Author: Christy Anderson
You can contact me at kittyunlimited@go.com.
Disclaimer: All characters belong to
Paramount minus Ensign Christy Anderson, Tre'kent, and a few selected
insignificant characters.
And finally, after two months, I have reached
the end. I am not sure if this is final; I may right one more sequel to make
the set complete. But until then, I think this is a good place to end this. I
appreciate your patience, it must have been trying and I thank those that have
hung in with me there even after that major plot twist. That is really where I
planned to go, although it took me a while to establish some of those facts.
Always, Christy-- God bless
Child of Night (Kind der Nacht): Part 11
As I stepped out of the turbolift, the Bridge fell
silent. Tom offered a supporting pat on the shoulder as he less-than-gently
shoved me out and closed the doors. "Mess Hall," I could hear him
command as the turbolift began to whirr away. Chakotay, from the commanding
chair of the bridge, stood up and turned around.
"Commander," I acknowledged dazedly.
"Ensign," he answered. He crossed the
Bridge without a word, and hit the holochimes on the door to the Captain's
Ready Room. The doors swished open, and Chakotay entered quickly. Recovering
from my trance, I walked over to the doors, and stood outside patiently,
waiting to be admitted. Within five minutes, Chakotay came out and gave me the
standard nod to signal that it was okay to enter. "Ensign," he said
before he turned away, "I am sorry for what happened." With that
said, he crossed the Bridge again to his command chair and slid in as silently
as he had left.
"Come in," I heard the Captain call.
Ignoring Chakotay's strange behavior, I entered Captain Janeway's Ready Room
determined not to cry.
The Captain sat at her round desk, a mound of ship's
status reports surrounding her. She had her hair pulled up in its usual bun,
now slightly falling apart. On the table to the left of the room, there was a
bowl of unfinished vegetable bouillon.
"Christy," she called warmly. "How
are feeling?"
I forced a smile and looked her in the eye,
remembering my last psychotic episode in Sickbay. "Well," I lied.
A strange expression spread over her face, but it
was quickly wiped away. She did not believe me, I realized. However, the
Captain deserted the subject and got straight to business.
"I have some good news," she began in her
normal professional way, "and some bad. Let's start off with the worst of
it." Hastily, she turned to the right, and her hands shoved a pile of data
PADDS to the end of the desk and picked out a large one on the opposite side.
Swiveling around in her chair, she looked back up to me with troubled eyes as
she took a deep breath. "I've decided to close Astrometrics," she
announced decidedly.
The color in my face visibly drained at the news.
"Why?" I squeaked.
The Captain looked grim. "Tuvok has determined
that it is not increasing the efficiency of the forward scans. Stellar
Cartography and Operations both work just as well, yet Astrometrics is draining
twice the power as Stellar Cartography and Ops combined. It is becoming a drain
on a constantly shortened power supply- there is simply not enough power to go
around." Looking back at me, she could sense that I was still confused. Drawing in a deep breath she sighed and
began to explain things slowly as she would to a small child, "Astrometrics was
designed to track ships and spatial anomalies, Christy, not for Delta Quadrant
life."
I gulped, thinking of the shifts that I worked there
every week. "What are you going to do with it?"
The Captain rolled her shoulders back and sighed.
"I was going to have Engineering disassemble it and use the equipment for
spare parts. The room could be used as storage space."
"Storage Space!" I shrieked.
The Captain raised her eyebrows. "Is there a
problem, ensign?" she asked. "I knew Harry might act a little
volatile, he gets so attached to these things, but I never expected this from
you."
Remembering the lack of credibility for my sanity at
the moment, I pasted on another smile. "No, Captain," I answered,
"It's just that Astrometrics could be improved. I know it was still in the
developing stages when we left Utopia Planetia, we still have the original
designs and blueprints in our database, but there may be Delta Quadrant
technology that could improve its performance, redesign it for more intensive
scans. We could shut it down, to cut the drain on power, but before you
disassemble it, I think that you should remember that it could be a help to us
someday." Every tone of my voice was saturated with pleading, but I was
not about to tell her that Astrometrics had sentimental value to me as I
remembered the first day that I had spent there with Tre'kent.
Sitting thoughtfully at her desk, the Captain nodded
her head after a few minutes of silent pondering. "That is a sound plan,
Ensign, and it shows good ingenuity. There might very well be alien technology
that could make Astrometrics quite the advantage to us. I'll make a note of it
and propose the plan to Lieutenant Torres and Lieutenant Tuvok. Now, that only
leaves reassigning the six shifts you worked there every week. I was thinking
about giving them to Stellar Cartography since I took five shifts from them
before for your bridge shifts, but I want your input," she said, looking
up at me expectantly.
I gulped. Six more shifts in Stellar Cartography? I
cringed, thinking of the horrors. Deck 11 was cramped, and bleak. Already, I
had difficulty looking forward to the two shifts I worked each week- to have
eight was like spending days at a time with the Doctor. "Am I sensing a
problem, Ensign?" she asked, oblivious to the obvious dislike held by the
crew for those shifts.
"I will come right out and say it, Captain, but
I feel that my services could be more efficiently used somewhere else," I
explained.
The Captain raised her eyebrows higher. "Go
on…" she said with amusement.
"I do not feel as if I am being properly
utilized in Stellar Cartography. Recording scans to the ships database and
charting unknown terrain can become…" I paused, looking up at her,
searching for the right word, "schrecklich… loathsome," I said
at last.
"Oh…" she reflected, wincing at the German.
"What wouldn't be some 'loathsome', Ensign?" she asked, a mischievous
grin playing on her face.
"What about the Science Lab?" I asked.
The Captain raised her eyebrows. "You already
work seven shifts there… I'm afraid I won't sign you up for thirteen." The
Captain's smile grew larger. "If I allowed you to have your way, you would
be working there twenty four hours a day, seven days a week."
"What about the Bridge?" I asked, changing
tactics. "You gave Harry all bridge shifts."
The Captain shook her head. "Harry worked only
three shifts in Astrometrics and he is the Chief Operations Officer. I don't
need an extra hand at the science station for all of the Bridge shifts. At
most, I can give you one more."
I gave a half smile, "I'll take it," I
said determinedly.
"Now how about seven shifts in Stellar
Cartography?"
"What about the Hydroponics Bay?" I asked
quickly, ignoring the Captains last comment. Grimly the Captain shook her head.
"Repair crews? Mess Hall?" The Captain shook her head again.
"Sickbay?" I asked out of desperation.
Now the Captain did a double take.
"Ensign," she said with surprise, but she still shook her head.
"I'm afraid not. Between Kes, and whatever shifts Tom does work, the
Doctor doesn't seem to need much help. As you know, security teams train in
emergency first aid. We don't need anyone else in the medical field. So what
about Stellar Cartography?"
With time pressing I explored my options, and
without fail, one came to mind. "What about Engineering?" I said,
crossing my fingers that B'Elanna had found the time to bring the matter up to
the Captain.
The self-control over the Captain's face fell, her
smile turned to a placid frown. "What did B'Elanna say to you about
Engineering?" she accused.
"She offered me a position on her Engineering
staff when we were on the mission. She said that she would talk to you about
it."
Sensing that I had meant no harm, the Captain shook
her head for a final time. "She did," Captain Janeway snapped.
"And the answer is no. You have had no formal training, no years at the
Academy, no knowledge of Starfleet safety parameters- and I am going to risk
the safety of this crew to allow you to run the warp core?"
"Captain," I interrupted, "I hardly
believe that B'Elanna would let me even touch the core until she was certain
that I could do it."
The Captain looked up from her desk. "The
answer is no."
"But Captain, it would be a chance to learn
something new. I already have the scientific knowledge of how the warp core
works, the warp theory, the reaction of chemicals, elements, and
antimatter…"
"The matter is closed, Ensign," the
Captain reiterated, a warning note in her voice.
"Captain," I protested insolently.
"Let me try. I can report to Stellar Cartography as often as I am needed,
but Captain, you have to let me try."
As the words came out of my mouth, something changed
on her face, a change that seemed unwarranted. "All right," she
resigned. "You may inform Lieutenant Torres that she has won her game. I
will assign all five shifts to Engineering, Alpha shift."
Instantly I gagged. "Alpha shift?" I
squeaked.
The Captain gave me a blank stare. "Those were
Lieutenant Torres' exact words this morning."
"But only the best of her staff work on Alpha
shift…"
"And they are the best people to learn from,
Christy," the Captain replied, setting the PADD in her hands aside.
Wetting her lips, the Captain reached for a second PADD. "Now to a
different matter…" her voice trailed off. "Ensign, Lieutenant Tuvok
came in here two hours ago and reported that the fifth repair team this month
had been dispatched by Lieutenant Torres. But instead of her quarters or Main
Engineering, the team was dispatched to Deck Three, Section Beta 4, Room 45-
quarters issued to a certain Ensign Christy Anderson."
My face paled. "It was an accident,
Captain…" I stammered.
The Captain continued on, overlooking my apology.
"A large dent to the interior of the front wall, visible to the outside of
the quarters in the corridor; 8 inches long, and 4 inches in diameter, 6 inches
deep…" she looked up at me and raised her eyebrows as high as they would
go. "Impressive dent. Tuvok calculated that you impaired structural
integrity by 0.000036%."
I gulped, unable to read the Captain's feelings on
the matter. "I assume full responsibility for the matter," I heard
myself say.
"Any reasons?"
she continued to probe.
"No," I answered swiftly,
knowing that excuses would not get me anywhere.
"An awful example to set, Lieutenant."
I remained frozen and rooted to the spot; suddenly
it was hard to breathe, just like Tom had described to me once. I looked into
her eyes to see if she was joking. "It's Ensign, Captain," I gently
reminded her, thinking that she had forgotten my title for an instant.
The Captain smiled. "No, it's Lieutenant
Anderson. I made an official entry into the logs. You've just been promoted. Congratulations, Christy!"
My eyes were still glued wide open, and words were
escaping my grasp. "Thank you, Captain," I managed at last as she
came up to me with a new pip in her hand. I turned my head as she pinned it on
the collar of my uniform, her eyes dancing with pride.
"Your father would be
proud," the Captain consoled rapidly, smiling as she backed away. "I do not want you to think that I am giving
this to you out of pity, Christy. You
have earned this." She sighed as a
faraway look crossed her face. "When I
was first promoted, it was a week after my father and my fiancé had died. This is a similar situation. Needless to say, I was heartbroken, and I
stood in that stuffy room being promoted. Did I deserve it after I had let them died? Couldn't there have been something that would have saved
them? I wanted to ask my commanding
officer those exact things on that day, but I never worked up the courage to
and I spent the next three years trying to answer those exact questions..." her
voice trailed off.
"And did you, Captain? Answer them, I
mean?" I suddenly interjected.
Her eyes snapped back to full alert.
"Eventually," she said softly. "Eventually..."
I smiled. "You did, Captain... you deserved to
be here, to guide us, to be our Captain... If anyone, it was you..." I
started inarticulately.
She looked up from the PADD unaware. "I have
eight letters of recommendation here that you have accumulated since we've been
here in the Delta Quadrant. The authors vary... Tom, B'Elanna, Harry, Ensign
Dresden, Lieutenant Stanfield, Lieutenant Gebhart, Lieutenant Roberts, and
myself... Tom and B'Elanna turned theirs in four days ago. It seems you made
quite the impression as the head of this mission. B'Elanna wrote about the
antigravity technology that you developed on the shuttle. She reports that it
can be adapted and put into all of the shuttlecraft and eventually Voyager as a
safety precaution against wormholes. She also say that your 'morning mission
launch program' can be developed into a standard 'politically correct' program
designed to serve other commanders of future away missions…" The Captain
chuckled. "I have to admit, I looked at that program myself, ingenious, if
not hilarious… although Tom claims that you, oh what was the phrase, 'blew out
his eardrums'?"
I nodded as I laughed. "It was not something
that I planned for future use. It was created to keep my jitters in place, although
I am sure that if you want, it can be converted…"
"Of course, of course, as soon as you
can…" she tapped her fingers nervously on her desk. "The next two
letters made me nervous. Lieutenant Stanfield praised the creation of a certain
macro program you invented for the crewmen in Stellar Cartography. He says it
cuts down the time to map the quadrant in half, and that you are not required
to watch the mapping process quite as much. He apologizes that he failed to
show the program to me earlier and have it officially approved," she
speculated, shaking her head. "He succeeded in including it in his
recommendation this time. I sent the program to Tuvok for analysis. He says the
results are promising. And then we have Lieutenant Gebhart, who confesses that he
leaves you in charge of the Science Lab, even though you are not the senior
officer there…" She looked up at me expectantly. "Any more surprises,
Lieutenant?"
I gulped, not knowing what others had admitted to in
their letters to the Captain. The Captain inhaled a deep breath. "Well, I
have a letter from Ensign Kim and Ensign Dresden commending your personal
examples, your gift of self, your willingness to help others, and your
dependability and reliability. Massive letters, considering that Ensigns are not
allowed to write letters of commendation for fellow Starfleet crewmembers
unless directly asked to do so," she informed me matter-of-factly.
"But that changes- now," she continued, "There is always room
for slight improvement here in the Delta Quadrant." Her tone of voice was
daring, I had never seen her act so compassionate and carefree. For these brief
moments she walked through her Ready Room without her extra burden, and with a
wide smile that so frequently disappeared. "The last two letters,"
she said as she began to pace back and forth, "I hope you will find
interesting. Lieutenant Roberts, who worked in Astrometrics for two shifts,
confirms that you are an outstanding member of this crew and a fine addition
that would be missed. He says that you work well with the group, that you
accomplish goals more than he can ever do when he is actually left in charge of
Astrometrics. He writes, 'Captain, out of all the crewmen on board, I believe that this
young ensign, with her natural dedication and hard work, has proven herself
worthy of the uniform that she wears and deserves a promotion to
Lieutenant. One day she will make a
fine captain.'"
Sighing for dramatic effect, she rolled her
shoulders and passed off the PADD to her other hand. "The last one," she named
slowly, "by your Captain," she added, "commends you for succeeding in your
mission, and firmly, but carefully assisting your Captain in making the best
decision for the crew, not something I hope you make a habit of, but if it ever
deems necessary again…" She put down the PADD on her desk and glanced up
at me, still standing at attention in the same place.
My head was swimming with a flood of thoughts. I
recalled the Captain's threat of a trip to the brig if I had ever challenged
her authority again, and here she was bestowing her permission on such future
actions. Her words on the mission, though, stuck in my head and rang clear
again. "Success of the mission?" I asked perplexedly.
Her face grew warm. "We gathered sixty
gigaquads of sensor information from the shuttle's database. You made first
contact with a hostile species, the Briikortian, and managed to download their
entire database. We know everything about them in case we ever encounter them
again. I would call that a success."
"In a strange sense," I muttered before I
could stop myself.
The Captain's face made a wry expression, but she
chose to say nothing. "Neelix wants to hold a reception in the holodeck
tonight in honor of your promotion."
"Tonight?" I asked more politely.
She nodded. "It starts at 20:00 hours, and the
wear is casual. The crew has been informed," she confessed as she smiled
suspiciously, " We told them before you woke up. Neelix has been planning
this for days, so please show up. I had the Doctor clear you for this social
gathering, but you cannot start duty shifts for a week."
My face fell. "I was hoping to get back to work
tomorrow, Captain."
"Absolutely out of the question," she informed
me swiftly. "This time off will give you a chance to come to terms with
your situation. It's a life changing revelation, and you need time to heal and
reflect. You can seize this opportunity to read through the data PADDS in your
quarters and write your official report. It may not seem like much to do, but I
know how difficult and painful you are going to find this experience to
be…" her voice trailed off. "You are dismissed, Lieutenant."
In a stupor, I twirled around and staggered out of
her Ready Room, spilling onto the Bridge. Feeling ridiculous, I stepped into
the turbolift and shut the doors, pondering the options. "Sickbay," I
commanded without a second thought. I sauntered down the corridor and into the
brightly lit room. The Doctor shimmered into view.
"Please state the nature of the medical
emergency," he intoned.
"There is none," I snapped swiftly to cut
him off. "I came to apologize for my behavior earlier today."
The Doctor shook his head and rolled his eyes
impatiently. "There is no need to apologize. I am a hologram. I have no
feelings to hurt. Besides an apology will not get you to work anytime faster. A
week, Lieutenant, that's what I told the Captain."
I did a double take. "How did you know?" I
asked curiously.
The Doctor rolled his eyes again. "Lieutenant?
There is an extra pip on your collar, and I overheard the Captain and the
Commander discussing it a few days ago," he paused. "Now if that was
all?"
I shook my head. "No," I replied
hurriedly. "No, an apology is necessary. I had no need to yell at you, I
should have been more considerate. I am very sorry for my irrational
actions."
The Doctor sighed. "Apology accepted. Now if
that is all?"
I wet my lips nervously and shook my head again.
"No," I began falteringly, "I came to inquire about… the… um…
about the… the… counseling."
The Doctor looked surprised. "Oh," he
speculated. He dropped the hyposprays that he had picked up off the medical
tray and turned to me. "Lieutenant, this project was called 'Child of
Night', a German subtitle that was given to the book Frankenstein in
the late 22nd century. If you are not familiar with the book, I
would be happy to give you a summary. In short, for those of us who choose to remain ignorant and blind, Dr.
Gibralnher fancied you his medical creation, which he rescued. Your unique
situation was caused by a freak accident as an unborn child, and he exploited
it for thirteen years, giving you drugs to block the specific memory engrams
related to those events. You are eighteen years old, and you have been
separated from your father for over a year, I have reconstructed your memory
pathways, and you are about to begin experiencing flashbacks from these times.
This experience will be more than painful and traumatic- it could be
psychologically impairing-" he broke off and reduced the hyperactivity of his subroutines,
"counseling is stressfully advised, but you have to be sure that this is what
you want."
I backed up two steps as the hot words came out of
his mouth. I knew everything that he was saying, all of it was true, and it
hurt deeply like a fatal wound. "I came to see that if I ever… needed a
session… that I could… if you are still… if the medical option is still… if you
would…"
"Lieutenant Torres to Lieutenant
Anderson," my Comm badge erupted.
I let out a breath of relief. "Anderson
here," I responded.
"Please report to Engineering."
I tapped my Comm badge. "On my way." And
without any extra words I left Sickbay, the Doctor, and the hurt behind.
Coming in through the doors of Main Engineering,
B'Elanna was buzzing around busily, Warp Core Diagnostics in full swing. The
moment the doors swished shut, she looked up, and when she saw me, she put down
the PADD in hand instantaneously.
"Congratulations," she said happily.
I smiled at her cheerfulness. "Thank you,"
I replied, "but how did you know?"
"You forget that I had the 18:00 hours
appointment with the Captain in her Ready Room, she told me that was what she
was going to do. I've known for almost two weeks now, it's about time…"
"Well, it looks like you have other
congratulations to offer- the Captain approved 5 Alpha sifts in
Engineering."
B'Elanna smiled coyly. "I knew she would,"
she divulged as she grabbed a PADD from a nearby console. With the touch of a
button, the screen lit up brightly. Her gaze went back to my face as she handed
it out. "Your first assignment…"
Slowly I reached out and took the PADD. Hurriedly I
read through the first few words with a great sense of exhilaration.
"Antigravity?" I asked enthusiastically.
Pushing her brown hair back behind her ear, she gave
her standard nod. "It was your idea…" her voice trailed off with its
sentimentality and she straightened her posture, suddenly professional. "I
have assigned you to the group that I am sparing for this project. I have the
idea preliminarily approved, and the plan is to design and install an
antigravity system in all of the shuttlecraft, and eventually in Voyager. You
are in charge of the group while the project is still in design. Utilize your
staff, I have assigned some of the best that I have in Engineering. They all
work well together. I have assigned Lieutenant Carey as your second-in-command;
he will take over as soon as the project hits installation. You can take this
time to observe and learn…" B'Elanna cut off and looked around me.
"In fact there he is now. Since the Doctor will not let you work for a
week, you can employ this time to talk to him now. I have already briefed him
on all of the aspects of the project." In a graceful, but hasty movement,
she sidestepped me. "Lieutenant Carey," she addressed, "Take a
break and brief Lieutenant Anderson further on the Antigravity Project."
With a resolute nod she turned away and seized a toolbox. "I have some
more work to be done. Ensign Cobey, finish those diagnostics on the warp
nacelles; I need them now."
Dodging different ensigns, B'Elanna made her way to
the lift and left for the upper deck of Engineering. Lieutenant Carey came
over, a congenial smile on his face. "Good day, Lieutenant," he
greeted, "Congratulations on your promotion."
"Thank you," I managed to mutter
nervously, "So where do we start?"
"Meetings, ideas, designs, deadlines,
prototypes, tests… The beginning?" he joked.
On a short fuse, I glared. "When do we meet? Is
there a fixed time at the moment?"
"Not that I am aware of," he answered
honestly. "If you want…"
An explosive clatter rang from the back of the upper
deck of Engineering. Profane curses began to follow. "Torres to Paris.
Report to the upper deck of Engineering immediately," a voice yelled.
"Christy!!"
Without hesitation, I sprang up the ladder. B'Elanna
was kneeling at the far end of the deck, examining a removed panel from a
console. "I don't believe it…" she whispered as she shook her pale
face veraciously. As I approached her, she handed the lightweight panel out to
me, her hands were shaking and white around the knuckles, and gulped; the
meaning was tacit.
With eyes as sharp as hawk's, I scrutinized the
panel- top to bottom, left to right. What captured my glance, in the bottom
right hand corner, was the most frightening words that I had ever read in my
life, or that I had ever written: "To
seek out new worlds, to investigate new cultures, to explore the expanse of
space, to be led by the stars in search of home— the deep conviction of true
Voyagers. L.T.P., L.B.T., L.C.A."
I began to sweat nervously, and my heart quickened,
the adrenaline pumping through my veins. "The quote… the mission… the
probe… how?" I began to shake my head. "It was E.C.A.," I
croaked. "Ensign Christy Anderson- how can it be L.C.A.?"
B'Elanna only stared at me. "I think that is
the worst of our problems," she said guardedly. At that moment Tom burst
through the doors of Engineering, panting heavily.
"What is it?" he inquired. "You
sounded panicked."
Wordlessly, B'Elanna held the panel out to him. His
eyes widened as he saw the quote; foolishly he stood there, paralyzed.
"What have we done?" he stammered, unaware that crewmen were
beginning to stare.
B'Elanna pursed her lips together stubbornly.
"I don't know, but I am going to find out." With one transient peek
around the room, she began to bark out orders. "Ensign Daniels and Ensign
Tabor, I want you to search Voyager's database for this inscription. No
questions- just get to work, now." She ventured forth to the railing and
called down with authority. "Attention. Everyone, who is not working on
Engineering Diagnostics, assemble into groups of two. I want you to remove
every single panel on this ship. Note any inscription you find on the back, and
count how many times you find it. Cover this ship from stem to stern, and send
in your report as soon as you are finished. Lieutenant Parkins and Lieutenant
Baker, you are in charge of organizing this. Begin working, I expect a report
within the hour."
Heaving a sigh, she turned around and sank back
against the wall. Tom walked over to her, speaking softly. Pushing them out of
my mind, I walked over to check out the ensigns' progress.
"B'Elanna," I called, motioning for the ensigns to freeze the screen.
"Come look at this." As she came over, I stepped aside for her to see
the screen on the console without obstruction. "Message found in the Beta
quadrant on stardate 29135.684… Adopted as the motto on stardate 30005.01…
unanimously believed to be a warning from the future, cautioning to always keep
their motives pure and focused…"
"Heavens…" Tom whispered.
"What are we going to do?" I whispered to
B'Elanna.
"Lieutenant," Ensign Tabor called from her
station. "Reports are coming in… the inscription count of the one you
found in this panel of Engineering is in 50 panels in the Mess Hall, 75 panels
on the Bridge, 30 panels in Cargo Bay 2, and 53 so far in Sickbay…"
"Captain to Lieutenant Torres," a voice
over the Comm interrupted.
"Torres here, Captain," B'Elanna
responded.
"Some crewmen from Engineering were here and
removed and replaced all of the panels on the Bridge- do you have an
explanation?"
B'Elanna gulped. "I might Captain, but it's a
long one…"
"I would love to hear it, Lieutenant, in my
Ready Room. Report to the Bridge at once," the voice commanded.
Tom shook
his head, furrowed in thought. "In
a sense," he whispered nervously, "we're responsible for what
Starfleet is today… keeping motives pure, exploring space… what other words
could describe Starfleet better?"
"A
temporal paradox," I agreed morbidly.
"How can
we tell the Captain that we made her what she was?" Tom continued.
B'Elanna
shook her head. "I'm going to the
Bridge- I'll tell the Captain…"
Tom cut
her off. "I'm going with
you," he demanded. She nodded
passively, scenes from the mission still fresh in her mind.
"Why
don't you get some rest, Christy, before tonight? The Captain will call you up if she needs you," she
suggested gently as the three of us exited Main Engineering.
I nodded. "I'll see you tonight," I promised as I turned into another
corridor, but not before seeing the bizarre smile on her face when she whacked
Tom after he put his arm around her shoulder.
"Deck 7," I commanded, stepping into the
turbolift. Jerking to a halt, I was spilled out into another hallway, and
walked through the branching corridors with ease that only came with the
familiarity of age. Stopping at one door in particular, I skipped ringing the
holochimes and punched in the four number entrance code. Silently the doors
hissed open and I stepped into the dark room, noticing the black shadow of a
person in the far corner of the room. Noiselessly I crept forward,
unnoticeably, certain that the figure was unconscious of my presence in the
room. More and more, I could see the enchanting candlelight, the rise and
pattern of incense, floral, and candle arrangements, and a picture of a homely middle-aged
woman, motherly, lying on the top of the altar. The familiar young man knelt on
the floor, his head bowed silently in prayer, meditative, tranquil, and calm.
Not wishing to disturb the scene. I slid to my knees beside him, offering up a
prayer.
The figure jumped back, startled. "I didn't
hear you come in," he stammered when he recognized my face.
I came to apologize, I transmitted.
Tre'kent smiled and put his arm around my shoulders.
The apology is unwarranted… you have done nothing wrong.
At least I can lose my head with you-- but Tre'kent
I pulled away be…
"No," he warned verbally as he pulled me
in closer. "You do not have to apologize. I understand that you are going
through a difficult time… losing your cool is a way of dealing with the
plethora of emotional anguish… I should know because I dealt with the reaction
of my parents in the same way. Your circumstances are traumatic, and I know you
feel hurt and betrayed, and you are wondering if you can ever trust anyone
again."
I buried my face in his chest and cried. "I… I
knew you'd understand…" I spluttered.
He grabbed my arms and pulled me away to get a
better look at me. "Whoa!" he exclaimed out of the blue. "Is
that a new pip, Lieutenant?" he teased. "Congratulations!"
I burst out in laughter, and a carefree smile played
upon my lips.
Do it again, he transmitted.
What? I asked him clumsily.
"Smile," he answered verbally. "That
was the happiest that I have seen you in a very long time."
Upon request, I smiled again, feeling very
ridiculous. Tre'kent sighed. "You're beautiful," he whispered.
Shaking his head, he cleared his mind and stared me in the eyes. "I have a
confession…" he began.
Oh, I transmitted over the telepathic link.
He smiled
lovingly. "When I first met you, it
was the night of the banquet… I came in late with Dr. Migfay. You introduced yourself to me when we were
seated, and you smiled. It was the most
charming smile that anyone had bestowed upon me…" I began to giggle at his
silliness. "Don't laugh," he
reprimanded, "You were so innocent- not corrupted by hate or prejudice-
you were not like the people that lived on my planet. You did not make accusations or judgements. You were yourself, with a beautiful smile
that lit up the room and temporarily banished your burdens far away, and the
burdens of others around you." He paused and shook his head. "You know, Christy, sometimes I think he
knew…"
"Who knew
what?" I inquired.
Tre'kent pulled me closer. "Dr. Migfay, the future," he responded. "That night we went back to the house and he said something that
I'll never forget. 'What do you think
about exploring space, Tre'kent?' I must have answered him something because
after opening the door and letting me in, he left to his part of the house,
smiled, and said goodbye instead of goodnight. Next thing I know, I'm living on Voyager, with you, exploring
space, and I see that blithe smile of yours that first captured me everyday,
and I hear myself vowing that I will always make sure that that smile stays
upon your face, and that I will defeat all of your inner demons. Crazy?" he asked rhetorically. I found myself shaking my head, but he
cupped it up with his hand, and met my gaze. "I vowed and I will, I will live up to my promise to myself…" he spoke
slowly, his face painted with compassion, "And we will, we will defeat whatever
comes in our paths… together, and the first step is getting through this…
together. I promise you, Christy, there
is no place in the universe so far removed that I will not be near you to
defend you, to stand with you, beside you, behind you."
I felt the tears welling up in the back of my eyes,
and my throat was constricting, as the tears began to flow onto his shoulder. For
the moment, it was clear, and I knew the extent of forever. Ich weiß… I know.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The scene in the holodeck shimmered, lively music
blaring in 'old' Sandrine's. The lights were darkened, and air was heavy. There
was a banner in the front of the room that read, "Congratulations, Christy". The pool table had been deleted, the
bartender too, and the annoying "puppy dog" that doted on Tom so. The
sounds of chatter and of laughter filled the air as people socialized and
fraternized for one of the few times they ever got. Crewmen were dancing, some
of them in uniform, some of them in dresses and suits, others much more casual.
Neelix was bustling around in his apron, serving tables, as well as cooking. I joyously
stepped through those doors in a modern-type blue dress, edged with silver and
black, a gift from Samantha for this occasion. Neelix, noticing my presence,
dropped his tray and began to clap until everyone in the holodeck was
applauding and yelling out their heartfelt congratulations. The entire room was
cheering for me, and I was lost in the moment of appreciation. It reminded me of how much more life in the
Delta Quadrant grew comfortable.
I was frozen, rooted to the spot, and Tom, who had escorted
me to the holodeck in case 'I got lost', took the initiative and guided me to
the table where the Captain was sitting as the noise began to calm down.
"Just relax," he whispered encouragingly. Pulling out my chair
silently, he bowed deeply. "It was a pleasure m'lady," he teased as
he flitted off, Jenny Delaney at his elbow, "I'll see you later."
The Captain looked confused. "What was that
about?"
I grinned. "Nothing," I explained.
She studied my face. "You dressed up for the
occasion, Christy," she commented.
"The dress is a gift from Ensign Wildman and
Naomi," I replied, noting her dress uniform. "You're in your dress
uniform."
"So I am, Lieutenant…" she paused.
"B'Elanna told me about the message, and the inscription," she said
at last.
I nodded passively. "What's to be done,
Captain?" I asked.
She shrugged. "I hate temporal paradoxes…" she
commented randomly. "But I do not think
that there is much that we can do… for now, we can keep it quiet…" She
sighed.
"Of course," I reaffirmed as I nodded.
"I apologize for my rash action, I violated the Prime Directive by sending
that message through the wormhole."
She shook her head. "It was an epitaph,
Lieutenant, that you were hoping we would find if you all died. You almost
died. There is no need for apologies or
court martial; let us leave it at that…" an evil grin came over her face.
"I heard a nasty rumor, today, several in fact, concerning you. I think my
favorite had to be one I heard right after I dismissed you from the Ready Room.
Jenny Delaney came up to me, awfully frightened and pale, and told me that you
had murdered Tre'kent. Come to think of it, I have not seen him since this
afternoon."
My face flooded with horror. "What?" I
gasped.
"Jenny Delaney told me that you murdered
Tre'kent. She said that there was a great deal of yelling and screaming, and
Megan said that she heard phasor fire. She almost requested an emergency beam
out for him to Sickbay," she laughed.
I examined her face, carefully. "Idle
gossip," I said at last.
The Captain chuckled. "There always is on a
starship this small, but out of all of my years in Starfleet, I have never heard
a more ridiculous rumor..." her voice trailed off and her eyes became
misty. "They all look so happy," she vocally mused as she gestured to
the crew. I turned my head. "Look at Harry and B'Elanna dancing." She
laughed harmoniously. "Who would have thought?"
I followed her gaze in time to see Tom cut in, and
dance away with B'Elanna. Catching my gaze, Harry took the initiative and
walked over, but the Captain did not notice. "Chakotay's not here…"
she mulled absently. "He still must be on the Bridge with Tuvok…"
"Good evening, Captain, Lieutenant," Harry
greeted formally.
"Ensign," the Captain acknowledged.
"Good Evening, Harry."
Harry gave me a quick pat on the shoulder.
"Congratulations on your promotion."
"Thank you," I returned warmly.
The Captain shook her head. "Loosen up your
posture, Ensign, and pull up a chair…"
"Excuse me," a familiar voice interrupted.
"But if I may steal this young lady away for the remainder of the
night."
The Captain gave an official nod of approval.
"By all means," she replied as Harry stepped away to reveal Tre'kent,
all clad up in a suit. With an impish smile, he gave a half-bow, and kissed my
hand. "May I?" he asked.
Of course, I transmitted. "You can have my seat,
Harry," I offered before Tre'kent swept me onto the dance floor. As he
twirled me around to the start of a classical selection that Neelix had just
put on, I looked deep into his eyes, and gave him my best blank expression.
"You're late," I accused gently.
Tre'kent pulled me closer, leading to the four-beat
rhythm of the music. I'm not, he transmitted, I was on time to the
second.
I gave him his favorite smile. How do you figure?
I asked.
He leaned over and kissed my cheek softly. Remember
when Dr. Migfay and I walked into the banquet, we were twenty two minutes late.
And when I walked into your 18th birthday party, I was twenty two
minutes late too. And here, Christy, for your promotion, on Voyager, the time
is 20:22 hours, I just walked in, and we are just beginning our first dance of
many.
I suddenly stopped dancing to stare intensely at his
face, memorizing all of it, and my heart beat quickening. You were an hour
and twenty three minutes late, I transmitted trivially, the words could
barely escape my thoughts. Now it was Tre'kent's turn to smile, making it
harder for me to control the wave of extreme happiness that was overcoming me. Life
was wonderful, and it was hard to recall the reason for heated scene in my
quarters, or the thoughts of despair and tragedy. He was here to stay, here to protect me forever, and I needed
that so much. The tears began to roll
down my cheek one after another, until Tre'kent reached up to wipe them away.
I didn't mean to make you cry, he apologized daftly. Christy?
I smiled through the tears. "So lang wie
Dich seien Dich hier… As long as you are here."
Tre'kent leaned down impulsively and kissed me,
wrapping his arms protectively around my neck; a kiss that I returned readily,
to the hoots and hollers and whistles coming from the surrounding crew. My
cheeks turned bright red, as Tre'kent, who was just as embarrassed, gracefully
began to dance with me again. One, two, three… one, two, three… one, two,
three… I was happier then than I had ever been, content to just stay there for
an eternity spinning…, and spinning…, and spinning…, and spinning around… until
it was just he and I.
Das Ende… The End
