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Sem released a thrum of anger so passionate, Kaytok felt it in his nasal passages. “I am the sanest person you’ve ever known,” she said. “If nothing else, I’m sane enough to know you shouldn’t give the Key to an alien. Or have you changed your mind?”

“I haven’t. Gora told me to give the Key ‘to her’ so she could free him. I can’t imagine you using any key to free anyone. That’s not how your mind works.”

Without warning, Sem rushed at him, causing the humming blue wall to buzz angrily. Though he knew she could not reach him, Kaytok flinched. Recovering, he said, “Be careful, or you’ll hurt your child.”

Now it was Sem’s turn to be startled. Stepping away from the barrier, she wrapped her arms protectively around her midsection. “Who told you?”

“Ziv,” Kaytok said, more than a little embarrassed to enjoy her discomfort. “You don’t care what rules you break, do you?”

Sem took a half step back away from the barrier, but did not otherwise reply.

“He was your shi-harat, but you thought you needed to bind him to you even tighter.”

Sem’s mouth moved, but no words came out.

“How could you have done such a thing? How could you ever be trusted to free anyone? You should resign your position when the Voyagers turn you over to the authorities tomorrow.”

Arms wrapped even more tightly around her, Sem turned away and stared at the back wall. Kaytok watched her for several moments, then turned away himself to stare out at the arc of his world. So close, he thought. Yet so far away.

“I know it might not seem like much,” Kaytok said, setting the box down on Janeway’s desk, “but this is considered one of the most valuable religious artifacts on my world. My grandsire asked me to give it to you.”

Janeway regarded the rock with mingled curiosity and respect. Kaytok had just returned from the surface of Monorha after personally delivering Sem into custody. “Thank you, Kaytok,” she said. “Did he say what I was supposed to do with it?”

“No,” Kaytok said, “Not exactly. He seemed to think you’d figure it out.”

The captain lifted the box, then set it on the small table by her desk. “In our line of work, sir, I often find we must make things up as we go along.” She unfastened the clasp and studied the relic before lifting it from the container. Kaytok flinched. “Is there something I should know about this artifact?”

Kaytok shook his head. “Only if you’re interested in superstitious nonsense. In my vision, Gora assured me the key wouldn’t hurt you as it did Dagan. But you should be cautious.”

Janeway extended her hand and Kaytok shook it. When they broke their hand clasp, the captain sat down again and said, “You may be interested to know that I spoke with Shalla Kiiy earlier today and she also thanked us for our efforts, though I got the impression she was not certain precisely what happened.”

“Are any of us?” B’Elanna asked. “Do we know why the Blue Eye collapsed into a singularity?”

“Not yet,” the captain said, and turned to Seven. “I think you should put that on your list of priorities as soon as you’re sure you’re feeling better.”

“I am fine, Captain,” Seven said, glancing at B’Elanna for only a second. “Returning to a collective state was…nostalgic…but I have come to highly value my individuality.”

Janeway smiled. “I’m glad,” the captain said. “Then get back to work. Kaytok, again, thank you for the gift and thank you for your help.”

Kaytok clicked once, but said nothing more. They made their farewells, and then B’Elanna escorted him to the transporter room for the final time.

Later, after a normal shift in engineering (during which she walked from component to component and explained all the changes she had made while Joe Carey frantically recorded and scribbled supplementary notes), B’Elanna returned to her cabin and, finding it empty, sighed gratefully, enjoying the solitude. She must have locked the door, because an hour later she awoke on the couch to the sound of the door chime. Rising, she opened the