RAGNAROK 1
Author: Rocky

"No," Janeway said quietly. "You've made your point." She picked up her cup again, but put it down almost immediately. "Seven hasn't confided in me, really, but I get the sense that she is having a hard time coming to terms with herself and where she belongs."

Chakotay raised a brow. "She's been on board this vessel for four years now. What suddenly brought this on?"

"It's not sudden," Janeway said. "I first noticed her uneasiness a few months ago. What was it?" she said, tapping her fingers on the desktop in concentration. "Ah, yes. We were talking about writing letters home-she asked why we felt it necessary to write to people we hadn't seen in years, and most likely wouldn't be seeing for another decade or two. I tried to explain, and during the course of the conversation I got the distinct impression that she's rather nervous about returning to the Alpha Quadrant. Despite the fact that she's 'adapted' so well to life on Voyager." Janeway sighed. "I'm guessing that seeing all these former drones now is making her uncomfortable, that they remind her of the two worlds she's straddling, not fully belonging to either one."

Slowly, Chakotay nodded. "That's as good an explanation as any, I suppose." He looked down at his own cup, absently swirling the small amount of liquid at the bottom. "Speaking of straddling, Captain..."

"Yes?"

"I have to tell you I have some doubts whether your policy toward the Borg, as you outlined to Korok, will be viable or not," he said carefully.

Janeway didn't pretend to misunderstand him. "My complacency-or arrogance, if you will-where the Borg are concerned has led me into too many confrontations with them in the past." She stood abruptly, and began pacing. "Raiding a cube for a transwarp coil, taking the Delta Flyer into the heart of the Borg complex, deliberately letting myself and two of my officers be assimilated-"

"You had your reasons for each of those actions," he objected.

She stopped and looked at him. "I always have reasons for everything I do, Chakotay," she said ruefully. "And you know what? That's what scares me the most."

He shook his head impatiently. "Consider what would have happened if you hadn't done any of those things. Seven would have been reassimilated into the Collective and forced to help them conquer humanity, for starters. That 'assimilation virus' she mentioned the Borg were working on scares the hell out of me."

"Me, too," Janeway said softly, her gaze resting not on him, but on the vista of stars outside the viewport. "Thank God for Icheb's research."

"Getting yourself assimilated *was* a big gamble," he continued, "But look at what it accomplished. How many former drones owe their freedom to the virus you introduced into the Collective?"

"But that also means I bear responsibility for the other, less desirable consequences of that act," she countered.

"Not ultimate responsibility. You gave the drones the means to achieve their freedom. What they've chosen to do with it is another matter entirely."

"That's what I keep telling myself." She sighed again and sank down upon the couch. "I can't let Voyager get caught up in the war. The risks are just too great. But at the same time, I wonder if I have the right to just walk away."

"It's a fine line," Chakotay agreed. He looked at her more closely, noted the haunted look in her eyes; Korok's words had obviously hit home. "nIteb Qob qaD jup 'e' chaw'be' SuvwI'," he murmured.

"What?"

"An old Klingon proverb. 'A warrior does not let a friend face danger alone.'"

Her shoulders slumped tiredly. "Exactly."

"Here's another one, though-DujiIIj yIvoq', which means trust your instincts." He moved next to her and carefully, almost tentatively put his hands on her shoulders. "That's the only thing you can do."

She was silent for a moment, and he wondered what was going through her mind. "I didn't realize you were such a Klingon scholar."

"I have many hidden talents," he said with a smile. He could feel her tension-the muscles were all knotted up. Slowly, he began massaging her shoulders and neck. "Dates back to my early years in service. Remember the officer exchange program the 'Fleet had with the Klingon empire?"

Her eyes still closed, she said, "Don't tell me you served aboard a Klingon ship?"

She was beginning to relax. Good. "No, but we did have a Klingon officer aboard the Okinawa for a few weeks," he said.

"That must have been an interesting experience," she said, a bit drowsily, as his hands continued to move rhythmically up and down her back. She sighed, and leaned more fully against him. "Oh..."

The door signaled.

Janeway immediately jumped up, and hastily returned to her seat behind the desk. "Come in," she called, sounding a bit flustered.

Chakotay took a deep breath himself, to regain his composure. What had just happened? He had only meant to try and help her relax, but...

Tuvok entered, a PADD under his arm, and any chance to discuss what had just transpired between them was gone. The three officers were soon deeply involved in a discussion of shield capabilities and armaments.

The next morning, Janeway stuck her head into the chief engineer's office but there was no one there. Janeway advanced into main engineering, and immediately spotted Torres monitoring the EPS conduits, rapidly barking orders to Vorik and Joe Carey. The half-Klingon stopped when she saw the captain.

"Captain, I'm glad you're here." Torres wheeled away and headed over to another station, the increasing bulk of her advancing pregnancy not seeming to slow her down at all.

"You said it was important." Janeway said, instinctively glancing up at the shimmering blue column of the warp core. "Is there a problem, Lieutenant? Does this concern the transwarp project?"

Torres shook her head. "No, it's the regular drive." She bit her lip in concentration, as she rapidly calibrated the system and took new readings, then compared them with those on the monitor over her left shoulder. "Just a minor problem that's cropped up. Nothing serious, but I'll need to take the warp engines off-line intermittently over the next few days to track it down and correct it."

"Days?" Janeway stepped forward and took a look for herself. "Damn. I see what you mean. This may be just a minor glitch, but on the other hand..."

"It could develop into something major," Torres finished.

"Best to nip in the bud then." Janeway frowned, then patted Torres on the shoulder. "All right, Lieutenant, go ahead. The sooner we correct this, the better."

"I know the timing is less than ideal," Torres said apologetically.

Janeway snorted. "When is it ever ideal? But if we've got to be without warp capability, at least it's at a time when we've got allies in the vicinity."

Act III

"This place," declared Tom Paris dramatically, "Is turning into Borg Central!"

Harry Kim didn't even look up from his lunch tray, where he was concentrating on cutting the chunks of *basar adom* into smaller and smaller pieces. "I suppose you're referring to Axum's ship hailing us this morning?"

"That's right," answered Paris. He took a bite of his replicated grilled cheese sandwich. "You going to eat that?" he asked, jabbing a finger at Kim's plate.

"Eventually," Kim said. "Why?"

"Because it looks as though you're under the impression that if you slice it into enough pieces, it will disappear completely."

A faint grin appeared on Kim's face, which rapidly changed to a grimace when he looked back down at his plate. "I'd forgotten how much I disliked this particular entree, that's all."

"Then why'd you get it?"

"Out of replicator rations," was the succinct reply. Kim speared some of the pieces on his fork and manfully chewed and swallowed. "This almost makes me wish for some leola root."

"Even if Neelix had any, you can be sure he wouldn't waste any of it on you," Paris said with a knowing smirk. He motioned toward the kitchen, where an animated Sarexa could be seen assisting Neelix. "He's finally found someone who appreciates Talaxian cuisine."

"So it seems," Kim said. He picked up his glass of *agas* juice and took a long drink of the pale green liquid. "You were saying, about Axum?"

"Doesn't it strike you as more than just a coincidence that Axum's ship shows up now, out of the blue?"

"It's not entirely unexpected, Tom. Seven made contact with him back when we encountered the Trefla. He told her then that he was headed this way. Remember, the Borg ships can travel a lot faster than we can."

"I know, I know. It just seems strange, first we meet up with the drones who left the Trefla, then in short order, Korok, followed a few days later by Axum. It's almost as if..." Paris' voice trailed off.

"As if what?" asked Kim as he steeled himself for another mouthful of his main course.

"As if all the pieces were being assembled on a chessboard, for a reason."

Kim looked up with a grin that quickly faded when he saw the look on Paris' face. "Meaning? Come on, Tom, talk to me."

"It's probably nothing." Paris shrugged, then admitted, "I've got a bad feeling about all of this."

"You're just feeling a little jumpy, that's all," Kim said reassuringly. "Being in such close proximity to so many Borg vessels, whether friends or foes, is enough to give anyone a case of nerves." He did not say what was uppermost on both their minds-the fact that the Borg Queen, having failed in her earlier attempt to destroy them, was bound to try again one day. Harry forced a smile. "I know I'll feel a lot better once we get out of this sector."

"B'Elanna's doing her best," Tom said. He sighed. "But now the starboard nacelle has started acting up again. She's been putting in double shifts, trying to correct that, as well as get the warp engines back to optimal performance levels."

"Should she be working such long hours, in her condition?" Kim said, concerned.

Paris smiled, but it wasn't a pleasant expression. "You try telling her that." He rose to his feet. "Speaking of which, I'm going to see if I can get her to take a break for a bit, before the meeting at 1300 hours."

"Good luck," Kim said. "To both of you."