Through the Looking Glass

harbor. Rayna set the ring-flute aside and instructed the computer to play Valley of Dust in G
Minor, a particularly boring and lengthy Vulcan symphony. She stood, moving away from her
guest a little.
Now comes the hard part.
"Computer, please secure the hatch." The door whisked shut. Rayna struggled to ignore it, and
failed. In her mind she loosed every curse word in Rigellian Trade Language and heaped them
upon her Cardassian captors. That didn't ease the grip of panic pinioning her chest. She tried
another tactic.
You aren't trapped. You're with the captain. Captains have all the access codes. Captains can
open any door. You aren't trapped.
The mantra worked enough so that she didn't feel like fainting. "Lights to one quarter," she softly
added. Janeway did not wake.
"Perhaps our performance was lackluster," Tuvok observed in low tones as he moved to the
dining area.
She shot him a look that was both sour and grateful. He would never convince her that he had no
sense of humor. "Speak for yourself," she teased, straight-faced. "I was outstanding." His banter
temporarily freed her mind from fear.
The imperious Vulcan did not dignify her comment with a response. Rayna saw a minute change
in the set of his jaw.
Uh-oh, Wind Child, he's about to get serious.
"Captain Janeway is my friend."
She glared at him. His declaration came as no surprise. Rayna had observed the affection
between captain and security chief soon after her arrival. "My condolences. Captains make lousy
friends."
That was not the response he wanted. See? There goes the ubiquitous brow, again.
Rayna poured herself another cup of coffee. The hatchway was still closed. She turned her head
away from it.
The music played. Janeway drifted deeper into the realm of Morpheus. Tuvok continued to
ignore her comment. Finally he spoke again, "This vessel could not have come so far, still intact,
without her leadership."
His gaze shifted to the sleeping human. An outsider would not have noticed the tiny changes in
his demeanor, but Rayna could see the depth of his concern as clearly as the dark pigment of his