Hey all, I've finally gotten around to updating!

I'm sorry this has taken so long to get up, but I'd only just began writing again after a bereavement, only to have to deal with another. But seeing as I'm feeling a bit better and currently unemployed, I think the next update may be along a little sooner.

Many thanks to Starscape91, mab13j, Julia and Tania, and Lady Day and Night for the reviews!

Final note - just to reiterate that these stories deviate away from the Relaunch Novels after the Spirit Walk books...I know some of the elements involving Janeway and the Q are similar, but this is a whole other story :)

Chapter One

It was three days since they'd arrived in Andromeda, and slowly the crew was coming to terms with being stranded even farther from home than they'd ever been. It was proving an even odder adjustment than at the start of Voyager's original journey home from the Delta Quadrant. The Voyagers began to put old systems in place: switching to shorter shift patterns for junior officers and longer shifts for senior officers; implementing replicator rations and drawing up holodeck rotas; taking note of food reserves and once more setting up a makeshift galley in the mess hall. The New Voyagers were at a loss, proverbial fishes out of their Alpha Quadrant pond. There were fights and tears, and there was a general sense of hopelessness from the 40-odd crewmembers who were new to feeling so lost.

Right now, for the senior staff, they tried to keep things 'business-as-usual'.

"Status Reports," Chakotay stated the order to his assembled senior staff.

Vorik reported first. "Engineering is functioning at satisfactory levels. We are still short on Deuterium, however the Kabai are willing to trade. Our Bussard collectors are another matter however. As long as we stay in a part of space full of these micronebulae, we cannot unblock them."

"Noted. Harry?"

"Operations operating at peak efficiency. Other than the re-implementation of rationing, there's nothing newsworthy to report."

Chakotay sighed. Poor Harry, he must have forgotten how boring Operations reports were while he was Security Chief.

"Sekaya?"

"Nerves are a bit frayed between the crews – crew – sorry," Sekaya winced, "The original crewmembers are adapting well, falling into old patterns of behaviour...But the newer crewmembers are having difficulty grasping the reality of our situation."

Chakotay sighed again, nodding at his little sister.

"Lyssa?"

"We've had to split up two fights, both between different sets of junior officers. One fight was over our situation. Ensign Jenkins got drunk and picked a fight with Lieutenant Mulcahey. The other fight was over another officer..."

"Ah yes...the Deck Six love-triangle," Chakotay smirked, before remembering that that wasn't very Captainly, schooling his features in a way that would make Admiral Kathryn Janeway proud.

"Precisely sir. Other than those two fights, and a few officers not sticking to their allotted amount of replicator rations and holodeck time...No major problems."

Tom began his report without being prompted by his CO, "Doreen has a further report to give you on the fight between Jenkins and Mulcahey. The other main issue of importance is the radiation in this galaxy. I've managed to synthesise innoculations and boosters for the types of radiation we've encountered, but there's no way to assess the amount of damage we're doing to ourselves while we're exposed to the radiation. Obviously we can treat cancers and growths, but there may be other dangers we're not expecting. I recommend negotiating with the Kabai to find out the effects of the radiation...Then there's the issue with our lack of a competent doctor...I've already talked this over with Harry and B'Elanna...Sir, with your permission, we're going to try and expand Doreen's program: increase her memory banks and memory buffer; make her personality subroutines more interactive. Right now she's more a walking-talking McCoy's 'Comparative Alien Physiology' than a doctor."

Chakotay looked at Harry and Tom. "Alright...Make Doreen your top priority...Any other issues?"

"Only one...we need a cook, and fast, before we all start fading away to small mountains," Tom smirked.

"Speak for yourself Tom," Harry chuckled. "Sadly Chell's already told me there's no way he's taking over Neelix's apron strings for a second time. He said running that kitchen for our last month in the Delta Quadrant was even worse than degaussing the transporter room with a micro-resonator."

Tom sighed, "I'll start looking for another crewmember to take over the messhall then."

"Thanks Tom," Chakotay stated before continuing, "that leaves us with our problem out there-" he pointed a thumb out of the window to the small Kabai ships that were escorting them, "and our 'guest' in the brig."

The new topic conversation was met with muted disgruntlement.

"I'm looking for options." Chakotay said, his tone indicating it was an order.

Harry was the first to speak, "The way I see it, and as much as I hate to admit it, the Kabai appear to be honourable. They returned our missing technologies, and they handed over the Ad- Kath- whoever-she-is to us, and they have no reason to doubt who she is. They're probably pretty sore over this."

"Well I know we're pretty sore over this too," Lyssa said with a rare sobriety to her tone.

"Then there's 'whoever-she-is' herself," Tom steered the conversation. "Doreen's convinced that she is Admiral Janeway, but then I myself was convinced until she knocked me unconscious."

"You talked to her Tom," began Lyssa, "did she tell you anything about how she got out here, if she is who she says she is."

"Yeah...she rambled about dying, loosing her humanity and winding up out here, alone. I didn't believe a word of it until she correctly guessed that the female Q sent us here. I think our 'Suzy-Q' knows exactly who this woman really is."

"I'm still not prepared to accept that she is Kathryn Janeway." Chakotay stated, hoping none of his officers would contest that point with him.

"I recommend that the officers onboard who know her best try and get information from her in order to work out who she really is, and what she knows about this galaxy. She may or may not be the Admiral, but what she knows could be invaluable...Dismissed."

"Artist my ass," Phoebe hissed under her breath, looking at the messy canvas in front of her.

Phoebe had always been the artist in the Janeway family, and while it had never been her job, she had dabbled with various mediums. She had began to replicate canvasses, paper, paints and other materials before Voyager had been flung across the galactic rift, but she'd never got round to replicating paint brushes. Now that they were on rations, she was loathe to use her precious credits to get brushes, and had thought back to her conversation with Chakotay and got an idea.

"A grown woman in your thirties and you're sitting fingerpainting...how mature," she growled, looking at brown mess on the canvas.

"Yuck."

Wiping her fingers across the canvas, she muddied her work even more, taking strange pleasure in destroying the worst piece of art she'd created in at least a few years.

Phoebe got up, and headed for the small pull-out sink in her quarters to wash her hands. As she did so, she looked out of the small porthole in her quarters, still in disbelief at where she was.

One of the Kabai ships drifted, just into her line of sight, and no more, reminding her of her dead sister, sitting as alive as ever in the brig.

Not wanting to, but unable to suppress her memories and her feelings, her mind travelled back to getting the news...

"Hey Tom!" she said brightly as she answered the hail on her home's communications panel.

Tom's usually cheerful face didn't smile back at her. Instead he looked fatigued and upset, his eyes puffy and red. Instantly she knew what news she was about to receive and didn't hold back a strange yelp that formed at the back of her throat.

"I'm so sorry Phoebe..."

Her mind was drawn to a more recent memory, of meeting 'Kathryn' again, after her death...

"I helped mom identify your body, Katie."

Kathryn bit her lip and blinked back tears, turning away from the younger woman.

"Pheebs-"

"And don't think you've got the right to call me your sister. You never had that right!" Phoebe spat angrily.

Kathryn spun to look at her.

"Yeah, Katie! Mom told me...She told me-"

Phoebe was interrupted by Tom and Sam Wildman arriving.

"Told you what, Phoebe? What!?"

"I...I..." Phoebe turned to Tom, "Permission to be excused?"

Suddenly Phoebe realised exactly how to tell if Kathryn was who she said she was.

"You can't do that Phoebs...You can't show that imposter your hand and...And if she is Kathryn, it wouldn't be fair."

The weight of her secret burden grew heavier, and her resolve to keep the Janeway family's one big secret,just that – a secret – grew stronger. But she had to get away from the silence of her quarters, and away from herself.

Turning swiftly, she exited her quarters with no real destination in mind, just with the resolve to escape from her troubles for a while...