Once Upon a Time...
by Clare009
Scene One 
"What happened?" The captain drawled as reality returned to a pounding brain. 
"You have been unconscious for a few hours." It was the Vulcan, Tuvok. 
"What's our status, Tuvok?" 
"The prognosis is not good. The ship is severely damaged. I am finding it difficult to navigate 
these plasma storms. Also, several of our crew have... disappeared, and many are in need of 
medical attention." 
Memory slowly crawled its way back to the captain. "The displacement wave!" 
The ship shuddered as Tuvok kept his eyes and fingers riveted to the console. "We tried to 
outrun it, but it overtook us. I have no memory of what happened, but we seem to have 
survived. However, not without consequence. I fear that if we do not receive assistance soon, 
our efforts will have been in vain." 
"When will we be in communications range of the base camp?" 
"We are already in range. There has been no response to my hails." 
That was worrying. The captain lurched over to check the ship's diagnostics. The shields were 
non-existent and the hull had taken serious damage. Warp drive was off line. However, 
sensors were functioning and they had their full weapon's range. Something came up on the 
sensor sweep. 
"Damn! There's a ship on our tail. It's federation!" 
"They must have followed us through the displacement wave." Said Tuvok calmly, although 
he was starting to sweat from his piloting efforts. 
"They're closing in on us. We won't be able to outrun them. Tuvok, turn us around, attack 
pattern delta. I'm powering weapons." 
"We are in no condition to attack a federation starship. I suggest we hail them." 
"Too late, they are hailing us. On screen." 
The communications screen revealed the bridge of the other ship. Standing on the bridge was 
a woman. Although she was petite with delicate features, she emanated defiance and a 
resolute will. She placed her hands on her hips and with a measured voice said "I am Captain 
Kathryn Janeway of the Federation Starship Voyager. Power down your weapons." 
The Captain of the Liberty had to make a decision. He looked at the Vulcan and then back at 
the woman on the screen. Slowly, he powered down the weapons and responded to the hail. 
"Captain Janeway, we are in need of your assistance. We took a lot of damage in that 
displacement wave and our ship won't last much longer." 
"Your crew will be transported to Voyager. Stand ready." Was all she said before cutting 
transmission. The screen went blank. 
Chakotay turned to Tuvok. "Well, Tuvok, it was surrender or die." 
"A logical choice." Tuvok replied before their molecules were pulled apart in the transport 
beam. 
 
Scene Two 
The Captain of Voyager sighed in relief once the communication had been cut. She sat back 
down in her chair. "Ensign Kim, download whatever files you can get from the Maquis vessel 
before its hull is ruptured by the plasma storms. When that happens, Mr Paris, I want you to 
get us out of this wretched place." 
"Aye, Captain." Said Kim and Paris simultaneously. 
"Janeway to transporter bay one. Send Lieutenant Tuvok and the Maquis leader up to the 
bridge. Take the injured to sickbay and activate the EMH. Make sure there's a security detail 
there. Put the rest of the Maquis in the brig." 
Chakotay, she thought. The rebel captain, but also once a starfleet officer. She knew a bit of 
his history. How in his starfleet career, he had risen to the rank of lieutenant commander and 
then abandoned that career for the Maquis after his home world, Trebus, had been attacked by 
the Cardassians. She wondered what type of man he was, how he would react to the situation 
they now found themselves in. 
The bridge doors slid open and two men walked through them. Janeway examined the second. 
He was taller than she expected. She had seen images of him, but in reality, he exuded a 
charisma, a physical presence that was hard to deny. She was shocked to find that she was 
attracted to him. She deftly hid her consternation by turning to the first man and smiled. 
"Tuvok! Welcome back. You've no idea how I've missed my chief of security." 
"Thank you, Captain." Tuvok replied. 
Chakotay frowned in consternation. "Tuvok?" 
The Vulcan turned to him and said. "I have been a spy aboard your vessel in order to discover 
more about the Maquis." 
Chakotay's voice became deadly soft "I trusted you." 
"Yes." The Vulcan replied blandly and then turned to Captain Janeway. "I will resume my 
duties on the bridge." With that, he walked over to the unmanned security console. 
As Chakotay's eyes followed him across the bridge, he noticed someone who was trying to 
remain unnoticed. Seeing the arrogant pilot on the bridge of voyager was another blow for the 
Maquis Captain. 
"Well, what do we have here? Another traitor?" He spat. 
Tom Paris jumped out of his chair. "I swear, Chakotay, I did not betray you. I was captured. I 
was the one who sent your co-ordinates to the colonists. I led the federation away from you." 
Janeway decided that it was time to intervene. "Excuse me Mr Paris." She walked up to the 
rebel and stood firmly in front of him, aggressively invading his body space. When she spoke, 
it was for his ears alone. "Mr Chakotay, as far as I know, you are the only traitor on my 
bridge. I allowed your presence here merely as a courtesy. However, if you have anything to 
say about any one of my crewmen, you are welcome to say it to the rest of your Maquis rebels 
in the brig. Do I make myself clear?" 
Their eyes were locked in a battle of wills. For the second time that day, Chakotay was forced 
to capitulate to this remarkable woman. "You're the Captain." He whispered without malice. 
"Captain," Harry Kim called out. "The Maquis ship can no longer withstand the bombardment 
from the plasma storms." 
Janeway and Chakotay's eyes snapped away from each other to the large view screen. They 
both watched as the Liberty burst into a flower of orange. A halo of silver debris expanded 
from the explosion. Chakotay sighed then stepped back from the Captain. The ironically 
beautiful scene grew smaller as Paris pulled Voyager away from the sight. 
 
Scene Three 
Chakotay walked into the brig accompanied by two of Voyager's crew; a security detail. They 
were carrying phasers, but there was no doubt in his mind that he could overpower them if he 
wanted to. There was also no doubt in his mind that the Captain of Voyager knew this fact. 
That made this a very interesting situation. That, and the fact he was not going to overpower 
the guards. 
He spotted B'Elanna immediately. She was alone in one of the holding cells, leaning with her 
back against the wall. There was a look of extreme irritation on her face. She always had that 
look, but this time it was dangerous. She saw him. "Chakotay! What the hell happened? How 
did we end up getting caught by the federation? I thought their ships never entered the 
Badlands." 
"They had help." Chakotay said ominously. "I'll fill you in on the details later. But first, have 
you seen Seska? She's not in the sickbay." 
"I know, I was there until I forcefully asked that they send me to the Brig." 
Chakotay looked puzzled. "You wanted to come here?" 
"That irritating holographic doctor of theirs was really starting to piss me off. Kept on asking 
me what I remembered and how come I didn't know him. What I wouldn't do to get my hands 
on his subroutines!" 
"I think he's malfunctioning. He called me 'Commander' and he looked like he was going to 
sedate me when I asked him about Seska. He managed to tell me that you were here, though." 
"Chakotay, Seska's not here either. A lot of our people appear to be missing. I've been trying 
to do a head count. I thought you might be one of them until you walked in here." 
Chakotay looked at B'Elanna then said quietly "Tuvok said that a lot of our crew had 
disappeared while we were on the Liberty. It happened after we went through that wave 
front." 
"I thought so. The same thing appears to have happened to the Voyager crew. That's why they 
have that nauseating little hologram in sickbay. Their medical staff disappeared." B'Elanna 
sighed and then looked at her Maquis leader. "So, what do we do Chakotay?" 
Chakotay was silent for a while, then he said, "Nothing. For now at least. I want to speak to 
Voyager's Captain, see what she knows about this, then I'll figure out what to do." 
B'Elanna frowned slightly. "Who is this Captain, anyway?" 
Chakotay laughed softly. "She is Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation Starship 
Voyager and, well, she is unique." 
 
Scene Four 
"Janeway to Engineering. How long before we have warp back on line?" 
"I'm not sure Captain. Things are a bit chaotic down here since the chief engineer, uh, 
disappeared." 
"Who am I talking to?" 
"This is Lieutenant Carey, ma'am." 
"Well, Lieutenant, take charge. I want no trace of chaos down in Engineering and I want those 
warp engines back on line. Do you think you can do that?" 
"Yes, Captain!" 
Captain Janeway stood up from her chair and turned to Tuvok. "There's something in cargo 
bay two that I need to deal with. You have the bridge." With that she headed to the turbo lift. 
Before she got to it, the doors opened and the Maquis leader, together with security guards, 
stepped out. "Captain Janeway," he said. "I would like to talk to you." 
"I have something important to attend to. It'll have to wait." Janeway said as she stepped past 
him into the lift. 
Chakotay turned to follow her. "Half my crew are missing. I don't think it can wait." 
She gave him a measured look and then shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I guess you'll have to 
talk on the way down." 
Chakotay gave a short nod of acknowledgement and went to stand next to her in the lift. The 
security guards started to follow him, but Janeway put up her hand. "It's okay gentlemen. No 
need to follow. I don't think I have anything to fear from Mr Chakotay. Do I?" She said 
turning to the man next to her. 
Chakotay only smiled as the turbo lift doors closed leaving them alone. The real question, he 
thought, is whether I have anything to fear from you. 
"Deck 15," Janeway called and the lift zoomed to life. "Talk fast Mr Chakotay, it won't take 
us long to get to the cargo bay." 
"As I said, half my crew is missing and it appears that you have the same problem." 
Janeway laughed. "The missing crewmen are only part of the real problem." 
"I can assure you, Captain, my people won't do anything rash." Chakotay said trying not to 
think about B'Elanna. 
"Oh, I'm not worried about that!" 
Chakotay looked puzzled. "Then what's the real problem?" 
Suddenly, the Captain became serious. She looked directly at Chakotay with penetrating eyes. 
"Can I trust you?" She said in a low voice. 
Chakotay blinked. He didn't know what to say. He'd only just met this marvellous woman, yet 
he felt like he'd known her for years. Yet she was a federation captain. Not his enemy, but not 
his friend either. The lift reached the bottom deck and the doors slid open. 
Janeway turned her face away from his and said, "I guess we'll just have to find out." She 
motioned for him to follow her as she walked out the lift. "Come, there's some people you 
should meet." 
Scene Five 
Chakotay was completely unprepared for the sight that met him as he walked into the cargo 
bay after the Captain. He stopped and looked around in horror, his hand automatically 
reaching for the weapon that wasn't at his side. "Borg!" 
Janeway turned and gave him a penetrating look. "Unsettling, isn't it?" 
Chakotay hesitated when he saw that the Captain appeared unafraid. She looked around at the 
assimilated cargo bay. "No, we have not been assimilated by the Borg. But it did give me 
quite a turn when I first saw it. That was only a short while before we found you. You see, it 
wasn't there before the displacement wave. Only after." 
The Maquis leader relaxed a bit when he realised there was no apparent threat. "How? And 
where are all the drones?" 
Janeway gave him a tired smile. "The same questions I asked. Perhaps I can answer the 
second one." She looked past him and indicated at something. He turned around and realised 
that they weren't alone. Standing in the flickering shadows of the cargo bay was the most 
unlikely trio: a tall, sculptured woman, a short, wild-haired alien and a child. The tall woman 
stepped forward into the light. Chakotay gasped when he saw the evidence of borg implants 
on her body. 
"I can answer your first question, Commander." She stated. 
"Who are you?" He asked in amazement. 
"I am Seven of Nine. Tertiary adjunct of Unimatrix One. I was... Borg." 
"And you are no longer?" 
"No. I was severed from the collective a few years ago." 
Chakotay stared at the borg woman, unable to say anything. He was almost sure that any 
minute he would wake up from this bizarre dream. Janeway stepped forward and motioned for 
the other two to come closer. "Seven of Nine, perhaps you could introduce the others to Mr 
Chakotay." 
"Yes Captain." The woman pointed first to the wide-eyed little alien, "This is Neelix," and 
then put her hand on the shoulder of the child with the delicate line of thorns down her 
forehead. "This is Naomi Wildman." 
The alien called Neelix put out his hand eagerly and said "Ah... Pleased to meet you, 
commander. Although, technically, we've already met. You just don't remember. Or, maybe, 
you are you before we met. Which means we haven't met. But then I guess we have, now. 
So..." He dropped his hand when Chakotay just stared at it. "Er, I guess you're a bit 
overwhelmed by all this, eh?" 
Chakotay looked over at Captain Janeway. "Could you please tell me what the hell is going 
on?" 
"I'm not sure I can. We were tracking your ship. We got caught in a displacement wave and 
we were knocked unconscious. When we woke up, we had missing crew, a ship that was 
damaged and, well, modified in some areas. And we had also acquired some extra passengers. 
They have their own, almost unbelievable, story." 
"Which is?" 
"That we have actually been in the Delta Quadrant for the past several years." 
Chakotay didn't have time to digest the Captains preposterous statement. The ship suddenly 
lurched to the side causing all of them to lose their balance. Janeway fell towards him and he 
put out both his hands, one to catch her and the other to steady them both. 
"Tuvok to Janeway, we are under attack." The Vulcan's voice sounded over the comm system. 
Janeway was still being held by Chakotay when she replied, "Evasive action, Lieutenant! I'll 
see you on the bridge!" With that, she leaped out of Chakotay's grasp towards the cargo bay's 
exit. Chakotay and Seven of Nine were close behind her. 
 
Scene Six 
Janeway stormed onto Voyager's bridge. "Give me the details, Tuvok." 
"Shields are down to 32 percent. Our attackers have superior fire power." 
"Fire back, Tuvok! Give them everything we've got!" 
"They're scrambling our sensors, somehow, Captain," said Kim. "We can't use our targeting 
scanners or even see." He pointed to the blank view screen. 
"It's starting to get pretty hot here, I don't know how long I can evade them." Paris' words 
revealed his agitation. 
"Just hang in there, Mr Paris. Show us how good a pilot you really are." The bridge was 
rocked by another explosion. 
"Shields at 25 percent." Stated Tuvok. 
Janeway groaned and tapped her comm badge. "Carey, I need warp, now!" 
"Captain, that's not possible. We're doing all we can, but that wave front really messed things 
up here." 
"Captain Janeway, where is B'Elanna Torres?" It was the borg, Seven of Nine, who spoke. 
Janeway turned and gave her an irritated look. "What?" 
Chakotay, who was standing behind Seven of Nine, moved forward. "She appears to be 
referring to my Engineer who's in the Brig. B'Elanna will be able to fix the warp drive." 
"Really?" Said Janeway without much enthusiasm. 
Tom Paris spoke without raising his eyes from the conn. "I know Torres, Captain. Chakotay's 
right. If anyone can do it, she can." 
"I concur." Said Tuvok from his station. 
Janeway turned to face the Vulcan. "Go get Torres. Take her to engineering." 
"Captain," Chakotay interrupted. "That would not be wise. B'Elanna doesn't know that 
Tuvok... Let me go instead." 
Janeway looked at Chakotay and then nodded. "Very well." She motioned to the two guards 
that had remained on the bridge. "Please accompany Mr Chakotay to the brig and then send 
him and his engineer to help Lieutenant Carey." 
Chakotay gave her a mock smile. "Don't you trust me?" 
Janeway's expression was devoid of amusement. "We're running out of time. Now get going." 
Chakotay smiled for real this time. There was no way she would have answered his question 
in front of her crew. It was enough to know that she would trust his judgement, as she had 
done. He turned quickly and without looking back to see if the guards were following, he was 
once more on his way to find B'Elanna. There was much he would discuss with her, but first, 
she must get Voyager out of its predicament. 
Seven of Nine made to follow Chakotay and the guards. Janeway's words halted her. 
"Wait. You're staying here. You seem to know more about what's happened to Voyager than 
the rest of us." 
"What would you have me do, Captain." 
"Help Ensign Kim find a way to get our sensors functional." 
Seven of Nine moved over to the opps console. Harry did not appear to recognise her borg 
implants for what they were. He thought that she was another one of the Maquis. He 
wondered why Janeway would even allow known criminals onto the bridge, but it was not his 
place to question his captain. 
Seven of Nine spoke after a cursory look at the screen. "We need a continuously adapting 
sensor frequency. Then they will be unable to interfere with our signal." 
"That would work," Harry said. "If we had the technology to do that." 
"We do." Seven of Nine replied and jabbed the console to make the adjustment. The view 
screen flared to life, revealing the attacking vessels. 
"I don't know how she did it, Captain, but our sensors are no longer being jammed." Harry 
said incredulously. 
"Fire at will, Tuvok!" Janeway barked. She watched as one of the ships veered to avoid a 
photon torpedo. "That should buy us some time. Keep at them Tuvok." 
Scene Seven 
"You want me to do what?" B'Elanna bellowed at Chakotay as he practically dragged her after 
the guards to Voyager's engine room. 
"We're under attack. Warp's off line and if we don't get it running, well, I don't want to 
speculate on the outcome." Chakotay said agitatedly. 
"Are you mad? There is no 'we' in this. We're their prisoners. I say we take our chances with 
whoever's attacking the ship." 
"Now you're mad! It could be the Cardassians. Do you want to bargain with them?" 
"If it were the Cardassians, Voyager would have kicked their butts already. What's going on? 
Why do they need to run away?" They were approaching the doors to engineering. 
Chakotay stopped suddenly. He gripped his engineer's shoulders and looked intensely at her. 
"No, it's not the Cardassians. They seem to have greater fire power and access to better 
technology than even Voyager. But, whoever they are, they attacked without warning. I'd 
rather throw my lot in with Voyager. Now, are you with us?" 
B'Elanna shrugged off his hands and walked into engineering. She looked around as if she 
owned it. "You there," she turned to a frustrated Lieutenant. "Move away from that console so 
I can find out what's going on." 
The Lieutenant gave her a puzzled look. "I don't know who you are, but I'm a bit busy at the 
moment, so if you don't mind..." 
B'Elanna moved closer and peered over his shoulder at the console. "I can already see what 
you're doing wrong, now move aside!" 
Chakotay gave B'Elanna a warning look. "Excuse me, Lieutenant Carey? The Captain sent us 
down here to help." 
The guards nodded at Carey's look of enquiry. "By all means." He gave the half-klingon a 
disdainful look. "Just stay out of my way." 
"No," growled B'Elanna. "You stay out of my way!" And before anyone could stop her, her 
fist flashed into Carey's unsuspecting face. The Lieutenant crumpled to the floor, 
unconscious. Both the guards moved forward to restrain her. 
"I don't care what you do to me, but if you don't let me go, Voyager will never get its warp 
drive online. I'm sure your Captain will be very grateful if that were to happen." B'Elanna 
sneered. The guards stepped back and she moved to the now unhindered console. 
Chakotay watched as his engineer's fingers flew over the console. Then she rushed to another 
console and then another, absorbed by the problem confronting her. "Do you have any idea 
what's going on?" Chakotay asked. 
"This is remarkable!" B'Elanna called back from across the room. "There isn't a problem with 
the engines at all." 
He gave her a puzzled look. "I don't understand." 
B'Elanna's fingers continued to move across the terminal as she explained. "This ship is 
riddled with borg technology and who knows what else. It's a complete patchwork job. All I 
need to do is find the right command..." Her words trailed off and she stopped moving as she 
stared, flabbergasted, at the screen in front of her. 
"B'Elanna, what's the problem?" 
She laughed nervously. "You're not going to believe this, Chakotay." Then, she called out, 
"Computer, initiate matter antimatter reaction. Confirm voice recognition authorisation." 
Voice pattern of Lieutenant Torres, Chief Engineer, has been confirmed. Command is 
authorised. Matter antimatter reaction reinitiated. 
At that, the warp core churned to life. 
 
Scene Eight 
Janeway held onto her chair as Voyager was bombarded by the alien vessels. Panels all 
around the bridge were exploding and the air was thick with smoke and carbon dioxide. 
"Shields have been destroyed. The next torpedo will cause a hull breech." Tuvok stated from 
behind her. 
"Wait a minute, Captain, I don't know how, but she's done it!" Whooped Paris from the conn. 
"Warp is back on line!" 
"Then what are you waiting for, Mr Paris, get us out of here. Warp Eight" Janeway ordered 
the pilot. 
"I don't think I wanna hang around here, either, Captain." Said Paris as he entered the 
appropriate commands into the conn. Suddenly, the ship lurched and the image of the 
attacking ships on the view screen was replaced by the relative motion of the stars. Janeway 
rose to her feet, shaking. She swept imaginary dust from her uniform. 
"That was a bit close, wouldn't you say?" She asked of no-one in particular. 
"Captain Janeway, I feel it is my duty to tell you that we have not completely escaped yet." It 
was the borg woman who was standing next to ensign Kim. Janeway whirled around to look 
at her. 
"Please explain what you mean." She said. 
Seven of Nine walked around the console and came to stand opposite the Captain. "I know 
those vessels. They belong to a species that the Borg designated as 8472. During Voyager's 
time in the Delta Quadrant, we had several confrontations with this species. They appeared to 
have followed us back to the Alpha Quadrant and are now intent on destroying us." 
Janeway looked at Seven of Nine, not quite sure what to believe. "Why would they want to 
destroy us?" 
Seven of Nine hesitated, she looked uncomfortable. "You made a treaty with the Borg. The 
result was that species 8472 were defeated in their battle with the Borg." 
"What?" Cried Janeway. She shook her head in disbelief. Holding the palm of her hand up to 
the other woman, she tried to comprehend Seven of Nine's words. 
"What I'm trying to say, Captain," Seven of Nine said more forcefully. "Is that species 8472 
now have a vendetta against the federation, and in your ill-considered attempts to get home, 
you have led them to the Alpha Quadrant." 
The look of shock on Janeway's face was absolute. There was cold silence on the bridge, 
except for the hum of voyager's systems and the imaginary sound of the sweeping stars. All 
eyes were turned to the pair of women, one small and commanding, yet familiar and 
comfortable, the other tall, alien and resolute. The bridge crew held their collective breath. 
Then Janeway stepped back, obviously disorientated. "Tuvok, you have the bridge." She 
stated quietly, then turned and walked away to be swallowed up into her ready room. 
Seven shifted uncomfortably under the critical gazes of the bridge crew. They did not 
understand the content of her statement, but they got the gist of it, and they didn't like it. It 
was Tuvok who rescued her. 
"Bridge to all hands. Begin repair operations and prepare for further attacks." To the bridge 
crew he said. "Resume your duties. The Captain needs time to consider our best course of 
action. Mr Kim, I think it best that Seven of Nine is to work with you at opps, until the 
Captain decides differently." Harry nodded, but eyeballed Seven of Nine. After what she had 
said to Captain Janeway, he definitely did not like her. 
Scene Nine 
Kathryn slumped into her chair. She was mortified by what Seven of Nine had said. She made 
a treaty with the borg. How was that possible? She would never have believed the borg 
woman in the first place if it wasn't for the fact that she had glanced at her Captain's logs after 
her original meeting and subsequent discussion with her. They were all there. In chronological 
order, every single day for the past seven years, she had documented their journey through 
that unknown territory of space. She hadn't been able to read more than a few log entries, but 
what she had read, convinced her that Seven of Nine was telling the truth. She didn't know 
what was more terrifying: that she had lost seven years of her life in the delta quadrant, or that 
she didn't remember those seven years. 
But now it came down to this: it was her fault that these aliens, these 8472's, had found their 
way into the alpha quadrant and were now intent on destroying the federation. From what she 
had seen of their capabilities, the federation would be hard pressed to defend themselves. It 
was her responsibility to avert that destruction by whatever means possible and she had to do 
it before they were in range of any federation outposts. The 8472's must not be allowed to get 
a foothold in this quadrant. It was her fight alone. Or was it? 
She leaned over to her terminal to access her personal logs. She called up the last entry she 
had apparently written and looked over the words for the second time that day. They still 
came as a shock to her. 
After staring at the screen for a while, she spoke. "Janeway to Engineering." 
A few moments passed before she got the reply. "Captain Janeway. This is Chakotay in 
Engineering."  
She jumped a little at the sound of his voice, even though he was the one she was looking for. 
"Chakotay. Please send my thanks to your engineer. We wouldn't have lasted much longer 
without warp." 
"I'll tell her that Captain." She heard a vague chuckle. "Actually, I hope you don't mind but 
B'Elanna's sort of taken over here. It appears that your Lieutenant Carey is, uh, incapacitated." 
Kathryn paused before answering. "That's not important right now. What I really want is to 
talk to you." 
When Chakotay replied, all the mirth had gone from his voice, which was hardly more than a 
whisper. "I thought you might," he said.  
Kathryn hesitated again, but then plunged on. "Leave the guards in Engineering to help 
B'Elanna and meet me in my ready room. Janeway out."   She cut off the communication and 
held her breath for a moment. Then, breathing in deeply again, she relaxed back into her chair 
to wait for him. 
 
Scene Ten 
Kathryn was startled by someone gently shaking her shoulder. "Captain Janeway. Wake up." 
Said a soft voice close to her ear. Her eyes flew open as she felt the breath tickle her neck. 
She stared directly into laughing brown eyes. It was Chakotay. 
"I'm sorry," she said, slightly disorientated. "I must have dozed off." 
The brown eyes narrowed in concern. "How long has it been since you last slept?" Chakotay 
asked. 
Kathryn smiled weakly and rubbed her eyes with her hands. "Too long, I guess." She looked 
once more at Chakotay, his face still inches from her. For some reason, her eyes focused on 
his mouth. It looked soft and warm and extremely kissable. She moved forward slightly. 
"What did you want to talk to me about, Captain?" 
The words shattered her reverie. She moved back suddenly and stood up, then walked over to 
the replicator. "Something to drink, Mr Chakotay?" 
"Just a glass of water, thank you." Chakotay took his cue from the Captain. He followed her 
to the comfortable chairs and sat down opposite her while she poured the water from a carafe 
into two glasses. Janeway carefully put the carafe down, but she continued to look at it 
without saying anything. She was obviously finding it difficult to say what she wanted to say, 
so Chakotay cleared his throat and spoke. "You know, B'Elanna didn't actually fix the Warp 
drive." Janeway looked up at him and he continued. "She discovered that all that was needed 
was the chief engineer's command to reinitialise the reaction. But, the really interesting thing 
was," Chakotay looked directly at her, "that Voyager's computer thought its chief engineer 
was none other than the Maquis rebel, B'Elanna Torres." Now Janeway was looking steadily 
at him. "But that's not all. While B'Elanna was ordering repairs, I thought I'd take a look 
around Voyager's computer system myself... Which is easy to do when you have a level nine 
security clearance." 
"So, now you know." Janeway said softly. 
Chakotay stood up abruptly and began to pace up and down. "I don't know if I know anything. 
Your computer says that I am Voyager's second in command and that my crew, at least the 
ones that are still here, are part of this ship's crew, a federation crew. The blonde borg woman 
says we were in the Delta Quadrant. What kind of story is that! Why the hell would I want to 
be in the Delta Quadrant." 
Kathryn tried to speak. "This ship has numerous logs detailing the events that brought our two 
crews together in the Delta Quadrant." 
"Well, maybe I'll get to read them sometime." Chakotay replied with venom. Somehow, 
however, his comment didn't have the strength to hurt her and neither did he. He stopped 
pacing and turned to look down at her. Her expression was clear and artless. He sighed. 
"Yesterday, I thought I knew who I was. I had a mission and a purpose: to revenge myself on 
Cardassia. That was the only thing I cared about. Now, I find out that yesterday was seven 
years ago and I am a federation starship commander, that I haven't been anywhere near the 
Cardassians." He paused, the Captain said nothing but waited for him to continue. "So, tell me 
this, who am I supposed to be?" 
Chakotay looked at her with an intensity that disarmed her. Kathryn knew that he had every 
right to be sceptical, to feel abused. She felt like that, too. But whether they recalled them or 
not, certain events had been set into motion by their hands and those events had consequences 
that could not be denied. And whether she liked it or not, he was very much a part of it, and 
he had a right to know everything. She stood up and walked over to stand face to face with 
him. She cocked her head to one side and said. "Chakotay, I don't know who you are. I was 
sent to rescue my crewman and apprehend an outlaw, but for some reason, the fates have 
bound our lives together, and no, I don't believe in that destiny crap but sometimes you just 
have to accept it. You... Haven't seen the whole picture yet." She gave a strained laugh and 
then sighed. "Before I tell the crew my decision, you need to know." She brushed past him 
and walked over to her desk. 
"Need to know what?" Chakotay asked as his eyes followed her movements. She punched a 
few of the desk terminal's keys and the screen lit up into words. 
Indicating to the screen, she said, "you should read for yourself. I don't want to lessen the 
impact by explaining it to you." 
Chakotay frowned slightly but walked over to the terminal and followed her suggestion. He 
started to read the text. 
Captain's Personal Log, Stardate 54047.2
After denying myself the one pleasure I could never entertain during the last seven years, I 
finally let down the barriers. Admittedly, I have been under a great deal of stress, but I think it 
was the sense of euphoria that enveloped us all that was my downfall. I smile now when I 
think of it as starfleet would, but in reality, I believe it will be my redemption. Starfleet rules 
and regulations. What a farce. I've held to them with a fanatical pride long after there was 
any reason to. No, even now, I cannot call them a farce. They have held this crew together in 
this hell we've been through. And what has held me together? A rhetorical question, because 
the answer is as clear now as it always has been. Chakotay. Without him... I don't even want 
to think of that possibility. Ironic how the two things that kept it all intact for so long, also 
tore me apart for so long. But that issue has finally been resolved, hasn't it? Because, when 
we return to the Alpha Quadrant, I will resign my commission. He doesn't know about it yet, I 
will tell him once we're home. There is this sneaking superstition at the back of my mind that 
says I will jinx it all if I tell him now. Even though I have no logical reason to believe that, I 
will not tempt the fates on the eve of our return home. I feel like a school girl just thinking 
about it, about him. Finally, I will get this damn ship home and take my life off pause. I love 
him so much. He doesn't know that either, but I think he has guessed. Last night would have 
been a good indication. Remembering the kisses, the touches, makes me smile. He told me 
then that he loved me, that he was afraid of what might happen when we got home. The 
Maquis. He didn't want to lose me. I don't know why I was silent. Perhaps my only intent was 
to hear his voice, or perhaps I was afraid, too but didn't want to show it. But after today, I 
won't need to be afraid anymore. There is one last hurdle to overcome before we reach our 
destination and I am ready. 
 
Scene Eleven 
Captain Janeway looked at the people that she had called to the briefing. Opposite her sat 
Seven of Nine, her hands folded neatly on the table before her and her expression devoid of 
humanity. On the borg woman's right sat the Delta Quadrant alien Neelix. He smiled at the 
Captain and leaned forward in eager anticipation. To the left of Seven was the holographic 
doctor. Janeway had been surprised to discover that the EMH was able to move around 
Voyager quite freely with the use of a mobile emitter and that he also had a very distinctive 
personality. She had included him at Seven's request. 
Next to herself, on the right, sat the man she considered her most trusted councillor, the 
Vulcan, Tuvok. He showed as much emotion in his features as the borg. Kathryn already felt 
the influence of his calming presence. On the other side of Tuvok, was young Harry Kim who 
was no more than an extremely intelligent but untried boy. Next to him, sat a 
uncharacteristically agitated Tom Paris. She wasn't sure why Paris had lost his cool and brash 
facade but it might have had something to do with the Maquis that were present. One of those 
Maquis was the half klingon Engineer, Torres. Janeway had been introduced to the woman, 
who had saved them, only a short while ago and she couldn't help but like her. At the 
moment, B'Elanna, barely restrained, was shooting daggered looks at Tuvok and Tom. 
On her left hand side, was Chakotay. His presence was as disconcerting as Tuvok's was 
reassuring. She turned to look at him and he nodded, so she stood up very slowly and began to 
talk. 
"You are, each one of you, here for a reason. At the moment, this group is the closest thing I 
have to a command structure on Voyager. Now, you are all aware to some degree of what has 
happened to Voyager. Before I say anything else, I have asked Seven of Nine to explain the 
entire situation to us. I would ask that you do not question what she has to say. It has been 
verified and it is the truth, no matter how preposterous or illogical it sounds." Kathryn sat 
down and indicated towards Seven of Nine. 
Seven nodded. She stood up and went to the computer screen on the wall. Punching some 
buttons, she called up an image of section of space. "Stardate 48315.6," she began, "Voyager 
is hit by a displacement wave that pulls it into the Delta Quadrant, here." She indicated to a 
section on the starchart. "The device which brought Voyager and the Maquis to the Delta 
Quadrant is destroyed and they are stranded approximately 70 000 light years from Earth. 
Without going into unnecessary details, the crews of Voyager and the destroyed Liberty are 
merged into one starfleet crew with Janeway as Captain and Chakotay as her first officer. At 
this point, Neelix the Talaxian joined the crew." 
Hearing his name, the eager little man spoke before Seven could continue, "Ah, yes! A most 
exciting time. I remember when I first met you all - you were in serious need of the very 
things that I could provide, so I became your guide, your cook and your morale officer. Of 
course, those have not been my only roles on Voyager. Why, I've been confidant, friend, a 
shoulder to cry on. I've also dabbled at being an ambassador and..." 
"Neelix, perhaps we can hear about those things later." Kathryn deftly interrupted. 
"Uh, of course, Captain. Please, Seven, go on with the story." Neelix said 
Seven resumed her narrative, telling them all about key events in Voyager's history from the 
past seven years. Chakotay's face turned grim when he heard about Seska's Cardassian origins 
and her plots with the Kazon. Tom whistled incredulously when she related Voyager's various 
run ins with the Borg. Harry's eyes nearly fell out of his head when he learned about Seven of 
Nine's true background. Even Tuvok raised an eyebrow at how they had played the Borg 
against species 8472 in an effort to get through Borg space. B'Elanna shuddered when she 
heard how they had been assimilated in order to destroy the Borg from within and how they 
had only been partially successful. Finally, Seven began to tell them about the events which 
had led them to their present situation. 
They had come across some new technology. They discovered a culture which was able to do 
something very unique. They could generate a temporal field which would, in essence, enable 
an individual to briefly go back in time, without changing the timeline, and thus appear to 
move vast distances in an instant. B'Elanna, Harry and Seven were able to devise a theory 
based on this technology whereby they would attempt to move, not an individual, but an 
entire starship, back to the Alpha Quadrant. The captain had given them the go ahead to start 
working on a prototype of this Temporal Shift Drive. 
At about the same time as the TSD prototype was completed, and the crew were on the eve of 
finally putting it to its intended use, Voyager encountered it's old nemesis. Not the Borg, but 
Species 8472. They wanted revenge. First, they pulled the Federation Starship into their own 
fluidic space and then they crippled her. Voyager's only remaining hope was the TSD 
prototype. Captain Janeway ordered the TSD to be used to get them out of their predicament 
and take them safely home. Unforeseen, however, was that under the conditions of fluidic 
space, the TSD was extremely erratic. Space-time was shredded. Voyager was brought back 
to the Alpha Quadrant but in a horribly twisted state. It was almost as if Voyager was taken 
back to the exact place it was seven years before, chasing a Maquis ship into the badlands. 
However, the Maquis ship was only a ghost and the people on Voyager were the same people 
who had lasted seven years in the Delta Quadrant. The missing crewmen had all died and the 
ship itself was covered in seven years of Delta Quadrant grime. Those that had originally 
come from the Alpha Quadrant suffered from temporal amnesia 
The 8472's had been drawn along by Voyager's wake and had found themselves in the Alpha 
Quadrant, home to the hated federation. They attacked the disorientated Janeway & crew, 
knowing that the memory deficient Captain, would run back to the safe haven of the 
federation. But they would not attack the federation, rather, they would assume it's guise, and 
then, working from within, they would corrupt it until it was no longer a haven, but a 
nightmare. That would be their ultimate revenge. 
 
Scene Twelve 
"We cannot allow that to happen." Janeway said quietly from where she sat. The rest of them 
were silent, stunned. 
"Captain, if I may say something?" It was Chakotay. She nodded. He looked around at the 
very different people who were there. "I know that this is hard to swallow, but your Captain, 
our Captain, is right. We must set aside the differences we feel. They are an illusion; those 
things were all resolved years ago. Now, we must work together to as the one crew that we 
are to prevent this calamity. Earlier, Kathryn said to me that she wanted the rest of us to 
abandon Voyager, while she used the TSD to go back to the Delta Quadrant and hopefully 
draw the 8472's back with her. Her plan is sound except for one thing. I will not abandon her." 
"Commander Chakotay's sentiment is correct," said Seven of Nine. "In order for this to work, 
we need to recreate the exact conditions Voyager was in when the TSD was previously used. 
Nobody must leave the ship." 
Janeway stood up. "I cannot allow innocent people on this ship to be dragged into the Delta 
Quadrant, or possibly to die in the effort." 
This time, Tuvok responded. "If I may say so, Captain, you can allow it and apparently you 
did allow it seven years ago when you destroyed the caretaker's array to save the Ocampa. 
Surely it is logical to sacrifice the few to save the many?" 
For a while, nobody spoke. They all continued to look at their Captain. Then Neelix said, "I 
will not leave you either, Captain. I have followed you for so long now, that I don't know any 
other life. Alpha Quadrant, Delta Quadrant, it's all the same to me." 
"I guess I would only be a strange curiosity in the Alpha Quadrant. An EMH who thinks he's 
a person." said the doctor. "I'm suppose I'm with you, too." 
One by one, they voiced their willingness to stay with the Captain. For Tom it was that he had 
nothing to go back to. B'Elanna said that she wanted to experience what it was to be Chief 
Engineer on a starship like Voyager. Harry, although bitterly disappointed, agreed with Tuvok 
that there was no other way. 
"What about you, Seven?" Janeway said to the borg woman. 
Seven only raised her eyebrow and said, "need you ask?" 
She turned to look at Chakotay. He smiled a grim smile, but said, "I guess you won't be 
resigning your commission after all." 
Scene Thirteen 
"Captain, I have the alien vessels on long range sensors." Kim said while working his console. 
"On screen, Harry." Said Janeway. 
The view screen flickered and then showed the image of the antagonist's ships heading 
towards them. 
"If we can see them, no doubt they can see us." Said Chakotay. He was standing slightly 
behind Janeway's left shoulder. 
"That's what I'm counting on." She said grimly. "Tuvok, keep a watch out for any indication 
that they are powering weapons. We don't know the extent of their range capabilities. I want 
them to get close, but not close enough so that they can hurt us. We'll save that for the end." 
"Yes Captain." Although the rest of the bridge crew had heightened anxiety, Tuvok was 
reliably detached. 
A voice sounded over the bridge. "Torres to Janeway." 
"Go ahead Ms Torres." 
"Everything's set here, Captain, we're just awaiting your orders." 
"Stand by. We're just waiting for the rat to smell the cheese." 
"Standing by, Captain." 
Janeway turned to Paris, who was at the helm. "As soon as I give the go ahead to Engineering, 
I want you to take us in. We won't have that much time, but we also want to make sure the 
8472's come after us." 
Paris grinned, he was in his element. "Don't worry Captain. I'll time it perfectly." 
The Captain turned to look at Chakotay. "Was he this cocky when he was with you?" 
Chakotay grimaced. "Worse. You seem to have exerted a calming influence on him." 
"Captain, I am detecting energy surges in the vessels' power grids. It would appear they are 
preparing to fire." Stated Tuvok from behind. 
"That's the signal! Now, B'Elanna!" Barked the Captain. 
"We're with you Captain. In a few seconds, you should be able to pick up on the forming rift. 
I've relayed the co-ordinates to that helm boy of yours." 
"Tom?" Janeway shot a look at the pilot. 
"I'm on it!" He replied. His eyes were intensely focused on his console. 
A brilliant rent appeared in the centre of the view screen, then swelled rapidly as Paris 
brought them towards it. 
"The vessels are adjusting to match our course." Kim said excitedly. 
Janeway barely suppressed her smile. Suddenly, she lost her balance as the floor started to 
shake uncontrollably. She grabbed onto Chakotay's uniform and managed to find her feet 
again. "Report!" She said with vexation. 
"The rift is collapsing! I think that the 8472's are trying to close it before we reach it. They're 
bombarding it, and us, with a form of theta radiation." Kim responded. 
"B'Elanna, what can you do to counteract it?" Chakotay called over the comm system. 
"Seven's ahead of you. She's gonna bombard the radiation with anti-theta particles. Lets just 
say that it's going to get bright outside." 
All of a sudden, the space surrounding them burst into bright white light as matter collided 
with antimatter. The view screen sensors did not adjust fast enough to the sudden illumination 
and the bridge crew were temporarily blinded. Harry recovered quickly. "The rate of collapse 
has slowed but we need to get there fast if we're going to make it through." 
"We only have a 22 second supply of anti-theta particles at the current rate of annihilation. I 
suggest we hurry." It was Seven of Nine from Engineering. 
"That's all I need!" Said the confident Tom Paris. 
He increased speed and the shell shocked bridge crew watched as the rift gaped and then 
swallowed them. 
The shuddering ceased and the bridge was bathed in the pale green light emanating from the 
view screen. After a stunned silence, Janeway enquired. "Harry?" 
He looked up at his Captain and smiled breathlessly. "We are now in fluidic space, Captain." 
Several of the bridge crew burst into spontaneous cheers but Janeway held up her hand to still 
them. "And species 8472?" 
"All the vessels are here. They followed us in. The rift has closed behind them." 
Janeway breathed out in relief. "Well done, all of you. We have successfully completed stage 
one. Let's proceed to stage two." She walked towards the turbolift. "I'm going to assist in 
Engineering. Tuvok," She looked at her Tactical Officer, then shook her head and turned to 
the man who was willing to risk his life to support her, who trusted her command even though 
he had no grounds for trust. "No. Chakotay, you have the bridge." For an instant, they 
maintained eye contact and came to an understanding. Kathryn nodded once, then turned 
swiftly to walk off the bridge. 
 
Scene Fourteen 
Seven of Nine was staring unblinkingly, arms folded across her chest, at the irate half klingon. 
B'Elanna was almost about to solve her problem with the borg as she had done with Carey, 
when the Captain walked in. Janeway took one look at the situation, and, turning an icy glare 
towards both women, managed to diffuse it. 
"I don't want to hear about it," she said when Torres began to protest. "We've still got a few 
light years to go." 
B'Elanna gave Seven a look that said it wasn't over yet, but the borg woman simply raised her 
eyebrow in contempt and turned to the Captain. "The TSD has been re-callibrated to return us 
to the Delta Quadrant." 
Janeway nodded but looked to B'Elanna for confirmation. The engineer replied, "the priciple 
is sound, Captain, hell, I could have designed it myself." 
"You did." Interjected Seven of Nine. 
Ignoring her, the engineer continued, "But I'm reluctant to use it under the conditions of 
fluidic space. We have no way to predict what will happen." 
"We know what happened the last time." Janeway pointed out. 
"From what I've been able to tell from the sensor logs, things got pretty weird. Quite frankly, 
Captain, we're lucky to be here at all." 
Janeway furrowed her brow and looked intently at B'Elanna. "And this is the time to tell me 
that we shouldn't go through with it?" She asked incredulously. 
B'Elanna sighed. "I'm not saying that we shouldn't try, I'm just being realistic." 
"If you want realism, then I should tell you that our chance for success is a thousand to one." 
Stated Seven of Nine. 
Janeway gave a wry chuckle at that. "Didn't anyone ever tell you that a thousand to one 
chances crop up nine out of ten times?" 
"I don't understand." Replied the borg. 
Torres shot a look a Seven. "Let me translate it into your language. What she's trying to say is 
that at this point, odds are irrelevant." 
Seven cocked her head to one side. "I agree." 
"So do I." Said Torres. 
Janeway raised her eyebrows at both of them. "And your agreements are also irrelevant. Let's 
get to it." 
Both the women nodded and walked over to their assigned positions, B'Elanna at the warp 
core and Seven at the TSD control. Janeway tapped her comm badge. 
"Janeway to bridge, what's our status?" 
"Chakotay here, Captain. The 8472's are approaching, they're not preparing to fire, though." 
"Let's provoke them, shall we?" 
She could almost hear the grin in the Maquis' voice as he said. "Leave that to me, Captain." 
Whatever he did worked because a few seconds later, Voyager was being thrown about 
around them as it was bombarded by heavy weapons fire. Janeway lurched over to a monitor 
to view the attack. "Chakotay, how much longer will we be able to withstand their fire?" She 
barked into the comm. 
"Shields are already at thirty-two percent, we only have a few more minutes." 
Janeway looked at the screen in front of her. It showed her a grid with the relative positions of 
Voyager and the 8472 vessels. "Seven, start the TSD initiation sequence." The borg complied. 
"Captain! Our shields are critically low, we have to do it now!" 
"A few more seconds, Chakotay!" Kathryn Janeway clutched at her monitor and stared at the 
blips, willing them to move into position. Her feet were planted solidly on the trembling deck. 
"B'Elanna, prepare to take warp of line. Seven?" 
"Initiation complete. Ready, as soon as warp is off line." 
The Captain gritted her teeth as Voyager's hull groaned under the stress of the assault. "Just a 
few more inches..." She whispered. The next second dilated and Janeway watched as the 
images on the screen clicked into position. "B'Elanna, Seven... Now!" 
It was as quiet as someone blowing out a candle. Darkness and solitude sank over them like 
warm water and then, nothing. 
 
Scene Fifteen 
Chakotay jumped back, surprised, as Kathryn's lips tentatively brushed his. His normally 
reserved Captain looked down and blushed. She didn't see him smile, revealing his dimples. 
"I'm sorry, Chakotay, I don't know where that came from." She stammered. 
He started to chuckle. He knew exactly where it came from. He reached out and gently lifted 
her jaw up so that she could look at him. "It's okay, Kathryn." 
She felt her stomach knot. She hadn't meant to do that. It just happened. They had decided to 
have dinner together before they joined in with the rest of the crew's celebrations. Both of 
them were nervous and excited and through out the meal, a different kind of tension had 
gradually infiltrated the atmosphere. After seven years of hoping, but never knowing, they 
were now faced with the fact that they would be home in a few weeks. It changed everything. 
They realised that they could no longer easily define their relationship with Captain and 
Commander labels, that they would at some point have to admit reality and make decisions. 
Neither of them wanted to think about it just yet, but nonetheless it had impacted them and 
they were almost shy with each other. They made small talk during the meal and joked around 
awkwardly, but then, as they set out to leave, Chakotay's hand brushed her arm. Kathryn was 
overwhelmed by the effect that simple touch had on her. Blinded by her senses, she had 
followed desire and kissed him. 
"We've both been feeling like a couple of horny teenagers all evening!" Chakotay grinned at 
Kathryn as she looked up at him with wide, sensitive eyes. 
She laughed at that. It eased her tension somewhat. Then, she sighed and said "All this time, 
and I've never given in..." 
Chakotay frowned and dropped his hand from her face. "You say it like it's an achievement." 
She tried to make light of it. "You're quite irresistible, you know." 
Her words, however, did not have the desired effect. Chakotay turned his back to her. He 
didn't want her to see how vulnerable he was to her. Kathryn knew. She knew him so well that 
she could tell what he was thinking just by the set of his shoulders. 
She reached out and placed the palm of her hand between his shoulder blades. "I think you 
should tell me." She said quietly. 
He remained silent, but she felt his muscles relax under her hand. "Do you remember how I 
once told you about an angry warrior who found peace?" He said. 
Kathryn smiled. "I remember." His 'story' had haunted her for years. 
"Well, it didn't end there." He spoke to the air in front of him. 
"I know." She said 
He took a deep breath and continued. "His peace came at a cost. You see, he fell in love with 
the warrior woman, but she was the one woman he could never be with in that way. Their 
honour would not permit it. He did many things to change his feelings since he could never 
change that fact. He even broke his promise to her. But he could not remove the burden that 
was his so he learned to live with it. To live without hope." 
"Oh, Chakotay." Kathryn closed her eyes and moved forward to rest her cheek against him, 
wanting to increase their physical contact. 
"But then something happened which allowed him to hope for the impossible. But it also 
brought him despair, because there was a chance that he might lose her, or that she might not 
return his love." He turned around to look at her, and she was moved by the raw emotion in 
his eyes. "How does the story end, Kathryn?" 
She could not lie to him. "I don't know." She reached up and caressed the lines of the tattoo 
on his brow. "But I promise you this: we will find out together." 
It was all the reassurance she could give him right now. She brought her lips to his a second 
time and he did not back away. 
When they parted, he smiled breathlessly. She let her hand linger on his cheek and smiled 
back. Suddenly, her heart was pounding. 
He reached up and enclosed her hand in his own. "We'd better get to the party. You know how 
the crew will talk if we don't arrive at all." 
Kathryn grinned. "To the party, and then to sleep I think. We've a long day ahead of us." 
They linked arms and walked out of her quarters. 
  
Scene Sixteen 
Something warm and moist was trickling down the side of her face. It ran in a rivulet down 
the console that her cheek was pressed against and formed a crimson pool on the floor. For a 
while, she watched the silent drip, drip of her own blood in fascination. Then, she started to 
remember. A warm mouth. Chakotay. Joy and anticipation. Then, species 8472, deception. 
The TSD. Then, confusion. Chakotay a stranger. Home but not home. The 8472's again. Her 
own deception. And now? 
Kathryn groaned and lifted her face off the console. She winced as the half dried blood from 
the cut on her cheek pulled. Reaching up to tap her comm badge she grunted, "Chakotay, 
what's our status?" The words seared her parched throat. She waited to hear his voice, but 
there was no response. "Janeway to bridge." Silence. "This is Captain Janeway, will anyone 
on the bridge please respond!" Fear clutched at her. She eased herself up in spite of her aching 
muscles and spoke again. "Computer, run a diagnostic on the comm system." 
"All communication systems are working within normal parameters." 
Chakotay. She had to know. As she was about to ask the computer what she dreaded, a voice 
came over the comm. 
"Captain? Can you hear me?" It was Tom. 
Kathryn let out her breath in relief. "At last!" She replied. "I thought... What's going on?" 
"We were knocked unconscious. As far as I can tell, we've been pushed out of fluidic space. 
And we're back in the Delta Quadrant." 
"What about species 8472?" 
"Um, just a minute, Captain." 
While she waited for Tom's reply, she looked around. Engineering was a mess, but no more 
so that it had been before. Seven of Nine was slumped over her console. The borg was 
senseless but appeared to be otherwise unharmed. She turned to look for B'Elanna. 
"Captain, I can find no evidence of the 8472's in the area, but I checked the sensor logs and 
although I can't be sure until Harry wakes up, I think they were pulled back here with us." 
Kathryn took cold comfort from that. The fear that had clutched at her moments before had 
now swelled to fill her soul. "Tom, I need you to do something for me." She said evenly. "I 
need you to locate Commander Chakotay. Please." Her voice broke on the last word. 
There was a drawn-out pause. 
"I can't find him, Captain." 
"You mean, he's not on the bridge." Kathryn persisted unwillingly. 
"I mean, he's not on Voyager... Oh God! B'Elanna? Captain?" Tom's voice was frantic. 
"Captain! B'Ella's gone, too! Captain, answer me, damn it!" 
Kathryn Janeway did not hear him. Her legs had buckled under her and she now lay crumpled 
on the floor. A sound emerged from the back of her throat, low and primitive, she began to 
keen. Clutching her arms around herself, she slowly rocked back and forth, all the while her 
eyes stared, dry and unblinking, into the void before her. Her mind could only focus on one 
thing. A man. A single, humble man who was the most beautiful human being to her. 
So, this is what it meant to be a starfleet Captain. You save the goddam Federation from 
destruction and destroy the only thing worth living for to do it. 
 
Epilogue: Another time, another place. 
A man stood by the small view port and stared out at the sweeping stars. The pale starlight 
cast his rough features into shadow. His brows were furrowed and his eyes shone with a 
terrifying intensity. Behind him, in the gloomy light of the cramped room, another man and a 
woman were sitting at a table. The woman had buried her head in her hands, but the dark man 
sitting opposite her appeared calm. His eyes were closed and his hands were clasped in front 
of him with thumbs and index fingers pointing out. 
Abruptly, the man by the view port slammed a clenched fist into the wall. Both the woman 
and the dark man jumped at the violent action and stared at him. 
"You will not solve anything by resorting to the violence of your emotions." Stated the dark 
man. 
The man turned to look at him and held up his fist, the flesh was in ribbons and blood trailed 
from the knuckles down the back of his hand and into his sleeve. He smiled bitterly without 
saying a word. 
The woman sighed. "You're not the only one who is suffering. You know that I never even 
told him about this." She clutched at her abdomen for emphasis. "How do you think I'm 
feeling right now?" To the dark man she said, "and you can shove any comments you have to 
make about that." 
The man with the torn fist looked at his comrades. "I'm damned if I'm going to give up!" 
"They could be anywhere! We don't even know if they're alive." The woman said. 
The dark man closed his eyes again and brought his hands once more to meditation position. 
"We know where we are." He said. 
"So?" Shot back the woman. 
The man by the view port turned back to watch the stars. "So, it's a start." 
The End