Disclaimer: Sadly we do not own any of the Voyager characters, ships, plots or universe. They belong to Paramount.
Summary: After a year of being home, Voyager's scattered crew gathers together for one last battle~ but it's not the jolly reunion one might expect… Janeway, Chakotay, Tuvok, Tom, B'Elanna, Harry, Seven, Celes…and some new characters. Enjoy!
Past Re-Visited
By Erin and Rebecca
Chapter 18:
A New Priority
"Lt. Hanson to Captain Janeway. Please respond." Annika tried again. She rolled her eyes and pushed herself away from the consol she had been leaning on. From what she could tell, she was on a ship of some sort, and a small one at that. She couldn't tell where she was or how long she had been out because the computers weren't working and there was excessive damage near all of the main computer files. Slowly, she made her way through the darkness, using the sparks coming from broken conduits and tubing to light her path. She came upon a door half open and forced her way through to a tiny mess hall. It probably held 15 people at the most and looked equipped with Starfleet regulation replicators. "Lt. Hanson to the Athena," she said absently, not expecting anything to change.
Then from across the cabin, she heard a thud. "Computer lights," she tried frugally. Nothing. Cautiously, she trudged through fallen debris and more sparks to where the sound had come from. She heard rapid breathing as if something was watching her. She whirled around. Still nothing. But the breathing persisted and Annika grew nervous. She moved forward again and bent slowly under the remains of a table. It was a small grate underneath the deck plating. She looked inside, but because of the darkness, she couldn't see much more than a meter down. "Hello?" she said. "I'm Annika Hanson of Starfleet. I come peacefully. I'm actually in distress. Can you help me?" But no answer came except a timid moan. Curiosity overcame fear as Annika ripped open the grate and looked inside. Sparks from a nearby conduit lit up the tiny vent and Annika gasped as two tiny eyes looked back into hers.
"It's ok," she said, her voice softening. "I won't hurt you."
"Are you lost too?" a timid voice squeaked.
"Yes. I am. What's your name?"
Annika moved aside as a small human boy crawled up to the deck. "I'm Kyle."
"Where are your parents Kyle?" The boy looked down. "It's ok. You can tell me."
"They're dead. All of them are dead."
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "How?"
"They're Borg now."
Tuvok was thrown into the cell, landing crippled on his side, the gate slammed shut behind him. There was no moan or grunt of pain. Only silent suffering for the tortured Vulcan as he gripped the side of his stomach, pushing himself slowly across the floor and against the wall.
"Tuvok," Chakotay said, moving from his corner to help him to one of the crude beds inside.
Again Tuvok said nothing, as he was helped onto the slab of cold metal.
"Don't worry Lieutenant. We'll get out of here somehow."
"Commander," he said in response, as if finally realizing where he was now. "What has been said by the guards?"
"I can't make out much. From what I can tell, these seem to be P'Taks. But that can't be possible. Unless we're-"
"In the Delta Quadrant," Tuvok finished matter-of-factly.
Chakotay nodded, "I have considered the possibility. Although they seem a bit different than the P'Taks we encountered on Voyager. Perhaps a mutated species?"
"Unlikely," Tuvok grunted between sharp inhales. "A different faction maybe, but definitely the same species."
"What do you suppose they want with us? They've performed tests, but nothing that leads to a pattern or specific purpose."
"More importantly," Tuvok added, "Why are we here?"
Again, a nod. "Seems like they're done playing us as guinea pigs. Our first priority should be finding out if we're indeed in the Delta Quadrant, and plan an escape."
"They intend to start the tests again come daybreak."
"How can you tell? We don't have translators."
"The speech patterns," Tuvok coughed, "They are similar to Klingon syntax."
"Did you hear anything else?"
Tuvok turned his head and nodded, looking right at the Commander for the first time that night.
"Lieutenant?"
"These are the same species that intended to study Vulcan survival tactics. When they have finished us both, they will dissect us and utilize us for medical research."
Chakotay drew back and sat against the wall. The colleagues didn't speak for several minutes. He knew there was something familiar about the species, but it had been so long and for Janeway, it was a minor diplomatic encounter. "Then we need a new priority."
Tuvok nodded, "Survival."
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