Chapter 8 – Trouble
Tom Paris and Chakotay were both elbow deep inside the engine of a primitive vehicle and had been for the past hour, only occasionally emerging to adjust one of the lights beaming in or to exchange a tool. That didn't stop them, however, from being part of the ongoing conversation. With them were B'Elanna Torres and Annika Hansen. The four of them were on a stretch of road near the crater bay from which the alien city had been scooped up by the Borg a half century before. It was a sunny mid-afternoon with a pleasant temperature of about 20 degrees and high clouds drifting lazily by. A hundred meters or so away, a number of others, mostly Unimatrix Zero survivors, were constructing shelters beside an outcropping of rocks.
"So the Doctor's mobile emitter is from the future," Annika stated. She was sitting in one of the front seats of the vehicle with the door open and her feet outside and touching the ground tracing circles with the toe of her boot. Although she knew the answer to her question, the back and forth between them all was enjoyable.
"But ironically, we obtained it in the past," Tom chimed in. "Back in the late twentieth century. Interesting time in Earth's history."
"There were vehicles very much like this there," Chakotay added. "We even rode in one."
Annika shook her head slightly. Time travel, and the two of them hadn't even looked up from their work.
"Henry Starling," B'Elanna spat. "That was that idiot's name." B'Elanna was pacing about the area, but stopped. "I've been trying to remember his name for the past several minutes, but couldn't until just now."
"He was the captain of the time ship?" Annika asked, but then shook her head again. "No. I remember. Captain Braxton was the time ship captain."
"Another piece of work," B'Elanna said under her breath. She looked over at the buildings being constructed nearby as part of one of the proposed settlements. The lines of small structures that would serve as living quarters and a larger common building were taking shape. This particular settlement would house about five hundred. She put her hands on her hips.
"Relax B'Elanna," Tom said, again without looking up from what he was doing. He had heard her stop and could perhaps now sense her frustration.
B'Elanna huffed. "Easy for you to say. This relaxing is all fine and good, but I should be back on Voyager," she said. "There's too much to do."
"The Captain ordered all of us to take four hours of leisure time," Annika replied.
"So here we are," Tom concluded, as if completing a mathematical proof.
It was true they had all been busy for days now with little rest. It had been an order from the Captain, although probably precipitated at the recommendation of the Doctor. Once the bulk of the Unimatrix Zero survivors had been taken care of, the Doctor was making sure everyone took some time off in shifts. Annika could see the logic of the order, although B'Elanna was right that there was still much to do.
Long range sensors detected Kazon vessels on the outskirts of the system and preparations were being made for Voyager to lift off and enter orbit. Although they had sent some probes to Ocampa to ensure there were no Kazon on the surface, they had not yet sent a shuttle to investigate their nearest neighbor. Plans were in the works to pay a visit and try and locate Kes. After surveying the area, six locations had been chosen to start building the settlements for the Unimatrix Zero survivors, and the building material needed to be replicated and transported via shuttle. All four were working round the clock. The necessary infrastructure to care and feed for everyone also had to be fabricated – medical facilities, greenhouses, hydroponics structures, wells and irrigation, sanitation. This list was long, but so also were the number of workers. Most of the Unimatrix Zero survivors were fully recovered and eager to work with only a handful still under the Doctor's care. Annika glanced out at the nearby settlement to gauge the progress, and then through a gap between the raised hood and the vehicles engine at Chakotay and Tom. Attempting to reanimate this ancient vehicle from the planet's past inhabitants had been Tom's idea, but Chakotay was all in too. It was fun to see their excitement. Just sitting and chatting and thinking as they worked was also very… tranquil. A state of mind Annika wasn't yet used to.
B'Elanna turned to face the front of the vehicle where Tom and Chakotay were working, her hands still on her hips. She shook her head and finally smiled. "Do you two really think you're going to get this piece of junk running again?"
"It's the best one we've found so far," Tom replied.
"We're close," Chakotay added. He finally pulled himself out from under the hood of the vehicle, as if he was coming up for air. "It's actually in fairly good shape, all things considered."
Tom stood up too and stretched his back, wiping a bit of grease on his shirt. There was also a smear on his cheek, but he didn't seem to mind or notice. "All she needs is a bit of tender loving care," he said wistfully. "That, and some petroleum and a new charge."
"We have that ready to go," Annika said and patted the fuel can and power pack they had brought with them on the seat next to her.
"I'm not so sure," B'Elanna replied with a chuckle.
"Won't you two be surprised then when Chakotay and I drive up to Voyager in this jalopy? Maybe even later today."
"What did you call it?" B'Elanna asked, a bit bemused.
"A jalopy," Tom said. He then shrugged. "An old automobile."
Annika was about to comment when her comm badge chimed. It took her a second to recognize what it was and then sat up straight. The others had also stopped and were looking in her direction. She touched her badge. "Crewman Hansen," she responded.
"Annika, this is the Doctor. At your convenience, could you stop by sickbay? I would like to talk to you about your remaining Borg implants."
"Is there a problem Doctor?"
"Not at all."
Annika turned her head to meet Chakotay's eyes. The others had been listening in on the conversation. Chakotay shrugged. "We have time right now if that would be alright," she finally said.
"That would be lovely. I will see you shortly."
The connection ended. "What's that all about?" Chakotay wondered aloud.
Her Borg implants. Perhaps the Doctor had discovered a way to safely remove and replace additional components. All the copies of the Doctor that had been running for the better part of a week had been turned off with their memories and experience subsumed back into the Doctor's program. He was now working in Voyager's sickbay with the most intransigent cases. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to limit her time spent in a Borg alcove? It would mean more time she could spend with Chakotay. "Let's go find out," Annika said with growing anticipation and stepped out of the vehicle. She moved around the front to stand next to Chakotay.
"You're taking away my assistant?" Tom complained.
"Assistant?" Chakotay questioned with mock disgust. He placed down the tool he was holding onto the edge of the vehicle. "I thought I was the ranking officer and supervisor here."
Tom shook his head emphatically. "Oh no. Here or anywhere else, working on ancient or obsolete technology, I'm in charge."
Annika simply shrugged and then glanced towards B'Elanna with a smile. "I think B'Elanna has been itching to take over for Chakotay. She's been pacing around waiting for something to do."
Tom turned to B'Elanna. "What do you say, B'Elanna? Interested in taking over as my assistant in getting this jalopy driving the roads again?"
"Hardly," B'Elanna replied, but pushed up her sleeves and stepped towards the vehicle to take a closer look.
Tom folded his arms and turned back to look himself, a wide grin on his face. "We'll let you know how it goes," he said over his shoulder.
It occurred to Annika that they might have more fun just the two of them anyway. She touched her comm badge to open up a link to Voyager's network. "Crewman Hansen to transporter room one."
In a moment and nearly effortlessly, the correct connection was made. "Go ahead."
"Two to beam directly to sickbay."
"Acknowledged," the transporter chief responded, and a half second later, they dematerialized from the abandoned road near the ruined city and rematerialized near the entrance and inside sickbay. Five of the biobeds still contained patients and the Doctor looked up from one of them when the transport was complete.
"That was quick," the Doctor said and moved up to them. He appeared to be in a good mood which was encouraging.
"You mentioned wanting to talk to us about my Borg implants," Annika replied.
The Doctor nodded. "Yes. As you might imagine, I've gained a lot of experience in the past week regarding the removal of Borg technology. More importantly, however, I was also able to consult with one of the Unimatrix Zero survivors, a Viddian doctor, who has also been helping out tremendously."
Annika raised an eyebrow and turned to Chakotay and then back again. She knew all about the Viddians, and could particularly recall Chakotay's memory of them as well. Although she wanted to hear more about her Borg implants, another question entered their minds. "What about the Phage?"
"Doctor Fas doesn't appear to be infected," the Doctor responded. The Doctor appeared thoughtful. "It might be due to his assimilation into the Borg, or perhaps genetic. I've agreed to help him research those possibilities, although he's the only Viddian amongst the survivors so our inquiry might be limited."
"What does this have to do with my Borg implants?"
The Doctor smiled. "I was getting to that. It turns out, Doctor Fas and I believe we can use a Viddian technique to replicate replacement muscle and bone as we transport out the Borg components. Even a replacement for your missing eye and optic nerve is possible. We've constructed the necessary equipment and are ready to begin whenever you are. I've already obtained the Captain's permission."
Annika and Chakotay exchanged a quick look. The news was better than either of them had anticipated. "We're ready right now Doctor," Annika replied.
The Doctor clasped his hands together. "Excellent. I'll contact Doctor Fas immediately."
"How much more of my Borg implants will you be able to remove?" Annika asked. She felt a rush of excitement, although was successful in not relaying this in her voice in case the answer wasn't exactly what they hoped for.
The Doctor's smile widened. "All of them."
#
Annika's eyes fluttered open. She was lying on a biobed and above her were Chakotay, the Doctor, and Doctor Fas. She had met Fas earlier before the start of the procedure, a Viddian doctor who was working with the Doctor on the remaining Unimatrix Zero patients. The Viddian technique of using transporter and cloning technology simultaneously was proving invaluable on the most difficult cases, including her own.
"How do you feel?" Doctor Fas asked. He was holding an instrument above her that almost looked like a weapon, and then withdrew it when her eyes fell on the devise. Everything appeared different, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was. The colors were perhaps different. Both muted and vibrant at the same time.
Annika blinked her eyes several times. "A little lightheaded," she finally replied. Her throat felt dry.
Doctor Fas nodded and turned to Chakotay and the Doctor with a smile and then back to Annika. "Understandable. The anesthesia will completely wear off within the hour. You'll be happy to know the operation went smoothly and without any trouble."
"That's good to hear," Chakotay said.
Doctor Fas placed his hand on Annika's shoulder. "You're free to go."
"It's all done?" Annika asked incredulous. Chakotay had moved forward and was helping her sit up. Her muscles felt stiff and there was a dull ache in her stomach.
Doctor Fas smiled again. "Yes, yes. Of course. You're as good as new."
Both doctors moved off to another biobed, consulting something on Doctor Las's instrument, and Chakotay remained. He handed her a flask of water and she took a long sip. It was cool and refreshing. All her senses appeared heightened somewhat. "How long?" Annika asked.
Chakotay shrugged. "Only about two hours," he replied. "I was here the entire time. They didn't even have to make an incision. All the remaining Borg devices were simply transported away. Probably to that pile of discards we have outside Voyager."
Suddenly Annika realized what was different, at least with her vision. She was seeing out of two human eyes. No longer was her brain integrating the human and Borg view. The precision and acuity were gone, but replaced by something more profound. She closed one eye and then the other, both functioning perfectly. She then reached her hand up to touch Chakotay's cheek, and while doing so turned it to notice the Borg lattice that had once ordained her appendage was also gone. She tried to say something, but her voice caught in her throat with emotion. Chakotay reached up and clasped her hand in both of his.
"I know," he said softly. He then took one of his hands and traced about her left eye. She felt his fingertips about the spot where her ocular implant had once been. Although some of her muscles felt stiff, she realized the pain was gone from the implants in her arms and legs. The Borg metallic structures had been replaced by bone. The Borg actuators by muscle. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. Every part of her body felt new and released. No more regenerating. No more adjustments to her Borg components. No more fear.
Annika opened her eyes and looked into Chakotay's with her own. Her own two human eyes. "I didn't realize it would feel this way," she whispered. She suddenly felt apprehensive. The removal of her cortical node had also affected her brain function. Had the operation severed her link with Chakotay? The link had been a nuisance at first, to be sure, but she had grown used to it. They had grown used to it.
I'm still here.
Annika relaxed. Curious she should be affected so deeply.
Chakotay nodded. He knew exactly how she felt. He then motioned towards the sickbay doors. "Let's get you something to eat," he said. Of course, that was what she was feeling. "Also, there are some things that happened during your surgery and I want to bring you up to date."
Annika swung her legs to the side and slid off the biobed, happy that the new muscles in her legs responded with no trouble. "The Kazon," she prompted, as they moved towards the door.
"The long range probe confirmed Tuvok's suspicions," Chakotay replied. "They are massing forces on the outskirts of the system. We've identified ships from three different Kazon sects."
Annika raised an eyebrow. "How many?"
"Twenty eight so far. They appear to be assembling an overwhelming force before they come to confront us." It was unusual for the sects to cooperate. Perhaps they could use that to their advantage if a conflict started. They both stepped into a turbolift and turned to face forward. "Deck six," Chakotay said, and the doors slide shut.
"What are Tuvok's projections?" Annika asked.
Chakotay shrugged. "He's thinking we have another twenty-four to forty-eight hours before they make a move, and then another eight to twelve hours after that before the armada reaches the planet."
They both knew they couldn't evacuate everyone. Voyager was simply not big enough to accommodate all the Unimatrix Zero survivors. And from what they knew of Captain Janeway, she was not about to abandon them to the mercy of the Kazon. If fighting began, they would face daunting odds. Voyager was more powerful and maneuverable than any of the Kazon vessels, but the Kazon could easily overwhelm them as they had almost done three years before near the Caretaker's array. In that time, however, Voyager's systems had been enhanced somewhat, most recently with Borg technology. The turbolift doors swished open and they both stepped out into the corridor and turned towards the mess hall. It was more crowded on this deck, and they had to weave through a few groups of people.
"There's something else," Annika prompted again when they were next to each other in a less crowded area.
"Our plan of taking a shuttle to Ocampa," Chakotay replied. "The Captain wants to do that sooner rather than later. Before the Kazon arrive. A single shuttle with a small crew. She wants the two of us to lead the mission."
Now Annika nodded. That made perfect sense. "The connection we had with Kes," she said. "The Captain believes that perhaps we could reestablish it."
"Precisely."
They had reached the mess hall and entered. It was as crowded as in the corridor with both Voyager crew and Unimatrix Zero survivors. Animated conversations were going on throughout the room. They made their way to where Neelix stood behind a counter spooning out large portions of thick stew. "Isn't it exhilarating Commander," Neelix said cheerily as he handed each of them a bowl. "So many new faces."
Chakotay glanced about the room. "Are there any empty seats?" he asked aloud.
"Good luck with that," Neelix responded with a laugh, and turned to someone queuing up to get seconds. Chakotay looked again and indeed, many were eating while standing about.
"Right here Commander," Crewman Tal said. Both she and Crewman Tefler stood and motioned for he and Annika to take their seats. "We were just finishing up." They picked up their bowls and stepped to the side.
Annika sat before Chakotay could protest, and then Chakotay followed suit. "Thank you," he said. Billy and Celes both smiled and then moved towards the replicators to recycle their bowls and utensils.
Both Annika and Chakotay started in with the stew. "Not too bad," Annika remarked between spoonfuls. Obviously, she had been hungry.
Chakotay winked. "Were your taste buds altered by the surgery too?" he joked. Although, considering past mess hall options, the vegetable stew was actually pretty good.
In fact, Annika did feel her taste had been altered somewhat. She decided, however, to ignore Chakotay's comment. "I think we should take Marina as well," Annika said returning to the subject of taking a shuttle to Ocampa. "Her telepathic abilities might come in handy."
Chakotay nodded as he swallowed another spoonful. "I concur," he then replied. "We'll limit it to just the three of us since I envision it will take some time and work to make our way through the tunnels to the underground settlement." He took another spoonful. "Marina can also serve as our pilot and I'll be her back-up."
Annika raised an eyebrow. Marina had spoken of Chakotay's streak of bad luck with shuttles. She smiled inwardly and tried not to think about it too much such that Chakotay would notice.
#
Ocampa loomed ahead of them, its barren surface a kaleidoscope of tans and browns. Any water that had once been on the world was subterranean, the largest reservoir now part of the Ocampan settlement. The trip over in the shuttlecraft Tereshkova had taken less than twenty minutes, the two planets in a relatively close orbit about each other. "Should we enter orbit first, or just head straight for the known settlement?" Marina asked.
"The settlement," Chakotay answered. "We're going to have to make this quick." Although the Kazon had yet to make their move, Chakotay wanted to complete their survey and be back on Voyager well before then. Voyager's departure from the surface was planned for the next day. The weapons and shields on the other shuttlecraft were being strengthened as they had been done on the Tereshkova earlier.
Marina nodded and adjusted the shuttle's trajectory accordingly. The coordinates where Voyager had first encountered the Kazon and Ocampa were in the shuttle's navigation system. They passed through the thin atmosphere without too much trouble and leveled off. The shuttle was approaching a group of mountains, under which was the Ocampan settlement built by the Caretaker when he had inadvertently destroyed the environment on the surface. The settlement was surrounded by a force field, but there had been gaps. Chakotay was hoping they would be able to exploit those gaps yet again, re-enter the settlement and perhaps track down Kes. What Kes could do for them was unknown.
"Put it down near that opening," Chakotay said pointing forward and slightly to the right as they neared the programed landing coordinates. "In the middle of that area to the north. That's where we emerged after escaping from the city."
Marina nodded. "I see it." She took manual control and circled the shuttle around and landed about twenty meters from the fissure. The land for hundreds of meters in all directions was flat and barran. The rear hatch of the shuttle was opened even before the engines fully powered down. Chakotay picked up some climbing gear and the three of them got out and walked up to the crevice and looked inside. It looked pretty much as they had left it three years before. The sky was cloudless and it was hot and dry. Annika took out a tricorder and began scanning the area.
"This hole leads to a series of tunnels," Chakotay explained as he pushed an anchor into the ground. The anchor was attached to a rope and he tossed the other end down into the hole. "The tunnels go for about a kilometer or so. There might be some difficult areas, but we'll be able to get into the city from here." He slung the rest of the gear over his shoulder.
"Unlikely," Annika said bluntly.
Chakotay and Marina both turned to her. "This is precisely where we came out," Chakotay retorted, a bit taken aback. "It shouldn't be too hard to retrace our tracks, although there might be some difficult passages due to shifting when the Caretaker sealed the energy conduits."
"I do not doubt your account," Annika replied. "That is not what I was implying. According to these sensor readings, the force field you spoke of has been strengthened and fortified. At its current level, even a photon torpedo wouldn't put a dent in it. I'm not reading any sign of gaps."
"Could the Ocampans have fixed the force field?" Marina asked.
Chakotay shook his head and stepped over to Annika. She held up the tricorder and Chakotay examined the readings for himself. "Unlikely," he finally said, answering Marina's question but unconsciously repeating the word Annika had said a few moments before. "I'm not sure they understood the workings of any of their systems. They were completely dependent on the Caretaker and what he provided."
Annika continued to scan with the tricorder and turned her attention to the nearby mountains. "We could use the shuttle's sensors to map out the extent of the new force field," she suggested. "Perhaps we could detect a weakness from another direction."
"This is not what we expected," Chakotay said, stating the obvious. He was pulling up the rope he had just positioned and undid the anchor. "We're not going to have a whole lot of time, but I suppose we have little choice." Both he and Annika turned to return to the shuttle.
Marina had been quiet. "Wait," she said to stop them. They turned back.
"What is it?" Annika asked.
"Something," Marina replied. She closed her eyes as if she were trying to listen to something very faint. She was apparently sensing something with her Betazoid telepathy. They all stood still for a short time.
"What is it?" Chakotay finally asked again.
"I feel a presence," Marina replied. "Something powerful. It's hard to pinpoint a location."
"Kes?" Annika suggested.
Marina frowned. "I don't think so," she finally said. She hadn't known Kes very well on Voyager, but was at least familiar with her mental presence. This was something else entirely. "But you know what..." She suddenly looked up towards the shuttle. Both Annika and Chakotay followed her gaze. Standing in the open hatch was Kes. She was frantically motioning for them to come to her. Perhaps it had been Kes after all, but where had she come from? They all immediately moved quickly back to the shuttle.
"You must leave!" Kes said in a loud whisper when they got close. Her eyes were wide and frantic.
"What's going on?" Chakotay asked.
"There's no time," Kes responded. "I'm not supposed to warn you. I'm not supposed to interfere. You must get back to Voyager as soon as you can."
"What do you mean you're not supposed to warn us?" Annika asked. Kes was pushing them all inside the shuttle. When they were inside, she turned to the controls and activating the hatch sequence. It started to close, but couldn't go fast enough for Kes. "What do you mean Kes?" Annika asked again.
"I can't tell you anything more," Kes replied and then motioned to the controls in the front of the shuttle, attempting to hurry them up. She turned to Chakotay. "Commander, trust me. You have little time. You must get back to Voyager before they arrive."
Chakotay motioned for Marina to go to the pilot's seat. "Get us into orbit," he said and then turned back to Kes. He gestured for the two of them to sit down in the back of the shuttle. He took one of the seats and Annika followed suit, but Kes remained standing. "Kes, please tell us what's going on. You've been gone from Voyager for over a week now. And here we are, transported back to Ocampa."
"I know, I know," Kes replied shaking her head. "Believe me, it was not my intention. I have so much to learn. So much… power." She closed her eyes and then started shaking her head again. "It's too late. You're not going to make it."
"The Kazon are hours away," Chakotay replied, attempting to calm her down. "We can easily make it back before they reach us. There's no need to worry." He began to wonder, however, if the Kazon's capabilities had improved dramatically in the past three years.
Kes frowned. She appeared to be deciding something. "Not the Kazon," she finally said. "And you do need to worry. I'm sorry I can't do more." She closed her eyes again, but this time almost immediately the inside of the shuttle was bathed in white light. Before Chakotay could protest, he found himself back on Voyager's bridge. He looked about. Annika and Marina were standing on either side of him. They were all in front of the main view screen.
With Voyager still on the planet's surface, the bridge was minimally manned. Ensign Kim glanced up from his bridge station and did a double take. "Commander?" Ensign Kim said perplexed. "How did you get here?" The few others on the bridge were now also looking at them wide-eyed.
Chakotay touched his comm badge. "Captain Janeway and senior officers to the bridge," he said and started moving towards Ensign Kim's sensor station.
"Chakotay?" Janeway asked. "Why aren't you on Ocampa?"
"I'll explain when you get here Captain," Chakotay replied and then turned to Kim. "Harry, conduct a sensor sweep of the system." If Kes wasn't talking about the Kazon, then who?
Harry looked down at his instruments and typed in a few commands. After a few seconds, he shook his head slowly. "The Kazon ships are all right where they were a few minutes ago," he said. "Nothing else is in …" he began but was interrupted by an alarm on his panel. He stopped the alarm and typed in more sensor commands. As he was studying the sensor output, the turbolift doors opened and Captain Janeway and Lieutenant Commander Tuvok came out.
"What the hell is going on?" Janeway barked.
"We met Kes on Ocampa," Chakotay explained. "She was trying to warn us about something and then transported us back here. I asked Harry to scan the vicinity."
They all turned to face Ensign Kim. Harry looked up from his instruments, his face white. "Ma'am, multiple transwarp conduits are beginning to form in system. Almost right on top of us."
"On screen!" Janeway shouted, and whirled around to look.
Above the planet, from Voyager's perspective on the surface, seven transwarp exits opened up. Almost immediately, Borg cubes and spheres started to emerge and fan out around the planet. Several took position directly above Voyager's location. After each had disgorged its contents, the conduits collapsed back into subspace in a muted flash of light. It all happened in only ten seconds or so, and now a half dozen Borg cubes hung in space above them menacingly.
"I count eighty one Borg vessels," Kim said soberly. The group stood in stunned silence for just a moment, and then another sensor sounded on Kim's board. He looked down to assess the source. "We're being hailed Captain."
Janeway sighed heavily. Had the Borg traced the Unimatrix Zero survivors to this planet? Had the Borg come to investigate the sudden appearance of the planet in the Ocampan system much as the Kazon had done? They had tried to prepare, but in the face of such overwhelming force, what chance did they have? She had a million questions but no time left to answer them. "Put it up."
The view on the main screen was replaced by the inside view of one of the Borg vessels. Presently, the Borg queen stepped forward into the light, a grin on her face. Her sickly green skin looked plastic and artificial. "Why Captain Janeway," she cooed. "It's so nice to see you again. And so soon too."