Home World
By: Amy Michelle Bitter (c) 1997

Star Trek and it's characters are owed by Paramount, Inc. Everything else
owned by me!

                        =/\= Chapter Two =/\=

        The Captain and Neelix met Patty and Gavin in transporter room one.
        "Hello, Captain." Gavin said.
        "Hello."  she said, bending down to his level,  "Gavin, this is Neelix."
She nodded in Neelix's direction,  "He's going to give you a tour of my ship."
        "Yay!" Gavin exclaimed.
        "Right this way."  Neelix said as the two of them walked out of the
transporter room.
        "Is he your only child?"  Captain Janeway asked Patty.
        "For now,"  Patty repiled, "I'm six months pregnant."
        "Congratulations!"  Captain Janeway said.  She was shocked, for being six
months pregnant, Patty wasn't showing at all.

****************************************************************************

        Tom walked into Sickbay.
        "Feeling better?"  he asked B'Elanna, who was sitting on a biobed.
        "Yes."  she replied, "Just hungry."
        "Well, you're in luck." Tom said, "I was just on my way back down to Aloca
for dinner.  I saw some great restaurants in Shangra the last time I was
down there.  Care to join me?"
        "Sure."  she answered.

****************************************************************************

        Captain Janeway and Patty walked into the captain's ready room.
        "Please, have a seat."  Janeway offered. Patty sat down in a chair across
from the desk the Captain sat down at.
        "Can I get you anything?"  she asked.
        "No," Patty said, "I'm fine."
        "What decision have you come to?" Janeway asked.
        "Captain," Patty started, "I've given this a lot of thought.  What you are
asking for would change my whole planet once you return home.  There would
be fleets of Federation ships exploring the Delta Quadrant in a matter of
years.  That would inevitably lead to war with the Kazon and other races
who wanted transwarp technology."
        "Patty, someday, Star Fleet is going to acquire transwarp without your
help.  There will be explorations and wars then, too."
        "I know." Patty said, "I've considered all of that.  That's why I decided
that our scientists will work with yours to help equip Voyager with
transwarp, on one condition."
        "Anything." Captain Janeway said, "What is it?"
        "You must destroy the technology as soon as you return to the Alpha
Quadrant, and never tell anyone where you got it."
        "Understood."  Captain Janeway said,  "You don't know how much this will
mean to my crew.  I can't thank you enough."  She reached out her hand and
Patty shook it.
        "Janeway to Chakotay."  The Captain said pressing her commbadge.
        "Chakotay here." He replied from down on Aloca.
        "Chakotay, I think you better beam back up here.  I've got some very
important news to tell you."

****************************************************************************
        
        Tom and B'Elanna sat in a restaurant on Aloca.
        "I haven't had real food since we left home."  Tom said, swallowing a
mouthful of food.
        "Me neither."  B'Elanna replied, sitting back in her chair.
        "Are you done eating?"  he asked, putting his fork down.
        "Yeah."
        "Why don't we go for a walk?  It's a beautiful evening." Tom suggested.
        "OK."  her heart raced.  More time alone with Tom.  They walked out of the
restaurant together.  They walked until they had come to a grassy hill with a
huge tree on it.
        "Ever climb a tree?"  he asked her.
        "No." she replied.
        "You don't know what you're missing." Tom said, "Come on, let's climb it.
This is a great tree."
        "No way." B'Elanna said, "I've had enough climbing for one day."
        "OK." he said, sitting down under the mighty tree.  She had a seat next to
him.
        "Tom," she said, putting her hand on his knee, "I...uh, want to thank you
for helping me today."
        "No problem."  he said, placing his hand on top of hers,  "I care about
you, B'Elanna.  I wouldn't want anything to happen to you."
        "Captain Janeway to senior staff,"  Both of their commbadges went off at
the same time.  "please beam back up to Voyager, you're needed in the
briefing room."
        *You have the worst sense of timing, Captain.* Tom thought.