by Melanie
"Of course, Captain. We would expect no less."
"And I want to know why my Conn Officer is on your ship."
"My commanding officer is one who prefers to hear things first hand, Captain, not read about them in reports. Since he wants to know what's happened to all of you here in the Delta Quadrant and he's known Mr. Paris since he was born, he beamed Mr. Paris over to our ship to speak with him."
"He couldn't wait to see him? He just beamed him off of our Bridge without a word."
"For some reason the Gopher Hole has scrambled our external communications systems, Captain. Internal's working, but the Hole really did a number on our external. Until we've isolated the problem and fixed it, we can't contact anyone outside of our own ship. Besides, it's been a long time since they've seen each other, Captain. Over five years. He was very anxious to see Mr. Paris. My apologies for the lack of patience on his part." He gestured to the chip in her hand. "Would you be more comfortable with me
returning to The Diogenes while you review the message or would you like me to stay here to answer any questions the moment they arise?"
"If your external communications aren't working, how do you plan to signal for return to your ship?"
He gestured to the small device strapped to his wrist. "The external sensors are working. They can pick up my signal from this and tell the transporter chief to recall me. Say we give you an hour to review the message then I beam back over or contact you if we've got the communications problem sorted out?"
"Fine. And I want to talk to Mr. Paris."
Raven shrugged. "I can't promise anything, but I'll do my best."
The second he dematerialized, Kathryn looked down at the chips in her hand then at her First Officer.
"Too good to be true?" he asked her.
"We'll have to see. Tuvok, yellow alert. I don't know what good it'll do though, since they can beam through our shields," she sighed. "Keep a close watch on the internal sensors. I want to know the moment anyone beams onto this ship who shouldn't be here."
-------
"They want to talk to him," Raven informed his superior.
"As I expected," the middle aged Vulcan in the white uniform answered. He did not take his eyes from the figure on the examining table in the medlab beyond the transparent aluminum window. "You told them what you were instructed to say?"
"And I think they believed me, but the Captain still wishes to speak with Paris. What do we do now?"
"You leave it up to me."
-------
After twenty minutes of wondering whether this was to be the happiest day of their lives or one of the worst, the Senior Staff assembled in the Conference Room to hear the Captain's decision on the authenticity of the message. She did not tell them immediately. Instead she played for them the recording of the Federation President and various experts from Starfleet Command outlining their plan for refitting Voyager enough for her to survive her trip through the Gopher Hole. When it was finished, the Captain looked at all of them, pausing on the empty chair next to B'Elanna.
"Have you heard from Tom?" B'Elanna asked anxiously, seeing where the Captain's gaze paused.
"Audio only, but yes," she nodded. "It was very brief, but he confirmed what Raven said. They are Special Ops, he's known their commanding officer for years, and he's briefing them on the past five years. He says there's another project Special Ops is working on that they need his input on. Apparently someone he used to associate with after he left Starfleet is the subject of an investigation by Special Ops and he's the only one left alive who can give them any insight into this guy."
Tom's mate shook her head. "I don't like this."
"I don't like Tom being off the ship either, B'Elanna, but they authorized Tom to tell me enough about this person they're after and, frankly, if his being absent from Voyager for a while will help them capture him, it's worth it." She shook her head. "I find it hard to believe Tom would know someone like the man their after. He's murdered thousands of people."
Shaking her head, she came back to the topic at hand. "Now, does anyone have any comments on this plan to refit Voyager?"
"There are a lot of repairs that have to be done before any refit can start," B'Elanna reported in Chief Engineer mode.
"Captain," Tuvok began to caution, "I feel I must remind you that this still might be an elaborate ruse."
"Yes," Kathryn sighed, "I know, and I want everyone on this ship to be on their guards. The computer may have verified who Raven was, and the codes imbedded in the message from Command and the President checked out, and Tom confirmed who they were, but there may still be something afoot. If they *are* up to something, I want us to know about it before they can do whatever *it* is. Everyone should be vigilant, but not obvious about it. Harry, you haven't found any indications of tampering with our computer?"
The ensign shook his head. "No. I've checked and rechecked. If they've faked Raven's security clearance, I can't find any evidence of it. I've gone over the encoding for the message as you asked me to and as far as I can tell, it's real."
"If anyone from The Diogenes is to be permitted on Voyager, I suggest they be accompanied by Security personnel," Tuvok suggested.
The Captain nodded. "Agreed. Any suggestions on how best we should explain to the crew the somewhat unusual makeup of this Assessment Team?"
"You mean the fact there are a Cardassian and a Romulan amongst them." Chakotay clarified.
"Yes."
"I think your just telling the crew that they are on our side and working *for* Starfleet Command should be enough for the majority of the crew."
"You think the Maquis will have a problem with a Cardassian being on Voyager."
He stared at his hands where they were clasped on the table. "Honestly, I for one am going to find it hard as Hell and I know some others will too." He sighed heavily. "But I think if I warn them about him ahead of time and make them see he's not aligned with the Cardassian Empire, but came over to Starfleet a long time before the War began, they should tolerate him at least."
"Can you?"
Chakotay thought about that for a long time then nodded. "If Starfleet's Special Ops has cleared him and this Romulan to work for them, then I'd hope they were trustworthy."
"Provided Special Ops is trustworthy," B'Elanna interjected.
"Exactly."
Kathryn massaged her temples. "And we cannot be positive they are. Why does life have to be so complicated?"
No one had an answer to that.
She looked at the Doctor and Neelix who had been quiet so far. "How about you two? Neelix, you interact with the entire crew on a daily basis in the Mess Hall. How do you think these interviews they want to do with them will go over."
The Talaxian leaned forward in his chair. "I think their counselor talking with each member of the crew to see how they've fared here and how they feel about finally getting home is a good idea, Captain, and the majority of the crew will agree with me. Some may not like talking about their feelings with a stranger and some are a bit... less than forthcoming with their feelings on any subject...." He shrugged.
"I'm sure it's nothing an experienced counselor has not encountered before. Doctor? These physicals they want everyone to have?"
He was silent for a moment. Since he had heard the news of The Diogenes and that Voyager really might be going home this time, he had been deep in thought. He still had no solid defense for his and his family's continued existence. He needed more time to develop his legal argument, time that he clearly was not going to receive. Help was here and it seemed this ship was going home. 'And you still have a duty to perform,' he reminded himself.
"I see no reason for these tests, Captain," the EMH dismissed at last. "I can vouch for the health of every member of this crew. There is absolutely no need for anyone to verify that."
Forcing a smile from forming at the insulted EMH's expense, Chakotay addressed him. "I think Command just wants to be on the safe side, Doctor. Besides, th
ey may have a point. No one on this ship has ever been through this Gopher Hole of theirs. Someone *might* just have a bad reaction to it."
"I still think it is a waste of time. I also wonder about this alleged Doctor of theirs, Yana. An Orion *female* with several advanced medical degrees?"
"I know the reputation of Orion females, Doctor," the Captain began, "but her credentials do check out."
Reluctantly, he conceded this point.
"And since we do have a little while until the repairs are completed and the refit is done. Might as well use it constructively and make Command happy by doing these physicals they want."
"But my time could be better spent working on my case, Captain."
She sighed. "Your case. Yes, I had forgotten about that."
He was more than a little ticked off to hear that. "Well, I can assure you *I* haven't."
"Have you found anything new?"
He grimaced. "No."
"Then I suggest you concentrate on the physicals for the time being. Once we get to the Alpha Quadrant, I'll speak to someone I know in the Judge Advocate General's Office. If she can't help you and your family find a legal position, no one can. Until then there's not much else we can do."
"Yes, Captain."
She surveyed the faces of the others. "Okay, so we're in agreement? We permit them aboard, under escort, and only after everyone has been informed of this Dumar and Pardan's presence?"
Everyone nodded.
"Well, then. It seems we're about to get company."
-------
In an anteroom to the medlab, the grey uniformed technician took a deep breath and attempted to explain his problem to the Vulcan who was staring disapprovingly at him after his last, somewhat incoherent attempt to answer his questions. "It isn't working. I mean, part of it *is* working and part of it isn't."
"Explain, Vassanji."
"I can't, not so far anyway. We're still going through his logs."
"He would not be stupid enough to record it in his log where anyone who was invading his privacy could
read it."
"And we are checking all of the other logs we downloaded from Voyager," Vassanji hastened to add. "So far we have found no mention of finding the device. There is, however, something we think you will find important. A little over two months ago, their Security Chief was seriously injured. So seriously he did not expect to survive. Since the two of them were alone together, Paris volunteered to accept the katra."
"You are saying they shared a body? For how long?"
"A couple of days."
"In form the Team of this development and monitor Tuvok closely."
"Immediately, sir."
"Is the download function one of the ones that is working?"
"No."
"So he will have to tell us what we want to know and what he may have told the others. Is it still recording?"
"It's too damaged for us to tell."
"What will happen if it is and it does not download?"
"The Implant he received is designed for long-term use. No one has ever had the need to go longer than seventeen months before downloading the information from his or her Implant. Theoretically, though, maybe it has enough memory space for... six, maybe seven years' worth of storage."
"And after that?"
"If the memory becomes full, the Implant won't record anything further."
"Voyager left the Alpha Quadrant slightly over five years ago now."
"So if it is still recording, there isn't much space left."
"What if it isn't? Would the information it has recorded before it was damaged still be stored?"
"Provided the damage did not erase the memory, yes. But since it won't download as it is, you would have to remove the memory core from the Implant, repair it, and download it that way. In order to do that, you'd have to remove it from his brain."
"Your point?"
"You'd have to kill him to get the Implant out."
"Then he had better tell me what we need to know before that becomes necessary." Alpha Two started for the door only to turn back. "What about the self-destruct function?"
"If you are asking 'Can he trigger it himself now that it's damaged?' I don't know. If you're asking 'Can you order it to destroy itself?' I don't know that either."
"Then find out. I want to know if it can be used if it becomes necessary."
"Aye, sir."
-------
To say some of the more militant Maquis were less than thrilled to hear about a Cardassian about to be in their midst was like saying everyone on board was thrilled with the imminent presence of a Romulan. It took Chakotay and Janeway at their most logical and persuasive, plus a heavy dose of reminding everyone that they *were* going to get home before a grudging acceptance was made for the presence of the enemy. They were not welcoming -- Dumar and Pardan would not be invited to anyone's quarters for tea -- yet the crew were going to tolerate the pair while they kept their eyes open for signs they were up to something. Showing their loyalty to the Captain and First Officer, no one flatly refused their requests they work with them.
So, it was onto a justifiably tense Bridge that Raven and his six companions materialized. The Assessment Team also looked wary, not of the Bridge crew, but of the team of Tuvok's best who had them surrounded. Raven stepped forward, handing the kit bag from over his shoulder to the nearest Security officer. "I assume you will wish to inspect our equipment."
The officer took the bad and inspected the contents then handed it back. "Just padds and tricorders, Captain."
One by one, members of the Assessment Team submitted to the same search. In the meantime, Raven began explaining the purpose of the Team. "My colleagues here are to ready to begin assessing damage to Voyager and begin repairs whenever you are satisfied as to our good intentions, Captain."
B'Elanna already was a tad emotional. There was Tom's abrupt disappearance and his failure to send a message reassuring *her*, not only Janeway, of his safety. Then there was the long list of repairs ahead of her and her staff -- repairs they had performed only two days earlier and now had to be repeated thanks to the Gherop. Now she had a Cardassian *and* a Romulan standing only a two meters away and this stranger was suggesting someone other than her staff was going to touch *her* ship. Quite understandably, she became a touch bit ticked off. "You'll begin repairs?!" she demanded, storming towards them from the
Engineering station. "We -"
A large male Klingon disengaged from the rest of the group and barred her from approaching the others. When she attempted to push past him, he asked her in Klingon to "calm down." She opened her mouth to tell him to get lost, only to be interrupted by his leader.
"Stand down, Lieutenant," Raven barked.
B'Elanna's head snapped around to growl at him, only to realize he was not speaking to her, but the male who was in her face.
Immediately, the warrior stepped back and stood at attention. Raven continued to stare at him for a moment then approached B'Elanna.
"I apologize, Lieutenant," he said, laying a hand on her shoulder. "I phrased that incorrectly. I meant to convey we were more than willing to *assist* with the repairs that have to be made. In fact, it would be easier for all of us if we did pitch in. It'll give everyone an opportunity to learn everyone else's working styles before the truly difficult work begins. Apology accepted?"
Only slightly mollified, B'Elanna nodded once.
"Thank you."
Uncomfortably with the near fight, Kathryn decided to change the subject. "Your story and the clearance codes in the message check out," she began, staring at their uniforms, "but I've never seen your uniforms before. Have the uniforms for Special Ops changed that much while we've been gone?"
"All of Starfleet's uniforms have changed, Captain. However, we can discuss that later when we have more time. Right now, the people who were attacking you when we arrived...?"
"The Gherop," she supplied for him.
"The Gherop. We detect
ed a message being sent from the last of the Gherop ships, probably back to their base, just before the ship was destroyed."
Janeway nodded. Harry, once he had reassumed control of Ops from the Helm after Tom had disappeared, had detected it too. "Voyager picked it up too," she confirmed.
"While we haven't been able to decipher it yet, it is logical to assume there'll be reinforcements on the way. By our preliminary evaluation, Voyager won't survive another attack."
"Tom took a lot out of her trying to avoid the attack," B'Elanna begrudged.
"We thought as much. Our main weapon will need a couple more hours to recharge so hopefully their base is a ways away."
Chakotay's eyes narrowed. "Main weapon? Whatever destroyed the Gherop ships?"
"Yes, Commander Chakotay. It is classified or I would explain how it works. Let's just leave it at the fact that it does work, but it will be a while before it can work again." Navy eyes turned to grey. "You don't have any idea where their base is, Captain?"
She shook her head. "So far we've only encountered a few of their raiding parties. Far as we can tell, they have a base somewhere and they leave it to systematically loot neighboring systems whenever the fancy strikes them. We must be getting close though. From all the warp trails, it would seem this is their main route for traveling. Their base has to be around here somewhere."
"And you came this way knowing that?"
"We didn't know it until it was too late and we were here."
"Then we'd better get Voyager repaired and get out of here A.S.A.P. Even if we only finish the repairs here, we can find a quiet, out of the way place somewhere to do the alterations in peace." He gestured to the Romulan male nearby. "This is our First officer, Pardan. He will be coordinating the Assessment."
The Romulan nodded to Captain Janeway then addressed Chakotay. "You are my counterpart, Commander Chakotay. We will adjourn to your office to discuss matters." He did not wait for an agreement; he merely headed for the turbolift. The stunned Commander and the two Security officers assigned to watching Pardan had to hurry after him at their Captain's nod.
