Chapter Twelve

Allucia opened her eyes. Her temper flared. She was about to scream again, but instead she closed her eyes and counted to ten. She was still held by the restraining field. Tom, Kathryn, Chakotay, and the Doctor were hovering over her, staring at her intently.

"Fine. I promise not to run again, just lemme out!" She sent an appealing look to Kathryn, who nodded to the Doctor. There was a shimmer as the field was turned off. She sat up. "Will everyone quit staring at me?!"

Kathryn spoke up. "Allucia, we know we can't force you to talk about what happened to you. But we can keep you in Sickbay for your own safety until the Doctor says you're well enough to leave." Then the Captain's expression turned to one of pleading, and she spoke quietly. "Please. If you don't let it out, it will kill you. You don't have to talk to anyone. Write it down if you wish. If you want to talk to someone, choose someone you're comfortable with."

Allucia gazed back at Kathryn, her face nor eyes revealing thought or emotion. Kathryn groaned inwardly. Apparently piloting wasn't the only skill Allucia had picked up from Tom, it was that damned mask he wore as well.

There was a minute of thick, awkward silence. Allucia's mind wanted to defy the Captain until they reached the Alpha Quadrant, but her heart knew there was no choice, there was no way of getting out of Kathryn Janeway's grasp. "Fine," Allucia said flatly. "I'll spill, but only if Tom is there." Allucia looked to Tom.

"Of course," Tom said, nodding.

Later that evening, Allucia, Chakotay, and Tom were in a back room of Sickbay. Chakotay and Tom were talking quietly across the room from Allucia, sitting on a couch. Allucia couldn't hear them from where she was standing, but she knew they were talking about her. She stood and gave an order of extra-sweet raktajino to the replicator.

"Use of the replicator has been restricted to the specified account." the Computer crisply stated.

"Stupid piece of fucken shit!" Allucia cried, smacking the top of the replicator with her bad hand.

"Ensign! Control yourself!" Chakotay snapped, but not too harshly.

Tom did a double-take. It was one thing to hear that his adopted sister was not herself, but quite another to see it.

Allucia grumbled and threw herself on the empty couch next to Tom. "Sorry." she said, exasperated.

"Would you like to start?" Chakotay asked. Tom meanwhile got the raktajino from the replicator, which served to calm her a bit.

"I guess. Where?"

Chakotay thought for a moment. "I would like to know what happened in the house."

Allucia closed her eyes and nodded, tears quickly welling up behind them. Her mood swings never ceased to amaze the First Officer. But she knew that to get through this she would have to bare her soul. She started off the day she'd went to the main house. "I never did anything out of the ordinary, nothing to attract attention, I was biding my time. I just did my tasks as they were assigned to me, no more, no less.

"I didn't trust anyone, not even the girls I shared a dormitory with. They were let out once and a while to go to town, except for me since I was new and untrustworthy. I think I was there in the house a few weeks when one of the girls snuck into Sarix's room. She's the so-called 'lady of the house.'"

Chakotay saw out of the corner of his eyes Tom immediately stiffen. He knew what happened next.

"I wasn't the thief. But they suspected me, since I was new. So I took the blame," Allucia continued, her voice growing shaky. "Hoping I could gain the trust of whoever had really done it, because if they could steal jewelry, maybe they knew where I could get tools."

"And then," she said, her voice starting to squeak, her dull blue eyes filling with tears, "Sarix had me punished. Her aide tortured me for hours, demanding that I confess to stealing.

"When Satax, the aide, got bored, I was dumped back into the dormitory, I was barely conscious." By now tears were freely streaming down her checks, and not being able to take it anymore, a few sobs escaped her.

Tom leaned over from where he was sitting next to the ensign and gathered her in a hug. "I should have never told you to go up there," he said quietly. "This is all my fault."

Allucia pulled part-way out of the hug and looked up to Tom. "If I hadn't, we might not be here right now." she sniffed. "Let me finish." Tom nodded. Feeling a little calmer next to Tom, she leaned against him and he put an arm around one of her shoulders. "I wouldn't let them get to me. I went straight back to my chores. The girl who had been in Sarix's room agreed to help me, and got my combadge and some tools out to Tom. There was no way I could have done it, not with the increased security I was under."

Then Allucia got choked up again. "Then later that day they discovered the tools were missing. So I got punished for that too, but it was partly my fault anyway. And when I came to do my chores the next day, apparently Sarix had had it with me. They set me up... at that point I could barely push a mop, so they gave me this huge ceramic tray filled with food and told me to take it halfway across the house. I was barely out of the kitchen when my arms gave out and everything went to the floor and the tray shattered. They took me to the house's dungeon, the same place I had been tortured."

The young girl buckled entirely, crying freely now. "I was locked up with no food or water, and it was plain they planned to keep it that way. And they beat me every night. I only survived because two of the girls, the only ones who had shown any kindness to me, brought me water." She buried her face in her arms. "That's all I remember..."

"I think that is enough for now." Chakotay said quietly. Everyone shared sad, worried looks as Tom did his best to console Allucia, rubbing her back.

Epilogue

Nearly two months had passed since Tom and Allucia had been rescued. The teenager was pretty traumatized over the whole ordeal, but the pain seemed to lessen as the days passed. When she was finally well enough to resume her piloting lessons with Tom, she found her mood improved dramatically. Allucia didn't quite understand it herself, but when she was flying, she was able to lose herself in it and not be distracted by negativity.

She was still dealing with the mental and physical fallout from her experience. However, as she hung out with Tom more often she got to know B'Elanna better. As it turned out, the two got on rather well, especially if they were ganging up on Tom.

But Allucia knew she never wanted to be in a position again where her safety was out of her control. She wanted to learn how to defend herself, and she planned to do something about it. A few weeks ago B'Elanna had offered to teach her Klingon calisthenics, or Mok'Bara.

She wasn't going to stop with Mok'Bara, though. The ensign walked up to the Chief-of-Security's quarters and pressed the door sensor.

"Come," Tuvok called.

Allucia entered. She walked in a few steps and stood as straight as she could.

"How can I help you, Ensign?" Tuvok inquired, not looking up from his game of Kal-toh.

"I was inquiring about the Vulcan martial arts course you are offering, sir." Allucia said. "I would like to enroll." Allucia thought how she never forgot protocol around Tuvok. Who could?

Tuvok raised an eyebrow as he turned his gaze from his game to the young ensign. "Vulcan martial arts, called Suus Mahna, requires much mental discipline and physical stamina. Are you certain you could withstand it?"

Allucia turned her head to face Tuvok. "Permission to speak freely sir?" she asked.

"Granted."

"After my recent experiences, I believe both would be beneficial to me. And I have survived much worse."

Tuvok nodded. "That is logical. I will enroll you on one condition: that you be cleared with the Doctor first."

Allucia just barely suppressed a grin. "Yes sir!" she said.

"It starts tomorrow evening. I suggest getting your physical tonight. Dismissed."

A few minutes later Allucia skipped into Sickbay. "Yoo hoo, Doc, your favorite patient is here!"

"Joy of joys. I can hardly contain my happiness." the Doc replied in his usual sardonic tone. "What can I do for you, Ensign?"

"I want to take Commander Tuvok's martial arts course. He said he would enroll me as long as I was cleared by you." Allucia said as she hopped up on a biobed.

The hologram quickly scanned his patient with a tricorder. "There seems to be nothing wrong with you today... you are well enough to take the course. Just try not to come in here too often, please."

"I promise. Thanks Doc!" Allucia called as she left Sickbay. She jogged down the hall to the turbolift. Today was her last starship piloting lesson on the holodeck. After this, she would continue her training behind the real helm.

Allucia walked up to Holodeck Two. Tom was waiting outside as usual. "Last lesson kiddo," Tom said as he finished putting in commands into the wall console. "It'll be a breeze." He slapped her on the back amiably as they walked into the holodeck together.

The teenager smirked. "Then I take over—"

"Surprise!" came about three dozen voices. Allucia and Tom were surrounded by other crewmembers and all of the senior staff.

"Tom..." Allucia trailed off, her voice raising an octave. She stopped in mid-stride.

"Yes?" Tom responded, mimicking her octave. He was in pig mode, and smirking like there was no tomorrow.

"Holodeck Two, tomorrow 0500. Bring a bat'leth."

"Gotcha." he said, giving her a slight shove. "Now go. Your public awaits."

"Uhhhh... what's the occasion?"

Neelix came up to the foundling and put an arm around her, guiding her forward towards the sea of people before her. "This is your party just-to-have-a-party. Everyone deserves to know that people care about them."

"Ummmm... uh... ummmmm..."

The Talaxian lead her to the head of a table. Allucia sat down and surveyed her surroundings. It was a softball field, with a pool in the outfield. But it wasn't just any softball field. It was Allucia's Central Park field, to catch on when she was at home, whenever she played. It was less than ten miles from her home in Bensonhurst, by subway.

"I... uh... don't know what to say..." blabbered Allucia, and then she started to cry. Tom went to ask what was wrong but she cut him off. "I'm okay," she said, wiping her tears with her uniform sleeve. "This is just so nice of everyone..." Her breath caught in her throat as she spoke, and she hiccupped.

"Aw, come here," Kathryn said, gathering Allucia in a hug, then kissed her on the forehead. "Now don't you make me cry now!" she chided.

Tom was working the grill an hour later when someone slapped his rear, and left it there long enough for him to get chills up his spine. Tom yelped. "Yikes! 'Lanna, must you do that in public?"

B'Elanna appeared at Tom's side. "You loved every nanosecond of it, Flyboy."

Tom gave her a feral grin. "I know." he said, wrapping an arm around B'Elanna's waist, then pinched her own rear. B'Elanna yelped, then leaned on Tom, giggling.

"Such inappropriate behavior in front of Naomi," scolded a familiar, high-pitched female voice, though the child in question had only run by without noticing while chasing a runaway kite.

Tom handed B'Elanna the spatula he had been using to flip burgers. "Hold this. I have to teach an ensign a lesson." he said.

"Uh oh!" Allucia said as Tom turned around and swiftly darted for her before she had a chance to run for it. She screeched as he threw her over his shoulder. "Tom, no, put me down, please, I'm sorry... B'Elanna help me!" Allucia began swatting Tom with her empty paper plate, her only weapon.

"Oh nooooo, Lush. I have to teach you a lesson." Tom mocked. B'Elanna put down the spatula and followed.

"What about the piloting?!" Allucia squealed, making a desperate and hopeless appeal, which Tom ignored. "Don't all those lessons count?!" A few moments later, a kicking and screaming Allucia was thrown into the pool. She came up sputtering but giggling, and of course, wet. "Awww, what did I do?" she asked, feigning innocence, then gave Tom a good splash.

B'Elanna started laughing, seeing Tom get splashed, so much that she didn't notice Tom had picked her up until it was too late. "Tom, no! Don't you—"

A half-Klingon lieutenant joined a human ensign in the water. Twenty feet away, a human commander grinned evilly at a human captain.

"Chakotay, you wouldn't."

The first officer's grin widened, as did Kathryn's green eyes in fear. She put down her drink, and got up, backing away from him; Chakotay grabbed Kathryn's wrists before she could get too far.

"I would."

"I'll throw you in the brig!" Kathryn said helplessly, leaning back as he pulled her forward, her feet dragging on the grass.

"I'll take my chances!" a grinning Chakotay shot back.

A few moments later Kathryn and Chakotay fell in the water together.

1998 Spaz Productions