Title: No Turning Back
Author: Dancing Star
Pairing: Janeway / Chakotay
Raing: 12
Category: AU, Romance
What happens: Sometimes, a Captain must do what a captain should do.
Notes: I had this idea when I was dreaming of Voyager. Yes, I DREAM of it. Please forgive me that I've stolen several planetary names from Star Wars: I thought I wanted to show that a Trekkie can also be a Jedi... :-)
And the song of this story is really old, but I like the No Angels.
No turning back
Kathryn's eyes felt heavy when she stared at the screen in front of her. She tried not to yawn, but Chakotay noticed how tired she was. "We should call it a day," he suggested, but she shook her head.
Her presence on the bridge was essential: they had received a transmission from the Alpha Quadrant and after extensive scans they found a wormhole that led directly to the Alpha Quadrant. They estimated the wormhole didn´t stop right outside their front door, but there was a glimmer of hope. Assuming it didn´t led to the past or to the future.
"Captain, the wormhole is now within reach of visual sensors," Harry Kim said and showed them the entrance gate of the wormhole. It was like a purple vortex that snaked through space around a dwarf star system.
Our suspicions are confirmed," Tuvok said and she turned around in surprise, "It leads to the Alpha Quadrant and ends near the Marani system... It leads home."
From experience, they learned it was better not to fast forward about a wormhole.
When Chakotay walked into the quarter, where he lived with his family, he was greeted by soft candlelight. "Is there something to celebrate?", he asked, touching a yellow tulip, which was stuck in a vase on the table.
"Possibly," his wife replied and now entered the living area. He turned to Kathryn and smiled at her. "The dinner takes a while, am I right?"
"Yes," Kathryn took his hand and led him to the couch. They sat down together. "This is our last night in the Delta Quadrant", she stated, "And Katelynn is already in bed..." She stroked his arm and smiled at him seductively. Then she moved closer to him and started to kiss his neck. Chakotay really liked if she took the initiative, but he also noticed how tiered she was. Although they had scanned the wormhole in detail, she was worried that something went wrong. They could end up in the past or in a different place.
"You're tired," he said (he wondered why she hadn´t slept a bit after her shift) and she nodded before he pulled her into his arms and held her, "What do we do first if we´re back on Earth? "
"We could go to Risa," she suggested and snuggled up to him, "I wasn´t there for a long time... We could look for a nice place on earth... "
"Hawaii," he said, "Or we could visit my mother. She currently lives in South America and it´s also very nice there."
"Definitely...", she said, Chakotay noticed the tone in her voice immediately. But he was pleased she behaved very normal when they talked about his mother.
The replicator interrupted their conversation: Dinner was ready. They decided to talk about this later. They still had time to think about what they would do first if they were back on Earth until tomorrow.
Although she was very tired, Kathryn thought about this day late at night. Chakotay was already asleep but to her, sleeping was impossible. So she lay awake in her bed.
She should be happy she could lead her crew home tomorrow, but for some reason she was worried about what might could happened if they reached earth again. Her crew had become her family and she would miss them if they´d receive new tasks. Kathryn thought that her husband and her four year old daughter Katelynn would stay with her and she felt reassured immediately. She loved them both. They were her light in the darkness, her lifeline. Kathryn couldn´t remember to have felt so deep in love for a man before. He told her at that time on New Earth she was quite willing to break the protocol and he asked her why there was no exception in his case. He confessed he loved her and that moment was like a release for her, because she felt the same. The crew learned of them, when the Kazon stole Voyager and left them behind on a planet. At night it was cold and Kathryn had ordered to her crew members they should to cling to each other for warmth. In a quiet moment, Ensign Swift caught them as Chakotay comfortingly put an arm around Kathryn and then kissed her. The rumor was making rounds and after they had retaken Voyager, Neelix had asked them one or two times about this. The other crew members were discreet. And Kathryn was very grateful for that. When Q was on Voyager for the second time, she and Chakotay had been married for a few weeks. Kathryn remembered very well the scene in her ready room. Chakotay responded being jealous when she confessed to him that Q had emerged last night in their quarters and made her advances. He told her he blamed himself because he hadn´t been with her. She got up from her chair to calm him. Lovingly she stroked his cheek, he looked up and confessed he had quite a problem with it. At that moment Q appeared in her ready room. "You should have told me you already have a relationship," Q said, "But what´s so special about him?" Kathryn frowned annoyed. Q raised his arm and before the next practical joke, he looked at her in amazement. "On the other hand," he began, "This place is occupied. I have to look for another one." He snapped his fingers and disappeared after both hadn´t said a word.
"What did he mean, this place is already occupied?", Chakotay said.
"I don´t know," she looked as clueless as he did, "But could it be that...?" She didn´t end the sentence but grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the door of her ready room. They crossed the bridge and climbed into the turbolift. Harry Kim and Tuvok watched them skeptical. "Where are we going?", Chakotay asked, when the lift began to move. "Sick bay," she replied and he realized what she was getting at. Half an hour later the doctor confirmed her suspicion and they hugged happily. They owed Tom Paris' presence that soon the whole ship knew. In retrospect Chakotay told her Tom had thanked him. After bet number 12 he had won bet number 20. Some of the crew had bet they would expect a child before their second anniversary. Bet number 12 was if the captain and the first officer of the starship felt something for each other. Four months later, bet number 23 was launched: it involved the question of whether the new member of the crew would be a girl or a boy. When Kathryn looked back today at these bets, she had to smile. She even thought of Chakotay, who protected her during the entire pregnancy, prescribed shorter shifts and forcing her to have dinner with him. He taught her what it meant to shut down for a few hours. Once he had even told her he was going to drag her onto the holodeck, if she didn´t come with him voluntarily to spend the evening on a beach in Mexico. When she then held her baby in her arms for the first time, she wondered how it was possible to love someone so much she only knew for a few minutes. Of course, she had a guilty conscience, because of Mark. Until several months after birth, she was a little relieved when they received news from the Alpha Quadrant, and Mark wrote in a letter he got married meanwhile.
Kathryn put the pad aside tired and snuggled closer to her husband, tried to sleep and was already surrounded by a warm feeling when someone tugged at her blanket. Kathryn looked up. "Hey," she said when she saw her daughter. Katelynn was standing in front of her in her nightgown, a stuffed animal under her arm.
"Mommy, can I sleep here?", Katelynn asked and Kathryn stretched her arms out to her daughter. She lifted her across her and put Katelynn between Chakotay and herself. They slept until the next morning.
Like every morning, her quarters smelled like coffee, when she woke up. The bed next to her was empty as usual: Before Chakotay left for his shift on the bridge, he woke her up and left her and Katelynn their breakfast table. Kathryn usually reached the bridge two hours later. This was one of the things he wanted her to get used to if she lived with him.
Today he had not woken her like every day. Katelynn had also disappeared, who crawled into her bed last night.
Kathryn grabbed her robe, put it on and then walked over to the living area. Katelynn sat at the table and already ate her cereal. "Good morning," she said and petted to Katelynn´s head lovingly. She looked so much like her father.
"Hey," Chakotay gave his wife a cup of coffee, "I'll see you later, okay?"
"Yes," she smiled, "But don´t start without me."
The way to the bridge was now almost endless, but finally she stepped through the doors of the turbolift. She sat silently on her chair and noticed how fiercely Harry Kim stared at his console. "What's wrong?", she leaned over to Chakotay.
"We have completed the scan of the wormhole," he replied, "It actually leads home."
"Actually," she tried to suppress her smile.
"And it leads to our own time," Harry added.
"The repairing of the internal sensors are complete, all the stations are ready. The news we could get home today, has spread throughout the ship", Chakotay told her," I think we shouldn´t let them wait."
She smiled at him and grabbed his hand, which he held out for her. "We shouldn´t", she agreed. Then she turned around to Tom Paris.
"Tom, fly us through the wormhole."
"Aye, Captain," he replied, activated the drive and they watched as the wormhole on the screen came closer. Kathryn took a deep breath when they flew into the wormhole. This was hopefully their last moment in this quadrant.
The ground beneath her feet began to shake. "Harry, status report!"
"This is a gravimetric fault," the ensign cried.
"I will improve the stabilizers!", B'Elanna replied by Com. She was working in the machine room. The quake was worse and Kathryns stomach was overcome by a strange feeling. She couldn´t deny the fear inside her.
The vessel was shaken and over their heads a power line sparked. "We have passed through the wormhole to half," Tom called to them.
The quake grew in intensity. The feeling in her stomach was getting worse and suddenly the ship went into a tailspin. They were thrown from their seats.
Tom reached for the control panel and managed to access the drive. Voyager stopped spinning. Chakotay helped his wife to get up and sit down then.
"Report," Kathryn asked. She sat up in her chair and stroked her long hair out of her face.
"Three slightly injured on deck eleven," Tuvok said.
"A plasma line on deck eight is damaged," added Chakotay, "But it looks like we did it... We're through."
The Marani system appeared on the screen. From here it was only a few hours of flying time until they´d reach earth.
When they reached earth an even clearer grin slipped on Kathryn's face. She almost hadn´t believed that she would see earth ever again. And from this height she could even see the Starfleet Headquarters.
"Land the ship softly, Mister Paris," Kathryn said.
After the ship had landed, they were on their way to the exit hatch. The crew was excited and none of them could leave the ship fast enough. The bridge officers first appeared in the hatchway, where they were greeted by an admiral and a crewman. Kathryn and Chakotay stood with Katelynn at the beginning of the waiting line. "Captain, welcome home," the female admiral said, "I am Admiral Gere. This is Crewman Warrick. We check the crew list. Then you can go to headquarters and meet your families soon."
A murmur went through the crew and crewman Warrick opened a file on his pad, "The USS Voyager. Intrepid class... That's a pretty antiquated ship now."
Kathryn tried to ignore the comment. The crewman was young. Kathryn suspected he didn´t even visit the Starfleet Academy when Voyager was lost in the Delta Quadrant. They had been away for almost eight years.
"Captain Kathryn Janeway. Commander Chakotay, is that right?", the crewman asked and they both nodded. "And Katelynn Janeway," the captain added.
"Katelynn Janeway?," the crewman asked, "This name isn´t on our list."
"She´s not a member of the crew. She´s my almost four year old daughter", Kathryn replied. After Naomi Wildman, Katelynn was the second child, who was born on Voyager.
"There´s another unknown name: Miral Paris"
"This is the daughter of Tom Paris and B'Elanna Torres."
"Torres," the ensign interrupted, "From the Maquis crew?"
"We don´t distinguish between Starfleet and Maquis crew."
"Are there problems, Captain?", Admiral Gere turned again into the conversation.
"No," Kathryn shook her head. Katelynn clung tightly to her mother and finally the Admiral waved Kathryn and Chakotay through the gate, so the next crew members were asked for their names.
Their arrival on Earth was too surprising, as that Starfleet couldn´t organize a party for them. They were thankful that Starfleet could offer them transitional homes in San Francisco. The home was completely furnished and it was bigger than their home on Voyager. Kathryn had talked to Tuvok today: He wanted to return to his family and a few other crew members wanted to see their families, too. Kathryn had even received a call from her mother, who told her she was already on the way. She was very happy about this.
Finally, it was evening and Gretchen knocked on the door of the transition quarter. "Kathryn," she cried with joy and hugged her daughter, "I'm so glad to see you again. You look good. "
Kathryn thought she even looked a little tired and stressed. Chakotay said this, too, and she then told him she only needed a long holiday.
"Welcome back home," Gretchen added and entered the apartment, "Your sister is currently on a space station in the Bespin sector, but I have talked to her and she will see you as soon as she can."
A small dark-haired figure came hurrying from the next room. "Mommy," the girl cried, Kathryn lifted her onto her arm. "Mother, this is my daughter Katelynn," Kathryn said. For a second, Kathryn didn´t know if her mother looked shocked or pleasantly surprised.
Finally, Gretchen replied the smile of the child. She stretched her arms out to Katelynn and Kathryn was happy that the girl was willingly to come on her grandmother´s arm.
"How are you?," Gretchen asked while they sat down on the couch.
"Very fine. Would you like to drink something? ", she watched as her mother put down Katelynn and the girl went off to get a doll.
"How old is Katelynn?", Gretchen asked, as her granddaughter was out of earshot.
"It is nearly four and..."
"That means, you expect your baby after..." Gretchen figured, "When you were away from home three and a half year. Haven´t you thought of Mark?"
"I thought of him very often," Kathryn corrected and she was surprised to hear this, because her mother had never had problems to see her married. She wondered if she had a problem with the fact that it wasn´t Mark, who stood at her side.
At that moment, the door to her apartment opened and Chakotay entered. He smiled slightly as he saw her, but he also noticed the look in Kathryn's eyes. "Mother, this is my husband."
"Good day, uh... Mrs. Janeway," Chakotay had long wondered if he should call her Mrs. Janeway or Gretchen or maybe even Mom.
"Gretchen is quite enough." She had to admit he was different from what she had imagined. When Kathryn had told her she was married, Gretchen had an image of her son in law and now she realized he was not like this.
"I suppose we don´t want to sit here all night," Gretchen finally said, she remembered that Kathryn had invited her for dinner. This was quite unusual, because Kathryn didn´t like the preparation of meals. She later earned that her daughter was more or less forced to use no replicator, because Katelynn didn´t eat this meals.
Gretchen watched as her daughter nodded. Finally, they got up went into the dining area.
"I never thought I'd say this once, but I thought it would be easier to be back on earth," Chakotay admitted to his wife when they were alone again, and Gretchen had left. "Yes," she agreed, "The meeting with my mother was... difficult." But she was very relieved that her mom at least seemed to like Katelynn.
An unexpected knock on the door interrupted their conversation. "Are you expecting somebody else?", Chakotay said. He opened the door and wondered why a Starfleet admiral stood before him.
"Mister Chakotay, I'm Admiral Kinsey. Come with me, please."
"Is there trouble?"
"All right, Commander. You and your Maquis members are indicted for betraying Starfleet ... And if you come with me now, voluntarily, I promise you that I think about whether I don´t use handcuffs."
Kathryn appeared in the doorway next to Chakotay. Of course, she had heard every word. "What is going on here, Admiral?", she asked. She didn´t understand why the Starfleet now detained the Maquis members of their crew. Of course, they had to assume his would happen, but after their arrival had gone so quiet, she was hoping they would let the past rest. The crew members had proven and had shown they were behind Kathryn. They didn´t deserve that.
"All right," Chakotay gave in. He turned back around to his wife and saw the shocked look in her eyes. The admiral had promised he would forgo handcuffs when he came with him without causing any problems. But he did not: He put Chakotay in handcuffs and Kathryn couldn´t do more than observe the scene helplessly.
After a conversation with Tom Paris it turned out that Admiral Kinsey also appeared at his apartment yesterday evening to arrest the pregnant B'Elanna. She had defended herself and the Admiral had threatened her she shouldn´t do this if she wanted to keep the child after birth. Even Tom couldn´t help his wife. Apparently all Maquis members had already been arrested.
Kathryn couldn´t sleep at night. She couldn´t stop thinking about her husband and how he was now. But the next morning when she opened her eyes, she realized that she had been sleeping. Katelynn was standing by her bed and looked at her anxiously.
"Mommy, where's Daddy?", Katelynn asked.
At that moment Kathryn hugged her daughter. She didn´t t want to cry, but she couldn´t help.
Her stomach almost aced when Kathryn left the turbolift with Admiral Kathryn Kinsey at the Starfleet prison. It was late afternoon and after asking her mother to take care of Katelynn, Kathryn almost spent the entire day at the headquarters to ask and beg for a permission to visit.
The air in the prison wing was hot and somehow Kathryn was happy she hadn´t to see the part of her crew, who was also imprisoned here.
She and the Admiral went down a long hallway and then entered through a door.
"We are here," the admiral said and stood beside Ensign Parsons. The ensign had received a new task from Starfleet.
"Turn off the force field," Kathryn ordered but the Admiral disagreed: "You don´t do this, Ensign."
Ensign Parsons obeyed the Admiral. Kathryn swallowed hard when she met Chakotay's gaze.
"Then leave us alone. I want to talk to my husband in private."
The admiral seemed to reflect. "All right," he nodded, but he didn´t left them really alone. Therefore he left the Ensign and Admiral Kinsey left the room. Once the door had closed behind him, Ensign Parsons disabled the force field and looked at the control unit.
"Captain, you have five minutes."
"Thank you," she turned again to Ensign Parsons, then stepped to Chakotay and hugged him fiercely. "Are you okay?", she whispered and he nodded silently. They were standing close to each other for some time and enjoyed the warmth of the other.
"How´s Katelynn?", he then asked.
"She´s with my mother and she misses you," Kathryn replied, "Do they treat you good?"
"How they treat a criminal. What about you?"
"They have asked me a few questions about the command structure aboard Voyager, but they said they wouldn´t take away Katelynn."
"That's good," he murmured in her ear and she felt him soothingly striking her back. Chakotay knew she would never bear to live without Katelynn. That she had to live without him was almost inevitable.
"I have to tell you something," he began, broke away from her and they sat down together on the bar that served as his bed, "They will bring me and the other Maquis crew members to a penal colony on Annoran VI tomorrow."
"What?," she gulped. At that moment she didn´t only think of him but also of B´Elanna, who was pregnant with her second child.
"Captain, one minute left," Ensign Parsons cried to them.
"Promise me that you'll take good care of Katelynn," Chakotay whispered and registered as his wife nodded weakly, "And promise me you won´t draw back. Keep your friends...That was the first thing I wanted you to learn. Do you remember?"
That wasn´t true. The first thing he wanted her to learn was to relax. Then she let herself go when they were together. Next, he took her to the activities which he spent with the crew. She found friends. And at some point she was no longer alone during dinner at the casino, but was surrounded by people who were her friends. She never wanted to miss all that.
"I promise." They got up and only reluctantly, she let go of his hand as she stepped out of the cell. "I love you", she said goodbye to him.
"I know. I love you too."
Ensign Parsons activated the force field and when he was finished, Admiral Kinsey stepped through the door again. "Your time is up, Captain Janeway," he said to her and she nodded silently. Before she left, she stopped in front of Ensign Parsons´ console. "How are you doing down here, Ensign?", she asked. She wanted to know how he liked his new job.
"I was already doing better, Captain."
Again, she nodded and left the room with Admiral Kinsey.
On the way home, she felt as if the weight of the world rested on her shoulders. Finally she reached the apartment where she and Chakotay should live after their return. It was dark and she activated the light. Kathryn wasn´t surprised when she saw her mother in the living area. Exhausted, she sat down on the couch.
"What's wrong with you?", Gretchen wanted to know, but Kathryn didn´t answer, "It was a tough day for you. You should lie down for a while", she suggested then.
"No, I can´t sleep." She lowered her head and tried to breathe. Gretchen sat down beside her and took her hand. "What's wrong?"
"All right," Kathryn squared her shoulders and looked up, "I'm pregnant." The moment of silence was almost uncomfortable. "Chakotay doesn´t know yet," she added. And the thought he would never get to know his daughter or his son broke her heart. She had an idea how they maybe could be together.
Kathryn urgently had to talk to Tom Paris and the Doctor.
The senior officers, or what was left of them, had gathered in Tom Paris' apartment. They had heard of what had happened in the captain's quarters and that all of the former Maquis crew members were arrested.
"How I know you, you already have a plan, Captain," Tuvok suspected.
"That's right," she agreed, "I need the help of the crew... At least the help of a skeleton crew." She was glad to see that a large part of her crew had been restored to their families. She couldn´t demand that they left their families again, but she could ask her closest friends for help at least.
"I plan to release our crew members and steal the Voyager. We will then hide on a planet where there is no warp civilization." Starfleet wouldn´t look for them there because of their prime order.
"I'll help you," Harry immediately secured his support.
"How should we do it? Voyager is converted into a museum", Tom said," And also... We were lucky they haven´t deleted the doctor.
The doctor nodded. That this program wasn´t deleted was lucky. Only his captain´s ability to speak had prevented the worst.
Silently she got up and stepped right in front of Tom. "Your pregnant wife is arrested," Kathryn said in a flat voice, "That Miral is still with you is pure luck." She wanted to leave, but then she remembered something important, what she had to tell him yet. "They will bring the crew members to a penal colony on Annoran VI. I'll know to avoid. And either you help me... or you leave it."
At night Kathryn crept noiselessly into Katelynn's room and wrapped her sleeping daughter in her blanket. She lifted the child in her arms and carried her out. Kathryn was almost frightened to death when she met Gretchen in the hallway. "Where are you going?"
"It's better if you don´t know too much," Kathryn said, gave her sleeping daughter to her mother and tried to get some of her stuff.
"I know you well, Kathryn. I know what you're doing, "Gretchen's voice was determined," And I tell you this is not a wise decision."
"You can´t stand my husband," Kathryn complained.
"He's the one who took away my daughter... But to endure him is easier than losing you. "
"And I can´t bear to lose him. Therefore, I must do what I have to do." She put on a jacket, threw a bag over her shoulder and then again took her daughter in her arms, "I hope you understand."
No matter if it's right or wrong this time
We gotta leave the past behind
There is nothing more to say
So goodbye to yesterday
Standing at the point of no return
As the tears run down my face
No turning back, I wonder that
So goodbye to yesterday ("Goodbye to yesterday", No Angels)
The museum hangar, where Voyager was launched, wasn´t guarded, so it was an easy game for Kathryn to smuggle into the ship and bring Katelynn to their old quarters. Fortunately, the girl was sleeping and didn´t notice that her mother brought her back to the place where she had been raised.
After that Kathryn went to an armory and put three phasers in her bag. She hoped she wouldn´t have to use it. A strange noise startled her and she shone the flashlight along the dark corridor. There she discovered some familiar figures. "Mr. Paris?", she asked and Tom nodded. He, Harry Kim and several other crew members were present in their personal clothing.
"We promised we´d help you, Captain," Harry said, "Tom and I will go to the bridge. The doctor is already at the sick bay. A team from the engineer meanwhile will start the warp core. We are waiting for you."
"Thank you," she nodded. Some security guards and Neelix had agreed to go with her to the prison wing. They couldn´t beam their crew members out of that building because it was sealed off by a dispersal field. The group was divided into teams and Kathryn was surprised to see Tuvok here.
"I admit the longing for my family is ubiquitous," he confessed, "But my loyalty still belongs to you."
"Thank you, my friend."
They nodded to each other again then they went with their team on the way to jail.
In fact, Kathryn felt like a criminal when she walked through the darkness with Tuvok and some others. "I've talked to Orlando Parsons", Neelix told her, "You have said recently in Tom's apartment that he´s now working in the prison wing."
"That's right", they reached the entrance of the building and Kathryn saw the guards.
"He is willing to help us."
"Thank you, Neelix."
"He told me that we should call for him at the entrance. If we're starting a shoot at the entrance the mission will fail."
She agreed and together they made their way to the entrance. Ensign Parsons came to pick them up. As soon as they were in the building, Tuvok disabled the surveillance system and Ensign Parsons led them to the detention cells of the crew. "Captain?", B'Elanna was surprised to see her when she got out of her cell.
"We have no time for explanations," Neelix reminded and handed her a phaser. Meanwhile, Kathryn entered the room where Chakotay was caught and tried to deactivate the force field. Because the console didn´t accept her security code (presumably this was blocked because Starfleet didn´t trust her), she destroyed it.
"What are you doing?", Chakotay wanted to know. When the force field was gone, he stepped out of his cell. "I'll explain later," she promised him and handed him a gun. Ensign Parsons came with them. Because the prisoners disappeared during his shift, this would certainly have consequences for him.
With their freed crew members the team left the facility through an exit that led into the sewers. It wasn´t the spectacular liberation that Kathryn had imagined, but it was better than being noticed. If they were lucky, Starfleet wouldn´t notice they were gone before tomorrow morning.
They left the drains out of sight of the prison tract and in the cover of darkness they tried to reach Voyager.
"I've never hijacked a ship," Kathryn said softly.
"Please think about you that well," Chakotay replied, "If you really do this, there is no turning back for you. Starfleet hunts you and then..."
"If I don´t, we never see each other again," she corrected him.
"Kathryn, you can go back. "
"I won´t", actually she couldn´t believe they ever led this discussion.
Some lights on the outer hull of Voyager pointed out that the energy system of the vessel was active. The computer reported that the warp core was active and the ship was ready, as Kathryn queried the status. When they were on their way to the bridge, Kathryn gave Tom the start command and as the ground beneath their feet vibrated slightly, the ship lifted off the ground.
"Captain on the bridge," Tuvok said. Kathryn was the last person through the doors of the turbolift.
"Thank you, Commander," the captain replied and saw the many pairs of eyes looking at her, "Well, we are back home. Aboard Voyager. Now it is time to find a new home."
"Captain, we are leaving the orbit of the Earth," Tom answered.
"Warp 5, Mister Paris, and set a course", Kathryn ordered, she sat down in her chair and watched as Chakotay did the same.
"Captain, I have an idea," Harry said to her, "Soon, Starfleet will notice that Voyager has disappeared. And then when they realize that some of the crew also can´t be found and they will know what happened. Therefore, I propose to camouflage our Warp signature. That should solve our problem."
"And where are we hiding?", Tom asked. He knew his captain was planning to settle on a planet which had no ambitions in space. But which planet this should be was currently unknown.
"Then I would know the answer," Harry smiled and tapped around on his console. The image of a blue and green planet appeared. "Class M planet, 6 billion people. Seven continents No warp signatures far and wide."
"Very good, Mr. Kim... We spread out on the seven continents. In the rural areas we are relatively unobtrusive", she nodded at them encouragingly, "Get all the essential items from the ship as soon as we´re there. Replicate appropriate clothing. Let me know when you're done. I'll be in my ready room."
Kathryn was relieved they had made it up to this planet. The planet was beautiful. The crew was currently busy getting their belongings from board when Kathryn was staying for the last time in her ready room. She sat down on her chair and grabbed her laptop. There was an incoming message on the screen. She was worried for a second. Who could have sent them a message? Starfleet may have been able to track the signal and to locate it here. Then she saw the receiving- date and noted that she had received the message before the crew had hijacked the ship.
Curiously, she opened the message and read, "What did I say about you I'm sorry. You should know that Phoebe and I love you and your father would surely have been proud of you. Mom", Kathryn took a deep breath. Then she noticed the message wasn´t ended: "PS: I think you and Chakotay make a beautiful couple. And you have a wonderful daughter."
Kathryn was interrupted by the door buzzer. "Come in," she cried and smiled when she saw Chakotay and Katelynn. He carried his daughter in his arms.
"We are ready," he informed her, "All transports to the surface have been completed. The crew begins to beam down. We are the last." He stretched out his hand to her and Kathryn didn´t hesitate a second to take it. She got up and walked around her desk. What she had to do now was certainly one of the most difficult decisions in her life. But that was necessary so Starfleet wouldn´t find them.
"Computer, activate self-destruct sequence," she ordered and confirmed with her authorization code. They had ten minutes to go to the transporter room and then to beam down to the surface.
Transport brought them directly to the coordinates on the surface. She looked eagerly at the sky and watched how Voyager exploded there. Kathryn's heart sank as she thought she would never see a part of her crew.
Chakotay suggested to waste no time: Until they had found a good home, he'd built a Starfleet container for his family.
Later that day, the local news of the planet reported about the strange explosion in the sky: They proposed that an asteroid was burned up in the atmosphere.
It was a perfect day in a perfect garden two weeks later. One of the two suns of the planetary system was shining warm from the sky and Chakotay watched contentedly how Katelynn ran after the dog he had bought for Kathryn in the garden of their new home. He hadn´t believed he would never see his daughter again. Now that he never had to fear about being separated from her and Kathryn was a miracle.
A figure wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder. "It's very nice here," she muttered and he turned slightly to his wife. "It really is," he agreed.
"I have a present for you," Kathryn whispered after a while and let him go. He wondered how she grabbed a small box, which she had previously hidden behind her on the table. Chakotay opened the gray, flat cardboard and discovered a framed photo. It showed two indistinct figures that looked like humans. "What ...?", He got no further, because of course he knew what it was.
"That's your son and your daughter," she smiled and grabbed his hand. Finally, they hugged. "I am very grateful that I have you," he whispered.
"I know", a smile crossed her face, "I could never be without you."
"I know," he quoted her. Just as he was her lifeline, she was his. Without her courage he would be still in prison. He knew they would never be separated again.
Fin