Star Trek: Voyager
Civil War

Summary: A rewrite of "Fury". Kes returns to Voyager with a plea for help rather than a thirst for vengeance, and propels the ship to a familiar location that threatens to be destroyed by a dangerous new conflict...

Chapter One: The Prodigal Daughter

Neelix was pottering aimlessly about the Mess Hall when he received the order to report to the Bridge. The morning rush had come to an unusually swift conclusion, the officers filing back to their respective posts with an enthusiasm that he had not witnessed for quite a while, and so he had chosen to begin preparation for lunchtime arrangements early before paying a visit to Naomi Wildman. He felt as though his duties had robbed her of him for the past week or so, and he enjoyed spending time with the youngster. And so, as he gathered a generous portion of leola root and settled into a silent reverie, he was understandably startled by the chirping of his combadge. Upon the summoning, he had hurriedly finished his task and rushed to the turbolift.

The doors parted and the small Talaxian stepped inside. There was only one other occupant, a human in the mustard colour of the security division, and Neelix greeted him with a warm smile. "Mister Ayala! How are you today?"

Ayala returned the grin, turning his gaze away from the PADD he clutched in his hand. "I'm fine, thanks to your breakfast feast this morning," he quipped, gently gripping the other's shoulder. "The omelette was fantastic."

Neelix spoke his destination aloud and the turbolift whizzed upwards. "It was one of my heartier meals, wasn't it?" he chuckled. "I take it you're heading up for a duty shift?"

"No, just giving my security report to Commander Tuvok." Ayala winced a little. "It's a little late…and you know what a stickler he is for punctuality."

Neelix slapped his companion on the back as the turbolift slowed to a halt. "Don't worry, my friend! Deep down, Tuvok is just as cuddly as me – although I don't think he's as good a cook." He winked and chuckled, bidding the officer a farewell before moving onto the Bridge and propping himself up against the railing of the upper level. To his surprise, only one of the command chairs was filled. "Commander?"

Chakotay, intently examining a screen, glanced at Neelix. "In the ready room, Neelix," he intoned softly.

It was at that moment that Neelix noted the tension that had enveloped the Bridge. Everyone seemed to be training their eyes away from him, and even Chakotay appeared reluctant to look at him any longer than necessary. "What's the matter? Have I got a bug in my whiskers?" Neelix joked, but it elicited no laughter from the crewmembers around him.

"Ready room," Chakotay repeated, his tone firm but consciously veered away from sternness. "Now."

Neelix nodded, feeling apprehension building in his muscles. He strode towards his destination, his feet sounding oddly loud as they plodded against the deck. Had he done something wrong? No, the first officer's tone had been too gentle for a reprimand to be awaiting him. And it certainly wasn't a routine visit…He entered the ready room, his shoulders taught and his brow furrowed, but he managed to keep any sign of anxiety out of his voice as he said, "Captain. You wanted to see me?"

Captain Kathryn Janeway was poised at the viewport, staring out into the myriad of stars that coated the velvet void of space. She did not respond immediately to his presence, allowing a few moments to pass before she turned and revealed her grim expression. "Neelix. I thought you should know about this before I call a staff briefing," she told him solemnly.

"Tell me what?"

Janeway beckoned for him to walk to her desk, and she did the same, leaning against it and turning the computer screen for him to see. Despite her casual posture, she seemed to be emitting a concern that sent shivers spiking through Neelix's spine. If something was rattling the nerves of the steely Starfleet Captain, then it was something to be reckoned with. Her fingers chopped down on the keys, bringing the machine to life. An image filled the screen, and Neelix recognised it as a detailed map of the sector that Voyager was currently occupying. But the Intrepid-class starship was at the very edge of the screen, and a yellow blip was drawing all attention to itself with a pulsing resonation. It was classified as a small shuttlecraft, travelling at warp four…and bearing itself with a Starfleet signature.

"Oh, my…" Neelix murmured in muted amazement; his contained excitement quickly made its way through. "How did that end up out here? Could your friends in the Federation have found a way to get you home?"

Janeway was not infected by his enthusiasm. "Look closer, Neelix."

He complied, and his jaw fell even further. "It's registered as belonging to Voyager?" His bemusement soared for a moment, until it hit him. The gravity of Janeway's voice, the awkward elusiveness of those on the Bridge, the blinking bogey on the Captain's screen…He swallowed hard, and felt unbidden tears begin to well. "Is it…?"

"We believe so," Janeway informed him, closing her fingers around his own and squeezing reassuringly. "We picked it up on long-range scanners half an hour ago. I wanted to be sure before speaking with you. At its present speed, it will rendezvous with us in three hours."

Neelix felt his knees tremble in a blend of anticipation and fear. His throat became dry and hoarse, he clutched at the air with his fingers, and he had sudden urges to both leap with joy and crumple into tears. "I…we…how should I be responding to this?"

"No one expects you to be feeling any one emotion, Neelix," Janeway said. "This is going to be hard for all of us. I can only imagine what you must be experiencing now, so you're excused from duty until further notice."

Neelix shook his head resolutely. "No, Captain, I want to –"

"That's an order. Besides," she said, smirking ever so slightly, "if this really is what we think it is, she's going to need someone to meet her at that transporter pad."

Before Neelix could reply, Chakotay's voice sharply interjected over the communications system: "Captain to the Bridge!"

Janeway stalked away from the desk, striding confidently into the vessel's epicentre and assuming her chair. Her commanding aura consumed the deck, bolstering her subordinates against whatever they were about to face. Neelix perched on the ledge beside her, worriedly fidgeting as he noted the familiar sirens that signalled a red alert. He distracted himself from the flood of emotions that were making his heart pound by directing his focus to the forward viewscreen.

"Report," Janeway barked.

Lieutenant Commander Tuvok took the initiative to answer this, his stoically calm inflection booming out from the tactical station. "The shuttle has increased speed exponentially. It is currently at warp five…six…nine…" He quirked an eyebrow. "Its speed is exceeding our sensor parameters."

"I guess we have no doubt about who's piloting it now," Ensign Thomas Paris piped in from the helm. "But if she doesn't slow down soon, she's going to blast right through our hull!"

Janeway shared a significant look with Chakotay, both of them tightly gripping the armrests of their chairs. Soundlessly, they were exchanging their fears – but Neelix had no further time available to interpret the unconventional conversation as Janeway ordered, "Shields!"

"Raised," Tuvok reported.

"The shuttle is within sensor range, Captain!" Ensign Harry Kim called. "I'm reading one life sign."

The entire Bridge staff froze.

"It's Ocampan," Kim stated, his eyes wide. "And the bio-signature…it's her."

Janeway released a breath she didn't know she had been holding and snapped to her feet. Her cheeks had reddened, as though the reality of the situation had literally pelted her in a harsh awakening slap. "It's her."

"The shuttle is slowing." Tuvok studied his console. "It has stopped. We are being hailed."

"Answer it!" Neelix blurted out, launching himself to his feet. Immediately realising his blunder in etiquette and breach of the chain of command, he brought his hand to his mouth. "Sorry, Captain."

But Janeway merely smiled at him, and nodded. A familiar face appeared on the screen, if somewhat wearied and weathered by age. Her forehead was pitted with congealed blood and her neck was bruised, implying that she had recently been involved in violence of some kind; the lush blonde hair that had once framed her face had now been replaced by darker, short-cropped locks that were laced with silvery streaks. Her dry lips curled upwards into a weak smile.

"Kes," Janeway breathed. "It's good to see you again."

"And you, Captain. Although I wish it were under better circumstances," the aged Ocampan said.

Neelix was shocked by her raspy voice, and he realised that he had been foolishly expecting the sweetly innocent intonations of his old lover. He couldn't bring himself to converse with the stranger whose visage was laid out before him. He couldn't bring himself to converse with the shadow of the woman he had once loved. Without another thought, he darted away, seeking hasty refuge in the ready room. Chakotay discreetly rose and followed, but Kes did not seem to notice any of the proceedings.

"Are you okay?" Janeway questioned, perturbed by Kes' physical wounds and eerie silence.

Kes ignored the enquiry. "Captain, I need your help. I need Voyager's help."

"We'll help you in any way we can," Janeway stated. "Would you like to come aboard?"

Kes seemed to harden. "There's no time for that." Her eyes blazed with an ethereal fury, and Voyager began to quake.

Janeway was thrown off balance and slumped back into her chair, her eyes darting to and fro as her staff began to urgently work at their consoles for answers. However, none were forthcoming. "Kes, what's happening?!" she demanded.

"I'm sorry," Kes repeated, and then Janeway was pinned back into her chair as Voyager was encased in an azure glow and pelted across the galaxy with unspeakable force. The passage was amazingly quick, but rough – Janeway was tossed unceremoniously to the deck and she felt Paris hit the floor beside her. The next second, the impromptu journey had stopped. Janeway tasted blood in her mouth, and forced herself dazedly to her feet. Kes was no longer on the viewscreen, having been replaced by the image of her shuttle gliding towards a strangely familiar, brown-hued globe.

"Report," the captain said, wedging her slim frame into the command chair. She had a sickening feeling, however, that she already knew what was going to be said.

"That planet, ma'am, it's Ocampa," Kim stuttered incredulously. "We're…"

As Kim lapsed into silence, Tuvok completed his sentence: "It would appear that we are back at where our journey started."

Janeway felt a weight crash down upon her shoulders, and she visibly winced at the declaration. "What has she done…?"

Please review!