Seska's capture solved some future problems, but that did not mean that everything was great onboard. Chakotay was not the only one who had not taken the knowledge that she was a Cardassian spy well. She had been B'Elanna's best friend for years and there were numerous members of the former Maquis crew that she had been close to. It was not just that they had been betrayed and lied to for years, but she was a Cardassian who had been pretending to be a Bajoran which was incredibly insulting after everything that the Cardassians did to the Bajorans during the occupation.
Janeway and Chakotay had been dealing with the headache of what to do with her while my headache was trying to keep Echo from killing Seska. Due to her past, she could not understand why Seska was not executed for both treason and attempted murder and, I had to admit, I agreed with her even though I would not ask Janeway to do so. There was no rehabilitating Seska, so she would just be a drain on resources and a possible danger to the ship if she escaped her prison, since Janeway would not abandon her on some planet or leave her in the custody of some alien race.
Thankfully, Raven recovered quickly after the explosion and was back on duty within three days. I had been sure to pamper her extra while she was still on medical leave as did Katye and Echo. Our little group had also had a discussion over the past few days because there was at least one trap of Seska's still planted within the computer system, possibly more for all we knew, yet Raven and Echo were the ones to come up with a solution instead of me.
"Would you like anything?" Janeway asked as I followed her into her Ready Room.
"A cup of Yridian tea would be nice," I replied.
"Computer, Yridian tea and a cup of vegetable bouillon," she said, walking over to the replicator. She passed me the cup of tea then motioned to the couch under the windows for us to sit down. "So, what is it that you wanted to discuss?"
"Seska, unfortunately. I'm not here to ask anything about her punishment, but rather, note the possibility of other dangers that could still be lurking in the computer core. She already proved her resourcefulness with that command code which reactivated the transporter systems and nearly beamed her off the ship. Raven and Echo have come up with a method to use their unique abilities together to, in essence, track a cyber trail. They can work under the supervision of Tuvok, Chakotay, or whoever you would want to place in charge of this, but I'd like to request that they scan through the Voyager's computer and see if there are any surprises that Seska may have left behind," I explained.
Janeway nodded and took a sip of her soup. "That would be very helpful. I'll discuss the matter with Chakotay and have their duty shifts changed until they can do a thorough sweep."
"Thank you. It would do a lot for my peace of mind, and that of my crew's."
"How is Raven doing?"
"Fine, the Doctor did a great job and she was ready to go back to work the next day, and it was hard to stop her from doing so," I chuckled. "Unfortunately, trouble has a way of following us, so we've learned how to bounce back quickly."
"Would you mind sharing a little about your past?"
I shrugged and took a sip of my tea, trying to remember the information about the Vazukuru that was in Fae's databank. "Long ago, I lived on Earth and was abducted by Q, at what would have been the moment of my death, so despite the crime of using me like a lab rat, he still gave me this chance to live a new life. As you can imagine, he didn't treat us with a lot of respect, so the others like me tried to rebel. We weren't actually successful, but our actions drew the attention of the Continuum, and we were able to escape while they were handling that Q. The nature of these powers did not come from the same place as where the Continuum draws their own power from, so while we are not stronger than them, their power cannot directly affect us. Don't get me wrong; they could always 'snap' a star to take up the area around me and kill me, but there is a limit to what they will do to us. Frankly, the Vazukuru are like the bastard children of the Q and, while they would never accept us, they also aren't going to kill us without an extremely good reason."
"Then... you're human?" Janeway asked with surprise.
"Once, but it's kinda hard to think of myself that way after everything that I've been through. Humans don't turn into ten-foot-tall dragons, after all," I replied.
"I can see your point. How old are you, if you don't mind my asking?"
"That's a bit complicated to explain. I was born in 1990 and time moved differently while I lived under the Q's rule, stretching it out much longer than just the couple of hundred years that it's been since then. Many of our kind decided to seal away our memories of that time, Katye and myself included, and start over in different places with just the memories of our lives on Earth," I explained, skirting the line between fact and fiction. "I have memories of around fifty years or so of my life, twelve of which I've had my powers and been learning how to wield them properly yet again."
"You told me that Echo and Raven had only recently awoken their abilities when you joined us."
"They had. After the war where Katye and I lost practically everything, we... changed them to be like us, so that the four of us could leave that dead world behind," I said with a tiny lie.
"You changed them?" she asked, shocked.
"Q wasn't the only one who could create our kind after he made the first of us," I lied. "It's not something that we can, or will, do lightly, but it is possible for us to make more of our kind. There is a limit to how many we can change based off of our strength and a few other catches for Raven and Echo."
"What are those catches?"
I took a sip of my tea and chuckled, "No offense, Captain, but unless you plan on joining my crew, that isn't something that you need to know. They weren't forced to make the decision and are quite happy, despite being stranded out in the Delta Quadrant."
"I suppose you're right," Janeway replied.
We talked for a little longer before I left the room and headed for my duty shift in aeroponics. I had not wanted to tell Janeway about what Raven and Echo were required to do, because without being able to say that they had agreed to Tori's requirements, it was easy to misconstrue the situation. They were under Life-Death Contract, which bound their Souls to ours for the rest of their lives.
Katye or I could remove the contract, but as long as we all were still living in his Inner Realm, they would lose their mana and have to stay in whatever 'world' we were in at the time. As the name implied, if we died, they would die too, but there was a benefit for them with this Soul Bond. Our Souls were much stronger than theirs, so ours would nourish theirs and allow them to advance faster than they could on their own.
After things were settled with Seska, we had about two weeks before the next episode popped up and we were in for a surprise. The Voyager's sensors had picked up unusually intense photonic activity in a nearby proto star and diverted course to investigate. Katye and I had been off duty, but Raven was working in Engineering, so when they beamed over the samples, she ended up calling both of us.
"Raven to Rebecca. Are you available?" Raven's voice came from my badge, waking me from the training program that I had been using.
"I am; what's up?" I asked.
"We just beamed aboard samples of some photonic energy from a protostar, but it has an incredible amount of mana, and it has an aura, I think. Could you come down to Engineering?" she asked.
"Yeah, of course. I'll be there in a few minutes," I agreed. "Fae, could you wake up Katye?"
::Affirmative.::
I tucked away my Mind Linker into the charger station and waited a moment for Katye to open her eyes. "Raven called and said that there is something interesting in Engineering. Would you like to come with me?"
"What is it?" she asked as she took off her Mind Linker.
"I'm not sure, but she says that it has a high amount of mana and an aura," I replied, standing up.
"Now that is unusual."
Unlike in our last life, everything from a scrap of cloth to the warp core had some mana, but an aura was something that only came from something with a consciousness. The crew even had mana, though it was an incredibly small amount in most of the races. Only the Vulcans, Betazoids, and Ocampa had enough that they could use it outside of their bodies which Katye and I theorized was to help manifest their telepathic abilities, so if this life form had a lot of mana, it might have powers like us.
We headed down to Main Engineering and found Janeway, B'Elanna, and Raven standing around a console. There were two balls of golden energy floating in reddish orange gas held within two containment fields. Both had an extreme amount of pure Yang mana, nearly as much as Raven's total reserves, and there was a hint of an aura around them. When we approached, they gave off a burst of energy which looked like a flash of light to Janeway and B'Elanna. Raven clutched her head while Katye and I received a forceful mental message.
[Why take? Why take?] a shrill voice cried.
[Ours taken yours! Ours taken yours!] another, slightly deeper, screamed.
Instantly, the episode clicked in my mind, and I knew what the alien meant. Originally, Harry had been kidnapped off the holo-deck and then Chakotay and Tuvok after they went to investigate his disappearance. The Doctor had been the one to save the day because of his nature as a hologram meant that he could not be taken like the others and he would have release them to the one hiding on the holo-deck, but things might not be as easy this time.
"Raven, are you okay?" B'Elanna asked while Katye and I were momentarily stunned by the intensity of the message.
"Yes, that was just loud and overwhelming," Raven replied.
"They're Yang sprites! Life forms of pure energy. We need to release them," Katye said.
"Wait... Computer, is the entire crew accounted for onboard?" I asked.
::Negative, Ensign Harry Kim is not aboard the ship.::
Both Janeway and B'Elanna looked at me shocked and I sighed, "One said 'ours taken yours'."
"Can you speak to them? Tell them that this was a mistake, we didn't know, and ask them to release Harry?" Janeway asked.
"I can," Katye sighed, "but I will need to transform. We haven't learned telepathy, but fairies are an evolved form of sprites, so I should be able to replicate the communication method."
"Could, um, Engineering be cleared for a few minutes? B'Elanna is fine, but..." I requested.
"Of course, B'Elanna," Janeway agreed, cutting me off.
"Alright, everyone, out of Engineering! Ten-minute break," B'Elanna announced loudly moving to stand in front of the warp core.
Most people were surprised and curious, but no one disobeyed her order. In less than a minute, Janeway, B'Elanna, Raven, Katye, and I were the only people left in all of Engineering. Katye released a violet light as she transformed into her Dusa form.
Her height had increased, making her around six feet tall, and her chest and hips had nearly doubled in size though she still seemed thin. Her skin was porcelain white and flawless which could be seen easily since her clothing had been reduced to a handful of well-placed ivy leaves. Her wings sprouted from her back and, just like a dragonfly's, they were practically transparent. Her hair now extended past her butt and had turned the same violet color as her mana, and on her brow, there was a crown of lime green daisies that marked her position as the Fairy Queen.
"We didn't get to choose the appearances of our Dusa forms," Katye huffed while both Janeway and B'Elanna stared at her.
[Queen Fairy! Queen Fairy!]
[Spare us! Spare us!]
Their voices were now scared with Katye's aura at full force. She reached out a hand and channeled a bit of Yang mana which gave off a similar flash of golden light.
[We did not mean to capture you. We had never encountered another like you. It was a mistake. We'll release you, but we want our friend back.] Katye's voice chimed through my mind like a bell.
[Yes, Queen! Yes, Queen!]
[Elder give back! Elder give back!]
[Elder close! Elder close!]
[Return to Elder! Return to Elder!]
[Follow me and I will return you to Elder.] Katye replied.
[Yes, Queen! Yes, Queen!]
Even I was forced to rub my temples by the end of the short conversation. Their voices were so high-pitched, despite being Mental voices, and it made my mind ache. Raven had it worse than me and was leaning against a post, holding her forehead.
Katye shifted back into her human form and said, "Release the containment fields. If we bring them to their Elder, the Elder will return Harry."
"Alright, thank you for your help, Katye," Janeway said.
"Of course, Captain. Harry is a good guy and it's not like the Federation knows about their kind. I only do because I've done some research on them due to their relation to fairies. They are extremely rare, practically a myth to our race," Katye replied.
B'Elanna deactivated the containment fields and the two wispy orbs floated over to Katye's shoulders. She gave me a look which silently asked me for assistance since she did not know where this 'Elder' was supposed to be, but luckily, I did.
"Holo-deck Two is just a few decks up; do you think that we should clear the way there, or will they be fine following you?" I asked, filling in the information that she needed.
"I think that they are more scared of us than anyone else, so we should be fine since I promised them that we would not harm them," Katye said.
"No offense, but I would like to stay here. Their voices... hurt," Raven mentioned.
"Rebecca and I should be able to handle them if something does go wrong, but I doubt it will. Sprites only have the intelligence of a five- to seven-year-old child, so they're fairly honest," Katye said.
"Are you ready, Captain?" I asked.
"Yes," Janeway agreed.
Janeway and I headed for the exit with Katye and the sprites following close behind. There were a few of the Engineering crew in the hallway who looked at us with surprise and interest, but they parted ways with Janeway leading our little group. We took the nearby turbo lift up to Deck Six and the holo-deck was right on our left. Janeway stepped up to the console and tapped a few buttons.
"There is a holo-deck program running based off of old English epic poem, Beowulf. I can't shut it down," Janeway said.
"That's probably this 'Elder's' doing. The holo-deck generates a lot of Yang energy, so it's closer to their natural environment," Katye explained.
"I can handle the holo-deck characters. I read Beowulf several times growing up, so I should be able to get us passed them without too much difficulty," I offered.
"Alright, lead the way," Janeway agreed.
I headed to the doors of the holo-deck and they opened to reveal a dark, thick forest. I walked in front of the group while Janeway took the middle and Katye followed behind. My Earth Domain could not work in this environment since everything from the trees to the dirt was holographic, but my Wind Domain was still usable. I should have easily been able to stretch it to fill the entire holo-deck, but in the back corner, pure Yang energy stopped me from reaching further.
"I think I found the Elder; this way," I said, leading us toward the energy I sensed.
They followed me without a word of complaint, but we had not taken more than a few steps before the program generated one of the NPCs. She was a shieldmaiden and dressed in traditional Danish armor for the time period. Aside from her sword and shield, she also carried a spear taller than herself which she aimed and threw in our direction. She had aimed at a tree in front of our path, but I snatched it out of the air since I had sensed its entire flight.
"Fine weapon, a shame to just throw it away," I remarked as the woman walked out of the trees.
"Speak as a friend or stand challenged," she declared, drawing her sword.
"While I would enjoy a friendly competition, we are here on an urgent matter. We are searching for our kinsman, Beowulf; have you seen him?" I asked, offering back her spear.
"Yes. He was like no other. Hair straight and raven black, eyes bright with a fierce fire, the burning gaze of a hero," she replied and put away her sword. She took the spear and continued, "Your kinsman was a truly noble warrior. It is right that you should avenge his death."
"Did you see his body?" I asked.
"The body of Beowulf is gone. Dragged down to Grendel's foul lair, no doubt. The beast leaves no traces," she answered.
"Then no one watched the battle then?"
"No. Beowulf chose to face Grendel alone."
"Then there is still a chance that he lives. My senses tell me that there is a dangerous creature in that direction; may we proceed? We seek only Beowulf and Grendel," I requested.
"Are you a sorcerer?"
"An elemental warrior, but one of my companions is a sorcerer. The other is the leader of our Clan though she bares no gift of magic, only strength of the heart."
"A powerful Clan to have such heroes among you. Your path takes you to the marsh; you will need a guide and friend, if you come across any more of our warriors. I shall lead you," she said.
"Thank you," I replied.
The shieldmaiden moved to my side as we walked deeper, but my ears caught the soft sound of snickering from behind me. I glanced over my shoulder and saw Katye smirking while Janeway looked amused. Although I was sure that the little minx had made some teasing remark to Janeway, she had hidden it with her own Wind Domain that she activated for a moment.
"Shouldn't you see if the sprites can call their 'Elder' now that we are here," I asked with a hint of annoyance in my tone.
"Will your 'friend' be fine with my Dusa form?" Katye teased.
Luckily, before we could exchange anymore banter, 'Grendel' or their 'Elder' came forward through the trees. Bands of golden light wrapped around a central mass that was so bright that no features could be distinguished, and it was nearly as tall as a person. The two sprites rushed towards the creature of light, flashing a message.
[Fairy Queen! Fairy Queen!]
[Return subject! Return subject!]
The shieldmaiden pointed her spear at the creature, but I disarmed her before she could react and said, "Metal weapons cannot harm this beast. We will send it back where it belongs."
The Yang creature dimmed for a moment before it released a pulse of light. When it dimmed, Harry was standing in front of him in medieval armor and looking around confused, yet otherwise fine. The creature's body dimmed once again, but this time, it reshaped itself and took on a more corporeal form. It was still nearly as tall as a person, but it looked like a giant golden crow with three legs.
{Forgive me, Fairy Queen!} the creature cawed in our minds, but the expressions on Janeway's and Harry's faces made me believe that they heard it as well. {If I had known that you had taken my children, I would not have retaliated. I had not sensed your presence with your aura so restrained.}
The way he spoke to us felt different than the sprites, more refined and used a hint of unattributed mana. I was not able to replicate it yet, but that did not apply to Katye it seemed.
{Forgive us. Many memories of my past are gone, so we did not realize what you were when we detected your energy. We had no intention of taking your children.} Katye's voice chimed through all of our minds.
{Are they unworthy of your service?} he asked with clear disappointment.
{No, it is not that. We were simply exploring and sensed your energy. We wanted to study what we thought was just a random energy formation, but we have laws against abducting living creatures. This was done because of our ignorance, rather than our intention.}
The giant crow tilted its head to one side with confusion then clicked its beak. A third tiny ball of golden light appeared near the bird.
{This is my eldest. Talented, but still too young become a True Spirit like me. With your help, she could grow into far more. Please, take her with you and she could help you harmonize with our energy in return.}
Katye sighed. {It's... not appropriate. A child should be raised...}
[Please, Queen! Please, Queen!] The new sprite flashed. [Great honor! Great honor!]
Katye rubbed her temples and let out another sigh, arguing. {This isn't something that can just be decided in a moment. You are giving a stranger your child.}
{Forgotten past. This is our way. You are a Queen. She will be safest and strongest by joining your side.}
There was a ripple in Katye's aura which suddenly felt like she was this endless sea of knowledge and could see through every secret within the universe, but then, it returned to normal a moment later. Janeway and Harry could not sense it, but the Yang creatures could and literally prostrated themselves before her. Katye let out a heavy sigh and shook her head.
{Rise. I understand now... I will accept your daughter.} Katye replied then pricked her finger and squeezed out a drop of blood.
The Yang creatures slowly raised up and the sprite in question floated forward tentatively. The drop of black blood turned violet as Katye infused her mana into it. She willed it to float outward and the golden sprite stretched out a thin band of energy. As soon as the sprite made contact with the mana-charged blood, she exploded with violet light and intense energy that blinded all but Katye and the sprite.
When the light dimmed, a tiny humanoid figure with a set of dragonfly wings on her back was hovering in the air where the sprite had been. She was only six inches tall and had gold colored skin. Her hair was the same violet color as Katye's mana, and she wore a similarly colored robe over her small body.
"Waaa?!? I have a physical body?" the little fairy creature exclaimed with shock, her voice sounding like bells, while she examined her new body with interest.
{I was more than a simple Fairy Queen, little one. I promise that she will be protected for the rest of her life, but whether she can grow beyond a pixie will depend on her own efforts.} Katye chimed in all of our minds.
{Of course, Fairy Queen! It was our good fortune, and Filigree's, to have met you. We wish you long life and guiding light through all of your days.} The bird-like Yang spirit replied with a deep bow.
Without another word, the Yang spirit disappeared with the sprites. The holographic shieldmaiden was left completely stunned by everything, since there was no way that she could understand everything. Janeway and Harry were not in a much better position than the hologram, just standing to the side silently as they tried to process what they had just witnessed.
"Computer, end program," I said with a sigh.
The dark forest and the shieldmaiden disappeared, and we were standing in the plain holodeck. It was an empty gray room with a yellow grid laid out on the floor. There were lights built into columns along the wall and a metal grid frame between them. The door was behind us and not too far away, but no one had even looked at it except for me.
"So, your name is Filigree?" Katye asked, holding out the palm of her hand.
The pixie understood Katye's intention and landed on her palm and then gave a big nod. "Yes, Filigree is me! I will serve you to the best of my abilities, my Queen!"
"First rule: don't refer to me as Queen. You may use my name, Katye," Katye said.
"But..."
"No 'buts'. This is not a Fairy Kingdom, and I don't lead the people on this ship. If you want to accompany me from day to day, you will have to ask permission from Captain Janeway, or you will have to stay on our ship when I do my job," Katye instructed firmly.
She tilted her head to one side in confusion which was adorable with her pouty face. There must have been a silent conversation between them because the little pixie gave a huff before jumping off Katye's hand. She flew over to Janeway and hovered in the air in front of her.
"May I join your crew so that I can serve my... serve Katye? I can follow your rules and behave, I can even help Katye get stronger," Filigree asked, putting her fists on her hips.
Janeway had to suppress a chuckle, I could tell by the twinkle in her eyes, and she said, "I'm sure something can be arranged, but I will need to talk to Katye and Rebecca first before I can agree."
"Don't, little one, or I will leave you in our ship even if she agrees," Katye chided when the pixie opened her mouth. "Sorry, Captain, most of her knowledge is ingrained in her mind through instinct, so she has a bit of prejudice towards races with limited mana. Typically, they are hunted and forced into slavery which is why her parent was so protective when we took the other two sprites. The idea that I would not be in charge is nearly impossible for her to understand."
"Of course. Ensign, I hope that you will keep this matter to yourself. This is Katye's situation to disclose as she sees fit," Janeway said.
"Uh, yes... of course, Captain," Harry agreed.
"Good, then get yourself checked out by the Doctor and take the rest of the day off," Janeway instructed. "You two, would you come with me?"
"Yes," Katye and I in unison.