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This was Naomi’s first ever away mission. She’d been off Voyager dozens of times, but always with Mom or Neelix, and always just for fun. This time she had a real, grown-up mission, and she’d dressed for it in her favourite outfit - it was a black jumpsuit with stripes running horizontally across the shoulders, and it was the closest she was allowed to wear to a proper uniform like everyone else had.
She and Mezoti were accompanying Captain Janeway and Seven of Nine to find several vital pieces of equipment for the ship. Mezoti had been planning to just wear ordinary clothes, like this was just any old trip planetside, but Naomi had convinced her to wear her jumpsuit too so that they matched. They had both done their hair the same too, in one thick braid straight down. It looked smart, professional.
‘Have fun shopping!’ Mom had said, as she waved her off in the shuttle - something about the planet’s atmosphere prevented transporter use but Naomi had been too excited to listen properly to the explanation.
‘Mom!’ she’d protested. ‘It’s not shopping, it’s a resource acquisition operation.’
Plus there was the fact that she was pretty sure most people on an away mission weren’t under strict instructions to hold the captain’s hand at all times, but then the marketplace was crowded and she couldn’t see over people’s heads, so logically it made sense for her to keep track of her team leader. And she didn’t mind if it was the captain’s hand.
There were loads of things to see in the marketplace. They walked past one stall that sold sparkling spirals that you could wear in your hair - Mezoti slowed down as they walked past it but Naomi didn’t give it a second glance, since they were on a mission.
Maybe once the mission was done there’d be time to go back, though.
They passed a stall selling little fruit-flavoured pastries, and they smelled so good that even Naomi was swayed.
‘Hmm...’ said the captain. ‘I’m not sure we have the time, we’re supposed to take the shuttle back by 1800 so that Lieutenant Paris can conduct his survey of the system...’
‘Captain,’ said Seven, ‘I believe it would be beneficial to the mission for the away team to maintain their strength. These food items would undoubtedly suit that purpose.’
So they bought their pastries and ate them while they walked.
‘Look!’ said Mezoti.
Naomi glanced up from her half-finished pastry and froze - the creature in front of them was as big as an Earth bear she’d seen on the holodeck, and its teeth and claws were five times as long. It growled at them. Naomi could only stand stock still as the captain moved in front of her.
They heard a laugh. ‘Not to worry, not to worry!’ said an old woman, coming around the side of the great beast towards them. ‘He’s behind a forcefield, see?’
She slapped the air and her hand connected with a shimmer and a fizzle. Naomi let out a long breath.
‘I wasn’t scared,’ said Mezoti instantly. ‘On Norcadia Prime they have animals like that but ten times bigger.’
Naomi peered at the creature. Now that she knew the forcefield was there, she could just see it stretching back from the marketplace. There were a handful of other animals the same inside, pacing back and forth on all fours or stretching out in the sunshine.
‘Do you sell many of these?’ the captain asked.
‘Oh, plenty,’ said the woman. ‘People use them for hunting. Are you a hunter yourself? Perhaps I can interest you?’
‘Not today, thank you,’ said the captain. ‘Come on, away team, it’s time we were getting on...’
Mezoti was muttering mutinously that she wanted to pet one of them.
‘Wait a moment, captain,’ said Seven.
She touched the forcefield and it danced beneath her hand. ‘As I thought,’ she said. ‘Your field strength is extremely low. I recommend you have your forcefield serviced immediately. This presents a danger should it fail.’
The woman laughed. ‘You’re not the first person to tell me that and you won’t be the last. This old thing’s worked fine for the past fifteen years. Don’t you worry!’
‘I don’t believe you understand,’ said Seven. ‘This could ultimately...’
‘Come on, Seven,’ said the captain, dragging her away by the elbow.
‘Why did you not allow me to explain?’ Seven asked, when they had reached the main thoroughfare again.
‘She wasn’t interested,’ said the captain. ‘And she wasn’t going to fix it on our say-so. When we go past the information office we’ll tell them and make sure something gets done. You’re right, I didn’t like the look of that forcefield either.’
After that they got down to the business of finding the components they needed for the ship. Lieutenant Torres had sent a long list of things she absolutely couldn’t do without in engineering, Neelix had added a couple of things for the kitchen, and Seven herself wanted a few items for upkeep of the regeneration alcoves.
They found the stall they were looking for - someone had recommended it to Seven as the best place to find good quality used components. It was so big that it could hardly be called a stall, really. It was a little market all by itself.
‘There is no order here,’ Seven frowned.
She was right, the stall was messier than Naomi’s bedroom right before Mom started threatening to take away holodeck privileges.
‘That’s all right,’ said the captain. ‘I’m sure we can find everything we need. All right, away team - who can be the first one to locate a phase inducer?’
Naomi looked at Mezoti. Mezoti looked levelly back. Then they ran off in opposite directions.
Naomi executed a linear search pattern, looking carefully. She’d seen a few phase inducers in her lessons with Lieutenant Torres, and she was pretty sure she could tell it from a plasma conduit by now. But a shout in the distance told her that Mezoti had found one first. Naomi sighed and made her way back.
She was the first one to find an impulse manifold, though, and when she saw it the captain beamed and said it was in perfect condition. Mezoti found an ODN relay and two optronic emitters, but Naomi found the heating coil for the kitchen and the power conduits for the alcoves. By the time they were finished, the captain and Seven were negotiating the final price for everything.
‘This was a highly efficient operation,’ Seven said to Naomi and Mezoti, with one of her little kind-of-smiles.
The captain arranged for everything to be brought to the shuttle later.
‘Well,’ she said, when that was done, ‘I didn’t expect to get that all finished so quickly. We still have over an hour. Is there anything the two of you wanted to do while we’re here?’
Naomi remembered the sparkling hair decorations, and she knew Mezoti was thinking the same thing by the look in her eyes. But before she could open her mouth they heard a scream in the distance, and suddenly running feet.
‘They’ve escaped!’ someone screamed. ‘They’re all loose!’
They looked up the thoroughfare and saw the animals from before running towards them, fangs bared, claws out, giant paws shaking the ground.
‘Seven, go,’ said the captain.
Seven grabbed Naomi with one hand and Mezoti with the other and pulled them away towards the back of the stall, and then through a flap at the back to the next row.
‘We must move quickly and find shelter,’ she said. ‘Both of you, watch for anywhere that we could hide.’
‘I don’t want to hide!’ Mezoti protested. ‘I want to go with the captain.’
Seven said nothing. Naomi watched for good hiding places, but Seven was making them run so fast that everything was a blur. Then the ground beneath their feet gave way and Naomi landed so hard that the breath was knocked right out of her.
They were in a dark room that smelled musty. The trapdoor they had fallen through was a dim square way above them. No chance of getting out that way.
‘Are you undamaged?’ Seven asked.
Naomi nodded. ‘We landed on something soft.’
She investigated and it turned out to be a pile of clothing. While she and Mezoti dusted themselves off, Seven tried her combadge, but it didn’t seem to be working. Perhaps it was the same interference that stopped the transporters from functioning too.
‘I believe this is an underground storage area,’ said Seven. ‘We should leave this chamber - if one of those creatures came through the trapdoor...’
Naomi shuddered.
‘If I am correct,’ Seven continued, ‘there are likely similar chambers connected to this one. Perhaps one of them will have an easy route to the surface. Can either of you see a door?’
‘There’s one here,’ called Mezoti, who was already investigating the room. ‘I can’t get it open though.’
Seven shoved the door with her shoulder and it creaked slowly open enough for them to slide in. They left it that way for the light to filter through.
The next room was just as bare. They searched for a door, found it, followed it into the next room.
Three rooms down, they couldn’t find another door. It was almost dark, and the air was dusty.
‘What now?’ Mezoti asked.
‘I am thinking,’ said Seven.
‘I want to go home,’ said Naomi.
She hadn’t meant to say it, it just sort of slipped out.
Seven put an arm around Naomi’s shoulder and gave her a quick squeeze. ‘I am certain we will be on Voyager again shortly. There is nothing to be afraid of.’
‘What about the captain?’ Mezoti whispered. ‘What if she’s been eaten?’
‘Unlikely,’ said Seven. ‘I have seen the captain triumph in much more challenging situations. She will be fine. We must focus on our own escape. Mezoti, close the door behind us please.’
‘But then the light won’t get through from the trapdoor!’ Mezoti protested.
‘Precisely,’ said Seven. ‘And then we will be able to determine whether any other light is coming in.’
Mezoti closed the door. Naomi peered into the gloom and saw a square above her outlined in fuzzy, faint light.
‘There!’ she said. ‘Is it another trapdoor?’
‘It would appear so,’ said Seven.
‘I think it’s lower down than the other one,’ said Mezoti.
‘One of us could probably reach it if we stood on Seven’s shoulders,’ Naomi said.
‘You have anticipated my plan,’ said Seven. ‘Naomi, you are slightly taller.’
She crouched down so that Naomi could climb onto her shoulders, then she held her feet steady so that she wouldn’t fall, and stood slowly up.
‘Can you reach it?’ asked Mezoti.
Naomi flatted her palm against the ceiling. ‘Yes!’
‘Do nothing yet,’ said Seven. ‘What can you hear?’
Naomi tilted her head to listen. ‘Just talking,’ she said eventually. ‘Lots of people talking. They sound angry but not scared! I think maybe it’s all right.’
‘Very well,’ said Seven. ‘Are you able to open the trapdoor?’
The bolt that kept it closed was too heavy for Naomi to move while she was balanced so precariously, but Mezoti found a hook on a long stick and passed it up, and Naomi used it to lever the bolt aside. She pushed at the trapdoor. It opened a little then closed again.
‘Push it harder!’ Mezoti said.
Naomi flung the trapdoor open and coughed clouds of dust. Swearing came from somewhere above her head, and all she could see was feet moving hastily aside.
‘Help!’ she called. ‘We’re stuck!’
A pair of Starfleet uniform boots rushed towards her.
‘Oh, thank God!’ said Captain Janeway, pulling her out and hugging her for a moment before standing back to look at her. ‘Are you hurt? Are Mezoti and Seven safe?’
‘We are all undamaged,’ came Seven’s voice from below. ‘I am sending Mezoti up now.’
Naomi helped Mezoti to scramble up through the trapdoor, and a helpful stall owner lowered a rope for Seven.
‘Captain, you are hurt,’ Seven said, when she was standing with them all again.
Captain Janeway’s sleeve was torn from wrist to shoulder, and Naomi thought she could see blood underneath.
‘It’s nothing,’ she said. ‘I’ll get the Doctor to take a look when we get back. I had to fight off one of those things... don’t worry, they’re all locked safely up again now.’
Seven said something under her breath about reckless behaviour which the captain either didn’t hear or ignored. Naomi decided that she would get the captain to tell her the whole story later. She was sure it was going to be a good one.
‘So, what now?’ the captain said. ‘More shopping?’
‘I think perhaps we should all return to Voyager,’ said Seven firmly.
The captain pouted. ‘Oh, if you say so.’
She took Naomi’s hand again and they headed back to the shuttle.