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.
The Kazon fleet was very large, and fanned out over the Iconian world in a ragged formation. It was rather sloppy, befitting their loose, uncertain alliances. But they numbered twice as many as the allied fleet, and they knew enough tactics to begin launching and detonating photon torpedoes into their flight path. The vanguard of Talaxian fighters manuevered as best they could at warp to evade the projectiles, or to draw them off from the main body as they approached.
It was a critical few seconds needed for the fleet to come out of warp in an organized force, not a scattered series of wrecks.
But the Trager's crew was coordinating them well, and they succeeded-Just in time to allow the massed fleet to drop out of warp above the Kazon forces. The Iconian world was a blood red backdrop. An appropriate color, Janeway thought, for the bloody work that lay ahead.
This is when all hell broke loose. Particle beam weapons and projectiles screamed across the gulf between the two fleets, like brightly colored storms of light. Voyager shook as her torpedoes launched into the Kazon formations, her fire joining the Haakonian, Talaxian and Trabe vessels'. The Kazon return fire streaked right back for them, Talaxian fighters and Haakonian drones doing their best to draw away fire from the big guns. Janeway gripped her armrests tightly as the ship rattled around her, energy blasts striking Voyager's forward shields.
"Damage report!" Janeway barked.
"Shields at 90 percent and holding!" Harry called. Larxeena gripped the armrest of the first officer's chair tightly with one hand, while her other held onto Neelix's, as though for dear life.
"The Kazon fleet is consolidating," Tuvok stated, "attempting to concentrate their fire."
"We can't let that happen," Janeway stated, "Trabe raiders and Haakonian frigates! Break and attack! Lillehammer, lead the charge!"
"Acknowledged!" Vethren called. The Lillehammer accelerated rapidly, smaller Trabe and Haakonian ships following her in a wedge. They broke from the main body of the fleet, coming around the flank to attack the Kazon ships from the port aspect. Several Kazon raiders flew out to intercept, a broken, ragged formation. A few other Kazon frigates joined them, blasting away with their phasers towards the incoming group.
Lillehammer rolled, her escorts following her to stay with her. They held their fire, closing in to ten thousand kilometers... Five thousand... One thousand...
"Now!" Vethren bellowed.
Lillehammer opened up with her phaser strips and cannons, orange bolts and beams blasting through the first few Kazon raiders. The ships went up like firecrackers, exploding into burning wrecks. The Haakonian and Trabe ships opened fire with Lillehammer, widening the gap with their massed fire.
They burst into the Kazon lines, Lillehammer and her companions flying fast as they strafed through the ragged Kazon formations. Even in the tight gaps between ships, the Lillehammer maneuvered artfully, drifting like a ground car on a tight turn and a wet surface. Only the smaller Kazon vessels could pursue them, and multiple such vessels left the outer circle of protection they were offering to give chase.
"Talaxian frigates, torpedo runs, now!" Janeway ordered.
A dozen Talaxian frigates went to maximum burn on their impulse engines, and began letting loose with their torpedoes. The projectiles shot through the weakened defensive screen, and a Kazon carrier took heavy damage from the massed fire. It retaliated with another massive torpedo barrage, their Talaxian fighter screen doing their best to intercept or dupe the missiles.
Trager moved forward with a few Haakonian cruisers, absorbing a few torpedoes with her forward shields. The Cardassian ship rocked visibly from the impacts.
"Trager's shields are at 60 percent," Tuvok warned.
"Chakotay, get us closer to support them," Janeway ordered. "Haakonian dreadnoughts, focus your fire on the lead carrier! Lock all our weapons on it!"
"Ready," Tuvok reported.
"FIRE!"
Voyager moved up alongside the Trager, and in concert with the Haakonian heavies behind, opened up with all their weapons. The lead Kazon carrier, already on fire, was struck by most of the fire. A few Kazon frigates tried to support it, but the other carriers were more concerned with their own defense and fired on whatever allied ships were closest.
The unlucky carrier's shields flashed brightly, before failing. The full force of the barrage ripped through its hull, blasting the ship apart in a huge explosion of plasma fire and debris. Other Kazon carriers scattered, the ragged formation pulling apart like an old quilt. The Lillehammer and her strike group had shot out behind the Kazon fleet, and now fought against the gravity well of the planet to strafe back through: Sowing even more chaos and discord.
"Tom, you've got your window," Janeway stated, "Drop the shields! Launch!"
"Acknowledged," Paris replied. The Thunderbird ejected from the saucer section, and shot forth away from Voyager like a bullet. The tiny vessel darted into the maelstrom of the Kazon fleet, diving and rolling through the fire like a leaf on the wind.
This moment of vulnerability was meant to be short... But a Kazon carrier detected it, and fired on Voyager. Two, three blue phaser blasts crossed the gulf of space and struck Voyager's secondary hull, making the ship shake and consoles spark and flicker. Harry assessed the situation.
"Main power to shields is offline!" Harry warned, "switching to backups!"
"Get them back up!" Janeway ordered.
"Incoming torpedo!" Tuvok warned. Janeway stood up as the torpedo grew large in the viewscreen, screaming for them. She narrowed her eyes, bracing for the inevitable impact...
A huge amber-gold form blocked her view, the shields flaring brightly around the Trager.
"The Trager has extended its shields around us," Tuvok reported. Chakotay stared in disbelief, as the Cardassian ship took more shots on behalf of the Federation starship.
"Shields back online!" Harry shouted.
"Concentrate our fire with the Trager's!" Janeway ordered, sitting back in her command chair.
The two vessels fired in unison, and with the help of a flight of Talaxian frigates, the Kazon carrier's shields failed. Another salvo of photon torpedoes broke the ship's spine, and the Kazon vessel tore itself apart like a man with violent convulsions. Janeway took a deep breath, and let it out.
"Trager to Voyager," Gul Bartatt spoke, "thank you for the help. Compliments to your helmsman."
Chakotay looked like he didn't know how to respond to that. Janeway allowed herself a feral smile.
"He accepts! Now: They're off balance. Let's keep them that way!"
She threw her gaze back at Harry.
"Status of Thunderbird, Harry?" She asked.
"They're through," Harry reported, smiling almost giddily, "making their approach to the Iconian base!"
"Let's make it as easy as possible for them," Janeway stated. "All ships, full impulse! Right down the center! We're going to split them in two! ENGAGE!"
Shepherd would admit, Maje Cullah wasn't as bad as he thought he was. He was a perfectly competent swordsman-he had decent footwork and knew how to use the reach Electric Nightmare offered. Even with the distractions from the baying crowd, Cullah kept his focus on Shepherd. And Shepherd had to work really hard.
He parried another strike from the Kazon leader, keeping one hand on the blade of his iron sword to keep it from being shattered. He stepped back, giving ground and stepping around Cullah's fearsome follow up. He spun around Cullah's next swing, dancing about. He might have been a challenge.
But in reality, despite his pain and injuries and his inferior weapon... Shepherd was bored.
"Damnit boy!" Sousek shouted, "just finish it already! You're boring me!"
"What in the nine hells are you shouting about, Sousek?!" Cullah roared, as he charged and tried a wide swing at the human, "you traitor!"
Shepherd grumbled as he ducked under, popping back up on the flank of the Kazon leader.
"I was hoping he'd be more fun!" Shepherd shouted. He parried another thrust from Cullah, "but if you want to spoil my fun-!"
"There's a fleet battle right now, Shepherd!" Sousek bellowed, "if you want me to follow you, prove yourself worthy!"
Shepherd groaned. He was pretty sure two of his ribs were broken. He hadn't had food or water for over two days. He had a headache, and his big, climactic sword duel was balls.
"FINE!" He shouted, and he tossed his sword aside. Cullah gaped in disbelief.
"What is-Are you giving up?!" Cullah shouted. Shepherd shrugged and smirked.
"Nah," he said, "I'm just going to win this. Trying to make this fair."
"FAIR?!" Cullah bellowed, "you insipid brat! How dare you-!" He sprinted for the human and thrust for Shepherd's own heart. The human stood calmly, as relaxed as he could be... Before, like the snap of a crocodile's jaws, his hands slammed together around the sword and caught it. The sword stopped, but Cullah slammed into it hard, falling down to his knees. Cullah looked up in disbelief.
"Wha-?"
"Did you seriously think my sword didn't have protection against someone else stealing it?" Shepherd asked in disbelief. "Did you really think about this? At all?" He yanked Electric Nightmare away from Cullah, and tossed it up. He caught his family sword by the hilt, and pointed the tip in Cullah's face.
"You think I'm going to stab you, don't you?" Shepherd asked. "You're wrong."
He kicked the Kazon leader in the face, breaking his nose. Cullah fell back. He managed to push himself back to his feet, and Shepherd punched him with the hilt of Electric Nightmare. He then kneed the bastard in the stomach, doubling him over, before he whacked him as hard in the back of his head as he could-Cullah coughed hard. Shepherd kicked him in the face and then slammed hard on the back of the Kazon leader.
Cullah began crawling back, coughing pitifully. Shepherd spun his blade around artfully, then wiped it off with part of his uniform.
"You aren't worthy of this, or any other blade," Shepherd stated, striding towards the fallen Kazon. Cullah looked up, growling under his breath.
"SHOOT HIM!" Cullah bellowed, "SHOOT HIM!"
Sousek shook his head. He held back a Kazon who raised his weapon. He shook his head. The rest of the Kazon looked unimpressed. Many began to jeer at Cullah, as Shepherd advanced on him.
"A strong leader does not beg for help from his men," Shepherd announced. "You really want to follow this weak cunt?! This pathetic waste of space?! My friends pulled together a fleet of races who had never worked together before and are tearing your fleets apart! And literally the only one who saw this coming was Sousek!" Shepherd pointed his blade at Sousek. Sousek scowled, and nodded.
"The boy is right," Sousek shouted, "Cullah is being led around by his dick, by a woman's empty promises!"
"We follow only victors!" Another Kazon bellowed. Shepherd sighed, and turned to Sousek. He walked up to Sousek, and held out his fist. Sousek frowned.
"What-?"
"Just hold out your fist," he said. Sousek did. "Shake it up and down... Like this... You get three choices. Rock, paper, or scissors. Got it?"
Sousek frowned. "This is... A contest of honor among humans?"
"Oh yeah," Shepherd said with a nod, "we've resolved wars with it. Go ahead. Ready? Three, two, one..."
Sousek threw rock, Shepherd threw paper. Shepherd held up his flat hand.
"Oh, look at that! Rock beats paper! You won!" Shepherd shouted. He bowed to Sousek. "All hail the leader of the Kazon!"
"I DO NOT RECOGNIZE YOU!" Cullah bellowed, now on his feet. "KILL HIM! KILL THE TRAIT-!"
Sousek threw Shining Blood, and the blade plunged right into Cullah's chest. The Kazon leader gaped in shock, looking down at the blade in his chest, the blood pouring out of his wound. Sousek yanked it out with a tug of his monofilament, and then swung it with a flick of his wrist. Cullah's head came right off his shoulders, and the corpse slumped to its knees before falling over. Sousek walked up in front of the gathered Kazon. Shepherd bowed, and stepped aside. Sousek looked around the gathered Kazon, and held up Cullah's head.
"This fool is bringing us to ruin!" Sousek bellowed, as he tossed the head aside. "Open a channel to the ships above: Cease fire! Cease fire immediately-!"
The main doors into the chamber burst open, and numerous Starfleet officers in Hazard Team uniforms and armed with TRS-186 rifles. Tom Paris was leading the charge, his own rifle up.
"NOBODY MOVE!" Tom Paris shouted. "HANDS ON YOUR HEAD!"
"Relax Tom, we're good," Shepherd called back. He grinned, "but much appreciated!"
Paris scowled. "You know, I had a great rescue speech and lots of quips to make."
Shepherd nodded, giggling a bit. Maybe it was blood loss.
"Yeah, I know. I wish I could have heard them." He held up his sword. "Come on! Buck up! So your timing sucks! We can still capture Seska!"
"'Capture', right," Biessman snorted.
The Kazon and the Starfleet personnel burst into the Iconian Control Room. Weapons bared for battle, Shepherd ready with Electric Nightmare.
There was Seska, standing at the main control console, alone. She looked up, unsurprised.
"So," she said, "you killed him. Good. That makes this simple."
"It sure does," Shepherd said with a grin. "Thank you for waiting so patiently. This will make your asskicking even more satisfying."
Seska began to laugh. She shot Shepherd a savage grin.
"No, no, I must thank you," Seska stated, "you see, I needed this distraction and everything else going on... To finish my work. Do you know how the Iconians controlled their machines-?"
"Shoot her!" Shepherd shouted. Biessman, Paris, and Munroe opened up, firing bullets into Seska. She took multiple shots to her torsoe, and fell back from the console in a bloody mess. Shepherd shook his head.
"Those words are literally never followed by anything good," he said. "I didn't want to hear the rest-"
The blue sphere floating above the control console erupted in blue lightning, shocking and filling Seska's body. She convulsed violently, and began to rise into the air. She rotated to face them, her eyes glowing, as metallic plates flew up and covered her wounds. The entire facility began to shake, as small blue orbs flew up around Seska like a halo.
"They linked their minds and bodies to their machines," Seska bellowed, "and so have I! Your pitiful existence no longer matters... Save as a means to an end for my GLORY!"
Shepherd stared.
Sousek sighed.
"I told you to finish things up fast!"
"Okay," Shepherd groaned, "I fucked up. I admit it. This was totally my bad."
Everyone opened fire with their guns at once, but a shimmering blue forcefield appeared to block the bullets. Seska grinned, and waved her hand. She unleashed a wave of blue energy, that blasted everyone out of the command center. They tumbled out into the main fighting arena, in undignified piles.
"That... Could have gone better," Tom quipped.
"Totally," Shepherd groaned. "Urgh... Okay... We need a plan. Anyone?"
"We did a scan from orbit," Chell said, as Biesman helped him up, "this facility is powered by a geothermal plant below! We can get in there, and shut down the power! That will disable everything!"
Seska emerged from the command center, floating like a vengeful spirit. Blue Iconian orbs circled around her, crackling with energy. She held out her hand, and sent an orb at the Hazard Team and Kazon. It unleashed a powerful energy blast, hitting one Kazon and blasting him off his feet.
"ARRGH!" He screamed.
"RESSIK!" Sousek shouted. He threw Shining Blood at the orb. His heavy allow blade struck the orb, cutting it in half and sending the chunks to the metal floor. Seska laughed and summoned more. They dramatically circled around her, gathering energy.
"Okay," Shepherd panted, getting back up, "we'll distract her. Tom, Chell, Munroe, get to the underground and disable-"
"DIE," Seska growled, launching two blue orbs at the group. Munroe and Biessman opened fire, as Shepherd and Sousek ran to the right to act as a distraction from their men. They made it to the ceremonial fighting ring, just as the combined fire from the Hazard Team members struck one of the orbs... And made it explode.
KABOOM!
Which shattered the metal plates that made up the floor. One large section tilted up, which wouldn't have been so bad... Except it was the section that Sousek and Shepherd had been standing on.
"OH SHIT!" Shepherd shouted, as he slid down with the older Kazon into the tunnels below.
"LIEUTENANT!" Paris shouted.
"EL-TEE!" Biessman bellowed.
Biessman and Munroe ran back, firing their slug throwers at Seska, as Kazon were blasted around them.
"REGROUP!" Munroe shouted, "GET BEHIND COVER!"
"Ohhh, this is sooo liberating," Seska gasped loudly, spreading her arms like wings. "I can see everything, I can know everything..." She grinned brightly, almost demonically. "I think I'll take my time eliminating all of you. After all... I have all the time in the universe now~..."
"We got a Plan B?" Biessman demanded. Munroe looked over at Tom Paris. The Lieutenant took deep breaths, thinking as energy blasts rained down on their position.
"I guess we'll have to distract her," Tom said at last. "And hope Shepherd can disable the power systems."
"So, plan suicide?" Chell deadpanned. "I figured it would be something like that..."
"You got a better one?" Biessman shouted. Chell hummed, even as the energy blasts rained down around them.
"I might...!"
"What do you need?!" Tom shouted.
"TIME!"
Up in orbit, the battle took a very strange turn. Every Kazon ship gained a light blue glow, and began to organize into rigid, strict formations. The Lillehammer came around with her squadron to raid from behind, but numerous raiders flew up to counter. The Norway-class starship took multiple hits, while the Trabe and Haakonian vessels with her tried to support the Starfleet vessel with massed fire.
The Kazon vessels accelerated, forming a star-shaped formation and firing in concert on one ship. They pierced the Trabe vessel's shields, and it exploded into a fireball. The Kazon targeted another, and another, synchronizing their fire with machine-like precision.
Janeway grit her teeth as she watched this on the viewscreen.
"Lillehammer!" Janeway called, "pull back! Get out of there!"
"We're trying captain! We're trying!" Vethren shouted, "but their coordination is perfect! We can't-!"
A salvo of photon torpedoes hit the Lillehammer, and the arrowhead-shaped vessel shuddered and rolled. Janeway's eyes widened, and she turned back to Tuvok.
"Order the Haakonian dreadnoughts to advance! Support the Lillehammer!" Janeway shouted.
"The Kazon carriers are coordinating their fire as well captain," Tuvok said, and a Haakonian dreadnought exploded ahead of them, "Trabe and Talaxian fighters are trying to draw their fire, but the Kazon are increasing their coverage."
"The sensor readings match the Iconians, Captain!" Harry cried, "there's a powerful overriding signal from the planet! They must be using the Iconian software to control their ships!"
"Can we do the same?" Larxeena asked, "link the ships in our fleet to coordinate?"
"I'm working on it!" Harry cried, "I'm working on it! It's like they're able to anticipate our every move-"
The lights flickered, and blue energy began to crackle across the screens. Neelix gasped, pulling his hands off the railing console.
"What is that?!" Janeway demanded.
"There's an active Iconian device onboard Captain!" Harry shouted.
"Main power is offline," Tuvok reported.
"Helm's not responding!" Chakotay warned, and Voyager rattled and twisted. The stars spun on the viewscreen. "We're going out of control!"
"Where is it?!" Janeway shouted, holding onto a railing for support.
Harry frantically tapped tapped at his console. "Main engineering-ARRGH!"
A blast of electricity erupted up his arms, and sent him slamming against the wall behind.
"HARRY!" Janeway cried. An Ocampan girl, red haired, ran over to tend to him with a medical kit. Tal Celes, who had been working on the Environmental console, immediately scurried over and got on the Ops console. She was trembling, but she managed to read the screens.
"There's-There's a commbadge IFF attached to the signal-Crewman Michael Jonas!"
Janeway hit her commbadge.
"Janeway to Engineering! Take down Michael Jonas! By any means necessary!"
Shepherd groaned.
"Stop the world, I wanna get off," he muttered. His broken ribs ached. And then they hurt worse when Sousek kicked him. "OW!"
"Come on, Shepherd! Where's your warrior pride?" Sousek spat. Shepherd groaned, and stood up shakily. They were in another ancient looking corridor. One covered in Iconian hieroglphics and scanning devices.
"I left it in my other pants," Shepherd managed. He shook his head. "All right... We gotta disable the power source then. Know where that might be?"
Sousek grimaced.
"Sousek?"
"I... This outpost's technology is so powerful, so advanced," Sousek began, "it would do so much for my people-"
Shepherd glared, and held up Electric Nightmare.
"Yeah? And how much good is that gonna do you while Seska's plugged in?" Shepherd demanded. "Your people will be slaves, again. Is that what you want?"
Sousek stared at his sword, gleaming in the dim light. He worked his jaw. Shepherd sighed deeply.
"Look," Shepherd said, "this facility could get me and my crew home. It's a big sacrifice, I know. But what good is this place if in order to use it, you're enslaved by that bitch, huh?"
Sousek looked at him for a long, silent moment.
"... Follow me," Sousek said. He headed down the corridor, with slow but sure steps. Shepherd followed.
Hopefully it didn't mean Sousek would stab Shepherd in the back. He hated when that happened-Both literally, and figuratively.
They descended a staircase, into a longer corridor with what appeared to be transparent aluminum walls. The red glow of lava illuminated everything, like a roaring campfire. A large open door to what appeared to be a large, similarly illuminated room lay at the other end.
"You've been here before?" Shepherd asked. Sousek nodded.
"Yes. The defenses were offline," he said, "this should be easy-"
Several robotic sentries leaped up, glowing blue with energy. They held up energy weapons, and began firing. Shepherd activated Electric Nightmare's shield, and glared at Sousek.
"Really?! You had to say it?" Shepherd demanded.
"Your foolishness is contagious!" Sousek shouted back.
Hope you enjoyed! More is to come!