Disclaimer: All characters belong to Paramount minus Ensign Christy Anderson and a few selected insignificant characters

This is sort of a second sequel to Void of Night, so if you would like to know more of the background, I would suggest you start there. I hope you all enjoy this!

By now, the klaxons were sounding in my ears and I was surrounded by the alien species. My mind was racing, trying to recover the proper Starfleet protocol for this situation. I saw them begin to fire, and the security guard nearest me fell to the ground in agony. I looked to the others for any indication of what to do, but there was nothing, they all were waiting for my next move. Like Tuvok had said, the simulation depended solely upon my actions. Another officer to my left fell, and I knelt down to check upon him. I put my two fingers on the side of neck and held them there for several seconds- no pulse. Revolted, I withdrew my hand and stood with my weapon pointed at the nearest alien. Captain Janeway's voice came over the Comm. "Janeway to Security Team Three."

"We're holding up in Engineering, Captain. Two dozen aliens just transported over, and they're attacking us. We're doing our best to secure our position, but we need reinforcements."

There was a long pause. "Noted, ensign. Do whatever you can to neutralize the attack."

I gulped, knowing that my every move was being watched. I had no idea what to do next. I turned and saw my security detail being slaughtered mercilessly by the group of aliens on the upper deck of Engineering. By now, most of the crewmen had been evacuated out of the area, and my security officers were the only ones left. The remaining members looked to me for guidance. Not knowing what else to do, I took in a deep breath and ordered them to put their phasers on stun and begin shooting. Immediately they all obeyed my command. As I began to join in, Tuvok stepped out from where he had been observing inconspicuously. "Computer, end simulation," he commanded.

Without delay the holodeck disappeared. I turned and stared at Tuvok. "Why did you end it?" I asked frustratedly.

"Ensign Anderson," he began, "you have already violated 32 security protocols within the first 35 minutes." He gave me an empty stare.

"What did I do wrong now?" I demanded. Within six months I had completed my studies with Lieutenant Gebhart, and the Captain had ordered that I was to be tested over my newfound knowledge. This had been my second attempt at the final security protocol test.

Tuvok's voice brought me back into reality. "Starfleet protocol dictates that you take care of the wounded before you engage in further battle. It is obvious that you are still unfamiliar with this material. It was illogical to continue the simulation. Needless to say, you have failed this week too. I will arrange for Lieutenant Gebhart to review lessons 16 and 17 over with you again. We will try this again next Saturday at 09:00 hours. You are dismissed, ensign."

Downhearted, I left the holodeck and headed towards my quarters. Just this last test, and I will be able to work shifts on the bridge at the science console I thought to myself. Although Captain Janeway had installed me to a full ensign on the senior staff, she had expected that I worked to fulfill her trust in me. With flying colors, I had already passed the science tests administer by Lieutenant Stanfield, the Chief Science Officer, and B'Elanna had administered a fairly easy mechanics and engineering test. All I had left was Tuvok's security protocol test. Drittes Mal ist ein Charme… third time's a charm. As the turbolift shuddered to a halt on Deck Three, my stomach began to growl. I walked the short way to my quarters. After a brief shower, I would head to the Mess Hall to get something to eat.

Sauntering into the now familiar room, I sank down onto the couch. "Computer, what is the current time?" I asked as my stomach growled even louder.

My stomach growled again in disagreement, protesting the time. Seien Sie geduldig… be patient. I slipped out of my uniform and headed towards the bathroom. I reached down into my drawer and pulled out a fresh uniform.

"Lieutenant Paris to Ensign Anderson," Tom's voice interrupted from the Comm system in my room.

"Hey, Harry and I were going to the Mess Hall for a bite to eat. I was wondering if you cared to join us."

I sighed. "I'll be there in a minute Tom. Christy out." With that, I jumped in the shower, my mind full of images past. In my first month on Voyager, Tom had asked me out to dinner, but it had not gone as expected. Since then we had remained friends, close friends, yet it still bothered me when I saw him with one of the Delaney sisters. I knew in my heart that Tom would be nothing more than a friend, yet my new emotions were more concerned with his well being. From that moment on, I had seen him fling himself into different relationships that were sure to collapse. I found myself many times wishing that he found the right person for himself. Perhaps I would live to see the day. Sie denken an Unsinn… I am thinking of nonsense.

Feeling fresh once again, I terminated the shower and began to dress. I had to eat fast as I realized my next duty shift in the Science Lab began at 15:00 hours. I stared in the mirror and approved of my appearance. I walked out and sat on my bed, fastening my boots. Over to my left stood the telescope that Samantha had replicated for me as a present a little while ago. It was turned and pointed out my window at the stars, die Sterne der Nacht… the stars of night. I watched as they passed by, slowly coming at first and then accelerating to a blur. My eyes were riveted to the beautiful sight, the inexplicable force that I found comforting, the overflowing source of strength that I drew from daily. It was times like these that I did not miss home or my Father, when I subconsciously knew that everything was going to be all right, that I was going to get home.

My thoughts were interrupted by the door chimes. I sighed; it seemed that I was never alone. "Come in," I said softly. The doors swished open to reveal Paris and Kim.

Inwardly I groaned. Tom had never forgotten the first time we had met. There was not a moment that passed by that he did not mention rescuing me off of Deck Four to Samantha's quarters that were on Deck Three. I looked over at Harry who had been silent through the entire episode. He gave me his best blank look and shrugged. "Tom pulled me along."

I finished tying my boot and stood up to join them at the door. My stomach growled again, and I blushed at the noises it was making. "Sounds like someone hasn't eaten in a while," Tom said as he walked out the door.

After we arrived at the Mess Hall, Tom and Harry headed straight for the replicators. "You coming?" Harry asked.

When I had my tray of food, Tom and Harry had already seated themselves at the back corner of the Mess Hall. Cautiously I maneuvered through the tables to where the two figures sat waving. Sitting down, Harry stared at the unidentified mess on my plate. "Are you sure you want to eat that?"

I nodded. "It will do… at least it will keep me awake and alert for my next shift," I replied as I took a bite. "Die Suppe ist etwas bitter, aber es ist eine Verbesserung nach, was ich aß letztes Mal… the soup is slightly bitter, but it is an improvement upon what I ate last time."

I dropped my gaze from his face and stared at the soup. "I failed again. In 35 minutes I managed to break 32 security protocol."

Tom sent a sympathetic look. "Just shrug it off, Christy. You are trying to learn in six months what a normal person learns in four years. You're improving. Why last time, Tuvok ended the simulation after 15 minutes and you had already violated 68 Starfleet security protocol."

Harry managed to jump in. "It's okay, I had trouble memorizing all of those when I was in the Academy. If you need any additional help, though, be sure to call on me."

"We'll arrange something later," Harry interrupted nervously. Harry managed to finish the last bite of his food. Grabbing his dishes, he stood up to excuse himself. "Well that was wonderful," he began, "but I need to be getting back to my quarters. See you two later."

I watched him as he took his dishes to the recycler and walked out of the Mess Hall. As the doors swished shut behind him, I turned to look at Tom for any indication of why he had left in such a hurry. But Tom's face held an empty look, he was as much in the dark as I was.

I remained silent and became engrossed in my plate. Harry's actions had rattled me; there had been an unmistakable terrifying look in his eyes. He looked haunted, hunted, scared beyond all imagining.

"Want to have dinner together?" Tom's voice brought my thoughts back into the Mess Hall. It took awhile as I adjusted to my location and took in his last words. "Dinner?" Tom asked again.

I shook my head. "Oh, no, Tom, I can't. After my shift in the Science Lab, I'm eating with Ensign Wildman in my quarters, we're going to continue her German lessons."

Suddenly I was aware of someone's presence behind me. "But Tommy, you have to have dinner with me," the voice whined.

I felt myself stiffen as I recognized the voice of Jenny Delaney. "We missed you all day, Paris," her sister Megan said. Both girls came over and squished beside Tom. I began to feel uncomfortable as Jenny planted a kiss on Tom's lips, which he almost simultaneously returned. Tom looked over at me and gave me a helpless look.

I gave him a forced smile. "Don't worry, maybe some other time," I finished for him. Gathering up my plate and silverware, I stood to excuse myself. "See you around, Tom," I said as I turned away.

Dumping my dishes in the recycler, I turned to get one last look at Tom. He waved to me and shouted, "I'll call on you later!"

And acknowledging his promises, I walked out of the Mess Hall to think through some of the new and confusing emotions.

"Ich werde frustriert und ich lasse meine Gefühle aus Steuerung heraus laufen. Möglicherweise benötige ich abbrechen vom Druck… I am very frustrated, and I am allowing my emotions to run out of control. I know there is no reason to support my feelings, and I am being impractical. Perhaps, I should divert some of that energy and concentrate more on my studies," I found myself telling Samantha in the Science Lab. She looked up from her console and stared at me as she concentrated to translate my words. One look at my face and she knew I was testing her. After six months of German lessons, Samantha still struggled with the verbal and listening part of the language.

I saw a dirty look come from where Lieutenant Gebhart was sitting. "Christy, I do not believe that I have to remind you that you are on duty. Lieutenant Stanfield made it quite clear that you were to refrain from your German during this time. There is plenty of work to do, yet I gave you time to study your lessons. Since you have time to chatter incessantly, I expect you have already finished reviewing lessons 16 and 17. Tuvok will be quite upset if you fail his test a third time. I do not want to take the rap for your oversight."

I sighed and I put down the PADD I had been glancing at. "I apologize. I will continue to review my lesson, Lieutenant. Although, I believe I that I almost have them all down. There is just so many of them that it is hard to remember."

Lieutenant Gebhart's face softened. "I remember how hard it was in the Academy, I'll come up with a review that should help you. If you are finished, get started on the long-range scans of the Moheelean home world. When we stop at their trading port, I want you to be able to tell me everything about it."

I nodded in submission as he turned and exited through the doors. "I'll get right on it sir," I responded automatically.

Turning around the lab I moved to the console that was interfaced with Astrometrics. Recalibrating the long-range sensors, I began the scans and recorded them onto a PADD. As the computer began to do its work, I turned back to Samantha who had gone back to studying the molecular structure of some of the unique vegetation we had picked up at the last planet. I felt horribly as I watched her suddenly reach for her abdomen in pain. At almost seven months, Samantha already looked like she was overdue. I knew that the long months of pregnancy had been hard on her, even treacherous, but she had continued her duties as scheduled. "How many more weeks left?" I questioned lightly.

Samantha looked over at me. "Not many, Christy. The Doctor says the baby should come early, and he told Commander Chakotay that this was to be my last day of duty. I am now supposed to stay in my quarters and get some more rest."

Samantha shook her head. "I don't know; resting sounds heavenly, but I don't think I can go that long without something to do."

"I am sure that if you want I can supply you with some additional studies of German…" I let my voice trail off to give her time to contemplate the thought.

A large boom rang out from the back of the Science Lab and I scurried to find the source of the noise. I arrived at the scene to find Lieutenant Gebhart sprawled out on the floor. "Ensign," he said weakly, "you might want to oil this hatch to the Jefferies tube. I could barely get in."

I stood there lost in giggles as I watched my commanding officer roll over and stand up off the floor. However, Lieutenant Gebhart was not amused. Recovering his breath, he turned to me and glowered. "Get on it now, Christy," he said sternly.

The Comm system beeped. "Senior officers report to the bridge," Captain Janeway's voice boomed over the Comm.

I turned back to the Lieutenant whose eyes seemed to dance 'Saved by the Captain'. "Reporting to the bridge," I said stiffly.

As I heard the doors shut behind me, I began to make a dash for the turbolift. Hast. Sie tut nicht, um spät zu sein… Hurry. It will not do to be late... I told myself as I prodded myself onward.

"Ouch!" I exclaimed as I saw a blur flying towards me, collide, and spring backwards.

My hand instinctly flew up to my head as I gingerly rubbed the throbbing spot of the collision. Alarmed, I looked down to see Tom completely sprawled out on the floor. Nicht das erste mal… not the first time...

"Not in particular," I replied to evade his question. I reached down and helped him up, and together we got into the turbolift.

"Bridge," he said with a wince. As the turbolift began to move, I shifted me eyes around nervously. Sensing that something was wrong, he turned to me and stooped to my height. As he grabbed my shoulders and gazed in my eyes, I desperately tried to hide the emotions behind them, but as I pulled away I knew that he had seen the storm clouds that dwelled there. "Everything all right?" he asked concerned.

The turbolift lurched to a stop and we both stepped out onto the bridge to join the crowd that was forming around the Captain. I could hear everyone talking at once, but suddenly the Captain's commanding voice was above all others as she told us to settle down.

"All right, as most of you know, for the past two days we have been making trade agreements with the Moheeleans, who are from the next planet we plan to intercept," Captain Janeway began. "They have been most generous, and they have agreed that when we reach their home world, the crew can take shore leave…" she let her voice trail off to give us time to contemplate what she was saying, then hastily she continued. "We plan to be there for an entire week, so I am granting the entire crew two days of shore leave that they may take. After all, it isn't every day that we get such a unique opportunity," she said with a smile. "However, on the first day we get there, the Moheelean ambassador and his parliament will be hosting a dinner in honor of us. The invitation has been extended to the senior staff, so I'll expect nothing less than your best dress uniform. Understood?"

We all nodded like children in a first grade classroom, delirious with joy at the prospect of two days of shore leave, except for Tuvok, of course.

"The Moheeleans will also be sending over some of their representatives to Voyager, which Commander Chakotay will assign to you accordingly. They will be very curious about Voyager, so I know that you will show them around the ship and do your best to answer their questions. As my senior staff, I also know that you will treat them with the sincerest respect and that you will be a proper host to them. Let's show them the best side of Starfleet. Any questions?"

No one dared to question the Captain. We all had our orders; it was pretty clear. The prospect of visitors and shore leave left us with raised spirits. I saw her let out a sigh of relief, which she quickly combated with he hopeful smile. "Well, now that this is over, you are all dismissed. Report to your current stations. Ensign Anderson, I would like for you to stay behind and join me in my ready room." She saw my acknowledgement and turned to lead the way.

As the doors swished shut behind us, Captain Janeway wasted no time in pointing me to a seat. "Christy, I heard that the security protocol test you took with Tuvok this morning did not go so well."

Embarrassed that the Captain knew of my recent failure, I nodded slowly. "Yes, I did not fare so well," I exaggerated- to break 32 protocol in 35 minutes was almost a protocol broken every minute, but I would do better next time.

She laughed, "That's okay, Christy, I am sure you will put your best efforts forward next time." She paused and then continued, "However, Chakotay tells me that you have requested a shift on the bridge again. I know I told you last time that you would have had to complete your studies, so I'm not going to refuse you this time. I have already talked to the Commander, and informed him that once you have passed the security test, he is allowed to assign you shifts to the bridge at the science station."

My eyes lit up. "Thank you, Captain," I cried out. On an impulse, I stood up and embraced her; at first, Captain Janeway was startled, but she relaxed as she saw the tears of joy in my eyes. "It means a great deal to be able to achieve the goal I have worked at for six months," I continued.

"I bet it does…" her voice trailed off after her last words. She looked up at me. "So much for avoiding Starfleet," she continued slowly with an amused tone.

I dried my tears and gave her a weak smile. "I was pulled into the ranks despite my efforts," I said as new tears began to form in my eyes over the memories of home.

Captain Janeway noticed my oncoming distress and tried to comfort me. "I am very sure, Christy, that if your Father were here, he would be very proud of you today… Admiral Paris too."

The sweet aromas of the foreign cuisine and the light music that glided in the background created a wonderful scene at the banquet. The Moheelean home world was green and lush, a world without pollution. And their cities were as beautiful as they were amazing. The wonderful architecture that painted every building was intertwined with their latest technology, and I could see why it was such an astounding place to be. The food was as heavenly as it was foreign, and Neelix could tell that he had some competition as Tom playfully threatened to abduct the cook. The chatter around the table was ceaseless and broached a wide variety of subjects. Besides the Ambassador's parliament, the Ambassador had extended his invitation out to some of the renowned scientists of the day. Captain Janeway, who was sitting across from me next to Chakotay and the Ambassador, pulled me into the conversation as she introduced me to the Ambassador and some of the surrounding people.

"And Ambassador, this is Ensign Anderson, our youngest crew member. She is one of our finest scientists on board," the Captain said matter-of-factly.

I blushed as she paid me the compliment. Without delay, the Ambassador kissed my hand. "Pleased to meet you, Miss Anderson. At being such the brilliant scientist, perhaps you would find it interesting to talk to Doctor Migfay; he is one of our best scientists on this world. I will introduce you to him." The Ambassador looked down the large dining table searching for Dr. Migfay, and after circling a few times, he sat down dismayed. "He has not arrived yet, but when he does, I will personally make sure that you meet him."

I nodded. "It would be an honor," I replied thankfully. Quietly, I turned my attention back down to my plate and resumed eating. Suddenly I felt Tom nudge me on my left side.

Tom shook his head. "Not really… I'm beginning to think that the only person worth talking to here is Neelix!" he said sarcastically. I followed his gaze down the table. B'Elanna and Harry were heavily in conversation with one of the scientific engineers. Following him was the Commander and Captain talking with the Ambassador and a few members of the parliament. Tuvok stood engaged in conversation with the Ambassador's aide. That left Tom, Neelix, and myself at the end.

"Tom, at least you can enjoy the cuisine. When we get back on Voyager, there will not be anything like it."

Neelix's face frowned as he overheard my comment. "No, Ensign Anderson, when we get back, I'll make everybody their favorite, my leola root stew. You both know what a culinary hit that is!"

Tom and I burst out into laughter at his naïve comment. I turned all of a sudden as I heard the doors open. An old and wise looking man walked in the room.

Dr. Migfay acknowledged the Ambassador and began to walk over to him. Behind was a handsome younger man, following steadily.

"This is my apprentice. In such short notice, I was unable to make other arrangements for him, Ambassador. I hope you do not mind."

The Ambassador looked troubled at the situation, but smiled. "No, of course not, it's fine." Turning to the Captain and myself, he began to start the introductions. "Captain, this is our world's best scientist, Dr. Migfay. And Dr. Migfay, this is Captain Janeway."

"And Dr. Migfay, this is Miss Anderson, one of Voyager's scientists," the Ambassador continued.

"Pleased to meet both of you fine ladies," he said as he kissed my hand in the same fashion.

Without hesitation, the Ambassador called one of the servants to furnish a chair for the two people. When they had been situated across from me, the scene reverted back to its natural state. Dr. Migfay, uncomfortable by the silence, attempted to nervously smile as he turned to the younger man and ordered him to eat.

Ökologi…das Feld, das mein Vater liebte, aber wurde immer verweigert… Ecology... the field my father loved, but was always denied. The very remembrance of my Father brought back the momentary pain. We had been away from earth for over six months now, but the wound of pain was still fresh and very real. Wie ich wünsche, waren Sie hier, hervorbringen… how I wish you were here, Father.

Dr. Migfay's stressed tone of voice brought me back into the room. I was unable to concentrate, and I could not remember my English. Tom slowly put his hand on my shoulder. "Christy is an astronomer. And I am afraid that the stars have captured her attention now," Tom answered for me. He gave me a small shake. "Christy, are you all right?"

A few familiar notes of music, a few familiar phrases, was all that was needed to shove me off balance. I tried to fight back the tears that were coming to my eyes, while recovering my English at the same time. As of yet I had not accomplished either goal.

Dr. Migfay and Tom looked concerned, but Dr. Migfay continued with his questions. "Astronomy, I think that would be a most rewarding field of science."

I nodded slowly. "Astronomy has become a complement to my life. I learned most of it from my Father, who I left on earth."

Dr. Migfay slowly understood my previous actions. "You must miss him a great deal."

Tom perceived my approaching tears and turned the attention away from the sensitive subject. "Dr. Migfay, who is your assistant?"

The Doctor pointed to the younger man. "This is Tre'kent. He is a good friend of mine, and I am training him for his studies at the higher academy. Tre'kent will become a famous scientist one day."

As Dr. Migfay introduced Tre'kent I caught his gaze. I could feel the blush creeping into my cheeks. He was certainly handsome. The young man, becoming aware of my attention, blushed and bowed his head. "Dr. Migfay has been most kind."

"Well, you will both have to make sure that you see Voyager in the next few days. I am sure you will find it an aide to your studies, Tre'kent," I said with a grin, hoping that the next few days held interesting surprises.

The transporter beam energized and we materialized in Transporter room 2 at 03:00 hours. Captain Janeway congratulated us on the way we conducted ourselves, then encouraged us to get some sleep. As I turned down an opposite corridor, I could hear her and Chakotay talking about how stuffed they were. Dinner had been wonderful, and I was looking forward to getting to know Dr. Migfay and Tre'kent in the following days.

As I entered my quarters, I saw the PADD on the table that I had been preparing before I had left for dinner. On it were five German lessons for Samantha, who had been restricted to her quarters by the Doctor for two days now. I knew she had found it tiresome, and I had prepared this last minute. I picked it up and walked across the hallway. Quietly, I punched in the entrance code that I had known since my first night on Voyager. The door swished open and I stepped inside. I tiptoed to the table to the side of the room and set it down. I turned to see Samantha sleeping peacefully. "Gute Nacht… Goodnight," I whispered softly as the doors swished shut behind me and I crossed the hall.

As I readied myself for bed, I turned to glance at the telescope in my room. As a gift from Samantha, the item was priceless, and it reminded me constantly of my Father. I walked to the small console in my room and used my security code to get into the ship's database. My homesickness drove me to pull up my Father's file. I stood and looked at his picture- the only thing I had left of him. When I had left home, I had taken few things; another set of clothes, a few instruments from the old lab, but that had been it. "Computer, enlarge image to maximum size."

The computer beeped, and the holo image enlarged. My Father's strong familiar face stared back at me from the screen. Wie ich wünsche, waren Sie hier, auf mich stolz zu sein… how I wish you were here to be proud of me… I turned around to block out the picture, my homesickness stronger than it had ever been in the past few months. I flung myself into my bed, the hot tears pouring down my cheeks. Ich bin gewesen so tapfer für eine lange Zeit… I have been so brave for a long time… I could feel the dampness of my pillow as I let my emotions out, one sob at a time.

I jumped up when I realized that Tom Paris stood behind the door. "I am well. I was just getting to sleep," I lied in an attempt to get him to go away.

"Christy, you don't sound well. Have you been crying? Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No," I managed to squeak out before the new tears came to my eyes. Es gab zu viele Fragen… there were too many questions.

But this time, I made no effort to stop him. I turned to see Tom walk in and stare at the console. "Tom Paris, why I could charge you with breaking and entering," I said slowly between sobs.

"I've spent time in jail before, and more time won't matter if I get to help you…" his voice trailed off as he pointed to the console. "Yeah that's him, isn't it? Mr. Anderson, I recognize him. Were you reading up on his psychological profile, or was somebody homesick?"

He came and sat down on the bed next to me. "I'm sorry," he said as he put his arm around me. "I know you really miss him."

Tom's words broke down my last defenses from the tears, and I began to cry again as he pulled me close and pressed me to his chest. "Everything will turn out for the best," he said comfortingly as he rocked me back and forth. His comforting actions helped me to cease my tears, and I sniffled a little as he tried to ease my mind. "I heard the Captain offered you a shift on the bridge. I know you have been working hard to get there. Now, you have to begin teaching me German, and we can talk together when we're both on duty. We can drive Captain Janeway nuts."

I let Tom stay, and we talked for hours about different things. He had me teach him some basic greetings in German, and he gave me an oral beginner's pilot lesson. We talked about our families and our lives. Tom talked about Harry and the endless list of jokes he had pulled over on him. I talked about my attempts on Tuvok's test and the episode with Lieutenant Gebhart in Astrometric the other day. We caught up on each other's lives, talked about things we never got to at lunch, until the computer beeped. "Ensign Anderson, the current time is 08:00 hours. Your duty shift in Stellar Cartography begins promptly at 09:00 hours."

"08:00 hours already?" Tom asked as he yawned. He stood up from the chair he was sitting in and stretched. "Computer, increase the lighting by 20%." The computer obliged and the room became very bright. He looked down at his dress uniform that he had been wearing since dinner and sighed. "Guess I should have changed out of this hours ago." He nodded towards me. "You too…"

I looked down and realized I still had mine on too. Tom rose to leave. "I better get going, my next shift starts at 10:00 hours, but I'll be back as soon as I'm changed to take you to breakfast in the Mess Hall."

I smiled at his thoughtfulness. "That would be lovely, thank you Tom. Thank you for helping me through in the loneliest and darkest of times. I'm very glad I had you here with me."

I laughed as he left, a good day in deed. I yawned, realizing I hadn't slept for at least 24 hours; it would be difficult making through my shift in Stellar Cartography, which was quiet, uneventful, and most normally boring. I changed into my uniform, and sat back down waiting for Tom to get back. I heard him ring the chimes and I stepped out on cue. " Die Sterne der Nacht haben überschritten weg, und doch die Dämmerungeinflüsse der neue Tag… The stars of night have passed away, and yet the dawn holds the new day," I quoted cheerfully.

I sat in Stellar Cartography mapping the region of space we had passed through in the past two weeks. The job was time-consuming and tedious, and there were four others assigned to the same assignment. "Ensign Anderson, do you have Section 31 Alpha, Subsection 10 completed?" Lieutenant Stanfield asked.

He smiled, "Good, I can tell that your speed is progressing, Christy. Begin mapping out Section 52 Gamma, Subsection 4."

The doors to Stellar Cartography swished open and Chakotay stepped in. "Lieutenant Stanfield, if I may have a word with you," Chakotay said as he motioned Lieutenant Stanfield outside of Stellar Cartography. The doors swished shut behind them as I tried to concentrate on my work. "81%… 92%… 100%…" I said softly out loud. "Ich werde beendet… I am finished."

I could hear him sigh, and I knew I shared his thoughts. I had an hour and fifteen minutes left on duty. The door swished open again and Lieutenant Stanfield walked in, his face firm. "Ensign Anderson, could you join us outside for a moment," he requested irately.

I stood up from my console and followed him quietly out the door to where the Commander stood with Tre'kent. The Commander's face was kind and alleviated all of the apprehension I had experienced. "Christy, I would like to request that you would kindly show Tre'kent around Voyager. You will be relieved of your duty shifts today, to accommodate your needs. Dr. Migfay left orders that Tre'kent be at Transporter room two no later than 22:00 hours. Can you handle it?"

"All right, then, I'll leave Tre'kent in your capable hands," Chakotay replied as he turned and walked off down the corridor.

Lieutenant Stanfield cleared his throat. "Ensign Anderson, before you leave, perhaps you could give me the last data you collected."

I handed him the PADD and watched him enter Stellar Cartography again, unsure of why he seemed so angry at me. I looked up to see Tre'kent staring at me inquisitively. My observation of his handsome features from the previous night resurfaced. "So what would you desire to see first, Tre'kent?" I asked shyly, feeling the blush creep into my cheeks.

"Dr. Migfay said that the Science Lab would be most beneficiary," Tre'kent answered without emotion.

After five minutes, we approached the Science Lab. I opened the doors to find that the Science Lab had been closed. On Voyager, the Science Lab was not always open. There were at least four different periods in three separate days that it was closed. "Computer, increase the lighting in this room to 80% and activate the Science Lab."

The Computer beeped in recognition and immediately you could hear the soft whirring of the machinery. "Look's like we have the place to ourselves," I said quietly.

"Yes, it does," Tre'kent answered backed. He circled around the room several times observing all the consoles. "Would you show me what they do?" he asked suddenly.

I smiled. "Of course." I pointed to a console of the right side and directed him over to it. I proceeded to give him a detailed explanation of how it worked. I incorporated some of my lessons in and showed him how to use it. I could tell he knew much about science and had worked with similar instruments, because when I would translate the readings, he could tell me what I was scanning.

We went around the room in a similar fashion. He was a fast learner, and always interested. Sometimes he'd stop me and ask me questions, other times he would stop me to figure out the process for himself. By the time we had gotten around one half of the room, my brain was tired, and Tre'kent seemed to possess all of what I had taught him. The more we talked, the more relaxed he became, as well as the more open. He began to talk about the moons of his world, and began to point out several interesting things on my scans. I began to feel more comfortable around him, and I was finally able to release the tight breath I held in my chest.

The last console we came to was the console I frequently worked at. It was the one that was interfaced with Astrometrics. After I had satisfied his curiosity, I reached down in a drawer and pulled out a PADD that held the information from the extensive scans I had taken of his home world. I showed him an irregular element in his planet's vegetation that I had been unable to identify. I showed him the confusing readings and asked him if he could identify it.

"Christy," he called me by my first name, "this element is triiceraliite. It is a native element found frequently in the vegetation here. Some say that it is present no where else in space, but I am unsure of that. Tomorrow if you wish we could collect samples, I know where some of the thickest vegetation is. It is not that uncommon once you study it."

He sat down with the tricorder he had picked up and began to tap around on it. It buzzed a few times at him in complaint, but eventually he held up his finished product with a proud smile. "I cleared up your scans, look at it now. You see the unique thing about triiceraliite is that it produces its own radiation to change the DNA appearance. Once you cut through the radiation streams, you have a normal plant."

The doors swished open to reveal crewman and ensigns filing in for their duty shifts. I turned to Tre'kent. "We have to leave now," I told him. We walked out together and stopped outside the doors. "Computer, what is the time?"

I looked at Tre'kent and gasped. "We've been in there over two hours!" I exclaimed. My stomach growled and I looked over at Tre'kent. "Are you hungry?"

I laughed, "Yes, some other time. We can have dinner there, but for lunch, we're going to join a friend of mine."

He raised his eyebrow and followed me as I lead the way. We stepped into the turbolift together. "Deck Three," I commanded. As it jolted to a stop, Tre'kent took a step backwards and gestured his arm forwards.

"After you," he said politely. I took him around the corridors until we ended up in front of Samantha's quarters. I punched in the entrance code, just in case she was asleep.

"Shh…," I said to Tre'kent, "She might be asleep." The doors swished open and I walked in. Samantha jumped back startled.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Samantha, I had no idea if you were awake, but I can see you have been studying your German."

Samantha smiled, then looked behind me. "You're right. And who is this?" she asked coyly.

"This is Tre'kent from the Moheelean home world. I am taking him around Voyager for the day. I hope you don't mind if he eats lunch with us."

Samantha shook her head. "The more company, the merrier. I was hoping you would come for lunch. The only person I've seen today was the Doctor. He called me down to Sickbay to give me a cortical monitor that will transport me to Sickbay at the moment I go into labor. He said it could be any day now."

"The more reason for you to have lunch," I said as I pulled up a chair. "Tre'kent, you can sit here," I told him softly. I walked over to the replicator. "Computer replicate 3 meals using the specifications of the file Anderson 5. Charge credits to Ensign Christy Anderson, authorization Anderson 3-3-2."

The computer beeped and instantaneously replicated one of the hot meals. I picked it up and set it before Samantha. "Thank you," she said shortly before I turned back to retrieve the others. When we all had our food, we bowed our heads and I gave a traditional German meal blessing that I had always said at home with my family.

"No," I replied, "It was German, my first language. Many people do not speak it; I have been giving Samantha lessons."

"Which I should thank you for. I found them on the table this morning. They have really helped me keep my mind off staying in here all day," Samantha suddenly interjected.

"Well, what are you going to name your little girl?" Tre'kent asked out of the blue.

Tre'kent laughed. "Oh, I see why I have confused you. My species has a special gene that allows us to determine to sex of other species. We pick up on their brainwaves, as I picked up your unborn child's. At the point of conception, a mother will already know what her child will be. This gene also allows us to be more in tune with the emotions of others, but I can't read minds. Although, I have heard of species, Telepaths, that can. It is something that has fascinated our species for years. Some scientists speculate that we were once a quadrant wide trading species and this gene developed to aid us in our dealings with foreign cultures, but that is far from being proven."

As we took a moment to digest what he had said, Samantha spoke up. "Can you sense my baby's emotions?" she asked quietly.

He nodded. "She feels safe and secure," he said. "What will her name be?" he asked again.

"I'm am 104 in Moheelean segments. However, in your culture I am 19. How old are you?" he returned.

Samantha laughed listlessly. "I don't give out my age," she joked, "but Christy is 17."

I gave her a dirty look. "So how old does that make me in Moheelean segments?" I asked.

"Yes, it is the time that you are on an individual study in isolation to decide your life's future. It begins when you are 100 to when you are 110. After the Cumleitah, you announce your plans at a party in your honor, and you choose a name."

"Let me explain," Tre'kent interrupted, "I requested if Dr. Migfay would train me in science. Instead of studying on my own, I could have a mentor, a tutor. It was against tradition, but Dr. Migfay agreed. Most of society shuns us, even my own family. No one like breaking tradition, but several others have followed my example. That's why when I showed up at the banquet, the Ambassador was disturbed. According to tradition, I should be in isolation, not attending social functions. When we began, Dr. Migfay decided to call me Tre'kent, the name of his deceased father. I am unsure of whether I will keep it when the time comes."

"That's horrible," Samantha said sympathetically. "You should have reign over your own life. I bet it has been tough."

I looked at him with a newfound wonder. His culture was so different from our own, yet we looked so similar. He faced obstacles, and the darkness of doubt, everyday to expand his knowledge, and I had it all here at my fingertips. He had a brave, unwavering spirit that he faced towards his oncoming opposition. May God bless him as he travels under the stars of night, under the shadow of doubt…

I looked down at my empty plate, and picked it up to take it to the recycler. Standing up I grabbed Samantha's and placed it on top of my own. I reached out for Tre'kent's but he grabbed my arm. With his other hand he seized the plates I held and hauled them over to the recycler for me. "Computer recycle," he said.

He returned to the table and we all talked some more. Realizing that Samantha was retiring, I excused Tre'kent and myself and promised to stop by later. She gave me a thankful glance and accepted my offer to help her to her bed. Once she was situated, I turned off the lights and left the room with Tre'kent.

The old lab gleamed with its comforting familiarity, and in the background I could hear my Father's voice, deep in conversation with Tre'kent. I felt peaceful and calm as I stared out the window and gazed at the stars. After taking Tre'kent to every part of Voyager, he had requested to see the holodecks. As I had explained to him about how to create or choose a program, he had inquired if I would show him one of mine. The holodeck recreation of the old lab was a place where I was often found, but tonight was Tre'kent's night to meet my Father.

I could hear my Father arguing in English, a language he almost never used in here, but the only one Tre'kent could understand. I smiled at their trivial argument over plant genetics. My Father was winning, as I had expected. It was strangely soothing to follow the stream of logic, the frame of their structured arguments. I leaned back on the overstuffed pillow on the couch; I had never been so tired in my life. Sheepishly, I recalled that I hadn't slept since 03:00 hours yesterday. Usually when I was here in the holodeck, I was hard at work in the lab, or asking for advice from my Father, but resting had never killed anybody. Soon I buried myself in the couch, and my eyelids slowly fell closed to the comforting drone of the familiar voices as I allowed my sleepiness to overtake me.

"Christy," I heard a faraway voice call. My eyes fluttered open as I sprung up from the couch. My cheeks felt hot as I realized I had fallen asleep.

At his answer I jumped to my feet in horror. "The Commander is going to kill me. You were supposed to be in Transporter Room 2 at 22:00 hours."

He put his hand out to stop me. "I had Commander Chakotay contact Dr. Migfay three hours ago to request more time to spend with your Father. Dr. Migfay agreed and gave me until 24:00 hours. It's all right."

I looked around, quickly becoming disoriented. "Es ist Mitternacht?… It's midnight?" I questioned drowsily.

He nodded. "Almost. Your Father was an interesting colleage to talk to. He opened my eyes up to many of his theories. I learned a great deal tonight…" he paused as he stared into my eyes, "and today," he put in a little later.

My eyes shut again, and I was struggling even harder to stay awake. "Christy…?" he gently said with concern.

I opened my eyes and looked around. I became alarmed when I realized that the hologram of my Father was missing. "Wo ist mein Vater?… Where is my Father?" I asked after noticing that the old lab was empty.

"The hologram left to go home. He gave me an offer to use the lab as late as I needed to. Your Father saw how tired you were, and so he also said that when I was finished I needed to wake you up and send you home as well. Although, in reality, I can't send you home, back to earth…" he let his voice trail off.

My face winced at the painful memory. "Yeah, we are thousands upon thousands of lightyears from home," I admitted sadly. As I moved to stand up, I became very lightheaded. "Ich bin so müde… I'm so tired," I said slowly.

"Yes, I noticed," Tre'kent said with definity, "Wait, and I will help you to your quarters."

I shook my head. "Nonsense, I need to get you to the Transporter Room first. Then I'll take myself to my quarters." Using up my last ounce of strenth on my last words, I collapsed back onto the couch in exhaustion.

"I'll get somebody else to take me to Transporter Room 2." At Tre'kent's words I simply groaned, already too far away in my dream world. I felt a pair of strong arms pick me up and lift me off the couch. "Computer, end program," Tre'kent's familiar voice said.

I could see the bright light penetrating my dark world. I yawned slowly and rubbed my eyes. I was startled to find myself in my own quarters.

"Oh good, you're up!" Ensign Wildman cheered. "I have your breakfast ready, are you able to eat?"

My mind raced to make sense of the previous night; all I could remember was passing out. "Where is Tre'kent?" I questioned.

Samantha shook her head. "Christy, he's safely back on the Moheelean home world…" she paused as if unsure how to go on. She drew in a sharp breath and proceeded, "Last night you gave me quite a scare. In the middle of the night, Tre'kent woke me up with you in his arms. Tre'kent said that you had passed out on the holodeck, and that you had told him earlier that it had been a very long time since you had any sleep. After we had you safely in bed, I had the computer transport him directly to Transporter Room 2. Then out of fear, I called Lieutenant Paris up to come to take a look. He said that you are suffering from chronic sleep deprivation. His best advice was that you really need to sleep today. Tom talked with Captain Janeway about the situation, and she excused you from your shifts, although you'll have to pull some double shifts in the next few days to make up. Tre'kent left this note for you; you can read it later."

I nodded and accepted the breakfast Samantha handed me. "Ich fühle mich viel besser jetzt… I feel much better now."

Samantha smiled. "Ich hoffe, daß Sie. Ich zählte auf einer deutschen Lektion heute… I hope you do. I was counting on a German lesson today."

I began a short German review, testing her over the lessons she had studied in her own quarters. Needless to say it was an improvement from the previous weeks. I complimented her progress and laughed when she divulged that she had done nothing else since the beginning. Samantha and I talked for hours, much like the time I had spent with Tom. This was a unique opportunity, a rarity, compared to most days on Voyager. I enjoyed the break, knowing that I would have to return to my vigorous schedule all too soon. Samantha grasped her abdomen in pain and I knew our short time together was through for now.

"You need to rest, Samantha. I'll be okay. Here, let me help you to your quarters," I said gently. Helping her along the painful way across the hall, I half expected her to dissipate in a transporter beam to Sickbay. As I got her settled in, I replicated for her an early lunch and set it aside her. "You can eat when you feel like it," I said slowly.

She nodded, beads of sweat forming on top of her head. "I suppose I overdid it," she said weakly.

She gave me a look of suspicion. "Remember, Christy, you are supposed to be resting yourself."

I acknowledged her and promised to take it easy. As I walked to my quarters, I remembered the message from Tre'kent she had mentioned. The doors swished open and I walked to the table where there was a PADD lying. I picked it up and read the first few lines. I could almost hear his voice when reading it. "Christy: I hope the morning will find you feeling well. We can collect the samples of triiceraliite that you wanted any day that you wish. You will find any of our resources available to you. I will make an attempt to contact you on the Comm tonight. Dr. Migfay will be able to help me overcome any technological obstacles that I encounter. Until then: Tre'kent."

A feeling of joy rushed through me and I could feel myself smiling inwardly. The feeling of anxiousness sat there as I waited in anticipation. Diese Nacht würde nicht bald genug kommen… tonight would not come soon enough. I ran over the things that I could do until then. Although the Captain had excused me from my shifts, I was determined to show up in the Science Lab for my shift at 15:00 hours. I could not afford to make up so many missed shifts. As my stomach slightly growled, I finished the remnants of my breakfast and turned my attention to my studies.

'Starfleet security protocol 63-a: Any security officer shall make no violent advances on the enemy when a fellow hostage is at stake. Starfleet security protocol…' the list dragged on. I encouraged myself to continue and promised myself that I would pass the test Tuvok administered this Saturday, and I would begin my shifts on the Bridge as soon as possible. A small beep sounded as the computer directed a page on the Comm.

"Lieutenant Paris to Ensign Anderson," the laid-back voice came over the Comm system. Immediately it brought an expression of joy to my face, and I relaxed at the sound of his friendly voice.

"Ah, Christy, feeling better? Perhaps you would like to join Harry and myself for lunch in the Mess Hall?"

I could almost picture them outside my door, waiting anxiously. "That's a wonderful offer Tom that I'll take you up on," I said.

"We were counting on it. Neelix knows how much you love his leola root stew. Make it quick though, we're waiting outside your quarters."

Wie ich wußte… how did I know. "You may enter," I said loudly. The doors swished open to reveal my two comrades. "I'll be ready to leave in a second," I said as I picked up miscellaneous items from the floor. I turned to them in expectation. "Lassen Sie uns essen! Let's eat!"

As we turned the corridor and headed to the turbolift, Harry turned to me and raised his eyebrows questioningly. "So, tell us about Tre'kent…"

The Science Lab buzzed with several crewman and ensigns. Lieutenant Gebhart looked up from his console as I walked in. "Ensign Anderson, the Captain had not informed me that you would be reporting for duty," he said coolly.

"Very well, then, Ensign. Proceed to Console 2 and help Ensign Dresden with recalibrating the long-range sensors." He nodded to dismiss me and turned back around to face the console.

I walked over to where Ensign Dresden sat pounding her fist upon the console. "Voyager, you aggravating piece of equipment! Work with me! This is the eleventh time today I've recalibrated your sensors!"

I gawked at her display of anger, and awkwardly approached her. "Need some help? Lieutenant Gebhart sent me to assist you."

Ensign Dresden jumped at the sound of my voice. "Oh! Ensign Anderson! I suppose a fresh brain might be able to add new perspective to the problem."

She moved away from the console and allowed me free access. I saw the display on the screen and read the first few lines. Sensor capacity was at 74%, and the range was within 5 light-years. Below this were listed the several algorithm techniques that she had applied. I looked at the frequency and made several mental calculations. "Try increasing the sensor band with 4.67% and apply Starfleet algorithm Beta 1."

She furrowed her eyebrows and shook her head. "That wouldn't work… a bandwidth that large would create a dispersion field and blow out sensors."

"Not if you apply Starfleet algorithm Beta 1 to the sensor decryption network beforehand," I said hurriedly with a stressed tone.

She shook her head and began the work. A few minutes later we were rewarded with the sudden expansion of the sensor field. A small alarm went off in the Science Lab, and Lieutenant Gebhart walked over. He tapped on the back console and then came over to congratulate us. "Well done ensigns, you are done way before I thought you would be. Ensign Dresden, report to Console 4 and assist Ensign Ballard with her protein analysis of the soil samples we took from the surface of the planet. Ensign Anderson, if you could join me in Jefferies tube." He waved flippantly to dismiss Ensign Dresden and gestured for me to follow him. "Grab one of those cases, Christy."

We climbed into the access terminal in the Science Lab. Immediately Lieutenant Gebhart began to crawl and I scrambled to follow after him. "Keeping up with your studies?" I could hear the far away voice ask.

"Yes," I yelled back up. It was hard to hear in the Jefferies tube as everything echoed so horribly in some spots. I eventually figured Lieutenant Gebhart felt the same as he dropped the conversation and concentrated harder on crawling through. We got to the ladder and he began to climb. By now, my mind was starting to drift and I lost count of how many decks we climbed up. We went around a series of Jefferies tubes and stopped in Jefferies tube room 11. Lieutenant Gebhart wasted no time in getting to work.

"Christy, see if you can determine the exact rotating frequency of our short range scanners. Tell me when you have it."

I was perplexed at his strange request, and I was uncertain of why the approximation that the computer could give was unacceptable. "Get on it now, Ensign," he growled.

I pulled out my tricorder and began to scan the console. "Lieutenant Gebhart," I began.

He looked back at me, the harshness slowly fading away from his face. "What is it, Christy?" he asked.

"I wanted to collect a large sample of the planet's vegetation later on tonight. Tre'kent has promised that he and Dr. Migfay can assist me."

He raised his eyebrows. "Tonight? Very well. I'll clear it with the Captain, and I'll have Ensign Dresden prepare some containers from the Airponics Bay. I'm sure that Kes and Ensign Dresden will be able to help you. Be sure to give me a time later today, Ensign. I don't want to be caught off guard by the Captain. Now please get me that frequency."

It took me five more minutes before I could determine the exact rotating frequency to the last decimal point. Silently I handed him the tricorder and observed him as he read it. He began to tap faster on the computer screen, and I craned my neck to see what he was doing. Lieutenant Gebhart became increasingly agitated as he sensed me looking over his shoulder. "Christy," he said with tenacity, "modify the short range sensors to scan for polar ion disturbances."

By now, my commanding officer had me completely confused, but not wanting to upset him more, I did it without questioning. "I finished, Lieutenant," I said softly.

Unnecessarily, he came over and double-checked my work. "Well done, ensign," he said shortly. Then he turned and tapped his Comm badge. "Lieutenant Gebhart to Captain Janeway."

"Please meet me in Jefferies tube room 11 immediately," Lieutenant Gebhart said, the apprehension on his face clearly visible.

As soon as the Captain terminated the Comm link, Lieutenant Gebhart abruptly turned to me. "Ensign Anderson, I am dismissing you from your shift early, however I'll be sure to report you for the full shift. This is serious ensign, and I want you to speak of nothing you saw in this room to anyone. The Captain will want to talk with you about this later on today…" the seriousness in his voice was deadly. He looked at me and forced a smile. "Meanwhile, I'll clear the away mission with the Captain. I'll be sure to recommend that you head it up, but be sure to provide me with the departure time within an hour. You are dismissed, Christy."

He nodded his head towards the exit and I climbed back in the tubes. My brow was furrowed as I contemplated the actions of my commanding officer. I reached the exit to Deck 6 and walked through the corridors to the turbolift. "Computer, confirm current time."

The turbolift came into view and I hopped on. "Deck Three," I commanded. The turbolift began to move and then jolted to a stop. I stepped out and turned the corridors, almost expertly. I stepped in front of Ensign Wildman's quarters and punched in the entrance code. The doors swished open and I peered in to see Samantha resting peacefully, a good sign. I stopped at the replicator and ordered her a dinner. I placed it beside her bed. Exiting suddenly, I went to my quarters and retrieved the PADD with the extra German lessons on it. I entered her room once again and placed the PADD beside her dinner. "Ich hoffe, daß Sie mögen diese Lektionen… I hope you like these lessons," I said softly. With another glance at my friend, I left her quarters.

The doors swished open as I walked into my own. Anxiously I glanced at the screen, awaiting the Comm message from Tre'kent. I sauntered around the room, tidying up the place. I stopped at the window and leaned against the sill. Die Sterne scheinen, alles zu wissen… the stars seemed to know everything. I watched them as they slowly streamed by the window. How different this experience was than when I watched them on earth. I would stay late at night in the lab with my Father, and we would gaze at them most of the night. On Voyager, they constantly surrounded me and sustained me when I was homesick. My Father told me of the times that sailors used them to navigate their way home. Warum nicht die Sterne nehmen mir Haus jetzt… why don't the stars take me home now? Vater, warum sind nicht Sie hier… Father, why aren't you here?

With the desperate tears coming to my eyes for another time, I rushed out of my quarters, away from everything that reminded me of my distress. I ran and ran until I could run no more. I reached the holodecks, and without knowing what else to do, I ordered the computer to run program Anderson 2. The holodeck changed and the old lab appeared. A hologram of my Father approached me steadily, rapidly. "Christy, lieb, was bemüht Sie mein Kind… Christy, dear, what is troubling you my child?"

I pulled away from his grasp, ready to bolt. Was this what I needed? Every time I came here, did it only make my longing for home worse? Was I ready to face what I had lost? "Sie sind, Liebling, ohne Anleitung, Nr. verloren?… You are lost without guidance, darling, are you not?" the voice behind me questioned.

I hurriedly bit back the oncoming tears. My throat was so constricted that I could not speak, but the hologram took no notice. My Father placed his arm on my shoulder, and gently spun me around. "Wissen Sie, was zu tun, wenn Sie verloren sind? Erinnern Sie sich die alten Kapitäne, die für Tage auf dem Meer reisten. Als sie verloren waren, meine Tochter, schauten sie bis zu den Sternen der Nacht nach Anleitung. Die Sterne der Nacht führen Sie Haus, führen Sie zur Sicherheit. Sogar in Ihrem dunkelsten Moment des Zweifels, Umdrehung zu ihnen, weil das ist, wenn Sie die die meisten benötigen… Do you know what to do when you are lost? Remember the old captains, who journeyed for days on the sea. When they were lost, my daughter, they looked up to the Stars of Night for guidance. The Stars of Night will guide you home, guide you to safety. Even in your darkest moment of doubt, turn to them, because that is when you need the most."

The unmistakably familiarity of my Father's words brought back the tears that I could not hold back anymore. My Father moved to dry my tears. "Sie sind gewesen tapferes liebes, Sie nicht immer müssen so sein… You have been brave dear, you do not always have to be so…"

"Computer, end program," I heard a voice command from behind me. I spun around to see Tom Paris. "Mind telling me what's going on, Christy?" he asked with genuine concern.

"And so does the other 150 people on this ship… to tell you the truth, I wouldn't mind seeing my Dad again, even if it meant I would be put back into jail," Tom interrupted.

I nodded, slowly wiping away the remnants of my tears. I felt foolish sitting here crying like a baby. "It's been rough, but, I… I don't know."

He smiled. "Hey, it's ok. Why don't we round up Harry and we can go have a nostalgia fest… I'm sure he misses his parents just as much as you do. After all, there are no spatial anomalies to fight, no aliens to encounter, time can just tick away."

His smile had that contagious flare, and gradually I was able to form one too. "Maybe some other time; we can get the entire crew in on it. Right now, if you don't mind, I was going to head to Astrometrics. Perhaps you could join me."

"You could help me monitor the scans of the region of space we're about to enter," I stated evenly. "Besides, it would give us an opportunity to talk, Tom; and I would be getting some of the work done that I didn't do this morning."

I nodded. "I go there because it's where I can escape from my homesickness… Sometimes I can almost convince myself that I am home, that I'm really speaking to my Father. It helps, in a little way," I admitted.

Tom scrutinized the situation. "It sure didn't look like you were escaping your homesickness. Christy, you were in tears…" he let his words drop off into an uncomfortable pause. "I know its hard on you- it's hard being the youngest and being thrown into a situation that you could never have possibly imagined. But look how far you've come… as soon as you pass Tuvok's test, you can work shifts on the bridge. You know more than most of the crewmen on board know, and you've never even been to the Academy! Christy you walk through the halls as if you've lived here all your life! You're familiar with every bulkhead, console, and conduit. B'Elanna says that if you took some extra lessons you'd be a fine addition to her engineering team…" he let his voice trail off so his message could sink in. "All I'm saying Christy, is that we'd miss you if you weren't here. You've become an important part of Voyager, of us. We're all your family, as much as you are ours."

I saw the care and concern in his face and it gave me the strength to keep fighting on. "Thanks Tom; I needed that."

The doors to Astrometrics swished open and I began to show him how to do a long-range sweeping scan. "It's very temperamental. You have to make sure that the narrowed frequency beam doesn't deter off its target more than 2.5%. Otherwise, the beam will go into cascade failure and the scan will be faulty. You take this console and do Sect. 43 Gamma, and I'll take Sect. 44 Gamma. We'll go from there. I need to finish scans up to Sect. 79 Gamma…"

I raised my eyebrows. "Tom, that's 36 sections of scans. It will take you hours!" I protested.

Tom smiled. "I guess it's a good thing then that my next shift begins at 11:00 hours tomorrow. Just trust me, I'll have them in your quarters before you even get back," he said as he shoved me out the doors. As I hurried down the corridor to the turbolift, Tom's comforting words came back to me. I had never thought of Voyager as a second family. I remember an old German poem that I had loved as a kid. In there had been a wonderful definition of a family that I struggled to recall. Suddenly I could hear it as my Father read those words, "Eine Familie ist eine Gruppe vieler Leute, die dort sind, Sie zu unterstützen, zum dort Trösten Sie, von Ihnen dort gebraucht zu werden, Ihnen dort zu helfen, dort zu lieben, mit Ihnen dort zu schreien, mit Ihnen dort zu sein… A family is one group of many people who are there to support you, there to comfort you, there to be needed by you, there to help you, there to love, there to cry with you, there to be with you."

Yes, Voyager was a family to me- a family that I had missed to appreciate. For once in my life, instead of thinking of what I had lost, I began to think of what I had gained.

I walked into the Captain's Ready Room, my increased tension over the mysterious situation accelerating. I gulped as the doors swished open to leave me face to face with her. "Ensign Anderson, have a seat," she said as she pointed to the couch. I sat down, but my gaze never left her face. "I understand, Christy, that Lieutenant Gebhart involved you in our situation. Tell me, how much do you know?"

I shook my head. "Lieutenant Gebhart had me determine the exact rotating frequency of the short range sensors. Then he had me begin scanning for polar ion disturbances. Those actions could mean a number of things."

She scrutinized my face, and then satisfied handed me a PADD. "Not really," she said softly. "Take a look; tell me what you see."

I looked at the PADD and saw the frequency graphs of the scans. I looked through the patterns of energy readings and saw a distinct reading that interrupted the normal readings every 5.4 seconds. I drew in a sharp breath as I recognized an unmistakable pattern. "Bio weapons!" I gasped under my breath. But Captain Janeway had already heard me.

"Yes," she said, "bio weapons. I've been wondering if the Moheelean home world is as peaceful as the Ambassador let on."

I shook my head. "It doesn't make sense though, Captain. The energy reading isn't consistent. It powers on, changes frequencies, then powers down. I've never seen a weapon like that."

She nodded to acknowledge my concern. "I know, I was thinking the same thing myself, but the readings are unmistakable. I was thinking that it might be some sort of bomb."

"Bomb?" I questioned skeptically. "No, Captain, I was thinking it’s a defense mechanism…" I divulged in a silenced tone. I furrowed my eyebrows as I sat in deep contemplation.

"Captain, what if a party on the surface does have bio weapons. If anyone found out, then they could beam the weapons off the surface. This party took enough precautions to guard these weapons. We had to scan the surface with great scrutiny to pick up the sign. We would have to modify our transporters to do the same. The pattern changes every 5.4 seconds- too short of a time to ever get a lock. Why every time we picked up a new pattern and entered it in, the weapon would already have a different pattern. And there seems to be no pattern of change either. We have 45 different patterns on this PADD alone- none repeating, no pattern of change."

The Captain paused as she took in my speculations. "Your theory makes sense, but why does anyone have weapons of mass destruction down there?"

I shrugged. "Tre'kent told me that there has been a large dispute over keeping and doing away with Tradition. Maybe some radical is planning to overthrow the government," I said.

She sighed and put her head in her hands. "There are only a few days left, and half of the crew is on the surface," she said to herself with anxiety. Slowly, Captain Janeway turned back to me. "Lieutenant Gebhart has informed me of the away mission that you requested. At this moment, I'm unsure that allowing any more crew to beam to the surface would be wise."

"Captain," I said, "If the party with those weapons detects any change in our dealings with them, they might become frightened and expect the worst. They could set the weapons off before we have a chance to leave."

"You may be right about that, Christy. However, I've already made a decision. A few minutes ago, I contacted Dr. Migfay already and spoke with him about the mission. He said that by 19:00 hours Tre'kent could assist you. Reluctantly, I told him to expect you. I am assigning you Kes and Ensign Dresden, and I'm allowing you to head this mission up. I'll keep an open Comm link with you while you are on the surface. I want you to be on alert, and listen for any information that you might hear. If you sense any trouble, I am ordering you to beam up immediately. And most importantly, I want you to talk about this to no one. Understand?" she asked.

I nodded solemnly. "Captain, only two of us will have to beam to the surface. Ensign Dresden can transport the containers to and from the planet. She can stay aboard Voyager. Kes can beam down with me and withdraw the vegetation appropriately. Then when we've collected what we need to, Kes can beam back up and begin to replant the vegetation in the Airponics Bay. I can stay down on the surface and talk with Tre'kent some more. Maybe he will reveal something relevant."

She gave me an uncertain look. "I have given you charge of this mission, Ensign. You may do what you see fit, but I do not want you to put yourself into any unnecessary danger, and in result, any of this crew into danger. See that you remember that. Besides, as I hear it, Tre'kent and you seem to be forming a relationship. You won't have much more time here; take some time to spend and enjoy with him."

I nodded and I felt my cheeks flush. "Get on it now, Ensign. Your team leaves in less than an hour. And before you leave, as I hear it, that young man is on the Comm in your quarters. You are dismissed."

I left the Bridge and headed immediately to my quarters. My heart was beating for joy as I moved closer and closer to my quarters. I opened the Comm and the face of an impatient Tre'kent flooded the screen. "Tre'kent!" I exclaimed.

"Good evening, Christy!" he greeted. "It's so good to see you. I feel as if I have been waiting for hours," he said breathlessly.

"Dr. Migfay informed me that you are beaming to the surface tonight to take samples of our vegetation. He's allowing me to help you."

Tre'kent fidgeted and drew in a deep breath. "I was wondering that if afterwards, you could stay a little while. I could show you around here," he said.

"My next shift doesn't begin until 12:00 hours tomorrow, so I'll look forward to it," I accepted. "We can talk some more later, I have to hurry and get my away team together," I said in an attempt to close the conversation.

"Good bye," I said as I pressed the button to terminate the link. I reached over and tapped my Comm badge. "Ensign Anderson to Kes and Ensign Dresden. Please meet me in the Airponics Bay," I said as I exited my quarters and headed for the turbolift.

I assembled my team in the Airponics Bay. I informed Kes and Ensign Dresden of the plan that I had given to the Captain. Hurriedly we assembled the vegetation containers and regrouped in Transporter Room 1. Kes and I materialized on the surface to face Tre'kent.

He reached over and embraced me and planted a small kiss on my cheek. "Orgotov," he greeted. He turned and did the same to Kes. "It means welcome to my home," he continued.

"Well let's get on our way. I can show you some of the planet's thickest vegetation. Follow me, this way," he said as he gestured in one direction. He began to walk steadily, and Kes and I stepped into line behind him. We walked for five minutes until we got to a clearing. "We are almost there," Tre'kent encouraged us.

We walked through some crude streets, which became increasingly packed with people. As we passed through I could hear profane insults being shouted at us. Tre'kent bowed his head down in embarrassment. Little by little, the crowds became violent and I was extremely alarmed when they began to throw stones. One hit me in the shoulder and I fell to the ground. Kes stood glued to the spot, looking to me for direction. "You shouldn't have to take this," Tre'kent said softly as he picked me up. "Run," he shouted at Kes. "We'll be safe once we hit the forest!"

Kes began to run in the direction that Tre'kent indicated, with Tre'kent not far behind with me in his arms. We ran into the forest and I heard the buzz of a forcefield closing behind us. The crowd through more rocks, but the rocks were bounced back at themselves. Tre'kent laid me down and encouraged me to sit up. "Are you all right?" he asked.

I nodded my head slowly, and grunted as I painfully stood up. "What was that?" I questioned.

Tre'kent shook his head. "I told you society shunned me… I'm sorry that this happened. I expected them to behave better around you. You are our visitors and guests. You both should not have seen that display. But we are safe here. Should we proceed to take the samples?" he questioned.

Kes was unusually silent, disturbed by what she had just seen. "Where is here?" I questioned.

"This is a circular clearing of land that Dr. Migfay purchased for experiments. Too often, though, it is an escape from the likes of them," Tre'kent answered. I saw the pain in his eyes and chose to let the subject go for now.

"We should collect the samples," I said softly. Tre'kent took us about 20 meters into the clearing and stopped.

I nodded and tapped my Comm badge. "Ensign Anderson to Ensign Dresden. Beam down two of the containers."

Instantaneously two of the containers materialized and Kes began to get to work. I pulled out my tricorder to decide which specimens to take. "This one here," I said poignantly. Kes walked over with her gardening box. She pulled out a tool, and with a laser, cut the plant out of the ground with its roots intact. She quickly transplanted it into the vegetation container and tapped the controls to synthesize the appropriate supplements for the plant. She stood up and awaited my next directions. Scanning with my tricorder, I selected the next sample and knelt down to help her. All the while, Tre'kent stood by and watched us closely. After an hour or two, both of us had filled up the five containers that we had been allotted, and Kes beamed back to Voyager to transplant them into the Airponics Bay with the help of Ensign Dresden. When she had left, Tre'kent came over to me and put his arm around my shoulder.

"That was fast," he mused. He looked into my eyes. "How long can you stay, Christy?" he asked softly.

He smiled. "Good, I want to show you something." He grasped my hand and began to lead me through the thick foliage. We walked and walked until we reached a small clearing at the top of a cliff. I looked around and saw a small bench. He led me over to it and offered me a seat.

"It's breathtaking," I said as I looked all around. From up here, it almost seemed as if you had a perfect view of the entire planet. The sky was growing dark, and I smiled as I saw the first star of the night. I tapped Tre'kent on the shoulder. "There is the first Star of Night… make a wish."

I smiled and began out loud. "Stern des Wunders, Stern der Nacht, erster Stern, den ich heute abend sehe. Wünsche ich, ich wünsche kann, daß ich, den Wunsch zu haben konnte ich heute abend wünsche… Star of Wonder, Star of Night, First star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight." I closed my eyes and prayed earnestly. I opened them to find Tre'kent's head bowed. I leaned my head against him and closed my eyes again. After awhile, I felt him stirring. I opened my eyes again to see him looking down at me.

I put my head back on his shoulder and shivered when he draped his arm over my shoulder and pulled me in close. "I'm sorry for what happened on the streets, Christy," he apologized.

"Do you face that everyday?" I questioned sympathetically. My heart bled as he nodded.

"My decision comes at a high price," Tre'kent said simply. "But I pave the way for others that will come after me."

"There's an old German blessing, Tre'kent. Mögen Sie in gesegnet werden, was auch immer Sie… May you be blessed in whatever you do," I replied. It was all that I could say.

Tre'kent smiled and pulled me in tighter. "Thank you." I could barely hear the words as they escaped from his lips.

"You must have a brave spirit to face that persecution everyday," I said sympathetically.

He chuckled. "It's in my name. That's what Tre'kent means in our language- brave one." His face was contorted in pain as he talked about his life. It hurt me as I looked up and saw that raw pain for myself.

"In English, you would be called Joshua, it means the same thing," I added in. Tre'kent remained silent as he mouthed the name over and over. "You must miss your family, and the love and support you had from them once," I continued.

He nodded. "I miss them as much as you miss your own family. Only we are separated by the views of society. You are separated by thousands of light-years."

I became startled as I noticed a tear slip from his eye. Immediately he moved his hand to wipe it away and dodged my sympathetic gaze. We sat together in silence for a long moment, my head still resting against his shoulder; his arm still draped around me. Suddenly I could hear a melodious whistling sound. Tre'kent jumped up and took my hands. "Close your eyes," he said gently. "Let me lead you," he continued.

With great joy I shut my eyes and allowed him to pull me up. I took one faltering step after another, but I trusted that he would catch me if I began to fall. I felt him hoisting me up on top of a mound. He pulled me close. "You can open them now," he whispered in my ear.

I opened my eyes and looked at the amazing sight before me. Millions of shooting stars streaking across the sky. I could see the two Moheelean moons shining brightly, casting their light upon the weary world. In the distance, along the center plate of the sky, a brilliance of fiery colors gleamed. It seemed as if the sky was perpetually on fire, the flames and flares shooting up and overwhelming the sky. I was strikingly reminded of the Aurora Borealis. Still ever silent, I stared in awed wonder, riveted to the spot; the sight had taken me away. Standing there, with Tre'kent seemed to make the moment perfect. I felt secure and loved. "Die Sterne der Nacht sind schön... Ich habe nie alles so in meiner Lebensdauer gesehen… The Stars of Night are beautiful... I have never seen anything like this in my life," I was finally able to say.

"At the deepest hour of the Evening Light, All come out to see the Stars of the Night.

Watchers, beware, for up in the sky is found, The silent woven spell to which all are bound.

A spell that will never let you stay away, And these Stars will keep you here 'til Morning Day," Tre'kent quoted skillfully.

My head began to spin with delight as he finished. "I'm feeling dizzy," I said delicately. He picked me up gently and sat me down on the bench. I clung to him tightly, drawing comfort from our embrace. I loosened my grip suddenly as I realized he was leaning in, and I didn't draw back as we kissed. As we finished the kiss, I looked him in the eyes. "You are reading my mind, Tre'kent," I joked softly.

He shook his head. "No, I'm sensing your thoughts," he said breathlessly as he stole another long kiss. My heart skipped a beat as I realized how fast I was falling in love. I leaned back against his shoulder, closing my eyes as I reveled in the passing moments. "My wish came true," I heard him whisper silently in my ear.

I awakened with a start, and for the first few moments I could not remember where I was. I noticed that the sun had already risen with its bright yellow hues, and the morning air began to spread its contagious chill. Shivering, I drew the thick, warm blanket in close and then wondered where it had come from. With warm memories flooding back, I looked up to see Tre'kent, still resting peacefully against the bench. My head was in his lap, and his hands were resting on my head as if he had been stroking my hair. Wistfully, I watched him sleep on; a smile came to my face as I remembered the previous night under the stars. Desperately I tried to block out the mental images of leaving him so soon. In just two short days, Voyager would be pulling out of orbit to resume its course to Earth. Seien Sie hell! Jene zwei Tage sind die in der Freude an seiner Firma aufzuwendenden Tage... Be cheerful, those two days are days to be spent in the joy of his company.

Gently, I nudged him in his side. I heard a soft moan as he stirred, and repeating my action brought him to full alert. "Good morning, Christy," he said sleepily. "I trust you slept well," he added as he bent down to kiss my forehead. Our lips found each other, and I sat up beside him on the bench.

He glanced over at me. "Can you stay today?" he asked with his eyes bright and expectant.

I wholeheartedly nodded. "I'll have to call in for shore leave first," I said matter-of-factly.

"You can do it right away," he suggested. But not one of us made a move. I wrapped the blanket around Tre'kent as well, suddenly noticing how cold he was. Quietly I rested my head back on his shoulder, content just to be in his company.

Another twig snapped, and the loud crackling sound was unmistakable. I could feel my adrenaline levels rising as I remember what had awakened me. I clung to Tre'kent like a frightened child as the sound of feet, millions of feet, trampling and stamping the ground moved closer and closer. Then came the sounds of shouting, yelling, and random orders that cut through the air unbelievably. Tre'kent stood up, the terror all too evident in his eyes. "The forcefield must have went offline," he said under his breath. "Christy, stand up… try to move as quickly as you can. And be silent!" he hissed. "We have to find new shelter."

I dropped the blanket and bounced to my feet, but as I heard the sound of a gun cocking I knew it was already too late. "Run, Christy!" Tre'kent shouted. He allowed me no time to adjust to the situation as he grabbed my hand and dragged me along at a furious pace. I stopped in my tracks as I felt an unbearable pain sear through my arm. My stop was indefinite as I saw my own red blood oozing through my rumpled uniform. Tre'kent reached out to grab me again. "We have to keep moving!" he barked. But I had already hesitated too long.

Tre'kent was violently struck down by a bullet. Men in camouflage began to converge on our position. In a frenzied daze I tapped my Comm badge. "Ensign Anderson to anyone. Two to beam directly to Sick Bay… Now!" I yelled in hysteria. A commando officer reached out and grabbed me just as I felt the transporter beam reach me and take me away. I materialized on biobed 2, Kes standing over me with a medical tricorder.

"Relax, Ensign Anderson, you'll be just fine," she said comfortingly as she injected me with a hypospray that immediately eased my pain and sedated me.

I suddenly came to, and jerked up on the biobed. Sick Bay was dark now, and the Doctor stood over to my left. Across the room laid Tre'kent on a different biobed, motionless. "Lay back down ensign, I haven't completed the surgery on your arm," the Doctor informed me emotionlessly.

I nodded and allowed him to push me gently back down onto the biobed. "How is Tre'kent?" I questioned, the oncoming tears constricting my throat.

The Doctor looked down at me. "He is in a coma, but when he comes to he'll be just fine. Now I must sedate you again, ensign, to complete the surgery," he said soothingly as he injected another hypospray.

I came to again, this time more groggily than the first. I found it hard to piece together shreds of memories of my last experiences: soldiers with guns, the bullet in my arm, and Tre'kent… I craned my neck to see him sitting up across the room, talking with the Captain. I strained to hear what they were saying.

"Every member of my crew is precious to me. And I don't take kindly to the fact that one of mine was shot like wild game this morning," she said as she pointed at me. "Now what do you know, Tre'kent, about these soldiers?"

"I know by experience that the crowds can become extremely violent, Captain," Tre'kent said evenly. "I didn't know what was going to happen, Captain, or I swear that I would never have taken her there."

The Doctor suddenly stepped out of his office and loudly interrupted, "Oh, Ensign Anderson, you're up! How are you feeling?"

"It's no wonder," the Doctor said sarcastically. "The bullet you were hit with shattered your bone. You'll need to rest it for a few days."

I nodded hesitantly. Tre'kent painfully stood off his biobed and brusquely brushed his way past the Captain. He came over and cautiously embraced me. "I'm so sorry, Christy," he said as he kissed my cheek. He looked up earnestly into my eyes. "Do you forgive me?" he whispered. I solemnly nodded as the Captain stepped back into the situation.

"As soon as I run some subsequent tests, he may leave; I have already removed the bullet fragments from his shoulder."

Captain Janeway nodded. "Within the hour, I'll send a security detail to retrieve him and escort him to the brig," she told him as she turned to leave.

"The brig?" I questioned hastily. "He's not the enemy, Captain," I objected in disbelief.

She turned to me, her stony glare rampant on her face. "He is as far as I'm concerned," the Captain said. She stood there for a moment as if to dare me to question her actions again.

One look at her face and I knew that I had pushed it past the limit. "I think that this issue has become too personal for you, Ensign. You are hereby restricted to quarters. As soon as you are finished in Sick Bay, I'll send a second security detail to escort you to your quarters. You will remain there until further notice, understand?"

"Captain, we are detecting advanced bio weapons signatures from the planet. The present situation has worsened."

The look on the Captain's face dropped. "How is the crew's evacuation of the planet coming?" she questioned with concern.

"Initiate the emergency beam outs," the Captain commanded. There was an uncomfortable pause, and it was evident that he had made sure that the orders were being carried out.

"Captain, there is another issue of extreme importance," Tuvok said. "The Ambassador is hailing us and demanding that we turn over Tre'kent."

"On my way," the Captain said as she leapt into action. "Tre'kent, come with me to the Bridge now."

Sadly I watched them exit Sick Bay, Tre'kent's gaze slowly leaving my face. The Doctor came over with his tricorder and ran it up and down a few times. "Ensign Anderson, you will be fine. I'm requesting that you report to your quarters now. It will be one less thing for the Captain to worry about," he said amusedly.

In a resentful haze, I stiffly thanked the Doctor and then headed for the turbolift. A few moments later, I entered my quarters on Deck 3 without any emotion. The anger built up inside of me- anger at the Captain for treating Tre'kent so unfairly, and anger at myself for losing my tongue in front of the Captain. I could hear my Father reprimanding me once when I was a young girl, "Ein sollte ihre Öffnung halten geschlossen, wenn man nichts hat, das nützlich ist zu sagen…If you have nothing constructive to say then do not say it and hold your tongue."

I lied down in my bed, expecting the tears to come, but to my surprise, they did not. During that moment, I could not put my emotions into words. I felt nothing but anger and resent, fear. My emotions were widespread, and I was in a state of inner turmoil. For a moment, I had no desire to be home with my family, no desire to be here on Voyager. It was not hard to realize that I really wanted to have Tre'kent with me, the happiest thing that had occurred in my life since the beginning of this harrowing adventure on Voyager.

The door chimes rang and Samantha stepped in. "Guten Tag," the familiar greeting came. "How are you doing?" she asked.

She nodded. "That's wonderful, but it doesn't explain why you blew up at the Captain," she replied knowingly. I kept my face even and made no reply. In a feeling of betrayal, I looked up at her to see what she really wanted. "Christy, I'm concerned about you," she divulged. "This isn't like you."

"You are not being open to how she sees it. Christy, Tre'kent is a wanted man on his planet. He broke Tradition. Dr. Migfay put both you and Kes in his care. He should have kept you away from the crowds. He may be able to brunt the stones and the insults, but he should have never subjected you to that…" Samantha let her voice trail off. Inwardly, I gasped; there was no way she could have known about that unless Tre'kent confessed. "Kes told the Captain when she questioned about the large bruise on your right shoulder," she answered as if she had known what I was thinking. Silently I turned away, but Samantha wasn't finished. "I know we may not agree that what he did was wrong. In fact, I support him in his decision to go against Tradition, but there is a war on his home world between the resistance and the loyals. Captain Janeway has no idea if he is involved, and putting him in the brig was a security precaution. Christy, I am aware that you are fond of him, but when you are on duty, you have to put that behind you and go about doing what is best for Voyager."

I stifled the oncoming tears, and she came over and gave me a hug, knowing that her point of disapproval had come across. My voice began to shake as I nodded. "Samantha, will the Captain turn him over to the authorities?" I asked.

"I'm not sure," she said softly. She sat with me for a while on the couch, and we talked. Suddenly a voice came over the Comm system.

"Lately I've been monitoring the scans that the cortical monitor has been taking. I'm reading an anomalous agent in your blood stream. I need you to come down to Sick Bay so I can see if everything's all right."

"On my way," she said grimly. She turned to me and gave me one last hug. "I'll stop by later," she said softly.

I sat in silence for the next several minutes, thinking of the things that I could have done differently. But I remembered what my Father loved to tell me, "Was getan wird, rüber getan wird und beendet. Vergeuden Sie nicht die Zeit, die rückseitig schaut, aber schauen Sie voran und sehen Sie, was Sie anders als tun können… What is done, is done, over, and finished with. Do not waste time looking back, but look ahead, and see what you can do differently now."

If there had been one thing I learned from this it was controlling my tongue. Usually it was so easy, and I was unsure of why I had slipped so suddenly in front of the Captain. Samantha was right when she said that I had to put my emotions behind duty. I replicated a new PADD and began to write a report on the away mission to the Moheelean home world for the plant samples. I wrote what I had worked up mentally already and sat back to review it. The door chimes suddenly beeped.

The doors swished open. "Good Afternoon, Ensign Anderson," I heard a voice say. I jumped up from the couch and stood up at attention to face B'Elanna Torres.

"I need you to look over this data," she began. "Voyager is being hit with bio weapons, and they are cutting through our shields and damaging our warp core slowly but surely. I've been trying to compensate for an hour now, and the Captain thought you could help."

She stepped over and handed me the PADD. Slowly I reviewed it, as perplexed as B'Elanna seemed. I shook my head silently, and then had sudden inspiration. I went back over to the couch and picked back up the report I had been working on.

"I think I may have solved your problem," I said slowly. I skimmed my own report for the natural radiation frequency of the Moheelean foliage. I found it and entered it into the PADD as I made several quick calculations. "Eureka! They made the weapons out of their own foliage!" I yelled.

B'Elanna's face scrunched up. "What does that have to do with anything?" she asked impatiently. I handed her the PADD and let her take a look at the work I had just finished. "I see…" she said slowly. Hurriedly she turned to exit. I saw her hesitate before she began, "Thank you, ensign. I must go down to Engineering and begin working on this right away."

I nodded and watched as she stepped out to leave. "Uh… 'Elanna?" I called after her.

She peeped her head back in through the door. "Was there something you needed, Christy?" she asked swiftly.

She nodded knowingly. "The Captain granted him temporary asylum. He's talking to her in her Ready Room now. I'll be sure to send him down here later on."

My smile beamed three miles wide as she left with that promise. Danke… Thank you.

It was nearing the late hours of the day, and I had been resting ever since I had finished my report. I heard the soft ringing of the door chimes and I slid over to my other side on the bed. I brought my head up slightly, but in exhaustion I fell back down onto my pillow. I heard the quick tapping of the buttons outside, but decided to ignore it. It was probably Samantha checking up on me; she would look inside, see me asleep, and then leave satisfied that I was doing better.

Instead, I felt the constant stream of light as the doors remained open. I could hear the faltering step in the doorway. "Christy?" a voice called out.

I sprang up from the bed when realized that it was not Samantha. "Tre'kent!" I gasped in joy. I stood to my feet to see Tre'kent standing there in the doorway, B'Elanna at his side.

"I promised to deliver your boyfriend," she joked. I gave her a thankful smile as she bounced nervously from foot to foot. "Well, now that I broke through your security code, ensign, I think I'll head down to Engineering- make sure your new shield modulations are working properly. See you tomorrow," she hinted.

Surprisingly, Tre'kent turned and watched her leave, as I longingly wrapped my arms around his waist. "I was so scared, all day Tre'kent," I said softly. He planted a loving kiss on my forehead.

"There was no need to be," he said as he brushed me away and off to the side. My eyebrows furrowed as I gave him a hurt look.

"What's wrong?" I asked concerned. He seemed tense and uptight, and I could easily recognize the grim and distorted look on his face.

He took my hands gently and led me to the couch. As I searched for answers in his eyes, he sighed and ducked my questioning gaze. "For the short time that you’ve been here, it's been indescribably lovely, profound, knowing you," he began. My mouth opened to say something but he gingerly put his finger across my lips. "Stop, Christy, you must let me finish…"

I could see the emotional turmoil on his face, the unwanted tears gathering in his eyes.

"Oh, where do I start?" he questioned desperately. He let out a formidable breath of air and then began, "First, before I begin anywhere, I have something to confess, Christy… Dr. Migfay was a full-fledged member of the resistance. To tell you the truth, I had no idea until a few weeks ago, but when you think about it, how could he not be? I didn’t tell you this, but my whole life I almost idolized him; from the beginning when I began to realize how things really were, I knew that Tradition had no place in my life. When Dr. Migfay accepted my proposal of education, I felt this unbelievable fulfillment to my life. I completely thought I was doing the right thing, and I could never have imagined all the things that my life has held for me on this path. Yet when I found out that Dr. Migfay belonged to the resistance, I first felt horribly betrayed and wronged. This group of resistance has been known for their blood too; last month, they murdered a public official. Still, Dr. Migfay was so consumed and blinded with his hatred of Tradition, that his conviction and my fondness for him had me ready to join him within minutes. For awhile, I supported him fully, Christy, I really did, but Dr. Migfay cared for me too much to let me get involved."

He stopped for a moment to collect his wits and his strong emotions, then continued, "My education has become my life, Christy. When I stepped out of line, my family disowned me. Since then, I've dealt with the condemning crowds and the other implications, but after awhile it all stirs up the hate inside of you. There's only so much a person can take… In every being, there is an emotional breaking point, and this is what everyone pushed me to day after day. There were some times when I would be sitting all alone, and I’d want to die, I’d wish to die so that I wouldn’t have to put up with it anymore. To be perfectly ironic, I was wishing it that night I walked into the banquet and met you, Christy. For the first time in a long time, I’ve felt like a human being, not inferior and outcast, and I want to keep living this way! I could never have imagined the feelings that I hold for you now. I am being nothing but truthful when I say that you have been the best thing that has happened in my life." His eyes became clouded and hazed. He shook his head and put it in his hands. "Christy, the government burned down the lab and executed Dr. Migfay for his crimes against Tradition today. He sent a last holo-message before he died. He told me, Christy, to go far away- that he chose to strike today so that I could leave on Voyager. He said that he wanted for me to complete my education, he said that he believed in me."

His voice cracked and he stopped. I reached my hand up and wiped away two of his tears. Here was a young man with his dreams shattered, and his home exiling him. "I am so sorry," I apologized quietly, hoping for the best, but knowing that my small comfort wouldn’t be enough to quell his tears.

"Why should you apologize?" he erupted. "You've done nothing wrong; in fact, I've done everything wrong. I’ve been selfish lately, and now I realize how I shouldn't have led you on this way. Before in my life, my actions have literally ripped my heart in two, but I became too selfish and personal and now besides myself I'm going to hurt someone that I love deeply, so deeply… you, Christy," he said harshly.

"I don't understand," I began, my voice quivering with fear. His words seemed to set off the mental alarm in my head as I dejectedly realized the only thing he could mean.

"I can't go with you and Voyager, Christy," he said as he put his hand on my mouth to stop my oncoming protests. "The Captain offered me asylum, but I can't take it. Don't you see? You showed me the will to live. You showed me the passion you have as you go on doing the very thing you were called from the beginning to do- explore. I am being called now to finish Dr. Migfay's work. I feel the inexpressible need to correct the injustices that society presses upon us the correct and peaceful way. I need to show my world how far we can go without the strict rules of our Tradition. I have to stay here on my world and make a difference for the future generations to come. I would be no one and a coward if I ran away from this problem, even if it meant turning away from the one I love."

"You can't go back, Tre'kent, it is foolish thinking. The soldiers will track you down and kill you within hours!"

I shook my head, already on the verge of hysterics. "Tre'kent, you don’t understand that there are times when last stands will make no difference to anyone. If you were to go back down to your world now, you'd die in vain! Every effort that you have made would be in vain! It would all cease to exist! You can't stay here!" I demanded.

"Christy, I know that you are in emotional pain, but it is very unfair of you to ask me to stay," he replied sadly.

I shook my head violently. "You can't expect me to just accept this! To sit here and watch you throw your talented life away on a hopeless cause!" I yelled.

"You taught me what hope was, Christy. It is facing the insurmountable odds in the face of opposition and bravely moving forward. Even if none of this had happened, you knew Voyager wouldn't be here forever. You had to have been prepared to leave without me."

Sobs began to rack my entire being. "I was hoping that I could convince you to stay," I managed between sobs. Tre'kent put his arm on my back to comfort me. He lifted my face up to meet his.

"Even if I die while pursuing this goal, I never want you to doubt how much I love you," he said genuinely, "But I realized too that it wouldn't be fair to you if I asked you to stay here on this planet and die with me. You have a wonderful life, here on Voyager, and I saw that firsthand. However, I should have been more humble, more conscientious of your feelings, I got too close to you! I hate myself for the pain I know I am going to put you through! But after that pain has subsided, I know that I'll never regret the time we had together."

He let his hand brush up against the side of my face. "When you've seen what I've seen over the years, you'll understand why it has to be this way…" With one sweeping move he dried my tears on his arm.

His offered comfort did very little to calm the insuperable anger I had inside. Silently he offered me his shoulder to cry on. "A few months ago, I lost my family, Tre'kent, possibly forever. I lost the family that I loved dearly, and I just can't take losing you once I've found love again." At the end of my words, I burst into uncontrollable sobs. I could feel the seeping wetness of his shirt as I cried harder, but I only held on tighter and refused to let go.

"Christy, you are wrong," he began, "you have a strong, unbreakable spirit," he said as he lifted up my tear-stained face again and pointed me out my window. "Look out there, see those millions of shining stars. Watch them quietly and just look. Anyone who has known you understands that those stars are what you draw your strength from; your Father taught you that. I know that during your loneliest moments, you sit here and bask in their comfort. They have kept you going, Christy, and those stars will pull you through this as well. You are never without your strength or comfort," he said as he broke himself away from me. He dried my tears again. "I don’t want to see you cry, there is nothing here to be sorrowful about. You've gained one hundred and fifty people, here on this ship as well, that love and care for you… you will always manage to manage. But you will never know how much you broke my heart. I guess when I started talking to you tonight, all I have meant to say was good bye." He rose to leave, but my wanting arms reached out for him and pulled him back down.

We sat down inches apart yet steadily becoming separated by thousands of parsecs. "I can't let you leave, Tre’kent, until I tell you how much I love you," I began falteringly.

"Nothing, I guess," I said breathlessly. I looked up at the person I loved, yet was about to lose. "Ich liebe Sie so sehr… I love you so much," I said as I drew him into a kiss that I wished would last forever.

He reciprocated another pining kiss, but then pulled away, so much unsaid and undone. "Good night," he said solidly as he walked out of my dark quarters and into the corridor.

As soon as he had left, I dropped my brave façade and cried until I could physically cry no more. I grabbed a pillow and hugged it tightly to my chest, listening to the soft sound of my own heart beating. And as my heart was breaking, my eyes remained riveted out the window, drawing from my personal strength… die Sterne der Nacht.

Nicht wieder… Not again! The buzzing of a phaser shot slipped past me, and the security guard nearest me fell. The fighting was drawing to a close, but on the floor were scattered a dozen of Starfleet security officers, slowly being transported to Sick Bay. Without another thought, I turned my well-aimed phaser shots at them one by one, stunning the rest of the attackers. As the last one of the aliens collapsed, I knelt down to the security guard that had fallen just a few minutes before. Noting his dropping vital signs, I nodded to a crewman standing by the wayside. "Take him directly to Sick Bay," I ordered. I stood up and tapped my Comm badge defiantly. "Security team 3 to the Captain. The attack has been neutralized."

Abruptly the scenes in the holodeck shimmered away and Tuvok stepped forward to meet me. I let out a sigh of relief and attempted to calm my heavy breathing. Wincing, I gave a weak smile and wiped a bead of sweat from my brow. "So?" I questioned breathlessly.

Despite my pleading, Tuvok made no attempt to hurry himself. With great patience, he raised his one brow and slowly began with his face emotionless. "You did extremely well, Ensign Anderson. You completed the simulation with no mistakes. Needless to say, you passed. I will alert the Captain that you are ready to begin your shifts on the bridge," he said as he made a curt nod to dismiss himself.

Ich führte es durch… I did it… Inside, I strangely felt a deep sense of pride as Tuvok turned and walked out of the holodeck, but the anger and sadness from the previous night soon replaced it. As anyone could expect, I was still in shock that Tre’kent had decided to stay on his home planet. I sighed as I realized that the last transport from and to the planet was in two short hours. From Harry I had learned that Tre’kent had stayed aboard Voyager during the night in the guest quarters. Dreadfully, I fought the urge to see him off and give him my best wishes. I couldn’t keep him out of my mind, and I couldn’t get away from the pain.

Warum muß er gehen? Ich verstehe nicht… Why does he have to leave? I do not understand... Despite my cautiousness, a tear slipped down my cheek. I very much wanted to talk with somebody, somebody who could understand. I thought of all the times I had talked with Samantha, but now she wasn’t here. The Doctor was going to keep her in Sick Bay until she gave birth, because he had found a potentially harmful Ktarian chemical in her blood. The Doctor would barely let me see her, and he warned me that I was not to upset her, a.k.a. stick to light subjects. Tre’kent was not an issue that she needed to hear about just now.

I thought about seeing the Captain like I had done a few times in the past, but I was too scared of her reaction. Somehow I knew that Tom and Harry were not the answers to the problem either. I sighed as I realized that I barely knew B’Elanna or Kes, and my situation seemed of a more personal level than light conversation.

I could feel more tears welling up as I realized how alone I was without Samantha. In a flash, my Father’s image flashed across my mind, and I thought about how good it would feel to be sitting in the old lab once again. In a hasty decision I gave the computer the familiar command. "Computer, initiate program Anderson Two."

I did a double take, and every second that passed I became more and more confused. "Computer, initiate program Anderson Two," I commanded again.

The computer beeped. "The program you have specified is already in use," it insisted.

I stood up and left Holodeck 2, the doors swishing behind me. As I walked the short distance to the next holodeck I could feel my emotions surging. I tapped on the console to confirm what the computer was saying. "Computer, open holodeck doors."

The computer beeped. "Unable to comply. Holodeck doors are locked from the inside."

I took in a sharp breath. "Computer, confirm the occupants of the holodeck," I ordered.

I mentally agreed, too temporary, I thought with another tear. I tried to bite back my turbulent emotions, and thought only of remaining strong. "Computer, activate interface with Holodeck 1 and reroute the signal to this console."

The computer beeped as it cooperated with me. Immediately I could see the familiar scene inside the holodeck. "Tre’kent," I called out.

But he did not seem to hear me. Instead, he had his back turned towards me as he watched the hologram of my Father pace about the lab. The lights were dimmed, and I assumed that my Father was doing a photosynthesis experiment. He turned to Tre'kent and pursed his lips. "You hurt her though, Tre'kent, your attempt to protect her only hurt her. She must be told the truth," my Father persisted.

"Die Wahrheit stellt Sie frei ein, schneidet sie alle Schwergängigkeiten und erlaubt Ihnen anzusteigen… The truth will set you free, it will cut all bindings and allow you to soar..." my Father quoted wisely. I nodded and wiped away another tear as I remembered the time that he had given me the same advice. Perplexed I watched as Tre'kent's eyes became clouded.

My Father shook his head. "If you love Christy, then you will tell her," he said with a heartfelt voice. I watched the scene as if in a dream, suddenly realizing that they were talking about me. What was he not telling me? I tried to keep my head from wandering, wondering. It was too painful to pretend that things had happened otherwise. Still, as I continued to stare at the scene, I saw all the reasons that I loved Tre'kent reflected back in his mere image and nature. I smiled as I remembered the ways his eyes lit up as he laughed, and his warm comforting embrace that he always had ready to offer.

Yet now there were mounds of tears in his eyes, and in his arms he rested his head. I watched the hologram come and pat him on his back. "You said you are to leave soon, Tre'kent… why not go and find my daughter now?"

Tre'kent shook his head. "Let me stay here a while, but if I cannot tell her, you must tell her when she sees you again. It will be the only way she will understand my decision. You must tell her if I do not!" he demanded.

My Father straightened up his stance and gave a defiant look. "If you do not tell my daughter, Tre'kent, I will not either. If she cannot hear it from the one she loves, then she will not hear about it at all."

My mind was racing as I wondered about what he had not told me. As my conscience began to silently prey, I moved my arm to shut down the connection and return to my quarters.

I quickly hit the button and then answered her. "Ensign Anderson here," I said quickly, too busy to notice whether Tre'kent had heard her.

"Report to Engineering at once. It seems that those shield modifications you made are having a long term effect on the warp core."

I gently nodded to myself and instinctually headed to the turbolift. "On my way."

As I entered Engineering, I could sense that something was wrong. Outside, I couldn't hear the familiar buzz of the people working and chattering. As I walked inside I turned around to see Engineering empty and evacuated. Becoming wary and nervous I halted and looked around for a second time. Anxiously I tapped my Comm badge. "Ensign Anderson to Lieutenant Torres."

I waited for her to respond, but nothing came. "Computer, locate B'Elanna Torres."

I looked around. "B'Elanna?" I called. "Ensign Anderson reporting here as requested." Still there was no sign of her. "Computer, specify location of B'Elanna Torres," I commanded again.

The computer beeped again. "B'Elanna Torres is in Engineering, lower deck, sect. 32 alpha," it droned.

I verbally scoffed. "That's impossible!" I cried as I walked over to the console at sect. 32 alpha. As I took a closer look I gasped, stunned to see dozens of Comm badges in a large pile. Immediately me recent security training took over as I began to entertain any possibilities: an alien attack, a spatial anomaly, a break in the time continuum. On the screen, an active file told me that Engineering had been set on automatic controls for the next three hours.

"Confirm all crew members in Engineering, lower deck, sect. 32 alpha," I requested.

The computer beeped. "Ensign Lindsay Ballard, Ensign Fred Tarel, Crewman Timothy Lang, Ensign Tabitha Spencer, Lieutenant…"

"Ensign Kim to Ensign Anderson," Harry's voice said over the system before I could do anything.

"Christy, I need your help in the Jefferies tube on Deck 8, sect. 11," Harry informed me.

Instantaneously Harry's laugh interrupted me. "Wonderful joke, Christy," he said as he laughed. "Now report here immediately; this might take us awhile." The Comm link was terminated abruptly, and I had no idea what to do except to try to contact the Captain.

"Captain…" I began. As I spoke, I heard the Captain's exasperated sigh of contempt.

"Look, Christy, if this is about working with Harry, I don't want to hear it. Report to the Jefferies tube immediately," she interrupted calmly.

I sighed and hoped that I could convince Harry that something was wrong, but by the time I reached the Jefferies tube, there was nothing left of him but his Starfleet Comm badge, along with several others. On the floor laid a PADD, with some sort of shield harmonics on it. No matter which way I looked at it though, I could not make heads or tails of it. I looked around and decided what to do next, but the Comm system answered for me.

"Ensign, I want you to report to Astrometrics. No questions, just report here now."

Ich bin so konfus… I am so confused… My head was beginning to hurt as I tried to decipher what was happening around me. "On my way," I said slowly heading toward the tubolift for another time.

When I emerged from the turbolift a few minutes later, Astrometrics was not hard to find. However, when I arrived there, Astrometrics had been powered off recently. I could feel myself becoming more anxious and disturbed by the minute. "Computer, locate Lieutenant Stanfield," I snapped in an oncoming panic.

The computer beeped. "Lieutenant Stanfield is in the Science Lab," the hollow voice divulged. I stood rooted to the spot as I contemplated my next move.

Immediately I began to run, hoping that I could catch possibly one of the last people on board Voyager. I stood outside the doors, and finally commanded the computer to open them. As the doors swished open, I looked inside the Science Lab to find it completely deserted, but powered to full. In the center of the room lied the Comm badges of what seemed to be the entire science staff. I shook my head forcefully. Keines von diesem ist sinnvoll… None of this made sense. Was tue ich jetzt? … What do I do now?

"Commander Chakotay to Ensign Anderson," a voice interrupted my train of thoughts.

"Something's happening, Ensign. We need you on the Bridge immediately. Be careful as you come up."

I left hurriedly for the turbolift, already anticipating the scene on the Bridge. By the time I arrived, they would all be reduced down to Comm badges, lying on the Captain's chair. As the doors began to open I shut my eyes tight and took two steps forward. I gulped as I opened them. The anticipated scene materialized before my eyes. I picked up one of the Comm badges on the Captain's chair and studied it intensely, determined to make something of this perplexing situation. I tapped a few buttons on the con to view an active file stating that Voyager was on autopilot for the next three hours. I moved around the bridge intermittently to find that almost all of the ship's systems had been put on automatic. Was geschieht? … What is happening?

With a sudden burst of inspiration I flew back to the center of the Bridge. "Computer, run a bioscan throughout Voyager, locate Captain Janeway," I commanded smugly.

The computer beeped in negate. "Security Authorization Level 9 required," it informed me.

I shook my head as I realized that I had hit another dead end. "Computer, status of all bioscans," I requested.

Inwardly I relaxed at the sound of his friendly voice. "Ensign Anderson here," I replied.

"Christy, Harry's looking for you, why haven't you reported to the Jefferies tube?" he asked.

There was an unmistakable silence at the other end of the link. "Are you feeling all right, Christy?" Tom asked concernedly.

"Christy, I just left the Bridge, you were not there. The computer says you are in Astrometrics. Where are you?"

"Tom, I am on the bridge!" I yelled again, this time more nervous than the first.

"Christy, listen to me. There is something wrong. You are not on the bridge. You are in Astrometrics with five people surrounding you. Can you see them?"

Tears of frustration began to pour down my cheeks. "Tom, I'm on the Bridge and it is deserted," I still insisted.

"Christy, hold tight. I am initiating a site to site transport to Sick Bay. Listen to me; there is no need to be alarmed, you are hallucinating. Just try to stay calm. I promise you that I will have you feeling better in a few minutes," Tom's calm voice commanded. Immediately I felt the transporter beam reach me and whisk me away.

I rematerialized on biobed 1 with the Doctor standing over me. "Where's Tom?" I asked.

The Doctor looked at me as if I had grown horns. "Lieutenant Paris is on Bridge duty," he said matter-of-factly, running a tricorder over me.

It was now my turn to stare unbelievingly. "Tom was talking to me over the Comm; he transported me here," I told him.

The Doctor looked worried. "I was talking to you, Ensign, in Astrometrics. Did you think that I was Tom?"

I gave him a blank stare and shrugged. Out of curiosity, I turned around to look for Samantha, maybe the Doctor would let me speak with her. On the opposite side of Sick Bay, I saw an empty biobed beside the box of her things that I had brought down for her before. I glanced at the Doctor again and raised my eyebrows. "Where is Samantha?" I asked.

The Doctor became flustered. "Ah, Ensign Wildman, um… is not in Sick Bay. Has she been here?" he asked.

"Doctor, Samantha's nine months pregnant. You were going to keep her here until she gave birth. There is her stuff. Where is she?"

The Doctor became even more jumpy. "Yes, Ensign Wildman left a few minutes ago to get a shower and collect a few more things from her quarters."

"I put a cortical monitor on her, she'll be fine. In fact, she's due back in a few minutes. Now, can you promise me that you'll leave your work for a few days?"

I shook my head, then nodded, and turned back to him, all of a sudden unsure of what he had just asked me. "Don't worry," he continued, "this hypospray will counteract the hallucinations," he said comfortingly as he injected me with the compound.

"Go to the Mess Hall and get something to eat. I'll tell the Captain that I have relieved you from duty."

I walked out of Sick Bay, too weak and confused to protest. As I approached the Mess Hall, I expected to find millions of Comm badges littering the floor. I stood outside the door for a moment, too afraid to open it. It's now or never… As I gulped, the doors swished open to reveal a festive and crowded Mess Hall. There was a pause of silence as everyone drew in a deep breath.

Completely surprised, my mouth dropped open in wonder and slowly curved into a smile. "Happy 18^th Birthday!" the Captain exclaimed as she came up to me. "I bet you forgot, Christy, and you do not know how many measures we took to make sure that you did."

Astounded I took a step backward to digest it all. Halluziniere ich?… Am I hallucinating? Mentally I calculated the stardate and confirmed that Captain Janeway was right. Today was December 27^th, my birthday. "Oh well this is a surprise," I started.

She smiled and gave me a hug. "I hope we didn't scare you too much," she said with a grin. There were lots of times, though, when you almost caught us. The Doctor and Tom covered up our last mistake by convincing you that you were hallucinating. I hope you can forgive us."

B'Elanna came up and joined in the conversation, suddenly whisked away by her volatile emotions. "Too bad the Doctor almost blew it!" she exploded. Her facial expressions relaxed and she continued in a softer tone. "You know, the next time I go to Sick Bay for a check up, I think I may tinker around with the Doctor's truthful subroutines. Why Tom had to go over the Comm to 'inform' you that you were hallucinating, because the Doctor couldn't speak such evil. Then you ask him where Samantha is and he almost blew it. I don't believe that he couldn't think of anything else! I almost deleted him when he asked you if Ensign Wildman had been in Sick Bay, of course she was!" B'Elanna finished in a heat of passion.

I nodded, too amazed to speak, and allowed B'Elanna and the Captain to take my arm and lead me to a table where the senior staff was sitting. Samantha had been invited to the table, and as she saw me approaching, she attempted to give me a weak smile. "Alles Gute zum Geburtstag!… Happy Birthday!" she exclaimed. Her pale face lit up with her vibrant joy as she pointed me to the chair next to her.

I heard more commotion behind me and turned as Neelix and Kes slowly came up with a birthday cake. "Happy Birthday, Christy! I believe there are eighteen candles on here, although, the Captain might want to check. The first time I counted them, Harry informed me that I had 27."

I laughed again as Kes came up to give me a hug. "Bilden Sie einen Wunsch… make a wish," I heard Samantha call from behind me. I shut my eyes tightly and wished for only one thing with my entire heart. As I slowly opened my eyes, I blew the candles out with three breaths.

"Come one, Christy. Is that the best you can do?" Tom taunted from his side of the table. Neelix moved up to cut the cake and began distributing it to everyone with the help of Kes. By now the entire Mess Hall had resumed talking, and miscellaneous people pulled themselves away from the crowd to wish me their best. For awhile, I found a break from the pain Tre'kent had caused, laughing and smiling made all of it dispel temporarily. With a sad glance, I noticed that he had not joined the festivities.

I felt a light tap on the arm, and turned around to see Commander Chakotay. In his hand he held a slender object wrapped in colorful paper. "I think I know what someone wanted for her Birthday," he said mischievously.

I unwrapped the gift to find a PADD. On it had my new duty shift schedule, with three hard earned Bridge shifts. I smiled; this PADD made all of my dreams tangible. "Thank you, Commander, Captain," I said formally.

Samantha pushed a package over. "This is what I got from my quarters," she informed me. The package was square, and the wrapping had been hand done, not replicated. I gave her a thankful glance before beginning to open the package. As the wrapping came off, all that sat there was a small square box. I nervously removed the lid to peer inside. As I took the object out of the box, I noticed that it was of alien origin. The object was black, box shaped and ornate looking, but on the top was a hazed white sphere. She leaned forward painfully and attempted to hit a few buttons. Quickly the sphere lit up and a star system appeared over the object.

"It's some kind of holo-projector that shows space10 light-years away from here in this holo-cube," she said as she ran her hand through the holo-image. As I studied it more closely, I could see the stars slowly moving past.

"Es ist so unterschiedlich und eindeutig. Ich verehre es… This is so different and unique, Samantha. I adore it!" I told her thankfully.

She smiled. "I acquired it a few months ago and kept it hidden in my quarters. I am very please that you like it."

"Sie sind willkommen… You are welcome," she responded. Immediately the two of us broke off into German conversation. She had amazingly improved during her long hours in Sick Bay. I began to laugh when I noticed the table staring at us, especially the Captain. During the past months, Tom and Harry had grown accustomed to it and rarely asked for a translation, knowing that I would take it upon myself to explain myself when needed.

Samantha and I broke out into a fit of laughter as the looks on everyone's faces proved to be too much. But my happiness was displaced when my eye caught sight of the figure that had walked into the room… Tre'kent. He came over to the table and rigidly took the seat across from me that the Captain offered to him. As the party progressed on, he rarely looked up from his plate.

More than three hours later, we still found ourselves in the Mess Hall, now quite empty and quiet. Samantha had long been taken back to Sick Bay, too flushed from the excitement. Neelix hobbled around still, creating various racket as he went around trying to clean up.

Tre'kent finally looked up and blushed. "Would you join me outside?" he asked. "We could take a walk."

I reluctantly nodded and accepted his hand. Gently, he led me out of the Mess Hall and into the corridor. "I thought you were supposed to leave over an hour ago," I began softly.

He nodded to affirm this. "But I'm not going," he said slowly. "I'm not going if you don't want me to."

I drew in a breath and threw my arms around him. "Of course I want you to stay!" I said tearfully.

"No, Christy," he said firmly. "I do not want you to decide until you've heard me out."

We stopped in the middle of the hall, deserted and forsaken. "Christy, I told you about my species rare gene. This gene also allows us to set up a permanent telepathic link with our mate," he began slowly.

He nodded. "I know," he answered quickly, "but it happens slowly over a period of time. That's why it is so hard for my species to break from romance. The undoing of the link is torturous and painful. I did not know that we would begin to develop it," he apologized.

Tre'kent smiled. "When you stood up for me in front of the Captain in Sick Bay, you had a surge of irrational emotion."

"Not if I could fully read your mind at the time… I was shaken, Christy. Right away, I had the Doctor run a multi-spectral scan over you. Your previous brain waves showed patterns of distinct telepathy."

"Christy, you have to understand this. There is still a large risk. I do not think that our relationship is worth risking your well being. We are not sure if this relationship will work," Tre'kent insisted.

I shrugged. "We will have long enough to find out," I said as I took a step closer.

"Ich bin positiv… I am positive," I said before engaging in a kiss. He pulled me in closer, and then stepped back and took my hand.

The stars gleamed brightly from the window in the old lab. Tre'kent sat beside me on the couch, gazing at the stars. Tenderly he stroked my hair as I rested my head against his chest. The lab was darkened, and my Father had long since left. Tonight I found it truly comforting to sit here and meditate. I looked up at Tre'kent and smiled.

"At the deepest hour of the Evening Light, All come out to see the Stars of the Night.

Search them for the Guidance of the Day, For these stars will ne'er lead you astray," Tre'kent quoted with his deep voice.

I pulled him in closer and stole another warm kiss. "I've never been happier," I said simply. He smiled and gently pulled my head back down on his chest to rest.

"I know," he said softly. He paused as if unsure to continue. I felt a strange sensation sweep over me, but looked up to see Tre'kent smiling. "Your birthday wish came true," he revealed as I could suddenly see into his peaceful mind. "I am here to stay."

Inwardly, I beamed with joy, as I contentedly turned my attentions out the window and past the lab. Together with Tre'kent I sat and stared, just soaking in my source of strength, die Sterne der Nacht.

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Stars of Night (Sterne der Nacht)

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