Kathryn stared out the port at the planet below -- a lush green M-class world with a civilization that was actually pre-warp but which has developed a flourishing economy in the region.  Their economy was based on tourism and food production.  They had managed to find a balance with technology and nature that appealed to many nearby groups.  Despite being exposed to a great deal of advanced technology, they declined to use it in many instances.  This was not the result of restrictions imposed by their more advanced neighbors, but by their own choice.  Transporter technology was an example.  Although they could easily have acquired the technology to transport people, they limited their use to bulk materials such as ore, timber and fresh food.

Kathryn recalled the summary Harry had prepared about the planet.  Its average temperature was slightly lower than Earth's but the land was generally nearer the equator and benefited from the more direct sunlight.   The planet had a lower ratio of land to water than Earth but nearly all of the land was productive.  Many of the foods were suitable for Voyager's crew and now Kathryn was waiting for Chakotay to return with the results of the initial talks with Erevel's trade representatives.  If the trade negotiations with the inhabitants were as favorable as the planet itself, Kathryn would ask Mahx, the senior trade minister, about extending their stay and arranging shore leave for the crew.

The chime sounded and she called for Chakotay to come in. One look at his face told her trade negotiations were going very smoothly.

Five days later Kathryn and Chakotay sat talking in the ready room.  The details of the trade negotiations had been worked out and Mahx had suggested Voyager stay for a few more days so the crew could visit their world.

"So, Kathryn, are you going to approve leave for the crew?"

"Of course.  The crew needs a few days off and Everel's economy is based on visitors.  I had been worrying that they might not want us to stay longer but I guess I forgot that profit is important to many cultures.  I'm trying to decide whether to approve a request from the teachers."

"What do they want?"

"They want to take the children to see various tourist attractions, like the zoo in Lezzo and one of the dormant volcanoes in the northern island chain.  There are also family parks where they could go study the plants and rock formations not to mention a water park that would be just for fun."

"Why are you hesitating?"

"I'm not sure I like that many of the children off the ship without their parents.  Then there is the trouble a few of them could get into if their teachers get distracted."  Kathryn glanced at Chakotay to make sure he knew whom she meant.  He chuckled.

"I'll put the fear of the brig in Cody and Chad.  Tom can do the same for RT.  If those three stay in line, the others will be fine."

"So you think it's safe to let them go?"

"I think we can't keep the children on this ship their entire lives.  The chances of finding a better place for them to study nature are practically nonexistent.  I'll just assign a few extra people to the classroom the days they go and I'll make sure several parents are off duty when they go to the volcano and park.  If they ask to go along, I'll approve it."

"Well, you're going with them to the volcano.  I'll do the nature park."

"Kathryn, we can't go on all the trips.  The children need to know we trust them and ours need to be away from us, especially Chad and Cody.  They have to learn to behave when we aren't around."

"Well, those are the two places the children are most likely to get into trouble.  If all goes well, they can do the water park and zoo without one of us."

"Do you want me to let the teachers know they can go ahead and make plans?  I can find out how many extra people they need while I'm there."

"OK.  I'll tell Mahx we're accepting the invitation to stay a few more days."

"Better make it a week or ten days.  The teachers and adults who accompany the children will need a few days on their own; and I'm sure some of the parents will want to take a day with their children as well.  I'll start preparing the leave roster as soon as I've talked with the teachers."

"Well, give us an afternoon on our own in there somewhere."

"It will be an entire day so don't think you're getting out of it."  Chakotay left the ready room but he caught a mumbled reply as the door closed behind him.

"Tyrant!"

Eight days later, Kathryn and Chakotay watched the last of the children beam down to the zoo.  As the transporter pad cleared, they took their places and asked to be sent to one of the nature parks.  Chakotay had decided that the best way to keep Kathryn from worrying about the children without one of them watching was to keep her distracted.  He could do that much better off the ship so had scheduled their leave for the same day as the children went to the zoo.  The park he had selected was not so popular as some of the others.  It lacked the breathtaking scenery of the more mountainous parks and had no rushing rivers to thrill people.  It was known for its calm beauty and long leisurely hiking trails, emphasis on long.  It took at least five hours to hike most of the trails.  As they moved to check in with the park officials, Chakotay shouldered the pack with their lunch and water hoping Kathryn didn't kill him when she found out there was no coffee in it.

Kathryn and Chakotay opted for one of the shorter trails.  They took their time and enjoyed their lunch by a bubbling brook.  They discussed that term at some length.  It was so trite but so perfect for this particular stream.  It was so narrow that Chakotay could step across it in several places yet it moved quickly among the rocks making a happy bubbling noise.  They chose a spot among new growth trees for their picnic site and even fell asleep for an hour after they finished.  Chakotay was awakened by the rustle of some leaves as a small creature tried to sneak in to investigate what was left of their lunch.  It darted off when he roused.

"Come on, Kathryn.  It's time to wake up.  We have to get moving if we want to get back by dark."

"Ohhhhhh.  Why did you let me sleep so long?"

"I fell asleep, too."

"What have we come to?  There was a time when neither of us would have fallen asleep just because we sat down for a few minutes."

"Fourteen years in the Delta Quadrant and four kids will do that to a person."

"Has it been that long already?"

"Almost."  They were gathering up their picnic as they talked.

"It doesn't seem possible.  It seems like only yesterday we were on a beach talking about our first baby."

"I know.  Today feels like those days.  I'm glad we took today off on our own.  We need to do this more often."

"It's hard for both of us to be off the ship at the same time."

"I know, but it's good for us and lets us be better officers.  Come on, we'd better get going."  Chakotay reached out for Kathryn's hand and together they continued their hike.

They arrived back at their starting point as the sun was starting to dip toward the horizon, both tired but happy.  They checked out with the park officials and called for transport to Voyager.  They were barely off the transporter pad when Tom hailed them from the bridge.

"Captains to the bridge."

Kathryn and Chakotay exchanged looks and hurried out the door.  Kathryn stepped off the turbo lift first.  "Report!"

Tom turned to face her, his face lined with concern.  "Come into the ready room.  It will be easier to explain in there."

Once in the ready room, Tom spoke.  "This is going to take a while, Captain.  You might want a cup of coffee.  I know I could use something."

"Just tell me, Tom.  What's got you so worried that you needed us both on the bridge when we're not at red alert?"

Chakotay heeded Tom's advice and got them all beverages.  He knew Tom was worried.  He also knew that no one was injured or they would be having this conversation in sickbay.  If Tom knew anything definite, he would have called them back from their leave.

"Captain, I'm worried about the group at the zoo.  Nothing definite but they are late coming back.  The zoo is located in a rocky area with mineral deposits that interfere with communications.  They have been in and out of contact all day.  But in the last hour or two, the signals seem different.  They haven't moved around much and they haven't moved into an area where we can communicate."

"There's something else, isn't there?"

"Yes.  About half an hour ago, I had Ops check out the specific combadges to see who was walking with whom.  It seems that twins are walking around with Taylor and Jem, and RT and Annabel are inseparable."

Tom waited while that information registered.  They all knew Taylor and Jem would never tolerate the twins for more than a few minutes and no one had tried to have RT watch his younger sister since they both ended up in sickbay when B'Elanna left them alone for ten minutes in the mess hall.  "Now do you see why I'm concerned?  It just doesn't make sense."

"Maybe they switched combadges."

"Well, if they did they know the punishment is missing the trip to the water park in two days and I know how much RT wanted to go.  I really don't think he would have risked the water park for a simple prank.  What about Cody and Chad."

"I agree, Kathryn."  Chakotay spoke.  "The twins knew that even a minor breach of rules would cost them the trip.  If they were going to pull a prank like this they would have waited to do it at the water park, not the zoo."

"Can we just beam them out or are those minerals interfering with the transporter as well?"

"No, we can’t get a transporter lock on any of them.  We can barely read the signals from the combadges.  They are in a cavern of some sort and we can't get a lock.  I knew you were due back soon so I was waiting to contact the authorities.  No one except the bridge crew knows about the readings and loss of contact.  That will no longer be true once the shift changes in about fifteen minutes.  I don't know what to tell the parents anyway.  There might not be anything wrong."

"You're right.  Stay on the bridge until one of us gets back.  Tell this shift I don't want anyone creating a panic among the parents, and find out where Mahx is.  I'm going to want to talk to him in about ten minutes.  Come on, Chakotay.  We need to get changed."

Twenty minutes later, Kathryn was on the bridge engaged in a heated debate with Mahx.  She was demanding answers and he was trying to assure her all was well.  Chakotay watched as Kathryn's frustration and irritation with Mahx grew.  Finally he stepped forward.

"Minister.  Might I suggest we meet you at the zoo and we can investigate this matter together."

Mahx's face froze for a minute before he answered.  "As you wish.  It will take me a while to arrange transport.  Shall we meet in an hour?"

"We'll beam down immediately and wait for you.  Janeway out!"  Kathryn waited until the main screen displayed the exterior view again.  "Chakotay, was it my imagination or did he panic when you suggested meeting him at the zoo?"

"I'm not sure if it was panic, but I am sure his excuse to delay an hour was just that – an excuse."

Kathryn glanced at Chakotay's face – he was not going to allow her to go alone.  "Tuvok, assemble your security team and have them meet us in transporter room one.  Tom, you have the bridge.  I want to know immediately if even one of those combadges starts moving.   Let's go see why your suggestion made Mahx uneasy, Chakotay."

Kathryn and Chakotay walked around the area outside the caverns where the children's combadge signals said the children were located. There were a number of displays explaining the caverns and its various life forms.  The photographs on the display reminded them of the descriptions of the Trill home world but without the symbionts. They had been waiting for about forty minutes when Tuvok walked over to them.

"I have been observing the visitors entering and leaving this exhibit.  The average time they spend in the caverns is nineteen minutes. Those with very small children spend significantly less time while those with no children spend approximately six minutes longer inside.  It is reasonable to assume that even a group of children would complete their visit in no more than an hour even if they made special arrangements for an extended tour.  The children from Voyager have been in the cavern nearly three hours now.  Based on the behavior of those exiting the caverns, there is no apparent danger and nothing unusual is on the normal route for visitors.  I recommend that we do not wait for Mahx."

"I agree, Captain.  There's no reason to delay."

"You've convinced me, gentlemen.  Tuvok, bring one of your people with us and have the others wait for Mahx.  Let's go."

Kathryn led the way into the caverns.  They were quite beautiful with small crystals in the walls and larger formations scattered throughout the rooms.  Larger rooms frequently contained pools of murky water that rippled as unseen creatures moved through them.  As they moved deeper into the caverns, the temperature dropped slightly.  The zoo had laid out paths through the maze of tunnels and caverns that allowed groups to move easily along and provided places for them to stop and explore areas without blocking the flow of visitors.  There were a number of groups that appeared to be local school children stopped in some of the rooms listening to adults explain their surroundings.

The paths were clearly marked and access to other parts of the caverns safely blocked.  Chakotay studied some of those blocked passages.  All but a few were clearly in use by staff, some more than others.  They would definitely get the attention of Chad and Cody but if they had sneaked into a forbidden area, the rest of the group would not have followed.  If nothing else, Taylor would have made a beeline for the exit to report the boys' behavior to their parents.  He moved on.  He didn't think this was some prank by any of the children.  If they had taken one of the blocked passages, it had been the entire group and they would have been following a guide.  He told Kathryn and Tuvok his conclusions when he rejoined them.

About ten minutes into their journey through the caves, they came to a very large cavern.  About three-quarters of the vaulted room were blocked off from the visitors by a low barrier.  On the other side was a large pool.  The other side of the pool had an area that native creatures seemed to be using to sleep or rest.  Many of them were visible in the dark waters, moving like shadows.  Those on the far side seemed to be sleeping.

"Captain, this is the location of the signals we are receiving.  The communicators are either in the pool or on the far side."

Kathryn and Chakotay both looked at Tuvok, confusion evident on their faces.

"I can not explain how or why, captain.  I can only tell you that according to my readings, the communicators are in that area."

They were well into a discussion about possible explanations and options for investigating the readings further when a group of guides gently began directing people for the exit.  The room had nearly cleared before Chakotay noticed activity had dropped off.  "Is it closing time?"

"If it is, Mahx had better plan on keeping a few people late until we get some answers."  Kathryn was in not mood to consider social niceties, like the end of the workday, when she had missing children to find.

"I assure you, Captain, that we will stay here as long as you deem it profitable for your search."

"Thank you, Minister."

"Come, come.  Earlier today, it was 'Mahx'.  I find it much more productive to be less formal when there is a problem to solve.  Now, how can we help you in your search?"

"Tuvok, please explain what you have learned."  Tuvok quickly explained what they knew.  Kathryn kept a close watch on Mahx's face.  He seemed unsurprised at parts of Tuvok's report but not at others.  When Tuvok finished, Kathryn spoke.

"What aren't you telling us, Mahx?"  Mahx seemed to hesitate.  "Trust me, Mahx.  It will be much better if you tell me what you know.  Those aren't just Voyager's children among our missing.  Four of those children are mine.  Right now, you only have to deal with a ship's captain.  If you have to deal with the mother of those children, it will be far worse.  Now tell me."

Mahx signaled one of his men to cross the barrier but did not speak.  Slowly and gently, he approached one of the creatures in the pool.  The creature approached him and accepted his touch.  It even rolled over on its back to have its belly rubbed.  While he was rubbing the creature's belly, the man put his hand into a flap of skin and removed what proved to be a communicator.  He stood and returned to the barrier and handed the communicator to Kathryn.  Two other men joined him and they moved slowly among the creatures removing one or more communicators from many of the creatures.  In about fifteen minutes, all the missing communicators had been turned over to Voyager's crew.  The security chief who had accompanied them into the caverns literally had his hands full of communicators.  Chakotay told him to take off his jacket and use it to carry the communicators to the exit and get them back to the ship.  As the chief left, Chakotay eyed Kathryn wondering how she had managed to contain her anger and fear.

"Mahx, I strongly advise you to tell us what you know."

"I had hoped to have this resolved before you found out, Captain.  Apparently, a few visitors joined your group as they entered the cavern area and chatted with the adults and children.  When they left the public paths for their special tour, those adults asked to go along.  Once they were away from the public, they tied up the tour guide and removed all the communicators.  Then they went farther into the caverns.  We knew the area in the caverns was nearly impossible for you to scan so we put the communicators in the corner of this exhibit.  These elas are inquisitive and their curiosity must have led them to appropriate the communicators.  It is not unusual for lost items to turn up in their possession.

"We received a communication from the kidnappers.  They assured us that no one had been hurt, that they had all been provided with a meal and water and were in a safe place.  If they can be believed, none of the children have yet realized that anything is wrong.  They think they are on a special picnic that you arranged as a surprise for them."

"What else did they say?"

"Nothing of substance."

"They took members of my crew and the children from my ship for a reason.  Tell me what else they want.  Now!"  Kathryn's tone clearly conveyed that she was not going to allow Mahx to keep information to himself.

 "They are protesting a social practice that is none of your concern.  It is strictly a minor local matter."

"It stopped being minor and local when they abducted my people.  Tell me what more they said."

"They said they would release everyone if you would listen to what they had to say."

"That's it?  They only want me to listen to them?"

"That's their claim.  Our policy is to never negotiate when hostages are being held.  I told them that once everyone had been released, I would ask you to listen to their story."

Kathryn eyed Mahx.  He shifted nervously under her gaze.

"You hoped they would release my people before I found out and you were not going to tell me anything more."  Mahx wouldn't meet Kathryn's eyes.  "You were going to lie to them and then make me out to be a liar, too."

Kathryn turned to Tuvok and Chakotay.  "Do either of you have any comments or observations?"

"Assuming what he has told us is the complete truth, your analysis seems to fit the facts as we know them, Captain.  I suggest we move out of the caverns where we can at least be in contact with Voyager. We can do nothing further in here at this time."

"I agree, Kathryn.  Perhaps the minister here will allow us to view the message in its entirety, just in case he overlooked something of interest to us."

"Good idea.  Let's go, Mahx.  I'm very interested in seeing that communication.  Once I've seen it, I have a feeling that I'm going to want to talk to their contact person."

As they made their way to the exit, Mahx spoke.  "Captain, they sent only a tape recorded message.  We have not spoken to anyone yet.  We have no way for you to contact them."

"Tuvok?"

"Captain, we have monitored regular communications that are similar to what Mr. Paris would call television signals.  We might be able to transmit a message using that network."

Kathryn looked at Mahx. "Is that possible?"  Mahx tried to hide his look of disappointment. "I'll take that as a yes. Chakotay, make the arrangements. I'm sure someone on the minister's staff can help you. You have fifteen minutes."

"Captain, it will take much longer than that to arrange, I assure you. We have to contact the manager of the transmitter and once we have that worked out, we will have to allow time for the technical people…" Mahx's voice faded as Kathryn ignored all but his first words.

"Chakotay, just set up a way to transmit from Voyager on all their channels. We can relay my agreement to listen from here. I have no patience with ineptitude and I want those children back on the ship before their bedtime."

"Aye, Captain."

Chakotay stepped away to issue the necessary orders to the ship. Ten minutes later, they were ready to transmit and half a dozen more people had beamed down. Half of them were additional security guards and the others were parents of some of the younger children. When they were ready, Chakotay signaled the captain. She quickly stated her willingness to listen to those who wished to speak to her and asked them to come to her at the entrance to the caverns. She didn't mention the children or the government's involvement.

Then they waited. At first, Kathryn sat at a table in the picnic area but soon got up and started pacing. Chakotay eventually joined her and together they walked to a quiet spot where they could talk. Tuvok watched them as they walked away. To Mahx they looked like the commanding officers they were, but Tuvok saw more. He saw two people who were best friends and lovers. He also saw officers worried about their crew and the children from the ship. Tuvok thought that most of the others waiting with him for his commanding officers to return would see that. He didn't think they would see the concerned and angry father or the frantic mother struggling to retain control of the situation in which they must be feeling nearly helpless. He watched as Kathryn touched Chakotay's arm briefly as they exchanged a few words. As they turned to return to their table, Chakotay put his arm around Kathryn when she stumbled on a tree root. It was still around her when they sat down, evidence of their worry but to everyone else, they looked calm and in control.

About forty minutes after the broadcast, a young woman appeared.  At first, the minister's aides tried to send her away, but she said she was there to speak with the captain of the ship in orbit.  They immediately grabbed her arms and started to move off with her.

"Minister!" Kathryn's voice carried over the silent group. "She is here to speak to me. You will not interfere."

A hushed silence fell over the group as Mahx and Kathryn stared at each other. Mahx looked away first. He motioned his aides to release the young woman who gave them a nasty look before moving to meet Kathryn. "Captain, I'm Rihali. Thank you for agreeing to listen to what I want to share with you."

"Rihali, I'm Kathryn Janeway. This is my first officer, Chakotay, and this is my Chief of Security, Tuvok. I agreed to listen only after you release my people."

"Do you give me your word that you will listen to all I have to say?"

"I give you my word that I will listen, but I find it hard to believe that you don't want more."

"I do, Captain, but all I require of you in order to release the children is your word that you will listen. Whether you deny my request when I am finished is entirely your decision."

"Then we are agreed. Release my people and then we can talk. Is this location satisfactory?"

"It is." She turned and waved toward the rocks above the cavern entrance. Kathryn could see no sign of anyone there but decided to trust Rihali. "It will take them about twenty minutes to arrive, Captain. If you wish, I will start my tale while we wait, but I am willing to wait if you prefer."

"Let's wait for your story when I know my people are safe."

"I assure you, they are safe. We arranged matters to appear to be a surprise picnic for the children. Only the adults knew what was happening after we left the guard and communicators. A few of the younger ones are starting to get tired and want to go home to their parents, but the others are fine. Tell me, Captain, do you have a daughter among the older children?"

"I don't see how that is any of your business one way or the other."

"It's not. But I received a report on the status of the group. In it, they mentioned one of the older girls. If the girl they spoke of is your daughter, you can be proud of her. They thought she figured out quite quickly what was happening but did nothing to alarm the other children. The only reason they thought she knew was that she made some comments about getting in severe trouble for not keeping her communicator with her. Something in her attitude suggested that she was not concerned that she would be in trouble, but that those who took them would be. You don't need to tell me, just know that the girl should be commended by her parents and by her captain."

"Tell me about yourself while we wait, Rihali. I'd like to get to know you a little better if possible."

"Of course, Captain. I was raised in a village not far from the city. Unlike many villagers, I was able to travel to the city regularly and even attended school here. That was not easy.  Most of the inhabitants of our cities look down on the people from the villages. Only a few children would even speak to me. It was not until I attended university that I made my first real friends from any city."

"What did you study?"

"From talking to the adults who have been our guests, I believe you would call it a combination of medicine and nutrition. It's a very practical profession for those who want to return to the villages because there are very few medical facilities away from the cities. Those who remain in the cities usually do research at major hospitals and seldom see patients. My village is lucky, another student has just completed her training and will be returning there so they will not be without the knowledge and skills I have provided for the last ten years."

"What do you mean?"

"I've committed a crime. Even if you grant my request, the authorities here will punish me. It will be many, many years before I can return to my village."

"You must feel very strongly about what you are going to tell me."

"I do. It affects my entire village and almost every other village. If you grant my request, it will help all the people who don't live in the cities. Any punishment I receive will be a very small price if you help us."

"Tell me about your family."

"My husband is a farmer. We raise vegetables for sale in the city and fruits and grain for our own needs.  We are not wealthy but we have a comfortable life.  We have three children who are doing very well with their studies."  Rihali must have noticed a change in Kathryn's expression for she added. "Don't worry.  My parents and my husband's parents live near us. My children will be well taken care of. I am not concerned about their physical welfare. I regret I won't be there to watch them grow up. They know what I am doing and understand my reasons as much as any children their age can understand these things."

Their conversation was cut off by a shout from one of the security team. They looked up to see the missing children and adults walking calmly out of the cavern exit. Two of the youngest were asleep in the arms of adults but the rest seemed to think nothing unusual was going on – at least until they noticed all the security team and senior officers in the picnic area. Several of the younger children headed for their parents but most stopped and stared trying to figure out what they were expected to do. Chad noticed the combadges near Tuvok so he went over to that pile and began looking for his hoping Tuvok would not ask any questions. When no questions were asked, most of the children joined Chad in the search for their own combadges.

Taylor followed them but did not get involved in the scuffle to find hers. She stood where she could look at her parents, trying to decide what she was expected to do. Chakotay saw her face and knew that she had been aware of their true situation for some time. He motioned her to join him with a slight movement of his head. She didn't hesitate to join him.

"Sir?"

"It's ok, Taylor. It's over. Come here." He opened his arms and hugged her close. The twelve year old immediately dropped the façade of strength and control.

"Oh, daddy, I was so scared. I didn't know what to do especially since the others didn't know what was happening."

"Did they do anything to hurt any of you?"

"No. We went on a long walk through the caverns. Then they took us into a cavern where they had things set up like a picnic. There were lots of elas there, even young ones, which let us pet them. There were blankets if we were chilly or wanted to sleep."

"You did well, Taylor. Now, do you think you can get your sister and brothers back to the ship and to bed on time?"

"I think so."

"Well, call Tom if you need him."

"I will. Can we get a snack in the mess hall?"

"Sure, but don't get carried away, ok?" Chakotay held her at arm's length and smiled at her.

"Ok, daddy." Taylor's smile was a bit shaky but was getting more confident. She took a breath and suddenly the control she had exhibited before was back. "We'll be fine."

Kathryn had watched the exchange keeping her expression blank. Rihali watched the three with interest. "As I said earlier, you can both be proud of your daughter, Captain. I commend you both also. I had not realized who her father was."

Kathryn merely smiled and glanced at the darkening sky. Without the sun, the air was cooling and soon it would become uncomfortable. "Rihali, since you expect to become the guest of the local authorities when we've finished, would you be willing to talk to me on my ship? We would be more comfortable there."

Rihali stopped to consider Kathryn's invitation. She had not expected to remain outside the main detention facility this long. Rather she had expected to be confined and the captain visiting her. "As you wish, Captain. I care only that you hear my story. The surroundings are not important."

"Chakotay, invite Mahx and two of his aides to join us. Ask Jackson to bring us appropriate refreshments there. You and Tuvok are with me. We'll beam directly to the briefing room.

"Aye, Captain."

Fifteen minutes later, the small group was seated at the table in the briefing room.  Mahx had protested leaving the planet but realized eventually that the rest were going whether he went or not. Jackson had brought food and beverages for the group making sure a large pot of coffee was near Kathryn. The selection included some vegetables they had just obtained from the planet. Kathryn wondered why Rihali selected several of one particular vegetable but did not eat it along with her other selections.

"Rihali, I believe I have kept you from your story long enough. Please begin."

"Thank you, Captain. As you may have gathered from what I said earlier, there is some tension between the villagers and the inhabitants of the cities. Most of it has been because of the different lifestyles and the fact that because the villagers and farmers do not attend university they are considered less intelligent by those in the city. But it hasn't really been more than lack of familiarity. Villagers visiting the city have been generally accepted and those from the city who visit the villages are made welcome.  We all benefited from the contact, however infrequent.

"That has changed in recent years. There has been a significant increase in the rate of physical defects among the villagers. Some manifest themselves at birth; others only manifest themselves as a child grows. The doctors in the city have determined that the cause is genetic - officially. We believed them at first, but now we have learned that it is not genetic and that the doctors and government know it. The answer is that the people who do not live in the cities are suffering from a dietary deficiency.

"There was a vegetable called machtz that grew easily just about anywhere it was planted. If left to grow wild, it spread quickly. Machtz was used to flavor many dishes but was not particularly favored otherwise. About twenty years ago, blight wiped out the entire species – except for a few specimens being studied in nutrition laboratories. Machtz was the only readily available source of a vitamin necessary to bone growth in our people. A few years after the blight, physical defects for the entire population increased. It didn’t take the researchers long to connect the defects to the missing vitamin. Because they didn't have enough plants or seeds to distribute machtz itself, they propagated it in a few greenhouses, extracted the vitamin and added it to the cities' water supplies. Since then, the defects have disappeared from those who live or regularly visit the city but have continued to increase among the villagers. Despite pleas to the officials, they have not made the vitamin extract or seeds available to the villagers.

"That is the end of my story, Captain. My request is that you make this information public. The officials have kept this a closely guarded secret. Very few people in the city know what is happening. If any villagers even mention machtz, they are arrested on some minor charge and banned from the city. If you share this information with the people, I believe they will eventually force the officials to share either the extract or seeds, if for no other reason than to protect their food supplies." Rihali finished but had been fingering the vegetables on her plate.

"That's machtz, isn't it?" Chakotay's question required no answer. "Did you know they were trading it with visitors?"

"No, we didn't, Captain. We would have traded for machtz, too, but they never offered it to us."

"It's a high value item because it is supposed to be rare and difficult to grow. Our only interest was as an additional flavoring for other dishes. Captain, if it is as easy to grow as Rihali indicates, we have far more of both the vegetable and seeds than we need."

"Mahx, are there any laws dealing with the trade of machtz?" Kathryn was quick to pick up on Chakotay's point. Mahx was not so quick.

"No, Captain, of course not. How else could we trade it with you?"

"Good. Chakotay, I'd like to make a gift to Rihali for providing that picnic for our children today. Arrange to give her two-thirds of our supply of machtz. Since she might be detained for a while, we can deliver it to her husband. I'm sure he knows what she would want done with it."

"Aye, Captain." Chakotay didn't move to carry out the order. He knew Kathryn was not finished.

"Rihali, were you with the people who escorted my people to their picnic?"

"No, Captain. I was across the city waiting for a communication from you or Minister Mahx."

Kathryn made no comment on Rihali's reply but turned her attention to her other guests.

"Mahx, I abhor the actions that you and the other governing officials have taken but my opinion is irrelevant. I hope that my gift to Rihali is enough to solve their problem over the course of time. I cannot take any action to make you change what you are doing. I can however let the general public know what has happened today and what I have learned.

"I am going to publicly thank Rihali and her friends for providing the picnic for our children and their escorts. I am going to make it clear that as far as Voyager is concerned, nothing criminal occurred today. Since no citizen of your planet was affected other than the guard, you have no reason to detain Rihali. In addition to that information, I can tell them a story, but I offer you a choice, Minister. If you announce the recent discovery of the source of the vitamin that can prevent the growth defects and the government's willingness and commitment to make every effort to get machtz out to the villagers, I will not repeat the story Rihali just told me. You have thirty minutes to decide.

"Tuvok, please entertain Minister Mahx and his aides while I am gone. If he needs to speak to others on the planet, give him communications access. Chakotay, please see to the arrangements for delivering Rihali's gift and then join me.'

"Of course, Captain."

"Rihali, would you like to meet Taylor?"

"I'd love to meet her."

Several hours later, Kathryn flopped onto the couch in their quarters while Chakotay brought them tea from the replicator. He handed her a cup as he sat down next to her and put his arm around her shoulders.

"You worried about the Prime Directive?"

"If I were thirty years closer to Earth, maybe I would be, but not out here. I'm certainly not worried about you or Tuvok bringing me up on charges tomorrow."

"Really? You don't think we would?"

"Of course not. First of all, neither of you even hinted that you thought there was a problem with my decisions. Second, you don't want my job and he prefers Tom at the helm rather than the second chair. Third, you'd have to put me in the brig for the rest of the trip and I don't think you are willing to give up sleeping with me just yet."

"Maybe Tom will bring the charges."

"Never. He still likes flying my ship better than paperwork. Besides, it would just irritate you if he did and he doesn’t like you angry any better than the rest of the crew."

"Personally, I don't think 'fleet would bring charges anyway. The worst you did was give away some plants to some villagers, a plant that used to grow wild in the area and which has no harmful effects on the ecology or the inhabitants. If Mahx were available to 'fleet prosecutors, you might get charged with blackmail though but I don't think anyone on Voyager noticed any blackmail attempts."

They both chuckled and then settled into silence to enjoy their tea and a few quiet moments.  Kathryn was nearly asleep when they heard a soft voice.

"Mom, dad. Could I talk to you for a minute?"

"I thought you were asleep, young lady." Chakotay's voice was teasing despite his parental words. Taylor sat down next to her father and snuggled under his other arm.

"I was, sorta, until I heard you come home. I want to know what I should have done today. I knew something was wrong but I didn't know what else to do."

Kathryn let Chakotay do the talking. She and Taylor were so much alike that it sometimes hindered communication. "Let's look at what you did first."

"That's just it, dad, I didn't do anything."

"Sure you did. You remained calm. You avoided alarming the others. I'm willing to bet that if one of the others was tired, you urged them to rest or sleep, right?"

"Yes. How did you know that?"

"I know young children and I know you. At least one was bound to be tired and I know you would have tried to get them to rest. Let's go on. What were your options?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, did you know where the communicators were? If you did, would you have been able to contact the ship with them?"

"No."

"So trying to get the communicators back was not an option. Did you know the way out of the caves?"

"No."

"So trying to get away to find help was not an option. All you would have done is gotten lost and maybe hurt yourself. Next, was anyone else being hurt or in immediate danger?"

"No."

"Did you keep an eye on the others to make sure they were safe and not afraid?"

"Yes."

"Well, it sounds to me like you did the only things you could. Even the adults could do nothing more. Why do you think you should have done something else?"

"I just feel like I let you and mom down. Then when we got out, I cried all over you. None of the other kids did that."

"Honey, you were the only one who knew something was wrong. The others were just out on a field trip having a day off from school and eating too much at that picnic. You were scared the entire time and had no one to share your fears. I was so proud of you when I saw you and even prouder when I realized how scared you had been."

"You were? Even after I cried all over you?"

"That's when I knew how scared you were. You acted like a perfect officer, even then."

"Mom never does that, at least not in front of other people."

"Your mom is a bit more than eleven years old, too. She has more practice."

"Nearly twelve."

"Nearly twelve then."

"Honey, I was proud of you, too, very proud. You stayed in complete control until you knew all the others were safe. If we had been on the ship, I think you would have remained in control until you got to your room, but we weren't. Even after you had cried all over your dad, you snapped back and helped get the others ready to beam back to the ship."

"Do you want to know what Rihali told your mother, Taylor?" Taylor nodded. "She told her we should be proud of you. The people in the cavern noticed your behavior and suspected you knew what was happening and were very impressed with you. Even after you rejoined the others, she repeated her praise."

Taylor sighed and considered what her parents had said. She finally stretched a little and sighed.

"You saving the 'don't get a big head' speech for tomorrow, daddy?"

"Do you need to hear it?"

"I don't think so. You'll just tell me I did what I had to do and what you and mom expected of me but nothing more so I can't lord it over the brats or RT, right?"

"That's about it." Chakotay wondered whether he should ask the next question but decided that Taylor might need to talk about the issue. "Taylor, does it bother you that the people who scared you so badly aren't being punished?"

"I'm not sure. What they did was wrong and you've always taught us that if you break the rules, there is some type of punishment, but they didn't hurt us and they tried to keep all the children from knowing anything was happening even if the adults did know.  I know they were desperate to help their own children and families. I think I'm a little angry with the people like Minister Mahx who didn't try to help when they could have. If they had helped, Rihali and her friends wouldn't have been so desperate. I'd rather be scared for a few hours than think that lots of children are growing up with bone defects. I guess I am angry that they won't be punished, but I think what mom decided was the right thing to do."

"Are you able to say that to me yet?" Kathryn's voice was soft.

Taylor's eyes met her mother's. "Yeah, I can, mom. You did what was right and I'm not mad at you. I know how worried and angry you must have been and I'm hoping someday I'll understand how you could find the right solution when you feel like that."

"That comes with being a bit more than 'nearly twelve' years old, too. You'll be happy to know that your father agrees with you. He isn't going to court martial me for that decision."

"He wouldn’t do that even if he thought you were wrong. He likes being first officer better than being captain." Both her parents laughed and shoved Taylor to her feet.

"Go to bed, daughter, before I drag out my 'respect the officers even if they are your parents' lecture for you." Chakotay pulled her forward to kiss her forehead and then Taylor leaned down to kiss her mother.

"Good night, sweetie. Sleep well."

"I will, mom. Night, daddy. Thanks for listening."

Taylor disappeared into her room as Chakotay pulled Kathryn to her feet. "How many years more than eleven are you?"

"Too many to play late tonight." Chakotay looked slightly disappointed as they entered their room. "But you could move our wakeup call up an hour in the morning."

"Consider it changed."