“WHO ARE YOU?” KALEH DEMANDED. “YOU CANNOT BE Dammik R’Kel, though you wear her face and form.”
“My name is Tialin. I am of Lhiau’s people, and I wish to stop his terrible deeds as much as, nay, more than, you do.”
She fell silent, and Jekri Kaleh’s face suddenly went blank. Then she shook her head, as if waking from a dream. New respect was on her face as she regarded Tialin.
“I understand,” she said, and so did Janeway. Tialin had telepathically informed Jekri of everything that had happened to date. Janeway wished that the Shepherd had shown such consideration with them earlier, but let it go. No doubt Tialin had her reasons.
“Time grows short. Lhiau is, when all is said and done, a Shepherd, though a renegade. He will not violate the Oath that we all took, back when the universes were young. He will not actively destroy life. But he can trick others into destroying themselves.”
“I have been,” said Jekri firmly, “a veruul.”
“No,” said the other Romulan. While they had been talking, the Doctor had been busy healing their visitors’ wounds. Now the Romulan male, a handsome young man, rose and went to Kaleh, though Janeway noticed he stopped short of actually touching her. “You have been wise, Jekri.”
“As have all of you,” said Tialin. She cocked her head, her eyes unfocused, as if listening and watching something Janeway could not see or hear. A faint smile curved her lips. “It is time you have arrived, my friend,” she said, softly, with great love.
* * *
The Entity rushed toward Voyager filled with joy such as she had never known. What a precious thing it would be, to come home to the people who had freed her, then loved her, then let her fly to her true destiny. How fulfilling it would be to, for a time at least, assume that small, female form into which she had been born, and speak with them of all the marvels she had witnessed.
She had lacked control, the last time she had been with them. Her powers were overwhelming her. They were the master, not she. Now, she was complete. She had attained mastery. She had the vast comprehension that this transformation had granted her, and, thanks to Tialin’s Presence, she had gone on this quest not only to recover the traces of the dangerous dark matter but also to remember her own identity. She knew who she was, at last.
How satisfying it would be to say hello and then farewell, but not forever, to people whom she had not been able to before. She envisioned chatting with the Doctor, sharing her medical knowledge; eating Neelix’s food and simply loving his sweet presence. And Captain Janeway, her mother and friend. Now, she could thank this remarkable human.
There it was! Oh, sweet home, forgotten and remembered with new poignancy. The Entity swept down, penetrating shields and metal alike with carefree ease, flying through corridors down which she had once walked. They were in sickbay, a place she knew, she knew! In she came, and—
The Entity’s joy turned to icy horror as the gentle tendrils she had sent forth found something dreadful.
They would not welcome her. They would fear her. They would be afraid that she would come filled with fury as she had once before, to march through the ship leaving death in her wake. No, no, this was not she! She loved these people. She would never harm them!
You would not, came Tialin’s thoughts. But another you would. And has.
And then the Entity understood. There were universes upon universes, and there was more than one destiny for every being. This was not her Voyager, her Janeway, her Neelix, her Tuvok. This was a Voyager from another universe, one in which she, the Entity, had not ascended to a greater height of knowledge and compassion, but had descended to depths of terror, pain, and rage. In this universe, when she returned, she had come with vengeance in her heart.
It was bitter, but the Entity understood. She understood so much, now. She would not be granted the sought-after reunion, not be welcomed and embraced and fueled with love.
I am sorry for your pain, dear one, said Tialin in her mind, but who better to help these people in their quest than one who loves them so?
Had she assumed a mortal form again, she would have blinked back tears from large blue eyes. But she had no form, and would not, not yet, not here. Even through the sorrow that the other incarnation had caused, the Entity knew she would not have shirked this duty had she known.
There was time to fulfill her duty without hurting them further. Or so she thought. Certainly Janeway, the Doctor, and the other humans present did not notice the Entity’s presence. But even as she swept from sickbay, she saw Tuvok’s head come up, saw his eyes narrow. Ah, she ought to have known. She could not hide it from him. Unable to help herself, she brushed his regulated Vulcan thoughts with sad, sweet affection, then reluctantly left for Engineering.
* * *
Tuvok blinked. He must have been in error. It could not be. But Tialin was smiling, holding his gaze with her own, and he knew he had not been mistaken.
He said softly, to himself, “Kes.”
* * *
The shield was holding. Which was a good thing on many counts.
“We’ve got to start gathering up the dark matter stirred up from that last battle,” said Torres. This was beginning to become all too familiar.
“Lieutenant,” said Seven. “The warp-bubble universe is expanding.”
Torres ran to Seven’s console to look. Sure enough, it was growing, right before their eyes.
“There’s twice as much dark matter in there as before—no, three times—” Torres fell silent. It was as if the warp-bubble universe was a jar, and someone was filling it right to the brim. More and more dark matter poured into the bubble, and it kept growing, changing size to accommodate the sudden inflow.
“What the hell is going on?” Torres cried.
Suddenly That Damned Ball emitted a terrible sound. It had been loud before, but now Torres thought her eardrums might burst from the dreadful screeching. Light filled Engineering, terrible, blinding light, and then it was gone.
“Lieutenant Torres,” said Seven, “the orb has disappeared.”
Torres blinked, frantically forcing her eyes to adjust. Seven was right.
“So has the warp-bubble universe,” said Khala worriedly.
Oh God, oh God, thought Torres frantically. “Engineering to Janeway!”
“Relax, B’Elanna,” came her captain’s voice. “The warp-bubble universe has disappeared, but all the dark matter’s safely in the orb. Tialin has come to take it back.”
* * *
Janeway thought she had never seen anything as beautiful as the orb, held safely in Tialin’s capable hands. Even though she knew what was at stake, and how fragile this balance between existence and nonexistence was, Janeway felt they had a fighting chance now.
Reading her thoughts, Tialin said, “All our energy had been taken up in attempting to undo the damage that Lhiau has caused.” She hesitated, then said, “Even we made mistakes, Captain Janeway. But you are right. There is still a chance.”
“Mistakes?” Janeway smiled thinly. “I can’t imagine you making mistakes.”
All at once, Tialin looked haunted. “We are not omnipotent, as I told your Tom Paris once before. We made our mistakes. Even as we tried to undo wrongs, we caused such wrongs ourselves. You were witness, Captain, to the first time we tried to correct the imbalance by transferring matter from one universe into another.”
For a moment, Janeway had no idea what Tialin was talking about. Then her eyes widened with horror as she understood. Her mind’s eye filled with the image of the planet on which she had first met Tialin. It had once been a Class M planet, with oceans and clouds and a population of two billion humanoids. She remembered seeing it wink first out of, then back into, existence. She remembered the volcanoes, the radiation, staring at bodies of pale purple-skinned humanoids who died in the instant from one step to another. They had called it the Ghost Planet.
Tialin nodded sadly. “We thought that if we could move the entire planet safely into another universe, it would counter the imbalance more quickly. We did not know what destruction our well-meaning gesture would bring. Thus it was that we learned, to our terrible regret, that we could only move a small amount of matter from one universe into the other at any given time.”
“Khala, Chakotay, and Paris,” said Janeway, her throat tight. She was filled with rage at Tialin. Two billion people! And yet she knew that it had been an accident. A horrible, soul-chilling one, but an accident nonetheless. What Lhiau was planning was nothing short of murder. And he would not stop with a mere two billion lives.
Tialin nodded again. “And even they will not be safe in their new universes forever, as you have discovered. All depends upon the Romulans halting themselves. If they persist, then everything is doomed.”
She turned to the three Romulans. They all stood straight and tall, giving Tialin their full attention. For a moment, Janeway thought how similar they looked. Fit bodies, pointed ears, ridged foreheads, sleek, short, black hair. Similar in mind-set too, to a certain degree. The Romulan Empire was all to each of them. But how different they were, too. She had not spoken much to the male Romulan who had arrived with Kaleh, but she knew that Telek and Kaleh were as different as night and day.
Individuals. In the end, no matter how the mind tried to lump people into categories, they persisted in being individuals.
“It is time for the three of you to travel back to your own space and time,” said Tialin. “I will assist you when the time is right. Make your farewells, and then prepare to open the wormhole to the Alpha Quadrant one last time.”
She turned again to Janeway. “Captain, I understand how distressed you must be. You had hoped that Telek R’Mor’s wormhole technology would be able to send you and your crew home, to your rightful space and time. I regret having taken this hope away. But the wormhole technology is in truth largely powered by Shepherd technology. Every time it opens—”
“More mutated dark matter is created,” Janeway finished. “I understand.” She lifted her chin and narrowed her eyes. “Don’t worry about us. We’ll find our way home, one day.”
Tialin smiled mysteriously, but said nothing.
Telek R’Mor stepped over to Janeway. They gazed into one another’s eyes for a moment, neither saying anything. It was Telek who first broke the silence.
“Captain Kathryn Janeway of the United Federation of Planets,” he said slowly, with great respect, “it has been the honor of my life to have worked with you on this noble cause. I wish I could have been instrumental in helping you find your home.”
“You helped with something much bigger than that, Telek,” said Janeway softly. “It has been an honor for me, for everyone on this ship, as well. You do your people proud.”
He inclined his head graciously. “As I have ever sought to do.” He hesitated. “I do not know what fate awaits me. I may still die the death of a traitor. I may live to a ripe old age, and entertain you in my home one day when our two governments are allies. After what I have witnessed these last few weeks, I have come to realize that, truly, anything is possible.”
Janeway’s blue eyes suddenly stung. Even if Telek R’Mor was pardoned and lived out his life as if this incident had never happened, even if by some miracle the Romulans and the Federation chose to be allies in science and war, she would never have the simple delight of visiting him on Romulus. That was indeed not possible, his hopeful words to the contrary. He was a dead man, standing, living, before her. He died years ago. She would never see him again. She realized that this was much, much more than a simple goodbye.
Had he been human, she would have embraced him. But she did not know if such a gesture would be appropriate or even welcomed. So she simply stood, gazing into the dark, compassionate eyes of someone she regarded as a dear friend.
Telek extended a hand. Janeway grasped it, and brought her other hand up to hold it, briefly, in both of hers.
“I look forward to reminiscing over a cup of tea with you in a few years, Telek R’Mor,” she lied with all the sincerity she could muster.
He smiled, and squeezed. Then the warmth between her hands was gone, and he stood shoulder to shoulder with the other two members of his own race.
“Convey my regards to Torres, Seven, and Khala, if you would,” said Telek. “I fear I will not be able to do so myself.”
“Consider it done,” said Janeway. She hoped her voice did not sound as thick as it did in her own ears.
Jekri Kaleh’s silver gaze flitted over them all, then she did something that utterly shocked Janeway. She lifted her right hand and spread the four fingers apart into a V. Turning to Tuvok, she said without the slightest trace of mockery, “Live long and prosper, Vulcan Tuvok.”
Tuvok raised a dark eyebrow, then returned the gesture. “Peace and long life, Jekri Kaleh.”
Then they were gone, all four of them—Telek, Jekri, her companion, and Tialin.