The good news was that Seven finally found a nebula that would, in theory, provide some cover and give Voyager's crew time to get their repair levels back above fifty percent. The bad news was that it was another six light years away, and they were limping along at Warp 2, which meant a journey of five months if they couldn't raise their velocity. Doing as she always did, B'Elanna was looking for any way that would help speed up the schedule, though her frustration was beginning to reach its breaking point. Sue Nicoletti, who finally reached the end of her patience, bodily took her friend and escorted her out the door with directions to go and play with her daughter for half an hour so that the Engineering staff could get some work done without having their boss over their shoulder, trying to get things done faster. It was not a usual part of B'Elanna's leadership style, but even she recognized that it was stress-induced, and that she needed to take a break.
As Chakotay toured around the ship to see the damage for himself, the true enormity of their situation began to sink in. He was trying desperately to maintain an air of hope, but even his steadfast belief that they were going to get out of this was beginning to waver. Six dead so far. That it's only six is a miracle in itself, he thought glumly as he stepped around a large debris pile that hadn't been removed out of the corridor yet. As he walked, he remembered how many times he walked through these corridors with Kathryn after a battle, desperately trying to figure out how they were going to pick themselves up and replace everything they'd just lost. The hardest ones though were the ones in which they'd lost somebody, and each death had eaten away at her, forcing her to compartmentalize her feelings until they couldn't escape 'the captain'. He'd done his best to help her hold onto herself, but it had been a losing battle. Kind of like this one.
He didn't get any further before he was slammed into the wall, slicing his hand open on his way down to the floor. "Chakotay to bridge!"
"Kim here. We've got company."
Clambering to his feet, not even noticing the blood, he ran for the lift. "Same number as before?"
"More." Harry's voice was filled with disappointment and anger. "They're up to thirty now." It then changed to shock. "Including two Tzenkethi ships!"
Chakotay resisted the urge to curse aloud when the ship shuddered again. They hadn't been home long, but he certainly knew what that meant. "Return fire. I'm on my way."
Voyager lurched the second that he stepped onto the bridge, slamming his midsection into the railing that surrounded the command centre. Fighting for breath, Chakotay managed to call out, "Can we transmit?"
"Not yet!" Waters yelled out over the din, "but last report said about an hour away."
The captain staggered to his seat, desperately holding to the railing to keep from being thrown forward. "Bridge to Engineering!"
"Go ahead."
"B'Elanna, we've got to get a distress call out. Make sure Nicoletti stays on the array."
"Already done."
"Waters, send a distress call on all frequencies the second she's got it operational."
"Aye, sir."
Another huge jolt threatened to toss everyone around. "Return fire!"
With a significantly larger number of ships, the newly reinforced enemy fleet was moving to surround Voyager, their perimeter slowly closing in as it shifted to accommodate Henz's acrobatic piloting. Their previous tactic of concentrating fire on a single ship was no longer possible as the teardrop-shaped Tzenkethi ships opened fire to support the lesser craft. It seemed to shake the ship to its core, overloading Voyager's systems as the smaller ships tore at its hull.
"Evasive action Delta!" Chakotay shouted.
As the ship twisted and Henz managed to find a small opening to squeeze through, the comm sparked. "Nicoletti to Bridge. You've got communications!"
"Acknowledged!" Turning to Ops, the captain ordered, "Open a channel!"