Lotos Days
By Penny A. Proctor
Lotos Days
By Penny A. Proctor
...And Odysseus landed in the country of the Lotos-eaters, and sent some to learn who inhabited it, but they tasted of the Lotos and remained there; for there grew in the country a sweet fruit called Lotos, which caused him who tasted it to forget everything. When Odysseus was informed of this, he restrained the rest of his men, and dragged those who had tasted the Lotos by force to the ships...
PROLOGUE
The Day Before
After seven years in the Delta Quadrant, Kathryn Janeway had learned to catalogue her headaches. There was mild throbbing behind her eyes that signaled minor irritation; the general, diffused pain of stress; and the laser beam stab of anger and frustration behind her eyes. It was the latter that caused her to lean back in the co-pilot's seat on the shuttle Copernicus and rub her forehead.
"Want a break?" Chakotay asked almost as soon as she raised her hand. He spoke quietly; Harry was sleeping behind them, despite the fact that he had managed to tuck himself into what looked like a very uncomfortable position on the passenger bench. The class-two shuttles lacked the amenities of the Delta Flyer, and the bench was the only opportunity other than the deck for horizontal rest. "I can handle this by myself for a while."
Despite her headache, she smiled at him. "That's not what B'Elanna said." Voyager's chief engineer had threatened to take Chakotay's replicator rations for the next two years and use them to replace the shuttle if it were lost or damaged while he was piloting. The Delta Flyer was still grounded after being used to supplement Voyager's power, and given the extent of repairs the ship needed, B'Elanna was in no mood to add to the workload.
"Don't remind me. She seems to think her husband is the only member of the crew she can trust with one of 'her' shuttles."
Kathryn smiled. "You have to admit, your record with shuttles is, well, a record."
"Bad luck, that's all. Most of them were lost because we were attacked."
"It's all the same to B'Elanna."
He shrugged. "I'm probably lucky she lets me fly one at all."
The invisible laser streaked behind her left eye again and she winced. "If I'd known we were heading on a wild goose chase, I'd have insisted on taking the Flyer. B'Elanna could have cannibalized three or four shuttles instead."
The last few days had been as frustrating as any in the Delta Quadrant. After a week of hard work and stretching people and power to the limit, it had become painfully obvious that B'Elanna's original estimate for repairs had been overly optimistic: Voyager lacked the resources to accomplish the needed repairs without assistance. They needed parts and equipment that they simply could not replicate or manufacture. Unless one of the four worlds in the region was willing to help them, the ship would not be space worthy again.
The Vordai had seemed the most likely to provide aid. They seemed to be the friendliest, and they had the added advantage of being closest. Kathryn asked to send a delegation to meet with the Minister of Extraplanetary Affairs and learned her first lesson about protocol in this region – in situations such as these, planetary officials would consider it an insult if anyone less than the highest ranking representatives of the petitioning government (in this case, the United Federation of Planets) called upon them. Kathryn had no choice but to go herself.
Ordinarily, she would have taken Tuvok with her, but he was still recovering from his injuries and was cleared for light duty only, and Chakotay was the only other command-rank officer available. She brought Harry Kim along as well, as she could legitimately introduce him as a member of her senior staff and he needed the experience.
The Vordai Minister had received them graciously, listened carefully, and looked deeply sympathetic. Then he said, "We would truly like to help you, Captain, but you must understand our situation. Things are very tense in this region of space. If any of the other worlds think we are providing you with aid in order to secure your military support or as part of a secret treaty with your Federation, a war will begin. We cannot help you unless all the other worlds consent in advance."
"I understand," she said, hiding her disappointment. "Would you be willing to contact them on our behalf?"
"I could, but it would do no good. You are the petitioner. They will not respond to anyone but you. And the petition must be made in person. That is how it is done."
And so they had set off for the homeworld of the Minenne Confederacy. There, the Extern Councilor had received them graciously, listened carefully, and looked deeply sympathetic. Then she said, "We would truly like to help you, Captain, but you must understand our situation," and Kathryn knew what was to follow.
Several hours later, they'd left Minenne with the sought-for consent and headed for Greve, the homeworld of the Grevel-Ash Republic, and had obtained an audience with the Secretary of Commerce. The Secretary had received them curtly, listened distractedly, and looked as if she would rather be elsewhere. "Captain Janeway," she said, "You have greatly disrupted the negotiations for the Treaty Planet. It would be best if you would repair your ship and leave."
Kathryn had forced herself to be calm. "Perhaps I did not make myself clear. Although we want nothing more than to leave, we will not be able to unless someone helps us. The Vordai are willing to do so; all we ask is that you consent to their aid."
The Secretary's eyes narrowed, making her look remarkably like a beige ferret. Her bald head was decorated with a bright green and yellow feather that bobbed as she spoke. "And what will your next request be? To colonize the planet because your ship is beyond salvage? You cannot have the Treaty Planet. If you must colonize, you can be subsumed into the Vordai or the Minenne, if they will have you."
"Madam Secretary," Chakotay said, sensing Kathryn's frustration, "you must understand our situation. We understand how tense relations are in this region and we don't want to cause any more disruption than we already have. Our Captain has vowed to get our ship and crew home or die in the attempt. If the Vordai are not permitted to help us -" he stopped, letting his silence imply that in such a case, Kathryn would be required to die.
Kathryn valiantly held her neutral expression despite Chakotay's exaggeration and Kim's bug-eyed reaction to it.
"Really? A Death Oath?" The Secretary opened her eyes and looked at Kathryn with interest. "Well. That puts things in a different light." She stood abruptly. "If the Gunrath'u Oligarchy does not object, then we will not, either. You really should have gone to them first, Captain. They've got enough power to veto anything the three other worlds agree on."
So now they were on their way to Gunrath, the home of the Gunrath'u Oligarchy, and Kathryn's head was pounding. She glanced over at Chakotay. "Tell me – how did you know the Secretary would react to that 'home or die' statement?"
He grinned. "While you were finishing up with the Minenne Extern, I spoke with his aide. He mentioned the tradition of the Death Oath as being the ultimate indicator of sincerity for the Grevel-Ash. And I didn't think I was misrepresenting your position."
"You might have warned me." She rubbed her head again, thinking, what will happen if the Gunrath'u won't agree? How will I get us out of this one? How did I let us get in this position in the first place? "Did he give you any tips on how to impress the Oligarchs?"
His smile faded. "He said obsequiousness works best."
"Fine. If I have to get down on my knees and beg, I'll do it as long as they give their consent." She would grovel if she had to; how could she not? How could she let her own ego supersede the crew who had died in the Borg attacks, the Borg who had died at her hand from biological weapons, the choices that had left her ship grounded and perhaps mortally injured? Pride was a luxury she could no longer afford.
"Don't worry," he said with a slight smile, "if anyone can charm the Gunrath'u Oligarchy, it's Kathryn Janeway. I should know. Look how you won over me and the Maquis."
Reaching across the gap between them, she touched his arm. The gesture was old between them now, and felt reassuringly familiar. "Flattery will get you nothing, but I am glad you came."
"Kathryn-" he began, but was interrupted by the sudden shrill of an alarm klaxon. "There's a ship approaching, rapidly."
Eyebrows arched, she turned to her console. "We're being hailed," she reported. "A Gunrath'u ship. I'm responding."
He glanced at her. "That was easy. I didn't think we'd find them for another five hours."
She leaned back and smiled. "Maybe we're going to be lucky for a change."