On a plane of existence rarely seen by mere mortals, some individuals were having a heated discussion.
"Just what have you done with the crew of the Hammond and the personnel from Icarus Base?" The Lady asked the 'boy'. He was infinitely juvenile compared to her and she wasn't bothered by that thought process.
"Would you relax, doll? Everything will be fine! My dad challenged me to run an experiment." The boy responded.
"Experiment you say? Explain."
"Okay, fine. Oma, let me give you the basics. Voyager has been on an interesting journey so far, and my dad thought they needed one last adventure before getting home. He just wanted to make it seem like it wasn't his style, or else Janeway would suspect him right away. And besides, if you had the power I have, wouldn't you want to see what the two crews could do together? I made some modifications to both ships, so neither one will explode for the next 15 earth days. Your old clunker is still out there and in need of a crew…" The young Q answered.
"Old clunker? That ship was around long before your parents made you!" Oma de Sala could be quite a force to be reckoned with when she was angry.
"Exactly! It would benefit from a crew, right? And isn't that the idea your people had when they seeded the Milky Way galaxy in your realm? I've seen the outcome of my experiment already, and I know it will all work out."
"You have some more information to share?"
"Yes, Oma. Once the egg heads figure out that the Stargate is their best option, they will use it to send everyone over to the old clunker and the ship will become more whole, don't worry, they won't be alone. I'll help them along the way, and you can always tag along with me."
"Acceptable."
~~~~In the background, Papa Q was observing the conversation~~~~
So, Junior has some more work to do. He reminds me of me when I was his age. Oh, to throw a cosmic wrench in things….
~~~~Voyager Mess Hall~~~~
Captain Janeway walked in and found Colonel Samantha Carter sitting at one of the tables near a window, currently showing nothing but black space. She was nursing a bowl of Rocky Road Ice Cream, with a confection that looked like peanut butter and chocolate in a small, ridged disc. She had no idea what the confection was called.
"Mind if I join you," Janeway asked.
"It's your ship, be my guest." Carter replied.
"Rocky Road, one of my favorites. What is that topping you have added?"
"They are called peanut butter cups. Back home, some of the best are made by a company called Hershey, and the cup is called a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup. Very good, but only in moderation."
"Ah, chocolate. I can understand. I came to talk to you to see how you are doing, how your crew is adjusting."
"All things considered, we're good. Everyone from Icarus has been examined by your EMH, who bears a strong resemblance to our Dr. Richard Woolsey. He is in command of a city ship we have on earth now called Atlantis."
"Have you had a chance to reconcile what was on television and what is now around you? I gather you have an extensive background in science."
"Oh, yes. The television show had so many odd ways of explaining things, but seeing this ship, the engine room, the transporters, oh, it is all very amazing! I could spend the next decade taking it all apart just to find out what everything does."
"Some other time, perhaps. Colonel Carter, I'm sorry for being so quick to this point, but I need to know what is possible for getting out of this void. You have had more exposure to technology that can help than I have in my entire time in Starfleet. Your friends, the Asgard, what about them?"
"The Asgard, as far as we know, died off when they couldn't solve the genetic degradation of their clones. They would likely never be able to reach us here, even if I could calculate where here is."
"Alright, different approach then. What would you suggest given your experience with your crew, and the technologies you've mastered since joining the Stargate program?"
"Well, we will need to find a way to get the nearest galaxy closer to us without depleting all of our energy reserves. Navigation sensors are useless until we can get something to give us a bearing. Maybe, well…" Carter stopped in mid thought. Something mad just came to her, and she had no idea what to think of it.
"Colonel Carter, this is Omadra, would you join me in my lab at your earliest convenience?" The radio on her BDU vest chirped.
"Sorry Captain Janeway, you want the rest of this?" Carter offered Janeway her bowl. Janeway felt she may have to program the replicators to adjust the ratio of peanut butter to chocolate, or, add some coffee directly to the chocolate. The Doctor could always help her lose the weight from such an indulgence.
~~~~Two Days Later
In a briefing room created on the Holodeck, a discussion was taking place.
"So we have two ships, two well coordinated crews, a team of well trained military officers, and a batch of civilian scientists crammed on two ships not made to handle the life support needs of all of us for an extended duration. We need to find a solution and fast." Janeway spoke.
"I agree. The best solution is one that allows all of us to survive and get some chance of getting home." Carter replied.
"After reviewing the sensor data of the surrounding area of space and consulting with the Voyager Computer core, I have a suggestion." Omadra said.
"Go on," Kathryn Janeway found the Asgard to be a very interesting species. As a scientist herself, she was fascinated by the amount of technology they had mastered. "Just try to keep it to something that we can all follow along."
"Of course. What I propose is a computer core constructed from the Asgard and Voyager. As the human expression goes: 'the best of both worlds'. We fabricate a combined computer core that can fit through the Stargate. The 9 Chevron address does lead somewhere that can be beneficial to all of us. I recognize part of the formula from several generations ago." Omadra was not one to prevaricate.
"Just where does it lead? Are you going to be more forthcoming with us?" This was from Rush, who despite being on a ship that made everything he thought he knew about the laws of physics, felt like he was a first year student. Oh, he had seen episodes of a television program that came out in the 70s, and laughed it off as fallacy. (He may never learn that Q Junior took all of the prior stories and mission logs from the United Federation of Planets and dropped them into the reality with Stargates and Ori and Jaffa mere hours before starting his experiment. He also made the world remember the different shows being on the air for decades before this fateful mission the George Hammond had been on. The people of Earth within and without Homeworld Command just thought the series were works of fiction, before meeting Voyager and her crew.)
"As I said, I recognize part of the formula contained in the address. I can state that it does lead to an environment with potential to support all 375 humanoids across both ships. More information was redacted long ago and until I have a chance to reconnect with the Asgard Home World, any further information will have to wait."
"Home World? I thought the Asgard we're dying and they gave us all of their knowledge before leaving the universe?" Carter was confused.
"They never were truly dying. A fallback plan was in the works. More will be revealed in time Colonel Carter." Omadra truly wished she had a version of her body that wasn't as degraded by multiple clones.
"Let's table that for now. Why a core to fit through the Stargate," Janeway asked, and felt like there was about to be some footwear falling soon.
"After evaluating the current condition of both the Hammond and Voyager, I have determined that there is enough power to make a connection to the 9 Chevron address. Doing so would be a one way trip. Taking a combined computer core would benefit in utilizing the technology each ship has at the moment, once we are settled."
"Why not try to get us back to a galaxy we know the name of?" Ensign Harry Kim contributed.
"The life support requirements to sustain everyone would exceed the power generation capacity of both ships long before the food supplies would run out. The energy reserves would not be enough to cross the distance to the nearest galaxy I found, which is one hundred forty-five million light years away."
"I guess getting out and pushing wouldn't help" Tom Paris laughed.
"Oh, so we would have to leave behind our ships in exchange for what? A planet capable of supporting carbon based life?" Chakotay asked.
Over the two days, both crews had provided a brief summary of the technology each other had and how certain things worked. History class was very brief and boring.
"I am merely stating the outcome of my analysis. Using every database from both ships and scanning out in this void, our options are limited."
"Wherever that address leads to, how do we send 375 people and one hologram over? What about supplies? Food? Getting back to Earth?" Everett Young, as a military man, had always been planning the next move. The next mission.
"Voyager has some technology we do not have. If we took a food replicator, a power generation system, and the computer core I have proposed, they would allow us to make what we need until natural food stores could be found."
"Ok, that sounds better. How much could we take with us? How long does the trip last? Is there a way to take raw materials from both ships to use in the event we need to build a new ship?" Colonel Young still had more questions, but he recognized that in the realm of science, he had much to learn.
"Raw materials would be limited to what can be transported through the Stargate, and there are some elements from Voyager that do not conform to anything on the period table as we know it." Dr. Rush answered. He was beginning to realize that the technology of Voyager was very real and in many ways, superior to anything his people had. "The problem is mass. The more we tried to take with us, the less stable the wormhole would be. We can take detailed scans of all supplies we have, all chemical compositions of our ammunition, and once on the other side, with the help of the Asgard matter creation unit, we can build whatever we need."
"That would be great. Even clothing would help." Colonel Young felt a softball sized headache coming up, as Wray had voiced a concern last night before Senator Armstrong was given a clean bill of health from, of all things, a walking projection of light wrapped in a force field!
"Next item up for discussion is leadership. What do we do when we get on the other side of the Stargate? Who is in charge ultimately?" Camille Wray asked. She was a civilian representative from the International Oversight Agency. Of course, someone put a wrench in it earlier…
"Ms. Wray, let me be blunt. The time for forming a new government is not now. The United Federation of Planets is something that has been around in my reality for over 200 years. The United States Military and the IOA have only been using a Stargate for a little over 30 years combined with the 1945 tests. My crew would directly answer to me, and Colonel Carter's crew would answer to her. Power is not something we have to give anyone, especially as the technology that would give you any creature comforts you will enjoy comes from Colonel Carter and me. Once contact can be re-established with your Earth, then you can get whatever marching orders they have for you. Granted, we are open to requests, but we, the Starfleet crew, will not take orders from anyone outside of the Federation Council or the Admiralty. As you are not a member of either, anything you would ask us to do will always have the possible answer of 'no'. Do I make myself clear?" Janeway hated playing this card, but it was inevitable.
"I understand and respect your chain of command with your crew. I still feel that any civilized government should be run by a civilian agency. If the military is completely in charge, that spells trouble." Wray was ever the politician.
"Ms. Wray, as the senior member of the United States Senate on board, I hereby relieve you of all duties related to the IOA. You are now just a passenger, and any more outbursts will not be tolerated. I recognize the need for leadership, and the US Military personnel and the scientists that are on the payroll for Home World Command will be able to answer to me for the time being. Colonel Carter and Captain Janeway would be able to share responsibility for both crews in times of need." Senator Armstrong chimed in. It was a wonder what the Federation Doctor was able to do for him after a short scan with his medical tricorder. After two injections from a hypospray, he felt like he was back in college. The ticker would keep going. He did miss certain things though…
~~~~Scene Break~~~~
"OK! This is going swell! I think the next great thing is something to motivate the crews to work faster. They need to get on to the old clunker and soon!" Q Junior really liked this experiment.
"Would you stop calling it the 'old clunker'? It has a name, a beautiful name." Oma de Sala felt helpless that the rules of the Ancients meant she could not directly interfere with either Voyager or the Hammond crews.
"Ok, fine. Destiny." Q Junior wanted to retract his invitation, but Papa Q made that impossible.