Sailor Trek: Voyager by Bill Harris
"We should have known Seska wouldn't let a little thing like death stop
her from getting even."
Tom Paris
Chapter 7 -- The Face of the Enemy
Tuxedo Mask grunted in surprise as he hit the ground hard. He
glared at Chakotay, who had pulled him roughly down. "What are you --"
he began, his voice harsh.
Chakotay quickly covered the younger man's mouth. "Quiet!" he
said in a low voice. Then he pointed over to their right. "We've
got company."
Tuxedo Mask glanced in that direction and was immediately grateful
that at least Chakotay had been paying attention, for one of the Negaran
soldiers could be seen moving in the distance. "I can't believe I
missed him," he muttered, chagrined.
"I wouldn't worry about it. You do have other things on your mind
at the moment." Tuxedo Mask couldn't help but agree. The foremost
thing on his mind had been to get to Sailor Moon as fast as possible.
"The important thing is that they haven't spotted us." Chakotay added
a mental 'I hope' while he tapped his comm badge. "Chakotay to Tuvok,
respond *quietly*."
"Tuvok here," came the muted response. The Vulcan may have only
been masquerading as a Maquis, but he would have made a good one,
Chakotay mused.
"We've got hostiles approaching the shuttle. We could use some
helping hands here."
"Understood," Tuvok replied. "We're on our way and should be there
shortly. Tuvok out."
Chakotay got up and crouched down beside a nearby tree, eyes
constantly looking about for other Negarans. Tuxedo Mask took a position
next to him. "I hate to be a pessimist, but even with all the other
crew here, what can they do to help? You've only got three phasers
among you and they're not exactly much use against the Negarans."
"If phasers don't work, then we'll use sticks and stones. Or even
our bare hands." Chakotay looked him right in the eye. "One rule that
both Starfleet and the Maquis both shared: we don't abandon someone just
because the odds are against us."
"I wasn't suggesting that you not help them," Tuxedo Mask replied.
"I know you weren't. But --" Chakotay never got to finish his
statement, for now Tuxedo Mask dove into him, sending him sprawling on
the ground. The reason was readily apparent as several energy bursts
slammed into the tree he had been next to. Tuxedo Mask leapt to his
feet, ready to do battle with the Negarans. Meanwhile, Chakotay readied
himself to help him in any way he could.
Even if it meant using his bare hands...
Not far from their position, the Shepard, or what was left of it,
lay on the planet's surface. The fuselage was still intact; which was
miraculous considering it had plowed a deep furrow in the ground upon
impact, completely shearing off the engine nacelles. The door opened
partway, then jammed. This was quickly rectified by a pair of gloved
hands that grabbed the door and forced it the rest of the way open with
a shriek of tortured metal. Jupiter leapt out of the wreck and looked
about. "Man, I'm glad to be out of there."
"You're not the only one," Sailor Moon observed as the others
followed her outside. Sailor Moon and Mars assisted Janeway while Venus
aided Paris outside. Mercury followed them, bringing with her the
shuttle's emergency medical kit. Thanks to their enhanced abilities none
of the Scouts had been seriously hurt by the crash, but both Starfleet
officers were groggy at best. Janeway was sporting a large bruise over
her left eye, but Tom obviously had the worst of the crash, as was
evidenced by a rather nasty cut on his forehead.
Venus took one look at the shuttle and grimaced. "Any landing you
can stalk away from is a good landing, I guess."
"Any landing you can walk away from," Mercury corrected her while
she examined Tom's injuries. Fortunately there didn't seem to be any
signs of a concussion. She fished into the medkit for a dermal
regenerator and began applying it's healing beams to the head wound.
"We were lucky," Tom said. "If the captain hadn't managed to bring
those thrusters back online..."
Janeway shook her head. "It wasn't me, Tom. My controls were
completely out."
The helmsman frowned. "Then who..?" Mercury clicked off the regenerator. Satisfied that the instrument had done it's work, she went
over to Captain Janeway.
"It must've been me," Venus said, beaming.
In the middle of conducting a scan of the captain, Mercury almost
dropped her computer while the other Scouts stared at Venus in shock.
"You?" Mars eventually choked out.
"Yep. During the crash, I tried to help out by fiddling with the
panel next to me. Nothing was happening so I finally gave it a good
solid whack." She demonstrated by slapping the flat of her palm against
the shuttle hull. "That's when Tom said he got some thruster control
back."
Silence came over the group while they struggled to accept what she
had said. Finally Jupiter spoke. "I guess the shuttle's systems were
so badly damaged, the only thing she could do to them was get them to
work."
"Yeah. There wasn't any way she could make it any worse," Mars
agreed.
"Hey!"
"It doesn't matter how it happened, whether Venus shocked the
thrusters back online or it just boiling down to good old fashioned
luck," Janeway said. "All that matters is that it worked and we managed
to get down in one piece." Mercury silently agreed with her as she got
back to completing her scan. It seemed that the captain had gotten away
with nothing more than a serious bruise which could easily be treated by...
She blinked. For a brief -- a *very* brief -- moment, Captain
Janeway's EEG had fluctuated, showing once more the double pattern she
had seen on the bridge. For the moment, she decided to say nothing, but
she knew she'd have to speak to Tom about it at the first opportunity.
Seemingly unaware of Mercury's concern, Janeway did notice that Tom
was gazing ruefully at the wreckage of the Shepard. "Something wrong,
Mr. Paris?"
"I was just getting to like that shuttle," Tom responded. "It was
almost broken in."
Janeway smiled slightly and patted the helmsman on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, Tom. We'll just build a replacement..." Then, sighing,
she added, "...again."
"Again?" Mars asked. She glanced back and forth at the two
Starfleet officers. "The way you two are talking, you'd think you go
through shuttles the way Serena goes through her lunch."
"I heard that, Mars," Sailor Moon growled at her.
"Not now, you two," Mercury said. "We don't have any time for this."
Janeway nodded in agreement as she got to her feet. "Mercury's
right. We need to get all the phasers out of the shuttle that weren't
damaged in the crash, along with anything else we can use and then get
out of here. Someone was bound to have seen the shuttle go down, so
we're very likely to have visitors soon. And I don't think they'll be
the friendly type."
Her words proved prophetic, as several Negaran energy bolts shot
into the area. Through sheer happenstance most of them only struck
nearby trees or the shuttle's hull, but one struck Sailor Jupiter and
knocked the tall Scout roughly to the ground.
"Jupiter!" cried out Sailor Moon. Immediately she went to her
friend's side as did Paris. Janeway took up a defensive position while
Venus and Mercury followed Mars' lead and cut loose themselves at the
attacking aliens.
"Jupiter, are you OK?" Sailor Moon asked. Paris was already scanning
her with the medical tricorder and was relieved to note that the blast
hadn't caused any significant damage.
"Oh, I'm fine," Jupiter growled, gritting her teeth, her hand rubbing
the area the blast had struck her in the side. "But *they're* not gonna
be!" With that, she leapt to her feet, shoving her way past the two of
them. Paris could feel static electricity building up as electrical arcs
played around Jupiter. "JUPITER THUNDERCLAP ZAP!" she cried, flinging her
attack into a group of the aliens. There was a loud explosion as the
electrical discharge went off among them. When it cleared, several of
the attackers could be seen lying motionless on the ground.
But more of the aliens came out into the open, more than enough to
replace those Jupiter had felled. Several of them moved rapidly at her,
hoping that she proved less deadly in hand to hand combat. Jupiter
quickly showed them just how empty that hope was as she quickly disarmed
one and then, using a mok'bara throw Worf had taught her, used that
particular Negaran as a weapon against his fellows.
Taking cover by the Shepard, it was near impossible for Janeway to
tell how the others were doing, as the battle around the shuttle was
becoming extremely chaotic. She could hear the Scouts utilizing their
powers all around her, but as was the case in most battles, there was
little she could do at the moment other than try and deal with the
adversaries nearby. One appeared in front of her, ready to rush her
position and she took aim at it, but was taken aback when a fair sized
rock struck the Negaran square in the middle of it's forehead. "Hah!
Take that, you offspring of a Kazon!" a very familiar voice cried out.
Janeway turned towards the source. Sure enough, to her great joy
she saw... "Neelix!"
The Negaran did not seem impressed. In fact, it seemed downright
outraged at the Talaxian's attack, even if it didn't understand his
verbal gibe. It brought it's staff down sharply, sending a bolt of energy
at the Talaxian. But Neelix was far more nimble than it had supposed, and
he ducked down behind a small rockpile. The energy bolt passed over his
head and exploded harmlessly against a nearby tree. Neelix peered back
over the rocks at the Negaran. "Missed me," he taunted the alien.
Undaunted, the Negaran raised it's staff to try again, but this time
a flash of red hit the crystal at it's apex. The crystal fell from the
staff to the ground, cloven in two. The object that had sliced through
it continued unhindered, embedding itself in the ground.
"A rose?" Sailor Moon felt her heart leap for joy upon seeing it, for
it could only mean one thing. She looked up in the direction it had been
thrown from. Sure enough, high up in the trees was... "Tuxedo Mask!"
The tuxedo clad warrior leapt down among several Negarans and his
cane flashed about him, knocking several of the aliens to the ground.
In almost the same instance, two dozen Voyager crewman popped up from
seemingly nowhere and pelted the Negarans with a hail of rocks.
Thrown into a tumult of confusion by this sudden turn of events, the
alien assault faltered. Sensing the opportunity to drive the aliens off
altogether, Janeway cried out, "Now! Everyone attack at the same time!"
"We're on it, Captain," Sailor Moon responded, already beginning
the process of launching her own attack. "MOON SPIRAL HEART ATTACK!"
In nearly the same instance, the attack cries of the other Scouts rang
out through the area.
Between the Scouts' earlier efforts and this sudden barrage, the
Negaran leader realized that her force had been cut nearly in half and
what was left had been thoroughly disheartened. She called out in a
loud, shrill voice for a general retreat.
"That's it, run!" Jupiter shouted after the withdrawing aliens.
"Unfortunately, I have a bad feeling they'll be back," Paris said.
"And probably with reinforcements."
"I wouldn't worry too much about that, Lieutenant," Neelix said. The
Talaxian was smiling, glad to be reunited with some of his shipmates and
with his own performance in the recent battle. "I'm sure we'll be long
gone by then."
The conversation may have continued, but it was interrupted by a
loud (and joyful) cry of "Darien!" All eyes turned towards the source
to see Sailor Moon bounding towards Tuxedo Mask and seized him in a tight
hug.
"I'm... glad to... see you too, Serena," he managed to get out.
"But... I can't... breath."
"Oops." She relaxed her grip slightly, but still kept her arms
around him. "Sorry about that."
Janeway turned from the happy reunion and regarded her first officer
with a broad smile. "The idea was for us to enter the citadel and rescue
*you*," she mildly admonished him.
He shrugged, unrepentant. "You know us old Maquis types... We like
to turn the tables on people. But if you want, I suppose we could go
back to our cell."
"That won't be necessary," she replied. "I guess I should have
known that you would be able to find a way to escape on your own."
"I just wish I had been able to get here sooner. But a group of
Negarans were insistent on treating us to their own brand of
hospitality."
"How did you get them to back off?" Janeway asked. "Your phasers
weren't modified to be effective against them."
"True," Chakotay admitted. "But as you saw, Tuxedo Mask can be
quite effective in hand to hand combat. And while the Negarans may be
immune to standard phaser fire, the same can't be said for the local
environment. They started to back off quick enough after I exploded a
rock in the middle of a group of them."
Janeway winced at the thought. "Ouch."
"...so we've been able to accomplish half our mission objectives,"
Janeway's voice echoed across the bridge. Harry stood in the center of
the bridge, listening intently to his captain's voice while B'Elanna
sat sulking at the engineering station, grumbling to herself over the
loss of another shuttle. "But in doing so we've lost any advantage of
surprise we may have had."
"Do you want us to close in and pick you up?" Harry asked.
"Negative. We still have to find a way to deal with this Negaforce.
If we leave it here unchecked it could prove a danger to the entire
quadrant... if not the Federation, or even the Scout's Earth." There
was a pause on the other end. "I was hoping to keep Voyager out of
danger, but we need every advantage we can get. We'll approach the
citadel on foot. A group will mount an attack on the main entrance
while a smaller team will work their way inside. At the same time, I
want you to bring Voyager into orbit and begin an attack on the citadel
from orbit. Use phasers only, no torpedoes. The two pronged attack
like that should keep the Negarans busy enough that we can get to the
central chamber without interference."
"Understood. When should we begin our attack?"
"I'll signal you when we're ready, Mr. Kim. Good luck. Janeway
out."
In other circumstances, this would be a rather pleasant walk
through the woods, Tom reflected. Even if it was a bit on the dark side
and they were the constant threat of being attacked by the locals.
It was because of that they were being extremely cautious in
approaching the citadel. Mercury and Tuvok were at point, scanning
constantly for any danger. Next came Neelix and Sailor Jupiter. Tom
half hoped that the Talaxian was getting cooking tips from the Sailor
Scout. From the way the two of them were talking, it was entirely
possible.
He and Venus were covering one half of their rear sections, while
Chakotay and Mars kept watch on the other flank. That left Tuxedo Mask,
Sailor Moon and Captain Janeway in the center of their party. But he
noticed that Captain Janeway had isolated herself from them, walking
almost all alone in their small band. It went almost unnoticed by the
other two as they stuck close by one another.
Tom had to smile at that. He could imagine that he and B'Elanna
might react similarly under the same conditions.
"I'll take a wooden nickel for your thoughts," Venus spoke up.
Tom took a moment to think about that. "Isn't that supposed to be
'A penny for your thoughts'?"
"Whatever," the Sailor Scout answered. From her tone, Tom got the
impression that this wasn't the first time she had mangled a saying.
"Well to answer your sentiment, I was just thinking that this would
be a rather pleasant walk through the woods under other circumstances.
Especially if you ignore the fact that we're about to invade the
stronghold of some nigh-omnipotent being like this Negaforce."
"You know, that brings something else to mind that I've been thinking
of ever since I heard that the aliens were trying to capture Voyager."
"What's that?"
Venus turned and looked him square in the eye. "What does the
Negaforce want with a starship?"
Mars watched Chakotay try another scan with his tricorder, but
before long the commander was shaking his head in frustration. "If it's
not working, why do you keep trying?"
"Sheer stubbornness," he answered. "I know your friend Mercury
can keep a lookout with her computer, but I like having more than one
option. Of course, that's not always possible." He closed the tricorder
and returned it to his belt. "Like now. I was able to get better range
on a Borg ship."
Mars had started concentrating on the forest surrounding the party,
but this casual statement got Chakotay her full attention. "You've been
on one of those cubes?"
"What was left of one," the first officer replied. "Several months
ago, I led a small away team to get information on what had destroyed it
and it's companion cubes." Chakotay proceeded to give Mars a brief account
of that particular mission which resulted in the Voyager's first
encounter with Species 8472 after the interdimensional aliens had
annihilated a Borg armada consisting of fifteen of their cube ships.
Mars shook her head. "Sounds like they could help you guys against
the Borg."
"The enemy of my enemy isn't always my friend," Chakotay replied.
"Especially in this case. It turns out that Species 8472 has some
extremely xenophobic qualities. We think their goal at the time was
the annihilation of all life in this galaxy. In the end, we actually had
to work with the Borg against them."
Mars almost stopped dead in her tracks. "You're kidding."
"I'm afraid not. But if you don't mind, I'd like to change the topic
of discussion to the more recent past." He took a quick glance at Captain
Janeway, and then added in a lower voice, "Namely, what happened on Voyager
after I beamed down."
"What do you want to know?"
"Mercury already told me the details of what she saw, but I'd like
your point of view as well." He paused momentarily. "Namely, is that my
captain we're following and if so, is she doing this of her own free will."
Mars took this opportunity to scrutinize Janeway once again. "As far
as I know, the answer to both is yes. I'm not sure why she chose to come
along, but I believe she thinks her reasons are valid. Whatever it is
that's inside her head, it's not unduly influencing her." After a moment,
"I think. I can't make any promises about how accurate I am about this."
"Fair enough," Chakotay replied.
At the front of the group, Mercury kept her attention on her scans
of the area, while Tuvok walked beside her alert for anything nearby,
and keeping a firm grip on his phaser rifle. Since the scanning range
of Mercury's computer had proven to be far greater than the tricorders,
the Vulcan reasoned that the most logical course of action was to
maintain a careful watch on the area around them. They had seen that
the Negarans possessed a rudimentary teleportation ability, so it
behooved them to be wary of any Negarans appearing right on top of them.
"We're still clear," Mercury told him. "I haven't detected signs
of any other hostiles since we spotted that band earlier."
Tuvok nodded. Shortly after they had set out, Mercury had picked up
an approaching group, no doubt another assault force to capture them.
Thus warned, they were able to detour around them without being detected
themselves. "Very well. But I recommend you keep a watchful eye out.
We are still some distance from the entrance."
Mercury nodded. She had already deployed her visor and was using
it to keep a constant scan of the area, so that she could keep a visual
lookout herself. "I agree. I just hope you remember the layout of
those tunnels. I could scan them to find the correct route, but it would
be a lot easier if we knew it ahead of time."
"There is no need for you to concern yourself with that," the
Vulcan assured her. "When we recovered our equipment, I stored a map of
the tunnel system into my tricorder." He removed the instrument from his
belt and handed it to her. "If you wish, you can download it into your
computer. As you possess the greater scanning range, it would be logical
to do so."
"Thank you," she answered. With a flick of her wrist, she opened
the tricorder up. Within seconds, she had the Starfleet device
interfaced with her computer and was downloading the maps into it.
Form his place not far behind them, Neelix watched her work with
some awe showing on his face. Finally, moved up to the two of them and
quietly asked Tuvok, "Are you sure you're not related to her, Mr. Vulcan?"
Mercury flushed a light red in embarrassment, while just behind
them Jupiter struggled to conceal her own amusement. For his part,
Tuvok allowed himself a small flash of irritation before he resumed
his emotional control. Even so, he still appeared to be somewhat
exasperated for a Vulcan. "No," he replied, "we're not."
Chakotay frowned. They had made their way back to the concealed
entrance into the citadel, and unlike before there were guards
present -- but only two. "I don't like this," he muttered to himself,
shaking his head.
"Something wrong?" Sailor Moon asked.
"Only two guards," he replied, indicating the Negarans. "I
would've expected there to be more by this point. Metallah knows we
escaped, and she has to know we were moving around inside there by now."
In fact, now that Chakotay took the time to think about it, their
entire sojourn through the citadel had been rather easy. Too easy
by far.
He should have seen it long before now, the former Maquis leader
thought bitterly. But being first officer on Voyager for nearly four
years seemed to have dulled his reflexes, at least as far as these type
of operations went.
"It doesn't matter how many there are, Chakotay," Janeway said.
"It doesn't really change anything. We still have to get past them
and inside."
"Not to worry, Captain," he replied. "We've gotten plenty of
practice at this." He nodded to Tuvok and Tuxedo Mask.
"Be right back," the tuxedo clad man whispered to Sailor Moon.
Before she could answer, he put an arm around Tuvok and jumped upwards,
carrying the Vulcan into the branches above, and they were swiftly lost
to sight. There being little else for them to do, the remainder of the
group waited patiently (or in some cases impatiently) while keeping a
watchful eye out for any other Negarans.
As it turned out, they didn't have to wait long. Seconds after
they gone above, a black blur emerged from the branches and landed behind
the two guards. Before either had a chance to react, Tuvok had already
placed a hand at the base of one's neck. The guard spasmed slightly as
Tuvok performed the nerve pinch and it slumped to the ground. The
second guard fared little better. It had managed to turn to face them,
only to see Tuxedo Mask's cane on a direct course for it's face.
Janeway heard a muffled thud, followed by the Negaran flying into the
nearby treeline. It slammed into a large tree and slumped to the ground.
"That should take care of the guards," Chakotay noted.
"I'm not picking up any other Negarans," Mercury confirmed.
"Then it's time to get moving," Janeway replied. "Tuvok, you and
Sailor Mercury will take point. Tom and Sailor Jupiter will handle the
rear." She tapped her comm badge as she made her way to the entrance. "Janeway to Voyager."
Back on Voyager, there was little else to do at the moment other
than wait for the captain's signal. Seven chose to pass the time by
running a series of diagnostics as well as refining the deflector pulse
they would employ to block potential boarders.
Or that's she would have been working on had she not found herself
being continuously distracted. Finally she had had enough. "Ensign Kim,
would you please stop that?"
Harry paused. He had been pacing back and forth in front of the
command chair, but he seemed genuinely puzzled. "Stop what?"
"Your constant pacing," Seven elaborated. "It is becoming annoying."
At first Harry didn't believe her, but he was forced to when a
glance over at B'Elanna drew a confirming nod. "Sorry. I guess I'm a
little nervous."
Seven didn't react physically other than to return her attention to
the Operations board. But she still said, "Then perhaps the Doctor
should give you a tranquilizer."
That got an sniff from the Doctor. Evidently Seven's comment had
mildly offended the hologram. "I'll handle the medical diagnoses around
here, if you don't mind. Besides, I think it would be unwise to use a
sedative on the current commanding officer just before we go into battle."
"Thanks, Doc," Harry said. "I just wish I knew why the captain was
so insistent on going along with the rescue team."
"I wouldn't know," the hologram replied. "I'm a Doctor, not a
starship strategist."
"Don't worry about it, Harry," B'Elanna commented from the
engineering station. She paused in her current task an looked over at
the young ensign. "You'll do fine, Starfleet."
Harry couldn't help but smile at her use of the nickname she had used
for him during their first encounter, back on the Ocampa homeworld four
years previous. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Maquis."
Although she didn't comment on it, Seven found this whole exchange
not only distracting, but highly inefficient as well. But a chirp from
the Operations panel proved a welcome distraction for her. "We are
receiving a signal from Captain Janeway," Seven said. "They are in
position."
The tension level on the bridge rose dramatically, the bantering
atmosphere rapidly dissipating. B'Elanna made her way to the turbolift,
"I better get to Engineering."
"And me to Sickbay," the Doctor added, following her into the
turbolift.
Harry hesitated, then took a seat in the command chair. "Ensign,
lay in a reciprocal course back to the planet. Bring us out of warp as
close to it as you can."
The helmsman nodded and made the appropriate settings to the helm.
"Course set, sir."
Harry nodded. "Engage at warp six. Graves, sound battlestations."
The bridge lighting shifted to a reddish hue while the alert klaxons
sounded. Within seconds the ship dropped out of warp, the mass of the
planet filling the screen. "Here we go..." he said, taking a deep
breath in a vain attempt to settle his nerves. Never in his wildest
dreams did he imagine that *he* would end up leading Voyager into a
battle.
"We are coming over the target area," Seven spoke, still
infernally calm. "Entering optimal firing range.
"Commence firing!"
Lambert almost jumped out of his skin when his borrowed tricorder
beeped. That was the signal he had been waiting for to commence his
attack.
Once they had broken off from the main party when leaving the
shuttle, he had lead his band over to what seemed to be the main
entrance into the Negaran citadel. To minimize the risk of detection,
he had broken up the group into small bands with orders to make their
way there as quietly as possible. Fortunately most of those with this
group had been with Voyager's security department, so they had already
been versed in these type of tactics. As far as he knew, the Negarans
were unaware of their presence.
He gave a hand signal to those around him to spread the word to
the others. In less than five minutes, they would begin firing on the
alien stronghold with the phasers they had gotten from the Shepard.
Mars frowned. The tunnels they had entered proved to be deserted
and they had been able to make their way downward without opposition.
The ease of their advance made her uneasy. "Where is everyone?" she
hissed to Chakotay. "This is way too easy."
The first officer nodded. "I had the same thought," he responded,
keeping his own voice low as well. "A few months before we arrived in
the Delta Quadrant, my Maquis cell tried a raid into a the headquarters
of a Cardassian Gul. We managed to sneak inside, but we were soon up
to our armpits in Cardassians. We had a devil of a time just getting
out in one piece. I can't see Metallah having security this bad,
unless..." His voice trailed off.
"You think it's a trap?" Mars asked after a moment.
"That's a good possibility," he answered.
"It doesn't mater, you two," Janeway said from behind them. "If
it is a trap, we'll just have to be ready to spot it before it closes
up. But for now, we are here and so is the enemy." The ground chose
that moment to shake beneath them and a shower of dust rained down from
the ceiling for emphasis.
"What was that?" Venus asked.
"I'd say Voyager's here," Mercury answered. Realizing that time
was growing short, the group hurried their way downwards into the heart
of the citadel.
"This time, you're not getting away," Metallah muttered, watching a
small holographic image of Voyager. It was apparent that the starship
was closing fast on her world and was clearly intent on settling into
orbit. As had been the case when it had reappeared, the attraction beam
was unable to get a firm grip on it. So she would have to employ
alternative strategies to capture the ship. Once again, she called upon
her troops to form boarding parties. Unfortunately, she couldn't call
upon all of them, for some had to be sent to ward off the simultaneous
attack made by some of the Starfleet crew upon the main gate. Meanwhile,
another group of her elite guard combined their energies and hurled
massive energy discharges upwards, just as they had done against the
shuttlecraft. But this time the goal was simply to disable the ship,
not destroy it.
Indeed, great care would have to be taken to avoid damaging the ship
too badly. They still needed it to leave their world and use it to
spread their influence over the entire galaxy. Bringing all that lived
within it under her domain.
So far all was going to the plan, Harry noted. Voyager had settled
into a synchronous orbit over the planet and was firing burst after burst
from it's main phasers.
But it wasn't proving a free ride for the starship. Several energy
bolts, similar and yet larger to those that had attacked the shuttle,
hurtled upwards and impacted on the shields. The bridge shook as yet
another bolt slammed into the shields. "Damage report."
"Shields are at eighty seven percent, and holding," Seven announced.
"They have adjusted their firing pattern again. I am altering the shields
to compensate." The bridge shook once again as another energy bolt
impacted into the shields, but it was noticeably less than before.
"Compensation complete. Shields are holding."
"Acknowledged," Harry said. "Maintain phaser fire, Ensign Graves."
"Aye, sir."
They had reached the entrance to the chamber in the lower levels,
where, according to Chakotay, the real power behind Metallah resided.
Mercury glanced quickly into the room, just long enough for her visor to
get a clean scan. It was more than enough for her to confirm that the
being residing within the container possessed the power and essence of
the Negaforce. However, there were also several odd readings from inside
the entity. She tapped rapidly on the small keyboard, prodding her
computer to provide a quick analysis.
Just down the hall, Mars was starting to fidget, finally prompting
Sailor Moon to ask, "Mars, what is it?"
"That's what," she replied, indicating the chamber. As they had
approached the room, her psychic senses had been warning her of danger.
This close, the sense was almost overpowering. "I'm not sure what's in
there, but I'm getting a really bad feeling about this."
"I think you're just nervous," Venus said.
Mars snorted. "You'd be nervous too, if you had this feeling.
Whatever that thing is in there, it knows we're out here."
That got Chakotay's attention, as well as everyone else's. "If
that's so, then why hasn't it done anything to stop us?"
"How should I know? All I know is that it knows we're out here."
Mars jerk suddenly as if she had been poked with a cattle prod. "And now
it's laughing at us!"
"I am also sensing something usual," Tuvok said. "And I can confirm
my observation on our last visit to this location -- the entity's thought
patterns are human."
"Of course!" Mercury exclaimed. "I should have seen it sooner.
These energy readings I detected inside it are almost identical to a
human brainwave pattern. Much more powerful, of course, but still a
brainwave pattern."
"So now what?" Jupiter asked. "I doubt we can surprise it now."
"We can't go back," Janeway pointed out. "So I suggest we just go inside." Before anyone could object, she stood up and strode into the chamber.
Mars couldn't believe it. "She's gotta be nuts!"
Chakotay shared her misgivings, especially after being given the
warnings from Mars and Mercury, but seeing as there wasn't any evidence
that she was being controlled he still gave Kathryn the benefit of the
doubt. "She's the captain," he said, "It's out job to follow her lead."
Phaser at ready, the first officer led the rest of them into the chamber.
The Scouts shared a doubtful glance among themselves, but followed him
nonetheless.
As they approached, the colors within the container pulsed and they
all heard laughter echo within their minds. "Yes, I wanted you here,
Captain Janeway. I knew there would be survivors from that shuttle
crash. Starfleet crews have an annoying tendency to do that. So I
allowed you into here, just as I allowed the others to escape from here.
I had already scanned them, but I wanted to get a clear look into thier
shipmate's minds as well. And it is much easier to do that face to face."
"Well, I hope you find the contents of them interesting," Neelix
quipped.
The presence ignored him, continuing to talk to Janeway. "However
your mind seems to be resisting my probes, Captain. I find this most
interesting."
"You'll find I'm full of surprises," Janeway replied evenly. "Now
since we're all here like you wanted, why don't you show yourself?"
The voice chuckled. "Why not?" The colors pulsed again, and
began to glow, flowing out from the container like a liquid. It
reshaped itself outside, assuming a humanoid form dressed in what looked
like a Starfleet uniform from a hundred years ago -- black pants and
boots with a gold shirt. The shirt had a very familiar arrowhead
insignia over the left breast.
Mercury heard Janeway mutter, "At last."
The bridge shook again, as an alarm sounded from the tactical
station. "We've got multiple intruder alerts on several decks," Graves
reported. "But they're scattered in ones and twos throughout the ship."
"Don't let them hook up with each other. Seal them all off with
force fields and then flood those areas with the modified anestazine,"
Harry ordered. "Seven..."
The Borg had already anticipated him. "I am adjusting the deflector
pulse in an attempt to compensate, but I am not optimistic we will be
able to increase it's blocking efficiency." Despite her vocal pessimism,
she kept working on the Ops panel.
"Just do what you can."
"It's working," Graves said. A smile came to her face as she read
the incoming reports. "The new gas is knocking them out cold."
Harry smiled as well. It looked like things were going their way
for a change. "Once they're unconscious, beam them in with their friends
in Cargo Bay One. Then clear all affected areas of anestazine."
The chaos in orbit contrasted sharply with what was happening in
the bowels of the citadel. There a standoff between the infiltration
team and the mysterious humanoid figure was in progress. "Allow me to
introduce myself," the figure said, it's voice resonating deeply. "I
was once known --"
"You were once known as Lieutenant Commander Gary Mitchell,"
Janeway said for him. "Formerly of the Federation Starship Enterprise,
under the command of Captain James T. Kirk."
Mitchell blinked, or at least he appeared to, in surprise. "I'm
impressed, Captain. You know who I am?"
Janeway nodded. "Oh, yes. I know all about you, Commander."
"Hey, do you mind filling us in?" Jupiter asked.
Mitchell smiled. "Go ahead, Captain," he said with a laugh. "If
you make any errors, I'll correct you."
"I'm sure you will," Janeway noted. Turning to her companions she
began, "Over a hundred years ago, the Enterprise was exploring along the
edge of our galaxy. There it encountered a powerful energy barrier that
nearly destroyed the ship when they tried to cross it. For the most part
the crew managed to escape unscathed, but it had a very profound effect
on Commander Mitchell and one other member of the crew. He, and then
later she, started to develop psionic powers at a frightening rate. Soon
he began to see his shipmates as toys for his amusement, and the later
as insects."
"A god does not have to answer to mortals, Captain," Mitchell
snarled, seemingly irritated.
"Absolute power corrupting absolutely," Janeway said, refusing to
back down. "Captain Kirk ordered the Enterprise to make for Delta Vega,
a small and rather insignificant planet near the galactic rim. It
harbored an automated lithium cracking station and it also had enough
supplies and parts to effect repairs on the Enterprise. As it was
uninhabitated, it was also a perfect spot to leave Commander Mitchell."
"You mean they were just going to leave him there?" Sailor Moon asked.
"Far better than the alternative," Janeway told her. "Mitchell was
growing dangerously reckless in using his power. Who knows what he would
have done had he reached a populated world. He demonstrated very
effectively just how dangerous he was when he escaped from confinement,
killing another crewmember in the process."
"I could have killed them all, Captain," Mitchell said.
"I often wondered why you didn't. Though you certainly tried hard
enough to kill Captain Kirk in that final confrontation." Janeway paused
and turned back to face Mitchell. "There's just one thing. I was under
the impression that you and Dr. Dehner had been killed."
"You have such limited thinking," Mitchell said, chuckling. "Our
physical bodies may have perished, but the essence of what we were
survived. Our powers were enough that we had grown beyond the need for
a physical form. But the conflict did weaken us to the extent that we
were mostly powerless for decades. But soon after I had regained some of
my power, a tunnel opened in space and time, leading to Earth in the
Arctic regions. But not my Earth, of course." He turned his gaze to
Sailor Moon. "Instead it lead me to your world, just as you were
beginning your final confrontation with Queen Beryl and the Negaforce."
"You were there?" Sailor Moon asked.
"Yes," Mitchell confirmed. "I watched with great interest as you
battled them. In the moment you defeated them, I absorbed the power of
the Negaforce and took it for my own. But before I could return to my
own universe, the final outburst of power from the Silver Crystal shifted
the far end of the quantum flux to this world. Sixty thousand light years
was too far for me to cross on my own, so I contented myself with waiting
and granting some of my powers to the local population. For the last year
and a half, I have been building up my power and hoping for a ship to
come within range that I could use to get back to the Alpha Quadrant.
The Borg scout ship was the first real hope I had to escape here, but
it proved too tough for capture. Voyager came shortly thereafter, but it
managed to elude me as well. But now I have the information from your
minds that gives me the means to go where and when I will without the need
for a ship."
"You mean you want the Silver Crystal," Sailor Moon said. "Well,
you're not getting it!"
Mitchell seemed genuinely puzzled. "Why would I want the Silver
Crystal?"
"Huh?"
"Ah," Mitchell said, with sudden realization. "You misunderstand me.
I meant the information in your minds, which gives me the means to avenge
myself on those who have wronged me. Besides, I bear no ill will to you
or your world... indeed I am grateful to you for providing me the means
of escaping endless exile on Delta Vega." His expression hardened as he
turned to the Starfleet personnel. "But the same does not hold true of
you."
"Why?" Chakotay challenged. "What happened to you was an accident.
If there had been any way that Captain Kirk could have helped you..."
"I don't want or need your help!" Mitchell roared. "But Kirk
abandoned me on that desolate world. And now he and his ilk will pay
the price." He waved his hand and a large holographic image filled the
air above their heads, displaying Voyager still maintaining the phaser
barrage on the planet below it. "And it begins here..."
Janeway realized with horror just what Mitchell was intending for
her ship. Hurriedly she slapped her comm badge. "Janeway to Voyager.
Harry, get the ship out of there! *NOW*!!"
Even as she gave the order, Mitchell made a slight, almost
offhanded gesture. As a cold sense of dread gripped her heart, Janeway
knew that it was already too late.
He was already ordering the ship to warp speeds when a loud shrill
alarm sounded, and Harry felt his heart catch in his mouth. This type
of alarm was reserved for when the ship was in imminent threat of
destruction.
Seven appeared to be as placid as ever, but even she was growing
concerned at the readings in front of her. "Ensign Kim, we have a
problem."
"What the hell..." B'Elanna looked up at the warp core. The
steady hum of power from it had suddenly increased in both tone and
pitch. A glance down at the diagnostic panel showed that the power
output from the core was increasing rapidly as well.
Increasing *too* rapidly...
"Power levels in the warp core are increasing geometrically,"
Seven warned, her voice starting to take on an urgent tone. "Core
breach is imminent."
"Eject the core!" Harry ordered. "Now!"
"Everybody out!" B'Elanna urged her engineers, hoping that the core
would hold long enough. But she wasn't optimistic that it would, as
coolant leaks were appearing all over the place as the core's energy
levels exceeded any reasonable level. "Computer, eject the core.
Authorization: Torres omega three seven two." Reaching the door herself,
she saw the core begin to slide downward as the ejection process began...
just as the dilithium chamber split open and released in one large
explosion the raging energies contained within it.
For a split second, another star illuminated the Negaran homeworld.
To be continued..?
"We should have known Seska wouldn't let a little thing like death stop
her from getting even."
Tom Paris
Chapter 7 -- The Face of the Enemy
Tuxedo Mask grunted in surprise as he hit the ground hard. He
glared at Chakotay, who had pulled him roughly down. "What are you --"
he began, his voice harsh.
Chakotay quickly covered the younger man's mouth. "Quiet!" he
said in a low voice. Then he pointed over to their right. "We've
got company."
Tuxedo Mask glanced in that direction and was immediately grateful
that at least Chakotay had been paying attention, for one of the Negaran
soldiers could be seen moving in the distance. "I can't believe I
missed him," he muttered, chagrined.
"I wouldn't worry about it. You do have other things on your mind
at the moment." Tuxedo Mask couldn't help but agree. The foremost
thing on his mind had been to get to Sailor Moon as fast as possible.
"The important thing is that they haven't spotted us." Chakotay added
a mental 'I hope' while he tapped his comm badge. "Chakotay to Tuvok,
respond *quietly*."
"Tuvok here," came the muted response. The Vulcan may have only
been masquerading as a Maquis, but he would have made a good one,
Chakotay mused.
"We've got hostiles approaching the shuttle. We could use some
helping hands here."
"Understood," Tuvok replied. "We're on our way and should be there
shortly. Tuvok out."
Chakotay got up and crouched down beside a nearby tree, eyes
constantly looking about for other Negarans. Tuxedo Mask took a position
next to him. "I hate to be a pessimist, but even with all the other
crew here, what can they do to help? You've only got three phasers
among you and they're not exactly much use against the Negarans."
"If phasers don't work, then we'll use sticks and stones. Or even
our bare hands." Chakotay looked him right in the eye. "One rule that
both Starfleet and the Maquis both shared: we don't abandon someone just
because the odds are against us."
"I wasn't suggesting that you not help them," Tuxedo Mask replied.
"I know you weren't. But --" Chakotay never got to finish his
statement, for now Tuxedo Mask dove into him, sending him sprawling on
the ground. The reason was readily apparent as several energy bursts
slammed into the tree he had been next to. Tuxedo Mask leapt to his
feet, ready to do battle with the Negarans. Meanwhile, Chakotay readied
himself to help him in any way he could.
Even if it meant using his bare hands...
Not far from their position, the Shepard, or what was left of it,
lay on the planet's surface. The fuselage was still intact; which was
miraculous considering it had plowed a deep furrow in the ground upon
impact, completely shearing off the engine nacelles. The door opened
partway, then jammed. This was quickly rectified by a pair of gloved
hands that grabbed the door and forced it the rest of the way open with
a shriek of tortured metal. Jupiter leapt out of the wreck and looked
about. "Man, I'm glad to be out of there."
"You're not the only one," Sailor Moon observed as the others
followed her outside. Sailor Moon and Mars assisted Janeway while Venus
aided Paris outside. Mercury followed them, bringing with her the
shuttle's emergency medical kit. Thanks to their enhanced abilities none
of the Scouts had been seriously hurt by the crash, but both Starfleet
officers were groggy at best. Janeway was sporting a large bruise over
her left eye, but Tom obviously had the worst of the crash, as was
evidenced by a rather nasty cut on his forehead.
Venus took one look at the shuttle and grimaced. "Any landing you
can stalk away from is a good landing, I guess."
"Any landing you can walk away from," Mercury corrected her while
she examined Tom's injuries. Fortunately there didn't seem to be any
signs of a concussion. She fished into the medkit for a dermal
regenerator and began applying it's healing beams to the head wound.
"We were lucky," Tom said. "If the captain hadn't managed to bring
those thrusters back online..."
Janeway shook her head. "It wasn't me, Tom. My controls were
completely out."
The helmsman frowned. "Then who..?" Mercury clicked off the regenerator. Satisfied that the instrument had done it's work, she went
over to Captain Janeway.
"It must've been me," Venus said, beaming.
In the middle of conducting a scan of the captain, Mercury almost
dropped her computer while the other Scouts stared at Venus in shock.
"You?" Mars eventually choked out.
"Yep. During the crash, I tried to help out by fiddling with the
panel next to me. Nothing was happening so I finally gave it a good
solid whack." She demonstrated by slapping the flat of her palm against
the shuttle hull. "That's when Tom said he got some thruster control
back."
Silence came over the group while they struggled to accept what she
had said. Finally Jupiter spoke. "I guess the shuttle's systems were
so badly damaged, the only thing she could do to them was get them to
work."
"Yeah. There wasn't any way she could make it any worse," Mars
agreed.
"Hey!"
"It doesn't matter how it happened, whether Venus shocked the
thrusters back online or it just boiling down to good old fashioned
luck," Janeway said. "All that matters is that it worked and we managed
to get down in one piece." Mercury silently agreed with her as she got
back to completing her scan. It seemed that the captain had gotten away
with nothing more than a serious bruise which could easily be treated by...
She blinked. For a brief -- a *very* brief -- moment, Captain
Janeway's EEG had fluctuated, showing once more the double pattern she
had seen on the bridge. For the moment, she decided to say nothing, but
she knew she'd have to speak to Tom about it at the first opportunity.
Seemingly unaware of Mercury's concern, Janeway did notice that Tom
was gazing ruefully at the wreckage of the Shepard. "Something wrong,
Mr. Paris?"
"I was just getting to like that shuttle," Tom responded. "It was
almost broken in."
Janeway smiled slightly and patted the helmsman on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, Tom. We'll just build a replacement..." Then, sighing,
she added, "...again."
"Again?" Mars asked. She glanced back and forth at the two
Starfleet officers. "The way you two are talking, you'd think you go
through shuttles the way Serena goes through her lunch."
"I heard that, Mars," Sailor Moon growled at her.
"Not now, you two," Mercury said. "We don't have any time for this."
Janeway nodded in agreement as she got to her feet. "Mercury's
right. We need to get all the phasers out of the shuttle that weren't
damaged in the crash, along with anything else we can use and then get
out of here. Someone was bound to have seen the shuttle go down, so
we're very likely to have visitors soon. And I don't think they'll be
the friendly type."
Her words proved prophetic, as several Negaran energy bolts shot
into the area. Through sheer happenstance most of them only struck
nearby trees or the shuttle's hull, but one struck Sailor Jupiter and
knocked the tall Scout roughly to the ground.
"Jupiter!" cried out Sailor Moon. Immediately she went to her
friend's side as did Paris. Janeway took up a defensive position while
Venus and Mercury followed Mars' lead and cut loose themselves at the
attacking aliens.
"Jupiter, are you OK?" Sailor Moon asked. Paris was already scanning
her with the medical tricorder and was relieved to note that the blast
hadn't caused any significant damage.
"Oh, I'm fine," Jupiter growled, gritting her teeth, her hand rubbing
the area the blast had struck her in the side. "But *they're* not gonna
be!" With that, she leapt to her feet, shoving her way past the two of
them. Paris could feel static electricity building up as electrical arcs
played around Jupiter. "JUPITER THUNDERCLAP ZAP!" she cried, flinging her
attack into a group of the aliens. There was a loud explosion as the
electrical discharge went off among them. When it cleared, several of
the attackers could be seen lying motionless on the ground.
But more of the aliens came out into the open, more than enough to
replace those Jupiter had felled. Several of them moved rapidly at her,
hoping that she proved less deadly in hand to hand combat. Jupiter
quickly showed them just how empty that hope was as she quickly disarmed
one and then, using a mok'bara throw Worf had taught her, used that
particular Negaran as a weapon against his fellows.
Taking cover by the Shepard, it was near impossible for Janeway to
tell how the others were doing, as the battle around the shuttle was
becoming extremely chaotic. She could hear the Scouts utilizing their
powers all around her, but as was the case in most battles, there was
little she could do at the moment other than try and deal with the
adversaries nearby. One appeared in front of her, ready to rush her
position and she took aim at it, but was taken aback when a fair sized
rock struck the Negaran square in the middle of it's forehead. "Hah!
Take that, you offspring of a Kazon!" a very familiar voice cried out.
Janeway turned towards the source. Sure enough, to her great joy
she saw... "Neelix!"
The Negaran did not seem impressed. In fact, it seemed downright
outraged at the Talaxian's attack, even if it didn't understand his
verbal gibe. It brought it's staff down sharply, sending a bolt of energy
at the Talaxian. But Neelix was far more nimble than it had supposed, and
he ducked down behind a small rockpile. The energy bolt passed over his
head and exploded harmlessly against a nearby tree. Neelix peered back
over the rocks at the Negaran. "Missed me," he taunted the alien.
Undaunted, the Negaran raised it's staff to try again, but this time
a flash of red hit the crystal at it's apex. The crystal fell from the
staff to the ground, cloven in two. The object that had sliced through
it continued unhindered, embedding itself in the ground.
"A rose?" Sailor Moon felt her heart leap for joy upon seeing it, for
it could only mean one thing. She looked up in the direction it had been
thrown from. Sure enough, high up in the trees was... "Tuxedo Mask!"
The tuxedo clad warrior leapt down among several Negarans and his
cane flashed about him, knocking several of the aliens to the ground.
In almost the same instance, two dozen Voyager crewman popped up from
seemingly nowhere and pelted the Negarans with a hail of rocks.
Thrown into a tumult of confusion by this sudden turn of events, the
alien assault faltered. Sensing the opportunity to drive the aliens off
altogether, Janeway cried out, "Now! Everyone attack at the same time!"
"We're on it, Captain," Sailor Moon responded, already beginning
the process of launching her own attack. "MOON SPIRAL HEART ATTACK!"
In nearly the same instance, the attack cries of the other Scouts rang
out through the area.
Between the Scouts' earlier efforts and this sudden barrage, the
Negaran leader realized that her force had been cut nearly in half and
what was left had been thoroughly disheartened. She called out in a
loud, shrill voice for a general retreat.
"That's it, run!" Jupiter shouted after the withdrawing aliens.
"Unfortunately, I have a bad feeling they'll be back," Paris said.
"And probably with reinforcements."
"I wouldn't worry too much about that, Lieutenant," Neelix said. The
Talaxian was smiling, glad to be reunited with some of his shipmates and
with his own performance in the recent battle. "I'm sure we'll be long
gone by then."
The conversation may have continued, but it was interrupted by a
loud (and joyful) cry of "Darien!" All eyes turned towards the source
to see Sailor Moon bounding towards Tuxedo Mask and seized him in a tight
hug.
"I'm... glad to... see you too, Serena," he managed to get out.
"But... I can't... breath."
"Oops." She relaxed her grip slightly, but still kept her arms
around him. "Sorry about that."
Janeway turned from the happy reunion and regarded her first officer
with a broad smile. "The idea was for us to enter the citadel and rescue
*you*," she mildly admonished him.
He shrugged, unrepentant. "You know us old Maquis types... We like
to turn the tables on people. But if you want, I suppose we could go
back to our cell."
"That won't be necessary," she replied. "I guess I should have
known that you would be able to find a way to escape on your own."
"I just wish I had been able to get here sooner. But a group of
Negarans were insistent on treating us to their own brand of
hospitality."
"How did you get them to back off?" Janeway asked. "Your phasers
weren't modified to be effective against them."
"True," Chakotay admitted. "But as you saw, Tuxedo Mask can be
quite effective in hand to hand combat. And while the Negarans may be
immune to standard phaser fire, the same can't be said for the local
environment. They started to back off quick enough after I exploded a
rock in the middle of a group of them."
Janeway winced at the thought. "Ouch."
"...so we've been able to accomplish half our mission objectives,"
Janeway's voice echoed across the bridge. Harry stood in the center of
the bridge, listening intently to his captain's voice while B'Elanna
sat sulking at the engineering station, grumbling to herself over the
loss of another shuttle. "But in doing so we've lost any advantage of
surprise we may have had."
"Do you want us to close in and pick you up?" Harry asked.
"Negative. We still have to find a way to deal with this Negaforce.
If we leave it here unchecked it could prove a danger to the entire
quadrant... if not the Federation, or even the Scout's Earth." There
was a pause on the other end. "I was hoping to keep Voyager out of
danger, but we need every advantage we can get. We'll approach the
citadel on foot. A group will mount an attack on the main entrance
while a smaller team will work their way inside. At the same time, I
want you to bring Voyager into orbit and begin an attack on the citadel
from orbit. Use phasers only, no torpedoes. The two pronged attack
like that should keep the Negarans busy enough that we can get to the
central chamber without interference."
"Understood. When should we begin our attack?"
"I'll signal you when we're ready, Mr. Kim. Good luck. Janeway
out."
In other circumstances, this would be a rather pleasant walk
through the woods, Tom reflected. Even if it was a bit on the dark side
and they were the constant threat of being attacked by the locals.
It was because of that they were being extremely cautious in
approaching the citadel. Mercury and Tuvok were at point, scanning
constantly for any danger. Next came Neelix and Sailor Jupiter. Tom
half hoped that the Talaxian was getting cooking tips from the Sailor
Scout. From the way the two of them were talking, it was entirely
possible.
He and Venus were covering one half of their rear sections, while
Chakotay and Mars kept watch on the other flank. That left Tuxedo Mask,
Sailor Moon and Captain Janeway in the center of their party. But he
noticed that Captain Janeway had isolated herself from them, walking
almost all alone in their small band. It went almost unnoticed by the
other two as they stuck close by one another.
Tom had to smile at that. He could imagine that he and B'Elanna
might react similarly under the same conditions.
"I'll take a wooden nickel for your thoughts," Venus spoke up.
Tom took a moment to think about that. "Isn't that supposed to be
'A penny for your thoughts'?"
"Whatever," the Sailor Scout answered. From her tone, Tom got the
impression that this wasn't the first time she had mangled a saying.
"Well to answer your sentiment, I was just thinking that this would
be a rather pleasant walk through the woods under other circumstances.
Especially if you ignore the fact that we're about to invade the
stronghold of some nigh-omnipotent being like this Negaforce."
"You know, that brings something else to mind that I've been thinking
of ever since I heard that the aliens were trying to capture Voyager."
"What's that?"
Venus turned and looked him square in the eye. "What does the
Negaforce want with a starship?"
Mars watched Chakotay try another scan with his tricorder, but
before long the commander was shaking his head in frustration. "If it's
not working, why do you keep trying?"
"Sheer stubbornness," he answered. "I know your friend Mercury
can keep a lookout with her computer, but I like having more than one
option. Of course, that's not always possible." He closed the tricorder
and returned it to his belt. "Like now. I was able to get better range
on a Borg ship."
Mars had started concentrating on the forest surrounding the party,
but this casual statement got Chakotay her full attention. "You've been
on one of those cubes?"
"What was left of one," the first officer replied. "Several months
ago, I led a small away team to get information on what had destroyed it
and it's companion cubes." Chakotay proceeded to give Mars a brief account
of that particular mission which resulted in the Voyager's first
encounter with Species 8472 after the interdimensional aliens had
annihilated a Borg armada consisting of fifteen of their cube ships.
Mars shook her head. "Sounds like they could help you guys against
the Borg."
"The enemy of my enemy isn't always my friend," Chakotay replied.
"Especially in this case. It turns out that Species 8472 has some
extremely xenophobic qualities. We think their goal at the time was
the annihilation of all life in this galaxy. In the end, we actually had
to work with the Borg against them."
Mars almost stopped dead in her tracks. "You're kidding."
"I'm afraid not. But if you don't mind, I'd like to change the topic
of discussion to the more recent past." He took a quick glance at Captain
Janeway, and then added in a lower voice, "Namely, what happened on Voyager
after I beamed down."
"What do you want to know?"
"Mercury already told me the details of what she saw, but I'd like
your point of view as well." He paused momentarily. "Namely, is that my
captain we're following and if so, is she doing this of her own free will."
Mars took this opportunity to scrutinize Janeway once again. "As far
as I know, the answer to both is yes. I'm not sure why she chose to come
along, but I believe she thinks her reasons are valid. Whatever it is
that's inside her head, it's not unduly influencing her." After a moment,
"I think. I can't make any promises about how accurate I am about this."
"Fair enough," Chakotay replied.
At the front of the group, Mercury kept her attention on her scans
of the area, while Tuvok walked beside her alert for anything nearby,
and keeping a firm grip on his phaser rifle. Since the scanning range
of Mercury's computer had proven to be far greater than the tricorders,
the Vulcan reasoned that the most logical course of action was to
maintain a careful watch on the area around them. They had seen that
the Negarans possessed a rudimentary teleportation ability, so it
behooved them to be wary of any Negarans appearing right on top of them.
"We're still clear," Mercury told him. "I haven't detected signs
of any other hostiles since we spotted that band earlier."
Tuvok nodded. Shortly after they had set out, Mercury had picked up
an approaching group, no doubt another assault force to capture them.
Thus warned, they were able to detour around them without being detected
themselves. "Very well. But I recommend you keep a watchful eye out.
We are still some distance from the entrance."
Mercury nodded. She had already deployed her visor and was using
it to keep a constant scan of the area, so that she could keep a visual
lookout herself. "I agree. I just hope you remember the layout of
those tunnels. I could scan them to find the correct route, but it would
be a lot easier if we knew it ahead of time."
"There is no need for you to concern yourself with that," the
Vulcan assured her. "When we recovered our equipment, I stored a map of
the tunnel system into my tricorder." He removed the instrument from his
belt and handed it to her. "If you wish, you can download it into your
computer. As you possess the greater scanning range, it would be logical
to do so."
"Thank you," she answered. With a flick of her wrist, she opened
the tricorder up. Within seconds, she had the Starfleet device
interfaced with her computer and was downloading the maps into it.
Form his place not far behind them, Neelix watched her work with
some awe showing on his face. Finally, moved up to the two of them and
quietly asked Tuvok, "Are you sure you're not related to her, Mr. Vulcan?"
Mercury flushed a light red in embarrassment, while just behind
them Jupiter struggled to conceal her own amusement. For his part,
Tuvok allowed himself a small flash of irritation before he resumed
his emotional control. Even so, he still appeared to be somewhat
exasperated for a Vulcan. "No," he replied, "we're not."
Chakotay frowned. They had made their way back to the concealed
entrance into the citadel, and unlike before there were guards
present -- but only two. "I don't like this," he muttered to himself,
shaking his head.
"Something wrong?" Sailor Moon asked.
"Only two guards," he replied, indicating the Negarans. "I
would've expected there to be more by this point. Metallah knows we
escaped, and she has to know we were moving around inside there by now."
In fact, now that Chakotay took the time to think about it, their
entire sojourn through the citadel had been rather easy. Too easy
by far.
He should have seen it long before now, the former Maquis leader
thought bitterly. But being first officer on Voyager for nearly four
years seemed to have dulled his reflexes, at least as far as these type
of operations went.
"It doesn't matter how many there are, Chakotay," Janeway said.
"It doesn't really change anything. We still have to get past them
and inside."
"Not to worry, Captain," he replied. "We've gotten plenty of
practice at this." He nodded to Tuvok and Tuxedo Mask.
"Be right back," the tuxedo clad man whispered to Sailor Moon.
Before she could answer, he put an arm around Tuvok and jumped upwards,
carrying the Vulcan into the branches above, and they were swiftly lost
to sight. There being little else for them to do, the remainder of the
group waited patiently (or in some cases impatiently) while keeping a
watchful eye out for any other Negarans.
As it turned out, they didn't have to wait long. Seconds after
they gone above, a black blur emerged from the branches and landed behind
the two guards. Before either had a chance to react, Tuvok had already
placed a hand at the base of one's neck. The guard spasmed slightly as
Tuvok performed the nerve pinch and it slumped to the ground. The
second guard fared little better. It had managed to turn to face them,
only to see Tuxedo Mask's cane on a direct course for it's face.
Janeway heard a muffled thud, followed by the Negaran flying into the
nearby treeline. It slammed into a large tree and slumped to the ground.
"That should take care of the guards," Chakotay noted.
"I'm not picking up any other Negarans," Mercury confirmed.
"Then it's time to get moving," Janeway replied. "Tuvok, you and
Sailor Mercury will take point. Tom and Sailor Jupiter will handle the
rear." She tapped her comm badge as she made her way to the entrance. "Janeway to Voyager."
Back on Voyager, there was little else to do at the moment other
than wait for the captain's signal. Seven chose to pass the time by
running a series of diagnostics as well as refining the deflector pulse
they would employ to block potential boarders.
Or that's she would have been working on had she not found herself
being continuously distracted. Finally she had had enough. "Ensign Kim,
would you please stop that?"
Harry paused. He had been pacing back and forth in front of the
command chair, but he seemed genuinely puzzled. "Stop what?"
"Your constant pacing," Seven elaborated. "It is becoming annoying."
At first Harry didn't believe her, but he was forced to when a
glance over at B'Elanna drew a confirming nod. "Sorry. I guess I'm a
little nervous."
Seven didn't react physically other than to return her attention to
the Operations board. But she still said, "Then perhaps the Doctor
should give you a tranquilizer."
That got an sniff from the Doctor. Evidently Seven's comment had
mildly offended the hologram. "I'll handle the medical diagnoses around
here, if you don't mind. Besides, I think it would be unwise to use a
sedative on the current commanding officer just before we go into battle."
"Thanks, Doc," Harry said. "I just wish I knew why the captain was
so insistent on going along with the rescue team."
"I wouldn't know," the hologram replied. "I'm a Doctor, not a
starship strategist."
"Don't worry about it, Harry," B'Elanna commented from the
engineering station. She paused in her current task an looked over at
the young ensign. "You'll do fine, Starfleet."
Harry couldn't help but smile at her use of the nickname she had used
for him during their first encounter, back on the Ocampa homeworld four
years previous. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Maquis."
Although she didn't comment on it, Seven found this whole exchange
not only distracting, but highly inefficient as well. But a chirp from
the Operations panel proved a welcome distraction for her. "We are
receiving a signal from Captain Janeway," Seven said. "They are in
position."
The tension level on the bridge rose dramatically, the bantering
atmosphere rapidly dissipating. B'Elanna made her way to the turbolift,
"I better get to Engineering."
"And me to Sickbay," the Doctor added, following her into the
turbolift.
Harry hesitated, then took a seat in the command chair. "Ensign,
lay in a reciprocal course back to the planet. Bring us out of warp as
close to it as you can."
The helmsman nodded and made the appropriate settings to the helm.
"Course set, sir."
Harry nodded. "Engage at warp six. Graves, sound battlestations."
The bridge lighting shifted to a reddish hue while the alert klaxons
sounded. Within seconds the ship dropped out of warp, the mass of the
planet filling the screen. "Here we go..." he said, taking a deep
breath in a vain attempt to settle his nerves. Never in his wildest
dreams did he imagine that *he* would end up leading Voyager into a
battle.
"We are coming over the target area," Seven spoke, still
infernally calm. "Entering optimal firing range.
"Commence firing!"
Lambert almost jumped out of his skin when his borrowed tricorder
beeped. That was the signal he had been waiting for to commence his
attack.
Once they had broken off from the main party when leaving the
shuttle, he had lead his band over to what seemed to be the main
entrance into the Negaran citadel. To minimize the risk of detection,
he had broken up the group into small bands with orders to make their
way there as quietly as possible. Fortunately most of those with this
group had been with Voyager's security department, so they had already
been versed in these type of tactics. As far as he knew, the Negarans
were unaware of their presence.
He gave a hand signal to those around him to spread the word to
the others. In less than five minutes, they would begin firing on the
alien stronghold with the phasers they had gotten from the Shepard.
Mars frowned. The tunnels they had entered proved to be deserted
and they had been able to make their way downward without opposition.
The ease of their advance made her uneasy. "Where is everyone?" she
hissed to Chakotay. "This is way too easy."
The first officer nodded. "I had the same thought," he responded,
keeping his own voice low as well. "A few months before we arrived in
the Delta Quadrant, my Maquis cell tried a raid into a the headquarters
of a Cardassian Gul. We managed to sneak inside, but we were soon up
to our armpits in Cardassians. We had a devil of a time just getting
out in one piece. I can't see Metallah having security this bad,
unless..." His voice trailed off.
"You think it's a trap?" Mars asked after a moment.
"That's a good possibility," he answered.
"It doesn't mater, you two," Janeway said from behind them. "If
it is a trap, we'll just have to be ready to spot it before it closes
up. But for now, we are here and so is the enemy." The ground chose
that moment to shake beneath them and a shower of dust rained down from
the ceiling for emphasis.
"What was that?" Venus asked.
"I'd say Voyager's here," Mercury answered. Realizing that time
was growing short, the group hurried their way downwards into the heart
of the citadel.
"This time, you're not getting away," Metallah muttered, watching a
small holographic image of Voyager. It was apparent that the starship
was closing fast on her world and was clearly intent on settling into
orbit. As had been the case when it had reappeared, the attraction beam
was unable to get a firm grip on it. So she would have to employ
alternative strategies to capture the ship. Once again, she called upon
her troops to form boarding parties. Unfortunately, she couldn't call
upon all of them, for some had to be sent to ward off the simultaneous
attack made by some of the Starfleet crew upon the main gate. Meanwhile,
another group of her elite guard combined their energies and hurled
massive energy discharges upwards, just as they had done against the
shuttlecraft. But this time the goal was simply to disable the ship,
not destroy it.
Indeed, great care would have to be taken to avoid damaging the ship
too badly. They still needed it to leave their world and use it to
spread their influence over the entire galaxy. Bringing all that lived
within it under her domain.
So far all was going to the plan, Harry noted. Voyager had settled
into a synchronous orbit over the planet and was firing burst after burst
from it's main phasers.
But it wasn't proving a free ride for the starship. Several energy
bolts, similar and yet larger to those that had attacked the shuttle,
hurtled upwards and impacted on the shields. The bridge shook as yet
another bolt slammed into the shields. "Damage report."
"Shields are at eighty seven percent, and holding," Seven announced.
"They have adjusted their firing pattern again. I am altering the shields
to compensate." The bridge shook once again as another energy bolt
impacted into the shields, but it was noticeably less than before.
"Compensation complete. Shields are holding."
"Acknowledged," Harry said. "Maintain phaser fire, Ensign Graves."
"Aye, sir."
They had reached the entrance to the chamber in the lower levels,
where, according to Chakotay, the real power behind Metallah resided.
Mercury glanced quickly into the room, just long enough for her visor to
get a clean scan. It was more than enough for her to confirm that the
being residing within the container possessed the power and essence of
the Negaforce. However, there were also several odd readings from inside
the entity. She tapped rapidly on the small keyboard, prodding her
computer to provide a quick analysis.
Just down the hall, Mars was starting to fidget, finally prompting
Sailor Moon to ask, "Mars, what is it?"
"That's what," she replied, indicating the chamber. As they had
approached the room, her psychic senses had been warning her of danger.
This close, the sense was almost overpowering. "I'm not sure what's in
there, but I'm getting a really bad feeling about this."
"I think you're just nervous," Venus said.
Mars snorted. "You'd be nervous too, if you had this feeling.
Whatever that thing is in there, it knows we're out here."
That got Chakotay's attention, as well as everyone else's. "If
that's so, then why hasn't it done anything to stop us?"
"How should I know? All I know is that it knows we're out here."
Mars jerk suddenly as if she had been poked with a cattle prod. "And now
it's laughing at us!"
"I am also sensing something usual," Tuvok said. "And I can confirm
my observation on our last visit to this location -- the entity's thought
patterns are human."
"Of course!" Mercury exclaimed. "I should have seen it sooner.
These energy readings I detected inside it are almost identical to a
human brainwave pattern. Much more powerful, of course, but still a
brainwave pattern."
"So now what?" Jupiter asked. "I doubt we can surprise it now."
"We can't go back," Janeway pointed out. "So I suggest we just go inside." Before anyone could object, she stood up and strode into the chamber.
Mars couldn't believe it. "She's gotta be nuts!"
Chakotay shared her misgivings, especially after being given the
warnings from Mars and Mercury, but seeing as there wasn't any evidence
that she was being controlled he still gave Kathryn the benefit of the
doubt. "She's the captain," he said, "It's out job to follow her lead."
Phaser at ready, the first officer led the rest of them into the chamber.
The Scouts shared a doubtful glance among themselves, but followed him
nonetheless.
As they approached, the colors within the container pulsed and they
all heard laughter echo within their minds. "Yes, I wanted you here,
Captain Janeway. I knew there would be survivors from that shuttle
crash. Starfleet crews have an annoying tendency to do that. So I
allowed you into here, just as I allowed the others to escape from here.
I had already scanned them, but I wanted to get a clear look into thier
shipmate's minds as well. And it is much easier to do that face to face."
"Well, I hope you find the contents of them interesting," Neelix
quipped.
The presence ignored him, continuing to talk to Janeway. "However
your mind seems to be resisting my probes, Captain. I find this most
interesting."
"You'll find I'm full of surprises," Janeway replied evenly. "Now
since we're all here like you wanted, why don't you show yourself?"
The voice chuckled. "Why not?" The colors pulsed again, and
began to glow, flowing out from the container like a liquid. It
reshaped itself outside, assuming a humanoid form dressed in what looked
like a Starfleet uniform from a hundred years ago -- black pants and
boots with a gold shirt. The shirt had a very familiar arrowhead
insignia over the left breast.
Mercury heard Janeway mutter, "At last."
The bridge shook again, as an alarm sounded from the tactical
station. "We've got multiple intruder alerts on several decks," Graves
reported. "But they're scattered in ones and twos throughout the ship."
"Don't let them hook up with each other. Seal them all off with
force fields and then flood those areas with the modified anestazine,"
Harry ordered. "Seven..."
The Borg had already anticipated him. "I am adjusting the deflector
pulse in an attempt to compensate, but I am not optimistic we will be
able to increase it's blocking efficiency." Despite her vocal pessimism,
she kept working on the Ops panel.
"Just do what you can."
"It's working," Graves said. A smile came to her face as she read
the incoming reports. "The new gas is knocking them out cold."
Harry smiled as well. It looked like things were going their way
for a change. "Once they're unconscious, beam them in with their friends
in Cargo Bay One. Then clear all affected areas of anestazine."
The chaos in orbit contrasted sharply with what was happening in
the bowels of the citadel. There a standoff between the infiltration
team and the mysterious humanoid figure was in progress. "Allow me to
introduce myself," the figure said, it's voice resonating deeply. "I
was once known --"
"You were once known as Lieutenant Commander Gary Mitchell,"
Janeway said for him. "Formerly of the Federation Starship Enterprise,
under the command of Captain James T. Kirk."
Mitchell blinked, or at least he appeared to, in surprise. "I'm
impressed, Captain. You know who I am?"
Janeway nodded. "Oh, yes. I know all about you, Commander."
"Hey, do you mind filling us in?" Jupiter asked.
Mitchell smiled. "Go ahead, Captain," he said with a laugh. "If
you make any errors, I'll correct you."
"I'm sure you will," Janeway noted. Turning to her companions she
began, "Over a hundred years ago, the Enterprise was exploring along the
edge of our galaxy. There it encountered a powerful energy barrier that
nearly destroyed the ship when they tried to cross it. For the most part
the crew managed to escape unscathed, but it had a very profound effect
on Commander Mitchell and one other member of the crew. He, and then
later she, started to develop psionic powers at a frightening rate. Soon
he began to see his shipmates as toys for his amusement, and the later
as insects."
"A god does not have to answer to mortals, Captain," Mitchell
snarled, seemingly irritated.
"Absolute power corrupting absolutely," Janeway said, refusing to
back down. "Captain Kirk ordered the Enterprise to make for Delta Vega,
a small and rather insignificant planet near the galactic rim. It
harbored an automated lithium cracking station and it also had enough
supplies and parts to effect repairs on the Enterprise. As it was
uninhabitated, it was also a perfect spot to leave Commander Mitchell."
"You mean they were just going to leave him there?" Sailor Moon asked.
"Far better than the alternative," Janeway told her. "Mitchell was
growing dangerously reckless in using his power. Who knows what he would
have done had he reached a populated world. He demonstrated very
effectively just how dangerous he was when he escaped from confinement,
killing another crewmember in the process."
"I could have killed them all, Captain," Mitchell said.
"I often wondered why you didn't. Though you certainly tried hard
enough to kill Captain Kirk in that final confrontation." Janeway paused
and turned back to face Mitchell. "There's just one thing. I was under
the impression that you and Dr. Dehner had been killed."
"You have such limited thinking," Mitchell said, chuckling. "Our
physical bodies may have perished, but the essence of what we were
survived. Our powers were enough that we had grown beyond the need for
a physical form. But the conflict did weaken us to the extent that we
were mostly powerless for decades. But soon after I had regained some of
my power, a tunnel opened in space and time, leading to Earth in the
Arctic regions. But not my Earth, of course." He turned his gaze to
Sailor Moon. "Instead it lead me to your world, just as you were
beginning your final confrontation with Queen Beryl and the Negaforce."
"You were there?" Sailor Moon asked.
"Yes," Mitchell confirmed. "I watched with great interest as you
battled them. In the moment you defeated them, I absorbed the power of
the Negaforce and took it for my own. But before I could return to my
own universe, the final outburst of power from the Silver Crystal shifted
the far end of the quantum flux to this world. Sixty thousand light years
was too far for me to cross on my own, so I contented myself with waiting
and granting some of my powers to the local population. For the last year
and a half, I have been building up my power and hoping for a ship to
come within range that I could use to get back to the Alpha Quadrant.
The Borg scout ship was the first real hope I had to escape here, but
it proved too tough for capture. Voyager came shortly thereafter, but it
managed to elude me as well. But now I have the information from your
minds that gives me the means to go where and when I will without the need
for a ship."
"You mean you want the Silver Crystal," Sailor Moon said. "Well,
you're not getting it!"
Mitchell seemed genuinely puzzled. "Why would I want the Silver
Crystal?"
"Huh?"
"Ah," Mitchell said, with sudden realization. "You misunderstand me.
I meant the information in your minds, which gives me the means to avenge
myself on those who have wronged me. Besides, I bear no ill will to you
or your world... indeed I am grateful to you for providing me the means
of escaping endless exile on Delta Vega." His expression hardened as he
turned to the Starfleet personnel. "But the same does not hold true of
you."
"Why?" Chakotay challenged. "What happened to you was an accident.
If there had been any way that Captain Kirk could have helped you..."
"I don't want or need your help!" Mitchell roared. "But Kirk
abandoned me on that desolate world. And now he and his ilk will pay
the price." He waved his hand and a large holographic image filled the
air above their heads, displaying Voyager still maintaining the phaser
barrage on the planet below it. "And it begins here..."
Janeway realized with horror just what Mitchell was intending for
her ship. Hurriedly she slapped her comm badge. "Janeway to Voyager.
Harry, get the ship out of there! *NOW*!!"
Even as she gave the order, Mitchell made a slight, almost
offhanded gesture. As a cold sense of dread gripped her heart, Janeway
knew that it was already too late.
He was already ordering the ship to warp speeds when a loud shrill
alarm sounded, and Harry felt his heart catch in his mouth. This type
of alarm was reserved for when the ship was in imminent threat of
destruction.
Seven appeared to be as placid as ever, but even she was growing
concerned at the readings in front of her. "Ensign Kim, we have a
problem."
"What the hell..." B'Elanna looked up at the warp core. The
steady hum of power from it had suddenly increased in both tone and
pitch. A glance down at the diagnostic panel showed that the power
output from the core was increasing rapidly as well.
Increasing *too* rapidly...
"Power levels in the warp core are increasing geometrically,"
Seven warned, her voice starting to take on an urgent tone. "Core
breach is imminent."
"Eject the core!" Harry ordered. "Now!"
"Everybody out!" B'Elanna urged her engineers, hoping that the core
would hold long enough. But she wasn't optimistic that it would, as
coolant leaks were appearing all over the place as the core's energy
levels exceeded any reasonable level. "Computer, eject the core.
Authorization: Torres omega three seven two." Reaching the door herself,
she saw the core begin to slide downward as the ejection process began...
just as the dilithium chamber split open and released in one large
explosion the raging energies contained within it.
For a split second, another star illuminated the Negaran homeworld.
To be continued..?