by Alys Landale
She was barely aware as Tom shifted Voyager’s position and brought them into one of the deeper rifts. The ship shook suddenly as he navigated Voyager through its new environment.
“Sorry about the turbulence,” Tom said. He then leveled off the ship and brought it into a gliding position over one of the larger currents. “There, now that wasn’t so bad. If we keep along this course, we should be in the Alpha Quadrant in about eight minutes.”
Janeway’s smile deepened. Home in mere minutes. The thought seemed like a dream to her. But still, that was eight minutes of room that something could go wrong inside.
*
“Open the corridor.” Takma ordered.
Kail sat to her side. A shadow seemed to pass over his face as she said these words. Life with Takma as Pretor had been much better than with Portus, but still, he wished he had his own ship. And sometimes her ambition scared him, as in this case.
What they were preparing to do would either bring them unlimited power or certain death, perhaps even worse.
He stole a glance at the woman beside him. She had a certain fire in her eyes as she watched the stars outside shift into a cloak of violets and blues. She looked similar to a predator who was out for a prey twice its own size.
He turned his attention to the viewscreen outside. There were still a few remnants of normal space on the screen. And through one of these small holes, he could see a Resistance Vessel slowly approaching them. Kail’s eyes widened as a torpedo was unleashed from its weapons array.
Maris watched as the torpedo approached its target. The Battleship was barely discernible; its hull seemed to flicker within normal and subspace, as if it could not make up its mind on where to go.
The torpedo made impact, but what happened next, was something Maris had never expected.
The Imperial ship’s hull seemed impervious to the torpedo; however, the space around it did not share the ship’s invincibility.
The ions surrounding the ship began to illuminate and flicker to life. Violets and blues danced around the ship until it looked as if a giant tear had been created in subspace.
“What the Hell.” Danag murmured, but his thoughts were knocked away as the ship rocked suddenly to its port side.
“Consul, we’re being pulled into subspace!” Yelled the helmsman. He frantically began to enter commands on his console. “I can’t pull us free!”
Maris watched as the Battleship slowly dissolved into subspace. He couldn’t let Takma get away that easily.
“Then take us in, Officer.” He turned to Danag. “Reroute all power to the shields. This could get rough.”
Takma cursed loudly. That one torpedo had knocked her off course. “They’ll pay,” she swore.
Kail quickly stepped forward. The rift they were in was taking them in the opposite direction than what they had intended.
They had to get out of there now. “Pull us out of subspace,” he ordered.
The ship shuddered violently. Kail looked back to Takma. Neither had known what to expect upon entering subspace, but that couldn’t be good.
“I am unable to comply,” replied the drone at the Helm. “We have been caught inside the wake of another ship. It is pulling us through the rift.”
“What other ship?” Kail asked. Who else would be in subspace?
“I am unable to discern any readings; however I am detecting a Resistance vessel behind us as well. They seem to have been pulled inside the rift and are now trapped in our wake.”
The ship rocked to its side again. It looked like things were about to get interesting.
*
Everyone on the Bridge grabbed onto anything near them to steady themselves. Voyager was knocked to its side yet again as another series of irregularities were sent towards them.
“What’s wrong?” Janeway asked.
Seven was the first to reply. “There appears to be another ship navigating through this current as well. The combined mass of both our ships is creating a strain on the rift. It is becoming more turbulent and erratic.”
“What other ship would be here?” Janeway muttered to herself. She then disposed of these thoughts, and focused her attention on her helmsman. “Tom how long before we get to the Alpha Quadrant?”
Paris was busy entering commands onto his console. After a few minutes, he replied. “We have one and a half more minutes.”
“Can you keep us in here?”
He nodded. “It won’t be as pleasant but Voyager should be able to take the added stress.”
She leaned back in her chair. “Proceed then.”
*
Those aboard Maris’s ship struggled at their consoles. The ship was on the verge of falling apart.
“Shields are down to fifty percent and falling!” Danag shouted. If they stayed in here any longer, they would be ripped apart.
“Try and break us out of here.” Maris told his pilot.
The man at the Helm tried his best but it was in vain. “I can’t sir. We’re caught in the other ship’s wake.”
Meylin’s mind began to form a solution. “I think I can increase our shielding if I redirect all power from the weapons to shields. It will only buy us a few moments though. If Sargon’s as good as he says he is, maybe it will be enough time for him to work his ‘magic’.”
Maris hoped she was right. They needed as much time as they could steal. His thoughts were then blown away as a console to his left blew up and then the Tacticianal one joined in its fate. Unfortunately, Meylin was still working there.
The consul ran over to the fallen woman. All those on the bridge held their breaths as he checked to see if she was still alive.
They all knew that if they left their consoles, the ship would be destroyed.
Maris bent over the fallen woman. Her hair was already beginning to mat against her head with blood. The shirt she was wearing was severely burnt, as was the skin beneath it. He pressed a finger to her neck to check for a pulse, though he knew it was a futile effort. He was surprised as her eyes began to open.
“Meylin,” he said.
She blinked her eyes once to clear them. They were already beginning to cloud over. With barely a whisper, she said. “Get them... out of here.”
He nodded to her. He knew these were perhaps her last moments. Sargon was busy in Engineering, so he couldn’t call him to the bridge even though the Engineer and woman had been extremely close.
As if reading his thoughts, she said. “Keep... Sargon... out of...trouble...”
Her breath slowed and her eyes were covered in a thin mist. Maris ran a hand over her eyes. He gave a silent prayer to the Spirit to help her along her journey to the next life.
Danag was all too aware of what had just happened as Maris stood up from Meylin’s burned body. He had known the woman for years and now to have her just gone. It was more than he could bear. He blinked back the tears that were forming in his eyes.
The ship shuddered violently. It seemed to match the mood of those on the bridge. Not a word was spoken as they each busied themselves at their stations.
*
Voyager’s hull integrity was falling. B’Elanna was ordering her crew around even more than usual now.
*Something just had to go wrong,* she thought bitterly.
A plasma conduit exploded near her. “Carrey, get over here and help me fix that conduit.”
On the bridge, Tom was busy trying to evade the more turbulent areas of the current, but there were more and more of those building every second. His fingers just didn’t seem to move fast enough across his console.
*That’s easily solved* he thought.
His fingers paused from flying around his controls and he linked himself to the computer. His eyes dilated as he felt himself merge with Voyager. This was dangerous; he knew that. If Voyager were to take a hit, the power surge could be routed through him. But if he didn’t do this, he knew he wouldn’t be able to fly the ship through these irregularities. Everything rested on chance now, but he
hoped he had improved his odds.
“Only thirty more seconds.” Harry said.
Tom could barely here the ensign’s words. He just knew that there wasn’t much time left. Soon they would be back in the Alpha Quadrant. Just as those thoughts left his mind, a vast set of irregularities came up on the screen.
*Now things get interesting.*
*
“Get us out of that ship’s wake, now.” Takma ordered.
The drone did its best to comply, but it seemed that its best wasn’t good enough.
The Pretor was fuming. And when she was mad, others usually paid for it.
“By the Spirits, I wish we were free.” She muttered.
At that moment, her wishes were answered. The ship took a huge blow to its starboard side, knocking them out of Voyager’s wake.
“What was that?!” She shouted.
“We have come in contact with a set of irregularities. They have knocked us out of the other vessels wake and into a different current.” Replied a drone.
“Can we return to our planned course?” she asked.
“Negative. We are trapped inside the same path as the previous vessel; however, we are on a different time line.”
Takma’s eyes widened. “How different a time line?” If this had disrupted her plans, someone was going to pay.
“This timeline is set one day later than our previous time line.”
Takma gave a sigh of relief. Only one day into the future. That wasn’t so bad. “The Resistance Vessel?”
“It is still trapped in our wake.”
*Good* she thought. *That means I’ll be able to repay them for their hospitality.*
*
“The other vessel has vanished from our sensor range.” Seven said.
Janeway wondered what other ship had been in subspace with them, but she pushed these thoughts from her mind. Soon they would be in the Alpha Quadrant.
“Only five more seconds.” Replied Kim. Everyone aboard the bridge counted down in their minds as Kim did so aloud. “Five...Four...Three...Two...One...”
Tom pulled out of subspace as he realized the countdown was over. Slowly the space outside Voyager turned from its deep blues and violets to the solid blackness of normal space.
Janeway stood up from her chair and walked towards the viewscreen. Before her was the most beautiful thing she had seen in quite awhile. It wasn’t the same as seeing Earth, but the space station was definitely a sight for sore eyes.
Everyone’s face broke into a smile, spare Paris, Seven, and Tuvok. Before them was Deep Space Nine.
Janeway waited a few moments to savor the image before saying: “Hail them.”
Captain Sisko had just walked onto the bridge of Deep Space Nine. He was about to ask one of his lieutenants the status of the Enterprise, but was halted as his eye caught the viewscreen.
Outside, the space was fluxing. A giant fluorescent cloud seemed to be emerging from the darkness outside. It looked as if another wormhole was being ripped open. “What the Hell is that?” he asked.
A moment later a ship appeared within the cloud. It seemed to flicker for a few moments but then gained its solidity again. The cloud retreated back into subspace, and all that was left was a single Federation ship.
All eyes stared at the viewscreen. “That can’t be.” Sisko murmured.
One of the bridge officers was the next to speak. “Sir, they’re hailing us.”
“Put them through.” Sisko ordered.
The screen then shifted to the bridge of Voyager. Janeway stood in front of her captain’s chair with Chakotay by her side.
She walked forward. A smile covered her face as she said. “This is the Federation Starship Voyager, requesting permission to dock.”
Sisko looked around at his bridge crew then back at the ship on screen. Everyone on Voyager seemed to have a smile plastered across their faces. “Permission granted Captain. And welcome home.”
Voyager was not the only ship to dock that day. The Enterprise had docked to DS9 only a few hours earlier. It had been sent to the space station for a few simple repairs as well as to deliver one of its guests to the station. The ‘guest’ was sent here for a meeting with a few other admirals. But since the meeting had been postponed to a week from now, Admiral Owen Paris was free to do as he willed. He silently cursed the setback but now he was partly glad of it. He had been informed of Voyager’s return and now stood beside Captain Picard and Captain Sisko as they awaited Voyager’s crew to disembark from their ship.
Janeway and Chakotay were the first to leave Voyager. The two of them walked over to where the captains and admiral stood.
“Welcome home Captain.” replied Picard as he took her hand in greeting.
“It’s good to be back,” said Janeway. “The Delta Quadrant’s a nice place to visit but you don’t want to live there.”
Picard and Sisko laughed. The Admiral just shook Janeway’s hand and said. “It’s good to see you again Janeway.”
She nodded. She hadn’t anticipated Tom’s father to be present when they had just returned. How was she supposed to break the news to the admiral? She didn’t have time now, but she decided to do so later.
“The rest of my crew is working on Voyager right now. We entered a band of turbulence while in subspace, so a few repairs seem to be in order.” Janeway said.
Picard’s interest had been growing since he had heard Voyager had returned. “So Captain Janeway, I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say we would enjoy hearing about your trip home.”
She laughed a little. “Where to begin?”
Samantha walked into Naomi’s quarters. Naomi and Xara were in there talking with one another. A long since forgotten game lay on the floor.
Sam’s smile covered her face as she walked over to her little girl. “Honey, we’re home.”
Naomi smiled as well, though it wasn’t as deep as her mother’s. Samantha continued. “I’ve finished my work and we have permission to leave. How would you two like to see Deep Space Nine.”
Naomi’s enthusiasm was sparked. “Sure, come on Xara.”
Xara, however, knew that Naomi and her mother should be left alone this time. If she went she’d probably only be in the way. Besides, she had to wait for Rune. “I think I’m going to stay here. I need to go see what Rune’s doing.”
“Are you sure?” Sam asked. Naomi seemed to want her friend to go along with her just as much.
“Yeah,” she said. “I’m sure.”
Sam reluctantly gave in. The mother and daughter then left their quarters in search of the station. Xara watched them leave. Those two needed to be alone right now.
She left Naomi’s quarters as well. Rune was somewhere nearby; she had to go find him.
Tom was in Engineering with B’Elanna. The two had managed to bring the warp core off line and were now checking to see if it was stable. So far, everything was looking good.
“It shouldn’t take long to outfit a shuttle with a core like this.” B’Elanna said. “Maybe a day or two.”
Paris nodded. Harry and Seven then walked in.
Harry’s face seemed to radiate his eagerness to leave the ship. Seven as well was curious to see what the station was like.
“The captain has given us permission to leave.” Harry said. “When will you two be done?”
Tom looked up from his work. “There are a few more systems I’d like to check first. Give me a couple of hours.”
Xara cautiously made her way into Engineering. She knew that this region of the ship was off limits to her but with
Voyager docked, nothing should happen. As she walked in, she noticed that the Engineering crew had dwindled down to less than half of what was once there.
Tom noticed the little girl walk in. “I see we have an intruder,” he said in a light tone.
Xara smiled and walked over to Rune. “I just wanted to see how you’re doing.” She said.
He smiled. “I’m doing fine, although it’ll be a while
before I’m finished up here.”
She nodded. Harry then walked over to her. “Why don’t you come with me to see the station? We can be back by the time
Rune’s done.”
She seemed to waver. She really did want to see that station.
Paris noticed her indecision. “It’s okay with me,” he said.
Her face broke into a smile, “Okay, let’s go.” She took Harry’s hand.
“We’ll be back in a couple of hours.” Kim told Paris.
Tom nodded and watched the two leave. He shook his head as he wondered if Harry knew just what he had gotten into.
His attention was the deferred to the ex-Borg in front of him.
“Well, Seven, do you intend on joining them?”
“The Captain wished me to meet her. Her intentions were to reveal pieces of Alpha Quadrant culture to me ‘first hand.’”
Seven said.
Tom took a Padd from off a nearby console. “If you’re going to meet her, would you mind giving her this? It’s engineering specs for modifying a shuttle to hold this kind of warp core.”
Seven took the Padd and left. Her destination was the same as just about everyone else’s: Deep Space Nine.
Janeway and Chakotay were just leaving one of the briefing rooms with the other three Starfleet officers. The three had explained everything to her that had happened in the past six years as well as what would happen to the Maquis on her ship.
They had all been given a full pardon and would be offered positions in Starfleet. Tom Paris, as well, held the same right to keep his rank and title.
Janeway wondered for a moment what Tom was going to do. She hadn’t told any of the other officers about the events of the past year. Nor had she told them anything that had happened to Paris yet. She didn’t know how to say it when she was staring directly at Admiral Paris the whole time.
