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By Root 640 0

of the fright ened hill people of its native planet. But Janeway sensed these were not mere animals, bestial in appear ance though they were. Normally she would have drawn her phaser, or at least placed one hand reassuringly on the weapon. But because of the pulse the phasers were inoperative. They were weaponless. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tuvok and Paris standing at attention, ready to spring into action and manually close the door the instant the situation turned dangerous. It was all they could do.

The creatures milled about in the darkness. Janeway could see a large, furry silhouette here, a glimpse of bright eyes and teeth there. She waited, heart hammering despite her best intentions. The beings had come to them. She would let them make the first move.

Finally, one of them stepped forward, and for the first time, Janeway saw it clearly.

It was enormous, about two and a half meters tall and powerfully built, along the lines of a grizzly crossed with a gorilla. It walked erect, though not easily, and leaned heavily on a thick staff that it had decorated with jewelry, leaves, and carvings. Five fingers curled around the staff, each tipped with sharp claws. The fur-covered being had no need of clothes, but wore decorative bits of cloth and gems strung about its mammoth throat nonetheless. Above the ornamented throat was a huge head, more like that of a beast than a humanoid. Tiny eyes, bright and intelligent, peered out of a long-muzzled face. Small, tufted ears twitched. Finally, the creature opened its mouth, revealing gleaming, sharp teeth. Janeway tensed. A grumbling, clicking, crooning noise issued forth.

With a dreadful sinking feeling, Janeway realized that their commbadges had also been affected by the ion pulse. There was no way to communicate with these creatures!

The creature cocked its head, clearly awaiting a response.

"I'm sorry," she said, taking care not to make any sudden gestures and pitching her voice soft. "Our communication devices are disabled. We don't understand your language."

The creature that was apparently the leader of the group whuffed, then tossed its head twice. It turned its head and barked out something. The others shook their own heads on their thick necks, murmuring something in reply. They did not seem surprised at Janeway's inability to communicate.

Thinking quickly, Janeway whispered, "Tuvok. Get me some water."

"Aye, Captain." With his uninjured hand, Tuvok opened a small door and removed the metal canteen within. He handed it to Janeway. Carefully, moving slowly, she opened it and drank.

The furry beings murmured, but made no hostile move.

"Mmmm," she said in an exaggerated manner, wiping her mouth with the sleeve of her uniform. "Are you thirsty?"

She proffered the canteen. The leader drew back and looked first at the metal container, then at her. It seemed to reach a decision, and stepped closer. Reaching out a clawed hand, it accepted the offer.

Janeway tried not to think of how tiny the liter canteen looked in its huge paw; how with one blow that hand could shatter her skull.

Its eyes fastened on her, it drank, pouring the water into its muzzle and downing it with a gulping-lapping gurgle. Water dripped from its mouth and a blue tongue crept out to lick the moisture from its dewlaps as it handed the canteen to one of its comrades.

Janeway felt the press of her crew behind her, though they stayed silent. Damn, but this was tense. It was a difficult situation to begin with, but not being able to speak to these creatures, to reassure the beings of their peaceful intentions ... The Mishkarans were moving again. The leader stepped forward purposefully and took Janeway by the arm. Its grip was strong, but not painful. "Captain-" It was Torres. Her voice was tight.

"It's not hurting me," Janeway reassured her. "I think they simply want us to come with them."

"Oh, this is just great," said Paris. "By the looks of them they want us to be their dinner."

"Tom, that's not fair and you