A/N: I have changed the name of the route home Voyager is looking for from "The Bridge" to "The Passage" to avoid confusing it with Voyager's Bridge where the command center of the ship is.
Brief Recap for New or Returning Readers:
This is the sixth in a series about Captain Janeway and her adult daughter from another timeline, Gretchen Janeway, alias Gretchen Kincaid. This is a slow burn mentor series about recovering from grief and overcoming emotionally neglectful parenting.
Gretchen Janeway was born on and grew up on Voyager, and had a rough childhood, as the pressures of being the Captain's only child compounded with her mother being murdered when she was 12 and Voyager's first generation passing away from a mysterious illness when she was 17.
The series starts when after 7 years of captaining Voyager in the hopeless Rift area of space, Gretchen's Voyager is about to be destroyed. Thomas Paris (son of Tom Paris and B'Elanna Torres) sends a 24-year-old Gretchen back in time to rewrite history and get Voyager home. However, this destroys Gretchen's home timeline and leaves Gretchen alone in life. Gretchen arrives in STV: Season 5 and is forced to work with her mother, Captain Janeway, despite the suspicions on Kathryn's part and the bad history on Gretchen's.
Captain Janeway and Gretchen survive many challenges together and two years into Gretchen's trip to this timeline, they and Voyager's crew have made great progress. They are now in the outskirts of Klingon territory in the Beta Quadrant, looking for a promised route home which inhabitants of the mysterious planet Asclepius told them about. Is "The Passage" only a myth, or will it actually return them to Earth?
The Mother and The Daughter
Number Six in "The Mother and The Captain" Series
Flash Forward
"It's a waste of time, Chakotay," said Kathryn, looking out the windows of her Ready Room, "I know, I know," she said waving her hand, "The crew's won. But I still don't like it."
Chakotay smiled at her slightly, "You couldn't go on protesting once Tuvok, of all people, offered to officiate."
"No," said Kathryn, turning around finally, revealing the tightness in her eyes, "I knew there was nothing else I could do then."
"It's really not a bad idea, Kathryn," said Chakotay, "Tom and B'Elanna want to get married. It'll distract the crew a bit, that's true, but I think in the circumstances that's a good thing."
"What's the point Chakotay?" said Kathryn bitingly, turning away again and deepening her voice, "What is the point?"
"The point is," answered Chakotay, very softly. She could hear his footsteps, and his voice behind her, and then feel his presence. He was very close, and she could feel his body hovering behind her, "That they love each other. And they want to spent whatever time they have left together."
"A few weeks. A few days. A few hours," said Kathryn, feeling the weight of it all slam into her chest again as she spoke, not turning to look at him, "No one outside this ship will ever even know. What does it matter?"
"This crew is going to die," she whispered, staring at the glaring white light outside the window, voice bitter, "This ship is doomed."
Three Months Prior
Captain Janeway sighed deeply, trying to think of what she was going to say for the speech Neelix had asked her to write. They had officially been in the Delta Quadrant for seven years now. Neelix wanted to throw an anniversary party and expected her to give it as an inspiring commemoration of their time together.
As if seven years in the middle of nowhere is something to celebrate.
They had been looking for the Klingon Passage non-stop for over three months now, with no luck.
After a long and tiring journey which included Borg transwarp coils, interdimensional beings, a mutiny, and an auburn haired time traveler, Voyager had finally reached the outskirts of Klingon space, only to unexpectedly stall in their trip home.
A traditional trip would take them 10 more years, but they were no longer traveling the traditional path. Months ago, on the orders of Admiral Owen Paris, they had headed out of their way, to the strange Klingon world of Ascelpius.
Owen's voice had promised them that a scientist at the obscure religious site would have a route home for them. That had proven wrong as there were no scientists on Asclepius. However, the planet's archives had information about a mysterious section of space that could take a ship anywhere in the universe. They had believed they could find it.
But none of the five sites Voyager had checked out had worked. And now they were headed towards a sixth site, one farther away, which they had originally analyzed as unlikely.
It's too bad Asclepius couldn't just tell us where The Passage is, that would just be too easy.
She sighed again, holding her head in one hand.
I guess the crew was right not to be excited.
Kathryn was beginning to be unsure how long the crew's morale would hold for their continued travels towards The Passage. They were already beginning to view this as wasted time.
After the sixth site, the probability of any other site being correct drops from 5% to negligible. If it's not here…
Her head was beginning to hurt.
Kathryn sighed at her desk again, and then lifted herself up to get another coffee.
Just as it replicated an alarm went off. Captain Janeway hit her combadge immediately, "What is it Harry? Are there signs of The Passage?"
"No Captain," said Harry's even voice, "It's a distress call."
Captain Janeway rushed the few feet across her Ready Room and crossed the threshold onto Voyager's Bridge, bringing the coffee with her.
"Origin, Mr. Kim," she ordered eagerly.
"I'm….not sure Captain," said Harry, "But it's a Klingon signal. It's an automated one, it doesn't say anything else. I can't even tell how old it is."
Janeway exchanged a look with Chakotay. They had not encountered any ships or stations since leaving Asclepius. But they had heard of someone traveling a similar route to themselves.
Asclepius' elderly archivist went missing before we arrived. Missing and almost certainly dead...lost in a shuttle alone in the middle of nowhere a year ago. Another tragedy in the outskirts of Klingon space…..
Janeway thought quickly.
Is this actually him? Or what remains of him?
"Is there anymore information?" Captain Janeway urgently asked her crew.
"It could be coming from this planet Captain," said Tom from the pilot chair, pointing to his console and then bringing it up on the vidscreen, "That atmosphere looks like the type that can scramble transmissions."
"Looks like the kind of place a ship might crash and a pilot might survive, however short that survival might be," nodded Chakotay.
"Keep trying to pinpoint and return the transmission Harry," ordered Captain Janeway.
"Mr. Tuvok," added Janeway, turning around in her chair to look at her Vulcan Security Officer, "I want a preliminary mission plan to visit that planet, done within the hour."
"Yes, Captain," nodded Tuvok solemnly.
Two hours later, Captain Janeway was leaving the Briefing Room.
She sighed internally as she entered the turbolift with her First Officer, feeling Chakotay's eyes on her and wondering if he would speak.
Her stomach twisted as he did, "I still don't see why I can't go on the mission in Gretchen's place Kathryn."
Lieutenant Gretchen Kincaid, their daughter, had been chosen to be second-in-command of the dangerous mission to the planet.
"Tuvok needs to go," said Kathryn, turning to him and trying to keep her composure, "He's head of security, and this is a dangerous away mission. I can't send both of my highest ranked officers. It's too disruptive to Voyager."
"You mean it'll be too disruptive if they don't come back," said Chakotay, meeting her professional gaze with his steely one. There was a cut to his voice Kathryn hated.
Inwardly she sighed again, outwardly she straightened her shoulders.
"She's a member of this crew Chakotay. And she's had a real chance now. Before Asclepius, she had no choice. She was born on this ship. She had to do her best to survive here. But after the trial on Ascleipius she chose. She didn't leave when she could've. She's healed now….at least as much as is reasonable. I don't have any reason to treat her any differently than any other member of this crew."
"She's good at diplomacy and security," Kathryn continued, staring at his face, but finding that she was not convincing him, "A rare combination on this ship. And she can provide Tuvok with another perspective, if he needs one."
"It makes sense Chakotay," she finished, turning her face forward as she did so, "That's really all there is to it."
"You do know she could die," said Chakotay loudly.
"Of course I know," said Kathryn raising her voice too. There was a note in it that was not professional.
She sighed, out loud this time, and closed her eyes for a moment.
It was not the first time she had put Gretchen's life in danger, but it was the first time when it could've been anyone. When Gretchen herself had no stake in the matter, or special knowledge of the mission.
Gretchen had begged to be on the dangerous Borg transwarp mission, had volunteered for the trip to the Rift Alien world, had been targeted by Shimai during the stasis, and luckily in the right place during the Equinox Mutiny.
I can't play favorites. I won't play favorites, thought Janeway, I won't send someone less qualified just because Gretchen's my child.
She opened her eyes and spoke again, "Any of us could die at any time Chakotay. The ship looks safer this time, but who knows, it could be the ship that's destroyed and the planet that's safe."
"You know away missions are more dangerous," countered Chakotay, "That's where most deaths happen."
"And what's the alternative? Ignore the ship's needs to protect her? Abuse my power like that, to protect my own family?" Kathryn shook her head, looking at him again, "No, I understand why you're offering. But she's not Naomi. She's a grown woman. I told you, she's had her chance now. This is what's best for the ship. And she's a Voyager crewman. That means something."
"She can do this Chakotay," she said, holding his gaze.
It did not have to be Gretchen on this mission. But she was the best choice, and Kathryn was choosing her. Choosing her to risk her life, for an unknown objective.
Choosing her and making no excuses. As if it were any other day.
Because it was.
Risking your life is part of being a Voyager crewman.
And Gretchen has chosen that life now.
As much as it made her stomach clench.