Captain Kathryn Janeway rose from her desk and moved to the window to look at the sea of unfamiliar stars. Had it been seven years? There were days when she felt as though she had spent an entire lifetime in the Delta quadrant and days that she felt as though she arrived only yesterday. "Chakotay to Janeway" the familiar voice interrupted her thoughts, "I think we have a response."
Janeway tried to subdue her anticipation as she confidentially crossed the bridge and took her place in the captain's chair. Other wormholes had proved to be either dead ends or too risky to attempt navigating. She was determined not to build her own hopes or the hopes of the crew. "Let's here it, Mr. Kim."
"I'm still trying to clean it up, Captain," explained Harry Kim as he frantically tried to drop the background noise and static. "but I'll let you hear what we have."
The message put over the speakers was completely unintelligible, but amidst the static and feedback there was an obvious pattern, an attempt to communicate.
"This is better," said Kim, playing the message again. Although most of the message was still garbled, this time certain words were distinguishable: "...oyage ...ul ...das ...ome"
"I think this has it" Kim as the message was played one last time. "Voyager this is Gul Kudal, Commander of the Cardassian Warship Chadur." The members of the bridge crew exchanged looks of wonderful disbelief. "Welcome home, Voyager."
The energy on the bridge of the Voyager was electric. Tom Paris let out a victory whoop as he slammed his palms on the control panel in front of him and surprised the young ensign sitting next to him with a jubilant kiss. Janeway smiled in spite of herself. She looked at her first officer and found his eyes twinkling with amusement. Chakotay's initial dislike of Paris had been gradually replaced by tolerance and finally appreciation for the young man's piloting abilities.
"Let's not get carried away." The Captain tried to lend an air of calm. "This is by no means a sure ticket home. I want an immediate meeting with all senior officers in the briefing room." As the Captain made her way to the briefing room Chakotay hit his com badge to inform Lt. Torres of the meeting.
Captain Janeway took her place at the oval table in the briefing room and watched with pride as one by one her senior officers entered and took their seats. They had served well over the past seven years. They had endured more than could or should be expected of any officer and had maintained themselves with professionalism, courage and compassion. Neelix burst into the room with a triumphant announcement, "Captain, I am thrilled to report that morale on the ship has never been higher." Neelix was a valuable, if under-appreciated, member of the crew. However, most had gained new respect for him as they were impressed with how he bore Kes's recent death with grace and fortitude.
Tuvok brought an air of sober reality to the room, "While it is understandable that members of the crew are excited about the possibility of our early arrival home we have no reason to believe that Voyager can successfully navigate the wormhole. Nor can we be assured that a second passage through the wormhole would have the same result as the first."
"Tuvok is right," agreed Chakotay, "I would suggest that we sent more probes and evaluate the result."
Janeway nodded, "Agreed." She turned to her chief engineer, "B'Elanna?"
"We'll prepare four more probes," she said, "and send them through the wormhole at four hour intervals. This time we can program them to provide us more information about the wormhole. Paris, Kim, I could use some help."
"Begin at once," commanded Janeway. As the trio left the room, already making plans, suggesting solutions, feeding off of one another's ideas, Janeway wondered at the changes that had taken place over the past seven years. These three with their creativity, energy and unflappable persistence had saved Voyager more times than she could count. They had celebrated their victories and learned from their mistakes, maturing into seasoned, valuable officers. Turning to those still remaining in the room she sighed, "I guess now we wait."
04:00 hours. Usually this was down time, but tonight the ship was alive with activity.. Although technically there is no `day' or `night' on a starship Chakotay and the Captain had tried to arrange the crew schedule to correspond with earth's clock, with most of the crew on duty between 06:00 and 18:00 hours. Chakotay doubted that anyone was sleeping tonight. The four final probes had successfully passed through the wormhole into Cardassian territory. The information returned to Voyager was both promising and disturbing.
One cause for concern was the apparent degeneration of the wormhole's stability. The first probe had reported minor damage on its journey. Each successive probe reported more extensive damage. However, each probe had survived its journey. Of special concern to Chakotay and the remaining members of his Maquis crew was the message sent by the Cardassians through the third probe: "Do you have the Maquis rebels in your custody and if so how many survived."
Janeway's reaction to this message had been strong. Losing her usual controlled demeanor she'd leapt to her feet, "Surely they don't plan to attempt pressing charges after all of this time?"
"Captain, while I am not an expert in Cardassian law I believe there is no statute of limitation for crimes of treason against the Cardassian government," offered Tuvok. "They may very well be within their rights to take legal action against the Maquis"
Janeway had leaned over and squeezed Chakotay's arm reassuringly "Commander, I'm certain that when the Cardassian and Federation authorities hear our story they will make an exception." Now, eight hours later, Chakotay did not share her confidence.
Chakotay approached engineering tentatively. He had tried to mask his anticipation and leave B'Elanna and the others alone to do their work. However, under the guise of acting as their commanding officer he could satisfy his curiosity about their progress. As the doors to engineering opened he was nearly trampled by B'Elanna, Harry and Tom heading the other direction. B'Elanna grabbed his wrist. "We just evaluated the data from the last probe. We're on our way to the briefing room," as B'Elanna lead him by the hand the captains voice sounded on Chakotay's com badge, summoning him to the briefing room.
Gathered in the briefing room one more time the senior officers focused their attention on Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres. "It appears that the exit site of the wormhole is relatively stable. Each of our probes appeared in Cardassian space within about 10,000 kilometers of each other." She gestured to a map of Cardassian space on the view screen, pinpointing the exit sites of the probes. The Cardassians report that their sensors cannot detect the wormhole until a probe passes through it. The wormhole remains open for a brief time, then disappears again. We can continue to receive information from the probes and communicate with the Cardassians only while the wormhole is open."
"How long does the wormhole stay open?" asked Janeway.
"That's part of the problem, Captain," offered Paris. "According to reports from the Cardassians the wormhole disappears more quickly each time. After our first probe it stayed open for almost an hour. Our last communication from the Cardassians indicated that after our last probe passed through it began closing again almost immediately."
"That's one of the reasons we believe the wormhole is losing stability." Harry Kim was now on his feet. "Captain, we're not sure how much longer we're going to have this opportunity."
"Very well, thank you. You may all be seated." Captain Janeway rose to her feet, deep in thought for a moment. "I'd like to send a shuttle craft through the wormhole. We'll keep an open line of communication throughout the entire sortie. If the shuttle's mission is successful then Voyager will follow." She paused for a moment, then continued "I'm sure there is no shortage of volunteers for this mission ..." she was interrupted as each of her senior officers began expressing a desire to volunteer. She silenced them with her upraised hand and continued " ... but I have decided that Commander Chakotay should take this mission. His assistance to me in guiding and leading this crew for the last seven years has been incalculable. It seems only fitting that he lead us home." She met Chakotay's gaze; intense, steady, determined. She caught her breath as she pondered how her feelings for him had grown over the years and how she'd struggled to control those feelings. "I'm sure I speak for us all when I say good luck, Commander." The officers rose to their feet, shaking Chakotay's hand or patting him on the back before they returned to their duties.
Chakotay waited patiently for the others to leave and when they were finally alone he spoke to his Captain. "I'm going to stop by the school and say good-bye to my son. You know that if anything happens and he and I are separated that I want you to ..."
"... I know."
They'd had this conversation before. How many good-byes had they said? How many times had he gazed into her blue eyes wondering if he would ever see her again? She approached him and stood close, facing him. She took his hands in hers.. He'd grown accustomed to her frequent touches. At first it caught him off guard. Then he came to realize that this was her style. Touching her crew helped her create a stronger bond. There were times, however, when it was more than just a command style. Times when their physical connection provided a hint to their emotional bond. It had happened once early in their voyage, when the two of them were stranded on a planet with a strange virus. Unwilling to put the rest of the crew at risk and unable to leave the protective atmosphere of the planet they agreed to stay behind and create a life for themselves on the isolated planet. There, on `New Earth' they had made a physical connection like this. Sitting across the table from one other, hands clasped, fingers intertwined. It was alive. Electric. They had decided, each of them individually, long ago that their personal feelings for one another were secondary to the needs of the crew. And each of them knew that the other had made the decision. This only served to strengthen their feelings. Kathryn Janeway had never felt such a bond of love with any man in her life. Chakotay had never trusted anyone as much in his. This trust gave him absolute peace.
"Chakotay, choosing you for this mission was a difficult decision. I know you're capable, but I feel like I am delivering you in the hands of the Cardassians."
"Captain, I would have insisted on this one, and if you'd chosen anyone else I would have been insulted." Chakotay smiled at her trying to ease her worries. "If this works. If we make it home things are certainly going to change," he met her eyes with his own, locking them in a gaze that neither was willing to break.
"I know what you mean." And she did know. She knew exactly what he meant. One of the beauties of their relationship was that so much could be understood without being said.. He could feel her light breath on this face. Captivated by his deep brown eyes she felt a tear trickle down her cheek. "I guess I'm getting sentimental in my old age."
Chakotay smiled down at her. He gently wiped the tear from her cheek, then ran his fingers lightly across her hair where it was beginning to gray. "I like this look. It's regal."
"Regal, Chakotay? That's what every woman wants to hear."
He smiled at her, his fingers now tracing the outline of her face, "Kathryn," his voice was barely a whisper. His eyes focused on her lips as he lowered his head to meet hers.
The spell was broken by an interruption from his com badge, "Paris to Chakotay. Could you come down here. We're making some adjustments to the shuttle we'd like to show you."
"On my way. Chakotay out" He took her face in his hands. "When we get back we need to talk" He kissed her gently on the top of her head, and turned to begin the greatest journey of his life.
08:00 hours. Janeway sat in the Captain's chair rubbing her eyes. When had she last slept? When had any of them? She wondered if fatigue would jeopardize this mission. Should she have required Chakotay to get some rest? She laughed at the thought. 'There is no way anyone on this ship is sleeping until we're back in the Alpha quadrant,' she thought. On the view screen she watched Chakotay's shuttle approach the wormhole. "Put him on screen, Mr. Kim." Instantly, Chakotay's image filled the view screen.
"I'm preparing to enter the wormhole now" he kept Voyager continuously updated on his progress. "I'm entering the wormhole." The image on the view screen began to falter and occasionally faded into static. Parts of his words were lost "... shuttle continues to be holding up ... shields at 75%_.hull integrity is weakening ... lost power to aft shields, transferring ...getting kind of rough here," and finally, "I'm through! I made it! I see two Cardassian ves..." Total silence. The image of the surrounding stars and the wormhole returned to the screen.
"It would appear that the wormhole is closing almost instantly," observed Tuvok. "If this is an indication of the wormhole's stability I would recommend that we take Voyager through immediately."
"Plot a course, Mr. Paris. Prepare to enter the wormhole at full impulse. Red alert!" Janeway stood her face set with determination.
She walked behind Tom Paris and put her hands on his shoulders.
"Tom, take us home"
"Aye, Captain."
They entered the wormhole. The view screen showed the distorted stars and planets rushing by at ultra-light speeds. Suddenly the ship lurched as if hit by a phaser blast. "Report," requested Janeway.
"Shields holding at 93%," confirmed Mr. Kim.
"It appears as though we were hit by a photonic energy blast. Sensors indicate transdimensional energy flux and plasma fields," offered Tuvok. Another blast knocked the bridge crew from their seats. "Hull integrity down to 42% on decks seven through nine. Evacuation procedures in progress."
"Shields still holding," added Mr. Kim, "significant power loss to the aft thruster. Transferring power from secondary systems."
Another blast.
"Captain that last plasma burst overloaded the warp engines," B'Elanna's voice from engineering sounded urgent. "Containment fields are failing."
"Warp Core breech is immanent," the passionless voice of the computer informed the crew.
"Eject the warp core," ordered Janeway.
"Captain?" B'Elanna wanted to make certain that she heard the captain correctly. Ejecting the warp core was a desperate last result. If the attempt at passing through the wormhole failed Voyager would never make it home without warp engines.
"You heard me. We're playing all of our cards now. Eject the warp core."
"Yes ma'am." B'Elanna completed the procedure, closed her eyes and sighed deeply.
A brilliant burst of light on the view screen left the bridge crew temporarily blinded. Instinctively their arms had raised to cover their eyes. As they lowered their hands and vision returned they saw the familiar stars of the Alpha Quadrant and four Cardassian vessels surrounding them.
"Captain the Cardassians have their shields raised and weapons powered," exclaimed Kim. "They're hailing us."
"On screen." The stern face of Gul Kudal bore down on Voyager's bridge crew. Janeway confronted him, "Why are your weapons powered? We have peaceful ..."
"Permission to board your vessel!" the Cardassian interrupted her.
Janeway turned to Tuvok who nodded, "Permission granted, but ..."
Before she could complete her sentence two Cardassian security guards materialized on the bridge, weapons drawn. "What is the meaning of this?" Janeway demanded as Tuvok drew his phaser and approached the guards.
"We apologize for this rude behavior, Captain Janeway," explained the taller guard, "but when a Maquis rebel appeared in a Starfleet shuttle and a Starfleet uniform we anticipated the worst."
The other guard had holstered his weapon and was now running a bio-scanner over the captain. Tuvok, who had lowered his phaser, observed over the Cardassian's shoulder.
"How is Commander Chakotay?" implored the Captain.
"In custody," the tall guard replied. "Where are the rest of the Maquis prisoners being held."
"Prisoners? I think everyone needs to slow down and let us explain some things. The former," she paused to allow for emphasis of `former', "Maquis are now valuable members of this crew and should be treated with the same respect and courtesy as any Starfleet officer."
As the captain spoke Tuvok had taken his tricorder and walked through the bridge scanning each member of the crew.
"Captain, I don't know what kind of Maquis trick this is," sneered the other guard, "and I don't know why you would want to assist these Maquis outlaws, but I can assure you we are not easily fooled. You and your crew will be released to the Federation, but all Maquis will remain in Cardassian custody."
Tuvok approached the Cardassians again, scanning them and inquired "What is the current date?"
"By your federation calendar today is star date 48330.6," the Cardassian replied. When he saw the stunned look on the faces of Voyager's crew he continued, "Voyager has been missing for almost two weeks."
"Two weeks!" the response came in unison from every Voyager crew member on the bridge.
"Captain," explained Tuvok "it would appear that the wormhole compacted not only space, but time as well. All members of the Voyager crew I've scanned show anomalies consistent with time travel."
"Two weeks!" Janeway whispered again, sinking into her chair. She was stunned. Two weeks meant that Mark hadn't given up hope for her, two weeks meant that Bear's puppies had not been born, two weeks meant that the Cardassians were still bitterly angry at her Maquis crew members and probably not in a forgiving mood.
Gul Kudal's image from the view screen spoke, "Captain two Starfleet vessels are currently in route to escort Voyager to Deep Space Nine. If you would be so good as to turn over the Maquis prisoners we will not delay you. I'm sure you're anxious to return home."
Her composure returned Janeway again rose to her feet. "Gul Kudal, we seem to have a unique situation here. Voyager has been missing for seven years ..."
"I am not interested in your tricks, Captain Janeway, nor do I understand your sudden affinity for rebel murderers. I am interested in the Maquis. You may turn them over voluntarily or we will take them by force. Our scanners indicate that the passage through the wormhole has left your ship with no warp engines, limited weapons and practically no shields. Tell me, did you really come all this way just to be destroyed by your neighbors?"
Tuvok approached the captain and spoke quietly, "Captain it would be most illogical to attempt an offensive maneuver at this time. Voyager is effectively defenseless. Perhaps it would be best to surrender the Maquis now and retrieve them later through diplomatic channels."
"Very well Gul Kudal," Janeway submitted. "Provide us with a list of the Maquis and we'll turn them over to your custody." Under her breath she muttered to Tuvok, "Many Maquis are quite adept at hiding their identity. Maybe we can keep a few."
"We are transmitting the information now," Gul Kudal could not keep the smirk from his face.
"Captain," Harry Kim summoned Janeway to his station to view the list. B'Elanna Torres' name was conspicuously absent, along with a few others. Janeway and Kim shared a quick, conspiratorial smile.
"Gul Kudal, several individuals on this list did not survive our voyage, including the Bajoran called Seska." Janeway searched Kudal's face for a response. He returned her gaze, each knowing that the other knew that Seska was no Bajoran. "Please allow us time to gather the others and prepare these crew members for transport. Your guards may return to your ship"
"You have an hour." As he spoke the two Cardassian guards disappeared from the bridge.
"Summon these crew members" Janeway instructed Kim, pointing to the list. "Have them report to sick bay."
Thirty minutes later sick bay was crowded with those Maquis unfortunate enough to make the list. Those not on the list had been sent to their quarters and told to keep a low profile until Voyager reached Federation space.
"Cardassian prisons are cesspools of breeding bacteria," the Doctor was addressing his patients. "I'm giving you all immunoboosters and subdural pain inhibitors. If the Cardassians are especially vigilant in their questioning of you the inhibitors will make the inquisition endurable. They should last several days."
"By that time," the Captain continued "we'll have initiated diplomatic negotiations and hope to have you released. I know that when Federation officials read my report of how you have served this ship they will press the Cardassians to drop all charges. Believe, me if there was any other way ..."
"Captain," a handsome young Bajoran spoke "we want you to know that we appreciate what you've done for us. Now that Voyager is home we don't want to do anything to put her at risk. We know you'll take care of us."
"Well, I hate to interrupt this beautiful moment," said the Doctor, with his usual tact, "but we're a little pressed for time." He placed a hypospray in Janeway's right hand, "immunobooster" and her left hand, "subdural pain inhibitor. If you'll start over there please."
"Of course," Janeway begin administering the hyposprays, pausing to speak to and embrace each of the Maquis.
Two days later Captain Kathryn Janeway was sitting through what seemed to be an endless series of debriefing sessions. This was a small group session focused on the emotional well being of the crew and the reunion with their families. "Keep in mind," said the counselor, "that while you have moved on with your lives, your loved ones have not. They are being prepared for the possibilities that some of you have may have developed other relationships, but they should be expected to grieve the end of the relationship just as you did. You must allow them to grieve at their own pace. And remember that some of the first stages of grief are denial and anger." Janeway thoughts were clouded with images of Mark. The thought of hurting him devastated her.
A young ensign entered the room and whispered discreetly to Janeway, "Admiral Merrick would like to see you immediately, please." Janeway was grateful for the chance to think about something else. She followed the ensign to a conference room. As she entered the conference room Admiral Theresa Merrick spoke, "I have good news for you Captain Janeway. We have arranged for you to visit the Commander of the Maquis forces taken from your ship." Janeway had been pressing the Admiral relentlessly for the past two days for this opportunity. "Your transport leaves immediately. Here is your security clearance badge."
Janeway was led through the Cardassian prison by two fierce guards. She tried to tell herself that it really wasn't all that bad. Although the air was stale, it was bearable. She had passed what looked to be a clean, modern medical factuality. The guards stopped, entered a code and opened the door to a small cell. Chakotay was sitting on the floor, legs crossed, eyes closed, deep in meditation. The guards motioned for Janeway to enter. "If you need us" one grunted "push the yellow button." He motioned to a control panel on the wall and the door closed.
Chakotay opened his eyes and upon seeing Janeway jumped to his feet. "I can't believe they let you in here!"
"There must have been some fancy negotiating." Janeway was relieved to see that Chakotay was not naked, as was frequently the Cardassian custom with their prisoners. He was wearing a dull brown jumpsuit and no shoes. The cell was about 10 meters by 12 meters. A steel bunk was fastened to one wall. On it was a thin mattress and thinner blanket. There were no windows.
"How are the negotiations?" he asked stiffly. There was a distance between them. Physical as well as emotional.
"Not as good as I had hoped," Janeway admitted. "The Cardassians are pushing for an immediate trial. They want sentencing to take place before word gets out about what really happened and sympathy builds for the Maq - for you."
Chakotay nodded. "If this goes to trial we don't stand a chance." Both of them were fully aware of the Cardassian judicial process - guilty until proven innocent and a near 100% conviction rate. The Cardassians took comfort in their `effective' judicial system.
"How are you, Chakotay?" Janeway took a step towards him. "Have they questioned you much?"
"Not too bad. How's my son?" His eyes brightened at the thought of his son.
"He's great, Chakotay. He's a great kid. He's with B'Elanna now. The federation has offered complete amnesty and protection to the Maquis who made it to Deep Space Nine.
He took a step towards her. "How about you? Have you been in contact with ..." he struggled wondering if he was revealing too much of his insecurity, "... your family?"
"You mean Mark? No. We're not allowed to have direct contact with anyone until the debriefing is complete. All of our family members have been notified. The family members of the survivors are on their way to DS9. Including Mark"
Chakotay nodded and moved to sit on the hard bunk. "I keep telling myself that this is difficult for you, too. I keep reminding myself that this hurts you as much as it does me." His voice had an edge of anger to it.
"Chakotay," she dropped beside him on the bunk. "I feel like I've lost part of myself. Part of my soul. I try to focus on my duties, but when I think about you," she took his hands, "I can't even breathe."
Chakotay turned to her and brought his forehead to rest against hers. He mentally kicked himself for doubting her. For making her express her pain. They sat with their foreheads together, their breathing now in unison. Their hands clasped, fingers intertwined just as they had been those many years ago, sitting across a table from one another, pondering a lifetime alone together on an isolated planet. Chakotay gently moved his hands to her shoulders and down her arms drawing her body closer. Her hands rested on his chest. Finally he brought his lips to hers. A gentle, fleeting first kiss. They separated for a moment. Their eyes devoured each other, smiles finally breaking on their somber faces. Kathryn's arms moved around Chakotay's neck, drawing him to her again. There was an urgency this time. As their mouths yielded to one another they fell across the bunk.
The cell door slid open allowing the two Cardassian guards to enter. "This just isn't meant to be," whispered Chakotay as he and Kathryn abruptly separated.
"Captain Janeway, we'll escort you back to your transport" Janeway stood to join the guards. "Officer Jodar," the Cardassian addressed his companion, "perhaps you should explain to Captain Janeway that conjugal visits are not tolerated in Cardassian prisons." The Cardassians guffawed.
"Shut up," muttered Janeway.
Chakotay groaned and laid back on his bunk.
Three more agonizing days of tense negotiations had produced no result. "Captain Janeway we have done everything within our power to affect the release of these prisoners. The offer of amnesty and protection by the Federation has been extended to all Maquis who served on Voyager, including those currently in Cardassian custody." Admiral Merrick leaned forward, her voice taking on a gentle quality, "You must understand that our alliance with the Cardassians is a fragile one, but is necessary to guarantee peace in this region. Any future intervention on our part could jeopardize this alliance."
As the Admiral spoke a message was delivered. Admiral Merrick read the message, her face sober. "This is a summons from Nestor Volab of the Cardassian Judicial system. He is requesting your testimony at the criminal trial of the Maquis Chakotay and his crew. The trial begins tomorrow morning."
The trial, as most Cardassian trials, was a farce by Federation standards. In the Cardassian judicial system all crimes are resolved with a guilty verdict. Most defendants (or accused, as the Cardassians call them) realize the futility of claiming innocence and, with the help of the Conservator, prepare a confession of guilt to be submitted at the beginning of the trial. It is the responsibility of the Archon, or judge, to oversee the proceedings and accept the guilty verdict.
The Maquis were a thorn in the side of the Cardassian Judicial system. Their refusal to admit guilt prolonged the trial by necessitating actual testimony. Captain Kathryn Janeway testified for what seemed like hours. She explained how the Maquis had sacrificed their ship to save Voyager and save the gentle Ocampas from the Kazon. She entered into record thousands of pages of both the official Captain's Log and her own personal log heralding the accomplishments and sacrifices of her Maquis crew members, whom she no longer thought of as Maquis, only her crew. The emotional strain of the last week had taken its toll on Janeway. Her face was tight and drawn, her shoulders not as squared, her eyes dull and tired. Until she testified about Chakotay. She took on new life when her First Officer was the subject of cross-examinations. Shoulders back, head up, passion and fire in her voice.
The Archon allowed only one day of `defensive' testimony. The next two days were consumed by damning evidence of Maquis murder and mayhem collected by Cardassian intelligence agents. The Cardassians were furious about the oversight that allowed so many Maquis, especially B'Elanna Torres to escape to the protection of Federation space. Their intention was that the rest of the Maquis crew would suffer for this.
Voyager had been home just over a week now. After another long day at the trial Janeway sat in Quark's bar on DS9 with the members of her bridge crew. B'Elanna Torres had enjoyed several glasses of Klingon blood wine was expressing her frustration at her inability to do anything to help her former comrades. Her empty glass was flung across the room nearly beaning an unflappable Odo, who approached the table. "Captain Janeway, the transport with the family members of your surviving crew has arrived from earth and will be docking momentarily. If you would like to return to your quarters we'll bring the family members to you so you may have a private reunion."
"Captain, are you okay?" Paris noticed the look of dismay on Janeway's face.
"Fine, Tom. I guess your father should be pleased. His son is one of the heroes of Voyager."
"Maybe the old man will finally be speechless" he replied as they left the bar.
Kathryn paced her quarters, her stomach in knots, her mind whirling, when a tone alerted her of someone's presence at her door.
"Come"
There he was. Her Mark. He looked just the same as when she said good-bye to him seven years ago. "Hi, Kath."
He entered the room and placed his bags near the wall by the door. He didn't want it to appear that he was presuming to stay in her quarters that night. A heavey silence hung in the room. He finally broke it. "The counselor told us that we shouldn't initiate any physical contact. He said we should let you go at your own pace," his voice was hopeful, almost pleading.
"Oh, Mark" she gasped. She walked to him, and placing her hands on his shoulders, kissed his cheek. "I do need some time."
"That's okay. I understand." But he didn't understand. Try as he might he couldn't put himself in her place. To him she'd only been gone two weeks, three now, and he wanted to do nothing more than wrap her in his arms and celebrate her homecoming.
"Are you well?" he was struggling to find a neutral topic.
"Quite well. We had excellent care on Voyager. I'll have to tell you about our holographic doctor. He's ..." how could she possibly explain the Doctor to him? How could anyone understand who wasn't there? "... interesting."
"The counselor also told us to expect that some of you may have given up hope on returning home. That you may have moved on - to other relationships" so much for neutral topics. "Kath, I need to..." There was no need to finish his sentence. He could see it in her eyes. "Okay" He tried to collect himself. "Seven years is a long time. I understand that." He swallowed. "I know this really isn't any of my business, but could you at least tell me who it is. I mean, I can't imagine with whom the captain of a starship might be able to enter into a relationship." He tried to smile, "Unless it's some new alien life form - or that Maqius Chakotay, I hear he has quite a repu-" He stopped cold, reading her face. He turned his back to her and walked across the room.
"Oh, Kathryn," his tone was one of a disapproving parent. "Chakotay? I mean, forget about me, think about yourself for a minute. This is not going to bode well for your career." His voice was becoming increasingly angrier. "You're a Starfleet captain." His voice rose as he spoke. "You are not some first year cadet falling for the bad boy of the class."
"Mark"
"No, listen to me. Think about how this looks to us. Those of us stuck in our own static linear time lines saw you disappear in the badlands a few weeks ago and now you come back all worked up about some renegade hot shot!" Now he was yelling.
"Mark I think you'd better leave now."
"Good idea" he moved the door and stooped to collect his things. Picking up a small package he paused and carried it to Kathryn. "Here, I brought you a gift." His tone was apologetic now.
"Thank you, Mark," she set the package on the table and began to untie the ribbon.
"It's coffee. I wasn't sure if they had coffee in the Delta quadrant." he smiled as he continued, "And I wasn't sure if the Alpha quadrant was prepared to face a Kathryn Janeway who'd been denied coffee for seven years."
He was her Mark again. Caring, concerned, loving. They were both crying as she moved into his arms for an embrace. "Kathryn I'm just glad you're alive," he whispered into her hair.
This was the day she dreaded. Kathryn Janeway sat in a Cardassian court room waiting for the verdict. An inevitable verdict of guilty. Her only hope now was that the sentence would not be death, as it almost always was, but imprisonment at one of the Cardassian work camps. Even that was a fleeting hope.
Knowing the inevitable and accepting it are two very different things. When the word "Guilty" came from the mouth of the Archon Janeway felt a physical pain in her heart. The sentence for most of the Maquis crew was what she'd hoped, lifetime imprisonment at a work camp. The sentence for Chakotay "the commander and leader of these brutal savages" was death. The death sentence would be carried out in one week, to allow Chakotay time to admit his sins and find atonement.
As Janeway left the courtroom, numb and shocked, a Cardassian guard pulled her aside. "The Archon would like a word with you" Moments later she found herself in his office, two feet away from the man who just condemned her lover to death.
"Captain Janeway, I know that most Federation officers believe that Cardassians are a heartless race. I can assure you we are not. Your testimony moved me, which is why most of your former crew members were spared the death sentence." He motioned for her to sit, but she refused. "I believe that people can change. I believe that your Commander Chakotay served you and your ship well. While I personally don't think he would continue to be a threat to the Cardassian empire, we can't allow any Maquis to think that their crimes will be ignored. To demonstrate my generous nature I have arranged for you to see Chakotay one more time before he meets his destiny. You'll be escorted to his cell now." The Archon touched a button on his desk and two guards appeared at the door.
Janeway followed them down the same corridor, to the same cell. "Yellow button," they told her as the cell door closed behind her.
Chakotay had been lying on his bunk, but was at her side the moment she entered. There were no words this time. He tenderly embraced her and moved her to the bunk. As they lay across the bunk they tried to say with kisses and touches the words both had wanted to speak for years. Their lips and hands sought each other and Kathryn had the advantage as Chakotay's thin, loose prison clothes allowed easy access. "This isn't fair," he said, frustrated by her jumpsuit. Kathryn assisted him and they shared a communication that needed no voice.
Later, as they lay in one another's arms, Kathryn shook her head at all of the time they'd wasted.
"These Cardassian prisons aren't as bad as I'd heard" laughed Chakotay.
"I must admit. In all of the times that I'd imagined this I never dreamed it would happen in a Cardassin prison cell."
"You imagined this? I thought I was the only one obssessed with it."
"I may be a Starfleet Captain, but I still have my needs."
"Still?" Chakotay was amused at her choice of words "Why Kathryn, you're insatiable."
She was amazed at how happy they could be considering the circumstances as she brought her lips to his again.
"Tuvok to Janeway" a muffled voice came from her com badge, buried somewhere in the pile of clothes beside the bed. She sorted through the clothes, tossing Chakotays to him. "Janeway here."
"Captain the Archon has requested that I let you know the last transport is leaving immediately for DS9."
"Thank you, Tuvok. I'm on my way." She dressed in silence.
Looking back at Chakotay the finality of their situation was overwhelming. "This isn't over Chakotay" she ran her fingers through his short hair. "I'm not giving up."
"Don't" he put a finger to her lips. "You know what I want you to say. They're the last words I want to hear from you."
"I love you, Chakotay," her lips brushed his one more time. She moved to the door, pushed the yellow button and didn't look back.
Upon arriving at Deep Space Nine Janeway went straight to Quark's where she knew Kim, Paris and Torres would be. It had become their routine to meet at the same table every evening. She was surprised to see Neelix with them tonight.
She was determined as she approached the table. Without a word she removed her com badge and placed it in the center of the table. "Effective immediately I'm resigning my commission. Since the official channels have failed us, I'm going to find some other way to get them back." She took a seat.
Neelix's com badge came off next. "Captain," he said placing the badge next to hers, "I have no commission to resign. I'm with you."
"You don't have to ask me twice!" B'Elanna Torres added her com badge to the pair on the table.
"I can't stand my Dad being so proud of me." Tom Paris removed his badge and tossed it nonchalantly on the pile.
As Harry Kim reached for his badge both Janeway and Paris stopped him. "Harry," Janeway noted, "You are at the beginning of a fantastic career. My understanding is that you'll be promoted to Lieutenant Commander within the month. My guess is you'll be in a Captain's uniform before you're 40."
Harry pulled his hand away from hers. "Captain, the only way I could consider myself worthy to wear that uniform is to sacrifice this one now." He solemnly added his com badge to the others.
"Am I missing something?" Tuvok had entered the bar unnoticed and looked on the scene with some interest. Janeway was surprised to see him in civillian clothes.
"Mr. Tuvok, I ..." Although Tuvok would make a valuable member of their team she doubted that he would see the logic on their position. She did not want to put him in a position of knowing about a crime before it was committed. His Vulcan honesty would compel him to inform the authorities.
"Captain I found the Maquis trial most disturbing. I fail to see the logic of the Cardassian's desire to punish people who have no future intent of committing crimes. I believe that a great injustice has been done to our former crewmates and the only logical course of action is to reverse it. As I resigned my Starfleet commission earlier this evening I am under no obligation to inform anyone of this meeting or of any future activities we may plan."
"Excellent, Mr. Tuvok. Welcome aboard" Janeway leaned across the table, her eyes sparkling with hope. "Tell me, Mr. Paris. How do you think we should go about stealing a starship?"
Tom Paris and Harry Kim peered out an observation window in the upper corridor of space station Deep Space Nine staring enviably at what was quite possibly the most beautiful creation Mr. Paris had ever seen. He let out a long, low whistle of appreciation, "The USS Defiant, NX74205 Valiant Class. The only Federation vessel with cloaking technology." He tossed his head back in mock anguish, "Augh, I'd give anything to get my hands on her."
"She's just right there, Tom," said Harry. "All we need is for you to come up with a plan."
"Harry, my friend," Tom draped his arm around his friends shoulders guiding him down the corridor. "I always have a plan."
They continued down the hall for a 21:00 hours meeting with their former ship mates. Although they had resigned their Starfleet commissions, Commander Sisko had agreed to let them stay at Deep Space Nine as long as they wished. Most of Voyager's former senior officers had already gathered in Kathryn Janeway's quarters by the time Paris and Kim arrived. "Come in gentlemen," she greeted them. "B'Elanna just returned from her rendezvous and will be joining us momentarily."
Tom Paris was still not accustomed to seeing his former commanding officer out of uniform. Dressed in civilian clothes she appeared less formidable, more approachable. Even more of a shock to him was Tuvok. Paris had never considered that Tuvok would wear anything other than a Starfleet uniform. Though he'd never give it much though, now that he considered it he decided Tuvok had probably slept in his uniform. Tuvok was seated at the small round table in the center of the quarter's main living area. Neelix was half-sprawled across a couch against the far wall.
"Would you care for something to drink?" Janeway offered rising from her seat next to Tuvok.
"Bajoran tea would be great Ca -," Harry Kim wasn't sure how quite how to end that sentence. `Captain' was no longer appropriate. `Kathryn' still seemed way out of line. "Bajoran tea would be great, thank you," he finally decided, sitting next to Tom Paris in the only remaining seat at the table.
"Nothing for me, thanks," laughed Paris.
"Bajoran tea, chilled," Janeway instructed the replicator. "You know, Harry," she observed, carrying the tea to him and placing it before him as she took her seat again, "you're going to have to eventually call me something. And since neither of us are in Starfleet anymore I see no reason why you shouldn't call me Kathryn."
"Yes ma'am," he obediently replied. Much to his relief, a tone at the door ended the conversation.
Welcome back, B'Elanna." Janeway greeted her former Chief Engineer at the door. "Did it go well?" She motioned for B'Elanna to take her seat at the table. Janeway moved to the couch by Neelix. B'Elanna sat, placing a small travel bag on the table. For the past three days B'Elanna Torres had been rendezvousing with her former Maquis contacts to gain information about the Cardassian prison and work camp where the Maquis taken from Voyager were being held.
"Very well, Kathryn," B'Elanna had no trouble adjusting to their new relationship. "I think you'll all be pleased." B'Elanna leaned forward on her elbows, "The Maquis are positively livid about Chakotay's death sentence. They're willing to cooperate," her voice trailed off towards the end of the sentence, "in - any - way - possible." Her eyes focused on the hallway which served as an entrance to the bedroom of the quarters. "Hi, Phoenix," her voice had softened considerably. All eyes turned to the small figure standing in the hall. "Did we wake you?"
In spite of his obviously Cardassian features there was no doubting that this child was the son of Chakotay. His deep brown eyes, disarming smile and dimples were an exact duplicate of his father's.
It was the Doctor, the resident expert in name research, who suggested the name 'Phoenix'. There had been a battle in which the boy's mother Seska and her Kazon lover Cullah's ship crashed on a planet. An away team was sent to find survivors, confident they would find none. Somehow the child had survived. His tiny, battered body pulled from the rubble, covered with ash and smoke. And so the doctor said that like the Phoenix of Egyptian mythology, the boy had risen from the ashes.
"It's okay. I couldn't sleep." Phoenix said. He looked around the room, trying to decide in whose lap he would crawl. He was equally welcome in any of them.
Phoenix was the second child to join Voyager. He came on board shortly after the birth of Ensign Wildman's child. Captain Janeway had expressed concerns about the quality of life these children would enjoy. Tuvok had been the one to remind the crew of the ancient proverb: 'It takes a village to raise a child'. He recited a Vulcan rendition of the proverb, but the attitude was prevalent in every culture that cherishes its children. As a village Voyager's crew took their responsibility seriously. They provided a stern hand of guidance and discipline as often as they dropped the burdens of duty to play with the children on the holodeck.
Phoenix finally settled on Tuvok's lap. At the age of six Phoenix already knew that Tuvok was incapable of the deception most adults use to protect children.
"Are you talking about my father?"
"Yes. We are discussing your father and the other members of our crew currently in Cardassian custody," Tuvok's tone of voice never changed whether addressing children or adults.
"Are you going to go get him?'
"We are going to try."
"What happens if you can't get him. Will they kill him?"
Tuvok looked around the room, wondering if anyone was willing to interrupt this conversation. No one spoke. "Yes. His execution is scheduled for four days from today."
The child nodded solemnly, "Can I help you go get him?"
"No. When we begin our mission you will stay on the station with Mr. Neelix." If Tuvok was capable of showing tenderness, it was in his eyes now. "The best way for you to help us now is to return to your room and go to sleep. It is quite late."
Phoenix climbed off of Tuvok's lap and made an appeal to Janeway, "I'll be quiet."
"Phoenix, Mr. Tuvok is right." There was no mistaking the tenderness in her eyes. "The best thing you could do right now is go back to bed."
Phoenix hesitated, his eyes moved from person to person, then he smiled, "Can B'Elanna tell me the story about Kahless The Unforgettable?" He knew how to work a room.
Janeway embraced and kissed him. "Not tonight, Phoenix." She turned him to face the bedroom and sent him off with a soft pat on the rump, "Go." Phoenix walked into the dark hall, turned, and when he saw that the adults were no longer watching him, settled on the floor against the wall where he could hear without being seen and hugged his knees.
B'Elanna pulled her PADD from her bag, crossed the room to a work station and plugged it in to the modem port of the computer on the table. She turned the monitor around so all could see. "These are the schematics of the Cardassian prison where Chakotay is being held. Kathryn, you said when you visited him that you passed a medical facility?"
"Yes," Janeway replied. "There was a medical facility on my right and Chakotay's cell was bout 40 meters further on the left."
"My sources tell me that all capital punishment criminals are held in the East wing," B'Elanna's fingers flew across the buttons on the screen enlarging a section of the schematics. "The East Wing medical facility is here," she hi-lighted a room, "so his cell would be one of these three." Again the push of a few buttons enlarged the schematic even more, this time showing the three cells in question. The schematic was quite detailed showing the exact layout of each cell. "We'll call these cells one, two and three." Her fingers identified each cell as she named it. "The only difference between these cells is the location of the bunk. On cells one and three the bunk is to the left when you enter. On cell two it's to the right." She turned to face Janeway, "Do you remember where the bunk was located?"
Well, of course she did! Kathryn's thoughts went back to the events that took place on the bunk in question and she hoped her voice was steady as she spoke, "On the right, I believe."
"Great! Then he's here. Unless they've moved him," B'Elanna hi-lighted the cell and returned the schematic to the prison overview. "These are the guard post locations. There are usually two stationed at each corner and one patrols the hall."
"What about external security?" asked Harry Kim. "I think our biggest challenging is going to be getting in to the prison."
"I was just getting to that," B'Elanna updated the information on the screen. It now showed an external overview of the prison. "The entire prison compound is protected by a level 4 security shield. There's no way to transport through this shield." She continued to show updated graphics as she spoke. "There are also First Strike Asteroids holding a continuous pattern above the prison here, here and here. Any ship entering this no-fly zone," she indicated with a grid the no-fly zone over the prison, "is immediately destroyed."
"But what if we're cloaked?" asked Paris.
"Cloaked?" B'Elanna pondered for a moment. "Well, if you're cloaked you'd be safe." She said matter of factly. "You wouldn't show up on any of the sensors so you wouldn't activate the defense system. But what are you going to do Tom?" she asked, "Steal the Defiant?"
Tom Paris leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms and smiled confidentially.
Janeway cast a sideways look at Tom Paris wondering if she would regret the day that she commissioned him to find them a ship to use. Actually, she already regretted it, she just wondered how much more she would regret it. "Even if we get there in the Defiant," noted Janeway, "how are we going to get Chakotay out of the prison and on to the ship. We would have to de-cloak to activate the transporter, and we won't be able to stay in orbit long enough to do a sensor sweep to find him. We'll need to send someone down there to get him and go to a rendezvous point."
B'Elanna attempted to add a comment but was interrupted by Harry Kim, "And can't transport through that shield."
Again, B'Elanna tried to speak, but this time it was Tuvok who cut her off, "We need to determine a way to interrupt power to the shields."
"Yes!" said B'Elanna, exasperated. "The shield generator is several kilometers south of the prison facility. I have friends in the Maquis who have partially sabotaged the generator before. They estimate that if we could completely destroy the power generator we would have a window of about an hour in which to work before the shield was re-established."
"But we still have the defense satellites to deal with," Kim mused.
"Yes," B'Elanna agreed. "We still have those. And it's going to take pretty impressive force to knock out those generators. Phasers and Photons won't do it."
Everyone sat quietly for a moment, deep in thought.
Neelix finally spoke, "How about a warp core breech?" All eyes turned to Neelix. "Like, say, a shuttle craft warp core. Would that be a big enough explosion?"
Slowly, all heads began to nod. "I like it," said Janeway. "I really, really like it."
"And," added Harry, caught up in the enthusiasm. "If we put up some flack when we de-cloaked it might draw some of the fire from the satellites. We'd still take a hit, but I think we'd survive it if we weren't de-cloaked for too long."
"Flack?" asked Paris.
"Project a tetrion emissions field from the front deflector array," Harry shrugged. "Drop some large debris out the cargo bay. Confuse their targeting sensors a little. We only need a second or two to initiate transport".
Again, all heads nodded and each sat lost in his own thoughts for a moment.
"B'Elanna," Janeway broke the silence, "tell us about the work camp where the others are being held."
"The work camp is located on a planet here," again, B'Elanna provided more graphics, "It's pretty far from the border, but the good news for us is these work camps are poorly guarded."
"Elaborate please," requested Tuvok.
"They do have a few First Strike Satellites, but the camps so deep into Cardassian space that the Cardassians don't anticipate a raid," explained B'Elanna. "Several Maquis ships have attempted raids, but most were destroyed or captured before they even reached the prison. Those that made it there were destroyed before they left Cardassian space."
B'Elanna looked straight at Tom Paris and continued, "However, if Tom can get the Defiant for us, we should be able to collect our people and be on our way."
"Might I interject something here?" asked Neelix, rising to his feet. "I was visiting with the Doctor today and he expressed sincere interest in assisting us in our endeavor." Neelix frequently boarded Voyager, which was in dry dock for repairs, to visit the holographic Doctor. They enjoyed talking about Kes; sharing memories and trading stories of her too brief life.
"Really!" Janeway was always surprised out how real this holographic image had become. "We could certainly use another hand, but I don't know how we could bring him with us. So far we've been unable to get him off of Voyager."
"What if we amplified his image and bounced it off of a mirror, like we did in the battle with the Kazon when we were going after Phoenix?" Neelix asked.
"Theoretically it would work," said Harry, "but we wouldn't be able to project him far beyond this station. In order to get him to Cardassian space we'd need the power of a dozen holodecks."
Again, silence fell over the room as each was deep in thought.
"Quark's!" Harry, Tom and Neelix responded in unison.
"Mr. Neelix," said Janeway, "you have a mission!"
Janeway then turned to face Tom Paris. "Now, Tom. Tell us how we get the Defiant."
Several hours later Janeway was bidding her guests good bye as each returned to his quarters. Standing by the door she, B'Elanna and Tom Paris were sharing some last minute ideas when she noticed a small form lying in the hallway floor.
"Oh, no," Kathryn whispered, moving to and leaning over Phoenix's sleeping form. "Has he been here all this time?"
"Let me," B'Elanna picked up the child and carried him to his room. As she was placing him in his bed he stirred.
"B'Elanna, what time is it?"
"Way late, Phoenix. What were you doing in the hall?" she stroked his hair gently.
"Spying!" he whispered enthusiastically. "Don't tell. Promise?" He lifted his hands, his index and middle finger were pressed closed together, the rest of his fingers turned under.
B'Elanna made the same sign with her hand and they pressed their fingers together, "Won't tell. Promise." She kissed his forehead. "Goodnight, little warrior."
As she neared the door Phoenix called to her. "B'Elanna." She turned to face him. He rose up on one elbow, "Be careful tomorrow."
Early the next morning the station was busying itself, preparing for another day. The local Ferengi barkeep Quark was furious. He stormed from behind the bar to the table where his hapless brother Rom was sweeping the floor. "What is this?" Quark demanded, thrusting a bottle under Rom's nose.
"An - An - Andarian Brandy?" Rom replied hopefully.
"Yes, it's Andarian Brandy." Quark smiled at his brother. Then his temper exploded, "It's pure Andarian Brandy. Is this what you were serving last night!"
To terrified to speak Rom nodded and made a small sound.
"You served pure Andarian Brandy! You idiot! You know the house mix: two parts water to one part brandy. Rom you are a disgrace to the Fer ..." sniff, sniff, sniff, Quark cut his tirade short as he tried to locate the source of the most foul smell he'd ever encountered.
"Good morning! Hello! Anybody home?" Neelix entered the bar carrying a steaming pot of his famous Talaxian Grub Root Stew. "Oh there you are." He approached the disgusted brothers and placed the pot on the table in front of them. "I don't think we've been properly introduced. My name is Neelix. I'm Ta-lax-i-an." He spoke slowly, as if it would improve their comprehension. "I was aboard Voyager." He extended his hand in greeting.
Quark ignored the outstretched hand, asking, "What is that disgusting - ooze."
"This," said Neelix, producing a spoon to stir the concoction, "is my famous Talaxian grub root stew. The crew on Voyager loved it!" He dipped the spoon in the stew and thrust it at Quark, "Taste?" Horrified, Quark and Rom backed away shaking their heads.
Regaining his composure, Quark spoke slowly, "I want you to take that brute grub whatever out of my bar now before it stinks up the whole place. Rom!" he ordered, "get some air fresheners." He shook his head in dismay, "This is going to kill business for sure."
"Actually, Mr. Quack .."
"Quark!"
"Quark - I was thinking that if you added a hot food line to your bar it might increase your business," suggested Neelix. "And I know just the man to cook the food!"
"No, Mr. Neelix." Quark was calm again. "I appreciate your offer, really I do, but I don't think this," he took the spoon from Neelix and flicked some of the gelatinous mass back into the bowl, "is going to increase my business. This," he said louder, inhaling the foul odor again his expression relayed his discontent, "is going to ruin my business!" He was shouting now. "Get it out of my bar!"
"Oh, oh, okay fine," Neelix said pleasantly, "I'll just scurry right along then." He picked up the pot and moved towards the door. "Perhaps," he said over his shoulder, "I'll come back when your not so busy - to discuss my other business propositions."
"Business ...," began Quark.
"...propositions?" Rom finished for him.
They smelled blood.
"Come back. Come back." Quark was Mr. Congeniality now. "You can leave the stew over there. Yes. That's fine. Thank you."
Neelix set the stew by the door and walked back across the bar.
"Sit. Sit." Quark pulled out a chair. "Rom, get our guests some refreshments." Rom scurried off. Quark tried his best to sound casual, "You said you had - business propositions." Quark sat across the table from Neelix.
"Yes. I understand that you are in frequent need - oh thank you," Neelix took a tall glass of blue liquid from Rom, "Where was I? Oh yes, I understand that you are in frequent need of original holodeck programs."
Quark tried to sound dis-interested. "We have a few holosuites. We buy programs from time to time."
"Well," Neelix leaned across the table, "as Moral Officer on Voyager I was frequently called upon to find, shall we say, creative ways of entertaining the crew." Neelix paused for a moment, then continued. "A very lonely crew," another pause. "Very far from home."
Quark nodded appreciatively.
"My holodeck programs were quite popular," Neelix leaned back in his chair, "I had several crew members say that they would be willing to pay," Neelix leaned back further and stretched his arm. He was reading from a crib sheet hidden in the palm of his hand, "five or six strips of gold latinum just for an hour in one of my programs."
Rom gasped, "Five strips for one hour!" Quark eyes shot daggers at his brother.
"What kind of business proposition are you willing to make?" Quark asked.
"From what I've heard I understand that you Ferengi are excellent businessmen," Neelix began. Quark tried to look humble. Neelix continued. "I'm not too good at business myself," this perked Quark's interest, "so I thought that I would install a few of the programs and let you look at them. Maybe let your customers try them for a few days. If they're any good we can talk about price later, whenever it's convenient for you."
"Excuse me for one moment, please," Quark rose from the table and pulled Rom away for a quick conference.
Rom could barely conceal his excitement, "Brother, he's giving us something for nothing!"
"I don't trust him." said Quark. "Look at his ears!" They both shuddered in revulsion. "Remember the 116th Rule of Acquisition?"
"There's always a catch," recited Rom.
"But what's the 69th rule?" Quark asked. They responded in unison "The riskier the road the greater the profit."
Quark returned to the table. "Mr. Neelix, we would love to work with you. When can you begin installing your programs?"
"Immediately," said Neelix, grinning like a Cheshire cat.
In his office, Commander Benjamin Sisko's morning routine was interrupted by a com message from the Bajoran Major Kira Nerys, "Kira to Sisko."
"Sisko here."
"Commander, we have an unauthorized shuttle launch from docking bay 07," Kira explained.
"One of Voyager's shuttles?" Sisko asked.
"Yes sir."
"Meet me in Ops." This didn't come as a complete surprise. Sisko had anticipated that someone from Voyager's crew would attempt something foolish. He hit his com badge to notify his chief of security. "Sisko to Odo."
"Odo here."
"Odo, find Janeway and bring her to - never mind," he cut off his sentence when he saw Kathryn Janeway, Tom Paris and Tuvok standing at this door.
"Commander Sisko there seems to be a little problem," Janeway said.
"Follow me and explain," Sisko led them to the command operations center of the station.
"Two of my crew," Janeway paused to correct herself, "former crew, have taken it upon themselves to launch a rescue mission."
"That would be a big problem," corrected Sisko as they entered the operations center, "Dax?"
"We're trying to hail them, no response," like any member of a good team Jadzia Dax had anticipated her Commander's orders. Janeway appreciated the seamless operations of DS9's staff.
"They won't respond to you," offered Janeway.
"They're out of tractor beam range," stated Kira.
"Who is on that shuttle?" Sisko asked Janeway.
"B'Elanna Torres and Harry Kim."
"Dax, Kira, O'Brien, take the Defiant and go get them, please," ordered Sisko.
"Commander," Janeway touched Sisko gently on the arm. "Please. I don't want them to feel like their backs are against a wall. If you go our there like you're hunting them they'll react like their being hunted. Let us go with Major Kira. I think we can talk them back." She looked up, her eyes brimming with tears, "Please commander. I don't want to lose anyone else."
Sisko looked at her considering her request. Officially this was not her concern. She was no longer Starfleet personnel. But she had been Starfleet personnel for years. She had an excellent reputation. She had accomplished the near impossible task of merging two vastly different crews and leading them through uncharted territory for seven years. He also knew what it was like to be in command, the feeling of responsibility one has for one's crew.
Sisko finally spoke, "Kira, take Captain Janeway, Lieutenant Paris and Lieutenant Tuvok with you. We'll monitor your progress from here."
As Kira led them to the Defiant, Tom whispered in Kathryn's ear, "I had no idea you were that good."
In the holosuites of Quark's bar Neelix was putting to good use all of the technical skills he'd developed on Voyager. After making adjustments the initiated a command program and the Doctor suddenly appeared before him.
The Doctor observed his surroundings before speaking, "Good morning, Mr. Neelix. Where am I?"
"You're in a holosuite in a bar on Deep Space Nine," Neelix explained.
"Very impressive," the Doctor nodded. "You did this?"
Neelix nodded with pride, then conceded, "Mr. Kim helped me write the program."
The doctor looked around the room, "This looks like a brothel."
Neelix responded with a nod.
"Tell me, Mr. Neelix," the Doctor said, "what manner of assistance will be required of me?"
"We're not sure," said Neelix.
"Not sure?"
"You're sort of - on call,"
"On call?" The doctor sat on the edge of the bed in the holosuite, "elaborate please."
"Harry thinks we can draw enough power to send you to Cardassian space for a couple of minutes," explained Neelix. "but it's going to drain these holosuites pretty quickly. Harry developed a small holo projector relay. When he initiates the relay you'll be able to join them briefly."
"What good can I do in a couple of minutes?" asked the Doctor, sounding a little put out. Being stuck on Voyager for the past several days had left him feeling quite out of the loop.
Neelix shrugged.
As the Defiant pulled away from the station and began its pursuit of Harry and B'Elanna Major Kira tried to re-assure Janeway, Tuvok and Paris, "We should intercept them well before they reach Cardassian space. We'll initiate a tractor beam and tow them back."
Kira felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around. She felt a pinch in her neck and the last thing she saw before losing consciousness was Tuvok's face.
"Beam her back to DS9 and initiate the cloaking device," ordered Janeway. ."
Dr. Julian Brashier was performing a routine physical when he was surprised by the sudden materialization of Kira Nerys in his sick bay. He hit his com badge, "Brashier to Sisko."
"Sisko here," Dr. Brashier could hear shouting in the background. He could distinctly here Dax's voice, "This is Deep Space Nine calling Defiant. Defiant, respond please. Kira, why are you cloaked."
On the renegade shuttle Harry Kim looked at his sensor array. "The Defiant just disappeared from our sensors," he told B'Elanna.
"I guess Tom didn't have any problems figuring out the cloaking devise,"
Harry laughed, "I think Tom could fly anything." They were both quiet for a moment. "How long until we reach Cardassian space?"
"About an hour. We should be fine until then," B'Elanna looked at Harry. "You okay, Starfleet?"
"Fine. I just - ," he paused for a moment, "I'm not sure how to say it," he looked thoughtful, then leaned closer to B'Elanna and smiled, "This is fun! I mean it's crazy. It's dangerous, and even if we succeed we're probably facing Federation prison." He reached over and covered her hand with his, "But it's fun!"
"I know just what you mean," she agreed. "I used to feel like this when I was with the Maquis," she leaned even closer to Harry, "I really believed in what I was doing. I felt like I had a 'cause'. That's how I feel now, that I'm doing something for all of the right reasons."
Harry was having fun for other reasons, too. At first he'd been a little intimidated by B'Elanna, but as the years passed he'd developed a friendship with her. He'd come to think of her as one of his closest friends, a good buddy. Then, they returned to Federation space, and he'd started to notice the way other men looked at B'Elanna when they were on DS9. It made him look at her in a new way and he liked what he saw. He liked it very much. He was glad for a chance to be alone on the shuttle with her.
"B'Elanna," he asked, "Did you and Tuvok work out a plan for covering our transport signatures?"
"Yes. Tuvok will modify the Defiant's phasers to emit a bio-genic signature." she explained. "When they transport us from the shuttle to the prison they will fire a random pattern of the signature throughout the complex. To the Cardassian sensors it will look like people are beaming in all over the prison."
Harry craned his neck to look out the front and side windows of the shuttle. "Do you think the Defiant has caught up to us, yet?"
"Probably," B'Elanna replied. "They should be right behind us."
"I hope so. Because if they're not this is all for nothing."
Tom Paris had moved the Defiant directly behind the shuttle. They were following about 50 kilometers behind, matching it's speed perfectly. Paris, Janeway and Tuvok would spend the next hour finalizing plans and making needed adjustments to the Defiant's operating systems. They were far too busy to notice the lid of a cargo hold open and a Cardassian-Human boy, about six years of age and clutching a child-size Klingon batlh'eth climb out of the cargo hold and slip in to the transporter room.
The hour passed quickly for the ambitious young pilots of the shuttle. "It's going to get rough pretty soon now, Harry," warned B'Elanna. "I've got us on a direct course for the power generator."
"I'm taking us to maximum warp," Harry informed her. "We should reach the generator in a few minutes."
The first two ships they encountered were standard Cardassian patrol ships. They were about the same size as the shuttle, but were much better armed.
"They're hailing us," Harry noted.
"Ignore it," replied B'Elanna. Seconds later a phaser blast rocked the shuttle.
"Shields are holding," confirmed Harry.
Another volley of blasts hit the ship as Harry initiated a series of evasive maneuvers. "Hang on, baby," Harry coaxed the shuttle.
The next blast knocked B'Elanna out of her seat. "That was bad, our front shields are at 22%," warned Harry.
"We better keep them behind us," suggested B'Elanna. The planet which housed the prison quickly came into view. "Get low, Harry. We want to try to get under that defense net."
Mountains, rivers and cities flew past on the view screen as they brought the shuttle in to the planets atmosphere and skimmed the planet's surface. Another blast sent a burst of flames and sparks flying from the conn panel.
"Front shields are gone," yelled Harry, "transferring all life support and secondary power to shields." The lights dimmed and almost immediately the air seemed to go stale.
"There it is," replied B'Elanna as the dome shaped power generator came into view. "I'm initiated warp core overload. Ten seconds to impact, nine, eight, seven, six..."
Timing was crucial. In five seconds the warp core would breech at the exact second the shuttle crashed into the power generator. Because it would take a few more seconds for the prison shields to go down B'Elanna and Harry couldn't beam directly from their shuttle to the prison.
"Come on," said Harry anxiously looking up at the sky."
High above the atmosphere, in the sky over the prison the USS Defiant suddenly appeared on all Cardassian sensors. Kathryn Janeway stood in the transporter room, her hands on the control pads, her eyes fixed on the sensors.
"Go, Kathryn, Now!" were the only instructions from Tom Paris when the de-cloaking was complete.
Janeway locked on to signals of Harry and B'Elanna and initiated transport. She was focusing on the controls intently, her fingers already entering the coordinates of Chakotay's cell. There was a blur out of the corner of her eye. She raised her head to see the images of Harry and B'Elanna appear briefly before she sent them in to the prison. To her horror she caught a glimpse of Phoenix running on to the transporter pad, batlh'eth in hand, just in time to beam down with them.
The second Tom Paris's sensors told him that the transport was complete he re-initiated the cloaking devise and took the ship out of orbit. The ship had sustained only minor damage from the Cardassian defense net. The entire procedure had taken less than 20 seconds. "We're clear," he informed Tuvok and Janeway.
"Tom we have to go back," Janeway instructed the pilot. "Phoenix was on the transporter pad. He went down there."
"What?"
Mr. Tuvok interjected, "Returning to the prison would jeopardize the entire mission," he reasoned. "In order to locate the boy we would have to run an intensive sensor sweep which would alert the Cardassians to our presence."
"We can't just leave him down there," said Paris.
"We will have to trust that B'Elanna and Harry will get the child safely to the rendezvous coordinates when we return," the Vulcan replied.
"He's in good hands, Kathryn," said Tom. "I don't think we have much choice but to go on to the work camp."
Janeway rubbed her temples. She wished she could find consolation in logic the way Tuvok could. She knew there was no other choice, but it didn't make it any easier. "Let's go," she said. She would have to trust Harry and B'Elanna to take care of Phoenix.."
Harry and B'Elanna materialized in a dark corridor of the Cardassian prison. "This isn't Chakotay's cell," Harry whispered.
"The bio-genic emitters must have confused the transporter coordinates," said B'Elanna. "We're lucky we didn't materialize into a wall." She observed her surroundings. "I think Chakotay is this way," she led Harry down the corridor.
Chakotay had been restlessly pacing his cell when he was astonished to see his son materialize in front of him. "Phoenix?" Chakotay's reaction was a mixture of joy and terror. He swept the boy into his arms.
"Hi Dad!"
"How did you get here?"
"HarryandB'elannastoleashuttleandtheycrasheditintothepowergeneratorsothe ..." He was speaking at Warp 10.
Chakotay glanced anxiously at the door and placed a finger over Phoenix's lips. "Shhh, be quiet, Phoenix," Chakotay's head was reeling. All thoughts of himself had vanished. He was now consumed with protecting his son. "Be absolutely quiet," he warned. "Don't make a sound."
"Dad," the boy whispered, "I have a better idea."
A piercing scream caught the immediate attention of the two guards keeping watch outside of Chakotay's cell. They looked at one another in confusion. One of the guards looked through the window in to the cell. "It's a child," he yelled, drawing his weapon. "A Cardassian child! Chakotay has a hostage."
The guards assumed an offensive position and stormed the room. Phoenix sat on the bunk, still screaming. Chakotay lay crumpled in the floor. One guard moved towards Chakotay, the other towards the bunk. "Settle down there, son," the guard was a little confused by the child's appearance. He was not a full blood Cardassian.
As the other guard approached Chakotay the Commander swung his feet around, knocking the guards legs from under him. Chakotay leapt to his feet and used the batlh'etlh, which he'd concealed under his body, to strike the guard on the head.
At the same instant Phoenix had lunged himself at the other guard and buried his teeth in the guard's arm. It provided enough of a distraction to give Chakotay time to pull the first guard's weapon and stun the other guard. When the guard fell to the floor Phoenix was still clamped to his arm.
Chakotay looked at his son in amazement, "Is that what B'Elanna's been teaching you in the holodeck?"
"She says I'm a good warrior!"
His words pulled at Chakotay's heart. The last thing he wanted for his son was a life of conflict. Chakotay had enough of war to know that a warrior's life was empty and lonely. Unfortunately, time did not allow him a heart to heart talk at the moment.
"Stay behind me," Chakotay instructed Phoenix. Chakotay moved towards the door and checked the corridor. When he saw it was clear he whispered "let's go," and turned to his son.
Phoenix was crouched over one of the guards, staring intently at the guard's face. "He looks like me, Dad."
It suddenly occurred to Chakotay that this was the first Cardassian the child had ever seen. Chakotay's love for his son blinded him to the fact that his child was different, looked different, than anyone else on Voyager. Chakotay crouched beside Phoenix and put a hand on his back. "He's Cardassian, Phoenix."
"Like my mother?"
"Like your mother."
"Do you think he knew my mother?"
The question struck Chakotay as rather odd, but then who knows what goes on inside the mind of a child. "I don't know Phoenix. Probably not. Not all Cardassians know each other." Chakotay glanced nervously at the door. "We need to go, Phoenix."
Chakotay, with his son's batlh'etlh and a Cardassian's weapon in his left hand, the other Cardassian's weapon in his right, led the child out the door and down the corridor of the prison.
On the Defiant Tom Paris was worried that things were going a little too well. Still cloaked, they had taken orbit above the work camp. Through her Maquis contacts B'Elanna had sent a message to the dozen or so Voyager Maquis in the work camp setting the rendezvous coordinates and time of rescue.
Tom had expected that the Cardassians, now aware of their presence in the system, would have increased security around the planet. But they encountered no defenses other then the satellite defense system.
It had been a textbook operation: de-cloak, fix transporter beam on the coordinates, beam up the Maquis, re-cloak. The entire procedure had taken only a few moments. Again, the Defiant suffered only minor damage from the defense satellites.
"That was too easy," mused Tom as they resumed a course back to the prison.
Tuvok agreed, "It is unusual that the Cardassians offered so little resistance."
"Maybe they're waiting for us back at the prison. They have to know we're going back there," Janeway's voice came over the com link. She had remained in the transporter room.
"Checking long range sensors," said Tom. "Yep. That's it. We've got an interstellar traffic jam around the prison. I'm picking up interceptors, patrol ships, it looks like two battle cruisers are on the way." Paris grinned at his Vulcan companion, "This could get interesting."
"Indeed," Tuvok raised an eyebrow.
Paris looked at the sensors again, "Oh, Damn!"
"What is it, Tom?" asked Janeway.
"You better get up here - they're spinning a web."
As Janeway entered the bridge a few minutes later she requested an explanation, "Spinning a web?" "You see how these ships are setting up formation," Tom pointed to the sensor array. "They're going to create a web by emitting a low frequency sub space resonance off one another's deflectors. Anything passing through the web will create a ripple."
"The cloaking devise is effective against standard sensor sweeps," explained Tuvok, "but the Defiant still leaves a wake of spatial distortion."
"Ordinarily it's not detectable," added Tom, "but if we're passing through a web..."
"They can't see us, but they can see our wake." Janeway finished for him.
"Damn," repeated Tom. "It should have taken them hours to organize this."
"It would have been folly for the Cardassians not to expect some action on our part," said Tuvok.
"We need to get closer to the prison. We can't transport from here." Janeway stared at the sensors some more. "There," she pointed, "where's that cruiser going."
"There appears to be a weak spot on this end of the web," said Tuvok pointing to sensor array. "It can be assumed that the cruiser is going to strengthen that area."
"But he'll have to pass through the web to get there," said Janeway, "and he'll leave a wake."
Tom saw where she was going with this, "Are we small enough to fit in his wake?"
"If we are, it would put us a lot closer to the prison."
"At what distance would we have to follow?" asked Tuvok.
"Close enough to smell `em," said Tom, easing the Defiant in behind the cruiser.
The cruiser loomed huge on the Defiant's view screen. "How close are we?" whispered Janeway.
"About 200 meters," said Tom.
"Easy, Tom," Janeway was leaning forward over the conn panel, as if being closer to the view screen would help her see better. "Full stop!" The cruiser had suddenly come to a complete stop. "Prepare for Delta Phi evasive maneuver." she ordered. "Now!" With that Tom Paris threw the Defiant into reverse as the huge cruiser almost backed over them.
"Back, back, back," said Janeway. "Stop!"
The cruiser stopped, then again began it's forward motion. The Defiant still following close behind.
"Pretty good," said Tom. "How did you know that was coming?"
"Because," she smiled, "it's just what I would have done." With that she returned to the transporter room.
B'Elanna and Harry turned down a prison corridor. B'Elanna was checking the schematics on the PADD in her hand. "Up here we take a left. His cell should be down that hall."
Harry checked the time, "We better hurry. We don't have long."
Two Cardassian figures stepped from a dark doorway into the corridor, weapons pointed at Harry and B'Elanna. "Hands up, rebel scum," one of them growled. Harry looked down at the holoprojector relay fastened to his belt as he and B'Elanna raised their hands.
While one of the guards kept his weapon trained on Harry and B'Elanna the other relieved them of their phasers and fastened their hands in binders behind their backs. The guard was particularly interested in B'Elanna "What have we here, Jodar?" He grinned at his companion, "A female Klingon? I hear they're feisty."
Harry launched himself at the guard, knocking him to the ground, the weapons flew from his hand. B'Elanna dove for the phasers, but Jodar reached them first and stopped her with his weapon pointed at the center of her head.
While Harry tried to get to his feet the other guard rose first, pulled a metal club from his belt and struck Harry across the head. B'Elanna winced as she heard his skull crack. The blow sent Harry reeling. He landed face down on the floor.
The blow also knocked the holoprojector relay from Harry's belt. The relay landed next to his head. In his last moments of consciousness Harry reached out and with his chin activated the relay.
The Doctor materialized, standing directly behind the Cardassian who'd struck Harry. "Excuse me," he said politely. The guard turned in confusion as the Doctor delivered a hypo-spray to his neck. The guard crumpled to the ground.
B'Elanna used the distraction as an opportunity to kick the weapon from Jodar's hand, then kick him into unconsciousness.
"Mr. Kim is in need of medical attention," observed the Doctor, leaning over Harry. "Oh dear," the Doctor noticed that the lower half of his body had disappeared. "I'm fading." With that he was gone.
Chakotay and Phoenix, who had heard the commotion, rounded the corner. "B'Elanna!" Phoenix cried.
"How did he get here?" asked B'Elanna looking at Phoenix.
"What happened to him?" asked Chakotay looking at Harry.
"Get these off me." B'Elanna thrust her bound hands in Chakotay's direction. He handed the batlh'etlh to Phoenix, quickly lifted the keys from Jodar's belt and released B'Elanna. He then moved to release and check on Harry.
"He's bad, B'Elanna," Chakotay said.
"Bring him. We've got to get to the rendezvous site," said B'Elanna.
Chakotay lifted Harry over one shoulder and followed behind B'Elanna and Phoenix. They had chosen the a seldom used storage room in the prison's East Wing as their rendezvous point. They slipped inside the door just as four Cardassian guards turned down the corridor.
The second the Defiant de-cloaked it was rocked by phaser fire. Kathryn Janeway stood at the controls in the transporter room and kept the bridge updated of her process over the com link. "I'm scanning the rendezvous site. There are four life signs," she said. "Drop the shields, Tom. I'm transporting them now." She had trouble maintaining her balance as the Defiant continued to come over heavy fire. As soon as the four figures finished materializing she told Tom, "We've got them. Shields up!"
The Defiant again disappeared from Cardassian sensors and the phaser fire ended as abruptly as it had begun.
"The phaser fire has destroyed the sub space web," observed Mr. Tuvok. "We are no longer detectable."
"Cool!" said Tom.
Phoenix bolted from the transporter room towards the bridge. There was no place he loved more than the bridge of a starship. "You better run!" Kathryn called after him. Now that she knew he was alive she was furious with him.
"Where's my crew?" asked Chakotay.
"In the galley. Apparantly Cardassian prison food is worse than Neelix's." replied Kathryn.
Chakotay, followed by Kathryn and B'Elanna, carried Harry to the nearest crew quarters and laid him on a table. B'Elanna took an emergency medical kit from the wall and began running a bio-scanner over Harry's head. "His neural processes are fine," she told Chakotay. "It looks like he has a nasty concussion. I can take care of it." B'Elanna was experienced in emergency medicine. It was a fundamental part of Maquis training.
"We'll be on the bridge," said Kathryn, leading Chakotay from the room.
In the hall Chakotay stopped Kathryn. With his hands on her shoulders, he turned her and backed her against the wall. He stood facing her, their bodies pressed together, his hands on either side of her on the wall. It felt like it had been years since they'd seen each other. He closed his eyes and breathed a quick prayer of thanks for the opportunity to be with her again.
When he opened his eyes he saw her smile. "Hi," she whispered. He brought his mouth to hers. Her arms came around his neck, his around her waist.
When their respective need to breathe pulled them apart Chakotay looked around the corridor. "What ship is this?" he asked.
"Come to the bridge," she said, slipping her arm through his, "it's a long story."
Harry Kim felt terrible. His head was throbbing, his ears ringing. He opened his eyes to see the face of B'Elanna Torres, inches from his own, as she leaned over him running an ostogenic stimulator over his head. He felt better. "B'Elanna?" He tried to sit up.
"Easy, Kim." She put her hands behind his shoulders to help him.
Harry sat up with his legs dangling off the edge of the table. His head was spinning. B'Elanna was standing in front of him between his knees, her hands on his shoulders to steady him. He tasted blood in his mouth and touched his finger to his swollen, split lip. The movement made him dizzy. He reached out to steady himself and his hands found B'Elanna's hips.
"Does that hurt?" B'Elanna gently touched her finger to Harry's bleeding lip.
"Mmm."
"Here," she picked up a dermo regenerator from the medical kit and passed it gently over his mouth. The edges of his split lip were brought together. "Better?" she asked, running her finger back and forth across his lip.
"Mmm Hmm," Harry scooted forward on the table, increasing the pressure of his hands on her hips and pulling her closer.
"That's going to be swollen for a while," she whispered. Her finger had moved from his lip and was now caressing the outline of his cheek. She was aware that his hands had moved to the small of her back and were holding her securely against him.
Harry finally found his voice, "B'Elanna," he said softly, "you have great bedside manner."
She smiled, kissing him softly on his swollen lip. "That hurt?"
"I can take it," he reached up for another kiss. After a few minutes he felt B'Elanna's hands on his shoulders, pushing him back as she crawled on the table with him.
"Gently, B'Elanna. I'm wounded."
"I thought you said you could take it."
Chakotay sat on the bridge of the Defiant with his son in his lap, his hand resting on the back of Kathryn's neck. "You stole the Defiant!" he shook his head. "I'm impressed, Janeway. You wasted your career in Starfleet. I think you would have made a good Maquis." He squeezed her neck affectionately. "I would have even let you serve under me." The innuendo was obvious.
Tom laughed out loud.
"Chakotay, go check on Harry," was Kathryn's response.
Rising, he laughed and deposited Phoenix in her lap, "I'll go check on Harry."
He left the bridge, only to re-appear a minute later. "Harry's fine!" he turned and looked back over his shoulder, "I think ..."
"Tom, you're the expert on Starfleet Justice," said Kathryn as Chakotay resumed his seat beside her, "what kind of sentence are we going to get?"
"Well, let's tally," replied Tom, counting on his fingers as he went, "we stole a shuttle, stole a state of the art prototype starship, violated a treaty, Tuvok assaulted a Bajoran Major." Tom thought for a moment, "I think we'll be guests of the Federation for quite a while."
"I want you all to know," said Chakotay, "that I'll come visit you whenever I can." He looked at Kathryn and returned his hand to the back of her neck, "I know," he said with deepest sincerity, "how very special it made me feel for Kathryn to come visit me."
"Kathryn, are you feeling well?" asked Tuvok. Your face appears to be flushed."
-finis