RAGNAROK 2
Author: Rocky

In the controlled chaos of main Engineering, it was easy to miss any unusual sounds. Possessing hearing far more acute than those of his fellow engineers, Vorik looked up sharply at the unmistakable whine of overstrained metal. But where was it coming from?

Suddenly, the suspension bridge leading to the upper reaches of Engineering shook violently. "Ensign Baytart!" Vorik yelled, just as the catwalk under Baytart began to sway and then, without any further warning, gave way completely.

Instinctively, Vorik threw himself at Torres, knocking her down and shielding her with his body. Shards of metal and other debris rained down. When it subsided, Vorik got to his feet, ignoring the trickle of blood on the side of his head. He held out his hand to Torres.

"Are you all right, Lieutenant?" he asked, helping her up.

Torres nodded shakily. "I think so. I don't think I hurt the baby-" She broke off as she turned around and saw the mound of debris partially covering Baytart's twisted body. "Kahless, Pablo!"

Carey and Nicoletti were already digging frantically through the rubble, assisted by Ashmore who'd been working very close to where the catwalk had come down. "He's still breathing!" Joe yelled a few seconds later. " Should I-"

"No," Torres said. "Don't touch him. Spinal injuries shouldn't be moved -" She hit her comm badge. "Trauma team alpha, report to Engineering." She looked pointedly at Beth Ashmore. "In the meantime, we don't have any time to lose-back to your stations! We've got to get these systems back up!" The ensign took the hint and got back to work.

George Redman came rushing in, and knelt down next to Baytart, medical tricorder already in his hand. "His lifesigns are very weak-I'll need to stabilize him before calling for a site-to-site transport to Sickbay." He took out a hypospray.

Torres nodded. Her attention was caught by a readout indicating power surge in a nearby system. "Ashmore, that console-"

Anything further was lost in the explosion.

"I've located the Queen's ship," Tuvok said. "Relaying the coordinates to the Taj."

Kim interjected, "Captain, reports of an explosion in Engineering!"

"Janeway to Engineering. B'Elanna, what's going on down there?"

"Torres here. The GS-relays-" The rest of her reply was drowned out in static.

Janeway turned to Tuvok. "Any indication of what caused that?"

"Negative, Captain," Tuvok replied. "In addition, the last hit we took caused a hull breach on deck 4. Emergency forcefields appear to be holding so far. However, we have lost all remote computer functions on decks 3 and 4."

"The torpedo launching bays are located there." Janeway felt like slamming her head against the nearest bulkhead. So far everything that could go wrong, had. "If we can't launch the warheads-"

"That is not necessarily the case, Captain," Tuvok quickly said. "I believe it can still be accomplished manually."

"Good thinking, Tuvok," Chakotay said, getting to his feet. "I'll get right down there."

Tuvok held up a hand. "As chief Tactical Officer, I am more qualified to perform this task."

"But as first officer-" Chakotay started to say.

"Enough." Janeway considered the two officers standing in front of her. No one knew better than she the precarious position of whoever she would send to the torpedo bays. That man's life would be in jeopardy, but on the other hand, so was the entire ship. If there was a chance that they could still snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, it had to be done.

The only question was which officer would she be consigning to danger-her oldest friend, or her closest one. Angrily she brushed that thought from her mind. There was no room for sentiment here; she had to select the man most qualified to carry out that duty.

"Chakotay." At the sound of his name, the first officer smiled, confident that he'd been selected. Janeway pressed on doggedly. "Chakotay, I'm sorry, but I need you on the bridge. Tuvok, get down there as quickly as possible and bring those launchers back on line."

Neelix looked around the deserted Mess Hall. In the dim light, the freshly scrubbed counter shone, as did the metal saucepans hanging on the wall. There was no real work to be done; in the midst of a battle, it was unlikely anyone would drop by for a hot drink or a bite to eat. Afterwards-provided there was an afterward, of course-hordes of crewmen would descend on the place, hungry for company as well as food. But for now, he had the place to himself.

Neelix caught himself on a sigh as the red alert beacons continued to flash. Truth be told, he had always felt superfluous during situations such as these. For all his enthusiastic participation in cross-training and departmental drills, Neelix was very much a civilian at heart.

According to regs, non-essential personnel were not supposed to be moving through the corridors during an emergency. But unable to continue facing the trepidation in Sarexa's eyes-the same trepidation that he feared was reflected in his own-he'd left her and made his way back to the Mess Hall. Oddly enough, just sitting here made him feel better.

Periodically, the room would shake; Neelix assumed those times coincided with weapons fire impacting and then being deflected by Voyager's shields. It occurred to him that the shaking was becoming more severe. He didn't know how the battle was progressing, but perhaps this was an indication that things were not going as well as they should.

He shifted uneasily, feeling the unaccustomed weight of the small level-2 phaser he'd been issued pressing against his hip. He envisioned drones invading the Mess Hall, with only this weapon to fend them off. Somehow he didn't think his chances of survival were increased by his being armed.

A pot lid on the counter began trembling. As Neelix watched, it skittered off the edge and fell with a resounding clang on the floor. Just then, a particularly loud bang made him look up. A few seconds later, he found himself face down on the floor.

He picked himself up. "Computer, what was that?"

"Please specify."

"That boom! What caused it?"

The unemotional mechanical voice answered, "A hull breach has occurred on deck 4."

The Mess Hall was on deck 2. The Talaxian frowned. Was that close enough proximity that he would be able to feel the reverberation of the impact through the bulkheads? Neelix knew the ship's layout, could tell without consulting a schematic, where everything was located. It was something he prided himself on-and used in his favor to lobby for a posting to the security staff.

Deck 4...his first reaction was that it somehow involved the transporter room. Unbidden, the image of Borg transporting onto Voyager popped into his mind. Almost immediately, he rejected it-the drones would beam directly onto key decks, like the bridge-and they wouldn't need Voyager's transporters to do it.

What else was there? There were the aft torpedo launchers, but those were more properly situated between decks 3 and 4... Of course! That explained why he felt the impact!

"Computer, what is the status of the aft torpedo launchers?'

"Those systems are off-line."

That was all the confirmation he needed. Without stopping to wonder how he knew, Neelix guessed that Captain Janeway would dispatch someone to attempt to correct the problem. "Whoever it is may need some help," he said aloud, and without a backward glance, he left the Mess Hall.

He hesitated in front of the turbo-lift. Probably not a good idea; in case of a power failure, he could be trapped inside. And his destination was only one level down-that shouldn't be too difficult. He unscrewed the hatch of the Jefferies tube, and began his descent.