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Chapter 4, you?!?
B'Elanna left with her counterpart to go to Engineering. Janeway and Tuvok joined their counterparts and the rest of the senior crew on the bridge of the second Voyager, and Chakotay proceeded to the science labs.
Chakotay had volunteered to go down to the labs not only because it made sense someone should gather some reports on the specialised lab computers, but also because he wanted to get a better feel of the ship. He still felt uneasy, and had the feeling there was something more, or perhaps something in this other universe specifically pertained to him in some way. The other Chakotay did not seem to share his feelings -at least not that he could discern.
He had called down to the labs from the conference room, explaining what had happened and what he would need. Jenny Delaney had answered him, and told him she would immediately start gathering the reports. He met her at the door.
She looked uneasy as he came in. She knew he was really not from this ship, and normally she would show a guest around, but he came from Voyager and knew the ship as well as she did.
Chakotay noticed and let her lead the way. This wasn't his ship, after all. Or well, it was, in a way, too, but... Aaargh! This was so confusing, how were they going to find out what happened if just thinking about it was so twisted?
He didn't let any of this show to the young Delaney sister. Idly he wondered where her sister was -they never did seem to be very far apart.
Jenny walked over one of the consoles and proceeded to call up all stellar cartography information on the sector of space they had just passed through. Of course, the anomaly they had just encountered would be the place to start. Chakotay looked over the lists of readings and graphics as Jenny walked across the room and called up another sensor log on the panel there.
Just as Chakotay studied a complicated graph showing on the panel in front of him, someone entered and walked up to him. Concentrating on the readings, he took a moment before pausing the screen and turning to acknowledge the newly arrived Lieutenant. He turned and froze. He was looking at Seska.
"What are you doing here?" he demanded, his voice low and flat.
Seska blinked. "What do you...," she started to say. Then it dawned on her. All color drained from her Bajoran features as she stared at him. Her eyes darted to Jenny Delaney, who fortunately was still bend over her work on the other side of the lab. She had to try twice before she found her voice.
"You know," she managed.
Chakotay took a breath, about to blurt out he knew damn well she was a Cardassian, but he stopped as she reached out to grab his arm, stopped herself and pulled back, all the while shifting her eyes from him to Jenny Delaney, to the door and back. She looked ready to bolt out of there, but her feet were frozen on the spot.
Chakotay considered -she was here, which meant that somehow this Seska, at least, had not betrayed the Voyager in the way the Seska on his ship had done. Still, she was Seska, and a Cardassian.
Seska had taken the hand with which she had reached out, and was now gripping the edge of the console, knuckles white from the strain. She flicked her eyes at Jenny again, then looked up at Chakotay. He had never seen her this uneasy, not even when they had confronted her -her counterpart, he corrected himself- with her true identity on his own ship. Of course, at that time she had had warning that it might be coming.
"Please," she mouthed.
Chakotay turned to look at Jenny. She had been concentrating deeply on her work, not hearing anything. The lab was filled with little bleeps, the soft buzz of machinery at work, and they had been keeping their voices down.
"Jenny?" he asked. He heard Seska hold her breath. "Would you mind getting me a level-three diagnostics kit from Engineering?"
Jenny looked at him in surprise -he could as easily have called someone from Engineering to come and bring one in, let alone that she understood what he would need one for, but she did not question his order.
"Yes, sir," she said and left, perhaps with the slightest hesitation as she went out the door.
As the door closed Seska let go of the breath she had been holding.
"How? How did you know?" she asked, still speaking softly as if afraid to be heard.
"On my Voyager, you -your counterpart- stole a replicator, betrayed Voyager, went over to the Kazon...," he trailed off, not wanting to elaborate any further. Damn it, he had thought he had finally got rid of her for good when she had died, almost a year ago.
"I wouldn't...," she started. "Well, not anymore," she amended. "We talked about it, me and Jonas and... a few others, soon after we got here. We didn't trust the Kazon to be content with a few small pieces of technology. Jonas didn't agree -but he acted on his own when he handed the replicator and almost the whole ship over to the Kazon." Seska spoke quickly, keeping half an eye on the door.
"But you are still an Obsidian Order spy, and from your reaction I take it no one here knows about that," Chakotay told her.
Seska shook her head. "No," she said softly. Then she tossed her head, frustration starting to come up past the shock of being exposed. She had done her hair in a long braid instead of the bun she used to wear when she was still on the Voyager Chakotay knew, and her braid swung as she pushed away from the panel, turned, and walked a few steps through the lab.
"Dammit, I knew it couldn't last forever, but I didn't...," She trailed off and turned to Chakotay again. "Can we talk some place else? I know you won't... But give me a chance to explain." She looked at the door again. "Please?"
Chakotay studied Seska. He didn't trust her -she was the same person at least up until the point where this timeline had split off. But he had already taken a chance when he sent Jenny away; if she wanted to try something she could have done so. He didn't think it would hurt to hear her out. He shrugged.
"Alright."
"The secondary labs will be empty at this time," Seska said, quickly walking over to the door.
In the corridor she slowed down, Chakotay followed her, and they went in.
This lab was smaller and had a small table in the middle with four chairs around it -it was where the science officers held their own briefings and meetings.
They sat down without a word. Chakotay looked at Seska. "Well?"
Chapter 4, you?!?
B'Elanna left with her counterpart to go to Engineering. Janeway and Tuvok joined their counterparts and the rest of the senior crew on the bridge of the second Voyager, and Chakotay proceeded to the science labs.
Chakotay had volunteered to go down to the labs not only because it made sense someone should gather some reports on the specialised lab computers, but also because he wanted to get a better feel of the ship. He still felt uneasy, and had the feeling there was something more, or perhaps something in this other universe specifically pertained to him in some way. The other Chakotay did not seem to share his feelings -at least not that he could discern.
He had called down to the labs from the conference room, explaining what had happened and what he would need. Jenny Delaney had answered him, and told him she would immediately start gathering the reports. He met her at the door.
She looked uneasy as he came in. She knew he was really not from this ship, and normally she would show a guest around, but he came from Voyager and knew the ship as well as she did.
Chakotay noticed and let her lead the way. This wasn't his ship, after all. Or well, it was, in a way, too, but... Aaargh! This was so confusing, how were they going to find out what happened if just thinking about it was so twisted?
He didn't let any of this show to the young Delaney sister. Idly he wondered where her sister was -they never did seem to be very far apart.
Jenny walked over one of the consoles and proceeded to call up all stellar cartography information on the sector of space they had just passed through. Of course, the anomaly they had just encountered would be the place to start. Chakotay looked over the lists of readings and graphics as Jenny walked across the room and called up another sensor log on the panel there.
Just as Chakotay studied a complicated graph showing on the panel in front of him, someone entered and walked up to him. Concentrating on the readings, he took a moment before pausing the screen and turning to acknowledge the newly arrived Lieutenant. He turned and froze. He was looking at Seska.
"What are you doing here?" he demanded, his voice low and flat.
Seska blinked. "What do you...," she started to say. Then it dawned on her. All color drained from her Bajoran features as she stared at him. Her eyes darted to Jenny Delaney, who fortunately was still bend over her work on the other side of the lab. She had to try twice before she found her voice.
"You know," she managed.
Chakotay took a breath, about to blurt out he knew damn well she was a Cardassian, but he stopped as she reached out to grab his arm, stopped herself and pulled back, all the while shifting her eyes from him to Jenny Delaney, to the door and back. She looked ready to bolt out of there, but her feet were frozen on the spot.
Chakotay considered -she was here, which meant that somehow this Seska, at least, had not betrayed the Voyager in the way the Seska on his ship had done. Still, she was Seska, and a Cardassian.
Seska had taken the hand with which she had reached out, and was now gripping the edge of the console, knuckles white from the strain. She flicked her eyes at Jenny again, then looked up at Chakotay. He had never seen her this uneasy, not even when they had confronted her -her counterpart, he corrected himself- with her true identity on his own ship. Of course, at that time she had had warning that it might be coming.
"Please," she mouthed.
Chakotay turned to look at Jenny. She had been concentrating deeply on her work, not hearing anything. The lab was filled with little bleeps, the soft buzz of machinery at work, and they had been keeping their voices down.
"Jenny?" he asked. He heard Seska hold her breath. "Would you mind getting me a level-three diagnostics kit from Engineering?"
Jenny looked at him in surprise -he could as easily have called someone from Engineering to come and bring one in, let alone that she understood what he would need one for, but she did not question his order.
"Yes, sir," she said and left, perhaps with the slightest hesitation as she went out the door.
As the door closed Seska let go of the breath she had been holding.
"How? How did you know?" she asked, still speaking softly as if afraid to be heard.
"On my Voyager, you -your counterpart- stole a replicator, betrayed Voyager, went over to the Kazon...," he trailed off, not wanting to elaborate any further. Damn it, he had thought he had finally got rid of her for good when she had died, almost a year ago.
"I wouldn't...," she started. "Well, not anymore," she amended. "We talked about it, me and Jonas and... a few others, soon after we got here. We didn't trust the Kazon to be content with a few small pieces of technology. Jonas didn't agree -but he acted on his own when he handed the replicator and almost the whole ship over to the Kazon." Seska spoke quickly, keeping half an eye on the door.
"But you are still an Obsidian Order spy, and from your reaction I take it no one here knows about that," Chakotay told her.
Seska shook her head. "No," she said softly. Then she tossed her head, frustration starting to come up past the shock of being exposed. She had done her hair in a long braid instead of the bun she used to wear when she was still on the Voyager Chakotay knew, and her braid swung as she pushed away from the panel, turned, and walked a few steps through the lab.
"Dammit, I knew it couldn't last forever, but I didn't...," She trailed off and turned to Chakotay again. "Can we talk some place else? I know you won't... But give me a chance to explain." She looked at the door again. "Please?"
Chakotay studied Seska. He didn't trust her -she was the same person at least up until the point where this timeline had split off. But he had already taken a chance when he sent Jenny away; if she wanted to try something she could have done so. He didn't think it would hurt to hear her out. He shrugged.
"Alright."
"The secondary labs will be empty at this time," Seska said, quickly walking over to the door.
In the corridor she slowed down, Chakotay followed her, and they went in.
This lab was smaller and had a small table in the middle with four chairs around it -it was where the science officers held their own briefings and meetings.
They sat down without a word. Chakotay looked at Seska. "Well?"