Chapter Five

Except for the debriefing Allucia had in the morning, she had the rest of the day off, Captain's Orders.

Allucia walked into the Conference Room. She was the first one there, a few minutes early; she hadn't been able to get back to sleep that night, and was a bit frumpled. She was standing at the window watching the stars streak by when she heard the doors open again. Allucia turned around. "Good morning, Captain."

Kathryn looked up from the PADD she had been reading. "Oh! Good morning, Ensign." she said, a bit startled. "I didn't expect anyone to be here so early."

"Sorry," Allucia said quietly, "I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all," Kathryn returned. "Punctuality is good, even if you're early." She smiled, then joined Allucia at the window. "It's beautiful, isn't it. I have not one time tired of watching the stars fly by. Especially since with every star that passes, we get closer to home."

"They never cease to amaze me," Allucia said. "I've never been able to see the stars like this, not before I came here." She sighed sadly.

"Still homesick?" Kathryn gazed at Allucia as she said this, and realized something. She was talking without her "Brooklyn" accent. This lead to the further realization that she was talking to the real Lusha, and the other side she showed to everyone was nothing but a facade. It made sense, really. Allucia had told Kathryn that she had moved to New York when she was fourteen, having lived most of her life in suburban Montana. It reminded her of Tom, when he had come aboard.

"More than ever." Allucia sighed again. Lately she'd been getting depressed from homesickness; hence the "workout" on the holodeck. In fact, she was actually glad she got pegged in the head with a high speed softball, even if it only dimmed the pain for a little bit. But there was also the fact she was so tired she was basically a zombie. Allucia didn't trust herself to fall asleep for fear that the nightmares would return. And the fact that the damned cortical monitor was on her neck, and Allucia was so tempted to take it off... her thoughts were interrupted as the doors opened again and the remainder of the senior staffed filed in. Kathryn and Allucia wordlessly ended their conversation and took their seats.

"Good morning everyone. Let's get right down to business. Tuvok?" Kathryn began the meeting, matter-of-factly, returning her thoughts to the present. The Chief of Security had questioned the intruders, so now they knew a little bit about them.

Tuvok nodded and got up and walked to the viewscreen in the corner of the room. He activated it. "The intruders are known as the Klaamox." The image on the screen showed a thin and sleek ship that resembled a Klingon d'k'tahg. "The particular group that boarded Voyager is the center of the sect that overthrew their government. Their main purpose is to conquer ships and steal their technology; they didn't believe their own government is putting enough research into the development of new technologies."

The Vulcan pressed another control on the screen, and a picture of the alien leader appeared. Allucia just barely repressed a shudder at the sight of him, but did pale considerably. The alien had a reptilian look; he had a ridge that ran the middle of his face and down his neck. His eyes were green and slit like cat eyes; his nose appeared to be two slits on either side of the ridge in the middle of his face; his mouth full of sharp crooked yellow teeth, with black lips. His scaly skin was a forest green, and had straight black hair that started at the top of his skull and was bound into a braid.

"This is the Klaamox leader, Xamos." Tuvok was saying. "As a result of his sect's coup d'état, there are many such vessels in this area. We are not in their space; but on the fringes of it. What we encountered was a scout ship." The image on the screen changed to security footage Allucia collapsing against the alien. "We were quickly able to overcome the invading party due to the quick thinking and exemplary acting skills of Ensign Banks. I myself thought she had indeed rendered unconscious." he finished, nodding to Allucia.

"I was still in Sickbay when the Captain called Red Alert. Not knowing what to do being in Sickbay, I decided it would be best to return to quarters." Then Allucia went on with her testimony, up into the part when she returned to Sickbay. "Additionally, my 'passing out' is something I learned while living in the City. Takes a lot to survive on the streets there, despite the so-called NYPD."

"That was good thinking Allucia," Chakotay commented, some heads nodding with his own.

Allucia shrugged and blushed. She didn't see what the big deal was. "Didn't need much help."

Kathryn smiled. "Is there anything else?" she said, looking around. When no one responded, she gave a curt nod. "Dismissed."

Everyone got up and filed from the room. Allucia heard Harry call her name and hung back. "Hello," she said quietly.

"Hi. Me, B'Elanna, Tom, Seven, and a few other people are having a volleyball game later, when we're all off-duty. Would you like to join us?"

Allucia smiled weakly, then yawned. "Sure, what time?"

"2000 hours, Holodeck Two."

"I'll be there. Captain Janeway has given me the day off, so I'm going to try and relax... if I'm late give me a buzz."

Harry nodded. "Will do. Hope you feel better."

"Thanks." By then the two had reached Ops. "Later." Allucia said, entering the turbolift. The doors closed. "Deck Five." The monitor was coming off.

Upon entering Sickbay, she found the Doctor off. "Activate EMH."

"Please state the nature—oh... it's you." he said upon seeing Allucia. She didn't respond, but instead pointed to the device on her neck. The hologram rolled his eyes. "Oh, very well." He went over and removed the device from the sleep-deprived girl's neck. "Better?"

"Much. Thank you." Allucia replied, immediately setting to scratching her neck with a vengeance. She planned to give it a good scrub later. "And while I'm here, can you give me something to help me sleep? I didn't have a good night, to say the least."

"Of course." The Doctor retrieved a hypospray and a moment later pressed it to Allucia's neck. "You'll be more than ready to sleep by the time you reach your quarters."

"Thanks Doc," she said, yawning. "I'll try not to come back for at least twenty-four hours."

"Let's hope so."

Allucia snickered as she left Sickbay, and walked down the hall and into the turbolift. "Deck Six." As the turbolift began its descent, she could just barely keep her eyes open. Just when the teenager was about to close her eyes and take a catnap against the turbolift wall, the doors opened with a hiss. She quickly walked to her quarters and collapsed on the couch.

"Kim to Banks." was the next thing Allucia heard.

Her eyes popped open. She slapped her combadge. "Banks here. Harry, I'll be there in five minutes."

She heard Harry chuckling over comm. "Okay—see you then."

"Harry?" Allucia began again.

"Yes?"

"Beach volleyball, right?"

"You got it. Kim out."

Allucia quickly got out of her rumpled uniform and changed into a newly replicated purple bathing suit and a bright lime green tank top and cut-off jean shorts over it. She'd replicated a whole pair of jeans just so she could make cut-offs. Good thing she could recycle the energy from the scraps. The teenager ran out the door barefoot.

When the ensign reached the holodeck, only Tom, B'Elanna, and Harry were waiting outside. Allucia shot Harry a questioning glance. "Everyone else cut out on us." he said.

Allucia grinned. "Heh heh heh..."

B'Elanna was gazing at Allucia's arm. "Is that a birthmark?" she asked.

"Huh?" Allucia said, then looked at her arm. "Oh, this is a tattoo."

"Tattoo?" B'Elanna and Harry said in unison.

Tom frowned. "Yeah... like Commander Chakotay has... aren't you a little young for one of those, Lush?"

"It was part of an initiation procedure." Allucia replied flatly. She obviously didn't want to dwell on the subject.

Tom shrugged, then got worried as Allucia returned her attention to the holodeck wall console. "I don't like that look on her face..." Tom said. "It reminds me too much of the look on my sisters' faces when they had me in for some horrific plan when I was little."

"Oh, come on Tom, you're not afraid of a teenage girl, are you?" B'Elanna teased.

"He should be." Allucia's grin grew wider.

"I know for a fact that teenagers are to be feared and respected. Especially those of the female gender." the pilot replied.

"Are we gonna play or what?" Harry asked.

Allucia turned to Harry. "What about Seven?"

Harry blushed. Allucia was very perceptive. "She said it was 'irrelevant.'" he said, shrugging and blushing.

"Why am I not surprised?" Tom commented.

Allucia went over to the holodeck wall console and started punching stuff in. "What are you doing?" Harry asked.

"Making corrections." Tom and Harry shot worried glances at each other. B'Elanna smirked. She didn't know what Allucia had in mind, but she knew the guys weren't going to like it.

Allucia finished whatever she was doing, and they entered the holodeck, right onto holographic sand. It was at least ninety degrees Fahrenheit out. "She still has that look on her face—yeow!" Tom said, hopping from one foot to the other. Harry cried out and did the same. They removed their tank tops and stood on them despondently while B'Elanna and Allucia collapsed to the sand, laughing hysterically.

"Some of you 24th century types are so wimpy!" Allucia said through her giggles.

"The look on their faces..." B'Elanna added through her own giggles. "But you did get them to take their shirts off."

"'Lanna..." Tom whined.

"Tom, Kessik had a summer climate all year round—and Klingons like the heat, remember?" B'Elanna said, still through giggles. She knew she was going to like this.

"Guys, quit whining, let's play!"

After the quite enjoyable volleyball game during which B'Elanna and Allucia crushed Harry and Tom, Allucia walked into her quarters tired, arms bruised, but content. She walked over to the replicator.

"Computer, five grilled cheese sandwiches: American, cheddar, mozzarella, Swiss, and nacho on wheat bread, hot." The requested sandwiches appeared. "Skim milk, cold, one liter." Allucia removed the food and beverage from the replicator and threw herself on the couch, gave an exasperated sigh, then returned to the replicator.

"Computer, novel Interview with the Vampire, PADD form." It was an old title, about fifty, no three-hundred fifty, years old, but she liked the classical fiction from the latter part of the 20th century. It was so dark and twisted. The requested PADD appeared. Allucia took it and returned to the couch. By the time she finished her sandwiches and milk, she had just finished Chapter One. She saved her place and dumped her dishes in the recycler.

Allucia didn't feel any better though. She sighed, resigned, and plopped down stomach first onto her bed, wincing as her full belly made impact. She reached over to the nightstand, opened the drawer and took out a black folded piece of leather.

Her wallet. The one that had been in the back pocket of her pants when she came to Voyager. Allucia opened her wallet, and took everything out one at a time.

Her bootleg subway keycard. Her social security card. School ID, first aid certification, library, and discount cards. Five dollars and some change, and even the name tag from where she used to work. Allucia flipped the wallet upside down and shook it. Pieces of paper fluttered down.

Three movie ticket stubs; about five receipts for the same thrift book store a block away from her house. Allucia gave it one good last shake. One last object fluttered out, missing the bed and falling to the floor. With a heavy heart, she leaned over and picked it up. She knew exactly what it was.

Her prom picture. Of her and her prom date, Gabe. They hadn't been a couple for very long when they went to the prom. In fact, before that, he was just one of the guys that hung out with her friends. She idly wondered why she couldn't remember most of the prom... for her, it was only about two months ago, though the Doctor did mention to her that she'd come aboard with a concussion, which could explain a bit of memory loss. In fact, the day the young teenager had come to Voyager, was the same day the pictures arrived; Allucia cut out a photo, stuffed it in her wallet, then went downstairs to do laundry.

Allucia got up and walked over to her wall console and put the picture in the computer; a moment later it appeared on the display. Then she sent it to the replicator, telling it to separately replicate a larger photo and frame to match. Afterwards, she set it on her nightstand and fell asleep gazing at it.