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By the time Captain Janeway requested that all off-duty personnel attend a general staff meeting on Holodeck One, Icheb had resigned himself to the fact his life on Voyager was about to end. When he entered the holodeck, he saw Tom's recreation of Chicago's Old Palace Theatre was running. It was a logical program to use, since it required little in the way of adjustments to turn it into an auditorium capable of seating the entire crew. Those who were on duty would listen to the captain's remarks over the ship's comm system. Harry Kim had been given command of the bridge while the meeting took place. It was unusual for an ensign to serve in that capacity, but then, Voyager was an unusual ship. He'd been in command for many shifts during the past few years. Besides, no one expected Harry's frustration over not being promoted to last much longer. Everyone knew he would be named a junior grade lieutenant any day now. Icheb had even heard a betting pool was running for those who believed he'd jump a grade to full lieutenant right away. Not many full lieutenants had as much experience in the command chair as Ensign Harry Kim did.
Icheb took a seat towards the back of the theatre, between Seven and B'Elanna. Tom, cradling little Miral in his arms, sat to B'Elanna's right. Chakotay was standing next to the captain at the front of the auditorium. She was clutching a lecturer's podium as if she needed its support while she addressed her crew. Perhaps she did. Much of what she was likely to share could upset many in her audience.
When the last of the those expected to attend had trickled in and had taken their seats, the captain began, "Welcome, all, to the Alpha Quadrant." She had to wait several seconds for cheering to die down from the Starfleet contingent present. The sound was more subdued than Icheb expected. Then he noticed that all of the Equinox and Val Jean crew members were here in the auditorium. Commander Chakotay must have had to do a considerable amount of tweaking to his duty roster for everyone at a duty station to be one of the Starfleet regulars. Icheb hadn't really thought about why his scheduled shift in Astrometrics had been delayed. Now he understood, and he became a little uneasy. When he saw the Doctor sitting in the first row, his nervousness increased. The EMH had also been summoned to attend the meeting in person. The captain and commander must have information they needed to impart directly to those who would be most affected by whatever the two of them had to say.
When the room quieted, the captain continued, "I'm sure you've all noticed we've been traveling far more slowly than necessary to reach Earth. While I would have advised this in any case, since our return has shocked us almost as much as it has our family and friends, the Admiralty said they wanted time to arrange a proper celebration for our homecoming. Tom, upon my signal, you have permission from the San Francisco City Council and Starfleet Command to swoop Voyager over the Golden Gate Bridge. But you'll have to watch out so you don't fly into any of the fireworks displays they're sending up during the flight. We don't want Voyager shot down by anything as primitive as a sky rocket." Everyone laughed and hooted good naturedly at Tom, who stood up and bowed, with Miral still nestled in his arms. Icheb noted this news was received well by everyone present.
After the laughter died down, she continued, "The fireworks displays will be visible on screens throughout the ship. B'Elanna, I'm granting permission for you to be seated at the Engineering station on the bridge with Miral on your lap. I wouldn't want little Miral to miss this, even though she's unlikely to remember it. Right after you fly over the bridge, Tom, you'll take Voyager back up into the skies and assume Earth orbit.
"I understand the Enterprise has just arrived. Captain Picard has offered to provide substitutes from his crew to man all duty stations whenever necessary for the next few days, so all of us can transport down for the planned festivities. A grand parade and a luncheon will be held in our honor. After the luncheon, we'll return to the ship right away and will remain on Voyager to permit continued debriefing sessions by Starfleet personnel. They'll keep at it until they're satisfied the job is done. After seven years of travel through previously unknown space, they'll have many events and discoveries to review. Please be patient with them. Answer all their questions in full. Be thankful you aren't the ones who'll have to analyze all of that data!"
While her audience chuckled at the image of their inquisitors having to absorb seven years' worth of the strange new worlds, cultures, interstellar phenomenon, and the odd gaseous anomaly encountered in the Delta Quadrant, the captain stepped back and exchanged a sober look with Commander Chakotay. Icheb thought she needed to take a moment to collect herself. As the silence from the command team became a little prolonged, he could hear the rustling of the audience as they moved restlessly in their seats. No one appeared to miss the apparent change of mood of their leaders. Captain Janeway took a moment to survey the audience, as if she wanted to imprint the image of each person's face into her memory. There must be a reason those present were chosen to receive this information directly from the captain and commander. Icheb's apprehension grew.
After the commander spoke for the first time, saying simply, "Everyone, settle down, now. We're almost there," he stepped aside to allow the captain to step up to the podium again. The break must have helped, for this time, she spoke in the commanding tone of voice she usually used.
"Each member of our crew will be given specific instructions on what to expect after his or her debriefing has been completed. Please note, you must be prepared to be debriefed more than once. Some of us will have multiple interviews, with personnel having different areas of expertise asking the questions. I don't need tell you these inquiries may dredge up some very unhappy memories. There's no help for it; we must cooperate with the process. Our journey through the Delta Quadrant was a unique adventure; and although I've been sending out official logs ever since regular contact was initiated with Starfleet Command via Pathfinder, no log entry can ever provide the details the Admiralty believes it needs to know. Answer all their questions as accurately and fully as you can. No subject is off limits in these debriefing sessions - time travel included! I expect to be the one bombarded with most of those inquiries, but they may wish to hear from some of you about your experiences with temporal matters as well.
"Once you are allowed to leave the ship to visit with your own friends and families, however, others will have questions - especially reporters. Do not feel compelled to answer any question put to you which you feel is impertinent or obtrusive, especially regarding one subject about which you must remain silent. If any questions about the Equinox are asked by anyone other than Starfleet staff during a debriefing, your only answer must be, 'I have no information to share about that.' All information about the Equinox has been classified as top secret and is not to be disclosed to anyone without prior authorization from Starfleet Command. I hope I've made myself clear."
The murmuring voices of the crew, combined with their nodding heads, reassured Icheb. He noticed all five of the crew from the Equinox were sitting together, in the same row. They obviously had expected this subject to come up and wanted the support of the others whenever the captain might address the matter which affected them the most.
The captain sighed before making closing remarks. "As I look at you all, I am mindful, of course, of those who were forced to remain at their duty stations during this meeting; but I also recall many faces I wish I could see, or know are at their posts; but they're not and never will be again. I wish everyone who landed at the Caretaker's doorstep had survived and made it back with us. We lost too many of our fellow crew members along the way. They gave their lives so we could be here now, approaching Earth. None of us will ever forget them. I know I never shall.
"If someone asks you a question you feel disinclined to answer, change the subject. Feel free to share a less fraught anecdote which one of those who cannot speak for themselves might have offered instead. There are times to sidestep the inquiries of the merely curious, and I'm sure those we lost wouldn't mind helping you out in this manner. We need to remind the entire Federation, as well as ourselves, how much we honor our lost comrades for their service. We will always remember them. Everyone else should, too."
The entire auditorium erupted in applause. When a few stood up, still clapping, others followed, until the standing ovation had spread to all but one person. That was Tom, who was sitting with his head down over Miral, who'd been awakened by the noise and was adding her own wailing voice to the accolades from the crew. B'Elanna bent down and took her baby from her husband's arms, freeing him to stand and applaud with everyone else. Icheb noticed a tear running down the helmsman's cheek. He hoped he'd remember to ask Tom why he'd reacted that way later, when they might get the chance to go over, in private, everything the captain and commander had said.
Icheb thought the meeting would end at that point, but after a minute or so, the captain waved her hands downward, signaling everyone to take a seat, and ceded the podium to Chakotay.
"I don't think any of you envy me for having to follow that speech of our captain's," he said, initiating another brief spate of applause before he continued his own remarks. "Everything has changed. Thanks to Pathfinder, and to our contacts with the Alpha Quadrant during our Project Watson moments with family and friends during the past several months, we know how profoundly the Dominion War altered everything we thought we knew about what most of us consider our 'home' area of space. Some of us, like Seven of Nine, Icheb, and Naomi, have always considered the Delta Quadrant 'home.' Their lives will undergo an even more radical change now that we've reached our goal. I hope everyone helps them with the difficult transitions they will need to make to life in this quadrant.
"While we will inevitably go our separate ways after all of the debriefings are done and new assignments are given, we should remember one thing. The crucible of our experiences forged a Voyager family. We'll enjoy reunions in the future, I'm sure; but before we get to that happy time when we can meet without worrying about what will come next, some of us will have to undergo trials of a different sort than those we endured during our travels. I've had the chance to speak with many of you over the past few days, but the captain and I have been given more information about how the Admiralty expects to proceed with those of us who were Maquis, and those who served on Equinox. We wish to share what we've been told with the ones who will be most affected. So, the captain has given me the honor of calling an end to this meeting. While Voyager's regular Starfleet crew are now dismissed, we ask the rest of you to remain so we can advise you of what we've learned."
From the worried comments from some of the Starfleet crew members in reaction to this news, Icheb thought many had not considered how differently their crewmates might be treated from the way they would be. Or, perhaps, they were fully aware, but they'd put it out of their minds in the joy of reaching the end of the journey. Many were shaking hands and hugging their friends who were to stay at the meeting. Freddie Bristow sought out Icheb and clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Roomie," he said. "You have nothing to worry about."
When the Starfleet crew had finally sifted out, taking Naomi with them, since, for the purposes of this meeting, she was considered to be Starfleet, Commander Chakotay said, "All Val Jean crew members, please join me in the back of the room. We'll meet there. Our Equinox crew members, along with Thomas Paris, Seven of Nine, Icheb, and the Doctor - please move up front. The captain wishes to speak with you."
After the small group had reassembled next to the podium, with the captain positioned in the center of them, she began, "I don't need to tell you that all of you are special cases. We know the Starfleet crew will be free to leave Voyager fairly soon, after their debriefings are finished. All of you, along with the former Maquis, won't be allowed to leave the ship until the authorities have decided exactly what's going to happen to you. Tom, did your father go over your situation with you during his visit?"
"He told me what I already knew. Before anything else is decided about my future, I'll have my Out-Mate Review - the one I was supposed to have six years ago. You promised to speak up for me when you 'recruited' me for this 'short trip' into the Badlands, if you recall, Captain." Everyone laughed at this reminder, relieving a little of the tension, Icheb thought. A little, but not a lot.
"And I will do just that, Mr. Paris. I'll have lots more to tell them than I would have six years ago, I can tell you that."
"Some of it good, I hope," Tom said, a smile on his face, and everyone tittered again. His record on Voyager did have a few blots, but overall he'd done so well, no one doubted his prison days were over. His days as a provisional Starfleet officer, however, were very much in doubt. Icheb wondered if Tom really wanted to stay in the service after everything that had happened. He suspected he would, if B'Elanna was allowed to remain.
"Once your review is over, you'll be free to leave the ship, I suspect. However, I don't know how long Commander Chakotay's former crew will have to wait until they're free to go."
"Understood, Captain. As long as B'Elanna is here, I will be, too. I refuse to be separated from my family until all of us are free to go wherever we wish."
She slowly nodded her head, a rueful smile on her face. Obviously, that was the response she'd expected from her "personal reclamation project." Turning to Seven and Icheb, the captain said, "Icheb, I understand several professors from the Academy are eager to interview you as soon as your Starfleet Command debriefings have been completed. Some may not want to wait even that long. Tuvok has recommended you receive credit for everything you've accomplished since your arrival on Voyager, not just for course work you've completed since you were officially accepted by the Academy. He's gone on record that you've achieved second-year level, which would make you a member of the Class of 2380. The professors will decide if this is appropriate. Once they've decided where to place you, you'll receive a class schedule and a room on campus."
Seven regarded Icheb warmly, with her mouth pursed in the way he had learned was her way of wordlessly expressing pride in him. He was happy with all that the captain had related, but he still had a few important questions he needed answered. "Captain, have you heard anything about my status in the Federation?"
The captain glanced over at Seven, who moved her head ever so slightly, as if to give the captain permission to speak. That struck Icheb as strange until he heard what the captain had to convey. "I was going to let Seven inform you of that, Icheb. Since you've asked me, however, I'll tell you that your interviews will include one with an official from the local Office of the Courts. Since you will reside in San Francisco for the immediate future, that will be where your adoption hearing is to be held. I understand that should occur within the next few weeks. Starfleet Command has requested your case be expedited, and I see no reason why it shouldn't be. Marla, that goes for Aimee's hearing as well. Yours actually will take place within the next few days, I understand, since the hearing had been scheduled to occur sometime this week even before our sudden return to this quadrant. The only reason Icheb's will take a little longer is that Icheb will be asked to express his opinion about whether or not he wishes to be adopted by Seven before his hearing can take place."
"Of course I want her to adopt me!" Icheb declared.
Everyone laughed as Seven placed her arm around his shoulders and gave him the slightest of hugs. The captain grinned and said, "We know that, of course. The courts insist on knowing it, too. They're just following their protocols. And Seven, Marla, since both of you are citizens, I've also been assured that Federation citizenship will also be conferred officially on Icheb and Aimee as soon as the adoptions are finalized."
"That's a relief," Marla said, giving her daughter a soft kiss on the brow. "Aimee will have a family to care for her, no matter what happens to me. My sister will be her substitute guardian."
The captain's smile faded a little, and she sighed deeply before saying, "That brings me to you, and to your former crewmates." The captain looked from Marla, to Noah, and then to Jim, Brian, and Angelo. "I haven't been given any information at all about what to expect for the five of you, other than the fact that all information about what happened on Equinox has been classified and is not to be discussed with anyone other than official representatives from Starfleet Command. I don't think I need to remind you that some unscrupulous reporters misrepresent themselves in attempts to gain a 'scoop.' If anyone should question you outside of debriefing sessions, don't answer them unless you've seen that person's credentials and are certain they're genuine. To be safe, I would refuse to answer anyone without the presence of Chakotay, or me, or your assigned legal counselor. Protecting you from difficulties on that score is a major reason the crew is required to remain on board Voyager until such time as they're given specific permission to leave. We may be asked to testify on your behalf. I know for a fact that several of your crewmates who are likely to be allowed to leave Voyager fairly quickly have requested the right to remain on board so they'll be available to do this for you, as well as for our Maquis crew."
"Captain, does this have anything to do with what my sister told me about the efforts of the families of Captain Ransom and Lieutenant Burke for Starfleet to give commendations to them for their 'heroism' in the Delta Quadrant?"
The captain looked towards the ceiling, as if asking for the strength to answer Marla's query. "I expect it does, although I haven't been given any official word about it." She looked at the rest of the Equinox Five in turn and saw them shaking their heads. It was obvious to Icheb they all knew about this rumor, either from their own family contacts or from Marla telling them about her sister's information. "If they ask me for my recommendation, I doubt I'll give one. For them to be singled out for such an honor, under the circumstances, would be ludicrous. However, I will do it if it means all of you will be given commendations as well. At the very least, you deserve pardons for the actions you took under their direction. To free you from punishment, I'd swallow my scruples. Unfortunately, I seriously doubt those in power will agree to my precondition. The Admiralty will do what they will do when it comes to your former commanding officers. Frankly, they'll be after me for more than a few messy decisions I made when we were all alone out there, but I do want you to know I'll support you to my last breath - if they let me."
Icheb exhaled suddenly. Until then, he hadn't realized he'd been holding his own breath for the last part of this speech. He'd never heard the captain speak of what had happened during the encounter with the other "lost in space" Starfleet ship before, and he didn't miss the way Captain Janeway maintained eye contact with Noah Lessing while she talked about the Admiralty's questions about her, either. Having reviewed the logs, Icheb realized one of her "messy decisions" had been the way she'd threatened Noah with death if he didn't provide answers to her questions after he was captured while on an Equinox away mission. She'd removed Commander Chakotay from his duties when he tried to stop her from carrying out her threat, too. He'd heard she'd later admitted it wasn't her "finest hour."
It had never occurred to Icheb before that Captain Janeway might be in as precarious a situation as the others who were in this room at this moment. Her actions would be judged by those who had never been in as extreme a situation she'd been - or that Rudy Ransom had been, either. It was a sobering revelation.
No one else said a word after the captain's declaration until she herself turned to the Doctor and said, briskly, "I hope it goes without saying that I will be fighting tooth and nail for you to receive the status of a 'person' and citizen of the Federation, Doctor. Personally, I don't care if that status is conferred on any other photonic being at this point, although I'm certain there are others who would qualify. I'm confidant you'll do the fighting for all of them if necessary. Admiral Paris told me Doctor Zimmerman has already contacted the Admiralty about when you'll be free to visit him on Jupiter Station. I believe Starfleet Medical has also requested you come there for an extensive period to 'download' all you've learned in the Delta Quadrant. The fact you were able to heal your creator from an exotic medical condition they'd considered incurable has not escaped their notice. We'll let them hammer out an agreement, but I want you to relax. You're not going to be decompiled or sent to any garbage handling facility on my watch, I assure you."
"I'm gratified to hear that, Captain," the Doctor replied. "Although I may wish to visit some of those facilities to assess the conditions there. I'm sure they're appalling, and my brothers will need my support in their own fight for recognition."
"I'm sure you will, Doctor - eventually. One thing, though. Please be careful how you communicate your experiences on Voyager to those who aren't already in the know."
After the round of laughter died down, the Doctor said, "Don't worry. Any future holodeck programs will look nothing at all like the original version of 'Photons, Be Free.'" The EMH managed to look apologetic at the same time he was preening at the captain's support of his program. Icheb didn't understand how the Doctor could convey both at the same time. Apparently Icheb's own ability to recognize conflicting emotions still needed some work.
The captain closed their meeting-within-a-meeting with, "Like the commander said, we're family. We're all in this together, people. Remember that. I know I will."
Icheb was sure he would, also.
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