Uninspired Voyages
A Star Trek: Voyager fanfiction by Andrew J. Talon
DISCLAIMER: This is a non-profit fan based work of prose. Star Trek: Voyager, Deep Space Nine, The Next Generation et al are the property of CBS Television, Para creation of Gene Roddenberry. Please support the official release.
State of Flux Part 4...
The Kazon certainly seemed enthralled by the show. Shepherd had added a few light projectors to Neelix's rig, on top of the sound system, and it was producing a display too big, too loud, and too energetic to ignore.
The fact he was tossing out booze right and left while talking up a bullshit storm Okona would envy didn't hurt either.
"Yes yes! Come, come! You, my fine sir! You would love this-Spican Flame Gems! You won't find their like across the known galaxy!" He picked up a handful of the shiny rocks, and let them drop through his fingers back into the box in front of the astonished Kazon. He held it out to the Kazon, who eagerly reached in and grabbed up the gems.
"Now now, one per customer! First one is free, that's the rule! Aiyiyiyiiii~!" Shepherd laughed. His earbud buzzed briefly.
"We made it to the weapons emplacements, sir," Munroe reported, "Chell's rigging them up now."
Shepherd grinned broadly out at the crowd, and stroked his mustache.
"Ah! But you are men of taste, yes? HA! Of course you are!" He cried. He pulled out a holopad, and tapped it with his thumb. A holoimage of an Orion Slave Girl appeared, dancing seductively. He held the hologram up in front of his face as he replied through his commbadge.
"And the jamming?" He murmured.
"Its coming from an underground facility-Probably part of the mine and directly powered with dilithium," Munroe spoke. "We can't take it out-Not easily. It'll disrupt our transporters, too. And Voyager will be entering orbit in ten minutes."
"Understood," Shepherd muttered. A Kazon wearing a furry cloak stepped up, and his men parted for him. He wore a beard, and an eyepatch on his craggy face. His scars spoke of a long life of conflict and battle. He grinned broadly,
"Senor Shepardino!" He bellowed. "I want your sword!"
Shepherd stood up, looking into the eye of the tall Kazon chieftain.
"My sword, sir?" He asked, "I don't know what you mean."
The Kazon chieftain laughed. He drew his own blade-A long, jagged blade of pure duranium.
"You are cunning, Senor Shepardino," he called, "but you are no entertainer. You know how to use that steel at your hip!" His grin grew. "You're here from Voyager, aren't you?"
The surrounding Kazon gasped and growled. Shepherd stared back evenly, still grinning. He swore he heard Munroe suck in a deep breath over his earbud.
"And if I was, good sir?" Shepherd asked.
"Sir, what are you doing?" Munroe hissed. Shepherd ignored him.
"Well," the chieftain said, tilting his head, "I'm no fan of Maje Cullah-Our leader. He is too much of a braggart for my tastes. Too much of a coward. He took my eye," he pointed to his eyepatch, "and sent me to manage these slaves. He's even listening to that traitor on your ship."
"I fail to see how that would be my problem, if I was from Voyager," Shepherd replied. "What does Voyager care of your power struggles?"
The chieftain laughed. He waved his sword.
"Simple! You want your people. You want your ships. You want to leave," he said. "I could arrange this, if I was ruler of the Kazon-Nistrim."
"That sounds like a good deal," Shepherd shouted back, "if I was part of Voyager."
His grin turned sharper, as the light shone off his sword.
"But... I will not be like that weakling Cullah. I will not ally myself with weaklings!" He snarled. He swung his blade around himself.
"You must defeat me in a duel, Shepherdino," he called. Shepherd held back a sigh, and rubbed the side of his nose.
"Really? We gotta do this?" He asked.
"You have no choice," the chieftain shouted. "You will fight me! Or..."
He turned to his men. They dragged out a blue Andorian woman in a tattered uniform, and a Cardassian man in rags. The men forced them to their knees. The Andorian woman's face was covered in bruises, as were her arms and legs. The Cardassian wasn't much better, despite his tough, leathery skin. They both had their hands bound behind them. The Andorian woman gave them a look of utter contempt, while the Cardassian was stoic and angry.
The Kazon chieftain held his sword up to the throats of both.
"They die," he said. "The highest ranking officers from both ships: Lieutenant Commander Venthen, and Glinn Garbatt."
The chieftain looked back at Shepherd, the desert winds blowing across the sands making his cloak wave. Shepherd's own sparkly parka waved like a flag, as he stared down the chieftain.
Shepherd then smiled brightly, and shrugged.
"Okay!"
Venthen gaped in disbelief. Garbatt looked confused. Even the chieftain looked a bit taken aback by the eagerness of the response, but he laughed.
"Excellent!" He cried. He withdrew his sword, and pointed it at Shepherd. Shepherd in turn tapped his earbud three times, before he jumped off the wagon. The crowd parted, leaving an open space for them both. The chieftain swung his sword around himself, demonstrating incredible dexterity and control of the huge piece of metal.
"I am Dan-Maje Sousek Ichinru, the Blade of Twin Suns! This is Shining Blood, my family sword! Forged from the chains the Trabe put upon us, that we broke and slew them with," he called out. "And you?"
Shepherd hummed thoughtfully.
"I am Lieutenant Shepherd, Security Chief of USS Voyager," he said. "My sword is also a family weapon. Forged in the deserts of Las Vegas during the Atomic Holocaust. My sword," he spoke, as he released it and drew the blade. It shone brightly in the sunlight, and let the Kazon's gasps and impressed cries make him smile, "is known as Electric Nightmare!"
He went through some of his family's kata, swinging the blade in graceful arcs, and a few thrusts. The blade hummed as electric power went through it, vibrating it at high frequency. Sousek Ichinru laughed and pointed his sword at Shepherd. The wind kicked up, and both their cloaks began to wave in the hot wind. The sun shone down on both their blades, as their eyes locked onto eachother. Sousek's smile was incredibly broad.
"Then we are well met, Lieutenant Shepherd," he spoke. "We will-"
A blue phaser blast hit him in the side, and the chieftain fell. Another Kazon stalked up, as his chieftain collapsed with a roar. He glared up at the offending Kazon.
"Harken... Why...?"
"You waste time when we could have it all! You negotiate with outsiders!" Harken barked. He grinned savagely. "I have told Maje Cullah of this foolishness, old man! You will die for this, and I will rule in your place!"
Shepherd sighed, his shoulders drooping.
"Damn," Shepherd muttered, "I thought I was gonna get to do something cool, and now this."
Harken pointed his phaser at Shepherd. "Kill this fool!"
Shepherd tapped his earbud with a smile.
"Ah, yes, about that," Shepherd replied, "there's a problem with your plan, too."
Harken sneered.
"And that is?!"
Shepherd threw himself to the side, as the wagon's hatch opened. Standing tall and proud, Crewman Biessman strode out with a heavy phaser rifle hanging off his shoulder. He pulled the trigger and unleashed blasts of his powerful phaser, sweeping through the crowd of Kazon.
"COME GET SOME!" Biessman roared, blasting through the Kazon. The aliens screamed and the crowd descended into chaos, running for cover, or trying to get shots off before Biessman's blasts blew them away. Harken was knocked aside by his men, and fell to his knees. He looked up just in time to see Sousek's blade come down on his neck.
"TRAITOR!" He roared, sending Harken's head flying with a kick.
Venthen, in the chaos, had stood up and rammed the back of her head into the nose of her Kazon captor. The guard reared back in pain, as Garbatt threw himself backwards to slam his guard into the dirt. Shepherd got up to both of them, dodging through the crowd. He slashed his sword through their bonds, quick as a flash. Venthen rubbed her wrists.
"How'd you-?"
"We'll answer all your questions later, Lieutenant Commander, Glinn, but right now? Get your people to the Raiders! We're on a tight schedule!" He shouted. "Come on!"
He charged through the hordes of Kazon, swinging his blade to keep the path clear. Biessman covered them, firing furiously and driving the Kazon back. Enough of them were getting to cover and returning fire, however, that the blonde human had to jump down behind the wagon for cover. Venthen, Garbatt and Shepherd got to the wagon, taking cover. Biessman shot a glare over at Garbatt, but the tall, thin Cardassian ignored it.
"Get everyone out of the mines and your command crews to the Raiders," Shepherd shouted, "we need to bring down the jammers to beam everyone else out. Got it?"
Venthen licked her lips, and nodded. Garbatt nodded grimly. Shepherd looked at Biessman.
"Biessman! Withdrawal!" He shouted. Biessman gaped at him.
"What?! But-!"
"NOW!" Shepherd barked. Biessman grit his teeth, but he ceased his fire and they took off for the mine entrance. Blue energy shots began to pepper around them as they sprinted for the emplacements around the mine entrance. Only when they were past them did Shepherd turn around. He tapped his commbadge.
"Chell! NOW!"
The weapons emplacements were not very sophisticated, but that had made Chell's job simpler. Their computers activated, the target assist systems turned on, and the turrets took aim at the Kazon now charging them across the settlement center.
TSEW TSEW TSEW TSEW TSEW
Blue phaser blasts erupted from the cannons, blasting up dirt, debris, and bodies. The Kazon fell in droves, and many took cover behind the wagon. Shepherd pulled out his tricorder as he knelt behind a metal wall barricade.
"EVERYONE GET DOWN!" He shouted. Venthen and Garbatt hit the dirt hard, Biessman following a second later to get over Venthen. Shepherd hit a button on his tricorder.
"Bang," he muttered, and the wagon exploded. Dozens of Kazon went flying as the wagon erupted into a cloud of dust and fire. Shrapnel bounced off the metal barricade as it rained. Only when it had ceased did Shepherd stand up.
"You have your orders," he said, as more Kazon began to stream out of the smoke, "let's move!"
High above, the Thunderbird drifted through the debris field of the planet, warp drive offline as it had been the twenty times B'Elanna had checked it before. She bit back another sigh, her frustration mounting.
"You know, it's not going to change the longer you stare at it," Paris observed, leaning back in his chair next to hers. B'Elanna snorted, crossing her arms.
"I hate this sneaky shit," she said, "always have."
"Odd thing for a wanted Maquis terrorist to say," Paris quipped, arching a pale eyebrow. "I mean, you did that heist of gold pressed latinum from Juhraya."
"I handled the technical stuff, not the sneaking around crap," she muttered. "I just... I hate having to wait, ya know?"
Paris nodded.
"I hate it too. Getting frustrated over it isn't going to help with your other problems though," he said. B'Elanna shot daggers at him from her eyes.
"What's that supposed to mean?!" She snarled. Tom just gave her a knowing look as he relaxed in the pilot's chair, utterly at ease. B'Elanna kept glaring, icy hate in her gaze.
"I don't... I don't want to talk about it!" She growled. Tom shrugged.
"Okay," he said. B'Elanna turned back to her controls, again monitoring the warp core. She gritted her teeth.
"... She was my best friend," she growled. "And all this time, she was just-just-!"
"A spy?" Tom asked. B'Elanna glared over at him. He remained unmoved. "Sold you out?"
"... Yeah," she muttered. She took a deep, angry breath. "I told her so many things. Things I'd never told anyone else about. She was just... She listened. She got me. She wanted me to be better and..." She shut her eyes.
Paris nodded slowly.
"Yeah," he said, "she got us all pretty damn good."
B'Elanna stared at her console, no longer seeing the screen itself.
"... I'm sorry," she said.
Tom shrugged.
"It's all right," he said, "I'd have suspected me of being the traitor too. I mean, disgraced son of a famous Starfleet Admiral? Wanting to join the Maquis?" He snorted. "I wouldn't have believed it myself."
"Even so," she said quietly, "I'm sorry for how I treated you." She shook her head. "And... You are a pretty good pilot."
Paris grinned smugly.
"B'Elanna Torres, complimenting me? Computer, end program!"
"I'm serious!" She insisted, "you kept us in Neelix's warp wake so perfectly the entire way here! I don't think Chakotay could have done that!"
"No, he couldn't," Paris said with a shrug and a smirk. Torres snorted, rollng her eyes.
"See, this is why I don't try to be nice to you," she grumbled.
"That's a shame," Paris said, "I'd like to see that sometime. The novelty would be enthralling."
B'Elanna snorted, resisting the urge to grin.
"That your idea of a pick up line?" She asked. Tom chuckled.
"Did it work?" He asked.
The console beeped, very conveniently B'Elanna thought. She leaned forward and checked the readings, as did Paris.
"Jamming?" Paris asked. "Why are they putting out jamming fields if they-"
"It's a trap," B'Elanna finished the thought grimly. "I've got Raiders-Three of them coming up fast behind us!"
Paris's fingers went to the console, and they danced across the glassy surface. The Thunderbird spun around, letting momentum carry it as it faced the three Kazon raiders. They opened fire with phasers, the blue shots lancing through the vacuum between them. Paris twisted his fingers, and the Thunderbird flipped out of the way, diving in a low arc to avoid the shots. The inertial dampeners seemed to barely be working, as B'Elanna held onto her chair for dear life.
"Warn Voyager," Paris said, hitting the thrusters as he quickly ascended upwards. The Thunderbird shot up like an arrow, thrusters fluttering across its wings as Tom made minute adjustments to their course to keep out of the hail of phaser fire.
"It's too late!" B'Elanna warned, "they're warping in!"
Nearby, Voyager dropped out of warp and flew in fast, her impulse drives on full. Emerging from behind the station, two large Kazon motherships charged straight for her. The station itself began firing phasers, and the Intrepid-class starship dove and rolled to avoid as many shots as it could. Her phasers opened up, blasting through the weak shields on the station and the two motherships, but their sheer bulk kept the damage minimal. Paris hit the reverse thrusters, slamming them to a relative halt, as two Kazon raiders flashed by. He hit the impulse drive again, launching himself after the two as the third had veered off in the opposite direction.
"I've got them," Torres spoke, firing the phasers. Two shots disabled one of the Raiders, and a third barrage hit the core. The Raider went up in a fireball, that Paris slid right by as he adjusted pitch to point them at the other Raider. "And him too!"
Phaser blasts roared through the gap, and the Kazon ship took all the hits before it succumbed to a warp core breach.
"Five more Raiders incoming," B'Elanna warned urgently, "looks like they're taking this seriously!"
"Good," Paris said, accelerating to full impulse, "so are we! Thunderbird to Voyager, plan still on?"
"Stick to it Tom!" Janeway ordered, "just keep the small fry off us!"
"Understood!"
The prisoners had been kept in simple tents nearby the mine entrance. The Away Team met more than a few Kazon guards, but the Cardassian and Starfleet captives immediately cottoned on to the fact this was a jailbreak and set about distracting and attacking their captors. Biessman couldn't help but appreciate that in a sense: It made their job a lot easier.
It was, however, a bit boring. He'd only gotten to frag a few of these bastards, and now he couldn't even shoot these damned Cardies!
"Biessman!" Shepherd shouted, over the loud chatter and confused cries of the people, "check the south end! Jurot go with him!"
"Understood!" Biessman shouted, charging through the rows of tents and running humans and Cardassians. Jurot followed behind him fast, cutting down Kazon with her hand phaser. The Betazoid knew how to provide good cover, he'd give her that much. A Kazon charged him with a sword, swinging it wildly. Biessman just heft his rifle and swung the butt right into the face of the alien, dropping him hard. Biessman stomped on his groin as he kept running. He allowed himself a juvenile grin.
Still, he was busting heads. And if the Cardies decided to stab them in the back? He'd bust their heads too.
They came to a junction. Biessman heard some cries from a tent to the left, so he ran up and charged through the flaps. He stopped short in disgust.
A Kazon man with his pants down had a Cardassian woman underneath him. The woman was bound by her hands and gagged, and covered in bruises. The Kazon leered up at him, and pulled out a phaser.
Biessman reacted instantly, throwing himself to the side as the beam shot out! It grazed him, its raw, unrestrained power bringing his forcefield down to almost nothing. He tried to get his rifle on the Kazon but the alien tackled him! He fell to the dirt floor, landing and twisting to keep the momentum from harming him. He rolled quickly, using a wrestling hold to get the Kazon underneath. The alien kneed him hard, and Biessman felt a sharp metal point pierce his suit. He grit his teeth against the pain, but the distraction was enough for the Kazon to break the hold and slam his phaser into the side of his face!
Biessman retaliated with an eye gouge, and the Kazon howled. He reared back, pointing his phaser right at Biessman's chest!
The big human had no time to think of anything... As the Cardassian woman threw herself at the Kazon, knocking him onto his side. Biessman pulled his hand phaser, and blasted him at full power!
The Kazon was vaporized, screaming his last in a haunting echo. Biessman was left kneeling on the dirt floor, panting hard, as he stared at the Cardassian woman. She panted back just as hard around her gag, staring back.
The silence was tense. Jurot came in.
"Took your fucking time, Jurot," Biessman grumbled.
"Had to deal with two outside," Jurot said. She looked at the Cardassian woman. She walked up to her, projecting calm. "it's all right. We're getting you out of here."
The Cardassian woman hestitated, just a moment, before she nodded. Jurot knelt down, and undid her gag and restraints. She dropped them onto the dirt floor, her eyes narrowed.
"Any others?" She asked. The Cardassian woman coughed.
"Y-Yes," she said, "five others in the nearby tent. They kept us... With some Federation women... And..."
Biessman hefted up his phaser rifle. His eyes narrowed.
"Don't have to say anything else," he said softly. The woman stared at him. Biessman shook his head. "We'll handle it."
Biessman turned to the Cardassian woman.
"Hey," he said, "got a name, and can you walk?"
She managed a nod, and got up to her feet. Biessman grabbed some spare clothes from a corner, and tossed them to her. The Cardassian woman took them and pulled them on quickly.
"I... I'm Orra," she managed. Despite how he had found her, she still had that Cardassian pride in her eyes. She met his gaze evenly, determined. Biessman nodded back.
"All right Ora," he said, "we'll get everyone out of this. Get to the Raiders, now." He handed her the Kazon phaser. "Take this."
Ora nodded again.
"Thank you," she said, getting up and heading out. Biessman let out a low breath.
He looked over at Jurot.
"The Kazon here resisted and left us no choice but to kill them all," he stated. Jurot stared back, and then slowly nodded.
"Agreed," she said.
He still had problems with the Cardassians... But even they didn't deserve shit like this.
Shepherd was, frankly, concerned. This operation was threatening to fall apart at any second, despite how well they were doing here. It didn't matter if they won on the planet though, if they couldn't get out of here. Right now, that was looking to be very difficult. He stood outside the Raiders parked on the dusty floodplain, many Cardassians and Starfleet prisoners all crowded around the ships. He tapped his earbud.
"Venthen? How many people can your Raider carry?" He called. The Andorian officer responded.
"About ten. That's enough for the bridge to get us out of there, but fighting any Kazon aboard?"
Shepherd grimaced.
"Right, that's the trick," he muttered. He turned to Garbatt, who had rushed out of his raider. "Garbatt?"
"Ten for my ship as well," he said, "though it may take longer to jumpstart our ship."
Shepherd grimaced. He had an idea. It wasn't a great one. It wasn't even good, but...
"Munroe! Chell!" He barked. Munroe was firing on Kazon as they came over the ridge past the mine, and looked up from his emplacement. Chell was taking potshots as well, on the other side but nearby.
"Sir?"
"You'll go with Glinn Garbatt to his ship, and jumpstart it," he ordered. Chell's eyes widened.
"Sir?!" He gasped. Shepherd sighed, and looked over at Garbatt.
"He's one of our best engineers, if he can't get it running faster no one can," he said. Garbatt stared back, then nodded.
"They will come to no harm, I promise," he said. Shepherd nodded, smiling.
"They better not," he ordered. The Glinn turned and ran up the Raider gangplank. Munroe ran after him, not hesitating. Chell finally got after him, though he still hesitated. Shepherd looked back at the camp and saw Biessman and Jurot running up, accompanied by or carrying several women from both ships. "Biessman! Jurot! Go with Venthen and her people. Get the Lillehammer running!"
"But if we can't take down the jammer-" Jurot protested, but Shepherd shook his head.
"Let me worry about that!" He shouted. He tapped his earbud. "Neelix! Get going out of here! Once clear, send this message to Voyager!"
He tapped out the text message on his tricorder and send it through the channel. Neelix, upon reading it, gasped.
"Sir?! Are you sure-?"
"COMPLETELY!" Shepherd shouted. "NOW GO!" He looked to his troops, and gestured up to the Raider. "Get going now! Voyager needs you!"
"But sir, you're-!" Biessman tried, but Shepherd shook his head.
"I've got it covered," he said. "Relax, I've got this. GO!"
Biessman grimaced, but nodded and barreled up the gangplank. Jurot was hot on his heels, and the gangplank closed after them. Both Raiders began to rise slowly, making the crowds back away. Confusion and anger began to ripple through them as more fire fell on them. Shepherd got on top of a barrel, and whistled loudly.
"EVERYONE! EVERYONE LISTEN!" He bellowed. He got all eyes on him. "This isn't going to be the smoothest rescue, but we're gonna get out of here! I just need you all to work with me, all right?!"
"What happens after we work together?!" Demanded a Cardassian. Shepherd shrugged.
"You can live your life however you deem fit! HOWEVER! One problem at a time!" He pointed at the ridge. "That transmitter is preventing us from beaming out! We're not going back in to storm the place! Instead, what I need from you all is simple!"
He looked around and grinned.
"Cover me!" He bellowed. "We're a long way from home! You've been through hell! I've been through hell! But I know, I KNOW... We can get through this together!" He pointed at the ridge, as more Kazon came over. "Those bastards want to make slaves of us all, huh?! Federation and Cardassian?! Seems they need a lesson in who they're dealing with! All I need from you, for us to all get out now... Is to cover me... But most importantly!"
He threw off his hat and mustache, but let his cloak fly in the wind. He grinned.
"Is have a little faith!" He finished. He jumped off the barrel and walked up towards the ridge. One Bolian gaped in disbelief as he strode out past the improvised barricades.
"Are you insane?!" He cried.
Shepherd shrugged, as several Kazon made it over the ridge. He grasped the hilt of Electric Nightmare.
"Probably," he admitted, "I just wanted to live a quiet life. Let my parents be the intense ones, the heroes." He sighed deeply as he began walking towards his opponents, his cloak waving behind him.
"But here I am, on the other side of the galaxy. On a ship of nutjobs, cutthroats, and former terrorists. Always being thrust into the strange, the crazy, the insane." He shook his head as the Kazon charged him, guns held up, "and people need more than some guy who is doing his job."
His eyes narrowed.
"They need hope... So if I've gotta be the one to give that to them," he decided, as phaser blasts hit his forcefield, lowering it to nearly nothing, "then I guess..."
He hit the release on Electric Nightmare, and it flew like a rocket! It spun like a deadly disc, slicing through several Kazon as it flew in an arc. Shepherd held out his hand, the homing bracelet summoning the blade back to his hand. He grasped it both hands and charged, running right up to the next wave of Kazon. The first, he thrust his sword right this chest. Shepherd didn't waste a thought for his shocked expression, yanking out his sword and swinging it left and right to remove the hands of the flanking Kazon!
"... that's what..."
He threw Electric Nightmare into the barrel of another Kazon's phaser, splitting the weapon in half. Shepherd sprinted forward, summoning the blade back to his hand. The Kazon got his own sword up, but Shepherd easily angled his thrust past his weak defense to thrust it through the Kazon's throat.
"... I'm gonna be!" He finished.
The Bolian who had spoken watched this happen in so short a time, his jaw hanging down. The Cardassian next to him was also astonished, but when another Kazon crested the ridge, he took aim and fired, bringing him down. The Bolian had a smile on his face, as he hefted up his own stolen Kazon phaser and opened up. Shepherd dodged and weaved through the continuing swarm of Kazon, slicing and striking where he could. He charged for a Kazon out in the open, hefting up a spear. Before he could strike his target though, a duranium blade shot through the Kazon's chest. Shepherd slid to a stop, as Shining Blood was whipped back to the hand of its wielder by a monofilament wire. Shepherd looked over at Sousek, frowning deeply.
"Sousek Ichinru," he said to the blooded, burned, but still very much alive Dan-Maje, "sorry our duel was interrupted."
The Kazon smiled, and laughed through the painful looking burns on his face under his eyepatch.
"That's fine, Shepherd," he said, "I think you'll make time for me now!"
Up in orbit Voyager was dealing with the attack as best she could. Janeway held onto her armrests tightly as Chakotay put the nimble ship through turn and twist, keeping her moving and dodging as the Kazon filled local space with phaser blasts.
She wished she could keep all her attention on the battle outside, but they were engaged because of another issue inside.
"Lieutenant Foster!" She barked over the comm, "where is Seska?!"
"Captain, Seska is no longer in her quarters," the security officer reported tersely, "we're searching the ship!"
"Captain, one of the shuttles just launched," Harry said urgently. The ship shook as the small shuttle blasted out of the shields, punching through with its sheer mass. "Its out! Its headed for one of the motherships!"
"Should I fire on her, Captain?" Tuvok asked. Janeway shook her head.
"We can't spare the fire!" Janeway said. She saw Chakotay's shoulders tense, and she could tell his thoughts were going to Seska. To his betrayal.
"Chakotay! Give us some breathing room, get us on the far side of the station!" She ordered. Chakotay was still tense, but he complied as he accelerated Voyager for the far side of the large station. "Tuvok! Target their weapons!"
"Firing," the Vulcan reported, and orange red blasts issued from the starship. They struck the turrets on the station, silencing each one by one even as more blasts were returned. Voyager shook from the hits as she passed by the station, slowing to pull around it and use it as a shield.
"Shields are at 40 percent!" Kim reported. Harry shook his head. "They're concentrating their fire very well, Captain! All this jamming is making it hard to lock onto anything!"
"Keep trying, Harry," Janeway ordered.
"Two more Raiders are approaching from the surface," Tuvok reported. His eyebrow quirked slightly. "Lifesigns are non-Kazon. The Baxial is also entering communications range, and hailing us."
"Give me Neelix," she ordered. After a moment, "Neelix? What's going on?"
"They knew we were coming captain! Lieutenant Shepherd gave me a message to relay to you!" Neelix called frantically. Janeway checked the incoming text message on her console... And shook her head in disbelief.
"Is he insane?" She muttered.
"Captain," Tuvok said tersely, "a third Kazon mothership is approaching. The Thunderbird is engaging, attempting to draw their fire, but cannot hold them for long."
Janeway nodded slowly. This is why she was the captain, after all.
"Tuvok," she said, "prepare a photon torpedo, minimum yield. Target the following coordinates on the planet."
Tuvok looked over the text he received. His eyebrows rose slightly, but he nodded.
"Aye Captain. Target locked."
"Harry," Janeway said, "get ready to lock onto every being on those Raiders, for a site to site transport."
"But, Captain, the jammers are making it-" Harry protested.
"Do it!" Janeway ordered.
"Yes ma'am," Harry complied quickly. Janeway nodded.
"Chakotay, set a collision course for the main Kazon mothership," she ordered. Chakotay shot her an incredulous look, and she smirked. "Let's play a little chicken."
A grim smile came onto Chakotay's face, as his fingers danced over the control console.
"Yes Captain," he said, and Voyager screamed through space at full impulse! Janeway narrowed her eyes.
"Tuvok... On my mark... FIRE!"
Shepherd was parrying and deflecting the strikes as best he could. In his defense, Sousek's Shining Blood was less a sword, and more like a sword whip! The old Kazon was swinging the monofilament around with gloves like an expert puppeteer, swinging and throwing his blade out like a deadly yoyo. He didn't give Shepherd a chance to throw Electric Nightmare, and even when his blows missed, they kicked up dust into the air that made it hard to see him as they circled one another in the confused melee.
Sousek was grinning, the happiness evident in his face as he kept lashing out with his sword-whip!
"You gonna give me any more of a fight than this, Shepherd?" He taunted, "you're not showing me much!"
A lash from Shining Blood sliced across Shepherd's leg, and he bit down a scream. He hobbled out of the way of the next strike, and kneeled as he took deep breaths. He looked up, panting hard.
"Oh?" Shepherd asked, "and here I thought we had time to really have fun!"
Sousek yanked his sword back, the Kazon spinning it like a lasso over his head. Shepherd stood back up, ignoring the pain as best he could.
"But if you're getting impatient," Shepherd taunted, "I can finish this up right now!"
"I'm old, boy! I don't have patience for games!" Sousek shouted. Shepherd sighed.
"Well..." He froze and held his arms around. "Go ahead! Standing still!"
Sousek scowled at him.
"Come on boy! Do you really expect me to fall for a trick like that?!"
"We're standing in the middle of an active battlefield while starships fight overhead, and we're using swords," Shepherd shouted. "Me giving you a free shot is the least insane thing here!"
"YAH!" Sousek threw Shining Blood right at Shepherd, and tjhe human held his sword up. He pressed his palm up against the hilt, and Electric Nightmare thrummed. The Kazon blade struck right on target with a thunderous clang, and Shepherd spun on his feet, sending the blade past him far faster than it had before! Sousek gaped as Shepherd rushed him, sword moving easily to point for his throat!
"How-?!" Sousek barely dodged the lunge, Shepherd's blade slicing across his side. He yanked back hard and brought Shining Blood snapping back, trying to nail Shepherd right in the back. The human spun again, like a dancer, and again held his palm to his blade. His blade met Shining Blood in another deafening clang, and as the Kazon blade fell he stomped down on it to trap it. In this same step, he had spun around and pointed his blade right at Sousek's remaining eye. The Kazon let out a quiet gasp.
"H-How'd you-?"
"You'd be amazed at what you can do with an anti-grav device," Shepherd said seriously.
Sousek scowled.
"That's cheating!" He hissed.
"Is not," Shepherd replied, "if you'd asked about my sword's capabilities, I'd have explained them beforehand. But you didn't. So here we are. I won." He narrowed his eyes. "Hold up your end of the bargain."
Sousek's scowl deepened.
"You haven't given me a means of usurping Cullah's position, boy," he pointed out. Shepherd smiled.
"I think you'll have a great reason coming up," he said cheerfully. He checked his watch. "In about..."
An orange star descended from above, and plunged right into the mineshaft several hundred meters away. Nothing happened for a few seconds, then... The ground shook and rumbled. A massive shockwave blew through the earth underneath their feet, and a hole opened up in the ground where the torpedo had hit!
"Jamming system is destroyed, Captain!" Harry called out. Janeway nodded, allowing herself a little grin. The lead Kazon mothership was getting closer... Closer... Filling the viewer...
"Now Chakotay! Veer off!" Janeway shouted. Voyager twisted on her axis, and unleashed a punishing phaser barrage as it flashed by the Kazon vessel, blowing fiery chunks out of its hull. Chakotay brought Voyager upwards, as the Thunderbird closed in from below. As a single barrage, the Aeroshuttle launched six photon torpedoes, and broke off. Each torpedo slammed into the already flaming hull of the mothership, and detonated hard along its amber armor. Its concealed warp nacelles went up in a massive explosion, and the ship slowly rolled like a dying whale.
"Got a lock on the crews, Harry?" Janeway asked. Kim grinned.
"I can get it in a second, ma'am! Just get us in range!"
"Chakotay?" Janeway said.
"With pleasure, Captain," Chakotay said, and Voyager raced away from the burning mothership. The other two ships fired after her and the Thunderbird, but both vessels were too fast and evaded the shots.
"We're in range," Kim reported. Janeway nodded.
"Drop shields. Energize!"
Beaming multiple beings from one ship to another was a bit difficult for earlier generations of Federation starships. However, Voyager's advanced computers and linking with the sensors from the Thunderbird granted them a lot more precision with targeting. In mere seconds. the command crews of both the Lillehammer and the Cardassian destroyer were on their bridges. The nacelles of the Norway-class starship lit up first, as did her running lights. The vessel's phaser strips lashed out, cutting the vessel free of her moorings. The Cardassian vessel soon followed suit, its own overcharged phasers blasting through its bondage and allowing the manta-shaped ship to accelerate away.
Janeway didn't stop the smile on her face as their sister ships freed themselves.
"Chakotay! Take us into transporter range of the planet," she ordered, "let's finish this!"
The hole began to expand, faster, wider... Kazon fell into the pit, screaming for their lives as they tumbled to their deaths far below.
Sousek would have followed them... Had Shepherd not grabbed him by his forearm, and pulled him away from the expanding abyss.
Sousek's good eye widened as he watched the pithole stop expanding just centimeters from where he kneeled, and he looked back at Shepherd. The human grinned, and let the old Kazon go.
"Like I said. Here's your means," Shepherd explained, "Cullah pissed off people who just ruined your dilithium mine and are about to steal away your prizes. While you, sir," and here Shepherd bowed, "engaged in mortal combat with a Starfleeter and won the day. I had to retreat from the might of Shining Blood."
Shepherd stood up.
"And nobody's left to argue with your story," he said.
Sousek snorted.
"Most of these men were fools like Cullah," he said, "too few listened to me. Too few..." He looked back at the pit and sighed. "I failed them, this day."
"Then take this chance to prevent this kind of thing from ever happening again," Shepherd urged. "Build a better future for your people: Not as raiders, but as warriors. True warriors."
"You're a mad one, you know," he growled.
The human laughed, and rubbed the back of his head.
"Yeah," Shepherd agreed. The shimmering light of a transporter beam engulfed him and the rest of the Starfleet and Cardassians vanished in shimmering pillars of light.
Sousek stood up, and sighed. He looked down into the pit. He saw many Kazon still clinging to life. One looked up.
"Dan-Maje!" He cried. "What happened?!"
Sousek growled... Then smirked.
"I defeated the Federation demon!" He cried. "Shining Blood drove them off!" He threw his sword down, and it impaled the earthen wall just above the Kazon's head. "Here! It will save you!"
"Thank you, Dan-Maje!" The young Kazon cried, holding onto the sword handle. Sousek pulled back hard, stepping back to lift the young Kazon up. When he reached the lip, he went and got rope to help the other survivors. Sousek sighed as he looked up at the sky with his one good eye.
"Build a better future, huh?" He mused. He shook his head. "Well... It beats wasting away in this damned heat, I suppose..."
Shepherd materialized right on the bridge of USS Voyager. He turned to Janeway, and smiled.
"That's everyone!" Kim reported. "Lillehammer and Trager are underway! Thunderbird and Baxial are with us!"
"Tell them to follow us! Chakotay? Random course, Warp 7!" She ordered.
"Laid in," the big first officer reported.
"Engage!" She ordered. Shepherd turned to look at the viewscreen. The stars stretched, shone... And were now streaking by them. He let out a sigh of relief.
He heard Janeway step up alongside him. He turned to look at her, anxious.
"My away team-?"
"All accounted for and alive," Janeway said, smiling widely. "Congratulations, Mister Shepherd. We pulled it off."
"I see," Shepherd said with a slow nod. "And Seska?"
"Got away with a shuttle," Chakotay stated, cold as ice. Janeway nodded. Shepherd looked at his captain, and shrugged.
"Well... I have the feeling she's not going to be very popular," he said. "Anything else, Captain?"
"No Shepherd," she said, "that will be all."
Shepherd nodded, wavering a bit.
"In that case..."
He slumped and fell onto Janeway, unconscious. The slight captain yelped, tried to hold the big human up, and then gave up and contented herself with making sure he didn't hit the deck too hard. Chakotay left the conn and checked him. He looked over at his leg, eyes widened at the blood soaking his pant leg.
"Emergency transport to sickbay! Now!" Chakotay ordered. Shepherd vanished in a shimmer of light once again... Though Janeway couldn't help but notice that despite the circumstances, her security chief was smiling.
It somehow irritated her. Which, she supposed, was exactly how she was supported to feel.
And the conclusion! Hope you enjoyed!