Part 6
Janeway and Torres both rushed to Seven’s side when
the tall blonde fell to her knees.
"Seven!" the captain exclaimed as she grabbed
the young woman’s shoulders, keeping her upright as the surge of from
data stream rushed through her cortical implants.
"I am unharmed," Seven managed. "The data
is very complex and it is hard to make out …"
She trembled under Janeway’s hands.
Voyager’s captain felt her own heart race. This was a
last minute resort, a gamble against time in order to save the planet.
Seven had about fifteen minutes to solve the problem before they had to
beam back to Voyager. Unless Seven came up with a reason not to, Janeway
would give the order to destroy the large structure and its foreign
technology with two simultaneous photon torpedoes.
B’Elanna Torres moved closer to the alien computer and
began to scan its content.
"I see a pattern in the data stream," she
explained. "Seven, it’s possible that you can filter the signals
through your cortical implant and translate our commands to the
computer."
"I will try," Seven said, closing her eyes in
concentration. "I recognise some of the language used in this
technology. It is similar to some I encountered onboard the
Excellence."
"That would confirm its origin at least,"
Janeway murmured. She kept her supportive grip of the ex-Borg, not about
to let go of Seven until the other woman was done.
"How is she doing?" she asked B’Elanna who
kept scanning with both the standard and the medical tricorder.
"She’s holding up well," Torres replied.
"Her cybernetic implants are strained, but so far she’s okay. She
seems to be translating commands."
Janeway forced back a relieved sigh. She knew this was
their best chance of solving the problem without the use of force.
"Captain, I need you to keep scanning the
computer," Torres said, handing Janeway one of the Protectorate
enhanced tricorders. "Seven is transmitting data quicker than I can
monitor.
The captain accepted the tricorder and began scanning
the computer. The enormous exchange of data baffled her. Seven was feeding
the computer with a series of commands and the entire screen was filled
with flashing alien signs when it responded.
"Something’s happening," Janeway informed
B’Elanna. She glanced around her, pleased to notice that the security
team led by Ensign Brovskij had the area secured. It would be devastating
if more guards interrupted them now that they may be getting somewhere.
"What do the readings show?" Torres asked,
keeping a close eye on her own scanning devices.
"I’m not sure. The exchange of information is
massive. It must be a good sign that they are communicating."
B’Elanna reached down and put a hand on Seven’s left
shoulder.
"You have to close it down," she emphasised.
"Find the command codes to shut it down, Seven."
"How much more time do we have until she has to
abort?" Janeway asked, checking her chronometer.
"Eight minutes."
Seven seemed emerged in communicating with the ancient
technology. With a frown and her eyes closed, she leaned into the console,
tremors shaking her body as she focused hard on her task at hand.
Two more minutes passed and Janeway had an eerie sense
of dejá vue. The similarity to the situation on board the Excellence’s
engineer deck was unsettling.
"You have five minutes left before you have to
abort," Janeway said out loud, hoping that the blonde heard her.
"More like four," Voyager’s chief engineer
stated. "We don’t want to yank her loose without knowing how
to."
Janeway scanned the computer again. Several of the signs
on the screen had begun to blink rapidly.
"This is not good," she said out loud. "B’Elanna!"
More and more multicoloured signs blinked furiously on
the computer screen. A muted beep emerged from the left side of the
console as several switches began to glow stronger.
"Disconnect her!" B’Elanna yelled as she
scanned Seven. "Seven, break the interface. Now!"
The ex-Borg did not reply but stayed connected with her
assimilation tubules buried deep within the alien technology.
"Seven! Abort!" Janeway ordered in a loud
voice. "That’s an order. Abort! Now!"
Trembling and clinging to the computer Seven did not
seem to hear them.
Janeway dropped to her knees next to Seven and clasped
both hands around the blonde’s cheeks. "Seven, listen to me!
Disconnect!"
Suddenly all the lights on the computer screen stopped
blinking and began to sparkle with an almost blinding light. Squinting,
Janeway tried to cover her eyes.
"B’Elanna, what’s happening?"
"I have no clue!" B’Elanna said a she rushed
to Seven and began punching commands into Seven’s cybernetic hand,
trying to disconnect the assimilation tubules manually.
"Damn, I can’t override her system. She locked to
this machine!" she yelled, frustration and fear in her voice.
Janeway could hear Ensign Brovski talking to someone
over the comms.
"Captain, we’ve got to get out of here!"
Brovskij said. "That was Commander Tuvok relaying orders from Captain
Montgomery. She’s going to blast this place in seven minutes. She
doesn’t have any other option. If we’re not out of here …"
Janeway turned to B’Elanna. "What if we beam her
out?"
"If we do that without disconnecting her, we could
kill her!"
Suddenly the blonde fell towards the Klingon and the
tubules withdrew from the computer and retracted into her cybernetic hand.
The light from the screen grew in intensity.
Backing away from the large machine, pulling Seven’s
slumping body with them, Janeway, B’Elanna and Brovskij tried to keep
their eyes on the switches that shone with the same, blinding light.
"Janeway to Voyager. Beam us out of here!"
There were only static. The transporter boosters that
Ensign Brovskij had assembled around them were not working.
"Janeway to Voyager. Beam us out now!"
Still nothing. They would have to get everyone outdoors.
Was there enough time?
A sound emanating from the computer made the captain
gasp. Looking up at it, blinking against tears caused by the searing
lights, she could not believe her eyes.
She swallowed hard as she kept staring.
She heard Brovskij inhale sharply behind her.
"Oh, my god …"
*****
Captain Eliana Montgomery rose from the command chair on
the bridge of the Excellence.
"Hail Voyager," she ordered Lt Annette
D’Antoine at ops.
"Yes, ma’am," D’Antoine replied.
"Commander Tuvok here," a cordial
baritone voice answered over the comm system.
"On screen," Montgomery said, leaning on the
railing behind the helmsman.
The big screen in front lit up and Tuvok came into
vision.
"Captain," the Vulcan greeted formally.
"Commander Tuvok, I need a status report. What’s
the situation on the planet?"
"I spoke with Ensign Brovskij less than two minutes
ago. I briefed him of your orders and he informed me that Seven of Nine
was interfacing with the alien computer. We are attempting to establish a
transporter lock on the away team but so far the interference has
prevented us from locking in on to them."
"Tell me, does Seven interface with every alien
technology she comes across?" Montgomery muttered in an acerbic tone
of voice. "Don’t answer that. Get them out of there, Tuvok.
Time’s up!"
"Understood, Captain. Tuvok out."
Montgomery paced back and forth, nervously awaiting
Tuvok’s report. She glanced at her chronometer. Two minutes before she
had to push the button. Two minutes before she would be forced to choose
between the survival of the planet and thousands, perhaps millions of
Bunthorans and Janeway and her away team.
The headache burst into flames around her temples and
she had to summon all her willpower to not stagger from the throbbing
assault to her senses.
Damn it, Janeway, she thought. Why did you have to
answer our hail?
She knew the answer to her own question. No Federation
ship, no matter where it was located in space, would turn down a distress
call, regardless of its origin.
There was thirty seconds left of the stipulated time
when the comm system chirped.
Someone was haling them from the planet.
*****
Janeway knelt on the floor, holding on to Seven’s
unconscious body as they stared at the unbelievable sight before them.
The computer lights gradually increased in intensity,
making them all squint, only to abruptly switch off one by one.
Within half a minute the computer turned itself off and
by doing so, began shutting down the large groups of cylinders.
The humming gradually ceased around them.
Their comm badges came alive with a joint chirp.
Janeway slapped hers, hailing both ships in orbit.
"Janeway to Voyager and the Excellence."
Both ships acknowledged.
"Hold off the torpedoes! Seven shut the plant down.
I repeat; hold your fire, Excellence!" Janeway continued as she kept
a close eye on the ex-Borg.
"She did it?" the Excellence’s
captain asked.
"She did it," Voyager’s captain replied
firmly.
"Thank God," Montgomery said, the
relief in her voice apparent. "I can’t believe it."
"The danger’s not over yet," Janeway
emphasised. "There will still be a major quake, but hopefully not as
bad as it would have been if …"
"Got it. Will talk more later at the moment I
want all of you out of there now! Tuvok, have you got a lock on them?"
the Excellence’s captain said impatiently.
"Yes, Captain."
"Then get them the hell off that planet."
Janeway interrupted, "Seven needs to be beamed to
sickbay."
"No, Captain, there is not time for sickbay
yet," an alto voice next to Janeway objected. "You need me in
astrometrics."
Janeway looked down at the blonde woman who was
struggling to get on her feet. Janeway helped her up and steadied the
ex-Borg with an arm around her waist. B’Elanna and the rest of the crew
quickly assembled their gear.
"Enough chatter!" Montgomery said,
sounding on edge. "Tuvok?"
"I am initiating transport now, Captain."
A green tinted shimmer surrounded them and the next
thing Janeway saw was the Doctor in sickbay.
"What have you done to yourself this time
Seven?" the EMH asked.
Seven regarded the Doctor coolly.
"I have done nothing that you should be concerned
about, Doctor. I am quite capable of assuming my post."
"We’ll see about that!" The Doctor picked up
a medical tricorder and scanned Seven as Janeway watched.
"Is she all right, Doctor?" Janeway inquired.
"She needs to regenerate."
"There is no time," Seven emphasised, sounding
exasperated. "I am not a child. I know my limits."
"Very well, Seven, if the Doctor clears you, you
may resume your duties. Doctor?
The Doctor finished his scan and shook his head.
"She’s clear."
"Good. Report to astrometrics and run a sensor
sweep of the planet, Seven. I’ll be on the bridge."
"Yes, Captain," Seven said and strode off
towards the turbo lift.
"Computer," Janeway said, "initiate a
site to site transport to the bridge."
She shimmered into existence next to the command chairs.
Tuvok vacated her chair immediately and sat down in the on her left.
"Where’s Commander Chakotay?" Janeway
inquired.
"The commander informed me that he and Commander
Toriello will remain on the planet until the last minute. They are still
working with the local authorities to vacate the major cities along the
fault."
"Damn," the captain gushed, "he’s
disobeying a direct order. Have you got a lock on him?"
"Yes, Captain. Mr Kim can transport the commander
instantaneously on your mark."
Janeway nodded.
"Seven of Nine to the bridge."
"Go ahead."
"The major quake that we are anticipating will
take place in two minutes and fifteen seconds."
"I’m not taking any chances," Janeway said
and pivoted, fastening her gaze on the ensign at ops. "Transport the
commander and Toriello back to their respective ships now, Mr Kim."
"Aye, ma’am." Harry Kim punched in commands
and then smiled in relief. "They’re both safely onboard,
Captain."
"Keep scanning the planet, Seven," the captain
ordered. "Mr Kim, run diagnostics on our transporters. We will need
to deploy search and rescue teams as soon as the major quake is
over."
Harry proceeded to run the necessary tests on
Voyager’s transporter systems. The turbo lift door hissed open behind
them and Chakotay entered the bridge.
"Good of you to join us," Janeway said,
regarding her next in command.
Chakotay walked over and took his seat as Tuvok again
got up, reclaiming his ordinary position at the tactical station.
"I take it the quake’s about to hit sooner than
we expected?" the tall second in command asked.
"Seven stopped the alien technology but it’s
still going to be bad," the captain said grimly. "Time left,
Seven?"
"Fifteen seconds and counting, Captain," the
cool alto voice replied over the comm system.
Harry Kim kept an eye on his console as he began the
countdown.
"Ten, nine, eight …"
Janeway rose from her chair, walking up behind Tom
Paris, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Five, four, three, two, one. There it goes,"
Kim said, his voice solemn.
"Oh, god," Janeway sighed as the view screen
showed the enormous force at work crumbling the ground like silk paper.
They all watched in horror as vast cracks opened up and
swallowed houses and even whole villages. Giant new rock formations rose
and recreated a new, alien landscape where farmland had existed just prior
to the quake.
"I pray they all had time to get out of
there," Kim murmured.
The disastrous tremors only lasted for about forty-five
seconds but seemed to last a lifetime for the people on board the orbiting
starships watching the extensive catastrophe.
When all seemed to quiet down for a while, Janeway
squeezed Paris’ shoulder tight and took a deep breath.
"How are we doing? Are the teams ready to
deploy?" she asked.
"Yes, Captain," Tuvok replied. "They are
already standing by at both transporter rooms."
"Chakotay, I guess you’re eager to get back down
to the planet. I suggest you contact Commander Toriello and arrange to
head the rescue operation together with the local authorities. Co-ordinate
the efforts with the Excellence and make sure that the teams all have
experienced team members from her crew. There are bound to be aftershocks
and I don’t want to lose any of our crewmembers."
"Aye, Captain," the commander replied.
"Harry, hail the Excellence."
"Montgomery here. Go ahead," the
Excellence’s captain replied.
"On screen," Janeway ordered.
Eliana Montgomery came into focus on the main view
screen. She looked tired and the fine lines around her eyes revealed to
Janeway that her colleague was in pain.
"Our teams are ready to join yours in the rescue
operation," Janeway said. "Commander Chakotay will team up with
Commander Toriello again and continue from where they left off."
"Thank you, Kathryn," Montgomery said.
"We have every available crewman standing by. I’ll beam over to
Voyager as soon as I know everything is back to normal here. We need to
strategise our response and review your recent actions."
Voyager’s captain groaned inwardly. The recent events
in question were no doubt the fact that she had taken Voyager into low
orbit and made the ship visible from the planet. She had not hesitated to
break the prime directive to save as many people down on the planet as
possible, including her own crewmembers.
"I’ll be expecting you, Captain."
They broke the comm link and Janeway turned to her
senior staff present.
"All right. Carry on. I’ll be in my ready room.
You have the bridge, Mr Kim."
She entered the ready room and sank down at her desk and
switched on her computer screen.
"Janeway to Seven of Nine."
"Go ahead, Captain."
"The immediate danger is over and there is nothing
you can do right now. I want you to finally obey a direct medical command.
Go and regenerate before you irreparably damage your systems, Seven."
"I will comply," the blonde said with
some hesitation. "However, may I come by your ready room to
discuss an urgent matter first?"
Janeway frowned.
"Of course, Seven," she replied.
"Thank you. Seven out."
The captain leaned back into her chair. Seven had
sounded slightly out of breath. She knew the ex-Borg bordered on
exhaustion after her recent ordeals but there had been more. Was Seven
nervous?
Her door chime chirped. It could not be Seven already.
"Enter."
The door hissed open and the Excellence’s tall
imposing tactical chief stepped inside. She walked briskly up to
Janeway’s desk and stood there, her hands clasped behind her, not unlike
Seven’s characteristic pose.
"Lt Bremer," Janeway greeted her friendly.
"How can I help you?"
"Your Doctor gave me a clean bill of health,"
the dark haired woman stated. "I contacted my captain from sickbay
and she asked me to report to you, Captain. Is there anything I can do
before reporting back to the Excellence to join the rescue teams?"
Janeway smiled crookedly. She regarded the dark haired
woman with the ice-blue gaze beneath jet-black bangs. The muscular woman
wore her hair in a tight, long braid down her back and the re-cycled
Guardian away team outfit looked crisp and immaculate on her impressive
frame.
"Thank you, but I think we got things covered from
this end. I understand that you’re heroic actions planet side saved
several lives among the away team."
Heidi Bremer smiled faintly, her gaze steady.
"That’s my job, ma’am," she replied
smartly. She hesitated briefly. "Captain, do you know what happened
to the Bunthoran girl that helped us locate the industrial plant?"
Janeway could first not remember who the Excellence’s
tactical chief was talking about.
"Sha’nee Joy, ma’am?" Bremer reminded her.
"The girl from the embassy? No, I’m sorry, I
don’t remember. Wasn’t she sent back to the Embassy and then to the
high grounds for protection?" she asked.
"I have not been able to find anyone who remembers
giving her that specific order, Captain," the tall woman said, a
trace of worry shining through. "Captain Montgomery last talked to
her when she was waiting with her chauffeur a couple of blocks from the
plant. Nobody among the Embassy staff has seen her."
Janeway rose from the chair and walked up to the other
woman.
"Didn’t the girl talk to Montgomery earlier by
using your comm badge?" she asked.
Bremer flinched.
"Yes, of course," she muttered. "Request
permission to scan for it, Captain."
"Certainly. Come here."
Janeway led the way to the bridge. The younger gamma
shift ensign at ops looked nervous as the two women approached her.
"Ensign, help Lt Bremer track down her comm badge.
It’s important."
"Yes, Captain," the young ensign said and
began punching in commands. "If you would give me the frequency of
your comm badge ma’am?" she asked shyly.
Voyager’s captain looked at the tall dark woman. She
was an intimidating person and yet the look on her face when she realised
that the young Bunthoran girl could be in danger had told of a gentler
heart than her demeanour suggested.
The gentle hiss of the turbo lift door alerted her that
Seven had arrived. Glancing over her shoulder towards the blonde,
Janeway’s heart sank.
Whatever the younger woman wanted to talk to her about,
it could not be good, judging from her solemn face.
*****
Seven of Nine stood in the middle of the elevated part
of Janeway’s ready room.
The captain was walking back from the replicator
carrying a steaming mug of coffee. Seven had declined any beverage; sure
she would not be able to swallow anything passed the lump in her throat.
"Sit down, Seven," Janeway urged softly.
Biting back a negative response the tall blonde sat down
on the couch beneath the view port. She clasped her hands tightly together
on her lap.
"I have come to let you know that I have betrayed
your confidence, Captain," the younger woman said, pleased that her
voice did not let on how nervous she was.
Stopping the mug half way to her mouth, Janeway put it
down on the coffee table as she sank down next to the blonde.
"What are you talking about?" she asked
incredulously.
"I have not told you the whole truth about my
experience in the Excellence’s engineering. I have not been
truthful." To her dismay, a slight tremor had worked itself into her
voice. Seven cleared her throat softly.
"Explain to me what you mean and then we can decide
just how bad this betrayal of yours is," the captain said and raised
the mug to her mouth again, this time taking a careful sip.
Seven inhaled deeply and tried to relax.
"When I was linked to the computer to stop the warp
core breach … I processed several gigaquads of information. This is in
direct violation of Protectorate rules and regulations. Since I possess an
eidetic memory I still hold that knowledge. I do not think it will count
as atonement even if I purge myself of that information now."
She held her breath, so sure that she had let her
captain down by not telling her this from the beginning.
"You realise that this is the reason you were able
to save the people of Bunthora from the disastrous quakes that would have
meant the end of their civilisation as they knew it?" Janeway asked
gently, scooting closer to the ex-Borg.
Not sure she had understood her captain, Seven
protested.
"Captain Montgomery has to be informed," she
claimed. "She needs to uphold the laws in this sector and when the
Protectorate is made aware …"
"She already knows, Seven," Janeway said
gently.
To her amazement Seven felt small tears forming in her
eyes. Not sure what to do she brought her human hand up and ran her
fingertips across her eyelashes.
Janeway scooted closer and surprised the younger woman
by pulling her into an embrace. Stroking the blonde hair over and over she
rocked the distraught ex-Borg.
Seven felt her heart skip several beats and then
compensate for it by rampaging in her chest. The captain’s soft perfume
permeated her senses. Not concerned whether it was prudent or not, the
blonde leaned back against the backrest of the couch and hid her face
against Janeway’s neck.
"Oh, Seven," the auburn haired woman
whispered. "Don’t worry. Everything will be all right. You’re
tired and in dire need of an extensive regeneration cycle. The Doctor told
me that minimum was forty-eight hours straight."
"I will comply," Seven breathed against the
soft skin.
"Good girl."
Soft hands stroked her hair and her back in long,
languid movements. Suddenly the ready room was an oasis of stillness in
the middle of chaos for a few minutes. Seven basked in the attention of
her captain. Janeway’s hands induced comfort and something else,
something she did not recognise. Not anticipating her own intentions, she
turned her head and pressed her lips against the delicate neck just above
the four pips adorning the captain’s turtleneck.
Janeway’s hands stopped for a moment. Seven realised
that she had crossed the line and gone too far. She pulled back and sat
up, holding her breath as she noticed that Janeway’s hands did not seem
eager to let go of her.
She looked into the dark blue-grey eyes before her. She
could not read their expression but Seven was certain that there was no
resentment.
"I thought I would lose you," Janeway said
quietly.
"I did not mean to worry you."
"You’re important to me, Seven."
"You are important to me as well, Captain."
Janeway reached down and took both of Seven’s hands in
hers.
"We have a lot to talk about, my dear," she
said, rubbing her thumbs over the back of the blonde’s hands.
"After you’ve regenerated we could perhaps share a meal in my
quarters?"
Seven cocked her head.
"That would be acceptable."
"Good. Now, it’s time to regenerate."
"Yes, Captain. What about Captain Montgomery?
Should I not report to her first and explain why I did not inform her of
…"
"She has known from when you were in sick
bay," the captain interrupted. "You are the least of her
problems right now. Even before you helped save the planet, she promised
me to explain to the Protectorate High Council of the extraordinary
circumstances behind your security breach. They owe you for helping
them."
"I lied to you, Kathryn," Seven whispered.
"I know and we will talk about that later,"
Janeway smiled. "Truth be told, I’m the one in trouble for breaking
not only the Federation’s Prime Directive but also the Protectorate
version of it. Let’s hope they are so grateful about your input that
they will show me leniency."
"Don’t count on it, Janeway," a husky, cool
voice said from the door.
The two on the couch flinched and looked at the
Excellence’s blonde captain standing there, one hand on her hip and her
eyebrows raised.
"Don’t worry, Seven," Montgomery said.
"You’ve performed an outstanding and most courageous act and saved
millions of lives. The first reports are already reaching the Excellence
and even if we lost a lot of lives down there, it’s not even a fraction
of what would have taken place had you not prevented the ancient
Protectorate technology from causing Armageddon."
Janeway slowly let go of the young woman’s hands.
Seven looked at her with tremors in her midsection, not
sure how to act.
The auburn haired woman took care of that for her by
standing up. Feeling robbed of the human warmth she had shared with her
captain for a brief moment, Seven rose as well.
Janeway smiled tenderly towards the blonde.
"Go regenerate, Seven."
Seven sighed in relief. She enjoyed the soft sparkles
"That is acceptable," she agreed and started
walking towards the door, nodding to Captain Montgomery in passing.
The older captain reached out and stopped her by putting
a gentle hand on her arm.
"Seven, don’t worry. You’ve nothing to fear
from the Protectorate. You’re a brave young woman and I’ll put in a
good word for you in my report." She glanced at Janeway, a smirk
playing on her lips. "When it comes to your captain, however
…"
Seven resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
"Captains," she greeted them and walked
towards the door while she still had strength left to do so.
Before she exited the ready room she heard
Montgomery’s dry voice.
"Well, Kathryn, I may want to go easy on Seven of
Nine but you? Now that’s an entirely different story. Tell me, did you
always possess this tendency or has your years in the Delta Quadrant
turned you into a space cowboy?"
*****
Lt Bremer walked among the rubble in the Embassy garden.
She had beamed down half an hour ago and was now assessing the damages
visible from her current location.
"Lieutenant!" a voice called out behind her.
She turned around, squinting in the light of the setting
sun.
"Ensign Brovskij," she greeted the young man.
"Any news?"
Ensign Brovskij had been among the first to transport
down to the planet to assist the local authorities in the search and
rescue work. She liked the young man. She was impressed by his actions
both in the rescue of the missing Guardian away team in the cave as well
as how he handled himself when he was assigned to her away team at the
plant.
"No, ma’am," the ensign now replied, his
brow furrowing. "Ms J’Oy did not return here and nobody has seen
her or her driver since before the quake."
"Did anyone remember giving her the order to return
here after she briefed Montgomery?"
"Nobody talked to her at all, ma’am. It’s
possible she’s still out there. I guess all we can hope for is that she
managed to take cover."
Bremer did not know why the thought of the young
woman’s precarious situation disturbed her so much. Her life as a
respected Guardian had put her in many dangerous situations where she had
been forced to both take and sacrifice individual lives to save thousands.
"Come with me, Ensign," she now muttered and
began walking towards the garages where the embassy kept their
hovercrafts.
Several of the doors were jammed but with a well-aimed
phaser shot she managed to pry one open. The roof had partly collapsed but
the left side of the structure were still intact.
They pulled out a small hovercraft for two people.
"Let’s go," Bremer said and pushed the
button to the ignition. The engine roared to life and soon they were off,
carefully manoeuvring between pieces of debris.
Bremer drove like someone possessed. She had a strange;
unsettling feeling that time was running out.
When she had gone to Montgomery with her request, the
Captain had listened intently before giving her approval.
Bremer had requested that she personally be allowed to
search for the missing Bunthoran woman. She pointed out how instrumental
the young girl had been in the success of their mission and that Ms J’Oy
may prove to be invaluable in the planet’s recovery.
Montgomery had been surprised and a little intrigued by
Bremer’s uncharacteristic request. She had agreed that they owed Ms
J’Oy a great deal and that it would be prudent for Bremer to try to
locate her. "The last I remember is that I told the girl to remain
with her embassy driver and await further instructions," the captain
had admitted regretfully.
Bremer drove the hovercraft as quickly as it was
possible through the capital and towards the outskirts where the
industrial area was located. She wanted to go faster but debris and rescue
vehicles filled the streets, making it impossible.
She knew that the city had sustained a lot of damage.
Chakotay and Toriello had worked hard to assist the local authorities
evacuate as many people as possible but there were still thousands left
that needed help.
Bremer watched the fire brigade’s large hovercrafts
ascend just above the debris and oncoming vehicles. She knew that these
rescue vehicles had the capability to almost fly. They boasted a powerful
propulsion system that allowed them to perform such manoeuvres. She felt
the warm gush of air from the vehicle as it passed overhead.
Fires plagued the city. Several government building had
not survived the quake. Most of them were evacuated but Toriello had
informed them that a large number of civil servants were missing. Bremer
had watched the Excellence’s commander as he and Chakotay briefed the
two senior staff crews of the two ships.
The amicable man had shown signs of severe fatigue, as
had Commander Chakotay, but both of them were already back planet side to
assist Bunthora’s EOC Commander.
Commander Tuvok and four security officers from both
ships worked on establishing who was responsible for the plan that almost
had destroyed the planet. Bremer realised that she was supposed to be on
that team as well. She was glad that Montgomery had allowed her to pursue
this search.
Finally they were approaching the area where they all
had beamed down to not long ago.
"Look!" Ensign Brovskij exclaimed next to
Bremer. He pointed towards a large, severely damaged structure.
Bremer stared, not believing her eyes.
It was the same brick building that she and the away
team had entered earlier that day. Now it looked like someone had not only
crushed it, but also twisted the metal around giant fingers and dropped it
haphazardly on top of the debris. The tall cylinders that had been part of
the massive construction that had depleted the subterranean water were now
distorted and scattered over a vast area. All the smaller buildings were
levelled with the ground. There were fires going on everywhere and heavy
smoke filled the air.
"This whole area has been completely
destroyed," Bremer said through tight lips. "If she was still
here … I can’t imagine where she could have taken shelter."
"She’s no fool. She must have known it was time
for the big one," the tactical chief replied and stopped the
hovercraft. She stepped out and began following the pavement where once a
low hedge had grown.
She glanced over her shoulder and saw Brovskij make his
way in the opposite direction.
Bremer knew that her old comm badge was probably
destroyed. Harry Kim had scanned for the device and had even used the
enhanced sensors from astrometrics onboard Voyager but to no avail. She
pulled out her tricorder and began scanning the area around her.
She kept walking in a wide circle around the destroyed
structure constantly scanning for bio signs.
Suddenly her foot hit something that was sharp enough to
almost slice through her boot. Cursing under her breath, Bremer looked
down and saw a piece of twisted metal. At first she thought it had to be
from the building but then she saw the familiar markings on a part of it.
She picked it up. The Protectorate’s emblem. The piece
of metal was from the hovercraft that had taken Sha’nee J’Oy to the
industrial area. Setting her tricorder for a closer range, Bremer
performed another scan.
Suddenly the tricorder gave a beep and kept beeping.
Walking with new energy towards the source, the tactical
chief prayed that she would find the young Bunthoran alive.
She rounded a corner and saw a set of large rocks in a
triangular formation, probably meant to be a landmark of sorts. She rushed
towards it, the signal becoming stronger as she did so.
The rocks were enormous, reaching to her shoulders, and
Bremer had to stand on her toes to be able to peek over the edge of the
closest one.
The first thing she saw was long golden red hair and a
small body in a grey Guardian away team coverall.
"J’Oy," Bremer called out.
"Sha’nee!"
There was no reply. Bremer slapped her comm badge.
"Bremer to Brovskij. I found her. She’s at the
north side of the building."
"On my way."
"Bring the med kit and get over here. Look for
three large rocks; that’s where she took cover. Bremer out."
The tall woman walked backwards a couple of steps and
then ran forward quickly, jumping up on the nearest rock, holding on with
both hands. She pulled herself up and when she was up there she could see
a Bunthoran man lying next to the motionless girl among the rocks.
Bremer carefully jumped down to them and knelt beside
Sha’nee J’Oy, scanning her limp body.
To her relief, there were weak but definite life signs
emanating from the young woman. She was covered with dust and small debris
and Bremer carefully removed it from her with one hand while scanning the
large man with the other.
The tricorder showed steady life signs and Bremer was
grateful that Sha’nee had not had to suffer through this ordeal alone.
"Lieutenant? How’s she doing? Is the driver with
her?" she heard Brovskij ask.
"I got them both. They’re alive. Get up here and
give me a hand."
Moment later she saw Brovskij’s face as he jumped up
on one of the large rocks and passed her the med kit box.
"How’s it going?"
"The man is unconscious but I scanned him and
he’s stable."
"Can he be moved?"
She paused and scanned the man again.
"Yes, beam him to the embassy and have him
transported to a local hospital from there."
"What about her?" Brovskij motioned towards
the Bunthoran young woman.
"Not good. She needs to be stabilised."
"Options?"
"Letting her die or beaming her to Voyager’s sick
bay. Look, she needs immediate attention. She won’t survive anything
else. Protocols be damned," Bremer growled.
"Did I say a word?" Brovskij asked holding up
his hands.
"She’s a trusted agent. She has worked closely
with our embassy for years - and she is only one person.
"Lieutenant, who are you trying convince, me or
you? Just do what you believe is the right thing."
"You better transport the driver before he regains
consciousness."
"Yes, ma’am." Brovskij tapped his comm badge
and requested an emergency transport of the driver. Soon he and the
Bunthoran man disappeared in a green tinted light.
Bremer leaned over Sha’nee and pushed the long hair
out of the girl’s bruised face. She attached a cortical stimulator at
the base of the young Bunthoran’s skull and tapped in some commands.
Soon Sha’nee’s pulse was stronger and slower, her respiration not as
shallow.
The tall dark Guardian scanned the girl’s slender
extremities and found fractures on both arms. Getting out a bone knitter,
she pulled it twice across the injured arms and a new scan showed that the
fractures were stable. Voyager’s EMH would do the rest.
"I think it’s safe to move you now," Bremer
murmured and pulled the smaller woman up, cradling her in her arms. She
managed to move her hand to her comm badge and tap it.
"Bremer to Voyager. Lock onto my comm badge. Two to
beam to sickbay," she said sternly.
"One life sign is Bunthoran …" the
officer in charge in transporter room one began.
"You heard me. This transport is authorised by
Captain Montgomery. Energise!"
"Yes, ma’am."
The green tinted light filled her view and then she
found herself in familiar surroundings, having been a patient in the very
same place only hours ago.
The Doctor came towards her as she materialised next to
the main bio bed.
"She’s been seriously injured," Bremer heard
herself say, taken aback at how much her voice trembled.
"Put her down here. Gently, that’s it. Now step
back, please," the Doctor said and ran a medical tricorder across the
young woman.
"How is she doing?" Bremer asked.
Finishing his initial scan the Doctor grabbed an
instrument and began cutting lose Sha’nee’s clothes. He quickly
uncovered the battered body underneath the coverall. Bremer gasped as she
saw all the cuts and bruises on the fair skin.
"She’s bleeding internally. She has multiple
fractures to her arms and ribs and also a concussion. Her eyes are damaged
by foreign particles. If you had not gotten to her when you did she would
be dead by now," the Doctor replied, his voice solemn. "You did
well to attach a cortical stimulator to regulate her vital signs. She
would not have lasted more than minutes otherwise. Good call,
Lieutenant."
He raised an arch from the bio bed around the young
woman. Pressing in commands he set the machines to keep Sha’nee fully
saturated and stable, as he would perform the necessary surgery.
"What’s going on here? Who is that?" a
throaty voice said from the door.
Bremer turned around to see Voyager’s captain enter
sickbay.
"Captain, this is Sha’nee J’Oy," Bremer
replied.
Janeway stepped up next to the Excellence’s tactical
chief and looked down at the young woman on the bio bed.
"How is she?" she said in a low voice.
"Will she be all right, Doctor?"
The Doctor only nodded, preoccupied with his patient.
"She’s in the best of hands," the captain
said reassuringly, placing a hand on the tall dark haired woman’s
shoulder. "You know first hand that she’ll get first rate care
here."
Bremer was surprised that she did not mind the
comforting hand on her shoulder. She was otherwise an extremely private
person that did not let anyone close. She glanced down on the compact
woman next to her.
"How is Seven of Nine doing?" she asked in a
low voice.
Janeway looked up, a soft smile on her lips.
"She’s regenerating and will do so for," she
glanced at the chronometer on the computer screen on the wall,
"another twenty-one hours, at least. She’ll be fine."
"I will have to ask you both to leave," the
Doctor said. "I’ll let you know the outcome of the surgery but I
don’t foresee any problems. You saved her life by bringing her to me
when you did, Lieutenant."
Bremer felt a lump in her throat. She swallowed hard.
The sight of the unconscious, bruised girl on the bio bed was almost too
much.
Chastising herself for the lack of composure, Bremer
squared her shoulders and nodded.
"Please inform me when you have any news regarding
Ms J’Oy," she said her voice short. "There is the matter of
the Prime Directive in her case. Captain Montgomery sanctioned this breach
of protocol, but she can’t remain here unsupervised."
"She’s not going anywhere anytime soon," the
EMH huffed but then relented. "I’ll let you know when the surgery
is over and also when she regains consciousness."
"Thank you."
Bremer nodded towards Captain Janeway and then walked
out of sickbay. She kept walking until she reached a niche where she
slowed down and paused. Leaning against the wall, she tried to pull
herself together.
"Lieutenant, join me in my ready room," she
suddenly heard Janeway say behind her. "I’m expecting your captain
back in half an hour and I think she’d like an update regarding Ms
J’Oy. She was quite concerned about the young woman."
Bremer found herself steered towards a turbo lift by the
dynamic captain. They entered it and Janeway gave the command.
"Bridge."
The turbo lift gave a whining sound and ascended.
Janeway regarded her with kind eyes.
"Now, Lieutenant," she said with a lopsided
grin, "please tell me you’re a coffee person."
*****
"On screen," Montgomery ordered and rose from
her command chair on the Excellence’s bridge.
The main view screen flickered for a fraction of a
second and then showed a tall man in a Guardian uniform.
"Captain Montgomery," the man said politely,
"I’m Captain Dar’Gaian of the Protectorate ship Rak’Tar.
We’ve come to aid you as requested."
Montgomery smirked inwardly. She knew of Dar’Gaian but
had never met him face to face before. His reputation had him as an able
Guardian but he also possessed an inclination for being pompous and
sombre. Some Guardians were more human than they realised, she thought to
herself and not for the first time.
"It’s good to see you, Captain Dar’Gaian,"
she now said, equally polite. "We have most of the situation under
control but there is still a lot to be done for the Bunthorans and our
ship is still under repairs. Several of our crucial systems are still
failing."
Her colleague nodded.
"We’ll take over from here," he said
promptly. "I understand that you’ve been working under some unusual
circumstances, Captain?"
To say the least, Montgomery thought.
"I’m sure the elders have informed you that when
the Excellence used the subspace beacon to request assistance, another
non-Protectorate vessel responded. It turned out to be the USS Voyager
from my home world. Without Captain Janeway and her crew, this mission
would have been lost and so would this ship."
Dar’Gaian frowned.
"It is against the rules …" he began.
Tired and with a splitting headache, Montgomery cut him
off.
"It has been sanctioned, Captain Dar’Gaian,"
she snapped. She outranked this man, having been a Guardian captain twice
as long as he had. "Or do I need to address the Elders with your
concerns regarding their judgement?"
The other captain paled. He had obviously not counted on
the fact that she would defend having to resort to help from
non-Guardians. Dar’Gaian probably considered such an action a failure.
"That won’t be necessary."
"I think before we go any further we need to clear
a few things up. First, verify your orders. You are here in support of the
Excellence. I remain in command of the relief efforts until I choose to
transition with you."
"I just assumed…"
"You assumed too much Captain. I will immediately
send a member of my command staff to brief you and your staff on the
current situation. I will expect you to begin deploying assistance teams
to rendezvous and reinforce the current relief efforts on the ground as
soon as that briefing is concluded," the Excellence’s captain said
icily.
"I understand." Captain Dar’Gaian replied
tersely.
"There is one other matter. There is an ongoing
investigation as to who is responsible for this catastrophe being
conducted by my first officer, Commander Toriello and two of Voyager’s
officer, Commander Chakotay and Commander Tuvok, their tactical chief.
They are working closely with the local authorities. Focus on the relief
efforts, Captain. Do not interfere with the investigation. There is a
great deal at stake. The technology was Protectorate."
"I … I was not aware of this."
Montgomery sighed inwardly. She was tired. She needed
this man to work with her not against her. This conversation was not going
the way she wanted it to go. Taking a deep breath, she began again.
"Captain Dar’Gaian, you have an excellent
reputation as does your ship and its crew, which is why the Elders chose
you for this mission. We are grateful for you arrival. Your support and
assistance are severely needed but … this mission, this situation is
unlike any we have encountered before. I need you trust the Elders and
work together with me, my crew, and the crew of Voyager knowing that we
are embarking into areas were … protocols may or may not apply.
"I understand Captain." Dar’Gaian replied,
sounding much more respectful.
"Good. My staff officer will transport over
immediately. In the mean time we’ll begin to download everything we have
on the situation. I meant what I said, we are grateful to see you and your
crew and your help is desperately needed."
The face of the other captain softened.
"Thank you, Captain," he said, "There
will be no more misunderstandings. We are standing by to assist."
"Thank you. Montgomery out."
The blonde captain walked across the bridge.
"I’ll be in my ready room," she informed the
crew. "You have the bridge, Lt D’Antoine."
Lt D’Antoine left her station and walked towards the
command chairs. The small woman frowned as she passed her captain.
Montgomery knew that her crew worried about her
sometimes. They had been together for so long and they were closer than
most families. Still, she knew that D’Antoine would never voice her
concern out loud in public.
Montgomery managed a faint smile as she left the bridge
and entered the blessed silence in her ready room.
She walked over to a small cabinet next to her desk. She
opened it and pulled out a little box. Taking two small, green items from
the box she walked over to the replicator.
"Hot water with sugar."
A steaming mug appeared. The captain brought it to the
desk with her and put the two green items into the hot water. She let them
dissolve and then carefully sipped the hot beverage. Closing her eyes she
leaned back in her chair, letting the medicine take effect.
She knew she was becoming addicted to it but as long as
it did not affect her performance she was not too worried. It was not a
narcotic drug and it kept her going.
Most of the headache had gone away when the comm system
came alive with a chirp.
"Janeway to Montgomery."
"Montgomery here. Go ahead, Kathryn."
"I’ve just been hailed by a colleague of
yours. He doesn’t seem overly enthused about my ship’s part in all
this."
Montgomery smirked.
"Don’t worry about Dar’Gaian," she said.
"He’s a good man but has a lot to learn. He is still wet behind the
ears as a Guardian."
She could almost hear Janeway smile.
"Chakotay just hailed me with good news. There
have not been any aftershocks in one hour. The rescue workers were able to
reach a lot of people in that time."
"I know. I heard from Max just before the Rak’Tar
showed up."
There was a brief pause.
"Yes, Kathryn? What can I do for you?"
Montgomery asked, knowing that there was something on the younger
woman’s mind.
"I guess, it is … well, you know how it feels
when you’ve been in the middle of chaos and then everything calms down
… " Janeway’s voice trailed off.
"Empty," the Excellence’s captain concluded.
"A kind of withdrawal. The adrenaline rush is over and you feel
empty."
"Exactly."
"She’s still regenerating, isn’t she?"
Montgomery smiled to herself.
A stunned silence.
"Oh … yes, she is."
"And you’re feeling lonely."
Janeway was no coward.
"Yes, I feel lonely," the younger woman
admitted, sounding exasperated. "I’ve sent Seven into harms way
more times than I can count and …" she hesitated for a brief
moment. "I guess it’s taking its toll on me."
Montgomery could understand the other woman’s
trepidation. As a new Guardian, she had been terrified of losing more
members of her crew, even more than when the Excellence had struggled
through the Delta Quadrant all alone. Now that they had all this new
technology and the possibility of back up from an armada of other Guardian
ships, any casualty was a personal failure.
"She’s your special protégé," she mused.
"You feel responsible. You saved her, gave her a new existence once.
It’s different with her compared to the rest of your crew. After all,
they all chose to be Starfleet officers or Maquis members knowing what it
they were getting themselves into. Seven of Nine was lost to the Borg as a
child and let’s be honest, you chose her new existence, not
her."
"Yes," Janeway sighed.
"But you are forgetting something," the older
captain said. "She may not have made the initial choice to join your
crew but she most certainly has chosen to stay with you. If she wanted to,
she could leave Voyager, refuse to function in the chain of command but
she chooses not to. As I see it - she has chosen you."
"What are you talking about?" Janeway
asked, her voice startled.
"Kathryn, can’t you see it? She does everything
you ask of her and more both because she is a dutiful, capable young woman
but also because she has chosen to live her life your way. She wants to
please you. You said it yourself; in the beginning she contradicted you
constantly and disobeyed orders. Once she understood what was expected of
her onboard your ship, she relented. She found her place, not necessarily
as one of many among the crew because they still feared her and what she
stood for as a Borg, but with you."
Montgomery sipped her hot water with the medicine. The
pain was slowly dissipating.
"She told me that Voyager is her collective now,"
the younger captain said. "She talked about the entire ship."
"She has made some friends but ask yourself if she
looks at them the way she looks at you. Kathryn, she loves you."
The silence from the other end was revealing.
"I don’t know what to do," Janeway
eventually confessed. "I really don’t, Eliana."
Montgomery raised a tired hand and rubbed her throbbing
temple.
"Take it from someone whose only regrets are the
things I let slip through my fingers," she managed. "Don’t
miss out on the chance of happiness, love or friendship. These are rare
commodities and you don’t know when you’ll see the Alpha Quadrant
again - if ever. I know you think you have to stay detached from your crew
but under your special circumstances, it’s not worth it."
"What do you mean?"
"If you have someone to be yourself with, not the
captain, just Kathryn," Montgomery said wistfully, "you won’t
have to suffer the repercussions alone like you did after the Equinox
incident."
"Do you follow your own advice, Eliana?"
Janeway asked sounding a bit exasperated.
The Excellence’s captain laced her fingers through her
hair. Of course Kathryn would challenge her, ask her if she put her money
where her mouth was.
"I didn’t for the longest time," she
confessed. "I thought I had to do things all by myself, all the time.
It took me a while, way too long of course, to realise that nobody
expected me to do that - but me."
"You’re in a relationship?" Janeway
asked. "How does that work with being an esteemed Guardian?"
Montgomery laughed.
"Guardians do not take a vow of celibacy,
Kathryn," she said, amused. "Yes, I am in a relationship as you
put it. We’re both Guardians and that means we don’t get to spend as
much time together the way we would like. There are many advantages too,
though. We understand each other very well both professionally and
emotionally."
Janeway was quiet for a while and Montgomery let the
younger woman mull her words over.
"You make a lot of sense," Janeway
murmured. "It’s not that I don’t want to … hell, I’d give
everything to … oh, damn …" The throaty voice disappeared and
the older captain knew that Janeway was fighting against her tears.
"It’s okay, Kathryn," she said calmly.
"You and Seven will find your way. If nothing else, that girl will
wear your resistance down with her love. She radiates it, you know."
A muted sob was heard over the comm link.
"She does, doesn’t she?" Voyager’s
captain whispered.
"It’s pretty clear if you know what to look
for."
"So you think I should tell her how I feel?"
Montgomery smiled.
"I do. Do you realise that you just admitted it not
only to yourself but to me as well, Kathryn?"
A stunned silence.
"You old fox," Janeway growled but
Montgomery could hear the reluctant smile in her voice. "You
conned me."
"Takes one to know one."
Janeway sighed.
"You have an irritating habit of being right,
Captain," she said.
"I know. It’s a gift."
The loud groan made Montgomery laugh out loud.
There was a brief silence again and then Janeway spoke.
"I have to ask you something on a completely
different matter, Eliana. If I offer you and your crew the opportunity to
come onboard Voyager and try their luck at getting home to the Alpha
Quadrant, would that meet with your approval? Would you want to yourself?"
Montgomery pursed her lips, thinking. She had expected
this question.
"My crew can follow their hearts. They will most
likely take your generous offer into consideration since it’s their
first real chance since we were stranded here. Me? It’s simply not an
option. I couldn’t leave even if I wanted to."
"What do you mean? Because of the relationship
you’re in?"
"That among other things. Actually Kathryn, there
are several reasons and I promise that before we part, I’ll let you
know."
"Eliana, I don’t like how you’re sounding.
There is something wrong, isn’t there?" Janeway asked.
Montgomery rose, feeling almost light headed since the
headache had dissipated.
"I promise I’ll level with you, Kathryn. Some
things are easier to talk about face to face and … well, that, and I
think you deserve nothing less."
*****
Janeway held her breath to not let Montgomery know how
worried the other woman’s words made her.
"You can tell me when ever you deem appropriate,
Eliana," she said, her voice soft. "I will not pass
judgement."
"Thank you. My reasons are valid and the sums of
them are that I’m in the Delta Quadrant to stay. Nothing can ever change
that."
There seriousness of the other woman’s tone of voice
made Janeway swallow hard.
"So, you’re stuck," the auburn haired woman
tried to joke.
"No, not stuck. I’m home, Kathryn,"
Montgomery answered, her voice serious. "I said I couldn’t leave
even if I wanted to. The truth is; I don’t want to leave. I have a good
life here with an important job that takes me all around the sectors. I
have friends, some old ones from the Alpha Quadrant and some new ones that
I’m equally fond of. But can you guess what the best part is?"
Kathryn stood and turned towards the view screen. She
saw the sleek outline of the Excellence where repairs were still being
conducted. Several crewmembers were out on the hull.
"Yes," she said her voice soft. "I do. I
think, since I learned a lot from you and we’re not all that different,
that the best part of being here, settling down and finding your place in
this society as a Guardian, is that you get the opportunity to make a
difference."
"Oh, Kathryn," Montgomery said in a low
voice. "You do understand, don’t you? You know how important
that is to me. I lost so many to senseless, wasteful deaths when we were
hurled into this quadrant. Now it feels like it wasn’t for nothing.
Every life I save I do in their memory, to honour them."
"I know, Eliana," Janeway offered softly.
"I know."
"So the answer to your question, my dear, is
that if anyone in my crew wants to join you, I’ll make it easy for them.
I’ll encourage it if they approach me."
"Fair enough."
"Now, a question for you, Captain,"
Montgomery said briskly. "What if I asked your crewmembers if they
would like to stay?"
Taken aback, Janeway covered her mouth with her hand.
She felt her heart sink. She had not considered that.
"I don’t know," she said. "I’m being
brutally honest here, Eliana. I simply don’t know. I need more than a
skeleton crew to get Voyager home. If too many were to jump ship, we’d
all have to stay until I could round up enough people to run the
ship."
"Do you think this is likely to occur? You’re
crew is loyal and adamant to get home."
Janeway shuddered.
"Yes, they are," she agreed. "But we’ve
never faced this exact situation before, have we?"
"No, neither of us," Montgomery agreed.
"We are both facing something we weren’t exactly prepared for,
Kathryn. We may lose a few or gain a few … or both."
Janeway regarded the ship next to hers in orbit.
"Still, I don’t regret answering your request for
assistance," Voyager’s captain replied. "Finding you here in
the Delta Quadrant makes it seem … well, I guess, less lonely. I know I
was suspicious in the beginning because of Ransom. Your story paralleled
his initially."
"I know, Kathryn, you don’t have to explain."
"Yes, I feel I have to." Janeway sank down on
the couch. "You were always aware of my weaknesses when I attended
the Academy."
"More than that, I was always aware of your
strengths, Kathryn," the older captain insisted.
Janeway smiled.
"Thank you. But they are two sides of the same
coin, as you know. My strengths have a nasty habit of becoming my greatest
weaknesses. Running into you, the Excellence … I re-evaluated my own
actions … reactions, really, and by doing so put a lot of things,
regarding the Equinox among other things, into perspective."
"Is that why you’re able to reach out to
Seven?" Montgomery asked in a gentle voice.
Janeway leaned against the backrest of the couch,
pulling one knee up and wrapping her arms around it.
"It may very well be, Eliana," the auburn
haired woman said. "I don’t know when it began and I don’t know
when I’ll be ready to take the next step. All I can say is that I’m
grateful to run into you."
She heard the older woman chuckle.
"Oh, don’t mention it," Montgomery
said casually. "Just think of it as my way of welcoming you to the
neighbourhood."
*****
Sha’nee Joy ached all over.
She knew that if she opened her eyes, the bright light
would blind her so she kept them closed. Gentle hands moved her right arm
and she felt heat radiating against her skin. To her astonishment the pain
slowly went away.
"What happened?" she murmured.
"You barely escaped the quake," a sonorous
female voice said to her left. She recognised it but could not remember
whom it belonged to.
"There, how does that feel?" another voice
said, this time decidedly mail and with an energetic tinge to it.
"Move your wrist for me, Ms J’Oy."
She cautiously did as he told her and was surprised to
only feel a dull ache where it had been in such agony just a moment ago.
"Open your eyes, please?" the man said.
"I need to make sure that your corneas have healed."
Sha’nee stiffened.
"What’s wrong with my eyes?" she asked,
panic in her voice. "Did something happen to my eyes?"
"Both your eyes were subjected to massive amounts
of dust that was in the air after the quake demolished the
buildings," the man replied.
Was he a doctor? Where was she? Sha’nee wanted to sit
up but found that she could not move.
A gently hand was suddenly on her shoulder. The touch
was strong yet soft and the young woman knew it was futile to struggle.
"Sha’nee, you’re safe," the woman said.
"I brought you to an undamaged hospital to treat your injuries. Now,
go ahead. Do as the Doctor says and open your eyes."
Swallowing hard, the young Bunthoran girl slowly opened
her eyes. The light stung but her vision was normal. Tears of relief
welled up as she looked at the two standing over her.
The man to her right moved an object over her face and
then he smiled.
"Very good," he said, sounding pleased.
"Your eyes are as good as new."
Sha’nee turned to her left. A tall, dark woman stood
there in a familiar uniform. She was a Guardian.
"Lt Bremer," Sha’nee suddenly remembered.
"You were injured …"
"I’m fine. You’re going to be fine too, the
Doctor here assures me," Bremer said with a lopsided grin.
"I’m glad we got you out in time."
Sha’nee shuddered as she recalled the frightening
moments when the quake hit and she realised that nobody was coming to save
her or the driver.
"The driver," she gushed. "What happened
to …"
"He’s recovering. He had minor injuries and are
being treated at a local hospital as we speak," Bremer explained.
"Why am I not there? Why am I in this place? What is
this place?"
The Doctor and Bremer exchanged enigmatic glances.
"Don’t worry about that now," the Doctor
said and patted her shoulder. "We still have one more arm to fix
up."
"I demand to know where I am!" the young woman
insisted, looking at Bremer.
"You’re at a Protectorate facility that has a
clinic for the Guardians," Bremer said.
Sha’nee knew that there was more to this; she had
never seen such technology before. The fact that this doctor was mending
her broken bones in seconds without the use of surgery was more than
enough evidence.
"I know you’re not telling me everything,
Lieutenant," she murmured. "I’m grateful that you came back
for me. I thought I was going to die."
"Ensign Brovskij and I went back and the way I see
it, we owed you …"
There was a hissing noise and then footsteps. Lt Bremer
interrupted herself and stood at attention as someone approached the bed.
"Ms J’Oy," a determined voice said,
"this is all my doing. I beg your forgiveness."
A woman in a Guardian uniform came into focus and all
Sha’nee could do was stare. The woman was a little older than Lt Bremer
with blonde hair framing her face. She outranked the dark haired woman,
the Bunthoran decided, judging from her uniform as well as her attitude.
"You’re Captain Montgomery?" Sha’nee
guessed.
"Clever girl. Well, I’m happy to see that the
Doctor has mended you. How is she doing, Doctor?"
The slightly bald man smiled.
"She will make a full recovery, thanks to the
persistence of the Lieutenant here. It was touch and go for a while
…" he glanced at Bremer and then broke off. "Well, she’ll be
up and about in no time."
Montgomery nodded approvingly.
"Good, very good. Well, Lieutenant, now there is
the small matter of how we get the Protectorate to endorse Ms J’Oy’s
presence here."
"My thought was that the same arguments that you
used for Voyager could be applied, ma’am," Bremer offered. "Ms
J’Oy has worked closely with Ambassador J’Aoh for quite some time, a
trusted agent that deserved our help as well as a commendation for
bravery."
The Captain looked vaguely amused.
"A commendation, huh, Lieutenant?" she said.
"I see you have really thought this through. It’s not that I
don’t agree with your assessment but don’t you think it should be my
call to initiate such a proposal?"
Sha’nee watched with fascination as the tall, imposing
woman to her left blushed faintly. Bremer cleared her throat softly and
then nodded.
"Of course, Captain," she said, to
Sha’nee’s amazement not sounding repentant at all.
"Very good," the captain stated and turned to
the young woman again. "You’re countrymen owe you a lot, Ms J’Oy.
I will make sure the Emperor knows just how much as well as the Elders of
the Protectorate."
Sha’nee knew that the Protectorate was a remote nation
on her planet that nobody had ever visited as they lived in seclusion.
They only communicated with the outside world through their embassies. To
think that the charismatic Guardian captain would not only mention her to
the Emperor but also to her elusive superiors was flabbergasting to say
the least but if her beloved country was destroyed it would all be for
nothing.
"Thank you, Captain," she said. "Tell me,
did the quake destroy everything as we feared," she asked eyes full
of tears.
Captain Montgomery glanced at Bremer as she moved closer
to the biobed.
"No, Sha’nee. We succeeded and you were part of
that. The one that hit was bad enough, but the rescue workers were able to
evacuate as many and most of your citizens in the capital survived."
Sha’nee shivered as the tears poured down her face.
She had lived with the frustration of knowing about the impending disaster
and not being heard, for so long, it was difficult to understand that
Bunthora had a future in spite of everything.
Lt Bremer reached out and wiped the moisture from the
young woman’s face.
"Sha’nee, please don’t cry. It will be all
right."
"Do you have any family members or loved ones that
you’re worried about?" the captain asked. "We would be happy
to send word and look for them?"
"No, ma’am," Sha’nee replied, trying to
regain her composure. "My parents are dead and there is no one else.
I’ve pretty much worked around the clock these past two years."
The three people around her exchanged strange glances
again.
"All right, Ms J’Oy. You rest and get better. The
Doctor and Lt Bremer will see that you get anything you need."
"Thank you, Captain."
Sha’nee relaxed as the blonde woman nodded friendly at
her and left the infirmary. Turning her head towards Bremer, the young
woman cautiously reached out her hand.
*****
Bremer looked down on the slender hand that reached out
to her.
Carefully she took it in hers and held it.
"You’ll be fine now," she assured the young
woman. "The Doctor said that you’d make a full recovery."
Sha’nee bit her lip and then shook her head.
"It’s not that," she said in a low, muffled
voice. "It’s … I just thought that … When the quake hit and I
realised that nobody was coming, I …"
Sha’nee began to cry again. Bremer realised that
horrible memories haunted the younger woman. She looked up at the Doctor
and motioned with her chin for him to leave them alone. The EMH nodded and
walked into his office.
Bremer pulled up a stool and sat down next to the
biobed. Sha’nee was only covered by a Starfleet issue blanket. Her small
triangular face was framed by long golden blonde hair that welled down
over her shoulders. Her eyes were green with a blue edge around the iris.
"I know, Sha’nee, and I’m sorry," the
lieutenant said. "When Seven shut the computer down inside the plant
they only had minutes left to vacate the premises. I was incapacitated on
this very bed and Captain Montgomery was occupied with having to decide
whether to use heavy weapons or not, to ensure shutting the technology
down."
The young Bunthoran nodded that she understood but still
the tears were streaming down her cheeks.
"Come here," Bremer found herself say. Not
really thinking, she pulled the distraught young girl into her arms and
rocked her.
Sha’nee clung to her.
"I was so afraid," she confessed. "The
last thing I remember is the driver pushing me up on some large rocks and
then I fell down … debris were falling on top of me … and everything
went black …"
Bremer made a mental note to make sure that the driver
was recognised for his bravery.
"He saved you by doing so," she said and held
the young girl close. "He saved himself too and you will both be
fine."
Sha’nee pulled back a little, looking at Bremer with
wide, moist eyes.
"Thank you for coming back for me," she
sniffled. "Thank you, Lt Bremer."
"Call me Heidi," Bremer surprised the young
woman as well as herself by saying.
Sha’nee’s gave a trembling smile.
"Heidi," she tried the name out. "What an
unusual name."
Bremer made a face.
"Nothing special," she allowed.
Thinking that she should let go of the young woman now
that she had calmed down, she found herself wrapped up in a firm hug.
"It’s a beautiful name," the Bunthoran girl
said.
*****
"Regeneration cycle complete."
Seven opened her eyes and stepped off the alcove dais.
In front of her stood Janeway leaning against her work console.
"Captain," the blonde greeted, clasping her
hands behind her back.
"How are you feeling, Seven?" the auburn
haired woman asked.
"I am functioning within normal parameters,"
the ex-Borg replied.
The captain gave a slow smile.
"That’s good news, Seven," she said.
"How is the rescue operation progressing?"
Seven asked.
"If you care to join me for dinner, I’ll fill you
in on all the latest developments."
Seven nodded in agreement, pleased that Janeway wanted
to share a meal with her. She was hungry since she was becoming more and
more used to digesting nutrition the human way.
"Are we going to the mess hall?" she asked,
hoping that this was not the case.
Janeway stepped closer and pushed an errant tress of
blonde hair from Seven’s forehead.
"No, I thought it would be nice to share a meal in
my quarters. I’m not much of a cook but there are a few things I can
program that aren’t half bad."
Seven gave a faint smile at the remark. She knew Janeway
did not enjoy preparing food and it was often a joke among the crewmember
that had been subjected to the captain’s cooking.
"I can assist," the blonde offered. "I
have researched the culinary database on more than one occasion. It is
merely a matter of physics and chemistry."
Janeway laughed.
"Is it? Well, then, I will gladly accept your
help."
They walked to Janeway’s quarters; the silence as they
rode the turbo lift was a little unsettling. Seven did not know what to
talk about or what topics might be prudent. She was not sure about the
nature of this … meeting?
Janeway punched in set of commands that opened the door
to her quarters. She stood back to let Seven enter first. The blonde
walked inside and stopped just inside the door.
The dining room table was already set for two. Two tall
candles burned with a soft glow and a large bouquet of red roses stood in
a crystal vase.
Seven heard the door hiss shut behind them. She turned
to Janeway, her heart fluttering in her chest.
"Captain?"
Janeway walked up to her and led her towards the table
with a gentle hand around her elbow.
"Do you like the flowers?" the older woman
asked.
"Red roses," the Borg observed. "Are you
aware of the symbolic meaning of these flowers?"
The captain seemed uneasy for a moment but then she
smiled and shrugged. Leaning into Seven’s personal space her eyes
twinkled.
"I am," she said with a crooked grin.
Not dwelling any more on the subject, Janeway approached
the replicator and made her requests.
"Two glasses of Vine Sanbiel."
Two crystal glasses shimmered into existence and she
carefully handed one to Seven. The blonde looked at it with trepidation.
"My cortical implant reacts inappropriately with
synthehol, Captain," she said and was about to hand over the glass
again.
Janeway smiled.
"This is not Champagne, Seven," she said.
"You can sip it and if it makes you feel uncomfortable you can just
leave it. I think you’ll like it though."
"Very well," the blonde agreed. "I will
attempt this beverage with caution."
The captain laughed softly and raised her glass.
"I would like to propose a toast," she began.
"To friendship …"
"To friendship," Seven echoed.
"… and us."
Stopping her glass half way to her lips, Seven stared at
the other woman.
Janeway smiled and sipped her wine. Her eyes followed
Seven’s movements as the blonde mimicked her captain’s action.
"There, did you like it?" Janeway asked.
Seven found it almost impossible to answer. Her throat
seemed constricted and it was as if she needed to swallow over and over.
"Yes," she finally managed. "This
beverage was very palatable."
"Good," Janeway beamed. "Now, help me out
here. Double-check what I punch into the replicator so I don’t screw it
up."
The captain moved over to the replicator again and Seven
followed, standing behind the older woman as she entered the variables.
She noticed immediately Janeway making an error.
"No, Captain," she said and put her hand over
the captain’s to forestall her turning their salmon into charcoal.
"That is not correct. You need to set the heating parameters
differently."
Janeway glanced over her shoulder. Her eyes were the
deepest shade of blue that Seven had ever seen.
"Show me, then," the captain said.
Seven moved Janeway’s hand but kept it in hers as she
reached up with her cybernetic hand and entered the correct commands.
"Like that," she explained. "If you do it
this way, Captain, you will not disintegrate the dish upon entry."
Janeway gave a short bark of a laugh where she stood
between Seven’s arms. Her hand rested in Seven’s and she did nothing
to remove it.
"Funny," the captain huffed, smiling broadly.
"I’m glad you caught it though."
They watched the two plates appear inside the replicator
and carried them to the table. As they sat down, Janeway reached across
the table and took Seven’s hand again.
"I’m so relieved that you’re safe," she
said, her voice soft. "I was very afraid for your sake when we
thought we would have to detach you from the alien computer by
force."
"That would have damaged my systems," Seven
agreed. She watched the captain’s brow furrow. "However, I am as
you said, safe. I have regenerated and am back to a normal, Captain."
Janeway squeezed her hand.
"Call me, Kathryn," she said slowly,
"like you did down on the planet. Please."
"Kathryn," Seven repeated.
"I have something important I need to talk to you
about, Seven," Janeway said as she let go of the blonde’s hand.
"It’s not easy for me but the time has come for me to be frank with
you."
Seven’s throat began to constrict again. Her eyes
narrowed and she felt her right palm become moist for a brief moment
before the nano probes took care of the sweat.
"Kathryn?" she said, her voice weak.
"I know you’ve just regenerated after a difficult
ordeal but I know that if I don’t talk to you about it now … I may
lose my nerve. So bear with me, Seven …"
"Commander Chakotay to Captain Janeway."
Seven watched the captain close her eyes in
exasperation. She herself wanted to sabotage the comm system to prevent
any interruptions.
Janeway tapped her comm badge.
"Janeway here. Go ahead."
"I have important information, Captain.
Commander Toriello is briefing Captain Montgomery and Captain Gar’Daian
as we speak."
"What’s going on, Commander?"
"As you know Commander Toriello, Tuvok and I
have focused on the investigation of who’s behind the long term
depletion of the subterranean water. We worked under the assumption that
the entire operation reached all they way up to the government."
"What did you find out?" Janeway asked and
leaned back into her chair.
"We have to call a meeting between the three
ships in orbit immediately."
Seven saw a familiar look of determination and resolve
on Janeway’s face.
"Chakotay, it’s serious, isn’t it?" the
captain said, her voice dark.
The first officer’s voice was solemn.
"Yes, Captain. If the Protectorate doesn’t act
immediately, the planet could be facing a global war."
