"Torpedoes, Full spread."
Janeway's voice sternly broke the silence of the bridge, the Red Alert the only thing making any noise. Tuvok's hands moved furiously about his console and all faces were turned intently toward the viewscreen as four photonic torpedoes were launched from Voyager's bow. The weapons caught speed and jetted toward the now fleeing triangular Borg Cruiser, which shot into a steep descent to avoid the charges but to no avail. Three of the torpedoes slammed violently into the hull of the cruiser, resulting in loud, dark orange explosions.
The Captain turned inquisitively to Tuvok and didn't have to say a word.
"Three direct hits Captain, propulsion and warp drive systems are offline." His report of the attack was dense and emotionless as always. He looked up at his Captain and she breathed deeply.
"Target their weapons systems and disable them."
Tuvok's hands were once again flying about his console and an orange beam shot across space hitting the cruiser, resulting in a small but effective explosion.
"Weapons are disabled Captain." Janeway looked toward Harry who was watching this all unfold in awe.
"Harry, are there any lifesigns?" Harry touched around his console.
"Two, but their weak."
"Hail them, maybe now they will wanna talk, I want answers." Harry's hands moved as a low toned beeping resonated from his console.
"No response." Janeway was becoming impatient. She rolled her eyes and turned to Harry.
"Open a channel, audio only. One way or another, I'm getting my answers." Harry began opening a channel when his console buzzed as Janeway turned back to the screen.
"Captain, we're being hailed." Janeway looked at Harry in surprise and arched her brow before turning back to the viewscreen.
"On screen." She spoke softly.
The screen flickered and then turned to an eerie, light colored green. Janeway walked closer to the screen, with an expression on her face as though she had just seen a ghost.
"Captain Janeway." To the astonishment of the crew, it was the Borg Queen herself. The queen just smiled and then the viewscreen returned to the now drifting Borg Cruiser.
Harry's console beeped and his hands jumped around.
"Captain, there is a Borg Cube dropping out of warp directly ahead." He looked at Janeway with a semi worried look.
"Red Alert! Battle stations!" Janeway's hands were once again on her hips as she walked back to her chair and sat with force.
The cube dropped out of warp behind the disabled cruiser and immediately a green tractor was locked onto it. Janeway stood fast.
"Disable that beam!" Tuvok worked around his console and a beam shot from voyager, the explosion once again small but effective. The beam disappeared and the cruiser continues to drift.
The viewscreen once again flashed light green and the queen again looked upon the faces of the crew.
"Janeway, it is much unlike you to attack unprovoked." A smirk worked its way across the queen's face.
"I see that your tactics have changed since last time we met."
Janeway shot a nasty look at the queen and then breathed deep.
"Unprovoked?!" She was really beginning to lose what little patience she had left.
"That ship attacked us and took information that is invaluable to this ship and it's crew" She dared not give anymore information than that.
The queen just smiled.
"Foolish Captain." With that she closed her eyelids and her eyes rolled back and forth behind them. Two green torpedoes propelled toward Voyager.
"Mr. Paris, evasive pattern alpha beta 3!" Paris's hands flew across the helm and Voyager was thrown into a swift 90-degree dive. One torpedo screamed past Voyager's hull, just grazing the shields. The second torpedo however was unavoidable and it struck violently against the ship's left port nacelle. Though the ship's shields held, the crew was violently shaken and Janway, picking herself off the floor, looked around to see who was injured. Fortunately, everyone was shaken but ok. The little patience that had existed earlier was now gone, those torpedoes were Janeway's cue.
"Computer." She headed back to her chair and calmly sat down.
"Yes Captain." The computer's voice was soft and cheery, almost human. Months ago, Janeway had traded replicator technology for an AI system with the Ocampa, it seemed to be working just fine and it gave the computer more of a personality than just dry beeps and a toneless female voice.
"Activate the sub-atomic particle beam." The weapon came with the new AI system. The computer beeped in response and a low humming filling the bridge that slowly rose to a higher tone.
"Activating." The computer finally replied.
Down in engineering sparks flew from a console that had overloaded when B'lanna realized the new weapon was being powered up. She pushed on her COM badge.
"Torres to Captain Janeway." Back on the bridge, the Captain pushed her COM.
"Go ahead B'lanna."
"Captain, we haven't tested the sub-atomic particle beam just yet, if we fire we could be looking at a core overload." She took a deep breath knowing what the Captain was going to say.
"Thank you for the warning, B'lanna, but we don't have much of a choice." She stared at the cube and the cruiser that lay in front of her.
"Besides, I think we may have found our Guinea Pig, Janeway out." She stood up and turned to Harry.
"Harry, can the deflector handle the stress if we fire?" Kim moved around his console a few seconds before responding.
"There is a chance that it may become unstable…but…I believe I can compensate." They exchanged a look that was a look of trust from both parties.
"Good. Computer, prepare to fire the sub-atomic beam." The computer beeped before responding in voice.
"Standing by for orders." The computer waited for the order to fire. Meanwhile the viewscreen again lit up green.
"Captain, are you powering up your weapons?" The queen smirked again.
"If you fire on either of those ships, it will be considered as an act of war against the Borg, and we will destroy your Federation." Her smirk widened thinking Janeway was reconsidering. Janeway, however, just smirked back.
"Hmm, thank you for warning me and I'll be sure to warn the Federation. But you should know by now how well this Captain takes to threats. End transmission." The queen's face disappeared and the viewscreen returned to the Borg ships.
"Harry, do we have a lock?" She said without turning.
"Affirmative Captain, on both ships." He waited to see what she was going to do, he was thinking it wasn't too late to power the weapon down but he dare not speak it.
Janeway breathed deep and made her mind up quickly.
"Computer, Fire." She almost whispered the command as she walked intently toward the viewscreen.
The main deflector dish began to light up, turning from bright blue to a brilliant rose red color. A few seconds later the first beam was seemingly stretched from the deflector dish. It quickly penetrated the hull of the cruiser, hitting its warp core and penetrating through the other side. So far the weapon was working as it was designed. The cruiser, mortally wounded, went into a slow vertical dive before exploding into nothing more than tiny fragments. By now the cube was starting to move away.
"Captain, their preparing to go to warp." Harry shouted as his hands moved across his console.
"Will the deflector handle another discharge?" She turned to Harry.
"I can try and compensate but I'm not sure." Kim looked at the captain.
"Computer, Fire." She ordered again.
The second beam flew quickly across space and caught the cube before it jumped to warp. It ripped through the hull and out the other side. Instead of exploding at first, the cube lingered for a bit, Borg were being pulled into space from the holes that remained when the beam dissipated, making small explosions of their own. Then the cube lit up quickly from the inside and exploded into a bright ball of orange.
Back on Voyager, sparks flew and the ship violently shook.
"Report." Janeway turned once again to Harry.
"Main deflector dish is offline, no casualties, no reports of injuries." Harry looked on with surprise in his face.
"Any sign of our prototype?" Janeway asked Kim.
"No, just small pieces of what used to be a Borg cube." Harry smiled at his Captain and she returned his smile.
"Good." She turned toward Chakotay and sighed heavy.
"Commander, you have to bridge, I'll be in my ready room if you need me." She had been on the bridge for 14 hours, a tired captain is never a good one. Chakotay nodded as Janeway turned and walked into her ready room as the door closed behind her.
She made her way across the room over to her replicator and with her thumb and finger pressed into her closed eyelids.
"Coffee, black."