Disclaimer: No matter how much we kick, scream, cry or throw temper tantrums, Voyager still belongs to Paramount, as do all the characters, except for the ones I invented, whom you will meet later. In other words, Paramount is too lazy to make a movie, so l think it is out duty as fans to play with them, manipulate them and speculate what should happen after Endgame.
Hey all, sorry I have taken so long to update, but school has been hectic, and I was in the middle of a large pile of assignments. Anyway, now I am on school holidays for two weeks, so I am hoping to have this story finished by 10 October, and also before I leave on my week-long holiday to Vanuatu! Hope to hear lots and lots of reviews, this story has 4 chapters left after this, plus an Epilogue, so I'll be busy!
The Official Mission Chapter 6 - Party Time
The holodeck of the USS Voyager was looking more and more like it had under Neelix's reign every hour as Kathryn Janeway checked on the location for the reception that night.
The seventh and final time she came to visit the holodeck at 1730 hours, Tom Paris, Harry Kim and B'Elanna Torres had just finished programming the final decorations and were proceeding to pack up their equipment.
At six and a half months pregnant, it was a safety risk for Kathryn to be climbing everywhere, so decorating their ballroom was strictly off limits to the commanding officer.
"Captain!" Tom Paris had finally noticed Kathryn's presence in the very-colourful ballroom venue. "Nice of you to finally join us!"
Kathryn chuckled at the look on Tom's face when he heard her response. "Well, Mr Paris, the Captain's allowed to be late, especially one as pregnant as I am. But, then again, you can't really trust a man to understand something like that, can you, B'Elanna?"
B'Elanna shared her best friend's chuckle, which quickly turned into a laugh at the look on both Harry and Tom's faces.
Before anyone had a chance to respond to the Captain's challenge for an entertaining argument, an internal communicator beeped, interrupting the flow.
"Bridge to Captain Janeway," Lieutenant Marman's fresh, eager voice echoed throughout the room over the comm channel.
Sighing, Kathryn tapped the small comm badge attached to her chest. "Yes Scott, what is it?" she asked tiredly. Technically, Kathryn was two weeks off being put on restricted duties due to her troublesome pregnancy.
"Captain, the Talaxians have requested permission to start beaming aboard for the party in Holodeck One. A (slight pause) Mr Neelix (pauses again) has asked to be the first to beam over with his wife and children." Kathryn chuckled at his misinterpretation of Neelix's importance and insistence. "Ma'am, he's insisting to be beamed over first to approve the venue."
Kathryn, B'Elanna, Tom and Harry laughed at Scott Marman's fear of the Talaxian. "Just make sure he has no Leola root with him, Scott, then beam him and his family over."
"Leola root, ma'am?" Scott asked, clearly confused.
"Never mind, Scott, just beam them over," B'Elanna barely managed to say, as the other three were doubled over laughing.
"Yes, Scott, you do that," Kathryn said, still trying to avoid laughing again.
"Yes, Captain," Lieutenant Marman sighed, still not understanding entirely what they were laughing about, and still confused about this Neelix person. "Coordinates have been received, transport in five minutes. Bridge out."
"Come on you lot," Kathryn said, picking herself up off the floor. "Let's go see how Neelix and Dexa are."
As the foursome waltzed gracefully out of the holodeck, Kathryn Janeway tapped her comm badge. "All senior officers, please report to transporter room one."
Chakotay and Annika were already in the room, as were Scott and Abigail, by the time Kathryn, B'Elanna, Tom and Harry entered the transporter room, still laughing at something, most probably to do with Tom.
"Energise," Chakotay said, just after the Captain and her entourage had stopped beside him and Annika.
The late four managed to control their emotions as a familiar blue transporter beam brought four figures from the Talaxian Mining Colony to the USS Voyager-A.
"Neelix!" Kathryn greeted with a genuine smile and hug. "It is so great to see you! And you too Dexa!"
Neelix, Dexa and Brax stepped down off the transporter deck to greet the assembled senior staff - their old friends.
"You too, Captain!" Neelix replied, hugging Kathryn. Turning to Chakotay, the Talaxian hugged the large man too. "And of course I am glad to see you, Commander."
Chakotay hugged the old Ambassador in return, but looked to Kathryn with a slightly confused look on his face. The pair had certainly had their own fair share of disagreements during Neelix's time on the original Voyager.
Turning to Tom and B'Elanna, Neelix smiled as he recognised their extra rank pips. "Well, Lieutenant Commanders now?" he asked, smiling broadly. "I must say, you two have definitely earned it."
Tom and B'Elanna shared an embarrassed smile at the comment, each subconsciously fingering the aforementioned rank pips. "Well, after seven years of dedicated service, you'd better hope we'd get promoted," Tom said, smiling cheekily.
"Have you forgotten about me Neelix?" Harry asked, drawing attention to himself. "You know, good ol' Lieutenant Kim?"
Neelix turned to look at Harry, and noticed the extra pip on the Operations Officer's collar. "Harry! You've been promoted too!"
Smiling and nodding, Harry embraced his alien friend in a warm hug.
A coughing sound from behind the reunited friends drew everyone's attention from their returned friend to the other occupants of the large transporter room.
Kathryn, Chakotay and the rest of the senior staff, plus Neelix and his family, turned to the unfamiliar faces at the back of the room.
"Ah, who are they?" Neelix asked quietly, a confused look on his face. "And where is Mr Vulcan?"
Kathryn smiled again, and turned to make some introductions. "Mr Neelix," Janeway said, indicating Security Chief Marman and Counsellor Peters. "This is our new security chief, Lieutenant Scott Marman, who replaced Tuvok after he retired to teach at the Academy; and this is Lieutenant Commander Abigail Peters, our ship's counsellor."
Neelix looked around, studying the new crew's faces.
"What, are you scared of something, Neelix?" B'Elanna asked, drawing Neelix's attention away from the new crewmembers and back to them.
"Oh, you know me, too curious for my own good," Neelix commented. "But what about this party we came here for?"
The party was in full swing by the time Neelix, his family and the senior officers reached the entrance to the joined holodecks for the 'Welcome Home' party organised by Harry, Tom and B'Elanna.
"Nice of you to finally join us, Mr Ambassador…"
The music stopped as everyone turned to look at the new arrivals, their faces automatically breaking out in smiles at the sight of a very old friend walking across the floor.
Neelix, Kathryn and the other staff looked around for the voice addressing the honoured guest.
"It's good to see you again, Neelix," the voice repeated.
Kathryn recognised the voice. "Kes?" she inquired, having not seen the young Ocampan for three years.
The young woman stepped out of the shadows, smiling widely, with a young girl holding her hand. Ocampa had obviously been good to the young woman, as her long red hair still trailed down her back, and her face glowed with maturity and motherhood.
"Hello, Kathryn," she said calmly, stepping into an embrace with her old captain and friend.
"Hello again, Neelix," she said, hugging him warmly. "I see you have been busy lately."
A collective chuckle echoed throughout the crowd, followed by Kes' easy laugh.
Her familiar laugh made the whole group of people settle down, easing the built up tension in the room. "How about we get back to this wonderful party you have organised and catch up later," she suggested.
"Hear, hear!" Tom called, and others laughed with him, echoing his cheers.
As the music started up again, couples and groups of people moved to the dance floor to dance in time with the fast-paced waltzing music.
"Are you going to join us, Kathryn?" B'Elanna called from her place on the floor, where she had dragged an unsuspecting Tom to dance. B'Elanna may have been pregnant, but with her only being five months gone, she had the luxury of being able to dance without worry of inducing labour.
"No, I'm all right, B'Elanna," the seven-month-pregnant Kathryn replied, content in the spot where she was standing, with Chakotay almost permanently attached to her side. "Plus, I don't think the old man would let me dance, not this close to my due date."
B'Elanna laughed as she and Tom started dancing gracefully with the music, leaving a content Kathryn on the sidelines, watching her crew enjoying themselves for once.
At 2230, the party was still running strong. Neelix, Dexa and Brax were having the time of their lives on the dance floor, and the formality of the outfits was very pleasing to the eye.
Suddenly, in the middle of a dance involving all married couples, a new yet familiar voice echoed throughout the ballroom.
"Attention everyone," came the sweet yet commanding voice of Counsellor Peters. "My name is Lieutenant Commander Abigail Peters, ship's counsellor. Though we have been on this mission for some time now, most of you still do not know me, but you do know most of your senior officers, especially those from the original Voyager who served with or under them. Today, it has been my honour, and my pleasure, to be introduced to one of Captain Janeway's first Delta Quadrant friends, and official Delta Quadrant Ambassador for Starfleet, Mr Neelix!"
A cheer erupted from the silent crowd. It had taken guts to stand up there and address the crew in that manner, but to officially welcome home an old family member was very courageous.
"And," Abigail continued. "I would like to propose a toast." She stopped to see the formal gown-clad female population and tuxedo-clad male population rase their champagne flutes for the forthcoming toast. "I may not have been a member of this crew from the start, but after these past few weeks, I feel even more liked than I have in my entire life, mostly because of Captain Kathryn Janeway, and for that I would like to offer my sincerest thanks. To me, she is the one thing that must have kept Voyager together on her original journey home, and even now, she still continues to unite our crew together. So, please raise your glasses, for Kathryn Janeway, may you and your children be graced with long and happy lives, filled with love and friendship, because without it, you would never have survive the first trip. To Kathryn Janeway…"
"To Kathryn Janeway…" the crew added, with the Captain's closest friends shedding tears in response to the lovely speech.
"May her kindness, philosophy and legacy live on forever," Kes added, emptying her own flute.
Counsellor Peters stepped down from her position on the stage, and headed over to the woman she had just given the toast to.
"Abigail, that was lovely," Kathryn Janeway spoke to her Betazoid counsellor. Unlike the talents of Deanna Troi's infamous mother, Lwaxanna Troi, Abigail Peters was only partially telepathic, but just psi-sensitive enough to benefit the wellbeing of the crew.
The young woman blushed at the praise she received from her commanding officer. "Thank you ma'am, the toast just seemed appropriate. And, you can call me Abby. I never really liked Abigail in the first place."
Kathryn smiled at the comment on her name, before turning to Chakotay. "Well, sir," she said, moving the emerald green material around on her swollen, pregnant belly. "May I have this dance?"
At 0900 hours the next morning, most of the senior staff were trying to tiredly drag themselves to the observation lounge just off the bridge for their daily meeting.
"Whoever's idea it was to have meetings so early in the morning, I am going to seriously injure," B'Elanna said, dropping her pregnant form into the chief engineer's chair, slowly rubbing the sleep from her eyes and trying to hide a yawn.
"Just because you did not go to sleep until almost 0600 this morning doesn't mean you should take it out on us, Maquis," Harry muttered, using an eight year old nickname for her.
"Well Starfleet, you don't look much better than I feel," B'Elanna shot back, raising her Klingon cranial ridges off the table. "I…"
The Chief Engineer had to stop her tired conversation with the Ops officer as the doors opened, allowing Captain Janeway and Commander Chakotay to enter the lounge.
"Good morning everyone," Janeway said with a smile, trying to meet each of their eyes in a friendly glance.
Receiving only looks of intense sleep deprivation, Kathryn gave up.
"Well, I see you all got about as much sleep as we did," Chakotay said, also trying to wipe the sleep from his eyes.
"But we still have to attend the Talaxian party tonight at 1700, so don't wear yourselves out while on duty," Kathryn reminded them with a smile.
"In other words, don't work too hard," B'Elanna said smiling as she led everyone out the door. "We know, Kathryn."
Kathryn, Chakotay, Tom, B'Elanna, Harry and Annika met in the transporter room at 1645, ready to beam over to the Talaxian colony for the party.
"Did you have a hard day at work?" Kathryn asked in a sweet voice, watching B'Elanna yawn into the sleeve of her dress uniform. The mocking tone brought a smile to everyone's face, putting them into party mood for the second day in a row.
"Captain, they are ready to receive you now," came the voice of Chief Murray from the transporter console.
"Well then, Chief," Kathryn said with a smile. "Energise."
The Talaxians were sitting around a large table when the command staff transported into the middle of their mining colony.
"Hello again, Captain," Lorjam, their leader greeted. "Welcome back to our home!"
Immediately, the assemble Talaxians rose from their positions at the table to greet their friends. They burst out in applause, and gave the six visitors enough reason to smile again.
The celebration hall echoed of old dance music, mainly from Zephram Cochrane's era, but everyone enjoyed it nonetheless.
It was only 2200 hours by the time Kathryn, Chakotay, Tom and B'Elanna departed the dance floor for the guest of honour table, sitting with Neelix, his family and the Talaxian leaders.
"Having a good time, Kathryn?" Neelix asked, noticing she had sat down, looking very tired.
"Great party Neelix," she managed to say, before grabbing her pregnant abdomen suddenly. "Oh no."
Being a medic, Tom noticed the signs Kathryn was exhibiting. "Kathryn, was that a contraction?" he asked.
"Too soon, too soon," she muttered, before starting to breathe heavily, screaming in pain.
Tom knew exactly what to do. Tapping his comm badge, Tom called Voyager.
"Paris to Voyager. Medical Emergency, four to beam directly to sick bay."
Neelix looked at the medic, who could only say a few words before the transporter beam took a hold of them.
"Sorry, Neelix. Kathryn's gone into premature labour."
Before anyone could respond, they were gone.