VOY - String Theory 2 - Fusion (c)

by Star Trek

  As Janeway moved to join her she heard Ensign Glenn tap her combadge and call, “Glenn to Lieutenant Torres.”

  “Torres here,” B’Elanna replied.

  “Lieutenant, the captain has returned. She and her sister are in engineering.”

  Moments later, B’Elanna entered engineering and crossed briskly to confront them.

  “Captain,” she said as she approached, her eyes alight.

  But Janeway silenced her, raising her right hand and saying, “A moment, Lieutenant.”

  “The Key is gone,” Phoebe informed Janeway.

  “You didn’t think we’d leave it in the warp core, did you?” B’Elanna snapped.

  Both women turned on B’Elanna at these words, but only Phoebe’s face contained suspicion.

  “Where is it now, Lieutenant?” Janeway asked calmly.

  “Captain,” B’Elanna began, somewhat unsure of her footing, “permission to speak freely?”

  “Of course,” Janeway replied.

  B’Elanna’s eyes darted to Phoebe, and Janeway added, “Phoebe and I have come to an understanding, B’Elanna. You may say whatever you like in front of her.”

  “She’s Nacene,” B’Elanna said, as if unsure whether or not Janeway had forgotten, or was merely overlooking this fact for the moment.

  “And I have agreed to help her,” Janeway answered her unspoken question.

  B’Elanna’s next thought was easy enough to read on her face, though Janeway appreciated the fact that she refrained from voicing it.

  I just hope you know what you’re doing.

  “When you disappeared, we did all we could to discover the purpose of the Key,” B’Elanna said.

  Janeway nodded. She would not have expected less.

  “It’s our understanding that it opens a conduit of some kind between our space and…” B’Elanna faltered. “To be honest, Captain, we don’t know exactly where it leads.”

  “Exosia,” Janeway replied. “Phoebe and her people intend to use the Key to return home.”

  “Commander Chakotay wanted to use the Key to find you. He’s taken it to the array to place it in the mechanism designed to open the conduit.”

  Janeway threw a questioning glance at Phoebe, who was obviously perturbed at this development.

  “He will not be allowed to do so,” Phoebe said. “Only your captain can use the Key to open the conduit.”

  Janeway tapped her combadge and called, “Janeway to Chakotay.”

  There was no answer.

  After another unsuccessful attempt, B’Elanna said, “I’m sorry, Captain. Our communications have been spotty at best aboard the array.”

  “I will find him,” Phoebe offered. “I know where he has gone.”

  “Return him to the ship immediately,” Janeway ordered. “Bring the Key with you. And make sure the rest of your people know we have only a few hours to open the conduit.”

  Phoebe vanished, and B’Elanna finally found voice to ask accusatorially, “Captain, why are you trusting her? You know what she did to all of us.”

  “There is more at stake here than our personal regard for her or her tactics,” Janeway replied. “I agree she’s a threat, but she’s by no means the most significant one we are facing at present.”

  “I hope you’re right,” B’Elanna replied.

  “What’s the ship’s status?” Janeway asked.

  B’Elanna took a moment to gather her thoughts.

  “All systems are operating at maximum capacity, Captain. Repairs from our entry to the array have been completed. Our interface with the array’s control systems is stable and assuming we can navigate the singularity’s event horizon, we should be able to leave on your order.”

  “I’m sure Lieutenant Paris is up to the task,” Janeway said, intending her words to be comforting.

  With self-restraint that was palpably painful, B’Elanna informed the captain of their attempt to harness the tetryon transporters and the subsequent loss of Tom and Harry without coming completely unglued.

  “As soon as this is done, we’ll find them, B’Elanna,” Janeway said once B’Elanna had finished. “You have my word on that.”

  “Yes, Captain,” B’Elanna replied.

  Janeway’s reassurances, even in a situation as dire as this, obviously did a little to lift her withering spirits.

  “What’s Lieutenant Tuvok’s condition?” Janeway asked next.

  “I honestly don’t know,” B’Elanna answered. “With everything else going on…”

  “Is he still in sickbay?” Janeway asked.

  “I believe so, Captain.”

  “I’m going there now to check on him. Ask the commander and Phoebe to meet me there when they return,” Janeway ordered.

  B’Elanna acknowledged this with a nod and as Janeway turned to go said, “Captain?”

  Janeway halted her steps.

  “It’s good to have you back.”

  Janeway offered her a tight smile.

  “It’s good to be back.”

  She had almost made it to the door when the Doctor called over the comm system, “Sickbay to Lieutenant Torres.”

  Janeway stopped again to hear his transmission.

  “Go ahead, Doctor,” B’Elanna replied.

  “Can you tell me who Assylia is?”

  “She was the commander of the Monorhan ship we discovered, Doctor.”

  “Then perhaps you can also tell me why Lieutenant Tuvok is asking to speak with her?”

  Janeway’s eyes widened as B’Elanna hurried to join her at the door. “I’m on my way, Doctor. Torres out.”

  “What is he talking about?” Janeway asked.

  “I’ll explain on the way,” B’Elanna said.

  In the short distance that separated engineering from sickbay, B’Elanna gave the captain a complete report on their discovery of Assylia’s consciousness and the means they had devised to trap it in a holomatrix. She was also able to give Janeway a rough summary of all that Assylia had discussed with Chakotay, including the fact that she had been responsible for Voyager’s near destruction when they boarded the array. Chakotay had left a standing order before he left the ship that under no circumstances was Assylia’s program to be brought back online.

  The Doctor appeared pleasantly surprised to see Janeway enter sickbay along with Lieutenant Torres. But his obvious relief at this development was short-lived.

  “Doctor, report,” Janeway requested, taken aback at the sight of Tuvok’s body covered by the pulsating mass of translucent energy.

  “As you can see, Captain, the transformation begun when Tuvok was infected by one of the parasites is almost complete. A short time ago, Tuvok called to Ensign Vorik telepathically. Vorik initiated a successful mind-meld with him. He was able to communicate Tuvok’s wishes to me, including his request to speak with Assylia. As there is no record of her in the ship’s manifest, I have been at a loss as to how best to fulfill this request.”

  Janeway turned to face Vorik, who was still standing beside Tuvok’s biobed.

  “Why does Tuvok wish to speak with Assylia?” she demanded.

  “I do not know, Captain,” Vorik replied. “He has a message for her, but that is all I was able to learn before he terminated our meld.”

  “Captain,” B’Elanna interjected, “Tuvok has been unconscious in sickbay since he was brought back on board.”

  “That’s not entirely true, Lieutenant,” the Doctor said. “He did regain consciousness long enough to disable my program, and even unconscious has successfully fought off each attempt I have made to separate him from the parasite.”

  “My point, Doctor,” B’Elanna said with barely concealed irritation, “is that there is no way Tuvok could have known that Assylia is on board.”

  Janeway didn’t know what to make of this, but for the moment, she had a more pressing concern.

  “Doctor, you said Tuvok has resisted your attempts to separate him from the parasite. Does that mean…?”

  “A
ccording to Ensign Vorik, Tuvok is well aware that his body will die when the transformation is complete. He is willing to sacrifice his life in favor of a new state of being which Tuvok believes is somehow superior to life as you know it.”

  Janeway’s mind reeled. She had last left sickbay completely confident that the Doctor would be able to save Tuvok’s life. Nothing could have prepared her to accept the idea that Tuvok would willingly commit suicide.

  “I’m sorry, Captain, but there isn’t much time left,” the Doctor said. “If it is possible for Tuvok to speak with Assylia, he should do so right away.”

  Janeway nodded.

  “Transfer Assylia’s holomatrix to sickbay, B’Elanna,” she said.

  A few moments of tense silence later, Assylia appeared before them.

  “Where am I?” she asked. “Where is Commander Chakotay?”

  Janeway addressed her. “I am Kathryn Janeway. I am the captain of this vessel. We have transferred your program to our sickbay.”

  “I was told you had departed,” Assylia said flatly.

  “And as you can see, I have returned,” Janeway replied. “One of my crewmen has been infected by a parasite…a creature like that we believe was responsible for the death of your people.”

  “Chakotay spoke to me of this,” Assylia replied. “I am sorry for your loss.”

  Janeway winced at her premature condolences.

  “My crewman, Lieutenant Tuvok, wishes to speak with you. Are you willing to do this?”

  Assylia seemed disconcerted by the request, but replied, “Of course,” adding, “On one condition.”

  “I beg your pardon?” Janeway said.

  “I requested your Commander Chakotay’s aid when last we spoke. Have you discussed my request with him?” she asked.

  “To what request are you referring?”

  “I offered to help your ship escape the array in return for your help in destroying it. Are you willing to assist me?”

  Janeway was dumbstruck. Only a few moments in Assylia’s presence had answered any question she had as to why Chakotay had terminated her program and ordered it to stay offline. She was demonstrating an appalling lack of sensitivity to their situation. She tried to allow for the horrible fate this woman had suffered, but even so, could not see herself acting the same had their situations been reversed.

  “We will be leaving the array shortly,” Janeway said. “If you wish for us to transfer you back to your ship before we do so, I will be happy to comply. But this array is not yours or mine to destroy. I have been in contact with the beings who created it, and I have no doubt they would respond with deadly force should either of us attempt such a thing.”

  Assylia accepted this all too willingly for Janeway’s liking.

  “I understand, Captain,” she replied evenly. “Where is your Lieutenant Tuvok?” she asked.

  Janeway gestured toward the biobed where Tuvok lay motionless.

  “How am I to speak with him?” she asked.

  Vorik stepped forward to offer, “I will initiate another meld. You may communicate through me.”

  “That will not be necessary,” Tuvok said.

  Everyone in the room turned in disbelief at the sound of Tuvok’s voice.

  With slow, deliberate movements, Tuvok rose unassisted from the biobed and stood to address them. The creature that engulfed him did not hinder his movement, or the clarity with which he spoke. Indeed, it seemed that it had intentionally wound its way over his body in order to facilitate such movement, disengaging itself from Tuvok’s head and neck. Tuvok stood before them now, wearing a vibrant suit of pulsating light.

  “You are Assylia,” he began.

  “I am,” she replied.

  “I have a message for you…from your people.”

  “My people died fifty years ago, just as you are about to die,” she said in a cold, measured voice.

  “No,” Tuvok contradicted her. “They did not. Your entire crew…all of them…are still alive and well within Gremadia.”

  The creature that glided delicately toward the awestruck Chakotay, Neelix, and Seven was in every way the polar opposite of the first multiphasic life-form that Chakotay had encountered aboard the array.

  Its face was familiar. But only now could Chakotay see that the soft rounded eyes set above the extended jaw were definitely Monorhan. From the uppermost section of the torso, several pairs of delicate wings guided its serene movement. Only one set of arms was visible, extending from the lower portion of the creature’s body, and folded with the palms of the hands together, reminiscent of meditation or prayer.

  It made no sudden movements, halting its progress when it had come within a few meters of Chakotay and his team.

  “Commander,” Neelix asked nervously.

  “Hold your fire,” Chakotay said softly. His thoughts and feelings flew in the face of all logic, but nonetheless, he could not sense a shred of hostility emanating from the creature.

  With one hand, Seven of Nine pulled out her tricorder and scanned the area.

  “Commander,” she said, “I am detecting thousands of multiphasic life-forms approaching our area.”

  Chakotay had a theory. The creature’s face and demeanor had locked into place a piece of the vast puzzle he had been trying to solve, and all he needed now was a way to test it.

  Stepping in front of Seven and Neelix, Chakotay walked a few paces closer to the creature. It betrayed no sense of alarm at his approach.

  “We mean you no harm,” he said. “But we must enter this chamber.”

  He could have sworn that joy, mixed with unutterable longing, radiated from the creature’s eyes.

  “Will you allow us to pass unharmed?” he asked.

  In response, the creature retreated, leaving an unobstructed path between the away team and the door of the chamber, which still hung slightly ajar after his last forced exit.

  “Thank you,” Chakotay said, and gestured for Seven and Neelix to follow, adding, “Lower your weapons.”

  “But Commander,” the terrified Neelix persisted.

  “That’s an order, Neelix.”

  With Chakotay in the lead, all three passed unhindered by the creature and crossed the threshold of the vast chamber where the tattered sphere hung suspended in midair. They stopped almost as soon as they entered and their eyes confirmed the tricorder readings Seven had detected moments before. The entire chamber was filled with the creatures. The fragile light that emanated from their bodies bathed the vast chamber in an eerie silver glow. Through its dimness they could make out that a clear path to the base of the sphere lay open before them, but Chakotay hesitated for a moment to continue.

  “Commander, I don’t understand,” Neelix said under his breath.

  “B’Elanna was right,” he replied. “The parasites that infected the Monorhans did not kill them. They were transformed, just as Tuvok is being transformed. They mean us no harm. The Doctor said that Tuvok should not have survived his injuries. They might have infected him to save his life. We’ve been here long enough that had they wished to do the same to us, they could easily have found a way.”

  “But you said the creature you and Tom saw…” Neelix began.

  “These creatures retain physical aspects of the host bodies that were infected by the parasites,” Chakotay answered. “The first one we encountered was different. It displayed none of the serenity or self-control we are seeing here.”

  “Maybe they’re just waiting for us to get a little closer,” Neelix suggested.

  “I do not believe that is so,” Seven said. “The Doctor described the transformative process in Tuvok as a merging. The original parasite must merge with the consciousness of the host. The more horrifying creature you saw could have been created if a parasite infected a body that was devoid of such consciousness.”

  “Assylia,” Chakotay nodded.

  “Quite possibly,” Seven replied.

  There was a flutter of motion near the base of the sphere. Though the
creatures kept their distance from the away team, their anxiousness was palpable.

  “Let’s go,” Chakotay said, starting toward the sphere.

  They were within a few paces of it when the creatures closest to the base retreated from their position in a flurry of motion.

  As they cleared an opening, Phoebe appeared amid the rapidly retreating throng and placed herself between Chakotay and the lock.

  “You have taken something that belongs to me,” she said solemnly. “Your captain and I have reached and understanding. You will return with me to your ship and bring the Key with you.”

  Chakotay hesitated to respond, but the creatures did not. They closed the space around the away team and Phoebe, cutting off all access to the chamber’s exits.

  “I’m not sure we’re going to be allowed to do that,” Chakotay finally replied.

  A faint smile lit Phoebe’s face…a smile that did not touch her eyes.

  “Is the captain alive?” Chakotay demanded.

  “She is awaiting our return to Voyager as we speak,” Phoebe replied.

  Chakotay tapped his combadge.

  “Chakotay to Janeway.”

  The only response was a sharp burst of static.

  Phoebe took a step toward him and said, “Take my hand, Chakotay. It is necessary for me to return you to your ship. Your captain is waiting.”

  The agitation of the creatures was palpable. They closed the circle, floating within a meter of the away team and the Nacene. The only path open to Chakotay led past Phoebe, directly to the lock.

  “Do not be afraid of these abominations,” Phoebe said. “I will not allow them to harm you. They are of no consequence. Only the spores that live within them matter.”

  As if to prove her point, a razor-sharp tentacle flew from Phoebe’s side, encircling the torso of the first creature it encountered and forcing it to the floor of the chamber. For a few tortured seconds it writhed in obvious agony, until it ceased to struggle. Once it was dead, a small translucent worm emerged from its belly and crawled toward Phoebe’s feet.

  Phoebe bent and collected the small wriggling spore.

  “Do we understand each other, Chakotay?” she asked.