=/\=

The morning following "Quinton's" departure, Icheb received a very conventional visual message from him.

Hey, Itchy,

I managed to sneak away from the old man long enough to tell my mother all about my vacation. (It helps when you can show her everything that happened in less than one of your seconds.) Anyway, she said humans on Earth expect some sort of thank you from a guest after a visit like mine. I pointed out that you weren't human, but that didn't impress her at all. Personally, I think she's been observing primitive bipedal humanoids more than she's been willing to admit to my father. Or maybe it's just that she really likes you. You're a good influence, she says.

We had a great weekend, but I have to say, attending classes with you and your suitemates was a totally new experience for me. Maybe if I can get Dad into reasonable shape for a while someday, I'll have a chance to get away and enroll in a school somewhere just for fun. So, thanks, Icheb. And thank Austin, Farys, and especially Verit for me, too. It's been real . . . I guess that's all I have to say, huh? It HAS been real.

Your friend, Quinton the Q-Ball

=/\=

Stardate 55103.1 Personal Log Entry, Cadet Icheb Hansen

I just returned from another "Welcome Home, Voyager" reception. Everyone I spoke with hoped this one would be the last one for a while. Tom said he's tired of them and just wants to get on with his life. While he and B'Elanna do have another fancy dinner to attend in a couple of weeks, that one isn't a "Welcome Home" event. It's one his mother holds every year to raise awareness and funds for her charity work aiding displaced people in the area torn by the Dominion War. After that's over, though, Tom and B'Elanna insist they'll decline all invitations for "Rubber Chicken" evenings. B'Elanna told me she was tired of them the first week they were back.

I was glad to see all five of our Equinox crew were present, but this may be the last time I will. Brian, Jim, and Angelo have all signed on to commercial spaceships which will ship out at various times during the next two weeks. Noah is interviewing for jobs on Earth. He's up for one in Vancouver, British Columbia, at a biotech firm. His experience as an exobotanist on Voyager was key for him securing an interview. Since Captain Janeway gave him a positive reference, it looks good for him. Marla's going to start her new job in two days. It's in San Francisco, so she'll be able to live with her sister until she finds an apartment. She told everyone to keep her in mind if they hear of a suitable place. While she loves living with her sister, she says it's time for her to make a home of her own with Aimee.

Seven and I were seated at the same table as Naomi's family, Tal Celes, Billy Telfer, and Mortimer Harren. We won't be seeing Tal or Mortimer for a while after this, if ever. Tal is traveling home to Bajor on the same ship Tabor and his wife Orlanda Jor are taking to visit his family. Mortimer has finally been invited to join the staff at the Institute of Cosmology on Orion I, his" dream job." He'll be leaving the day after tomorrow. Billy will remain here. He's going for training as a Field Medic at Starfleet Medical Academy. It wasn't very nice, but I laughed when he told me that. Fortunately, I wasn't the only one who did. Billy took it well. "I know all about hypochondria already," he admitted. "I finally decided I should find out how to treat all those conditions I was so afraid of catching while I was on Voyager!"

I wasn't very impressed with Libby Byrd, Harry's former and possibly future fiancée. When Naomi and I were introduced to her, she was cordial, but as soon as she saw Admiral Paris with his wife on his arm, she wasted no time saying good-bye to us. She dragged Harry over to Tom's parents so he could introduce her to the admiral. I looked over at Tom and B'Elanna. They were whispering to each other, and both had grim expressions on their faces.

Later on, I went up to Tom and asked him if he could tell me what he was saying to his wife just then. "I told her my parents were really in for it now that the widow Byrd had met them. Did you see how she was hovering near them even after my dad turned away to speak with Captain Janeway? I just don't understand why Harry would go back to her after all this time. He's not the same guy he was seven years ago. From what I've seen, Libby hasn't grown up much at all, despite losing her husband. She seems really shallow to me. But what do I know?"

"Maybe it's just that you like the really complicated ones," Icheb replied.

"B'Elanna would qualify, I admit that!" Tom laughed. "I don't really understand their relationship, any more than I do Seven and Chakotay's. Icheb, did they really get together on Voyager, before we came through the Transwarp Hub?"

I told him they did. I wasn't sure if I should say anything more, but since Seven wasn't near me right then, I added, "It's been going on for a couple of months. Seven had her emotional inhibitor chip removed so they could begin their relationship." I was tempted to add something about the admiral's letter, but I decided against it. That's my secret to keep, and Seven's. As far as I know, she hasn't even told Chakotay about what happened in the other timeline.

Chakotay returned from his sister's two days ago. He seems to have made up with Seven after their fight. Last weekend I helped her move into a little house across the bay, located not far from the Academy campus. He moved in with her when he came back to San Francisco, but I still wonder how stable their union is. He sat on the dais next to Captain Janeway tonight, and every time I looked up at them, they were smiling and chatting very easily with each other. Whenever I looked back at my mother, she was watching them, too, but with a very stony expression on her face. While Seven looked beautiful in her elegant gown, I got the impression she'd rather have been in Astrometrics, or maybe checking out schematics for the new and improved propulsion systems for the Delta Flyer Project she's working on with Harry. Anyplace but here.

At least we had a very good time at our table, especially when we were talking about the naming conventions of Bajor and Ktaris. Tal Celes was very funny, explaining that the captain never seemed to remember that she should be called Ensign Tal when she was on duty. She always called her Ensign Celes. "I think Tabor had the right idea. He asked Chakotay not to let the captain know his personal name in the beginning. By the time she found out it was Daneil, she already had 'Ensign Tabor' stuck in her mind and never called him anything else."

Naomi's dad, Lieutenant Commander Greskrendtregk, explained that if Ktarian naming conventions had been followed exactly, Naomi's name would be Naomigreskrendwildman. When she heard that, Naomi groaned loudly and banged her head on the table, which really hurt her. Those little projections on her forehead are extremely sensitive. Her father explained that after the personal designation is chosen, the father's first two names and mother's last are tacked on after it to form a single unique name.

"I decided to split things up a little," Sam explained. "Her full name is Naomi Greskrend Wildman, but I never publicized her full name on Voyager. I believe the captain and the Doctor are the only ones who ever knew what the 'G' in Naomi G. Wildman stood for."

"Did you mind what Mom did, Dad?" Naomi asked.

"Not really, Naomi. Ktarians usually have single syllable names. After our marriage, your mother's name became Samanthawildmantregk on my planet. That IS a mouthful. I'm pleased she made sure your name would include mine, and in the right order according to our practice. Having it spaced out a bit to make it easier for non-Ktarians to manage doesn't matter to me."

When the "Rubber Chicken" speeches began, Naomi and I slipped away to a side room in the hall so we could speak in private. She said her parents are very "lovey-dovey" at home. "He really is very nice, but having a dad around all the time is a big adjustment . He's trying to get to know me, and I'm trying to get to know him. But it bothers me whenever I hear him tell my mom how sad he is that he missed so much of my life. It's not like they could have done anything to prevent it. She didn't know she was pregnant when she boarded Voyager!"

When we returned to our seats, I noticed Captain Janeway touching Chakotay's arm, laughing with him. He was grinning along with her. My mom scowled up at them, and I thought again she's just so different from Chakotay in every way. If Naomi thinks her adjustment with her dad is tough, what's it going to be like for me if Seven marries Chakotay in this timeline, too?

=/\=

Shortly after Tom and B'Elanna began working on the Delta Flyer Project with Harry and Seven, Icheb was invited to come visit their work site. As she'd promised she would, Seven stepped down from a leadership position on the project as soon as Tom and B'Elanna arrived. While the two were now the co-leaders of the project. Harry continued to be designated as the official "liaison" with the "brass."

"I'll bet Harry is just so happy about that," Icheb said sarcastically.

"Actually, he is. He believes the visibility he will achieve with the Starfleet administration will work in his favor. He's still very sensitive about the length of time he remained at the rank of ensign."

When he arrived at the project headquarters, Icheb discovered he wasn't the only person scheduled to visit that day. Captain Janeway came in with Chakotay shortly after Icheb did. As soon as they did, Captain Janeway made an announcement. "I'd like to present Starfleet's newest captain! Chakotay has been reinstated to Starfleet, and he's accepted a well-deserved promotion. Captain Chakotay will teach Anthropology at the Academy during the late spring and summer sessions."

Everyone congratulated him, of course, but Icheb could see his adoptive mother was perturbed by the announcement. Icheb suspected this was the first time she was hearing about this. Icheb wasn't surprised by the promotion. After the way he performed as Janeway's loyal first officer, Chakotay should have proven to the Admiralty that he was Starfleet "through and through." What did surprise Icheb was why Chakotay chose to talk over such an important decision with his sister before accepting such an offer. If he was truly committed to his relationship with Seven, shouldn't he have discussed this with her?

Icheb kept this observation to himself. When he congratulated Captain Chakotay, who was standing next to Captain Janeway at the time, he jokingly asked if he should take any of their classes. Captain Janeway laughed, saying, "You could teach my class on the Borg!"

Chakotay's answer was very different, even if he gave it with a smile. "If you're interested in anthropology, sure; but don't expect any special favors just because you're Seven's son."

Icheb laughed politely, but the more he thought about the comment, the more annoyed he became. Did Chakotay really think he'd need to get "special favors" to pass an Anthropology course? Maybe it was just a joke, but Icheb didn't care for the implications. He immediately decided his time would be much better spent taking other classes, such as Inter-stellar Ethnology or Interspecies Ethics. Even Klingon Physiology would be preferable. Who knew? Once he became a Field Medic, he might need to treat Klingons.

=/\=

Stardate 55123.1 Personal Log Entry, Cadet Icheb Hansen

Tom and B'Elanna invited me to attend his mother's charity event for the Desdichado Foundation. They help the families of the Maquis with food, housing, and medical care, among other services. Their primary focus is on the children, many of whom are orphans. I always thought Mrs. Paris was very nice. She had a lot of influence over her son, especially in the development of a sense of humor. (According to Reg, Admiral Paris has never been known for much of one.) When I heard her speak, however, I was even more impressed with her. Hers wasn't a "Rubber Chicken" type of speech. It was very short and sweet. She thanked everyone for their support for the foundation in this and in former years. Tom explained she traveled to Bajor for the first time when she thought Tom was lost to her. The idea for the Desdichado Foundation came to her during that first visit, as a way to help others who had lost family members during the region's conflicts. After she found out Tom was alive, she became even more motivated to help those who hadn't been so lucky as she'd been to discover someone they loved had survived, beyond all expectations.

She introduced the keynote speaker, a Bajoran vedek who works with her. Vedek Rikaar was a powerful orator. I was never bored listening to her speech. When I told her afterwards how much I enjoyed it, she congratulated me about how well I was doing at the Academy. I guess Mrs. Paris must have told her a little about me.

B'Elanna came over to my date Verit and me after the speech was over and explained that Vedek Rikaar and her husband were both former Maquis. They were able to come to this dinner because they'd received pardons from the Federation, too. B'Elanna knew the vedek. They'd been in Chakotay's cell for a short time, but Vedek Rikaar left shortly after Tom Paris was captured. "She and Tom were best friends at the Academy. They both had it rough after graduation, but since she met her husband Rikaar Tomas and had her little boy Tommy, things are going very well for her. Tom's mother has 'adopted' the vedek and her family. Little Tommy calls her 'Grammy.'"

"B'Elanna, I was under the impression you never knew Tom in the Maquis. Is that true?" Icheb asked her.

"No, I never met him then. I was on a different planet than the one we used for our base renovating a ship when Tom and the vedek ran into each other again there. She kept us apart because she wasn't sure if Chakotay would accept Tom into our cell. We were leaving the other planet to return to our base when he was captured by Starfleet. We lost the ship he was on, but the rest of us escaped in the one I'd fixed up. I still can't believe I swallowed all the lies Seska told me about him when we were bugging out of our base camp. I found out later he sacrificed himself so the rest of us could get away. He told Laren . . . I mean, Larys, that since he didn't really know anything about the Maquis plans, his capture would be less damaging than ours would be."

After B'Elanna left us, Verit turned to me and said, "Have you noticed how much Rikaar Tomas looks like Commander Riker of the Enterprise? The resemblance is quite extraordinary."

"I have. It's amazing. If he wasn't a Bajoran, I would think he was the commander's twin brother!"

After Verit and I returned to our suite, we speculated about how a Starfleet officer, even one who had resigned her commission to join the Maquis, would decide to join a religious order. It must be quite a story. If the vedek is so close to Tom's family, I may be able to find out more about it from one of them someday.

=/\=

Several days after the Desdichado Foundation dinner, Verit asked her suitemate for a favor. "I've decided to study of the genomes of various species for my major term project in Exobiology. Since you are the only known representative of your species in the Alpha Quadrant, would you be willing to share a DNA sample for my paper? It would be fascinating to compare yours with other species in the Federation."

"Of course. I have a PADD in which I've documented the genomes of many other Delta Quadrant species. You can borrow it, if you like. Your project would be unique if you included the Hirogen or Talaxians in your study."

"That would be most beneficial. I must confess, I had considered whether or not to ask if you had such a resource you would be willing to share with me. Since you're offering . . ."

"No problem. Let me find one. I have a few PADDs with that kind of information in them."

When he reached the shelf with his PADDs, he was pleased to see the first contained just the type of records she would find most helpful. When he handed it over to her, she said, "Thank you very much, Icheb. I will, of course, cite you as a source in my project report."

Icheb chuckled. "It would be fairly obvious to your professor what the source of your information was, but thank you. I would expect nothing less from you, Verit."

Since Icheb was due to leave for a class right after Verit made her request, he'd only glanced at the PADD's list of contents when he checked to see if it contained what she needed for her project. There were other files, too, identified only by the Stardate each one had been saved. Icheb used such a code for many of his files. Since he was in a hurry, he didn't take the time to identify exactly what data all the other files contained. If he'd done so, he might have chosen another to lend to Verit, who was fully capable of appreciating the importance of what her suitemate had shared with her. Some of those other files were backup copies from a very important gene resequencing project he'd undertaken, one which formed a critical component of the plan which led to Voyager's return to the Alpha Quadrant.

=/\=