Summary: Voyager's
long journey comes to an end as her crew begins their new journey into
the future.
Twisting The Threads Of Fate
Copyright September 2001
by KJ
She materialized in the transporter
room, the last time she would beam aboard this ship—her ship. Voyager had
never known another captain and now she never would, yes this truly belonged
to her. Standing here she thought back to the first time she had come aboard,
ready to take command of her brand new ship. Admiral Patterson had hit
her with a pop quiz the moment she materialized, she smiled at the memory.
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"You're late." Were the first
words he spoke to her.
"Sorry, Sir." She stepped down
from the pad
"What's the threshold of the
H2 molecule?
"14.7 electron volts."
"Third brightest star in Orion?"
"Viewed from where?"
"Earth."
"Gamma Orionis or Bellatrix,
if you prefer the original Arabic name."
"Not bad. Now give me a hug
Katie, that's an order."
"I wasn't expecting a pop quiz."
She stepped forward and hugged him.
"Just wanted to make sure all
those pips haven't made you forget you're a scientist first."
"How could they? I still have
nightmares about your fractal calculus final."
They laughed then and began
her very first inspection of Voyager, neither of them could have known
this was to become her home for the next seven years.
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"Ma'am?"
"Oh, yes Ensign." Brought back
from her memories, she returned the knowing smile of the young man in front
of her.
"May I take your things to your
quarters?" The young man repeated his question.
"Yes, thank you." This would
be the final time she'd use 'her' quarters. A lot of changes had taken
place since the last time she was in them, reunions, trials, promotions,
resignations, and even a declaration of sentience. Many things were different
now, but today, if only for a few hours, they would set aside all those
differences, step back in time to just one year ago; again they would become
the crew she had grown to love. They would be wearing their uniforms for
the dedication ceremony; the old style uniforms the ones they had worn
on the day they brought Voyager home. She would forgo her new rank and
wear her outdated uniform and her captain's pips proudly, the others would
be doing the same and then the uniforms would also become part of history,
some on display in the museum. Chakotay would once again don a Starfleet
uniform and again she knew he did it for her. She wouldn't be leaving after
the ceremony, instead she would use the captain's quarters to change for
the reception later this evening. She handed over the things she carried,
straightened her shoulders and left the transporter room for one last solitary
stroll around Voyager.
As she made her way to the lift,
the scurry of cadets checking, polishing and rechecking, reminded her of
another young crew. The surviving members of that crew matured quickly,
in the, often hostile, environment of the Delta Quadrant. The voices of
that triumphant crew, as well as those less fortunate members, rang down
every corridor.
"Deck fifteen." She ordered
as the lift closed behind her. She would start at the bottom and work her
way to the bridge; she needed to say good-bye to each and every deck along
the way.
She came to the small dark workspace;
she could still hear Mortimer Harren, expounding his theories, trying to
intimidate her with his 'superior intelligence', as if the encounter were
yesterday. He was so sure with his five degrees in Theoretical Cosmology,
that he would determine the origin of the entire universe and his discovery
would be wasted here in the lower decks. She remembered how he had tried
to talk his way out of the away mission and how far he had come since that
anti-social time. As she made her way around the deck, she thought back
to that mission. What started as nothing more than an exercise, a mission
contrived to allow the Captain to bring three misfits into the fold, turned
into a life altering experience for each of them. Billy Telfer, a hypochondriac
with a fear of medication and Tal Celes, an inept astrometrics assistant,
rounded out her crew for that mission and each had surpassed not only her
expectations, but their own. They had all come a long way since then and
she was as proud of them as any other members of her crew.
She worked her way past deck
fourteen with its antimatter containment pods, the science labs and past
the crew quarters on deck thirteen, stopping a moment on deck twelve. This
deck housed the reserve warp core, storage units and at one time so much
more. At one time, deck twelve was the home of Voyager's 'ghost', an alien
comprised of electrical energy, who took over control of Voyager's computer.
When it discovered Voyager and her crew had accidentally distorted the
nebula it called home, it forced the Captain to order her crew to abandon
ship. The alien then trapped her before she was able to join the rest of
the crew. Luckily in the end, she had been able to reason with the creature
and with the crew back on board, locate a new nebula into which they successfully
released the life form. She came close to losing her battle with that particular
alien; she could almost feel the pressure building in her lungs as she
remembered choking on the noxious gas, declaring she would die before surrendering
to its whim. She took a deep breath to shake off the feeling; she had eleven
more decks to visit.
She stood in main engineering,
deck eleven held many, many memories. B'Elanna Torres, tough, driven, maquis
rebel and one of the best damned Starfleet officers to ever serve on a
Starship. They never would have completed their journey without her courage,
determination and instinctive, sometimes miraculous, engineering skills.
Oh she has her faults, a red hot Klingon temper for one, Joe Carey could
attest to that. He was a good officer, Joe, and an even better man. Even
after B'Elanna broke his nose in that dispute and he had been passed over
for the Chief engineer's position, he was the first to congratulate B'Elanna
and was always there to give her his best effort. Seska had worked down
here, the thought of her brought back bad memories. She was one lost crewman
they were better off without.
She circled to the shuttle bays,
they spanned both deck eleven and ten in this section and were filled with
memories. They had launched many important missions from here and some
ill-fated ones, the delta flyer was created here and Alice was given new
life. Dignitaries had been received here, and it was right here that she
had sealed Voyager's fate with a kiss. Kashyk, she remembered well, the
evil, intriguing, yet somehow honorable, Devore Inspector. He had been
a real challenge; not an entirely unwelcome one. If she were honest with
herself, she would have to admit a strong attraction to the man, as well
as the game. He played well, but she played better and in the end he conceded
defeat and Voyager went free.
She passed over deck nine, it
was the original security deck but had been closed off early in the journey
to conserve energy. Tuvok had chosen to use his own quarters and his bridge
station instead. Deck eight held the cargo bays, nothing special except
for number two. As she entered cargo bay two, she was flooded with emotions,
not the least of which a flutter of fear for having almost lost him. She
examined the regeneration chamber. How many times had she watched as Seven
regenerated; now she wondered had Chakotay done this too? She tried not
to let Chakotay's involvement color her perception of Seven, she had come
a very long way since being liberated from the collective and Kathryn owed
her a lot, the whole crew did. More than once, Seven with her borg knowledge
and technology had served them well, more than once she had saved the proverbial
day. Fighting her fears and an alien intruder she protected the crew as
they crossed a vast nebula full of deadly radiation. Again she protected
them, when she and Naomi were the only crewmembers whose minds could not
be psychogenicly manipulated by a bio-plasmic organism, who preyed on starships.
Countless times she had been a valuable asset, and she had reclaimed her
humanity, now she was even using her human name—Annika ---still Kathryn
couldn't ease the unsettled gnawing in the pit of her stomach. She moved
on, trying to concentrate on other things.
Naomi, now there was a truly
bright spot. The first child born on Voyager, she was a ray of hope to
the entire crew. The Captain's Assistant, Naomi had declared herself and
no one enjoyed it more than the Captain herself. As she made her way to
the holodeck, she recalled telling Naomi about her own adventures with
Flotter, a holocharacter all children loved. Of course as captain, she
had her own favorite holocharacters. Leonardo, the great scientist and
artist, she had enjoyed her time with him. She scanned the program listing,
blushing when she read the name "Fair Haven". Michael, her holographic
Irish lover, now there was a real moment of weakness. She had enjoyed his
company and he was a wonderful diversion, it was all, just a little to
public. No harm had come of it, the crew was mildly amused and Starfleet
had overlooked it completely- all's well that ends well. Ahh, Lake George,
she and Chakotay had spent some quiet time sailing there. She had the real
thing now, she no longer needed the holodeck simulation, and thankfully
she no longer needed to pretend she and Chakotay were only friends.
She found herself standing outside
the door to sickbay, the memories here were especially difficult. They
suffered so many losses over the years, each one tragic. The last, possibly
the hardest, coming so close to their home coming. She wanted to acknowledge
the losses but not dwell on them, instead she chose to recollect the doctor's
victories. To concentrate on the great medical discoveries he made, the
many lives he had saved and his contribution to the crew both professionally
and personally. He had become so much more than the compilation of his
programs and she was grateful for his help, his loyalty and his friendship.
As she stepped through the doors, heart-wrenching visions assaulted her,
good and bad. She had first met the doctor here in the aftermath of the
displacement wave, he was nothing more than a computer program then, how
much had changed over the years. She touched the biotables as she envisioned
the room as it was on that fateful day. What had begun in the chaos, the
death and destruction of that first day in the Delta Quadrant, had ended
in the same sort of drama. Their return to Federation space was marked
not by death but by a brand new life. It was fitting, they would all have
new lives now and Voyager would soon make her final journey to a new resting
place to begin her own life anew. She reminded herself that it would be
starting soon, she needed to move on and complete her tour.
She passed over the next two
decks, crew quarters could be visited later, the lift stopped on deck two.
The mess hall and what had once been her private dinning room, now Voyagers
galley, had always been a center of activity. Meals and lives were shared
here, diplomatic dinners and crew celebrations, midnight raids on Neelix's
hidden treasures, and solitary cups of coffee in the cold loneliness of
night. Neelix, such a funny little man she had thought at first, but he
had proved to be an able shipmate, a talented diplomat with a heart at
least as big as Voyager herself. She missed him. Lost in thought she almost
missed the voices coming from inside. She peered in to see several crewmembers
already gathered there. She wasn't ready to share this with the crew yet;
she backed off and headed to the bridge.
The doors swished open and she
stood silently observing the flurry of activity. They were putting the
finishing touches on the spit and polish for today's ceremony.
"Captain on the Bridge." An
eager young voice rang out.
"As you were." Her automatic
response, as she crossed to her command chair remembering a time when the
bridge was far from the showpiece it was today. The times when wires sparked
and consoles smoked, when she had clung to her chair as the ship rocked
and jolted under some alien attack, those times played across her mind.
Looking up at the blank view screen she envisioned the first time she had
seen him there, the ruggedly handsome Maquis outlaw, even then part of
her knew she needed him. He had restrained B'Elanna that day when she destroyed
the array, held tight to her hand the day she was assimilated by the Borg
and had been at her side every step in between. Standing, she ran her hand
along the smooth, polished surface of the railing, smiling to herself as
she exited the bridge to her ready room.
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"Captain." The young Lieutenant
stopped polishing the coffee table and snapped to attention.
"As you were, Lieutenant. Don't
let me interrupt you." Kathryn took a seat behind her desk.
"I'm almost finished here, ma…
Captain." She blushed slightly when she saw that Kathryn noticed the correction.
"It works, Captain." She nodded toward the replicator. "Can I get you a
coffee?"
"Thank You, Lieutenant..?" She
was tempted to get it herself, but this young woman obviously wanted to
do something for her.
"Perrier, Captain. Danielle
Perrier." She made her way to the replicator. "Coffee black." She ordered
with no hesitation.
"Thank You, Lieutenant Perrier.
How did you know how I drank it?" Kathryn smiled at the increased pinkness
in the woman's cheeks.
"I've made it a point, Captain,
to learn all I can about you." Her face was even redder now, but she forced
herself to continue. "You are an inspiration to us all. I will to be a
captain someday and I hope to be as good as you."
"Well that's very flattering,
but I've made my share of mistakes, as I'm sure you will. My best advise
Lieutenant is not to try to be me, but to be the best you, you can be and
learn by those mistakes."
"Yes, Captain I'll try."
The chime interrupted their
conversation.
"Come." Kathryn called and the
door swished open to reveal, as she knew it would, her first officer. "Come
in, Commander."
"Captain." He nodded smiling
in her direction, then at the Lieutenant. "Lieutenant"
"Sir." She looked from one to
the other. "Captain, Commander, If you will excuse me. I'm finished here."
"Certainly. Dismissed." Kathryn
stepped around the desk next to Chakotay. "Lieutenant?"
"Yes, Captain?" She turned and
faced the smiling command team.
"Keep doing your homework, You'll
make a good captain someday."
"Thank you Captain, I'll do
my best."
With the swish of the doors,
they were alone once more in her ready room, perhaps for the last time.
She stepped closer and wrapped her arms around him, he responded by pulling
her tightly to him.
"Come, look at the stars." She
move back, took his hand and led him to the viewport. "This will be the
last time any one will see the stars from this port—in about a hour you'll
see Alcatraz." She leaned back against his chest, pulling his arms around
her.
"She's had a good life, Kathryn.
She deserves a rest."
"Yes, she does, we all do, but
it's just a little sad to be moving on."
Together they watched the stars,
silently thanking whatever powers there may be, and one admiral from the
future, that they would be moving on together. It hadn't been an easy journey,
but it was a good one and the future promised to be even better.
"Tuvok to Janeway." The familiar
Vulcan voice alerted them.
"Janeway here"
"It is almost time, Captain."
"Thank you, Tuvok. On our way.
Janeway out." She turned in his arms. "Ready Commander?"
"I'm with you, Captain." He
bent and brushed his lips softly across hers. "Always."
Stepping back she straightened
her shoulders, took a deep breath and walked onto the bridge. Tuvok was
at tactical, Harry at opps, B'Elanna stood by the engineering station,
Seven, no Annika, manned the science console, and Tom had the helm. The
only thing out of place was the transmitter that would broadcast live to
everyplace capable of receiving a subspace transmission, the final flight
of the Starship Voyager, direct from the bridge. Everything they did or
said from now on would instantly be transmitted to millions.
"Captain on the bridge." Tuvok
announced and they all stood and saluted her.
She returned their salute and
took her command chair. Fighting back tears, she took his hand and nodded
to Harry to open a ship wide channel.
"All hands, this is the Captain.
Before we go into our final descent, I would like to thank you all for
the honor of being your captain. I thank you for your faith, your loyalty
and for the courage you have all shown throughout this difficult journey.
It is only through your determination and hard work that we were able to
complete our mission and return Voyager safely to the Alpha Quadrant. I
am proud to have served with each and every one of you. And I'm sure I
speak for all of you, when I say, thank you Voyager for the comfort and
shelter you steadfastly provided for us on this long and arduous journey."
She paused to collect herself, feeling him squeeze her hand she met his
moist eyes with tear-filled eyes of her own. "All hands, secure your stations,
blue alert. Lieutenant Torres, take the warp drive off line."
"Warp drive off line, Captain.
Venting plasma."
"Let's do it. Mr. Paris, take
us down."
"Aye Captain."
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A sizeable crowd, which included
dignitaries from many worlds, family and friends, the Federation council,
all of Starfleet's top brass, as well as thousands of ordinary citizens,
silently watched the large screen at the landing site. The scene before
them offered more drama than any holonovel, it was heart wrenchingly powerful,
more so than Voyager's sudden return exactly a year ago.
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"Plotting descent course." Tom's
fingers flew over his console
"Atmospheric thrusters on line."
B'Elanna calmly informed them.
"Atmospheric controls on standby,
landing mechanisms on line, inertia dampers at maximum." Tom ran down each
step in the landing sequence.
"All decks report condition
blue, Captain." Tuvok reported
"Put her down Mr. Paris." She
settled back in her chair. "Status"
"On the glide trajectory, altitude
100 kilometers, speed 1000 KPH" Tom smiled up at the view screen, as the
picture cleared and earth came into view. "20 kilometers to landing site,
should be getting a visual now."
"Extend landing struts; prepare
to recalibrate inertial dampers to match earth's gravity."
"Landing struts down and locked.'
Tom's response was confident.
"Standing by environmental controls."
Harry watched the landing sight and enormous crowd come into view.
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The scene from the bridge mesmerized
the crowd, many of them had never experienced space travel and most of
those that had, had never seen it from the bridge. The awed silence was
broken by shouts and cheers as Voyager came into view, the excitement building
as the crowd was torn between the broadcast from the bridge and the diamond
bright lights growing larger on the horizon. And then there she was,
Voyager's lights spectacular
against the darkening skies, as she swooped above the Golden Gate Bridge.
It was widely known that in relation to other ships, the intrepid class
was a small craft, but as she hovered above the landing sight, she was
the biggest, proudest, most dignified starship anyone could ever remember
seeing. She swept across the skies, looping up and taking a 'victory lap'
from the bridge, across the academy campus and back to the site, in a flamboyant
style that could only belong to Tom Paris, finally coming to rest with
feather light precision on the landing pad.
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"Disengaging engines, securing
thruster exhaust." Tom gave a relieved sigh as he put the final touches
on their landing "We're down. Captain, we are home."
"Good job, Tom. All hands, we
have touch down." Kathryn stood in front of her command chair, reaching
for Chakotay's hand and bringing him to stand beside her. "Stand down blue
alert and Welcome home."
Cheers erupted both in the waiting
audience and throughout the ship, the lift opened and a jubilant Celes
rushed out, handing Miral to her mother as she crossed to Harry at Opps.
Tom had joined B'Elanna at Engineering, embracing both his girls at once;
Celes was excitedly hugging Harry, and even Tuvok almost smiled.
The Command team stood watching
and listening to the celebrations, smiling as they looked around, fingers
still tightly intertwined. It happened so fast, yet it seemed to move in
slow motion. She turned to look at Harry; he was saying something she couldn't
hear above the noise. Then blue eyes met brown, locking together and suddenly
nothing else existed. She tilted her head and smiled the crooked smile
she reserved for him; those dimples were melting her knees. Reaching up,
one finger lightly traced the blue lines and her heart started to pound,
her fingers slipped through his hair gently tugging him toward her. Her
lips met his with soft insistence, her tongue slipping out to trace and
gently part his lips. Wrapping her in a tight embrace, his shocked resistance
melted as her tongue tangled with his. The crew went on cheering, the transmitter
continued to send images, and dimly in the background she heard some one
call her name, but she was lost in the sensation. She was home.
"Errr--- S—So- orry Sir, Captain
Janeway seems to be—er –well, unavailable at the moment." Harry stammered
in answer to the admiral's hail.
"Yes, Ensign I can see that."
The admiral chuckled. "The entire Federation can see that."
=^= =^= =^=
=^= =^= =^=
The ceremony itself was long
and for the most part boring, it seemed every admiral in Starfleet wanted
to take credit in some way for Voyager. G'ratriska Pelinkt, federation
president wanted her share and went to great length to let the universe
know she had never given up on finding the lost ship.
Kathryn looked out over the
sea of faces, she had done her part, brought Voyager home with the help
of her crew, and she was happy to note they had all responded to her invitation
and returned to finish the job. Kessa was standing off to one side; she
spotted Sarah and the boys in the front row and smiled when Hunter waved
to her. She was glad things were working out for them. Joey gently cradled
Joe's tiny reproduction of Voyager, the bottle was newly replicated, but
the boys had worked hard to repair the damaged ship, by hand.
Some admiral droned on in the
background as she continued to surf the crowd. Her mother and sister were
seated next to Anne Paris; Adam and the twins sat behind them. She could
see Greskrendtregk admiring his new family, as proud of his new 'son' as
he was his daughter, another happy ending. They had been fortunate most
had happy endings. Sveta was seated toward the back, she hadn't thought
she would like her— meeting Sveta had been a pleasant surprise. Mark and
Cathy were here and she could pick out John and Mary Kim, Harry's parents
and John Torres, B'Elanna's father. Many of them she didn't recognize by
sight although she was sure she knew their names and would recognize their
association with her crew. Others in the crowd stood out, those relatives
of deceased crewman she had visited over the past year. Kurt Bendera's
sister, Pete Durst's wife, Marie Kaplan's parents, Marissa Cavit and Hartlen
Stadi and so many –too many –more. These were the unhappy endings; they
had come, she supposed, to honor their loved ones and to try to get some
closure.
Chakotay touched her hand bringing
her back to the ceremony, which was about to conclude. His smile told her
he understood where she had been; his eyes told her he loved her. With
a squeeze of his hand as they stood, she returned the sentiment. They moved
toward the entrance ramp, where the ribbon would be cut, making the dedication
official. At first it was assumed she would do the honors, but in the end
the privilege went to the most deserving person. The honor of opening Voyager
to the public went to her first natural born citizen and the crowd showed
overwhelming support, as Naomi Wildman stepped forward and took the scissors
from President Pelinkt. Cutting the ribbon, she proudly led the delegation
up the gangplank. Voyager now belonged to the people.
Most of the crew had already
spent some time on board; they were given the opportunity to say their
farewell and were familiar with the changes that had been made. The invited
guests were offered tours, which allowed the crew time to change from their
uniforms. In spite of the heavy Starfleet presence, this was a social function;
a celebration and ranks were to be left at the door.
Kathryn and Chakotay were about
to slip away to her quarters, when Naomi, Kathryn's niece and nephew, the
Carey boys and Ayala's children in tow, caught up with them.
"Captain." Naomi called to her.
"Naomi, yes?" She turned and
saw the small crowd behind her. "Well, what have we here?"
"I'm taking them all on a tour
of the ship, Captain." Naomi proudly announced.
"Well, you couldn't have a better
tour guide than the Captain's Assistant." She smiled at the knowing nods.
"What can I help you with?"
"Hunter and Joey have Lieutenant
Carey's ship—is there a safe place to put it, we wouldn't want to damage
it again." She rolled her eyes toward the boys.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I
know just the place." She motioned them to follow her, leading them to
the holosuite where most of the reception would be held. Scattered throughout
the room were small display cases with various artifacts collected in the
delta quadrant. Kathryn opened one that housed some of her own possessions
and cleared the center shelf. "Put it right here, I'll be right back."
She returned to them shortly placing a small, replicated plaque next to
the ship. "There, that should take care of it until you are ready to go
home."
"Replica of the Star Ship Voyager,
hand crafted by Lieutenant Joseph Carey and completed by his sons Hunter
and Joseph Carey, from whom this treasure is on loan." Naomi read out loud.
"Yep, I think that will do it. Thank you, Captain."
"You're welcome." She watched
and the children each examined and approved the plaque, then turned to
follow Naomi out. "I think we can go now." She took his hand and they made
their escape to the lift.
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"Come on Ren. You worked and
lived with these people for seven years. They're still your friends, no
one said anything earlier did they?" Noah Lessing tried to coax his friend
into the reception.
"This is different. They had
to talk to me on the ship –that was like work and this is social." She
peeked around the corner. "They must all hate me."
"No body hates you—you didn't
do anything wrong." He tried to usher her forward into the room.
"I don't know…."
"Hey Noah, Ren, what's keeping
you out here?" Megan Delaney spoke as she came up behind them, Pablo, Jenny
and Freddy right behind her. "The party is on the other side of the doors."
"Hi, we're just a little nervous."
He kept Renlay from retreating by holding her arm.
"About what—brass? They are
just a bunch of stuffed shirts with pips!" Jenny shrugged. "Hell, you guys
aren't even 'fleet anymore—come-on let's party." She grabbed Sharr and
dragged her into the reception.
The room was nearly full, all
of the guests had finished their tours and a large portion of the crew
was already there. Naomi was busy showing off her father and the Carey
boys were standing guard over the display case housing their replica of
Voyager. Sam and Sarah were in a corner making an effort to include Annika
in their conversation. Little groups had formed in other sections of the
room, the Starfleet brass was easy to pick out, Federation big wigs all
stood together, and the few senior staff members that had arrived formed
a semi circle, in the center of the room. Only the 'lowerdecks' personnel
seemed to be mingling and even they had their divisions. Marla Gilmore,
James Morrow, Brian Sofin, and Angelo Tassoni, four of the 'Equinox five'
stood off to the side, more than a little unsure of their welcome.
Billy Telfer and Mortimer Harren
sat at a small table, they made a strange pair to most eyes, but the friendship
seemed unshakable.
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=^= =^= =^=
"Want a drink?" He ordered her
a wine without waiting for an answer. She was lost in thought as she wandered
'her' quarters for the last time. "Here, you look like you could use this."
He handed her the glass
"Thanks." She smiled thoughtfully
then laughed out loud.
"What?" He could not resist
chuckling, when she laughed like this she was up to something.
"Oh – I was just thinking."
The sparkle in her eyes gave her away.
"About?"
"We have spent so much time
in these quarters—hours and hours over the years." She stepped in closer
to him.
"Yes we have, so what's your
point?" He recognized the look; he was thinking he was gonna like this
conversation.
"Well there is one thing we
have never done here." She put one arm around his neck and rested her wineglass
on his shoulder.
"Oh I see – and were you thinking
we should correct that oversight?"
"This would be our last chance
and …" She tilted her head and smiled.
"And you would hate to pass
up such an opportunity." He took her glass and placed it on the table.
"It's an old habit by now, you
know –'waste not, want not' as they say."
"What about the reception?"
He ran his hands down her back, as she pressed closer to him.
"They'll wait." She slid one
hand into his hair and drew his mouth down to hers.
=^= =^= =^=
=^= =^= =^=
It was a little awkward at first
but after a time the crewmembers began to introduce their loved ones to
one another, as they slipped easily into the old camaraderie of their Delta
Quadrant days. Friendships were renewed, as they recounted the past year
and reminisced about the seven before that.
"Seven?"
"Icheb." Annika turned startled
to hear her designation used rather than her name.
"I'm sorry, its Annika now isn't
it?"
"Yes.." She smiled at the young
man before her; he seemed so grown now. "But you may call me Seven, if
it makes you more comfortable."
"No, Annika --- it's a very
pretty name."
"Thank you." She shifted a bit
uncomfortably. "Icheb, I'm sorry. I know things ended abruptly and I…"
"I know. It was difficult, but
Sam and Naomi helped me and now Greskrendtregk. We are a family."
"I'm glad." She reached out
to him. "How are you?"
"I'm well, and how have you
adapted? You have family?"
"Yes, my aunt is here. You will
have to meet her and I want to meet your new father too…" She watched his
expression. "If that is alright, and Icheb I hope we can be friends."
"I would like that."
Annika and Icheb spent some
time together, updating one another, each coming away a little happier,
their relationship just a little less strained. Two hours later, the party
was in full swing, even the brass had loosened up and seemed to be enjoying
themselves. The Voyager crew, however, was still missing its two most senior
officers and speculation as to their whereabouts was growing.
"Tom, enough." B'Elanna slapped
his arm. "Leave them alone. They went to the Captain's quarters to change
– obviously something has detained them." She tried to be serious and keep
the smirk off her face.
"Oh yea of course, like some
urgent ship's business." Tom laughed. "We are on the ground B'E! Oh maybe
its 'crew evaluation' time—again!"
"It's not like the Captain to
be late." Harry put up a weak defense and Celes giggled.
"After that show today, yes
I'd say it was just like Katie to be – detained." Owen Paris laughed. "Obviously
you know a different Kathryn Janeway than I do."
"Come on, Dad. We lived with
her for seven years. I think we know her pretty well."
"You know Captain Kathryn Janeway—not
Katie." He laughed. "They aren't so different, really. Since you've been
home she has had to lay low, as they say, to make sure you were all treated
fairly – but generally she fights for what she wants and when she gets
it, she is proud of it."
"So you're saying that wasn't
just congratulations today on the bridge?" Tom looked innocent.
"God if that was just…" B'Elanna
punched Tom's arm, harder this time. "Kah'les, she almost swallowed the
man!" They all laughed.
"Just what have we missed?"
The familiar husky voice broke up their laughter.
"I think we are the ones who
missed something." Harry blurted out, then blushed furiously.
"Oh?" She raised an eyebrow
and surveyed the group.
"Katie, you look lovely." Owen
stepped up and kissed her cheek, fingering her necklace. "This is especially
lovely."
"Thank you, Owen." She smiled.
"It was a gift from a very dear man and I finally have an occasion special
enough to wear it.
"So Captain.." Tom started but
she interrupted him.
"Tom please, Kathryn --no rank,
remember?"
"Okay – So Kathryn, where have
you been for the last two hours?" He looked from one to the other; they
both just smiled at him.
"Actually, Tom.." She slid closer
and put one arm around Chakotay's waist. "On my honeymoon." She smiled
at the open mouths and looked up at her husband. "Shall we get something
to drink?"
"Yes." They turned and walked
toward the bar, leaving a stunned staff behind them.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The only source of tension in
the room was a small knot of virtually unnoticed people, talking in hushed
whispers in the far corner of the room. At the center of the group was
Renlay Sharr.
"Ren, stop it." Marla was trying
to calm her down.
"Easy for you Marla, you didn't
make a complaint." She looked up to see the command team enter the room.
"Shit, she's here."
"Just take it easy." Noah handed
her a fresh drink. "It's a party, she isn't going to say anything."
"She's coming over here." She
nodded her head in their direction.
"Just getting a drink—calm down."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Kathryn and Chakotay took their
drinks and began to circulate around the room.
"Some things never change. Here
we are, making rounds being the perfect command team, just as we always
have."
"Not exactly." He tightened
his hold on her waist. "This might be a little different."
"Kathryn, Chakotay." Sarah called
them over
"Hi, nice to see you. Enjoying
the party?"
"Yes, its very nice and thank
you for the display, the boys are thrilled."
"Happy to help."
"Speaking of help, thank you
again."
"Don't mention it Sarah, You
deserve it." Kathryn leaned closer. "How is the job going?"
"Brilliant, thank you, just
wonderful."
"I knew you would be perfect
for it."
"Excuse me." B'Elanna took hold
of Chakotay's arm and move him away from Kathryn. "May I steal him a moment?"
Kathryn just looked up and laughed.
"Thanks." B'Elanna tugged him
away.
"Okay Mister, what in the name
of Sto-Vo-Kor was that?"
"B'Ella …" He couldn't keep
from laughing. "What are you talking about?"
"Kah'les!" She rolled her eyes.
"Honeymoon?!! You can't just say that and walk away."
"Oh that."
"Yes THAT!"
"Yes, we were married this morning
before the dedication."
"Oh, 'we were married'?! Just
like that!" She punched him. "P'takh! and you didn't think you would tell
me?!"
"We just did." His laughter
was drawing attention now.
"Old man, If I didn't love you…"
She stopped and hugged him. "Congratulations"
"Thanks B'Ella."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
When Chakotay got back to Kathryn,
she was chatting with Aunt Irene and a very embarrassed Annika Hansen.
He had never seen Seven, and he could still only think of her as Seven,
blush before, it was actually almost cute. Irene was busy sharing her memories
of the young Annika with everyone within earshot.
"Oh Irene, this is my husband,
Chakotay." Kathryn saw Annika smile and wondered if, subconsciously she
had introduced him that way on purpose. "Chakotay, this is Irene Hansen,
Annika's aunt.
"Nice to meet you Irene." He
shook her hand. "Se—Annika it's good to see you." Of course he had seen
her on the bridge but he hadn't spoken to her then.
"You also, how have you been,
Chakotay?" She leaned in and kissed his cheek. "I hear congratulations
are in order. I am happy for you, both of you."
"Thank you. Chakotay, Irene
was just telling us about when Annika was small." Kathryn put her arm around
his waist.
"Yes, but first let me say how
happy I am to meet you, Chakotay. Annie has told me about you."
"I believe we have taken up
enough of your time." Annika took her Aunt's arm. "Aunt Irene we should
be going."
"Annie, I haven't finished telling
your friends about the time you ran naked through that important meeting
Magnus was having just before your last trip…."
"I believe…" Seven stood up
straight, she was much taller than her aunt, but Irene was not fazed.
"Nonsense honey, it will only
take a minute of their time." She brushed off Seven and returned to her
captive audience. "It was just before they went off hunting Borg; Magnus
was meeting with several large backers. His research was very expensive
you see, so this meeting was important. Any way about half way through,
Annie here, comes bursting into the room—"TA DA" she yells running around
the room totally naked." Irene was laughing and Seven couldn't have been
any redder. "Erin was mortified but Magnus just laughed. The girl could
do no wrong in her daddy's eyes."
"I'm glad you have such happy
memories to share with Annika." Kathryn really was happy, for both of them;
they would be good for each other.
"Aunt Irene." Seven said a bit
sternly. "We have taken enough of their time and they have others to speak
with." She softened a bit. "Besides I want you to meet the Doctor. Kathryn,
Chakotay, congratulations again, I'm sure we will see each other soon."
Seven walked away with a smile.
"Kathryn, I know I embarrassed
her but it is good for her—she needs the practice." Irene winked and laughed.
"Seriously though, I want to thank both of you for giving her back to me.
I will treasure your gift."
"You are welcome. I won't say
it wasn't a struggle, but she's worth it." Kathryn accepted a hug from
Irene, before she slipped off to rejoin Seven.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The word was spreading quietly
but quickly, there was a buzz in the air and those who knew already, quietly
smiled and confirmed the rumor. Billy Telfer and Mortimer Harren, since
joined by Bill Chapman and Kashi Nozawa were enjoying a quiet discussion
when Celes excitedly jumped in Billy's lap.
"Did you hear?"
"Hello, Celes." Billy leaned
her back to look at her face.
"Billy, did you hear?" She shook
his shoulders.
"No, I guess not." He looked
at the others; they just shook their heads.
"I'd guess we're about to, though."
Chapman sniped.
"They got married." Celes was
as excited as if she were talking about herself and chose to ignore their
lack of enthusiasm.
"Who?" Harren asked, not really
interested.
"Come-on Marty, not even you
are that isolated." Billy shook his head.
"The Ca---Kathryn and Chakotay."
"Oh." Mortimer sipped his drink
"Oh?! Isn't that great?"
"Yeah Celes, it is great. About
time they had a chance." Billy gave Nozawa a push. "Kashi?" He jerked his
head in Tal's direction.
"Hey great news, yeah about
time." Kashi smiled and kicked Chapman under the table.
"Ouch, oh yeah thanks for letting
us know—great news Celes."
"Damn! You guys don't have a
romantic bone in your bodies!" She jumped off Billy's lap. "Going back
where I'm appreciated."
"Ahhh yes, Harry now there's
a romantic guy for you." Chapman teased.
"Stuff it, Chapman." She whirled
around, leaving them to chuckle behind her.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Kathryn and Chakotay circulated
for a while, making appropriate noises to the brass and chatting with several
of the crew. They talked for a while with Tuvok and T'Pel, who had been
the only witnesses at this morning's ceremony. They had moved on and were
talking to her mother and sister when she saw Renlay Sharr watching her
from behind Noah Lessing.
"Excuse me." She touched Chakotay's
arm and nodded toward Sharr and Lessing. "There is something I need to
take care of." Chakotay just nodded in response.
"Of course Kath, I'll just hold
on to this handsome husband of yours for you." Gretchen continued her conversation
with Chakotay, leaving Kathryn on her own.
"She—oh my—she's coming over
here." Renlay urgently whispered, tugging Noah between herself and the
advancing captain.
"Stop Ren, You're really getting
paranoid."
"No, really she…."
"Hello, enjoying the reception?"
"Uh Captain, Yes." Marla struggled
to answer. "It's ---nice…."
"I'm glad you could make it
and please, no rank. I'm not your Captain anymore, call me Kathryn, please."
"Why?" Renlay was shocked to
hear the word actually come out of her mouth; she hadn't meant to say it
out loud.
"What?" An equally shocked Kathryn
looked back at her.
"I—I—asked why. Why would you
want us here?" She had opened her mouth; she figured she might as
well go the whole way.
"Voyager was your ship too,
every member of her crew worked hard to bring her home." Kathryn tried
to regain her own composure; she hadn't expected hostility from Sharr.
"You deserve to be here."
"Not everyone would agree."
"I can't speak for everyone,
only myself and I believe you all deserve equal credit." Kathryn studied
the younger woman. She knew about the complaints, she hadn't taken Sharr's
personally, which is what Renlay must think. Lessing's on the other hand
was more legitimate than she cared to admit. "How's the new job working
out Renlay—Galactic Village—isn't it?"
"Fine, it's working out pretty
well actually." Renlay was becoming less defensive; small talk was not
what she had expected from the Captain.
"I'm glad, it's important to
do work you enjoy." She smiled turning back to Marla. "You're still working
in engineering aren't you Marla?"
"Yea, a Rakhari freighter, the
Nordhoff. It's not 'fleet, but they need me and I enjoy the work."
"Good, I'm sure you'll do well.
You're a fine engineer." Noah had been silently watching her. "Noah, can
I speak to you? Would you excuse us, please?"
"Sure." Both women nodded and
backed away, leaving Noah alone with Kathryn.
"Captain, I won't make excuses.
I'm not ashamed of my complaint."
"Kathryn, please and I don't
expect you to." She put her hand on his folded arms, so Kathryn a gesture,
yet it startled him. "Noah, I'm the one who should apologize. At the time
I thought what I was doing was justified, hindsight is a wonderful thing.
I realize I went too far and my mistake could have had terrible consequences.
Fortunately, for both of us Chakotay was thinking more clearly." She paused
and looked up at him; he said nothing, just stared. "I should have spoken
to you about this a long time ago and so I owe you an apology for that
also. I hope you can forgive me." Again he gave no response. "Well, enjoy
the rest of the party and good luck, Noah." She turned and walked back
toward Chakotay.
"What did she say?" Marla asked
as the two rushed back to him.
"She…" He turned toward Kathryn's
retreating back. "CA—thryn?" She turned back. "Good luck to you too." He
smiled and she returned it with a nod before continuing on her way. "She
said - she's only human, guess I never saw her like that."
"Guess none of us did."
The trio watched Kathryn rejoin
Chakotay, he was speaking with a distinguished older gentleman they all
knew by reputation, though few had dealt with him personally, Benatar Muir.
He was obviously not a stranger to Kathryn; she greeted him warmly.
"Ben, how have you been?" She
smiled at older man.
"Busy Kathryn, busy." He laughed.
"That's a lot of information you brought back with you."
"That is why we go out there
isn't, Admiral?"
"Now Kathryn, I've grown
accustomed to you ignoring my orders, but now you're breaking your own
rules—no rank. And speaking of rules, you must tell me something." He looked
around the room and leaned in close to her, "What was that stunt you pulled
on the bridge earlier? Are you trying to undo all my hard work?"
"Someone has to keep you on
your toes." She laughed.
"Kathryn." He shook his head.
"Even the infamous Kirk didn't broadcast his indiscretions subspace."
"Only Kathryn Janeway would
dare that..." Reginald Barclay joined the conversation. " and expect to
get away with it!"
"Now Reg, you know there are
no regulations against a captain kissing her own husband."
"So the rumor is true—congratulations."
He leaned in and kissed her cheek and shook Chakotay's hand.
"Thank You."
"Now I have a little surprise
for you." He motioned them to follow. "If you will come over here." He
led them to a large view screen set up at the other end of the room and
tapped his comm. badge. "Okay, Ensign, if you would."
"Aye Sir." The unseen ensign
replied and the view screen came to life.
"Congratulations and greetings
from the Delta Quadrant." The screen was filled with rolling lines and
static but the voice was clear and unmistakable.
"Neelix, thank you. I'm so happy
you could join us." The transmission cleared and Kathryn could see Dexa,
and Brax standing beside Neelix. "And congratulations to you three as well."
"Thank you, Captain." Dexa,
smiled. "I wish you all, the happiness Neelix has brought to us."
"NEELIX- NEELIX!" Naomi shouted
as she made her way past the crowd to the screen. "Oh sorry, Captain."
"Go ahead, honey." Kathryn laughed
and stepped back out of the way.
"Neelix." Naomi stared up at
the screen.
"Naomi, so good to see you.
I miss you."
"Me too." She looked around
her. "I want you to meet my father." She didn't see him nearby. "Oh, I
don't know where he is, but it is so nice. It is so good to have a father,
I…" She stopped and studied Neelix's face, then rushed on. "It's not like
having you—I still love you. I miss you—it's just…."
"I know honey, I have a wonderful
new family too. But it doesn't mean I love you less."
"I'm glad you're happy, Neelix.
I wish I could come and see you and Dexa, and Brax."
"They are working on it Naomi,
maybe some day soon we will be able to visit"
"I hope so. Mr. Vulcan, is here—talk
to him while I look for my father—Okay?" She ran off without waiting for
his answer.
Neelix talked to Tuvok, and
just about everyone else on the crew, before ending the transmission almost
an hour later. Naomi had located her father and proudly introduced him
to her godfather. The party wound down after that, those with young children
leaving first, followed quickly by most of the Admiralty and Federation
officials. The elder Parises took Miral home, allowing Tom and B'Elanna
to stay on a little longer. They walked down the gangplank together, the
six remaining members of the senior staff accompanied by T'Pel and Celes.
The last of the crew to disembarked, they stood for a long moment just
looking up at her.
"We've only seen her from this
angle a few times." Leaning into Chakotay's embrace, Kathryn spoke softly,
mostly to herself.
"Yeah, the scariest one was
when she took off and left us behind." Harry reminded them of when Seska
and the Kazon had captured Voyager, leaving the crew on a primitive planet.
"She came back for us."
"Ahhh hemm." Tom exaggerated
the sound
"Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. We know flyboy."
B'Elanna gave him a shove. "When you saved the day."
They laughed and began to wander
toward the public transport site, a bit reluctant to part company. Once
there, they said little, but didn't move to enter it, instead choosing
to lean against walls, star gaze, anything but say good-bye.
"This is silly you guys." B'Elanna
spoke first. "It's been a busy day and we all have places to be."
"She's right." Tom sat on the
bench outside the station.
"Of course I'm right." She sat
beside him. "So how come we're sitting here?" She laughed as she looked
at the others, they all moved to get more comfortable.
"'Cause it's hard not to be
together." Harry slumped down on the sidewalk.
"I know Starfleet, I know."
B'Elanna rested against Tom's shoulder.
"He's right." Kathryn reached
over and patted Harry's head. "I do miss seeing all of you every day."
"We will still see each other."
Chakotay pulled Kathryn back against his chest, wrapping his arms around
her. "Harry you'll be working with Kathryn. Tuvok and I will both be at
the Academy."
"And there will be occasions
like…" Celes looked at Harry.
"Yeah." He smiled and took her
hand. "Like our wedding, I know you will all be there."
"Of course you P'takh." B'Elanna
jumped up as the words registered. "Wedding—Starfleet?" She hugged him
knocking both of them flat on the pavement.
"Easy B'Elanna, don't break
him." Celes reached to help them up.
"Kathryn, our baby is all grown
up." Chakotay hugged her closer and leaned in to whisper. "Now stop crying."
This earned him a poke with her elbow and a laugh when she wiped her eyes.
"Congratulations, both of you."
She broke away from Chakotay to hug Celes, then Harry.
"May your bond be strong and
lasting." Tuvok touched both of their shoulders in a rare tactile moment.
"Welcome aboard, Harry." Tom
hugged his friend. "What the hell is the universe coming to?" He gestured
to Chakotay. "This guy – now you?"
"Please, Paris if you can do
it –anyone can."
"I hate to break this up, but
Tom and I really have to get back to Miral." B'Elanna kissed Celes and
Harry. "We will get together soon--- I want all the details."
"We have to go too." Kathryn
began her own round of hugs.
"Yeah they have a honeymoon
to get back to." Tom slapped Chakotay on the back.
"Yes we do." Kathryn laughed.
"Now don't forget we'll all get together soon—our house. I'll be in touch."
They all murmured agreement
and reassurances, they would get together soon, but it would never be the
same. Their most comfort came from an unexpected source, Tuvok
"The bond we share is greater
than the challenges we face; it will not be broken"
"Of course it is." Kathryn hugged
Tuvok and T'Pel. "We are family. Families grow and change all the time,
but the bond is never broken. We're really no different than other families."
"Except that we have one hell
of a gene pool!" Tom could always ease the tension with a joke.
"Okay go on." Kathryn ushered
them into the station.
Each gave the operator their
coordinates and in turn each couple shimmered and disappeared. Kathryn
and Chakotay were the last to leave. She wandered to the window for one
last look at Voyager shimmering in a bath of light.
"You will see her again, any
time you want."
"I know, but she won't be mine
anymore."
"You're wrong Kathryn." He took
her in his arms. "That's one thing Voyager and I have in common. We will
always be yours." He bent and kissed his bride, then scooped her up and
carried her to the transport pad.
"What are you doing?"
"An old Terran tradition, carrying
my bride over the threshold." He winked and nodded at the attendant and
they kissed as they shimmered away.
~ *~ The End
~*~
