The Third Nature -Book One of the Triad

Voyager fantasies by Lt Taya 17 Janeway

one ship's arrival

Time: Just after Good Shepherd

It was a sudden blow. One moment the ship was drifting peacefully in space, and the next thing they knew was that they had been engulfed by a huge wave of neutrinos and chronitons. The ship trembled violently in the grip of the storm, and lurched violently sideways as it was hurled by a gigantic gravimetric surge. Nobody saw it coming. Terrans had an expression for similar phenomena: a lightning bolt out of a blue sky.

And what a lightning bolt it was. When the storm had passed as abruptly as it had begun, Voyager  hung blackened and scorched in space, primary systems off-line, venting plasma and thrusters barely working. Instantly, Captain Kathryn Janeway was on her feet on the bridge, demanding damage reports, their status and whereabouts.

At Ops, Ensign Harry Kim was at a loss as to explain what just happened. "Primary analysis indicate that the wave resulted due to some form of gravimetric collapse of the fabric of space-time in our vicinity. But I'm afraid I have no clue as to where our current location is. Sensors are offline, and so is most of the ship."

Janeway mused on this information for a while, then turned to First Officer Chakotay. "I'm afraid we don't have many options. We need to find out more about whatever just hit us, but we won't be able to do so until some repairs are done. Any suggestions, Commander?"

Chakotay glanced about him. The bridge itself was in a mess: red alert had come on automatically, but even in the dim lighting he could discern collapsed panels where the surge had hit a little to hard, he could see the scorch marks on the floor, and smell the acrid smoke from electrical fires which had fortunately been put out in time. "As it is, I don't see what choice we have. The ship is badly damaged. We don't know where we are. The most logical course of action would be to hunker down and hope nothing else happens while repairs take place."

But Janeway was thinking. "Large masses have been known to dampen the effects of gravitational phenomena," she said. "Ensign, are navigational controls still online?"

"Barely."

"Are there any planets that we could take a refuge on in the neighbourhood?"

"There is one, about a half a light year away from here. M-class, no sign of civilization. We might make it on quarter impulse."

"Then let's do it. Mr. Paris, set a course for the coordinates Mr. Kim sends you."

Ensign Tom Paris turned around, concern in his eyes. "You want me to land her in this condition? We might not survive it in one piece!"

"That's a risk I'm willing to take," Janeway told him. "Do it, Ensign." Paris complied with a sigh he did not try to suppress very much.

"In the meantime, I'll get Damage Control underway," said Chakotay.

"Please do," said Janeway, flashing a tired smile at her exec officer. "We need to get this ship back together as fast as possible."

Chakotay nodded silently, and exited the bridge. Janeway suppressed a sigh. Why did the bridge always feel so much emptier without his massive presence around? He was her rock, her stone, her anchor, the one who held her back, reined in her fierce temper, who advised her when she went astray. She couldn't imagine a day without him. She wouldn't be able to cope with the ship. She settled back into her chair, and began the long process of waiting.

Hours later, Voyager finally broke warp. Janeway drew in a sharp breath as the system they had arrived at came into focus on the viewscreen. Nine planets around a single yellow sun. The third was a gleaming blue orb, an orb which grew steadily larger on the viewscreen as Paris brought them closer. It was so much like Earth. Too much. Janeway closed her eyes and tried to imagine that it was the blue sphere of home that they were heading to, where all their friends and family awaited, where their lives' greatest journey would end. But it was too hard. The blatant fact mocked them; that they were trapped, here, still in the Delta Quadrant, farther out than any human had ever gone before. The planet before her was in the Delta Quadrant, was devoid of sentient life, and was certainly not Earth. Deluding herself wasn't going to help much.

"It looks so much like Earth," said Kim softly from behind her, mirroring her thoughts. Janeway angled a small smile towards him, but otherwise said nothing.

"We're ready to begin descent, Captain," announced Paris, as the expanse of swirling white on blue filled up their viewscreen.

"Ready whenever you are. Blue alert." The lighting on the bridge shifted subtly as Voyager prepared for her plunge into the atmosphere. Behind Janeway, Seven of Nine kept close tabs on the ship's status, working in tandem with Kim.

Voyager drifted down to earth gently like a gossamer web, guided by the expert hand of their helmsman. Janeway barely felt the tremor of the deck beneath her boots as the ship landed. She cancelled blue alert, and the relief on the bridge was palpable. Once again, Voyager had survived another ordeal.

Janeway got out of her seat and congratulated her bridge crew, as custom dictated, for showing such resolve in the face of difficulties. In less than a week, she assured them, repairs would be complete, the ship would be back to normal, and they would be back on course.

Simple words to lift the hearts of those who felt depressed or let down by this turn of events.

Leaving the bridge to the expert care of Kim, Janeway made her way to Engineering to see if Torres needed any help from her. Getting down and dirty with the rest of the crew wasn't something which was beneath any good Starfleet captain, and it was a great impetus for the crew to work; to know that the captain was with them, slaving also, sharing and suffering their predicament. Besides, they needed all the help that they could get.

As she was walking from the turbolift to Engineering she was suddenly accosted by Neelix, morale officer of the ship. The short stubby Talaxian was practically bouncing on his feet. "Captain! Just the person I wanted to see."

Janeway tried not to roll her eyes as Neelix enthusiastically tried to keep up with her. "It's a beautiful planet out there, captain," he said earnestly, "bright sunshine, fresh spring grass, beautiful scenery… just what is needed for us to rejuvenate our jaded spirits!"

"Really," replied Janeway, smiling politely. "What do you have in mind?"

"Well…" Neelix paused for a moment, his enthused manner deflating slightly. "We are running out of food supplies, and I was thinking that this would be a perfect place to find all sorts of new tastes we've never tried before."

Ah. So he did have an ulterior motive, playing on her weariness and exploratory instincts to restock his pantry. But it did sound like an appealing idea; a breath of fresh air was something that most of her officers needed right now. The more she thought about it, the more she liked it. "You're proposing that we organize away teams to scout the surface for edibles?"

Neelix nodded, then leaned in to whisper to her. "I heard that there is a possibility of dilithium mines on this planet."

Janeway laughed. "No need to coax me any further, Mr. Neelix. I think it's a great idea."