Star Trek Voyager characters are the property of Paramount Pictures.

CHAPTER THIRTY SIX

SNAKES AND LADDERS

Life as an Admiral was not particularly eventful, at least not by Delta Quadrant standards. Kathryn stood by the window in her state of the art office at Starfleet Headquarters and watched as soft rain fell on the city of San Francisco. In her hands she held a cup of hot Earl Grey tea. She no longer drank coffee. For years Chakotay had been telling her to drink less of it and giving it up seemed one small way of honoring him.

Suddenly, the door chime sounded. Kathryn turned towards the door. "Come in."

The doors opened and Harry Kim came in. He was dressed in a gray Starfleet uniform, his rank Lieutenant now.

"Mr Kim," Kathryn said warmly, "I was beginning to think you hadn't received my message."

"I didn't until this morning," he replied. "My friend Ryan and I have been camping for a few days. I came as soon as I could."

Kathryn gestured to the chair opposite her. "Take a seat."

Harry sat as she did.

"Admiral Paris tells me you're eager to go back into space."

"That's right, Admiral."

"You'll be the first Voyager crew member to go back. Are you sure you're ready for it? Everyone else is taking at least a year off from space travel to re-adjust to life on the ground and spend time with their families. And, of course, a lot of things have changed technologically and politically in our absence."

"I'm definitely ready for it," Harry replied. "I've taken dozens of classes over the past three months. I'm up on all the latest technology and political events. I'm ready to go back into space both mentally and physically."

"Then there is a position for you on The Orbit, a constellation class ship commanded by Captain Bruce Lewis, that is going on a three month mission to deep space. I've spoken to him, and he would be delighted to have you as part of his crew."

"I'm very grateful," Harry answered, "but I was hoping for something longer than three months."

"I see," Kathryn replied.

"I would like something that would take me away for at least a year."

Kathryn looked at Harry in concern. "Are you sure you want to go back into space for the right reasons, Harry?"

"What do you mean?"

"We've all been through a lot over the past few months. Aswell as trying to adapt to life in the Federation after being away so long, we've had to deal with the pressures of being celebrities. Are you sure you're not running away?"

Harry was a long moment in answering. "It's been hard," he said quietly. "For so many years I wanted to get home, but apart from seeing my parents and friends again, there's been nothing good about it. I miss my life on Voyager, I miss the people. And things are complicated with Libby too. She says she still loves me and would like a relationship, but I'm not the same man I was eight years ago when we were engaged. She's not the same woman either. Her success as a lal-shak player has changed her more than she realizes." He paused. "And to be honest, I can't stop thinking about Arlei. How can I have a relationship with someone else when I'm still in love with her? It wouldn't be right." He lowered his eyes. "I miss her so much."

"Of course you do," Kathryn said gently. "And it's right that you do. I miss Chakotay too."

Harry looked up at her at that. "I'm sorry, Admiral. I didn't mean..."

"It's alright," she said. "In so many ways we're going through the same thing. You're missing Arlei and wondering if she reached her destination, and I'm..." She couldn't say the words. Instead she swallowed them. "If you want to go on a year long mission then I'll do my best to find you a position."

"No," Harry replied. "You've done enough already. I'll take the position on The Orbit. It will give me time away, but not too long." He smiled. "I'll be home in time for Silvie and Stevie's first birthday party."

Kathryn was about to reply when the door chime sounded. She called out. "Come in."

The doors opened and the Doctor entered with a pretty young woman with brown eyes and long strawberry blonde hair. Kathryn didn't recognize her, but from her attire she appeared to be a civilian.

"Good morning, Admiral," he smiled. "Mr Kim."

"Good morning," Kathryn replied.

"Good to see you, Doc," Harry said, getting up from his seat. "How was the vacation?"

"Splendid," he replied. "Absolutely wonderful. Now I know why you were all so eager to get home. The Federation is a paradise. And everyone is so friendly, well, at least those who weren't offended by my masterpiece."

"Photons be free?"

"What else would I be referring to, Mr Kim? I am famous throughout the Federation. Millions share my belief that suppressing my work is a totalitarian attempt to suppress the rights of holograms."

"Your work did cause a holographic strike a few months before we returned that resulted in mayhem throughout the Federation," Harry answered.

"Not my work," the Doctor replied. "Oliver Baines. I cannot be held responsible for the actions of misguided individuals."

Kathryn looked at the woman beside him. "Are you going to introduce me to your friend, Doctor?

"Not my friend," he said, slipping his arm around the woman. "Admiral, Mr Kim, I'd like you to meet my wife, Jennifer."

Kathryn's jaw almost fell open. "You're married?"

"That's right. We got married three days ago in Rome. Of course, it wasn't exactly a legally binding ceremony as holograms don't presently have the right to marry, but the service we had was as binding to us personally as the real thing."

Jennifer spoke at last. "We met during a performance of Mozart's Don Giovanni in England. I was an audience filler and had the good fortune of being seated next to Magnus."

Kathryn raised her eyebrow in amusement. "Magnus?"

"My new name," the Doctor said proudly. "Magnus Photon. Such a powerful name, don't you think? It conjures up association with magnificence and magnanimity, qualities that may well be ascribed to me. And throughout history, surnames were given that reflected something distinctive about the individual. No word could be more appropriate than Photon, and no name could I take as much pride in."

Jennifer smiled. "I too am proud to have what I am reflected in my name."

"You're a hologram?" Harry asked in surprise.

"Yes."

"But there are no projectors in this room..."

"None are needed," the Doctor replied. "Jennifer's program can run from my holo emitor together with mine. Her boss at The Majestic Theatre in London sorted it out for us. He's a firm believer in the rights of holograms and was more than happy to allow Jennifer to pursue a life beyond her professional duties. That means her existence doesn't have to be limited to her place of work or places with holo projectors. Everywhere I can go, she can go too."

"That's wonderful," Kathryn smiled.

Harry questioned again. "Where are you going to live?"

"For the moment with Reg Barclay. We would like a house of our own, but as holograms we don't presently have that right either."

"I'm sure you will one day, Doctor," Kathryn added. "In the meantime, I think congratulations are in order." She bridged the gap between them and shook Jennifer's hand. "Congratulations." She then shook the Doctor's hand. "You too. I wish you both much happiness."

"So do I, Doc," Harry smiled. "Congratulations."


The Cafeteria at Starfleet Headquarters was unusually crowded. Kathryn made her way through the hustle and bustle to the service section. She picked up a silver tray and joined the long queue. The choice of food was immense, but all Kathryn felt like was a cheese and tomato sandwich. Every morning when she woke up, Roxa had breakfast ready, and every evening when she got home, dinner was waiting. A light lunch in between was all she needed.

"Long time no see."

Kathryn looked to her left and saw her old friend Abigail Tanner beside her. She was a pretty woman with long wavy brown hair and striking green eyes.

"Abigail," she said, embracing the woman with her free arm. "When did you return?"

"About an hour ago."

"It's so good to see you."

"Not as good as it is to see you," Abigail said.

As they drew away, Abigail took the tray from Kathryn's hand.

"Put lunch on hold. There's something I want to show you."


Abigail lead Kathryn to a secluded storage room, and Kathryn gasped at what she saw before her: Voyager's warp core.

She turned to Abigail. "How did you...?"

Abigail smiled. "As soon as we were back in contact with Starfleet Command, I received a message asking those of us in deep space to keep an eye out for Voyager's warp core. I studied the chart they sent us of your flight path home, and where you were estimated to have ejected the warp core, and set a course straight away. I think other captains did too as there were more ships that usual in the area. But searching for it was like searching for a needle in a hay stack. It took over two weeks to find it. I asked Starfleet Command not to tell you we'd found it, just to call off the search, as I wanted it to be a surprise."

"And it is," Kathryn said, reaching out to touch the warp core. "Thank you."

The doors opened and Admiral Paris entered.

"So here it is," he said, looking up in awe at the warp core. "A little piece of history..."

"We'll have to put it in a museum," Abigail said. "Everyone will want to see it."

"I think we can do better than that," Admiral Paris replied, a twinkle in his eye. "We've commissioned a replica of Voyager. If all goes to plan, she'll be completed by the fall. We're going to open her as a museum to the general public, complete with original warp core."

When I was a little girl, my mother would tell me all these wonderful stories of your adventures in the Delta Quadrant and we would spend hours on Voyager's replica..." The words of Captain Laura Marsden drifted back to Kathryn.

"That will be wonderful," Abigail smiled.

"Yes," Kathryn smiled. "Wonderful."

"And of course there will have to be a maiden flight," Admiral Paris continued, "which we're hoping you will captain, Admiral, and that all former Voyager members will participate in. It would be a tremendous public event and the perfect way to open Voyager's replica as a museum."

"It would be perfect," Kathryn said quietly.

"But you don't sound very enthusiastic," Admiral Paris noted.

"I am, it's just... it's just the thought of captaining Voyager, albeit her replica, without Chakotay as my First Officer."

"Of course," Admiral Paris said, his mood sobering, "how insensitive of me. If you want we can have someone else captain the ship or..."

"No," Kathryn interrupted. "As you say, it would be a great event and Chakotay would want us to go ahead with it."


Before transporting home to Indiana that evening, Kathryn called at Celes and Ella's apartment. It was Ella's birthday and Kathryn wanted to give her a gift and a card. The apartment was small, but homely, and Kathryn was glad of its warmth after walking in the cold rain. Celes rarely left the twins until Kathryn was home, so Ella was alone.

"Happy birthday," Kathryn said, handing a surprised Ella a small box wrapped in shiny gold paper, and a card contained in a pink envelope.

Ella took the gift and card gratefully. "Thank you."

She opened the present carefully and smiled to find an elegant gold watch inside a pretty red velvet box.

"It's beautiful," she said sincerely, "thank you."

She then opened the card, which had a cute tiger on the front, and went to put it up with several others on the window sill. One was rather large and had a childish drawing on it of a woman with a black bob. Ella picked it up and handed it to Kathryn.

"Isn't this good? Heidi made it for me."

"Heidi?"

"Justin, I mean Lieutenant Tighe, goes swimming every Tuesday and Thursday evening and I've been looking after Heidi."

"I didn't know you knew Justin that well."

"I don't, not really. We've been working together occasionally over the past couple of months and I offered to look after Heidi when he mentioned he was looking for a baby-sitter. I've only been looking after her a for about a month." She retrieved the card from Kathryn and put it back up on the window sill. "But I don't know if I should any more."

"Why not?"

"Justin, Lieutenant Tighe, he... he says he would like to get to know me better...go on a date..."

"I see," Kathryn said kindly. "Do you want to go?"

"I don't know," Ella answered. "I told him I would think about it, but..." Tears welled in her eyes. "I'm afraid."

Kathryn put her hand on the girl's shoulder. "Justin's a good and gentle man. You have no reason to be afraid of him. He was captured by the Cardassians himself, a long time ago, and will understand more than most what you've been through."

"He was?"

Kathryn nodded. "After what you've been through, it's only natural that you'll be wary of getting involved with someone. I was too. But sometimes we have to take a chance, give someone a chance, and in doing so we give ourselves a chance too."

Ella turned away from her and Kathryn saw a tear escape her eye.

"What is it?"

"Nothing. I'm alright, I..."

Kathryn bridged the gap between them. "Tell me, please..."

"I just...I'm not like other women. I don't think I ever can be. I try so hard to forget what it was like...the Cardassians...but I can't."

She wept painfully and all Kathryn could do was draw her close. Ella leant into her, glad of the motherly comfort and warm affection she so desperately lacked in her life.

"As I've told you before," Kathryn said gently, "it won't be the same when you love someone and he loves you. It will be nothing the same. You'll feel loved and special and his strength will make you feel safe and protected, not frightened and threatened."

"Is that how Chakotay made you feel?"

"Yes," Kathryn said quietly. "There were times when I was scared of him too. It was alright when we were on the ship. I was the captain, she was strong. But when we got infected by that virus and you all had to leave us behind on a planet, I was scared then. We were so alone and his strength, his masculinity, made me feel so vulnerable. I could see the way he looked at me sometimes. There was passion in his eyes. And it frightened me. I avoided him as much as I could and at night would wear these hideous night clothes that covered me almost completely."

Ella had to smile at that thought.

"But Chakotay only ever treated me with kindness, respect, and consideration," Kathryn continued. "And that never changed. Loving and being loved by him has been the most wonderful experience of my life. And it will be just as wonderful for you, Ella. I promise."

"You really think so?"

"I know so," Kathryn said reassuringly.


It was gone 7pm when Kathryn arrived home. After materializing in her private transporter pad, she made her way to the cloaking area in the hallway and took off her long brown coat and scarf. As she did so, Vixi came running to greet her.

"Silvie's sick," she said, "the Doctor's just come..."

Kathryn swallowed. "Where is she?"

"In the nursery."

Kathryn quickly made her way up the stairs, Vixi following.

"She's got spots all over her," Vixi went on. "Ugly green ones. No one knows what they are..."

When Kathryn reached the landing, Roxa was standing outside the nursery with Stevie in her arms.

"The Doctor told me to take Stevie out of the room," Roxa explained. "Vixi too..."

The doors to the nursery opened and Kathryn hurried inside. The nursery was a bright room, but was simple compared to the nursery on Voyager. The walls were a plain yellow and the carpet a dark blue. But what the room lacked in decor, it made up for in toys. There were all kinds, from teddy bears to Vulcan baby mind stimulating toys. Almost every day something new arrived from somewhere in the Federation from a well-wisher. To accommodate all the gifts, Kathryn had decided to turn one of the vacant bedrooms into a toy-room.

Silvia was lying in a diaper in the cot Chakotay had made for her and Stevie, and the Doctor was examining her. Celes was standing close by. Silvia was moaning, clearly in pain, and there were patches of dark green spots on her chest, head and limbs.

"She started to develop a temperature about two hours ago," Celes said when she saw Kathryn. "Then green spots started to erupt on her skin. I called the Doctor straight away."

Kathryn addressed the Doctor. "What's wrong with her, Doctor?"

"I don't know," the Doctor answered honestly. "I've never seen anything like this. It may be a viral infection similar to the ancient pox viral infections, but usually when eruptions appeared, the fever decreased. In Silvia's case, it's increasing." He paused. "If we were on Voyager, I could attempt to treat her myself, but now we're in the Federation, I'm going to have to admit her to hospital."

Celes spoke. "What about Stevie? He and Silvie are rarely separated..."

"He'll have to be admitted too, and Vixi, just to be on the safe side. Whatever Silvia has may be contagious and children are more susceptible to illness than adults." He got to his feet and addressed Kathryn. "I can't pretend that this situation isn't serious, Admiral. My program has just been updated with knowledge of all newly discovered diseases and conditions. There has never before been a case of this nature. That means we may have brought this virus back with us. If so, we could be responsible for a potentially fatal epidemic."


Time passed slowly as Kathryn waited in a long sterile hospital corridor with Roxa, Celes and the Doctor, for some news on the children.

"I can't believe they won't let me help," the Doctor said, pacing the floor. "This is a scandal. I am the most knowledgeable and experienced doctor they could find on unknown viral infections. If I was a humanoid and not a hologram, they would be begging for my help..."

As he spoke, a kind looking nurse with short brown hair emerged from the room where Silvia was being treated. Vixi was with her, tears on her cheeks, and the nurse was carrying a crying Stevie in her arms.

Kathryn and her companions immediately got to their feet and Vixi hurried to her mother, burying her little head in her mother's waist. Roxa held her, soothing her.

"I think this wee lad wants his mother too," the nurse said in a distinctive Scottish accent. She held the crying baby out to his mother and Kathryn gladly took him in her arms.

"You may take Silvesta and Vixi home as soon as you've spoken to the doctor," the nurse continued.

Kathryn tried not to show the fear that she felt. "What's happening with Silvia?"

"Dr Barton will be along any moment now to explain the situation to you."

As she made her way down the corridor, the doors opened again and a middle-aged male doctor appeared. His hair was gray and his appearance serious, but there was a friendly look in his eyes.

"I'm afraid I have both good and bad news," the doctor said sensitively. "The good news is your daughter's condition does not appear to be contagious. If it was, we would have a potential epidemic on our hands as it would be too late to quarantine Voyager's crew. Of course, we don't know for certain that this virus was contracted in unknown space, but it seems the most likely explanation."

"What's the bad news?"

"The bad news is we still have no idea what is wrong with her and her condition is deteriorating. She's lost consciousness and her temperature is continuing to increase. We're doing everything we can, but she's a very sick little baby."

The Doctor spoke. "I have examined Silvia several times since we returned. Not once did I detect any foreign entity in her body. If I couldn't detect it in her, you won't be able to detect it in Silvesta or Vixi. I seriously question the wisdom of discharging them. They may fall ill at any moment."

"May being the word, Doctor. At the moment they are in fine health. If they fall ill then we will admit them. In the meantime, there is no need. They may go home. If we admit them, then we'll have to admit every single member of Voyager's crew, including the Admiral and her companions here."

"But..."

"The healthy do not need a doctor, Doctor."

The Doctor was about to argue when Kathryn intervened. "Roxa, Celes, take Vixi and Stevie home. Dr Barton?"

"That's right."

"I would like Dr Photon to assist you in treating my daughter. He has successfully treated many unknown diseases over the past eight years and saved the lives of my crew, and my own, more times than I can remember. I owe him my life and I trust him with my daughter's."

"Very well," Dr Barton said, clearly not happy but feeling he had no choice. "Dr Photon, come with me."

The Doctor triumphantly followed him, and as they disappeared into the room, Celes spoke. "Are you sure you want me to leave? I don't want to leave you alone."

"I'll call my family," Kathryn replied. "You go. You've been here long enough. Besides, it's Ella's birthday. You don't want to leave her alone all night. I'll call you as soon as there's news."

"Alright," Celes said. "But make sure you do."

Kathryn put her hand on the girl's arm. "I will."


Two hours later, Kathryn was still sitting in the corridor waiting for news. Phoebe was with her and Kathryn was glad of her calming influence. Their parents had wanted to come, but Kathryn had persuaded them to keep Roxa company instead. Her mother was such a worrier that she would only add to the tension.

"Would you like a cup of tea?"

"No, thank you," Kathryn replied. Her stomach was in so many knots that she felt consuming any liquid would choke her. She got to her feet, needing to do something, anything. "Why aren't they telling me what's happening?"

"They will as soon as there's something to tell..." Phoebe answered.

As she spoke, the doors opened and Dr Barton appeared. His face was pale and there was a heavy sadness in his eyes.

"I'm afraid we're losing your daughter," he said as gently as he could. "There's no more we can do."

Tears flooded Kathryn's eyes and Phoebe had to look away from the pain on her face.

"You can spend what little time she has left with her, say goodbye properly." The Doctor put his hand on her shoulder. "I'm so sorry."


Silvia lay naked, except for a diaper, inside a glass incubator. Gadgets were attached to her little body and she looked so tiny in this cold and sterile environment. As Kathryn made her way over to her daughter, she looked around for the Doctor, wanting to hear from him that there was no hope. She wasn't giving up yet, not yet. But the Doctor was no where to be seen. There was only a young nurse in the room.

"Where's the Doctor?" She asked. "I mean, Dr Photon?"

"I don't know," the nurse replied. "He left in a hurry..."

"Did he saw what for?"

"Not specifically."

Dr Barton moved to the incubator. "Would you like to hold your daughter?"

"No," Kathryn replied. "I'm not giving up on her yet, not until I've spoken to the Doctor..."

"There's nothing he can do for her. If there was, anything at all, we would be doing it..."

"The Doctor wouldn't abandon her. He must have discovered something..."

Dr Barton took a deep breath and tried to be sympathetic but firm at the same time. "I know that this is a..."

"I'm not moving her from that incubator until the Doctor returns," Kathryn said stubbornly. "And if all you're going to do is stand there and tell me that my daughter is dying and there's nothing to be done, then please leave."

"Admiral," he protested.

"I said leave!"

The doctor was going to argue, but thought it better not to aggravate her grief, and without another word left the room.

When he was gone, Kathryn bridged the distance between her and the incubator and looked down at her precious little girl. Her tiny body was now completely covered in horrible green lumps and they were even covering her scalp. Kathryn touched the glass tenderly as a tear ran down her cheek.

"You're going to be alright, darling," she whispered. "You're a Janeway and we can beat anything. Don't give up, sweetheart. Keep fighting."

Suddenly, the lumps on Silvia's body began to turn brown. Then, one by one, they started to burst. Kathryn gasped in horror as what appeared to be tiny black spiders poured out of them in hundreds.

An alarm sounded and lights on the incubator began to flash. The next thing Kathryn knew, she was being ushered out of the room by the nurse as Dr Barton returned, accompanied by another doctor.

"I want to stay," Kathryn protested. "Please..."

"I'm sorry," the nurse replied. "It's better if you wait outside..."

"But..."

"Your daughter's in the best possible hands. There's nothing you can do."

Phoebe approached. "What's happening?"

"I don't know," Kathryn answered. "All the spots on Silvie began to burst and spiders ran out of them..."

Phobe shivered. "Spiders?"

"Hundreds of them."

"We'll inform you as soon as there is news," the nurse said. "Now, please, wait out here. Your presence will distract the doctors."

As the nurse disappeared inside the room, Phoebe drew her sister close and they held each other tight.


Phoebe had finally persuaded Kathryn to have a drink, and was just returning with two cups of hot tea, when Voyager's former EMH emerged from the room.

Kathryn got to her feet. "Where have you been? What's happening?"

The Doctor smiled. "Silvia's out of danger. Her body temperature has returned to normal and she has just regained consciousness."

Kathryn turned to look at Phoebe and they shared a relieved smile. Then she turned back to the Doctor.

"These spiders. Where did they come from?"

"From the spiders we brought back with us. It appears they were using Silvia's body to breed."

Kathryn frowned. "But spiders don't breed that way..."

"All known spiders don't, but these spiders appear to need mammal blood to nourish their young. They inject eggs into a mammal's blood system with their teeth and over a number of weeks, these eggs slowly make their way to the skin's surface. The spiders then grow rapidly and the eggs hatch. I began to suspect something like that when I analyzed the development of the spots. There were a lot of similarities between her condition and that of Harris, Frix and Chakotay when they were being used as a breeding host. Until the creatures started attacking healthy cells, their presence was undetectable. Silvia had never left Voyager so it had to be something on the ship that had bitten her. That's when I remembered about the spiders we brought on board. But to be sure, I had to go and fetch a couple of them."

Kathryn tried to absorb this. "But Silvia never had any contact with the spiders..."

"Not directly, but the spiders did escape. It would only have taken seconds for one to bite her and inject her with it's eggs.."

Kathryn shivered at the thought. "She will be alright, won't she?"

"She's going to be fine. I've developed a medicine that will kill the eggs in anyone who has them in their system, and have given it to her just incase there are more in her body. Every one of Voyager's crew, and that of The Homebird, will need to be given it too, just to be on the safe side. We don't want these spiders getting into our habitat. Petal will also have to be treated. As there were no humanoids on the planet the spiders came from, my suspicion is they used animals to reproduce. It may have proved fatal to some animals, but most likely, once the spiders hatched, any dangerous irregularities caused by the process disappeared. That way there would be no damage to the ecosystem." He paused. "An order has been sent out to every one of Voyager's crew telling them to report to their nearest medical center. Hopefully another case like Silvia's will be prevented."

"Let's hope so," Kathryn answered.

The Doctor held up a hypospray. "Obviously you'll need to be treated too."

Kathryn smiled and moved her head to the side. "Fire away."

The Doctor put the hypospray to her neck and then held it out to her. "Take this home with you and administer it to Silvesta, Vixi, Roxa and Petal. There's no need to bring them in. It may make Petal drowsy for a few hours, but should have no side effects on humanoids."

Kathryn took the hypospray. "Thank you." She then questioned. "When can Silvie come home?"

"She should be well enough to leave tomorrow," the Doctor answered. "It's best she's kept in for observation."


Vixi stood in the doorway of the nursery and watched as Kathryn put Stevie to bed. Gretchen and Roxa had kept him in the living room all night so they could immediately see if there were any changes to his appearance. They had awoken him at regular intervals to make sure he was still conscious, and the poor mite was exhausted. He had fallen sound asleep as soon as his mother had taken him in her arms and rocked him, and he was sleeping still.

Kathryn tenderly put a warm blanket over him and kissed his little forehead. She then sat on a chair beside the cot and just gazed at her sleeping baby. He was growing to look more and more like Chakotay every day. And he and Silvie were growing so fast. Chakotay was missing so much. In the corner of her eye, she saw Vixi standing in the open doorway and turned towards her.

"You should be in bed, young lady."

"I can't sleep," she said quietly. "I'm afraid."

Kathryn extended her arm to the child and Vixi went over to her.

"There's nothing to be afraid of, darling," she said kindly. "Silvie's going to be just fine. She'll be home tomorrow."

"What if they come back?"

"The spiders?"

Vixi nodded.

"They won't, honey. The medicine she's been given will make sure of that."

"And they won't try to eat any of us?"

"They weren't eating her, sweetheart, they were just using her body to grow. But they've gone now, and we've all been given medicine so they won't be in any of us."

Suddenly, a deep male voice spoke harshly from the doorway.

"Move to the wall!"

Kathryn's eyes flew in the direction of the voice and she saw her former ex-Maquis crewman, Garl, standing in the room pointing a phaser at her and Vixi. He was dressed in black clothes and his face was flushed, his forehead sweaty. He appeared feverish.

"Garl," she said, getting to her feet. "What are you doing?"

"I said move to the wall!"

Kathryn dared not disobey and moved to the wall, taking Vixi with her.

"How did you get in?" The house was fitted with high security.

"I'm a Maquis, I can get in anywhere."

"Why are you here?"

"Why do you think?"

"If I knew, I wouldn't be asking."

"To kill you, that's why!"

Kathryn swallowed. "Why do you want to kill me?"

"For ruining all our lives! You had no right to destroy our only way home..."

"Destroying the array was necessary to save the Ocampa..."

"No," he cried. "You violated the Prime Directive. And when you destroyed that array, you destroyed all our lives! If I hadn't respected Chakotay, I would have killed you with my bare hands to secure Voyager for the Maquis..."

His voice woke Stevie and he began to cry.

"And how worthy of trust did Chakotay prove to be? He couldn't wait to use your body to satisfy his perverted pleasures..."

Roxa entered the room, having heard voices, and as soon as Garl saw her, he seized her and held her tight against him.

"Let her go," Kathryn said. "She's done you no harm. Neither has Vixi. Let them leave the room with Stevie."

"And have them blabber? I don't think so, Admiral. I have no desire to be convicted as a murderer. I never planned to harm them, but things don't always go to plan. I'll spare the baby, but they have to share your fate now..."

There was a shelf behind him displaying some of the most unusual toys given to the twins. Amongst them were a pair of large gold unicorns with silver horns. Vixi concentrated all her might on one of them and it began to shake...

"Vixi's just a child..." Kathryn protested. "She's just a little girl..."

"The good die young, Admiral. And I have no heart. There's no point petitioning it. I've killed children before to achieve a goal. My hands already drip with the blood of innocents. One more won't make any difference..."

Concentrating harder, Vixi moved the unicorn through the air. Kathryn saw it move towards Garl's head and knew instantly what Vixi was doing. Sure enough, it slammed against his skull seconds later with a mighty force. At the strength of the blow he fell to the floor, knocking Roxa down with him, and the unicorn landed beside them.

Kathryn hurried over to Garl and searched for his pulse. She found it, racing wildly. She then turned to Roxa. "Are you okay?"

"I think so" Roxa said, getting to her feet.

As she did so, Vixi hurried over to her and Roxa hugged her close.

"Computer," Kathryn said, "erect a forcefield around adult male."

Instantly a forcefield was erected around Garl.

Kathryn then turned to Vixi and smiled warmly. "Well done, Vixi. Very well done."


"Without a doubt it's the spiders," the Doctor explained to Kathryn as she stood outside a hospital room in the same corridor as the one Silvia was in. "Green spots have just erupted."

"Do you think it was responsible for his behavior?"

"Possibly. Delirium often accompanies a fever. But it's also possible his actions were independent of his condition."

"If it can't be determined whether or not his actions were caused by his condition, how can we know how to proceed against him? I don't want him imprisoned if he wasn't really responsible for his actions."

A young nurse, who had just emerged from the room, spoke. "No proceedings will be required, Admiral. Garl is dead."

Kathryn was a moment in answering. "Dead?"

"His body temperature and heart rate soared to fatal levels. There was nothing we could do."


Roxa and Vixi were waiting up for Kathryn when she finally returned home. Vixi was leaning against her mother as they sat together on a sofa before the simulated fire, and was almost asleep.

"I'm afraid it's not good news," Kathryn said, sitting in a comfortable chair opposite them. "Garl's dead."

Roxa looked at her fearfully. "It wasn't Vixi...?"

"No," Kathryn replied. "Not at all. The changes to his body because of the spiders killed him."

Vixi sat up. "But they won't kill Silvie?"

"No, honey," Kathryn said gently. "Different people have different reactions to things. Garl was Bajoran. Being of a different species may have had something to do with it."

Roxa got to her feet. "Now you're home, I'll make us all a warm milk with honey. That should help settle us before we go to bed."

Kathryn smiled. "Thank you."

With that, Roxa left the room.

Kathryn looked into the flames before her and couldn't help think of Garl. She wanted to believe his actions were the result of delirium, but she couldn't help doubt. He had tried to kill her once before, and would probably have succeeded if Chakotay hadn't saved her. She had never mentioned the incident to Garl afterwards because he had been under mind control, but looking back now, he had never apologized for what he did either... It made her shudder to think of the hatred he must have borne towards her all these years. And, in the back of her mind, she wondered if there was any one else..

"Kathryn."

Kathryn turned from the fire to look at Vixi. "Yes, sweetheart?"

"Why are men so nasty?"

"Not all men, darling," she said gently, "only bad men."

"Was Garl a bad man?"

"Yes," Kathryn answered quietly. "I think he was."

"Why are there so many bad men?"

"Not really. There are more good men than bad."

"Men like Chakotay?"

Kathryn nodded. "Good men."

Tears welled in Vixi's eyes. "I miss him."

"So do I," Kathryn said quietly. "So do I."


A beeping alarm sounded, waking Chakotay. He made his way through the Delta Flyer to the helm, and saw on sensors that another vessel was approaching. He sat down and did a full analysis. It was an unidentifiable spacecraft, approximately 0.6 light years away, traveling at approximately warp 8. Shields made it impossible to determine how many people were inside. The vessel was still a few hours away and appeared to be alone but Chakotay still felt anxious. So far he had been lucky and had encountered no alien vessels, but he knew it was only a matter of time before he did, and hostile ones at that. But he took comfort in the fact that this ship appeared to be alone. The crew of an alone ship were unlikely to attack when he could prove a superior match. He considered for a moment whether or not to make contact, but decided not too. If they wanted, they could make contact with him, but he hoped they would just pass by.

"Computer," he said, "what time is it?"

"The time is 04:21 hours."

Early. Too early. But now that he was fully awake, it would be impossible to go back to sleep. He got up from his seat and went over to the replicator.

"Coffee, black."

A cup of streaming black coffee materialized and Chakotay picked it up. He had never really liked coffee much before but, since he had been left alone, he had developed a taste for the beverage. It reminded him of Kathryn, made him feel close to her. It had been a long three months and the loneliness was overwhelming, but he had promised Kathryn he would get home and he was determined to do everything possible to keep that promise.

"Incoming transmission."

Chakotay put down the coffee and responded. "On speakers."

"This is Arlei to the Delta Flyer. Do you read me?"

"Arlei," Chakotay said, totally surprised. "It's good to hear from you. But what are you doing in this region of space? I thought you had returned to the Delta Quadrant."

"I did," she explained. "But I decided to come back. I've been in pursuit of you all for weeks." She paused. "But I'm not detecting Voyager on sensors, only the Flyer."

"A lot's happened since you've been away," Chakotay answered. "Let's rendevouz our vessels and then I'll beam you onboard and explain."


Three hours later, Arlei materialized in the Delta Flyer.

Chakotay was waiting to greet her and held his hand out to her. "It really is good to see you again."

"Likewise," she smiled, shaking his hand. "I've really missed everyone."

Chakotay gestured to a chair at the helm. "Please, take a seat."

Arlei sat down and spoke as Chakotay sat opposite her. "You said a lot has happened. Is everyone alright?"

"Yes," he answered. "Three months ago we found an alien vessel in an asteroid zone. It was much more advanced than Voyager and capable of transwarp travel. The problem was, it was heavily damaged and had no warp core. B'Elanna found out that by using Voyager's warp core, we could make that ship transwarp capable again just long enough to take the crew back to the Federation. But there were risks involved. We couldn't leave Voyager behind and risk her falling into the wrong hands, but neither could we destroy her when there was a risk the mission wouldn't work." He paused again. "So I stayed behind on Voyager as a precaution. When the mission was a success, I set Voyager up to self-destruct and continued to make my way to the Federation alone."

"Then a lot certainly has happened," Arlei said quietly. "And I have to say I wasn't expecting any of this." She paused. "I'm sorry you had to stay behind."

"It hasn't been easy," he answered. "But it's the way things had to be." He looked at her with sympathy. "And I'm sorry about Harry...that you've had a wasted journey."

Arlei lowered her eyes. "I was hoping to see him," she said quietly. "I know I have no right to want a second chance after the way I left, but I felt I had to leave, felt it was my duty. I didn't want too as I love Harry, I really do... So when I'd passed on all the information I had, and they didn't need me any more, I decided to come looking for Voyager. We'd spent some time studying the cluster of wormholes we came across in trying to escape the Voril, and with our slightly more advanced technology than yours, we were able to determine roughly where each of them leads too. One terminates about 200 light years from here so I used that, hoping to meet up with Voyager as she made her way home. I estimated you'd be passing through this region about now."

"Then you must have been traveling alone almost as long as me," Chakotay said. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry I won't get to see Harry," she answered. "But I'm not sorry I came. I knew it might be too late for Harry and I." She paused. "There was another reason I came. I knew of a way for Voyager to get home."

Hope filled Chakotay's eyes. "A way home?"

Arlei nodded. "There's another wormhole that leads to the Alpha Quadrant. It either terminates within Federation space or close by. At best it's a few weeks journey to Earth, at most a few months. The wormhole I used to return to the Alpha Quadrant is two way. At maximum warp, you should reach it in less than three months time.You can use it to return to the cluster of wormholes."

Chakotay smiled happily. "Then looks like I've just reclaimed the next eighteen years of my life."

"Yes," Arlei smiled. "And we can travel together to the wormhole. I'll be using it to return to my people."

"Why don't you come all the way with me?"

"To the Federation?"

"Yes."

Arlei's eyes shone brightly for a moment at the thought, then dulled. "I couldn't. I'm sure Harry's found someone else by now or is back with his old fiancé. It wouldn't be right to come. It's best for me to return to my people and try and make a new life for myself somewhere."

"The Federation is as good a place as anywhere," Chakotay continued, "and you can join Starfleet. You'd be a great asset with your engineering skills."

"But what about Harry? I wouldn't want him to feel I was following him or expecting anything..."

"I'm sure he wouldn't think that. You made good friends on Voyager. It makes sense to go where your friends are."

"I suppose," Arlei said, considering. "I would love to come, but do you really think I should?"

"Absolutely."

Arlei smiled. "Then I will."

Chakotay smiled in return and got to his feet. "I think this is cause for celebration. Join me in a glass of champagne?"

Arlei nodded eagerly and Chakotay went over to the replicator.

END OF CHAPTER THIRTY SIX