DISCLAIMER: You all know the drill - Paramount is God. All hail Paramount. They own everything in the Star Trek Universe - I'm just using my overactive imagination to take their characters where they refuse to go. All in the name of fun, not profit (I wish).
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story is the third part of my "The Long Road Home" trilogy. You should probably read the first parts, "Separations" and "Awakenings" if you want to be able to follow along.
SUMMARY: Shore leave on the Kesseret homeworld leads to an astonishing discovery that could change everything for the crew of Voyager.
THE LONG ROAD HOME
PARADISE LOST
CHAPTER ONE: KESSERET PRIME
Captain Janeway and Seven of Nine walked together down the hallway, heading for the holodeck. Tom and B'Elanna were meeting them there, and Chakotay and Mark were walking a few steps ahead of them. The Captain was trying to explain to Seven the appeal of horseback riding, since that was what they were doing before dinner.
"It's really quite fun, once you get the hang of it. I can remember having my share of black and blue patches after my first attempts. I tried to jump a high fence on one of my first tries. The horse went over. I didn't."
"And yet you continued the activity," said Seven.
"Of course – I got right back on and jumped it again, only this time I made it."
"A curious pastime. I fail to see the appeal."
"Oh, believe me – when you're galloping across an open field, you'll understand. If it's not to your liking, you should try some of the other recreational programs. I hear Tom's got a skiing program that's fantastic."
"I do not know how to…ski," admitted Seven.
The Captain smiled as a new thought occurred to her. "Or sailing – one of my favorite programs is sailing on Lake George, on Earth."
Mark overheard them and spoke to Seven over his shoulder. "I used to sail in San Francisco Bay whenever I got the chance. I could take you out sometime and show you how."
The Captain thought she saw the corners of Seven's mouth curl up in a smile.
"Perhaps."
The Captain was about to continue extolling the virtues of a moonlight sail, but when she looked at Seven she stopped, concerned. The ex-drone had one hand against the wall to steady herself, and her other hand was pressed to her head.
"Seven? What is it?"
"I believe my cortical implant is…malfunctioning," said Seven weakly, trying to suppress the intense feeling of vertigo that was coming over her. There was a high-pitched noise in her ears, and as it became louder she gasped.
"Let's get you to Sickbay," said the Captain, taking her arm.
"That will not be necessary…" began Seven, but her voice trailed off as she said it, and she swayed on her feet before she collapsed on the floor. Mark and Chakotay heard her hit the ground and turned around.
"Janeway to the Doctor," said the Captain as she knelt beside Seven. "Medical emergency. Beam Seven directly to Sickbay."
Acknowledged, said the Doctor, and Seven disappeared in a transporter beam as Mark and Chakotay looked on in concern.
"Come on," said the Captain, getting off the floor. She started down the hallway for the nearest turbolift, and the two men followed her.
* * *
"Her cortical node began to shut down," said the Doctor as he ran a medical tricorder over Seven's unconscious form in Sickbay. Captain Janeway, Chakotay, and Commander Walker were all gathered at the foot of the bed.
"She went into neural shock," he continued. "I managed to stabilize the implant before any permanent damage was done."
"Any idea what caused it?" asked the Captain.
"I'm running a diagnostic on it, so we should know in a few hours. What was she doing when this happened?"
"We were just…talking, on our way to the holodeck. She seemed to be in pain, and then she just collapsed."
"Can you wake her?" asked Mark.
"Yes, but I wouldn't recommend it. Until I know what destabilized her cortical node, I'd prefer to keep her sedated."
The Captain nodded and put her hand on Mark's arm reassuringly. "Keep me informed, Doctor."
* * *
Seven's eyes fluttered open and she saw the concerned face of the Doctor above her. She pushed herself into a sitting position.
"How long have I been unconscious?"
"About two hours. You collapsed in the corridor when your cortical implant began to shut down. Can you tell me what you were doing when you first realized something was wrong?"
"I was discussing sailing with Captain Janeway and Commander Walker."
"What were you thinking at the time?"
"What was I thinking?" she repeated skeptically with a raised eyebrow. He nodded at her. She shifted uncomfortably on the bed and avoided his gaze.
"Commander Walker offered to teach me to sail. I was thinking that it would be a…pleasurable outing."
"You would enjoy his company," said the Doctor, understanding what Seven was implying but unwilling to admit.
She nodded. "He is an…admirable individual. I find his company stimulating." She could see the Doctor was a little disappointed but extremely interested, but she was very wary of this line of questioning.
"I fail to see how this is relevant to the malfunction of my cortical node."
The Doctor's face became grim. "I'm afraid it wasn't a malfunction." He showed her a schematic on the PADD he was holding. "It's some kind of Borg fail-safe device that's designed to shut down the higher brain functions of any drone who becomes …emotionally stimulated."
The only reaction that Seven showed outwardly was a slight parting of her lips and some tension in her shoulders as she examined the data. "I am no longer a drone," she observed.
"I'm afraid that doesn't matter. The mechanism is a part of your cortical node."
"Can it be deactivated?" she asked, feeling something that she could only describe as a pang of regret.
"I'm not sure," he admitted. "I'll have to study it further and run a few more scans. It's possible that I can re-configure the micro-circuitry, but it would most likely be a difficult process."
Seven stiffened and threw her feet over the edge of the bed. "That won't be necessary, Doctor."
"Seven! If you don't let me try, you'll be in danger of going into neural shock again if you experience any strong emotions."
"Then I will have to be careful not to do so," she said, standing up and trying to push past him.
He stepped into her way. "I thought you wanted to regain your humanity. You can hardly do that if you repress your feelings."
"I will adapt," she said, but her voice lacked the resolve that it usually had. She tried to move past him again, but once more he blocked her path.
"Do I require further medical attention?" she asked, annoyed, staring him down.
After a moment, he relented and stepped aside. "No. But I urge you to reconsider."
She didn't respond as she moved towards the doors, but she stopped and turned around.
"I trust you will respect Doctor-patient confidentiality."
"Of course," he said reluctantly. She nodded with approval, then pivoted and left Sickbay.
* * *
The Captain looked around the conference room table at her senior staff at their morning briefing. They were due to arrive at Kesseret Prime in a couple of hours, and she was dealing with some last minute business before their arrival.
"Fortunately, they seem willing to supply us with whatever they can provide. B'Elanna, I want you and the Doctor to put together a list of the materials and supplies we need, as well as what we would be willing to trade. Neelix, you'll be in charge or restocking our food supply. Feel free to get whatever you think you need to sustain us for at least another month, until we clear the disputed space."
"Yes, Captain."
"Ambassador Ilin has also given me permission to issue a general shore leave to all the crew." There were smiles all around the table at this news, and only Tuvok and Seven remained impartial – it had been months since any of the crew had been off the ship, and for many of the junior officers it had been even longer.
"I don't want to waste too much time here, so I thought three days should be enough. Unless there are any objections?"
B'Elanna nodded. "Actually, Captain, the repairs to the ship will take at least that long. If any of my people are going to get a chance to go planetside we'll have to stick around a little longer than that."
"It has been a while since we had shore leave…How does a week sound?"
B'Elanna seemed satisfied, and the grins around the table grew even wider.
"You'll get to give Miral her first taste of fresh air," said Chakotay to Tom and B'Elanna across from him.
"That's right," said Tom, looking at his wife. "I hadn't thought of that – she's never been off the ship yet."
"Anything else?" asked the Captain. When nobody volunteered anything, she nodded. "All right, then. Tom, when we reach the planet, take us into a high orbit."
The crew filed out, and Chakotay stayed behind. He always liked talking to Kathryn after a morning meeting that had gone well, because she was usually relaxed and in a good mood. Before she turned her attention to him, she motioned for Seven to stay behind and walked over to her as she stood at attention with her hands clasped behind her back.
She was wearing her uniform, but she didn't seem nearly as comfortable as she had when she had first worn it. She had started to wear her hear down, pulled into a ponytail behind her head, but today it was pulled back up in her usual severe fashion.
"How are you feeling, Seven?"
"Fine, thank you, Captain."
"Did the Doctor find out what was wrong?"
Seven's eyes darted to the floor momentarily before she looked back up at the Captain. "It was a…malfunction. I do not believe it will happen again."
The Captain nodded, and Seven turned and left the conference room. She watched her leave with concern, then turned to Chakotay.
"Something's not right," she said, looking back at the door where Seven had left. "Maybe I should have a word with the Doctor."
She sighed, turning to look at him. "Or maybe it's none of my business."
"If that happens while she's on duty it's your business," he said. "Besides, she's part of the crew. It's natural you should be concerned about her."
She nodded and headed for the door, with him behind her. He could see that she was troubled by Seven's evasive behavior, so he changed the subject.
"I hope you're planning on joining the rest of us on the planet."
"I should be on Voyager to oversee the repairs and the supplies," she said with a wave of her hand as they crossed the bridge. She stopped and turned around to face him with an amused expression on her face. "Besides, I'm sure no matter what I tell you you'll drag me down there anyways."
He grinned as they took their seats. Leaning over, he spoke in a quiet voice that he hoped wouldn't carry as far as the helm. "Will I really have to drag you?"
She allowed a small smile to creep onto her face. "Probably not."
"Besides," he said, lowering his voice even further. "Are you sure you really want to be around the ship when the crew finds out that I gave up my quarters?"
She chucked. "On second thought, maybe I could spare a couple of hours."
* * *
Captain's Log, Stardate 55051.3 After three days, our repairs are almost complete, although they took us longer than expected when Lieutenant Torres discovered micro-fractures in one of the antimatter injectors. We've managed to obtain most of the supplies we need, and the crew has been enjoying their long-awaited shore leave.
The Captain looked over B'Elanna's shoulder at the console in front of the warp core.
"Pressure?"
"2500 kilopascals."
"Plasma flow?"
"Still unstable."
She slapped the console with the flat of her hand. "Damn."
"I don't understand," said B'Elanna. "Once we repaired those micro-fractures, the core should have been able to start up right away. Let's have another look at the warp plasma manifold." She moved around to stand on the other side of the Captain.
"B'Elanna, you've been at this for days. You haven't even had a chance to take Miral down to the surface yet, have you?"
"No," admitted the chief engineer.
"Why don't you take a break. I'll stay here and work on it with Lieutenant Carey and Ensign Vorik."
B'Elanna smirked. "You haven't been to the surface yet either, have you Captain?"
"No," she said absentmindedly, concentrating on her work.
"Maybe you should take a break as well."
The Captain ignored her as she continued trying to track down the problem. She looked up when another voice entered their conversation.
"That's just what I came down to tell her."
She saw Chakotay coming towards her from the entrance to Engineering. He came to stand next to her, and looked over her shoulder at what she was working on. He leaned forward and said quietly, "I thought you said I wouldn't have to drag you down to the surface."
"We're still having problems with the core," she said dismissively. "We can't figure out what's wrong."
"Then maybe you should get a fresh perspective. Let somebody else have a look and come down with me to the surface for a few hours."
She wavered for a moment, but then continued working. "If we don't find the problem, we're going to be here a lot longer than a week."
"Harry says they've got an outdoor marketplace on the northern continent," he said. "And I hear there's a really nice waterfall on one of the southern coasts." He lowered his voice even further. "When was the last time you watched a sunrise in a binary system?"
He saw a smile tug at the corners of her mouth, and he was about to entice her even further when he glanced up and saw B'Elanna eyeing them with undisguised amusement. He stepped back a little and cleared his throat self-consciously. B'Elanna saw Tom enter Engineering with Miral in his arms and she walked over to meet him near the door, leaving Chakotay to continue convincing the Captain to take a break.
"Just for a couple of hours," he pressed. Seeing she was still reluctant, he added, "I'm going to distribute the new assignments for quarters to everyone's database before I head for the surface. You might want to be down there too when the crew notices."
She gave in and called Lieutenant Carey, who had already had his shore leave, over to her station and told him to continue tracking down the problem.
B'Elanna and Tom watched her prepare to leave.
"I thought for sure they would have done it by now," said Tom. "But I still think they're going to move in together. Why else would Chakotay wait this long to finalize the crew's living arrangements?"
"Maybe we should find out," said B'Elanna with a mischievous grin as the pair moved towards them. "Heading down to the surface, Captain?"
She nodded. "I guess I do need a break."
"The whole crew needs a break," added Chakotay.
Tom saw his opening. "Speaking of the crew," he said innocently, "When are you going to rearrange the quarters?"
Both he and B'Elanna saw Chakotay and the Captain share what was intended to be a covert glance, and they looked distinctly uncomfortable.
"Right now," said Chakotay. "I'm going to distribute it before I go to the surface. Why? I already told you that you and B'Elanna will be keeping your quarters."
"I know," said Tom. "I was just wondering because…well, I mean…it's been nearly a month since we rescued the crew from the Yukon. They've been looking forward to some kind of permanent arrangement."
Chakotay paused and looked again at Kathryn before he replied. "Well, they've got it."
"Good," said Tom, sighing with relief for more reasons than his commanding officers could possibly know.
"Why are you so interested?" asked Chakotay suspiciously.
Tom glanced at B'Elanna. "Uh…no particular reason."
Kathryn sighed and closed her eyes. "Tom? How many of the crew know?"
"Ma'am?" he said, caught off guard. Okay, so maybe not more reasons than they could possibly know.
She opened her eyes and looked at him with a sparkle in her eye. "Don't be ridiculous. I can be just as observant as the pair of you. How many people have you told?"
B'Elanna chuckled and looked down at her feet. "Harry, Megan Delaney, and Seven, but Harry and Megan don't believe us. We bet Harry an entire day on the holodeck against him babysitting Miral for a day that we were right."
"That's a pretty big gamble," said Chakotay, glancing at Kathryn. He knew immediately by the look on her face that she was about to take the first leap, and he looked down at the floor to conceal his smile.
She stared at her two officers, and they shifted under her gaze, embarrassed that they were betting about her personal life.
"An entire day on the holodeck, hmm? I hope you enjoy it."
She watched their shocked reactions with amusement, and she and Chakotay started towards the door, leaving Tom and B'Elanna looking after them in amazement. They passed Seven of Nine, who was working at a console along the wall.
"Are you going down to the surface, Seven?" asked the Captain as they passed.
"I am running a sensor analysis of the minefield," she said, not stopping her work.
"You've been working nonstop for four days," said Chakotay. "When was the last time you regenerated?"
"47 hours ago," replied Seven, "But that is irrelevant. It is possible we may encounter another minefield and we require more sensor data."
"Take a break, Seven," said the Captain. "Then go and regenerate for a few hours."
"Why don't you join us for a picnic?" suggested Chakotay.
Seven stopped working for a moment and seemed to consider it. The Captain stepped up to the console that Seven was working on and leaned back against it with her arms crossed. Seven glanced up, and the Captain leaned sideways towards her.
"I bet Commander Walker would be glad to join you," she said with a small smile.
She saw something flash across Seven's eyes that resembled panic, but it was quickly gone, and Seven backed away from the console. "I must continue my work," she said stiffly, and walked out the door to Engineering.
The Captain was still leaning on the console, shocked by her sudden cold reaction. She watched her go with concern before she slowly stood up and uncrossed her arms.
"Come on," said Chakotay, taking her elbow and walking with her out the door.
"Maybe we'll see you on the planet," B'Elanna called after them. After they were out of hearing range, she muttered, "After we arrange a babysitter for our day on the holodeck."
* * *
When the bright light of the transporter beam cleared, Kathryn looked around but couldn't make out any of her surroundings in the dark. "Some view," she said with a chuckle.
"The first sun won't come up for another twenty minutes," he told her. "The atmosphere's so thick that it won't get light until about a minute before the first sun rises."
She could hear water nearby, and as her eyes adjusted to the dim light she could see intermittent flashes of light reflecting off water.
"The waterfall must be over there," she said, pointing. "It feels like we're in a field of some sort."
They sat down in the long grass and waited for the suns to rise.
Kathryn smiled as she leaned back and looked up at the sky. There were no clouds, so she could clearly see the sky above them filled with stars.
"What?" he said, running his fingers over the smile on her lips.
"The stars…I can't remember when the last time I just sat back and enjoyed them. They look so peaceful from down here – it's breathtaking."
She turned towards him and could see him grinning even in the dark.
"What is it?"
He reached over and brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I don't get to see this side of you very often."
"What side is that?"
"Happy. Relaxed. Able to enjoy the moment."
She sighed and leaned sideways against him. "I don't do that very much, do I."
"One of the drawbacks of being a Captain."
She thought for a moment before she reached over and took his hand. "Promise me something?"
"Anything."
She looked up at the stars again. "Promise me you'll make me stop and enjoy the moment every once in a while."
"I promise."
* * *
"And maybe throw in a couple slices of that pizza from yesterday," Tom instructed Neelix as he packed their picnic basket.
Neelix complied and rooted around the galley some more. "What about these?" he asked, pulling a basket filled with red fruit out of a cupboard. "They're one of the new fruits that Icheb engineered."
B'Elanna's eyes widened. "Strawberries!" she exclaimed, and picked one out of the basket to pop it in her mouth. She closed her eyes as she chewed it. "Delicious," she said with her mouth full.
"Throw some of those in too," said Tom. "And I think that should about do it." He put in the champagne bottle that he was carrying and closed the basket. "Thanks, Neelix."
He and B'Elanna started to leave the mess hall, but when B'Elanna spotted Harry over at a table by himself, she nudged her husband and they headed for the table with demonic grins.
"Tom," said Harry as they sat down. "Time's almost up. When are you going to transfer the holodeck time to my account?"
"Never," said Tom smugly.
"I hope you know how to change a diaper," added B'Elanna, bouncing Miral on her knee.
Harry looked at them like they were slow-witted children. "Am I missing something? It's been almost two weeks and you two haven't come up with more than circumstantial evidence."
Tom looked sideways at B'Elanna. "Have you looked at the new quarters arrangements?"
"No," said Harry, looking back at the PADD he was working on. "I knew I wasn't going to get moved, so I didn't bother. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some work to do so I can spend an entire day on the holodeck."
"Harry, Harry, Harry," said Tom, shaking his head, "You're not listening. Have a look at the new living arrangements. I think you'll find them interesting."
"Any particular reason?"
"I hear Commander Walker got some new quarters," said B'Elanna nonchalantly.
"So?"
"So – he got Chakotay's quarters."
Harry frowned, puzzled. "But then where…" He trailed off and his face fell as he saw the smug faces of his two friends. "You don't mean…"
"Go and see for yourself," said Tom.
"And Harry?" said B'Elanna as she picked up the picnic basket and prepared to leave, "Come by our quarters around 1400 tomorrow, okay? We've got the holodeck reserved."
* * *
Kathryn and Chakotay were sitting on a grassy hill watching the two suns climb further away from the horizon, with the sound of cascading water coming from the breathtaking waterfall off to their right. It was extremely high, and the rocks at the top of the fall divided the torrent of water so there were three separate waterfalls that cascaded down the rocks and into the pool at the bottom. The sky was a beautiful mixture of pink, red, and orange, and the colors reflected off the waterfall and threw a soft light on the vegetation surrounding it.
Chakotay was laying on the hill on his back with one arm behind his head, and Kathryn was stretched out perpendicular to him with her head on his chest, watching the last of the sunrise that they had been enjoying. The pale colors in the sky threw a soft glow on her face, and he reached over to run her fingers softly along her cheek.
She smiled and rolled over onto her back. "I'm glad you convinced me to come here," she said. Her face clouded over. "I wish we had convinced Seven to take a break as well – I'm starting to get really worried about her. Is it my imagination or does she seem to be withdrawing from us?"
"It's not your imagination. She seems more distant somehow, almost like she was when she first came on board."
She sat up with her legs folded under her. "It all started when she collapsed the other day. Maybe I should see what the Doctor's willing to tell me." She laughed self-consciously. "I know – I'm supposed to be relaxing, not worrying about the crew."
He shrugged and rolled over onto his side, propping himself up on one elbow. "That's the way you are, Kathryn. You care about people."
She reached over and trailed her hand across his face, but pulled it away abruptly when she heard the familiar whine of a transporter beam.
"Is somebody there?" she called, and she barely managed to conceal a frown at being interrupted when she saw Tom, B'Elanna, and Miral move towards them from the other side of a nearby tree. She could tell by their surprised expressions that they hadn't meant to find them here.
"Captain!" said B'Elanna. "We didn't mean to interrupt…we didn't know anyone else was here."
"Ensign Wildman told us this was a great spot for a picnic," explained Tom. "We've got lots of food…care to join us?"
Kathryn looked at Chakotay and saw him shrug almost imperceptibly, leaving it up to her. "Sounds wonderful," she said, and her two officers sat down on the grass with their daughter in between them. Tom pulled the bottle out of the basket.
"2363 Saint Emillion," he explained as he pulled on the cork. "I've been saving this for seven years. It's about time somebody enjoyed it."
"Just how many bottles do you have stashed away, Lieutenant?"
"That's classified, ma'am," he said with a straight face.
She chucked and took a sip of the champagne. "Not bad," she pronounced.
"How did Harry take the news that he lost his bet?" asked Chakotay.
Tom chuckled. "Not well…although in this case I think he was happy to be proven wrong."
The Captain smiled at Tom's subtle way of telling her that the crew approved of her relationship with Chakotay, which by now was probably more or less general knowledge. She leaned back against Chakotay sitting behind her and sighed.
"It's so peaceful out here," she said wistfully.
Seven of Nine to the Captain.
"Or not," Chakotay said with a smile as he took a sip of champagne.
"Go ahead, Seven."
I must speak with you at once.
"Can it wait?"
No. It is urgent.
She sighed. "I wasn't planning on returning to the ship for another hour or so. Can we do this over the comm?"
No. I will transport to your location if you would prefer.
"Acknowledged. Janeway out." She rubbed her forehead. "It never lasts long, does it? So much for a peaceful afternoon."
They were able to enjoy a few more minutes of silence before they were interrupted by the sound of the transporter beam and Seven of Nine appeared close by. She approached them with quickly with a PADD in her hands.
"What is it, Seven?"
"Captain, I have been analyzing our sensor data on the area of space surrounded by the minefield."
"Seven, this is shore leave. I thought I told you to take a break."
"I noticed some unusual sensor readings that I thought required further analysis."
"And?" said the Captain impatiently, knowing it was futile to push the point with Seven.
"I have made an important discovery. The 'corridor' that the Kesseret refer to is not simply an area of space. It's a wormhole."
"A wormhole?" repeated the Captain in disbelief, reaching for the PADD that Seven extended to her.
"Icheb's gravimetric sensor array picked up a neutrino flux which I investigated. The middle of the minefield appears to contain a class-3 wormhole."
"Can you tell where it leads?" asked Chakotay, reading the PADD over Kathryn's shoulder.
"No," said Seven. "The theta radiation from the mines is occluding our sensors. It will take time to analyze the telemetry of the wormhole."
"Could it lead to the Alpha quadrant?" asked Tom.
"It is possible," she conceded, "But there is not enough evidence to reach that conclusion."
The Captain jumped up, their quiet picnic forgotten. "Seven, keep analyzing the data and try to find out where the wormhole leads. Use whatever resources you need, but I want this kept as quiet as possible. I don't want knowledge of this to go beyond the senior staff if at all possible."
"I will require Icheb's assistance in Astrometrics," said Seven.
"And Lieutenant Adin's a wormhole expert," pointed out B'Elanna. "We could use her."
"Fine, but make sure that they understand this is to be kept quiet. I'd like to keep the crew from yet another disappointment if at all possible. Chakotay, let's go have a little chat with Ambassador Ilin and see what he can tell us."
* * *
"You're trying to deceive us!" blustered the Ambassador, jumping up from behind his desk. "You assured General Tamal that you had no intentions of trying to steal our corridor, yet now you want information on it!"
Captain Janeway pinched the bridge of her nose. They had been trying to get information out of the Ambassador for nearly a half-hour, and it seemed like they were talking in circles.
"We're not trying to steal the wormhole. We just want to know if it could get us closer to our home."
"A diversion!" he insisted. "You want our sensor data so you can use it to take over our corridor!"
"To what end?" asked Chakotay. "We're alone out here. Why would we try to take it from you when you have a fleet of ships protecting it?"
The Ambassador paused, beginning to see reason.
"We're almost thirty years away from our home," said the Captain softly. "But maybe this wormhole could cut months, even years, off our journey."
He considered her carefully, then nodded. "You have been completely truthful with us during our brief acquaintance. I don't see any reason not to trust you now."
"Thank you," she said sincerely. "Now, can you tell us where it leads?"
He shook his head. "I'm afraid not. That's classified information."
"I thought you said you could trust us."
"It's out of my hands, I'm afraid. No outsiders are to be given information on the…what did you call it?"
"A wormhole," offered the Captain.
"On the wormhole," he continued. "The last ships we have sent through the wormhole have not returned, and we don't know why. We believe there may be some kind of phenomenon or a dangerous species on the other side, so we're keeping information classified in case it should fall into Brennin hands. I will allow you to continue your scans, but I'm afraid that's all I can do."
"Can you at least tell us if it leads to our home or not?" she asked showing him the PADD in her hands.
He nodded reluctantly and she pulled up a map of the galaxy.
"Here is your planet," she explained, "In the Delta quadrant. And this is my home planet," she said, indicating Earth's position. Does the wormhole lead anywhere near here?"
"No," he said simply.
She took her PADD back reluctantly, disappointed but not giving up hope.
"Thank you for your assistance, Ambassador."
She motioned for Chakotay to follow her. When they left his office she sighed and leaned against the wall, closing her eyes and putting a hand to her forehead. She felt Chakotay put his hand on her shoulder.
"Don't give up yet, Kathryn," he said. "I have a feeling he's not telling us everything. Maybe he just lied to get us to leave."
"My thought exactly."
"Seven's continuing her scans. We should wait until we hear from her until we jump to conclusions, whether good or bad."
She nodded and hit her commbadge. "Janeway to Voyager. Two to beam up."
They materialized in the transporter room, and she saw Harry at the controls.
"How did it go?" he asked, eagerly coming forward to meet them as they stepped off the pad.
The Captain shook her head. "The Ambassador claims that the wormhole doesn't end up anywhere near the Alpha quadrant."
"He could be lying."
"Maybe…but don't get your hopes up, Lieutenant. And I don't want you to mention this to anyone – especially anyone back home. The last thing I want is to get everyone's hopes up and find out that this thing leads to the Beta quadrant."
"Yes, ma'am," he said, but the youthful optimism on his face remained.