"So this is the place," Harry said with relief. He patted Tayna on the head and she grinned up at him, pleased, apparently, to be among familiar surroundings.
The away team exited the alley and joined the stream of people passing by, most of whom seemed busy going about their usual activities of the day. All, that is, except for one obviously stationary person - a red uniformed guard who was keeping watch not too far away.
The air held a strong breeze that lifted the dust from the street, while overhead the sun shone down radiant and warm, casting shadows over the five Anawin-looking Starfleet officers and the little girl.
Harry grasped Tayna's hand in his own and moved away from the direct view of the guard.
Janeway indicated the group should crowd in closer.
"Tom, you go with Chakotay. Everyone else is with me. In one hour, we'll meet back here," Janeway said.
The group divided.
Harry was keen to explore the city. He hoped it might provide him with the opportunity to learn a little more about Kylani and the kind of life she'd lived. He followed a few steps behind the captain, walking alongside B'Elanna. Tayna's hand was still clutched in his own.
There were huge three story buildings on either side of the crowded street, tall structures that cast dark shadows over the dusty road. Unshapely rectangular blocks, resembling barracks, they were full of people. The combined noise of all the people inside drifted down to him, as did a wretched smell.
Harry stared at the ground. The streets were lined with pebbles and small rocks, creating a very uneven surface. He lifted his long flowing robe at the waist and looked for snags as he walked.
"This place sure is different," he said to B'Elanna and pointed down at the pebbles beneath their feet. The uneven ground didn't seem to bother her, but Harry walked with extra care.
The Anawin City was full of monuments and historical remnants that reinforced its status as the largest and longest-standing inhabited city on the planet. Harry stared up at a huge stone statue of some famous Anawin.
In the distance, he could see a grass-covered hillside and some tall mountains. Far away from the overcrowded streets, the landscape looked untouched and beautiful. Centuries before, the great Anawin City had obviously emerged from the flourishing green landscape. The scenery that surrounded the city was very picturesque.
Staring down the overcrowded street, Harry noticed the people were barely able to move without colliding together. He wondered why they hadn't spread out and built neighboring settlements to counteract the congestion. Then he looked up and saw a massive stone cylinder, a guard tower, with four armed sentinels on top. Adjoining the tower was an impassable stone wall that lined the perimeter of the city. The high wall encapsulated the entire population. Now he understood that leaving the Anawin City would not be an easy option.
The captain shielded her face from the sun. Harry watched her visually scale each building as they walked the busy street. She was definitely searching for something. Suddenly she stopped walking and pointed out a tall spire on top of a nearby building. The spire stood out among the other landmarks of the city. Very little else stood taller. She commented that it would serve as the perfect assembly point, after they had broken into smaller teams to continue scouring the city.
"The spire is attached to a sandstone chapel. Zeron pointed it out in his tour of the city," she said. She gazed down at Tayna and ran her fingers through the front of Tayna's hair. A brief pained expression accompanied the gesture.
"What is it, Captain?" Harry asked. He caught her troubled look.
"Let's just say, the last time I saw the spire, the situation was a little different. I'll tell you more about it another time." The worried expression lingered on her face and Harry knew, whether she wanted to remember or not, the vivid images she'd seen through the magnifying window were again flooding her mind.
Back in the Briefing Room, Janeway had told the senior officers about the tracking properties of Zeron's space station and how he was able to monitor the city, down to the minutest detail. Harry knew the High Councilor's attention would now be focused on the Anawin City, rather than the Delta Flyer, so he studied the actions of every priest he saw and did the exact same thing to blend in better.
He glanced down the dusty street. Not far ahead he could see Tom and Chakotay. The commander's red guard uniform made him stand out among the civilian population, even in a city that seemed to be filled with the color red.
***
Chakotay knew he looked the part. He just wasn't sure how guards were supposed to act in this society and he felt completely out of sync with the rest of the people, who were busily going about their lives.
Tayna had said priests were respected, while guards were simply tolerated. Yet the expression he saw on the face of almost every civilian he encountered was nothing short of terror.
The dust collected on his heavy black boots as he walked the crowded street, and he shook them lightly, while he paused to wait for Tom to catch up.
He noticed Paris wasn't having any trouble fitting in. He stopped often to talk to strangers, as well as being invited to join in conversations with large groups of Anawin civilians. Also, he received frequent smiles and nods from passers by.
All the attention Paris was receiving made Chakotay even more aware that no one wanted anything to do with him. Nobody even looked directly at him. People purposefully stepped out of his way. Others crossed the street when they saw him coming. Certainly, no one walked within a few meters of him, if they could help it. The only exception was a slender young woman with short, chestnut colored hair. While busy talking, she took a couple of steps backwards and accidentally collided with him. She did make fleeting eye contact, before throwing herself to the ground at his feet. Clutching her hands around his boots, she screamed and wailed and pleaded for her life.
The sobbing woman drew a massive crowd within seconds. Chakotay bent down and wrenched her hands from around his ankles. He stepped out of her reach, then hurriedly walked away.
"Chakotay, do you always have that effect on women?" Paris jibed, as he jogged to catch up with the commander's fast pace of escape.
***
"I don't think guards are very popular in this society," Chakotay said, as the officers regrouped.
"If it's any consolation, my priest outfit doesn't seem to be helping me make too many friends either," Harry replied.
"I'm doing just fine," Paris threw in. "Being a nobody has its advantages, as long as Chakotay keeps a distance."
"Maybe we should mix-up the pairings a bit," Janeway suggested. She pointed to the spire she'd spotted before and proposed the group gather outside the old sandstone chapel in another hour.
"Priests seem to move around in pairs. I think B'Elanna and I should stay together," Harry said. "At least that way we'll be able to work out whether the clergy really are given any privileges in this community."
"Guards mostly travel solo or in groups and seeing as none of you are dressed like me, I figure that means I'm on my own," Chakotay said.
"I don't like the idea of you wandering around alone," Janeway countered.
"Captain, in all honesty, I think we'll have more luck talking to people if Chakotay's nowhere near us," Paris said. "His guard uniform is like a warning light. It scares everybody off within a two meter radius. You, me and Tayna, we look like a typical Anawin family. It makes more sense for us to stay together."
Janeway eventually agreed with the pairing suggestions and the group dispersed.
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Fanfiction"You really care about her, don't you?" Tom said, but the commander didn't answer. So Tom clarified his statement. "The Captain, I mean." "I have the utmost respect and admiration for Captain Janeway." Chakotay's response had been a long time comin...
