Emotions Series 03 Forgotten Emotions Read online

  Harry turned his tear-streaked face towards her. "I miss him so much, Alera."

  "I know, love."

  "It's like I lost a member of the family as well as a friend," he said and pulled her to him and hugged her as more sobs wracked his body.

  "It's okay, Harry. Let it out," she said holding him close. She knew that all day he had tried to maintain a brave front for B'Elanna, the boys, and the rest of the crew. "It's time."

  Alera held him until he was finished and helped him back to their cabin. Tomorrow the future would begin.

  It was past 2200 when B'Elanna finally settled the boys down for the night and she was finally able to sit down by herself. The young widow clutched a hot cup of herbal tea and curled up on the coach. She knew that life from now on was going to be very difficult. She had come to rely on Tom for so much, he was half to their whole. Her mate for life and a very devoted, loving father. B'Elanna would miss him tremendously, but she vowed to do him proud. She would make sure that their sons grew up to be men he would have been proud of and she was determined that they would never forget their father.

  Chapter 5

  "On your feet Voyager!" Zeten roared and pulled hard on the chain that was attached to the neck of the blond man.

  Tom had no choice but to obey for they had bound his hands behind his back and tethered his legs together so he could barely walk. It been close to two weeks by his judgement. Two weeks of being confined to a cell in the ship's brig along with ten other unfortunate souls. All apparently destined for someone the Gabions referred to as The Lady.

  This morning began just like all the other mornings over the past two weeks had. Tom rose from the pallet on the floor and waited with the rest of his cell mates for the aliens' version of breakfast while his stomach growled. The menu was very consistent. You had the choice of slop, slop, or if you were really lucky, slop. Either way it was a tasteless mass of grey glop whose consistency resembled watered down mashed potatoes.

  As every morning had started, shortly after he awoke the guards came to the cell and deposited large spoonfuls of the slop into each of the cups that had been given to all of the prisoners.

  But unlike other days, after they had all eaten, several guards came back. At first, they talked amongst themselves pointing from one prisoner to the next until finally they opened the cell door. With three of the guards armed to prevent escape, they selected two of the prisoners, attached a chain to the metal collar they all wore and dragged them away. This pattern kept up until finally only Tom remained.

  "Where are you taking me!!!" he yelled at the guards. But the guards remained silent. They dragged him down the hall, up a turbolift and down another hall before finally stopping at a door. They pushed it open and dragged the pilot in with them.

  There before him stood four more aliens, two of whom came forward. They placed manacles on each of Tom's wrists and helped the guards that brought him down to immobilize him by using the chains attached to the manacles, they pulled both arms out in a spread eagle fashion.

  Behind him a door slid open and Zeten and Enskew entered the room.

  "Hold him fast," Zeten ordered the others. The four took a firm hold on the chains and the other two tightened the tether around the pilot's ankles. He was going nowhere. He was at their mercy.

  "Prepare him," Enskew said.

  One of the two that had tightened the tether around his ankles reached into an inside pocket and withdrew an ugly, large knife.

  There was nothing he could do. There was no where to run, he closed his eyes. *Please let it be swift,* he prayed. *God, please protect B'Elanna and the boys. Keep them safe. He felt one the aliens clutch the front of his grey tunic top. *This is it,* he thought. *I'll be waiting for you in Sto-Vo-Kor, my love*

  With a swift movement the tunic was sliced from the neckline to the bottom edge. Tom's eyes flew open in surprise. *What are they doing?* Next the blade came up to his shoulder the again the material was severed, and again on the other shoulder. The tunic fell to the deck leaving the pilot bare from the waist up. Next the waist band of Tom's shorts were pulled away from his body and they too soon joined the tunic on the deck and Tom was left standing naked among the aliens.

  Looking at Tom's assets Enskew eyes widened and he whispered to Zeten.

  Zeten nodded. "Yes, I think you're right. The price has risen."

  As the greedy two talked, the alien that had used the knife returned it to its hiding place and grabbed a pair of what looked to Tom like large brooms that had been resting against the wall.

  "Stop!!!" yelled Enskew. "Not those. Use the soft ones over there. We can't afford to damage this one." He pointed toward the other end of the room at a similar pair of 'brooms' but these had a soft foam-like material attached to the ends.

  The alien did as they were told and brought both of them back along with a bucket. Handing one of the 'brooms' to his partner both dipped the foam ends into the bucket of foamy water and proceeded to swap Tom, making sure to get every inch of the man.

  "Hey you know," Tom quipped. "If I smelled that bad all you had to do was tell me, I would have been glad to take a bath."

  "Quiet!!!" Zeten roared and the four holding the manacles jerked on the chains causing pain to jolt up his arms and down his back.

  When the washing was finished the two guards pressed a button on the wall and from above Tom a large quantity of ice cold water was released rinsing the soapy foam off his skin.

  Tom shook his head to try to try and get rid of as much water from his hair as possible. "What's the matter can't afford to heat the water?" he asked.

  "Take him to the holding cell and dress him," Enskew ordered and the two friends left the room.

  Tom was pulled out of the room and placed in another cell much like the one he and his fellow prisoners had occupied for the past two weeks. A white shirt and shorts where thrown in after him.

  * * * * * * * *

  Shortly after they were beamed to the planet, Tom along with most of his fellow prisoners stood in a courtyard just outside the gate of a beautiful palace. The walls of the mauve colored building glimmered in the sunlight. Finally the gate opened and two of his fellow prisoners were herded through. This continued with only a few returning until he again was the last one remaining. The Gabions forcefully pulled him out of the cell holding the chain attached to his collar.

  They walked a little ways into the palace grounds. Along the way Tom noticed that he saw mostly women. Any men that he saw were all dressed in dark green tops with short sleeves and very small shorts and they were all carrying things or pushing things.

  Finally they reached the another door and Tom was led into an opulent room. It was decorated in purple and silver. Soft lounges edged the room and potted plants where interspersed in between. Music emanated from the back of the room where several young men played strange looking instruments. Zete and Enskew were already there waiting for them with smiles on their faces.

  They brought the pilot out into the middle of the room and a tall man dress in the same dark green clapped his hands. Before long a tall elegantly dressed woman entered the room.

  "This is our best Lady Daylia," Zeten said and motioned for his guard to pull Tom forward toward the Lady.

  "What's going on here!!" Tom demanded.

  The Lady glared at him. How dare he speak in a raised voice to her? But despite his insolence he intrigued her. She looked him over and what she saw she liked very much. His eyes were the color of a clear sky, *how unusual,* she thought. And his hair was the color of the sunshine. She reached up and tried to touch the top of his head but he jerked away. "Show me more," she demanded.

  Zeten nodded his head and two of the guards and swiftly moved toward Tom. Tom struggled but the guards quickly subdued him.

  "Hey what are you do . . ." Tom started to say before a large hand clamped down over his mouth.

  The guards then removed his top for the Lady's inspection.

  "Hmmmm," she murmured. *He's
golden all over,* she thought and extended one long graceful hand up to run her slender fingers through his chest hair. *I have to have him, he's a magnificent specimen, so unique, even though he is undisciplined, but I can take care of that easy enough.*

  She removed her hand from the man's chest and spun on her heal trying to retain her aloof appearance.

  "Price?" she asked simply. It bothered her to do business with males.

  Zeten without hesitation quoted a price of 500 quens, a price five times his usual. Enskew had to fight not to be surprised at what his friend said.

  "500 quens?" the Lady asked. "That seems very steep."

  "If I may your Lady," Zeten said as he approached her. She nodded and he bent his head down to her level and whispered in her ear.

  The Lady's eyes grew wide in disbelief. Zeten bent down once more and whispered again.

  "Show me," she ordered.

  The two approached Tom who was still being restrained. Zeten reached down and grabbed the waistband of the pilot's shorts and pulled it out away from his body. The Lady peered down inside and she licked her lips. She liked what she saw.

  "Sold." she said. She motioned to the overseers of her slaves who was standing against the wall. "Take him to be trained and be sure prepare him well."

  Chapter 6

  Three months later, the senior officers were sitting around the large table in the Conference Room. It had been a very long three months. Shortly after Tom's death Voyager had been attacked by a warrior race. It was only recently that Voyager had been completely repaired. They had only traversed about fifty light-years during that time. The assembled officers were extremely solemn, but B'Elanna was most of all. Even after three busy months, she still couldn't get over the fact that her husband was gone. Her eyes always wandered to the empty chair across from her. For the first few weeks, she would stare at it. After a month, her eyes would water and she turned away. Now, she could barely look at it.

  Captain Janeway had to force herself not to look at the empty chair at every meeting. She would have gladly conducted the meetings somewhere else, but she believed the senior officers needed closure. Even after three months, to the officers it still seemed as if something was missing.

  *And something is missing,* Janeway thought as she opened the meeting, *Tom is what's missing.*

  The officers looked at her, and Janeway took a deep breath and began, "Neelix just informed me that we are low on food and Engineering needs dilithium. Mr. Kim has told me that we are nearing a system with an M-Class planet. Ensign, I want you to scan for dilithium."

  Harry just nodded his head. He had been staring at the empty chair as if his own will could bring Tom back. He knew nothing would ever be the same.

  "All right. Dismissed," Janeway said. *It's best to keep these meetings short, until they have adjusted.*

  The staff left as quietly as they entered. Not one of them said a word. Janeway was not surprised. They hadn't said a word in the meetings since Tom was killed, even the Bridge was unnaturally quiet. She understood her crew's slip into depression, she was depressed as well. The Captain also knew, though that if they didn't come out of it, soon, she would have to send them all to Sickbay.

  Janeway sighed and made her way to the Bridge. She truly wished that Tom was still alive. Things would be much better on this ship.

  *I wonder if he ever knew how much he meant to the people on this ship?* Janeway thought as she strode across the Bridge to her chair, *I wonder what he would have said if he knew?*

  Janeway stared ahead at the view screen. After three months, she still couldn't look at the conn station. She just couldn't bring herself to do so. Shortly after Tom's death, she had been on the bridge and not thinking she had called on him to report to the Bridge. Of course she received no answer and she then realized why. She could barely stop the tears from flowing. Unfortunately, B'Elanna was on the Bridge at the time, and she knew the half-Klingon didn't need to be reminded that her husband was no longer with them. Ever since then, Janeway had ceased looking at the conn station. She didn't need any reminders either.

  Janeway took a deep breath and said, "Mr. Kim. Report."

  "There is an abundance of dilithium on the third continent of the planet. There is a village nearby."

  Janeway looked at Chakotay. His expression mirrored her own. They needed the dilithium. But could they risk contact with the village to get it?

  Their questions were answered by the ensign's next statement, "Captain, we are being hailed."

  "On screen." Janeway barely held back her surprise.

  The starfield was replaced by a woman in her thirties. Her hair was wild and she had feathers and beads decorating it. Her eyes held a dominating fire in them. Her voice commanded respect as she spoke.

  "Who are you and why are you here?" the woman demanded, staring at each of them in turn. Her eyes fell lastly on Janeway.

  Janeway stood up and went to stand behind the conn, "I am Captain Kathryn Janeway, of the Federation starship Voyager. We are here, because our sensors picked up a supply of dilithium near your village."

  "Dilithium? Ah. We mine that metal as well, it is very useful and powerful." The woman raised her hand and pointed her finger at Janeway. "You are their leader?"

  Janeway nodded, "Yes. I am. May we come down and mine some dilithium?"

  The woman smiled, "My name is Daylia. Yes, you may come down. If you bring another with you, but make sure it is a woman. We don't allow men."

  Janeway nodded, "We will be there in twenty minutes."

  Daylia agreed and the screen returned to the planet.

  "Amazons," Chakotay said, "Wonderful. A race of Amazons."

  Janeway smiled. She then saw B'Elanna eyeing her. She knew that the engineer wanted to be the one to mine for the mineral. Janeway agreed completely. B'Elanna would know how much was needed and the time away from the ship would be good for her.

  "B'Elanna, you are with me. Chakotay, you have the Bridge."

  The two women then left the Bridge for the planet below.

  *****

  Janeway and B'Elanna materialized a few minutes' walk from the village. They checked their tricorders and looked at each other. The dilithium was closer to the village than they first thought. They closed their tricorders and walked toward the village.

  When they arrived in the village, they saw that the villagers were dressed very scantily. The village was inhabited by mostly women. Chakotay's words about Amazons came back to them. Indeed, these women were like the Amazons from Earth's history. They cared spears or large daggers with them as they walked. Their hair was loose and wild. They wore dark clothes that barely hid anything, and some had painted faces.

  The two were shocked by the men. The few that they saw were dressed in blue tunics and skimpy dark shorts. They were also bare footed. They walked around like zombies and seemed to be following certain women. Some of the men were attached to the women by ropes. And some were washing the women while others were massaging their bodies.

  Janeway and B'Elanna stared at each other, each coming to the same conclusion. The men were slaves to these Amazons. They had heard of older cultures on Earth and a few other planets doing this to women and other minorities, but they had never seen it done to men who appeared to be healthy and strong. They didn't like the idea of slavery at all, but they had to remind themselves that they were here for dilithium. These people's culture was none of their business.

  The two walked into the village and were greeted almost at once by Daylia. She also had two male servants behind her. She smiled at them and dipped her head in greeting.

  "Hello, Kathryn Janeway," she said. She then turned to B'Elanna, "And who is this?"

  "This is B'Elanna Torres. She is Chief Engineer on Voyager."

  Daylia eyed the half-Klingon approvingly. She smiled and nodded, "Good. Captain, I would enjoy it if you would stay for a bit. You see, we hardly get any outsiders. Those that do come, are male," she spat.

  B'Elanna
had to fight down her retort. She knew that men could be pigs. Hell, her husband used to be one, but she didn't think that was a very good reason to despise them and not have anything to do with them.

  Daylia noticed the half-Klingon's reaction to her statement. She ignored it though. She knew not to believe that all women were like her people. She knew that there were females out there that simply adored the male gender. Even staying with them after mating. She found it a waste of time and energy. She knew men were good for only one thing, and she made sure *her* men knew that.

  "That would be fine, Daylia," Janeway said, "I'm sure we could spend the night here. It is a lovely village you have."

  Daylia smiled, "Thank you, Captain. We take pride in our village. Let me show you around. J'neck, Quelin, go get Teryek ready. I would like to show these two my prize."