AN: Full disclosure — it's going to be a bit before I see 'Prodigy,' but the premise certainly grabbed my muse's attention. And Dear Muse got to wondering just how Kathryn might react to seeing herself as a hologram — with a little help from Tom, of course.)

ooo

Kathryn Janeway was all smiles as she strode into the control room at Starfleet's Division of Holographic Design. But Tom knew his former captain well enough to see the concern in her gray eyes.

"Ready for an unofficial look at your holo-self?" he teased. He still wondered why she agreed to be the model for a training hologram. It's not like she had to stroke an inflated ego, not like, oh, Doc's creator.

"As ready as I ever will be, I suppose," she replied. "I appreciate the sneak peek: I've been curious to see what your team came up with."

"Well, remember, it's not the final version. But I think you'll like it," he said as he started the program. A shimmer and a familiar red-haired officer in a Voyager-era uniform appeared on the pad. Tom glanced back: Kathryn looked … stunned.

"Went with the old hairstyle, I see," she finally said.

"Yeah, it matches the time period. Besides, it's not that far off from what you're wearing now," he said. Her hair was longer again, though nowadays, she wore it in a soft roll at her neck.

"Better move this along," he decided. "Want to hear the audio?" At her nod, he gave the command, and Hologram Janeway began her spiel: "Welcome aboard …"

"Sounds just like you," Tom said as he muted the sound. I think we got the gestures right, too."

Kathryn didn't say a word. She stood, hands on hips, and studied the image — until she realized that she was mirroring her holo-doppelganger. She swallowed and quickly folded her arms.

"I think it's a great resemblance," Tom said. She chuckled and bent down to whisper in his ear. "Tom, dear, I am very flattered, but you need vision correction," she said, finishing with a shoulder squeeze. "I have almost 20 years and a good 9 kilograms on her."

"Well, we modeled this on the early days, when Neelix started cooking," he quipped, which made her snort. "And since it's a training hologram, we thought a less-parental image …"

That earned him a glare. "Parental? Is that a nice way to say decrepit?"

"Not at all," he backtracked. "But we were instructed to write this for cadets. So, younger would be more relatable. Unless you can tell me who the real recipients are?" She just gave him a sidelong glance and slightly shook her head.

"So, is this going to be installed in all the Protostar-class ships?" Tom asked. Best to change the subject. He hadn't expected Kathryn to be this prickly.

She just chuckled and shook her head. "That I haven't been told. Along with several other things."

"Too bad," he thought. He'd love to know what missions those ships were designed for.

She sighed and leaned against the console. "You did a great job, Tom," she said sincerely, "and I will pass that on to Captain Nadir." She smiled wryly. "It was a shock, though. Then again, we don't see ourselves as others see us, do we?"

"Well, thank you; that means a lot to me," Tom said softly. "But Kathryn, I think you're being a little hard on yourself."

They were quiet for a moment. "We have a couple more weeks of work on this, so if you'd like to make any changes, just let me know."

"I'll keep that in mind," she said as she stood up and patted his shoulder. She was halfway to the door when she turned back to him.

"Now that I think about it, there is something."

"What?" Tom asked. He thought they'd covered everything.

"Something's missing. Something rather important," she mock-scolded.

"Kathryn!"

"Coffee!" she declared with a wry grin. "I'm sure you can code a mug for my holo-friend. She's certainly going to need it." She winked and walked out the door, leaving him to shake his head.

"I should have known," he muttered as he tapped his communicator. "Lt. Commander Paris to Lt. Kim."

"Kim here. So, did the Admiral see her hologram? What did she think?"

"I don't think it was what she expected. But she didn't phaser me, so we're OK. Anyway, I have bad news for you, Buddy: You lost your bet."

"Oh, come on! She seriously wants …"

"Yep, I'm heading back to the lab to program a holo-mug of coffee ..."