Inspired by a Star Trek: TNG fic which I simply cannot remember the name or author of... ah well...
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Darn. Well, I do own two absolutely craptastic CD players, but that's beside the point...
It's been over fifty Earth years since I've explored the stars.
I miss the sensation of space travel, I really do. The wonder of unexplored star systems, meeting new friends from all sorts of races, I even miss the thrill of combat, where one move from myself or my companions could spell a massive decompression or a warp core breach.
I think that the thing I miss most is my friends.
Can I really call them that? Yes, I think I can. They were with me for seven long years, after all. I remember our first meeting with crystal clarity; we weren't on the best of terms with the Maquis at first, true, but I came to see them as crewmates, and friends eventually. And look at them now! So many of them have paired off; my old Captain and Commander, once worst enemies, now soul mates with two children and three grandchildren. And B'Elanna and Tom... I don't think anyone guessed that they'd make a couple one day. But look at them now; four kids, five grandkids, and another on the way!
And the Doctor.
If it weren't for the Caretaker, he probably never would have been activated, and certainly not for the six decades that he has been now. You know, I believe that he's the one that I think about the most. My attraction to him has long passed - I don't know what I liked so much about him in the first place, to tell you the truth. I think I almost did tell him that I liked him a few times. But he was head over heels with Seven and so... I never said anything to him. I suppose we could've become an extremely interesting couple, but I'm not sure the rest of the crew would've accepted it. Actually, I take that back. They never would have.
I believe he's married to a human woman now... my memory's getting a little fuzzy these days. The one thing I do know is that she wasn't part of my crew. I would remember her if she was.
Speaking of names... I do believe that he still hasn't picked one, even after six decades. A little absurd, don't you think? I mean, how hard can it be to pick a name? It's one of those things that I find endearing about him.
I laugh, quietly. Even so, the sound echoes. And eventually fades.
I'm lonely. All of my family is dead or retired; my eldest sister was killed in action almost forty years ago. My... little sister - daughter - niece? is either still alive out there somewhere or is dead like the rest. I really don't know. I wish one of my old crew would visit. I know that some of them are still alive, most of them in fact. Some even live on Earth.
Earth.
It's not my homeworld; I was born at Utopia Planitia, the shipyards of Mars. The first thing I remember seeing was... part of the bay's wall to the left and the starscape to the front. My eldest sister was there; she was the first to speak to me.
I'm so lonely... I'm going to go crazy if I don't get some company soon. There must be some part of my mind that I haven't read though yet... there's a poem. I've never seen it before. Strange...
Now the laborer's day is over;
Now the battle day is past;
Now upon the farther shore
Lands the voyager at last
-'Hymn,' John Ellerton
I wonder if this guy wrote this upon our return? But no; a quick search has told me that he lived during Earth's twentieth century.
Almost five hundred years ago.
And me?
What will happen to me in fifty more years, when I reach and surpass the century-mark? Not many of my kind live to be that old. Most die before they reach fifty. And in another century? I'll probably still be here. One of the oldest of my kind in all four quadrants, most likely.
Well, I don't doubt that I'll outlive even Tuvok and Vorik. I believe that Seven will probably have a longer lifespan than a lot of humans because of her enhanced body. But I'll outlive her, too.
Eventually, I'll be the last one of my crew. Besides the Doc and the Delta Flyer, if she's still around.
The Doctor.
That makes me think that perhaps I should pick a name for myself. My name isn't particularly human-sounding. But does that matter? Mentally, I smile. I don't really need a human name, do I? My builders may have been mostly human, but I'm not. And besides, your name is what your friends and family call you. So Voyager I am, and Voyager I will remain for the rest of my life.