*19*

Odyssey,

June 2

The ready room was supposed to reflect something of its chief occupant, Geordi thought. Captain Picard always had an aquarium as well as some other display of personal significance, such as his first edition of Shakespeare's plays. The room had always seemed dignified and polished, much like Picard.

From his tour of Voyager II, he knew that Captain Janeway had installed special shelving to safely display a collection of china teapots, coffee carafes, cups and saucers. The shelving had a forcefield designed by Lt. Commander Torres that would activate automatically when the ship went to yellow alert or experienced instability outside of normal parameters. The set up managed to combine the beauty and delicacy of fine china with the strength and ingenuity of modern technology, which seemed to him a pretty good reflection of Kathryn Janeway.

What did this ready room say about Captain Geordi LaForge? So far, all it said was that he was a man of little taste and less imagination. He had not added a single personal touch to the standard Starfleet furniture and color scheme. Everything was clean, efficient and completely boring.

Ah.

"The problem," he muttered, "is that I'm an engineer, not a captain." He hadn't hesitated a moment when Admiral Hayes had offered him this mission but he had second-guessed that decision every hour since. He had never served as first officer, or even second officer, of any other ship. Skipping that step on the way to a command was rare but not unprecedented - for small ships operating within Federation territory. What was he thinking, accepting command of a Columbia-class ship for a mission to the other side of the galaxy?

The communication chime sounded on the desktop monitor, and he leaned forward to accept the call. The image of his father appeared immediately. Edward LaForge was at home, but still in uniform. "Hey," Geordi said. "Shouldn't you be asleep? It's nearly midnight in San Francisco."

"The whales had another baby tonight." Edward smiled broadly. "That's three now. It's been nearly a century, but I think we can safely say now we have saved this species."

"Fantastic. Boy or girl?"

"A male. We're calling him Benny." Edward paused. "How's it coming? Are you settled in?"

"I'm getting there." Geordi couldn't help looking around his office. "Don't tell her I said so, but I could probably use Ariana's help with a couple of things around here."

Edward grinned. "You must be desperate, if you want your sister's help. What's the matter?"

"Nothing, really. Just some decorating issues." He cocked his head. "What's up, Dad? Why the midnight call?"

His father's smile faded. "Nothing important. It's just that...Geordi, did you take this assignment to look for your mother?"

For a moment, Geordi considered deflecting the question. In the end, though, he knew his father wouldn't be deflected. "It's one reason. Maybe a big reason."

"Geordi -"

"Dad, no one has ever been able to explain what happened to the Hera. If there's a chance it was pulled into the Delta Quadrant, just like Voyager -"

"Geordi. Even it that's what happened, the chances are your mother is dead." Edward was obviously distressed. "It's been eleven years."

"Yes, but the Delta Quadrant is more than 70 years away at normal warp speed."

"Captain Janeway brought her ship back in eight years. Do you think your mother less capable than she?"

"No," Geordi said, "but she would be the first to tell you that Voyager had a lot of luck, as well as skill. Maybe Mom just wasn't lucky."

Edward's shoulders sagged. "Perhaps. I just don't want you to get your hopes up, son. Finding your mother alive and well is a long shot, at best."

"I know. But I've got to try. How could we have this chance and not try?"

"Yes. Of course." Edward looked off to one side, his eyes no longer able to meet his son's. "You don't happen to need an old exozoologist, do you? I wish I could go with you."

He hadn't seen his father look so forlorn since the day he had called to tell Geordi that Silva and her ship were officially missing. "Are you serious? I'd have to pull a few strings, but I think we could swing it. We launch in less than a month, Dad. Can you be ready?"

"No captain needs his father looking over his shoulder on his first command." Edward spoke sharply, then softened the impact with a smile. "Have I mentioned how proud I am?"

"A few times." Geordi leaned forward. "Look, why don't you get some sleep? I'll call you before we leave."

"Yes, you will." It was an order, and Geordi recognized it as such, even though he technically outranked his father now. "Oh - what's the decorating problem?"

"Nothing. I'll figure it out. Good night, Dad."

"Good night, son. Take care."

As the screen darkened, Geordi fell back against his chair. He had accepted this command because it would be a huge career move, and because the chance to explore the Delta Quadrant was too enticing to pass up, but most of all, he had accepted it because he believed in his heart that his mother was somewhere there, trying to get home. No matter how realistic he tried to be, something in him simply refused to be pragmatic.

The truth was, Geordi believed he would find Silva LaForge and her ship in the Delta Quadrant, and no one and nothing would ever shake that belief. Fortunately, Leah understood and was willing to wait while he spent a year or two searching.

Then his gaze fell upon the blank wall above the sofa, and suddenly he remembered. For his last birthday, Data had painted a triptych that captured the bridge of the Enterprise the way Geordi used to perceive it through his visor. Anyone else might mistake it for an abstract piece of conceptual art - nothing more than seemingly random swathes of color - but Geordi had recognized it immediately. He had no idea how Data had captured the image, but then, he was always amazed by the things Data came up with.

"Yeah," Geordi said slowly. "It works."

*20*

Odyssey,

June 10

"And this is the bridge. I'm sure it's as familiar to you as everything else has been."

Harry sighed inwardly at the curt tone in Sam Lavelle's voice as they stepped onto the bridge. Commander Lavelle was the first officer on Odyssey-as such Harry's superior officer-and so far their first meeting hadn't gone well. From the start of the ship's tour and orientation, Lavelle had seemed impatient and even unfriendly. Harry couldn't figure out why, other than the fact that Odyssey's layout was familiar to him, given that the new Columbia class ship was closely modeled after the old Intrepid class ships. He would have expected Lavelle to appreciate not having to go into detail, but the first officer seemed to take Harry's prior knowledge as some sort of affront.

"The Ops station," Lavelle said, moving to the left of the turbolift. The layout of that station was also familiar, though Harry elected not to mention it this time. "Navigation, Helm, Sciences, Tactical, Weapons, Engineering,"-Lavelle waved a hand around the bridge-"...and the Command station. That concludes the tour."

Harry didn't miss the dismissal in the first officer's tone as he touched the Ops controls, tracing the remembered pattern. The Ops panel on Enterprise had a very different configuration, to Harry's mind slightly less efficient than this one. There were also several subtle differences from his old station on Voyager that he would enjoy exploring later. In the meantime, even if Sam Lavelle was less than cordial, Harry couldn't discard the good manners he'd internalized from his mother. "Thank you for the tour, sir."

"Don't forget to check in with Doctor Ogawa next for your physical," Lavelle said as he turned away, clearly in a hurry to leave. "Good day, Lieutenant Commander."

Not that Harry had expected a "you're welcome," but there it was again. Though he was technically a lieutenant commander, that was a rank address very few used in Starfleet, generally shortening the title to "Commander." Yet this was the second time the first officer had addressed him as "Lieutenant Commander." And both times there had been a slight edge of disdain in his tone. Harry was sure of it.

"Commander Lavelle."

Lavelle stopped halfway to the lift and turned. "Yes?"

"Do you have a problem with me?"

Lavelle's eyebrows rose. "Why would you think that, Lieutenant Commander?"

Gee, I don't know. Maybe the pointed rank address, or your frosty attitude, or that slight curl in your lip right now-Harry clamped down that insubordinate line of thought and said, "I get the feeling you don't like me, though we don't know each other."

Lavelle smiled thinly. "That's not precisely true. I certainly know *of* you. It would be difficult not to."

Harry sighed. That again. He wondered if the notoriety would ever completely fade away. He tried for a light response. "Don't believe everything you read."

"Oh, I don't, believe me."

Harry frowned at the sarcasm in Lavelle's voice. Great. He'd been onboard less than half an hour and he'd already made an enemy of the first officer. It wasn't like he'd asked for the barrage of publicity Voyager's return had engendered. "I've never paid much attention to that stuff anyway. We were all just doing our jobs, the same as any other Starfleet officer would."

"I see," Lavelle said. "But you're not really like any other Starfleet officer, are you? You were made a senior officer even though you were a raw recruit, barely out of the Academy. My understanding is that Captain Janeway was forced to put people in pivotal positions, whether they were ready for the responsibility or not."

"She had some choice," Harry said, feeling more irritated by the minute. She'd also expected the same degree of competence that she would have expected from a more experienced crew. "Maybe I was raw, but she thought I was the best person for the job, and I believe I proved her right, sir."

"Is that why you were an ensign for nearly seven years?"

Harry was momentarily rendered speechless. Though he'd understood the lack of necessity for regular promotions on a ship so distant from home and Starfleet, he had worried that his long standing as an ensign might hurt his career once he returned to the Alpha quadrant. Instead it had been a complete non-issue on Enterprise, as it had been with Captain La Forge. No one in Starfleet had even mentioned it-until now. "If you look at Voyager's records, you'll find that Captain Janeway handed out very few promotions. Given our situation, there was no need-"

"I wasn't asking for an explanation," Lavelle said, cutting off Harry's heated reply. "I'm not disputing that your eventual promotion to lieutenant was probably earned."

Eventual? *Probably* earned? Fuming, Harry opened his mouth to respond, but Lavelle continued. "However, your recent promotion to lieutenant commander after less than two years at lieutenant's rank, part of that time interrupted by a substantial leave upon your return to Earth, was premature by comparison. One could certainly wonder if it was attributable at least in part to the elevated status you were granted as part of Voyager's crew."

"Are you saying that's how *you* attribute it, sir?" Harry asked, not waiting for an answer. "If so, you're wrong. And you are also doing Captain La Forge a disservice if you think he would chose me to head Ops based on a lot of distorted publicity. He chose me because of my ability, period."

Lavelle's expression remained skeptical. "If that's the case, then I assume you will prove that ability, to both of us."

"Don't worry, I will. Now, if you'll excuse me, sir, I have an appointment in sickbay." Harry didn't wait to be dismissed again. He strode to the lift, hoping the first officer wouldn't follow. He could still feel Lavelle's gaze on him as the doors closed behind him.

"Sickbay."

Harry leaned against the railing and took a deep breath as the lift began to move. It was hard to believe the man he'd just met could be the same Sam Lavelle several officers on Enterprise had spoken of as charming and affable, with a wicked sense of humor. He'd expected someone like Tom, or maybe Will Riker, who he'd met during a joint ship mission several months ago. Lavelle couldn't be any less charming or affable if he'd tried. As for a sense of humor...forget it.

The lift stopped and Harry straightened as the door opened. Before he could exit an officer stepped hurriedly into the lift, a redhead with a curvaceous build and lieutenant commander pips on her sleeve. Her mouth dropped open at the sight of him. Harry was equally startled. Though he knew Jenny Delaney was assigned to Odyssey, he hadn't expected to run into her so soon. A moment later he was practically slammed back into the railing by her enthusiastic embrace.

"Harry, it's great to see you again!" Jenny said, releasing him as quickly as she'd grabbed him.

"Uh, you too," Harry said, readjusting his uniform.

Jenny laughed. "I'm sorry. I hope I didn't break any ribs. It's just so nice to see a familiar, friendly face."

Harry grinned back. "I'm all in one piece. And the feeling's mutual. Did you just get here?"

"I've been here a couple of hours. I've had the tour, unpacked a little, and I just had my physical. Now I'm on my way to meet Captain La Forge in Astrometrics."

Harry had met Geordi La Forge several days earlier, and he'd been impressed by the captain's graciousness and geniality, as well as his reputation as a brilliant engineer. "I'm looking forward to working for our new captain."

Jenny nodded. "So am I. He's very likable." She made a face. "Though I can't say the same for the first officer."

Harry shook his head. "I guess he was as friendly to you as he was to me."

"He wasn't friendly at all. He said he hoped I would prove to be a good officer, as if he doubted it! I can tell you I certainly wasted my considerable charms on him."

Harry grinned. Sam Lavelle must have a really cold heart not to respond to Jenny's gregarious personality. "Don't worry. It wasn't you."

Jenny sighed. "Good. I was hoping he was surly to everybody, not just to me."

"He's surly to everybody who served on Voyager anyway," Harry said. Fortunately for the rest of the crew, that only meant Jenny and himself.

Jenny looked perplexed. "What?"

"He made a couple of pointed comments. I got the feeling he doesn't hold Voyager or any of its crew in very high regard."

"Then what's he doing on this mission with Voyager II? Does he know that it's being commanded by Captain Janeway, and a couple dozen original crewmembers have signed back on? And that we're going back to the Delta quadrant?"

Harry shrugged. Lavelle obviously did know those facts, but Harry had no idea why the man wanted to go to the Delta quadrant. And he didn't really care.

"Why do some people think we had it so easy on Voyager anyway? I'd like to have switched places with some of them when we were fighting the Kazon, or being invaded by the Hirogen, or facing down the Borg."

Harry agreed with Jenny's irate assessment. "I guess they weren't having much fun here either," he said. Which still wasn't a reason why anyone would think Voyager's crew had been on some sort of pleasure cruise. They might not have been fighting a war, but they'd certainly been in their share of battles. "I'm not going to worry about it though. I'm glad to be here, and I don't plan on letting Commander Lavelle's attitude spoil it for me."

Jenny smiled. "Neither do I."

The lift door was still wide open, and Harry realized Jenny must have hit the hold button before she'd hugged the life out of him. "I should get to sickbay before I'm late for my appointment and our first officer hears about it."

Jenny smirked. "Okay. By the way, you'll like Doctor Ogawa. Her bedside manner is much more pleasant the doctor's-Doctor Zimmerman's, that is. And she assured me she doesn't know how to sing opera, which is a relief."

Harry chuckled as he stepped out of the lift. "Hey," Jenny said, and he turned back to face her. "How about dinner in the mess hall tonight? We can really catch up on what's been going on in each other's lives."

Harry liked that idea. "Sounds great. You can tell me about Command school. And I'd love to hear how Megan is doing."

Jenny's expression softened. "I can tell you her career is going well, and she's deeply in love with a man who adores her. They decided to put off the wedding until the end of the year because of Rick's internship schedule. I'm sorry I'll miss it, but I told Megan she should wait and do it right. Besides I'll be there in spirit."

Harry had heard about the engagement, and he was very glad Megan had found someone who was right for her. "I'm sure she'll send lots of pictures in the datastream. I guess it will be strange for you not having her here."

"It'll be the first time we'll be so far apart." Jenny looked wistful for a moment, then she pasted a bright smile on her face. "But it's time we started living our own lives, don't you think?"

"She's going to be jealous once she hears about your new adventures in the Delta quadrant," Harry teased. "So, eighteen hundred hours in the mess hall?"

Jenny nodded, then winked. "See you then, Commander Kim."

Harry watched the lift close, then strode toward sickbay. He was really happy to have Jenny as a crewmate again. She'd once had a romantic interest in him-something that had intimidated him at the time given his youth and her assertive nature-but that time had long passed, and they'd both gone through a lot of changes. The one-time awkwardness between them had given way to an easy friendship. Sam Lavelle aside, he expected to make more than a few friends on Odyssey, but he valued having an old friend here who had shared so many of his experiences. And he'd missed Jenny's cheerful nature and sunny outlook, more than he'd realized.

"Excuse me, sir."

Harry quickly sidestepped the young ensign who'd burst out of the main sickbay at a near jog. "It wasn't that bad, was it?"

The ensign flushed at Harry's facetious question. "Uh, no. It was fine, but I had to wait awhile. I don't want to be late to the first engineering staff meeting. I hear Lieutenant James is very strict about punctuality."

"I haven't met him yet, Ensign..."

"Hector," the young man supplied quickly.

"Commander Kim," Harry said, introducing himself. "I'm sure Lieutenant James will make allowances for unanticipated delays while we're still in dry-dock."

Ensign Hector looked marginally optimistic. "I hope so, sir."

"Carry on then. And good to meet you, Ensign."

"Yes, sir, you too, sir."

Harry grinned as the ensign fled toward the lift. He walked into sickbay and was almost immediately greeted by a petite dark-haired woman in a lab coat. She gave him a warm, welcoming smile and held out a hand. "I'm Doctor Alyssa Ogawa. And you must be our new Ops officer."

Harry smiled back and shook her hand. Despite her small bones, her grip was strong. "Lieutenant Commander Harry Kim. It's good to meet you."

"Well, Harry Kim, you look very fit and healthy, but we'll go through the motions anyway." Doctor Ogawa motioned toward one of the biobeds. "Have a seat. I understand you came most recently from Enterprise. I served on that ship for a time myself. So did Sam Lavelle. I assume you've met Sam?"

"Yes, ma'am. He just gave me the orientation tour."

If Alyssa Ogawa heard the coolness in Harry's voice she didn't let on. "Enterprise was a great ship, with a wonderful crew. But I must confess, I'm very happy to be serving on Odyssey now. I'm sure there will be a few bumps here and there, but from what I've seen we have an able crew. And I think this trip to the Delta quadrant is going to be a fascinating experience."

Despite at least one bump, Harry couldn't agree more.

"You have a leg up on the rest of us though," Ogawa said as she picked up a medical scanner. "I've read most of the briefings on Voyager's original journey to prepare myself, but I'd love to hear everything you know about the Delta Quadrant."

"Everything?" Harry's lips twitched. "Got a few months?"

Ogawa grinned. "In fact we have, Commander." She moved the scanner over him, and Harry decided he already liked her as she repeated with the satisfaction of someone very content with that prospect, "In fact we have."