Chapter 2

THE NEXT MORNING, WHEN JANEWAY MATERIALIZED in the transporter room of the Enterprise, she was pleased and flattered but not altogether surprised to see that none other than Captain Jean-Luc Picard was present to greet her.

“Permission to come aboard,” she said lightly.

“Very happily granted,” he replied, stepping forward with his hand outstretched. Janeway grasped it and swiftly covered it with her other hand.

“Kathryn,” he said heartily, his hazel eyes warm with affection. “My God, it’s good to see you. I could scarcely believe it when I saw Voyager soaring toward us out of that cloud of debris,” he said. “We had been ready to fight the Borg, not welcome home a lost traveler.”

[20] “What can I say?” she quipped. “I like to make an entrance.”

“Now that, you certainly did,” said Picard. He extended an arm, indicating that she should precede him. “We had hoped you’d make it home one of these days. We just never imagined it would be quite so soon.”

She smiled as they walked down the corridor to the turbolift. This whole meeting with Picard had a resonance that he could not possibly understand. Perhaps one day she’d tell him about the “fun” that Q had had with the two of them.

“I understand Reginald Barclay served with you before being assigned to Project Voyager,” she said. “I must congratulate you. We’d still be quite a long way away if not for his diligence.”

“Hard to believe that he used to be our problem child, isn’t it?” Picard replied. “Yes, he’s done us all proud. We’ve got a few” moments before the, ah, ‘Inquisition’ begins. Would you care to join me in my ready room for a cup of coffee?”

She was pleased that he remembered her fondness for the beverage. She was about to accept when she thought about someone else who had a great deal to do with the fact that Voyager had made it safely home. That someone had given her life for all of them, and at the very least, she deserved a toast with her favorite beverage.

“Do you know,” Janeway said, “I think I’d like to share a pot of Earl Grey with you instead. I have a hunch that I’m going to learn to like tea.”

* * *

[21] The debriefing began at 1300. Picard, Captains Rixx and DeSoto, and Admirals Paris, Brackett, Montgomery, and Amerman were present. Janeway was reminded of having to give her orals back at the Academy. Thanks to Barclay, Voyager had been able to transmit ship’s logs covering several years, so Starfleet had already accessed much of what her crew had learned in the Delta Quadrant. If it had not been for that, Janeway imagined her debriefing alone would have taken days. As it was, there were only a few perfunctory questions, and when Janeway tried to elaborate, Montgomery, the admiral in charge, cut her off curtly each time.

Admiral Kenneth Montgomery had a long, lean face, tanned and weathered from what looked like years in the sun, and piercing gray eyes. With his thick, fair hair and muscular build, he could have been strikingly handsome, but there was an iciness about him that discouraged anything but the most professional, to-the-point interaction. She knew him by reputation only: He had been one of the key players in the war that had just recently ended. Janeway could easily see him in that role, and was grateful that Starfleet had had him.

But what did men like that do when there was peace?

More attention was given to Voyager’s interaction with the Borg. Even there, the questions were specific, and Janeway was none too gently urged to reply with equal specificity. Montgomery leaned forward when she began to speak of the most recent battle. From time to time, Janeway could see his jaw tensing.

“Now,” Montgomery said when she had done, “aside [22] from your dealings with the Borg, where did you acquire this latest technology with which Voyager is equipped?”

She smiled a little. “Well, it’s actually Starfleet technology. You just haven’t figured it out yet.”

Montgomery glared at her. “An official debriefing with three captains and four admirals is no place for jokes, Captain Janeway.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I assure you, Admiral, I fully appreciate the seriousness of this matter. If I may be frank, I’m wondering if everyone here does. We seem to be racing through this debriefing when—”

“You say this is Starfleet technology, Captain,” Montgomery interrupted. “Explain.”

Choosing her words carefully to keep the explanation as brief as possible, Janeway explained about her future self returning to save Voyager and help them destroy the Borg transwarp hub. Montgomery’s icy eyes flashed as she spoke and his jaw tightened, but he did not interrupt.

Janeway finished. There was a long, cold pause. Finally, Montgomery said in a flat voice, “Do you have any idea how many general orders you’ve violated, Captain?”

“Ken,” said Paris gently, “first of all, she didn’t do it. A twenty-six-year older version of her did. And besides, you’ve got to admit there are extenuating circumstances.” The admiral’s words were delivered in a calm and mild fashion, but his face was hard. Montgomery seemed about to retort, then nodded.

“We’ll send over some of our best people and begin analyzing this ... this futuristic technology immediately. This hearing is over.”

[23] He picked up his padd and rose abruptly. Janeway, startled, met Picard’s hazel eyes. He seemed as puzzled as she. Without any further interaction, Admiral Montgomery strode out and was followed by several others. Picard and Paris remained as Janeway gathered her notes.

“Admiral Paris,” she said, “permission to speak freely.”

He looked troubled, but replied, “Granted.”

Janeway put her hands on her hips and stuck her chin out. “That entire briefing lasted less than an hour,” she said to them. “We’ve been gone for seven years. We’ve accumulated data on over four hundred completely new species. We’ve had more interaction with the Borg than anyone in this quadrant, and we’ve managed to beat them nearly every time. We’ve successfully liberated a humanoid boy and a human woman who was assimilated when she was six years old. We’ve got an EMH who’s exceeded his programming far beyond expected parameters, and we’ve got an entire crew that has performed not just well, but exceptionally. And Starfleet gets all it wants to know in under an hour?”

She was aware that her words were irate, almost belligerent, but she’d been given permission to speak her mind. It was Picard who answered first.

“It’s going to be difficult for you to understand this, Kathryn, but ... while everyone in Starfleet knows about your adventure, and is delighted that you made it safely home despite the incredible odds, you aren’t going to be as feted as you might have been had the war not happened.”

“It’s not that people don’t care,” put in Paris. “It’s [24] that there are so many things we need to be doing to recover. Our resources have been depleted throughout the quadrant. We’re helping the Cardassians rebuild, mourning our dead, trying to move on.”

“I do understand, Admiral. But the things we’ve learned can help you do that.”

“And they will,” said Picard. “Everything we’ll need to learn is in your computer databanks. The information will be passed on directly to the experts in their field. The board simply didn’t need to keep you here for hours when everyone, including you, has other things to do.”

They were trying to soften the blow, of course, and she was going to let them think they had succeeded. “Speaking of which,” she said, forcing a smile, “I’d better get back to my ship. Thank you, gentlemen, and good day.”

In about a half hour, Voyager was going to be crawling with Starfleet personnel whose job it was to learn everything about all the modifications that had been made on the ship in the last seven years, particularly the new technology that Admiral Janeway had given them. As she stood in the turbolift en route to Holodeck One, Janeway wondered why the modifications seemed to take priority over all the other things Voyager had brought back with it. The tactical information on the Borg should have been the most vital information, not the shielding technology and other improvements.

The turbolift halted, and she sighed. She was not looking forward to this, but it had to be done. One of [25] the things the Starfleet engineers would analyze would be all the holodeck simulations. Janeway had told her crew that anything they regarded as “personal” could and should be deleted.

The doors to the holodeck hissed open and she entered. Laughter and music reached her ears, and she smiled despite herself.

“Katie, darling!” cried Michael Sullivan, drying his hands with a dish towel. His handsome face was alight with affection. Before she knew it, he’d caught her around the waist, whirled her around twice, and planted a kiss on her mouth. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too, Michael.” Gently, she disengaged herself from his strong arms. “I have some sad news. I won’t be able to come to Fair Haven again.”

It hurt her, to watch the light fade from his eyes. “Your journey ... you’ve made it home then, have you?” At her nod, he said, “Why, Katie, that’s wonderful. Just grand. You’ve been trying for so long. I’m happy for you.”

And he was, she had no doubt. But she was sorry for herself. Tenderly, she reached out and touched his cheek, feeling the warmth of his holographic skin, the scratch of his holographic beard stubble. He wasn’t real, but in a way, he had become very real to her. She had learned to care for him, but where she was going, there was once again a chance for her to learn to care for a living, breathing person.

She stood on tiptoe to kiss him, sweetly, gently, whispered, “Good-bye,” then turned and left. She had instructed the computer not to accept any more adjustments to Michael Sullivan from her. It would be up to [26] Tom Paris, the designer of the program, to save or delete the program as he chose.

But as far as she was concerned, when the doors closed behind her, she had left Fair Haven and all it meant—laughter, freedom from responsibility, a simpler way of living—behind.

And she was surprised at just how painful it was.

The Doctor looked up in surprise as Seven of Nine entered sickbay. She did not appear to be in a good mood. However, with Seven, that was usually a given.

“Implants acting up?” he asked.

“Negative,” she replied, then looked a bit discomfited. “I ... wished to inquire if you needed any assistance.”

“My sickbay rush has come and gone,” he replied. “Actually, the only thing I’m doing now is writing up my report for Starfleet.”

She inclined her blond head. “In that case, I shall leave.” Seven turned and strode toward the door.

“Seven, wait a minute,” he called after her. She halted. “What about you? I’m certain you will have an extensive report as well, considering your unique position among the crew.”

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say. Seven all but glowered. “I completed my report. And I have also been debriefed.”

“How was that?” Poor child, he thought. They had probably raked her over the coals, grilled her on everything conceivable.

“It was brief,” she replied.

The Doctor considered letting her know that she’d [27] come close to making a pun, then let it pass. “I’m surprised,” he said.

“Yes,” she said archly. “As am I. Apparently, my ‘unique position’ warrants no more than forty-five minutes of Starfleet’s time.” She paused. “Icheb has received notification that he has been accepted into Starfleet Academy.”

“Seven, that’s wonderful! You must be very proud of him.”

“I am.”

“But you’re going to miss him, aren’t you?”

She nodded. “I had not fully taken into account what returning to Earth really means. We will all be ... scattered. I had not anticipated that Icheb and I would be separated quite so soon.”

He wondered where Chakotay fit into all this, but said nothing. “And of course Naomi ...”

“Naomi Wildman will be returning to her home, to live with both father and mother. It is an appropriate end result.”

“But you’ve been very close to both these children. You’re experiencing what some people call ‘empty-nest syndrome.’ You’ve got nothing to do in astrometrics, and I know what fulfillment you get out of your work. And on top of it all, you have also never been certain of where you were going to fit in once you return home.” He grimaced a little. “Neither am I.”

She regarded him thoughtfully. If he had had a heart, it would have raced. Even though he knew that her affections were given elsewhere, the Doctor realized that his infatuation with Seven was not going to go away.

[28] “Would you care for an ice-cream sundae?” she asked. He smiled. “I’d love one.”

“I don’t want to go home,” Naomi Wildman stated flatly. Counselor Deanna Troi was surprised at the vehemence she was sensing from the child.

“I don’t blame you,” Troi responded, clearly surprising Naomi. “You were born here. Voyager is your home.”

“You understand,” said Naomi, brightening. “I have Mama, Seven, Icheb ... I don’t need a father.”

“But you might like to have one,” Troi offered.

“Everyone expects me to be so happy about meeting my father, but I’m not. I’m ... I’m scared. Ktarians are scary-looking.”

“Your mother wasn’t scared of him. She thought him a wonderful person. Good enough to marry and be the father of her child.”

Naomi made a face and looked down at her feet, dangling a few inches off the floor. Deanna waited patiently, but Naomi remained silent.

“You know,” Deanna finally said, “we have a lot in common, only backward.” Curious, Naomi looked up. “My father was with me until I was seven years old. You aren’t going to get to meet your father until you’re already seven, but you’re luckier than I am. You see, my father died when I was your age. He never got to see me grow up, graduate from the Academy, learn to be a counselor. There was so much in my life that I wished he had been there for, but he wasn’t.”

[29] Naomi had stopped fidgeting. Her eyes were fixed on Troi’s.

“You’ve got all that time ahead with your daddy. Hasn’t he sent you letters about how anxious he is to meet you?”

Naomi nodded.

“He probably thinks he’s the luckiest man in the universe. Not only is he getting his wife back, whom he loves very much, but he’s getting a beautiful, smart daughter, too.”

A shy, soft smile curved Naomi’s lips.

“You don’t have to love him right away. Love takes time. But don’t you think you could try to like him?”

Naomi thought. “I suppose,” she said. “I just wish he could have met Uncle Neelix.”

“Neelix helped shape the girl you’ve grown into, Naomi. So in a way, your father will get to meet Neelix. And you will never lose your uncle. He will always be part of you.”

And at that, the girl rewarded Troi with the biggest smile she’d seen yet from her.