This is a story about an alternate universe. I started it a long time ago,
but never finished it, until I found it again last week. It's about someone
who has been gone for a long time and I thought might have a better side
than what we usually saw. I don't want to give too much away and ruin the
surprise! Just read and see how you like it.
Disclaimer: Star Trek, and Voyager, belong to Paramount. I just play here!
Chapter 1, here.
Chakotay couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. They had hit a spatial anomaly about an hour ago, and it seemed as if some turbulence and some very minor damage was all it had done to the ship. But in all his years in space he had learned to not only trust the readings on the panel in front of him, but also his gut feeling. It had proven right more than once.
"Is there any sign of the anomaly, Mr. Tuvok?" he asked.
"Negative," the Vulcan answered. "It does appear to have been an isolated event."
Chakotay knew the Vulcan would find the 'gut feeling' illogical, but obviously Tuvok had worked with humans long enough not to comment on the fact that this was the third time in the last ten minutes the First Officer had asked about an anomaly long passed. Or at least, not to comment out loud; Chakotay caught the look the Vulcan gave him after answering his question.
Five minutes later Chakotay stopped himself from asking the same question again. Maybe he was imagining things. Instead, he tried to focus on the crew reports on the small console between the command chairs.
The other chair was empty now. Captain Janeway was off duty, in her quarters, probably, or on the holodeck in one of her holo novels. Chakotay wished she was here. In this otherwise quiet stretch of space the bridge was manned by mainly younger officers, who did not have the experience in space it took to develop that gut feeling, and if they did feel it, they would likely as not be embarrassed to admit it with the Vulcan there. But nothing that had happened so far was serious enough to call the Captain to the bridge.
He turned back to his console, only to be interrupted moments later by Tuvok's report.
"Commander, sensors are picking up a vessel. Identification as of yet unknown. They are travelling in the same direction, but at a somewhat slower speed."
"Range?" Chakotay asked.
"We can just barely pick it up on long-range sensors. I expect to be able to make an identification within the next three minutes," Tuvok answered the next question before Chakotay had a chance to ask it. Maybe after all this time even they were starting to work well together, Chakotay thought.
The minutes passed slowly -more vessels they had encountered had turned out to be hostile than friendly and apparently this vessel was able to travel at almost their speed. Finally, Tuvok spoke up again.
"Commander?"
Chakotay immediately turned around in his seat, giving the Vulcan his full attention. Anything that caused Tuvok to let so much of his surprise sound through in his voice, had to be something big.
"Yes, Tuvok?"
"It is a Federation ship. Intrepid Class. I can not say for certain until we get closer, but I think it is Voyager."
Chakotay stood and turned toward the Vulcan. "Is there any chance this vessel is an image, or reflection, of ourselves?" Way back, at the beginning of their journey, they had run into a time-delayed image of themselves.
"Negative, sir. It is definitely a real vessel, and it is also fully in our space-time continuum." They had also, once, discovered an anomaly had copied them, the other ship being slightly out of phase with themselves. "In fact," the Vulcan continued, "They have just scanned us as well. Scanning frequencies confirm, the ship is definitely Voyager."
Chakotay acknowledged. Then he called the Captain. "Chakotay to Janeway."
"Janeway here. Go ahead, Commander," she replied immediately.
"Captain, I think you better come to the bridge," Chakotay told her.
Moments later Janeway entered the bridge.
"What do you have?" she started to ask, then looked at the viewscreen where Ensign Chell, who manned the Ops station this shift, had just managed to get the first visual on maximum magnification. The image was blurry at this magnification, but there was no doubt the vessel on the screen was Voyager.
"Another projection?" Janeway asked.
"Negative, Captain. It is real, and it is here," Chakotay answered.
"Have they seen us?"
"They have scanned us, but they have not hailed us yet," the First Officer said.
"Well," Janeway said as she sat down. "Then we will. Open a channel, Mr. Chell."
Disclaimer: Star Trek, and Voyager, belong to Paramount. I just play here!
Chapter 1, here.
Chakotay couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. They had hit a spatial anomaly about an hour ago, and it seemed as if some turbulence and some very minor damage was all it had done to the ship. But in all his years in space he had learned to not only trust the readings on the panel in front of him, but also his gut feeling. It had proven right more than once.
"Is there any sign of the anomaly, Mr. Tuvok?" he asked.
"Negative," the Vulcan answered. "It does appear to have been an isolated event."
Chakotay knew the Vulcan would find the 'gut feeling' illogical, but obviously Tuvok had worked with humans long enough not to comment on the fact that this was the third time in the last ten minutes the First Officer had asked about an anomaly long passed. Or at least, not to comment out loud; Chakotay caught the look the Vulcan gave him after answering his question.
Five minutes later Chakotay stopped himself from asking the same question again. Maybe he was imagining things. Instead, he tried to focus on the crew reports on the small console between the command chairs.
The other chair was empty now. Captain Janeway was off duty, in her quarters, probably, or on the holodeck in one of her holo novels. Chakotay wished she was here. In this otherwise quiet stretch of space the bridge was manned by mainly younger officers, who did not have the experience in space it took to develop that gut feeling, and if they did feel it, they would likely as not be embarrassed to admit it with the Vulcan there. But nothing that had happened so far was serious enough to call the Captain to the bridge.
He turned back to his console, only to be interrupted moments later by Tuvok's report.
"Commander, sensors are picking up a vessel. Identification as of yet unknown. They are travelling in the same direction, but at a somewhat slower speed."
"Range?" Chakotay asked.
"We can just barely pick it up on long-range sensors. I expect to be able to make an identification within the next three minutes," Tuvok answered the next question before Chakotay had a chance to ask it. Maybe after all this time even they were starting to work well together, Chakotay thought.
The minutes passed slowly -more vessels they had encountered had turned out to be hostile than friendly and apparently this vessel was able to travel at almost their speed. Finally, Tuvok spoke up again.
"Commander?"
Chakotay immediately turned around in his seat, giving the Vulcan his full attention. Anything that caused Tuvok to let so much of his surprise sound through in his voice, had to be something big.
"Yes, Tuvok?"
"It is a Federation ship. Intrepid Class. I can not say for certain until we get closer, but I think it is Voyager."
Chakotay stood and turned toward the Vulcan. "Is there any chance this vessel is an image, or reflection, of ourselves?" Way back, at the beginning of their journey, they had run into a time-delayed image of themselves.
"Negative, sir. It is definitely a real vessel, and it is also fully in our space-time continuum." They had also, once, discovered an anomaly had copied them, the other ship being slightly out of phase with themselves. "In fact," the Vulcan continued, "They have just scanned us as well. Scanning frequencies confirm, the ship is definitely Voyager."
Chakotay acknowledged. Then he called the Captain. "Chakotay to Janeway."
"Janeway here. Go ahead, Commander," she replied immediately.
"Captain, I think you better come to the bridge," Chakotay told her.
Moments later Janeway entered the bridge.
"What do you have?" she started to ask, then looked at the viewscreen where Ensign Chell, who manned the Ops station this shift, had just managed to get the first visual on maximum magnification. The image was blurry at this magnification, but there was no doubt the vessel on the screen was Voyager.
"Another projection?" Janeway asked.
"Negative, Captain. It is real, and it is here," Chakotay answered.
"Have they seen us?"
"They have scanned us, but they have not hailed us yet," the First Officer said.
"Well," Janeway said as she sat down. "Then we will. Open a channel, Mr. Chell."