Star Trek Voyager: Eternity

Star Trek Voyager: Eternity (Chapter 9)

Chakotay stepped back in the turbolift to allow Seven to come onto the bridge first, she flashed him a quick smile and he easily returned it, before seeing Seven stiffen as she looked at the view screen. Worry prickled him as he looked over her shoulder, what he saw made him gasp and he had to lean on the nearest console for support. A second Janeway, her hair silver and clothed in an Admiral’s uniform, gazed out of the view screen. The Captain was out of her chair, eyes wide. “Who are you?”

“I’m you Captain, don’t you recognise me?”

“I…” Captain Janeway stuttered.

“Why don’t you let me dock my shuttle and we’ll talk.” It was said more as an order than a request.

The Captain nodded mutely and the Admiral appeared satisfied, switching off her comm. system. “Let her aboard.” The Captain ordered Harry.

“Captain, I don’t think…” Chakotay intervened, his mind still reeling.

“She’s coming aboard Chakotay!” snapped Janeway.

Seven looked at Chakotay in concern; he was taking this turn of events even worse than the Captain, who had just seen her future self. Chakotay caught her look and whispered urgently. “Do you think this has anything to do with Temporal Anomaly…”

“No.” She replied in the same tone, “It seems she came in some sort of shuttle…she has come here with the express purpose to change the timeline.”

That was just what Chakotay had feared, he obviously already had changed the timeline or else the Admiral would be dead. What had happened to make her so desperate? He remembered Captain Tuvok’s warning, that the timeline could change for the worse instead of better. An icy shudder ran through him as he realised he could have been responsible for such changes.

The Admiral did not endeavour to enlighten him, even though he reasoned she must know of his own recent time travel. He had to listen to the crew’s enraptured questions as he tied himself up in knots of anxiety. Apparently, this Janeway was from twenty six years into the future, 2403. She was Starfleet’s most decorated Admiral and judging from her shuttle, technology would come a long way in the next three decades. He was worrying over nothing, obviously his changes had worked since Janeway hadn’t died in 2379. She seemed obsessed by a Borg infested wormhole cluster, perhaps Kathryn was just being Kathryn and wanting to get them home that little bit faster, his mind immediately crushed this faint hope in his heart, why would Kathryn risk all their lives if the future she’d left behind was perfect? None of these questions were answered as the Admiral sequestered herself in the ready room with her younger self and he had to go back to work valiantly attempting to hide his fear from the crew.

Chakotay paced his room. The Captain had decided not to follow the Admiral’s plan, everything would continue as before. A large part of him was relieved, he never wanted to even think about time travel again but at the same time he knew how he would have reacted if the Captain had not obeyed his foreknowledge so he had a strong suspicion the Admiral was not about to let things lie. “Computer, locate Admiral Janeway.”

“Admiral Janeway is in Cargo Bay 2.” No! She couldn’t tell Seven anything, if he was going to die then so be it but for Seven to know would break her heart and estrange them forever. This thought drove him from his quarters and down to the cargo bay with unnatural speed. The doors opened at his command and he ran in to find the Admiral alone and visibly seething. “What are you doing here?” he asked, unable to keep the accusatory tone from his voice.

“I was talking to Seven about her future.” She said coldly.

“What? You have no right to manipulate her like that…”