Out Of Time: A Star Trek Voyager Fanfiction Story
Episode 25:
Still on Day Two Hundred Fifty Seven…
The time ship and Voyager 1 disappear from the scene, but not before the nearby Nihydron vessel and the last Mawasi vessels get hit by time incursion fragments. They also disappear. Only the escape pods from Voyager 2 remain. Without another way to save the crews onboard the disappearing vessels, the non-corporeal being Kes had released more escape pods from both Voyagers to be able to transport most of the Mawasi and Nihydron crew members into them. Kes sighs with partial relief, "good. But, why do I see the possibility of an attack…from Captain Kathryn?"
Meanwhile…
Kellin and Chakotay were in an escape pod, talking. Chakotay wonders uneasily, "why didn't it work? The timeline should've reset by now."
Kellin suggests, "we had hoped that the temporal core could be disabled…but we didn't get the chance to make sure of it."
Chakotay suggests, "scan for life signs." Kellin does.
A computer voice responds, "there are two hundred twenty life signs within range." Chakotay sees space as a blur through the windows.
Kellin wonders, "not that I'm complaining, but how is…?"
Chakotay realizes, "Kes." All the escape pods accelerate past Krenim territory at alarming speed for a few seconds…then stop around a certain Demon class planet.
Kellin wonders, "who is that?"
Chakotay figures, "a friend…a very powerful non-corporeal friend."
Kellin points out, "then why didn't she help earlier?"
Chakotay reasons, "even very powerful non-corporeal beings don't know everything…with the exception of the Q. But, the Q aren't known for being wise."
Kellin figures, "I see. Do you think captain Janeway is in a better place?"
Chakotay figures with a sigh, "at least one of them is."
A few seconds later…
Captain Kathryn and one of the Tuvoks from Voyager 2 are in another escape pod, talking. Captain Kathryn sighs, "we've come full circle."
The second Tuvok asks, "captain?"
Captain Kathryn challenges, "is the timeline restored?"
The second Tuvok suggests, "we wouldn't be having this conversation in a escape pod if the timeline was restored."
Captain Kathryn concludes, "I thought as much. We gathered all our forces together…only to end up without anymore ships to fight the Krenim with."
The second Tuvok suggests, "yet we have survived."
Captain Kathryn mutters, "but for how long?! We're back at the Demon planet, but it won't… Kes. That's how we survived."
The second Tuvok figures, "the acceleration didn't result in a collision course…which matches the end result from Kes accelerating us past Borg space. And without anymore conclusive proof, it is logically the case."
Captain Kathryn reasons, "Kes wouldn't have rescued us unless… There must be a way to restore the timeline…and the solution could very well be on that Demon class planet."
The second Tuvok challenges, "but according to my readings, there is no technology capable of making a time incursion or a means to time travel within range."
Captain Kathryn suggests, "try looking for a temporal variance."
The second Tuvok reports, "on the surface…just outside of the cave that the original Harry and the original Seven…"
Captain Kathryn mutters, "don't remind me. Let's just land this escape pod."
Five minutes later…
Captain Kathryn, the second Tuvok, and the other remaining members of both Voyager crews are gathered around the nearly unidentifiable wreckage of technological Krenim parts on the Demon class planet's surface. The Nihydron were all inside their caves, working on getting their army back up in anticipation of the Krenim. Chakotay checks, "so you believe that this came from the time ship?"
Captain Kathryn concludes, "we know so." The second Tuvok takes out a tricorder, using it to scan the debris.
He points out, "confirmed. Temporal core fragments."
Tom Paris points out, "but the time ship was nowhere near…"
Kellin realizes, "if this Kes is as powerful as you say…anything's possible here."
One of the Sevens adds, "a crude deduction, but accurate."
One of the Harry Kims figures, "we could rebuild it."
The original B'Elanna concludes, "but what would be the point? All it would do is repeat the same mistake."
The original Tuvok deduces, "perhaps…but perhaps not. If the temporal core was in some way rebuilt, it may not have the same result."
A second Seven suggests, "I have a suggestion."
A second Captain Janeway mutters, "let me guess: Assimilation?"
A EMH doctor urges, "she's not the captain! Let Seven speak." Most of the Captain Janeways glare at him and his other duplicates.
The original B'Elanna urges, "go ahead."
The second Seven figures, "thirty days ago, I've been going through the Raven's logs off duty…in case we encountered the Borg again. And I found out about bio dampeners: Devices that were originally made to keep the Hansens from being detected by the Borg for hours."
Chakotay wonders, "but…there sure aren't any here. What are you getting at?"
Kellin figures, "I take it you'll explain later."
The second Seven explains, "we would use a similar tactic. If we make multiphasic shields around six Nihydron ships to surround the temporal core as it overloads…"
Kellin realizes, "we could have a chroniton explosion concentrated on one area of subspace...causing a tear in the space-time continuum big enough to reset this timeline."
The first Seven comments, "efficient. How did you…?"
Captain Kathryn suggests, "there may not be enough time to explain it, but it sounds like we have one more shot at undoing the Krenim's mistakes. There's no telling how long until the Krenim come to stop us…so we might as well get started." In a brownish gas cloud, Kes is watching over them.
Kes mutters, "I still can't tell which Captain. They're mostly the same…but I know someone who can tell the difference. I just hope I'm not too late." She disappears from the scene.
A week later, in another timeline…
Captain's log, Stardate 51352.3. The past couple of weeks have been uneventful, but we've made excellent progress on the new Astrometrics lab.
Not long after…
An alternate Captain Janeway on a undamaged Voyager suggests, "open a channel." A certain Krenim Commandant appears on the viewscreen.
He says, "you've entered Krenim space. State your identity."
The alternate Captain Janeway responds, "captain Janeway of the Starship Voyager. We're just passing through, trying to get home."
The Commandant adds, "this region is in dispute. I suggest you avoid our territory."
The alternate Captain Janeway figures, "thanks for the warning."
The Commandant reacts, "good journey." The viewscreen changes back to a view of space.
An alternate Chakotay urges, "Tom, plot a course around Krenim space."
An alternate Tom Paris adds, "aye, sir."
The alternate Chakotay suggests, "so what do you think? How about a groundbreaking ceremony for our new lab?"
An alternate Harry Kim figures, "sounds great."
The alternate Captain Janeway suggests, "I think I'll replicate a bottle of Saint Emillion for the occasion. 2370. I hear that was a good…year." Kes appears before them…surprisingly collapsing.
She mutters uneasily as she materializes back into a physical being before the Bridge crew, "captain…there's…!"
The alternate Captain Janeway orders over combadge, "beam Kes directly to Sickbay!" Kes is beamed to Sickbay.
A alternate EMH doctor mutters over combadge, "why does no one…?!"
The alternate Chakotay urges over combadge, "Kes just appeared before us."
The alternate EMH doctor sighs a little in Sickbay, "very well…but you can relax. Kes just seems to be…physically exhausted."
The alternate Harry Kim wonders, "what could possibly…?"
The alternate Captain Janeway sighs a little, "I wish I knew, Harry…but I have a feeling we'll find out soon enough."
A few days later…
Kes wakes up in Sickbay before an alternate Neelix, the alternate Captain Janeway, and the alternate EMH doctor. Kes asks, "where am I?!"
The alternate Neelix reveals, "calm down, Kes. Everything's going to be fine. You're on Voyager."
Kes asks, "what happened…to me?" She notices her physicality.
The alternate EMH doctor points out, "you've been asleep for two days."
The alternate Captain Janeway sighs a little, "I have a feeling that this is more than just a visit. Kes…what's going on?"
Kes sighs a little, "I've been travelling through quantum realities to find you, captain."
The alternate Neelix insists, "why us? Not that I mind, but…"
Kes reveals, "there's an entire crew from another quantum reality that is in trouble from Species 8472…and looks just like all of you. It's hard to explain, but there are non-corporeal members of Species 8472. If I don't help this Voyager go to that reality in five days, all of reality will most likely be destroyed."
The alternate Captain Janeway implies, "can you give us a few minutes?"
The alternate Neelix urges, "but captain…!"
The alternate Captain Janeway implies, "if Species 8472 has found a way to become non-corporeal and all of reality is at stake, that doesn't give us much time to figure out what to do before Species 8472 tries to stop us. I want you to go back to your duties aboard this ship. Try to keep morale up in anticipation of the rest of the crew being alerted to this new threat."
The alternate Neelix sighs a little, "I understand. Don't worry captain…Kes." The alternate Neelix leaves Sickbay.
The alternate EMH doctor mutters in a low voice, "I should've tried that years ago."
Kes sighs inwardly.
The alternate Captain Janeway asks, "what?"
The alternate EMH doctor figures, "nothing."
The alternate Captain Janeway goes on, "listen carefully, Doctor. I want command codes to be transferred to four senior officers as a safety precaution…which would be you, Tuvok, Seven, and myself. I also want Security near Kes at all times…and Tuvok and Seven to come to Sickbay as soon as possible."
The alternate EMH doctor concludes, "understood. I'll let the crew know." As the alternate EMH doctor heads to his cubicle, Kes senses something.
Kes mutters lowly, "something's wrong. I can see…it." The alternate Captain Janeway surprisingly takes out a handheld phaser.
She whispers, "you were wise not to raise your voice. You didn't think we sensed your presence back at a planet of impure expendables?"
Kes figures, "so the attack I was anticipating…was targeted at me?"
The possessed Captain Janeway sighs a little, "we should've realized sooner that you are an impurity." She fires at Kes, but Kes finds herself falling through the biobed she's on. The biobed explodes, knocking Kes through the floor. The EMH doctor suddenly realizes what's going on.
He calls out, "Security…hurry!" The EMH doctor ducks below the cubicle as a possessed Captain Janeway fires at his cubicle. She misses as glass shatters onto the floor. Kes, with her arms still in the floor, uses her abilities to temporarily hold the explosion of the biobed together. That is, until the possessed Captain Janeway walks over to the biobed to check if Kes is still conscious.
Kes mutters, "don't you dare hurt my friends!" The resulting blob of black and gray matter is released at the possessed Captain Janeway, who gets knocked into unconsciousness against the cubicle. Kes pulls herself up through the remains of the biobed as though the floor is semi-solid. The non-corporeal Species 8472 infiltrator leaves the alternate Captain Janeway's body. The EMH doctor realizes it's safe and checks on the body.
He realizes, "her vital signs are dropping rapidly. I can't…!"
Kes adds, "don't worry, Doctor. I've got it covered." She starts to heal the alternate Captain Janeway with her abilities.
One of the Security crew members asks, "what the…?!"
The EMH doctor mutters, "don't ask."
After thirty five minutes of explaining from Kes and Captain Janeway…
The alternate Voyager senior officers and a shaken Kes are in the conference room, except for Neelix. The alternate Captain Janeway realizes, "so, in a quantum reality, Species 8472 is able to possess an entire crew."
Kes uneasily says, "that's right."
The alternate Tom Paris realizes, "and there are duplicates…of us?"
Kes figures, "that's another story for another time. Right now, Species 8472 is planning to use the temporal core pieces that I gathered to end all of reality as we know it. While my abilities are returning, we need a plan to find out who among the duplicates is possessed…and how to stop them."
The alternate Chakotay reasons, "so subspace is weakened in that quantum reality to the point of being close to the breaking point?"
Kes figures, "exactly. If subspace in that quantum reality is ruptured any further, all reality as you know it will be destroyed."
The alternate B'Elanna concludes, "then by all means, let's come up with something."
The alternate Harry Kim realizes, "wait a minute! If the duplicates are planning to overload the temporal core again, wouldn't that cause a subspace rupture?"
Kes adds, "I don't know why myself. But, when the alternate Captain Janeway crashed into the temporal core, it didn't destroy all of reality."
The alternate Seven concludes, "perhaps it was the tear in subspace made by the time ship that weakened subspace in that time line in the first place."
The alternate Tuvok figures, "perhaps…but B'Elanna has a point."
The alternate B'Elanna mutters, "thank you!"
The alternate Captain Janeway realizes, "hold on. Didn't we have a non-corporeal alien take over one of us years ago?"
The alternate Tuvok recalls, "the Komar."
The alternate Captain Janeway figures, "exactly. What if we carried handheld magneton scanners around?"
The alternate B'Elanna concludes, "that could take some time…but it could work. I'm just surprised I didn't think of it sooner."
The alternate Seven deduces, "I wasn't informed we had that technology available."
The alternate Captain Janeway chuckles a little, "now you know."
Kes concludes, "I knew I could count on you. I just hope we find out in time."
The alternate Tom Paris figures, "don't worry. Reality is in good hands."
Kes chuckles a little.
The alternate Captain Janeway concludes, "sounds good. Seven, I expect the handheld magneton scanners to be ready tomorrow at 0800 hours. In the meantime B'Elanna, let's get the magneton flash scan configuration back online by then."
The alternate Seven concludes, "I will be efficient."
The alternate B'Elanna sighs a little, "aye, captain."
The alternate Captain Janeway responds, "dismissed." And with that, everyone leaves the conference room to get prepared to save reality.