Sweet Dreams, Voyager

by Speaker for the Dead aka 17

The crew of the Voyager discover that the ship that they have called their home for six years is sentient. When threatened by terrorists, they must choose between the ship and the life of their captain...

2. Chapter 2

Sweet Dreams, Voyager (Part 2)

A Voyager fanfic brought to you by TaTTooGaL aka fROzen Lt. 17 of 26 (MERSTS)

A Voyager fanfic brought to you by TaTTooGaL aka fROzen Lt. 17 of 26 (MERSTS)

The ship's corridors are bustling with activity as we prepare to shut down Voyager for the first time in many years. Many of the major systems being shut down require Level-9 authorization, such as life-support. It is a major undertaking for many of the crew members, but crew morale is high. Perhaps for the first time in six years, we won't have to worry about the well-being of our ship. It is a... refreshing sensation.

I am walking with Voyager down the corridor, towards my quarters. She gives me regular updates on the status of the preparations for shutdown. I still find it amazing that she can keep tabs on everything that goes on around her, so old and wise. Her guise of a child seems somewhat inappropriate in that sense.

Yet the more I come to think of it, the more it makes sense to me. Voyager is all of six and a half years old, and she has all the innocence and naivete of a child. She seems like an insatiable fount of energy and curiosity, always restless, wide-eyed and eager to learn everything. Even before the first blueprint had been laid down, she was already destined to be a ship of exploration.

Voyager pauses in her litany of happenings and looks plaintively up at me. "Captain Janeway," she says, tugging on my hand.

I smile down at her. "Call me Kathryn."

She nods and continues. "Kathryn... I was just wondering if I could... sleep in your quarters? Afterwards, I mean." She gives me a beseeching look. "Please?"

She looks so sweet I can hardly refuse. Which I never intended to anyway. "Of course."

Several hours later, Voyager is asleep in my quarters. The lighting has been reduced the dim glow of the auxiliary lights, and air from the atmosphere outside is being filtered in. I gaze out of the observation window at the tranquil green meadows and sigh. I can almost smell the deep rich scent of fresh spring grass growing in the carefully-tamed wilderness outside. It feels so much like home. Voyager is curled up on my couch. I sit beside her and read my book by the natural sunlight streaming in through the observation port. My quarters look different without the artificial lighting, more natural... homely, somehow.

Someone knocks softly on the door. "Come," I say.

Chakotay slides the door open gently. "Sshhhh," I tell him, as he walks into the room. The corners of his mouth twitch upwards slightly as his gaze falls on Voyager's inert form.

He hands me a padd. "Everything's been bolted down," he says, as I peruse the contents of the padd. "Most of the crewmembers have left for the city of Tri'hsder."

"That's nice," I say. "I heard the city's sights are spectacular."

"Yes," he replies. "One should really see it for oneself."

I smile coyly up at him. "Was that an invitation?"

He raises an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you're not going down to the city?"

I gesture to the sleeping form of Voyager. "She needs someone to look after her."

Chakotay chuckles. "Kathryn, she's a big ship. She can take care of herself. Besides," he adds with a conspiratory wink, "there's always a skeleton crew on duty. And B'Elanna will still be here until the repairs are finished."

I sigh and put my hand gently on Voyager's head. "I'm still worried," I say. "I shouldn't leave her alone, here, especially since communications are down."

"There'll still be hand communicators," he cajoles me. "Everyone is still in contact, just in case something happens."

I hesitate, reluctant to leave my ship by herself in this wilderness.

"It'll only be for a few hours," coaxes Chakotay, holding his hands out. "You need to rest as well, Kathryn. You can't be constantly looking over her like a concerned mother Horta. Sometimes you must take a break."

I give a heavy sigh, unable to question my first officer's logic. "Very well, then." I raise a warning finger. "But only for a few hours."

Chakotay laughs. "I promise to have you back with your daughter before midnight."

I punch him wickedly on the arm as I stand up. He merely grins as he escorts me out of the door. But before I leave, I throw a glance over my shoulder. "I'll be back soon," I promise Voyager.

A few hours have passed since I shut down, and the sleep has been good. I feel refreshed, ready to take on anything. I stretch, but I don't see Kathryn anywhere. I decide to look for her in the Mess Hall. I brighten the interior lighting and reactivate the doors and turbolifts.

Kathryn isn't in the mess hall either. I don't know where she is. Neelix smiles at me, and takes me by the hand. I believe the captain has gone to Tri'hsder, he tells me.

I blink up at him. She didn't tell me, I say.

I guess she wasn't planning to leave, he says, but I suppose Commander Chakotay talked her into it. Do you want to have lunch with some of the crewmembers?

I don't eat, I tell him. But I don't mind sitting with them.

Neelix takes me by the hand and leads me to a table where some of the senior crew are seated. Paris and Kim are there, freshly back from Tri'hsder, and they are regaling B'Elanna of tales of what they have seen. B'Elanna looks tired. She's been working non-stop since our landing twelve hours ago. I've been sleeping for about four or five hours, and she's done wonders since then. Everyone smiles when they see me.

I was wondering why the lights came back on, says Paris, grinning at me.

I woke up, I tell him.

B'Elanna sits up, suddenly alert. Should I bring all the systems back up to speed now? She asks.

No, I say, everyone should get to stay a little longer. Maybe you should wait for Kathryn to come back.

Kim raises an eyebrow. Kathryn? He asks. On a first-name basis now, are we? He asks with a smile.

I climb into one of the chairs at the table. Yes, I say. I could call you Harry if you want.

Please do, he says, still smiling.

I prod B'Elanna's elbow. Aren't you going to Tri'hsder too? Even Kathryn has gone.

B'Elanna smiles wearily at me. I'd like to, she says, but I have work to do.

I frown. Don't overwork yourself, I tell her. Everyone will have time to go to Tri'hsder. Irej and Nayr can finish the work here.

B'Elanna gives me a funny look. You trust them with your warp engine?

Someone can watch over them, I tell her. Seven can watch them. She just came back from Tri'hsder. I reactivate the communications network and locate her comm signal moving down the corridor towards us. She's coming here now, I say. You can ask her.

B'Elanna still looks uncertain.

Come on, says Tom. I'll take you around Tri'hsder, just the two of us. You should see their lake at sunset. The locals tell me that it's a sight unrivaled in this quadrant or any other.

And their bars are similarly unrivaled, Harry teases Tom.

Yeah, that too, admits Tom. Everyone laughs.

Seven enters the mess hall and heads over to our table. She has heard everything we said, and frowns disapprovingly. I was offered twenty-three drinks in the space of seventeen minutes in one of the local bars, she says, even though I made it clear that I was in no need for any form of refreshments. She wrinkles her nose a little. The doctor told me that this would be an interesting cultural experience, but I fail to see how it would be relevant to my duties on Voyager. She glances down at me. Do you?

I shake my head.

Tom and Harry chuckle. Well, at least you now know what to do the next time you want to pick up a guy from a bar. Say... Chakotay, for example, jokes Paris.

Seven's frown deepens, but she says in a deadpan manner, I assure you I have absolutely no compunction to do so during the duration of my stay on this vessel.

Everyone laughs again. I laugh too, not because I find it funny, but because, of all the starships in the world, it was me who was picked to service this wonderful crew.

It is late in the night before I remember the time. The city of Tri'hsder is every bit as scenic as promised, combining aesthetics and arts with the natural splendor of nature. It is a cool night and the silver twin orbs of the Esabrat moons hang peacefully in a clouded sky. Chakotay and I are seated on a sculpted stone bench facing one of the Esabrat's beautifully-conceived fountain gardens. The night is crisply silent. Nothing disturbs the soft sounds of gurgling water or the wind whispering in the trees, save for the plaintive strain of some night-bird's song. Chakotay entwines his fingers with mine. I glance over him and smile, feeling an unusual sort of euphoria. It was so nice, I reflected dreamily, to be able to leave all my duties behind and be carefree for a short time. I leaned against Chakotay, feeling the warmth of his body pervading mine. He placed his hand on my shoulder, gently, and I sighed. "Look at the moonlight reflecting on the surface of the water," I said. "It's beautiful."

Chakotay nodded. "Everything always looks nice when you're enjoying yourself."

I laugh softly in agreement, but somewhere in the back of my head, a small alarm begins to sound. I've forgotten something, and I don't know what it is. I try to remember how'd I gotten here, but all I distinctly remember entering a bar with Chakotay... and something about the time... What was the time?

"It's not often that we get to leave Voyager to enjoy a night like this," he says, and that memory jolts me awake. I try to sit bolt upright, but a sudden sharp pain lances through the back of my skull. Chakotay grabs me before I fall, concerned. "Is something wrong?" His words sound blurred, poorly formed.

"The time... Chakotay, what's the time?" I struggled to get to my feet, the world beginning to spin around me.

Chakotay looks confused. "The ... time? What do you mean, time?"

"Voyager!" I exclaim. "Voyager, I've left her alone... she must be so worried, and this... this.... I can't..." I stood up, and found I couldn't keep my balance. I swayed and fell. Moments before I hit the floor, I heard Chakotay crying out my name. Then a galaxy of red stars exploded in my vision before fading to black.

When I awake, the first thing I see is a cherubic, heart-shaped face hovering over mine, suffused with concern. Voyager. I sit up quickly and immediately regret it, as an intense pain shoots through the base of my skull. "Agh," I moan, clamping a hand to my head.

I am in sickbay, and all the operational lights are on. The ship, it seems, has been brought back up to speed. The doctor comes bustling over, his face set in a mask of disapproval. "Don't move," he says, pressing a hypospray to my neck. "You've got a bad hangover."

Hangover? I give the doctor a odd glance and frown. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"That means," the doctors says with in a heavy, patronizing tone, "that you and Commander Chakotay walked into a bar, got carried away, and had more than a little too much to drink." He scowls crossly at me. "Really, Captain, you of all people should have known that real alcohol could have such detrimental effects on your body-"

I wave his complaints away with an irritated gesture. "How did I get here?"

The doctor lets out a aggravated sigh and rolls his eyes. "Commander Chakotay brought you here in a fit of histrionics, claiming that you were dead, startling and upsetting all my patients, not to mention damaging some of my medical equipment in the process." He lets out a martyred sigh.

My frown deepens. Chakotay is asleep on another biobed. "I don't recall consuming any alcohol."

"An effect of your hangover, presumably."

I shake my head and put my hands on my hips as the effects of the alcohol begin to slip away. "I distinctly remember ordering synthehol," I say firmly. "I did not go into that city intending to get drunk, Doctor."

"As I have no doubt," remarks the doctor dryly.

I ignore his last remark and address Voyager. "Did you sleep well?"

Voyager clings tightly to my hand. "I slept well." She glances up at me, uneasy, and continues. "But... I got worried. And then when Chakotay came in... I thought..." Her lower lip trembled, and she looked away.

I sighed, feeling a headache building again. I kneel down to Voyager's level. "I'm sorry," I say sincerely. "I know I was supposed to watch over you, but..." I don't know how to put it across to her without sounding overly patronizing or overly maudlin. "I guess I ... forgot my duties as a captain as for a while." I scan her face. "I'm sorry." My voice has dropped to a barely audible whisper. I can't seem to find the energy to raise it any further.

Voyager hugs me fiercely, then pulls away. "I'll go away now," she says softly, and she leaves. I straighten up and gaze sadly after her retreating figure. On the biobed, Chakotay begins to stir.

I give the doctor a shaky, crooked smile. "I guess I got more than I bargained for," I say softly.

He says nothing, but shakes his head.

I walk down to engineering, feeling more and more depressed. I started the day feeling euphoric and happy, but everything seems to be going downhill. I'm already feeling sorry for walking away from Kathryn. I mean, it can't exactly be her fault, can it?

Then suddenly something hits me, hard. Pain flares up from the aft hull on my port side. I shriek and fall as I feel my deckplates vibrate with the impact. I am under attack!

Immediately I call a red alert. The pain from the impact begins to fade as B'Elanna's new diagnostics take over. I've been hit by a class-2 phaser bolt with my shields down. I run to the bridge.

When I arrive, Kathryn is already there, although not Chakotay. Sensors indicate that the ship was struck by a class-2 phaser bolt, announces Tuvok. He is one of the few who haven't gone down to Tri'hsder, but he looks just as fresh and implacable as everyone else.

The city of Tri'hsder is under attack, not us, I say, calling up an image of Tri'hsder on the forward viewer. The city is in flames. Angry red bolts of energy strike it from the sky. I use the sensors to sweep over the coordinates where they seem to be coming from and detect a ship. I tell Kathryn so.

Mr. Paris, take us out there, she tells Tom firmly. We must protect the city.

Aye, Captain, he replies. I raise my shields and divert full power to the thrusters and impulse engines. The phaser banks are fully charged. Good.

I rise into the sky, streaking towards the hostile ship. She is larger than I am, but she isn't as well armed or defended. She is also much older- about twelve or thirteen years, as far as spectrometry can tell. I feel energized, ready for battle.

Target their main shield generators and fire, says Kathryn. I obediently search for the energy signals associated with shield generators and find it.

Firing, says Tuvok.

I empty phaser banks two and three and direct them at the coordinates I have found. The shields of the other ship resist my attack, but they are no match for my powerful phasers. The last shots puncture the shields and they dissolve. The ship lurches, injured.

The enemy vessel has sustained heavy damage, says Tuvok.

The ship fires back with furious intensity. The phaser strikes my shields, and I yelp slightly as the shots singe the hull. Kathryn glances down at me in concern.

I'm okay, I tell her.

Evasive maneuvers, Mr. Paris, she says crisply. I can feel Tom's skilled hand on the controls as he deftly weaves me out of the line of enemy fire.

It feels good to be in battle with such a competent crew.

We exchange shots. With their shields down, the other ship is at a disadvantage, and within a few more shots its weapons are off-line. We try hailing them, but nobody replies. Then my sensors notice that the enemy ship is building up an unusual amount of energy around its containment core. They are preparing to self-destruct!

Without warning I fire thrusters and yank away from the ship. Kathryn and Tom look at me, positively puzzled.

They're going to blow up! I say.

That is about as far as I can get before the ship detonates, sending a huge shock wave rushing towards us. I take a deep breath and batten everything down as the wavefront hits us. Everyone is braced in their seats and nobody gets hurt.

When the light finally clears, Kathryn stands up and stares at the empty sector of space as if it could give her all the answers. I wonder who they were, she muses softly, and what did they want with the Esabrat?

I shrug.

Kathryn notices the burn on my arm for the first time. She kneels down and takes my arm in her hands. What's that? she asks.

The first phaser shot, I say. A minor hull breach.

Does it hurt? She asks cautiously.

Not really. I shrug. Maybe. I don't know. What do you mean, hurt?

Does it bother you?

A little.

She frowns, and I can see that's she's hurting too.

I'm sorry I was mean to you, I say.

She gives me a funny glance and a crooked smile. I wasn't aware you were.

I grin at her.

Then something blips on my sensors. Kathryn picks up on the look of alarm on my face and asks, What is it?

Nine more ships of a similar design are dropping out of warp, says Harry, with more than a touch of concern.

Nine ships drop out of warp and surround us, their phasers targeted on the world below. We are receiving a message from the lead ship, says Tuvok. Audio only.

Put it on, says Kathryn, standing up.

The message is crackly and patchy, but it is clear enough for us to understand.

Federation Starship Voyager, says a man's deep voice, this is Ennaxor Noswad of the Warship Trinity. I'll be straight to the point. You have something we want, and unless we get it, we're going to decimate the city beneath us, and then the next, and the next. All you have to do to stop this is to cooperate with our demands. We want the sentient being aboard your ship which controls your computer. The girl. The voice deepens in a hearty chuckle. There are approximately two billion beings down on that planet whose lives are in your hands. I trust that you are a compassionate woman, Captain Janeway. Then the transmission fades into static.

That's it, says Tuvok.

Everyone is looking at Kathryn. Her face is pale, but her lips are tightened into a thin line. We don't negotiate with terrorists, she says.

I gulp. They want me, I say timidly.

Kathryn puts a comforting hand on my shoulder. They're not going to get you, she responds firmly. She turns to Harry. Ensign Kim, she says, hail them.

They're not responding, he says.

Then send them a message. Tell them that their request is impossible because Voyager isn't just a sentient being controlling our computer, she's our ship. Her voice hardens. There's no way I'm going to give her up.

Acknowledged, says Harry. He sends the package.

Now what? Asks Paris.

Now, says Kathryn heavily, we watch... and wait.