Chapter Text
VOYAGER VIRTUAL SEASON 7.5—episode 38
Best Laid Plans
By Rocky, CyberMum and the VS7.5 staff:
Christina, Penny, Julie, Jamelia, and Seema
Prologue—Surprises
*1*
Starfleet Headquarters, San Francisco-January 10, 2381, Stardate 57027.6
Janeway strode quickly through the corridors of Starfleet Headquarters, nodding to the people she passed, but her mind was not on her surroundings. Admiral Hayes had ordered her to report to his office as soon as possible. He had given no reason. Janeway had spent her time in transit from Utopia Planitia speculating, but she had been unable to come up with any explanation.
The aide in the outer office rose as she entered. "You're to go in right away, Captain."
"Thank you, Lieutenant," Janeway said. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the presence of additional security officers. Something was up—but what?
The inner door opened. Hayes was speaking to someone seated in the corner of his office, "...the fact is, we don't know how much we can accept at face value—ah, Captain Janeway, you made very good time in getting over here."
"Fortunately, I was able to catch an outbound shuttle within ten minutes of your call, Admiral," Janeway said. At that moment, Hayes' visitor shifted his chair and she gasped in surprise.
It was Tuvok.
Before she could recover, however, Hayes said, "I'm sure you're wondering why you've been called in on such short notice, Captain."
With an effort, Janeway turned her attention back to the Commander-in-Chief. "Yes, sir, I am." She paused, "I presume this concerns Voyager?"
The new ship's mission—a return to the Delta Quadrant, specifically the planet of the Boirii or "37's"—was imminent; they were scheduled to launch in less than a month. Janeway wondered if Hayes was going to announce another postponement. There had been some last minute glitches in the new transwarp drive recently, but B'Elanna had been confident those would soon be resolved. But even if there was going to be another delay, why would Hayes feel it necessary to tell her in person? Suddenly, the answer hit her: Hayes was going to cancel the mission altogether.
Some of her apprehension must have shown in her expression, because Hayes smiled and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "That's a fair assumption on your part, Captain, that this matter involves your ship. But it's a little more complicated than that." Hayes exchanged glances with a still silent Tuvok. "I called you here today to inform you that, in light of some information that has recently been brought to my attention, the mission parameters have changed." He turned to Tuvok. "Why don't you tell Captain Janeway what's been going on?"
Tuvok rose and moved to the front of the room. For the first time, Janeway noticed he was wearing a Starfleet uniform.
"Over the past several months I have been in telepathic contact with Kes," Tuvok said without any preamble. "With the help of certain...others," Tuvok glanced at Hayes who appeared about to say something, "this has since been supplemented with actual communication via the Pathfinder project."
Janeway knew quite well Kes's mental powers were formidable, at this point even greater than Tuvok's own. "Was there a particular reason she contacted you to begin with?" Janeway asked.
"As you have correctly surmised, Captain, it was indeed Kes who initiated this communication. After our last contact with Kes, during the sixth year of our journey, she returned to the Ocampan homeworld and was warmly welcomed by her people, despite their steadily worsening circumstances. The Caretaker did the best he could to provide for the Ocampa prior to his death. However, they have now reached the point where they must relocate to a different world. They are running short of resources, as well as available living space in the underground caverns. For a number of reasons which will become clear shortly, they have requested the Federation's help."
It was not surprising the Ocampa could no longer remain on their planet, Janeway reflected. She remembered all too vividly the barren wasteland that was the Ocampa surface. "Do the Ocampa have some specific destination in mind?" she asked.
"After much effort and time Kes has found a suitable planet," Tuvok said.
"There aren't exactly numerous uninhabited or unclaimed worlds that are suitable, particularly in that region," Janeway said, leaning forward in her seat. She had a sudden insight. "Is it the Boirii planet?" She recalled how the Humans there had offered the original Voyager's crew the opportunity to settle down. And this must be how the new ship was involved. The more she thought about it now, the more sense it made.
Tuvok's eyes met hers. "It is the planet you know as New Earth."
Janeway sat back, stunned. Numerous images and memories of her time on that planet—with Chakotay, for what they had thought would be the rest of their lives—rushed through her mind. Aloud, she said quietly, "That planet is claimed by the Vidiians."
"Yes, it is," Tuvok said. "However, Kes has secured permission from the Vidiian Sodality to set up a colony there. "
"At what price?" Janeway exclaimed, looking from Tuvok to Hayes in consternation. "I don't need to remind you what the Vidiians are capab—"
"The Phage is cured, Captain," Tuovk interrupted. "We were notified of this fact by the group known as the Think Tank while we were still in the Delta Quadrant. And now there is independent confirmation from Denara Pel. The Vidiians are no longer a threat in that respect."
The name of Denara Pel brought Janeway up short. Forcing her mind away from images of another Voyager being overrun by Vidiian organ harvesters, Janeway said, "So what is Voyager's intended role in all of this? To transport Kes and her people to the planet? One million Ocampa—just a rough estimate, for all we know their population is much greater—would take years for a single ship to move."
"We are not talking about transporting the population, but maintaining a protective presence and rendering general forms of assistance," Hayes said, speaking for the first time in several minutes. He had seemed content to let Tuvok lead the discussion, but clearly felt it was time to step in now. "The Ocampa will move on their own and Voyager II will help them in setting up defenses, weather grids, power generators, that sort of thing."
"I see," Janeway said slowly. "And what about our original mission, sir?"
Hayes walked over to the window and gazed out at the bleak January day, then swung around to face her once again. "That will still happen, Captain. But you would eventually have to deal with the Vidiians anyway once you arrive in that region of space—as well as with the other native species. This joint request by the Ocampa and Vidiians provides a good opening. Starfleet is being asked to come, invited by one of the major players. We won't be perceived as interlopers."
At least not right away, Janeway thought, but did not say it out loud.
"Of course," Hayes said briskly, "As I was saying to Commander Tuvok right before you got here, we don't know if we can entirely take things at face value, that the situation is precisely as it's been presented so far. We have established a communication link and spoken to some Vidiian officials--the Sodality I believe they call themselves--as well as one or two of their ranking industrialists. They're eager for us to come, Captain, as eager as the Ocampa are. They have some problems of their own we may be able to help with, and have already mentioned the possibility of an exchange of technology and information."
Janeway nodded. All of Hayes' arguments made sense. Even with her private misgivings about the Vidiians, she had to admit that this opportunity could not be passed up.
"Although their motives appear to be pure," Hayes said with only a trace of irony in his voice, "we've decided that it would not be prudent to have you going back there alone. I'm sending a second ship with you—the Odyssey. Like Voyager II, it's a Columbia class vessel, to be outfitted with the new transwarp drive. It's a few months behind your ship in terms of construction."
"Who will be in command of the Odyssey, sir?" Janeway asked.
"You will be in charge of the overall mission, Captain," Hayes said immediately, answering her unspoken question. "Captain Geordi La Forge will be in command of the Odyssey. He's an excellent officer. Although he's never held a field command before, he's headed up a variety of research teams, plus he's garnered immeasurable experience serving on Picard's senior staff for nearly fifteen years before that. He's someone who's intelligent and can think on his feet. He should do quite well." Hayes smiled. "We will also make sure he has experienced personnel on his staff who are familiar with the Delta Quadrant."
Hayes paused a moment to let his last statement sink in. "As you guessed at the beginning of this meeting, the launch date for the mission has been pushed back again. Instead of February, it'll likely be sometime in June, as the Odyssey needs additional time to get ready. In the meantime, we're going to collect every scrap of information we can about the regional politics. Ambassador Neelix is already giving us the name of numerous contacts. You can be damned sure we're not going to take anything for granted that we can't verify for ourselves."
"A wise choice, Admiral," Tuvok said.
"Like you, Kathryn, I don't care for surprises, especially of the unpleasant variety," Hayes said. "Dismissed."
As the door closed behind them, Janeway turned to Tuvok. "Would you like to get a cup of coffee and catch up a bit?"
"That would be agreeable," Tuvok said. "It has been a long time since we have had the opportunity to speak."
"I've been very busy with preparations for the mission, spending most of my time at Utopia Planitia these days," she said as they walked to the turbolift. "But I wasn't even aware you were on Earth."
"I would have contacted you earlier, Captain," Tuvok said somewhat apologetically, "but due to the sensitive nature of my recent activities—"
"It's all right, Tuvok," she said at once, pushing down her irritation at being kept out of the loop for so long on a matter that had direct bearing on her ship and mission. "You're right, I would have asked what you were doing here and you would not have been able to answer."
They made small talk on their way across Starfleet grounds—having mutually decided to pass up the Starfleet commissary in favor of a 'decent' cup of coffee—with Janeway doing most of the talking, bringing Tuvok up to date on Chakotay's recent projects at the university.
It wasn't until they were seated at a table in the Night Owl that Janeway broached the subject that was on her mind. "The fact that you're in uniform, Tuvok—are you back in Starfleet?" She tried to keep the hopeful note out of her voice.
He did not answer directly. "I have been serving in an advisory role to members of Starfleet regarding the Vidiians and in assisting them to set up their half of the communication device."
Janeway swallowed her disappointment. She knew what answer she wanted to hear from him. "And you were in telepathic communication with Kes."
"Yes, as difficult as that may be for some to believe." Tuvok elaborated on his initial contacts with Kes, how at first all he had was the vague sense of a Presence, and it was only later, through the intervention of the Fluidians—the aliens she knew as Species 8472—that they were able to communicate on a much higher level.
Janeway listened to his recital, shaking her head slightly at the thought of dealing with yet another group of aliens with whom Voyager had had hostile—or less than friendly, at any rate—encounters in the past. But in all honesty, what else had she expected? She knew quite well that a return to the Delta Quadrant was going to be challenging. There was no such thing as a dull moment in Starfleet, regardless of where you served.
She signaled to the waitress to refill their cups. "Enough talk about Starfleet and the mission for now," she said firmly. "I want you to tell me about Kes—how she's doing." She smiled. "It will be good to see her again."
Chapter written by Rocky