STAR TREK - VOY - 12 - Chrysalis

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another trilobite scan
CHAPTER 1
"ON SCREEN."
All eyes on the bridge spun to the viewscreen as the image of a large green-and-blue world snapped into
focus. Captain Kathryn Janeway gazed at the planet in silence, tracing the lines of the continents, taking in
the blue of large oceans. Her brow was furrowed in a frown of deep concentration.
Voyager needed supplies. They'd gone as long as they could, limping through several sectors without
coming in contact with a world that could provide what they lacked, and she wanted very much to
believe that this would be the one, if for no other reason that, seeing it there on the screen, she was
reminded suddenly, and intensely, of Earth.
Voyager was light-years from home, so far that the distance hardly seemed real. They'd been dragged
from their home quadrant suddenly, without warning, captured by the Caretaker, an extremely powerful
being whose sole purpose had been the protection and sheltering of a race known as the Ocampa.
Voyager had been pursuing a Maquis rebel ship that had disappeared. It, too, had been dragged to this
quadrant, but that ship had not survived.
Now with the Maquis captain, Chakotay, as her first officer, and a mixed crew of Starfleet and Maquis
personnel on board, they were trying to make their way home. With the lack of facilities and support
from the Federation, certain limitations had been placed on the ship's systems, among these the replicator
system. It was now necessary to outfit the ship for survival in ways to which Captain Janeway was not
accustomed. It was becoming continually more difficult to provide for the needs of the crew.
It would take nearly seventy years to make their way home, even at top speed, and with the rationing
they'd had to impose on their partially defective replicator system, scavenging and trading had become
part and parcel of her duties as captain.
"I want a complete scan, Mr. Kim," she said at last, turning abruptly to make eye contact with her
operations officer. "If there's anything we can use, I want to know about it. Get with Neelix to determine
what is edible, and have The Doctor do a complete analysis of the air and the water.
"And, Mr. Kim, if there's anyone down there, we'll need to know that as well."
"Aye, Captain," Kim replied, turning at once to the panel before him and busying his hands at the
controls. She watched him for a second, a smile playing at the corner of her lips, then turned away.
The others on the bridge were still staring at the viewscreen, and Janeway let her eyes travel back to the
world they now faced, as well. The pang of recognition, of nostalgia, returned. So much like home.
Considering the light-years that separated them from anything familiar, it was a bittersweet sight.
"There are some odd readings coming from the planet, Captain," Kim said. He seemed perplexed, and
his fingers were flying over the control panel, adjusting bandwidths and frequencies. "I'm getting a life-sign
reading, very low, nearly off the scale, but it spreads out across the surface-like it was covering it. I can't
pinpoint a location. The reading seems to come from everywhere at once!"
"Is there any indication that it might be some sort of interference, or a system malfunction?" Janeway kept
her face carefully neutral.
"None that I can detect. I've already run a system diagnostic, and we're fully operational. There's no sign
of subspace interference. I've tried varying the bandwidth and frequency of the scan to both ends of the
spectrum, but I get the same reading. It's as if this life-force permeates the air down there."
"Well, get a lock on it." Janeway turned from Mr. Kim's console and slapped the communications badge
on her chest. "Mr. Neelix, to the bridge."
There was a moment's silence, then Neelix's cheerful voice floated out from the computer's speakers.
"But Captain, I have this wonderful
N'llanthyan stew on the stove! The leaves are of a delicate nature; they must be stirred at precise intervals
to insure there is no loss of flavor. The crew has been looking forward to it."
"Very well." Janeway stormed off the bridge and into the lift, her face a mask of stoic perseverance.
Neelix was an invaluable asset to her crew under their present circumstances, but at times it was difficult
to remind herself of this. Despite constant reminders, Starfleet protocol would never be listed among his
strong suits. On the other hand, N'llanthyan stew was one of his more edible preparations.
She entered the mess hall quickly, moving directly to where Neelix stood behind a shiny metal counter,
his chefs hat perched jauntily to one side and an apron dangling from his neck. The room had undergone
a remarkable metamorphosis since the day he'd commandeered it for his galley. Somehow, anachronistic
as it was to be cooking over live flames on a starship, he'd managed to make it comfortable and pleasant.
He was a man of many talents, but one of his primary joys in life seemed to come from the time he spent
cooking.
"Captain, Captain," he called out. "So good of you to come down. I assume we are near to Urrytha?"
"We are," she answered curtly. "We came within scanning range about fifteen minutes ago. That is what I
wanted to talk to you about. I thought you told me there was no life on this planet?"
He turned to her with a quizzical expression on his dappled shiny face. "There is none that I am aware of,
Captain," he answered. "Have you discovered someone?"
"Not exactly." Janeway quickly described the strange readings they'd taken from the planet's surface, and
Neelix, listening intently as he continued to stir his stew, grew thoughtful.
"You know, Captain," he said at last, "there are rumors about this planet among my people, stories I was
told as a child, but that I never paid any attention to. The stories were sort of magical, tales of huge stone
temples and ruined cities. They spoke of a race who lived here once, quite an advanced civilization, from
all accounts, but I was told that they died out many, many years ago. Frankly, I've always thought them
nothing more than legend."
"What kind of stories, Mr. Neelix, and why didn't you tell me this when you mentioned this planet?"
"I've never encountered anything but plant life in this area, Captain," Neelix assured her. "The planet has a
substantial supply of Blort roots, and I only thought to avail myself of them while we were nearby. They
make a pot pie of marvelous texture, you know."
"I'm certain they do." Janeway smiled slightly. Neelix was infectious, and despite her ire at his lack of
attention to detail, he was hard to remain angry with. "But that doesn't answer my question. The stories?"
"Well," Neelix said, "my grandfather used to tell a story about this planet. He told us he'd come here
as a young man with a few of his friends . .. purely an exploratory visit, mind you . . . and they found the
most remarkable ruins.
"They found them in the middle of a jungle, as he told it. Grand ruins with huge stone pillars and temples,
lush gardens-but there was no evidence of a society that could have developed them. All signs of
civilization had vanished, leaving the ruins to mark their passing. I've visited this planet myself on several
occasions, and I've seen no ruins, nor any sign of habitation.
"I'm afraid that that is all I can recall, Captain. My grandfather told a great number of stories, but, really,
no one took him seriously. He could really spin a tale, as they say. I remember once he was telling us
about a female from the Edanis sector that. .."
"That will be all, Mr. Neelix." Janeway spun toward the door, but before she exited the mess hall she
added, "And thank you. That stew does smell delicious."
Neelix watched her go, his hand continuing its steady stirring motion, but his eyes were far away. It was a
strange voyage fate had cast him into-a wanderer with no home guiding a crew who'd lost theirs.
He knew, better than most, in fact, how low they were getting on supplies. Part of his job in running the
mess hall was to make certain that it was well stocked. He'd been making do with very little for quite
some time, and the crew was getting a bit tired of the same old meals.
Neelix felt a sudden pang of loneliness, remembering his own planet, his people, who'd been destroyed in
an apocalyptic battle, and found himself wondering where Kes had gotten herself to. No doubt she was
locked in with The Doctor, studying. The medical knowledge seemed to come very easily to her, and the
work kept her mind at ease-much as his cooking did for him.
The thought of his slight blond love brought the smile back to his face, and he brought the ladle to his lips,
giving the stew a taste.
"Ah," he said to no one in particular, "perfect."
Janeway made her way back onto the bridge and called out, "Any luck, Mr. Kim?"
"We've scanned the entire surface, Captain," Kim answered, "but no matter how I configure this, I keep
coming up with the same readings. It seems as if there's something alive down there, at least that's what
the life-sign would indicate, but there's just no way to know where it is, or what. It's possible that the
life-form we're seeking is very insubstantial physically, but very spread out, or even that there is some
microscopic creature so rampant that it reads as a single entity. The only other thing I could think of is
that someone might be jamming our signal in some way, causing a false reading."
"Mr. Chakotay," Janeway said, turning to her first officer, "any thoughts?"
"I'm not certain on this one, Captain," he admitted, "I've never encountered anything quite like this.
Something is blocking our efforts, but there may be a
few more ways to configure these scanners that we haven't tried. I know we need the supplies, but I'd
like to get a better reading on the planet before we proceed."
"Agreed." Janeway nodded curtly. "Get Torres up here and see if there's anything she can do. Neelix tells
me there may be a primitiv e agricultural society on this planet, which might be one way to explain these
readings. If this is true, we need to stay clear of them. The last thing we need is to frighten off the
inhabitants. Mr. Tuvok, will you assist?"
"Gladly," Tuvok replied.
As Kim and Tuvok continued to reconfigure the scanners, the captain headed for the door. "Commander
Chakotay, you have the bridge. I'll be in my ready room if you find anything."
"Aye, Captain," Chakotay answered, nodding. He was already bending over the scanners beside Kim,
lost in the problem at hand.
As the door slid shut behind her, Janeway relaxed her shoulders a bit and let out a heavy sigh. Moving to
the comfortable chair behind her conference table, she fell back into it heavily. She took her
responsibilities as captain very seriously, even more so now that she had to hold together the loyalty and
respect not only of her own crew, but of a crew of former rebels as well.
She needed to keep a bold face on in the presence of the crew, even when her own heart and mind were
down. To most of them, she represented the promise that they would find their way through this, that they
would see home and their loved ones again. It was not an easy burden to bear.
Seeing the blue and green sphere of Urrytha had bothered her more than she'd let on. It was very much
like Earth.
Most of the time she was able to shunt her feelings aside and concentrate on her job, on the work at
hand, living from moment to moment, but it didn't always work. As the heaviness descended on her
heart, she realized that this was developing into one of those times.
There was a sudden tone, indicating that someone was requesting to enter the space, and she sat up
quickly, straightening her hair.
"Enter," she called out sternly.
Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres, the chief engineer, stepped quickly into the room, and the door slid silently
closed behind her.
"Yes, B'Elanna, what is it?"
"I'm not sure, Captain. We haven't been able to isolate the source of that life-force reading, but a visual
scan has picked up signs of a primitive civilization. We started with the forested area, but the scanners
couldn't penetrate the foliage. That was where the life-force seemed strongest. When we expanded the
range, that is when we found the settlements. There is every indication that there are natives down there,
somewhere, a very basic agricultural society, no space travel, but we can't locate any beings of any sort."
"Are the settlements near to where we need to
harvest Mr. Neelix's roots? We have to get some food on board here, or we'll all be trying to fry bits and
pieces of our boots."
"That's what is strange about this, Captain," Torres continued. "The settlement we located is in a desolate
isolated region of the planet. All of the vegetation seems centered in one or two locations- almost like
oases, but the natives have gone out of their way to avoid settling near those areas. There is water in the
jungles and an abundance of plant life, even a few lower-level species of animals . . . just no clear sign of
intelligent inhabitation. Certainly nothing that could explain the readings we are getting."
"Are you telling me, Lieutenant, that these . . . people-whoever or whatever they might be-have built their
homes as far as possible from the most obvious sustenance on their planet?"
"That is how it appears, Captain."
"Tell Mr. Paris to bring us in a bit closer and get that area with the vegetation on screen. I want a look at
these 'oases,' and I want some answers. We can't just go barging in on these people if it's a problem of
our own that's keeping us from locating them."
"Yes, Captain," Torres replied. "But, Captain, those jungles are thick with overgrowth-we're not going to
be able to get much more than the tops of the trees."
"Noted," Janeway acknowledged, already heading back into the world of her own jumbled thoughts.
B'Elanna exited the ready room purposefully, and Janeway stood, straightening her hair once more and
smoothing the fabric of her uniform.
When Janeway made her way back onto the bridge, they already had the lush gardens of planet Urrytha
on the viewscreen. Torres hadn't been kidding. From above, it looked somewhat like the rainforests on
Earth. They could see the lush growth atop trees that soared hundreds of feet in the air, patches of huge
ferns and flowering plants that reached several times the height of a large man. The colors were bright
and vibrant.
"Computer," she said, "magnify the image by a factor of one hundred."
The image shifted. Suddenly blossoms that had been nothing more than a splash of color were clear.
Large insects of several varieties were flitting about from flower to flower. A bird soared across the
screen, then spiraled down into the trees below. Nowhere was there a break in the greenery large
enough to make out the ground, although in a couple of places rivers were visible, blue ribbons cutting
through oceans of green, overhung with branches and dangling vines.
"No sign of anyone in there, Captain," Tom Paris reported, "though there could be an army hiding under
those branches, and without full use of the scanners, we'd never know it." He added, "One hell of a place
for an ambush."
"You're certain there is nothing we're overlooking here?" she asked, knowing the answer, but unable to
make it all fit together in her mind. Paris's comment about ambushes had left an uneasy feeling in the pit of
her stomach.
"Quite," Tuvok cut in. "We have run every type of
scan we are capable of, and we have taken the visual through most of this vegetated area. If there are
native inhabitants on this planet, they are even more adept at hiding themselves than they are at building
dwellings and raising crops."
The door to the lift opened, and Neelix entered the bridge, a big smile pasted across his face. Taking in
the landscape on the viewscreen, he turned to the captain and winked. "There they are, Captain, Blort
plants ... a garden full of them. Those roots will solve our problems for some time to come, and I can
prepare a large variety of dishes from them... some quite exquisite."
"I'm more concerned with these inhabitants we can't seem to locate, Mr. Neelix. Your roots may have to
wait. It is possible that they have some naturally shielded hideaway that we have been unable to scan. I
don't want to beam down there and scare these people into a new religion, nor do I want to take an
away team somewhere that I can't be certain is safe."
"I can understand your concern, Captain," Neelix rejoined obsequiously, "and yet I myself have visited
this very jungle in the past and met no one. It would be embarrassing to find an entire race of beings
who'd taken me for a god...."
There was some general laughter, but Janeway did not share in it. Noticing the seriousness of her
expression, Neelix changed tacks. "Captain, we have to have those supplies. With what we have
available, we have a week, two at best, and that is on the
paltriest and blandest of diets I can imagine. Our water supplies are also getting low."
"I'm aware of the status of our supplies, Mr. Neelix," Janeway assured him, though in truth she hadn't
wanted the others to know just how bad things had gotten-not yet. The situation was not yet out of hand,
but there were shortages that would not be ignored much longer; in that, Neelix was correct. "I guess that
we'll just have to take our chances.
"Mr. Kim .. ."
Before she could finish her order, B'Elanna let out a small cry. "Captain, I've got something."
Her fingers danced across the control console, and the viewscreen shifted to a scene of rocky crags and
cold stone. Vegetation was sparse, but in the background they could just make out some sort of village.
"What is it, Lieutenant?" Janeway asked, moving to Torres's side and glancing down at the monitors.
"This is the settlement I told you about, Captain. There were no inhabitants earlier, but a small group of
humanoid beings has appeared," B'Elanna replied excitedly. "I don't know how we were missing them
before, or where they might have come from, but there they are."
"It would appear that the inhabitants are living in that bleak place," Janeway mused. "Well, there's no
accounting for taste. Mr. Tuvok, I want to form a landing party and get down there as soon as possible.
We're going to need Neelix for his roots, and I'd like
Mr. Kim to accompany us, as well. I'll lead the team."
"Do you think that is wise, Captain?" Tuvok cautioned. "It is my duty to remind you that your safety is a
paramount concern."
"I am aware of the importance of my safety, Mr. Tuvok." The Captain smiled. "But there doesn't seem to
be much of a danger down there, and I've been cooped up for too long."
Tuvok didn't answer her, merely nodding, but his disapproval was floating just beneath the surface of his
eyes. He entered the lift and made his way to the lower decks to choose the rest of his team, feeling
uneasy, but unable to pinpoint the exact reasons why.
Janeway stood for a few moments, watching the screen in silence. Finally, turning quickly, she headed
toward the lift. She had preparations of her own to make before beaming down to the planet's surface.
"Commander Chakotay," she called out behind her, "you have the bridge."
CHAPTER
2
THE LANDING PARTY MATERIALIZED IN A CLEARING THAT
was surrounded on all sides by lush green ferns and towering trees. Birds flitted between the branches,
their songs blending with the buzzing whir of insects and the soft sigh of a breeze that ruffled through the
foliage above their heads. It was as if the entire fertility ration for the planet had been gathered and
concentrated in that one area.
The air was heady with the perfume of exotic flowers, and the sudden burst of color from the myriad
blossoms and multihued brush nearly blinded Janeway as she beheld it, up close, for the first time. She
stood very still, taking it all in and savoring it, breathing deeply. It was, in a w ord, breathtaking.
Reflexively, she brought her tricorder up to chest level and began a routine scan of the area. Years in
Starfleet had burned the harsh lessons of alien landscapes into her psyche, and she wasn't about to
endanger herself or her companions unnecessarily ... not even to enjoy the beauty of such a remarkable
place. There would be plenty of time to explore and to take in the scenery once they'd determined as
well as possible the inherent threats.
Neelix was not so cautious. With a chortle of glee, he rushed to the side of the clearing, snatching at a
green leafy paint and yanking it upward. It came free of the moist earth easily, revealing a long slender
root, pale and tubular. He raised it to his nose, sniffing deeply, then turned to the rest of the landing party,
eyes sparkling. He called out to Janeway with his prize held high.
"I told you, Captain, Blort roots! There are enough here to keep us in rations for another two months!"
"Just gather what you need, Mr. Neelix. I hope that there are other plants here that will be suitable as
well? I don't like the idea of taking a valuable food source from this planet if there are beings living here.
We might be taking food out of their mouths."
"Oh, there's plenty for everyone, Captain," Neelix assured her, bustling off to the other side of the path to
inspect another batch of shrubs. "One thing about Blort roots-you don't find them just anywhere, but
when they grow, they are nearly impossible to get rid of. Only about thirty days from seedling to the
stewpot. We have enough here to feed an army."
Let's hope we don't meet that army, Janeway mused, returning her attention to her tricorder.
Aloud, she added, "There's no sign of any of the inhabitants, but we don't know if it will stay that way. I
want us out of here as soon as possible. That life-force reading we scanned makes me nervous, and I
don't like the way those natives just appeared on our scanners."
"Perhaps," Tuvok commented, his eyes glued to his own tricorder, "we should begin another more
intensive diagnostic on our scanning system. There appeared to be nothing odd about that village we
scanned, and their level of technology does not indicate any viable method of cloaking, and yet they
walked on screen as if materializing from thin air."
Janeway nodded absently, her mind slipping subconsciously between her concerns as captain and her
enjoyment of their surroundings. They moved inward, following what appeared to be an overgrown trail
leading into the interior of the lush garden.
She thought about that for a moment. It was more like a garden than a jungle, despite the untamed
appearance of the place. There was too much symmetry to the layout, too much order in the divisions of
trees and plants. If it could have been viewed from above, she was certain that there would be an
immediately obvious plan to the area. Somewhere behind all this greenery, there was rational thought.
It occurred to her that if this were true, then perhaps that cloaking technology wasn't quite as far beyond
the people of this planet as Tuvok assumed from the outward appearance of their village. There were
different ways for a civilization to achieve greatness besides technological advancement, and it
would do them all well to keep that fact in mind. Nature herself could provide adequate defenses in most
situations, given enough time for the process of evolution.
In any case, the idea that it was all a big overgrown garden made her more cautious. They didn't need
any surprises.
As they moved in deeper, Janeway lost herself in the beauty of the place. Neelix was busying the others
with the gathering of the supplies he needed, and Tuvok, in his usual fashion, was scanning anything and
everything in search of hidden dangers or clues to those who inhabited the place. He took his position as
security officer seriously, and he was very good at it. His vigilance gave Janeway an opportunity to savor
the abundant life that surrounded them, to take in the fresh air and the moist scents of plant life and rich
earth.
All of these sensations had taken on the novelty of something alien after so many months in space, as if
she were walking through the pathways of some half-forgotten dream. She'd last shared such a place
with a lover she might never see again, and if she closed her eyes, concentrating very hard, she could still
conjure up his image, the scent of him, holding her close. She found her mind drifting, her concentration
slipping, and she was lost in a world of memories and places light-years distant when Tuvok's voice
brought her suddenly back to her senses.
"Captain!"
She looked up, her eyes focusing ahead on the
path, and her jaw dropped in shock. The seemingly endless forest had given way just ahead to a large
clearing, and from that clearing, crumbling walls of stone rose. They towered over the landing party in
some places; in others they were falling down, returning to the earth.
The ruins were of obvious antiquity, neglected and overgrown with vines and small trees, but the
foundations of the place were still basically intact. The sheer size of the stone blocks and columns,
combined with the immensity and obvious complexity of the architectural design, was staggering.
She turned to Neelix quickly, questioningly. Her eyes held a bit of the anger she felt, but she kept herself
under control.
"Mr. Neelix, I thought you'd visited this jungle before."
"I assure you, Captain," he said hastily, "I have never seen this place before." His stance, and the obvious
surprise etched across his features, proved his sincerity. Staring up at the ancient ruins, he added, "There
are Blort roots along the fringes of the jungle, and I never ventured much farther in than that."
Turning to the ruins again, he added, "Rather imposing, isn't it?"
Janeway didn't answer, but her mouth was set in a grim line. It might be true that the inhabitants of this
planet did not live in these monstrous gardens, and then again they might just be well hidden. It was
obvious that, whether anyone lived there at present
or not, someone had lived there in the past. Another surprise. Something else to add to the worries that
were already building in the back of her mind.
She chided herself for not ordering more intensive scanning before embarking the landing party, or for not
sending scouts ahead to check the place out. There was no way to know what they might expect from
such a place, no way to plan for the unexpected.
"I suggest that we give those walls a wide berth," Tuvok said, interrupting her thoughts, "and finish
gathering our supplies. They afford suitable cover for an ambush."
"But Tuvok," Kim cut in, "aren't you curious to know who built this place?" The young officer's eyes were
wide and staring, captivated by the decaying magnificence that faced them. It was a grand sight,
whispering of days past and faded grandeur.
"Well," Neelix cut in, "they certainly must have been large creatures. Look at the cut of those stairs."
He was pointing at an area of the wall that bordered directly on the path. It was becoming easier to see
the slightly overgrown trail as the remnant of a major thoroughfare, to picture the gardens-Janeway could
now see that she'd been right to think of them as gardens-as a huge courtyard around a great keep. It
was like a deserted city from some fantastic tale of fantasy.
Despite her misgivings, and the common sense- logic-behind Tuvok's warning, she felt compelled to
know more. It wasn't in her nature to turn away
from a mystery, or a problem, without at least taking a shot at the solution.
"I'm not ready to go back just yet," she told them. "Let's get a closer look and see if we can learn
something. Maybe there's an answer here to those life-force readings, or to whatever it is that's blocking
our scanners. Anything that we can learn about this place is bound to prove helpful." Turning to face
Tuvok, she added, "And, Tuvok, if this quadrant has such a cloaking technology, don't you think that we
need to know more about it?"
Tuvok's expression was disapproving, but he said nothing further as they proceeded. He walked with
one hand on his tricorder and the other hovering near the phaser at his side.
Kim, who was unable to conceal his awe at the antiquity and majesty that the ruins implied, walked near
the front of the party, near Captain Janeway. He took it all in, swinging his gaze from side to side and
sweeping it over the ancient walls and crumbling stone. There was an aura of age about the place, of
permanence that transcended the rot and decay eating away at the walls themselves. There was no
feeling of abandonment, more a feeling of expectancy.
Two of the others that had been selected for the party walked at his side Ensign Kayla, a young Bajoran
woman who'd come aboard when the Maquis ship had been sacrificed, and Ensign Fowler, a junior
engineer. As Kim stared in amazement at the ruins and the imposing walls of the jungle looming
to either side, Kayla took the chance to stare at him. Her eyes were appraising and approving, and
Fowler, walking just to the other side of her, grinned as he noticed.
"Nice view," he commented, tapping Kayla on the shoulder.
Kim turned at the exchange, just in time to catch Kayla's probing gaze before she turned to acknowledge
Fowler. He blushed at the frank appraisal apparent in the depths of her eyes, and he turned quickly back
to the ruins. Kayla moved a bit closer to him, sending a heated disapproving glance Fowler's way.
They had been in space for quite some time- away from interaction with anyone beyond their crew, with
a few exceptions, and it was becoming clear that couples would form in Voyager's crew. There had been
one baby born to them already; the eventual pairing off of crew members seemed inevitable.
Kim made a great show of examining his tricorder and hurried his steps to come abreast of Janeway. He
was embarrassed, but more than that. He'd f elt some of the attraction that Kayla so obviously felt, and
the guilt that washed through him was instantaneous. His fiancee waited for him, he knew, to return to his
home. If he allowed someone to become part of his life in the Delta Quadrant, at least in that fashion, he
knew it would be a sort of surrender, an admittance of defeat.
Kayla stayed back, for the moment, engaged in a
hushed conversation with Fowler. Kim blushed again, nearly certain that he was the subject of that
discussion, yet not certain how to put an end to it. Kayla was a lovely young woman, and if
circumstances had been different, he might have encouraged her. Instead, he found himself forced to deal
with the issue of how he was going to communicate his feelings to her without seeming to reject her
outright.
He would also have to deal with the emptiness, the void in his spirit that his fiancee had filled. Kayla's
attentions had inadvertently reminded him of his loneliness. Turning back to the jungle, he tried to lose
himself in his surroundings.
As they moved farther in, they found other structures, some of which were better preserved, more
complete than the first building they'd passed. The stones that had once paved the street were still visible
in places, and several structures stood untouched. It was almost possible to envision the builders of the
city, their society intact, sitting inside at meals or lost in pleasant conversation.
As they neared the center of the ancient city, the buildings themselves grew larger and more imposing.
They did not stretch upward in the manner of the skyscrapers of Earth, but instead they were wide and
thick, adding to the feeling of solidity and permanence they exuded. They had been built to last.
Neelix scrambled up one of the sets of stairs, huffing and puffing with the effort. Each step reached
nearly to the center of his chest, and he had to pull himself up, swinging one leg at a time. When he stood
on the top step, he called out to them.
"You should see this, Captain. There is a garden inside this courtyard ... a very impressive garden. I can
see several plants that I recognize from here. It is overgrown and neglected, but I believe we can find a
lot of what we need right here. I'd like to make this the starting point for our onload, and I think we
should get samples of some of these for Kes's hydroponics bay."
Janeway found herself smiling openly at Neelix, despite his infuriating lack of respect. His enthusiasm was
infectious, and she made a decision on the spot.
"I think we need to know more about this place. Mr. Tuvok, I'd like you to find a suitable spot for a base
of operations. Mr. Kim, take Ensign Fowler and join Neelix in that garden up there. See what else you
can find that might be of use. I'm going to have a look around over there."
She pointed to where the road bisected another trail up ahead. It appeared to be a plaza of some sort,
perhaps the town square or central market. There was a raised platform in the center where several thick
stone columns jutted up toward the blue sky above.
The area was surrounded by a series of low-slung buildings, mostly solid, and what appeared to be
benches protruded from the walls, facing the square. In the center was a fountain, choked with weeds
and buzzing with insects.
Tuvok looked as if he might press the issue, voicing yet another protest, but he apparently thought better
of it. "Very well, Captain," he said. "I'll arrange to have the necessary equipment beamed down near the
garden. It is a secluded well-protected spot, and since Neelix has chosen it for his gathering, it would be
the logical location for a base."
"Agreed." Janeway nodded.
Neelix, Fowler, and Kim, who looked relieved to be moving farther away from Kayla, if only for the time
being, were already entering the garden, disappearing between a pair of large columns at the top of the
oversized stairs. Tuvok followed, still eyeing the structures about them suspiciously.
As they moved away from her, Janeway dismissed them from her mind. The opportunity to lose herself
for a time in speculation over a race long gone loomed pleasantly, and she moved off toward the platform
in the square. The sounds of the jungle swallowed her, and it was easy to feel time slipping away. The air
was fresh, and her breathing seemed easier. The sounds of life surrounded her, even as the ghosts of the
past beckoned.
As she neared the stone pillars, she noted with excitement a pattern of characters that formed a band
about the width of her hand inscribed around the circumference of the nearest monolith. The characters
were present on each of the pillars as she inspected them in turn, different patterns but similar in nature.
Janeway slapped the commbadge on her breast
and said, "Mr. Kim, could you join me over here for a minute?"
She continued to examine the ancient glyphs in fascination, running her fingers lightly over the impressions
and trying to make sense of the pattern. The language was obviously based in mathematical symbology of
some sort, but the symbols themselves meant nothing to her. It was their symmetry that caught her
interest and piqued her curiosity. It reminded her of her years at the Academy, hours spent pouring over
equations and theory. It had been one of the happiest periods of her life.
She heard someone approaching, and she turned. She saw that it was Kim, and she moved aside slightly
so that he could see what she was looking at.
"Can you make any of it out, Captain?" Kim asked.
"No," she replied. "It isn't quite like anything I've ever seen. I want you to get a visual scan on these for
later study. I'm pretty certain that the language is mathematical in nature, and the computer should be able
to work it out fairly quickly."
Kim nodded, running his fingers over the ancient characters in fascination, much as she herself had done
only a few moments before. They were fascinating.
Janeway knew that Kim would likely appreciate the challenge of deciphering the hieroglyphics, and she
knew as well that he would be up to that challenge. She'd have liked to work on it herself, but she
couldn't pull her thoughts away from the place itself, the freshness of the air, the mystery of the
ancient forgotten city. There were not likely to be too many more opportunities such as this, in a place so
like home and yet so different. She didn't want to miss a moment of it.
She'd also noticed, with some amusement, the exchange between Kim and Kayla, and she knew he'd be
happy to get away from the others and get his mind on something besides the attentions of a certain
ensign. She knew how he felt, if only in the shared pain of separation from her loved ones.
"Voyager to Janeway," Chakotay's voice crackled over her communicator.
"Janeway here," she replied briskly, her mind snapping to focus instantly. "What is it, Commander?"
"We've lost those beings again. They dropped right off our scanners as if they'd never been there at all.
The life-force readings have increased slightly, as well, though there's still nothing specific that we can pin
them to."
"Keep trying to get a lock on that signal," she instructed. "And keep trying to locate those Urry-thans. I'll
have the others wrap up what they're doing here as soon as I can, but there are some truly fascinating
ruins down here, and I can't resist this chance to learn something about them."
"I'll keep you posted if anything changes," Chako-tay assured her.
"Very well, Janeway out."
She continued her walk through the ancient city, but the knowledge that they were unable to detect the
inhabitants of the planet kept itching at the back
of her mind. Was it possible that their appearance in the odd little village had been a decoy? A trap? If
they concentrated their efforts in scanning that desolate location, were they being set up for an attack
here? Were these beings toying with them?
There were too many questions with far too few answers to suit her. They were in an alien, potentially
hazardous environment, and she needed to keep that foremost in her mind. The last thing Voyager could
afford was for four of her officers and the cook to walk blindly into a trap.
Her mood spoiled by the sudden pressing weight of responsibility, she turned and headed back toward
the garden where she'd left the others. Tuvok had been right. The best thing for them to do was to gather
what they could find and make their way out of this place as quickly as possible. At least she could help
Kim with the translation of those odd hieroglyphics once they were on the ship.
She made her way into the garden where Neelix and Ensign Fowler were enthusiastically harvesting
vegetables and roots. She stopped to watch. Heaving a sigh of resignation, she motioned Tuvok aside.
"They've lost contact with those beings," she told him. "We need to get what we came for and get out of
here. I just don't trust this place-no reason I can put my finger on."
"Agreed." Tuvok nodded. "Though it is highly illogical to let one's emotional impressions dictate action."
"Captain!" Neelix was hurrying to their side, a long reddish root dangling from one hand. "I've
made quite a discovery. These are a variety of Grondian tuber I've never seen in this sector. They will
make a marvelous stew, and . .."
He stopped short, staring, and Janeway spun to see what had caught his eye. She and Tuvok had drawn
their weapons as they turned, and they found themselves face to face-or rather, face to torso- with a
small assemblage of very tall and thin creatures in long white robes.
The beings stood nearly three meters in height, and suddenly the oversized steps leading to the garden
made sense. Their limbs were extra-jointed, facilitating their excessive height. Their features were
highlighted by long sad eyes staring down from beneath the snowy hoods of their robes. Their skin was
an almost translucent blue, and it seemed to shimmer with captured light.
They held their hands clasped before th em, and Janeway noted that the digits of those appendages were
long and serpentine. They stood very still, watching her as she watched them. Janeway waited for them
to break the silence, wondering how they would react to the "magic" of the Universal Translators.
Reaching across to Tuvok's arm, Janeway pressed it down toward his side, indicating that he should
lower his weapon. Hers was already down at her side, showing no threat.
Stepping forward, she called out in firm but friendly tones, "I am Kathryn Janeway, Captain of the
Federation Starship Voyager. We mean you no harm."
The creatures regarded them for a moment in silence, obviously digesting the fact that aliens were
standing on their planet, talking to them as if it were a natural occurrence. At first they did not react at all,
then finally the tallest of the aliens moved forward, sort of a sinuous multijointed shuffle, stopping a few
yards from Janeway and looking her over carefully. He seemed merely curious, showing no sign of alarm.
"I am Vok," he said in a light musical singsong. "I am High Priest of the gardens, keeper of the ancients,
one with the voice of the spirits and the lord of the Ambiana."
Vok did not smile, not in any fashion discernible from his expression, and yet Janeway could detect no
animosity in the tone of his voice.
"We are pleased to meet you, Vok," she replied. "My people and I are far from home, trying to make
our way back. We require supplies, food and water, and we'd hoped to find those here. We did not
detect your civilization."
"My people prefer to make their homes in the caverns of the ancients," Vok said. "The light is not a
friendly place for us. We come to the gardens for ceremonies and worship, for meditation, but we spend
most of our hours beneath the ground."
"This is your city, then?" Janeway asked curiously. The ruins did not strike her as the work of a people
who spent most of their lives beneath the surface of the planet, and yet it was obvious from their size that
the place fit them. They seemed appropriate to the garden.
"It was the home of our ancestors, the ancients," Vok explained patiently. "It is the city of that which has
passed and that which will come again. It was destroyed in the last Ascension, and it is said that it is both
our past and our future."
"I see," Janeway said, seeing nothing.
"You are welcome to the fruits of this garden, and to water from the streams farther in," Vok continued.
"We have our own extensive gardens in the caverns-what is here is wild and free for the taking. You may
have it with our blessing."
Janeway found Vok's speech patterns quaint and enjoyable. "We thank you," she replied politely. "We
won't trouble you for long."
Turning, she asked, "Are you about finished, Neelix?"
"I would like to gather a few more samples, Captain, if it is possible."
She turned back to Vok, who was watching her expressionlessly. She wondered how welcome they
actually were, and she was weighing that question in her mind when Vok broke the silence once more.
"You are welcome to stay as long as you like," he assured her. "Your presence is no intrusion upon us. If
we had not happened through here on our way to visit the ancients, our paths might never have crossed."
Smiling, Janeway nodded toward Neelix. "Try and finish soon," she told him. Turning back to Vok, she
gestured toward the ruined city that surrounded them.
"Your ancestors created a very impressive home
here," she said. "They must have been very advanced."
"It was a glorious civilization," Vok said, his voice betraying a bit of emotion that was still absent from the
sad mournful lines of his face. "They built this city to honor their own ancestors. It has been nearly twenty
thousand years since they laid down the first stones here, nearly half that since they themselves began the
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