Chapter 6
(Back on the bridge)
"Captain, there's a new small fleet of unknown vessels hailing us," Harry Kim reported.
"On screen." Janeway returned as she exchanged a quick glance with Chakotay, silently letting him know she was okaying the evacuation plan.
When the aliens appeared on the viewscreen, Janeway and Chakotay were stunned to discover that they recognized them.
The bridge crew was shocked and confused when the captain and the commander rapidly stood up, greeted the lavender aliens warmly and immediately accepted their offer of assistance.
How could they consider trusting these strangers, especially after they'd been burned so badly by so-called allies in this system? Tom and Tuvok exchanged concerned glances, wondering if they needed to step in for the command team. Had battle fatigue clouded their judgement?
But there was no time for thought or debate. The multitude of alien aggressors that had forced them from the nebula were powering up their weapons systems.
Voyager and the lavender aliens' small fleet of ships fought together valiantly. Although they were eventually forced to retreat, their new allies managed to provide sufficient cover for Voyager to move out of range of the melee. They escorted them further away to a safe haven, orbiting one of their fledgling colonies where they offered food and supplies to repair their vessel.
After a few weeks of orbiting the planet, while the crew worked diligently on extensive ship repairs, the senior staff discussed their next course of action.
Finally, Captain Janeway addressed the entire crew from the bridge. The senior staff all stood at attention at their stations.
"After much consideration, today our journey home…" She swallowed hard. Her eyes were bright. "Ends." This had been a difficult decision.
"We could continue our journey, fighting in this war zone, but our enemies far outnumber us, and we keep losing ground. Most likely that course of action would entail substantially more damage to ship. And the loss of additional crew members. Something I find unacceptable.
"Thanks to our allies, the T'lojans-" She nodded towards two of the lavender aliens standing near her on the bridge. "We've been able to complete many repairs to Voyager. However, as of today, the warp drive is still off-line and we're nearly out of essential components needed for our replicators to function properly. At this moment, we have no access to the resources needed to make those repairs. In theory, we could continue our journey on impulse power alone, but that would be extremely dangerous in this war-torn region of space. It would also lengthen our trip substantially. And we'd be far more vulnerable to threats of other shortages or running out of supplies entirely.
"Instead of taking on these dangerous risks, we're going to keep our family together as best we can and embrace a new home. A temporary home with the T'lojans. Conditions will be primitive at first but working together with our allies, I'm confident that we will flourish."
Looking about the bridge at the forlorn faces of her officers, she said, "Today things might seem bleak, maybe even hopeless. Yet there is a light in the darkness. We will continue to maintain Voyager. I have insisted upon that. Someday we will obtain the resources we require to restore our ship to top condition. At that point, we will resume our journey home."
She turned towards Chakotay and smiled, reaching for his hand. She laced her fingers through his.
"My enlightenment quest reminded me that, even when things seem hopeless, there's always hope for the future."
"Set her down gently, Mr. Paris."
"Aye, Captain."
The End
A/N: Once again, thanks to my betas, SuzJ1 and Tracy for their support. And thanks to everyone for reading! Any interest in a brief epilogue or follow up? A few ideas are popping into my head...