Part 1
Chakotay looked around at the area they’d transported to. The air was very warm, and he was glad for the less insulating clothing he had been given. The vegetation looked tropical or subtropical. The area was surrounded by walls of a pale pink stone; paths were paved throughout in a similar material. A fountain nearby flowed into a large pool that looked to be about waist-deep. He was sure it was meant to be decorative, but he couldn’t help wanting to take a swim all the same.
A young woman approached them from the nearest wall. “Welcome back, milady,” she said with a half-curtsey. “And welcome to our guests,” she added, nodding at Voyager’s senior officers.
“Thank you, Maral. Could you show our guests to their rooms?”
“Certainly, milady,” Maral answered. She headed out in a different direction, followed by Voyager’s senior staff. Kes, holding her daughter, followed calmly, even though it was obvious she already knew where she was going.
Maral led them to a stone door; she pressed a button and it slid aside, making a grating sound. They followed her down a short hallway, through an archway, and into a large, open hall. Couches and chairs were set up around the room in small groupings. Chakotay estimated that there were more than enough seats for Voyager’s entire population, and yet the furniture wasn’t enough to make the room look crowded. The room was empty of people, and Chakotay wondered where the rest of the crew was.
“That archway leads outside to a road to the city. Once you’ve settled in, you’re welcome to explore the marketplace. If you head down the hill to your right, you’ll find a beach that many of your group seem to be enjoying,” Maral said, indicating the archway opposite them. “The opening to your left takes you to the dining room. There is plenty of food available any time, but from what I understand of your group’s habits, they should be gathering to eat in about an hour.” She then headed to the right, toward the fourth and last archway. “And this way leads to the sleeping area. Your rooms are all on the second floor.” She took them down a hallway and up a flight of stairs, walked a fair distance down the second-floor hallway, and then stopped. “Which of you are the two that are married?” she asked.
“We are,” Tom said as he and B’Elanna stepped forward.
Maral opened a door to reveal a small sitting room with a loveseat and a table with two chairs. “The bedroom is on your right and the bath is on your left.” She gestured to a gold brocade rope hanging by the door. “If you need anything, just pull that rope and someone will contact you. They can bring you fresh towels, toiletries, something to eat if you don’t want to go downstairs, or anything else you’d like. Some more clothes will be brought up for you this afternoon, and there’s a bag in your bedroom you can put them into when you’re done wearing them.”
Tom and B’Elanna looked at each other, thinking that they were being treated more like resort guests than refugees. “Thank you,” they said together. They looked at Chakotay for instruction.
“Go ahead and get settled in; we’ll meet for lunch in an hour,” he said. They nodded at him and entered their suite, closing the door behind them.
Maral smiled and turned toward a door across the hall. “You must be Seven of Nine,” she said to Seven. Seven nodded. “You’ll be sharing this room with Kes and Lilia.” She then addressed Kes. “Remember, Kes, if it gets too crowded, we do have a staffed nursery downstairs where she’s welcome to stay. And that goes for this little one, too,” she added, looking at Elizabeth.
Chakotay felt momentarily uncomfortable. “Thank you, but I’ll be taking care of her until her mother gets back.”
Maral nodded, but Chakotay sensed silent disapproval. She moved on to the next door, across the hall. “Doctor and Tuvok?” The two men stepped forward. “These are your rooms. The bedrooms are to the right and left, and the bath is in the center.” They nodded and thanked her. The Doctor decided not to mention that he didn’t sleep; he was a bit excited at the prospect of having personal space for the first time in his existence.
The next door led to Harry and Neelix’ rooms. Maral then led Chakotay and Elizabeth around a corner to a door at the end of the next hallway. “This was to be Captain Janeway’s room, but since you’re caring for the child the governor thought it was best to put you here for the time being. Elizabeth’s room is the one in the middle; the other bedroom is to the left and the bath is to the right.”
“Thank you for all your hospitality. We very much appreciate it,” Chakotay said. He knew that they were very lucky to have found such generous people, although he still didn’t understand their motives.
“You’re welcome. Remember, just pull the rope if you need anything,” Maral said. She made a motion that was somewhere between a bow and a curtsey, then left. Odd, Chakotay thought; it almost seemed as if her motion had been directed toward Elizabeth.
He turned to look at the baby now. “Well, kiddo,” he said, “let’s explore our new quarters. I suppose you’d like to get down.” He was rather surprised when she nodded, but placed her on her feet. She immediately clutched his leg and didn’t let it go until he had taken her hand in his. She toddled beside him as he explored the rooms.
The suite was opulent, more luxurious than even the finest hotel rooms. He entered the room to the left first and found an enormous bed, a good bit bigger than a king-sized bed. Four or five adults would be able to sleep there comfortably, without coming near each other. The next room held a normal-sized crib, but it shone brilliantly, and he wouldn’t be surprised if it were made out of gold. The bathroom held a tub large enough to swim in, as well as a sink that was quite large enough to bathe Elizabeth. All in all, the apartment appeared to have been designed for a visiting dignitary, or even royalty. Chakotay could sense that something very strange was going on here, and he was determined to discover what it was.
Part 2
Chakotay entered the dining area to see a wonderful sight—the crew of Voyager, happily enjoying a meal together just as they had before the Krenim attacks began. There were differences, of course; this room was about four times the size of Voyager’s mess hall, capable of holding the entire crew. And it looked like everyone was here, which of course was impossible on Voyager. Food was set out on a long table running along one side of the room, and although Chakotay couldn’t identify anything it looked colorful and quite appetizing.
He moved about the room, greeting people here and there and receiving smiles in return. Several people asked about Captain Janeway, and he told them she had had an accident and was recovering in one of the planet’s medical facilities. No one seemed surprised that he had taken over Elizabeth’s care from Kes.
Neelix, Harry, Tuvok, and the doctor had beaten him downstairs, and Seven and Kes came in shortly after. Kes came directly to him. “Commander, there are some things we need to discuss,” she said.
Chakotay nodded. “Shall we get something to eat and then find a table?” he asked. Kes nodded. They found their way over to the doctor, who was making rounds among the crew checking on everyone’s health, and asked him to watch Elizabeth and Lilia while they got plates. He was more than willing.
“What does Elizabeth usually like?” Chakotay asked at the food table, getting a plate for himself and one for her.
“She eats mostly fruit and cereal. And they’ll puree some vegetables for her if you ask,” Kes answered, nodding to several Quislai standing behind the table and making sure it was kept full. “She won’t eat the nuts and beans they’ve given us as a protein source, but I haven’t been worried too much because she seems to be healthy.”
“Are the Quislai vegetarian, then?” Chakotay asked.
“Yes. As a matter of fact, they apparently are completely vegan and don’t require much protein or fat in their diets. We had to let them know which amino acids we need when we first arrived.”
Interesting, Chakotay thought. He knew that Elizabeth had always turned her nose up at anything with protein in it; maybe this species was related to the Kyrae somehow.
Plates in hand, Chakotay and Kes found a table, then retrieved Elizabeth and Lilia from the doctor. By the time they got back to their table, two Quislai were already there setting up high chairs for the babies. Chakotay had gotten Elizabeth a plate full of finger food: slices of several different fruits, some raw vegetables in stick form, and some interestingly shaped pasta noodles without sauce. It would be easier to focus on his conversation with Kes if he wasn’t worried about keeping her clean. He set the plate in front of her, and she immediately and noisily went about eating it.
“I see she’s developed the toddler mentality of ‘play with your food as long as you possibly can before you eat it,’” Chakotay said. Kes agreed wholeheartedly as she spooned a mashed banana-like fruit into Lilia’s mouth. “So, tell me what you’ve been up to for the past six weeks,” Chakotay said.
Kes told him how they had found the space station and obtained transport to the planet. Chakotay was very surprised to hear that they were now more than 400 lightyears from Krenim space.
“Well, I guess retrieving Voyager is out of the question, then,” he said. He still hadn’t completely resigned himself to the fact that they had probably lost Voyager forever. “So what are they planning to do with us now?” he asked. They certainly couldn’t stay in this resort-like setting forever.
“I don’t know,” Kes answered. “Governor Elara never discussed what would happen after we found you. Of course, we were expecting to get Voyager back more or less in one piece.”
“Yes, that does present a problem,” Chakotay said. Without Voyager, the hundred and fifty-odd people in this room had virtually nothing. They didn’t even have rudimentary transportation; the three shuttles couldn’t possibly hold anywhere near their full number. “Have they discussed anything with you about payment for all of this?”
Kes shook her head. “That’s what’s been bothering me. They seem like a truly kind and generous people, but this goes above and beyond what I would expect anyone to do for a hundred and fifty refugees from the other side of the galaxy. It just seems like they have to want something in return.” She paused a moment. “I asked Governor Elara if there was any work we could do in return for the hospitality they’ve offered us, but she flatly turned me down. I couldn’t even convince her that we don’t need all these servants.”
They finished their meal as Chakotay told Kes about the events that had occurred after the crew had left: Captain Janeway’s accident, the warp core explosion, and their rescue by the Quislai. Just as they were finished, Chakotay felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Governor Elara standing at his shoulder.
“Commander Chakotay,” she said, “I came to let you know that Captain Janeway is in our medical facility, and she’s asked to see you. Is this a good time?”
“Of course,” Chakotay answered, pushing away from the table. “I assume she wants to see Elizabeth as well.”
Elara nodded. “She’d also like to speak to Kes, and she said your doctor would probably want to talk to our healers before they get started.”
Chakotay lifted Elizabeth from her high chair and motioned the doctor over. Kes found Seven and left Lilia with her, and the four of them headed out with the governor.
Part 3
The medical facility was near the governor’s palace, still on the outskirts of the city. Governor Elara was immediately recognized, and a friendly young girl, who Chakotay thought couldn’t be any older than fourteen, led them to Captain Janeway’s room.
She was propped up in bed when they entered, and she smiled when she saw them. The room was very nice, with plenty of comfortable chairs, deep plush carpeting, and a large picture window looking out on the courtyard, but it still had that unmistakable feel of a hospital room.
“Oh, little one, Mommy missed you so much,” was the first thing Kathryn said, to Elizabeth as Chakotay brought her over. She cooed over the baby for a few moments, then turned her attention to the rest of them. Elizabeth then sat quietly in Kathryn’s lap, playing with her mother’s fingers.
“Captain, my name is Elara, and I’m the governor of Terisen,” Elara said, stepping forward after Kathryn had turned her attention away from Elizabeth.
“Pleased to meet you,” Kathryn answered. She automatically put her right arm out, but pulled it back when she remembered that there wasn’t a hand there anymore. “And thank you so much for your hospitality.”
“Oh, you’re quite welcome,” Elara replied cordially. “We’re always glad to help a friend in need.”
“We’ll repay you, of course, as soon as we’re able,” Kathryn said. She had no idea how they would be able to manage that, but she supposed they would figure out something.
“Oh, there’s no need to do that,” Elara said. “It’s already been taken care of. My aunt is financing your crew’s stay here, as well as the repair of your ship.”
“Your aunt?” Kathryn asked, quite confused.
Elara smiled. “She’ll be coming here as soon as she has a chance, and I’m sure she’ll be able to explain everything.”
Kathryn considered for a moment. “But Voyager lost its warp core; how can you repair it?”
“Why, we’ll simply build you a new one. There just happens to be a very good shipbuilding facility on Parena, which is only a few lightyears away from here. I’m sure with your specifications and help from your engineers they’ll have no problem building whatever you need.” She paused for a moment, then smiled. “We have everything taken care of; you just need to worry about getting better.”
Kathryn smiled back. “Thank you,” she said. She wasn’t used to letting other people handle everything, but she supposed she’d just have to live with it for now.
“Well, I’ve got to be going,” Elara said. “Brineda will get you a transport when you’re ready to leave,” she said, motioning to the woman who’d been watching from the edge of the room since they’d arrived. Then she turned and left.
Brineda smiled at them and spoke. “I’m Brineda Darin, and I’ll be overseeing Kathryn’s care while she’s here.” Chakotay glanced at Kathryn, but she didn’t have any adverse reaction to the use of her first name. “I expect you’ll all want to know exactly what we’ll be doing with your captain,” she added with a smile.
They all nodded. Brineda took a seat and motioned for the rest of them to do the same. The doctor spoke up. “Yes, and as Captain Janeway’s physician,” he said with a nod to Janeway, “I’d like to be as involved as possible with her treatment.”
“That’s good to know, because we’ll certainly need your help,” Brineda answered. “We’ve never dealt with a human before, so we’ll need you to tell us if we’re going to do something wrong. I’ve prepared a comprehensive overview of Quislai anatomy and physiology for you; if you’d like, you can study that and let us know about any major differences.”
The doctor nodded. “That would be excellent; thank you.”
“Although I don’t think we have too much to worry about,” the woman added with a smile. “We already know that human and Quislai genetics are compatible.” The confused expressions in the room following her remark surprised her. “You did know that the little one is half Quislai, didn’t you?” she asked, gesturing to Elizabeth.
Kathryn answered, “Her father is Kyrae, not Quislai.”
“There must have been some mistake,” Brineda answered. “She has unmistakable Quislai blood. Did you bond to her after she was born?” Kathryn looked a bit confused. “For about seven weeks after she was born, did you have to stay in physical contact with her almost constantly?”
Kathryn nodded. “We thought,” she said, gesturing around the room, “that that was just some kind of a fluke, or maybe because she’s telepathic.”
“Well, right there you’ve got two proofs that she’s not Kyrae. None of them are telepathic, and they don’t bond with their children like we do.”
The doctor pulled out his tricorder and ran a quick scan of Elizabeth. He then turned to Brineda. “May I?” he asked.
“Scan me with that device?” she answered, bemused. “I don’t see why not.”
The doctor scanned her, studied the readings for a moment, and then looked up. “There’s definitely a genetic correlation…I can’t say for sure with just one scan, but it is probable that Brineda is of the same species as Elizabeth’s father.” He looked around at the others, who still seemed dubious. “I can tell you that this will help me quite a bit,” he said, turning back to Brineda. “Do you have some resources on Quislai child development that I can review as well?”
“Of course,” she answered. “And Kathryn, I’m sure you’d like to look at some of that too.” Kathryn nodded. “That said,” Brineda continued, “I suppose we should get back to discussing your treatment. What we usually do in cases such as this is stimulate the body’s cells to regrow themselves. The spinal injury is fairly easy to fix, since it’s only a few cells, but the arm will take quite a bit of time and effort. Since regrowing a limb is very draining on a patient, we’ve found that it’s best in these cases to put the patient into a coma for the duration of the growth period. In Kathryn’s case, our estimate is that it will take about two weeks to fully regrow her arm.”
The doctor looked surprised. “How are you going to stimulate the cells to grow?”
“The healers here have a natural healing ability,” Brineda replied. “Many Quislai have various psychic abilities, and one of these is the ability to heal. Those who have the ability and who wish to make it their profession become healers.”
“Do you have to have a healing ability to be a healer?” Kes asked.
“To be a healer, to do the type of work they’re going to be doing with Kathryn, yes. But most of the people in the medical profession are not healers; I myself have no healing abilities. Nurses and physicians without healing ability take care of most problems that do not require major cell regeneration.”
“I see,” Kes replied.
“Were there any other questions?” Brineda asked. “I believe Kathryn is eager to get started.”
“I have some things I’d like to speak to you about, as well as whoever is doing the healing,” the doctor said.
“All right,” Brineda said. “The healing team is standing by, so you can talk to them as soon as we’re finished here.”
“Do you have any concerns, Captain?” Chakotay asked Kathryn. Brineda had paid little attention to her as she spoke.
“Oh, no, Brineda went over everything with me before you…” She stopped speaking, winced slightly, then arched her back as if in pain. Everyone in the room was at her side in an instant. “My back…” she gasped.
The doctor pulled out his tricorder, scanned her, and then stood staring in shock at the readings. Brineda activated a console at the end of the bed and stood looking at it in surprise as well. Chakotay lifted Elizabeth up from her position by Kathryn’s side, while Kes talked to her calmly. “I thought you weren’t going to do anything yet,” the doctor said, still appearing shocked.
“We didn’t,” Brineda answered, quite surprised herself.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” Chakotay sounded worried.
“I can feel my legs,” Kathryn said with awe. Everyone looked at her. She looked at Elizabeth. “What did you do?” she said softly.
*Did I hurt you, Mommy?* Elizabeth pathed. *I didn’t mean to…I tried to make it better.*
“You did, little one,” Kathryn responded, unaware that she was speaking aloud. “You made Mommy’s back better.”
Part 4
Kathryn shifted slightly and moaned. She didn’t want to wake up, she felt far too sleepy…but the ache in her right arm was growing more insistent. She opened her eyes just a slit, then opened them fully when she saw that the room was dim. A familiar face was looking down at her, and she studied it, confused. “Chakotay?”
He smiled. “Welcome back.” She felt his hand cover her left hand, which was good because it wasn’t the one that was throbbing.
“Where am I?” she asked.
“You’re in a medical facility on Terisen. You just came out of a coma that they put you into while they repaired your arm,” Chakotay responded gently. Brineda had asked him to be with Kathryn when she first woke up, and had warned him that she would be confused for a few minutes.
Kathryn was silent for a moment as she absorbed the information. Then she said, “Was Elizabeth here? I know I sent everyone away, but I thought I saw her a little while ago.”
“Yes, she’s here. She’s out in the waiting room with Seven, and she can come in in a few minutes. We found everyone, and the whole crew is here on Terisen.”
“That’s good,” Kathryn said. “Can I have some water?”
“Of course,” he answered, noting that the confused look in her eyes seemed to be clearing. A pitcher and cup were on a stand nearby; he poured her a cup and handed it to her.
She took a sip, closed her eyes, and then opened them again. “It’s been two weeks, hasn’t it?” she asked. Chakotay nodded. “Has the governor’s aunt arrived yet?”
“Not that I know of,” he answered. She seemed to be fully aware of what was going on now. She asked if Elizabeth could come in now, and he gladly obliged.
Part 5
Chakotay smiled as he entered the medical center for what he hoped would be the last time. Today, a month after she’d come out of the coma, Kathryn was finally leaving the medical center. He’d visited her every day, throughout the month of grueling physical therapy, and knew she was very eager to leave. She would have to return for more therapy, of course; she still couldn’t walk more than a short distance without a cane, and the muscles in her right arm were still very weak; but at least she would be with her daughter and her crew.
He entered her room to see her seated in a chair, a small bag at her feet. “Ready?” he asked.
“Believe me, I’m ready,” she said with a wry grin. She slowly pushed herself up, with a bit of help from Brineda, who was standing nearby, and then gave the older woman a hug. “Thank you for everything,” she said. Chakotay watched with interest. He knew that Kathryn and Brineda had talked quite a bit during her time here, and he suspected that she had been assigned to Kathryn to help with her emotional needs as well as the physical ones. Kathryn had already told him that she wanted to have a long talk with him once she was released, and he suspected her talks with Brineda had something to do with that. He picked up her bag and held out his arm to her, and together they made their way outside.
“Oh, Chakotay, this place is beautiful,” Kathryn said, looking at the sky, trees, and flowers. “I don’t know how they manage to get any work done, living in a place like this,” she added as he helped her into the transport unit that was waiting for them.
“Haven’t you been outside before?” Chakotay asked, bemused.
“There’s a courtyard that I sat in a few times, but I never got the full effect of it,” she replied.
The car pulled up in front of the Voyager crew’s building; the trip had taken less than two minutes. Chakotay helped Kathryn out, and she leaned on him slightly as they walked into the main room. He had informed everyone that morning at breakfast that she was coming today, and now every single member of Voyager’s crew sat in the large room. She looked around at all of them with a huge smile on her face.
Elizabeth had been sitting on the floor playing when they entered, but now she looked up and saw her mother. She pulled herself to her feet and did something that Chakotay, Kes, and the doctor had been waiting for months for her to do: she walked, unaided, toward Kathryn. She sped up as she went until she was almost running; Kathryn fell to her knees and laughed as Elizabeth fell into her arms. Voyager or no Voyager, she was home.
Part 6
“Well, I have some rather interesting news,” Lieutenant Torres said. “Governor Elara asked me today if I’d be willing to go to Parena; it seems they want some input on the warp core. I think it would be a very good idea; in fact, I’ve been rather nervous at the prospect of Quislai engineers building a Starfleet warp core. I told her I’d have to speak to you, captain, and to Tom, but I really would like to go.”
The senior staff was gathered in the common room. The captain had already been brought up to speed on what had happened in her absence, and they were now on to a new topic. “I think that’s a very good idea, Lieutenant,” the captain said. “Would you be staying there all the time, or just during the day?” She really wasn’t sure how far away Parena was.
“The governor said I could come back every night, or I could stay there for five days at a time and come back here the sixth—apparently, they have a six-day work week.”
“Either option sounds like a good plan,” Kathryn says. “You have my permission to make whatever arrangements you deem best.” She yawned, and Chakotay glanced at her with concern. He could tell that she was exhausted, but she was, of course, refusing to admit it. She had Elizabeth in her lap and was leaning against him.
“What about me?” Tom asked. “Do I get any say in these arrangements?”
B’Elanna smiled. “The governor said you can come with me if I decide to stay overnight. Or I could come back every day…there are apparently a lot of people who commute between the two planets.”
“Hmm…maybe we should head to bed and talk about this in private,” Tom said.
B’Elanna nodded. “May we, Captain?” she said, turning to look at the captain, then grinned.
“So is the meeting automatically dismissed if the captain falls asleep?” said Tom with a soft laugh.
Chakotay looked down at Kathryn, whose head had fallen practically in his lap, and found that she was indeed asleep. “Meeting dismissed,” he said with a smile of his own. “Although I would appreciate it if someone could get Elizabeth upstairs for me—carrying both of them might be a little hard to manage.”
The doctor volunteered. He lifted Elizabeth from the captain’s arms, Chakotay scooped up Janeway, and they all headed upstairs to bed.
Part 7
“Chakotay?” Janeway murmured as he gently lay her on her bed.
“It’s all right, go back to sleep,” he whispered as he slipped her shoes off.
“Where are you sleeping?” she asked in a voice that indicated she was still more asleep than awake.
“I’ve got a room down the hall,” he answered.
“Where’s Elizabeth?” was her next question.
“Just through that door,” he said. He had shown her the rooms earlier, but her sleepiness was making her forgetful.
“Could you…would you stay?” she asked hesitantly. “Just in case Elizabeth needs something, and I can’t get up…they seemed to think that she would be staying in some kind of nursery, and I wanted to leave so I didn’t tell them…”
“Yes, Kathryn, I’ll stay. Now sleep,” he said gently, pulling a light blanket over her. She closed her eyes and was asleep immediately.
Chakotay quickly changed into his pajamas—most of the clothes the Quislai had given him were still in the room—and slipped into the bed, rolling to a position near Kathryn but still a decent distance away. He would stay tonight, but tomorrow they were going to have a long talk, he thought as he slipped into sleep, and Kathryn was going to have to make a decision.
Part 8
Elizabeth woke early—she knew it was early, because the stars were still out. In her old home, there had been stars all the time, but here the stars were only out when it was time to sleep. The rest of the time, it was bright. She liked this place, mostly, but she had missed Mommy. But now Mommy was here, she remembered, and Mommy had said that she wouldn’t have to go away again.
She had woken up because she had to go to the bathroom. She hated diapers, and had started using the toilet as soon as she could crawl. Mommy had even replicated a little one that was just her size; she had sent it with Kes, and it was in the bathroom right now. She still had to wear diapers at night, though, because sometimes she didn’t wake up.
Tonight, though, she had woken, and she didn’t want that wet feeling. She lifted herself into the air, over the bars of her crib, and gently down to the floor. She had gotten very good at lifting herself and other things during the time that Mommy was gone, always being very, very careful not to let it get hot. She crawled into the bathroom, used the potty, got dressed again, and lifted herself up to the sink to wash her hands. She kept a mental ear out for Mommy and Chakotay, thinking that they might be mad at her if they came in and saw her hovering in midair, but they were both still asleep.
Elizabeth crawled back to her crib, but then wondered if maybe she could go in and sleep with Mommy. She remembered when she was very little, when she had slept with Mommy every night, but she’d had to sleep in another room as she got older. Maybe, though, Mommy wouldn’t mind if Elizabeth got in bed with her now, since she’d been gone for so long.
She crawled into the bedroom where Mommy and Chakotay were sleeping. She saw nothing wrong with the two of them being in the same room; in fact she considered it quite natural. Chakotay had been sleeping there, so of course he should continue to do so, and since it was the closest bed to her crib, Mommy would sleep there too. She reached the bed and saw that Mommy and Chakotay were both on their sides, with Chakotay’s arms around Mommy’s waist. Well, if Chakotay could curl up with Mommy, surely she could too. She lifted herself onto the bed, curled up close to Mommy, covered herself with the blankets, and went back to sleep.
Part 9
Kathryn woke up and was surprised to find her arms wrapped around a small, red-haired body. Elizabeth must have managed to sneak into her bed during the night, she thought. Then she heard a sigh behind her and felt the arms around her waist adjust themselves. She was confused for a moment, then remembered that she had asked Chakotay to stay last night.
She thought about getting up, but she knew that she would likely wake Chakotay or Elizabeth, or both. Besides, she was extremely comfortable… She lay awake for a few moments more, then drifted back to sleep.
When she woke up again, she was alone in the bed. She heard Chakotay’s voice drifting in from next door. “So, you’re not going to tell me how you got out of your crib, eh? Well, I guess I’ll just have to tickle it out of you!” She heard Elizabeth’s squeals of laughter then and smiled. She sat up carefully, reached for her cane by the bed, got up, and slowly moved over to the door leading to Elizabeth’s room. Chakotay was already dressed himself and was just finishing with Elizabeth. Elizabeth looked up and smiled at her as she appeared in the doorway. *Good morning, Mommy,* she heard in her head.
“Good morning,” she said out loud, both answering Elizabeth and speaking to Chakotay.
Chakotay turned. “Well, good morning, sleepyhead. Better hurry or we’ll be late for breakfast.”
“Why didn’t you wake me up?”
Chakotay smiled. “Oh, there’ll still be food there if we’re late, it’s just that most of the crew will be gone. I’ll finish getting Elizabeth ready while you get dressed.”
A few minutes later, they arrived in the dining room to find that they were not late after all. They managed to get plates and settle around the table. Chakotay had found that the only thing that wasn’t absolutely perfect about their stay was breakfast. The Quislai didn’t eat eggs—in fact, they found the idea rather repulsive—nor did they have a tradition of sweet bread items for breakfast like humans did. Breakfast was the same as the other meals—fruit, vegetables, breads and pastas made from whole grains, nuts, and beans. The Quislai had noted, however, that the Voyager crew tended to eat fruit and bread nearly exclusively in the mornings, and so they always provided an especially large variety of those items in the morning. It was still difficult for Chakotay to feel satisfied, though, and when he mentioned it to Kathryn, she said she felt the same way. The only one who seemed happy with the situation was Elizabeth, who managed to make a smeared mess of several varieties of fruit across her high chair tray while filling herself up.
After breakfast, Kathryn had to return to the medical center for three hours of physical therapy. While she was gone, he took Elizabeth to the beach as he had several times before. She loved to play in the sand, and he would occasionally take her out into the water; he managed to hold onto her despite her attempts to wriggle away and try to swim on her own.
This time, though, she didn’t pull him towards the water as she usually did. Holding his hand, she toddled down the beach until they were a fair distance away from the rest of the Voyager crew. He was about to pick her up and take her back when they rounded a bend and he saw what she’d been aiming for: two small children digging in the sand. The girl was about Elizabeth’s age, while the boy was a bit older.
“Commander Chakotay?” a familiar voice called. He looked further inland, and was surprised to see Governor Elara under the shade of the tree nearest the beach.
“Governor,” he called back. “Elizabeth kind of pulled me this way…” He felt rather embarrassed at intruding on what was apparently the Governor’s private beach.
“Oh, it’s perfectly all right, I’m sure she just wants to play,” Elara responded as Elizabeth continued to pull him closer. When she reached the other children, she let go of Chakotay’s hand and plopped down in the sand with them. The girl looked up and smiled at her, but the boy looked rather disturbed.
“Mama,” the boy called up to the Governor, looking slightly pouty. “I don’t wanna play with babies.”
“Telan, if you can’t play nicely, then I’ll call Aril and have her take you inside.” The boy puffed out his lower lip, but, clearly not wanting to go inside, went back to his play. “Come, have a seat in the shade, Commander.”
He thought that the distance was a bit far from Elizabeth, particularly now that she seemed to have mastered walking. “She has a tendency to run for the water if she thinks she can get away with it.”
“Oh, it’s quite all right. I’m kinetic; I can pull her back long before she gets into trouble.” Elizabeth, noticing that Chakotay’s attention was on the Governor and not on her, chose exactly that moment to climb to her feet and hurry towards the water as fast as her little legs could carry her. Chakotay was about to go after her when she was suddenly lifted into the air by an unseen force and gently placed right back where she’d been. She looked at the Governor with her own pouty look, then sat down again and began amiably playing with the other little girl.
Chakotay was still trying to get over his shock. He walked over to the tree where Elara was and sat down beside her. “Don’t look so shocked, Commander,” she said with a smile. “Don’t they have telekinetics in your part of the galaxy?”
“Very rarely,” he answered. “Are all Quislai telekinetic?”
“Good gracious, no,” she replied. “Ten, maybe fifteen percent have some kinetic ability. It can be very useful for those that do have it, though.”
“I can see that,” he responded. He remembered the time he had come upon Elizabeth dangling a ration wafer in midair; she must be telekinetic too, he thought. “Are these your children?”
Elara nodded. “The boy is Telan; he’s three and a half. Talia is just about a month older than Elizabeth.”
Chakotay nodded, vaguely wondering how Elara knew Elizabeth’s age so closely. His thoughts were interrupted, though, when the little boy suddenly got up and began running inland, calling, “Grandma!” Chakotay and Elara both turned to see a white-haired woman striding toward them. She gave little Telan a hug when he reached her, then took him by the hand and approached the two adults. As she got closer, Chakotay could see that her eyes were the same brilliant green as Elizabeth’s. Although her face was unlined, her eyes seemed to give Chakotay the impression that she was much older than Governor Elara—for that matter, much older than he was.
“Aunt Elara,” the governor said, rising to her feet and giving the other woman a hug. Chakotay also stood. “This is Commander Chakotay of Voyager,” she continued, but the older woman’s eyes were looking not at him but at the two toddlers still playing in the sand.
She moved forward. “And this is Elizabeth?” she asked in a musical alto voice. The younger Elara gave her assent, but it went unheeded.
Elizabeth looked up from her play, surprised. She was always able to feel the mental presence of those around her, but this woman was different. She was somehow brighter than anyone else, and the edges of her mind were much better defined than those of the humans Elizabeth was used to dealing with. The child reached out and instinctively recognized the power she felt, but she also felt a sense of welcoming. *Hello?* she sent tentatively. *Can you hear me?*
The woman smiled at her. *Yes, little one, I can hear you,* she sent back. *What’s remarkable is that you can hear me,* was the next thought Elizabeth “heard,” although more quietly.
*What does ‘remarkable’ mean?* was Elizabeth’s next question. She was surprised to feel the woman’s presence dim—but it still wasn’t like other people’s; it was more like a covering had been put over the woman’s light.
*’Remarkable’ means that I’m a little surprised,* the woman sent to her after a moment. *Most people don’t learn to talk like this until they’re much older than you are. Now, I have to talk to the grown-ups now, but I’ll see you again soon, all right?*
*OK,* Elizabeth sent back, and immediately returned her attention to the sand.
Chakotay watched as the older Elara and Elizabeth simply stared at each other for several long moments. Then, abruptly, Elizabeth went back to letting sand run through her fingers as the older Elara turned back to him and the governor. “Commander Chakotay, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you. My niece has told me quite a bit about you and the rest of Voyager’s crew.”
Chakotay had noticed during their time here that the Quislai didn’t seem to have any kind of gesture analogous to the human handshake, so he wasn’t surprised when Elara made no other gesture of greeting. “I’m glad to meet you as well,” he said. “We’re all very appreciative of your generosity.”
She waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. “Think nothing of it. And now, I’m sorry to be rude, but I really must speak with my niece at some length.” With that, Governor Elara gathered up her children, and the two women left; Chakotay carried Elizabeth back to their normal part of the beach, unanswered questions spinning in his mind.