Disciples of Altruism

Author: Christina and Penny Proctor

Summary: The mission isn't going as planned. A mysterious ship with 2 Vidiians who recently died of the Phage may be enough to destroy all of Kes's hopes.

Prologue

Brilliant orange and red flames spiraled and swirled upward, feeding on the buildings in its path. Denara Pel stood on the hill, mesmerized by the blossoming flames. She'd never seen anything like it. Flames magically appeared blocks from the fire, caused by sparks carried by the fire-generated winds. Chaos ruled in the streets as panicked residents fled to the nearby park, to any open space that might be safe. Amazingly, it was only an hour since she had been among them, fleeing for her own life.

Denara stared at the wild scene below her, her arms hanging at her sides. She shivered as another vortex of flames spiraled upward. The memory of her apartment building exploding into flame as she'd run out the door now seem oddly distant, almost as if it had happened to someone else.

"Denara," Dr. Krazel Lem, her assistant, said quietly as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "The first victims are coming in."

She nodded blankly. Her home for the past six years-everything she owned-was lost. All she had now were the clothes she was wearing. "Dr. Pel?"

The voice of her assistant cut through the fog of her brain. She blinked. "Patients?"

"Yes, Dr. Pel." She let him guide him her away from the cliff edge overlooking the southern districts of Vidalia, the political capital of Vidiia.

"Do you know if the clinic is in the path of the fire?" she asked without hope as they walked toward what was going to become a makeshift triage unit and morgue. She knew their outreach clinic was gone-everything in the neighborhood was gone. The fire made it bright enough in the predawn light for her to believe that the entire district was doomed.

"Denara, we'll survive." He stopped walking. "Are you all right?"

"I'll be okay. You?"

"Fine," he said it flatly. He wasn't any better than she was. "More survivors are arriving."

"You set up triage. Press any of the uninjured-anyone who can help-into service. We're going to need bandages, water...especially water."

"I've already started. Captain Por is helping to coordinate. Additional medical help is being called in from outside Vidalia. Water is going to be a problem. The district tower was makeshift, remember? It burned to the ground." He pointed in the general direction of where the temporary water tower had once stood. "They're bringing in water trucks, but apparently there's some problem accessing the main aquifer."

She nodded numbly as she surveyed the site. Someone had erected a large tent. "We'll need tables. And some means of heating water when we get it." She grimaced when he frowned. No, they wouldn't be allowed to start a fire, even to boil water. "Explain why sterile equipment is necessary-especially with burns. An ultraviolet source would also work. Or . Or cerritonol if there's nothing else." She broke into a run when she noticed the Vidalia City Guard arriving, bearing stretchers.

"Dr. Pel?" a burly Vidiian female in the gray uniform of the City Guard asked. "If you would follow me. I'm Captain Por."

"How bad is the fire?"

"I haven't heard anything official," Por said, "but I've heard most of the Meyel district is up in flames. They've started demolishing buildings to create a firebreak near the Horspant Hospital. We should be safe here, the prevailing wind is blowing the fire toward the lake."

Meyel and Horspant, she thought, two of the poorest districts in Vidalia-the planetary capital of Vidiia. Too many temporary wooden shelters and not enough enforcement of the building codes. Too many desperate refugees looking for work and a cure for all their woes...just too many and not enough...

She took a deep breath-she had a job to do, there would be time later to think. "What do we have?"

"So far two burn cases and a sprained ankle. We've put them in the hospital tent. My troops are also working on finding tents to provide temporary shelter for the survivors. What kind of help will you require?"

"Other medical personnel? Equipment?" Captain Por shook her head, so Denara continued, "Dr. Lem is setting up a triage." They both glanced back at the fire. "Find me anybody who wants to help; anybody who is healthy." Por pulled the flap of the tent back and Denara walked over to her first patient.

Captain Kathryn Janeway wondered at the irony as she entered the transporter room. The last time she'd gone into the Ocampan underground city had been to find two missing crewmembers, angry that they'd been taken in the first place. Chakotay and Tom had been with her then. She would have liked them to accompany her now, but...

Ambassador Shuba Diaza's antennae twitched, a sign, she'd learned on their journey, of his impatience. Fortunately, the arrival of the rest of the away team cut off any comment he might have made.

Not that she lacked comments of her own. Her original plans had been overruled by the ambassador with very little explanation. She had intended to have Tom, Dr. Zimmerman, and Chakotay accompany her, on the theory that familiar faces would provide welcoming reassurance to the Ocampans. Instead, Diaza had exercised his authority over diplomatic contacts and decreed that the landing party would be the ambassador, Daeja Thev and two security guards-and Captain Janeway, if she insisted.

*It could be worse*, she thought. *We could have Prolak with us, too*. The Romulan observer had asked to come, but Diaza had found some elaborately polite way to say no. At least Prolak could take that up with him.

On the other hand, she probably would still have to argue with the Andorian about her decision to send the Pioneer to New Earth to begin preliminary surveying, ahead of the rest of the fleet. She wanted Odyssey and Voyager here, at yellow alert, since the Kazon were still a force in the sector (even if the intelligence reports supplied by the Vidiians and Kes indicated little activity in the immediate region) Suddenly she wondered if Diaza had plans to negotiate with the Kazon.

"At least he allowed you along," Daeja Thev whispered. Kathryn just nodded. She suspected that Ambassador Shuba Diaza would have preferred her to remain on the ship.

"Captain," the young ensign at the transporter console said. "We've received confirmation of your destination. I've entered the coordinates."

"Very good." Kathryn glanced around then motioned everyone to step onto the transporter pads. She rather hoped Diaza's frown was because the ensign had spoken to her and ignored him. When everyone was in place, she nodded.

The five reappeared in an enormous underground chamber. It was larger than she remembered. And much more crowded. She'd known the Ocampan population was increasing, but she'd not known by how much. No wonder they were looking for a new world.

"Captain!" Kathryn suddenly found herself on the receiving end of a bear hug. For a moment, she couldn't see who it was, but the voice was unmistakable.

"Kes," she said, returning the embrace, but carefully. The bones beneath her hands felt frail, and the body too thin.

The Ocampan stepped back. Her hair was thin and white, her skin wrinkled, but the eyes were still bright-and filled with apprehension. Still, her smile was welcoming. "Oh, it's so good to see you again."

"And you," Kathryn replied without hesitation. This was the Kes she remembered, the sweet soul and trusted friend. The unfortunate incident when she returned to Voyager was clearly an aberration. She smiled and was pleased to see Kes relax.

The potentially awkward moment over, Kathryn became formal once again. "This is Ambassador Shuba Diaza and his attaché, Commander Daeja Thev."

"And I'd like to introduce counsel members Vertris and Mairel," Kes answered.

Shuba Diaza stepped forward and bowed politely before council member Vertris. "I wish to thank you for your generous invitation to the Federation to assist in your relocation. I hope this is going to be the start of a warm relationship..."

Kes nodded at him, but turned to Kathryn. "Couldn't the Doctor or Neelix come?"

Kathryn adopted her poker face as Diaza took over the diplomatic conversation. Annoying as he was, she couldn't afford to antagonize the ambassador. "Neelix and the Doctor are on the ship. They can't wait to see you." That was something else the ambassador had objected to, Neelix and Sarexa's transferring to Voyager.

"How is Neelix?" Kes asked. Janeway frowned at the question, as she wondered just what to tell her.

"He's fine." Janeway hesitated, then added diffidently, "He brought his wife." She relaxed when Kes's smile grew bigger.

"I'm so glad he found someone."

Impulsively, she took both of Kes's hands in her own. "Her name is Sarexa, and she's Talaxian. One of the survivors from a Borg ship we rescued."

"I'd heard you destroyed the Borg."

"We don't know for sure how much damage we did." Kathryn wondered just how Kes had known that-but felt compelled not to ask-at least not in the presence of others.

Kes nodded, then stepped back. "Captain, I'd like to apologize..."

"Kes, I understand." Whatever else Kes was going to say was cut off by a cough. They returned their attention to Ambassador Diaza. "Ambassador?"

"Captain Janeway," he said in a flat voice. "It's so good of you to pay attention to these proceedings. We will be meeting with the Ocampan Council now. If you would care to attend?"

"Captain Janeway," Mairel said with a polite bow. "We have heard so much about you."

Thank you," she replied. She guessed he was three or four years old, a thought that suddenly gave her pause. It seemed strange to think that of all the Ocampa present, it was likely that only Kes had been alive when Voyager had first visited this planet.

"Does it seem much changed since you were here?" Mairel asked as they walked toward one of the tunnels leading away from the chamber.

"Yes. A lot has changed."

"As you can see, our population is growing," Kes said. "The supplies and energy the Caretaker left us are running out."

"How did he expect you to survive once they ran out?" Kathryn had puzzled over this for years.

"He didn't," Kes said angrily. "Which is why he deliberately repressed our fertility, so our species would slowly become extinct over time." Kathryn looked at her curiously, and Kes took a quick breath before she resumed speaking in a much quieter voice. "I can't believe it was mere chance that our food supplies were contaminated with a compound that suppressed our fertility. Is it coincidence that as we've had to raise and eat more and more of our own food, our life spans have also increased?"

With a discreet cough, Diaza turned and glared at Kathryn. She didn't have to be a telepath to know he was displeased with the course of the conversation. Then, apparently satisfied that he had made his point, he quite deliberately moved closer to Vertris and several other council members who'd joined the group.

At the same time, two of the Ocampan councilors glanced at Kes with a look of dismay. Kes bowed her head politely. "I'm being reminded that this not part of today's agenda. I'll fill you in later."

Janeway nodded, and then quickly changed the topic-to a safer one, she hoped. "Have you heard from Dr. Pel?"

"I contacted her about a month ago. She has made progress in her research, even if she is feeling frustrated by her sponsors. She finds their need for profit to be..." Kes looked straight at ambassador Diaza "...annoying."

It took some effort for Kathryn to suppress a smile. The years had fallen away, and the rapport she and Kes had shared before was as strong as ever. "I look forward to seeing her when we arrive at Vidiia."

"She'll be delighted." Kes frowned, her brow knitting with worry. "Her sponsors remind me of the Caretaker-seemingly full of good intentions, but with a purpose of their own."

Kes didn't continue their conversation, but Janeway wondered. The Caretaker had been arrogant-and truly had believed his Ocampa *children* would not survive without his presence.

She smiled. She almost wished she could tell the Caretaker, 'I told you so.'

Not only were the Ocampa surviving, they were thriving.

Molan Var scratched his Phage scarred ear in frustration. They were behind in ore production, again. But there wasn't much he could do about it; not with a quarter of his workforce in the hospital and his superiors unable (or was it unwilling, he wasn't sure which) to provide more miners. The cure of the Phage had resulted in a sharp decrease in his supply of Vidiians and other 'volunteers' to work the mines. There were ways to keep miners, but as time progressed, it became harder find new ones.

"Well," he muttered, "it was a good thing while it lasted." It really had been. He had accumulated a substantial fortune during his thirty years with the mines. He hoped to retire soon-before anyone, especially his superiors, became too curious how he had accumulated his wealth.

He returned his attention to the report from his superiors. He didn't understand their concern with this Federation. What was it, anyway? So the Vidiian Sodality planned to get a new ally. If Molan Var, who kept a vigilant eye on the ever-shifting balance of power in this part of space, had never heard of it, the Federation couldn't be much of a threat. He believed that his superiors were too concerned about this alliance, and losing their perspective. The lack of new miners was the crisis-this development was only a possible problem.

He growled softly at the sharp knock at his door. He had given explicit orders he wasn't to be disturbed for a full hour: he had ten more minutes. "Enter," he called out angrily.

His aide, Waltett Wom, entered. "Sir, two of the hospital patients are missing."

"Missing?" He frowned. Unauthorized departures, while uncommon, did happen. They were an inconvenience and took time away from more important things. "Organize search parties and find them." He started to return to his reports, but Wom wasn't leaving. He looked up again. "Is there something else?"

Wom hesitated. "Yes, sir. One of the small transports is missing."

"A transport?" Var screamed, jumping to his feet. He had only five of the small craft designed to haul light equipment over comparatively short distances-so old they were barely useful, but he wasn't likely to get any more. "Organize a planetary search and get the every ship we've got up and looking for them." Wom backed away as Var marched toward the door. "Order a lockdown of all miners. I want a complete report-and the heads of those who let them escape."

"Yes, sir!" Wom followed Var out the door.

"And," Var said once they were outside. He sneezed several times as the constant wind pushed dust up his nose, and then dragged his forearm across his face to clean the mess. "Get me a clear link to Vidiia."

"Sir, those patients will be dead in days-if they aren't already."

Var shook his head, wondering how anyone could be that stupid. "Tell me, Wom-if the missing miners are discovered, what do you think will happen?"

He nodded at the look of enlightenment in Wom's eyes. "I understand, sir."