Disclaimer: All characters, vessels, science, and the original plot belong to Paramount with the exception of Sarah Janeway, the new parts of the plot, and anything else that I made up.
Author's Note: Yet again, I am sincerely sorry. I had pretty much no free time at all this summer. Also, I wasn't very motivated to update—there were no new reviews and someone left a really nasty, hateful review on another story of mine. As of late, my family life has been…difficult, to say the least. I'd be totally depressed if it weren't for Mr. G, one of the most amazing teachers ever to grace the planet. If he ever reads this, thank you.
On to other matters…
I'm sorry if this episode is a little…overly emotional/sappy. They say life imitates art—it goes the other way, too. Maybe it's a good thing this chapter has more emotion. I'll have to see what you guys think.
Also, is there anything specific you want me to do a chapter about? Like, maybe Sarah's first birthday or a play date with her friends or a typical day when she lived on Earth at her grandmother's or something? Let me know.
Thank you for sticking with me, everyone.
Anomaly
'Eye Of The Needle'
"Sarah Janeway's Personal Log, Stardate 48579.4. First, I have to say that I'm very relieved. For an entire week now, I've been free of strange voices in my head, premonitions of doom, or any other weird things that shouldn't be happening to me.
As part of my conservation of Holodeck time, mama and I have set up a ballet bar in the living room area of our quarters so that I can take my ballet lessons here instead of on the Holodeck. The bar, mirrors, and mats were created from spare parts B'Elanna helped us find in the Cargo Bay. Mama taught me the five basic ballet positions, which I've been practicing. Between her lessons and what I can learn from the PADDs we downloaded, I should be able to do just as well as I would have if I was taking ballet on the Holodeck.
Harry Kim called mama to the bridge very early this morning. I was barely awake at the time so I don't know why. I guess I'll find out when I go on duty. I love saying that. I'm very happy to be the Bridge Assistant—I feel useful and it's fun. However, my shift doesn't start for another two hours so I'm planning on having breakfast in the Mess Hall and then going to Kes' quarters. I need to talk to someone, and she's the only person on this ship that might understand my…unique situation. Computer, end recording."
Sarah Janeway put away the PADD she had been recording her log on and dressed herself as quickly as she could. She grabbed her hairbrush worked the knots out of her hair while pulling on her boots. Once her hair was mainly tangle free, she braided it as neatly as her small fingers would let her. Taking a last look in the mirror, she left their quarters and headed to the Mess Hall.
Neelix was happily cooking away in his galley when she got there. He hummed to himself as he tossed a dish in a frying pan and flipped another piece of food on a griddle. When he spied her standing patiently at the entrance to the cooking area, he exclaimed happily, "Sarah! How are you this morning?"
"Just fine, Neelix. How are you?"
"Wonderful!" he said enthusiastically, stirring a large pot of something.
Eyeing the variety of strange foods around the kitchen, Sarah asked, "May I have a couple pieces of toast?"
"Again with the toast? No, no, I have something even better for you!"
Oh boy. "It's ok, Neelix, really—"
"No, no. I've been doing some research on children's foods and I think I've come up with something you're going to love!" He shooed her over to a table, then brought out a bowl of brightly colored cereal rings.
Sarah surveyed them dubiously. "What…is this, exactly?"
"According to the cultural database, they're called 'Fruit Loops'. Of course, on Earth they would be made of Terran grains and flavored with such ordinary fruits as strawberries and lemons. I had to get creative to make them without using the replicator. I used Manarellian flour and flavored them with several different fruits spanning four systems!" He out a spoon in the bowl and continued, "They're traditionally served submerged in milk. Now, the milk I had to replicate, but everything else is made from scratch. Go ahead—try it!"
His eager, happy face showed her that he wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. Throwing caution to the winds, Sarah scooped a spoonful of the cereal and milk into her mouth. She chewed slowly, giving it a chance. The texture wasn't bad and the flavor was recognizably fruity, though a little strange. It was certainly edible and, on the whole, was one of his greater successes. She nodded at Neelix. "It's good!" she said with a smile.
"I knew you'd like it!" he said, and patted her on the shoulder affectionately before he hurried off to prepare breakfast for the rest of the crew.
Sarah finished all of her breakfast in record time and returned her dishes to the kitchen. She thanked Neelix before she left the Mess Hall to enter a turbolift. "Deck 8," she said. The turbolift beeped and appropriately descended six levels. The doors opened and she left the lift, walking slowly. She carefully scanned the names next to the doors of crew quarters until she found Kes' quarters. Hesitantly, she pressed the door chime. As she stood waiting for an answer, she twisted her hands together somewhat nervously. She wasn't sure exactly what she was going to say.
The doors opening caught her completely by surprise and she jumped a little. Kes stood in the doorway, a somewhat puzzled expression on her face as she smiled down at Sarah. "Sarah! What a pleasant surprise! What brings you here this early?"
In a small, tentative voice, Sarah asked, "I was just wondering if I could talk to you for a little while."
"Certainly. Come right in."
Timidly, she stepped across the threshold and saw Kes' quarters for the first time. They were much smaller than those that she shared with her mother, but comfortable and neat. A vase of exotic flowers sat on a low glass table in front of a small couch. A bed stood parallel to the couch, its head pushed against the wall to her left. The entire room was bright and inviting, but Sarah still couldn't shake off a nagging sense of unease.
Startled, she realized Kes had spoken to her. "What?"
With her ever-present calm smile, she repeated, "Why don't you sit?"
"Oh. Ok." Sarah made her way over to where Kes sat on the couch and perched beside the Ocampan woman. She found herself twisting her hands together again and mentally scolded herself. Quit being so nervous! It's no big deal! You're acting like a baby. You can talk about this.
She shook her head and, before she could think about it again, started talking. "Kes, you have some…irregular abilities, don't you?"
"Yes I do."
Something in her voice was soothing, so Sarah pressed ahead. "What kind of abilities?"
"I can hear thoughts. Sometimes I get a sense of emotions. Occasionally I know things that should be impossible to know."
"Does it…surprise you when it happens?"
Kes pondered that for several seconds. "No, I suppose not. Not anymore."
"Why is that?"
"Well, my ancestors had some amazing abilities that they lost because they stopped using them. I suppose I kind of expect these things to happen now."
Sarah looked down at her hands folded in her lap. Gently, Kes inquired, "Why do you ask?"
She sighed and responded, "You've probably heard about the strange things that keep happening to me."
Kes nodded. "The incident with the lifeform we thought was a nebula."
"That's only the tip of the iceberg. When the Vidiians attacked Neelix, I knew before almost anyone. We both ran to the bridge at the same time a few weeks ago when we somehow felt something was wrong with that planet. I had premonitions and strange warnings of danger even when we were first thrown into the Delta Quadrant." In almost a pleading tone, she added, "I'm only human! These things shouldn't be happening to me! Why can't I just be like every other human girl my age?"
"Were there ever any other humans with capabilities like yours?"
"Never," came the depressed answer.
Kes slipped a comforting arm around the young girl's shoulders. "Oh, Sarah."
She dropped her head onto her hands. "I'm so confused!"
"I'm sure your abilities can be…overwhelming. Mine are, at times. But there's nothing wrong with you. I'm sure there's a reason you're able to do these things, a reason you're so smart, a reason you're wise beyond your years."
"What reason could there possibly be? And even if there is a reason, I know I startle some of the crewmembers because I'm only four and yet I speak perfectly and act much older than I am. I don't mean to, and I feel badly about, but there's nothing I can do. It's…"
"Not fair?" Kes asked with a smile.
Sarah sighed and raised her head to give the Ocampan woman a weak grin. "Life isn't fair and never will be. I've learned that from dozens of books."
Kes nodded in agreement, then looked squarely at Sarah. "I know your abilities confuse you but remember: there's nothing wrong with you. All humans can't be alike." Holding the small girl's hands in her own, she added in her soft, comforting tone, "You have a gift. It has never hurt anything, only helped. Don't try to analyze it—just enjoy it."
Slowly, Sarah pieced together what she was being told. "I suppose you're right, Kes. It just gets to be…lonely, sometimes. I mean, it's not that my mother isn't wonderfully supportive and helpful, but she can never really know what it's like."
"Of course not," Kes agreed.
"At least there's someone onboard who's having a similar experience." Sarah smiled up at her.
"My door is always open," she replied. "We can talk more later, if you like. Right now, I have to help the Doctor in Sick Bay."
"Not a problem. I have to head for the bridge myself." Sarah stood up and started for the door. "I really appreciate your help, Kes."
"You're quite welcome, Sarah."
With a final smile and nod of appreciation, Sarah left Kes' quarters and started for the bridge.
When she stepped off the turbolift, she felt a buzz of excitement emanating from all areas of the bridge. She glanced around, trying to ascertain just what had happened. Harry looked rather pleased with himself and the bridge crew walked with a little more spring in their step, but that was all she could tell. Hurrying down the steps, she found her mother and Commander Chakotay conversing happily.
"What's going on?" Sarah asked curiously.
Kathryn Janeway looked up to see her daughter standing before her, looking puzzled. "Ensign Kim found a wormhole," she replied with a grin.
Sarah's face lit up like a sunrise. "A wormhole?"
Kathryn nodded. Exuberant, Sarah threw her arms around her mother's neck and hugged her tightly. "So, we might be going home?"
"Possibly, but don't get too excited."
Chakotay added, "We're still heading to the wormhole's location. We were too far away to do a detailed analysis."
"Correction," came Tom's voice from the helm console. "Captain, we've reached the co-ordinates of the wormhole."
"On screen," she ordered. A black starfield appeared on the display.
Sarah voiced everyone's thoughts. "Where's the wormhole?"
"Are we in visual range?"
"Affirmative, Captain, and the anomaly is still registering on subspace bands," Harry replied.
"Sensors also indicate it's there," Tom added.
"Magnify," Captain Janeway ordered. Still, nothing but stars appeared on the main viewer. "Increase to highest magnification."
At last, they saw it. Sarah's heart sank a little.
"If that's a wormhole, it must be the smallest one on record," Chakotay said, glancing at the captain.
"Can you analyze it, Mr. Kim?"
"Aye, Captain. It's virtually microscopic. The aperture's only about 30 centimeters in diameter."
"I guess it's a little too small for us to fly through," Tom quipped.
Sarah gave him a wry grin. "Just a little," she agreed.
"However," Tuvok spoke up from his station. "It might be large enough to act as a conduit for a message."
"That's right. It could carry a compressed data transmission to Federation space in minutes." Harry was getting excited again.
"We still have to find out if it goes anywhere near the Alpha Quadrant," Kathryn reminded him. "Can you trace its subspace bearing?"
"I can't get any directional readings at all. The aperture is too small."
"I recommend we launch a microprobe into the wormhole," Tuvok suggested.
Sarah listened as her mother gave the order to launch the probe and waited impatiently until Harry reported that they were receiving telemetry. A tunnel of swirling green energy appeared on screen. "That doesn't look like any wormhole I've ever seen," she said.
"Microscopic gravitational eddies. Extremely constricted spatial dimensions. Pathway's barely wider than the probe itself," Harry was saying.
"I think what we're seeing is a wormhole in an advanced state of decay," her mother explained. "It must be ancient, probably been collapsing for centuries."
"Does that mean we can't send a message through it?" Tom asked.
"No, I can do it," Harry affirmed. "Maybe it'll take longer to get through but the wormhole's still stable enough to carry a transmission."
"Any idea yet where that message will end up, ensign?" Chakotay looked back at Harry as he waited for an answer.
"I'll try extrapolating the verteron exit vector." After half a minute: "No, I can't get it. There's a strange phase variance in the radiation stream. We'll have to wait until the probe exits."
"I don't think it will," Sarah spoke up. She was staring at the viewscreen. "I hate to say it, but it looks like it's stuck."
"Stuck?" asked her mother and Chakotay.
"I'm afraid she's right, captain," Harry said, checking readouts on his control panel. "It's mired in a gravitational eddy and because the wormhole's in a state of collapse those eddies are incredibly dense. That probe will never break free, captain, and we'll have no way of knowing where the wormhole ends."
Captain Janeway wasn't willing to admit failure so quickly. "Let's give it a minute. Maybe it'll work itself free."
A tense silence fell over the bridge, punctuated only by small beeps and chirps from the ship's equipment as they waited on the probe. Sarah hardly dared to move, eyes focused on the screen behind the helm console.
Suddenly, Harry urgently called, "Captain!"
Kathryn Janeway hurriedly faced her ops officer. "What is it, ensign?"
"Our probe, it's just been scanned—there's somebody on the other side of the wormhole!"
Sarah felt her heart soar.
A few minutes later, Sarah sat on the ready room couch, reading a PADD about 9th century Europe for her lessons while a briefing took place. She did her best to concentrate, but her thoughts inevitably kept drifting back to the wormhole and the possibility of finally letting someone know what had happened to Voyager and her crew. Thoughts buzzed through her head in a frenzy of excitement and apprehension. Will someone finally know where we are and what happened to us? Does it lead to the Alpha Quadrant or somewhere else entirely? Will we be able to get a message through before the probe is crushed? Who is it out there that scanned the probe?
Finally, in order to distract herself, she called up a selection of music to sing along to—something that would require her near-full attention. There was a computerized beep, and then the sounds of a piano. Softly, she started singing. "Joyful, joyful, we adore thee…"
For about twenty minutes, she sang along to several songs, lost in her own world. She actually jumped when her mother entered the room and abruptly stopped singing.
Kathryn paused just inside the doors. Hearing the music, she remarked with a smile, "Beethoven."
Feeling slightly foolish, Sarah ordered, "Computer, stop music." She wondered how much she'd heard. Then she wondered why she was hiding this new interest from her own mother.
"Researching for your piano lessons?"
"Yeah." Something like that. Changing the subject, she asked, "How did it go?" The last she'd heard, Harry had been working on analyzing the scans of the probe.
A broad grin came over her mother's face. "Someone received the signal we sent out and sent one back. The returning signal originated in the Alpha Quadrant. Ensign Kim is investigating the possibility of establishing a voice link with whoever is at the other end."
With a gasp of joy, Sarah ran to hug her mother. It didn't matter that there was no certainty that they would get in touch with Starfleet and their families; the possibility was there. That was all that mattered.
Abruptly, the door chime sounded.
Kathryn seated herself behind her desk as Sarah returned to her history studies and called, "Come in."
The doors parted to reveal Kes.
"Kes, this is a surprise," the captain said with a smile.
"Am I interrupting?"
"Not at all. I was just talking to Sarah and about to have a cup of soup. Would you like anything?"
"Er, spinach juice with a touch of pear, please. Tom Paris introduced me to it. It's very nutritious."
Kathryn laughed while Sarah made a face. "I'm sure it is. Sarah, do you want something?"
"Just a glass of orange juice, please."
Her mother shook her head as she made her way to the replicator. "You eat like a bird even when you're not trying to save rations. Computer, one spinach juice with a touch of pear, one cup of vegetable bouillon, and one orange juice."
"Actually," Sarah countered as her mother collected the items from the replicator and handed them out, "Birds eat a lot compared to their body weight. I eat more like a…horse, I guess. They eat small amounts of food compared to their body size. "
Kathryn and Kes chuckled appreciatively and sipped at their respective beverages. "What can I do for you?" the captain asked.
A little uncertainly, Kes began, "If there were a member of the crew whose needs weren't being met, would you want to know about it?"
"Of course. Kes, do you feel that your needs are being ignored?"
"Of course not. We're very happy here. I'm referring to the Doctor."
The captain paused. "The Doctor."
"I don't understand why people treat him the way they do."
Sarah put down the PADD she had been pretending to read.
"How do people treat him?" Kathryn asked.
"As though he doesn't exist," Kes replied, becoming somewhat indignant. "They talk about him while he's standing right there. They ignore him, they insult him."
"Well, as a matter of fact, I've been hearing the other side of the coin. Many of the crewmembers have complained that the Doctor is brusque, even rude, that he lacks any bedside manner. We've been talking about reprogramming him."
"You can't do that!" Sarah burst out. "It's not fair!"
Her mother shook her head. "Sarah, he's only a hologram."
"He's your medical officer. He's alive," Kes added pointedly.
"He's not alive."
"He might as well be! He's aware of himself, he communicates, and he can learn. He even apologized for being rude to me." Insistently, Sarah pressed on. "He wasn't programmed for our unique situation. It's not his fault he ended up in such a difficult position."
"Just because he's a hologram, he doesn't have to be treated with respect or any consideration at all?" Kes added.
Captain Janeway looked from her daughter's small, earnest face to Kes' calm, serious one. She realized that they had a point—and that she was outnumbered. "Very well," she said. "I'll look into it."
Kes and Sarah smiled. "Thank you captain," Kes said as she got up to leave. Sarah nodded to indicate her appreciation as well.
Ensign Kim and Lieutenant Torres were working diligently to establish a voice with whoever was at the other end of the wormhole when Captain Janeway and Sarah returned to the bridge. "Progress report, Ensign?" the captain asked as she approached the Engineering II workstation.
"Think we're ready to give it a try but we're pushing through some pretty heavy gravitational interference. I can't guarantee the clarity of the transmission."
"Let's see what happens." There was a chirp as a channel was opened. "This is Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation starship Voyager. Do you read?"
Some sort of signal could be heard, but it was too distorted to make out anything coherent. "Narrow the band pass a little more. Try again, captain," Ensign Kim said.
"This is Janeway. Please repeat your last transmission."
This time something was barely coherent. "…cargo vessel…location…"
"Cargo vessel, we're still trying to clear up your last transmission. Please repeat one more time."
Finally, the transmission came through clearly and in one piece, their first connection to the Alpha Quadrant in weeks: "I am the captain of the cargo vessel Talvath, location Alpha Quadrant, Sector 1385. What is your location?"
Sarah tried to stay calm as she tried to place the name of the ship. Not Starfleet, not Klingon…
With a small sigh of relief, Captain Janeway replied, "We're in the Delta Quadrant, but since this Quadrant hasn't been charted I can't specify our exact location."
"Please confirm. You said Delta Quadrant?"
"Correct."
"In a Federation starship?"
"Yes. We were on a mission and we got pulled into this Quadrant."
"Pulled in. How?"
""It's a complicated story. Please, if you would just try deconstructing the phase shift of our hailing frequency you could verify," Kathryn said, trying to keep any desperation out of her voice.
The Talvath captain was not easily swayed. "You are undoubtedly still in the Alpha Quadrant. What are your coordinates?"
"I assure you I am telling you the truth. We are in the Delta Quadrant, 70,000 light-years from you."
Angry, the other captain replied, "This is preposterous. You are obviously lying. I am terminating communication."
Panicking, Sarah screamed out, "No, don't!"
"No, no, wait!" Kathryn yelled at the same moment. "Kim, hail them again."
"No response, Captain." Harry's expression was sober.
Sarah let her shoulders slump, disappointment dragging her down. We were this close…
Chakotay watched the captain's daughter droop unhappily, disappointment evident in her posture. Walking away from the helm console, he stood beside her and gently placed his hands on her shoulders, trying to give her some measure of comfort. "Why would he have broken off transmission?" he asked.
"Perhaps I can offer an explanation," Tuvok said monitoring the tactical board. "The comm link signature of his transmission indicates the message originated from a Romulan ship. Further, there are no known shipping lanes in the sector he identified. Given the precise calibration of his signal I would suggest that he is on board a science vessel."
Sarah furrowed her brow in puzzlement, glad for Chakotay's reassurance. "Why would he pretend to be a cargo captain?"
"If he's engaged in some kind of secret research, he certainly wouldn't want us to know," the first officer replied.
"Precisely. And when we claimed to be transmitting from the Delta Quadrant, an impossibility so far as he knows, he may have feared we were Federation spies."
B'Elanna's voice was bitter. "Just our luck. We raise one ship from the Alpha Quadrant and it has to be Romulan."
"That Romulan still has the ability to get a message to Starfleet," Captain Janeway said resolutely as she headed for the turbolift. Mr. Kim, hail the Talvath repeatedly. Call me the minute you reestablish contact. Commander, you have the Bridge. Sarah, I'll see you in an hour for lunch. Help with what you can."
"Aye, captain," came the reply from both her first officer and her daughter.
Four decks below, Kathryn exited the turbolift and entered Sick Bay. Finding it empty, she called out, "Computer, initiate Emergency Medical Holographic program."
The Doctor materialized behind her. "Please state the nature of the medical emergency."
"There is no emergency, Doctor."
"Oh. That's good. I was right in the middle of preparing a culture to test Lieutenant Hargrove for Arethian flu when Ensign Kyoto deactivated me." He sounded rather irate.
Sarah and Kes are right, she admitted reluctantly. He's giving as good as he gets.
"I'm sure she didn't realize you were busy," she said, trying to smooth things over.
The Doctor wasn't buying it. "What is it you want, captain?"
"Actually, I thought we might just talk for a moment."
As he began working, he asked, "About what?"
"Doctor, you were originally programmed to serve in a limited fashion during an emergency. Now you're being asked to do much more."
"That's certainly true. I'm providing full-time medical service for the ship's crew, functioning as both doctor and nurse, and now as an instructor as well."
"You don't have the luxury of thinking of yourself as an emergency medical program any more. You've become a full-fledged member of the crew."
"I see. Are you suggesting that I be reprogrammed?"
She felt slightly guilty, remembering that morning's conversation. "No. I'm asking if there's anything I can do to help you."
"Help me?" The way he said it, it sounded as though it were a foreign concept.
"If there's anything you need or want, I'd like to see that you get it."
Crossly, the Doctor replied, "What I'd like is to be turned off when people leave. I spend hours here with absolutely nothing to do. When someone does remember to deactivate me, they do so without asking if it's convenient. It's extremely irritating."
"What if I gave you control over your deactivation sequence?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"I'm sure we can make it possible for you to turn yourself off, or to prevent being turned off."
He seemed a little overwhelmed. In a tone that was considerably less than cross, he said, "I, I might like that…"
"I'll have someone look into it. Anything else?" She couldn't but notice what a difference that one little offer had made in his demeanor.
"I'm… I'm not sure. I'll have to give it some thought."
"You do that." She slipped out the double doors, leaving the Doctor alone with his thoughts.
Kathryn finally climbed into bed at 2300 hours. One thing after another had continued to demand her attention, forcing her to have Aspen Evans accompany her daughter to the Holodeck and to dinner. Luckily, she had been able to get free to put her daughter to bed, a ritual the two of them enjoyed. Kathryn would help Sarah pick out nightclothes and then sit behind her on one of their beds and slowly comb out her long black hair. When combed, it lost its defining curls and was instead full of soft waves, just as gorgeous as the curls. She would then tuck her daughter in, kiss her forehead, and tell her "Good night. I love you." A simple ritual, to be sure, but it was something both of them needed.
Unfortunately, on this particular night, she had a veritable mountain of personnel reports and engineering reports to go through after Sarah was tucked into bed, keeping her up for several more hours. At last, exhausted, she let her hair down, shook it loose, and put on her own nightclothes, a very pretty pale pink silky nightgown that Sarah had given her for Mother's Day that year. With a sigh of relief, she pulled her own covers up to her chin and quickly drifted off to sleep.
She was woken not too much later when the comm signal sounded.
"Kim to Captain Janeway."
Being both a mother and captain, it wasn't hard to shake off any trace of tiredness. "Janeway here."
"Captain, we've got him back, the Romulan."
She closed her eyes in relief for a moment, then sat up and pushed the sheets and comforter off of her. "Good work. Put him through to my quarters." She stood and walked out to the living room. "This is Kathryn Janeway."
"This is the cargo vessel Talvath."
"Thank you for answering our hail, captain. What is your name? How may I address you?"
"I'd prefer not to give my name."
"Very well. I understand that you must've been skeptical when I told you where we are. I hope you've been able to verify our position."
"My analysis of your hailing frequency seems to indicate that it originates in the Delta Quadrant but I am not precluding the possibility that you've been able to create that illusion somehow."
Frustrated, Kathryn asked, "To what end?"
"I'm not sure but that doesn't negate the possibility."
"How can I assure you of my truthfulness?"
"Mama?" Sarah was standing in the doorway between the living room and the bedroom, blinking blearily and rubbing her eyes with one hand. The other hand clutched her stuffed horse.
"Sarah, go back to bed," Kathryn gently told her daughter. "I have to talk to the captain of the cargo ship."
"Is that a child?" the Talvath captain asked.
"Yes, my daughter. I'm sorry for the interruption."
The man paused. Sarah took advantage of the opportunity and blurted out, "We're telling the truth, I promise."
Kathryn shushed her and repeated, "Go back to bed, Sarah." The small girl complied reluctantly, yawning. "Once again, I apologize, captain."
"I suppose," he said slowly, "Most spies would not bring their children along. You say you are a Federation ship. Are you a Starfleet vessel?"
"Yes, we are."
"I didn't think Starfleet captains brought their families along on missions. What is your mission in the Delta Quadrant?"
"Our mission was originally in the Alpha Quadrant. We were pulled against our will to our present location. Now we're trying to get home."
"You could still be spies."
"Captain, I understand your concern. Naturally, the Romulan Empire doesn't want Starfleet spying on its science vessel, but since we're 70,000 light-years from Romulan space and a subspace message to Starfleet would take years, I think you have to admit that we can't be much of a threat to you. You have nothing to fear from us."
"Soothing words, but they are only words."
"If we were spies, we wouldn't be asking what I'm going to ask you now. We have no way of communicating with Starfleet, with our friends and families. We're hoping you might be able to relay a message for us. Our crew is not large. Each of them could write a short personal message. You'd be welcome to read them all before passing them on. I think you'd be convinced that they're nothing more than the heartfelt words of some very lonely people."
"Captain, it would ease my apprehension if I could see this daughter of yours and that you are who you say you are. I have a signal amplifier on board. I've been working to reconfigure the protocols to penetrate the radiation stream of the wormhole. I think it might be possible to establish a visual link between us."
"I have no objection. When that's done, will you help us?"
"I make no promises. Let us proceed one step at a time. Have your officers contact me to attempt the visual link. Good night."
"Good night," Kathryn replied, seated on the couch gazing out at the stars.
Sarah was dreaming.
She dreamed that they established a visual link with the Romulan captain. For some reason, he and Captain Janeway talked very little. Mostly he swapped jokes with Tom. While she pondered this strange turn of events, there was suddenly a loud beeping from Harry's console. Harry was, at that moment, playing a very serious game of rock-paper-scissors with B'Elanna.
"Is someone going to get that?" Sarah called out. The entire bridge crew seemed not to hear, not even her mother, who was combing her hair and watching the console between her chair and Chakotay's. This is really weird, Sarah thought, but went to check out the source of the beeping anyway. She hurried to the ops station and managed to climb into Harry's chair. Sensors showed that the wormhole was suddenly getting bigger. "Look!" she called out, but the entire bridge crew had vanished. With apprehension, she watched alone as the wormhole grew from a mere tear in space to a colossal tunnel. She didn't even have time to think about getting to the helm console and moving the ship before Voyager was swallowed up. She could only hold on as the vessel was violently buffeted and tossed through the eerie green passageway.
Suddenly, the ship screeched to a stop. The viewscreen showed her a picture of Earth. We're home!, she thought. Half a second later, she disappeared from the empty bridge and found herself in a large reception hall, crowded with people. Admirals were everywhere, shaking hands with Voyager crewmembers. No one seemed to notice her as she pushed her way through the crowd, looking for her mother. It seemed like forever, but she finally found her.
Kathryn was standing with a man Sarah didn't recognize. "Mama, who's that?"
Without interest, her mother replied, "Oh, that's my husband. You need a father figure. Now, run along and try to stay out of the way."
Her mouth open in shock, Sarah could merely stare at the tall, dark figure in the shadows. He turned to look at her, but where his face should have been, there was only a black void. Terrified, she began to run. She wasn't paying attention to where she was going, and almost immediately ran headlong into someone. She fell to the floor and looked up. A man with an enormous phaser rifle stood there, looking down at her. "Careful," he said in a gruff voice.
"What…what's going on?" she asked, trembling.
"No need to worry. Just guarding the prisoners." The man indicated them by pointing his rifle.
In a small room just off the main reception area, heavily guarded by a crackling blue forcefield and large men with evil-looking weapons, sat Voyager's Maquis. Chakotay, B'Elanna, and several others she somewhat recognized sat on the floor of the small room, wearing tattered Maquis clothing and looking dejected.
"No!" Sarah shouted. "They haven't done anything!" She got to her feet and began to run, this time looking for an exit. Her heart pounded and tears began to slide down her cheeks. I have to get out! This is not what I wanted! I don't belong here!!
Suddenly, her eyes flew open. She sat straight up in bed and whirled around. The familiar starfield was still outside her bedroom window. Breathing a sigh of relief, she glanced over at her mother's bed. Kathryn Janeway was sound asleep. Sarah sighed again. It was only a dream. Snuggling closer to her stuffed horse, she pulled the covers up to her chin and promptly fell back asleep.
The next morning, Sarah stood with her mother on the bridge, both of them crisply dressed in red and black and looking quite different from their nighttime selves. Sarah had forgotten her nightmare from the night before and was left with only a vague sense of unease that she ignored.
"We're ready to try a visual link with the Romulan ship, captain," Tuvok announced from his station.
Kathryn smiled and nodded. "Good work."
"We didn't have any trouble configuring the protocols," Harry added. "But that phase variance in the radiation stream gave us a few problems. Torres is going to balance it manually from engineering."
After a few seconds, Tom spoke up. "Ok, we've got the communications frequency locked in."
Captain Janeway placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "On screen."
An image appeared, heavily distorted. Static popped and bounced about the picture until B'Elanna managed to clean it up. An average sized man, clearly Romulan, sat in a high-backed chair. A control panel was visible in the background. He glanced around Voyager's bridge, his eyes coming to rest on the captain and her small child. "I presume you are Captain Janeway and the girl is your daughter."
"Yes. I want to thank you, captain, for maintaining contact with us. It means a great deal to me, to my daughter, and to my crew."
Curiously, the Romulan captain continued, "I am not familiar with this class of ship."
"It's new but it isn't classified. I'm a little surprised your intelligence hasn't provided you with information."
"I've been in space for over a year, captain, and am not privy to the latest intelligence. I'm sure that our operatives have provided our government with detailed information about your new ship."
"No doubt. Captain, have you been able to communicate with your government about sending our messages?"
"I have. They've promised to take the matter under advisement."
"I see. And when do you think they will have an answer?"
"It is impossible to predict the timetable of the Romulan Senate. When they've made their decision I will hear from them."
"We don't have the luxury of a great deal of time. My officers are predicting that the probe will become inoperable within the next 48 hours."
"Captain, I am low-ranking scientist, a minor functionary. It is not my place to tell the Romulan Senate to speed up their decision-making process."
Sarah could feel an almost tangible sense of longing among the bridge crew, a chance to communicate with their loved ones so close and yet so far away. The thought that the Romulan Senate could take away any chance at all created an atmosphere of unease and the edge of desperation. Sarah looked at her mother, and Chakotay, and Harry, and made a decision.
Sarah stepped forward, determination evident in her posture. With a gentle look on her face, she addressed the Romulan captain. "Captain, sir, if I may…You said you've been in space for more than a year. Do you have any family?"
The stern-looking man eyed the small girl. "Yes," he answered.
"They're not with you in space, are they?"
"My wife and my daughter are on Romulus," he replied.
"A daughter. How old is she?"
"She is seven months old."
"Seven months?" It took Sarah a fraction of second to realize the math. "You've never seen her."
The Romluan's face softened a bit. "To my sorrow, no. She'll be two years old before I get back."
"You must miss your family very much."
"I knew when I accepted this assignment there would be a price to pay. Perhaps I didn't realize how high the price would be."
"I'm four years old," Sarah told him. "At home on Earth are my grandma, my dog, my kittens, my friends, and my aunt. I might not see them for a long time, maybe never," she admitted sadly. "Only my mama is with me. Most of the crewmembers aboard don't have any of their family with them. Everyone on this ship knows how lonely you must be. I know you can understand how we must feel, too."
Kathryn Janeway gave her daughter an appreciative smile and stood behind her. She put her hands on her daughter's shoulders and again addressed the Romulan captain. "We would be deeply grateful for any efforts you might make to persuade your government to send our messages."
"I cannot guarantee success," he replied. "But I will try to persuade my superiors to make the decision quickly and positively." Looking again at the captain's daughter, he asked, "What is your name, child?"
"Sarah," she answered quietly.
"Sarah." He observed her in silence, perhaps thinking of his own daughter, also very far away. He locked eyes with the small girl and quietly assured her, "I will do my best." Raising his eyes to her mother, he added, "I will contact you again." His image vanished from the viewscreen.
Captain Janeway turned to her first officer. "Commander, let's assume he's going to be successful. Tell the crew to prepare personal messages and have them ready within the hour."
Chakotay smiled broadly. "A pleasure, captain."
Suddenly, Lieutenant Torres rushed onto the bridge, obviously very excited about something. "Captain, I have to talk to you!"
Kathryn gave her a slightly puzzled look. "Go ahead, Torres."
"No, I mean, in private," the engineer insisted.
Indicating her ready room, the captain followed B'Elanna inside. The doors had barely closed when words started spilling out. "I think this will work, Captain, but I didn't want to bring it up in front of the crew. It wouldn't be right to get their hopes in case it doesn't work, although I think it will."
Kathryn held up a hand. "Slow down, Torres. Tell me what you're talking about."
Without bothering to try to stifle her exhilaration, she blurted out, "The phase amplitude of the visual link with the Romulan ship, it's within a megahertz of meeting transporter protocols!"
The captain felt herself jolt as she processed what the chief engineer had just told her. "Are you suggesting…"
"We might be able to piggy-back a transporter beam onto the visual beam. We could transport the entire crew back to the Alpha Quadrant."
"You'll have to reconfigure the matter transmission rate."
"Fairly substantial."
"And we risk losing whatever we try to beam out," Kathryn added, though she could feel excitement mounting within her.
"We'll have to run a series of tests first."
"See to it, lieutenant."
"I'll need some help."
"You have my authorization to use any of the ship's personnel you need. This is top priority. And don't worry about secrecy. I doubt you'll be able to keep this quiet for very long."
"Aye, captain," B'Elanna answered, then dashed out of the room.
Kathryn watched her go. Are we going home? As she contemplated this turn of events, her eyes fell on a shiny silver picture frame. She picked it up with a wistful smile. The picture showed Kathryn, Sarah, and their Irish Setter, Molly. It was a recent photo, taken a few weeks before Voyager had left Deep Space Nine. Mother and daughter were in front of the lilac trees behind Grandma Gretchen's house. Sarah wore a cute baby blue sleeveless shirt and shorts, and her hair was pulled back in a matching hair tie. She knelt beside her mother and had one arm around Molly's neck and had the most radiant smile on her face. Kathryn wore dark blue pants and a light blue short-sleeved shirt, her own hair in a long ponytail pulled over her shoulder. She sat beaming beside her daughter.
Looking intently at every aspect of the picture, Kathryn could almost hear Molly's bark and Sarah's laughter. She could almost feel the warm summer sun and gentle breeze. She could almost smell the lilacs. Is it possible that by this time tomorrow we'll be back in the Alpha Quadrant, tens of thousands of lightyears closer to home?
Sarah watched her mother and B'Elanna enter the ready room, feeling as confused as her mother. "I wonder why B'Elanna's so excited," she wondered aloud to Chakotay.
"I don't know," he replied, shaking his head. "While we wait, why don't you start your letter?" He held out a PADD to her.
She took it from him almost reverently. "Thank you. I will." Without really thinking, she curled up in the captain's chair and started to type.
'Dear Grandma Gretchen,
I miss you a lot. How's Molly? The Delta Quadrant is strange but interesting. Don't worry—mama keeps me safe. I love you.
Dear Aunt Phoebe,
I miss you so much. I started using the art kit you gave me. I hope I'll see you soon. We never stop looking for wormholes. I love you.
Dear Peike,
I miss you all the time. You're my best friend. You would like it here—didn't you wish you had been born on a starship? I'm taking lots of pictures so that when we get back it'll be like you came along. Your best friend, Sarah.'
Sarah glanced back over what she had written. It was very short, personal, and positive, exactly right for its purpose. She was sorely tempted to write more but she knew that the entire crew would be sending messages and she didn't want to make the data stream too big. Leaning back in the chair, she let herself wonder what it might be like at home.
A while later in Sick Bay, Kes handed the Doctor a stack of PADDs. "I've finished these and I'm ready for more."
The Doctor was astonished. "You've finished those already?"
"I enjoyed studying anatomy. It would be interesting to see an autopsy sometime."
"What are the bones of the middle ear?" the Doctor asked, testing her.
"Malleus, incus and stapes," she replied confidently.
"And the connective tissue between the middle and the external auditory canal?"
"The tympanic membrane."
He looked impressed. "I suspect you have an eidetic memory, which I believe the captain's daughter may possess as well—an astonishing gift. I'll do a full neural scan on the two of you at some point." He walked into his office, Kes in tow.
"I've been thinking: if we do get back to Federation space I'd like to explore the possibility of going to medical school," she said.
"If you continue to apply yourself as you have, by the time we get back you may already have the equivalent of a medical degree."
"Then you haven't heard?" Kes asked, surprised.
"Heard what?"
"That we might be getting back soon."
Irritated, he replied, "If there's one thing you can count on, it's that I am the last to be told about anything that happens on this ship."
"Everyone's talking about it. There may be a way to transport all of us to the Alpha Quadrant. Chief Torres and half of engineering are working on it right now."
"I see. Well, I'll say goodbye now. I won't be transporting with the rest of you."
Confused and surprised, she asked, "But can't we download your program and take you with us?"
"My program is fully integrated into the Sickbay system. At present I cannot be downloaded." The Doctor tried to appear unconcerned.
Spontaneously, Kes leaned down and kissed the Doctor on the cheek. "Thank you for everything." She turned to leave.
"Wait," the Doctor called out, suddenly urgent. "I'd like…that is, could I ask a favor of you?"
"Anything."
"If you do leave, before you go would you check to make sure I've been deactivated?"
"I promise," she replied solemnly.
In the ready room, Sarah stared openmouthed at her mother. "We might what?"
Kathryn beamed at her daughter. "We might be going home! B'Elanna may have found a way to transport us to the Alpha Quadrant using the visual link with the Romulan ship!" She picked up Sarah and hugged her tightly.
Sarah hugged her mother back. She was surprised, however, to find that she wasn't completely thrilled. She felt a trace of hesitation as she thought about returning, though she wasn't sure why.
Putting her daughter back on the ground, Kathryn held her hand and said, "Let's go to the bridge. We have to run a few tests before we know for sure."
Sarah nodded and followed her mother out of the ready room.
Tom announced that they were in contact with the Romulan captain again, and Captain Janeway greeted him with an explanation of what the Voyager crew wanted to try, finishing with, "And our chief engineer has managed to bind a transporter beam to the visual link between us."
"Then you've matched your data transmission to the phase amplitude of our comm signal?" he asked.
"Exactly."
"Apparently our intelligence operatives are not doing their job," he replied, impressed. "You clearly have technology that we are unaware of. This would be an incredible breakthrough in subspace field mechanics."
"If it's successful," Chakotay added, "We'd like to try transmitting a test cylinder to you."
"Test cylinder? Of what sort?"
"It's a standard Starfleet mechanism of a varietal molecular matrix. It simulates most known organic and non-organic compounds. It is not classified technology," Tuvok informed the Romulan.
"Ah, I am aware of this mechanism. We use a similar device. I will allow the transport."
Sarah watched her mother tap her commbadge. "Bridge to Transporter Room One."
"Torres here. We're all set, captain. The lock is active and we're focused on the Romulan's transporter coordinates."
"All right then. Let's give it a try," Kathryn said.
Chakotay gave the order. "Energize."
After a split second, B'Elanna announced, "The cylinder has dematerialized, captain."
Sarah could see the container begin to materialize on the console near the Romulan, but something was clearly wrong.
"Can you get it back?" her mother asked.
"The pattern buffer is having trouble accepting the matter stream. I'll increase power to the phase transition coils," replied Harry from the transporter room where he was assisting B'Elanna.
"Adjust the coils to 37 megajoules," the engineer suggested.
As soon as he did, Sarah saw the entire container shimmer into being.
"Congratulations, captain, you've done it. Very impressive," the Talvath captain replied.
"We should run a series of these tests just to make sure," Captain Janeway said, "But we have to act quickly before the probe is crushed."
"I understand."
"Eventually we'll have to try transporting a person. One of our crew will beam to your ship if you'll allow it."
"I'm afraid I can't permit that, captain. My government would never allow Starfleet personnel on this ship. I wouldn't want my logs to show that activity."
"Then what would you suggest?" Tuvok asked.
"I'll volunteer to transport to your ship and back again."
"But captain," Kathryn said, a hint of worry in her voice. "If we can't transport to your ship how are we to get back?"
"If the procedure is successful, I'll arrange for a troop ship to join me. That would easily accommodate your crew."
She nodded in understanding. "Very well. We'll be in touch."
A while later, Sarah walked with her mother, Chakotay, and Tuvok to the transporter room. Tuvok had a phaser and a tricorder on either hip.
"Kim and Torres have made more than twenty transports of the test cylinder. Even though she's still having trouble with that phase variance, every one of them has been successful," Chakotay informed them.
"Let's hope it goes as well with the Romulan." Kathryn replied.
"Captain, I must insist that I stay with him at all times while he is on board," Tuvok said.
"Agreed." She then added to her daughter, "Sarah, you're to stay behind me until we sure it's safe."
"Yes, mama," Sarah replied obediently. "I just want to see him."
The group entered the transporter room. Sarah accordingly stood directly behind her mother as B'Elanna reported, "We're locked onto him. Whenever you're ready, captain."
"Well, let's try it. Energize."
Peering around her mother's legs, Sarah could see the vague, blue-tinted shape of the Romulan begin to appear, but transport didn't complete as it should.
"What's the problem?" Kathryn asked.
"It's the phase variance in the radiation stream. I'm balancing it manually," B'Elanna replied.
This time the transport was successful and Romulan captain stood on the transporter pad in one piece.
"Welcome to the Delta Quadrant, captain," Kathryn Janeway greeted him, smiling. Seeing that there was no danger, Tuvok put away the phaser he had drawn. Taking her cue from him, Sarah stepped forward. "My First Officer Commander Chakotay, Lieutenant Tuvok head of Security, Chief Engineer Torres, Operations Officer Kim, and my daughter, Sarah."
"My congratulations on your remarkable accomplishment. This is an astonishing breakthrough," the Romulan said in admiration.
"For a while there, I didn't think you were going to make it. There was a phase variance in the radiation stream. It almost kept us from pulling you through," B'Elanna informed him.
With a wide grin, Kathryn said, "Mr. Tuvok, you may begin evacuation procedures."
Sarah's heart leapt into her throat. For some reason, she hadn't thought about leaving Voyager behind. She suddenly felt afraid and had just opened her mouth to speak up, when Tuvok, who had been scanning the Romulan, beat her to it.
"I suggest we delay that for the moment, captain. I'm afraid I've found the reason for the unusual phase variance."
"What is it?" Captain Janeway asked.
"Captain, what year is it?" Tuvok asked, addressing the Romulan.
"What year…?"
"If you please."
"By your calendar," the Talvath captain replied. "The year is 2351."
"But this is 2371," Sarah said in surprise. Maybe we won't have to abandon the ship after all…
"Exactly," Tuvok said. "Our Romulan visitor is a person out of time. He's showing clear evidence of temporal displacement. I would surmise that the rift is a wormhole, not just in space, but also in time. The unusual phase variance we detected was actually an indication of a temporal shift. We have transported him from twenty years in the past to our present."
Sarah looked over at her mother. She was crestfallen, her hopes of getting her crew home now dashed. Sarah felt badly for her, but also couldn't suppress a feeling of relief that she couldn't explain. I miss everyone at home, so why don't I want to go back? She didn't have an answer for herself.
The entire bridge crew, as well as the Romulan captain, gathered in the briefing room to discuss the turn of events. Sarah stood inconspicuously in the corner nearest the head of the table while her mother paced around the room. Everyone else was seated around the table.
"I've gone over and over the transporter logs," B'Elanna informed them grimly. "There's no question that if we try to transport ourselves through that wormhole, we'll end up 20 years in the past."
"Then let's do it. It's better than spending the next 70 years trying to get back," Harry said fervently.
"How can we do that? We'd be going back to a time when you were only 2 years old," Tom reminded him.
Kathryn had been circling the room and now stopped beside Ensign Kim. "I know you're disappointed, Harry. We all are. It seemed we were so close. But clearly we can't go back. It would pollute the timeline to such an extent that the consequences would be unimaginable." She continued walking, this time stopping before the Talvath captain. "I'm afraid we'll have to send you back alone and ask that you not reveal anything that has happened here."
"I can assure you, captain," he replied in a very serious manner. "That I would not do anything that might contaminate the future and thus harm the Romulan Empire. In 20 years I could alert Starfleet not to launch the mission which sent you here."
"I'm afraid that's not possible either," Chakotay interjected. "We've already had a huge impact on this Quadrant. People and events here would be drastically affected."
"I'm afraid we're left with our original request. In 20 years, would you relay our personal messages to Starfleet?" Kathryn asked.
"Of course. At the proper time I will transmit them. If you should find your way back during my lifetime I'd be an old man, but I would welcome a message from you. I am Telek R'Mor, of the Romulan Astrophysics Academy."
"I promise you'll hear from us, because we will get back." Kathryn was firmly optimistic.
Telek R'Mor inclined his head towards her respectfully. As people began to file out of the briefing room, he spoke up hesitatingly. "Captain, I'd like to ask a personal favor of you in return."
"Certainly. We're all extremely grateful to you."
He hesitated again, then slowly asked, "May I…may I…hold your daughter?"
Before Kathryn could reply, Sarah stepped out of the corner she had been standing in and hurried over to the Romulan man. She looked up at him, gently smiled, and held out her arms. It wasn't any strange ability that told her he was completely trustworthy. Anyone could have picked up on the aura of loneliness surrounding him.
He picked her up easily, almost as though she were a doll, and held her to him gently. Sarah rested her head on his strong shoulder and patted his back comfortingly.
"I didn't realize how much I missed my own daughter until I saw you with your daughter, Captain Janeway," he said quietly. "When get back to my own ship, I intend to see if there is anything I can do to get back to Romulus more quickly."
Within minutes, the group had returned to the transporter room. Tuvok handed Telek a small, yellow-green computer chip. "These are our messages."
The Romulan nodded and turned to Captain Janeway. "I wish you luck on your journey."
"I wish you luck on yours," she replied. "And I thank you for your help."
Telek R'Mor then rested a hand on Sarah Janeway's shoulder, wordless thanks. She gave him her brightest smile to bolster his spirits.
He made his way to the transporter pad. Once he was in place, Kathryn ordered, "Energize," and he shimmered away into nothingness.
"The signal's in the pattern buffer," B'Elanna announced. "Transferring to the emitter array."
"Phase variance out of sync again," Harry said.
"Compensating. Transport complete, captain. He made it."
"I'll tell the crew," Kathryn said, somewhat melancholy. "They can have the satisfaction of knowing their messages have reached their families."
"Captain, I did not want to mention this until after our guest had left," Tuvok spoke up, seemingly reluctantly. "I checked the computer databanks for a Romulan scientist named Telek R'Mor."
"And?"
"I'm sorry to report that Dr. R'Mor died in 2367."
Sarah felt her spirits sink. No one even knows that we're alive. She watched Harry slump forward and rest his forearms on the transporter console. B'Elanna placed a hand on his shoulder consolingly.
"That was four years ago," Kathryn said sadly.
"That is correct," Tuvok replied. "Before he would've sent our messages."
Kathryn paced in front of the transporter pad, thinking hard.
"Maybe he left a will telling someone else to transmit the messages. Or he could've given our computer chip to the Romulan government," Sarah said, feeling she needed to restore some hope.
"It is possible," Tuvok admitted. "Unfortunately, there is no way to know."
"Then let's move on," Kathryn said resolutely. "We've got a long way to go." She set her face determinedly and held her hand out to Sarah. Sarah stepped forward and took it, nodding determinedly as well.
And we will get back, she thought. I know it.
Somewhere on Romulus, a young girl crouched in a storage closet. She was determined not to be the first one found by her brother. As she carefully and quietly moved to the very back, her hand landed on a metal container. The second her skin made contact with the silvery surface, it glowed a faint red and opened with a hissing sound. She clapped a hand over her mouth to keep from yelling out. She stared at the container suspiciously for a while, but curiosity soon got the better of her. Reaching inside, she pulled out a data pad that whirred to life at her touch.
An image of her grandfather began to speak. "I hope you remember me, Tereka. How do I know it's you? Quite simply—this data pad and its container were programmed with your DNA so that they would only open for you."
Captivated, Tereka watched and listened intently. "You're different. I can trust you. I knew that your mother and her brothers would never understand, that they might even want to destroy it." At this, the data pad beeped and spit something into her lap. She picked it up. It was something small and greenish-yellow.
A very grey Telek R'Mor gazed out of the data pad, earnest and almost desperate. "Tereka, I need you to do something for me…"
Author's Note: Sorry this is late. Hey, at least I apologize, right? I hope you liked it. Please leave a review if you can. Thank you, everyone!!