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 XV: KESSERET PRIME
Captain's Log, Stardate 55053.4 We're continuing our investigation of the Kesseret wormhole, and although my senior staff is optimistic, I find my instincts leading me to believe that the Ambassador was telling the truth. Nevertheless, we are continuing to examine the sensor readings in an attempt to determine the trajectory of the wormhole.
Captain Janeway entered Astrometrics and walked over to where Seven was working alone at a console. On the main screen was a wire-frame three-dimensional diagram of the wormhole, and Seven was manipulating the image as she discovered more information.
"Anything yet?"
"No," replied Seven. "However, I believe I am close to establishing the initial trajectory of the wormhole. It will take several more hours to determine the precise location of the other end."
"It's a start," said the Captain as she examined Seven's countenance carefully. She put her hands on the console and leaned forward, looking at the screen.
"I had a conversation with the Doctor this afternoon," she said quietly. She heard Seven stop working. "He told me about the 'malfunction' of your cranial implant."
Seven looked up, furious. "He had no right to divulge that information."
"I told him that as your Captain, I had a right to know of anything that could affect your duties. He said that he wouldn't have told me except that you refused treatment and he was afraid it could happen again. It could kill you, Seven."
"That is not for certain," said Seven, and she returned to her work.
"You've come so far. What's stopping you now?"
Seven thought for a moment. "I have no desire to become�weakened by human emotions."
"I understand that you're frightened, Seven � "
"I am not frightened."
"Oh? Then why did you refuse to let the Doctor treat you?"
"I can survive without experiencing emotions," said Seven mechanically.
"Of course�but that's not the same as living, Seven."
The ex-drone turned and faced the Captain.
"It's natural to be afraid of something you've never experienced."
"I have experienced it," said Seven quietly. "I found it unsettling. I chose not to experience it again."
"That's not what you told me after your time in Unimatrix Zero."
Seven made no reply.
"It's Mark, isn't it?" the Captain said after a moment. "You've seen that he has feelings for you."
"Yes," whispered Seven, looking down at the console.
"Are those feelings�mutual?"
Seven closed her eyes. "I believe so." She then regained her resolve. "But I will adapt."
"Seven." She looked at the Captain. "If you let the Doctor perform the procedure�"
"I will become weak," insisted Seven.
"No, you'll become human." She leaned closer and whispered, "And you'll adapt." She took a deep breath. "Seven�in the past, I know I've pushed you when I thought it was in your best interests. I'm not going to do that this time�but as your friend, I will tell you that I think you owe it to yourself to take this step. It may be a leap of faith in a sense, but you won't regret it. I firmly believe that it will be a major turning point for you � for the better. "
She still saw doubt in Seven's expression, and she smiled encouragingly. She was relieved when she saw Seven return her smile. They turned away from each other when Chakotay entered.
"Am I interrupting?" he said when he saw the two women.
"No," said Seven, in a softer voice than she had been using before her conversation with the Captain.
Chakotay walked over with a PADD. "Jarel sent these specifications with me. She thinks they might enhance the sensors."
Seven entered a few commands onto the console, and a few seconds later it beeped at her.
"I have determined the wormhole's transkinetic vector."
Kathryn glanced at Chakotay and then turned back to Seven.
"Does it lead to the Alpha Quadrant?"
"No," said Seven quietly. She pulled up a diagram of the galaxy on the main screen. A large section of the Milky Way was highlighted, on the opposite side of the galaxy from the Alpha quadrant. "I cannot determine the exact location of the other end, but it is at least 70,000 light-years from Earth. It appears to lead to either the Gamma quadrant, or to the Delta quadrant�near Borg space."
"That would explain why the Kesseret's ships haven't returned," said the Captain quietly.
"The analysis will not be complete until 1400 hours tomorrow," said Seven. "Icheb can monitor it, with your permission, Captain."
"You're not going to monitor it yourself?"
Seven paused. "I am�going to consult with the Doctor."
"Permission granted. Keep me informed."
After she left, Chakotay looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Everything all right?"
"With Seven, anyways," said Kathryn, looking at the galaxy on the screen. "So much for the quick way home."
"We'll get there," he said, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Just maybe not today."
* * *
Captain Janeway sat in her chair in the bridge the next day and tried to ignore the dejected faces around her. It was probably her imagination, since only a handful of people outside the senior staff were aware of their latest disappointment, but to her it seemed like they were all depressed. The one person whose distress she knew she wasn't imagining was Harry's. She couldn't get the expression on his face when she had told him the wormhole didn't lead back home out of her mind. Even Chakotay seemed quieter than usual.
Unable to stand it anymore, she rose from her chair.
"I'll be in my ready room."
Chakotay watched her go with concern, but didn't immediately follow her.
By the time Kathryn had gotten a cup of coffee and settled down at her desk to get through some status reports, though, her door chimed and she admitted Chakotay. She ignored him and continued working.
"Have you told Starfleet?" he said quietly, standing in front of her desk.
"No," she said, not taking her eyes off the screen in front of her. "I didn't want to get Admiral Paris' hopes up before we had more information. I'll probably tell him tomorrow. How's the staff taking it?"
"Like they always do," he shrugged.
"Like they always do," she repeated quietly. "How many times have we gone through this?"
"Too many. By now I think most of us are used to it. How are you holding up?"
"I don't know. I didn't really believe that we would get home, but�no matter how much I prepare myself, the disappointment always takes me by surprise." She got up from her desk and moved to stand in front of it, leaning on it with her hands at her sides gripping the edge of the desk. "And every time I get to thinking how many more times we're going to go through this."
"As many as we have to before we get home."
She sighed and rubbed one of her hands along the side of her face. "At least this time the rest of the crew was spared the disappointment."
At that point, the chime to her ready room sounded. "Come in."
B'Elanna rushed in, but stopped dead when she saw how close together her commanding officers were standing to each other.
"Sorry, I�didn't mean to interrupt."
"What is it, B'Elanna?"
"Captain, I think you'd better get down to Astrometrics right away. You too, Chakotay."
She glanced momentarily at Chakotay. "Why?"
"We may have found a way home after all."
* * *
Harry, Icheb, and Seven of Nine were in Astrometrics when they arrived.
Seven had informed the Captain that morning that she had undergone the procedure to deactivate the fail-safe on her cranial node the previous night, and that it had been a success. The Doctor had been able to refine his procedure so that Seven's recovery had been nearly instantaneous. After only a few hours of regeneration, she was functioning normally.
Looking at her, the Captain couldn't see a difference at first, although she did seem to blush when she saw Commander Walker with them. They had encountered him in the turbolift, and he had accompanied them to Astrometrics.
"What have you got?" said the Captain as she led the way into Astrometrics.
The group huddled around the console turned around and made room for her.
"The wormhole leads to the Gamma quadrant," said Seven.
"How does that get us home?" she said, puzzled, but then she looked closely at the exit point of the wormhole that was marked on the map of the galaxy on the main viewscreen.
"Wait a minute�that's in the vicinity of � "
"The Bajoran wormhole at Deep Space 9," finished Harry. "It's only a hundred light-years away. If we can sustain warp 8, we could reach it 36 days."
Her lips parted as she looked at the two points on the screen. "A month away from home," she said quietly.
She looked around at the others gathered around her. Harry and B'Elanna seemed thrilled, Chakotay and Icheb were beaming, but Mark seemed unusually restrained. The color had drained from his face and he looked horror-stricken.
"Mark? What is it?"
"Magnify that," he said, and the section containing the two end-points of the wormholes was enlarged.
"That's Dominion space."
Captain Janeway's eyes widened as she looked at the screen. "Are you sure?"
"Yes. I'm more familiar with their territory than I want to be. My wife was on the U.S.S. Odyssey."
Seeing the blank looks, he remembered himself. "The Odyssey was the first casualty of the Dominion War. They were patrolling the border when they were destroyed by the Dominion without provocation. They weren't even in Dominion space. Crossing this area would be extremely dangerous."
"I thought the war was over," said Tom.
"I still wouldn't want to take any chances with the Dominion," said Mark, shaken.
The Captain closed her eyes. "I'll have to discuss this with Starfleet Command."
"What's there to discuss?" said B'Elanna. "We've got a way home."
"B'Elanna," said Chakotay, in a tone of voice that caused her to stare at the ground in silence.
Without a word, Captain Janeway pushed her way past the gathered officers and walked out the door. Chakotay watched her go with concern.
* * *
"A wormhole?" said Admiral Paris, beaming. "That's fantastic. How soon do you plan to go through it?"
"I haven't told you the whole story, Admiral. The wormhole doesn't lead to the Alpha quadrant."
He frowned. "Then how are you going to use it to get home?"
"It leads to the Gamma quadrant. It's just over a month away from the Bajoran wormhole."
The Admiral's frowned immediately as he guessed what was coming next. "Would you have to pass through Dominion space?"
"Yes."
He thought for a minute but he began to smile. "I'll have to discuss this with the Admiralty."
"I know."
"There are dozens of Admirals who would bend the rules to get you home, Captain. I'm confident that they'll be perfectly agreeable to your using the Kesseret wormhole."
That surprised her � she had expected more trouble than this. "Do you think so, Admiral?"
"Yes. We aren't at war with the Dominion, after all. I doubt they would refuse you a way home."
"Thank you, sir."
"I'll speak to you soon." He leaned forward with a grin. "Hopefully in person."
She nodded and cut the channel. She leaned back in her chair and then allowed a small smile to creep across her face. Admiral Paris' optimism was infectious. After sitting for a few moments in silence, she got up and moved back onto the bridge.
She saw all of her senior staff that were on the bridge looking at her expectantly, so she tried not to be overly encouraging as she moved towards her chair. She could tell that she was unsuccessful in concealing her optimism when Tom and Harry broke into big grins, and even Tuvok's eyebrow went up. Chakotay smiled at her as she took her seat and leaned over as soon as she was settled.
"I take it things went well Admiral Paris?"
She nodded. "He said he has to speak to the Admiralty, of course, but he doesn't think there will be a problem."
Tom turned around in his chair. "Well, I know my dad has a lot of friends in high places. Maybe the�how many times has this happened? Four?"
"Seven," said Harry.
"Okay�maybe the eighth time's the charm."
She chuckled. "I hope so, Tom. I doubt there's any point in trying to keep this to ourselves any longer, but until I hear back from your father, let's try and keep our expectations under wraps, shall we?"
* * *
Captain's Log, Stardate 55079.5 We've extended our stay at Kesseret Prime indefinitely while we try and negotiate passage through the wormhole. I decided to hope for the best and approached the Ambassador before having heard from Admiral Paris again. The Ambassador has been less than cooperative, but I hope we can reach a compromise eventually.
Captain Janeway paced back and forth in Astrometrics. It had been a week since she had talked to Admiral Paris, and she was getting increasingly apprehensive with each day that passed with no word from him.
After her initial conversation, she had poured over all the information on the Dominion War that they had received in the monthly datastreams. She had at first been relieved to find that the Federation had negotiated not a treaty but a surrender � that had made her hope that the Federation would be more willing to allow Voyager to travel through the Gamma quadrant. Her initial optimism had faded, though, as time passed without word from Admiral Paris.
She had waited three days before trying to contact him, but she had been told that he was unavailable. Since she only had a comlink once a day, it was hard to track him down, and every day since then she had been told that he was busy or unavailable. Today's comlink would be up in a few minutes, and she hoped to get a hold of him this time. She had also asked to speak to Admiral Hayes or Admiral Necheyev, but was told that Hayes was on vacation and that Necheyev was in the Neutral Zone.
If Admiral Paris was taking so long to get back to her, that probably meant that he was having difficulty convincing Starfleet Command to let them go through the wormhole. When Mark had first mentioned that they would have to pass through Dominion space, she had felt a knot in the pit of her stomach that hadn't gone away since, and only got worse the longer she went without hearing from anyone at Starfleet Command.
Seven was watching the Captain pace out of the corner of her eye, but her attention was drawn to her console when it beeped at her. "Captain. The link will be active in thirty seconds."
She sighed with relief and moved to the middle of the room. "Put me through to Admiral Paris' office."
She had approached Crewman Celes and Ensign Sharr, who had their comm time today, and had quietly explained the situation with the wormhole. They had been more that willing to volunteer their comm time for the Captain's use, but she told them she would only use it if necessary. Joe Carey had the third time slot, but since she knew he had young children back home she refused to take his comm time.
She sat down at her desk and pulled her monitor closer to her. She was surprised when instead of the familiar face of Admiral Paris' aide that she had been speaking to over the past four days, she was greeted with the face of Admiral Blackwell. A chill ran down her spine, and she was nervous although she didn't know why.
"Captain Janeway."
"Admiral Blackwell. I was expecting to speak with � "
"Admiral Paris. I know. I'm afraid he's � "
"Unavailable. So I've been told."
Admiral Blackwell smiled, but it sent shivers down her spine. "Yes, I hear you've been trying to contact him. Between us, Captain, I think he's been avoiding you."
She stiffened. "That doesn't sound like Admiral Paris."
"Perhaps not, but I think he's a little reluctant to have to give you bad news."
The Captain felt her blood run cold. "Bad news?"
"We've been apprised of your situation. I'm afraid we cannot allow you to risk proceeding through Dominion space."
"With all due respect, Admiral, why not? It's my understanding that they surrendered to us."
"That's true, but that doesn't mean we want to disrupt the peace that's arisen over the past three years. We can't afford to start another war."
"My crew has been waiting for a way home for nearly seven years, Admiral."
"I'm aware of that, Captain. But I won't let the predicament of a single ship start a dispute with one of the greatest threats the Federation has ever faced. You're not familiar with the Dominion � if they detect a Federation vessel in their space, they could use it as an excuse to launch another offensive on the Alpha quadrant. I don't think I need to tell you that's unacceptable."
"I promised my crew I would get them home, and � " she began, but was interrupted.
"I'm sure you did, but the convenience of 175 people is outweighed by the threat of the Dominion. You can't be ignorant of how many billions of lives were lost during the war."
"Of course not, but � "
"I'm afraid this decision is final. Under no circumstances are you to proceed though the Gamma quadrant. Your orders are to leave Kesseret space and resume a course for the Alpha quadrant. Is that clear?"
He glared at her for several seconds before she replied. "Yes."
He nodded. "Blackwell out."
The screen went blank, and she leaned forward numbly on the console, reeling from shock.
Seven looked at her with concern and after a few moments she opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, the Captain stood up abruptly and walked out of Astrometrics without a word.
On the bridge, Chakotay looked at the chronometer with a frown. The comlink with home had been over for nearly twenty minutes, but there had been no word from Kathryn. Prior to the scheduled communication, she had been in sequestered in her ready room for over two hours. She had been getting increasingly quiet with each day that passed without word from Starfleet, and today was the worst day yet. She had barely said ten words to him all morning, although she seemed contemplative rather than angry with him.
Seven of Nine exited the turbolift next to Tuvok's station and moved around the bridge to Chakotay's chair. She was in her uniform, and since the procedure on her implant had again taken to wearing her hair in a loose ponytail behind her head. She looked much more relaxed now, and many of the crew had noticed it.
When Chakotay looked up from his console at her, she handed a PADD to him.
"I have completed the modifications to the shields," she announced. "They should compensate for any theta radiation that has accumulated in the wormhole."
"Good work."
"Is the Captain in her ready room?"
Chakotay looked up at her. "What do you mean? She hasn't returned from Astrometrics yet."
Seven raised an eyebrow. "She left Astrometrics immediately after her conversation with the Admiral."
He frowned. "Computer, locate Captain Janeway."
Captain Janeway is in her ready room.
He nodded to Seven, who turned around and left the bridge. He watched her leave, then glanced at the ready room doors. Kathryn going to her ready room without crossing the bridge was definitely a bad sign. He slowly got up out of his chair and moved over to the entrance to her ready room. He pressed the chime, and the doors opened after a few seconds. The chair at her desk was empty, and he saw her standing over by the windows, arms crossed and staring at the planet below them.
"Seven made some shield modifications in case there's radiation inside the wormhole," he said as he moved across the room and up the stairs to stand beside her.
When he addressed her, she turned around and he looked at her with disbelief. All the color had drained from her face, and she looked incredibly shaken. He wasn't sure she had heard him until she mechanically extended her hand for the PADD.
He handed it to her, examining her face, which was frozen and emotionless. "Kathryn � what's wrong?"
She didn't answer him as she looked at the PADD. "This looks good," she said, handing it back to him. She then turned her back to him and looked out the window. "Too bad we won't need it."
"What?"
"We won't be going through the wormhole," she said so quietly that he wasn't sure he had heard her right.
"Why not?"
She turned to face him, her expression angry � the first emotion she had displayed since he had come into the room. "Does it matter why not? We're leaving here first thing in the morning." She turned back to the window.
"Kathryn � what's going on?" he said, putting his hand on her shoulder.
She closed her eyes at the contact and was silent for a few moments. "Recall everyone from the surface," she said quietly. "And have the ship ready to leave orbit at 0800 tomorrow."
"Why?" he said again.
"I gave you an order, Commander," she said in a low voice, but without the fire that usually accompanied such a statement from her.
He reluctantly turned to go, but before he had made it down the stairs to the main part of the room her voice made him turn around, although she spoke so low it was hard to hear her.
"I spoke with Admiral Blackwell."
He turned around and saw her still staring out the window, but he moved back towards her anyways.
"What did he say?"
He sat down and took her hands in his to pull her down on to the couch beside him. She still looked out the window, not making eye contact.
"He said that Starfleet decided they can't risk a conflict with the Dominion even if it means we get home. There's too many lives at stake." She turned her head away from the window and finally looked him in the eye. "My orders are to ignore the wormhole and resume course for the Alpha quadrant."
He looked at her in stunned silence for a moment. "Kathryn, I�I'm sorry. That must have been hard for you."
She laughed derisively. "Hard for me? What about the rest of the crew?" Although she had given orders that knowledge of the existence of the wormhole be restricted, she knew from experience that half the crew probably already knew about it. "How am I going to look them in the face and tell them that we're just walking away from a way home, again?"
"Maybe we don't have to. If we could find a way � "
"No," she said, getting up off the couch and turning her back to him. "No. My orders were perfectly clear. Recall the crew."
He got up and moved to stand behind her. "Kathryn�"
"Recall the crew," she repeated angrily. He put his hands on her shoulders and turned her around.
"I don't think we need to do that until we've looked at all the options."
"All the options?" she said incredulously. "I've been given a direct order. That doesn't leave much room for options."
"It's not like you to give in so quickly," he said. "Take some time to think about it. Why don't we get the senior staff together and talk about this." He smiled. "Remember when we first encountered the Borg? We thought there were only two options � go through Borg space or turn around. You refused to accept that, and came up with a third option."
"Which you disagreed with, as I recall."
"True," he said. "But in hindsight, you were right. Maybe there's an option here that you're not seeing. Let's talk it over with the senior staff first. If we can't come up with anything, then we'll tell the crew � together."
She looked at him for several seconds before she nodded. "Do it," she said quietly.
* * *
"What do you mean, they won't let us go through the wormhole? That's ridiculous," sputtered B'Elanna.
"If they believe that our presence would provoke the Dominion, then it is a perfectly logical decision," countered Tuvok.
"I thought they wanted us to get home," said Harry plaintively.
Chakotay glanced at the Captain and saw her pained look at Harry's comment.
"I'm sure they do," he said to Harry. "But they have other things to consider."
"I've seen what the Dominion's capable of," said Mark. "I think they're justified to be wary of provoking them."
"You agree with them?" said B'Elanna in disbelief.
"If they have reason to believe that this could cause another war�then, yes."
"They're just being paranoid," she spat.
"Maybe," he conceded. "But I've seen the devastation from this war first-hand. My wife was killed, and many of my friends and colleagues. Sometimes it's good to be overcautious."
"I can't believe my father would pull something like this," said Tom, who until this point hadn't spoken yet.
"I never spoke with Admiral Paris," said the Captain quietly. She had been silent since giving them the news, so the staff stopped their bickering and looked at her. "I tried to contact him all week and finally spoke with an Admiral Blackwell."
"He couldn't even tell you to your face?" said Tom incredulously. "That's not like him."
"I know," said the Captain softly.
"That's not what's important here," said Chakotay. "We're here to discuss options."
"What's there to discuss?" demanded Talia. "We've got a way home � let's take it."
"And disobey a direct order?" said Tuvok.
"From Starfleet?" said B'Elanna. "They obviously don't care about getting us home."
"Lieutenant!" said Chakotay sharply.
"What? How many times have we found what we thought was a way home only to have it yanked out from under us. I say we make our own way home."
"At what cost?" said the Captain. "We could be risking billions of lives by provoking the Dominion."
"She's right," said Harry sadly. "We can't put the lives of everyone back home ahead of our convenience."
"And just ignore another way home?" said B'Elanna.
"This is our home," said Harry, and she looked at him in surprise before looking down at her hands on the table.
"I'm aware we're all disappointed," said the Captain. "But if there's any way we can convince Starfleet that we can do this, I'm willing to hear it."
"Their objection is that we will be passing through Dominion space," said Seven.
"Yes," said the Captain.
"Then perhaps we should chart a course around their territory."
"If we're not in their space," said Harry, "Starfleet might let us use the wormholes."
"Starfleet hasn't been out here the past seven years," said B'Elanna. "Who are they to tell us we can't go home?"
"They may not have been out here in the Delta quadrant," said Mark, "But you weren't there during the war either. You don't know what it was like. I do, and it's not pretty. We very nearly lost that war."
"And you haven't been stranded out here for seven years," pointed out Tom. "It's different for us."
"That's enough," said the Captain, raising her hand. "Seven, Harry � get down to Astrometrics and see if you can chart a course that keeps us at least fifteen light-years away from the Dominion's territory. I'll give the rest of you three days to come up with another solution. And one more thing � this is not to go beyond these bulkheads. I don't want the crew finding out about this. Is that clear?"
Heads nodded around the table. "Dismissed."
* * *
Seven turned around from her console in Astrometrics towards the Captain. "Ten seconds."
Janeway nodded. "When the comlink is active, try Admiral Paris' office again."
Seven nodded, but frowned as the console in front of her beeped. "There is an incoming transmission."
"What?" She had reluctantly suspended all personal communications while she was trying to negotiate with Starfleet Command, so she was surprised that there would be somebody trying to contact them. "Onscreen."
She was surprised to see her mother's face appear on the screen.
"Mom!"
"Hello, dear. Sorry to bother you. I'm sure you must be very busy."
"Don't be ridiculous. You're never a bother."
"I was just having a chat with that nice young lady who's working the communication system. Very pleasant. What was her name again?"
"That's Seven, Mom. I've told you about her."
"Of course � how silly of me."
"Why are you calling? Is everything all right?"
"That's what I was going to ask you," said Gretchen. "Admiral Paris called yesterday and wanted to know if I'd heard from you."
She bolted upright. "You spoke with him?"
"Yes � he said he'd been trying to get a hold of you for days."
"I've been trying to contact him, too. I was told he was unavailable."
Her mother shook her head. "Not according to him. Kathryn, what's going on?"
"Nothing." She quickly walked over to the wall near where Seven was working and entered a series of commands, encrypting the transmission just in case anybody was monitoring it. She then turned back to her mother and moved back to the center of the room.
"Mom, I need you to listen carefully. Call Admiral Paris and tell him to go to a secure channel. When he does, get him to come to your house at this time tomorrow, but try not to tell him why. When he gets there, call me again. Tell him I'll secure the channel using Borg encryption codes."
"Borg encryption codes? Kathryn, is something wrong?"
"Just a hunch. Will you do it?"
"Of course. I'll call him right away."
"No � wait a few hours before you make contact with him."
"All right. Are you sure you won't tell me what's wrong?"
"I can't, mom � I'm not even sure I know myself."
"All right, dear. Be careful."
"I will," said Kathryn with a smile. "Say hello to everyone for me."
"I will, dear."
With that, the transmission ended, and she backed away from the console and put her hands on her hips. If Admiral Paris hadn't been avoiding her, then why hadn't she been able to reach him? They both seemed to be in the same predicament. She wondered for a moment if he even knew about her orders to avoid the wormhole.
"Is everything all right, Captain?" asked Seven.
"I'm not sure�but I guess I'll find out tomorrow."
* * *
"You sound like you suspect some sort of conspiracy," said Chakotay as he watched Kathryn pace back and forth in Astrometrics.
"It's beginning to seem that way," she muttered. "I can't reach Owen, he can't reach me, and in the middle of this Admiral Blackwell orders me to ignore a way home."
"Well, maybe Admiral Paris will be able to give you some answers."
"Maybe," she said absentmindedly, still pacing. She finally stopped when Seven turned around from where she was working.
"I am preparing to establish the comlink."
She acknowledged her with a nod. "When you establish the link, secure the channel using one of your Borg encryption codes."
"Understood."
She moved forward to stand in front of the screen, and Chakotay came over to stand beside her. She took a deep breath and looked at him before turning her attention back to the screen. After a few seconds, Admiral Paris' face appeared on the screen, sitting in her mother's house.
"It's good to see you, sir," said the Captain with relief.
"Likewise. I've been having some difficulty contacting you. I had begun to worry that something had happened to Voyager."
"I had some trouble on my end as well, sir. I was repeatedly told you were unavailable."
"Nonsense. I was nothing of the sort. And I never got any of your messages. I think Lieutenant Statler is in for a demotion."
"I spoke with Admiral Blackwell when I tried to reach you," she said cautiously.
His face fell. "I had hoped to break the news to you personally."
Her shoulders slumped in defeat and she looked plaintively at Chakotay before turning back to the Admiral.
"Then the orders are legitimate."
"From the highest levels in Starfleet Command, I'm afraid. There's nothing I could do � it's out of my hands. I'm sorry, Captain."
"So am I, Admiral, but I've put my best people to work on alternative options."
"It may be possible for us to avoid Dominion space entirely," said Chakotay. "Do you think they would allow us to proceed if that's possible?"
"I don't see why not. From what I was told, the entire objection to your request was your infringing on Dominion territory. If that's not a factor�we could be seeing each other sooner that we thought."
She smiled. "I hope so, Admiral. I'll keep you informed." Having known Admiral Paris for a long time, she could tell there was something more that he wasn't telling her. "What is it, Admiral?"
He shifted uneasily. "I'm getting a bad feeling about some of this, that's all. Somebody's sticking their nose where it doesn't belong."
"Can you be more specific?"
"The Pathfinder Project � somebody's interfering with it."
"What do you mean?" asked Chakotay.
"Lieutenant Barclay's been recalled to Jupiter Station to help Doctor Zimmerman with a new mark EMH."
"Is that unusual?"
He shrugged. "By itself? Perhaps not�but Commander Harkins told me he practically begged to stay with Pathfinder. He appealed to me to intervene, but even my influence wasn't enough. Someone was obviously determined to get him off Pathfinder. Two days later, Commander Harkins was offered a teaching position at the Academy. It's like the Project is being dismantled bit by bit."
He could see that Janeway and Chakotay were suspicious as well, and he shook his head with a chuckle.
"Hopefully it's nothing more than the over-active imagination of an old Admiral."
"I've never know you to have an over-active imagination, sir."
"I think we should definitely be cautious," added Chakotay.
"We'll talk again soon, Admiral," said the Captain.
He nodded, and the screen went blank.
"Well," said the Captain. "Now we've spoken face to face, perhaps it'll be easier to keep in contact with him."
"Do you really think there's some kind of conspiracy?"
"Probably just the Starfleet bureaucracy at work," she admitted. "But I can't shake the feeling that there's something more to all this."
* * *
Captain Janeway sat at the head of the conference table and looked at her staff. It appeared that they had made the most of the three days she had given them to come up with options, because they all looked optimistic.
"Let's start with the course. Seven, Harry � what have you got for us?"
"We can stay at least fifteen light-years away from their borders and still make the journey in forty-five days," he announced.
"Good work. Tuvok? Anything to report?"
"Commander Walker and I have analyzed sensor data from Federation ships that were posted in the Gamma quadrant. I believe we can sufficiently lower our energy output so as not to be detected by Dominion sensors."
"Good," she nodded. "B'Elanna? Anything on your end?"
"A cloaking device."
"A cloaking device?" repeated the Captain, intrigued.
"The Kesseret have cloaking technology. I spoke with one of their engineers, and he agreed to help us adapt their technology to Voyager in exchange for our multiphasic shield technology."
Chakotay could sense the Captain's hesitation, and he shared it. "That's a pretty blatant violation of the Prime Directive. We'd be giving them technology that they could use against the Brennin."
B'Elanna frowned and thought for a moment. "What do you have a bigger problem with � us getting the cloaking technology, or them getting the multiphasic shielding?"
"Giving them the shields," said the Captain after a moment.
"Then that's easy � we'll give them something else."
"Is there anything else they'll want?" asked Neelix.
"Seven's expertise," said B'Elanna.
"What do you mean?" asked the Captain.
"I accompanied Lieutenant Torres to speak with the Kesseret engineer," said Seven. "They have a flaw in their cloaking technology � it produces high levels of theta radiation that is harmful after long-term exposure. I have retained knowledge of cloaking technology that was assimilated by the Borg. I believe I could repair the flaw."
"In exchange for one of their cloaking devices," guessed the Captain. "Could it be integrated with our systems?"
"It's hard to say without getting a good look at the technology," said B'Elanna, "But I think it's worth a try."
"I must point out," said Tuvok, "That it is illegal for a Federation ship to use a cloaking device."
"Not in the Gamma quadrant," said Mark. "We signed an agreement with the Romulans years ago. Besides, I think the legalities are the least of our worries at this point."
"If we're going to do this, we should get two," said Tom. "We might need one for the Delta Flyer."
The Captain nodded. "B'Elanna, see what you can arrange with the Kesseret. I'll inform Starfleet and see what they have to say."
* * *
When Captain Janeway contacted Starfleet the next day, she wasn't surprised when the face that appeared on the screen was Admiral Blackwell's.
"Captain," he said coldly. "Have you departed Kesseret Prime yet?"
"No. My crew's been working on alternative ways to reach the Bajoran wormhole."
His eyes narrowed. "I ordered you to leave the vicinity immediately."
"I understand that, Admiral, but you have to understand something as well � I'm not about to give up that easily when the Alpha quadrant could be weeks instead of decades away. My crew has charted a course that will keep us fifteen light-years away from Dominion space."
"Irrelevant. You could still encounter a Dominion vessel and the consequences would be the same."
She bristled. "We may also be able to obtain a cloaking device. The Dominion wouldn't be able to detect us. We'll lower our energy output as well just in case their sensors can pick us up."
"Unacceptable."
"Admiral, I hardly see how this can pose a threat when � "
"You're not familiar with our situation, Captain. Don't presume to know what you're dealing with. Billions of lives could be at risk."
"I'm sorry, Admiral, but I was hoping you could at least discuss it with the Admiralty."
"I speak for the Admiralty. Your orders stand. Leave the area immediately and resume course for the Alpha quadrant."
Without waiting for acknowledgement from her, he ended the transmission.
* * *
Kathryn was sitting in their quarters in the dark staring out the windows when a shaft of light from the hallway penetrated the room. She turned her head to see Chakotay standing in the doorway, then looked back out the window. The doors closed behind him and the room became dark again.
"You've been awfully quiet today," he said as he sat down in a chair across from her. When she didn't acknowledge him, he continued, "Want to tell me what's on your mind?"
"I told you Admiral Blackwell didn't rescind my orders," she said quietly.
"Yes."
"What I didn't say was that he's not going to. They're not even going to discuss it. Our orders stand."
He looked at her carefully. "But you're thinking of going anyways."
She visibly relaxed and let out a soft chuckle. "How is it you always manage to see right through me?"
A smile was his only answer.
She got up from her chair and moved over to the window. "How can I just turn away when we're so close? Admiral Blackwell told me I'm not familiar with his situation, but he's not familiar with mine. He can't begin to imagine the obligation, the responsibility, the guilt�" Her voice trailed off.
"This is different, Kathryn," he said, knowing what she was thinking.
"Is it? The good of the many outweighs the good of the few, as a Vulcan would say. I've been here before � deciding whether getting this crew home was worth the risk to a group of innocent people."
"It's different this time."
"You're right," she said finally looking at him. "It is different. Seven years ago, I put a single civilization ahead of my crew. Now, I could be risking billions of lives, thousands of civilizations�just so we can get home quicker."
"You don't know that," Chakotay said.
"You're right � I don't. But what if the Admirals are right � what if my devotion to this crew causes a war? Do you know how many people were killed in that war?"
He shook his head.
"Over ten billion. How can I possibly take that kind of risk?"
"We've taken risks before."
"Not of this magnitude. Risks to the crew are one thing, but I could be putting the entire Alpha quadrant on the line." She turned away from the windows. "If we do this, and I'm wrong, the consequences could be unimaginable."
He moved over to stand beside her. "We'll have a cloaking device, and we'll be staying well away from their space. I think the risk is minimal. We can do this, Kathryn."
She let out a deep sigh and looked out the window before facing him again. "Would you follow a Captain who disobeyed a direct order?"
He smiled. "Through hell and back."
* * *
Captain Janeway looked around at the faces of her senior staff as they watched her expectantly at the head of the conference table.
"B'Elanna? The cloaking device?"
"They've agreed to give us two cloaking generators if Seven's able to fix the radiation problem. I've examined one of them � they can be integrated into our systems."
"Excellent work. Tuvok, I want round-the-clock tactical drills. If we get attacked on either side of this wormhole, I want to be ready for it."
"Aye, Captain."
"Harry, I want all non-essential systems offline and power requirements at a minimum. Stockpile emergency power cells in critical areas of the ship � engineering, sickbay, the bridge, the mess hall."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Neelix? How are negotiations going with the Kesseret?"
"They'd like you to be present for the final stages of our negotiations, Captain, but I think they're willing to let us use the wormhole. Under armed escort, of course. I didn't tell them we would have asked for it anyways."
The staff chuckled, but became serious when the Captain stood up from her chair and looked around the table, meeting each person's gaze in turn.
"I have full confidence in each and every one of you. Our orders from Starfleet are not to leave this room. The crew will be under enough stress without knowing that we're defying Starfleet Command. Is that clear?"
When they all nodded solemnly, she continued.
"This is my decision, and I'll be taking full responsibility for disobeying orders."
She continued looking at each of them before she reached Chakotay sitting next to her. She was moved by the support she could see in his gaze, and took strength from it.
"Assemble the crew," she said, looking back at the rest of her staff. "We're going home."
>> ON TO PART XVII : NEW GROUND
<< BACK TO PART XV: KESSERET PRIME
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