CONTEST ENTRY - Three Reunions

[Oddish]

Three Reunions
By Oddish


AUTHOR'S NOTE:

1. The following is written as an entry into the November/December Fanfiction contest, the theme being "Reunions"

2. The following story is set in my "Roads Not Taken" timeline. While reading the aforementioned story is unnecessary (and maybe even a bad idea, given that this is a prequel), some explanation is indicated. Suffice to say, some different decisions were made early on in Voyager's journey. As a result, Seska's secret remained hidden, and Tuvix's fate was quite different. Other differences will be explained as the story unfolds.

3. Yes, another story by me in which Harry gets a promotion. -ing deal with it.


Prologue: A Matter of Morale


The Intrepid-class starship streaked through the endless night of space at warp eight, her high-performance engines purring like the proverbial kittens. From a distance, if a ship moving at that a thousand times the speed of the starlight it was cutting through had been conventionally visible, it would have seemed as serene as an antimatter-fueled swan sailing across a pond. But once you got inside the vessel, it was not difficult to realize that in reality, the USS Voyager was not a happy ship, and had not been for weeks.


This issue rarely strayed far from the mind of the acting captain, the hybridized individual known as Tuvix. He had only barely reconciled himself with the knowledge that he would be allowed to continue to exist as the man he had become, and then suddenly, the captain and first officer had come down with an unknown but potentially deadly illness, and both had been forced to remain behind on the planet known as New Earth. They could survive nowhere else. With them both out of the picture, no one quite knew who was going to command the ship. Lt. Torres was far too busy keeping the ship running on whatever forms of fuel Voyager could scavenge. Tom Paris was smart and decisive, but had the confidence of neither the Starfleet crew nor the Maquis. Harry Kim showed promise as a commander, but he needed a whole lot of seasoning before he could run a ship. After a whole lot of discussion, it had been decided that Tuvix, despite his relatively short existence, was the only viable candidate.


And, he knew that he had done his job as well as could be expected. His senior staff were a decidedly outspoken bunch, and they would have told him if he was being unreasonable with them. Their journey had been relatively serene these past weeks, but he wasn't sure how long that would last. The Kazon-Nistrim faction had granted them safe passage, and had honored that agreement, but Voyager had passed out of their territory almost a month ago.


"Captain Tuvix?"


Tuvix turned to the young officer who had spoken. "Yes, Mr. Kim, what is it?"


"I'm picking up a convoy on long range sensors. It's Vidiian, sir."


"Distance?"


Harry checked the sensors more closely. "Approximately 1.5 light years."


"Have they detected us?" Tuvix wanted to know.


Harry eyed the sensors for a bit longer, monitoring the distant warp signatures. "It doesn't look like it, their course is unchanged."


"I'd like to keep it that way for now," Tuvix stated. "Alter course to a different heading."


"Sir... the Vidiians," Harry said.


"I know what you're going to say, Lieutenant," Tuvix said. "And I promise, you'll be able to make your case. But for now, let's keep out of sight."


"Aye sir," said Lieutenant Paris, from his customary spot at the helm. "Course altered to 324 mark 101."


Tuvix examined the chosen course, observing that it kept Voyager out of detection range of the Vidiian convoy, but would not steer them too far from it. Just in case. He nodded approval. "I'd like the senior staff to join me in my ready room in five minutes."


*~*~*


The meeting actually began a few minutes late, since B'Elanna Torres had been hunting down a fluctuation in the plasma manifolds, and Ensign Seska was just wrapping up a routine transporter diagnostic. Although not a senior officer per se, the intense young Bajoran was often included in staff meetings, largely because she had not bought into Starfleet doctrine as quickly or completely as most of the other crew. Tuvix had long come to understand that a unique perspective could be valuable, despite the disagreements it might foster.


Along with Seska and the volatile half-Klingon, the usual rogue's gallery were gathered. There was Tom Paris, who was starting to get a proper bead on his new role as acting first officer. Harry Kim, one of several officers Tuvix had promoted, in part to bolster morale and in part to shore up the ship's command structure. Kes, there on behalf of the still-unnamed holographic doctor. And, the handsome if slightly scruffy Lieutenant Ayala, who had inherited the title of head of security from the ship's new commander.


Tuvix explained the situation with minimal preamble. "About ten minutes ago, Mr. Kim detected a Vidiian convoy. It's about a light year and a half from us, so I don't have to tell you that it's within hailing range. However, I likewise don't have to tell you that before we left her, Captain Janeway explicitly ordered us to not risk contacting the Vidiians. I am open to suggestions as to what we should do next."


Harry spoke first, as he often did. Though a higher rank and slightly increased responsibilities had grounded him a great deal, he was still not that far from the fresh-faced Academy graduate who had beamed aboard Voyager a year and change ago. "It's not like we went out of our way to find them. We could just say we were.. taking advantage of an opportunity that's presented itself."


Tuvix smiled at him. "That bit of sophistry is not terribly persuasive, should we have to explain our actions, Mr. Kim," he replied. "Either to the captain or to Starfleet Command."


"Well, I agree with Harry," Tom said. "I know what the captain's orders were not to contact them, but you can rescind them, right?"


"If I felt otherwise, we would not be having this meeting, lieutenant," Tuvix said calmly. "However, this is not a decision I feel I should make unilaterally. The captain ordered us to avoid the Vidiians for a very good reason: contacting them could put the entire ship at risk."


"We do have some advantages," Harry said. "B'Elanna's Klingon DNA is resistant to the Phage. We could offer to give them some, in return for medical assistance."


By mutual consent, all eyes turned to B'Elanna, who was known to have no love for the Vidiians. Small wonder, given that her prior experience with them had involved being split into two beings, seeing a colleague harvested for organs, and nearly being similarly dissected herself. The feisty engineer nodded. "I'm willing to give them as much of my DNA as they need for their research. As long as they don't try to turn me fully Klingon again."


"Or fully human?" quipped Tom Paris.


"That I could live with," B'Elanna shot back.


"I expect that could be worked out," Tuvix stated.


"We also have another point in our favor," Kes stated. "Danara Pel, the Vidiian woman treated by the Doctor. They were very close, so I'm sure she would help us if she..."


"Look, why are we even discussing this?" Seska demanded. "the captain gave us specific orders not to contact the Vidiians. Aren't we supposed to respect those orders?"


Tuvix raised an eyebrow at the young ensign, curious. Normally, Seska was the person who had little regard for Starfleet doctrine, including chain of command. Her hard-nosed pragmatism had little use for ideals. "Certainly, you have a point, ensign," he said. "However, even Starfleet allows some interpretation of orders. It might be appropriate in this instance."


"I don't know why," Seska said.


The discussion continued for several minutes, but it was pretty clear that most of the crew favored contacting the Vidiians. Seska was the sole dissenting voice, and she quickly clammed up. She was pretty good at reading a room, and knew that everyone was solidly on the side of contact. This included Tuvix himself, he had only allowed this meeting as a courtesy to his people before throwing them into harm's way. And, given her former close relationship with Chakotay, people were probably already wondering why she was even talking about leaving him behind.


With consensus reached, Tuvix gave the crew their marching orders. "Mr. Paris, proceed to the bridge and compute a course parallel to the Vidiian ships. Harry, prepare a message for them and transmit it as soon as possible. Kes, I'd like you and the Doctor to start research on the Phage. Perhaps we can provide the Vidiians with usable data as well as DNA. And Mr. Ayala, we are taking a risk here, so please schedule additional security and tactical drills." He nodded to Seska. "If the Vidiians prove hostile, we'll be ready for them."


As the meeting broke up, Seska cursed to herself profusely in Cardassian, which would have been a surprise had she actually been Bajoran. She had actually been the one most responsible for Voyager's relatively peaceful coexistence with the Kazon over the past year, having managed to secretly feed the maje of the Kazon-Nistrim a fair amount of technological data. However, the success of her plan had depended on Voyager leaving Kazon space for good, and soon. If they turned around at this point, it was almost inevitable that the upgrades in Kazon technology would be noticed, as would their steady transition from a group of squabbling factions into a unified polity. Worse, while Seska had been wise enough not to give her new friends phaser technology, her parting gift to the maje had been a fundamental course in photonics. She figured that they would be able to develop photon torpedoes in one to two years, enough time for Voyager to clear their territory long before the weapons would be a threat to them. But if the Kazon researchers managed to work faster...


And even if they didn't, she thought angrily, Janeway would not care that Seska's clandestine activities might well have kept Voyager one piece. Nor, most likely, would most of the other Maquis. They hadn't just put on uniforms and adopted regulation hairstyles; they had bought into the Starfleet doctrine of "the Prime Directive is more important than our lives" in a big way.


However, there wasn't much she could do to stop what was coming. She would simply need to cover her tracks as best she could.


[Chapter 1 coming soon]

 

[Robert Bruce Scott]

Nice premise. I haven't figured out yet if I want to jump into this one (only if inspiration strikes.)

Looks like you're going to provide some good competition... Thanks!! rbs

 

[Will The Serious]

You've set an intriguing stage. Very curious to read chapter 1.

Nice writing, tight, good use of language.

-Will

 

[Oddish]

It took awhile, but the story's almost done. Chapters 1 and 2 are complete, and 3 just needs some finishing touches. Since I will be on vacation as of the 15th, I anticipate no issues with making the deadline.


Reunion One: A Matter of Medicine

The Emrgency Medical Holographic System, also known as the EMH, also known as "the Doctor" was, in his purest form, a computer program. He consisted of quadrillions of ones and zeros in a precise arrangement, projected in an incredibly complex assembly of photons and force-fields, which allowed him to know and act on the medical knowledge of 5,047 different cultures, spread across thousands of light-years of space. While he had been created with the capacity to learn new things and apply new skills, the debate as to whether he was a sentient being or just a very precise imitation of one was not one that could be easily answered.

However, as he waited in the middle of sickbay, Kes could easily observe a growing nervousness in his bearing. If it was any different from the way an organic being about to meet up with a friend he had lost some time before, Kes honestly could not detect it.

There was no way anyone on Voyager could have known about the two close calls the crew had faced, months before. The ship had diverted to a rather seedy spaceport run by the Kazon to purchase a load of deuterium. Neelix was a skilled trader, but so were the masters of the port, and they had charged Voyager a rather excessive amount of the pergium ore they had spent weeks acquiring for six thousand kiloliters of deuterium. Actually, they said it was six thousand, but it was really only 5,943. And while a one-percent shortfall could perhaps have been ignored, the stuff that had been pumped into their holds was full of impurities of every description. It had taken B'Elanna's crew a week of double shifts had filter them all out, and they had barely had 5,600 kiloliters left when it was over. They had sent a complaint to the base management, no response had come, and Neelix had suggested that there wasn't much point in pushing the matter further. They had left the facility feeling distinctly like they had been swindled, and wishing they could have found a comparable supply of fuel elsewhere. Unfortunately, few cultures in the Delta Quadrant fueled their engines with deuterium, which probably explained why the stuff they had gotten was so compromised: it had probably been sitting in dubiously maintained storage tanks for years.

However, had they known about the incredibly dangerous spatial scisson phenomenon that had been right smack dab in their intended flight path, and the marauding Vidiian organ-harvester ship that regularly preyed on ships in that area but had learned from experience to give the heavily-armed spaceport a wide berth... they might have counted their blessings, bad deal or no bad deal. Thanks to the side trip, Voyager had faced neither the anomaly nor the ship.

For those cognizant of the events of other timelines, this would explain why the imminent meeting was not a hostile one. The Vidiians had dispatched one of their medical ships to rendezvous with Voyager, and while Tuvix had placed the ship on a cautionary yellow alert as the two vessels drew closer, he had happily informed the crew over the comm system that no weapons were being charged, and soon after that Voyager had welcomed a delegation from the Vidiians.

And moments later, the source of the Doctor's unease proceeded to enter sickbay. Danara Pel looked a little worse for wear since Voyager had returned her to her people a few months past; spending time with the crew of Voyager had made her reluctant to take transplants or grafts, since each extension of her life came at the cost of a person just like them. But the look in her eyes when she saw him was just the same as it had been when they were last together, and Kes could have sworn that it was mutual.

Danara smiled at the man (in her eyes anyway) who had saved her life twice. "Hello, Shmullus."

"Danara," the Doctor said. "It's good to see you. Do you have any information on the pathogen that's affected the captain and first officer?"

"Yes, we know of the planet you mentioned," Danara said. "There's a burrowing insect that transmits the infection. We can have a serum that will cure them synthesized within a few hours."

"That's wonderful news," Kes said.

"But I doubt you brought a whole medical ship here just to synthesize one serum," the Doctor said.

"No," Danara confirmed. "We'd like to work with you and your people, if that's possible. You have a quadrant's worth of medical knowledge in your database. Maybe, if we exchange knowledge..."

"Do you think you could come up with a cure for the phage?" Kes queried. She was sympathetic to the Vidiians' plight, but she had almost lost a lover to their organ harvesting. If there was a way to finally end the ghoulish practice, she was all for it.

"I'm happy to share my knowledge," the Doctor assured them.

"Thank you, Shmullus," Danara said sincerely. "And we'll get to work on the serum immediately."

*~*~*

Kathryn Janeway addressed the replicator in the quarters for the final time: "Two dozen large marshmallows, in a waterproof container."

The machine materialized the food in silence, and Kathryn placed it with the assortment of other items she had just ordered: potato salad, uncooked bratwurst, hot dog buns, condiments. "I think that's everything," she said to Chakotay, who had approached behind her.

"Just one more thing," he said. "I'll need to replicate it one piece at a time, though." While the two had a replicatior, they had not thought to include a large industrial module for large items. This had actually been a good thing, for the most part; it had allowed the big ex-Maquis to keep his hands busy with building asorted things.

"I'm intrigued," Kathryn said. "Should we take the commbadges, do you think?"

"No, we don't want to lose another," Chakotay responded. They had indeed lost one of the devices in the river on their previous excursion. They had brought four commbadges with their initial supply cache, so they still had one spare, but the things were too complex to be produced with a replicator. Once they were gone, he and Kathryn would have to settle for low-tech alternatives like walkie-talkies. Or, Chakotay had half-humorously remarked, smoke signals.

Kathryn nodded. "You have a point."

"We'll have our tricorders, they'll be fine for telling us where the other is." Chakotay turned and addressed the replicator. "Produce component set Chakotay Beta Nine."

The replicator activated sequentially, and several items appeared: what looked like an electric motor, several sections of piping, a handle assembly of sorts, and a three-bladed propeller. Chakotay took the items to his worktable and began busily fitting them together.

Kathryn eyed the contraption that was taking shape on the table with some interest. "A motor?"

"A small, portable one, yes," Chakotay said. "Now, if the current is more than we can handle with oars, we'll have an alternative."

"Good thinking," Kathryn responded.

"I'll need about fifteen minutes to get all this assembled, but then we should be good to go."

"All right." Kathryn considered. "I'll go reduce the generator output. No need to waste power." True, she reflected, the shuttle's Bussard collectors could pull more than enough deuterium for their power needs from the planetary atmosphere. However, she had learned over the past two years as Voyager's captain to be frugal about energy expenditure.

*~*~*

Seska thought hard as she eyed the latest coded message on her secured terminal. Although she had alerted the Kazon-Nistrim maje that Voyager was turning around and headed back into their territory, there had not been a response. She had actually allowed herself to hope for awhile that the Kazon would be satisfied with the sizable technological windfall she had thrown their way upon their initial exit, though she had had severe doubts. And judging by the missive she had before her, those doubts were justified.

Part of the reason for the maje's dissatisfaction was the matter of the photonic technology she had shared. She had figured that the Kazon's scientists would be able to generate a working prototype within one to two years, based on her best guess at their efficiency. She had, however, overestimated them, given the quality of their R&D, it was going to be four or five years before they launched their first photon torpedo. They were demanding more detailed specifications, to make the job go faster. And, unsurprisingly given the pasting they had repeatedly taken from Voyager's phasers, they wanted that tech as well, a surcharge for Voyager's unscheduled return to their space.

This, of course, put Seska in an even trickier situation than before. Once the Kazon were able to produce their own phaser cannons and photonic weapons, Voyager's tactical advantage over them would drop vastly. And, Seska had no illusions about what the Kazon would do once they thought they had a reasonable chance against Voyager. In light of this, she wrote her response:

WILL NEED TIME TO SECURE ALL TECHNOLOGY ON LIST. COMMUNICATION BEING MONITORED, CAN ONLY SEND ONE MORE LARGE DATA PACKET. WILL INCLUDE PHASERS, PHOTONIC WEAPONS, AND REGENERATIVE SHIELDS. WILL SEND WHEN VOYAGER PASSES PRAX V OUTPOST.


The Prax V outpost, she knew, was the penultimate Kazon outpost in the quadrant. The last one, Harg II, was twenty-five light years on, a week's travel at Voyager's cruise velocity of warp eight. Presumably, the Kazon would trust her to deliver the goods, or at least rationalize that if she didn't, they could call Harg II to send a squadron of ships and chase Voyager down. Seska had decided that she would give them exactly what she had promised, but encrypted. Once Voyager passed the Harg II outpost unmolested, she would transmit the decryption key, and her business with the Kazon would conclude.

With a tech packet that big, she knew that the Kazon would eventually be able to equip their ships with firepower close to that of comparably-sized Federation vessels. This would allow them to dominate an area millions of cubic light-years in volume, probably for decades to come. However, in the year or two that it would take them to have their new toys ready and distributed throughout the fleet, Voyager would be at least a thousand light-years away, far out of reach. Therefore, it would be someone else's problem. Given that Seska's allegiance was to the Cardassian Union and herself (in that order), that didn't matter to her at all.

 

[Oddish]

Next part...

Reunion Two: A Matter of Searching

Tom Paris eyed the readout on his console. "We're approaching the system's outermost planet, sir. Should we secure from warp?"

A purely logically driven individual would have seen little point in altering his mode of dress, in command or not. However, Tuvix had possessed a far better understanding of the psychology of emotional beings than Tuvok had, including their need for symbols and continuity of command. To that end, he had quietly gone to a command-red uniform with four pips soon after Voyager left New Earth for the first time. With the decision made to return, he had considered going back to his prior rank and color, but had decided to wait until the command crew were safely retrieved. And unfortunately, at this moment, that decision was looking like a prudent one.

Still, they had come this far... "No. Slow to warp three once we reach the outer boundary," he commanded. Because interplanetary space tended to have far more asteroids and other navigational hazards than intersteller space did, most ships slowed to impulse as they passed the outermost planet's orbit, or warp one at most. Warp two was considered ill-advised, and warp three was breakneck speed. It was illogical, since it was highly unlikely that there was any point in such haste. But, his inner Neelix reminded him, it was always possible. And, since the system had no indigenous population, there was no one to object.

"Aye sir," Tom Paris responded. "Estimating seven minutes to arrival."

Danara and her colleagues would have been happy enough with access to B'Elanna's DNA, in exchange for the precious medicine waiting in sickbay. However, the Doctor had believed that they were facing an unique opportunity to accomplish some real good, both for the Vidiians and for the quadrant as a whole. And while Janeway was not there, her spirit often seemed to hover over the ship, reminding each crew member of the importance of being Starfleet, most notably helping those in need. And so, Voyager had remained with Danara and her colleagues for the better part of a month, with both the Doctor and the xenobiology crew pooling the Alpha Quadrant's knowledge with that of the Vidiian Sodality. B'Elanna had sportingly done her part, always available to donate yet another tissue sample, though she was obviously not happy about the continuous poking and endless questions about Klingon physiology.

The payoff was well worth it, however. While the Federation's medical technology lagged behind the Sodality's in many areas, they had provided a quadrant's worth of new insights, new ideas. The Vidiian doctors believed that his information, plus what they could gain from the dozen cultures of B'Elanna's DNA they had cooking, might ultimately lead to a cure, or at least a treatment of sorts. And, if Voyager ever made it home, the Doctor had considerable additional knowledge as well. While the Vidiians' organ harvesting methods were prohibited by his medical ethics, their genetic modification techniques were next level. Federation law prohibited genetic enhancement of healthy humans, but it permitted more practical actions such as correcting birth defects, or transplanting organs from people who had died of natural causes.

Another payoff, smaller but of more immediate significance for the crew, was how these past weeks of working with the Vidiians (Danara especially) had affected the Doctor. Kes had long believed that he had for more potential to evolve than most people had thought, and if his genuine feelings for Danara in their earlier encounter had supported this, it was now justified even more. Also, all of the Vidiians had called him by the same name Danara did. Shortly after the two ships parted amiably, Harry had been doing some routine work with the doctor's holo-emitters, long delayed by his continuous discussions and experimentations alongside the Vidiians. He had casually called the Doctor "Doc", then asked him if it was "Shmullus" now. The EMH had considered, perhaps thinking of his poignant but hope-filled parting with Danara and the very different memories of the name he now felt... then told him that it was Shmullus. And so it was.

Although they had not gotten the amount they wanted, 5,600 kiloliters was still an enormous amount of deuterium, enough to propel the ship at high warp for at least a year. In light of this, Tuvix had allowed them to sustain a higher cruising speed than before, so the trip back had taken far less time than expected. And now, guided by Tom Paris's ever-deft touch, Voyager settled into an easy orbit around the planet that Janeway and Chakotay had decided to call New Earth. As he eyed the verdant woodlands and pristine rivers that bordered the beam-down site, Tuvix pondered the latest wrinkle in the situation, with considerable concern.

Despite the month's delay, morale had remained fairly high when the ship was carrying out its work with the Vidiians, perhaps because it would have pleased Janeway despite being against her orders. And, over the long journey back to New Earth, knowledge that they were going back to get their lost leadership had pushed it higher still. However, in the last twenty-four hours, that had changed dramatically. No one had had to tell the crew that there was a lot they hadn't known about the planet's sizable biosphere and the pathogen that the senior officers were infected with. However, no one had really expected the worst to happen. Janeway and Chakotay were survivors; they would be fine. However, as soon as the ship had entered comms range, Tuvix had ordered a hail sent out. There had been no response. Additional hails, at three-hour intervals and with a strengthening signal, had gone similarly unanswered. Tuvix had assured the crew over the comm that it was possible that they simply weren't close to their commbadges, but no one could come up with a reason why they wouldn't be.

"We're in orbit, sir," Harry said. "Local time over the dwelling is about one hour before dawn."

"If they're there, they're probably sleeping," Tom mused.

Harry looked to Tuvix. "Should I open a channel anyway?"

Tuvix nodded. Once Harry returned the nod, he said: "Voyager to Captain Janeway. Voyager to Chakotay. Captain Janeway and Commander Chakotay, this is Tuvix, calling from Voyager. Please respond."

A long silence answered back. Tuvix looked at Harry, wordlessly asking if he had received any response at all. Harry shook his head. "I'm sorry, sir. Nothing."

"Very well," Tuvix said. "Get us in close enough to scan the surface."

"Already on it," Tom said, and pressed a few buttons on the console. "We're at five hundred kilometers, and directly above the dwelling. It's also the souorce of their commbadge signals."

"Mr. Kim, can you detect human biosigns at that range?"

Harry studied the data on his console. "There's a lot of ionized plasma in the atmosphere; I'll need to reconfigure the sensors to cut through it. And, there's a lot of life down there, so picking out the human biosigns might be difficult. I'll need about half an hour to make the modifications."

"Get started," Tuvix said. "In the meantime, let's prepare an away team to beam down to their camp."

"Aye, captain," Tom said.

~*~*~

The small team consisted of Paris, Security Chief Ayala, and two of the latter's staff. Upon materializing on the planet surface, they experly fanned out and peered through the darkened camp, phasers in hand. It was indeed before dawn, and the morning mists hovered over the site, making it seem slightly spooky. It took the away team only moments to ascertain that the area was safe, at which point they stashed the phasers and becan scanning the area with their tricorders.

"Away team to Voyager," Tom said at length. "We've checked the camp. I found three commbadges on a shelf inside the dwelling, along with two hand phasers and the compression rifle." The fact that the high-powered weapon was not with either officer suggested at least that they had not seen any threat.

"Any sign of the captain or first officer?"

"No, but there are signs that the house has been in use recently, and for some time. A lot of improvements: an outdoor bathtub, a garden, some art on the walls."

Tuvix, thanks to Tuvok's long friendship with Janeway, didn't have to ask who the bathtub had been for. "Any indication of trouble?" he queried.

Tom let Lieutenant Ayala handle that one. The normally taciturn lieutenant had had a lot more to say since his elevation to security chief. "No signs of a struggle of any sort. No bodies, humanoid or other, no detectable blood traces, and no graves in the vicinity." If one of the stranded pair had died, he had reasoned, the survivor would most likely have buried them.

"We left them with four hand phasers," Tuvix recalled. "Can you find the other two?"

"Not here," Tom stated. "Other than the weapons we found, the only power signatures are from the shuttlecraft and the replicator, both of which appear fully operational." Tom examined the shuttlecraft, which was connected to the dwelling via several power cables. With its ability to harvest deuterium from the water vapor in the air, it had provided more than enough power for the two castaways. "Shuttle's on minimal power, so it looks like they turned out the lights when they left."

"I'm picking up traces of human DNA on the furniture," Ayala said. "They're less than three local days old." Since New Earth's rotational period was 22 hours and 55 minutes in length, that was plenty recent. "It's from both of them, so they were alive and healthy at that time."

Tuvix felt an almost palpable sense of relief. "That's good to know, lieutenant."

"Sir, I've finished with the sensors," Harry chimed in. "Scanning the area around the camp now."

"Has the replicator been used?" Tuvix wanted to know.

"Checking the logs..." Tom's hands pressed a few buttons. "According to this, it was used three days ago, at 0730 local time. They replicated... sausages, buns, marshmallows..." his eyes scanned the rest of the list, most notably the assortment of items Chakotay had replicated, an object that a 20th century history buff could recognize. "Captain, I think I know where they are. Have Harry concentrate his scans along the river, within a hundred meters or so of the shore. If I'm right, you'll find them close by."

As Tom returned to the bridge after being beamed back, he heard Harry's excited voice. "Sir, I have them. Two humans, close together... they're thirteen kilometers from the dwelling, but right next to the river, as Tom said they would be."

"Can you get a visual?"

"Now that I know where they are, it shouldn't be a prob..." Harry's hands were flying over the keys as he spoke, but what appeared on the viewscreen caused him to suddenly trail off.

"Lieutenant? What's wro..." Tuvix looked at the screen. "Oh." He briefly eyed the two sleeping figures, who were quite visible thanks to the sensors automatic compensation for the predawn light level. They were draped with a blanket that mercifully covered them from the waist down, but even with the slightly blurred image from the sensors, it was obvious that no other clothing was being worn. "Mr. Kim, terminate visual."

"Aye, sir," Harry responded, and the viewscreen quickly went dark. So quickly, in fact, that Tuvix suspected that Harry had not been waiting for his order.

Tuvix looked around the silent bridge. "I think... we should wait until they're up and about before heading down there."

No one disagreed with him.

*~*~*

Kathryn slipped back into the simple dress that was her normal attire these days, then allowed herself a luxurious stretch as she headed down to the river to splash some cold water on her face. Chakotay had gotten up shortly before, and she could now see him a few dozen meters off, axe in hand, splitting wood to rebuild their campfire.

Even though she missed the comforts of the shelter, with its power from the shuttle and food replicator, it had been a most enjoyable couple of days. Their first trip in Chakotay's boat had run into some trouble: the river's current had been almost too strong for them to paddle it home, and they had taken so long to complete the trip, the food and fresh water had run out, requiring them to drink water from the river. It was safe enough if boiled over a fire (or with a carefully set phaser), but she could have done without the sediment. However, Chakotay's handy little motor had proven to be the perfect solution to the problem. Though this was a far cry from jetting between star systems, Kathryn's inner explorer took pleasure in finding new places no one had ever been, and at the lifetime of discoveries that this uninhabited world undoubtedly held. And cooking her own food had an appeal in and of itself, plus the even more pleasurable activities after dinner. Kathryn's toes curled at the delicious memory. It had been several months since she and Chakotay had clasped hands at the table that night, and now the idea of "setting parameters" just seemed silly. Even if they weren't the only two humans on this world...

The hum of a transporter a few meters away scattered Kathryn's thoughts, and she withdrew the phaser from the pocket she had sewn in her dress. A quick glance at the power indicator verified that it was on level two, enough to stun an average humanoid. She brought the weapon smoothly around, then brought it to bear on...

"Whoa, whoa whoa," Tom Paris said to her, raising his hands. "We come in peace."

Reunion Three coming soon...

 

[Oddish]

OK, final chapter.

Reunion Three: A Matter of Family

Captain Kathryn Janeway's Starfleet uniform felt both familiar and alien as she sat in the captain's chair and read from the padd in her hand. She and Chakotay had barely looked at each other since they had emerged onto the bridge and she gave the order to leave New Earth orbit. Their dialogue to one another, regarding routine maintenance and other minor matters, was almost strictly professional.

Tuvix and Harry were on the bridge as well, and were carefully silent. Upon Janeway's return, while she and Chakotay were being treated for their condition by Dr. Shmullus, both men had quietly resumed the aspect they had maintained under Janeway's captaincy. For Tuvix, this had meant swapping out his red uniform for a gold one, while Harry had discreetly (and with some regret) removed the lieutenant's pip from his collar and stuffed it in his pocket. The latter change had been quickly reversed when the captain addressed the crew over the ship's comm. She stated that she was very pleased with their performance and actions, and that she had reviewed Tuvix's logs. While the captain and first officer slots would obviously revert to their original holders, and Tuvix would resume his prior post as well, all other field promotions were confirmed.

Tuvix's final order as acting captain had been to tell everyone on the bridge not to share what they had seen with anyone... but most of the people present on the bridge now had seen it, and it seemed to hang in the air over all of them like the proverbial elephant in a turbolift.

The EMH's voice sounded over the ship's comm system, breaking the massively awkward moment. "Dr. Shmullus to Captain Janeway?"

Kathryn had read the report of Voyager's activities with the Vidiians while she was being treated, so she was aware of the doctor's decision to adopt the name his Vidiian friend had given him. "Yes, Doctor, what is it?"

"I'd like to see you in sickbay," Shmullus said. "At your convenience, of course."

Given the awkwardness level on the bridge, it is no surprise that Janeway found it very convenient to respond to the summons right away. "I'm on my way," she responded. "Commander Chakotay, you have the conn."

"Aye, captain," Chakotay said.

Kathryn was surprised to see that Kes was not present when she entered the medical facility, but decided not to ask why. Dr. Shmullus did not mention it either. He simply indicated a bio bed. Kathryn sat on it. "What happened, doctor?" she queried. "Did something show up on my tests? Did the medicine..."

"The medicine worked perfectly," the doctor assured her. "And there are no traces of any other pathogens in your body. I just wanted us to be alone when I brought this to your attention." A beat. "I'm not sure how you'll feel about this, captain, but... you're pregnant."

"I see," Janeway said simply.

"I thought it best that no one other than us know," Dr. Shmullus said quietly. "You're about a month along."

Kathryn nodded understanding. While the EMH contained medical knowledge from thousands of cultures, including ones that were opposed to terminating pregnancies, his core medical ethics were based in Starfleet's firmly pro-choice stance. Ending the pregnancy at this stage would not violate his Hippocratic program in any way, and there was no mechanical component to the procedure. One hypospray, and the situation would be resolved, and no one else on the ship would be the wiser.

She also understood why Kes was not present: Ocampa pregnancies were the result of a lot of concentrated effort, going far beyond a mere sexual dalliance. When an Ocampa mom was expecting, it was always a planned event. Also, Ocampa women had far fewer opportunities for childbearing due to their abbreviated lifespan. So, for them, terminating a pregnancy was nearly unthinkable.

But this wasn't about Kes, Kathryn reminded herself. This was about her, and her ability to manage her ship without distractions. It was about keeping the necessary distance between her and her crew. She had studied the long and difficult history of a woman's right to choose, and could have even seen herself taking an active role in supporting it, had it been necessary. Every aspect of her practical nature told her that she should simply tell the doctor to terminate it, or use one of the euphemisms that had been around for centuries, and then go back to being the person a Starfleet captain needed to be. Her biological clock was far enough along that it rated watching, but she had a few years left. A Starfleet captain had to keep her eyes firmly on the greater good. And yet...

Any yet, this wasn't about her supporting someone else's right to choose. It was about having to make that choice herself. And whether she liked it or not, that changed things.

Sensing her irresolution, Shmullus gently said: "You don't have to make the decision right away, captain. If you prefer, I can even prepare you a hypospray. You can use it when you're ready."

*~*~*

Chakotay's thoughts were swirling with confusion as he entered the captain's ready room, in response to her summons. It had been several days since their rescue from New Earth and subsequent departure, and he and the captain had (by mutual and unspoken consent) been keeping each other at a distance. Their interactions had been carefully professional, and it had been like walking on eggs all the way. It was easy to say that what happened on New Earth stayed on New Earth, but actually acting on it was going to take time. And, a lot of effort.

It had been a busy time for them, with the new distraction provided by Tuvix's worrisome analysis of the Kazon, gathered over the course of Voyager's six-week backtrack. The endless squabbles between the assorted factions in their area had all but ended, as smaller groups had been summarily absorbed (or wiped out on at least one occasion) and larger ones had forged alliances with each other. More worrisome, their scrambling for resources had all but ended, and rumors of them having developed replicator technology were everywhere. Janeway had ordered a careful investigation, and it had not taken long for it to uncover two very big surprises. The first, that Ensign Seska had spent the last two years slipping ingeniously disguised data packets to the Kazon. The second, that Seska was actually a Cardassian. Upon this revelation, there had been no convenient Kazon ships for the outed spy to beam to. Despite her protests that she had kept the crew safe for the last two years when adhering to Starfleet principles would have gotten them blown out of space, Janeway had ordered her taken to the brig.

Seska's capture had caused another new problem. They had been well shy of the Prax V outpost when Seska was caught, so the final data packet she has assembled for the Kazon had been intercepted before it could be sent. Its contents had been enormous: phaser technology, advanced photonics warhead design, regenerative shields, and a warp core redesign that would have increased their top speed by at least a full warp factor. When they had passed the Prax system without transmitting anything, the Kazon had realized that their proverbial golden goose wasn't going to give them any more technological eggs, so they resolved to kill said goose and see what could be salvaged from its tritanium guts. And, where their top speed two years ago had been around warp four or five (depending on the ship), their latest vessels were clocking in at a hair above warp seven.

They had almost a dozen of those vessels moored in the Horg system, and they had come at Voyager en masse. Unfortunately for them, Voyager's top speed was still well above theirs. And, since the holds were full of deuterium from the Kazon-managed depot, they did not have to worry about running out of energy anytime soon. Janeway had ordered a sustained period of flight at as high a warp as B'Elanna could safely maintain, and they had left the Kazon fleet far behind them.

As they fell astern for the last time the Kazon had defiantly demanded that Voyager release Seska to them, and Janeway had been tempted, despite the fact that the enemy ships had been left in their dust and were in a position to demand nothing. Certainly, she would have liked to be rid of the Cardassian, but she had known all too well that the knowledge in Seska's head would make the Kazon even more of a threat than they already were. Since Voyager could not keep a prisoner in the brig indefinitely, the captain had ordered an unused cabin stripped of any technology that could be reverse engineered or sabotaged, then moved the prisoner there. Since replicators required a lot of energy, they were a perfect way to blow a ship's plasma grid, so that was gone. Dr. Shmullus had worked out what was required for a Cardassian female of Seska's size, and she was getting three basic nutrition meals a day.

They had cleared Kazon territory, and hopefully for the last time. Even with the long backtrack and the extended race to escape the attacking fleet, Voyager's holds were still more than half full of deuterium. Tuvix had proven just as adept as a captain as he was a security officer and cook; the vessel had remained nicely shipshape in their absence, and B'Elanna's endless creativity had even provided a few intriguing upgrades. Now, they could resume routine operations. But first, it looked as if the captain had something to say to him.

Janeway was seated on the couch in her ready room, her ubiquitous mug of coffee in her hands. In one of their rare conversations that weren't about ship's business, she had revealed to Chakotay seemed to need more of it than usual these days; the standard 24-hour days still felt a little long, the result of several months of contending with a day that ended at 2255 hours (Federation policy on colony worlds with non-standard day duration was to use standard time units, and just have the clock flip over to 0000 at local midnight). Luckily, with no energy crisis to speak of, she was able to replicate as much of the stuff as she wanted.

Chakotay stood in silence opposite her while she took a deep drink, then spoke up. "You wanted to see me, captain?"

Janeway indicated the chair opposite her, and waited until he sat. "Now that you're here, I hardly know how to say this."

"Unusual, for you," Chakotay quipped, then went on more seriously: "Is it about what happened on New Earth?"

Janeway nodded, then let the photon torpedo fly. "I'm pregnant, Chakotay."

"I see," Chakotay said simply. He was savvy enough not to ask what decision Janeway had made, regarding the child's fate. The fact that they were having this discussion made the answer crystal clear. "How far along?"

"A little over five weeks."

"Is it a boy or a girl? Or do you know?"

Even though it had been four hundred years since people normally had to wait until their child was born to find out its sex, a small number of parents-to-be still chose to follow the old traditions, and allow themselves to be surprised. When the two of them had hypothetically discussed the possibility of raising a family on their new home world (since their medical care package had included an assortment of frozen gamete cells donated by the crew, inbreeding would have not been an issue), they had assumed that would be necessary.

Of course now, it was not. "It's a boy, Chakotay."

Chakotay nodded. A brief silence, then: "Whatever you decide to do, Kathryn, I'll respect it. I mean, if you don't want him to know..." He trailed off.

"Oh, Chakotay," Janeway said softly. "This is our son we're talking about, yours as well as mine. How could I deny you the chance to be a part of his life? Or deny him the chance to know his father?"

"I guess you couldn't," Chakotay said simply. A beat. "The crew?"

"This will change things," Janeway confirmed. "Despite Naomi being born, the crew haven't really made the shift to a generational mindset... but if someone makes the first move..."

"Many of them will follow your lead," Chakotay confirmed. "Or, as the case may be, our lead." What he wanted to ask but wasn't sure how to go about it, was what would that lead be. Of course, the child would know who his parents were. For the Kathryn Janeway that Chakotay knew, and had been falling hard for even before circumstances marooned them together, keeping him in the dark would be unthinkable. But what relationship would his parents have?

"But the burning question is where do we go from here," Kathryn confirmed. She could have read what he was thinking from his bearing, but didn't really have to. She had been asking herself the same question.

"Relationships are complicated enough when it's not with someone who has to take your orders," Chakotay said. "That's why it's generally expected that people who are together shouldn't be in the same chain of command. I always thought it was a good rule."

"Normally, it is," Kathryn said simply.

Sensing her mood, Chakotay quietly responded: "But this isn't a normal situation, is it?"

Kathryn shook her head. When she had returned the hypospray to Dr. Shmullus (with its payload intact), she had not explained anything outright, and no explanation was necessary. He had simply nodded and stashed it, then done another scan. He had assured her that the baby remained perfectly healthy, and offered to tell her what it was, and Kathryn had agreed. Upon hearing that it was a boy, something had happened within her. It wasn't because of the child's sex per se, the exact same thing would have happened if it had been a girl. No, it was because the new life within her had a sex. At that moment, in her mind and heart, a choice to be made had become a child to be welcomed. A child who deserved a mother and a father. One reason Janeway and Tuvok had always gotten along so well (and why it had been very painful to lose him) was that they both understood that logic and Starfleet principle were a good base for making a decision, but sometimes... you just had to think with your heart.

"Maybe..." She paused, then allowed allowed herself to make the decision that had really already made itself. "Maybe the Starfleet dynamic wasn't meant for situations like ours."

"Seventy years from home?" Chakotay laughed. "No, probably not."

He stood up and walked around, then sat on the couch next to her. Understanding the symbolism of the gesture, Kathryn eased herself over next to him and allowed his arm to encircle her shoulders, the way it had so many times before. She was surprised how much she had missed it. Although they had been on Voyager together since their rescue, she still had a sense of reunion, of coming home. She felt the strong bond that had formed between them on New Earth, a bond they had spent days trying to ignore and even chip away at, return to full strength in a surge of glorious warmth. She knew that the ensuing days (and months, and years) would be complicated. She knew that things would be very different, easier in some ways and more difficult in others. Many discussions would occur, and new parameters would have to be set. However, those were matters to be worried about later. For now, it was enough to sit in the warmth of Chakotay's embrace, and watch out the window as the stars raced by, as a much happier ship continued its journey home.

 

[Robert Bruce Scott]

Harry had discreetly (and with some regret) removed the lieutenant's pip from his collar and stuffed it in his pocket.

A very well-placed elbow... Thanks!! rbs

 

[Oddish]

But he got to put it back.

 

[Will The Serious]

I admire the honest and mature treatment of a philosophical, as well as a very real world sublect. The psychology you described in Janeway's situation was, I think, very realistic.

-Will