Kathryn Janeway glanced over her shoulder at one of the few good things that came from being lost here in the Delta Quadrant.
Seven of Nine, sensing the Captain’s eyes on her, glimpsed up from her console, lifted her left eyebrow, and gave the older woman a small smile.
Kathryn returned the gesture and went back to scanning the reports from the latest long range sensor readings for the umpteenth time.
Though it had been a month since the mysterious encounter with Kathryn’s future counterpart, the images were still sharp in her mind. The future Admiral Janeway had arrived in the Delta Quadrant through a temporal rift, sealed another rift which Klingons had apparently been coming through, and then died as a consequence before she could explain the reason behind her actions, other than saying she had come back, “to fix things.”
The Captain had since tried to stay even busier than usual- anything to keep her mind focused. Whenever she had time to think of something other than the task at hand, her thoughts would invariably wander back to the dying Admiral’s last word, “Seven.” If only she could have hung on another minute, Kathryn thought. She said she wanted to change things, but what? Prevent a Klingon attack? Bring us home? Did it have to do with Seven, or was Seven merely the last person in her thoughts? If only there weren’t so many damn unanswered questions.
Finding nothing of interest in the reports, Janeway sighed and settled back into her Captain’s chair. The viewscreen displayed the passing stars, the light of which distorted by Voyager’s warp field making them appear long and slender.
She looked over her shoulder when she heard a beep come from the Tactical station manned by Lt. Cmdr. Tuvok.
The dark skinned Vulcan arched his left eyebrow. “Captain, there’s a vessel approaching off our port bow. They are hailing.”
“On screen.” Kathryn straightened her uniform and posture while waiting for Tuvok to open the transmission.
Within a few seconds, a man from an unfamiliar species appeared on the screen. His light green face looked almost human except for the ridges that protruded where human eyebrows would be, and what looked like scales instead of hair covered the top of his head. His face and what she could see of his upper body looked strong and dominating, yet he had a kind glow to about him.“Greetings. I am Captain Finece of the Krayteium vessel Voyager.”
Kathryn smiled. “I’m Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation starship Voyager.”
The man smiled and bowed slightly. “When our universal translator decoded the name of your ship and found that it matched ours, I thought I would come by and say hello. I hope I’m not disturbing you.”
“Not at all Captain. We love to meet new races.”
“As do we.” Captain Finece looked down at something that was out of view of the viewscreen. “Your ship nor your ‘Federation’ is in our data banks, Captain.”
“We’re not from around here. We’re from a planet called Earth.”
The other Captain frowned. “I’m afraid I’ve never heard of it.”
“I’m not surprised. It’s a very long ways from here.”
Finece’s eyebrows shot up even higher than Tuvok’s was capable of going. “Really? Fascinating! I would love to hear more about your planet. Would you care to visit our world? We have beautiful landscapes and a very diverse culture; we host travelers from all over.”
Kathryn glanced over at Chakotay, whose eyes told her he approved. “We’d love
to, thank you.”
Kraytia reminded Kathryn very much of Earth. The various climates covering the planet suited every need whether you wanted to relax on tropical beaches, or go skiing in the mountains. The natives of Kraytia and various other races vacationing there all seemed to be very hospitable and curious about Voyager’s journey. The moment she set foot on the planet, Kathryn knew she had to grant the crew a couple weeks of shore leave in order for them to enjoy it all.
“I am pleased you decided to spend time with us.” Captain Finece lead Janeway along the shore of a crystal blue lake.
“I’m happy you invited us. This is truly a beautiful planet.” Kathryn paused a moment to observe the spectacular forest that lined the opposite shore. The leaves of the trees were a mixture of bright reds, yellows, and blues. Red and green colored birds, whose build reminded her a little of Terran Seagulls, dove in and out of water catching fish just beneath the surface. “Not even Earth is this colorful.”
Finece smiled. “I don’t know about that. From the images you shared with us, Earth seems to be just as lovely, if not more so.”
They began walking again, in silence. Moving around a large silver hedge, Kathryn stopped dead in her tracks, her head jerking back as if she’d just been slapped.
Standing several feet away was Seven running her fingers through Chakotay’s hair as they kissed.
Kathryn stood frozen, unable to tear her eyes from the heart wrenching scene.
Chakotay opened his eyes and broke the kiss when he suddenly realized they had an audience.
Janeway wanted to turn around and run, but managed to stand her ground as the couple approached hand in hand.
“Hello Kathryn.” Chakotay smiled at her, then nodded at Finece. “Captain.”
“Greetings.” Finece bowed his head and sputtered, “I am sorry for the intrusion.”
“That’s all right.” The Commander self consciously glanced at his companion, his cheeks flushed.
Seven glanced out over the still waters. “This is a remarkable planet.”
“Thank you.” Finece smiled proudly.
Seven noticed a thick cloud of smoke starting to rise above the tree tops. “There appears to be a forest fire.”
“Oh, that is just the Julisium They start building up a fire around this time everyday, and when darkness falls, they have a sort of celebration around it.”
“What kind of celebration?”
“It is mainly for thanking the Gods for their blessings. The Julisium are like our living ancestors. They live simple lives as our people once did, and rely on the gifts of Kraytia instead of using technology.”
Chakotay’s interest was peaked by this. “I come from a group similar to that back on Earth.” Subconsciously, his hand traced over the tribal tattoo that covered his left temple.
“They do not like anyone outside of their tribe on their grounds, but there is a clearing that can be viewed from a few kilometers down the shore here in which we can observe them.” Finece gestured to a line of binocular like objects set up a short distance away. “It is, to us, like watching our past.”
Finece started to lead Chakotay to the observing point, but Seven, noticing Captain Janeway made no attempt to follow, stayed behind with her.
Kathryn was still numb and in shock from what she had just witnessed. She silently wished Seven would have followed Chakotay and Finece so she could crawl back to the ship and die before the numbness wore off.
“Are you enjoying your visit?” Seven’s voice broke into Kathryn’s thoughts.
“It’s all right.” Janeway glanced down at her feet.
“Is something wrong?”
“No, no. Not at all.” Kathryn forced herself to look up, but avoided eye contact. “I see you and the Commander have...gotten closer.”
Seven looked away, hoping Janeway wouldn’t notice her blushing. “The Commander and I have decided to pursue a romantic relationship.”
“I see.” Another knife pierced her already bleeding heart. “How long?” Kathryn wasn’t sure she really wanted to know the answer, but for some reason she felt she had to ask.
“One month and three weeks.”
Kathryn’s jaw dropped. On such a small ship, how could I not have noticed or heard about it already? “Oh.” She looked down at her uniform and busied herself with picking off barely visible pieces of lint to hide the tears that suddenly threatened to spill. Pull yourself together Katie.
“Are you sure you are all right Captain?”
Janeway took a deep breath and risked looking up. “Yes, I’m fine.” She stated
firmly. “If you’ll excuse me.” She turned sharply on her heel and started off in
the opposite direction leaving Seven alone to ponder what just happened.
Kathryn sat sideways on her couch in her quarters, her permanent residence since seeing Seven and Chakotay together the day before. She looked out of the window behind her at the blue-green marble below and hugged her knees to her chest, unable to get the image of her best friend kissing the woman of her dreams out of her head.
The sound of the door chime made Kathryn straighten her posture. She wiped the moisture from her eyes before saying, “Come in.”
Chakotay stepped inside and looked around, finally spotting the Captain on the far side of the room.
For seven years, seeing Chakotay had given her a warm feeling inside. Now the sight of him only made her stomach twist in further into knots.
“Hello, Kathryn.” Chakotay stopped in front of her and stood with his hands behind his back.
“What can I do for you Commander?” The Captain looked up at his face, but found it difficult to maintain eye contact.
“Word has it you haven’t been off the ship very much since we arrived. Seven and I found this beautiful resort on an island called Trimpik, and I thought maybe you’d like to join us there for dinner.”
Kathryn pictured Seven sharing a romantic dinner with Chakotay in a fancy restaurant next to a tropical beach. The image alone was enough to make her heart sink into the pit of her stomach. The last thing she wanted to do was be there to witness it in real life. “Thanks for the offer, but I’ve got work to do.” She struggled to keep her voice calm and grabbed a random PADD from the coffee table.
“The entire crew is supposed to be taking a vacation. That includes the Captain.” Chakotay gently tugged the PADD out of Kathryn’s hand and set it back on the table, then offered his hand to help her up.
Janeway took his offer and stood. “Oh,” she snapped her fingers. “I just remembered, I already made dinner plans,” she lied. “I promised crewman Chell that I would join him in the mess hall and be the first to try a new dish he’s added to the menu.” The Captain knew how lame that excuse sounded, but Chakotay seemed to take her word for it.
“Perhaps another time then.”
Kathryn nodded and watched as he left. As soon as the doors slid closed behind him, she sank back down into her seat. She leaned forward and grabbed a book from the table, hoping that reading would help calm her nerves.
She’d read only one paragraph when her door chimed again. Rolling her eyes she yelled, “Come in!”
This time the doors opened to reveal a six-foot blonde dream-come-true. Seven’s slightly wavy hair flowed around her shoulders, and she wore a low-cut, pink dress. Kathryn had never seen Seven in anything other than her bio-suits or velocity outfit and was momentarily speechless. She felt her heart skip back to life, but it quickly sank again when she realized Seven had dressed up for Chakotay.
“Do you have a moment, Captain?” Seven entered and assumed the same position Chakotay had just minutes before.
“Sure.” Kathryn closed her book and gestured to the chair opposite of her. “Have a seat.” She fought to maintain her professional demeanor, but she couldn’t stop her next words from tumbling out in a sigh. “You look absolutely beautiful.” Immediately her face was flooded with an intense heat.
Seven smiled shyly, “Thank you.”
Kathryn scolded herself for being so straight-forward and struggled to keep her eye level above Seven’s cleavage. You’re the Captain of a starship, stop acting like a love struck teenager. “So, what can I do for you?”
“I wanted to see if you were all right. Yesterday on the planet you seemed... Distressed.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I just had a lot of things on my mind.”
Seven nodded, “Perhaps an evening on the planet would help relax you. The Commander and I are planning to spend some time on the beach later. Would you care to join us?”
The Captain groaned internally, not again. “No, thank you Seven.” Kathryn realized her decline had came out a bit too harshly and quickly added, “Perhaps another time.”
“Have I offended you in some way?” Seven looked perplexedly at the Captain.
“What makes you say that?”
“Your reactions on the planet yesterday and to my invitation just now suggest that I have upset you in some way. Have I?”
“Not at all.” Kathryn shifted uncomfortably in her seat.
Seven, however, could literally see through any lie with her Borg enhanced vision. She noticed the way Kathryn’s pupils dilated and her heart rate increased as she answered Seven’s inquiry. She didn’t want to accuse her friend of being a liar, but Kathryn’s recent attitude towards her hurt and she had to know the reason behind it. “Permission to speak freely?”
“Go right ahead.”
“Your physiological responses when you answered my question suggest you were not being truthful. I have always found that I could be candid with you no matter what my problem was. I thought you had the same trust and respect in me, but I guess that was an error in judgement.”
“Don’t be absurd.” A dull ache began throbbing at Janeway’s temples.
Seven’s eyes flashed, but she managed to control her frustration. “You and I have become close friends over the years. If you have a problem, why can you not tell me about it? You’ve taught me that’s part of what friends are for.”
Kathryn felt a pang of guilt, but how could she let Seven know the truth? What am I suppose to say? ‘Well Seven, the truth is I’m in love with you and the fact that you’ve found happiness in someone else is ripping my insides out. Can I offer you some coffee?’ Kathryn took a deep breath. “Yes it is what friends are for. But I assure you, you have not done anything wrong.”
Seven still wasn’t satisfied with the answer, but decided an interrogation wouldn’t get her anywhere, so she stood. “Very well. If you’ll excuse me then, Captain.” She turned and marched towards the door, nearly colliding with Tuvok when the doors opened. She excused herself and rushed past him, her shoulder bumping his out of the way.
Tuvok entered with a raised eyebrow. “Is everything all right, Captain?”
“Yes. What is it?” She asked impatiently.
“I’m sorry to bother you, but,” he held up a PADD, “We had a confrontation between a member of the crew and a Krayteium citizen in a bar on the surface.”
Kathryn heaved a sigh of frustration. She was never going to get any peace on
Voyager or Kraytia, but she felt like if she didn’t get away from it all soon
she was going to suffer from a core overload.
Kathryn boarded the Delta Flyer carrying a small suitcase. “I already told you, I prefer to have some time to myself for a couple days.”
Tuvok stood with his hands behind his back at the shuttle entrance. “Starfleet regulations state-”
“Yes, yes, I know what the rules are. But Tuvok, the planet’s only a few light years away so I’ll be within hailing range. Besides, we haven’t encountered any hostile races in the last month, and long range sensors haven’t detected anything out of the ordinary. I’ll be fine. And if any problems arise here, Commander Chakotay is more than capable of handling things until I return.”
Tuvok looked annoyed, but conceded defeat. “Very well.”
Janeway smiled. It had taken nearly all of her diplomatic skills to persuade
Tuvok into allowing her to spend a few days exploring a Class P planet five
light years away by herself. It was the only way she was going to get enough
peace and quiet to sort her thoughts. “And while I’m gone, try to relax and have
some fun for a change.” Kathryn winked and punched a button to close the
shuttle’s doors. “See you in few days.”
“All stop.” Commander Chakotay stood and took a few steps toward the viewscreen where a large water covered planet floated in the blackness of space. “Harry, any sign of her?”
Ensign Kim scanned his console’s readouts, “No sir.”
“I’m picking up the shuttle’s signature on a small island in the Northern hemisphere.” Tuvok punched a few commands into his console. “It appears to be intact with all systems operational. However there is no sign of the Captain or her com signal.”
Chakotay bit his lower lip. When the Captain hadn’t checked in with her hourly status report and not responded to hails, the Commander had recalled the crew from Kraytia and traveled at maximum warp to the Class P planet she had been exploring. He stared at the few small pieces of land speckling the giant ocean. Together they couldn’t have covered more than ten percent of the planet’s surface. Kathryn couldn’t have just vanished into thin air. “Tuvok, assemble an away team to beam down and search every island on that planet for clues. B’Elanna, I want an engineering team to study the shuttle for any signs it might’ve been tampered with.” He turned to Seven of Nine who stood at her station staring straight ahead at the viewscreen. “Seven, I want you down in Astrometrics scanning for any other ships or inhabitable planets in the area, or anything that may seem out of the ordinary.”
Seven didn’t acknowledge him.
“Seven? Did you hear me?”
Seven finally snapped out of her daze and turned her eyes to Chakotay. “Yes
Commander,” she mumbled and quickly made her way to the turbolift.
Seven was finding it increasingly difficult to concentrate on the data in front of her. All she could think about was the Captain. It had been over thirty-seven hours since they had discovered she was missing and questions raced non-stop through her mind in an endless whirl. Where is she? Is she harmed? Is she frightened? Is she alive?
An ache crept into Seven’s throat, and moisture flooded her eyes. She took a deep, shaky breath and slowly released it. Envisioning the worse is unproductive. Captain Janeway is a strong, resourceful woman who has faced down threats as large as the Borg and Species 8472. She is fine. Feeling she had regained sufficient control of her emotions, Seven went back to her work.
Behind her, the doors to Astrometrics hissed open. “Any progress?” Came Chakotay’s voice.
Without looking up Seven replied, “None.”
The Commander stopped next to her and studied Seven’s exhausted features. “Have you regenerated lately?”
“I’ve been busy.” Agitated by his presence, Seven moved away from Chakotay to another station.
“I know you’re worried about her, we all are.” Chakotay followed behind her. “But working until you can no longer function properly isn’t going to help.”
“I can go another at least another five point three hours before regenerating.”
“I need the crew operating at their peak efficiency.” Chakotay put a hand on Seven’s shoulder. “And you know how protective the Captain is of you. She’d kill me if I let you run yourself down while she’s away.”
Seven’s usually perfect posture slumped.
“Icheb is perfectly capable of taking over for you. Now get some rest. That’s an order.”
She couldn’t remember how, but somehow Seven made it to Cargo Bay Two, which doubled as her quarters.
Staring up at her alcove made her reminiscent of how adamant the Captain had been about her regenerating after Kathryn had rescued her from Unimatrix One a couple years ago.
The Captain had entered Cargo Bay Two to find Seven downloading some Borg tactical data into Voyager’s database. “I see you’ve picked up some bad habits.”
“Captain?”
“The Doctor told you to regenerate for at least two days. You’re violating a direct medical command.” The Captain stopped and leaned against Seven’s console, unable to keep a satisfied smile from creeping across her lips.
“I will comply, when my work is completed.”
“No. Now. That’s an order.” The seductive look Kathryn had given her made Seven’s knees go weak.
“Yes, Captain.” Seven could still feel the Captain’s eyes on her as she entered her regeneration cycle and heard Kathryn’s voice whisper, “Sweet dreams.”
Seven snapped out of her nostalgia and slowly climbed into her alcove, unable
to shake the haunting sensation she would ever hear the Captain’s voice again.
Kathryn slowly opened her eyes to find nothing but more darkness. For a panicked moment she thought she might be blind, but finally saw a faint light coming from a distance to her right. Feeling like she was recovering from one too many Romulan Ales, she managed to sit up and make it to her feet after the second attempt.
Groggy, she stood still for a few minutes, fearing if she moved she would either pass out or get sick. Once her head had cleared enough, she reached up and tapped her combadge, only to hear a failed chirp.
“I see you’re up.”
Kathryn looked around, her eyes now slightly adjusted to the darkness, and finally spotted a shadowy figure approaching her.
The figure stopped a few feet in front of her and lit a torch. The flickering flame revealed a dark haired, humanoid woman. Her skin had a reddish tinge and a horizontal ridge trailed from ear to ear. “Do not be frightened.”
“Who are you?” Kathryn tried to make herself taller, but the woman was still a good five inches taller than she.
“Ekin.”
“Where am I?”
A bemused look crossed Ekin’s face. “You know where you are. Where else would you be?”
Kathryn’s head continued to swim as she struggled to clear her mind and make sense of the situation. “Humor me.”
“You’re on Sitnalta. We’re so pleased that you decided to return.” Ekin smiled and set the torch in a holder on the wall.
Kathryn searched her mind, trying to recall if she’d ever encountered this race before. “Have we met?”
“Not personally. Your last visit was two hundred years before I was born.”
Okay, I remember landing on a planet, laying out on the beach trying to clear my head, then I wake up in this cave. How’d I get here? “You must be mistaken.”
“But I’ve seen the ancient drawings. I recognize you. You are the one who saved us from the Montua, and now you have returned to do so again.”
Janeway frowned. “The who?”
Ekin suddenly seemed confused. “The Montua. Those who used to hold us as slaves in their lavish homes until you rescued us.”
“Listen, Ekin, I’m sorry but you have me mistaken for someone else. I’m Captain Kathryn Janeway, of the Federation Starship Voyager.”
Ekin’s face took on a look of panic and she began pacing in front of the Captain. “But you’re identical to Landa, our savior.” She stopped pacing and looked down at Janeway with pleading eyes. “Are you saying you’re not going to help us?”
“I wish I could. But the my people have rules which strictly prohibit interfering with the natural development of other cultures.”
“But the isolation field is failing. Without it we will not be able to keep the Montua from attacking. And we do not have the technology to fix it ourselves.”
Kathryn empathized with Ekin’s people. It made her sick to think about how societies could find it acceptable to use other beings against their will for their own purposes. A feeling she was all too familiar with after the Srivani had used Voyager’s crew for their medical experiments four years ago. “I’m sorry. I wish I could help, but I can’t.”
Just then, two male figures emerged from the shadows, both smiling broadly at Kathryn. “Hello.” Then, noticing the desperate look on Ekin’s face, and the defeated look on Kathryn’s, their smiles slowly faded. “Is something wrong?”
“She claims she is not Landa and refuses to help us.”
“Why?” A slender man, taller than Ekin, stepped closer to Kathryn. “Have we done something to displease you?”
“No, it’s not that, it’s just that, for starters, you have the wrong person here, and as I explained to Ekin, my people have a law which prohibits me from interfering with other cultures.” The hopeless looks on everyone’s faces made Janeway’s guilt weigh heavier. “Perhaps it would help if I knew the whole story.”
Ekin began the story saying that prior to two hundred years ago, her people, called the Nomandi, were held captive and used as slaves by the Montua. Several attempts of escape were attempted by some, but somehow the Montua would find the escapees hidden in various caves and tunnels, and they would be killed. But then this powerful being named Landa came and provided them with a magical tool called an isolation field which the Montua cannot penetrate. Landa helped relocate most of the Nomandi and set up the field around a cave system which now served as their home and allowed them to regain their freedom.
“But now the field is beginning to fail.” Said a short, chubby man whose name was Kilian. He shook his head sadly. “There are holes randomly appearing, allowing a few Montua to enter our territory and capture some of our people. It’s been going on for days, already fifty of us have been lost. We fear if this continues, we will all either be killed or forced back into slavery.”
Kathryn recited the prime directive in her mind. Though it strictly forbid the introduction of technology to the less technologically advanced civilizations, it did allow it for the purpose of fixing another contamination. It’s not like I haven’t bent the rules a hundred times before since being lost thousands of lightyears from Starfleet. Still, doubts and questions plagued her mind. “How did you find me?”
“One of our food gatherers found you unconscious on the surface.” Replied Kilian.
“I feel like I’ve been drugged.” Kathryn tried to ignore the spinning sensation that continued to linger after her other symptoms finally disappeared.
Kilian shrugged. “If not purified first, the water can have intoxicating effects. Did you drink any?”
“Not that I can remember.”
“Memory loss can be one of the effects.”
Thrimpic, the man who’d accompanied Kilian, spoke. “Perhaps if you meet some more of our people, you will better understand how much we need your help.”
The damp chill of the cave system made Kathryn shiver as the Nomandi trio lead her through some tunnels to a very large open cavern. A few tables were set up along the walls, giving the impression of a market place. The venders were offering what Kathryn assumed to be food, though she couldn’t identify it with anything she’d ever seen before. She also noticed there didn’t appear to be enough for all of the families standing in line waiting for their share.
Kathryn’s eyes met with a group of small children huddled around an older woman as she followed her guides through the area. She didn’t know anything about the Nomandi’s physiology to be certain, but they appeared to be underweight and malnourished, at least to human standards. Their eyes seemed to plead with hers for help.
Another wave of dizziness hit, and Kathryn turned away and tried to focus on Ekin.
“This is all we have.” Ekin gestured around the room. “Because of the risk involved in going to the surface, our materials and food are very limited.”
“Why’s it so dangerous on the surface?” Kathryn asked.
“The Montua frequent the surface. If they spot one of us, they will kill. And there’s also the risk of them following and finding the tunnel that leads here. Then we are all doomed.”
Against her will, Kathryn’s gaze returned to the group of children she noticed earlier. “Where’s this generator?”
Kilian led the way into a small cavern a few kilometers away. In the center sat a large mechanical device.
Kathryn circled the generator and found a small display screen on the other side. It showed a map of the region, with one section of it flashing in red. Assuming this device was like most field generators she’d seen, the red region was where the field was deteriorating. “I will need some tools from my shuttle.”
Ekin perked up. “Then you will help us?”
Though she knew she would have some explaining to do when she got back to Earth, Kathryn glanced back through the entrance at those standing in line hoping for food, and nodded.
“I’m afraid going back to the surface will be too risky, even for you.” Said Trimpik. “You are lucky the Montua didn’t get to you before we did the first time.”
“Thanks, but I think I can take care of myself.”
“The Montua have no doubt found your shuttle by now. If you run into them, you will be made into a slave as well, if they decide to keep you alive.”
“How did you find me if traveling to the surface is so dangerous?”
He looked at his companions and shrugged. “We occasionally risk it for food. It was one of our gathering parties that found you, as Kilian explained before. Sadly numerous gathering parties have been lost.” He opened a compartment at the bottom of the generator and pulled out a black box. “These are the tools provided by Landa in case something should happen to the generator. However, the guidelines she left us were lost a long time ago.” Bending down, he opened the box revealing several alien devices.
“I don’t suppose you have any idea what they’re for?”
He shook his head.
“Well, this could take a while.”