Uninspired Voyages

A Star Trek: Voyager fanfiction by Andrew J. Talon

DISCLAIMER: This is a non-profit fan based work of prose. Star Trek: Voyager, Deep Space Nine, The Next Generation et al are the property of CBS Television, Para creation of Gene Roddenberry. Please support the official release.

Back in the Alpha Quadrant... Because we could use a brief break from the story arc...

While Arul did not ingest alcohol in general, she did not mind socializing at Quark's with her in-laws. There was something almost comforting about the raucous noise and cheerful movements of other races as they enjoyed themselves.

It also allowed her to become a better part of the community, and not seen as a "stuck up Vulcan". Many in Starfleet Intelligence had referred to her in this manner, save for Shepherd.

Mr. Shepherd himself was sitting with her, fresh from a training session with the station's security. He was in civilian clothing, loose and simple. He wore a dark blue "T-shirt" with a five pointed star wreathed in lighter blue, white and red on his chest, and a pair of khaki trousers. He scratched at his neatly trimmed beard a bit, as he looked across the table at her. He gave her a warm smile.

"How was your shift?" He asked.

"Uneventful," Arul said, "I gave three Bajoran children check ups before their parents were taking them home to Bajor. The Dominion threat has made people less inclined to have their families here."

Mr. Shepherd nodded in understanding.

"We left little Raven home on Earth for that reason," he explained, "between the Dominion and the Borg, it's safer for her back there."

"Curious," Arul said, "you refer to your daughter by her first name, but not your son?"

Mr. Shepherd chuckled.

"Ah... It's kind of an in joke, I suppose," he admitted, "that and he hated his first name."

Arul nodded.

"I know," she said softly, "he just seemed to be under the impression that you resented his choices."

Mr. Shepherd was silent, and Arul wondered if she had made an error.

"I am sorry if bringing that up is emotionally distressing-"

"No, it's all right," the Master Chief said gently, "we were a bit estranged from him before Voyager vanished." He closed his eyes and let out a sad breath. "We were trying to give him space. Let him live his own life without any of the baggage we brought into it. But I... We overdid it. He must have thought we were awful."

Arul sensed the distress the man was feeling, and reached out a hand to his. Mr. Shepherd looked down at her hand, and looked up into her face. Arul stared calmly back.

"He did not. He does love you," she said, "but he felt he couldn't relate to you. You were heroes, and he sought only a quieter life. A meaningful life, but still quieter."

Mr. Shepherd squeezed Arul's hand back, and she felt his sincere relief.

"I guess we should have tried harder," he sighed, "war... I thought war is all I would know. Meeting May, having Shepherd and Raven though... Serving in Starfleet. It's more than I could have ever asked for. I just... I guess I didn't show it properly. How much I cared about him."

The grief came strongly over their connection. Arul squeezed Mr. Shepherd's hand back.

"It is not logical to despair," Arul said, "I know he's still alive."

Mr. Shepherd looked back at Arul.

"... I hope he is," he explained softly, genuine but the fear was there. Arul shook her head.

"No. Our telepathic bond is still there," she said firmly. "It would not still exist if he was dead. I am sure of it."

Mr. Shepherd stared at her. Arul held his gaze, yet felt the Vulcan equivalent of a fidget.

"Such things have been found to have been... Wrong at times," she admitted, "only an echo of the person we were bonded to. However... I cannot accept he is dead without definitive proof."

Mr. Shepherd nodded back.

"I understand," he said, "I feel the same way."

Arul gave just the smallest smile back to him. Shepherd had always liked her smile. He said it was special because it was so rare that she did it for anyone. He felt genuinely lucky to be one of the few who received hers.

There was a commotion outside the bar in the Promenade. Mister Shepherd looked out and sighed. Arul followed his gaze and also observed.

Mrs. Shepherd was talking with three Nausiccans, all big and burly. She was leaning on a walking stick, one she had carried since she had arrived on the station. One Nausiccan pulled a knife and thrust it at her, but the human woman caught his wrist, snapped it, and disarmed him of the blade. The other two charged her, but she quickly swung her stave around, striking them hard in their faces, groins, and chests. All three went down. Mrs. Shepherd sighed, and calmly walked away as the station security officers quickly surrounded the three. She walked up to the table and sat down, beaming.

"Afternoon!" She said brightly, "how's everyone doing?"

"Fine," Mr. Shepherd said. He gave her a wry smile. "Wanted to challenge the Borg Slayer?"

"However did you know?" Mrs. Shepherd asked dryly.

"They challenged me last week," he said. "Must've just gotten out of the brig."

"Well, at least they'll know the way," Mrs. Shepherd sighed. "So! What shall we order?"

Arul allowed herself an inner smile. It was strange, but... She felt quite content here.

And now, an omake written by LiveEye57!

Captain Janeway walked onto the bridge, nose buried in her PADD displaying an evaluation of the Aeroshuttle in combat. She sat down in her chair, and it was only then she noticed things were...different. The usual white lighting had been turned off; instead, what looked like old-fashioned neon light tubes in all colors had replaced them. The usual beige carpeting had been replaced by one with a pattern of brightly colored loops and rings. The consoles were unaltered, but seemingly everyone was wearing, instead of their usual Starfleet outfits, a variety of different ones - some had rather garish outfits that seemed to match the new decor, but many were instead wearing flannel and baggy, rumpled jeans. She could even hear music being piped through, the sounds of guttural lyrics combined with rough guitar work were playing faintly, overriding the usual sounds of quiet work and the beeps and chirps of the LCARS system.

"Shepherd..." she groaned. She knew he had to be behind this. "Yes, Cap'n?" He'd appeared out of nowhere, also dressed in flannel, and he was apparently in sudden need of a haircut - or it was a wig; in any case, she could barely see his eyes behind his suddenly-lengthy bangs. "You, ready room. Now."

The duo walked into her ready room, which aside from the new lights and carpet, had been unaltered. "So, what's your plan this time? Make the ship glow so bright you can see it from the Alpha Quadrant?" She asked. Shepherd shook his head. "No, nothing like that. We're just having a throwback week, so to speak. I thought it would be fun. Tom gave me the idea - the entire theme is 1990s Earth." She raised an eyebrow. "So you've genetically augmented yourself and are planning to steal the Genesis Device?" She quipped.

He rolled his eyes. "No, I don't mean Khan and company. I mean the 90s people knew about then - the Cold War had ended and a new wave of consumerism had started, technology was translucent and grunge was taking the world by storm. It's designed to purposely get out minds off our situation. As you can see, this is only temporary - I can change the lights back to normal and remove the carpet easily. But I think our new grunge band, the Intrepids, might want to stick around - unlike most grunge musicians, we've got a real reason to angst."

Janeway suddenly thought of something. "Wasn't the 1990s when coffee became the drink of choice?" Shepherd grinned. "That's why I've had Neelix temporarily convert the dining room into a 90s cafe, complete with coffee bar. An expresso machine is included." Janeway grinned slightly. "Well, at least you've got something good out of this."

Elsewhere on the ship...

"So, this is how you acquired entertainment back then?" Chakotay looked around at the bright, blue-and-yellow surroundings - compared to the usually somewhat dim lighting of Voyager, it was almost disorienting. "Yep, wall-to-wall VHS tapes. Had to rewind them when you were done, and return them before you got late fees." Tom marveled as to how accurate the holodeck had reproduced a Blockbuster Video shop - complete with old-fashioned "tube" TVs displaying previews of films on a loop, and a front counter stocked with candy. Giant pictures of famous movie stars were plastered on the walls around them. "It was before streaming media, this was the primary choice for many. I mean, in comparison to streaming it wasn't as convenient, but it was also fun - you didn't know what you'd find on the shelf, and the employees would often help you find titles you didn't even know about!"

Tom, being the 90s expert, had taken up the role of Blockbuster video clerk, and gone to great lengths to reproduce the role. He'd been researching everything about 90s fixtures in the LCARS - fortunately, there was a lot. Other crewmembers were interested, wandering the aisles and checking out the shelves. All the titles on the tapes would direct them to a 90s living room setup - with an old wooden entertainment center, a faded couch and recliner, and some kids beanbags - elsewhere on the holodeck. Further plans included a 90s multiplex with attached arcade, and a roller rink with arcade...since arcades were all over the place in the 90s, and a discount store called a "Target", strewn with neon.

"So, Chakotay, I'd suggest Event Horizon if you're into sci-fi horror, we've got a copy of that. If you want some action, we've got Sudden Death with Jean-Claude Van Damme, as a fire marshal taking on terrorists at a hockey game. We've got plenty of horror, comedy, drama, romance, everything!" Chakotay wasn't sure, so he simply walked over to the "New Releases" shelf. "Hmm... NAVY Seals." He remarked, holding the rectangular piece of plastic.

Still elsewhere...

Harry Kim sighed. He'd been "assigned" by Tom to approach various women onboard Voyager with a plan to counter the "dourness" of the grunge Shepherd had preferred, with the music of a certain girl group that had pushed grunge out of the spotlight. Nobody on the ship was British, but that didn't matter, they'd probably be lip-syncing anyway. Since the original band had no twins, the Delaney sisters were out - there were only five members, not six. Lyndsay Ballard had immediately agreed to the idea - her hair was red already, she simply needed to make it a brighter shade. Kes was next - she was the brightest and bubbliest, no doubt about it. Seska was the most serious and supermodel-ish, so her role was set. B'Elanna was definitely scary, given she was part-Klingon and not very amused at the idea. Finally, Tal Celes assumed the final role by default.

The only challenge was to make them all get along to sing for the rest of the crew. And to prevent them from killing each other. And him, and Tom. "Spice Girls? More like Dynamite Girls..." Harry muttered as he prepared a spare meeting room for "band practice".