Thanks to Mia Cooper for her keen eyes and support.

Chapter 1 – Taken

Dark trunks lined the banks like sentinels, their silhouettes stark against the moonlight. Sam's arms tightened around her baby as she fled across the wide dry riverbed, a lonely black figure lost in a sea of sand. She threw herself against the vertical barrier of roots and soft earth, screaming for help. Her fingers slipped and she toppled back into the path of danger, the baby's voice joining hers over the terrifying roars growing louder by the second.

"Harry, keep going," Janeway shouted over the thundering noise. "That's an order," she added, forcibly pushing the young Ensign towards the hunched backs of people scrambling ahead of them up the slope. Only when he followed them did she turn back towards the scream.

Ignoring the deep tremors pounding under her boots, she slid down the bank and raced to where Wildman had collapsed.

"Take Naomi," Sam pleaded.

Behind the Captain, an explosion of dirty foam hit the far wall of the canyon, tearing towards them. Janeway reached out for the baby, then yanked the young woman to her feet. "This way," she yelled, "I won't leave—"

The mountain of water rushed past, taking all three in its deadly embrace.

###

Shell-shocked, the men and women greeted each other in muted voices as they emerged onto the plain above the rampaging river. Some were limping, others had deep gashes on their arms and faces from their blind flight to higher grounds. Small groups merged into larger ones, moving towards a bonfire just visible through the cloud of spray thrown up high in the night sky.

Chakotay walked among them, leading them to the warmth of the fire and doing a quick roll call at the same time. As more people reached the beacon he'd lit, his alarm grew.

"Ayala," he asked, recognising his friend among the latecomers, "have you seen the Captain and Tuvok?"

"Weren't they both staying with Kim and Torres' group for the night?" The younger man looked around. "I don't see them either. They were sleeping downstream from us. Might take them longer to reach us, that's all," he said.

He took on the exhausted people huddling around the fire. "What do you want me to do?"

Chakotay squeezed Ayala's shoulder in a silent thank you. "Find Kes and see to the wounded," he answered, breathing a bit easier. "Also, get an idea of what gear we've managed to save."

There was no point trying to search for people in the dark, he thought. They would see the bonfire and make their way in their own time. Janeway was most probably staying with the slower crew members, helping them towards safety.

He just wanted to cast his eyes over her and hear her telling him she was fine with that light smirk of hers. She'd already gently berated him when he'd tried, unsuccessfully, to make her more comfortable during the cold nights.

A few days after they were stranded, she had taken to staying with a different group each night, reassuring them and supporting their leaders during the long trek across the inhospitable planet. In the mornings, he met with her and Tuvok for a quick discussion on where to go, but he missed their evenings together talking about anything but their predicament, soothed by the warmth of her voice and that of her body close to his.

A cry pulled him out of his recollection.

"Commander, I can't find Captain Janeway," Harry Kim called, the words tumbling out as he rushed towards Chakotay. He was covered in mud, his uniform sleeves and legs ripped to shreds. "We heard the alarm and started to gather the others and run. There was this scream behind us, a woman I think. The Captain turned back. I haven't seen her since."

Kim looked around as if he was expecting to see Janeway's comforting smile any minute now.

Torres was following close on the young man's heels. "I saw Tuvok and a few other people run towards the north bank," she said, hands on knees, catching her breath. "She must have gone with them."

Chakotay simply nodded, not wanting to add to the young man's worries. B'Elanna had to be right. He did not want to think that the latest disaster to befall the crew had also grabbed Janeway in its clutches.

"Yes, of course," Kim said, his back straightening. "Sorry, it's just… I think I'll go and help Neelix, then." Still dazed, he moved off without waiting to be dismissed.

Chakotay looked across the bucking waters. In the darkness and heavy mist, he could not make out the far-off shore.

They had been following the dry river bed for a few days, finding fresh water underneath the sand and shade from the gnarled trees growing on the banks. Food, although not plentiful, was easier to dig up than on the barren plain.

The respite had not lasted. During the night, a far away storm had fallen onto the parched land, feeding rivulets and gullies until a wall of muddy water mixed with whatever it had scoured off on its careering travel had surged upon the night camp. The deep rumble rushing down towards them had been their saviour, giving the sentries a few minutes to ring the alarm and the rest of the crew time run to higher grounds.

They would have to wait until dawn to contact whoever had made it to the other side of the river, he thought.

B'Elanna put her hand on his shoulder. "We'll find them," she said. "We'll find them all."

###

The small bundle squirmed under her arm, wailing. The woman held it close, and hitched herself on the shore, dragging her throbbing leg behind like a rag doll. Inch by inch, she freed herself from the cold water's hold until the river stopped shaking the earth behind her. Breathing heavily, she laid on her back, the baby tight against her chest.

The stars above weaved a pattern she did not know. She was not sure why it was important to look up, why it was something she had done before.

The baby was still making its discomfort known. The face of a woman with blond hair came to her mind, her features distorted by fear. It disappeared as quickly, pulled back into a roaring jumble. She had no recollection of how she had come to be caught in the dangerous waters.

A flicker caught her attention, pins of light bobbing among clouds laden with the heavy scent of loam. Her fingers hit the left side of her chest as if expecting help to come from the gesture, but finding nothing.

The four humanoids approaching her were covered in animal skins and woolly blankets, long dark hair framing furrowed features she did not recognise. She had expected others to come, people clad in the same smooth black fabric as her tattered clothes, although the memory of who they might be eluded her.

She used her good leg to prop herself in a sitting position. A small wizened man shoved the end of a blazing torch in her eyes, barking incomprehensible sounds. She turned aside, putting her body over the baby to shield it from the dripping tar. Strong hands prized her arms open, and the wrenching left her with a cold pit in the chest.

She called out, but only hoarse and indistinct sounds came out of her throat. The bundle passed from hand to hand, wet clothing discarded until the baby's pale skin glowed among a circle of flames. Cackles and laughs filled the air while the baby protested the latest insult thrown at its short life. Its wails turned into small sobs. A high-pitched voice rang out. The sobs stopped, replaced by the satisfied gurgles of a feeding infant.

The old man planted the torch in the sand and sat on his heels, his hand clasping a strong staff. She held his gaze, momentarily reassured of his good intentions towards her young charge. Leaning over, he brought his hand to her temple, then withdrew it, blood coating his fingers. She copied his motion, wincing as she probed the cool muck mixed with grit that covered the left side of her head, from the eyebrow to behind the ear.

Roiling dirty water and sharp boulders flashed in her mind, tumbling waves carrying her and the baby away from... from ... . The thought shattered, thwarting her attempt to recall something, anything.

The gurgles slowed. A small burp was met with more laughs. Then, the humanoids started to walk away, taking the baby with them. Panicking, the woman pushed herself up. The ground underneath and the stars above shifted. She collapsed, close to blacking out.

Hard fingers continued to prod her body, bringing her other injuries to light. Dark eyes watched her inhale sharply as the old man poked the side of her chest, then moved to her broken leg. She recognised the tell-tale pain from past accidents she did not remember.

At a shout from the old man, a tall shape came running back from the shadows. His face was smoother but stronger looking, a mature adult compared to the frail elder, the woman thought. The two men made more noises, the taller one pointing to the departing group, the older one sounding sharp and authoritative. She had no idea what was going on, and tried once again to stand up. The old man pushed her down while the younger one dropped at her side, holding her upper leg with his strong dark hands, just above the knee.

The old man bent over and grabbed her ankle. He pulled and twisted, and she screamed until darkness mercifully claimed her and she felt nothing.

###

"It's been three weeks since the Kazon have taken Voyager and still you say you don't have enough ships. If we'd attacked then, we would have had a chance to get the crew and Voyager back." Paris paced the small room.

Weeks of searching for help had yielded nobody brave enough, or stupid enough, to stand up to the Kazon-Nistrim and their shiny new ship. Only Neelix' people had not laughed at him or tried to steal the shuttle. That did not mean they were bending backwards to help him.

"We will not commit suicide, Lieutenant," the Talaxian Commander said, hands flat on the table.

"When Neelix contacted you, you agreed to help. I've been holding you on that promise, but you've done nothing."

"We promised our assistance before your ship got captured. You were very lucky to escape at the time but our freight ships and your shuttle are no match for the Kazon fleet with Voyager added to it. We are a mining colony, not a military base. My position here is purely for security reasons."

"Commander Paxim, if you don't do something soon, the Kazon will attack every single Talaxian outpost in the surrounding systems. They could do some real damage when they turn against your people."

Paxim sighed heavily. "I realise that, but against that combined fire power, we do need more ships. It has been taking more time that I thought to convince the commanders of the other colonies to see the urgency of the situation, but we are making progress."

Paris wanted to shout and scream at the Talaxian, but he could hardly go to war without allies.

He could not believe the entire crew had disappeared without a trace, but there had been no news about them on any of the planets and dingy trade stations he'd visited. Surely by now, somebody on the ship would have managed to escape or turn the tables on the Kazon.

What was the Captain doing? he asked himself.