MANEUVERS
Episode 27
Part E

 

Culluh: "Ah, Jal Surat of the Mostral." Culluh gestures to an empty seat for his guest.

Culluh to Surat: "May I present Jal Loran of the Hobii, and Jal Valek of the Oglamar."

Warily, Surat sits down. "We've met before - in battle."

Culluh: "Please, Jal Surat, sit down. Today is a day Kazon children will remember for generations. Today is the day we put aside our differences and join forces to defeat Voyager. Today is the day that marks the end of the supremacy of the Relora and the Ogla, because after today, we will have the Federation technology, and the other sects will run when they see us." Surat: "That's a fine speech, Culluh, but what makes you think Voyager won't use this technology to defeat us?" Culluh: "Because I have Voyager's command codes."

Surat: "I have heard what you did to the Relora Maje and his companion. Very impressive. But before I make an enemy of these Federations, I want proof that you have their command codes." Culluh presses an intercom button.

Two guards haul a barely conscious Chakotay in and drop him on one side of the room. Culluh to the Majes: "May I present Commander Chakotay, Voyager's First Officer." Surat smiles, convinced.

Paris: "Sixty seconds to transporter range, Captain."

Janeway, via comms: "Bridge to Torres. Have you located Chakotay?" Torres, via comms from in the transporter room where she is being assisted by Crewman Nozawa: "I'm reading Kazon life signs but still no Chakotay." Tuvok: "Captain, I must remind you that we have no direct evidence the Commander is still alive, or if he is, that he is still aboard that ship." Janeway: "I'm not conceding that yet." Via comms: "Can you give me anything, B'Elanna?"

Torres, via comms: "I'm picking up some kind of localised dampening field. It's blocking our targetting scanners." Janeway, via comms: "Maybe Seska's found a way to hide Chakotay from us." Torres, via comms: "You may be right. I've got re-initialise the targeting scanners to much the relative phase of the dampening field."

She does so. "I've found him, Captain. He's still alive."

Janeway, via comms: "Can you get him out of there?" Torres, via comms: "The dampening field is disrupting our transporter signal. I can't get a lock on him." Janeway: "Red alert." The lights dim and klaxons sound. "Mr Paris, take us out of warp."

An alarm sounds on the Kazon starship. Seska goes over to the command console. Seska: "It's Voyager."

Surat: "Well, Culluh, what are you waiting for? Use the command codes to disable them."

Culluh, via comms: "Bridge, this is First Maje Culluh. Lock weapons onto the Federation ship and fire."

The Kazon warship opens fire.....

.....and hits Voyager which has shields up. Janeway: "Mr Paris, evasive pattern delta four. Mr Tuvok, return fire." Tuvok: "Firing phasers."

Janeway, via comms: "Bridge to Torres. Can you transport Chakotay?" Torres, via comms: "I'm matching the pattern buffer frequency to the Kazon dampening field." Janeway, via comms: "Make it fast." Torres, via comms: "I've got a lock. Initiating transport."

Chakotay starts to dematerialise from the Kazon ship. Seska works controls on the command console to try to counteract it.

Chakotay almost materialises on the transporter pad but then disappears again.

Janeway, via comms: "Do you have him, B'Elanna?" Torres, via comms: "I had him for a second, but they've remodulated the dampening field."

Janeway, via comms: "Can you compensate?" Torres, via comms: "I'm trying, but I need more time."

Janeway, via comms: "We'll try to hold them off, but we don't have long." To Tuvok: "Mr Tuvok, phasers to maximum. Let's give them a little distraction." Voyager fires phasers.

On the Kazon ship, the guest First Majes are becoming impatient. Surat demands of Culluh: "Why are you allowing them to continue firing?"

Culluh: "It's taking longer than I thought to interface with their systems. You must order your ships to provide cover!" Surat: "I hope you know what you're doing."

Paris at the helm

Tuvok: "The other Kazon vessels have opened fire." Janeway: "Mr Paris, evasive pattern omega-two." Paris: "Aye, Captain." Janeway, via comms: "Bridge to Torres. You're going to have to hurry it up down there. We can't hold them off much longer." Torres, via comms: "I'm doing the best I can."

Surat: "We're losing patience, Culluh." Culluh: "Where are you going?" Seska: "To the Bridge. I might have better luck interfacing with Voyager's systems from there." She leaves.

Culluh: "I'll go with you." Surat stands in Culluh's way. "You'll stay right here."

Tuvok: "Aft shields down to twenty-three per cent, Captain." Janeway, via comms: "Bridge to Torres. Can you transport Chakotay out or not?" Torres, via comms: "They've put the dampening field on some kind of randomly fluctuating modulation. It'll take me at least an hour to match the phase variances."

Tuvok: "Shields at sixteen per cent. Captain, we must retreat." Janeway, via comms: "Lieutenant, just how localised is that dampening field?"

Torres: "A little more than two metres in diameter, just enough to isolate Chakotay. Why?" Janeway, via comms: "I think I've got an idea."

Kazon warship. Surat: "I don't think you ever had those command codes. I think you're a liar!" Culluh: "What does it matter? If we work together, we don't need the command codes to beat them." Surat: "You're right. We can beat them. But we're going to do it without you." He draws his gun, and the other two First Majes do the same. "We're taking your ship."

Suddenly all the First Majes are transported off the Kazon ship.

They are beamed to Voyager. transporter

When they realise they have been transported from Culluh's ship, they spin round, to be confronted by Tuvok and another Federation security officer, pointing phasers at them. Tuvok: "Please stay where you are. You will find that our transporters have rendered your weapons useless."

Surat growls: "I will make you very sorry for this, Culluh."

Tuvok: "Here are the terms, gentlemen: the safe return of our First Officer and shuttlecraft in exchange for your freedom. I presume you will find that an acceptable arrangement." The First Majes have no choice but to agree.

Janeway: "Captain's log, stardate 49211.5. Now that Commander Chakotay has made a full recovery, I'm faced with the difficult task of responding to his failure to follow procedure."

Janeway: "Just tell me one thing: what were you thinking?"

Chakotay: "About keeping our technology out of Kazon hands, I thought if I did it on my own, I could keep the rest of the crew out of danger." Janeway: "That may be a very noble sentiment, but it wasn't your decision to make. Oh, Chakotay, we've spent the last ten months together on this ship. I thought we had an understanding. Why did you choose to ignore procedure?" Chakotay: "Seska was my problem, a problem I felt it my duty to solve." Janeway: "So you had a personal score to settle." Chakotay: "I thought I was doing the right thing."

Janeway: "Really. Tell me this: how do you expect me to keep order when the First Officer takes it upon himself to run off like some cowboy because he decides it's a good idea? What you did was commendable. The way you did it was not. You set a terrible example. And on a personal level you've made my job more difficult." Chakotay: "If that's so, I regret it."

Janeway: "I'm putting you on report, in case that means anything any more." Chakotay: "It means something to me, Captain. It means I've let you down, and for that I'm truly sorry."

The comm. signal sounds. comms. signal Tuvok, via comms: "Bridge to Ready Room."
Janeway, via comms: "Go ahead, Mr Tuvok."
Tuvok, via comms: "I think you and Commander Chakotay should come in here."
Janeway, via comms: "On our way."
They go to the Bridge. standard doors

Tuvok: "I have located an automated message beacon, Captain." Janeway: "Another one?" Tuvok: "It is a message to Commander Chakotay from Seska." Janeway to Chakotay: "Would you like Mr Kim to put it through to your office?" Chakotay: "No, I think I've spent enough time alone with Seska."

Janeway: "Very well." She orders: "Put it on screen." viewscreen Seska's message: "Hello, Chakotay."

Seska: "Congratulations on your victory. I look forward to our next meeting. Oh and there's something you should know. While you were unconscious I took the liberty of extracting a sample of your DNA. I impregnated myself with it. So I guess more congratulations are in order - you're going to be a father."

Stunned and appalled, Chakotay knows he will have to consider the implications, for himself and the crew. It is likely they have not seen the last of Seska.