Author’s Notes:  Written for the VAMB Spring Fling 2010.  My request asked for a J/C story set during the time the Hirogen have taken the ship. A 'program' where they're together. Can be any rating but prefer PG13 and above.  

Possible Squick alert:  This is a Killing Game fic prior to the episode so there is character death – sort of. 

A Reason to Keep Fighting by Cheshire

Turanj, the Hirogen hunting party’s second-in-command, looked around the Alpha’s latest holographic recreation and found himself to be even less interested than he had been with the previous one. At least that one had involved long-bladed weapons and hand-to-hand combat.  This one appeared to be some sort of simple space station. “Is there to be a battle here?”

“No,” the Alpha replied, “this scenario will include a different kind of hunt.”

The younger Hirogen cocked his head to the side.  “But there will be a hunt?”

“Yes.” The Alpha almost smiled.  “Only this time, they will attempt to hunt me.”

Turanj looked taken aback.  “I don’t understand.”

He would’ve been surprised if the young warrior had understood.  Admittedly, he too had almost discarded this scenario, but upon reconsideration, he had been able to see the opportunity such a program represented. 

He would take on the role of a ship Alpha for the race that called themselves Cardassians.  While the ship he commanded was docked in a spaceport, he and his chosen officers were to be rewarded for their duties.  They were going to be given females for sport and entertainment. 

In Hirogen culture, this would be no reward at all as hunters were expected to find and subdue their own mates.  It was anathema to their way of life to be presented a woman, and a Hirogen female would never allow such a thing to happen.  If the male was not worthy enough to capture her in a hunt, she had no use for him.

If that had been the only aspect of the program, he would have discarded it, but there was more to it.  It seemed that the females that were to be given over to them were actually from a different species.  A species oppressed by the Cardassians.  Bajorans.  A smaller, weaker species that, while dominated for decades, still had members that continued to fight back against the race that subjugated them.  These members were part of what they referred to as the Resistance, and as far as the Alpha was concerned, these Resistance members were the only part of the Bajoran species worth hunting.

“The captain of Voyager will be put in a role where she has the opportunity to hunt me,” he tried explaining to his second in command.  “She will have all odds against her as I already know that she will attempt to claim my life, but I will have the opportunity to study her methods.  Her way of thinking.  It will give me insight to their culture.”

Turanj considered this.  “Will she have allies?”

“Yes, the scenario calls for her to form alliances with members of a resistance cell here on the station.”

“Do these humans never hunt alone?” Turanj asked rhetorically.

The Alpha was amused at his disgust. “Rarely, it seems.  They prefer to be in packs.”

The young hunter itched to be away from these holographic recreations and breathing real air on a real hunt, but for now he would do what he must.  “Shall I accompany you in this scenario?”

Regarding his protégé carefully, the Alpha recognized the young hunter’s need to rejuvenate.  “No.  I will run this scenario alone.  I look forward to pitting myself against Janeway and her pack.  It will be…stimulating.”

 

 

Kata Jhanare pinched the bridge of her ridged nose in an attempt to ease her ever-present headache. It felt as though she’d had the pain behind her eyes for years.  Only when she slept, which wasn’t often, did it ever seem to leave her.  Even now, after her first real food in weeks, it lingered.  At least the shower had been real hot water and not just sonic pulses.  She was glad the refresher had only been a shower stall, though; she might not have been strong enough to resist the temptation to use an actual tub had there been one. 

Thankfully, the sounds of retching had finally stopped, and Kata opened her eyes when she heard the door to the refresher slide open.  The young Bajoran woman that had been randomly assigned as her roommate while they were on the station emerged, looking embarrassed and shaky. “I’m so sorry.”

Kata waved off her apology.  “Are you feeling any better?”

The girl immediately cast her eyes downward and gave a nervous laugh.  “No, not really.”

“You should try and eat something.  You’ll need your strength,” Kata advised, although she herself had eaten very little. 

The girl acted as though she wanted to disagree, but she moved over to the table obediently and selected a small piece of bread.  With a heavy sigh, Kata forced herself to join the girl at the table. Selecting a piece of the bread, Kata slathered it with one of the fruit spreads, and popped it in her mouth.  The girl seemed to relax a bit but still only nibbled at her food. 

Kata decided that it must only be by the Prophet’s sick sense of humor that the girl had managed to last this long.  “My name is Kata Jhanare.”

“Stre Scotia.”

Kata had to strain to hear the girl’s faint reply.  “First time to one of these things?”

The girl’s eyes grew as large as the saucers on the table. 

Kata chuckled.  “I’ll take that as a yes.”

She nodded.

“Listen to me then, Scotia,” Kata paused when she saw the girl tense.  “I’m sorry.  May I call you Scotia?”

The girl shrugged and nodded at the same time.

“I can call you something else if you like–”

“No!” she replied almost forcefully before falling back into her meek tone.  “No, please…it’s just…besides my parents, no one has called me that.”

Kata smiled grimly at that and was about to comment when the girl spoke even quieter still.

“They died two weeks ago,” she said, her eyes briefly meeting Kata’s before looking down again, “at least, I think it was two weeks. That’s what the glinn that brought me here said.”

The hard stick of sweetened fruit that Kata had been holding snapped in her hand.  “What exactly did the glinn say?”

Scotia shrugged.  “They’d missed their payments to him and that had made me fair game.  I’d been a maid in his home, protected, so long as they paid him…but he never liked me. I’m sure he was glad to be rid of me.”

Kata reached out a hand and patted the girl’s shoulder.  “None of that means they’re dead, Scotia.” 

“It doesn’t mean anything good, either,” she replied glumly and took a bite of the bread.

Kata couldn’t argue that.  She also couldn’t put her protective feelings for the girl back in check.  It was a weakness of hers that she never seemed to be able to rid herself of, and it had gotten her into trouble on more than one occasion.  She couldn’t help herself, though.  She’d never been one to just standby when someone else was being bullied or beaten.  It wasn’t in her to not take action. 

Wiping crumbs from her hands, she tried putting the conversation back on a better tone.  “So Scotia, why didn’t the glinn like you?”

Blood rushed into Scotia’s cheeks.  “I’m a little clumsy when I’m nervous, and the glinn always made me nervous.  The first week I served in his home…I dumped his dinner in his lap.”

Kata covered her mouth with her hand in disbelief. 

“It was soup,” Scotia admitted, the blush on her cheeks deepening. “It was only because my parents were paying him that he didn’t kill me on the spot, but after that I was restricted to cleaning only.”

The door to the quarters slid open, startling both of the women. The Bajoran male that had brought them to the station stepped inside.  “Stand up.”

Both did as they were told, although Scotia stared at the floor while Kata glared at the collaborator.  He didn’t seem to notice as he inspected their clothing.  It had been new and waiting for them in the room when they’d first arrived.  They’d been told to dress in it or they would be wearing nothing during the upcoming dinner. 

He circled them, inspecting them from the back as well as the front, enjoying the mostly sheer fabrics that concealed little.  He frowned when his eyes reached the shoulders of the redhead.  “Lose the shawl.  These officers are being rewarded with women, not beggars from the street.”

Kata let the wrap slip from her shoulders as she eyed the man in front of her.  “Enjoying the view?”

He snorted and gestured for them to follow him out of the room.  Kata leaned over to Scotia and whispered, “Are you nervous right now?”

The girl nodded.

“Then whatever you do when we get in there, don’t be one of the kanar pourers.”

 

 

The Alpha sat back and observed his holographic officers talk amongst themselves in the board room.  Their topics of conversation were only slightly interesting, as everyone seemed to be keeping one eye on the door.  They were all anxiously awaiting the arrival of the “comfort women” as he’d heard them referred to.  Some were more anxious than others it seemed, and even as an outsider looking in, the Alpha could tell which were the younger soldiers.  It seemed that all young warriors shared traits no matter the species and were easy to pick out for anyone that had earned his scars.

Pretending to drink the glass of kanar he’d been handed, the Alpha turned his attention to the single other living being in the room.  One of the human males of the Voyager crew had been in the room since they arrived, staying behind a table and pouring drinks.  The man’s actions did not appear to be overly nervous, but his eyes never stopped moving, never stopped scanning the room and its occupants. The Alpha was quite sure that if Janeway managed to make her allies in the scenario this man would be involved.  Since he was a member of her staff, the pilot if the Alpha was remembering correctly, it would be only natural that she’d be drawn to him.

A musical gong sounded, causing the human behind the bar to straighten and focus his attention on the doorway, as did all the officers in the room.  The Alpha too turned in time to see a dozen women led into the room.  There were several appreciative noises made by the holograms that surrounded the Alpha, and more than one comment concerning amorous expectations. 

The comments didn’t surprise him. Hunters were no different really when speaking amongst themselves about females, except that Hirogen acted on their boasts, whereas these humanoids seemed to all be cautiously waiting for something.  

The human male that had been herding the women into the room and ushering them into two lines turned and bowed to the gathered Cardassian officers.  “Gul Parin, may I present you and your esteemed officers with a well earned reward for your many sacrifices. Legate Bosel extends his deepest appreciations for your efforts.”

The Alpha stood and walked the few steps to where the women had been assembled. He had noticed immediately that Janeway was among the group of women, but as he got closer he caught the scent of another real being in the group, as well.  He understood that as gul he had first choice and that it was expected of him to examine the “trophies” before the festivities would commence. He moved to the end of the line opposite from Janeway.

He inspected the human male first, knowing full well that he was one of Voyager’s officers and would play some part in the program.  “Do you have any recommendations?”

“They are all splendid choices, Gul Parin,” he answered simply, a dark glint of contempt in his eye despite the role he played.  “It depends on your preferences.  Dark, light, frail, strong.  Some have a bit more fire than others.”

“I’m sure,” the Alpha murmured, glancing to the opposite end of the line where Janeway stood, her chin jutting out a bit as she waited, and he began to make his way down the line.  The soldiers were beginning to murmur as he passed most of the women by without a second glance. Except for the two at the end, they were all nothing but constructs of light in which he had no interest.  Granted, he had no interest in mating with Janeway at all, but he would play his part in this scenario. 

He paused to regard the younger woman standing next to Janeway.  She was a frail looking thing, taller by a couple of centimeters than her captain, but standing with her shoulders hunched and her head down, she looked smaller in stature.  The Alpha was curious about this one.  Most of the Voyager crew members he encountered seemed sturdy, almost hard in nature no matter the scenario, but this one didn’t look as though she belonged.  He wondered how she was even considered worthy to be on the ship captained by Janeway. 

Lifting a hand to raise the girl’s chin, the Alpha noticed Janeway stiffen.  So even in a program where they didn’t know each other at all, Janeway was protective of her people.  He’d seen it before on more than one of the battlefields he’d hunted her on, and still it amused him.  Did she really believe she could keep them all safe? 

More interested in Janeway’s reaction than the girl’s, he gripped the girl’s chin a little tighter and examined her as though he were interested.  The decorative metal she wore attached to her ear shimmered in the light, and he turned her head to the side.  He brought his other hand up to trace along the dangling metal strands and saw Janeway’s head turn the smallest of increments so she could see his actions. 

“What’s your name, girl?” he asked, releasing her face but shifting his weight so that he appeared to be moving closer to her. 

“Stre…Scotia,” she replied, stammering slightly. 

The Alpha could barely hear her but looking down on her, he could easily see the rapid rise and fall of her chest as she breathed.  “You’re young…aren’t you?”

“Y-Yes.”

This time, Janeway’s entire body twitched as if she had barely controlled herself from moving towards him.  Amused, he let his hand trail across the girl’s trembling shoulder and down her arm before announcing, “Perhaps, too young for me.”

He stepped away from her, noticing Janeway’s entire body language relax as he now faced her.  It bothered him.  No female should feel calm or relaxed when he was in such close proximity.  The girl’s reaction was much more appropriate than Janeway’s.  Ignoring the look of satisfaction he could see in her pale eyes, he circled behind her, and it was only then she seemed to once again tense.  He smiled to himself.  She didn’t like having him behind her.  It was the natural instinct of someone being hunted. 

“This one will do,” he told the human male that had so closely watched his every move.  The man’s jaw was clenched, but he gave a semi-polite nod in acknowledgment.  The Alpha moved back in front of Janeway, offering her his arm.  “Would you join me for a drink?”

“Do I have a choice?” The false smile she offered as she placed her hand on his arm did not remotely conceal her disgust for him, and he knew that it, like anything Janeway seemed to do, was by design.  Her spirit, despite the situation, always amused him.

He led her around the table, seating her in the chair he’d occupied earlier. Treating a female so delicately was foreign to him, but he’d seen it done in several of their recreations. Like any hunter worth his blood, he adapted, his actions allowing him to blend in with the current scenario.

Placing a tall glass of kanar in front of Janeway, he watched her carefully. Watching Janeway fight with herself as to how much she would allow or accept from him considering how much her character was supposed to loath him was amusing.  She probably thought she was keeping her emotions well-heeled, but he knew better. 

He took a seat next to her. “What is your name?”

“Kata Jhanare.”

He nodded, taking a sip of his own beverage and observing the holographic men and women mingle.  Only a few of the older officers had paired off separately with a woman, while the younger soldiers seemed content to take turns holding the attention of different women.

“And what should I call you?” Janeway asked with more than a hint of insubordination. 

“Gul will do,” he answered.

She bristled at his answer but covered it well by taking a sip of her drink.

“Tell me, Jhanare,” he paused, noticing her stiffen at his casual use of her name, “do you know the young one?”

She followed his gaze to see Scotia seated at the other end of the table on the lap of one of the older Cardassians.  The officer appeared to be having a good time, while the young woman looked paler than ever.  Janeway’s voice was strained when she answered.  “Not particularly.”

The Alpha watched the Voyager captain’s expression darken as the officer had the girl feed him a bite of food.  “You don’t approve of my officer?”

Slowly, her gaze slid away from the couple and back to him.  “I don’t approve of any of you. Gul.”

“You speak boldly…for prey.”

Her eyes narrowed at his choice of words before a crash and a startled cry drew both of their attentions back to the end of the table. 

“You…stupid…pathetic…vole!” the Cardassian officer snarled, standing over the girl now cowering on the floor.  Kanar dripped down the entire front of his uniform and onto the floor.  

“I’m sorry,” Scotia cried, her hand offering the bottle of half spilled liquid up to him.  “I…I didn’t mean to.  It was an ac-accident.”

“Accident?” he roared, ripping the bottle from her hand and shaking out its remaining contents onto her. He shifted the grip on the bottle until he held it like a club.  “I’ll show you accident, girl.”

The girl cringed into the carpet, trying desperately to prepare herself for the blow that was coming as the officer raised the bottle above his head. Then she felt a whisper of fabric trail across her face, and the cheers and other encouragements from the audience faded into stunned silence.  Cautiously, Scotia lowered her arm from over her head and saw Kata Jhanare standing over her.  Physically interposing herself between the stunned Cardassian officer and Scotia herself. 

It was the most terrifying sight Scotia had ever seen.

For a moment the Cardassian officer looked rather foolish, his arm raised, preparing to strike, and then freezing as the Gul’s woman stepped in front of him.  She was shorter than he was, but her eyes blazed at him in such a way that he almost believed she was some demon spit up by the damned Bajoran prophets.  He quickly looked to the end of the table for guidance from his Gul.

The Alpha watched the commotion in silence.  He’d seen Janeway stand and leave his side, and he’d allowed it, wanting to see what she would do.  The other two humans in the room had also reacted when the young one had cried out, but both of the men had pulled themselves back and were now standing as still as everyone else in the room.  Watching. 

Waiting. 

The Cardassian officer looked to him for permission, and the Alpha gave a slight nod of his head.  A feral smile appeared on the man’s face before his arm slashed downwards, the bottle striking Janeway on the side of her head, shattering around her as she collapsed to the floor.  The other officers in the room cheered as his foot lashed out, once, twice, kicking at her viciously as she lay crumpled on the floor. 

“That’s enough.”

The men immediately quieted when the Alpha stood and began to circle the table.  The officer that had been meting out the punishment was breathing heavily, his fists clenched at his sides, but he had stopped his actions immediately at his officer’s command. 

It surprised the Alpha to see the young one on the floor was now the one interposing herself between the officer and Janeway.  The way she held her hand cradled against her middle indicated that she had taken at least one of the blows.  It was the first time he had seen any sort of fire in the girl, and he thought that perhaps he was seeing a glimpse of why she was on this ship.  He looked towards the door, where the man that had brought them stood with his fists and jaw clenched.  “You.  Come here.”

He immediately walked over, head bowing slightly.  “My apologies, Gul.  I will have these two removed and punished immediately.”

The Alpha could smell the man’s sweat in the air and could practically hear how fast his heart was beating.  Did he fear for the women, or did he fear for himself? 

The scent of blood was beginning to suffuse the air, and the Alpha looked down, surprised to see that Janeway was conscious, holding a hand to her head, and struggling to sit up.  He reached down and dragged her to her feet, feeling her sway in his grip even as the young one also regained her feet, standing unknowingly at her captain’s side. Red blood streamed down the side of Janeway’s face when her hand fell heavily to her side.  The Alpha breathed the intoxicating scent in deeply, seeing the glazed, disoriented look in her eyes and feeling the lust for the kill simmering in his gut.

But now was not the time. 

He pushed her roughly into the arms of the human male, who caught and steadied her.  “Take them both out of my sight.  I’ll deal with her later.”

 

 

Kata grimaced at the throbbing pain in her head as she slowly shifted her body weight so she could lie on her back instead of her side.  She’d thought the headache she’d had for the past few days had been bad, but she knew that had just been a grain of sand compared to the monster that engulfed her now.  Her chest didn’t feel too good either, and she was really going to be pissed if that son-of-a-pah-wraith had broken her ribs. 

Slowly, she blinked open her eyes, not at all surprised to find herself staring up at an unfamiliar ceiling.  Shifting her eyes to the side, she saw the gilded edge of a force field in place and knew she was in the brig of the space station.  Great…just great.

She heard someone clear their throat, and she turned her head, grimacing at the motion, to look further out into the brig.  Of course, he was standing there. 

“Have you lost your mind?” he snarled from the other side of the force field.  “He could have killed you.”

Moving slowly and swallowing thickly as the small room spun around her, Kata pushed herself up to a sitting position to face the man that had brought her here.  “Your point?”

He made a noise of disgust and pushed off from the wall he’d been leaning against. His eyes narrowed, and he continued to glare at her, attempting to get her to back down.

“Oh, come on,” she grimaced, touching the sticky flaky blood on the side of her head, “what was I supposed to do?  Just sit there and watch him beat that poor girl?”

“Yes,” he said, completely exasperated.

“You know damn good and well I’m not going to stand around and allow something like that to happen, Komal.”

“He wouldn’t have killed her,” he stated, his voice adamant, “and you know I would have taken care of her.”

Kata could see the pain in his eyes even through the energy of the force field. She knew he was just worried for her sake. With a bit of a sigh, she relented, “I know you would have.”

He glared at her for another second before keying in a code to drop the energy barrier.  Stepping over the threshold and into the cell, he took a seat next to her on the small bunk, sitting close enough that their legs touched.

“Where’s the girl now?” she asked, wishing she could grab hold of the hand that was so close to hers. 

He tugged at his ear. “She kind of…panicked when you passed out in the corridor.” 

Kata’s eyes widened in alarm.

“It’s all right. Your brother was able to sneak out from the party during all the commotion.  He took her down to the cargo bay; his wife will look after her.”

Kata scoffed at that.  “With the way Calla’s temper has been lately, the girl will be lucky to survive.”

“Pregnancy will do that,” he quipped, before inhaling deeply. “Jhanare…”

“I know,” she said and patted his leg, cutting him off before he could get started on another lecture. “I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did.”

“It was rash.”

“Well,” she chuckled darkly, “it’s not like I haven’t been accused of that before.”

He huffed and she leaned her head back against the wall, regretting the movement when she groaned slightly before she could stop herself. Almost immediately, she felt Komal’s hand lifting her shirt to survey the damage to her torso, but she pushed his hand down.  Someone could walk in at any time, and if he was seen showing her any kind of compassion…they shouldn’t even be sitting so close together, but she couldn’t bear telling him to move away.   She moved his hand back to his lap, giving it a gentle squeeze before releasing it.  “So, what happens now?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted, not at all happy she wouldn’t let him check her over but understanding why she couldn’t.  “We’ll have to wait and see how the rest of dinner plays out.  I’ll see about getting a regenerator for you.”

“No,” she shook her head slightly, a wave of pain ricocheting around her skull at the slight movement. “He may want to see me. We can’t heal the injuries. Not yet.”

“I’ll get you an analgesic at least,” he argued, knowing she wouldn’t want him to even do that much.   Reluctantly, he got to his feet. “I better get back.”

She gave him a wary half smile.  “I’ll be here.”

“You better be,” he said grimly before sneaking a quick kiss to the top of her head.  “Try and get some rest.”

She watched as he stepped back out into the general brig area, reenergizing the force field behind him.  He gave her one last, long look before striding for the door.  Readjusting herself slowly until she was once again lying down on the bunk, Kata stared at the nondescript ceiling. She didn’t really believe in the Prophets anymore, but if they could get her and him both out of this one alive, she’d be very appreciative. 

 

 

The grinding “whoosh” of the outer doors to the brig opening had Kata opening her eyes. Multiple sets of footsteps sounded on the metal decking of the station, and she steeled herself as they grew closer to her cell.

“Well…aren’t you just looking lovely?”

Moving cautiously so as not to give away how much pain she was in, Kata pulled herself up to a sitting position.  The Cardassian glinn that she had opposed stood on the other side of the force field, flanked by two of the younger officers from the party.  All three appeared to be less than steady on their feet, and the glinn clutched a half empty bottle of kanar in one hand. She really hoped he didn’t plan on breaking this one over her head as well but at the moment, she wasn’t holding out much hope for it. 

“Do you have anything…you’d like to say to me?” the glinn asked, his cohorts chuckling behind him. 

Kata regarded him coolly, her chin tilting up defiantly.  Despite the myriad responses that automatically sprang to mind, she bit her tongue and said nothing.

“You owe me…an apology,” he informed her with a sick smile, “and to do it properly…I think you should get on your knees.”

Clenching her fist and feeling her nails dig into her palm, Kata recited the promise she had made to herself.  She would not react.  It wouldn’t do any good, and it would only worry Komal even more. 

The glinn growled at her lack of movement.  “I said on your knees, bitch!”

“Not going to happen,” she snapped back, despite her best intentions.

“Lower the force field!” he snarled at the young officer behind him, promising with his eyes that he would make her pay for her continued defiance.

There was a pause of silence before the young officer, suddenly looking very sober, managed to stammer, “I…I don’t have the code, sir.”

The glinn whirled on him, and both young officers backed away, the second one shaking his head as well. “Then go find someone who does!”

The two young officers bolted for the door, leaving Kata and the glinn alone, glaring at each other through the force field.  He took a swig of kanar straight from the bottle, spilling some of it down his chin.  He wiped his hand across his mouth before pointing at her.  “You ruined a perfectly good bottle of kanar earlier.  For that alone, I’m going to make you beg.”

She didn’t respond to his taunt, but she didn’t bother trying to hide her disgust for him either. 

He snarled, hitting the force field with the bottle, arcing the energy across it.  “And I’m going to wipe that look off your face, too.  You arrogant little girl.  You will learn obedience. The heel of my boot will ensure that you pay the proper respect to your superiors.”

The hate in Kata’s eyes flared, and she couldn’t pass up the perfect opportunity he had given her. “My superiors?” she scoffed. “Well then, I guess that leaves you out, doesn’t it?”

The glinn roared and threw the bottle of kanar across the brig, smashing it against the bulkhead.  “I am a Cardassian! You are nothing but a pathetic Bajoran.  I was born superior to you and to every one of your kind.” He pointed a finger at her. “It is only by Cardassian benevolence that your race has not vanished from the universe.”

“Cardassian benevolence?” she spat, getting to her feet.  “There’s no such thing.”

“There is,” he assured her, stepping even closer to the field, “and you’ll be begging me for it.” 

 

You must login (register) to review.