SYMBOLS

CHAPTER 30

"Where to now?" Paris asked the captain.

"Our first priority is Tayna's protection. We need to find out the location of the Dimar colony," Janeway said. "Kylani told me it was a roving colony, always on the move and always well hidden. So we're going to need some insider information on its newest location, before we can take Tayna there."

"If we walk around the city for a while, Tayna might recognize someone from the Dimar," Paris suggested. "We might also be able to find out something about Tuvok's whereabouts."

Tayna turned at the words, as Janeway helped her to remove her overcoat. It was a very warm day in the Anawin City and Tayna looked more conspicuous with the hooded coat on than off.

"If you want to find Tuvok you need to go to the crypts." Tayna seemed confident of her words.

"Tayna, what do you mean?" Janeway asked.

"Lani said prisoners were kept locked in cells inside the crypts."

"Do you know where they are?"

Tayna nodded, slipping her fingers out of the two officer's hands, and ran on ahead.

Janeway and Paris followed close behind the little girl.

"Somewhere in there." Tayna pointed up at the tall stone guard tower.

Paris let out a sigh.

Janeway stared up at the four sentries posted on top of the tower. From the birds-eye view she'd had on the space station, the tower didn't look half as high. Now from the ground, looking straight up, it appeared as if the tall tower melded with the distant sky.

The wind was picking up, carrying the noise and smell of the sea. She could even hear the distinct sound of waves beating on a shore not too far away.

"Can you hear that?" Janeway asked Paris.

"It's the sound of the ocean. I'd recognize it anywhere. My guess is there's a huge body of water on the other side of that guard tower."

"Tayna, do you know any other way into the crypts? Other than via the tower?" Janeway asked. But Tayna just shook her head.

"Maybe Chakotay could have a go at trying to access the tower? Dressed as a guard, he might at least have a chance to find Tuvok if he's being held captive somewhere inside or underneath it," Paris said.

Janeway kneaded her forehead. The idea of sending Chakotay into the tower didn't sit well with her. He'd had a sparring match with Zeron and she'd witnessed how Zeron was able to observe his guards undetected. Placing Chakotay on the turret could make him stand out, to the point where Zeron might easily recognize his as an all too familiar face. At that point though, she couldn't think of a better solution.

"We'll keep that idea in mind," she resolved.

The threesome moved away from the tower and Tayna began to give them a guided tour of their surroundings, but they didn't get too far. Everywhere they walked, Anawin civilians stopped to chat with them.

Janeway wanted to interact with the locals. She hoped doing so might dredge up some useful piece of information about the location of the Dimar or Tuvok. But the conversation never went quite the way she hoped and she ended up fielding questions far more frequently than she was able to ask them. An older lady commented on their lovely family. Another asked where Tayna inherited her blue eyes and beautiful wavy hair. They talked about the warm weather and the news of the day. Janeway and Paris both had to make up stories about what they did for a living. They were even stopped for directions. By the time Janeway was asked when she and Tom planned on having another child, she'd had enough.