Heart's Desire

Prologue

Voyager had been trading with the humanoid race from Omadarveen III. The Darveen were great collectors of foreign culture, particularly humor. The Darveen were thrilled to exchange food and energy rich ore for such items as I Love Lucy recordings and Marx Brother's movies. The Darveen enjoyed humor and felt that to know a culture's laughter is to reveal its pearls of wisdom. Tom Paris had been an invaluable aid in selecting the best comic material from Earth's history. The Darveen found the Federation entertainment library to be a rare treasure.

The Darveen were known as connoisseurs of many fine arts, and had developed a music and light genre that was performed in the space surrounding the planets in their system. The compositions were hailed as an amazing fusion of Art and Technology.

Voyager's crew were crowded at every view port to experience the performance designed to acknowledge the friendly and productive trading that took place over the last few days. Voyager's food and energy stores were in excellent condition now.

All of Voyager's senior staff, including Neelix, with his ever present tray of refreshments, waited expectantly to view the spectacular light show that would commence in a few moments in the space surrounding Omadarveen III. This amazing performance of energized gasses and charged ion particles, akin to fireworks in space, was in honor of the new alliance between the people of Omadarveen III and Federation Starship Voyager.

On the planet below, the Darveen people waited expectantly in luxurious planetarium theaters. Weather control software created optimum viewing conditions for those who enjoyed watching the show from the planet's many natural outdoor amphitheaters. And of course the true fanatics arranged their intrasystem skimmers in spectator areas just above the atmosphere of Omadarveen III.

Captain Janeway gingerly sipped her fresh cup of hot coffee, as she sat in the command chair. "Oh, it's such a relief to have real coffee again. Our energy reserves had gotten dangerously low."

"Yeah, we were running on empty," came the casual reply of Tom Paris at the helm. At the Captain's quizzical look he added, "Just a term from the era when vehicles ran on tanks filled with petroleum gas. You remember my little hobby."

B'Elanna, remembering a ride in one of Tom's vehicles on the holodeck, let a smile curve a soft beauty into her Klingon features. That had been early in their relationship, she reflected, when she was just discovering what a (what did Tom call that?) car buff he was.

Tuvok interrupted her musing. "I fail to understand, Mr. Paris, why you should revere such a highly wasteful and environmentally unsound mode of transportation."

Kathryn Janeway's eyes twinkled at the familiar repartee between her pilot and her Chief of Security. Tom was just opening his mouth to reply in kind to Tuvok's disdain, when Ensign Harry Kim straightened to attention at his station. "Captain, Procouncil Miondu is hailing you from the surface.

Kathryn was all business now that she had finished her coffee, and put it on the tray that Mr. Neelix held to her right. "On screen Harry," said the captain as she wondered just how Neelix always managed to turn up just when she needed him.

The elegant face of the Darveen leader appeared onscreen. "I'm transmitting the coordinates for best viewing the light show," said Miondu with a smile. "Thank you again for all the "TV" programs and movies. I would like you to know you are welcome to stay here for as long as you like, and are invited to return any time."

"Thank you, that's very kind of you." Kathryn entertained a brief fantasy of staying with these gentle, cultured people, then smiled ruefully at Procouncil Miondu. "We have thoroughly enjoyed our time here, but as our poet, Mr. Frost wrote, 'I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep.'"

"We hope you enjoy the performance, we shall bid our farewells after the Finale," said the diplomat in his warm sonorous voice.

"Until then, Janeway out." Procouncil Miondu nodded smoothly as though bowing, and the image changed to a view of space with a computerized beep.

Kathryn looked around the bridge at the excited faces of her senior staff. Only Tuvok, the logical Vulcan and Seven of Nine, the former Borg seemed unaffected. There was a calm on the bridge from the happiness over their recent shore leave. The anticipation at seeing a spectacular show was exhilarating and relaxing at the same time.

"We're in position now, Captain," came Tom's cheerful announcement, and added with a grin, "This ought to be great."

"Captain, I fail to see the significance in emitting various colours of light," intoned Seven in her calm measured voice.

Janeway turned and looked directly at Seven who was standing at her usual post behind the command center. "Just think of this as a lesson in human recreation. It's your first Fourth Of July fireworks show."

"Actually, Captain," began Tuvok, "I do have some concerns regarding this display. The Darveen have not been forthcoming about the technical details of their unusual form of celebration. There will be unknown factors literally surrounding this vessel. The possibility exists that ship's function's may be impaired."

With a sideways glance to the captain, Chakotay playfully rebuked the Vulcan Security Chief, "I for one am looking forward to this, Tuvok, the Darveen have been masters of this art form for generations. I'd say the risks are minimal."

"Yeah, Tuvok," jibed Tom with a grin, "Lighten up."

"I presume you are attempting to make a humorous connection to the light display that we are about to witness."

With a hiss the turbo lift doors opened to reveal the Doctor, free to roam the ship courtesy of his mobile emitter, the remarkably small piece of technology, stolen from the twenty-ninth century. "I'm here for the big show," he said with excitement, "What have I missed."

Seven of Nine spoke up, "I believe we have been engaging in Bridge Banter for Beginners."

B'Elanna added, "Yes, Tuvok was just making a joke."

"I'm sorry to have missed that," said the Doctor casting a smile over at Tuvok.

"My goodness, everyone is in such a good mood today, makes my job as moral officer a real pleasure," effused Neelix as he beamed a toothy smile to one and all.

"Captain, the Darveen have just signaled that the show will now begin."

"On screen, wide view," ordered Janeway.

Hauntingly beautiful music poured from the open com link to the Darveen. Alien sounding strings purred a sweet counterpoint to the brashly noble wind instruments. Splashes and beams of colour played across the screen. Geometric shapes and a myriad of abstract designs appeared in collaboration with the music. Liquid ripples of blues and greens accentuated the fluid melody of the flutes. Explosions of glowing amber and molten topaz skittered left to right across the black field in unison with the staccato strings.

Tom Paris felt fortunate to be on Bridge duty. The programmable viewscreen was mesmerizing in its intensity. "We should be recording this" suggested Tom, with a dreamy smile.

"We are, Mr. Paris" Seven of Nine revealed. "I wish to analyze the content of the various light frequencies and compare them to the audio frequencies of the musical component of the performance."

At first the music was slow and mellow, yet it built slowly in its intensity, rolling onward carried by the deep drum. Frigid blue, sharp lavender and velvet peach lapped in waves like those of ancient Japanese woodcuts. The layers of sound laid on top of each other like cards being shuffled, as did the waves of colour, turning darker, deeper, and crashing with spray and foam as if upon jagged rocks. The melody split in two, harmony peeling away from itself, before entwining into a new phrase, sharp and smooth like the boughs of a bonsai tree. Mottled emerald pools spread out like spilled paint, and rods of amethyst, like spears shoot upward, piercing the already fading colours below. A ribbon of liquid silver wove between the poles of crystal purple, seeming to draw them together. A wordless chorus of voices insinuated itself into the music as the movement's climax drew near.

The abrupt sound of a computerized alarm startled everyone on the bridge. The offending noise was emanating from B'Elanna's engineering panel. She tapped a few buttons and the alarm stopped. As she did so, the look of pleasure on her face disappeared and concern replaced it.

"Captain, it seems we've got a malfunction in one of our plasma injectors. We have to vent some warp plasma," B'Elanna reported loudly, trying to be audible over the music.

"There's no way around it, do it. Let's just hope it doesn't ruin the show," replied Janeway quickly.

B'Elanna contacted Vorik and ordered him to begin venting procedures.

A garnet colored light beam chose that inopportune moment to strike Voyager starboard nacelle. The ship rocked violently for a few seconds. Harry, Seven and Tuvok had to brace themselves at their workstations so as not to be thrown to the floor. The Doctor flickered momentarily as Neelix crashed through him, tray and all.

"I think there's something wrong with my mobile emitter," announced the Doctor, his voice wavering slightly, as he glared in B'Elanna's direction.

"B'Elanna, abort plasma venting," Janeway's usually deep voice was raised with urgency and surprise, as she rose to her feet.

"I'm sorry Captain, it's too late. Venting already in progress," apologized the engineering chief, suddenly too loud over a quieter part of the ever-present music.

"Captain," called Harry, "The nacelle is …"

"What's going on Ensign. Talk to me," encouraged Janeway.

"Sorry, Ma'am, the starboard nacelle seemed to disappear – and then come back. It appears to be in a state of temporal flux," Kim explained.

"I believe our vented plasma has reacted unfavorably with some element of the Darveen light show." Everyone had to strain to hear Tuvok's cool voice over a fresh crescendo.

Janeway took a few steps toward the helm. "Evasive maneuvers, Tom. Harry open a channel to Procouncil Miondu – we've got to stop the show. And shut off that basted music!" Silence came mid-note, but Janeway's ears still rang with absent music.

Voyager swung around plunging her bridge into the plasma cloud. On the viewscreen the splashes of light and colors were muffled by the swirling blue of warp plasma. For a second Voyager floundered in her own exhaust.

"Tom," warned Janeway quietly.

"Correcting, Ma'am. These light beams are everywhere," was the fair-haired Lieutenant's swift reply.

The bridge had barely cleared the plasma cloud, when bursts of pure amethyst light found Voyager. The entire bridge was illuminated by the eerie violet glow. Janeway had the irrational feeling of being trapped.

"Hull breach on Deck 11, Section 13," announced Harry from Ops. "Repair crews on their way."

"Red alert," ordered Janeway sharply. The bridge light dimmed obediently, and the slow pulsing of the red alert lights blended strangely with the purple.

The Doctor flickered and distorted before returning to solidity again. He looked down at himself, and studied his hands. He realized that he'd flickered for longer than before, but no one seemed to have noticed. He glared over a B'Elanna before turning to the Captain. "My program, its destabilizing!" he flickered, and his next words were slightly garbled. "…oo something, Captain!" the Doctor yelled, beginning to seriously panic.

"B'Elanna, The Doctor's mobile emitter is being affected," called Janeway, but B'Elanna was already busy.

The entire engineering station was flashing and beeping insistently. B'Elanna tapped her com-badge. "Vorik, what's going on down there? Seal off that breach and get everyone out immediately!" she shouted, panic edging into her voice. She turned toward the Captain, "Warp core breach is imminent, we have to dump the core!"

"Captain! Help!" cried the doctor as he seemed to warp and bend, nearly disappearing completely.

Kathryn hesitated for only a second, trying to process everything that was happening. How had such a joyous occasion gone so horribly wrong? "Download the Doctor's program into the main computer and deactivate him. I don't want him to become permanently damaged." She turned to the Doctor, "We'll get this figured out in a minute."

"I can't deactivate the Doctor's program, Captain, It's jammed," B'Elanna didn't look up, but continued to stare at her hands and the panel below them. She was doing at least five things at once, and there was no room for error. Her hands flew deftly over the controls at frantic speed.

"Reading multiple ruptures, all decks," called Harry.

"Hull integrity will fail in 19.5 seconds," Seven of Nine informed the Captain with a characteristic tilt of her head.

Janeway ran her hands roughly through her hair, her mouth set in a fierce line, "All hands! Abandon ship! This is not a drill. I repeat, All hands abandon ship!" Kathryn Janeway's desperate command, the command that Captains hear in their worst nightmares, blared into the violet darkness. Her last frantic orders were followed by a fit of coughing. Acrid smoke was everywhere and the smell of burnt circuitry permeated the bridge.

As she turned toward the turbo-lift, a peculiar tingling swept over Kathryn Janeway, and she could no longer order her limbs to move. The suffocating, trapped feeling deepened. Kathryn felt panic and terror halt rational thought. Tingling gave way to numbness. The deck, and all the rest of the bridge, seemed to flicker out of existence. Kathryn's last conscious feeling was of falling, plummeting, forever.

Below on the planet, tens of thousands of Darveen celebrants watched spellbound, then horrified as their newfound ally, the Federation Starship Voyager was rocked by massive explosions. Escape pods shot from the hull and wobbled into dangerous space. Darveen pilots sped into the shifting gravity to intercept and rescue Voyager's scattered crew. Tragically only a handful of pods were able to break free of the turbulence before Voyager's graceful hull buckled like a crumpled slip of paper.

Procouncil Miondu watched with horror at Voyager's demise. He felt a sickness in his body, and he trembled with too much emotion, but couldn't tear his eyes away from the great viewing screen on which he had watched the light performance just seconds before. He typed the commands for rescue vessels to aid Voyager, knowing it was already too late. The only thought that remained intact and fully formed in his head was, "we didn't even get to say good bye properly." He whispered it aloud without realizing he had even opened his mouth.

Amid the gasps and cries of sorrow, very few Darveen observed the curious flickering appearance of Voyager bridge section. The doomed structure blinked in and out of the velvety purple haze that remained in that area of space.

In spite of the abrupt cessation of the Light Show when Voyager sent its distress call, Lovin Atmar kept his eyes to the sky. He found it ironic that Voyager's warm, intelligent crew should perish in the same kind of slowly fading flickering light present in the very early earth entertainment Tom Paris called Silent Movies. "I will mourn for you all", he cried passionately.

The bridge was lit briefly – brilliantly, and was gone, leaving no debris whatsoever.

"Very curious", remarked Mr. Atmar in quiet awe.