Expect the Unexpected

A Star Trek: Voyager fanfiction

By: Mylinda Antoinette

Summary: An apparent malfunction in the security systems onboard Voyager and a level 2 diagnostic revealing nothing to be wrong with the security leaves the crew baffled, until something happens a few weeks later. Takes place two years before they return home. K7, JC, TP.

Author's Note: This story was inspired partly by the episode "Night" and partly by my own insane mind. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it!

Author's Note (Supplemental): I would like to apologize for the incongruencies in this first chapter. Unfortunately, I haven't seen very much of the series and haven't seen many episodes past season 2 yet. I have been watching the show every day and will continue to do so. In the meantime, if you find anything that doesn't match, please let me know. I would like to dedicate the redone chapter to JadziaKathryn as a thank you for pointing out the minor issues in this first chapter. And one other note: for the purposes of my story, Kathryn has not yet discovered that Mark has moved on and married someone else. She will not discover this fact until they return to the Alpha Quadrant. I would also like to thank Jedipilot24 for sending me a website for calculating Stardates. From this point on, all my Stardates should be accurate! Anyway, now, you may read the FIXED version of Chapter 1: Security Alert!

Oh, and one more thing... I would also like to thank maquisrebels for reviewing on the story!

Chapter 1: Security Alert

Lieutenant Tuvok was working the late shift at 0200 hours in the security offices aboard the Starship Voyager. The latest estimates had put their arrival back in the Alpha Quadrant at fifty years from the present date. The trip had been faster than originally expected so far, thanks to the help of a lot of research and friendships and alliances forged with many other species along the way. There was still quite a long trip ahead of them, but the entire crew was getting excited, with the obvious exceptions of Tuvok and Seven of Nine. Captain Kathryn Janeway couldn't wait to see her beloved Mark again. Ensign Wildman was looking forward to being reunited with her husband and being able to introduce their daughter. And Ensign Harry Kim was excited to see his love, Libby, once again. Most of the crew was experiencing feelings of this kind, but a few, including Kathryn herself, wanted to stay with Voyager. Kathryn planned to be reunited with Mark and to take him back with her. She had grown attached to the old ship after so many years aboard. It held so many memories of friendships created and lost, and it seemed almost a memorial to the hard times they had suffered through. Commander Chakotay also planned to stay on as first officer.

Tuvok was drawn from his thoughts by a security alert flashing on the monitor in front of him. The computer had detected an intruder in the Captain's quarters. He activated his combadge.

"Tuvok to bridge." He only needed to wait a moment before the Commander's voice responded.

"Yes, Tuvok, this is Chakotay. Is there a problem?"

"Commander, the computer has detected an intruder in the Captain's quarters."

"An intruder? What kind of intruder?"

"Unknown. The computer detected a transporter signature in her quarters that does not match the frequency used by the Federation, and more importantly, by this ship."

"A transporter? How can that be? There are no ships close enough to have beamed someone onboard, and the nearest Class M planet is more than fifty light-years from here!"

"I do not know, Commander."

"Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Tuvok. Check out the Captain's quarters, I'll have a look for anything that transport could have originated from."

"Understood." Tuvok motioned to two of the security guards and they followed him. They arrived seconds later at Captain Janeway's door and pushed the chime, knowing that she would be sleeping at this hour and doing it out of respect for her. They also knew they would have heard the sound of a transporter beaming someone away.

There was no response. They pushed the chime again. This time, they got an answer.

"Come in," said a weary voice that they knew belonged to their Captain. They entered. "What's going on, Mr. Tuvok?" she inquired from where she stood by her bed getting her robe on.

"Our security systems detected a transport signature in these quarters. Are you all right?" Tuvok inquired of his friend.

"Yes, thank you, Tuvok, I'm fine. But there hasn't been anybody in here except me." She seemed to think for a moment. "Tuvok, I'd like you to run a level 2 diagnostic on the security systems. Let me know if anything shows up."

"Understood," he replied. As the security officers left, the Captain's combadge sounded.

"Bridge to Captain Janeway. Are you all right?" She tapped her badge to respond.

"Yes, Commander, go ahead."

"Captain, you are needed on the bridge."

"On my way." She pulled off her nightgown and slipped into her Starfleet uniform and boots. She was on her way to the bridge when Voyager was rocked by a phaser blast. The ship went instantly into red alert as she bolted for the bridge, making it a few seconds later.

"Captain on the bridge," Harry announced as she stepped inside.

"As you were," she said, running down the steps to the center of the bridge and taking her place in the Captain's chair. "Damage report."

"Shields are down to 80 percent, reports of minor injuries on decks 10 and 11, nothing serious, though," Harry replied. Kathryn hit her badge.

"Senior officers, report to the bridge!"

"Captain, I don't think that blast was intended to hit us," Chakotay said suddenly.

"What?" Kathryn asked incredulously.

"Think about it, Captain. It was only one blast. If they had hostile intentions toward us, they would have already hit us again or sent us a warning of another kind."

"Captain, I have just detected a second ship decloaking ahead," Lieutenant Tom Paris said. "It appears to have decloaked as a result of damage to its cloaking device." The captain looked up in surprise and slowly stood from her seat.

"Onscreen," she replied in a low voice. The picture showed up on the bridge's viewscreen. Two starships were in the vicinity, of different origins.

"Captain, long-range scans indicate that the transporter aboard one of the ships matches the frequency detected in your quarters just prior to this," Tuvok informed her.

"Hail them," she replied. He attempted to hail them.

"No response," he reported. Kathryn turned and sat down.

"Well then, in that case… Lieutenant Paris, resume course for the Alpha Quadrant," she ordered.

"Yes, ma'am, but shouldn't we help them first?" he inquired.

"Tom Paris, you know as well as I do that that would be a direct violation of the Prime Directive," Kathryn replied with a disapproving shake of the head.

"Captain," he said after resetting the course and swiveling around to face her, "permission to speak freely?"

"Granted," she said after a moment.

"Captain, I feel that this situation became our business the moment we were hit. And you heard Tuvok; one of those ships beamed something into your quarters. A little investigation couldn't hurt," he explained.

"Mr. Paris, we've already established that the opposing vessel was firing blind. And we don't know for sure that anything was beamed into my quarters. I certainly didn't see anything. It could have just been a systems malfunction," Kathryn responded.

"Captain, with all due respect, it doesn't make a lot of sense to assume that there was only a systems malfunction when we registered a transporter signature matching the one recorded in your quarters earlier. Don't you want some answers?"

"Captain, I must admit, his statements do have a certain logic to them. And if you want answers, we will have to render assistance to the crippled ship. That was the ship from which I registered the transport signature," Tuvok replied.

"Thank you for your input, Tuvok, but I really don't see the need. I'm perfectly fine, so I don't see any reason to interfere in their internal affairs, which would constitute a violation of the Prime Directive." She looked at Ensign Kim. "Stand down red alert. All hands, you may return to your previous activities." She looked over at Chakotay and smiled slightly, looking almost amused. "Do you want me to take over now so that you can get some rest?"

"Thank you, Captain, but I'm just fine. I'd like it if you'd report to Sickbay, though, just so the doctor can take a look at you and make sure you're all right. I just want to make sure that nothing happened, just to prove that our theory about nothing happening is correct," he replied.

"Oh, good Lord, do I really have to? Chakotay, it's too early to listen to the Doctor complain…" she groaned in reply. He grinned his traditional grin and nodded.

"Humor me, Captain. I'm just worried about you, that's all. You're the only captain we've got on board and we need you in good health. I really don't want to become ship's captain because you're dead," he said jokingly.

"Oh, fine. But if it was anyone other than you or Tuvok I wouldn't go; you know that, right?" she replied, teasing him.

"Oh, believe me, Captain, I know it all too well," he grinned. She stood up, smiling and rolling her eyes.

"Commander, you have the bridge," she said as she left and headed off in the direction of Sickbay.

"You're perfectly healthy, Captain. There is absolutely nothing you need to worry about. I'd like it if you'd come in again in a month, though, just to make sure that nothing else develops," the Doctor announced a half an hour later.

"Thank you, Doctor. I'd better return to my quarters now. Make the appointment and let me know when to drop by," she replied, sliding off the biobed and leaving Sickbay. As she returned to her quarters she passed several young couples returning to their quarters from their duty shifts. It was now 0301 hours and the new shifts had just started. She smiled as she saw them whispering softly to each other.

She stopped outside her quarters and was about to enter when she realized that she suddenly missed Mark again. It had been a while since the last time she had thought about him. She had tried to push him out of her mind, since it would not do any good for her to be thinking about him while trying to do her duty, and because it would be a while still before she could see him again. Obviously, she hadn't totally succeeded.

At last she reentered her quarters. She sat down to make a log entry.

"Captain Janeway's Personal Log, Stardate 52734.6. It has been a long journey for us all, filled with the perils and uncertainties of daily living in an uncharted region. I am sorry to have to admit, as ship's captain, that even though we are getting closer to home, I, too, am beginning to lose hope. I miss my dear friend, my fiancé, Mark. And I am growing uneasy. As more time passes, I am beginning to fear that perhaps Mark has given up hope. We left no trace behind when we got lost in the Delta Quadrant. For all I know, Starfleet has informed our families that we are dead. I don't know what I will do if I get home and find out that Mark has given up on me and married another. I hope that I will be able to adapt. And strangely, I find myself thinking more and more about my desire to have children someday. I won't be young enough to have children forever. I'm already in my thirties. I can only hope that we will make it home soon. End log."

Okay, I'm sorry for ending it there, but I needed an appropriate place to end it so I didn't go too far with the first chapter. My goal for this story is 15 chapters and 100 reviews. Please, help me reach this goal by reviewing on every chapter! The next chapter will be posted as soon as I get it finished. This is my new top priority project. This is the most interesting story idea I've come up with yet, so… yeah. I will update as soon as I can. I will also be working on another story, though, so don't expect updates on this one TOO often. See you at "Chapter 2: The Party"!