A CHILD OF HER OWN

By: Kagi Chan (aka Kaeda Ryan)
Disclaimer: Star Trek owns everything Trek. No infringement intended. However, some of the characters in this story are mine. Please contact me if you intend to use my work… Thanks…

Note: This is my very first fan fiction written for Star Trek. Voyager was also the first series of Star Trek which I started to love so that’s why this is a tribute to such a fine crew…

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After the Borg’s last attack two weeks ago, Voyager has sustained severe damage all throughout and was forced to retreat. The thought of that incident made Kathryn shiver. The things that happened that day were still very much fresh in her mind.

The Borg’s attack was swift and nearly too efficient. It was as though they were ambushed by this lone but powerful Borg cube. Hull breaches were detected on almost every deck of the ship. The Doctor had reported a multitude of injuries coming from all departments and the number continued to grow. For the first time, the Doc had to make the most out of the situation since the holodecks couldn’t be changed into an extension of the Sickbay, he had to request that the mess hall be utilized. After several more exchange of fires between both ships, all the auxiliary and emergency powers were transferred to the warp engines and the shields and allowing them to retreat. Unfortunately, after several light years of warp, the warp engines were in the verge of a core breach and the she was forced to have B’Elanna shut it down. With only the half impulse functional, she ordered Tom Paris to maneuver the ship to the nearest star cluster. Luckily, the Borg ship didn’t pursue them. The ship was just lucky enough to escape… A little too lucky.

Now, everybody were working round the clock to do the necessary repairs to the ship. Even her pregnant Chief Engineer had to forego the thought of resting.

“B’Elanna, I think you should take a break. Get some rest for you and the baby… You’ve been working double shifts for days now…”

She was devoting her attention towards the consoles lined in front of her. Her fingers were flying across it with greater speed and efficiency she never knew she had until now. “Rest, Captain, is not an option for me and Miral right now… I think she would just have to understand…I have to get the warp core up and running if we want to out run the Borg. I have already two teams assigned in repairing the power conduits. I estimate that full power will be back in around seven hours… Shields, sensors, and the transporters are currently undergoing repairs, I sent three teams an hour ago and they are still working on it. Estimated time for the transporters to be back online will be in a few hours.”

Janeway had no choice but to agree with B’Elanna more. She knew that only her young Chief Engineer and her team could fix the damages faster than any one she knew. Also she knew that B’Elanna knew this ship inside out like the back of her hand more than anyone else.

“Good work, B’Elanna. Notify me as soon as everything are in optimal levels.” She smiled. “I’ll be in my ready room.”

“Yes, Captain.” she replied and returned the smile. She averted her attention back into the consoles she was working on.

Janeway turned to leave. When she was about to approach the door, she pivoted and called out. “And B’Elanna…”

“Yes Captain?” she turned her attention to Janeway.

“If I learn that only minor repairs are left on this ship in seven hours time, I suggest you and Miral rest. I don’t want both of my trusted engineers to be too burned out now do we?”

“But Captain…” B’Elanna tried to reason.

Janeway cut in. “No BUTS, Lieutenant. I want you to rest and that’s a direct order. If you don’t do it, I’ll have security pick you up and have you escorted to your quarters!” Janeway turned to leave.

B’Elanna sighed in defeat and smiled. “Yes Captain.”
*******

Janeway has been in her ready room for a couple of hours now. She had a stack of PADDs on her desk and she had a hard time concentrating on them. She, too, just like B’Elanna had been working double shifts now eversince that last Borg attack. Unfortunately for her, she didn’t take her own advice. She didn’t get any rest that day, in contrary to what she had ordered B’Elanna to do hours ago. And just like her young Chief Engineer, she was on her second duty shift that day and had been on that work schedule for several days now.

She continued to stay up for days, dismissing the very thought of resting, in order to figure out a way to get her crew and her ship in one piece out of this seemingly Borg infested area as soon as possible. She was currently devising a route of passage that would circle around the space the Borg cube occupied and would put them back on track without even alerting them of their presence.

So far, so good, Kathryn thought wearily as she took a sip from her cold coffee. As far as she knows, her coffee was giving her the vitality and the energy she needed to tackle today’s work load. So far, so good, Kathryn thought again. Suddenly, her comm badge chirped.

“Kim to Janeway.”

“Janeway here. What is it, Mr. Kim?” she asked as she put down the PADD she was holding back on her desk.

“Captain, I think you need to see this. I have found an M-Class planet twelve light years ahead of us.”

“Have you already informed Commander Chakotay?”

“Yes Ma’am. He has asked me to run a detailed analysis as of now.”

“Good work, Harry. I’m on my way. Janeway out.” Kathryn took one last sip of her bitter brew before she left for the bridge.

*******

“Report!” Janeway exclaimed as she entered the bridge. She stopped and stood near the helm.

“It seems to be an M-Class planet with a high concentration of oxygen-hydrogen in its atmosphere. It is breathable, Captain.” Ensign Harry Kim replied from behind his station.

“Do we have it on visual range?”

“Yes, Ma’am.” Kim answered turning his attention to his console.

“On screen.” she ordered as she turned to face the viewscreen.

“It has abundant vegetation, most of them edible, and bears some similarity to Earth. Sensors are not detecting any atmospheric interference on the planet.” Chakotay added. “I detect lifesigns and they seem to be a pre-warp culture…”

Janeway fell silent for a moment, her eyes transfixed on the huge screen in front of her. …bears some similarity to Earth, the statement echoed in her head. Now she longed for Earth more than ever. Being stuck in this Delta Quadrant for almost seven years was making her homesick more than ever.

“Are there any signs of the Borg?”

“None are detected in long range sensors, Captain.” Tuvok answered.

She gave him a quick nod. She tapped the comm badge on her chest. “Crewman Chell, what is the status of our food supply there in the mess hall?”

Neelix had long left the ship to settle in with the other Talaxians they have encountered earlier. Ever since he was appointed as the Federation’s Ambassador to the Delta Quadrant, he has kept regular communications with Voyager and Pathfinder. Crewman Chell had also volunteered his services to run the Mess Hall in Neelix’s absence.

“Well, Captain I stated it in my report…”

“I regret to inform you that I haven’t been able to read your report yet, Crewman. So what’s the status?”

“It’s almost reaching the minimal level, Captain.”

“Meaning?”

“It would only last for a couple of months, the maximum of six, I presume…” Chell explained succintly.

“Thank you Crewman. I’ll look into that matter personally. Janeway out.”

The response from Chell was short but it was telling Kathryn that they would probably starve especially if the replicators aren’t in their optimal peak efficiency just yet. I have to ask B’Elanna to assign a few from Engineering to look into this matter, just in case, Kathryn thought grimly.

“Captain?”

“Yes, Commander?” she turned to Chakotay. He gave her a look that meant, What’s wrong, Kathryn? Are you feeling well?

She nodded, her face furrowed in thought, and tapped her comm badge again. “Bridge to Engineering.”

“Torres here, Captain…”

“Lieutenant, has the warp core been repaired? Impulse engines? The transporters? Shields?”

“The shields and impulse engines have been repaired, Captain. They are now in optimal working efficiency levels. As for the warp core, I’m still making a few minor adjustments to it now. Just give me an hour more to finish the adjustments, Captain.” B’Elanna requested.

“What about the transporters?”

“They are still under repair, Captain. We have encountered several difficulties with repairing it. It seems that in the last Borg attack, Transporter Room One and Two have sustained heavy damaged! More damage than we ever expected. I sent additional Engineering crew to work on it, but the transporters will be back online in 48 to 36 hours maximum…”

“Understood. Keep me posted, Lieutenant.”

“Yes, Captain. Torres out.”

“Mr. Paris, set a course for that planet. Full impulse.” she ordered.

Tom entered several commands on his console. “Aye Captain. Initiating full impulse.”

Kathryn sat down on her chair. “Engage.”

*******

“Engineering to Bridge.”

“Janeway here, what’s your status, B’Elanna?”

“I am happy to inform you that the Warp core has been completely repaired, Captain. I am about to re-initialize power to the core and activate it.”

“Do it.”

“Aye Captain.” Over the comm system, Janeway could hear B’Elanna enter commands into the console she was working on. “Captain, warp core has been re-initialized and activated.”

“Excellent work, Lieutenant. You may be relieved from your duties now and get some rest, Lieutenant. Janeway out.” Kathryn glanced at each and everyone of the expectant faces on the bridge. She smiled at them, especially at Tom. “Mr. Paris, how many light years are we from the planet?”

“We are approximately nine light years away, Captain.” Tom consulted his console before answering.

“Engage warp engines. Warp seven. Engage.” Janeway ordered as she stood up.

“Aye Captain.” Tom replied obediently as he entered the commands on his terminal. “Going to warp seven. Engaged.”

“Tuvok, Chakotay, follow me in my ready room.” she instructed glancing at both Tuvok and Chakotay. “Mr. Paris, you have the bridge.”

“Yes Captain.” was all Tom Paris when the Captain and the two other senior commanding officers left for her ready room.

*******

“Gentlemen, please sit down.” Janeway gestured for both men to sit. “Tuvok, do you think there any security risks involved in this planet?”

“If the inhabitants of the planet are of pre-warp culture, I believe there are none, Captain. However, I advise that we should not come in contact with these inhabitants since it violates the Prime Directive.”

“Agreed. Do you think it’s necessary to send a couple of your people from security if ever I send in an away team?”

“It is not necessary. Logic dictates that since these people are of a primitive culture, any ordinary StarFleet crewmember or officer for that matter can most likely take care of themselves. After all, if a violent encounter with these people is unavoided, their primitive means of weaponry is no match even for our phasers.” the Vulcan replied confidently.

“Captain if it’s okay with you, I plan to form an away team to scout the planet most especially for edible vegetation… And I’d like to bring crewman Chell with me.” Chakotay requested.

“Very well, Chakotay..” Janeway clasped her hands in front of her and sighed. “Gather as much information and vegetation you can get from that planet. Chell would be a good addition to your team. I think it would be wise that he be the one who chose the supplies we need in the mess hall.”

“May I suggest that the members of the away team set their phasers to stun mode. It would be advisable to use it since we are dealing with a pre-warp culture at hand…”

“Agreed.” She let her gaze travel between the two men. “If there are no questions, you are dismissed.”

The two men stood up. Tuvok left, while Chakotay stayed behind.

“Is there any problem, Chakotay?” Janeway asked looking up to meet Chakotay’s scrutiny.

“Uh, Kathryn, are you feeling alright?”

“Why do you ask?”

“You just look a little too tired… You need to get some rest, Kathryn.” He suggested.

“I’m perfectly alright, Chakotay. No need to worry. I’ll get some rest as soon as you and the away team are back from the planet.” Janeway stood and headed towards her replicator. “What would you like?”

Chakotay shook his head. “None for me, Kathryn, I’m going back to the bridge in a minute… Are you sure you are feeling fine, Kathryn?”

She nodded and smiled at her friend’s concern over her health. “I’m fine Chakotay, it’s nothing that a hot steaming cup of black coffee wouldn’t cure…”

Chakotay sighed. “Okay Kathryn, but the moment you feel nauseated, I advise you to go directly to sickbay!!!”

“Aye Commander!” Janeway chuckled at her friend’s insistence.

*******

“Captain, we are in orbit of the planet…” Tom Paris announced.

“Full stop.” Janeway stood from her seat. “Commander, are you ready?”

“Yes, Captain. We are ready for launch sequence.”

“Acknowledged.” She nodded in confirmation. “Mr. Kim depressurize the shuttle bay and open space doors.”

“Depressurizing shuttle bay and opening space doors.” Kim announced. “The shuttle has left Voyager.”

“Bridge to Delta Flyer Alpha Three.”

“Delta Flyer Alpha Three here, Captain.”

“Commander, always keep communication link with us. Update us in an hourly basis about your findings on the planet’s surface…”

“Understood, Captain.” Chakotay replied.

“And Commander, please be careful…”

“I… We will Captain. Delta Flyer Alpha Three out.”

*******

The away team returned several hours later with a full cargo of the planet’s varying vegetation. Chakotay dismissed the members of the away team for the rest of the day, so that they will have time to finish their report for the Captain. As for Chakotay, he decided to report to the Captain’s ready room.

Janeway was still reading a PADD in her hand when the door of her ready room chimed. “Come in.”

“Kathryn,” was all he said as he stood in front of her, obviously disappointed at her decision to not get some rest. After his brief scrutiny, she decided to put down the PADD.

“Chakotay… I wasn’t expecting you until tomorrow. Please have a seat.” she gestured him to take the seat across her. “How did the mission go?”

“Well suffice to say, we were able to gather a great variety of edible plants from the planet that would last us for several months to a year without using the replicators… Reports on our mission will be submitted on your desk early tomorrow morning…”

“That’s wonderful news.” Janeway smiled as she stood up to go to her replicator. “Would you like something to drink?”

Chakotay only shook his head. “No thank you.”

No matter how she tried to look vibrant and energetic that day, Kathryn couldn’t deny the fact that her body was rebelling against her. Her eyes were becoming quite dry and irritated from the successive days of no rest. And her face couldn’t quite hide the fact that she was tired. She looked very much exhausted, no matter how many cups of the dark brew she drank that day and the days before that.

“Hot coffee — black.” she ordered the replicator. Several seconds later, a hot steaming cup of the bitter brew materialized before her. While taking a sip from her cup, she walked back to her desk and sat down.

“Kathryn, I was wondering, would you like to get some dinner?”

The question caught her off-guard. “What?”

“I was wondering if it’s okay to ask you to come have dinner with me at the Mess Hall…” he smiled.

“What’s the ocassion, Chakotay?” she return his smile.

“Nothing, actually. I just wanted you to relax. You’ve done too much work in one day already. So what do you say? I’ll pick you up from your quarters at 1930 hours?” he stood up, preparing to leave. His eyes twinkled with delight as he saw her smile. Kathryn you are really so beautiful, he thought happily.

“1930 hours it is… What is Chell having for dinner tonight, by the way..?” she asked meeting his gaze.

“Well, he told me that he’s having Lost Paradise Veggie Delight and some Warp Core Pot Roast…”

She looked at him for a while lost in her own thoughts. Oh Chakotay, how do you ever put up with me?

“Kathryn?”

“What?” He grinned and stifled a chuckle. She blushed as she realized what she had done. She took a sip from her mug to hide the color rising to her cheeks. “…Uh um. Sounds delicious… I’m looking forward to it.”

Even a captain of a starship could be sometimes quite naive, he thought. Just like a teenage school girl. “Well Kathryn, see you then…” Was all he said as he turned to leave the room.

*******

She hardly had time to change after a quick shower when her door chimed. “Computer, what time is it?” she asked.

“The time is 1930 hours.”

“Come in.” she called out from her bathroom door. Her door opened and revealed Chakotay behind it.

“Kathryn?!?” Chakotay asked as he stepped inside Janeway’s quarters.

“Chakotay, I apologize for letting you wait but I’m still doing my hair…” she called out again from her bathroom. “Please come in and have a seat.”

“Thanks…” Chakotay answered as he took his seat on the nearest sofa.

Janeway grabbed the brush and blow drier from her bathroom sink and quickly did her hair. She added a light touch of make-up on her face and looked at herself in the mirror. Not bad for a quick retouch, she thought proudly. She went out of the bathroom and found Chakotay sitting, lost in his own thoughts.

He stood up. He smiled. “Kathryn, you look wonderful…” He gestured for the door.

She returned the smile. “Thank you. Computer, Lights out.”

*******

“This meal is delicious, Chakotay!” Kathryn exclaimed as she brought a spoonful of food to her mouth. “Although I must say that Chell does overdo the menu titles just too well.”

“I agree…” Chakotay replied, as he finished the last of his meal. At just the same time, Crewman Chell approached the two of them carrying a pot of coffee. “Speak of the devil himself.”

“Chell, in behalf of Mr. Chakotay and I, I must commend you on a job well done. Dinner was fabulous.” Kathryn smiled as she dabbed her mouth with the napkin on her lap. “And the Ice cold Bajoran Fruit Punch was very good, too.”

“Thank you, Captain. I’m glad that you enjoyed it…” Chell replied, his face beaming with pride. “Would the two of you like some coffee? I managed to find some good coffee beans from Neelix’s coffee brew stack and I thought it would make a good complement to tonight’s meal, contrary to what other people say…”

Janeway and Chakotay exchanged amused looks and smiles. “Well, pour us some of you good brew, Crewman.” Janeway ordered.

Chell poured her some on a cup that he brought with him. When he was about to pour some on another cup, he just shook his head in refusal. “No thank you, but I don’t drink coffee in the evening… But thanks anyway… By the way, what do you call this brew, Crewman?”

“Abundance Planet Good brew, Commander. Well, I’ll have leave you two. Enjoy your coffee, Ma’am.” Chell said as he left.

Janeway shook her head in amusement and took a long sip at her coffee… “Mmmm… This coffee is delicious! I’m glad that you thought of Chell as Neelix’s replacement, Chakotay.” All of a sudden, she started yawning. She blinked. She looked at Chakotay, who was confused as she was on what just happened.

She tried to smile, to reassure him that nothing was wrong with her, when she was unable to stop herself from yawning again.

Chakotay reached for her shoulder to steady her. “Are you okay, Kathryn?”

She nodded, trying to stifle a yawn but to no avail. “I think I should return to my quarters now… It was a wonderful dinner Chakotay, and thanks for inviting me to join you…”

“The pleasure is all mine.” The two of them stood up, Chakotay’s hand still on Janeway’s shoulder trying to steady her while she let out another yawn. “Let me walk you there…”

She nodded in agreement. The two of them were walking towards the door of the Mess Hall when Janeway’s eyes began to droop heavily and she felt the energy from her body leave her so fast her legs began to buckle at each step. She heard Crewman Chell call out. “Goodnight Captain!”

“Gooood night, Crew—” her parting words to the Chell were curtailed when her legs gave way and she lost consciousness.

“Kathryn!!!” Chakotay exclaimed in horror as he caught her in his arms. Don’t panic, Chakotay! He scolded himself. He instinctively tapped his comm badge. “Chakotay to Sickbay! I need medical assistance here in the Mess Hall…”

“What seems to be the problem, Commander?” the EMH asked monotonously from the other end of the comm link.

“The Captain has collapsed here in the Mess Hall! Request emergency beam out!”
“Commander, transporters are currently offline. I suggest you carry the Captain here in Sickbay yourself!”

Chakotay hissed. In his panic, he had completely forgotten about the Transporters’ current status. “Okay, I’ll bring her over, Chakotay out!”

Summoning his strength, he shifted Kathryn in a much easier carrying position and lifted her. All the crew who were present at the Mess Hall had their eyes on him after what had just happened. Apprehensive murmurs spread across the place. He then turned to leave and shouted. “Carry on, the situation is under control…”

*******

“Doctor, what’s wrong with her?” Chakotay asked anxiously as the Doctor scanned the unconscious Captain with his tricorder.

“It seems to me, Commander, that the Captain is asleep…” he replied.

“Asleep?!? But she just collapsed in the Mess Hall, that couldn’t be categorized as asleep!!!” Chakotay queried angrily at the EMH.

“That’s what I said, Commander, she is asleep!”

“Can’t you wake her, ask her what happened?”

“Certainly!” The Doctor smiled. “Captain, wake up!”

Normally, anyone who would have heard the Doctor’s modulated shout. But Janeway didn’t move. She continued sleeping soundly as though she hadn’t heard anything. The Doctor’s smile faded and was replaced by bewilderment. He looked at the now seething first officer and opened his tricorder to scan the Captain again. “That’s strange… My tricorder scans tell me that she is just sleeping but I couldn’t rouse her from sleep! It’s as though she was ‘drugged’ but realistically speaking, she wasn’t!”

Even Chakotay now was confused. “Drugged?”

“Yes, drugged. It’s a twentieth century expression for someone who has injested drugs or medicine with the lack of the ailment to cure… Usually this happens during eating or drinking during meals…”

“So what will you do about it?” Chakotay’s anxiety got the most of him. His voice cracked at the query.

“You’ll have to leave her here…” The Doctor answered simply. “I still have to run tests on her unusual sleeping condition!”

“Okay, keep me posted. I’ll be in the Bridge if you need me…” he said as he turned to leave. For Chakotay, his leaving was best alternative for that situation for it would do Kathryn no good if he stayed there worrying about her condition.

“Um, Commander. What did the Captain consume in tonight’s meal?”

“Just some of Crewman Chell’s Lost Paradise Veggie Delight and some Warp Core Pot Roast… Why?”

“It’s just a theory. Could you please ask the Crewman to bring me a sample of each of the ingredients he used for these dishes?”

“Will do. Anything else?” He asked as he took a quick glance at Kathryn’s peaceful sleeping form.

“That will just do, Commander.” The Doctor replied as he turned back his attention to his patient. “And Commander, please see me after your shift, I need to ask you a couple of questions about the Captain’s activities and food intake these past few days…”

Chakotay nodded and left Sickbay.

*******

Kathryn Janeway blinked. She stood stock still as she assessed where she was. As she remembered it, she had just concluded a dinner engagement she had with Chakotay in the Mess Hall seconds ago. Now, just seconds later, she was somewhere unknown to her. And that somewhere is not on Voyager, but it was at the mouth of a cave in front of her.

“Captain?”

She turned to the person who had addressed her. She blinked again. It was Tuvok. She also saw several other crewmen with them. Lieutenant Ayala, Crewmen Bergen, Chell, and Jameson were with her. They sent her the startled looks on their faces.

“Are you alright, Captain?” Tuvok asked, concern was evident in his voice.

Janeway blinked in disbelief again. Her mouth was dry and it felt as though her voice was lost at that moment. She just nodded in denial. She averted her attention back towards the mouth of the cave.

“Janeway to the Bridge.” She tapped her comm badge and spoke. She winced in disgust. Her voice was very hoarse as though she hasn’t spoken in days.

“Bridge here, this is Kim. What is it Captain?”

“Where am I?” she asked anxiously. She turned around and saw the concerned faces of her away team crewmembers.

“I… I beg your pardon, Ma’am?” Harry asked, confused.

“Mr. Kim, where am I?” she asked again. “And don’t make me ask you again…”

Harry Kim noted confusion and irritation in his commanding officer’s voice over the comm. “Well you are on the M-Class planet we found earlier today…”

“And what am I doing here on the surface? I remember asking Commander Chakotay to lead this away mission…”

“Well, Ma’am, if I remember it correctly, you wanted to lead the away team yourself. Commander Chakotay is in Engineering. He said that he was going to look into the Transporter Repairs and that Lieutenant Torres is doing.”

“Didn’t I order the lieutenant to get some rest, Ensign?” she asked incredulously.

“She said that she would look over some of the Transporter room repairs before she be relieved of her duties, Ma’am. She has estimated an hour before she would return to her quarters.”

Janeway had no choice but to shake her head in disbelief. B’Elanna could be so hardheaded especially when she is so determined to finish something, she would even dare to disobey a direct order. Maybe I’ll have to talk to her when I get back, she thought.

“Is that all Captain?”

“Yes Ensign, Janeway out.”

“Captain, shall we continue scanning the area?” she nodded. “Let’s break up, Tuvok and Bergen, you are with me. Chell and Jameson, you are with Lt. Ayala.”

“We will rendezvous here in exactly two hours time. Are there any questions?” Tuvok added.
“If there are none, then let’s go…” Janeway commanded.

*******

Chakotay proceeded to Sickbay just after his last duty shift. He just couldn’t figure out what happened to Kathryn during that meal. Was it something she ate? If it was, I’m going to personally send Chell to the brig for this! He thought irately.

The first thing he saw as he entered the room was that Kathryn’s body was nowhere to be found.

What the —? He asked himself. His blood boiled at the thought of Kathryn’s ill-health or even demise. He turned around a corner of the room and charged towards the EMH’s office. “Doctor, where the he–?”

He then saw Kathryn’s sleeping form on a biobed located near the doctor’s office door.

“Commander Chakotay, I see you have come to inquire about the Captain’s health status?” When he didn’t answer, he hypothesized that he was in a lousy mood. He didn’t pursue the subject. “Please follow me, I have some interesting findings I wish to show you…”

They approached Kathryn’s biobed. The Doctor handed the PADD beside the biobed to Chakotay.

Chakotay, on the other hand, tried to read it however, in his negatively heightened emotional state, he didn’t want to read the answers to the questions forming in his mind. He wanted answers and fast! “How is she? What is your diagnosis on her condition?”

“You see, Commander, I have reason to believe that the Captain is merely sleeping. We couldn’t awaken her because she seemed to be drugged. That of which proves my theory in our earlier discussion. Nonetheless, she wasn’t deliberately drugged by anyone on this ship especially by Crewman Chell for that matter, but it was a mere culinary blunder…”

Chakotay glanced at Janeway’s cataleptic but peaceful form. But if only he knew what was wrong with her, he knew he could breathe a little easier!

The doctor’s last phrase caught his attention. “Culinary blunder?” he asked in puzzlement.

“Yes, it seems that Crewman Chell’s Lost Paradise Veggie Delight contained a plant which is a natural depressant…” The doctor left the biobed and went to get a specific plant sample from his office and handed it to Chakotay. “Here. It seems that this plant has medicinal properties as a depressant, which is only triggered when it is heated… And mind you, it is very strong, in spite of that, it is not toxic.”

Chakotay looked up to meet the Doctor’s gaze questioningly. “Yet, Crewman Chell’s Veggie Delight dish wasn’t cooked. It was a form of tossed salad. How could it be made responsible for the Captain’s condition…”

“Ah, that I found out to be quite interesting. You see, Commander, the Captain’s blood stream contains high levels of caffeine, making her endure hours of successive work and no rest. Have you noticed the Captain working more than she ought to lately?”

He nodded. “Ever since the last Borg attack, most of us has been working double shifts with the repairs on the ship… I still don’t get your idea of why the salad was responsible for her collapse…”

“And even in double shifts, have you been able to get enough sleep, Commander.”

He nodded again.
“Well, in this case, my hypothesis is correct! My idea on the Captain’s condition was that she was affected by this plant’s potent medicinal properties because she was the one who hasn’t slept at all! You see, Commander, for the past several days, the Captain was able to tackle her tripled work load because of her excessive coffee intake, am I correct?”

“Yes I believe so.”

The Doctor continued. “And for the past few days, in order to meet the demand of that work, she had to forgo the idea of sleeping! So far those days of drinking coffee excessively has kept her mind and her body awake. Her cranial scans show that the electrolyte levels in her brain are quite low. Nevertheless, during your meal at the Mess Hall, Crewman Chell reported that only the Captain drank coffee tonight. Nobody else. And he noted that it was a hot fresh pot! There is your catalyst, the hot coffee…”

“Of course!” Chakotay exclaimed at the realization. “Nobody else were interested in the coffee because the other crewmen around at the Mess Hall at that time preferred Chell’s Ice Cold Bajoran Fruit Punch over the coffee. It seemed to be the better complement to the meal than the coffee. The Captain and I even had some of the fruit punch yet she accepted the coffee that Chell offered as well.”

“The heat of the coffee initiated a chemical reaction with the salad that the Captain’s stomach was digesting! This caused the depressant from that ingredient to take effect!”

Chakotay’s features were flooded with relief. “So what are we going to do about this situation.” He asked out of curiousity.

“Well I have decided to keep the Captain here so that I can monitor her condition. Then again she will only awaken when the depressant’s effect will wear off and her body has been fully revitalized…”

“And when will that be?”

“A few days… A week or so perhaps…”

“A week?!? Does it take that long?”

“As I’ve mentioned earlier, the depressant was quite potent, so even though the her body is fully revitalized, she would still be fast asleep until it wears off…” the doctor explained. “If I were you, I won’t worry Commander, I know that Voyager is in good hands while the Captain is unconscious…”

“How very reassuring, Doc.” He muttered in frustration. He took one quick glance at Janeway, took a cold hand and squeezed it lightly. Be strong, Kathryn. I don’t know what I’d do without you…

The Doctor slowly and subtly led Chakotay towards the doors. “Commander, I suggest you too get some rest! I don’t want to be held responsible if both of this ship’s commanding officers are out cold, now am I? You can come by tomorrow to visit her…”

With that, he nodded wearily and left sickbay.

*******

“Captain, I am detecting several humanoid life signs ahead of us.” Crewman Bergen announced.

Janeway pivoted and positioned her tricorder scans towards the direction the Bergen indicated. “I’m reading them too. Commander, let us move away from this area to avoid contact… Let’s go in this cave instead, maybe it leads somewhere uninhabited…”

“Agreed. Captain, Crewman, please follow me.” He said as he went inside the cavern first.

What started out as a narrow cave passage way went on to be the entrance of the cavern’s entirety. Darkness didn’t totally consume the surrounding area as what Janeway had expected for light seemed to pass through holes on its dome and create tiny specks of light on the place they rested.
“This is marvelous!” Janeway exclaimed in astonishment. “It looks just like the Coliseum down in Greece where they used to hold Gladiator matches in the Ancient times!”

“I have been in this place you call the Coliseum, however, it is not a logical comparison to this place, Captain, in terms of structure.” Tuvok contradicted as he continued to do scans on the nearest walls he could find.

Janeway’s eyes widened as she continued her own scans of the area. “It may not be that logical to you but if this place had no wall I would have to concur to the idea that this would have been just like the Coliseum!”

Tuvok only frowned at the Captain’s erratic behavior that day and continued on doing his scans.

They were busy scanning and following the dirt path the cave provided them when all of a sudden a bright flash of light came upon them for a moment. Nobody was able to figure out where the light came from and it blinded them for a few seconds.

When the light subsided, Tuvok had a hard time focusing his eyes. In front of him, he saw Crewman Bergen’s blurry form. He moved his eyes around to regain focus of his sense of sight. “Captain, Crewman, are you unharmed?”

“Yes sir… But sir, where is the Captain?” Bergen asked as he narrowed his eyes in the semi-darkness in around of him.

“Captain, are you unharmed?” No response.

Tuvok frowned. Tapping his comm. Badge, he called out, “Lieutenant Tuvok to Captain Janeway, please respond!”

Still, there was no response.

“Sir, the tricorders only indicate that we are the only two humanoids within the tricorder scanning range area.” Bergen asked as he opened his tricorder and scanned for life signs. “Could the Captain have wandered off Commander?”

“That is most likely an illogical course of action, Crewman…” he countered.

“Why is that, Commander?” Bergen asked as he approached his senior officer, who was in a kneeling position examining a couple of things on the ground.

“That is because it is an illogical move to be done someone on an away mission, especially for a Captain of a starship, to leave her phaser, her tricorder, and her lighting beacon behind…”

The young crewman felt as though his blood was drained from his body as he saw Tuvok point at the items he mentioned earlier. “Oh my God!” the horrified crewman exclaimed as he staggered back.

“Maintain your composure, Crewman, I assure you we will do whatever logical procedure it takes possible to retrieve the Captain!” He declared. He then tapped his comm. Badge. “Away team to the Bridge.”

“Away team, we hear you, this is Kim. What is your status?”

“I regret to inform you that the Captain is gone!”

*******

Janeway opened her eyes slowly as they gradually adjusted to the room’s lighting’s glare on them. The room she was in was bathed in an eerie bright light. She slowly turned her head to her right and saw a variety of consoles and gadgets, both big and small.

“Where am I? Am I dead?” She asked herself uneasily. She tried to sit up but to no avail. She continued to struggle for a sitting position when she felt as though she was bound to the bed she was laying upon, the only thing that bothered her was that she didn’t feel any restraints on any part of her body.

“Ah, it seems that our patient is conscious…” A voice announced from her left.

She jumped at the sound. Could she be in the hands of the Vidiians? She thought frightened. She turned to face the person who was addressing her with all out apprehension and was surprised at what, or better yet, who she saw.

She saw around three alien beings in front of her. All of them humanoid. The one who addressed her stood beside her bed and smiled. From her visual scan, he seemed to be male and seemed to be around thirty to thirty five years of age. The other two were both younger, both male and female, and was maybe the age of teenagers if compared to the human growth cycle.

“You, my dear, are not dead…” The older one answered the question she asked herself earlier on.

“What am I doing here?” Janeway inquired, ceasing the struggle.

“You are here because you are the perfect subject for our experiment…”

Janeway’s eyes widened. They certainly aren’t Vidiians, but they surely act like them, she mused ruefully. “What experiment are you talking about? And who the heck are you people?”

“There is nothing you should fear about the experiment. It is on a need to know basis for us, Gereans of the planet Gereon. I am Doctor Alimu. These are my subordinates, Doctors Pilurak and Zokiyas.” He explained and gestured towards the persons behind him. “And now if you’ll excuse us, we are about to commence our experiment.”

The Gereans were tall, lanky humanoid aliens. They had has shiny black hair, deep black eyes, high cheek bones, and pale complexion. The male Gereans, as Janeway noticed, had 3 five-inch horns that must have grown at the base of their chin. On the other hand, the females merely had small bumps on the base of their chin. These aliens seem to have no noses but apparently have two small holes at the center of their faces where she perceived to be where they breathe from. They, too, were a race who seemed to have advance technology at their disposal.

“Doctor Alimu, wait! What experiment?!?” Janeway asked helplessly as she watched the two aliens gather certain scientific gadgets from the far corner of the room. But Doctor Alimu simply ignored her query and readied himself for the ‘experiment’. She resumed struggling to be freed from the invisible restraints but stopped as soon as she heard the consoles around her beeping.

Alimu’s male subordinate returned, and with him was some sort of scientific-medical equipment with a syringe-like device at its tip, which he handed over to his superior.

Janeway watched in horror as Alimu moved the machine over her lower abdominal area and positioned the syringe-like device over it.

“Initiate extraction sequence, Dr. Pilurak!” Dr. Alimu instructed.

She saw someone tapping commands into a terminal from the far corner of her eye. Something in front of her caught her eye. The needle tip of the syringe-like device twinkled against the light. Janeway tried to wiggle free of the restraints as she saw the needle tip descended toward her lower abdomen.

Moments later, the needle tip pierced her and the pain of the contact shot throughout her body. She bit hard on her lip to keep her from crying out. She felt her own blood trickle down from her lower lip. The pain was agonizingly too much to bear. At that time, she knew, nothing at StarFleet ever prepared her for something like this!!! Also, StarFleet Medical disqualified the use of syringes and needles in surgeries and mere medical treatments decades ago.

But as the needle plunging deeper and deeper into her body, her eyes widened as she stared painfully into the brilliant white ceiling, trying to block out all the pain she was experiencing from her mind. Even breathing was difficult. Her breathing was labored. It felt as though something was taken from her body.

She then felt another needle pierce another side of her abdomen. She suppressed the urge to give into the pain. Then another needle came along, this time it went a little lower and speared itself through her skin. She couldn’t endure the insertion of the last needle since it was much bigger than the other two. When she couldn’t suppress the pain anymore, screamed at the top of her lungs. “Chakotay!!!”

Tears of pain trickled down her cheeks as that shout escaped her body. Her body became numb towards the pain, and as a last resort, she turned her head slightly to the side and whispered, “Chakotay, help me…” She closed her eyes and swallowed hard as she felt her life force slip out of her body…

*******

“And are you sure that the Captain was nowhere to be found?” Commander Chakotay asked the dark Vulcan.

He was at Engineering when he heard what happened. He then ordered that the away team to be withdrawn from the surface. Now he was conducting an emergency senior officers conference in Kathryn’s ready room.

“Yes sir. Crewman Bergen and I only found her phaser, tricorder and her light beacon lying on the ground after the flash!”

“How could she have been abducted? And who would have the intention of taking her? That’s the question…” B’Elanna stated. “It’s impossible that she disappeared just like that!”

Chakotay concealed his frustration at the present situation. He glanced at Seven. “Has anything unusual come up in long range sensors, Seven?”

“None so far, Commander. I’ve modified it several times already and still nothing has come up on long range sensors as it scanned the planet’s orbit… As soon as were done here, I’ll modify sensors to a higher frequency to check for spatial and temporal distortions on both the planet’s orbit and surface.”
Chakotay nodded. “I want to send another two or three search parties on the surface… Tuvok you’ll lead one; and Tom you’ll lead the other… You choose the men you want to bring and this time bring phaser rifles no longer set to stun… I don’t want what took the Captain to think we are easy to mess with.”

“Understood.” Tom Paris and Tuvok replied in unison.

“Mr. Kim, you’ll have the bridge since I’ll also be leading the other search party. I want us to spread out so that we could cover as much ground as…” Chakotay added but was interrupted when his comm. Badge chirped.

“Bridge to Commander Chakotay.”

“Yes Bridge, go ahead…”

“Sir, I’m receiving an incoming COMM. message from the surface… It is from the Captain, sir…” Lt. Ayala retorted.

“Patch it through a secure channel here in the Captain’s ready room…”

“Incoming message patched through…” Ayala affirmed.

“Kathryn?” he asked uneasily as he and the senior officers present in the ready room that time exchanged concerned looks.

“Chakotay… Listen to me…” Janeway’s voice filled the room. It was hoarse but was as loud as a whisper. She sounded as though she was tortured.

“Computer increase transmission volume.”

“Transmission volume increase.” The computer pronounced dispassionately.

“Kathryn?” he asked again. “Are you alright? Where are you?”

“I’m inside the cave…” she replied, her voice cracked as she was on the verge of breaking down.

At the sound of the Captain’s terrified voice, Harry exclaimed angrily. “What the heck did they to her?!?”

“Chakotay, please get me out of here…” Janeway was now sobbing. It was so unlike her. Chakotay mused irately. “…please… help me…”

The transmission ended abruptly.

“Kathryn!” Chakotay called out.

*******

A rescue team headed by Commander Chakotay entered the cave where in sensors have detected the Captain’s faint life signs.

“Commander, I am reading the Captain’s life signs ten meters in this direction…” Ensign Molina announced, reading his tricorder and pointed towards a small cave opening ahead of them.
“Good work, Mr. Molina,” Chakotay said heading up the opening. “Okay men, let’s get going…”

The end of the tunnel led to the same cave opening that Tuvok had described when they were recalled. It was huge, the size of the Coliseum in Greece, just like how the Kathryn had described it before the flash of light occurred.

“Commander, look!” Lt. Paris called out as he pointed toward a limp form lying on the ground near the cavern wall with his flashlight.

It was Kathryn all right. And she was unconscious. Chakotay and the rest of the away team rushed towards her aid.

Chakotay noticed that her uniform was unblemished expect on the pant’s leg part. Her hair was a little disheveled and her face was damp, maybe because of tears, and was smeared with dirt. Chakotay, feeling guilty for not being able to protect her, knelt down and started scanning her with his tricorder. She was fine, for now. As far as he knows, she needed medical attention and quick!

Chakotay returned his tricorder to his uniform pocket. He then gathered her in his arms and lifted her off the ground.

Tom Paris tapped his comm. badge. “Away team to Voyager.”

“Go ahead away team.”

“We have the Captain. Lock on to her coordinates and beam her directly to Sickbay.”

“Understood.” With that the Captain’s limp body dematerialized and disappeared before their eyes.”

“Sickbay to Away team. I have acquired the Captain.”

“Acknowledged.” Chakotay said simply. “Voyager, six to beam up.”

*******

Chakotay stood outside Kathryn’s quarters. She hasn’t been seen by any of the crew ever since she was rescued from the planet and treated in Sickbay a few hours ago. What struck him as odd was that she hasn’t made any attempts to contact either him or Tuvok and hasn’t responded to any of his comm. hails. He was beginning to worry.

Her door chimed. Kathryn turned to look at it and heaved a sigh. She chose to ignore it, and focused her attention back unto the stars that hung outside her window.

Tears flowed copiously down the sides of her cheeks. The memories from her abduction were vivid, painful, and frightful. Her stomach lurched each and every time a mental picture or two from that incident flashed in her head.

The events that succeeded her abduction crushed her spirit hard to the ground.

“Needless to say, all of the injuries that you have acquired during the abduction have been treated and you are perfectly fine.” the Doctor began as he closed his tricorder. “Yet, Captain, I regret to inform you that some of your bodily fluids have been partially extracted… and…”

Janeway’s eyes shot off from the floor to the Doctor. This was the first time she ever looked at anyone straight in the eyes since her arrival. “And what?”

“And it seems that after the extraction procedure, the aliens, in my opinion, have decided to artificially impregnate you… You are pregnant, Captain…”

Her eyes widened at the news. “Pregnant?”

“And there’s more…” the doctor added. “Your baby is growing at an abnormally alarming rate. I have run diagnostics on both you and your baby. Both of you are healthy despite your recent fluid extraction, and I presume that the baby’s accelerated growth is due to the unknown alien DNA incorporated to his own human genes. You will be due to give birth in less than eight hours…”

Janeway stood slowly from the biobed she was sitting on. Various emotions were storming inside of her. Pity. Joy. Anger. Tribulation. Doubt. For the first time in her life, she felt helpless.

She turned to the Doctor, her face pain-stricken. He sighed and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “I don’t know whether to congratulate you or do otherwise. All I know is that, you have my full confidence and support in this matter.”

Tears welled in her eyes. “I… I… I… was their lab rat, Doctor. A mere lab rat!” she muttered almost inaudibly, and rushed out of the room before the Doctor could stop her.

“Captain, I haven’t released you yet!”

*******

It was 0600 hours. In two hours time, she would be tackling another day of work. But today wasn’t any regular day on the life of Captain Kathryn Janeway. Because today, in approximately four hours, she would be giving birth to her daughter.

She looked down at her now protruding belly. If this was a normal pregnancy, she would have been five months along. She caressed it over her silk robe and brought her gaze back to the stars.

Before, she considered having children. Even until today, she still does. She loved the idea of having a family. Her own family. But not as a starship Captain stranded in the middle of nowhere seventy thousand light years away from home. Moreover, her idea of her child’s conception was not through an agonizing artificial impregnation.

A few hours ago, she was forcefully impregnated by an alien race who had to torture her in order to obtain her body fluids for their scientific experimentation; and was left inside a cave on the planet’s surface, almost lifeless.

She was now pregnant with a daughter, whose father she or the child will never get to know. The irony of it was she was looking forward to taking care of this child, regardless of what the implications were. She was beginning to feel love for the life that was growing inside of her.

Yet, at the same time, she was beleaguered by this illegitimate pregnancy. She didn’t know how the crew would react, especially Chakotay, lest she doesn’t know how this would affect their morale as a whole.

The door chimed again. She ignored it, as she had done it in the past few minutes. She trained her thoughts on the endless positive and negative consequences succeeding this unexpected episode in her life.

*******
Kathryn’s inability to respond to his comm. hails and door chimes baffled Chakotay. Could she still be asleep? He shook his head in contradiction to his own mental inquiry. But what if something had happened to her in her quarters. The Doctor had told him earlier that she was in a hurry to leave Sickbay after her treatment. Apparently, the good doctor didn’t like the idea of him poking around on the Captain’s personal-medical affairs. It is a violation to my vow to patient-physician confidentiality! The Doctor exclaimed in horror at his insistence on the matter.

Just at the thought of Kathryn in distress made a chill run up his spine. He quickly entered his security override codes on the keypad beside her door. The door slid open but it was covered with a thick veil of darkness.

“Kathryn?”

He scanned her room for any sign of her. A whimper? A sob? A shadow? An almost lifeless body perhaps? He shook his head in frustration at what he was thinking.

“Kathryn?” he called out again. Still there was no response.

All of a sudden, in the darkness, something caught his eyes. It was a slight movement. A shadow. It was definitely her shadow!

She was sitting on one of the settees in her living room quarters, staring at the stars through the window of her quarters, as they passed by them in warp speed.

Unaccustomed to the dimness of the room, Chakotay commanded, “Computer, lights…”

“No Chakotay, leave it that way…” she cut-in in an almost inaudible whisper, not even moving a muscle.

“Kathryn… It’s too dark and…” he began.

“No, the darkness is fine…”

His brows furrowed at the thought of finding out what was going on with her that day. He approached her location and stopped just behind her, resting his hands at the back of her seat.

“Please leave …”

“What?”

“I said leave, Chakotay…”

“Why?”

“I… I… I’m not going to report in for duty today…” she stated simply.

“Kathryn, I don’t understand…” He ran a hand through his neatly combed hair. “What the heck is going on here?”

She didn’t respond to his query. She only hung her head dispiritedly over her shoulders and stood to leave. But he grabbed her arm in a desperate attempt to get the answer he wanted.

In her weary state, she didn’t expect him to grab at her like that. It was unlikely of him. But then, it was unlikely of her not to talk to him at all. Even though some things were meant to be confidential, she always told him what it was when the time came. But today was an exception.

“Let me go!” It was more of a whispered whimper than a request. When he had seized her arm earlier, she was easily pulled toward him like a flaccid rag doll.

He jolted away upon the impact of her bulging stomach with his body.

“What the heck?!?” he exclaimed in shock as he let go of her arm and get a full view of the shadow of her body. “…Computer lights on.” He barked at the machine before she could oppose him again.

The whole room illuminated as the computer carried out his command. He then gave her a stern look and his scrutinizing gaze traveled down her body. He caught his breath when he saw her belly slightly round and obtruding from inside of her robe.

“Ka… Kathryn?” he asked, stunned at what he saw. His gaze went back to her face, which was now turned away – hurt, disgusted, and humiliated of her situation. “… How? Why?”

Her only reply to the inquiry was when she sat down and closed her eyes tightly. Her face glistened again as tears started trailing down her previously tear-dampened cheeks.

It had pained him to see her this way! He knelt in front of her and held her forearms, and shook her a little. “Kathryn! Tell me what happened! What’s going on?” he growled in slight exasperation.

She only shook her head, and turned her face away. “No… I can’t…” she said as her voice got caught her in her throat.

He shook her again, this time a little harder. “Kathryn, please, tell me what happened to you?!?”

“No, I can’t Chakotay! Can’t you see that it hurts me a lot just to even think about it?!” she finally broke down into tears.

Instinctively, he gathered her in his arms. He let her weep on his shoulder, the one she was leaning onto. In between sobs, she added, “It’s too painful!”

A hand snaked up to her head and stroked her hair. He leaned his cheek on her head and breathed in her scent. He sighed in resignation. Normally he wouldn’t just give up on her like that, but he respected her, and this time he didn’t want to force the issue on her. “If you don’t want to talk about what happened, then don’t. It’s fine by me…”

She pulled her head away, her eyes locked unto his. “But what about your shift?”

He smiled and wiped the tears that moistened her face. “Today is an uneventful day, Kathryn… I’m sure they can work things out…”

He stood up and led her to the longer sofa. He sat down and urged her to do the same. She sat down beside him, and snuggled into his arms as her sobs gradually subsided.

*******

B’elanna was about to report to her duty shift in Engineering that day to go over how far repairs have been done in the transporter room and the transporter, when her comm. Badge chirped.

“Chakotay to Torres”

“Torres here.”

“B’elanna, I want you to come directly to the Captain’s quarters. She is in dire need of her help…”
“But sir, I’m on my way to…”

“No excuses, Lieutenant.” Chakotay cut-in.

“Y-Yes sir.” She answered hesitantly.

B’elanna entered Engineering and snatched herself an unused engineering tool kit and left immediately for the Captain’s quarters.

*******

B’elanna was outside the Captain’s quarters doors a few minutes later. Not bad for a pregnant woman! She mused with pride.

She pressed the door chime and immediately the door slid open. When she stepped inside, the first person he saw on the Captain’s living room was Chakotay. He was standing beside the long couch, staring through the window.

On the couch, B’elanna noticed someone asleep. She squinted to get a better view and bit her lip at what she saw. It was the Captain — in her silk nightgown and silk robe.

However, something was amiss! It’s either the Captain really has a huge belly or she just gained several pounds and inches overnight after her abduction!

Chakotay turned around and acknowledged her presence. “B’elanna… Good that you are here… I need you to help me on something…”

She stared at him, confused. “I thought the Captain wanted me to help her with something, not you…”

“That’s because the Captain was too prudent to ask you or anyone else for help for that matter…” he retorted curtly.

“If you don’t mind me asking, Chakotay,” she stole a quick glance at her female commanding officer’s sleeping form. “but why exactly does she need my help for? From the looks of it, she needs the Doc more than me, after all I’m an engineer, not a licensed medical practitioner…”

Chakotay glared at her inquisitiveness. “I don’t know how to say this, but obviously, she is pregnant!”

“What? Pregnant? The Captain? How? Why?”

“That is a question that I can’t answer right now, B’El, because even she wouldn’t talk to me… Not just yet…” he sighed sadly and continued. “She is closing herself from us again… Now that she needs us the most!”

“How far along is she?” the young Klingon asked.

“…What?” he asked, distracted from his own thoughts.

“How far along is she?”

“I… I don’t know…”

B’Elanna saw the evidence of his concern for the Captain and suppressed anger in his facial expression. She knew for a fact that he loves the Captain with the entirety of his being and that he couldn’t bear to see her in pain like this.

She approached him and put a hand on his shoulder. “Chakotay, I know you are worried about her condition and I know that you want to kill the person who did this to her but I know she wouldn’t want you to do that… I think you should ask the Doc about her condition.”

Chakotay sat down. B’Elanna was right. The abductor is lucky that they weren’t anywhere near Voyager for if they did, he would most likely launch an all-out assault on them! He nodded and tapped his comm. Badge.

“Chakotay to the Doctor.”

“The Doctor here.”

“Doctor, will you please meet me at the Captain’s quarters? She wishes to speak to us…” Chakotay lied. B’Elanna just stared at him and nodded in approval. The look in her eyes was support enough for him to lie at somebody like that.

“Of course, Commander. I’ll be there in a few minutes. EMH out.”

*******

“What can I do for you, Commander?” the Doctor greeted jovially a few minutes later as he entered the Captain’s quarters.

“When is the Captain due?”

“I beg your pardon, Commander?” the Medical Hologram froze on the spot. He then saw that they weren’t alone. “Lieutenant Torres?”

B’Elanna just nodded in acknowledgement of her presence but remained silent.

“Doctor…” Chakotay started but was interrupted by the Doctor.

“…I didn’t know that this was a senior officers’ conference… Where are the others? And what are we doing here?”

“Doctor…” Chakotay started again but was again interrupted by the Doctor.

The Doctor scanned the room for the other senior officers. But he saw none. His eyes widened in horror as he saw the Captain, asleep on the long sofa across the room, her bulging stomach evident from where he stood. “Commander, what is the meaning of this? The Captain isn’t inter—”

“Doctor! Will you please just keep quiet for a moment!” Chakotay yelled in irritation.
“Forgive me, Commander…” he said uneasily. From then, he fell silent, his eyes downcast.

Chakotay was still trying to find his composure. He was fuming with anger, not only because of frustration for not having been able to protect her but also because the Doctor was evading the subject which he wanted very much to know!

As though reading his mind, B’Elanna took the liberty of talking on his behalf. “Doctor, for the last time, would you mind telling us when the Captain is due?”

“Of course I mind, Lieutenant!” the Doctor exclaimed in horror. The Doctor straightened up and held his chin high. “I think I’ve made myself clear enough to everyone that I do not discuss my patient’s health matters to anyone else but the patient themselves…”

“To hell with your vow to Patient-Physician confidentiality!” B’Elanna yelled, her impatience getting the best of her.

The Doctor tensed. He didn’t like discussing the matter to them since he promised the Captain that he wouldn’t. He only knew one recourse out of this mess, and it was to deactivate himself. “Computer, deactivate Emergency Medical Hologram…”

“Unable to comply. Self-deactivation ability for the EMH has been disabled.”

“What?” the Doctor asked disbelievingly.

“Please restate the question…”

“Did you think that we would let you off the hook that easily, Doc?” B’Elanna asked dryly.

“This is an outrage!”

“Outrage my ass, Doc! I asked you a question and I want some answers now!!!” Chakotay glared at the Holographic Doctor.

“Commander, I can’t betray the Captain’s trust on this matter…”

In slight irritation, he added. “Are you going to give it freely or do we have to use some force for you to talk?”

“I can’t… You can’t force me to tell you what I know!”

“Oh I can’t now, can I? Are you challenging me, Doctor?”

The Doctor shook his head in resignation. “I give, Commander. But I know that the Captain won’t like this…”

“Why won’t you just let me worry about that”, Chakotay stated as he gestured for him to sit on one of the free couches in the living room. “Now, spill the beans…”

“Where do you want me to begin?”

“From the time we got the Captain back from the planet. You were the first one to ever examine the Captain at first hand…” Chakotay said simply.

“Well let’s see. When the Captain was beamed into Sickbay, I had the chance to examine and treat her with multiple small cuts and bruises, nothing that I can’t handle. However, I noticed deep puncture marks at her lower abdominal area too. This is what puzzled me. After all, it was discussed in the senior officers’ meeting that there were no signs of an alien presence in both the planet’s surface and orbit… So I wondered how she could have acquired these puncture wounds, marks, call it whatever you want… If she was missing from the planet’s surface…”

“Anyway, all her physical injuries were easy to patch up, so to speak. After a full scan, I also found out what seems to be a tumor-like entity in her stomach. At first I thought it was a tumor. So I ran another bio-molecular scan on her and found out that it was no tumor, but it was an embryo…”

“How did you know it was an embryo when your initial scans showed that it was a tumor?” B’Elanna asked nonplussed.

“Actually the truth is, that puzzled me myself. I decided to analyze the data I had gathered from both my initial and recent scans, collated them and got the answer to my question. Whoever implanted the embryo into the Captain was very ingenious and must have an advance medical technology at their disposal…”

“Could it be the Vidiians?” Chakotay queried, slightly angered at his own thoughts.

The Doctor shook his head. “It couldn’t be them because if it were, the Captain would never have been found…”

“Because she would have been sent to ORGAN PROCESSING…” B’Elanna finished. She felt a shiver run up and down her spine at the thought of her own experience with the latter race.

Chakotay, on the other hand, only winced at the thought of Kathryn ‘chopped up’ into pieces and grafted into different individuals of that despicable race. He looked up to meet the Doctor’