Chapter 16
After some debates between B'Elanna and Seven regarding whether or not it was safe to reactivate the Entraptor remotely from Voyager, it was decided that it would be safer for everyone if the Entraptor was retrieved from space, recalibrated, and then re-launched from another shuttle.
B'Elanna was exhausted, she hadn't slept in… well, too long, and no matter what the Doctor prescribed, there was no getting rid of that stupid headache that had settled in over the last few hours.
"It's going to take a while before we can ascertain that it's safe to use the Neutrino Entraptor a second time," B'Elanna finished her recommendations as she and Icheb stood in Captain Uang's ready room.
They had contacted Tom again, who had been in turns relieved to hear from them, thrilled that they had succeeded, anxious about the Flyer and its officers, and concerned for B'Elanna's wellbeing. But in the end he had agreed to resume his work on the simulations, so he was now working with Seven on the parameters to input into his programs.
Uang nodded somberly. "Even though I hate the idea of Admiral Janeway and Captain Chakotay stuck once again in the Delta Quadrant for an indeterminate amount of time, I would rather we do this right and increase our odds of success at bringing them back, than rushing into something that might have catastrophic results. We'll do as you suggest, Lieutenant."
B'Elanna nodded. "Thank you. We'll work as fast as we can."
"May I make a suggestion?" Uang asked, halting B'Elanna just before she crossed the threshold.
"Of course," B'Elanna replied.
"Get some rest first."
B'Elanna scoffed. "I can't. There's too much work to do, I-"
"Let me retract what I said – it's not a suggestion. It's an order. I'm afraid 'doing this right' also includes not letting engineers in charge make mistakes because they're sleep-deprived. You're much better help to Admiral Janeway and Captain Chakotay if you're rested and at your best."
B'Elanna bit back her retort and nodded. She hated being benched – to use one of Tom's sports metaphors – but she had to admit, Uang was right. She was exhausted, and much more likely to make mistakes. "Understood."
"Seven and I will recalibrate the Entraptor while you regenerate," Icheb said as they left the office and walked toward Aspire's transporter room. "That way all you'll have to do is check our calibration, and prepare the Entraptor for re-launch."
B'Elanna patted his shoulder. "Thanks, Icheb."
"Are you still angry with me for suggesting sending the captain and admiral back to the Delta Quadrant?"
B'Elanna sighed and rubbed her face. They turned into the transporter room and stepped onto the platform with a nod at the officer on duty.
"No." She gave him a small smile. "You have good instincts, Icheb. I should learn to trust them. But next time you have an impulse to send my friends to the other end of the galaxy, run it by me or Seven first. Energize."
oooOooo
Hamburger. Chicago-style hot dog. French Fries. All-dressed pizza. Pop corn. Chicken wings with barbecue sauce.
This was Tom Paris' ship all right, Kathryn thought wryly as she skipped through the replicator food programs in the back room of the Flyer, trying to figure out what she was hungry for. She was famished, but her anxiety was knotting her stomach into a tight ball of nerves, and she didn't feel like anything, especially not the kinds of foods Tom had programmed in there. In the end, she went with the usual.
"Coffee, black."
Chakotay was still unconscious, but his body temperature was slowly returning to normal, as were his vital signs. It was a good sign. Nevertheless, Kathryn had left the tricorder with him in scanning mode while she went to fetch food, just in case his condition changed suddenly.
It had been about four hours since the entity had left, and needless to say she'd had a lot of time to think. She desperately needed Chakotay to wake up now so she could share her thoughts. And her hopes. And her questions.
Assuming that they were able to return home soon (because really, the alternative was unimaginable), he'd mentioned before that he was considering leaving Starfleet. Was it a serious possibility? Or just something he liked to think about, a fantasy? A few days ago he'd told her being captain weighed on him, but also that he wasn't quite ready to give up what he considered to be a challenge. Which would it be?
What if he decided not to leave Starfleet just yet? Even though Starfleet had always been reluctant to regulate its officers' personal lives, there was no denying that a relationship between an admiral and a captain would be unconventional, if not frowned upon, especially now that Voyager was under Kathryn's chain of command. And Kathryn wasn't ready to give up Starfleet; it had been part of her life for so long, part of her, that leaving it was unimaginable.
She knew it was different for Chakotay – his ambitions were not attached to Starfleet, but to the goals he set for himself: self-improvement, wisdom, discovery. For Chakotay, Starfleet was but a means of achieving these things, whereas for Kathryn Starfleet was a lifestyle, a doctrine even, with a set of values and rules by which she conducted her life. She couldn't imagine living without it. But, as she'd found out over the last few months, she had a pretty hard time living without him too.
Was there a way for both of them to get everything they wanted? Was life ever that generous? She wanted to believe that she could get it all, but a part of her was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
And this was why she needed him to recover, and soon. She needed him to flash her a calm smile and tell her to slow down, that they would figure it out together. Otherwise her overactive imagination would amplify her fears and-
A beeping sound coming from the sensors shook her out of her thoughts and she quickly made her way back to the front, checking up on Chakotay on the way. No change.
The sensors were detecting some elevated neutrino activities. Finally. Kathryn promptly sat down at the commands, and put some distance between the Flyer and the still drifting Neutrino Entraptor that Neelix had built and launched. She kept a visual on it but made sure to be far enough that the Flyer wouldn't be pulled into the initial gravitational flux.
The sensors beeped faster just as the device started emitting a blueish light. She opened a channel, in case Starfleet needed to communicate with her. She would wait for their green light before going through, anyway.
The second time witnessing the wormhole form was as astonishing as the first, and Kathryn couldn't help but wish she'd brought a holoimager with her to record this. It was extraordinary. The space around the Entraptor started spinning, siphoning, and with a soundless pop that she felt more than heard, the wormhole formed. Kathryn held her breath as she counted the seconds. The surface of the event horizon flickered for a moment, but then stabilized.
"Delta Flyer, this is Captain Uang, do you read?"
Kathryn let out a relieved sigh. "This is Admiral Janeway. I was starting to think you'd forgotten about us, Captain."
"We had to ensure that our odds of succeeding were high enough before we attempted to reactivate the devices," Seven replied.
"The wormhole is stable," B'Elanna's voice chimed in. "The way is clear, Admiral. You have a go."
"Well done B'Elanna, Seven. All of you. I'm engaging thrusters now. ETA is 2 minutes."
"What about Captain Chakotay?" The Doctor asked while Kathryn maneuvered the Flyer. "What's his condition?"
"The entity has left, it just flew away as soon as the wormhole disengaged – like Icheb said it would – and Chakotay…" Kathryn threw a concerned glance over her shoulder to reassure herself that he was still comfortable. "As far as I can tell, he's free of the entity, but he's not out of the woods."
"I'm ready and waiting for him, Admiral," the Doctor's voice replied and Kathryn couldn't help a grateful sigh. "Can you describe Chakotay's symptoms?"
Kathryn did just that, and before she knew it, she was at the event horizon. Instinctively taking a deep breath, she took the Delta Flyer in.