End and Begin Again

End and Begin Again

by Lady Janus

Disclaimer: See Part 1.

End and Begin Again

Part 4: Voyager's Gift

Rating: PG-13

"Bridge to Captain Janeway."

Ayala's voice interrupted the weekly meeting between the three members of the command staff. Chakotay frowned as Kathryn's gaze sought Tuvok's automatically. Something palpable passed between them, leaving him vaguely uncomfortable.

"Janeway here, what is it?"

"Captain, we're receiving a distress signal and Shipmaster Sedar wishes to speak with you urgently," Ayala reported

"Put the distress signal on and then patch Shipmaster Sedar in on my signal."

"Aye Captain."

The distress call came up on the wall viewscreen in the briefing room. ". . . Hirid Shipmaster Physician Ankare, of the medical ship Healstone carrying refugees from the Colony of Cascere, to the Federation Fleet," the elderly female Bretori called desperately. "We are in need of immediate assistance. Clatu battleships attacking the convoy--our protectors have engaged them, but there are at least eight Star Class battleships and a number of smaller cruisers. We are presently proceeding with best speed to the homeworld. Please render assistance!" The message paused for a moment and began to repeat, "This is Hirid Shipmaster Physician Ankare--" when Kathryn shut it off.

"Put Shipmaster Sedar through," Janeway called. As the Bretori Captain's face came up on the viewscreen she spoke immediately. "Mr. Sedar, we've heard the distress call. Is there anything we can do to help?"

"Gridarel's Hand and Riainat are the closest ships Captain Janeway, at maximum warp we can make it in just under forty minutes. Our ships seem to be holding their own, but the main thing is the medical ship. She is carrying almost three thousand innocents--refugees from our colony at Cascere. The colony is under dispute and negotiations broke down five weeks ago--the government thought it best to evacuate. The Healstone must be protected at all costs. If she can make it into the perimeter, the Clatu would dare not pursue."

Kathryn could see the desperation in the man's amber eyes and the horror at the thought of losing so many innocent lives.

"May we have your permission to accompany your ships?" she asked. "We would like to do what we can to help."

"We have no right to ask-"

"You have the right of friendship," she replied.

After eight days of Dregardrak attacks, Voyager had left their space behind and put into port at Jenadin, the Bretori colony world Chakotay had scouted. Paris had dubbed the attacks their first "tag-team war", meaning that since Voyager was faster than Dregardrak ships, those they got away from would call on their comrades ahead to pick up the slack.

However, most of the repairs were relatively minor and Voyager was able to leave Jenadin within four days and was currently on route to Bretorin at the centre of this prosperous and seemingly peaceful Federation in the company of two warships.

"Thank you Captain Janeway," he said gratefully. "I know you cannot cloak, but if you come in on a slightly different vector, we can still protect you without giving away our position."

"I think we can do a little better than that," she replied with a smile; Bretori cloaking devices were crude at best compared to something like a Romulan or Klingon cloak. After a few hours under cloak, they leaked anti-neutrino radiation copiously, which made them vulnerable to anyone that knew where to look and what to look for.

"After all it was you who said that you did not think you had seen all that Voyager's engines could do. Now that we've effected repairs, we should be able to get to the battle field within ten minutes." She felt a small twinge of satisfaction at his surprise. "We should be able to help your people create enough trouble for them, while you cover the Healstone's escape."

"Thank you Captain," he said once more as he closed the channel.

"Yellow alert," Chakotay called as he followed the Captain out onto the bridge. "All hands report to stations."

"Tuvok to all security personnel--condition alpha. Secure the children in the protected sickbay nursery and then report to duty stations for further instructions. This is not a drill."

Kathryn turned to Nicoletti as she headed for the turbolift. "Lieutenant, I want to go to warp 9 as soon as possible--we'll drop out of warp at a million kilometres and bring armour online. We'll continue the rest of the way at warp six."

"Aye, Captain," Nicoletti replied as she literally vaulted into the lift. Kathryn sat down and brought up her console. Her crew readied herself around her with the smooth efficiency that spoke of their long years together.

"Engineering reports ready to go to warp Captain. All holds and bulkheads secure. Security reports that the children have all been secured," Chakotay reported.

"Hail Shipmaster Sedar, Ensign Kim," she ordered.

The Bretori's image flickered on the main viewer. "Captain Janeway," he began.

" Shipmaster Sedar, we're ready to depart," she said without preamble. "Please inform your ships of our specifications so we are not accidentally shot," she gave him a wry smile. "We will draw enough fire from the enemy."

"Understood Captain. I am sending the access codes for the perimeter mines," he replied.

"Access codes received Captain," Kim confirmed.

"As well, once we're there, I have a plan for dissipating the anti-neutrinos from your ships in such a way that their positions will not be revealed for long," she continued. "As it is, the anti-neutrinos trails they're leaking are sending up red flares all over--they might as well not be cloaked. We will flood the area with anti-neutrinos as we come into the battlefield, have your ships scatter throughout the field and ready to vent when the concentration reaches two hundred parts per billion. Ideally it would work best in the vicinity of a star, but barring that, this is the best we can do--the point is to get their emissions down as quickly as possible."

Sedar looked at her with undisguised admiration. "Yes Captain, they will be ready. Again thank you."

She smiled, "You're welcome, good luck Shipmaster Sedar. Janeway out." She shared a brief look with Chakotay before consulting her console again. "Mr. Paris take us out of here, warp 9."

"Aye Captain," Paris returned. "Going to warp--estimated time of arrival at designated co-ordinates, 11.34 minutes."

"Janeway to Engineering."

"Torres here." Kathryn's eyes widened at the sound of her Chief Engineer's voice, but made no comment.

"B'Elanna, how long will it take to get the deflector calibrated once the armour comes online?"

"About two and a half minutes. I assume that will be where the anti-neutrino flood will come from?" she asked, indicating that she'd been monitoring the communications.

"Yes."

"You think like a chief engineer, Captain," came Torres' laugh.

Kathryn grinned at Chakotay. "Thank you. How long can the Bassard Collectors hold the stores?"

"Long enough--I'll have to lower the shields to collect an effective amount, but storing it shouldn't affect our manoeuvrability for long."

"All right Commander, make it so."

"Aye Captain. Torres out."

Kathryn settled back into her chair and watched the activity around her. A small anxiety gnawed at her insides as it did each time she took the ship into battle. Some might argue she had no right to--it wasn't their battle and with the children on board, they got into enough fights on their own without racing headlong into ones that didn't concern them. But three thousand lives were at stake--a thought that made her blood run cold. Kathryn felt Chakotay's hand brush hers briefly as he rose and went to Paris' station and wondered what it meant--if anything at all. She watched him confer with the pilot for a few minutes before returning to his seat.

"We're coming up on co-ordinates Captain," Paris reported.

"Bring us out of warp and hold position while engineering gathers the anti-neutrinos."

"Aye Captain."

Chakotay leaned closer to her. "Captain, I think we should use approach pattern delta-nine-five. It would ensure maximum dissipation of the anti-neutrinos while also bringing us in out of effective weapon's range."

She nodded as she studied the pattern, "All right Commander, it's your call."

"Captain, a tactical analysis of the Clatu weapon's array shows that they have standard phasers. However, like the Bretori, they have the equivalent of type two photon torpedos. The Bretori's edge seems to be their cloaking ability."

"Acknowledged, Tuvok. I take it you didn't have any trouble with the Bretori mines?"

"No Captain, they simply moved aside once we sent the access codes. The last set is moving back into position. With the sensor modifications we've made, we will be able to detect the Bretori ships with a minimum of difficulty, even when they aren't leaking anti-neutrinos," he replied.

"Janeway to engineering. How is it going, Commander?"

"We should be ready in another minute and a half, Captain," Torres replied. "We're cycling the collectors just to be on the safe side. We're lucky that the Bretori have the duratanium waiting for us to line the Bassard conduits--they're going to take a beating from the anti-neutrino build-up."

"I know Lieutenant," Kathryn returned. "Do your best."

"Aye, Captain. Torres out."

"All right Paris, prepare to take us in on approach pattern delta-nine-five, warp factor six," Chakotay ordered.

"Yes sir."

"Shields at minimum and holding--armour deployed," Kim reported.

"Red alert!" she barked and the lighting decreased. Only the consoles had any light as the crew concentrated on their work. "Take us in Mr. Paris."

"Aye, Captain. Ahead approach pattern delta-nine-five, warp six," Paris confirmed.

"Janeway to engineering. Prepare to vent anti-neutrinos on my mark."

"Acknowledged, Captain," Seven of Nine's voice replied.

"Tuvok, ready phasers, maximum strength, and photon torpedoes--quantum torpedoes on standby," Chakotay ordered.

"Acknowledged Captain."

Kathryn watched the battlefield draw closer and called for a false image overlay of the cloaked ships--it was disconcerting watch weapons fire come from nowhere. "Janeway to engineering--vent conduits now!" Voyager cut a wide swath through the battlefield. Kathryn could see the obvious confusion of the Clatu ships at Voyager's appearance and at the Bretori ships breaking engagement and veering away.

"Three Bretori ships have begun venting anti-neutrinos," Kim reported. "The fourth appears to be in trouble. Two enemy ships closing at warp 5.5."

"Lay down some cover fire--prepare to engage. Ready phasers Mr. Tuvok and choose your targets at will," Janeway commanded.

"Helm, take us in on attack pattern lambda-two-six," Chakotay ordered. "It'll take us in fast and hard, right up as close as we can to kiss their hulls."

Kathryn smiled at his audacious plan as their eyes met briefly.

"Aye Commander," Paris replied. "Attack pattern lambda-two-six, acknowledged."

"Engage Target Alpha!" the Captain ordered.

The alien ship grew ominously as they closed at a blinding acceleration. Kathryn watched in satisfaction as the red phaser beams slashed out and blasted the shield grid. The port nacelle exploded--blowing a hole in their aft section.

"Bring us about Paris," Chakotay ordered. "Tuvok finish the shields and the forward torpedo launchers on this pass."

"Aye Commander," Tuvok replied.

As the surgical precision of the strike against the hulking battleships continued, Janeway watched Chakotay issuing his orders and they sailed through a barrage of torpedo strikes against the ship's forward armour with the bare hint of turbulence.

"All right Tom, engage Target Bravo, course eight-three-two, mark 3. Chakotay, once we're in range of Target Zulu, I want a ten second burst from the main deflector array--let's see if we can't get them off the Warcry's back and push them off their attack vector."

"Aye, Captain," Chakotay acknowledged without looking up from his console.

"Captain, the Renkori is in trouble! Port nacelle's down--main power is out and they're down to two forward torpedo launchers and starboard phasers," Kim said urgently.

"Stay on course for Target Bravo, Mr. Paris," the Captain ordered calmly. "Tuvok, target Charlie's aft section with a torpedo and fire as soon as we're within 10,000 kilometres. Get them off the Renkori."

"Engineering reports deflector's reconfigured," Chakotay said. "Targeting Zulu now. We'll pass within 1000 kilometres of her belly--standing by to fire deflector."

"Torpedo away," Tuvok reported briefly as Target Charlie came up on the viewer as she continued to pound at the Bretori cruiser, Renkori. The tiny spot of light raced towards the Clatu battleship and the entire aft section blew apart.

The alien ship listed for a moment, thrown off course by the massive explosion. Then the ship seemed to hesitate for a moment--hanging outside time before it disintegrated, seeming to implode at first, then to explode in a roiling fury.

"Complete destruction of Target Charlie, Captain," Tuvok reported gravely.

"Understood," came the grim reply.

"Bravo's forward shield has come down under Bretori fire, both nacelles have been destroyed--main power has just gone down. Target Kappa is still under fire," Tuvok reported as the expanse of ship fell away and Voyager continued on it's arch.

"Paris, hold our course steady," Chakotay ordered. "Targeting scanners locked. Torres, fire main deflector now!" The blue beam shot out from Voyager's deflector dish, hitting the belly of the alien battlecruiser and the giant ship whipped out of control. "Cease fire!" Chakotay barked.

"Target Zulu's vector has diverged by seventeen degrees--both nacelles are down, Captain," Tuvok reported. "They are drifting away from the battlefield. Valiant Warrior now has the Renkori in tow and is extending shields around her. Target Tango has been destroyed. Target Delta is attempting to break for it--Gridarel's Hand and Riainat are converging on her vector."

"Stand down red alert," Janeway ordered and Voyager's bridge was bathed once more in white light.

Kathryn's voice was softer as she continued, "Open a channel to Gridarel's Hand, Lieutenant Kim."

"Channel open, Captain."

"Shipmaster Sedar," she said as she rose and smiled at the indigo-skinned alien when he appeared on the main viewscreen. "Would you care to do the honours?"

Sedar returned her smile and made his way to his command chair. "It would be my pleasure, Captain," he replied with a feral grin.

Kathryn met Chakotay's eyes and smiled warmly as Sedar began to speak, "Clatu Republic Navy, this is Shipmaster Hoden Sedar of the Bretori Federation Fleet. We demand your immediate and unconditional surrender."

Kathryn studied the Bretori High Lord as he strode through the lush garden of his palace. In fact, the entire city of Ko'Sthenin was considered High Lord Skoteri's palace and though it bothered her to find that the Bretori Federation was essentially a modern, high-tech feudal culture with castes and hereditary rulers, the people seemed content enough.

But there was a strange undercurrent rippling through this society. The High Lords had been eager enough to greet the Captain and crew of the USS Voyager, hail them as conquering heroes. And the lavish way they spent their resources on her ship had immediately put Kathryn on her guard--their ships were antiquated and many she'd seen were in desperate need of the same materials they gave Voyager so freely.

She suspected that part of the reason for such an overwhelming welcome was not only because Voyager had saved the medical ship and her escorts from the Clatu, but because the Bretori wanted something from them. It sounded a bit paranoid even to her, but she'd been burned too many times during her sojourn through this god-forsaken quadrant--better to be safe than sorry. And after six hours of ceremony, she hoped that High Lord Skoteri would get to the point soon.

Why do I always forget how tiresome diplomacy can be, she thought ruefully.

"You look so serious for such a beauteous woman," Skoteri said in a rather deep, stentorian voice. He was a charming man who flirted effortlessly and for that reason, she distrusted his charm. Listening to that voice, a woman could easily forget that high, domed forehead, piercing yellow eyes with the vertical, slit-like pupils and the deep indigo skin; traits that marked his alien heritage.

Kathryn quirked a smile. "So beautiful women can't have serious thoughts?" she asked allowing a coy note to creep into her voice. She was all too aware of the lack of high-ranking females in this patriarchal society. In fact, Bretori women were kept out of sight as much as possible and Kathryn had only had a fleeting glimpse of one in nearly a week of negotiations.

"Not necessarily," he returned easily. "Just that they shouldn't if it mars such a smile."

Kathryn chuckled softly. "Sorry, High Lord Skoteri," she replied. "Worrying is an occupational hazard. It comes with the ship and these pips on my collar." She tapped the four bits of metal on her dress uniform meaningfully with one fingertip.

It was his turn now to frown at her. "What have you to worry about here?" he demanded. "Have we not agreed to your requests for respite and re-supply of your ship?"

"Yes," she said soberly. "You've been very generous." She held his gaze and wished she could gauge his more subtle expressions better. The hell with it, she decided, there are times when honesty is still the best policy. And this was one of them.

"But in human parlance, I guess I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop," she continued bluntly. His eyes widened and his nostrils flared--her guess in response to the translation from her universal translator of that ancient phrase. "Humans--suspicious creatures that we are--have another saying; "if something seems too good to be true, it usually is". I've found it to be a truism during our sojourn in the delta quadrant, so that leaves me wondering what the Bretori want from us so badly that they would be so very . . ."

She gestured to the lavish selection of food and drink that burdened the tables in the centre of the garden.

". . . generous."

For a moment, from the look on his face, she was afraid that he would storm away offended at the very least. Then his shoulders slumped and his very masculine façade crumpled as he studied her. "I told the Council that a people as advanced as you were would see through this charade," he said quietly at last.

"And the reason for this "charade" as you put it, High Lord?" she asked.

His eyes flicked to an approaching group of Bretori and Starfleet officers, which included Chakotay and Harry Kim. "Perhaps we should seek a more private venue for this discussion," he said, offering her his hand. She placed her hand in his without hesitation and allowed him to lead her from the room, noting the unhappy look in Chakotay's--and not to mention Ayala's--dark eyes.

Skoteri led her back into the palace, past the formal reception room and up the winding staircase to what Kathryn had understood to be the High Lord's residential quarters. Two small, male servants in Blue Caste uniforms smiled fleetingly as they hurried downstairs. The comfortable office they entered was lushly furnished, but had that lived in feel, unlike the ostentatious public rooms below. He motioned for her to sit and poured them both glasses of the effervescent zynth, an iodine-coloured wine her crew had found to be an exquisite blend of the headiest red wine and the most sparkling French champagne.

He studied her for a few long moments as she sipped her wine and waited patiently for him to speak.

"I will be as forthright as you were," he began. "No doubt your people have noticed the dearth of Bretori females allowed into polite company."

"It has been remarked upon," Kathryn replied noncommittally.

"And no doubt, like most other species, you've probably jumped to the conclusion that it's because we hyper-hormonal males keep them firmly downtrodden below that of even the lowliest Grey Caste male working in the dilithium mines of Yasadin's Moon," he said surprising Kathryn with the bitterness in his voice. "Actually, it's because they have far more important claims on their time. In fact, females have no caste--from the moment of her birth, a female is the most unutterably precious child, for she is all Bretorin."

"I don't understand," Kathryn said.

"No, you wouldn't," he muttered, looking down at his wine. He met her gaze again after a few moments of silence. "I will give you some simple statistics then, Captain, which may put it into context for you. On the basis of conception, slightly more than 54% of foetuses are female, yet male births outnumber female births by a margin of almost eight to one--"

"What?" Kathryn whispered in horror as the consequences of such a skewed humanoid population ratio exploded in her mind.

A faint smile played on his lips, but the amusement didn't reach his eyes. "And that's before the full-blown rinara gets hold of our children--it skews the population ratio even further to about twelve to one in favour of males according to the latest census."

"Rinara?" Kathryn asked hoarsely.

"An insidious disease," he replied. "Every Bretori child born in the last hundred years, Captain, has been born infected with the rinara. Nothing developed by our medical technology has been able to cure it." He gave another harsh, bitter laugh. "Cure? We'd settle for a vaccine or barring that, a more effective treatment--better drugs to mask the pain even."

"Why--" Kathryn's voice broke with compassion. "Why didn't you just explain that at the beginning? I take it you're asking for our help now?"

He bowed formally. "I suppose the Council chose this roundabout path for the same reason you worried about our generosity, Captain. Mistrust of strangers--of your motives for being here," he said. "We dared not hope that you'd be advanced enough medically to help us--or willing. Then there is the fact that we aren't sure what effect the rinara would have on another species; adults are not contagious--I promise you that--but our children are highly so until they're approximately ten of our years old. Before the epidemic, we were allies with the Clatu. They attempted to help us and were in turn infected by the children. They systematically eradicated an entire colony in their drive to contain the spread of the disease among their population and we have been mortal enemies since. The disease spread so quickly among our colonies that we didn't even have that terrible option. This is the reason we have the Bretori Guard and a Fleet so much larger than our peaceful Federation apparently warrants. In the chaos of the early years, even the Dregardrak were able to take entire worlds from us."

His resonant voice was thick with emotion as he continued. "So much time and effort we could be spending on finding a cure is taken up with simply defending our worlds. Outsiders only see our grand palaces--our worlds rich with resources that we've barely exploited in the five hundred years we've been exploring space. And they see our formidable Fleet, yet your scans should have no trouble confirming that our ships are antiquated and that many are past due for the scrap yards. But we can't afford to decommission so many of them."

"I see," Kathryn replied thoughtfully.

"Do you?" he asked bitterly. "Captain, I won't ask you to put your physicians at risk. Our species are similar enough that this disease could conceivably jump across the species barrier and devastate you and your crew, but on behalf of my people, I ask that you consider selling your medical database to us--you have only to name your price."

For her answer, Kathryn tapped her commbadge. "Janeway to Voyager."

"Tuvok here. How may I help you, Captain?" her old friend queried.

"Put me through to the Doctor, Tuvok," Kathryn said. "But keep the bridge channel open. I want you to brief Commander Chakotay when we're done.

"Aye, Captain."

A beat later, the Doctor's voice came over the comm. "What can I do for you, Captain?"

"Doctor, I want you to get ready for away duty," she said. "You'll be meeting with Bretori physicians who will fill you in on the situation once you get down here."

"Captain--" the Doctor said, alarm shading his voice.

"I don't think the away team is in any danger, but we'll be beaming back under quarantine to be safe," she replied, cutting him off abruptly. "The Bretori adults aren't contagious, but there appears to be a childhood disease that every child over the last century has been afflicted with."

"Every child!" he croaked in outrage.

Kathryn held Skoteri's gaze, reading his non-expression more clearly than any expression he'd shown so far--he was holding back, not daring to hope. "As I understand it, every Bretori child under ten years old is contagious and suffering."

"Oh God . . . oh dear God," someone's horrified whisper carried over the comm. Kathryn recognised Samantha Wildman's voice.

"Samantha," she called gently. "I want you to get together with Tom once the Doctor starts sending you the data on the disease and create a pan-species database of anything remotely related to it for the Bretori. Meanwhile, we'll see what the Doctor can do."

"Aye, Captain," Wildman said, briskly professional once more.

"Recruit whatever personnel you need, Lieutenant," she ordered. "And Doctor, get down here as quickly as you can."

"Yes, Captain. Sickbay out."

Skoteri's voice was hoarse when he spoke again. "Captain, this response is more than I dared hope for," he said. "But you needn't expose your doctor or your crew to further risk of contagion."

"There is no risk to our doctor," she replied and smiled as a puzzled look flashed into his eyes. "Voyager's Doctor isn't an organic life form."

"I don't understand."

Kathryn's smile widened. "The Doctor is a hologram," she said and winced as the universal translator made a hash of the translation. Too late she remembered Chakotay's report on the primitive state of their holographic technology; visual modelling was confined to fairly realistic three-dimensional computer animation, but nothing on the scale of true energy-field holograms.

She tried again. "He is an artificial life form," she explained. "Rather like the mining androids you employ. But his physical body is a kind of photonic matter contained by an energy field and run by a sophisticated and adaptive computer program that learns over time."

"Your physician is a simulacrum?" he said in shock.

Kathryn chuckled. "A very sophisticated simulacrum, he would tell you," she said and the High Lord seemed to relax a little, losing some of the apprehension that was plain on his face. "When we were pulled into this quadrant of the galaxy, we lost our medical personnel in the initial catastrophe. The Emergency Medical Hologram was intended to be a short-term supplement to our medical team, but for the last eight years he has functioned as our chief medical officer and has even trained other officers for sickbay duty. It's taken time, but he's adapted and evolved to the point that I think he is truly more than the sum of his programming."

"I see," Skoteri said, unconsciously echoing her earlier words. "And you believe he will be able to help us."

"I don't know," Kathryn said honestly. "But he's pulled a few miracles off for us over the past eight years. There have been times when my crew would not have survived if it hadn't been for the Doctor's skill."

Skoteri sketched one of his formal bows and activated the communication console on his desk. After giving a few quick commands to the man that answered, he turned it off and returned his attention to Kathryn.

"Then before you return to your ship, Captain, allow me to show you the heart of Ko'Sthenin," he said ushering her out of the office. She followed him with mild interest as he led her further into the private quarters of the palace. Two guards in dark green uniforms stood at rigid attention as the ornate doors swung open to reveal a balcony overlooking a large courtyard.

Three beautiful, mauve-skinned women presided over a riot of about thirty or forty happy children ranging in age from about ten to fifteen as far as Kathryn could judge. Most were boys who played rambunctiously with a couple of blue uniformed male servants. Only five were girls, three of whom sat quietly in one corner with the oldest woman, who cradled the youngest girl in her lap.

Lord Skoteri pointed to the woman gently rocking the child. "I present Skoteri, the Lady of Ko'Sthenin, Captain," he said quietly into Kathryn's ear. "I am High Lord Skoteri because I have the honour of being the First Chosen among my Lady's husbands. My given name is Archam Pomba. I would be honoured if you would call me Archam."

She held her hand out to him. "And I am Kathryn," she said as they shook hands. Below them Lady Skoteri looked up and smiled.

"Is your lab satisfactory?" the elderly Bretori doctor, Lady Ankare, asked the Doctor as he joined her on her rounds.

"Yes, thank you for the assistants," he said quietly. "Until I can be sure of what I'm dealing with, I don't want any of my assistants from Voyager at the medical centres. However, I will still have access to the Voyager's computer via the remote link."

"Thank you," Ankare replied. "I am surprised your people still want to come to the planet, still want to bring your children for shore leave."

"The children outside the medical centres are not contagious. The Captain has left it up the parents on the crew whether they wish to bring their children down or not. Our crew understands what happened and why it happened, and they are sympathetic. I could not understand it at first, but perhaps it is as Commander Chakotay has explained, they feel a kinship to your people--they know what it is to bring children into less than ideal conditions and have to fight for their lives every day," he explained.

"Yes," she said softly as they turned into a ward.

"How are you feeling? How are you holding up?" he asked studying her tired face. Over one hundred children at this facility alone had died in the twenty-eight hours since he'd beamed down.

"I do what I have always done when my children died," she said softly. "I go on, I survive. Come Doctor, we must concentrate on the living, and grieve for the dead when the pains of the living have been eased."

"Then you believe it is not a naturally occurring virus, Lady Ankare," High Lord Skoteri asked in shock.

"That is correct, Archam," Ankare replied surveying the stunned members of the Council. She smiled grimly at the Doctor seated with his Captain and Commander. "I think it would be best if I allowed Voyager's Doctor to explain."

The Doctor stood and looked around seriously at them all. Only a few minutes earlier, they had been elated at finally seeing a light at the end of this dark tunnel--a way to wake from this nightmare.

"First, I wish to make this perfectly clear--this is not a complete cure for the virus. Those of you past the age of ten will carry it all your lives and pass it on to your children. However, it can be eradicated in the children who are below the age of ten years old with this therapy and they will also gain immunity from the disease and pass it on to their children. Ideally, it should be dealt with as early in a pregnancy as possible to ensure the minimum of trauma to the child, but that advantage is offset by the side effects it has in the mother while the foetus is undergoing the treatments. However, you should notice marked reduction in the number of miscarriages. The closer the children are to the age of ten when they begin receiving treatment, the more severely they will experience the side effects of anaemia, secondary infections, hair loss, lesions, extreme nausea and pain. But so far in our clinical trials, none of the most critically ill children have died--all are slowly recovering.

"The reason nine or ten years seem to be the critical age for the dormancy of this pathogen is because that is the age when the Bretori genetic programming is less that of a child. They begin to produce the hormones and other substances needed by the adult as their bodies prepare for puberty. Your pigmentation changes and the kinds of proteins and steroids found in your cell membranes also begin to change. The viral DNA inserts selectively in or close to those genes that are exclusively transcribed in children and never in those that are exclusively adult or the ones that are transcribed throughout life."

"That is why it is transcribed in the child--making new viruses and causing massive infections and also why it spread among the children so quickly when we were first infected," Ankare explained.

"However, it also bears some of the hallmarks of being an engineered virus and not a random mutation of the naturally occurring sample found on your Imirwi colony where the plague first broke out," the Doctor continued. "I wasn't sure until I looked at the sample collected from the children of Cascere colony--Cascere shut off trade relations and all travel with the rest of the Bretori Federation and was free from the disease until a year ago. My scans of the few Casceri adults who accompanied the children back here to Bretorin found them free of either strain of the virus entirely. The reason that the Cascere strain of the virus was so much more virulent was because there is no doubt that it has been further engineered to be so. The treatment for the children with this strain of the virus is slightly different and more intensive, but they too are responding well."

"What of your children and your people?" Lady Skoteri asked in a hoarse voice. She had been crying since the meeting began.

"We can't be sure how many of our non-human crewmembers would have been affected, but had Captain Janeway or any of the other humans been infected, they would have become ill within a few hours and died within a four to five weeks if a treatment was not found." He watched the horror on their faces. "Human physiology is similar in some ways to your children's before they begin to change at puberty. A few of the other species however, such as the Vulcans, the Bolians and Lieutenant Torres, who is half Klingon, would be able fight the infection--but only the Bolians would be able to eradicate it. Lieutenant Golwat and Mr. Chell's tissues were instrumental in helping to find the treatment. However, the specificity of the disease for humanoids is marked, which is why Lady Ankare had us test it for infection of Clatu tissue with tissue cultures taken from your prisoners of war. It is very unlikely that an insectoid species could even be infected by this virus in the first place."

"Which makes the report by the Fire Forge and the Warrior's Light ninety-five years ago that the Tixiclat colony was not destroyed more believable," Lady Ankare said in a harsh voice as she watched the realisation dawn on her people's faces. "A hundred years of guilt and sorrow for those we believed we'd unwittingly killed--a hundred years of persecution for a crime that may not have been ours. It makes one wonder why the plague spread so much faster after our good neighbours tried to . . . help."

"But why?" a young High Lord asked in horror. "Our peoples were allies then."

"And since then, how far have they pushed our boarders back Relaris?" Lord Skoteri asked softly. "How many worlds that were ours a century ago are now Clatu? It has only been in the last twenty-one years since we developed the high-energy phasers, plasma weapons and especially ship cloaking technology that we have been able to stem the tide, and even with the best defences, some worlds still fall--like Blagin and Cascere. The Clatu have expanded greatly, swallowing so many smaller empires and societies--only we really stand in their way since the Dregardrak have nothing they want."

"Then we must push back!" shouted one angry council member, and was greeted with rumblings of assent.

"Be silent!" Lord Skoteri shouted. "How can you think of war at a time like this? The important thing now is our children's health. I know you are angry, but can you so quickly forget the miracle we have been given today? And tell me what do we fight with?" He looked severely around the assembly. "Every last person in here knows exactly how undermanned our military is and how ancient many of our ships are. What Captain Janeway and her crew have taught us, we will use to keep our boarders steady. We have many resources that we have been unable to tap because of this crisis and we must use them to keep our people safe, give our children time to grow up, give our population time to recover before thoughts of war."

Lady Ankare spoke quietly. "There is little glory in that, but there is great reward if we think of where we will be in twenty to thirty years--even as little as ten to fifteen years--and if we think of what kind of society we will turn over to our children. We all saw the sorrow and the hopelessness in our parents' eyes when we came of age and they turned our once great Federation over to us. I want to turn the Bretori Federation over to my children and grandchildren with gladness in my heart and with hope. High Lord Skoteri speaks wisely--we must rebuild, quickly and quietly."

"We all know that the Clatu will not wait forever before they begin their attacks, before all out war for our territory," Lord Skoteri continued. "For now, we get our newly modified ships in working order as quickly as possible, build new ships to replace the old ones, which can be used as reserves when needed. There are new ship and weapon designs that merit closer scrutiny and testing--new methods and strategies to be put into practice in our Military Academies. As well the Science Ministry has just informed us of the tachyon web technology they've perfected for perimeter defence, so I suggest that we turn the tide before the Clatu can even fathom that such a thing is possible. Our fine neighbours have planned far ahead, so it is time for us to also be far seeing. We have been living from day to day for too long--looking towards the day when the last Bretori child is born, but that will not happen now, and we can look to the future with hope and not despair. And when our enemies think they can turn on us for an easy conquest, they will find that this wounded beast is no longer close to death and that its claws are sharper than ever!"

"Captain, Gridarel's Hand and Voyager's Gift have fallen out of sensor range," Tuvok reported.

"Thank you Commander," Kathryn replied with a smile. She still felt rather odd knowing that the Bretori had insisted on renaming two of their newest ships in their honour--well at least they hadn't named it the Janeway as someone had suggested. They were rather put out that the Doctor didn't have a name, but at the last minute, he'd come up with Zimmerman for the name of second ship. "Steady as she goes Mr. Paris."

"Aye Captain, holding at warp 7.5," the pilot confirmed.

"I wish them all the best," Chakotay said. "And I hope they do decide to rebuild their Federation before rushing headlong into war--a lot of people were very angry."

"Yes," Kathryn agreed. "But Lady Ankare believes that if Lord Skoteri can remain leader of the Council for at least the next ten years, there won't be one for at least a decade. Hopefully by then, the warmongers won't be so quick to lose their children in war before they truly have to. All we can do is hope they continue to rebuild and that the Clatu doesn't try a pre-emptive strike. Well, we stayed longer than I expected to, but it was not without its rewards. However, I'll be glad when we leave this region; these Clatu sound far too ruthless for my comfort."

She smiled at him, and leaned closer to continue the conversation. "It was an interesting first contact."

"Yes it was," he replied, rising. "The Bretori are an extraordinary people. If you will excuse me," he said formally. She nodded and he wasted no time leaving the bridge.

#

Part 5
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