That evening was to be one of the toughest experiences of the crew's Starfleet careers, if not their whole lives. Captain Janeway had ordered all crew members to assemble in the Mess Hall by 0700 hours and if she was going to be there herself, that meant it was serious.

Ensign Lee had remained with Ensign (y/n) after the devastating escape from the Krenim Imperial, otherwise known as the 'time destroyers' according to the lower decks. The ship was like a sitting duck, scorched and battered to an inch of its life.
Even though they had different parts of the ship to attend to, both Ensigns met up in the Cargo Bay for the occasional meal and sat up talking into the earlier hours as falling asleep had become something of an illusion. The thought of being alone scared her but that was nothing compared to the decision that awaited her in the Mess Hall.

~~

Everyone who was left stood in the dimly lit dining room, Neelix's kitchen uncharacteristically quiet and still. They waited for their superior officers to enter the room but no one spoke a word. Mental exhaustion and fatigue were the prime factors of the silence and many wondered how on earth they would be able to go on another day.

Looking around her, the young engineer stood beside the ever composed figure of Ensign Lee, with Ensign Miller standing beside him, a permanent frown upon his face from hours of stressful errands and lack of sleep. She stared at the other crewmen standing around like ghosts, faces smeared with grime and their uniforms torn and singed, the official red, yellow and blue now turning a murky grey. Glancing down at her own uniform, she felt over the burn holes in the jacket along her shoulder pad. Her single ranking pip that was usually clipped to her collar had gone missing at some point, and her comm badge was badly scratched.

"What do you think we're here for?" she whispered to her friend beside her, his tall frame unmoving as he waited for his superiors to arrive.
"I bet it's something serious," Miller butted in, leaning between the couple as he searched around the room for signs of the Captain, "We've lost too much of the ship and emergency rations are going to run out any day now. I wouldn't be surprised if the Captain was ready to-"
Lee struck the moody security officer in the chest with his elbow, cutting him off just as the Mess Hall door shuddered open, debris stopping it's usual smooth opening as the Captain entered followed by her senior officers.

Ensign (y/n) peered over the slumped shoulders of the crew in front of her, a lump forming in her throat when she caught Lieutenant Tuvok shuffling in with Seven of Nine at his side. The Doctor strode in after them along with Neelix and Lieutenant B'elanna, her skin pale and her brunette bob matted just like her own hair had become. Seeing her Engineering officer again almost brought a smile to her grubby face but...where were Commander Chakotay and Commander Paris? Her eyes widened with foreboding and dread engulfed her abdomen like someone was wringing her out like a wet cloth. Oh, please, not them too...

Captain Janeway centred herself among the crew, her red and black jacket sleeves rolled up, short brown hair wisping wildly over her forehead as she pivoted on her heels to speak to the room,
"Each one of you has done your best, but determination alone isn't going to hold this ship together."
Ensign Miller grasped Ensign (y/n)'s shoulder and huffed through his nose like a bull, "Here we go," he mumbled, as the Captain continued her speech.
"Its time we faced reality. We've lost nine decks. More than half the ship has been destroyed. Life support is nearly gone. Voyager can no longer sustain it's crew."

She knew what was coming, but Ensign (y/n) didn't want to hear it or accept it. After all they had been through together as a team, this was too hard to face. Captain Janeway walked closely around her crewmen, seeming to stare directly into each person's eyes like she was making a mental note of who they were.
"I promised myself I would never give this order, that I would never break up this family. But asking you to stay..." the Captain stopped pacing and swivelled round, locking eyes with Ensign (y/n), a slight twitch in the corner of her mouth enough proof to tell the ensign just how difficult this was for the Captain to say, "...would be asking you to die."

The Ensign let out a painful breath, her chest so tight that she thought her ribs might crack at the pressure. It was only the smooth touch of Lee's hand encasing hers that stopped her from considering collapsing onto her knees, and he stepped closer to let her lean against his arm.
"You will proceed to the escape pods and evacuate this vessel," Captain Janeway ordered, "Set your course for the Alpha Quadrant. Along the way try to find allies, secure faster ships if you can. Anything to get yourself home."
Home. A word that had become lost in all their memories and a place that seemed too far away to reach.
"The senior staff and I will remain on broad as long as possible. We will try, somehow, to rescue Tom and Chakotay," the Captain placed an arm around Lieutenant B'elanna's hunched shoulders and gave her a reassuring squeeze. The Ensign watched as the senior officers glanced at each other across the room, their faces determined but doubtful of potential success in this noble task but willing to die trying all the same.
"The escape pods are built with subspace beacons. That's how we'll keep track of you. When we find each other again, and we will--" Her voice broke as she gulped, "We will find each other again-- I expect all of you to be in one piece. With some interesting stories to tell."
The crewmen managed to share a light laugh at her optimism, but that quickly subsided when the realisation of the Captain's orders sunk in. Taking her position beside her senior officers, Captain Janeway nodded and her blue eyes softened, an ocean of feelings trapped behind her professionalism threatening to escape. But she held strong, inhaling deeply as she prepared her farewell.
"Good luck."

One by one, the Voyager crew left the Mess Hall for the final time, exchanging quick farewells to their officers as they ran towards the escape pods. Ensign Lee and Miller took the chance to confide in their Vulcan friend as Ensign (y/n) walked over to Neelix, who stood with his arms wide open and a sad smile on his freckled face. As she fell into his wholesome embrace, she tried to saver this moment, to remember his kindness and friendship he had offered since joining the ship all those years ago. Pulling back to face him, she noticed his cheeks we're wet as he cleared his throat,
"I'll see you soon little one. If you come across any interesting ingredients, write them down and I'll see what we can cook up the next time we meet," he joked with a wink and she chuckled in reply, knowing full well this was his attempt to keep her spirits up. The likelihood of seeing the Talaxian again was realistically impossible, but Neelix was never one to give up hope. So she decided then and there that they would meet again. Someday.
"Goodbye Neelix," she trembled but managed a wide grin as she let go of his hands.

Taking in a deep breath, she turned to wait for Lee and found Captain Janeway standing right in front of her, blue eyes weary but bright. The Ensign gulped dryly and stood to attention, hands shaking. But to her surprise, the Captain took her shivering shoulders between her hands and looked down at her. Janeway smiled. The young girl smiled back. She didn't know what to say or whether there was infact anything to be said. Without thinking, the Ensign hugged her Captain with a deep affection, wishing she could stay to help but knowing that Janeway would never allow it. The Captain held the engineer tightly and patted the young girl on the back. Then she turned her head and whispered something into the ensign's ear,
"Whatever happens Ensign, never give up."

As they broke apart from their embrace, the Ensign nodded with certainty, then she watched as Captain Janeway walked away through the debris and out of the Mess Hall towards the Bridge. Lieutenant B'elanna peered back at the Ensign and forced a smile across her lips then left the hazy room followed by Tuvok and Seven of Nine, the Doctor and lastly Neelix; the Talaxian seemed to struggle to remove himself from the Mess Hall, patting the dusty kitchen window pass as he grinned with fond memories of serving the many crew over the years. He looked back at Ensign (y/n) and pressed his lips together, nodding in silence before exiting the Mess Hall.

Everything seemed disturbingly still as she stood there, her boots glued to the floor. Leave Voyager? Her heart fluttered as anxiety flushed her cheeks a shade of pink beneath the grime already there, and she bit her lip to stop it from trembling.
"It's time to go," Ensign Lee called from the door behind her and she turned to see him standing with his hand reached our towards her. Lifting her chin up with a sense of new purpose, she stepped forward and took his hand, the two of them running together down the scorched corridor in search of the escape pods. With each step, the engineer's mind tossed over the words of the Captain's speech, filing it into her memory ready to use as a guide for the next who knows how many long weeks of solitary space travel. She let a tear slip from the corner of her eye and looked up at Lee pulling her along behind him.

Whatever happens, never give up.
Whatever happens.

~~

There was a commotion of raised voices when they reached the area that contained the escape pods, crewmen hotly arguing between themselves. Ensign Lee let go of her hand and strode over towards the anxious crew, his long strides leaving the young engineer to jog after him.
"What seems to be the problem?" Lee asked calmly. One of the men wearing blue glared up at the security officer, his teeth clenched.
"The escape pods allow for six personnel at a time, but some people don't want to share because they think others will take up their emergency rations and life support, which is ridiculous!" he spat directly at the man opposite him.
"I only think it would benefit all of us if we split up into smaller groups to prolong the use of the pods facilities. How difficult is that to understand!?" the other man who wore yellow barked back, his hands flailing in the air with frustration.
"Alright that's enough!" Lee stepped between them and they shrunk back at his height, faces downcast like children being scolded by their parent.
"As much as you may push to disagree crewman, this man has a point," he lowered his voice to the man in blue, who then grumbled something under his breath. Looking down the hall at the nervous crew, Ensign Lee addressed them with a clear precise voice,
"Two or three people in one pod may increase chances of survival by several weeks, maybe months. It is your own decision whether or not you agree to travel in groups of six or in pairs. We have been instructed to abandon ship and that is what we are going to do. No more heated discussions. Captain Janeway wouldn't want us falling apart over who gets to share a bunk with whom."
Some of the crew laughed down the hallway and began talking among themselves, and before long Ensign Lee and Ensign Miller had organised people into their escape pods and sealed the doors, letting each cylinder float off into space not knowing if they'd see them again.

Ensign (y/n) scrunched her sleeves up in her hands as two crewmen waved over at Ensign Miller to join them. The short man smiled and heartily shook hands with his friend and the young engineer.
"I can't persuade you to join us then?" Lee asked his fellow officer, but the short man shook his head.
"After what Tuvok discussed with us, I think we both know what we need to do to achieve it."
Ensign (y/n) blinked at the two men, nonplussed at the information they had withheld. Lee slapped a hand on his friend's shoulder and agreed without a word, letting the man run off down the hall to join two others in their escape pod. As the door sealed behind them, the sound of the pod detached with a metallic clunk as it ejected into space.
That left Ensign Lee and Ensign (y/n) standing in front of an escape pod door, both nervous as hell at the concept of leaving their home of four years behind them.

"Well, looks like you're stuck with me then," she joked as she unlocked the escape pod hatch.
"What would be so bad about that?" he replied quietly and she glanced up at his soft features, a smirk crossing his lips. She felt her cheeks burn and she quickly looked away as the hatch finished opening. They climbed in and watched as the door began to seal behind them, the view of the debris strewn hallway the last they would see of Voyager for sometime.
The escape pod launched from the side of the ship and the computer came online asking for coordinates to be implemented into its system. The engineer let out a sigh as she took a seat at the helm,
"Oh how I've missed your monotonous voice, Computer," she smiled as she set a course for the Alpha Quadrant. Looking out of the small window, they contained their exclamations of shock as they saw the state of Voyager's outer hull, the fizzling of electricity sparkling throughout the damaged wreckage. It was hard to see but they had a different path to follow now. The Alpha Quadrant.

"Okay," she let out a tired breath and searched over the terminal with her fingers, "How long do you reckon it'll be till we come across the next M-class planet?"
Lee sat down on the seat next to her and stroked his jaw, feeling the stubble growing longer than he had liked.
"About that," he swivelling the chair to face her, his elbows resting on his knees. She looked down at him and squinted,
"Something tells me we're not finished with Voyager yet, are we?" she asked with a raised brow and he nodded slowly.
"Tuvok believes that in order for the Captain to reach Commander Chakotay and Paris in time, she's going to need some assistance. He asked Miller and myself to keep an eye out for potential allies in the area and to send them back to help Voyager if we do." He paused for a moment and frowned slightly.
"Are you okay with delaying our trip home a little longer?"
Ensign (y/n) let out a laugh and placed her hand over her heart.
"If it means helping our family, so be it."