Afterthoughts: A Deep Space Nine/Voyager Crossover

Part 5:

Explosion after explosion echoed in the Matrix, with Borg cubes that were firing on each other in madness exploding into pieces. Only two Borg cubes remained, which were badly hit and retreating out of the anomaly they came through.

Back on Voyager…

Some of the crewmembers got back up with phasers at hand, shaken from the experience with the Borg. Most of the Borg drones though were beaming back to their remaining ships instead of continuing to fight Voyager's crew. Aflame conduits and holes in the walls remained. One of the crewmembers quickly used the environmental controls to put out the fires by putting more moisture into Voyager's air. Some returned to the transporter rooms.

In Engineering…

The fires were slowly being put out by the incoming moist air. Blown conduits remained, but the coolant leak and the cloud of coolant turning into gas had disappeared. So had some of Beta Squad, and some of the engineers. Kellin, a shaking B'Elanna, Janeway, Tom, and Kim were still in Engineering. Kellin urged, "she needs medical attention!" Tom, Kim, and Janeway turned to B'Elanna's shaking body.

Tom uneasily realized, "B'Elanna. Doctor, two to beam…"

Janeway ordered, "belay that order. Tom, I know you care about B'Elanna…but we need you on the bridge."

Tom responded, "one to beam directly to Sick Bay." B'Elanna was beamed away from Engineering.

One of the crewmembers reported over a combadge, "captain…Tuvok, Chakotay, and Seven are floating in the Matrix."

Janeway said, "beam them directly to Sick Bay."

The random crewmember responded, "yes, captain."

Kellin figured, "I'll double check this deck for Borg."

Janeway added, "thank you, but I have a feeling they'll already be enough crewmembers to check on that."

Kellin reasoned, "then in that case, I'll go check on Chakotay…unless you have any orders to the contrary."

Janeway chuckled a little, "you'll get none from me."

Kellin responded, "thanks." She headed to Sick Bay soon after.

Janeway said, "I don't think the turbolifts are going to work. Three to beam back to the bridge." Soon after, Kim, Janeway, and Tom were beamed back to the bridge.

Meanwhile, in white nothingness…

The being that looked like Sarah concluded, "the Matrix…is closing."

Sisko realized, "the Joining…succeeded?"

The being that looked like Sarah added, "the Celestial Temple…has opened its doors again for new prophets."

Sisko asked, "and…Voyager?"

The being that looked like Sarah concluded, "they travel on through many doors. You have done well, Emissary."

Sisko concluded, "I'll make sure of that."

On the bridge…

Kim was back at Ops. Tom and Janeway were back in their seats. There were some blown out conduits, but the viewscreen and computer were barely online. Suddenly, the bridge rocked again. More explosions followed. Sisko's voice in Janeway's head revealed, "the prophets are closing the Matrix…and the Matrix is fighting back! If you want to save your crew, get out of range."

Janeway thought back, "I don't plan on staying here either…whoever you are." She asked, "what's happening?"

Sisko's voice responded in Janeway's head, "My name is Benjamin Sisko. I was a Starfleet captain."

Kim reported, "sensors are offline! A shockwave just took them out."

Janeway wondered, "do you know how we can get out of here?"

Kim concluded, "we were pushed towards the anomaly, so..." He shortly after gave Tom some coordinates.

Janeway thought, "well Sisko, you're a long way from home. Since you're non-corporeal though, think you can take us home?"

Sisko thought back, "don't worry about that, captain. We'll both return home…it's just a question of when."

Janeway figured in her head, "I sure hope you're right…Sisko." She ordered, "Tom, get us out of here."

Tom concluded, "yes, ma'am."

In space…

Voyager flew back through the anomaly that took the crew into the Matrix, as the anomaly disappeared in a flash of bright white light.

Back on Voyager's bridge…

Tom reported, "I don't hear anymore rocking."

Kim sighed with relief.

Janeway concluded, "then let's get those sensors back up."

Fifteen minutes later, in Sick Bay…

B'Elanna and several crewmembers were getting up from beds. Thoron pulses had awakened them. The EMH doctor and Tom had checked on them. Tom figured, "looking good, doc. No causalities here."

The doctor figured, "well, we've been out in the Delta Quadrant for almost four years. The crew has survived worse."

Tom suggested, "like the Hirogen?"

The doctor muttered, "don't remind me."

Fifteen minutes later, in Tuvok's quarters…

Tuvok was meditating, when a beeping came from his door. Tuvok responded, "enter." Janeway came into Tuvok's quarters.

Janeway figured, "am I disturbing you?"

Tuvok concluded, "no…but I have been thinking."

Janeway wondered, "what's on your mind, Tuvok?"

Tuvok revealed, "when I was mentally attacked by the Matrix, I was faced with a difficult situation: To let Voyager be destroyed, or to let Voyager's shuttles be destroyed. I would have decided to let Voyager be destroyed to save the rest of the crew…but I was in error because it was a mental attack by the Matrix." Janeway sat down on a chair next to him.

Janeway assured Tuvok, "but these…prophets saved you from making that decision."

Tuvok concluded, "yes. They gave me, in essence, a Katra of great power…and I chose to act on it."

Janeway pointed out, "the situation presented to you was a hard decision. I would've tried to avoid making it all together…if I were in your position."

Tuvok figured, "then you understand my logic."

Janeway assured him, "I do. I'll understand if you want to be left alone."

Tuvok concluded, "thank you…captain." And with that, Janeway left Tuvok alone to let him continue meditating.

A few hours later, in Tom's quarters…

The door to Tom's quarters beeped. Tom had prepared dinner, with help from a replicator. He was sitting at a table in his quarters. Tom said, "enter." B'Elanna in a black dress came in.

She said, "smells delicious." B'Elanna sat down at the same table.

Tom figured, "so, what happened to you back there?"

B'Elanna asked, "excuse me?"

Tom went on, "you were mentally attacked. You sure you…?"

B'Elanna insisted, "I'm sure, ok?"

Tom sighed, "ok. I understand that it was stressful for you…but if you can't find a way to deal with it, it could someday come back to hurt you."

B'Elanna sighed, "I'm sorry, Tom. It's just been…"

Tom figured, "…stressful. If it helps, I wasn't sure if we were going to make it out alive."

B'Elanna concluded, "thanks."

Tom added, "anytime."

B'Elanna wondered, "has the wine…?"

Tom answered, "it still needs to breathe a little."

B'Elanna concluded, "oh."

Meanwhile, in Chakotay's quarters…

Chakotay was with Kellin. Both were sitting at a table across from each other, with a vegetarian dinner in front of them. Kellin sighed.

Chakotay wondered, "what's wrong?"

Kellin added, "it's not you…it's just… I still miss Ramura."

Chakotay sighed, "I still miss my father."

Kellin wondered, "what happened?"

Chakotay concluded, "he was killed…defending our tribe from Cardassians."

Kellin realized, "I'm sorry. Were you…?" She put a hand on one of Chakotay's hands.

Chakotay assured her, "I wasn't mentally hurt by the mental attack. But, if I had been there…my father might still be alive."

Kellin revealed, "I know how you feel. My mother lost her memories to the Ramuran government…and she decided to leave my father. I was young at the time, but now I know."

Chakotay started to ask, "did the mental attack…?"

Kellin revealed, "not directly, but it did remind me of Ramura."

Chakotay wondered, "speaking of Ramura…why did you want to become a Tracer?"

Kellin revealed uneasily, "they…threatened to erase memories from me and my father if I didn't become a Tracer. We had taken a family vacation on another world…and we were both seen as criminals. I felt I had no choice. And overtime, it became…second nature."

Chakotay realized, "until you found me."

Kellin added, "until I found you. I'll always be grateful for giving my people a chance…for giving me a second chance."

Chakotay added, "but you still miss Ramura?"

Kellin sighed, "yeah. I don't even know how the resistance is going to go…because I won't be there to see it."

Chakotay concluded, "then see it as a victory. Right now…the Ramuran government is vulnerable."

Kellin chuckled softly, "you're right. It should work. There's still one thing that's been on my mind though."

Chakotay wondered, "what is it?"

Kellin suggested, "if I wanted there to be a resistance so I could have my friends and family happy…why didn't I go back?"

Chakotay sighed, "the captain did tell you where we're going."

Kellin figured, "maybe it's because I was chasing Resket for almost a year. By the time I got home, my friends and family had either mostly moved on or weren't anywhere to be seen. The home I knew…was gone."

Chakotay said, "I'm sorry." Kellin then noticed that her hand was still on his. She moved it back.

Kellin concluded, "it's ok. I've learned to live with it…like you have with what happened to your father."

Chakotay wondered, "do you want to be left alone?"

Kellin chuckled softly, "that's very considerate of you, but you should know by now that things feel better to me when you're around."

Chakotay figured, "then let's eat." And with that, they started eating silently in each other's company.

The End…Or The Start of Spin Off Fanfiction?

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