Admiral Paris
Ah Katie, you have no idea how much joy was in my heart when I saw voyager careen out of that Borg sphere. Many reasons to be joyful, and I tick them off –
1. You are still alive and still a winner. I saw that with the forcefulness of your poise, your complete lack of the appropriate respect to the admiralty. The delta quadrant has changed you, forged you into a true captain, leader and teacher. I pay you every respect, even as I chuckle. I have seen you broken, as I was, and it feels good to see you so proud. I feel a sense of your father, and I quickly send a private subspace communication to one Gretchen Janeway of the photo both of voyager and of you on the viewscreen. I have already sent one to my wife, tho with Tom and the news of a grandchild. It is a good day to be an admiral.
2. Oh yes, reasons to be grateful 2 – you are not the Borg! I need to know more quickly what the potential Borg threat might be, but since you haven't turned around to fight, or barked orders at the other ships and me, I am presuming that might be a topic for later. But we are in no state to win a war with the Borg unless you bring a miracle with you Katie.
3. we are so damned few currently. The dominion war has decimated us of good captains, and too many less than stellar first and second officers have been hastily promoted. This leaves us short of sensible and reasoned heads. Nechayev, Hayes and I are going to be riding you hard Katie, it is going to be testing all the way, because as soon as you arrived we had the ideal figurehead for our plan. You see we need to reinvigorate Starfleet, de-militarise it, re-enthuse it, and we need someone not dragged down by the dominion war and the factions that have appeared since.
Hmm, it's the sign of an old man to be talking to himself. I have given you a moment or 2 to regroup, time to give you a push. 'Ensign Kim, where is the Captain? She may be the hero of the moment, but it is time she started talking, or have you left the Starfleet command?' Ha! She has trained him well, or the delta quadrant has, he isn't phased at all!
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Icheb
I am a person of few words, most comfortable with my ex-Borg siblings and Naomi. However, I consider myself friends with Junior Q, who is very different indeed. I wish here were here to give me advice on the alpha quadrant. I am not sure what my place will be here, though I hope to continue training at starfleet academy. I am not certain though who I will continue to meet, and I would miss Seven, B'Elanna, Commander Tuvok and Ensign Harry, who have been training me. I will miss the Captain, who provides steady encouragement, and embodies for me the best of starfleet. It is with some trepidation that I consider my future, so I am sitting, commiserating, with a tearful Naomi, when she gets the message about being the Captain's Assistant on the grand tour. As expected she is laughing and jumping with delight. All her dismay over leaving Voyager, and meeting the stranger that is her father disappears in an instant. I amend my inner list of the captain's good qualities, and add percipience. She has given Naomi, my friend, a way of easing into the alpha quadrant, of revisiting all her Voyager friends, of remaining part of a whole, allowing Sam to openly celebrate. The captain is special to me. From the moment we came on board, she has looked out for the Borg children, grieved when the baby wouldn't thrive and died, and she certainly missed all of the others as they left. I am proudest of her saving me. She willingly gave me to my family, although Seven objected - agreed with cause as it turned out - but when she realised that they didn't plan to keep me, but give me back to the Borg, it was a sacrifice she wouldn't countenance. I treflect on all the strong women on the ship that I owe my current life to, Seven and the Captain in particular. I will miss them when I start formally at star fleet academy. I hope I can complete the accelerated programme, as the work I have been doing on voyager has been very advanced, and all my assignments have gone well. I hope that I can remain close to the Captain, Seven and Naomi above all.
I let Naomi's voice wash over me, until I am aware that Sam has joined her, asking me to help make an important decision. I am stunned that both she and the Captain would wish to formally adopt me, and surprised that Seven doesn't. I know I would be happy with either choice, but as I look at Naomi, I am not unaware that I hope to see her as more than as sister in the future, and I am nervous of meeting Sam's husband . The captain, however, is someone I admire very strongly, who has been a mother to all of the ship, and will certainly have more need of me. It is logical that I consider the Captain as my parent. I know that Seven doesn't see me anymore as her concern, all her time has been filled by thoughts of Chakotay, from that hologram to the real thing. Without Chakotay, the Captain will need me. I can be her family. My decision is made. I hug and thank Sam for all her care and consideration, laugh with a disconsolate Naomi, and advise her we can have sleepovers and be cousins instead. I think Sam is relieved and guilty at the same time. I will proceed to find the Captain and tell her of my choice.
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Admiral Paris
Tsk tsk Katie! And yet I am proud of you. Fancy thinking you could negotiate with me on the sly! We have already planned the outcome, Nechayev, Hayes and I. I wonder how far you will go? I am glad that there is some mistrust there tho, not taking things at face value. How much you must have welded this team together to fight so hard for all of them. As we discuss counsellors, I see from your eyes that you might have the greatest need of all. Counsellors are still in short supply, but I think I can wangle Deanna to help you, and the commander. Your treatment of Riker in your student days will pique her interest, if nothing else. But it reminds me that this triumphant crew is one that has suffered loneliness and loss, danger and treachery over the last seven years. I will help you keep them safe Katie. Nechayev and I have a play over the Maquis in progress, she still needs to be careful to hide her sympathiser views so that no-one can suspect how much materiel and information she passed on to the maquis before the war began. I can see that she and Katie will get on well once they get over that bit of play-acting to come.
Ho Ho! Katie my girl! I didn't expect that! It has caused absolute horror at Starfleet central, that a captain should hold their ship ransom! Well, your name is certainly known now. Maverick, or negotiator, you have just made yourself the prime candidate for the role that we might otherwise have had to engineer some situations for you. Oh Katie, you make my heart sing for the future of Starfleet. Nechayev has thrown some attitude around, Hayes has appeared to bumble, hesitate and slowly deliberate, and we have agreed to your demands, with the proviso of us debriefing you, and high level counselling. I am happy with your time reductiton, it allows us to get this all done swiftly without much in depth probing from some of the more, well, martially minded admirals. They will see you as one of them, and be surprised when it is too late.
I spend most of that thirty minutes talking to Tom and B'Elanna, we have a lot to talk about, and when we meet I want Tom to know how I regret what I was to him, and perhaps talk about it so we can move on. I am so proud of him. I have a smile of delight every time I look at him with his family.
I feel slight regret for playing with you, Katie, so make sure you are aware of this when the pardons go through to you. You laugh with me, and I know we are going to make this work. We disconnect, both to make out play. When Tom starts his next pool, I am going to bet on you heading up Starfleet one day, but probably from space!
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Seven
It is unexpected to see the captain and commander behaving like junior ensigns. They do not notice my arrival, and so I affect an expression of surprise. I notice that their gaze is just for each other, and I wonder that when he puts her down, whether he might give her a kiss. I act swiftly, making a noise, and they immediately break apart. The Captain's expression of joy doesn't change, and she comes at me and hugs me too. I look quizzically at Chakotay to explain, but he is looking away and stroking his ear, a sign I recognise. I understand that the Captain, as always, is successful in her negotiations. I congratulate her on her efficiency, and reassure Chakotay that his lack of criminal status means we can continue our association, ro our good fortune. I inform the Captain that I do not wish to take responsibility for Icheb, and would prefer a lesser relationship. I leave to return to astrometrics. In truth, I do not think Icheb is conducive to beginning a new relationship with Chakotay without the support of Voyager. Meeting Icheb there, we agree that his choice of the Captain is logical, with her support his career will be facilitated and he would not be suitable for my prime responsibility now we are leaving Voyager. From the way he looks at me, I wonder whether I have made a mistake in my deductions, that I have been derelict in my duty here? I smile, and say that I will always be available to comm, and we may well work together in the future given his aptitude.
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Icheb
I have seen a side of the Captain, no Mom, that I did not expect. That loving, quirky maternal demeanour on the bridge? Well, somehow, when she hugged me for the second time, it felt real. I have a real Mom, one who will love me, will fight for me, and although I will share her love with all the voyager crew, and no doubt waifs and strays of the future, I know she will always be there for me. Underneath all that power exterior, that lightening intelligence, is a warmth that I realise now that I need. As the crew cheered and congratulated us, she whispers to me that it is she that is the lucky one. I am beyond honoured to be part of her family.
