DISCLAIMER: You all know the drill - Paramount is God. All hail Paramount. They own everything in the Star Trek Universe - I'm just
using my overactive imagination to take their characters where they refuse to go. All in the name of fun, not profit (I wish).
RATING: PG-13 Nothing my momma couldn't read.
<< BACK TO PART XXVI: EXPECTATIONS
"Admiral!"
Kathryn looked in the direction of the voice as she and Chakotay entered the crowded room and saw Mark approaching her with Erin in his arms.
"Mark," she smiled. "Good to see you." She reached over and touched Erin on the cheek. "Hello, Erin."
The young girl smiled delightedly and leaned over, reaching for a hug. "Apy Versry," she said happily as she wrapped her arms around Kathryn's neck.
She laughed. "Happy anniversary to you too." She looked up at Mark. "Where's Annika?"
He rolled his eyes. "Talking with Jarel about Pathfinder, of course. She said you'd probably be joining them shortly. How foolish of me not to believe her."
"We're trying to work out the kinks in our prototype," she explained. "We've almost got it, and --"
"You only get the whole crew in one place once a year, Kathryn," Chakotay reminded her.
"I know, but --"
He nodded his head in the direction Mark had indicated. "Go on. If anyone's looking for you, I'll tell them where they can find you."
"Thanks," she said with a smile, moving "I won't be long," she called over her shoulder with a wave as she moved through the crowd. Before long, she spotted Jarel, B'Elanna, and Annika speaking in a corner of the room.
They were so engrossed in their own conversation that they didn't even notice her approach.
"Did I miss anything?" she asked wryly after watching them for a few seconds. They looked at her in surprise.
"Sorry, Admiral," said Jarel. "We didn't see you there."
She waved a hand. "Don't worry about it. Have you come up with any further ideas on how to regulate the phase imbalance?"
"Jarel thinks she might have a solution," said Annika. "We're going to attempt it as soon as possible."
"We were just saying, though," chipped in B'Elanna, "That the neutrino flux still looks a little unstable. I think it would be a good idea to take the prototype offline and run some simulations."
"If it becomes unstable during flight, the results would be catastrophic," said Annika.
"We should run tests, just to be on the safe side," added Jarel.
Kathryn frowned. "I was hoping we could move forward in the next couple of months. How long would these�tests take?"
B'Elanna looked at the others. "I'd say�" She stole a sly glance at Kathryn's bulging stomach. "Six or seven weeks?"
Kathryn was puzzled for a moment, then frowned. "I appreciate the sentiment, B'Elanna, but I don't want you postponing the project on my account."
"Admiral," said B'Elanna, trying to keep a straight face, "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"We really think it's a good idea that we run these tests," said Jarel.
"If the duration of these tests corresponds with your absence for your maternity leave," said Annika, "That is�a coincidence."
"But at least you won't miss out on anything," said B'Elanna slyly. "And we all know how much you hate to miss out."
She could see they were all trying to keep from smiling, so she sighed in defeat. "Fine, run the tests." She pointed at each of them in turn. "But we never had this conversation, understood?"
"Understood."
She nodded and left them, only allowing her grin to show once she had her back to them. She had known it was going to drive her mad to be away from Pathfinder when they had finally got their prototype operational, but if all they were doing was running tests on the neutrino flux�she would certainly feel more comfortable being out of the loop for so long.
As she neared the middle of the room again, she looked around for Chakotay. She found him when his hand appeared in front of her face with a flute of champagne. She took it and turned around to see him standing behind her.
"It's synthehol," he said before she had a chance to ask. "Come on, I think I saw a seat over by the wall there."
"I haven't had a chance to mingle."
"People will be able to find you."
"That's not the same and you know it."
He glanced around, then leaned forward and lowered his voice. "Your back is hurting and you know it."
She sighed at how easily he was able to see through her. "Fine, let's go sit down."
As had become tradition, Tom Paris tapped his champagne glass with his knife as he overlooked the large group. As had also become tradition, this failed to do any good and the noise continued unabated, so he raised his fingers to his mouth to whistle. He took a deep breath, but then felt a tug on his pant leg. He looked down to see Miral standing next to him.
"What is it, sweetie?"
"Can I do it?"
"Do what?"
She looked at him like he had hit his head. "Whistle, silly. I've been practicing."
He laughed and leaned over to lift her up so she was leaning over the railing. She stuck her pinkies in the corners of her mouth and huffed, but nothing came out.
"Here," said Tom, "Tighten your cheeks�there, that's right. Now try."
Miral took a deep breath, and this time a shrill loud whistle came out. "I did it!" she said delightedly as the room quieted down.
Tom laughed and set her down on the floor before turning to the crowded room in the balcony below him. "As I'm sure you're all aware, that sound means it's time for our yearly briefing."
The room broke out in laughter.
"First on the agenda," continued Tom, "I'd like to extend congratulations to Naomi Wildman, who was just accepted into Starfleet Academy last month. Naomi, it seems like only yesterday I helped your Mom change your diapers, so it's hard to believe you'll be a cadet soon."
Naomi, standing in the middle of the room, blushed.
"I'm sure you'll do us proud," he finished. "And we all wish you luck. In other news, Talia and Nathan Blake, who I'm sure you'll all remember were engaged last time we were all standing here, are the proud parents of a bouncing baby boy, who I understand they've named�Lanal?"
"Lanell," corrected Talia from the floor below.
"Right," said Tom. "Now, I'm sure you've all heard the most exciting news -- our very own commanding officers will be welcoming an addition to their family within a few weeks," he said, motioning to Kathryn and Chakotay, seated over near one side of the room. "Having put up with all of us for so long, I have no doubt you'll make fantastic parents. Although God help us if he, or she, inherits stubbornness from both of you."
The crowd chuckled, and he raised his glass in their direction. "Starfleet may insist on calling you Admiral, but to us you'll always be the Captain. After all the ups and downs that fate has put you both through, you deserve every happiness. Congratulations to both of you."
* * *
Kathryn's ears had become attuned to the soft whimpering that usually preceded a full-blown cry, and she was out of bed within a few seconds of it beginning. She padded softly over to the crib in bare feet and picked up her four month-old daughter.
"Shhh," she said, bouncing her gently on her shoulder as she moved out of the bedroom and towards the replicator in the kitchen. "We don't want to wake up your father. He was up with you for six hours last night since Mommy needed the rest."
The baby cooed and rubbed her eyes sleepily, but thankfully stayed quiet. Kathryn grabbed the bottle from the replicator and turned Taya in her arms so she was laying on her back. She offered her the bottle as she walked back into the bedroom. Chakotay was still sound asleep, and she smiled. Even when he was asleep she could detect the thrilled look on his face that hadn't disappeared since the day Taya was born.
The weather was quite warm for September, so she continued through the bedroom out onto the balcony. She settled herself into the comfortable chair that she had moved out here for just such an occasion and leaned back as Taya drained the bottle.
It was an uncommonly clear night, and she could see each star as clear as a pinpoint. "That's Vulcan," she told her daughter, pointing. "That's where Tuvok and T'Pel live, but you've only met them once. And that one over near the horizon is Betazed. That's where Mark and Cassie are from. And that dim one just beside that trinary cluster is Trabus. That's where your father grew up. He promised he'd take you there someday." She smiled. "Most of the planets your father and I have seen�I don't even know if you can see them from here. They're very far away."
Her voice trailed off and soon the only sound of the balcony was the gurgling sound Taya made as she drank.
Sitting here, stargazing in the almost dead silence, brought back a flood of childhood memories. Ever since she was a girl, laying out on her back in the fields of Indiana, she had always loved looking at the stars. Knowing that her father was out there somewhere, exploring those faraway places, had given her an unimaginable rush of excitement and pride.
"That one's Rigel. And that one is Kronos, beside that large cluster of stars."
"Very good, Kathryn. That's thirty-four. Let's see how many more you know."
"Your grandfather used to visit all those stars, too," she said to her daughter quietly. "He's the one who made me want to be in Starfleet." She looked down at the contented baby and traced her finger over her cheek. "He would have been so thrilled to meet you�" Tears filled her eyes and her voice broke.
"Daddy� do you think anybody knows what all the stars are?"
"No, probably not, and I doubt anybody ever will. But that's the whole point of being a Starfleet captain. You get to visit all the stars that nobody else from Earth has ever seen before."
"When I have my own starship, I'm going to visit the most new stars of anyone."
"I'm sure you will, Kathryn."
"Kathryn?"
Startled, she turned around to see Chakotay standing in the doorway to the balcony. "I'm sorry, what?"
"Do you want some company?"
She smiled and made room for him next to her in the roomy chair. "Did I wake you?"
"Only because you weren't sleeping next to me."
He began toying with one of Taya's hands, and she leaned her head back and continued looking at the stars. They all seemed so quiet and peaceful from down here. It was as hard to believe from her vantage point that there was as much chaos in the entire universe as they had encountered in one part of the Delta quadrant.
"Kathryn?"
"Hm?" She sighed. "I'm sorry, did you say something?"
"You looked about a million light-years away."
She smiled wistfully. "No�only about thirty thousand or so."
He followed her gaze skyward. "Don't tell me you miss being under constant threat by the Borg, the Hirogen, the Vaadwaur�and who knows how many others."
"No�I miss the excitement. First contacts, discovering new phenomena. New cultures, new planets. Going somewhere where nobody from Earth had ever visited before. Now I know how the crew of the first NX-class starships must have felt."
"One of my students said the other day that she thinks history will see you as another James Kirk."
She raised an eyebrow. "For what, the first contacts or the near court-martials?"
He chuckled. "Both, I imagine."
She sighed with a smile. "At least I have time to enjoy the moment now."
He smiled and reached for Taya as she finished her bottle. Kathryn watched her with Chakotay for a few seconds before returning her eyes to the sky.
A thought that had been in the back of her mind for nearly three months now was taking firmer root. She had dismissed it at first as ridiculous�but maybe it wasn't.
Maybe it was time to move forward again.
>> ON TO PART XXVIII: PROVIDENCE
<< BACK TO PART XXVI: EXPECTATIONS
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