Chapter 23: Junior Officers
"Here you go." Neelix smiled, serving a tray of drinks to four junior crew members sprawled out on the couches in the Mess Hall.
The youngest one, Ensign Adele Hopson, smiled at him with gratitude. She had always found it difficult to talk to someone she wasn't close to. Her lacking confidence in social situations had always been a problem for her at the Academy but luckily her brains when it came to the medical sciences had been something Starfleet Medical Academy could never turn away. She'd been one of the highest-achieving graduates of her class.
"Cheers, Neelix." the male to her left, Lt. Jonah Knight, expressed.
Now he on the other hand was much different to Adele. Loud, outgoing, crazy, he was almost the complete opposite to her. In all honesty, she wasn't sure how they became friends – they were so different. However, Ensign Hopson was sure she wouldn't have managed to get through the past few years on Voyager without him. He was her rock.
Neelix smiled at them all before returning to his duties. There were many more crew members he had to get around to serving.
The other two members of the group, Ensign Indi Charlotta and Ensign Nick Burley, picked up their drinks and took a needed sip. It had been a long day.
"Hey Jonah, I was meant to ask." Charlotta began suddenly, putting her drink back on the coffee table, "Did you hear anything about that alien who was beamed aboard this morning?"
Jonah shook his head slowly. He had heard about the alien, everyone on-board had, but he didn't know any specifics.
"No, sorry." he shrugged his shoulders, "My shift didn't start until after whatever it was happened."
"Who is he?" asked Adele, "I mean, why'd he come here?"
"I dunno." Jonah replied, his lips toying with a smirk, "Shall I go ask him?"
Playfully hitting his shoulder, Adele rolled her eyes. Sometimes she honestly didn't know why she bothered with Jonah. He could be too sarcastic for his own good at times.
"I heard he destroyed his own ship." Nick piped up.
Jonah Knight almost choked on his drink when a laugh forced itself out his mouth. Now that was a rumour which he didn't believe for a second.
"Now, why would he do that?" he asked dryly, his eyes rolling.
Nick shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. It's what I heard."
"Don't believe everything you hear, mate." he advised, "I mean, why the hell would he destroy his only way home. I mean, come on. Really?"
=/\=
The Captain was sat on the sofa in her quarters staring helplessly out into space. At that moment, Voyager was at a complete stop, all propulsion systems off-line for the foreseeable future. The unknown Devlin alien was in a serious condition in Sickbay, his self-inflicted injuries being the main thing that concerned her. He'd risked his life to get on board – whatever he had to say must have been important.
The opening of her quarters doors caught her attention and resulted in her turning her head. Smiling softly, she was rather glad to see Chakotay stroll in, even if it was an hour and a half later than expected.
"Where've you been?" she asked lightly, her fingers running lightly through her thick hair and brushing it away from her face.
Sighing and noticeably letting his shoulders relax, Chakotay began to remove the top layer of his uniform. He was in a dire need to unwind for the night.
"Tom organised a poker tournament on the holodeck for the crew." he explained, moving over and joining her on the sofa, "He thought it might keep them from wondering why we've suddenly come to a halt."
She raised her eyebrow tiredly. "To stop them asking too many difficult questions?"
He nodded softly. "Precisely."
She sighed, leaning her head delicately back on the backrest.
"And here I was thinking you were working." she teased softly.
Chakotay could only laugh again, something which filled the moment before she suddenly frowned lightly and lifted her head.
"And since when do you play poker? she had to ask, "You hate poker."
Chakotay rolled his eyes, nodding and smiling at her in agreement.
"I know, but it was better that supervising the junior officers on the night shift."
The Captain frowned, having to shift to find a comfier position.
"And what's wrong with the junior officers?" she found herself asking, her eyebrow raising and a small smirk forming on her lips
"They can be hard work at times." he confessed, "They're always trying to… please me."
"You're their CO. Of course, they are." she rolled her eyes playfully, "Gosh, you'd be no good as Captain, would you?"
Chakotay shot her a look. "I'd be very good as Captain, thank you very much." he smirked, "I'd definitely be better than the one we have now."
At that, she couldn't help but scoff, something her smile soon engulfed. She knew he was teasing her but that could turn out to be a very dangerous game.
"Oh, really?" she shifted slowly, "I'm gonna have to tell her you said that, Commander."
Moving closer, drawing their noses together, the Commander nodded once.
"You do that." he whispered, trailing off into a deep kiss she had no objection to.
Gripping his shoulder, she allowed his arm to snake around her waist, pulling her impossible close. Dangerous games always had a way of leading to this and neither of them were complaining. It had been too long.
"Sickbay to Janeway."
The pair's lips broke away immediately. While the Captain scoffed at yet another example of impeccably bad timing, the Commander found himself chuckling roughly as his head fell to rest in the crook of her neck. They really needed to start asking the computer for no interruptions.
Chakotay released his hold on her and the Captain shook her head softly. If she didn't find it so funny, she'd have cried.
"Every time." she muttered to him before reaching up and tapping her combadge, "Yes, Doctor?"
"The alien has regained consciousness. He's rather eager to speak to you, Captain."
Glancing over at the Commander who'd already stood and gone to retrieve the top of his uniform, the Captain nodded to herself.
"We're on our way."
=/\=
The Command team arrived at Sickbay mere minutes after the Doctor had called. To their surprise, they found a strangely eager alien awaiting their arrival, an alien who nearly fell off the bed and onto his feet when they entered the room.
The Captain looked over him. A large bruise-like patch was clearly noticeable on his forehead, one which covered a good half of it and possibly more underneath his jet black, fur-like hair. It was clear he was still injured but it obviously wasn't bothering him.
"Belated welcome aboard." the Captain greeted, approaching the biobed with the Commander no further than a step behind her.
The alien was about to respond until his stare fell down to her slightly extended abdomen.
"You're with child." he stated, looking back up to her face.
The Captain felt her eyes tighten as she very slightly cocked her head to the side.
"Is that a problem?"
The alien sighed sharply. "Yes," he forced out of his mouth, "Captain, you are in danger, great danger! Your ship should not be in our space."
"I'm sorry, Mr…?" she trailed off.
"Heblin." he replied automatically, "Commander Heblin."
She nodded in acknowledgement. "Commander Heblin, I understand you are at war but we were informed of this and understood the conditions laid out to us when we entered your space."
As quick as he was to fall to his feet when they entered Sickbay was how quick it took for him to clench his fists and growl in frustration.
"You're so naïve!" he cried, "Don't you understand the nature of my people?"
The three Starfleet officers were silently taken back by his outburst. However, it didn't concern them since they saw it was more out of frustration rather than anger.
"No." admitted the Captain, "We don't."
Heblin sighed harshly. "Most species know to avoid us." he spoke calmly as he began to aimlessly wander around the console in the centre of the room, "But you're from so far away… You don't understand what my people are like."
The Commander met his eye. "Then tell us."
"We're…" Heblin hesitated, exploring for the right word, "Evil."
The Captain felt her mouth dry out. For someone to easily confess that frightened her considerably. Exactly what had she gotten her ship into?
"Most of my people only understand violence and cruelty." he confessed, almost in an embarrassed tone before he stopped and looked directly at the Captain, "Don't you understand why they granted you passage? It's a trap!"
The Doctor and Commander exchanged worried glances while the Captain kept her eyes firmly directed at Commander Heblin.
"What kind of trap?" she asked, her voice dropping almost to a whisper.
"My species despise outsiders. Our space is monitored with a massive sensor grid. When outsiders are detected, border controls are sent to intercept and seize the vessel, then either kill the crew or deliver them to labour stations. No-one ever simply passes through our territory."
The Commander was the one to speak up. "But we were granted passage through your space. We went through official channels."
The alien shook his head. "It doesn't make any difference, I wish it did." he admitted, "Once you're far enough into our space with no possible way of escape, you will be intercepted."
The Captain had heard enough. It was time to get the hell out of there.
"Janeway to Bridge. Mr. Paris, set a course out of Devlin space, maximum warp."
"No! If they detect you trying to leave, it will only cause an earlier interception from border control!" cried the alien commander, "Set a course for Grid 426. The sensor grid is extremely weak there. They won't be able to track you as easily."
The Captain looked towards the Commander. Both of them silently trusted the alien. It wasn't surprising really. He had risked his life to warn them.
"Did you hear that, Mr. Paris?" she queried over the comm.
"Yes, Captain. Laying in course."
She nodded to herself. "Engage when ready."
=/\=
The designated blind spot, Spatial Grid 426, had been just what Commander Heblin had promised. They been there for two hours and had yet to be detected by the Devlin Military Fleet. At a complete stop, Voyager was hanging dangerously still at full tactical alert while Seven of Nine continued to scan the area. She had to make sure no random military vessels stumbled upon them.
It was only the ship's senior officer who knew of the finer details of the situation – the entire mission had been classified thanks to Captain Janeway. It was her way of making sure that if the crew were ever captured by the Devlin authorities and detained, they could never be incriminated. Not legally. They wouldn't have had any idea as to what their Command Team and senior officers were getting themselves involved in.
"Jonah?"
Ensign Hopson was surprised to see her friend rushing down the corridor towards her. Her frown proved that. He looked as though he were in an unexpected rush.
"Hi, Addy." he greeted, quickly coming to a stop as the pair met in the corridor.
She sighed, her head shaking slowly from side to side. "Do you have any idea what's going on?"
The Lieutenant shook his head. "Not a clue."
She folded her arms across her chest. "I heard the Captain's classified whatever's it is." she admitted, "I don't understand why though. I mean, it's not like Starfleet Command has sent us on a classified mission or anything like that."
"I know, Addy, and I'm sorry but I've gotta run." the Lieutenant sighed exasperatedly, "Lt. Paris had ordered me to help Lt. Torres' team get the warp engines up to peak efficiency."
Ensign Hopson laughed lightly, her brow knitting into a tense frown. "What for?"
He shook his head once again. "No idea." he reiterated, "Sorry Addy, I've really gotta go!"
Barely moments later, Lt. Knight darted down the corridor and left Adele Hopson even more confused than she already had been. She'd always been taught to follow a command decision, follow orders, but usually they made sense. None of these seemed to.
With a soft sigh, she continued on her way. She needed to get back to doing her job. It didn't take long for her to reach the turbolift, step into the shaft and call for Sickbay. It may have only been two decks down but she was already running late – use of the turbolift was needed.
Ensign Hopson was surprised to see yet another one of her friend stood at full attention outside Sickbay. Her frown proved that. She'd never known him get assigned to guarding Sickbay without an obvious reason before. If her memory served her correctly, the last time had been when Seven of Nine was first disconnected from the Borg and had to be treated in Sickbay.
The young man moved his head to turn when he heard her speak.
"What are you doing here?"
Ensign Burley simply shrugged his shoulders. "I'm under orders."
With a coy smile, she glanced towards the other officer guarding the door. While she recognised the woman's face, she couldn't name her.
Sighing softly, Ensign Hopson tried to enter Sickbay. However, in unison, both officers put their arms out and blocked her way.
"Sorry, Addy." Burley apologised, "We can't let you in."
Adele couldn't stop the scoff which escaped her lips.
"Why not?! It's my duty station."
"Captain's orders." he explained, returning his head back to its original position.
She rolled her eyes. More unexplained Captain's orders.
"So, what the hell am I supposed to do?" she asked, not directly to anyone, just out loud.
"Come with us."
The sudden voice seemed to appear out of nowhere and made Ensign Hopson jump. Gathering her breath, the young woman swiftly turned on her heel, only to see the Captain and Commander exiting the bay she had been trying to enter.
"Captain!"
"I said come with us, Ensign." the Captain repeated, not stopping to meet her eye.
Adele Hopson immediately followed in the Captain and Commander's wake, honoured yet slightly nervous to have been noticed, for some reason, by the command team. When they all reached and then entered the turbolift, only then did she feel her nervousness grow. She'd never been alone with a senior officer ranking any higher than the Doctor so to be with both of the command team was very nerve-racking.
The journey to the Bridge was short and silent, something which made her anxiety rise and by the time the three of them reached the Captain's ready room, Adele wasn't afraid to admit she was a little terrified.
With shaky hands, the young Ensign watched as the Captain moved around her desk and took a seat. to take a seat. It was safe to say she was just a little petrified.
"Ensign." the Captain finally spoke, her voice deep and low, "You grew up Turkana IV, didn't you?"
Subtly biting her inner lip, Ensign Hopson nodded. "Yes, Captain."
The Captain looked up at the fragile young woman stood before her. She couldn't quite understand why the Doctor had recommended a crew member so young for the mission
"So, you've been in dangerous situations before?"
"Yes, Captain." the young Ensign repeated. She couldn't deny she was curious as to what was going on.
The Captain sighed, leaning forward against her desk.
"Ensign, what you're about to hear doesn't go passed these four walls, understand?"
Slowly, Adele nodded. "Yes, Ma'am."
The Captain paused for a moment. She couldn't quite believe what she was about to do.
"There's a mission we'd like you to do for us." she finally informed her.
The Ensign frowned a little. "A mission?"
The Captain nodded once again.
"Report to the Briefing Room at 1500 hours." she ordered, "We'll inform you more at that time."
The Ensign sighed, smiling softly. "Aye, Captain."
"Dismissed."
Both members of the Command Team watched the small, young woman turn on her heel and exited the room. It was in those moments that they both felt their hearts hammer just a little bit harder.
The Captain's face fell harshly into her hands where her nimble fingers began to press smooth circles against her aching temples. It didn't help sooth her growing headache but it was needed to keep it from getting worse.
"Oh, Chakotay, what the hell are we doing?" she breathed harshly.
The Commander shared her apprehension, her exasperation. It was question he couldn't answer so he wasn't going to even bother to try.
"She's so young…" she trailed off.
Unbeknown to her, he nodded, "I know." he agreed quietly.
=/\=
Nervous was too mild a word to describe Ensign Hopson's feelings as she stood outside the Briefing Room. She had absolutely no idea what was going on and that frightened her a little. Never before in four years on Voyager had the crew never had even an inclination as to what was happened on-board their ship.
The young Ensign could feel the tension mounting in her shoulders as she stared at the closed door. She hadn't found the courage to enter yet.
"Are you okay, Ensign?"
The voice from behind her made her jump noticeably, a voice she soon saw belonged to Commander Chakotay as came to a stop at her side.
"Oh, Commander." her hand came up to her stomach and pressed against it, a crude attempt to steady herself.
"Sorry, Ensign. I didn't mean to startle you."
She met his eye and saw he was glancing down at her, his expression soft and gentle. While that didn't alleviate much of her tension, it did give her a needed boost of confidence. She clearly wouldn't have been stood where she was if they didn't have any faith in her.
She turned back to look at the still-closed door in front of her, her hardened posture indicating to the Commander just how out of her comfort zone she was. He could understand it – she was about to go into a classified briefing with people she'd only ever interacted with indirectly. The Command Team was far from her social circle.
"Ready to go in?" he asked after a moment.
Laughing weakly, Adele Hopson sighed deeply.
"I suppose so, sir." she paused before turning to meet his eye, "Yes."
With a soft nod, the Commander reached to press the button to open the door. She had the time it took for it to open to push her nerves aside. It was time for her to do her job.
Ensign Hopson entered the room with the Commander following not too far behind. She hadn't been sure what to expect but a grey, hard-faced alien sitting on the Captain's right was not on her expected list. Without realising until it was too late, her eyes widened at the sight of him.
If it bothered the Captain, she didn't show it. She simply smiled weakly at the new arrival.
"Sit down, Ensign." she requested.
Nodding, Ensign Hopson did as ordered, briefly glancing around the table as she did so. It turned out only the Captain, Commander, Doctor, Commander Tuvok and the alien were present, something of a small blessing. She wasn't sure how she would have felt if all the senior staff were present.
"Ensign, this is Commander Heblin, Second in Command of the Devlin Military Order." the Captain introduced.
Her eyes looked towards the alien who nodded in acknowledgement.
"He's provided us with vital information about Devlin border control movements so we can find a way out of their space before the ship is either captured or," she paused, "destroyed."
The Captain didn't miss the gulp the young woman forced down her throat. However, it was no time to address it. The Ensign was only struggling to hide what many years of experience had taught her how to do so.
"In return for the information, we've agreed to assist Commander Heblin to return home."
Ensign Hopson nodded slowly. So far, so good. She understood that bit.
"At 0400, Voyager will set course for the border." Commander Heblin began to explain the next part, "I, on the other hand, will remain in one of your shuttlecrafts in order to return home."
Adele couldn't help but frown. She didn't understand how she fit into all of it.
"Okay." she acknowledged her understanding, "Where do I come into this?"
The Captain sighed. "Across the Devlin border is a planet called Vickeris."
"My people have been at war with the Vickers for the better part of two decades." Heblin added.
Still, her part in the mission wasn't making any sense to her.
"I still don't understand." she confessed.
Heblin leant forward against the table.
"I'm going to claim that while on patrol of this area, I encountered a small Vickers vessel which was attempting to flee our territory. I managed to stop it but not before both the Vickers ship and my own were destroyed, and if it hadn't been for Voyager's intervention, none of us would have survived. Then while on-board this ship, I captured the last surviving Vickers and stole a shuttlecraft to return home." he explained, "By having a Vickers on-board the shuttle with me, border control will be less interested about why I'm in a Federation shuttlecraft."
"That's where you come in." Commander Chakotay piped up from her left, "You grew up in a place of extreme violence, you have a much better understanding of how to pull this off than other members of the crew."
"And with a little dermal stimulation, you'd pass as a Vickers." the Doctor added.
Nodding slightly as she took it all in, Adele looked back towards the Captain.
"So, what will I have to do?"
"When Voyager reaches the border, you and Heblin will head towards the planet." the Captain explained.
"We'll encounter a Military Control vessel." continued Commander Heblin, "Once they asses the situation and continue on their way, I'll send you back in an escape pod." he briefly looked towards the Captain and then the Ensign again before continuing, "If you get past Grid 425 without detection, you'll be okay."
Ensign Hopson couldn't help but frown. "Grid 425?"
Commander Heblin sighed deeply. She had the right to know.
"It's the most sensitive grid of our entire sensor net." he told her, "I'll attempt to mask your pod's signature but I can't make any promises."
"Ensign." stated the Captain, capturing the young woman's attention, "You are not being ordered on this mission. It's completely voluntary."
"I understand, Captain." she confirmed, "But if it helps Voyager get to safety, I'll do it. It's my job."
"It's more than that, Ensign…" the Captain tried to point out.
"Captain, please. I understand the risks, but I knew what I signed up for when I joined Starfleet." she felt the need to explain, "My duty is to my ship and my crew, and if this is what is needed to keep those who I serve with safe, how can I say no?"
The Captain smiled softly, her throat stinging slightly. The fierce dedication the young woman had to her shipmates was admirable – a rare quality. She'd understood what it took so officers years to understand, some never at all.
"Very well, Ensign. Report to Sickbay at 0200 hours." she paused, "Dismissed."