The BLTS Archive - Vocation
Seventh in the Infinite Possibilities series
by Jennifer Ferris (kevas@aol.com)

---

Disclaimer? Oh. Everything here was invented courtesy of Paramount, of
course. Except for the zinnians, and the setting, and the story, and
the fact that the characters actually *care* about each other,
and...well, we won't get into that.

Oh. This was started before Thirty Days, and it's part of my Infinite
Possibilities A/U anyway, so stop smirking when you read the comments
about Paris.

---

"This is just the sort of thing that they warn you about. The two
senior officers on the ship are never supposed to be dirtside at the
same time. One of us always stays aboard. That's a *rule*." Janeway
stood with her hands on her hips, looking around in dismay.

"I know." Chakotay stood beside her, arms folded across his chest.

"And I beamed down anyway. I *knew* better."

"Kathryn."

Her voice was a little louder than usual. "This wasn't supposed to
happen."

"Kathryn."

She finally subsided, eyes narrowed. Frowning, she turned back to face
her XO. "And if I want to yell about it, I will."

"Go right ahead."

"You're the first officer, you're supposed to make sure this sort of
thing doesn't happen." She ignored the fact that she'd beamed down
hours after Chakotay had got here. "And you're awfully calm about it."
Actually, she had a feeling he was laughing at her. Silently, but
still laughing.

"I'm supposed to be. One of us is supposed to be."

"Oh, hell, I'm calm, really."

"I know."

"I'm just pissed. What could Tuvok have been *thinking*? I know, I
know, he had to go help the Zinnians. I suppose it isn't their fault
they sound like a damn *flower*," she added crossly.

"It's inconvenient, not dangerous. The representatives are friendly.
They just needed a little help off-system," Chakotay pointed out,
still calm. "We're as safe as we're ever going to be, Kath."

"That's not very reassuring." Chakotay just shrugged. Janeway put her
stoic face back on. "And where are *they*? They were supposed to be at
the beam-down point."

"Well, they aren't."

"I noticed." Janeway couldn't keep the sarcasm out of her voice. "So
what's your report, Commander?"

"You want a report? Of course, Captain." Chakotay assumed his most
neutral the-captain's-in-a-foul-mood-better-play-it-safe mask. "We're
here to negotiate with the planetary emissary. And find the
Far-Seekers, whoever they are, if they really exist. Maybe get a few
trade goods out of the bargain, if they don't. I beamed down with
Chell to establish communications. Chell beamed up to the ship. You
came back down instead of him. That's my report."

"Well, the emissary doesn't seem to be here. The representatives don't
seem to be here. The *town* doesn't seem to be here. What happened to
it?"

"We were given these coordinates. I came here. You came here. They
didn't." As she scowled at him, Chakotay shook his head. "Sorry. The
last communication I got from them was that they'd been delayed, and
this spot-" he eyed the surrounding grasslands dubiously -"would put
us close to the people we were seeking. And that they'd be in touch
momentarily. Then communications went out. That was over two hours
ago. Then you decided to come see for yourself."

"Yes. I did." Janeway frowned, at herself mostly. "I should know
better. But we've been talking to these people for over a week, we've
been back and forth to their capitol. They really needed our help on
Zsterff.. Zssterr-on the Zinnian colony. Oh, stop it. They aren't a
threat, even I know that. We outgun them six ways from Sunday. I
thought it would be a chance for me to come down and see this place
for myself, all right?"

"Kathryn...I'm not complaining," Chakotay smiled down at her. "We're
just stuck here for a little while, that's all."

"Looks like it. Well, if that's the way it is, that's the way it is.
You got any recommendations?

He nodded. "You could pick up your pack. And we can head back to
town."

"Town." Janeway squinted up at him, her eyes creasing in the sunlight.

"Yeah."

"It's almost twenty kilometers."

"Yeah."

"That way." She gestured off through the heat.

"You got any better ideas?"

"No." There was quite a paragraph in *that* word, though.

"Well, you're the captain."

"Shut up, Chakotay."

---

They'd been trudging companionably for about half an hour. Chakotay
slid his field pack to the other shoulder. "How much water do you
have?"

"A couple liters. Why?"

"Me too. You got any petrocid?"

"Purification tablets?" She looked at all the moisture around them. "I
see your point. I think I-" she rummaged in the pack. "Uh huh. Couple
dozen of them."

"Okay. Let's take a break."

"You mean you're tired already?" She turned to face Chakotay, a little
smugly.

"Yes," he glared at her. "I'm tired. I'm hot, and sweaty, and I'm
tired. You going to make something of it?"

**"Of course not," she said soothingly, but inwardly tickled.

"I've been down here for hours, you know."

"I know."

"And no shade that whole time. Waiting."

"Poor baby."

He scowled. "And I'm bigger than you."

"So?"

"So I sweat more. And I use more water."

"Oh."

"I just thought..." she smothered that comment.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"I didn't hear you." This time he tugged on her arm.

Janeway turned back to him, eyes flashing with irritation or humor, he
wasn't sure which. "Big tough Maquis. I just thought you sweated more.
You know. Naturally."

"Is that supposed to mean something?"

"No."

"Kathryn."

"Yeah?" She slogged on through the soggy grass.

"Are we fighting?" Amusement, and maybe a little belligerence, in
Chakotay's voice that time.

"No."

"Oh." He was definitely laughing at her now.

"Why? You want to?" She turned around again, squinting up at him.

He walked a little closer than was comfortable, slipping his hand
under the curtain of hair that was falling over her eye. The hand
scooted down to tug at the closure on Janeway's uniform. "Maybe."

Kathryn poked her chest into his. "You want to...fight?"

"Well...."

"It's too hot."

"It's never too... yeah, it is." Chakotay sighed, and leaned down for
a kiss. "I guess."

She licked his lips, and then did it again. He murmured something
against her mouth. She wriggled against him. "You just like me cause
I'm not all sweaty and parched, like you are. Because my mouth isn't
all dry--"

"You think that's it? Yeah, probably. Okay, everybody," Chakotay
turned around, arms held wide, talking to an imaginary audience. "You
want to know why I *really* like this woman?" He squinted at Kathryn
as he turned. "Because she's..." he lowered his voice
conspiratorially. "Because she's...wet."

She punched him in the bicep. "You make it sound..."

He waggled his eyebrows at her. "What?"

"Really low and..." she lowered her voice too, getting into the spirit
of things. "Really dirty."

"Yeah, well, I *said* that's why I liked..." Chakotay grabbed
Kathryn's hips and pulled her toward him, rubbing his crotch against
hers. She ground against him and, on cue, felt his erection forming.
They stopped at the same moment. "But..." he sighed.

"It really is too hot. And look around." They did. Grass. Mud. And
more mud. Somehow...

"This isn't the time. Or the place." Chakotay shifted his knapsack and
put a companionable arm around Kathryn. They kept moving.
Unselfconsciously, he adjusted himself through his pants. "You owe me
one, though."

She peeked sideways at him. "Owe you one *what*"

"Not fair," he chided. "On you it doesn't show. Well, not so much. But
I bet if I--" and he turned, sliding a hand down to her crotch.

"Um, well, okay," Kathryn ceded. "I owe you one. We could build up
quite an account here," she looked around in distaste. Then she
started to laugh.

Chakotay smiled without thinking, loving the sound of her laughter,
even if he was the cause, and he suspected he was, this time. "What's
the joke?"

"Oh," Kathryn contained herself, but she couldn't help smiling. "It
just occurred to me, that's all. You know how the crew kept trying to
throw us together?"

"Uh-huh." He winked. "You wouldn't believe all the ration points I had
to promise for-"

She rolled her eyes. "Well. Here we are. Abandoned on a warm,
hospitable planet. Just the two of us. You can imagine what they think
we're doing."

He grinned. "Oh."

Together, they looked around. Mud and the biting insects had given
them more than a moment's pause... not to mention what looked like
this planet's equivalent of poisonous snakes. There was a med-kit in
the field packs, but still...The water table was so high that the
ground squished under their boots. Rocks, mud, and biting insects. "If
this was Paris's idea of a joke..." Kathryn began.

"He wouldn't dare," Chakotay shook his head.

"You want to bet?"

"I know he's pretty full of himself sometimes, but he's too smart." At
her skeptical look he shook his head. "I'm sure he's got a good idea
of what you'd do to him if-"

Kathryn snorted. "He'd better."

"He's a survivor," Chakotay nodded. "He knows."

After another half hour, the terrain began to change gradually, but
the sun was at its highest. Chakotay squinted up against the glare.
"We've got to get you out of this sun."

She surveyed the savannah with distaste. "Good idea. But-"

"Look over there." Shading his eyes, Chakotay pointed off to the west,
where the vegetation escalated until there were, well, it was a
compliment to call them trees, against a hillside that gradually rose
out of the land. "Better than nothing."

"Yeah. Let's do it."

They slogged on through the increasing muck. Slowly, gradually, the
ground was becoming drier. "I don't know if this was such a good
idea," Kathryn panted.

"Yeah, it is," Chakotay looked back at Janeway. Her face was a little
too pale. She was probably already dehydrating. "Just a little
further."

"--And I shouldn't get so tired from a little hike like this. Remind
me to get more exercise."

Chakotay grinned. "I think we can arrange that."

She misstepped and fell against him, deliberately. "Just part of the
job, huh? If you--damn." She slapped at an insect. "I hope that was
just a harmless little bug."

"There aren't any harmful life forms on this planet. Not harmful to us
I mean."

"Uh huh," she said skeptically.

Chakotay just nodded. He knew how she felt. That's what they'd said
the last time. And he and Kathryn had been stranded, theoretically
forever. Not that he'd minded, really. And at least this time there
weren't the barriers between them... However, this planet wasn't
exactly New Earth. Hell, it wasn't even Dorvan. He chuckled
inadvertently.

"What?" She tugged at his hip irritably.

"What? Oh. Sorry. I was just thinking of how much this place *doesn't*
remind me of home. Any of my homes."

"Well thank god for that." After a minute, she added, "Sometime I'm
going to have to ask about that."

"What?"

"Home. What's really home for you? I know what I mean when I say it,
but-"

Chakotay turned and grasped her hand as they clambered up the slippery
hillside. "Come on. There's a little shelter, at least." He dug his
weight in, pulling her with him as she slid backwards a little. They
struggled up the hill, sometimes on their knees as the slippery ground
resisted. Finally Chakotay grabbed the base of a tree and bodily
hauled Janeway up.

"Let's rest a minute." She nodded, trying to catch her breath. The
larger plants offered some shade. Chakotay hunkered down to the
ground, wiggling around a bit to entrench himself, and pulled Janeway
against him. She turned so her back was against his chest and slid
down into his lap.

"You'll get soaked."

"I'm already soaked, and muddy, and dirty. A little more isn't going
to make any difference." He pulled her to him unceremoniously, an arm
around her midsection. "Make yourself comfortable."

"Mmm. You make a good chair," she leaned back and closed her eyes.

"Here-" he wriggled the knapsack off his shoulder and handed it over.
Janeway dropped it into her lap and added hers to the pile. "Get one
of the water bottles out, would you?"

"Okay." Shoving her tricorder out of the way, she rummaged around in
the pack. Amazing the stuff they crammed into these. "Here we are."
She handed him the bottle.

"You first."

Surprisingly, she didn't argue. That worried Chakotay a little. She
took a long drink. "Mmm. 'S good." She wiped her mouth with the back
of one hand and held the bottle up, half-empty. "Your turn."

They didn't need to save the water anyway, since they had the
purification tablets. He supposed they could rig some way to boil
water if they had to, for that matter, but he eyed the surrounding
vegetation doubtfully. He'd had enough trouble starting a fire in dry
country. But here? Well. They'd deal with that if they had to. "We
won't be here that long, anyway."

"Hmm?" Janeway was relaxing, as much as she ever could, off-ship.

"Long enough to have to worry about water," he added.

"No, we won't," she said, her voice positive.

"Was that for my benefit?" Chakotay asked idly.

"What?"

"That reassuring Captain voice."

"Oh. Maybe for mine."

"Oh. Well, Captain," Chakotay settled himself a little more
comfortably against the tree, which wasn't cooperating much, "here we
are."

"Uh huh." A little refreshed from the water, and from letting her
aching muscles relax, Kathryn tilted her head back and looked up at
Chakotay. "Just the two of us."

He grinned at her. "Romantic, isn't it."

She closed one eye doubtfully. "Well..."

"Just you and me, alone in the wilderness... You telling me it isn't
romantic?"

"I didn't say that. Exactly."

His hands began to roam a little on her middle. "No?"

She grabbed his hands, pulled them tightly against her breasts, and
relaxed against him. "Of course it's romantic," she said. "How could
you think I didn't - "

He laughed. "Kathryn, sometimes you are so full of shit."

She opened both eyes this time and smiled up at him. "That's what I
love about you.

"What?"

"Not only do you know when I'm full of shit -- That you'll *tell* me."

"Oh. Good." Smiling, Chakotay closed his eyes and leaned his head
back, trying to get comfortable.

"Hey." Kathryn squirmed around in his lap till she was half-facing
him. "You're going to sleep, aren't you."

"Of course not."

"I could make sure of that," Kathryn offered.

Chakotay opened one eye. "Here?"

"That's not what I meant." She paused, a smile starting at the corner
of her mouth. She pulled his head down for a kiss. "Just wanted to see
if you were paying attention." She opened her mouth under his.

"*Now* I'm paying attention." Chakotay said against her mouth, and
pulled her closer. Or tried to. The packs were in the way. He picked
them up, looked at them, and said, "They're supposed to be
waterproof."

"Says so right on the label."

He put both packs on the ground. "That's better." He slid down a
little, Kathryn shifting against him, and kissed her back, surrounding
her with his arms, one hand cupping her breast. She leaned into the
kiss, letting herself enjoy the moment.

Something moved behind the tree. Janeway froze. She inched away from
Chakotay, her eyes wide, searching.

He raised an eyebrow. "What?"

She put her fingers over his mouth, not paying much attention. "Shhh."

Something giggled. Chakotay heard it too, this time. He leaned away
from the tree, craning his neck, trying to see. Kathryn slid off his
lap. "Well," she said dubiously. "Hello?"

This time it was more of a chitter. Chakotay gathered his feet under
him and stood in one motion, keeping himself in front of Janeway, one
arm out to shield her. She moved away from him and walked a step
closer to the undergrowth. "Kathryn..." he hissed.

She shook her head, staring intently. Chakotay scrunched down,
fumbling for one of the packs without moving his eyes from the trees.
He found one and rummaged inside, searching for a phaser. Hand weapons
were standard issue in field packs, or they wouldn't have had even
that.

After all, there were no harmful life forms on this planet.

He found the weapon and slipped it into his hand, stepping closer to
the captain. Silently, Chakotay touched her arm, revealing the phaser
when she glanced at him. He held it ready, but down at his side, not
threatening. Kathryn pursed her lips, shrugged slightly, and moved
forward one step. "Can you understand me?" She called out, hoping the
translator in her commm badge was working.

"Oh sure," the chittering voice replied. It was a little raspy, a
little breathy, but understandable. Slowly, three figures inched
forward toward the humans. "You're from the ship in skies, aren't
you?"

Kathryn stood straighter. "Yes. We are. You know about that?"

"Oh, there is talk. Talk. The...tall ones," the translator hesitated
momentarily over that, "they are full of you. You are visit us and you
are friendly and you all look like...that, and you don't bring any
gsertdes."

Chakotay glanced down at Janeway, eyebrow raised in question. She
shook her head again. "No, I guess we don't. We don't know what that
is. Would you like to come out and tell us about it?"

The figures came a little closer, barely visible between the trunks of
mossy, overgrown vegetation, still a couple of meters away. "Yes
okay."

Chakotay backed up a step, holding the phaser carefully so he could
access its controls immediately if needed. But it was mostly concealed
in his hand. Janeway stepped away from him slightly, her hands
carefully free at her sides. She put on what she hoped was a friendly
expression.

The aliens stepped out of the trees. They were bipedal, a little
shorter than Janeway, and therefore considerably shorter than the
representatives that she had met earlier on the other side of the
planet. They were roughly humanoid in form, their features
proportionate, and they were covered in delicate brown fur. It looked
soft to the touch. Their faces were benign. Well, they looked benign,
anyway. Janeway nodded to them. "Hello. I'm Captain Kathryn Janeway.
This is Commander Chakotay."

The shortest of the three aliens nodded, matching her gesture. "I am
Vysshal. You are...Kassrine. You are...Cha-ked...Kacho...Cotay. You
are Cotay. Yes?"

"That's fine. Yes."

"We saw you. We watch you. Why did out hold your arms and talk to the
air?"

"Why did...when we were speaking to the ship, perhaps." Kathryn shook
her head, not understanding.

"No, no, you were touching and you made a svardiel...funny? yes,
funny...sound," here Vysshal made a garbled attempt to laugh, in
imitation, "and you throw up your head and you talk to the air."

Kathryn hid a grin. "Um. That was when you were..." she sneaked a
sideways glance at Chakotay. "Telling the world why you liked me."

"Uhyesss," Vysshal nodded its head. "You were speakings and you said,
we heard only the word 'Reeely' and you made the noise into air up
with your hands out...so." It spread its arms wide and threw its head
back and smiled. The smile, at least, looked genuine.

"Oh." Chakotay pointedly did not look at Janeway this time. She was
laughing silently. He was not. "I was...playing. Do you understand
that word?"

"Yes, yes," Vysshal beckoned to its companions. "We did do that. Yes.
You must very rich (the translator stuttered again here, and the
humans heard the word 'great' as an additional possibility) to be able
play. We play, yes. The tall ones (tones of disapproval), they not so
much can."

"That's too bad, then," Chakotay said easily. "Play is very important.
Yes. We are very fortunate," and this time he did look at Kathryn, "to
have the ability to play. To be lucky enough to play."

It nodded its head again, whether in agreement or because it found the
gesture pleasing, they couldn't tell. "Are you liking to stay out
here, with the sun so strong and it is...very."

Janeway wasn't sure she understood the question. "Well...your planet
is fine. But the sun is a little hot for me. For my species," she
clarified. "We were seeking some shelter for a while."

"Oh good," the second, middle-sized alien said. "Kassrine...Cotay. I
am Meiehe, I would go *out* of the sun, me, if I were me." It paused,
marshalling its thoughts perhaps. Then it walked close to Chakotay and
touched the mud on his uniform. Its nose wrinkled like a cat's. It
moved over to Janeway, running its four-fingered hand over her sleeve,
the claws retracted. Chakotay watched, carefully, the phaser
tightening in his right hand. But the creature, the person, stepped
away. "Mud," it said clearly.

Janeway grinned. "Yes. We're covered in it, aren't we."

"Water," Meiehe said clearly. "Do like water?" It scrubbed its hands
over its arms and torso, vigorously, as if bathing. And then shook
itself rapidly, as a canine does when it is wet. It stopped, smiling,
watching the humans, then repeated slowly, as if not sure they
understood. "Do...like...you... water?" It rushed on, almost as if it
not sure if this was worth the effort. "We show how to...wash? Wash.
We could there do." It nodded again, indicating a direction deeper
into the undergrowth.

Janeway made a tentative decision and held up one hand. "We like water
very much. We like *washing* very much. But...excuse me. I must
contact my ship before it would be possible for us to go with you.
Or...bathe." She held up her communicator. "Will you mind if we go
over there," she indicated a spot some paces away, "and talk to our
ship?"

"No, no, yes, you go," Meiehe said. "You talk. We be wait. But," it
hesitated as Janeway began to move away, "your ship far is. Yess?"

Janeway held her polite expression carefully, though her personal
alert was sounding. "Yes, it is far. But not so far we can't talk to
them." She didn't describe the relay network, or the intervening
distance. She saw no need to give that away.

"Okay, yes, okay," the alien nodded. "We thought. We thought. It was
far. Good. You talk, yes."

Chakotay backed away, without looking, till he saw Janeway out of the
corner of his eye. "I doubt they can hear at this distance," he said
quietly. "Perhaps."

"We probably better assume they can," Janeway shook her head. "I
thought this area was uninhabited. And I thought we'd met the
principal residents of this planet."

"Apparently our information was incomplete. Well. Do we treat this as
a first contact?"

"Until we know differently, yes." Without taking her eyes from the
aliens, some 20 meters distant now, Janeway tapped her communicator.
"Janeway to Voyager."

The reply took a second longer than it would normally have done.
"Captain. Why are you still at those coordinates? We had assumed you
would be in the capital city by now, as planned." Tuvok's voice.

"Well, the plans got changed, apparently, Commander," Janeway kept her
voice level, but she had no doubt Tuvok could hear the volumes she
wasn't saying. "The representatives didn't meet us."

"...I see. And you are now..."

"We are now stranded in the middle of a godforsaken mud field, at the
edge of some sort of forest, conversing with three aliens who
apparently know about *us*. Though they are not of the same race as
the Representative."

"Ah. Are you in any difficulty?"

"Tuvok..." Janeway closed her mouth over the words that first occurred
to her. "No, we're fine. Although I was not particularly pleased to
find myself 20 kilometers from the nearest village." Or bath. Or
restaurant. Or clean bed. She didn't say it, however.

"Should we return to pick you up, Captain?"

Janeway hesitated, catching Chakotay's eye. "That depends. Do we know
anything about the other inhabitants here?"

Chakotay touched his own badge. "The ones we've seen are about a meter
and a half tall, perhaps felinoid, they appear intelligent,
unsurprised to see us, and they knew we came from the 'ship in the
sky'."

Somehow, through the million kilometers that separated them, over a
comm link, and without much of an intonation in his voice, Tuvok
sounded pleased. "Commander. Captain. It is possible these individuals
are the people with whom we were eventually intended to negotiate.
The...ruling class, perhaps, though it is difficult to determine exact
relationships with the semantic difficulties we have been
encountering. They are a fur-bearing species?"

"Yes," Janeway nodded, though he couldn't see her. "Short, brown fur.
Dense. Differing shades. Reminds me of seal, or otter perhaps."

"And do they have a member called..." There was a short hesitation, as
if Tuvok were consulting a databank. "Vishal. Or Vyeshall, our
translation is uncertain."

"Interesting. Yes. We just met someone who called itself Vysshal."

"I believe that is a title, not a name, Captain. The Vysshal, then.
The... spiritual leader? Or temporal chieftain. Or both."

"And I wonder if we were being set up," Chakotay added.

"'Set up', Commander?"

"You heard me, Tuvok. It's a little too much of a coincidence, don't
you think? We had begun negotiations. We needed to see their ruling
class. We were asked to transport to this location. Presto."

Tuvok's pause spoke volumes. "--Perhaps. Captain. At your command we
can turn the ship around. We would be able to beam you up in...two
hours, perhaps more."

"You'll be in communicator range, with the relay, for another day and
a half, won't you?"

"Yes. And perhaps more, if we find a need to...be 'creative', as Mr.
Kim has just pointed out."

"Then we'll leave it at that. We did want to meet up with these
people, after all. I just didn't expect to do it in quite this way."

"Very well, Captain. Might I request that you check in at frequent
intervals."

Janeway hesitated, tempted to tell him she'd call Tuvok when she damn
well felt like it. She didn't say it, of course. "You may. We'll keep
a regular two-hour check in schedule, unless something comes up.
Janeway out." She squinted up at Chakotay. "Well?"

He was studying the ground, arms crossed, a little frown on his face.
"Do you get the idea we're being led on a merry chase?"

"Oh, I'd say so." Janeway's tone was relaxed, and Chakotay looked at
her in surprise. She grinned and nodded over his shoulder. "Look."

Chakotay turned toward the Trees. Meiehe was standing at the edge of
the trees, carrying something over its shoulder that looked remarkably
like...a towel. Chakotay snorted in surprise. "Kathryn..."

"Oh, I know." Janeway looked down at herself in distaste, then back
toward Meiehe. "There's a hundred things that could go wrong here. But
we came down primarily to find them, you know. And they seem to want
to talk to us. For some reason."

"Yes. For some reason. Who's the cat, and who's the mouse?" Chakotay
moved a step closer, placing a hand on Janeway's back. It might have
been just the touch of a lover, or a friend. It might also have
contained a warning.

She smiled up at him. "No. I'm thinking more of a rabbit."

Despite himself, Chakotay grinned. "A rabbit?"

"You know." She started to walk back toward the trees, and the waiting
alien. "Please tell me he isn't going to pull a pocket watch out from
somewhere and tell us he's very, very late. Besides," she added
practically, "if it wasn't for our benefit, why would he have a
*towel*?"

"I hope you know what you're doing," Chakotay murmured in an undertone
as they neared Meiehe.

She slid a glance at her first officer. "Trust me," she winked.

And Meiehe watched them both.

---

"Your ship," it said.

"Yes?"

"Your sky ship..." it hesitated.

Janeway had the absurd notion that it was waiting to be introduced.
"My ship is the Voyager."

It smiled at her, for the first time showing its small, sharp teeth.
"Yes. Your Voyager. Your home voyager," it repeated.

"Yes, it's our home. For years now."

"Yes," it said. "You miss, okay, you miss this?" It touched a
low-hanging frond.

"Do you mean plants? Or...growing things, life in the natural world,"
Janeway said dubiously. "We grow many plants. We grow a great deal of
our food," she explained. It looked at her without expression. "Well,"
she amended, "as much as we can. It's...important, to feel a part of
the regular seasons of life."

Her answer seemed to please Meiehe. "Oh ah. Miss," it said again. "It
is...sverdele...your word is good. Funny. It funny. You, your
machine," it pointed at Janeway's chest, and then at Chakotay's
communicator as well, afraid they would miss its meaning, "your
machine, it tells you the meaning our words. It tells us too. The
words it tells you, it tells us. This 'miss' word. That's one."

"I'm afraid I don't understand, if that was a question."

"No, okay. You 'miss'. You see?" And it chortled, a small explosive
sound that could only be a laugh of some sort. Then it grew pensive,
seeing that the humans didn't understand. "Your word. 'Miss'. To miss.
To miss something. To not see or not have. Yes?"

"Yes," she nodded. "That's what it means."

"But also! To Miss. A Miss is a youngling! A little girrl. Yes? A
girrrl? A little kassrine."

"Oh. Yes, that's right. It probably seems confusing. That one word can
have more than one meaning. Though I wouldn't have expected you to
recognize other meanings than the one in context." She looked at the
small creature to see if it understood her request for information.

Apparently so. It lifted its chin in a gesture she didn't understand,
and reached out to pat her hand. "We many understandings have. Your
machine tells us many words, every speaking time." It nodded at
Janeway's chest. "Yes and okay. We many have words like that."

Merriment seemed to sparkle in its eyes, and it continued. "Example,
so: 'Tall' one word is. 'Tall'." It stretched on its feet, its claws
scratching at leaves in the effort for balance. Its chin was extended,
up. Chakotay grinned, reminded of a statue he'd seen on Earth, of a
character out of a children's story: Puss 'n Boots, without the boots.

It glanced at Chakotay, its eyes twinkling still. "Ah, see, you do.
'Tall'." It stretched, but with an air of gravity and self-importance.
It strutted carefully around the path they walked, muttering tiny
syllables and stroking its chin; and Kathryn laughed. It was imitating
the Emissary she had met; the person she'd thought represented all the
species on this planet. It was not a kind imitation, either. Meiehe
looked over at the captain now, and dropped the pose. "'Tall'. We call
that to be is 'Tall', too. Very...oh very so yes, very Important."

Kathryn schooled her features, but her eyes were crinkled with
amusement. "We thought the Emissary was your...councilor? Leader?
Perhaps representative."

"Ah well yes Emissary is...he is that. He represents Much, does he.
But me? No. I represent me."

"I'm afraid we don't yet understand the hierarchy on your planet. How
you govern yourselves."

"Govern, yes, well, yes." Meiehe hissed a little, and trotted in front
of them for a moment. It seemed not to want to answer the question
Kathryn had not quite asked. After a moment, it turned back toward
them, its little cat-like smile back in place. "Then, too, there is
other 'Tall'." It nodded at Chakotay, sucking in air and puffing outs
its chest, walking over to the Vysshal, over whom had several inches
in height. "Vysshal," it said, its voice lowered to imitate Chakotay's
voice--or Janeway's, for that matter. "Isn't the time," it said, and
put a hand on Vysshal's thin fur-covered shoulder.

Chakotay realized with horror that it was imitating his own words from
earlier that day. "Isn't the time isn't," it repeated, and moved its
hand to between its legs, adjusting...something, and then it chortled,
mimicking a chuckle.

Chakotay ran a hand over his jaw, hiding his reaction, torn between
laughter and embarrassment. How long had the aliens been watching
them? And with what comprehension? He snuck a glance at Kathryn. She
had on a severe non-expression, which meant she was probably trying
very hard not to laugh. "I'll get you for that one, too," he whispered
to her.

She turned to him, humor barely restrained. "I told you the score
would add up," she said. "Meanwhile, we're not here just for fun, you
know." She walked over to Meiehe, joining it companionably, and taking
the point.

Chakotay followed them, talking with Vysshal, who seemed to be very
interested in hearing about the people on Voyager. He told a few
stories, careful to say only the truth (if not all of it), about
Neelix, and Kes, and how they missed her; about the peoples they had
seen and a few of the scrapes they'd had. He didn't gloss over their
shortcomings. It was easier to make humans the brunt of a joke, when
talking about them. And Vysshal listened avidly, only stopping him now
and then to ask a rounded, evasive question. Chakotay wasn't sure why
he was being pumped, but this was a first contact. The rules were very
clear, and sometimes useful. Don't give away any mission directives.
But don't lie if at all possible. Try to convey a sense of who you
are. After a half hour of the careful, sideways questions, he decided
to try a different tack. "Where are we heading?"

Meiehe glanced back. "Kassrine has tell me she would likes to bath.
Yes. Bath?"

Kathryn nodded. "Perhaps. If I contact my ship, and all is well. Then
it would be very nice to...bathe."

"Bathe. Bath." Meiehe tasted both words, looking quizzically at
Janeway. "Kassrine...your words slippery as ours are yes! We like this
we do." He slid over, close to the captain, and announced, "And we
there yet are. Here." He brushed aside some deep-hanging fronds, and
stepped through to a clearing.

The glade was large, and inviting. It held small lakes of what looked
to be fresh, clean water; grassy knolls appeared natural but were
perhaps too perfect to be without artifice. There were appointments
much more lavish than any they had seen so far on this planet. Of
course, so far they'd only seen a carefully-chosen embassy, half a
world away, and here, only mud and weeds and trees.

The alien was making a complicated hand gesture, perhaps in welcome.
"This is our...geddsfult...yes, our, yes. Our nest? Our nest. That
which you would welcome to see."

Janeway wandered into the glade, her sensors on alert. It looked as if
the natural, overwhelming vegetation hereabouts had been blocked, or
forcibly scooped away; well, maybe it had. There were bathing pools
and small, carefully crafted tables; lounges that would have been at
home on Wrigley's, but made of natural materials here. A gazebo of
some sort, not really a building, but only a roof with sturdy arches,
hung low over the eastern end of the clearing. There were cupboards
within. Vysshal went to one and opened it, and stepped back quickly.

Several zinnians came tumbling out of what they'd assumed to be a
storage compartment. Kathryn looked at Chakotay. "Transporter
technology," she said in a low voice.

"Yes. What else do they have up their sleeves?"

"I don't know. But I think it's time I checked in with the ship.
Meiehe," Kathryn called to the alien. "Please excuse us. We have to
call our people."

"Kassrine, yes, we would do not stop you. Call your voyager, yes."

There was no way to establish a link with the ship in secret, not
without abandoning the rapport they'd begun to establish. Janeway
nodded at Chakotay and they moved to the edge of the clearing, a tacit
privacy at least in form. Chakotay scanned the small cluster of aliens
as Janeway touched her communicator. "Voyager. Please come in."

The voice this time was Tom Paris'. "Captain? Are you okay?"

"We're fine, Tom," she answered. "Tuvok has you minding the store,
hmm?"

"Well..I had to promise to put everything back when I was done." The
pilot's voice was cheerful. "He's down in Engineering. Should I get
him on the horn?"

"No need. This is just a routine check-in. Nothing to report, yet. Any
news from the colony?"

"Not yet." The frivolity was gone this time. "We're on course, we'll
have the medicines there in time, but probably just. And we seem to be
missing our captain and first officer."

"Yes," Janeway said dryly, "I noticed. Apparently we're here for the
duration."

"Tuvok said you had met up with the, um, well, another group of
natives. We can be back there in a few hours if you need us. Should I
turn around?"

Janeway smiled at the note of protectiveness in Paris' voice. "As long
as we keep in touch, I think we'll manage, Mr. Paris." No sense in
airing her several doubts. They were here, and the ship was not, and
she could hopefully achieve her primary mission. And, though she had
not publicly acknowledged Chakotay's actions earlier, she was very
aware that she had weapons, if needed.

"If you're sure, Captain."

"We appear to be in good hands here. However, I think it's a good idea
if you keep a record of these coordinates. One of Vysshal's companions
referred to this as their 'nest', and it's the first sign we've seen
that these people have permanent settlements of any sort out here in
the bush." She sent the data stream, and then returned to voice
communication. "We've started a dialogue with the people here. You
might want to attach this transmission to my personal log. I don't
know how much progress we're making."

"A little slippery, are they? You should hear Tuvok on the subject. He
hasn't been able to get a straight answer out of the emissary,
either."

"I can imagine. Well. We're off to join in some sort of ceremony,"
Janeway said, not mentioning that what she'd actually been invited to
was a bath. "I'll check in again in two hours, before we turn in for
the night."

"We'll be here, Captain. You sure you're all right?"

"We're fine, Tom. And it's kind of a long commute. I'll call back on
schedule. Janeway out."

Chakotay didn't pretend he hadn't listened. "This is chancy, Kathryn."
She heard the volumes he didn't say.

"I know." She glanced up at him. "We're dealing with an unknown
species and we're on our own."

"You don't mind if I don't sleep tonight."

"You can't stay awake forever, Chakotay." As he started to protest,
she added under her breath, "We'll take shifts. There's stim shots in
the packs, we'll use them."

"All right."

"And I suppose we'd better rejoin our hosts. They might have some
answers for us."

---

If the zinnians were going to supply any answers, though, Janeway
decided she and Chakotay were going to have to dig to get them. The
aliens were friendly enough. Janeway was pulled almost immediately
into a circle of the small, tactile aliens as soon as she approached
them. "Come, Kassrine, this you like yes." They jostled her forward,
hands touching hesitantly, not as if they meant to intrude but more,
it seemed, as if they were seeking data. She was urged toward a small
pool, and three of the creatures immediately dove in, emerging seconds
later to tread water a few meters away. "Warm wet clean. Yes."

Janeway folded her legs under her, keeping her pack close, and waited
for Chakotay to approach. "Looks like they want you to go for a swim,"
he said neutrally.

"Did you get another scan?" She asked him, quietly.

Chakotay didn't whisper. Whispers shouted of secrecy. But his voice
was soft, as always. "The only power source around here is coming from
that station," he nodded fractionally toward the transporter unit
they'd thought was a cupboard. "Everything else reads as natural to
the environment. No powered weapons of any kind--that I could read. No
communication signals. And for what it's worth...the pool's only about
two meters deep. I don't think they're trying to lure you to an
underground cavern."

She eyed its surface expectantly. "And the water's safe?"

"As far as I can tell."

"Kassrine..." Meiehe approached them diffidently. "You enjoy come,
yes? Is good." He crouched at the pool's edge, trailing a hand through
the surface. "Is...community. Ours special." His pride was evident.

That decided Janeway. They wanted to share this place with the humans,
for whatever reason. "I would like that very much," she smiled at
Meiehe. To Chakotay's surprise, she began to peel off her boots. He
waited, wondering how far she'd take this. "Well, have you got a
better idea?" she asked him. "As far as we can tell it's safe. One of
us at a time, though. You're on watch."

"I had that much figured out, Captain," Chakotay said dryly.

"Don't pout," she winked at him. "Your turn next time." She handed him
her uniform jacket, then the pants, then the turtleneck. Clad only in
tank top and briefs, she strode into the water.

It was wonderful. Slightly buoyant, and just cool enough to be
refreshing. Meiehe tilted its head in apparent pleasure and studied
Janeway as she stroked through the pool, dipping below its surface for
a moment and flinging her hair away from her eyes as she surfaced. "It
likes water, yes?" he asked Chakotay.

Watching the alien from the corner of his eye, never letting Kathryn
out of his sight, Chakotay nodded. "Yes. She's very fond of bathing.
And I'm sure she appreciates your generosity."

Meiehe nodded almost shyly. "We other visitors not so used to. Is good
speaking to yes."

"You've had other visitors?" Chakotay questioned with seeming
lightness.

"Oh some yes. The kreell...they not so good. Wanted to fight muchly.
We sent them away. The sposeddei" - the translator gave up on that one
- "we liked them asked they stay. They did not," with a sigh. "But
gifts they shared. Stories. Happy making."

"You shared stories, did you?"

"Stories yes. Gifts are stories," it said, looking at Chakotay a bit
more shrewdly than before. "We many save. You give stories already,
some, for us."

Chakotay was silent at that. There's more here than meets the eye,
Kathryn, he thought to the woman in the pool. Yellow alert.

But on the surface, their visit was smooth. They were invited, with
much chittering from the zinnians they hadn't met, to eat with their
hosts. Janeway called the ship again. The distant colony was demanding
all of the EMH's attention, Paris had been drafted to help administer
treatment, and the bridge was in waiting mode. All was well, though,
and she signed off with the reminder that she or Chakotay would call
at regular intervals throughout the night.

Janeway thought the meal was delicious--well, most of it. Vysshal
expressed great interest when Janeway produced her tricorder and
scanned the food--and the surrounding countryside again, though she
tried to be discreet about it. She also managed not to hand over the
tricorder, though Meiehe was clearly curious.

It didn't seem to have any trouble understanding its function,
however. "This tells you when are foods...good tasted?" it asked,
slyly.

"Well, not quite. It tells us if these are safe for us to eat," she
gestured toward the low tables piled with food. "But 'tasty' is
another matter. We like to judge that for ourselves."

"So yes...you like this, and this," it indicated a small cake, and a
dollop of a creamy substance, "and not this and this?"

Chakotay offered himself gamely. "Here, let me try, Meiehe. All
right?" His hand hovered over the tray. Meiehe nodded, its expression
for once completely serious, and Chakotay picked up one of the creamy
morsels. He bit into it gingerly. He chewed for a long time.

"Well?" Janeway finally asked.

"Um...well. It's very smooth."

Meiehe beamed. "This one yes." It pushed a leaf-wrapped tidbit toward
the human.

Chakotay took a discreet sip from his water bottle before taking the
bait. This time his answer came more quickly. "Wonderful. What is it?"

"Roasted bemenn," was the helpful answer. "We raise specially."

Chakotay swallowed, hoping that 'raise' in this instance meant 'grow',
and not 'breed'. He didn't ask. He also didn't ask for another one.
Instead he pointed at a third delicacy. "And this?"

"Guamma. You will not like, maybe. Will not hurt. Is good."

After that confusing melange Chakotay shrugged. "Here goes." He popped
the morsel into his mouth in one bite. After a minute his eyes grew
large. Meiehe watched, without expression. Wordlessly, Chakotay picked
up the water bottle again and drank thirstily. "Wow."

Meiehe waited almost without breathing. "Is bad?"

"My friend," Chakotay nodded seriously at the alien, "that is probably
the most--interesting thing I've eaten in years. It's incredible."

Janeway watched the interplay between them with a tiny smile. When it
became obvious that neither of them was going to offer any more
explanation, she sat forward impatiently. "May I?"

"Well--interesting is the only word I can use to describe it. Spicy.
I, um, don't know that it would be to your taste. It's a little-"

She rolled her eyes and turned to Meiehe. It picked up one of the
broad leaves that served as plates here, and offered her a small
portion. Janeway sniffed discreetly. There was no discernable odor.
Mentally shrugging, she broke off a small portion and slipped it onto
her tongue.

Almost immediately she gasped a snuffling breath, chewing furiously.
After a short moment, tears started down her face. After a long
moment, she held out her hand wordlessly for the water. Chakotay gave
her the bottle and waited patiently while she drank, and drank, and
drank. "Oh my...goodness," she finally managed. Her eyes snapped to
Chakotay. "You might have mentioned---" She bit off her comment and
turned back to the alien. "How unusual," she said carefully. "How are
you able to make that combination of sweet *and* spicy and HOT and-"

Vysshal was loitering nearby. "Oh, is good. Is one of those words, yes
no? The many-meaning words. 'Hot'. Is not. Is cold." It picked up
another guamma, checking to be sure the temperature hadn't changed.
"Is cold, see yes? But your words says hot too. Is good," he beamed at
them.

"Yes," Janeway said, still shuddering, and trying not to. "It's
truly... amazing. Thank you for sharing that."

"We let you eat peace," Vysshal said cheerfully, and tugged on
Meiehe's head. "Come chatka. They talk will." The two withdrew, their
courtesy bringing a smile to Janeway's face even as she recovered from
eating that...that...

"You might have warned me," she whispered accusingly to Chakotay,
wiping tears from her cheeks.

"How could I? With them sitting right there. And it *was* interesting.
I've never run across that kind of-"

"Neelix's jalapenos will be *mild* compared to that," she said darkly.
"And it's still sitting in a lump, right here, burning its way down my
esophagus."

Chakotay was fighting back laughter. "Kathryn, I'm sorry. I know you
don't like your food as spicy as I do, but it never occurred to me
that it would-"

"Stuff it, mister. And give me some more water."

Chakotay settled into the lounge beside her, amusement still lurking
on his face. "But you know better. All the tricorder tells us is that
it won't hurt us."

"I know, I know." Janeway leaned back, letting her shoulder rest
against Chakotay. She watched Vysshal idly, her mind distracted.
"They're a puzzle to me."

"Yes. The damndest combination of guileless and guilty. They want
something, Kathryn. I'm not sure what. Meiehe told me they collect
stories."

"Well then you're the right man for the job. Lucky for us."

"I don't think it's that simple."

"Probably not." Shifting, she turned her face up to his. "Did you
enjoy your bath?" They'd switched places earlier, after she emerged,
smiling and refreshed, from the pool.

"I loved it. Though they were...amused, I think. I'm sure they
wondered why we kept some clothes on." As a nod to Kathryn's sense of
propriety, he'd kept his briefs on while he swam - something he
wouldn't have done, otherwise. The zinnians obviously didn't need
clothes, or at least chose not to wear them, and as far as he'd seen
yet they didn't even use ornamentation. Unusual, in a species that
obviously enjoyed beauty. That much was evident from the shape and
furnishings of their nest.

"Well if they ask about it, I'll explain."

"I'd like to hear that one." Discreetly, he kissed the top of her
head, then relaxed. "And meanwhile...one of us has to stay awake.
Shall I take the first watch?"

"--I think so. They seem to be responding well to you. If I go off and
sleep, they might confide something. Or not," she shrugged. "Anyway
then it'll be my turn. Maybe in the deep of the night I'll learn
something."

"I think I'd better take that stim. I'm a little too comfortable right
now for my own good." Without noticing it, Chakotay shifted his leg,
stroking Janeway's feet with his own.

"Chakotay..." her tone was a warning, this time.

"Oh. Sorry."

"No need. But 'this isn't the time'."

"I know." Chakotay shook his head. "Which makes me wonder, again. How
much are they picking up on? And what's their agenda."

"Well I know what ours is. Stim shot, Commander." Janeway sat up,
allowing Chakotay to reach for his pack.

And a good thing he'd taken the shot, Chakotay thought, surveying the
nest. Kathryn was sleeping in the lounge nearby, but she wasn't the
only one. The zinnians curled up where they liked, singly or in
groups, and once in a while a soft trilled snore came from one of
them. There was no moon here, only the rich starfield overhead, and
Chakotay could barely make out the shapes scattered nearby.

But he was alert, and listening. Idyllic as this seemed, he was too
aware of the unknowns, the quiet sounds that crept in from the nearby
forest, the murmur of an unknown language muttered in sleep. He
shifted nearer to Kathryn. It was almost time to hand the watch to
her. Stimulant or not, he'd do better with a few hours sleep, and
anyway she might see something he'd missed. Or deduce it. This world
was a puzzle. Voyager had stopped nearby, lured by stories from other
worlds of the plenty that was to be had here, the supplies and the
technological expertise - and, truth to tell, because they were
chasing rumors of the 'Far-Seekers' - perhaps mythical beings who
might be able to help them devise a way home. They'd known in advance
that those were probably just travelers' tales. But Zinnia had natural
wealth, in plenty, and the representatives on the other side of the
planet had seemed pleased to hear about their journey and offered
trade goods for a fair price. Why not see if the Far-seekers were also
real?

They'd been given the coordinates of the savannah this morning, as a
likely meeting place to find a guide. Well, it hadn't worked out quite
like that. And Voyager was off, helping their colony world fight an
epidemic.

'They're near enough to call,' Chakotay argued with himself. He'd
checked in, an hour ago, and as the luck of the draw would have it,
gotten straight through to Tuvok. The Vulcan had seemed a bit more
taciturn and humorless than usual, which was saying a lot. But it was
probably to be expected. He was very aware of the ancient axiom of
'divide and conquer' - and the Voyager was separated from her captain.
Chakotay had given a brief precis, gotten one in return, and signed
off.

---

And as Kathryn had said, years ago - weird was part of the job. Where
did you draw the line, between caution and cowardice? When did you
say, no, we'd better not explore *that* world - it might not be safe?
When you're on your own, without backup, the other half of him argued.
When it's just you and your captain, when you've been lied to or
misled. When you don't know what's really going on.

But here they were. And it was time for Kathryn's watch. Chakotay
reached over, and placed his hand gently on her neck. "Kath," he
whispered.

She woke instantly, with a private smile. "Hi."

"Hey," he said softly. "Wake up, sleeping-"

"Don't." But she stretched, and sat up, molding herself to Chakotay
for a moment. "Anything?"

"All's quiet. They're sleeping like kittens, I think. Casual and
comfortable--and probably awake at a moment's notice."

"And ready to play, or fight, or hunt." Kathryn nodded. "I know.
Well...it's your turn now. Can you sleep?"

Chakotay's voice was intimate. "I don't know. Maybe there's a therapy
that could help me. Rest, I mean."

"Bit of an audience," Janeway nodded to the sleeping, silent forms
nearby.

"Adds to the spice," Chakotay murmured, nuzzling up against her,
teasing as he slid a hand from her throat to her breast.

She put her mouth up to his, kissed him briefly, and said, "Sleep,
Commander."

Chakotay bit her ear, and nodded, rubbing his cheek against her
throat. Janeway squirmed a bit, ticklish. But he moved back, his voice
serious now. "I know. And I don't have anything to report, Captain."

She straightened up. "All right."

"Not for lack of trying. But the tricorder's quiet, all these people
are quiet, and the monsters in the woods, if there are any, are
sleeping too. I don't think I'd suggest relaxing too much."

A brief flicker on Janeway's face, barely visible. "Why do you think I
turned down your offer? Go on," she shook her head. "Get some sleep.
New day coming, and we don't know what it brings."

Chakotay squeezed her hand briefly, and scooted her over a bit as he
stretched out on the lounge. "Wake me at dawn?"

She nodded, already searching through the gloom. New day coming. And
we don't know what it brings.

When Chakotay woke a few hours later the first thing he saw was
Kathryn, sitting cross-legged on a nearby lounge, chatting quietly
with Meiehe. She turned instantly when he opened his eyes, either very
in synch with him, or just very alert. He smiled and sat up.

Vysshal was crouched comfortably on the moss, very close by. He too
was watching intently. Chakotay glanced back to Janeway, a question
forming on his lips. She shrugged fractionally.

There were no other natives in the immediate area. Chakotay returned
his attention to Vysshal. "I meant to ask yesterday," he began. "Is
'Vysshal' a name, or a title?"

"Is yes." The alien's eyes glinted, perhaps amused.

Chakotay waited a beat. The little zinnian shrugged. "Is maybe yes
both. Is my name. Is I *am*."

"Ah." No other comment. All Chakotay's talkativeness yesterday had
gotten very few results. Maybe waiting it out would work better.

Finally Meiehe stood, at a small signal from his--friend, or
compatriot, or perhaps superior officer--and gestured toward the pool.
"Come you, refresh, eat, drink water. We will go around looking then,
yes?" He turned to Janeway, entreating. "Kassrine...you too, yes
will?"

Janeway unfolded from the lounge. "Yes." As she neared Chakotay,
extending a hand, she muttered under her breath, "I don't suppose
you've got a flask of coffee."

Chakotay grinned, his teeth a flash of white in the early dawn.
"Captain, you're not going to believe this."

She stopped abruptly. "Don't tell me you *do*."

"Well--next best thing." Chakotay dragged his knapsack out from under
the lounge, searched for a moment, and produced an innocuous packet.
"Add water and heat. It's not the best, but then-"

"Coffee crystals. Chakotay," she breathed, "you really are the best
first officer in the Fleet."

"Just looking after my interests."

Janeway was trying to find the flask of water she'd drunk from
earlier. She looked up briefly, in suspicion. "Wait a minute. You
didn't even know I was coming down here yesterday."

He laughed outright. "You've caught me. I *always* keep that with me.
Well, for a while now. Just in case. You understand."

Janeway didn't answer, but her look was full of promise. Of something.
She found the water flask finally and extended it to Meiehe. "Is there
any way to heat this?"

It reached over and grasped the packet of crystals. "You immerse in
this?"

"We put it in water. Um...a sort of 'instant' coffee. A flavored
beverage I'm fond of, especially in the morning."

"Yes heat we can. I taste yes?"

"--Of course. You're very welcome. I don't know if you'll like it."

Meiehe hid its mouth for a moment, sparing them the glint of teeth,
perhaps out of politeness. "Yes. My with coffee, your with guamma.
Yes?"

Janeway grimaced. "Yes."

Meiehe loved the coffee. Janeway found herself promising to send it
some, when she and Chakotay returned to the ship. Chakotay teased her
about it, as they floated in the pool, their morning 'refreshment'
before going off on the promised 'look-around'. "Of all the things to
entice these people with - coffee, Kathryn?"

"Who knew he'd love it? Not everybody does, you know." Floating on her
back, lazily, Janeway cast a glance back at her first officer.
"Besides, it's just a back-up plan. In case your stories don't work."

"My stories always work."

She turned at that and stared at him. After a moment, her mouth
twitched in an almost-smile. "Maybe they do, at that."

"Of course, sometimes the payoff takes a while." Chakotay swam closer
and entwined his legs with Janeway's, invisible below the surface of
the water. They floated, arms moving lazily, their faces several
inches apart. No one was watching and Janeway moved closer, sliding up
Chakotay's thighs until she was straddling him.

He smiled lazily. "Now *you're* playing, Captain."

"You always said it was good for me."

"I did, didn't I." The gentle movement of the water nudged her against
him and she allowed it, feeling the extra heat that was coming from
his crotch. Chakotay was silent, letting her tease, and kept his
expression innocent. But his eyes were laughing.

Janeway wasn't quite as good at it this time, her poker face slipping
into a crooked grin. She let her eyes wander over him possessively.
"We'd better be going. They promised to show us around."

"Fine." For a moment she didn't move, waiting to see what he'd do.
With a tiny shrug of his shoulders Chakotay backed away and swam to
shore.

They got out of the water at the same time. Janeway carefully didn't
look at him as she reached for her towel. Chakotay grinned to himself
and dried off quickly, making no attempt to hide the temporarily
tilted condition of his shorts.

"Exhibitionist," Janeway growled, as she headed toward her uniform.

"You started it."

She turned then and gave him the once-over. "Get dressed, Commander."
She waited as the zinnians approached, Meiehe and Vysshal and a new
person they hadn't met yet. "We're going to see the sights."

Vysshal looked from Janeway to Chakotay and said only, "Yes." Chakotay
had a feeling it hadn't missed a thing.

Once again, they checked in with the ship before heading out into the
next unknown. Tuvok was still on the bridge, unruffled as always.
"Captain. I have reviewed the data you forwarded over the past 10
hours. According to the information I have been able to obtain, this
'Vysshal' is the person from whom you need to seek information
concerning the 'Far-seekers'. If such do indeed exist."

"I'm not betting either way, Tuvok. But neither should you." Tuvok's
silence was eloquent and Janeway sighed. "In the meantime, we're still
at the nest and about to embark on a...walk. Commander Chakotay and I
will both be going and we'll keep our communicators active. Call us if
you have anything to report."

"Do *you* have anything to report, Captain?"

"--Not really. They're being very hospitable, and perhaps we're making
headway. Perhaps not. How goes the epidemic?"

"With the aid of our medical stores and considerable expenditure of
resources, we have been able to-'stem the tide', I believe was the
expression Mr. Paris employed."

"Good. How soon till you head back?"

"I estimate completion of the inoculation procedures at twenty hundred
hours. At the earliest. We should be at your position by planet dawn
tomorrow."

"I'll look forward to seeing you, then. And, Tuvok?"

"Captain."

"Have you had any sleep? Or even gone off duty?"

"...When the occasion warrants it I will do so."

"When I get back, you mean. I think you ought to get a little rest,
Tuvok."

"It is not necessary at this time."

Janeway raised an eyebrow and Chakotay grinned at her expression. "Let
me rephrase that, Commander. I think it would be an excellent idea if
you removed yourself from the bridge, ate something, and got some
rest. Say, oh, six hours off. Was that somewhat clearer?"

"...Perfectly, Captain."

She laughed at that. "I thought it might be. We'll keep in touch. And
see you tomorrow morning." Severing the link, she shook her head at
Chakotay. "He doesn't know when to quit."

Chakotay crossed his arms and stared at her and she looked a question
at him. "You've got to be kidding, Kathryn."

"Oh." She flushed. "Come on. I think we're heading for the hills, or
something."

Meiehe had been standing quietly by during this exchange, but now it
shook its head and tapped her hand gently. "Not to hills, no, would
have to go verslung too long for hills. Days and nights and days."

"Ah...it's an expression, a colloqualism. Please forgive me."

It tilted its head. "Fore give? And what would you ask?"

Janeway ran a hand through her hair. "Um...let me rephrase that, too.
Can we start over? Let's go for that walk."

"I am yes, Kassrine," it said with exaggerated patience, shaking its
head and starting off down the trail opposite the direction they'd
come earlier. Its voice was low. "I'm *said* let's walk, many already.
Let's *walk*."

Chakotay grinned and trotted to catch up with Meiehe. He slowed when
they were walking together and glanced companionably down at the
zinnian. "It's only her way of talking."

Meiehe was studying the ground carefully, not looking up, and Chakotay
felt a pang of concern. Enough so that when Meiehe turned its head
slightly, peeking up at Chakotay with unmistakeable humor, Chakotay
laughed. "I know," it said. "But is good to...play with her. Yes?"

Chakotay nodded. "Yep."

Five of them left the nest. The humans set the pace, for the zinnians
seemed willing to dawdle or trot, as needed. They walked in twos, or
singly, or all abreast when the terrain permitted. After a half hour
of inconsequential talk, Janeway glanced down at Meiehe and Vysshal,
and the zinnian she had not met. "Is it permitted to ask your name?"

The zinnian kept its eyes on the path ahead, peeking sideways at the
humans for only a moment. "I many named. Please if you call me
Quaniebe."

"Quaniebe. Thank you. To learn a name is a gift," Chakotay said
conversationally.

Its eyes brightened with interest. "Yes we are. You tell stories many.
Or they tell me wrong?"

"Sometimes. My people believe in stories."

"Oh. Is it," Quaniebe glanced at Janeway, "not your people? Your
speakings I am not always--" It stopped, seeming to be at a loss for
words.

"Oh yes, Kathryn is my people. But we, everyone on our ship, we come
from many worlds. We work together, for our mutual goals. Peacefully."
He restrained a grin, but the dimples showed for a moment. "Usually."

Quaniebe nodded, and craned its neck to look into Chakotay's eyes. "So
you would tell me one, when is not usually? Or when is."

Janeway, behind them, rolled her eyes. Her voice reached them clearly.
"If I understand you correctly, you're urging Chakotay to tell you a
story."

"Is yes."

She grinned; Chakotay could hear it in her voice. "We usually have to
ask him to *stop*."

"No, oh," the zinnian sounded dismayed. "Is I have tasted on thing I
shouldn't? I not would ask that."

"In this case, captain or no," Chakotay said peaceably, "I'd ignore
her. She's just trying to get my goat."

"Is she wants your goat? What is?" Meiehe picked lightly at Chakotay's
uniform with one claw, delicately insinuating.

"No, no, nothing like that. She's just teasing. Tell you what,"
Chakotay offered. "You tell me where it is we're going, and what you
wanted to show us, and in trade I'll tell you a story."

The zinnians stopped walking, touching each other slightly and hissing
a bit, as if in reassurance. Or perhaps in conference. "Yes we can,"
Vysshal said decisively. "This works yes. We are going," a subtle,
complex gesture, pointed forward, "to yes our...richness." It looked
at Quaniebe, apparently receiving some sort of affirmation in an
exchange too alien for the humans to decipher. "Is our storeroom, it."

Janeway glanced over at Chakotay, her face expressionless but speaking
volumes. "We are honored."

Quaniebe stopped and turned full around to face her. "Yes we too.
Sharing is...sharing *is*." And then waited, as if its question should
be clear.

She took up the gauntlet, dubiously. "Sharing. An interesting choice
of discussion. All right. Sharing is...a gift between two people, or
two peoples." Wondering if that would do.

Chakotay offered other examples. "Sharing is--an overture, sometimes.
Or, an expression of affection. Or: the first step in a negotiation.
Of any sort. You give me yours, I'll give you mine. Sometimes it's a
boast. 'Look how much I have, that I can give it away'."

Meiehe chuckled in a throaty purr. "We learn much from peoples, yes,"
it said to the humans. And, perhaps, to his associates. "Among we
sharing is to trust. Many many can't won't."

"Ah," Janeway murmured. "You've encountered some people who wouldn't
share, or didn't understand the concept? Or who only wanted to take."

"Those yes," Meiehe curled its upper lip, exposing sharp teeth in the
process. "Is not in richroom. But...we hope." He looked back at
Chakotay, expectantly.

After a moment the first officer grinned. "I think that's my cue. Let
me think." He stalled a moment, wondering if there were some
particular point he should be trying to make. Or: *which* particular
point. But when in doubt, fall back on the truth. "All right," he
said. "This is a story that tells you a little of our people.
Peoples," he smiled at Janeway. "And it even involves sharing, in a
way."

"When we first came to this quadrant, all of us, it was against our
will. We were...abducted. We were two ships, bereft of our own kind
except for each other: and we were at war." Janeway raised her eyebrow
at him, her expression shifting slightly, wondering what he would
choose to tell.

Chakotay nodded at Janeway. "She was my enemy. Up until the moment I
actually met her, anyway. But there was a larger enemy, one which
threatened not only our ships but a whole planet, and both of us knew
that a whole planet was more important than our petty squabbles."
Janeway raised an indignant eyebrow. Chakotay grinned. "So the captain
of the smaller, more...interesting... ship risked life and limb *and*
his ship, in an effort to help the captain of the larger ship. And won
the gamble.

"But lost his vessel. Now, the way it unfolded, by fighting this more
fearsome enemy, we destroyed the only thing that could get us
home--the only thing that could get us home *quickly*. We were
stranded. Sworn enemies, thrust together--" Chakotay grinned,
obviously enjoying this telling, "on a wonderful ship, but which
neither group alone could control. The only thing to do was to work
together. To learn to trust each other." He turned to Meiehe, his
smile a little more subdued. "The hardest thing, to share that trust."

"But the captain of that larger ship was braver than he had expected.
She held out her hand to the captain of the destroyed ship, and said,
'We can do it. Let's show them what we're really made of.' He took her
hand, losing his heart in the process, and said: 'Do you mean it?'"

"And she swore that she did. And he looked her in the eye and said, 'I
trust you. Take what gifts I bring. Use my people. Use their skills
and earn their love.' She defied her strongest advisors, and her own
doubts, and she accepted the challenge. And so, despite fights, and
privations, even more fearsome enemies -- and the occasional broken
nose - she accepted his gifts, and that of his people, and together
they *did* share, and they did trust, and they did love."

He looked down at the zinnians. "And then, in their travels, they came
here, hoping to find food, and friends, and perhaps more."

Quaniebe was watching him intently. "Ah. And true story this is?"

Chakotay nodded. "All true."

"And fearsome enemies?"

Another nod. "That too."

"And us?"

"Ah." Chakotay glanced over at Vysshal, and Meiehe, before returning
his gaze to Quaniebe. "I think you might be more fearsome than we
would want to see. I hope you will not be our enemy." With those words
spoken, he nodded respectfully, and waited.

Quaniebe seemed pleased with this reply. "Is good. We *not* will be."
He turned and trotted through the undergrowth, letting the others
follow if they chose.

They emerged into another clearing, this one smaller and less
luxurious than the nest, though there was a cache of food which
looked, to Janeway's educated eye, to be in stasis. There was only one
pool, but it was a generous one.

And there was another gazebo, with another cupboard, or transporter
station, or magic box, for all Janeway knew, nestled safely within.
Janeway touched her comm badge discreetly. She wouldn't attempt to
call the ship from here. The zinnians might well feel that was a
betrayal of sorts. But the signal from their badges meant they could
be traced, if necessary.

That precaution taken, she stopped worrying. Emotionally, she was
inclined to trust these people; and practically, she was doing
everything she could. They might as well find out what the surprise
was.

Vysshal walked straight to the cupboard. There was some sort of
complicated locking mechanism, and the doors opened silently. This
time no zinnians emerged. It was just a cupboard, open, contents
unknown.

Vysshal sat on the soft moss near the station, patting the ground in
invitation. The other zinnians approached, and Janeway glanced at
Chakotay. The humans sat a few cautious paces away from the cupboard.
She couldn't see anything discernable inside it, just a dark ummoving
shadow, and for a moment the only sounds were just at the edge of her
hearing.

Quaniebe spoke up quietly. "This our richroom, this is. Is our..." it
hesitated briefly. "Is our gate to store other peoples, no not the
peoples," it smiled, perhaps catching the faint whiff of alarm from
the humans. "Their stories is. Their lifes, if they want us to see. We
keep here. Many richnesses, many worlds, many places. Is here. We
would welcome to show you."

"I'd like that," Janeway said honestly.

"Is can you? Will come you with?"

She hadn't understood. "I'm sorry. I thought you meant you would
*show* us. Sort of like the holodecks on our ship. We keep...call them
patterns, of many places. Some real, some not. So we can visit them."

It mulled that over. "Yes is. Can show you but for fullest knowing you
must go with."

"Can you--I'm not sure I understand. If I go in there," she nodded
toward the doors, "I will not be *here*? We will actually go somewhere
else?" She realized, with hidden excitement, that it must be a true
transporter, then. The unanswered question, of course, was transport
to *what*.

"Oh is..." and now Quaniebe fell silent. "Would not here be. But not
elsewhere. Is a...different place."

"I'd..." She had to clear her throat. "I would truly love to,
Quaniebe. I thank you for the invitation. But."

"But...that is a 'no' word, yes?"

"Sir, I am not free to go as I choose, sometimes. I have...it's not a
choice I'm free to make. If anything were to happen to me, or I
couldn't get back--well, being curious isn't a good enough reason.
Wanting to know you better, that would be a gift too, but I..." She
stared at Quaniebe, then at Vysshal, trying to make them understand
that it wasn't their friendship she was refusing.

Chakotay sat silent, just behind her. He knew Janeway wanted to just
casually stand up, hold out her hand to Vysshal and say, let's go. He
also knew she wouldn't do it. Neither could he. Not without a
compelling reason to do so. They weren't expendable, either of them,
on a whim. Even if there was a tentative trust between themselves and
these aliens.

Quaniebe tilted its head now. "We simply take you, could."

She returned its gaze, feeling more sure of herself, now, at the hint
of a threat, than she had been at its invitation. "I would not be
surprised if you were capable, Quaniebe. I would be surprised if you
decided to do it."

It beamed at her, its happiness evident despite their differing
cultures and physiologies and temperaments. "Oh Kassrine my you make
happy. I am you are very right."

She didn't relax. "Please explain."

"To 'make' is to be wrong, is we cannot do that. Oh yes we could could
we, but is *not*. Is all not. Is some peoples do not comprehend this
yes."

"No. I'm sure you have met people who didn't understand that. Force
is--not an option that should be used."

"Let me show you then yes? Is not the same as being. But you will see
what we have seen, a little yes." Meiehe was the one who spoke up this
time. Janeway wondered, again, about their heirarchy. Perhaps they
were all equals. But she knew there were undercurrents here that she
wasn't equipped, or educated, to understand.

"I'd very much like you to share with us some of what you've seen, or
who you've known," she answered, with no discernable hesitation.

"Where we go, gone, are gone, yes. We have there, yes," and Meiehe
nodded toward the cupboard.

The interior was no longer impenetrable. Its--viewscreen, Janeway
supposed, though the mechanism was invisible to her--was alive with
color and sound now. She felt as if she were there, sitting in the
dusty plaza visible before her. She could smell tangy sweat and the
sweetness of the fruit in the market. The holodecks on Voyager, for
all that they were a wonderful tool--and toy--couldn't approximate
this incredible richness of detail.

"You were there?" she asked. "Do you know this place?"

"Not me no," Vysshal shrugged. "But we yes. Is was dreadful place.
They was no water anywhere to be tasted. The grammen were to
squddle...no. Not squddle?" It thought a moment, consulting who knew
what sort of internal database. "Squabble," it smiled tentatively at
them.

"Vysshal, how is it that you're able to extrapolate words we haven't
used? Our translators need a lot more to go on before they can
actually deduce the language."

"Oh you say much, when you say, when you don't. We listen," Vysshal
said, vaguely. Janeway caught just a tiny expression about its eyes,
that might have been simple duplicity, or amusement, or maybe just
evasion. She nodded to herself. "And...what did you learn from these
grammen? What were their stories?"

It chortled. "Oh is many. Families upon ancestors upon children upon
kindred upon endless endless endless. But is way they survived
terrible, it was their strongness. For them was right. For us
was...interesting." Its face sobered in memory. "They was hurts and
killing and generations oh so old fighting. They clinged together
maybe finally so just they could life. Serious serious they was so
sad, so...brattle. Brittle, yes. Smiles never. But strong yes. They
lifes very...long."

It sighed finally. "They story was...for younglings to watch these
peoples, we do. So they see peoples that smiles won't. Is good they
see. To know." Finally a little amusement touched its eyes. "And was
good telling...after, you see."

Janeway smiled, understanding the sentiment. "I miss that, you know."

Chakotay turned to face her. "What?"

She shrugged, looking a little abashed. "Oh, it's silly. We discover a
new species every time we turn around, it seems. But I miss--" She
allowed her smile to be a little reminiscent. "I miss sharing the
experience, getting back to headquarters and telling them what we've
found, and whether we were able to make common ground, and what did
it, when it worked. I miss..." she shook herself. "It's not quite the
same out here. Naturally. We're on our own. And I know that if we were
to report back to Starfleet tomorrow, we'd be the envy of every other
ship in the Fleet. All the territory we've seen..."

She was uncomfortable, sharing that sort of vulnerability. Chakotay
coughed slightly, to attract the attention of the zinnians, and
deliberately moved a little closer to Meiehe. "Do you have many
recordings like this?" He asked, nodding toward what he too was
mentally tagging as the 'viewscreen'.

"Oh many many. It is our..." the zinnians paused, regarding each other
for a moment. Several sharp hisses contained a whole paragraph of
discussion. Vysshal turned back to the humans. "Meiehe argues me when
I tell it is our job. It *is* our job," he shrugged goodhumoredly.
"But is also much. Is life for us, is...quest."

Quaniebe hissed sharply. Meiehe stretched its head and lowered it in a
gesture that was apparently agreement. "Is our...vacation. That words
comes close." Another hiss. "Ah. VO-cation. Not vacation. Is
difference."

"Your vocation. Whatever database you got that from, Meiehe," Chakotay
addressed his comments toward the zinnian who had spoken in Standard,
and not the one whom he was beginning to believe was the true leader
here, "it's an interesting choice. A 'vocation' - I think the classic
definition of that is, um, something like 'an occupation for which one
is particularly suited', or toward which one is--called, perhaps. In
many of our cultures a 'vocation' indicated an almost religious
fervor. Is that the way you meant it?"

"'Religious' is oh, it is a tall thing, yes? Is not our way. We seek
to knowing, to finding, to understanding. Not to worships. We do not
worships the grammen," its claws extended briefly at that notion. "But
to know yes. We do not to change them or god them."

"I didn't mean to imply that," Chakotay started.

Janeway couldn't help smiling. "We didn't think you wanted to set
yourself up as gods. You just seem to be reaching out with such open
arms, hungry for - I'm not sure." She looked straight at Meiehe, the
most communicative of the zinnians. "What are you hungry for? What do
you seek, yourself?"

It shrugged, unconcerned. "To know is best. To climb to the top of the
nsesee," it pointed to the tallest tree near their encampment, "to see
that and then *that* and more go farther. To know."

"That's a language I understand," Janeway nodded.

"Oh is you did not understand us, before? Tell me and I will make our
speakings clear."

"Your speakings are very clear, Meiehe. Well - mostly. So tell me. Can
I be bold, and ask what else you can show us? Experiences are richer,
when shared," she lowered her voice conspiratorially.

It snorted with what had to be laughter. "Yes may can. Look here, you
will see from far." It tossed a comment to Quaniebe. There was no way
to know for sure, but Janeway had the feeling it had just said 'I told
you so' in no uncertain terms.

---

The viewscreen-cupboard was already changing. "This be much further,
many dreams away. This was smiles. Look, see the tastes here," it
touched Janeway's arm and directed her attention to the far distance.
A herd of small animals, bipedal with curved horns, trotted directly
toward them. Or seemed to. When the creatures were close the humans
could see that were well-fed, with shiny coats and rounded bellies.
Several of them trotted in front of each other, in movements that
looked orchestrated for the purpose of tripping up their neighbors.
When one fell down, another would approach, nuzzling and darting away.

It looked like a game of tag, with too many players, and teams that
shifted. It looked like fun. Chakotay grinned. "Looks like Parissee
Squares after the fourth match at Griswold. You know. When they let
the fans onto the field."

Meiehe watched them both. "Is a game?"

"It's a game," Chakotay nodded. "With very enthusiastic supporters.
Many credits and reputations and intoxicants are wagered and lost, in
the course of an evening. And that was *before* they let the
Tellarites in. It doesn't pay to knock heads with a Tellarite whose
team has just lost."

Meiehe tilted its head, clearly appreciating the teasing tone. "This
is the play you do, then."

"Oh, one of many many ways, Meiehe. We are a species that plays. When
we can afford the luxury." Chakotay glanced at Janeway, obviously
remembering times when he hadn't been so fortunate.

It let its gaze linger on Chakotay and Janeway and the way they sat,
close together even when they weren't touching. "Yes. Is a good piece,
to play."

Janeway cocked an eyebrow. "And how do you play, Meiehe? Vysshal?"

"We play many with each other. We play to make curly...no. Cozy. Cozy
piles we all up with each other. That is play." It eyed them, letting
it be known that it thought they weren't too far from that sort of
behavior, themselves. "Then we plays by going. Here, there," it nodded
at the transporter cupboard. "Farther better, stretching out it. To
taste new ones, oh not taste," it sucked in air, hiding its teeth. "No
do we not *taste* them, oh no, oh no," it shook itself rapidly.

"You don't eat your new playmates, then," Chakotay said,
straight-faced.

"Oh no is NO-ness, oh very not," said the chagrined Meiehe. "We is to
go *see* them, is all. To go there, see touch. Then come home and
stories. That is our play."

Janeway straightened imperceptibly. "You actually go there, then. You
travel to these new places."

"Oh very yes. To be best must *there*."

She looked straight at Quaniebe. "You asked me if I would like to go,
inside..." Janeway hesitated, choosing her words carefully. "Is it
possible to share how you do this?" She could feel Chakotay's
stillness, beside her.

Quaniebe looked directly at her. "You have ask it close to the heart."

"I meant no offense, Quaniebe. We have heard of the 'Far-Seekers'. We
did not know if such stories were true. In some ways, at least, it
appears that they are."

"Is not a bad to ask. Is something we could not to do. To move a whole
peoples," its gaze was sharp on her. "Would be a change to such
peoples. We cannot change peoples."

That was clear enough, for the moment. Janeway nodded, as if she
accepted that. "I'd love to see more, though. But...forgive me,
Meiehe, Vysshal...Quaniebe. We've been here for some time." She
hesitated, not wanting them to see that she very much wanted to call
Voyager. There was no way to communicate the possiblities that were
clamoring for her attention, not without potentially alarming the
zinnians. But perhaps a break would be in order, and she could find an
opportunity.

Quanibe glanced at her, its gaze impenetrable. "A drink of water, a
stretch of crinky neck?"

Janeway laughed. "Well...that too." She decided to take the chance.
"And the people on my ship will be worried, if we don't check in.
Perhaps it would be possible for me to call them."

"Can you not call them here from, as you called from nest?"

"Why, yes."

"Ah." Quaniebe nodded, as if it understood more than she said.

She looked over at it. "I would not presume, Quaniebe. If you'd prefer
I didn't call from this location, then I won't. I know this place is
important to you."

It nodded. "Is a good caution thing. But maybe they know already you
is here." It focused its gaze on her, and let its glance move slightly
downward, to her comm badge.

Janeway sat back slightly. "You're very perceptive. It's difficult
sometimes to...choose the careful path between two correct courses."

It stretched lazily in answer, and burrowed more carefully into the
soft grasses, reminding Janeway sharply of the felines she'd known at
home. She rejected the image; it was already too easy to underestimate
these people. But Quaniebe was speaking softly, and she couldn't
detect any irritation in its manner. "Yes you call. I would not them
worry."

"Thank you." She didn't add the insult of leaving. "Janeway to
Voyager. Come in, please."

There was a few seconds' delay before the signal was returned. Tuvok
answered. If he'd been off the bridge-and of course he had, at her
suggestion-he was back now. "Captain. We were becoming concerned."

"We're fine, Tuvok. The..." her gaze sharpened, and she paused,
choosing her words. "The ambassador here has introduced some topics of
interest. We're discussing them now."

The vulcan had known Kathryn Janeway long enough to know when she was
being deliberately vague. "As it is then, Captain. Is there an added
urgency to our return?"

"Not at all, Commander. Are you on schedule?"

"We should be back shortly after planet dawn, as I anticipated."

She smiled to herself. "I'm glad to hear it. Commander Chakotay and I
are in good hands. If you don't hear from me before that time, call me
when Voyager is overhead."

"Understood, Captain."

"I'll see you in the morning. Janeway out."

Meiehe tilted its head in inquiry. "This is the only needed?"

"Unless we encountered difficulty, yes. The check-in is only to...keep
the channel open."

Quaniebe's eyes focused on the comm badge again. "Yes we do. Then
well, perhaps a refreshing we could do, and food. We would later show
you more."

"I'd like that, Quaniebe. Thank you." Janeway pulled herself up from
her perch on the moss. "And a swim would be most welcome."

The zinnians didn't discuss it, so far as Janeway could tell, but she
and Chakotay were granted privacy in the water. They took advantage of
it, swimming vigorously for several laps back and forth. Eventually,
she dawdled in the center of the pool, treading water and waiting for
Chakotay to swim close. When he did she kept her voice to a murmur.
"They've got something here."

"I know." He was cautionary. "But I don't think we'd better get our
hopes up. He also said they 'couldn't change peoples'."

She gave him a measured look. "That's a switch."

"What."

"You're telling me not to get too hopeful. Too emotionally risky."

"Oh." He didn't shy away, though. "I know you. You're...this is your
weak spot, Kathryn. I don't want you to expect...more than you're
going to get."

"You're right, of course." She rested her hands on his shoulders as
they floated, apparently relaxing. But there was a familiar
determination on her face. "But we don't know that we aren't going to
get it, either."

He shook his head. "It's like talking to a bulkhead."

"Maybe. I've got to find out, Chakotay."

"I know that."

"Well then..." She pushed against his chest and turned in the water.
"They said there was more to show us."

Chakotay submerged, heading back under water, wanting to vent his
worry with a little exertion. When he came up for breath, Kathryn was
already back at the small clearing.

There was a meal laid out. Chakotay sat cross-legged on the grass near
Janeway. She was in full command mode, uniform donned though she was
barefoot and her sleeves pushed up. He decided not to dress. They made
a contrast, this way, the official and the casual. That might be
useful. He smiled. It was also comfortable.

Quaniebe joined them. Chakotay realized this would be the first time
all of them had shared a meal together. That might be useful too.
'Breaking bread' was a custom among many peoples. Perhaps there would
be more to share, later.

Meiehe murmured only, "Yes have eat," to Chakotay, and pushed a small
tray in his direction. There were several tidbits new to the humans,
and no guamma this time. Chakotay laughed. "Are you trying to soften
us up? Or just being considerate?"

Vysshal watched them both. Meiehe shrugged easily. "Is no need to
test, tonight."

"Is that what it was." Janeway asked, amused.

"Maybe yes. A comparing of differences, is all. You will still share
coffee?"

"I will still share coffee," Janeway smiled. "Whether or not any of
these--" she indicated the tray of foodstuffs -- "are as much of a
challenge as the guamma."

"No then," it hissed a small chuckle. "Is friendly only."

And the food was tasty, and non-challenging, crisp tidbits and
delicate textures. Afterward Chakotay reached for his uniform, and
drew it on, leaving the jacket loose and not bothering with the
turtleneck. He didn't want to abandon his informality, just in case.
And Janeway didn't seem to mind. She leaned against him, propping her
arms on his knees, and they waited for whatever it was the zinnians
wanted to show them.

"You would like to see," Quaniebe said, without really asking a
question.

"Very much." Janeway drew herself forward, and sat tailor-fashion on
the grass. Chakotay stayed where he was, on the lounge. Meiehe
crouched nearby, its nose twitching. Chakotay couldn't tell if it was
eager, or nervous.

"This special is," Vysshal offered, gesturing toward the open
cupboard. They watched, entranced, as the scene unfolded before them.
A city, somewhere, and Janeway couldn't count the different peoples.
The scene moved rapidly, and at one point she sat up eagerly. "That
was a zinnian, back there-"

"Me, I was there," Meiehe said proudly. "We stayed many partala.
Days."

Her gaze was riveted on him. "You personally were there? This was a
recording you made, yourself?"

"No not me, I was there yes, how could I also gather picture? It
was...we though," it said, waving one hand dismissively.

"Then you go in teams."

"Sometimes yes. Matters not, Kassrine. We go, we have before said. We
go to *see*. We talk, we listen, we eat sleep play see how they play.
That is why."

"How far?"

"Yes?" It said, not understanding, or choosing not to.

"How far have you gone, Meiehe? Quaniebe?" Janeway turned her
attention to the zinnian seated furthest away. It stirred, not
answering.

Meiehe touched her knee. "We go far many peoples, many times. No not
*times*, not past," it waved that hand again, trying to make her
understand. "Is *now* when we go."

She visibly restrained her impatience. "This place, this variety of
peoples...was it a recent trip? How long have you been back here, at
home?"

"Oh...no, Kassrine. Is not home, not here."

"This isn't your home."

"We are...yes is home now. Because we say it. Not because it started
out yes."

Chakotay reached down to touch Janeway's shoulder softly. "I think
perhaps that's a version of 'home is where the heart is', Captain."

"Yes! Is you do understand. Is *yes*. Home is," it patted its hand on
the turf. "Where we *are*. You understand thusly, yes?"

"Yes. Of course I do. But--how to make you understand. To some people,
to us..." She glanced at Chakotay for a moment. "Well, to me and to
many of my people -- home is a particular place. I've promised to get
them there. And I can't help being...curious, as to how you do this."

"And which if we could share, yes, Kassrine?" Quaniebe spoke softly.

"Yes. If you could. If you *would*."

It didn't answer directly. "Is a not good thing, to change peoples."

She didn't want to argue. "No. It's not good to impose your ways on
another people, or to try to control them. But to share a gift..." She
fell silent, trying to think of a way to make them understand.

"We go to see, Kassrine. To know only. Look at all these richnesses,"
Meiehe said. "To share is. Look see all there is."

Janeway leaned back against Chakotay, trying to curb her impatience.
"All right." She studied the viewscreen again. There were so many
things to see, her eyes couldn't sort through all the--

"Oh my GOD. Did you see it?" She turned to Chakotay and back at the
screen instantly, afraid she'd miss something else. She couldn't
breathe. It couldn't have been.

Chakotay was watching her, not the viewscreen. "No. See what?"

"Watch." Janeway's gaze could've bored holes in the screen. "God. I
couldn't have - no, no, *there*. Look. That's a Gorn, by god. A Gorn!"

Chakotay's eyes whipped to the screen now. "Where? There are so many -
" and he froze. Not only a Gorn. An Andorian. The unmistakable form of
an Andorian.

He slid down to sit beside Kathryn, their shoulders touching, their
faces trained on the zinnian screen now as if their lives depended on
it. Meiehe and Vysshal watched the humans. "There! Again. You were
*there*, Meiehe! You were THERE."

Meiehe spread its hands helplessly. "Is a far place. We go there yes
once was many davishes ago. It was a powerful long ago. Is a special
to you?"

Janeway was transfixed. "Meiehe. Quaniebe." She turned her look,
beseeching, upon the senior zinnian. "Quaniebe. Those are people from
my home quadrant. From my federation. That is *home*. Oh, god, you
have been there. You sent people there," she almost hissed. "Don't you
understand? You could -"

She restrained herself visibly. "Forgive me. This is...it's been
so..." And she took a deep breath. Then she took another, when that
wasn't enough.

"Kassrine...friend Kassrine. Cotay," Meiehe turned an imploring look
upon Chakotay. "Is this yes? Is that your home place? We do not knew."

Chakotay was sitting quietly, one hand upon Kathryn's shoulder, the
other clenched in his lap. He spoke almost in a whisper. "Yes. Yes,
Meiehe. That place...do you remember the name it had? Where it was?
Because those are our people. That is...we've been trying for years,
you see. Years." He stopped.

"Is was...we called it Leiseve. They name for it we do not know."

"Look at the screen," Janeway whispered to Chakotay. She wasn't trying
to keep her words from the zinnians. She couldn't believe it. They
were so close. They were so close to home, this very minute. "Look at
it. I've seen that courtyard before, I've *been* there. That's the
square in Fenia. On Risa. It's near the spaceport."

"Yes!" Meiehe was clearly struggling, half delighted that they knew
this place in common with the humans, and half dismayed at their
strong reaction. "Many ships nearby, a great huge city yes it be. Yes,
you know this place then. Oh Kassrine. Oh, but..."

She lifted her face to it. There were tears in her eyes. "That's a
'no' word, Meiehe. Don't say no to this. It's possible. You could send
us there."

"Kassrine..." Quaniebe moved closer, and touched Janeway for the first
time. "Is a powerful thing to us. Our highest yes. We-"

Janeway's voice was very controlled now. "Do you mean to say that..."
She stumbled slightly, "'Our highest yes'...you could send us there."
Her eyes never left Quaniebe's face.

"We yes well could..."

Janeway's eyes closed and opened in absolute triumph. "Send us to the
Alpha Quadrant. Please. What can we do that would express our
gratitude? Or what can we give you to make this possible? "

Its face closed off all expression. Clearly uncomfortable, it looked
beseechingly from Chakotay to Janeway. "But...but cannot no we-"

Janeway froze. Her hands clenched together, but her expression was
otherwise neutral. "Cannot. Can not?"

"No we, your lifes you must be live, we are not the right to..."
Quaniebe stopped, miserably.

"No." A whispered syllable. "We...we would not ask this lightly,
Quaniebe. It's very important to us. We have been struggling for
years, to get this far. There are so many things that could go wrong.
We might never get there. And this...you could do this. Please.
Consider it."

It was squirming with discomfort. "We would much like to, oh we would
yes. But Kassrine...Cotay. Tell her. You understand. Tell her."

Chakotay turned to the zinnian. For a moment his face was terrible.
"Understand? Of course I don't understand. You do this all the time.
It would mean so--" He stopped abruptly, clenching his jaw tight to
stop the words. Finally he moved away and squatted down in front of
Quaniebe. When he spoke his words were very soft. "I think this is a
sort of...you've promised, among yourselves, that you won't interfere.
Is that it?"

"Is yes." Quaniebe nodded sharply.

"You should understand clearly and fully, then. This would not be
'interfering' with our lives, Quaniebe. We were brought here against
our will. We're only trying to get home. We've tried...very hard,
while we were in this quadrant, not to involve ourselves with other
peoples, not to contaminate them or to interfere with their lives. We
haven't always succeeded. And every day brings hardship, brings
danger. We're asking for miracles from our engineers just to keep the
ship going. To have this opportunity..."

Quaniebe leaned forward, its face only inches from Chakotay's. "You
NOT do understand. Is our highest law. Is irrevocable. Is *must*. We
cannot to interfere with peoples lifes. We can not to change them or
to make them differences or to *any*. We hide from peoples, to not
change them. We hide most but we not from you. You tell me us you look
for Far-Seekers, you hear stories. That is us you ask to share. We
feel *you*, you were share your smile. You were *play*, you were
together with yourselfs. You were-" it leaned back, as if exhausted.

Chakotay understood, this time, a little. They had seen Kathryn and
him together, they had seen these two humans, happy together. They had
thought that this once, nothing would be asked of them, and they
wouldn't have to choose whether or not to interfere.

Tough luck, he thought, at the zinnians. We *are* needy. But maybe not
enough. Or maybe that would be even worse. If they'd been even
needier, they'd never have seen the Far-seekers at all. It's not going
to work, he thought at his Captain. He settled the weight on his
shoulders. It isn't going to work.

Chakotay nodded at Quaniebe. "Yes. All right. I do understand. I
guess." He walked back to Janeway and sat beside her, without speaking
for a moment. Finally he whispered, "Kath..."

She held up one hand, wordlessly telling him to wait. After a moment
she cleared her throat, without drama, facing Quaniebe. "As a
kindness, please explain. You are able to do this thing. But you
refuse."

"I we...it is our rule, most important our rule that we cannot, to
break it would be -- what if we send you into death or terrible, it
would be we caused it, no no, you must your lifes *be*." Distressed,
Quaniebe became almost incomprehensible. It stopped, finally, and drew
itself up to its full height. "This must you know."

Janeway closed her eyes. "Yes, I've...heard those rules before."

"Kathryn..." Chakotay reached for her hand, her fist, clenched as it
was in her lap. "It's..." he stopped for a moment, searching for any
words that might help. "We don't know what they've seen. It's...the
prime directive has been a wise rule many times. Maybe it is this time
too."

She looked at him, incredulous. "But they - but it..."

He tried to smile at her but his face couldn't find the expression. "I
know."

She walked a few paces away from Chakotay, from them all. Her fists
were clenched at her sides. After a moment, Chakotay stepped forward
and touched her, his hand resting on the juncture of neck and
shoulder. She let herself lean against him, breathing deeply. After a
moment she reached up to grasp his hand. He turned her to him, his
hands on her shoulders. "Listen," he whispered.

She shook her head fiercely. She knew there was nothing to say. No.
Don't say it.

After a moment she moved back, shaking away what she saw as weakness.
"All right." She had to clear her throat. "All right," she repeated.
She walked back to Quaniebe and crouched in front of him, one knee
resting on the grass. "Is there anything I can say, are there any
mitigating circumstances which could allow you..."

Its eyes were warm on her, but its expression didn't change. "No,
Kassrine. No."

She sighed, and stood up, mechanically, searching for a diversion or a
new tactic. "This isn't your home, you said. What brought you here?
Why do you keep yourselves separate from the other natives? The ones
we thought were the only people on this planet."

"They be lives here, Kassrine. This place they homes. We come, we
share...yes, no, we talk anyway to them. They us too. We bring to each
other. They let us be our nest, we let them bring many peoples. Good
yes we for them yes. They think we...glissava. We lives in mud, we
not...tall." Its eyes twinkled, trying to make her understand the
joke.

Janeway stared at it in comprehension. "They think you're not
important. They allow you to stay here. There's enough tales of the
Far-Seekers out there, you've probably helped bring them many
customers, haven't you. I see."

She crossed her arms over her chest, looking around without really
seeing the glade. "Well, then. I hope this was a...reasonably
productive visit, for you. I suppose we'd better... I thank you for
allowing us to speak with you, Quaniebe. We should be heading back
now. It's a long walk. Our people will be expecting us back at the
nest."

The thought of the walk back, with this failure on her shoulders,
was...difficult. It's asking too much, she thought bitterly. Not the
walk: the failure. "But nobody asked, did they," she said aloud.

Chakotay looked at her, his face still grim. "What?"

"Never mind. Come on, we might as well get started."

"Kassrine..." It was Meiehe, normally so friendly and ebullient, and
now chagrined. "You do not need to walk the trip, we can go you home."

She was tempted to laugh, but she'd revealed enough to these people.
Her laughter wouldn't be pleasant. "The ship is still out of range,
Meiehe. And you don't seem to be able to send us to the home we need."

"Yes is home," Vysshal stepped forward, arguing with more force than
anything she had yet heard it say. "*Is* home. Is. We will send you
there."

"How?" Not to mention 'why' but she didn't voice that thought.

"We will. You Kassrine and it your..." Vysshal hesitated visibly. "And
it your angry warrior."

She whirled on it, her voice in its lowest register. "What did you
say."

It straightened defensively. "These words very clear. Its, ah,
'his'...his memory. Yours."

"You've been reading our thoughts. That is unpardonable."

"No." It approached Janeway directly, looking straight up at her as it
had not done before, demanding her attention. "Is our home. Is us
*here*. And you come here. We must know *you*. Know you will we. Yes.
So you use your machine, we ours yes too."

Janeway stood very still. "--Yes. I understand that. You have to
protect yourselves. You didn't know us. But."

"Is a 'no' word, Kassrine," it said gently, trying to tease a smile
from her.

"It's an invasion of my privacy, Vysshal. It's taking something of
mine." She felt Chakotay stir behind her. "Of ours."

"No not, Kassrine, Cotay. Is *seeing* of yours. Is why we shared at
you even at all. Is how we know. Is your play and your touch and your
share with each other, is tells us we can share with you. And not have
to send away with you."

Chakotay touched the back of her neck, briefly, but spoke to Vysshal.
"Not have to send us away. Would you have done that? Could you?"

It looked up further, to meet Chakotay's eyes. "Is oh yes."

"Where is 'away', Vysshal?"

If it had been possible, Chakotay would have expected it to blush. It
evaded his eyes. "Is...not here, not-now. Is other away." It looked up
suddenly. "Is *not*."

Janeway wiped a hand over her face. She froze suddenly, and looked
straight at Vysshal. "You sent Voyager away, didn't you. Or caused it
to leave."

It studied the ground for a moment. "We is to see *you*. Not to see
warship thundering skies. We help maybe only make them know you is
help them."

"And yet you won't send us home." Kathryn's voice, Chakotay thought.
Not the Captain's.

"No, Kassrine. To home *yes*. The other we cannot. Your home is, is."
It unsheathed and sheathed its claws, quickly, on both hands and feet.
"Is you would have us take you home, back, like younglings? Your lifes
we cannot live. We only can let you be. *That* is what we can." It was
suddenly, clearly, angry.

"Kath..." Chakotay's voice was quiet, as always. She turned to face
him. He studied her, not speaking. Only his eyes spoke, and his
concern. Janeway shook herself once, impatiently. Chakotay nodded. "By
their lights, they're right."

"But - to have it, in our grasp. To be this close." Her eyes were
almost desperate. She turned once more to Quaniebe. "There must be
some way to convince you. It could mean the difference between life
and death for my people."

It drew itself up to its full height and marched to stand in front of
Janeway. "Maybe yes no. Your *lifes* this is. Should we move you from
there to go there," his claws extended outward, toward some unnamed
place, "and what did you not do see there, to make your lifes."

"That's no answer," Janeway argued. "We move always into an unknown.
There's no way to predict if one path is better than another. Our goal
stays the same."

"No no, to know is not. But would you tell, to peoples over here and
here and here, you want to go *home*. When they in the path of your
Borgs, or Species 8472, you calls them. Is better we move you then?
Before then?"

Janeway stopped in the act of reaching toward Quaniebe, her hand
dropping to her side. "You know how we've spent our time, then. You
know what we've done."

"Good bad yes, Kassrine. You are you both. To who should we tell *no*,
they cannot come your way, we home sent you. To who should we say yes
no. We are *not* to tell."

"Quaniebe, I..." Janeway drew in a breath, and turned to Chakotay.
Maybe he would know the right words. His stories always worked.

He didn't answer. There was nothing to say. His gaze stayed on her,
and she nodded, slowly. "Yes. I know."

"Let's go home," he said simply.

She jerked her head, once, the only outward indication of frustration
she would allow herself. "All right."

Chakotay looked over at Meiehe. "You've been a friend. I thank you."

"You go with, Cotay. You be with," it said, perhaps sadly.

"As long as I can," Chakotay said quietly. "As long as I live." He
moved to stand directly behind Janeway, one hand resting on her
shoulder.

"Kassrine?" Quaniebe approached, its face solemn.

"Yes," she said.

"Home you will," it said.

"Yes. I will." Quiet, without fanfare, but the Janeway determination
was clear.

It nodded to Vysshal.

And they were on the bridge of Voyager.

---

In that moment Janeway was very proud of her crew. The only outward
sign of their shock was a hiss of surprise from Harry, behind her at
ops, and Tom Paris' startled, "Jesus Christ," before he stopped
himself.

Tuvok maintained his equilibrium, of course. "Welcome back, Captain.
It seems we've been saved the trip to retrieve you."

Janeway shrugged impatiently, and turned to look blazingly at
Chakotay.

"We've got to go back."

"It won't do any good."

"There's too much possibility here. They could. And they *might*,
Chakotay. If only I could find the words to convince them."

"They won't, Kathryn." He didn't flinch at the look in her eyes when
he used her name. "They won't."

"We've got to try," she argued, with finality. "I can't let this
opportunity go by. They have the capability."

"I know."

"They just refuse. So far."

"Do you mean to say... they could send us home?" Paris interjected,
not caring that he was interrupting a command discussion, or a
personal one.

"They might, Mr. Paris. They've *been* there," Janeway said tightly.
"They've got a tremendous technology. We didn't learn half of it. We
didn't see half of it."

"No, Kassrine." They all turned, at that.

Meiehe stood on the bridge of her ship. But this person...this
*alien*, was not the warm, teasing companion they'd known. It seemed
to have grown a meter. The friendly glint was changed somehow to a
dark menace. An aura of power radiated from the space it occupied.

And it was standing in front of their viewscreen, staring implacably
at them. "We will *not*. We have send you home. Now you must go." Its
claws were talons now.

Tuvok was signalling his team. "Security to the bridge. Intruders on
the bridge."

Meiehe turned to the vulcan, hissing. "NO."

The bridge powered down. Emergency lights came on, after a few
seconds, bathing the scene in an unreal glow. For an instant, no one
moved. Then Janeway strode forward. "You have the power, and at little
cost to yourselves. There must be some way we can make you
understand."

She was obviously not frightened; only determined. Meiehe looked at
her. "No." Even its voice was changed, the sibilant tones a deep
rumble now.

In the sudden silence, Chakotay shook his head. "Not bad."

It looked over at him. "Cotay. What?"

"Meiehe..." Chakotay smiled. He had to. It was a time to laugh, or
cry, and he knew in his very bones that the zinnians deserved laughter
more than tears. "Meiehe of the happy spirit...it won't work. But it
was a good try." He stepped forward. As he did so it became apparent,
only then, that the zinnian's menace was as illusory as its height. Or
as manufactured.

"But you did it well." Chakotay reached Meiehe, now, and reached out
to touch its fur. "And I think you *meant* it well."

Its menace deflated. "We can not, Cotay. You know this. You too know,"
it turned to Janeway. "Is we must not. Your own 'the prime directive,'
it goes through your thinkings. Is that. We can *not*."

She closed her eyes for a second. "I...I don't even want to say 'I
understand', because I have to find a way to convince you."

"Your home *is*, Kassrine. This you know."

"Yes," she said evenly. "But my people...I promised."

"No." Its word was so soft she could barely hear. "Is the pee dee. We
our own directive have. You understand yes." It looked around the
bridge. "May I can, before I?"

"...yes. All right." Janeway's voice was hard.

It walked up the bridge to Tuvok, studying the Vulcan, reaching out to
touch--but retracting its arm at the last second. "No, kindred. I see,
yes," and stayed there a moment. Finally it nodded, watching those
implacable black eyes. Then it turned, and crossed to Ops. Harry
stayed where he was, interest clear on his face. Finally Meiehe
reached out and touched Harry's sleeve, and his hair, and then his
face. It smiled.

Tom Paris turned his chair around, watching with open curiosity.
Meiehe approached the helm and held out its hand. Tom reached out to
touch it, and Meiehe turned the pilot's hand over, looking closely at
it, and then up into blue eyes.

It smiled again. "Oh that will good," and backed away from Paris.

Janeway shot him a glare. He shrugged, defensive. "I don't know,
Captain. Whatever it is, I didn't do it."

Meiehe circled the deck, looking intently but touching nothing, and
then paced back to Janeway's station. "You don't like."

She shook her head. "It isn't you. It's what you refuse."

"Yes." It spoke softly, but very firmly.

"Oh, Meiehe..." Janeway stopped. "All right. Listen," she said, caught
between laughter and a tiny sob, "you didn't get your coffee."

"We have yours. Can make. Do you see, Kassrine? Even this now you try
to be fair. Is *you*. We cannot break our own. This you know."

"Meiehe, it's all our lives. I have *promised*. It's more important
than anything."

"Is *not*." It shook its head sadly. "Don't so tall be, Kassrine. Is
home *here*."

And was gone.

The bridge powered up. It took a moment before Harry said, "Captain?"

She turned impatiently. "What is it?"

"We're about...a thousand light years from the planet. On the right
course. Just like that."

Janeway sucked in a breath, and let it out slowly. She didn't speak.
No one did. She looked around the bridge, her hands in fists. Chakotay
circled around the command center, sat down carefully, and noticed,
idly, that the field packs they had not retrieved were piled over near
ops. He took one deep breath, and turned halfway to smile faintly at
Janeway.

Paris decided enough was enough. "So...is this guy a friend of yours?"

She almost exploded. "Dammit, Tom-"   Chakotay laid his hand on her
arm, not heavily. Just a touch. He waited till he had her attention.

Then he turned back to Paris. "Yes." His eyes shot to Janeway's. "He
is."

---

The End