Chapter 7 – A Probability of Unity
The Away Team materialized inside the main dome of the laboratory facility on the surface of the moon. Chakotay, Seven, and Marina all wore breathing masks. The oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere of the moon itself was breathable, but the facility was designed for Phstk's species, and thus had an atmosphere more like that of the planet the moon circled. Due to leakage over the centuries, the air within the dome was now more like that of the moon's, but enough contaminants remained as to be still too noxious for the humans. For Phstk, being a hologram projected from the Doctor's mobile emitter, it didn't matter one way or the other.
The walls of the dome were opaque with only a small amount of light coming from windows on the doors around the periphery of the room. The three humans turned on the lights attached to the forearms and illuminated the interior. It was the first time in over a thousand years that someone stood within the room. Despite this, the reactor that powered the facility was still operating at a low level. Everything else was neat and orderly. When the facility was abandoned, it was obviously done in a manner with the intent to one day return.
Phstk quickly surveyed the equipment and floated to the center of the room. In fact, the only way to get to the control station located there was over several other consoles that formed a ring about the center. Obviously the aliens used their anti-gravity technology within this room when it was occupied. "Bring me some light over here," he said. Marina stepped forward and aimed her light onto the console Phstk hovered above while Chakotay and Seven remained where they were and continued to scan the room with their lights. The outer periphery had what could be considered a flat floor with doors spaced every five meters or so. It was apparent that the doors led to the spokes that radiated out from this central dome. There were eight doors in all.
Phstk touched some controls and lights flashed on instantly around the room. There was a low hum and a ventilation system also started. A few seconds later, the ventilation stopped but the hum remained.
"No sense refreshing the atmosphere to that of my planet," Phstk commented. "No one can breathe it, including myself."
"Perhaps we should open the dome to the outside to clear out the air a bit so we can take off these breathers," Chakotay said.
Phstk examined the controls in front of him for a moment, and then made some movement with his tentacles. One of the doors opened and a green warning light flashed above the entrance. After entering a few more commands, the green light stopped. Some sunlight streamed into the room from the open door.
"That door opens directly to the outside. I don't think it was ever meant to be used. It's there to accommodate an additional spoke structure. The other doors lead to the various habitat enclosures along the directions that do have spokes."
Chakotay stepped over and opened the door wider. He kept his mask on, for it would take time to clear out the original atmosphere. The facility was on rocky soil with no plant life apparent nearby. In the distance at the end of the spoke on the left, the forest began. Beyond that, the sky was dominated by the large disk of the planet, half hidden by the horizon. The moon was tidally locked such that its rotation period exactly equaled its revolution period about the planet. Thus, the planet would always be in that same perspective from this location on the moon.
"Phstk, what's our time like?" Seven asked. She tried to keep her voice calm, but was obviously a bit tense and wanting to keep things moving. Chakotay quickly moved back inside the dome.
Phstk didn't answer, but returned to studying the console in front of him. More commands entered and another door opened. This one led into one of the spokes, two to the right of the door open to the outside. Phstk then left the control area in the center of the room and moved towards the periphery near the newly opened door. The others followed him there. On the wall by the door was a set of recessed shelves. On the top shelf were small octagonal objects. Phstk pointed to the objects and then turned to Chakotay and Seven. Both picked up one of the octagons.
"Seven and I will explore the area in this enclosure," Chakotay said, motioning to the open door. "Marina, assist Phstk in preparing the reactor for removal to Voyager."
"Yes sir," Marina replied. She seemed distressed, almost as if she was unwilling to let Chakotay and Seven out of her sight. The four of them lingered for a moment, and then finally, Marina nodded quickly and added, "Good luck."
Chakotay and Seven nodded back in understanding. They each detached a tricorder from their belt and turned it on before passing through the door into the enclosure.
"Where do you want me?" Marina asked.
Phstk returned to the control station at the center of the room. After examining it, he pointed one of his tentacles to a box like structure along the wall about ninety degrees from the door which Seven and Chakotay had gone through. "The reactor is there," he said. "Go stand about one meter in front of it and wait for the others to return."
Marina sighed heavily and moved to the position indicated.
"Steady Marina," Phstk said. He was still at the control station entering in some more commands. After he finished, he moved towards Marina. "We'll get through this."
Chakotay and Seven now exited the door. They looked about the room, and then walked towards the others. Seven positioned herself next to Marina and Phstk, and then Marina stepped back a few paces. Chakotay came and stood next to Marina.
"We are attempting to power down the reactor now," Phstk remarked. "Stand ready with your lights."
"Go ahead," Chakotay affirmed.
At first nothing seemed to happen, but then there was a crackling sound that emanated from the reactor. Suddenly an energy discharge leapt from the reactor and hit both Seven and Phstk. Seven was thrown to the floor, residual electrical flashes dancing on her Borg ocular implant. Phstk's holomatrix started to destabilize, his image flashing with horizontal discontinuities. Chakotay stepped forward and reached for the mobile emitter just as Phstk's pattern completely disappeared.
Marina screamed. She lurched forward unsure of herself and looked wild-eyed at Seven's body on the floor. Chakotay moved clumsily, as if his legs refused to function correctly. He opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out, only an incoherent gasp. He awkwardly handed Marina the mobile emitter and then collapsed to the floor cradling Seven in his arms. Marina touched her comm badge.
"Voyager! Emergency beam out directly to sick bay. There's been an accident!"
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Captain Kathryn Janeway rushed into sick bay. Her First Officer was sitting on the floor, and cradled in his arms was Seven of Nine. Seven's eyes were closed and her breathing labored. There was an ugly burnt spot on the front of her uniform and the flesh about her ocular implant was an angry red. "What happened?" Janeway barked.
Chakotay turned, but was incoherent. "I… I," he stuttered, but gave up and turned back to his wife. He was obviously in shock. The Doctor was scanning Seven with a medical tricorder and shaking his head.
"Seven and Phstk were hit with an energy discharge when we attempted to power down the reactor," Marina said. She was crying. "It all happened so fast."
Janeway turned back to the Doctor. "How is she Doctor?"
"There's nothing I can do," The Doctor replied in desperation. "Her Borg components have fused and her cortical node has shut down."
Janeway stumbled back, as if hit by a physical blow. She steadied herself against a table. "Can you remove the damaged components and revive her?"
"I can't," The Doctor said in a daze. "She's dying."
Chakotay began rocking back and forth and moaning softly. "No," he whispered. "Nooooo."
Janeway stepped forward and placed a hand on her friend's shoulder, still in shock at the suddenness of the incident. It must be so much worse for him. She turned back to Marina. "What happened to Phstk?"
"Phstk appears to be gone," Marina replied. She was holding the mobile emitter in her hand. "There is no evidence of his presence left in the mobile emitter."
Janeway returned her gaze to Seven and gasped. Danger was part of the job in Starfleet, and death always a possibility. But this crew. Her crew. They had become her family these past ten years. Each loss she felt deeply, but this was too much. The loss of Seven, her protégé, was a personal blow.
The Doctor turned off his tricorder. The complex programs and algorithms of his holomatrix expressed the shock he felt. He looked up to the Captain, pain in his eyes. "She's gone."
The words cut Janeway like a knife. Seven had meant a great deal to her. More than she realized up to this moment. Chakotay was obviously devastated as well. He was slumped over the inert body of his wife.
How could they, how could she, possibly recover from this?
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Author's note: Stay with me now. One more chapter to go and I'll post it right away.