156. Macaroni and Cheese

"…"

"What?"

"…Are we really going to have this?"

"Is there something wrong with it?"

"No! Of course not!"

A look of disbelief.

"Well, all right. I don't really care for it, but if this is what you want, we'll have it."

"It is what I want."

A sigh, "Fine."

A smile, "Thanks."

They sat at the table and made eye contact as they ate their very simple meal. Maybe there was hope for their future after all? How hard could the rest of this courtship be if they were able to compromise?

157. Magenta

It turned out that they were able to have a meeting down on the planet with Ambassador Spock. Captain Kirk came, along with his first officer and chief medical officer and several security officers. Doctor Bashir's entire group came down and they were most surprised by the condition of the planet.

"Is something wrong, gentleman, ladies?"

"We are on Tarsus IV?"

Kirk tensed slightly, "Yes."

"Where we come from, the Tarsus IV colony was never able to be fully revived. Attempts were made, but each ultimately failed. I believe there is a Federation outpost on the planet itself, but any more than that wouldn't work for some reason."

Kirk glanced at Guardian Comet who remained stoic. "I see."

158. Magenta Mix-Up

Ambassador Spock was surprised to see them, that much was clear. He led them into his dwelling and they gathered in the common room where there were enough chairs, even if only just.

"How is it that you have followed me, Doctor?"

"Ambassador, I am glad to see that you are here and the same Ambassador that we have been looking for."

They settled into chairs and couches with the exception of the cyborg woman and the security detail. She remained standing until everyone else was seated before finally sitting herself. Her back remained stiff as she took over the conversation.

"Ambassador, the Borg are the reason behind the destruction of Romulus' star system."

159. Magic Mint

The slow grin that had taken time to creep across the Queen's face was wiped away in an instant and her face contorted into a snarl as she watched the massive fleet of cubes and spheres that she had sent to the Sector 01 were completely obliterated by the destruction of the star in that system. She was enraged as she watched the oncoming energy wave that was also disrupting her cubes' abilities to engage their propulsion systems for some strange reason. That had been a colossal force that she had lost and it looked like she would never get to fully assimilate the humans as their home world was now lost to her.

However…

It was also now lost to them as well. That, at least, was a positive outcome from this situation for her. While she did not need emotions, she knew that they were important to other races, especially to humans. Yes, this was a good thing for her and it wasn't like she couldn't get more drones.

She sent more cubes out to assimilate other worlds in parts of the Alpha and Delta Quadrants. It didn't matter if they did not have warp-capability yet. She needed the drones.

160. Magic Potion

The energy that they used was so different, so foreign to anything that science could understand that it was often referred to as 'magic' even when it really wasn't. At least, not in the way that most of the western world considered magic. Eastern magic was closer, but that too wasn't exactly right either. What they had, what they were, was the essence of the energies that were threaded throughout life itself, just expressing it in different ways. They were very different from 'regular' people because they just were. There was something about them that made it easier to access those energies, even make them a part of themselves.

Not everyone can Activate, as it is called, because not everyone can handle the surge that comes with such a thing. Some are able to sense things, have abilities that aren't considered normal but not be fully Activated. That isn't to say that there aren't people who have abilities without being one of any of the Lines. There will be people with abilities very similar to those found in the Lines without actually being of them.

Then, there are those amongst the Guardians that are more than the others. Those that will exist for longer than a normal or even extended lifetime. Those that are different and can only die when they are killed and they are very hard to kill.

Sometimes these people can only gain such ability, the immortal life unless killed when they Activate. There are others who don't have that luxury of choice.

161. Mahogany

The trees were the first things to start coming back, they were what really gave Tom hope that he could save this planet, that the colony wasn't as lost as most of his peers believed it was. He knew that he was believed to be slightly unhinged regarding this issue, but it wasn't something that he could give up. The only ones who really supported him in this were the few that had escaped with him and a few well-placed Federation officials.

His greatest allies both before and after the Nero Incident were Vulcans as well as a certain Admiral Archer. The Vulcans had been slightly explanatory, to Tom at least even if others didn't understand why. Admiral Archer was a bit of a mystery at first, but once Tom had looked through the list of victims of the Massacre, he wasn't confused anymore.

Now, though, now he had just about everyone wanting him to succeed at revitalizing the dead colony. He was even more surprised when he learned that, in another universe, the Tarsus IV Colony had never recovered even though it was doing so now. He would have been more interested in that little fact if he had actually cared a lot about that kind of thing. He didn't.

162. Maize

"What do you mean they have taken Cardassia Prime?"

"Bajor is still safe, but Cardassia Prime has been taken by the Borg. We were unable to evacuate everyone, but we did get the children off of the planet before we lost contact. We don't know if anyone else made it."

163. Malachite

"Are you telling me that you were created by stealing the genetic material of people that were nothing more than friends?"

"My 'mother,' for lack of a better term, stole the material from two friends that were engaged to other people. They did not know that my sister and I were created and, ultimately, their children. We are children of two people who did not have the choice nor the desire to have children with one another. They weren't even aware of our existence for most of their lives."

164. Manatee

She loved learning about the different planets that Voyager had been to and learned about. It was probably her favorite part of the day and she knew that the other children were enjoying those lessons as well. They weren't what caught her attention this time, though.

She moved away from where the Doctor was teaching about first aid (again, they seemed to need this lesson more than once, especially about different parts) and towards the side of Sick Bay that held the morgue. She was caught before she could more than place her hand on the handle of one of the cupboards and pulled away. The Doctor chastised her for wandering off during the lesson and she apologized for it.

She didn't forget the feeling that there was something or someone in that room that she needed to find, though.

165. Mandarin Pearl

Hoshi thought about Suisei every day, though she wasn't always aware of what was happening to her sister. She could feel that Suisei had dampened their bond in an effort to protect herself as well as their charges. She knew the reasoning was sound, but at the same time something seemed…off about the situation. Almost like there was some kind of film between the two of them that was making it harder than usual to not only dampen the bond but to feel the bond at all.

Hoshi was afraid of what that would mean, even though she knew that there was nothing she could do about it.

166. Mango Tango

He knew that things were moving, things were always moving. Life didn't just stop and stand still, no matter what people thought about it. Yet he also knew that he wouldn't be able to make too many more…interruptions for lack of a better word. For one thing he was well aware that he wasn't going to be forgiven for letting things get this far once his darling little pets found out about it.

And he knew that they would find out. They always found out the things that he didn't want them to. It was how things worked.

They would find out even faster if his darling niece wasn't able to keep her mouth shut about why she was poking around the Alpha Quadrant.

167. Maroon

"Today is a good day to die?"

"Is there something wrong with that saying?"

"I just always wondered why it was so important."

"For me, it means that you have done everything you can and that there is nothing more that you can do. You are ready to give the last thing you have to the fight; your life."

168. Maui Sunset

He had made sure everyone else on his ship was transported off before setting in the course. If he was going to go out, then he was darn well going to take everyone with him that he could and save those that he didn't want to take with him. In his mind, he replayed the memory of his small family watching the last sunset before he had to leave for duty.

The only ones missing from that picture were his brother and his keeper, but he would see them soon enough.

169. Mauvelous

She wasn't there when he went down. She wasn't there when his son watched as his father gave his life for them to all escape.

Just like she wasn't there when her sister did the same.

She was somewhere far away, trying to find more allies. She had been sent away from her prince, from her responsibility and now all she had were ashes and a toddler who wouldn't ever know his father just as he wouldn't know his mother. She swore that she would find a way for him to know is uncle if it killed her.

170. Meat Brown

It was a long time before any of them were able to eat meat of any kind, but especially meat that was brown in any shape or form. They had no problem eating fruits or vegetables or anything else, as long as it hadn't been an animal of some kind. They couldn't even handle fish. The man in charge of their nutrients was understanding in a way that wasn't patronizing. This seemed to surprise so many of the people on board the ship that was now their home.

However Mr. Neelix had come by the knowledge and empathy that he employed, Sam didn't care. All he cared about was that Mr. Neelix had it and was using it for a good cause without really wanting anything in return.

He could trust the man to not abuse their trust.

171. Melon

The humans were lucky with their first contact. There were worlds that weren't so fortunate.

This was all that the captain of Voyager could think of when she came upon a planet that wasn't even close to warp technology and saw the remains that the Borg had left behind.

172. Metallic Seaweed

She didn't like the restrictions that they had placed on her usage of the warp core. She really didn't like how they would stop her from getting that far by having some of the children, particularly Maria and Naomi, accompany her throughout the day. She really didn't like how her sister's charge backed them up on it.

"But I could get everyone home so much faster!"

"At the cost of your own life? No, the answer will be no every time you ask."

"But-!"

"When we are in over our heads and there is nothing we can do, such as we were with the Borg, then I will comm you and let you know that you are allowed to do so," the captain's voice was steady, "However, you will only push yourself as far as we have already discussed. I will not have a member of my crew kill themselves when we have other options open. This is not negotiable. You are a member of my crew now and that makes you my responsibility."

173. Metallic Sunburst

It was very strange when they came across an older version of herself, thought Kathryn. She hadn't ever thought about meeting another version of herself before, even though she was aware that it was possible. She was still surprised to come face to face with Admiral Janeway, that didn't mean she was going to let the woman tell her what to do.

"I am not going to risk this ship by doing what you want me to do."

"It's the only way-"

They were interrupted by the ship jumping into faster than speed light. The admiral looked shocked, as if she didn't understand what was happening. The captain, on the other hand, looked more than a little irritated.

"Tuvok, send security down to Engineering as well as to Sick Bay. Torres, eject Hoshi from the core!" she barked into her comm unit as she moved to leave her ready room. The admiral followed her.

174. Midnight Blue

She took much longer to wake than she had previously. Captain Janeway was partially certain that part of the reason for that was Hoshi's need to avoid answering what had prompted her to go against every restriction that had been placed on her. Janeway was going to find out just what had been going on in that woman's mind.

Voyager had travelled over one thousand light years in a matter of minutes, much faster and further than almost any other time that Hoshi had pushed the warp core since they had been made aware of her presence on the ship. Captain Janeway wanted to know why, and Hoshi was going to answer her questions just as soon as she woke up.

The admiral seemed at a loss for Hoshi's presence on Voyager, almost as if she had never met her before.

175. Midnight Pearl

Admiral Janeway was surprised with the new additions to Voyager's crew. She hadn't picked up any children like this and she certainly hadn't met any Guardians or even known about them existing. They were already too far away from the nebula she had been trying to convince her younger self into going to. She didn't let that stop her from giving the captain everything she had on anything in the Delta Quadrant while the admiral tried to work herself through the shock.

She had meant to go back to her own past, but it seemed as if she had stumbled into something else. She wasn't sure just how that had happened.

176. Milky Way

Seven of Nine wasn't in a relationship with Commander Chakotay, she hadn't even spoken with him outside of work for the longest time. She was slightly surprised when she discovered that the admiral thought they were more to each other than they were.

This more than anything should have tipped off the admiral that something was different even though she had gone over the calculations again and again and yet still hadn't found out how she had ended up in a different timeline. She should be in her own past, but none of this made sense! It was going to drive her crazy!

Then she met Maria and taking one look at the child playing with Naomi Wildman and Admiral Janeway knew that she was in her own past, but that something had already changed it before she could have gotten there. Why the changes didn't affect her was the new mystery. It would be several months before they found out what it was. For a long while, the admiral was certain that it was Maria, but when she brought this up to her younger counterpart and Commander Tuvok, she was informed that it wasn't the girl at all.

But it was something to do with her, the admiral was certain of it.

177. Misty Moss

The picture was all blurry, she wasn't sure why that was important, but it was. She squinted her eyes and tried to make out something more than just colors, but couldn't get her eyes to cooperate. She would have to rely on her other senses then.

The ground was damp and the smell of dirt was thick in the air as if she had been digging a hole that was more pit than anything else. It was cold and she couldn't hear anything other than the drip, drip, drip of condensation dripping off of some kind of building to her right.

She was so alone.

178. Mixed Vegetables

Sam enjoyed being in Mr. Neelix's company, enjoyed learning how to cook and such with him. He became Mr. Neelix's assistant in just about everything save his ambassadorial duties and he couldn't have been happier. He chopped vegetables and learned how to make desserts and full course meals. He grew happier and more alive as the days past. He spent time in Mr. Neelix's company outside of the kitchen.

Sam wondered if this was what having a father was like.

179. Monkey Breath

Hoshi was learning to get along as a part of the crew. She still had slight difficulties as there wasn't really very much she could contribute at this point that wasn't directly correlated to how far or how fast she could push the ship's propulsion systems. She didn't really have any other expertise outside of her duties as a Guardian, but most of the Guardians in this Quadrant seemed to be dormant other than the ones she'd already passed. She knew that she had other skills, but she was still trying to recover from the forced separation from her other half as well as recovering from how hard she had pushed herself to find help. Doing both of those things after having lived through the Tarsus IV Massacre really didn't help either.

She would speak with Sam about it, but he was starting to recover, finally starting to move on. He wasn't as connected to Suisei as Hoshi was connected to Jim. Suisei was dampening the connections between all of them, of that Hoshi was certain. Suisei was killing herself and though she was trying to protect Hoshi and their boys from it, you couldn't fully hide what one side of the brain was doing to the other. Not without completely destroying the connection in the first place and Suisei wouldn't be able to do that alone.

Instead Hoshi went to the two people that had the best chance of helping her: Commander Tuvok and Saavil.

180. Moonstone

The Lunar family was not one that had lasted very long as its own Line after the deaths of the original re-founding members. The Lunar family had immediately mixed in with the Earth Line, though that really didn't surprise anyone. What surprised those in the know the most was the mixing of those two Lines with the Vulcan Line.

This was what explained the need for the two Lines to be a part of each planet's history in such a large way. The first Vulcan-Human hybrid being both the continuation and ultimately end of those Lines. Neither Line were aware of what they were by the time they came into contact with one another was the most surprising outcome.

The Vulcan Star Line wasn't like this at all. They remained aware of who and what they were for far longer than most of the Sol System Lines and other Lines that came about as well.

Only one person from the Vulcan Line remained aware of what they were, but they were also so far removed from that Line's knowledge that most of the Line wasn't even aware that they were really just a Branch from the Line. How else did Surak gain such acclaim and influence amongst his people without being from the Branch of the Vulcan Line?

181. Mountain Meadow

Sam was out on one of the foraging missions with Mr. Neelix and the rest of the away team. He hadn't gotten off of the ship a whole lot since he'd come aboard and he knew that part of that reason was because the Doctor wasn't sure if he would be a suicide risk or not. He was honest enough with himself by this point to realize that their fears had a solid base in reality for that time. He wasn't having the same problems anymore, though, and for that he was grateful to the people who had saved him.

He was absolutely surprised when he turned around, intending to show Mr. Neelix the fruit that he had found and instead found a human male wearing a captain's uniform staring at him instead.

182. Mucus

Maria had come down with a cold and nothing the Doctor did seemed to help her out. She was miserable and confined to her quarters and only allowed out when she was going to the Doctor for a check-up.

It was very lucky for everyone that somehow Commander Tuvok was present when she was being taken there or they wouldn't have found out about his illness so soon and it would have caused some problems. As it was, he was able to be diagnosed and then cured because Maria and Saavil were in the Sick Bay at the same time he came down to speak with the Doctor about the memory problems he was starting to have.

Saavil being a blood relative helped as well.

183. Mulberry

Maria took to following the admiral around whenever she was able to. This both endeared her to the admiral and annoyed the same woman. Maria wouldn't answer Naomi's question about whether or not she was doing this on purpose or if she just really liked the admiral. Maria insisted that Naomi follow along with her whenever she could and Naomi was surprised to discover that though the admiral and the captain were essentially the same person, they were also very different from one another.

It wasn't in the big things, oh no, it was in the small things. And in the end, wasn't it the small things that mattered the most?

184. Mummy's Tomb

Comet knew that this was a different place and time, knew that these people were not the people that she had watched grow and live and die. That didn't stop her heart from freezing in her chest when she noticed something that should, by all rights, not exist this early in any time.

A Borg cube was making its way to the ship she was in, and the Enterprise was woefully unprepared for it.

185. Mystic Maroon

The swirling energies that seemed to feed off of the man in front of him didn't really register in Sam's mind; they wouldn't really do that until much later, long after he'd returned to Voyager. For the moment he just stared at the man, knowing that he didn't belong but that he also didn't seem to register as a threat. The man seemed to smirk at him a little wider when that last thought crossed Sam's mind.

"Don't worry," the man said, "Everything is going to work out, at least it should, but one can never really tell when it comes to humans. Still," and here he held up a finger as if making a point, "I believe that they will come out on top after all."

With that, he vanished in a quick flash of white light.

186. Mystic Pearl

Captain Janeway was not pleased when she learned the Q had been visiting one of her new crew members and was even more confused when she was told what he had said. She wondered what he meant by it, but knew that she probably wouldn't find out what it was until Q wanted her to. Still, it was irritating; the only thing worse that could come up would be a fleet of Borg cubes which, thankfully, hadn't happened in a more than half a year by this point.

She went ahead and finished installing the upgrades to Voyager that the admiral had brought with her and even made sure to spend a little time every day studying some of the information that her future counterpart provided them with. The admiral herself seemed more than content to interact with the crew even if she was starting to be referred to as 'Janie.' A name that was given to her by Maria and backed up by Naomi and the rest of the children on board. 'Janie' worked wherever the captain asked her to, but seemed to gravitate more towards the sciences anyway.

All in all, things were looking pretty good for one lost Starfleet ship in the Delta Quadrant.