Chapter 105
Alice.
(Leah POV)
Chakotay and I was in my ready room. When we went to Red Alert and Chakotay and I came out of my ready room.
"Report," I said.
"We've detected a large group of vessels directly ahead," Tuvok said.
"Hostile," Chakotay said.
"Possibly, I'm charging weapons," Tuvok said.
"On screen," I said.
"I'm counting 62 ships and a few hundred pieces of ships, all dead in space," Harry said.
"It's a junkyard," Tom said. "Congratulations, Tuvok, You just saved us from a flotilla of hostile trash,"
"We're being hailed," Harry said.
"Let's see what they want," I said.
"Welcome to Abaddon's repository of Lost Treasures, Whether you're in the mood to buy or simply browse, we're always open, Take a look, You may find something you never knew you wanted," Abaddon said.
After a few hours.
We were all done and we started headed off again for home at impulse. Once we got everything on board. Tom and Harry were working on the new shuttle we picked up. Not working yet but Tom is convinced that it will be soon.
XXX
B'Elanna came to my ready room.
"This isn't the first time you and Tom have had an argument about how he spends his free time," I said.
"This wasn't a lovers quarrel," B'Elanna said. "Captain, he practically assaulted me,"
"Well that doesn't sound like Tom," I said.
"It wasn't Tom, It was Alice," B'Elanna said.
"Alice," I said.
"That's the name that's he's calling this new ship," B'Elanna said. "Ever since he started working on it, he hasn't slept, He's become irritable, irrational, It's not just me, Chakotay and Harry, have noticed the same thing,"
"This ship, It has some kind of Neuro interface," I said.
"Exactly, It must be having some kind of an effect on him," B'Elanna said.
"All right, I'll have the Doctor, take a look at him, But in the meantime, I want you," I said.
"Captain, We have an unauthorized launch in progress," Chakotay said.
As we got out there.
"Seal the shuttle bay doors," Chakotay said as we are at Red Alert.
"Too late, he's out," Harry said. "His shields ate up, I can't get a transporter lock,"
"Tractor beam," I said.
"Got him," Harry said. "What the. Captain, He is sending an Optronic pulse,"
"He's charging weapons," Tuvok said.
"Shields," I said.
As he hit us.
"He's disrupting our tractor beam," B'Elanna said.
"Increase power to the emitters," I said. "We'll drag him in by his heels if we have to,"
As we got hit again.
"He's broken free, Captain," Tuvok said.
"McCall to Paris, Stand down and return to Voyager immediately," I said.
"I'm with Alice Now, Captain, Let us go," Tom said.
"You know I can't do that, Tom," I said.
"He's coming about," Harry said.
"He's charging weapons again," Tuvok said. As we got hit. "Direct hit,"
"Return fire," I said.
"He's gone to warp," Harry said.
"Track him," I said.
"He masked his warp signature, He's gone," B'Elanna said.
"Get us back to Abaddon, NOW! I'll bet anything he knows something about this," I said.
XXX
"You know my policy," Abaddon said.
"We're not looking for a refund, Just some information," I said.
"That's one commodity I don't keep in stock," Abaddon said. "I suggest you look elsewhere,"
"Not until we get some answers," I said.
"You'll find I'm prepared to deal with disgruntled customers," Abaddon said.
"Captain, I'm reading active weapons signatures on 3 of the derelict ships," Tuvok said. "That are targeting Voyager,"
"Red Alert," I said. As the klaxons went red. "Before we take actions, we both might regret, Neelix has something to show you,"
"I wanted to say thank you for this, lost treasure," Neelix said.
"A Beryllium crystal," Abaddon said.
"I'm surprised a trader of your distinction would let this slip through this fingers, I could say all trades are final, but We'd be willing to give it back in exchange for some cooperation," Neelix said.
XXX
"Haunted," Tuvok said.
"That's what the Haakonian told me when he traded her," Abaddon said. "I blamed his wild stories on isolation sickness and then took the ship off his hands,"
"Did you ever notice anything odd about the ship," Chakotay said.
"Odd You could say that," Abaddon said. "I tried turning her into a towing vessel, she was cooperative at first, but then she began to require constant,"
"Mr. Abaddon," Neelix said.
"Where was I," Abaddon said.
"Constant repairs," Chakotay said.
"Right, Please I wasn't going to tell them anything," Abaddon said.
"Who are you speaking to," Tuvok said.
"No one, I have to leave now," Abaddon said. "I'll return the items you traded for the ship, Leave me alone, I did what you told me. I found you a pilot,"
"The neural Interface, You used it Abaddon," I said.
"Yes," Abaddon said.
"She here, He is seeing her. That neural interface must leave something behind so she could stop him telling us anything," I said. As Abaddon started groaning. "McCall to Sickbay, Medical Emergency,"
XXX
"He suffered a cerebral haemorrhage," Doc said. "Fortunately, I was able to repair the damage in time,"
"Was it caused by the neural interface," I said.
"Yes, How did you know," Doc said.
"Knew it, Looks like Alice got to him," I said.
"Good thing you noticed that," Doc said.
"Wake him," I said.
"Oh she was here," Abaddon said.
"The woman you saw was an hallucination created by the ship's neurogenic interface," Doc said. "I've given you a cortical suppressant, She won't be bothering you anymore,"
"Tell me, what does this ship want with our crewman, you said to her that you found her a pilot, Why," I said.
"She can't fly herself she needs a pilot a biological entity to work in tandem with her programming," Abaddon said.
"Well if all she needed was a pilot, why didn't she just recruit you," I said.
"I wasn't compatible," Abaddon said.
"Not skill wise. Pilot wise. She needed a pilot with everything she needed," I said.
"Correct, I couldn't get her to where she needed to go, don't ask me for the coordinates, She never told me, just insisted that I get her a real pilot," Abaddon said.
"In this case, Tom," I said.
"I'm sorry, I didn't warn you before," Abaddon said.
"You couldn't, otherwise she would of killed you dead," I said.
"7 to Captain McCall," 7 said.
"Go ahead," I said.
"Report to Astrometrics, there something here you will want to see," 7 said.
"On my way," I said.
As I got down there.
"What is it?" I said.
"I've managed to reconstruct the data Lt Paris was working on, My suspicion was correct. It is a course trajectory," 7 said.
"Let's see it," I said.
"It terminates in Spatial Grid 867," 7 said.
"Looks uninhabited," I said.
"It's empty space with the exception of a small anomaly," 7 said.
"A Particle fountain, The Federation lost more than a dozen ships examining a similar phenomenon in the Alpha quadrant," I said. "Relay the Coordinates to the Bridge, McCall to Bridge,"
"Go ahead," Chakotay said.
"7 just relayed a set of coordinates to you," I said.
"We got them," Chakotay said.
"Set a course Maximum Warp," I said.
"Acknowledged," Chakotay said.
As the Channel was cut. I ended up kissing 7 and headed straight up there.
XXX
We were approaching the Particle fountain. As we were at Red Alert.
"Distance," I said.
"6 million kilometers," Harry said.
"Decrease speed to one quarter Impulse. Full power to Shields," I said.
"I'm detecting a vessel off our starboard bow," Tuvok said.
"It's Tom, He's headed right for the anomaly," Harry said.
"Can you get a transporter lock," I said.
"No, Not with those multiphasic shields in place," Harry said.
"Are we in hailing range," I said.
"Opening a channel, He's responding," Tuvok said.
"Keep your distance, Captain or we'll open fire," Tom said.
"Tom listen to me, the Neurogenic interface is affecting your judgment, Drop your shields and let us beam you aboard," I said.
"He's not responding," Harry said.
"Target his propulsion system, fire," I said.
"Direct hit," Tuvok said. "The vessel's shields are holding,"
"Doctor to the Bridge, Cease fire," Doc said. "Lt Paris neural reading are fluctuating, His synaptic functions have become linked to the ship, If we keep firing we could injure him severely,"
"Acknowledged, Tuvok stand down," I said.
"We've got 10 minutes until he reaches the particle fountain," Harry said.
"Is there any way to disable their shields without firing weapons," Chakotay said.
"If I could access their main computer and transmit a shutdown sequence," Tuvok said.
"Problem is, Tom and Alice would detect it, They'd compensate," Harry said.
"Unless we find a way to distract them, Bridge to the Doctor," I said.
"Go ahead," Doc said.
"Any progress on your analysis of the neurogenic interface," I said.
"Not yet, Captain," Doc said.
"Would it be possible to tap into the interface using a com signal," I said.
"I believe so, But I don't know what that would accomplish," Doc said.
"You've got 5 minutes, do it," I said. "And tell B'Elanna to prepare for an away mission,"
"Captain," B'Elanna said.
"We going to send you in there from Voyager. You just distract Tom and Alice Long enough for us to shut down their shields and Beam Tom home. Can you do that," I said.
"Aye Captain," B'Elanna said.
"Do it," I said.
XXX
"We're 4 minutes away," Harry said.
"Bridge to sickbay status," I said.
"Stand by Captain, I'm making the final adjustments," Doc said.
"We need it now, we're 4 minutes away," I said.
"Doctor to Bridge. B'Elanna is in," Doc said.
"Tuvok Do it," I said.
"Accessing their main computer," Tuvok said. "I'm in. Transmitting shutdown sequence,"
"Harry," I said.
"Don't have a lock yet," Harry said.
"I've got it, Captain Their shields are down," Tuvok said.
"Harry Energize," I said.
"There's too much interference from the particle fountain," Harry said.
"I'm boosting the confinement beam," Chakotay said. "Try it now,"
"Got him," Harry said.
"Helm get us out of here," I said.
"Alice is losing helm control," Tuvok said.
"Resume course to the Alpha Quadrant, Stand down Red Alert, Maximum warp," I said.
That's all for this chapter.
More to follow.
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