Chapter 4~ Capture
The Kazon came upon the little band as they were sleeping. Tempest was on watch duty and all he managed was a small cry before it was stifled by them. Val stirred as she felt some commotion beside her. Hushed voices in a foreign tongue were heard. Being in an unfamiliar quadrent, this had her on alert at once. But too little too late, Voyager was being hauled off. "Voyager!" She cried, moving to attack the Kazon. She just dodged their deadly shots and Voyager's Aeroshuttle held her back from doing anything more. He had separated from his mothership just before Voyager was hauled off. "See to Tempest." He ordered. Val nodded. The old warship was lying on his side, having the wind knocked out of him. "I never heard the bastards coming." He groaned as he righted himself. "They worked you over pretty good." Val said, stifling her whimper. "You've got some bruised ribs. Consider yourself lucky it wasn't worse." Tempest nodded, glaring after their retreating forms. "We'll get him back Val. I promise."
Voyager remained exactly where he was after his capture by the Kazon. He had told Tempest and Val Jean to escape in the mean time. His resistance of the Kazon survived to frustrate them to no end, as he was locking all of his systems down, keeping, damage to his secondary command systems kept them from overriding his control of his body, and even if they were functioning, it wouldn't be easy with him fighting every step of the way. Val needed to find a way to rescue him. She knew he wouldn't last forever. "There is one good thing out of this." Voyagers Aeroshuttle said. "He hasn't moved an inch since his capture. Since crew control was disabled when the secondary command system was destroyed. He has full control of himself. and will likely do whatever it takes to impede their efforts even if they get that system functioning again." "He can't do it forever though. Nor can he stay there forever." "It is possible. But don't underestimate Voyager, he is tough." "I know but no one lasts forever." "That's a negative view point." "It's true." "He will be fine!" he growled. "We aren't leaving him there!" "I know that. But why are you so intent on believing that he will not be able to hold out." He said still annoyed with her. Unlike Voyager, he wasn't as tolerant with the Maquis ship.. "I just don't want to leave him!" "What do you care about him Maquis?" "He's my friend. Just because you..." "Alright, that's enough!" Tempest growled. He was beginning to get a headache from their bickering.
He stopped and looked at the constellation class ship, going quiet and just flying besides the male. "Look, if we're going to rescue Voyager we have to stop bickering and find a way to do it together!" "She is Maquis, For all we know she was the reason they took my partner." "How dare you!" She cried, rounding on him with a snarl. "ENOUGH!" Tempest roared. "I am not working with her." He snarled and turned about to move to the other side of Tempest, away from the raider. "And I'm not working with him!" She snarked back. Tempest stifled a groan The shuttle quivered for a moment. and then spoke. "Are you guys seriously fighting instead of doing something to help me?" The tone and comment suggested it was Voyager. Val raised a brow. "How are you doing that? And ask that stubborn aft. I want to help you but he doesn't!" "We are linked together. It allows us to keep in touch and even speak through each other at times. It takes a great deal of concentration though." He groaned, still attempting to keep the Kazon from gaining access to his systems. "Don't focus on us too much. We don't want the Kazon to take too much advantage." "Look just get over your issues and sort out a plan, both for my aid and in case that fails, continue on your journey home." He said before allowing the aero shuttles mind to reassert itself. He shuttered and blinked. "Curious. I hadn't know we could do that." "Apparently you can." Val muttered. "So, rescue plan?" "That..." he sighed. "Should be left to Tempest, he is considerably more powerful then either of us." "I'm also far older and don't have the ability to hold off the Kazen guards on my own." "Yes you are not an Intrepid, but you are a Constellation class starship. Their tactical abilities are far better then ours combined." "Aye, that's true." "So what are we going to do Tempest?" "Getting past the guards is the first thing and I doubt we can sneak past but we can't fight them all either. We need to draw some of them away somehow." "We could go to the Talaxians for help. It isn't very far." "Or we could use bait." Val eyed the aeroshuttle. "Don't even think about it. You are better equipped for it." "Send me into the line of fire, fine." She agreed. "In the mean time I can disable Voyagers weapons systems. from what I know of the Kazon, they will run. Tempest, can you prepare a group of marines to help?" "Yes sir." "Sir? I am just a shuttle. I wasn't even given a name." Tempest shrugged. "I'm not used to leading. I actually haven't left Sol Sector in gosh, 40 years?" "Well in this instance. you are the only one I can trust not to screw up." "What am I, vented plasma?!" Val cried. "No just a terrorist." He said, and suddenly arched with a yelp, as if stunned. "OW!" Val smirked. "Someone disagrees with you." He sighed. "Alright, what'd you have in mind?"
"This is a bad idea." He grumbled less than 2 hours later. Hiding behind a planet as he watched Val approach the Kazon. "Quit your whining and do your part." The Maquis replied. "Both of you will do your parts without complaint." Tempest growled from his position several orbital paths away. As Val distracted the guards both her male companions sunk around behind, one providing additional distraction. Tempest ended up freeing Voyager from his restraints. "Tempest, how…?" He asked. "No time to explain. I know it's a miracle those two are working together." Tempest replied as he watched Val chase off a Kazon cruiser that was about to strike Voyager's Aeroshuttle from behind. Their cover blown, the small fleet needed to get the hell out of dodge before they all were captured and that's exactly what they did. Val was fierce as ever and it took Voyager to restrain her as they warped out.
