Disclaimer: Paramount owns the universe and all the regular characters, Leena, Radek and these specific events are mine.
The latest update here is a major fix in formatting, which was really rather bad. I've written several new stories and finally figured out how to upload a file and not lose half the formatting, so I'm slowly working my way through the older stories and fixing them. Sorry, no new content in this story!
Unexpected Meetings
1. Meetings
Leena settled back in the pilot's seat of the shuttle and yawned. She had put the shuttle's systems on auto pilot and was reading a book. It was the fourth time she'd read this particular book, but since they didn't have that many on board she tried getting into it. She also tried very hard to ignore the loud snores coming from the aft compartment. Failing utterly at both, she slapped her console and the text disappeared. She called up a list of available literature.
*Nothing I haven't read at least three times.* She sighed.
Maybe she'd run the combat simulation again. She'd already beaten every record she knew about, but at least keeping her skills honed might serve some purpose. She felt herself almost hoping Radek would wake up so she would have someone to talk to, then recalled the way their conversations had been going, lately, and cancelled that thought.
As she reached for the console to start the simulation, it beeped at her. Instantly she put her musings aside and turned her full attention to the computer's report. Long-range sensors had picked up a ship coming from behind them, moving at high warp. She quickly ordered the computer to identify the vessel, waiting impatiently for it to come within range of the more detailed sensors needed for identification.
She considered waking up Radek, but decided against it. After all, he was only three steps off, and after more than a full year she knew him well enough to know he'd only have taken off his boots when he laid down to rest.
She watched the console and wondered who or what could be on this ship. It did seem to be closing faster than most Kazon ships could manage. Good. Although they'd been able to deal with them reasonably well, she didn't trust them.
*As long as it isn't the Vediians* she thought.
Kenna had destroyed the first Vediian vessel by setting a collision course, after they had 'harvested' Talek and Sari, giving her and Radek a chance to get away. They had been able to avoid further confrontations with the body-hunting aliens, but if this was a Vediian vessel, it was too fast to outrun, and there was no place to hide in this empty stretch of space.
She ran a quick check of the weapons systems. For a shuttle, they had quite impressive offensive and defensive capabilities. Against any decent sized starship, they would not last five minutes.
For what is was worth, all systems checked out right.
There! The computer had finally made an identification.
Leena's eyes widened. She double-checked the report the computer had just given her, then turned to call Radek. This definitely warranted waking him.
"Radek!" she called. She didn't bother to use the com system. After a year of listening to his snores she knew the partition was quite penetrable to sound.
"What's it?" Radek's voice sounded slightly groggy, but as she'd surmised he had been fully dressed, and entered immediately, still stomping a little to settle his feet in the heavy boots.
"Ship coming up behind us, at high warp." Leena reported. "And Radek, the computer identifies it as a Federation vessel."
It was quiet on Voyager's bridge. Paris had the con, but there was nothing out here but a long stretch of empty space. All space was empty, but some parts of the Galaxy were just more empty than others. There were no habitable planets, and even the stars were few and far between. He relaxed and let his thoughts drift toward his plans for the evening. Would he go to Sandrine's, or take some of his holodeck time for a private program?
Janeway, meanwhile, was trying to keep her calm. She was trying her best to convince Neelix to relinquish his ship for future away missions. They'd recently lost their last shuttle, and really did need the small ship.
"Will you at least let B'Elanna refit it?" Janeway asked.
The little Talaxian fidgeted. "The way everyone is loosing shuttles around here, you want me to give up my ship?"
Trouble was, Janeway could understand Neelix's concern. They had lost five shuttlecraft in the ten months they were out here. With still almost 70 years to go, that didn't make good odds for the little vessel. But they needed a shuttle -the transporters just weren't always enough.
"We'll be as careful as we possibly can," she promised.
*Right. Like we intended to loose the other ones*
Neelix wasn't convinced. "I don't know. Let me think about it, okay?"
Janeway sighed. At least it wasn't an all-out 'no'. She was spared any further discussion by a call from the bridge.
"Paris to Janeway."
She tapped her badge. "Janeway here. Go ahead, Lieutenant."
"There's a small ship on long-range scanners, I think you should see this," Paris said.
"What is it? You think it poses a threat?" Janeway asked immediately.
"No, not that. It's only a shuttle." Tom paused. "A Cardassian shuttle."