Wrongs Not Forgotten part 1

Author Penny Proctor

The Virtual Season 7.5 contact information: season 7_5

spoiler: The Cardassians have long memories. And Cardassians lost in the Delta Quadrant with a mixed crew of misfits have even longer memories...

Prologue

Chakotay studied the two crewmen who stood before him. Jack O'Connell and Hugh Murphy looked distinctly uncomfortable, which was not surprising considering that they had no idea why the First Officer had asked to see them. "Uh," O'Connell began hesitantly, "if this has to do with the Jeffries Tube-" he stopped abruptly as Murphy stepped on his foot.

With some effort, Chakotay stifled a smile. The two friends had apparently decided to vie for the title of Ship's Rake when Tom Paris settled down, and recently they had paired up with Jenny and Megan Delaney. If the grapevine was accurate, the mysterious damage in Jeffries tube 36-A had nothing to do with the abortive, mind-controlled mutiny of a few months earlier.

Deciding it wouldn't hurt to let them worry just a little, Chakotay said nothing at first. The truth was, their romantic adventures had nothing to do with why he wanted to speak with them. When he and others from his former crew had been recovered from Teero's mind control, he had been reminded how disparate the Maquis and Starfleet crews had been at first, and how successfully they had melded into a single crew. That in turn made him realize that there was another faction on board that he had not paid enough attention to.

When the five survivors of the Equinox had come aboard, he had deliberately assigned each one quarters - first with a Starfleet crewman, and then nine months later he had moved each to share space with a former Maquis. He had hoped they would be able to integrate into Voyager more quickly that way. Gilmore seemed to have done all right with Jor and Powell, and Dalby and Gennaro had no complaints about Lessing. The others, though, seemed to be as isolated as ever. O'Connell and Murphy had each spent time rooming with someone else, and he was the one Chakotay wanted to discuss.

"Tell me," he finally said, "What's the problem with Jim Morrow?"

O'Connell and Murphy looked at each other, then Murphy shrugged. "It's hard to say, sir," he said. "He pretty much keeps to himself."

"I've noticed." That, in fact, was the entire reason for this interview. Chakotay was troubled by the fact that after a year and a half, the Equinox survivors still were not completely trusted by their crewmates. They did their jobs, but little else. "He wasn't at Neelix's potluck last night. Why?"

"He said he wasn't up for it." Jack O'Connell frowned. "He's just not a social type, Commander."

Chakotay frowned. According to the records they had received from Starfleet, Morrow had been outgoing and extremely social while at the Academy. "He must have friends. Who does he eat with? Sofin, Tassoni? What about holodeck time?"

"I don't really know," O'Connell said, and he didn't sound interested.

"You've lived with the man for the last nine months. You must have some idea."

Murphy straightened. "Permission to speak freely?"

"Granted."

"The man's a loner. He doesn't talk to us unless we talk to him, and even then it's barely more than a sentence or two. He doesn't want to have anything to do with us."

"The fact is," O'Connell added, "He doesn't trust us and we don't trust him. It's that simple."

"But why?" Chakotay gave him a hard look. "Has he done something?"

O'Connell shook his head. "No. But he tried to kill us all. He didn't think twice about leaving us at the mercy of those murdering aliens. There are some things you don't forget easily."

They say time heals all wounds, Chakotay thought. Perhaps we just need more time. "Do me a favor. Make an effort with him. He was following his captain and got led astray. It was a mistake, but we all make mistakes. If we've learned anything on this ship, it's that everyone deserves another chance."

O'Connell's face settled into a frown. "It's not the same, Chakotay. The Maquis were fighting for something important."

"Let's not start talking about the quality of our mistakes." He managed a smile. "Just try, all right?"

Murphy shot a warning look at his friend and nodded. "Aye, sir."

Before O'Connell acknowledged the order, the comm system interrupted. "Janeway to Chakotay."

"Yes, Captain?"

"I need you on the bridge, Commander."

Her voice sounded strained, a signal that something was going on but she didn't want to talk about it over the comm system. He rose. "On my way." "Dismissed. And Jack, try. Morrow's not a bad guy."

If Kathryn's tone of voice hadn't warned him, he would have realized something was wrong the moment he stepped on the bridge. Instead of her usual relaxed posture, Kathryn sat erect and tense in the Captain's chair, and she caught his eye as soon as the 'lift doors opened. The usual buzz of conversation was missing; the only sound was that the ambient hum of the engines and the occasional aural cue from the computer.

He took his seat and turned to Kathryn. "What's happening?"

"We're getting a signal of some kind," she said, leaning toward him. "It may be a distress signal."

Harry Kim looked up from his console. "I've got it, Captain. It's definitely a distress call. They say –" he broke off, looking shocked. "They say they are on a Cardassian ship."

Stunned, Chakotay swiveled in his chair and stared at the Ops Officer. Cardassian? Here?