CHAPTER 18
An hour later Janeway and Seven were seeing their guests out. When they closed
the door and turned back into their home Janeway sighed heavily.
“I’m beyond glad that’s over and that we got everyone on board. This just might
have a chance to work now.”
“Did you have doubts that everyone would understand and agree with us, Kathryn?”
Seven asked as she gathered up coffee cups and headed for the kitchen.
“No, not really. Both Picard and Will have enough experience in command that
they realize that sometimes Starfleet doesn’t know everything that’s necessary
to get a job done. I was worried most about Admiral Pulaski and Shelby. But
since they’re both on board it makes things so much easier.” Janeway finished
tidying the great room, collected the last of the evening’s debris and headed
for the kitchen too.
Once the house was restored to order they headed to the bedroom. As they readied
for bed Janeway asked Seven her opinions of the evening.
“I did not have doubts about Commander Shelby since she had come to me asking
for help. But I have met Locutus – Captain Picard – only once. The dynamic
between Captain Riker and him is certainly different from the one I always
sensed between you and Chakotay.”
“I believe the difference is that Picard trusts Riker completely. And Riker
trusts Picard the same way. Chakotay and I never had that trust after what he
did when you first came aboard Voyager. Once he disobeyed my orders and
dissolved our alliance with the Collective I never fully trusted him again. Our
trust was broken for good when Ransom kidnapped you on the Equinox. I was so
desperate to get you back I was prepared to sacrifice Noah Lessing to get the
information I needed.”
Seven stopped brushing her teeth and stared at her partner.
“Don’t get me wrong, I still think he would have talked before it became too
dangerous to pull him out, but Chakotay disobeyed me and freed him. But I have
to admit that if he’d died it wouldn’t have bothered me that much so long as I
got you back. Either way, it was the end of trust between Chakotay and me.”
Seven finished rinsing her mouth and wiped it with a towel. “Kathryn?”
Janeway realized a full explanation was necessary. “I was crazy with worry for
you. Ransom was desperate by that time; he knew if I could stop him he’d be
tried for crimes against sentient life forms and could very well spend the rest
of his life in solitary confinement. He had nothing to lose and everything to
gain. I couldn’t be sure he would act like a Starfleet officer where you were
concerned. When we discovered that you had locked out their power converters
with Borg algorithms I knew he would kill you to get them. Why did you do that,
darling?”
“If I had not Captain Ransom could have escaped from Voyager. Locking out the
power converters was the only means I had to keep him from escaping.”
“But why wouldn’t you give him the codes when he demanded them?”
“I knew it was important to you that he be held accountable for his crimes by
Starfleet standards. Not surrendering the codes was the only means I had to keep
him within your reach.”
“You were willing to die to keep him within our reach? In God’s name, why?”
“Because it was important to you, Kathryn.”
The looked intently at each other for a long moment before either spoke.
“You had been on Voyager less than two years. Even then?”
“Even earlier, Kathryn. I knew I loved you in Arturius’ brig. When I said that I
did not know where I belonged and you replied that I belonged with Voyager. Your
words were ‘You belong with us.’ But your tone said ‘You belong with me.’ It was
enough for me to realize how I felt about you.”
Janeway’s smile was rueful. “And I tried so hard not to let my feelings show
through. I didn’t want to frighten you.”
Seven’s answering smile was warm and inviting. “And yet we still managed to
convince ourselves otherwise until our return to Earth. We wasted so much time
being foolish.”
Janeway moved next to Seven and slipped her arms around the taller woman’s waist.
“I don’t plan to waste another moment, my love. Come to bed.”
Seven enfolded the smaller woman in her arms. “Yes, Kathryn.”
The next morning Seven woke before the chronometer alarm. Kathryn still slept;
wrapped snugly in her arms. Seven had decided very early in their relationship
that if she lived to be two hundred she would never lose the joy of waking with
Kathryn in her arms. The feel of silken skin against her and the incredible
warmth of their togetherness was nearly indescribable. They had discussed it
frequently and neither could explain why they slept so well when together and so
poorly when apart. They had finally realized that one of Kathryn’s explanations
was probably as close as they would ever get.
“It’s a gift, darling.”
* * *
Deanna Troi stepped up to the information desk at the Starfleet Communications
complex and asked for directions to Reg Barclay’s laboratory. The young ensign
manning the desk asked her to wait while he called for an escort.
“I require an escort?” Her amusement was evident in the question.
“Yes, sir, Commander. Lieutenant Barclay’s laboratory is in the secure section.”
He indicated a bench to one side of the lobby area for her to wait.
Several minutes later a junior lieutenant walked up to her and snapped to
attention. “Counselor Troi? If you’ll come with me ma’am, I’ll take you to
Lieutenant Barclay.”
The trip to Barclay’s lab took only a few minutes, but required their clearance
through three separate security checkpoints. Once in the correct section of the
building the young officer opened a door and gestured Deanna inside.
“Lieutenant Barclay is expecting you, ma’am.”
She walked through the door and saw the familiar tall, spare form of Reg
Barclay. His holo-addiction, acute hypochondria and stray mutant gene had caused
no end of problems on Enterprise, but his engineering brilliance went a long way
toward balancing the account. Deanna had a soft spot for the officer who had
single-handedly developed the means of communicating with Voyager in the Delta
quadrant. As he turned to greet her she noticed that he looked a bit older than
when last she had visited with him.
Crossing the room in three strides, he threw his arms around her in a fierce hug.
“Deanna! I’m so glad to see you! Why didn’t I hear that Titan was returning to
McKinley? I would have arranged dinner for us.”
“It was a quick trip Reg. We hadn’t planned on it but something came up suddenly.
We leave again tomorrow, but I wanted to make sure I saw you some time before we
did. You look good, Reg. Duty at Headquarters suits you.”
“And married life appears to suit you, Mrs. Riker. If I promise I know of a
place where ninety percent of the dessert menu is chocolate can I convince you
to have lunch with me?”
Deanna laughed gaily, delighted with Reg’s demeanor. “Reg, I’m so happy to see
you again I’d have lunch with you even if the dessert menu was only twenty
percent chocolate!”
They spent the remainder of the morning catching up. Reg introduced her to
several other officers in his section and showed her some of the projects he was
currently working on. Deanna was positive and supportive and managed to pump him
dry of information on his personal life and what he had been doing since last
they saw each other. Once they were at lunch and settled at their table she went
to work on him for real.
“So, Reg, it seems that life has been good to you since Pathfinder. Whatever
happened with that?”
“What happened with that? We figured out a way to contact Voyager and kept in
contact with them for the last two years of their mission.”
“No, I meant after they got back. It just seems that the technology you
developed would be so useful that it should be everywhere and yet there’s
nothing left of it. Why is that?”
Reg looked away and tried to formulate a reply. “Well, Deanna, I…I…don’t know…know
what you mean.”
“Reg,” she said gently, “You’re stuttering. I know you well enough to know that
means you’re upset and you’re hiding something. What is it?”
“I, well, it’s…it’s…I can’t really talk about it, Deanna.”
“Of course you can, Reg. I’m your counselor. You can tell me anything in the
strictest confidence. What’s happened with the project?”
“I’ve…I’ve received orders that…that make no…no sense. I’m supposed to drop
everything and pre-prepare to install the…the system on an alien vessel!”
“Reg, just relax. Tell me about the communication system first so I understand
and then we’ll talk about your orders.”
“Well, the system grew out of my work on Pathfinder. When we contacted Voyager
we used a micro-wormhole and sent a data stream through it to them. But that
system was limited in that unless you knew the projected course of the ship, you
wouldn’t know where to open the wormhole so they could receive the transmission.
It worked with Voyager because we always knew their course and projected speed.
But to be truly useful the system has to work anywhere. So I set about trying to
figure out now to create micro-wormholes using a portable system.”
“I’m trying to remember – what did you use for Pathfinder? An itinerant pulsar
and a tachyon beam, wasn’t it?”
Reg beamed at her. “I’m surprised you remembered. Yes, we shot a tachyon beam
from the MIDAS array at the pulsar and created the wormhole. So I started
working on how to create one with a portable system so it could be deployed on
or from a starship. Since the MIDAS array is in a fixed location the end point
of the micro-wormhole would always be fixed, but the ship could open the
wormhole from anywhere.”
“That makes perfect sense, Reg. But how do you create a wormhole?”
“It took quite a while to perfect the technique, but we discovered that an
unstable warp field when hit with cascade harmonics in a tachyon beam will
create a wormhole. Naturally, the power limitations of the warp engine limit the
size of the wormhole, but it will create one. So what we developed was an
unmanned drone that can be launched from a ship. When it reaches a thousand
kilometers distance from the starship a small warp generator on board begins to
form an unstable warp field. We then use a mini-deflector on the drone to
project the tachyon bean and cascade harmonics at the field and we get a
micro-wormhole. By utilizing the astrometrics data we obtained from Voyager we
can point the exit aperture of the wormhole directly at the MIDAS array from
anywhere in the Delta quadrant. When the data streams have been sent and
received the drone collapses the warp field and returns to the ship.”
“My God, Reg, that’s amazing! And this works?”
“We’ve tested it with the Talaxian colony Voyager helped defend. They left a
crewmember, Neelix, as a Federation Ambassador there; so there were protocols
that allowed us to use their asteroid in the test. The system worked perfectly.
It was immediately classified ‘Top Secret’ and the team disbanded.”
“And now, suddenly, you’re being asked to work on it again?”
“It’s more than working on it. I’ve been ordered to build three of the drones
for a long-term deployment and to prepare to train non-Starfleet personnel in
their use. Deanna, we don’t need communications like that in the Alpha quadrant.
The only place we’d need those are in the other quadrants of the Galaxy! And
they’re not even going on Starfleet vessels!”
“Reg, calm down. I can’t tell you much, but I can tell you that there is a very
good reason for what you’re being asked to do. And, if you do your job well, it
will mean that Will and I and everyone on Titan and Enterprise will be much
safer.”
“And in the mean time, we’re giving them our communications system so they can
talk with us regularly?”
“Yes, Reg. That’s the plan. Now, tell me, which of these fourteen different
chocolate concoctions is best?”
When Deanna returned to her quarters on Titan that afternoon she immediately set
about encoding the results of her conversation with Barclay into a thank-you
note to Janeway and Seven for the dinner the evening before. She copied all of
the principles that had attended the dinner and then went in search of Will
knowing that Reg Barclay would bend all his considerable talents to insuring
that the comm system he would send with the Free Borg would be the most reliable
in the Galaxy.
* * *
When Janeway returned to her offices at Utopia Planetia, she was greeted as
usual by the aroma of rich, freshly brewed coffee. She strode into the office
suite, called a cheerful “Good morning!” to Radcliffe and once in her office
dropped into her desk chair. As she powered up her board Radcliffe entered the
office with a mug of fresh coffee and her office thermos filled with the same
marvelous brew.
“Ethan, pour yourself a mug and sit down. I’d like to talk with you about
something.” When the young officer was settled attentively in front of her she
regarded him for a long moment thinking of the implications for his career. She
decided the greater good of the quadrant outweighed individual concerns.
“Ensign, I’m about to trust you with not only the future of my career but very
probably my freedom as well as Seven’s. You’re aware of the general facts of
what’s happened over the past five days, but I’ve deliberately kept you here and
away from the particulars. I don’t expect you to fully understand what I’m going
to explain but I need you to try. If, when I’m finished, you feel you can’t go
along in good conscience then I’ll have you reassigned and give you a glowing
recommendation and my thanks for all you’ve done. If you decide to go along with
my merry band of lunatics, it’s very possible that we’ll all wind up in a penal
colony. Any questions so far?”
“No, Captain,” he said calmly sipping his coffee.
“Okay then. You know that the Free Borg carried a warning to us that the
Collective was planning an invasion of the Alpha quadrant and the assimilation
of humanity. I also think you were listening when the first salvo of Starfleet’s
disapproval of Seven of Nine was heard. Since that first night they have
unilaterally decided that she is a security risk and will not be involved in the
arming, refitting or tactical planning of our fleet.” At this point it was
Janeway who paused to sip her coffee. “It has also become apparent to everyone
except the Starfleet brass that our efforts to stop the invasion will fail
utterly without her assistance.” They regarded each other levelly for a long
moment. Janeway sighed and formed her next words carefully.
“You’re just starting out in your career in Starfleet and the ideals of it have
been drilled into you during your years at the Academy. They are noble and
admirable ideals and something to which every good Starfleet officer should
aspire. But sometimes, Ethan, the realities of politics affect how Starfleet
implements those ideals. Sometimes, they get lost in the human failings of those
in charge. And right now may be one of those times.” Radcliffe said nothing in
response, merely continued drinking his coffee. “When that happens, Ethan,
sometimes good officers need to take matters into their own hands. That’s why
it’s so important that in day to day matters you always go by the book and dot
all your is and cross all your ts. Because at some point in time you’re going to
have to throw the book out and the only thing that will save you is that in
everything else you went by it. I’m about to throw the book out, Ethan.”
“How, Captain?”
“Captain Picard, Captain Riker, Admiral Pulaski, Counselor Troi, Dr. Crusher,
Commander Shelby and my entire senior staff from Voyager are going to violate
our direct orders and utilize Seven and her eidetic memory to circumvent the
Department of Temporal Affairs, Starfleet Command and very probably the
Federation Council. We’re going to equip our fleet and our quadrant sensor grids
with temporally illegal technology. If we’re discovered before we can persuade
Starfleet of the necessity of our actions it will mean a very long stretch in
the closest penal colony.”
Radcliffe set his mug on her desk and pulled out a small PADD. “What can I do to
help, Captain?”
“Radcliffe, I’m not sure you fully understand the implications of what I’m…”
“You’re saying that you and the others are trying to save Starfleet from itself.
The brass has never, for the most part, dealt with the Borg. Certainly not as
frequently or as closely as you and Picard and Riker have. And no one in the
galaxy except maybe Korok’s troops have the experience with the Collective that
Seven has. To ignore her knowledge because of irrational fears of what she was
is foolish. Our goal is to save humanity from assimilation; to attempt to do so
without the best tools available condemns us to failure before we even get
started. I repeat, what do you need from me?”
“I want to use you as a clearing house and central contact point for our little
cadre. You’ll be getting seemingly trivial communications from Picard and the
others; they’ll contain encoded messages. Your job will be to decrypt them, keep
track of progress and to keep all of us up to speed with what’s going on.
Routine communications going through my aide should be regarded as business as
usual by the powers that be.”
“Of what exactly am I supposed to track the progress?” he inquired with a grin.
She slid a PADD across the desk to him. “Here’s a list of everything we’re
working on right now. That list will change on a regular basis I’d guess, but
that will do to get us going.” She leaned back in her chair sipping her coffee
as he accessed the PADD and read the contents.
Of all the ideas that had been tossed around, discussed, dissected and hashed
out the evening before they had managed to formulate ongoing plans involving
every member of the secret cadre. Seven would continue to build, test and
perfect a slipstream drive. Once that project had progressed to the point where
TPG would be involved and a prototype built she would shift her focus to the
ablative hull armor and rotating shield harmonics systems. B’Elanna, Tom and
Harry would help oversee the quiet installation of the armor and shielding in
each of the fleet’s vessels as they came through Utopia Planetia. Crusher,
Pulaski and the EMH were to set up a replication process for the neurolytic
pathogen and anti-Borg nanoprobes they would need. Riker and Tuvok were assigned
the design of delivery systems for the nanoprobes and neurolytic pathogen for
both personal and ships’ weapons systems. Janeway and Picard were to work on
fleet tactics utilizing their armor and shielding advances. Battle tactics would
be diametrically opposite of standard Starfleet protocols if they were utilizing
nanoprobe technology: wide-field dispersal weapons would be the norm.
When he finished Radcliffe looked up at his commanding officer and nodded. “I
understand, Captain. But surely you’re not communicating status reports openly?”
“No, Radcliffe, we’ve got an encryption system. Which I am about to teach you.”
Thirty minutes later Radcliffe had mastered the encryption and decryption
protocols and had built protected files in which to store their communications.
As Janeway examined his work she thought about how fortunate she was to have him.
He had proven himself every time a challenge had been thrown at him. He had the
makings of a fine officer and Janeway offered a quick prayer of thanks to the
local deities that he would remain safely at Headquarters while they went
hunting the Borg.
“Nicely done, Radcliffe. I’ve always managed to avoid having an aide before this,
but right now I think it’s a shame starship captains don’t need them. Between
your organizational skills and your coffee I’m going to miss you when we go
after the Borg,” Janeway chuckled as she studied their hidden files.
Radcliffe’s heart dropped to his toes when those words registered. They had been
completely spontaneous; Janeway had spoken them unconsciously. She intended to
leave him behind when she went to war. With a wrenching effort he composed his
features to an impassive mask as his mind raced to process what he had just
heard.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” Janeway continued, “I want to file my senior staff
requests this morning so their orders will be cut today. I’ll fill the First
Officer slot when I get back from my honeymoon, but I want to get the ball
rolling with Tuvok, Torres, Kim and Paris. I want our EMH assigned to my
flagship and I’m going to try and talk Kate Pulaski into coming out with us too.
Her experience is just too valuable not to have with us. But I’ll need to follow
protocol and ask her first and I don’t know if she’ll agree. She hates
transporters with a passion. Just go ahead and send these files on to Starfleet
Personnel and we’ll get the ball rolling on most of them. I can wait for Kate’s
answer until I get back.”
Radcliffe’s face didn’t register his dismay at the orders he had been given.
Instead he decided to take matters into his own hands. Taking the PADD with the
personnel requisitions he smiled at Janeway, picked up his coffee mug and
returned to his office.
* * *
That afternoon Janeway called Pulaski at her office. When the admiral activated
the COMM link and appeared on her screen, Janeway wondered how her request would
be received. She and Kate Pulaski had enjoyed a cordial relationship when
Pulaski taught her at the Academy and had remained in contact throughout the
intervening years, but Janeway didn’t know how the senior flag officer would
react to shipping out under a former pupil. Or if she’d consent to shipping out
at all.
“Good afternoon, Admiral, how are you today?”
“I’m fine Kathryn. For some reason I thought you’d be back in Indiana already
but I can see you’re still at the office.”
“Seven and I are heading back home first thing tomorrow morning. We’ll be there
until we leave on our honeymoon.”
“Where are you headed? Off-world?”
“No, Seven wanted to stay on Earth. She said she wants to see as much of it as
she can so we’re heading to St. Lucia in the Lesser Antilles. The Windward
Islands. I’ve got a secluded villa on a mountainside booked for us.”
The older woman’s eyes twinkled with mirth. “Did you call to ask me for a few
hyposprays of vitamin B12 so you don’t wear each other out?”
Janeway flushed in spite of herself. “I, uh, don’t think that will be a problem,
Admiral. Actually, I called to make you a job offer.”
“A job offer?”
“Yes, a job offer. I need a Fleet CMO who knows about dealing with Borg implants
and the effects of assimilation. My EMH will be on my ship, but I need someone
in overall charge of fleet medical who knows what they’re doing. Interested?”
“You’re kidding, right? You can’t seriously be asking me to give up my
Earth-based berth as Director of Starfleet Medical to get on another damned
starship and go gallivanting around the galaxy with you. Hell, the last time you
shipped out it was seven years before you got back to space dock! And there will
be transporters involved, I just know it! You know how I feel about them!”
“If I promise to keep a shuttle available for your use and to keep you away from
transporters if at all possible will you at least consider it?”
“Christ, I hate space travel!”
“Probably should have considered a career outside of Starfleet then.”
Pulaski subsided, grumbling. “I’ll never be able to work in a new office. I just
got my desk chair to where it’s comfortable. My keister is too old to break in
another one.”
“I’ll make sure you have a private office and you can bring your desk chair with
you if you’d like. Admiral, you know we need you.”
“I do. But just because I know it doesn’t mean I’m going to make it easy for you
to seduce me away from the job I’ve worked for my whole career. If you want me
there’s a price.”
“Name it. If there’s any way I can meet it I will.”
Pulaski regarded her quizzically for a moment then smiled wickedly. “I want you
to seriously consider someone to be your First Officer.”
Janeway was immediately on guard. “Who?”
“You don’t know her. She was a patient of mine during the Dominion War and we’ve
stayed close. She needs to get back on a ship and you need a good First
Officer.”
“What do you mean ‘she needs to get back on a ship’? If she’s a command officer
why isn’t she on a ship now?”
“I’ll transmit her complete files to you. You can take them with you when you go
back to Indiana and review them while you’re relaxing. If you want me on your
ship, then when you get back from your honeymoon you’ll give her a serious
interview and consideration for the position. That’s the deal. Take it or leave
it.”
“I’m not required to accept her? As long as I give her a serious interview and a
fair chance, then even if I decide to go with someone else you’ll still agree to
come with us?”
“That’s right. Because if you give her a serious look I haven’t a doubt in the
world you’ll want her in the command chair next to you. You’re a starship
captain; that means you’re a bit of a gambler at heart. What do you say?”
“It’s a deal. Transmit her records to me this afternoon and I’ll take them with
me to Indiana.”
“They’re already on the way. Your aide should be receiving them about now.”
Janeway chuckled quietly. “You were pretty sure of yourself, weren’t you?”
Pulaski grinned back at her. “I know how badly you need me. And I’m not above
using that leverage to get a good officer back where she belongs. I’ll see you
next weekend. I’m working on a particularly embarrassing toast for the
reception. Pulaski out.”
Thinking back on some of her more embarrassing moments while at the Academy,
Janeway grimaced as she deactivated the COMM. She hit the intercom.
“Radcliffe? I’m expecting a file from Admiral Pulaski. I need you to…”
Ethan entered her office with a PADD in hand. “Got the records right here,
Captain. They just arrived. And speaking of arriving, won’t Seven be getting
home about now? You need to be leaving for home real soon.”
Janeway stood and took the PADD from him, slipping it into the inner pocket of
her tunic. “You’re absolutely right, Ethan, and I’m leaving right now. I’ll see
you Friday afternoon at the rehearsal. Don’t hesitate to call me this week if
you need me.”
“Don’t worry, Captain, I will. Good luck this week. I’ll see you next weekend.”
The two shook hands and Janeway departed for the transport center and home.