Disclaimer: I own nothing. REALLY wish I owned the original idea for Janeway though (sigh...)
A/N: I'm going to be using the time weeks and months in this fic- the Stardate converter never fails to confuse me (which is quite an easy feat). The idea behind the spacing in time is that this fic fits in the gap between the airing of 'Hope and Fear' and 'Night', although it takes place in an alternate universe where the events of the episode 'Night' took place months later.
Thank yous:
Firstly, to all of you who reviewed my original version of 'There is Only Darkness Within', those reviews are the reason I'm going to be giving you guys an ending.
Secondly, to the writers of 'Night', because it is an all-time favorite of mine.
Thirdly to my beta, who was the main reason I continued this story.
June 2374
It had been two weeks since the Voyager crew had run into the alien known as Arturis, and Commander Chakotay was glad to notice that crew morale, although initially shaken after another possible shortcut home was snatched away, had almost completely recovered.
Neelix would most likely give the credit to his suggestion of increased R and R for the crew, thought Voyager's first officer as he headed along the corridor that led away from his quarters. But I know for a fact that it was Kathryn who suggested a little 'down time' for the crew with the absence of a near-by M-class planet suitable for shore leave.
"Deck One, Bridge," he commanded as he stepped into the turbolift and the doors slid shut behind him. All in all, things had been looking up recently.
Chakotay stepped out onto the bridge and took his seat. He was glad to see that Kathryn had been increasingly present on the bridge over the past few weeks, something that he attributed to the ongoing efforts of Harry, B'Elanna and Seven to look for a stable form of slipstream drive.
"Good morning, Captain."
"Commander," she muttered in reply, briefly inclining her head in his general direction before looking back towards the PADD she was holding.
Chakotay observed an increased furrowing between her brows and the formation of a slight crinkle on the bridge of her nose as she scrolled down the information on the PADD. He had come to associate this particular expression of hers with deep concentration, and he instantly knew what the small device contained.
"Any luck?" he asked.
"Not yet, but I'm still hopeful. We are finding ways of reducing the rate of quantum fluctuations, but," she paused to look at him and sigh quietly, "it's a process. And we keep encountering walls when it comes to adapting the drive to be compatible with Voyager's systems."
He pursed his lips slightly, not quite knowing whether her sigh was one of exhaustion or frustration. "Well, they do say that 'slow and steady wins the race,' Captain."
"Maybe," she replied, turning her head to look at the vast expanse that lay before them on the view screen. "But that will be a lot easier to believe on the other side of the finish line."
"Seven of Nine to Janeway."
"Janeway here."
"Please report to Astrometrics. There is…a matter that I feel requires your attention."
"On my way," said Janeway before the comm link was cut. "I wonder what she wants."
She stood and turned to frown at Chakotay. "You have the bridge, Commander."
"Aye, Captain."
"Morning, Seven," mumbled the captain as she walked into Astrometrics.
Seven did not greet her. She did not even turn around, and Janeway knew immediately that something wasn't right. Janeway watched as the ex-drone's hands moved over the controls. Hastily, as if they were unsure of something. She looked back up at the young woman's face and saw what could be interpreted as-
What? Discomfort? No… apprehension.
"What's on your mind, Seven?" Janeway asked, walking over to her and placing one hand on the edge of Seven's console. Suddenly, the screen in front of them went blank, and both stared at it for a moment.
"What's happened?" The captain's immediate conclusion was that the Astrometrics equipment had failed.
"Nothing, Captain," replied Seven of Nine, although she was less collected than usual.
There was a pause as Janeway looked at Seven, who refused to meet her gaze.
"This is a region of space that Voyager will need to cross in approximately two months."
Captain Kathryn Janeway looked back towards the screen- there was nothing on it. Only the darkness.
"How long will it take to cross?"
"Between ten and fifteen months."
A whole year of…nothing. Of emptiness. Her mind began to flood with potential solutions.
"Can we go around it?" she asked, although part of her already knew what Seven's answer would be.
"Inadviasble. Any course to bypassing this region of space would add a minimum of six years to our journey."
Six years? Another six years further from Earth. Six years during which they could be attacked and destroyed. During which the crew would be subjected to an untold number of dangerous situations. In comparison, what would essentially be a year's worth of plain sailing seemed almost enticing- almost.
Janeway pursed her lips and removed her hand from the console. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Seven. I have a feeling it'll be our main focus at the next senior staff meeting. May I also suggest that you begin searching for planets suitable for both shore leave and obtaining supplies? We'll be needing plenty of both before we enter into this… void."
"Yes, Captain."
And with that, Janeway turned on her heel and left Astrometrics, all previous thoughts of quantum fluctuations forgotten.
The briefing was going relatively smoothly, and Captain Janeway was pleased to hear that there were three planets they would encounter over the next few months that could offer supplies, two of which would also make seemingly excellent shore leave destinations.
She was also pleased to see that her staff seemed to be meeting this challenge head on. But then, had she been expecting anything other than cool professionalism?
No, Kathryn. You hadn't. It was a credit to how much they had changed over the past four years.
There was a natural lull in the conversation on gathering supplies, and she took the chance to interject with the other issue- that of crew morale.
"Neelix. I believe that we will need your unique… expertise with this scenario. Undoubtedly there will be some peaks and troughs in the optimism that this crew exhibits over the coming year and I would like you to be prepared for every eventuality regarding the issue."
Neelix nodded curtly, something which Janeway was grateful for- she didn't want anything else to add to the headache she'd been nursing over the past few hours. She then turned to her Ops officer.
"Harry, I would also like you and Tom to look into ways of increasing holodeck rations and creating new programs for the crew as well as expanding some of those we already have. I have no doubt that they'll be invaluable in maintaining the morale that Neelix will boost while were are in the void."
What had started out as a simple description of the empty expanse that awaited them had quickly turned into the nickname for the empty region of space.
Harry and Tom both said, "Aye, Captain." at the same time.
"All right then. Assuming there are no further matters which we need to discuss," Janeway paused and looked at each of her staff in turn, "you're all dismissed."
And with that the meeting dissipated. The captain stood and turned to the viewport behind her, picking up her cup of lukewarm coffee as she went.
The others all began to filter out of the briefing room- all that is, except for one.
Chakotay hesitated at the door and glanced at the small figure of Kathryn Janeway behind him, waiting for the correct words to present themselves to him.
"What is it, Commander?" Janeway asked plainly, her gaze still fixed on the stars outside.
Chakotay walked back to the captain and stood beside her. "There's something on your mind, Kathryn."
Janeway pursed her lips at his use of her given name but still did not turn to face him. Instead, her gaze lowered to her coffee, and he saw her attempt to remove any outward show of emotion. Only once she was sure nothing in her expression would give away what she was experiencing did she meet his gaze.
As always, she was mesmerized by the kindness in his eyes. The latent affection he felt towards her. And, as always, she ignored it and pressed on, remaining professional.
"It's just a slight headache, Commander. Nothing I can't handle." Chakotay tried not to flinch as she used his rank, but he could see that she was in no mood for a conversation about whatever was the matter.
But when is she?
"Understood," he replied and turned once again to leave the room. She took a mouthful of coffee and returned her attention to the streaking stars outside.
He knew he would have to be satisfied with her answer, for now. But he decided to remain vigilant of any change in her mood.
As he approached the door, he glanced around for a second time, despite the fact he didn't have to. He knew she would be standing stock still, one hand on her coffee and the other on her hip. He was not surprised when he saw that his prediction had been correct. Ever the professional. But he glanced all the same. He couldn't help himself.