CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
LIVING DEAD
Part One
"Damn," Kathryn said in frustration as a large black spider she was trying to trap in a long-handled catcher ran away from her and crawled onto the ceiling of her quarters. Seven had come up with the idea of collecting various non-venemous insects during an away mission to an m-class planet, so that they could serve as both an example of alien insect life, and as an educational tool for Voyager's young crew members. All had gone well until a junior officer had forgotten to close the lid on the spider tank and the creatures had escaped. They were now turning up all over the ship and this was the third one that Kathryn had found in her quarters.
Naomi and Vixi, who were sitting on the couch holding Silvie and Stevie under Celes's supervision, laughed heartedly as they watched their captain try to catch the insect.
"Maybe it would be easier to catch it with a jar, Captain," Celes suggested.
"Maybe so," Kathryn replied, "but I'm not getting any closer than I have too."
She hit the ceiling, trying to frighten the creature into movement, but it stayed right where it was.
"Damn," she said again, "trust Chakotay to be on a Vision Quest when I need him."
The spider began to move again, climbing back down onto the wall.
"You should be able to get it now, Captain," Naomi smiled.
Kathryn tried to catch the spider, but when it darted suddenly towards her, she recoiled, dropping the catcher.
Naomi and Vixi laughed again.
"Alright," Kathryn said, losing patience. "If you want to play games, I'm more than a match for you." With a determined effort, she scooped the spider in the catcher.
Naomi cheered. "Yay, Captain..."
Kathryn gave a bow and then wiped her brow. "Now, I think that deserves a coffee...decaffinaeted of course..."
Seven's voice suddenly sounded. "Seven of Nine to Captain Janeway."
"Go ahead."
"Please report to astrometrics."
"On my way."
The connection terminated and Kathryn put down the catcher on a table. "Looks like the coffee will have to wait." She hit her commbadge. "Janeway to transporter room two. One spider in a catcher to transport to hydroponics."
Seven was studying an area of space on the screen in astrometrics when Kathryn arrived.
"What's the problem, Seven?"
"There is an asteroid zone of substantial magnitude less than two light years away."
"Can we evade it?"
"Yes, but it would add almost a thousand light years to our journey."
"A thousand light years? Then it is of substantial magnitude."
"Traveling around the zone itself would only take us a few weeks, but we would then come to an area of space containing multiple black holes that we would also need to avoid."
"I see," Kathryn replied. "Is it possible to travel through the asteroid zone?"
"I have plotted two routes. At a maximum speed of warp two, both would get us through the zone in approximately three weeks."
She highlighted the two routes on the screen, one in yellow and the other in green.
"We'll take the yellow," Kathryn smiled. "I prefer the color." She put her hand on Seven's shoulder. "Send all course details to the bridge. We'll start moving once Chakotay returns."
Chakotay found Kathryn feeding Stevie when he returned from his Vision Quest t that afternoon. Kathryn looked up at him and smiled. "How did it go?"
"Good," he said, taking off his jacket.
"I've been thinking," Kathryn said, wiping food from Stevie's mouth, "it might be an idea for you to teach me more of your beliefs and customs. That way I'll be more familiar with them as Silvie and Stevie are growing up."
"I'd be happy too," he said, pouring himself a glass of water, "although to someone of your nature, I'm sure a lot of it will appear," he searched for the words, "empty superstition."
"Maybe, but I would like to learn, Chakotay. It's important that I take an interest, then if Silvie and Stevie ask me a question, I'll be able to help them."
Chakotay's eyes twinkled mischeviously. "Then how about we begin tonight by contacting your animal guide again?"
"If he's still there," Kathryn teased. "He may have given up on me after all this time."
"He'll be there," Chakotay smiled.
I never thought I'd say it," Harry said as he shared a beer with Chakotay and Tom in Sandrine's that evening, but I really wouldn't mind some conflict with aliens right now. Safe space is so boring."
"Are you kidding?" Tom asked, supping his beer. "I'll take safe space over an alien attack any day."
"I'll second that," Chakotay said.
Harry sighed. "What's the matter with you guys? You're not going to get all serious on me now that you're old married men, are you?"
"Children just change your perspective," Tom explained. "Miral's safety is more important to me than a few hours of adrenaline rush."
"Battle was never why I joined Starfleet in the first place," Chakotay elaborated. "I wanted to be an explorer. Unfortunately, I wasn't enough of a scientist to be a science officer, so I ended up teaching at the academy."
"You'll feel the same, Harry," Tom continued, "when you marry and have kids."
Harry lowered his eyes, the words digging into a wound that was still fresh.
"I'm sorry," Tom said, realizing. "I didn't think..."
"It's okay," Harry said, forcing a smile.
Tom got to his feet. "Let me get you another drink."
"No," Harry protested, "I'm fine, really..."
But Tom had already gone.
"You must miss Arlei," Chakotay said sadly.
Harry nodded. "The worst thing," he said quietly, "is not knowing if she's alright. Anything could have happened to her and I'll never know..."
"I'm sure she's just fine," Chakotay said, trying to reassure him, "and has safely reached her destination."
Harry looked up at him. "But what if she hasn't? What if she never made it through the wormhole? What if her ship ran into problems? What if she ran out of food supplies or energy resources? What if she was attacked by aliens or taken prisoner?"
"That's a lot of what ifs," Chakotay answered. "And if you think too much on them you'll go crazy. All you can do is have faith, faith that Arlei made it safely through the wormhole and to her people. And there's no reason to believe otherwise. Have faith, Harry. Have faith in Arlei. She deserves nothing less."
Harry nodded and smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Commander."
Millions of asteroids hung in the blackness of space, glowing a thousand different colors. Kathryn stood at the window of her living room and gazed out at them. They were breathtaking, like nothing she had ever seen before. They sparkled like jewels against black velvet. Chakotay entered the room and stood in the doorway, looking out in wonder.
Kathryn turned to him briefly. "Beautiful, aren't they?"
Chakotay joined her at the window. "What are they made of?"
"I don't know, but we're going to have to take some samples."
Tuvok's voice sounded over the comm. "Tuvok to Captain Janeway."
"Go ahead," Kathryn said, turning towards Chakotay.
"I've just picked up an automated distress call. It seems to be coming from a ship just over a light year away."
Kathryn looked at Chakotay rather regretfully. "I'll be right there. Janeway out."
As soon as Kathryn reached the bridge, she went over to Tuvok's station. "How many lifesigns onboard?"
"I am not detecting any, Captain," he replied. "There is much interference...Cannot get a clear reading."
"What is causing this interference?"
"My guess would be the ship's security shield."
"Try hailing them."
Tuvok did what he was asked. "No response, Captain."
"Keep trying, and try to determine the shield's frequency. Unless we can penetrate it, we won't be able to help any living humanoids inside." She turned to the helm. "Mr Farrow, set a course for the ship, maximum speed." She then addressed Tuvok again. "It will be a few hours before we're within transporter range. Keep the ship closely monitored and inform me immediately of any developments."
Early the next morning, Kathryn returned to the bridge. Tuvok was still at his station and Seven was working at Harry's console. No one had contacted her during the night, which could only mean that no more was known about the occupants of the ship.
"Report," she said, walking over to Tuvok's station.
"I have been unsuccessful in determining the shield's frequency, Captain. Seven of Nine is now trying."
"How long until we are within transporter range?"
"Approximately twenty minutes."
"Have we learnt anything more at all about the ship or who might be occupying it?"
"Very little, Captain. Their shield interfers with our sensors so determing the dimensions of the ship has proved problematic. The information we have gathered, however, suggests that it is a large ship, possibly more advanced than Voyager."
Kathryn pulled up data on a monitor before her and studied it. "If these figures are correct, I would say it's certainly a lot larger than Voyager." She worked her console. "The question is, are they alone? It's the oldest trick in the book to cry wolf and trap the good samaritan. If they are more advanced, but we could still have something they want." She analyzed the data before her. "There doesn't appear to be any ships in the vicinity, but they may be cloaked." She scoured through more data and then addressed Tuvok. "But there is nothing overtly suspicious. We'll continue to treat this as a distress call until we have reason to suspect otherwise. To be on the safe side, however, put the ship at orange alert."
"Yes, Captain."
Seven spoke. "I have determined their shield frequency, Captain. I am penetrating it now..."
"Try to determine if there are any lifesigns..."
Seven worked the console busily and then spoke again. "I am detecting twenty three steady lifesigns." She then looked up at her captain in surprise. "They appear to be human."
Kathryn eyes widened in astonishment. "Human?"
"Both male and female."
Tuvok questioned. "What would humans be doing on an alien ship this far from the Federation?"
"I have no idea," Kathryn answered. "But I mean to find out. Hail them again, Tuvok."
Tuvok did so. "No response, Captain.
"Their communication system is not working" Seven said, "and their ship appears to be badly damaged." She paused. "Should we transport all onboard to Voyager?"
"Not yet," Kathryn replied. "Their lifesigns are stready so they can't be in need of immediate medical attention. We're going to have to send an away team to the ship and assess the situation before we bring them onboard. Who knows what we're dealing with. It could be species 8472 in disguise." She hit her commbadge. "Janeway to Chakotay and Harry Kim. Report to the bridge immediately. Janeway out. " She then addressed Tuvok. "You and I will go to the ship." She then turned to Seven. "You too. But first go and inform the Doctor what has happened and tell him to prepare for an away mission. Then the two of you report to transporter room one and Tuvok and I will meet you there as soon as Chakotay and Harry take over here."
Seven did not immediately respond. Her attention seemed to be taken with something else.
"Something's wrong."
Kathryn questioned. "What do you mean?"
"I am no longer able to penetrate what appears to be the ship's bridge. Their shield frequency must have changed." She worked the console. "It must have detected our penetration and is attempting to compensate."
"Why just the bridge? Why not the rest of the ship?"
"From what I can gather a malfunction in their shield generator, possibly caused by the damage to the ship."
"Do you have the new frequency?"
"Negative. I could attempt to determine it, but as soon as we penetrate the shield in that region again, it will change."
"Then we're just going to have to transport to another area of the ship," Kathryn concluded, "and make our way to the bridge on foot."
Forty minutes later, Kathryn, Tuvok, Seven and the Doctor were transported to the ship. When they materialised, they found themselves in a long, almost dark, silver corridor that seemed to stretch out into oblivion. Kathryn pulled out a torch and shone the light around, taking in their surroundings, while Tuvok analyzed data on his tricorder.
"Looks empty," Kathryn said, "but keep your phasers ready, just incase." She turned to Tuvok. "Which way?"
"The center of the ship appears to be behind us," Tuvok answered. "But following this corridor to our right should eventually lead us to it."
Kathryn pulled out her own tricorder and analyzed their position for herself. "And the entire route appears to be vacant." She began to walk down the dark corridor. "Get behind me in single file."
Everyone fell in line and they began to venture down the corridor. The metal floor creaked beneath them, echoing eerily. They turned a corner and the air got colder, the light dimmer. Debris lay here and there and part of the left corridor wall was missing. The shapes cast shadows all around, making it harder to see.
Kathryn strained her eyes, trying to see what lay ahead, and stepped carefully through the broken metal all around. She stepped over a fallen boulder and suddenly, unexpectedly, the floor gave way beneath her. She felt herself fall through thin air as she heard Tuvok call out.
"Captain..."
Then she landed on cold metal with a thud.
Kathryn stirred awake and saw that she was in the familiar surroundings of sickbay. Tom Paris was close by and he smiled now.
"Welcome back, Captain."
Kathryn sat up. "The away team..."
"They're just fine, Captain. They've gone on without you. Chakotay took your place."
Kathryn got off the bed. "I must get to the bridge."
Tom stopped her. "Not so fast. You suffered several cracked ribs, a broken leg, and a nasty gash to the head. You need to rest."
"I can't leave Harry in charge," Kathryn argued. "We have no way of knowing who occupies that ship or what their agenda is."
"But Captain..."
"And I need you at the helm. We might need to fight our way to safety if they prove hostile."
Tom sighed, knowing that he was defeated. "Yes, Ma'am."
After almost an hour of cautiously venturing through unstable corridors, Chakotay and the away team approached what appeared to be the center of the ship. The lights in this area were much brighter and it wasn't necessary to keep their torches on. Directly ahead of them were two large double silver doors.
Chakotay turned to his crewmates. "Remember, if they turn out to be hostile aliens in disguise, defend yourselves in any way that you can and flee to an area of the ship where you can be transported back to Voyager."
"We are aware of our instructions," Seven replied. "Let us proceed."
They slowly walked towards the doors and found they opened automatically as they approached. Inside, as they had corrected supposed, was the bridge of the ship. It was almost vacant. Only what appeared to be five or six male humans, dressed in plain brown overalls, occupied it. Immediately the men turned towards them, pulling out their weapons.
"Don't be alarmed," Chakotay said, stepping into the room. "We intend no harm. We're just responding to your distress call."
One of the men, perhaps the leader, stepped forward.
"Starfleet?"
"That's right."
The man lowered his weapon. "What are you doing so far from the Federation?"
"It's a long story," Chakotay replied, lowering his weapon in response. "And I could ask you the same thing. You're human, aren't you?"
"Yes. We've been trying to return to the Federation for over nineteen years. Our warp core failed eight years ago and we knew that without it we wouldn't get very far. So, we headed to this asteroid zone and made camp in one of the only ways through it. We knew then it would only be a matter of waiting for someone to come along."
Chakotay smiled. "Well, it looks like your waiting is over." He paused. "We don't have a spare warp core, but we're heading for the Federation too. You're welcome to join us on our ship."
The man's eyes lit up at that. "You'll give us refuge?"
"Gladly," Chakotay replied. He then held out his hand. "I'm Chakotay, by the way. First Officer."
The man took his hand and shook it. "Lawrence Hillman, Lieutenant." He then turned to a young boy beside him who was listening and watching eagerly. "Spread the news. Tell everyone to collect their belongings."
"Right away," the boy smiled.
"There are some procedures we'll need to follow, however," Chakotay continued. "Our Doctor will need to examine you all before we let you onboard, just incase you're carrying disease."
"I understand."
Chakotay hit his commbadge. "Chakotay to Voyager."
There was no response.
"Chakotay to Voyager."
Kathryn's voice answered, although the signal crackled due to interference. "Go ahead, Commander..."
"As you're probably aware, we've reached the center of the ship. The distress call appears to be genuine and the crew, human. I've offered them harbor on Voyager and they've gladly accepted. The Doctor is going to examine everyone as regulation demands."
"Good work," Kathryn replied. "I look forward to welcoming them onboard. Janeway out."
The connection terminated.
Lawrence questioned. "Voyager is your ship?"
"Yes," Chakotay replied. "Intrepid class. Our Captain is Kathryn Janeway and this is our Chief Security Officer, Commander Tuvok."
A tall black haired man with piercing blue eyes stepped out from the shadows. "Did you say Janeway?"
"That's right," Chakotay replied.
The man's face paled and Chakotay studied him closely. There was a familiarity about him, a feeling he should know him. And yet, he was as unfamiliar as a stranger. He spoke again, his voice trembling slightly. "Is that Kathryn May Janeway as in the daughter of Admiral Edward Janeway?"
"Yes," Chakotay replied again. "Do you know her?"
Tears welled in the man's eyes. "I did," he said, "a long time ago." He paused. "I'm Justin Tighe." He gestured to the man beside him. "And this is her father."
"Twenty three people is going to be quite a number to accommodate," Tom said thoughtfully from his chair. "What if most of them are civilians who don't know anything about running starships?"
"Then we'll take them along for the ride," Kathryn answered. "But I'm sure there's something we'll find for everyone to do." She smiled. "Even if it's only catching spiders."
"There appears to be at least five children on the ship," Harry commented. "Three boys, two girls..."
"As I said," Tom teased. "Civilians."
"If there's children," Kathryn continued. "Then there's probably going to be couples and families. Dorms won't suffice. We're going to need to make some family rooms." She paused. "Their leader, of course, we'll need to put in our guest lodgings." She turned to Harry. "Have some junior officers prepare the quarters."
Chakotay stared at the man before him, unsure whether he had really said what he did, or whether he had just imagined it.
Tuvok questioned. "The Captain's father and fiancé perished on Tau Ceti Prime almost twenty years ago. Their bodies were consumed by fish."
"No," Justin answered. "I mean yes, we drowned in that accident, but our bodies were taken by a species called Moralyn to the Gamma Quadrant where we were revived. They're an advanced species and can travel transwarp. But their existence is being threatened by a disease that is killing millions of their people. Their physiology is almost identical to human physiology and for years they've been visiting the Federation in cloaked ships and stealing the bodies of those drowned or frozen to death so they can revive them and experiment on them."
"If it is true," Tuvok continued, "that you were taken by such a species, how have you ended you up in this region of space?"
"Because we escaped. We were nothing but lab rats to them. Guinea Pigs. They did what they liked to us, injected us with all sorts. We couldn't take it any more... couldn't endure. So we planned an escape...perfected it over months. We had nothing to lose. If they found us trying to escape, they wouldn't kill us, we were too precious to them. But even if they did, it would be better than the fate that would await us. So far we'd been lucky, kept with those they wanted to keep healthy. But sooner or later it would be our turn to be infected with the disease too, and that would mean a slow and painful death." He paused. "Edward, Lawrence, and I were all Starfleet men. We knew how to fly a ship. We knew that all we had to do was escape, steal a ship, and set a course for home, how ever long it would take. So, that's what we did, freeing some others while we were at it. We changed the cloaking frequency of the ship we stole so they wouldn't detect us, and escaped at maximum warp. The ship could travel at transwarp but it was beyond our ability. We eventually gave it a try and managed to travel over thirty thousand light years, but the ship almost self-destructed, so we had to stop. There was a lot of damage, too much for us to repair on the resources we had, so we had to go on as we were. The warp core held out another four years, then failed completely."
Tuvok questioned again. "How could you have survived so long without resource replenishment?"
"By careful management of the resources we have. We recycle eveything, live simply, and grow our own food."
The old man beside him had tears in his eyes. "I thought she was dead," he said quietly. "My Kathryn. Never thought she could have survived..."
"We looked for her," Justin continued. "Were sure she'd been taken like us. But when we couldn't find her, assumed she was one of those they had infected with the disease."
"Kathryn was thrown free of the shuttle on impact," Chakotay said. "She suffered only leg and pelvic injuries."
"Let me see her," the old man asked. "Please..."
The Doctor stepped forward, his face full of suspicion. "If you are who you say you are, you won't object to me taking a DNA sample and running it against our database."
"Take all the samples you need," Justin said. "I swear we're telling the truth."
The Doctor opened his medcase and pulled out two cotton buds.
"Open your mouths please."
The two men opened their mouths and the Doctor took a saliva sample from each of them. He then drew to the side to analyze the results.
"We have no reason to deceive you," Lawrence Hillman said. "All is as we've said."
"You are in need of a ship," Tuvok answered. "That could well be reason enough to deceive us."
"We're not deceiving you," Justin said. "Everything we've told you is the truth..."
The Doctor spoke now. "Based on the analysis of their DNA, I'd have to say he's right. According to these test results, this is indeed Lieutenant Justin Tighe and Admiral Edward Janeway."
The old man addressed Chakotay again, tears in his eyes. "Let me see my daughter...please..."
Chakotay hesitated, but then put his hand on the man's shoulder. "Let me explain things to her first. This is going to come as a shock to her."
Chakotay found Kathryn in her ready room, enjoying a cup of coffee on her couch. She put down the cup when she saw him.
"I wasn't expecting to see you for a while."
Chakotay walked over to her. "Tuvok's taking charge of everything on the ship." He paused. "There's something I have to tell you."
From the look on Chakotay's face, she could only assume that it was bad news. She stood up. "What is it?" Perhaps the occupants of the ship weren't human after all and Chakotay had been forced to play along.
Chakotay put his hand on her shoulder and tried to break the news as gently as he could. "It's your father and Justin," he said quietly. "They're not dead, Kathryn. They're on that ship."
For a long moment Kathryn just stared at him. Then she backed away, shaking her head. "No, that's impossible..."
"Their bodies were taken by aliens to the Gamma Quadrant," Chakotay tried to explain, "where they were revived to be used in scientific experiments. They escaped with a few others, stole a ship, and tried to make their way home. Their warp core failed over eight years ago and they've been stranded in this region of space ever since."
"It's a trick," Kathryn said quietly. "An elaborate deception."
"That was my immediate thought. Species 8472. But their story appears to be legitimate..."
"As legitimate as the tooth fairy," Kathryn cried, anger beginning to manifest. "They're dead, Chakotay. I saw them sink beneath the ice. Do you really think it's plausible that they were taken by aliens? That after a gallant escape from captivity they just happened to turn up on the very same route home that we're taking?"
"Coincidences do happen. And routes through this space are limited. That's why they made camp here in this asteroid zone, knowing it was their best bet of being found."
"I don't believe it," she replied. "It's an illusion, a deception. For some reason, aliens on board that ship are trying to deceive us. I wouldn't be surprised if other crewmembers dead relatives turn up on it aswell. It's all a trap, Chakotay, and we're not falling for it."
"Every instinct tells me it isn't. They didn't know you were captain of this ship. It was as much of a shock to them as it is to us..."
"They'd want it to appear that way. I've had this happen before, Chakotay. Remember? If I'd have believed that alien was really my father five years ago, he'd have taken me into that matrix and to my death..."
A terrible thought then occurred to her and she turned away from Chakotay.
"That's it," she said quietly. "I hit my head when I fell earlier...I'm unconscious...dying...and it's him again... the alien..."
"You're not unconscious or dying," Chakotay said kindly. "This is all real, Kathryn. I swear to you. And we're not in the Delta Quadrant any more. That alien will never bother you again."
Kathryn turned back to him slowly. "We don't know that his species are confined to the Delta Quadrant. Distance may be no object to them. He said he'd be back..."
"If none of this was real, if it was all in your head, I wouldn't be experiencing this too..."
"And how do I know that you're real? You might be part of the hallucination..."
"When that alien was inhabiting your cerebral cortex, he wanted you to believe that you were dead. He did everything he could to convince you of it. If I was him, I'd be doing that now. But I'm not, I'm telling you that you're very much alive..."
Kathryn put her hand to her brow. She didn't know what to believe. But if all this was in her mind, and this Chakotay nothing but an hallucination, there would be no point arguing with him. It would be best to play along and at least pretend that he was real.
"Alright," she said. "But we'll treat this as alien impersonation for now." She looked up at Chakotay. "Tell the Doctor to extract DNA samples from these humanoids and analyze them. Those should tell us whether they are species 8472 or not."
"The Doctor has already performed..."
Kathryn cut him short. "Then tell him to report his findings to me."
"Kathryn..."
"And I want you to go back to the ship and question them further."
Chakotay was about to protest, but before he could say anything, Kathryn was already making her way out of the room. He watched her leave in concern. He knew that all kinds of emotions would be racing through her mind, all kinds of fears, all kinds of doubts. But as much as he wanted too, there was nothing he could do at that moment to help her. It would be best if the Doctor talked to her and told her the results of the DNA tests he'd performed.
"I have already performed a DNA test, Captain," the Doctor said, having no choice but to stand beside the captains chair on the bridge as she unceasingly worked the console before her. "Without a doubt your father is on that ship..."
Kathryn paid his words little attention. "With the right technology, DNA aswell as appearance can be reproduced."
"Captain..."
"This is all some elaborate deception for who knows what end," she said, finally turning to him. "And I'm not as gullible as they clearly think I am."
"You can't argue with scientific fact, Captain..."
"I can and I do," Kathryn said bluntly. "My father and Justin are dead. That's the only fact here. I don't know what the hell those aliens hope to achieve, but I'm telling you, they won't achieve it." She got to her feet and turned to Harry. "Mr. Kim, recall the away team." She then turned to Tom. "Mr Paris, as soon as the away team are back, get us the hell out of here."
With that, she left the bridge and retired to her ready room.
In the privacy of her ready room, Kathryn leant against the bar dividing the room and tried to shut out the screaming and contesting voices in her head. She longed with all that she was for the Doctor to be right, for it to really be her father and Justin on that ship, but the reasoning part of her mind was fighting the temptation to believe all the way. They had drowned . She had seen their ship sink beneath the ice. They were dead.. dead...dead...
Suddenly, Voyager began to move and the glittering asteroids outside flew past quicker and quicker until they were at warp speed and they became nothing but a blur. Kathryn looked out of the window and took comfort in the scene. Already they had to be thousands of miles away from the ship. She would never have to think about it again.
Slowly, she made her way from the bar to her desk. She switched on her monitor and sat in her chair. She was in command again, all was as it should be.
Then, without warning, the doors to the room opened and Chakotay came in. He walked straight over to her, his manner anxious.
"What are you doing?"
Kathryn fixed her eyes on the monitor before her. "Working, what does it look like?"
"I mean leaving that ship behind..."
"That ship is a trap," she replied, "and we're not getting drawn into it."
"We have to go back."
Kathryn got to her feet, fixing her death glare on him. "You might be my husband, Chakotay, but don't forget that I'm the Captain of this ship and I give the orders around here!"
"You're making a mistake."
"That ship is a trap! The sooner we're away from it the better..."
"Everything suggests that your father is on that ship..."
"My father is dead," Kathryn said, trying hard to keep a lid on the turmoil inside. "He's no more on that ship than I'm on Mars!"
"You're letting your personal feelings cloud your professional judgment here. You have to turn this ship around and go back..."
"No," Kathryn cried, her agitation increasing, "no I don't! And you're out of line, Chakotay. Right out of line! This is my ship and you do what I say, not the other way around!"
"We checked out the identities of all those on the ship, Kathryn. None of their bodies were ever found..."
"An easy manipulation of information gathered from our database."
Chakotay slowly bridged the gap between them and gently put his hand on her shoulder. "Kathryn, I know how difficult this must be for you. All these years you've..."
Kathryn broke away from him. "If you know how difficult this is, then respect my decision!"
"I can't," Chakotay said calmly. "We have to investigate this further. Don't we at least owe your father that much?"
Tears welled in Kathryn's eyes. "Don't you dare tell me what I owe my father! If I thought for a moment that he was on that ship then I'd be right there, right now. But he's dead, Chakotay. Dead!"
"You're telling yourself that because you're afraid to believe! I know you, Kathryn. You're running away from this the way you always run away from things that affect your heart... You're scared of even contemplating that they might be alive because of how much it will hurt if they're not. But as much as I understand and want to help you, those are not good enough reasons to turn your back on people who in all likelihood need our help." He paused. "If you don't agree to turn this ship around, you're going to leave me with no choice but to relieve you of duty."
Kathryn swallowed, her face pale. "You wouldn't..."
"I have no choice, Kathryn. If I think your professional judgment is impaired because of the personal nature of this case, I have to relieve you of duty."
"Then fine," she answered, pulling the pips from her collar. "Relieve me of duty, take command of this ship. Do what the hell you want!"
With that she threw her captain's pips at him and left the room.
END OF PART ONE
