Act One
Neelix shifted his weight from one foot to the other, and cleared his throat. "Uh, how much longer?"
Before the transporter chief could answer, Tuvok replied. "We don't know the answer to that any more than we did when you last asked, seventy seconds ago. They will beam up when they are ready."
"But I thought they were ready ages ago," he said. "Look. The flowers are already starting to wilt." He held up the bouquet of pink roses and white miniature carnations for inspection.
"The flowers are fine," Dr. Zimmerman told him. "But you seem to be the one who is wilting." He added gently, "If you prefer, we can bring Kes to your quarters after she's settled in."
"No!" Neelix looked up in alarm. "I want to welcome her aboard. It's just-it's taking so long. I wish they'd beam up already." He turned to the transporter chief. "Any word?"
"We're on standby," the young man said.
Neelix began to shift his weight again. He stopped when he actually swayed into Tuvok. The First Officer regarded him carefully. "Where is Sarexa?" Tuvok asked. "I expected her to join you."
"Yes," the EMH added. "She's usually such a calming influence for you."
"I'm calm." Neelix nodded and waved his hands vigorously. "I'm perfectly calm. Why do you think I'm not calm?"
"The flowers," Tuvok murmured. "Be careful of the flowers."
Neelix looked down to see pink petals littering the deck near his feet, and realized he had been swinging the bouquet like a club. Lowering his arms, he said, "Well, I might be just a little nervous."
"There's the signal," the transporter chief said. "The Ocampan party is beaming up first."
With a deep breath, Neelix drew himself erect and waited as five transporter pads activated. Time seemed to slow as the figures gradually materialized. He could immediately pick out the silhouettes of Captain Janeway and Ambassador Diaza, but he could not distinguish the three Ocampans.
Then they were there, whole once again. Kes stood on the center pad in the front of the chamber. His heart leapt into his throat. The woman he saw was white-haired, wrinkled and unspeakably frail, and yet she was still his Kes. There was no mistaking the lively blue eyes, the elegant ears, or the classic beauty that was still evident beneath the wrinkled skin.
Her eyes met his almost at once, and her smile-oh, that wonderful smile-was untouched by time. "Neelix," she said. Her voice was exactly the same as he remembered, low and melodic and warm. She stepped off the transporter and opened her arms. "It's so good to see you."
He swallowed. "And you." When she hugged him tightly, he had no choice but to return the embrace. She fit as well as she ever did, but it was different. She felt fragile and insubstantial compared to his memory. Or perhaps he'd just become accustomed to something else.
Forgetting everything except Kes, he touched her cheek tenderly. "You haven't changed a bit," he lied.
Her smile was the same as ever, though. "Of course I have," she said. "And so have you-but only on the outside. You're still the same Neelix inside, aren't you?"
How could he be so happy and so sad at the same time? Just seeing Kes, touching her again, was so sweet it was almost unbearable. Yet, at the same time, it filled him with renewed regrets for what might have been. "If you say so," he said quietly. "You always saw the best in me."
It might have been his imagination, but he thought he saw just a hint of regret in her eyes. Then she squeezed his arms lightly and her expression changed, becoming more formal. Neelix realized the moment was over. They were back in real time, in the transporter room, and not alone. Definitely not alone...
"What a pleasant surprise. I wasn't expecting a welcoming committee," Ambassador Diaza said. There was no missing the sarcasm in his voice.
Kes didn't bother to look at his as she spoke. "I'm most appreciative, Ambassador. These are the three men who changed my life." She turned to the EMH. "Dr. Zimmerman. You finally have a name."
"Don't I get a hug?" the EMH asked, almost shyly.
"Always," she said quietly, and embraced him almost as tenderly as she had Neelix. Almost, but not quite, Neelix thought with some satisfaction. "You must tell me how it came to be."
The Doctor opened his mouth, but he noted Diaza's stony gaze and Janeway's quick shake of the head and closed it. Then he said, "We'll have plenty of time to catch up."
She rolled her eyes back, toward Diaza, and Neelix knew she understood. With a smile, she turned to Tuvok and raised her hand in a proper Vulcan greeting. "Tuvok, I am pleased to see you again."
Returning the gesture, he said solemnly, "And I you. My wife sends her greetings."
*Wife?* Neelix gulped, remembering. "Oh, my wife does, too. And these are for you." He thrust the flowers at her. The brief awkwardness passed when he saw her delight in the bouquet. "Welcome home, Kes."
She buried her nose in the blooms, breathing deeply. "My favorites. Thank you."
Was it possible-were those tears he saw in her eyes? His own eyes felt misty. "It's nothing. It's just a small way of saying how much we missed you."
Captain Janeway stepped forward, gesturing the others to step off the transporter pad. "We need to have introductions all the way around, but let's bring the rest of the party up first."
Kes dashed an unashamed hand across one eye. "Yes, of course. I'm sorry to hold things up. It's just-" she cradled the bouquet tightly "-so wonderful to be back."
Harry Kim sat down in the *big chair* with a small smile. With Captain La Forge on Voyager with the diplomatic team and Commander Lavelle off duty, he had command of the Odyssey for the next six hours. He glanced up at the viewscreen. Ironic, he thought as he studied the planet that filled the screen. The last time he'd seen Ocampa, he hadn't wanted to be there, and the Kazon had wanted Voyager there even less. Surprisingly, debris that testified to the Kazon's attitude was still orbiting the system's sun. He'd figured scavengers would have carted it off long ago.
"Do a long range sweep of the sector," he ordered. "And repeat every half hour." The young ensign at the tactical station affirmed the order with a bored expression. Perhaps it was unnecessary, but Harry didn't want unexpected visitors-like the Kazon-to drop in for a visit. And truth be told, it was also an excuse to avoid the diplomatic dinner on Voyager. He was more than a little tired of Ambassador Diaza's constant nitpicking. Even Captain La Forge had looked like he wanted an excuse to stay away.
He glanced away from the viewscreen to pick up the PADD with the previous shift's reports.
"Interesting," Ensign Smith muttered.
"Ensign?" Harry looked up and saw the young officer frowning.
"I'm detecting...This can't be right...Sir."
"Let's see. Transfer the data to my station." Harry studied the incoming data. He shivered as he recognized it. "It's Vidiian."
"Vidiian, sir?" Ensign Smith asked. His eyes opened a little wider at the name. "Whatever it is, the signal is repeating, sir."
"An automated beacon. See if you can clean it up. I want to know what it is before I wake up Commander Lavelle."
"I can't right now, Neelix," Sarexa said without putting down the bowl she was holding. "I'm in the middle of making trifle."
"Trifle?" He frowned. "Sarexa, sweeting. It really isn't appropriate for the wife of the Talaxian Ambassador to help with the reception dinner."
"But I promised Ensign Murphy a trifle. He needs cheering up."
Neelix snorted. It was more likely Commander Torres who needed cheering up. He wondered what Murphy had done this time. At least the engines were still working.
"He was here while you were with Commander Tuvok. He was very depressed." She turned away to put the bowl on the counter.
Neelix shrugged, wondering just why his wife seemed a bit nervous. "The Captain and the Ocampa delegation should be arriving soon. We should be there to meet them. The Ocampa are very nice. You'll like them."
She smiled at him-it seemed to him to be a bit forced. "You meet them, while I finish the trifle. And is it really inappropriate for me to help with the reception dinner? Neelix, for months I've had very little to do. I'd like to help with the dinner."
"Sarexa..." Suddenly the pieces fell into place, and he hesitated. "It's Kes, isn't it?"
"Of course not," she answered quickly. Too quickly.
He watched Sarexa as she went back to work. Tom had warned him that wives sometimes became nervous around their husbands' ex-girlfriends. Neelix had hoped this wouldn't be true, but now he wondered. He decided to change the subject.
"I'm hoping we will be able to go to Talaxia." He was pleased when Sarexa visibly relaxed at the change in subject.
"I'd like to see if any of my family survived," Sarexa said with a smile.
*She has such a beautiful smile*, Neelix thought.
"Now go," she went on firmly. "It wouldn't do for the Talaxian Ambassador to be late. Go. Before you have to hurry." Neelix was half-way to the lift, before he realized that Sarexa had managed to avoid meeting the Ocampans-and Kes. Diaza might frown upon a diplomat's wife avoiding her duties, but Neelix found some of the pomp surrounding their circumstance too much-and he knew Sarexa was even more uncomfortable with it. Besides, the Andorian treated them coldly-and had only grudgingly discussed the most trivial details of their mission. He could hardly blame his wife for trying to avoid more of the same.
Denara Pel looked up, hoping the knock at the office door meant an emergency requiring immediate attention. Anything to get away from the two representatives of Mupano Industries who sat opposite her with their neatly piled reports at their side, and their fixed smiles of mannequins and voices that never varied in their unmodulated pleasantness. As the sponsor of the Clinic and of her research, she expected to report to the company periodically on her progress. She had originally hoped to do that in writing, but they had always come in person before. This time she'd been asked to come to the main headquarters of Mupano Industries, so they could 'explore' the ramifications of last week's fire. . Ramifications indeed. The clinic had suffered severe smoke and water damage-but somehow the basic shell of the building had miraculously survived. It would be weeks before they could reopen for patients, though.
Fortunately, she was meticulous in her record keeping and needed only a few moments to present all the documentation. The two-hour inquisition that followed, though, was unlike anything she had ever experienced. While Lendar Klim was merely annoying, the aloof politeness of Mupano Industries' Chief Financial Officer, Tycos Indorin, chilled her. Eventually she realized that they weren't interested in her answers at all. They were there to deliver a message and her responses were irrelevant.
Klim had been very explicit in what Mupano wanted: to open a second clinic, but this time for wealthier clients. In fact, they were already renovating a site that was almost ready to open. Denara was in favor of another clinic-but one for the people who could not otherwise afford care. They listened politely as she explained her position, and then restated theirs. And so it had gone for two hours.
She was tired from sleeping on a cot in her office since the fire, she was rumpled from wearing the same lab coat for a week and as far as she was concerned, there was no reason for the meeting to go any longer.
So the knock at the door came as a welcome interruption, and Denara could only hope it signaled the end of this interview. Lendar Klim stood. "I'll tell them to return this afternoon." She went to the door.
Denara's attention drifted away from the endless reports. There was nothing wrong in her accounts; even Klim had said so.
"I'm sorry, Dr. Pel is in an important meeting," Klim said.
"Not that important," Denara muttered to herself.
"My orders come directly from President Dop himself. Dr. Denara Pel is to report to Sodality Hall immediately." Stunned, Denara turned to see who the speaker was. Why had the President sent a member of the Vidalia City Guard? And why had they bothered to track her down?
Rising, she faced the Mupano representatives. "We can continue this discussion later," she said, suddenly hoping it was true. Perhaps she was being arrested. She couldn't think of any other reason the President would send armed officers for her.
"Perhaps when you are next available," Tycos Indorin said with the same fixed smile he had worn all day. As he closed his briefcase, though, she thought she saw a flicker of something change in his expression.
Denara hesitated. The brief look in Indorin's eyes suggested he knew something, but what? Had they trumped up some charges against her? No, that was ridiculous.
"So," Jenny Delaney asked her commanding officer quietly, "what do you think so far?"
Geordi La Forge looked around the Captain's dining room on Voyager, taking in the details of the reception for the Ocampan delegation. "To be honest," he said, pitching his voice low enough to be certain it didn't carry, "it's like most diplomatic affairs-tastefully decorated, flawlessly catered, and completely dull. Ambassador Diaza has outdone himself."
"Oh, yes, watch out for the ambassador," she said demurely. "He's prowling the room, hunting for the first sign of enjoyment. He wants to make certain it doesn't spread."
Geordi was barely able to convert his laugh into a discreet cough. Although Captain Janeway was the official host of the evening, Diaza was making it clear this was *his* function. According to Janeway, he had changed the menu, changed the music, and pared the guest list to eliminate most of the Starfleet personnel. The Federation was represented by two senior officers from Voyager, two from Odyssey, and Diaza and the two members of his staff. "I don't think he trusts us to talk to the Ocampans unsupervised."
"Yeah." Jenny looked around. Every time one of the Ocampans tried to strike up a conversation with one of the Starfleet personnel, one of the diplomats joined them. She looked across the room just in time to see Gleb, Diaza's aide, almost trip in his hurry to horn himself into a discussion between Kes and Commander Tuvok. "If I were the suspicious type, I'd be thinking that Commander Lavelle's illness was awfully convenient."
"He really is sick, Jenny."
"With all due respect, sir, he has a cold."
"Yes, but he's allergic to the medication and just has to suffer through it. Ambassador Diaza would have a fit if I brought an officer who sneezed all over the delegation."
She smiled good-naturedly. "I suppose. And I do appreciate the chance to see Voyager again. At least there will be more people at the dinner." Then she tipped her head. "I wonder what that's about?"
He turned, and saw that a young yeoman had come into the room, conspicuous for her lack of a serving tray. She paused just long enough to locate Captain Janeway, but it was sufficient to capture Ambassador Diaza's attention. The Andorian frowned, his antennae curling deeply.
Captain Janeway stepped aside from Vertris and Daeja Thev to listen to the yeoman's message. She glanced toward Geordi once, and then nodded. Looking relieved, the yeoman hurried out. Janeway immediately approached Geordi.
"Harry Kim just called the Bridge," she said. "I know you left orders not to disturb you during the reception, but he says he needs to speak with you immediately."
Geordi was surprised, but didn't show it. Kim wouldn't interrupt him here unless it was urgent, but he couldn't imagine a crisis that didn't affect Voyager, too. He nodded. "Excuse me. I'll just step out."
Janeway lowered her voice. "You aren't planning to abandon me, are you?"
He realized she was probably more weary of Diaza than he, not to mention the Romulan observer, Prolak, who was watching the function like a hawk searching for a field mouse-and finding ways to evade dull diplomatic functions was a time-honored tradition for captains. "It's not an escape plan," he assured her. At least, he thought as he left the room, not yet.
Once in the corridor, he tapped his commbadge. "La Forge to Odyssey."
::Kim here. Sorry to interrupt, Captain, but Commander Lavelle thought we should let you know-we're picking up an automated distress signal. It's from a Vidiian ship.::
"Really?" The thought of leaving the reception to investigate was appealing. But then reality returned. "Pass it along to the Sodality, Commander."
::Already done, Captain. They don't have a record of a ship anywhere in the area, and they can't get a vessel there in less than four days.::
Something about Kim's inflection created the impression that he wasn't finished. "Go on."
::I offered our assistance, Captain. They were very grateful.::
So, he was going to abandon Janeway to the diplomatic wolves after all. Kim had acted correctly, of course-it was a Starfleet principle to lend aid when needed. The fact that it freed him from this tedious dinner was simply an added benefit. "Very well, Commander. We'll be returning shortly."
::Sir, may I make a suggestion? It could be useful to have Dr. Zimmerman-Voyager's CMO-with us. He knows more about... Vidiian physiology than anyone.::
"Good idea. I'll ask Captain Janeway. La Forge out."
He planned to take Janeway aside and quietly explain, but as soon as he entered the room he realized that would be difficult. Instead of small groups of people scattered about, everyone had clumped together in one circle. "Ah, Captain La Forge," Diaza said coolly. "How good of you to rejoin us. I assume you've dealt with your little problem?"
"Not entirely," he said politely, but with enough firmness for Diaza to understand he should bow out-he hoped. "Captain Janeway, may I speak to you for a moment?"
Diaza fixed a frozen party smile on his face. "Surely, Captain La Forge, if there is a problem we all are entitled to know."
The desire to tell the Andorian to stick it up his antennae was strong, but Geordi managed to quell it. Even so, it wasn't easy to conceal his irritation with the man. He cast an inquiring look to Janeway; as fleet commander, it was her call. When she nodded once in response, he said, "We've picked up a distress signal from a Vidiian ship. The Sodality doesn't have anyone available to investigate, so we volunteered."
Everyone looked dumbfounded for a moment, frozen by surprise into silence. All the intelligence reports indicated little activity of any kind in the region, by the Vidiians or anyone else. Ambassador Diaza recovered first, leaning forward slightly.
"Excellent," Councilor Vertris said quickly, before Diaza could speak. "Such a positive gesture can only strengthen our alliance. Don't you agree, Ambassador?"
"Of course," Diaza said smoothly. "It would certainly be a gesture of good faith. Naturally, I would like to speak with the Vidiians before you leave and determine whether there are any complicating factors we should be aware of, and which of my staff should accompany y-"
"Unfortunately, Ambassador," Geordi cut him off, "we've already committed to leaving as soon as possible. In fact, Lt. Commander Delaney and I need to return to Odyssey now. Captain Janeway, I'd like to borrow your CMO for this mission, since he's got hands-on experience with Vidiian physiology."
Janeway's expression was somewhat bemused, Geordi guessed she was torn between annoyance with him for leaving her to cope with Diaza alone and amusement at how deftly he had side-stepped the Ambassador's attempt to micromanage this situation, too. Add to that, she was probably worried about unexplained Vidiian activity in the sector. "Yes, that makes sense. He'll beam over as soon as he's assembled his gear."
Diaza looked like he was going to try to speak again, so she continued quickly. "We'll be leaving for Vidiia in the morning, so plan on meeting us there. In the meantime, keep me informed on the situation, Captain. Hourly reports. If there's trouble brewing, I want to know as soon as possible."
