Course Correction Studio

Author: Brandie

  • Delta Wild – Chapter 3

    Now 17, Dani stood staring unbelievingly at Kathryn. She had pulled stunts like this before, and it’d never produced this outcome.

    “Grounded?” Dani asked.

    “Yes,” Kathryn said. For some reason, Dani couldn’t accept that this was her punishment. She could accept kitchen duty or something to that effect, but not this.

    “But-” Dani started to argue, but Kathryn cut her off sharply. “GO!”

    Dani didn’t have any choice but to do as Kathryn said. She walked across the living room and entered her room. The doors closed quietly behind her.

    In the living room, Kathryn decided that it was the perfect time for coffee. She crossed over to the small dining room and ordered a cup from the replicator. As the coffee was materializing, Chakotay entered the room from the corridor. She was surprised to see him, for he had said he would be in engineering for most of the day. However, she was glad he was there.

    “Chakotay,” Kathryn said, picking up the cup of coffee, “I thought you were going to be in engineering all day?”

    “That was my plan, but B’Elanna said she had all the help she needed. Besides, it was a little crowded in there. So, I decided to get started on next week’s duty rosters.” He held up PADD and walked over to his desk. As he sat down, Kathryn walked over to the desk. “Where’s Dani?” His hand skipped over the buttons on his desk.

    Kathryn took a sip of her coffee. “I sent her to her room.” Chakotay looked up at Kathryn.

    “Why?” he asked.

    “Chakotay, do you know what she was doing today?” Kathryn asked. When he shook his head, she went on. “She went space diving on the holodeck.”

    “Space diving?” Chakotay said. He stood and walked around his desk, shaking his head. “What was she trying to do? Kill herself?”

    “No. She claimed she was just bored.” Chakotay sighed. “Chakotay, the girl’s gone…Delta wild.” Chakotay merely smiled at his wife’s new expression. “I grounded her. I’m also going to revoke her holodeck privileges for a month and give her kitchen duty.”

    “Well, don’t call Neelix just yet,” Chakotay said. “Let me talk to her.”

    “Gladly,” Kathryn said, sipping on her coffee. Chakotay walked past Kathryn to Dani’s door.

    Inside her room, Dani heard her door chime.

    “Go away!” she said.

    Outside, Chakotay looked back at Kathryn. She raised her eyebrows and took another sip of coffee. He turned back to the door and chimed again.

    “I said GO AWAY!” Dani reiterated. It was to no avail, however, because she heard her doors slide open. Someone walked in. The doors slid closed. The visitor took a few steps towards Dani’s bed. Dani had her back to the door and the visitor, but she knew who it was. It wasn’t her mother, because her step was lighter, and this person had a heavy step. She looked to her right in time to see her father sit down on the bed beside her.

    ‘Oh, great,’ she thought. ‘Another lecture.’

    Chakotay surprised her by saying, “I’m not here to lecture you.” Dani looked down at the floor. Chakotay went on. “I just want to find out what’s going on with you.”

    “Nothing, Dad,” Dani said looking at Chakotay. “I’m fine.”

    Chakotay studied his daughter’s face. Her skin was a pale brown, an exact medium between his brownness and her mother’s paleness. She had inherited many of her mother’s traits. Even though her eyes were dark like his, they were definitely her mother’s eyes. They had the same piercing quality. She had her mother’s facial structure and was the same height as she. She had inherited many of his traits, also. She had his dark hair and his mouth. She even had his smile. It was almost identical to his, except she only had one dimple, and he had two. However, she was not smiling today.

    “You may be able to tell that to some people, but I don’t believe it,” Chakotay said. “I’ve known you for seventeen years. I know when you’re fine and when something’s bothering you.” Dani looked away from Chakotay. This wasn’t going to be easy. “Come on, Dani,” Chakotay pleaded. “What’s wrong? Talk to me. We used to talk. We don’t ever talk anymore. What’s the matter?” Dani still wouldn’t answer him. Instead she turned her body and leaned against the headboard. At least she was looking at him now.

    Dani studied Chakotay. She was a little surprised that he’d taken time from his busy schedule to actually attempt to find out what was bugging her.

    “Your mother told me you went space diving on the holodeck today,” Chakotay said. “Wanna tell me why?”

    “She didn’t tell you?” Dani asked, bitterly.

    “Well, she told me that you blamed it on boredom,” Chakotay said. “Is that accurate?”

    “Pretty much,” Dani admitted. “I mean, she just doesn’t understand what it’s like for me.”

    “But I do,” Chakotay said. “At least I’m trying to.” Pulling his leg up on the bed, he turned his body and faced Dani, hoping she would take as a sign of his genuine interest in her feelings. She did and continued to talk.

    “I’m stuck here with no one to really talk to, you know? I feel like I’m so alone, I don’t know what to do.”

    “Well, have you tried talking with some of Seven’s students. I believe Icheb’s about your age, isn’t he?”

    “Oh, Dad…they used to be drones! What kind of conversation could I have with them?”

    “They might surprise you.”

    Dani shook her head. “No. I don’t think so.”

    “You know, you can always talk to me or your mother anytime you need or want to,” Chakotay offered.

    Dani just shook her head again. “No,” she protested. “You and Mom are always busy doing stuff with the ship.”

    “Dani, your mother and I run a starship. That’s our job.”

    “I know, but I miss how we used to do things together.” Dani looked away from him, remembering earlier times. “We used to do stuff as a family. Me and you and her. I wish things could go back to the way the used to be.”

    “Me, too, Dani,” Chakotay said. “We all do. Don’t you see? That’s what we’re trying to do. We’re trying to get home. But we can’t do it if we have to worry about you. We need your help in this. We’re both working toward the same goal, but you’ve got to do your part, too. You’ve got to stop upsetting your mother like this. Give her a break. She could definitely use it.”

    Dani looked at Chakotay. Her expression was much more pleasant than it had been when he’d first entered the room.

    “Dani,” Chakotay said, “you know that your mother and I love you very much. We just don’t want anything to happen to you.”

    “I know, Dad, and…I’m sorry,” Dani apologized. “It’s just hard, you know?”

    Chakotay nodded. “I know.” Without warning, an idea entered his head. “Say, what do you say we have dinner tonight? Just the three of us.”

    Hope filled Dani. “A family dinner? Like old times?”

    Chakotay nodded. “Yeah.” He saw the hope in his daughter’s eyes replaced by joy.

    The joy faded a little as she asked, “Neelix isn’t going to cook is he?”

    Chakotay laughed and shook his head. “No. We’ll replicate something.” Dani smiled again.

    “I’d like that.”

    “Good.” Chakotay leaned over and kissed Dani on the forehead. “I love you.”

    “I love you, too.”

    Chakotay stood and walked to the door.

    “Dad?” Chakotay turned to face Dani. “Am I still grounded?” Chakotay smiled a little.

    “Yes,” he said with nod. “But be thankful that’s all. If it’d been left up to your mother, you be pulling kitchen duty and you wouldn’t have any holodeck privileges for the next month.” Dani grimaced at the thought of that. Chakotay smiled and left the room.

    “So, how’d it go?” Kathryn asked. She was sitting on the couch, drinking her coffee and reading a PADD.

    Chakotay sat down at the desk and picked up a PADD. “Fine,” he said. “I think we’ve worked everything out.” Kathryn looked at Chakotay. He was already working.

    “Really?” Kathryn asked. “Well, that’s a relief.” She went back to reading her PADD.

    “Oh, by the way, we’re having dinner tonight,” Chakotay said. He glanced up at Kathryn. She was already looking at him. “As a family,” he added.

    “Oh, really?” Kathryn asked, placing the PADD on the coffee table. Chakotay glanced up at her long enough to nod.

    “Yeah. I thought it would be a good idea if we spent some quality time together,” Chakotay said. “So did she.”

    Kathryn got up and walked over to the desk, coffee still in hand.

    “She did?” Kathryn asked.

    Chakotay looked up at Kathryn.

    “Yes,” he said. He watched as Kathryn took a sip of the coffee. “Is anything wrong, Kathryn?” She raised her eyebrows at him.

    “No,” she said. He didn’t believe her. A smile formed on his face.

    “Don’t tell me you’re afraid to have dinner with your own daughter,” Chakotay said. “You negotiate treaties with alien races.”

    Kathryn looked down at Chakotay. ‘He’s right,’ she thought. ‘This won’t be so bad.’ She turned away from him and started to walk back to the couch. She picked the PADD up off the coffee table and started to study it again.

    “So what’s Neelix cooking?” Kathryn asked, about to sit down. She started to, but she stopped when she heard Chakotay’s reply.

    “Nothing,” he said. “You are.”

    Kathryn looked at Chakotay’s smiling face and smiled herself. “You have got to be kidding.” The dimples that accompanied Chakotay’s smile deepened. Kathryn’s smile faded completely. “You’re not,” she said flatly. Chakotay shook his head ‘no’.

  • Delta Wild – Chapter 2

    Twelve-year-old Dani Janeway materialized on the pad in Voyager’s transporter room. She looked around the room. Thankfully, no one was in there. All of the crew had beamed aboard earlier that day.

    ‘If I’m lucky, I might be able to go the whole trip with out getting caught,’ Dani thought as she left the transporter room.

    She ventured into the hallway, cautiously looking all around her. To her surprise, she didn’t see any crew in the hallway. She walked on with a little more confidence. Then she stopped. She couldn’t wander the hallways forever. She needed a hiding place. She listened. Footsteps. Someone was coming. She would need to find a hiding place fast. She looked around, but there was nowhere. She couldn’t risk going into a room. There could be someone in it. Her eyes scanned the wall she was standing beside, from top to bottom.

    And there it was. Her salvation – a jeffries tube. She bent down and, with some force, removed the cover. She scurried into the tube. Once she was in, she reached out and picked up the door. She pulled it shut.

    Just as the conduit door was being pulled shut, Captain Kathryn Janeway was coming around the corner. Tuvok, Voyager’s chief tactical officer, was with her.

    “All systems are on-line and operating at peak efficiency,” Tuvok reported.

    “Thank you, Lt.,” the captain said. “Are we ready to disembark?”

    “We are.” The two stepped into a waiting turbo lift. The doors slid closed, and the turbo lift began to move upward.

    “Are you ready for this, Lt.?” Janeway asked her second officer. The Vulcan continued to stare straight ahead.

    “Please elaborate?”

    Janeway sighed and rephrased her question. “Are you prepared to undertake this mission?”

    Tuvok looked at his captain. “Yes. I must say that I am very well-prepared.”

    “What about our crew?” Janeway asked. “Do you think they can handle this?”

    “The first voyage of a new ship is always…trying,” Tuvok said. “However, I believe we have an exceptional crew and that the transition will be less trying than usual.”

    Tuvok’s assurance that they had a good crew somehow made Kathryn feel better about the first assignment on this new ship.

    The turbo lift came to a halt and the doors opened. Kathryn glided onto the bridge.

    “Captain on the bridge!” someone announced. The crew members on the bridge stood abruptly at attention.

    Kathryn proceeded slowly toward the captain’s chair. Her chair. Chakotay stood in front of his chair, which was positioned beside hers. Kathryn stopped in front of her chair. She turned and looked at the officers, her officers, standing around the bridge.

    “At ease,” Kathryn said. The officers relaxed and went back to doing what they were doing before she’d arrived. Kathryn looked at her first officer, who remained standing in front of his chair.

    “Welcome to the bridge, Captain,” Chakotay said with a little grin. Kathryn grinned back at him.

    “Thank you, Commander,” Kathryn said. Chakotay gestured toward the captain’s chair. Kathryn looked at it. She walked over and sat down. Chakotay sat down only after she did. ‘Chivalry,’ Kathryn thought, running her hands over the arms of the chair. A brand new ship. All hers. She looked at her helm officer, Tom Paris, sitting at the pilot’s station. He was facing her, awaiting her orders.

    “Mr. Paris,” Kathryn said, “take us out.”

    “Aye-aye, Captain,” Paris said, swiveling around to face his console. Kathryn watched the view screen intently as the ship slowly moved away from Deep Space Nine.

    “Did Dani seem okay when you left her?” Chakotay asked.

    “Yes,” Kathryn answered. “Why?”

    “She seemed upset earlier,” Chakotay revealed. Kathryn looked over at her husband.

    “Oh, you mean that?” Kathryn asked. “Yes, she was still a little upset, but she’s just going to have to get over it, Chakotay. We’ve both got jobs to do and she’s just going to have to learn how to accept that.” She kept her voice low, so that the other crew members couldn’t hear the content of their conversation.

    “But, Kathryn – you have to understand that this is a big change for her. And it is a little sudden. It’s going to take a little getting used to. For all of us. We’d gotten into a pretty comfortable routine when I was teaching at the Academy.”

    “I know. I just thought that now that she’s older, she could handle it. In fact, I thought she’d enjoy some time to herself,” Kathryn admitted. “I mean, in a few years, she’s going to be begging us to leave her alone.”

    “We just need to give her time,” Chakotay said.

    Chakotay and Kathryn looked at the view screen ahead of them. They were no longer at one of DS9’s space docks. The captain and the first officer exchanged a glance, then Kathryn looked back at the screen.

    “Mr. Paris, set a course for the Badlands and engage,” Kathryn ordered. “Warp five.” Within a few seconds, the stars that lay ahead of them became streaks of white as the ship jumped to warp.

    Xxx

    When Dani opened her eyes, she forgot where she was for a moment and then immediately remembered. She was inside one of the jeffries tubes onboard Voyager. She realized that she must’ve fallen asleep, but she had no idea for how long.

    “Computer,” Dani summoned, “What time is it?”

    Before the computer could reply, a violent tremor rocked through Voyager. Dani was thrown around inside the small area a few times before she was able to brace herself. It was a good attempt, but it was in vain because the shaking grew in intensity and became almost unbearable. The ship tilted, and Dani lost her grip. She slid backwards, headfirst, toward an intersection. Her body turned. She hit the back panel with considerable force and was held there by gravity.

    After about two minutes, the shaking ceased, and the pressure being exerted on Dani was lifted. How she survived without passing out was a mystery, but Dani wasn’t one to question things like that. She rolled over and gave a silent prayer of thanks. Then she decided that the best course of action would be to let her presence be known. She got up on all fours and started crawling toward the exit. It would mean a serious chiding from her parents, but she had to find out what was going on. If Dani had understood correctly, this was only supposed to be a negotiation mission. That’s why she’d decided to sneak on board in the first place. It wasn’t supposed to be anything serious.

    Xxx

    On the bridge, members of the crew had also experienced the extreme turbulence that Dani had. It had been so bad that people had been thrown from chairs. Everyone was on the ground.

    Kathryn slowly pulled herself to her feet, surveying the damage on the bridge as she stood. Some of the officers were getting up, as well. Some were not. Kathryn helped Chakotay to his feet.

    “You alright, Commander?” Kathryn mumbled.

    “Never better,” Chakotay replied, rubbing his forehead. Kathryn walked over to Tom Paris, who was lying on his back next to his station. He was coming around, but slowly. She reached down and felt to make sure there was a pulse. When she was satisfied there was one, she called his name and shook him lightly. He opened his eyes.

    “Wha-what happened?” he managed to say. Kathryn managed to help him to his feet. Chakotay and the few other crew members who had remained conscious after coming through the turbulence were doing the same to other crew members.

    “I don’t know,” Kathryn said, answering Tom’s question. “Report!” she ordered to anyone who could respond. Chakotay manned a computer console on a wall and started to read out a list of damaged systems.

    “Propulsion’s out,” he said. “So are navigation, shields, main power on all decks…” He paused as he sifted through the never-ending list. “Just about everything.” He looked at Kathryn. “Whatever got us got us good.”

    “Do we have communications?” Kathryn asked. She waited as Chakotay searched through the list.

    “Yes,” he finally said.

    “Good. Put me through to Starfleet Command.” Kathryn waited to be patched through. When it didn’t happen, she turned to Chakotay.

    “Commander,” she said.

    “I can’t,” Chakotay said.

    “Why not? I thought you said we had communications.”

    “We do have communications. We also have sensors, and right now the sensors are giving me some information you might not be too happy to hear.”

    “Commander, there’s a lot I’m not too happy about right now. I’m sure one more thing couldn’t hurt.”

    “I think I’d have to disagree. Sensor readings show that we are no longer in the Alpha quadrant.”

    “Gamma?” Kathryn asked, already contemplating a run-in with the Jem-Hedar or the Dominion. Chakotay looked at her with an expression she couldn’t quite pinpoint, even though they’d been married for nearly 15 years. It was that of fear, shock, surprise, and uncertainty.

    “Delta,” he said. Kathryn looked back at the view screen. They had been transported to the Delta quadrant? But that was over 70,000 light years away from the Alpha quadrant. That meant that it would take them…

    Kathryn’s thoughts were interrupted by the voice that came from her comm badge. “Security to Bridge.” Kathryn tapped her comm badge.

    “Captain here,” she said. Tuvok, the ship’s chief of security, spoke.

    “Captain, there’s someone I think you should meet with.”

    “Lt., can this possibly wait till some other time? Perhaps someone else could see to it right now. I’ve got so many problems, I don’t know where to start.”

    “Captain, I strongly advise that you see to this matter yourself.” Kathryn sighed.

    “All right, Lt. Bring whoever it is to my ready room,” she said. “Janeway out.” She and Chakotay looked at each other as she walked across the bridge to her ready room. He was helping more people to their feet.

    Kathryn walked into her ready room and looked around, assessing the damage the room had sustained. Surprisingly, it wasn’t too severe. A few things tossed to the floor. She bent down and picked up a few PADDs that had been thrown to the floor. She placed them on her desk. Her comm badge chirped. Chakotay’s voice flowed into the room.

    “Chakotay to Janeway,” he said. Kathryn tapped the device resting on her chest.

    “Yes, Commander-what is it?” she asked.

    “I’d like to go down to engineering,” the commander said. “I can’t seem to get any sensor readings from that area.”

    “Go ahead, Commander.”

    “Chakotay out.”

    Kathryn walked over to the counter beside the ready room doors. There was nothing resting on it, as there should have been. Kathryn’s eyes wandered from the barren counter to the floor. The contents of the counter were scattered across the floor, in front of the table and the couch. She sighed and looked up from the floor to the mirror hanging over the counter. She was surprised to see that it was still on the wall. She was also surprised by her appearance. She hadn’t had a chance to look in the mirror before now and, frankly, her appearance was horrid. Her short auburn hair was scattered about her head, and she had small scratches on her cheek from where she’d scraped herself when she’d fallen. She’d also managed to bang her head in the process, and a nasty bruise was developing on her forehead.

    While she was studying her reflection, the door chimed. She combed her fingers through her hair in a futile attempt to tame her wild locks and then turned and walked over to her desk.

    “Come,” she said. Tuvok entered. There was someone behind him, but Kathryn couldn’t see who it was.

    “I believe there is someone you’d like to speak with,” the Vulcan said.

    “Yes, Tuvok, I got that much from you earlier,” Kathryn said, trying to peek around Tuvok at the mystery person hiding behind him. “Well, let’s have it. Who is this person I so urgently need to speak with?”

    Kathryn hadn’t known who to expect, but the person who stepped out from behind Tuvok had not been anyone she’d expected to see.

    “Dani!” Kathryn exclaimed. Dani looked up at her mother, whose expression reflected a mixture of anger and surprise. Dani wasn’t sure if she should say anything. What could she say? She didn’t think there was anything she could say that would prevent the verbal lashing she was about to receive.

    Kathryn looked away from her daughter. She looked over at Tuvok.

    “Thank you, Lt.,” Kathryn said. The security officer took this as a dismissal and obediently left the room.

    Kathryn looked back down at her daughter. She was seething with anger. She opened her mouth to say something, but brought her hand to her comm badge instead.

    “Janeway to Chakotay,” she said.

    ‘Oh no,’ Dani thought. She’d known that her father would find out when she’d decided to make her presence known, but somehow the thought hadn’t seemed so…menacing when she was climbing out of a jeffries tube.

    “Chakotay here.”

    “Report to my ready room right away,” Kathryn ordered.

    “On my way,” Chakotay replied. “Oh, and by the way, we do have auxiliary power, so you can have a cup of coffee. I know you’re probably needing one by now.”

    ‘You have no idea,’ Kathryn thought, looking at her daughter.

    “Thank you, Commander,” Kathryn said.

    “Chakotay out.”

    Without another word, Kathryn walked over to the replicator. “Computer-coffee! Hot!” she barked. She crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot while the smoldering cup of coffee materialized. She picked up the beverage and walked over to her desk. Dani began to speak, but Kathryn cut her off by raising her hand. She sat down in her chair and slowly took a sip of the still steaming coffee. Dani imagined that was the state her mother’s temper was in right now – steaming.

    “Sit,” Kathryn said sternly. Dani knew enough to follow her mother’s orders. She promptly sat down in one of the chairs in front of Kathryn’s desk. The door chimed. A sudden feeling of absolute doom came over Dani.

    “Come,” Kathryn said, her blue eyes still trained on Dani. When Chakotay walked through the door, Dani wished there was some way she could disappear into the chair she was occupying. Kathryn looked at Chakotay and stood. He put on brakes as soon as he saw Dani sitting in front of Kathryn’s desk.

    “Dani?” His response to her presence aboard the ship appeared to be less angry than Kathryn’s, but he had been just as surprised. He took a few steps toward his daughter, somewhat bewildered.

    Dani hesitantly looked up at her father. “Hi?” she said. It came out as more of a question than a greeting.

    Chakotay looked at Kathryn and then back at Dani. For some reason, Dani felt the need to say something.

    “Okay. Okay. Before either of you say anything, just let me explain.”

    “Explain?” Kathryn said. “Yes, I’d say you have a lot of explaining to do. Explain to me how you ended up on this ship. Explain to me why you’re not back home, with your aunt. Explain it to me, Dani. Enlighten me.”

    Dani stood, quite timidly.

    “Sit down!” Kathryn ordered. No sooner had the words left Kathryn’s mouth than Dani was back in her seat.

    “Dani, what are you doing here?” Chakotay asked more calmly than Kathryn had. Dani fidgeted a little and attempted to start her explanation a few times before she actually settled on one beginning.

    “Um, it’s kind of interesting, actually,” Dani began.

    Kathryn walked around her desk and behind Dani’s chair. She looked at Chakotay. She could see that he wanted Dani to continue.

    “Go on,” she said to Dani. She continued to pace.

    “Well…” Dani started again. She could try to sugarcoat it, but what good would that do? She decided she should just be frank. That was usually best when she was dealing with her parents. She sighed.

    “I was bored. I just wanted to have a little fun, so I sneaked onboard right before we left DS9. I mean, it was just going to be negotiations, so I figured that if I stayed out of sight, it wouldn’t be that big of a problem.”

    “Gods, Dani…” Chakotay said. He leaned against the desk. “What were you thinking?”

    “I just wanted some excitement, Dad,” Dani said. “It’s not a big deal.”

    “Not a big deal?!” Kathryn stopped pacing. Dani turned sideways in her seat so that she could face both Chakotay and Kathryn. She had stopped herself from exploding earlier, but she couldn’t contain herself any longer. “Dani do you have any idea where we are?”

    “The Badlands?” Dani asked.

    “Wrong,” Chakotay said. “We’re in the Delta quadrant.”

    “What?!” Dani exclaimed. She almost stood again, but one glance at her mother made her reconsider. “How?”

    “We don’t know,” Kathryn said. “We’re not dealing with that right now; we’re dealing with you.” She walked over to her daughter. “Now, I don’t know what possessed you to think you could hide on this ship for an entire voyage, but you were seriously out of your mind. Where were you going to hide?”

    “Well, I was in a jeffries tube-“

    “A jeffries tube?!” Kathryn and Chakotay exclaimed in unison.

    “Yeah,” Dani said looking from Chakotay to Kathryn and back to Chakotay again. “I mean, I came out after all that shaking.”

    “Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?” Kathryn asked. “You could’ve gotten yourself killed!”

    “I didn’t think it was going to cause this much trouble. I’m sorry, okay?”

    “Yes, I know you are, and you’re going to continue to be sorry for a long time after this,” Kathryn said. “Do you know how far the Delta quadrant is from home?”

    “No,” Dani said simply.

    “Well, it’s a pretty good distance,” Kathryn said.

    “It’s about 70,000 light years,” Chakotay said, his anger starting to surface. “Do you know how long it’s going to take us to get back to the Alpha quadrant?”

    Dani didn’t bother to answer this time. She just shook her head, slowly.

    “A long time,” Kathryn said. “And let me tell you, you’re going to be spending a large part of it unhappy because of this little stunt, young lady.”

  • Delta Wild – Chapter 1

    Seventeen-year-old Danielle Janeway sat on the couch in her quarters, preparing to receive the admonishment she knew was coming. She watched as her mother paced back and forth in front of her.

    “I’ve told you time and time again that you are not to go orbital sky diving on the holodeck,” Kathryn Janeway said to her daughter. “It’s just too dangerous. I wouldn’t let my most skilled officer do that, much less my daughter.”

    “It’s not like it’s a big deal,” Dani said. “I mean, the safety protocols were on.”

    Kathryn looked down at her daughter. “Have you been listening to a word I’ve been saying? It’s dangerous,” she said sternly.

    Dani looked away from her mother. She wished she would stop being so overprotective of her. After all, it wasn’t as if she were a little girl anymore. She stood.

    “Well, it’s not like there’s anything else to do around here!” Dani exploded. “I don’t do anything.”

    “What do you mean you don’t do anything? You almost got yourself killed on the holodeck today. I’d definitely call that something.”

    “That’s not what I mean.” Dani stepped to the side and out from in front of her mother. She turned to face Kathryn once again. “I’m talking about a job.”

    “Is that what this is all about?” Kathryn asked, taking a few steps toward her daughter. “A job?”

    “No, it’s about boredom! I am bored out of my wits around here.” Dani started to pace around the small space. “You won’t let me run the programs I want to run. I can’t talk to anyone because everyone’s always busy.” She stopped pacing and looked at Kathryn. “What do you want me to do? Sit around here and rot?”

    “Listen,” Kathryn said stepping toward Dani, “I made it clear to you when we first entered the Delta Quadrant that this was going to be difficult. We’ve all had to make sacrifices.” She saw Dani roll her dark eyes but decided to go on anyway.

    ‘Here we go again,’ Dani thought.

    “Do you think your father and I enjoy being here?” Kathryn asked. “Away from Earth and the rest of the family? If we could, we would be back in the Alpha quadrant tomorrow, Dani, but we can’t. We are doing everything in our power to get back home, but frankly, you’re not making it any easier. Time that I could be spending working on ways to get home, I have to spend making sure that you’re not off breaking your neck in some holodeck program. And it’s got to stop, Dani. It’s got to stop.”

    Dani looked off to the side. Kathryn was staring a hole in her, and yet, Dani still refused to return her stare. Dani’s arms were crossed defiantly over her chest. It was a position Kathryn was used to seeing by now. And she was tired of it.

    “Go to your room,” Kathryn said. “You’re grounded.”

    Dani looked at her mother. She had expected the lecture, but she hadn’t expected this. Dani figured that she must’ve really crossed the line this time. Her mother had only grounded her once before, when she’d first sneaked onto the ship. She’d only been twelve then. That’s how she’d ended up on the ship in the first place…

  • 4. August 4, 1914

    August 4, 1914

    Belfast

    5:29 pm

    I’d been wondering if history would unfold as it had before. Today I got my answer, because today Britain declared war on Germany. The First World War is starting.

    Brynne was at the shipyard, on board the Britannic. It was the first time she’d been back onboard since she’d had her fainting spell a year ago. Tom didn’t know what was in store for the firm, but Brynne had an idea, at least as far as the Britannic was concerned. If history held true, the Britannic would never serve as a civilian passenger liner, the purpose for which she’d been dreamed up and built. She was supposed to have been the crowning glory of the Olympic-class liners. Instead, she was doomed.

    For weeks, the public had been speculating about the possibility that Britain might join in the conflict brewing amongst the European powers. Yesterday, Parliament made that final leap from speculation to fact by declaring war against Germany. How this whole mess evolved is complicated, but did any of that really matter now? War had begun.

    It was the reason Brynne felt the urge to be on board the Britannic. Change was coming. It was coming fast, and Brynne wanted to see this ship as it was meant to be seen before it was too late.

    Britannic wasn’t completely finished. There were still things that needed to be installed, things that needed to be polished up. Despite the fact that Britain was now officially at war, carpenters, painters, plumbers, and others were still scurrying around at a brisk pace. The firm had received no messages from the Admiralty, so as far as everyone was concerned, they were going to continue working at the regular pace. The ship was due to be finished in December, and until they heard otherwise, that was what everyone at the firm was working toward.

    “Like what you see?” Tom walked up behind Brynne, joining her at the top of the Grand Staircase on the boat deck.

    “She’s really coming together,” Brynne said. “Until I stepped aboard, it hadn’t really sunk in how long I’ve been away.” She began to descend the staircase with Tom.

    As she and Tom reached the landing, he looked at her and said, “It hasn’t been the same without you.” He kissed her waiting lips.

    Before they could take more than two steps away from the landing to view more of the ship, a young man approached with a small folded piece of paper in hand. “Excuse me, sir – Mr. Wilding sent this message for you,” the boy said. He couldn’t have been more than 16. He was likely an apprentice, just beginning to work his way up through the ranks of the firm.

    Tom accepted the message with a nod and a grin. “Thank you,” he said. The boy nodded in turn and disappeared down the stairs.

    Tom opened the letter, and Brynne studied his face as he read it. The sigh that escaped his lips once he finished wasn’t a happy one. “What is it?” Brynne asked.

    “So it begins,” Tom said. “The Admiralty has mandated that the preparation of military vessels for service take priority over all civilian contracts, Britannic included.” He looked down at Brynne. “It looks like the Britannic isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.”

  • 3. May 17, 1914

    May 17, 1914

    Belfast – Dunallon

    2:45 a.m.

    Tom had a nightmare tonight, one so disturbing that he couldn’t go back to sleep. I have to admit that when he told me the dream, it left me with chills.

    “Tom?” When Tom had awakened and left their bedroom in the middle of the night, Brynne followed him. She’d found him in Evie’s room. He stood over the sleeping infant’s crib, gazing down at her.

    Hearing his name pulled him from his adoration of his daughter. He looked toward the open doorway of nursery and found Brynne.

    “I’m sorry, darling,” he said quietly. “Did I wake you?”

    “Yes,” Brynne said. “But it’s okay.” She stepped into the study and joined Tom at the crib. She reached in and softly stroked Evie’s face with her finger. “What’s wrong?” she whispered to Tom. “You can’t sleep?”

    “I had a nightmare,” was his soft reply.

    “Do you want to talk about it?” she asked. It must have been one hell of a bad dream if it shook him up so badly that he couldn’t sleep, she thought.

    He looked at her. “You sure you want to hear it?” he asked. “It was very disturbing, to say the least.”

    Brynne took his hands and led him from the nursery. When they’d returned to their bedroom, they sat on a the loveseat across from their bed. “Tell me about it,” she said.

    Tom sighed. “We were on the Titanic,” he began. “And the ship hit an iceberg, just as in real life. But this time, things were different. There were no ships in range to come to our rescue in time. We put passengers off in the boats, but it wasn’t enough. It couldn’t have been. There were only 20 boats onboard, and not even all of those went away at capacity. I made you go away in one of them.”

    “There were hundreds, perhaps even a thousand, left on the ship, and I was one of them.” Tom paused and swallowed hard. ” A lot of people jumped into the frigid water before the ship went down, and I remember tossing deck chairs and anything else that could be used as a life raft or preserver overboard. I knew deep down, though, that they would likely freeze to death before help finally arrived.”

    He leaned back into the couch, sighing heavily as he rubbed his hands down his face. “I don’t think I even tried to save myself, even though a few people tried to persuade me to make a go for it. I couldn’t bring myself to do it, though, not when so many others were suffering because of me. It was because of my design flaws, my failures.

    “The last thing I remember was standing in the smoking room, in front of the fireplace, just staring at the painting hanging above the mantle. Then, I woke up.”

    Tom looked at Brynne. “It all felt so real. Not at all like a dream. Everything was so fresh and vivid.”

    Brynne’s expression was one of shock and horror, and Tom regretted his decision to tell her about his dream. “I told you it was disturbing,” he said.

    Brynne simply stared at Tom. If her expression was one of shock and horror, it was because that’s what she was feeling at the moment. Tom had just described what had happened to Titanic in the original timeline, including his alternate fate.

    Was it a coincidence? Was it fate? Was it the result of some cosmic, temporal phenomenon?

    Brynne didn’t have an answer for any of those questions. But she did have one more question – should she tell Tom the truth about herself? Was this a sign that she should tell him that she was from the future, that his dream was more than that and that it had actually occurred in some alternate reality?

    Telling Tom the truth was an idea she’d flirted with on occasion before, but she could never bring herself to do it because she couldn’t find the benefit it doing so. Sure, she would have the comfort of knowing that someone else knew the truth about her, but how would Tom react to that knowledge? There really was no telling. He might think she were crazy or joking. Or he might believe her – and the truth might be too much for him to bear.

    Brynne swallowed. “That’s some dream,” she said. “The real thing was bad enough, but thank the good Lord it didn’t turn out the way it did in your dream.”

    “I don’t want to imagine what would have happened if it had,” Tom said.