Uninspired Voyages

A Star Trek: Voyager fanfiction by Andrew J. Talon

DISCLAIMER: This is a non-profit fan based work of prose. Star Trek: Voyager, Deep Space Nine, The Next Generation et al are the property of CBS Television, Para creation of Gene Roddenberry. Please support the official release.

New arc continue!

Shepherd, Mari and Kes took to the couch. Neelix paced in front of them, his hands held tightly behind his back. The Talaxian turned and took a deep breath.

"Ah, so... Shepherd? You're a spy, yes?"

"Last I checked," Shepherd deadpanned. Neelix nodded.

"You've... Lied, right?"

"Yessss...?" Shepherd prompted.

Kes sighed.

"Why don't you just tell us what's wrong, Neelix?" She asked. Kes looked up and smiled. "I mean, you did promise to take me to see your homeworld."

"Ah... Did I?" Neelix asked, nervously scratching his bristles.

"And you are a war hero," Kes went on further. "You fought in the hopeless war against the Haakonian Order! You told me about all the campaigns! All your medals! All your awards! Why wouldn't you be eager to get home? To a hero's welcome?"

Mari gasped and grinned.

"A hero's welcome?! Wonderful!" She cried. "What do they serve at those?"

"Neelix," Shepherd began slowly, "perhaps you should tell us the truth about why you are so anxious."

"The truth?" Neelix squeaked. "When has there ever been a time for the truth?!"

"Whatever you are anxious about, the truth will come out the moment we reach Talax Prime," Shepherd pointed out. "Drawing it out will not change that fact. If we have the facts of your situation, we can do something about it. If we don't have the facts, we can do nothing. If you want our help, we must know the full truth of the situation."

Shepherd leaned back on the couch. He felt Kes and Mari's stares, and sighed.

"I have a Vulcan girlfriend. You pick up stuff," he explained.

"Ah... W-Well," Neelix tried.

Shepherd, Kes, and Mari all stared intensely at Neelix. The Talaxian trembled. He took more deep breaths, as though he was trying to convince himself to jump out of a shuttle.

"... I lied," Neelix admitted.

Kes' eyes widened.

"About what?" Kes asked, her voice becoming soft and dangerous.

"About..." Neelix sagged, "everything. The battles, the fights... The whole war..." Neelix shut his eyes tightly. "I... Deserted." He looked down at the carpeted deck. "It meant a death sentence, if I ever came back. But I... I deserted." He took another deep breath.

Kes stared. Shepherd's expression didn't change. Mari felt incredibly uncomfortable, crossing her legs and scooting to the far side of the couch.

"You... You deserted because you thought the war was unjust, didn't you?" Kes asked. "I mean, you said that you didn't agree with it-"

"I didn't," Neelix admitted, suddenly angry, "dozens of generations of my family were put into the ground, branches on the Sacred Tree, and for what?! For a bunch of old men to try and reclaim what we never had in the first place?!" Neelix came back to himself, and looked away.

"But the truth is," Neelix admitted, "I... I deserted because I was a coward. I... I was afraid. Of dying." Neelix slumped in front of them. "and now I'm... Gonna die. I don't know what to do."

Kes trembled furiously as she stared at her clenched hands. Shepherd remained unmoving, even as Mari slid off the armrest and behind the couch. Finally, the blonde Ocampan looked up, her eyes burning in rage.

"You lied to me, over and over," Kes snarled, "and now you're asking for help?!"

"K-Kes, darling," Neelix tried, but Kes was on her feet and her hand was flying.

CRACK!

Neelix reeled back from the slap, his eyes low. Kes breathed hard, her fists clenched as she clearly resisted doing anything further.

"You lied to me about everything!" Kes shouted. "About being a hero! About loving your homeworld! You built up my hopes-Did you even love me?! Or did you just give me water so you'd have someone who would believe your lies?!"

"I-I really-I didn't-!" Neelix tried, but the blonde Ocampa stormed out of Shepherd's quarters. "KES! WAIT-!"

Shepherd was on his feet and rested a hand on Neelix's forearm.

"Neelix," he said gently, "don't. You won't solve anything when she's this mad."

"I'll talk to her!" Mari said, rushing out after Kes... Though not as quickly as she could have. Shepherd honestly couldn't blame her.

Neelix sighed, looking down at the deck again.

"I deserved that," he admitted, "I deserve so much worse-"

"Now now," Shepherd said, patting Neelix on the back, "it could have been a lot worse. Tuvok's been teaching her how to make heads explode."

Neelix looked up in shock.

"They-Vulcans can do that?!"

Shepherd nodded.

"Oh yeah," Shepherd said, "the fact she didn't do that is a good thing."

Neelix sighed.

"Maybe she should have-"

"Hey hey!" Shepherd cried, grabbing Neelix's shoulders and turning him around, "this is no time for self pity! Look, I get it Neelix: You had nothing, and you wanted to charm a pretty girl. A lot of males have done stupider shit for less. You did rescue her, too. So that's nice. But let's focus on the here and now. We need to figure something out." He patted Neelix's shoulder.

"We just need to tell the captain-"

"Tell the captain?!" Neelix cried, "are you insane?!"

Shepherd still smiled, but the grip on Neelix's shoulder became almost painful. The Talaxian winced.

"I-I mean, tell the captain, of course! Of course!"

"Relax Neelix," Shepherd said, patting Neelix on the shoulder more gently, "we've got a few days before we reach Talax Prime. We can talk to the captain, ease her into things, and come up with a brilliant plan to save your skin."

"You-You'd do that for me?" Neelix asked, looking up at Shepherd in awe, "even after all the trouble I've caused?"

Shepherd scratched the side of his nose, looking aside.

"Eh... I won't let a man who helped save me and my crew die without trying something. If I didn't do anything, that kind of guilt would spoil a meal later. Who wants that?"

Neelix sniffled, and then threw himself into Shepherd's chest, hugging him tightly.

"May the Tree bless you, Shepherd! Bless you!"

"Yeah, uh, thanks," Shepherd managed, patting him on the head. He pushed the little Talaxian away. "Okay. Look, let's go talk to the captain-"

"Janeway to Neelix," the captain spoke over the commbadge, making Neelix jump.

"Ah! Y-yes, Captain?" Neelix answered.

"Good news," Janeway said, "the Talaxian head of state is approaching. Meet me in Transporter Room 2 in ten minutes."

"Ah... Uh... Ewah..." Neelix tried, looking faint.

"Neelix? Is everything all right?" Janeway asked. Shepherd leaned in.

"Ahem, he's fine Captain! He was just paying me a visit to cheer me up!" Shepherd said, "he'll be there on time!"

"Good to know Shepherd. Janeway out."

Neelix made a sound Shepherd was reasonably sure no male of any species should make.

"I-I just have to make it to my ship and I can-!"

"Neelix," Shepherd said, "I've gone down that road. You can't just run away from this. Besides, we'd have to hunt you down!"

"I-I could escape!" Neelix insisted.

Shepherd stared intently at Neelix. The Talaxian wilted.

"Okay, I couldn't," he said, "but I could try-I could run-!"

Shepherd sighed and shook his head.

"Neelix, no one's going to kill you on this ship while I'm around," he said, "so just calm. Down. We'll go to the meeting, they'll say you should be executed as a traitor, blah blah blah, and we'll come up with a plan."

"You-You will?" Neelix asked. Shepherd nodded.

"I'm a spy, remember? I've been running rings around heads of state for ages. We may be on the other side of the galaxy but there's nothing I haven't seen, okay?"

Neelix managed a nod.

"Oh... Okay," he replied, taking deep breaths. Shepherd smiled.

"Now, if you'll just help me get my dress uniform...?"

Exactly eight minutes later, Shepherd arrived with an extremely nervous Neelix in tow. Janeway and Chakotay were already there, with Gul Bartatt alongside. Janeway raised an eyebrow as Shepherd shuffled up alongside her, and Neelix alongside him and behind the tall human.

"Mister Shepherd," Janeway muttered, "I was sure you were supposed to rest."

"It's okay," Shepherd said with a nod and a wink, "Neelix is helping me out. Besides, it's a big deal for him! First time home in forever! How could I not come along?"

Janeway sighed and shook her head.

"You really won't listen to reason, will you?"

"I did see him charge a line of armed Kazon with nothing but a piece of sharp metal," Bartatt said, "reason does not seem to be part of his existence."

"Captain," Shepherd whined, "Gul Bartatt is making fun of your chief of security! Defend my honor!"

Janeway rolled her eyes.

"What's to defend?" She muttered. "And can you please show some respect when speaking to other ship commanders?"

"I honestly prefer this, Captain," the Gul said, "it is refreshing after dealing with so many mealy mouthed Starfleet diplomats. A bit of coarseness is much appreciated."

"I actually agree," Chakotay said with a smile.

"We'll talk about this later," Janeway growled softly, putting on her diplomatic smile as the transporter engaged. A single Talaxian female materialized in the center, surrounded by several Talaxian males in elaborate and garish purple and red clothing. The woman herself was dressed in light blue, with orange splashes of color across her elaborate dress. She carried a fan, and wore glasses. She smiled graciously as she stepped forward, bowing politely. The rest of her entourage followed suit.

"Captain Janeway," she spoke, "it is an honor to meet you. I am Larxeena, President of the Reformed Talaxian Confederacy."

The Starfleet and Cardassian representatives responded in the same way.

"Madam President, it is our honor," Janeway replied, "I will admit, we were surprised that you decided to come and meet us in person."

Larxeena laughed softly, the sound like the ringing of delicate bells.

"I have had few reasons lately to leave Talax Prime, and meeting visitors from the other side of the galaxy seems quite the auspicious occasion," she said. Her smile became a bit impish.

"Though I confess," she said, pushing her glasses up, "I had a personal reason."

"Oh?" Janeway asked, "what would that be?"

"You mentioned your guide," she said, "a Neelix of Rinax? Son of Eximar and Axa?"

Neelix had been shaking like a leaf in a gale behind Shepherd during this entire exchange. It was at this point Neelix poked his head out, resembling a hedgehog investigating the outside of his burrow.

"Yes, he's been very helpful to us," Janeway said, "what of him?"

"Wait..." Neelix frowned as he stared at the President. His eyes then widened. "Larxeena? Larxeena of Raxo Town?!"

"NEE-NEE!" The President cried, reaching out and wrapping her arms around Neelix. She brought the surprised Neelix into a deep, passionate kiss. Her entourage barely reacted, while Starfleet and Cardassian alike gaped in shock.

Save for Shepherd, who merely raised an eyebrow.

"Okay," he said, "I stand corrected: I haven't seen everything... Yet."

Shepherd honestly wasn't sure why Captain Janeway had asked him to join the meeting with the President, her chief of staff, Neelix and the other captains. Perhaps she wanted to punish him somehow, believing he had made this entire situation possible.

Which was flattering, but it wasn't true. No way in hell would he have come up with something this... Slice of Life-ish.

They had met in the conference room, President Larxeena holding Neelix's hand and keeping him by her side as she excitedly shared her tale. Her chief of staff, a tall Talaxian in an equally tall hat, sat nearby in silence.

"I was a minor princess of a small noble house," she explained, "and I grew up on Rinax with Nee-Nee! We were childhood friends." She sighed happily as she gazed at Neelix with a deeply loving expression. Neelix laughed nervously.

"Ah, yes, we went to the same schools," he admitted, "and my parents did some work on their estate from time to time. Uh, I tried to stay in contact when I became a model but, you know-"

"A model," Chakotay stated in a perfectly neutral tone. Larxeena nodded eagerly, a slight blush on her cheeks.

"Yes," she said, "I collected every magazine, every holovid-His entire career!" She leaned in to nuzzle Neelix. "I was so proud of you achieving your dreams!"

"Ah, yes, well... Un-Until the war came," Neelix stuttered, looking nervously over at the tall Talaxian chief of staff. He remained perfectly stoic, simply staring back at Neelix. The President smiled and laughed gently.

"It's all right, Nee-Nee. General Roxas is my most trusted advisor. He means you no harm."

"And why would he feel a need to harm you, Neelix?" Janeway asked in her very best 'don't fuck with me I'm the Captain' voice. Bartatt too looked curious, in a morbid sort of way. Neelix gathered his wits, and opened his mouth.

"Ah, well, you see-"

"He deserted," Larxeena said. Neelix winced in shame, but Larxeena squeezed his hand. "It's all right, Nee-Nee! We removed the death sentence, and declared a general amnesty for all deserters after the war!"

"Desertion," Bartatt said, "why?"

Neelix closed his eyes.

"It was... Well," he tried. General Roxas spoke up now, his voice deep and grave.

"Because he did not want to throw his life away simply for the obsession of the Emperor and the Cabal," he stated.

"The politics of this area of space are a bit of a mystery to us in some ways," Janeway said, eyeing Neelix dangerously, "we know you were at war with the Haakonians and they won, but the particulars are sketchy at best."

Neelix tried to sink into his chair, but once again, Larxeena was there to rescue him.

"The Imperial Family and the military elite of our world had been rewriting history for the last few centuries, Captain," she explained, "to make it seem as though our trade empire was something we had won with conquest, not simply being good merchants. They blamed the collapse of our empire on a lack of 'fighting spirit' and tried to force us into being a martial culture." Larxeena sighed deeply. "Towards the end of the war with the Haakonians, things were horrifically bad. Half the people on our planet were starving due to the Haakonian blockade, and the elites taking most of the food supplies for themselves. Our children were being trained to be suicide bombers against the Haakonian invasion. Any dissenters who wanted to accept the Haakonian's repeated offers to end the conflict if we'd just surrender, even with favorable terms, were arrested, imprisoned or executed for treason!"

She closed her eyes tightly, letting out a long sigh.

"Even after the Haakonians sent our leaders the test data and footage of their Metreon Cascade Superweapon, a weapon capable of killing every living thing on a planet at once, they refused to give in. They were willing to get us all killed for their pride."

"I see," Janeway said quietly, looking at Neelix with a slight bit more sympathy. Neelix looked at the President in wonder, clearly unaware of most of this.

"So... The Metreon Cascade-?"

"It was their effort to end the war without killing all of us," Larxeena said, "use it on Rinax and demonstrate to us all just what we faced if we didn't stop." She let out a long, sad sigh. "Even that wasn't enough. The Emperor and most of his cabal were willing to fight to the bitter end. Take us all with them... If not for General Roxas." She looked to the elder Talaxian, who nodded slowly. Neelix stared at him in amazement.

"You... What did you-?"

"I gathered all the men loyal to me," Roxas said slowly, "and put the military leaders under arrest. They and the Emperor resisted... We were forced to kill them all." He closed his eyes tightly, "but it was our only option to survive."

"I-I'd heard the Emperor had died, but... But I heard it was suicide!" Neelix gasped. Roxas shook his head, as Larxene worried her lower lip.

"It was what we had to tell the people to avoid any further bloodshed," Larxeena said. She looked to Janeway, and bowed her her apologetically. "I am sorry, Captain. Our world must seem a strange and brutal place to people like you-"

"No, it's quite all right," Janeway replied, "our own worlds in the Federation had bloody histories. We were able to move past these, to build a peaceful, thriving and free civilization. Sometimes we forget how brutal the past really was. But, building a better future isn't easy. And we're glad to meet other races that too are pushing themselves to improve and create a peaceful future."

Larxeena almost looked relieved, before her presidential face re-emerged.

"It is good to meet other species that understand," she said, "my hope is that our relationship can improve the situations for both of us."

"I'd like that," Janeway said with a nod and a smile. "Our main priority are your stellar maps and information on what resources are available to us as we head for home."

President Larxeena nodded.

"We're willing to provide that, and more," she said, "if you will aid us when it comes to the Kazon and other threats."

Janeway hummed.

"We'll have to negotiate that in more detail," she said.

"In the meantime, Nee-Nee needs to get to know his world again!" Larxeena practically squealed, hugging on the Talaxian. He coughed.

"Ah, well-"

"We can give him access to all of our archives, and he can act as your guide!" Larxeena said cheerfully. "Right into the heart of our Ancient Archives!"

Janeway gave Neelix a probing look.

"Can you handle this, Neelix?" She asked. The male Talaxian nodded nervously.

"Of-Of course! I-I'd be happy to!" Neelix managed.

"And I'll be with you every step of the way!" Larxeena cried happily. Neelix winced.

"That's... Great... But uh, you'll be busy with the Captain! I-I think it would be better to have Mister Shepherd at my side!"

"Eh?" Shepherd managed, looking up from the game he was playing on his tricorder out of boredom. Neelix gave Shepherd a big grin.

"He-He's saved my life! He fought off hundreds of Kazon with just a sword! He's perfect as a bodyguard!" He cried.

Shepherd glanced over at Janeway.

"Ah, I mean, I'd love to," Shepherd said, "really I would, but I'm busy with recovering and handling the training of the security team-"

"That sounds ideal!" Larxeena practically squealed, "Ser Shepherd, if Nee-Nee trusts you so much, then you must be the one to handle the situation!" She looked over at Janeway, "if your captain is fine with it?"

"Well," Janeway began, "as long as Mister Neelix keeps Mister Shepherd out of too much trouble and shares all the information we need, I have no objection, Madame President."

Shepherd stared at the smiling face of his captain. He managed a smile back.

"I appreciate your confidence in me, Captain," he said. Was the Captain mad at him?

"Oh, I have nothing but complete confidence in your abilities, Mister Shepherd," Janeway said, almost sing-song, "you're the ideal choice for this role!"

Yeah, she was mad.

Sauce for the goose...