summary:

TITLE: Janeway Redux
AUTHOR: halfofone
RATING: R
CODE: J/7
FEEDBACK: Constructive feedback welcome.
SUMMARY: Set after five years after the events of Counterpoint in season 5. Janeway gets remade and returns to find her old ship. She needs Voyager and the crew but can they trust her?
SPOILERS: Some Season 4 and Season 5 spoilers.
ARCHIVING: If you want ... I would quite like to know where.
DISCLAIMER: TPTB are Paramount/Viacom. In a perfect world I would own Star Trek but it's not and I don't.

disclaimer:

TPTB are many. In a perfect world I would be one of them but it's not and I'm not. No infringement of copyright/trade marks or other intellectual property is intended. This story was written for fun and not profit.

warnings:

Warning: This story includes same sex relationships between women. If you are offended by this or it is illegal where you live or you are underage then please read no further.

Full warnings, credits and disclaimers can be found in the contents page and chapter 1.

text:

Part 4 - A place to die

The Devore prison ship

Kathryn lay huddled on the hard bench, her back against one of Nithqref's bodies. It seemed like an eternity since she had left Voyager; in reality it was less than four weeks. As she stirred she felt Nithqref in her mind and sighed; sharing a cell with a telepath was more intrusive than she had guessed. She regretted the thought immediately, feeling Nithqref's hurt.

"I am sorry. The inactivity is making me jumpy. I just wish we could arrive wherever we are going and have a change of routine."

'We may look back on these days as halcyon. It is certain that our future will not be comfortable' the telepath replied sternly.

"Is it necessary for you always to be quite so gloomy?" said the former Starfleet Captain rather snippily. "Sorry! Sorry! I am not at my best first thing; must be the coffee deprivation." She deeply missed coffee at all times but it seemed worse when she had just woken up.

Nithqref looked at her closely and was concerned. The food and drink shared between them was insufficient to maintain three bodies and Kathryn was insistent that Nithqref received a two thirds share once she had realised that both the Halquine bodies had an equal requirement for nourishment. She looked thin and weak.

'This coffee may have been a very fine beverage Kathryn but it is equally likely that dehydration, starvation and apprehension also playing a part in your feelings. You are ill.'

The need for more fluid was especially acute. The Halquine resolved to make sure that today Kathryn had a larger share of the water, yet knowing how stubborn the small woman could be, it would not be easy. Yet again Nithqref reflected on the good fortune in being transferred to this cell. Kathryn Janeway was a born survivor and a leader and cared for those she led. Unfortunately it was also true that another few days would see them both too weak to survive regardless of how they rationed the food and water.

The sounds of the cleaning units began and Kathryn shrank against the Halquine. It was strange the creature reflected that the good Captain found this daily occurrence to be more painful than anything else but as on every other day the Halquine attempted to divert the Captain by telling her stories, explaining local politics, showing her images of the Halquine home world before the Devore had invaded and many of the other places which Nithqref had seen in eighty years travelling in this sector.

After the ordeal was over Kathryn relaxed and began to ask questions. She found it hard to speak now because her tongue was swollen - lack of water she supposed. At least Nithqref made it easy for her. She only had to think about what she wanted to know and the beautiful alien would reply. Mainly she asked about the resistance to the Devore; how it was organised; who were the main players; what were the weaknesses and strengths. Nithqref was careful to tell her things in such a manner that Kathryn would not be able to reveal real names and places were she to be interrogated. The Halquine had no doubts about the Starfleet officer's sincerity but also knew that very few people could survive a Devore interrogation.

With a telepath in the cell, Kathryn now found the whole experience of the prison to be much less lonely. She had an open channel to the huge number of other telepaths on the prison ship and through them access to rumours and information about the outside world. The Devore inspectorate were well trained at hiding their thoughts from the Brenari but many of the other Devore aboard the vessel were not as well trained or as naturally resistant. The Brenari Resistance were adept at identifying such weak personnel and watching their minds for relevant information.

A rumour had begun to spread about some terrible new enemy that the Devore had encountered. Finally Nithqref produced an image of the invaders stolen from the mind of a high ranking Devore official. Kathryn groaned as she recognised the invader. "The Borg".

Nithqref had heard a little about the Borg from travels outside the Devore Imperium and from the widespread network of Halquine listening posts that stretched throughout much of the Delta Quadrant surrounding the Devore Imperium. The few thousand Halquine, who had survived and remained free after the Devore had invaded the peaceful and non-military Halquine home world, had made it their business to become the intelligence network of the Free Alliance Resistance. The Devore despised the Halquine as telepaths and had little understanding of the powerful telepathic abilities of the race. The Halquine lack of a verbal language and lack of resistance was enough to convince the Devore that the species were stupid and no threat. The Halquine and their allies did nothing to dispel this belief.

Unwillingly Kathryn revealed the nature of the Borg to the Halquine and the Brenari. The feeling of rejoicing that had started to fill the prison was abruptly replaced by despair and concern for those planets in the immediate vicinity of the invasion. Kathryn could hear the non-Brenari shouting the news to each other and it seemed to echo in her skull as it was passed from cell to cell and wing to wing.

Later that day Kathryn felt ship shudder slightly and surmised that they had dropped out of warp. "Perhaps we have arrived?" She sounded hopeful and Nithqref smiled and shrugged, The Halquine was not optimistic about what they would find at their destination, however Kathryn's guess seemed to be correct. The cells were now emptying rapidly as the air hummed with transporter noise.

A feeling of panic gripped Kathryn and she said hurriedly "Nithqref, in case we are separated I cannot tell you how much I will miss you." She then realised her own foolishness, Nithqref knew exactly how much she would miss the strange alien. She threw her arms around the Halquine's bodies. At that moment the transporter beam latched onto them and they shimmered out of existence in their cell, to be recreated elsewhere a moment later. The instant after they re-materialised, Kathryn leapt back from Nithqref and tripped over, landing awkwardly on her knees.

The first thing she heard was a familiar, smooth dark voice. It seemed pleased.

"Well! Well! Well! The mighty Captain Janeway on her knees, and she seems to have brought some unfortunate friends."

The voice was speaking in its native Devorean which she could understand but some instinct in Kathryn prevented her responding. Her command training came back to her - when captured, hide anything that may be an advantage. She looked blankly towards the source of the voice, already knowing that she would see her former opponent, Inspector Kashyk of the Devore Imperium.

"Of course" said Kashyk pityingly, "without your formidable technology you cannot understand me." He gestured to one of the guards who walked over to Kathryn, hauled her up by the collar of her prison clothes and slapped a communicator on her sleeve.

"That's better isn't it Kathryn?" He smiled at her with that mixture of menace, dishonesty and openness which she had come to know so well. It occurred to her that perhaps sometimes Kashyk did not know when he was telling the truth either.

Trying not to let her dry mouth get the better of her, Janeway answered politely. "Inspector Kashyk. I did not expect to meet you again."

She felt Nithqref in her mind. 'This man is afraid of you Kathryn and he hates you. Be careful.'

She saw Kashyk's eyes jerk round to look at the Halquine. "Did you just attempt to read my mind you telepathic scum?" he inquired. His voice didn't even rise and Janeway shivered. This was his turf; he did not need to shout. Nithqref looked at him without expression or even apparently understanding. Kashyk raised an eyebrow and one of the guards stepped forward to club Nithqref's nearest body on the back of the head. It collapsed, to the total distress of the other body which fell also. Kathryn felt the cries of pain and separation in her mind. She steeled herself to show nothing.

"Get it out of here." Kashyk snapped and the two bodies - one completely limp and the other writhing in pain - were dragged from the room. He smirked. "It is very amusing to separate the Halquine - almost like cutting out the eyes and ears of a normal humanoid, but sadly those two are required for research. They are not an intelligent species but their unique physiology is apparently of interest to our scientists."

Turning his attention fully to Kathryn, his face twisted in a bitter attempt at a smile.

"Kathryn," he said softly, his voice dripping hate and falling on her ears like acid, "our happy reunion in this... facility... is entirely the consequence of your actions. The High Command feel that my encounter with you and your ship demonstrated that I am no longer fit for the challenge of commanding a ship in the field and that my talents are better suited to a desk job, overseeing this stinking death camp."

For a second Janeway felt sorry for him. She knew exactly how she would feel - denied command of a fleet vessel - she feared a similar fate were she ever to return to the Alpha quadrant. Her sympathy was short lived as she remembered Nithqref's pain. She shrugged and looked the Devore in the eye. "It was unfortunate that Prax was not more loyal. Perhaps he felt unloved."

"Unfortunate for you also." Kashyk moved closer and back handed her across the face. She staggered, tasting blood from a cut on her lip. "My job does have its compensations" he said candidly. "I am to interrogate you. The High Command wishes to know more about the Federation and it is believed you have some knowledge of the Borg also. A species we recently encountered who are proving somewhat troublesome." Kathryn almost laughed. Kashyk's arrogance was still cast-iron. He saw the amusement before she could disguise it. He hit her across the face again. She sprawled on the floor and was swiftly picked up by two guards. They held her upright to face the inspector.

"It is not wise to laugh at your captors Kathryn and consider this Captain - you have no hope - no-one is coming to rescue you; I can do exactly as I wish with you, for as long as I wish, and thanks to modern medicine, I can probably keep you alive indefinitely or at least until I get bored. I would like you to ponder your helplessness Captain Janeway so I will not commence the interrogation until tomorrow. Take her away."

The two guards twised her arms behind her, while a third chained her legs and then passed the chain up to shackle her wrists also. They shoved her forwards and she fell and was dragged along the floor and thrown bodily out of the inspector's office. They proceeded in that manner, dragging, shoving and pushing her, along corridors and down flights of stairs until they arrived at a dimly lit, filthy corridor full of unpleasant smells. They stopped outside a barred door and removed the communicator from her arm and the chains, unlocked the door and threw her inside. The door banged shut and was noisily barred behind her.

Kathryn lay there on her side, on what felt like a rough brick floor, bruised and winded. She wondered whether it was worth opening her eyes, or whether it would be better just to let the dizziness and exhaustion have sway. After all, she was likely to see nothing good. Overly pessimistic as it turned out when after a few minutes, she eventually did open her eyes. She felt a certain sort of crazy relief. The cell was filthy. No sonic shower had been by here in a long while. She rolled over and looked about with more interest. Some light was seeping in through a tiny barred window high on the wall. "Well" she said aloud. "This is more like it - a proper dungeon."

Then she heard what was unmistakeably a growl from the darkest part of the cell. She got to her feet a little shakily. "Who's there?"

A deep animal voice said in the main lingua franca of the region, "I see that dinner is moving tonight. My complaint to the chef must have been heard."

Kathryn backed towards the door and tried to see into the gloom. She could just discern a bulky shadow crouching in the corner. She tried not to flinch as the thing unfolded and rose up to tower over her. It was nearly twice her height. She still could not see its face but two gigantic hairy arms were just visible folded across the thing's enormous chest.

Taking a defensive position and trying to control her voice Kathryn replied "I am sorry but dinner will be delayed."

"Ah. Food with attitude," the thing snorted and took a step forward into the weak light.

The creature was extremely unattractive with a long broad snout and on each side of its mouth, a long and yellowing tusk-like tooth jutted along its face and forward of its snout like exaggerated sideburns. A pair of small reddish eyes glared at her from a face covered in short, coarse red hair.

To her dismay Kathryn felt herself swaying; lack of food and water and the rough handling had taken their toll. Blackness rose up and covered her. The last thing she heard was the deep sneering voice saying "I don't know why it is, but the ladies always fall for me."

*~~~*

Kathryn woke up gagging. She opened her eyes and looked up into the ugly face of her cell mate. He was holding her up by the shoulders and trying to pour some liquid into her mouth. Without thinking Kathryn forced her arm, with all her remaining strength, up into his jaw. His head snapped back and he dropped her.

Rolling away from him, coughing, she snapped "Dammit I thought you were going to eat me not poison me."

"I was" he replied furiously rubbing his jaw "but you are skinny, dirty and unappetising. And this arrived"; he indicated two plates of thin grey paste on the floor; "It looked so good that I lost my appetite for small frightened humanoids."

As the threat of becoming kibble had apparently diminished, she sat up.

"What happened?"

"You fainted with terror when you saw me." he made a face that Kathryn decided was a smirk and she immediately lost her temper.

"I did not. I am a Starfleet captain and I am not frightened of an overgrown hog like you." Shocked at herself her inner voice said Get a grip Janeway. You are not in a school playground.

The beast seemed unperturbed and even amused. "Say what you will, I stepped into the light and you lost consciousness. Then the guards arrived with this fine repast and indicated to me that it would be unwise to eat Inspector Kashyk's prize prisoner."

"Oh God Kashyk. I had forgotten."

"How pleasant for you. I find it very difficult to forget the bastard."

"I can understand that," she croaked. Kathryn's two day old thirst became paramount and she looked around for the container of liquid that the thing had been trying to force down her throat. It was sitting on a bench behind her cell mate. The latter saw her looking longingly at the container and the ugly face twisted into some sort of expression, possibly a grin; he reached over to offer her the container.

"It's alright," he encouraged, "it is only water."

Kathryn took it quickly and drank deeply. It looked a bit murky but tasted wonderful. With an effort of will, Kathryn stopped herself draining the cup and proffered it back to the thing.

"Drink as much as you like. There is plenty more running off the walls" her companion said casually. "How long were you on the prison ship?" he asked while fetching another container of water from the dark recess in which he had been sitting.

"Nineteen or twenty days. I am not entirely sure."

He snorted derisively. "I am surprised that a feeble little creature such as you lasted that long however since we are likely to be sharing this abode for at least this evening I will introduce myself. I am Kraal, Captain in the Parath Guard. And you are?"

"Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation Starship Voyager."

"Well that means nothing to me. You are far from home?"

Kraal's tiny eyes bulged slightly when Kathryn told him that home was about forty thousand light years distant in another quadrant of the galaxy.

The beast grimaced slightly in what may have been a smile. "Captain shall we eat first and then you may tell me your story? I am particularly interested in how you have offended Inspector Kashyk. The guards seemed all a twitter with anticipation of your coming interrogation."

Kathryn laughed despite herself. They settled down to eat the plate of grey paste which tasted like porridge oats flavoured with quinine. It was at least plentiful and after eating Kathryn felt in better shape than she had for several days. She then told Kraal her story, how Voyager had come to the Delta quadrant and some of the highlights since that day. When she reached the part about her deception of Kashyk she knew Kraal was impressed. He was less impressed that Vooyager had left her behind but Kathryn did not linger over the details of her capture or the journey here.

The ugly creature was now lying on the floor snoring. Appearance aside, it seemed she had been fortunate in her cell mate once more. She felt pain as she realised that she missed Nithqref and the constant presence in her mind. It was worrying that she still felt nothing from the telepath. The Halquine had said that contact would be maintained regardless of the physical distance. Must still be unconscious, she reasoned, or dead. She pushed this last thought away; Kashyk had been clear that the Devore wanted the Halquine alive. Feeling unreasonably cheerful she at last allowed herself to think for the first time in weeks about her ship and crew. Recounting their exploits to Kraal had made Kathryn extremely homesick. She hoped they had left Devore space and were safely on their way. She tried to imagine the daily routine of the ship operating without her and wondered how Chakotay had managed the transition.

She then thought of Seven of Nine and the ache inside grew worse. The Borg had lost another friend and she didn't have many to lose. Kathryn suddenly felt worried about her protege. Without Kathryn's protection the ex-Borg might be exposed to a great deal of hostility on Voyager; Chakotay had never trusted Seven of Nine and his expectation was still that she would betray them.

She remembered the last occasion she had seen Seven. The beautiful blond had come to Janeway's quarters at 0100, the night before her arrest, to quiz the Captain on some decision Kathryn had made that day which the Borg could not agree with. It wasn't unusual behaviour. Seven of Nine had some difficulty with the concept of off duty hours.

Kathryn sometimes affected annoyance at being disturbed, but as Seven pointed out, the Captain was never in bed anyway, and if she were honest, Janeway had enjoyed the discussions and even the arguments. Seven made the Captain feel a little less lonely and isolated.

Kathryn fell asleep on the cold prison floor thinking of her astrometrics officer.