Chapter Text
PART 1 - THE PROMISE IN THE MAYDAY
Chapter 1: Prologue
When hope and love have been lost
And you fall to the ground
You must find a way
...
Against all the odds
You will find a way
~Dig Down~ by Muse
The briefing room was sparsely occupied. Only a small collection of Starfleet officers sat scattered around the room, along with a few Academy students overzealous to get the latest scoop on the intersection of exothermic particle dispersion rates and warp velocity mechanics – or in laymen’s terms: what happens to the energy when a supernova event occurs while at warp speed. For her part, Kathryn was only paying distracted attention to the Vulcan lieutenant leading the briefing while she scanned ahead the written report on her PADD.
“While the ship’s crew is still missing, we did find this. When the Protostar destabilized their core while simultaneously engaging warp, it not only lessened the degree of decimation so as to save others, but at the point of impact it created an interspatial rift.”
That caught her attention. “Excuse me,” Kathryn interrupted. “A rift?”
The Vulcan turned to her. “More specifically a wormhole. From this, one of our stations picked up a signal from the Protostar.”
Kathryn frowned. “The Protostar is gone.”
“Ah. The one stolen by the criminals on Tars Lamora. Yes.” He returned to his PADD.
Kathryn’s frown deepened. “You mean the heroes who saved our hides when we nearly destroyed ourselves,” she corrected. “In their absence and in my presence, they get our respect.”
“We mean no disrespect, Admiral,” the lieutenant replied. He pressed his PADD, turning to the display once more. “But we called this briefing because their sacrifice allowed us to pick up this.”
A soundwave appeared on the holographic display. And then...
“Mayday. Mayday.”
The unexpected sound of Chakotay’s voice slammed right into her heart.
Then sent it racing against her ribcage.
“I’ve already heard this.”
“Not this message.” The lieutenant pressed his PADD and Chakotay’s voice filled the room once more.
“It’s Day 72 since the Vau N’Akat captured the protostar.” Kathryn gasped as she pushed to her feet, stepping closer to the display of the soundwave as though pulled in by a siren song. “They’re planning to launch it back through the wormhole with a weapon aboard.”
There was a pause in the message, and seeing her perplexed expression, the lieutenant explained, “This was sent from another time. Fifty-two years from now.”
Chakotay’s message continued. “Half my crew’s gone. But I’m...trying to hang on.”
“How? How is that possible?” Kathryn asked, too stunned to breathe, her heart pounding, her brain reeling with possibilities and implications and time dilation calculations.
“The hologram advisor’s last act was to duplicate the parameters logged in the original wormhole Captain Chakotay was lost in. Thusly creating an interspatial flexure to approximately the same space-time coordinates in an alternate future.”
Kathryn barely heard the words as her brain rushed to process it all. What it all came down to was... “He’s alive! And she pointed us in the right direction!” Thereby making sure that something great came out of her sacrifice. Kathryn could hardly believe it. After all this time, to finally have something concrete to go on!
The lieutenant nodded. “There are discussions of sending an exploratory ship.”
Kathryn met his eyes. “I want to be on it.”
Before he could respond, the door opened and an officer came rushing in. “I’m sorry for interrupting!”
“What is it?” Kathryn asked.
“Admiral... it’s them! The young crew! Their shuttle has just crashed-landed in the Bay!”
Kathryn could only stare for a long beat while a murmur coursed through the crowd and some attendees dashed out of the room in sheer curiosity.
She broke into a stunned smile. “They’ve made it...” She whispered in wonder, then shook herself, giving the security officer a nod. “Thank you. I’ll be right there!” She turned to the Vulcan lieutenant. “If you’ll excuse me. We’ll finish this later.”
“Admiral,” he called back just before she spun on her heels. “I anticipate the thie- heroes’ arrival might curtail our ability to resume the briefing at a later time, so I believe you should have this.” He stepped closer and handed her his PADD. “What you have just heard was not the entirety of Captain Chakotay’s message. In fact he addresses the latter parts of it to you, personally. You will also find our analysis of the rest of the captain’s information as well as preliminary plans for the exploratory mission.”
Kathryn’s gaze snapped to the Vulcan’s – half of her painfully hopeful and stunned, and the other annoyed that he hadn’t thought of telling her about Chakotay’s message before. But perhaps it wasn’t that personal of a message? After all she doubted Chakotay would shout his undying love for her on Starfleet channels for all to hear, but still... For an instant the Vulcan’s eyes softened in understanding and he gave a nod. “I will leave you to it.”
Kathryn swallowed, doing her best to school her features as he shooed away the remaining attendees with a few clipped words.
Now alone in the room, Kathryn held the PADD close to her chest, her heart suddenly thundering a mad rhythm. Hearing Chakotay’s voice and finding out that he had survived the capture of the Protostar was extraordinary enough, but to hear him speak to her... Eager and terrified in equal measure, she sucked in a deep breath before enabling the playback, her stomach in knots and her fingers trembling. Her eyes directed upward to the soundwave on display again.
“Half my crew’s gone. I’m...trying to hang on. I have a plan to prevent the Vau N’Akat from using my ship as a weapon. But it’s risky,” Chakotay said quietly, his breathing heavy. “And if it goes awry it might very well cost us our best chance of getting back home.” There was a long pause and when he went on his voice was lower, gravelly. He sounded tired. So tired, and it tugged at Kathryn’s heartstrings painfully. “I don’t have the exact coordinates of where – or when – the temporal anomaly took us but...” Resolve strengthened his voice. “If, by some miracle, this message reaches Starfleet, somehow, I hope they can pass what follows to my crew’s loved ones, and tell them that whatever happens, we will not rest until we’ve found a way of coming home. I hope that knowing this, knowing that we’ll never stop fighting to come back to you, brings you at least some comfort, even if it ends up taking longer than we hope.” A heavy pause, then a clearing of the throat. “On a more personal note, if Admiral Kathryn Janeway is still...around, and this communication somehow finds its way to her,” it was obvious he’d caught himself before saying ‘alive,’ as though avoiding the word lessened the odds that she might be dead in the time he was in. Fifty years from now... she might very well be, in his time. She idly wondered whether future Starfleet would receive his message too. But before she could stew on that he went on.
“I’d like to tell her that... that I often think about our experience together on Voyager, lost in the Delta Quadrant. You brought us home against all odds, then, Kathryn.” He let a small amazed chuckle lace his voice and Kathryn’s lips inevitably curled up at the sound, albeit shakily. “I draw a lot of strength and resolve thinking about it; about my captain’s indomitable, relentless determination to do right by our crew and bring us home. To make the impossible happen through sheer stubbornness, wits and resourcefulness.” Those specific words were a direct reference to the words they’d spoken the night before he left and her throat constricted painfully at the memory. “Though you left mighty big shoes to fill, I fully intend to follow in your footsteps and do the same. So I guess we’re about to find out whether or not I can in fact outsmart the Fates,” he added, the dry humor hiding nothing of the deeper emotion underneath. He sighed. “And then... then maybe we’ll get the chance to get our timing right. Because to me there’s nothing that’s worth fighting for, and hoping for, more than that.” He inhaled sharply, as though he meant to say something else, but then she heard him sigh again, and when he spoke again, there was a catch in his voice that hadn’t been there before. “End transmission.”
Kathryn stood breathless for a long moment, hopeful and devastated at once. She could so easily picture him in her mind – smiling his disarmingly charming crooked grin, his eyes twinkling with humor, his expression softening the way it often did when he looked at her – but then the images morphed into horror-filled visions of him battered and bruised and desperate as he somehow recorded this message. Still, she held on to his words instead of letting those harrowing images cloud her mind. She chose not to linger on the almost labored quality of his breathing and instead latched onto the fierce determination she heard in his voice. The hope. The promise.
She allowed herself one more listen and a couple of minutes to collect herself before she inhaled, wiped stray tears from her cheeks, straightened, and left the room – now more determined than ever to be on the mission through the wormhole.
But first, she had a group of heroes to thank and personally welcome to Starfleet.
oooOooo
“The USS Voyager?”
The skepticism in Dal’s voice was unmistakable as he leaned over the back of Kathryn’s seat and eyed the ship a little dubiously through the shuttle viewscreen. Still anchored at dry dock, Voyager’s hull glinted in the light of the sun and Kathryn’s heart warmed at the familiar sight, a thrill coursing down her spine.
“Isn’t that ship a little... old?” Dal continued.
Kathryn smirked. “Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it,” she drawled. “It’s not a museum piece yet.”
“I for one am excited to learn about this ship!” Zero commented. “Hologram Janeway told us about some of your adventures aboard this vessel.”
“Is it true that some of the technology comes from the Borg?” Rok asked, sounding like she didn’t know whether to be excited or terrified.
“It is,” Kathryn replied.
“Oh Jankom Pog hopes he doesn’t run into them again!”
“Again?” Kathryn asked, shifting in her seat to glance at her new team of warrant officers in training. “Do you mean to tell me you encountered the Borg, and survived to tell the tale?”
“We sure did,” Dal replied, looking rather smug. But then he looked at Zero and his expression turned more earnest. “But it was Zero who really saved us.”
“It was... teamwork,” Zero amended.
“Well,” Kathryn said. “That sounds like a tale I’d certainly like to hear. But Dal is correct: Voyager is not the newest ship in the lot. It’s not the fastest, or the most powerful. But we’ve been through a lot together. I know this ship like the back of my hand, down to her every whims and moods. I like to think that we understand each other. For that reason alone there’s no other ship I’d rather take for this mission.” To take to wherever Chakotay was. Her pulse quickened at the thought.
“The ship has moods?” Rok asked, intrigued by the concept.
The question pulled Kathryn back to the moment and she grinned in response. “Of course we’ve made some updates since I was last in command. Voyager is now equipped with a quantum slipstream drive, and we’ve integrated as much state-of-the-art technology as seemed appropriate. I think you’ll have plenty to explore and learn. Even from that old lady.” The irony she’d put in her tone seemed to go above their heads. Only the shuttle pilot threw her a quick, wry sidelong look and Kathryn smirked in response. She paused to look at them, taking in the excited – if a little anxious – expression on each face. “Well, are you ready?”
They all nodded, though their attention was already directed to the hatch. She gave a nod. “Let’s go.”
Kathryn broke into a grin as soon as she went down the ramp that led into the docking station’s shuttle bay and her gaze settled on their welcoming committee: Commander Tuvok and Lieutenant Commander Harry Kim stood waiting for them at the base of the ramp, smiling (well, Harry was smiling, Tuvok was expressionless). The two officers were among the few members of the original Voyager crew to be part of this mission, along with the Doctor, and it was wonderful to see them. Of course she wished B’Elanna and Tom had joined them as well, but she understood (and fully respected) their decision to prioritize their family – though she knew how heart-tearing of a decision it had been, especially for B’Elanna. And Seven... well Seven had embarked on a path of her own, for better or for worse.
“Tuvok,” Kathryn greeted warmly, unable to resist pulling her old friend into a hug. “It’s good to see you. How are you?”
He returned her hug with an awkward pat on her back, then pulled back, lifting an eyebrow. “I am well, as you see, and equally pleased to see you.”
Kathryn nodded and moved on to Harry, squeezing his hand warmly. “Mr. Kim, I’m so pleased to have you with us on this journey, and as first officer too.” It was a well-deserved recognition that both Kathryn and Tuvok agreed he should be granted for this mission. He’d certainly earned it.
His smile widened as he shook her hand. “I have pretty big shoes to fill, but I wouldn’t have missed it for the world, Admiral. If only to see the look on Chakotay’s face when he sees me sitting in his chair,” he replied playfully, though there was a pointedness – a show of certainty that they would find him – in the way he held her gaze that was impossible to miss. Kathryn was touched. Not only by Harry’s words, but also by the fact that Harry Kim had actually volunteered for this assignment. It had surprised her at first; Harry had been so eager to get out of the Delta Quadrant the last time, she never would have imagined him wanting to go back there, especially in such a risky way. But now she knew she had underestimated him. His decision spoke not only of his bravery, but also his deep sense of loyalty and fellowship toward Chakotay.
This was a dangerous thought so she shook herself before her emotions could catch up. She’d done a pretty good job not thinking too much about the end goals of this particular mission over the last few days. In fact ensuring that Dal’s crew got the welcome and recognition they deserved had served as a much needed distraction. But now the memory of Chakotay’s voice echoed in her ears and the mix of dread and hope rushed back through her with a vengeance.
After some introductions with the officers in training, Harry invited the group to follow and led them to Voyager. Stepping back onboard her ship felt like coming home and Kathryn took in a deep breath as she fondly took in the familiar bulkheads, distractedly hearing the kids’ excited reactions and Tuvok’s communication to the bridge to alert the crew that everyone was now on board, and ready for departure.
Although Kathryn was eager to get to the bridge, she lingered behind as the group walked on ahead. She reached out a hand to the nearest bulkhead, resting her palm against it. “It’s you and me together again, old friend,” she whispered. “Now what do you say we go find him?”
She felt the vibrating rush of power as Voyager’s engines came online, as though in approval.
oooOooo
A/N: I'll post a second chapter today, just to really get the ball rolling...