“I’m going to bring us in at warp and put us right behind the moon; hopefully it will shield us from their sensors,” Riker stated as he maneuvered the little ship with a practiced ease and grace one would have thought he would have lost during his time in the mines.

“Just don’t slam us into the surface or it’s all over,” Ro added dryly as he shot her a look out of the corner of his eye.

“Four, three, two, one--we’re in orbit,” he reported as the internal dampeners took over to keep them from going face first into the front viewport on the little ship.

“I thought Tom Paris was the only pilot who could accomplish that maneuver without killing everyone,” Chakotay snorted as he laughed a little wryly. What he wouldn’t have give to have Tom and B'Elanna with him right now. Their friendly camaraderie would have been welcome, as well as the fact that they were both former Maquis themselves.

“Who do you think I learned it from?” Riker tossed him a grin over his shoulders. “I’m prepared to transport you down.”

“Scan for Bajoran lifesigns,” Chakotay ordered.

“I have a small concentration of Bajoran lifesigns in Lakarian City and a lone signal on the outskirts, east of the forest.” Tom pulled up a schematic of the surface and pointed to illustrate his words.

“That has to be the Colonel who was in charge of Kathryn. Transport me there and keep a lock on me,” Chakotay decided as he looked. It had to be Reanla. He could feel it in his heart and in every fiber of his being.

“The single lifesign just disappeared, Chakotay,” Ro told him as her fingers flew across the board, trying to make adjustments and re-modulate the scanners.

“Just beam me down near her last known coordinates,” he barked as he stepped on the transporter pad. "Energize.”

**

Kathryn strained to see what he was doing as he stepped away, half-melting into the shadows once more. The contractions in her belly were beginning to come harder and it was getting more difficult to hide her discomfort. She didn’t want to give away the fact that she was in labor. She could only imagine the method with which he would birth her twins if he knew the moment was imminent.

As though he read her mind, Kalaim turned back around with a vicious looking blade with a jagged edge. “You thought I didn’t know, didn’t you?” he demanded as he approached her. His smile returned. “I know my blows sent you into labor about an hour ago, and I am going to help along the inevitable.”

“No!” she screamed as she wrenched her hands in the bonds.

“Befitting, isn’t it, Janeway? I’ll never get to meet Katell's boy--and your Maquis spawn will never take their first breaths.” Kalaim held the blade up for a long moment, its edge catching the light, before lowering it to her belly.

At that instant, Reanla lunged through the doorway and down the short set of stairs, firing off two blasts from her phaser. Both struck Kalaim in the arm, causing him to snarl in pain. The blade fell to the other side of the table to clatter on the floor, harmless. He whirled to face her, blue eyes blazing with what she recognized as the beginnings of blood lust.

"Release Kathryn and I'll let you walk out of here." And she meant it--for the time being. Once Kathryn was safe, it would be a simple move to make a comm call to Derrak and tell him just who they were looking for.

"So you can stun me when my back is turned? I don't think so, Colonel." The blade was out of his reach, but he snapped up the laser scalpel, thumbing it on and aiming the ray for Kathryn's throat. "I suggest you toss me your phaser, unless you want to be explaining to Militia Command and Starfleet how you couldn't even keep a single admiral properly guarded."

Reanla's aim didn't waver. She didn't move an inch, except for one thumb, using it to silently push the phaser's level to kill. "One shot and you're dead, Tinalo."

Kalaim's smile was pure evil. "And if I drop this--just where do you think it will land, hmm?" With his free hand, he slowly drew a line across his own throat. His smile faded to be replaced with the cold, vicious expression from just moments before. "You have five seconds, Colonel."

Reanla knew he was right. She was an excellent shot, especially at close range, but there was no possible way she could disarm him this time without serious injury to Kathryn. Powering the phaser down, she held it out to him. He smirked, snatching it from her hand and tossing it to the far side of the room, aiming the scalpel at her throat this time. "I'll give you credit for trying--"

The instant after he turned away from Kathryn, Reanla grabbed his wrist, snapping it back hard enough to cause him to fumble his grip on the scalpel. It tumbled from his hand, grazing his flesh on the way, but he ignored the pain it caused as he lunged at Reanla, knocking her to the ground.

Kalaim snarled as he pinned her down and straddled her. The little Bajoran bitch wasn’t going to get the best of him, not when he was this close to retribution. He would kill her with his bare hands and then finish off Kathryn and the Maquis spawn. He backhanded her across the face and then wrapped his hands around her throat. “Stupid Bajoran bitch. You thought you would just storm in here and stop me? You’re a fool and now you’re going to die.”

Despite the red haze misting her vision, Reanla managed to aim a glancing blow at the side of Kalaim's skull. It was enough to loosen his grip just enough and she flung his weight off her, rolling quickly to the side before he could jump her again. Something hard jabbed into her hip and reaching for it, she found the laser scalpel, snatching it up as she shoved herself to her feet. Kalaim was coming at her again and she quickly flicked the power on, slashing at him and scoring a hit across the right side of his face.

Kalaim screamed as he grabbed at his wounded face, blood pouring through his fingers. “I am going to rip the heart from your chest still beating, you Bajoran filth!” He lunged for her again.

Reanla almost stumbled over an abandoned storage case at her feet. Thinking fast, she reached for it and, as Kalaim charged her, whipped the bulky case into the air with all her might and smacked him in the head with it. She watched as, in slow motion, his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell face down onto the floor. An ugly purple swell started to form above his left eye socket, proof that she had indeed knocked him out cold.

Dashing to her friend's side, Reanla set a hand on Kathryn's belly, feeling the way the muscles shifted beneath her touch. "I know you don't want to hear this, Kathryn, but your babes are bound and determined to be born now. There's no stopping it. But first--" Reanla slammed her fist against the control panel that locked the clamps binding Kathryn to the table. Once they released, she helped the other woman up and off the narrow surface. "We'll be better off down here." Her eyes darted around as Kathryn moaned and clutched at her belly. There was no bed to be seen in this bunker, but if the previous occupants had stored anything in the way of bedding, she could make a pallet on the floor. Ironically, Kalaim's choice of a hideout was a very minor help in this worse case scenario. Leaving Kathryn to lean on the table for a brief moment, she hurried to the far corner where a storage cabinet was installed and flung it open. It held, among other things, three thin blankets. They were better than nothing. Scooping up her phaser, which lay next to the cabinet, she reholstered it and returned to Kathryn's side, settling her to lie on the floor after arranging the blankets into as comfortable of a pallet as she could.

Used to Bajoran labors, Reanla was shocked by how fast Kathryn's progressed, though it was no doubt due to the trauma Kalaim had put her through. A mere ten minutes later, she was already in the throes of the transition phrase, with contractions increasing--it seemed--almost by the second.

"Breathe....breathe--and push!"

"Oh God, I don’t think I can do this,” Kathryn’s mind was swimming in pain and the knowledge that her children were about to be born into a dirty environment without the assistance of the Doctor and their father looking on. It was nothing like she had planned it. She couldn’t stop the emotional tears that spilled down her cheeks. “I can’t, I can’t,” she shook her head as she cried, feeling like she was already setting up to be the worst mother in the world. “I shouldn’t have come here; he didn’t want me to,” she moaned.

"Hey now, none of that." Reanla glanced up from her task to take Kathryn's hand in her own. Brown eyes met blue. "None of this is your fault--and that includes Starfleet Command not having the guts to stand up to a gul's demands and choose a liaison whose welfare isn't attached to that of her unborn babes."

Kathryn took a deep, cleansing breath and tried to refocus on what she had to do. “Ok. Let’s do this,” she offered Reanla a strained smile. She exhaled, then drew in another deep breath and pushed hard. She was ready to meet her twins.

"I can see the first one's head, Kathryn!" Reanla shook off her uniform jacket, intending to wrap the babes up in it once they were born. A few minutes before, she'd gathered the ruined tunic Kalaim had cut off, along with the ration of water she'd brought with her for her search--for cleaning them up, and the laser scalpel to cut the cords. "Breathe....and push!"

"You push," Kathryn groaned through clenched teeth.

Reanla managed a smile. "Little hard for me to do that, my friend. C'mon now--a couple more pushes and half the work will be over."

Kathryn let out a strangled cry as she felt the child spill from her and into Reanla’s waiting hands. She sobbed in brief relief, even while knowing she still had one more to go. “Is it…” she was afraid to ask if the baby was okay.

No matter the situation--and she'd helped Lupaza with a half dozen deliveries during her time in the Resistance, Reanla always marveled at how everything around them seemed to pause in the few moments as the babe left the haven of the womb to become part of the universe. Reaching down, she used one hand to support the little head that emerged. "Awake, child. We greet you with light--and welcome you into the world." A final push left her holding the babe--a quick glance proved it to be the male twin--in both hands and he squalled suddenly, squinting dark eyes against the bright light.

"Your son is the firstborn, Kathryn, and he's beautiful." As she talked, Reanla quickly cleaned him off as best she could with part of the water ration and the tunic, cutting the cord, and then placing him in the left side of her uniform jacket, wrapping the lapel around him to keep him warm. He squalled again, louder, and she was quick to soothe him. "Shhh, leh'le. Your mother's work is not yet done--we must welcome your sister into the world next."

The tears of joy streamed down her cheeks. Chakotay, you have a son! she silently thought to him as she felt the urge to push again. Their daughter was ready to join her brother. Kathryn felt as though she had stumbled into a dream world. Their dreams were coming true and he wasn’t even here to realize it with her. But he would be. She knew he would. A small part of her could almost feel his presence. She took a couple of small, calming breaths before inhaling deep to fuel her push. She leaned forward and bore down as hard as she could.

Reanla almost didn't catch the second twin in time--she came out so fast. Repeating the Bajoran blessing over the newborn girl as she had done with her brother, she bathed her, wrapped her in the other half of her jacket, and quickly covered Kathryn with the extra blanket. Despite the swiftness of the birthing, these were not ideal conditions and it might be hours until Kathryn could get any form of medical attention. Splashing the remainder of the water over her hands to rinse the blood off, she then lifted the precious bundles inside her jacket close to Kathryn's side. Even though they weren't fully cleaned up, they were still beautiful. The girl had alabaster skin, wisps of pale red hair and eyes of a bright blue that, in time, would no doubt become the rich sapphire of her mother's. Reanla could only guess the boy had gotten his coloring from his father--dusky skin, a cap of fine dark hair and fathomless dark eyes. "Have you and your husband chosen names, Kathryn?"

Kathryn smiled down at the two little bundles wrapped in the jacket. She lost herself staring from one to the other, both perfect, both staring back at her, memorizing her eyes and initiating a bond that would last forever. She was so deep in amazement at the two little perfect beings she and Chakotay had created that she almost missed Reanla’s question. She looked up at her with tear-filled eyes. “Not really. Well, we had pretty much settled on Kolopak Edward for our son to honor both of our fathers--but for our little girl, we still hadn’t decided.”

Reanla's smile was almost sad as she gently stroked her fingertips over each small head. "Well, if you don't mind a couple Bajoran suggestions, you could use names from my family. My mother's name was Jai'lyn and my elder sister's, Blaisrai. It seems less likely by the year that I'll ever be able to pass them down, so if you and your husband should find one or the other suitable, you are welcome to carry it on through your family line."

Kathryn offered her a weak smile, once again forcing herself to tear her eyes from her beautiful babies. “Thank you, Kaelinn....not only for the names, but for everything you’ve done for me and for becoming my friend.” She felt a tear streak down her cheek. “If you hadn’t come, I can’t imagine what would have happened to me,” she paused and her eyes fell again on the faces of her babies as their eyes began to flutter closed in sleep, “or to them.”

"You're welcome--and I'm glad I could be of assistance to you and the babes. And that they were born relatively sa--ungh!"

Reanla's words were cut off when a sharp blow to the back of her head felled her without warning. She collapsed, unconscious, half on top of the babes--and the girl twin squalled her indignation at being squashed. The weight on her tiny form was removed abruptly when the colonel's body was flung aside and off the twins, leaving them--and a horrified Kathryn--exposed to cold eyes once more.

Sporting a nasty bruise that covered most of the right side of his face, as well as dried blood streaked over the laser scalpel wound, Kalaim loomed over the helpless trio.

"I should kill you now--and be done with it," Kalaim rasped. "But a quick death is too good for you. As Katell suffered, so shall you, Starfleet bitch." When Kathryn tried to reach for the bundle by her side, he backhanded her viciously across the face, snapping her head to the side--not once, but twice. "And this little load of cargo is going with me." Twisting the sleeves into a knot, he wrapped the jacket tightly around both babies, effectively securing them in what amounted to a crude makeshift sling. "Scream for help all you like...no one will hear you." Through the pain, his nasty smile emerged, bringing with it the evil glint in his pale eyes. And then he was gone, his feet pounding up the stairs and, in moments, fading into nothing.

Kathryn's strangled scream that echoed through the house could only be described as animalistic. She screamed in defeat and agony as she tried to rise. She was weak and felt nauseous as she tried and collapsed in a heap beside Reanla. She managed to pull herself into a sitting position and slid her legs under Reanla’s head. “Kaelinn, please wake up,” she cried as she gently slapped her cheek. “Please, you have to wake up; he’s taken them!” She watched the eyes twitch under the lids, as through she were struggling to come back to her. Kathryn felt the nasty knot on the back of her head and continued to gently slap her cheeks. “Come on, Kaelinn, you wouldn’t let me quit--now don’t you quit on me!” Kathryn felt as though the temperature in the room had dropped significantly and shivered against the cold. “SOMEBODY HELP US!” she screamed as loud as she could before dizziness and disorientation usurped her strength and left her leaning back against the wall in a feverish haze.

Chakotay turned his head at the sound of the scream, recognizing it as having issued from the throat of his wife. He could tell from the sound that it had carried a distance and he turned and jogged in the direction of the massive house that loomed before him. Kathryn was in there; he knew it. He snapped open his tricorder and still couldn’t get a reading on her life signs or those of the Bajoran woman. He pushed the heavy door aside and began searching the house.

Reanla slowly came to, agony blooming from everywhere, but centered at the back of her head. Lifting a hand, she found the lump there and her fingers came away blood-smeared. "Prophets," she groaned. "Kathryn...." Forcing her eyes open against the pounding in her head, she found her friend slumped a few inches from the wall she herself now lay against. Kathryn's face was almost completely white, her breathing labored, her hair clinging to her cheeks and brow. Reanla could tell she was starting to go into deep shock and silently cursed the fact that there was nothing she could do. And the babes...where were the babes?! A good look around found no sign on them--and then she realized Tinalo was gone as well. Sweet Prophets, he's taken the babes!

"Kae-linn," Kathryn moaned. "My babies...."

"I know, Kathryn. We'll get them back." Gritting her teeth against the pain that was now shooting from her head to everywhere else in her body, Reanla pushed herself onto her knees, then to her feet. Kathryn was slowly sliding into a state of delirium, alternating calling out for her babes, as well as her husband. And then, above her fevered moans, a new sound. Footsteps, just above where they were.

Tinalo....he could be coming back. Or worse yet, some Cardassian who won't know or care who we are and what state Kathryn's in.... As the steps descended the staircase just beyond the wall, Reanla whipped out her phaser.

"Freeze!" she snapped, then winced as pain radiated through her skull. But she forced her focus away from it. She had to protect Kathryn at all costs. "Hands where I can see them!"

A pair of hands slowly appeared through the open doorway, one holding a phaser.

"Drop the phaser." It was immediately tossed through the doorway. "Good. Now drop any others you have." Another phaser followed the way of the first. "And if you have any non-energy weapons, those as well."

Another object sailed through the doorway, bouncing on the stairs and finally landing on the bottom step. It appeared to be some sort of blade. Reanla waited, but nothing else was thrown. "Now keep your hands where I can see them and walk into the doorway--slowly." Her finger tensed on the trigger; there was every possibility that whoever was on the other side of the doorway hadn't tossed all their weapons down--or that they weren't alone, despite the fact that she'd only heard one set of footsteps.

The figure that appeared out of the shadows wasn't Tinalo--nor was it a Cardassian. As far as Reanla could tell, he was human. He was at least as tall as Tinalo, with close-cropped dark hair and eyes that seemed as equally dark, and a strong, muscular build. Should he decide to jump her, she knew that in her present state, hand-to-hand combat might be a struggle indeed.

"Down the stairs. Keep it slow."

He broke the eyelock in order to glance down and find his footing, then raised his eyes back to hers as he slowly came down the stairs. As he came further into the light, it revealed the graceful sweep of a tattoo right above his left eye and a hint of gray in his hair around the temples. Reanla gestured for him to stop when he reached the last step. The pain in her head was blooming and, for an instant, she saw double. Blinking it away, she kept her phaser steadily trained at his heart. "I want to know who the hell you are and how you found us. Are you conspiring with Kalaim??"

"I don't know anyone by that name."

"Then how did you find us?"

"Chak-otay...." Kathryn's ragged whisper could barely be heard.

"Kathryn, don't worry. As long as I'm standing, he's not getting anywhere near you." Reanla's eyes narrowed. "I suggest you start talking before I lose what little patience I have."

Chakotay leaned around the Bajoran woman who had the business end of her phaser pointed at him. When his eyes locked onto Kathryn, his heart lurched at the sight of her and his feet automatically propelled him forward. “Oh Spirits, Kathryn!” he cried out. His mind couldn’t wrap around the horror he saw lying before him. His beloved wife lay on the floor on her back covered by a thin blanket. He could see her body trembling, beads of sweat gathering on her brow, her chest rising and falling with her labored breathing and her head lolling from side to side as she alternated between moaning and crying.

“Chakotay....my babies, my twins,” she cried as her eyes fluttered open, tried to focus, then closed again.

“I’m her husband, please--let me....” He tried to move forward again but she jabbed him in the chest with the phaser.

"How do I know you’re not another genetically altered Cardassian posing as her husband--or even a changeling infiltrator?” Reanla demanded.

“We don’t have time for this! Where are my babies? Kathryn needs me!”

Reanla knew that every second wasted meant Tinalo--Kalaim--was getting further away with the babes. She kept her aim at Chakotay’s chest but moved to kneel at Kathryn’s side. She reached down to take one of Kathryn's hands in her own. “Kathryn, I need you to ask him a question that only your husband would know the answer to. It can’t be something that was ever recorded in Voyager's mission logs--and best to not even have been in any of your personal logs. It has to be something only the two of you would know. Do you understand?” When Kathryn made a sound of acknowledgement, Reanla's gaze returned to the man on the other end of her phaser. "If she indicates that you are who you say you are, then I'll let you come nearer. If you give the wrong answer--" Her finger tightened on the trigger.

Kathryn’s blue eyes fluttered open in recognition, then briefly lit up and she knew what she could say. “My angry warrior, tell me--a story,” she rasped past her dry lips.

Chakotay felt his heart melt. He knew exactly what answer to give. "'The woman warrior was brave, and beautiful--and very wise. The angry warrior swore to himself that he would stay by her side, doing whatever he could to make her burden lighter. From that point on, her needs would come first. And in that way, the warrior began to know the true meaning of peace.'"

Reanla watched the tears well up in her friend's eyes at the words he spoke. The 'story' obviously held great meaning for them--and them alone. Now she was certain without a doubt that this was Kathryn’s husband.

“Chakotay, Chakotay--he took our babies. Katell’s brother took our little girl and boy,” she sobbed.

Reanla lowered her phaser and holstered it. “I had to be sure,” she explained as Chakotay scrambled to his wife’s side. “This Katell--you knew her as Seska. Her brother, under the guise of Raduen’s aide, abducted Kathryn in the aftermath of the Council Hall bombing and, when I arrived here, she was in labor. I rendered him unconscious, but he came to not long after I delivered the babes and turned the tables on me. I just came around a few minutes before you arrived and realized that he took off with the babes.”

Chakotay gave her a shocked stare. “Seska,” he whispered as the shock settled in. He remembered her telling him she had a brother, but she'd told him he had died from Orkett's disease. “He did this to get to me.” The realization came sharp and like a knife to the back. He looked down at his battered wife and felt the dark anger rising up from the deepest recesses of his mind and soul. Years dead and she was still haunting him. Well, no more. It was time to put an end to Seska--no, Katell--and her brother. To bury them both for good. He gently swept his wife into his arms and felt worry creep into his mind as he did. She felt so frail and delicate in his arms and he was concerned that she felt hot to the touch, yet she was violently shivering. “We have to get her outside so my ship can get a transporter lock on her,” he explained as he headed towards the stairs. “Hang on, Kathryn, we’re going to get you out of here,” he tried to assure her.

‘My babies,” she cried again.

“We’re going to find them. I promise we’ll find them!” he said as they stepped into the humid morning. “Chakotay to Australis.”

“Ro here, Chakotay.”

"Lock onto my wife and beam her directly to the medical bay. Try to make her as comfortable as possible and prepare to leave,” he ordered before looking down at Kathryn. “I’ll be with you soon, love. Ro Laren is going to take care of you for now,” he whispered as he pressed a kiss to her forehead before she dematerialized in his arms.

As Chakotay contacted his ship and barked orders over the comm, Reanla's eyes were sweeping over the nearby terrain, looking for any sign of which way Kalaim had run. Without a tricorder, she had to rely on her eyes alone. Soon, she spied a swath of trampled grass and she noticed a few drops of blood on the long blades. The trampled grass made a sharp turn west and straight into the heart of the forest.

“He headed west,” she called to Chakotay and started to follow the trampled grass. She saw him whip open his tricorder and punch commands into it.

“I’ve got him. Three life signs, two human and one Bajoran about five kilometers ahead of us in the forest.” He slapped his badge again. “Chakotay to Australis.”

“Riker here.”

“Can you get a lock on the three lifesigns about five kilometers west of our location?”

“Negative. There is an electro-magnetic storm beginning to brew in the upper atmosphere and it's interfering with transporters.”

“Very well. I’ll pursue on foot, Chakotay out.”

“I’m coming with you,” Reanla announced in her no nonsense tone. Chakotay's eyes met hers, but she stared back, refusing to break the eyelock. She would not be challenged. The babes were in danger and she was going to do everything she could to help save them. She tapped her own badge, hoping to get a signal. “Reanla to Quinn.”

“Quinn here, Colonel.” There was static coming through the commlink, but Quinn's voice was unmistakable. "Did you find Admiral Janeway?"

“I did. Her husband is here with me now. The admiral's been beamed to the medical bay on the ship that brought him in."

"But I was told by Militia HQ that Starfleet Command wasn't sending a ship in. Did they change their minds?"

"No."

A long second of silence. "I understand. And Tinalo? Did you find him? Raduen is going out of his mind over here."

"Tinalo was responsible."

"What?!" Raduen's voice came over top of Quinn's through the link.

"He's a genetically altered Cardassian and part of the anti-treaty movement. He had a personal vendetta against the admiral and her husband, which is why he abducted her. When he did Prophets knows what to her, it caused her to go into premature labor. We got into a tussle, after which I helped deliver the babes. But I didn't knock him out for long enough and he got the drop on me long enough to steal the babes. The admiral’s husband and I are tracking him now. You and Ilario accompany Raduen to his transport. I’ll meet you back at DS9.”

“What about Gul Derrak?”

“Give him our regards, update him on everything, and tell him I’m sure the Bajoran and Federation governments will be in contact to finalize the agreements.”

“Aye, Colonel. Quinn out.”

As Reanla and Chakotay dove into the forest, branches reached out to scratch and claw at their bodies and hair viciously, but they pressed on relentlessly. Reanla knew that, despite Cardassian stamina, Kalaim wouldn’t be able to continue at his current pace forever. Plus, he certainly would be slowed down by carting along the newborn twins. “The signal is erratic but he is continuing to head west--wait, he’s stopped,” Chakotay reported.

“What do you think he’s doing?”

“I can’t tell. Maybe he’s resting. This could give us a chance at catching up to him; let’s keep going.”

Reanla felt her the throbbing in her head double, but was determined. She was not going to give in to weakness. Prophets, give me strength to endure!

“What the hell?” Chakotay asked as he looked down at his tricorder. “He’s headed south now and the twins' life signs have disappeared.”

Oh, you bastard--what have you done with those babes?! Reanla felt sickened at the idea that the two new little lives she'd so recently helped to awaken could already be dead. But then, Kalaim was a Cardassian--and a Cardassian with a vendetta at that. Such an individual was capable of anything, even the murder of newborns.

“He’s right ahead of us.” He snapped the tricorder closed and tossed it to her. “We should split up. I’m going to try to get ahead of him so we can box him in.”

Reanla nodded as she tucked the tricorder into her belt and watched Chakotay turn southwest and disappear through the foliage. She continued following Kalaim’s tracks, then flipped open the tricorder to double-check her progress. She could also trace Chakotay's trail and noticed that her friend's husband was almost on top of the enemy. They had the Pagh-wraith damned bastard now.

Chakotay pushed himself onward through the thick trees and overgrown forest floor. Faster and faster his legs ran, carrying his body. He envisioned himself an eagle diving sharply towards the ground to attack its prey. He was a screaming eagle--quick, strong, and poised to strike. Then the sounds of labored breathing and feet crunching through the forest were carried to his ears. He was close. The blood pumped through his veins and pounded into his heart and head.

The angry warrior breathed again.

A sudden leap between a pair of trees found Chakotay in the path and eyes of his prey, his enemy. Cold, hateful eyes glowered back at him in pure challenge. Seska’s eyes.

Kalaim charged Chakotay before he could get a weapon drawn. He released a cry of fury as they both hit the ground.

“So you’re the Maquis bastard who raped my sister!” Kalaim snarled as he balled up both fists and punched Chakotay square in the jaw.

Chakotay wrestled around on the ground with the unusually strong Bajoran man and threw him off of him. “Where are my son and daughter?” Chakotay demanded as he lunged at the man and knocked his head against the ground.

Kalaim laughed up in triumph, uncaring of his current precarious position. “By the time you find them, they’ll be dead.”

Chakotay saw red and punched the man in the head until he threw him off with a knee to the gut. He coughed as he rolled onto his side, trying to catch his breath.

“Fitting, isn’t it, Maquis?" Kalaim was already on his feet, waiting for his adversary to rise. A new scratch on his forehead was present; the fresh blood added to the old and the bruising from his tussle with Reanla made his Bajoran mask even more sinister. "You raped my sister and left my nephew--your own son!--in the hands of your enemies to do with as they please! Tell me something--why are these new brats more important that your firstborn? Why do they mean more?! I did those children a favor by taking them from living a life with a 'father' that would abandon them at any convenience!”

“I never raped Seska!”

"Her name was Katell!" Kalaim's own fury was now showing full-force, all presence of his attempt at an unaffected façade gone.

They both found their footing and squared off. “Her son is not my own. He was fathered by a Kazon Maje named Cullah. There are medical logs from Voyager to prove it,” Chakotay stated as they circled each other, looking for an opening. His hand moved for his phaser slowly, so as not to alert Kalaim, in case he had one hidden on him. “Now tell me where my children are!”

But Kalaim saw the move and charged again before he could draw it. Chakotay drew the blade from his belt and gripped it in his hand, aiming for Kalaim's throat. But Kalaim grabbed the blade hand, slamming it against a nearby tree stump, disarming Chakotay. Snatching it up himself, he lifted it above his head, the sun catching the edge and making it gleam in the instant before he swung down. “For Katell!”

Chakotay raised his arms, trying to hold off the driving knife and struggling to break Kalaim's grip on it. Kalaim snarled, throwing another hard punch to his opponent's throat and then swinging the blade hand down once more, eyes lit with triumph. Suddenly, the sound of a phaser shot rang through the clearing. Kalaim's body went limp and his expression changed to one of disbelief and shock, his eyes already glazing over in death. Chakotay shoved the dead man off of him and found himself staring up at Reanla.

“I owe you one.”

“Are you all right?”

“I will be.” He took her hand and she helped haul him to his feet. “We have to find the twins; I think he hid them somewhere in the forest.”

“If that’s true, they’re exposed to the elements and wild animals. They won’t last long.”

“They’ve got to be somewhere that the tricorder can’t reach. Maybe in a cave?”

“We should head back to where we first lost their life signs.”

Together, they frantically backtracked through the forest, watching and listening for clues as to where the twins were hidden. If they were asleep and fairly sheltered, it could be hours before they woke and cried out to make their presence known. The wind started to kick up and the sky flashed menacingly as the storm descended towards their location.

Come on, damn it! Tell us where you are! Reanla silently begged the babes.

As though they had heard her silent pleas, a shrill cry sounded through the forest and she met Chakotay’s eyes. “Thank the Prophets!” she breathed.

“This way!” Chakotay turned east towards the sound.

Keep crying, leh'le! Through, over, and around trees and rocks, the pair followed the sharp infant's cry that was soon joined by one that seemed a little deeper in tone. Both babies were now squalling furiously as they came upon a cave. She and Chakotay stopped dead in their tracks at the sight of a Toskanar dog sniffing hungrily around the mouth of a cave where the sound was clearly emanating from. Sensing the presence of the two humanoids, it turned on them and bared its teeth with a growl to protect its would-be dinner.

Without thinking twice, Reanla thumbed her phaser to kill, firing it and felling the vicious beast before it had a chance to attack either her or Chakotay. She wasn't surprised it had been there--it had likely smelled the birthing blood and came to investigate the scent in hopes of finding a meal. They had to hurry--where there was one Toskanar, there would most certainly be others. She heard Chakotay's cry as he beat her into the darkened interior and feared that another of the beasts had already gotten inside. She held her breath as she snapped on her wrist beacon to reveal a heart-wrenching sight--but not the one she'd been dreading.

This was a heart-wrenching sight to be happy about--a worried father meeting his newborn babies for the very first time. He turned to her with tears in his eyes as he cradled an auburn-haired, blue-eyed little girl in one arm and a black-haired, brown-eyed little boy in the other. Both babies had stopped crying and cooed contently in the warmth of their father's arms.

“Congratulations, Commander."

“They are the most beautiful little things I have ever seen,” he told her as he looked at his daughter, then his son. “Thank you, Reanla. Thank you for being there for Kathryn and for helping me find them.”

“All in the line of duty, Commander, and it has been an honor.”

Chakotay flashed her a dimpled smile and nodded before he spoke to his children. “Now, little ones, let’s get back to your mommy. She is very sick and needs a doctor.”

Reanla followed him from the cave back out into the open. Surprisingly, the storm seemed to be clearing already--the wind dying down and the dark line of clouds sliding towards the east.

“Chakotay to Australis, four to beam up.”

**

Deep Space Nine's infirmary was the scene of controlled chaos. Kathryn's body, still in stasis, had already been beamed from the Australis' medical bay. The nurses were already prepping her in the surgical bay for surgery and blood replacement, and treating the minor conditions of her ordeal on Cardassia Prime. That left the chaos in the main room of infirmary in the hands of the station's chief medical officer, who was not pleased.

"Unless you have a reason to be in here, clear out now!" Julian Bashir snapped.

"I'm not leaving." This from Chakotay, who was still cradling his daughter. Reanla was holding the boy twin.

"Commander, I'm going to have to ask you to wait for updates somewhere other than here. We have a lot of work to do and I can't have unnecessary people in the way."

While the two men argued, Reanla had handed over the boy twin at the request of another medical officer, a Trill with dark wavy hair tied back in a braid and a serious expression in her hazel eyes. Cradling the tiny form in her arms expertly, the Trill moved to Bashir's side. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I need to take the other baby as well, Commander."

Chakotay didn't relinquish his hold. "Who are you?"

"Lieutenant Commander Zarianne Kegan. Dr. Bashir called me in because of my expertise in obstetrics. Due to the conditions Admiral Janeway gave birth in and their subsequent exposure on Cardassia, time is of the essence. Now, please." She held out her free arm expectantly.

Chakotay was reluctant to release his daughter into the arms of the waiting woman, even though she was obviously a doctor. He looked at his son laying in her arms quietly and, despite being over protective, he carefully laid his daughter into her waiting arm. He knew she was right about the conditions of their birth and them needing medical attention; they felt so good in his arms that he never wanted to let them go.

Zari saw the worried look in his eyes that she had seen over the years from countless men--a father's look. "Rest assured that I will call you immediately if there is cause for concern, Commander." She gave him a once-over glance. "And you should get yourself something to eat and some rest of your own." With that, she turned on her heel and carried the babies towards the back of the infirmary. The sound of the girl twin beginning to fuss, and Zari's voice soothing her with soft words in Trill, carried back to where Chakotay stood.

Reanla took Chakotay's arm. "She has a point. When was the last time you had anything to eat? No doubt before you even got to Cardassia--am I right?" She had a feeling she knew the answer to her own question because, unless he'd eaten during the one time she'd slept on the trip back, he likely hadn't. When his only answer was a sheepish look, she added, "Then I suggest we do as Dr. Kegan mentioned."

"But--"

"Julian doesn't need you taking up another biobed, Chakotay. Let him concentrate on Kathryn--and Kegan on the babes. Let's go."

Chakotay laughed a little bit. “Now I know how Kathryn felt on Voyager.” When Reanla tossed him a questioning look, he explained. “Her typical diet was coffee and caramel brownies and, if you’d ever had her mother’s brownies, you’d understand why. I used to harass her about her eating habits, or lack thereof.”

"Maybe you two will have to send me some of those brownies when this is all over." They stepped out onto the Promenade. "So Quark's, the Replimat or would you prefer just to go back to quarters?"

“I don’t think I’m up for a crowd tonight,” he stated as they exited the infirmary, only to find themselves in the thick of everything he had been hoping to avoid. Surrounding the doors in a horseshoe formation were at least three dozen people, most of them reporters--flashing holo cameras and shouting questions about Kathryn, the twins and what had happened on Cardassia.

Reanla groaned inwardly. "I swear by the Prophets that the next time Militia Command has me escort anyone high ranking in Fleet, that they better damn well assign me a whole unit of my own," she said under her breath. Giving the nearest reporters a cold look, she tapped her commbadge. "Reanla to Kira."

"Kira here."

"With your permission, Colonel, I'd like to ask Lieutenant Brilgar to set up a one-hundred meter security perimeter on the Promenade by the infirmary, with at least three or four deputies per shift. Due to both the notoriety of Admiral Janeway, as well as the condition of her and her babes, I feel this is a necessity. Doctors Bashir and Kegan do not need this level of disturbance--and neither does any station resident or visitor who has need of the infirmary during this time." She spoke loud enough for the small gathering to hear her. With every word, she let her glare travel over the crowd. She had no doubt that several of them were recording her entire conversation with Kira and would no doubt try to make a headline or six out of it.

"Go ahead and inform Lieutenant Brilgar of whatever you feel is necessary to be done in this case."

"I see him heading my way so I will speak to him right now. Thank you, Colonel. Reanla out." Her glare turned on the crowd again. "I recognize those of you who were here the last time, but I will repeat myself for those who were not. The Promenade is not the place for a mob scene and it never has been. I suggest you all disperse immediately. If you don't, Lieutenant Brilgar's deputies have my authority--as well as Colonel Kira's--to put you in the brig for however long he deems fit."

With extreme reluctance--and quite a few dirty looks, at least half the reporters began to turn away. The other half quickly followed at the sight of the approaching Brilgar, who had Ciarnai by his side. "Well, that worked a little better than last time," Ciarnai commented once she and Brilgar were within earshot of Reanla.

"Thank the Prophets." Reanla turned to the Bajoran security chief. "Brilgar, Kira's given permission for a one-hundred meter security perimeter. I'd like at least three to four deputies per shift to keep these vultures out of Julian and Dr. Kegan's way, as well as making sure that someone who actually needs to visit the infirmary can get there without fighting a crowd." Brilgar nodded. "I highly suggest getting information on every one of them--" she gestured to the nearest pair of reporters, who were lingering by the doorway to the Bajoran temple. "--in order to keep them from faking injury or illness so that they don't use that to find a way inside and harass Kathryn, the babes, or Julian and his staff. I also want an armed guard stationed by Chakotay's quarters for the times that I'm not on duty. Preferably Ciarnai here, but whomever you choose will be fine. Though I'd like to borrow Ciarnai now for the escort back."

Brilgar nodded. "Ciarnai, you're with the Colonel until she dismisses you. You will also be in charge of the security perimeter beginning tomorrow at 0800. I'll get started on the security perimeter myself immediately."

"Aye sir." Ciarnai immediately circled around her superior to stand at Chakotay's other side.

"Thank you, Brilgar." He nodded again and turned away, tapping his badge to call others on his security team, his mind already focused on the work to be done. Reanla sighed, rubbing at the spot above her nose ridges before meeting Chakotay's gaze. "So as I was asking before we were interrupted--where to?"

"Would you mind having dinner with me in my quarters?” he asked. “I don’t think I could handle another scene like that.” He looked around at those who were still lurking on the edge of the promenade waiting for a scene that could spice up the morning headlines. He had grown used to Kathryn's and his own celebrity status, but this was just too much. He had discovered after their immediate marriage and the public announcement of her pregnancy, their picture seemed to grace every tabloid and respectable news organization’s distribution. They were the darlings of Starfleet and, everywhere they turned, a reporter was waiting to catch a Pulitzer winning moment. Now with the twins' early arrival, he knew their arrival back on Earth was going to be a madhouse.

"Not at all." Reanla gestured in the direction of the nearest lift. With Ciarnai on the other side, the walk to Chakotay's guest quarters went smoothly. One reporter looked like he was planning to intercept them right before they reached the lifts, but his mind was changed when Reanla and Ciarnai both reached for their phasers. Neither would have drawn them unless absolute necessary, but the implied threat was clear. Once they arrived in the habitat ring, Ciarnai took up position outside the door of the quarters.

"If you have any problems, Lieutenant, you know to call me."

"Aye, Colonel."

Kathryn's a lucky woman to have a husband like this one. From what Reanla could tell, he was an honorable and peace-loving man, despite his checkered past. She thought briefly of her own warrior and a small smile formed. Her mind wandered and she began to wonder what he was doing at this very moment. She was so deep into her speculation she didn’t even know Chakotay had spoken to her until he turned his head to look at her. “I’m sorry?”

“I was asking if you like Italian?”

"Truly, I'm not a picky eater. But between Julian and Miles, I've tried any number of Terran dishes--Italian ones among them. And I'm sure whatever you choose will be fine."

“I am when I can afford to be and I prefer to eat vegetarian fare when at all possible,” he replied as he went to the replicator to program the meal. “I hope you like it, it’s one of Kathryn’s favorites. It’s called Aglio e Olio and is complimented well with red wine.” He picked up the bottle he had just replicated.

Reanla smiled as she took a seat a the table and waited for him to join her. After the trials of the previous day it was nice to sit back and relax and clear her head. Kathryn and the twins were safe for now and she didn’t have to fret or worry over anything.

Chakotay poured them both a glass of red merlot, then served the Aglio e Olio. He had always enjoyed cooking and, with Kathryn’s lack of skill in the department, he had happily accepted the full responsibility. As he spooned the pasta onto Reanla’s plate, he couldn’t help but snicker and, at her curious look, he felt prompted to explain. “My mother felt it was important for me to learn how to cook. Whenever she was away, my father would always come up with the most interesting concoctions to serve for dinner--most of which got recycled and replaced with soup and sandwiches. When Kathryn and I began having working dinners together, I learned it usually meant I was to be doing the cooking. I’ll never forget the time I found her sitting on the floor with the pieces to her replicator scattered all over the floor.”

Reanla had to laugh at the mental image as she took her chair. "She never would have survived in the Resistance. We had no choice but to rough it--and that included cooking anything we could get our hands on. When we're not eating, remind me to tell you the story about Furel, Lupaza, Nerys and I--and the vole stew. Better yet, I'll make sure Nerys is around to tell her part in it. It's much more entertaining that way." She picked up her glass of merlot. "Should I ask why that replicator was in pieces, by the way?"

He slid into his chair across from her and fluffed his pasta with his fork before taking a hearty bite. This had always been one of his preferred dishes and Kathryn even favored it as well. “She insisted it had a personal vendetta against her for calling it a 'glorified toaster' once.” Chakotay laughed a full belly laugh at the memory and then grew serious for a moment. “I want to thank you again for everything you did for Kathryn and the twins. I can’t imagine what would have happened to them if you hadn’t been there.”

"You're welcome--and I'm glad I was in the right place at the right time." Reanla paused for her first taste of the pasta, briefly closing her eyes in bliss. She thought back to those first several hours after meeting Kathryn, shaking her head with a faint smile. "Though if anyone had asked me at the start of this mission if we would have made such fast friends by the time we got to Cardassia Prime, I would have thought them out of their minds."

At his raised eyebrow, she continued to explain. "I didn't recognize her when she first stepped off the transport, mainly due to the fact that Starfleet Command failed to inform Militia Command and myself of her condition. I even called Ops to find out if there was a mix-up with the transport arrival time. When she introduced herself, I thought she was pranking me. She didn't take too kindly to me asking if she was. Late that night, she tried disguising herself as a Bajoran--down to cosmetic nose ridges--and took herself to Quark's. I never would have found out if Ciarnai hadn't recognized her voice while she was talking to Quark and called me down there. Though Quark probably enjoyed watching the verbal battle of wills between us--she tried ignoring me and started talking to Quark about a game of dabo; I cut in on the conversation and brought up how my best friend got Quark to reveal a couple of my favorite bluffs. Only after that was over, did she let me escort her out of there."

Chakotay laughed heartily. “Certainly sounds like Kathryn.” He paused for a bite of pasta before continuing. “I fell in love with her the moment I laid eyes on her, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t in for quite a ride. She was so rigid and bound to her duty as a Starfleet officer that, for the first couple of months, we rarely saw her off duty. It took a game of pool on the holodeck to get her to loosen up and realize that we wanted her company, not just the presence of an elusive captain. And don’t let her fool you if you are ever invited to shoot a rack with her. She is the best damned pool hustler I’ve ever met.” He paused to laugh at the memory. “As time went on, I learned that despite her steadfast hold on Starfleet’s principles, she was a very warm, but intricate, woman. I gave her my heart a long time ago, but I had doubts we would end up together once Voyager got home.”

"Why not?" After the glowing way Kathryn had spoken of Chakotay in the short time since Reanla had met her, she had naturally assumed that they'd begun their relationship directly after returning to the Alpha Quadrant.

“We had our own affairs here and there, but it was Seven of Nine who turned my head. I was flattered and a little drunk with her affection towards me--and Kathryn was nursing a broken heart. That is another story for another time. Suffice it to say, when we returned to Earth, I became engaged and it was only due to an indiscretion that Kathryn conceived the twins. She disappeared on me and thought I had gotten married. She wasn’t going to ruin my marriage and was determined to keep the twins a secret.”

Reanla was surprised to hear the former Borg's name brought up, and especially in the context of a relationship with Chakotay. She found herself speechless as he finished the story.

“I found a padd with a report of her recent physical and DNA scans of the twins. She disappeared for an emergency leave and didn’t reappear until a few months later--very obviously pregnant. The rest is pretty much history. Upon learning of her pregnancy, I left Seven and focused my efforts at getting Kathryn back. With the help of a few good friends, we met face to face and were married. It’s hard to believe it was all only a month and a half ago.”

Having eaten her fill, Reanla sat back with the remainder of her merlot, studying the man across the table. They've both been through hell and back--and you don't even have to count the trip through the Delta Quadrant. It made her think about the state of where her own path was currently leading. Though she and Ko'Tak hadn't been through the degree of events Chakotay and Kathryn had, they had definitely been through their share of perils on Kerok Nor. And now....now they barely saw each other. She was here, waiting for a more permanent assignment from Militia Command. He was traveling around, making diplomatic arrangements on behalf of the Empire. If they didn't come to some sort of resolution soon, there was always the possibility that another would come between them--though she was far more likely to come in the form of a female warrior of some great House instead of a blonde, statuesque ex-Borg. The thought made her heart twist into knots. Next time he calls, I'll just have to bring up.... Could she? What would he think? What would he say? In her pagh, she had feeling she knew what his thoughts on the matter would be. But Ko'Tak's sister....she would no doubt be furious. The thought of B'Tap's reaction made her smile suddenly. Well, no one said the path the Prophets laid out for you was easy....

Chakotay noticed her amused grin and wondered if he had pasta on his chin. After a discreet wipe of his napkin across his face and the smile remained, he began to grin himself. “Penny for your thoughts?” To the confused look it brought out, he added, “It’s an ancient Earth way of asking what’s on your mind.”

"You know how my people tend to say that the path the Prophets have laid out for you is not always easy?" At his nod, Reanla downed the final sip of merlot. "I just realized that mine's about to get a lot rockier."

Continue to part 6