Work Text:
Janeway sits in the Tereshkova alone, having stolen away a few spare moments to conduct some scientific research of her own. In all honestly, she just wanted some time to herself, flying through space as if she were back on a research vessel during her academy years, gathering data of spatial phenomena by herself to support or disapprove her superior’s papers.
Those had been the years of long hours, filled with menial, grueling work that threatened to bore her to tears. Now she was thrilled to be out here. Nothing to do but passively gather data, and watch the stars.
Perhaps she should have invited someone. Tuvok may never admit to enjoying stargazing, but even he could own up to finding time like this relaxing. Chakotay would probably be reading some book new to him, that he’d end up recommending to her once he’s done. Tom would be testing out the shuttle’s reactions. Harry would be diligently bored, and trying his best to pay attention to the work. He’s just fresh enough from the academy to believe he has to take every part of the job seriously, and green enough to get flustered when teased about it.
Janeway adjusts, moving to bring her feet onto the edge of her chair. She drapes her arms across her knees. It may just be her mind playing tricks on her, but Janeway would nearly swear that the stars look more gorgeous out here in the delta quadrant. More then they ever had back home.
Home. Well they weren’t the only ones far from home.
Kes might actually find this tedious work interesting. That girl soaks everything up like a sponge.
Letting her head fall back, Janeway casually side-eyes the readings. Her mind was already wandering back to Voyager and their little family that’s not as found as it was forced and forged through trials upon tribulations.
A spike in the tetryon levels pulls her mind to attention. She drops her legs, and practically throws herself back at her console. Her eyes grow wide as her greatest fantasies begin to turn into reality.
A wormhole is about to form.
Finally. She breathes a sigh of a relief. A way home.
Her fingers fly to the communications. She gets a channel open, ready to call Voyager, when the wormhole forms. It takes shape right in front of the shuttle. A mass of blue, and purple swirling light.
The connection remains open, stable, and completely unattended as that harsh reality sends her hope fleeting back into the recesses of her mind.
It’s smaller than she wanted it to be. The diameter is just wide enough to swallow this little shuttle of hers.
Janeway slowly turns her head to the readings. A grim feeling grows in the base of her throat. There’s no signals coming from the other side. At the very least none are strong enough for her little shuttle to pick up. She shuts off the channel to Voyager, and tries to send a message out through the wormhole. The message goes nowhere.
There’s nothing on the other side.
Considering that and how she has no way of telling if the wormhole would stay it’s current size all the way through. If it’s smaller on the other side, then it could tear her shuttle apart.
Janeway lets her head fall back against her chair.
Go or stay. It doesn’t really feel like a choice at all.
If it had been someone else in this shuttle, then it’d be more of a question. No doubt young Harry would’ve taken all the risks and charged in. He’s got the makings of a great starfleet officer, but his eagerness to go home would had him ignoring all the red signs. Signs that quell any part of her that might have considered it.
“Well, thank you for showing up.” Janeway smiles at the wormhole as she starts up the shuttle’s engine.
They have a chance. That’s all they need.
She turns the ship around, setting in the course for home.
For a rotten, desperate moment, Janeway considers erasing the data she gathered. No one would need to know about the wormhole. After all she couldn’t get a message through, and there was no damn way she was going through it. Not with the rest of their family waiting for her on Voyager.
Janeway lowers her hands. No. They deserve to know what was out here.
Who knows, maybe they’ll encounter another wormhole tomorrow. One which could be the perfect size for them all to make it through.
To finally reach home all together.
Settling back in her chair Janeway smiles softly. “I wonder what Neelix made for dinner.”