*heres the fourth
chapter of she who dares wins, real lifes caught me out, and ive done next to
nothing in the way of fanfiction for so long, hope you all remember chapter
three, and can work out whats going on. also I needed a name for the captain of
the NX starship that voyager finds, so i stole three names of fellow VJBers, im
sure you'll know who you are!*
She who dares Wins
Chapter Four
By A.P Stacey
The beams of the away
team cut struggled to cut through the darkness that hugged the derelict vessel
they boarded like an over affectionate ailment refusing to leave a creature
already on its deathbed. No sooner had the light from their wrist lights left an
area the darkness had reclaimed it.
A
feeling of deep anxiety moved in on all members of the away team.
Except seven of nine.
Her occular implant
allowed her to see perfectly well in the limited light available, she had
already mapped a suitable course to the bridge of this ancient vessel and was
leading the head of the away team.
B’Elanna’s eyes
darted amongst the shadows, she was truly in her element, she studied the
corroded bulkheads with unbiased interest, amazed at the primitive design when
compared to the Voyager.
She cursed the thick
gloves of her environmental suit that prevented her really touching this
remarkable relic of a day gone by.
Within a sector
nearby, long since stripped of any life or worth, the dark destroyer awoke,
stretching its furthest tendrils awake with the voice of a trillion acting as
one the consumer of all, a chilling call echoing through the void until it was
answered by the equivalent of a limb answering the command of the brain.
"Vessel
Detected, Origin Unimatrix Nine Nine Twelve, Federation Starfleet Intrepid
Class. One Hundred forty nine life forms detected. Dispatch probe vessel.
Prepare for
assimilation.
B’Elanna struggled
to restore her vision as a bright searchlight shone directly into her faceplate.
Squinting she struggled to identify the owner.
"The bridge lies
beyond this service door Lieutenant."
Lt. Torres identified
the crisp cool tone without ever having to see her face, And promptly snorted
her defiance.
"Then lets not
waste time Seven, Get the door opened and lets get our asses in gear."
"My posterior
does not have contain any drive system to shift into alternative speeds
Lieutenant.."
B’Elanna couldn't
quite work out whether she was serious or not, and decided not to dwell on it,
turning her attention to the service door that barred their way to the brain of
this derelict.
After a few
unsuccessful attempts at trying to persuade the door release to open B'elanna
deemed a more aggressive option was required, and using her hybrid strength made
short work of the doors stubbornness to remain sealed to the away team.
Jean Luc Picard
Straightened his tunic as the U.S.S Enterprise NCC-1701-E
slowed from transwarp space with a perceptible shudder, Alongside the
massive form of a Romulan Warbird and a Klingon battle cruiser, forming a trio
of behemoths in which the majority of a rag tag fleet fell into line behind.
"All vessels
accounted for, transwarp deceleration complete." Announced the helm.
"We are forty
eight hours from Rendezvous with Voyager at transwarp velocity captain."
added Commander Data.
"have Sub
Commander Toral and captain K'darkra assemble for a strategy meeting."
ordered Picard, his hands steeped as his eyes wondered over the ships hung in
space behind his own.
"Acknowledged,
they are assembling in the observation lounge within thirty minutes."
"Have all
stations report damage, and priority to repair of the transwarp drive,
co-ordinate with any vessel having trouble with propulsion, I want us to resume
course within the day."
The young officer was
relieved at the helm as she left the bridge to carry out his orders.
With that the Captain
left for his quarters, for respite before resuming the offensive thrust that had
already brought them to the other side of all they had known.
The away team were
scattered around the bridge, bar seven of nine all were akin to children allowed
into a dusty family attic previously prohibited from entering. B'elanna eagerly
dissected a century old console with gleeful enthusiasm, her Ditronic Capacitor
severing the connections at the rate of four a second, to her left stood the
equally ecstatic face of Carlson, who had his hands thrust deep into the
electronic intestines of the science station, rummaging around as though
everything was a prize for his picking. Seven looked on with distaste, she had
decided to busy herself with more productive procedures, and had began
downloading the ships computer, a painfully slow process given the primitive
technology utilised by humans in the twenty first century.
She had no wish to be
on this vessel, she had duties that required her attention in astrometrics, she
doubted the abilities of her staff not to become distracted, engage in pointless
conversation, or take extraneous amounts of time to complete a task.
"Seven Give me a
hand here, make yourself useful and help me pull this damned panel."
ordered the fiery klingon.
Sighing she strode to
the chief engineers position in a few short moments and took
hold of the panel in question. Her optical processor calculated the
optimum angle and power levels needed to cleanly lever the panel away from the
wall. She applied the pressure and indeed the panel came away in her hands, but
an unknown factor had caused too much power to be applied, and the lanky Borg
promptly staggered back into a guard rail. <a miscalculation> she thought,
it was then as she glanced up at the grinning features of her nemesis she
realised she had not calculated for B’Elanna’s own pull on the panel.
Realising she was contemplating all of this from the floor of the bridge she
quickly climbed to her feet.
Captain Kathryn
Janeway Signed off the last padd before dropping it to her desk with a
resounding clatter as it met its other previously completed counterparts. She
had finally finished the mass of paper work that even an estranged delta
quadrant Starfleet captain was snowed under with. She stole a glance outside of
her window. the still form of the U.S.S Endeavour, hung silently nearby, this
relic of a golden age of exploration, that ship, that would have flown side by
side with the first enterprise, the fabled NX class, and she was able to examine
it. She looked forward to discovering just how a vessel of this age could have
managed to make it to the delta quadrant intact. And the whole thing made a
welcome diversion to the prospect of the looming fleet attack on the Borg. She
knew now the alpha quadrant battle fleet would be making repairs and readying to
return to transwarp. In three days they would fly straight into the mouth of
hell.
U.S.S Endeavour NX-02
Commissioned 2160
Warp
five complex
Earth
Sol System.
Captain Steffani
Rachel Michael commanding.
"We can reach
any star, for now we explore the heavens."
B'elanna held in her
hands the dusty plate, prised from the wall from where it had remained for
hundreds of years, the dedication plaque, the true soul of a Starship it could
be argued. She gently placed it inside a protective case for transport back to
Voyager; sure the captain would appreciate the gesture. And turned her attention
back to the drive systems, eager to dissect its simplicity in design.
A fluttered beep from
a tricorder alerted seven to the completion of the computer download. Satisfied
her work was completed; she retrieved the tricorder and announced her task
finished to B'elanna.
Lieutenant, The
computer download has been completed, I am ready to return to Voyager."
The cool clipped
tones of the ex drone only infuriated B’Elanna further.
"You'll return
to Voyager with the rest of us "Seven", and we'll do it when im god
damned ready understood?"
"Perfectly."
replied the drone, her voice blank with emotions as she turned away, aiming to
find something to occupy her time with.
The bridge of the
Starship Voyager was quiet, with the ship at all stop there was no need for helm
control, and as such the station was empty. The same for engineering and sensor
control all not manned and powered down. Tuvok
was absent, his security detail performing training drills on holodeck
one, and him as ever "keen" to ensure they were done correctly. Harry
manned his station, the operations manager casting his watchful eyes over his
system board. Chakotay sat in the command chair, a slightly bored expression
badly masked as he tediously waded through personnel reports. Distractions were
few and far between.
Harry was momentarily
stopped in his scanning by a high-pitched whine indicating an anomalous reading,
he swooped in to investigate.
"Transwarp
signature detected." he announced, somewhat startled.
Chakotay span around,
his eyes questioning the ensign without the need for words.
"Confirmed, a
vessel equipped with a transwarp drive is entering real space within eighty
thousand kilometres."
"Fleet?"
was the commanding officers only reply, attempting to eliminate the most likely
causes.
Harry shook his head,
"Too small, even an advanced scout party would have a larger transwarp
profile, this is one ship, its coming out of transwarp speed now."
Chakotay had no
chance to even formulate a thought before the red alert klaxons blared into his
thinking.
"Its a Borg
vessel! Closing on our positions fast!" shouted Harry.
Captain Janeway
arrived on the bridge from the ready room almost as Harry made the announcement,
springing into action quickly, as the turbo lift nearby disgorged the remainder
of the senior staff to their positions, Tom to helm, Tuvok to Tactical."
"Janeway to away
team!"
On board the
Endeavour a loud blaring filled the half klingon's environmental suit.
"Torres
hear." she confirmed.
"Lieutenant, a
Borg vessel is approaching fast, gather your team and transport back to voyager
immediately."
"Aye Captain,
Torres out."
None of the away team
even stopped to think, their training kicking in instantly, like ants they
hurriedly gathered their equipment and supplies, ensuring nothing was left to
find by any others, Borg or not. However one member of the away team was not so
quick to spring into action, Seven of nine felt the bile rise in the back of her
throat, the mention of the collective sending a shiver down her implant enhanced
spine.
"They're
powering up weapons!" announced Kim
<"Damnit
B'elanna, Get over here now"> thought Kathryn, her teeth gritted.
"The away team
have still not returned captain." interjected Tuvok.
"The Borg vessel
is firing!"
The bridge of the
Starship voyager shook hard as the beam of destructive photons struck the
unprotected hull plating, momentarily the lighting flickered as a shower of
sparks erupted from the stations lining the rear of the bridge.
"We've lost
transporters and long range sensors!" confirmed Harry.
"Damn it to
hell. Raise shields, bring phasers and photon torpedoes to full readiness, order
all vital systems secured, have security posted to vital locations."
ordered the captain.
"Return
fire!"
"Shit!"
bellowed Torres as her environmental suit's computer informed her transport was
not available at this time. She turned to the other Starfleet and former maquis
crewman, as each tried his or hers communicator and found the same thing.
"They must have
been taken by surprise, they might have been overwhelmed" whispered one of
the human males.
"That’s enough
crewman!" reprimanded B'elanna. "They've had to raise their shields,
that’s all, and when they get the first chance they can they'll lower them and
transport us back."
The man seemed
satisfied with that.
B'elanna wasn't.
"Shields down to
fifty four percent, structural damage has exceeded tolerance on deck four."
Listening to Tuvok
report the damage she clasped her hands tightly, "Mr Tuvok, modulate our
torpedoes and deliver a four second tachyon warhead, then when they reset their
shield net kindly transport a torpedo onboard."
"Aye Captain,
however it will require several minutes and no further torpedoes are available
for use."
The captain nodded
her approval.
Another blast shook
the bridge, sending the officer manning the engineering console crashing to the
floor with a hard smack.
"Shields at
forty percent."
"Return fire,
full phasers!"
"Firing phasers.
No effect." replied Tuvok.
One, two, three
powerful volleys struck home on the tiny Starship, and proving too much for the
inertial dampening system to handle sent much of the crew to the port wall with
enough force to break bones.
"Warning.
Shields have failed." alerted the computer.
"Tuvok, the
torpedoes?" Asked the captain, a hint of concern in her command voice.
"Ready for
launch" confirmed the vulcan.
"Do it."
Janeway had barely
finished the sentence when an explosion blew Harry Kim over his console and on
to the bridge floor hard, his workstation melting as flames engulfed it.
Chakotay was on his feet in seconds and soon at the fallen ensigns side.
"Tactical
systems are offline."
Kathryn felt the
colour drain from her cheeks at this news, she had only one last option.
"Lay in a
retreat course, maximum warp."
Tom looked as though
he were about to protest them leaving his wife behind, but thought better of it
and followed his orders.
"The Borg vessel
is giving chase." cursed Tom.
"Stay ahead of
it, if anyone can lose the Borg you can mister Paris." The captain tried to
remain focused, but knew she was fighting a losing battle. The Borg knew, how
much they knew of the alpha quadrant attack she was unsure, but they suspected
something. And now her ship was crippled and running, leaving behind an away
team on a two hundred year old derelict.
To be continued....