chapter 7

Janeway sat in the mess hall looking out the large viewport that dominated the north wall. She had woken up from the same disturbing nightmare that she'd been having every night since she was sent on this mission. No matter how much she tried she couldn't get the disturbing images out of her head. It was like having a memory burned into her mind and then having it replay itself over and over without end. She had been awoken from her sleep 3 hours ago and it was almost 0700 hours. Neelix the ship's cook would be coming in any second now to get breakfast for the crew going. She sipped the coffee that she had brought with her. The taste was rather bland but at least it wasn't the awful replicator rations she'd had to live with when she was out in the Delta Quadrant two years ago. Afer she had gotten back to earth with the help of her future self who had come to the past to get them home sooner, she had been offered a promotion to Admiral. Janeway had refused it but now wondered if her decision had been the right choice. Her thoughts were disturbed as Neelix walkd into the mess hall.

"Captain? Are you here AGAIN?"

"Yes I'm afraid so Neelix."

He walked up to where she sat and plopped down next to her.

"That makes this what? The uh...sixth time this has happened?"

"Actually the eighth time Neelix. I don't know what I'm going to do when we actually encounter the Borg, but I know I'll be in no condition to deal with them. I've tried every sedative on the ship but nothing works." She hung her head and stared into her cup of coffee.

"You know captain I have just the thing to make you sleep." He went into the kitchen and pulled down a container filled with powder and went back over to the captain. He pulled off the lid and smelled it.

"Ah, Tongarian Fiso leaf. Its harvested one day of the year and then turned into this powder and used as a powerful sedative. Much better than all of those chemicals they use in sick bay."

Janeway smelled the powder and wrinkled her nose at the stench. It smelled like sulfer mixed with garlic and curdled milk. She nearly passed out it smelled so bad. "Neelix are you sure this stuff works?"

"Oh quite certain. If it doesn't you could always try some of my special worm scothi-"

"Never mind. Ill take this."

"Ok captain." He got a spoon and mixed some in with her coffee. She took a sip and suddenly her head started reeling. She felt like she was being lifted off the ground as if there was no gravity.

"Captain? Are you alright?"

She barely heard him and found herself unable to say anything. Her sight started to blur and light started to become darkness. And then total black. She immediately found herself in the nightmare. She watched as the borg closed in and assimilated her and when the dream reached it's usual climax she didn't wake up. The dream continued, suddenly everything around her faded and turned into th inside of a borg cube where alcoves were all along the wall filled with borg. She just stood there motionless waiting for orders for her to carry out. At the end of the wall in the very last alcove one of the drones looked like a crew member from Voyager, but she couldn't tell who. She started to walk torward it when she heard someone laughing at her from behind. She turned around to see the hideous face of the Borg Queen! The Queen just stared at her laughing menacingly. Janeway turned away to see that the Borg at the end of wall was slumped over...he was dead. She walked over to him and looked at his face only to see the face of Tom Paris. She let go and backed up from him into the hands of another borg who reached his arm to the side of her head. She felt something explode and she fell down on the floor and started to shudder. They had destroyed her command node, without it she couldn't move(except for involuntary movements). The Queen leaned over her raised one arm as if to strike her and right as she started to bring her arm down...Janeway woke up.

She was in sick bay. The docter stood next to her shaking her and urging her to wake up. She looked around trying to remember what the last thing she had done was. Eventually she remembered that she had been in the mess hall when Neelix had spooned some of the Tangarian Fiso Leaf into her coffee to sedate her.

"At last your awake captain. You were so far gone that I almost had to put you in stasis."

"What? Why?" She immediately sat up and was forced to lay back down on the sleeping pad in sick bay for scanning.

"For lack of elecrolites of course. Apparently you had an allergic reaction to the Fiso Leaf and it made you sleep much longer than you should have. I think it would be best for you to get something to eat right now. " He stopped scanning her and went to his office.

Janeway watched him leave and then looked to her right to see Neelix standing there with a worried look on his face.

"I am so sorry captain. I had no idea. One minute you were-"

"How long was I sleeping?"

"Oh uh for about...um...I would say about two days"

Her eyes bulged and she immediately hopped off the bed and stood for a couple seconds to regain her balance. "What!?How far away are we from the nebula?"

"Thats why we had to wake you up captain. We're going to reach the nebula in less than ten minutes."

"Then lets get to the bridge."

"But captain. The docter said you need to eat. You havn't eaten anything in two days."

"Sorry Neelix but I can't just sit around eating while we're about to reach the nebula. My place is at the bridge."

"But captain!"

"Sorry Neelix lets go."

The docter stopped them on the way out. "Captain I believe it is my duty to remind you that the medical officer on board has authority over the captain when it comes to health. Well right now I'm ordering you to get something to eat."

She looked at him and then at Neelix and hung her head in defeat."Alright. I'll go get something to eat." and then she left for the mess hall.