Caretaker - L. A. Graf [86]
"We're alone in an uncharted part of the galaxy." It seemed best to start with the things they all knew--the obvious things that were already half-digested. "We've already made some friends here," she went on, nodding toward Kes and Neelix near the turbolifts, "and some enemies." The destruction still plaguing most levels of the ship spoke eloquently enough about that. "We have no idea of the dangers we're going to face. But one thing is clear--both crews are going to have to work together if we're to survive. That's why Commander Chakotay and I have agreed that this should be one crew. A Starfleet crew."
She saw Torres tug at the front of her uniform in evident distaste, but pretended not to notice. There would be time to iron out all the crew's behavioral wrinkles later.
"And as the only Starfleet vessel `assigned' to the Delta Quadrant, we'll continue to follow our directive to seek out new worlds and explore space."
She moved toward the front of the bridge, so she could face them all without turning. Did she have any real reason to hope that this disparate bunch could ever bond and become a real working unit? And what could she do about it if they didn't? Their future together was likely to be longer than any of them wanted.
Janeway shook such thoughts away for the time being and focused instead on their more immediate situation. "Our primary goal is clear. Even at maximum speeds, it would take seventy-five years to reach the federation." She shook her head at their looks of dismay. "I'm not willing to settle for that. There's another entity like the Caretaker out there somewhere who has the ability to get us there a lot faster.
We'll be looking for her. And we'll be looking for wormholes, spatial rifts, or new technologies to help us. Somewhere along this journey," she promised with everything that was in her, "we'll find a way back."
Turning, she rested her hands on the back of Paris's chair, and looked beyond his head at the eternal possibilities waiting for them behind every planet, every star. "Mr. Paris, set a course..." She tried to say it with enough conviction and faith for all of them. "... for home."
It was likely to be a very long trip. But if heart and hope and bravery could lead them, she knew they would make it. All they would need was time.
The End
About the Authors
L. A. Graf is the pen name used by authors Julia Ecklar and Karen Rose Cercone for six popular novels since 1992, including the Star Trek: The Lost Years novel Traitor Winds and the upcoming Alien Nation novel Extreme Prejudice.
Julia Ecklar is an award-winning science-fiction writer whose latest novel, ReGenesis, will be available from Ace Science Fiction in June 1995. This novel, based on the popular Rahel Tovin stories first published in Analog magazine, deals with issues of extinction and genetic re-creation in the far future.
These and other stories won her the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Science Fiction Writer of the Year in 1991. As the macho, athletic one of the pair, she's responsible for most of the explosions and hand-to-hand combat.
Karen Rose Cercone is the university scientist of the pair, with a doctorate in geochemistry and a professorship at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where she teaches environmental geoscience and science fiction. In a natural division of labor, she gets to be in charge of creating strange planetary environments for all of L. A. Graf's books.
As well as planning to branch out into original science fiction as L. A. Graf, the two authors are currently hoping to wreak some havoc on DS9 in their next collaboration.
The End
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