Disclaimer: not mine

Chapter 20

Kairi's gasp had Xion at her side in a moment, the other girls hair an utter shambles from sleeping.

"What's wrong?" she asked, fingers flexing like she'd barely stopped herself summoning her Keyblade in reaction to waking so suddenly.

Kairi felt bad for startling her awake but then held out her Gummi phone. "He wants me to come," she could feel tears gathering, and then Xion was hugging her tight.

"That's great!"

Kairi nodded, staring at Riku's message, telling her that Sora wanted to see her. She was…scared. Not of Sora, she would never be scared of him. But what if he didn't like how she'd changed and grown while he was gone? What if he didn't, couldn't, love her anymore? Ventus had sent her a sneaky photo a few days ago, of Riku sprawled in the grass with Sora curled against him, Riku stroking his hair. She was so grateful that Sora was able to let Riku so close after everything he'd been through, but would he let her too?

"It'll be okay," Xion told her. "Now we better get you ready and on your way."

Kairi nodded and scrambled up to eat breakfast and shower. If she pushed things, she could be there by evening.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"You were pretty forceful in there," Tom commented as they walked away from the briefing.

"So?"

"So? I don't think I've ever seen you that assertive in a staff meeting before. You must be bucking for a promotion," he smirked.

"I had an idea and I spoke up, that's all," Harry shrugged slightly.

"Oh, no, no, no. It was more than that. You put Tuvok in his place right in front of everybody," and oh he had loved seeing that…even if he did like the Vulcan more for all the help he had given Sora.

"He was stating the obvious again. Talking down to me like I didn't know anything about Demon Class planets."

"I am not criticising you," he quickly pointed out, actually he was kind of proud of him. "Believe me, nobody enjoys seeing the Vulcan Master put down a peg more than I do. I was just surprised, that's all."

"Why?" Harry paused, turning to look at him.

"It didn't seem like you," Tom admitted.

"Good," Harry answered as they reached the turbolift and the doors opened for them. "Cargo bay two."

"You trying to change your squeaky clean image or something?" he pressed.

"Not exactly."

"What, then?" he asked, leaning against the wall to watch his closest friend on the ship. Harry was both friend and in a way almost a little brother, with Sora being their baby brother. He was glad Sora wasn't there, knew he would have volunteered to go down there because of his increased endurance.

"How do I explain this? When I first came on board Voyager I was pretty green, right?"

"A deep, almost fluorescent green, if I remember correctly," Tom smirked, and Harry shook his head, lips twitching as he smothered a smile.

"I was young, inexperienced, and I acted like it. Nervous about giving my opinion, hesitant to make suggestions, so I usually just kept my mouth shut. And I behaved that way for so long it became a habit. But, in the last four years, a lot has happened. I've fought the Borg, become friends to an ex-drone and tried to help him adjust, been transformed into an alien, helped defeat the Hirogen. Hell, I've even come back from the dead."

"It's been a wild ride," Tom agreed.

"I woke up the other morning and it suddenly hit me. I've got a lot of experience now, so why should I be afraid to take the initiative or voice my ideas?"

"Good for you, Harry," about time he started standing up more. They left the turbolift and headed down the hall. "But do me a favour. The next time you try to assert yourself, leave me out of it. I hate hot weather," he grumbled.

"Don't worry. We can cut some holes in the environmental suits, get some ventilation going," Harry smirked.

"Harry, while you're busy improving yourself, you might try working on your sense of humour."

"My sense of humour? What about that stupid gag about the bicycle?" Harry demanded, and Tom grinned.

"Oh, ho, ho. That was funny."

"No, that was not funny," Tom laughed at his friend who rolled his eyes.

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Aqua watched as Sora got more and more agitated as the day continued, Riku had told them that he had asked to see Kairi. Obviously the travel time was letting all of his doubts and insecurities build up, even with Riku working to distract him. They would need to keep Sora distracted until Kairi arrived then. She smiled when Ventus tossed Sora a practice Sora, obviously having already realised that.

Sora's skills were improving every training session as they worked to help him adapt to his changed body. In a way, he and Riku had switched roles, she remembered fighting both of them in the Realm of Darkness. Riku had been the heavy hitter while Sora had been lightning fast and all over the place. Yes, Riku did incorporate acrobatics in his fighting to a point, but nowhere near the level of people like Sora and Ventus. Now, Sora was fighting more like him and Terra, slower in some ways, but with a lot more strength behind the blows. Not that he'd been weak before, he'd blocked her blow back then and hadn't really been struggling.

There was still no obvious sign of his magic, outside of the incident Riku had recounted of Sora reaching out to him. So he still had magic, but in locking himself away, he'd suppressed it so deeply…she feared what it would take to reawaken it fully. She knew no one wanted Sora near Master Yen Sid but his help may be needed.

She wished Sora was going to stay with them permanently and not return to a universe seemingly devoid of magic because that surely wasn't helping his own. But what other choice was there? His body relied on their technology now for his very survival, and she knew Sora would not abandon them, not after how they had helped him and become friends. She knew Riku would stay with him, Kairi too if Sora would agree to her continued presence and once that would have been a concern. But there were enough of them now to keep a watch over the Worlds and deal with the Heartless and Nobodies that popped up and how could they keep the three of them apart after everything they'd gone through?

,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Riku led Sora up to the summit where they could watch the stars alone, knowing the others would send Kairi to them when she arrived. He sat down on the grass and Sora sat beside him, absently twisting his fingers in the greenery until Riku stopped him by interlacing their fingers. "Hey, I'm here," he promised, gently tugging him closer.

"Riku…"

"It'll be okay Sora. Kairi's seen your picture and she loves you as much as I do," he promised, leaning in to press a soft kiss to his temple.

Sora twisted around to curl into him, and Riku held him close, feeling him wince, and hating the implants. The Doctor had said he hadn't been able to do as much for Sora as he could have with access to full medical facilities, so maybe when Voyager made it him, if Sora agreed, they could alter those implants or remove them totally? He ran his hand up and down his back gently, trying to sooth him.

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Kairi found Ventus waiting for her, smiling softly and she smiled back. "Ven."

"Kairi," he hugged her, and she hugged back. "They're up the summit," he told her, nudging her towards the path.

"How is he?" She asked worriedly.

"He's….hesitant, so don't get upset if he won't get close at first. Let him take his time but let him know that he's welcome. Just…don't flinch."

She nodded and headed up the path, not wanting to wait any longer. Thankfully there were lights along the path and she could see in the deepening darkness of night. She reached the top and paused before making out the shapes up ahead, they were sitting on the ground. Kairi took a deep breath and began walking towards them, making sure she made noise to let them know she was there. "Sora?" she called softly.

In the low light she saw him sit up from where he'd been curled against Riku, his back stiff, and then he slowly stood up, turning his head just enough that he'd be able to see her in his peripheral vision. She kept walking even as Riku stood as well. She wanted so badly to run to Sora and hug him, to never let go, but she forced herself to keep walking, to remember what Riku and Ventus had told her. The light level increased with a twitch of Riku's hand, the lights controlled by magic, letting her make out more detail. The skin tight clothing was so different to anything she'd seen Sora wear before and she caught the light glinting off one of his hands. He seemed frozen in place and she could tell his breathing had quickened a little.

"Sora," she called his name again, extending her hand to him even as she stopped, he had to come to her, she couldn't force him.

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Riku stayed quiet, by Sora's side but not touching him, whatever happened needed to be between Sora and Kairi. That didn't mean he couldn't give quiet support by staying at his side though. So far, Kairi was doing everything right and he just hoped that Sora would respond and reach out, he had asked for her to come after all.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Sora stood side on, watching her through peripheral vision, even as the lighting increased. She didn't seem scared or mad or anything. He took her in as she held her hand out to him. Gone were the short dresses and skirts he remembered, instead she wore long pants, boots, a short sleeved shirt and loose jacket, her hair loose around her. She looked…amazing. He swallowed and slowly turned to face her, letting her see what she would have in the photo, but she didn't flinch, didn't even focus on the implants, her eyes locking onto his. Her outstretched hand didn't waver, her eyes pleading, and he found himself taking a step towards her.

It was one thing for Riku to accept him but Kairi? A Princess of Heart? If anyone would realise what a monster he was now…it was her.

"Please," she whispered, and he slowly raised his hand to hers before freezing as he realised which hand it was. Riku didn't care but Riku had seen it all.

He hesitated, his hand half way to hers, and she looked down, seeing the metal, and then she moved her hand, her fingers gently touching the back of his hand. He remained utterly still, feeling the warmth of her skin as she explored the metal covering a good portion of his hand, her eyes on it to, he was practically holding his breath, waiting for some kind of reaction.

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Kairi couldn't help gently running her fingers over the metal, surprised to find it was cool but not cold like she expected, because it was always exposed to his body temperature? Or was it because it was some kind of alien metal? He remained utterly still, letting her touch and look. If his hand and face were like this…what had been done to the rest of his body?

She slipped her fingers between his and smiled when he cautiously gripped her hand, looking up to meet his eyes. She could see his fear and it hurt that he could be scared of her. She lifted her other hand slowly, reaching out to cup his cheek, not caring when her fingers brushed the metal set above his eye.

"Oh Sora," she whispered, feeling him beginning to tremble. "You're back," she could feel the tears in her eyes as he stared at her, looking lost.

"Don't cry," he finally spoke softly, his voice different to how she remembered but he was older now and who knew how deep the metal on his throat went. "Please don't cry." He slowly lifted his free hand towards her face and she stayed still. His touch was feather light, his skin cooler than she remembered. Sora had always been something of a furnace, like he was a sun himself.

She leant into his touch, smiling at him again. "Can we hug?" she asked, and his eyes widened in shock. She let him think it over, and then he slowly nodded, so she shifted closer, letting go of his hand to wrap her arms around him, feeling him wrap his own around her in return.

"Kairi," he whispered, his head buried in her hair.

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Riku relaxed, smiling, as they hugged, seeing Sora relax a bit. In some ways, it was going better than their own reunion. Then again Sora wasn't exhausted and half-starved and had experience of old friends still accepting him. He fought against a few tears of his own, he knew one hug wouldn't get rid of Sora's fears concerning Kairi's acceptance but it was still good to see.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Sora held onto Kairi, pressing his face to her hair, she still smelt how he remembered, felt almost the same in his arms. "Kairi," he breathed in, mind cataloguing everything about her, all the ways she'd changed and grown.

"I've missed you so much," she told him, pressing closer. He felt her hand brush up his back, moving over uneven skin but not once hesitating. "I love you Sora."

He closed his eyes tight at her words, unable to keep from trembling. How could she say that? Why was it easier to hear and accept when Riku said it?

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Kairi felt him tremble and tightened her grip on him. She could feel things under his clothes as her hand moved up and down his back but she refused to react, even as her heart was breaking all over again for what he had gone through. Maybe she shouldn't have said it, but Riku had told her that he'd told Sora they both loved him, still there was probably a difference between being told and hearing it from her. She gently shifted so she could nudge his head up, looking into his eyes even as he tried to avert his.

"Sora," she called his name gently, and he stopped trying to look away, though he still seemed...scared? She moved one hand to stroke his face. "No matter what happened to you or…or what they made you do, it doesn't change the fact that I love you. We both love you. I'm…I'm so sorry, if I hadn't lowered my guard that day…if I'd struggled more…something, then you never would have had to come after me."

Sora shook his head, eyes wide. "No, Kairi, no." he pressed his hand to the one she was holding to his face. "It wasn't your fault, I knew the risk and I chose to go after you. Even the younger Xehanort warned me which was kind of weird," he admitted. Hearing him speak of that was the final proof that he had all of his memories back for her.

"Well if it wasn't my fault, then nothing that happened to you after was yours. Riku said they had control of your mind, even if you hadn't locked your memories away, there was nothing you could have done to fight it. You can tell me about what happened when you feel ready and even if you never do, that's okay too." She honestly didn't know if she'd be able to handle knowing those horrors but if he wanted to tell her then she would listen.

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Sora fought the urge to shudder at the idea of actually telling someone details of what he had done as a Drone. Sure, Tuvok had seen things, but that was different, that had been in the mind melds. Riku had seen what he'd looked like back then and hadn't been scared at all. But to tell either of them? He couldn't do it, not now and probably not ever, but it was nice of her to say she'd listen.

Having her pressed so close to him was different to Riku, she was shorter and…softer. Not that she didn't have muscle, he could feel that, the strength she had lacked when they were younger. It felt…nice but different to how safe being held by Riku could make him feel. He felt a flash of pain and winced, leaning his head forward against hers as his implants activated, and then Riku's hands were on his temples, rubbing gently.

"What's wrong?" Kairi asked.

"The implants," Riku answered for him, "they don't like strong emotions." Riku pressed against his back, letting Sora lean on him. "It's okay Sora, nice deep breaths. Just relax."

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"Try scanning for infrared signatures," she ordered, having to force herself not to pace.

"There's too much interference," Tuvok told her after a few moments.

"What's up?" Chakotay asked as he left the turbolift, hopefully having dealt with whatever issue the Doctor was having with Neelix.

"Tom and Harry still aren't back," she told him tightly.

"You want me to take another shuttle down and look for them?" he offered, and she stared at him.

"And risk losing you, too? Either we keep waiting until we run out of deuterium and we get trapped in orbit, or," it was crazy…wasn't it?

"Or?" the look on his face said he had a feeling she had a crazy idea.

"We land the ship."

"As you know, Captain, the landing procedure requires a significant output of energy. With shield strength as low as it is, we can't even be certain the ship will survive the descent," Tuvok pointed out.

"What's the alternative? We're up here, the deuterium's down there, and we're stuck without it. We've come this far. Janeway to engineering. Vent all plasma from the nacelles. Transfer any available power to atmospheric thrusters and stand by to commence landing sequence," she ordered, taking her seat.

"Acknowledged, Captain."

"Commander Chakotay, take the conn."

"Tom's going to be sorry he missed this," he offered as he did so.

"Code blue," she ordered.

"Commander Tuvok to all hands. Go to Blue alert and report to Code Blue stations."

"Atmospheric controls at standby. Landing struts online. Inertial dampers at maximum," Chakotay reported. He wasn't Tom but he was one of the best pilots onboard without Tom on board.

"All operative decks report condition blue," Tuvok announced seconds later.

"Let us down easy, Commander."

"We're on a declining glide trajectory. Altitude one hundred and fifty kilometres."

The ship shook as a loud whumph sounded.

"A thermionic discharge. Shields down to eighty one percent. Shields at forty three percent."

"Chakotay."

"I think we're through the worst of it. Almost," he amended as the ship shook again.

"Shields at twenty two percent and falling."

"Can you shore them up?" she asked, gripping the arm rests of her chair tightly.

"Negative. There's no more available power."

"Engaging landing struts. Brace for impact!" Chakotay called, and they all felt the bump as they landed.

"Status?"

"I could give you a litany of damaged systems, Captain, but suffice it to say, now that we're down, we won't go up again soon. "

"Start organising repair crews," she stood up and moved over to Ops to give the Ensign there help, glancing at Chakotay as he stood, they didn't need a pilot on the ground. "That was very good, Commander. Take an away team and find Harry and Tom."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Ventus grinned when he saw them walk down the path together, Sora in the middle. It had been hard to stay away and not at least check if everything was alright. He moved back into the Castle before they could see him, not wanting them to know he'd been waiting. He found Aqua and Terra waiting nearby and grinned at them, making them relax before they all dispersed.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Kairi opened the door to her bedroom, watching Riku open the one to his, glad they were sharing. "Sora?"

He turned to look at her and she was glad he was making eye contact now.

"Can I…can I give you a kiss goodnight?" she asked, and his eyes widened slightly in surprise.

He glanced at Riku who just smiled and moved in, giving her a very nice kiss, leaving her a little weak in the knees. "Goodnight," he murmured before stepping back, squeezing Sora's shoulder gently, before slipping into their room.

"Sora?" she called his name and he turned back to her, licking his lips nervously, before he took a deep breath and stepped closer, one hand moving to her cheek even as she tilted her head up. He stared down at her and then slowly closed the distance between them.

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"Harry," the Commander sounded relieved to see the Ensign and while it was good to have found them both alive…it was also impossible.

Humans could not adapt to such conditions. Of the crew, only herself and Sora should be able to survive even brief exposure to the atmosphere, so how were Mr Paris and Kim alive? And their behaviour was not quite what she expected, they seemed rather…cheery?

"Commander. Isn't it incredible?" Ensign Kim was smiling at them.

"That's what I've been trying to tell them."

"Are you feeling okay, Harry?"

"Never better. If we could get mobile transporters down here, we could mine enough deuterium to get us all the way to the Alpha Quadrant and back again," Kim explained very enthusiastically.

"Tom tells me you've already picked up twenty kilos. That should be enough to get the main systems back online. Let's get back to the ship. Have the Doctor take a look at you."

The Commander was right to insist on that, something was just not adding up.

"I'd rather stay here and keep working, if it's all the same to you."

"It's not."

"Really, Commander, I'm fine. You should send some more personnel out to help. They won't even need environmental suits."

It was very unlike the Ensign to be so argumentative with a superior officer, outside of Mr Paris and that was because they were friends.

"I appreciate your enthusiasm, but we're going back to Voyager. Now."

"It's all right, Harry. Once the Doc takes a look at us and sees we're fine, we'll get right back to work," Mr Paris assured his friend, but she doubted they would be leaving Sickbay any time soon.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Sora stared at Kairi, it was just a kiss goodnight, nothing more. He kissed Riku all the time, what was the difference? He felt the same way about her as he did Riku so why was he hesitating? Then again, their first kiss had been in a dream, so maybe that had made it easier? He took a deep breath and then closed the last distance between them, pressing his lips to hers. It was different to kissing Riku…but no less nice. He pulled back and she smiled at him.

"Goodnight Sora."

"Goodnight," he whispered, watching her go into her bedroom, before going into Riku's…theirs.

Riku was already in bed, the Regeneration machine all set up for him so he quickly got changed and crawled in beside him, relaxing as Riku wrapped an arm around him, gently placing the receiver for him. "So proud of you Sora," he whispered, and Sora smiled even as he felt the cycle kick in.

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"Four of the away team are in Sickbay, Captain. I'm trying to get a lock on the fifth. It is Ensign Kim or rather, one of the Ensigns Kim. The ship is continuing to sink," Tuvok announced.

"Then there's no time. We've got to get back into orbit. We'll worry about Harry or whoever he is once we're up. Bring antigrav thrusters online," she ordered, taking the helm.

"Thrusters enabled."

"Inertial dampers to flight configuration."

"Dampers reconfigured. All stations report ready."

Her fingers moved across the console, activating various systems. "Initiating ascent. I need power to the thrusters."

"We are being restrained by an electromagnetic force."

"Compensate."

"No effect. Decks fourteen and fifteen are submerged. The ship is continuing to sink."

"Report," she called as the shuddered, tilting as it continued to sink.

"Thrusters are offline due to an overload. Decks thirteen through fifteen are submerged. If we don't lift off soon, the hull will begin to corrode."

"Bridge to Engineering."

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Riku smiled as he felt Sora go still, he really was so proud of him. He had faced his fears in calling Kairi to meet her. Things could not have gone any better, Sora hadn't reacted anywhere near as badly as during their own reunion. He had even agreed to a goodnight kiss! He hated that they'd be returning to Voyager soon but Seven and Lieutenant Torres weren't entirely sure how long the portable Regenerator's power source would last and whether things would need adjusting. Would Sora want Kairi to come too? Or would he not be comfortable enough with her yet?

He looked over as the door cracked open slightly, Kairi peering in, just watching them, and he smiled at her. She smiled back and then slipped away back to her own room.

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"Do you have a lock on him?" She asked the transporter technician as she entered the room.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Energise," she ordered and the copy of Harry appeared within the forcefield holding a sample of the planets atmosphere. "Release my vessel."

"We can't do that," he answered shakily.

"We?" she demanded, hating to have to deal with something that looked and sounded so much like one of her crew. It had all of his memories…everything, but it was not Harry Kim.

"The planet and I, we're connected somehow. I can't explain it, Captain. I only know that you've got to stop," he pleaded.

"And I'm willing to stop. But I'll say it again, release the ship."

"No," he shook his head. "We need you."

"Janeway to Tuvok. Fire," she ordered only to watch as the fake Harry fell, briefly appearing made of the fluid. "What are you?"

"Stop. No," he begged.

"I'll fire again," she warned.

"You're killing us!" he yelled at her, pressing a hand to the forcefield.

"You leave me no choice," she told him firmly.

"It's not fair. It's wrong!"

"Janeway to Tuvok."

"No! No, no, no. Please. No more."

"Hold your fire, Tuvok," she called, assuming that meant he was willing to talk.

"Captain, we are continuing to submerge."

"Hold your fire," she confirmed, not looking away from the copy of Harry. The only way it could be worse was if it had copied Sora. She hated seeing one of the youngest members of her crew seemingly in pain, but it was not Harry.

"Acknowledged."

"I want some answers," she warned, and he nodded.

"I'm trying to understand. This is hard for me as well."

"You said you have a connection to this planet. You talk about it like it's alive."

"Alive. Yes, but not the planet. The silver blood."

"The compound that sampled Harry's DNA, and created you."

"Yes. but it's never been conscious, never sentient before now. Before me and the other," he explained, seeming frustrated with his inability to filly explain things.

"Tom Paris."

"We're the first. Don't you see? You came here. You showed us. When the compound came in contact with Tom and Harry, it experienced awareness for the first time. Before, it was only instinct, sound and light and heat. But those two showed us thought."

"I'm beginning to understand," she nodded. "This silver blood experienced sentience, and now you want more. You want to duplicate the rest of this crew and populate this planet." That was why it appeared under the ship.

"You're trying so hard to reach home, but this can be home."

"Not for me, and not for my people. Do you understand why we can't stay here?"

"I think so," he agreed softly.

"Well then, release us."

He shook his head. "We'd rather die than be alone. We deserve life."

"This silver blood that created you. It duplicated Harry without killing him. So you don't need our bodies, only samples of DNA. Release Voyager and I'll speak to my crew. And if they're willing, I'll let you duplicate the rest of us," she compromised.

His eyes went wide and he stared at her…in hope, before closing his eyes.

"Bridge to Janeway. We've stopped, Captain. We're no longer submerging."

"Understood. We're getting out of here, Tuvok, but first assemble the crew in Cargo Bay one and have the Doctor meet me there."

"Captain?"

"I'll explain later," she told him. She looked at the…silver Harry and smiled. "It's time to meet your new family."

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Kairi woke up, panting, and then she got out of bed and went to the room next door, opening the door as quietly as possible, slipping inside. Riku was asleep now, curled around Sora who was sleeping on his side, utterly still except for the movement of his chest as he breathed. She sat down on the desk chair and just watched him breath. It had just been a nightmare…Sora was alive, safe, and with them. He looked so peaceful in his sleep, all his worries gone, and she wondered if Riku was with him in his dreams.

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"All stations report ready for lift off," Harry reported.

"Code blue status confirmed."

"Take us up, Mister Paris," the Captain ordered.

"Aye, Captain," Tom answered in relief.

Not that Harry blamed him for being happy to leave the planet. The idea that they'd been copied and those copies hadn't realised it…he just wanted to get back to the relative safety of space.

Voyager lifted off the ground and up through the atmosphere, leaving behind over a hundred apparently Starfleet people below on the surface.

TBC…