Once aboard the Belfast, Samar quickly departed leaving Olsen and Carey behind. Natalia looked over at her commanding officer. He looked tired, strong shoulders dropping slightly.
"Let me walk with you." He said.
"Ok." Natalia agreed quietly. They said goodnight to the crew member on the transporter control. Olsen, dismissing him for the night, and continued into the corridor.
It was a moment before he spoke again. "I wanted to talk to you about tomorrow. We have a staff meeting with the crew of Voyager. And I have to meet with Captain Janeway."
Natalia took a deep breath, steeling herself.
Olsen continued. "Now, I am assuming that Janeway is fairly intelligent which means she is going to have questions. The easiest way would be to get rid of any evidence of our mission, but I'm not going to do that. I'm going to be as honest as I can without violating my oath."
Natalia nodded. She hesitated. "Chris, if we really are five years into the future, then does any of our intelligence matter? The war is over, according to Voyager, we signed a treaty."
"The war may be over, but our mission is still classified. I'm not willing to throw all StarFleet regulations out the window just because we're not in our Quadrant, or even in our time. We took an oath." He looked at her. "You took an oath."
"I'm not questioning my oath. Some things are better left in the dark. I am questioning the validity of my mission, our mission." She had intended her tone to be hostile, but instead she heard fear.
Olsen took her hand as he slowed down and looked at her. He brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face. "Natalia."
She took his hand and removed it from her face. "Chris, don't... please. Meet with Captain Janeway. I'll handle the crew. We should also let some of them have sometime off; they've worked hard enough the past twelve months."
"Including us." Olsen said pointedly.
"I'll take that as a hint." Natalia said smiling slightly. She moved away from him. "I have to be on the bridge..."
"I'll take your bridge shift tonight. Get some rest; take it easy." He told her putting his hand on her arm. "It's been a rough few months."
"I can't promise anything." Natalia said. "Goodnight." She added after a moment.
He gave her a quick but gentle kiss before letting her go.
"Goodnight." He said before turning around and leaving her in the middle of the corridor.
She sighed. These feelings had been easier to handle when they'd both been on separate assignments. She pulled the band out of her hair and headed towards Engineering. It was going to be a long night.
o0o
The next morning, bright and early, Ensign Harry Kim entered the bridge of the Belfast; his tool-kit in hand. The stickiness in the air felt like he had stepped into a sauna. He pulled at his collar, wondering if he could get away with taking off a few layers.
The bridge was much smaller then Voyager's, but the same amount of people were packed into the small space. The only few crew members that were wearing any section colours were the ones from Voyager.
He turned towards ops, wondering if there was any reason why he shouldn't start checking out the console. A dark haired woman came up to him, punching buttons on a PADD. She looked up as she came to a stop beside him.
"Are you Harry Kim?" She asked. Her decidedly non-regulation long-sleeve shirt collar was unbuttoned slightly too far and Harry tried to keep his eyes from wondering.
"Yes. Yeah. That's me." Harry managed to stammer.
"Good. "She looked back down at the PADD and continued typing. "I'm Commander Carey, first officer. I need you to help recalibrate our sensors. Ops is right over there." She said putting her hand on his shoulder and turning him as she pointed.
Harry had trouble taking his eyes off her, as he turned to look where she was pointing. She looked up from her PADD finally. "You ok?" Carey asked, dark eyes concerned.
"Yes, yes. I'll get straight to work." He said. "Any chance of getting the heat turned down? It's kinda hard to concentrate."
She grinned. "Fat chance. The internals are busted on the temperature regulators. Engineering, which is me by the way, is working on the issue. And any other issues that you may come across. Just make a note when you come across a problem. Call me when you're done." She told him, already walking away.
Harry watched her motion and then talk to another one of the Belfast's crew members. "Yeah, just fine." He muttered under his breath as he headed towards the operations station.
o0o
B'Elanna growled and resisted the urge to slam her hand against the console. It wasn't working. She had been working in the Belfast's engineering for the last few days and every time she had to get permission from a crew member before being allowed access to any of the significant systems.
"Where's your engineer?" She demanded turning to a young ensign who looked barely old enough to be out of school. "I can't do anything until these security lockouts are disabled."
"Bridge." the ensign replied.
"Not any longer." A voice replied from behind them.
B'Elanna turned to see the woman that had beamed over the day before with Captain Olsen standing in front of the warp core. Today, she was wearing a non regulation uniform and had her hair down.
There was something about her that set B'Elanna's teeth on edge. "Right. Shall we get to work? I've noticed that there are several different..."
Carey briskly walked past her and quickly tapped in the command that released all controls for B'Elanna. "I've disabled the security lockouts. Ensign Dovan has a list of all repairs." She told her. "Though I'd start with the warp core. We have a leak we can't get plugged which means we're venting dilithium into space. If you need any help Dovan knows how to find me."
B'Elanna raised an eyebrow. "Dovan?" She asked barely keeping the anger out of her tone. Instead of working with an engineer that understood engines, she was being relegated to working with an ensign? She was interrupted by a beep from the computer.
"Bridge to Commander Carey."
Carey tapped her comm as she moved away from the warp core, and B'Elanna. "Carey here." Then she was too far away to hear anything else.
B'Elanna turned to Dovan, feeling summarily dismissed. "Where's this list?" She demanded.
With what she could swear was a smirk, Dovan handed her a PADD. "What should we start with first?" He asked, placing his hands behind his back at parade rest.
B'Elanna looked up from the PADD. "Might as well start with the warp core. We don't need the Belfast decided to blow up in our faces. We're going to need two more engineers to fix a leak this big. Do you happen to have any spare ones around?"
o0o
"The repairs are going to take longer then we first expected." B'Elanna said handing the Captain a PADD and settling back in the chair in front of the Captain's desk.
"How much longer?" Janeway asked taking it. They were in the Captain's ready room and B'Elanna was giving the repair report. The Belfast was the main cause of this meeting. It had been a three days since the two crews had met and integrated. It had been subconscious, but Janeway sensed that everyone was happy to have some new mental stimulation.
With the intense repair schedule, her meeting with Captain Olsen had been postponed until today.
She turned her attention back to B'Elanna. "It's hard to say how long it will take. Every time we fix something, it seems like another problem comes up. I don't understand it.. .And the personnel..." she stopped.
Janeway looked up from the PADD. "Having troubles with the other crew?"
"Just one in particular. The engineer, Carey, She's hardly ever there and when she is frankly she's a little rude. I understand they've all got things on their plates, but it just bothers me. It's like she has more important things to do with her time. What could be more important then your warp core?"
"They are in pretty bad shape. There's got to be a million things that are going wrong st a moments notice. Most starships have a mind of their own. Take it from me." Janeway said with grin taking a sip of her coffee."Let's just try to get along, alright? You don't have to like them but they are fellow officers and due that respect. And if that doesn't work, we'll consider reassigning you back to Voyager. Now, what's next?"
"We've had to shut down a few of the decks for repairs. Some of their crew is going to need replacement quarters in the meantime." B'Elanna said.
"Engineering to Lt. Torres."
B'Elanna tapped her comm-badge. "Go ahead."
"We have another malfunction on Deck 15. You said you wanted to notified?"
"Understood. I'm on my way. Torres out."
"Problem?" Janeway asked.
"Not exactly, Captain." B'Elanna smiled. "Voyager just seems to have a mind of its own today. I'll inform you if it's something to be worried about.""
Janeway grinned as the engineer recited the captains own words back to her. "Dismissed."
B'Elanna walked to the doors and let herself out.
Janeway turned back to the PADD but looked up again as she sensed that she wasn't alone. Tuvok stood there silently. "Commander?" Janeway asked.
"Captain. I have something I wish to discuss with you. It concerns the Belfast and it's captain."
Janeway stood and came around the desk. She gestured to the sitting area. "Please. What's bothering you, Tuvok?"
"It's about the Belfast's last mission. I did some digging in the Federation's database. I managed to piece together some of the pieces of our puzzle. It was an intelligence mission, classified." Tuvok said as he sat down across from the Captain.
"There are only a few details on the official record. They were tracking Cardassian ships near what is now called the Demilitarized Zone. We also know that they disappeared. StarFleet Command assumed that they were destroyed, but we now know that they have time travelled five years into the future. The fact that the Belfast was on an intelligence mission may mean that it's captain may be more then reluctant to talk to us about it."
"What about the mysterious transporter bio-signature?" Janeway asked.
"I have no more information on that subject then you do. However, there was several different bio-signatures we detected. They were overlapping so there is no way of telling who or what they belong too."
"What are you suggesting, Commander?" Janeway asked. "That they could be lying to us? That one of them is an alien life form?"
"It is a possibility." Tuvok replied. "We have encountered many strange things in the Delta Quadrant. I believe it is wise to be prudent in such matters."
Janeway nodded, thinking through what her security officer was saying. "I understand your concerns, Tuvok. I've been having them myself. There's something not quite right here. But at the same time, I can't treat every situation as hostile. I have a meeting with Captain Olsen later today. I'll see what he has to say then."
Tuvok nodded. "All I ask, Captain, is to be cautious."
o0o
Janeway lead the way into her ready room and turned to the other captain as the doors slide closed behind them. "Please have a seat, Captain." She lead the way to the seating area. "I would offer you some refreshment, but we'll have to go down to the mess hall for that. Replicators are being rationed again."
"Not a problem." Olsen replied taking the seat that Janeway had indicated. He sighed. "It does feel good to be off my feet for once." He grinned. "For some reason I thought that being a captain of a starship meant there would be a whole lot more down time."
Janeway chuckled as she also took a seat across from Olsen. "Not in the Delta Quadrant, I'm afraid. Though I do have a feeling that if we were back in the Alpha Quadrant, we'd have boredom to complain of." She sighed. "Even though, we've been through a hell of a time, part of me knows when I get back to Earth, I'm going to miss it."
"Explorer's passion?" Olsen asked. "Or just adrenaline junkie?"
Janeway spread her hands. "Maybe a bit of both?" They both chuckled. "Is that such a bad thing?" She asked with a grin.
Olsen shook his head. "Not in my book. You have to have some thrill seeker in you to do this job." He shrugged. "Hell, half the kids on my ship signed up just for that reason; to fight the Cardassians." He lapsed in silence, thinking about those young kids.
"And now the Cardassians are no longer a threat." Janeway said seguing into more business talk. "How is your crew taking it?"
"As well as they can." Olsen replied. "It's not everyday that you find out the war you signed up to fight is over, probably everyone who ever cared about you thinks you are dead, and they've moved on. Thank you for allowing us access to your database. I know it was some small comfort to me to know that my father has passed away quietly instead of in the hospital. I just hope the others of my crew can see it that way."
"I'm sorry about your father, captain." Janeway replied softly.
"Christopher, please." He replied. "And thank you... may I call you Katheryn?"
"I'd like that." Janeway responded. "We're going to need to be friends if we're going to make it through the next few decades together."
Olsen nodded. He motioned with his hand. "Speaking of friendship, did you get the complete data packet we sent over?"
"Yes, thank you." Janeway replied. "I'm sure it'll be most helpful after I've had a chance to fully look it over. I did happen to notice that there were parts of the file that were encrypted. I had a feeling that they weren't meant to be there."
Olsen shook his head. "Nothing classified should have been sent over to you. Our computer system must still be having problems."
"I figured so." Janeway said. "I can get my engineer on it; might make it go faster for you."
Olsen smiled, but shook his head. "Thanks for the offer, but your engineer has already more then she has needed too. We are running almost more effectively then when we were back home. I think Carey can handle the computer."
There was a pause as the two officers studied each other. Olsen was the first to break it.
"More questions?" He asked spreading his hands in a gesture of goodwill. He was interrupted by a hail from Janeway's desk.
"Captain, I have the Belfast holding for Captain Olsen."
"Put it through here." Janeway ordered, getting to her feet and walking over to her desk. Olsen followed her. She pressed the button and motioned to Olsen to go ahead.
"Olsen here. Go ahead."
"Captain, we've had a small accident over here."
Olsen looked at Janeway in concern. "Is everyone alright?"
"Aye, sir. Commander Carey and a few others got a bit banged up down in engineering. Nothing serious, but we've requested permission to transported the worse cases over to Voyager's medical bay. The Commander is one of them."
Olsen looked to Janeway who nodded. "I'll be in the medical bay momentarily. Olsen out. Our medical staff is pretty shorthanded lately and having a actual doctor on hand is most appreciated."
"Not a problem. I'm sure that the Doctor is pleased to be able to help out." Janeway said with a smile.
o0o
The doctor hurried this way and that, looking harried when Chakotay walked into SickBay. B'Elanna and a few others from Voyager had been on the Belfast when the accident had happened and as the first officer, he had felt it was his duty to see if they were alright. Not to mention that he considered most of them friends.
He looked around the SickBay to the various crew members in their states of debris and blood. Ensign Vorik was looking slightly stunned as he held a green stained bandage to the side of his head.
Chakotay headed towards him first. "Ensign, what happened?"
"I am unsure of the complete series of events." Vorik replied. "All I know is that one moment, I was working and then the next a conduit blew. I think the blast knocked me against the bulkhead."
Chakotay looked around and saw B'Elanna enter SickBay. "B'Elanna! I thought you were on the Belfast."
"I had to come back to Engineering for some parts. I heard what happened. Are you ok?" She asked Vorik. Despite their history, she and the Vulcan assigned to engineering seemed to have patched things up enough to work together.
"I may have a slight concussion." The Ensign admitted.
"What happened?" B'Elanna asked.
"Some idiot decided it was good idea to run power through a ruptured conduit!"
Chakotay, B'Elanna and Vorik turned to see Carey sitting on a bio-bed a few feet away. The people in-between them cleared out as the Doctor called for them to head into the main triage area.
The Commander didn't look to be in better shape then Vorik. There was blood on the side of her face from a scalp wound, her hair was coming undone and her clothing was full of soot.
"Which idiot?" B'Elanna asked. "One of mine or one of yours? Because I'd be tempted to say it was one of yours."
"What does that mean?" Carey asked.
"What I mean is that half of the people you have in engineering have never seen the inside of a plasma conduit, never mind realigned one." B'Elanna replied.
A mocking smile came over her face. "You could say we're shorted-staffed, Torres."
Thankfully, Chakotay never needed to step in and stop the argument as the Doctor ran over and tried to scan the Commander.
"Please, there are others that need attention before me!" She told him, trying to climb off the bed.
The doctor held out an arm, stopping her progress. "You have various bruises and contusions, not to mention a possible concussion! You need to be treated!"
She glared up at him. "I'm fine." It was obvious that she was hurt as a wince came across her face as she slide to the ground. "Ensign Dovan was the closest to the conduit when it blew..."
"I've already looked after him." The Doctor reassured her. "You're the last one I have to... Why, you've turned white." He reached towards her, dropping the medical equipment, but Chakotay was faster; catching Carey as she dropped to the floor.
"Thanks." She murmured steadying herself against him.
The Sickbay doors opened and both of the captains walked into the room. Carey pushed away from Chakotay, opting instead to hold onto the bed. Both Olsen and Janeway made their way over to them.
"You ok?" Olsen asked Carey, concern lining his face as he reached out to steady his first officer. She nodded, taking a moment to grasp his hand to reassure him.
Chakotay didn't miss the gesture and wondered how if something romantic was happening between them. He quickly dismissed the thought. With all the issues they were having, the last thing he needed was questions about interpersonal relationships on his mind.
"What happened?" Janeway asked, looking from B'Elanna to the Doctor for answers. The Doctor rattled off the medical report; three critically wounded and seven others with minor wounding.
Olsen looked towards Carey. She shook her head. "I don't know for certain. I'll have to double check the logs, but..." She hesitated. "No one should have been able to work on that conduit. Everyone in engineering knew better."
"What are you saying?" Janeway asked.
"I believe what the Commander means is that it was possible sabotage." Vorik translated. The mood in the room did not improve with the Vulcan's pronouncement.
o0o
"Sabotage?" Janeway asked as the doors to her ready room closed behind her and Captain Olsen. They had wisely retreated to the ready room after Ensign Vorik's grim determination.
Olsen sighed and lowered himself into the couches near the window. "It's possible. We have had a few weird things happen since we came into the Delta Quadrant."
"Does your security chief have any ideas about who would want to something like this? People were seriously hurt!"
Olsen sighed again and rubbed a hand on the back of his neck. "Not really. Katheryn, I understand your concern. I know that you're thinking that if we have a saboteur on board then Voyager is in danger also. I can't tell you that you're wrong."
"Then you also know that I intend to do something about this. Christopher, I don't want to step on your toes but you also have to understand that we're the only StarFleet vessels out here. If we don't stick together..."
Olsen nodded. "I understand. I'll be as honest as I can be. But I need you to understand that our mission was classified, by the highest levels of StarFleet. I'm not about to throw all that away just because we're stuck in some godforsaken quadrant on the backend of the universe's ass!" He sighed again.
"What I can tell you is this. We were sent into the DMZ to retrieve a Intelligence operative whom was working undercover on Cardassia. Command told me there was a possibility of Cardassians sympathizers trying to sabotage the mission and cautioned me to report anything out of the ordinary."
He waved his hand. "I'd call being thrown halfway across the galaxy and travelling into the future out of the ordinary, but I think putting the blame on the Cardassians is just too easy."
"You think one the sympathizers is on aboard the Belfast?" Janeway asked.
Olsen shrugged. "It would seem to make sense wouldn't it?" They looked at one another for a few moments, neither of them speaking.