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I saw her. She
was large in her nature,
yet
small in
stature,
and I feared. The old gray wolf stood on the periphery. She came
from out of nowhere. She howled into the night’s darkness along with
winter’s bitter wind.
Her song
was sad, tinged
with
loneliness, but not desperate. The young female at my side stepped
into me for protection. She
shivered and
sought my
eyes for comfort.
Yet
I stood
helpless knowing it was not mine to give. The wolf’s howl grew loud
and longing.
At its last bark,
it looked
toward me,
then at the young female who buried her head in my thick winter coat.
As if to show
me its
smile,
it bared its teeth. I
heard the
growl and understood its intentions.
The old gray wolf walked
off into the
night,
but I knew it would return.
Chakotay awoke
feeling the fever of his
sleeping vision.
He prayed to the gods it was just a dream, but knew it portended more
of his future.
Quietly, he
dressed
for the day as he wondered what this vision meant. What path in life
it illuminated.
It troubled him deeply, and he promised he would seek out his animal
guide after his duty shift. He left his quarters for the bridge.
"We're
being hailed." Ensign Kim reported as the bridge crew watched the
small vessel maneuver through the rift, dodging multiple bursts from
the Klingon ships.
Captain Kathryn Janeway hesitated then stood. Chakotay watched as she
walked over to the helm. "Onscreen," she ordered, her eyes never
leaving the view screen.
Chakotay watched in disbelief as the shuttle tore through the temporal
rift. Once on-screen he saw the passion burning in the pilot’s eyes.
What was written on her face spoke silently to him alone. There would
be more to her arrival, here in the Delta Quadrant, he realized, than
simply a way home. Her eyes searched the bridge, trying to find what
she was truly there for, and when they finally rested, he too
understood what she sought.
He
saw the slight jerk in the captain’s shoulders, as confusion turned to
recognition of the elder woman’s face, now more than familiar. "Recalibrate
your deflector to emit an anti-tachyon pulse. You have to seal the
rift," the
elder’s voice ordered, and Chakotay watched as the captain recognized
its authority. Everyone watched as the two became caught in a
personal duel of wills.
The captain stood her ground firmly as she matched the intensity of
the other’s expression. "It's usually considered polite to introduce
yourself before you start giving orders."
"Captain, a Klingon vessel is coming through the rift," Lt. Commander
Tuvok reported as his hand flew across his workstation.
"Close the rift!" The woman repeated loudly from the shuttle on
screen.
Captain Kathryn Janeway adjusted her stance as she continued to glare
defiantly at the older woman.
"In case you didn't notice, I outrank you, Captain.
Now do it." The older
woman, the Admiral spoke, her command mask revealed for the first time
to the young captain on the bridge.
A
beam from Voyager sealed the opening. The Klingons’ fates were no
longer a threat to either vessel.
"I
did what you asked. Now tell me what the hell is going on.” Captain
Janeway spoke, her voice steely.
Utterly composed, the Admiral answered, "I've come to bring Voyager
home."
***
She came again the next moon. She did not come alone. Another wolf,
younger, stood with her. The younger one bayed at the moon while the
older wolf stood and stared at us. Her eyes were sharp and transfixed.
She would miss nothing for she had seen it before. Her eyes met mine
with the strength of the future. She growled at the younger wolf next
to her. Using her snout, she pushed her toward us. They fought each
other, rolling on the ground then snapping at the other’s legs. A
playful banter, it seemed, between one’s selves.
The young female at my side turned to watch them. She seemed
mesmerized by these older females. She shook the snow off her coat
and looked back into my eyes. She pushed me playfully with her snout.
I stood by her knowing the game did not call me. She stepped away and
toward them. She stopped, dropping her head and looking back at me I
heard her quiet whine.
The old wolf howled once more at the moon, the younger wolf at her
side joining in.
The young female by me watched their chorus, their melody a song for
her heart. I knew the decision could only be hers. She did not go
then, and they walked off into the night. I knew they would return.
He
woke again with the fever of his dream. Chakotay knew it spoke of his
future just as the admiral did yesterday. He dressed for the day,
deeply troubled, and he knew he needed to speak with Seven. He
wondered if it were already too late. He wondered if they already
sang their song. He left his quarters for the bridge.
***
The corridors of Voyager were quiet as the two ladies of command
walked, their conversation bordering upon argument.
"I
didn't spend the last ten years looking for a way to get this crew
home earlier so you could throw it all away on some intergalactic
goodwill mission!"
Captain Janeway looked her elder self over with concern. "Maybe we
should go back to Sickbay."
"Why,
so you can have me sedated?"
"So I can have the Doctor reconfirm your identity." The Captain threw
up her hands. "I
refuse
to believe I'll ever become as cynical as you."
"Am I the only one experiencing
déjà vu here?"
"What
are you talking about?" The Captain questioned.
"Seven years ago, you were presented with the Caretaker's array to get
Voyager home. Instead, you destroyed it."
The Captain bristled then answered. "I did what I knew was right."
"You chose to put the lives of
strangers
ahead of the lives of your crew. You can't make the
same mistake again."
"You got Voyager home - which means I will, too. If it takes a few
more years then that's-"
"Seven
of Nine is going to die." The admiral
interceded, stopping the captain in her tracks.
"What?"
"Three years from now. She'll be injured on an away mission. She'll
make it back to Voyager, and die in the arms of her husband."
"Husband?"
The captain asked. She knew hearing this truth would hurt.
"Chakotay."
The admiral answered, looking at her younger self. "He'll never be
the same after Seven's death, but what’s more neither will you."
The younger Janeway saw years of sadness and longing written in the
elder’s eyes. She knew this was one future she was not willing to
accept.
"If I know what's going to happen...I can avoid it," she asserted,
rather unconvincingly.
***
The young female at my side turned to look for them in the wake of the
moon. She could hear their distant call and knew it was for her. She
looked at me in sadness. I walked to her, licked her face and sniffed
her one last time, wanting only to remember the scent she bore.
A lone female wolf stood on the periphery. The older gray wolf, I
knew, lingered somewhere in the distance. The lone female bayed into
the night’s darkness. Her song spoke of need, tinged with love. The
lone female raised her head and sniffed the air, dragging it in as she
found the scent she wanted. Her eyes met mine briefly and then moved
to meet the young one’s eyes.
The young female stepped away from me and toward her. She hesitated,
dropping her head, and looked back at me until she heard the song
again. She knew it was for her, and she went, never looking back.
They sniffed each other as if unsure, and then the young one licked
the other as she stood against the moon, her head held commandingly
high. They walked off into the night and I knew she would never
return.
The Captain, like Chakotay, woke with the fever of a dream. She knew
it spoke of the future just as the admiral did yesterday. She
realized the truth of the vision. She dressed for the day, deeply
troubled, and wondered if it were already too late. She left her
quarters for the bridge.
“Chakotay.” She spoke as he too stepped from his quarters.
“Captain,” he replied. He searched her eyes. “Looks like a good day
to return to the Alpha Quadrant.”
“I
believe it is.” She remarked wryly, “But let’s do it right this time,
shall we?”
He
looked at her then and caught the slight smile, almost as if she were
bearing her teeth purposefully. Her laughter was almost a growl.
He understood her intentions.
***
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