Chapter 8~ Wormhole
"I hate you all." She moaned an hour later as they approached the Malon freighter. As they approached the saw the how the Malon ship got there. A wormhole, one that led exactly where they wanted to go. "I spy with my little eye a way to escape." Val smirked.
The freighter noticed them, asking how they managed to come by this area of space. Voyager replied that they had entered 5 months earlier and were crossing it when they detected the theta radiation. As well as a species what was being poisoned by it. The freighter growled as they spoke about it, demanding that he wouldn't abandon this dump site just because of one species. Val seemed confused. "What do you mean a dump site? Whose dumping ground is it?" "Mine. I am the only one that knows about it." The Malon ship replied. "Don't tell me you forgot Val. The Malon dump their anti-matter waste in uninhabited space so their home world stays uncontaminated. Or as long as it fits into their profit margin. I gave them the same equipment that would allow them to recycle the waste and use it to power just about everything. But the one that I was with refused it so he could stay in business." "You did?" The freighter asked. "I will agree that the waste business would suffer from the equipment. But Because of all of this waste I won't be lasting much longer. The radiation doesn't make me sick, but it does weaken my hull. I'll probably be dead next year." "That's-that's barbaric!" Val snarled. "Sacrificing their ships just so they themselves can keep their planet free of their waste!" "It pays well." The freighter replied. "What good is money if you are dead?" Crusader asked, and got the reply that it would go to his mate and children. "And let your child grow up without a father, and your mate as a widow?" Val asked. "She will take another. In fact I am sure she is with someone now. Our culture allows for open relationships. She's had three children before my son. All from different fathers." "It still isn't right." Val sighed. "Perhaps not but it is there way. We should respect that." Challenger said and Val huffed but agreed.
The group continued on, heading for the wormhole. Using the wormhole they managed to get to within an hour of the edge of normal space but they were still in the void. Coming about. Voyager prepared two photon torpedoes. He just barely waited for the Malon ship to come through before firing on the wormhole, sealing it. The freighter was furious with them and threatened to vent all his remaining theta radation. But it wouldn't kill any of them. "Not gonna work sonny." Val smiled. "I guess you're stuck with us." "What business do you have interfering with my way of life?" He growled. "We offered all of your people a way to use that radation to power everything from showers to life support. But you refused it so you could continue to dump all of this garbage. Are you that afraid of change?" Val wisely decided not to say anything about the Prime Directive. "We will be on our way. You know where to find us." Voyager said before coming about and heading away at impulse speeds, Proxima and Crusader following him.
Challenger hung back to take a swipe at Val who squealed and ran up underneath Voyager. It didn't go unnoticed. "Challenger. Would you like to explain yourself." He growled. "Protecting you against a dangerous enemy sir." She replied. "Dangerous enemy, why I aught…" Val snarled, ready to lunge at Challenger. Proxima held her back. "THATS ENOUGH!" Voyager roared. "You are acting more like an enemy then an ally Challenger. And I have about had it with you. We face danger every day and I have never once felt threatened by her. Hell, the Maquis are tens of thousands of light years away, and oh yes. All of them are dead. Completely wiped out by the Dominion who I might add declared war on the Federation, Klingons and the Romulans. And then attempted to slaughter the Cardassans when they figured out what the Dominion had planned for them." "She could be planning to kill us as we speak. In revenge for not saving her countrymen." Challenger replied. "I would never hurt Voyager! I love him!" Val cried, bravely facing up to Challenger. She looked up at Voyager's surprised gaze. "I-I love him." She whispered, looking down again. "Think about it Challenger. She is a single raider that is dwarfed us and even with the system upgrades I gave her. She still wouldn't be a match for any one of us." He said, pausing as he heard what Val said. The little Maquis said nothing and nor did Challenger who was also stunned by her outburst. Proxima was the one to break the silence. "We will work together to get home and after that. We will let Starfleet and Enterprise decide her fate. We are stronger together, and yet here we are assuming we are plotting like a bunch of Romulans." Challenger sighed and backed down though she said nothing in agreement. Val ducked her head as Voyager looked at her. "Agreed?" She said. Challenger grunted. "For now." She allowed. She gave Val a dangerous look before moving past her. Val retreated under Voyager's saucer. "No not for now. You agree now or we will leave you behind." Voyager hissed. Challenger growled and reluctantly did so.
