Disclaimer: I only wish Voyager was mine, but Paramount owns them and it is our duty to speculate what they don't see fit to reveal in the series, and are too lazy to make a movie. If only they would see it our way...

Banned From Coffee Chapter 15 - Release

Five months pregnant, and the Captain of the USS Voyager could not be trusted to uphold a simple conversation with an alien race. it wasn't her fault, it was theirs. They were the ones who were sexist, thinking women were made to bear children and not be diplomats. Well, they'll just have to see what Kathryn Janeway was hiding up her red-and-black uniform sleeve this day.

Sickbay was quiet, still. Kathryn and B'Elanna were still confined in the surgical bay for observation, and the Alomen-ar still refused to talk to the pregnant commandong officer of the ship.

Kathryn was deep in her thoughts when they were interrupted by the Doctor's chronically happy simulated voice.

"Good moring, Captain. How are you feeling today?" he asked, optimism obviously present in his voice. He was trying to cheer her up before B'Elanna was ordered to decompile his program. "Are you feeling ready to leave my humble abode?"

Kathryn sneered at the holographic Doctor, then turned to wake her Chief Engineer. "Well, Doctor," she said while she was gently rousing the half-Klingon mother. "Do you feel nice enough to let us out of our confinement and return to duty?" She answered his question with a question of he own.

"Yeah," Torres spoke up, rising from her slumber. "I'm feeling perfectly fine, and I think I'm needed in Engineering."

The EMH had a humourous look on his face as he stared into the eyes of the Captain and the Lieutenant. "If you two are feling up to returning to duty, by all means return," he said, gesturing to the Sickbay doors.

The two women made to rise from thier positions in the surgical bay and leave, but were interrupted by the presistent hologram. "Under one condition though," he said, eyeing both of the females in their eyes. "The minute you start to feel nauseous, dizzy or unwell, you report back here immeditately." Kathryn and B'Elanna looked at eachother, their gaze suggesting they would do nothing of the sort. They already had overprotective husbands, the doctor didn't need to be added to the list. "Do you understand?"

"Yes Doctor," they said in usison.

"Now, can we go please?" Janeway asked, her anxiousness to return to her Bridge showing in her face.

The Doctor responded by deactivating the forcefield, allowing the two women their freedom.

They almost literally ran out of Sickbay, well and truly sick of the CMO's company.

The Bridge was well and truly in chaos by the time Kathryn and B'Elanna reached the command centre. As the Captain waddled to her chair and the Chief Engineer strode to the Engineering station at the side of the Bridge, Commander Chakotay and Lieutenant Paris turned to meet their wives, welcoming them back to duty in an overprotecive, caring manner.

Everything was returning to normal, except for the one thing disturbing the statrus quo on Voyager - the presence of the Alomen-ar.

The briefing room conversation was in full swing when the CO and XO entered the room. Tom and B'Elanna were arguing with the Doctor over Miral and the new baby. Harry, Seven and Tuvok were having an intense discussion over the Astrometrics sensor systems.

Kathryn shared a look with Chakotay, her husband of just over three months. He knew perfectly well she didn't want to interrupt the conversations currenlty going, but they had more important matters to attend to than the Paris children and Astrometrics sensors.

The silent entry of the command team went unnoticed by the remainder of the senior staff, they were so engrossed in their conversations. The Captain and Commander took their seats at the head of the table, unwilling to break up the party, but needing to for the safety of the ship and her crew.

A strong cough came from the First Officer's chair, drawing the attention from eachother to Janeway, ready for the meeting, ready to discuss how to disengage the Alomen-ar permanently.

"OK, people. We all know this situation with the Alomen-ar is getting to an unbearable point, and now the First Marne is refusing to even talk to me. I know that we all want them to leave us alone, so we can be left wit ha safe environment to raise our children, so, ideas anyone?"

A slight buzz of conversation filled the room as the staff discussed their individual ideas with eachother, but was interrupted by the Captain's voice. "B'Elanna, how's Engineering coping with constant attacks? How much power do we have in supply?"

The Engineer's face suddenly paled with the mention of her domain, power and the problems with the ship. "Well, Captain, Main Engineering os a mess, the last attack from the Alomen-ar left conduits everywhere and panels open, so there is alot of damage there. Concerning power supplies, we're down to 72 per cent in reserve, but that level is dropping rather quickly with all the damage that's been done. My repair crews are all working double shifts just to get primary systems running at peak efficency before the next attack, and I'm not sure how long the crew's can keep working double shifts without falling to pieces." Her eyes reflected her grim mood, her second pregnancy also starting to take it's toll on her body. "Captain, bottom line is, if we don't have repair completed in the next few days, we may be dead in the water for the next attack, and then we won't survive it."

The mood in the room sobered after Torres's outburst. If they were dead in the water when the Alomen-ar returned for their next attack, there wouldn't be anymore babies born on Voyager beacuse there wouldn't be a Voyager for them to live on.

"OK then, Engineering is a mess and we'll be dead in the water soon. Tuvok, how's your security and tactical staff handling the pressure?" Kathryn looked at her trusty second officer, trying to draw comfort from his stoic, emotionless tone. Strangely enough, his presence was enough to calm anyone.

"Captain, the security teams are all training on double shifts, when they too are not helping with repairs. The tactical staff are continuing to train with the security teams. I believe they will be able to handle any situation, including being boarded by the Alomen-ar." Lieutenant Commander Tuvok looked at the Captain, a look telling her he had faith in his staff in any situation.

"Thanks, Tuvok. Harry, you're helping with repairs, aren't you?" Janeway looked at her Chief Ops officer, knowing he would be spending every off duty minute with B'Elanna or Seven in Engineering.

"Yes, ma'am. We're hoping to have the warp and impule drives back up and running in around six hours, give or take. Otherwise, just like B'Elanna said, Main Engineering is a mess, but that should be cleaned up and back to normal in abou three or four days, if nothing goes wrong." Harry Kim looked at Seven of Nine, both sharing a look of understanding and affection, if affection was possible for someone with little emotion.

"Seven, thanks for helping with the repairs. Tom, how is the crew holding up with this situation?" Kathryn Janeway looked at her overconfident Chief Pilot, who was now a back-up Morale officer, filling Neelix's shoes after his departure.

"Captain, everyone is exhausted, but can't wait for the repairs to be completed so we can leave Alomen-ar territory. Frankly, if we don't leave soon, we may not have a very cooperative crew when we do resume our mission."

Tom's statement brought the harsh reality of the situation back to everyone's ears. If they didn't leave soon, they may not have a very cooperative crew... Crew morale, or the lack of it, was really starting to sink in.

"Thanks, everyone. Now that we have all proved coffee is definantly a required comodity on this ship," she paused to look at the Doctor, giving him a death glare. "If only it was on the replicator system..." she gave the Doctor another death glare.

"Well, Captain, you know the rules, no coffee during pregnancy, for you or B'Elanna. So, to reduce temptation, you know I had to have it removed from the system." He almost took a step backward in fear of the death glares the Doctor was now gathering from Janeway and Torres. "It's for your own good," he said, once again trying to prove his point.

"My mother used to give me and my sisters a substance called hot chocolate when we were kids," Tom Paris interjected. "She said we were too young for any type of caffeine, so we had to drink this instead. You should try it, especially with little marshmallows on top. Very soothing and invigorating, and totally approved by the Doctor, right?"

Tom looked over at the CMO, hoping his suggestion would be instantly approved without hesitation or testing.

"We'll talk later about that, Mr Paris," the Doc said quietly to his 'assistant'. "But Captain, Lieutenant, you may drink this, hot chocolate, for the time being. I'm sure it will keep you away from the caffeine for a while." He chuckled at his own joke, but stopped when he realised no one was laughing with him.

The briefing room was silent as everyone directed their attention back to the Captain.

"OK, so we have now established there is something I can drink that has no caffiene," Janeway had a slight pout present on her face and in her voice, as if caffiene was a daily neccesity like air. "Let's get back to the Alomen-ar."

A collective groan circled the room again, their latest enemies the only topic of conversation on the ship.

"Captain, we're approximately 17.9 lightyears from the border of their space, when we will be able to successfully escape them with little chance of pursuit," Commander Tuvok spoke up. ''If we make it to the border in one piece, we should theoretically never see the Alomen-ar again."

This time a subdued cheer echoed the room, as everyone could not wait to see the tail end of the damn annoying aliens.

Kathryn Janeway looked rather uncomfortable in her chair and started to shif in it slightly. This action drew many concerned looks her way.

OK, now make sure we are focusing on repairs for the next few days, while we continue to travel at impulse towards the territorial border. Until then, try to keep the spirits of your teams up." everyone nodded, obviously glad the meeting was coming to and end, finally. "Was there anything else?" Janeway asked her staff.

The Commander slightly fidgeted in his seat befire turning to look at his wife, a serious look on his face. "Captain, the First Marne has requested any further negotiations with Voyager are to be made through me or another member of the senior staff until we leave their space, for the sake of you and your child, I believe were his exact words."

Kathryn could now see why the commander had been fidgety before his announcement. "In other words, he wants me relieved from duty!" Her outraged tone of voice almost shocked the congregation. Almost. "That's obsurd! Eve nthe Doctor has a hard time relieving me of duty, and he expects his request be acted on!"

Tuvok was the only one to speak up, rising from his seat to be eye level with his commanding officer. "Captain, you were not there when he threatened me and the ship. Ashwaith claims he will destroy the ship if you are in command next time we meet." Even though Tuvok gave his speech without emotion, as usual, this time his soothing tone did not calm the enraged Captian.

"He expects me to.. to.. to.. oh.." The Captain could not even finish her sentence before she fell to the floor, completely unconcious.

Everyone stood to act at once. The doctor tapped his comm badge, ready to transport her fragile form. "Medical emergency! Two to bean directly to Sickbay." Before Chakotay could protest, his wife and CMO had dissapeared from the room.

Everyone stood shocked in the middle of the room, just standing there, wondering what had happened to their beloved Captain.