Disclaimer: I own no part of star trek...do you really think if I did I'd be writing for free?
Sorry it took so long. This chapter is basically a summary of the first few episodes, with a few cheeky comments, so I'm sorry if it's a bit dull, but the story should get better from now on!
Secret Hero Chapter three
Suddenly there was a blinding light and the whole ship shook
Suddenly there was a blinding light and the whole ship shook. As Tom lost consciousness he was sure the ship was being torn apart. When he woke up people had been flung everywhere. The ship looked like it had just faced a particularly powerful Klingon battle ship. Bulkheads were lying everywhere, and gas was leaking out of tubes overhead. Several control panels had blown, and there were bodies everywhere. The captain also woke up, and crawled over to her first officer, who was lying dead on the floor. Tearing herself away from his limp body she shouted for a report.
Harry replied. "Hull breach deck 14. Com lines to Engineering are down. Trying to re-establish,"
Tom was moving about the bridge, trying to help the crew.
"Repair crews, seal off hull breach on deck 14."
"Casualty reports coming in. Sickbay is not responding."
"Bridge to sickbay. Doctor, can you hear me?" No response. "Paris, how's Stadi?"
"She's dead." Tom was shocked. He had been in bad situations, but nothing like this. The captain turned to him, a look of complete panic on her face. She had never imagined that her first control mission could go so wrong. Already she knew at least two were dead, and reports of injury were coming in from all over the ship.
And things were about to get a lot worst.
"Captain, there's something out there." Harry spoke.
"I need a better description than that Mr Kim."
"I don't know. I'm reading…I'm not sure what I'm reading."
"Can you get the view screen operational?"
"I'm trying."
The view screen flickered into life; first very grainy, and then a clearer picture appeared. Everyone turned to the screen, eyes wide. There certainly was something out there, but no one had a clue what the hell it was. It looked a bit like a star, and it was firing something in the opposite direction to them.
After a few seconds of looking at it an alarm went off at Harry's station.
"Captain, if these sensors are working, we're over 70,000 light years from where we were. We're on the other side of the galaxy." Harry said sceptically. Surely the sensors were wrong…but then again if they were near the alpha quadrant then what the hell was the thing in front of them?
Now no one had a clue what to say. Tom was just wishing he would wake up and find that the last few years had all just been a dream. He wanted to be back on Earth, even if that meant returning to the penal colony. Anything was better than where he was right then.
A minute later they had discovered the Marquis ship, but they couldn't find any life signs onboard. They tried scanning the array, but their sensors couldn't penetrate it.
"What are those pulses it's emitting?"
"Massive bursts of energy. They seem to be directed at a nearby G-type star system." The captain ordered them to try hailing the array, but was then interrupted by a transmission from engineering. Apparently their chief was dead and they had taken heavy casualties, and worst: the warp core might breach. The captain hurried off to help out there.
Meanwhile Tom was helping out on the bridge. Since he had studied at Starfleet he knew all the controls and regulations, and so no one really objected to him assistance, and finally he almost felt welcome.
There was no response from the array, or from sickbay.
Harry and Tom went down to sickbay to see what was happening. When they got there they found a fire blazing and the doctor and nurses dead. Harry put the fire out while Tom checked for life signs. Finding none he gave up.
They activated the EMH, who had a lousy bed side manner. Before they knew what happening they had been roped into being nurses, and helping the doctor out.
Janeway was in engineering when she got a message from the bridge. Apparently they were being scanned by the array, but before she could get any answers the bridge stopped responding.
Suddenly everyone started disappearing.
They found themselves on a little earth farm, with a very hospitable woman trying to feed them lemonade and cookies, however their tricorders told them they were on the array and the people were holograms. Suddenly the neighbours arrived and started dancing and playing music. The crew split up and started searching around for anything that could help them get back to Voyager.
Tom and Harry happened upon a barn, where they detected some life signs. Unfortunately there was a holographic woman with them, one of the locals, and before they could tell the captain about their find she had taken Paris out.
Janeway detected their com badge and ran into the barn, followed by some of the crew, however when they got there they found some of the residents already there, along with Harry and Tom.
"Very well," one of the holograms said. "Since no one seems to care for any corn, we'll have to proceed ahead of schedule."
The back wall of the barn disappeared, showing them a long room filled with beds. On some of the beds were the crew of the Marquis ship. Before they could react the crew of Voyager was transported into the beds and needles were stuck into them.
When the crew awoke later they were back upon Voyager three days later. They were about to pursue the Marquis ship, which was powering it's engines, when Tom noticed that Harry wasn't aboard the ship. When he told the captain she quickly hailed the Marquis and asked if they had him, but Chakotay told her that he hadn't, and one of their crew was missing too. The captains decided that, as they both had the same problem it made sence to try and solve it together.
Three of the Marquis transported aboard Voyager. Those three were Chakotay, Tuvok (Janeway's under cover security officer, who just happened to be a Volcan), and someone else who Tom didn't know. He had walked onto the bridge just in time to see the three beam aboard. As soon as they were on board Janeway approached Tuvok.
"It's good to have you back, Mr Tuvok."
Tuvok turned to Chakotay. "I must inform you that I was assigned to infiltrate your crew sir. I am captain Janeways chief of security."
The third man made a move towards Tuvok, but Chakotay held him back.
"Were you going to deliver us into their waiting hands? Vulcan." Chakotay asked calmly.
"My mission was to accumulate information on Marquis activities, and then delieve you into their waiting hands, that is correct."
Chakotay's eyes suddenly darted behind the Vulcan, and rested on one Tom Paris. "I see you had help," he said, this time colder than before. He had heard all about the accident Tom had had after the kidnapping, and had also found out from a reliable source that the boy's father had decided to conceal the truth from him. When Chakotay had met Tom Paris again the year before in a Marquis base he was shocked by the change in the boy.
"It's good to see you too, Chakotay," Tom walked towards them.
"At least the Vulcan was doing his duty as a Starfleet officer, but you? You betrayed us for what? Freedom from prison? Latinum? What was your price this time?" Chakotay could feel his anger rising. He wasn't entirely sure whether it was Tom or himself he was more angry at, after all if it hadn't been for him Tom wouldn't have turned out this way, but Chakotay hated the man Tom had become. The old Tom would have died to protect his friends, but this man would sell them out for a bed and a warm meal. Before he could insult the man any more Janeway spoke up.
"You are speaking to a member of my crew. I expect you to treat him with the same respect as you'd have me teat a member of yours." Tom could feel a glimmer of happiness rising inside him as, for the first time in a long time, someone stood up for him. "Now, we have a lot to accomplish, and I suggest we all concentrate on finding our people, and getting ourselves back home."
"Based on my initial reconnaissance, captain, I am convinced we are dealing with a single entity in the array. I would suggest he scanned our computers in order to select a comfortable holographic environment. In effect, a, waiting room to pacify us prior to a biometric assessment." Typical Vulcan longwinded logic.
"An examination?" Tom asked.
"It is the most logical explanation. Why else would he have released us unharmed?"
"Not all of us were". Tom stated simply.
"Break out the compression phaser rifles. Meet us in Transporter Room 2." She turned to Chakotay. "We're going back. We'll divide into teams. Mr Tuvok, while Chakotay and I are looking for Torres and Kim, you find out as much about this array as you can. It brought us here, we have to assume it can send us home. Agreed?" She asked, once again turning to the other captain.
He nodded.
Janeway turned to one of the bridge officers. "Maintain Red Alert. Keep us on constant transporter locks."
They were just about to leave the bridge when Tom spoke up.
"Captain…" She turned around and Tom walked right up to here. "I'd like to go with you." He looked into her eyes to see what her reaction would be.
Her eyes were guarded. "If this is about Chakotay…"
"It's not. I'd just…I'd hate to see anything happen to Harry." As much as he tried to fight it he did care about Harry, and even though he was certain he was going to lose him as a friend anyway he didn't want him to die. Across the room Chakotay frowned. He knew he had no right what so ever to be jealous, but he could hear how much Tom cared about this Kim in his voice, and he could feel the green emotion bubbling inside him, threatening to burst free.
After a second of consideration the doubt cleared in Janeway's eyes. "Come on," was all she said, before walking into the turbo-lift, Tom in quick succession.
When they returned to the array everyone was gone. Tom, Janeway and Chakotay had formed one group, with Tuvok and a Marquis as another. As the two groups met up Tuvok said "There are no humanoid life-forms indicated Captain."
"Kim and Torres are not within tri-corder range. They may not be on the array."
"He can tell us where they are," Chakotay stated, before walking off in a direction towards an old man playing a banjo.
"Maintain com-links. I don't want to lose anyone else." Janeway said before following the man…
Umm, sorry guys, but I'm kinda getting bored writing this chapter, so basically you all know what happened next. Basically the two crews merged, Chakotay became the first officer, Torres became cheif engineer, and Tom became an officer. Nelix and Kes joined the crew, and they headed off in the direction of the Alpha quadrant. If anyone needs more detail then e-mail me.
Please review! I want at least five reviews before I write the next chapter!
