Disclaimer: All characters, vessels, science, and the original plot belong to Paramount with the exception of Sarah Janeway, the new parts of the plot, and anything else that I made up.
Author's Note: What can I say anymore? 'Sorry' is getting a little redundant… I really wish summer vacation meant 'unlimited free time' but for me it's more like 'unlimited chores'. I'm going to try really hard to get another chapter out by next Wednesday, though, so keep your fingers crossed for me. I hope this chapter turned out all right—a lot of it was written in the middle of the night. I had fun with it and a lot happens in it, which is why it's so long.
Thanks for reading and review if you can!! (90 reviews is fantastic! Thanks so much everyone! Shall we make it 100?)
Anomaly
'The Cloud'
Sarah was still half asleep when she heard her mother get up. She could hear her make the bed, use the sonic shower, and head out into the living room. Grateful that she would be allowed a few more minutes of sleep, she rolled over and began to drift off, until she heard her mother begin to make a log entry.
"Personal log, stardate 48546.2. Our journey is several weeks old now, and I have begun to notice in my crew, in myself, and in my daughter, a subtle change as the reality of our situation settles in. Here in the Delta Quadrant, we are virtually the entire family of man. We are more than a crew, and I must find a way to be more than a captain to these people, but it's not clear to me exactly how to begin. At the Academy, we're taught that a captain is expected to maintain a certain distance. Until now I've always been comfortable with that distance. Maybe this is just the way it works, maybe the distance is necessary, maybe more than ever they need me to be larger than life. I only wish I felt larger than life. Computer, delete last sentence."
Sarah lay quietly and thought. Things have changed. I guess it's easier for me, being a kid. Even though I'm the captain's daughter, they don't have to view me as an authority figure or anything. I'm probably a lot more approachable. I'm friends with Tom and Harry and Chakotay and Neelix and Kes and Natalie, but I haven't seen mama chatting with anyone but Chakotay or Tuvok off-duty. She rolled onto her stomach and buried her face in the pillow. It must be really hard socially to be the captain, especially now.
"Sarah," Kathryn called out after she had finished recording her log entry.
"Hmm?" came the sleepy reply.
"Shower and get dressed and we'll go get some breakfast."
"Ok." Sarah tumbled out of bed and trotted into the bathroom, a pair of black shorts, a light purple shirt, and socks and boots in hand. It took her only a minute to use the sonic shower and dress herself. She then hurried out into the sitting room where her mother waited.
"Feel like a walk before breakfast?" Kathryn asked.
Sarah stretched her arms over her head, getting the tired feeling out of them. "Sure."
They left their quarters and entered the turbolift. It deposited them several decks below. They stepped out as two waiting crewmen stood aside to let them pass. No one spoke—Captain Janeway merely nodded to them in acknowledgement. Mother and daughter continued down the corridors. They came upon another crewmember who was thoughtfully staring out of one of the large windows. Sarah glanced up at her mother and saw her face soften as she watched him look off towards their so very distant home. They continued walking along without saying anything, finally entering Main Engineering.
"Captain!" Lieutenant Torres said in surprise, looking down at them from the level above. "I, I didn't realize there was an inspection scheduled."
"Not an inspection, lieutenant," Captain Janeway corrected. "A stroll."
B'Elanna hurried across the upper level and hastily started to climb down the ladder, reporting, "We should have the warp drive up and running by 0900 hours. Recalibrating the reactant injectors is the only thing left we have to do."
Sarah hurried along with her mother as she called out, "Carry on." B'Elanna still hadn't reached the bottom of the ladder by the time they had circled around the warp core and were headed back out.
They left the turbolift again on deck two and entered the Mess Hall together. Tom and Harry were sitting at a table near the entrance. Sarah immediately made her way to the galley area of the kitchen, waving at the two bridge officers as she did.
Captain Janeway uncertainly walked up to the two of them. "Gentlemen." They started to get up in acknowledgement, but she waved them down. "As you were. So, has Neelix concocted anything interesting this morning?"
There was an awkward pause. They really had no idea how to deal with each other socially.
After a little while, Harry Kim answered, "There's an ancient Chinese curse: 'May you live in interesting times'. Mealtime is always interesting with Neelix in the kitchen."
Kathryn laughed, albeit a little reservedly. "Well, we shouldn't judge him too harshly. After all, he is helping us conserve replicator energy."
"And I'm sure the gastro-intestinal problems will go away as soon as our systems get used to his err...'gourmet touch'," Tom Paris added.
She laughed again. There was another awkward pause. Abruptly, she said, "See you at duty call," and hurried off.
"Should've asked her to join us," Harry said regretfully.
"Ensigns don't invite captains to sit down."
"Why not?"
"Because they don't," was Tom's reply.
"Well, what's wrong with showing a little courtesy?"
"Captains don't want courtesy. They want respect. That's why they don't get chummy with the lower ranks."
"Well, who else is she supposed to get chummy with out here? There aren't many other captains and admirals for her to talk to. Sarah's a great kid and all, but once in a while I'm sure the captain would like a little adult conversation."
Tom shook his head. "If she wants to sit with us she'll ask us to join her. That's the way it's done."
"I think you're working from an old rulebook, Paris," Harry insisted.
"May I sit with you?" a small voice asked at his elbow. Harry turned his head to see Sarah Janeway waiting patiently, a piece of toast in each hand.
"Sure, Shadow. Pull up a chair," Tom replied, pushing a vacant chair out with his foot.
"Thanks," she said. She climbed into chair and knelt rather than sat so that she could see better.
Tom looked incredulously at her breakfast. "That's it?"
"Yes," she replied, nibbling at the outer edges.
"Not even any butter?"
Sarah looked him in the eye, her own eyes wide and staring. "That's not butter up there!"
Tom and Harry laughed appreciatively. Sarah grinned back and finished off her toast. They sat in companionable silence for a minute or two. Sarah finally stood. Wiping crumbs from her shirt and mouth, she said, "Thank you for letting me join you."
"Any time, Shadow. Any time," Tom replied with a wave of his hand.
"Seeya, Tom. Seeya, Harry," she called out she hurried over to the galley area to find her mother. As she rounded the corner of the counter, she heard her mother say, "I don't want something even better. I want coffee!"
Uh oh, Sarah thought. If we're out of coffee, there's going to be trouble. She could hear Neelix prattle on about his coffee substitute. "It's made from a proteinacious seed I discovered on…"
Her mother sighed irritably. "Never mind. I'll just use one of my replicator rations for coffee."
"That would not be appropriate, Captain," Neelix called out.
Sarah sucked in her breath. This could be bad… She watched her mother close her eyes, probably mentally counting to ten. She turned back around to face Neelix, her face mostly composed, though her voice had a slightly dangerous edge to it. "I beg your pardon?" she said.
"You need to set an example for the crew."
"Well, thank you for reminding me," came her reply, dripping with sarcasm.
The sarcasm was completely lost on the Talaxian. "You're welcome. I mean, after all, if you want the crew to begin to accept natural food alternatives instead of further depleting our energy reserves you need to encourage them by your own choices, don't you?"
Giving in to the circumstances, she sighed and held out her cup. "Fine. Give me your 'even better than coffee' substitute."
"And how about some Takar loggerhead eggs with that this morning?"
It was difficult for her to maintain any amount of patience. She held up her hand to stop him from going on. "Just. Coffee."
Neelix began to pour the beverage, saying, "It's a tiny bit richer blend than you're used to but you'll learn to love it."
It came out of the pot in globs.
The Captain looked horrified. Sarah grabbed at her throat. Gross…
At that moment, Commander Chakotay's voice came over the comm channel. "Bridge to Janeway…"
Sensing an escape route, Kathryn immediately replied, "On my way! Janeway out!" She handed the cup to Neelix, hastily saying, "Tomorrow maybe." She hurried out of the Mess Hall.
Sarah watched as Neelix applied the 'waste not, want not' theory and managed to down the 'coffee'. She closed her eyes for a moment. You shouldn't have to chew a beverage. Sighing, she approached Neelix. "Um, Neelix?"
He turned to her. "Why, hello Sarah! Are you hungry?"
Not anymore, she thought. Aloud, she said, "Ah, no, actually. I've…already eaten." She paused to collect her thoughts. "I, ah,…need to tell you something, Neelix. About my mother…and coffee…"
She made her way to the Bridge a few minutes later. Her 'coffee and Captain Janeway' speech hadn't affected the Talaxian at all. He had insisted that she could make an adjustment, it would just take time. Not going to happen. Coffee was what kept her mother going—she simply needed it. Sarah had grasped that concept very quickly. For the life of her, though, she couldn't figure out why she liked it so well.
Sarah had actually had coffee before. She had been about three. Her mother had just gotten back from a mission, thoroughly worn out, to find that her little girl had the flu—badly. The combination of 'space-lag' and the stress of the mission had sent her straight to the coffee pot as she tried to care for her daughter without her mother's assistance, for Gretchen had to leave to help a friend of hers that had just lost her husband. In her exhaustion, Kathryn had given Sarah a cup of what she thought was juice but was actually coffee. Sarah, through a numb fog of nausea, had swallowed it without thinking. She found it a rather disgusting substance and was forever uncertain as to why it was so extremely vital to her mother.
She entered the Bridge without fanfare and found the image of a nebula on the screen. "There's coffee in that nebula," she heard her mother say as she seated herself in the captain's chair. Having no time to ask what she meant, she waited until her mother was sufficiently distracted by the arrival of the senior officers and seized the opportunity to slip into the ready room.
Unaware of her daughter's presence, Kathryn Janeway leaned towards her first officer. "Exploring this nebula should raise some spirits around here, don't you think, Commander?"
He nodded. "Definitely."
"You're closer to the crew than I am," she admitted. "How bad is it?"
"There's a 'nuanka', a period of mourning that everyone's going through. It's a natural reaction."
She lowered her voice and confessed, "I'm worried about them. I wish we had a counselor on board but the nature of our mission didn't require one."
Chakotay smiled. "I've heard we do have one."
"You're not talking about Neelix, are you? I mean, he's friendly enough, but as a counselor…"
"Actually, I was talking about your daughter."
Kathryn stared at him, a slightly confused expression on her face. "What?"
"One of my former Maquis officers, Crewman Kari Lang, went to the Academy and became good friends with one of your Starfleet officers: Crewman Aspen Evans."
"Crewman Evans?" she asked.
Chakotay nodded.
She shook her head. "Did you know that Miss Evans is the youngest person assigned to Voyager? Just turned 20, barely out of the Academy, and she requested a post aboard this ship. They gave it to her because she had seen a little combat, was showing great promise as a command student, and, for a more personal reason: one of her brothers had joined the Maquis. She thought he'd mentioned something about the Val Jean before he had left." Almost whispering, she added, "She was dreadfully disappointed when she learned that he wasn't aboard." Realizing how the conversation had digressed, she added in a normal tone, "What does this have to do with my daughter being a counselor?"
Quietly, Chakotay explained. "Crewman Lang came to me the other day and told me that while she was reading in the hydroponics bay on her off-duty shift, she heard crying. It sounded to her like Aspen, so she became frightened and looked around. Without them seeing her, she found her friend in a corner, quite upset, Sarah sitting next to her. She's not sure exactly what your daughter told her, since she didn't want to get too close, but she does know that Sarah said a few things that seemed to calm her down. After a while, Aspen had stopped crying altogether and hugged Sarah and the two left the hydroponics bay together. Shortly after that, Kari met Aspen for lunch, as they do every day, and she seemed fine." He smiled at the captain. "Kari wanted to me to let you know that she was grateful for your daughter's intervention."
Captain Janeway nodded her head. "Sarah seems to be adjusting quite well. It's good to know that she would help others do the same. But why didn't Crewman Lang come to me herself?"
"Well, a short while ago, you were just another Starfleet captain sent to capture us. It's understandable that some of the Maquis would still find you difficult to approach."
The captain nodded again, thinking.
Chakotay continued. "As for my counselor, we talk to animals. It's a Native American tradition."
"Animals?"
"Our very own counselors. We're taught that an animal guide accompanies us through life. Basically it's what Carl Jung thought he invented when he came up with his active imagination technique in 1932 but we'd been doing pretty much the same thing for centuries."
"Is there a different animal guide for everyone?"
"Actually, yes."
"Let me guess: yours is a bear."
"Why do you say that?"
"You strike me as the bear type."
"Thank you. The bear's a very powerful animal - it has great 'pokata'. But he's not my animal guide. The creature who guides us doesn't define who we are, it merely chooses to be with us."
"Ok. If not a bear, then what?"
"I can't tell you that. It would offend my animal guide if I spoke its name."
"But he guides you well?"
"Actually, it's female, but yes, she usually guides me very well."
"Can one just choose his or her own animal guide?"
"It's not quite that simple…"
Paris' voice interrupted them from the conn. "Captain, we're approaching the perimeter of the nebula."
Kathryn turned her face towards Tom as she replied, "Slow to one third impulse." Turning back to Chakotay, she finished her conversation.
"If you're interested," Chakotay said. "I'll be glad to teach you how to contact your animal guide."
A delighted smile illuminated Kathryn's features. "You've got a date."
Date. The word echoed strangely in her head as she stood up to look more closely at the viewscreen. This wasn't a datedate, per se, but it was still the first time she'd had something even slightly resembling a 'date' since she was pregnant with Sarah.
Sarah, at that moment, snuck out of the ready room and quietly made her way to the turbolift. Her presence was a common enough occurrence that no one even batted an eye at her movements. Safely inside the turbolift, she instructed it, "Deck 6, Holodeck 2." While the ship's energy reserves were rather low, Captain Janeway had managed to secure Holodeck time for her daughter for both lessons and just for fun. She had said she didn't want Sarah going 'stir-crazy'.
The turbolift smoothly descended five decks and opened its doors for her upon reaching deck 6. She hurried out and ran up to the large Holodeck doors. The controls were far out of her reach, but luckily her mother had helped her create a program that was run completely run by voice commands. "Computer," she said confidently. "Activate holoprogram Janeway S alpha blue." A beep from the computer confirmed her request, followed by the computer adding, "Program complete. Enter when ready."
Sarah walked into the Holodeck, the doors sensing her proximity and allowing her inside. The program was essentially a blank template that she could edit as she pleased. At the present, it consisted of merely walls, ceiling, and floors in varying shades of blue. Sarah tipped her head, thinking of what exactly she wanted to do. Maybe, she thought after a while, I should try listening to lots of other types of music, since piano doesn't seem to be my thing. If I hear something I like, maybe I could switch instruments. After all, I'd still be taking music lessons. Mama did say she wanted me to take some sort of music and dance lessons. She never said I had to take piano—she said she wanted me to try it. Satisfied with her decision, Sarah began calling out changes. "Computer, change surroundings to a grassy meadow in Indiana during the summer." She hadn't been outside in, what had it been, four weeks, five? She was starting to feel somewhat confined and intended to remedy that situation. If she were home right now, she would be outside nearly twenty-four hours a day.
The setting had changed accordingly. She now stood on a small hill in the middle of an ocean of tall, gently waving grass. The occasional daisy and dandelion dotted the landscape. Warm sunshine bathed her skin in its radiance and a soft breeze brushed at the loose curls of her ponytail. Grinning from ear to ear, she closed her eyes for a moment and imagined that she was home in Grandma Gretchen's backyard on Earth, not 70,000 lightyears away in an unknown and potentially dangerous area of space.
She finally opened her eyes, acknowledging the reality of her situation. Time for some music. "Computer, add a control panel and download the two most popular songs in the most common genres from the year 1950 to the present."
"Your request will take approximately five minutes to process," the computer informed her.
"Acknowledged." She sat down to wait. She had chosen to begin with songs from 1950 because that was the first year that music had made a turning point and began to sound remotely like some of the music of 2371. She knew that she could never listen to all the songs that the computer would bring up, but she wanted to have a wide variety to sample.
"Download complete."
Sarah walked over to the control panel and smiled to herself. Almost 10,000 songs had been downloaded. "Computer, begin playing songs at random."
For the next ten minutes, Sarah browsed through a plethora of songs. She didn't have to worry about encountering anything inappropriate, for her mother had installed a filter to prevent any such material from appearing in any programs she designed. Sometimes she found herself dancing along if the song she was listening to had an especially catchy beat. On occasion, she would play a song over again, usually singing along. She was rather pleased to find that her voice wasn't half bad. In fact, despite her earlier fears, her voice seemed to be quite good. Maybe I should take up voice lessons as well, she mused.
As for a new instrument, Sarah pulled up the songs she liked best and had the computer show her all the instruments used in the song. The common factor in the majority of her favorites was a guitar. Something about the sounds it made gave her a sense of calm. Nearly certain she'd made her selection, she was examining a holographic projection of a guitar when the ground beneath her shuddered forcefully and the meadow flickered. She lost her balance and tumbled to the ground. Scrambling to her feet, she called out, "Computer, has the ship been attacked?"
"Negative."
"Have we gone to a red alert?"
"Negative."
Hmm…it could just be some turbulence. It's probably safe for me to stay, at least for now. She casually returned to her program, downloading basic instructions for playing guitar. Skimming over them, she didn't think it looked too terribly difficult. It definitely looks more fun than piano, she thought with a grin. She had only been reading for perhaps a minute or two when the computer reported, "A red alert has been initiated."
Sarah looked up. "Why?"
"Unknown."
Well that's unbelievably helpful, she thought sarcastically. Suddenly, her holoprogram disappeared, leaving her sitting on the smooth grey floor and only the criss-crossed silver metal arms along the walls that contained the holo-emitters surrounding her. "Computer, now what?"
"All non-essential systems have been shut down."
"Why?" she asked cautiously, expecting another 'unknown'.
"All non-essential systems have been shut down to conserve power."
Without warning, the ship harshly jolted again. What is going on out there?, she wondered, pushing herself up from the floor. She hurried out of the large Holodeck doors, heading for the bridge. The overhead lights had been dimmed and red lights flashed along a strip of corridor above her head. Before she'd made it to the turbolift, however, the red alert suddenly ceased. Suppressing a sigh of frustration, she entered the lift anyway. "Bridge." I hope someone will let me know what's going on.
On the bridge, Kathryn sighed in disappointment. Entering the nebula that they'd found hadn't increased their energy reserves—rather, it had depleted them. They had had to fight to get both in and out and now they had lost 11 of their already dangerously low power reserves. "I'm just going to have to give up coffee—that's all there is to it." She turned to her tactical officer. "I'll be in my ready room. Mr. Tuvok, you have the bridge."
She entered her ready room, set to tackle a huge pile of reports, but stopped short when she saw what was on her desk—a steaming mug of what appeared to be coffee. Cautiously approaching it, she slowly picked up the mug and swirled its contents around a little to rule out the possibility that Neelix was trying to get her to accept his 'coffee substitute'. The liquid behaved exactly as real coffee should. Heartened by this fact, she smelled the mug's contents and nearly collapsed with happiness when the strong scent of quality black coffee greeted her.
As guilty as it made her feel, Kathryn got out the tricorder she kept in her ready room and scanned the beverage for any substances that didn't belong in coffee. She didn't think anyone aboard would try to poison her, but she would much rather be safe than sorry. Luckily, the device picked up nothing out of the ordinary. With a sigh of relief, she sank down into her chair and wrapped her hands around the mug. The first sip was like a taste of heaven and she instantly felt much better than she had all morning. Whoever did this deserves a promotion, she thought blissfully.
At that moment, the chime to her ready room sounded. "Come," she called out. The doors parted and her daughter stepped over the threshold.
With a horribly guilty jolt, she realized she had completely forgotten about Sarah during the situation with the nebula. She stood up and hurried over to her daughter. "Sarah, I am so sorry…"
"It's ok mama. Tuvok let me know what happened this morning. It sounds like you had your hands full." The small girl's eyes lit on the mug of coffee. "You broke down and replicated some coffee?" she asked with a grin.
With a laugh, Kathryn shook her head. "No, actually. Some kind crewmember replicated it for their captain. There was no note so I don't know who to thank."
"Maybe they want to remain anonymous," Sarah suggested.
"Perhaps." Kathryn glanced at her personal computer. Seeing what time it was, she turned back to her daughter. "Well, I guess it's time for lunch." Her face gave away exactly what she thought about getting lunch from Neelix's kitchen.
"Oh, I've already eaten. I just wanted to check in with you before I went back to our quarters."
Kathryn looked at her daughter for a moment. Something about her seemed…not entirely right. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something was definitely different.
Sarah's earnest little face looked up at her. "Is something wrong?"
She slightly shook her head. "No, no. It's just that…well, I'll probably be busy the rest of the day, what with all the problems this nebula caused…"
"Don't worry, mama," Sarah said, giving her a hug. "I'll be ok."
That's what bothers me, Kathryn thought. Aloud, she said, "You go have fun then. I'll see you at dinner, I hope." She indicated the stack of reports on her desk with a wry grin.
Sarah nodded in understanding and left the ready room. Kathryn watched her go. When the doors closed, she sank into her chair with a deep sigh. What did I do, letting her come along? I can't always keep her with me, but I can't just leave her alone. They had been passing through an especially rough part of space, so Sarah's duties as bridge assistant had been temporarily cancelled, as Kathryn hadn't wanted her on the bridge in constant harm's way. Unfortunately, that meant they had to spend a lot of time apart. She didn't want to burden someone with watching her daughter, but now it looked like she was going to have to. Who on this ship would be willing to watch my daughter, to add more responsibility to their already busy schedule?
Sarah lay on her back on her bed, her head, neck, and arms draped over the edge. Her duties as bridge assistant were on hold, she was taking a break from her schoolwork at her mother's insistence since she had covered an incredible amount of material in a short space of time, both Holodecks were occupied, and her head hurt from reading. Supper had come and gone, her mother sending her regrets—she was behind and would have to keep working. Luckily, she added, the mysterious coffee-giver had provided her with another cup of, as she called it, pure heaven. Sarah had assured her that she would be fine, and was, in fact, secretly relieved. Now she wouldn't have to invent any stories about already having had a meal. A quick trip to the hydroponics bay had taken the edge off her hunger, but she doubted her mother would approve. She can't know what I'm doing. She won't like it. But I have to do it. It's the best for the crew if we're going to survive out here. Every little bit counts.
The lack of activity left her with an odd restless feeling, one that was unfamiliar and difficult to place, and somewhat confusing. It made her fidgety and slightly irritable. As more blood ran to her head, she finally figured it out: boredom. She was bored. Odd, she thought. I've never been bored in my life. At home, there had always been something for her to do. Now she was lacking in any sort of activity and wasn't sure what to do with herself. She sighed and rolled onto her stomach, pushing herself away from the edge of the bed in the process. She slowly sat up and stretched, then sighed loudly once more. Cupping her face in her hands, she looked around the bedroom very carefully, in case she had missed something.
Sarah had nearly given up and decided to call it a night when her eyes lit on a duffel bag nestled behind a potted plant next to her bookcase. She straightened up happily as she realized she wasn't totally out of things to do. I haven't used the art set from Aunt Phoebe yet! She hopped off the bed and freed the kit from the depths of the bag. She sat cross-legged on the floor and opened it for the first time. There were brushes, tubes of acrylic paint, oil pastels, chalk pastels, colored pencils, crayons, markers, drawing pencils, sketchpads, and, most essentially, erasers. Sarah ran a fond hand over everything inside the case. The kit was totally brand new, untouched since she had received it for her birthday so many weeks ago. Given the incredible distance from home, it seemed even longer.
Aunt Phoebe was the family artist, so her gift made total sense. When we get back home, I should really have some art to show her, Sarah rationalized. Now I just need a subject, something to draw or paint… Looking at the many varieties of rich vibrant hues in the set of oil pastels, her mind fastened on the perfect scene to recreate on her sketchpad. If I can just get permission…
B'Elanna Torres was working late in the near-deserted engineering room, analyzing some of the sticky matter they had collected from the ship's hull after the encounter with the strange nebula. It was hard work and made very little sense—the material was unlike anything she had ever seen before, especially in a nebula. She was so absorbed in her work that she didn't hear someone enter Main Engineering.
"Lieutenant Torres?" a voice asked quietly from directly behind her.
B'Elanna jumped and spun to face the person. Sarah Janeway stood before her, looking uncertain and holding a flat wooden box tucked under one arm. "I'm sorry…" she began.
Calming down, B'Elanna held up a hand and responded, "It's all right. You just startled me. I didn't hear the doors open." Seeing that the ship's bridge assistant didn't have any PADDs with her, she asked, "What can I do for you?"
Sarah looked at carpet for a moment before she could make eye contact with the chief engineer. "I have an…odd request. I was wondering if perhaps I could sit somewhere out of the way and…draw the warp core." She opened her art case and showed her the sketchbook and pastels. "I'll be extremely quiet and I won't bother you," she promised. "I've run out of other things to do."
"Go ahead," B'Elanna replied, nodding her head. "There's no one here to get in the way of. As long as I can get this analysis done, it's not a problem."
"Thank you very much," the young girl said as she found herself a spot on the floor where she could brace her back against a support beam. She flipped open one of her new sketchpads to the first page, a smooth white sheet full of potential. She selected a soft grey pastel and pulled it across the page to create the basic framework of the warp core. After that was complete, she selected a group of varying shades of blue in an attempt to recreate the forever-changing bright patterns rising and falling within the core.
Meanwhile, B'Elanna put the sample into a centrifuge and started the spinning cycle. She checked on a few readouts as she waited, becoming so absorbed in her work that she forgot the presence of the captain's daughter. The centrifuge took a couple minutes to finish its work. When she finally stopped it, she had barely glanced at the readouts before her concentration was shattered by a moan from the other side of the room.
"Sarah?" she said in concern, standing up. She could see Sarah with her back against the beam. At first she seemed fine, but as B'Elanna watched, the pastel in her hand fell from her fingers, her head pitched forward into her uncompleted drawing, and she fell over sideways rather like a rag doll.
"Sarah!" She ran as quickly as she could to the girl's side and knelt on the floor next to her. Sarah was curled into a ball, whimpering and clutching at her stomach. Her face had gone deathly white. B'Elanna didn't need a tricorder to see that the child was in excruciating pain. She slapped her commbadge and yelled, "Torres to Sick Bay, activate EMH! Torres to Transporter Room One, two to beam directly to Sick Bay!"
In the ready room, Captain Janeway sat at her desk drinking her coffee gift and trying to finish the last reports so she could at least put her daughter to bed at a decent hour. The door chime sounded as she read the last line on the PADD she was holding. "Come," she called. Chakotay entered the room carrying a strange object that didn't immediately register with her mind.
"Repair crews have degaussed the hull, Captain," he reported.
"Good," came her reply. "Let's plan an 0700 departure—" She stopped herself as she realized he was holding something. "What's this?"
"My medicine bundle. I've never shown it to anyone before. After what you said this morning I thought it was important to let you see."
"Will it help me find my animal guide?"
"Eventually you'll have to assemble your own medicine bundle but this will allow me to assist you in your quest for a guide."
"Now?" she asked. Without letting Chakotay say anything, she answered herself and placed the PADD on the desk. "Now." She followed her first officer over to the table in front of the ready room's couch. He sat cross-legged on the floor and she followed suit as he began to open the medicine bundle.
One by one, he showed her the items, naming each one. "A blackbird's wing, a stone from the river, an akoonah."
"Akoonah?"
"My ancestors used psychoactive herbs to assist their vision quests. Now they're no longer necessary. Our scientists have found more modern ways to facilitate the search for animal guides." He gestured to the bronze device and instructed the captain, "Place your hand on it, and concentrate on the stone."
Kathryn did as he asked and he began the ritual. "A-koo-chee-moya, we are far from the sacred places of our grandfathers. We are far from the bones of our people. But perhaps there is one powerful being who will embrace this woman and give her the answers she seeks." He paused for a second and continued, "Allow your eyes to close. Breathe to fuel the light in your belly and let it expand until the light is everywhere. Prepare yourself to leave this room and this ship, and return to a place where you are the most content and peaceful you have ever been."
She opened her eyes and found herself in that place. She found herself kneeling on a beach of white sand. Clear, blue-green water stretched before her, uninterrupted all the way to the horizon where a rising sun gave the sky a light rose tint. This the first place Sarah and I went on our trip, Paradise Beach in Hawaii. Out loud, she said, in wonder, "I know this place! It's—"
Chakotay interrupted her gently. "You must not discuss with me what you see or it will offend your animal guide. As you continue to look around, you will become aware of other life that shares this place with you. He will be the first animal you see. That is the one you will speak to. Do you see an animal?"
Kathryn glanced about, looking for an animal. Movement she saw in the corner of her eye alerted her to the presence of a small brown cat. The cat tipped its head at her, as though it were trying to judge what she wanted. She stretched out an uncertain hand—she had always been a dog person. Luckily, the cat seemed to decide it liked her and gently rubbed its head against her hand. "Yes," she quietly responded to Chakotay.
"Speak to it," he replied in his calm way.
"What do I say?" she all but whispered, letting her hand glide over the cat's head and neck and across its back.
"You know what you want to ask," he said, just as quietly.
"Sick Bay to Captain Janeway," came the somewhat harsh voice of the EMH.
Kathryn sighed and opened her eyes. "I'm sorry," she apologized to the commander. "I should've asked the computer for no interruptions." He nodded in understanding as she replied, "Go ahead, doctor."
"Please come to Sick Bay at once, captain." She glanced over at her first officer to see if he knew something she didn't, but his face looked as confused as her own.
The EMH's voice was a bit gentler as he added, "It's your daughter."
Her blood ran cold. "What happened?" she wanted to know.
"It'll be easier if you just come down here."
"On my way," she managed to get out, even as she felt all the color drain from her face. She shook slightly, like a young tree in a breeze. Not Sarah! Oh please, not Sarah!
Chakotay gently helped her to her feet after he had re-wrapped all the items in his medicine bundle to prevent anyone seeing them. They made their way to Sick Bay as quickly as they could. Kathryn dashed inside ahead of Chakotay, desperate to know what was wrong with her daughter. She barely registered the fact that B'Elanna Torres was in the room as she hurried to the main biobed where the Doctor hovered over her daughter with a tricorder and a hypospray.
"What happened?" she repeated urgently, upon seeing her daughter's ghostly face and quivering limbs.
"I'm not entirely sure," the Doctor said in a rather gruff manner, frowning at the tricorder as if the information it failed to provide was a personal affront. "She was in engineering with Lieutenant Torres when she collapsed, clutching her stomach, and lost consciousness."
Kathryn whipped around to B'Elanna who confirmed the information. "She was perfectly fine, then out of nowhere…" The engineer trailed off.
She turned back to the EMH as he added, "The pain receptors in her internal organs are working overtime, but nothing's wrong with her." His frown increased. "It's almost as though they were remotely activated."
"Remotely activated? What do you mean?" the captain asked insistently.
"The scans I've taken of her indicate that it wasn't her own nervous system that initiated the receptors. The only explanation left to offer is that something external caused it."
"Is she going to be all right?" Kathryn took her daughter's small, cold hands in her own as the doctor pressed a hypospray against the little girl's neck with a hiss.
He sighed. "I've given her the strongest analgesic safe for a child of her size. She'll still experience some pain but it will be far less severe. Unfortunately, I can only speculate on how and if she'll recover. Nothing is wrong with her physically. Until I know what caused this, I won't be able to treat it."
Captain Janeway turned again to talk to B'Elanna. "Did anything unusual happen in engineering? Did you detect anything out of ordinary?"
"No," the chief engineer replied, answering both questions. "I was analyzing the sticky matter from the nebula. Everything was by the book."
She turned to face the doctor. "Could the matter have caused it?"
"I won't know until I see the results of the analysis." The Doctor was frowning again as he ran his tricorder over the child again. "Well, this certainly can't be helping her."
"What, what is it?"
"Your daughter hasn't eaten anything substantial in at least 48 hours. Why didn't you say something? That information would have been helpful in a diagnosis." He sounded slightly peeved.
"I didn't know," Kathryn said. "Sarah always told me she'd already eaten." She was somewhat shocked. She's never lied to me. Why would she do that now?
Everyone had turned to B'Elanna to ask about the matter's analysis when they were distracted by a noise from behind them. They looked over their shoulders to find Sarah sitting up, her gaze focused on them strongly. Her voice was weak but adamant. "The nebula…it's not a nebula!"
Her mother hurried to her side and attempted to calm her but she wanted no part of it. Gently pushing Kathryn's hands away as she tried to get her to lay back down, she repeated, "It's not a nebula—it's alive!" Everyone looked at her in confusion. "Go ahead, look at the sample. It'll tell you the same thing."
"Sarah, how do you know this?" Kathryn asked.
Her daughter paused before answering. "I can hear it," she said simply. "It's hurt. Badly. I can feel how much it hurts."
"You can hear it? Telepathically?" How could she be hearing the mind of another being? She's only human!
The Doctor scanned the little girl with the tricorder again. "Her brain activity is 54 above normal, indicating some kind of telepathic activity. I've never seen this in a human, though, so I can't tell you for sure. However, if this nebula is indeed alive and does in fact share a link with your daughter, it could explain her condition." He looked at the captain. "I'll have a look at that sample and let you know what I find. Meanwhile, she's free to go. There's nothing else I can do at this point."
B'Elanna and the Doctor took the sample into his office as Chakotay walked over to the Janeway women. "Is there anything I can do?" he asked quietly.
"No, but thank you," Kathryn answered.
He nodded and added to her daughter, "I hope you feel better."
"Thank you," came the soft reply.
Kathryn and Sarah watched him leave Sick Bay. When the doors had shut, mother turned to daughter. "Why have you been lying to me?" she wanted to know, slightly hurt. "Why haven't you been eating?"
Sarah couldn't meet her mother's eyes. "I have been eating, just not much—a carrot here and there from the hydroponics bay. I'm sorry I lied to you."
Her mother put her hand on her daughter's chin and gently tilted her head up. "Why?" she repeated.
"I'm a drain on resources," came the unwilling reply. "With power so dangerously low, every little bit that gets cut back is helpful." She paused for a second before admitting, "I also didn't want to use my replicator rations. I wanted to save them for you—you needed them more."
It took a bit before the captain realized what she was saying. "You replicated the coffee for me."
Sarah nodded. Kathryn shook her head and sighed, a slight smile playing across her lips. "Oh, Sarah, you're not a drain. And I am capable of going without coffee." At her daughter's skeptical look, she laughed. "What am I going to do with you?" She gently picked her up and carried her out of Sick Bay by way of an answer. "Feel up to eating something?"
"I guess so," Sarah said.
"Good. We're going to go to the Mess Hall and get a proper meal from a replicator."
Half an hour later, Sarah rested on the couch in her mother's ready room. A lot had happened. She had eaten an entire bowl of chicken noodle soup with crackers, her favorite comfort food and managed to push the lifeform's thoughts to the back of her mind since she was unable to reply and the Doctor couldn't do anything for her. The Doctor and B'Elanna had confirmed what she already knew about the nebula: it was not a nebula at all, but a creature. The crew had formulated a plan to repair the damage to the lifeform and they were currently at yellow alert in preparation for re-entering the creature. Her mother, despite the danger, was allowing her to tag along since she still wasn't one hundred percent better.
The soft cushions of the couch were cool against her cheek as she stretched out on her side. The Doctor was baffled by the telepathic abilities she seemed to have acquired and they were rather disconcerting to her. Unfortunately, she could receive messages, not send them. She had attempted to help the crew by letting the creature know they meant it no harm, but she couldn't seem to get through to it. All she could do was listen.
A single tear slipped down her cheek. As if I weren't strange enough already, now I'm hearing everything this strange lifeform thinks, I'm feeling the pain it feels. Why can't I just be normal?
The door chime, her mother's offhand, "Come in," and the sound of the doors opening made her look up. Neelix had entered the room, looking very much annoyed. She was hard at work at her desk and only really noticed the Talaxian after several seconds.
Neelix spoke first. "Captain, I understand that this nebula we've discovered is some kind of monster?"
Captain Janeway kept working as she answered him. "Not a monster, Neelix, but it is a lifeform."
"Excuse me if I sound crazy because someone may have been playing a joke on me, but you aren't planning to take us back into the belly of this beast, are you?"
"No joke," Kathryn said calmly, still focused on her computer.
"What?" Neelix's face was uncomprehending.
"We hurt it and we have to help it recover."
"I did not come on board this ship to become a veterinarian, Captain."
"And I thought you were a man of unlimited talent."
"I just reached my limit. So if you don't mind, Captain, I and Kes will wait on board my little vessel 'til you return."
Kathryn put down the PADD she was holding and gave him her full attention. Firmly, she said, "The entire crew is busy preparing for this mission. I'm not pulling them off their duties to prepare your ship for launch, and I'm not going to drop you off by the side of the road every time we hit a bump. When we've finished, if you want to leave, that's your business. But for the moment, find yourself a place with a good view because, just like Jonah and the whale, you're going in."
"Is that final?"
"It is. If you need another reason, somehow the creature has initiated a telepathic link with my daughter. Everything it feels, she feels. If we don't get it on the road to recovery, we could end up with two casualties." She sighed. "The Doctor gave her the strongest painkiller he could, but she's still in pain." The two of them looked over to the couch where Sarah lay, attempting to rest comfortably. Kathryn looked at Neelix again, back in her authoritative state. "Dismissed," she said decisively, then returned to her work. When she noticed he was still standing there, she added, "That's a Starfleet expression for 'get out'."
Neelix got out and the captain got back to work.
A few minutes later, the captain and her daughter made their way onto the bridge in preparation for reentering the nebula. As her mother stopped to speak with Tuvok, Sarah made her way over to Lieutenant Paris seated at the conn. "Excuse me, Tom," she said quietly.
"Hey Shadow," he replied. "What's up?"
"You probably know about my…connection to the nebula." When he nodded, she continued. "Please be as careful as you can. I really don't want to repeat my experience in engineering."
"Don't worry." Tom put his hands on her shoulders. "I will fly this ship as carefully as humanly possible. I promise."
"Thank you," she said with a small smile, and then left to sit beside her mother.
Tom watched her go, a strange feeling coming over him. Why didn't I notice it before? She looks just like… He couldn't think of the name. I know she's the spitting image of someone…but whom, besides her mother?
It took only a few minutes to get within 14,000 kilometers of the breach. The image on the viewscreen made Sarah's insides twist. That's what I was feeling earlier. Ouch… I hope this works. But even as Tom tried to bring them into position, a sudden bombardment of energy discharges that looked very much like enormous purple and blue lightning bolts hit the ship, violently tossing it around. She was forcefully thrown from her seat on the ledge near the captain's chair and hit the ground with painful thud. As she tried to pick herself up, she saw that Tom had been tossed from his seat and her mother had fallen to the floor. She could feel a dull ache behind her ribs that she knew had nothing to do with her fall. Through the noisy confusion, she could hear people shouting at each other.
"Report!"
"We're being hit by some kind of multi-polar charges. They're not like anything we saw the first time."
"Shields at 87."
"Will they hold?"
"The polarity of these charges is rotating so quickly the shields cannot compensate."
"We've lost the rear driver coil assembly!"
"Inertial dampers are offline! I'm losing control. Hold on!"
Sarah felt her stomach drop as Voyager went into freefall. She found herself hopelessly stuck to the deck plating. It was a struggle to even push her head up off the carpet. There was more yelling going on, mainly her mother, B'Elanna, and Tom.
"Engineering, initiate emergency shut-down of all thrusters!"
"The only way we can shut down all thrusters is to vent the deuterium into space. We can't afford to lose all that fuel!"
"We have no choice. Do it!"
"Acknowledged! Cutting thrusters."
"Inertial dampers are still offline!"
"Reset IDF baseline at three-zero-zero and re-initialize!"
"Field processors coming back online." At long last, the ship steadied. "Inertial damping restored."
Sarah felt her mother helping her up and back to her seat. Through a haze of numbed pain, she could hear people talking, but this time couldn't make out anything really specific. She heard something about a circulatory system and not using engines. She heard her mother give Tom an order, then saw her sit in the chair beside her.
"How are you?" Kathryn asked.
Sarah shook her head.
"Here," her mother said, pressing a hypospray against her neck. "The Doctor said you might need another dose, so I've kept one with me."
Instantly, her pain was numbed further. With a sigh of relief, she rubbed her stomach.
"What's it thinking? Does it see us as a threat?" Kathryn asked quietly.
Reluctantly, Sarah allowed it to come to the forefront of her mind. She closed her eyes, concentrating. After a minute, she opened them and announced, "It's just…confused. And in pain. It's not trying to hurt us on purpose."
Captain Janeway nodded. Then, in a confused tone, she added, "I still don't know how you, a human child, ended up sharing a telepathic link with it. Even Kes can't hear it."
"Well, you always said I was special." Sarah smiled at her mother, who smiled back and gently kissed the top of her head and tousled her hair.
Suddenly, the turbolift doors opened and Kes and Neelix stepped out bearing trays of food. "Time for refreshment! Ailis paté, Felada onion crisps, stuffed cardaway leaves!" Neelix called out.
Standing up, her mother replied, "I appreciate the thought, Neelix, but this is hardly the time."
Neelix ignored the last part of her sentence and walked around the bridge with Kes, offering various snacks to the crewmembers. "As the morale officer on this ship, I insist that a break in the workload is both healthy and necessary." He presented his tray to Tuvok, who didn't take anything but stared fixedly ahead. "Go on, Vulcan. It might even help you loosen up...or not."
"May I ask when you became morale officer?" Tuvok asked.
"Oh, just a few minutes ago when I sensed crew morale might be especially low. Mine certainly was. We were in a freefall at the time."
"Cooking always helps Neelix to unwind," Kes added as she showed the contents of her tray to Harry Kim.
"Yes, and after we stabilized I certainly needed to unwind. So it seemed I either had a choice to either come up here and say 'I told you so', no, or to do something constructive to help out in my own humble manner," Neelix added as he offered the tray to Tom Paris. After Tom had selected something, Neelix came over and held his tray up to Captain Janeway. "Try the stuffed cardaway leaves—they're irresistible." He watched as she sampled one and nodded her agreement. Happily, he then came over to Sarah. "I heard you were still a little under the weather, so I made you something special." He held out a small pastry-looking item with what appeared to be a pink frosting inside.
"Neelix…" Sarah began to protest, fearing a rich desert.
He interrupted her gently, saying, "This is just the thing for you—a Lemarian nectar pastry. The crust is made from some of the most delicate grains in the quadrant. What looks like frosting is actually the nectar of a highly rare flower that grows in the dark on the moons of Lemaria. It's a very gentle food and shouldn't upset your stomach." He picked it up off the plate and held it out to her. "Just try one bite," he tempted her.
She reluctantly took it from him and nibbled off one end. Surprisingly, Neelix was right. It was a very delicately flavored and textured food. She smiled up at him. "It's delicious. Thank you."
"You're quite welcome. I must say it's a relief to see you eat."
She decided not to mention the soup and crackers.
Moving back to the captain, he rubbed his hands together and said, "Now, as your new morale officer, I thought it might be fun for us all to sing a few songs together."
Her mouth full, Kathryn answered, "Don't push it, Neelix."
"Captain," Tom said, drawing her attention to the viewscreen. They were back at the wound.
"Well done, Mr. Paris. Miss Torres, prepare your nucleonic beam."
"We're ready down here, Captain," came the answer.
"Let's give the wound two doses to start. Five bursts at two-second intervals. Now."
Voyager projected the beam and everyone waited.
"Analysis?" the captain asked.
"Scanners are showing the regeneration rate up only 0.4," B'Elanna replied. "I don't know what we can hope to accomplish if this is the best we can do. The breach may simply be too large to seal."
Sarah paled at that. Will I never be free of this?
Suddenly, the Doctor's voice came over the comm channel. "This is the Doctor speaking. Please activate your monitor to the Emergency Medical Holographic channel. I believe I have a suggestion that may help."
The main viewer changed from a view of the creature's wound to an image of the Doctor at his desk in Sick Bay. "Since no one had the courtesy to turn me off after my last consultation," he said, sounding a little irked, "I've had the opportunity to observe your progress, or lack of same. I believe a slight alteration of your treatment plan is necessary. As inspiration, I've drawn on an ancient medical technique known as a suture."
"Suture?" Kathryn asked.
"Before the advent of laser technology, surgical fiber was used to stitch together a wound to allow it to heal naturally," he explained.
"How does that help us?" B'Elanna asked from engineering.
"Your ship's energy systems are compatible with this lifeform's omicron particles, are they not?" the EMH inquired.
"That's right," the chief engineer replied.
"Then it is very likely this vessel could serve the lifeform's needs in much the same manner as a suture. By allowing the ship to serve as an energy conduit across the wound, the lifeform should be able to regenerate itself more rapidly."
"And how are we supposed to get the ship into the wound without getting the stuffing beat out of us again?" Lieutenant Paris asked skeptically.
Brusquely, the Doctor answered, "That's your problem, not mine. Doctor out," and ended contact.
"That's sort of like asking a hurt dog not to bite you while you tend to its wounds," Tom said, still skeptical.
Sarah could see that her mother was thoughtful. "You like dogs, Mr. Paris?"
Confused, he answered, "Yes, ma'am. I always had a dog."
With a pang of loss, Sarah thought of Molly, their Irish Setter back home on Earth.
"I like dogs too," her mother continued. "When I had to clean out a cut on my dog's leg, I needed to create a little diversion to take her mind off it." She turned to the ops officer. "Mr. Kim, prepare a class-4 microprobe."
"Aye, captain," he responded as she stood up and went over to the conn to speak with the ship's pilot.
"Lieutenant, if I gave you a short burst from our thrusters would it be enough to maneuver into the breach in 10 seconds?"
"I'd feel better if I had 20."
"Once we launch that probe as a diversion, you might have 10, maybe even less than that."
He changed his mind very quickly. "10 sounds good."
The captain nodded her approval. "Mr. Kim. Status?"
"Microprobe loaded and ready."
"Set co-ordinates for launch at 160 mark 70. Cut power after 500 meters. I don't want to hurt this lifeform again." Her unspoken 'I don't want to hurt my daughter, either,' was heard loud and clear by everyone. "Engineering, I'll need a one second from our aft thrusters on my order," she continued.
"Standing by."
"Launch microprobe," she ordered.
The bridge crew watched as the probe was battered by electrical discharges. "Thrusters!" Captain Janeway ordered.
"Firing."
Tom skillfully worked the helm and maneuvered them into the breach. "Reading multi-polar charges. High frequency," Harry called out.
Tuvok reported, "Shields at 75 and holding."
"Maintain position," Kathryn said firmly. "Engineering, direct two nucleonic beams fore and aft parallel to the central access of the ship."
"Acknowledged. Beams engaged." Tense seconds passed before the news they had been waiting for came back. "Captain, I'm showing a rapid growth pattern along the wound!"
Sarah would have cheered if she hadn't been so numb.
"Regenerative matter approaching from both directions at just under 500 kilometers per hour," Tuvok warned.
"Hold position," Kathryn ordered.
"Captain, the shields are only designed to withstand…"
"I'm aware of that, Mr. Tuvok. Hold position!"
"Regenerative matter approaching. Range, 30 kilometers, fore and aft," he reported.
"Engineering, ready full thrusters. Mr. Paris?"
"Just tell me when," Tom assured the captain.
"Regenerative matter, 20 kilometers, 15, 10…"
"Disengage nucleonic beam. Fire thrusters!" she ordered.
"Thrusters engaged," B'Elanna reported.
"Now, Mr. Paris!"
Voyager hurtled through the rapidly closing breach.
"40,000 kilometers to the perimeter...30,000," Tom informed them.
"The lifeform's regeneration rate is up 40, Captain. Looks like it's well on the way towards closing that wound," Chakotay said, smiling.
The only proof Kathryn really needed was a glance at her daughter. Her color was coming back, she was sitting up with ease, and, most importantly, she was smiling. "Sarah?" she asked.
Her daughter turned to her with a broad grin. "I heard something akin to 'thank you' and then it was gone. There's no voice now."
"We've cleared the central mass," Tom said, and everyone let out a breath they had been subconsciously holding. The mission had been successful and they were safe.
Later on, Kathryn made another entry in her log. "Captain's log, supplemental. We set out to augment our energy reserves and wound up depleting them by over 20. As a result, we've set a new course for a planet 14 light years away that Neelix says might have compatible energy sources to offer us. It is out of our way but circumstances offer few alternatives. So much for raising spirits. On the other hand, the lifeform is no longer 'speaking' with my daughter. The Doctor ran a thorough cerebral scan on her and couldn't find any evidence of telepathic abilities. It's one of the strangest things any of us has ever seen, but Sarah merely seems glad to have her mind back all to herself. On a side note, I've asked Crewman Evans to meet with me about a favor."
Aspen Evans brushed her wavy, shoulder-length brown hair off her shoulders, brushed imaginary lint from her red uniform top, and nervously entered the captain's ready room. She had never even met with the captain before. What did I do? I've never been late for duty. I hand in everything on time…
Captain Janeway's first thought upon seeing Crewman Evans was that she looked much younger than 20. The second was that she was extremely anxious and tried to cover it up my coming to attention, taut as could be. "At ease, crewman," she said in a friendly way. "Have a seat." Looking very confused, she did as she was asked. "I understand you've met my daughter."
Uncertain where this could be going, she said guardedly, "Yes, captain."
"Your file says that you have six siblings."
"Yes, captain. Two older, four younger."
"Do you like children, Miss Evans?"
Surprised, she repeated, "Yes, captain."
The captain paused for a moment. "Miss Evans, I would like to know if you would be willing to watch my daughter when I can't. It wouldn't be all the time. In fact, the times would be sporadic and varied. I would always arrange someone to cover your regular duties, of course. I would need you, say, if I had to work late and I needed someone to put her to bed. She's an extraordinary child, but I hate to leave her alone for any amount of time."
Aspen realized first that she wasn't in trouble, and then comprehended what exactly the captain was saying. "Of course I can, captain. I'd be glad to do it," she said, surprised at the request. I have a niece Sarah's age. It would be wonderful to be around a child again, she thought. Out loud, she said quietly, "I also wanted to personally thank you for your daughter's…assistance the other day. I don't know why I fell apart in the hydroponics bay, but I'm glad she was there."
"Don't worry about it, crewman. We all feel badly about our situation." Realizing what time it was, she stood up. "Thank you, Miss Evans. I really appreciate your help. I'll let you know when I need you." She smiled and shook Aspen's hand.
Aspen smiled back, every trace of nervousness gone. "You're welcome. Good night, captain."
After Crewman Evans had left, Kathryn turned off her computer and went to the bridge to get Sarah before heading back to their quarters. She planned to put Sarah to bed and try talking to her animal guide before turning in herself. "Ready to go?" she asked her daughter. Sarah, who had been talking to a member of the night shift, nodded and happily took her mother's hand. They entered the turbolift together and found Harry Kim waiting inside.
"Turning in for the night, Captain, Sarah?" he asked.
"I am," Sarah said.
"I'm actually going to talk to an animal, then turn in. Something Commander Chakotay taught me; it's supposed to be quite therapeutic. You might want to ask him about it," Kathryn responded.
"I will," Harry said with a smile.
The turbolift reached Harry's destination, and he stepped out. However, he seemed to make a difficult decision and turned back around to face them. "Captain," he said hesitantly.
"What is it, Ensign?" Kathryn asked.
"Well, I don't mean to be out of place, but if you'd care to join us you'd be welcome."
"Join you where?" she questioned.
As Harry, Kathryn, and Sarah entered Chez Sandrine on the Holodeck, the off duty crewmembers there started in surprise and began to come to attention when they caught sight of the captain. "As you were," the captain called. Looking around, she said, "Well, this is remarkable. Mr. Kim tells me this is your doing, Mr. Paris."
Somewhat embarrassed, Tom replied, "Er, yeah. It's just a little diversion." Spying Sarah, he cleared his throat and added, "I'm, uh…I'm uh…just going to go adjust some of the, uh…program parameters." He pulled himself away from an attractive human female and hurried off.
Kathryn laughed and said, "Thank you, Tom." Seeing the green felt covered table, she brightened. "Is this pool or billiards?"
"Er, pool," Tom called over his shoulder.
"Right. Pool's the one with the pockets. Would you mind if I gave it a try?"
"Uh, sure," he said upon his return.
"Commander Chakotay, your stick?" Kathryn asked.
Sarah smothered a grin. She knew what was about to happen.
"It's called a cue, Captain," Chakotay said patiently as he handed it to her.
"Cue. All right. So what do we do? Shall I go first?" When they nodded, she broke the triangle of pool balls and watched as four balls went straight into the pockets. "Solids," she said confidently.
Everyone in the room, with the exception of Sarah, stared in amazement. Sarah giggled happily at their expressions.
Kathryn grinned at her daughter, then turned her head towards Tom and away from the pool table. "Eight ball in the side pocket," she said with assurance. Without looking, she hit the white pool ball into the black eight ball. The eight ball went smoothly into the side pocket, just as she had predicted, even though she never so much as glanced at the pool table. Everyone began to clap and shake his or her head in wonder and admiration.
Leaning up against the table, Sarah smiled in content and let her hands glide over the polished wood surface. This is great. I feel almost…normal, she thought to herself as she continued to watch her mother display her expertise at pool.
Author's Note: Well, I hope you enjoyed it! In the next chapter (Eye Of The Needle), I'm going to have the scene with Sarah and Kes that Starbuck223(thanks for your awesome pm!) requested—look for it, it should be pretty cool. Thanks again for reading and reviewing, everyone!!