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stitching-in-time · 4 months

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Voyager rewatch s2 ep4: Elogium

I was kinda dreading this one, and it still gets more cringey to watch every time I see it.

While addressing the future prospect of Voyager needing to become a generational ship is a valid theme to explore in an episode, it could have just been a secondary subplot that Janeway and Chakotay's little ready room chat covered just fine on it's own. Revolving a whole story around whether a teenager should have a baby with her grown ass adult boyfriend is just, oh my god, wtf?

Neelix treats Kes terribly, he yells at her almost every episode, he's possesive, he's jealous, he's dismissive of her feelings and abilities, and this episode was the first time he ever apologized for his behavior, and we're like, 20 episodes into the show already. Add in the fact he's old enough to be her dad, and it's just like, why was this ever a thing? Why were they ever a couple? Who thought it was a good idea or a good story that the audience would enjoy watching? It's insane. And then the writers hit us with 'should they have a kid together? Even though she's not technically not even old enough to go through her species version of puberty?' EWWWWWW!!!! NOOOO!!!!! Why would you write that?!?

Ocampa lifespan nonsense aside, Kes canonically being a year old and having to decide whether to have a baby is just so icky. Sure, there are times in real life where people might have to have sugery to remove a reproductive organ, and they'd have to decide whether to have a baby now or never, which could be interesting to explore in drama. But that's a concept to explore with a character who's already a grown up. If elogium doesn't happen till 5 or 6 for Ocampa, it's clear she's still closer to childhood tham maturity among her people, so putting her character in this situation is gross and unfair.

Watching it, I kept wondering: doesn't she have any women friends she can talk to about this before even bringing her shitty boyfriend into the picture? Half the ship must be women, are all her friends really old dudes? They shrugged it off with 'the captain is too busy right now' but like, Kes has no other female friends besides the captain?? Really?? (I'm still salty that she and B'Elanna never even talked more than once for a few seconds in 1 episode out of 20.) And sure, it's her decision- her body, her choice, after all, but isn't anybody looking out for her and helping to advise her at all? Nobody is saying to her, hey, you probably shoudn't have a baby with a guy who doesn't even trust you?? Like, damn, after Tuvok hears that line from Neelix about 'I don't have anything to teach a daughter! It's different from having a son!' he should have bopped that combage like: "Tuvok to Kes- girl, get out now. Dump his shitty sexist ass. You don't want to have a kid with this asshole, you can do better. Harry Kim is single and literally right there." (Tuvok provides the only bright spot in this episode when he tells Neelix about how much he loves being a dad, and schools him on his illogical assumptions about gender. Tuvok is the good space dad we deserve!!)

And then there's the whole elogium itself, with starts with off with a creepy horror scene of Kes eating bugs (which was really gross btw). Kes basically turns into a feral animal, she has wild mood swings, she's eating everything in sight, she's sweaty and sick looking, her eyes turn into creepy yellow lizard eyes- it's just a whole litany of negative stereotypes of pregnancy or menstruation taken even further by making her almost literally a monster. Who thought it was progressive to treat a female character's reproductive process as a scary horror movie? There's ominous music playing in the background of all her scenes, even though the scene where she's eating everything she could find was actually being played comedically by Jennifer Lien. They could have made it a cute comedy scene instead, but no, we have to hammer home that women are scary monsters. It's really insulting. Can we stop othering and demonizing normal biological workings of people's bodies please?

To add insult to injury, in a story that should have been about Kes, we spend most of the time listening to Neelix whine about it being too much for him to handle that Kes asked him to have a kid with her, not knowing what he wants, and the last scene is him being all disappointed when she decides not to have a baby right away, even though she's basically a teenager. Oh my god, now we're supposed to feel sorry for Neelix? Who didn't even want a kid until he got talked into it literally yesterday, and who wouldn't have to deal with any of the physical consequences of childbearing? Nope. I don't feel sorry for him in the slightest. Kes had the infinitely worse dilemma here, and she got literally one scence to explore her feelings about it, while he got, like, three.

Even the B plot about the swarm of space creatures, whose presence causes Kes's premature elogium, is riddled with gender stereotypes. As soon as the ship begins to be attacked by a larger one of the creatures who sees it as a sexual rival, the crew all starts referring to that creature with male pronouns, with absolutely no evidence of what it's sex is at all. Apparently the writers thought big and aggressive automatically equals male, but scientists from an enlightented future would never jump to that assumption.

And to cap it all off, in the final scene, Ensign Wildman, in her first episode, comes to basically apologize to Captain Janeway for being pregnant. Why? Now, I like Ensign Wildman, and the baby plot too, but this scene was weird and nonsensical- why does Wildman seems nervous to the point of being afraid to tell her captain she's pregnant? Starfleet people have babies all the time. Do they all have to personally alert their captains? And why would the captain care? Starfleet can't fire you for being pregnant (especially in the Delta Quadrant lol). And she's justifying why she's happy about her baby to the captain- why? Does she think the captain is going to order her to have an abortion because they have a 'no babies in the Delta Quadrant' policy or something? It makes no sense. It's the 24th century for heaven's sake, you better believe that 'your body, your choice' will be enshrined in every Federation world's constitution, or else it isn't any kind of utopia at all. Don't tell me people still have to feel guilty or ashamed for being pregnant, or fear a negative reaction from their boss, in the 24th goddamn century! (And I'm now headcanoning that Ensign Wilman's husband's species must have a really long gestation period if she got pregnant before they left and she's just found out in the beginning of the second season. I suppose the time elapsed in the story is supposed to be less than the real time the show aired in, but still, it's a bit of a stretch.)

Tl;dr: This one is deeply uncomfortable to watch, and bogged down in misogyny from start to finish.

#star trek: voyager #voyager rewatch #rewatching star trek #star trek

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kncrowder88 · 3 years

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Voyager and Romance

So, the thing about Voyager and romance that sticks with me is they seem to do one couple really, or more accurately two characters, any real justice overall. And that is B’Elanna and Tom. While moments for that relationship may not be perfect that is rather realistic for relationships, as no relationship is perfect all the time so that is tolerable. This post though isn’t going to be about looking at that particular relationship though but primarily at other relationships. Largely because a discord server I am in was talking about Counterpoint and I realized why I both love the episode but also have weird feelings with it. Which, I’ll touch more on that specifically after I discuss the relationship stuff (as that plays a part).

So, I will preface this with it has been a bit since I’ve done a binge of Voyager and really a full binge of Star Trek in general. As such, I may forget a few relationships on the show and overall, throughout Trek in general. From what I can really toss together … I honestly am beginning to believe that when it comes to Voyager and the other shows (the older ones not the new ones – I am not including any NEW Trek in this) that for some reason the relationship writing with Voyager was rather different. Like, they gave 3 characters active relationships prior to being stranded. That being Harry Kim, Kathryn Janeway, and Tuvok. Out of these three we get Janeway and Tuvok holding onto those relationships in their own way while … it seemed mildly convenient for Harry to mention it when it suited him, I guess (like that time Tom wanted to set them up for a double date or you know when he ended up in that alternate timeline but still wanted back with Voyager even more like). Like, the reason I don’t list Tuvok-T’Pel above is because we don’t actually get to SEE that in full, we just get to see Tuvok’s side of it and his dedication – we don’t see the relationship, we don’t see the couple.

Harry and Tom, prior to his relationship with B’Elanna, seem to frequently do this sort of two bros dating around thing which is fine but like … same time the show used them for that. And once they settled Tom with B’Elanna they used Harry in those plot lines when it worked. Thus the alien STD episode and the “how dare you not get the standard permission from your CO and CMO” line (like they really put that into a Trek ep and I’m still unable to not picture Riker, Kirk, Picard, and everyone other Trek character constantly getting permission for their latest romance – just remember Jadzia and Worf likely had to get permission from Sisko and Bashir if the Trill and Klingon weren’t already approved of in the system just saying, that’s a thing that happened). Anyways … my point is they went out of their way on this. Like, when Kes was with Neelix they wrote Neelix to be that jealous judgmental boyfriend who literally got upset she knew where other people’s quarters where, she was nice to Tom, she was … just yeah. They wrote Tom to come off as a player pulling Harry into it, when Tom settled down Harry seems to pick that up (I mean you got his “omg Seven” phase and the alien STD stuff and lord knows what else I’m forgetting with him).

And to top this off I haven’t even touched on the “Janeway can’t have a romance” stuff yet. Which is where my real problem is. Like, its bad enough they brought in Jeri for the sex appeal (which lets be honest stems from the fact they couldn’t use Janeway for that – which I get, Kate was right in the whole concept of the audience target having to keep respect for a female lead and sex appeal couldn’t be a focal point but they could have balanced it right and regrettably because they couldn’t that meant Jeri got all of the other side of the coin). Many of Seven’s eps center on romance or social stuff and honestly that is a whole other WTF post in its own right because it all leads up to the sudden get with the one person on the ship who didn’t want you here in the first place and who also would have served better as the male adult guidance figure/father figure than as a ROMANTIC partner but hey BS happened behind scenes to cause that chaotic romantic on screen set up. But yeah … this is just another example of the poor Voyager romantic plot lines.

Chakotay’s romantic plot lines are usually – and by that, I mean pretty much always – with these strong independent women. But usually, at least from what I recall, they are also typically the “needs help” (damsel in distress/can’t do it alone/etc.) plot. Like, Riley was strong independent but also set up to need help in regard to getting her little collective put back together on the planet. You got Kellin, again another strong lady who yet again also needed help. At least in the ep she’s in and if I recall much of the info on how they fell in love during that time as well – primarily with getting away from danger at the start and then during the initial romance finding her target. Valerie is the only one who doesn’t fall into the needs help plot and that’s largely because she was being manipulated by Chakotay for information – which honestly just goes to show how well Chakotay was at the whole undercover stuff (which tells us a lot about what he could have been doing as a Maquis). Seska was the plot point of “you once dated her, now she is going to badger you to get with her again and when that fails, she’s going to assault you” …. like all of Chakotay’s romances are literally him either 1) being manipulated (as that’s what Seska and Riley did) or 2) being the kind guy or 3) not an actual relationship (either because its undercover work or because the writers were too cowardly to make him and Janeway canon).

Then you got Janeway. Then you got KATHRYN JANEWAY. You know, the one where Kate Mulgrew said no romance, no sexualizing, no doing that sort of stuff because the audience had to maintain respect for the character. I’m sure someone has the exact various quotes out there. Like … this is why we don’t have JC as canon. But what we do got instead is …. Janeway in Prime Factors being flirted with by the administrator as if that’s going to get him what he wants because “female leader means flirt with her”. We got Janeway and a period drama holodeck adventure in the early years which was clearly meant to be her romantic tête-à-tête early on that never got followed up with. We got “delete the wife” with the Fair Haven plot point (because its totally respectable to see the FEMALE LEAD, the STARFLEET CAPTAIN, just straight up DELETE THE WIFE of another individual - yeah, I get its meant to be humor factor because hologram but come on). You have her whole thing with Mark which we get tidbits off but again similar to Tuvok we literally only get to see her side of it – the only couple moment of theirs we get is the comm call in Caretaker.

But Jaffen? You are correct. We got that lovely and touching and wonderful romance with Jaffen …. Oh wait … they had to remove her from the ship, strip her of her memory, and her autonomy in order for her to have a relationship with another individual. And yes, by losing her memories, by losing what made her who she was as a person, she did lose a sense of autonomy. She entered into a relationship without a full sense of independent choice. The point in which she made a choice in that episode, the point in which she – Kathryn Janeway – made a choice with all of the person, the individual she is, was at the end when she had her memories back and could decide based on the values and beliefs and all that she is. What I’m getting at is the people on that planet deliberately took away who she was, they took her memories and her ability to make the decisions they knew she would make --- they did that deliberately (that’s even established in the episode) --- and as such her decisions while in that state are not truly her full independent decisions but the ones impacted by the state she was forced into.

And while I love Resolutions, while I love all the JC goodies, we get in that ep … Yet again the only time we get to see Janeway in any sort of romantic situation is when they remove her from the ship. When they remove her from command. When they strip her of that setting. This time, though – well the first time – she keeps awareness and has to go through lose of it all in order to even start to let it all happen. I love the episode, I do, but I just find it rather amusing they went “’Hey we gotta strand them what should their tasks be on the planet?” and they immediately went “Well Janeway is scientist how about that” “Okay and he can build, Chakotay can start building. Man builds house, right?” and then like went “oh and then she can start a garden” …. Like really? Really? That’s what you got for me. Oh, and then there is the monkey. That’s the romance this ep. Boat, science, monkey.

Then we got Kashyk. We have dealt with Kathryn throughout this series dealing with various leaders of various styles. As mentioned, Prime Factors guy attempted flirting. Other leaders pulled similar or worse or even dismissed her …. Like the list goes on. Counterpoint is a great episode because it deals with prejudice and is rather dark. The thing is, had Janeway been able to have a healthy romantic relationship on screen to counter this episode this episode probably would have come off better. Episodes like Prime Factor could have been done different (that leader didn’t need to be as flirty for example). One or two eps through the series having creepy dudes she had to deal with, fine, whatever … that be a nice impact for the audience. But when you have to many prior to Counterpoint – even if its minor, small stuff – it makes this episode so much harder for fans. Especially the female fans who deal with this constantly.

See, here’s the thing with this ep…. Some of the fans who watch … we know Kashyk well. We know that character. He is that male leader, that male power figure, who uses the power he has to manipulate those in his control to get what he wants. And Kathryn … Kathryn was in his control. Kashyk is listed as a relationship on memory-alpha. But much like how I view Seska with Chakotay … I do not view Kashyk as a proper relationship. In Devore space, Kathryn did not have proper power. She had people in her command, on her ship, that she had to protect. That she knew she had to protect. Her own best friend … lives in her hand … and Kashyk right there willing to kill them. Willing to snatch them up and destroy them. And he used that power to manipulate her and play her. Yes, she played him right back but … did she truly have a choice? Did she have any other choice but to play his game? What would have happened if she said no? And that … that is why this episode is so unsettling for some people. And why this relationship being considered on is so off putting … that the writers, that memory-alpha, that the fact I’m putting it on this list as one of the ones on here for Voyager says so much … they wrote this as one of her relationships while out there … she had to do what so many women had to do to stay safe, to keep people she loves safe, and that’s not a relationship.

Voyager could have done romance/relationships such better justice.

#star trek #star trek voyager #i had some feelings about things #primarily the Kashyk thing #but that lead to other things #and honestly i am really begining to question romance in voyager #but also like overall in Trek in general #like the more i think about Voyager the more im like oh god they really did seem to fail there #because the only valid couple i can think of is Tom and B'Elanna

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voyagerafod · 8 years

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Star Trek Voyager: A Fire of Devotion: Part 2 of 4: Louder Than Bells: Chapter Four

Chapter Four:

After a month of not being allowed to take the Delta Flyer out for a spin, the now Ensign Tom Paris had been happy when he finally got the chance again, going on a mission with Tuvok and Samantha Wildman. A few days in however, he suddenly found himself missing the safety of his cell in the brig.

“We’ve got another ion storm coming in,” he said, checking his sensors. “Great. We still haven’t gotten ourselves patched up from the last one. No way we’re making it back to Voyager today.”

“I am never leaving the ship again,” Samantha said. “I get stranded by the Kazon, Naomi gets sick, dipshit weapons dealer nearly blows Seven’s hand off; every time I step off Voyager something bad happens.”

“That is not wholly accurate,” Tuvok said. “I can recall with little effort at least two occasions where you were off Voyager, and nothing that could be described as negative occurred.” “Yeah, two,” Samantha said. “That doesn’t disprove my point. Leaving that ship is just bad luck.” “To be fair Sam,” Paris said, “it’s not like every day on Voyager herself is sunshine and bunnies.” He checked his console one more time to make sure the Flyer was stationary as trying to move during an ion storm only made it more dangerous. “We’ve got several minutes before it hits, better contact Naomi, let her know you’ll be delayed so she won’t worry.”

---

Naomi Wildman beamed with pride as she left the holodeck, having quickly and triumphantly solved the problem presented her in the current Flotter chapter on the holodeck she was on, and she was looking forward to sharing her accomplishments with her mom. She wasn’t going to have to wait too long though, because the reason she’d left the holodeck when she did was because Neelix had called to let her know that her mother was contacting from the Delta Flyer, and that Neelix had set up a visual communications link in her quarters.

Once she got there, Neelix simply stood back while Naomi sat at the table and looked at the screen. She’d asked where Seven of Nine was, but Neelix said that Seven was being kept busy on the bridge. Naomi thought it was kind of weird that her mom’s girlfriend wouldn’t be here, but figured maybe they’d talk later, and talk about the kind of grown up stuff she didn’t like being in the room for. “Hi Mom,” she said. “Hey sweetie,” Samantha replied. Naomi wasted no time in detailing how she’d helped the Flotter character make peace with a character named Trevis, even though deep down she knew that her mom probably knew these characters already since she’d also played in those holonovels as a kid. “I can show you how I did it tomorrow when you get back,” Naomi said, finally finished. Her mother sighed as the static on the channel got worse. “I’m sorry, Naomi, the away mission is taking longer than planned. It may be a few more days.” “Days?” Naomi said, frowning.

“‘Fraid so. But don’t worry, I’ll be bringing back some beautiful sillenite crystals for you and for Seven. Now I know what time it is there, so I want you to get ready for bed while I talk to Neelix, okay?” “All right,” Naomi said, sadly, getting up to do as her mother told her. ---

Neelix could tell even through the static that Samantha Wildman was putting on a brave face. As soon as Naomi went to her room to change, Neelix sat down. “Samantha?” he said. “What’s wrong?” “We got hit by an ion storm,” she said. “We took a beating, but I imagine it would be worse if we were in a regular shuttle.” “How bad?” “We’re trying to make repairs, but there’s another storm on the way.” The static got worse. Neelix saw Samantha look down. It was probably just as bad on her end too. “I need to go. Say goodnight to Naomi for me.” “Of course,” Neelix said. “Do you want me to say anything to Seven of Nine as well, or-” “I’m sure the Captain’s already briefed her on the situation. But thanks. The signal’s getting worse, I have to go.” The screen went black. Neelix sighed. For a moment he considered telling Naomi the truth about why her mother was delayed, but decided against it. Samantha hadn’t said anything, probably not wanting Naomi to worry unnecessarily. I won’t tell her yet, he thought. I just need to figure out when. Or maybe I’ll get lucky and Samantha, Tom, and Tuvok will all be home before it even becomes an issue.

-o-

Neelix, along with the rest of the senior staff still on-board listened quietly in the briefing room as the static-marred mayday message from Tuvok played for them, the sound cutting out just after his voice told them that they were looking for an emergency landing site for the Delta Flyer. “That was the last transmission we got from them,” Chakotay said. “We haven’t heard anything since. We’ve tried hailing them but they aren’t responding.” “If they’re looking for a place to land,” the Doctor said, “it must be pretty bad.” “Exactly what I was thinking,” B’Elanna said. “Can we pick them up on long range sensors?”

“We lost their energy signature when the second ion storm hit,” Harry Kim said. “But we’ve triangulated the coordinates of the distress call. They’ve entered a planetary system about 0.6 light years from here. That’s the good news. The bad is that another ion storm blocking our path. It’s a level five.” “Hmm,” Janeway said. “We’ve been through worse than a Level 5. And since Edwin’s shield reinforcements are still in place, we should be able to ride it out just fine. We’re not going to let a little bad weather get in the way of our rescue mission. Dismissed.” “What should I tell Naomi?” Neelix said, speaking up for the first time since the briefing started. “Or should I tell her anything for that matter?” Chakotay shrugged. “If you don’t feel comfortable handling that Neelix, perhaps I could help.” “That won’t be necessary Commander,” Neelix said. “I know she needs to be told, and it probably should come from me. Except for her mother and maybe Seven of Nine, I’m closer to her than anyone. I’m just worried about how she’ll handle it.” “Understandable,” Janeway said. “Look, just keep her occupied for awhile while we handle the rescue mission. If things go sideways, it’ll be my job to deliver the bad news.” “This reminds me,” B’Elanna said. “Has anyone told Seven yet?” “She’s aware of the Flyer’s damage from the first ion storm,” Harry said. “But us in this room are the only ones with the latest information. I’m sure she’ll handle it fine though. This is the woman who was able to save us all from a killer nebula, while in the middle of a nervous breakdown no less,” he added, referring to last year’s month-long period where all but Seven and the Doctor had to sleep in stasis tubes. “This is different though,” Janeway said. “How so?” Neelix said, wondering where the captain was going with this. “It’s a matter of scale,” she said. “The larger the number of people in danger, the easier it is to detach and focus on the task at hand. There’s a huge difference between a hundred and twenty plus, and three. And when one of those three is someone you’re emotionally attached to…” “I would remind you that my boyfriend is one of the people in danger,” B’Elanna said. “And I don’t see anyone worrying about me not being able to focus.” “I’ve known you longer, I know I don’t need to,” Janeway said. “We’ve all gone through something like this before. But for Seven this is still new, she’s never had to perform with these kinds of stakes before.”

“With all due respect Captain,” Harry said, “I think you’re selling her short. I’m confident Seven of Nine won’t let her connection to Sam cloud her judgement, and we’ll probably need her skills on this mission.” “I agree,” Neelix said. “Same here,” the Doctor said. Janeway shrugged. “You’re probably right,” she said. “Harry, let her know the situation. Neelix, keep Naomi occupied, like I said. Everyone else, let’s start putting a rescue plan together.”

---

Seven of Nine was slightly confused. When Janeway summoned her to the bridge and updated her on the Delta Flyer’s situation, Seven began to feel a sense of panic, not unlike the one she’d had weeks before when Edwin was allowing himself to die in sickbay. She couldn’t quite understand why though. The concern for Samantha, of course was natural, and she imagined that B’Elanna Torres felt much the same way about Tom Paris, whose life was also in danger aboard the Flyer. During her time on the ship however, the entire ship had been in danger more times than should have been statistically probable. By extension, Sam was in danger then too. Seven just could not discern what made this different.

Maybe it’s because I helped design the shuttle, she found herself thinking as she went over schematics on a PADD that Harry had handed her. If I’d been more involved perhaps it wouldn’t be so badly damaged. “Has Naomi been informed?” she asked Lieutenant Kim. “Neelix is going to handle that,” Harry said. “but not just yet. I can’t blame him for being reluctant, no one wants to be the bearer of bad news.” “Perhaps that is for the best,” Seven said. “I would offer to tell her myself, but as Sam as pointed out to me more than once I still require improvement in the, to use her words, ‘tact department.’”

Harry chuckled at that. Seven had not intended the statement to be amusing, but she decided to keep that to herself.

“I should probably steer clear of Naomi for the remainder of the operation,” she said. “If I see her she will likely ask me about the status of her mother, and much like Sam I do not like deceiving her.” “You’ve had to lie to her before?” Harry said. “Yes,” she said. Harry looked for a moment like he might ask for further details on that, but he didn’t, for which Seven was grateful as she would not have given him any. None of the falsehoods were large ones, it was simply a matter of there being things that Sam felt it was in Naomi’s best interest that she not know about until she was an adult. Seven was skeptical, but chose to defer to Samantha on the matter.

What will I do if she doesn’t come back? she thought. She tried to push the intrusive thought aside, but it kept nagging at her quietly in the back of her mind, so she instead tried to focus harder on the information on her PADD, working to put together a rescue mission.

---

As Tom Paris pushed the thrusters on the Delta Flyer to their limits, Samantha kept her focus on the console screen, trying to find somewhere, anywhere, to land the ship. With warp drive and even impulse engines off-line though, she knew they were only delaying the inevitable and that the ion storm was going to hit them.

“And to think that being demoted and having to spend a month in the brig would end up not being the worst thing to happen to me this year,” she heard Paris mutter. “The storm is throwing off my readings,” she said, “but there is definitely a big rock nearby, I just can’t find it.” The ship shuddered. “The wave front is accelerating,” Tuvok said. “Less than two minutes to impact.” “Great, so I’ve only got about thirty seconds to land this thing,” Tom said. “Samantha, I hate to rush you-” “Got it,” she said, “Finally. I read a class-M atmosphere, and a benamite mantle.” She quickly transferred the distance and coordinates to Tom’s console. “Benamite? I want to land this shuttle, not bury it,” he said as he turned the shuttle towards the planet which would hopefully protect them from more ion storms. “Well, we could always just try to surf the ion storm,” Samantha snarked, her patience starting to waver as the shuddering got worse. “We’ve entered the upper atmosphere,” Tuvok said a few seconds later. Samantha continued her scans. “Nothing but impact craters and volcanoes,” she said, “this is not a good landing place.” “The storm is closing,” Tuvok said. “Shields are already at maximum.” “It’s gonna have to do,” Tom said. “So long as we don’t land in a volcano we should be fine.” “Starboard thrusters are down,” Tuvok said. “Damn,” Tom said. “This is just not my day.” “We’re going in too fast,” Samantha said, finally starting to panic. “Hang on!” Tom yelled.

The ship shook violently, there were loud clanging noises, Samantha felt her head hit something, and her vision became fuzzy. She didn’t remember being unconscious, but when she opened her eyes, she saw that she’d been moved from where she’d been sitting, and she was very, very sore.

“Wha-what happened?” she said, touching a sore spot on her head, and seeing blood on the tips of her fingers. Tom was scanning her with a medical tricorder. Samantha found herself glad that he had agreed to be trained as a field medic. “We made it. -ish,” Tom said. “The Delta Flyer’s first real planetary landing wasn’t exactly an auspicious one. We’re three kilometers under the surface. At least our primary hull is still in one piece.” “Wish I felt the same way,” Samantha said. “You’ll be okay,” Tom said. “Minor fractures, a concussion, nothing I can’t handle.” “You’re a better nurse than you are a liar, Ensign,” Samantha grunted and clutched her side, which was hurting worse now. Tom closed the medical tricorder and sighed. “You have a punctured kidney,” he said. “You need surgery.” Samantha nodded. “I have transmitted another distress call,” Tuvok said. “So far, no response.” “I’ve got to talk to Naomi,” Samantha said, feeling scared. “And Annie. My girls, they’ll be so worried about me.”

“Conserve your strength, Ensign,” Tuvok said. “Mr. Paris and I have the situation under control.”

“Sam, I’m going to give you a mild sedative and something for the pain, okay?” Tom said, holding up a hypospray. Samantha nodded. She felt a little woozy after Tom applied the hypospray, but she could still hear him and Tuvok as they discussed their situation. Were she not drugged, it might’ve made her panic more. “Any chance we could abandon ship and walk out of here?” Tom said. “Unlikely,” Tuvok said. “We’re far too deep underground, and the cavern behind us has filled up with fluorine gas.” “Seriously?” Tom said, sounding incredulous. “Fluorine? How did it not all ignite when we crashed?” “Unknown,” Tuvok admitted. Samantha, not wanting to fall asleep, tried to remember everything she could about fluorine gas and had to agree with Tom. That type of gas was so reactive water would ignite it, and now there was a huge cave full of it right behind them. Three ion storms in one day, a crash landing, and surrounded by a gas that can explode if you look at it wrong. Welcome to the worst day of my life, she thought.

“Our best option,” she heard Tuvok say, “is to wait for Voyager.”

-o-

Naomi kept thinking about how her mom hadn’t contacted her in awhile, how Seven of Nine seemed to be avoiding her, and how nervous Neelix seemed to be. Something was going on, and no one was telling her and it was making her mad enough that nothing the Doctor was telling her about botany was registering.

The Doctor was saying something about organelles when Naomi finally just said what was on her mind. “My Mom was supposed to call me today. Why hasn’t she?” The Doctor paused for a moment. “Well,” he said, “she’s probably just busy.” The Doctor was still smiling like he was when he was giving his lessons, but Naomi felt something was a little off with the smile, like it was there just to make her feel better. “Now let’s have a little look at the cell wall,” the Doctor said, tapping a button on the console screen in front of her.

“Can we try to call her?” she said. The Doctor didn’t answer right away. “Well,” he started to say but was interrupted when the door to sickbay opened. “Neelix, so happy to see you,” the Doctor said. Neelix seemed surprised at that. “Um, okay,” Neelix said. “I was just coming by to pick up Naomi. We’re going to do another Flotter story on the holodeck today. I’m not too early am I?” “I was just asking the Doctor if we could call Mom on the Delta Flyer,” Naomi said. Neelix sighed. He looked at the Doctor, who nodded and stepped into his office, leaving her and Neelix alone. “I should have said something sooner,” Neelix said. Naomi suddenly felt very nervous. “The Delta Flyer got hit pretty bad by some ion storms and had to land on a planetoid to make repairs. We can’t talk to them right now because of the damage. I’m sure you’re scared right now, and it’s okay to be scared, but I want you to know that everyone is doing everything they can to make sure the Flyer and everyone on it comes home safe. Okay?” Naomi didn’t say anything. She just sat there. She did feel a little scared, like Neelix said she would, but she was also mad. Mad at him for not telling her right away that her mom was in trouble, mad at her mother for not saying she was in trouble the last time she called, mad at ion storms…

She got out of her chair and just left sickbay. Neelix followed her, asking her if she was okay but she just ignored him. She wanted to go somewhere where she could feel safe, so she went to holodeck one and activated the Flotter program. When Neelix tried to follow her in she just yelled “No!” at him and asked the computer to seal the door. She walked as far as the nearest tree, which wasn’t very far since the simulation was of a forest, leaned against it, and cried.

---

Seven of Nine worked at her console in the astrometrics lab. She was concerned for Sam, but she wasn’t allowing her fear to cloud her judgement. If pressed, she would have to admit that she just didn’t know if she could emotionally handle losing her, but that was all the more reason not to be reckless. She imagined that being allowed to work on the rescue mission played a large part, if not the largest, in helping maintain her calm.

“Computer, switch to polythermal imaging and enhance resolution,” she said. As she said so she heard the door open behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Neelix enter. “Do you require assistance, Neelix?” she said. “Maybe. I’m worried about Naomi,” Neelix said. He sighed, then added, “I messed up. I should’ve told her sooner, but I didn’t and I think waiting only made it worse.” “How much did you tell her?” Seven said. “Not much, just that the Flyer was in trouble and had to land. I didn’t tell her it crashed though.” “I’ve found that Naomi is more clever and resilient than many on board Voyager give her credit for. She may well be angry that she wasn’t informed sooner about her mother’s situation, but I doubt that will hold for long. She will understand that you were only trying to protect her.” “I could’ve done a better job of it, but thanks anyway Seven. Since she knows now, maybe you should talk to her before going down there to join the rescue team. She noticed how you weren’t saying much to her the past few days.” “I will do that. Currently I am mapping the caverns around the crash site.” Seven stopped, and looked up from her console. “Do you have any experience mapping caverns, Neelix?” “Not using technology like this, but I see where you’re going with that. Just tell me which buttons to push and I’ll keep the program going while you talk to Naomi.” “Thank you,” Seven said. She gave Neelix a pat on the shoulder, a reassuring gesture that Samantha had done for her on numerous occasions. “If it is any consolation, the fact that you are willing to admit you were in error means you are unlikely to make a similar mistake in the future.”

“It doesn’t make me feel much better, Seven,” Neelix said. “but thanks for trying anyway. I suppose it’s a good thing I’m only a godparent and not a real parent.” “That is not for me to say,” Seven said. As she started to leave, her comm badge chirped. “Commander Chakotay to Seven of Nine.” “Yes, Commander,” Seven said. “Rescue Team Alpha needs that data,” Chakotay said, his voice suggesting urgency. Seven sighed. “I will meet you at the transporter site.” She closed the communication and turned to Neelix. “I don’t think I’m going to have time to talk to Naomi after all. Keep looking after her Neelix. She’ll need someone to talk to once the initial shock has worn off, if it hasn’t already.”

“Okay. And Seven? Bring them home.” “I intend to.”

---

“Ready, Tuvok?” Tom said. “Ready,” Tuvok said. Samantha heard much of what was going on since the crash, but wasn’t sure what they were ready for. She had been drifting in and out of consciousness the whole time since they’d crashed, and the painkillers Tom was giving her were still working but they were also making it hard to focus.

“Cross your fingers,” she heard Tom say. He reached into an open panel, touched something, and something on the panel up at the front where Tuvok was seated sparked. “Damn,” Tom grunted. “The magnetic relays have overloaded,” Tuvok said. “We’d better find another way to polarize this hull, or Voyager’s sensors won’t be able to pick us up,” Tom said. “Do not give up hope,” Tuvok said. “Probability of rescue is admittedly low, but it is not statistically impossible.” “Comforting,” Tom said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “If we don’t make it,” Samantha said softly, “who’s going to look after Naomi?” “The most likely outcome would be that Neelix and Seven of Nine would share that responsibility,” Tuvok said. “That is, of course, assuming we do not get rescued, which you should not rule out.” Samantha scoffed, followed by a wince as the pain in her side flared up again. “Our ship has Borg enhanced sensors and they still haven’t found us yet. If my honey’s tech can’t find us-” “I’d hate to be the one who gives Seven the order to abandon the search,” Tom said under his breath, not realizing that Samantha could hear him. “Shut up, Tom,” she said. “Sorry,” he replied, looking embarrassed. “You are concerned for your daughter, this is understandable,” Tuvok said. “I would remind you however that I am also a parent. My youngest child has been without her father for four years. Yet I am certain of her well-being. Your child will likewise survive and prosper, no matter what becomes of us.” “He’s right,” Tom said, the first time she’d heard him say anything to or about Tuvok that wasn’t dripping with sarcasm since the crash. “There’s not a sentient on Voyager that wouldn’t take a phaser blast for that kid and you know it.” Samantha felt tears well up, but not from the pain.

“Thank you,” she said.

---

Seven of Nine walked around the cavern with her tricorder out, trying to learn everything she could about the cavern they were in. She, along with Chakotay, Joe Carey, and the rest of Rescue Team Alpha had found a piece of one of the Delta Flyer’s nacelles. While Chakotay informed the captain, Seven put together the data she collected. The cavern ahead of them had collapsed, but there was a hull signature behind the debris. She almost smiled, certain that not only had Sam and the others been found but they were likely alive, albeit trapped. Trapped however was preferable to dead under the majority of circumstances.

Soon the other rescue teams were there, as were the phaser drills. She continued scanning as the drills operated, making sure that the activity didn’t cause another cave-in that would kill them as well. As progress was made, Seven was able to get more information in her tricorder about the cavern ahead of them, including the composition of the gas… “Oh no,” she uttered before yelling at the team to stop the drills. “What is it?” Carey asked. She handed him her tricorder. “Fluorine gas,” she said. “If we pierce the final layer with a phaser it will ignite, destroying the cave, the Delta Flyer, and us with it.” “Son of a bitch,” Carey said. “How did that even happen?” “We could name this whole solar system after Murphy’s Law,” Chakotay said in exasperation. “We can’t just give up and leave them there, but long range sensors show yet another ion storm coming which would likely cause another cave in cutting off all hope.” “Another ion storm?” Seven said, not even hiding the shock in her voice. Ion storms were not a rare thing in the galaxy, but for a single star system to have four of them, four of massive size, in less than an Earth standard week was so ridiculous that she felt like punching something, regardless of the fact that doing so would accomplish approximately nothing. “Beaming through rock isn’t impossible,” Carey said. “It’s the amount that’s keeping us from getting our people out of there. Maybe if we keep drilling, but stop just before we reach where the gas is-” “Except the transporter beam would likely ignite the gas as well,” Seven said. “Possible,” Carey admitted. “But I don’t have any other ideas.”

“Nor do I,” Seven admitted. “Alright,” Chakotay said. “you two try to come up with a way to bleed that gas out of the cave without igniting it. But work fast. We’ve got a few hours at best before the Captain gives the order to abort the mission.”

-o-

Inside the Delta Flyer, Tom Paris was recording a goodbye message for B’Elanna. Samantha didn’t want to eavesdrop, but it was difficult giving how she couldn’t move, and the ship, while larger on the inside that a standard shuttlecraft, just didn’t have enough room for there to be much in the way of private space. Tuvok was writing out his message to his family on a PADD. Sam wasn’t sure which way she was going to go with that just yet, or even if she should bother. Would anyone ever see or hear my last words anyway? she thought.

“Warning. Life support has fallen to critical levels,” the computer said, cutting off Tom mid-sentence. “Don’t mind the computer, she’s just jealous that I’m spending my last few moments talking to you. So long,” Tom said. As he hit the button to end recording, Samantha let out a bitter laugh. “There are men who can’t say ‘I love you.’ And Tom Paris is their God-king,” she said. “Do you really want to spend your final moments on the mortal coil being a smart ass, Sam?” Tom said, though there was no real anger to speak of in his voice, just resignation. She believed he didn’t really care how she spoke to him at the end, just that he was used to being the one to come back with a quip, so why stop now.

“I’m sorry,” she said, and she meant it. She chalked up this uncharacteristic pettiness to the slowly fading sedatives and painkillers in her system. Tom had offered her more as there was still several doses worth in the Flyer’s medkit, but she refused. She did not want to be doped up when she made her own goodbye message, which she finally decided would be a visual one, like Tom’s. With Tom’s helping her up since she still couldn’t walk, she got into the chair and started the recording. “Computer, encode message for delivery to Naomi Wildman, and Seven of Nine.” “Acknowledged,” the computer said. “Hi,” she said. “I know you’re both feeling very sad right now but I want you to listen to me very carefully, okay? First of all, I love you. Both of you. Naomi, I am so proud of you. How smart you are, how funny, how kind, how determined to learn new things. You are going to grow up to do extraordinary things. And you listen to Seven of Nine and to Neelix, they’ll be taking care of you now.

“Seven, Annika, I know that this will be harder on you than anyone. But don’t let it stop you from continuing to explore your humanity. Don’t be afraid to keep learning new things, about other organics and about yourself. Don’t use me as anchor. Mourn for however long you feel is right, but if another girl comes along who makes your heart beat faster the way I did, don’t pass on that chance.” Samantha stopped talking for a moment, wiping tears out of her eyes. “Goodbye, Naomi. Goodbye, Annika Hansen. I love you both, so much.” “Warning. Oxygen depletion in ten minutes,” the computer said just before Sam ended the recording.

Sam heard a sniff, and turned to see Tom Paris wiping his eyes. “Okay, I want a do-over,” he said.

---

Neelix walked onto the holodeck, the forest from the Flotter stories still smoldering from when the trees had been burned in the last chapter. From what he knew of the story there was at least one way, if not more, to restore it, but it appeared that Naomi had not done so yet. He considered for a moment that maybe she just hadn’t figured out how, but realized that far more likely was she wasn’t even trying. She was probably too upset about everything that was going on with her mother and the Delta Flyer.

“Naomi?” he called out. “Go away!” Trevis, a character from the holonovel yelled at him. The anthropomorphized tree looked as angry as his voice suggested he was, though if it was at him or at the fact that he was still partially smoldering he wasn’t sure. “She doesn’t want to talk to you,” Trevis continued. So he’s mad at me then, Neelix thought. Can’t say I blame him.

“You lied,” another voice said. Neelix saw Flotter, a water elemental type character, standing just behind and the to the right of Trevis. “I thought you were vaporized,” Neelix said. “Naomi re-liquified me. Now leave!”

Neelix sighed. He didn’t have time for this, so he told the computer to delete the characters. “Unable to comply,” the computer’s voice said. “Holodeck controls have been encoded.” “Great, probably something Seven taught her,” Neelix said. “Look, Flotter, Trevis, I know I made a mistake. I should’ve told her sooner. That’s why I’m here to apologize, to try and make things right.”

“I wonder if the liar can swim,” Flotter said. “We could always hang him from one of my branches,” Trevis said. Good gods who wrote this thing? Neelix thought. This is supposed to be for children. “Naomi,” Neelix called out. “Please let me talk to you.” “It’s okay,” he heard Naomi’s voice say. She stood from behind the fallen tree she’d been hiding behind. “You be nice,” Trevis said. “No more lying,” Flotter said, pointing a finger in Neelix’s face. Neelix walked around the two characters and went and sat next to Naomi. “Is my mother dead?” she asked, not looking him the eye. “We don’t know,” Neelix said. “The rescue operation is still going on.” “What happened?” “The Flyer was hit by an ion storm. They tried to land on the planet below us to do repairs, but crashed.” “I saw debris. Fires. A crater.” Neelix noticed that Naomi still wasn’t looking at him when she talked, like she couldn’t bear to look at him after he’d kept her mother’s situation from her. “But not the hull. Until we know for sure, I am not giving up on them being alive. Seven of Nine hasn’t, she’s down there helping with the rescue effort right now.” “Do you really think they might find her?” “Yes, I do. Your mother has Tom Paris and Tuvok with her, and they’ve survived worse than a shuttle crash before.” “How do I know you’re telling me the truth this time?” Neelix thought about it for moment. “I never told you this before, but when I was younger, I lost my mother. My whole family. There was a war, and they died.” “Who started it?” Naomi said, looking at him now.

“It doesn’t really matter,” Neelix said, not wanting to admit that his people had been the aggressors. “Not anymore. Either way, it was still the worst thing that ever happened to me. I wanted to tell you the truth, but every time I came close, I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. I don’t know if I was protecting you, or myself. I let you down Naomi, and I am so sorry.” “Why didn’t Seven tell me? She loves my mom, why didn’t she tell me?” “Seven is still learning about what it’s like to be human,” Neelix said. “I don’t think she was ready for that kind of responsibility, having to be the one to tell a child that their parent was in danger. So she just stayed focus on the rescue effort. I think it helped her stay sane. Though I imagine she’s as scared as you are.”

Naomi reached out and touched Neelix’s hand. Neelix was sure she was about to say she forgave him, but the ship suddenly shuddered. “All hands to emergency stations,” Janeway's voice said over the comm. “The approaching ion storm has just upgraded to level eight.” “Ion storm? What’s that?” Flotter said.

---

“Level eight? What the hell is wrong with this star system?” Joe Carey shouted when the rescue team in the cavern received the call from the captain. “No, no, no,” Seven muttered. Progress on the rescue had been slow, but they were so close, she just knew it, even though the data on her tricorder told her it was even odds at this point. For the first time since she’d heard about the Delta Flyer’s troubles several days ago, Seven of Nine crossed the line from fear for her girlfriend’s safety into full blown anxiety. Her hand shook, unwanted visions of Samantha being crushed by kilotons of rock filled her mind, and she was pretty sure she was about to cry.

“Just a few more meters,” Chakotay told the captain over his comm badge. “When that storm hits, your cavern is going to destabilize,” Janeway said. “You’ve got six minutes, make the most of it.” “All right,” Chakotay said. “Keep going, we’ve almost cleared enough rock to be able to beam the whole shuttle out through the rock.” “But we haven’t been able to clear the fluorine gas yet,” B’Elanna said. “We’ll have to risk it,” Chakotay said. “It’s that or we lose them for good to another cave-in.” “I swear, it’s like this system is cursed,” B’Elanna said. “I was thinking the exact same thing,” Carey said. “Focus,” Seven snapped at them. Rather than getting mad at her as they usually did when she was so curt, they did as she asked. She actually felt bad for having yelled at them, but this task was just too important. She made a mental note to apologize later, once Samantha was safe and sound.

---

“Warning. Oxygen depletion in two minutes,” the computer said. “You know, I think I’m just gonna turn that damn thing off. I don’t need a stopwatch running on my impending death,” Tom said.

“In accepting the inevitable,” Tuvok said, “one finds peace.” “Yeah, I suppose you’re right. I guess this isn’t how I figured it would all end.” “Did you envision perhaps a more heroic death?” “Yeah, why not? Why not go out like Captain Kirk, saving the Enterprise-B and a bunch of refugees from an anomaly? Or Captain Garrett, paving the way for peace with the Klingon Empire by going down fighting against the Romulans? I can think of worse ways to go.” “Like bleeding out from your kidneys?” Samantha coughed out. Tom was debating whether to not to reply to that, considering that he didn’t want to risk the last words Samantha Wildman ever heard would be sarcastic ones, when he heard a sound that it took him a second to recognize. When he did, he laughed. “They did it,” he said after laughing. “They found us. Those are phaser noises, I’d recognize them anywhere!”

---

Seven of Nine and the rest of the team was beamed aboard just seconds after the Delta Flyer had been beamed to the shuttle bay with the aid of pattern enhancers. Seven did not wait to be dismissed before just dropping her gear on the pad and running, heading for the shuttle bay. When she got there, she saw Ensign Brooks helping Tom Paris step down. He looked a little dizzy and clearly needed the ensign’s help staying upright, but appeared otherwise unharmed, Tuvok climbing out of the shuttle right behind him. “Sam?” she said. Tom looked at her. “We had to have her beamed directly to sickbay,” he said. “She needed surgery for internal bleeding. I’m sure the Doc-” Seven didn’t wait for Tom to finish. She slapped her comm badge so hard it nearly fell off. “Seven of Nine to Naomi Wildman, meet me outside sickbay,” she said, running again, and nearly knocking over several crewmen as she made her way to sickbay. When she got there, Naomi was already outside, and Neelix was with her. The latter leaning against the bulkhead while the former was pacing until she spotted Seven. Without saying a word, Naomi ran to her, wrapping her arms around her. “Is she…” Seven said, but couldn’t bring herself to finish the question. “The Doctor told us to wait outside,” Naomi said, trying not to sob as she spoke. Seven couldn’t blame her. “Seven, it’s okay that you didn’t tell me Mom was in trouble. I know you were scared. I’m scared too.” “I’m sorry,” Seven said. “I was so focused on bringing Sam home I didn’t think about what was happening to you.” “I’m sure she’ll be fine,” Neelix said. “She was still conscious when they beamed her on board. That has to be a good sign, right?” “I believe it is,” Seven said, though she had to admit she wasn’t one hundred percent sure of that. The three of them waited outside in the hall, moving to let people past them when they had to but mainly waiting quietly. When the quiet got to be too much for Seven, she started to ask Naomi about how her holonovels were going, when the door to sickbay opened. The Doctor stood there, smiling. “Naomi, Seven, you can come in. Mr. Neelix should wait out here so as not to crowd her.” “No problem,” Neelix said, smiling himself. Seven followed behind Naomi, who quickly ran into her mother’s arms. Seven moved more slowly, not wanting to interrupt the reunion. When Sam saw her, she reached out an arm and motioned for Seven to join them in a group hug, which she did gladly. “Good to see you again, Annie,” Sam whispered in her easy. “Likewise,” Seven said. “I think it goes without saying,” Sam said, “that I am never getting in a shuttle ever again.” Seven of Nine, for the first time in what had felt like an eternity, laughed.

#a fire of devotion #part 2 #chapter four #star trek voyager #fan fiction #sam7

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