RATING: PG-13

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Takes place during the late fifth season. Sorry if it strays from canon. . .artistic license. wink The adventure continues. . . There are people out there with a lot more tech understanding than I have, so if there are inconsistencies, in here, sorry! Point it out in a review and I'll try to correct it. (Sorry, I'm still studying up on Trek tech grin)

DISCLAIMER: Paramount owns all things Trek, including Voyager, etc. sigh

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"Captain! . . . Captain?"

Kathryn turned to see Neelix scurrying up behind her in the corridor. "Yes, Neelix?"

"Captain," Neelix panted, coming up alongside her, "I wanted to speak to you about the food reserves. . ."

Kathryn sighed. "Neelix, I know we're getting low, but we've had shortages before, and I trust your judgment on stretching our supplies. Limit whatever you see fit. Just try to taper off. I don't want to alarm the crew unnecessarily."

"Oh, I understand, I understand. Actually, I wanted to ask you if it would be all right to change the date for our party."

"Tell me you want to move it up."

The Talaxian grinned. "Yes, that's right. I've been noticing the crew is under a lot of stress right now, and I think we should move it to, say, tomorrow night? Would that be convenient?"

"More than convenient. Perfect, in fact." Kathryn glanced over the PADD she held and looked over at Neelix as a thought occurred to her. "Neelix, are you sure can spare the supplies for this party? I don't want to drain the reserves even close emergency levels. We have to make them last as long as we can."

"Well, I don't think the crew will notice if we have one or two less plates of food on the table." He chuckled cheerfully. "Just replicate plenty of synthehol to go around -- they'll never know the difference."

Kathryn laughed for what felt like the first time in days. "I trust your judgment there." She paused in front of the turbolift doors and turned to him. "Your services as morale officer are going to be in high demand these next few days. What with alien attacks, food shortages. . ."

"I know, captain, and don't worry!" he told her with an encouraging smile. "I've handled far worse than this before. We'll get through all this, I'm sure of it."

Kathryn smiled at him, shaking her head slightly. "You never cease to amaze me with your optimism, Neelix."

"That's my job." Neelix grinned.

"Oh, I'm going to sickbay to visit Seven. Want to come?"

"Of course!" Neelix followed her into the turbolift.

"Deck five," Kathryn told the computer, and returned to perusing the Doctor's report in her hand. "Hmm. . ."

"Captain?"

"Oh, I just read something interesting here. You remember that mutara class nebula we surveyed a few days ago?"

"Yes, we collected some samples and moved on. Nothing spectacular."

"Well, it seems Tom and the Doctor found some interesting new gases in those samples we got. We've never encountered them before." Her eyes gleamed with scientific curiosity.

"They're not harmful, I hope."

"I don't think so." The turbolift doors opened, and they walked into the corridor. "At least the Doctor doesn't think so."

"Well that's good. The last thing we need is some dangerous gas floating around the ship, if I do say so." Neelix bounced merrily along beside her. Kathryn just shook her head and grinned as they turned into sickbay. He was far too happy than anyone had a right to be.

"How is she?" Kathryn questioned the Doctor, who came out of his office to meet her.

"No change, I'm afraid. I've been monitoring her constantly, especially her nanoprobe activity. They're working busily, but they just can't keep up. I've been trying everything I know to repair the damage, but so far -- nothing." The Doctor's frowned deepened with concern as he looked over at Seven's body.

Kathryn followed his line of vision and walked over to Seven's biobed. She lay just as still as she was the day before, her lips still an unnatural shade of blue. Glancing down, Kathryn saw her nail beds were tinged the same color. She looked dead, except the slight rise and fall of her chest as the medication kept her breathing. Kathryn sighed and rested her hands on the edge of the biobed. Seven, I need your help. Please get well, soon. Seven knew her way around the astrometrics lab even better than Harry, and if anyone could find out why this alien fleet had attacked them, it was her. But for now they had to rely on other means.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned to see Neelix behind her, looking soberly down on Seven's deathly pale face. "She looks. . .dead."

"I know." Kathryn shuddered slightly in spite of herself. "I just hope she can survive until her nanoprobes repair enough of the damage, or the Doctor finds a way to reconnect her implants."

Neelix nodded. "Despite everything, I think the crew is starting to miss her already. She makes quite an impression."

"Quite an impression," Kathryn echoed softly, blinking back a sudden stinging of tears. She cleared her throat. "Well, Doctor, keep me informed."

"Of course," the Doctor nodded. After Janeway and Neelix left, he stopped beside Seven and gazed down on her sadly. Every photon inside him ached to see her big blue-gray eyes open and looked up at him, anything to let him know she would be all right. In all his medical experience, he had never encountered such a difficult case, at least not one with so much emotional involvement. If Seven never woke up, he had no idea what he would do.

Then he realized just how much he felt for her. The thought shook him to his very holographic core. It was ridiculous, a hologram in love with an ex-Borg. Improbable. And he knew she felt exactly nothing for him. That would never change. He hesitantly laid his hand over hers, startled at how cold it felt, and curled his fingers around it. "Come on, Seven," he whispered. "Come back to us. Soon."

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First Officer's Personal Log

Stardate undefined

Two have passed we encountered the alien fleet, and morale on the ship is slowly slipping. Mine right along with it. It's getting harder to get to sleep at night, with so many worries and unanswered questions filling my mind. I tried a vision quest to bring my soul some peace, but even that has failed. Something has to happen soon, before morale reaches a dangerous low. The last time things got so bad was when we traveled through the Void a few months ago. We got through that, and I'm hoping the crew will pull together and get through this as well.

Chakotay looked around the bridge, wondering why some didn't just say something. The only sound was the quiet beeping of consoles, and it was grating on his nerves. No one had said a word for the last fifteen minutes.

"Paris," he called, a little harsher than he meant to.

Tom almost jumped out of his seat, and swiveled sharply around. "Yes, sir?"

"Why so quiet?"

"I--I don't know."

"I don't like it."

Now Tom looked thoroughly confused. "I -- "

"Why don't you people talk?" Chakotay went on with audible irritation. "I've never heard a bridge shift so quiet!"

"Sometimes it is beneficial to work in silence," Tuvok put in from his station. "I have found the normal 'bridge banter' to hinder my work on many occasions."

"Well the lack of it is hindering my work right now." Chakotay punched in a code on the terminal beside him and glanced up at Tom, who sat looking at him with an expression of utter surprise. "Any new betting pools, Tom?"

Immediately Tom warmed to this new subject. "Well, as a matter of fact -- "

"Betting, on my bridge?"

Everyone turned as Captain Janeway exited the turbolift without taking her eyes off the PADD in her hand. She took the steps to the command level slowly, then stopped and looked up curiously. "Quiet today."

"You can say that again," Chakotay muttered. "How's Seven?"

"No change." Kathryn dropped into her chair with a sigh and leaned over slightly to glance over the report he had up on the terminal. "Personnel report."

"Apparently Crewmen Mitchell and Herren started a fight in engineering this morning. Three other people joined in before B'Elanna pulled out a phaser and threatened to fire on them."

"I'm sure that stopped them."

"It did."

"Any idea what it was about?"

Chakotay shrugged. "Just a disagreement."

"Everyone's on edge these days," Kathryn sighed. "Oh, Neelix moved the party to tomorrow night. That should help morale a little."

"Good. God knows we need it." Chakotay tapped the arm of his chair restlessly. "We're all feeling the strain." He turned to look at her with concern. "Are you feeling any better?"

She nodded. "I slept better last night."

"What, you got ten minutes more?" He smiled.

She shot him an annoyed glare. "No, as a matter of fact I slept a whole five hours."

"Oh, really?" He feigned admiration. "Before you know it you'll be up to eight hours."

"That's enough, Commander," she bristled. She was in no mood for his bad sense of humor today. But when she saw his face fall, she felt a twinge of remorse. "Chakotay, I -- "

"Captain, sensors just picked the same alien fleet, two hundred kilometers off the port bow!" Harry called excitedly. "They're on an intercept course!"

"Red alert, shields up," Kathryn ordered immediately. The bridge darkened as the alert klaxons sounded, and the air immediately filled with tension. Kathryn shot out of her chair and approached the ops station. "Harry, start continuous scans. Maybe we can find out a little more about them this time."

"One hundred kilometers and closing," Tuvok put in calmly. Kathryn turned to look at him. "Tuvok, arm photon torpedoes. I don't want to take any chances."

"Our weapons were useless last time," Chakotay reminded her quietly.

"Damnit, I won't just sit here and wait!" Kathryn snapped, turning on him. "I want to be ready," she added, lowering her voice considerably. She laid a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry. It's just -- "

"I know." He squeezed her arm reassuringly and looked back at Tuvok. "Tuvok, divert all power to shields when the time comes. Take it from the replicators if you have to. Something tells me they won't be satisfied with a few hull scrapes this time."

Kathryn tapped her commbadge. "Janeway to the Doctor. Prepare for casualties. It looks like our friends are back."

"I'll be ready, captain," came the Doctor's reply.

"Captain, the fleet is in visual range," Harry said, fingers moving over his console.

"On screen."

The fleet appeared on the viewscreen, speeding towards them, arranged in the same triangular formation. As Kathryn stared at the screen, she felt a strange sense of foreboding. Something tells me they won't be satisfied with a few hull scrapes this time. . . She couldn't agree more.

"Captain, the alien fleet is charging weapons."

"Hail them," Kathryn ordered tensely.

"No response," Harry answered a moment later.

"Try again."

Harry shook his head. "Still nothing."

"Damn. Tuvok, are those torpedoes ready?"

"Yes, captain. Armed and ready."

"Now, let's see who takes the first shot."

Just seconds later, Voyager shuddered as the lead ship unleashed a powerful charge at their starboard side. "I thought so," Kathryn muttered. She settled more firmly into her chair. "Tuvok, target their power core and fire."

Tuvok raised an eyebrow but did as he was ordered. And as expected, "No effect."

More ships opened fire on them, and Kathryn gripped the arms of chair to stay seated. "Report!"

"Shields at 75 percent."

"Fire at will."

A massive explosion sent sparks showering from the wall behind Harry. "Shields down!" he cried, frantically working over data on his console.

"Tuvok!" Kathryn jumped out of her chair and lurched over to Tuvok's station as the bridge rocked underneath her feet. "Reverse hull polarization! That should deflect their charges."

"Captain?"

"Just do it!"

"Captain, that could destabilize the warp field."

"I know, get on it! Tom, go to impulse." She grabbed his console with one hand to keep her footing, and with other slapped her commbadge. "B'Elanna, shut down the warp core!"

"Yes, captain," a very frenzied B'Elanna responded after a brief pause. "Preparing to shut down the core. . ."

"Damn!" Tom slammed his fists against the conn angrily. "That last charge jammed the relays! Navigation is offline, and I can't go to impulse!"

"Captain, the core can't shut down fast enough!" Harry shouted. "The warp field is destabilizing!"

"B'Elanna?" Kathryn called desperately.

"I'm trying, captain! I need a few more minutes!"

"You don't have them! Get that core shut down!"

A string of Klingon curses filtered over the comm, along with sounds of chaos from Engineering. Another console exploded, and Voyager shook violently, sending half the bridge crew to the floor. "Hull breaches, decks two, six, seven, nine!" Harry shouted over the din. "Captain, the warp field is going to collapse any second! It'll tear those breaches apart!"

Chakotay pulled Kathryn to her feet and jerked his head around to look at Tuvok. "Tuvok, reverse the polarization again! We can't survive if that warp field collapses!"

"The alien fleet is retreating!" Tom called, but his report was lost as B'Elanna's voice filled the chaotic bridge.

"Captain, I can't shut down the core!" B'Elanna called furiously over the comm. "Those charges shorted all the consoles! I don't have any control here!"

"Go to manual," Kathryn snapped.

"It'll take too long, the field will collapse before that."

"Tuvok?"

"I am attempting to reverse polarization. . ."

"Captain, the warp field is collapsing!" Harry punched command after command into his console, trying desperately to avert the disaster. "With shields down, we won't survive -- "

Then it happened. The field collapsed completely, hurtling Voyager out of warp. The ship screamed to a stop, explosions riddling the hull and decks. . .and then all was silent. Far too silent.

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