The Guardians
©
GB
Part 2
Everyone in transporter room one directed their attention to the dais where three human
and two alien forms shimmered into existence.
Captain Eliana Montgomery, a tall woman with short, blonde hair that boasted a few grey
streaks, was standing in the middle. Like the others, she was dressed in a shiny black
uniform with a tall golden collar. Four golden braids adorned her right shoulder all the
way down her sleeve. There was a Federation comm badge pinned on the left side of her
chest. Her green eyes scanned the room only to stop when they reached Janeway.
The man standing to Montgomery’s right was tall and heavily built. His impressive
form suggested that all were muscles. He had dark, curly hair, brown intelligent eyes and
a friendly smile on his lips. Janeway recognised Max Toriello from the view screen and had
to concede that he appeared to be an impressive first officer. When she had reviewed the
history of the Excellence she had spent some time going over the incredible records of
this officer. She was surprised to discoverer that he had served with her father on two
separate occasions.
On Montgomery’s left side stood the Excellence’s tactical officer, a striking
woman with piercing blue eyes and long dark hair in a tight braid down her back. She was
holding what looked like some sort of alien disrupter. She was almost as tall as Toriello,
with a discreet but deadly presence about her.
Behind the three humans stood two alien beings. Neither was of a species Janeway
recognised. They too wore uniforms similar to Montgomery’s.
"Captain Montgomery," Janeway greeted formally. "Welcome aboard
Voyager."
Montgomery stepped off the dais, walking up to Janeway, a slow smile forming on her
lips.
"Kathryn Janeway. I must say command looks good on you."
Janeway nodded.
"Thank you," she offered superfluously. "This is my first officer,
Commander Chakotay and my astrometrics officer, Seven of Nine."
The other captain nodded towards Chakotay and then did a double take when she looked at
Seven.
"You’re Borg," she stated flatly.
"Yes," Seven agreed.
"She was Borg," Janeway emphasised. "She was severed from the Collective
three years ago."
"I’ve never come across an ex-Borg myself. Leave to you, Kathryn, to recruit
one as a crew member," Montgomery allowed as she tuned towards Janeway. "You
always had a knack for trying and achieving the impossible."
"I learnt it from you."
"It’s a beautiful ship, Kathryn," Montgomery said as she glanced around
the room. "I’m impressed, given your circumstances."
"Thank you," Janeway commented. "We run a pretty tight ship and do
things the Starfleet way. It’s important to us in order to keep up morale and not
deter from our main goal."
"And what is that?"
"To find our way home."
The simple statement seemed to have an unexpected impact on the Excellence’s
captain. She pressed her lips together but then turned to her right, gesturing towards the
man accompanying her.
"This is Commander Max Toriello, my first officer," she introduced and turned
to her left. "Lt Heidi Bremer, my chief tactical officer, Ensign T’em, my
Science officer, and Lt Commander T’oelargema, also known as Commander ‘T’
since we never can do justice to her name," Montgomery said with a smile.
"Commander ‘T’ is our Chief Anthropologist."
After the introductions Janeway suggested that they all move to a location better
suited for their meeting. Two security guards followed at a discreet distance, which did
not go unnoticed by Montgomery.
"Taking all precautions I see," she smirked. "Very wise."
"Standard procedure in greeting a crew from an alien vessel," Janeway replied
calmly.
"We’re hardly aliens," Toriello objected with a lopsided smile.
"Perhaps, however your vessel is," Seven stated. "There is very little
of the original Federation technology left."
"I agree," Montgomery replied. "We’ve had so many modifications
performed on it over the years, I can hardly remember what it looked like before. We still
have the original computer configuration, although it has been upgraded a number of times,
and the console designs are still the same, simply because it had a … comforting
familiarity about it."
"Comforting?" Janeway asked as she led the party to the bridge.
"Yes," Montgomery said. "When we made the decision to remain in the
Delta Quadrant it was important to keep some of our characteristics, our special Starfleet
trademarks in order to have some sort of feeling of home. It was a way for us to remember
our roots."
Janeway remained silent as they entered the bridge reflecting on what Montgomery had
said.
Upon their entrance, the crew stood. Janeway went around the room introducing each of
her crewmembers.
Montgomery seemed surprised to see Neelix and raised an eyebrow and smiled as Janeway
introduced him as her ambassador.
"You’re Talaxian, aren’t you?"
Neelix seemed surprise by this statement.
"Why yes, Captain, I am."
"Well, I can’t think of a better species to be Voyager’s guide through
the Delta Quadrant. Captain Janeway is fortunate to have you," Montgomery said with a
gentle tone that caught Janeway off guard and totally charmed Neelix.
"Then you know of my people?" he asked.
"Indeed I do; a noble people with noble hearts. It saddened me when I discovered
the fate of your people, Ambassador."
"Please, Captain, call me Neelix."
"Neelix. I’m pleased to see that you and others of your species survived and
continue to be an example to us all."
Neelix seemed overwhelmed by all of this while Janeway wasn’t sure what to make of
it.
The Montgomery she remembered did not hand out complements lightly and yet she appeared
sincere in her remarks to Neelix. Glancing at Montgomery’s crew she was further taken
aback to discover that their demeanour towards Neelix was similar to their captain’s.
"Thank you, Captain Montgomery."
"I hope we’ll have more time to chat later, Neelix. I can always use tips on
how to be more diplomatic."
Toriello laughed and Montgomery gave him the evil eye.
"Did you have something to add, Commander?"
Toriello just smiled at his captain.
Janeway moved on to introduce the remaining staff.
"Tuvok, you old scoundrel! How the hell are you?" Excellence’s first
officer asked as he approached the Vulcan with his hand extended.
Janeway could hardly cover up her reaction to this second surprise.
"I am well as you can see." Tuvok replied. He hesitated for a moment then
shook Toriello’s hand.
"My God, this is like old home week! Well, you don’t look a day over ninety,
pal."
"I must say you look very good for a man who has been dead for fifteen
years."
Max chuckled.
"Touché. Tell me, is it possible you found your sense of humour out here in the
Delta Quadrant, Tuvok?"
"It was not my intention to be humorous Commander, only to state the
obvious."
"It’s good to see you too old man. I just wish the hell it wasn’t here
in the Delta Quadrant."
Janeway couldn’t believe what she was witnessing. Why hadn’t Tuvok mentioned
that he knew Toriello? From the exchange she just witnessed this was not a casual
acquaintance either. She wanted an explanation but it would have to wait.
"I hate to break up this reunion gentlemen but we have work to do,"
Montgomery said in her usual sardonic tone of voice.
The last member of the crew Janeway introduced to the visitors was the Doctor.
"So Doctor, what do you make of us?" Montgomery asked.
"I don’t know what you mean, Captain."
"I didn’t know that holograms could be coy. Have you determined yet if we are
the ‘real thing’ and not a reproduction?"
Janeway decided it was time to take command of the situation again.
"I asked him to conduct the scans. We have no idea if you are who you say you are
…"
"I would be disappointed in you if you didn’t question who and what we are.
Let’s get this over with so we can move on from here, shall we?"
The doctor pulled out his tricorder and scanned the Excellence’s crewmembers.
"I will have my results to you as soon as possible, Captain, or should I say
Captains?"
Montgomery smirked while Janeway gave the hologram one of her Level Ten glares.
"Well I best be off then," he said as he exited the bridge rather quickly.
"Let’s go into the conference room, shall we?"
"Lead on, Kathryn."
Janeway took a breath, turned and lead the way as the Excellence’s and her own
senior crewmembers followed. Upon entering the room Janeway offered a seat to Montgomery
then proceeded to the opposite end of the table and sat facing her.
Seven sat down on her right and Chakotay on her left, wordlessly showing their loyalty.
If the other captain noticed it, she didn’t let on.
Toriello sat down next to his captain while Commander T and Ensign T’em took their
seats. Bremer remained standing. Voyager’s staff filled the remaining seats. Janeway
had never seen the conference room so filled.
"How would you like to begin this meeting, Kathryn?"
"Before we get into the crisis at hand I would like some explanations."
"Fair enough, but let’s not waste time trying to be polite, Kathryn. Ask
what’s on your mind and we will answer your questions to the best of our
abilities."
"How did you end up in the Delta Quadrant?"
"Fifteen years ago we were on a deep space mission. Some type of space anomaly
caught our ship. It was as if we were a piece of flotsam on a raging sea, carried off with
the tides. We had no choice but to ride out the storm. It was horrible. When we finally
came to rest nothing around was familiar. I’ll be honest; it took us a while to
realise we were stranded in the Delta Quadrant. There was damage to our systems; many of
the crew were hurt, some dead. We were in uncharted territory with little chance of
survival. We did what we could to maintain life support and make repairs so that we could
try to get home.
"It must have been hard," Janeway allowed.
"It was. The ship was a disaster. The only thing that was functioning was the
weapon systems but we had a limited supply of power."
Montgomery paused as she took a deep breath. Her face became an unemotional mask, as
she no doubt relived the experience again in her mind.
"Our first encounters with the inhabitants of the Delta Quadrant were somewhat
less than friendly. We looked like easy prey and every bastard in this realm of space
wanted a piece of us. Each time we were successful in fighting off the vultures and each
time they stole more and more of our ability and will to survive. For the next three years
we travelled the Quadrant searching for a way home and when it became obvious that we
would never see Earth again, we began our search for a new home.
We came across an uninhabited planet that seemed to be habitable. We were ecstatic. It
was like finding a safe harbour of sorts. It was beautiful and it had everything we needed
to make a new start but we were wrong."
At this point in the story Max picked up the dialogue.
"Some of the crew encountered an unknown virus on this planet. It slowly spread
throughout the ship, killing a fifth of the crew. There was no cure. After further study
we discovered that it was indigenous to the planet and that if we remained we would all
die. So we buried our dead and began our journey again."
"What happened?" Chakotay asked. "Obviously you survived."
Montgomery glanced at her first officer, another wordless communication that intrigued
Janeway, and spoke softly.
"When all seemed lost and we were dead in the water, so to speak, we were
approached by a species we had not come across before. Most of our first contacts in this
part of the galaxy had been blatantly hostile. We were suspicious, even hateful, but in
too weak a state to do anything so we expected destruction. Obviously, it was not our time
to die. They boarded are ship and cared for us, nursing us back to health."
"Who were they?" Janeway asked.
"A better questioned would be; what are they?" Montgomery replied. "They
are known as the Protectorate, an advanced form of life, not like anything we’d ever
come across. They sent ships to intercept us and administered medicine, food, and even
counselling. Once our health was restored and our ship repaired they asked us to stay, to
join them."
"You were given a choice once your vessel was repaired?" Seven inquired.
"What was your reason for remaining? Gratitude?"
Montgomery dipped her head.
"Yes, that among other things," she allowed. "Even if our bodies were
healed and our ship was functioning, our spirits were broken after three years of death,
deprivation, constant malfunctions and depleted resources. We had travelled through
hostile space for almost five years with hardly any time to catch our breath in between.
We took a vote. The decision was unanimous; we were going to stay and make a new home for
ourselves."
Janeway regarded her colleague. There was something, something still unspoken, that
made her weary of Montgomery.
"I have to ask about the obvious," Janeway said, leaning forward on her
elbows. "Captain, you look very young for being … how old are you? Sixty?"
"I’ll be fifty-nine soon and you know it," Montgomery smirked.
"It’s one of the advantages of being part of the Protectorate, Kathryn. The
ageing process is slowed down considerably."
"How considerably?" the auburn haired captain fired off. "You must
realise how this looks to us?"
"Let me try to explain. The Protectorate’s knowledge and technology is far
superior then the Federations. They invested a lot of time and resources into the
Excellence and her crew. They found the short life span of humans quite appalling. When we
were inducted as Guardians …"
There it was, out in the open. Neelix was right.
"Guardians?" Chakotay queried.
Montgomery gradually turned her head towards Voyager’s first officer, nailing him
with her dark green eyes, her mouth a thin line.
"Yes, we are Guardians. We serve the Protectorate much like you serve the
Federation. Our role is to assist those in need while enforcing the peace and safeguarding
the realm."
The way Montgomery said it made the words sound like a pledge or a prayer. Janeway went
cold inside. The part about helping people in need was all well and good but the second
part, confirming the things Neelix had implied about the Guardians being vengeful, went
against everything she believed.
"That sounds like an oath," Janeway said slowly. "What about the oath
you took back in the Alpha Quadrant? What about the Prime Directive?"
"The two are not incompatible Kathryn, but let me be clear where our allegiance
lies. We are no longer members of the Federation. We have sworn allegiance to the
Protectorate very deliberately and by our own consent. There is no question that the
Federation helped mould us into who we are but what we have become is thanks to the
Protectorate."
Janeway felt her chest constrict. Somehow these words angered her but she didn’t
quite understand why. It took all her self-control not to lash out at Montgomery.
Sensing the hostility coming from Janeway, Montgomery thought it best to change the
subject.
"Can we discuss the crisis now or do you want to question me some more?"
Janeway took a breath a held it.
"It can wait," she answered slowly.
"Good. Ensign T’em, please brief us on the current situation."
"Approximately four days ago we were contacted by one our embassy on Tulmaria
Prime. At that time the planet was undergoing significant seismic activities throughout
its northern hemisphere. What alarmed our personnel on the ground was the fact that these
phenomena were inconsistent with the geological history of this planet. It was their
conclusion that other forces besides nature, were at work. Since our arrival in the sector
we have conducted several surveys. Although these surveys validate our authorities initial
suspicions they have been … inconclusive in determining the actual causes."
"Bottom line?"
"We do not know what is causing the phenomena but if it continues our models show
that the destruction to the region will be catastrophic."
"Thank you, Ensign. Commander T?"
"Captain Montgomery," she nodded, " Captain Janeway. The sociological
and economical impacts of such an event will not be limited to the northern hemisphere.
They will be felt planet wide."
"Explain," replied Montgomery.
"Most of the planet’s food production is found in the northern hemisphere. If
the crops are destroyed we can expect tremendous food shortages for at least three years,
maybe more. Their ability to recover depends on how much of their industrial base that
survives. We have already begun to see the destruction of seventeen percent of their
infrastructure. If these phenomena continue the destruction will be much worse."
Janeway leaned forward.
"Tell us a little more about the northern hemisphere’s relationship with the
south.
"The southern hemisphere relies on the north for their food, water and the
production of goods. The north relies on the south for its raw materials, mineral
deposits, and fuel. It is a symbiotic relationship. One cannot exist without the other
although the two would disagree on this point. In the past there has been tension between
the two. Economically the north has had the advantage over the south for many centuries.
Wars have been raged because but the two have lived in harmony for the past two hundred
years with a few regional disputes every now then."
"Were are the people on the evolutionary scale?" Tuvok interrupted.
"This planet’s people are in the later stages of an industrial development.
Following this track they should be space borne within a century."
"Is it possible what we are witnessing is a man-made phenomenon?" asked
Seven.
"Possible, or it may be caused from an outside sources. Anything at this point
would be strictly speculation."
"Thank you, T." Montgomery said as the Lt Commander took her seat.
"Questions?"
"What is your mission, Captain?" asked Janeway.
"The Excellence’s mission is to try to prevent this disaster from becoming
catastrophic. If we can’t prevent it then we have to mitigate it as much as possible
and try to save as many lives as we can. We’re also here to investigate why this is
happening in the first place. The response from the civil authorities has not been quite
what I expected."
"How so?"
"They are in extreme denial over the severity of the situation or they are trying
to hide something."
"What can we do? I have to be honest with you. I have no intention of breaking the
Prime Directive."
Montgomery stared at her for a moment. The tension between the two women was
undeniable.
"Have I asked you to violate it? Since you are being so honest I will be too.
I’m not sure you or Voyager can contribute anything to this situation. We came over
here out of professional courtesy, to provide you with information, to share some
discussion and brainstorm some possible courses of actions but I can see now that this was
a waste of time."
There was an ominous silence before the younger captain spoke again.
"I wish to talk to Captain Montgomery in private," Janeway said, forcing her
voice to sound calm. "Leave us."
Montgomery’s crew remained in place as Voyager’s crew stood and made their
way out the door. Montgomery nodded towards her crewmembers.
"I know you all have work to do. Go on back to the ship. I’ll join you
momentarily," she said quietly.
The crewmembers stood and slowly left. Max raised an eyebrow but then left with the
others without saying a word.
"So what would you like to say, Kathryn, that couldn’t be said in front of
the others?"
"You may have turned your back on the Federation but I haven’t. All I said
was that I would not violate the Prime Directive."
"It’s not what you said. It’s how you said it."
"The Prime Directive is a good set of rules," Janeway said in a low voice
that would have made any member of her crew flinch. "I fail to see any situation
where they would not be applicable. Brilliant men and women of the Federation of Planets
wrote that Directive to ensure that every possible situation could and would be dealt with
accordingly."
"Really? Correct me if I’m wrong, Kathryn," Montgomery said firmly,
"but none of the good men and women who wrote those rules lived or knew of the
circumstances here in the Delta Quadrant, did they? Are you telling me that you have
spent, how ever long it is you have been here, in this part of the galaxy, without
breaking the Prime Directive or at least bending it?"
"I have never broken the Prime Directive!" Janeway said furiously, getting to
her feet. "I may have bent it in order to save my crew, or even to save someone else,
but I have never blatantly broken it."
"Good for you! Bravo, Kathryn!" the other captain said getting on her feet,
clapping her hands. "Now tell me, did I ask you to compromise yourself or your crew?
No. You want to know what I think? This has nothing to do with the Prime Directive. This
has to do with you and me. What exactly do you think we’ve done? What do you think we
are doing or about to do?"
"I have no idea. All I know is that you gave up. You quit!"
"Is that what this about? Well, let me share something with you. I have no reason
to defend the actions or the decisions that my crew and I made to you or anyone else
aboard this ship. You know nothing about the Protectorate, who or what they are, their
laws, and their directives. You know very little about our lives and what we’ve
experienced. You amaze me with your ignorance and your arrogance. I find it incredibly
condescending that you dismiss any rule, any code of conduct not sanctioned by the
Federation."
Janeway was seething with anger.
"I have every respect for any sovereign planet’s laws. I live by them every
time I make first contact. But when it comes to how I approach other worlds, other species
than my own, I do that by the book. I do that according to the laws and rules by my world.
I don’t switch loyalties …"
"I have not switched loyalties, for heaven’s sake, Kathryn!" Montgomery
hissed, rubbing her forehead. "I have begun a new life and so has my crew. You
don’t you get it, do you? We were practically dead. The Protectorate provided us with
a second chance, an opportunity to make a life here, to do good things. Climb down from
that ivory tower of yours and face the possibility that given the same circumstances you
might have done the same thing."
"You presume too much. I don’t go running around changing the fates of
worlds."
Janeway crossed her arms over her chest.
"Really? Then you’re naïve. The truth is that every world you encounter,
every life you touch, you change it forever and it changes you. What’s happened to
you Kathryn? What ever happened to that young ensign who was a born leader with a
brilliant mind who could think outside of the box and see all the possibilities? When did
you become so sceptical, so rigid and suspicious?
"I have no idea who or what you are. Am I supposed to just blindly follow you lead
and risk placing this ship and crew in danger?" Janeway began to pace. "Damn
right I’m suspicious!"
Stopping in front of Montgomery she faced off with the woman.
"Let’s say for the sake of argument that you really are Eliana Montgomery.
How do I know who or what you’ve become out here? You’re right. I don’t
know anything about you or your crew or this … thing you call the Protectorate. But I
will not go into a situation blindly. If that makes me sceptical, or rigid I
don’t give a damn! I won’t apologise for who I am or what I believe."
The older woman threw her hands in the air, squinting at Janeway.
"You shouldn’t apologise, don’t you see? Don’t you understand that
that is just what I …"
Eliana Montgomery broke off what ever she was trying to explain and became pale. She
reached for the chair in front of her and tried to hold on to the backrest with one hand
while fumbling for the chair behind her with the other.
"Captain?" Kathryn said, frowning and reaching out to her. "Are you all
right?"
"Yes … yes … I just …"
The tall blonde began to tremble visibly and Janeway hastily put an arm around the
older woman, carefully sitting her down in her chair.
Montgomery was now even paler and beads of sweat pearled on her forehead and upper lip.
She began to slouch to her right and her eyelids fluttered close.
Janeway held the other captain upright by pressing the slender body against her own and
then slapped her comm badge.
"Janeway to the Doctor. Two for emergency beam out to sick bay."
When the world turned into a blue shimmer, Janeway wasn’t even sure that Captain
Montgomery was breathing.
*****
The Doctor hummed in a most annoying way while he scanned the unconscious woman on the
bio bed, setting Janeway’s nerves on edge.
"Doctor, please," she muttered.
"Sorry, Captain, an old habit," Voyager’s chief medical officer
apologised. "She’s breathing normally now and I think she will regain
consciousness on her own shortly."
"What’s wrong with her? Why did she pass out?"
"Captain Montgomery is exhausted to start with. She is dehydrated and her low
blood glucose levels indicate that she hasn’t eaten properly lately. There is also
some abnormal readings concerning …"
"Captain!" Max Toriello exclaimed, entering sickbay together with Lt Bremer,
Chakotay and Seven of Nine. Walking immediately to the bio bed he reached out and gently
touched his captain’s shoulder. "How is she?" he asked the questioned the
Doctor quietly.
Lt Bremer took position on the opposite side of the bio bed where Eliana Montgomery
laid. After gazing down at her captain, she assumed a protective stance.
The doctor moved close to Max addressed him as he continued to monitor
Montgomery’s bio signs.
"She’ll be fine once she wakes up and has something to eat and drink. She is
on the brink of exhaustion."
"Thank you, Doctor…we’ll take her back to the Excellence," Max said
and looked down at his captain before turning to Janeway, nailing her with his dark eyes.
"May I have a word with you, Captain?" he asked looking far from jovial at this
moment.
"What is it, Commander?"
"What the hell did you do to her?
"I didn’t do a thing!"
"She was fine when I left."
"We had a somewhat heated discussion and all of sudden she went pale and
collapsed. I had no idea …"
"Exactly," Toriello snapped, towering over Voyager’s captain. "You
have no idea. You have no clue what we’ve been through the last couple of weeks let
alone the past few years and the strain that she’s been under. Tell me, what gave you
the right to put her through the ringer? That’s a hell of a chip you’ve got on
your shoulder, Captain. I have no clue what your problem is and I have no idea why the
Captain tolerated your behaviour as long as she did today but …"
"Commander Toriello," Janeway growled. "I had no intention to of cause
your captain harm but you can’t expect me to take whatever she says for granted and
without question …"
"I can and I do," the tall first officer said briskly. "I have served
under Captain Montgomery for more than twenty years, back when you were merely an ensign,
Janeway. I’m not impressed with the way you treat visiting officers on this ship and
I sure am not impressed with you. You’re certainly not your father’s daughter.
We’ll be leaving. We’ll all be leaving."
Tapping his comm badge he hailed his ship.
"Toriello to the Excellence. Three to beam over."
"I think she should remain lying down for a while yet," the Doctor objected
tersely. "No need to cause her systems more stress by disturbing her."
"Belay that order, Max, I’m fine," a husky but insistent voice said.
Toriello turned and went straight to his Captain’s side. Helping her to sit up, he
looked worriedly at her.
"How are you feeling?"
"Ridiculous. What happened?"
Janeway approached her.
"You fainted in the conference room," she said, still shaken and angry by the
public scolding Max Toriello had just subjected her to. "Your loyal first officer
just informed me in no uncertain terms that he holds me responsible. Apparently you have
just gone through a particularly hard time and I …"
"Oh, don’t worry, Kathryn," Montgomery smirked, slowly easing off the
bio bed. "It takes more than a heated philosophical discussion to knock me off my
feet. This is merely a matter of skipping one to many meals and lack of sleep."
Janeway regarded her old mentor and role model with mixed feelings. She couldn’t
help but admire the other woman’s tenacity and yet she was still in turmoil
concerning their discussion as well as the way Toriello had nailed her.
She glanced over her shoulder, catching Seven’s eyes. The ex-Borg took a step
closer.
"Captain, is it not prudent under these circumstances that Voyager assists in the
rescue operations at hand?" Seven asked.
"It’s not that simple, Seven," Janeway said. "We don’t know
what’s going on down on the planet."
"We’ll continue to assess the situation. There’s really no need for
Voyager to delay its departure," Montgomery stated. She was still pale and had to
steady herself against Toriello.
"Seven of Nine makes an excellent point," he said quietly. "If Voyager
can delay its departure then what’s the harm? You should rest and at least consider
all the options."
Montgomery looked past Max and locked eyes with Janeway.
"It’s your decision, Captain."
Janeway didn’t say a word.
"We should get back to the Excellence," Montgomery said and squared her
shoulders. "We’ve got work to do."
"Captain, if I may?" the Doctor asked and stepped closer with a medical
tricorder ready.
"You’re one persistent man," she muttered but let him scan her.
Janeway watched curiously as the EMH frowned at the readings.
"Captain," the Doctor began, regarding the tall woman in front of him
seriously, "I recommend that you not only have something to eat and drink, but also
that you get at least twelve hours of sleep. There is something pathological regarding
some unusual …"
"Thank you, Doctor," Montgomery interrupted. "I promise to eat and rest.
Got it." She turned to Max. "Let’s go. The away teams should have something
concrete to report by now."
The Doctor rolled his eyes and stepped back.
"Excuse me, Captain Montgomery. We would appreciate it if you would allow us to at
least observe your work," Chakotay said as the three officers from the Excellence
gathered in the middle of sickbay.
"We’ll see," the other captain replied. "We don’t want to
subject you to danger unnecessarily. Our missions tend to take a turn for the worst when
you least expect it. We’ll be in touch. Montgomery to the Excellence; three to beam
over."
The blue sparks appeared and transported the trio off Voyager.
Janeway looked at her crewmembers.
"Taking a turn for the worse, she said? What else is new in the Delta
Quadrant?"
"Captain if I may…"
"What is it, Doctor?" Janeway snapped.
"I just wanted to inform you that the crew of the Excellence is who they appear to
be.
"Meaning?"
"That the woman who just beamed back to her ship is truly Captain Eliana
Montgomery."
*****
Eliana Montgomery leaned back and sipped her coffee. She was in her quarters with data
PADDs scattered all around her containing reports from the away teams.
Lt Commander Darok and Ensign Graham were still working with the officials to round up
the much-needed expertise. Montgomery was not pleased with the bureaucratic roadblocks
that the civil authorities kept throwing up.
She put one of the PADDs down and sipped her coffee again.
Then there was Janeway. She reflected on her protégé. The younger woman had aged with
grace but Montgomery found it hard to reconcile the young idealistic ensign she had known
so well and the woman she had had words with only a few hours earlier.
She wasn’t pleased with herself. She had allowed Janeway to get to her. Max was
right. She had been pushing herself too hard lately. If she hadn’t been so exhausted,
so on edge she would have realised sooner that there was something else going on with
Janeway.
What had the younger woman accused her of doing? Let’s see. Quitting, disloyalty
and what else? Montgomery shook her head. She knew Janeway possessed a unique knack for
leadership, always had. It was probably the only reason Voyager had survived the Delta
Quadrant. Then there was her crew.
Janeway’s first officer’s insignia showed that he held a provisional rank as
commander. The Excellence’s captain was sure there were an interesting story behind
that as well as the esoteric circumstances behind the fact that Voyager boasted a resident
Borg.
She rose from the couch and walked over to the view port, as always drawing strength
from the stars. No matter how long they travelled through space she never tired of this
sight.
Many years had passed since she and the Excellence’s crew had sworn allegiance to
the Protectorate. She had never regretted it. Being a Guardian had challenged and rewarded
her in ways she never thought possible. Yes, there were times like these when the
responsibilities were almost too much to bear but the feeling when everything fell into
place, when every sacrifice, every painstaking measure was rewarded by the number of lives
saved made it worth everything.
They had rescued space ships, entire species and ecology systems. They had prevented
and ended wars, gone after perpetrators responsible for the most hideous of crimes and
held them accountable. They had made a difference.
"Ramirez to Captain Montgomery."
Her chief engineer interrupted her thoughts and she tapped her comm badge.
"Montgomery here. Go ahead, Chief."
"We have a problem, Captain."
"That is not what I want to hear."
There was a sigh over the comm system.
"I know that, ma’am. The thing is that our main warp core is
malfunctioning. It’s contaminated and all our attempts to purge the system have
failed. With merely our two auxiliary warp cores we only have enough energy to power part
of our systems."
This was not good. Their last assignment had depleted their resources and had seriously
damaged the Excellence. The engineers and mechanics had worked hard to restore the main
warp core to its usual flawless state. Obviously, things were not proceeding well.
With all the modification that they had made over the years, they were dependent on the
warp core to power their most important systems, the weapon’s array, the external and
internal sensors, long distance transporters and cloaking devices. The two auxiliary warp
cores would allow the ship to function but only in a limited mode. They would lose their
ability to respond to the emergency planet side. Their mission and the safety of the
planet were now seriously jeopardised.
"Damn," Montgomery exhaled. "Chief, have the engineering teams working
in shifts until this is taken care of. I know everyone is tired but we’re working
against the clock. We need those systems up and running."
"Aye, Captain," Ramirez replied, sounding strained. "The order
is already issued."
Montgomery wasn’t surprised. Her crew was well trained and worked together like
well-oiled machinery. They anticipated many of her orders, which sometimes made her
exasperated but she realised that this was due to their unusual long time of serving
together in a command structure that had seen little change in the past twenty years.
"Good. Keep me informed, Chief. Get some rest and something to eat. Montgomery
out."
She picked up the next PADD and tried to focus on Lt Commander Darok’s report from
the Bunthoran minister’s office. The lieutenant had been able to round up some of the
proper expertise but everything was taking far too long. The seismic readings from the
northern hemisphere did show some good news; no new quakes had shaken the centre fault for
the last twelve hours. Perhaps there was still time …
Her door chime rang.
"Enter."
Max Toriello walked in, frowning at the sight of the scattered PADDs.
"You call this resting?" he asked sternly.
"I can rest and read at the same time," Montgomery offered.
"I know you. You read and then your mind is at high warp sketching on alternative
solutions and strategies. May I remind you that Voyager’s medical officer was damn
close to finding out? Since I assume you don’t want to anyone to know, don’t you
agree that it would be smart to forestall any more episodes?"
The captain sighed. He was right, of course.
She had been very disoriented. She recalled most of the argument between Janeway and
herself. It was annoying that the fatigue and headache had left her so vulnerable and
easily baited.
"I know, my friend," she allowed. "I’ll just finish this one and
then I promise to take a nap."
"Wrong."
Montgomery’s eyes narrowed.
"Excuse me?"
"You’ll let me read that while you get ready for bed. I’ll give you the
short and sweet version and then tuck you in."
The tall blonde tried to look annoyed but failed at the sight of Max’ angelic
smile. She felt a sheepish grin form on her lips.
"All right, all right, you bully," she huffed and got up, tossing him the
PADD. "Go ahead. I should warn you; it’s Darok’s report. Though it may not
be as longwinded as some of his past efforts he makes up for it by making it unreadable.
"
Max groaned out loud but bravely sat down on the couch and began to read.
"The things I do for you, Ellie," he muttered.
"I know, Max. I know. You’re all heart. I promise I won’t disclose the
fact to anyone."
She walked into her bedroom and out of sight.
"You better not. I don’t want my reputation destroyed."
"What reputation?" Montgomery asked as she began to undress. "The only
one I’ve heard regarding you is that the ensigns on deck nine call you ‘Mushy
Max’."
"What?" Max barked from her living room.
"Or was that ‘Tender Toriello’?" she teased.
A stunned silence and then she heard a snort of laughter.
"Might have been ‘Clueless Commander’," she continued laughingly,
feeling the stress decrease a little.
"You’re skating on thin ice, Captain," Max said grudgingly on the other
side of the doorway.
Montgomery laughed and entered the bathroom.
Max always could make her laugh.
"You know, we’ve got trouble in engineering," she said as she stared at
her reflection in the mirror.
"I know, Ellie. Ramirez is working on it. That’s actually why I came
by."
Montgomery shrugged on her robe and walked back into the room.
"We’re going to need Voyager’s help."
"They’re not Guardians, Max. This is so far over their heads, they have no
clue what the stakes are."
"Perhaps, but I remember a crew just like them a decade ago, don’t you?"
"Janeway has to volunteer her services Max. I won’t force her."
"I know Ellie. Just try to keep all options open. I know she angered you. Hell,
she angered me too but if there’s anything, anyway we can persuade her and use
Voyager to save these people …"
"Okay, Max, I’ll keep all the options open."
"Promise?"
"Don’t push your luck."
Max chuckled and motioned her to the couch. Laying down she finally closed her eyes
while Max gave the abridged version of Darok’s report.
*****
As the gamma shift kept Voyager operating and some of the beta shift worked longer
hours than usual, crewmembers still occupied the corridors carrying out their assignments.
It was not an unusual sight to meet the ship’s captain on an evening stroll at
this late hour but the young ensign who just turned a corner on her way to engineering was
still mildly shocked when she bumped into the auburn haired woman, almost knocking her
over.
"Captain," the young woman exhaled and steadied them both. "I’m
sorry."
"That’s all right, Ensign, I wasn’t paying attention," Janeway
said. "Carry on."
"Yes, Captain."
The ensign gratefully scurried along, leaving Janeway with her tumultuous thoughts.
She was still outraged over the entire incident with Montgomery and the other
captain’s insolent first officer. She had a nagging feeling that there would be more
humiliation and ethical discussions before this ordeal was over. Eliana Montgomery and Max
Toriello were seasoned space travellers and both had put her in her place.
Janeway folded her arms across her chest and lowering her head she marched on with no
particular goal in mind. She placed one foot in front of the other and kept walking the
corridors, taking the turbo lifts until her steps had taken her to the doors of cargo bay
two.
She halted and stared indecisively at the door.
"Computer, locate Seven of Nine."
"Seven of Nine is in cargo bay two."
"Is she regenerating?"
"Negative."
The captain hesitated for a moment and then raised her arm to push the door opener.
Stopping before she reached the panel she reconsidered and tapped her comm badge.
"Janeway to Seven of Nine."
"Seven here. Go ahead, Captain."
"I’m just outside cargo bay two. May I enter?"
There was a moment’s silence and then the ex-Borg answered calmly.
"Proceed."
Janeway entered the cargo bay and spotted the tall blonde at her work console.
"Working overtime?" the captain asked casually, strolling up to the younger
woman.
"In a manner of speaking," Seven allowed, continuing to punch in commands.
"I have isolated the patterns Ensign Kim detected showing the anomalies down on the
northern hemisphere. I may be able to determine the cause within approximately two point
three hours."
"Approximately?" Janeway smiled. "Thank you, Seven. The people on the
planet will benefit from this, I’m sure. If there is anything that can be done to
stop the threatening calamity down there …"
"I doubt it can be prevented, Captain. The readings show that this has been going
on for an extended period of time and the way the faults have shifted during the last
month indicates that it is not a matter of if but of when."
"You mean the people on the north hemisphere are doomed?" Janeway asked,
feeling her heart sink.
"I did not say that. The risk of perishing is great along the coastline and along
the major faults. The mountainous areas further inland should remain unaffected. Anyone
living there should be safe."
"How much of the northern hemisphere is coastal plains?
"Approximately fourth eight point six percent, Captain. However this will affect
more than the coastal plains. There are a number of artificial barrier reefs along the
coastline. Tuvok’s report indicates that the upper classes inhabit these reefs.
Apparently it is considered a sign of success and wealth to reside there."
"What will happen to the reefs?"
"When the plates finally shift there will be a monumental tsunami no doubt capable
of consuming anything in its path. That includes the reefs, the barrier islands, and the
coastal plains."
Janeway rubbed her chin and leaned against the console.
"Seven, how many lives are we talking about?"
The blonde punched in a series of commands.
"There are approximately two point four billion inhabitants living within the
hazard area.
"My God, Seven. How could you possibly move so many people in such a short time?
What are Montgomery’s plans? How can she possibly hope to be able to do something on
such a large scale?"
"I do not know, Captain. Our scans of the Excellence suggests that it is a highly
advanced vessel with impressive technology. However they are facing a great challenge as
the latest sensor sweep showed that their main warp core is off line."
"What? When did this occur?"
"Sometime within the past four hours."
Janeway stopped to take in this news.
"I read Tuvok’s report regarding their specs. It’s interesting that the
ship has three warp cores. The original Sabre class vessels had only one. Makes you wonder
what elaborate systems they are powering with all that auxiliary power."
Seven regarded her curiously.
"You do not trust in these Guardians."
"Not by a long shot. The thought of a Starfleet captain changing loyalties and
…"
"Captain, I disagree. I do not think that Captain Montgomery has altered
loyalties. She has merely adapted. This crew found themselves in a situation that
commanded a change of attitude, a brave decision to deal with the present and make the
best of it."
Janeway flinched and regarded her astrometric’s officer. She wasn’t sure she
liked what she was hearing.
"They take upon themselves to interfere and judge other races, other
species," she stated.
"We do not know that for certain, Captain," Seven suggested. "Captain
Montgomery operates under different laws now, protocols that are instigated by beings that
have been living by them for millenniums."
"How do you know that? Oh, don’t tell me, the Borg have assimilated people
from the Protectorate."
"No, they have not. We have however assimilated several species who have received
help or were being hunted down by the Guardians and by doing so learned about this
resourceful species."
Janeway flung her hands in the air and glared at the tall blonde.
"Why didn’t you tell me earlier? When Neelix suggested that Montgomery and
her crew might be Guardians you didn’t open your mouth!"
"There was no need. I found it prudent to await confirmation before informing
you."
"What kept you from doing it when we had confirmation?"
"You sent the staff and myself out of the conference room and then you beamed
directly to sickbay. The discussion with Commander Toriello angered you. After Captain
Montgomery and her crewed transported off Voyager you were even further agitated when the
doctor confirmed that the Excellence’s crew were truly who they claimed to be. You
then ordered the commander and I to carry on our assignments and left rather
abruptly."
The captain groaned inwardly, having to admit that the ex-Borg was correct. She really
had not been very approachable after the scene is sickbay.
"You’re right, Seven. I’m sorry."
"No need to apologise, Captain. It is obvious that the Excellence’s senior
officers regard you as a subordinate. I can understand how that must antagonise you."
Janeway’s head snapped up and she searched the blonde’s eyes for any
underlying meaning.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"You stated that Captain Montgomery was your mentor when you were at the Academy
and when you were a young officer. I can clearly see how you must have emulated her back
then. You have many of the same mannerism. I find this very intriguing."
"And the rest? Go ahead Seven, there’s more. Say it."
Seven stood tall and looked her own mentor in the eyes.
"She has not been present in your life and watched you evolve into the formidable
leader you have become. She still regards you as the young, inexperienced junior officer
she knew even if she intellectually must realise that you are not."
Closing her eyes briefly, Janeway tried to remain calm.
"She does, doesn’t she?" the older woman allowed.
"So does Commander Toriello, otherwise he would not have reprimanded you in public
and forgone the command structure."
Janeway felt the stress build up inside of her once again and began to pace back and
forth in front of the work console. She had handled the entire situation poorly. What had
got into her? Again the confrontations between her and the Excellence’s two senior
officer played out in her mind. She cringed.
"This is a very complex situation, Seven," she managed, looking up and
finding the tall blonde standing right before her. Surprised she stopped in her tracks.
To her amazement Seven reached out and held her gently by the shoulders.
"I realise that this is hard for you, Captain," she said, sounding unusually
hesitant. "I want you to know that I am not only your crew member but also your
friend. You will always have my loyalty. I want you to consider this when you regard
Captain Montgomery’s situation. You can accuse me of doing the same. I was Borg and
it took some time but then I swore a new allegiance … to you."
Janeway could only stare at the beautiful young woman in front of her.
"I … Seven …That was different."
"You are wrong, Captain. I changed my allegiance because my situation changed. I
could no longer go on as part of the Hive mind. I was alone, my immune system rejected my
implants and I was in dire need of assistance. You offered me an alternative. I was
reluctant, it was not easy to adapt but I did. I long thought it was not possible but with
your guidance and patience I also began a new life, much like Captain Montgomery."
Janeway raised a hand and cupped Seven’s chin, unable to resist touching the
serious face. To her amazement Seven leaned into the touch, rubbing her velvety cheek into
the captain’s palm.
"You had no choice," Janeway whispered.
"There is always a choice, Captain," Seven said quietly. "In my case,
the alternative rapidly became … unacceptable."
"It did?" the older woman said, not sure how she could sound breathless so
all of a sudden.
"Yes. It did not take me long to understand that no matter how difficult it was
adapting to this new life - I could never leave you, Kathryn."
*****
The mess hall was quiet, only two lieutenants from engineering huddled in a corner over
a midnight snack.
Neelix was cleaning up the cabinets. He knew it could have waited till the next day. He
was wound up and knew he wasn’t going to be able to sleep.
Briskly moving to scrub the counter the little Talaxian thought about the old stories,
told in revere or in fear, of the Guardians. They were figures of power and grace, all at
the same time.
The doors hissed open and Voyager’s first officer entered.
"Commander, what a surprise to see you here so late," Neelix said. "What
can I get you?"
"Herbal tea and some crackers, please, Neelix. I thought about replicating some in
my quarters but when I saw the lights were still on I felt like some company."
"That makes two of us, Commander," Neelix beamed.
He swiftly made two mugs of herbal tea and arranged some wheat crackers on a plate.
Carrying it over to a table by the view ports he sat down across from Chakotay.
"Thanks, Neelix," the tall man said. "Just what I need to wind down
after a most unusual day."
"I agree. It’s not every day you run into living legends."
Chakotay frowned.
"I guess that’s what they are," he mused. "I don’t know if we
have anything equivalent in the Alpha Quadrant. From what I understood from your
description, the Guardians’ reputation reaches over vast parts of this quadrant. If
you heard about them all the way back where the Caretaker’s array was located
…"
"Oh, these stories cover a much larger area than that, Commander," Neelix
explained. "On Talax we heard the stories from all sorts of different traders and
visitors. They would sometimes call them by other names but they were all synonyms for
Guardians. You know, Protectors, Keepers and Custodians."
"When did you first hear about them?"
"Oh, already when I was a child. My father would tell the stories to us children,
of how the Guardians would just appear out of nowhere, save the lives of people in need
and then be on their way as swiftly as they came. Then there were the times when he would
tell us stories about how they could relentlessly hunt down anyone who crossed them by
causing harm to others. Those stories could make a young Talaxian boy almost scared of the
dark, Commander."
"Sort of ‘if you’re not good, the Guardians will sort you
out’?"
"Yes! My father was a kind man but he would sometimes use the stories about the
Guardians as a mean of keeping us children in line."
Chakotay smiled.
"Did you hear more about them when you became a trader yourself?"
Neelix nodded.
"I most certainly did. When I visited other planets in the sector, I heard about
how the Guardians had saved one particular planet that was under constant attack by a
hostile species using a wormhole to enter and exit that part of space."
The first officer leaned on his elbows against the table, listening intently.
"Tell me how they did it," he queried.
"They met with that planet’s officials and happened to be present when the
hostile aliens came through the wormhole and launched yet another attack on the planet.
The Guardians quickly apprehended one of the vessels and questioned the crew. I don’t
know the details but they let the crew go. They then waited by positioning their ship
close to the wormhole and when they realised a new wave of attacks was about to begin,
they collapsed the wormhole from their end."
Chakotay put his tea down, looking surprised.
"Just like that? They collapsed the wormhole without confirming who was using
it?"
"As I said, Commander, the stories are old and they don’t go into detail. I
don’t think the Guardians would have collapsed the wormhole unless they were certain.
Perhaps they told the ship they caught red-handed that this would be the consequence if
they didn’t stop their attacks?"
"That, or they made an example in no uncertain terms," Chakotay said
seriously.
"I guess you can interpret the story that way too. Of all the stories I heard
about them, both as a child and later during my travels, I never got the feeling that the
Guardians were the ones to shoot first and ask later. They save people, Commander. They
save whole worlds. No matter if the problem is of humanoid interest or ecological, they
show up and do what they can to help. That’s what I’ve heard all my life.
It’s funny that I’ve never heard any new stories while we’ve been
travelling together. Perhaps there are not as many in this part of space."
"Perhaps there aren’t as many of them left," the first officer
suggested.
Neelix gave that some thought.
"You could be right, Commander. Maybe that’s why Captain Montgomery and her
crew aren’t getting any back up. We’re going to help them aren’t we?"
"That’s up to the captain to decide, Neelix," Chakotay said, sipping his
tea.
"And she’s not pleased with this, I mean, about the Prime Directive and
everything," Neelix said unhappily. "She doesn’t trust the
Excellence’s crew. It’s because of that Ransom fellow isn’t it?"
Chakotay shook his head.
"I don’t know. However, I have faith that she will reach the right decision,
Neelix. Don’t worry."
"Oh, I have every faith in Captain Janeway," Neelix stated, trying to perk
himself up. "She will understand that these people are here to do good and she will
offer Voyager’s help."
Chakotay didn’t look convinced but didn’t argue. Getting up from the chair he
finished the last of his tea.
"Thanks Neelix, for the tea and for the information. I’m glad we got a chance
to talk. I think I’ll be able to sleep now."
"I hope so, Commander. Something tells me the next couple of days will be
eventful."
The first officer nodded.
"I think you’re absolutely right there."
When Chakotay had exited the mess hall, Neelix noticed that the two lieutenants also
had left.
"Eventful," he muttered and cleared the table. "I think I just made the
understatement of the year."
*****
"Bridge to Janeway."
The auburn haired woman stirred on the couch in her living room. Fumbling on her chest
she tapped her comm badge.
"Janeway here."
"Captain, the Excellence’s captain is requesting to speak with you."
Demanding more likely, Janeway thought.
"I’m on my way, Harry."
She staggered up from the couch, checking the time. Three thirty in the morning. Two
hours of sleep with erratic dreams succeeding each other had made for inefficient rest.
She made a quick detour for the bathroom, splashed water on her face, applied some
lipstick and brushed her hair. Glancing in the mirror she rolled her eyes at the sight of
her pale face and then left.
Walking onto the bridge she squared her shoulders and stood behind the ensign at the
helm.
"Hail the Excellence," she ordered. "On screen."
The screen flickered and then showed Eliana Montgomery on the Excellence’s bridge.
"Sorry to disturb you in the middle of the night, Captain," the other captain
said politely. "If there was any other way to do this, I would. This is not the way
we normally operate."
"What’s going on?" Janeway asked, noticing the strictly professional
stance Montgomery was taking.
"My first officer woke me up an hour ago with disturbing news. There are new
developments on the planet. Normally we would handle the situation independently but our
technology is failing and we’re running out of time."
"If there is anything we can do to help the inhabitants of the planet, we’re
willing to try but I require all the facts. I’m not going to allow Voyager or its
crew to walk into any situation blindly."
Montgomery set her jaw but nodded.
"Fair enough. We will share whatever is within our power to share. Some things are
beyond our control, you understand. You have your Prime Directive, it shouldn’t be
hard for you to understand that we operate under similar rules as well, even more rigid
than yours in some cases."
Janeway was surprised but didn’t let on how much this information sparked her. She
nodded to Harry Kim who had taken over his usual posting at the ops station.
"All senior officers to the bridge," she ordered then turning to the view
screen again. "What’s going on down there?" she continued, walking to her
chair and sitting down.
"The pressure along the major fault line has increase considerably. There are no
new quakes but our readings show that it won’t be long now. One of our problems is
that our long distance sensors are down, we’re relying on the reading our sensors
down on the planet are receiving."
Voyager’s captain leaned over the work console between the command chairs.
"My astrometric’s officer has worked half the night to interpret some of the
anomalies in the readings," she informed Montgomery while pulling up the results.
"Apparently there are something strange about them that she’s trying to
interpret."
"I am not trying," Seven’s cool voice objected behind Janeway, making
the older woman jump, having not heard the doors of the turbo lift. "I have concluded
my findings in this report," the ex-Borg stated and handed the captain a data PADD.
Aware that Eliana Montgomery was watching, Janeway skimmed through the information on
the PADD, the frown appearing on her brow deepening as she read. When she was done, she
glanced up at Seven.
"You’re certain?" she asked quietly.
"Yes, Captain. I finished my calculations one point five minutes ago and was about
to hail you about my findings when you summoned all to the bridge. The findings are
conclusive. We must act now together with the Guardians or it will be too late."
Janeway knew that Seven had a point but her own trepidation regarding Montgomery and
her crew, not to mention the Protectorate to whom these people had sworn allegiance, made
it hard to get the words out.
She stood again, only nodding in passing to Chakotay, B’Elanna Torres and Tom
Paris who arrived to the bridge together.
"Captain Montgomery," Janeway said politely, "you’re hunch was
correct. Something is going on. Seven of Nine just brought me information that puts this
entire thing in a whole new light. We need to meet to discuss how we best can assist these
people. I’ll be willing to hand over any information Voyager has obtained since we
came into orbit but I expect the same from you."
"I’m on my way," Montgomery said, not responding to the conditions
stated by Janeway. "You’ll have to beam us over, Captain. We’re having
significant problems with our warp core at the moment and it is affecting all of our
systems.
Janeway made a sweeping motion with her arm.
"You and your crew are welcome. Let us know when you’re ready to
transport."
"Thank you. We’ll hail you. Montgomery out."
Janeway turned to Chakotay who was standing behind her.
"I guess you realise that Seven’s found new disturbing facts regarding the
planet?" she asked.
"I gathered that much."
"We’re going to meet with Montgomery and her people and see what we can do to
assist."
"Aye, Captain. Does this mean you and Montgomery have buried the hatchet?"
A sizzling glare made Voyager’s first officer take a step back.
"Have all updates on my desk within ten minutes, Commander, and inform me when the
Excellence’s crew are aboard Voyager. I’ll be in my ready room."
*****
Seven sank down on a chair next to Tuvok in the makeshift conference room set up in the
mess hall. Janeway was at the head of the table and Montgomery was sitting to her right.
The Excellence’s captain had brought her senior staff and Seven curiously regarded
the ones she had not met before.
Lt Ramirez was an elegant man with a standoffish attitude. He seemed to regard the
world along his long, thin nose and it was hard to imagine him getting his well-manicured
hands dirty in the engine room. She could detects signs of fatigue in his face and
realised that he must have been working around the clock to repair their malfunctioning
warp core.
A woman with fiery red hair sat next to Ramirez. Her name was Lt Annette D’Antoine
and she was the senior ops officer. She had sparkling pale blue eyes and freckles all over
her triangular face. Her demeanour was as outgoing and vibrant as Ramirez’ was aloof.
B’Elanna Torres entered the mess hall and sat down next to Seven.
"Which ones is the engineer?" she whispered in the blonde’s ear.
"The man sitting across from you, lieutenant."
B’Elanna eyed the dark haired man.
"He looks kind of posh," she remarked.
"I am sure Lt Ramirez would appreciate the observation."
The Klingon hybrid rolled her eyes.
Seven directed her attention towards the last of the Guardians. Jon Takagi was the
Excellence’s chief medical officer. He was a diminutive man with a firm gaze that she
discovered, was examining her closely.
"You have cybernetic implants," he observed politely.
"That is correct, Doctor Takagi," she agreed.
"You were Borg?"
"Yes. She was," B’Elanna emphasised. "She is with us now."
A bit thrown by the engineer’s obvious standpoint, Seven looked at the other
woman.
"I think that our guest only made an observation," she said calmly.
"I didn’t mean to offend anyone," Takagi offered.
"I was not," Seven assured him.
"Hm," B’Elanna mumbled, seemingly not entirely convinced.
"I think we’re all here," Janeway then said, standing up for a moment.
"I want to welcome the senior staff from the Excellence and I hope we can work out a
solution that will benefit all. Seven, I want you to begin the briefing with what you have
found."
The blonde rose from her chair and walked over to the computer Harry had set up at the
far end of the table. Punching in commands she let the computer display the latest seismic
readings.
"This shows the movements along the centre fault. As you can see the pattern
indicates regularity. The quakes take place at predictable intervals."
"What?" B’Elanna exclaimed. "That’s impossible. A natural
occurrence is not that predictable."
"You are correct. That is the nature of … nature. It is unpredictable. There
can be signs, there can also be predictions of probability but nothing mathematically
exact like in this case."
"Are you saying that you can estimate when the next quake is going to
happen?" Max Toriello asked. "We need to double-check these figures,
Captain," he continued, turning to Montgomery.
"You are welcome to examine any of these findings," Seven offered calmly.
"I would however suggest that you do it quickly since we have approximately eleven
hours and fifty-four minutes before the centre fault shifts again."
Silence met her calm statement. Seven wondered for a moment if she had presented her
findings in a rude or inappropriate way. A quick glance over to Janeway reassured her that
this was not the case.
"You’re saying that it could be all over for the poor souls down there within
less than twelve hours?" Annette D’Antoine asked seriously.
"Yes, Lieutenant."
"If this activity is not due to a natural occurrence, then what’s causing
it?" Chakotay asked.
Harry Kim cleared his throat.
"I may be able to shed some light on that. When I heard about Seven’s theory,
I began to run some more scans, directing our external scanners below the planet’s
surface. It seems that there has been a redirection of the subsoil water for decades. The
increase in the underground water flow has hollowed the crust from beneath the earth. This
explained the weakening of the crust but not the regular pattern or the predictability of
the quakes."
"So how do you explain it then?" Toriello asked.
"I don’t know why, I have no clue regarding the planet’s politics or
economical system, but someone has been re-routing subsoil water through a vast system of
pipes, pumps and tunnels."
The silence around the table was ear deafening. Seven watched Montgomery communicate
with Toriello in a non-verbal fashion.
"This is not as crazy as it seems," Lt Bremer suddenly interposed. "Lt
Commander Darok’s report describes the southern hemisphere as fifty percent desert
and wasteland. Something tells me that if we check their geological history five or ten
decades back, we will find that the percentage were much higher then."
Tuvok nodded.
"Logic dictates that they would be the only ones benefiting from large amounts of
fresh water."
"Let’s not jump to conclusions here," Janeway cautioned. "There can
be off world interest in that water."
"This part of space has very few space faring cultures," Montgomery
explained. "I agree with both our tactical officers. The water is still on that
planet. If someone had moved such large quantities of water by ships it would have reached
our intelligence."
Janeway clenched her jaws but nodded.
"Could you trace the pipes leading the water away?" Chakotay asked Harry.
"No, not all the way. They descend pretty deep."
"What did your crew find out during their away missions?" Seven asked
Montgomery who raised her eyebrows at the direct question.
"There is not one structure that will survive a massive quake along the fault. The
architects gave us little reason to believe that any of the infrastructures would remain
intact."
"Then it would be prudent to act quickly now that we have a probable timetable of
when it will occur?" Seven asked, clasping her hands behind her back.
"Knowing why, when and how is important but I’m afraid that this is one of
those occasions when it may not be enough," Montgomery said and got up from her
chair. Turning to Janeway she smiled tiredly. "We will do our best to convince the
government to begin to evacuate their people at once but the bureaucracy will slow us down
every step of the way. I’m sure your scans told you what shape my ship is in. We have
no way of making repairs in time."
Janeway rose from her chair as well.
"Captain," she began, her voice firm and commanding, "I don’t think
you should give up hope so quickly. Your ship is in bad shape but you have something you
didn’t have twelve hours ago. You have the critical information you need, you have
the means to plan a course of action and you have twice as many hands to help make repairs
and implement your plan."
Montgomery nailed the smaller woman with her piercing green eyes.
"I can’t let you aboard the Excellence and give you access to any of the
Protectorate technology."
Janeway shook her head, putting her hands on her hips.
"It’s not the alien technology that is failing, is it?" she replied,
sounding irritated. "It’s your main warp core. That is still Federation
technology from what our scans are telling us. If we get your warp core up and running
your other systems should go online, correct?"
There was a brief silence when Montgomery didn’t speak. It seemed that everyone in
the room were bracing themselves.
Then a faint smile graced Montgomery’s lips.
"I’ll be damned, Kathryn," she said, shaking her head. "I’ll
be damned."
