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.
It wasn't like this was the first time Shepherd had been captured. Nor the first time he'd gotten the crap beaten out of him. You act like a smartass and people of any species will eventually lose patience and take a crack at you.
Luckily, Manny's acid hadn't been that scalding. The dermal regenerator had fixed it right up.
Honestly, while it was painful for a Kazon to break his ribs, he was able to keep his operational focus by the simple truth that he had been through worse... And far more creative.
"Ugh!" Shepherd managed a pain filled smile, and laughed, "HA! That kind of tickled, asshole! That how you greet your boyfriend in the evening?"
The Kazon snarled, and backhanded him across the face. Shepherd, being chained up to the ceiling, had enough slack to move with the blow. It was a lot less painful that way, and had been every time he'd been struck.
"And you hit like a girl!" He spat back. The Kazon turned even redder, and reached up to bring another blow down on his face-
Only for his fist to be caught by Sousek Ichinru's powerful hand. He glared at the underling, and tossed him aside. He fell face down on the cell's bare floor.
"Get out, before I string you up," he snarled. The younger Kazon fearfully scurried out, and the door slid shut behind him. There was silence in the cell. Shepherd gave Sousek a deadpan expression through his bruises.
"That's your interrogation technique? That sucks! Who taught him, some old Kazon granny?"
Sousek let out a long, low sigh. He crossed his arms over his bare chest, and leaned back against the cell wall. He closed his eyes and snorted. Shepherd watched the big Kazon, and tilted his head.
"Something I can do for you, Sousek?" Shepherd asked.
Sousek looked up at Shepherd with his one good eye.
"You still smile and laugh, despite knowing your fate," he said. Shepherd shrugged.
"The universe wants to make me cry and despair... I say, fuck the universe," he replied. "I'll smile in its face and laugh. Cause it'll piss it off."
Sousek chuckled, his smile bright.
"You remind me of my son," he said. "That little shit was always doing things to piss others off. Didn't care how hard he got beat up, he just kept smiling."
Sousek stared at Shepherd, and then down at the cell floor. Shepherd was silent, watching the old Kazon warrior reminisce in his grief. He then looked back up, hard and cold as his sword.
"I have been made Maje Cullah's second," he said.
"Behind Seska, I take it?" Shepherd asked. Sousek snorted.
"Yes," he replied, "my 'victory' over you allowed me to ascend."
"So, what, you're gonna fight me in the duel?" Shepherd asked. Sousek shook his head, his eyes narrowing.
"Cullah will slay you himself, with your own sword," he scoffed.
"Well what do I get?" Shepherd asked, "if it's gonna be a duel. Do I get to use Shining Blood?"
Sousek snorted again. He rummaged in his cloak, and held up a rusted iron sword. He held it up to Shepherd, before dropping it in front of the prisoner. Shepherd sighed.
"That figures," he grumbled, "I don't even get to use something cool to kill him." He brightened. "Still! When I take him down with this, it'll be extra awesome!"
Sousek gave Shepherd a strange look.
"You are confident of victory?" He asked in disbelief. "What are you, an idiot?"
Shepherd shrugged in his chains.
"I've taken enough hits to my head I might be, but no," he said. "I've seen how Cullah walks... How he held the sword."
Shepherd scoffed.
"He sucks... Why are you following such a loser?"
Sousek snorted.
"You're trying to play us against one another," he pointed out. "Even saving me-You're hoping it will play on my honor and make me spring you."
"Actually, no," Shepherd replied, "it's an observation. I'm fine where I am. That guy sucks. So why follow him?"
Sousek grimaced.
"His father was the last Maje, and he invested enough work and blood to ensure there were no rivals," he said. "He bought the rest off with bribes and favors. He knows flattery, he knows the power of wealth." He shook his head. "He is uniting the Kazon Sects right now."
"By selling out to Seska," Shepherd snorted. "All she knows is betrayal. She betrayed her own people. She betrayed us. She'll betray you."
"I know!" Sousek snarled, shaking his head furiously, "but what am I to do?!"
"Challenge him to a duel," Shepherd suggested, "slay the bastard. Hand Seska over to us."
"Yet the power of the Gateway... Even I can appreciate what it would do for us," Sousek sighed. He looked to Shepherd. "Your people would destroy it."
Shepherd smiled and shrugged, almost bashful.
"... Yeah," he admitted. "I mean... That kind of power could destroy the entire galaxy. Nobody should have it. I mean, could you trust anyone with that kind of power?"
Sousek was thoughtful.
"... I suppose not," the Kazon admitted, "yet I cannot allow such power to slip out-"
"There are far worse things out there in the galaxy," Shepherd said urgently, "and even with the Gateway and all the Kazon Sects together... You're not going to be able to stop them. You have heard of the Borg, haven't you?"
Sousek's face became dark.
"We are aware of them," he stated coldly. Shepherd nodded.
"Us too," he stated, in the same tone. "The risk is just too great. You can't let this go, Sousek! You know that Cullah and Seska will sacrifice as many Kazon as necessary for their selfish ends! Is it really worth it?!"
Sousek grit his teeth.
"I cannot simply betray my Maje!" He hissed, "to strike him down-There are too many Kazon who believe in his ways! I would be fighting for my position forever!"
"Then what are you going to do?" Shepherd asked, "aside from a whole lot of nothing."
Sousek took a deep breath.
"I don't know," he admitted, "I had thought to spirit you out of here-"
"Yeah, thanks, but I'm not going to do that," Shepherd said.
Sousek shook his head.
"You're going to do something foolish and idiotic," he stated. Shepherd thought about it... And smiled.
"We could do it together," he said. Sousek snorted.
"That depends on you surviving the duel with Cullah," he pointed out. Shepherd grinned.
"Don't you worry about that, Sousek," he said, "I'll handle it. And in return? When I do it, on your honor, you'll fight alongside me!"
Sousek growled.
"You are an impertinent whelp, you know that?" He asked, "and crazy."
"Yeah," Shepherd said with a nod, "but sometimes crazy works."
Sousek let out a long, tired sigh.
"If you accomplish this miracle," he said, "then I will fight alongside you."
"All right!" Shepherd cheered, holding his chained arms up, "everything's going great!"
Sousek shook his head in disbelief, and facepalmed. Shepherd grinned at the old Kazon.
"Hey hey, don't facepalm immediately! We haven't even gotten to the duel yet!"
Going through the transporter to another Federation starship was almost strange, after all the time spent in the Delta Quadrant. Janeway couldn't really put her finger on why. Perhaps it was simply that she had gotten so used to Voyager as her home that these surroundings were familiar, but not familiar enough.
The Lillehammer's transporter room was thus a bit strange to her, even with Captain Vethren waiting expectantly for her. The young Andorian woman was looking much healthier, and standing a bit straighter, but she still seemed haunted and meek.
"Welcome to the Lillehammer, captain," Vethren said with a smile. Janeway nodded respectfully back.
"Permission to come aboard?" She asked.
"Granted, ma'am," she replied. Janeway nodded and stepped off the pad. Vethren led her out the sliding double doors into the corridors. Lillehammer was a Norway-class, and as a result was more geared towards combat than Voyager was. Her corridors were just a bit smaller, with more obvious reinforcements in the structural members. The corridors were also a bit warmer in coloration, earthy browns and darker blues for the wall panels, below the touchscreens. The lights also were a bit warmer. Maybe it was personal preference, or an effort to make the ship more psychologically pleasing. Vethren noticed Janeway's inquisitive expression and smiled.
"When you're on a long term mission, earthy tones help with the psychological well being of a lot of humanoid races," Vethren explained. Janeway nodded.
"Maybe it's something I'll consider for Voyager," she said. "How are your repairs going?"
They made their way to the turbolift, and Vethren entered with Janeway. The doors shut, and Vethren looked up.
"Main engineering," she ordered, and the turbolift hummed as it moved them to the required deck. She looked over at Janeway
"We've got most of our systems back online," she said, "the Kazon tried to rip out a lot, but the lockout kept them from getting anything more than our cargo and some of our backup supplies."
"That's good to know," Janeway said with a nod. The turbolift came to a stop, and the doors opened. They exited, into the brightly lit heart of the Lillehammer. The warp core was more stout and compact than Voyager's, lit brightly. A familiar officer was coordinating with the other engineers, as he worked at the main control panel. Janeway smiled as she walked up to him, Vethren alongside.
"Mister Carey! How are you doing?" Janeway asked. The tall engineer turned and smiled back.
"Great! She's not as sophisticated as Voyager, but she's got her charms," he said. He winced at Vethren's look, "ah, sorry Captain-"
"It's fine," Vethren said quickly, "thank you for working so hard, Lieutenant. I really appreciate it!" She looked over at Janeway with a smile. "We wouldn't have gotten anywhere without him."
"The important question is if Lillehammer is ready for combat," Janeway said urgently, "we're going to be leaving in six hours."
Carey glanced over at Vethren, then back at his captain.
"The phaser cannons are online, the main phasers are ready, the photon torpedoes are running a bit low-"
"So are the Trager's," Janeway stated, "but we have more than enough spares to supply both ships."
"Supplying the Cardassians with torpedoes?" Carey asked, a bit incredulously. Janeway gave him a sharp, but not unkind look.
"They're willing to fight alongside us and their launchers are basically copies of our last generation models," she said, "sharing our spare weapons gives us all a better chance of success."
"Yes ma'am," Carey replied with a nod, "anyway, the Lillehammer's shields are back online, and she's got ablative armor. She's probably better suited for combat than we are."
"Ah, captain," Vethren said, "may I speak with you in private?"
Janeway nodded.
"Of course," she said. She nodded to Carey. "Contact Tuvok, so we can start up the transfer."
Janeway followed Vethren to an isolated part of main engineering, near the warp core and out of sight. The Andorian sighed deeply.
"Captain," she said, "I think you should have Commander Chakotay take over for me as captain of the Lillehammer."
Janeway frowned.
"Why?" She asked. Vethren shook her head.
"I... I'm not captain material," she said. "You've taken charge from the day you rescued us, and I've obeyed. I've just done what you said-I-I don't have the command training necessary for this job-I-I was just a tactical analyst!"
"You kept your crew together for months in what was effective hell," Janeway said firmly, "that's the kind of loyalty that can't be replicated. Chakotay wouldn't have that from your crew-They have it for you."
Vethren shook her head.
"All I did was-was keep them together," she said quickly, "I was the only one who could-Everyone else was dead-They needed someone to keep them from losing hope-!"
"That's what being captain is all about," Janeway said softly, looking the young woman right in the eyes, "being the pillar your crew needs. Even if you don't feel confident, even if you can't hope for yourself, you have to be that for them." Janeway sighed quietly, and shook her head. "Or do you think any Starfleet captain just suddenly sprung out of the Academy, able to command a ship?"
"I... It wasn't my job," Vethren said, looking aside, "I was never meant to be that for them."
"Like it or not, you are that," Janeway said firmly. She glared and rested a hand on Vethren's shoulder. The Andorian looked back into Janeway's eyes. "You're that for this crew. Maybe you don't know the protocols. Maybe you don't have the training, but you have the most important part: Their loyalty and trust. That's the heart of being a captain. You earned that. That makes you the captain. And they won't accept anyone else easily in such a short time. Time we don't have. Understand?"
Vethren took a deep breath. Her antenna stood straight. She gave Janeway a grim nod.
"I..." Vethren said, "yes ma'am."
Janeway allowed herself a comforting smile. She was so young... So hurt.
"I wish we had more time," Janeway said, "but we don't. You're not a bad captain just because you follow my lead. No one's asking you to single handedly save the galaxy or immediately become the second coming of Kirk. All I need is for you to lead your ship into battle alongside us... To be a Starfleet officer. What happened on that world hasn't changed that. All right?"
Vethren managed a nod. She stood up a little straighter.
"Yes ma'am," she replied. Janeway nodded back.
"And I will help you however I can," she said. She nodded over at Joe Carey, still at work, "Mister Carey was next in line for Chief Engineer on my ship. I think he might be happier here. Definitely more needed," she said.
Vethren nodded back.
"I agree, ma'am," she said, "and thank you Captain."
Janeway smiled back.
"Of course... Captain," she replied with a nod.
Vethren frowned.
Janeway's smile grew slightly.
"One day," she said, "you'll get used to being called that."
"I hope so," Vethren spoke.
Shepherd looked up as the door to his cell opened. A tall Talaxian walked in, his tall hat in his hand. Shepherd sighed.
"I was wondering when you'd show up," he said, "General Roxas."
The Talaxian grimaced.
"You're used to feeling smug, aren't you?" The general asked.
"Just as much as you're used to feeling in control," Shepherd shot back. The General crossed his arms behind his back, still standing ramrod straight. He paced in the cramped, dirty prison cell, before looking back at the human.
"Do you think I feel in control now?" The general asked. Shepherd shrugged.
"I don't know," he said, "why are you talking to me? You're not going to get anything out of it."
"You still act like you have any chance," Roxas growled. "Just bearing a grin at the universe!"
Shepherd sighed and looked bored. Which, honestly, he was.
"Is there a point to this?" He asked.
Roxas grumbled. He glanced back at the cell doors, then sat back down on a bench.
"... My people had a great empire once," he said, "we lost it. We lost it because we weren't strong enough. We weren't fierce enough. We were a bunch of traders! Shopkeepers!"
Shepherd was silent. Roxas glowered down at the floor fiercely.
"We tried to get it all back... And we failed. Over and over again, no matter what we did," he growled. "No matter how strong I was... It wasn't enough."
"And this will get it back?" Shepherd asked. "Selling out your people? Your President-?"
"She is a child," Roxas snorted, "she's never had the strength to get anything done. Not without me. She's nothing but a dreamer. I am trying to make her dreams a reality!"
"She wants a Talax Prime that is safe and free," Shepherd replied, "being subservient to the Kazon isn't going to do that."
"We will not be subservient!" Roxas snarled, "we will reclaim our empire! They will just be the means to an end!"
Shepherd nodded.
"Then why are you in here, talking to me?" He asked. "Why are you trying to justify this to me?"
Roxas glared angrily at him. He stood up, and brushed himself off.
"You will meet your end in twenty of your hours," Roxas stated, "you should make peace with your gods."
"Maybe you should try that with yours, too," Shepherd replied.
The general sighed, turned and walked out the door. He slammed it shut behind him. Shepherd grimaced.
"I hope they at least give me a last meal," he mumbled, "then I can rate it against the others I've had..."
Janeway strode out onto the bridge of Voyager, her expression deadly and intense. She made her way to her command chair, and sat down slowly. President Larxene was with her, and took the first officer's chair. Chakotay was at the conn, deftly managing the ship with his excellent touch.
"Mister Tuvok?" She called. Tuvok, at tactical, nodded as he typed on his console.
"The last Trabe ship is in position, Captain," he said, "all ships are ready."
Through the viewscreen, hundreds of vessels were massed together around Voyager. The Trabe vessels were what the Kazon used, so it was a bit strange to see hundreds of potential adversaries surrounding them. Lurking between them like gigantic whale sharks were dark blue and gray striped, arrowhead shaped warships with ring-shaped warp drives: The Haakonian ships. Their government had quickly dispatched almost a hundred ships to join their forces after Maje Cullah's holographic message. They dwarfed all but the large Trabe carriers,
And darting amongst these vessels like minnows and cod seeking shelter from predators flew bright blue Talaxian fighters and frigates-Small, but nimble and numerous. The Lillehammer was nearby ahead, off Voyager's port bow, lit up and ready to go. Further ahead was the Trager, flocked by a number of Talaxian fighters. Janeway nodded in satisfaction.
In all honesty, it was her first real fleet command outside of a few exercises back home. Even then, that had been squadrons of five to six ships fighting other squadrons in war games. And never between three races with such a long and recent history of war between them. It had taken a lot of doing, and a lot of handshakes and potential favors to get it done, but here it was.
It was quite the achievement. Pity nobody at Starfleet Command would know about it for decades, even if they succeeded.
"Mister Kim, transmit the destination coordinates, and then open a channel to the fleet," Janeway ordered. Harry nodded.
"Aye captain. Channel open," he replied, the hailing chime ringing over the silent bridge. Janeway stood up again, an instinctive movement.
"This is Voyager to attack fleet: Begin the warp countdown," she said. "Destination coordinates have been transmitted. Begin jump to warp when your squadron is given the appropriate signal."
"Countdown commencing, Captain," Chakotay said, already at the conn. She would have preferred Tom there when they were going into battle, but she had a special task for him and Hazard Team. "Ten... Nine... Eight..."
Janeway sat back down in her chair, gripping her armrests. President Larxene was worrying her hands already, staring intensely at the screen. Behind her, Neelix looked down and reached out a hand. The President looked up, startled, but reached up to take it. She returned his smile.
Janeway hid her own smile: Let them sort out their personal issues. They had a job to do... And a crewman to rescue.
"Three... Two... One... Mark!" Chakotay called out.
The squadrons ahead of them jumped to warp, stretching briefly for an eternity before snapping into Cohrane's universe. The Trager followed, keeping pace. Next, the Trabe's raiders and the Haakonian cruisers and destroyers jumped into warp, led by the Lillehammer. Finally, Janeway felt Voyager's engines come to life, and felt the universe shift around them. The Haakonian battleships and Trabe carriers jumped alongside them, the viewscreen flashing with multicolored light... Before a starfield of moving streaks took its place.
"All ships at warp, Captain," Chakotay reported with a smile, "On course at Warp 6. ETA in five hours."
"That's almost right on the deadline," Harry pointed out. Janeway nodded.
"I'm aware, Mister Kim," Janeway stated.
"Will that be in time to rescue Mister Shepherd?" Neelix asked urgently. Janeway nodded, her eyes hard.
"It'll have to be..."
Maybe it was foolish to put so much effort into saving one man... But he was her crewmember. He had put himself on the line to save this ship and others.
She wouldn't let his sacrifice be in vain.
Alive or dead? Janeway would bring him home.
A pair of large, burly Kazon were Shepherd's final visitors. Brainless thugs who were already brandishing their weapons. Shepherd sighed, and held out his free wrists.
"All right, let's go," he stated. The Kazon punched him in the chest, slamming him back into the metal wall. Shepherd grimaced.
"I made your jobs easier!" He grunted. The Kazon grabbed him and dragged him out of his cell. They manhandled him down the corridor, past other Kazon who shouted at him. A few others just glared.
Finally, they brought him out to a large open space. It was almost like an arena, underneath the Iconian Control Room he'd been brought here through. He could even see Seska up there through the transparent material of the Iconian facility walls. She looked almost exasperated, for a Cardassian. He could see why though.
The Kazon were all gathered around the arena, yelling and laughing and jeering at him. Most of them wore the colors of the Kazon-Nistrim, while many others worse different colors and insignia. It was clear that Maje Cullah wanted to put on quite the show for his execution. Sousek stood amidst the rabble, unmoved, with his arms crossed over his broad chest. Nearby him was General Roxas, standing with a few meek looking Talaxian soldiers who were clustered around him like goslings near their mother for protection. Only Roxas seemed relatively at ease, projecting calm confidence.
But Shepherd knew better, even as he was dragged into the center of the room. He was tossed to the ground, and slammed down almost onto his face. He caught himself with his hands, and coughed hard. He pushed himself back up. He got to his feet, slightly unsteady. He brushed himself off, though no amount of that would get the dirt and dust off his uniform.
At last, Maje Cullah appeared. The crowds parted for him, as he boldly strode through the rabble. He got cheers from his men, and he smirked and waved back at them. Hanging from his belt was Electric Nightmare, clinking gently against his thigh as he swaggered to the center of the vast arena.
"KAZON!" Maje Cullah bellowed, raising his arm up high, "TODAY IS THE DAY WE ARE UNITED!"
The roar of the crowd reached the ceiling, making the facility shake from their stomping and loud voices.
Maje Cullah held his hands up, and the crowd quieted down.
"The Voyagers seek to take the Gateway from us! They seek to take their man back!" He shouted. "They have enlisted traitors and Trabe to do their dirty work for them! Even now, their fleet moves against us! We will destroy them! They will crash upon our forces, and be broken!"
Much booing ensued, along with bellows of rage. A piece of garbage was hurled at Shepherd, but he took the hit without moving. He let it clatter to the floor beneath them, as Maje Cullah once again motioned for quiet.
Still, that was good news, Shepherd reflected, that his captain had assembled a fleet to destroy the Gateway. As well as save him, he hoped.
"Now, now is our time to ascend! To become the rightful rulers of not just the Delta Quadrant, BUT THE GALAXY!" Cullah bellowed. More cheers ensued, the Nistim providing most of the volume. Cullah smirked at Shepherd, his look full of complete contempt and spiteful mirth.
"A people so reliant on technology... So determined not to share..." He nodded to one of his underlings, who tossed a plain, steel blade out at Shepherd. It clattered onto the floor, inspiring ripples of mocking laughter as it fell short of Shepherd's position.
"Let's see how you fare... Without it," Cullah sneered. He drew Electric Nightmare, the blade thrumming with familiar energy. Many Kazon in the crowd gasped and awed in amazement. Sousek's eternal scowl deepened.
"Nothing to say, Voyager?" Cullah shouted mockingly. "No threat? No quip?!"
Shepherd slowly knelt down, and took the blade up. He swung it once or twice, getting a feel for the weight. He nodded, and took his stance.
"I'm not wasting my breath on a pretender to the throne," Shepherd called back, "it embarrasses us both."
Cullah snarled. There were some laughs and jeers from the non-Nistrim Kazon. The Talaxians just looked more uncomfortable. Save for General Roxas, though the strain was becoming obvious on his face.
Cullah held the blade up, glaring between its edges.
"You do have honor where you come from, don't you Voyager?" He demanded.
"Is that what you call taking my sword and giving me a piece of scrap iron?" Shepherd shot back. "I think the universal translator is screwed up: That doesn't mean honor where I come from."
"Honor is defined by those with power," Cullah replied angrily, pointing Electric Nightmare at Shepherd. Shepherd nodded back.
"And having to defend yourself in front of a helpless captive is having power?" Shepherd asked. He shook his head in disbelief, smirking through the bruises on his face. "My mistake. Maybe the fault is with you, not the Translator."
"I'LL TEACH YOU THE PRICE FOR YOUR SMART MOUTH!" Cullah shouted. He activated Electric Nightmare's recall bracelet, and threw the blade right for Shepherd. It spun like a shuriken, cutting through the air with a high pitched, piercing whistle.
Shepherd held his ground, counted down... And leaned back as he swung his primitive blade fast and upwards.
With a deafening clang, he struck the flat side of the blade! The blow knocked it up, and made it tumble away. Cullah's eyes widened in surprise, but he had the sense to extend his hand and resummon the blade to his hands. He caught Electric Nightmare, gritting his teeth against the jeers and shouts of the crowd. A few Kazon even cheered for the human, though they were a minority to be sure.
"You... How...?" Cullah growled. Shepherd smirked at him.
"I've wielded your stolen blade since I was a child, Maje Cullah," he shouted back. "I know all its tricks. I know everything it can do."
He shrugged, and adjusted his stance.
"Still want to go through with this?" Shepherd asked with an infuriating grin.
The Maje roared, and charged with Electric Nightmare pointing right for Shepherd's chest!
"Thought so," Shepherd muttered, as he strode forward to meet him!
Here we go...!