==New Talax Colony, December 2420==
The Artemis and several of the other ships were still laid up in New Talax orbit undergoing repairs to their Slipstream Drives, only willing to conduct short-range scouting missions until their propulsion systems were 100% effective once again. Engineers from the remaining ships were hunting for ways to preserve or recrystallize the Task Force's remaining supplies of Benamite, but thus far they were having precious little luck and the precious fuel supplies remained sealed safely away in stasis chambers. Neelix and his fellow Talaxians had done their best to help, scouring local systems and calling in favours to find alternate fuel methods, to no avail.
This had weighed heavily on the collective consciences of the Talaxian people, and one morning Neelix himself had come aboard the Artemis and the other vessels with an invitation for those members of the crew not currently on duty at a specific time and place to attend a Talaxian festival. This was the second in as many months, their groundbreaking ceremony having been in mid-November by Earth date reckoning, but the invitation had not been refused - the crews needed to blow off steam, and so priority had been given to those who had been working through the first festival - namely the Tactical, Engineering and Medical staffs of each vessel in addition to the overworked senior staffs.
What they found when they materialised at the coordinates, however, was not a traditional Talaxian festival. A giant Christmas Tree stood in the centre of the newly-constructed town square, decorated in the Talaxian approximation of the Terran style, and a large campfire ringed by benches able to hold dozens of individuals stood to one side. Talaxians bustled about with traditional Christmas treats prepared using recipes Neelix recalled from his time on Voyager (with liberal use of Leola Root), and several stalls and benches held treats that had been replicated for a little more authenticity. The old Talaxian had also created a monument to the crew of the lost Voyager, that wherever they were, they were taking part in the festivities in spirit.
Later, Neelix would say that this was his way of thanking the Star Fleet crews for their assistance, and as a way of bringing the two cultures together in a way that had been impossible before.
==Let the festivities begin!==