A/N

Sorry I've taken so long to update, work has been getting in the way for a while but the fourth chapter is finally here! Thanks to Lee for all the work she has done so far as my beta, and thanks also to everyone who has been reviewing, your comments have kept me inspired and writing!

Chapter 4

Day 4

Voyager had arrived at the Tunaki trading station early that night, Tom who had been in command of the bridge at that time now yawned tiredly as he sat at the briefing table listening to Ashton inform the rest of the senior officers of the Borg transwarp coil. Although Tom had been working with the two pilots on repairing their ship, they had kept him away from the transwarp technology, he now understood why, as Starfleet finding out that a secret project had been set up to tamper with Borg technology wouldn't go down very well amongst most of the admiralty.

Although most of the table were focussing their attention on the two major topics for the briefing, the transwarp vessel and then the Tunaki trading station, Tom was far more curious at what was playing out between the commanding officers. They had been avoiding direct eye contact for the entire briefing, they had even looked uncomfortable sitting so close to each other, and it was with no surprise when he saw Kathryn move out from her seat at the earliest opportunity to stand by one of the display screens. When she had eventually been forced to address Chakotay he was certain he wasn't the only one that felt the tension in the room suddenly rise several notches.

He could tell they had had an argument, he suspected most people around the table could also. They always did well to conceal their personal disagreements, but those that saw them together most, such as those on the bridge, were able to pick up on changes in their behaviour that signalled a falling out. The stiffness in which they addressed each other was subtle, but the lack of easy conversation and friendly banter was much more obvious. Kathryn would spend more time than usual in her office, retreating there much more frequently and Chakotay's normal relaxed and agreeable manner would falter, occasionally causing him to snap at people who caught him at the wrong moment.

Sometimes their disagreements would last a few hours, sometimes a few days, but they always came to reconciliation; it was one of the things that made them such a great command team. Although Tom knew with some certainty that they would eventually kiss and make up (whether metaphorically or literally had long since lost the interest of the Voyager gossip vine) Tom was unsure what their latest argument had been about. Usually he had some inkling, but with Voyager out of the path of any danger, and no recent crew upsets he knew it wasn't ship business. Which left the subject matter of something more personal; however this was where Tom's powers of deduction hit a very large brick wall, as what went on between the captain and commander behind closed doors was anyone's guess and no one's business but their own.

About to resign himself to the fact he may never know, he was surprised to find that the captain didn't immediately disband the room when they had finished the last topic for the morning briefing. "There is one last thing I would like to mention before we finish," Kathryn glanced across at Chakotay to see his clouded expression begin to clear, "some people have already become aware of the personal connection between myself and cadet Artuso, so I thought now would be a good time to inform those of you who don't already know.

"Xanthia Artuso is my biological daughter," she said, unable to avoid the surprised faces around her, she settled on Tuvok as he already knew and gave her the supportive nod she needed to continue. "She and I have been estranged for a long time which is why I have neglected to mention this, but now that you know I would ask that you continue to treat her as you would any other guest aboard Voyager. Although I don't expect this information to be kept from the rest of the ship, I do hope that you can ensure the cadet is not unnecessarily bothered by the crew because of her connection to me."

"I have asked cadet Artuso to report any undue attention directly to myself," Tuvok spoke up, "I will be dealing with anyone responsible, personally."

Kathryn finally dared one final look around the table, silently praying that no one was going to ask any questions, her gazed rested briefly on Tom Paris, who she felt was most likely to say anything, but he seemed too stunned by her first statement to make a response. "You're dismissed," she said finally.

Everyone in the room started to file out, Tom noticed that Tuvok remained behind with the captain but to his further astonishment Chakotay got up to leave. "I didn't see that one coming," he muttered in B'Elanna's ear as they stepped out into the bridge.

His wife nodded absently, "me neither."

Although they were speaking in hushed tones they were both very aware of Chakotay's close proximity to them, so it wasn't until they found themselves alone in the turbo lift that they continued with their conversation.

"Now I think about it," Tom said thoughtfully when they had both given the computer their desired destinations, "Xanthia does look freakishly like Janeway… except blond. I swear she gave Ashton the trademark 'Janeway death glare' yesterday, I just can't believe I didn't work this out for myself."

"That must be why the captain and commander have fallen out," she suggested, indicating that she had been wondering the same thing as he had throughout the morning briefing. "I don't think Chakotay knew either; and he's closer to the captain than any of us."

Tom frowned, remembering Chakotay's reaction to the news and realising that he must have already known. "I think he did B'E; that wasn't the look of a surprised man at the table when the captain told us."

"No Tom," she sighed exasperatedly, sometimes her husband could be so dense, "I don't think he knew until shortly before the briefing."

Her theory made sense, but without asking Chakotay directly they would probably never know, and Tom wasn't going to be the one to talk to the commander; however far they had come in settling their differences over the years, any conversation concerning the captain was still off limits for almost everyone on board. "I think you could be right," he agreed, not knowing at that time how right his wife had been.

The Tunaki trading station looked more like the biospheres on Earth's moon than the dismal cramped halls and rooms Chakotay had been expecting. The atriums they were led through were filled with various alien plants, all feeding from the artificial sunlight above them. The main trading area was reminiscent of an old Earth market, with stalls set up and shops lining the walls around them. Kathryn and Chakotay were accompanied by a Tunaki guide who took them to where they could obtain the supplies Voyager required, he was useful in the negotiations, but after a while his droning voice and irritating behaviour started to get on both their nerves.

They were there a good two hours before they found themselves alone. Their guide had gone to find the station chief to discuss some of the more illusive items on their supply list, and left them in a deserted waiting room. Although both glad to be rid of him, they quickly came to realise the guide had acted as a good buffer for the lack of conversation between them; now the silence was becoming obvious and uncomfortable.

Chakotay sat in one of the many chairs, drumming his fingers occasionally on the arm rest, he glanced over at Kathryn who was stood with her back to him as she gazed through the station window down at the solar system they were slowly orbiting. "I hear the beaches on the smallest continent of the fifth planet are good this time of year," he said when he thought the silence may just become the end of him.

She was a while in responding, "planning on heading down there for your shore leave?"

"Maybe," he said, grateful to be filling the quiet void, "how about yourself, made any plans?"

Kathryn turned her head slightly so that he could see her profile, "I was hoping to take advantage of the natural spas on the prime planet… but I'm not sure I'll have the time now."

There was no need for her to mention that the arrival of the transwarp shuttle was what had thrown her plans, and again the silence overwhelmed them as they slipped off into their own thoughts. "I think there's a spa on the station," he offered after another painful stretch of time had passed them by.

She nodded, but said nothing further. She sat herself down in a chair on the opposite side of the room to him and glanced anxiously at the alien chronometer in order to gain some idea of how long they had been there. Chakotay felt that avoiding the subject was getting them nowhere, and decided to carefully broach it with her, "why did you never tell me you had a daughter Kathryn?"

Slowly she turned to face him, if she was surprised or annoyed by his question she didn't show it, but he did sense some reluctance to answer him. "Because I don't consider myself to be a mother," she answered as truthfully as she could.

"I don't understand," he confessed, he didn't want to push the subject with her, seeing first hand the night before how it was effecting her, but as her friend he felt he had some right to know the truth.

Kathryn sighed, this wasn't the time or place for such a conversation, but she was unsure how she could avoid it. "Until two days ago I hadn't seen my daughter for thirteen years," she confessed, "Xanthia was six years old when I last saw her, and although I would like to say that my absence from her life since then had been entirely due to factors outside of my control, the truth is, before I stranded Voyager in the delta quadrant I hadn't made much of an effort to be a part of her life."

"Why not?" Chakotay frowned, he had initially thought that perhaps Kathryn had given up her daughter for adoption as a baby, this new information completely threw him.

She shrugged, "I had a messy divorce from the man who I had been married to…"

"Daniel Artuso?" he interjected, remembering the name from when they had first met the cadet.

Kathryn nodded to confirm his assumption, "he got custody of Xanthia, and soon after I was given my first command assignment. I had thought I would stay in regular contact with my daughter during those twelve months in space… but I guess it didn't work out as I had planned. When I returned to Earth I saw Xanthia briefly, but by then we had more or less become strangers, so when she and my ex-husband moved away from the solar system I didn't make any effort to keep in contact."

"That must have been difficult," Chakotay said quietly.

She nodded, but unlike the previous night she seemed much more in control of her emotions, "it got easier with time," she admitted. "I stopped talking about her because it only raised uncomfortable questions, I took down her pictures when they became out of date, I boxed up her things when the reminders became too painful… and before I knew it I had erased her from my life."

"Did Mark know about her?" he knew he was pushing it, but she seemed willing to talk and he wanted to make the most of his opportunity.

A reminiscent smile lingered on her face, "Mark and I became friends whilst I was pregnant… he was there throughout my marriage and divorce and became quite fond of Xanthia."

Chakotay relaxed back into his chair, allowing his mind time to process all of this new information. However close he and Kathryn had been, or however well he had thought he had known her, every now and again something new was thrown in their path to make him think otherwise, causing him to question how many other secrets she was keeping from him. Although he felt disappointed she felt unable to confide in him completely, he couldn't criticise her, knowing that he himself had secrets that he had never entrusted in her.

"How's Xanthia taking all of this?"

Kathryn looked surprised at her first officer's sudden concern for a woman who he had had no knowledge of several days before. "Well, I guess; the doctor gave her a clean bill of health, she seems to be getting on with everyone she works with, I haven't heard anyone voice any worries over her. I think her and Ashton are confident they'll be on their way back to Earth in the next couple of days, so she's probably not yet considered the possibility that they could end up on Voyager a little longer than expected."

Chakotay folded her arms, "that's not what I meant."

"I know," Kathryn closed her eyes and let out a long breath, "I think she's taking this better than I am. I spoke with her briefly yesterday and to be honest she just seems angry at me."

"For what?"

"For leaving her… she was too young to understand at the time, and I'm doubtful my ex-husband has done me any favours in explaining it all to her."

"I guess now you have the opportunity to explain it all yourself," Chakotay suggested.

Kathryn was doubtful, "this isn't exactly a happy reunion, she doesn't want to talk to me, and I'm not sure I have answers to all her questions. I think the best outcome I can hope for is that we can behave in a professional manner for the duration of her stay on Voyager."

"And if the transwarp coil is irreparable?"

Kathryn sighed, "we'll cross that bridge if we come to it."

V

In the lab area of engineering B'Elanna found herself working on the transwarp coil. As Seven looked over the readings from some of the tests they had conducted, Harry made minor adjustments to the coil and Xanthia typed in the commands for the next test they were preparing to run. The chief engineer found her gaze drifting to the young woman who only that morning had been revealed to them all as the captain's daughter. Although at first the news had had little effect on her, B'Elanna now found herself feeling somewhat envious of the cadet, much in the same way that she had been jealous of Seven's presence aboard Voyager.

Since the first few days she had spent on Voyager, even before she had been made chief engineer, she realised that there was something very different about captain Janeway to any other Starfleet captain she had previously encountered. Over time B'Elanna had come to admire and respect her, and cherished the bond that formed between them as Kathryn became less of a captain and more a friend, perhaps even a mother figure to her. B'Elanna had instantly grown to resent Seven's arrival on Voyager, not just because of her arrogant manner and undermining tone, but also because of the attention she received from Janeway and the bond that started to develop between them. She suspected Chakotay had also felt the same way about Seven, although for different reasons, but he would never have confided that in her if he had.

B'Elanna noticed the different manner in which Harry was now addressing Xanthia and knew that he was probably feeling the same way that she did. Kathryn treated many of the crew as if they were part of her own family, putting the happiness of every member of the crew above her own and going to extreme lengths to ensure all their safety. People often made jokes about Chakotay being the agony uncle of the ship as he would sit and listen to all their problems and advise them as best he could, but Janeway was most definitely the mother. To now learn that she had a grown up child of her own somehow made Harry and B'Elanna feel less like an extended part of their captain's family.

"So where did you grow up?" Harry asked as they all worked individually.

Xanthia raised an eyebrow, "I thought you weren't meant to be asking me personal questions."

B'Elanna had to give the operations officer points for trying to fish for information, but the prize went to the cadet for picking up on it so quickly. "I…" Harry stammered, "I didn't mean to-"

The young woman smiled warmly, instantly causing him to relax, "if you must know, I grew up all over the quadrant, but I've spent almost half my life on Earth."

"Whereabouts?"

She shrugged, "everywhere. Nice, San Francisco, Gibraltar, Dubai, Calcutta, Queensland, Indiana and Oxford are some of the more memorable places I can remember."

"How come you moved around so much?" Harry asked automatically.

"My dad's job required us to move around a lot," she shrugged.

"Oh?" B'Elanna saw a good opportunity to pry more information, "what does he do?"

Xanthia seemed surprised to find the chief engineer join the conversation, but answered regardless, "he's a world renowned professional thief, wanted in over thirty planets for the mysterious disappearance of precious stones and artefacts and the death of two men caught in an accidental explosion. We had to move around to escape the authorities, with each new town my dad would have a new face but he'd buy me a new pony to make up for the move. Eventually the police realised they could use me to help track my father, so at sixteen he left me at a boarding school and I haven't seen him since. Now the only correspondence we have is through anonymous ads we leave for each other in the New York Times, but once we've laid low long enough we should be able to meet up."

"Really?" Harry's eyes had widened, and B'Elanna rolled her eyes at his obvious naivety.

"No," Xanthia started to laugh, "Tom told me you were gullible, he said this would be fun."

B'Elanna sniggered, deciding at that moment maybe she was going to enjoy having Xanthia onboard after all. "I'm sure Harry once believed Tom that the word gullible had been removed from the dictionary," she informed the cadet.

"That's a lie," Harry looked annoyed that now even the new visitor to Voyager was joining Tom's crusade to exploit his easily trusting manner.

"I'm sorry," Xanthia was genuinely apologetic, "but seriously, my dad's just a boring lawyer, we move around a lot because he doesn't like to stay in one place for too long."

"Cadet Artuso, what do you know about the Borg vessel this transwarp coil was taken from?" Seven interrupted their friendly chit-chat with her stern and professional tone.

The cadet was momentarily thrown off with the sudden topic change, but quickly re-established a professional stance, "I'm not a big expert of Borg ships, aren't they all the same?"

"No," Seven was annoyed by the assumption, and wasn't afraid to show it, "I believe that this coil was taken from a survey cube."

"A survey cube?" Harry was first to get in with the question.

"They are ships specifically designed to scan the boarders of known space, they ensure that Borg navigational maps are kept up to date, and make observations of warp capable societies for any technology that may be of interest to the Borg," she explained.

B'Elanna frowned, "what's the significance of this?"

Seven seemed irritated that she had to explain, but did so anyway, "the survey cubes spend most of their time in transwarp, the coils they use although much more complex, are also more efficient and durable."

"So?" B'Elanna pressed.

"I believe that this coil can be repaired," she reassured them all, "but if integrated to Voyager's systems it may also be sufficient to take Voyager roughly twenty thousand light years closer to Earth."

"Twenty thousand light years," Harry repeated in awe.

"I thought a ship of Voyager's size would require at least two or three transwarp coils," Xanthia pointed out.

"Normally it would if taken from a standard Borg vessel, but survey cubes are often technologically superior, in this case one transwarp coil would suffice."

B'Elanna and Harry glanced at each other before looking at Xanthia, if they used the transwarp coil it could take Voyager significantly closer to Earth, but it would still leave them almost decade away from the planet, leaving Ashton and Xanthia stranded on Voyager for the remainder of the journey, it was a sacrifice they had no right to ask. "I'll talk to lieutenant Ashton," Xanthia's voice was heavy as she too realised the consequences of any decision that they now made.

To be continued.