Star Trek Voyager characters are the property of Paramount Pictures.

Hearts Astray

Chapter 15

FOUR MONTHS LATER

"Damn," Kathryn said as she pulled a smoking nutroast out of her oven. "Damn timer!"

Fanning away the smoke as an alarm bleeped, she took the roast over to the recycler and quickly recycled it.

"Tuvok to Captain Janeway," Voyager's chief of security said. "There is a..."

"Nothing to worry about, Tuvok," Kathryn interrupted. "I've burnt the roast again."

"That I figured," Tuvok replied. "I was going to inform you that an anomaly has appeared on sensors that greatly resembles the temporal anomalies we are avoiding."

"Appeared on sensors?" Kathryn asked. "Is that to say it somehow materialized out of nowhere?"

"Affirmative. However, we may simply have failed to detect it as the problems with our sensors are ongoing."

"That is most likely the case. If this anomaly lies in our path, alter course. If not, onwards and forwards."

"It is directly in our path."

"Then alter course."

"Any further instructions?"

"Monitor the anomaly and inform me if there is any cause for concern."

"Understood. Tuvok out."

The connection terminated and Kathryn returned her attention to dinner. It was too late to make another nutroast, as Chakotay was due any minute, so she would have to replicate one. Quickly, she made her way over to the replicator, hoping to replicate it before Chakotay arrived, but just as she got there, the door chime played.

"Come in," Kathryn cried, manually replicating the roast. "Don't mind the smoke!"

The doors opened and Chakotay came in.

"Don't tell me," he smiled. "My dinner's in the recycler again."

"Got it in one," Kathryn laughed, picking up the freshly replicated nutroast. "But as always, I have a replacement."

"No leather gloves in the middle like last time, I hope."

"None, I assure you. I've given my replicator a warning. Any more shenanigans and it's out an airlock."

Chakotay laughed and took his place at the table. It was beautifully set with candles and flowers and there were several covered silver dishes.

"Help yourself to whatever you fancy," Kathryn said, joining Chakotay at the table. "There's steamed vegetables, pasta, bread, nachos, guacamole, noodles, salad, scotch eggs, and lentil soup."

"Quite a feast," Chakotay smiled. "Are we expecting company?"

"No, there's just us. I've been experimenting a bit. I haven't done any real cooking in ages and, well, safe space leaves me with a lot of time on my hands. Not to mention Naomi was over and wanted to help. She made the bread, so if it breaks your teeth don't phaser me."

Chakotay laughed. "If her bread is as bad as the cake she made last week, you have competition."

"For what, worse chef on the ship?"

"You said it."

"But you implied it. Watch yourself, mister, or it might be you out an airlock."

"Gladly, if it saves me from death by poison."

"Oh," Kathryn laughed. "I'm not that bad. And, in my defense, I think my oven is to blame. There's something up with the timer. I'm firmly of the opinion that cooking is a science, not an art, so my attempted masterpieces should come out perfect every time. I always follow the instructions, right to the spoon size. The problem has to be the timer."

"It worked fine for me last week."

"So does my replicator work fine for you. But for me, it makes nutroast meshed with leather gloves. What can I say? Voyager likes to tease me." She picked up a bottle of wine and tried to unscrew the top, but it just wouldn't budge. "Damn," she groaned, "this top is tight. It won't budge."

"Let me try," Chakotay said.

"No, siree. This is my replicator playing games again. I specifically programmed it to make easy open bottles. This is not easy open."

Chakotay smiled. "Looks like its death by airlock for your replicator."

"Yes. Or worse, destruction by dismantling. It can't be trusted and won't reform." She applied all her strength to opening the bottle, determined not to be beat, but when the top at last came off, it was with such force that wine split all over her gray undertunic. Chakotay couldn't help but laugh, but Kathryn was not amused. "Definitely my replicator's history. First thing tomorrow morning...unless you want to trade, of course."

"No, thank you," Chakotay smiled. "I'm a loyal guy. I'll stick to the one I've got."

Kathryn was just about to reply when Voyager jolted to a stop and bright green light filled the room. She turned towards the window, as did Chakotay, and gasped to see a pulsating green anomaly outside. It was huge, ripping through space like a jagged wound, and was blindingly bright. Kathryn hit her commbadge.

"Janeway to Tuvok. What the hell's going on? Why do I see the anomaly from my quarters and why have we stopped?"

"I don't know, Captain," he replied. "One moment the anomaly was light years away, the next it was upon us. Our engines have failed, reason unknown, and the warp drive is offline. My theory is that our malfunctioning sensors failed to give us the anomaly's exact position. We thus flew straight into its path and its proximity is interfering with the ship's systems."

"It's as good a theory as any, but I want us out of here as soon as possible. Get a team to engineering. In the meantime, Chakotay and I will make our way to the bridge. Janeway out."

The connection terminated.

"Looks like our dinner's on hold again," Chakotay said, "thanks to these anomalies."

"Looks that way," Kathryn agreed. "But it will still be here when we get back." She got to her feet, picked up her jacket, and put it on. "Come on. The sooner we're out of here, the sooner we can eat cold roast."

Chakotay laughed and followed her out of the room.

"Report," Kathryn said as she and Chakotay entered the bridge.

"We're still dead in the water," Harry said, "and the anomaly's sucking us in."

"At what rate?"

"1.5 kilometers a minute."

"And our distance from the anomaly is?"

"Approximately 2,000 kilometers," he replied.

"Then we've got 22 hours to get the hell out of here."

Tom, who was at the helm, smiled. "Quick math. I bet you always got an A at school, Captain."

"No," she smiled. "I got an A+"

The bridge crew laughed, but the moment of joviality was short lived.

"Captain," Tuvok said, "I'm detecting what appears to be a wormhole emanating from the anomaly."

Kathryn looked up at the viewscreen. "On screen."

The anomaly lit up the screen and Tuvok zoomed in on a section. Sure enough, a tunnel resembling a wormhole was visible.

"Where does it lead?" Kathryn asked.

"I am unable to get a reading," the Vulcan answered.

Tom spoke now. "Captain, our engines have suddenly come online."

"And the wormhole is getting bigger," Harry announced.

"Maybe the anomaly's intelligent," Tom joked, "and wants us to go in."

"Maybe it does," Kathryn answered, "but like hell we are. Get us out of here, Mr Paris, maximum warp."

Tom did as she said and in seconds the anomaly was out of sight.

"All systems are now online," Tuvok said, "but our sensors are completely down. We're flying blindly."

"Sensors are not our only sense," Kathryn replied. "We still have our eyes. If we can't scan a course, we'll have to navigate the old fashioned way...by the stars. Take us out of warp, Mr Paris. We don't want to fly from the dragon to the devil. Mr Kim, go to astrometrics and tell Seven what's happened. Tell her to chart us a new course as best as she can. Tuvok, get a team working on sensor repairs immediately, and have them working on it all night if need be. Sensors are now our top priority."

"Yes, Captain," Tuvok replied.

"If there are any problems, inform me at once. I'll be in my quarters." She turned to Chakotay. "Chakotay, go see B'Elanna. Ask her if she'll help fix the sensors. I know she's on maternity leave, but we really need her expertise."

Tom spoke. "Shouldn't that be my job? I am her husband, after all."

"We need you to pilot."

"Fair point. And don't worry, Captain, B'Elanna will be only too glad to help. She's going crazy cooped up in her quarters all day. And don't worry, big guy, you won't have to babysit. We have Tal Celes on call. She might not be much of an officer, but she's sure great with kids."

"Then it's all settled," Kathryn smiled. "Tuvok, you have the bridge."

With that, she walked into the turbo lift and Chakotay followed. As the doors shut behind them, he spoke.

"I don't know about you," he said, "but all this...an interrupted dinner, a glowing anomaly, disrupted systems...it's giving me de ja vu."

"Me too," Kathryn smiled. "But hopefully we've seen the last of that anomaly, whatever it was."

"Unless it's following us," he teased.

"It better not dare."

Chakotay laughed. "When I've seen B'Elanna, shall I return to your quarters?"

"Of course," she smiled. "We have a dinner to finish."

While she waited for Chakotay, Kathryn recycled her stained undertunic and then replicated a clean one.

"Oh no," she groaned when it came out pink. "You really have it in for me today, don't you? One gray Starfleet undertunic, female, small, short sleeved."

The machine processed her request, but again the undertunic came out pink.

"I'll ask one more time," Kathryn said firmly. "One gray Starfleet undertunic, female, small, short sleeved."

But again a pink undertunic was produced.

"Then to hell with it," Kathryn sighed. "But it's definitely death day for you tomorrow. You've pushed me one step too far. You know redheads don't wear pink!"

Quickly, she put on one of the pink undertunics, clipped on her commbadge, and then recycled the other two. Then she went over to the table and one by one recycled everything she'd replicated for their meal. Luckily, this wasn't much, just the nutroast, the wine, the guacamole and the nachos. Everything else was either made from vegetables grown in the hydroponics bay or from ingredients replicated in her ready room. The replicator there was much more reliable and Kathryn had got into the habit of using it more than the one in her quarters. When all were recycled, except the nachos, the doors to her quarters opened and Chakotay came in.

"No," she said, walking with the nachos over to the recycler, "you haven't gone color blind. My undertunic's really pink. And guess how? The damn replicator. All I wanted was one gray undertunic, but would it give me one? No, siree! It insisted on pink. I swear it's trying to make me crazy. Either that, or it's trying to kill me. No, correction, make that us. Because I fear it will kill us if we eat any of the stuff its made. To be on the safe side, I've recycled everything."

Into the recycler the nachos went and then Kathryn turned around. She expected to see Chakotay laughing, but he was not. Instead, he was standing as still as a statue and was staring at her wide eyed.

"Chakotay," Kathryn said in concern. "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I just have," Chakotay replied quietly. Then he looked around anxiously. "We'd better get out of here. You're not safe."

"How do you mean? What's happened?"

"I can't tell you, temporal prime directive, but the anomaly's going to strike again."

"If it does, the deflector dish is ready."

"Then it must strike us twice. Every strike burns out the deflector dish so..." he looked around, agitated, "it must strike us twice."

"The anomalies have never struck us twice," Kathryn argued. "I doubt this one will even strike us once. We're heading away from it."

"I'm telling you, Kathryn," he cried, "it's going to..."

But before he could finish his sentence, bright green light flooded the room. Then Voyager jolted, stopped dead, and outside the window the jagged anomaly glowed.

"Tuvok to Janeway. The anomaly has again appeared out of no where and has again crippled Voyager."

"The damn thing must be following us," Kathryn said. "I'm on my way to the bridge. In the meantime, if engines come back online, repeat what we did last time to get us free."

"Yes, Captain."

Suddenly, a blazing tendril shot out of the anomaly and filled the room with blinding light. Then it was gone.

"Report," Kathryn said to Tuvok.

"The anomaly struck us," Tuvok answered. "But the deflector dish caught it."

"Condition of the deflector dish?"

"Burnt out."

"Have a team repair it immediately. Without the dish, we have no defense against a second strike."

"Yes, Captain."

The connection closed and Kathryn picked up her jacket. "I'm going to rise some eyebrows walking on the bridge in a pink undertunic, but needs must! And while we're on our way there, Chakotay, I want you to tell me everything you know. To hell with the temporal prime directive. The lives of our crew might be at stake."

Chakotay was about to protest, but as Kathryn headed for the door, another bolt of lightening shot out of the anomaly and struck Voyager. Chakotay heard Kathryn groan as they fell to the floor, and cried out himself as he struck something sharp. Then he scrambled to his feet and looked around for Kathryn. But when he saw her, his heart contorted in horror and pain. The jolt had thrown her across the room and she was lying, unconscious, before the window. Her face was distorted, horribly disfigured as though her skin was melting, and green sparks were sizzling all over her. Chakotay hurried over to her and tried to search for a pulse, but when he touched her a flow of electricity surged up his arm and he screamed in agony as his body convulsed. Then something exploded in his head, like his brain was on fire, and all went black.

END OF CHAPTER 15