Chapter 59.
Day of Honour.
(Scott POV)
I was in my Ready room as 7 came in.
"7 of 9, you told me you wouldn't make any more attempts to contact the Borg, I want to believe that's true," I said.
"I assure you it is," 7 said.
"I've decided not to post a security detail while you're in Engineering but you have to realize there are rules, You'll be expected to follow our protocols, You'll report directly to Lt Torres and obey any order she gives you," I said.
"I understand," 7 said.
"One more thing, Your designation 7 of 9, is a little cumbersome, Wouldn't you prefer to be called by your given name, Annika?" I said.
"I have been 7 of 9 for as long as I can remember," 7 said.
"All right, But maybe we could streamline it a little, How would you feel about, 7," I said.
"Imprecise, but acceptable," 7 said.
"Tuvok to Captain McCall," Tuvok said.
"Yes, Tuvok," I said.
"Please come to the Bridge, A ship is approaching," Tuvok said.
"On my way," I said.
As we got there.
"It's Damaged but functional, Energy emissions are so low it's probably not capable of Warp speed," Tuvok said. "Several dozen life signs aboard, We are being hailed Captain,"
"Open a channel," I said. "I'm Captain Scott McCall of the Federation Starship Voyager,"
"I am Rahmin," Rahmin said. "My people are the Caatati, I apologize for our appearance and the condition of our ship, Most of our people were assimilated by the Borg over a year ago, We lost everything,"
"How many of you escaped," I said.
"A few thousand, on 30 ships, All that's left from a planet of millions," Rahmin said.
"I'm sorry," I said.
"Captain, I want to assure you my people were once proud and accomplished," Rahmin said.
"I understand," I said.
"It pains me to have to ask this, But I have 88 people to care for on this vessel, I need Food, Medicines, Is there any way you could help us," Rahmin said.
"Of course, Send us a list of your needs and we'll see what we can do," I said.
"I'm deeply grateful, If it's not too much to ask is there any way you might also spare a small quantity of thorium isotopes, Without them our systems can't function," Rahmin said.
"I think we can arrange that, I'll speak to my Engineer," I said.
"You can't Imagine what this means to us, Captain, Thank you," Rahmin said. Then Cut the channel.
XXX
Chakotay, Tuvok, Rahmin and I was in the Conference room.
"There are over 200 people on our 3 ships alone, Every one of them suffers from malnourishment But it's been hardest on the Children, Every parent sacrifices for their child but even so there's not enough food, If you could hear the crying of the babies you would have as much trouble sleeping at night as I do," Rahmin said.
"Have you considered relocation to a planet where you could grow your own food?" Tuvok said.
"Of course, but we haven't been welcomed anywhere, Because we have no resources, Everyone treats us like vagrants, even criminals," Rahmin said.
"We're not unsympathetic but we have limited supplies, We can't possibly provide enough for all your people" Chakotay said.
"Forgive me but from my perspective, you live in luxury, You don't suffer from debilitating diseases, You have many sources of energy, Replicators, Your crew is very well fed, Apparently keeping your bellies full is more important to you than helping those less fortunate," Rahmin said.
"That's unfair, These are the most generous people you could hope to meet, But if we gave supplies to everyone who asked we wouldn't have anything left," Neelix said.
"Neelix, How much food can we spare?" I said.
"We could provide each ship with several hundred kilograms," Neelix said.
"Do it, And Check with the Doctor, to see if he can spare any medical supplies," I said.
"Aye Captain," Neelix said.
"Thank you," Rahmin said. "May the gods smile on you and your crew,"
"Tuvok, Please escort our guest to the Transporter room," I said.
As they went.
"Let's do what we can, Chakotay give Neelix a hand," I said as I headed out.
XXX
"Engineering to Bridge," B'Elanna said. "We're ready to start, Captain,"
"Go ahead, we'll monitor your progress from here," I said.
"We'll need to be at warp speed to create a large enough subspace field, I'd like to reroute helm control to Engineering," B'Elanna said.
"Do it, McCall out," I said.
Then We were going to warp.
"Harry," I said.
"We are holding at Warp 2.3," Harry said. "They're starting the Tachyon's, They have got to a higher energy bandwidth,"
"There is a subspace field forming," Tuvok said.
"Captain something wrong," Harry said.
"What," I said.
"Tachyon particles are leaking into the Propulsion system," Harry said. "They shut down the Deflector, but the leak is continuing,"
"Red Alert," I said. "Bridge to Engineering, B'Elanna," As the Klaxon went red.
"Tachyons are flooding the warp Core, Captain," B'Elanna said.
"If you can't stabilize the core immediately, Evacuate Engineering," I said.
"Aye Captain. I'll get back to you," B'Elanna said.
"Chakotay, get ready to eject the core," I said.
"On it," Chakotay said.
"Harry," I said.
"They cut all power, But the Tachyon Leak is still rising," Harry said. "B'Elanna is evacuating Engineering,"
"Standby to Eject the Core," I said.
"Captain the Core is about to Breach," Harry said.
Then We shook and then saw we were out of Warp.
"Torres to Bridge," B'Elanna said.
"Go ahead," I said.
"We've dumped the core," B'Elanna said.
"Alright, Let's get Voyager back online and get our warp core back," I said.
XXX
I was down in Engineering.
"Report," I said.
"We're stopped dead, The warp core is millions of Kilometers away by now, And the Impulse engines are seriously Damaged," B'Elanna said. "I can give you a few thrusters but that's about it,"
"How long before I can get Impulse power," I said.
"I can't give you an estimate on that," B'Elanna said. "We're still assessing the damage, So much for opening a transwarp conduit, I sent the Borg Back to her alcove, We won't be needing her in here anymore,"
"At least the core's still intact, Tom Take a shuttle and find it, See if you can tractor it back to Voyager," I said.
"Yes Sir," Tom said.
"It'll be unstable it should be repaired before he tries to put a tractor beam on it," B'Elanna said.
"Well you go with him, Do whatever you have to, Just get it back here in one piece," I said.
XXX
I was in my Ready room and Called for 7 up here. As the door bell rang.
"Come in," I said.
As 7 came in.
"Would you like Tea or coffee?" I said.
"I have no need to ingest liquids, I still receive energy from the Borg Alcove," 7 said.
"My understanding is that you're almost ready to begin eating food," I said.
"That is what the doctor says," 7 said. "Why have you asked me here,"
"Whenever there's an accident on the ship even a minor one we investigate it, in order to minimize the chances of its happening again," I said.
"A prudent course of action," 7 said.
"I didn't have a chance to talk to Lt Torres before she left the ship so, I wanted to ask you some questions about what happened in Engineering," I said. "Sensor logs indicate that Tachyons were leaking into the warp core, Do you have any idea how it started?"
"No, We had reconfigured the deflector shield to emit Tachyon bursts, The procedure must've triggered the leak," 7 said.
"Who was controlling the Tachyon bursts?" I said.
"Ensign Vorik," 7 said.
"What were you doing?" I said.
"Monitoring the transwarp Frequencies," 7 said.
"And did you at anytime access deflector control?" I said.
"You believe I'm responsible for the accident," 7 said. "That I deliberately sabotaged the ship, You're like the others, you see me as a threat,"
"I won't lie to you, Part of me is suspicious, We've dealt with Tachyon fields before and never had this kind of problem," I said.
"Captain, I am unaccustomed to deception, Among the Borg, it was impossible, There were no lies, No secrets and I assure you I had nothing to do with the accident in Engineering," 7 said.
"I believe you," I said.
"I am finding it a difficult challenge to integrate into this group, It is full of complex social structures that are unfamiliar to me, Compared with the Borg, This crew is inefficient and contentious, But it is capable of surprising acts of compassion," 7 said.
"Unexpected acts of kindness are common among our group, That's one of the ways we define ourselves," I said.
"Is there anything more?" 7 said.
"Yes, We still have to find out what caused the Tachyon leak, Tell me what you remember about the power fluctuations in the propulsion system," I said.
XXX
"Engineering to Captain McCall," Vorik said.
"Yes, Ensign," I said.
"I am pleased to inform you that Impulse power should be restored within the hour," Vorik said.
"Good news, Let me know as soon as the Engines are online," I said.
"Yes sir," Vorik said.
"Captain, I believe I've found the cause of the accident, Erratic fluctuations in the ship's warp power, When Tachyon level rose to a resonant Frequency core pressure increased," 7 said.
"Then I was an accident," I said.
As My door bell rang.
"Come in," I said.
Chakotay come in.
"Captain we're picked up a carrier wave, with a Starfleet signature I'd guess it's Tom and B'Elanna, But they're not answering our hail," Chakotay said.
"They may be in trouble, As soon as we get impulse power," I said.
"Tuvok to the Captain, Can you come to the Bridge," Tuvok said.
"On my way," I said. As we headed out. "Report,"
"We're being approached by an armada of Caatati ships, They're hailing us," Tuvok said.
"On screen," I said.
"Hello, Captain," Rahmin said.
"You've brought some friends," I said.
"Needy friends, We're hoping you'll offer us more supplies," Rahmin said.
"I made it clear last time, that we couldn't possibly provide you with enough for all your ships," I said.
"And I had to accept that because your ship is more powerful than ours But the situation has changed, Hasn't it?" Rahmin said. "You seem to be at a disadvantage now, We have your warp core, You can't escape, I'm hoping that will make you more generous,"
"We've given you everything we can spare, Return the core and we'll be on our way," I said.
"One of our ships might not seem threatening to you, But I assure you 27 can inflict considerable damage, We are desperate, Prepare to send us food, Weapons, and your entire supply of thorium, And that Borg you're protecting, We want her too," Rahmin said. "There are many who would enjoy a chance to repay one of them for what they did to us,"
"Mute audio," I said.
"Done," Harry said.
"Our weapons are more powerful than their I say we fight," Chakotay said.
"Maybe if we give them something," Harry said.
"Like what?" I said. "I can't imagine what would satisfy them now,"
"I will go," 7 said. "They asked for me, If I surrender myself perhaps they'll let you leave,"
"That's very generous, But I will not turn you over to them," I said.
"I was only offering to do what would be best for this group," 7 said.
"You're part of this group now, And we're going to protect you, It's time to stop talking about this, Tom and B'Elanna are in trouble and we have to find them, Tuvok what's the status of our weapons array?" I said.
"Weapons are at the ready, Captain but Shields strength is extremely low," Tuvok said.
"We'll have to shut down nonessential systems, Reroute power to the shields," I said. "Harry Standby with the ZPM's. These Pricks want a fight they have one,"
"That might not be necessary, Caatati Technology is dependent on thorium isotopes, If they had enough, they could become self sustaining," 7 said.
"But we don't have that much thorium to give them," Harry said.
"When the Borg assimilated the Caatati the survivors lost their ability to replicate the isotopes, But I have retained that knowledge, I could design an energy matrix that would produce thorium in large quantities," 7 said.
"If you've had this knowledge all along, Why didn't you say so?" Chakotay said.
"I am not accustomed to thinking that way, Borg do not consider giving technology away, only assimilating it," 7 said.
"And what do you suppose made you consider it now," I said.
"I am not certain," 7 said.
"Maybe it was just an unexpected act of Kindness, Work with Vorik to build the energy matrix, While I convince the Caatati there's a better way out of this," I said.
XXX
We were in the Science Lab with Rahmin.
"This matrix will produce 944 grams of thorium per day," 7 said.
"Now you can power all your systems and begin to rebuild your replication technology, Will you allow us to leave?" I said.
"One device isn't enough for all our ships," Rahmin said.
"Using this matrix as a template, you can construct as many as you like, We can provide you with the Components and specifications," 7 said.
"You're free to go," Rahmin said. "And thank you,"
"You're welcome," 7 said.
As Rahmin left.
7 was just about to leave too. Then stopped. "Captain," 7 said.
"Yes," I said.
"Can I speak with you soon," 7 said.
"Sure, I'll let you know when," I said.
XXX
After we got our warp core back on Voyager we set a course for Tom and B'Elanna.
"Any sign of them," I said.
"Nothing yet, I can't see the shuttle," Harry said.
"Scan for Life signs," I said.
"Found them," Harry said.
"Chakotay get us in Transporter Range," I said.
"On it," Chakotay said.
"Harry as soon as we got there beam them back," I said.
"We are almost in range," Harry said. "We're in com range,"
"Voyager to Paris, Tom B'Elanna do you read me, We beaming you now," I said.
"We're here," Tom said.
"Hang on we beaming you back now," I said. "Harry,"
"Energizing," Harry said. "We've got them,"
"Chakotay, get us back on course for home," I said.
"Aye captain," Chakotay said.
That's all for this chapter.
More to follow.
Stay tuned and safe.
Love Y'all
PEACE!