Voyager: Birthrights (the edited version)

[Captain Michael Pike]

Prologue




�Very well, the House Toral becomes the House Paris and the House K�ovath becomes the House G�errun. You know,� Martok looked to B�elanna and Tom, �since Miral is an infant she will need someone to look after her interests. I name you B�elanna Paris regent of the House Paris. You shall take possession of Miral�s assets until such time as she is capable of assuming the responsibility herself.�

�That means we�d have to stay here on Qonos?� Tom asked cautiously.

�Yes,� B�elanna answered.

�Well, it�s bound to be interesting,� he said and looked at B�elanna knowingly. �Isn�t it?�

�Life on Qonos is never dull,� B�elanna told him, �but then we tried life on earth and look where we wound up.�

Tom and B�elanna laughed, the decision had been made to stay on Qonos. Tome held B�elanna close and the three Parises hugged on the floor of the Great Hall.

Harry wandered the scarred halls of the Charleston on his way back to the bridge. The ship had seen better days and she was just out of spacedock, so that wasn�t saying much. Fortunately, they had patched up the hull in the last few days and the engines were back online. Charleston was ready to go home, but there were a few more things they had yet to do.

As he entered the turbolift, Harry heard someone call, �Hold the lift.� He was pleased when Ensign Donovan Colt entered. He still looked a little worse for wear but the green ensign had already been in his first space battle and he had come out of it a little better than he had gone in. The last few days had healed the bruises, but the look of confidence hadn�t faded as easily.

�Commander Kim, I wanted to thank you.�

�For what?� Harry asked.

�The other day in Ten Forward�our conversation helped me realize that I wasn�t the only one who had experienced feelings of anxiety, fear and regret on the bridge, that I wasn�t alone in feeling different from everyone else. It really helped me a lot.�

Harry smiled. �Don�t mention it.�

The turbolift stopped and the bridge and the new friends emerged. Harry joined the small group gather below while Colt took his position at tactical. �Wondered when you�d get here?� Tom made a show of asking.

�Just like you to be late Harry,� B�elanna scolded. Chakotay smiled at the gibes.

�Some of us are still in the fleet and still have work to do,� Harry responded and glanced over at Ensign Colt. The group of friends shared moment of silence. �You sure about this? I mean it is Qonos, the Klingon homeworld.�

�Maybe security will be better here,� Tom quipped.

�We�re sure, Harry, and you have an open invitation to drop in any time,� B�elanna added.

�I�m gonna miss you guys.�

�We�re going to miss you,� the Doctor amended as he stepped out of the turbolift.

�Well, it�s time to go,� Tom said, trying to sound cheerful and optimistic.

Try as he might, Harry couldn�t detect a single bit of sarcasm from Tom, and for the first time he realized that maybe this was the right thing for their family. �Good luck�to all of you.�

�Captain, message for you from Starfleet Command. Captains eyes only,� Colt relayed the new information that had just flashed across his board.

�I�ll take it in my ready room. Harry, escort our guests to the transporter room.�

Chakotay stepped from the bustle of the battle-damaged bridge and into the shambles of his broken ready room. Fortunately, he thought, he hadn�t had time to bring any personal items to decorate it. Surely they would have been destroyed. Chakotay moved to his desk and activated the comm system on his personal computer. Admiral Janeway appeared and rather than the relief he expected to see on her face, she was the model of tension. �We have a problem, Captain.�

�Another one?� Chakotay wondered aloud.

�Long range sensors have detected transwarp signatures and they�re on a direct course for earth,� Janeway explained. She watched as his face fell with the implications.

�Transwarp?� he reiterated before saying the two words she had been thinking. �The Borg.�


Chapter One


Icheb had spent nearly every second of the last week �hanging out� with Riley �Rabbit� Estes. It wasn�t that his studies were suffering; in fact Icheb suspected he knew more about certain subject here at Starfleet Academy than most of the teaching staff, instead it was more that it made him uncomfortable. Then again, Icheb had been doing Rabbit a favor by tutoring him in several subjects and Rabbit had insisted on making Icheb popular among his peers. Socializing seemed to come so easily to his new friend, but Icheb had yet to have a completely successful conversation yet this week.

�Hey Icheb,� Rabbit shouted across the quad. Icheb winced; surely an instructor had noticed the infraction. Most cadets were drilling on the quad and talking was strictly prohibited. Icheb waved, a meager response at most. �I�ve got some friends I want you to meet.�

�Alright, just not here on the quad,� Icheb suggested.

Rabbit slapped his forehead as if he had forgotten the rule. �Right.� Icheb knew Rabbit hadn�t forgotten, he had this theory that women liked guys who got into trouble occasionally. This had been his attempt to get himself and Icheb into such trouble.

As if in response to his thoughts, an instructor walked over to them. �I�d like an explanation for your rude behavior on the quad.� The culprits shared looks before Rabbit shrugged his shoulders. �Rest assured your sponsors will hear of this incident, cadets?�

�Robinson, Tony Robinson and Vrax,� Rabbit said. Icheb winced again. Those weren�t their names. He was about to correct Rabbit when he caught a glare from his friend.

When the instructor had finished, the pair moved off to the gardens where they could talk freely. �Why did you tell him our names were Robinson and Vrax?� Icheb questioned.

�Because they really ticked me off this week and they deserve some trouble for it.� Rabbit leaned against a large oak.

�But they�re going to find out we are not them.�

Unperturbed, Rabbit simply said, �Yeah and by the time they do, the instructor will have forgotten our faces and will be unable to punish us. Besides did you see all the cadets watching us? My �Badboy� theory is true and our badboy quotient is rising.�

�But we didn�t get into trouble, Robinson and Vrax will.�

�It doesn�t matter if we really got into trouble so long as they think we did,� Rabbit smiled. Icheb wasn�t sure if it was the look on Rabbit�s face or the way the tree shadows fell ominously across it, but something made him look just a little more mischievous than usual. �Oh yeah, do you swim?�

�I can.� Icheb wondered what this new vein of thought had to do with anything.

�Good because I�ve signed you up for swim team try-outs Friday.� It definitely wasn�t the shadow cast by the tree. Rabbit was especially mischievous today.


Admiral Janeway emerged from the turbolift onto the bridge she hadn�t thought she would see ever again. She rubbed her tired eyes and sipped from a steaming mug of coffee. She hadn�t slept well since before Voyager had returned from the Delta Quadrant at first due to the stress of the return, the uncertainty of the futures of several crewmen and then the abduction of Miral Paris by an overzealous Klingon captain had all led to her uneasy, sleepless nights. Now she was facing the threat of the Borg again. No rest for the weary. The old axiom drifted through her exhausted mind. She sighed deeply before raising her eyes to survey the shambles that used to be her bridge. Kathryn knew that Voyager had been in spacedock for a week undergoing intense study by the heads of the Starfleet Intelligence Bureau, the Starfleet Bureau of Defense, the Temporal Investigations Department, Starfleet�s Corps of Engineers, and Starfleet R&D. As an admiral, she had access to every report written by those respective departments. She also knew there had been no doubt that Voyager would return to service, it just hadn�t been expected that it would be so soon.

As she meandered about the bridge, she noticed key stations were in various stages of upgrade or study and consoles lay strewn about the deck. Kathryn wandered over to a pair of legs sticking out from under a console. She could here the singsong voice cursing the damned isolinear circuits, the dumb-assed engineer who had designed the console and other profanities she had imagined were long forgotten in Earth�s past. Kathryn rubbed her eyes as she wearily snapped to the ever-present, cursing feet, �Care to get my ship back together before the Borg get here?�

A stout, heavy-set man emerged from under the console. He was out of uniform, his jacket strewn about the console he had been buried in, but the yellow of his tunic, his rank of captain, and his obvious engineering abilities told Kathryn all she needed to know. This was the man in charge of the refit. �Your ship lassie?� he asked incredulously with a thick Scottish accent.

�That�s right�and you have it a shambles.� Kathryn couldn�t help but feel she knew this man, or should know him.

�Aye,� the Scotsman agreed as he eyed the bridge. �Ya know, they used tae call me the miracle worker back in the day, but even a miracle worker can�t get this ship workin� by the deadline,� he eyed the admiral before him and shook his head.

�I don�t want excuses,� Janeway defiantly ordered. �Captain?� she asked, still not having a proper introduction.

�Montgomery Scott at your service.� The twinkle in his eye turned to an inferno of amusement at the need for introduction. Most people, especially those in Starfleet, knew who he was at first glance. Then again she�s probably prone to the same infamy, he thought.

It was then that Janeway not only realized to whom she was talking, but was overwhelmed by the fact that she was talking to a man that was probably almost two hundred years old and a Starfleet icon. �I assume my ready room is still in one piece?� Kathryn asked, feeling her face flush with embarrassment as she thought, I can�t believe I�m talking to James Kirk�s Chief Engineer.

�That it is lass.�

�Very good, do your best Captain Scott. She has to be ready for battle.�

�Thy will be done Admiral,� Scott sighed. No matter what century I end up in starship commanders are all the same, Scotty thought. Mumbling something about another famous captain who always wanted more, Montgomery Scott turned his attention back to getting Voyager operational in time to repel a Borg invasion.

[Captain Michael Pike]

Chapter Two


Jean Luc Picard had been having a grand time as a guest of the Romulan Senate during the Federation peace talks that he was attending. He had spent most of the evening dining with the Proconsul and the Praetor and now that he had returned to the Enterprise, he was headed to his quarters for some sleep. He had just rounded the corner and was three doors from his ready room when his comm badge beeped. Thinking he might ignore it, Jean Luc continued on his way. The Romulan ale he had drunk at dinner was beginning to rush to his head and he certainly wasn�t at his best while intoxicated. He had just reached his door and pressed his code into the lock when the overhead comm interrupted him.

�Captain Picard?� Will Riker�s voice cut through the quiet hallway. The very sound made chills run up Picard�s back and reminded him of nails being dragged across a chalkboard, a experience he had had more than once as a child when his teacher used the ploy to gain her students direct attention. He made a mental note to never indulge in Romulan ale again. �What is it Number One?� Picard managed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger.

�We�ve just received a Priority One message from Starfleet Command. Captain�s eyes only,� Riker informed him. Picard could hear the slight resentment in Will�s voice, no doubt he wanted to be privy to this information also. Then again, if it were Priority One, the entire crew would likely know soon.

�Put it through to my quarters Number One.� Picard finished inputting the code and entered his spacious quarters. He rubbed the bridge of his nose again, this time trying to stimulate his concentration. After a moment, Picard collected himself, gave his jacket a tug and turned his attention to the nearby comm screen. �Open Priority One message. Authorization Picard Sierra one-one-four Echo.�

The obsidian panel, which had been inactive, displayed the Starfleet emblem that gave way to a face he hadn�t expected to see any time soon and one that both surprised him and chilled him to the core at the same time. Kathryn Janeway, newly appointed Admiral of Starfleet Defense, looked�apologetic and worried. �Captain Picard,� the recorded message began, �I�m afraid Starfleet long range sensors have detected transwarp signatures on a direct course for Earth��

Picard couldn�t believe his ears. A little over a week ago, Admiral Janeway had assured him that she thought the Borg posed little or no threat to the Federation. She assured him she had dealt a devastating blow to the Borg Collective. She had been wrong. She had made the same mistake dozens of others had. She underestimated the Borg.

Jean Luc was about to curse her when he realized that he was guilty of making the same mistake when he had given up his chance to eliminate the Borg permanently. He had to live with his decision to allow Hugh to return to the collective without the invasive program his crew had created to deal a lethal blow to the Borg. His humanity had overridden his desire for revenge, but what had they received for it?

�The Enterprise is ordered to return to Earth to help in the defense of the sector.� Janeway leaned back in her chair, the setting sun of San Francisco framing her petite frame. Admiral Janeway looked tired, she looked worried and she looked lost. Jean Luc Picard remembered he had felt that way before he had returned to Labarre after his assimilation. Suddenly the message became a bit more personal, �I don�t know what I can say to make this better Jean-Luc�I know what this means to you. But I do know what I can DO to make this better.� Janeway nodded and the screen returned to black. A week ago, Picard didn�t think she underestimated the Borg. Now, he knew she had.

Picard had orders and he intended to carry those orders out, but not before he stopped at sickbay for a hypo full of anti-intoxicant.

Commander Tuvok emerged from the turbolift, a ride he had taken an estimated Fourteen Thousand Five hundred and sixty six times in the past. The halls of this ship were so familiar, he could have walked them blindfolded. That might not be wise today, he thought, considering the collection of panels that lay haphazardly about the decks. Most of Voyager remained dismantled, though crews of engineers raced to restore the ship to functionality. Tuvok stepped carefully over and around crewmen and consoles before reaching Captains Janeway and Scott. �Commander Tuvok, reporting for duty.�

Turning around with the biggest smile she had had in days, Janeway looked at Tuvok. �Welcome aboard, or rather welcome back Commander.� Tuvok had resigned his commission mere days after returning to the Alpha Quadrant, he said because he wanted to be closer to the family he had thought lost, but Katherine wasn�t satisfied with that line of reason. In any event, the kidnapping of Miral had drawn Tuvok back into service and the possible return of the Borg had required his expertise. In the long run, Tuvok couldn�t resign his commission now because Starfleet wouldn�t accept it.

�Tuvok is it?� Scott asked, his Scottish baroque melodious among the singing consoles and buttons. �I knew of a Tuvok once. An old friend of mine, Captain Hikaru Sulu said he made the best Vulcan tea.�

Sudden memories of the deadly virus that threatened his and Captain Janeway�s lives by thrusting them both into memories of Tuvok�s past instantly returned. Ever the Vulcan calm, Tuvok merely raised an eyebrow, �We are one and the same. Perhaps I could make you a cup.�

�Thanks, but the only real drink is whiskey.�

�Or coffee,� Kathryn added, smiling. �But now back to business, I need a first officer for this mission. Although you outrank Commander Tuvok,� Janeway said turning to Captain Scott, �I would much rather have your talents in engineering.�

�And I would much rather have my arms buried up to the elbows in consoles and engines.� Scott assured the Admiral.

�Commander, that leaves you as the senior-most officer for the post.� Janeway laid her hand on his shoulder. She hoped it would reassure him, then realized it was more for her benefit than his.

�I accept. I must ask, however, what will I do when this crisis is averted?�

Janeway smiled again. �I thought you might ask that. After this mission, should we survive, you�ll be assigned as my attach� and become the liaison between the Starfleet Bureau of Defense and the Vulcan Defense Ministry.� Almost imperceptibly, Tuvok�s face changed. Kathryn Janeway had known him long enough to recognize it as the Vulcan equivalent of a smile.

[admiral]

very cool

[Matrix881]

its great