STAR TREK:
VOYAGER
An Original J/7
Voyager Story
Ó2007 by
Patricia L.
Givens
Christmas 2007
Disclaimer #1:
This
story is an original work of fiction set in the pre-existing universe
of Star
Trek: Voyager. As
such, many of the
characters and references used within belong solely to Paramount
Pictures. No gain,
monetary or otherwise, is expected from
their use and no copyright infringement is intended or should be
inferred.
Merry Christmas
Everyone!
Christmas
is a time when you get homesick
…even
when you're home.
~Carol Nelson
Captain Kathryn
Janeway sat in the senior officer’s meeting,
absently staring across the table at her Astrometrics officer as Neelix
droned
on about the upcoming holiday.
“I
was thinking that a Christmas party is just what we
need.” The
furry little man
enthused. “Get
everyone into the spirit
of the holiday. We can have a gift exchange and put together a group to
sing
carols. I’ve
researched it in the
database and I think it would go a long way to raise moral.”
“I
think you’re right.”
She forced a smile. “Things have been quiet
enough lately and it could
give some of the crew a nice taste of home while offering a new
experience for
others. I am all
for it, as long as we
can celebrate it without the religious affiliations.”
“Of
course, Captain.”
Neelix beamed at her.
“From the
information I’ve gathered, Santa Claus is a pretty
non-denominational
entity. Christmas
Eve is just two days
away, but I shouldn’t have any problems getting everything
set up in time.”
“Alright
then, I’ll leave it in your capable hands.” She rose.
“If there’s nothing else,
you’re all dismissed.”
She followed her staff out of the conference
room, heading straight to her ready room for her mid-morning cup of
coffee. She nodded
to Chakotay on her
way through. “You have the bridge, Commander.
I’ll be going over reports in my ready
room.”
The First
Officer nodded at her, his eyes full of concern as
he saw the weary slump in her shoulders.
She was always like this around the holidays, and it only
seemed to get
worse every year they were stuck out here.
But try as he might, he couldn’t seem to figure
out a way to make the
Captain go any easier on herself.
With a
sigh, he settled into the command chair, not expecting to see her again
for the
rest of the shift.
Captain Janeway
retrieved her coffee and walked up the short
flight of stairs to stand in front of her couch, looking out at the
stars as
they sped by. What
was this, their sixth
Christmas out here in this god forsaken quadrant?
Had it really been that long since she had
sat down to a holiday dinner with her mother and her sister? Had it really been six
years since her crew
had seen their own families?
She sighed. Holidays
were always the worst. It
was natural
for the crew to think about the people they were so far away from,
natural for
them to miss them with an ache as profound as her own.
But her ache was as much for them as for her
own loss and, not for the first time, she wondered how she would get
them all
through it.
The party would
help, Neelix was right about that.
It would ease the hurt, if only for a few
hours. The crew
would laugh and share
their memories with each other. They
would
make the holiday their’s, in the only way they could.
But not her.
She
didn’t deserve to be happy, even if just for a little
while. She was the
reason they were all
stuck out here. Because
of one spur of
the moment decision, they might not see any of the people they loved
ever
again.
It was her
fault, all of it.
The hardships, the suffering, the rationing, and the
losses to her crew
they had experienced along the way.
She
wasn’t just responsible for their lives, she was responsible
for the lives they
weren’t allowed to have.
They gave her
their best, every single day and all she gave them back was another day
thirty
thousand light years from everything they held dear.
No, she
didn’t deserve to be happy.
Not now.
Not until every single member of her crew was back with
the people they
had left behind.
Taking a deep
breath, she squared her shoulders and went
back to her desk and the pile of reports that were awaiting her review.
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Seven of Nine
looked up, a small smile curving her lips as
the doors to Astrometrics slid open.
“Naomi
Wildman.” She
greeted the half Katarian child. “Do
you
require assistance?”
The young girl
smiled up at her. “No,
I just heard about the party and I
wanted to come and see what you were going to ask Santa for.”
“Santa?” Seven
quirked one eyebrow. “I
assume you are
speaking of the mythical construct known as Santa Clause, Kris Kringle,
Saint
Nicholas, Sinter Klaas, Kersvader, or Hagios Nikolaos, the being that brings gifts
to good
children during the yearly celebration of Christmas or
Yuletide.”
“I
didn’t know he had so many names.”
“Apparently
the myth is accepted in many different
cultures. The name
varies, but the
details are all very similar.”
The Borg
looked down at her. “However,
I am neither
a child, nor am I certain my behavior could be deemed as
‘good’ by Starfleet
standards so I do not believe ‘Santa’ would be very
interested in anything I
may wish to acquire.”
“I
don’t think Santa Claus cares about Starfleet,
Seven.” Naomi
giggled. She
wrapped her arms around the blonde.
“And I think you are a very good person. I’m sure the
Captain does too. Hey! I
bet we could ask Captain Janeway to talk to him for you!”
“I am
sure the Captain is much too busy to engage in such
irrelevant activities.”
“It
isn’t irrelevant, Seven!
Mom told me all about Santa Claus because she said the
Christmas spirit
is even more important way out
here!”
“I
see.” Seven
replied, even though she didn’t really.
“Still,
I do not believe it is something that we need to burden the Captain
with. Additionally,
I am unaware of anything that I
require that is not already easily provided by the replicators here on
Voyager.”
The young girl
looked somewhat crestfallen. “There
must be something you want,
Seven. I’m
sure if you think about it
you can come up with something!
Will
you at least write Santa a letter?
Mom
is going to help me write mine and I’d feel a lot better if
he got one from
someone else too.”
The Borg looked
down at the plaintive expression on her
young friends face and sighed. “Very
well, I will compose my own correspondence and you may forward it to
‘Santa’
along with your own.”
“Thanks,
Seven!”
Naomi beamed. “I’ll
come by and
pick it up later, after your duty shift?”
“Acceptable. Now I
must finish the scans the Captain requested.
Meet me in Cargo Bay 2 at 18:00 hours and I will have the
data ready for
you.”
Seven watched
with a small smile as the young girl
practically skipped out of Astrometrics.
Now she just had to figure out what to ask
‘Santa’ for. Unbidden,
the image of Captain Janeway popped
into her head. It
was her favorite among
the thousands stored in her eidetic memory.
The fiery red head was laughing, her head tilted back, her
eyes the most
incredible shade of deep sapphire blue… The young woman
swallowed, pushing the
enigmatic woman from her thoughts.
There were some
things that even ‘Santa’ would not be able
to give her.
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Captain Janeway
sighed, taking another long drink of her
coffee. The liquid
seemed overly bitter
to her this morning for some reason.
Of course, if
she was going to be honest with herself, many
things seemed overly bitter this morning.
Her door chimed
activated and the sound set her teeth on
edge. “Come!” She growled, immediately
gentling her
facial expression when she saw Samantha Wildman standing in the doorway.
“Ensign
Wildman,” She put on her most congenial smile. “Sam.
How are you and Naomi doing?
I
don’t get down to Biometrics as often as I would like, is
your posting working
out well?”
“Yes,
I am quite happy, Captain.”
The blonde woman flushed.
“Actually, Naomi is the reason I’m
here.”
Janeway came
around her desk to place a hand on the Ensign’s
arm. “Is
she all right?” She
asked with honest concern.
“Oh,”
Sam blushed even harder. “She’s
just fine, Captain. In
fact, I’m really sorry to bother you with
this but Naomi made me promise and…” She
shrugged helplessly.
“It’s
all right, Sam. What can I do to help?”
The Ensign
pulled a PADD from under her arm and held it
out. “Naomi
has written a letter to
Santa Clause. She
is really concerned
that he won’t receive it in time, what with Christmas Eve
being tomorrow and
all. She is
emphatic in the belief that
only you, the Captain, would be able to get it to him in time. So she made me promise to
bring it up to
you. I know
it’s completely
unprofessional but-“
Janeway took
the PADD from the flustered woman.
“It is completely appropriate, Ensign
Wildman.” She
smiled expansively. “Starship
Captains have long had a special
relationship with Santa Clause. You
just
tell Naomi that I will make sure this gets to him in time.”
Samantha smiled.
“Thank you, Captain.
That will
mean a lot to her.” She
remained at
attention.
“Dismissed.” The
Captain watched her go, her mood slightly brightened by the unexpected
visit. Sliding into
her chair, she
activated the PADD and smiled to herself when she read the little
girl’s words.
My name
is Naomi Wildman. I
am on a ship called Voyager, which is lost
in the Delta Quadrant. I
know we are
kind of far from Earth, but I was hoping that this letter might still
be able
to reach you.
I have
tried my best to be a good girl
this year. I have
learned all of my
lessons and I am working hard to become the Captain’
Assistant so I can help
her because it has to be hard to take care of everything and everyone
all the
time.
I hope
you consider my behavior good
enough for me to ask for a few things this Christmas.
I would
like to ask that the ship get
home as soon as possible. I
would also
like to ask that everyone stay safe for the upcoming year. I would also like it if
people were nicer to
my friend, Seven. She
is a good person
and I don’t think a lot of people know that.
Oh, and
if you have time, I’d really
like a new Flotter holo-deck program.
Thank
you!
Sincerely,
Naomi
Wildman
She grinned
as she remembered her own letters to Santa when she was girl. Always wait till the end
to slip in what you really
wanted!
Janeway was
about to deactivate the PADD when she realized that there was another
message
tacked on to the end of the first.
She
covered her mouth, actually laughing out loud for the first time in
days as she
read through the opening lines.
To The
Individual
Known As ‘Santa Claus’,
I am Seven of
Nine,
Tertiary Adjunct to the Unimatrix Zero One, currently serving as
Astrometrics
Officer on the USS Voyager, a Federation starship presently located in
the
Delta Quadrant.
I am unfamiliar
as to
the standard format for requesting your attention in regards to
Yuletide
matters, but I have been informed that it is customary for me to send
you
assurances as to my exemplary behavior, as well as a list of my demands.
I have
performed my
duties to the best of my abilities which, as Borg, can only be deemed
as highly
efficient and beneficial to my vessel and crew.
As such, I
assume that
I am eligible to receive the items I have listed below upon your review
and
acceptance of this correspondence.
As you are a
being that
can circumvent an entire planet in a single evening, I do not feel that
these
demands are outside the scope of your abilities.
I will expect
delivery
of the above listed items on the morning of the 25th
of December, as
dictated by the old Earth Calendar.
Sincerely,
Seven of Nine
–
Tertiary Adjunct to the Unimatrix Zero One.
Janeway sat
back in her chair, her face thoughtful as she reread the message over
and
over. She knew that
Seven writing the letter
was clearly the influence of Naomi Wildman, but everything Seven had
requested
was something that would bring her
joy. None of the
items would have any
practical use for the Borg.
She found
herself immensely touched by the intention behind the letter and placed
the
PADD to the side, intending to take it with her to her quarters at the
end of
her duty shift. She
knew she should
simply erase it, that her feelings for the gorgeous blonde were already
complicated enough. But there was something comforting in knowing that
one
person on the ship put her needs above their own.
Even if she
didn’t feel like she particularly deserved it.
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Chakotay
stood outside the ready room doors.
He
knew what he had to do, but that didn’t mean he had to look
forward to it. The
Captain had spent the last two days
locked away from the crew, only venturing out when something warranted
her
attention or to come and go from her quarters.
As far as
he knew, she hadn’t even eaten.
She was
surviving on coffee and bitterness.
A
diet most Starfleet Captains resorted to at various times during their
careers. Janeway
just seemed to make it
a staple.
He thumbed
the door chime, waiting patiently as the seconds dragged out until she
responded.
“Come
in.”
The Captain
looked up at him, her mouth already set in a grim line, as if she knew
his
reason for disturbing her, and she probably did.
“Chakotay.
What can I do for you?”
The large
man folded his frame into the chair across from her.
“I just came to go over the rotations for
duty shifts during the party tonight.”
He held up a PADD. ”I’ve
worked
it out so that every station, including the bridge, is covered in three
hour
shifts, allowing the entire crew the chance to enjoy the
festivities.”
“Good
work.” She
reached for the PADD, looking over its
contents. “But
you can delete the bridge
rotation you put into place for me.
I’ll
be covering the bridge until 19:00 hours.”
“You
came
on duty at 06:00 hours.”
Chakotay
protested.
“And?”
“That’s
a
thirteen hour shift, Kathryn. You’ll
be
too tired to enjoy the party.”
“Then
it
works out fine as I have no intention of attending.”
The First
Officer sighed. Here we go… “The
crew will be looking for you to
join them, Kathryn.”
“The
crew will
be happier if they are allowed more time at the party by my taking
their
shifts.” She
countered.
“You
know
that isn’t true. There
isn’t a person on
board Voyager who wouldn’t gladly work the bridge so that the
rest of us could
spend some time with our matriarch.”
“Matriarch?” She snorted.
“Is that what I am?
Somehow I
doubt they think of me that way, Chakotay.
I’m the one that stranded them here, that took
them away from their
family and friends and everything else they held dear.
I am the reason that some of their friends
have died; the reason that many more will probably do the same before
we limp
our way into Earth’s orbit in what?
Thirty years? Somehow
I don’t feel
much like partying.”
“Then
do it
for them.”
“I am
staying away for them!” She snapped.
“So they don’t have to be constantly
reminded by my presence of how much
they have lost because of me.”
“You’re
not
doing it for them.” Chakotay’s
voice was
quiet. “You’re
the one wallowing in
bitterness, in self pity and for what?
Something you can’t change now and
wouldn’t go back to change then even
if you could?”
“Oh
don’t
be too sure of that!” Janeway
waved a
finger at him. “If
I had it to do over
again, I might just take those few extra minutes to think a little bit
harder
about the consequences my actions carry for the people that I am
supposed to be
responsible for.”
“You
don’t
mean that.” Chakotay
stood, his back
stiff, his face closed. “You
just can’t
see past your hurt to accept that no one blames you.
Maybe if you did, you’d have to actually let
some of us get close to you.”
The command
mask slammed into place and her voice hit its very lowest register. “Dismissed.”
Without
another word, he turned and left the ready room.
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Seven of
Nine walked calmly across the bridge, nodding a greeting to Chakotay as
she
strode past his command chair. She
noticed he did not meet her eyes, but then so few rarely did.
She
accessed the ready room doors and entered without announcing herself,
only
realizing her error when dark gray eyes flashed fire at her from the
couch
under the viewport.
“Are
your
fingers broken, Seven?”
Janeway asked
darkly.
“No,
Captain.”
“Then
I
assume you have a very good reason for entering my ready room without
announcing
yourself or waiting to be allowed admittance?”
The Borg
took a deep breath, unhappy that she had disappointed the Captain. It was not something she
liked to do and yet
it seemed to happen so frequently.
“I
apologize, Captain. I
was in error. Would
you prefer for me to exit, announce
myself and wait for you to allow me admittance now?”
Janeway
eyed her sardonically. If
it were anyone
but Seven, she would think they were joking, something that would have
been
very ill advised at the moment. “No.”
She barked. “Just
tell me what it
is you want.”
Seven
frowned. The
Captain was not usually so
brusque with her. “I
wish to acquire
your input as to the festivities this evening.”
“In
regards
to?”
“My
attire.”
Janeway
looked up in surprise, trying to gauge if the Borg was serious. The she shook her head. This was Seven, she was always serious.
With a sigh,
she softened her expression. “What
do
you find unacceptable with your normal bio-suit?”
“Naomi
Wildman has informed me that this holiday is of sufficient note that my
apparel
must be altered to express the tidings of the season.” She glanced down at
herself. “Apparently
my current outfit is not ‘merry’
enough.”
“I
see.” She
felt a genuine smile grace her
lips for the first time that day.
“I
would suggest a dress, Seven. In
red or
green. I am sure
you can find one in the
replicator data banks. If
you have any
trouble, the Doctor seems to love playing dress up with you.”
Seven
glanced at her curiously, her forehead furrowing at the irritation in
the
Captain’s tone when she mentioned the Doctor.
“How will you be attired this evening?”
Janeway
picked up her coffee mug. “I
won’t be
attending.”
“I
was
under the impression that our attendance was mandatory.”
“Yours
is,
mine isn’t.” Janeway
smiled
sarcastically. “Rank
has privileges.”
The Borg
shifted uncomfortably. When
she finally
met the older woman’s eyes, Janeway saw that the bright blue
seemed somehow
muted. “I…” The blonde began. “I would greatly
prefer it if you were in
attendance.”
“You’ll
get
over it.” She
heard herself being cruel
and wanted to stop but the words just seemed to tumble out of her mouth.
Seven
flinched. “Indeed.”
For a
moment, The Captain almost stood and went to her, almost laid a hand on
her arm
and asked her to forgive her for being so rude for no reason.
Almost.
Instead she
turned her head away, looking back out the viewport as she mumbled,
“Dismissed.”
The sound
of the ready room doors closing echoed in her heart.
The rest of
the day was uneventful. Chakotay
must
have warned off anyone that came by after Seven because there were no
further
visitors. Even he
only stuck his head in
momentarily to inform her that he was leaving for the day.
The next
time she saw any of the crew she was crossing the bridge on the way to
the
turbo-lift at 19:00 hours. She
nodded to
the skeleton crew still at their stations, mumbling vague wishes of
good cheer
as she hurried past them.
Once she
reached her quarters, she removed her uniform and stiffly drew a robe
over her
nude form. She knew
the party in the
mess hall was just getting started, but as far as she was concerned,
the day
was over. It had
nothing left to offer
her.
She went to
the replicator and ordered whiskey, neat, downing it in one gulp. She clenched her teeth as
the fiery liquid
slid down her throat and exploded into her belly, sending artificial
warmth out
to her limbs, allowing her to relax them slowly, in increments.
Her
thoughts turned briefly to the look Seven had given her before she had
left the
ready room earlier. The
confusion and
the hurt had been enough to give her yet another reason to hate herself.
Seven had
wanted her to come to the party. She
had
practically asked her to attend as her date.
Janeway
allowed herself exactly five minutes of fantasy about attending the
party with
Seven on her arm, and the unwrapping of certain gifts afterwards.
Then she
sighed and shut Seven out, going back to pulling the images of all the
crew members
no longer with them to the front of her mind.
With a
small groan, she curled into a ball in the middle of her bed, wishing
more than
anything that she had her choices to make over again.
She
wouldn’t make the same mistakes twice.
Bitterly
she closed her eyes and let the whiskey carry her away.
*
*
*
*
“Computer,
time?”
“The
time is 20:00
hours.”
Janeway
groaned and rolled over trying to hang on to the hard won sleep she had
just
barely succumbed to when she heard the noise again.
It sounded like… chains?
Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes and
listened. There it
was again. It was
definitely the sound of chains
rattling and it was coming from her living room.
Jumping up, she grabbed her robe, wrapping it
around herself as she carefully eased through her bedroom doorway.
“Hello?”
She called out. Not
getting an answer,
she ventured further into the room.
“Who’s out here?” She demanded.
“OOoooOoooOO.” An eerie voice came from
all around her and
she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up.
She reached for her phaser, but before she
could grab it, she felt herself wrapped up in a strong hug, completed
by a loud
kiss being planted firmly on her cheek.
“Miss me, Kathy?”
The Captain
turned, her eyes going steel gray as she took in the sight before her. “Q!”
She ground her teeth.
“The
one
and only!” The
tall omnipotent being was
dressed in a nightshirt complete with cap and slippers, his arms
festooned with
chains that he shook quite gleefully.
“Tell me you missed me.”
“If I
promise
to miss you, will you please go away?” She snapped.
“Now
don’t
go getting all uppity with me. I’m
here
on official business. The
Continuum sent
me.”
“Why?”
“Ever
since
you set the Continuum on its ear by allowing Q to self terminate
they’ve been
keeping an eye on your little ship and frankly, they’re not
all that impressed
with your progress. They
felt the need
to intervene. And
who better to send
than moi?”
“Since
when
do you listen to the Continuum?”
“Normally,
I don’t. But
how could I pass up a
chance to see you again, Kathy? Besides,
I kind of agree with them. Your
ridiculous adherence to all those silly Starfleet principles has gotten
in the
way of Voyager being a good time.
They
want to see something interesting and all this holiday business was
more than
they could pass up.”
“I
don’t
give a damn about entertaining the Q!”
“Oh
you
should. Nothing
worse than a bored
Continuum! Make the
Klingon’s wear tutus,
have the Vulcan’s take up tap dance, who knows what they
might do?”
“Just
tell
me what the hell they want!”
Janeway
pinched the bridge of her nose between her fingers.
She could feel the headache already.
“They’ve
sent me to remove the stick that is firmly planted up your ass, Kathy. It’s Christmas
time! Break out the
eggnog, snog under the
mistletoe…I can think of a few of your crew that
wouldn’t mind a smooch from
their Grand Dame!” Smiling,
Q picked up
the data PADD containing Seven’s letter to Santa. “See?
Even your pet Borg is getting into the holiday spirit! How sad to think the
Collective is more jolly
than you are!”
“This
isn’t
amusing, Q.”
“Amusing
is
my middle name.”
“You
don’t
have a middle name!” She
said
dryly. “You
don’t even have a first
name.”
“Details,
details… when are you going to learn to stop sweating the
small stuff?”
“What
exactly is the ‘small stuff’?”
“I’m
a Q,
everything is small stuff.”
He pulled
Janeway close, laying his cheek against hers.
“Just think of it, Kathy.
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Daniels nipping
at your nose…
Not to mention turkey with stuffing and all the
trimmings…sounds good doesn’t
it?”
“Where
am I
going to get a turkey out here in the Delta Quadrant?”
“You
still have
that First Officer around here somewhere, don’t
you?”
“Q!!”
“All
right,
all right! Now,
let’s see. How
does this go again? Oh
right. You will be visited by three
ghosts.”
“I
don’t
believe in ghosts.”
Q rolled
his eyes. “They’re
not real ghosts, Kathy, the Q would
never do
anything that prosaic. Think
of them
more as… sign posts leading you on the path to
enlightenment.”
“Sign
posts?” Janeway
raised one eyebrow. “I’m
not interested in any sign posts unless
one of them is ‘Stop’.”
“And
here I
thought I was being eloquent. Fine,
you
want to be that way about it, you’re on your own.” Q snapped his fingers and
was gone.
Shaking her
head in frustration, she slapped her commbadge.
“Janeway to Tuvok.”
“Here,
Captain.” The
sound of the party carried
over the signal.
“I
just had
a visit from Q. I
don’t know what he’s
up to, but I think it would be prudent to do continuous scans for his
presence. He’s
gone now but I don’t want
any surprises we’re not ready to handle.
Let me know if he shows up again.”
“Yes,
Captain. Tuvok
out.”
Just
what I needed.
Janeway
sighed as she pulled off her robe and climbed back into bed. Now she would never get
back to sleep.
*
*
*
*
The Captain
tossed and turned for an hour before finally finding herself drifting
somewhere
between sleep and semi-consciousness.
When she felt something tickling her nose, she brushed at
it absently
with her fingertips until a light, melodic laughter pulled her
completely from
her restive state.
Janeway
blinked, confusion running through her as she looked up into familiar
green
eyes and a very loving smile. She
sat up
slowly, her heart in her throat as she whispered,
“Kes?”
The pretty
Ocampan standing next to her bed nodded at her.
“Hello, Captain.”
“Kes?” Janeway’s eyes
widened. “Is
it really you?”
“Yes
it is
really me.” The
blonde smiled as she
looked down at her own body. “This
form
is no longer mine, but I thought it would be easier for you to accept
if I came
to you looking as I used to.”
“What…
how
did you get here?”
Kes
smiled. “Q
can be very persuasive. I
admit when he first approached me, I was
wary as to his intentions. But
after he
explained who it was that needed my help, there was no way I could
refuse.”
“I
don’t
understand. Help
with what?”
“That’s
exactly it, Kathryn. You
do not
understand, and you desperately need to.”
She took the stunned Captain by the hand.
“Are you ready?”
“For
what?”
“To
truly
see…”
The room
spun dangerously out of control. When
it
righted itself, they were in a large, brightly lit chamber. All around her there were
Ocampans going
about their daily lives.
“Your
home
world.”
“Yes.” The blonde smiled. She turned and pointed to
a large area that
was covered in lush green vegetation and growing vines.
“The Ocampans have started growing their own
food. They have learned to harness the power of water to increase their
energy
reserves, to augment what was left them when the Caretaker died. They are flourishing in a
way that would have
never been possible without your
‘interference’.”
The Captain
was astounded. The
underground facility
had almost doubled in size and much of the population that surrounded
her was
made up of children laughing and playing.
There was no sickness or malnutrition that she could see. “This is
amazing.”
“Yes
it
is. My people have
advanced beyond my
wildest dreams. And
it all started with
you, and the decision you made. You
made
it possible for the Ocampans to thrive.”
Kes took her hand again.
“Come,
there are many other things you must see.”
The world
swam again and suddenly they were on the
Something
moved in the wreckage strewn about the floor and she was shocked to
realize
that it was her! She
was battered and
covered in dirt, one side of her face badly scarred, yet still she
crawled her
way over to the command chair, pulling herself into it as
Tuvok’s voice came
from somewhere over the comm..
“All
our
ships have been disabled, Captain.
Do
you have weapons?”
“Negative.” She checked her console. “Torpedo
launchers are down. I'm setting a
collision course. Janeway
to the Fleet.
Take your temporal shields offline.”
Tuvok sounded confused. “Captain,
we
won't be protected.”
“Exactly. If that ship is destroyed all of history might be
restored. And this
is one year I'd like to forget.”
The other
Janeway stared out the hole ripped through the front of her ship. Her lips peeled back as
she snarled, “Time's
up.”
Kathryn
watched in horror as she steered Voyager into a much larger vessel
directly in
its path. Voyager
crumpled on impact,
the resulting explosion destroyed the other ship in a bright flash of
fire that
blocked out the stars. She
closed her
eyes, not willing to watch anything more.
The silence
was overwhelming. Then,
out of nowhere,
she heard people talking.
“When
can
you bring it online?” She
heard herself
say. Cracking one
eye open, her
confusion became very apparent when she saw she was standing on the
bridge
again. There was no
destruction, no
debris. The other
Captain was sitting in
her command chair, smiling at her Astrometrics officer.
“We just did.”
Seven replied calmly.
“In fact,” Harry Kim interjected with enthusiasm. “We're in the
process of charting a new
course home.”
Her other self smiled. “Well
I'd say
this is cause for celebration.”
The sounds
of the conversation faded out as she turned to Kes.
“What just happened?”
The Ocampan
smiled. “You
just destroyed the Krenim
Timeship. It was a
vessel responsible
for the decimation of dozens of worlds and the murder of millions. They were attempting to
restore the Krenim
Empire to power by removing outside influences completely from time. You do not remember it
because when you destroyed
the ship, the entire timeline restored itself and all of those worlds,
and
Voyager, received a second chance.”
Janeway was
speechless. She
desperately needed some
time to work through everything she was seeing but Kes did not give it
to
her. Instead, the
small blonde took her
hand again as the scene around them shimmered out of existence.
“How
much
time do we have?” B’Elanna
grimaced as
she squeezed her shoulder where a steady stream of blood was flowing
from an
open gash.
“Not
much.” Chakotay
said quietly. “They
were only a few minutes behind us.”
“Chakotay.” The Klingon turned to him. “I want to
say..”
“I
know.” The
man’s dark brows knitted
together as he studied his friend.
“I
know. And
I’m sorry.”
Then there
was no more time for words as a full contingent of Jem’ Hadar
stormed into the
chamber. The small
band of Maquis fought
bravely but they were just no match for the stronger forces. One by one the
Jem’Hadar picked them off
until only Chakotay and B’Elanna were left.
“NO!” Chakotay yelled and jumped
in front of a
laser blast meant for the Klingon.
He
was struck in the center of his back and slumped lifelessly over the
rock
floor. B’Elanna
grabbed him by the
shoulder and shook him, tears streaming down her face.
“No…oh no.”
She dashed her tears away angrily with the back of her
hand. “I
love you, Chakotay.”
Jumping up,
she rushed the contingent, firing madly into the well armed group, but
she
never got to see if any of her shots hit their mark.
Three laser blasts struck her in the chest;
she was dead before she hit the ground.
Janeway
stared at their lifeless bodies as the scene faded, replaced by the
dank grey
environs of what could only be a prison.
She looked around, seeing dozens of different species
fighting over
space and food.
Confused,
she watched as a familiar form moved down a nearby hallway to enter the
larger
chamber. He was
carrying a bag with him,
pulling pieces of food out of it, eating as he walked.
“Tom?” She whispered. She took one step towards
him, only to stop
and watch in horror as a group of three men jumped him from behind. The struggle was brief. The tallest of the three
slid a long,
sharpened piece of metal from his boot and slammed it into the
helmsman’s
side. One of the
others grabbed the bag
and they ran off, leaving Tom lying on the ground, blood flowing from
his mouth
as the life drained from his eyes.
“No
more.” Janeway
crossed her arms over her
chest, trying to steady her breathing and keep the tears from flowing
down her
face.
Kes raised
one hand and gently placed her palm against the Captain’s
cheek. “I
am sorry, Kathryn, but there is one last
thing that you must see.”
The room
seemed to spin again and when it stopped she was surrounded by dark
metal and
an eerie green glow. A
Borg cube.
“Follow.” Kes said quietly, walking
down the narrow
corridor.
Janeway
followed her automatically, flinching when drones passed on either side
of her.
“They
cannot see you.” The
blonde whispered
gently.
Taking a deep
breath, the Captain nodded and silently continued.
Kes led her
to a larger chamber where the glow seemed to intensify.
There were a dozen alcoves along the wall,
some filled, some empty. They
came to
stand before the very last one and when Janeway looked up she felt her
heart
constrict painfully as it broke within her chest.
Standing in the alcove, covered in exoplating and Borg implants, was Seven of Nine. The drone was twitching slightly as she regenerated. Her one human eye was closed and Janeway watched as a single tear escaped to slide slowly down her cheek.
Falling to
her knees, the Captain bent over, her anguish pouring out of her as she
lowered
her head. She felt
her shoulders shake
uncontrollably as the image of that one tear seared itself indelibly
into her
mind.
“Kathryn.” Kes’ voice
seemed to come from a long way
off. A whisper lost
in the pounding of
her own heart. “Kathryn,
open your
eyes.”
“I
can’t.” She
bit the words off forcibly,
speaking through teeth clenched together in pain.
“Open
your
eyes.” The
voice said gently.
She finally
complied and saw that she was back in her quarters.
She looked around quickly and then raised her
head to stare at the Ocampan.
Kes knelt
down in front of her, taking Janeway’s face between her palms
as she whispered,
“You may have stranded your crew here, but they are alive. They may be far from their
families, but
their families will eventually get them back.
By staying, by the very nature of who and what you are,
you have
affected millions. Most
are beings you
don’t even know. But
many are those you
have come to love and cherish. Knowing
that, would you truly change… anything?”
She wiped the tears away lovingly.
“Rest now, but do not ever
forget…”
“Kes!” Kathryn reached out to
grab the Ocampan but
her form was already fading.
“Wait!”
She slumped
over onto the floor as everything went black.
*
*
*
*
Captain
Janeway sat bolt upright, wildly glancing around her darkened
bedchamber as her
heart hammered painfully in her chest.
“Kes?”
She whispered.
There was
no answer.
“Q?” She tried again.
Still no
answer.
“A
dream.” She
took a deep breath. “Just
a dream. Get a hold
of yourself old girl.”
Sliding
from the bed she pulled on her robe and headed for the replicator. Whatever demons Q might
have stirred up with
his little visit, she knew the perfect thing to quiet them down again.
“Whiskey,
double, no ice.”
As she
waited for it to materialize, her door chime sounded.
She frowned to herself.
Everyone was supposed to be at the
party. Well,
everyone but her. “Come
in!”
Her eyebrows furrowed when she saw the tall blonde form of
her
Astrometrics officer framed in the doorway.
The woman was stunning in a knee length deep green
cocktail dress with
matching sandals.
“Seven?” Janeway turned back to the
replicator to get
her whiskey. “Why
aren’t you at the
party?” She
started violently when she
felt warms hands slide around her waist.
“I
heard
the party was here.” A
soft voice
breathed into her ear.
The Captain
spun around, staring at her in shock.
“What do you think you are doing?”
She studied the face just inches from her own. There was
something… not quite right about
it.
The Borg
smiled, the tip of her tongue darting out to moisten her upper lip.
That was
it, Janeway realized as her eyes flew open wide.
There was no Borg in the woman standing
before her. No
ocular implant, no
starburst below her right ear. And
the
left hand that came up to lovingly caress her cheek was definitely
devoid of
the mesh that had always been present.
“What did you do to yourself, Seven?”
“I
believe,” The blonde advanced towards her, causing her to
step back
quickly. “That
you have mistaken me for
someone else.”
The smaller
woman swallowed. “You’re
her, aren’t
you? The
ghost?” She
moved away quickly, trying to keep the
gorgeous woman at arms length but she did not seem to want to cooperate. Instead, the blonde moved
like mercury,
flowing around the furniture in a sensual dance that kept Janeway
fighting for
every inch there was between them.
Eventually she miscalculated, however, and ended up
pressed tightly
between the wall next to the bedroom doorway and six feet of long,
lanky
curves. The glass
fell from her
nerveless fingers as clear blue eyes looked deeply into her own, seeing
past
the anger, the fear, and the sense of duty to find the flesh and blood
woman
trembling underneath.
The full,
red lips descended and captured her own, sliding a velvet tongue inside
to
taste the shadows of her mouth. Janeway
tore her lips away a few moments later to whisper breathlessly,
“Aren’t there
rules of some kind? Something
that
separates the corporeal from the ethereal?”
The blonde
smiled. “I’m
not that kind of ghost.”
“Then
who
are you?” Kathryn breathed, trying to get her heart rate
under control.
“I’m
Annika
Hansen. I’m
the woman you watch
regenerate, the woman you stare at from across the conference room
table when
you think I’m not looking, the woman you hunger for, who
makes your hands
tingle and your palms sweat. I’m
the one
in your dreams that makes your fingers wander and your mouth go dry. I’m your want,
your desire, your muse…”
She leaned forward and ran her tongue along
the Captain’s lower lip.
“I am all
things. And I am
all for you.”
Janeway
felt her knees go weak and realized she was only standing upright
because of
the body pressed so tightly against her own.
“I can’t do this.” She said
weakly.
Annika’s
laugh was sultry, sensual. It
wrapped
around her like a caress and drove all rational thought from her mind. “You say that as
if you had a choice in the
matter.”
It suddenly
struck the Captain that this wasn’t Seven
It wasn’t the woman-child she so worried about
taking advantage of. This
was Annika, fully grown, sprung from her
mind like some goddess of ancient Greek myth.
With a low moan, she wrapped her arms around the
blonde’s neck and
pulled her head down to devour her lips, giving in to the passion she
had
denied herself for so long.
Annika
didn’t hesitate; she opened her mouth beneath
Kathryn’s and allowed her tongue
to enter to play wetly with her own.
Her
hands moved possessively down the silk covered back before sliding
around her
waist to untie the sash holding the robe closed.
With an almost negligible motion, she flicked
the garment away, watching with a smile as it puddle at the ground
around
Kathryn’s feet.
The redhead
flushed slightly and Annika took her chin between her thumb and
forefinger,
drawing her head up so that she could look directly into her eyes. “You are
beautiful to us. Every
part of you has been stored in our
eidetic memory and every memory has been revisited more times that we
can
count. And we can
count very high.” She
smiled.
“We are Borg.
We have witnessed
every emotion of every species we have ever assimilated. And yet… we
were not truly prepared for
longing. Watching
you, every day;
catching your scent in passing, hearing your voice in our thoughts. Wanting…
wanting so much from you and not
having the ability to put the need into words.
Now I can for both of us, both Seven and myself. We desire
you. We wish to
feel your skin beneath
our hands, taste your essence on our tongue, feel your legs tighten
around
us… We
wish to love you, and be loved by
you. Now.” The last word came out as
a growl and Janeway
shivered as the blonde picked her up and carried her to the bed.
Lying her
down gently, Annika reached to her side and unzipped her dress,
allowing it to
fall to the floor. She
wore nothing
underneath. Stepping
out of her sandals,
she approached the bed, six feet of creamy white skin and bright azure
eyes.
In one
graceful motion, the blonde slid onto the mattress and settled on top
of
her. As the full
warm weight of her body
came in contact with Kathryn, the older woman’s senses swam
in the scent of the
form on top of her.
The pale
golden mane smelled of peaches and cream, the skin of cinnamon and
nutmeg. Her breath
smelled faintly of champagne and
strawberries and an image of Seven at the Christmas party floated
briefly
through her mind. A
moment later, it was
gone as Annika bit her lower lip gently, sucking it into her mouth
before
sliding her tongue between her lips to taste the recesses of her mouth. The blonde’s
hands slid across the Captain’s
flesh, touching every part of her that they could reach.
With a smile,
Annika whispered, “I
can do slow, I can do soft; I can do lingering and
languid… I can do anything you need… you just
have to tell me what you want.”
Kathryn
moaned as smooth
hands slid up to cup her breasts before flattening to brush the palms
across
her nipples. “All
of it.” She
whimpered. “All
of you.”
Chuckling
softly, the
younger woman dipped her head to take a nipple between her lips. She rolled her tongue
across it firmly,
before grazing it with her teeth.
As she
brought her fingers to the Captain’s other breast, she slid
her thigh between
the older woman’s legs, her eyes rolling back slightly as the
moisture she
found there coated her skin.
“What
is in your
thoughts, Kathryn,” Annika whispered.
“That has made my leg so wet?
Tell me…”
“Your
touch…” The
Captain shook, her voice barely more than
a low moan. “The
feel of your lips… How
soft they are, how full they look…”
“But
not just my
lips…” The
blonde began to grind against
her, sliding her knee firmly against the older woman’s
sensitive flesh. “Who
else has captured your mind…your
heart? Who else
have you dreamt was
touching you?”
Janeway
swallowed. “Seven… always, Seven.”
She breathed.
“And
in your dreams,
did we do… this?”
Annika slid her hand
down Kathryn’s stomach to scratch lightly in the light auburn
curls between her
legs. “Did
we do this?” Her
fingers slid into the cleft, circling
wetly around the engorged bundle of nerves at the top of it. “Tell
me…”
Kathryn
wrapped her
arm around the long, gorgeous neck, her teeth sinking absently into one
elegant
clavicle. “Yes…”
“What
else did we do?”
“You…
She… would go
inside me…”
“Like
this?” Annika
slid two fingers deep inside Kathryn,
her eyes closing as the velveteen muscles clasped them firmly.
“No…
more…”
Smiling,
she added a
third finger, reveling in the whimper it evoked from the beautiful
woman
beneath her. She
began thrusting in and
out while curling her fingertips, rubbing against the rough spot high
up inside
of her. “What
else..” She
bit one nipple roughly as she waited for
a reply.
The
Captain swallowed,
her hips beginning to push up against Annika and her breath coming in
pants. “Her
mouth…”
“Seven’s
mouth?”
“Yes…”
“And
what would Seven
do with her mouth?”
She
began to shake.
“Look
at me, Kathryn.”
Janeway
opened her
eyes and found herself staring into blue orbs filled with love and
desire.
“What
would Seven do
with her mouth?”
“She
would taste me…”
“Ahhh…” Annika began to slide
slowly down the compact
form, her tongue flickering out against the Captain’s skin as
she went. “Here?”
She teased. “Or
maybe here?” The
tip of her tongue disappeared into the
older woman’s naval. “No? Where then?”
Kathryn
whimpered, her
voice no more than a whisper. “Lower…”
“Ahh…here?” The blonde relented as her
thumb move aside
so that her lips could close on the swollen nub with abandon. She suckled it firmly,
circling it with her
tongue as her fingers kept up their movements within the
Captain’s body.
Annika
pulled her
mouth away for a moment to whisper, “And what did you sound
like when you came
for her, Kathryn?”
The
Captain moaned,
her back arching high off the bed as her thighs began to shake,
Annika’s velvet
words and velvet tongue pushing her beyond any level of pleasure she
had ever
known. Her orgasm
grew like heat within
her blood, carrying itself to all points of her body as it exploded out
from
everywhere the blonde was connected with her.
“Oh…
Sev…SEV…OHMYGOD…
SEVEN!!” Her
vision darkened as she
collapsed back onto the bed, vaguely aware that Annika was still licking
her
softly. Without
warning, a second orgasm
shot through her, causing her entire body to go rigid and her toes to
crack
before she fell back, finding herself cradled softly against
Annika’s full
breasts. Her head
was spinning, her
thoughts were in chaos and she whispered quietly, “I love
you, Seven.”
Then
she passed out.
When
she awoke Annika was
standing over the bed, looking
down at her with infinite gentleness. “She isn’t
some china doll, Kathryn; that
you need to be afraid of breaking.
I’m
in there, sharing space with the rest of who she is.
And she loves you, just as I do.
You gave us back our humanity.
Can you really deny us the right to choose
who we wish to share it with?”
The tall form
faded away and Kathryn sank back into her
mattress, her body tingling softly as her eyes slowly closed.
*
*
*
What was that
smell?
It was familiar… multiple scents mixed together. It smelled like coffee
and… sex?
Janeway sat up,
her eyes flying open to blink rapidly at the
shadows in the darkened corners of her bedroom.
Yes, there was
definitely the scent of coffee, but more
pervasive than that was the thick smell of sex that hung in the air. It wasn’t the
scent of a single person
either. She had
grown very familiar with
the particulars of self gratification.
No this was the scent of sweat and sex, of exertion,
of energy expended by two people focused intently on each other.
With a groan,
she dropped her head into her hands.
“What
the hell have I done?”
She whispered.
“Oh,
calm down Katie.”
A familiar voice chuckled from the doorway. “You’re
going to give yourself an ulcer… I
should know.”
Kathryn looked
up, her jaw dropping at the sight that
greeted her. She
blinked once, twice,
and then rubbed her hands across her eyes but the image did not change.
Standing in the
doorway to her bedroom… was herself.
It
wasn’t exactly herself though.
No, this Janeway was much older.
There was no more red in her hair, and the
lines on her expressive face were so deep they seemed to be cut in
stone. The uniform
was different too, as was the
insignia. The
visitor was… an Admiral?
“Ok,”
Kathryn held her hand up. “I’m
not going to do the whole “Oh my god is
it you’ thing. I
am going to assume
since you are here that you are the third ghost and since the other two
weren’t
quite ghosts, then neither are you.
Why don’t
you take it from there?”
“We
always were too smart for our own good.”
The Admiral laughed, holding up her coffee
cup. “Why
don’t you put on a robe and
come join me for a cup of joe? Then
we
can talk.”
With a sigh,
the Captain found her robe by the bedroom door
where it had dropped when… her pulse began to rise and she
pushed the image
aside, focusing on the mug of coffee her counterpart thrust into her
hand. “So
what’s on the agenda this time?”
The Admiral
laughed.
“Leave it to us to treat something this unique
as banal.” She
sighed.
“I’m here to show you our
future.”
The Captain
pursed her lips.
“Some of it I can make out on my own.”
She smiled dryly. “You’re
an
admiral, so that means we made it home in at least several large pieces. That’s all I
care about.”
“Is
it?” She
set her
mug down. “I
beg to differ.”
“Excuse
me?”
“No I
don’t think I will and honestly, I don’t have to
since
I am the one living with the consequences of your choices. You think all that matters
is getting this
ship home, well I am here to tell you that you couldn’t be
more wrong.”
“How
can you say that?”
“Because
I did it your way.
I know what’s coming and I know what it will do
to us.”
Captain Janeway
sat down on the couch, looking at the
admiral thoughtfully. “How
old are you?”
“A
lady never tells.” The Admiral sat down beside her, her
expression going stony. “Don’t
look
now…”
The room seemed
to vibrate slightly and when it stopped, the
Captain saw herself sitting just a foot away, reading a book. When the door chime was
activated, she did
not even glance up, merely called out “Come in.”
Seven of Nine walked into her quarters. There was something about her that seemed off somehow, as thou