NA : OPYKJ corrected this chapter and the following, thanks a lot to her, now your eyes won't bleed while reading ! Thank you again my friend ! ;)
Peeps, you should definitely go to read her work, she's awesome !
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CHAPTER 4 : Desperate Measures
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"He lied ! I know he lied !" Tom Paris yelled down a resonating alien corridor. "They know how to help the Captain… oh don't look at me this way, Tuvok!"
"Actually, your reasoning might be correct, Mr Paris,." the Vulcan said in a low and impassible voice.
Chakotay was pacing when he noticed a man behind a large stone pillar staring at them with intensity as if inviting the group to come closer. The commander walked toward him, not breaking eye contact.
Peeking in a paranoid manner, the Praxian whispered as Chakotay approached, "I know how to help your friend…"
=/\=
In the briefing room, Chakotay almost lost his temper and could have punched the face of the alien in front of him. Vega Kai was working undercover at the Praxian Embassy. He had told them he had been present when Kathryn Janeway had been abducted on their planet. Tuvok was holding the commander with a firm grip away from their guest.
"The Praxian Ministry for Foreign Affairs needed informations about your Borg alliance. The process is not dangerous if it is completed," the alien defended himself.
"Are you saying that we are responsible for Captain Janeway's current state of health?" Tuvok asked as he blocked Chakotay from throwing himself at Vega.
"How could you have known… the transfer of her memories was over and the process of regenerating her brain cells was starting. Ambassador Chakah lied to you… They have the crystal that contains all of the informations they needed from Captain Janeway." Vega risked a few steps toward the commander. "They needed you to believe she was taken by a terrorist group… but this was a diplomatic conspiracy."
"Why would you help us against your own kind?" Chakotay slid away from Tuvok's grip to look directly into Vega eyes.
"I would give my life to prevent our government to get informations about the Borg. The Borg fascinate them, and since they heard of you and Voyager, they believe an alliance could be possible with them. I'm part of a large group that fears for the safety of our planet, our families." Chakotay looked at him. It was like hearing himself years ago when he decided to join the Maquis, to defend the safety of his world against the Cardassians.
"Please. You have to trust me…" The man stared at Chakotay. "We have to bring your Captain back to the planet and transfer her memories back into her brain. The process will be permanent. If we get caught, they won't let us do it and we might even get killed." Vega explained as he began to pace in the briefing room. "I can help you enter the high security area where the crystal is stored…"
"You could just destroy the crystal. Why are you taking additional risks to help us?" Tuvok lifted a questioning eyebrow.
"Because I need your help. I want to end their actions once and for all." Vega lowered his eyes to the floor. "I want to destroy the facility."
"You are expecting us to provide you with explosives. We cannot help you in any terrorist attack." Tuvok announced with a categorical tone.
Chakotay suddenly walked toward the door to leave the room. Tuvok followed him through the bridge and leaped just in time into the turbolift before the doors closed.
"Commander, you are not considering…"
"The Praxian government committed a direct attack toward us by abducting a Federation Captain. It is our duty to fight back."
"Sir, by helping a terrorist group against their government, you are violating multiple Starfleet decrees, starting with the Prime Directive."
"I've made my decision." Chakotay turned toward him with dark eyes. "And in case you have forgotten, I'm currently in charge of this vessel."
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The doctor almost jumped in surprise at the sudden storming irruption of Chakotay and Tuvok into the infirmary. Chakotay headed directly toward the hologram.
"Commander? What is happening?"
"I need your help. I have to bring the Captain back to the planet." Chakotay simply said, breathing heavily.
"Of course Commander. Seven could also…"
"That will be just the two of us," the former maquis announced.
"The three of us,." Tuvok corrected him. "This is a very difficult mission, Commander. You will also need my help."
"Thank you." Chakotay looked at the Vulcan with relief.
"Anything for my Captain, sir."
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"Energize," Chakotay ordered as he held the delicate body of his Captain into his arms.
Tuvok appeared behind him, a heavy phaser in hands. The Doctor was next to him, holding a tricorder in front of his face. Vega stepped forward, leading the way.
They walked in silence in the darkness of a light forest. They were grateful for the light that were provided by the two moons of theis planet.
"This way !" Vega whispered as he opened a trapdoor that was leading into a dark small tunnel. "I have a security access to the chamber where the crystals and the technology that will heal Captain Janeway are stored."
Tuvok stepped in first. Chakotay followed, holding his precious captain close to his chest. Tuvok and the doctor switched on their wrist lights and they all began to walk deeper into the infrastructure while Vega closed the metallic gate behind them.
After a few minutes of silent walking, they ended in front of a portal with a red flashing device on the wall next to it. Vega ran his hand along the light and it turned green. He unlocked the door and they cautiously crossed the entrance into another corridor. They heard voices coming from behind a bend.
"Two guards, you'll need to stun them," the Praxian said to Tuvok.
The Vulcan nodded and slowly walked forward. He fired twice, hitting his target each time. "Clear," hHe announced and resumed his progression.
They arrived into what looked like a laboratory and the Doctor used the tricorder over various equipments. The ceiling was high and the walls made of hundreds of small metallic squares. Each had a panel with a screen that was just the size of a hand, resembling a scanner of some sorts.
Vega moved toward a biobed. "Lay her here," he indicated to Chakotay.
The commander did as he was asked. The Doctor joined him. They watched the Praxian step on a little platform on the floor against the wall.
"Lock 5267," he said aloud.
The platform started to levitate and got him to one of the metallic squares where he laid his hand against the electronical captor. The little gate opened itself. He withdrew a small titanium box. The platform lowered down back to the floor.
"This is the crystal." He handed it to the Doctor. "You need to put it into this interface, the rest will follow." Vega walked toward Tuvok. "I fulfilled my part of the deal, your turn."
Tuvok eyed Chakotay and dropped the backpack he was wearing to give it to their ally. Chakotay held Kathryn's head, and the Doctor connected wirings to her forehead. He inserted the crystal into a matching niche into the device. The devices started to emit lights and sounds. Chakotay watched Kathryn's glazed eyes with worry. A small needle emerged from a pipe and sank into the skin of her right temple. Her whole body started quivering. The Commander looked at the doctor who raised a hand to calm him down. The readings of his tricorder were normal and not alarming.
Vega withdrew explosive charges from Tuvok's bag and started putting them all around the room.
"This will take some minutes, Commander." The hologram said, his eyes glued to the readings from the device in his hand.
There were suddenly flashes of light around them and a robotic voice echoed from everywhere. "Intruder alert, Crystals chamber."
Tuvok threw himself behind the corner of the main entrance before a shot could reach him. He fired back, hitting most of the time. A laser grated his shoulder but he only flinched and kept shooting at the enemies.
"Commander, I have to warn that their phasers are set to kill."
Chakotay noticed the blood slowly staining the yellow fabric of the Vulcan's uniform and felt adrenaline run into his veins. He noticed Vega grabbing the remote detonator and running toward a small escape door. He rushed after him, crushing him with all his weight against the floor. He caught the remote from his hands. It was blinking green.
"You activated the charges, you, idiot !" Chakotay yelled grabbing him by the neck. "We just have two minutes left to escape!"
"There's no time for her!" The Praxian spat.
The Starfleet officer punched him, breaking his nose and stood back. He needed nothing else from him.
The Praxian crawled toward the door he'd just opened and fled the room. The Doctor was imperturbable and was still focusing on the Captain's vital signs. Suddenly all the room went dark, even the device still attached to the woman.
"They cut off the power!" Tuvok yelled to them.
Chakotay started to feel light headed, as he watched Kathryn's motionless body. "Spirits… No…" He was getting desperate, knowing his last chance to save her had just disappeared. He rushed toward her and grabbed the Doctor's arm.
"Her vitals are good, commander ! But I have no idea if…" The EMH was stopped in his analysis when Kathryn clasped Chakotay's sleeve. They both noticed she had closed her eyes.
"We have to leave, now !" Tuvok warned them.
"Voyager, do you read?" The commander's commbadge remained silent..
"This section of the facility is blocking our signals, we have to get out !" The doctor exclaimed as he hooked his tricorder to his belt and teared the crystal from the machine.
Chakotay slid his arms under Kathryn's shoulders and knees. He lifted her from the biobed and headed toward the small door which Vega had used for his escape. The EMH yelled at Tuvok to follow them and the Vulcan left his position, ceasing his firing.
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TBC