Revenge of the spirit guide.

"Report." Kathryn barked as she strode into the sickbay

"They are still unconscious." The Doctor stated as he moved between the three crewmembers that lay on biobeds.

He was scanning and monitoring their prone bodies, looking for any evidence for what had happened to them. Five minutes earlier the ship had lost contact with the away team, and Janeway had immediately ordered an emergency beam out. All three crewmembers had arrived back on the ship in the state that they were in now. "Is there any sign of weapons fire?"

"Negative Captain." The EMH said, transferring the data from his tricorder to the computer.

"There is no evidence of infection, or injury, they are simply unconscious." He said, as he analyzed the information on the screen in front of him.

"Can you wake them?" Kathryn asked quietly, gazing down at her First Officer.

He looked peaceful, as though he was sleeping. "I can try." The Doctor said, and loaded a hypospray.

He injected Chakotay's neck and the commander opened his eyes and inhaled deeply. "Captain?" He grunted, trying to sit up.

The Doctor pushed him back down to the bed. "Now now Commander, don't try to get up just yet." He said.

Chakotay lay back down again and frowned. His head hurt. "What happened?" Janeway asked.

Chakotay shook his head. "We were gathering fruits and seeds as Neelix instructed, and there was this strange sound, and then I woke up here." Chakotay explained.

Kathryn sighed. Chakotay had never been very observant, which was odd for someone who considered himself to be an anthropologist. "That is okay Chakotay, you rest, we can talk about this later." She said, and stepped away from him.

"Can you wake Seven?" She asked.

The EMH nodded and injected Seven's neck. She also struggled to sit up. "There there, Seven are you okay?" Kathryn asked gently, pressing her hand to Seven's shoulder keeping her lying flat.

"Captain?" Seven struggled to focus.

"What happened Seven?" Kathryn asked leaning closer.

"I am not sure, there was an electrical storm of sorts. The sky turned a deep purple color and then there was a lightning strike, about 256 yards from where we were standing. It hit the ground, and there was a feeling like the electricity had flowed through the earth to where we were standing, I was knocked off my feet, and then I woke up here." Seven said, swallowing furiously.

"I see, rest now, we can talk more about it later." Kathryn said gently, and stood up again.

"It seems as though they have a few contusions, which are consistent with them being knocked off their feet. But none of them were electrocuted by the lightning." The Doctor stated quietly.

"Keep an eye on them Doctor, and report any changes to me immediately." Kathryn said, and she left the room.

Tuvok met her on the bridge. "Do they know what happened?" He asked and Kathryn shook her head.

"No, Harry what have your scans revealed?" She said, swinging around to face her operations officer.

"Nothing unusual Captain. There is considerable electrical activity in the atmosphere, some electromagnetic charges, which manifest as lightning strikes, no rain as such. It is just a storm Captain." He said, looking up.

"Just a storm Ensign?" Kathryn said, smiling slightly as she sat in her chair.

"Captain?" Tuvok said looking down at her.

"Seven reported a lightning strike which hit the ground near where they were standing, I think that is was knocked them out. The Doctor is monitoring them now but he doesn't think there was any lasting damage." The Captain stated, and Tuvok nodded.

"Keep scanning Mr. Kim, report anything unusual to me. We will stay in orbit for a while longer, see if this storm ends so that we can go back down and retrieve the food stuff that Neelix found." She said, and leaned back in her chair resting her chin on one hand.

Tuvok returned to his station and began to monitor Harry's scans. "Doctor to the Captain, please turn to your emergency medical channel." Kathryn switched channels on her console.

"Captain, I have released Seven, Chakotay and Mr. Neelix to their quarters and instructed them to rest. Seven will be regenerating, and I suggested that the other two sleep for a few hours." The Doctor said and Kathryn nodded.

"Thank you Doctor, are they unharmed?" She asked.

"There are no physical injuries that I can see, but I will check them over again in the morning as there was some strange electrical activity in their brains. I am sure it is just the result of being so close to a lightning strike, but I will keep an eye on all of them." The Doctor stated, and Kathryn nodded again.

"Thank you Doctor, please let me know." She said, and switched her console off.

She looked down at her timepiece and saw that it was nearly time for a shift change. Kathryn rubbed her eyes with one hand, it had been a long shift and she was ready for a bath and a strong drink. "I will be in my ready room reading reports." She said, and stood up.

The door closed behind her and Kathryn slumped on the sofa with a cup of coffee in one hand and a padd in the other. The door chimed. "Enter." She called, dropping the padd to the seat beside her.

B'Elanna walked into the room. "B'Elanna?" Kathryn said and she stood up.

Her smile of greeting was genuine, and she indicated that the half Klingon woman should take a seat. "Can I get you a drink?" She asked.

"No thank you Captain. I will be brief, I just wanted to bring you my shift report personally, and to let you know that there is a minor variance in the warp capacitors in the starboard nacelle." She said, handing a padd across to the older woman.

"Well thank you for letting me know." Kathryn said, accepting the padd.

"I don't think the variance is anything to worry about, but I don't think we should go to warp until it has been corrected." B'Elanna said.

"Of course, I wasn't thinking of moving away from this planet for another day or so anyway. If the storm settles I would like to collect more plant specimens, and I think some of the crew would like some shore leave." Kathryn said, looking down at the padd.

It had been several months since they had last been able to leave the ship and spend anytime on a planet, and this M Class planet had seem perfect for the purpose. "That would be nice." B'Elanna said, and Kathryn sensed that she was feeling slightly uncomfortable.

"Was there something else?" She asked, knowing that B'Elanna hadn't made the effort to bring her report in person for no reason.

"No Captain." B'Elanna said, looking around her.

"It is unusual to see you up here at the end of the shift." Kathryn said, dropping the padd on her desk.

"I have a date with Tom." B'Elanna said.

Kathryn smiled. "I see." She said.

B'Elanna moved towards the door. "I wanted to make sure that he didn't forget." She said over her shoulder as she left the room.

Kathryn watched the sway of B'Elanna's hips, appreciating the firmness of her body and the grace with which she moved. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and sat back down again. An hour later she had read over the main reports for the day, and she was about to leave when she realized that with Chakotay out she would have to read all of the reports. She sighed and grabbed the stack of padds that had slowly been delivered to her over the last 60 minutes. She would read them in the comfort of her quarters with a glass of whiskey in the other hand. She crossed the room wondering how long it would be before Chakotay would be fit for duty again.

Kathryn groaned and rested her head on the back of her sofa. She gazed up at the stars and wondered why every department on her ship had to enter such boring reports. She decided that she would talk to the senior officers about changing protocol so that only one report came in per 24-hour period. Then she realized that Chakotay probably enjoyed reading all the inanity that was listed in the reports. Including how many plasma particles were scrubbed out of the conduits that day. "God no wonder he is so boring." She said, standing up and crossing the room to the liquor cabinet.

She reached in for her bottle of Irish whiskey. She was drinking a replicated version, the real stuff she saved for special occasions, and although the taste was very similar, it was easy to tell the difference. Kathryn poured herself a generous measure of amber liquid and added some fresh ice cubes from her bucket, before returning to her desk. She looked at the pile of padds. She had read nearly all of them, it had taken her hours, well it felt like hours. She looked at the clock and saw that she had been reading reports for nearly 3 hours. "Damn." She muttered, realizing that she still had about an hours worth still to read.

Kathryn slumped on the sofa and took a hefty swig of her whiskey. Just as she was about to pick up another padd the ship was hit by something, and she was thrown to the floor, the whiskey glass smashing against the table spilling amber liquor over the pile of unread padds. "Report." She barked, staggering to her feet and trying to wipe up the spill with her sleeve.

"Tuvok to the Captain, we have been struck by an energy pulse from the planet." Tuvok's voice stated.

"On my way." Kathryn called, grabbing the jacket that she had discarded earlier and jamming her feet into her ankle boots, pulling them on quickly, before she left the room.

She strode onto the bridge fastening her jacket at the neck. "Report." She commanded again.

Tuvok looked at her in surprise, his nose wrinkling slightly. "There is no damage to the ship Captain." He sated and Kathryn looked at him in surprise.

"Tuvok is there a problem?" She asked quietly.

"Have you been drinking?" He asked, lowering his voice even further.

"I have had one drink Tuvok." Kathryn stated, annoyed that the Vulcan Security Officer would question her that way.

Tuvok raised one eyebrow and Kathryn scowled. "Okay two, but over a three hour period." She protested.

"Captain there is a strong odor of synthehol about you." Tuvok whispered and Kathryn cringed as she remembered the spilled drink.

"I spilled my drink when the ship was hit." She said, wondering why she felt so guilty.

Tuvok didn't respond, merely raised his eyebrow higher. Kathryn looked away from him and stepped down to her seat. "Harry report." She barked.

There was no response and Kathryn turned to the operations console. Ensign Imelda Gant stared blankly back. "Ensign Gant report." Kathryn said, covering for her mistake.

"There was no damage to the hull plating, no damage to the systems, and no casualties." Ensign Gant reported.

Kathryn heaved a sigh of relief. "Seems we got off lightly." She said, looking up at Tuvok.

She was irritated that he was being so judgmental. "Well I think you are able to cope without me again, I will be in my quarters should anything else occur." She said, standing up and leaving the room before Tuvok could make any further insinuations about her habits.

As soon as she walked into her quarters she pulled off her jacket and kicked off her boots. The pile of padds awaited her attentions, but the bath was calling, and Kathryn removed the rest of her clothing as she walked into her bathroom. "Tuvok to the Captain." Tuvok's voice called dispassionately across the comm.

"Janeway here." She said, crossing her hands under her breasts.

She was standing in her bathroom, naked, with the bath taps running. "Captain there is a report of an intruder in the mess hall." Tuvok stated.

"A report Tuvok?"

"Yes Captain, Ensign Wildman just reported the presence of an unknown person in the mess hall. I am on my way to investigate." Tuvok said and Kathryn sighed.

"I am on my way into the bath Tuvok, let me know what you find. Janeway out." She said, ending the communication.

She turned to look at the tub that was rapidly filling with steaming water. She knew that her bath would not be peaceful, that she would be interrupted, and she contemplated forgoing the luxury of submerging her tired body into the hot water. Frivolity overcame rationality and she tipped some lavender bath oil into the water, and then stepped over the side of the tub and gently lowered herself into the water.

Five minutes later Kathryn couldn't get her mind of the potential security alert. "Janeway to Tuvok, report." She said irritably, sitting up in the bath.

"It seems that there is a Talaxian female in the mess hall Captain." Tuvok reported.

Kathryn exhaled sharply. "Was I to be informed of this intruder?" She demanded.

"We are not sure that she is an intruder Captain." Tuvok stated.

"Where did she come from?" Kathryn asked.

"It seems that she came from Mr. Neelix imagination." Tuvok said, and Kathryn could hear the note of disbelief in his voice.

"I will be right there." She said, standing up and stepping carefully out of the tub.

Five minutes later she was striding down the corridor towards the mess hall. Her hair was still wet, but at least she didn't smell of whiskey, she thought as she walked. Her mind was racing as she contemplated the consequences of the product of Neelix's imagination. The mess hall doors swooshed open and she walked into a crowded room. People stepped aside to allow her through, and Kathryn gasped as she saw the most beautiful woman standing before her. She was Talaxian, that fact was unmistakable, but she was not like any Talaxian female that Kathryn had encountered, or seen pictures of. "Captain." Tuvok said simply.

"Mr. Neelix, explain." Kathryn said.

Neelix smiled at her. The woman was leaning on his shoulder and tugging gently at his ear hair. "Well Captain, it is a little embarrassing." He said, moving away from the crowd slightly.

The woman followed him closely, and Kathryn glared at her. "I was thinking about how nice it would be to have a nice Talaxian lady at my side, just to keep me company. And well, the ship was hit by something and I fell over, and when I got up, there was this beautiful young lady." He said, smiling as he spoke.

"You were thinking about her, and she just appeared?" Kathryn asked.

Neelix nodded. "This is very odd." Kathryn muttered looking up at Tuvok.

"It would seem to be an extremely odd occurrence." Tuvok stated.

"Odd Tuvok? Do you really think so?" Kathryn asked sarcastically.

Tuvok raised his eyebrow at her. She was becoming increasingly annoyed with his eyebrow. "Have there been any other reports of people appearing?" She asked, looking around her.

"No Captain." Tuvok said, and then as if to directly countermand his statement the comm. bleeped.

"Seven to The Captain."

"Go ahead Seven."

"Your presence is required in Cargo Bay 2." Seven said, without elaborating.

Kathryn and Tuvok strode out of the mess hall. "Captain, are you quite well?" Tuvok asked as they entered the turbo lift.

"Yes Tuvok I am fine." Kathryn said, crossing her arms across her stomach.

"You seem to be irritable." He pressed.

"I am fine. We have to worry about Neelix's lady." Kathryn said, wishing that Tuvok would leave her alone.

"Yes." Tuvok said simply.

Kathryn sighed loudly, but didn't speak, and Tuvok chose to keep his own counsel. They walked into Cargo Bay 2 together and were surprised to see Seven standing by her regeneration chamber. "Seven?" Kathryn said looking up at her.

Seven looked down and then indicated that the Captain should look behind her. Kathryn turned to face the wall of the cargo bay and was surprised to see a young woman standing there, smiling back at her. "Hello?" Kathryn said, as Tuvok reached for his phaser.

"She seems to be harmless Captain." Seven stated.

"Where did she come from?" Kathryn asked, staring at the young woman.

Seven didn't reply and Kathryn turned to face her. The younger woman was red in the face and Kathryn's heart sped up. "Seven, did she appear just after the ship was hit?" Tuvok asked, and Seven nodded.

"How did you know?" She asked.

"Because the same thing happened to Neelix. Captain to Chakotay." Kathryn said as the pieces began to fall into place.

The young woman was stunning, she oozed sexuality, and was smiling benignly at Kathryn who felt aroused and remotely unnerved. "Chakotay here." The First Officer responded.

"Commander, is anyone with you?" Tuvok asked.

"Negative, why do you ask?" Chakotay responded.

"There have been some people appearing as a result of the ship being hit by an electromagnetic pulse." Tuvok stated, keeping his eye on the young woman.

"Who is she?" Kathryn asked.

Seven blushed again. "I was thinking about her and she just appeared." She stated quietly.

"But who is she?" Kathryn asked, looking up at the younger woman.

"She is Alexis, she is one of the characters at Sandrines." Seven said, and Kathryn turned back to the young woman.

Now that Seven pointed it out, she did vaguely recall seeing the attractive young woman in the small French bar in Tom Paris's Marseilles holorecreation. Kathryn noted that Seven's imagination had enhanced the young woman's attributes considerably. "She is your fantasy?" Kathryn asked incredulous.

Seven looked down at her, her face was even redder if that was possible. "I believe that is the term used." She said.

Kathryn felt a stab of jealousy. Alexis was small with a large bust, but her long dark hair was curly, and reached half way down her back. She was very different from the Captain, and Kathryn was jealous that Seven had found this other woman attractive. "Well that isn't important at the moment. What is important is how she came to be in the cargo bay with you." Kathryn said, wondering if this appearance was related to Neelix's fantasy woman in the mess hall.

"Chakotay, have you noticed anything amiss since the ship was hit?" Kathryn called.

There was no response. "Tuvok to Chakotay."

"Chakotay respond."

"Computer locate Commander Chakotay." Kathryn called as she and Tuvok hurriedly left the cargo bay.

"Commander Chakotay is in his quarters." The computer stated.

Kathryn and Tuvok ran down the corridor towards Chakotay's quarters. Tuvok keyed open the door and the both gasped. The room was wrecked, and Chakotay was sitting on an upturned chair waving a standard candle stick around in front of him. "Be careful Captain. Shut the door!" He called out, and Kathryn thought she saw something small disappear beneath the upturned chair.

"It went under your chair." She called as the door swooshed closed behind her.

Chakotay had suffered several cuts and scratches to his face, and the front of his uniform was shredded. "Commander are you ok?" Tuvok asked, sensing that something was very amiss.

Chakotay leapt off his chair and dived for the desk. As he clambered on the desk a small dark shape scuttled across the floor. Tuvok raised his phaser to fire and Chakotay held out his hand. "No Tuvok, no you mustn't kill it." He called, he sounded almost desperate.

"What is it?" Kathryn called, watching the ground around her feet.

"My spirit guide." Chakotay said, looking around him frantically.

"Your spirit guide?" Kathryn asked, she knew that Chakotay believed that he had an animal spirit to guide him through life, and realized that he must have been thinking about it when the ship was struck.

Suddenly a small furry animal leapt in the air and landed on Chakotay's face. "ARGH!" The sizeable Native American man cried out.

Tuvok tried to aim his phaser at the creature that was attacking the commander. "Tuvok do something." Kathryn cried, as Chakotay fell from the desk and hit the floor with a sickening thud.

He continued to struggle with the small creature as it gouged at his eyes, its small teeth and tiny claws ripping at the flesh of his face. "Tuvok." Kathryn called again as she crossed the room.

The Vulcan stood watching the large man fighting with the small furry creature on the floor at his feet. "I can stun it." He said impassively.

"Stun it." Kathryn said frantically.

Tuvok aimed his phaser and fired. The creature fell off Chakotay and lay on the floor beside his head, momentarily stunned, but before Tuvok could trap it, it has scuttled off beneath an upturned chair. Chakotay was unconscious; his face was a mass of cuts, bruises and bites. "Janeway to sickbay emergency medical transport." Kathryn said, tapping her comm. badge.

"What on earth did this?" The Doctor asked, as he tried to repair the damage to the commander's face.

"His spirit guide." Kathryn said, watching as the EMH repaired Chakotay's torn flesh with the dermal regenerator.

"His spirit guide?" The EMH repeated as he worked.

"I can't explain it Doctor." Kathryn said, walking away from the biobed.

"Where is this spirit guide now?" The Doctor asked.

"Tuvok is tracking it down in Chakotay's quarters." Kathryn said, hoisting herself up onto a vacant biobed.

As if on cue Tuvok's voice resonated over the comm. "Tuvok to Captain Janeway."

'There is only one captain on board Kathryn thought irritably. "Yes Tuvok." She said.

"I have located the creature and have subdued it." Tuvok said.

"Please bring it to sickbay." The EMH called out.

"Doctor?"

"So that I might scan it for viruses." The Doctor stated, pointing to an infected wound on Chakotay's neck.

Kathryn hopped off the bed. She crossed the room to study Chakotay's neck more closely. The wound that the Doctor was indicating was an angry inflamed slash across Chakotay's neck. "That looks nasty." She said, standing up again.

The doors swooshed open and Tuvok stepped into the room. He was carrying a small furry creature in his hands, it was purring quietly and he stroked its fur. As Tuvok approached the biobed where Chakotay lay the creature stilled, and then suddenly, before anyone could react, it launched itself out of Tuvok's hand and landed on the Commander's chest. "Stop it." The Doctor called, as the creature attacked Chakotay again.

It was shaking with furious activity as teeth and claws gouged and scratched. Chakotay was unable to respond to the attack himself, and Kathryn stood watching helplessly as Tuvok once again fired his phaser at the creature on Chakotay's neck. It fell to the floor, it fur was matted with blood, tiny shreds of skin stuck between its teeth and claws. Tuvok leaned down to pick it up again. "I assumed it had settled down." He said apologetically.

Kathryn stared as the Doctor worked frantically on Chakotay's torn flesh. "Captain, can you pass me that hypospray?" He commanded, and she reached across the table to pass a hypospray to the EMH.

The Doctor worked tirelessly for several minutes, but his efforts were in vain. He stood back his hands by his side. "I am sorry Captain." He said, looking up regretfully.

Kathryn looked up at him, and then back down at the body of her First Officer. "You mean he is dead?" She asked and the EMH nodded.

"His injuries were too severe. The infection that the creature carries was eating away his flesh, I doubt that I could have saved him even if the second attack hadn't occurred." The Doctor said sadly.

Kathryn stepped away from the biobed and looked at Tuvok who was standing a safe distance away. The doors swooshed open and B'Elanna Torres walked in. "I heard that Chakotay was attacked." She said, crossing the room quickly.

Kathryn put her hand out to stop B'Elanna reaching the bed. "I am sorry B'Elanna, there is nothing that we can do for him now." She said quietly.

B'Elanna stopped and looked across at the dead man in disbelief. "Oh my god. What did this?" She asked, seeing the shredded face and festering flesh wounds on his neck.

"His spirit guide." Tuvok said, holding out the small furry creature for B'Elanna to see.

It had recovered from the phaser stun and was once again purring contentedly in Tuvok's hand. B'Elanna stepped across to see what he was holding, and her lip curled. The creature began to shake uncontrollably and squeak loudly. "Oh my god." She said.

"A tribble killed Chakotay!"