By Alex

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: Paramount owns the characters, Voyager and the images. No infringement of copyright is intended. I make no profit from them, just enjoy writing about them.

Acknowledgements:

Includes a reference to Jeri Taylor's 'Mosaic'. The story takes place towards the end of season three shortly before the episodes 'Scorpion I&II'.

 Betrayals

Chapter I

"Maybe," Janeway's doubt was quite apparent. As if realising her reply was not exactly tactful when Chakotay had obviously gone to considerable trouble to organise an exotic picnic in Harry Kim's latest tropical holoprogramme, she put a hand on his arm and smiled. "It was a lovely picnic, Chakotay; and I enjoyed every minute."

"But not something you'd want to do regularly."

Janeway shrugged lightly  "You know me: I never was much use at lying around on a beach when I could be doing something more active."

"Maybe it would be good for you to take things more easily; allow you to forget the strains of command sometimes."

Janeway turned in surprise and studied his face. He was wearing what she thought of as his 'Inscrutable Indian' expression that usually meant a profound and stubborn disagreement with her views.

"If you're trying to tell me something, perhaps you should say what's on your mind," her voice was sharper than she intended and she regretted the words the moment they were spoken.

"Turbolift, stop," Chakotay ordered the computer and turned to face Janeway. "This is a prime example of what I mean, Kathryn. Maybe being out here in the Delta quadrant alone for so long is affecting all of us in some ways. I just think you should take more time to relax and stop thinking about the ship sometimes. Maybe then you wouldn't take offence so quickly when somebody offers some friendly advice."

"When I want advice, Commander, you'll be the first to know. Computer, Deck three," Janeway turned to face the doors, a red flush of anger beginning to show on her cheeks. Chakotay's jaw clenched, but he realised that any words would only inflame the situation and they continued to ride the lift in a strained silence.

They were in the corridor outside Janeway's quarters when Voyager lurched suddenly, the lights dimmed and the red alert sounded shockingly loud.

"Janeway to Bridge, report!" Janeway slammed her comm badge and raced back to the turbolift.

"We're reading an overload in one of the warp core discharge conduits, Captain," Lieutenant Tom Paris' voice was strained. "The core has almost reached critical."

Janeway exchanged an alarmed look with Chakotay, but before either of them could respond, Chief Engineer B'Elanna Torres' exited voice sounded over the comm link.

"Torres to Janeway. It's alright Captain; I've vented the plasma through an auxiliary conduit. The warp core is stabilising. Standing down to yellow alert."

"It is not alright, Lieutenant," Janeway's voice was tight with anger. "I want a full report, in my ready room, as soon as you have warp power restored to normal."

"Aye, Captain," Torres' voice was subdued.

Half an hour later, Torres stood awkwardly at attention in Janeway's ready room.

"So, tell me how Voyager managed to reach red alert through an overload that shouldn't happen," Janeway, now in full uniform stood beside Chakotay with arms folded across her chest.

Torres moved her shoulders uneasily as though suppressing an embryonic shrug.

"There was a malfunction in one of the warning circuits and the backup system was undergoing a diagnostic check when the overload showed up."

"Why wasn't the overload spotted by whoever was doing the diagnostics?" asked Janeway.

"I don't know, Captain," Torres' eyes slid away from Janeway, who instantly sensed there was more to the affair than a simple combination of equipment failure and bad luck.

"Who was running the diagnostics?"

"It was my responsibility, Captain. I should have kept a closer watch on the systems."

"I didn't ask who was responsible, Lieutenant. I asked who was running the check?"

"It was Ensign Lutkar," Torres answered reluctantly.

"You were right when you said it was your responsibility. I want you to see to it that nothing like this can happen again."

"Aye, Captain."

"And send Ensign Lutkar here to see me," Janeway nodded a dismissal. For a moment She thought Torres was going to argue with her, but the half Klingon engineer turned and marched stiffly out onto the bridge.

Janeway turned to Chakotay with a frown.

"Didn't you tell me Lutkar is spending a lot of time with one of the Betazoid crewmen on maintenance?"

"That's right. She and crewman Pelant seem to be quite serious about one another. There have even been rumours about a possible wedding," Chakotay frowned thoughtfully. "Ensign Lutkar is a very diligent officer; quiet and unassuming, but normally most competent and trustworthy. It's not like her to make this kind of error."

Lutkar entered the ready room hesitantly and stood to attention, staring blankly at the window behind Janeway's left shoulder. Her face was pale and set and Chakotay felt a wave of sympathy for the young officer.

"So, what went wrong, Ensign?" Janeway's manner was not unsympathetic, but she was determined to find out exactly what circumstances had endangered her ship.

"I failed to see the warning codes when I ran the diagnostics, Captain," Lutkar's voice was strained and the words came from between clenched jaws.

Janeway studied her in silence and then asked in a neutral tone:

"Were you away from your console at all while the computer was running the diagnostics?"

Lutkar flashed a startled glance at her and then swallowed audibly before replying:

"Yes, Captain," in a tone so low it was barely audible. A long silence followed this revelation, and Lutkar's nerve broke. "One of the warning circuits had been causing trouble and Lieutenant Torres sent for a maintenance crew. Pelant was working on the gel packs. He needed some help, so I ran the checks for him."

"And left your own post in the process."

"It was only for a few minutes, and I thought the computer would pick up on any problems. I'm sorry," she ended lamely.

"You realise the consequences of your actions, Ensign? If it hadn't been for Lieutenant Torres' quick reactions Voyager could have been totally destroyed by a warp core breach," Janeway spoke firmly, but without anger. She was trying to impress the seriousness of the incident without being unduly censorious but she saw with sudden alarm, the tears that began to flow in an uncontrollable flood down Lutkar's face. She put out a hand towards Lutkar. "Ensign...." but the young officer turned and ran sobbing from the room.

Janeway turned in exasperation and caught that same expression on Chakotay's face that had so irritated her in the turbolift. She opened her mouth to speak, but Chakotay forestalled her.

"Excuse me, Captain," he moved quickly past her to the door, and before she could think of a way to stop him without making matters even worse between them, he was gone. Janeway sat at her desk and put her head in her hands, miserably wondering how things could suddenly have gone so sour for her.

Although Janeway tried to concentrate on the screen, she found her mind wandering, trying to work out just where she had gone wrong and how to recover that precious close friendship with Chakotay. Recently, it was becoming something more than friendship, she had to admit. Maybe that was the problem. Working so closely with a subordinate friend, however close was one thing; but a lover? That was a different situation altogether. Perhaps it wasn't possible in their circumstances, stranded so far from home, when she had to bear the sole responsibility for nearly one hundred and fifty lives. She sighed and scrolled back the results to start reading them again.

"Captain, scanners are picking up quantities of debris off our starboard bow," Lieutenant Tuvok's voice interrupted her troubled thoughts.

"What kind of debris, Mr. Tuvok?" Janeway rapidly replaced the old scan results on her screen with those current on Tuvok's tactical station.

"Large quantities of technologically advanced alloys and polymers, also traces of anti-matter residue and organic compounds."

"The remains of spaceships and their crews," Janeway said harshly, looking at the myriad dots and jagged particles on her screen.

"It would appear so, Captain," Tuvok increased the magnification and Janeway transferred the resulting image to the main bridge screen. She heard the combined indrawn breath of the entire bridge crew as they tried to comprehend the sheer magnitude of the disaster that must have caused what they were seeing. The doors to the bridge hissed open and Chakotay stepped through and stood transfixed by the image on the screen.

The entire screen was filled with pieces of debris ranging from tiny, almost invisible fragments to huge shapes of unfamiliar design and function. As far as the eye could see, in every direction, the dark vacuum of space was littered with the remains of ships.

"How many?" Janeway asked quietly.

"Impossible to say, Captain. Sensors indicate the remains are too badly damaged and dispersed to estimate," Tuvok entered some data into his console. "However, it would seem we are seeing the remains of a battle fleet. All indications show that the ships are the product of a single technology, and were heavily armed when they were destroyed."

"How long have they been out there?" Janeway looked up as Chakotay's reassuring bulk appeared at her shoulder.

"The anti-matter residue would only persist for a maximum of three days," Tuvok replied.

"What do you think, Chakotay?"

"I think maybe the Borg have been having a busy time."

"I think you're probably right. Mr. Tuvok, Yellow Alert. Increase scanner range to maximum. If the Borg are in this area, we don't want to be caught napping. Have some debris transported to Engineering for analysis. Traces of weapons' fire should confirm or deny whether the Borg are responsible."

"Captain, I am detecting life signs inside a piece of the debris," Tuvok frowned as he tried to pinpoint his findings. "Very faint, but definitely humanoid."

"Can you get a transporter lock on them?"

"Affirmative. It is one life form, probably severely injured."

"Beam it directly to sickbay. I'll inform the Doctor while I'm on my way. Chakotay, you're with me."

By the time Janeway and her First Officer reached the sickbay, the injured alien was already receiving intensive treatment. Most of his body was hidden by a combination of treatment machines and burnt clothing. The small visible area of his face was a mask of blood. The only definite impression Janeway gained was that he was male and a little taller than the average human.

"How is he, Doctor?" She asked.

"His condition is serious, Captain. The injuries themselves are life-threatening and the delay in receiving treatment has exacerbated his problems. However," he added brightly, "I am cautiously optimistic."

"How long before he's able to answer questions?"

"I have given him a sedative, so he will be unconscious for some time. I will contact you when he is fit to be questioned."

Reluctantly Janeway left the sickbay for Engineering, where B'Elanna Torres was conducting her analysis of the debris she had transported on board.

"Definitely the work of the Borg, Captain. Weapons signatures are typical of their technology."

Janeway looked at the charred wreckage around her.

"What about the people who crewed these ships, have you been able to learn anything about them?"

"A little. From the composition of their ships, I'd say they are of a similar technology to our own, maybe a little more advanced. They had an impressive amount of weapons power at their disposal."

"It didn't seem to make much of an impression on the Borg," Janeway poked absently at a twisted piece of what looked remarkably like plasteel.

"A lot of their weaponry was discharged before the ships were destroyed," Torres said.

"But sensors have found no debris from the Borg craft?"

"None at all, Captain."

Janeway returned to the bridge and spent the evening trying to trace the Borg's energy trail with Tuvok and Harry Kim. There were faint traces, but they were elusive and beginning to disperse over a wide area. Kim programmed the computer to analyse a probable course, but the results were too vague to be of much use.

"At least the Borg seem to be heading away from our own course," Chakotay studied the results on a padd in the Captain's ready room.

"That is the only good news I've had today," Janeway sighed and sat back in her chair. "The destruction of that battle fleet worries me. It makes me wonder, how many Borg cubes are in this sector of the Delta Quadrant?"

"We don't know what happened to cause the battle. It's possible the fleet was taken by surprise, or led by an inexperienced commander. One or two cubes can cause a lot of damage in those circumstances," Chakotay said.

"That's why we must talk to the injured alien. We'll learn a lot more from him than the sensors can tell us."

A short time later, Janeway and Chakotay entered the sickbay, their earlier differences forgotten in the current emergency.

"Ah, Captain, Commander," the Doctor spoke quietly with a satisfied smile. "The alien has recovered consciousness and is well enough to answer some questions. However, he is still weak, so I must ask you to be brief."

Janeway nodded and approached the alien's couch with a strong curiosity. She always enjoyed meeting new species, no matter how strange their appearance. When she reached the couch, she stopped abruptly and stared in surprise at the calm grey eyes that met hers. The man was almost indistinguishable from a human. His forehead was maybe a little higher than the average human, his features more regular for a man whose dark, waving hair was greying at the temples, but there was no denying his close genetic relationship.

"I'm Kathryn Janeway, Captain of the Federation Starship Voyager," she spoke gently, her eyes held by the man's intense gaze. She felt an impression of wisdom and pain mixed with a great sadness and wondered for a brief moment if the man was a telepath; and then he spoke.

"My name is Bandar Hakron. Squadron Commander with the Phectran battle fleet," his voice was rich and melodious, the tone cultured though strained by pain.

"We found you in the wreckage of your ship; our doctor has been treating your injuries. Can you tell us what happened to your fleet?"

There was a long silence before Hakron replied:

"Our long range scout ships discovered the presence of the Borg within range of our star system. We'd heard terrible rumours from refugees in other systems who'd fled ahead of them. Our leaders decided to send a great fleet out to meet them; try to stop them long before they came within range of Phectra," his voice weakened and he closed his eyes for a moment before continuing.

Janeway felt the Doctor stir beside her. "Just a little longer, Doctor. We have to know what happened."

"Twenty five squadrons of Eagle scouts and eighteen great Battle Cruisers went to meet the Borg. All were destroyed in less than an hour. My ship was one of the last to survive. When I realised our weapons were powerless to stop them, I tried to ram one of the cubes," he gave a bitter smile. "We didn't even get close before our ship disintegrated around us."

"How many cubes were there?" Janeway asked hurriedly before the Doctor could interrupt.

"I don't know. They moved so fast our sensors were unable to track them for long. More than ten I believe, but beyond that ...."

"Captain, I must insist that my patient be allowed to rest," the Doctor fixed Janeway with his sternest frown and she lifted an acknowledging hand.

"Alright Doctor, just one more question. Where do you think the Borg went after they destroyed your fleet?"

"Isn't it obvious, Captain? Where else would they find a completely defenceless planet, but Phectra?" Hakron closed his eyes, a sheen of sweat gleaming on his forehead.

"That's enough Captain. I absolutely forbid any more questions," the Doctor pushed himself between Janeway and Hakron's bio bed and faced her with a defiant glare. It was obvious Hakron was in no fit state to talk anyway and Janeway nodded abruptly before striding out to head for the Bridge.

Once on the Bridge, she summoned Neelix to consult his knowledge of the Delta Quadrant.

"Phectra? Why yes, I have heard of the planet," Neelix wrinkled his brows and paced theatrically up and down in front of Janeway and Chakotay. "I haven't actually met any Phectrans, but I do know they have a reputation for being courteous and hospitable to travellers. They are feared in some quarters for their fierce defence of their territory. I have heard they make very bad enemies. They don't make friends easily, but are renowned for those they do chose. Some of my fellow Talaxians have traded with them over the years and found they can be a little arrogant. That's about all I can tell you, Captain."

"What about Phectra itself; do you know where it is?" Janeway exchanged glances with Chakotay, whom frowned at the question.

"Well it's in a large star system a few light years from here. I'm not sure exactly, but I can show you the general area on a star chart."

Chakotay interrupted. "Surely, you're not thinking of going after the Borg, Captain?"

"We picked up the sole survivor of a huge fleet, Chakotay. His home planet is less than a day's journey from here. We can't just go on and leave the area without at least attempting to get him home. For all we know, the Borg may have bypassed Phectra altogether."

"You don't really believe that?"

"No," she admitted. "But he survived that battle, and I think he deserves the chance to get home."

The Phectran star system grew larger on the view screen, and Hakron leaned forward expectantly, his knuckles showing white where he gripped the arm of his chair.

"Sensors are having difficulty penetrating the system," Tuvok tried to clear the interference, with no effect. "I am unable to detect readings from the seventh planet. There seems to be a large asteroid belt in the region, which is inhibiting sensors."

Hakron stood up and walked slowly towards the screen as though drawn by an invisible thread.

"There is no asteroid belt in our system," his voice was low, but audible to everyone on the bridge in the sudden silence.

Tuvok looked towards Janeway, about to speak, but remained silent in response to the shake of her head. After several seconds of complete silence, Janeway went to Hakron's side and put a hand on his arm.

"I'm so sorry, Squadron commander."

"There were more than a billion people on Phectra and the two neighbouring colonist planets," Hakron continued to stare at the view screen. Janeway looked up at Tuvok who entered some data into his console.

"Sensor analysis shows the asteroid belt consists of three distinct origins. There are now only nine planets in the system, compared to the twelve recorded by Stellar Cartography.

Janeway looked at the asteroid belt on the screen, glittering with a terrible beauty in the bright light of the system's sun. She swallowed the painful constriction in her throat and turned to Harry Kim.

"Is there any sign of survivors? They may have got some ships off the ground before the Borg arrived. Scan the subspace frequencies for distress signals."

Kim shook his head.

"I've been scanning ever since we we've been on yellow alert, Captain. There's nothing on the usual distress frequencies."

"Then scan all the unusual ones as well," she said harshly.

"You're wasting your time, Captain," Hakron still stared at the screen, unable to tear his eyes away. "There will be no survivors."

"We have to try, Hakron."

"The Borg may still be in the vicinity. You are endangering your own ship by remaining here," he turned at last and looked at her. "Please, Captain. You've done enough. Get your own people to safety."

Janeway looked one last time at the screen and then nodded to Tom Paris who watched her expectantly from his seat at the conn.

"Put us back on our original course, Mr. Paris. Warp seven point five."

"Yes, ma'am!" Paris acknowledged gratefully and busied himself with an immediate course change.

"Keep monitoring those distress frequencies, Mr. Kim. We still might pick something up before we move out of the area," Janeway turned to Hakron who was now staring blindly at the blank view screen. "I'll walk with you to your quarters."

Normally, she would have assigned the duty to the most junior officer on the Bridge, but in the circumstances she felt it would be unfair to both Hakron and the escort.

Janeway led the way to the guest quarters in silence. Once there, she explained how to work the replicator and sonic shower.

"If there is anything you need to know, ask the computer, or call any officer on the comm link," She showed him how to activate his badge.

"You're very kind, Captain. I'm sure I have everything I need."

Janeway nodded. "I know this is going to be a very painful and difficult time of adjustment for you. You probably feel completely alone right now. I want you to understand that you're not alone as long as you are aboard this ship. In a way, we're all in a similar position. We too have lost contact with our own people. We're stranded, far from home and our loved ones must believe we're long dead. But we still have hopes of finding our way home, just as you must not lose hope of finding some of your own people. Somewhere out there, there must be other Phectrans: traders, diplomats, simple travellers who weren't caught in the disaster. You have to believe you will find them, just as we believe we will get home."

"Maybe," Hakron smiled sadly and turned to look at the streaking stars beyond the window. "Somewhere, out there must be my destiny."

His words echoed eerily in Janeway's mind when she made her way back to the Bridge.

When Janeway arrived on the Bridge the following morning, the atmosphere was more relaxed. Long range scanners had found no trace of the Borg and Voyager had left the scenes of the Phectran disasters far behind. She stood down the yellow alert and returned the crew to normal duties. She was in her ready room, catching up on the previous day's reports when Chakotay entered to tell her that Hakron was asking to see her.

"Send him in," Janeway was surprised at the request so early in the day. She'd expected the Phectran to take some time to convalesce after his spell in the sickbay. She stood up to welcome him and was further surprised by the obvious strength in his movements. Phectrans seemingly recovered fast from serious injury.

"Good morning, Squadron Commander," she greeted him.

Hakron shook his head. "No longer, Captain. There is no squadron to command. I would like to be known simply as Hakron on your ship."

"As you wish," Janeway sat on one of the couches and gestured Hakron to join her. He sat with a graceful, fluid movement and she felt the aura of power that emanated from him. She was momentarily unsettled by the knowledge and spoke with uncharacteristic nervousness.

"What can I do for you?"

"I wish to repay some of the kindness you and your crew have shown me. I'm not used to being a passenger. I want to work my passage to wherever I am going."

"You can go wherever you like, Hakron. You are welcome to stay on board Voyager until we come to a planet that appeals to you."

“Thank you. But I would still like to work. I need to keep busy. Can you understand that?"

"I understand very well. I just don't know about your area of expertise. You might have difficulty understanding some of Voyager's technology."

"I doubt it."

Janeway recalled Neelix' statement about the arrogance of Phectrans, but Hakron's eyes were grave and steady, with no hint of superiority in his expression. She decided he was simply stating what he believed.

"B'Elanna Torres is usually in need of an extra pair of hands in Engineering. Maybe you could help out there for a day or two," and B'Elanna would soon discover how much he knew about propulsion systems, thought Janeway.

It turned out that Hakron knew rather more about Voyager's warp drive than Torres, as Janeway discovered when she listened to her chief engineer's report of the Phectran's first day in Engineering.

"It was incredible, Captain. I really didn't believe the modifications he suggested could possibly work, but the simulations showed a fifteen per cent increase in engine efficiency. If we initiate the changes, we will have a similar increase in power to the shields or weapons arrays."

Janeway was always inclined to caution where Torres' enthusiasm for advanced alien technology was concerned. Voyager had been endangered on more than one occasion when her curiosity and desire to get home had resulted in unforeseen problems.

"I'll come down to Engineering tomorrow, and you can run the simulations again. We have to be very sure of all possible effects of any modifications to the warp drive." Janeway said firmly.

"That's what Hakron said," Torres smiled. "He's just as cautious as you are, Captain; insisted we run the simulation within parameters that are way beyond anything Voyager might encounter. He wants to spend tomorrow on diagnostics, to be sure the systems are all at one hundred per cent efficiency before we can think of implementing his recommendations," Torres was walking up and down the room, her eyes alight with the fervour of new ideas.

"I take it from your enthusiasm, that Hakron meets with your approval, B'Elanna?"

"If his idea works, he will have made one of the most important contributions to the whole mission. And that on his first day with us!"

The following morning, Janeway arrived in engineering accompanied by Chakotay and Tuvok to watch the simulations of Hakron's modification. The Phectran bowed gravely to Janeway and glanced apologetically towards Torres.

"I had hoped to complete all the necessary tests before presenting the idea to you, Captain. However, Lieutenant Torres can explain the process while I prepare the simulations we ran yesterday."

As explained by Torres, the idea seemed so simple that Janeway wondered why no one had thought of it before. In her experience, most of the best ideas were just like that and the thought added to her optimism. They watched the simulations and even Tuvok gave a grudging nod of assent when the final programmes had run.

"It would seem to be a valid improvement, Captain. I can see no flaws in the logic or the mechanics of the modifications suggested."

Janeway turned to Chakotay with an enquiring look.

"On the evidence we have seen, I would have to agree with Tuvok."

Janeway nodded and smiled at Hakron. "If this works, you will have paid for your passage many times over on your first day on board Voyager. B'Elanna, continue with those diagnostics, plus any more fiendish emergencies you can dream up for simulation. Bring me a full report when tests are complete."

"Aye, Captain," Torres grinned triumphantly at Hakron, who nodded gravely to Janeway.

While Chakotay and Tuvok returned to the bridge and Torres began her computer checks, Janeway took Hakron aside.

"Do you have everything you need in your quarters?"

"The guest quarters on your ship are palatial compared to the captain's cabin of a Phectran Eagle. Our ships are ...were built mainly for travel within our own sector rather than the vast distances you cover in Voyager. The accommodation was spartan to say the least."

"I wonder, would you dine with me this evening?" Janeway wanted to learn something about the history of her newest recruit and knew from experience that the best way to break through alien reserve, was a quiet dinner for two and a large tray of Neelix' best delicacies.

Hakron inclined his head in acceptance. "I would be honoured, Captain."

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