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The guards watched B’Elanna and Kaytok as they slowly half-walked, half-slid down into the gulley. With her enhanced vision, B’Elanna could see that their collective lines of sight were fixed on Kaytok. Though she knew she must be an anxiety-provoking oddity, the guards’ superiors must have told them to expect her. No one had said anything to them about another Monorhan, especially a scruffy-looking wanderer. To keep their attention focused firmly on her, B’Elanna raised a hand and waved. “Hello!” she shouted. “You’re from the Emergency Council?”

As she had expected, there was a few seconds of confused clicking and thrumming between the guards as they adjusted to the translator. A minute or more passed with B’Elanna closing ever closer to the shuttle before the man before the main hatch called back, “You are from Voyager?”

B’Elanna halted five meters from the shuttle, hands clearly in view, then heard Kaytok shuffle to a stop a couple of meters behind her. A quick glance over her shoulder confirmed that he had wisely made certain that she was interposed between himself and the lead guard. There was no way to know for certain whether the Emergency Council had some kind of a warrant out for Kaytok, but why take chances? “I appreciate you keeping my ship safe,” she said. “We went out to scout the terrain last night and got lost. This gentleman was good enough to guide me back this way.”

The guard glanced around B’Elanna at Kaytok, but his interest was short-lived. “Where’s the other one?” he asked. “They told me there would be two of you.”

“Nearby. She was slightly injured in a fall. I wanted to get some medical supplies and go treat her.” She took a step forward, hoping the guard would shift his stance in preparation for her passing, but he did not budge. He touched his hand to a black-handled tube strapped to his leg. B’Elanna stopped. “Problem?” she asked, trying to keep her voice low and cool.

“I don’t know,” the guard said. He rattled his tongues together and two more stepped from around the bow and stern. Neither had a weapon drawn, but B’Elanna had already noted that the straps holding the tubes along their legs were rigged to pop open under any kind of direct pressure. Behind her, she heard Kaytok scuffle the loose rocks.

Don’t run, she thought. Whatever you do, don’t run. Her phaser bumped against her hip as she adjusted her stance. “I’m B’Elanna Torres,” she said, raising her hand in a generic kind of salute. “I’m the chief engineer on Voyager.”

The guard stared at her blankly, then his gaze flickered to Kaytok. “Where’d he come from?”

Shrugging, B’Elanna replied, “Out there in the dark somewhere.” She leaned forward and pitched her voice low. “If you want to know the truth, I think he’s not entirely well in the head. Keeps talking about someone named Gora and some kind of key. Does that mean anything to you?”

The guard’s shoulders relaxed and his hand moved away from his weapon. “Oh,” he said. “I get it. Don’t worry about him. They’re all a little bit…” He emitted a thrum noise that came from deep in his throat. B’Elanna jumped back a little bit, which seemed to please him.

“So I should just tell him to head off?” she asked. “Or is he looking for money? I don’t carry money. Is there something I can do for him to pay him back for guiding me here?”

The guard looked to his right and left, perhaps expecting a suggestion from his associates. His head bobbed on his long neck. “Have any food you don’t need?” he asked. “They’re always hungry.”

“Not on me. I left my rations with my friend.” She pointed at the shuttle. “But in there, sure. Food and water. As much as he could carry.” The guard’s neck tilted when B’Elanna mentioned food. Studying him, she noted that the guard was not much bigger or better-fed than Kaytok and was carrying considerably more equipment. Then there was the fact that he’d probably been standing outside for the past twenty-four hours. “Or maybe even something for you and your men?” she added speculatively.

He licked his lips, looking as if he were about to pant, but