After the Unimatrix

by Anniexus

AU starting directly after the destruction of Unimatrix Zero. Seven simply acknowledges the feelings Unimatrix Zero and Axum stirred up a little earlier than in the show. FYI The only reason it's showing as "In Progress" is because I might leave the ending somewhat open. As usual, we all know I don't own Chakotay, or Seven or Star Trek Voyager

20. Chapter 20

Workforce

[Power Distribution Plant]

There was always so much to do and so many people wasting time.

Annika wondered how the plant hadn't collapsed. Of course, the answer was simple. She knew the plant supplied power vital to the whole planet. Even with a labour shortage, sheer will and determination had kept things running when they should have fallen apart. But such a system couldn't keep going forever. That was why Annika had been hired.

Reorganizing shifts and personnel as well as seeking out the deficient machinery was Annika's specialty. Efficiency was her calling. Efficiency would be their salvation. This she knew to be true without even a hint of ego. Her work was why they were able to afford to let the less illustrious employees go… A Tom Paris had been dismissed after four hours after a remarkably low grade during Annika's review.

She had been working almost three days straight already, straining to arrange the plant into something less chaotic, less wasteful. Her feet were sore and her nerves frayed. More than anything, she needed to regenerate, but the push for perfection in her project kept her going. It was then that she spotted two newcomers and her irritableness pushed to the surface.

The red-haired woman and tall man were quickly identified by her perfect memory. They jumped as she approached.

"This station doesn't require two operators."

The male, Jaffen, stuck out his hand, not intimidated, but a little embarrassed that she'd caught him off guard. "I don't think we've met. I'm—"

"Employee one three two six." Annika turned to the woman, a Kathryn Janeway, whose eyes were wide. Her voice was harsher than she really meant it to. Normally, she would have chalked her harshness up to exhaustion, but she'd been feeling irritable for awhile now… the reason for it escaped her. "You're employee eight five eight four. Since you're new here, you may not be fully familiar with the labour protocols, but you should be aware that fraternising is not permitted during work hours."

Naturally full of good humour and used to dealing with employers who were on edge, Jaffen smiled at this little speech. He was especially aware of Janeway's eyes on him. "And do you have a number, or maybe a name?"

Raising a brow at his impertinence, she answered. "Annika Hansen."

"And what exactly is your position here?"

Annika tried not to roll her eyes at his obvious attempt to draw her into an irrelevant conversation. She indulged him a moment, however, for reasons she couldn't understand right away. "I'm the new Efficiency Monitor."

"Oh," said Jaffen as though this was the most interesting news of the day, "I didn't know they'd hired one."

His cavalier attitude almost made her smile, reminding her of someone… No, that wasn't right. It couldn't be. There was no one she knew or had known who could be like him. To cover for her distraction, she straightened and regained her sharp tone. "Now that you do, I suggest you return to your station."

"We weren't fraternising," Janeway finally piped up, unwilling to let Jaffen ruin his reputation over something trivial. The only reason Jaffen had come to speak to her in the first place was because she'd accidentally almost overloaded the system. "He was just helping me correct an input error. We're almost finished."

Annika gave a sharp nod, unable to find fault with that. "Do it quickly," she said, moving away with quick steps to continue her work. They did after all have a power plant to run.

"Yes, ma'am." Katherine grimaced jokingly at Jaffen. She'd really wanted to give a good impression on her first day. Since she didn't sense any real anger or maliciousness in the other woman, Katherine decided to look at the incident with humour.

"I thought we were fraternising." He shuffled a little closer, enough to be considered intimate but not enough to invade her personal space.

Katherine quirked a brow, smiling at his boldness. She assessed him quickly. He was handsome, a little older with grey distinguishing him rather than detracting from his looks. There was a twinkle in his eyes, which were surrounded by laugh lines. "Is that so?"

"Maybe we could get acquainted after work. There is a little place some of us like to go to. We could get a meal."

"I can't." As attractive as she found him, as pleasant as he was to talk to, she hesitated to get too close to someone too fast. Instinct even more than memory told her to hold new people at a distance.

"You need to talk to someone besides your console," he said with a smirk. Though not in her face or arrogant, his confidence and boldness had not dissipated with the rejection.

Katherine held her stance, though a tinge to her cheeks grew and she hastened to come up with an excuse. "I appreciate the offer, but with this new job I don't really have time to socialise."

[Umali's Bar]

Because it was the closest place to the station, and no one liked to head right back to the dull government buildings, Umali's bar was busy. It was always busy when the shifts let out.

Umali, the no-nonsense proprietor watched her new hire carefully, but without seeming to do so. Around her, the workers were laughing, eating and drinking, enjoying the completion of another prosperous and busy day. She knew they needed her bar as much as she needed them. Theirs wasn't a horrible job and they were given plenty of benefits, but with the labour shortages they all worked hard and looked forward to the release places like hers provided.

"So, this guy was cracking jokes and all of them about my father and he couldn't understand why I wasn't insulted." Jaffen stood with a large group, all of them a few drinks in and chuckling. His species was naturally social and his amiable personality made him popular wherever he went. "Finally, I just had to tell him. I'm Norvalen, I don't have a father!"

The group around him laughed. At the bar a dark man with short hair and pointed ears did so uncontrollably. It was as though it was the first joke he'd ever heard.

The others around Jaffen looked at each other, brows raised and each wondering how much the man had to drink.

Jaffen, though still smiling, quirked his head as he recognized the man from work. "It wasn't that funny, Tuvok."

Still laughing, Tuvok left the bar and moved to Jaffen, patting his shoulder so hard Jaffen almost stumbled. "On the contrary. The man was ignorant of how your species procreates. His attempt to disparage you ultimately humiliated him. Irony is often a source of humour."

"Yes, well, when you explain it like that, it's not funny at all." The lift of his lips took any sting out of the comment. Around him, the others smirked and began chatting again.

"I also have some humorous anecdotes to share."

Jaffen tried to think of a polite means of extricating himself, but nothing really came to mind. "I look forward to hearing them."

"Well, I…"

Looking up, Jaffen saw his escape and it was in a much pleasanter form than he anticipated. Katherine had just strolled in and sat at an unoccupied table. "Later, Tuvok. Sorry."

As Jaffen moved to join Katherine, Umali rolled her eyes over the antics of her new hire, Tom Paris. She knew he'd be trouble. His charm was either going to be very good for business or very bad for her profit margin. A little away from her in the crowded bar, he was dropping cocktails off at a table with two female clients.

"Here you are," said Tom to the women. "Compliments of the proprietress."

That was enough. Umali called to him. "Tom?"

"I'll be right back," he said to the smiling women.

"The proprietress doesn't give away drinks," said Umali as Tom came close.

He thought quickly. "Well, I'm just creating customer loyalty."

"You've been creating loyalty all night with those two. I suggest you attend to the other tables."

Tom had the grace to look chastened. "Yes, ma'am."

Umali smiled, shaking her head. Well, at least he doesn't have a problem taking orders from a woman.

[Annika's Apartment]

If she had tried to think really hard about it, Annika would not have been able to remember actually moving into the apartment. She also would not have been able to recall small details of her arrival on the planet or her hiring at the plant. She knew the basics of the story, but details would have been elusive. Fortunately, Annika did not think too much on this because she had no need to.

The apartment, like all government dwellings, was exactly the same as all the others, an austere grey. Of course, that didn't mean she couldn't decorate it… even a little. Unlike everyone else, however, Annika's apartment walls remained in their original dullness without even a picture to brighten them. No plants sat on the windowsill. There weren't even curtains. A single, grey table and chair sat outside the kitchen in the small dining area. A couch – standard grey furnishing – sat against the wall with a standard coffee table in front of it. The bathroom was similarly bare except for the essentials. Her bedroom had been outfitted with a mock regeneration unit and that was all. A tiny closet held a few, identical outfits and two pairs of shoes.

Annika set her PADD on the kitchen counter and looked around with something dangerously close to loneliness. Though she could think of no reason to believe the apartment were missing something, that was exactly how she felt. It was a cloying sensation, made annoying by the absence of a solution or reason. She'd been alone as long as she could remember. Why should that bother her now?

She went about making a simple meal. Unlike the other employees, she didn't work a normal shift so she didn't have time to go out to eat. Her project required longer hours and there was no allure to returning to her empty apartment anyway. As a result, she worked almost until curfew.

She glanced at the PADD as she ate a simple stir fry, noting that she'd have to make time the next day for their regular inoculations.

[Delta Flyer - Aft]

Harry lay on the biobed, groaning and holding his stomach. He had once loved away missions. No more. He hoped he never saw a shuttle from the inside again. "In six years I've never been on an away mission worse than this one."

Neelix, the only one in the aft with Harry, raised his brows with a smirk as he ran a quick scan over the ensign. "Worse than being captured and held under suspicion of being smugglers while the Doctor hid inside Seven's Borg implants?"

"Yes."

"I don't know how you can say that." He read what he could from the scanner. "The cargo hold is crammed with valuable supplies."

"And my stomach is crammed with alien parasites doing backflips." Harry resumed his moaning. It was by strength of will that he neither voided his bowls or his stomach right there.

"I guess you shouldn't have drunk that Falah nectar." Neelix put down the medical tricorder and puttered to the side.

"You insisted I try it."

"The Nar Shaddan consider it a delicacy. To refuse would have insulted them."

"I didn't hear you insisting that Commander Chakotay try it."

"Well, I… I didn't want to bother him. You know how he's been." Neelix was a little too kind to say just what the Commander had been.

Harry didn't nod, but he knew what Neelix meant. The Commander had been downright moody the whole trip and they both knew why. Luckily for them, this simply meant they needed to leave him alone. Chakotay had gone about his job negotiating with their new contacts with unenthusiastic professionalism. Unfortunately, this also meant a lot of goodwill building with the Nar Shaddan fell to Harry and Neelix.

"Besides, Commander Chakotay's a vegetarian."

"It was made from meat?" Harry shouted.

Neelix winced from his spot at the food replicator. He kept forgetting how squeamish humans were, more so than other species. He'd never met a species more obsessed with food than humans. "More like a meat by-product."

Harry gagged a little. "I'm going to be sick."

"Not after you drink this." Neelix turned from his spot with a mug and brought it over.

"What is it?" Harry sniffed. After the last drink Neelix gave him, he wasn't very trusting.

"Leola bark tea, to settle even the queasiest of stomachs." Neelix smiled proudly.

"It smells worse than the meat nectar." He lay back down and rolled a little away from the smell. "I'll wait for the Doctor to treat me. At least I'll be sleeping in my own bed tonight."

Before Neelix could answer, Chakotay's voice came over the comm. "Harry, I know you're not feeling well, but I need you and Neelix up here."

[Delta Flyer – Cockpit]

Though Harry was battling squirming intestines and even Neelix was feeling the itch to return to Voyager, Chakotay was easily the grumpiest of them all. He tried to keep his temper in check, but Neelix had been right not to press any issues with him while on their mission. He was glad that at least this mission didn't have the EMH assigned. That was one antagonism he didn't need added to his plate.

"Anything wrong, Commander?" asked Neelix, taking his seat. A little more gingerly, Harry sat as well.

You mean besides that I had to put my wedding on hold first for the Void and then on a series of missions for resources like this one? Of course, that wasn't what really caused him to feel on edge just then. It was something much more serious than a disrupted schedule. "We're at the rendezvous coordinates, but there's no sign of Voyager, and they're not responding to hails."

Harry and Neelix looked at each other, thinking the Commander was getting antsy a little prematurely.

"Start scanning on all frequencies," said Chakotay. He knew in all likelihood Janeway had simply found something of interest to explore and lost track of time or perhaps been unable to send a message. And yet worry ate at him. Something just didn't feel right. "They've got to be out there somewhere."

"So much for my own bed," said Harry. He was sarcastic, but not concerned. He assumed Voyager had simply needed to change plans or sought out a new stash of resources. Twice now the same thing had occurred when the away team returned to the rendezvous coordinates. The Delta Flyer arrived, but there was no Voyager. Neither time had turned out to be anything serious.

"Don't worry," said Neelix, smirking at Harry's dramatics. "I'm sure the dressing down the Commander gave the Captain last time means they're pretty close."

"I didn't 'dress down' anyone," said Chakotay, but his lips twitched. It wasn't really that far from the truth. He may or may not have raised his voice to Janeway when he returned from the last away mission to discover Voyager missing because Janeway had redirected the ship to search another planet for resources.

"Sure you didn't," Neelix teased. "Though, I can't say I blame you. I have a feeling that if you weren't so eager to see Seven, your reaction might have been much milder."

Despite his concern, Chakotay chuckled. It was true enough. In Janeway's defence, the last instance she'd missed the rendezvous time she'd sent the team a message, but damage to the Delta Flyer's communications meant they didn't get it.

It didn't take as long as they feared to find Voyager, but it wasn't easy either. Only because the computers were naturally set to pick up Starfleet homing signals and signatures did they find it.

"Sir," Harry called up to the Commander an hour later, "I found an encrypted message."

Chakotay partially turned, his shoulders already stiff and back aching from his growing worry. "Is it—"

"It's Voyager." Harry confirmed, but that was only because it carried a Starfleet signature. "I'll run it through the regular decryption programs."

"Check it against—"

"I know. I know." Harry sighed. "My usual scans include Borg coding as well."

Chakotay smiled, not quite relieved, but definitely feeling better that Harry would have anticipated his request, Chakotay continued piloting. If it was an encrypted message, he took a guess that Voyager had run into trouble and began looking for places to hide a ship. It was an idea that sprouted from his memories of hiding from Starfleet in the Badlands. At his command, Neelix began looking for likely spots and sure enough…

"Do you really think they're in there?" Neelix peered out at the colourful conglomeration of gasses, radiation and dust making up the nebula.

"Maybe." Chakotay turned his seat for Harry's verdict. "Well?"

Harry's scans couldn't get through the nebula's natural protection, its makeup jumbling up the results, but the computer was running its last decryption program over the message he picked up and as far as they could tell, the signal came from the nebula's direction. "Just a moment."

"What could have forced them all the way out here?" asked Neelix.

"Well, you did detect those ships in the area," said Chakotay. "Maybe they have something to do with this." The nebula wasn't able to offer perfect hiding from potential attackers, but it provided more protection than open space. "Hard to say without more evidence, but it looks like the vultures are circling."

Harry piped up as the computer beeped at him. "You may be right."

Neelix's brows furrowed. "Vultures?"

Chakotay shook his head, directing his attention to Harry. "What is it?"

Harry read it quickly. "A distress call." He looked up. "You were right. We have to go inside the nebula."

[Bridge - Voyager]

"Stop what you're doing and turn around!"

Harry and Chakotay turned in surprise, each noting the change in the EMH's program despite their cumbersome space suits. The lights were at a minimum, Voyager on emergency power only. There were no life support systems working, which was what the duo were reviewing when the EMH walked in.

"Take it easy, Doc." Harry's voice edged towards alarm as he noticed the weapon in the EMH's hands. "It's us."

"It's good to see some friendly faces." The Doctor breathed a holographic sigh of relief. "For that matter, it's good to see any faces at all. I'm sorry I haven't gotten life support back online yet, but since I've been the only one aboard it hasn't been a priority."

Chakotay glanced around meaningfully. "What the hell happened?"

"We ran into some problems."

Harry snorted.

"I can see that." Chakotay rolled his eyes. "Can you be a little more specific? Where's the rest of the crew?" Where's Seven?

"I don't know." The Doctor's brow furrowed as he frowned worriedly. Despite their problems in the past, he even looked with some sympathy at Chakotay, who was no doubt worried more particularly about his fiancé. "About twelve hours after you left on your away mission, things started to go wrong."

"What happened?" Chakotay repeated, a knot tightening in his stomach.

"We hit some sort of subspace mine." With a small shudder the Doctor remembered the jolt of the ship and then the real fear that followed. "I transferred myself to the mobile emitter and I was soon inundated with casualties, all suffering from tetryon radiation poisoning. I was able to stabilise them, but with Voyager flooded in radiation, there was only so much I could do."

Chakotay and Harry glanced at each other. They hadn't detected any other subspace mines or anything to indicate the area should have such a thing. It suggested that whatever Voyager hit had been intentionally placed. Thankfully, they also hadn't detected any humanoid bodies floating in the area so they continued to hope.

"The Captain ordered everyone to evacuate in the escape pods and initiated the Emergency Command Hologram." The Doctor puffed up with pride. "When they were gone, I began to assess the damage caused by the mine, but before I could even get started with the repairs, Voyager was attacked."

"Who attacked you?" Harry asked.

"I don't know, but they claimed Voyager and I belonged to them. I had to break off their tractor beam and steer Voyager away. I managed to evade the other two ships and hid inside this nebula. I vented the radiation, repaired as many systems as I could, but with no help?" He shook his head. "Let's just say I'm glad you found me."

"It wasn't easy picking up your homing signal."

"Well, I had to encrypt it." The Doctor waved around at their abandoned location and out the window to the gasses around them. "Every time I left the nebula I detected more ships searching for me."

"Do you have any information that might help us figure out who your attackers are?" Chakotay asked, all business. It didn't mean his worry was gone, but knowing what had happened gave him purpose and direction.

"No, but I've analysed all of their weapons signatures." The Doctor went to a console and pulled up his work. "They match the subspace mine. It was a deliberate attempt to disable Voyager."

Chakotay shook his head, speaking honestly, the best interaction he'd had with the EMH in months. "It's a good thing you were here."

"What about the rest of the crew?" Harry asked.

The taught lines in the EMH's face were a clear display of his own worry. "I haven't heard a word."

"We'll have to assume whoever set the mine also tried to take over Voyager and probably has the crew." Chakotay looked to the EMH. "Which systems have you got online?"

"Umm."

Harry stifled a smirk.

"All right." Chakotay sighed, forcing his concern for the crew to the back of his mind as he prioritized their needs. "Why don't you and Harry get life support back on at least? Harry has a bit of a stomach bug when you're done with that."

"What are you going to do?" the Doctor asked before the Commander could move away.

"I'm going to start tracking our people."

[Power Distribution Plant]

Tuvok watched the woman with red hair, a name almost coming to him as disjointed visions plagued him. It was impossible to tell what was real and what was dream now, the visions hounding him without break.

Janeway. Captain. He was sure of it and yet he had memories that contradicted that. And yet those memories were fading fast and seeming more dreamlike than reality. It was so confusing that it was physically painful to try to sort out.

Kathryn worked on, oblivious to the attention.

He could take it no longer. His feet moved as though a magnet drew him to her. "I believe we know each other."

Startled, Kathryn faced him. She took a moment to understand what he'd said and who he was. It wasn't that hard since they'd met very recently. "You're Tuvok, right? We met last week at the shift briefing."

Tuvok shook his head, wooziness threatening as he strained to find and focus on one truth within the conflicting quagmire of his mind. "Before that." An image of her on a starship produced itself. "Before we were working here."

"Oh, I don't think so," Kathryn smiled, easily dismissing the idea. Her eyes flickered to his ears. "I mean, we're obviously not from the same place."

No, that's not true. And yet it is… "Still, I believe I know you."

Kathryn watched him a little closer, a smidge of concern rising in her as the man clearly struggled with himself.

The memories faded and fluxed, disappearing to images of them in a medical facility. A starship made no sense, especially since she was right about them being different species, but maybe they met earlier on Quarra. Yes, that made sense. "From the hospital, perhaps?"

She quirked her head, truly confused. Besides a day in quarantine filling out forms, she'd not been sick on Quarra. "What hospital?"

"I am not certain. We were patients."

"No," she stepped away, trying to focus on her task again, disconcerted by the conversation now. "You must have me confused with someone else. I've never been sick enough to go to a hospital. I'm sorry, I have a lot of work to finish."

"Please, try to remember." She had to remember. He knew it was true. As disjointed and faded and frail a memory as it was, he knew it was truth, but he couldn't think of why it was so difficult a memory to hold onto or why he was suddenly so sure that it was a key to something greater. "It may be important."

Jaffen appeared, having noticed Tuvok uncomfortably near Kathryn and her attempt to turn her back on the other man. "Is there a problem here?"

Though still disconcerted by Tuvok's talk, Kathryn wasn't afraid of him or so frail as to believe Jaffen's interference was necessary. "Just a misunderstanding."

Jaffen looked at Tuvok, who backed away immediately, seeming unsteady as he did. "Yes, I'm – it's – it's just a – just a misunderstanding."

A bead of sweat collected on Tuvok's brow, turning Jaffen's protectiveness into concern. "You don't look well." He tried to get a closer look at the other man, but Tuvok backed further away. Jaffen was sure the man must have a fever. "Maybe you should go to the infirmary."

Even in his confused state, Tuvok knew that was not a good idea. "No, no, I'm fine." He looked for an escape. "Sorry to have bothered you."

Jaffen and Kathryn watched him go. "What was that all about?"

Kathryn shrugged. "I'm not sure."

"He's a strange man, and a terrible joke teller," said Jaffen. When Tuvok was out of sight, Jaffen shrugged off his concern and turned his attention fully to Kathryn. "So, we having dinner tonight?"

"Again?"

"What, you don't like my cooking?" His natural smile made it impossible to take him seriously.

"No, it's wonderful. It's just—"

"I'm going to keep trying until I make you the perfect meal." There was a laugh in his voice and in his eyes, yet he was serious enough. He wanted to please Kathryn more than he'd wanted to please anyone before.

"And then we stop eating together?" She wagged a finger at him when he opened his mouth to argue. She was only joking. "I'll have dinner with you, on one condition. I make it."

Blessedly unaware of the horror he would be in for, he agreed with a smile. "I think I can accept those terms."

"Good." Katherine felt lighter than she had in years. She couldn't remember the last time she'd flirted or enjoyed someone's company in and outside of work so much. Plus, now that he'd agreed to let her cook, she could finally return the favour of taking her out. "Now go back to your station before the Efficiency Monitor catches us fraternising."

Despite the shortness of the interaction, Annika had indeed caught them, but uncharacteristically chose not to intervene. She'd noticed Tuvok leave his station and when he began talking to Katherine, she moved closer to ensure the interaction was short and professional. However, it had both proven unnecessary and not so easy.

Hospital? She heard him say he'd met Katherine there, but there was nothing she recalled from their personnel files to indicate either one had been together in any medical facility. It made her pause. As she listened, confusion stopped her from breaking into their conversation.

When Tuvok moved along, Annika lingered, thinking over what he'd said. The result was that she was around for Jaffen's invitation to dinner.

Perfect… Jaffen said he wanted to make the perfect dinner for Katherine.

Seven couldn't figure out why that struck a chord in her, but it was such a strong sense of déjà vu that she became lost to it. The rest of the day passed by in a daze as she went over the simple conversation she overheard and tried to recall when she'd heard a similar conversation. It was not just the words but Jaffen's tone and body language. It was familiar, but not quite right. He was… She couldn't remember.

[Voyager – Bridge]

Chakotay sighed, stifling his impatience as best he could. They'd restored primary systems and left the nebula to try to find the crew, but all that had taken a lot of time. He'd not said anything out loud, but he was deeply worried about what might be happening to their friends. Any delay, even necessary repairs, was a painful drag.

A lot of damage was still left to be repaired, but his concern was shared by the others and as a result, no one wanted to wait around. The warp core was online, but secondary systems were still non-functioning. In fact, secondary everything was in need of repair. Anything not already repaired or deemed essential would have to wait while Harry, Neelix, Chakotay and the Doctor worked their way from one control panel to the next.

Alert to the reality that Voyager's original attackers were still out there and very likely still looking for them, Harry reconfigured sensors to detect subspace mines. Not wanting to take a chance, the scans were both continuous and set to alert him personally if anything smaller than a micro satellite was found.

Harry was also looking for anything that would show them where their people were. Sensors looked for encrypted messages, life signs, Borg and Starfleet signatures, even Maquis encryption sequencing. Nothing came up.

"I've repaired the deuterium injectors, brought secondary propulsion back online, and soothed Ensign Kim's upset tummy."

Chakotay wasn't really paying attention, busy piloting Voyager and reviewing the results of scans. As a result, he responded with distracted pleasantry at the Doctor's entrance. "Good work."

"Yes, well, it helps when you don't have to sleep."

Glancing down at the now refreshed list of things to be repaired, Chakotay glanced at the next item on the list, but decided he'd take that one on himself. The next two he'd save for Harry. The next after that was one that would take longer and probably require a day or two. "Why don't you get started on the ruptured plasma conduits on deck ten?"

The Doctor fell into the Captain's chair with a sigh. "Can't you take care of those?"

Chakotay stiffened. "I beg your pardon?"

"Emergency Command Hologram." The EMH tapped his chest, which had gradually puffed up with each day on his own and then after each system repaired. "Doesn't that suggest my place is here, in Voyager's command centre?"

A deep breath was required to keep his cool. Even so, he spoke with a calm that would have alerted anyone other than the EMH of the danger. "Look, Doctor, I'm impressed with the way you handled yourself while we were gone, but we're a team and no matter our rank, we have to work together to keep this ship going."

"And as an ECH, I should be… helping make decisions."

Chakotay narrowed his eyes, the hesitation in the Doctor's simple sentence saying enough of his ego. It was clear the Doctor wanted to be making all the decisions. He really didn't want to have to have this argument, not now, not with the EMH. "Regardless of your programming upgrade, I'm still the senior officer here. The plasma conduits need fixing, which Harry or I will help with once we've restored access to—"

"Kim to Chakotay."

Breaking off with a frustrated sigh, Chakotay looked away from the EMH. Only then did he realize how strained his tone and body had become. A tension headache was well on its way. "Go ahead."

"I've found them, Commander." Harry's excitement was audible even over the communications system. "They're on an M class planet. At maximum warp we can be there in less than three days."

"Transfer the coordinates to the helm. I'll be in astrometrics." The strain of the past few moments disappeared. Chakotay felt himself practically bounce with excitement. The link clicked off as he stood, eager to see the data for himself and conduct his own research. "Doctor, the command centre is yours."

Suddenly alone with the Captain's chair, the Doctor shrugged and settled into the seat. Taking a deep breath, he smiled, patting the armrests cheerfully.

[Jaffen's Apartment]

Though the basics of the space were just like all the other government housing, Jaffen's apartment was decorated with art and comforts he'd brought from his home world. Some things he'd acquired later, but all gave the place a comfier atmosphere. Of course, anything added to the austere greyness of the government housing made a vast improvement.

His apartment also currently boasted a new, if somewhat unwelcome quality: the smell of burned dinner.

Donning his best, and least suspicious smile, Jaffen ignored the possibility of food poisoning in light of the success of getting Kathryn to spend quality time with him. It still came out as a grimace. "Mmm, smells good."

Kathryn knew he was lying, but rather than anger her, his kind and somewhat fearful expression gave her comfort and a sense of familiarity she couldn't place. Though she couldn't explain it, she had the sense he was reminding her of someone… someone forgotten. And in a snap, the trail of the faded memory was gone and out of her mind entirely. "It's only burnt on the outside. Your cooking console's a little temperamental, huh?

"Did you try talking to it?"

She couldn't help smiling a little, a touch of adoration settling in her heart at the teasing. Again, the sense of familiarity and safety pressed on her. "Once I cut off the charred part, I'm sure it'll be fine."

Steeling himself, Jaffen gamely tried a bite. It took all his restraint to not immediately spit it out. Chewing slowly and wondering how he was going to swallow it, he managed to speak around the tough, overly salty piece of mystery meat. "It's good."

"Really?" For a moment, she was hopeful.

Jaffen shook his head. There was just no way he could lie his way through this. How can it be both too salty and too sour?

Scowling and yet good natured about her failure, she tossed her napkin down and stood. "Let's go."

Jaffen discreetly spit his food into his napkin. "Where?"

"I promised you dinner." She turned to get her coat. "We'll just have to get it somewhere else."

Not one to pass up an opportunity with someone he admired so much, he all but ran to stop her. "Wait," he said, taking her hand before she could take more than two steps. "I'm not really hungry. Are you?"

"No." Her slow smile grew. His hand was warm over hers, burning a trail up as he caressed her arm. Stronger now and wholly focussed on him, the sense of safety and familiarity filled her completely.

"Let's stay here," he suggested, his voice growing husky. Her eyes were wide, finely shaped and looking up at him and only him. It was entrancing, intoxicating. He moved closer, bending and meeting her lifted lips.

[Bridge]

"I have personally interviewed several of the individuals on your crew manifest. None of them know who you are, nor have they heard of a starship Voyager."

Chakotay spoke through gritted teeth, only remembering himself because the man on the viewscreen was their best chance to find the Voyager crew. He continued to pilot as the Doctor and Harry worked at Ops and Tactical. "I'd like to speak to them myself."

The Ambassador, a typical government type, who had more bluster than substance, denied Chakotay without batting an eye or showing any body language at all beyond boredom. "That's not possible."

"If you're telling the truth, you have nothing to lose by letting us talk to them. I'd particularly like to speak to my fiancé."

The Ambassador's expression showed no sympathy, actually turning annoyed. "Unlike other planets in this system, we grant our guest workers the full protection of our laws."

The Doctor piped up, just as surprised and annoyed as Chakotay at the Ambassador's lack of help. "What exactly are you protecting them from?"

"Unscrupulous individuals attempting to acquire skilled labourers."

"We're not trying to acquire labourers. They're out crew." The EMH glanced at Chakotay, whose lips pursed as he thought. "We're trying to find our friends."

"Most of your friends have excellent positions in the Central Power Facility in the capital. Why would any of them want to travel thousands of light years to a planet on the other side of the galaxy when they have safe, comfortable lives right here?"

"So, you admit that our crew is on your planet," said Chakotay. His eyes narrowed, furious anger rising as the other man puffed up. "You didn't speak with any of them, did you?"

"I suggest you look elsewhere to increase your labour supply. If you attempt to disturb any of our citizens, we will respond with force."

The transmission ended, leaving the screen with a view of the Quarra system.

Chakotay breathed deep, trying to calm his clenching stomach. It didn't really work. He turned to Harry, who had been quietly working at his usual station. "Any luck?"

Harry shook his head. The planet's security was more advanced than most. Even without the shield around the planet, it was unlikely they could take on the government armada. They all already knew this. "There's no way to beam them through the shield grid."

Chakotay nodded. It was time to try something other than diplomacy. "Take us out of orbit."

The Doctor looked at him sharply. "We're not leaving them behind?"

"No, but I want these people to think we are." Starfleet diplomacy wouldn't work and brute force wasn't an option. They needed cunning and infiltration. His years in the Maquis would come in handy. "We're going to go through unofficial channels and I don't want them harassing us."

"What do you mean? We know they're there. If we just talk to someone else—"

"They know they have our crew and they know we know. Something tells me they won't give up our people without a fight and that's a battle we won't win."

[Astrometrics]

Chakotay entered, feeling a wrench as he saw Neelix standing where Seven normally was. He forced his emotions to the side as best he could. Pining wouldn't help anyone. Steeling himself, he strode in, all business. "Any progress?"

Neelix looked up from the console with an uncharacteristic frown and shook his head. On the screen at his fingers was a list of ships he'd contacted and readings on others close by. "I've spoken to the captains of eight vessels that left Quarra in the last two weeks."

"And?" Surely it would be newsworthy if a large group of unique aliens unknown in the sector suddenly appeared. Someone must have noticed and mentioned it.

"Nothing, but every one of them asked me if I was looking for employment. It would seem we found our motive for the Quarra government to kidnap our people. Apparently, there's a severe labour shortage throughout this system. There's a lot of competition for workers."

"They must be pretty desperate if they're kidnapping people. They're lucky they haven't started a war."

"Apparently war was what decimated their workforce in the first place."

"You don't say." Chakotay's brow furrowed as he thought.

"Do you really think anyone would go to such lengths for 150 workers?" Neelix asked, turning his gaze to the Commander. "Seems extreme for so little reward."

"150 skilled workers." Chakotay shrugged. "I've seen people do worse for less. It might be extreme, but so far that's where the evidence is leading us. Do you really think the whole crew just decided to give up and work here their whole lives?"

"No." Neelix didn't even have to think about it to know the answer. "All right, but how are we going to get to them?"

"That Ambassador said most of our people were working at the main power facility." If they were really so desperate, they weren't likely to look too deeply into the background of a new employment seeker… "I wonder if they still have any positions to fill."

Neelix's expansive brow furrowed in confusion. "I can make some inquiries. Why?"

It brought him in mind of his time in the Maquis, gathering intel and sneaking where they weren't supposed to be. "Because you and I are going to find ourselves jobs."

Neelix, cottoning on and glad to see a smile on the Commander's face, felt his own lips curve upwards. "We can use my ship. They won't be familiar with it."

"Good idea, Neelix. Just to be safe, we'll test out the Doctor's reconstructive surgery skills while we're at it."

[Sickbay]

It was harder not to scratch and squirm than he remembered. Heavy orbital bones made his brow feel as well as look heavier, as though he had something pressing his eyes partly closed. A slight tingle around the area of his tattoo started.

Harry and Neelix watched in interest as their friend's face changed. They could still tell it was him, but that was because they knew him so well and extensive surgery wasn't necessary. The Quarra people and Ambassador, should he encounter Chakotay, wouldn't realize who he was.

Neelix watched the Doctor perform the simple procedure with fascination. He'd never personally seen surgery for anything besides wounds. "I still say you should have posed as a Talaxian. We'd have made a striking pair."

The EMH chuckled and held up a mirror for the Commander. "Not that I'm not up to the task, but that would have required a lot more prosthetics." He eyed Neelix's fluffy head. "And a wig."

"Still." Neelix sighed.

The surgery was convincing and sufficient to make him unrecognizable enough. Chakotay smiled. The reflection smiled back. "Whiskers make me itch."

"Besides, you'd be pretty conspicuous," said Harry. Even with Talaxians being native to the Delta Quadrant, they were rare enough in this area and two would be hard to miss.

Setting down the mirror, Chakotay tried to get used to the new weight and shape of his brow. There was a ridge over his eyes and smaller ridges forming a "V" on his forehead. It was nothing unique, nothing to raise suspicion or draw attention. He looked up at Neelix. "How did it go?"

"As soon as I told the Supervisor our qualifications, he was eager to hire us, even helped me get a docking permit for my ship. We'll be gainfully employed by tomorrow morning."

"It's always good to be appreciated as an employee," said Chakotay, smiling. Now that they had a clear plan and were so close to their trapped friends, his spirits were light, almost giddy.

Harry handed the Doctor a small piece of metal. "Here you go, Doc."

"Give me your hand, Mr. Neelix," said the Doctor.

Though he looked somewhat nervously at it, Neelix did as he was asked. "What's this?"

"A sub-dermal transponder," said Harry. Once Neelix was done, he handed a second one to the Doctor, who inserted it in the Commander's hand. "It will allow us to maintain an open comm. link so we can transport you through the shield grid if there's trouble."

Chakotay hopped off the bed and nodded at Harry. "Hold position at maximum transporter range." Chances were good they'd need a quick escape and they didn't want Voyager to attract attention.

"Aye, sir." Harry had already figured out the logistics of it. He turned to return to the bridge, but both he and Chakotay halted at the EMH's indignant tone.

"I assumed I'd be in charge during your absence…" after a moment of thought, "Commander."

"Excuse me?" Harry turned incredulous eyes to the EMH, gaping at him. He was aware of the Commander's irritated sigh as he hurried to the door.

"An Emergency Command Hologram programmed with over two million tactical subroutines outranks an Ensign," said the EMH, barely sparing Harry a glance as he pursued Chakotay.

Harry, who usually got along okay with the Doctor, followed the hologram with an indignant scowl. "A few words to the computer and this Ensign can delete those subroutines."

"Then you'd be depriving yourself of a skilled leader for the sake of your ego."

"My ego?" Harry could hardly believe his ears or his eyes. The EMH clearly believed his own words.

"Yes, just because you're jealous doesn't mean you should put this ship in danger."

Harry swelled, too angry to know where to start with his indignant torrent. Luckily, Chakotay had stopped walking away and decided his intervention was necessary to prevent a screaming match. "Hold it!"

"I am much more qualified—" The Doctor cut off when the Commander raised a hand to silence him.

"Gentlemen!" He had neither time nor patience for two men trying to stake their territory like a couple of dogs after the same hunting grounds. Chakotay spoke a little more sharply than normal. He spared a glance at both of their scowls. I can't deal with this right now. "Work it out."

[Annika's Apartment]

She stepped from the regeneration unit, her mind a pleasant blank for a split second. Then, her brain and the Borg technology caught up to each other and she was able to recall every detail of her research and reviews from yesterday as well as knew what she had to do in her upcoming day. It was a lot of information, but her mind could handle it. And yet…

Something was missing. Annika tried to think of what could be off, what could possibly be missing from the information backed up and downloaded by her regeneration unit. Nothing came to mind. Nothing.

Maybe… Before I came to Quarra… She tried to remember, to imagine what she could possibly be forgetting. She had an identic memory so the sensation of an empty space was new and strange. Still, it was there. A hole. She couldn't recall… What? It was missing entirely.

Shaking her head, Annika entered the bathroom and set the temperature on the shower. Normally she showered in the evening, but she'd been too tired last night, returning home less than a second before curfew.

The water was hotter than she was used to, but it helped burn away the strangeness of her waking to an absence of something she couldn't name.

Moving without conscious thought, reviewing her tasks for the day, Annika showered and dressed herself, exiting the bedroom with a sigh.

The apartment was quiet, inexplicably quieter than Annika felt it should be. She listened for a moment, expecting to hear someone else's breathing or the smells of someone making breakfast, perhaps the sound of the shower starting up again. There was nothing. She couldn't understand why the absence bothered her.

Efficient despite her distraction, Annika ate a simple meal and packed something quick to eat at work. She left the silent apartment, straightening her shoulders to face the world.

[Power Plant]

Report upon report popped up throughout the day, adding to Annika's full agenda. She added dealing with each incident to her list as they came up and then proceeded to deal with them as priorities warranted.

"Good morning."

Annika looked up from her spot against a bunch of wiring and plumbing as her supervisor's strained voice jolted her. She was staring into space, but she held up her PADD as though reading.

Rook was a Quarren native, born and raised in the capital. His light skin tone and sandy hair was the most common on the planet, even if that hair was turning more grey than sandy and getting rather thin on top. If it weren't for the small ridge of bone between his eyes and the downturn to his bottom lip, he would have been mistaken for a human. He was not a man of much size, but had an efficient and no-nonsense demeanour which suited him to supervisory work. He had indeed worked diligently enough to have distinguished himself and rise to a supervisor position early on. There he'd remained, enjoying the relatively simple routines. This was good since there was too much of a worker shortage to promote him further.

"Sir?" Annika liked Rook well enough and gave him due respect. She enjoyed that he left her to do her tasks with minimal overhead, and liked that he worked as hard as she did.

Though she wouldn't voice the feeling, she knew Rook's dedicated demeanour and habit of correcting her social awkwardness reminded her of someone. And yet she couldn't think of who that someone was. When she did try to remember, there was a blankness.

"I've been informed that an employee has missed his last three inoculations." Rook frowned, frustrated with yet another thing he and his small team was expected to take over.

"Ensuring employees take their inoculations is not—"

"I know, I know. Trust me, I argued it too, but management just tore my hide off. They say the Health and Safety unit is too busy." He scowled at the PADD in his hand, but forced a smile when he looked at Annika. "It's actually your fault they want us to take this on."

"My fault?" Annika could think of no reason for her to suddenly take on medical chores.

"You are too efficient for your own good," Rook explained, still smiling. "They say we should now take on more duties like this since you've helped them free up so much time. Good work… I think."

There was no arguing that and she was pleased her work was making a difference, but the last thing she needed was added responsibility. She stifled her irritated sigh, gave Rook a nod and tight smile, and went to fulfill her new duty.

[Tuvok's Station]

"Employee eight five eight three." She spoke more sharply than necessary, irritated that this conversation was necessary. He didn't acknowledge her, but then some employees were ridiculously resistant to using their employee numbers. "Mr. Tuvok, according to my records, you've neglected to report for your last three inoculations."

Tuvok didn't look at her. Tired, too hot, and his head spinning, it was impossible to pay attention to the sound of the woman's voice.

"These inoculations are for your protection."

Tuvok shook his head, trying to clear the mess of confusion and senses he knew should not be there.

He was ignoring her, which irritated her further. Annika raised her voice. "A sick worker is not an efficient worker."

Images and sounds swirled in his mind, all things he didn't recognize and yet felt he should know very well. Despite not acknowledging her, he did hear Annika's voice speaking to him. At first her voice simply was lost in the ciphony in his head, but then it became a thread. He followed the thread of her voice back in time to the blank spaces…

Annika couldn't do this all day and Tuvok didn't look too good. "Report to the infirmary."

"Seven of Nine." It was all so clear and yet threatened to fade. He began to shake a little as he tried to hold on to the memories.

"What?"

His sweating increased as he turned to face her, still following the trail of recollections about the blonde. As he did, he recognized other faces, other voices. "Seven of Nine. It's your designation."

Annika quirked her head, wondering what was wrong with him. "My employee number is eight five eight six."

No! He realized she truly didn't recognize him. His hold on his control was slipping. He had no time, no choice. Straightening up so swiftly that she could do nothing to stop him, he grabbed her and placed his fingers on her temple.

"Take your hands off me!" Held too tight in his surprisingly strong grip, Annika shouted and struggled in vain.

Make her understand. She has to…

People were everywhere. Annika shouted out, hoping help would come quickly. "Call security!"

Tuvok grabbed onto the first image he could, of Seven of Nine stepping from her regeneration unit. That in itself wasn't startling, but he felt her stop struggling in his arms as she felt the moment to be significant and something utterly unexpected.

She couldn't see herself in the vision, but Annika knew what was there. Around her was a starship and she wore a different outfit – a uniform – and different hair.

The image flashed away to an outdoor scene she didn't recognize with a man with dark features and a tattoo above his left eye standing at her side. The image came to her as did a sense of familiarity, comfort.

"I don't believe you are who you think you are." The voice was Lt. Commander Tuvok's...

The man in the vision smiled at her, his pupils growing larger as they settled on her face. A warmth spread through her chest. "Seven."

He held out his hand and she glanced down to see a bright blue flower. Delphinium scaposum.

All at once the images were gone and two burly security officers dragged Tuvok from her. She doubled over, almost slumping to the ground. Instead of being relieved, Annika stared after them with shock, confusion, and a strange regret.

Still determined to get her to understand, to believe him, Tuvok shouted as he was forced away. "We don't belong here. We don't belong here! This isn't right! We don't belong here! Seven, remember!"

Kathryn Janeway, who caught the tail end of the exchange went to the blonde woman. She put a hand on the other woman's shoulder and helped haul her to her feet, but Annika seemed not to feel it. Breathing hard, she stared after the ranting Tuvok as though she wanted to go after him.

"Are you all right?"

Annika forced herself to nod, unaware of how wide her eyes were. The images, more real than any dream she could have imagined, were still playing in her mind. "Yes, thank you."

Kathryn watched Annika walk unsteadily away, concerned but relatively sure no physical harm had been done. Jaffen joined her, the one who hit the alarm for security. They were equally surprised and shaken by the bizarre incident.

[Annika's Apartment]

The door swished open and Annika strode in slower than usual. She held a PADD, but hadn't bothered to glance at it all the way home. Absentmindedly, she tossed it on the kitchen counter without thought.

Annika rubbed her aching head. She should regenerate, but didn't feel the inclination. Uncertain as to what to do with herself, she stood in the kitchen and looked around. It was late afternoon and she hadn't eaten anything since her breakfast. However, nothing was appealing.

I don't believe you are who you think you are. That's what Tuvok had said.

Who else could I be? It was an honest question, not a dismissal. She wanted to scoff at Tuvok's rantings, but not only did he seem to fully believe his statements, she could provide no explanation for the images he'd drawn from her mind other than that they were real.

Abandoning the thought of a meal, she strode to her bedroom, but stopped short of entering. Instead, she stood in the doorway and stared at her regeneration unit. It was imposing to most people, but just a necessary tool in her mind. Still, for the first time she could remember, she wished to sleep. She had no bed, but there was the couch.

With a tired sigh, Annika sat on the plain grey cushions. She could tell at a glance that the couch would be too short to stretch out, but she was growing too weary to care. Sinking down, she pulled the decorative blanket over herself and curled up.

[Voyager – Corridor]

She strode down the hallway, confident in her steps even though she didn't know her exact destination. She looked behind herself where the corridor faded dramatically into a weaving of Borg and Starfleet technology. At the end, where she had come from, was her regeneration unit plus four others. To her surprise, children occupied the four other units. Though she didn't immediately recognize them, she knew she should.

Turning back to her original path, she made a turn down the stretching corridor and came to a large room with computers everywhere and a large viewscreen up front.

"Seven of Nine."

She noticed a dark-haired man whose name she couldn't quite recall – no, he's Chakotay – standing next to Tuvok. Both men wore uniforms she didn't recognize and stood stoically watching her. It was unnerving and yet she had the sense it should be familiar.

"Who are you?" Annika asked.

"Seven of Nine," said Tuvok.

"I am not Seven of Nine." I'm Annika.

"You are not who you think you are."

Annika shook her head.

"Seven of Nine." It was Chakotay.

Annika glanced down, realizing she was closer to the mysterious Chakotay than she thought, or perhaps they had moved closer. He was within arm's length and holding out his hand. Within his palm was a bright blue flower.

"Delphinium scaposum."

Annika met Chakotay's warm, brown eyes. For once she felt safe, calm, like she was where she belonged.

Seven – Annika, my name is Annika – woke with a start. She glanced around her quiet apartment. All was as it should be.

Lying back down, she wiped a hand over her forehead. It was going to be a long night.

(Power Distribution Plant – Rook's Office)

Rook's office was uncluttered only because everything was electronic, held within the many computers and controls on the walls and desks. His data was uncluttered and organized because Annika had helped him file it efficiently. As with almost everything in the industrial city, Rook's office was a study in greys. His desk was grey metal, his chair the same, housing a grey computer.

"Are you all right?" Rook looked over his subordinate with concern. He thought an early night would do her good after the attack, but she looked worse.

"I am functioning within normal parameters." She resisted the urge to run a hand over her tired eyes.

"Did you rest at all last night?"

"Not much," she admitted. Dredging up a small smile for the man, she tried to reassure him. "I slept instead of regenerating. Clearly that was a mistake."

"Do you need to leave early?" His eyes were creased both with concern for his employee and worry for the work that would go untouched while she was away. On the one hand, they were behind, but on the other, protection of the employee was sacred.

Annika shook her head. "That is not necessary. Regeneration tonight will be sufficient."

"Well all right then." Smiling, Rook patted her shoulder. "Oh, and you'll be happy to know we already replaced Mr. Tuvok."

[Power Distribution Plant]

Above and below were catwalks with pipes, wires, and work stations of every sort. Workers of absolutely every possible description scurried here and there. Everyone was busy, barely stopping to chat even when handing off a tool or PADD, but all seemed content if not happy.

Neelix had been assigned to the same plant, but a different section. The separation made Chakotay nervous. Luckily, his years running risky and downright perilous Maquis operations meant he could stifle his unease. Besides, no one recognized him so far and no one had seen Neelix prior to their interview.

At first, Chakotay assumed it would be difficult to find the Voyager crew. He thought the only way they would be working in the plant was by force, perhaps hidden away somewhere and kept away from any means of contacting help. It soon became apparent that wasn't the case.

"Qualification level three in micro-kinetics," said the supervisor, Rook, reading from a PADD as they walked to Chakotay's new station. Chakotay had forgotten the man's name already. "You could use some improvement there. Level five in thermionic conversion. Good." He cheered a little. "We lost a thermionic specialist yesterday."

"Did he find a better job?" he asked, a reflex question. Hurrying to reassure his new recruit, the supervisor shook his head.

"Health problems." Rook fiddled his PADD a little, nervous at the mention of better jobs. Competition was fierce and the last thing he needed as a supervisor was to lose two employees in two days.

"I see." He really did. As they spoke, a human female, Ensign Smith, walked past. She glanced at Chakotay, but showed sign of recognizing him. Her eyes slid over him quickly as she continued on her way.

"Someone you know?" There was a tinge of relief in Rook's voice. Maybe if there were friends already established here, this recruit would be more inclined to stay.

Chakotay shook his head and forced himself to pay attention. "No, just an unusual species."

Oh well. "We have a diverse workforce." They had arrived. He gestured to the machines around them, eager to get the man working. "Our thermionic converters operate on a rotating frequency, so they have to be closely monitored."

A flash of red hair caught his peripheral vision. Chakotay stared after Janeway, so amazed to see her calmly working that he forgot to listen to Rook.

"You'll be required to report your readings to the controller at a regular interval. Any questions?"

There were no restraints on her, no signs of coercion or threat. She was working as though she were just another worker in a power plant instead of the kidnapped captain of a stranded starship.

"Are you listening to me?" Rook asked, annoyed. He really wanted the position filled, but it wouldn't be any good if the man was unreliable. It didn't take a genius to see Kotay was looking more at the people around him than the equipment.

Chakotay snapped his head back around. It wouldn't do to get caught now. "Sorry, sir. I'm just excited to be here."

"Carry on." Rook cleared his throat and walked away, hoping for the best.

As soon as Rook was out of sight, Chakotay went over to Janeway's station. She glanced at him, but continued working until he spoke her name. "Kathryn."

Busy, she continued to work as the newcomer greeted her. She assumed he'd learned her name from one of her coworkers. "Yes?"

"It's Chakotay."

"I'm sorry?"

As she stared at him, he realized she didn't recognize him at all. The disguise wasn't that impressive. She should have seen through it. Besides, he'd told her his name. Still, she looked at him uncomprehendingly. He cleared his throat and changed tactics. "I'm new here. The supervisor said you would be a good person to speak to if I had any questions."

Unsettled by the way the man stared at her, Kathryn prompted him again. "What can I help you with?"

More shaken than he would let on, Chakotay cleared his throat and internally shook himself to attention. "Nothing. I just wanted to introduce myself."

"Oh." She looked a little closer at him. "What did you say your name was?"

"Chakotay." Then, because it clearly didn't ring any bells and the last thing he needed was for her to blow his cover by asking about a name that no one else would know, he corrected himself. "Actually, that's just what my friends call me. My employment file lists my given name, Amal Kotay."

She smiled. His dark gaze had been a bit too intense, but otherwise he seemed harmless. "Well, whatever your name is, I'm happy to help you any way I can."

Though Chakotay returned to his station and worked the rest of the day diligently, he kept a sharp eye out for other members of Voyager's crew. A handful of them passed him by, but any second looks were either due to his occasional, unpreventable staring or out of curiosity about him being a newcomer.

There was one person he hoped to see above all others. Seven made no appearance and at the end of the day, he was a little relieved, not eager to greet her as a stranger.

He didn't see her, but Annika did watch their newest employee from a distance. She usually only interacted with problem employees and though he sometimes seemed distracted, this Amal Kotay worked well enough that she left him alone.

Kotay. Throughout the day as she moved from one station to another, monitoring the flow of work and efficiency of employees, the name tried to snag her memory. She'd read what little there was in his personnel file and was confident there was no reason to think she'd ever met him before so the sense of deja vu was unexpected. His picture likewise made her feel she ought to know him, but that was it.

Annika arrived at her last inspection victim of the day, a petite brunette named Celes who worked in the primary fusion chamber. The last one still on shift there for the day, she seemed even more daunted by the prospect of an efficiency inspection than most, alternating between staring up at Annika with wide eyes and focussing with all her might on her feet. It would have been amusing if it didn't interfere with Annika's work. Still, despite Celes' nerves, her station was programmed properly and monitors showed she'd functioned within expected parameters.

With a nod, Annika indicated Celes could go. She'd passed the efficiency review and to top it off, her shift was over. Celes passed Annika with an audible sigh.

Writing up her final report as she walked, Annika quickly moved through the emptying plant, going the opposite of most employees. She reached the set of doors leading to supervisor offices. A handful were occupied with supervisors reviewing reports and logs, making lists for themselves for the next day. Their need for base employees so dire, most offices were empty. Nearer to the end, Annika knocked on a door and entered Rook's office.

Rook took the PADD with her report from her. "How was it today?"

"We came closer to our quota."

Rook's smile grew. "Excellent! And how about our new employees?"

"I did not speak with them yet."

"Tomorrow?"

"Perhaps. I observed their activities for a short period while I conducted my regular duties."

"And?"

She shrugged a shoulder. "They seem efficient enough."

In good spirits, Rook laughed. "Well, I'm glad to hear it." He looked at her a little more seriously. "And how are you feeling?"

"I am functioning sufficiently, but will appreciate a full regeneration cycle," she admitted.

"Well, then I won't hold you up. Get something to eat and a good night's sleep." He waved her away, pleased with the world in general now.

[Umali's Bar]

Tom was tending the bar when Neelix walked in. His friendly personality still intact, it took no effort for Neelix to strike up a conversation as he waited for Chakotay to meet him.

"What about you," asked Neelix, "ever worked on a ship?" He kept his tone light, as though he truly expected no particular answer. However, having heard the same sort of responses all day, he had an idea what was coming.

"Oh, no. Space travel makes me sick."

Neelix smiled as best he could at the ridiculous statement. And yet, it made sense since the Quarren government wouldn't want Tom to fly ships, not when he might make an escape, and he had no penchant for engineering.

There was laughter in the corner. Neelix glanced over to see B'Elanna with another couple he didn't recognize. He noticed Tom's eyes travelling that way too. Following a train of thought, he took a nonchalant sip of his drink and glanced around. "So, do you know most of the people that come in here?"

"A lot of them." And yet his confirmation was blasé, showing no indication that he actually knew the origin of those around him, who B'Elanna was even. "This is a great place to work."

If it hadn't been so serious, Neelix would have laughed, the refrain so common now that it was comical. "Seems like it.

"I could put in a good word for you to my employer," said Tom, cheerfully.

"Ah, Neelix." Chakotay glanced up and did a double take when he saw Tom behind the bar.

"I was wondering when you'd get here." Neelix waved between him and Tom. "Amal Kotay, this is my new friend, Tom Paris."

"What can I get you?"

Chakotay was getting too used to being unrecognized to feel much surprise that Tom accepted the farce so easily. He settled against the slab of metal between them and nodded to the drink in Neelix's hand. "That looks good."

Tom nodded and moved away to mix it.

Neelix glanced around and spoke in a lowered voice, Chakotay inclining his head to hear. "I was assigned to the Primary Fusion Chamber along with Mulchaey and Celes. Neither of them recognised me."

Chakotay sighed. "Let me guess. They really love their jobs."

Neelix shook his head sadly. "It's like they've all been programmed to be happy here."

"No one recognized me either. It's a safe bet they're not going to leave willingly." He thought of Janeway, who looked genuinely happy to be at work. He'd also observed her interact with a man called Jaffen. The brief moments he'd seen them made him suspicious.

"Any sign of—"

Tom came back, sliding Chakotay his drink. "Here you go."

Through the crowd came Kathryn and Jaffen. Jaffen kept an eye out for a table, but Kathryn pulled him to the bar so she could greet Amal. "Hi, how was your first day?"

Chakotay forced a smile. "Not bad."

She glanced at the unusual alien next to him. "Would you and your friend like to join us?"

"That would be nice." He didn't really want to, but the closer they got and the more intel he gathered, the better.

"Um, actually I was hoping we could eat alone tonight." Jaffen glanced down at Kathryn and then up at the other men with a slightly embarrassed grimace.

"Maybe another time," said Chakotay with a smile. It wouldn't do any good to look sour and it would give them a chance to scope out others. A quick look around confirmed it was a popular place with plant workers, several Voyager crewmembers.

As Katherine and Jaffen moved away, Neelix and Chakotay sipped their drinks and kept an eye on the crowd, neither truly sure what they were going to do next.

"So," said Neelix, "any sign of Seven?"

"No." Chakotay didn't bother pretending to be anything other than disappointed. Neelix put a hand on his shoulder and Chakotay gave a tiny smile to show he was fine. He took in a steading breath. "The plant is a big place, though. I'm sure she's in there somewhere."

"I'm sure too." Before he left for the day, Celes mentioned she had to stay behind for an efficiency review. Neelix could think of only one person who would be qualified to apply such an exam. When he mentioned the exchange, Chakotay laughed.

"Yeah, that sounds like her." It was unfortunate to think she was not immune to whatever the Quarren government did to the others, but at least they knew where she was.

B'Elanna got up from her table and after a brief exchange with Tom, she waddled outside.

Neelix and Chakotay looked at each other. They still weren't fully sure what their goal was, but such an opportunity couldn't be allowed to pass them by. They stood to follow her out.

The door opened and admitted a familiar blonde.

Chakotay stopped short.

Annika looked around, a little overwhelmed by the mesh of bodies. It took her a moment as she looked for a table until she realized she'd drawn some attention. A man with dark hair and a heavy brow was outright staring at her. His friend, a Talaxian nudged him and she recognized them as the new plant employees, Amal Kotay and Neelix. She had no time to really consider them as a small table opened up and she hurried to take it.

The elbow to the stomach Neelix gave him was necessary just to get him to breathe again. Chakotay longed to follow the tug in his heart after Seven, but Neelix nodded to the door.

"We know where she is. We might not get another chance like this," Neelix whispered quickly.

Chakotay sighed, all too aware that Neelix was right. Seven looked fine to him, just a little uncomfortable, which was likely due to the crowd and awkwardness of being there alone. He nodded and they followed B'Elanna out, hurrying to catch up.

Thankfully, B'Elanna's waddle slowed her down considerably. With almost no crime, she also didn't need to worry about hurrying through the dark and deserted streets. Even with Chakotay's hesitation, he and Neelix were able to catch up and devise a way to cut her off.

Neelix walked as close behind B'Elanna as he dared, hoping she wouldn't notice his footfalls, or at least not think anything of them if she did hear. Some of his nervousness settled as he saw Chakotay appear ahead through the dark. This was it.

The sidewalk was wide enough, but Chakotay made sure to bump into B'Elanna, who was clearly distracted by her thoughts. "Oh, excuse me."

"No," she shook her head a little. "It was my fault. I should watch where I'm going."

"B'Elanna?" He knew she wouldn't recognize him so he pretended to be surprised to see her.

"How do you know my name?"

"Don't you remember me?"

B'Elanna narrowed her eyes at him, but found nothing to either alarm or excite her.

"No, I'm sorry, but I don't."

"What if I told you we're old friends?"

B'Elanna shook her head. "No, I don't know you."

"I know it sounds strange, but I can prove it to you." Knowing such a ploy wouldn't work with her, Chakotay kept his tone soothing and his senses ready for a fight.

"Look, I'm sorry, but I'm late for work." She tried to hurry away, alarmed now, but the larger man grabbed her around the shoulders and dragged her off the main street.

"It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you." Chakotay did his best to keep hold of B'Elanna without grabbing her where it would harm the baby. It was harder than he expected.

"Let go of me!" B'Elanna struggled. Despite her awkwardness, the man didn't hold her too tight or in a way that fully prevented her from struggling. It was unexpected and unnoticed by her as she believed she was fighting for her life.

"I'm not going to hurt you." He grunted as one of her flailing limbs connected with his side.

Wriggling in his loose grip, B'Elanna managed to turn around and throw a punch in the man's face. He stumbled back a step, allowing her to shout out. "Security, help!"

Neelix stepped in to help hold onto the struggling engineer as Chakotay called back to Harry and the Doctor. "Chakotay to Voyager. We've got B'Elanna. Lock on to Neelix's signal and transport them to Sickbay."

Harry acknowledged the command just as two security guards appeared at the end of the alley.

"Let her go."

Neelix and the still struggling B'Elanna disappeared in the familiar shimmer of the Voyager transporter.

Shit. It was just Chakotay and security now. "Harry, I need an emergency transport now!"

"Sorry, Commander, we're under attack. I had to raise shields."

There was nothing for it but to run.

[Voyager - Bridge]

Voyager rocked as the Quarren ships fired. Security had alerted them to the kidnapping and the transporter told them where to look for Voyager.

Unwilling to give up immediately, Harry tried to remain in the area and get the Commander off the planet.

"Well?" The Doctor looked over.

It was no use. Harry shook his head, confirming for the Doctor that there was only so much they could do. If only they could get a direct hit on their attackers, they might be able to help Chakotay or at least escape with their hide intact. "I can't penetrate their shields."

The Doctor thought a moment, his programming sending suggestions faster than any human could think. "Maybe we don't have to. The battle of Vorkado, it's in my tactical database. A Romulan captain disabled two attacking vessels by creating a photonic shock wave between the ships."

"How'd he do that?"

"Watch and learn."

[Umali's Bar]

Chakotay slipped inside, shuffling along the edge of the wall to a table. No one seemed to have noticed either his absence or his re-entrance.

He found an empty seat in the corner and settled down, taking a subtle look through the tear in his clothes. The fight between him and security hadn't been long and he'd come out mostly the victor, but not unscathed. Blood and deep bruising mottled his arm.

A quick step and approaching body made Chakotay look up, clamping a hand around the wound so it wasn't noticeable. "Kathryn."

She didn't sit and her gaze was only partly on him, her eyes flickering from him to Jaffen a few times. "Listen, I'm sorry about my friend."

"Excuse me?" He couldn't think of what she meant.

"Jaffen." She glanced back at the man now chatting with friends who'd joined them. "He wasn't very nice when I invited you to join us."

"Ah." It seemed there was something between them, but the pain in his shoulder and arm made it difficult to care or pay attention.

Kathryn, finally noticing Kotay's discomfort, leaned over, her brows furrowed in concern. "Are you all right?"

He forced himself to smile. "I'm just a little tired. First day on a new job."

Kathryn laughed and looked over at Jaffen again. "I know how that can be. Well, I just wanted to let you know you're more than welcome to sit with us."

Across the room, Seven stood. Her plate was empty and the second chair at her table still devoid of company.

"Actually," said Chakotay, thinking quickly, "I think I'll be going home, get some rest."

"Well, if you change your mind, we're celebrating."

Chakotay watched Seven pay Umali at the bar, only just remembering that Kathryn had said something. "What's the occasion?"

"I've decided to move in with Jaffen."

"Congratulations." He smiled again and Kathryn hurried back to Jaffen.

Seven left the bar.

Yerid, a middle-aged Quarren man, rarely had anything as serious as a kidnapping to deal with. He was used to dealing with frauds and minor thefts at most. Two years ago, there had been a murder when one mentally unstable individual killed his wife after discovering she'd been unfaithful. That was the worst crime to date in Yerid's territory. There were multiple jurisdictions in the country, let alone on the planet. However, they all boasted a similarly low level of crime. They were desperate for workers everywhere and as a result, crime was met with fervent investigation and swift justice.

The bar was full when he entered, a wide variety of species greeting his quick eyes, but not the one he was looking for.

"Can I help you?" Tom smiled at the thin man as he approached the crowded bar.

"Yerid, criminal investigations." He flashed his badge.

Tom's eyes widened a little at the introduction, but answered truthfully. "We run an honest business."

Yerid shook his head, his eyes still swivelling around the room. "I'm looking for two people who disappeared after leaving here earlier this evening. One was a young pregnant woman."

"B'Elanna?" Tom's heart dropped. His fear was confirmed when he glanced at the employee photo Yerid held out. But… Who would do that to her? It made no sense.

"You know her?" This was unexpected. Yerid's gaze sharpened. Could this young man have anything to do with the incident? A short assessment of the worry on Tom's face calmed any suspicion Yerid had.

"I knew I should have walked her to the transport." Tom supported himself against the bar, wishing he'd done more to ensure her safety, but she'd been so confident and there had been nothing to alarm him.

Yerid's eyes narrowed. "Why? Did you think someone might try to hurt her?" Or is it just your own misplaced guilt?

"This city is supposed to be safe!"

Yerid hid his smile at the bartender's unexpected devotion. He pocketed the PADD with the woman's photo. "The person with her was described as short, with mottled skin, facial hair."

"Sounds like someone who was in here earlier, a worker from the plant." And yet he had trouble believing the cheerful, open man could really have anything to do with a kidnapping.

"Do you know his name?" What luck, thought Yerid. Despite the seriousness, it was turning out to be a remarkably simple case.

"Neelix, I think." Tom's head was a blur with conflicting emotions. "He had a friend. It was Amal… something."

Better luck could not have been wished for. "Can you describe him?"

"I don't have to, he's sitting right over—" Tom pointed at the chair he'd seen Amal take when he returned, but it now sat empty. Tom didn't know what to think.

[Street]

Annika had excellent hearing. It took no effort to know someone was behind her. She had the distinct and inexplicable sense that whoever it was, was deliberately following her.

There was an alley up ahead. She turned down it and tucked herself into the darkness.

The footsteps hesitated only a second and then followed.

A male figure drew close, his head turning here and there in an attempt to see where she'd gone in the dark.

She moved fast, pushing her forearm against the man's throat and forcing him against the opposite wall. He gasped in surprise, then struggled to breath. Despite the shock of the attack, his only act of resistance was to place a hand on her elbow, not even an effective means of stopping her from breaking his trachea if she chose to do so.

"Seven," the man's deep voice choked out.

She loosened her grip, but didn't let go entirely. There was a long moment of silence as Annika struggled to understand what this meant. I don't believe you are who you think you are. "Who are you?"

"My name is Commander Chakotay," he said. It was a big risk and an enormous act of trust since no one remembered him. He'd followed her only with the hope of seeing where she lived so he could find her later. He'd not intended to explain himself at all. However, given their positions, he felt there was no alternative. He peered through the dark into her blue eyes, which were just barely visible. To his immense surprise, her grip on him loosened even further.

"Chakotay? You disguised yourself and created an alias Amal Kotay." She could see better than him. A photo was very different from seeing someone in the flesh. His face was different, but he was still recognizable. Blinking a little, she stared into his eyes. Rimmed with soft, black lashes, the dark chocolate irises were exactly what she'd dreamed about, what Tuvok had shown her.

"Yes." His breathing quickened, his mind cloudy with hope and adrenaline. "Do you remember me?"

"No. Maybe." She took a deep, steadying breath. "No, but I see snippets."

"What do you see?"

"I…" It was harder than she thought to vocalize the strange dreams and visions she'd seen, especially the ones of this Chakotay.

Acting on instinct, Chakotay moved away from the wall, reaching out a hand – he almost doubled over as pain bloomed from his shoulder and spread down his arm. He'd forgotten his injury from the scuffle.

"You're injured." It wasn't a question.

"Yes." He breathed deep, trying to steady himself. "I was trying to rescue a crewmember and ran into a little trouble."

The statement should have made her question his sanity or at least call security, but given the things she'd seen, Annika could only believe him. "Come with me."

Chakotay's heart beat fast against his ribcage, daring to hope.