It was dark inside, except for the control panels glowing amber and blue. Kim quickly located the main network terminal. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
Paris winced, remembering Neelix had said exactly the same thing.
Where was Neelix now? Instead, he said, “I got us in here, didn’t I?” as he pulled Tracer farther inside.
Tracer was looking around as if he was starting to sober up.
“How did you get in here? This is a restricted area—” “You let us in, remember?” Paris checked behind a few doors, until he found a storage closet. “You wanted to help us.”
“I did?” Tracer’s eyes were still uncomprehending.
Paris gave him a hearty shove, right into the tiny closet, slamming the door shut behind him. With nothing else handy, he turned and swung his elbow back into the touch pad. A spray of sparks lit the room as the cover plate smashed, shorting out the electro-magnetic field.
After a shocked moment, sounds of muffled knocking came from inside the closet. It grew more frantic as Tracer realized he couldn’t get out.
“Did you have to do that?” Kim asked without looking up from the terminal.
“You heard him. He was going to make trouble.” Paris checked the door. “Would you hurry?”
“I’m trying…”
“Try faster.”
Kim scanned the readout with his tricorder. “I’ll have to copy everything and sort through it later.”
The pounding grew louder.
“Do something,” Kim urged. “Before somebody hears him.”
Paris banged his fist against the door, drowning out Tracer’s noise.
“Shut up in there, or I’ll… I’ll shoot!”
“You don’t have a phaser,” Kim pointed out.
Tracer must have come to the same conclusion because he started his rhythmic pounding once more. The door bowed out under every impact.
“Harry, any time now… We can’t keep him in there forever.”
“I’ve almost got it—” It sounded as if Tracer was throwing his body against the door.
Paris hoped the guy wasn’t hurting himself in there, when a squeal of stressed metal made him cringe. The closet door banged open, and Tracer tumbled out.
Paris and Kim froze in surprise, staring at the Tutopan sprawled on the floor.
Tracer let out a squawk of fear, as Paris started toward him. He bobbed to his feet, making that strange squawking sound with every breath, as he darted out the door.
Paris tried to grab him, but the janitor was obviously running for dear life. “We’ve got to get out of here,” he called back to Harry, watching Tracer’s heels kick up as he scrambled down the corridor.
“Wait!” Kim exclaimed. “I’ve found something….”
Paris leaned out the door, listening to the dying echoes of Tracer’s cries. He thought he could already hear Enforcers coming.
“It’s a report on Andross by the Cartel,” Kim said, scanning the file.
“They’ve been recording his communications—” “Tell me about it later, pal,” Paris interrupted. “Enforcers are coming.”
The stomp of antigrav boots grew louder.
“There, I’ve got the manifests for the past half-rotation,” Kim said.
“I think that’s everything. Now what?”
“Now, you get back to the ship.” Paris activated his beacon and tossed it to Kim.
Kim caught it neatly, meeting his eyes. Paris gave him a mock salute as he dematerialized with the tricorder full of information.
Might as well make the best of it.
Paris put on his most cocky grin, turning to face the Enforcers.
Their red armor made them look twice as big as they should have.
“I thought you’d never get here,” Paris told them.
One Enforcer raised his fist, and Paris got a faceful of burning gas for his smart remark.
Chakotay poured himself a cup of Neelix’s potent pick-me-up from the container he’d brought to the bridge. This version was as thick as the last brew, but there was still something missing.
Chakotay managed to be grateful for it, since it was all they had—replicator use was strictly forbidden until the ODN was functioning properly. Lieutenant Collins had destroyed the replicator in his quarters when he requested a grilled cheese sandwich and got a mass of indistinguishable substance that was too big for the unit to hold. Chakotay wondered if Collins would ever get his quarters clean.
Chakotay hadn’t told anyone, but he had dreamed about exploding replicators last night. He didn’t tell anyone about the other dreams, either, the ones of Janeway and Torres stuck in a bubble in the sky, calling for help, or of Paris searching through the ship, begging for water. But he took them as a warning.
“Incoming message from Cartel Enforcer Security,” Tuvok announced.
“Requesting to speak to Captain Janeway.”
“Don’t they know she’s gone to Min-Tutopa? I thought they kept tabs on everything that happened around here.” Chakotay turned the portable unit. He didn’t expect visual, but one could always hope for the best.
“This is Commander Chakotay. How can I help you?”
The Enforcer began without preamble. “This is to inform you that a member of your crew, Lieutenant Tom Paris, was apprehended while infiltrating the Cartel computer systems.”
“Paris?” Chakotay was suddenly glad the Enforcer couldn’t see his face. “Are you sure about this?”
“Do not feign ignorance in this matter.” The flat voice didn’t change inflection. “A subspace signal was emitted from the site and your ship responded with a focused conversion beam on the subatomic level.
Please explain the purpose of this emission.”
Chakotay shot Tuvok a look. “I wasn’t aware of any of this.”
“You do have a crew member by the name of Tom Paris.”
“Yes. He was allowed to go into the Hub with another member of my crew. Where is he now?”
“Prisoner 07119 is currently being held for testing, pending the interrogation.”
“Hold on there,” Chakotay told the disembodied voice. “You must give us a chance to find out what’s happened. This could be a simple mistake.”
“There is no mistake.” There was a significant pause. “Will you supply information regarding the focused conversion beam?”
Chakotay usually found that lying only muddied the waters, and right now he needed some clarity on this situation. “No, I cannot do that.”
“Then I must inform you that as per regulation 5569, section A, all contracts between the Cartel and the offending party are canceled.
Your ship is no longer granted level-A life support.
A representative of Umbilical Services will disconnect your hookups immediately.”
“You can’t do that!” Chakotay leaned closer to the speaker. “We paid you for three days. We’ve got another day and a half left.”
“Your agreement has been suspended pending resolution of this matter.”
“Suspended?! You already got the seed DNA from us—” “That agreement has been suspended,” the Enforcer repeated.
“Trade is prohibited when a matter of Cartel security is involved.
That is standard business practice.”
“Not where I come from,” Chakotay said grimly. “Our life-support systems are dependent on those umbilicals.”
“The Cartel is aware that your ship is damaged. If you wish to resolve this matter, you may submit the requested information through this office. Your cooperation would result in reactivating your agreements with the Cartel.”
“Let me speak to Lieutenant Paris,” Chakotay insisted.
“That is impossible. Your crew member must undergo testing.”
“What is that—” “Will you provide information regarding the closed conversion beam?”
Chakotay frowned in frustration. “No.”
“Then this transmission is ended.”
Chakotay was still trying to raise Enforcer Security when Kim arrived on the bridge. The ensign’s face was flushed and he had a tricorder clutched in one hand. He swallowed when Chakotay turned. “Commander!
I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to leave him there.”
“I assume you’re talking about Paris.” Chakotay felt Tuvok behind him, as he went to the railing, holding on to it with both hands. “What have you got to do with this?”
Kim shifted his eyes. “Didn’t you know? He came and got me…”
“You transported from this ship without permission?” Chakotay demanded.
“I thought you knew. He said we had to move fast.”
As if his focus could wrest the story from Kim, Chakotay hardly blinked. “Paris was authorized to set up a chemical-supply contact.
With Neelix. He wasn’t supposed to break into the Cartel computer system, and he definitely wasn’t told to take you with him.”
Kim licked his lips. “Actually, I was the one who broke into their system. I’ve got the information here.”
“What information is that, Ensign?” Tuvok asked.
“About the computer thefts. Paris said it was important, and he’s right.” Kim came toward Chakotay, activating his tricorder.
“I found a file on Andross—the Cartel’s been watching him. They think he’s up to something, along with this Administer Fee the captain went to see.”
Chakotay took the tricorder, as Tuvok told Kim, “That does not explain the fact that you left the ship without direct orders.”
Kim glanced down at his nonfunctioning comm badge, but he didn’t try to defend himself.
“To make matters worse, now the Cartel is aware of our transporter.”
Chakotay pushed away from the railing. “And they’re threatening to take away our umbilicals—” He felt the drop in pressure, and the lights dimmed as the emergency system switched on. For a moment, it felt as if his body was suspended in air, even though he could feel the deck beneath his feet.
Ensign Yarro at port environmental station cried out as she fell.
“Umbilicals have been disconnected,” she managed to say from the floor.
Chakotay took an instant to trigger a calming chant. “They don’t waste any time, do they?”
“Power conduits are activated,” Kim announced, accessing Ops control.
“Attempting to switch to reserve utilities system.
Gravity was affected on decks one through six.”
“We’re in emergency reserves,” Chakotay noted. “Will our life-support systems hold?”
“I’m not sure,” Kim said flatly, examining his panel.
Yarro pulled herself back up to her station. “Can’t you isolate the systems from the ODN like you did with the transporters?”
Kim shook his head. “You know life support is designed for maximum redundancy. It’s tied in with subprocessors and the ODN through the power distribution net, the internal sensors, everything.”
“What we’re facing here is the possibility of multiple systems failures,” Yarro informed the commander.
“I’ll try to get us into Reduced Power Mode again,” Kim added.
“At least that way, the systems will default into the emergency power until we can manually correct the input errors.”
“Leaving us no backup during that time,” Chakotay said grimly.
“Like right now.”
“We do have the emergency shelters,” Tuvok reminded him.
Chakotay’s breath hissed between his teeth. “Not in this lifetime.
I’m not ready to huddle in some shelter waiting for the Cartel to decide we’re worth helping. I want us back in Reduced Power Mode—” “Commander,” Tuvok interrupted. “Your ship-to-Hub communications link is being signaled.”
“The Cartel?” Chakotay asked, surprised, checking his portable communications unit. “I don’t understand these symbols. Oovi… sentix… denar…”
“Commander, I’m reading the presence of a small craft above us,” Tuvok informed him.
“I know what that is!” Kim exclaimed. “The chemical-supply contact must be trying to deliver the anesthetic. Paris gave me a code check.”
He hurried down the ramp, as Chakotay passed him the tricorder. “I’ve got it in here somewhere.”
“It appears the vessel intends to dock in our shuttlebay,” the security chief said disapprovingly.
Chakotay watched as Kim relayed an elaborate countercode through the unit. “I know how you feel, Tuvok, but we’d better do what Paris agreed or we might not get our chemicals.”
“As you wish, sir.”
Chakotay took one look at Tuvok’s expression and made up his mind.
“Tuvok, you come with me. We’ll handle the exchange.”
As Tuvok followed him to the turbolift, Kim said hesitantly, “I wouldn’t use the lift, sir. Emergency reserves are experiencing severe power fluctuations….”
Chakotay sighed as he looked at the Jeffries tube. “I want the ODN back on-line, Mr. Kim, and I don’t care how you do it.”
“I’ll do my best, Commander. But I never wanted to be a brain surgeon.”
“Then perhaps you should go consult with our doctor. I’ll meet you in sickbay once we’ve secured the anesthetic.”
“Yes, sir.” Kim nodded glumly.
Chakotay swayed as an energy surge boosted the gravity, and Tuvok had to catch his arm to keep him from tumbling into the tube.
Settling his jacket, Chakotay gingerly stepped onto the ladder, wondering if maybe his worst nightmares were coming true.
“I was unable to raise my ship,” Janeway told Milla.
“It happens,” the assistant said vaguely. “The Cartel controls the communications in the Hub, and you never know what they’ll let through.”
“I’ve been out of touch with them for nearly a day, now. Can’t you do anything about it?”
“During tournament?” Milla lifted a looking glass on a long stick, peering through the lens. Her cream-colored hair was elaborately coiled and twisted in long curls down her back.
“I’ll see what I can do afterward. Why don’t you enjoy yourself?
It’s not many aliens who get to participate in our tournaments.”
Janeway sighed and surveyed the tournament hall, turning almost full circle to see the round room. The ceiling was slightly concave, as was the floor, which the captain found off-balancing unless she was facing the direct center.
The Tutopans apparently weren’t disturbed by the sloping floor.
They gathered in small groups, watching the tournament as they roamed through the hall or reclined on the cushioned bench that ran along the great curving wall.
Janeway couldn’t even tell a tournament was in progress, that is, until she looked through the visor Andross had lent her. Then the room leapt into vivid colors and shifting light, resolving into interlocking circles. In the center was a large island of white light. With the visor on, she could also see the movable holographic icons, which shifted whenever someone stood in a link between the circles.