Title: Jedi Among Us
Author: Savel (now known as Indarae)
Disclaimer: Not mine. Never have been. Never will be.
Summary: The age old question redefined: if the USS Voyager took on a Star Destroyer, who would win? (Star Trek:Voyager/Star Wars crossover, post-"Bloodfever", post-"Return of the Jedi")
Pairing: What else? Tom Paris/B'Elanna Torres. This was written long, long before the two ever hooked up on screen.
Warning: Middle School writings ahead. I've spellchecked since conception, but that's the limit of it!
A/N: Now here's a laugh for you. I wrote this when I was 14, in 8th grade. As I'm now a senior in college, it was quite a surprise when I found this among the files I transferred from my old computer. What is it? Part One of a complicated fanfic challenge a friend set for me.
The challenge: I was to cross Star Trek:Voyager with any sci fi or fantasy movie, book, or telly show he specified... and make all the crossovers into a series. While it was never finished, the series pushed 200 typed pages and encompassed Star Wars, Dragonlance and Pern, with a planned Gargoyles: The Animated Series component, and ending with a Death Gate Cycle (Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman) cross. Sound gutsy? It was. Somehow, though, I managed to do it.
Will I post all the parts? Probably not. Anne McCaffery requested that fanfiction for her Pern novels not be posted online, and I will abide by her request, out of my awe for her and her writing. However, Star Wars and Dragonlance are fair game... and I'd love to pop these old suckers up here, just for a laugh.
Laugh long. Laugh hard. Review lightly, since these works ARE coming on eight years old. Just remember: there's nary a Mary Sue in sight!
A/N2: This, the Star Wars crossover, takes place immediately before Timothy Zahn's trilogy which, I believe, begins with "Heir of the Empire." Please correct me if I'm wrong. In short, remnants of the Empire are still fighting in the wake of the Emperor's death, with various Admirals vying for control; the admiral in this story appears in Zahn's work. The story is also a followup to a postep I wrote and posted here on ff.net, called "Bloodletting," an alternate end to "Bloodfever." Read if you want; I don't think it's really necessary, just know that Vorick, instead of allowing B'Elanna to turn down his advances, takes advantage of her instead.
I was so incredibly proud of this piece, when I handed it over to my friend for examination... however, I think I was in need of a lot of practice... Go on, have a good laugh.
Jedi Among Us
Part One
"Tom," Lieutenant Torres said, as the shuttle rocked under enemy fire - softly, so that Harry couldn't hear, "We're not going to make it. The Cochrane has just taken too many hits. Open a channel to Voyager. We need to tell them to stay clear of here."
"Incoming!" Ensign Kim shouted from a station in the back. The torpedoes, while less
powerful than the few photons carried by the Cochrane, were still taking out the limited shields of the shuttle.
{Less complex than photons!} B'Elanna thought to herself as she braced for the torpedo's
impact. {Protons, maybe? But we haven't used protons since the Romulan Wars!} The missile then rammed into the shields, weakening them further.
"Shields at 25%!" Harry announced, as more of the H - shaped fighters raked the
Cochrane with laser fire. "Make that 24%!"
{Lasers,} she reminded herself, {lasers! We're dealing with - maybe - a late 21st century
culture - and they're still going to destroy us!} "How about that message, Tom?" Torres asked, trying to force her mind from the subject.
Tom glanced at her with a frown, and shook his head. "I might be able to punch something
through the nebula's interference . . . lots of static, though. They may not receive any of it. No help then."
B'Elanna sighed. "I'm not asking for help. We're far enough away, that by the time they
receive the message, and make it here, it'll be far too late. I'm sending them a warning - about the mother ship'."
"What mother ship? We haven't seen one!" Paris said desperately.
"Tom, those fighters don't have warp capabilities. They're twelve years away from any
planet, M-class or otherwise, and that's at full impulse. I doubt they can go that fast."
"If this is a 22nd century culture, that mother ship won't be able to give Voyager a scratch."
Torres shook her head. "Too many if's'. The fighters are 22nd century, but the larger ship - and believe me, I'll bet it's quite a bit larger - may be a little more advanced. We can't take that chance." B'Elanna paused as the shuttle wobbled again. "We can't put 135 lives in that kind of danger."
"20%!" Harry called.
"Fine," Paris sighed, "I'll open a channel."
B'Elanna reached over and set a hand on one of his. She gave him a helpless glance. "It's
been nice serving with you, Tom."
Tom smiled sadly. "Same for you." He turned and was once again all business. "Aye,
Lieutenant, channel open."
+
"Captain," Ensign Hensley called from Ops, "We're getting a message from Cochrane."
{Good news, I hope,} Captain Janeway thought. To Hensley, she commanded, "Put them
on screen. Maybe they've finally found us some dilithium."
Hensley tapped a few buttons on her console, before reporting, "On screen, Captain. It's a
recording, made several minutes ago."
Lieutenant Torres' face replaced the stars. Static crackled in the background of the
transmission. Katheryn Janeway could hear Kim and Paris shouting in the back. "Captain, we've been attacked! The ships . . . " For an instant, the screen filled with static, and B'Elanna's words were lost. Then, "Small fighters . . . ttacking us . . . More coming this way!"
"Clean it up, Ensign!" Janeway shouted over the noise.
The image of Torres cleared slightly. "-ey have four wings, kinda . . . X. Wait! They're not
. . ." Static again claimed the screen.
"Captain, I'm having lots of trouble here! Something's jamming the transmission!"
Hensley called.
"Tuvok!" Janeway demanded, "Get er back! Now!"
Tuvok hurried over to Ops. "I am attempting to break through the jamming field."
Moments later, the Cochrane's message was back. "-bout late 21st century technology
level . . . Captain, do not . . . I repeat, avoid this sector at all costs . . . doubt we will survive this attack . . ."
Almost as B'Elanna said that, a console exploded in the back of the shuttle. "Harry!" she
shrieked, and turned from the screen. Moments later, another exploded to her right, and Tom Paris jumped up to lend a hand. The computer picked up the tell-tale hiss of decompression just before the message abruptly ended in a flash of white.
Janeway sat quickly, unwilling to let the crew see her stumble. "Tuvok?" she asked quietly,
willing back the sudden urge to cry.
Tuvok confirmed her horrible suspicions as he reached tactical. Glancing down at the
console, he announced, "I am unable to locate the shuttle."
Chakotay reached over to set a comforting hand on her shoulder, as much for his own good
as hers. {It can't be true!} she wanted to shout. But it was. They were gone, forever . . .
+
Han Solo let out a yelp of glee as the last TIE-bombers were destroyed. "Yes!"
"We got em, Han!" Luke shouted, climbing down from the forward quad-lasers to the
cockpit. "We got em all!"
Han pulled his wife - they had only been married for 6 months, but it seemed like much
longer - from the co-pilots seat to fold her into a huge hug. "We outsmarted them again!" he exclaimed.
Chewie, being the big, gruff Wookie that he was, hated hugs. He merely grunted in
enthusiasm from the pilot's seat. Han laughed.
"Rogue Leader to Millennium Falcon," the com called.
Luke punched it. "Falcon here. Nice bit of flyin' there Wedge! Oh, and tell that hot shot of
yours - Rogue 9? - to watch his tail."
"I'll tell him that," Wedge Antilles confirmed. "Luke, you'd better get a tractor locked
onto that . . . thing. Is it some kind of freighter? I'm not really sure. Anyway, it doesn't look very good. Might want to send Chewbacca over when we hit base, to stabilize their hyperdrive."
"'Course, Wedge," Luke said. "We'll get right on it. See you when we get home, Falcon
out." He tapped the com panel again.
"Chewie, move into tractor range," Han commanded. The Wookie co-pilot let out a whine.
"C'mon, Chewie, I know the tractor beam hasn't been tested yet, but what harm can it do?"
Chewbacca howled an answer, and Han sighed. "I don't need all the gory details! Look,
forget I asked. Geez, sometimes you remind me of that droid!" Solo complained, obviously
referring to C-3PO. Chewbacca barked an angry response and Han exclaimed, "Sorry! Forget it and lock on the tractor beam, okay?!"
"What did he say?" Leia asked Han quietly as the Wookie began towing the ship home.
"You don't want to know," Han muttered, equally as quiet as his wife.
With the unidentified ship carefully secured, the Millennium Falcon and the Rogue
Squadron resumed their heading to the New Republic capital of Coruscant, leaving the rubble of the TIE-fighters, as well as several pieces of the Cochrane's hull, behind.
+
Janeway sat, head supported in hands, in the conference lounge, with her remaining senior
staff clustered around the table. She sighed. "What do we do now? We've lost our Chief Engineer, our most experienced pilot, and Harry . . . Oh, God, what am I supposed to tell his mother when we get home?!"
Chakotay watched her in pity. He knew how it felt to loose crew members - it had happened
to him so many times in the Maquis - and frankly, he didn't envy her position. At all. B'Elanna was his friend, and he wasn't about to give up without proof.
Lieutenant Carrey, who now replaced B'Elanna Torres as Chief Engineer, spoke up angrily.
"We can't just let these people get by with murder! We have to go in and avenge their deaths – take a couple of those fighters and send them to hell, where they belong!"
"From what I have gathered from Lieutenant Torres' final message, we know that these
fighters are at a technological level similar to Earth's during the 22nd century. They have sublight speeds and extra-solar travel. The Prime Directive prevents us from attacking these individuals. Indeed, it prevents us from even making contact with the fighters, since their technology rating is merely a C on the Richter Scale of Culture," Tuvok countered in his sensible Vulcan way.
"Oh," Carrey replied quietly, entirely unnerved by the Vulcan's logical response.
"I must also take this moment to remind you," Tuvok continued, "that Lieutenant Torres
specifically informed us to avoid the area at all costs' before she was killed. We must respect her final wishes, and her warning. There may be some other, greater hazard in the vicinity of the Cochrane's destruction."
The argument went on. {Personally,} Chakotay thought, {I agree with Carrey. Avenging
people's deaths is what I've been doing for years. B'Elanna certainly should be given that honor. But what's better for this ship, and all 135 lives aboard her?}
Abruptly, Captain Janeway announced her decision - the final decision. "I have decided to
proceed to the site of the Cochrane's destruction to begin an investigation, and to conduct memorial services. You, Tuvok, are in charge of that investigation. Use any personnel you require - just get to the bottom of this." She stood. "Dismissed."
Silently, Chakotay agreed with her. As they all filed onto the bridge, Janeway turned to the
ensign at CONN, and looked slightly embarrassed. {Oh, no!} Chakotay thought, {She can't remember his name!}
"Ensign," she said shakily, "set a course for the site of the Cochrane's destruction, warp
7. Har- . . . Ensign Hensley will feed you the information from Ops."
As Voyager soared away to the battle site, Chakotay glanced over at the captain, who was
leaning back in her chair, a saddened look on her face. {How will we ever get through this loss? Will we be able to keep the crew together?} Chakotay sighed. Only time would tell.
+
Captain Janeway was called back to the bridge three hours later. "Captain," some unknown
ensign reported, "We have reached the site of the battle."
Janeway sighed, wondering why she couldn't remember the officer's name. "I'll be right
there," she responded, slapping her pin. She turned to Neelix. "I'm sorry, but I'll have to try your Voyager Delight ice cream later, Neelix. It does sound delightful, though," she assured him.
"That's fine with me, Captain," he responded, always eager to please. "Duty first, of
course. Just don't forget to come down for dinner. Toe Jam Pie - my favorite Mon Calamari dish!"
"It sounds enticing, Neelix," she said, hastily exiting. {How could someone possibly try
something called Toe Jam Pie?!} was her thought as she gratefully entered the turbolift.
When she finally reached the bridge, the situation didn't look good. Captain Janeway gazed
out at the remains of her shuttle, her people, and the people who had killed them.
"I have located a portion of the Cochrane's port nacelle," Tuvok reported.
Janeway settled into her chair with a sigh. "Have it beamed to Engineering for Lieutenant
Tor- . . . uh, Lieutenant Carrey to examine. I want a full report in 2 hours. And schedule the
memorial service."
"Aye, Captain," Tuvok responded.
Katheryn Janeway winced. She had done it again. {I can't let that happen - not in front of
the junior officers. I give them strength!} Without another word to anyone, Janeway retreated to the sanctuary of her ready room.
+
Lieutenant Torres had managed to remain conscious for most of the voyage. She hadn't
been very close to the console when it exploded, and so she only received a minor plasma burn on the right side of her face. There would be no scar if they returned to Voyager soon - which wasn't likely, considering her warning.
Tom and Harry, however, were a different story altogether. Ensign Kim, monitoring a
science station in the back, had been hit directly by the console's overload. He hadn't regained consciousness yet, and B'Elanna didn't know about any internal injuries, but she suspected that he would live.
Tom had been hit square in the back by the over load of the communication console. It had
effectively cut off their message to Voyager, and Captain Janeway probably thought they were dead. {I thought we were dead, too.}
It was a miracle that Lieutenant Paris was still alive. If they didn't get him to a medical
facility soon, he wouldn't make it. And then . . . B'Elanna didn't know what she would do . . .
She glanced out the window again. The Cochrane was still being towed by an old falling
apart freighter, as they had been for the past three days. Just as Lieutenant Torres was about to glance back down at Tom, though, she saw the traces of something familiar. Atmosphere.
"A planet!" she gasped. She yelped aloud in joy for everyone - and no one - to hear.
Grasping Tom's hand tightly, whe whispered, "I'll get you home soon, Tom!"
Soon, the shuttle was surrounded in a deep blue sky. She could feel the vessel rocking
beneath her in the winds. She could go turn on the inertial dampeners, but she was too tired.
Besides, she loved the feeling of the ship's movement.
Moments later, they landed on stable ground. Medcrews - Human medcrews - rushed in.
Lieutenant Torres sank to the ground beside Tom, exhausted. Within minutes, she had been hoisted onto a stretcher, and was headed for the shuttle's hatch.
On a sudden impulse, she reached out and grabbed the hand of a blond man in black -
really, not much older than she was - who was supervising the doctors. B'Elanna felt, for some reason, like she could trust him.
"You have to contact Voyager, tell them we're alive!" Suddenly, something seemed to click it the back of her mind. "Help me, Luke Skywalker," she whispered, "You're our only hope . . ."
With that, she slipped mercifully into unconsciousness, leaving a bewildered Luke
Skywalker staring after her.
+
Leia Organa Solo walked up to her brother. "What was that all about?" she asked,
gesturing out the hatch where the injured had left.
"I don't know," Luke replied. "She seemed to know me. I've never met her. It's hard to
tell, though - those are pretty bad scars."
Leia nodded. "Anyway, I sent Chewie up to the cockpit with C-3PO to see where the
hyperdrive systems are located. This is a pretty weird ship. Luke," Leia asked suddenly, "What's wrong?"
Luke shrugged. "I don't know," he repeated. "It's just . . . well, when she was talking to
me, she told me to call voyager', whatever that means. And then, she asked me for help . . . called me by name."
"And what's wrong with that?"
"Nothing . . . except I don't KNOW her!"
"Settle down, Luke. What exactly did she say?"
"She said Help me, Luke Skywalker, you're our only hope."
"That's strange . . ." Leia mumbled.
"It sure is. I feel as if I should know her, but I don't know why."
Leia was deep in thought. "You know . . . that reminds me of a message I sent to Obi-wan
Kenobi in R2-D2. I wonder what's going on . . . ?"
Before Luke could answer, a shout came from the cockpit of the spacecraft. "Chewbacca, I
assure you, I am not malfunctioning. I am trained in over 6 million forms of communication, but I have never seen anything like this. No, you stupid Wookie! Don't turn me o-" Luke hurried to the front, anxious to find the problem.
In the cockpit, Chewbacca was hunched over a control panel, studying it carefully, and C-
3PO was lying flat on the floor, de-activated. Luke ignored the droid, and glanced at the console in surprise. {These people speak our language! I've heard them! But . . . I can't read this . . .}
"What is it?" Leia asked.
"Writing," Luke said. "I don't think that they're from around here."
+
When B'Elanna woke, she had no idea where she was. "Tom?" she whispered. "Harry?"
She sat up and looked around.
Across the room, a robot suddenly came awake and sped toward her. "I am 2-1B," it said,
eyes glowing a pale yellow, "the medical droid for this facility. I must ask you to lay back down, for your own good."
"Where am I?" B'Elanna demanded.
The droid immediately answered, "I am not authorized to give you that information," in it's
pleasant voice. It rather reminded B'Elanna of Voyager's computer.
Torres ignored it, and pushed herself up off the bed. The room was large, and from the tools
and medical droid, it was obviously an infirmary for a large installation of some sort. {A prison?} B'Elanna thought, {Or just a hospital?}
On another bed, B'Elanna saw someone else waking up. "Tom!" she exclaimed, dashing
over - the medical droid laboring to catch up, and complaining all the way.
Lieutenant Paris grabbed her hand. "B'Elanna! My God, what's going on?!"
"I don't know! I asked that damned robot over there, but he won't tell me a thing!" Torres
said, glancing first at the droid, and then back at Tom.
His eyes suddenly opened wide in surprise. "B'Elanna . . . what happened?"
She hesitated slightly before asking, "What do you mean?"
"Your face," he whispered, sitting up and placing a hand on her cheek. She winced in pain.
"Oh, God, you have so many scars . . ."
2-1B finally caught up with her. "I was about to inform you about your condition, miss.
You have obtained many unhealable scars, possibly in an explosion. The scars on your forehead are the worst by far, but you have another large scar running down the side of your cheek. Now if you will please lie down, I-"
"Shut up," B'Elanna muttered.
Tom held her tightly. "Where are we?"
"I don't know. Our jailer isn't authorized to give us that information'," she said,
mimicking the droids voice.
Just then, a door opened on the other side of the room.
Two men, a woman, and a large, hairy . . . thing entered the infirmary and headed over to
Tom and B'Elanna. The woman was the first to speak. "Hello, I am Leia Organa Solo, Minister of State for the New Republic. Welcome to Coruscant. And who are you?"
B'Elanna glanced over at the tall, hairy creature, and then back at the Minister of State.
{Great, here's bigfoot,} she thought, {Now I know I'm dead.} "Where's Harry?!" she blurted out, trying to keep her thoughts a secret, just in case.
"Why?" one of the men asked, looking at her suspiciously.
Tom jumped up. "Because he's my brother-in-law, and we're worried about him," he said
quickly, still holding B'Elanna tightly by the hand.
"Then who's your wife?"
"She is," Tom said, gesturing at B'Elanna.
The man nodded. "Of course. And where were you going?"
"Home," Paris said with a shrug.
"And where is that?"
The other man spoke up. "Han, that's enough! We're not interrogating them!" B'Elanna
blushed. This man was the one she'd called Luke Skywalker. {Is that really his name?}
"Sorry about that," he continued. "Like Minister Solo was saying, welcome to Coruscant.
The Minister's husband, Han Solo, and Chewbacca, his co-pilot. My name, as your wife already seems to know, is Luke Skywalker."
"B'Elanna?" Tom asked in a whisper. She shrugged, apologetically.
"You were heading to Caldos Colony?" Luke asked. Tom nodded. Luke sighed at his
answer. "Then I'm sorry to tell you, the Imperials attacked yesterday. They destroyed everything. Since there are no records left, we have no idea who was on the planet. You are probably the only survivors. I'm very sorry."
There was a stunned silence in the infirmary. Finally, B'Elanna asked quietly, "What?
Everything? They killed everyone?" Luke nodded. "But . . . No, that's impossible!"
"It'll take you a while to accept this. I know you'd like to go home and try to pick up the
pieces," Leia said. "At least we found you before you reached Caldos. It's Imperial occupied, now. By the time the New Republic scouts reached the system, it was too late. We had to turn and run."
Luke spoke up again. "Your brother - Harry? - is in the bacta tanks. He'll be out by
tomorrow. He had massive internal bleeding, but we were able to stop it. He'll have scars, but not as bad as yours."
"And your names are . . . ?" Han prompted, impatient.
"Tom and B'Elanna Paris," he answered.
"Belleana," Leia muttered. "It sounds almost Alderaanian."
"It is," B'Elanna answered. "I lived there before Caldos."
Leia smiled. "So did I. Daughter of Senator Bail Organa . . ."
"Oh my gosh!" B'Elanna exclaimed, trying her best to play into the part. "Wow, I didn't
even recognize you! Have I really been on Caldos for that long?"
"Not many people do, anymore." Leia grinned and patted at the long, dark braid curled
around her head. "It must be the new hairstyle . . . Anyways, let me show you to a room."
B'Elanna Torres followed Leia out, listening to a story of Alderaan's privilaged upper class.
"Your wife's from Alderaan?" Han asked.
Paris nodded. "She's proud of it. Very proud. She always wants to go back home, to see
everything again."
"Leia's like that too. It's too bad they can't, Alderaan being destroyed by the Emperor and
all. It's just a big asteroid belt now. I visited there, once. C'mon, let's catch up with the ladies," Han said with a sigh.
Tom was almost in awe. {How can they be fighting people who can destroy an entire planet
. . . ?}
+
"Definitely a piece of the Cochrane," Carrey said. "The markings and composition are
Starfleet. What else could it be?"
"A previously unknown Starfleet vessel in this area," Tuvok answered.
"Now how likely is that, Mr. Tuvok?!" Carrey countered.
Tuvok seemed to sigh in annoyance. It must have just been a trick of the light, though . . .
"The odds in favor of my theory are not good, but, nevertheless, there is still that possibility."
Carrey was annoyed. "Tuvok, this is where the Cochrane was destroyed, and that particular
portion of this ship was damaged when the Cochrane was attacked. What do you think?!"
"Gentlemen, please," Janeway interrupted. "Can we continue on with the meeting now?"
"I was only listing the possibilities, Captain, as unlikely as they are," Tuvok stated.
Janeway sighed. "Of course, Mr. Tuvok. I want some answers to my questions. Now. Why
was our shuttle destroyed?! Who destroyed it?!"
"We think the Cochrane was attacked because it entered this territory. Neelix doesn't
know whose territory this is, or who could've attacked them. We've intercepted no subspace transmissions from anywhere in this area, unfortunately," Chakotay reported with a sigh.
"There is one discovery that you ought to be aware of, Captain," Tuvok added. "We do
not believe that the destroyed fighters were the one which attacked Cochrane. In Lieutenant Torres' description, they were X-shaped. These ships have, approximately, an H-shaped body." A reconstruction of one of the fighters appeared on the conference room viewer, and Tuvok proceeded to describe the parts of the vessel. "Therefore, I conclude that these ships were already wrecked, or came to Cochrane's aid at some point during the battle."
"Thank you, Tuvok. Any other opinions?" Janeway asked.
Any replies were cut short, as the red alert siren sounded. The senior staff dashed onto the
bridge, relieving the junior officer of their posts.
"Ensign," the captain called back to Hensley, "What is the reason for this red alert?"
The Engineer, a close Maquis friend of B'Elanna's who had been particularly shocked by
her death, began speaking unsteadily. "A ship has appeared on sensors, Captain."
"But why red alert?!" she demanded.
"That ship is armed to the teeth, with all weapons and shields on line - and it's, uh, heading
right for us," she reported shakily.
The captain took her seat. "On screen, Ensign." The ship appeared, and Janeway had to
concentrate to keep her mouth from hanging open in awe. "Ensign, I hope you're enlarging that."
"No, Captain, I'm not! The ship measures 1.6 kilometers in length!" Hensley struggled to
say.
After a moment of silence, Janeway was once again on her feet. "Open a hailing frequency,
Mr. K - Hensley." Janeway paused with a tired sigh. "This is Captain Katheryn Janeway of the Federation Starship Voyager."
"They are responding, Captain . . . Sir, we don't need a Universal Translator! They're
speaking perfect English - er, Federation Standard!"
Although she hated being called "sir", Janeway ignored Hensley's slip up. {Federation
Standard . . .} "On screen!" she called.
A man in a olive gray jumpsuit appeared on the viewer. "Captain Janeway, I am Grand
Admiral Thrawn. Captain . . . did you destroy our TIE-fighters?"
+
As soon as the door closed, B'Elanna turned and grabbed Tom by the front of the medical
tunic he was still wearing. "What in hell were you THINKING!?!"
"Easy, B'Elanna!" he exclaimed, trying pry her strong Klingon hands off the delicate
fabric. "I only thought -"
"You only thought what?!" Lieutenant Torres released the medical gown with a shove,
sending Tom sprawling on the floor.
He jumped up quickly and took a step back, trying to stay out of the angry half-Klingon's
way. "I just thought . . . I mean, if we . . . maybe . . ."
"If we . . ." she growled, in full Klingon mode.
Paris tried to compose himself as he took another step backward. "Uh . . . If we made them
believe we were all related . . . maybe they wouldn't split us up?"
"Nice try," she nearly hissed. Finally, she seemed to cool down a bit. Looking out the one
window in room, she said sadly, "If Voyager was going to come, they would already be here. They've given up." She sighed and turned back to Paris. "You saw the Cochrane, Tom. It's irreparable. And even if it was, we'd never be able to catch up now."
"They haven't given up! They would've gone to the site of the attack, found that none of
the shuttle is there . . . and they would've traced us here!" He said frantically.
B'Elanna shook her head. "You're forgetting - I told them to stay far away from here."
"Captain Janeway wouldn't listen to that," Tom said.
"The communications console blew up. From the other end, it probably looked as if the
entire shuttle was lost. And how could they trace us? Our engines weren't used. Tom . . . it's time to give up. Try our best to fit in here."
"Then you're saying . . . we're stuck here?" Tom asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Yes," she whispered, turning back to the window. "We're stuck here."
+
The Holodeck was packed. Everyone was sitting in a re-creation of the Torres family home
on Kessik IV. Most of the 18 Maquis in the room had served with B'Elanna on Chakotay's ship since she left Starfleet.
"-and we've all been with her for a long time. I know none of us will ever forget her. She
saved us all many times. And yes, she had bad temper," -there were chuckles from around the room- "but let's remember her for the good times," Chakotay finished.
"Amen, Reverend," one of the Humans said. Several of the others with Terran origins
laughed, and several Bajorans looked over at Chakotay in confusion.
He shrugged. "Private joke, I guess."
"Remember the time we ambushed that Cardassian warship?" Hensley, one of Tuvok's
student's in his mini-Academy course, suddenly asked.
"The Galor-class one? Of course! It would've pulverized our entire cell!"
"If it hadn't been for B'Elanna," Chakotay added.
"If it hadn't been for B'Elanna," Hensley echoed sadly.
"She was in a really bad mood."
"Having problems with the weapons systems, if I remember correctly. Couldn't get them
up to full power for anything!"
"Yeah - and then it got worse."
"Overload!" everyone chorused.
Chell, the only Bolian on Voyager, sighed in remembrance. "Told us to abandon ship. We
did - but B'Elanna stayed. Klingon pride or just plain stubbornness, I don't know, but she stayed. Piloted a collision course. We barely got her off that ship alive! She blew that Cardassian ship out of the sky!"
"She once told me," Hensley admitted, "that when she died, she'd go out fighting. Said
she'd take a couple of the damned Cardies with her."
Suddenly, a voice spoke up quietly from the back. "This isn't right. I can't believe she's
gone like this."
"None of us can really believe it, Jarron," Chakotay said, surprised that the quiet Bajoran
had even spoken.
"No," Jarron said, surprising everyone further. He barely spoke a sentence at a time.
"That's not what I was saying. She might be gone, but something's wrong with this. B'Elanna always said that when she went out, she'd take some of the scum with her. If what Tuvok and Captain Janeway said is true, then she was killed without destroying any of their ships."
"What if the other ships were just plain stronger than our shuttle?" someone asked.
Hensley shook her head. "They weren't. I was at Ops when the message came in. She said
that the fighters' technology level was about at Earth's at the end of our 21st century. According to my calculations, it would take more than 10 of those ships to destroy Cochrane - and at least 6 of those ships would also be destroyed."
"Yet there was no rubble from any other ships, just the TIE-fighters, and the Cochrane. But
even stranger, the only parts we've found from the Cochrane are chunks of the port nacelle, and one outer hull plate from the port side, just above the nacelle. So where's the rest of our shuttle?"
Jarron glanced over at Hensley, who nodded. "We have a theory. A theory about what really happened to B'Elanna, Tom, and Harry. And a theory about why our shuttle is missing."
Hensley stood up to get everyone's attention. "Jarron and I believe that the mysterious X-
wings' were not the ones who attacked and destroyed the Cochrane." Hensley looked directly at Chakotay as she continued. "They were killed by this Empire'."
"What?!" Chell exclaimed in disbelief. "But - but we're working with them! Their ships
were destroyed too!"
"You know . . . they don't seem to care. Maybe they have been lying to us," Crewman
Dalby said carefully.
"Exactly!" Jarron exclaimed, jumping to his feet. "This is what we think happened: a
group of TIE-fighters found the Cochrane searching the solar system for dilithium. Not knowing exactly what it was, they decided it was a new weapon created by the X-wings and their Rebellion'. They attacked. After a long and hard battle, after the Cochrane destroyed a third of the TIE-fighters, the shields of the Cochrane buckled. With a lucky shot, one TIE-fighter took out Cochrane's weapons, another fatally damaged her life support systems. B'Elanna quickly recorded a message, sent to Voyager, which was cut short by an overload of the communications console. Our crew was then killed, either by several systems overloads, a hull breach, or a lack of air." Jarron choked up, and Hensley continued for him.
"One thing is for certain, though: before our crew died, leaving a derelict shuttle, a squadron of X-wings attempted to save Cochrane. Perhaps they thought it was one of their own. They destroyed the rest of the TIE-fighters, and tractored our ship, B'Elanna, Tom, and Harry's bodies still aboard, back to their home," she finished.
"There is a possibility with this scenario," Jarron said, a glimmer of hope showing in his eyes. "Our crew may still be alive! If the life support systems remained on line, there is that chance. Torres, Paris, Kim: one of them may've somehow survived the attack. Maybe all of them. It may not be a big chance . . . but at least there is one!"
Chakotay was stunned. {It all makes perfect sense now! Why hasn't anyone else thought of this?} "Perhaps," he said slowly, "our memorial service was premature."
+
Tom Paris awoke to the sound of someone crying. Which was impossible, considering the
only other person in the room was Klingon, and therefore couldn't cry. Or could she?
It was still the middle of the night. Paris glanced out the window from his position on the
floor, and saw stars. He wondered idly if this world had any moon.
He heard the sobbing again, and considered doing something about it. {What if it is
B'Elanna? Will she even want any help?} He finally decided that he had to do something. He couldn't just lay there!
"B'Elanna?" he whispered, moving over to sit on the edge of the bed. "Is something
wrong?"
She sniffed, and wiped away tears. "What do you want?" she asked defensively, sitting up
slowly.
"I just want to know if something's wrong?" Paris repeated. "Why are you crying?"
"I want to go home!" she moaned softly. She slipped into Tom's arms and started sobbing
harder.
"B'Elanna," he said, brushing damp hair out of her face, "what's going on? I thought
Klingons couldn't cry. Is it because of your Human half?"
B'Elanna shook her head. "No, Klingons can't cry. And neither can I!" she sobbed.
"Tom, what's happening to me?!"
"I wish I knew, B'Elanna," he said quietly, holding her tightly. "But I don't."
+
Captain Katheryn Janeway sat in an enormous conference room on the Star Destroyer.
Tuvok sat on her right, Chakotay on her left.
Across the table was Grand Admiral Thrawn, the highest ranking man in the Empire since
the Emperor's murder, his commander, and his Jedi, Joruus C'baoth - whatever that was.
"So you still insist that your TIE-fighters had nothing to do with the attack?" Janeway
asked with a sigh.
"I assure you, Captain, my fighters were sent out only after we intercepted a transmission
from a group of rebel x-wings. They were up to their usual terrorism, and they believed your shuttle was some type of new Imperial weapon. They were probably trying to destroy it because of that. X-wings are extremely maneuverable. Perhaps they slipped away from your shuttle's weapons officer."
"Not B'Elanna," Chakotay said, glaring at Thrawn. "Nothing ever gets past her."
The Grand Admiral shrugged. "There are ways, First Officer Chakotay."
"Do you believe that our shuttle may still be intact?" Tuvok queried.
"It could be." The Grand Admiral shrugged again. "If it is, then I'm afraid your shuttle is
in the hands of the Rebellion."
Tuvok nodded. "Is it possible there may be a survivor?"
"No," Thrawn said a little too quickly. "If the - what was it, life support? - didn't give out,
the hull wasn't breached, and the console overloads didn't kill them all, the radiation would've."
Janeway glanced at Chakotay, and the said humbly, "Grand Admiral, I don't think you
quite understand. One of my officers, whom I sent aboard that shuttle, was not Human."
"You mean . . . like him?" the obviously xenophobic commander asked, pointing at Tuvok.
"No," Captain Janeway said, annoyed with the mousey little man. "Tuvok is a Vulcan.
B'Elanna Torres is - was? - a Klingon, and Klingons have a slightly higher resistance to radiation than we do."
"With the levels of radiation we're talking about," master C'baoth said, surprising
everyone with his first words since the conference had begun, "a slight resistance wouldn't make any difference. Believe me, Captain." Joruus C'baoth's words were forceful, and had a surprising effect on Captain Janeway.
For the first time since Chakotay had met her, Katheryn Janeway was flustered. "I believe
you, Master C'baoth," she mumbled.
C'baoth nodded to Thrawn, and he smiled. "Good. I propose that we work together. We
will find your shuttle, you can help us against this minor rebellion."
Once again, Janeway surprised Chakotay - and especially Tuvok - with her answer. "That
sounds like a good idea."
{No!} Chakotay thought frantically. {Something's wrong! She can't be doing this! She's
violating her own precious Prime Directive by agreeing to this!}
"I'll return to my ship now." Janeway and her two officer's stood, Chakotay steaming in
anger. The captain tapped her pin. "Janeway to Voyager. Three to beam up."
They shimmered and disappeared, much to the surprise and amusement of Dark Jedi Joruus
C'baoth.
+
As soon as Janeway and the others beamed back, Chakotay jumped off the transporter
platform in front of the captain. "We agreed we couldn't use the transporter in front of them!"
"Since we're working with them, they'll have to get used to it." Janeway turned and
headed for the door.
Chakotay caught up with Janeway again, and grabbed her by the shoulder. "Beaming in
front of them is in direct violation of the Prime Directive! And working with them - a C culture – is even worse!"
"Don't tell me about the Prime Directive, Chakotay!" she yelled. "I know what I'm
doing!"
"What about the shuttle?! What about B'Elanna?! We have evidence that they're still
alive!" Chakotay pleaded.
"They're dead, Commander!" she exclaimed. "Dead! She's gone, Commander, and
there's nothing you can do about it! You're chasing ghosts, Chakotay! Now get your hand the hell away from my shoulder!'
Chakotay jerked his hand back, as if burned, and Janeway stormed out of the transporter
room, a clump of hair flapping out of her bun. Tuvok followed her, looking as if he was having trouble hiding his anger.
Hensley, who was manning the transporter console, came down to clap Chakotay on the
back. "No good?"
He sighed. "No good. She doesn't believe us. Well . . . she did. Until that Joruus C'baoth
guy convinced her otherwise."
"So what do we do now?"
"We do what the Maquis have always done: wait, plan, and find allies."
"And then what?"
Chakotay stared coldly at the door his friend - no, not friend any longer. The door his
Captain exited out of. "And then, when the time is right, we mutiny."