Disclaimer: Star Trek, and Voyager, belong to Paramount. I just play here!
Chapter 7, more confessions and how a small scan can make a big difference.
Seska started. She, too, had almost forgotten about the reason she had been exposed. It was bad enough she would have to repeat her explanations to Captain Janeway, to B'Elanna, and to all the others. She really, really did not want to learn in more detail what her counterpart had done to betray Voyager -what she had done, in a way. But Chakotay was right. It might be the key to their current predicament.
She bit her lip as she nodded.
They got up and she followed Chakotay to the bridge. She tried to think of what she had done recently that could have caused one of the ships to slip to the other universe. She had been on duty at a science station, that is why she had been sent over to assist the other Chakotay in the lab in the first place. Before she knew what he would know about her. No! Her thoughts drifted off again, what had she been doing? Perhaps if she remembered, they could figure out how they had slipped over and how they could return without learning everything about her own counterpart. She had ran off most of the standard scans they always did when entering an anomaly, and. She shook her head as the turbolift stopped at the bridge.
Of course, the other Captain was there too. Seska tried to stay behind Chakotay, but Janeway's counterpart spotted her at once.
"Seska?!" she said, shock in her voice. The other Tuvok and Kim whirled around at her voice, and Seska gave up trying to hang back.
"Captain," she said, to her own Captain, trying her best to make her voice sound steady. "Can we see you in your readyroom please. Just you?"
"Of course," Captain Janeway said, looking puzzled.
"Captain, she is," Tuvok, or better Tuvok's counterpart, started to say, but Chakotay's counterpart held up his hand, and he stopped.
Seska breathed a sigh of relief. She had to restrain herself not to run into the readyroom. When the door closed behind them, she was shaking.
Captain Janeway sat down and offered Seska and Chakotay a seat as well.
"What is this all about?" Captain Janeway asked, once they were seated.
Taking a deep breath, Seska started her confession all over again. Eventually, she looked up at the Captain, waiting for what she would say.
Captain Janeway did not speak immediately. She looked at Seska, then eventually addressed not her but Chakotay.
"Do you believe her?" she asked.
"Yes," Chakotay replied. "But you know I may not be completely impartial in my judgement."
"I am aware of that," Captain Janeway said. "But I still think your opinion is valuable."
Finally, she turned to Seska. "I must confirm those things I can -I will have Tuvok and Kim check the computer logs, and you will report to sickbay and have the Doctor perform any tests he deems appropriate- but provided those things check out, I am willing to believe you."
"Thank you, Captain," Seska replied. She had held her breath when the Captain had been silent for so long, then addressed Chakotay, but now she could breathe again.
"I assume you realise this also means you may be the reason our universes have split," Captain Janeway remarked.
"Yes, Captain," Seska replied. "Chakotay thought of that. I tried to think of what I did earlier today, but, well, it did not take us long to get here and I was. I could not concentrate."
"You will have to try regardless. Go over everything you did, especially while we were in or near the anomaly, and compare notes with the other Voyager," Captain Janeway ordered.
"Yes, Captain," Seska acknowledged. Then she realised that meant she would have to work with the other Voyager's crew, and she hesitated.
Chakotay caught on. "Work with my counterpart," he suggested, and Captain Janeway nodded her consent.
Seska acknowledged, relieved.
She received a lot of stares as she came out of the Readyroom, but no one said anything. Chakotay followed her. He beckoned Chakotay from the other Voyager, who joined her in the turbolift. Her own Chakotay remained on the bridge.
"So you did tell," the other Chakotay said when the doors closed.
"Yes," Seska nodded. "Thank you for giving me that opportunity."
Chakotay merely nodded.
"Did the others tell anyone, just now on the bridge?" Seska asked.
Chakotay shook his head, and Seska sighed. Of course, they would learn soon enough, but the worse was over.
They arrived at the science labs once again. Jenny Delaney was still there.
"There you are, Sir, I did not know where you had gone," she said.
"It doesn't matter, Jenny," Chakotay said.
Jenny looked bewildered, then nodded when she saw no one was going to explain.
Seska went to the science console, while Chakotay set up a relay to his own ship.
Bit by bit, Seska reconstructed the scans she had done. She had started with the regulars: visual scan, infra-red, tachyon, chronitron, magnetic, normal space and subspace, on several frequencies. Chakotay quickly confirmed that his Voyager had done the same.
They had still been inside the anomaly when she was done with the standard array. She remembered now, she had run a series of biomedical scans through the main reflector dish. Quickly she called up the logs and showed them to Chakotay, who relayed them to his ship.
It seemed that the other Voyager had also met a living nebula, for they too had used a series of biomedical scans. But just as Seska tried to think, and failed, of any other scans she had used, Chakotay spoke up.
"I think we got something," he said.
"Where?" Seska asked. She walked over to his console, then suddenly stopped, keeping her distance as she realised he might not appreciate her stepping in too close.
Chakotay pointed. "That neural scan right there, you used a different frequency than our Voyager did."
Seska frowned. It was only a small discrepancy, but it was the only one she could see. And it was true that inside an anomaly, small things could set off a larger reaction.
"That could be it," she said.
Chapter 7, more confessions and how a small scan can make a big difference.
Seska started. She, too, had almost forgotten about the reason she had been exposed. It was bad enough she would have to repeat her explanations to Captain Janeway, to B'Elanna, and to all the others. She really, really did not want to learn in more detail what her counterpart had done to betray Voyager -what she had done, in a way. But Chakotay was right. It might be the key to their current predicament.
She bit her lip as she nodded.
They got up and she followed Chakotay to the bridge. She tried to think of what she had done recently that could have caused one of the ships to slip to the other universe. She had been on duty at a science station, that is why she had been sent over to assist the other Chakotay in the lab in the first place. Before she knew what he would know about her. No! Her thoughts drifted off again, what had she been doing? Perhaps if she remembered, they could figure out how they had slipped over and how they could return without learning everything about her own counterpart. She had ran off most of the standard scans they always did when entering an anomaly, and. She shook her head as the turbolift stopped at the bridge.
Of course, the other Captain was there too. Seska tried to stay behind Chakotay, but Janeway's counterpart spotted her at once.
"Seska?!" she said, shock in her voice. The other Tuvok and Kim whirled around at her voice, and Seska gave up trying to hang back.
"Captain," she said, to her own Captain, trying her best to make her voice sound steady. "Can we see you in your readyroom please. Just you?"
"Of course," Captain Janeway said, looking puzzled.
"Captain, she is," Tuvok, or better Tuvok's counterpart, started to say, but Chakotay's counterpart held up his hand, and he stopped.
Seska breathed a sigh of relief. She had to restrain herself not to run into the readyroom. When the door closed behind them, she was shaking.
Captain Janeway sat down and offered Seska and Chakotay a seat as well.
"What is this all about?" Captain Janeway asked, once they were seated.
Taking a deep breath, Seska started her confession all over again. Eventually, she looked up at the Captain, waiting for what she would say.
Captain Janeway did not speak immediately. She looked at Seska, then eventually addressed not her but Chakotay.
"Do you believe her?" she asked.
"Yes," Chakotay replied. "But you know I may not be completely impartial in my judgement."
"I am aware of that," Captain Janeway said. "But I still think your opinion is valuable."
Finally, she turned to Seska. "I must confirm those things I can -I will have Tuvok and Kim check the computer logs, and you will report to sickbay and have the Doctor perform any tests he deems appropriate- but provided those things check out, I am willing to believe you."
"Thank you, Captain," Seska replied. She had held her breath when the Captain had been silent for so long, then addressed Chakotay, but now she could breathe again.
"I assume you realise this also means you may be the reason our universes have split," Captain Janeway remarked.
"Yes, Captain," Seska replied. "Chakotay thought of that. I tried to think of what I did earlier today, but, well, it did not take us long to get here and I was. I could not concentrate."
"You will have to try regardless. Go over everything you did, especially while we were in or near the anomaly, and compare notes with the other Voyager," Captain Janeway ordered.
"Yes, Captain," Seska acknowledged. Then she realised that meant she would have to work with the other Voyager's crew, and she hesitated.
Chakotay caught on. "Work with my counterpart," he suggested, and Captain Janeway nodded her consent.
Seska acknowledged, relieved.
She received a lot of stares as she came out of the Readyroom, but no one said anything. Chakotay followed her. He beckoned Chakotay from the other Voyager, who joined her in the turbolift. Her own Chakotay remained on the bridge.
"So you did tell," the other Chakotay said when the doors closed.
"Yes," Seska nodded. "Thank you for giving me that opportunity."
Chakotay merely nodded.
"Did the others tell anyone, just now on the bridge?" Seska asked.
Chakotay shook his head, and Seska sighed. Of course, they would learn soon enough, but the worse was over.
They arrived at the science labs once again. Jenny Delaney was still there.
"There you are, Sir, I did not know where you had gone," she said.
"It doesn't matter, Jenny," Chakotay said.
Jenny looked bewildered, then nodded when she saw no one was going to explain.
Seska went to the science console, while Chakotay set up a relay to his own ship.
Bit by bit, Seska reconstructed the scans she had done. She had started with the regulars: visual scan, infra-red, tachyon, chronitron, magnetic, normal space and subspace, on several frequencies. Chakotay quickly confirmed that his Voyager had done the same.
They had still been inside the anomaly when she was done with the standard array. She remembered now, she had run a series of biomedical scans through the main reflector dish. Quickly she called up the logs and showed them to Chakotay, who relayed them to his ship.
It seemed that the other Voyager had also met a living nebula, for they too had used a series of biomedical scans. But just as Seska tried to think, and failed, of any other scans she had used, Chakotay spoke up.
"I think we got something," he said.
"Where?" Seska asked. She walked over to his console, then suddenly stopped, keeping her distance as she realised he might not appreciate her stepping in too close.
Chakotay pointed. "That neural scan right there, you used a different frequency than our Voyager did."
Seska frowned. It was only a small discrepancy, but it was the only one she could see. And it was true that inside an anomaly, small things could set off a larger reaction.
"That could be it," she said.