"Captains log: Its been three weeks since this flooding crisis started. The Doctor' is still our forcefield holding back he flood, but he is losing integrity, he can't keep the flood waters back for much longer. Our command structure is also failing, and with Tuvok still being frozen in stasis, I feel like I've been trying to hold this together on my own."
In Engineering, the Doctor as the force field is erratically flickering. Harry is next to it, trying to stabilize the field. "Hang in there Doc. If you can just hold yourself together a little longer. I'm going to use our last set of power converters so that you can maintain your field strength." Harry Connects power converter to mobile emitter. Eventually, the force field stabilizes.
"That should hold you for now. We need you Doc. You may not be in sick bay but you're still saving lives.
Harry goes to the Captain, who is also in Engineering. "Captain, the Doctor is on his last legs. We only have about two hours left of emergency power to stain him."
"How will we stop the flood once he collapses," the Captain thought aloud.
"I've been working on a theory that might help us get rid of the flood"
"Yes. Anything." The Captain replied.
Harry continued, "We need to eject the warp core. That will cause a large enough opening and a hydrostatic pull that should attract the water out of the ship."
"Eject the core?" The captain implored, "We'll need our warp engines eventually. Have you thought of a way for us to retrieve the warp core once we've ejected it?"
"Unfortunately not", Harry answered. "But I think we'll just have to find a way later to retrieve it."
"Have you talked it over with B'Elanna"
"Sort of… She's been rather difficult to talk to these days, but she agrees."
"Tell me about it. Ever since her episode with Tom I've had to fight tooth and nail just to get a status update", joked the Captain, "Once we release the force field, I imagine the flood will be coming in strong in all areas. Where should the crew go while this is going on."
"The safest thing for the crew to do would be to go to the escape pods and hide there until all of the water has been ejected."
"Good idea", the Captain replied. They discusses more specifics until they had a plan of execution. "I'll alert the crew", the Captain said afterwards.
The Captain got on communications."This is the captain to all hands. In one hour, We are about to perform an emeregncy warp core ejection. I am ordering all non essential personnel to report to any available escape pods. Only a percentage of the pods are available, so you may have to double or triple up in them. The senior staff will stay behind to coordinate the ejection on our end. Once completed, we will rejoin back here on voyager and plan our way home. " The Captain paused, then continued, "I know this hasn't been easy, and quite frankly, I am the cause for this… For all of this. But we WILL make it home, and it one piece, all of us. Is that understood?!"
She could hear some of the crew say, "Yes Captain!"
"Very well, Captian out."
The first thing they had to do was disengage thrusters. The ship came to a rumbling stop. The crew was knocked around one last time, but their spirits were high.
The next thing they had to do was release the internal locks on the warp core, which was fairly easy enough.
The final thing they would have to do is release the external locks on the warp core, which was the tricky part. Someone would have to do a space walk and walk on top of Voyager to manually release the warp core met to discuss their final preparations
"Alright. As soon as the warp core's lock is released, we'll need all available hands on this side of the ship to help push the warp core out." Harry instructed.
Harry, walked over to the Doctor. "Then Doctor, once the core is out you can disengage the force field so that the water can begin to flood outward." The force field twinge and flickered in response.
"Who is going to be walking on top of the ship to release the locks." The Captain asked.
"I've just about finished my spacewalk training, I should be able to go out there and do it." Harry answered.
"Ok. We'll need to seek high ground to avoid the incoming surge."
The nonessential crew began evacuating the ship. Escape pods began hovering over hovering over Voyager.
"Harry are you ready to go outside to release the warp core locks?"
Just then, Tom entered the room, "Let me do it Captain! I'll go."
B'Elanna looks up from her control panel and sees Tom. Surpised, then angered, she says, "Oh boy, we don't have time for this! You're just trying to prove something,"
"You're right B'Elanna, I am trying to prove something,"
"What?! That you can get any girl you want in or out of starfleet!?
"B'Elanna!", the Captain reacted.
Tom continued, "I told you B'Elannanna, that was a mistake. I was just trying to warm Seven up and it was too easy to fall asleep in that dark cold room." The crew overhearing the quarrel started to become uncomfortable.
"You better hope you don't fall asleep out there in dark cold space either, pirate! Maybe Seven and her other Borg friends will save you."
"B'Elanna…" Tom responded.
The Doctor began to phase in and out erratically. Harry rushes over to the force field. "Doc!"
After scanning the field, Harry reports, "Captain, the Doctor isn't going to maintain cohesion much longer, we've got to Eject the core soon."
"Tom, get on top of the ship now and release those warp core locks." the Captain orders
"Yes ma'am." Tom replies, then mutters. "At least somebody still believes in me."
Tom gets to the shuttle bay and takes the working shuttle to the outside of the ship, and lands it on top of the ship. He gets out and begins to walk towards the warp core ejection site. As drifts and walks, he sees a lot of damage that the flood has caused to Voyager's external hull.
He also sees the escape pods of the crewmen rising up. He can look into the window of some, and he sees the fear, worry, and doubt in some of their faces. In others, he sees frustration, and anger.
Eventually reaches warp core eject site. Tom calls B'Elanna on his communicator
"Tom to B'Elanna"
"What", B'Elanna snaps.
"I'm at the warp core ejection site"
"Good. You know what to do. B'Elanna out"
"B'Elanna wait. Ok. I'm sorry." Tom apologized.
He continued, "Look I just lost judgement. I don't know what I was thinking. I was just trying to help a colleague"
Tom didn't get a response from B'Elanna. He began manually releasing the warp core locks. "You're the only woman for me, and you should know that." He continues to release the locks one by one. "It wasn't my intention to spend the night with Seven, its just guys, we don't connect the dots sometimes."
Tom began trying to unlock a stubborn lock. "And of course, nothing happened between us that night", Tom added, grunting trying to get the lock loose. Tom mumbles to himself "Grrgh…. Gosh, this lock is as stubborn as her."
"I heard that" B'Elanna finally responded.
Tom, happy B'Elanna responded, "B'Elanna! You should know that no one compares to you."
Tom continued to pull on the stubborn lock. "You're smart …grrghh …attractive …eerrrggshh ..and just all around…grrrhsh" A piece of the lock unexpectedly loosens, causing Tom to loose his balance and start floating away in space.
"Wonderful!…ahhh." Tom shouts as he begins floating away.
"Tom!" B'Elanna asks, "Whats going on?"
"I lost my footing. I'm floating away in space!"
"What?, Increase the gravitational attraction in your boots." B'Elanna suggests
"I can't. That last lock was too strong! I'm to far from the ship now. The sad part is, I didn't even open the lock."
As Tom floats away, he tries holding on to some of the escape pods that are hovering above the ship. The crewmen in the pods look at him with concern, but are powerless to help him
"Tom!", B'Elanna cries out.
"The Captain hears the commotion from B'Elanna, "B'Elanna whats going on?"
B'Elanna explains the situation to the Captain, and then the Captain contacts Tom, "Hang in there Tom, we'll try to get to you as soon as possible."
Just then, a lot of sparks and sounds came from the force field. Harry took note and reported, "Captain, the Doc is losing cohesion we have to eject the core now."
"Oh no," B'Elanna laments, "Tom wasn't able to open the last lock. We can't release the warp core.
The Captain realizes the extent of the situation and frets as she is out of options. Everyone stands in silence. Just then a familiar voice comes on through communications.
"Maybe I can help."
"Chakotay?"
Chakotay's shuttle approaches Voyager. Tom is attached to the bottom of it. The shuttle also has the missing Maquis crew as well.
"You can't get rid of me that easily B'Elannana."
"Or me captain." Chakotay adds, "I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking."
"Noted." the Captain responds. "And frankly its really good to see you. Right now lets get rid of that last lock so we can eject this core before the flooding starts."
"Understood."
Chakotay fires one simple shot to release the last warp core lock. "The last lock has been released", he reports.
"Good work. Alright everyone, lets release this core."
The remaining crew gather around to push the core downward with all their strength. The Doctor flickers in and out violently, and then collapses back into his original form.
Immediately the strong flood begins surging in. The crew is able to push the warp core down and eject it. The crew begin to climb on the highest structure they can as the flood waters rise.
The water is being drained out effectively into the warp ejection site.
The Doctor crouches down as the water pours on top of him. Everyone is silent, hoping that their plan will work as the water level rises.
Eventually the water level begins to go down, and all of the flood water in the ship is drained out. After all of the water clears out, the Captain and the Doctor immediately run to the bridge, avoiding damaged areas along the way.
The Doctor runs to Tuvok and begins to attempt to revive him. The Captain see's Seven starring out into space. "Seven! Are you alright?" She goes over to see what Seven is looking at.
They are watching all of the water that was just released being attracted towards the ejected warp core.
"Oh no! This is the Captain to all hands. Brace for sudden impact! The ejected flood will soon ignite with the warp core in any moment
All members on the ship crouch down!"
The water condenses around the warp core and then an explosion occurs. Voyager and some of the escape pods are suddenly pushed around and damaged from the explosion.
The ejected water is exploded back towards Voyager and the escape pods. Eventually, the envelops them, and submerges voyager into a large body of water. The remaining crew eventually makes it to the bridge and watches as water overtakes their viewport. Voyager and the escape pods begin to sink in this massive body of water.
On an alien planet, Alien children playing on a field, a game of tag
As they play, they start to see a stream of bubbles coming in. "Wow look at this. Bubbles!", one of the children say.
One of the parents of the children come out. "Children time to come in for your supper."
"Look Father" the child points to the incoming stream of bubbles.
"Theres probably a storm coming in child, thats why you need to come inside."
"The bubbles are in a straight line." the child says.
The parent begins to observe the stream, "Hmm they are in a straight line, coming in from the sky. But there's no sign of rain, and they seem to be coming in as a mathematical sequence. Someone must have deliberately produced these. I wonder where they're coming from…"
Voyager and the escape pods are still adrift in the middle of this new ocean, and have been for hours. They have no hope or means to escape. The Captain is on communications speaking to the entire crew.
"I… I'm sorry. I've always tried to do the right thing by my ship and crew. We've been through so much and I regret that it has ended this way. With all of our encounters, its hard to believe that we've been beaten by something as basic as water and with our own technology. Somehow our family and friends will know of our endeavors, have to at least believe that." The Captain paused. Tom and B'Elanna held hands as they listened. Tuvok, revived, was assisted by the Doctor as he struggled to stand. Chakotay stood in the back corner with his head down and hands behind his back as he listened. The Captain continued, "It has been my honor .. and my privilege ..to be your captain ..as faulty as that may have been. Janeway out."
Voyager begins to rattle. Once again, leaks of water begin pouring in from the outside. The remaining crew on Voyager looked at each other with consolation as they awaited their fate. Sections of Voyager begin to collapse from the pressure.
Suddenly ship jolts and moves up."What now?
Seven noted, "I believe we're being pulled up."
"Pulled up? By what?"
They watch the viewport as they finally pass through the water. They see a fleet of alien ships and the other escape pods, to their delight! They see other escape pods being tractored up out of the water.
Moments later, the alien who observed the bubbles on his planet transports on board Voyager.
"Hello, you must be the captain!"
The captain heartedly replies, "Yes, …yes I am!"
A rescue effort was underway as the entire crew of voyager was saved. The End.
