Consequences

Kathryn made it halfway to the holodeck before Chakotay paged her on the comm.

“Captain, a shuttle has just appeared off our starboard bow.”

Kathryn let out a sigh. “I’m on my way.”

By the time she’d reached the bridge, the image was on the view screen. The vessel wasn’t entire recognizable but it was close enough to Starfleet to be legitimate.

“Hail them.”

“Channel open,” Tuvok replied moments later.

The image that filled the view screen caused shock to ripple through the bridge crew’s faces. It look like Captain Janeway but it couldn’t be her. Could it?

“Don’t look so surprised, Mr. Paris,” Admiral Janeway said.

Tom cleared his throat, suddenly feeling very embarrassed to be caught staring. “Yes, Ma’am.”

Kathryn stood up, arms crossed over her chest. “Who are you?”

Admiral Janeway gave a half smirk and a snort. “Who do you think I am?”

“We’ve been tricked before.”

“I know. Have The Doctor examine me and see what he says.”

Kathryn let out a sigh. “Alright.”

“Janeway to Transporter Room One. Beams the Admiral over.” She looked at the crew around her. “I’ll be in Sickbay.”

On her way to Deck Five, Kathryn stopped off and picked up Qiana. She had woken and was fussing, rubbing at her nose and eyes. Quinten had made his way back to the room as well, trying to take care of his litter sister. They arrived in Sickbay to find the Doctor already examining the Admiral.

“Why don’t you sit here and watch your sister, ok?”

“Ok, Mama.”

Kathryn turned to the hologram and her older counterpart. “Well? What’s your diagnosis?”

The Doctor turned Kathryn’s attention to the computer monitor beside her. “The DNA is an exact match. She is you.”

“About twenty years from now,” the Admiral stated.

Kathryn tried to wipe the skeptical look off her face. “Alright, let’s say I believe you. What are you doing here? I recall assuring the Time ship Relativity we wouldn’t be messing with the timeline.”

“Doctor, would you excuse us?” Admiral Janeways asked.

“Certainly.”

Trying to make himself useful without eavesdropping, he turned his attention to the children sitting on a nearby bio bed. Kathryn looked at her future self, motioning for them to step a few paces away.

“Well, are you going to answer my question?” Kathryn asked.

“I’m here to make sure you don’t spend the next two decades regretting the decision to ignore Q’s request.”

“What are you talking about?”

“He’s been offering to take you home for months now and you just keep ignoring him.”

“I understand. I’ll tell him to get us home right away. I just don’t know where he is.”

“We have a lot to talk about. Let’s take a walk.”

“What about the children?”

“They’ll be fine. Qiana just needs to rest and it will give Quinten something to do.”

The two women walked out of the Sickbay and wandered the corridors in silence. Kathryn was trying to figure out what her future self wasn’t saying.

“What aren’t you telling me?”

“Wouldn’t want to violate the Temporal Prime Directive.” Her tone was dripping with disdain.

“You already have.”

Admiral Janeway smiled. “So I have.”

She paused for a moment, weighing how much to tell her younger self. “Q has been called back to the Continuum.”

“He should have told me.”

“They didn’t want you to know.”

“Why?”

“They’re secretive like that.”

“I have no way of getting to the Continuum.”

“Yes you do. You just don’t want to use it.”

“I’m not going to subject my children to their scrutiny. Do you remember what almost happened when I was pregnant with Qiana?”

“You don’t have to remind me. I know exactly what they wanted to do…and what’s going to happen if you don’t suck it up and get your husband back.”

They stopped, sparks flying between them. “What’s going on? I want a straight answer,” Kathryn demanded.

“In my timeline, you don’t go back to the Continuum. You’re too bitter over their threats. The conflict Quinten was supposed to stop is back in full swing.”

“That’s why he went back, isn’t it.”

“They gave him no choice. He never came back.”

Kathryn blinked, her mouth agape like a fish caught on the line. “Did you just…he dies?”

“Killed trying to make peace. We’re never the same.”

“Oh God.”

“That’s not all that’s going to happen to this crew if you don’t go there and get him.”

“I don’t want to know.”

“You have to know. Three years from now, Seven will be injured on an away mission. She dies in her husband’s arms.”

“Chakotay,” Kathryn murmured. It made senses.

“He was never the same after her death. And neither were you. Both bitter and angry until the end. Is that the kind of life you want to leave your children?”