Voyager was cruising through an area heavily populated by stars.  Most of the stars were young and the few that had developed planetary systems had gas giants or molten spheres that might develop into M-class planets in a few billion years.  The few older stars had uninhabited planets.  The area had heavy concentrations of asteroids and other space debris that forced Voyager to alter course frequently.  Chakotay thought it was useful training and practice for the ops and helm officers, not to mention Voyager’s former senior pilot.  Tom in particular needed to relax when someone else was at the helm and he was on the bridge.  More than once Chakotay had noticed Tom’s hands moving when a course adjustment was being made.  Once when Chakotay left his ready room he saw Tom gripping the arms of his chair as the ship made a series of maneuvers around a group of objects.   Harry had seen Tom’s death grip, too.  Only Tom’s position as First Officer had kept Harry from spreading the story around the ship.  Instead Tom only had to endure jokes from the Senior Staff and Kathryn.  When the updates from the Delta shift indicated they would be passing through an unusually high number of asteroid fields Chakotay had decided Tom could use a break from the bridge so he sent him to perform unannounced inspections of the ship’s numerous laboratories.  Chakotay left Harry in charge of the bridge most of the morning while he caught up on reports.  Tuvok was running safety drills in the nursery and classrooms.  B’Elanna kept engineering busy reinforcing the navigational deflectors with the main deflector.  All in all it had been a quiet morning.

Chakotay returned to the bridge to relieve Harry for lunch.  He would meet Kathryn for lunch at 13:00 after Taylor and Kay went to the nursery for the afternoon.  Harry stopped at the ops station to have a quiet word with the ensign on duty there when a ship darted from behind a nearby asteroid.  Although it’s small size should have made it much more maneuverable than Voyager, it appeared to be having trouble navigating through the asteroid field.

“Evasive maneuvers!  Shields!”  Chakotay got the orders out before he reached his chair.  The helm responded so quickly that he was thrown into Tom’s chair.  Harry and a few others weren’t so lucky -- they hit the deck.  As Voyager was coming about a second and slightly larger vessel followed the first ship out of the asteroid field headed directly for Voyager.  It’s pilot tried to avoid Voyager and still follow the smaller ship.  Unfortunately the smaller ship had looped around Voyager to hide in its shadow.  The larger of the two ships apparently had too many objectives and lost track of the asteroids.  The pilot misjudged the speed and distance of an approaching asteroid.  The small asteroid clipped the larger ship and sent it spiraling into a much larger asteroid.  The ship exploded upon impact.  It was over almost before Voyager’s bridge crew knew it had begun.

“Move us away from anything big enough to get past our navigation shields and drop to half impulse.  Hail that other ship.  Scan for survivors of the ship on that asteroid.”  Chakotay wasn’t sure what they had just witnessed but he knew that one ship had been destroyed and had probably left no survivors.  He also knew that a lot of questions could probably be answered if the occupants of the smaller ship were willing to provide them.

“Captain, there appears to be only one person on the remaining ship.  I am reading a serious malfunction in its propulsion system.  There is a slight possibility that the warp core could breach,” Tuvok volunteered additional information.

“The small ship is answering our hail, Captain.”  The ensign at Ops spoke as soon as Tuvok finished.

“Keep an eye on the status of that warp core, Commander. Put it on the screen, Ensign.”  Chakotay hoped the prompt response to Voyager’s hail indicated a willingness to answer questions.  He was more than slightly surprised when a young female humanoid appeared on the screen.

“Hello.  My name is Kellin.  I am having trouble with my engines.  Is there anything you can do to help me?”  Chakotay looked to Tuvok.  Tuvok gave a very slight negative shake of his head.

“I am Captain Chakotay and this ship is Voyager.  I’m not sure we can help you with your engines, Kellin.  They may be damaged beyond our ability to repair them.  Are there other ships nearby who might be more familiar with your systems than we are?”

“Captain, the ship’s core is beginning to overheat and will breach in approximately three minutes.“  Tuvok interrupted the conversation.  Tuvok was puzzled.  Only a minute earlier, there had been no indicator of overheating in the small ship’s warp core.

“Kellin, I suggest you transfer to this ship and we’ll give you a ride to the next system where you can seek another transport vehicle.”

“I appreciate your offer, Captain.  I would appreciate any assistance you are willing to provide.”

“We’ll beam you aboard.  Voyager out.”  The screen shifted back to an exterior view as the com link was closed.  “Lock on her coordinates and beam her aboard, Harry.  Tuvok, Tom, go meet her and bring her to the conference room.  I’d like more details on what we just observed between those two ships.”  Harry confirmed that he had a lock and that she was being beamed to Voyager.  A few seconds later the screen lit up as her ship exploded.

Chakotay had Harry replay the encounter from the time the first ship appeared until it was destroyed.  Something was bothering him.

“Harry, go back over all our readings for both ships.  See if you can determine the status of their weapons and engine systems before they were destroyed.  Have B’Elanna go over the readings to check the power systems, too.  She should look for traces of some type of cloaking device as well.  See if she can figure out why that second ship exploded when it doesn’t seem to have sustained enough damage to slow it down earlier.  Then go back over our readings for the last three hours and see if we have any indication of their presence before they broke out of that asteroid field in front of us.  Get astrometrics to look at our star charts and asteroid tracking scans.  They might be able to identify the ships.  Use however many people you need.  I want to know why we didn’t know those ships were out there until they were on top of us.”

“Aye, Captain.  I’ll get everyone right on it, but it might take a while.”

“I know, Harry, but we don’t have too long.  There could be more ships out there.  Harry, you have the bridge.”  Chakotay left the bridge heading for the conference room.  He might find some answers there, but he wasn’t sure they would be the right answers.

Chakotay took his seat at the conference table and put a spare pad at Tom’s usual seat.  He knew Tuvok would stand at the door unless there were other security guards present, so he called security to send two guards up to the conference room.  They arrived and Chakotay had them take posts next to the door.  They had barely taken their places when the door opened to admit Tuvok, Tom and their guest Kellin.  Chakotay took a moment to study her more closely.  She was blonde and pretty.  She smiled as soon as she saw him, but her expression before the smile took its place was the one he remembered later.  It reminded him of Seska’s smile when she visited him in the brig of the Cardassian scout so many years before.

“Captain!  Thank you for helping me.”

“We’re always glad to help fellow travelers in distress.  Please sit down.”  Chakotay responded to her greeting without rising and indicated she should take a chair at the opposite end of the table from him.  Tom saw the pad and took the hint to sit at that place.  Tuvok had taken note of the two security guards at the door and proceeded to the other chair next to Chakotay.  Kellin seemed to want to stay closer to the others, but took the seat indicated.

“What exactly was going on between your ship and the larger ship that followed you out of the asteroid field?”  Kellin appeared surprised at the bluntness of Chakotay’s question but never let her smile waiver.

“I’d better start at the beginning, Captain.  As I said, my name is Kellin.  I’m from a planet called Ramura.  We are a very private race.  We restrict all interaction with other races and the government denies us the right to leave our planet to avoid attracting too much attention.  Despite our isolation, we do have warp capability.  Something about us makes it nearly impossible for other races to remember us after we leave their presence.  Our scientists are still working on the reason for this effect.  If someone wants to leave Ramura they have to leave illegally.  Most people simply get in the fastest ship they can find and run.  When that happens the government sends a tracer to bring them back.  They wipe the person’s memory so they forget what happened while they were gone and send them for psychiatric treatment until they lose any desire to leave Ramura.  I’ve seen people after they are released.  They are little more than children psychologically and emotionally.

“I was running.  That other ship had two tracers on board.  They’ve been chasing me for three months.  They will send more tracers to find me, but with your help I can get far enough away that they can’t find me.  Will you help me?”

Chakotay didn’t know what to make of Kellin’s story.  It sounded good and explained why the other ship had been following hers.  On the other hand, there were probably dozens of other explanations that would sound just as good and offer better explanations.  He had time to decide about the veracity of her story later.  Since her ship had exploded his choice was to offer her transport to the next planet or beam her into space.  Since he wasn’t prepared to do the latter, the former would have to suffice.

“Kellin, we will provide quarters for you and transport you to the next planet on our route.  What I didn’t tell you when you arrived was that a few minutes after you left your ship, it exploded.  It appears your engine problems were worse than you thought.”  Chakotay again watched that smile.  If it wavered at all, it was to add a touch of self-satisfaction and accomplishment to its demeanor.  Chakotay’s mind raced.  He wanted her watched.  This guest would not have the run of the ship.  He addressed Tom and Tuvok.  Tom would know which quarters were available on Deck 7 without checking ship’s records and Tuvok would take the hint to keep guards on Kellin.

“Gentlemen, I believe you can find our guest some appropriate accommodations on Deck 7.  Find someone to show her where to find the mess hall and provide her the meal schedule.  Let me know when you have her settled in her quarters.”  Tuvok and Tom rose from their chairs and motioned that they would be escorting Kellin to her quarters.  Kellin had no choice but to follow them.  Tom stepped through the door first then paused to let Kellin catch up to him in the hall.  Tuvok followed signaling to the guards to accompany them as he passed.

Something about this woman and her story disturbed Chakotay.  He needed some other opinions and reactions.  He glanced at the chronometer.  It was 12:20.

“Chakotay to Janeway.”  Maybe she could eat lunch with him today.

“Janeway here.  Is something wrong?”

“No, nothing’s wrong.  I was wondering if you could eat lunch with me.”

“The girls are just finishing their lunch.  You’re lucky, I was planning to eat with T’Pel today, but a computer glitch with a new program in the geology lab has her tied up, so I can eat with you.”

“I’ll wait for you in the mess hall.”  He knew she would be at least 15 minutes so he took his time, stopping at the bridge to see how much progress Harry had made.  Chakotay realized that Harry’s work would take several hours at least, so he made sure the group took lunch breaks rather than working straight through.  He was in the turbolift when Tom and Tuvok contacted him that Kellin was in her quarters.

“Good.  Tuvok arrange for around the clock escorts for her until further notice.  Both of you join me in my ready room in forty-five minutes.  I’m eating with Kathryn and should be finished by then.  In the meantime, get some lunch and go over Kellin’s story if you have time.”

“Understood, Captain.  Captain, I hesitated to mention this earlier.  Our scans of Kellin’s ship did not indicate enough damage to account for an explosion so quickly.  It should have taken at least an hour to become critical.”

“Very interesting, Tuvok.  You have another puzzle to investigate.”

Chakotay waited at their usual table.  Kathryn was only two minutes longer than he had expected.  He watched her come through the door of the mess hall.  She was nearly seven months pregnant and looked closer to ten months.  She was doing very well carrying the twins even though she tired very easily. She hated the way she looked; he thought she was more beautiful than ever.  He stood and approached her.

“Hey, Beautiful.  Care to join me for lunch?”  Chakotay kissed her before he put his arm around her and led her to their table.  Kathryn still had trouble accepting the open displays in front of the crew, but she had no excuse to stop them.  Chakotay was the captain and she was a civilian.  She had to admit she enjoyed the moments most of the time.  Often she would look around the room after he kissed her and wonder what thoughts were flying through the minds of those who had observed the display.  She had to admit, if only to herself, that the open affection had not impacted Chakotay’s command in any way.  Kathryn wrapped her arm around his waist as they walked to the table.  Her arm tightened in a hug just before she released him to sit down.  His free hand rubbed her belly before she sat down reminding her yet again how proud he was of his family and the all too visible evidence of their love for each other.

“What do you three want for lunch, Kathryn?”  She made a face at his reference.  He smiled at her expression, releasing his smile’s full force on her.  Kathryn had no choice but to return the smile.  After all these years, she still responded to him as she had at their first meeting.

“I guess, a chef’s salad and fruit.  I don’t suppose you’d let me have coffee as a treat?”  At the look on his face she changed her order.  “I didn’t think so, but it never hurts to ask.  I’ll have some flavored mineral water.  Surprise me on the flavor.”  Chakotay went to get their food.  He knew she missed a lot of foods so when he saw mocha pudding on the dessert table he added that to her order.  The doctor knew she needed an occasional treat and wouldn’t object as long as they were limited to a reasonable number.  He carried the tray with their food back to the table and placed her salad and fruit in front of Kathryn.  He placed the pudding on his side of the table to see how long it would be before she claimed it.  Not long.  He was barely seated when she absently slid the pudding to her side of the table.

“What makes you think that’s for you?”

“You like chocolate pudding but you this is mocha pudding which you would never take for yourself.  I won’t tell the Doc you’re helping me cheat on his diet if you admit I’m right.”  Chakotay nodded his head and smiled.

“Just trying to keep you happy, Kath.”  They ate their meals chatting about their children and events in the nursery.  Kathryn updated Chakotay on her project in the science lab.  As she was reaching for her pudding, Kathryn asked Chakotay the question he had been waiting to hear.

“Why did you want to have lunch with me today, Chakotay?  I’m not complaining, but it’s not like you these days.  I usually have to drag you away from whatever you’re doing to see you at lunch.”

“Kathryn, you know I love having lunch with you.  I work through lunch most days so I can get away from the bridge to spend more time with you and the girls.  I hadn’t realized how long it’s been since I saw you during the day.  I’m sorry.”  His dismay was sincere.  He hadn’t realized how little he saw of Kathryn during the day recently. He had been focused on making time to spend with her and the girls each evening never realizing it cut into his time alone with Kathryn during the day.

“Where have I heard that explanation before?” Kathryn teased.  “Oh, I know.  I must have told you the same thing a hundred times.  Of course I understand.  I put you through the same thing for years.  It’s all right.  I’m asking because I’m curious, not because I’m critisizing.  Something is bothering you, so tell me what it is.”

“We picked up a passenger this morning.  She said she was trying to escape another ship in an asteroid field we passed through earlier.  The other ship was clearly chasing her, but its pilot miscalculated their position and clipped a small asteroid, lost control and hit a larger asteroid where the ship exploded on impact.  For some reason, our visitor’s ship had engine problems.  Apparently they were much worse than our scans indicated because a few minutes after she beamed aboard, its warp core exploded.”

“Well, you’ve told me what happened.  Now tell me what’s bothering you.”

“It’s going to sound paranoid, but I don’t trust her story.  Everything in her story could be true.  There was no weapons exchange between the ships, no evidence either ship considered Voyager a threat, nothing that would suggest that her story is not the truth.  The details she provided are consistent with no unusual gaps or glaring excesses people usually use when they’re lying.  I even know why I don’t trust her story.  Just one little thing is making me doubt everything she said.  When she first answered our hail and appeared on the view screen, just for a minute her expression reminded me of Seska the last time I saw her.  She had the same expression when she entered the briefing room.  Her expressions were identical to Seska’s.  Based on her facial expressions, I have half of both the science and engineering departments sifting through our readings trying to find a flaw in her story.  Even I think it sounds paranoid.”

At Chakotay’s mention of Seska, Kathryn put down her spoon.  Seska brought back memories, bad memories, for both of them.  Seska had caused Chakotay to doubt his own judgment and nearly took away his ability and willingness to trust others.  A person less willing to trust others and less determined would never have been able to regain what Seska had taken away.  Chakotay had taught himself to trust others, one person at a time.  In doing that, he had regained confidence in his own judgment.  Each person who proved trustworthy was proof that Chakotay could trust his opinions about people.  This was the first time in many years that Kathryn had seen Chakotay question either his trust or his judgment.  Kathryn chose her words carefully.

“Chakotay, you’re right.  It does sound paranoid, but what you’ve said makes me think you’re responding not only to the expression on this woman’s face but to something else that you have yet to identify. I trust you.  I trust your judgment.  You’re concerned that this woman is a threat to Voyager and her crew.  There’s a part of you that’s trying to protect your family.  That’s OK.  We’re on Voyager along with a lot of other families.  You should be concerned about all of us.  All you’re telling me is that you have no science, no evidence, to back up your feelings.  You’ve never needed science before so you don’t need it now.  Trust your feelings.  They’ve seldom let you down in the past.

“I don’t think you would have been so concerned if you hadn’t realized that her expression reminded you of Seska.  Seska is making you doubt yourself and your judgment again.  You beat Seska years ago.  You don’t have to fight that battle again.  If you’re not sure, look around you.  Look at me, at our children, at Tom and B’Elanna and at all the others. You’re the one who wanted us to get married the last time we were on DS9.  You were the one who stocked up on so many extra supplies and weapons that we would have terrified the brass at Starfleet if Voyager had headed toward Earth.  You thought it was necessary and you were right.  You’re the one the crew talks to when they need advice.  You understand people and you always look for the best in everyone until they give you a reason to doubt their words or actions.  Something has made you doubt this woman and her tale.  Trust your judgment.”  Kathryn paused for a few minutes to let Chakotay think about her words.

“You’ve acted on your feelings already, haven’t you?”  Chakotay nodded in reply to her question.  “Well, I bet Tuvok hasn’t even hinted that your actions are inappropriate, has he?”

“No, he hasn’t.  In fact, he’s almost been anticipating some of my decisions.”

“Then he doesn’t trust her either, but he can’t act without the science. You can.”

“That helps, especially the part about Tuvok.  I knew you’d help me sort it all our.  I thought I needed to talk about our passenger, but you knew I needed to talk about why I didn’t trust her.  Thanks, Kath.  I’m glad I decided to keep you around.”  They smiled at his use of her words.

“Glad to be of service.  You have a problem to deal with, so you go do your captain thing and I’ll go do my pregnant wife and mother thing after I’ve finished my mocha pudding.  I’ll see you tonight – only one hour late for dinner, OK?”

“Yes, Captain Kathryn!”  Chakotay rose from his chair and bent to kiss Kathryn before gathering their empty plates to drop at the recycler on his way out.  He felt better.  Memories of Seska had been eroding his self-confidence for the last few hours.  Kathryn had always been his cure for Seska and she had not lost her effectiveness.  Kathryn watched Chakotay as he left the mess hall.  She hadn’t been there to see him when he entered, but his stride, the way he held his shoulders, and the angle of his head radiated confidence and his use of her new ‘name’ told her he was in a good mood.

Kellin looked around the room she had been assigned.  She was not amused at being shunted to the side by the captain of this vessel.  She hadn’t been too interested in getting to know the captain of this ship until he appeared on the viewscreen and she saw his smile.  She wondered very briefly at the time why the smile changed ever so slightly when he saw her, but dismissed the idea as irrelevant.  Their method of transferring her to their vessel had caught Kellin off guard.  She barely had time to set the overload that would destroy her ship.  She wasn’t even sure it had worked until the captain told her about its destruction.

Kellin had met three men so far but no women.  She had seen other women on the ship, but there appeared to be more men than women.  That would work to her advantage.  She mentally reviewed what she knew about the three men she had met.  The darker one with the very nice ears appeared detached.  It seemed unlikely she could convince him to help her.  The younger blond man was a more likely possibility but he reminded Kellin of herself.  Never kid a kidder and never try to con a con artist.  No, he was not a good idea; he would probably see through Kellin’s story right away.  Yes, her first choice, the captain, was still the best target.  She needed to find out more about the man.

They had offered Kellin food, so she went towards the door that opened as she approached it.  As she expected, her “honor guard” was waiting for her.  When asked, they gave her directions to the mess hall and followed at a respectful distance.  She made her way to the serving line and was pleasantly surprised at the offerings available.  She quickly selected a small portion of a number of the selections rather than pick just one.  Kellin made small talk with the people working behind the counter while she made her choices.  She quickly learned this was the main mess hall and that the senior officers usually used a smaller one on another deck.  She also learned that in a few minutes, many of the crew would be coming in for their lunch.  Kellin looked for a table near one side of the room away from what she thought would be the most popular seating area.  She hoped only one or two people would join her and engage her in conversation.  It was much easier to steer a conversation with only a few people involved.

Kellin was just starting her meal when she noticed two more honor guard types enter the room and take a position at each door.  Her two exchanged looks with the new arrivals, then disappeared briefly one by one, returning to pick up plates, choose their meals, and take seats well away from the other tables to eat.  So, her honor guard had just been given their midday break.  They were certainly organized on this ship.

Kellin was not disappointed when three people in uniforms asked if they could join her.  Kellin welcomed them to her table.  The four exchanged names and started a discussion of the food.  Once the others had relaxed in her presence, Kellin started asking them questions about the ship and the names of the various people she had already met.  Eventually the topic got around to more personal information about the senior staff.  She learned the blond man was the First Officer and that in his younger days he had indeed been something of a con artist.  Her opinion of the darker man was also confirmed.  Kellin finally managed to get in a question that prompted a comment about the captain.  This permitted Kellin to ask about his wife.  The three others exchanged looks for a minute, clearly reluctant to discuss the captain and his wife for some reason.  One finally responded.

“Chakotay’s wife was the captain of Voyager before he took command.  He’s still getting used to not having her on the bridge with him.”  Kellin was overjoyed with this information.  It wasn’t much but it was enough to tell her this was the type of situation she had been hoping to find.  A captain still getting over the loss of his wife would be an easy target for her.  She continued with small talk for a few more minutes before excusing herself and returning to her quarters.

Kellin spent the afternoon going through the ships files that she could access from her quarters.  Mostly the files she could access consisted of the cultural database assembled by a group called The United Federation of Planets.  While its location in the galaxy was not defined in terms that meant anything to Kellin she concluded that it was quite far away from their current location.  She learned the name of various planets and groups who were part of the Federation and studied the hierarchy of a typical Federation ship.  She was surprised that she could not get any information about the ship or its crew in this part of the galaxy.  She finally decided the information must be classified until the ship returned home.  That was further support for her conclusion that ‘home’ was a long way away.  All in all Kellin considered it a very successful afternoon.  She decided that she would eat her dinner near the end the major dinner hour hoping that the captain would decide to check up on her after his shift for the day was completed.  She was disappointed whe he did not appear but she did manage to learn more about the first officer and the Chief of Security.  When she went to sleep that night, she was satisfied with her accomplishments that day.

The next morning Kellin was just finishing her breakfast in the mess hall when a woman approached her.

“Hi, I’m Kathryn.  Do you mind if I join you?”  The woman was older than most of the crew and obviously pregnant.  If Kellin judged correctly by the size of her belly, this woman would only be waiting for her child’s birth a few more days.  Kathryn was curious about this stranger whose smile reminded Chakotay of Seska and couldn’t resist the urge to meet her.  Although only seven months pregnant, she looked like she had at nine months with Taylor and Kay and felt like she had been pregnant for much longer.  Kellin’s appearance was a bit of a surprise to Kathryn.  Chakotay hadn’t mentioned her appearance. Kathryn realized most men would consider Kellin beautiful in spite of her ears.  Kellin responded to Kathryn’s request with a smile.

“No, it’s been rather lonely this morning.  I guess everyone was in too much of a hurry to get to know the new arrival.”  Kathryn suspected it had more to do with the message the crew all found when they woke advising them not to spend too much time talking to the visitor and to be careful about what they said.  Neither knew three of the crew had rushed to Tuvok’s office to report what they had discussed with Kellin before Tuvok had even known they had spoken with her.  The three had been reassured that they had done nothing wrong nor had they said anything that affected the ship’s security.

“Chakotay asked me to play hostess for you while you were on board.  I hope your quarters are satisfactory.  Is there anything you need?”  Kellin noticed the use of the captain’s name instead of his title.  She must be a close friend or the partner of one of the senior officers.  She seemed a bit older than the first officer, but he was a possibility.  Best way to find out something was to ask.

“No, Kathryn.  My quarters are fine and I don’t think there is anything you can provide that could improve my visit on Voyager.  Everyone has been most hospitable.  It’s been a long time since I enjoyed a meal as good as the ones served on Voyager. You have a most remarkable ship. I was hoping for the opportunity to compliment the captain on Voyager and the crew. Tell me, have you ever regretted marrying your first officer?”  The change of subject was abrupt and the question was blunt. Kellin hoped it would catch Kathryn off guard. If she weren’t married to the blond first officer, she would correct Kellin; if she were, Kellin would know where she fit into the ship’s hierarchy.

“No, I never did.  We’ve been very happy together. I’m surprised someone mentioned that story to you so soon after you arrived.” Kathryn wondered at the woman’s rudeness. If Kellin were trying to get in good with the captain, being rude to Kathryn was not a way likely to accomplish that goal.

“Oh, we were jumping around on different topics and that one just popped up in passing before we moved on to others. It stood out from the others only because the others seemed to think it was so romantic given the circumstances of your meeting.” Kellin was making things up as fast as she could, hoping to avoid giving away that fact. Kathryn seemed to buy this latest statement.

“Would you like a tour of the ship?  I can only take you to the areas where I have clearance, but that’s still a lot of ship.” Kellin accepted eagerly. The more she knew about the ship and its layout, the better. Kathryn had clearance for just about any part of the ship, but she had no intention of taking Kellin everywhere and her own lack of clearance was the best excuse to avoid an area. Chakotay didn’t trust Kellin so Kathryn was not going to take Kellin into the areas housing most of Voyager’s advanced technology, like engineering and astrometrics.

For the rest of the morning the two women roamed the ship. Kathryn had never questioned Chakotay’s judgment of other people and wasn’t going to start now. Kathryn was beginning to like the other woman but had kept herself alert to small details and could see a few things that would explain why Chakotay did not trust Kellin. As the lunch hour approached, Kathryn changed the subject to children. That wasn’t difficult considering her condition.

“Would you like to meet my two children?” Kellin was surprised. She hadn’t expected Kathryn to have other children. Perhaps they were children from a previous marriage.

“Yes, I would love to meet your children?”

“Let’s go then. The nursery is just down this corridor. My husband is meeting me so we can take the children to lunch with us. We try to do this at least once a week but he usually has to cancel. I hope his scheduled doesn’t make him cancel today.”

The two women entered the nursery. Their entry went unnoticed by the children who were engrossed in a story being told by the captain. Kellin was completely unprepared for the sight of the ship’s captain resting comfortably among some cushions on the floor surrounded by children. Kathryn seemed unsurprised at the scene. This was like no ship Kellin had seen before. Chakotay noticed their arrival but did not interrupt his story. Kellin’s shock at seeing the captain completely distracted her so she didn’t notice how Kathryn’s face light up at the sight of Chakotay and all the children on the floor, nor did Kellin notice that the two little girls sitting in Chakotay’s lap looked exactly like Kathryn in all but hair and eye color.

Chakotay finished his story and the children loudly proclaimed it the ‘Best ever today, Captain.’ He smiled and headed in Kathryn’s direction drawing the children’s attention to her. Once the children realized Kathryn had stopped for a visit, they ran to loudly greet her. The children’s words registered in Kellin’s consciousness about the same time Chakotay reached Kathryn’s side, put his arm around her waist, his other hand on her belly and kissed her possessively.

“How’re you three doing, Kathryn?” Chakotay’s words were barely audible over the shouts of “Captain Kathryn!  Captain Kathryn!”  Kellin was at a loss for words.  His wife was dead, wasn’t she?  Kathryn was married to the first officer, not the captain, right?  After a few minutes the children had calmed down and moved on to other activities.  Kathryn and Chakotay noticed her confused expression.

“What’s wrong, Kellin?”  Kathryn asked the question for both of them.

“I’m surprised, that’s all.  I didn’t realize the two of you were married to each other.  You told me you married your first officer.  One of the people in the mess hall told me the captain still missed having his wife with him on the bridge.”

“She did marry her first officer.  She was the captain when we were married and I do still miss having her with me on the bridge.” Chakotay thought Kellin seemed unduly concerned about her mistake, but not embarrassed, as most people would be. His reluctance to trust Kellin was growing. Kathryn would normally have passed it off as an honest misunderstanding, but a few other comments during the morning combined with knowing that Chakotay didn’t trust her made Kathryn unwilling to discount Kellin’s comments.

“Well, there are two very patient young ladies here who are waiting to be introduced and taken to lunch. Taylor and Kay, come here please.” Kathryn called the girls to move closer.

“Kellin, these are our two daughters, Taylor and Kay.  Taylor just turned six and Kay is going to be four in a few months.  Girls, this is Kellin.  She’s going to be visiting on Voyager for a little while.” The girls and Kellin exchanged greetings before the five went to lunch.  Kellin barely noticed what they were eating and would have been unable to recount even one of the many stories Taylor and Kay shared during lunch. She was busy coming up with an alternate plan since this happy family made her original plans impossible to carry out. Chakotay noticed her distraction and added it to the list of reasons he didn’t trust her story. Kathryn’s earlier misgivings were reinforced but for entirely different reasons.  No mother likes to see her children ignored by others and Kathryn was used to the attention Voyager’s crew always gave Taylor and Kay. If Kathryn hadn’t already been wary of Kellin, she would have been after observing Kellin’s treatment of her children.

After lunch Kellin pleaded a headache as an excuse to return to her quarters and work on a new plan. Since she could no longer count on having the captain’s complete support if her pursuers found her, she needed to disappear from Voyager until they reached the next planet with interstellar travel technology.

The first step would be infecting Voyager’s computer with a virus that would remove all records of Kellin and her ship from the computer files.  If new information about Kellin were added, it would be removed within seconds.  The virus solved the biggest obstacle to Kellin successfully disappearing on Voyager – the computer records.  The problem caused by the virus was that the computer controlled the replicators and doors and if the computer had no record of Kellin it would not operate various systems for her benefit.  Kellin had noticed keypads by each door.  It was likely that each door also had a code that was manually input.  The keyboard would operate for Kellin even if the virus were functioning properly.  All she had to do was find out the code for her door.

Kellin’s next problem was obtaining food and water when the computer could not recognize her.  She would not be able to get food from the replicators without assistance.  Food was available from the mess hall.  If she were careful, she would be able to enter and leave right before lunch and during the night.  As long as no one saw her for more than a minute or two, she would be quickly forgotten.  Despite what she had told Chakotay and the others when she arrived, she knew very well that pheromones were the reason her race was so quickly forgotten.  They interfered with the transfer of information from short-term to long-term memory.  Most species forgot about Ramurans almost immediately if they saw them for only a few minutes.  The longer the encounter and the more interaction directly with a Ramuran, the longer the memories would be retained.  Kellin’s experience told her that most species would forget her within 24 hours of last seeing her.  Kellin decided that she would make another appearance for dinner this evening and find out how to use the keyboard outside her door.  Then all she had to do was infect the computer with the virus and stay out of sight most of tomorrow.

Kellin couldn’t come up with any way to trick the guards into telling her what the keypad access was, so she finally resorted to simply asking them if she could get in that way if the computer didn’t open the door.  They told her the combination.  Just asking for information was a new approach for Kellin.  She was in the habit of tricking people into giving her information.  Asking about the computer code for her door was so simple and effective that she tried asking about the meal schedule in the mess hall.  The staff was happy to provide her with the weekly schedule as well as the menus for the next three weeks.  Kellin was ready to put her plan into effect as soon as she finished dinner.

Two weeks later, Kellin had to admit that it had been easier to disappear on this ship than she had thought it would be.  She had a few close calls during the first few days of her disappearance.  Her closest call was when her guards realized they were standing guard duty on a supposedly empty room.  They contacted Tuvok to request new orders.  Kellin was lucky. Tuvok was in a meeting with the captain and his replacement at tactical sent the guards to help move some equipment in engineering.

Kellin’s quarters were near the mess hall in an area with relatively few other residents, so avoiding people in the immediate vicinity was fairly easy.  She simply stayed in her room during the scheduled meal times to avoid the heavy traffic.  The food turned out to be only a minor inconvenience.  She had started out going in before the lunch hour rush, but had switched to going after the mess hall was officially closed and the staff was eating their lunch and talking among themselves.  They were used to the occasional straggler and paid no attention to Kellin.  She usually ate in a corner instead of dealing with dishes in her quarters.  It was a little bit lonely not having anyone to talk to during the day, but Kellin viewed it as a vacation and enjoyed herself as much as she could.

Chakotay had just entered the main living area after dropping Taylor and Kay off with the Paris family.  He and Kathryn were contemplating a few hours together for the first time in several weeks.  Kathryn was nearly eight months pregnant and wanted nothing more than to sit and talk to her husband.  Chakotay felt he had been neglecting Kathryn for the last few months.  He just hadn’t been able to give her the support he thought she deserved during these last few months of a very tiring pregnancy.  Both had looked forward to this evening for several days.  Chakotay had just taken off his jacket when the call came.

“Captain to the bridge.”

Great!  The timing couldn’t have been worse.  Kathryn and Chakotay exchanged looks.  She was disappointed; he was irritated.  He reached for the comm badge on his jacket.

“On my way.”  Chakotay tossed his jacket back on the chair before approaching Kathryn.  She held out her hand for him to help her up.  He pulled her to her feet and into his arms.

“I’m sorry, Kathryn.  I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“I wish I could say I don’t understand, but we both know I do.  Don’t worry about it, Chakotay.  I’ll go to bed early.  The rest will do me good.  Wake me up when you get back, OK?  Promise?”

“I promise.  Sleep well, Kath.”  He kissed her forehead, retrieved his jacket and headed for the bridge.  Kathryn watched his departure and remembered all the times the roles had been reversed over the years.  At least then he’d had the option of following her to the bridge.

Chakotay was striding down the corridors on the way to the turbolift.  This had better be good!  Dragging the captain away from his first evening off in months was not a trivial offense right now.  He reached the turbolift and had to wait for it to arrive.  This only added to his frustration.  Finally the turbolift doors opened. He gave his destination and waited.  The inactivity gave him a moment to reflect on his mood. He didn’t like what he saw.  Slowly he took a deep breath and searched for the calm that would be necessary to handle whatever problem was taking him to the bridge. By the time the doors opened his demeanor was the one the crew expected to see.

“Report!”

“Captain, we’ve been hailed by a ship that appeared on our sensors about 15 minutes ago.  I didn’t call you then because it gave no evidence of hostile activity and its weapons were not powered.  I called now you because their story is so implausible.  I really think you should hear it.”  The lieutenant that had been seated in his chair rose as Chakotay entered and moved toward the ops station.

“What’s their weapon status and capability?”

“Their shields are up, but their weapons are off-line.  Scans indicate their capability is about the same as Voyager’s.  They’ve made no effort to block our scans.  I believed they have made cursory scans of Voyager.”  The ensign at tactical responded.  They didn’t appear to be a threat at this point.  Chakotay was curious to know what type of story would prompt the bridge crew to call him at this hour yet not warrant any concern about hostile intent.  He seated himself in his chair.

“Open a hailing frequency, Lieutenant, and put it on the screen when they’re ready.”

“Aye, Captain.”  The big screen flashed on almost immediately.  A male humanoid appeared in front of a small group.  They resembled Vulcans a bit more closely than Terrans.  The male in front spoke.

“Ah, Captain.  I apologize for interrupting you and bringing you to your bridge.  We didn’t realize when we approached the relative time on your ship.  I’ll try to make this quick and we can discuss it more fully tomorrow.

“My name is Korint, captain of the Majinna.  I am from the planet Ramura.  Unfortunately my task is not a pleasant one.  I am tracking a criminal from Ramura and have traced her to a location that more than likely put your ship in contact with her vessel about three weeks ago.  The woman I am seeking was most recently calling herself Kellin though she may be using another name by now.  She is guilty of defrauding several people for rather significant sums.  I believe you would call her a con artist.  More recently she has resorted to stealing private spacecraft to relocate to other planets when the local authorities link her to her crimes.”

“How long ago are our paths supposed to have crossed?  We have encountered no other ships or made contact with any planets for nearly 11 weeks.”

“Unfortunately you would not remember having seen Kellin if your paths did cross.  If she boarded your ship, your computer records will have been purged of information about her and her craft.  She will have loaded a computer virus to accomplish that task.  We can show you how to detect the presence of the virus.  If the virus is present, then Kellin is still on your ship unless you are missing any shuttlecraft.”  Chakotay glanced at tactical and then at ops.  Both officers shook their heads indicating that they showed no readings for a stowaway on board.

“You believe we have a stowaway on board Voyager?  A stowaway that has been here for three weeks and managed to remain undetected?   You also believe this Kellin has tampered with our computer and her tampering is why we have no record of her ship approaching Voyager?  You’ll forgive me, but this is really not very credible.”  Korint seemed unmoved by Chakotay’s skepticism.  He almost seemed to be expecting it.  Chakotay understood now why he had been called to the bridge.  He would have called the captain, too.  Korint continued.

“If I might make a suggestion, Captain.  I can provide a detailed explanation but it would take some time.  Why don’t you have your people check your computer and search your ship for any indications of a stowaway?  I will be more than happy to provide you with instructions on detecting the virus now.  I am willing to come to your ship and provide the detailed explanation for my belief that Kellin is on board Voyager in about 12 hours.  That will give your people time to conduct these tests plus your own inspections.”

Chakotay considered Korint’s suggestion.  He did not think the Ramurans posed a threat to Voyager at this point.  Korint’s suggestion made sense and would give him a chance to get some rest.  On the other hand, he didn’t want to leave the bridge to anyone except one of the senior staff.  His choices were limited.  He knew Tuvok had bridge duty starting in four hours.  The Parises had their hands full with all the kids.  B’Elanna would have both their heads if Chakotay called Tom to the bridge tonight.  It would have to be Harry.

“I’ll accept your suggestion, Korint.  I appreciate the opportunity to let my people run their own investigations and scans before we meet.  I’ll contact you in 12 hours.  Perhaps you’ll join us for lunch after our meeting?”

“It would be my pleasure, Captain.  If you will just let me know when you want the details for detecting the virus, I will provide them to your people.  Until tomorrow, Captain.”

“Until tomorrow, Korint.  Voyager out.”  The screen went blank.

“Lieutenant Kim to the bridge.”  Chakotay knew Harry would take a few minutes to arrive so he made sure all the tests and scans were started.  He turned to the lieutenant who had called him to the bridge.

“Fill in Lieutenant Kim when he arrives then go to engineering and supervise their work.  Have someone go back over everything unusual that’s happened on this ship for the last month.  If there is a stowaway on board, there has to be some evidence.  Tell Harry that Tuvok will relieve him at 24:00.  I’ll want full reports in the morning.”  Chakotay was just ready to leave when Harry arrived.

“Reporting as ordered, sir.”  Harry lacked his usual neat appearance, but he was alert and ready to work.  Chakotay entered the turbolift as Harry exited.  Harry voiced his reply to the door.

“You have the bridge, Harry.  They’ll fill you in on what’s happening.”  The look on Harry’s face lingered for five full seconds after the doors closed behind the captain.  Weird was part of the job.

“Aye, sir.”

Chakotay returned to his quarters and found his wife sleeping on the couch.  As uncomfortable as that was, she was waiting up for him to return.  Stubborn did not begin to describe her and he’d have her no other way.  There were times though when he wished she would use that stubbornness to help herself.  Instead of waking her right away, he quickly changed his clothes.  Returning to the living area, he reached down to pick her up and then carried her to bed.  She roused slightly as he lifted her, but settled back to sleep in his arms.  She roused again when he put her into bed and crawled in next to her.  Again she settled back to sleep in his arms.  Chakotay spoke to her.

“Kathryn.  Wake up, Kath.  I’m home.”  His whisper wouldn’t have been audible to anyone more than two feet away.  Kathryn didn’t even stir.  Chakotay smiled.  He had kept his promise.  Chakotay could feel one of the babies moving around.  He probably woke the baby when he picked up Kathryn and now the baby was protesting.  He gently stroked his hand over the baby and waited until he quieted down.  This wasn’t the evening he had planned, but it was a good evening.  He watched Kathryn sleep for a long time before he surrendered to sleep himself.

The next morning in the ready room Chakotay reviewed all the reports on the investigations that had taken place since he left the bridge the night before.  The only one that was conclusive concerned the virus.  Once they knew what to look for, it was easy to find evidence of the virus.  The traces of it they found showed it had been introduced into Voyager’s computer system a few days after the Ramurans believed Voyager had encountered Kellin.  Other reports included incidents that could indicate a stowaway was on board, but there were other possible explanations for all those events.  The most convincing reports were made by the mess hall staff.  Although they were used to the occasional midnight raid on leftovers, the frequency of those raids had increased in the last three weeks.  Several of the staff believed the raids were occurring nightly, although there were two nights that they weren’t certain a raid had taken place.  Both exceptions had been on nights when a group had gathered for a late meal.  They may have taken the missing food along with the meals they had been left.  What was interesting was that the missing food was not the same that earlier raiders had taken.  Typical raids on Voyager targeted desserts; the recent raids were of fruits, vegetables and foods that could be reheated easily in the kitchen.  What was most interesting was that another of the new raids had occurred last night even though the corridors were filled with security personnel doing a room-by-room search of uninhabited quarters, storage areas, Jeffreys tubes, and any other possible hiding place.  If there were a stowaway raiding the mess hall, that person had evaded the search teams and still managed to carry out the raid.

Chakotay was tempted to write the entire stowaway theory off as too unlikely to pursue.  The only thing stopping him was a feeling that there really was someone else on Voyager.  He thought back to a conversation with Kathryn a few weeks earlier.  They had been discussing his instincts and ability to act without facts to back up those instincts.  She had advised him to trust his instincts.  Now that he thought about the conversation, he realized that he didn’t remember what had prompted his concern.  Upon further consideration he also realized that the conversation had taken place about the same time that Kellin was supposed to have boarded Voyager.  He trusted Kathryn; she trusted his instincts.  He’d pursue the matter with the Ramurans.  At the very least, his crew would get an exercise in locating stowaways and intruders.  Chakotay checked the time.  It was nearly 10:00.  The Ramurans would be getting impatient soon.  He opened a comm link to the bridge.

“Harry, open a channel to the Ramuran ship and ask for Korint.  Put it through to me here when he’s ready.”

“Aye, Captain.”  Chakotay mentally went through the list of people who should be involved in the meeting with Korint.  Tuvok was at the top of the list.  Chakotay briefly debated whether to include Tom, then realized what he would have thought if Kathryn had left him out of this type of meeting.  He needed the best person for Voyager’s systems and computer.  He narrowed the possibilities to Harry and B’Elanna and T’Pel.  Finally Chakotay gave up choosing among the three and put them all on his list.  Kathryn would have been on the list if she hadn’t been feeling so tired.  The others could always consult her for more ideas if they needed her input.  It would be a bit crowded around the table but there was room unless Korint brought more than two people with him.  He called Tom to the ready room and quickly explained his plans for the meeting and those who would be included.  Tom would make sure there were enough chairs at the table and assemble the Voyager contingent.

“Captain, Korint is ready now.”

“Put it through to my desk, Harry.”

“Aye, Captain.”  Harry hadn’t finished speaking when Korint appeared on the screen.

“Good morning, Korint.  I’m sorry I took so long to contact you this morning.

“Good morning, Captain.  I trust the night was profitable for you and your people.”

“I’ll leave you to judge how profitable.  My people spent half the night checking as much of your story as we could and the other half writing what they did or didn’t find.  Unfortunately the only conclusive evidence we found was the computer virus. There were other things that could support a stowaway but could just as easily support some other theory.  The computer virus is enough for me to think that we should make as complete an investigation as possible if you are willing to provide us with assistance.”

“We are more than willing to assist you in your investigation and search.  I believe that the full story would benefit you in determining the correct course of action.  We can also provide the antivirus to remove the existing virus from you ship’s computers, though it takes a few days to become fully effective, depending on computer usage and how extensively it has spread.  If you agree, I will join you on Voyager.  With your permission, I will bring two aids to assist me.  I personally find long conversations over monitors tedious.”

“I am more than willing to host the discussions, Korint.  Will fifteen minutes be sufficient time for you and you aids to prepare?”

“More than sufficient, Captain.”

“Fine.  We’ll contact you in fifteen minutes and arrange transportation for you.  Chakotay out.”

Chakotay alerted Tom and Tuvok of the pending arrival of their guests.  Tuvok organized a security detail to accompany him to the transporter room and then escort their guests to the briefing room.  Chakotay went to the briefing where he found Tom, Harry, and T’Pel waiting for him.

“B’Elanna was detained in engineering but is on her way.”  Tom explained B’Elanna’s absence to Chakotay, finishing just as B’Elanna rushed into the room slightly out of breath.

“Sorry, Captain, I was held up by a minor glitch with the computer.  I think it had something to do with the investigations done overnight.”

“No problem, B’Elanna.  Tom has filled you all in so far, right?”  At their nods, Chakotay took his usual seat in the briefing room, then look at the suppressed smiles on the faces of Tom and Harry.  B’Elanna had her hand over her mouth so he couldn’t see her grin.

“What?”

“Chakotay, that is, Captain, are you sure you want to sit there?”  T’Pel voiced what the others were thinking but couldn’t say without laughing out loud.  Her slight emphasis on the word ‘captain’ told Chakotay why they were laughing.  His embarrassment was rapidly replaced by amusement at his habit.  His proper seat at the table was “Kathryn’s” chair, not “his” chair.  He still hadn’t gotten entirely used all the little details resulting from his change in role on Voyager.  He was grinning as he switched to the next chair.  The group took their seats and chatted about inconsequential topics until Tuvok arrived with Korint and his aids.  Chakotay rose to greet Korint.

“Welcome aboard Voyager, Korint.  I hope the transporters weren’t too disconcerting for you and your aids.”

“Not at all, Captain.  It was a most interesting experience.  May I present my aids Laaruun and Mollinet.”

“Gentlemen.  Korint, this is my first officer, Lt. Commander Paris; you’ve already met Commander Tuvok.  Over here is our Chief Engineer Lieutenant Torres.  This is Lieutenant Kim our senior Ops officer.  Finally, this is T’Pel our resident computer expert.”  Everyone exchanged greetings before finding seats.

“Captain, I believe it would be beneficial if I summarized the history of the person we believe is a stowaway on board Voyager.  Knowing something of your opponent is usually beneficial.”  Korint then gave a detailed history of Kellin’s life.  Tom’s report later summarized it best.

Kellin was born on Ramura.  She had done well in school specializing in social relationships and interactions.  Although Ramura was relatively isolated, they did have contact with other races.  Kellin had become an expert on a number of other races and their social customs and practices.  Most expected her to move into work as a consultant to assist in trade negotiations for major off-world industries that were interested in trading with Ramura.  However after accompanying several trade groups to other planets, Kellin had become dissatisfied with life on Ramura.  Eventually she left Ramura to live on a nearby planet.  Using her knowledge of social interaction, she eventually developed into an accomplished and very successful con artist.  She would stay in an area until people were just beginning to become suspicious, then she would move on.  She usually moved to another planet where there was less likelihood that stories of her activities would follow.  Her most recent con had yielded her more money than would be necessary for her to live in comfort for the rest of her life on Ramura or any neighboring planet.  It was a big enough loss for authorities to fully investigate.  Kellin had made one minor mistake in preparing the most recent con that allowed the investigators to link Kellin with numerous cons on half a dozen planets.  Knowing the authorities were preparing to arrest her, Kellin stole a private shuttle and tried to escape.  A law enforcement ship had followed.  The wreckage of that ship was found on an asteroid near Voyager’s path through the asteroid field.

Korint went on to explain how Kellin was able to work so long in one place without attracting attention.  Ramurans were by nature completely forgettable.  Each individual emitted pheromones that interfered with most species' transfer of short-term memories to long-term memories.  The longer a Ramuran was with a person, the longer the memory of the Ramuran would be retained in the person’s memory, but generally after 24 hours a Ramuran was forgotten by everyone.  This was true of all Ramurans but most Ramurans traveling to other planets did not use it to steal.  There were Ramurans whose job it was to see that no Ramuran did what Kellin had been doing.  They relied heavily on local authorities to assist them.  Kellin had successfully evaded local authorities.  However, once alerted, the Ramurans knew how to counter some of the tactics Kellin used to make tracking her more difficult.  Most notably, they knew how to counter the effects of the computer virus.  Frequently they could recover lost data, though sometimes it was incomplete.  The effects of the Ramuran pheromones could be avoided by properly modulated shields or by airtight walls.  The proper adjustments to a ship’s air filtration system could also eliminate the pheromones.

Once Korint had completed his explanations the group began a discussion of how to locate Kellin.  Chakotay was now convinced that she was probably on board Voyager.  They were discussing the best way to conduct room-by-room searches and ways to track Kellin without the computer’s assistance.  Finally Harry interrupted.

“Captain, this may sound crazy, but why go to all the trouble?”

Chakotay and everyone else in the room looked at Harry as if he had grown another head.

“I know.  But why go to all that trouble when you can counter the effects of the virus in the computer? Running a complete system check will spread the ’cure’ through the entire system.  It would only take a few hours to run the check.  If we adjust the air filters we can reduce the pheromones in Voyager within the same time span.  Then we provide the computer with details on Ramuran physiology and have it scan for Kellin.  Once we know her location, we send in security personnel and a few Ramurans to actually take her into custody.  Once we have her in sight, all we have to do is keep her in sight.”

Chakotay and Korint looked at each other.  Their elaborate plans were really unnecessary.  It would have been fun to organize, but it was unnecessary.  At Chakotay’s questioning look, Korint nodded his agreement.

“Harry, whatever am I going to do with you?  Why didn’t you speak up a half hour ago and saved us all this unnecessary planning?”

“I hadn’t thought of it when we started, Captain.  Something Tuvok said confused me for a minute and I misunderstood his next statement and all of a sudden my mind said ‘why’ and the alternative I suggested simply appeared in my mind.”

“Well, it’s a good idea that should work with a lot less effort and chance of failure.  T’Pel, why don’t you take Laaruun to your computer lab and isolate a system and check out the fix?  When you’re comfortable it won’t damage our systems, let Tuvok know.  B'Elanna, you and Mollinet should deal with the environmental systems and shielding.  We may need both before we’re finished.  Make sure everyone takes a break for lunch sometime in the next two hours.”

Chakotay and Korint watched as the groups left the briefing room.

“Well, we’ve put our people to work.  Would you like a tour of my ship before we eat lunch?”

“I would enjoy that, Captain.”

“Call me Chakotay.  I think we’re going to be working together for a few days and there’s no need to stand on formality that long.  This a mutual aid project not a diplomatic negotiation.”

The two men headed for the major departments before stopping at the nursery.  Chakotay managed to find Kathryn before she ate.  The three ate together and brought Kathryn up to date on the Kellin story.  As they were finishing, Kathryn got a strange look on her face.

“Chakotay?  Do you remember our conversation a few weeks ago about trusting your feelings when you have no science to back up those feelings?”

“Vaguely.  That memory, however vague, was a factor in my decision to pursue the stowaway possibility.  Why?”

“Do you think Kellin had come on board and you were dealing with her and didn’t trust her but had no proof that she was lying to you?”

“It’s possible.  But why don’t you remember the conversation?  Unless . . . maybe you met her later and that meeting eventually affected your memory of the conversation about her.  Could that happen, Korint?”

“The Ramuran pheromones affect different species slightly differently. What you suggest is unusual, but definitely possible. I suppose someday we’ll meet a species that is completely unaffected by the pheromones.”

Kathryn left first to return to their quarters to rest.  She was planning to attend an art exhibit put on by the children in the nursery.  Taylor and Kay were both proud exhibitors of a number of entries.

Chakotay and Korint returned to the briefing room for coffee.  They continued discussing a mutual interest in comparative cultures for about an hour.  Then they started contacting the various groups for status reports.  They had barely finished with B’Elanna’s report when Kathryn contacted them.

“Janeway to Chakotay.”

“Go ahead, Kathryn.”

“I really think you and Korint should come to the art exhibit in the nursery right now.”  Something in her voice told Chakotay there was a lot she wasn’t saying because of people listening.

“OK, Kathryn.  We can come now.  We’ll join you in a few minutes.”

When Chakotay entered the nursery he saw a room filled with drawings by the children.  Crayon, colored pencils, and chalk competed with finger paints and watercolors for attention.  Chakotay quickly located Kathryn off to one side talking with one of the teachers.  Chakotay and Korint joined Kathryn.  These are Taylor’s entries for the exhibit.  Kay’s entries are on the other side of the room.

Chakotay looked over the pictures for a minute before turning back to one in particular.  Taylor had quite a flair for detail considering her age.  He recognized quite a few people in her pictures.  The one picture that attracted his attention was one of a blonde woman.  She was no one Chakotay had known and was definitely not part of Voyager’s crew.  When he looked more closely, he noted that her features were feminine versions of Korint’s.  He drew Korint’s attention to the picture.

“That’s Kellin.  How could she have remembered her long enough to draw her picture?”  Korint’s voice was faint.  To find evidence that Kellin had been on the ship before they actually found her was a miracle.  “Now we have proof that she’s on board.”

“Taylor and possibly others met Kellin at some point.  For some reason Taylor drew her picture before her memories faded.  I can’t think of any other explanation for the picture.”

Three days later, the computer was cleared of the virus and quite a bit of material removed by the virus from the ship’s files had been recovered.  At 10:00 Tuvok and his security teams started a deck-by-deck, room-by-room search of Voyager.  By 10:30 with the help of the computer they had located Kellin and confined her to guest quarters. Tuvok led the team into the room to detain Kellin.  She was sitting on the couch waiting for them.

Tuvok and his team escorted Kellin to the briefing room where she faced Chakotay and Korint.

“I almost got away, Korint.”  Her expression was unfriendly and her tone rude and uncaring.  Chakotay looked at her and wondered how anyone could think she was pretty.  Suddenly he was reminded of Seska.  That must have been what had him worrying the first time he met Kellin.

“Well, Korint.  I believe this is the person you’ve been seeking.  I’ll have Commander Tuvok and his team escort her to the transporter room to wait for you and your aids.”  At Chakotay’s nod, Tuvok’s people led Kellin out the door.

“Thank you, Chakotay.  I appreciate all your help in locating Kellin.”

“I’m glad we could help.  You’ve more than repaid our efforts by helping restore the information removed by the virus.  Your modifications to our environmental systems may prove very beneficial to us in the future.  What will happen to Kellin?”

“Well, first she’ll be taken back to Ramura for counseling.  If necessary she will be placed in a controlled facility for psychiatric treatment.  If that is successful, she will probably be put on trial for her crime.  Under Ramuran law if she broke a law on another world, she will be punished based on the laws of the world where the crime was committed.  Someday she may have to serve time in prison for her crimes.  It’s more likely that she will spend most of her life in the psychiatric hospital.”

“Thank you for watching out for a group of strangers.  It might have been months before we realized she was on board.  I’ve enjoyed working with you, Korint.”

“I too enjoyed working with you and your crew, Chakotay.  I wish you and your wife well and your children long and peaceful lives.”

“Thank you, Korint.  Commander Tuvok welcomed you aboard; so I thought it fitting that he escort you to the transporter room when you depart.  Have a safe journey home.”

“Good bye, Chakotay.  Thank you once again for your hospitality.”

Chakotay turned back to his work after Korint left with Kellin.  That was one woman he sincerely hoped he would forget.