CHAPTER 18

An hour later Janeway and Seven were seeing their guests out. When they closed the door and turned back into their home Janeway sighed heavily.

“I’m beyond glad that’s over and that we got everyone on board. This just might have a chance to work now.”

“Did you have doubts that everyone would understand and agree with us, Kathryn?” Seven asked as she gathered up coffee cups and headed for the kitchen.

“No, not really. Both Picard and Will have enough experience in command that they realize that sometimes Starfleet doesn’t know everything that’s necessary to get a job done. I was worried most about Admiral Pulaski and Shelby. But since they’re both on board it makes things so much easier.” Janeway finished tidying the great room, collected the last of the evening’s debris and headed for the kitchen too.

Once the house was restored to order they headed to the bedroom. As they readied for bed Janeway asked Seven her opinions of the evening.

“I did not have doubts about Commander Shelby since she had come to me asking for help. But I have met Locutus – Captain Picard – only once. The dynamic between Captain Riker and him is certainly different from the one I always sensed between you and Chakotay.”

“I believe the difference is that Picard trusts Riker completely. And Riker trusts Picard the same way. Chakotay and I never had that trust after what he did when you first came aboard Voyager. Once he disobeyed my orders and dissolved our alliance with the Collective I never fully trusted him again. Our trust was broken for good when Ransom kidnapped you on the Equinox. I was so desperate to get you back I was prepared to sacrifice Noah Lessing to get the information I needed.”

Seven stopped brushing her teeth and stared at her partner.

“Don’t get me wrong, I still think he would have talked before it became too dangerous to pull him out, but Chakotay disobeyed me and freed him. But I have to admit that if he’d died it wouldn’t have bothered me that much so long as I got you back. Either way, it was the end of trust between Chakotay and me.”

Seven finished rinsing her mouth and wiped it with a towel. “Kathryn?”

Janeway realized a full explanation was necessary. “I was crazy with worry for you. Ransom was desperate by that time; he knew if I could stop him he’d be tried for crimes against sentient life forms and could very well spend the rest of his life in solitary confinement. He had nothing to lose and everything to gain. I couldn’t be sure he would act like a Starfleet officer where you were concerned. When we discovered that you had locked out their power converters with Borg algorithms I knew he would kill you to get them. Why did you do that, darling?”

“If I had not Captain Ransom could have escaped from Voyager. Locking out the power converters was the only means I had to keep him from escaping.”

“But why wouldn’t you give him the codes when he demanded them?”

“I knew it was important to you that he be held accountable for his crimes by Starfleet standards. Not surrendering the codes was the only means I had to keep him within your reach.”

“You were willing to die to keep him within our reach? In God’s name, why?”

“Because it was important to you, Kathryn.”

The looked intently at each other for a long moment before either spoke.

“You had been on Voyager less than two years. Even then?”

“Even earlier, Kathryn. I knew I loved you in Arturius’ brig. When I said that I did not know where I belonged and you replied that I belonged with Voyager. Your words were ‘You belong with us.’ But your tone said ‘You belong with me.’ It was enough for me to realize how I felt about you.”

Janeway’s smile was rueful. “And I tried so hard not to let my feelings show through. I didn’t want to frighten you.”

Seven’s answering smile was warm and inviting. “And yet we still managed to convince ourselves otherwise until our return to Earth. We wasted so much time being foolish.”

Janeway moved next to Seven and slipped her arms around the taller woman’s waist. “I don’t plan to waste another moment, my love. Come to bed.”

Seven enfolded the smaller woman in her arms. “Yes, Kathryn.”

The next morning Seven woke before the chronometer alarm. Kathryn still slept; wrapped snugly in her arms. Seven had decided very early in their relationship that if she lived to be two hundred she would never lose the joy of waking with Kathryn in her arms. The feel of silken skin against her and the incredible warmth of their togetherness was nearly indescribable. They had discussed it frequently and neither could explain why they slept so well when together and so poorly when apart. They had finally realized that one of Kathryn’s explanations was probably as close as they would ever get.

“It’s a gift, darling.”

* * *

Deanna Troi stepped up to the information desk at the Starfleet Communications complex and asked for directions to Reg Barclay’s laboratory. The young ensign manning the desk asked her to wait while he called for an escort.

“I require an escort?” Her amusement was evident in the question.

“Yes, sir, Commander. Lieutenant Barclay’s laboratory is in the secure section.” He indicated a bench to one side of the lobby area for her to wait.

Several minutes later a junior lieutenant walked up to her and snapped to attention. “Counselor Troi? If you’ll come with me ma’am, I’ll take you to Lieutenant Barclay.”

The trip to Barclay’s lab took only a few minutes, but required their clearance through three separate security checkpoints. Once in the correct section of the building the young officer opened a door and gestured Deanna inside.

“Lieutenant Barclay is expecting you, ma’am.”

She walked through the door and saw the familiar tall, spare form of Reg Barclay. His holo-addiction, acute hypochondria and stray mutant gene had caused no end of problems on Enterprise, but his engineering brilliance went a long way toward balancing the account. Deanna had a soft spot for the officer who had single-handedly developed the means of communicating with Voyager in the Delta quadrant. As he turned to greet her she noticed that he looked a bit older than when last she had visited with him.

Crossing the room in three strides, he threw his arms around her in a fierce hug. “Deanna! I’m so glad to see you! Why didn’t I hear that Titan was returning to McKinley? I would have arranged dinner for us.”

“It was a quick trip Reg. We hadn’t planned on it but something came up suddenly. We leave again tomorrow, but I wanted to make sure I saw you some time before we did. You look good, Reg. Duty at Headquarters suits you.”

“And married life appears to suit you, Mrs. Riker. If I promise I know of a place where ninety percent of the dessert menu is chocolate can I convince you to have lunch with me?”

Deanna laughed gaily, delighted with Reg’s demeanor. “Reg, I’m so happy to see you again I’d have lunch with you even if the dessert menu was only twenty percent chocolate!”

They spent the remainder of the morning catching up. Reg introduced her to several other officers in his section and showed her some of the projects he was currently working on. Deanna was positive and supportive and managed to pump him dry of information on his personal life and what he had been doing since last they saw each other. Once they were at lunch and settled at their table she went to work on him for real.

“So, Reg, it seems that life has been good to you since Pathfinder. Whatever happened with that?”

“What happened with that? We figured out a way to contact Voyager and kept in contact with them for the last two years of their mission.”

“No, I meant after they got back. It just seems that the technology you developed would be so useful that it should be everywhere and yet there’s nothing left of it. Why is that?”

Reg looked away and tried to formulate a reply. “Well, Deanna, I…I…don’t know…know what you mean.”

“Reg,” she said gently, “You’re stuttering. I know you well enough to know that means you’re upset and you’re hiding something. What is it?”

“I, well, it’s…it’s…I can’t really talk about it, Deanna.”

“Of course you can, Reg. I’m your counselor. You can tell me anything in the strictest confidence. What’s happened with the project?”

“I’ve…I’ve received orders that…that make no…no sense. I’m supposed to drop everything and pre-prepare to install the…the system on an alien vessel!”

“Reg, just relax. Tell me about the communication system first so I understand and then we’ll talk about your orders.”

“Well, the system grew out of my work on Pathfinder. When we contacted Voyager we used a micro-wormhole and sent a data stream through it to them. But that system was limited in that unless you knew the projected course of the ship, you wouldn’t know where to open the wormhole so they could receive the transmission. It worked with Voyager because we always knew their course and projected speed. But to be truly useful the system has to work anywhere. So I set about trying to figure out now to create micro-wormholes using a portable system.”

“I’m trying to remember – what did you use for Pathfinder? An itinerant pulsar and a tachyon beam, wasn’t it?”

Reg beamed at her. “I’m surprised you remembered. Yes, we shot a tachyon beam from the MIDAS array at the pulsar and created the wormhole. So I started working on how to create one with a portable system so it could be deployed on or from a starship. Since the MIDAS array is in a fixed location the end point of the micro-wormhole would always be fixed, but the ship could open the wormhole from anywhere.”

“That makes perfect sense, Reg. But how do you create a wormhole?”

“It took quite a while to perfect the technique, but we discovered that an unstable warp field when hit with cascade harmonics in a tachyon beam will create a wormhole. Naturally, the power limitations of the warp engine limit the size of the wormhole, but it will create one. So what we developed was an unmanned drone that can be launched from a ship. When it reaches a thousand kilometers distance from the starship a small warp generator on board begins to form an unstable warp field. We then use a mini-deflector on the drone to project the tachyon bean and cascade harmonics at the field and we get a micro-wormhole. By utilizing the astrometrics data we obtained from Voyager we can point the exit aperture of the wormhole directly at the MIDAS array from anywhere in the Delta quadrant. When the data streams have been sent and received the drone collapses the warp field and returns to the ship.”

“My God, Reg, that’s amazing! And this works?”

“We’ve tested it with the Talaxian colony Voyager helped defend. They left a crewmember, Neelix, as a Federation Ambassador there; so there were protocols that allowed us to use their asteroid in the test. The system worked perfectly. It was immediately classified ‘Top Secret’ and the team disbanded.”

“And now, suddenly, you’re being asked to work on it again?”

“It’s more than working on it. I’ve been ordered to build three of the drones for a long-term deployment and to prepare to train non-Starfleet personnel in their use. Deanna, we don’t need communications like that in the Alpha quadrant. The only place we’d need those are in the other quadrants of the Galaxy! And they’re not even going on Starfleet vessels!”

“Reg, calm down. I can’t tell you much, but I can tell you that there is a very good reason for what you’re being asked to do. And, if you do your job well, it will mean that Will and I and everyone on Titan and Enterprise will be much safer.”

“And in the mean time, we’re giving them our communications system so they can talk with us regularly?”

“Yes, Reg. That’s the plan. Now, tell me, which of these fourteen different chocolate concoctions is best?”

When Deanna returned to her quarters on Titan that afternoon she immediately set about encoding the results of her conversation with Barclay into a thank-you note to Janeway and Seven for the dinner the evening before. She copied all of the principles that had attended the dinner and then went in search of Will knowing that Reg Barclay would bend all his considerable talents to insuring that the comm system he would send with the Free Borg would be the most reliable in the Galaxy.

* * *

When Janeway returned to her offices at Utopia Planetia, she was greeted as usual by the aroma of rich, freshly brewed coffee. She strode into the office suite, called a cheerful “Good morning!” to Radcliffe and once in her office dropped into her desk chair. As she powered up her board Radcliffe entered the office with a mug of fresh coffee and her office thermos filled with the same marvelous brew.

“Ethan, pour yourself a mug and sit down. I’d like to talk with you about something.” When the young officer was settled attentively in front of her she regarded him for a long moment thinking of the implications for his career. She decided the greater good of the quadrant outweighed individual concerns.

“Ensign, I’m about to trust you with not only the future of my career but very probably my freedom as well as Seven’s. You’re aware of the general facts of what’s happened over the past five days, but I’ve deliberately kept you here and away from the particulars. I don’t expect you to fully understand what I’m going to explain but I need you to try. If, when I’m finished, you feel you can’t go along in good conscience then I’ll have you reassigned and give you a glowing recommendation and my thanks for all you’ve done. If you decide to go along with my merry band of lunatics, it’s very possible that we’ll all wind up in a penal colony. Any questions so far?”

“No, Captain,” he said calmly sipping his coffee.

“Okay then. You know that the Free Borg carried a warning to us that the Collective was planning an invasion of the Alpha quadrant and the assimilation of humanity. I also think you were listening when the first salvo of Starfleet’s disapproval of Seven of Nine was heard. Since that first night they have unilaterally decided that she is a security risk and will not be involved in the arming, refitting or tactical planning of our fleet.” At this point it was Janeway who paused to sip her coffee. “It has also become apparent to everyone except the Starfleet brass that our efforts to stop the invasion will fail utterly without her assistance.” They regarded each other levelly for a long moment. Janeway sighed and formed her next words carefully.

“You’re just starting out in your career in Starfleet and the ideals of it have been drilled into you during your years at the Academy. They are noble and admirable ideals and something to which every good Starfleet officer should aspire. But sometimes, Ethan, the realities of politics affect how Starfleet implements those ideals. Sometimes, they get lost in the human failings of those in charge. And right now may be one of those times.” Radcliffe said nothing in response, merely continued drinking his coffee. “When that happens, Ethan, sometimes good officers need to take matters into their own hands. That’s why it’s so important that in day to day matters you always go by the book and dot all your is and cross all your ts. Because at some point in time you’re going to have to throw the book out and the only thing that will save you is that in everything else you went by it. I’m about to throw the book out, Ethan.”

“How, Captain?”

“Captain Picard, Captain Riker, Admiral Pulaski, Counselor Troi, Dr. Crusher, Commander Shelby and my entire senior staff from Voyager are going to violate our direct orders and utilize Seven and her eidetic memory to circumvent the Department of Temporal Affairs, Starfleet Command and very probably the Federation Council. We’re going to equip our fleet and our quadrant sensor grids with temporally illegal technology. If we’re discovered before we can persuade Starfleet of the necessity of our actions it will mean a very long stretch in the closest penal colony.”

Radcliffe set his mug on her desk and pulled out a small PADD. “What can I do to help, Captain?”

“Radcliffe, I’m not sure you fully understand the implications of what I’m…”

“You’re saying that you and the others are trying to save Starfleet from itself. The brass has never, for the most part, dealt with the Borg. Certainly not as frequently or as closely as you and Picard and Riker have. And no one in the galaxy except maybe Korok’s troops have the experience with the Collective that Seven has. To ignore her knowledge because of irrational fears of what she was is foolish. Our goal is to save humanity from assimilation; to attempt to do so without the best tools available condemns us to failure before we even get started. I repeat, what do you need from me?”

“I want to use you as a clearing house and central contact point for our little cadre. You’ll be getting seemingly trivial communications from Picard and the others; they’ll contain encoded messages. Your job will be to decrypt them, keep track of progress and to keep all of us up to speed with what’s going on. Routine communications going through my aide should be regarded as business as usual by the powers that be.”

“Of what exactly am I supposed to track the progress?” he inquired with a grin.

She slid a PADD across the desk to him. “Here’s a list of everything we’re working on right now. That list will change on a regular basis I’d guess, but that will do to get us going.” She leaned back in her chair sipping her coffee as he accessed the PADD and read the contents.

Of all the ideas that had been tossed around, discussed, dissected and hashed out the evening before they had managed to formulate ongoing plans involving every member of the secret cadre. Seven would continue to build, test and perfect a slipstream drive. Once that project had progressed to the point where TPG would be involved and a prototype built she would shift her focus to the ablative hull armor and rotating shield harmonics systems. B’Elanna, Tom and Harry would help oversee the quiet installation of the armor and shielding in each of the fleet’s vessels as they came through Utopia Planetia. Crusher, Pulaski and the EMH were to set up a replication process for the neurolytic pathogen and anti-Borg nanoprobes they would need. Riker and Tuvok were assigned the design of delivery systems for the nanoprobes and neurolytic pathogen for both personal and ships’ weapons systems. Janeway and Picard were to work on fleet tactics utilizing their armor and shielding advances. Battle tactics would be diametrically opposite of standard Starfleet protocols if they were utilizing nanoprobe technology: wide-field dispersal weapons would be the norm.

When he finished Radcliffe looked up at his commanding officer and nodded. “I understand, Captain. But surely you’re not communicating status reports openly?”

“No, Radcliffe, we’ve got an encryption system. Which I am about to teach you.”

Thirty minutes later Radcliffe had mastered the encryption and decryption protocols and had built protected files in which to store their communications. As Janeway examined his work she thought about how fortunate she was to have him. He had proven himself every time a challenge had been thrown at him. He had the makings of a fine officer and Janeway offered a quick prayer of thanks to the local deities that he would remain safely at Headquarters while they went hunting the Borg.

“Nicely done, Radcliffe. I’ve always managed to avoid having an aide before this, but right now I think it’s a shame starship captains don’t need them. Between your organizational skills and your coffee I’m going to miss you when we go after the Borg,” Janeway chuckled as she studied their hidden files.

Radcliffe’s heart dropped to his toes when those words registered. They had been completely spontaneous; Janeway had spoken them unconsciously. She intended to leave him behind when she went to war.  With a wrenching effort he composed his features to an impassive mask as his mind raced to process what he had just heard.

“Oh, I almost forgot,” Janeway continued, “I want to file my senior staff requests this morning so their orders will be cut today. I’ll fill the First Officer slot when I get back from my honeymoon, but I want to get the ball rolling with Tuvok, Torres, Kim and Paris. I want our EMH assigned to my flagship and I’m going to try and talk Kate Pulaski into coming out with us too. Her experience is just too valuable not to have with us. But I’ll need to follow protocol and ask her first and I don’t know if she’ll agree. She hates transporters with a passion. Just go ahead and send these files on to Starfleet Personnel and we’ll get the ball rolling on most of them. I can wait for Kate’s answer until I get back.”

Radcliffe’s face didn’t register his dismay at the orders he had been given. Instead he decided to take matters into his own hands. Taking the PADD with the personnel requisitions he smiled at Janeway, picked up his coffee mug and returned to his office.

* * *

That afternoon Janeway called Pulaski at her office. When the admiral activated the COMM link and appeared on her screen, Janeway wondered how her request would be received. She and Kate Pulaski had enjoyed a cordial relationship when Pulaski taught her at the Academy and had remained in contact throughout the intervening years, but Janeway didn’t know how the senior flag officer would react to shipping out under a former pupil. Or if she’d consent to shipping out at all.

“Good afternoon, Admiral, how are you today?”

“I’m fine Kathryn. For some reason I thought you’d be back in Indiana already but I can see you’re still at the office.”

“Seven and I are heading back home first thing tomorrow morning. We’ll be there until we leave on our honeymoon.”

“Where are you headed? Off-world?”

“No, Seven wanted to stay on Earth. She said she wants to see as much of it as she can so we’re heading to St. Lucia in the Lesser Antilles. The Windward Islands. I’ve got a secluded villa on a mountainside booked for us.”

The older woman’s eyes twinkled with mirth. “Did you call to ask me for a few hyposprays of vitamin B₁₂ so you don’t wear each other out?”

Janeway flushed in spite of herself. “I, uh, don’t think that will be a problem, Admiral. Actually, I called to make you a job offer.”

“A job offer?”

“Yes, a job offer. I need a Fleet CMO who knows about dealing with Borg implants and the effects of assimilation. My EMH will be on my ship, but I need someone in overall charge of fleet medical who knows what they’re doing. Interested?”

“You’re kidding, right? You can’t seriously be asking me to give up my Earth-based berth as Director of Starfleet Medical to get on another damned starship and go gallivanting around the galaxy with you. Hell, the last time you shipped out it was seven years before you got back to space dock! And there will be transporters involved, I just know it! You know how I feel about them!”

“If I promise to keep a shuttle available for your use and to keep you away from transporters if at all possible will you at least consider it?”

“Christ, I hate space travel!”

“Probably should have considered a career outside of Starfleet then.”

Pulaski subsided, grumbling. “I’ll never be able to work in a new office. I just got my desk chair to where it’s comfortable. My keister is too old to break in another one.”

“I’ll make sure you have a private office and you can bring your desk chair with you if you’d like. Admiral, you know we need you.”

“I do. But just because I know it doesn’t mean I’m going to make it easy for you to seduce me away from the job I’ve worked for my whole career. If you want me there’s a price.”

“Name it. If there’s any way I can meet it I will.”

Pulaski regarded her quizzically for a moment then smiled wickedly. “I want you to seriously consider someone to be your First Officer.”

Janeway was immediately on guard. “Who?”

“You don’t know her. She was a patient of mine during the Dominion War and we’ve stayed close. She needs to get back on a ship and you need a good First Officer.”

“What do you mean ‘she needs to get back on a ship’? If she’s a command officer why isn’t she on a ship now?”

“I’ll transmit her complete files to you. You can take them with you when you go back to Indiana and review them while you’re relaxing. If you want me on your ship, then when you get back from your honeymoon you’ll give her a serious interview and consideration for the position. That’s the deal. Take it or leave it.”

“I’m not required to accept her? As long as I give her a serious interview and a fair chance, then even if I decide to go with someone else you’ll still agree to come with us?”

“That’s right. Because if you give her a serious look I haven’t a doubt in the world you’ll want her in the command chair next to you. You’re a starship captain; that means you’re a bit of a gambler at heart. What do you say?”

“It’s a deal. Transmit her records to me this afternoon and I’ll take them with me to Indiana.”

“They’re already on the way. Your aide should be receiving them about now.”

Janeway chuckled quietly. “You were pretty sure of yourself, weren’t you?”

Pulaski grinned back at her. “I know how badly you need me. And I’m not above using that leverage to get a good officer back where she belongs. I’ll see you next weekend. I’m working on a particularly embarrassing toast for the reception. Pulaski out.”

Thinking back on some of her more embarrassing moments while at the Academy, Janeway grimaced as she deactivated the COMM. She hit the intercom.

“Radcliffe? I’m expecting a file from Admiral Pulaski. I need you to…”

Ethan entered her office with a PADD in hand. “Got the records right here, Captain. They just arrived. And speaking of arriving, won’t Seven be getting home about now? You need to be leaving for home real soon.”

Janeway stood and took the PADD from him, slipping it into the inner pocket of her tunic. “You’re absolutely right, Ethan, and I’m leaving right now. I’ll see you Friday afternoon at the rehearsal. Don’t hesitate to call me this week if you need me.”

“Don’t worry, Captain, I will. Good luck this week. I’ll see you next weekend.”

The two shook hands and Janeway departed for the transport center and home.