Chapter 7
Later that day, Kathryn stepped out onto the Steadfast's bridge. It had been Jaffen's ship; now, it was to be hers. Even as she tried to be strong for the weary crew, she couldn't help the moisture that gathered in her eyes as she thought of Jaffen. He'd been a freedom fighter, not an engineer, but still the man she loved. The personal losses that she'd suffered earlier that day had made the Rebels' victory seem shallow and bittersweet.
"Captain on the bridge," a voice called out, and the loyal, albeit exhausted, faces threatened to break the safety net she'd placed around her heart. She blinked back tears that still escaped onto her lashes, and then she breathed deeply to center herself.
She whispered, "Thank you."
"There's a fleet-wide channel open if you want to say something, Captain," Belanna said softly.
Kathryn nodded, and then she stepped into the center of the bridge. "We've gained an impressive victory today, and it was thanks to each and every one of you," she began, her voice gaining strength, "But it's not over yet. We need to keep moving forward and reclaiming worlds that have been held in bondage for too long. We need to keep pursuing Empress Janeway and bring her to justice before this galaxy can truly be free."
She gazed around at the people who surrounded her. They were of every race, from every planet, and yet a current of unity ran through them, stronger than ever before. She said softly, "We've lost some very dear friends today, people we loved." Here, she turned to look at Belanna, who nodded slightly in teary acknowledgement. Kathryn continued, "We will never forget them. We will always be inspired by who they were, and we can't give up the cause that they fought so hard for."
She began walking around the stations. "I'm honored that you would choose me to lead you, and I want you to know that I believe we will succeed in the end. I need you to believe it, too," she finished. Fresh hope and determination showed on the faces around her, and she smiled slightly. "Thank you."
Finally, she took the captain's seat. "Belanna, what do we have?" she questioned.
"We've been tracking the Imperium's ion trail. I think we've located where they've set up a new base," Belanna answered. "As far as repairs go, the fleet can collectively manage Warp 4."
"Set a pursuit course," Kathryn ordered. "Warp 4."
For a day, they continued to follow the elusive trail, adjusting their sensors every time they lost it. Kathryn worked with the rest of the crew on minor repairs that could be done on the fly. Finally, they homed in on a planet at the outskirts of the Alpha Quadrant.
Kathryn stood from her seat, gazing intently forward. "Take us in at one-quarter impulse," she ordered.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Anything on sensors?"
"Still nothing."
"Steady as she goes. Let's be careful about this."
Suddenly, Kathryn felt the floor lurch away from her as the ship reeled sideways. Conduits blew out, and smoke began to rise. She scrambled up off the deck and called, "Report!"
"It was another trap!" Belanna spat out, "We're under attack!"
"Evasive maneuvers!" Kathryn called. Her chest hurt from the sudden spike in her heart rate. There were ships coming in from every angle. "Open an encrypted fleet-wide channel," she shouted. She heard it open and ordered, "Ready weapons and fire at will when ready." The ship rattled, and more sparks rained down from the ceiling, stinging on her skin.
"Incoming transmission," her ops officer called. "Audio only."
Kathryn gritted her teeth, saying, "Let's hear it."
"This is Commander Paris to the Rebel Alliance Fleet. Stand down or you will be destroyed. I repeat, stand down."
"Sorry Tom, I can't," Kathryn replied. Her eyes burned with determination. "End transmission. Target the lead vessel's shields, weapons array, and propulsion. Fire."
She watched as several photon torpedoes and plenty of phaser fire burst forward from the Steadfast's weapons banks. The Imperium lead vessel could only withstand so much, and once its shields failed, it began to flee along with several other Imperium ships. Meanwhile, some of her own ships were in bad condition. Pieces of the Steadfast's ceiling lay on the bridge deck. They were outnumbered, and she knew it.
"The shields on the Valiant, Q'uonos, Liberty, and T'meni are failing."
"Have some of our other ships move to defend them!"
"Too late; the Valiant's been destroyed; most of the crew transported aboard the Gli'ndra. The Liberty is reporting a cascade core failure in progress."
"Multiple hull breaches on Decks 4 through 7!"
"Even if we drive them off, we're not going to have Warp, Captain."
"Try your best to avoid a core breach, Belanna! Transport as many of the Liberty's crew here as you can."
"At least 40 casualties on the Steadfast alone. Extensive damage already. More reports are coming in from the fleet."
"Captain, we won't be able withstand this much longer. Two minutes at most!"
Kathryn's head swam. Suddenly, she found herself ordering, "Tell the remaining Liberty crew to set the ship on autopilot in the Imperium's direction and then evacuate. Have all our ships gather together as closely as they can. We're going to try to amplify and extend what shields we have left."
"Done," Belanna shouted. Kathryn saw the Liberty sailing away toward their enemy just as the remaining ships of their ragged fleet took formation.
"Now," Kathryn called, leaning forward, "Transport everyone onto our Warp-capable ships, including this crew, and then have them engage."
"What about you?" Belanna asked.
"I'm going to have to manually target that ship with our phasers when it's within range of their fleet."
"This ship doesn't have Warp!"
"I know that."
Belanna stared at her. "Then I'm staying with you. You'll need someone to engage the impulse engines after you fire."
Kathryn nodded in silent acknowledgement. There was no time to argue, and she knew Belanna was right.
The fleet jumped to Warp.
Within the next few seconds, she saw the destabilizing Liberty floating toward the Imperium Fleet, and then she fired, expending the last of their weapon's power. Each orange beam seemed to fly in slow-motion toward their makeshift bomb. Then, the core exploded, sending brilliant blue-white beams outward from the tiny vessel. There were flares of orange light as Imperium ships burst into brief flames, one after another. The high-energy shock wave moved toward the Steadfast. The world slowly became too bright, and the bridge began to shake like a massive earthquake.
The first thing she was conscious of was the steady rhythm in her chest. It seemed as if her body was floating on soft, rippling water. Breathe in, breathe out.
She was alive.
Slowly, her mind began to come awake. She remembered the battle. The ship had been shaking and sparking.
Suddenly, as if under its own willpower, her body shot upwards, and her eyes flew open as her feet touched the floor. She found herself trembling uncontrollably, clutching the side of the bed, and gasping for the oxygen the sudden movements had deprived her of. "Belanna!" she whispered. She scanned the room quickly once her dizziness subsided. Her gaze landed on the half-Klingon on a nearby bed. She moved to stand by it.
The young woman was breathing steadily. Kathryn sighed in relief.
"You had a close call," a voice behind her said gently. She turned to see another woman standing in the doorway to the dimly-lit room. The newcomer shook her head, shoulder-length curls bouncing slightly as she chuckled, "What were you thinking? Do all captains feel the overwhelming desire to face death and be a hero? You're very lucky to be alive. Both of you, actually."
Kathryn simply stared. Her mind wasn't working fast enough to process something to say. The woman stepped closer. For a brief moment, Kathryn wondered whether she and Belanna had somehow fallen into enemy hands. The doctor was human.
"I'm Dr. Beverly Crusher," the woman tried. Of course, now Kathryn recognized her. It didn't quiet her doubts, though.
"Kathryn. Captain Kathryn Janeway," she replied.
"I know. In fact, I don't think there's anyone who doesn't know by now. Captain Kathryn Janeway, the woman who almost singlehandedly destroyed most of the Federation Imperium's fleet." Dr. Crusher began scanning her with a medical tricorder, adding, "By the way, don't worry; you're safe. I'm with the Rebel Alliance."
"Good to hear," Kathryn smiled. Her voice was still raspy, but she was thinking faster now. "What exactly happened? How long was I out?"
Dr. Crusher smiled again. "That's quite a story, or maybe I've just heard the embellished version," she laughed gently. "It appears that you and Commander Torres here stayed aboard the Steadfast to blow up the Liberty right in front of the Imperium fleet?"
Kathryn nodded.
"Well, it looks like it worked, but the Steadfast was destroyed," Dr. Crusher reported. "You're just lucky that Commander Tuvok decided to defy logic and, apparently, your orders – both of which appear very difficult for those Vulcans, mind you. He turned his ship around, flew past the Steadfast, and initiated a transport just as your shields fell. Rumor has it that he was able to re-engage to Warp only a split second before the Steadfast blew up. That was a week ago."
"A week!" Kathryn exclaimed. "How many casualties?"
"Nineteen killed; one hundred and twenty-three injured, forty-one of them severely," Dr. Crusher answered honestly. "I have to warn you that we're in no condition to launch or sustain another attack. We're running low on supplies as it is."
"Then we won't go looking for trouble," Kathryn acknowledged. "Where are we?"
"Base Delta-Phi."
"The Empress?"
Dr. Crusher sighed as she observed Kathryn and replied, "On the run, as far as we know."
A new fire flashed in Kathryn's eyes, which had turned a tumultuous, deep ocean blue. She moved towards the doorway.
Dr. Crusher's soft voice called after her, "Captain, what are you going to do?"
Kathryn turned to face the weary doctor and simply said, "Take good care of Belanna."
"You know I will," Crusher answered. Then, she sighed, her gaze seeming to pierce deep inside Kathryn. "They win by destroying our souls. Don't ever forget who you are, Kathryn. We've all lost people we loved, but just remember that revenge is never going to bring them back."
Kathryn nodded silently.
Every base was constructed with basically the same layout, and so Kathryn made her way straight to the shuttlebay. Luckily, she didn't run into anyone who might try to dissuade her. She boarded one of the small shuttles and launched, even as Dr. Crusher's words refused to stop echoing in her mind.
"Computer, plot a course to Earth."