String Theory_ Fusion (Book 2) - Kirsten Beyer [28]
And then it hit him.
The small void in question was either the exact area or very near the spot where, only a few days ago, the Blue Eye, one of Monorha’s two suns, had been. He had read the reports without dwelling on the details that recounted the work Voyager’s engineers had proposed to collapse the star to slow the outpouring of radiation that was poisoning Monorha. Since their emergence from the subspace field where they had been trapped for several harrowing hours, he had spent more than a fair amount of time gazing out upon the area, both because he’d had a nice view of it from the mess hall, and also because it had inspired such a sense of awe and wonder to consider the miracles his crew was capable of achieving.
Maybe he was imagining things. But part of him felt certain that apart from the Blue Eye, which he knew was gone, there should have been another star there.
Shaking off the tiny voice in his head insisting that this was not a good thing, he made a mental note to mention the matter to the captain or Commander Chakotay the next chance he had. Surely they would know what was to be done about it.
As Janeway gazed curiously at her sister, Phoebe rose from her position on the floor, straightening the folds of her floral tunic so that it fell gracefully from the sash that gathered it around her waist.
“Since when do you need a security detachment to accompany you to your quarters?” she asked sarcastically.
“Since when do you enter my quarters without asking permission?” Janeway snapped back. “This isn’t our house back in Indiana. But I guess some things never change.”
Phoebe cast a disparaging glance at Ensign Maplethorpe and the other officers who still had their phasers aimed in her general direction. Janeway noted this, and calmly nodded, indicating that the others could go, before she holstered her own phaser and assumed the position Phoebe guessed was the one she usually found herself in when confronting her sister about anything: hands on her hips, jaw set, and eyes staring determinedly into those that could have been a mirror image of her own.
As the security officers retreated, Phoebe decided it would be best not to antagonize Janeway too much at this point. She had armed herself with every memory stored in Janeway’s conscious and unconscious mind about her sister, but she lacked the data that could be gained only by actual experience or interaction with the captain. She opted to tread carefully for the moment.
“I thought you always said I made the best coffee of anyone in the family,” she said simply.
Janeway shook her head in disbelief.
“You do,” Janeway acknowledged. “But you don’t know the difference between a power conduit and an iso-linear chip. Did you honestly think you could come up with a better cup of coffee by trying to rebuild the replicator?”
“I thought it might be worth a try,” Phoebe offered.
In fact, she had been searching for a plausible cause for the electromagnetic discharge that she knew would eventually attract someone’s attention. Mucking around in a primitive system that she supposedly had very little knowledge of had been the best she could come up with on a moment’s notice.
“I don’t have time for this, Phoebe. Go back to your quarters and stay there.”
“But Kath,” Phoebe pleaded, hoping to unearth some of the sisterly affection she knew was present in Janeway’s heart.
“No, ‘but’s,” Janeway commanded. “The ship is at yellow alert right now. It isn’t safe for you to be roaming around. You’ll just cause more trouble.”
In some ways, this was going well. For the time being, Janeway obviously accepted the fabricated memories that Phoebe had implanted in her mind and the minds of the crew so that they would accept her presence on board the ship. The alterations she had made to their computer were also functioning perfectly. It took a great deal of energy to maintain this illusion, but Phoebe knew