by Nick Parsons

In February 2387, there were 160 people living on board the 14 decks Intrepid-class starship, USS Voyager. Only equipped to handle a minimal amount of crew, Captain Kathryn Janeway was faced with a difficult decision. Luckily, Voyager encountered a species called the Lekarans. The Lekarans were an architecturally savvy race. They spotted Voyager's problems with overpopulation and offered Captain Janeway and opportunity of a lifetime. The Prime Minister of Lekara offered Voyager their services in remodeling their ship if they would allow Voyager to study their database for their own purposes. The senior staff decided that they were a kind race and wouldn't do anything dangerous with knowledge. The Prime Minister offered the Voyager crew housing in one of the main cities and the crew of Voyager was allowed full access to Voyager during the reconstruction period, although they had to keep out of the way.

With the Voyager construction underway by the end of February, it was clear to everyone what needed to be done. First, they had to make it bigger. The designers decided the ship should expand to twenty decks. The rooms would be enlarged as well. The bridge size was sufficient, but Sick Bay needed more beds for all the new people being born and Engineering needed to be bigger to power a bigger ship. Captain Janeway wanted the ship to have the same design so that Starfleet would recognize it when it returned. The designers were able to accommodate the necessary features with the wish that Voyager remain as much of the same as possible.

Very little new technology was added. The Lekarans had their own replicators and much of the same alloys and materials as Voyager. With Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres as associate engineer, she was able to instruct the Lekarans using information and diagrams from the database on how to duplicate the Voyager features. The Lekarans were very adaptable with their techniques. The estimated time for remodeling was thirteen months, but they were able to finish it in just under ten.

Living on Lekara for ten months was an intriguing and education experience. A in-depth look at a cultures ways of life took place, which had never been done before in the Delta Quadrant. The personal logs of the crewmembers and children recounted their time on Lekara, with their own opinions and take on the Lekarans.

After ten months of living on the Lekara, the family of Voyager bid a tearful farewell to their new friends, the Lekarans. The Lekarans promised that if Voyager ever returned, they would be welcomed with open arms.