Captain’s Assistant

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Disclaimer: Paramount owns the world - at least the beautiful world of Star Trek - and we only play with their characters now and then to let them have some fun. Iris and I own the page and we have fun and play with that every now and then as well. After all, that’s what friends are for.

Special thanks too to Heather Briles who kept after me to finish this so we could go on to other things.

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The lights in the sparkling clean sickbay cast their glow on the small girl bent over the inert figure lying on the floor. "Remember, two breaths and then do ten compressions," the Doctor instructed as Naomi Wildman quickly shifted her weight to allow her mouth to cover that of the CPR dummy. Her small fingers quickly pinched the dummy’s nose shut as her mouth made contact with the dummy’s lips blowing two quick breaths into it. As the Doctor watched carefully she again shifted her weight to allow the best use of her small body to put pressure on the dummy’s chest and start her series of ten compressions.

"One and, two and, three and, four….", she started counting and pressing as she counted aloud. She started over again with one and, two and……"eight and (gasp), nine and (gasp), ten (gasp)". Naomi quickly looked up at the Doctor seeking his approval, which he quickly gave. "Do it again," he ordered. So she did.

"Very good, Naomi, you’re getting the hang of CPR. Hopefully you’ll never have to use it, but if you do at least you’ll be prepared. Now, let’s review more of your basic first aid. Every good captain’s assistant needs basic first aid training, and a whole lot more, especially with our beloved captain. You never know what she’ll get us into next, and she certainly has a knack for putting herself into the thick of things. You’re very lucky to have a teacher as highly qualified as I am."

"I know, Doctor, and thank you," Naomi quickly agreed as she put the dummy back into its case and took her seat, ready for the Doctor’s next chapter.

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The planet on the viewscreen looked warm and inviting as it rotated in front of the eyes of the bridge crew. The shades of red, green and yellow gave the illusion of a hot and dry planet, but that was only an illusion. The planet was just young, brimming with life just like Earth millions of years ago with lush vegetation and a large variety of animals, both huge and small. Unlike Earth at that time, however, the people on this world were very technologically developed, to the point of having some interplanetary travel and limited warp capability.

"It looks like these people evolved somewhere else and moved here," Captain Kathryn Janeway stated to Commander Chakotay, her First Officer, who was studying the planetary scans with her. "Sensors indicate that the people live in cities surrounded by forcefields, and there are only a limited number of roads leading from one city to another. Except for the cities which are all on the Northern continent, this planet is sparsely populated. Animal life is abundant everywhere except in the cities, and only the largest city has any indication of animal life inside its forcefield, all located in one very large area. They also have the only spaceport on the planet and no orbiting stations."

"They have a satellite sensor network so they know we’re here. Hail them, Mr. Kim," Captain Janeway ordered as she and Chakotay continued to study the scans at the console between their chairs. "There’s something in their atmosphere that I just can’t figure out," she continued, "and this is causing …….."

"They’re responding," Harry Kim interrupted with a smile. "I’m putting it on screen."

"I’m Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation Starship Voyager," she offered as the viewscreen came to life. "We would like to arrange to trade with you for supplies for our ship." The Captain rose from her seat and stood with Chakotay close by her left side.

"Welcome to Eyri," the female alien on the screen replied. "You are welcome on our world and we would be happy to discuss trade with you. My name is Mettra and I am the Trade Liaison for my world. Do you need to land your ship at our spaceport or would you like to come in a shuttle?"

"We have a technology that allows us to move from our ship to another place without using a shuttle and we can do this through your forcefield. If you would tell us where you would like us to meet, I will arrange for some of my people and myself to meet you. I hope this is acceptable."

"Of course, Captain," Mettra smiled. "I am transmitting the coordinates of our government building and will meet you there in one hour. I’m looking forward to meeting you."

"Chakotay, Tuvok, you’re with me," Janeway ordered as they retreated to her ready room to plan for her meeting with the Eyrians.

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"Your city is lovely," Janeway stated to Mettra as they rode through the streets of Nesham, the capital city of this planet, in Mettra’s equivalent of a hovercar. Their initial meeting ended almost an hour ago and Mettra offered a quick sightseeing tour. The city was indeed lovely with its soft orange sky, lush green and blue plant life and friendly people. The people were very outgoing and more than willing to share what they had with the Voyager crew, which was a welcome relief from some of the Delta Quadrant natives they encountered.

The Eyri people resembled felines in that they had elongated noses and eyes resembling those of a cat. Their skin was covered with soft short fur in colors ranging from light tan to medium brown, and their ears stuck out from the sides of their heads, but were pointed like those of a cat. The Eyrian people walked upright on two legs and they wore boots on their feet and loose-fitting clothing on their bodies, but their fingers ended in retractable claws. They were also very tall, making Captain Janeway feel very short by comparison, even in her high heels.

"What is that?" Chakotay inquired as they passed a colorful sign painted with pictures of what appeared to be dinosaurs.

"That is our zoo," Mettra explained as she pulled the car over to the side of the road. "We keep representatives of many of the different types of animals found on this planet confined in this area so that we can learn from them and teach our children about them. Their habitats were created to be as natural as possible, and due to the huge size of some of the inhabitants, their homes were made large to accommodate them. Adults and children alike visit our zoo to learn about and to interact with these animals.

There are so many animals on this planet, many of them huge in size and many who are flesh eaters, so we wall in our cities to protect the citizens and to keep the animals out. It is dangerous to be unprotected outside the walls. Even the roads between cities are protected by electrical charges. The walls consist mostly of forcefields which project the look of stone walls but in actuality are really energy fields maintained by generators buried in a series of caves right outside the city walls. This is more effective than actual stone walls because this planet is seismically active and stone walls would crumble."

"The animals found in our zoo are mostly plant-eating animals and many have been born in captivity, therefore they are domesticated. The zoo’s visitors are able to actually touch, feed and interact with some of the animals. There are a few flesh eaters here, but only the smaller ones. Would you like to visit the zoo?" Mettra asked.

"You have dinosaurs?" Chakotay asked in stunned amazement as he continued to look at the sign. "Real dinosaurs?"

"We’d love to," Janeway responded with a smile as she noticed Chakotay’s reaction. "Dinosaurs have been extinct on our world for millions of years. My people will find your animals fascinating and I’ll inform the shore leave parties that your zoo is available for tours."

"We also have children’s areas where your children can interact with our children as well as the animals. We have teachers who supervise these groups and I know they would welcome your children," Mettra continued.

"We only have one child aboard Voyager," Captain Janeway explained, "but I’ll talk to her mother about having her included in your groups. Thank you."

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Naomi Wildman didn’t know what attracted her to Seven of Nine, but whatever it was contributed to her enjoyment of her study of astrophysics. She and Seven had been studying the latest star charts of this area of space for the past hour, but unlike some of her other classes, this one passed quickly. When Seven indicated that the class was over for the day, Naomi found she was disappointed.

"How about a game?" Naomi suggested trying to prolong her time with Seven. "I don’t have to be ready for my physics class for another 40 minutes and my homework is already done. We could go to the mess hall and play there. Neelix wouldn’t mind."

"I believe I could spare 40 minutes at the present time," Seven responded much to Naomi’s delight. "But I believe our time would be better spent in the holodeck, which is presently available for our use. You have not practiced any of your martial arts moves in the past three days, and if you wish to gain your next belt you will have to practice. Mr. Tuvok has been good enough to allow us to learn this skill together, so we shall go now and practice."

"Agreed," Naomi responded with a smile. Practicing with Seven was always a challenge.

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"I’m exhausted," Captain Janeway sighed as she and Commander Chakotay stepped off the platform in Voyager’s transporter room. "I thought the negotiations would never end. Mettra is a delight, but Minister Peela was never at a loss for words. At least we were able to work out the terms of our trade agreement and arrange for shore leave."

"Yes Kathryn, but the question is – are you going to take any time to enjoy yourself?" Chakotay quipped. He knew Kathryn usually had to be forced to rest and relax, and he was going to do everything in his power to get her to rest and relax with him. "How about you and I tour the zoo and maybe the ‘old town’ section of Nesham? After all, that section of town is over 3500 years old and it’s so charming. Neelix can supervise the transfer of food supplies, B’Elanna would prefer to personally oversee the repairs to her engines after she and Tom have some shore leave together, and Lt. Roland will see to the restocking of minerals. You’ve already done your part."

"We’ll see Chakotay, maybe I will take some time. I would like to figure out what is in this planet’s atmosphere that makes their sky appear orange. It shouldn’t appear as orange. Normal atmospheric parameters don’t seem to apply here and this planet is so unique with its animal and plant life. Imagine – dinosaurs – actual living dinosaurs! But first, how about dinner. My place at 1900 hours? I’ll replicate for us," she smiled with that crooked grin he loved so much.

"I’ll be there," he responded with a big grin as he considered the scientist within the woman he knew he loved more than life itself.

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"Vegetable lasagna with tossed Caesar salad and Italian rolls, replicated of course so get that smirk off your face," Kathryn teasingly announced as Chakotay entered her quarters promptly at 1900 hours with the question of ‘what’s for dinner’ written plainly on his face. "And I hope you’re hungry."

Chakotay smiled fondly at Kathryn as he tried not to stare too much at the lovely woman before him. Her petite figure was dressed in a lovely blue blouse with long poet sleeves, and she wore black form-fitting slacks and black low heeled shoes. Several of the top buttons of the blouse were left open exposing her graceful neck and just enough of her collarbone area to make him wish for more. Quickly controlling his escalating desire, he brushed his lips softly across hers whispering, "more than you realize." Kathryn only smiled at him.

"So are you coming with me?" Chakotay inquired after they had eaten all of the delicious dinner and cleaned up the dishes, "or must I have the Doctor order you to go."

"You wouldn’t," she glared at him, all the while realizing that he only had her best interest at heart so she couldn’t get mad at him. And truth be told, she could use some time away.

"Alright, I’ll go with you tomorrow right after my meeting with Mettra and Minister Peela. Maybe if I have plans they won’t keep me all day, and then we can tour their zoo. I can’t wait to see the dinosaurs. Maybe Sam would let Naomi go to the zoo with us if she isn’t already going tomorrow. Naomi would really enjoy seeing the animals."

"You mean I have to share you with Naomi?" Chakotay teased. "And here I hoped to have you all to myself."

Kathryn could only laugh. "After we take the tour we’ll take her to the children’s group and let her have some time with the children while you and I tour the old city. We can return her to the ship after that and maybe Mettra can recommend a good place where you and I can have dinner. What do you think?"

"I’m ready," was his reply as he took her into his arms gently placing a kiss on her soft lips. She was more than willing to return the kiss.

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Luck was on their side the following day when Minister Peela had to cut their meeting short in order to deal with a minor undisclosed problem. Mettra gave Kathryn and Chakotay a sympathetic smile as she ushered them out of the government building guiding them to the hovercar she was providing for their use. "Sorry about Minister Peela, I know he really likes to talk and he can go on for hours and not really say anything. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day. I left directions and suggestions in the car for nice places to visit and restaurants which serve very good food. Enjoy yourselves and don’t worry about anything. My people will make your people very welcome."

"Thank you, Mettra, for everything. We’ll see you later," Kathryn smiled as Chakotay handed her into the passenger seat of the car while he assumed the driver position. With another smile and wave of their hands, they were off and headed for the zoo.

Naomi and Sam Wildman were waiting when they arrived, and Sam placed Naomi in their care for a few hours while she went off to shop with Tom, B’Elanna and Harry Kim. "Thanks Captain, Commander," she offered as her friends picked her up for their shopping trip. "Just contact me when you’re finished at the zoo and I’ll get Naomi so she can have dinner with us. Tom found a nice restaurant in the old town and we’re all anxious to try it."

"Enjoy yourselves," Kathryn offered as she, Chakotay and Naomi headed for the entrance to the zoo.

The zoo was wonderful and the animals awesome. Neither Kathryn nor Chakotay ever imagined how seeing these powerful and ancient animals alive and breathing would be such a thrill. The Voth, the Saurian race descended from Earth’s own dinosaurs who managed to overtake Voyager and deny the truth of their heritage, could not even compare to the sheer majesty and diversity of the animals on display in this zoo. And the best part was that many of them were domesticated enough to be petted (or at least touched). The zoo itself was a marvel of ingenuity since it provided natural habitats for all of the animals inhabiting its boundaries.

Naomi was awestruck, something unusual for this precocious youngster who had seen more from having been in the Delta Quadrant than most adults ever imagined. Kathryn was obviously enjoying pointing out this .…saurus or that …rex to her and giving her their Earth counterpart’s history. Kathryn had obviously been paying attention in her science classes, but never imagined that she would ever see one of these creatures alive.

Chakotay was enjoying the whole spectacle – the animals, Kathryn interacting so beautifully with Naomi, and Naomi’s fascination with it all.

The hours passed much too quickly, but before they contacted Sam they wanted to give Naomi a chance to meet some of the Eyrian children, so they headed for the children’s part of the zoo. When they arrived they were warmly greeted by two adult Eyrian teachers and seven children, all anxious to make Naomi feel welcome. Kathryn and Chakotay stayed in the background while Naomi interacted with the children, quickly making friends.

The children had several small specimens of the animals which they were allowed to keep with them and play with, and as Kathryn and Chakotay watched she quickly overcame any fear she might have experienced and joined in the play.

"She adapts easily," Chakotay observed with a smile. "She must be practicing her captain’s assistant techniques." Kathryn only nodded and smiled.

As they sat and watched Naomi play, they became aware of trembling beneath their feet. The intensity of the trembles varied from barely noticeable to downright shaking, but nobody seemed upset by the tremors except for Naomi. She came running and threw herself into Chakotay’s arms, not sure what was happening, but trying her hardest to be brave.

One of the teachers noticed Naomi run in fright, and hurried to explain about the tremors to Kathryn and Chakotay.

"We have these tremors often," she explained, "but it is only because our world is still young and growing. They will pass."

"Don’t you have damage to your buildings or to the forcefields that keep the animals confined?" Chakotay inquired as he glanced around looking for signs of damage.

"The tremors have only rarely been severe, and even those have not done much damage," the teacher explained. "Our city is built to withstand these earthquakes and the generators that supply the forcefields are buried in caves that have withstood the test of time. We think they will continue to do so. There are those who prophesize ‘the big one’ will come soon and destroy this world, but they only represent a small group of people."

Seeing that Kathryn, Chakotay and Naomi were all starting to relax, the teacher reached out her hand for Naomi. With a quick smile at Kathryn, Naomi accepted the hand and rejoined the children who were still busy playing with the animals.

~~~~ a Y a ~~~~

The week passed quickly and everyone had their chance for shore leave. The Eyrians were wonderful to the Voyager crew, and they were all sorry to leave. Naomi was lucky enough to have been invited to join the children at the zoo every day, and during that time she made some good friends. Even Seven took the time to take Naomi to the zoo one day and found that she enjoyed it every bit as much as Naomi did.

"Mom, do we have to go?" Naomi inquired of Sam as she was being tucked into bed on their last night at Eyri. "I would really like to go to the zoo once again and say good-by to my friends."

"Sorry Honey, but you know we have to leave tomorrow. The repairs are complete, the supplies are loaded and everyone had their chance for shore leave – you more than most. Captain Janeway wants to head for home again. After she meets with the Minister tomorrow morning to offer our thanks, Voyager will be leaving."

"OK Mom," Naomi responded as a plan started to form in her head.

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Early the next morning as Captain Janeway, accompanied by Chakotay who is only there to see her off and tease her about Minister Peela and lengthy meetings, reported to the transporter room to beam to the planet she was confronted by a very businesslike Naomi who requested that she be allowed to accompany her captain to the planet.

"After all, as captain’s assistant it is my responsibility to create goodwill," Naomi argued as she concisely stated her case. "I did not have the opportunity to diplomatically thank my teachers and classmates for their hospitality and I really think I would be remiss in my duties if I did not offer my thanks to them. You would not want me to create a bad impression, would you?"

Janeway had to turn her head away from Naomi so she couldn’t see her grin and Chakotay was laughing so hard he had to hold his sides. But when Ensign Johnson, who had transporter duty and had been privy to this whole conversation, started to laugh out loud, she couldn’t help herself. After taking a minute to enjoy the situation and the seriousness of Naomi’s expression, Janeway paged Sam asking for permission to take Naomi along.

Once Sam’s permission had been obtained, the Captain and Naomi beamed to the planet where Mettra and Minister Peela were waiting. Mettra offered to escort Naomi to the zoo classroom where Kathryn would pick her up after the meeting.

"Minister Peela, I want to thank you for everything," Kathryn began as they settled at the conference table. "My people had a wonderful time, and when we get home the stories we will have to tell about your planet and your own hospitality will be legendary." She knew she was laying it on thick, but Minister Peela was so conceited and was eating up every compliment. These people had truly been generous and welcoming and the ship’s log would reflect their wonderful hospitality. She brought gifts to present to Minister Peela, and they were gratefully received. They included detailed star charts, copies of the ship’s musical library and some of the Alpha Quadrant’s most beautiful literary works.

As Minister Peela started his speech of thanks, Kathryn felt rumbling beneath her feet. The glasses on the conference table started moving, and a picture fell from the wall with a bang. Kathryn quickly jumped to her feet and taped her combadge.

"Voyager, what’s happening?"

Minister Peela quickly intervened trying to settle her fears. "Our planet is seismically active and we experience these tremors frequently. They are nothing to worry about. They have never done much damage and will settle after a few minutes, although there have been times when we had more than one tremor in a day. Our planet is young and still settling itself," he continued to explain. "Please do not worry."

"Voyager to Captain Janeway," Chakotay answered in response to her earlier hail. "This planet is experiencing an earthquake. The seismic readings are seriously fluctuating and seem to be building Do you want us to beam you up?"

"Chakotay, Minister Peela assured me that these quakes happen frequently and there is nothing to worry about. I’m going to get Naomi and we’ll beam back shortly. Let me know if you detect more trouble. Janeway out."

"I have a vehicle waiting for you, Captain, and the driver will take you to the zoo to get Naomi," Minister Peela offered. "Thank you for everything, and I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. I wish you could come again, but since you can’t, have a safe journey home."

"Thank you for everything Minister," Janeway responded as she hurried to the car to collect Naomi.

The ride to the zoo seemed endless, and as she entered the complex through the forcefield gate she felt more tremors rumbling underfoot. Even though Minister Peela assured her that this was a common occurrence, she was still worried. As she looked around, she got the feeling that even some of the Eyrian people were starting to worry. After a few minutes she dismissed her driver and proceeded toward the classroom area on foot.

Suddenly her combadge erupted with Chakotay’s excited voice. "Chakotay to Captain Janeway. We’re detecting a massive buildup in the planet’s core and they are about to have a huge earthquake. We’re trying to lock onto your combadge, but there are copper based micro electrostatic particles of some unknown kind being ejected into space from the surface of the planet. These particles are interfering with our sensors. I can’t lock onto either of you. If you and Naomi can move toward the outside perimeter of the zoo, we think we can get a lock. The buildup of particles in that area is lower."

"Acknowledged, Commander. I’m almost to Naomi’s location and once we’re close to the perimeter I’ll notify you. It will take some time to work our way there as this is a very large zoo and we have to work our way around the habitats. Keep me posted," Kathryn responded as again her feet felt the rumbling. It was getting worse and people were now starting to panic and run.

"Naomi, over here," she called as she spied a very upset Naomi being comforted by one of the teachers. As another much more intense tremor rocked the planet’s surface, Naomi quickly flung herself into Kathryn’s arms and they both ran for the perimeter.

"Janeway to Voyager," she called as she and Naomi continued to run for the zoo’s perimeter, but all she received was static in response.

As they ran Kathryn noticed large rocks had begun to shake loose from the sides of the cliffs that formed the animal habitats. The habitats had been built to be as natural as possible and were created to take advantage of the hills and valleys of the area. Even though they were dense with foliage, rock and dirt were still the largest component. They had to run in an erratic line to avoid being hit by falling rocks and trees, so the trip to the perimeter was taking a long time. Other visitors to the zoo were all running in the opposite direction - toward the entrance of the complex in an attempt to get to their parked vehicles to try to get to their homes. Kathryn and Naomi quickly found themselves alone.

The paths through the zoo were no longer paths, but obstacle courses which they had to negotiate in order to reach their destination. The fallen rocks and downed trees forced them to climb over or go around, and they were now in the area of the zoo which housed the larger specimens whose habitats covered more ground.

The ground was trembling ever more violently, and Kathryn was having a hard time keeping herself and Naomi on their feet. The terrified girl was clinging desperately to her hand but was trying her best to keep up the pace and not let fear get the best of her. As Kathryn tried to comfort her yet encourage her to continue, she recognized this fact.

A sudden loud popping and sizzling sound alerted Kathryn to yet another danger. The forcefields failed and once the terrified animals realized they were no longer confined, they quickly left their areas. Since they were already panicked by the earthquake, Kathryn knew they would stampede and run rampart. She was also starting to suspect that the forcefield surrounding the city had failed and not only would the zoo animals escape, but the wild animals that inhabited this planet would get into the city. Many of these wild animals were fierce flesh-eating hunters.

"Run, Naomi," Kathryn continued to encourage as they scrambled their way over yet another tree trunk blocking their path to the perimeter. The sounds of screaming animals and falling trees and rocks was deafening, and the orange color of the sky gave Kathryn the impression that they had truly been transported to Hell. The outline of a flying Pterodactylus trying to escape the upheaval gave even more credence to the appearance of Hell.

"How much further, Captain?" Naomi questioned. "I’m getting tired."

"I don’t know, but this zoo covers almost 30,000 acres. We probably have quite a way to go. I can’t get any sense of direction anymore," Kathryn cried as she looked around seeing only turmoil and upheaval. Several animals suddenly erupted from the trees on their right, ran across their path several hundred feet ahead of them and crashed headlong into the trees on their left. Two more large creatures, which were in pursuit of the first group, suddenly burst from the trees and were gaining on the first group. As Kathryn pushed herself and Naomi behind the closest tree, they witnessed one of the pursuers pounce on one of the pursued animals and quickly rip out its neck, killing it instantly. It then proceeded, along with its companion, to rip apart and devour the unlucky beast.

As Kathryn and Naomi watched in horror, Kathryn could only whisper, "Raptors! They’re Raptors!!. Let’s go – quietly."

The ground was still trembling as they left the path and continued toward their goal of the perimeter of the zoo grounds. "Janeway to Voyager," Kathryn tried again, but to no avail. They had only been running for about fifteen minutes, but to Kathryn and Naomi it felt like a lifetime in Hell.

Once they were past the carnage, Kathryn led them back onto what was left of the path and they continued to fight their way toward the perimeter. By now they were both sporting cuts and bruises too numerous to count. The sounds of animals and birds screaming and running blended with the deafening calliope of destruction which was all around them, so they never heard the rocks falling as they rounded a sharp bend in the path. Once Kathryn realized the danger and glanced upward, she instinctively shoved Naomi off the path and under a protruding ledge before the descending rocks impacted their location.

Kathryn heard Naomi’s startled scream as the first of the falling rocks slammed into her, and she fleetingly hoped Naomi was safe under the ledge. Before Kathryn could take another step she was knocked to the ground where more rocks fell onto her body. Almost before the pain had a chance to register, a rock slammed onto her head and consciousness deserted her.

~~~~ a Y a ~~~~

The avalanche only lasted for a minute, but to Naomi it was the longest and scariest minute of her young life. The ledge protected her from most of the falling rock, but she lost sight of the Captain once she was pushed under the ledge, and she still couldn’t find her. Quickly gathering her wits she reminded herself that she was, after all, the Captain’s Assistant, and next priority was to find her Captain. There were a lot of rocks between her and the trail and the ground was still trembling, so she started to climb back toward the trail.

The pain of multiple cuts and bruises made itself known as Naomi climbed over rocks and under fallen trees, but she still couldn’t find any sign of her Captain. Repeatedly calling ‘Captain’ wasn’t getting her any results either. Naomi considered herself a very brave girl, but she could only handle so much at her young and tender age, and before long the tears started to fall. Repeated attempts to hail Voyager also failed.

As she ducked under yet another tree, a flash of red caught her eye and she moved as quickly as possible to investigate. After pushing several more branches out of her way Naomi saw her Captain lying on the ground not moving. A large rock had the Captain’s left arm trapped, but Naomi was able to use her body and brace herself to roll it off. Several branches and smaller rocks were lying on the Captain’s back and legs, but these too were removed with great effort on Naomi’s part. After two more frantic attempts to contact Voyager failed, Naomi’s first aid training kicked in.

"Ok, check for a pulse first," she recited as she tried to remember what the Doctor taught her and she laid her fingers against the Captain’s neck. "Pulse found. Now check for bleeding."

A large and badly bleeding cut on the side of the Captain’s head caught her attention next, as well as multiple other cuts and bruises. As she reached out to touch the Captain’s shoulder, she realized that her own hands and arms were cut and bruised as well. A thin line of blood was running from the side of the Captain’s mouth, but Naomi wasn’t sure what that meant.

"Captain," Naomi called as she gently shook the Captain’s shoulder. "Captain, can you hear me?" No response. "Please Captain, wake up."

"Ok, she’s probably in shock," Naomi recited to herself. "I have to stop the bleeding." Ripping a piece of cloth from her smock she pressed it against Kathryn’s head as yet another tremor shook the ground beneath them. The sounds of animals running all around them was very frightening to the small girl, but her sense of duty aided in keeping her wits about her. She settled herself against Kathryn’s side, still applying pressure to the head wound, and waited for her Captain to wake up. "Naomi to Voyager," she tried again.

A slight rustling sound alerted her to company, and as she looked up to see what was making the noise she saw a huge light brown head with bright green eyes looking down at her. She screamed.

~~~~ a Y a ~~~~

"What’s happening down there," Chakotay shouted. The fact that they couldn’t make contact with either Kathryn or Naomi was making him more agitated by the minute. Harry’s attempts to communicate through the interference had all failed and he had no new suggestions to offer. Sam Wildman was on the bridge at the science station, and her stricken face made Chakotay feel even more guilty for not finding a solution.

"We’ll get them back, Sam," he tried to reassure her. "We’ll get them back." Chakotay turned his attention to his tactical officer. "Tuvok, can we get a shuttle down to the surface?"

"Negative, Commander. The atmosphere is highly charged because of the earthquakes and the shuttle would not be able to navigate the currents. A rescue attempt would be a suicide mission at this point, and I know the Captain would not want you to jeopardize anyone on her behalf. She is a resourceful captain and I know she will do all in her power to keep Naomi and herself safe," he stated in an attempt to reassure Sam as well as Chakotay.

"I guess we just wait and pray," Chakotay responded as he tried to settle himself in his chair. "Let me know as soon as there is any change."

~~~~ a Y a ~~~~

The sound of screaming finally registered in Kathryn’s aching head and she vaguely wondered if she was the one screaming. She hoped not because the sound was making her head hurt even more. As she tried to lift her head in an attempt to see if it still moved, a soft moan escaped from her lips.

"Captain," Naomi whimpered very close to her ear, "don’t move. It’s watching us and will eat us if we move.

A soft snorting sound alerted her to danger, so she slowly and painfully rolled herself onto her side, wincing as she moved. Another snort directed her slowly clearing vision to a point above her, where she recognized the huge head on the long neck as belonging to a brontosaurus, a plant eating dinosaur that was not known for being a killer or a flesh eater. It was well known, though, for its huge size and curious nature. Kathryn remembered this specimen was one of the zoo’s more gentle giants. The brontosaurus spied their movement among the rocks and was curious to see what they were.

"Naomi, that dinosaur won’t eat us. He eats plants. The only danger from him would be if he stepped on us since he’s very heavy. You can touch him if you like," Kathryn whispered as she tried to raise her throbbing head from its current position on the ground. A sharp gasp and another groan escaped from her lips as she maneuvered herself into a sitting position leaning back against a rock. She quickly realized that her left arm was broken and probably a couple of ribs as well. There wasn’t a place on her body that didn’t hurt.

Naomi carefully reached out her hand toward the head of the mammoth animal and lightly touched its inquisitive nose. After sniffing her hand for a minute the huge animal lost interest, slowly lifted its massive head and turned to move away from them. Kathryn let out a relieved sigh and another groan.

"Naomi, we have to get out of here so Voyager can find us," Kathryn stated as she tried to lever herself into a standing position. Her head was spinning and her broken left arm was useless and throbbing with pain. Her broken ribs were screaming as well, and the sharp tearing pain in her chest and abdomen areas made Kathryn wonder what other damage was done. Naomi quickly moved into position so Kathryn could lean on her.

"Captain, lean on me, I’ll help you," Naomi offered. "We have to climb over these rocks. Can you do it since your arm is broken?" "I hope so," was Kathryn’s whispered reply.

Several minutes later Naomi and Kathryn stepped over the last of the rocks blocking their way back to the path. These minutes hadn’t been easy for Kathryn who had to cradle her broken arm which was shooting pain straight into her throbbing and bleeding head. Her broken ribs and foggy vision hadn’t helped much either, but as she leaned heavily on Naomi they were able to limp toward the edge of the forcefield.

"We have to be close now," Kathryn sighed as she instructed Naomi on how to read the tricorder still clipped to her waist. They stopped for just a minute to give Kathryn a chance to rest and get her bearings, and she was leaning heavily against a downed tree trunk. A piece of Naomi’s smock had been torn into a strip which they tied around Kathryn’s head to help stop the bleeding, and Naomi had also tied a strip of the material around her own left arm which had a long bleeding cut.

Signs of massive destruction from the still rumbling earthquake were all around them, as well as screams from birds and animals that were terrified and hurt. She had been able to flip open her tricorder and scan, but her foggy vision made her unsure of the tricorder’s readings.

"About 500 more yards in that direction," Naomi finally stated as she continued to study the tricorder while she pointed the direction they had to go. "Captain, I’m registering more animal lifesigns than before. Do you think the wild animals from the outside are starting to come into the city?"

"They probably are since the forcefields are down and they can smell people as well as other animals. We have to be careful because many of those wild animals are flesh eaters and would easily be able to kill us. We also have to be careful not to get trampled since these dinosaurs are frightened and many of them are huge. We don’t want to be caught in a stampede, especially since neither of us can move very fast right now. We’d better keep going," Kathryn groaned as she pushed away from the tree trunk and stumbled in the direction Naomi had previously indicated. Naomi quickly ran to her side allowing Kathryn to once again lean on her. As they stumbled along, animals of many different species, both large and small, could be seen running in all directions.

Fifteen more minutes of negotiating around fallen trees and rocks brought the pair to a relatively clear ledge with a gentle slope leading to what the tricorder indicated was the edge of the city. It was getting closer! Voyager should hopefully be able to locate them once they were out of the forcefield.

They were almost down the ledge when a subtle growl that had been background noise among the rumbling of the earth and the screams of the birds and animals alerted Kathryn and Naomi to immediate danger.

"There, among those trees," Kathryn pointed with her good arm. "The growling is coming from that direction, but whatever is there seems to be hiding in those trees."

They quickened their pace as much as Kathryn’s injuries and Naomi’s short legs permitted, as the growling became louder and closer. Both Naomi and Kathryn were now terrified and were looking desperately for a place to provide cover and protection from whatever was stalking them. The trees were too sparse, but Kathryn spied a pile of rocks which had fallen from a ledge above and formed a small cave. "Over there, we should be able to hide in those rocks," she indicated to Naomi.

Naomi helped Kathryn to the rock pile and tried to ease her entry into the protection of the cave. As soon as Kathryn struggled painfully into the small opening, Naomi quickly followed.

The growls suddenly got louder – much louder and angry. The rumbling of the ground evidenced their stalker’s size and mass, and the sound of his growls evidenced his intent. Kathryn and Naomi huddled in a corner of their small cave hoping their stalker wouldn’t be able to pinpoint their location. They also hoped he wasn’t smart enough to dig them out of their shelter.

Suddenly a shadow cut off the light coming into their small space among the rocks and Kathryn and Naomi looked up. "My God, it’s a full grown T-Rex," Kathryn whispered.

"What’s a T-Rex?" Naomi asked.

"You don’t want to know."

~~~~ a Y a ~~~~

"Commander, the tremors are subsiding and the number of electrostatic particles being released into the planet’s atmosphere is decreasing," Tuvok reported from his station on Voyager. At the present rate of decline it will be ten hours until we can clearly scan the planet’s surface, and it will be eight hours and twenty minutes until we can trace the Captain’s combadge unless she is able to get out of the city, then it will be five hours and twelve minutes.

"B’Elanna, can we divert power from other systems to increase the power of the sensors?" Chakotay questioned the Chief Engineer as she sat at her bridge station. Can we send a shuttle down there to try to help these people?

"No shuttle could withstand the shock waves. I can try with the sensors, but I doubt I can do much with them. They’re at full power plus now. I’ve been recalibrating them ever since we realized the Captain and Naomi were caught up in the earthquake," B’Elanna replied with a quick look at Chakotay. "If we could get closer to the planet I could do more, but with the shock waves still emanating from the surface that would be too dangerous. We’re as close as we can safely get for the moment."

"Harry, keep scanning for our people. Also scan the planet to see if there is anything we can do to help stabilize this world. Most young planets suffer from volcanoes and earthquakes, but this planet seems to have no volcanoes and far too many earthquakes. If the core of the planet is superheated and needs an outlet, could we drill through the planet’s mantle with a modified phaser beam to relieve some of the pressure?"

"I’ll check," was Harry’s reply as he reset the scanners yet again.

Two hours later Harry was still scanning the planet and coordinating his findings with Seven in Astrometrics. Tuvok, however, reached a conclusion about the particles in the atmosphere and was relaying them to the bridge crew.

"This planet is actually much older than we originally thought, but because of the polarically charged electrostatic particles that were released into the atmosphere from natural venting areas at both the north and south poles, the planet essentially aged at a much slower rate than a normal planet would. These particles formed a barrier that protected the planet as a skin lotion would protect skin, keeping it younger longer. The protection afforded by the copper based particles also is responsible for the soft orange color of the sky and the blue and green shades of the plant life.

The planetary barrier also formed a terrarium effect with the moisture in the atmosphere, not only keeping it contained to allow lush plant growth, but keeping it young because it was recycled over and over. Essentially the planet never lost any of its basic elements to time and space that were present when the planet’s atmosphere formed. It was virtually a fountain of youth and evolution was much slower than on a planet without this barrier," Tuvok finished.

"We must be very careful, Commander, that we do not upset this balance if we try to lessen the effect of the earthquakes."

"Agreed," Chakotay responded, "but our first priority is to get our captain and Naomi back and then to help these people."

~~~~ a Y a ~~~~

Naomi and Kathryn had been huddled in their small cave for more than an hour when the T-Rex showed the first sign of losing interest. They remained quiet and absolutely still so he couldn't detect them, but for some reason he wasn’t able to pinpoint their location. He kept sniffing the air around the rocks they were hiding among, and both were sure he could smell blood, fear and human flesh. His frustration was apparent when he would scream at the sky then look toward the rocks. His attention seemed to be divided between their location and a location at the far end of the rock-fall

Time dragged on and they remained quiet and still. Once the T-Rex started to move away, Naomi couldn’t contain herself any longer. "Captain, he’s leaving," she stated. When she didn’t get an answer she tried again. "Captain, we should soon be able to get out of here. He’s walking away."

When she still got no response from Kathryn she shook her gently trying to get her to respond so they could get away. Naomi finally noticed that Kathryn was unresponsive and she firmly controlled her rising panic as this realization took hold. "Captain, wake up, we have to leave," she tried over and over again. What should she do? The Captain was so pale!

"OK, check for a pulse," she recited as she controlled her panic by thinking about the Doctor and his first aid classes. "Pulse found, but it’s weak. Check the bleeding," she continued. After lifting the blood soaked makeshift bandage around Kathryn’s head she noted that the wound was still bleeding, but it had slowed considerably. Naomi carefully placed Kathryn’s broken arm so that it lay on her stomach, and then she slowly lifted her own head out of the cave to see what was happening.

The T-Rex was gone and there were no signs of other animals in their immediate area. Birds were still screeching in terror overhead and animals were moving in the distance, but Naomi felt safe enough to finally stand outside their cave and try to get her bearings. Kathryn hadn’t moved and Naomi wasn’t sure whether to leave her to get help, or to stay with her and hope that help found them. She knew her mother and the others on Voyager would be worried, but she was a smart girl with education far beyond her young years, so she also knew they couldn’t help until it was safe for them to do so.

The tricorder was still clipped to Naomi’s belt, so she quickly scanned the area around their cave. She found no animal life in close proximity, but she did identify another lifeform reading close by. Quickly following the tricorder’s direction, she saw a bright piece of cloth peeking out from beneath a pile of rocks. Rushing to the location of the cloth she again scanned and determined that an Eryian child was trapped under the rocks. As she continued to scan, the child stopped breathing.

By using her body to push she was able to move the rocks off the child and look at her face. She gasped as she recognized Rani, one of her best friends from the zoo classes. "Rani, talk to me," she cried as she shook her friend hoping that Rani would start to breathe again. "Please talk to me."

Rani was about the same size as Naomi, although with her feline physiology Naomi wasn’t sure if she was the same inside. But again the Doctor’s training came to Naomi’s mind, and she quickly straightened Rani’s body and prepared to do CPR. Rani’s nose was easy to pinch, but her mouth was another story since it resembled a cat’s mouth and had sharp pointed teeth. Quickly overcoming her trepidation, Naomi started the chest compressions and then the breaths. She couldn’t quite cover all of Rani’s mouth with her own, but she gave it her best try and blew hard.

"One and, two and……….," she continued as she prayed that Rani would soon start to breathe. More compressions and then more breaths quickly followed. Naomi knew that she couldn’t do this for very long, and desperation lent her strength she didn’t know she had. When she started her next set of compressions she did it with a vengeance, using all of her strength. Suddenly Rani started to cough and then breathe on her own, and Naomi sat on the ground and cried.

It couldn’t have been more than ten minutes later when she realized that someone was calling her name. "Captain?" she responded as Kathryn slowly stumbled toward her leaning on whatever rocks she could reach. Naomi quickly jumped to her feet and helped Kathryn over to where Rani was still lying on the ground slowly regaining her senses.

"What have we here?" Kathryn asked as she carefully settled her throbbing body onto a large flat rock. "Is she alive?"

"Yes," Naomi responded. "When I found Rani, my friend from the zoo, she stopped breathing. She must have had a rock fall on her chest. But I did CPR just like the Doctor taught me, and now she’s breathing again."

"Good job, Naomi," Kathryn replied with pride in her tired voice. "Hello Rani. How do you feel?"

"I’m scared," Rani cried as she slowly sat up. "And I hurt all over, but I think I’m OK. I want my mother!!"

"We’ll find her. Just take it easy and move slowly," Kathryn said. If you can walk we need to get out of here so Voyager can find us. "Do you have any idea how long I was out?" she asked Naomi.

"No Captain, but we were probably hiding from that animal for a couple of hours. Here’s your tricorder, maybe that will tell you," Naomi responded. Kathryn checked her tricorder and realized that several hours had passed since the earthquakes started. They were now only gentle tremors and the time between the tremors was increasing. She was sure Voyager would be looking for them and she had no doubt that Chakotay would be panic stricken.

"I’m sure Voyager is looking for us. Your mothers are both probably worried sick so we should try to get outside the city boundaries. It’s not too far. Rani, can you walk?" Kathryn queried as she shakily pushed herself to her feet.

"Yes, Captain Janeway," Rani replied with a slight smile. "Thank you, Naomi. You saved my life."

Naomi smiled at Rani as they both hurried to help Kathryn move away from the rocks and in the direction of the edge of the city. They moved slowly as they were all hurting from their ordeal and various injuries. They were being extremely cautious of the panicked, but dangerous, animals that were still moving through the area, and Kathryn kept her tricorder handy to make frequent sweeps.

A low stone wall which was the base for the forcefield, which surrounded the city, was their goal, and in less than an hour they were sitting on the wall sighing their relief. Tall trees offered shade from the hot sun and some protection from the polarically charged electrostatic particles that filled the air. The particles were thick, like dust in a dust storm only without the wind, and Kathryn knew they probably would interfere with Voyager’s sensors. The scientist in her tried to study the conditions even as she kept an eye on the girls and the dangers lurking all around them.

Her head hurt like hell and her vision was still cloudy, but Kathryn knew she had to protect the girls. The pain of her broken arm and ribs was driving her crazy, but she tried to focus her mind on her tricorder which she hoped would alert them to any immediate danger.

"Maybe if we followed this wall and headed south, away from the zoo, Voyager might be able to find us a little sooner," Kathryn summarized as she studied the readings on the tricorder’s small screen. "The particles seem to be more dense to the north, possibly due to the mountains. If we head south maybe we can get out of the largest concentrations. Let’s go."

The walk was not an easy one for any of the three. In addition to their physical conditions, the downed trees and rocks were obstacles they were too tired to deal with, but there was no choice. Progress was slow and painful for all, but fear and determination kept them going. Naomi was constantly having to help Kathryn over trees and rocks because of her arm, and Kathryn made a mental note to tell Samantha how brave her daughter was during this whole ordeal.

The growling did not register in their minds until it was upon them. A large and agile green skinned animal displaying a round head with an open mouth filled with pointed teeth jumped in front of them, giving them no time to run even if they could. The animal stood about six feet tall, thus towering over Kathryn and the girls. Kathryn quickly shoved the girls behind her and whispered, "Run and hide!!"

She faced the animal standing as tall as she could, trying to look fierce since she knew she had no chance of getting away. As a captain and also as a woman with motherly instincts she was willing to sacrifice her life for the girls’ lives. She could smell its fetid breath as it stared at her seeming to lick its lips in anticipation. She only hoped the animal would attack her and not pay any attention to the girls so they could escape and hide.

In a further attempt to get its undivided attention Kathryn started to shout at it, "Come on you big overgrown lizard! Come and get me if you can." She made movements toward the lizard as she clutched her broken arm across her stomach. The words and movements were intended to get the animal’s attention and focus it on her thus allowing the girls to escape. It was working. As she felt death approaching closer and closer, a shrill screaming pierced the air and the animal quickly looked away from Kathryn.

A large golden colored bipedal dinosaur thundered across the barrier wall and quickly closed the distance between it and the green lizard. It screamed again, seeming to issue a challenge to the lizard and the lizard quickly responded, turning its back on Kathryn and rushing to meet the challenger head on. The crash of their huge bodies shook the ground around them, and the roar of their fury shook the trees. This was surely a fight to the death and Kathryn and the girls huddled against the wall trying to distance themselves from it.

"We have to move," Kathryn shouted above the roars. "Let’s go." She and the girls started moving along the wall, but her strength was failing and Kathryn could no longer move on fear alone. Her vision was getting foggier and movement was getting more and more difficult. The pain of her injuries had now become the focus of her life. Naomi and Rani, who was starting to feel weak herself, tried to help her but she could feel herself starting to collapse and they couldn’t hold her up. Just before her knees hit the ground her muddled mind registered Naomi talking to someone and the tingling effect of a transporter beam.

"Thank God," she whispered as darkness blessedly closed around her.

~~~~ a Y a ~~~~

The last hours had been extremely hard on the bridge crew of Voyager. They were all worried about their Captain and Naomi, but they were also concerned for their new friends. The Eyrians had been more than generous to Voyager’s crew and made them feel extremely welcome. Fortunately their trade mission had been completed and their cargo holds were full of food, minerals and metals purchased from the Eyrians. Once Kathryn and Naomi were back on board, Voyager planned to head for home, but now Chakotay wondered what they could do to help these people.

"Commander, sensors can penetrate the atmosphere and I’m scanning for the Captain and Naomi," Harry Kim reported as his fingers frantically worked his console. "There was severe damage to the city and all the forcefields are down within a 300 mile radius of Nesham. The wild animals have entered the city and the zoo’s animals have escaped. The area around Nesham was hardest hit, and judging by the amount of traffic I am detecting on the roadways leading into Nesham, help is on the way from other areas, but it is dangerous to be anywhere around the city. Animals are everywhere and there are still mild tremors, although they are only aftershocks at this point."

Harry continued to scan the area, never taking his eyes from his readouts. "Commander, the particle count in the atmosphere decreased by 23% within the past hour and I should be able to locate our people within………COMMANDER!" Harry suddenly cried, "I have them. They’re outside the city’s forcefield, which isn’t working anymore. I am detecting three lifesigns close together."

"Thank God!" Chakotay whispered to himself. "Hail them Mr. Tuvok," he immediately ordered. He could hear Tuvok hailing the Captain and prayed she was in a position to answer. He strained his ears to hear for a reply.

"Voyager, this is Naomi Wildman. Please beam the three of us up quickly. There are fighting animals close to us and we need to get out of here. Hurry, the Captain and Rani are hurt and need the Doctor," she shouted into her combadge "They can’t run anymore and the animals are getting closer."

"Beam them directly to sickbay Mr. Kim. Keep scanning and report to me as soon as you’ve completed the latest scans. I want to know how much damage was done to that planet. I’ll be in sickbay. Ensign Wildman, you’re with me," Chakotay ordered as he sprinted for the turbolift with Samantha Wildman in close pursuit. "Sickbay," he ordered as they dove into the lift.

It seemed to take forever for the lift to reach sickbay’s level, but in reality it was only seconds. Sam and Chakotay were running before the doors were fully open. Fortunately the sickbay doors were a little faster, or they might have run directly into them, but they were through in record time and looking for their loved ones.

Naomi came running to Sam and threw herself into her arms as Sam scooped her up into a huge hug. "Thank God you’re safe. I was so worried," she cried as the tears ran down her cheeks. Naomi only hugged her mother harder. "I tried to be brave," she said as she, too, started to cry.

The Doctor was bent over the unconscious form of Kathryn Janeway, who was lying on the sickbay floor. "Doctor, is she alright?" Chakotay demanded as fear crept into his voice. Kathryn looked horrible, like she had been to hell and back. As he quickly looked at Naomi and then the Eyrian child sitting on the floor beside Kathryn, he realized that they all looked like they had been through hell.

"She’s badly hurt and I’m going to have to perform surgery. Please carefully lift her onto the bed so I can scan more thoroughly," the Doctor ordered as he quickly scanned Rani. "You’re not seriously hurt," he gently told the child, "but you need to lie down and rest. You have cuts and bruises that need treatment, but I want you to climb onto this bed and rest while I take care of the Captain. You too Naomi. I want you on that bed over there. Mr. Paris, report to sickbay at once," he ordered into his combadge.

Chakotay carefully lifted Kathryn from the floor and carried her to the surgical bay where he gently laid her on the biobed. She looked awful and so very vulnerable at the same time. She was cut and bruised everywhere, and the whole left side of her head was covered with blood, some of it dried and some not. He could see a deep and ragged gash under her bloody hair and wondered how bad the concussion he was sure she had really was. Her left arm was lying at an unnatural angle, and he knew it was broken, and from the small trail of blood that ran from the corner of her mouth, he guessed she had internal injuries as well.

"Oh Kathryn, this was supposed to be a simple pleasure trip to say thanks to these people," he cried softly as he took her limp right hand into his and held it to his chest. She was so pale lying there that he wondered if she was still breathing, and quickly checked the monitor to reassure himself. By the time he finished looking at the reading, the Doctor was there setting up the diagnostic arch over Kathryn’s body. Chakotay was forced to let go of her hand, but he refused to leave her side.

"Commander, I’ll need you to stand back," the Doctor complained as Tom Paris burst through the sickbay doors. "Mr. Paris, I need your help over here," the Doctor ordered as he proceeded to set up the necessary scans. Within minutes everything was in place, the diagnostics were coming through, and the Doctor was starting his treatment.

Chakotay moved to Naomi’s bed where she and Sam were quietly talking. Rani had joined Naomi on her bed and the girls were sitting there holding hands and giving each other support as the shock of their experience started to set in. Sam had her arms around both girls.

"Who is this?" Chakotay asked of Naomi as he indicated her bedmate.

"This is my friend, Rani. I met her at the zoo and we played together all week. She’s my best friend on Eyri and I found her under some fallen rocks when the Captain and I were hiding from a T-Rex. Once the animal left, the Captain was unconscious and couldn’t help me, but Rani wasn’t breathing. I remembered my CPR training from the Doctor, and once I did the CPR Rani started to breathe again. Her chest hurts, but she’s OK," Naomi finished and Rani nodded her approval of Naomi’s story.

"It’s nice to meet you, Rani," Chakotay smiled and reached out to gently squeeze her shoulder. "Welcome to Voyager. The Doctor will take a look at you as soon as he’s finished with the Captain and then we’ll try to find your parents and send you home." Chakotay kept glancing to where the Doctor and Tom were still working on Kathryn trying to heal her injuries.

~~~~ a Y a ~~~~

The City of Nesham was a disaster, but despite the severity of the quakes, most of the buildings remained standing. The planet was seismically active, and the people planned their buildings to withstand this activity. Most of the damage was caused by fallen trees, rocks falling from the hillsides, and the rampaging animals. Since many of the animals were so huge, they had done considerable damage.

Mettra finally responded to Voyager’s hails and Chakotay was called from sickbay to respond.

"How are you doing?" he asked of her. "We’ll be glad to offer any assistance that we can. Just let us know what you want us to do."

"I’m fine Commander, and we would appreciate your help as soon as we have determined the extent of the damage. Only a few lives were lost, but some of our buildings were heavily damaged. But how is your Captain? Did she make it back to Voyager alright?" Mettra asked.

"She was badly hurt trying to get herself and Naomi out of the zoo, and she’s presently in surgery. The Doctor is hopeful that she will make a full recovery, but it will take some time, although knowing our Captain she won’t allow herself to take the time. Naomi was cut and bruised, but will be just fine. They also rescued a little girl named Rani Saata Darmali. Do you have any idea where her parents are and if they’re alright? We would like to return Rani to them as soon as the Doctor finishes treating her for the minor injuries she sustained," Chakotay replied.

"Thank God Rani is alright," Mettra cried. "She’s my niece and we have been worried sick about her. She was at the zoo, and when my sister arrived to retrieve her she was nowhere to be found. Sorymar will be so relieved that her daughter is alright. I’ll let you know when Rani’s mother and father arrive here and you can send her down to me then. In the meantime I’m still getting damage reports and I’ll contact you as soon as we fully access the damage. Thank you again for your help Commander. I’ll let you know where we need your help the most. Mettra out."

Once Mettra had cut the connection Chakotay reviewed the scans of the planet with Harry Kim and Lt. Tuvok. Deciding to wait for Mettra to get back to them, Chakotay put Tuvok in charge of the bridge and he left for sickbay. He was very worried because the Doctor still hadn’t contacted him with a report on Kathryn’s condition.

When Chakotay entered sickbay the first thing he noticed was that the Doctor and Tom Paris were still working on Kathryn. They had cleaned her up, healed all the cuts and bruises and changed her into a clean sickbay gown. Unable to keep quiet, he just had to inquire about her condition. "How is she doing? Is she going to be alright?"

Tom turned to Chakotay with a smile on his face, and Chakotay immediately felt relief. "The Doctor is just about done repairing her broken ribs and replacing the blood she lost," Tom reported. "She had extensive internal damage which was caused by the broken ribs. Unfortunately once she was hurt she couldn’t stay still, she had to keep moving in order to survive. This caused the broken ribs to puncture a lung and tear at her insides which caused serious internal bleeding. In addition she broke her left arm in three places, had her skull fractured by a rock which caused serious cranial swelling and had enough cuts and bruises to last a lifetime. Naomi and Rani also had their share of cuts and bruises, but they’re fully recovered and Sam took them to her quarters. The girls are probably sleeping by now and the Captain will be alright in a few days providing she follows the Doctor’s advice and rests, which we both know she won’t do."

"Leave it to me," Chakotay smiled as a wave of relief washed over him. Kathryn was OK and he would see to it that she rested and recovered, even if he had to relieve her of duty and lock her in her quarters. As he prepared to sit by her side until she woke, he gave thanks to his gods for the gift of her life.

~~~~ a Y a ~~~~

Several hours had passed when Chakotay heard a soft moan from Kathryn and realized she was waking up. Patiently waiting while still holding her uninjured hand, he looked for her eyes to open.

It took several minutes, but Kathryn finally managed to fight her way back to consciousness. As her eyes fluttered open the pain immediately made itself known and a soft moan escaped from her lips. "Lie still," Chakotay smiled down at her. "You’re going to be OK, but you were badly hurt and need time to heal. The Doctor repaired all of the damage so you just have to give yourself time. Welcome back," he continued to smile while flashing his dimples at her.

"The girls?" she managed to whisper as her vision finally cleared enough for her to recognize Chakotay.

"They’re fine and with Sam Wildman in her quarters. They’re very worried about you," he continued to smile as he kissed her hand. "You’re the one we’re all worried about, but you’re going to be OK. You just need to take it easy for a few days."

"How’s the planet?" she managed to whisper.

"There was a lot of damage, but very little loss of life. We have teams on the surface offering whatever aid the people need, and they also have help from the nearby cities. Nesham was the city that suffered the most. Most of the other areas of the planet suffered moderate to little damage. Minister Peela and Mettra are both fine, and Rani is Mettra’s niece. They’re very grateful to you for saving her life," Chakotay stated.

"Naomi did most of it," Kathryn whispered as she tried to move to sit up. A sharp jolt of pain throughout her whole body quickly convinced her that was not a good idea.

"Ahh, I see you’re awake Captain," The Doctor quipped as he moved into her range of vision. "Don’t try to move yet, you’re not fully healed and some of your injuries were rather severe. You’ll be OK in a few days, but until then you must rest and allow yourself the time your body needs to heal. Now before you threaten to delete my program if I don’t let you get up and leave immediately, I think you should know that I’ve already had the computer relieve you of duty for the next four days and I’ve cancelled your command codes. Therefore my program is safe for at least that long, and by the end of four days I hope you’ll realize that I only had your best interest at heart."

"You suffered a broken arm, concussion and swelling of the brain, broken ribs and internal damage and bleeding , the result of your moving around which caused the jagged edges of the broken bones to cut up your insides. You lost a lot of blood, were cut and bruised and no, you can’t leave sickbay until at least tomorrow afternoon. You’re very lucky I’m such a talented doctor or you might not have lived to leave sickbay at all," the Doctor continued as he puffed up his chest. "Now you need rest and so does the Commander, who has been a nervous wreck the whole time you were missing and who has been worried sick since you’ve been back."

The hiss of a hypospray alerted Kathryn to the fact that she was going to rest whether she wanted to or not. As she felt her consciousness fading and her body relaxing, Kathryn squeezed Chakotay’s hand and whispered, "please stay with me Chakotay." She was asleep before he ever had a chance to answer.

"NO, you can’t stay here. Go to your quarters and rest," the Doctor growled. "I’ll call you before she wakes up, and that won’t be for at least twelve hours. I’ve given her enough sedative to keep her out at least that long so she’ll never know you weren’t here and I’ll never tell. You’ll be here when she wakes up and I’ll swear you were here the whole time. Deal?" the Doctor smiled because he knew he had the upper hand.

"Deal," Chakotay responded as he leaned down and brushed Kathryn’s forehead with a gentle kiss and whispered, "see you tomorrow."

~~~~ a Y a ~~~~

The next two days passed quickly as Voyager’s crew worked hard to help the people of Nesham assess the damage to their city and start repairs. The forcefields were quickly reestablished and the wild animals forced out of the city. The zoo suffered the most because many of the habitats collapsed and the rampaging animals were initially concentrated on the zoo’s grounds. Those animals that spread into the city itself had first rampaged through the zoo.

Rani was reunited with her parents who were so grateful to Kathryn and Naomi for saving her life that they invited them to spend a few days relaxing in their luxurious home. Kathryn hadn’t recovered enough for the Doctor to allow her to visit, so she suggested that Samantha accompany Naomi so the two of them could enjoy themselves with Rani and her family. Sam was delighted as were both of the girls, and they had a wonderful time.

On the second day Chakotay finally helped Kathryn persuade the Doctor to release her to her quarters where she promised to rest and relax and not try to do any work at all. Chakotay promised to keep an eye on her and to stay with her as much as possible in case she suffered any relapse. The Doctor was skeptical about her promise to not work, but finally gave in if only to bring peace back into his sickbay.

Kathryn slept as Chakotay reviewed the reports coming in from the teams on the planet’s surface while Tuvok coordinated Voyager’s participation from the bridge. The Doctor was slipping mild sedatives into her pain medication and she never realized what was happening. They were all amazed at the resiliency of the Eyrian people, and within two days amazing progress had been made in the rescue and rebuilding effort.

Chakotay went to the surface several times to determine how they could help, and on his first trip had rescued two people trapped in a rockslide on the zoo grounds. He also went to oversee the teams that were aiding in rebuilding the habitats on the zoo’s grounds and found that they were enjoying themselves immensely in spite of the hard work involved. The dinosaurs had managed to bring out the ‘hidden curious child’ in most of the Voyager crew and they were enjoying the limited contact they had with the creatures. Kathryn was pleased with his reports when he presented them to her.

On the fourth day after the quake Kathryn insisted on visiting the bridge in spite of the Doctor’s demands that she rest. She was feeling much better and most of her pain had faded to a dull ache. Her arm, a slight headache and occasional pain in her rib area were the only things still giving her trouble, but she was more worried about the people on the planet than about herself. Since Chakotay shared her concern, he agreed to escort her there himself. The Doctor realized he was beaten and finally gave in.

Mettra and Minister Peela greeted their hail personally and thanked the Voyager officers for all their support and help. They updated Kathryn on the progress they made and gave her a report on damage and casualties. All were relieved that the casualty count was less than 200. It could have been so much worse. Kathryn agreed that Voyager would remain in orbit for another week so that her crew could continue to aid in the damage control. She knew they all wanted to continue to help, and so did she.

"We insist on throwing a party for you and your crew and we won’t take no for an answer," Minister Peela announced with a smile. "We anticipate that things will be back to normal by this time next week, and we want to thank you properly. Commander Chakotay said you should be fully recovered by then and you’ve done so much for us. Please say you’ll come."

"Thank you Minister. Of course we’ll come, but you’ve given us so much already that helping you is the least we can do. I’ll look forward to seeing you then," Kathryn responded with a smile. Before the earthquake she had found the most wonderful romantic garden hidden in a corner of the grounds of the government building where their meetings had taken place. It would be full moon next week and she quietly planned to ask Chakotay to walk in the garden with her. She knew he would love it as much as she did.

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It was amazing how quickly the Eyrian people repaired the damage done by the quakes. In less than a week it was hard to find any evidence that this event had ever happened. Aftershocks still gently rumbled now and again, but they were hardly noticed, and the people took great pride in making things even more beautiful than they were before the quakes happened. The animals had all been resettled in their improved and repaired habitats, and the zoo was once again open for business. If another starship happened to enter orbit just then they would be hard pressed to find evidence that anything had happened only one week ago.

Naomi Wildman and her mother were getting ready for the party on the planet’s surface, and Naomi could hardly contain her happiness. Rani’s family had given her and Samantha a wonderful vacation at their home and had shown them around the city of Nesham and several cities located close by. One of the cities even had a beach, so they were able to lie on the lovely beach and swim in the ocean – all a first for Naomi who had been born in space. She and Rani had grown even closer, and they now shared their thoughts and dreams. Naomi and Sam had promised Rani’s family a tour of Voyager, and Captain Janeway had even arranged a wonderful dinner for them, complete with Earth dishes. To everyone’s relief she didn’t cook the meal, but she was a truly wonderful hostess.

Captain Janeway and Commander Chakotay excused themselves after dinner telling Naomi and Sam to give Rani and her family their tour. Her only instructions were that they were to conclude their tour on Holodeck 2 where she and Commander Chakotay would be waiting to say good-by to Rani and her family. The tour was a wonderful success and Rani’s family were very impressed with Voyager and its technology.

"Well, here we are at Holodeck 2," Samantha Wildman announced at the end of their tour. She was grinning from ear to ear as she told Naomi to go first into the Holodeck. "Go ahead, Naomi, lead the way and we’ll show Rani how holodeck technology works."

The doors swished open and Naomi stepped inside with Sam, Rani and Rani’s family right behind. To Naomi’s astonishment, all of Voyager’s senior staff were waiting for them dressed in their formal dress uniforms.

"Captain?" Naomi questioned. "Why is everyone dressed up? I thought we were going to Minister Peela’s party without our uniforms."

"Naomi, this gathering is in your honor," Captain Janeway stated as she guided Naomi toward the group of officers. She smiled gently at Naomi and reached behind her to accept the small box that Commander Chakotay slipped into her hand.

All of the officers quickly stood at attention as the Captain continued. "Naomi Wildman, for service above and beyond the call of duty it is my pleasure to award you the Starfleet Cross for Courage metal. You acted with intelligence and courage under terrible conditions during the crisis on Eyri, and you helped save Rani’s life and mine. Your actions represented the best ideals of Starfleet, and this metal is a small token of thanks." The Captain placed the ribbon holding the cross-shaped metal around Naomi’s neck. She then stepped back, stood at attention and saluted Naomi. The other officers quickly saluted as well.

"Thank you Captain Janeway," Naomi whispered. "I never want to lose you as my captain, so I would do whatever it took to help." As a tear ran down Naomi’s cheek, she reached out for Kathryn, who quickly stooped down to give Naomi a big hug. Everyone else in the room started clapping and cheering for Naomi because they all knew how much this meant to her.

"Naomi Wildman, you conducted yourself with honor and courage. I am proud of you," Seven of Nine stepped forward to announce. Naomi quickly smiled at her. "Thanks Seven," she smiled as she fingered her metal. Praise from Seven was rare, so Naomi enjoyed every minute of it.

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Five hours later the party at Minister Peela’s mansion was winding down and Kathryn and Chakotay were feeling relaxed and satisfied. They had been honored for their part in the rescue and rebuilding of the city, and they in turn had honored the Eyrians for their courage and ingenuity. The Eyrian method of dealing with planetary seismic activity in the construction of their buildings was unique, and the standards they utilized would be of immense help on seismically active Federation worlds. The Voyager crew was very sorry to leave, but home was again calling out to all of them.

"Let’s go for a walk," Kathryn suggested as she guided Chakotay toward the isolated garden she had discovered earlier. "We have a little time before we have to be back on board."

"It’s a lovely night for a stroll," he whispered, "especially when accompanied by a beautiful lady." He had to admit to himself that Kathryn did indeed look beautiful in her just above the knee length white turtleneck knit dress that hugged her curves suggestively. The loose fitting white jacket that accompanied the dress was the same length, and the whole outfit made her look so very appealing. Taking her hand in his he walked softly down the moonlit path into the strikingly beautiful garden.

"There’s a fountain down this path," Kathryn indicated as she strolled along beside him just enjoying the feel of his hand around hers. His dark suit and dark shirt made him look especially handsome and complimented his bronze skin and dark hair. The scent of his cologne mixed with the scent of the garden’s flowers creating an intoxicating aroma. The singing of night birds filled the air, and the moonlight cast soft spells all around them. The soothing sound of the water in the fountain added to the atmosphere of the lovely garden.

"Wow!" Chakotay exclaimed as he spied the fountain. Moonlight was making the drops of water look like diamonds as they cascaded back down into the pool. As he pulled Kathryn into his arms the diamond drops reflected in her beautiful gray eyes. As he stared into them he could see the love he had been seeking for so long staring back at him. All he could whisper was, "Wow."

Kathryn smiled as she pulled his head down and softly brushed his lips with her own. As his arms tightened around her she could feel the quickening beating of his heart, and she knew hers was keeping time. "I love you Chakotay", she whispered. "I almost hate to leave here, it’s so beautiful and peaceful. Here and now I could be only Kathryn for you and not have the responsibilities of Captain. Here I could love you like I would like to love you."

"I love you, Kathryn. You’ve known that for a long time, but words alone can’t express my true feelings," Chakotay said softly as he stared into her eyes while holding her securely in his arms. "You’ve become the focus of my whole life, the reason I continue to be who I am. I want you to know that I’ll love you when you’re Kathryn and I’ll love you when you’re the Captain. Without you I’d be much less than I am and I don’t want to ever lose you. We can truly make this work for us."

Chakotay smiled softly as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. "You know, you gave Naomi a metal for courage, but here in the Delta Quadrant nobody ever recognizes what you do, which is much more than any of us. Naomi told us how you tried to get the dinosaur to attack you rather than her and Rani and how you were willing to sacrifice your life for them. She also told us how you saved her from the rockslide and how afraid she was for you when you were hurt, but all you were worried about was how she was doing. So I made something special for you, and the crew all contributed their replicator rations toward the raw materials. It’s not an official Starfleet metal, but I want it to remind you when you wear it that that you’re one brave lady and that we all truly appreciate what you do for us. This is recognition that is truly from the heart of all the members of your crew, and from me as well," he softly finished.

Chakotay opened the box and Kathryn gasped when she saw the beautiful necklace resting there. It was delicately made of platinum and fashioned in the shape of a heart laid over a cross. In the middle of the heart were two beautiful blue gems and the chain was made of delicately interwoven links. The words ‘brave of heart’ were engraved on the cross in tiny letters. Chakotay slowly lifted the necklace, opened the clasp and reached around Kathryn’s neck to place it on her.

"It’s beautiful." Thank you so much," she whispered as two tears rolled slowly down her cheeks. "I’ll treasure it always and it means more than any Starfleet metal ever could, especially since you made it for me." She threw herself into Chakotay’s arms and drew him close into a comforting embrace.

As Chakotay tightened his arms around her and kissed the top of her head, he thanked his gods for the gift of her love and the strength of her courage. He and the crew all knew that the love, strength and courage they received from this one woman, their beloved Captain, would surely see them all home.

The End

May 2000

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