Disclaimer: The usual Paramount, so don't get upset. I'm just borrowing some of your characters for my story.

The Family Series - Book Five

The Race

by Dee Price


Previously: After five months relaxing on the planet, sensors suddenly detect The Borg, causing the group to flee for their lives back to Earth.

* * *

Within minutes the planet was out of sight. Adam reported the Borg were now within nine hours of the planet and their sensors had picked up the Yeager's signature. Jonathan gritted his teeth and gave the order to engage the enhanced drive, jumping into it from Impulse instead of Warp, but it worked and they shot forward. Everyone on the Bridge was quiet, with the mothers holding tightly to their children.

"Adam?" asked Jonathan looking back.

"They are still heading for the planet, Jonathan. Maybe they feel one ship isn't worth it."

"I doubt it. This ship has the latest technology in drive capability and once they read that we'd be the target not the planet. How many Borg ships do you read?"

"Two, and they still appear to be heading for the village ... correction, one for the old village, one for the new one."

"Why the old village - they don't have any technology." Jonathan then tapped his badge. "Engineering - how's the propulsion? We kicked in before we should have."

"It took quite a jolt, Jonathan," said Katie, "but Cody thinks it might be alright."

"Might? That just won't cut it, Katie. Keep an eye on it. Maori - how's Bartu?"

"Eventually he will be okay. He has an extremely deep cut as well as a high-grade infection, which I've just treated, but the leg worries me a lot. I have him sedated right now . . . it's best he not know what's going on at the village, okay?"

"Agreed. Stay with him - we don't need you up here, but pray to the Spirits that . . . "

"Jonathan!" cried out Adam. "I'm showing a third Borg vessel heading for the planet!"

"Oh great Spirits . . . those poor people," he said quietly. "What are the Borg doing way down here anyway?" he mumbled more to himself than anyone on the Bridge. Looking forward he said, "Thomas, how are we doing? How much distance have we put between the planet and the Borg?"

"Not enough, Jonathan. With what we know about their propulsion they can catch us pretty darn fast," answered Thomas.

Jonathan didn't answer. There was no need.

He sat quietly for a while, hoping the Borg wouldn't pursue them and then turned to Adam. "Who discovered the Borg anyway?"

"Nick was in the cargo bay and thought he should check out the sensors, so he moved up here and turned them on. He couldn't tell us fast enough."

Jonathan looked over at Nick and nodded. "Thank the spirits you did that Nick."

"I just hope I did it in time," he said in a quiet tone. Everyone knew what he meant.

Two weeks went by, but the strain of "looking over their shoulders" was telling on everyone, with sleep an almost unheard of commodity. Plus, Bartu was now up and around, very confused, wanted to go home and didn't understand why he couldn't. Jonathan knew no explanation would make sense to him, so they kept patting him on the shoulder and saying, "Not yet, Bartu, not yet." Maori made a point of staying with him or having him with her in Sick Bay.

Meanwhile the propulsion system worked just fine for those first two weeks, and then suddenly it started to 'hiccup' as Katie termed it, making the ship hesitate a fraction and then lurch forward each time. On hearing that term, B'Elanna looked at Tom. "A word I've used often enough."

"Why don't you go down to Engineering, honey? They might be able to use a third mind," said Tom.

She nodded and left and Tom then turned his attention to Jonathan. He was exhausted, having virtually no sleep since leaving the planet and constantly worrying about getting this ship and these people home safely, which sounded very much like what he had heard Captain Janeway say often enough. And the worse thing was they still had three weeks to go.

Jonathan sat and rubbed at his eyes, then shifted his position. "Adam, anything?"

Adam, almost as tired as Jonathan, shook his head as he studied his panel. The sensors had been operating twenty-four hours a day and Adam always seemed to be at that station. "Nothing as to Borg, but I detect a planet two hours ahead. If we are having engine trouble maybe we could set down there and make repairs. They might have something that . . . "

"Warp or pre-Warp?"

"Warp, Jonathan, highly advanced culture."

Slapping at his badge he called out, "Engineering, I want all four of you to put your heads together. We are coming up on a highly advanced culture. What is your opinion on the drive? Do we need to take a chance and stop for repairs?"

For a while there was no response and Jonathan patiently waited, knowing they were going over everything before answering. Finally Cody's voice: "I think we have to stop Jonathan. We still have three weeks to the wormhole and I'm pretty sure the engines wont hold that long."

Jonathan glanced over at Adam. "Find a place to land that's fairly close to the city, hidden, and yet we wont have a problem with getting underway quickly."

A few moments later Adam spotted an area and Thomas started cutting back on the power and dropping into lower subspace, then upon arrival at the planet he dropped into orbit, laid in a course to the coordinates Adam had given him and started down.

While that was going on, Jonathan went over to Adam's console and looked at the readout, then tapped his badge. "Cody, Jason and B'Elanna, come up to the Bridge. You three along with myself are going to beam down to the planet and see about appropriating parts before the ship lands."

A frightened look came over Annie's face and as the three arrived, Jonathan turned to Paris. "Tom, with all your experience I'm putting you in charge. If sensors show the Borg heading this way get this ship off the ground, don't wait for us and get out of here. That's an order!"

Tom stared hard at Jonathan for a moment before nodding his head as he looked at B'Elanna. There wasn't time for loving goodbyes, so everyone quietly bobbed their heads to their friends and loved ones, then Jonathan, while looking at Annie said, "Adam - energize."

Tom quietly moved around talking to everyone, trying to keep him or her calm, while Thomas arrived at the specified area and quickly landed. An hour went by then Adam suddenly muttered, "Oh no."

Tom didn't question, merely went to his side and looked at the reading.

"A Borg ship is twelve hours away and they are not heading for this planet yet, so everyone remain calm," he said.

"You're not going to . . . ?" asked Adam.

"Not yet, just relax Adam. My wife's on this planet, too. I think we can wait a few more minutes."

Twenty minutes went by and still no word from the away team. "Thomas," said Tom quietly, "Start powering up all systems."

"No!" cried out Adam, a stricken look on his face.

"Easy Adam, remain calm, okay. What are the readings now?"

Adam looked down at his console and reported "Eleven hours away."

"Okay they've made up one hour in twenty minutes. They're not at their highest speed yet."

Another ten minutes went by and Tom sighed, rubbed at his forehead and resignedly said, "Thomas start your lift off."

"Tom, you can't!" cried out Adam.

"We have our orders Adam. If we don't leave now we'll all be caught." Adam just stared at Tom with a stricken look on his countenance.

As the ship started its ascent, Jonathan's voice was suddenly heard requesting the beaming of equipment to the Cargo Bay and the Away Team to the Bridge, which was followed by a collective sigh of relief from everyone on the ship. The minute the away team was all on board Tom told him of the Borg's presence and that "they were now about ten and a half hours away." Jonathan instantly realized Tom had delayed departure, but instead of berating Tom, turned to Cody. "How fast can you get those repairs done, or can they done in flight?"

"If you stay at Warp, don't bring the enhanced drive up, we can work on it while moving," he replied.

"Alright get down there." Looking forward to Thomas he saw they were already well above the planet and smiled. "Warp 10 as fast as you're able, Thomas."

"Aye" came the calm response.

Within minutes the ship was at full Warp. "Adam keep your eye on those sensors. If that ship changes direction and start coming for us let me know immediately." He then glanced over at Tom and merely nodded his thanks

* * * * *

Luck was with them and the Borg did not change direction, repairs were made and the ship finally went into Full Power. Things went well for another two weeks, with only an occasional Borg presence detected. The cubes appeared to be stopping at each planet they came across and that only served to add to the mental stress of everyone on board, knowing what was happening to the inhabitants. But despite each stop the Borg made they were gaining on the family. Then suddenly, what they feared most, happened: the Full Power drive started having problems again.

"Blast!" snapped Jonathan. "We are within five days of the wormhole. Will it hold together Cody?" he called out.

"We've got the same problems as before, Jonathan, only it seems worse," Cody replied. "Jason feels it's a structural fault, but why in the heck didn't it show up on the way to the planet when we ran it Full Power for five full weeks?"

"That's something for Starfleet to figure out, Cody, we don't have time for that. We have our own problems, namely one big fat cube!" Jonathan reached back and started rubbing his neck. We've run for our lives for four weeks! We can't fail now, he thought to himself.

"Jonathan," said Adam calmly. "A Borg ship has suddenly shown up on our path. They have scanned us and are in pursuit."

Jonathan stood and turned to Adam. "How close are they?"

"Twelve hours, but their propulsion has increased. They have definitely spotted us."

Jonathan rubbed at his forehead and then with his thumb and forefinger pinched the bridge of his nose. Great Spirits - Not now, please not now! Looking up he asked "On the way out didn't I see something like a meteor field near here?"

Adam looked down at his console. "Scanning . . . yes there is Jonathan, about 500,000 kilometers north of here."

"Patch the coordinates to Helm and let's head that way immediately," Jonathan said calmly.

Thomas didn't even question or look back, just changed course. Shortly, even with the enhanced drive sputtering on occasion, the meteor field came into view and the ship dropped to 1/4 Impulse. Adam scanned the field for the largest meteor, discovered one deep towards the center, and Jonathan had Thomas head for it. Slowly Thomas piloted the ship into the field, and even though he expertly dodged the meteors en route, everyone held their breath.

"On it or behind it Jonathan?" asked Thomas as he reached the site.

"On it, Thomas, so we can see what's happening and maybe blend the ship in with the surface. Have the ship faced forward and power down the systems." As the ship settled and the meteor was found to be stable, Thomas powered down and the Bridge became deathly silent

As they waited the tension began to build and Jonathan could feel the fear of everyone on the ship. Suddenly he stood and looked around. He rubbed the back of his head, as he thought over what he wanted to tell these people, and then quietly said, "Look, I don't know how the rest of you feel, but I for one do not want my family assimilated." He hesitated as he looked at his children and Annie.

Tom immediately spoke up saying, "B'Elanna and I had enough experience with the Borg to know what they do and I can definitely say I agree with Jonathan."

Jonathan looked at Adam, who silently nodded his head even as Jonathan quietly and softly added. "Do you all understand what I am saying?" Slowly he looked around at Nick, Thomas, Tyler, Matt, Maori, Bartu and Jennie holding the children. All silently looked back at him and nodded their heads.

Jonathan tapped his badge. "Katie . . . guys . . . we're discussing our options and . . . "

"I know Jonathan. Adam opened communications and I think we heard it all. You have no disagreement down here. I for one do not want to be assimilated in any way shape or form," said Katie.

Nodding his head he took a deep breath. "Okay, but in the meantime we will put up one heck of a fight. Nick, we have a full compliment of Phasers and Photon Torpedoes, plus that thing - that new test missile?"

"Right," replied Nick, "But that test missile has never been fired."

"Testing it on the Borg seems like the logical thing to do," replied Jonathan as he returned to his seat amidst a few snickers. "Our last resort if that fails is . . . well . . . all Starfleet ships are equipped with a self-destruct system . . . " No one said a word.

Finally Jonathan turned to Adam. "How long?"

Adam checked his panel and looked up, eyes wide in amazement. "Oh Great Spirits -only one hour," he whispered.

"Someone should give them a ticket for speeding," muttered Tom. Despite their situation, everyone smiled and they continued to wait, each knowing the time was drawing short.

"Too bad this ship doesn't have a cloaking device," said Jonathan as he stared out the view screen.

Thirty minutes later they saw the Borg cube. It zipped by so fast they almost missed it, then just as suddenly was back and 'parked' outside the meteor field.

"They've seen us Jonathan," said Thomas quietly.

"But they can't get here, they are too big," replied Adam.

"Looks like they don't care, they are moving toward us," said Tom.

They watched in fascination as the Borg ship banged into a couple of meteors, stopped for a few minutes, then started forward again. They were clearing a path for themselves and Jonathan could see that with all the meteors before them plus the big cube, they did not have a path for their escape.

Jonathan closed his eyes.

I've boxed us in. I've failed the family poppa.

Don't give up son.

I haven't left us a way out by putting us on this meteor.

There's always a way.

But all we have is a few armaments, and from what I know about the Borg, they aren't going to be enough. With all those meteors . . .

Think Jonathan. You are being passive. Use your brain, son.

Jonathan opened his eyes and suddenly sat straight. "Thomas power up, Nick arm all six of the Photon Torpedoes," then tapping his badge, "Katie get up here, you're the best gunner in this family . . . I need you at Tactical." Seemingly within seconds Katie raced in and moved in beside Nick.

Jonathan nodded his head at her, "All right, Katie when the Borg ship hits a meteor, they stop and seem to evaluate the damage. The second they stop next time, I want you to fire two torpedoes into the lower right quadrant, two to the center quadrant, and two to the upper left, all wide range. Thomas, the minute the torpedoes are fired, start to slowly edge forward, then when they impact, the explosions might shove some meteors out of the way, clearing a path for us. If you see a path, don't hesitate, jump for it! Katie, as we move past the Borg ship give them all the Phasers, wide spectrum. You guys got it? Don't wait for my order----react, okay?"

Both replied Aye and Jonathan leaned back and watched the cube.

A few seconds later the Borg moved forward again, smashed into two large meteors and stopped. Immediately Katie fired the torpedoes. Thomas raised the ship off their rock and as the first two torpedoes impacted he slowly started the ship forward. As the second two tore into the Borg Thomas increased his movement. The last two torpedoes hit and the Borg ship showed evidence of several other explosions. Thomas kept edging forward, dodged several meteors and squinted deeply as debris started to fill his field of vision. Staring intently he thought he saw a narrow path, but was it big enough for this ship to get through? Better than the alternative he said to himself and gritting his teeth, jammed his finger down on the panel. The ship shot forward.

Jonathan's eyes widened. Debris was everywhere and it didn't look like they could get through! Still the ship moved forward with Thomas deftly evading the fragments. Unexpectedly, considering all the meteors and debris, Thomas increased the ship's speed, causing Jonathan to grip his arm handles tightly, all the while expecting the ship to smash into a boulder, but Thomas' piloting skill was amazing. As they drew near the cube, Jonathan waited expectantly for Katie to fire the phasers, but it didn't happen

"Hang on," yelled Thomas and the Yeager dipped and almost rolled onto its side as he dodged another chunk of meteor and then they were beside the Borg cube, making Jonathan feel like a flea on a dog. That ship was huge!

Looking at the view-screen, Jonathan saw several large explosions occurring and it became evident the Borg ship was being ripped apart! He grinned inwardly - they must have hit some sensitive area. Katie still did not fire her phasers and Jonathan now understood why. He had told her to 'react' and Katie was reacting by not reacting, thus saving the Phasers for future use.

Thomas' hands flew over the helm panel as he desperately maneuvered to avoid more of the meteors and then he saw it, the path he wanted and the Yeager zipped in behind the Borg and into the area previously cleared by the cube. They were now in open space!



Jonathan smacked his badge. "Cody! Can we bring up full power without blowing it up?"

"Well it's shaky Jonathan. It's not good to just tap into it from a cold jump-start, but you're in charge. Give it a try."

"We don't know if that guy had friends, Cody. With that drive we're four days from the worm hole but warp will extend it to five or six days and if there are other cubes . . . " All of this was almost as if Jonathan was debating with himself. Finally he looked forward, muttered "Spirits don't fail us now," and said, "We've got to chance it. Thomas, full power!"

Thomas upped the drive to full power, it kicked in and kept working, although it lurched and sputtered more often than not. Jonathan was extremely tight with tension. He wasn't, just absolutely wasn't going to let the Borg get them. Looking over at Tom he tilted his head and Tom came over immediately. "Even if we make it Tom, I'm worried about that Worm Hole. If the Borg find it . . . "

"My thoughts exactly Jonathan. We've got to destroy it once we are in the Alpha quadrant."

"But we don't know if there are other Federation ships in the DQ."

"I know," replied Tom with a frown. "Maybe we'll have time to contact Starfleet once we're through."

Jonathan looked back at Adam. "That new weapon - do you know anything about it?"

"I was in on the early design, but not the development. It might be totally different from what I saw early on."

Jonathan just nodded his head and looked back to Tom. "That might be the only thing we'll have for the Borg. Beyond that . . . "

Tom clapped him on the shoulder and as he turned to go sit down said, "You've been doing a hell of a job."

Jonathan gave him a subdued grin. "Thank you Uncle Thomas." He momentarily closed his eyes.

We got away poppa - for now.

Your mother and I are with you Jonathan.

Thank you poppa. I don't want to fail the family.

Just don't give up. Keep your mind clear and know your options, son.

I'll try poppa.

Jonathan then opened his eyes and with an audible sigh, leaned back and tried to relax.

* * * * *

Time seemed to stand still for the crew as the ship struggled its way towards the wormhole. The enhanced drive had obvious problems and was close to failing several times, but Cody, B'Elanna and Katie, with sweat and a few Klingon cuss words from B'Elanna, managed to keep it working, albeit not at top efficiency. One day crawled by, then two. Meanwhile, they knew the Borg were somewhere in the area.

With only two days until they were at the wormhole, the enhanced drive started to fail, it's sputtering and coughing causing increased anxiety to everyone on board. Sensors now indicated a Borg vessel fourteen hours from their position, although seemingly not at high speed, so Jonathan decided to forsake the troubled drive and dropped to Warp 10, allowing Cody, Jason, Katie and B'Elanna to try and make repairs. However, this extended their time to escape into the Alpha quadrant by a day.

At last they were within three hours of the wormhole when Adam suddenly indicated the Borg ship was now coming at high speed and gaining on them. Jonathan clenched his jaw . . . I'm not going to let the Borg assimilate us! Looking back at Adam he asked "How far?"

"Five hours."

"Man, how did they get that close?" Turning forward he said firmly, "We've got to chance it. Thomas, engage Full Power."

The ship lurched, sputtered, almost stopped and then started moving forward. At last they reached the wormhole and their escape to the Alpha Quadrant, but Adam reported the Borg were only one hour away.

"Drop to Warp 2 Thomas and get us into that hole!"

Thomas looked back, surprise registering on his face. "We're not supposed to go into a wormhole at that speed Jonathan. Orders are 1/4 Impulse only," he said anxiously.

"Reason?"

"They said it would disrupt the wormhole so much it might suddenly close down, crushing any ship inside."

Jonathan looked to Adam and without hesitation he said, "They are now two hours away."

Jonathan looked back to Thomas. "Starfleet didn't have Borg on their tail when they issued that directive, Thomas. We can't let them come through into the Alpha Quadrant. We've got to chance it. Head in."

Thomas turned back with a soft and prayerful "Aye."

The Yeager shot into the Worm Hole with extreme turbulence immediately building from the high speed. The ship started to be tossed around and Jonathan grabbed for his arm rests, understanding now why Starfleet's directive stated Impulse and called out "Hang on everybody, it's going to be a rough ride."

Thomas desperately tried to keep the ship under control, but people were being thrown to the deck. Minutes, which seemed like hours ticked by and just when Jonathan didn't think they were going to make it the Yeager suddenly shot into the Alpha Quadrant, with the beautiful blue Earth staring at them. Jonathan immediately had Adam contact Starfleet.

"Starfleet, this is the Yeager, Commander Chakotay! We've got Borg at the wormhole and have to close it! Are there any Federation ships in the DQ?"

"This is Starfleet Command. Welcome back Commander, what is your status?" came the laconic reply.

"We don't have time for pleasantries you son of a bitch!" yelled Jonathan in language foreign to his tongue. "Just answer my damn question! Do you have ships in the DQ? We must destroy the wormhole!"

"We'll have to check and get back to you," came the calm reply and silence followed.

"Bastards!" muttered Jonathan. Turning to Adam he asked what the Borg were doing and was told sensors now showed them at the mouth of the hole in the DQ.

"Nick, arm that missile. We'll shoot it through and hopefully blow them up on the other side. I just pray there aren't any federation ships over there."

Nick commenced the arming procedure even as Jonathan was making his statement, and then nodded it was ready.

Taking a deep breath, Jonathan quietly said, "Fire."

Everyone on the Bridge sat quietly and waited - and waited, but neither heard nor saw anything. Sensors did not even register a flash of light

"We missed," whispered Jonathan. "How could we miss?"

"Sensors now show a Borg signature entering the worm hole," reported Adam calmly.

I'm not going to get the family home, poppa - I've failed after all.

Stay calm, son. Have you thought of everything?

I don't know what else to do poppa, except the self-destruct. I won't let the family be assimilated. I just won't!

Whatever you decide, just remember we're with you. We're always at your side.

Jonathan looked around He looked at Annie, pregnant with their third child, and with her arms around Kolopak and Jeremiah; Jennie was holding Daniel and Rebecca; Tom and B'Elanna sat stoically quiet beside Maori and Bartu and holding hands. He turned and looked forward to Nick and Thomas, then over at Tyler and Matt and finally at Adam. All of them, every single one, were just looking back at him, with no apparent fear in their expressions.

We're with you - we're always at your side, the message from his Dad, rang true and clear in his mind. His mind began to debate the decision to arm the self-destruct. What would Mom have done? How did she keep defeating the Borg? How can I prevent them from entering the Alpha Quadrant? He could think of only one way to save Earth.

Jonathan made his decision, but he didn't want anyone else to bear the brunt of initiating his or her demise. Only himself, he who was responsible for this situation, would do that terrible deed

"Adam," and he hesitated before continuing. "Arm the self destruct system. No verbal countdown and I want it set to explode when I press the button, so patch it to my arm rest console," he said softly. Presently Adam reported self-destruct was armed and ready.

Jonathan looked down and where the light before had been a steady green, the ominous red light with the words 'Armed' was blinking at him. I'm killing the family, he moaned to himself. Feeling a hand on his arm he looked up into the face of Maori.

"It's the right thing to do, Jonathan," she said quietly. "I love you," then leaning down kissed him on the cheek and turned back to her seat. Jonathan watched her with anguish lining his face.

"I'm sorry everyone," he said in a breaking voice. Then he straightened and set his jaw. "Thomas, turn the ship around and take us into the wormhole."

Thomas, who had been looking back at Jonathan, instantly knew his intention. He shot one brief glance at his parents, turned back to the helm and without hesitation tapped at his panel. The Yeager started moving towards the hole and disappeared into its mouth.

"Adam keep me posted on the distance from the Borg. When we are close they will put a tractor on us and pull us in and then return to the DQ. When we are close to their ship I will initiate self destruct."

"Jonathan," said Tom quietly. "They are known to transport their victims to the cube before they pull the ship in close."

Jonathan thought about that for a minute and then made another decision: he told Adam to set a secondary countdown of five minutes. They might be taken prisoner, but the secondary destruct sequence would negate that. Shortly Adam reported the secondary destruct sequence had been armed, with countdown to commence on voice authority from Jonathan.

Slowly the Yeager crept forward with tension so thick you could cut it with the proverbial knife. Cody, Jason and Katie now walked onto the Bridge, their presence in Engineering no longer needed. Agony filled Jonathan's very soul as he concentrated his attention forward.

"I detect Borg dead ahead," said Adam breaking the silence.

Jonathan, his hand hovering over the red light, peered intently at the viewscreen, then blinked rapidly, trying to clear his eyes.

"It's smaller than the cube, Jonathan," reported Adam.

Jonathan immediately looked back at Tom. "Do they have small scout ships they send ahead?"

"Not from what I know, but you never can tell."

"Report, Adam."

Adam studied his console for several moments, not saying anything. Suddenly he said, "I'm getting a strange reading. It isn't very stable - in fact appears to be a very erratic flight path."

Jonathan nodded. "Stay alert Thomas. We don't want them to surprise us with anything."

"I see it," Thomas suddenly said. Then he yelled. "Hold off on that button Jonathan, it looks like a piece of the Borg cube!"

"A piece? Are you sure?" asked Jonathan, his finger still poised above the blinking light.

Tom, who despite his age still had tremendous eyesight, immediately moved forward to the co-pilot seat and stared intently. "He's right Jonathan, it's a piece of a Borg ship and it's tumbling."

"Can you dodge it, Thomas?"

Thomas glanced at his dad and grinned. "Piece of cake," and as the chunk of erratically tumbling Borg neared them, he deftly lifted the ship above and around the piece of junk. Two more parts quickly followed which Thomas also dodged.

For the first time Jonathan allowed himself a small smile. "We just might have destroyed that cube," he said.

"Jonathan!" called out Adam sharply. "Sensors show a tremendous shock wave coming! Oh man, the readings are off the scale, I've never see anything with that force before!"

"Turn us around Thomas and get us out of here," yelled Jonathan.

"It's no use Jonathan," he called back. "It's going to smash into us in a few seconds!"

"We'll surf it out son," said Tom with a smirk as he looked at Thomas.

"Right! Good idea dad, but I need help adjusting the ship's attitude."

"Can you give me a rear view here?" asked Tom. "I can direct you if I can see it."

Thomas punched at his console and Tom nodded. "Got it. You're right Adam, that sucker is the biggest shock wave I've ever seen in my life! Up fifteen degrees Thomas," he called out as he stared intently at the oncoming shock wave. "Down five - port by two - steady, steady . . . now up twenty-five! Down ten, hold it steady son! Starboard by ten, up five, hold it son, hold it there - hold it!"

On each call by Tom, Thomas quickly adjusted the Yeager's position while sweat poured down his forehead. The ship seemed to be dancing to it's own tune.

"Steady, steady - up five, hold it steady - now down ten. Man that sucker is erratic! Hold it right there Thomas, hold it steady!"

"I'm trying Dad, but there is so much turbulence I feel like I'm a bouncing ball."

All of this was mere seconds and everyone on the Bridge was desperately trying to hold onto something as the turbulent air started bouncing and shaking the ship.

"Great Spirits, mumbled Jonathan, "we finally beat the Borg and our own missile is going to get us."

Then the wave hit and the ship shot forward at immense speed, with Thomas trying desperately to hold the trim on the lip of the wave. After several seconds of 'surfing the wave' the Yeager's nose started to dip, and even as Thomas tried to correct, the ship was thrown into a jarring up and down and side-to-side motion. The nose went down, bucked straight up, and then the ship dropped like an elevator in a free fall. Tom was thrown out of his seat, hit his head on the console and knocked unconscious, falling limply to the deck.

Nick was thrown forward into his console, then smashed back against the bulkhead behind him and fell to the floor dazed, his arms pawing and reaching through the air without touching anything. The women and children were falling and rolling all over the deck. Tyler made a desperate lunge for Maori, grabbing her as she virtually flew through the air past him and as he landed he reached out and grabbed Kolopak's hand and pulled him to his chest. As he started to roll he tried to wrap one leg around the Command chair.

Adam, trying desperately to hang on at OPS, was finally jarred loose, his body being lifted straight up momentarily and then as he fell his body was thrown around and his head hit the console. He landed in an unconscious heap. Jonathan hung on for dear life to the arms of his command chair, but finally lost his grip and went flying across the Bridge, unable to grab anything to stop his motion. Matt turned to help Annie, Jennie and B'Elanna but the four of them were tossed around like rag dolls. Bartu on virtually the first jarring bump had been thrown to the side and with a cry of pain lost unconsciousness. Sounds of yells and screams rent the air continuously.

Thomas, fighting to regain control of the ship, was lifted right out of the seat and hit his head on the ceiling, which immediately rendered him unconscious. As he fell limply back to the deck he cracked his right shoulder on the helm. Katie, Cody and Jason, who had been standing when the ship started to lose control, were thrown violently around, finally hitting the deck with a sickening thud, and their bodies sent rolling, their arms and legs flaying through the air. Katie came to a stop when she smashed into a bulkhead and with a soft moan, lay totally still.

Sparks flew out of the OPS panel and t the bridge became totally black. Smoke and flame suddenly started spewing out of all other consoles for a few moments, the flames throwing ghostly shadows and then as they died out the bridge once again was engulfed in total blackness. The Yeager blew out of the wormhole, still tumbling wildly, and at unimaginable speed as it shot across the quadrant sky. The wave kept rolling on with an ear-splitting roar, that would have deafened the entire personnel on the Yeager if they could have heard - but all were lying silently and in grotesque positions. At last the ship started to slow but only after an extended period finally came to a dead halt, and listing to port. On the Bridge there wasn't a sound or movement of any kind.

*****

Five minutes, then ten minutes passed before anyone began to stir. Nick was one of the first and with a soft moan he shook his head, and with a dazed expression on his face slowly started pulling himself to his feet. Other moans, along with children's fearful sobs, began to be heard elsewhere on the Bridge. Blackness slowly faded to gray, replaced by distorted images as Jonathan lay there trying desperately to register some sort of coherent sense to his brain.

Thomas slowly rose to one knee, then gritted his teeth and with an agonized yell of pain managed to raise enough to slide onto the pilot's chair. His head hung down to his chest and one arm dangled limply to his side. At last he raised his head and slowly looked around - people were lying all over the bridge - some looking dazed while others were still unconscious. Only a couple showed slight indications of trying to move a limb.

Jonathan finally managed to roll over to one knee. As he started to put a hand to the deck he felt a sharp pain shoot all the way up his arm and knew something was broken. Looking around he saw a Bridge in complete disarray, with bodies sprawled everywhere. He painfully began crawling towards Maori and saw Tyler's body sprawled across her and Kolopak. Placing a hand on Tyler he tried pushing but was too weak. However the contact seemed to register on Tyler and he slowly moved off Maori and rolled onto his back, moaning softly.

"Maori, you okay?" croaked Jonathan.

"I think so," she whispered as her eyes opened and she looked at Jonathan. "Give me a minute - I think I'm just shaken up. I'll be okay."

"You are going to have your hands full now I'm afraid. Everyone is down." He tried to rise but couldn't so drug himself to OPS to find Adam attempting to sit up. Blood was streaming down his face but other than his hair being red from blood, Jonathan couldn't tell where the wound was or how serious. They helped each other to their feet and held on to the ominously quiet OPS control panel. Adam swiped at the blood, which was now getting into his eyes and then dripping onto the panel.

"Looks like this station is down, Jonathan," he said in a voice not recognizable as his own. Jonathan nodded and looked toward Nick, who had now pulled himself to his feet at his station.

"Nick - you able to function? Looks like all communication and sensors are down."

"All engines are offline, too, Jonathan," mumbled Thomas from the pilot's seat.

Nick staggered over to OPS, nearly falling en route, but managed to make a last minute lunge for the OPS station, and then with Adam's assistance, pulled the top panel off while Jonathan, his mind finally beginning to clear, looked around, and desperately began searching for Annie and Jeremiah. He saw B'Elanna down by helm trying to sit up and although she was grimacing in pain he felt grateful she was still okay. Finally he saw Annie in a jumble that included Bartu, Jason, Cody and Katie.

Looking like a drunken sailor he managed to make his way to their position and painfully knelt down and placed his hand on Annie's cheek as she lay there blinking her eyes, obviously still in a dazed and shocked mind.

"Annie?" he said softly.

She turned her head and tried to focus her eyes on Jonathan. "Kolopak and Jeremiah?" she asked weakly.

He turned his head and saw Kolopak was now crawling over to them, tears streaming down his cheeks. Jeremiah was also moving and reached for his father's arm. Jonathan immediately slipped his arm around Kolopak as Jeremiah reached them and crawled into Annie's arms. Both children were frightened beyond words and tears continued trickling down their cheeks as they clung to their parents. Annie looked at Jonathan and said weakly, "I'm afraid for our unborn child Jonathan, I fell very hard."

He nodded. "When Maori gets her bearings she'll get her Med Kit and start checking everyone. The main thing is you're okay," and he bent down and kissed her tenderly.

Soon Maori, still not too steady on her feet, returned to the Bridge and started making the rounds to check on injuries. Jonathan sat down beside his family, quietly holding Annie's hand and noted with satisfaction that everyone else was either getting to their feet or sitting up. No one appeared to have died.

Nick broke the silence. "Jonathan, I was able to get the sensors back on line, although I'm not sure of their accuracy, but I'm afraid Communications is another story. That's going to take several days. I've also put the Environmental backup system on line as the main was barely functioning." This was followed by a sharp cry of "Ow" as Maori lifted his arm to check it.

"Okay," responded Jonathan, "Sensors will do. Adam, maybe you can find out where we are, and Maori, give me a report after you've checked on everyone." He then asked Katie, Cody, Jason and Bartu how they were and Katie said Bartu was pretty badly shaken up and likely had a broken leg, but the guys, although lying still and not attempting to rise, thought they were okay, only some bumps and bruises.

At that moment Adam said, "Oh man, that's impossible!" His eyes were wide with shock as he said "If the sensors are right they show we are fifteen days from Earth, Jonathan."

Jonathan stared at him, his mouth dropping open. "Fifteen days!"

"I've re-checked twice", replied Adam as he again wiped blood from his face. "Sensors indicate we were blown past Earth's moon and almost half way across the quadrant. . . . "

Jonathan turned slightly and looked at Nick still at the OPS station. "What kind of missile was that anyway?" he asked in a shocked voice.

Nick looked back, still having a dazed, confused look in his eyes. "Damned if I know . . . sir, " he said shrugging his shoulders. "But one thing for sure, it was powerful!"

"Too powerful if you ask me. We'll have to tell Starfleet to forget that one . . . it was terrible!" Jonathan felt he could stand without assistance and helped the women to either lean against the bulkhead or to a seat, ascertained the children were basically all right, just a lot of bumps and bruises, as well as fear, then looked around for Maori. She was currently checking Thomas and Jonathan noted Tom had at last regained consciousness and was sitting up and tenderly rubbing his head.

Knowing it would take Maori awhile to give him a report he walked to his seat and was about to sit down when he stopped still. Turning to Adam he quietly asked, "Uhm . . . Adam - how about disarming the self destruct button?"

Adam looked at him, eyes wide, then everyone else, hearing this, looked at Jonathan with total disbelief over what they had just heard. They had ridden that shock wave, been tossed around like rag dolls and if Jonathan had touched the button . . .

The quiet was suddenly broken by Maori's giggle, then Tom, despite his dazed condition, broke out into a loud laugh, followed by everyone else until they were all laughing hysterically.

Finally everyone calmed down, Adam disarmed the self-destruct button as well as the delay function and Maori gave a preliminary report. Thomas had a broken shoulder along with a mild concussion, Nick a cracked vertebrae in his upper back as well as a broken arm, Bartu a broken leg, Jonathan a broken wrist as well as some torn muscles in his arm, likely from trying to hold on, besides a mild concussion. Adam had a deep cut on his forehead and Tom strained neck muscles.

Jennie and B'Elanna each had a broken leg and arm, Tyler had ripped the Hamstring muscle in his leg and Jason, Cody and Matt all had serious concussions, with Matt also having a rather mangled ankle. Maori's exam also revealed that Annie did not lose the baby but should rest for a few days. Beyond that everyone had massive bumps and bruises as well as cuts and lacerations, but everything was treatable and they had all come out of it alive.

Maori, after injecting Jason, Cody and Matt with a hypo spray for concussions, sent them to Sick Bay to lie down, but as no one was able to assist ordered them to do it in slow motion and continually hold on to something, even each other. She then started the procedure of mending all the broken bones and muscle injuries and strongly advised everyone to rest at least twelve hours, including herself when she was finished.

Jonathan nodded, feelings of relief flooding through him. "Well we can't go anywhere until we get the engines back on line anyway, so after treatment everyone just go to your quarters and get some much needed rest. We'll start repairs tomorrow."

After their treatment, Jonathan, Annie and the children went to their quarters and laid down, Kolopak beside Jonathan and Jeremiah sprawled across both his mom and dad.

As he lay there Jonathan thanked the spirits that they had made it back alive. Unable to go to sleep he thought of his mom and dad and smiled as he saw them standing at the foot of the bed.

Momma, poppa - somehow we made it.

We had confidence in you Jonathan.

Thank you mama, but I almost killed the whole family.

But you didn't sweetheart. You didn't give up - you fought the Borg and won. You were just being passive before and needed to be aggressive.

You and poppa guided me. I was too ready to quit. Thank you for being there with me. I love you both so much and this trip helped me - until the Borg came.

Both Kathryn and Chakotay smiled and Chakotay said, Leave it to the Borg to ruin a vacation.

As Jonathan smiled at that they slowly disappeared from view.

* * * * *

Seven hours later Jonathan, who despite being safely back in the Alpha Quadrant, found he couldn't sleep anymore and quietly left the bed, not wanting to disturb Annie and the children. He wandered onto the Bridge yawning and rubbing his head and saw Nick working on the Communications, but no one else was visible.

"Any Luck?" asked Jonathan as he again yawned.

"Not yet," he grumbled. "They'll probably have more success down in Engineering."

Jonathan nodded as he asked, "Who's down there?"

"Cody, Jason and B'Elanna, I believe," replied Nick as he peered under the console.

"Didn't anyone sleep?"

Nick just grinned at that, knelt down and stuck his head under the panel.

Jonathan wandered down to Engineering and found Katie was also there. "What's with this crew, doesn't anybody sleep? We're all disobeying Maori's directive," kidded Jonathan with a big smile.

The four of them chuckled then B'Elanna replied, "I think you gave us too much excitement on your 'healing' trip Jonathan. However, I did get about four hours then started tossing and turning, and as Tom needs rest with his concussion, I got up. Too keyed up yet, I guess."

"Progress?" he asked.

"I think we will be able to give you partial Impulse by this afternoon. But that's all."

Jonathan," said Cody, "Jason says the enhanced drive is completely done for and as to Warp, it just has too much to repair right now. It needs to be in dry-dock for that."

"Impulse will be fine Cody. After all we've been through, a nice slow fifteen or so days will be welcome." He then kissed B'Elanna on the cheek, thanked her for helping and headed back to the Bridge. As he sat in his chair, first Thomas, then Adam and Tyler wandered in. After being informed Impulse might be online later, Thomas and Tyler walked up front to repair the Helm, while Adam gave Nick a helping hand with Communications.

Three hours later Cody reported they had managed to partially repair the engine, but it was not even ¼, Impulse and they were lucky to get that, as the damage was too extensive. "We'll just have to coast home," he said with a slight chuckle.

Jonathan smiled and told Thomas to give it a try, who then powered up the engine, and after a few moments felt it was running satisfactorily. Adam gave him the coordinates and the Yeager started its slow trip back to Earth. This left communications and the replicators as the only repairs yet to be made, and as work commenced on those two items, everyone was able to catch up on sleep or just relax. Five hours after being underway Nick and Adam reported communications was now online, although it was quite weak and not at full power.

The Yeager limped along for two days. Adam, back working on OPS and trying to check communication, frowned as he tapped his panel. "Jonathan, I've got something, but it is so full of static and garbled I can't make heads or tails of it."

"Let's hear it Adam," he said as he massaged his arm. Although Maori had repaired the torn muscles it was still quite tender.

"t.......et........c.......s. . . . c.........ese."

"Doesn't make sense Adam," said Jonathan as he listened intently. Adam tried to clean it up but to no avail. Nick, who had finally left the bridge to nap, returned at that moment and listened, took the panel off and started to investigate the circuit boards. Grunting he went over to his Tactical station, poked around under the console, then came back to OPS holding a green circuit board. Grinning, he said, "Well as we don't need Tactical anymore, I don't think you'll mind my borrowing this," and he bent down under the OPS panel. A few minutes later he straightened up and asked Adam to again try accessing the garbled message.

Adam nodded and opened the frequency. Momentary static filled the air and then cleared. "This is Starfleet Command calling the SS Yeager. Come in please. This is Starfleet Command calling the SS Yeager. Can you hear us? Please respond. This is Starfleet calling SS Yeager. Please report," and then the message repeated.

They listened to the message three times before Jonathan looked up and said, "It's an automatic hailing beacon from Starfleet. They use that when a ship is missing or thought to be destroyed. It will run for one month before they turn it off."

"We're still about twelve days from Earth," said Adam. "Our communications are not fully functional yet to go that distance, Jonathan, so we can't let them know we're okay."

Jonathan smiled. "That's okay Adam. When we're able we'll let them know we're still alive and kicking! In the meantime as we can't do anything about it, turn it off." He hesitated then asked, "Do our sensors show anything?"

Adam grinned. "You want me to find a Borg cube for you?"

Jonathan laughed. "I don't know how mom could possibly have forged a deal with them I get the ‘heebie jeebies' just thinking about them, let alone talking or working with them!"

Adam grinned but privately he was pleased. That was the first time Jonathan had mentioned mom without pain in his eyes.

* * * *

Several hours later, based on their movement thus far and continued tinkering on the communications by Nick, Jonathan felt they could try hailing Starfleet and as Adam keyed in the frequency they heard the by now familiar call.

Jonathan smiled as he had Adam open the channel. "Starfleet Control, this is Commander Jonathan Chakotay of the SS Yeager. Do you read?"

Silence.

"Starfleet Control. I repeat. This is the SS Yeager. Come in please."

Still silence, so Jonathan had Adam cut off the communication. "Guess our signal is still too weak. We'll try again later."

For the remainder of the day the crew spent most of their time relaxing. A game of kickball started with the children in the cargo bay and before long the adults began to join in. Screams, yells and laughter reverberated throughout the large space, punctuated by the sound of a ball being kicked. Sometimes it was somebody's ankle instead of the ball and time was called while Maori attended to the injury. At last exhausted, everyone retreated to his or her quarters to clean up.

"I'm so glad to see the kids aren't scared anymore," said Jonathan as he wiped his face.

"Kids are kids, honey. They make fast recoveries, but I still worry they might have bad dreams and memories for a while."

He kissed her and replied, "Well we'll just have to make sure they don't."

Following a nap Jonathan headed back to the bridge and had Adam once again try hailing Starfleet. Unsuccessful he said they would wait and try the next day.

Following a cold breakfast the next morning and after a check with engineering, Jonathan headed to the bridge and noted everyone at their posts, even though there wasn't much for them to do. He kidded them about ‘force of habit' and there were several minutes of quips going back and forth. Finally Jonathan looked back at OPS.

"Let's try hailing again, Adam."

Adam nodded, saying he thought it was worth a try as the ship had made steady progress.

Jonathan cleared his throat and said, "Starfleet Control, this is Commander Jonathan Chakotay of the S. S. Yeager. Do you read?"

When no response was heard he started again. "This is the S. S. Yeager calling Starfleet Control. Come in please."

A scuffle of feet and a murmur of background voices were heard then, "Jonathan! . . . Oh excuse me, Commander Chakotay, we've been looking for you!"

"Understand that Neal," said Jonathan as he recognized the voice of Neal Carmichael. "We surfed that shock wave out of the Worm Hole, but unfortunately the immense power threw us fifteen days past Earth and all systems were damaged. We finally got communication repaired, although it's still not fully functional, and this is the first time we've been able to contact you."

"Fifteen days! You must have got caught in whatever it was that hit Earth. It's a wonder your ship survived. Is everything all right?"

"As to people we are all fine now Neal. We were banged up a bit but Maori and time have healed the injuries. You can report to Admiral May we really put the Yeager through a test for him running from the Borg. Almost all systems are still down but we managed to get Impulse slightly repaired - not even 1/4 Impulse, so we're still about eight days away. How did Earth make out with the shock wave?"

"Shock wave? Well the East Coast was battered as if they were in a Hurricane, but by the time it reached here it had weakened some. There was a lot of damage all across Earth. What caused that anyway?"

"That stupid test missile Neal. We had to use it on the Borg. That is something Starfleet should definitely stop working on!" Just mentioning that missile had gotten Jonathan worked up.

"Test missile? I don't understand, but will relay that message. Uhm Commander . . . surfed?"

Jonathan laughed. "Yep, surfed. It's a 20th Century sport where they rode the crest of ocean waves on a board and you can tell Admiral May it might behoove Starfleet to study up on that and add it to the curriculum," he said as he looked at Tom, who gave his usual smirk. "It certainly saved our lives," added Jonathan.

"Roger, I'll pass your report on. Glad you're okay Commander. Report in when you need docking instructions. Starfleet out."

Jonathan turned and looked back at Bartu, sitting quietly with Maori. "See that bright light, Bartu? That's where we are heading. Just wait until you can really see it up close. It's the most beautiful planet in the Galaxy."

Bartu just nodded. He still missed his home, did not yet understand why he was way up in the sky, what had happened and why the ship was running and everyone so afraid. He just wanted very much to go home.

During the next three days full Communication and Sensors were finally restored, as well as getting the Replicators back online, allowing everyone to finally have a hot meal. With all the excitement of trying to outrun the Borg for five weeks, food hadn't been a major consideration and it was apparent everyone had lost weight.

"Some diet. I think we should call it 'The Borgie' diet," said Tom in his usual sarcastic sense of humor.

"One I don't particularly like to try - ever again," added B'Elanna.

At long last they were within one hour of Earth and Maori brought Bartu onto the Bridge to see the blue planet called Earth. After everything had returned to normal, Bartu had at first been in awe of being up in space, finding it unbelievable. But as time had gone by his thoughts were constantly on his home. Following the wild ride on the shock wave, he had started spending all his time with Maori in Sick Bay or staying in his quarters. It was obvious to Maori that Bartu was not only homesick, but still in a confused state.

Bartu now walked up and stood beside Jonathan, his eyes wide. "It is beautiful as you say Jonathan."

"Yes Bartu and you will be living there now. Maori wants you to stay with her and you can also see the sculpture of The Family that you gave us thirty years ago.

"But I will eventually get to go back home, yes?"

Jonathan just looked at him a moment, knowing he could not yet tell Bartu the truth. Smiling, he clapped him on the shoulder and said, "We'll discuss that later, Bartu."

Jonathan then asked for an open visual channel to Earth, and Adam shortly acknowledged contact had been made. As the face of a Lt appeared, Jonathan said, "Starfleet Control this is Commander Chakotay. I'm sure your sensors are locked on us but just confirming we are now within one hour of Earth and request docking instructions."

"Acknowledged Commander," came the prompt reply. "Hold on for a moment please. Admiral May wishes to speak to you." Within seconds the visage of a smiling Admiral May appeared.

"Just wanted to welcome you back, Commander. I received your earlier report on the Enhanced Drive, but can you give me a few more particulars?"

"Well in a nutshell Admiral, it worked all the way to the planet . . . five weeks without any problems. Two weeks into the return trip, however, and we were running from the Borg, it started acting up. We took a chance and stopped for repairs, but it only lasted another week, so we ran on Impulse to give the Engineers time to see if they could fix it. However, we had to jump into it before it was completely fixed because the Borg were once again on our tail. Maybe that caused the final breakdown, but for now it's fried."

Jonathan hesitated a moment then added, "I will of course give you a detailed report in debriefing, but those are the main points for now. I guess I should also mention that we lost all systems during our wild ride on the wave, but have managed to complete some internal repairs. I have to forewarn you, however," and he smiled as he glanced at Nick, "Not all of the parts are where they used to be, as I'm sure the Engineers will notice, plus I think we achieved a few dents and dings, compliments of the Borg. All in all, and everything considered, it's a great ship, but I have some strong comments to make about that test missile."

Admiral May smiled. "Thank you Jonathan. The Drive information is critical. That means we prefer to work on it in our Earth Maintenance Hanger instead of the Earth Docking Port, which entails landing the ship down through the hanger roof. Can your pilot handle that or shall we beam our expert to you?"

"We have an expert right here, Admiral, in fact two of them," he said looking at Thomas and Tom. "We can handle it just fine, just send us the coordinates."

A short time later they entered low orbit over the Maintenance and Repair area and the large building came into view. As they neared they noted the roof slowly opening and Thomas circled around, came in over the building and started the process of slowly lowering the ship into the building.

It actually looked too small and Tom, sitting beside Thomas said, "You are pretty close on this side, Thomas," a tinge of anxiety in his voice.

"It's tight on this side, too, Dad. I think this building is going to fit us like a glove, but we'll make it."

Slowly, gradually, Thomas lowered the Yeager into the building. Tom was quite sure he could have reached out and touched the walls. At last the ship settled gently on the floor and everyone, not just Tom, let out a big sigh, then they started laughing, from relief at being home and from the anxiety of the landing situation.

"Fantastic job Thomas!" exclaimed Jonathan. "Their so called expert couldn't have done any better."

Thomas looked back at Jonathan and gave him the famous Paris smirk. "For awhile I wasn't too sure myself that we might scrape the sides all the way down, but as you called me an expert I didn't want to embarrass you."

Jonathan grinned widely then tapped his badge. "Okay everyone, wherever you are on board. We're down and back on Earth and I just want to thank you all for going along on my journey . . . sorry for the extra excitement. I also want to thank you for all your help and putting up with me. I'm exceedingly grateful to the Spirits that they saw us home safely. Gather up all your personal possessions, as I imagine Starfleet is going to be all over this ship shortly. Welcome home everyone!"

Katie, who had returned to Engineering for one last look around, called out, "What about our sculptures, Jonathan?"

"I'll arrange a large Transport and request some extra muscle from Starfleet personnel to help us unload them. Then I want to personally see everyone home."

Jonathan, after making sure all systems were powered down, ordered the hatch open. He was right. Five Starfleet Engineers were waiting and immediately walked in. After acknowledging Jonathan they hurried to Engineering.

Jonathan grinned, then tapped his badge. "Jiggers, Katie, they're on their way!"

During the next two hours Jonathan arranged for a Transport, got all the Sculptures loaded as well as personal possessions, arranged debriefing for the crew tomorrow at 0900 hours and everyone boarded the shuttle. The ship made stops to drop off the different crewmembers, with Jonathan giving them all a hug and a special thank you. With Katie and Adam the hug was an extended, heartfelt and grateful one.

The last were his 'adopted' Uncle and Aunt Tom and B'Elanna and their son Thomas. He gave each a tight hug. "I don't think we would have made it without your assistance. I can never thank you enough."

B'Elanna smiled. "Now you know first hand what your mom and dad and the Voyager crew went through, with the Borg, but you did a magnificent job Jonathan. Your parents would be so proud.

"I'm just glad you let us come along, Jonathan," said Tom, "even though we didn't need the extra excitement. I'm glad I finally got to see for myself where this great family started."

Jonathan nodded, wanting to say more but couldn't find the right words. Tom, sensing this, clapped him on the shoulder and said, "How about our going along tomorrow for the debriefing? B'Elanna and I might be able to add some information."

"That's great Uncle Thomas, see you tomorrow then." Turning he kissed B'Elanna on the cheek. "Thanks for everything Aunt B'Elanna, see you in the morning."

Finally the shuttle landed in front of the familiar large white house. As Jonathan, Maori and Bartu, along with Annie and the children walked inside, Jonathan took a deep breath and smiled, grabbed Maori in a big hug and said, "It's so good to be back in this house, Maori!" Turning to Bartu, he took hold of his arm. "Bartu, this is where we grew up after leaving the planet and where we all lived until we got married. Now it's your home, too. Come on everyone, we have to show Bartu The Family!" and they all headed to the backyard.

As they approached the sculpture, everyone stopped and stared with loving eyes at an object they at one time felt they would never see again. Bartu exclaimed on the exquisite detail of matching on the additional child, but with a twinkle in his eyes, added he could have done better, causing everyone to laugh.

After a moment Jonathan approached alone and draped his arms over the shoulders of the mother and father, and after placing his head on the mother's cheek, closed his eyes and silently spoke:

I was scared I was going to lose the family, mama, and feel very fortunate you were there to help guide me in defeating the Borg.

Kathryn smiled. We had faith you would defeat the Borg, sweetheart, and you did!

Chakotay smiled and looked at Kathryn and said, I guess it just runs in the family.

She playfully punched Chakotay on the arm, causing Jonathan to smile, and then said well I certainly don't want my family to have to continually fight them.

I assure you momma, it wasn't something I wanted to do. But I'm glad we got to go back to the planet and see once again where we were all born.

We're glad too, son. And we're also glad you were able to save Bartu. Take good care of him, said Chakotay

I will poppa. Thanks again for your help. I still don't think we'd have made it without you being with me. I needed your wisdom and strength.

You know we are always with you, Jonathan, but don't belittle yourself. You made the decisions, not us.

I guess so, but I did feel your advice. I miss seeing both of you so much! I wish you were here.

You have your memories of us, sweetheart, plus your own wonderful family now.

Jonathan smiled. I know. Well, I better get back to Annie and the children. Goodnight momma, poppa. I love you both.

Goodnight son, we love you too. Give everyone our love.

Jonathan opened his eyes and with a satisfied sigh turned to the family standing quietly a few feet away. He smiled, "momma and poppa said to tell you they love and miss everyone."

The group nodded in understanding and after heartfelt hugs and goodbyes, Jonathan took Kolopak and Jeremiah's hands and along with Annie, headed home.

The End

To be continued with "Looking Back"

Please use my feedback form              Back