The Dogs Of War
by ILuvKate

---

They felt the heat and heard the noise simultaneously as soon as the
transporter beam released them. Before either of them could say a word,
an energy blast seared the air, narrowly missing B'Elanna. Instinct and
training took over as they dove for cover behind a pile of rubble a few
meters away, hitting the ground rolling and coming up in a crouch,
phasers drawn. Another energy blast cooked the air around them with a
sizzling spatter, vaporizing a nearby rock.

"No, Kathryn, don't," B'Elanna's urgent voice stopped Kathryn as she
reached to tap her commbadge to request a beam-out. She looked
questioningly at B'Elanna, who had whipped out her tricorder and was
studying it intently. She glanced at Kathryn. "There are energy weapons
that will home in on a radio signal," she said. "I don't know how we
beamed down without being fried on the spot."

"What the hell is going on here, anyway?" Kathryn wondered. "Minister
Wik-Dunn said nothing about hostilities when I talked to him a day and a
half ago." Voyager had come into range of a planet called Ronsal, and
having heard they were technologically advanced, had contacted the
planet leaders to set up negotiations. Tuvok had run his usual thorough
security checks and had determined there were no dangers. Kathryn had
been wanting to get off the ship for a while and had decided to beam
down with B'Elanna, hoping perhaps they could find a few hours together
in a quiet place. Tuvok and Chakotay were going to have a fit when they
found out the Captain and Chief Engineer had beamed down into the middle
of a war.

"Maybe he didn't want to scare us off," B'Elanna suggested, cautiously
peering over the edge of their barricade to see what was going on.
Soldiers in dusty red uniforms pounded down the street past their
position, carrying bulky weapons. The hiss and crackle of energy weapons
sliced the oppressive hot air. Kathryn dragged a sleeve across her
streaming face.

"He wouldn't be the first species to try to get us to side with them in
a conflict," she agreed. "Can you tell why sensors didn't show any of
this going on before we beamed down?"

"Some kind of shield is in place," B'Elanna said, referring to her
tricorder again. "I can't detect Voyager."

"How'd we beam down through it, then?" Kathryn inquired. They both
ducked hastily as more weapons fire blasted near them. B'Elanna mopped
her face.

"This heat is tremendous," she muttered. "I don't know how we beamed
down," she said in answer to Kathryn's query. Kathryn struggled
awkwardly out of her jacket.

"Perhaps the bastard lowered the shielding to let us beam down," she
said grimly." She blew out a sigh. I'm roasting," she complained,
tugging at the neck of her turtleneck. B'Elanna nodded, following suit.
Impulsively, Kathryn stripped off the turtleneck, down to her tank top
and B'Elanna did the same. They removed their rank insignia and pocketed
them.

"This sun will burn us to a crisp in no time flat," Kathryn said,
glancing up at the fierce yellow light of the sun. "These tanks don't
offer much protection." B'Elanna studied the turtleneck she held for a
minute and then tore off the collar of hers and then ripped the sleeves
off just above the elbow. Next she ripped the neck down a few inches.
She glanced at Kathryn, raising her eyebrows and Kathryn nodded approvingly.

"That's great," she said. B'Elanna did the same to Kathryn's turtleneck
and they donned the garments once more. Kathryn grimaced. "We'll either
be roasted by the sun, or baked in these clothes," she grumbled.

"Okay," B'Elanna said, "what's our plan?" Kathryn mopped her face with a
scrap of turtleneck.

"Let's see if we can find a building that would provide us shelter in
the event we set off a blast with our comm signal and try to hail the
ship," Kathryn said. "Failing that, we'll try to find radio equipment
somewhere."

"First," B'Elanna said, studying the street in front of them, "We have
to get there without being shot." Kathryn nodded grimly.

"Yes," she agreed. "And I won't be at all displeased should we encounter
Minister Wik- Dunn, because I have a couple of questions for hi--uhhh!"
An energy blast exploded a rock two inches from her head, and she spun
away to land in a dazed heap on the ground.

"Kathryn!" B'Elanna was at her side in an instant. "Kathryn, are you all
right?"

"Uh-huh," Kathryn mumbled, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. "That was
too close for comfort."

"That's for sure," B'Elanna said, the pounding of her heart slowing. "I
wish you'd stay here and let me go try to find a radio--"

"No," Kathryn said flatly. "We both go or we both stay, and I'm going."
B'Elanna had known her suggestion was useless. Wik-Dunn had better hope
Kathryn didn't find him, because he was going to regret it.

Kathryn got to her feet and brushed herself off. "Let's go," she said,
scanning the street. They picked up their jackets and knotted them about
their waists.

"I'm going point," B'Elanna said, stepping in front of her. She was
prepared for an argument, but Kathryn only nodded. They stepped out
cautiously from behind their barricade and flattened themselves against
the hot stone of a building beside them and inched along it, phasers at
the ready. They could hear shouts and weapons fire down the street and
as they reached the corner of the building, B'Elanna cautiously peered
around it.

"It's clear," she said softly. "Let's go." They hurried around the
corner of the building and moved quickly down the street in front of it.
The street had been paved at one time, but now huge craters pocked it,
exposing the yellow sandy dirt beneath. Dust swirled in the overheated
air which stank of hot metal, blasted rock, and the acrid stench of
energy weapons fire. Dust clung to their sweat-drenched skin, coating
them with a thin sheen of moist dirt. Kathryn studied the doorway they
were approaching.

"Let's see if we can get in here," she said. They ducked into the
doorway and Kathryn tried the door, swearing as she found it locked. She
used her tricorder to key it and B'Elanna kept an eye peeled as she
worked. As Kathryn swung the door open, they ducked inside.

The icy, frigid air struck them like a physical blow as the door shut
behind them. "Good God!" B'Elanna exclaimed, her teeth beginning to
chatter almost immediately. Kathryn shivered herself, glad they'd
decided to keep the jackets with them. They quickly donned the jackets.

"These people must spend all their time indoors," Kathryn surmised as
they moved through the ornate lobby of the building, watching out for
attackers. She tapped her commbadge. "Janeway to Voyager." There was no
response. She tried again. "Come in, Voyager." She shook her head. "No
good. We're being blocked." B'Elanna studied her tricorder.

"There may be a communications center in here," she said, "but it's hard
to tell. Not only are all the discharges from energy weapons interfering
with my readings, but there's shielding of some kind in place."

"Of course," Kathryn said drily. "Isn't there always?" She started
walking toward the opening of a corridor. "Let's just start looking."
They started down the dim corridor, peering into doorways and trying
other doors. The tricorders opened some, but not others. "Probably the
very ones containing communications," Kathryn remarked bitterly. She
glanced at B'Elanna, who was shivering despite the uniform jacket. "Are
you all right?" she asked. B'Elanna nodded impatiently and continued on
down the corridor. The cold of the air conditioned air in the building
was extreme, Kathryn reflected, watching B'Elanna try a door. These
aliens definitely had different temperature needs from humans, that was
for sure. They stepped into a room as B'Elanna's tricorder yielded its
access, and looked around.

"Ordnance room obviously," B'Elanna mused as they saw the walls lined
with various types of energy and projectile weapons. Kathryn nodded, and
walked over to a wall containing hand weapons. She retrieved four and
handed B'Elanna two.

"We don't know what to expect out there," she said. "Let's be ready for
anything." She obtained some larger weapons, too, and they continued on
their journey through the building. The rest of their search proved
fruitless and they returned to the lobby.

"That heat is going to feel good to me for a few minutes," B'Elanna
muttered as they removed their jackets preparatory to going outside.
Kathryn nodded, knotting hers around her waist. She checked her phaser.

"Ready?" she asked. B'Elanna stepped in front of her.

"Yes. Let's go," she said. Cautiously they peered around the door,
already feeling the oppressive heat pouring in from outside.

"Wait a minute," Kathryn said. "Let me try to hail the ship again from
here. We're sheltered if something explodes. She tapped her commbadge,
but the only response was a faint crackle. An orange streak of energy
pierced the air, in front of them with a sizzling hiss, and they both
jumped back. "Guess that answers that question," Kathryn muttered.
"Let's go."

They crept down the steps and stepped into the street, immediately wet
with sweat as the heat wrapped their bodies in a hot, close embrace.
Kathryn blinked stinging sweat out of her eyes, dragging the back of her
hand across her streaming face. Hugging the side of the building they
inched along toward the corner.

"Look!" B'Elanna pointed toward a dusty white building whose roof
bristled with what appeared to be antennae and parabolic dishes.
Kathryn's face lit.

"Great!" she said. "That must be where the comm center is. Now all we
have to do," she added grimly, "is get across this expanse of street and
square to get to it." A straggling band of red-uniformed soldiers
zig-zagged raggedly into view and ran haphazardly across the square,
disappearing between two smaller buildings. Almost immediately on their
heels came some black-armored humanoids, running in the direction the
soldiers had taken. B'Elanna and Kathryn glanced at each other.

"I wish I knew what the hell was going on here," Kathryn muttered, "and
where Wik-Dunn is."

"Maybe he's holed up over there," B'Elanna suggested, nodding in the
direction of the equipment encrusted building they were examining.

"Let's decide how we can best get over there," Kathryn said. "We may
find out." Suddenly three black-suited figures came into view. "You
there!" one roared. "Stay where you are!"

"Damn," Kathryn hissed. "Let's get out of here!" They turned the corner
and ran down the side passageway, hearing the pounding of feet behind
them. They took shelter behind some huge metal boxes and readied their
weapons. The aliens fired volleys of green-tinged energy blasts toward
them, rattling the metal boxes. Kathryn hoped the weapons weren't
powerful enough to vaporize their metal barricade. She shoved her phaser
into the waistband of her trousers and examined the bulky rifle-like
weapon she'd carried from the ordnance room, locating the settings and
trigger. B'Elanna followed suit. "Whatever is maximum stun," Kathryn
said. She peered cautiously around the box. A bolt of energy blasted the
box, shaking it. As a figure emerged from a doorway where it had been
hiding, she raised her weapon and fired. The alien took the blast full
in the chest and catapulted backward. B'Elanna fired her weapon rapidly
in the direction of the others. The fallen alien's companions sent a
hail of fire toward Kathryn and B'Elanna who ducked back behind their
shelter. The box shook alarmingly under the onslaught, but no fire made
it to them.

"Let's play possum," Kathryn said shrewdly as they waited for the aliens
to make the next move. B'Elanna frowned.

"Play what?" she queried. Kathryn laughed.

"An ancient Earth saying," she explained. "It means to play dead."
B'Elanna just stared at her. "Possums pretend to be dead so predators
will leave them alone," Kathryn continued. "Let's draw their fire, and
yell as though we've been hit and lure them out into the open."

"And then cut them down!" B'Elanna finished with satisfaction. "Sounds
like a plan to me." Kathryn eyed her dubiously. It was easy to see that
the conflict had roused her Klingon warrior instincts. Well, all to the
good.

"All right," she said. "Let's look around the box carefully and see if
they'll fire at us. We--" The aliens had forestalled this plan of
action, for suddenly they came around the box and attacked. Kathryn and
B'Elanna fought furiously, slamming the butts of their weapons into
chests and faces. They discovered that going for the groin with this
species was useless. Their points of vulnerability must have lain elsewhere.

B'Elanna knocked her opponent to the ground and then fired her weapon
and he lay still. She turned to help Kathryn who with one roundhouse
swing, slammed the butt of her weapon into the alien's face. There was a
sickening, if satisfying, crunch of bone and cartilage and the alien
flew backward. As B'Elanna had done, Kathryn dispatched him quickly with
her weapon, leaving him motionless on the ground.

"Let's get out of here!" Kathryn said, and sprinted off down the
passageway with B'Elanna close on her heels. They ran around a corner
and came to a halt, scanning the territory. They could hear shouts and
weapons fire a short distance away. Kathryn leaned against the building
they stood beside and studied the path to their objective, the building
they believed to contain comm equipment. It would be a walk or a run
through wide-open space, with no opportunity to take shelter.

The pressing heat was sapping their energy and sweat streamed down their
faces and bodies in torrents. Kathryn looked at B'Elanna who's torn
turtleneck was completely soaked with moisture. Impulsively, she put out
a hand and squeezed her lover's bicep. B'Elanna who had been studying
the path to the building and trying to come up with options, blinked and
looked around at Kathryn inquiringly. "I love you," Kathryn said. If
they were killed on their way to the building, she wanted her last words
to her mate to be ones of love. If B'Elanna thought the moment was not
precisely appropriate for declarations of love, she kept it to herself.

"And I love you," she replied. "I love you so very much." She stepped
close to Kathryn and put an arm around her waist. "We're going to get
out of this, my love."

"I know." Kathryn said confidently. Her smile was serene. "I just felt
like saying I love you." B'Elanna smiled back, knowing precisely why
Kathryn had made her declaration.

"And I never get tired of hearing you say it," B'Elanna told her. They
drew close, wet clothes plastered to wetter bodies, and gazed at each
other. Then they kissed. Sweetly and tenderly. It was no time for
passion, but they both felt it. "What is it?" B'Elanna whispered,
nuzzling Kathryn's ear. "What is it about danger that makes you horny?

"I couldn't say," Kathryn replied, stroking her damp cheek. "But it
does, doesn't it?"

"Maybe," B'Elanna said huskily, drawing her closer, "we ought to hide
out somewhere and just make mad, passionate love til this--" She
gestured around them. "--stuff blows over."

"Very tempting," Kathryn said, kissing her lightly, "but not practical."
She gave her lover a squeeze, and stepped out of her embrace, studying
the building they wanted to get to with mild frustration. "There's got
to be a safer way to reach that thing," she said. "Let's circle around
and see if we can get closer to it from another angle." They turned and
walked up the street, finding another side passage. They decided to take
it and started down it, keeping a wary eye out for soldiers.

They emerged into another street running parallel to the one they'd just
left and started up it. B'Elanna had her tricorder out and was scanning.
Both of them were panting slightly from exertion and the draining heat.
"We need to find some water," Kathryn said. B'Elanna nodded.

"I'd like to dive headfirst into an ocean of it," she said. "Let's see
if we can get inside one of these buildings." They were successful with
the second door they tried and sank to the dusty floor in exhaustion as
they secured the door behind them. The icy, chilling air swept over
them, drying the sweat on their bodies. B'Elanna began to shiver almost
immediately.

"Put your jacket on, sweetheart," Kathryn told her. She was enjoying the
cold after the oppressive heat of the outside, and made no immediate
move to don her jacket. She sat against the wall, her head back, eyes
closed, waiting for her energy to return. B'Elanna had pulled on her
jacket and sat with knees drawn up, hugging them.

"It must be minus five degrees C," she grumbled. Kathryn raised her
head, studying her reflectively.

"Maybe I should warm you up," she said suggestively. "I have ways...."
B'Elanna snorted a laugh.

"You do, at that," she agreed, but that would mean my clothes would
eventually come off, and I don't think even you could distract me from
this cold."

"I don't know," Kathryn said. She was beginning to feel chilled herself.
She rubbed her arms and reached to unknot the jacket about her waist.
"Perhaps we should find envrionmental controls and see if we could
adjust the temperature." B'Elanna got to her feet.

"Worth a try," she said. "I need to get up and move around anyway.
Kathryn got to her feet, too and they set off in search of controls. As
they moved through the rooms, they discovered that the building appeared
to be some kind of residential one. There were rooms furnished with
chairs, tables, computer terminals, and sleeping quarters. Judging by
the spartanness of the rooms, Kathryn judged them to be military barracks.

The blast shook the building to its foundations, and threw Kathryn and
B'Elanna to the floor amidst a shower of debris from the ceiling that
disintegrated over their heads. Crawling fast on hands and knees,
ducking falling fragments of stone and plaster, they made for the cover
of a large table sitting in the middle of the room. They huddled under
it, watching the chunks of stone and other debris rain down from
overhead. One wall caved in with a rumbling crash and they could see
straight through the rubble to the outside.

"Let's get out of here before we're buried," Kathryn said, and they made
their cautious way to the door. Outside they saw figures, both in red
and black scurrying about excitedly, and none of them seemed to notice
either one of them as they stood on the steps of the fallen-in building,
looking around. "Let's go," Kathryn said. "Maybe this is our chance to
get over there without attracting too much attention." B'Elanna nodded
and they set off in the direction of the building, moving casually so as
not to attract undue attention.

It was not to be, however, for halfway to their objective, they were
confronted by a squad of soldiers, in red, this time. Kathryn recognized
the embroidered patch on their left sleeve as being the same symbol
Wik-Dunn had worn in metal on a chain around his neck.

"Who are you?" A burly soldier demanded truculently of Kathryn as he
stepped into her path. "Are you Frenzi spies?"

"I am Kathryn Janeway of the Starship Voyager," Kathryn retorted, her
eyes flashing. "I transported down here from my ship to meet with
Minister Wik-Dunn to negotiate for supplies. He said nothing about there
being a war going on." The red-uniformed soldier studied her suspiciously.

"I do not know when you last talked to MInister Wik-Dunn," he said
brusquely, but the Teklani attacked day before yesterday. We were taken
totally by surprise and have been frantically trying to regroup and
repel these invaders." Kathryn and B'Elanna exchanged looks. So that was it.

"I must contact my ship," she said. "We are not involved in this
conflict and have no wish to be. Take us to your communications center."
The soldier gave a grim smile.

"Communications was the first thing the Teklani attack destroyed," he
said shortly. "I am afraid there is no way you can contact your ship."
Kathryn indicated her commbadge.

"We have communications of our own, but they appear to draw weapons
fire. We need a safe place where we can--" The soldier's face had blanched.

"If you have tried to use those," he said, then I do not wonder that you
have not been blown to bits or at the very least discovered by Teklani
squads. They have devices that home in on body comm signals." Kathryn
grimaced. It figured, she thought.

"So, are you telling me that there is no way I can call my ship, nor can
I return to it?" she asked impatiently.

"That is what I am telling you," the alien responded.

"Take us to the comm center," she said. "Perhaps we can repair it."

"You would do better to find a safe hiding place and wait until we have
routed the enemy," the man suggested. Kathryn reined in her temper.

"Take me to the comm center," she snapped. "I'm not going to hole up
like a scared rabbit and hope you people can get rid of these invaders."
He shrugged and motioned to one of his companions.

"Take them to the Center," he ordered, "and then get back here quickly.
We are set to begin the second prong of the attack at the Leeven Cycle."
A young soldier detached himself from the group and motioned the two
women to follow him. He set out at a trot and Kathryn and B'Elanna
hurried to keep up with him.

He ushered them into a building that was mostly rubble and pointed at a
room at the end of a corridor. Its door sagged open, hanging drunkenly
from its hinges. "In there," he said tersely and turned to leave.
B'Elanna and Kathryn ran down the corridor and stopped at the door of
the savaged room. It looked hopeless and B'Elanna shook her head
pessimistically.

"I don't know," she said dubiously. "It doesn't look like there's much
left." Even as she was dismissing their chance of success, she was
moving toward a console and studying it. Kathryn moved through piles of
twisted plasteel and chunks of plaster toward another console. She could
hear B'Elanna muttering to herself as she examined the trashed
equipment. She touched some screens that had been spared,
experimentally, but got no light or sound in response. She glanced over
to see B'Elanna half in and half out of an access hatch.

The energy bolt caught her square in the middle of her back and she went
down with a cry, the room spinning crazily before her eyes. She fought
to keep a hold on consciousness as the breath left her body, and she
clawed for one of the hand weapons she'd stuck in her waistband. On all
fours, she gasped, trying to pull oxygen into her tortured lungs. She
felt a rough hand on her shoulder and as adrenaline rushed through her
body, she lashed back with the weapon and was rewarded with the sound of
an agonized grunt as she made contact.

The whine of an energy bolt split the air and her assailant crumpled
forward on top of her. B'Elanna rushed forward and dragged the
black-suited Teklani off of her."Kathryn," she said urgently. "Are you
okay?"

"Yeah," Kathryn mumbled, struggling to her feet, lurching against
B'Elanna who held her tightly, relief flooding her features. "Good shot,
darling." B'Elanna blew out a shaky sigh.

"Son of a bitch sneaked up on us," she growled, glaring in the direction
of the dead Teklani. "I don't know how he knew we were in here."

"He...may have friends," Kathryn said, the breath finally returning to
her body. "I'd better stand guard while you work. How does it look?"

"Not good," B'Elanna said. "Most of the circuits are a mass of fused
wires and metal."

"Well, keep working," Kathryn said. "I'm not ready to give up now."
B'Elanna nodded and moved back over to the console she'd been working
on. Kathryn picked her way to the door and peered out, seeing no one.
She rolled her shoulders, her back stinging and throbbing where the
alien's shot had hit her. She took up a defensive stance, scanning the
corridor as B'Elanna worked.

A few minutes later, she tensed as she heard running footsteps heading
toward the corridor. As she started to warn B'Elanna she saw a group of
red-suited soldiers come into view, surrounding a familiar figure. It
was Wik-Dunn. The group hurried down the corridor and came to a stop
before Kathryn.

"Minister," she began, "What is going on here? You didn't mention a war
taking place when we talked a day and a half ago."

"Captain Janeway," Wik-Dunn exclaimed. "I am so sorry you have become
involved in this business. I--"

"I'm not involved," Kathryn put in. "Nor do I intend to become involved.
We're trying to contact Voyager to transport us out of here." The
minister's face fell.

"We were hoping," he began diffidently, "that your ship---"

"No," Kathryn cut him off flatly. "And if you deliberately did not tell
me there was a war going on and let me beam down in the middle of this
hoping I would bring my ship's guns to bear on your enemy, then you
seriously miscalculated, Minister."

"Captain," he said, "if you will just let me explain--"

"I don't want to hear it," she interrupted him. "What is the conflict
about, anyway?" Wik- Dunn looked calculating.

"We developed technology to cool the interiors of our buildings," he
said. "The Teklani suffer from hotter temperatures than we do, and they
feel it more keenly." He shifted his feet. "They want the technology,
but are not willing to pay for it. They are attempting to conquer Ronsal
and take it for themselves."

"I take it," Kathryn said drily, "that the word 'share' is not in your
vocabulary." The alien loooked at her blankly. "Never mind," Kathryn
continued. "I assume you have a comm center somewhere. Take us there."

"Perhaps," the Ronsalian minister began, "we can negotiate."

B'Elanna continued to work on the comm equipment as Kathryn talked, but
turned and studied Wik-Dunn's face. She knew Kathryn was immovable but
the alien did not. He would no doubt think he could persuade her to
intervene.

Kathryn did not immediately give the Ronsalian the chance to enter
another plea, but stalked over to where B'Elanna worked. She was coldly
angry, and held herself rigidly in check. "Any progress, B'Elanna?" she
asked, her tone clipped.

"Not much," B'Elanna sighed. "I'm still working on it though." Kathryn
nodded tersely, her lips a thin line. She was obviously convinced that
she'd been maneuvered into transporting to the surface of this war-torn
planet, and she was furious.

"Captain," Wik-Dunn spoke to her stiff back. "It is unlikely that you
will be able to contact your ship using this equipment. It has been
destroyed."

"Then I guess," Kathryn snapped, "I can't contact my ship to tell them
to begin firing, can I?" She glared at the Ronsalian, who seemed
unperturbed.

"We have a secret comm center set up a short distance from here,"
Wik-Dunn announced, "and we will allow you to use it to contact your
ship to tell it to open fire on the Teklani encampments outside the city."

B'Elanna Torres seemed to materialize in front of the alien, her rife
jammed up under his chin. "Tell you what," she growled, "you take us to
it and I won't blow your head off." "As you were, Lieutenant!" Kathryn
said. It was with real reluctance that she called B'Elanna off, but she
was afraid the Ronsalian soldiers who had their weapons leveled at her,
would get trigger-happy.

"Kathryn!" B'Elanna protested.

"That's an order, Lieutenant!" Kathryn thundered. B'Elanna stepped away
from Wik- Dunn, lowering the rifle, and turning to stare angrily at
Kathryn, who returned her gaze levelly. "Continue working on the
repairs, B'Elanna," she said quietly. "We have to get out of here." "I'm
afraid you're too valuable for us to let you go," Wik-Dunn's silky voice
was hard as he motioned some soldiers forward. Kathryn swung her rifle
up, but an energy bolt knocked her backward and she pitched to the
floor, unconscious.

With a snarl B'Elanna attacked, but she, too, was felled by a bolt and
she lay unconscious near Kathryn. "Take them to the detention area,"
Wik-Dun ordered. "I shall contact Voyager and tell them we have their
captain as hostage."

---





















Chakotay listened in stony silence as Wik-Dun related his demands from
the working comm center on Ronsal. He motioned to Tuvok to cut the
transmission and then paced in front of the command chair. "We didn't
detect a war going on before the captain and B'Elanna beamed down, Mr.
Tuvok," he said.

"No, Commander, we did not," the impassive Vulcan reponded. "Sensor
scans indicated nothng more than a peaceful planet prior to the
Captain's departure."

"Then they must have ways of fooling our scans," Chakotay said, turning
to stare musingly out at the viewscreen.

"I cannot lock onto either the captain or Lt. Torres," Tuvok confirmed.
Kim at Ops echoed the statement.

"There's some kind of shielding in place," the young ensign reported,
his hands moving deftly over the touchpads of his console. "I can't
penetrate it, nor can I find a way to disable it."

"I do not believe that we can transport a rescue team down now, either,"
Tuvok announced as he scanned his own displayes. "They allowed the
captain and Lt.Torres to transport down, but transport is now blocked."

"What about taking a shuttle down?" Paris suggested from the conn.

"It would be destroyed by weapons fire from the defense satellite
network I see is in place around the planet," Tuvok said dismissively.
"Apparently neither the Ronsalians nor the Teklani fight their battles
in space, but a defense against attacks from space is in place."

"Find a way to either transport through that shielding," Chakotay
ordered, "or disable the planetary defense. We're going to have to get
them out of there."

"Aye, sir," came the response of the bridge officers. Kim and Tuvok bent
over their consoles, fingers flying over the touchpads, attempting to
discover ways to circumvent the obstacles in their way.

---

Kathryn came to, lying on a dusty floor, and was assaulted at once by
sweltering heat. She sat up, coughing, wiping her face on her sleeve.
Shrugging out of her jacket she saw B'Elanna lying on her side, her back
to her. She crawled over to the motionless figure.

"'Lanna?" she said, touching her shoulder, too well aware of the fiery
Klingon's reactions when awaking or regaining consciousness. "'Lanna,
baby?" she called again.

As expected, B'Elanna erupted, fist swinging wildly as she came to, an
angry snarl boiling up from her throat. Kathryn ducked out of the way
and waited for her to cool down, which she did momentarily. B'Elanna
blew out her breath in an explosive sigh, shaking her head to clear it
and sitting back on her haunches.

"Damn!" she growled. "How are we going to get out of this?" She, too,
shrugged out of her jacket. "Apparently, prisoners don't get to be
cool." She pulled the turtleneck off over her head and mopped her
streaming face. Kathryn did the same, standing and looking around at the
cell they were in. About thirteen feet square, it had a dusty concrete
floor, stone walls, and no windows. The entrance was a heavy steel door
studded with enormous bolts. There was no window in it, and there was
only a sensor panel, tiny and recessed, where a handle should be.

Protruding from one of the walls was a short length of pipe, and Kathryn
walked over to stand in front of it, looking up at it.

"Shower?" B'Elanna wondered as she watched Kathryn. Kathryn shrugged.

"I don't know. I don't see any way to activa--" She was interrupted by a
stream of water pouring from the pipe as she put out a hand in its
direction. The water splashed over her hand and arm. "Well," she
amended. "I see. Motion sensor, no doubt."

"A shower wouldn't feel bad at all," B'Elanna remarked.

"No," Kathryn said, "it wouldn't." Without further discussion, B'Elanna
stripped off her clothes and padded over to Kathryn. She tugged the hem
of Kathryn's tank top out of the waistband of her uniform trousers. "How
about it? There's nothing we can do at the moment, is there?" Kathryn
shook her head and let B'Elanna undress her. Then they stood under the
stream of water, letting it sluice away the caked-on dust and sweat that
covered their bodies

"We should be trying to find a way out of here," Kathryn murmured as
B'Elanna's hands helped the water clean the dirt from her. Bending,
B'Elanna picked up one of the turtlenecks, and using it as a washcloth,
scrubbed Kathryn's skin.

"I am trying," B'Elanna said. "I'm thinking." Kathryn knew all to well
what that brilliant, fluid mind could come up with and was content to
stand under the cool water and let those equally nimble hands clean her.
"Need to find a way to get out that door," B'Elanna mused. "It looks
pretty solid," Kathryn said, glancing over at the slab of metal.

"Barriers can be breached," B'Elanna said confidently as she handed the
turtleneck-cum- washcloth to Kathryn, who began wash the dirt from her.
"Particularly those with sensor panels in them.

"Yes, if you have a weapon or explosives," Kathryn pointed out. "You can
breach a barrier. However, I daresay there's an alarm system in place
should you attempt to tinker with it." She knelt to wash B'Elanna's
lower body, wickedly scrubbing between her lover's legs with the
turtleneck. B'Elanna grunted.

"If you want me to come up with a plan," she said, "you'd better just
not do that any more, all right?" Kathryn straightened, smiling.

"Right," she said. "I wouldn't want to distract you or anything."

"You distract me enough by just being around," B'Elanna muttered,
cupping Kathryn's breasts. "You don't need to add to it." Finally
cleaned off, they stepped out of the stream. They decided to rinse out
their sweat-soaked tank tops while they were at it, knowing the
oppressive heat of the room would dry them out in little time.

"I think they think we'll cave in sooner if they leave us in this heat,"
Kathryn said.

"Fat chance," B'Elanna said. "Both of us have suffered worse than this
and not caved in."

"True," Kathryn agreed, wringing water from the tank top and holding it
under the stream again. Finally, they put their clothes back on and
B'Elanna paced over to the heavy metal door, staring at the panel
reflectively. Then she studied the heavy hinges of the door. When her
gaze traveled from them to her commbadge, and her expression became
thoughtful, Kathryn knew an idea was brewing. She waited. She was
already damp with sweat again in the heavy heat, glad of the shower and
wet tank top.

"What are you thinking?" she asked B'Elanna. B'Elanna, her concentration
focused on the problem at hand, gave her a distracted look, and then
turned back to the door. She took off her commbadge and turned it over.
Kathryn watched her silently. B'Elanna turned the commbadge over and
studied the back.

"Kathryn," she said. "Do you by any chance have on a bra with an
underwire?" Kathryn almost laughed.

"As a matter of fact," she said, "I do." Without waiting for B'Elanna to
ask, she stripped off the tank top and unhooked her bra. B'Elanna ripped
the section of the garment holding the underwire apart and extracted the
thin metal underwire. She winked at Kathryn.

"Thank you, darling," she said grinning. "Your sacrifice will be noted."
Kathryn snorted a laugh and put her bra and tank top back on. B'Elanna
pried the back off the commbadge.

"I think I can make this thing, with a couple of adjustments, emit a
magnetic pulse if I can rig it up with a wire from that light fixture."
She tilted her head at the light fixture in the ceiling. Kathryn glanced
up at it. B'Elanna turned and was looking at her contemplatively.

"How to get up there," B'Elanna said. "Could you hold me long enough?"

"We have to try," Kathryn said. B'Elanna's size and build were
deceptive. Her Klingon skeleton and her muscular strength added weight
she didn't look like she had. Kathryn stood under the light and took a
position for B'Elanna to climb onto her back and shoulders. Agilely, the
Klingon engineer stepped onto Kathryn's knee for leverage and leaped
lightly to stand on her back.

"If I can pull a long enough wire from this light fixture," B'Elanna
explained, "I just hope there is enough wire in it." Kathryn nodded in
agreement. Damn, B'Elanna didn't look as if she were *that* heavy.
Working quickly, B'Elanna seized the fixture in her hand and wrenched.
She jumped away as sparks flew with a sizzling hiss, and Kathryn moved
away, too. The room was plunged into darkness. B'Elanna waited until her
eyes adjusted and then she jumped up and grabbed the dangling fixture.
She pulled as long a length of wire out as she could. Working quickly,
she made her adjustments to the commbadge and applied the wire. Moving
over toward the door as closely as she could get, she attempted to emit
a pulse. A long, low whining hum sliced the thick dark air, and they
both winced. Shortly, the hinges, reacting to the magnetic field
B'Elanna had created, levitated slowly up from their seat. As soon as
she saw that they were free, B'Elanna threw her contraption aside. They
both were able to move the door free, and crept cautiously out into the
hall.

"We need to find weapons, and quickly," Kathryn whispered. B'Elanna nodded.

"How about those sentries outside?" she asked. "I think we can get the
drop on them." Kathryn nodded.

"Worth a try," she said. They hurried to where the sentries waited, and
creeping up behind them, dispatched them quickly with a couple of
vicious karate chops. They grabbed the weapons and ran.

Outside, they ran to a nearby empty building and ducked inside,
barricading the door. "Let's hope they don't have sensors," Kathryn said
as they took up a position on either side of a window, peering out into
the street that was presently empty. She checked the weapon she'd
grabbed, noting with relief that it was fully charged.

"Well, if they come after us," B'Elanna said grimly, "we'll just have to
take them out." Kathryn shot her a sidewise glance, wisely deciding not
to mention the Prime Directive. They'd already killed several Ronsalians
and Teklani, so the question was probably academic. Never a favorite
topic of B'Elanna's at the best of times, it was doubtful she'd be
amenable to following it right now. "We have to get back to their
command center," B'Elanna added. "Otherwise, we're never going to get
out of here." Kathryn nodded, shifting her position.

"Wik-Dun didn't say why the Teklani attacked," she remarked.

"Who cares?" B'Elanna said, examining her weapon. "I do--"

"I care," Kathryn said crisply and B'Elanna had the grace to look
embarassed.

"Sorry," she muttered. "I've just got other things on my mind." Kathryn
didn't answer, looking out the window.So far there were no pursuers. She
wondered why. And if Wik-Dun had something up his sleeve. It worried
her. Their escape had seemed a little too easy now that she thought
about it.

"Put down your weapons!" The female voice came from behind them and they
whirled to see a young female soldier training a bulky-looking energy
weapon on them. B'Elanna didn't even pause, but fired her weapon and the
young female catapulted backward to slam into a wall, sliding to the
floor in a crumpled heap. B'Elanna waited for Kathryn's censure, but
Kathryn only jumped up and ran over to where the girl lay. She checked
her pulse.

"Good, she's not dead," Kathryn said, but there was no rebuke in her
tone. "That was quick thinking, darling," she added, surprising
B'Elanna. "Why," Kathryn continued, grimacing, "would they send a child
after two escapees, for God's sake?"

"Maybe they thought she'd be more disarming than a man," B'Elanna
suggested. She stood looking down at the unconscious girl. "You
know......" she mused. "We look the same size...." Kathryn looked from
her to the girl and back again. She stood up.

"You don't look like her, though," she said doubtfully. B'Elanna knelt
down beside the girl and began unbuttoning the red uniform jacket.

"Doesn't matter," she said. "I just need to get as far as the comm
center." Kathryn stood watching her, chin in hand, thinking.

"Maybe you need to take a prisoner back with you," she said
consideringly. B'Elanna, pulling her clothes off and pulling the red
uniform on, looked up at her inquiringly. "You will take me back as your
prisoner, saying you killed the other one," Kathryn explained. They
bound the girl's hands and feet, and gagged her. Kathryn took the hand
weapon from the girl's holster B"Elanna wore. "I'll secrete this and
we'll get the drop on them, all right?"

"Good enough," B'Elanna said, standing and tucking the uniform in. She
put on the cap, stuffing her hair up under it as the girl had. She
pulled the cap down low attempting to conceal her brow ridges. "Ready?"
Kathryn nodded, hiding the hand weapon.

B'Elanna propelled Kathryn down the corridor toward the comm center a
short while later after they had discovered its location. "Get on down
there," she growled for the benefit of the two sentries who turned in
their direction.

"Where is the other one, Iskra?" one of the sentries asked, grabbing
Kathryn. Oh, great, Kathryn thought. He knows the girl. "You are not
Is--" B'Elanna's shot sent him to the floor and his companion instantly
afterward. They burst into the radio room, firing their weapons.

It was with some satisfaction that Kathryn blasted Wik-Dun into
unconsciousness with her weapon as the Ronsalian, with a snarl, raised
his own weapon to fire. They stood amidst the litter of unconscious
Ronsalians, surveying the communications equipment. "Keep an eye on
them, B'Elanna," Kathryn instructed, stepping over to one of the
consoles and studying the control panel. Finding one that disabled the
shielding blocking Voyager's intervention, she activated it, and then
thumbed the radio. "Janeway to Voyager. Do you read, Voyager?" she said.

"Chakotay here, Captain," came her First Officer's voice. "Are you all
right?"

"I'm fine, Commander," she replied. "Can you get a lock on us?" I've
disabled the shielding."

"Yes, Captain," came Chakotay's reply.

"Two to beam up, then," Kathryn said.

---

That night, B'Elanna lay in Kathryn's arms in their quarters. The
remnants of dinner lay on the table in the dining room, and a half-full
bottle of wine sat on the bedside table. They both held goblets of the
ruby liquid, sipping from them from time to time. Voyager had left
Ronsal's orbit and was continuing through the star system.

"That was quite an adventure," B'Elanna remarked, sipping the wine.
Kathryn brushed her lips across B'Elanna's brow ridges.

"It was that," she replied. "But I don't like being a patsy in someone
else's game."

"No," B'Elanna agreed, draining the rest of her wine and placing her
glass on the table. They were both dressed, and she was eager to remedy
that situation. She slid her hand under Kathryn's top, gliding the flat
of her hand across Kathryn's flat belly. Kathryn made a noise in her
throat and bent to kiss her. Their tongues slid over each other, tasting
the wine as B'Elanna's hand roamed, snaking down into Kathryn's trousers
and teasing the already damp pubic hair she found. Kathryn moved
restively, her fingers going to the buttons of the thin silk blouse
B'Elanna wore. Her hands slid around a silk-covered breast before she
undid the buttons, and B'Elanna's kiss became more urgent.

Pieces of clothing came off, discarded helter-skelter over the bed and
floor as their passion mounted. "I love you in a sweaty tank top,"
B'Elanna muttered in her ear as she kneaded Kathryn's naked breasts.
"I'd love to be fondling you through one right now."

"Maybe later," Kathryn said breathlessly as her own hands kneaded
B'Elanna's full, firm buttocks, her fingers teasing the cleft and making
B'Elanna growl deep in her throat.

B'Elanna put her on her back, pinning her hands and nudging her thighs
apart with her thigh. She pressed her knee into Kathryn's crotch,
sliding it up and down sensuously against the now soaked patch of hair.

"Oh, baby," Kathryn moaned. "You make me so hot, so wet. Love me, lover.
MMmmhhh."

"I intend to, my love," B'Elanna murmured into her ear, running her
tongue around the contours of Kathryn's ear, making her shiver and
groan. She let go of Kathryn's hands and moved down between Kathryn's
quivering thighs. She flicked her tongue against the hot, wet sex,
making Kathryn twitch in response.

"Get inside me now, 'Lanna!" Kathryn begged, writhing. "God, I need you,
baby!"

"Tell me what you want, lover," B'Elanna said wickedly, her fingers
rolling the button of flesh teasingly.

"Oh, God, B'Elanna," Kathryn moaned. "Eat me, lover. I need you, baby. Now!"

"You like this?" B'Elanna licked her tongue hard along the length of
Kathryn's sex.

"B'Elanna! Dammit!" Kathryn exclaimed. B'Elanna laughed. She swirled her
tongue around Kathryn's hardened clit, pummeling its sensitive tip with
her tongue. Kathryn made little mewling sounds, her head thrown back,
waiting for the relief she so desperately needed. B'Elanna ate her
voraciously until Kathryn finally begged her to let up. Kathryn sprawled
limply on the sheets, totally sated, unable to move.

B'Elanna lay on her side, head propped on one hand, watching the results
of her handiwork, half-smilng. When Kathryn could finally sit up, she
fixed her grinning mate with a look.

"Smart ass," she said. "I'm going to fix you."

"Oh, please," B'Elanna said, flopping onto her back and spread-eagling.
"Please do." Kathryn crawled over to her and abruptly jammed fingers
into B'Elanna, making her grunt in pleased surprise. "Ah, gods, baby,"
B'Elanna said. "I love it when you do that. Fuck me hard,
lover---ahhh..." Her voice trailed off in a moan of pleasure as Kathryn
complied.

When Kathryn replaced her busy fingers with an even busier tongue,
B'Elanna nearly levitated off the bed. "Ohhhh," she cried out as heat
boiled through her. "Ohhhhh, Kathryn!" Kathryn plunged her tongue in
deeply and found the hard nub of flesh she sought. She sucked on it
roughly, eliciting even louder cries from B'Elanna, whose muscles began
to clench as she approached orgasm. Kathryn sat up and moved up to kiss
her and fondle her breasts as the spasms of pleasure surged through
B'Elanna's body. As B'Elanna quieted, Kathryn spread herself over her
lover's damp, sweaty body.

"That was fantastic, baby," B'Elanna murmured as Kathryn nuzzled the
crook of her neck. "You are so wonderful."

"I have a lot to work with," Kathryn replied as they snuggled into an
embrace contentedly.

---

Copyright 1998 ILuvKate