Disclaimer: Sadly we do not own any of the Voyager characters, ships, plots or universe. They belong to Paramount.
Summary: After a year of being home, Voyager's scattered crew gathers together for one last battle~ but it's not the jolly reunion one might expect… Janeway, Chakotay, Tuvok, Tom, B'Elanna, Harry, Seven, Celes…and some new characters. Enjoy!
Past Re-Visited
By Erin and Rebecca
Chapter 22:
A Sordid Group
Tom couldn't help but cock an eyebrow at the creatures staring them down. They were quite the disgruntled and mismatched group. 5 in all, and different species, the two in front ad rough, coarse, black skin peaking out from underneath heavy brown and red firs. Vulcan ears, Ferangi nose, Klingon hair and the worst breath imaginable, these two looked like the henchmen of the bunch. Behind them stood a Talaxian, although he wasn't as friendly looking as Neelix had been. Next to him was the only female of the group. Pale blue skin and golden-white hair traveling the length of her own firs—Tom's eyes halted at the hatchet in her hand before they rested on the final member of the group positioned in the middle…clearly the leader. And he was Romulan.
The henchmen grunted to the Romulan, in a language foreign to Tom's malfunctioning translator. The Romulan grunted back and then looked to the Parises.
"What is your business here?"
B'Elanna looked to her husband as he cleared his throat.
"Umm…my wife and I," he placed a hand on his chest and gestured to B'Elanna, "We were-"
"You're Starfleet," he barked.
Tom gulped, "Yes…we are. And you're…y-you're Romulan but-"
But the leader flinched at the sound of his species and inhaled sharply, "I'm no more Romulan than you are…my crew didn't think so anyway."
Tom took a wary step forward, sensing the leader's guard letting up, "You're a rogue?"
He looked down, "I am an orphan."
B'Elanna, who had thus far remained silent, moved from behind her husband. Tom was amazed by the sudden calmness of her voice as she spoke, "We've been abandoned too…maybe we can help each other."
The henchmen began to grunt as the Romulan put up a hand, calling for silence and then glanced to his side. The female stepped forward and nodded. He looked back and extended his hand. "Zethe."
Tom shook his hand in response, "Tom."
Tom surveyed the scene before him. New companions brought new supplies. A fire had been lit immediately and they had generously provided the Parises with a gourmet meal of rat meat…having not eaten in a while, they were more than grateful.
Zethe and the female, Kairi, who has a kind of telepath, where the only two who knew his language. Zethe had been a mere teen when his crew had fallen into a wormhole. Then in the heat of several civil wars, a time of barbaric measures, Zethe had been left on a desolate planet deep in the quadrant…by accident.
It was pure luck that Kairi, a lone trader much like Neelix had been, found him struggling on that planet. Along his own lonely journey to get home, he picked up more travelers along the way. Some moved on. Some stayed. The henchmen, whom Tom learned were of a slave race called the Gonnals, and the Talaxian called Perriaktoi, were the current companions. Only Kairi remained his constant.
Now, as conversation had exhausted, and Tom came to the cold realization that Zethe would know nothing about how they could get back home, he watched as the group unfolded blankets and quilts and slumbered. But Tom couldn't sleep. Not now…not ever. His wife was unwell and he had no idea where his daughter was. The severity of the situation had struck at last…and now he was left utterly petrified.
He crept over sleeping bags to the same corner B'Elanna had collapsed into before. She was sleeping again, more soundly than earlier that morning. He suspected it was because she had food now in her stomach…or that she was simply exhausted. He knelt beside her and ran the pad of his thumb along her cheek, up to the delicate ridges on her forehead. She stirred as her eyes slowly opened.
Damn, he thought. Way to go Paris… "Sorry, go back to sleep," he whispered.
But B'Elanna yawned as she shook her head and sat up. "Tom?"
"I didn't mean to wake you B'Elanna. Go back to-"
"No…Tom, I…I need to tell you something."
"You're sick. I don't want you worked up again-"
"Please!" she pleaded in a desperate whisper, yet still remarkably calm as she pushed herself up on her arms and sat to face her husband. "I'm sorry if I…if I lost it back there-"
"B'Elanna don't-"
"No, listen to me!" Tom was silent as she shed a tear and took a deep breath. "I was worried…I am worried…about Miral-"
"I know. So am I-"
"But there's something else," she stared hard into his eyes for long minutes before she spoke again…and then the words were deafening, "I'm pregnant."
* * *
Harry sighed, leaning back in the chair as he pinched the ridge of his nose. He had no clue why he was still sitting at this computer. He wasn't going to find anything. Suspiria had obviously meant the move to be permanent. He of course, wasn't positive what had happened exactly. He'd only seen the viewscreen for a split second before he woke up in the forest of the Banean homeworld. There was still no sign of the Athena, and no other crewmembers had been found. He was once again…stuck…waiting.
"Anything?"
Harry jerked in his chair, unaware that he was being watched, and turned to the young woman in the doorway, her arms wrapped around her middle as if shivering…but she was remarkably still.
"Not yet," he sighed, but didn't tell her what he was really thinking: Not ever. His earlier promise to her that they'd figure the whole thing out seemed more empty than when he'd first uttered it. And those young eyes that stared back at him, devoid of the mere anxiety felt at her new assignment only a few days ago, now full of despair and lost hope, were too much to bear.
"How…" she said quietly, "H-how could we…"
Harry sighed as he rubbed his eyes and pushed himself away from the desk. "I don't know." He turned to her, "But we'll…we'll figure it out ok?" It was the only thing he could think of to say, although it lacked that reassurance he'd offered her before. He stood and looked down at her as she sunk into a nearby cushion and stared at the floor. He decided to try again. "Hey," she looked up as he crossed the room and knelt beside her, "At least we're safe…right?"
She nodded.
"I mean, we could've been sent to the Kazons you know?" he added with a half-hearted chuckle.
Again, she nodded.
"Come on, say something," he pleaded, patting her shoulder, but unable to look her straight in the eye.
Celes choked back a tear, "It's just…ironic, you know?"
Harry nodded. He did know. She didn't have to explain. Her eyes remained fixed on the floor as she whispered, "Careful what you wish for…you know?"
But Harry didn't answer, no matter how much he wished he could. He needed to comfort this girl. Needed to feel like he had accomplished something today. What he wouldn't give to be able to tell her he'd detected a worm hole near the Banean's third moon, or that Kray had blueprints for a special spacecraft. Even that this whole thing was just a nightmare! But he had nothing to say. He was just as lost as she was…and there wasn't anything he could do about it. He reached for her hand, an act becoming more and more habitual as time wore on and stared at the ceiling as if he could see right through it to the stars. Come on Janeway…he thought…get us out of here.
* * *
