INITIATIONS
Episode 21

Part D
 

In the cave, while Chakotay seems to be asleep, Kar paces around, wrestling with his conscience as he wonders whether to attack Chakotay or destroy the tricorder. Later Chakotay greets him. "Good morning. How did you sleep?" Kar: "Fine." Chakotay: "You seemed a little restless to me." Kar: "What do you mean?" Chakotay: "All that skulking around, throwing things." Kar: "You were awake?" Chakotay: "You think I'm going to get much sleep around an Ogla warrior who's threatened to kill me? Why didn't you go through with it?" Kar: "I'm a coward." Chakotay: "I don't believe that. I don't believe you do either. I think maybe you're beginning to realise I'm not your enemy, and only a fool would kill a friend." Kar: "If you are my friend, then you're my only one. What happens to me now? Where do I go?" Chakotay: "Would any other Kazon sect accept you?" Kar: "I'd be a goven, an outcast." He holds out his hand, fingers splayed: "Each Kazon sect I meet would cut one digit off, send me away." Chakotay: "How many Kazon sects are there?" Kar: "Changes every day. Yesterday there were eighteen." Chakotay: "I guess you could come with us." Kar: "To do what? Dress in a uniform?" Chakotay: "You wouldn't have to wear a uniform." Kar: "And the closer you get to your home the farther I would be from mine. If only you had killed me."

The Voyager away team, led by Janeway, are searching for Chakotay. Tuvok, reading from his tricorder: "Captain. Four lifeforms approaching, forty metres. They appear to be Kazon." The away team take up position, phasers aimed in readiness.
Razik: "Please, put your weapons away. We've come to help you."
Janeway: "Help us? With what?" Razik: "We made contact with your ship and learned of the plight of your missing crewman. We've come to offer our assistance in finding him." Janeway: "That's very kind of you."
Razik: "You're walking on very dangerous ground. There are concealed weapons everywhere. Come, we will lead you through them." Janeway: "Very well."

Chakotay: "Tell me about the other uniforms, the ones the Kazon fought." Kar: "The Trabe. The Kazon shared their homeworld, if you can call it sharing. They had everything, we had nothing, until we took it from them in the revolt 26 years ago." The tricorder emits an audio alert. "What is it?" Chakotay notes from the tricorder reading: "People coming this way - humans and Kazon."
Kar: "What are we going to do?" Chakotay: "There's only one way back to the Ogla for you, and that's if you earn your name. So I guess that's what you'll have to do." Kar: "But how?" Chakotay: "You're going to have to kill me."

Tuvok, reading from his tricorder: "The signal seems to be coming from some caves approximately 40 metres ahead."
Razik: "Your technology continues to amaze us. It would've taken us weeks to track them. After this is over, we have to discuss an alliance." Janeway: "I would welcome your friendship, Maje."
Kes: "Captain Janeway, I'm reading elevated radiothermic levels here."
Razik: "The Ocampa female is correct. This is a particularly dangerous place. We lose many trainees here. Perhaps you would prefer if we proceeded alone. They can't be far now." Janeway: "Thanks, but I think we'll stick together."

Paris, via comms: "Voyager to away team." Janeway, via comms: "We're here, Mr Paris." Paris, via comms: "We finally broke through the interference, Captain. Are you alright? We had a run-in-" Janeway interrupts, via comms: "Everything is fine. We have the assistance of the Ogla." Paris, surprised, via comms: "That's what I was going to tell you to expect." Janeway, via comms: "Can you lock on to Commander Chakotay?" Paris, via comms: "Stand by."

He switches com. channels. "Voyager to Chakotay? Do you read?" Chakotay, via comms: "I'm fine, Paris." Paris, via comms: "Stand by for us to beam you out of there." Chakotay, via comms: "Belay that, Voyager. Stand by. According to my readings the away team's only fifty metres away."

Paris, via comms: "Right, but don't-" Chakotay, via comms: "Alert Sickbay to prepare for a Code White resuscitation." Paris, puzzled, via comms: "Did you say Code White?" He looks at Kim. Chakotay, via comms: "Correct. I don't have time to explain now. Chakotay out." He assures Kar: "It'll be alright. Our technology can revive me even I've been dead for two minutes."

In the cave, Kar asks: "Why are you doing this?"
Chakotay: "Like you said: it's my fault you don't have your name. I can't leave you behind like this."

He opens a com. channel. "Chakotay to away team."
Janeway, via comms: "Good to hear your voice, Commander."
Chakotay, via comms: "Captain, proceed with caution. I've been taken prisoner by a young Kazon. He's threatening to kill me." This is overheard, as Chakotay intended, by the Kazon with Janeway. Haliz moves away from the intended route: "This way. It's safer."
Tuvok: "I would beg to differ. Based on these readings, that way would seem to be the logical choice." He indicates the original route. Razik: "I must apologise for my comrade. I believe he is trying to mislead you."
He and his men allow the Voyager crewmembers to move off a short distance, then suddenly the away team is enclosed within a forcefield.
"So," he sneers at his prisoners: "your technology is not always an ally. Sometimes it betrays you. Pity. I'm afraid you would not score well in our training exercises." He and his men move off to close in on Kar and Chakotay.
Janeway taps her combadge. combadge "Away team to Voyager." Kes: "Captain, that panel is a microgenerator." Janeway looks. "You're right. If we can get a narrow beam through the field we can disable it."
Tuvok: "We could try remodulating the phasers to a higher frequency output." Janeway: "Make it fast."

In the cave, Kar greets Razik as he and his men enter. Kar has a Kazon gun trained on Chakotay.

Kar: "I've been waiting for you, Razik." Razik: "So the Federation Commander is your prisoner."
Kar: "I only came with him so I could have another chance to kill him." Razik surmises: "So you could earn your name."
Janeway and the rest of the away team arrive. Seeing the drama in progress and with no immediate threat to themselves, she indicates that they should wait.

Kar: "That's what I've been hoping for, Razik. But you taught me well. I know what you're going to say. You've said it so many times before. In battle, there are no second chances." He addresses Chakotay: "But you are not my enemy. He is!"

He spins round and suddenly fires at Razik, killing him.

This is not what Chakotay and he had planned together, but is Kar's own plan. He has the chance to kill Haliz too but deliberately does not do so, and Haliz realises this. Instead Kar spreads his arms wide, putting himself at Haliz's mercy.
Kar: "My name is Jal Karden, Kazon-Ogla. You're First Maje now, Haliz. My life is yours. Kill me if you wish, or let me live and I will follow you into battle whenever you command."
Haliz states: "Jal Karden, Kazon-Ogla." His followers echo the name so there can be no doubt.
Karden to Chakotay: "The Federation does not belong here. If we meet again, I will not hesitate to kill you." Chakotay: "I understand."
Janeway taps her combadge. combadge "Janeway to Voyager. Five to beam up." The transporter beam takes them and they are beamed back to Voyager.

Later Chakotay completes the pakra ceremony in his quarters aboard Voyager.
"A-koo-chee-moya, I pray on this day of memories to speak to my father, the one whom the wind called Kolopak. Father, if you can hear me among these unnamed stars, I ask you to continue to watch over me as you've always done."
He continues: "I ask you also to watch over a boy called Karden who has a difficult path to travel. A-koo-chee-moya."

 

 

Kazon 'The End' ship from TOSTFF. Kazon graphic web work by me. About the Kazon graphic / How to use the image map (pop-up)