The engineering teams had made good time on getting the repairs made, but B'Elanna wasn't taking any chances and had added extra crews to maintenance. It was staring to get late and she didn't feel like being woke up at three in the morning by a blaring klaxon and a wailing infant again. She checked the last of her diagnostics and then headed out of her office and on her way home, but she suddenly stopped when she noticed a crewman out of place.
"Delvine what are you doing here?" She asked as she glared at him and crossed her arms over her chest.
The young man turned slowly. "I was finishing the tests on the, um, the thrusters you wanted."
B'Elanna tried hard not to sigh, huff, roll her eyes, or lose her temper. "I asked you to do that hours ago."
The young man blushed as he looked at the tops of his boots. "I know Ma'am. It's just that I got caught up in the repairs and was unable to get to it until now."
"Next time do it when I ask for it, Delvine." B'Elanna told him before looking around the room. Her gaze fell on a young woman near the warp core. "Davis, run a level one clarity test on thruster control."
"Aye Lieutenant." The young woman replied before moving off to do as she was ordered.
There was another flash in Delvine's eyes much like there had been when she'd assigned him a partner. "I could have completed that, Lieutenant."
B'Elanna turned to look at him. "You could have completed it when I asked for it. Your shift is over Delvine, and Mahoney has gone home so that means should have gone too."
"But Lieutenant." Delvine protested.
"No buts Ensign. You're dismissed." She ordered. The young man looked as if he was going to protest yet again but she gave him a stern look and then watched as the young man slipped out of engineering.
Llennodo sat alone in the mess hall enjoying Neelix's root stew when the earpiece in her ear beeped. The computer's voice was low and only she could hear it's warning. "There is a ninety-seven percent blockage in the thruster conduits."
She could feel her blood rising and her pulse quicken. She needed to get to her shuttle to find out where the blockage was and find a way to warn the late shift in engineering. She'd just pushed her chair back when she heard a loud grumble to her left.
"What do you mean there's a blockage in the conduits?" B'Elanna huffed as she got to her feet and threw her napkin onto her plate. The voice coming over B'Elanna's comm. badge explained what was happening and it made B'Elanna growl. "I'm on my way." She huffed before looking down at her husband. "I swear one of these days I'm going to push Delvine out an air lock. He's getting worse."
Llennodo was going to wait a few moments and then head to her shuttle. She didn't want it to seem as if she were reacting to what she'd just heard. She knew that after last night B'Elanna was going to look at every system with a fine toothcomb, and she trusted that the woman would keep the ship safe, which left her to kind of look over B'Elanna's unknowing shoulder to see if she could figure out who had tampered with the thrusters. Once she felt it was safe to leave, Llennodo stood and made her way for the door but was suddenly stopped.
"How are your repairs going, Ms. Nonnahs?" Captain Janeway asked as Llennodo passed her.
In her head Llennodo was saying every dirty word she knew to the point of being glad there were no telepaths on board. "Slowly I'm afraid, Captain. The ion storm caused more damage then I thought. I should have it repaired enough to be out of your hair within the next day or so." She replied to the auburn haired woman who'd been sitting on the cluster of couches near the door. She offered the Captain a smile and froze when she noticed the woman and child sitting next to her. 'So not good for the time line.' She thought. Blue eyes locked with icy blue eyes for several seconds before Janeway's voice through and forced Llennodo to blink.
"Ms. Nonnahs, this is Seven of Nine." Janeway introduced. "She's my partner and Astrometrics officer."
The two greeted each other with a slight nod of their headed before Seven asked,
"How did you get caught in the ion storm?"
There was a knot in Llennodo's throat that she needed to swallow down before she could speak. "A foolish desire to examine the phenomenon, I'm afraid."
Seven looked at the woman, studying her. The way she stood, the way she moved, her eyes, the way she held a coffee cup, the way she spoke. She took it all in and then lifted a brow. "Then you are a scientist?"
Llennodo smiled a little. "Not officially no, but I do have an overwhelming sense of curiosity that I inherited from my parents. It's gotten me into quite a lot of trouble over the years."
"You're parents are scientists?" Seven asked before looking down at Gretchen who was trying to grasp her comm. badge and pull it off her chest. She carefully redirected the child's hands to a toy and then looked back up at Llennodo.
"Yes." The young woman answered. "Kind of. They were explorers."
Janeway could see the unease in the young woman and decided to stop Seven's inquiry. "Neelix tells me you're the one who gave him the new coffee beans. This is a wonderful blend. Thank you."
Llennodo beamed. "I know how you much you enjoyed your coffee, and wanted to thank you for allowing me to stay on your ship. I have several more pounds stashed in my shuttle. I'd be more then happy to share."
For a moment Janeway wondered how the young woman had known about her addiction, but figured that Neelix must have said something. "I apologize for not being able to spear anyone to help you today, Ms. Nonnahs, but we had a problem that required everyone to make repairs to Voyager."
"It's quite alright, Captain." Llennodo replied. "I'm pretty good at patching her up on my own, besides, Voyager's safety is far more important."
There was something in the woman's eyes when she said Voyager was important that caught not only Janeway's attention but also Seven's. Once the young woman excused herself Seven turned to Janeway and quietly said, "Something about her intrigues me."
Janeway nodded. "I know the feeling." She smiled down at her daughter as Gretchen held up her toy to share. "My instincts are telling me to keep an eye on her, but they're not screaming at me that she's any kind of threat."
Llennodo took deep breaths as she headed back to the shuttle bay. She'd been on Voyager a little more then twenty-four hours and so far she'd had way to many encounters with Janeway and her child and now Seven, and she wasn't any closer to finding Bruening, though she was sure he was the one causing all the malfunctions. This of course meant he was posing as an engineer, but which one, and how did he make the switch?
Not for the first time while she sat alone in her shuttle looking over logs, Llennodo wondered if maybe all those admirals back home were right. Maybe she had been the wrong person for this assignment. She was to close to the target, to close to Voyager and her people, to emotionally entangled. But then again who better to send than someone who knew the ship inside and out? Who knew her crew and how they worked and how they thought? And who better then someone who had the emotional ties because she would be someone who wouldn't stop? But at what cost would her determination come?
She needed to clear her mind and get back on track. She bit her bottom lip hard and then nodded. B'Elanna had a close eye on all the ship's systems which would make it harder for Bruening to use the ship against it's self, her computer was monitoring the ship as well, so that would give her a few moments to collect her thoughts and she could only think of one place to do that.
The scans on Seven's screen intrigued the ex-Borg. The anomalies she had found earlier seemed to be tears in space it's self. She was downloading data on the tears while scanning for warp movement in the area when the door to the lab opened. She didn't need to turn around to know who it was.
"I thought you were only going to be here for an hour more." Kathryn asked as she and Gretchen approached. "You must have something good if you decided to miss bath time."
Seven nodded. Out of the corner of her eye she watched Kathryn set Gretchen on her feet on the raised stage in front of the bank of control consoles. Gretchen was learning to stand and would only do it as long as she could hold onto someone's hands. "Voyager did not pass the spaceal anomalies I detected earlier. I am however picking up scattered warp signatures, both of which seem to be familiar."
Janeway turned to look at Seven as she asked, "Familiar how?"
"They seem to be federation in origin." Seven reported as she finally looked up to meet her Captain's eyes. "I will need more time to confirm or deny their identify and chart their courses."
"Were you able to get anything on what the anomalies are?" Janeway asked as she placed Gretchen on her hip and moved over to stand beside Seven. As she looked over the information on Seven's screens she kept batting at Gretchen's hands to keep her from pressing buttons.
"A tear in space." Seven replied and then paused. She knew that the other woman wasn't going to like what she had to say next.
Both of Janeway's auburn eyebrows raised in question as she asked, "A tear in space?"
Seven nodded. "And perhaps time."
Janeway blinked that rather odd blink she had from time to time, when she would close both eyes and then open them one at a time. "Gather what you can and present it at the morning meeting." Seven nodded and then Janeway changed her tone of voice. "Well Gee Jay, looks like Mama is going to be working late. How about you and I go and visit the Maestro." The girl in her arms kicked and cooed and Janeway smiled.
The late summer sun was just beginning to sink beneath the landscape of Florence. The colors and shadows it caused never lost its affect on Llennodo. It always took her breath away. Being in Maestro Di Vinci's workshop always helped her clear her mind. It was one of her favorite places to be, a place to feel safe as she worked out a problem, a place where she could think outside the box and not be chastised. Llennodo looked out the window watching the sunset and listening to the fire crackling in the fireplace behind her. Her thoughts where becoming clear, but instead of finding answers to her questions she seemed to only find more questions. The biggest one being was it fair to keep the threat of destruction a secret from the crew? Surely she would be able to find Bruening easier with their help, right? But that would mean defying the temporal prime directive, and she wasn't sure how comfortable she was with doing that.
"Ahh my Catarina! I was hoping you would come to see me today." A booming voice called out from behind Llennodo. "I have something new I wish for us to..." He stopped when the young red haired woman who'd been standing at the window with her arms crossed across her chest, turned to face him. "You are not my Catarina."
Her face couldn't help but light up at the sight of the old man with his long silver beard. "I beg your forgiveness, Maestro." Llennodo said as she titled her head down in a respectful greeting. "I did not mean to disturb you. I am a guest of your Catarina's. A traveler in need of solace during her long quest."
Di Vinci smiled. "Well, well a friend of my dearest apprentice is always welcome in my home, and do not fret child, you did not disturb me. I was out finishing my sketches and came in for the warmth of a cup of tea, or perhaps something a little stronger."
Llennodo smiled and walked over to the Maestro when he beckoned her to come to him. She looked down at his drawings in awe. She still couldn't match his graceful stroke not even after all these years.
Di Vinci looked down into the pretty face of the young woman beside him and could once again see in her his Catarina and perhaps even a touch of her beloved. He could also see much distress and fear in her eyes. "Tell me of this quest of yours child." He said as he picked up a clear sheet of parchment and began to draw while she poured them both some tea.
She needed, wanted, to talk about what was going on and for a moment she wondered if confiding in the hologram was safe. After looking around for a long moment she took a deep breath and gave in. "I am looking for someone who means to do harm to my loved ones, Maestro, and I do not know how to find him let alone stop him."
The Maestro kept looking up at her and then down at his parchment as he spoke. "A noble quest, to protect the lives of those you hold most dear. Tell me, you know who the scandal is do you not?"
Llennodo nodded. "I know what he looked like when he was in my land, but he has disguised himself and has hidden himself among my loved ones. I think I know of which guild he has hidden himself within, but as to what he looks like or what his name is, I have no clue."
Di Vinci continued to draw. "Does he know of you?" Again Llennodo nodded. "Then perhaps you should let him know you are here as well. A coward who sneaks around to do ill will, will surely make a mistake when he knows his demise is close at hand."
Llennodo blinked. That actually made sense. "But Maestro, the problem is that my loved ones do not know why I am among them, they do not know who I truly am."
"You are deceiving them as well?" Di Vinci asked with disapproving eyes. "Would not telling them about the treat be wiser? Why must you deceive them?"
"There are laws that prevent me from doing so." She explained.
The old man smiled a bright smile. "Laws are all well and good and they serve a purpose, but laws do not know what it is to live, which is why they are sometimes open for a little creative tinkering."
Llennodo laughed. "Some rules are meant to be broken?"
"For a good reason." The old man said with a gentle chuckle.
She would have said something more but there was a gentle beep in her ear. "Excuse me a moment, Maestro." She stood and walked across the room. After tapping her hidden comm. badge she told the computer to go ahead with it's warning. She listened carefully and dropped her head.
"Such great burdens for such young shoulders." Di Vinci said as he came up behind the young woman and put a hand on her shoulder. "One of the good things about having people you love around you is that they are often willing and very able to help carry your burdens."
It was a bit of surprise to see her program at the top of the holodeck's history list, but Janeway figured that the Doctor had opted to take another art lesson from the Maestro. A small smile tugged on her lips as she activated the program. The Maestro and the Doctor were a sight to see when they got together and she suddenly wished the Doctor had mentioned he was going to visit; she would have come with him.
"Good evening, Catarina." Di Vinci said once he saw the woman emerge from behind an easel. He smiled at the sight of the child in her arms. "You have brought your little one to see me."
Janeway smiled. "Good evening, Maestro. I hope we're not disturbing you."
Di Vinci smiled and picked up the parchment he had been working on earlier. "You my dear never disturb me. I was attempting to finish this sketch before I retired for the evening." He looked at the child in his Catarina's arms as his hand moved freely over the paper. He then turned the parchment over and asked. "Tell me my dear apprentice what do you see?"
Janeway walked closer to the old man and studied the images before her. "Gretchen's eyes." She said with a bright smile.
"Both sets?" He asked as he smiled at the child and offered her a wooden toy.
Janeway looked at the parchment more closely. The smaller set of eyes were clearly her daughter's, but so were the larger set, she was sure of it. The only difference she could see was that the master artist had aged them and added a look that said those eyes had bared the weight the world the world. "Yes, I'm sure."
"Then you have not been as observant as I know you can be, Catarina." He told her firmly. "Because you have missed what is right in front of your face."