Love is in the air

Captain's personal log, Stardate 56182.4. We've started the New Year well. Two weeks have passed since our celebrations of the start of 2388, and we've haven't been attacked, had a major system failure, or encountered any dangerous anomalies. The crew seems more at ease now on this ship than they have ever been. A spirit of goodwill has been instilled in them by our continuing journey, and I will admit, even I haven't been as settled in my life. Many of the crew have 'paired up' now. There are many couples aboard Voyager now: Lieutenants Torres and Paris, of course happily married with their two children. Naomi and Icheb, two of Voyager's finest young officers. Seven of Nine and the Doctor - a hologram, and a Borg. If we were in the Alpha Quadrant, none of this would have happened. My first officer tells me that Ensign Vorik and Crewman Gilmore have become a couple. Even I have not evaded the fever. My relationship with Commander Chakotay is... shall we say... developing. The family atmosphere aboard this ship, created by our ongoing journey home, is comparable to nothing I have ever encountered. This is truly a unique experience. I am sure that other crew members share that understanding.
Anyway, away from such sentimental remarks. Chakotay and I have considered the performance of our Chief Engineer, Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres, in detail now, and today, we are going to be commending her for her efforts. She does not know this. All we have told her is that there will be a staff meeting at 10:00 hours. The rest of the senior staff will be attending.
Oh, before I forget, I still need to get ready for the wedding of my Ops Officer and one of my science staff, Megan Delaney, which is in five days' time.
End log.

"The enemy vessel is coming about," reported Lieutenant Paris. He was at his usual semicircular station at the front of Voyager's expansive command centre, rapidly tapping at the consoles and keypads in front of him.
"Fire phasers, Mr. Tuvok. Target their weapons array," ordered Commander Chakotay.
"Firing phasers," reported Lt. Commander Tuvok in his usual monotonic voice. He stood at the tactical station, next to the turbolift. After pressing a few buttons on the Security/Tactical panels, he added, "Enemy vessel has been disabled, Commander."
Chakotay nodded. Turning to look at Ensign Kim, he demanded, "Time?"
Kim looked briefly at the console in front of him. "Twelve minutes, twenty-five seconds."
Chakotay smiled at everyone. "That's a lot better than last time. Well done everyone."
Captain Janeway stepped out of the turbolift. Chakotay turned to her.
"Captain, we've managed to become even more efficient. We cut down our battle drill time by 22%."
Janeway smiled. "Excellent Commander. Much quicker, and even the Borg won't be able to stop us!"
There were a few giggles from around the bridge.
Janeway's tone then changed. "Commander, would you join me in my ready room please?"
Chakotay nodded. "Of course, Captain. Tuvok, you have the bridge."
Tuvok moved towards the command chair, as the Captain and her First Officer traversed the small distance to Janeway's ready room.

As they went in, Voyager's captain walked to the replicator, inset into the wall by her desk and near the windows, and ordered a coffee, black. Her constant consumption of coffee could perhaps be considered an addiction, but it's true nature was much more benign - it helped her to be the best leader of the Voyager community that she could be.
She glanced at the big man stood by her desk. "Would you like anything?"
"Yes, please," he replied.
She turned and smiled at him. "Perhaps I should rephrase that. Would you like anything from the replicator?"
Chakotay returned Janeway's gesture. "A prune juice would be nice."
She turned to the replicator again, ordered the prune juice, then gave Chakotay his drink, once replicated.
"Commander, I was going over the promotions again last night, and I was thinking, perhaps we should promote Lt. Torres. She has definitely been a outstanding officer, and she deserves it. What do you think?"
"I would have to agree. Without her, we wouldn't have made it this far."
Janeway tapped the console on her desk. "OK, I've added her to the list. Anything interesting happening this morning?"
"Well, Tom walked onto the bridge this morning wearing his pyjama bottoms."
She turned to face her first officer. "Seriously?"
"Seriously. We let him walk all the way over to his console, and start working, before Tuvok said, 'Lieutenant Paris, it is not logical to wear your pyjamas when on duty.' He went bright red. I sent him to get changed."
"I wish I could have been there to see that," she remarked. "Anything else?"
"Not really."
She sat down at her desk. Chakotay, stood opposite where she was sitting, couldn't stop thinking, how much he desired Kathryn, how much he wanted her touch, the sweet smell of her perfume, the feel of her pressing up against him.
He was awakened from his daydream by the woman he had been daydreaming about.
"Computer, what time is it?"
The computer complied, responding in it's regular monotone.
"Nine hundred fifty hours."
"We'd better get going," the tall man in front of the Captain's desk said to his superior, and indeed, his one true love.
Kathryn got up from her desk again. "Of course, Chakotay."
They kissed briefly, and his skin flushed as their lips touched. He had loved her since the day they had met, and now finally, after all the years they had spent together on Voyager, they were finally together.
As their lips parted, he took her arm, and they left the Ready Room, back into the everyday bustle of Voyager's command centre.

The Delta Flyer exited a blue-green nebula at phenomenal speed, leaving a trail of nebula gases in it's wake, heading for it's mothership, which shared the shuttle's graceful lines. The Busaard collectors of Voyager's most powerful shuttle were packed full of neotritium, a gas which could be used to power Voyager's systems and 'improve efficiency considerably' as Seven put it. The shuttle had been scouting for eight days, crewed by two people - Voyager's EMH, who was still obsessed with holophotography, even after many years, and Seven of Nine, Voyager's head of Astrometrics and former Borg drone.
This unlikely pair were now a couple: this had been instigated at least partially by the social lessons given to Seven by the Doctor. She had, over the years they had spent together, become attracted to her former mentor. His help had been invaluable to her development both as an individual and as a member of Voyager's crew. Although she had initially been attracted to organic members of the Voyager community, she had eventually been drawn to the holographic physician, perhaps because, when he had first been activated, he had experienced the same difficulties interacting with organic beings, and indeed he had to fight for his holographic rights. Seven had had to deal with prejudice too, as many of the crew resented her for her Borg nature, but she had proved herself time and time again to the crew and it's captain, and had earned the respect of the crew over time.
At this time, Seven and the Doctor were playing a game of 3D-chess to pass the time. Both players were extremely skilled at the game, Seven through her innate intelligence and the Doctor because of his grand master chess program.
Seven sat for a while determining her move, and then suddenly spotted something. She moved her queen.
"Checkmate," she announced.
"I don't believe it. You've done it again. Three times in a row. I'll think I'll take a break to refresh my mind." The Doctor was perplexed.
"That might be a good idea, Doctor." Seven smiled at her victory.
The Doctor got up and walked toward the replicator and replicated a HoloCoffee. He also replicated a Coffee, Black for Seven, who had picked up the habit from the Captain, a serious coffee drinker. She had self-admittedly 'beat the Borg with it.'
The tactical console, which was just to the left and behind of where Seven was sat, started to bleep at that moment. The Doctor moved to the station and read the monitor.
"There's a heavily damaged vessel directly ahead. There are fourteen children aboard the vessel, no adults. And the ship's under attack."
Seven quickly acted on the information. Working the antique levers installed into the Delta Flyer by Lt. Paris, she reported back to the Doctor.
"I've set a course to intercept."
A few minutes passed as the small shuttle approached the alien vessels. As it did, both crew members looked in disgust at the damage done to the alien vessel by the attacker. There were hull breaches all over the ship, bodies floating near the ship, and horrible battle scars on the remaining hull. One of the warp nacelles was floating away from it's corresponding nacelle pylon.
The consoles again bleeped.
"We're being hailed." Doc was still a little shocked at the brutality of the damage done to the ship.
"On audio," the steadfast Seven ordered.
The comm system activated and flooded the Delta Flyer with the voices of alien children. The leading voice was a young teenage girl.
"Alien ship, we need help. There are fourteen of us and we need to be rescued. We won't survive much longer. Please help us." The voice was desperate at best.
"Doctor, transport the children into the aft compartment. I'll deal with the attackers." Seven remained the commanding presence.
"Acknowledged," the hologram replied as he worked on beaming aboard the children. At Seven's command, the Delta Flyer fired phasers and microtorpedoes at the enemy vessel. However, the enemy vessel was more than capable of resisting the Delta Flyer, and the Federation shuttle took damage from a plasma torpedo fired by the superior alien ship. The comm once again activated.
"Doctor to Seven. All the children are here. Let's go!"
Seven was however less exuberant than the Doctor.
"Our warp engines are offline. We cannot escape."
Another plasma blast rocked the ship. The entire starboard nacelle was ripped off of the Delta Flyer, causing massive internal damage to the ship. Seven had no choice but to leave the cockpit and escape the imminent hull breach that would form there. She turned to leave, then a flash of light from behind caught her attention. It was a Federation phaser blast. She then saw Voyager fly past the Delta Flyer and fire a barrage of photon torpedoes at the attacking vessel. It was destroyed in a huge purple explosion.
Finally, Seven felt the tingle of transporter beams as Voyager rescued the shuttle and it's crew. When the transporter cycle was completed, she found herself in the shuttlebay, facing the Delta Flyer and the wreck of the alien ship.

"My name is Lanani. I'm from a planet called Balizan Five. We were being evacuated from our planet when we were attacked." The girl was clearly frightened, but was attempting to show a brave face to Captain Janeway, as she asked her about the incident in Voyager's sickbay.
"All the adults were killed at their posts. We stayed in the central childcare centre, it's at the middle of the ship and it was safer than anywhere else."
Captain Janeway nodded. "Very well, Lanani. But let me ask you one question: why were you being evacuated from your homeworld?"
Lanani looked up at Janeway's face, straight into her eyes. "It was destroyed by the Borg."
Janeway's expression changed. "I'm sorry."
Lanani simply looked at Voyager's commanding officer.
The Captain was silent for a moment, before she made a decision.
"We'll treat your people, then, as the oldest surviving person, it's your decision what you do. If you like, you can join our crew. We have some children here too, and I'm sure you'd like them. They'd like some new friends, too. Would you like that?"
A little tear rolled out of Lanani's left eye.
"That's the nicest offer I've had in a long time. Thank you, Captain. I'd love to stay, and I'm sure that the others would like some new friends too. In fact, they'd be glad of a warm bed lately."
Kathryn smiled. "Janeway to Chakotay. Assign quarters to the children we just rescued.
They'll be staying with us."
Chakotay's voice entered sickbay over the comm. "Aye Captain."
Lanani smiled a little. She wiped a tear off of her face. "Thank you, Captain."
Kathryn smiled, and then left sickbay.
The Doctor continued to treat the wounded children. Seven got up, and walked over to Lanani. "Hello Lanani."
Lanani looked up at Seven, her long brown hair flowing behind her.
"Hello. What's your name?"
"My designation is Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjun... you may call me Seven."
"Seven."
"I am prepared to give you a tour of the ship. Would you like one?"
"Yes, I would."
Seven nodded. "In that case, follow me."
They both left Sickbay and headed for the turbolift.

"So, after much consideration, I have decided to have Monday evening designated 'Movie Night'. We'll watch a different film each week." Captain Janeway made the announcement at the staff meeting.
Tom Paris was pleased. "Thank you Captain. This'll be great!"
"Anyway, now that that's dealt with, Mr Chakotay, those rank pips?"
Chakotay handed the captain some pips. "Here you are, Captain."
Janeway walked around to where Lt. Torres was sat.
"Lt. Torres, for your excellent service to Voyager, you are hereby promoted to Lt. Commander, and are given a full Starfleet commission. You have been an exemplary officer on this ship, and, so Tom tells me, an exemplary wife. You deserve it, B'Elanna. Congratulations."
Janeway removed Torres' old rank bar, and pushed two gold pips and a black pip into her collar. She shook hands with the former Maquis engineer. Lt. Torres smiled, and got a round of applause from her fellow senior officers. She looked around. "Eighteen years ago, I would have done anything to get away from Starfleet. I put up one hell of a fight when we were forced to join this ship. But thanks to your support, especially from the Captain, I've become a part of this crew, and I'm glad that I am. I wouldn't have been the person I am today if it wasn't for you, so I would like to thank you all for supporting me over the years."
There was another round of applause.
But suddenly, while they were applauding, a massive jolt threw the senior staff around the conference room.

Janeway and her command staff struggled out of the observation lounge onto the bridge. The Captain shouted over the noise of the hull buckling below her, "Report!"
Tuvok got to his station, pressed a few of the buttons at his command, and reported. "Captain, an alien vessel is using some kind of compression beam on us. It's buckling the lower hull. If we don't stop it soon, the warp core will breach!" Tuvok maintained his calm whilst emphasising the severity of the situation.
"Return fire! Full phasers!" Chakotay ordered whilst trying to maintain balance.
A bright yellow phaser beam emitted from Voyager's ventral emitters, striking the alien ship and causing it to explode violently. Explosions rocked Voyager as the shockwave dispersed over the Starfleet-grey hull.
On the bridge, an explosion caught Harry in the back. He was thrown over his console and landed on the floor in the centre of the bridge. The Doctor, who had been in the staff meeting, ran over to him and after running a few scans, picked him up and ran for the turbolift.
The explosions ceased, and Voyager stabilized itself. As the shaking stopped, everyone picked themselves up and returned to their consoles. Torres took the Operations station in Harry's absence.
"Damage report, Commander Torres."
Torres worked the console. "Hull breach on Deck 12 and Deck 13, and the warp core has taken a little damage, but we're otherwise ok. But Captain, if the core had taken any more damage..."
"I know, B'Elanna. They'll probably need you in Engineering."
"Aye Captain." B'Elanna exited the bridge and headed for Engineering.
Janeway then remembered what had just happened to her Operations Officer.
"Janeway to sickbay. How is Ensign Kim?"
"He'll be ok, but he'll need neurosurgery to correct some of the spinal damage. I will need to keep him here for at least a week, if not two. He was lucky to have survived. Lt. Ayala was also seriously injured. He will need major surgery to save his life. I must begin." The Doctor's voice was grave.
"Thank you, Doctor. Janeway out."
Ensign Mulchaey walked around to the Captain and addressed her. "Captain?"
"What is it Ensign?" She was rather demanding in her tone.
"Before they opened fire, the aliens broadcasted a wideband message. The Universal translator had problems with it, but here's the general idea of it." He handed her a PADD. Janeway looked at the PADD. "Surrender them - you've taken them - we'll destroy them - Thank you, Ensign."
Mulchaey nodded and walked back to his post.
Janeway turned to her Tactical Officer. "Tuvok, I need you to make shield modifications to defend against that compression beam those aliens had. Chakotay, join me in my ready room."
The Captain and her First Officer left for the ready room.

"Coffee, black." A coffee, black appeared in Janeway's ready room replicator. And Janeway picked up the cup, taking a sip as she turned to her partner.
"Chakotay, I need to talk to you about our current situation. Let's recap events shall we? We pick up fourteen children from a heavily damaged ship, and two hours later, we come under heavy fire from an alien vessel. And that message..."
Chakotay looked at Kathryn, querying what she had meant.
"What are you suggesting, Kathryn?"
She looked up at him. "Someone is trying to kill these children. Why, I don't know - from what we know of them, they're just a group of normal young people - but, there are so many unknowns. Perhaps they're wanted for crimes. Perhaps they're like the Drayans and their aging cycles are reversed. But in any case, we need to find out."
"What do you suggest?" Chakotay enquired further as to the Captain's plans.
"I need to talk to that girl, Lanani, and see if she knows why people would be trying to kill her or the rest of her group. It may not be the children specifically, it may be her entire race, some alien prejudice - we simply don't know. Also, scan for vessels with the same signature in the area. Let me know if you find any."
"Aye, Captain," Chakotay acknowledged. He then left the ready room.
Janeway thought briefly, then tapped her commbadge. "Janeway to Seven of Nine. Bring Lanani to my ready room."

In Holodeck One, Naomi Wildman and Mezoti had created a holographic stage and seating. The setting was a late 20th century club, huge and expansive, with a huge sound system up front, and a complex lighting system fixed to the ceiling. At the back there was a bar, currently closed, since Naomi and Mezoti were the only ones there. They were practicing for a performance they were scheduled to give to the Voyager crew.
Naomi walked up the steps to the stage.
"OK, Mezoti, make sure I'm doin' this right, ok?" she said.
Mezoti nodded in acknowledgement.
Naomi ordered the holographic band behind her. "OK, let's do it!"
The music started, and Naomi began to sing. The song was a song from the 21st century by an artist called Britney Spears, entitled 'I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman'.

I used to think
I had the answers to everything
But now I know
That life doesn't always go my way, yeah

Feels like I'm caught in the middle
That's when I realise

I'm not a girl
Not yet a woman
All I need is time
A moment that is mine
While I'm in between

She looked at Mezoti, who gave her the thumbs-up.

I'm not a girl
There is no need to protect me
It's time that I
Learned to face up to this on my own, whoa

I've seen so much more than you know now
So don't tell me to shut my eyes

I'm not a girl
Not yet a woman
All I need is time
A moment that is mine
While I'm in between

I'm not a girl
But if you look at me closely
You will see it in my eyes
This girl will always find
Her way

I'm not a girl
Don't tell me what to believe
I'm just trying to find the woman in me, yeah
All I need is time
That's mine
While I'm in between

I'm not a girl
Not yet a woman
Not now
All I need is time
A moment that is mine
While I'm in between
I'm not a girl
Not yet - a woman.

The music stopped. Mezoti applauded her friend.
Naomi asked, "Was it OK this time?"
Mezoti smiled. "It was great. Britney Spears would be proud of you."
Naomi smiled too, and then walked down the steps from the stage.
"I'm looking forward to my song with Icheb a lot. Flying on a magic carpet, singing that wonderful song..."
Mezoti smiled. Naomi, her friend of many, many years, had been overjoyed when the Captain approved her idea of a concert, and Naomi was pleased to be singing with both her boyfriend and her best friend.
"Come on, let's get that magic carpet sorted for tonight." Mezoti took her friend's arm, and they walked up towards the stage.

"They're called the Navarl. They are a very powerful race. They used a weapon on our planet which poisoned everyone. They destroyed most of our fleet with their ships. They are trying to hunt down and kill everyone in this region of space. Unfortunately no-one has got the power to take them out. A small group of their ships even destroyed a Borg Cube once." Janeway looked seriously at Lanani. "The reason I asked, Lanani, is because a ship like what you described attacked us earlier, and nearly destroyed our ship with some kind of compression weapon. The hull was literally squashed in on itself. Do you have any data about them?"
Lanani briefly considered.
"There is a database on our ship. It contains some information on them, but whether you'll find it useful or not is another thing."
Janeway turned to Seven, who was also in the room.
"Seven, go with Lanani back to her ship. See if you can download the database into our computer system. If you can, look for any information that might help us."
Seven nodded. "Aye, Captain."
The Captain turned back to Lanani.
"Don't worry, we'll protect you and the other children. And I have no intention of letting my ship be destroyed."
Lanani nodded. She got up from her seat opposite the Captain, and Seven led her out of the room.

Everyone stood clear in the Mess Hall as Commander Chakotay led 13 of the rescued children in. Neelix walked out from behind the counter, and bounded over to see the children.
Chakotay introduced him.
"Children, this is Neelix. He's our ship's cook and morale officer."
One of the children, a young boy, asked: "What's a morale officer?"
Neelix kneeled down to speak to the boy.
"A morale officer is the person who keeps everyone on the ship happy."
Chakotay looked to Neelix. "Perhaps you could show them around the Mess Hall and the Galley while I get a coffee?"
Neelix nodded. "Sure, Commander." He led the children into the galley. "And this is where we do all the cooking..."
Chakotay walked over to the replicator, and ordered a coffee. He saw Naomi and Mezoti come in to the communal dining area, and hailed them over to join him. The two girls came over.
"Hey, Commander." Naomi addressed her senior officer.
"Hello, Commander Chakotay," Mezoti said. Even after many years on Voyager, the former Borg girl still spoke more formally than many girls her age.
"Hi, girls. How's the concert coming along?" he asked.
Mezoti responded first.
"The concert is proceeding well. We have been practicing the songs today, and setting up for the grand finale."
Naomi smiled. "You'll like it, definitely. It'll be great. That is, assuming you're coming, Commander?"
Chakotay took a sip of his coffee, before confirming that he would be going.
Naomi and Mezoti each got a pizza and chips from the replicator. Naomi preferred a cheese and pineapple pizza, while Mezoti had a 'Voyager Special' - which consisted of a pizza with just about every topping you could think of - cheese, pineapple, anchovies, pepperoni, chicken, onion, olives, sausages - the list was endless. The two girls sat and ate. Neelix finished giving the children their tour of the galley, and then spotted that Naomi and Mezoti were in the room. He led the children over to them.
"And here, children, are two of Voyager's finest. They are going to be singing for us tonight. If you want to go and see them, you're welcome to come along. Seven of Nine, who you all met earlier, will take you." Neelix turned to the Commander. "Lovely kids," he said to Chakotay.
Chakotay stood, and replied to Neelix. "They are indeed. Come on then children, I'll take you to see Engineering now." He picked up his coffee and left.
Neelix smiled to Naomi and Mezoti, then returned to cooking in his kitchen.

Lanani and Seven were investigating the former children's ship. It had taken heavy damage in the battle with the aliens, and the hull was collapsing in on itself in places. Commander Torres and her staff had been installing support bulkheads around key areas to hold the ship together.
The pair pushed rubble out of the way, making a path to the control centre of the ship. Seven lead the way, and Lanani followed just behind.
After about fifteen minutes of digging, they found the bridge access. Lanani stepped forward, and fiddled with the controls by the door, and it slid open a little. Seven got her hands in the door, and pushed it open. She stepped onto the bridge, which was a wreck of metal, exploded plasma conduits, and dead bodies. Lanani walked around to the seat of the vessel's captain, and took a pendant from the captain's neck, placing it around her own. Seven observed the ritual, then found a computer terminal. She put a tricorder on top of the console and used it to download the database. Meanwhile, Lanani spoke an alien language, looking straight down to the ground. Seven couldn't help watching the girl's actions. She considered what Lanani did, comparing it to her Borg database. The former drone concluded that it was some kind of death ritual.
Lanani finished the ritual, then looked up at Seven.
"It's a ritual we must perform when our captain dies. The most senior officer after the captain usually performs it, then attains the rank of Captain. I have just performed that ritual, as the oldest child present."
Seven nodded. "I understand. The file transfer is completed. We must leave."
Lanani looked around one last time, then walked out of the bridge the same way they came in. Seven followed.
And as they left, the ship started to shake again.
"Janeway to all senior staff, report to the bridge immediately. We're under attack."
Seven and Lanani evacuated the vessel as quickly as possible and ran for the nearest turbolift.

Seven and Lanani arrived on the Bridge. As they walked off of the lift, Janeway turned to them.
"Seven, I need you to find a weakness in their ship. It's a much larger vessel than before. Our weapons are useless," she ordered.
Seven nodded and ran over to the tactical station. She and Tuvok worked continuously to find a solution.
"Lieutenant Paris, evasive pattern Omega 323!" yelled Chakotay over the noise of explosions. "Aye sir!" the Lieutenant shouted back.
A torpedo flew out from the alien ship and struck Voyager's command centre. A plasma conduit exploded and blasted Captain Janeway with plasma. Her uniform was set alight by the plasma, and she suffered serious burns. Chakotay dived at the Captain, knocking her to the ground. He extinguished the flames with his own body. He then rolled his partner over, to see that she was unconscious.
Voyager's first officer yelled to the Ensign at Operations.
"Ensign, beam her to sickbay!"
The ensign acknowledged the command, and entered the appropriate commands. The blue transporter beam enclosed Janeway, and she vanished from the burning command centre. A lot of the bridge was now in flames from the plasma conduit.
The compression beams from the alien vessel ripped off the main viewscreen. Chakotay looked up briefly at the massive tear in the ship's bridge, before ordering Lieutenant Paris to swing the ship around.
Seven then shouted across the room.
"Commander, we can stop them with an ionic burst from our deflector dish. It will drop their shields long enough for us to destroy them. But the ship must be aimed directly at the enemy ship to do it."
Chakotay called back. "Understood. You heard her, Lieutenant."
Voyager flew around and flew directly at the enemy ship. The engines propelled the ship at incredible speed towards the enemy ship.
As they did, a massive blue beam emitted from Voyager's deflector dish, and struck the alien ship. The shield bubble of the enemy ship glowed blue from the ionic discharge, and then it collapsed entirely.
Chakotay yelled out: "Fire!"
Two photon torpedoes launched from the forward launchers and sped to their targets, the two engines of the alien ship. The torpedoes smashed into the hull and caused widespread explosions on the alien vessel. Accompanying the torpedoes came yellow-gold phaser beams, slicing the ship apart. The alien ship could not stand up to this surprise attack, and exploded in a massive green ball of fire, which blasted Voyager and pushed it back a good distance.
Chakotay nodded. "That'll teach 'em to mess with Voyager."

In Sickbay, beds had been rapidly filling up. Ensign Kim was in one of the side biobeds, and Ayala was in the next one. Captain Janeway was in the centre biobed, being treated for plasma burns by the Doctor. Her skin had been badly burnt by the superheated plasma, and her uniform had been partially incinerated too in the blast.
Megan Delaney was already in sickbay, by the bed of her loved one, Harry. Lieutenant Ayala was sat up in bed reading the latest instalment of Good Morning Voyager!, Voyager's regular newspaper.
The Doctor finished surgery, and tapped his combadge. "Doctor to Chakotay."
Chakotay walked through the door. "Yes Doctor?"
The Doctor turned round. "Ah, there you are Commander. She's recovering, and she wants to see you."
The holographic physician walked around into his office and started work at his console. Chakotay walked over to Janeway, and looked down into her eyes. She looked back at him. She held out her hand, and he took it.
"Chakotay - I take it you stopped the aliens?"
Chakotay nodded. "Let's just say that ship won't be bothering anyone again."
Janeway looked up at him. "OK. Now, if I can be getting out of here..."
She tried to get up, but Chakotay stopped her.
"Kathryn, get some rest. The bridge will still be there when you're better, although it'll probably look better than it does now."
He then kissed her passionately.
The comm system interrupted their kiss.
"Bridge to Chakotay. We need you up here."
Their lips parted.
"Duty calls," he said. He kissed her one last time, then left Sickbay.

Naomi and Mezoti, in Holodeck One, were continuing their practice. Voyager hadn't sustained damaged to the Holodeck systems in the battle, and Mezoti and Naomi had been able to continue their rehearsal uninterrupted.
"Computer, create a holographic Icheb to play the role of Aladdin during the rehearsal and begin program."
Naomi was stood on a balcony. A magic carpet flew up, with the holographic Icheb on it. He offered Naomi his hand, and she took it, and stepped up on to the carpet. The carpet flew off around the room, and the music began.

The holo-Icheb started to sing.

I can show you the world
Shining, shimmering, splendid
Tell me Princess, now when did you last let your heart decide?
I can open your eyes
Take you wonder by wonder
Over, sideways and under
On a magic carpet ride
A whole new world
A new fantastic point of view
No one to tell us no
Or where to go
Or say we're only dreaming

Then it was Naomi's turn.

A whole new world
A dazzling place I never knew
But when I'm way up here
It's crystal clear
That now I'm in a whole new world with you

They carried on singing.

That now I'm in a whole new world with you
Unbelievable sights
Indescribable feeling
Soaring, tumbling, freewheeling
Through an endless diamond sky
A whole new world
Don't you dare close your eyes
A hundred thousand things to see
Hold your breath, it gets better
I'm like a shooting star
I've come so far
I can't go back to where I used to be
A whole new world
Every turn a surprise
With new horizons to pursue
Every moment red letter
I'll chase them anywhere
There's time to spare
Let me share this whole new world with you

A whole new world
A whole new world
That's where we'll be
That's where we'll be
A thrilling chase
A wondrous place
For you and me.

The carpet landed on the balcony, and Naomi got off. The holo-Icheb and the carpet then flew away and vanished.

Naomi climbed down from the balcony, and looked at Mezoti. Tears were pouring out of Mezoti's eyes.
"Hey, what's up?" Naomi said.
"It was so lovely... your song with Icheb... so beautiful." Mezoti was more emotional than she claimed.
Naomi gave Mezoti a hug. They had a coke, and then continued with the practice. They had two hours till the performance, and they had to set up the final stage preparations and practice the final songs.
Just as they were about to do another song, the Doctor came in.
"Naomi, Mezoti, I wonder if you could do me a big favour?"
Naomi responded. "Sure. What is it?"
The Doctor smiled. "Well, towards the end of the performance..."

Chakotay entered sickbay after being hailed by the Doctor, to find the Captain stood up. There was no evidence of any burns on her. When she saw her partner, she ran over and hugged him. He hugged her too. Chakotay looked over Janeway's shoulder at the Doctor, and said "Thank you". The Doctor nodded to him.
Janeway and Chakotay's embrace ended and they looked at each other.
"I got the Doctor to hurry up treating me so that I could go to the concert later." Janeway explained.
"Ah, I understand. Would you like to go with me to the concert?"
Janeway looked at him. "Of course! Meet me outside Holodeck One at 19:30. That's when the doors are opened."
Chakotay nodded, then left Sickbay.
Janeway nodded to the Doctor, then left Sickbay.

A drumroll ensued.
"Ladies and gentlemen, for your entertainment, Tom Paris Entertainment presents - three of Voyager's finest - Naomi..."
There were loud cheers as Naomi walked on stage.
"...Mezoti..."
More cheers followed. Mezoti walked on stage, from the opposite direction as Naomi.
"and finally... Icheb!"
Icheb walked on from the back of the stage and took position between Naomi and Mezoti.

In the audience, Captain Kathryn Janeway and Commander Chakotay were sat near the front, with Lieutenant Paris and Commander Torres. Seven of Nine and the Doctor were sat slightly further back, and all the new children that Voyager just rescued. Most of the crew were also there. Lanani was sat with the children. Tuvok was sat with Ensign Kim and Megan Delaney. The two remaining Borg children, Azan and Rebi, were sat with Ensign Wildman and Lieutenant Ayala. Ensign Wildman and Lieutenant Ayala had become close friends in recent months.

The announcer continued.
"To get this performance off to an explosive start, we've got Naomi, Icheb, and Mezoti performing a song they found in the 21st century database that encaptures Voyager's journey."

The trio of singing Starfleet officers began the first ever Voyager concert in style. They sang a lovely song about the journey of Voyager, based on a song that had been sung in the 21st century by a band of eight children.

The audience applauded vigorously. Captain Janeway was particularly impressed by the performance, and stood up to applaud. She was joined in this by a lot of the crew.

Naomi, Icheb and Mezoti took a bow. The announcer's voice returned to the fold.

"...and now, for your enjoyment, Icheb with a song about faith, and believing that Voyager will get home."

It's been a long road
Getting from there to here
It's been a long time
But my time is finally near
I can feel a change in the wind right now
Nothing's in my way
And they're not gonna hold me down no more
No they're not gonna hold me down

Cause I've got faith of the heart
Goin' where my heart will take me
I've got faith, to believe
I can do anything
I've got strength of the soul
No one's gonna bend or break me
I can reach any star
I've got faith
I've got faith
Faith of the heart.

It's been a long night
Tryin' to find my way
And through the darkness
Now I've finally had my day
I will see my dream come alive at last
I will touch the sky
And they're not gonna hold me down no more
No they're not gonna hold me down

Cause I've got faith of the heart
Goin' where my heart will take me
I've got faith, to believe
I can do anything
I've got strength of the soul
No one's gonna bend or break me
I can reach any star
I've got faith
I've got faith
Faith of the heart.

I've known a wind so cold
And seen the darkest days
But now the winds I feel
Are only winds of change
I've been through the fire
And I've been through the rain
But I'll be fine...

Cause I've got faith of the heart
Goin' where my heart will take me
I've got faith, to believe
I can do anything
I've got strength of the soul
No one's gonna bend or break me
I can reach any star
I've got faith
I've got faith
Faith of the heart.

Faith of the heart
Goin' where my heart will take me
I've got strength of the soul
No one's gonna bend or break me
I can reach any star
I've got faith
I've got faith
Faith of the heart...

It's been a long road...

There was much applause to Icheb's song. The song had been very popular in it's time.

The next song was sung by Naomi and was a song by a female artist named Britney Spears in 2002. It was called 'I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman' and Naomi gave such a stunning rendition that some people were in tears at the sheer quality of it.

The performance continued for a while longer. It was a complete and unqualified success. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed it. But the big finale was yet to come...

The announcer's voice again filled the expanses of the holodeck.
"Our next song is simply... A Whole New World."
The holographic Icheb on the magic carpet was this time replaced by the real thing. The holographic balcony was again created. And the music started. Naomi climbed aboard the magic carpet, and kissed the real Icheb. Then the song started.

As the carpet flew up, Naomi looked into Icheb's eyes. She had never been so happy. Naomi's mother, Samantha was watching with tears in her eyes. Seven of Nine was having a similar reaction. She had been, in effect, Icheb's mother for a couple of years when he had first joined Voyager, helping him to assimilate.

And then Naomi and Icheb sung. The sound was wonderful and harmonious, and the performance went far better than in rehearsal. Mezoti was in tears again as she watched. Even a tear rolled down the face of Captain Kathryn Janeway.

A few minutes later, as the song ended, the carpet returned to the balcony. As Naomi stepped back onto the balcony, she and Icheb engaged in a passionate kiss, one more time, before returning to the ground.

Just before this happened, the Doctor left. He said to Seven, "I'm just going to Sickbay to check on some cell cultures. I'll be back in a minute."

A few minutes later, the announcer called out one more time.

"Well that's all the songs we have from our junior performers tonight. But, we have one more performance for you. I'm sure we've all heard him sing before, and we've all enjoyed his performances tremendously, but he's decided to come and sing for us tonight, at this first Voyager concert. And here he is!"

The Doctor walked onto the stage. Naomi gave him a microphone, and he took centre stage.

"This is for my beloved Seven."

Tonight's
My lucky night
I know, oh, whoa
To tell me
She's been thinkin' of me
All this time
Has changed her mind
She told me so
That's how I know
She's gonna love me

Tonight's
The night
We'll turn out
The light
And love again
Like we did
Back then
And we can start
All over
Tonight

Tonight's
My lucky night
I'm sure
She's at my door
I've waited for this chance
To hold her
And oh, I see
She's needed me
Oh, imagine that
She's coming back
Coming back
To live forever

Tonight's
The night
We'll turn out
The light
And love again
Like we did
Back then
And we can start
All over
And we can start
All over
And we can start
All over

Tonight's
The night
We'll turn out
The light
And love again
Like we did
Back then
Tonight's
The night
We'll turn out
The light
And love again
Like we did
Back then...

Seven was touched by the performance. She was in tears too by this point, even with all her Borg strength of character. She had never had anyone do anything like that for her before, and she was overwhelmed with the whole experience. She ran on to the stage, and kissed the Doctor passionately, in front of all of the people there. She had no qualms about doing this, and the Doctor, although a little overwhelmed at first, soon settled into the situation. There was much applause to this.

Naomi, Seven, the Doctor, Mezoti, and Icheb walked on stage one last time. They all linked hands, and took a bow, receiving one last massive cheer, as they finished the first Voyager concert. Waving to the audience, they all walked off via the back exit.

The lights came up, and everyone got up to leave. All the minor crew members left, except for Ayala and Samantha Wildman, and all the children left too. All the senior staff remained behind however.
Janeway tapped her commbadge. "Janeway to Naomi, Mezoti, Icheb, Doc and Seven. Report to the stage immediately." She gestured for the remaining people to go up on stage. Everyone quickly clambered up to the high stage.
The performers came back in.
Janeway called out to the computer.
"Computer, champagne all round!"
There were a few cheers when she said that. A holographic waiter served them all champagne, and then the Captain spoke once more.
"I'd like to propose a toast. To Voyager, to all the couples aboard Voyager, and to Naomi, Icheb, Mezoti and the Doc, for putting on such a great performance."
She raised her glass.

"Cheers!"