Title: DISPLACED (7/20)
Writers: CHRIS DEVLIN (Donaldson, Gunn, Rollins, Carey & Darcy), SONYA BRINKMAN (Tigan), NICK LEWIS (Paris, Suspiria), PATTI KEIPER (Janeway), ALLEN McDONNELL (Tuvok & Vorik)
Edited by NICK LEWIS
Disclaimer: Star Trek Voyager and it's associated characters are trademarks of Paramount/Viacom. This is a fan-run venture, making no money. Please leave our lawyers alone ;-)
V-Trek: The Alternate Adventures @ http://www.virtual-trek.fsnet.co.uk
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"I told you!" Donaldson says in a mixture of fear and vindication as he and Raye witness the grounding of their commanding officer.
Raye jumps out of the woods and draws her phaser. "Drop the banjo!" she screams. "Do it! Now!" Donaldson gingerly follows her, making sure to keep behind her. The old man scowls at them both, but otherwise doesn't react. The two junior officers moved in closer. "I said drop it!" Raye shouts again. They come to ten metres away, but the old man stays frozen.
Donaldson looks nervous. "Gunn, I've seen the old Terran movies, I know how this goes. He's going to be like a kung-fu master. He's going to wig out and floor us with banjo hits and stuff, like Jackie Chan."
Raye despairs. "Donaldson, he's not a kung-fu master. He's a shrivelled old prune who got frickin' lucky!" Regardless though, the old man suddenly takes to the air in a flying leap and comes crashing down where Raye was standing until Donaldson knocked her out of the way. They both leap back to their feet and aim their phasers at him. "Donaldson, this is your fault and somehow I'm going to prove it" Raye hisses at him. She shouts to the old man again. "Put the god-damn banjo down or I'll blow it out of your frickin' hand!"
That seems to get a reaction. The old man lowers his banjo slowly and stiffly. Raye nods satisfactorily. "That's more like it. Keep going-" Suddenly, in one fluid motion the old man hurls the banjo towards Raye. In spite of her reflexes, it manages to smash into her head and send her sprawling to the ground, the phaser in her hand firing randomly as she falls. The old man deftly rolls aside, then springs back up, grinning at Donaldson. He charges. Donaldson squeezes his eyes shut and fires his phaser. There's a scream and Donaldson opens his eyes to see the old man writing in agony on the grass in front of him. After a few moments, he gives one final groan and dissipates.
Donaldson checks his phaser, puzzled. It's only set to light stun. He crouches down to check Raye's condition. After seeing that she's fine apart from a rapidly forming lump on her head, he looks up to where the random blasts had impacted, the sky now seemingly twisted and sinking into itself. He pushes the setting on his phaser up to heavy stun and fires at this anomaly. There's a flash of blinding light and when he looks back, a tear about six metres in diameter hangs in the sky. Beyond it there's the glimpse of metal and flickering lights. Donaldson grimaces and taps his commbadge. Darcy is going to love this.
********************
Ezri winces as a stabbing pain penetrates her mind. "I can't remember" she cries.
"Try" Tom urges her. Then suddenly she sees things that shouldn't be there... odd images. A man playing a banjo. And following that, an image of herself and Tom standing next to a large barn. When were we at a barn? Then she sees someone else in the image, but it's hard to make out the details. What's going on? Did all of this really happen to me... to us? Finally she sees something that really scares her - an image of death. And she and Tom are both right in the middle of it. Someone presses a medkit into her hands...
Ezri's eyes snap open and she finds herself back in the garden, sitting with Tom under the trees, just like she should be. She can still feel his fingers intertwined with hers. Looking up, she knows that there is barely reigned in panic present in her eyes. "Something really bad happened, Tom. I don't know what, but people were dying. What are we going to do?"
Tom turns white, remembering the drone of the flatline from the fragments of his own forced recollections. "I was hoping that was just a flashback" he murmers. He taps his comm-badge. "Paris to Janeway."
"Go ahead" Kathryn replies. She looks up from her surveillance of the team sweeping away from her in their survey of the area. I wonder what he's found.
"Captain..." He pauses, unsure how to say this. "I think the situation is more critical than we thought. Ensign Tigan and myself have been making some progress in regaining our memories, post displacement wave. It's not good. We both remember sickbay being over-run with casualties and I can definitely remember one person dying. Our thirty-three missing mightn't be missing at all... they could be dead back on the Voyager."
Kathryn pales. "I hope you're wrong, Mr Paris. This sounds like something I don't want to remember." Her attention is then diverted by a commotion up ahead. What th-? As she looks up, she sees a section of the holomatrix crackle with arcs of energy. A snapping sound is head as a burst of power causes a blinding light, forcing the Captain and her team to cover their eyes. Moments later, a large jagged rip, exposing the raw wiring off the grid hangs as if suspended in the air. Kathryn aims her tricorder at the hole, then turns to her team. "I'm reading lifesigns through that rip. This could be our opportunity out of here. Find a way up there, pile hay-bales if you have to!" she shouts.
********************
"Captain?" Back in the garden, Tom taps his commbadge again and repeats himself, but there's no answer. The link has been cut. He gets up suddenly, followed by Ezri.
"What's wrong?" Ezri asks, debating whether she really wants to hear more bad news.
"I think the Captain's in trouble" Tom says.
An Ensign standing near Tom, munching on a grass frond, blinks at him. "What makes you so sure?"
"Communications don't just cut-out for nothing. We find ourselves on a strange hologrid with no discernable means of getting out, our memories have been blocked, then all of a sudden I lose contact with the Captain? If that doesn't spell trouble to you, then you shouldn't even be in Starfleet" he says irritably. He jogs away into the trees. Frowning, the Ensign follows.
"TOM?" Ezri shouts in concern, then races after him.
********************
A concerted effort has made a rickety stairway to the hologrid's now exposed ceiling possible. Captain Janeway is the first to scale up. She blinks as her surroundings are suddenly replaced by a gleaming metallic room. Looking down it would have seemed that she was decapitated if she hadn't already quickly figured out that the floor is an illusion. She ducks beneath the floor and nods to two security crewman to follow her up.
From behind the Captain, Suspiria strides across the metal floor, stopping just short of the holofield. She stares at her with narrowed eyes. "What have you done to my matrix?"
The security men promptly turn round, aiming their phasers at her. Suspiria in turn raises her hands. "Phasers down!" Kathryn orders. There's a tense few moments until the two men obey her command.
Suspiria eyes them carefully and lowers her hands as well. Her expression is one of undisguised distain though. "You are proving to be a troublesome species. You interfere with things that don't concern you. Why can't you just go?" She barely keeps herself from blinking them into space, she wants to hear what they have to say.
Kathryn is careful to keep her hands away from any of the equipment on her belt and adopts a non-threatening demeanor. "We've been brought here against our will. All we want is to collect our missing crew and get back to our vessel. Can you help us?"
"What 'crew' you have is already with you. I see no reason for your continued presence."
"I have thirty-three men and women missing" Kathryn counters carefully. "I've just been informed that many of them may actually be dead, although I'm hoping that isn't the case. Do you know anything about this, Ms..." The captain fishes for a name from this odd girl.
"If your crew's physiology is not sturdy enough to survive transit, that is not my problem. I repeat, you have all of your crew, minus the three I need for my experiments. They will be returned in due course. Now leave my array, before I am forced to dismiss you myself."
"That's just not good enough" Kathryn flares. "What right do you have to kidnap my crew and use them as guinea pigs in some kind of... scientific venture?"
Suspiria looks steely-eyed. "I believe the Vulcan race have an interesting saying. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one. I find that to be apt in this case. Your wishes are irrelevent compared to the needs of an entire civilisation."
Kathryn doesn't even have time to question what she means by this when the security officer to her right raises his phaser again. "No, Ensign!" she warns, but it's too late. Suspiria throws out her hand and the beam of light reflects back, hitting him. He's thrown back, landing on the solid floor. Kathryn rushes to his side and sees the phaser near his hand. It has melted into a metallic morass of smoking plasma. She feels for a pulse and is heartened to find one, but it's erratic. Turning back to the alien, Kathryn finds her staring at them in annoyance.
"I do not appreciate threats upon my person. Your crewperson will live, but let that be a lesson. Now leave."
"We can't" Kathryn says in desperation. She's struck by how young the being in front of her appears to be, but this is no child. "I told you we were brought here against our will. We have no way of getting back to our ship. We didn't even know the hologrid was breachable until we saw the rift open up in the ceiling."
"Which you caused."
"My crew have not harmed any part of your array."
"There was a discontinuation in relay 211 due to a phased energy burst. Your people are the only ones currently inhabiting my matrix, therefore you are responsible."
"Alright, alright." Confronted with that chain of logic, how can she argue. "If we have somehow damaged your matrix as you put it, I can assure you it was not intentional."
Suspiria shakes her head and raises her hand once again. "I tire of this. You will leave now." Then moments later, she lowers her hand. "Your ship is no longer docked" she says in confusion.
Kathryn is startled by the news. She aims a tricorder up but cannot scan beyond the array's bulkheads. Suspiria ignores her and walks over to a wall. Images suddenly appear on it, racing back faster and faster until she touches it.. A visual is shown of the Voyager leaving the array and going into warp. Kathryn is mightily puzzled. If the Voyager is vacant, how can it have moved itself. There are failsafes in place that are designed to either destroy the ship in the event of sudden crew abandonment or shut it down into standby surveillance mode, depending on what the self-diagnostic computer decides based on internal sensor readings.
"There was a energy transfer between the small ship and your own....... a translocation signature perhaps." Suspiria nods as she confirms her theory. She turns back to the Captain. "It would seem that your ship has been taken by the others from your area of space."
Kathryn frowns, puzzled, then realisation hits her. "No!" she breathes in a whisper. She taps her commbadge in desperation. "Cavit, Rollins, anyone, can you hear me? I've an emergency on my hands...... Respond!" Static hisses aloud.
"They cannot hear you. The damage to the holomatrix has resulted in an energy leak which is dampening communications inside."
"Can you shut down your matrix?" Kathryn asks.
"Why?"
"If your matrix is anything like our own holographic systems, my crew should appear together in the deck below once the simulation has ceased running."
"You wish to talk with them?"
"Yes?"
Suspiria thinks it over. She's still tempted to space this destructive species, but she thinks about how some of them have been able to help in her experiments. For that alone she decides to show leniency. As she presses a section of the console, the holofield completely disappears, including the false floor. Below is a large darkened pit, illuminated by criss-crossing blue conduits of pulsing energy.
Tom was running through the trees, centring in on the Captain's location when all of a sudden, the foliage and everything else disappears, replaced by a set-up which reminds him of a holodeck. The next thing he realises is that the rest of the crew are behind him. The first person he glimpses is a stunned looking Ezri not five steps away. He walks over. "Are you okay?"
Kathryn makes her presence known from her kneeling position at the top of the pit. "Everyone, may I have your attention" she speaks loudly. "It seems that our ship has been stolen by the Maquis." Gasps and murmers of disquiet ripple through the crew, but they quickly silence for their Captain to continue. Kathryn runs through her mind, searching for a plan. She turns to Suspiria. "Is the Liberty still docked?"
"Liberty?" the girl queries.
"The ship the others from our area of space transported from" Kathryn explains.
Suspriria doesn't even have to look at her console. "Yes" comes her unearthly voice.
"Will you let us use it to get our own ship back?"
Suspiria doesn't need to think hard about it. Whatever these beings want to do with their crafts is their business. As long as they leave the array and don't interfere with her experiments. "It is yours."
"Thank you" Kathryn tells her honestly and turns back to her crew. "I intend to take the abandoned Maquis ship on a covert mission to retake the Voyager. Commander Cavit, Lieutenant Rollins and Lieutenant Carey, if you'll come up to ground level. I'll need your assistance in choosing my crew for this... adventure."
********************
For almost two days Tuvok and Vorik have been moving through the ductworks of the Ocampa city, searching for T'Prena. They had her in their sights once, but as they prepared to break in, a transporter beamed her away and they'd lost their chance. Their luck changes though as they come across a quiet maintenence shop. They'd managed to retrieve their phasers, intact but drained. Now here's their chance to make them operational again. Working phasers would assist their defense much more than hand to hand combat and nerve pinches. Quickly and efficiently they strip the weapons down, adapting the power packs to absorb current from the Ocampan's primitive electrical supply system rather than the electro-plasma systems favoured by all the major powers of the Alpha and Beta quadrants. The only downside is that they'll take over an hour to fully charge, as opposed to the normal fifteen minutes.
Tiredness passes over the younger vulcan's face as they finish. Neither of them have slept since they awoke in the Ocampan medical centre, due to the constant pressure of maintaining mental shields to avoid being pinpointed by the telepathic security teams. But both are aware that sleep will have to come soon lest they pass out from fatigue and become easily tracable. They set off again and find a ducts leading to an old looking stairwell disappearing up into the darkness. Logic requires that if they cannot find T'Prena by tonight, they must seek secured shelter. Vorik looks at Tuvok and the elder Vulcan nods.
********************
Tom stands to one side with Ezri. "They'll want the best pilot they can rustle up and that'll be me" he says confidentally. He look over to Ezri. "I'm sure you'll be coming along too" he smiles. "There doesn't seem to be any other medics available."
"I only took nurse's aide classes as credit for my training" Ezri tells him worriedly. "I don't think I'll be able to do much if someone gets seriously injured. It's lucky Lieutenant Rollins only had concussion."
Tom puts an arm round her shoulders. "You'll be fine. All you need is a little confidence in yourself."
"I think you have more than enough for both of us, Tom" she says, glancing at the hand on her shoulder. She thinks about moving it away. It would be the proper thing to do in this situation, but she doesn't. She likes how it feels. It makes her feel... safe. Even though they're in the midst of a crisis, there's a sense of security that fills her when she's standing by Tom's side. This is crazy, Ensign, get a grip! You're turning into a lovesick schoolgirl! She takes a deep breath and steps away from Tom. She misses his warmth straight away. This holodeck or whatever it is isn't nearly heated enough for her tastes. Ezri wraps her arms around herself to keep from shivering. "Do we need to do something?" she asks without looking behind her. "Something to help the Captain I mean."
Tom rests against the wall, wishing this uniform had pockets he could slip his hands into. He looks up at the small group on the ground level. "Not at the moment. Looks like Janeway and her cronies are setting everything up on their own. I'm sure we'll be able to prove how indispensable we are once we get on the ship though." Privately he thinks about the missing crew members. If his fragmented memories of an overrun sickbay are true, how many of them will still be alive when they get the ship back. Will the Maquis do anything for them? He hopes Harry isn't among them. The young Ensign's statement in the mess-hall about deciding on his own friends had gratified him. Too many people are easily turned off him once they find out about what happened at Caldik Prime. Every dirty look and snide word adds to his feelings of worthlessness, not that he ever shows it though. He's never given them that satisfaction. He looks distantly at the floor, unaware that Ezri is staring at him.
Ezri watches Tom's face for a long moment. He seem so troubled by something, but she's not sure what that something could be. "Tom?" she asks, stepping forward and placing a gentle hand on his arm, already forgetting about her earlier vow to keep her distance. "What's wrong?"
Tom jumps a little, not realising he's been 'spacing' again. "Um... wrong? Nothing." He smiles but it's pained. Ezri is clearly dubious. For a moment he considers opening up to her - she said she'd trained to be a counsellor at the academy. But just as quickly he decides against it. He'd had enough psych-babble in his first week at the penal colony to last him for life. Not that Dr Wylie didn't mean well, but how could she have possibly comprehended what was going through his mind when he didn't even know himself. "I'm fine, really!" he assures Ezri. He stands there for a second, thinking. "I'm going over to the repair crews, see if I can make myself useful." He starts walking over to Lieutenant Carey, then swings round. "I'll see you on board, when we leave." He smiles again, this time feeling more like his usual self.
********************
Janeway, Cavit and Rollins wait patiently in the ground level room, waiting to hear back from Lieutenant Carey. He and a handful of engineers had beamed over to the Liberty some half an hour ago to assess the damage to the ship's key systems. Kathryn sighs and cradles her head, arising concern in Jeff. "Are you okay, Captain?"
Kathryn looks over and smiles at him. "I'm fine, Jeff. It's probably just caffine withdrawal. I always have coffee in the morning and it certainly feels like morning to me."
Jeff nods in agreement. "A good cup would do me some good too. Yours was black and sweet, right?"
Kathryn's eyes widen slightly. "You've got a good memory. What was your blend again?"
"Mocha latté with cinnamon." Jeff glances over to Cavit. "What about you, Commander?"
Cavit looks up from picking at a loose thread on his uniform. "Hmm? Oh... sorry, I can't stand the stuff. Too bitter. I'm a tea drinker myself."
Jeff stares at him in utter amazement. He doesn't like coffee? What kind of Starfleet officer is he? Kathryn just grins.
Cavit sees the look Jeff is giving him and frowns. "What?"
Mercifully though, Carey reports in before Jeff can comment. "Carey to Janeway."
Kathryn taps her commbadge. "Janeway here. What's the verdict, Mr Carey?"
Carey sighs. "Captain, you're not going to like this. It looks like the displacement wave hit the Maquis twice as hard as it hit us. There aren't many dead bodies, but the ship is shot to hell. The shields are damaged, hull's swiss cheese, the EPS grid is one short-circuit away from complete burnout, the engines are a molten mess, the weapons are in pieces, and don't even get me started on the warp drive."
Kathryn's face falls disappointedly. "If I had another choice Mr Carey, I'd give it to you. Is there anything left online?"
There's a brief pause. "Well... there's transporters, life support, replicators. But if this ship is going anywhere it'll need major repairs. We're looking at about thirty-six hours, Captain."
Jeff whistles. "That's not an option" Kathryn states flatly, "the Voyager will be long gone by then. What if we get the engines working, then rebuild the rest on the fly?"
"We'd need to bring a lot of the engineering staff with us then. At least ten to fifteen."
Kathryn grimaces. That would be almost half their crew space gone in one fell swoop. She sighs. "Very well Mr Carey. Work on those engines and keep us informed of your progress. I want that ship ready to leave as soon as possible. Janeway out." She looks at her first officer. "Now all we need are some-"
She's cut off as Ensign Darcy climbs into the room, gets to her feet and stands crisply to attention. She pulls a handful of PADDs from her inside jacket pocket and hands them over. "Lieutenant Rollins told me you wanted these, Captain."
Kathryn looks impressed. "That was quick, Ensign."
"Joanna is a very efficient officer" Jeff says, giving her a fleeting half-smile.
Kathryn nods, indicating that she can go, then looks at her two senior officers. "Let's get started ourselves then, shall we?"
