by KRA
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Archiving: PKSP, PKelite, ASC*.

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Fade in on the bridge. Everyone is eight years older then when they started the journey. The lighting is dimmed and faces that aren't scrutinizing system readings are staring anxiously at the view screen.

"Confirmed, Captain," Tuvok's voice rang across the bridge, shattering the silence. "It is a wormhole."

"Leading?" her voice betrayed none of the hope she felt.

"Within six parsecs of Federation Space. The heart of Romulan Territory."

"We've been through worse," Lt. Tom Paris quipped from his position at the conn.

"Granted," Commander Chakotay replied from where he was standing beside Captain Janeway, "but do you really think we'll be able to fight our way out of Romulan space? Even with the cloaking device B'Elanna devised?"

"We may not have to worry about that," Lt. Harry Kim spoke up from OPS, warning rising in his voice. "Borg cube starboard."

"Red alert," Captain Janeway ordered, calm command taking over as she took the center seat. "On screen."

The view of space changed, showing a large cube, the surface reminiscent of a city. The monstrosity of technology reached out with it's tractor beam as the mechanized voice of a thousand drones filled the bridge.

/We are Borg. Resistance. . ./

"Close communications!" Janeway snapped. "I've heard that line a million times. Target their weapons. Tom, keep us out of that tractor beam."

"The weapons are unaffected," Tuvok announced, and moments later his report was confirmed as the ship shook under the barrage of phaser fire.

"They've got reinforcements," Lt. Kim announced as everyone regained their footing.

"Report!"

"Four. . . no! Five Borg cubes on an intercept course, coming out of warp in one minute, sixteen seconds!"

"Mr. Kim, is that wormhole stable?"

"Unknown, captain. We have not had time to analyze sensor readings."

"I don't know about the rest of you, but I'd rather take my chances with a wormhole and Romulans than six Borg cubes. Tuvok, can we close this end of the wormhole with a torpedo?"

"Aye, Captain. May I remind you, we have only two photon torpedoes at our disposal."

"Understood. Our choices are limited, unfortunately," Katherine Janeway walked over and stood behind her fair headed pilot placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Tom, I know you've done this before. Ready to do it again?"

"Aye, aye, Captain," he responded, his fingers flying over his control panel, furiously trying to keep up with the Borg, the conversation on the bridge and what he knew his next orders would be. "Ready whenever you are."

"Bridge to engineering," the Captain called out. "B'Elanna, I need warp nine in twenty seconds. Is that cloaking device ready?"

"Not quite, Captain," came the disembodied reply. "I can have if for you in ten minutes."

"Unacceptable. I need that cloaking device engaged when we come out the other side of that wormhole. Work on it. Janeway out. Tom, now!"

With only a glance over his shoulder towards the OPS station, Lt. Paris veered around and Voyager dove into the wormhole.

"All hands, brace for impact," Captain Janeway announced. "Tuvok, fire photon torpedo. Engineering, you have thirty seconds to raise that cloaking device."

There was a spectacular explosion of light as the torpedo detonated at the entrance to the wormhole, collapsing it and sending super charged matter trailing after them. For 29.9 seconds, Tom kept on a steady course, just ahead of the explosion, before it licked out at the tail of the ship and sent Voyager tumbling as she burst out the other side of the wormhole.

---

When he woke, it was to a stabbing pain in his head and the sound of Captain Janeway ordering status reports. Tom glanced around, saw Harry leaning over Ops giving the damage report and scrambled back to his seat.

"B'Elanna!" the captain shouted, ignoring the hair falling into her face.

"Cloaking device holding!" B'Elanna Torres, extinguisher in hand, put out a fire on the control panel to the warp engines. "But I don't know for how long!"

Engineering was mass chaos. Crew members that weren't injured were desperately trying to salvage equipment. The department had taken heavy damage.

"We have impulse," B'Elanna continued, "but you can forget about warp for at least twelve hours."

"Will the cloaking device hold that long?"

"I don't know! We haven't had time to test it. It's bad enough to be a Federation ship in Romulan space, but if we get caught with a cloaking device. . . are we really in the Alpha Quadrant?"

On the bridge, Tom Paris stared at the view screen at familiar stars. He knew his eyes were red, but he managed not to let the tears fall. As he glanced back at Ops yet again, he noticed that Harry Kim hadn't been so successful. Tears tracked down his best friend's face. Captain Janeway's hand on his shoulder broke his train of thought.

"Where are we, Tom?" she asked softly, already knowing the answer but wanting the sensors to confirm it.

"Almost home, Captain," he replied. "We are 5.825 parsecs from the edge of Federation space."

"That's a direct heading through the Romulan Empire?"

"Aye Captain. Luckily away from Romulus."

"Could we go through the Klingon Empire instead?"

"We are 11.38 parsecs from Klingon space."

"Damn, I was hoping we were closer to their border. And the warp engines are down. Well, people," the Captain raised her voice to address the rest of the bridge and headed back to her seat, "it looks like we won't be sneaking out of here after all. Perhaps if we appeal to the diplomatic corps they won't hold us too long before sending us home. Engineering, go ahead and drop-"

"Too late, Captain," Tuvok announced. "Romulan Bird of Prey bearing down on our coordinates. Their sensors are sweeping the area."

"Have they detected us?"

"Negative, however, they are detecting the recent wormhole activity and the radiation leakage from our damaged warp core."

The decision to cloak had been for the safety of her crew. Her intentions had been to get out of Romulan territory as quickly as possible or drop the cloak before they were noticed. However it wasn't working out that way and she was beginning to regret her choice.

"Mr. Kim, can you detect any communications?"

"Aye, Captain," he replied, not looking up from his station. "I have intercepted two transmissions, one to their main outpost on Remus and one in reply. They are, however, coded."

"Are the codes on file?"

Harry glanced up, locked eyes with Tom and smirked. Tom smirked back and the Captain wondered, not for the first time, how Tom managed to get the punch line before Harry told the joke.

"Sorry, Captain. I guess the Romulans didn't see fit to keep the same codes these past eight years," he said with just a hint of humor.

"How rude," she replied with the same tone, and cast him a look that said 'cute, but watch it, mister.' He had the decency to blush.

"They're retreating, Captain," Tuvok broke in, "heading back to the outpost."

Janeway nodded to Commander Chakotay and headed to the conference room.

"All senior officers," the commander announced, "report for briefing."

"Janeway to Neelix," the Captain said, tapping her comm badge as she entered the conference room. "I'd like you to sit in on the briefing."

"Understood, Captain," his jovial voice responded. "I'll be there right away. Neelix out."

Katherine gripped the back of her chair and closed her eyes for a moment before her officers began to file in.

---

Tom bounded up towards the briefing room only to be stopped by Harry and a medkit.

"Hey! Come on! What's the-"

"You're bleeding."

Tom reached up and touched the small spot on his head that blood was beginning to dry on. He smiled and took the dermal regenerator from him.

"No, I was bleeding. You, on the other hand. . . did you not notice that gash in your leg?" Tom was trying to tease him, but his concern was rising as he knelt to inspect the tear in the side of Harry's uniform from mid-thigh to just below his knee. "Damnit, Har, you've got shrapnel in your leg! I can't believe you sometimes. Come on, we'll listen to the briefing from sickbay."

Tom made some adjustments to the dermal regenerator and tossed it to Tuvok as he passed by.

"You might want to do something about your arm. It's leaking green gook."

"Thank you, Lieutenant," he replied, ignoring Tom's attempt at humor, sort of. "After all, the Human tradition of Christmas is still several months away."

"Was that a joke?" Tom asked Harry as they entered the turbo lift. "Kind of a sick joke, but did he make a joke?"

Harry, whose adrenaline had worn off and was finally feeling the affects of his injury, just shrugged and leaned against Tom.

"Whoa, buddy, don't pass out on me," Tom wrapped one arm around Harry's waist and used his other hand to pull the younger man's arm around his shoulders, keeping a hold of his wrist.

---

"Where are Lts. Kim and Paris?" Janeway asked as everyone settled down.

"Lt. Kim was injured and in need of medical attention," Tuvok supplied as he finished the minor repairs to his arm then set the regenerator for B'Elanna's mixed physiology and passed it on to her.

"Very well. Doctor, are you there?"

"Yes Captain," he replied from the viewscreen behind the conference table.

The rest of the officers could see him working on the leg of a very pale Lt. Kim while Lt. Paris steadied him.

"Good. Glad everyone could make it," the Captain was concerned for her injured crewman, but she had more pressing matters. "Lt. Commander Torres, what's our warp situation?"

"Worse than I thought, Captain," she sighed. "It's the dilithium. The journey through the wormhole almost completely drained us."

"What about the supply. . .?"

"...we were going to pick up next week in our trade negotiations with the Micca?" Commander Chakotay finished for her.

"Of course," Janeway silently reprimanded herself for forgetting, never mind what they had just been through. "Alternatives?"

"There is one," Seven of Nine spoke up, a Star Fleet officer since her field commission of ensign. She even wore a uniform in science blue. "From my research on Romulan society I have learned that they have large natural deposits of dilithium in many of the asteroid belts that litter this part of space. While they have mining operations set up on all that are known, they do not have the resources to constantly mine all of them. To conserve resources, and allow settling after a large operation, they mine in rotations. We are less than two hours away from one mine that is not active."

"B'Elanna?" the Captain turned to her Chief Engineer.

"It would work," she conceded, "but, I'm afraid I haven't had time to figure out how the Romulans beam through their cloaking devices. We can't with ours up."

"It seems we would have to use a shuttle," Tuvok supplied.

"That would work," B'Elanna agreed, "but we'd have to tractor it back in, or drop cloak long enough for the shuttle to dock. At the rate we're going, we may be drifting by the time the dilithium is collected."

"Fine, then it's just a matter of choosing a pilot," Janeway was beginning to feel a bit better.

"I'll go, Captain," her First Officer volunteered.

"No way!" Lt. Paris spoke up from the monitor, then quickly cleared his throat and nodded towards Chakotay. "With all due respect, Commander. But you both know I'm the best pilot on this ship. And besides, who would you rather risk, a Lieutenant or your First Officer?"

"Neither, if it's alright with you," the Captain replied, her mouth crooking up. "It doesn't matter. I need Chakotay here to organize the damage teams. Tom, it's up to you."

"Captain," Lt. Kim spoke up, the doctor finished with his leg. "I'd like to go, too. To collect the dilithium."

Janeway held back her smile, not wanting to embarrass him. Everyone in the briefing room knew that what he wanted to do was to keep an eye on Tom. The doctor saved her from having to tell him no.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Kim. You're leg needs at least twenty four hours to properly heal."

"I'm sorry, Harry," the Captain added, before he could voice the protest she saw forming in his mind. "Your leg is more important. Tom can find the dilithium. Doctor, how is sickbay?"

"In need of my attention," he reported, somewhat annoyed at having to be at the meeting. He would have been furious if he had been left out of it. "Wounded are still pouring in."

"Alright, keep Lt. Kim with you to tend to the injured. Tuvok, have security on red alert status until we are out of here. Treat this situation as if there is a possibility of being boarded."

"Aye, Captain."

"Mr. Neelix, Seven, Doctor. We need to protect the children in case of capture. I don't want the Romulans to know they're even aboard."

"I can either delete or use Borg encryption codes to hide all files pertaining to them," Seven suggested.

"The bunker we set up in the Jeffries Tube beneath sickbay should have enough shielding to confuse even the Romulan sensors," the doctor added. "I'll make certain it's ready."

"I'll make sure there are rations and medkits down there," Neelix spoke up.

"As well as blankets, toys and games. Things that the children will need to make them comfortable."

"Plan for a long duration," the Captain regretfully advised. "And Neelix? I want you to arrange a conference between you, the children, and their parents. The more they know about the situation, the more time they'll have to prepare. It will also keep the children from being so afraid."

"Yes, Captain."

"Alright, everyone. Let's get the hell out of here."

---

An hour and forty seven minutes later, a cloaked Voyager took up position as close to the asteroid as possible. Lt. Paris would have to pilot the rest of the way in.

"Harry, you're still limping."

"I'm ok."

"I know, but. . . you should be helping the Doc."

"It's under control."

Tom threw his stuff into the waiting shuttle then turned back to his best friend.

"It's gonna be ok, Har," he assured him, gently clasping his shoulders.

"Just. . . come back safe."

"With the dilithium."

"Yeah. Um, Tom? There's something I need to tell you before you go."

Tom looked him in the eyes and waited.

"It's, um. . . you're my best friend. You've always been there for me and I don't know. . . um. . ."

"It's alright, Harry," Tom hugged him briefly then flashed his smile at him. "I, well, you're the best friend I've ever had. I don't know what I did to deserve you, but I'm glad I did it. I'll be back, don't worry."

Harry left the cargo bay after Tom's shuttle took off and nearly ran into Chakotay as he headed to his update briefing with damage control team leaders. The Commander spun him around to avoid bowling him over and glanced at where he had just come from.

"Did you tell him?" he asked in a hushed tone.

"No," Harry admitted dejectedly.

"That's ok. You'll have time when he gets back."

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End