is Admiral Janeway of the United Federation of Planets..."

A face filled her viewscreen. It was reptile-like in appearance, but it looked friendly. At least, that's what Kathryn thought. He might very well be hostile. He might be "she"...

"Greetings, Admiral. I am Karok of the Mogla Order of Kelso. We have tracked your vessel on our long range sensors. We have been expecting you. What is your business in these sectors?"

"I seek one who is called Empress Mirah..."

Karok was quiet a few seconds as he weighed Kathryn's words. Then he shook his head.

"I am afraid we cannot help you, Admiral. No such person exists in this sector. I have been asked only to relay a message  -  "

"You have a message for me? But... I have not met anyone from your world before, as I am sure you did not know me until a minute ago..." Kathryn frowned heavily. It was confusing. They weren't going to allow her permission to touch down on Kelso, but they had a message for Kathryn Janeway?

"That is correct, Admiral. We have expected a representative from far lands. Someone not from these sectors, nor from this quadrant. We have been told it would be a small vessel faster than any of our own, and with only one commanding the vessel. I do not know what it means, as I have only been given the order to be the messenger."

Kathryn sighed. For a few maddening seconds she had thought she'd reached the end of her search. Now, yet another message. Was it a cryptic clue like the others? Did Nu'ara have anything to do with this? She wanted to cry out in frustration. Her initial scans of the planet's geomorphology had been negative, but a second look wouldn't have hurt. She swallowed hard to control her runaway emotions. Karok was waiting for her response.

"Well then, if you will tell me what the message is, I'll be on my way..."

Karok nodded.

"The glow of dying suns my world in red enfold

and deep in mountain's bosom beauteous urns lie cold..."

Kathryn recorded Karok's words as he spoke. She mouthed the words, absorbed every sound and nuance. Her throat constricted and she felt again the old welling of tears.

"I - thank you, Karok."

"It is our pleasure, Admiral. I received the order from our High Council. Our Grand Mogla, who is our spiritual leader, has declared that the words came to him in a vision."

"A vision?" Kathryn blinked.

Even so, Nu'ara could still be involved somewhere...

"Yes, Admiral Janeway. The Grand Mogla has asked that the one for whom the message is intended, be protected. That is why your vessel will be followed at a safe distance by five of our own ships. I trust the arrangement meets with your approval."

She was tempted to turn down their offer, but thought that she hadn't duplicated the synaptic enhancers for nothing. Besides, if they offered her assistance, she would be safer if she met some hostile ship on her way to...wherever...  The Grand Mogla had certain powers and sensed that she might be in danger at some point. She expelled a little sigh.

"I appreciate the offer. Thank you, Karok."

After communication closed and Kathryn stared at the now blank viewscreen, she sank back against her chair and rubbed her temples.

"Another clue...now what...?"

"The glow of dying suns my world in red enfold

and deep in mountain's bosom beauteous urns lie cold..."

She thought about the words, murmured some phrases over and over.

"Glow of dying suns..."  Was the planet red like Mars?  Did they look red when the sun set? Then she sat bolt upright.

Suns...

"Fool, why didn't you think?" she scolded herself as she started yet another elimination process.

Fingers darted over the keys. "A world with dying suns... How many planets in the remaining sectors could have more than one sun?" Quickly she entered a few commands. The next minute or so, she studied the readings. Ten planets showed more than one sun. Her heart quickened. She gave a light shudder as the excitement built up in her. "God, I hope you meant it, whoever sent this message to Grand Mogla..." she muttered as she looked at ten planets spread over three sectors.

"Dying suns..."

"Of course!"

She would thank Megiddo's Presidium forever for supplying her with the comprehensive star charts. Several planets glowed green, those ones (whose suns were all still young) she eliminated. Only one planet... Kathryn swallowed at the lump in her throat. Her eyes were riveted to the screen as the only planet in a binary system in the process of dying, flickered bright yellow.

They weren't setting suns, but suns dying...

A few equations later Kathryn made another discovery. A possibility, only to be affirmed when she reached the solar system of that planet.

"In another thousand years... this planet will be no more... It cannot survive if its suns die..."

Kathryn rubbed her cheeks, felt the dampness. Her eyes closed. Whatever the planet yielded, all life, all plants and trees, whatever greatness it had, would be no more, for it couldn't survive without light...

"No light... No light..." A warm tear dropped on her hand. All life must have light. The grass will not grow...

She read the next line from the Grand Ogla's message.

And deep in mountain's bosom beauteous urns lie cold...

Kathryn buried her face in her hands. It was getting more and more difficult to understand why Empress Mirah did what she was doing to men and women who had a gift. Her vision was tainted. Her subjects were slaves. Kathryn thought the 'beauteous urns' to be the works of gifted artists that would never see the light. Their beauty would never find resonance in the eyes of anyone who beheld it, for there would be no eye... Kathryn felt the great desolation that the words implied, intense sorrow for works of art that were lost, artists who died before their time... Only one  work of art had managed to come from the planet of the dying suns, and that through the tragic death of one who could no longer endure the torture.

****

Two weeks later Kathryn hailed the small armada of Kelsoan ships that had accompanied her on the journey to Largat, the planet deep in sector 493. She was five light years away,  and traveling at warp six would bring her within the orbit of Largat. She wondered idly if Chakotay and the others were aware of where they were. If they were transported directly into the belly of the mountain, and were never allowed on the surface of the planet, it was not likely they knew even the planet's name. 

A short beep and the face of the lead ship's commander appeared on her viewscreen.

"We have been wondering when you would hail us, Admiral Janeway," the friendly Commander Bel said. By nowshe knew that a certain way in which they pulled their faces indicated a smile. A fist pressed against the armoured chest was their form of greeting.

"Greetings, Commander Bel. I will reach Largat in six days' time," she replied. "Your vessels can sustain warp six. Remain within 1000 kilometers until I am in the orbit of the planet..."

"Acknowledged."

"I will contact you again in twenty four hours. Janeway out."

When she closed communication, she breathed a sigh of relief. Relatively speaking, she was almost on top of Largat. Several maddening clues and the enigmatic words of the mysterious Nu'ara and the Grand Mogla later, she was about to investigate the planet. Two suns, only one planet in their solar system. They had encountered a few similar binary systems during their years in the Delta Quadrant, but those solar systems had nine or ten planets.

It seemed the kind of hideout Empress Mirah would have chosen. She was an anomaly, inspiring gifted craftsmen to be more gifted, and keeping them enslaved. The possibility existed that no one outside Largat or the caves inside its mountains would ever be allowed to observe the works of art created there, and a planet which would be dead in a thousand years was the perfect place to do it.

Her journey to this region of the Gamma Quadrant had taken her almost two months, but she had not traveled at warp six consistently, stopping by other homeworlds on her way. When she returned - with Chakotay  by her side - the shuttle would sustain warp six in an unbroken journey, and only stop by Megiddo. She had promised Calb and Ress that she would visit them again upon her return and if possible, give them more information about their son Raël. Going home would take eight weeks.

Kathryn had no idea what Chakotay's state of health would be, and for that matter, those of the others kept prisoner by Empress Mirah.

"But I must expect a degree of declining health. Most have been on Largat for three years or more..." she murmured.

She decided that she'd don her uniform again when she reached the orbit of Largat. It was better to present a formal front. She turned to the small cabin after engaging autopilot. The familiar grumble in the pit of her stomach reminded her that she hadn't eaten all day. So she replicated her dinner and minutes later, sat and enjoyed her meal while she played soft music to wind down her evening.

Five days later Kathryn entered the orbit of Largat with Commander Bel's armada not far behind.

***

END PART FIVE

PART SIX