Space Cadet by coolcaz
	Author's Note: Lucy Cavendish rockets into the history books at the beginning of the 21st century as the youngest ever astronaut. While she's on her historic mission there's a tragic accident... Three centuries into the future, Voyager finds Lucy floating in space after a narrow escape with a temporal anomaly. She's a born engineer, and they quickly integrate her into the crew. But events take a turn for the worse and things start to fall apart for Lucy. With Torres' help, Janeway gets her back on track and even gets her into the 24th century history books... Chapter 1 Arriving at the end of her driveway, Lucy opened the mail box and leafed through the contents. Pulling it out, she extracted a thick, brown envelope from the bills for her father and glossy catalogues for her mother. Waving the envelope, she ran up the path. "Mum! It's here! My U.S. passport's here!" Lucy flung the front door open and dropped her school bag on the floor. Depositing the rest of the mail on the hall table she took the envelope to the kitchen. Lucy ripped open the brown paper of the envelope and, temporarily, discarded the pamphlets in it. Holding the navy passport in both hands she breathed the words, "American citizen." Lucy turned to her mother who was leaning on the kitchen counter. "Watch out NASA, Lucy Cavendish is on her way!" * * * "All set Lucy?" drawled the man in the pilot's seat. "Roger that." she replied, nervously fingering the microphone just in front of her mouth. She'd heard them say that in the movies, but in her English accent it didn't sound quite right. Next to Lucy, a man whose embroidered name badge also read 'Cavendish', just like Lucy's, buckled his safety harness. Flicking switches, the two men above her went through the pre-launch sequence, now familiar to Lucy from so many hours in the simulator. Taking a deep breath, Lucy steeled every muscle in her body for the launch. As the engines thundered and the shuttle shook she thought back over the past months. Weightlessness training in the tanks at the W.E.T.F., all the media attention, the endless press conferences, sewing a Union Jack badge on to the sleeve of her jumpsuit next to the Stars and Stripes, the horribly invasive medical examinations... In 1999, as the first pieces of the International Space Station were being put into space, Lucy had entered an essay competition to design an experiment to run on board the space station. Her winning essay had been titled 'Zero gravity as a therapeutic environment for those suffering muscular disorders'. It had been based around herself- the fact she suffered from hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy. It had affected the muscles in her legs, and now she walked funny. Last year the family had moved to America so Lucy could undergo gene therapy, but it didn't seem to be doing much yet. Lucy had written to NASA about her essay and her condition and, by some twist of fate and some contacts of her father's, she was now strapped in to the mission specialist's seat on board the Space Shuttle Discovery. * * * Lucy and her father, the other Cavendish, looked like Michelin men in their puffy, white space suits. Feet securely clipped into their restraints they pulled themselves round the outside of the space station to screw on the plaque bearing Lucy's name and the fact that she was the youngest person ever in space. Task accomplished, they turned to look at the Earth below them. Lucy froze, unable to move. "Dad, something's wrong..." The huge space station began to shake beneath her. "Dad!" Lucy screamed. No-one replied. As the shaking intensified there was a huge flash of blue light. As Lucy's world went black she felt her feet slip from the restraints, and she drifted into space. Chapter 2 "I'm reading something on long range sensors, Captain." said Harry Kim from behind his console on the bridge of the USS Voyager. "On screen." Captain Janeway replied. The view screen showed a small, white dot flying towards them. "Magnify." commanded Janeway. The computer replied. "Unable to comply. Already at maximum magnification." Janeway turned to Ensign Kim. "What is it, Harry?" "I'm not sure," the young officer replied. "We haven't seen anything like it before..." "Well, that's not a surprise." quipped the Captain. "Hail it, whatever it is." Janeway stood up and positioned herself in the centre of the Bridge. "This is Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation star ship Voyager. Please identify yourselves." A staticky reply came over the Bridge speakers. "Dad? Is that you? Where are you, dad?" * * * Five minutes later, the object was close enough to see. Bulky white suit, reflective, domed helmet. "It's a person!" exclaimed Tom Paris from his position at the helm. "1990s style NASA space suit at any rate." he added. "I'm reading one life sign. Faint, but there." confirmed Kim from his console. "Beam whoever it is to sickbay immediately." ordered Janeway. "Doctor, prepare to receive an emergency transport." The Captain looked round the Bridge at her stunned crew. They all knew NASA had been the precursor to the Federation, even those who hadn't taken history at Starfleet Academy. And to find a NASA... what were they called then?... astronaut in the Delta Quadrant was way beyond comprehension. "Commander Chakotay, you have the Bridge. I'm going to find out what's going on." * * * The bulky white figure lay motionless on one of the beds in sickbay. The suit it wore was familiar to Captain Janeway, either from the museum visits of her childhood or Academy history, she wasn't sure which. The NASA 'meatball' was sewn onto the suit as was the mission badge. It was one the Captain recognised, but couldn't place. But Tom would know- the twentieth century was his speciality. "Lieutenant Paris to sick bay, please." Janeway said to the comm system. Within minutes Tom was in sickbay. He placed the badge immediately. "It was one of the big missions to the International Space Station. Youngest girl ever in space. They named the mission after her- Lucy. In the middle of the mission the space station exploded and they all disappeared, Lucy Cavendish included." Tom stopped, satisfied with his explanation. "Lucy Cavendish." murmured the Captain. "She was one of my heroes, you know. Her and Amelia Earhart." Janeway shook her head lightly. "Let's get this suit off and find out exactly what we've got here." Chapter 3 Expertly, Tom Paris released the seal on the helmet. As a team, Janeway, Paris, the Doctor and Seven of Nine carefully removed the suit. What they were left with was a girl. A girl in an orange jumpsuit. On one arm was sewn a Union Jack next to the Stars and Stripes. "It is." gasped Janeway as she saw this. "It's Lucy Cavendish!" She pointed at the embroidered name badge. "So this is what happened to her." put in Paris. For once, the Doctor had nothing to say. Twentieth and twenty-first century history weren't part of his programme, and he hadn't added it either. Seven of Nine just looked a little bemused. Lucy's eyes began to flutter and open. Over and over again she cried out for her father, and over and over again Janeway promised everything would be all right. Eventually Lucy was calm. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and sat up. Turning to face Janeway she asked directly, "Who are you?" "Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation star ship Voyager. And, I presume, you are Lucy Cavendish." Lucy nodded and extended a hand. "Pleased to meet you, Captain." she said, in her perfect English accent. Janeway shook the proffered hand warmly. Before the Captain could respond, Lucy spoke again. "Federation? Star ship? What's going on? Where am I?" Obviously agitated, Lucy looked around in confusion. "You're in the twenty-fourth century." explained Janeway. "The Federation is what was formed after NASA discovered life outside our solar system. And yes, this is a star ship. It's called Voyager, and I'm the Captain." Janeway positively glowed with pride. Even in the twenty-fourth century, female star ship captains were rare. Lucy shrugged, accepting her situation immediately. Janeway was intrigued by this girl. "What's the last thing you remember?" she asked. Lucy thought for a moment before replying. "My father and I had just put a plaque on the outside of the space station and there was an explosion. I blacked out, and the next thing I knew I was floating in space and your ship was coming towards me. Then I woke up here." She waved an arm, indicating that 'here' was sickbay. Tom Paris spoke up for the first time in a while. "You went down in history, you know." he said to Lucy. "I can show you if you'd like." He bent over a console, and a picture of Lucy appeared on the screen. She gasped in astonishment. More pictures followed, and screen after screen of tiny writing. "You're famous, Lucy!" The Doctor finally switched off an array of monitors and snapped shut his tricorder. "Well, young lady, you have a clean bill of health." "It looks like you might be here a while though." put in the Captain. "Let's find you something to do. What are you interested in?" "Physics!" Lucy replied immediately. "Janeway to Engineering." the Captain said, tapping her comm badge. "Torres here." came the reply. "Report to sickbay please, we've got a new recruit for Engineering." "I'm on my way." the chief engineer replied. * * * Lucy followed B'Elanna Torres out of sickbay. The Captain noticed her abnormal walk and looked concerned. "Are your legs alright?" Lucy shrugged. "It's genetic. Hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy. That's why we moved to America, so I could have gene therapy we couldn't get in London. I'll live." Lucy concluded, with artificial brightness. Janeway smiled sympathetically and Lucy left. Chapter 4 B'Elanna stopped en route to Engineering and turned to Lucy. "D'you want me to get you a clean uniform?" Lucy shook her head vigorously. "No thanks. I know this orange isn't a flattering colour, but I don't care. I'm proud of this uniform. There aren't many other eighteen year-olds who have their own NASA jumpsuit. I'm proud to wear it... but thanks anyway." B'Elanna resumed her route to Engineering, pointing things out along the way. * * * Lucy sat alone at a table in the corner of the mess hall. She'd been here a week, she knew where things were, she knew people's names and everyone had been really friendly, but she still felt lonely. Lucy tried to lose her loneliness by studying the padd on the table- brushing up on three centuries of history that had happened in an instant learning about the different people and, best of all, about the science. It didn't work. The loneliness was eating away at her from the inside out. Lucy went and blew her whole week's replicator rations on chocolate ice-cream- maybe food would help. Lucy knew Captain Janeway was concerned about her. Every time she saw the Captain, Lucy would smile brightly in answer to the concerned look she always received. But the smile never reached her eyes- it was purely a contortion of muscles, not genuine happiness. Lucy hoped Janeway hadn't, and wouldn't, notice. Lucy's train of though was broken by someone sliding into the chair opposite hers. She looked up. It was an Ensign in a yellow uniform, but she couldn't remember his name. "You look lonely." he stated. Lucy's eyes met his, and she looked away quickly. "Come and join me on the Holodeck, you could do with getting away from it all. You play tennis?" Lucy nodded non-committally, and got up to follow him to the Holodeck. * * * Lucy wiped a sweaty palm on the skirt of her short, white tennis dress, and shook hands with her opponent over the net. "Good game." he said, grinning. "Next stop, somewhere a little more relaxing." He tapped at a console in the wall. The tennis court disappeared and was replaced by a beach. Lucy kicked her sneakers off instantly, and the sand felt firm beneath her feet. The young Ensign put an arm around Lucy's shoulders. She made to pull away, but couldn't. With a sigh of resignation, she let him lead her down to the water. Inevitably, Lucy's dress got wet and clung to her uncomfortably. She looked at the Ensign and said she wanted to go back. Before Lucy had finished her sentence, he pushed her on to the sand and was on top of her. Struggling was futile, he was much heavier than Lucy, and screaming was hardly an option- his mouth was on hers, kissing too hard. Lucy closed her eyes and thought of her father and chocolate ice-cream- though of anything except what was happening to her. Feeling him lift the skirt of her tennis dress and pull down her underwear Lucy began to cry, her body shaking with sobs, but still he wouldn't stop. Eventually, he did stop. Too scared to move, Lucy remained motionless on the floor. The beach scene flickered and died and, lying on the metal floor of the Holodeck, Lucy let herself cry. Chapter 5 For the next two days all Lucy did was cry. She shut herself in her quarters that didn't feel like home, and cried her eyes out. She didn't eat, and she barely slept. Every time she closed her eyes it all came back to her. The weight of his body on hers, the taste of his mouth, the sound of his ragged breathing, and the pain. * * * Chakotay stood outside Lucy Cavendish's quarters and pressed the button by the door. Nothing happened. He typed in a code and still nothing. "She may only be eighteen," he thought, "but she's a damn good engineer if she can lock out the first officer." "Computer," Chakotay said out loud. "Open this door." The door slid open. Voice commands were obviously one thing she hadn't mastered yet. In the dim light, Chakotay could just make out a figure on the bed. Lucy. Her shoulders were shaking with sobs, and he could hear her sniffing. "Lucy?" he asked, going over to her. "Are you all right?" Chakotay rested a consoling hand on her shoulder. "Get off me!" she screamed, and pushed Chakotay away. He held up his hands in a gesture of defeat. "What's wrong, Lucy?" he asked. "You haven't been out of this room for two days." "I know." Lucy replied sulkily. "And I don't want you in here. Get out!" her voice rose, and Lucy grabbed a phaser from by her bed and levelled it at Chakotay. "Lucy, put that down. What have I done?" asked Chakotay, perfectly calm. "You're all the same!" Lucy snarled. "Now get out! If it means that much to you I'll be back on duty tomorrow, but get out!" Chakotay stood his ground. "I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's wrong." Lucy stood up. At this range she could hardly miss. "Doctor," she said to the comm system, "prepare to receive an emergency transport." Before the Commander could do anything, Lucy fired. Unconscious, Chakotay fell to the floor, and disappeared in a shimmer of blue. Lucy let the phaser drop to the floor, and she sat down on her bed. Head in hands, she sat and cried. Chapter 6 Lucy Cavendish strode into Engineering. Her hair was neatly tied back and she was wearing a clean black and yellow Starfleet uniform, complete with comm badge. Somehow she didn't look right. Her face was pale and her eyes puffy from days of crying and sleepless nights. She walked over to B'Elanna. "Good morning, Lieutenant Torres." Lucy said flatly. "What would you like me to do today?" B'Elanna looked the girl up and down. Lucy shot back a look that said 'ask any questions and you'll end up like Chakotay'. "You can take today off, if you'd like." B'Elanna suggested. "Visit the Holodeck, do something fun." Lucy looked terrified at the idea. "No!" she said. "I want to be here..." her voice tailed off. B'Elanna filled the space. "You can help me recalibrate the anti-matter chamber if you like." Lucy smiled and sat down at a console. B'Elanna Torres knew Lucy had shot Chakotay- there had been a senior officers meeting in the middle of the night. No-one else knew though, they were being fed a story of exploding replicator circuits and Chakotay being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The Commander was harbouring suspicions as to Lucy's motives, but he refused to share them. Luckily for Chakotay, the phaser that Lucy had somehow got hold of wasn't set all the way to 'kill'. The damage was nothing a series of regeneration procedures couldn't cure. * * * Lucy sat with B'Elanna at a table in the mess hall, poking at her lunch. It wasn't that Neelix was a bad cook, he was just... unconventional. Tom Paris came over to join them, tray of food in hand. Balancing the tray, he placed a hand on Lucy's shoulder. "Hey Lucy. How's she been treating you? Bearing up?" Lucy pushed his hand away. "Don't touch me." she cautioned. Paris backed away. "Geez! That time of the month?" Lucy stood up, pushed past him and ran out of the mess hall. Tom sat down opposite B'Elanna and whistled through his teeth. "Go easy on her, Tom." suggested B'Elanna. "She's just a kid. A kid several thousand light years and three centuries from home. I'm going to find her." With that, Torres rose and left through the same door as Lucy. * * * B'Elanna Torres didn't have to look too far. She found Lucy leaning against the wall in a corridor not far from the mess hall, gazing in to space. She crouched down to Lucy's level. "You OK kid?" Lucy shrugged. "Been better." was her clipped reply. Torres paused for thought. "Want to learn how to run diagnostics?" she asked. Lucy's eyes lit up and she leapt to her feet. "I'll take that as a yes!" said B'Elanna, smiling. Chapter 7 Lucy worked the controls slowly and carefully as B'Elanna Torres peered over her shoulder, pointing things out. Eventually she straightened up. "Well done!" she congratulated Lucy. "You just ran your first full diagnostic of the entire ship." Lucy smiled. "What else can I learn?" she asked eagerly. B'Elanna settled on simple repairs and fetched a box of old components, some tools and a padd. "Work your way through that lot, and see what happens." Lucy grinned, settled herself at am empty workstation and got going. B'Elanna looked on proudly, and stopped the nearest engineer who didn't seem to be doing anything. "Fowler, could you keep an eye on Lucy? Make sure she doesn't hurt herself or anything. I have to go to a meeting." The young engineer nodded briskly. "Yes Lieutenant, of course." Torres nodded in reply, and headed for the Bridge. * * * Lucy lost herself in her work and didn't notice Fowler standing behind her at first. When she did, she got angry. "Leave me alone!" she snapped. "Get away from me." The young engineer shrugged. "Lieutenant Torres told me to keep an eye on you." "Well damn well get your eyes off me!" Lucy retorted. Slamming the mended components back into the box she hurried out of Engineering. * * * In her quarters, Lucy curled up on the bed in a ball and cried. She wasn't sure how much longer she could keep everything to herself. She knew she should tell someone, but who? She liked B'Elanna Torres and all, but felt she was too close to that irritating Tom Paris. The only other woman on board Lucy really knew was Captain Janeway, but she seemed like a distant figure of authority, not someone to confide in. "Janeway to Crewman Cavendish." said the comm system. "Please come to my ready room." Lucy ignored the hail. They happened all the time, and they were never for her. Lucy wondered who Crewman Cavendish was, wondered if she knew them. Then Lucy realised. It was her! Sitting up, she took a deep breath and tucked her hair behind her ears. "Well," she though, "no time like the present." Chapter 8 Lucy pressed the button next to the door of the Captain's ready room. Inside, Janeway said, "Come in." and the door slid open. Pausing momentarily, Lucy stepped inside. "You wanted to see me, Captain?" "Yes, come and sit down." Janeway was seated on the couch under the huge windows, and indicated for Lucy to come and sit next to her. "What's wrong?" the Captain asked, genuinely concerned. Lucy didn't reply, and gazed out the window. "Look at me." Janeway said sternly. Reluctantly, Lucy turned her head, but only held the Captain's gaze for a second before lowering her eyes. "I've been getting reports from all over the ship." continued Janeway. "Your work's excellent, but your behaviour's a little concerning. I know it can't be easy for you this far from home in time and space, but I'd really like you to feel you can talk to me about this." Lucy looked directly at the Captain. "He raped me, OK? He held me down and he wouldn't let me go, and he raped me. He raped me!" Janeway wrapped her arms around the now crying Lucy, and repeatedly smoothed her hair, whispering reassurances. Still holding Lucy's shoulders, Janeway sat up and looked at Lucy. "Who?" she asked. Lucy shook her head. "I don't know. Brown hair, yellow uniform, a Starfleet Ensign. That narrows it down to about fifty people!" Lucy managed a strained smile through her tears, and Janeway grinned wryly. "Where?" the Captain asked, aghast that something like this had happened on her ship. "On the Holodeck." began Lucy. "We played tennis, then he took me to a beach. My clothes got wet and he wouldn't let me go back and change. He pushed me onto the sand and..." Lucy burst into tears again. "We'll get you through this." crooned Janeway. "B'Elanna can access the Holodeck logs. We'll find out who it was." Lucy wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "No!" she exclaimed. "You can't tell anyone." "Lucy, honey, I think it's best that the senior officers know. Especially Chakotay." Lucy looked humbled. "I'm really sorry about that. It was just... he had the same look in his eyes. I thought he was going to..." Janeway grinned in amusement. "Chakotay? He wouldn't. Not like that. He tried to kiss me a couple of times, but that's another story..." Lucy looked intrigued. "Tell me, please." she begged. Janeway laughed, but then looked serious again. "Do you want to tell the senior officers or should I?" Lucy shook her head vigorously. "I don't even want to be there when they find out, let alone tell them." Janeway nodded benevolently. "But you are to come in and face them as soon as I've told them. We need your input to figure out what to do next." Lucy pulled a face, and the Captain raised an eyebrow in response. "You've got ten minutes. Wash your face, then wait outside." Janeway tapped her comm badge. "Senior officers, report to my ready room immediately please." Chapter 9 Lucy paced back and forth outside the ready room door. After what seemed like an eternity, the door slid open. As Lucy stepped inside, B'Elanna Torres leapt to her feet and hugged Lucy tightly. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked. "You know now, that's all that matters." replied Lucy. She made her way to the only empty seat at the large, oval table, next to Captain Janeway. Sitting down between Janeway and B'Elanna, Lucy received sympathetic looks from everyone. Ensign Kim voiced everyone's unspoken question. "So, what do we do now?" This was followed by a moment's contemplative silence, before B'Elanna could contain herself no longer. "Find out who it was, of course!" she exclaimed. Captain Janeway turned to Lucy. "Could you describe him please, like you did to me." "He had brown hair, was taller than me, wore a yellow uniform and was a Starfleet Ensign. I know that's not very helpful, but we know he accessed the tennis programme on the Holodeck four days ago, followed by a beach simulation. He shouldn't be too hard to track down." "I'm on it." said Kim, wheeling his chair over to the computer console in the wall, and accessing the Holodeck logs. B'Elanna spoke up again. "What are you going to do when you find him?" "Confine him to the Brig for the rest of the journey." replied Janeway, without hesitation. "And what do we do with Lucy?" asked Chakotay softly, concerned for the girl's welfare. "B'Elanna and I will look after her. If that's OK?" the Captain added, turning to Lucy. Lucy smiled in return. "How's the search coming, Harry?" Janeway asked. "Nearly..." Kim tapped the console a final time. "...got him!" Harry leant back in his chair, content with a job well done. The Captain came to look over his shoulder, and raised her eyebrows as she saw what was on the screen. "Ensign Clarkson." she said dryly, "I can't say I'm surprised. He has a bit of a history. I'm surprised he graduated the Academy. But this time he's not getting away with it." The Captain tapped her comm badge. "Security, please escort Ensign Clarkson to my ready room immediately." Lucy pulled a tortured face. "Do I have to see him?" Janeway nodded. "We need to know it's the right person." "I think I'm going to be sick." she replied glumly. B'Elanna took Lucy's hand. "It'll be all right. We'll look after you." Janeway stood just to the side of Lucy's chair, one hand resting on the girl's shoulder. The door chimed its usual warning and Janeway snapped "Enter" in reply. Ensign Clarkson was pushed into the room by a security team with their phasers drawn. Lucy gripped B'Elanna's hand tightly. Janeway looked questioningly at Lucy, who nodded slowly in reply, before gazing intently at the table. "Clarkson." said Janeway, sterner than any one of them had heard her before. "I don't want you to say anything. I just want you to know I have never been so disappointed with anyone. Ever. Take him to the Brig. I don't want to see him again until we hand him over to the Federation authorities. Frankly, the thought of someone on my crew doing something like that on my ship revolts me. As far as I am concerned, you are no longer a member of my crew." Clarkson opened his mouth to protest but was forced out of the door by security officers before he'd had the chance to say a word. Chapter 10 Janeway sat down heavily in her chair and Lucy looked up from the table. "Can I go now?" she asked, on the verge of tears. The Captain nodded. "And if you ever need to talk, my door is always open." "You can talk to any of us." added Tom Paris. "Whatever the time, day or night." put in Chakotay. "You can wake me at three in the morning if you need to!" said B'Elanna, grinning. "I hope I never have to take you up on that," replied Lucy, "but thanks. Thank you all." Standing up, she headed for the door, followed all the way by the eyes of the officers. * * * Lucy hovered in the corridor in her pyjamas. Finally she pushed the button by the door. The now familiar chime was followed by a sleepy "Enter." "I'm so sorry," Lucy began. "I know you said I could wake you at three in the morning, but I hoped I'd never need to, but it's only half past one but I didn't want to wake the Captain because she never seems to get enough sleep and..." "Lucy!" exclaimed B'Elanna, leaping out of bed, finally realising who the babbling figure was. "What's wrong? Are you alright?" Lucy sighed as if to say 'no'. "I know I'm eighteen, and I'm all grown up and everything so this is going to sound dumb..." B'Elanna took hold of Lucy by the upper arms. "In this situation, nothing sounds dumb. And, I'm older than you and, hell, I feel about as in control as a five year old. Your age doesn't matter now, and neither does sounding dumb. Now, tell me." Not sure whether to be comforted by this outburst or not, Lucy spoke anyway. "I'm scared. After seeing him again... every time I close my eyes he's there, and it all happens again. I... I don't think I can be alone tonight. Can I sleep on the floor in here?" B'Elanna shook her head. "No?" questioned Lucy. B'Elanna grinned. "No, you can't have the floor- take the bed." "I couldn't make you sleep on the floor." apologised Lucy. "You have the bed." The chief engineer shrugged. "God knows it's big enough. We can share. Like a sleepover." This brought a smile to Lucy's somewhat pallid face. "Want me to replicate some popcorn?" Lucy asked, grinning. B'Elanna was bent over the console on the wall. "What movie do you want?" she asked, grinning too. "Something girly." said Lucy, without a moment's thought. "With decent songs." B'Elanna tapped the console once more and stepped away from it. "One of my favourites, and it's old enough for you to know!" B'Elanna said, sitting on the edge of the bed. Lucy placed a huge bowl of popcorn at the foot of the bed and lay on her stomach, facing the console-cum-video screen. B'Elanna swivelled round to match. As the movie began, the popcorn was fast disappearing. * * * Voyager's chief engineer and the youngest ever twenty-first century astronaut stood on B'Elanna's bed dancing and singing along to the film. "Go, Greased Lightning..." they paused and looked at each other. Neither knew the words. "Nah nah-nah nah-nah nah-nah naaaaah! Greased Lightning, go Greased Lightning..." The door chimed, unnoticed. "Go Greased Lightning you're dah dee dah dee dah dee daaaaah!" The door chimed again. "Greased Lightning, go Greased Lightning!" Out in the corridor, Janeway tapped in her command code and, obediently, the door slid open. She stepped inside. "You are supreme, the chicks'll cream, for Greased Lightning. Go, go, go, go..." their voices tailed off as they noticed the Captain standing, arms folded and looking as if she'd just eaten a lemon, in the doorway. "Lieutenant?" she asked icily. "What in the Federation's name is going on in here?" Chapter 11 For once, the half-Klingon chief engineer was lost for words. "Um..." she began, stepping down off the bed. "We... Lucy... I..." Lucy stepped down to join her. "I'll take the blame for this." she said to B'Elanna. "Captain," she continued, "it's my fault. After seeing him again I couldn't sleep- I was scared. I came in to see if B'Elanna, sorry, Lieutenant Torres would let me sleep on her floor or something and..." she made an all-encompassing gesture with her hands. She bent to pick up the nearly empty popcorn bowl off the floor, and offered it to the Captain. "Popcorn?" Lucy asked, innocently. Janeway found it hard to stay cross for long. She smiled, but declined to offer of popcorn. "I'm glad to see you're feeling a lot better Lucy," she began. "But please keep the noise down- it's gone three! And you really should try and get some sleep, some of us," she said, pointedly, to Torres, "have work to do in the morning. If I have to come in here again, there'll be trouble. Good night." The Captain left. As soon as the door slid shut, Lucy and B'Elanna collapsed on the bed in fits of giggles. Janeway's voice came from the corridor. "I can hear you, you know!" B'Elanna tossed a pillow at Lucy. "Hey!" she replied, "Save something for tomorrow night!" Still laughing, they climbed into bed, fought over the covers momentarily, then lay still. "Thank you so much," said Lucy, staring at the ceiling, "that was exactly what I needed!" "Any time." came the reply from the other side of the bed. "I haven't done anything like that in years." "Good night." "Good night, Lucy." Within minutes, both were asleep. * * * When Torres woke for duty the next morning, Lucy was still fast asleep. Reluctant to disturb what must have been Lucy's best nights sleep in a long time, B'Elanna crept out quietly. Bleary eyed, B'Elanna sat at a table in the mess hall, prodding unenthusiastically at her breakfast tray. She looked up as a pair of hands clasping a coffee mug appeared on the other side of the table. The Captain. "Tired, Lieutenant?" Janeway asked jokingly. Torres grinned. "Thank you for looking after Lucy," the Captain continued. "She really needs a friend right about now." Chapter 12 Lucy sat up and blinked, disorientated. Looking around, she remembered where she was, and grinned at the recollection of last night. Noticing a padd by the bed, Lucy picked it up. "Sorry, I had to go." she read. "Duty called- I have power conduits to replace, and one of the mess hall replicators has broken again. Come and find me when you're up- I could do with another pair of hands!" Lucy frowned. "She doesn't need me- Janeway's set her up to look out for me. That's the last thing I need right now- for everyone to treat me like I'm seven or something!" * * * Just as B'Elanna had done several hours earlier, Lucy sat at a table in the mess hall, prodding Neelix's breakfast concoction with a fork and wondering if it had been worth it to blow all her replicator rations on popcorn last night. Tom Paris slid into the seat next to hers with a cheery, "Hey, kiddo!" Noticing Lucy didn't look overly happy, he got more serious. "Anything wrong? Want to talk about it?" he asked, concerned. Lucy shrugged. "I miss home. London home. The house we lived in before we moved to America... where I grew up. I miss my bedroom and all my stuff." "We can do something about that!" exclaimed Paris, as an idea formed in his mind. "Come with me." Breakfast forgotten, Lucy followed Paris out of the mess hall. They wound their way through parts of the ship Lucy didn't know, landing up in front of a door like any other. It slid open to reveal a Holodeck. Lucy froze. Noticing, Tom spoke up. "It's a different one." he said, as if he'd read her mind. "And I'd never... you know. B'Elanna would kill me if I did anyway!" Lucy managed a smile and stepped inside. * * * Several hours later, Lucy and Paris stopped to admire their handiwork. Lucy sat on a chair at the pine desk, and Tom perched on the edge of the bed. "It's not quite right." she said, frowning. Typing a few commands into the twentieth century computer on the desk, hooked up to the main computer, the lighting changed. Lucy leant back, satisfied. "Much better. So, Mr Twentieth Century Historian, what do you think?" she asked Paris. He nodded. "Not bad for your first Holodeck programme. But it's very... old." "What did you expect?" retaliated Lucy, ginning. "It's mine! I was born in the 1980s, not the 2280s!" "I have to go." said Tom. "I was meant to be on the Bridge hours ago!" He stood and walked to the door. Lucy spun round in her chair. "Bye, and thanks." "Any time." he replied. Chapter 13 Captain Janeway punched her command code in and the door slid open. She stepped inside, curious. Lucy lay stretched out on the bed, reading, and music was playing in the background. Lucy sat up as Janeway entered. "Paris said I'd probably find you here. B'Elanna told me she hadn't seen you all day. She's worried." "I've been contemplating life, the universe and everything." Lucy replied. "The answer's 42." said the Captain absentmindedly, sitting down. "Douglas Adams!" exclaimed Lucy. "'The Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy'!" "You should try the holonovel." remarked the Captain. "You'd like it. What did you decide from all that contemplation?" "That I miss home. I miss my family." "We all do. We all left people behind in the Alpha Quadrant." "Yes, but at least there's a chance you could get home. I'm stuck three centuries in the future, and it doesn't look as if I'll be getting back." "You could..." began Janeway, "...but you probably wouldn't want to." Lucy looked intrigued. "I was thinking," continued the Captain, "that you might want to join the crew. Properly, that is." Lucy's eyes lit up. "I'd love to! I know Tuvok ran Starfleet courses for the Maquis, do you think he'd teach me? Would you teach me? I don't just want to be a Crewman, I want to be a proper Starfleet Ensign!" Janeway smiled. "It could take a while..." "Who cares! When can I start?" "Right now." said Janeway, standing up. "Come one, you've got three centuries of history to catch up on." Lucy leapt to her feet and followed the Captain out of the Holodeck. * * * Lucy and the Doctor sat in front of a computer screen in sickbay. On the screen was a picture of the skeleton. The Doctor pointed to a bone. "Humerus." said Lucy. He pointed to another. "Tibia." * * * Torres stood with Lucy in front of a schematic of Voyager on the wall in Engineering. "Port nacelle?" the chief engineer asked. Lucy pointed to it. "Bio-neural circuitry?" Lucy tapped a few commands and a green network lit up all over the ship's schematic. "Jeffrie's tubes?" Lucy lit them up in red. "Well done!" * * * "Chilean dictator in the late twentieth century." quizzed Tom Paris. "Pinochet." replied Lucy. "Great Fire of London?" "1666." "How many original colonial US states?" "Thirteen." * * * "Read these." said Tuvok, handing Lucy a stack of padds. "Starfleet regulations and my own dissertation on the Prime Directive." Lucy sighed, and sat down and got to work. * * * "Activate Starfleet training programme Shuttle 3." Commanded Janeway. Lucy seated herself in the pilot's seat, the Captain next to her. "Take her out." said Janeway. "360 degree roll." The starscape on the screen spun dizzily. "Reverse thrusters." "Fire forward phasers." "Drop aft shields." "All stop. Well done Lucy. Computer, terminate programme." * * * On the Holodeck, that had become her unofficial quarters, Lucy collapsed on to the bed, knocking a stack of padds to the floor. "I'll read them later..." mumbled Lucy before falling asleep exactly as she was. Chapter 14 The entire crew of Voyager was assembled in the mess hall. The tables and chairs had been pushed back, and everyone stood to attention in clean, pressed uniforms and freshly polished shoes. Lucy glowed with pride as Captain Janeway pinned the single Ensign's pip on to her collar. "Welcome to Starfleet, Ensign Cavendish." Janeway said formally, but grinning broadly. "Congratulations Lucy, you deserve it." she continued, shaking Lucy's hand. Taking her by the shoulder, the Captain turned Lucy round to face the crew. "Ensign Lucy Cavendish, Starfleet junior engineer." The assembled crew burst into applause. * * * The party in Lucy's honour was held on the Holodeck using the Polynesian resort programme. Everyone was there, out of uniform and dressed up to the nines. Lucy entered, accompanied by Janeway. She was dressed in a long silver dress, and at least three of the male members of the crew wolf-whistled as she came in. B'Elanna Torres, stunning in blue satin, was the first to congratulate Lucy. She hugged her warmly. "You've got the makings of a damn fine engineer, Ensign." B'Elanna said, grinning. "I've got high expectations of you." "I'll bet you a week's worth of replicator rations I live up to them." replied Lucy. "No way!" exclaimed Torres. Lucy looked puzzled. "Because you'll win of course." explained B'Elanna. "I'm still in debt for that 'Grease' video!" The next officer to offer their congratulations was Harry Kim. "Well done," he said seriously, "but you realise you inherit the unenviable position of baby of the crew." Lucy laughed. "Who cares." she said, flippantly. "I'll live." "Just be prepared to put up with all Tom's jokes!" Kim warned. "Talking about me again?" asked Paris from behind Kim, causing the Ensign to jump. Before waiting for an answer he picked Lucy up and spun her round. "Congrats, kiddo." he said, jokingly. "You ready for some serious teasing?" Lucy grinned. "You bet! I can't think of anything I'd like better now, old man!" Tom put Lucy down. "You're quite the Space Cadet, aren't you?" he asked. "Making the history books at the beginning of the twenty-first century- being the youngest astronaut ever- and no doubt you'll make the twenty-fourth century history books too." "First Starfleet Ensign to be trained and qualified in the Delta Quadrant." Lucy mused. "Sounds good." "Sure does." agreed Paris, and poked Lucy playfully. She leapt away and fell into Chakotay. He looked rather taken aback. "Um... I just wanted to say well done, Lucy. You're going to be a valuable asset to the crew." he said in his soft yet earnest voice. Lucy suppressed a giggle and prodded Tom Paris back. He grabbed her by the hand. "It's time to paaartay!" Chapter 15 Janeway stood with Chakotay, watching the party going on around them. B'Elanna, Harry, Tom and the other young members of the crew, lead by Lucy, were dancing the night away to twentieth century classics. The Captain and her first officer tried to name them, but only got about as far as "Dancing Queen" by Abba and "Tragedy" by Steps before they gave up. "I think she might be just what the crew needed." Janeway commented over the Macarena, gesturing at Lucy. "I don't think I've seen them this happy since we left the Alpha Quadrant!" "Her enthusiasm does seem infectious." noted Chakotay, struggling to make himself head over Britney Spears. "And after all she's been through- it's remarkable." "Proper Starfleet material. She's what makes being a Captain worthwhile." * * * The party over, most of the crew had gone to bed. Lucy and Captain Janeway lingered in the mess hall, drinking mugs of cocoa. Lucy tried, unsuccessfully, to stifle a yawn. "Did you enjoy it?" asked Janeway. "It rocked!" exclaimed Lucy. "I think I'm getting used to the idea of staying here." "I know I've got used to the idea of having you here." the Captain said warmly. "And you're doing wonders for crew morale already. If it wasn't for Neelix, I'd make you morale officer tomorrow." Temporarily out of things to say, Lucy and Janeway gazed out at the starscape floating lazily by. "You know what Paris called me tonight?" Lucy asked rhetorically. "'Space Cadet'." she continued. "I suppose I am, but I never imagined for a second I'd end up somewhere like this." "There were times I never thought I'd make it to Captain." mused Janeway. "We're a right pair- overcoming adversity day in, day out." Lucy shrugged. "We're survivors." she concluded, and stood up. "Good night, Captain." she said as she turned to leave. "Good night, Ensign." Janeway replied. Even though Lucy had her back towards her, the Captain knew Lucy was smiling. "Good night."