RAGNAROK 2
Author: Rocky

The upcoming battle was clearly on the minds of others as well. Sarexa moved on to where the Wildmans were sitting. Mother and daughter were both very quiet, neither one seemingly interested in eating, but just picking at the food in front of them. They refused to try any marok, but Sarexa continued observing them out of the corner of her eye while she poured for the next table.

Suddenly Sam reached out and clasped her daughter's hand. "I'm sorry, Naomi. I wish I had been able to do better by you."

Naomi looked up in surprise. "What's that supposed to mean? Mom, I love you and I know that you love me. You've done the best you could for me-you always have since the day I was born. I'm not blaming you-for anything." She smiled. "It's been wonderful growing up here on Voyager. And as you said yourself, how many other children, either on Terra or Ktaria VII, have had the same kind of opportunities I've had?"

Sam was obviously not in the mood to be comforted. "A starship is no place to raise a child," she said.

Naomi shook her head emphatically. "I wouldn't trade places with anybody-no matter what happens in the future. I want you to know that, Mom." She took one more mouthful of stew, then pushed her tray away. "I've got to get going-my shift in Sickbay starts in 15 minutes."

"Oh, I forgot to tell you, but there's been a change in the duty roster," Sam said, her voice almost too casual. "I'll be taking that shift for you."

"What? But you just got off duty, Mom. Aren't you tired?"

"Not really," Sam said. "And anyway, I'm willing to bet you spent at least half your off-time reading instead of sleeping. Despite the fact that you're growing up so quickly, honey, you're still technically a child, and you need more rest than an adult."

Naomi wasn't fooled. "This is about Icheb, isn't it?" she said, her voice rising precipitously. "Once again, you're trying to keep me from spending 'too much time' with him. Why can't you just-"

Sam interrupted. "No, Naomi, believe it or not that has nothing to do with it. Icheb isn't the reason I don't want you in the lab right now."

"Then what is?"

Her mother answered wearily, "Please, honey, just trust me on this."

Harry Kim chose that moment to look up and wave from his table. "Hey, Sarexa, I'd love a cup of coffee."

She set down her pot next to the PADD he was working on. "It's Talaxian tea, not coffee. Do you still want some?"

"I'll try a little bit. At this point, anything hot will feel good going down." Kim took a sip and then his eyes widened. "This is good. I mean, *really* good."

"You sound surprised," Sarexa said archly.

Kim looked abashed for a moment. "Don't take this the wrong way," he said, "but over the years I've learned to be a bit cautious when it comes to Talaxian cuisine."

Sarexa grinned despite herself. "You mean about Neelix's cooking."

"Uh...yeah. Sorry." He hastily added, "But regardless, Neelix is a great guy-"

"It's all right, Lieutenant," Sarexa cut in. "Actually, I'm still getting used to his cooking, myself." At Kim's look of astonishment, she went on, "Most of the dishes I've seen Neelix prepare are native to the southwestern regions of Rinax, whose chefs are noted for their use of robust flavoring. I was born on Talax Prime, and my mother didn't spice her dishes in quite the same way."

"That explains it." Kim smiled appreciatively and held out his cup. "I'll have some more."

As Sarexa leaned forward to give him a refill, she caught a glimpse of what was written on his PADD. Instead of the complex diagrams or equations she was expecting, she saw the words 'and if I don't make it, Marla, I just want you to know-'

Sarexa blushed at her unintended breach of his privacy. She cleared her throat uncomfortably. "I'd better get back and see if Neelix has anything else for me to do in the kitchen." She hurried off, grateful that Kim wasn't aware of what had just happened.

At the serving counter, Neelix was ladling more stew into Ensign Baytart's bowl. "There you are, Pablo."

"Thanks, Neelix," Baytart answered. "This is great stuff. I'm glad you had enough for seconds."

Neelix beamed. "You must be very hungry today, Ensign."

"Actually, I was thinking I'm going to need some extra energy to make it through the next few hours. But not because of my regular duties." Baytart's hand hovered over the basket of fruit for a few seconds, before selecting a few purple berries. He popped them into his mouth and said thickly, "Now that Commander Tuvok has nixed the idea of having the Delta Flyer operating independently of Voyager in the battle, I'm going to do a stint in the engineering levels instead."

"Engineering?" Neelix asked. "Those aren't your usual haunts. Isn't there something you could do at conn?"

Baytart shrugged. "Culhane and Jenkins are slotted to back up Paris on the bridge. So I might as well pitch in where it's needed. You know they can always use some extra help in Engineering, especially now when we're going into this at less than optimum strength."

"That's very commendable of you, Ensign."

"Oh, I don't know about that. Everybody's just trying to do the best they can. See you later, Neelix." Baytart snagged a few more berries on his way back to his table.

Neelix noticed her standing there then. "It looks like the morak was a success," he said, eyeing the empty pot.

"Yes. The ones who tried it seemed to like it," Sarexa answered. She hesitated a moment. "I hope it helps."

"You're talking about the overall mood of the crew, aren't you?" he said softly.

Once more she paused, not wanting to give away any details from the conversations she'd overheard. "It seems as though a lot of them are expecting the worst."

Neelix sighed heavily. "I can't say I blame them. And this waiting around is just terrible. I almost wish that the Borg would hurry up and get it over with already. Almost." He tried unsuccessfully to smile. "As morale officer I probably shouldn't say this out loud, but I'm scared, Sarexa."

"I'm not."

He looked at her in surprise. "You're not?"

"Fear isn't the right word for what I'm feeling." She considered for a moment. "I don't know...maybe it's just-I'm resigned. Yes, that's it. There's no escaping the Collective. I knew it all along, but I tried to pretend that I could put the Borg behind me, could go on and have a normal life." She added with sudden bitterness, "But in the end, it was all a pipe dream."

Neelix took her by the shoulders, his eyes intent on hers, no trace of his earlier fear remaining. "Don't say that, Sarexa. Don't even think it. You can't give up hope. You've got to believe that we're going to get through this. I've seen this ship and crew in some tight spots before, and this time is no different. I know Captain Janeway is going to do her absolute best. And I know she *will* succeed."

Sarexa laid her head against his chest and felt his arms go around her. "I envy you, Neelix. How can you make yourself believe that everything will work out all right?"

He stroked her hair comfortingly. "You just have to have faith."