Disclaimer: All characters belong to Paramount. I’m just taking them for a ride.
Summary: Is Voyager finally going to make it home?
This story holds a special place in my heart as the first piece of fanfic I ever started, and one that took a long time to finish. For the purposes of this story the Dominion War has either ended or is being ignored, I can't quite decide which. Also, please bear in mind that I haven't seen many DS9 episodes, especially later ones. Anyway, here goes, and as always feedback is most appreciated!
Enterprising Voyage
The turbolift doors opened to reveal Captain Kathryn Janeway entering the bridge.
"Report!"
"Gamma shift reports all systems normal. Steady on previous course, warp two." Commander Chakotay replied to his commanding officer’s request as a matter of instinct, for his mind was never on the job when she entered the bridge at the beginning of a shift. It always took him a while to regain control of his thoughts after he first set his eyes on her in the morning. Things were better on the days that he saw her for breakfast in the mess hall; it gave him time to get his mind back to work before duty.
As far as the bridge crew were concerned, that day started off as did any other. Once Janeway had taken her seat everyone went on with their jobs – completing scans, diagnostics, and keeping the ship running on their long journey home. However, just as Janeway was about to get up and head for her ready-room, Harry’s attention was caught by something on his console.
"Captain, I’m reading some kind of spatial anomaly on long-range scans."
"Can you identify the source Harry?"
"Not from this distance. We’ll need to get a little closer to get any decent readings."
"Okay, give Tom the coordinates. Tom, set a course for the anomaly. Engage."
And so it started. At that point none of them could have guessed where this discovery would take them…
A few hours later, enthusiasm was beginning to become evident amongst the senior officers on the starship Voyager. B’Elanna was now seated at the engineering station on the bridge – she didn’t want to miss out if the news was good. They’d found out that the spatial anomaly was a wormhole, and that it was stable. They also knew that it was big enough to accommodate Voyager. What they didn’t know was where the wormhole led. Everyone was quietly optimistic – after this long stranded in the Delta Quadrant they felt they were due a lucky break – but they didn’t know for sure. Would this be their ticket home? They were preparing to send in another probe when the ship started to shake.
"Report!" snapped Janeway. Tom was sure the Captain used that word far too much, and wanted to wipe it from her vocabulary. Tuvok answered her.
"Phaser blast to the starboard side of the ship. No damage reported."
"Who fired that shot?" The wormhole was briefly forgotten as Janeway tried to find out who had decided to attack her ship this time.
"Two ships have appeared on our scanners. They arrived and fired without warning. They appear to be more technologically advanced than most other races we have encountered in this quadrant. We may not stand a very good chance in a prolonged battle." Harry’s answer was detailed, but not what Janeway wanted to hear.
"How big are their vessels?"
"They are each approximately half the size of Voyager."
"Tuvok, hail them."
He did so.
"No reply Captain."
"Try again."
"We have a response."
"On screen."
A male humanoid appeared on the screen. He appeared to be about one and a half meters tall, and had skin with a purple coloration. He spoke first.
"Why have you entered Kiretti space without permission. Why are you hailing us? You have broken our laws. You must leave." Captain Janeway wasn’t going to let him get away with that.
"We didn’t realise this was your space, and we apologise for our intrusion. I am Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation Starship Voyager. We are travelling on a long journey home, and were investigating this wormhole in the hope that it may give us a chance to reach home more quickly. We would be grateful if you would allow us to continue in our investigations. In return, I’m sure we could find something that you need and we have. We could arrange a trade."
"We will consider what you have said, Captain Janeway. I am Karmin Valincen."
The channel went dead.
"Senior officers into the conference room now." They all rose from their positions and followed their Captain into the conference room. Janeway spoke as soon as they were all seated.
"I want options. This is the most promising opportunity we’ve had since we were tossed out here. I’m not going to let these people stop us from investigating this wormhole."
"Captain, may I remind you that Starfleet policy dictates that if these people can demonstrate their claim to this space, we must follow their laws and respect their wishes. Even if that means forfeiting the chance to get home more quickly."
"Tuvok, unless I was mistaken, they did not demonstrate any claim to this part of space, they just came straight in with their demands for us to leave."
"Captain," B’Elanna interjected, "I have the probe ready to launch. If the exit to the wormhole is further away from the Alpha quadrant than us, we have no reason to argue with ‘Karmin Valincen’ and we can just warp right out of here."
"I would advise against that, we don’t know what their reaction will be and we don’t know how many more ships they have in this area. Going against their wishes could be the last thing we do." Chakotay felt he was the only one, aside from Tuvok, who was erring on the side of caution, and he wanted to make sure the rest of them weren’t letting their anxiousness to get home cloud their judgement. It didn’t work. Even the Captain seemed to be letting her excitement take over. It was unlike her.
"Chakotay, I’m sorry, but I agree with B’Elanna. Launch the probe. If the results of its scans aren’t what we want, then we can high tail it out of here. If they are – we could be home before they know what happened. Dismissed."
Chakotay wasn’t happy, and he decided to stay behind and make sure his opinion was heard and considered for longer. He spoke as soon as the doors closed behind the last person to leave.
"Kathryn, I…"
"Chakotay, I’ve made my decision."
"Yes, once again you’ve made your decision without talking to me first."
"This is different. You seem to be the only one who has a problem with what we’re doing. Maybe you don’t want to get home."
"That’s not fair. I’m as committed to getting back as you are, but I won’t take unnecessary risks in order to get there." Both of them were starting to get angry now, and their ‘discussion’ was threatening to become a full-blown argument.
"I don’t believe the risk to be unnecessary. Neither does anyone else."
"Tuvok does."
"But he has the discipline to follow orders without questioning them."
"It’s my job to point out to you when you may be making a mistake."
"Torres to Janeway." B’Elanna’s voice over the comm line interrupted them in full flow.
"Go ahead Lieutenant."
"The probe has entered the wormhole and we’re waiting to receive data."
"Thank you, Janeway out." She turned once again to face her First Officer. "Well, I believe it is too late for your objections, Commander."
"I just hope you can live with yourself if this all goes wrong. Hey, maybe you won’t have to – we may all be dead." With that he left without being dismissed.
Later, long after alpha shift was over, all of the senior officers were still at their posts. B’Elanna still hadn’t left the bridge – she was leaving it to Carey to run the show down in Engineering. The only person conspicuous in their absence was the Captain. She had emerged from the conference room not long after Chakotay, but instead of taking her place in the Captain’s chair she had retreated to her Ready Room, leaving Chakotay with command of the bridge.
She had spent the day in a fairly foul mood, considering the optimism that had been coursing through her veins before her ‘chat’ with Chakotay. Why could he always do this to her? Why couldn’t she just have forgotten about their argument and gotten on with her duties? She knew the answer to that. Because he wasn’t just her First Officer. He was her friend, her best friend, and for quite a while now he had meant even more to her than that. But she hadn’t told him. She was fairly sure that he already knew, and right now her priority was the ship. Maybe once they got home…
"Kim to Janeway."
The sound of her comm badge interrupted her reverie.
"Janeway here."
"We’re getting the first data through from the probe. We should have a location in about fifteen minutes."
"I’ll be right there, Janeway out."
At last, she’d be able to stop this feeling of guilt that was building over her actions towards Chakotay.
Janeway immediately cheered up as she entered the bridge. The optimism she had felt herself earlier had not left her colleagues, and it rubbed off on her. Even Chakotay seemed to have calmed down a little. She took her seat in the centre of the command level of the bridge. If only the mood could have lasted. Two of the Kiretti craft were heading towards them at high speed, weapons armed. A phaser blast hit Voyager. As before there was no damage sustained.
"Tuvok, open a channel."
"Channel open."
"This is Captain Janeway. Why have you fired at us? We have not done anything you expressly told us not to."
Karmin Valincen appeared on Voyager’s viewscreen.
"The wormhole belongs to us. Nothing enters it without our permission. You sent in a probe. For that you will be destroyed. Any possibilities of a trade between us have been forfeited."
The screen went blank. Another round of phaser fire hit Voyager. Tuvok gave a damage report.
"Shields down to seventy-five per cent, minor damage to non-essential systems reported on decks seven and eight."
"Mister Tuvok, arm phaser banks and return fire."
"Captain," Harry interrupted, his voice full of anticipation, "we are getting a location from the probe. It’s light years away from here."
Everyone turned to look at Harry, the Kiretti momentarily forgotten.
"Location confirmed." Harry’s voice was now decidedly down beat. "The wormhole exits in the gamma quadrant – nowhere near Federation space."
As if to emphasise the mood on the bridge at that moment, a massive phaser blast rocked the ship. Tuvok’s voice cut in.
"Shields down to fifty per cent. Damage reported in sick bay, the doctor is off line."
"Damn." Janeway was not amused. Chakotay sat silently beside her, but she could imagine the thoughts going through his mind. She knew he wouldn’t have wanted to be right in these circumstances, but he was right all the same. Harry spoke next.
"Two more Kiretti ships appearing on long range scans, larger than the first two, and heavily armed. We won’t be able to escape, even at warp. Wait…"
"What is it Harry?"
"The location of the wormhole exit, it’s no more than one light year away from the gamma quadrant end of the Bajoran Wormhole – there may be a Federation vessel in that area of space. It's a long shot, but we could send a message asking for assistance."
"Is there any evidence of temporal flux?"
"Negative, Captain."
"Prepare a message. We may even be able to travel through the two wormholes to get home, if we can get past the Kiretti ships." As Janeway spoke another blast hit Voyager. "Damage report!"
"Minor damage on decks eight through ten, but warp is now off line."
"B’Elanna, get down there, we need warp back on line a soon as possible. We won’t know when we may have a chance to make a run for the wormhole."
"Aye Captain." B’Elanna left her station on the bridge and headed for the turbolift.
"Captain, the message is ready to transmit."
"Tell me as soon as any reply is received, whoever…" Janeway was cut off by another blast from the Kiretti. Tuvok, one of the few officers on the bridge to still be on his feet, gave his report as usual.
"Major damage reported in Engineering. We have lost impulse power. External sensors and communications relays are also down."
"Harry, were you able to send the message?"
"Yes Captain, but we will be unable to determine whether anybody received it."
"We’ll have to hope. Tuvok, continue to return fire on the Kiretti ships. Chakotay, you have the bridge, I’ll be in Main Engineering."
*****
On the bridge of the U.S.S. Defiant, everything was running like clockwork. Their data-gathering mission in the Gamma quadrant was fairly routine, and Sisko’s mind was beginning to wander.
The voice of the officer at Ops broke into his daydream.
"Sir, we’re picking up a sub-space beacon. It seems to have appeared out of nowhere, but it has a Federation signature."
"Set a course towards the beacon and engage. Does the beacon contain a message?"
"Yes sir, but it is text only."
"Transfer it to my terminal."
"Aye, sir."
The message popped up on his screen:
Sisko was momentarily stunned. Worf spoke up.
"Sir, what is it?"
"Voyager. The message was from Voyager. Is there any evidence of a wormhole in the area in which the beacon appeared."
"There does not appear to be…wait. It was shielded by the magnetic field of the Bajoran Wormhole, but when you know to look for it there is definitely a wormhole in existence. It appears to be fairly stable on first glance."
"Reverse course, warp seven. We need to return to Deep Space Nine and inform Starfleet Command."
A few hours later, the Defiant docked at the Federation Station Deep Space Nine. Having signalled ahead that he would need to talk to someone higher in rank than himself on a sensitive matter, Captain Sisko was met by Admiral Picard as soon as he exited the starship.
"Admiral. Can I speak to you in private?"
"Certainly, Captain. Your office?"
"Of course, sir."
The two officers made their way towards Sisko’s office. Once inside, Sisko showed Picard the message from Voyager. The Admiral immediately made the decision to send the Enterprise to Voyager’s assistance. This was the best chance he could see in getting Voyager back as quickly as possible. A message was immediately sent to Captain Riker ordering him to abort his current mission and set a course to Deep Space Nine, maximum warp.
*****
Will Riker had just sent an away team down to the planet around which they were in orbit when the message from Admiral Picard was received. He immediately recalled the team – comprising of Beverly Picard, Geordi La Forge and Commander Data – and ordered the officer at the helm to set a course for Deep Space Nine, maximum warp.
*****
When the Enterprise docked at Deep Space Nine, Admiral Picard called the entire crew into Cargo Bay One for a briefing.
"I think the time has come for me to explain why you were called here with little reason to back up my order. I am sure that you are all aware of what happened to U.S.S. Voyager on its maiden voyage, and you will all know that the last contact with them occurred four years into their journey home. That is no longer true. A message was sent through a wormhole, previously undetected, which connects the Delta Quadrant to the Gamma Quadrant. Voyager is currently situated on the other side of that wormhole, but they are unable to travel through it as they are under attack. Your orders are to go through the wormhole and assist them."
Captain Riker was the first to speak up. "If I may ask you sir, why are you briefing every person on the ship at once without speaking first to the senior officers?"
"The reason for that is simple. This mission is unlike any other. Any mistake may result in the Enterprise being stranded in the Delta Quadrant along with Voyager. The Enterprise is the most qualified vessel for this mission. However, unlike normal missions, it is not compulsory for all of the crew to stay with the ship. Any who do not wish to go will be replaced with more willing Starfleet personnel. There will also be a period of two days before the Enterprise leaves the station. During this time, spare parts for Voyager will be loaded onto the ship. It will also be a period during which those of the crew willing to take on this mission may contact their immediate families, if they do not already serve on the Enterprise, and arrange for them to join you on the ship. I would like to inform you now that I will be joining you on the mission. You have two hours to decide if each of you will be staying on the ship or not. Dismissed."
"I’d like to see all senior officers in the conference room in fifteen minutes." Riker called his order above the discussion that had already started over the matter.
Admiral Picard joined all of the senior officers in the conference room for the meeting. Riker was the first to speak.
"Sir, no offence to you intended, but did Starfleet not believe I could handle this mission on my own?"
"Wil, there are two reasons why I am here, neither of which are a reflection on your ability to command this ship. We are going out to help Voyager, and the two starships are going to have to work together. You and Captain Janeway are both excellent Captains, but there is no doubt that you have different command styles and methods. You will disagree about something, and I will be there as a senior officer to make the final decision if it becomes necessary. You are both of the same rank and equal experience – you were even in the same year at the Academy. Starfleet believes that it would be for the best to have a more senior officer present to prevent a personality clash."
"That’s one reason. What’s the second?"
"If anything were to go wrong, I don’t want to be separated from my wife."
All eyes turned to Beverly, and she turned a deep shade of pink. And with that issue settled, everyone agreed with the rest of the preparatory steps to be taken.
As it turned out, few of the crew decided to remain behind, and those that did were easily replaced by family members of those who remained onboard. The most senior officer to opt to remain on Deep Space Nine was the ship’s counselor but he was soon replaced with Deanna Troi, who got a transport to the station in order to join her fiancé, Wil Riker, on his mission.
One person needed all of his debating skills to gain his place on the ship. Mark Johnson received word of the ship heading to help Voyager through a friend in Starfleet, and was anxious to see Kathryn again. Since receiving her letter years before and finding that she was alive, his marriage had deteriorated and ended in divorce. In his heart, no one could or ever would replace his one true love.
He managed to convince Admiral Picard that he should be taken along with two main arguments. One, that if all went well they would be back home before long and his presence would have no effect on the mission other than giving Kathryn an extra reason to fight. His second argument was that if it did go wrong and they ended up stranded in the Delta Quadrant, he and Kathryn could live out their lives together as they were meant to. He said that if the Enterprise crewmembers could take their family and loved ones with them, why should the captain of Voyager be denied the chance to be with the man she loved. After all, he knew that even if she had resigned herself to his marriage, she would never have pursued a relationship with an officer under her command, so when she heard of his marriage break-up there would be no reason for them not to pick up where they left off.
The only thing that convinced Picard to allow him to go along was that from his knowledge of Captain Janeway, Mark was right, and she wouldn’t have pursued a relationship with someone under her command. He knew how lonely command of a starship could be, and wouldn’t wish it on anyone if it could be avoided.
The Enterprise left Deep Space Nine on schedule, and headed for the wormhole that would take it to Voyager’s aid. All on board hoped they weren’t going to be too late.
*****
After two days’ fighting, the crew of Voyager were surprised and more than a little confused that they were still alive. Contrary to their threats, the Kiretti had not destroyed the ship. Every time Voyager was near destruction, they ceased fire just long enough for repairs to be almost complete. Then they opened fire again. Voyager’s energy reserves were rapidly depleting, and many of the crew were losing hope.
Relations between the two most senior officers on the ship were strained at best. Janeway refused to admit that maybe Chakotay had been right, and he was not ready to forgive her for letting her desperation to get home get them into their current situation.
It was just as external sensors and communication were brought back on line for the sixth time that Harry’s attention was caught by something unusual.
"Captain, there is some kind of ship coming out of the wormhole. The Kiretti seem to be unaware of its approach."
"Can you identify the ship?"
"Yes. It has a Federation signature…it’s the Enterprise!"
"My God, we’re gonna live!" Tom’s relief got the better of him, but Janeway wasn’t ready to celebrate just yet.
"Can we contact them?"
"They got there first, we’re being hailed."
"On screen." Wil Riker appeared on Voyager’s viewscreen, with Picard at his side. It was Riker who spoke.
"This is Captain William T. Riker of the Federation Starship Enterprise. Captain Janeway, your message was picked up by the Defiant. We gather you could use our assistance."
"You have no idea how good it is to see another Federation ship after all this time. I think we need to meet and discuss our options where we cannot be monitored."
"Agreed. Can you lower your shields long enough for us to beam some of you over."
"Yes, I think so. Prepare to beam over Commander Chakotay, Lieutenant Torres, and myself on my order. We’ll beam over from the transporter room."
"Acknowledged. Riker out."
By this point Janeway seemed to have regained her optimism, and Chakotay also appeared to be in a better mood. She started issuing orders.
"Janeway to Torres. Meet Commander Chakotay and myself in the transporter room immediately. We’re beaming across to the Enterprise."
"On my way. Torres out."
"Chakotay, you’re with me. Tuvok, you have the bridge." With that Janeway and Chakotay left the bridge and strode down to the transporter room. Once there, they met up with B’Elanna, and Janeway sent the order to the Enterprise to energize.
*****
There were three senior officers awaiting the arrival of Voyager’s crewmembers in the Enterprise’s transporter room. Geordi La Forge joined Riker and Picard. When Voyager’s officers materialised on the transporter pads, they received a warm welcome from Picard. First introductions were made and Janeway, Chakotay and B’Elanna were invited to follow Riker to the observation lounge.
Once there, they found the rest of the senior officers. Picard introduced everyone.
"Captain Janeway, I would like to introduce you to the senior bridge crew of the Enterprise. You’ve met Wil Riker, the Captain, and Geordi La Forge, our Chief Engineer. Now I’d like you to meet Commander Data, First Officer, Counselor Troi, Ship's Counselor, Doctor Beverly Picard, Chief Medical Officer, Lieutenant Commander Anderson, Chief Security Officer, and Operations Officer, Lieutenant Carter. Enterprise crew, meet some of Voyager's senior officers. Captain Kathryn Janeway, Commander Chakotay, her First Officer, and Lieutenant B’Elanna Torres, their Chief Engineer."
They all took their seats, and the serious business began.
"Now, we haven’t been here long and our path back to the wormhole has already been blocked. Captain Janeway, you have obviously had more experience with our adversaries than us, so I think it would be best if you were to be in charge of proceedings."
"Okay. The people we are up against here are called the Kiretti. We have only had contact with one of them, and he called himself Karmin Valincen. They are one of the most technologically advanced races we have come across in this quadrant. They aggressively stated their ownership of this area of space, and later the wormhole, but they have given us no proof of this ownership and they only seemed to appear in this area after they saw our interest. We have been engaged in battle for the last two days, and have been lucky to make it this far. They have repeatedly taken us to the brink of destruction, and then given us time to repair the ship. However, they originally threatened to destroy Voyager. Despite B’Elanna’s best attempts to remodulate our shields to repel their phaser blasts, we have been unsuccessful. We are also unable to replicate the parts that we need due to our depleted energy reserves."
At this point Geordi spoke up.
"We may be able to help you with that. We have a large selection of spare parts to Voyager’s specifications in Cargo Bay One. I could take Lieutenant Torres down to root out what she needs."
"I think you just made her day, right B’Elanna?"
"Real spare parts! I’m in heaven. I’ll see you back on Voyager. Captain, Commander, Admiral." And with that B’Elanna and Geordi left, leaving the remaining Enterprise officers with bemused looks on their faces. Chakotay explained.
"Don’t worry about B’Elanna. She spent years on a maquis ship having to make do with whatever materials were at hand, and then just as many years on a Federation starship with resources that haven’t been much better than what she worked with before. Having spare parts to the right specifications for her ship is something of a rarity for her."
Riker responded.
"You mean she was a maquis! ‘By the book’ Kathryn Janeway actually let two maquis rebels onto her senior staff!"
"It was the best decision I ever made."
"Does that include ditching me for your junior thesis proposal?"
"What?" Simultaneous answers from Chakotay, Janeway, and Counselor Troi. Chakotay was the first to recover enough to speak properly.
"You never told me you even knew Riker, let alone dated him."
"And I have to tell you everything about my past? Anyway it was one date that lasted all of about five minutes. Hardly worth bothering you with."
"Didn’t you think I’d be interested?"
"Now why would you be interested in my love life? Blackmail material perhaps?"
"Yeah, I’ve finally got around to planning that maquis mutiny you were expecting, and now I need ammunition." By now Chakotay and Kathryn were wrapped up in their own private, playful conversation, and Troi berated herself for not recognising the strong emotions she’d felt from these two sooner. How could she have missed a love as strong as these two held for each other? And as for Riker, he felt he should get the conversation back to the matter in hand. Who knew when the next attack was going to come, and so far all they’d managed was a brief summary of their position from Janeway before the conversation had veered severely off the point.
"Ahem, I think what we need to do here is draw up some sort of battle plan. Our appearance seems to have stunned the Kiretti into submission for a little while, but that won’t last. Admiral, as the most senior officer here I believe you will be taking overall command of the two vessels."
"On the contrary, I am leaving that to Captain Janeway." He turned to face her. "You’ve been used to being the highest ranking Starfleet officer in this quadrant for a while now, and I believe you would be the best person to head up this battle, if that is agreeable to you."
"Certainly. I think what we need to do is to get the rest of my bridge crew involved in this strategy meeting as well, not least because they may start to feel as though you’ve all come in to relieve them of duty."
"Yes, of course. How about we take a brief recess while we wait for your officers to beam aboard, and call back Geordi and Lieutenant Torres while we’re at it."
"Agreed. Shall we reconvene in half an hour?"
"Half an hour it is. Dismissed."
Everyone rose to leave, and Picard called for Janeway to remain behind. Chakotay remained in the background to wait for her.
"Captain Janeway, Kathryn, we have someone aboard who is very anxious to see you. He was quite persuasive when he requested to accompany us on this mission. Perhaps you would like to see him now."
"Of course, who is it?"
"Mark Johnson." At this Janeway looked at Chakotay, just in time to see the look of despair before a mask went up and he turned to leave the room.
"Chakotay, wait. I want you to stay with me."
"Kathryn, wouldn’t you prefer to meet up with him alone?"
"No, stay." Picard was a little confused by this scene, but continued anyway.
"Would you like me to fetch him?"
"Yes, thank you."
"I’ll be right back."
The room was silent while its two occupants waited for the surprise visitor. After what seemed like forever to them both, the door swished open and Mark ran in and gathered Kathryn into his arms.
"Kathryn, I can’t tell you what it feels like to see you again." Kathryn was already starting to struggle out of his embrace, a million thoughts and questions spinning in her mind.
"Mark, what are you doing here? Where’s your wife?"
"We divorced six months after I received your letter. She realised she could never compete with you." Kathryn’s attention switched to Chakotay. She was surprised by the emotions she could read in his eyes. Suddenly, realisation hit her. He doesn’t know. He doesn’t realise how much I love him! This must be tearing him apart. Suddenly it was clear what she had to do.
"Mark, you shouldn’t have come."
"Oh, I know how dangerous it is. I know I could end up stranded out here just like you. But none of that matters if we’re together."
"Mark, we can’t be together."
"I know you’ve got to command your ship, but even captains need to relax sometimes. Even Admiral Picard agrees with that one." The only thing going around Chakotay’s mind at that moment was that at least it wasn’t only him that she used the ship against.
"Mark, you don’t understand."
"Yes I do, and I won’t get in the way."
"No, you don’t understand, I’m in love with someone else." There, she’d said it. The look on Mark’s face was shock, then confusion, then he realised there was someone else in the room besides himself and Kathryn. That someone else had looked up suddenly, and now his eyes were locked with Kathryn’s in an attempt to confirm what he had just heard her say. Was she really in love with him? Could his dreams really have come true? The answer was right there in that look – yes.
Mark interrupted their silent communication with an angry outburst.
"What the hell is going on here? You can’t mean him! Who is he? Don’t tell me he’s that maquis captain."
"Yes, he is."
"Kathryn, you need to come to your senses. You remember, the maquis are the enemy."
"Not this one, or any of the rest of my crew for that matter. Why can’t you accept that maybe I might have found someone else. You did."
"No, I didn’t. In the end she just couldn’t compare to you. You’ll see. You’ll realise the same about him soon. You’ll just have to hope it doesn’t happen too late."
"It won’t, it’ll never happen. I’ll love Chakotay for the rest of my life, and longer."
With that Mark stormed out, and Chakotay regained his powers of speech.
"Did you mean that?"
"Of course I did. Until I saw the look on your face when Mark said why he was here I thought you realised how I felt. I was wrong. I’m so sorry for putting you through that. I would never, could never hurt you on purpose."
With that Chakotay wrapped her up in his embrace.
"I know. I just can’t believe this is happening."
At that each of them pulled back just a little, and their eyes locked. Kathryn leaned up, and with one hand behind Chakotay’s head pulled him down into a tender kiss. Their first kiss. The kiss rapidly grew more passionate, until the chirp of Kathryn’s comm badge interrupted and they broke apart.
"One guess who that could be."
"Tuvok." A statement, in unison. Kathryn tapped her comm badge to answer the hail.
"Yes, Tuvok."
"Captain. Curious - how did you know that it was me hailing you?" Tuvok sounded about as surprised as a Vulcan ever can.
"Just put it down to intuition. What is it?"
"All senior officers still on board Voyager are ready to beam across on your order."
"Okay, you’d better come over now. Janeway out." One look at Chakotay as a promise for later, and the two of them strode out of the observation lounge and onto the bridge of the Enterprise. The room fell silent as they entered.
"Captain Janeway, can I ask you why Mr. Johnson just ran straight off the bridge? Looking rather upset, I might add."
"Let’s just say things didn’t work out quite the way he wanted them to."
"You’re not rejecting a relationship with him because of your duties to your ship, are you?"
"Not you as well. Doesn’t anyone think that maybe its just Mark I’m saying 'no' to? Just because I was in love with him when I left, doesn’t mean that that will never change."
"Maybe you’re just not used to the idea of seeing him again. Give it time, you’ll probably realise you’re just as much in love with him as ever."
"What if I was to tell you I was in love with someone else?"
"I’d say who on earth have you met out here that you’d fall in love with?"
"The man I’m standing next to right now."
"Go, Chakotay!" Tom Paris’ voice was unmistakable. Janeway turned an undeniable shade of pink.
"How long have you been there?"
"Long enough to have heard my captain declare her love for her first officer. And I’m not the only one who heard it. Hey, B’Elanna! You won the betting pool!"
"Oh god, you were betting on us. Did you know about this, Chakotay?"
"Umm…"
"Why didn’t you tell me?"
"I wasn’t sure how you’d react. I didn’t want you to shut yourself off even more when you realised how much they already suspected about us."
"Oh, Chakotay, you’re always trying to protect me aren’t you. You don’t need to."
"No, but I want to."
"Do you two realise you’re standing on the bridge of a starship?" For the second time since their arrival Riker found himself interrupting what was turning into an increasingly private conversation. Janeway snapped back to the matter at hand.
"Yes, right, shall we all go into the observation lounge?"
So the senior bridge crews of both ships followed Voyager’s commanding officers into the observation lounge: some of them shocked at what they’d found out about the most senior Starfleet officers in the Delta Quadrant, others deliriously happy that their favourite command team had finally admitted how they felt about each other and seemed to be happy to bring it all into the open.
Once they were all seated at the table, Picard repeated his introductions of the Enterprise’s crew for the benefit of the new additions to the group, and Janeway proceeded to introduce the newcomers for the sake of the Enterprise crew.
"You’ve already met my First Officer and Chief Engineer, now I’d like to introduce Lieutenant Commander Tuvok, Chief of Security, Ensign Harry Kim, Operations Officer, Lieutenant Tom Paris, the Officer assigned to conn, and my Chief Medical Officer, the Doctor."
It was only at his point that Beverly remembered that her counterpart on Voyager was the EMH. She had remembered reading about this in the information received by Starfleet thanks to the communications relay several years earlier. But how was it possible for him to be here, on the Enterprise, and not on Voyager…
"Captain Janeway, forgive my asking, but how is it possible for your EMH to leave sickbay?"
"The Doctor is able to move around the ship and elsewhere thanks to a little trip into the past. We encountered a time ship from the future whose captain claimed that Voyager was responsible for the destruction of Earth. The chain of events that followed led to the Doctor being fitted with the autonomous holo-emitter, which allows him to leave the confines of our sickbay when necessary."
"I’d really like to have a look at that sometime." This came from Geordi. Riker, on the other hand, was getting impatient – he believed that the conversation really should be sticking to the rather pressing matter of the Kiretti, and getting everyone safely through that wormhole. Picard sensed his anxiety, and stepped in.
"I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time to discuss what has happened to Voyager over the years when the current situation is at an end, whether that be back home or out here in the Delta Quadrant. Either way, I don’t think this is the most constructive subject for conversation at this moment. How about we get back to what we plan to do about our little situation."
"Is that what you call it?"
"Tom, I don’t think that was quite necessary, do you?" Janeway was starting to worry about the impression her crew was giving. The Enterprise crew had risked a lot to come and help them, and she was worried that the more informal routine that they had slipped into on Voyager was not doing them any favours in the opinion polls. She had to admit that she and Chakotay hadn’t done a lot to help matters. She had picked an excellent time to finally tell him how she felt.
Tom could tell from his Captain’s remark, or more her tone of voice, that he’d better stick to protocol a bit more for the time being, and that he wouldn’t be able to get away with as much as usual when in the company of their ‘rescuers’. Personally, he wasn’t that bothered how long it took them to get home. He wasn’t sure he really had a lot to get back to, and he was quite happy on Voyager with B’Elanna. However, he wasn’t insensitive to the feelings of those who still had a lot to go home for. Harry still missed his parents, and little Naomi Wildman still hadn’t met her father. They were just the first that sprung to mind.
"Tom, are you with us?"
Janeway’s voice cut into Tom’s train of thought, and suddenly he realised that she had been addressing the whole group for some time and he hadn’t heard a word of what had been said.
"I’m sorry Captain, I’m afraid I haven’t a clue what you’re talking about."
"I’m aware of that, Tom. Would you care to tell us what it is that’s holding your attention so well?"
"I was just thinking about what it would mean to the whole crew if we were to get through that wormhole and finally reach the Alpha Quadrant again."
At this Janeway softened a little.
"Just sinking in that we could really make it this time? I know it’s what we’ve all been working towards but we’re not there yet, and if we are going to get there I’m going to need 110% effort and commitment from everyone, including you. I need you to pay attention so you’ll be ready to fly us into that wormhole at our first opportunity."
"Yes, I know, I’m sorry Captain. I didn’t think it would affect me this much. I don’t really have a lot to go back to myself, if you know what I mean."
"Tom, you already know I will do everything I can to help you don’t you."
"Of course."
"Right. Well, I was just saying that I think our best chance is going to be if we initiate the next bout of fighting, rather than leaving that to the Kiretti. If we fire first, we may have the advantage of surprise. I think we can safely say that diplomatic efforts have failed, and as we have seen no evidence of their claim to this area of space I think an attack would be justified. Admiral, what is your view on this matter?"
"I don’t like to think that its come down to an outright attack, but I don’t think we have a lot of options. Do you agree, Wil?"
"Much as I hate to say it, I think you’re right. It would be easier if we knew of a weakness we could exploit, one that would disable them long enough for us to enter the wormhole without having to destroy them."
"Funny you should say that." Janeway stood from her chair and started to walk about the room as she spoke. The Enterprise crew wondered what she was doing at first, but her own bridge crew were aware that she often did this when she was forming a plan.
"We have noticed that their shields are not strong enough to defend against us the whole way around all of the time. They react quickly though to defend at the precise place they are needed at any one time. I believe that if we were to fire at opposite sides of their ships at precisely the same moment, at least one of our shots would penetrate their shields. If we target their propulsion and weapons systems in this way, we should be able to disable them for long enough to make it through the wormhole. It would require an open comm link between the two ships in order to coordinate our efforts, although my one concern would be that they could listen in and work out what we have planned."
"I think it would be possible, if we meet in person to discuss details. All we would need the open link for is to give the order to fire. By that time it would be too late for them to do anything about it." Riker seemed to be in full agreement with Janeway’s plan.
"Okay. B’Elanna, I believe you have an overlay of their ships with you, or what we have been able to determine anyway."
"Yes. If you look at these plans their vessels seem to be arranged in much the same way as any standard Federation vessel. I believe that is how they were able to so effectively disable our systems time after time without destroying us. I can leave this padd here for use on the Enterprise."
"Great. I think we need to split up and finish repairs to Voyager before we go any further. If the ship's not in top form all the plans in the world aren’t going to be any use to us. Does everyone agree?"
Heads nodded around the room.
"Okay, I think we’ve done enough for tonight. I’d like to see my senior officers in Voyager’s briefing room at 0800 hours tomorrow. Dismissed."
Everyone began to file out, and Chakotay started to wait for Janeway, but Picard had other ideas.
"Captain Janeway, can I speak to you for a moment, in private?"
"Of course. Chakotay, I’ll see you back on Voyager. Mess Hall, 2100?"
"Sure." He gave her one of his dimpled grins and left to transport back to Voyager.
Picard turned to Janeway.
"Kathryn, I wanted to talk to you about Lieutenant Paris. He’s Admiral Paris’ son, isn’t he?"
"Yes."
"The one who was in the penal colony in New Zealand?"
"Yes. Is this leading somewhere?"
"Yes, I’m getting there. Why is he on your senior staff?"
"What kind of a question is that?"
"A legitimate one. He was dismissed from Starfleet. He was only allowed out of the penal colony as an observer. The very fact that he has been in a penal colony at all should prevent him from holding any position on a Starfleet ship, let alone becoming a member of the senior bridge crew. Shouldn’t an officer who was already on your ship have been given the chance for a promotion?"
"I don't think so. Tom Paris is the finest pilot it has ever been my honour to serve with, and in my opinion he has proved himself worthy of the trust I put in him when I appointed him to the position. Not only do I stick by my decision to give him this chance, I will also do everything in my power once we have returned to Federation space to see that he stays out of the penal colony, and if he wishes is allowed to remain in Starfleet."
"He has obviously done a lot to impress you over the years you have been out here."
"Yes, he has. He is a valued member of my crew and also a valued friend. While we’re on the subject, I also plan to do the same for every ex-maquis member of my crew."
"We’ll see. Dismissed."
At that Janeway strode out of the room and then off of the Enterprise bridge, eager to get back to her own ship.
*****
As soon as Janeway had left the Enterprise, Picard asked to see the whole of Riker’s senior bridge crew in the observation lounge. They assembled quickly as most had not bothered to leave the bridge. They had a fairly good idea that their meeting was going to occur long before that of Voyager’s officers, and many of them wished that they could have waited until 0800 the next day before having another briefing.
The subject of this meeting was not what they were expecting. The first thing Picard said was that like the Voyager crew they were going to meet at 0800 tomorrow to discuss the situation with the Kiretti. He then proceeded to explain that he had called this meeting to discuss what he called the 'circumstances' aboard Voyager.
"Frankly," he continued, "I’m worried about the state of mind some of them are in, and their apparent lack of discipline. Even Captain Janeway has managed to surprise me in her somewhat relaxed attitude to certain things during our briefing. I was especially concerned by how easily she and Commander Chakotay veered off into a little world of their own. They are a prime example of why Starfleet has always been opposed to relationships between senior officers, especially the Captain and First Officer."
"Jean-Luc, they have been alone out here for years. Don’t they deserve some happiness? It’s fairly obvious that they only admitted how they felt to each other today, anyway. It’s not as if one of them could have requested a transfer to another ship, is it?"
"All the more reason for nothing to happen between them, Beverly. I am not denying them the right to a relationship, I’m just suggesting that it might have been easier for me to accept if they had each chosen someone further down the ranks, someone that they could avoid in the event of a messy break-up."
"Admiral, I don’t believe that a messy break-up is likely. It is obvious to me that they have been close for years, possibly since they first met. I don’t think a relationship with anyone else was an option for either of them. They are deeply in love. And if its any comfort, or any aid to the redemption of Janeway’s character, it is clear that this is something that it has taken her a long time to come to terms with. It has taken her years to reconcile her ingrained Starfleet beliefs with her love for the Commander. I believe that this outcome will only strengthen their working relationship, and make them an even better team."
"Counselor, that is a very detailed analysis for such a short time of observation."
"It didn’t come only from observation of the Captain and Commander, but from a general observation of the entire senior bridge crew of Voyager when they heard that their commanding officers had finally admitted their feelings for one another."
"I suppose I have no choice but to go with your judgement until I have reason to think otherwise. I also wanted to discuss the maquis members of the senior crew, and Lieutenant Paris. I would be interested to hear your opinion on them, Deanna."
"Well, I don’t think Captain Janeway could have chosen a better person to act as her First Officer. I’ve already said that it is clear that the two of them make a good team. He may have been a member of the maquis but he is also a former Starfleet officer. He knows how the system works. He was also the logical choice if Janeway wanted to earn the loyalty of the rest of the maquis. They are unlikely to have followed her without some maquis influence among the command team."
"That is true. What about Lieutenant Torres?"
"She too appears to be a good choice. She did attend the Academy, and although she did not graduate, she knows enough of Starfleet procedures to maintain them in the running of Engineering. She does seem to feel an inner conflict between her Human and Klingon sides, but this doesn’t appear to affect her work."
At this point Geordi spoke up.
"I would have to agree with what Deanna has said so far. And Lieutenant Torres certainly knows her stuff. Her abilities would put most of Starfleet’s finest Engineers to shame, past and present. Frankly, if she were one of the officers on the Enterprise I would be in fear of my job. She could do my job, with all the Starfleet support and spare parts I have access to, standing on her head."
"That’s quite an endorsement. And do any of you have an opinion on Lieutenant Paris?"
"Despite his failure to adhere to a few of the finer points of Starfleet decorum, he also seems to be a fine officer. His loyalty to Captain Janeway is unparalleled on any other ship in the fleet. I suspect, however, that this is a trait that runs throughout their crew."
"In other words, I’m the only one who sees anything wrong with the running of their ship at all."
"Jean-Luc, I think too many years as an Admiral have affected your view of how a Starship is run out in the field. You didn’t always do things by the book yourself, and it never got us into too much trouble. It got us out of more scrapes than it got us into. What I’ve seen of Voyager so far is a ship where everyone is happy, and the ship is run extremely efficiently in difficult circumstances. To change anything would be a grave mistake, even when we return to the Alpha quadrant. Their ship is truly unique, and we could learn a lot from them."
"On that note, I suppose I’d better call it a night, unless anyone else would like to add to this verbal attack on me. No? Okay then, dismissed."
The officers filed out, and left the beta shift crew to keep a look out for any unusual activity from the Kiretti as they headed for a well-earned rest.
*****
At 2030, Janeway was in her quarters, pacing up and down. She couldn’t understand why she was so nervous. She was only having dinner with Chakotay in the mess hall, something they must have done a thousand times since their arrival in the Delta quadrant. But tonight was different. Tonight, somehow, it seemed like a date, despite the fact that they would both be in uniform and everyone in the room would be watching them. There was no doubt in her mind that what Tom and the others had heard her say earlier was all over the ship by now. She knew the rumour mill well enough to know that nothing remained a secret for very long. Maybe that was the problem, that everyone would be watching them. She couldn’t decide what would be worse - their all-seeing glances or them staying not-so-subtly away, leaving her and Chakotay alone.
She was pleasantly surprised when she finally did reach her destination. Those that she would have expected to be there listening and watching everything she and Chakotay did, namely Tom Paris, were notably absent, but there were a few random groups of people seated eating their meals. She got herself something to eat, and headed towards the table Chakotay already occupied.
As soon as he saw her he sent her one of his disarming grins - the ones he reserved especially for her. It almost made her knees collapse from underneath her, but somehow Kathryn made it to the table and sat down opposite him. For the first time in her life she couldn't think of a single thing to say. Well, maybe not the first time in her life. She remembered having a certain amount of difficulty trying to think of an excuse to get out of the 'date' with Wil Riker, but that was nothing compared to this. Chakotay was her best friend, she was able to talk to him about anything. So why couldn't she think of one single thing to say to him now? Because she'd gone and told him that she loved him. Who in their right mind would tell someone that before even one date? She tried to think. What did people normally talk about on first dates? They got to know each other. Mistake number one. Been there, done that, don't have the T-shirt but hey, who needs one of those? Mistake number two was staying quiet for too long. She worked this one out just before Chakotay decided to bring it to her attention.
"You're not saying much Kathryn. Are you okay? If it's that you've decided this was all one big mistake then I'm sure I'd rather know now and get it over with."
"No, Chakotay, it's nothing like that. I…I just didn't know what to say."
"That would have to be a first - the great Captain Kathryn Janeway, fearlessly confronts the Kazon, the Vidians, the Borg, and then speechless when confronted with a man she just said that she loved!"
"That about sums it up!" Kathryn replied with a smile, glad that someone had finally spoken.
"Kathryn, just be yourself. I've already seen all your bad points, and I don't think they're so bad, so you don't have to put on the whole dating act. I think we're past that."
"You mean I have bad points!" Kathryn was laughing now, and finally starting to enjoy herself. Why had she gotten herself so worked up over this? She should have known that Chakotay would make this easy for her, just like he did with everything else.
"Hmmm, let me think, bad points. Well, you're stubborn for one."
"Hey, mister, I could say the same about you!"
"Point taken. OK, well how about your infamous cooking abilities."
"I think infamous is taking things a bit far. As I recall you're one of the few people who've had the pleasure of experiencing me in a kitchen. You should be honoured."
"You're not going to let me say a thing against you without coming up with some kind of a defence, are you?"
"Too right! We can't have you thinking I'm anything but perfect. You might want to trade me in for a better model."
"Hey, you are perfect as far as I'm concerned, and I wouldn't trade you for all the latinum on the Ferengi homeworld!"
"Just the Ferengi homeworld, what happened to the rest of it?"
"Well, there is such a thing as going overboard, and they do say everything has a price!"
"To quote B'Elanna, you pig!"
"I'm hurt!"
"Live with it. Anyway, I don't know about you but I think we should get some rest. We finished eating almost before either of us said anything and we need to be alert tomorrow."
"You've got a point. I'll walk you back to your quarters."
"Thanks, Chakotay. On a more serious note, I'm sorry about what happened with Mark earlier. I should have made it clear to both him and you from the beginning how I felt. As for him coming out to the Delta quadrant after me, I don't know what came over him. I can't believe he didn't think it was possible that I had moved on, especially after I'd found out about his marriage."
"It doesn't matter now. It all worked out in the end."
"For us, yes. But what happens if this all goes wrong and we all get stuck out here, us and the Enterprise. What's Mark going to do? He obviously came out here expecting me to fall into his waiting arms, and if he got stuck out here it wouldn't matter because he'd still have me. It didn't work out that way though, did it. Not only does he not have me, he would have to live out the next however many years watching us carry on our lives together."
"This really bothers you, doesn't it."
"Of course it does. I may not be in love with him any more, but he's always been one of my closest friends. The last thing I want is to see him unhappy because of me."
By now they had reached Janeway's quarters, and were standing outside.
"It may not come to that. There is every possibility that we will get through that wormhole, and we'll be home. Mark can get on with his life, and hopefully the two of you will remain friends."
"That'll only happen if he learns to accept you. From his reaction earlier, that may take a while."
"I don't want you to lose one of your oldest friends because of me."
"Neither do I, but if it comes down to a choice I couldn't choose anyone but you. You do know that, don’t you. I love you."
"I know. I love you too. Now, I'd better say goodnight."
"Oh no you don't, mister, not until you've given me a goodnight kiss!"
"Yes ma'am!" And with that, he proceeded to kiss her, like she'd never been kissed before…
*****
The last officer filed into the observation lounge at precisely 0759 the next morning, and everyone was eager to get business underway. Now that Picard seemed to have sorted out his problems with Voyager's crew, the meeting ran smoothly. This was chiefly because the Enterprise crew had little to do to be ready for the impending attack on the Kiretti. Unlike Voyager, the Enterprise had yet to suffer any damage since it had entered the quadrant, so all they had to do was make sure they were able to target the correct places on the Kiretti ships and fire when Janeway gave the order. With little to discuss, the meeting broke in record time.
*****
The readiness of the crew was reflected over on Voyager, but that was as far as the similarities went when the senior staff met up in the conference room. Voyager had much more to take care of in order to be battle-ready, as B'Elanna was explaining.
"The repairs are going to be made easier by the availability of proper parts, but we're still going to have problems. In some cases our modifications since we entered this quadrant have left the systems incompatible with their original specifications, so using the parts we've been given will require further modifications. I could use some help with that - maybe Geordi could bring a team over from the Enterprise to lend a hand. The sooner the repairs are completed the sooner we can all be out of here."
"I'll see what I can do on that, B'Elanna."
"Thanks, Captain."
"Is there anything else you need?"
"I don't think so - so long as the Kiretti stay out of our way for the next 24 hours or so."
"That I can't help you with, just try and get the repairs completed as soon as possible. Harry, have you noticed any unusual activity from the Kiretti ships?"
"No. Actually, there aren't many of them in sensor range at the moment. I'll inform you of any changes as soon as they occur, but as of yet, nothing."
"Tuvok, have you coordinated targeting with the Enterprise yet?"
"No. I am due to meet Commander Anderson at 0900 hours in order to confirm agreement on this matter."
"Very good, keep me posted. Chakotay and I are to meet with Admiral Picard and Captain Riker at 0930, so any information you could get to me before such time would be appreciated. If no one else has anything to add, I suggest we break up and concentrate on getting this ship back into shape. Dismissed."
*****
Thanks to B'Elanna's organisational skills and Geordi's willingness to help, repairs to Voyager proceeded smoothly and ahead of schedule. After progress reports were heard from both Engineering and Tactical, Janeway, Picard and Riker agreed that the attack should be scheduled for 0700 the next morning, as long as the Kiretti didn't pull any surprise punches in the meantime.
*****
"Fire!"
The two Federation starships had been quietly setting up their attack since the alpha shift had taken their posts at an earlier than usual time that morning, and Janeway's order to fire came not two minutes after the open comm-line had been established between the two ships. Janeway hadn't been able to believe their luck when at the agreed time only one Kiretti ship had been patrolling the entrance to the wormhole. It must have increased their chances for success at least ten-fold, and it made a welcome change for the odds to be on their side.
The bridge crews of both ships watched their respective viewscreens as their shots made their way to their targets. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion as they converged on the previously unsuspecting ship. Both shots looked directly on target as the Kiretti shields were observed trying to repel the attack.
"Report!"
"It worked, but only one shot got through. The shields concentrated on the blast from the Enterprise, but our shot penetrated them to reach their weapons array. It has been disabled."
"I recommend we coordinate our fire to the region of their propulsion systems for another shot."
"Do it. Enterprise, did you read that?"
"Affirmative. Ready to fire on your order."
"Tuvok?"
"Ready, Captain."
"Fire."
The second round of shots had the same affect as the first, except that this time it was the Enterprise's shot that got through. Either way, the Kiretti ship was now unable to move or fire back.
"Picard to Janeway."
"Janeway here."
"I believe that was our cue to get out of here. We're ready to follow you through."
"And we're eager to lead the way. And Admiral, thank you."
"You're welcome. Picard out."
"Tom, lay in a course for the wormhole."
"Aye Captain."
Kathryn looked over to Chakotay, and reached across the console they shared to take his hand in hers. Their eyes connected briefly, then they both turned to face the viewscreen in front of them still holding each other's hands.
"Engage."
Voyager entered the wormhole, with the Enterprise following just behind. They were finally going home
THE END?
*****
I was originally going to take this on and cover Voyager's return to the Alpha Quadrant, but I've since decided to leave it here. Was that a good decision? Please let me know what you think…
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