Janeway cleared her head of morbid thoughts as Gretchen and B'Elanna left. She quickly sent Seven to Engineering after them, expecting her interim Security Officer to continue her investigation. They had had a confession, but she wanted all of the loose ends tied up before they completely ruled on the murder.
"Doctor," said Janeway commandingly, "I'm going to be using your office while you run the autopsy."
"Yes Captain," said the Doctor, moving towards Rachel Hargrove's newly transported body. It was covered by a blue sheet, but above the torso, where the head should be, there was only the shape of a Starfleet pillow.
Janeway closed her eyes, very briefly, and squared her shoulders, sitting down at the Doctor's desk, bringing up Rachel Hargrove's service record.
Three hours later, Sickbay's doors opened. Janeway turned to look and saw with surprise that it was Gretchen.
"Sam's taking over as B'Elanna's assistant," said Gretchen to her, "As soon as she came in for the night shift, B'Elanna sent me down here to investigate."
"Investigate what?" said Janeway.
"Are you there yet Kincaid?" came B'Elanna's irritated voice over the comlink.
"Yes," said Gretchen, "I'm getting set up now," she said, clearly looking around for something.
Gretchen grabbed an empty medical cart from the Doctor's office, and wheeled it over to a spot on the floor. Janeway blinked in surprise as the woman maneuvered herself as if she would climb on top of it.
"What are you doing?" said the Doctor in irritation, "That's medical property, and it's supposed to stay sterile."
"I need to get to the ceiling."
"You'll break your neck with that," hissed the Doctor.
"The ceiling?" asked Janeway, recognizing the spot now, it was where Alexander Roger's pod had been yesterday, "Seven scanned that area thoroughly, I saw it in her report."
"Yes, but this wouldn't show up on a scan," said Gretchen, making to climb the tray, the breaks were on, but it creaked and bobbled and both Janeway and the Doctor instinctively moved to support it.
"Gretchen get down from there," ordered Janeway, "I'm lighter than you are, and I haven't had a head injury recently."
Gretchen groaned, but obeyed the Captain, and climbed off the wobbling tray.
Captain Janeway lifted herself up, as the Doctor and Gretchen supported it, "I can't believe of all the equipment we have on this ship, we don't have any decent ladders," groaned Janeway, "That's Starfleet for you."
"You do realize I'm holographic Captain?" said the Doctor.
"I do," said Janeway, as she moved the panel in the ceiling, "But I assume we're looking for something in the Engineering family. It's been awhile, but I still remember my classes at the Academy. What am I looking for Gretchen?"
"Most likely a small circle," said Gretchen, handing her a flashlight, "B'Elanna said it might look like a clear bead. It was one of Hargrove's signature tricks, back in the Maquis, when they didn't have much access to Starfleet tech. It can alter and enhance energy waves. No one else ever managed to copy it correctly."
Janeway stretched herself up in the paneling, searching for many long minutes, using her old class memories to guess where such a device might be hiding. The technology in the panel was some of the most complicated in the ship, as it would be a disaster if Sickbay ran out of power at the wrong time. Finally, when she was almost ready to call Seven down and order Gretchen to replicate and assemble an actual ladder, she felt a tiny bump that was not supposed to be there.
It was incredibly small, and Janeway would never have found it if she had not been searching. But she was sure, as she held it in her hands and turned it over, that it was what they were looking for.
She handed it to Gretchen, as she climbed off the tray. The younger woman turned it over in her hand, looking at the tiny circuitry, "This looks just like B'Elanna described," she said sadly, "Apparently one of these could've grabbed the energy in the pod, and amplified it, like a tiny lightning storm."
Janeway nodded, sighing internally.
One of my crew a murderer…..we've been together so long…..how could this happen again?...
"We found it B'Elanna," said Gretchen softly, clicking her combadge.
"Well that's just great," said B'Elanna heatedly, "What an idiot."
"Do you think she caused the first glitches?" asked Janeway intently.
"No," said B'Elanna flatly, "We've been on a Starfleet ship so long, I'd almost forgotten how scrappy she was. She taught herself Engineering on a refugee world and so she didn't have a classic style. She had all these quirky little tricks for everything when we were in the Maquis, like those hacking beads."
B'Elanna breathed in deeply over the com, "But she couldn't have done something on the level of those glitches without me catching her …..those fluctuations were a much bigger deal, from an Engineering standpoint, than one pod burnout."
"So we have two separate incidents still?" questioned Janeway, "One an Engineering issue…..and one a solved murder."
"It sounds like it Captain," said B'Elanna tiredly, "I can believe she did it…..Kahless knows a Klingon relationship like that would end in violence…it's just…hard to believe they're both dead…"
"B'Elanna your half shift is close to over anyway," said Janeway cajolingly, "Why don't you come back down to Sickbay now?"
"No Captain," said B'Elanna, voice uncharacteristically flat, "I'm alright. I want to be with my team. They're all a wreck right now. And this is where I want to be."
"Alright B'Elanna," said Janeway sympathetically. She glanced at the Doctor who nodded slightly, "I'm giving you an extra two hours. But then you will report to Sickbay. Engineering will need you tomorrow, and you need your rest."
"Thank you Captain," said B'Elanna, and the channel clicked off abruptly.
"I want to go back to Engineering too," said Gretchen, "It really is a wreck right now."
I can imagine, thought Janeway exhaustedly, nodding at Gretchen, "Same time limit as B'Elanna," she ordered.
The next morning brought no change in B'Elanna's eyes, and a still unconscious Athena Ariti.
Seven's investigation report was finished before noon. Janeway could see no problem with her conclusions. Lengthy crew interviews showed a long history of instability on Hargrove's part, and welding contacts explained why she had not been blinded by the laser torch. The Doctor had been hampered by the absence of a complete corpse, but considering the circumstances, his autopsy backed up Seven's hypothesis, ruling Hargrove's death a suicide.
That only leaves one thing to do, thought Janeway sadly, exhaustedly. The last thing we can do for them.
That afternoon, Janeway called B'Elanna and Gretchen up from Engineering to hear their proposal for a system that would allow Voyager to give Rogers and Hargrove a traditional burial in space, despite the lightening speeds they were moving at. Janeway had tried to put the burial plans off for another day or two, out of respect for her crew's shock, but B'Elanna had been determined, wanting the funerals done as soon as possible. Soeur had insisted on attending the meeting as well, as a liaison to the K'Terran's mysterious technology.
Janeway watched as the three of them entered her Briefing Room. B'Elanna and Gretchen were low energy and stoic, and she wondered how much either of them had slept last night. To her surprise Gretchen had not returned to sleep on her couch, but had left Engineering at the time ordered. B'Elanna had been sedated after her half shift, but hypospays did not always work on Klingons, and the woman certainly looked as if she had tossed and turned all night. The K'Terran leader was, by contrast, smiling cheerfully and commenting positively on the Briefing Room, complimenting everything from the colors chosen, to the design of the door.
Janeway breathed in deeply as she sat down, telling B'Elanna to start the meeting.
The Klingon sat rigidly in her chair, "It's a good plan, Captain," she said evenly, explaining the technological details in a flat voice, "It'll work. We can bury them like Starfleet always does."
"Except they won't float in space," added Gretchen, "Be'nl says their bodies will be destroyed as soon as they hit the shield."
"And you believe the plan will work from your end, Soeur?" asked Janeway.
"Oh yes," said Soeur, smiling cheerfully.
"Alright," said Janeway, nodding.
"Her body will be completely burned up," continued Soeur, body language suddenly changing completed. Her teeth flashed, and her voice became very deep, "The traitor shall burn, as in the volcanos under the sea. Her head has already been taken and her body shall burn, burn, burn!"
"Soeur, stop!" shouted Gretchen suddenly, a moment before Kathryn could, slamming the table with an open hand, "You're upsetting us."
Gretchen jerked her head at B'Elanna, who still could not see, but whose face had become so horrified that Kathryn thought she was going to throw up.
I've never seen B'Elanna look like that.
"We apologize," said Soeur, cheerful again, glancing at B'Elanna, "However we shall be happy to curse her for you, as a traitor to her fellow females. Every K'Terran shall do so if you wish. This is what would be done in K'Terran space."
"That won't be necessary," said Captain Janeway, slowly but firmly, "We have different traditions."
"As you wish Captain," said Soeur.
B'Elanna seemed to sag in relief, but she looked oddly distant.
"Is there anything else B'Elanna?" said Janeway to jog her out of it.
"The schematics," answered B'Elanna, voice flat, "They should be pulled up. I can't show you," she said sagging further into her chair, "Kincaid will have to do it."
"I want to check on Engineering," said B'Elanna, in a monotone voice, "You can't use me here anyway."
Janeway and Gretchen exchanged a look.
Janeway nodded, "Alright B'Elanna. Gretchen, why don't you take the two of them down and then come back?"
I am not leaving B'Elanna alone with a K'Terran if I can help it.
Gretchen nodded.
Soeur nodded at Gretchen as she and B'Elanna left, and then to Captain Janeway's surprise, lingered.
"We are available Captain," said Soeur, rising and speaking softly, "To avenge you by assuring that your traitor suffers in the afterlife,"
"We understand you did not want to upset Lieutenant Torres," she added gently, "But all rules of etiquette insist a traitor's departure should be accompanied by an excruciating chorus of curses."
The green alien smiled cheerfully as she left the room.
Janeway sighed, and sagged, feeling a headache coming on.