Sailor Trek: Voyager

by timetracker2643

The last of the Star Trek series meets with the Scouts for the last time in: Where No Sailor Scout Has Gone Before...

5. Chapter 5 -- The Great Escape

"B'Elanna's the only person I know who tried to kill her animal guide."

- Chakotay



Chapter 5 -- The Great Escape

Mercury took a deep breath and let it out in one large rush,

willing herself to relax. It wasn't easy, given the intense activity

that had been going on in sickbay. She and the Doctor had treated a

large number of cases over the last hour. (Or was it longer? She

couldn't be sure.) Once more she sent a silent word of thanks to Dr.

Crusher, wherever in the universes she was. During her time on the

Enterprise D, she had taught Amy on how to operate some of the

instruments used in a Starfleet sickbay. That experience had proven

invaluable here.

Fortunately, none of the injuries had proven to be serious or life

threatening. The worst of them had been a case of multiple fractures

from the fighting that had gone on in engineering. The Doctor had

handled that one while she and Tom Paris worked on the easier ones.

Despite his earlier protestations of being too busy, he managed to find

time to stop by and lend a hand before going down to engineering.

Now sickbay was empty, save for herself, the Doctor and the one case

they still had in there.

Namely, Captain Janeway.

The hologram had been standing by her biobed, studying the monitors

intensely while she wrapped up the last few cases. But his expression

was still the same -- one of a person who has no idea what to do next.

She went over next to him, but he took no notice of her. "Doctor?"

"Hmm?" The Doctor glanced over at her. "Oh... Thank you for your

assistance, Amy. There's no need for you to remain here, and I'm sure

you want to check on your friends. Feel free to leave."

"You're right, I do want to see how the others are, especially

Sailor Moon." She had a feeling that everything was alright, or at least

as alright as it could be, given the circumstances. If anything were

wrong, Raye would've called her and the others for help. "But first, is

there any change in Captain Janeway?"

The Doctor smiled grimly. "None whatsoever, I'm afraid. And I am

still at a loss as to how to treat her. This is like no other case I've

handled. Especially as there are no symptoms of anything wrong, other

than her being unconscious. Nothing else."

"Nothing? What about the dual EEG I detected when I examined her

earlier?" she asked.

"That's just it," the Doctor answered. "It's not there anymore."

"What?!?" Mercury exclaimed, not believing her ears. Moving

forward, she examined the medical readouts for herself but saw that the

Doctor was correct. Captain Janeway's EEG readings were now quite

normal. No sign remained of the mysterious second EEG pattern that had

been so evident only a short while ago. "I don't believe it."

"Neither do I." The hologram stared down at the biomonitors, his

expression glum. "I've treated all sort of cases -- everything from

plasma burns to the phage to macroviruses, and I have the entire medical

knowledge of the Federation incorporated into my program. But this case

has me absolutely baffled."



Chakotay looked up at Tuvok's approach. He was seated on the floor

of their cell, talking quietly with Tuxedo Mask, hoping to gain some

insight as to their captors from what he had observed on Voyager. Neelix

had stood nearby, listening in earnest. "What is it, Tuvok?"

The Vulcan squatted down, pitching his voice for his cellmates alone.

"A complication in our escape plans, Commander. While making preparations,

I established contact with other members of Voyager's crew. It seems that

Tuxedo Mask was not the only one they abducted from the ship."

The first officer frowned. "How many?"

"At least twenty three."

Tuxedo Mask watched as Chakotay digested this bit of news. That

many other captives could put a large crimp in their escape plans. Any

captive left behind would be easy prey for Metallah and her bunch, to be

used as hostages or worse. He had a feeling he knew what Chakotay's

ultimate reaction would be. It would probably be the same one he, Serena,

or any of the others would have in the same situation.

Again he fought down the urge to begin pacing at the thought of

Serena. Being teleported to an entirely different universe had disrupted

the bond between them. He was unable to get any sense of her state of

being, or even if she was alive. He didn't mind admitting that it was

driving him crazy. Talking to Chakotay about his experiences with the

Negaverse had helped distract him earlier, so he forced himself to

concentrate on the first officer.

Presently Chakotay nodded. "OK. You're right... it does complicate

things a bit. But continue your preparations, Tuvok. We'll begin

whenever you're ready. And that's when we get out of here." He looked

at each of his companions intently. "*All* of us."



The engineering door opened just before Tom got there, allowing Joe

Carey to exit. He nodded to Tom. "Lieutenant."

"Making a house call?" Tom asked, indicating the repair kit the

engineer had slung over his shoulder.

"Just heading up to deck four. We've got a turbolift that

malfunctioned somehow." Carey paused before continuing on his way,

then nodded back to engineering. "You heading there?"

"Yeah, I wanted to check on how the repairs were coming. Why?"

Carey took a moment to glance back into engineering before replying.

When he spoke next, it was in a much lower voice. "Be careful. I don't

know why, but something's got Lieutenant Torres upset. In fact, the

last time I saw her this angry was when she broke my nose."

Not sure how to respond, Tom just watched as Carey moved off, then

eyed the engineering entrance uneasily. He knew that B'Elanna had a

temper, probably better than anyone else in the crew. But he found it

hard to imagine what could set her off this badly. (Four years ago, yes,

but that was another matter entirely.)

Nothing seemed out of place when he finally entered Engineering.

The area was quiet at the moment, with several people scattered at the

various stations conducting repairs or performing required maintenance.

Even Seven of Nine was here, aiding in the repair efforts.

B'Elanna was over by the warp diagnostic panel. From what he could

tell, she was running through a series of checks on the warp core but the

way she was manipulating the controls clearly indicated to an observer

that she was frustrated. Instead of tapping at the controls she was

almost banging at them, hard enough that he was surprised that she hadn't

shattered the panel.

"Hello," he said walking up to her.

"Lieutenant," she responded stiffly.

Tom found himself taken somewhat aback by the tension in her voice.

"Lieutenant? Why so formal?" he responded, putting a light tone in his

voice.

B'Elanna turned sharply and glared at him. "Don't start with me,

Tom. I'm not in the mood."

"Now why is that, I wonder?" Tom mused. Looking about the room,

"It looks to me like the repair efforts are going pretty well. For

example, you've just about got main power back online."

"Oh sure, things are going fine *now*," B'Elanna said, her voice

heavy with irony. "But that was only after I kicked Sailor Venus out

of here."

Tom waited for her to elaborate. "What did she do?"

"You mean, 'What *didn't* she do?' First she nearly decrystallized

the dilithium matrix, then she nearly collapsed the containment fields

and finally, for good measure, she blew out the power converter!"

B'Elanna paused and took a ragged breath. Not sure in how to respond,

Tom watched as she tried to contain her temper. When B'elanna next spoke,

her voice was low and controlled. "But what I really don't understand is

how she did all that by just pressing three controls!"

"Come on, B'Elanna. This Earth we're sitting on is still in it's

twentieth century. It would be hard for someone of that technological

level to do that deliberately."

B'Elanna snorted. "Deliberate or not, she managed it quite well.

I'm telling you Tom, when it come to engineering, that... that..."

She paused, struggling to find the right way to describe Sailor Venus,

"...bubble headed blonde is a menace!"

"Lieutenant Torres," Seven said, choosing that moment to

interrupt. "Realignment of the injectors is complete."

"Finally," B'Elanna muttered, glad to have something to distract

her. "Now we can bring main power back online."

While B'Elanna was reactivating the warp core, Seven turned to

Paris. "Lieutenant Torres was not exaggerating Sailor Venus' penchant

for technological mishaps. Such behavior has been observed in her in

the past, and seems to be one of her more prominent characters traits."

B'Elanna paused long enough to throw Tom a look that had "I told

you so" written all over it. "You're kidding," Tom said, unable to come

up with a more suitable counterpoint.

"No, I'm not." Seven seemed mildly offended that Tom doubted her

veracity. "Sailor Venus has a rather extensive history of wreaking havoc

with electronics. Letting her handle any technology is akin to mixing

oxygen and hydrogen -- sooner or later, there will be an explosion."

Tom tried to frame a response, but a hum indicating a surge of power

from the warp core interrupted his train of thought. "OK, main power

is back online," B'Elanna noted with a tone of satisfaction.

"Good. Let me know when you get the engines working." He started

to go, then stopped and turned back. "Don't you think you were being a

bit hard on her, B'Elanna?" He held up a hand to forestall the

inevitable outburst. "I know she set your repairs efforts back a bit.

But she and her friends did help us save the ship... not to mention

our lives."

B'Elanna didn't respond immediately, but Tom could tell she was

mulling over what he said. While the engineer did have a volatile temper,

she wasn't one to hold a grudge very long, especially once she calmed

down. "You may be right about that, Tom," B'Elanna reluctantly agreed

after some time. "But I'm still adamant about one thing -- as long as

I'm chief engineer, she isn't setting one foot inside this room."



The Negaran guard stood stock still at his post, as did his

counterpart at the other end of the cellblock. Most might have thought

having guards in here would be superfluous, but Metallah was taking no

chances with her prisoners.

All was quiet, which wasn't surprising as the cells were

soundproof. Even so, the Negaran began fidgeting, becoming more and

more nervous as time went on. The other guard eyed him curiously, but

otherwise did nothing else.

Finally, the guard couldn't take anymore and moved to the cell door

that Tuxedo Mask had been thrown in hours before. For almost an hour

now, he had been having an odd feeling that the prisoners inside had

escaped somehow. If that happened on his shift, Metallah would quite

literally have his head. He knew that it was impossible, but he just

had to open up the door and be sure.

He opened it up slowly, but something tore it out of his grasp and

flung it wide open. The next thing the Negaran knew, he was being

tackled by something.

Tuxedo Mask followed right behind Neelix, looking about for other

guards. The second guard was still at the far end of the hall, stock

still in surprise at the sudden turn of events but that wouldn't last

for long. Even as Tuxedo Mask was starting to move towards him, the

guard had overcome his surprise and was starting to move towards the

exit, no doubt to alert his fellows at the jailbreak. He threw a rose

down the hall to disarm the Negaran then, lowering his shoulder, barreled

into the alien and slammed him into the wall. The Negaran keened sharply

in obvious pain as it slid to the floor and lay there unmoving.

This done, he turned to check on how his companions were doing.

And it didn't appear good.

The Negaran was just in the process of throwing Neelix off him.

The Talaxian had fought bravely, but this had simply turned out to be a

case where his ambition was greater than his ability. The Negaran reach

for his staff, but Chakotay got there in the same instance and contested

him for the weapon. Neelix threw himself back into the fray, but it was

evident that the guard was slowly gaining the upper hand.

Tuxedo Mask readied himself to lend a hand, but Tuvok intervened

before he could do anything. Then Vulcan, appearing slightly haggard

form his exertions, moved in behind the Negaran and place a hand at the

base of it's neck. Tuxedo Mask winced in some sympathy as the Negaran

dropped from the effects of the Vulcan Nerve Pinch.

Chakotay looked up and down the corridor, watching for other guards

to show up and listening for sounds of the same. But nothing was visible

and all he heard were the delightful sounds of silence. "It looks like

we got away with it. Tuvok, Neelix: get these two in our cell. Tuxedo

Mask and I will see to freeing the others."

Tuvok nodded and started dragging one into the cell, while Neelix

moved to the second guard. Less than a minute later, he had moved the

Negaran into the cell. "I hope you two enjoy your stay here," he

commented as he closed the door. "I think you'll find we left the

accommodations in good order." Turning, he saw that Tuvok had arched an

eyebrow but had yet to make any other comment. "Well... there's no need

to be impolite," he commented lamely.

"I see," Tuvok replied in a bland tone. With that he turned and

headed for the other end of the cellblock. Their crewmates, now

liberated from their cells, were clustered down there around Chakotay.

The first officer was giving them a quick briefing on what their current

situation was.

Neelix hustled to remain alongside the Vulcan. "I must say,

Commander, that was a rather clever strategy -- using your Vulcan mind

techniques to implant a feeling that we had escaped in the guard's mind

so that he would open the door for us. Very clever indeed."

"While your admiration is understandable, it is misdirected,"

Tuvok informed him. "I was not the originator of this particular

stratagem."

"Really?" Neelix asked. "Then who?"

"A Vulcan named Spock." Tuvok started down the corridor to rejoin

Chakotay. "I first learned of this technique while I was posted on the

Excelsior. Captain Sulu served many years with Spock and he frequently

regaled us with tales of the exploits of the Enterprise crew."



The mess hall didn't look as if it had been the site of a major

battle only a little while ago, Harry reflected as he entered the room.

Prodded by the Doctor, Tom had ordered him off duty soon after the battle

for the ship had ended. But after returning to his quarters he had found

that, although his body was exhausted, his mind was too actively engaged

with current events for him to fall asleep. So after an hour or so of

tossing and turning, he grabbed a padd and headed for the mess hall.

For the most part the room was deserted, which was to be expected

as nearly everyone else was busy conducting repairs or being treated for

injuries sustained during the fighting. But three of the Sailor Scouts

(Venus, Mars and Sailor Moon) where seated at a table. Venus smiled and

waved at him, which he politely returned. Making his way to the counter

for a cup of coffee (if any was available), he idly speculated on where

the other two were. No doubt Mercury was giving the Doctor a hand, he

decided. But he couldn't think of where Jupiter might be at the moment.

A quick check confirmed his worst fears: no coffee. If any had been

left over from that morning's breakfast, no doubt it had been spilled

during the aliens takeover of the mess hall and the subsequent combat.

Still, Neelix probably had some stored somewhere in the kitchen that he

could use to make a new batch. He leaned over the counter looking for

it...

...and promptly stood back sharply as someone popped up from behind

the counter. "Hi!" Jupiter said brightly.

Her appearance briefly confused him, but Harry was quick to recover. "Sailor Jupiter? What are you doing back there?"

"Well, since your replicators are down, I'd thought I'd whip up

something for us to eat." She cast a quick glance over to the others.

"Hopefully it'll help Sailor Moon cheer up a bit." She eyed him

speculatively. "If you want, I could make something for you."

"Um... no thanks, I was just looking for some coffee," he stammered.

"You don't have to go to any trouble."

Jupiter gave a wave of dismissal at his concerns. "It's no trouble

at all. I love cooking. Even if the ingredients are a bit..." She

picked up a vegetable that looked like a cross between a red pepper and

a tomato and eyed it critically. "...unusual."

Harry got the feeling that any further attempts to dissuade her

would be futile. In their own way, they could be as single minded as

Seven. "OK. I admit I'm hungry enough to have a bowl of Neelix's

leola root stew without complaining." He watched her go to work for a

few minutes, and he had to admit to himself that it certainly looked like

she knew what she was doing. Casting a quick glance back at the others,

he asked her, "By the way, did something happen in engineering? Venus

just seems a little more subdued than the last time I saw her."

"Well, after we beat those aliens out of the engine room, she tried

to help out in the repairs. Seven and I both tried to stop her, but once

she gets an idea in her head..." Jupiter hesitated. "Let's just say

that things didn't go too well and then..." She shrugged helplessly.

"I think I can fill in the rest," Harry said. "I know what

B'Elanna's temper can be like."

"Yeah. There's no one that can yell at you quite like a Klingon."

Harry could only nod in agreement to that. Leaving her to her

work, he went over to the table. "Hi, Harry," Venus said. "Feeling

better?"

"A little bit," he said. "I just came here for a cup of coffee

and try and get a little bit of work done."

"Oh?" Venus leaned over and glanced at the padd. "What're you

working on?"

"A way to block the aliens from teleporting onto Voyager," he

said. Tapping a control on the padd, he immediately launched into a

highly technical explanation as to the ideas he had along those lines.

Venus feigned attention, pretending to understand even though she was

lost almost from the first word.

While Harry was trying to explain his ideas, Mercury entered the

mess hall and sat wearily at the table. "Finally finish in sickbay,

Mercury?" asked Sailor Moon.

"Yes. Fortunately, most of the cases we had weren't serious."

After a moment she amended this, "Except for Captain Janeway."

"How is the captain?" Harry asked.

"There's very little change, I'm afraid. She still remains

unconscious, and there's still no discernable cause." She gave a

helpless shrug. "I've got no idea on what to do to treat her, and

neither does the Doctor."

Sailor moon noted the look of anxiety that crossed Harry's face.

Trying for a moment to put her own worries aside, she reassured him,

"Don't worry, Harry. I'm sure she'll be fine."



The Doctor eyed the latest readings he took of the captain intently,

but not so much that he didn't see a burst of movement out of the corner

of his eye. Getting up from his desk, he shifted his gaze to the biobeds

and his jaw dropped in amazement. "Captain Janeway!" The hologram

moved rapidly out of his office and over to the biobed, where Captain

Janeway was now sitting upright. "I must say I'm delighted to see you're

up and about. I just wish it were the result of my medical expertise."

"I'm sure you did your best, Doctor," Janeway remarked, sliding off

the table.

The Doctor started to perform a scan on her but when she started for

the doors, he interposed himself in her way. "And just where do you

think you're going?"

"To the bridge." The captain regarded him with a somewhat annoyed

expression. "Is there any reason why I shouldn't?"

"Yes," the hologram responded somewhat indignantly. "I haven't

released you yet."

Janeway placed her hands on her hips. "Is there something wrong

with me, Doctor? Do you have any indication that I may be unable to

perform my duties as captain?"

"Well..." The Doctor's voice trailed off reluctantly. Ever since

the captain had been brought to sickbay from the bridge, her readings had

been normal. So officially, he had no reason to hold her here, now that

she had recovered. But he still wanted to be sure what it was that

caused that double EEG reading that Mercury and Paris had detected.

"No," he finally admitted. "But I would still would like to run some

tests. You exhibited some very odd EEG readings earlier, and I would

like to make certain that there are no lasting repercussions."

"So what you're saying is that I appear to be perfectly healthy,"

Janeway said. She continued speaking as she headed for the exit.

"Doctor, after this is all over, I'll be glad to let you conduct all the

tests you want. But until then I've got a ship to run. We've still got

to complete repairs, make preparations to return to our universe and find

a way to rescue the away team and the crew the aliens abducted."

Shaking his head after she left, the Doctor went over to his office

to update his medical files. He was able to do most of this by rote,

which enabled part of him to wonder just what it was that drove ship's

captains to extreme measures at the expense of their own health. Thus

several minutes went by before it struck him. "Wait a minute... how did

she know that we had left our own universe? Or that the aliens had

captured some of the crew?"

He may be a hologram, but that didn't prevent him from getting a bad feeling about this...



"...I must say that all this creeping around is giving me a bad

feeling," Neelix said. The assorted crew of Voyager had spent the last

half an hour proceeding as quietly as they could through a series of

tunnels inside the citadel. After they had emerged from the cellblock,

Tuvok had led them to a concealed entrance. "Are you sure we're going in

the right direction, Commander?"

"Not with absolute precision, but I believe I made a reasonable

estimate," Tuvok replied.

"In other words, you're guessing," Tuxedo Mask noted.

Tuvok arched an eyebrow. "Your supposition is illogical. Vulcans

do not guess."

"I don't care if you went on a vision quest first, Tuvok," Chakotay

noted. "Just so long as you're right."

"Regrettably, the information I obtained from the guard's mind

regarding these tunnels was imprecise," Tuvok said. "Apparently knowledge

of their existence is restricted to Metallah and her elite guard. They

are used to move the higher echelons of this society quickly in and about

the citadel. However, for me to obtain greater knowledge of their layout

would have required a more intimate meld. And as even a low level meld

proved," the Vulcan suppressed a shudder, "unsettling, that is an

experience I would rather avoid."

"Whatever. I just hope we find an exit soon." Tuxedo Mask cast a

glance backwards, but saw no sign of any pursuit. Which was fortunate,

as the escapees were crowded closely together in the tunnel. "We're

pushing our luck as it is."

Tuvok rounded a corner, then paused before looking back at Tuxedo

Mask. "Would now be soon enough?" he asked, gesturing to what could only

be a door a few meters further down the corridor.

Moving ahead, Chakotay cautiously opened the door and gazed outside

the citadel. The forest beyond seemed peaceful enough, but that had been

the case just before their capture by the Negarans. But if luck was with

them this time, the Negarans wouldn't be so quick to locate them. He

took a moment to determine which of the escapees other than the away team

was senior. He was gratified to see that it was Ensign Lambert, who had

been an expert at stealth tactics in the Maquis. "Take the others outside

and find a good spot to hide," he told. "The four of us are going to

scout inside, try and find out what the Negarans are up to and how to put

a monkey wrench in their plans. When we're ready, we'll find you."

"Yes, sir," Lambert replied. Looking ruefully into the brush, he

commented, "I just hope the Negarans don't find us first."

Chakotay smiled. "Don't worry. It shouldn't be any worse than that

time on Celtris III."

"On Celtris III, we at least had phasers to use against the

Cardassians," Lambert countered.

"Unfortunately, we're not dealing with the Cardassians right now.

And considering how invulnerable these beings are to phasers, I doubt

it'd make much difference right now if you had any," the first officer

pointed out.

Lambert could only nod at this. Gesturing to the others, he

silently led them into the underbrush. Chakotay watched until he lost

sight of them which, given the density of the forest, wasn't long at all.

"Let's go," he told the others while closing the entrance. "Tuvok,

take point."

The Vulcan nodded and started towards the inner sections of the

citadel, Tuxedo Mask beside him. Listening carefully for any signs of

pursuit, Chakotay and Neelix brought up the rear of the party.



Tom absently noted the turbolift opening, but paid it no mind.

Seated in the command chair, his attention was firmly on the captain's

console as he read the latest repair updates. Thus he was unaware that he

was being approached until... "Mr. Paris, I think you're in my seat,"

Janeway noted with an air of mild reproach.

Startled, he bolted to his feet. "Captain! I'm glad to see you."

He gestured sheepishly at the command chair. "Sorry about --"

Janeway waved off his apology. "Forget it, Tom. Given the

circumstances, it was appropriate that you'd use the big chair. What's

our status?"

"Not bad, all things considering," Tom replied. "Main power and

warp engines are back online, but B'Elanna is still working on the

impulse engines. We've still got some secondary system damage, such as

the replicators, but repair teams are working on those too."

"Good," Janeway said. "What about our guests?"

"We captured about forty of the intruders. That's too many to hold

in the brig, so I had them locked up in cargo bay one behind a level

eight forcefield... and under guard by a security team." A rueful smile

came to his face. "Those we got left, that is. A good many of our

security teams were captured when the other intruders teleported off the

ship."

"Don't worry, Tom. We'll get them back," Janeway reassured him.

"Actually though, when I asked about our guests, I was referring to the

Sailor Scouts."

"Right." Tom took a moment to think about that. The last few hours

had been hectic, but he was reasonably sure he knew the answer. "The last

I knew, they were in the mess hall."

Janeway nodded. "Good. Let's both go down there, and you can

introduce me to them."



"...so one of the first things we need to do is find a way to block

their teleport ability," Janeway was saying as she entered the mess hall.

"That could be tricky. We just don't know that much about how

they're doing it," Tom said, following the captain inside.

"Hopefully the answer lies inside the sensor logs. We should get

Seven and Harry working on analyzing them. Speaking of Harry..."

Janeway moved over to the table Harry was seated. As they approached,

the Scouts became aware of them, Mercury blinking in surprise at seeing

Captain Janeway up and about. "Mr. Kim, I'm glad to see you're feeling

better."

"Likewise, Captain. The way Sailor Mercury was talking when she

came in, I wasn't sure you were ever going to recover." He gestured to

the adjacent table. "I don't know if Tom told you about them..."

"I've been brought up to date, Ensign."

"Then you know that these are the Sailor Scouts that Seven told

us about." Going around the table, Harry introduced each of the four

present to Janeway.

"Welcome to Voyager," Janeway said after he had finished. "First,

I'd like to thank you for your help in our recent crisis." She turned

her gaze to Sailor Moon, her expression taking on a sympathetic hue.

"Tom told me about the abduction of Tuxedo Mask by our adversaries. Let

me assure you that all the resources I have available to me are at your

disposal in getting him back."

"Thank you, Captain," Sailor Moon replied.

"By the way, Harry, I thought I told you to get some rest," Tom

admonished him. Then he sniffed appreciably at the tray of food in front

of the ensign. "And since when did you become a cook?"

"I am resting," Harry countered. "As for the food..." He gestured

towards the kitchen. Janeway and Paris glanced over there. Jupiter was

busy preparing dishes for a couple of other crewmen that had entered.

"You have Sailor Jupiter to thank for that."

"I just hope she's a better cook than Neelix," Tom commented.

"Are you kidding?" Sailor Moon interjected. In stark contrast to

her earlier mood, her eyes lit up brightly as she gushed about Lita's

past creations.

"She's not exaggerating, Tom. Give it a try," Harry said.

Taking the proffered fork, Tom took a sample from Harry's plate.

Instantly his eyes lit up. "That's great!"

"Told ya," Sailor Moon said, grinning broadly.

"Don't get spoiled by it, gentlemen," Janeway cautioned them.

"Sooner or later, we're going to have to go our separate ways."

"Maybe we can make a trade," Paris suggested. "Jupiter can take

over here as ship's cook, while Neelix can fill in for her spot in the

Sailor Scouts."

The Scouts faces instantly showed varying degrees of shock at

Tom's suggestion. But before Janeway could respond, Harry spoke up.

"I don't think so, Tom," he said, continuing the joke, "The last thing

any of us need to see is Neelix in a skirt that short."



Tuvok paused at a tunnel intersection, his Vulcan ears straining

for sounds of anyone approaching while he looked down one passage.

Beside him, Tuxedo Mask was looking down the other direction. Even so,

it was Neelix who heard the sounds of someone approaching before Tuxedo

Mask saw the first indications of movement from that direction. Moving

quickly, the escapees moved back several paces to a place of concealment.

There they waited for whoever else was in the tunnel to pass by. Tuvok

raised an eyebrow in surprise when he saw that it was none other than

Metallah herself.

"Interesting," Neelix commented. "I wonder what she's up to."

"I'd like to know that myself," Chakotay said. With that, he

started to stealthily follow the Negaran monarch, his companions doing likewise.

After what seemed like an eternity, they came to the entrance to a

large chamber in what must have been the lowest levels of the Citadel.

Crouching at the entrance, the four of them watched as Metallah

approached a large container-like object. Inside it they could see pure

energy swirling about in several different colors.

Tuxedo Mask frowned. There was something about this room that

seemed familiar to him. After a few moments, the hazy memory came to him

and he involuntarily shuddered.

Standing now in front of the large container, Metallah began speaking

in her native language, her head bowed in obvious deference to whatever

was inside. As she didn't have her translator with her, the four of them

couldn't understand her. So it came as some surprise when a voice

emerged from it, "I am deeply disappointed, Metallah. Containing a group

of unarmed prisoners should have been easy." Metallah grew agitated,

almost terrified. "No matter. Voyager will return for them in any event."

Then in a tone that was laced with unmistakable menace, "Make sure you

don't fail me when it *does* return." Nodding, Metallah scurried from

the room.

Seeing she was leaving, the four moved quickly themselves to a safe

distance and waited for Metallah to leave. Chakotay looked around the

small group. "Any thoughts about what we just saw?"

"I'm not sure it means anything," Tuxedo Mask responded, "but that

room was almost identical to the chamber the Negaforce resided in back in

the Negaverse."

"You're certain?" Chakotay asked.

"Yeah. Except for one thing: the voice was different."

"Was it really speaking?" Neelix asked. "I thought I 'heard' it in

my head."

"Mr. Neelix is correct," Tuvok said. "Though Metallah was speaking

in her native tongue, the presence was responding telepathically. Our

proximity allowed us to perceive what it was saying to her. Undoubtably

it is a high order telepath, even if the thought patterns I sensed were

of a human nature."

"Human?"

"Yes, Commander. I am quite certain."

"Human though patterns inside something that acts like the

Negaforce? How could that happen?" Tuxedo Mask asked.

"I don't know," Chakotay said. "But I don't think we'll like the

answer."

"Do you think it sensed us?" Neelix asked.

Tuvok shook his head. "I do not believe so. It's attention at the

moment was firmly fixed on Metallah. But it would be prudent to leave

the vicinity."

"Agreed," Chakotay put in. "And it's time we started taking some

action of our own."

"Like what?" Tuxedo Mask asked.

"Locating our equipment, for one. Especially our communicators."

He cast a glance back towards the chamber. "Because like that voice

said, sooner or later Voyager will be back for us. And I intend to be

ready to help them any way I can."



Next time: Voyager makes preparations to go "Back to the Delta Quadrant!"



Note: Spock uses of the mind meld to escape a prison can be found in the

Classic Trek episodes "A Taste of Armageddon" and "By Any Other Name"