Epilogue

Stardate 57005.42

"You look tired, Kathryn," Chakotay said, his voice slightly distorted by the long-range transmission of the video feed, and Kathryn sighed at the screen, resting her chin in her hand as she leaned on her elbow.

"It's been a long journey," she replied at the monitor.

"You left four days ago – not quite a journey to rival with what the crew of Voyager went through," he commented with a teasing grin.

Kathryn smiled. "Let me rephrase that: it's been a long four days – of having the Doctor for sole traveling companion."

He chuckled. "How's Tuvok settling into his new command?"

Kathryn grinned. "Well the USS Einstein is a science ship, so it's not the most challenging for a former chief of security, but I think the command is good for him. Let's face it, leadership skills were never his strong suit, and I think this has helped. Harry certainly seems to be enjoying himself as his first officer."

Chakotay chuckled at the picture Kathryn was painting.

"It was good to see them aboard the Einstein, even though it was only for a few hours," she added with a sigh. "Annika's been so worried about keeping the location of her sanctuary secret and safe, the Einstein could only get us so far in order to maintain the secrecy."

Chakotay's smile softened empathetically, so Kathryn forced some good humor back into her tone. "Now you look excited!" Kathryn said, changing the subject. Chakotay's expression brightened, his eyes twinkling with a passionate glint that was usually reserved for her. But now apparently she had a rival: archaeology.

"It's amazing, Kathryn! Right now I'm just cataloging some of our artifacts and recording my notes, but even though we've only been at it for a couple of weeks, I think this find will really advance our knowledge of this area. The students seem to be having a good time. And it's a beautiful spot, I wish you were here to see it."

Kathryn sighed again. "Me too. But Annika's been adamant about how much she's learned from her latest recruit, and Starfleet's eager to figure out how we can use his knowledge to our advantage. I want to make sure that it's not him we take advantage of."

He gave her a reassuring smile. "Well, Starfleet couldn't have sent a better person for this job."

"You bias is showing, there, I'm afraid," she teased before letting out a soft sigh. "Well, I need to go now, it's time we make our final descent." She let out a long breath as her fingers on the screen traced the contours of his face longingly. "I'll see you in a couple of weeks."

He nodded. "I miss you. Give my best to Annika and the others."

"I will. I love you."

He smiled. "I love you."

Kathryn cut the feed and moved back to the main compartment where the Doctor was warming up his singing voice with Nessun Dorma. Kathryn smirked – she happened to like this one, though perhaps she'd like it more if the Doctor weren't sitting right next to her as he sang it.

oooOooo

Sunbeams pierced through the vegetation to illuminate the circular and colonnaded pavilion, allowing beams of angled yellow light to fall on the stone floor and the surrounding timber posts.

Annika had long appreciated this spacious and unenclosed location for its higher propensity to calm its occupants, with the sound of running water nearby, the intoxicating smells of the flowers and vegetation that surrounded them. Taking advantage of such attributes, she had left the area devoid of technology and had strategically placed sofas and other sitting implements so as to inspire meditation. She herself found she now quite appreciated the practice – Chakotay's and Tuvok's influence, perhaps – though she had grown into it by herself. Two years ago she would have found the thought of meditation an inefficient use of time, and therefore considered it quite a demonstration of her progress into personhood. The peace that meditation afforded was much appreciated when she returned from her unnerving extraction missions.

"What is your designation?" Admiral Janeway now asked as she stood in the center of the circular structure, hands joined together at her front, and Annika gave the man standing in front of them an encouraging nod.

He stood tall and strong, his face still somewhat pale, but remarkably improved. Though his features were not as symmetrical as those of other men of her acquaintance, Annika thought he made a strikingly splendid figure, bathed in the fading sunlight. She often wondered if the very short, light brown hair that now covered his cranium was as soft to the touch as it looked. What had struck her first about his appearance, however, even before they had removed his implants, were his eyes – their shape, of course, but mostly the light brown, almost golden, color of his irises. A color she had rarely seen in humans before. Now his startling eyes met Admiral Janeway's squarely, his jaw set tightly with a determination worthy of any human.

"Erick. Erick Peihola."

Admiral Janeway gave an acknowledging nod, a small smile forming on her lips. "And what was your Borg designation?"

Erick stiffened and glanced once again at Annika, then at the others in the room – Tom Paris, who had piloted Erick's extraction mission, was lounging comfortably, and the Doctor, who stood by the admiral – before returning his gaze to Janeway. "Five of Twelve from Unimatrix Zero Three."

They had only begun the removal process of his Borg implants two weeks ago, but he was adapting quite rapidly to the changes. Annika hypothesized that the amount of time required correlated with the amount of time one spent as a Borg. Having only spent three earth years as a drone, his humanity was returning to him far more quickly than it had in Annika. He didn't have to re-learn how to be human, since his memories of his past life were mostly intact. She envied him, sometimes.

"Thank you, Erick," Janeway replied kindly. "I needed to ask for my report. Now, Annika tells me you have some knowledge that you wish to share with us."

"I do. Annika has told me of your actions that led to the destruction of a Borg transwarp hub two years ago. This event has coincided with increasing anarchy within the Collective. With the numbers of the queens dwindling, the Collective has no central, cohesive voice to obey. This has made the assimilation process much more difficult. However, the Borg recently encountered a technology far beyond its current levels. And they are struggling to fully incorporate it within their own technology."

Janeway's eyebrows knitted together as she sat down on the nearest sofa and leaned forward eagerly. "What kind of technology?"

Erick straightened his shoulders and held his breath. "Stealth technology."

At Janeway's astonished look, Tom nodded. "Yeah, we think this is the technology that Annika – from the other timeline – was using on her shuttle. The one we couldn't quite fit on Voyager at the time."

"It is a sensible assumption," Annika confirmed, "since the event that led to Starfleet recovering this technology – my plan to extricate Five of Twelve – occurred in both timelines." The older version of herself had also told her that this event, this man, would be important to her. Annika experienced an irritating blush at the thought. She had only known him for two weeks, yet she was starting to accept the truth of it. She had never felt like this before – the feelings were indescribable, yet they were so powerful they occupied her thoughts constantly. However her failed relationship with Chakotay – however misguided – two years prior had made her cautious, and she was determined not to let her feelings overwhelm her this time. If Erick Peihola were to be that important to her, then they would find each other when they were ready.

"And you're willing to share this technology?" Janeway asked as she returned her eager attention to Erick.

"I am. Moreover, I believe myself able to alter it so that it will be compatible with Federation vessels."

Janeway gave him an astonished, measuring glance.

"Admiral, I know you have little reason to trust me, but I have memories of the time before I was assimilated. I was an engineer on my planet, a good one. The Borg ruined my life – killed my family in retaliation of our resistance before they assimilated me and others. I am more than happy to share whatever knowledge I have that would help defeat them."

Janeway raised an impressed eyebrow. "You're wrong, Erick – if Annika trusts you, then that's good enough for me."

"Wait, back up for a second," Tom chimed in. "You said the Borg haven't really assimilated it yet?"

Erick turned his attention to Tom. "That's correct. The Borg have never been so disorganized. They can hardly proceed to the assimilation of something so complex without a guiding voice."

Annika nodded. "It does feel like our most recent extractions proceeded with more ease than others – it's as if the Borg are no longer adapting."

Admiral Janeway grinned. "Well, ladies and gentlemen, this sounds like an opportunity Starfleet won't be able to resist. I'll relay your findings to Starfleet Command right away. Thank you, Erick Peihola," Janeway said as she stood, nodded to Annika with a pleased smile, and left the pavilion.

Annika let out a small smile as she watched her go. It was good to see the admiral again – the last time had been a few months before, when she and Chakotay had visited her abode for the first time since its inception. Even though the couple's relationship had only been made truly public for a few weeks by then, Annika had not been surprised to find that being together was as natural to them as breathing. At the time she had somewhat envied their easy camaraderie – not because she still had feelings for Chakotay – but because it had made her realize how lonely her own existence truly was when she scoured the galaxy for extractions. It was a dangerous and solitary path. Yet, she would not complain, for the presence of her aunt, the children, Icheb, and the slowly increasing number of her former Borg rescues within the boundaries of her sanctuary, fulfilled her need for companionship. The people around her, whom she carried with her when she was away, outweighed any real or lasting feelings of loneliness.

More than that, aboard Voyager she had always felt a kind of pressure to be more human than she felt, as if she had to fulfill a series of particular criteria in order to qualify – but here, with individuals who were going through a similar ordeal as her, she did not have that pressure. She needed only be herself. That alone was liberating in ways she had not expected when she had started this enterprise.

"Tom," Annika redirected her gaze to her friend and occasional pilot, "would B'Elanna be willing to interrupt her work with the Klingon to assist in the retrofitting of this technology?"

The Paris family generally resided on Earth, but when Tom's piloting skills were needed for greater odds of success, he temporarily relocated to the sanctuary, often bringing his daughter with him. At just over two years old, Miral was already accustomed to dividing her time between Klingon ambassadors and former Borg drones and already showed immense potential for future scientific pursuits. In fact, this aptitude of Miral's appeared to be a point of playful contention between Janeway and Chakotay – who often tried to guess Miral's future interests: understanding the social intricacies of life, or explaining cosmological phenomena using scientific paradigms? Witnessing such exchanges was always entertaining – especially to the former Voyager crew, to whom the easy banter reminded them of the days aboard Voyager.

"I think so – especially this far into her pregnancy, I think she'd love a chance to do some more sedentary work, especially on something like this. It's a great thing you're doing, Annika," Tom added as he pushed himself up and smiled before he followed the admiral.

Annika turned to the Doctor, who was now examining Erick with a tricorder. When he was done, he gave a satisfied: "Ha! You are in excellent health, Mr. Peihola. The process seems to be going smoothly. Continue keeping notes of any discomforts."

"Thank you, Doctor."

"No need to mention it. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go check on the others."

Annika nodded as she watched him walk away.

"You've missed them," Erick stated, curiously.

Annika turned to him. "I confess I have. Yet, I can't regret the path I have chosen. This place – what I am endeavoring to achieve here – it gives me a sense of purpose I have never felt before." The future version of herself had been right in that assumption as well.

Erick nodded as he sat on one of the meditation rugs, the one that was illuminated with the fading sun rays. "It is a great thing you're doing. I hope – as I improve – I may be of more help to you eventually."

"Your help is already invaluable."

"To Starfleet."

"To me," she corrected sternly.

He smiled, a brief, relieved exhale of breath, and Annika's heart felt as though it had skipped a beat.

"Sit with me?"

Annika nodded, and sat down next to him, facing the sun. When he reached out his hand, she only hesitated for a moment before she took it, and sighed at the warmth that spread through her at the simple contact.

They shared a smile, then Annika turned back toward the sun again, and closed her eyes.

oooOooo

Kathryn stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of Annika and Erick sitting still in the last moments of sunlight together, holding hands. She didn't know what the future held, and in truth she didn't want to know, but her current happiness and deep, steadfast love for Chakotay, and this moment, right there – convinced her that all was now right in the universe.

All was as it was supposed to be.

The end

There you have it! As far as I'm concerned this is how the show ended ;-) Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! Please don't hesitate to drop me a line if you enjoyed, it always makes my day to hear from you!