Letters at Red Alert
Disclaimer and Author's Note: Same as before. Many thanks to Gevar from AO3 for input and assistance.
Summary: Emily and Hiram receive their letters just before encountering the Hirogen.
USS Voyager (NCC-74656)
Mess Hall
Stardate 510507.5
05 July 2374, 0611
Emily Hadley walked into the Mess Hall. After getting her breakfast and meal tray, she looked around in time to find Hiram Mcleich sitting at their usual table.
He was hunched forward, idly picking at Neelix's cooking. Neelix's 'Even Better than Coffee Substitute' cup was near his right hand.
She took the seat across from him and he looked up. The ghost of a smile crossed his features, but his eyes…
'Bags…how much did he sleep last night?' Emily thought. "Hey, how are you?"
"Honestly, I've felt better." A tired sigh before he raised his glass to his lips and the viscous liquid slowly flowed out.
"You're actually drinking Neelix's 'Better than Coffee Substitute'?" Emily raised an eyebrow. 'Changing the subject might be better'.
"It's not too bad. Just has the texture of molasses and the taste of burned decaf coffee," Hiram snickered.
"Ugh…I suppose it's doing the yeoman's work to keep you awake?" Emily winced.
Hiram held his left hand to his mouth, yawning. "I suppose I'll let this take effect."
"Maybe you should talk to Commander Tuvok to see if he'll let you get some rest…" Emily began.
"I can get through our shift and catch a nap afterward." Hiram took another sip of the viscous liquid.
"Alright, what about after that?" Emily asked.
"I do plan to have a word with Chakotay shortly." Hiram sighed.
"About?" Emily raised an eyebrow.
"Well remember the story I told you about animal guides?" Hiram asked.
"How Chakotay helped you with finding yours two years ago. I remember."
"Well, it helped me then. Maybe it can help now…" Hiram replied.
"How are you planning to do that?" Emily asked.
"I just need to remember what the ritual entailed and go from there…it could prove helpful again," Hiram replied.
"Or it might not." Emily folded her arms across her chest.
"How so?" Hiram asked.
"I remember you told me B'Elanna tried to kill her animal guide back when you were in the Maquis?"
"I actually got along with mine. Let's say I met a kindred spirit and a fellow Aussie." Hiram grinned faintly.
"You never told me how you knew B'Elanna tried to kill her animal guide, you know," Emily mused as she unfolded her arms.
"She threw a knife at her animal guide during her vision." Hiram chuckled despite himself.
"Okay, how did this translate into you knowing what happened?" Emily asked.
"Because the bloody knife nearly skewered me !" Hiram replied.
"What?" Emily asked.
"I was walking by the alcove where she was having her vision and the knife flew out of the entrance and embedded itself in the wall less than a meter in front of my face."
"Alright, just tell me where you plan on holding your little ritual and I'll be sure to avoid it," Emily teased.
"I actually got on well with my animal guide," Hiram protested, turning his neck one way and the other to get a crick out of it.
"Let me guess you did some sambo on the holodeck," Emily replied.
Hiram nodded. "Dealing with grapplers that also like punching you helps put problems in perspective."
"My bones ache even thinking of half of those throws and takedowns you keep showing me videos of…" Emily shuddered.
"It's good exercise," Hiram replied.
"So are trail running and mountain biking," Emily countered.
"I enjoy those too."
"As well as getting punched, kicked and thrown around," Emily teased.
"Don't forget I do the same to the other bloke." Hiram toothily grinned.
Emily rolled her eyes. "There are times I think you're absolutely mad."
"What did Lewis Carroll say again? 'We're all mad here'." Hiram smirked.
"Some more than others." Emily stood and picked up her tray.
Hiram did the same as they walked over to the replicator to get the items recycled.
"What led to that conclusion?" Hiram smirked.
"You voluntarily train in a martial art developed in a former Earth state known for really brutal things," Emily replied as they walked to the Mess Hall door.
"After you?" Hiram gestured.
"Thank you." Emily smiled and walked out of the Mess Hall with Hiram in tow. They hadn't walked far when they heard footsteps.
"Lieutenant Hadley!" Neelix called out.
Emily turned to see the ebullient Talaxian running over with a PADD in his hand. She felt a smile crease her features.
"I nearly forgot to deliver this one!" Neelix said, gasping a little.
Emily took the PADD from him and said, "Thank you, Neelix."
'If only I wasn't about to go on duty right now…' Emily thought.
"From Will?" Hiram asked.
Emily nodded as they walked to the turbolift to take their trip to the Bridge…
USS Voyager (NCC-74656)
Bridge
Stardate 51507.7
05 July 2374, 0808
Hiram glanced over his console from the tactical station higher up on the bridge. Emily looked busy at her workstation, but every so often she glanced at the PADD Neelix handed her earlier.
'Best get back to work. ' Hiram thought. Chakotay wanted an opinion from both the science and security departments about the starship found adrift with the bloke who lost his entire skeleton and several vital organs. 'Bloody Hell, its like those blokes that skin big game animals…'
He and Emily had this entire shift to work on it together.
She glanced his way and he smiled at her, before typing a short message on his console to send to hers.
He looked down to see the three dots of a message being composed as she looked over and smiled.
'Of course, she'd be excited.' Hiram turned his attention back to a report about the abandoned starship they'd found two days earlier.
His train of thought was disrupted when he saw the notification of a message on his console and switched over to it. Emily just responded about the science team's observations on the alien. 'Not a lot to go on with literally a few meters of skin…'
He stepped away from his console and headed to Emily's console on the other side of the bridge. She swiveled her seat around to face him.
"I see your point about the few meters of skin. Sounds like he got carved up by a bloody serial killer," Hiram replied.
"Sounds like it." Emily shuddered a bit.
"Operations is still trying to translate the data off the alien's computer. Hopefully we can sort out the motive," Hiram replied.
"Looks like things are a little slow." Emily offered.
"With a side order of mysteriously hollowed out alien corpse," Hiram joked.
Emily was about to say something when she turned her head, looking past him towards the turbolift.
Hiram followed her line of sight, seeing Neelix walking out of the turbolift with several PADDs in his hands.
"Lieutenant Mcleich?" Neelix said.
"Right here."
Neelix walked over and handed Hiram the PADD. "It's from a Captain and Master Chief Mcleich in Darwin, Australia…"
"Thanks mate!" Hiram replied as he took the PADD hearing Neelix muttering to himself about trying to track down Lieutenant Ayala next.
"Check Holodeck 2, Reuben said he was getting some surfing in before going on shift." Hiram advised.
"Ah, thank you very much!" Neelix replied before he headed back towards the turbolift.
"Well, I'm gonna head back to my console." Hiram smiled as he walked off. He took his own seat and began to read his own letter, noticing out of the corner of his eye that Emily was reading hers.
'Right, mate, back to your letter.' Hiram thought. Scanning the opening he began to read through the text. As he did so he let out a sigh of relief. 'Not an iota of judgment from Mum and Dad. Only happiness…and what's this? I'm an uncle!?'
He couldn't wait to share that bit of news with Emily, to tell her she'd been right yesterday. Just as he looked up he saw Emily suddenly look up from the PADD she'd been reading and shut off its screen quickly.
'There's something wrong..' Hiram thought.
He headed over to Emily's console and said, "Is everything okay?"
'Wanker! Of course not…you saw how she went tense earlier!' Hiram thought.
"Fine. We should get on with looking into that report from that ship two days ago." Emily folded her arms across her chest, a slight shudder to her…
"Right, I'll give you the security analysis on that ship adrift."
'She needs some space…' Hiram concluded as he turned on one heel and walked off.
"Well, I'm gonna head back to my console."
Emily returned the smile before attempting to return to her own work. For the fifth time in as many minutes, glanced over to the PADD to her right at her console. The report about the vessel with the alien who suffered a complete osteotomy was open on her console.
'Samantha and her team already gave me what little data they could draw from literally just skin. We also automated the gravimetric eddy scans…' Emily thought as she turned her attention the PADD.
She looked through the message, with the first thing being an image of three people who were both familiar and strangers at the same time. 'My God the kids. Tyler is thirteennow, a teenager. Kayla is ten. And Dave is six!'
She whispered the letter's first sentence to herself. "The children have grown so much you wouldn't…"
She noticed Tom Paris looking her way and reddened before resuming, her eyes scanned every word. Will talked about the kids. Tyler preparing to take his high school placement exams. Kayla really getting into her soccer matches as a striker. Dave starting the first grade. Then some notes on the farm.
Then that life altering third paragraph. 'I really have no easy way to say this…'
Her hands trembled. 'Can I really blame him?'
Her stomach gurgled and tightened as she blinked her eyes. 'Did our marriage mean so little!?'
Mourned. Moved on. Remarried five months ago. The trembling again and a small bite to her lower lip.
'I can fall apart in six hours…' Emily thought to herself.
"Is everything okay?" A familiar Australian voice from just behind her.
Emily whirled her chair around. "Fine. We should get on with looking into that report from that ship two days ago."
"Right, I'll give you the security analysis on that ship adrift." Hiram turned on one heel and walked straight back to his console.
'God, that was too snarky…' Emily thought.
'Bloody Hell I wish there was something I could do for Emily right now…' Hiram glanced over his console. For hours Emily was quiet, barely speaking to anyone except for work.
Finally, their shift ended and they found themselves in the same turbolift. Silence until the door hissed shut.
"I don't want to pry, Em, but I can tell something's wrong. And I just want to say I'm here for you," Hiram began.
Emily swallowed audibly and a suppressed sob told Hiram volumes.
"I'm so sorry…"
Emily held her PADD to her chest, like a security blanket.
"The kids have grown so much, I barely recognize them. But it's Will…really…" Emily continued tremors in her voice.
'Oh no…she's reallygotten the bad news.' Hiram thought to himself.
Emily sniffled and in the light of the turbolift Hiram saw the tears in her eyes yet to be shed. "Like I promised yesterday, I'm here for you…"
Emily hiccuped. "Thank you, Hiram."
For one long moment, they stood there. Hiram stepped closer to Emily, holding her in his arms and feeling her lean into him. First a few cries. Then the deluge. He felt Emily quivering as the tears flowed freely, her own arms around him, her PADD dropping to the floor.
'I can't bear seeing her like this…but I've got to be strong. She needs that from me right this moment…' Hiram thought to himself.
The sobs slowed before stopping altogether. And not a moment too soon…
The klaxons sounded, and the lighting flashed red. Captain Janeway's voice echoed over the comm system.
"Red alert!"
The pair parted. Emily wiped the last of her tears away with the back of one hand, scooping up her PADD.
The turbolift door opened and Emily rushed to Sickbay. As the door closes, Hiram gave the command. "Bridge."
'With Commander Tuvok gone my station is back on the Bridge…' Hiram thought as the turbolift rushed upwards.
USS Voyager (NCC-74656)
Sickbay
Stardate 51508.7
05 July 2374, 1619
Emily rushed to her post in Sickbay, and grabbed a trauma kit from the gear locker. As she slung the strap across her chest the Doctor walked over.
"I've begun replicating some analgesics for any traumas we'll encounter should we lose power," The Doctor began.
"I'm heading to Weapon Locker One…" Emily began.
"Weapon locker? Lieutenant! It is against Starfleet regulations to have weapons in Sickbay…" the Doctor began just before Emily cut him off.
"Doctor! Regulations also say medical personnel are permitted to be armed to protect patients." Emily gritted her teeth.
"I can see hanging around Lieutenant Mcleich has its influences…" the Doctor grumbled as Emily headed out of sickbay.
She stopped in her tracks and turned on one heel. "Doctor, my friendship with Hiram has no bearing on that decision. My desire to not treat dead patients does, however."
"Lieutenant, is there something wrong? You aren't acting like yourself…" the Doctor began only for Emily to walk off in a huff.
She returned to Sickbay, a hand phaser on her right hip. There was a tightness in her stomach as she walked into Sickbay, her heart hammering.
'A combination of Red Alert and bad news…' Emily mused, the PADD's message still at the back of her mind.
The Doctor busily set instruments out, preparing the biobeds. She headed over to unlock two other medical supply lockers.
'Triage. The worst part of medicine.' Emily thought to herself.
She opened the medical tricorder and tapped the self diagnostic command and listened for the tone indicating proper function. Her eyes fell to that PADD on a nearby table and she shook her head
'Now is notthe time to think about that!' Emily shook her head trying to dislodge wandering thoughts.
She walked over to a computer terminal, logged in and punched in a command to see the situation from the Bridge.
"Lieutenant?" The Doctor asked.
"I'm seeing what we're facing," Emily replied, blood turning to ice.
"You know I can always patch myself onto the bridge…my program allows that," The Doctor replied.
"No, we need you here." Emily countered as she shifted herself to one side so the Doctor could see what was going on.
"One hostile alien ship is now turning into four?" The Doctor asked.
Emily nodded. "I wonder if these were the bastards who removed that alien's whole skeleton…"
She shuddered and closed her eyes. 'I hope that the alien was dead when they did that…'
Bile pooled at the back of her throat as the camera made a sweeping arc around the Bridge.
Hiram targeted the alien vessels, hands deftly flying across his console. His face, weary and rugged, set in a grim mask. Her heart leaped through her chest.
Tom's voice echoed. "Captain, those ships have massive weapons. They've definitely got us outgunned."
Hiram clenched his jaw, knuckles white on the console, evidently coming to the same conclusion.
"Fuck," Emily whispered as she made a quick mental calculation, estimating casualties at least in the double digits. Voyager won't last. Her crew won't.
"Lieutenant, clearly Mcleich has definitely rubbed off on you." The Doctor placed a hand on her shoulder.
Emily put a finger to her lips as she faced the Doctor. Onscreen, Captain Janeway asked Harry about the aliens and their positions relative to the relay.
"Brilliant…" Emily mused.
"Lieutenant?" The Doctor asked.
"Janeway's going to use the black hole powering that station against our attackers."
Tom piped up as Janeway and Kim went back and forth on the details. "If we're not careful we might be pulled in as well."
"I agree with Mr. Paris, for once!" The Doctor exclaimed.
"Did Hell just freeze over?" Emily blurted.
"Lieutenant…"
"Shh, Janeway has a plan. She always does," Emily countered.
"Don't worry, we're going to be ready for it. Harry, create a low level warp field around Voyager. Sublight energy level. That should help counteract the gravitational pull." Janeway ordered.
"See," Emily managed a small smile.
"I'm not so sure I share your optimism, Lieutenant."
On screen Commander Chakotay interjected, "If the field is too strong, we won't be able to beam Tuvok and Seven aboard."
"And I think Commander Chakotay agrees," the Doctor commented.
"They're gonna have to be really spot on." Emily crossed her fingers, her heart hammering.
"On my mark, direct a level eight antithoron burst towards the station. Have thrusters ready for full reverse, Mister Paris." Janeway ordered.
"This is madness! We're too close to that singularity." The Doctor's eyes went wide.
"Quiet!" Emily hissed as Paris acknowledged his order.
"I've established a low level warp field, Captain." Harry looked up from his console.
As the camera panned she saw Hiram look up from his station, eyes flickering from Harry to Chakotay. His face was a mask of focus, but she knew more was on his mind.
"Antithoron system is online." Chakotay reported.
"I'm ready with thrusters," Paris added.
Emily held her breath, her vision laser focused on the monitor as Janeway gave the fateful command. "Do it."
She audibly exhaled as Chakotay made his own report. "It's working."
"Try the transporter lock again, Harry." Janeway ordered.
Emily shut her eyes. 'Come on, Harry, you can do this!'
Harry replied, "Channel open."
Janeway stood resolute, standing tall. "This is Captain Janeway. Agree to retreat, and we'll restore the containment field."
Tom replied. "Captain, they're firing."
Voyager shook under the weapon impacts. The screen went dark. Emily's heart raced.
'Casualties…coming soon!' She clutched her medical kit to her side with one arm, and brushed her other hand over the hand phaser.
She heard B'Elanna's voice over the comm system. "The signal. I've gotten as much of the message as I'm going to get."
She opened her eyes. On the screen Janeway responded. "Acknowledged. Hail those ships."
Voyager shook violently again, nearly pitching Emily off her feet. She grabbed the edge of a nearby biobed as her hip smacked against its edge.
She winced in pain as she got back on her feet. 'Nothing feels broken… '
"Life support shut down." The computer's voice sounded.
Emily gasped. Another mental calculation. How much breathable air on Voyager? A morbid word problem from Hell…
The lighting dimmed. Emergency lighting. Emily looked towards the nearest bulkhead as it quivered. 'Structural integrity field issues…not good.'
"Lieutenant, are you alright?" The Doctor asked.
Emily gritted her teeth. "I think I bruised my hip, but I can still walk."
"I'll check you out," the Doctor said, scanning her with his medical tricorder.
Emily held onto the side of another biobed as the scanner beeped and clicked as the Doctor scanned over her side.
"Large contusion just around your left hip and glute…" the Doctor began.
"Tell me something I don't know."
"I was getting there. No broken bones or torn ligaments."
'Peevish and sardonic, Doctor?' Emily bit back those words.
Then the ship ceased shaking. The lights returned to their normal illumination. And three words came over the comm.
"Life support restored."
Emily sighed with relief, the weight of the galaxy off of her shoulders. She walked, with a slight limp, towards the nearest gear locker and stowed the hard sided medical kit inside of it.
"Stand down from Red Alert." Five words told her it was okay to take her foot off the gas pedal…
TBC