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Still Janeway shook her head. "It's already been polluted. They lost hundreds here, Mr. Kim. They sent all thirteen ships equipped with dark-matter cloaks against us, and only five are limping home. They can't hurt us any more. I won't follow them and hunt them down to the last man. Besides, that might cause more damage to the timeline than we've already done. Who knows what contributions someone aboard one of those ships might make one day. We could be killing the Romulan who later guides his people to an alliance with the Federation."

"You are merciful, Captain Janeway," said Telek.

Janeway stared at the screen, momentarily lost in the image of bright white stars and black space. "I don't know that the Romulans aboard those eight ships would share your opinion, Dr. R'Mor."

"The five ships have entered the wormhole," said Kim.

"Safe journey home," whispered Janeway, softly. "Cancel Red-"

"Captain!" said Kim. "The five ships-there

seems to be some kind of problem with two of them. They're disintegrating."

"Oh, no," breathed Janeway. She rose from her chair, wincing with pain, and made her way over to Ops. "Monitor them." The dark matter. The damned, damned dark matter.

"The first vessel has made it safely out of the wormhole. So has the second. There goes the third..."

But it never materialized on the other side. As Janeway watched, eyes glued to the screen, the three ships still in the wormhole disappeared. There was a flash on the viewscreen. The wormhole had collapsed, probably because one of the vessels had exploded inside it. Of the thirteen mighty warbirds that had ventured through the wormhole, intent on capturing a glorious prize and returning home victors, only two had survived.

"We've lost contact," said Kim, unnecessarily. His voice was somber.

Janeway glanced up to find Telek R'Mor gazing at her. "I'm so sorry," she said.

"Sorrow will not bring back the dead," he said, his voice harsh with pain.

"Engineering to Janeway. Captain, you've got to tell me about this sphere, I can't make heads or-"

"Sickbay to Captain Janeway. I've learned a few interesting things about our guest that I think-"

"One at a time!" exclaimed Janeway. "Doctor, is this a medical emergency?"

"No," replied the Doctor, somewhat huffily, "but nonetheless I think-"

"Then we're off to engineering. I want that dark matter off my ship and I want it off now. Tuvok, you have the bridge. Doctor R'Mor, please come with me. We'll need your knowledge as well."

As they headed for the turbolift, Janeway thought to herself that the Shepherds might have raised more questions than they answered.

CHAPTER 16

B'ELANNA LOOKED HER USUAL CAPABLE SELF AS SHE

glanced up when her captain and l\ivok entered. "What is this thing?' she asked without preamble, gesticulating with the hand that held the Shepherd's sphere.

"How's the stomach?" Janeway asked first, smiling a little.

Torres grimaced. "Fine, now, thank goodness."

Janeway's smile faded. "Lieutenant, I have some bad news. It's about Tom."

B'Elanna's face went very still. She stood up a bit straighter, bracing herself. "What happened?"

"Both he and Chakotay have disappeared. It's a long story, about what happened when we encountered the Shepherd, and you'll be fully briefed later, but essentially they went through some kind of por-

tal. The Shepherd, Tialin, assured me that they were both where they needed to be, that they would be all right. And although there wasn't time to confirm anything, Chakotay seemed to know exactly what he was doing. It was obvious he chose to go through the portal, and to take Tom with him."

Torres swallowed, but her composure was admirable. "Will... will we see them again?"

"I certainly hope so, B'Elanna," said Janeway fervently. "There's reason to believe that regardless of whether they return, they'll be all right."

She realized her reassurance was almost fulsome, as if she were creating a reality with her words.