Chapter Two
The Courtyard
Star Date - 2443
Starfleet Courtyard
The Starfleet Courtyard was alight with thousands of new cadets making their way to the launching site of the U.S.S Icarus. Out of the corner of his eye, Bastian measured how far apart his right leg stood from his mother's left leg as they both lowered their shoulders and began walking through the grounds. Lost in their own their own thoughts, they avoided the gaze of all the passersby as they continued their conversation.
"Mother, you were joking before about Romul of Twelve being the Commander in Chief of Icarus, right? That was humor? Or was that your sick, twisted mind trying to sniff out a rat for Aunt Seven?" Bastian said this under his breath but the tessitura of the tenor in his voice carried this question across the park. With his head bowed while lost in thought, he lifted it up, trying to not cross his arms against his chest.
"Romul of Twelve has been an excellent Lieutenant and has worked to prove himself to Starfleet, you should know as the Chief Expert on the Prime Directive, Ensign. This is not about grudges, this is about building a better community in the Delta Quadrant and whatever the Akritirians have done now will alert the Borg and they will be decimated. You must help to negotiate for peace instead of trying to blow everyone sky high."
"Yes, Mother. It is a rescue mission to help a Starfleet renegade that infiltrated the Open Sky group but is being held in the underbelly of the planet. Does this mean I get to lead the away mission in order to find this Starfleet officer?" Kathryn Janeway stopped dead in her tracks, looked at him square in the eye and said nothing. "I take that as a no."
"If you are Ensign at the helm, do you think that Romul of Twelve will allow you to lead the away mission down to that blasphemous CHUTE so that my son could be killed on his first away mission from home, considering that all your aunt, Seven of Nine did for the Borg people? For the Cardassians? For all that my crew did for Starfleet by tapping into Chronos Technology that is far too dangerous for us to even experiment with?"
"I would hope not Mother, but I would be willing to for Starfleet." A Talaxian cadet crossed their path but scurried through the other side of the walkway. Kathryn managed a wave but all Sebastian could manage was a look of disgust. "What? What is your problem with the Talaxians? Neelix, our personal chef is Talaxian."
"They're just so… hairy?" Admiral Janeway almost allowed herself to chortle but she sneered at her son as they continued to walk. "Mother, my anxiety is spiking over this. For Aunt Seven and Uncle Chakotay. They've been gone on their away mission for twelve years now. When are they set to return home?"
"Well, you're going to be dealing with an anxious people. The Akritirians have been proclaiming peace but something must be happening on that planet to alert the Borg, otherwise, why would there be a Borg Commander in Chief of a brand new Starfleet vessel?"
"Admiral, I wouldn't like to jump to conclusions on this, but perhaps it has to do with the Open Sky rebellion. There could be a Borg drone working from the inside of The Chute that is releasing out information to the Collective." Bastian and Kathryn made eye contact, their pace quickened.
"In addition, Lieutenant Admiral, we're two hours away from the ceremony so why are you walking at such a fast pace? You must be grieving me already, mother." And with that, Kathryn stopped dead in her tracks and faced her son, the trace of a tear about to smudge her lash.
"How can I grieve something that I know I can never lose? The joy of watching my only son take helm as Ensign Sebastian Janeway, Chief Counselor Linguistics Officer taking his rightful spot as part of the Starfleet's best. Your first away mission. Of course, I'm the proudest mother there is. Come, turn this corner otherwise you'll knock into that Ferengi wench." In one fell swoop, they pivoted around a corner and kept their pace bright.
"Mother, my fear is that once the Akritirians find that their is a Borg Commander at helm, they will immediately think this is an act of terror. Per the Prime Directive, we cannot interfere before we assess the planet and the dangers of potential Borg threats in the area." Janeway nodded haphazardly, nodding and waving, scowling. She made eye contact with her son for a moment who looked away as they kept on walking through the courtyard, "Who else is on this team?"
"Part of the ceremony is that you must meet the other officers for the first time to establish rank. How many times did you fail Kobayashi Maru?" She quirked her head towards him and he crossed his arms against his chest. "Lower. Your. Arms. I'm speaking to you. How many times did you fail, Ensign Janeway?"
"Eight times. I failed eight times. Three of them were as Commander in Chief, two of them as Lieutenant, one of them as Ensign, and twice as Chief Engineer. So, yes, mother, mea culpa, I failed it eight times but I'm so excited to be joining the crew of Icarus with the first Borg Commander in Chief, this is going to be delightful, I bet." The sarcasm oozed from his mouth to which his mother responded with a faint snicker.
"You cannot leave the helm, no matter what you do. You stay there. Is that clear, Sebastian?" Bastian averted her gaze once more. "I said, is that clear, Ensign? For your family at Starfleet Command. You know more about the Prime Directive than any of the other cadets. You were enrolled into this Academy at the age of six in our junior cadets program. Whatever Romul of Twelve says, goes. And whatever Lieutenant Shunahd says goes. Understood?"
"Clear, Lieutenant. Can I ask you another question, mom?"
"Yes, my son?"
"It might be the same question that I asked you before."
"Why are we over an hour early?"
"You are not going to like this part, Bastian." Kathryn avoided his eyes, waved to a small Vulcan child in Starfleet uniform before Bastian's hazel green eyes flew open with utter rage. "I knew I shouldn't have said anything. You have to make this… right?"
"LIEUTENANT SHUNAHD THINKS I REPROGRAMMED KOBAYASHI MARU TO UPSTAGE HER?! MOTHER! YOU'RE ALREADY SETTING ME UP FOR EVERYONE TO HATE ME! YOU'RE ALREADY SETTING ME UP TO BE THE FIRST TARGET! YOU SEE WHAT YOU DO?! I think I'm going to be sick." And in one fell swoop, he grabbed his stomach and vomited all over the pavement of the grounds.
"I remember the first time that I wretched before my first Starfleet mission," she said, while handing him a metallic blue cylinder. He opened his mouth, hit the top of the cylinder and it released a chocolate mint flavor that made him cringe. "I don't want this to be a human versus Vulcan fight on the Icarus and especially not because of you, so you are going to wait here while I walk up to the chambers and she comes down."
"Mother, I won't be seen with her! I'm sorry, I can't. That elven creature of the forest crawls under my skin and I don't want to have to be responsible for her. She's going to lose her mind in outer space and I'm supposed to help her through it? After how she disgraced me in front of Starfleet Command? Is she upset about being a doctor and having to deal with the sick? Is this payback? I think I'm seeing stars already."
"I think you would call that overdramatic, Ensign." Another voice from across the way called out. Sebastian's eyes narrowed as he spotted his nemesis in Starfleet since they he was twelve and she was one million. In his mind, she was one million, probably since she was about fifty. Sebastian eyed Kathryn with burning embers and all she did was smile warmly, her arms extended as if to hug. Lareil tilted her head to the side and took Admiral Janeway's hands in hers. Bowed her head in reverence, "Hello, Lieutenant Admiral Janeway, thank you for escorting me from my quarters to the launch site."
"Lieutenant Commander Shunahd, how are you this morning?" Sebastian scoffed as they kept their walk, much slower this time. He averted all of their gazes and kept his head bowed low, hands behind his back. "I hope you rested well for your flight to the Delta Quadrant. There is a lot of buzz going on around these parts about Icarus' departure in Akritirian territory especially with Romul of Twelve at the helm. What do you make of him?"
"He seems… diplomatic enough." The driest of replies. Bastian snickered to the side but not before Lareil could make eye contact. Her eyes were strikingly blue, her complexion like the hot cocoa his mother drank just minutes before, her hair shoulder length held loosely by pins. However, her uniform was not as green as Sebastian's own tight suit. Instead, it was a navy blue bodice that flowed into a long dress with two slits at either side, held by Starfleet issued leggings and boots. "I suppose. What do you make of him, Ensign Janeway?"
"I don't know, Lieutenant, and I would rather not say." Sebastian hissed through his teeth.
"You can speak candidly with me, Ensign. I am your superior officer." Lareil bowed her head low as they continued to walk, taking a different route that was not as occupied as the previous one.
"I would rather not say because of my aunt, Seven of Nine. I love her and she is Borg. I'm in a conundrum…" All Bastian longed for was for a singular moment where he could roll his eyes and use all the sarcasm that he could muster. However, upon seeing his mother freely strolling in front of them while they spoke about their mission, he turned to look at Lareil, "I did not mean to disrespect you during Koboyashi Maru. I thought what I did was the best for the Vulcan people."
"By destroying the Vulcan homeworld?"
"By trying to prove something to my mother. I've failed the Kobayashi Maru simulation eight times. You failed twice and once was on my watch. In a way, I suppose I failed you as my superior."
Lareil stopped in her tracks, searched within his eyes, shifted her attention back to their walk, "Very interesting how you changed your mind about me."
"That's not fair, Lieutenant. You can't just read someone's mind like that. I'm guarded because of my mother."
"I didn't read your mind. You apologized. Or as you humans say, 'sucking up'? That I understood through logic not through telepathy. Humans are such silly creatures, always so paranoid. Did you think that perhaps I wanted to be the Doctor of the crew? So that I can learn how to practice my own sensitivities to the human condition?"
"No, I just think your half Klingon blood gives you a bad temper." Kathryn stopped in her tracks, glanced over her shoulders upon hearing the tone of her son's voice. It was harsh, but always on the brink of an apology, as if the words he said would directly cause harm. His temper, his stubbornness, and his sensitive demeanor made his voice change in tone, "There's nothing wrong with being a Klingon-Vulcan. I just worry about a Borg Commander in Chief on the Icarus. For my aunt, Seven of Nine. Her and my uncle Chakotay have been in the Delta Quadrant for at least seven years. What do you make of Romul of Twelve? I've only heard of him."
At this, Janeway slowed her pace as the two new Starfleet cadets met up with the Lieutenant Admiral. "Yes, Lareil, tell me, what is your assessment of Romul of Twelve?"
"Romul of Twelve seems competent enough to command the Icarus. He served on two Starships, once as Chief Engineer on the U.S.S. Oceania and then as Lieutenant Weapons Officer of the U.S.S. Titan, so he's more than capable. However, what strikes me funny, though, Lieutenant Admiral - if I can speak candidly, of course," to which Janeway nodded while Sebastian checked behind him for any onlookers. "A Romulan Borg drone in command of a Starfleet ship to the Akritirian homeworld, which is already in chaos as it is, does not sound like the best plan on behalf of Starfleet Command. This sounds like we are already setting ourselves up for disaster."
"Well, per the new Amendment to the Prime Directive: Chapter I, Article IX, Paragraph II states 'All Borg Drones, escaped from the Collective, are granted political asylum and refuge without question. Should they choose, they will be assimilated into regular society as merchants, tradesman, wives, and husbands. Any area populated by Borg Drones released from the collective that is ¼ of the population at large will have a designated Borg Consulate within a 100 mile radius." Sebastian began to ramble a little to which Lareil gazed over to him, a little fondly. "I'm sorry for what happened in Kobayashi Maru. I hope that we can at the very least learn to be tolerable of one another."
"I think what you're asking for is friendship, son." Kathryn said as they began to walk with a little more urgency in their step.
"Tolerable is much better for me, friendship is something earned. Ensign Janeway needs to practice his tolerance to my people otherwise I would not have made such a rash judgement against him." Lareil said, bitingly.
"Fair enough, Lieutenant Shunahd. I will follow your lead as Counselor Ensign Chief Linguistics Officer of the U.S.S Icarus." With a bow of his head they passed another Talaxian, a Romulan, a Ferengi, all on their way towards the launching site.
"Who gave you that title? You were simply 'Ensign Janeway' the last time I checked your record," Lareil made a suspicious face as she checked Admiral Janeway, who simply looked away, "I suppose I will have to update that once we enter the Icarus. I did not know that you were promoted to such a high level position even for an Ensign."
"I didn't know either."
"Lieutenant General Picard made the decision, I tried to overrule him, Lieutenant Shunahd, however, he believed that since Sebastian is the most equipped in Diplomatic Affairs that he would be taking the position as Ensign Counselor Chief Linguistics Officer. He could be of great use to you." Kathryn Janeway quirked an intense brow at the Vulcan woman, who just looked the other way. "He could be of great use to you. He is in your charge."
"That's what I was dreading…" Lareil said, stiffening up her spine, tracing the outside of her ear.
"Or, you can say, that's what you were hoping for!" Sebastian said with the hint of a daring smile, the launch site approaching by every step.
"I feel that dread is the most accurate way that I can describe the stinging sensation in my gut," said Lareil with a sneer before she turned back to Kathryn, who watched the two of them stop dead in their tracks.
Every Starfleet cadet had gathered by the launching site. Admiral Janeway stopped as well, turned around to face the two Starfleet cadets, traced her brow with her middle finger and extended her arms out to Sebastian. He shook his head. Instead, with both hands at his side, he placed his right hand on his heart, before saluting his mother. They ignored the tears welling up in their eyes as Janeway turned to Lareil, who simply bowed her head with poise.
"You will never know how proud you have made me, my son. I must join the others at the Starfleet Command Center," she said, before pivoting on her heel and walking away into the distance.
"Are you what you humans call a 'momma's boy'?" Lareil said, quirking her head to the side as she examined Sebastian from head to toe.
"Lieutenant Shunahd, you have no idea. Time to greet the public, you ready?"
"Absolutely not, we walk right past them and we make our way to the Icarus. I have to update the computer with your new access credentials."
"So… you've never wanted to greet your adoring fans?" Sebastian said, straightening his shoulders and folding the sleeves of his Starfleet uniform once, so they just landed right above his wrist.
"What are you doing?"
"Ohh… Nothing."
And with that, they made their way into the crowd of cadets.
Captain's Log - Author Notes
Sorry I disappeared for a bit, still writing this, have at least another new chapter to post tonight to give you guys some fun reading stuff. Voyager is definitely my favorite season of Star Trek so why not give it my own spin? Keep reviewing, keep checking in and showing love. It's so helpful.
Dan