Chapter 7 || Contents || Chapter 9

B'Ellana Torres heaved a thoughtful sigh and stared at the device on the table before her. She hummed a few bars of a simple melody, then sighed again.

What are you singing? Harry Kim asked when he looked up from his panel readings.

B'Ellana turned to regard him. Was I singing?

Well, not very loud, but I sure heard you. What was it? It was a nice tune.

The lieutenant pushed a lock of hair out of her face and gestured at Seska's device that she and Kim were attempting to reconstruct. It was a song that Seska and I used to sing in camp back before...um, before.... It's been in my head since Seska came back. Actually, it's driving me nuts.

Kim barked a laugh. You - and Seska - singing together? He sounded astonished.

Yeah. What's so funny about that?

Kim choked back another laugh when he caught sight of Torres' face. It's just hard to imagine. I mean, you don't hit me as someone with a musical bent.

Torres hefted the device into her hands and glared at him. Well, I guess I'm just full of surprises. She turned her attention to her project. But I think I'd be more surprised if this thing actually worked. This isn't making one bit of sense, she said.

I agree. I don't see how it can do what Seska said it can do without any power supply.

Power supply? That's the least of our problems. Right now it's just a jumble of wires going nowhere. She plunked it back down on the table and picked up the recorded schematics one more time. Maybe we missed something somewhere.

Harry shook his head and scooted his chair away from the table edge. I don't think we missed anything. In fact, I don't think it's supposed to be anything.

What - you think Seska lied to us?

Kim shrugged. It won't be the first time, he suggested coolly.

Torres opened her mouth to retort, then snapped it shut just as quickly.

Look, Kim continued recklessly, since she apparently came on board only to grab whatever it was she needed, I think we can assume that this device is just a decoy, something to keep us busy while she's out there doing her dirty deeds with the Kazon. He paused to review their progress again. And after what she did to Captain Janeway, I don't see why we should even bother believing any of this.

Torres had to reluctantly agree with him. I think maybe you're right, Starfleet. She shook her head in regret. Seska never did figure it all out, you know. She had this habit of volunteering for every battle we fought, like she really wanted to get herself killed. Maybe that was just to add to her cover - to build a reputation for wanting to kill as many Cardassians as she could so no one would ever suspect the truth.

And did you? Suspect the truth, I mean?

B'Ellana snorted. I was too busy being angry at everything to pay much attention to anybody else's problems. You can ask Chakotay. I was as hopeless as Seska. But to me, she was just another Bajoran out to defeat Cardassia.

And why did you join the Maquis? Kim asked.

B'Elanna glanced down at her gold uniform. Because this didn't work out, she said and plucked the black material hugging her waist. But I still wanted to be an engineer, and the Maquis was as good a group as any to join. Better than some, I suppose. I guess I just needed someplace to fit in, she added after a moment of thought. Well, what about you? Why the heck did you get in with Starfleet?

Kim grimaced. I was almost good enough to play the clarinet professionally, but not quite.

So here you are.

Yep, here I am. And I forgot my clarinet at home, so I guess here is where I'll stay.

Torres sadly shook her head. That's too bad. At Kim's look of surprise, she smiled and added, I would like to hear you play your clarinet.

Commander Chakotay appeared then, interrupting their conversation. His skin sagged under his eyes and he looked tired. A well defined bruise decorated the left side of his nose. But he still managed to briskly ask, How's it coming, B'Ellana?

Not so good. Harry and I can't make any sense out of Seska's instructions. As far as we can tell, it doesn't build anything.

Chakotay sighed. I'm not surprised. But here's a list of the items Seska borrowed before her dramatic departure. Maybe this will help make some sense out of that `folder' of hers. He handed a data padd to the lieutenant.

B'Ellana asked, Do you know where Seska went?

The commander nodded. We've made some headway there, at least. Lieutenant Carey believes she had a ship waiting for her at the transporter's outermost range. He found some evidence that the ship had warp capability, but can't determine if it's Kazon or not. It must have disappeared right after Seska beamed on board.

It certainly looks like she had the whole thing planned from beginning to end, Torres said.

That is exactly how it looks, Chakotay agreed in aggravation.

How's the captain? Kim piped up.

Sleeping, but doing better. At least she's staying on the diagnostic bed without help now.

B'Elanna leaned in closer to Chakotay. It looks like she managed to belt you one before you got her to Sickbay.

No, Captain Janeway didn't do this, and he indicated his injured nose.

So what did you do - run into a wall? Torres laughed at her suggestion.

Chakotay scowled. Ha ha, very funny, Torres. For your information, I have the brawl on deck five to thank for this.

Brawl? Kim inquired. What brawl?

Chakotay explained, If Seska doesn't kill us first, the crew may do the job for her. Now see if you can make anything out this mess. He indicated the table in front of them. He started away, then turned one more time. And B'Ellana, don't think that this gets you out of our bet. I'll be waiting for my dinner. He smiled and strode towards the door.

Yeah? Well, don't forget that Tom Paris still owns your life! she yelled after him.

He stopped at the door, a sour expression marring his face as much as the bruise. Thank you very much for reminding me, Lieutenant. Now stop gossiping about the command crew and get to work. If you need more information, I'll be in the mess hall; I need a drink.

Things must be bad, Torres commented after the commander left.

Why? Kim asked warily.

Torres began keying through the data padd Chakotay had given her. Because Chakotay never drinks when he's on duty. Cardinal rule of Maquis living.

Harry glanced once more at the now deserted doorway. Maybe it was that brawl that got him started. I wonder what it was about?

Are you gossiping, Ensign?

Of course I am. In case you haven't guessed, there's not much else to do around here for entertainment. I'd play my clarinet for everyone, but....

Don't say it; you left it at home. Well, keep yourself busy with this list. It might even entertain you if you don't try too hard. She threw the padd into his lap and continued her work on the folder. Now let's see if we can't get you to work, she said under her breath.

Kathryn Janeway rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling above her medical bed. The entire area was darkened in hopes that she might get some rest after her ordeal with Kazon technology, and she had slept for awhile. But now she lay awake and alone with her thoughts. The last of the injured crew had been seen to and had departed several hours before. The quirky holographic doctor had terminated his program after assuring himself that she would not need his attentions any time soon. Even Kes had returned to the kitchen to be with Neelix and apprise him of the latest situation.

Her thoughts rotated to the possible causes of the fight among her crew and the fact that so far she had been carefully shielded from finding out those very problems. Kes undoubtedly knew what had happened, and then it was logical that so did Neelix; the two kept very little from each other. And if Neelix knew what was going on, then so did the rest of the crew. The Talaxian was like a walking bulletin board when it came to ship's business.

Kathryn sighed. Deep down, she was glad she didn't have to deal with any crew problems right now. She felt slightly guilty even thinking that, for then the responsibility would fall to Chakotay, who had plenty on his mind already.

She bent her knees and stared at the thin blanket covering her legs. What was Seska planning? she wondered. Some form of strike for the Kazon? She felt like the ship was just waiting for Seska and the Kazon to make their move against Voyager. Of course, it all depended on what Seska had stolen from the storage bays and what she intended to do with her contraband. And not knowing the answers to all those questions was beginning to drive Janeway crazy.

Captain?

Janeway jumped, then forced her heart to beat more calmly again. Kes. I didn't hear you come in.

Kes apologetically stepped forward. I'm sorry. I didn't want to disturb you if you were still sleeping.

I'm wide awake, so come in, please.

I brought you some coffee. Neelix just made it. It's even the real thing, not a substitute.

Coffee! Just what I need! Janeway sat up eagerly, dislodging the blanket covering her blue medical tunic and pants, and reached for the cup and saucer that Kes held out to her. She took a drink, savoring the rich flavor, and smiled. This is perfect. Thank you, Kes.

Kes instructed the computer to restore the lights to normal, then sat at the foot of Janeway's bed. How are you feeling?

Much better than I did in the storage bay. Sleeping helped.

Did you dream?

Kathryn took another sip of her coffee. No, not this time. I think the doctor slipped a tranquilizing agent into that hypospray he gave me. I'm probably lucky I didn't roll off the table, she said and smiled again.

Kes smiled with her. I'm just glad you're feeling better.

So am I, Kes, so am I.

The door swooshed open and Neelix walked in, cautiously at first, then more boldly when he saw that the captain was awake and in conversation with Kes. He carried a bowl covered with a metal lid. Hello, my dearest, he said to Kes. Then he turned to Janeway. I thought I might bring you something to eat, Captain. You must be famished after your horrifying adventure earlier today. I know I would be.

The smell of the food still hidden by the cover mixed enticingly with the coffee aroma and Janeway found her stomach growling in sudden hunger. But she hesitated as Neelix laid the bowl in her lap. I appreciate the gesture Neelix, but - forgive me for asking - it's not squoosh, is it?

Neelix balked. No, absolutely not! Squoosh is a highly seasoned dish, hardly the proper food for a recovering convalescent. Mr. Paris assured me that this is exactly what the doctor ordered. Well, sort of. Neelix suddenly looked around, as if he expected the doctor to be lurking reprovingly over his shoulder. It's the lieutenant's doctor's remedy, actually. I doubt that Mr. Hologram would appreciate the presence of food in his sickbay. He lifted the lid then, revealing a simple bowl of sweet smelling broth. Chicken soup, a la Mr. Paris and myself.

The captain was so hungry that she could hardly hold the spoon to feed herself. It had been a long time since she'd lost her last decent meal on the storage bay floor. She was halfway through the bowl before she slowed down long enough to drink more coffee.

Hey, is that chicken soup that I smell? Mr. Paris stood on Sickbay's threshold, jauntily leaning against the doorframe.

Mr. Paris, fancy seeing you here. You've come to check out your recipe, I'll warrant, Janeway answered in a bantering tone. Come on in.

Paris entered the rest of the way and the door closed behind him. I heard about your encounter with Seska. I was on break so I thought I'd come down and see how you're feeling.

Better all the time, Mr. Paris, she assured him. And thanks for the soup.

No problem. It's exactly what I would want if I had fallen off the table, been sick on the floor...and so...on, he ended lamely, looking at Kes and Neelix glaring at him.

Please don't remind me, Janeway said emphatically. It's bad enough that I hit poor Mr. Rollins; you don't have to mention the rest of it.

Mr. Paris nodded. Okay, I won't say another word. In fact, I'll even ma....

The door suddenly slid open and B'Elanna Torres burst into Sickbay, followed closely by Ensign Kim. Captain, you're awake! Torres nearly shouted. She pushed her way past Neelix and breathlessly dropped a large black case onto the bed near Kes. I have something to show you. You're not going to believe this -

Janeway set the bowl of soup on the bed between her legs and raised her hands. Calm down, Lieutenant, she ordered in amusement. Now start at the beginning. What have you discovered?

Torres opened her mouth to answer, but Kim cut her off. We think we know what Seska's up to. B'Ellana....

What's going on here?

Everybody grouped around the captain's diagnostic bed whirled to find Chakotay standing just inside the door. They had been so absorbed in the lieutenant's recent entry that they had completely missed the commander's more sedate arrival. He stood stock still, glaring at each individual in turn. The captain is supposed to be resting, not entertaining guests. Personally, I don't want to deal with a relapse and have her rolling off the table again.

B'Ellana was the first to recover from their surprise. She ignored his warning and blurted, Chakotay, I think we've got it.

Got what? he asked suspiciously.

Seska's device, she explained.

At that news, the angry expression fell from his face, replaced by one of trepidation. You're sure?

Captain Janeway beckoned him over. The lieutenant was just about to make a demonstration when you arrived. Don't stand by the door all day, Commander; come on in and join the party, she invited dryly. When he had crossed to the group surrounding the diagnostic bed, she said, Please proceed, B'Ellana.

Torres launched into her story without further delay. We couldn't make any sense out of Seska's schematics until Chakotay gave us the list of items she took from the storage bay.

Kim interrupted, It still wouldn't make any sense if you looked at the list by itself, without connecting it to what we had already constructed in Engineering. But when we put the two together....

The captain held up her hand again to slow them down. What did she take? she asked.

Kim consulted his data padd. Mostly odds and ends, really. A bunch of little things to confuse us and keep us guessing, we think. But she also took two panels of matter/energy boards, which will be the beginning of a replicator when put together -

And two of the bioneural gel packs, Torres finished for him, then added, That leaves fifty for the ship's systems.

Kathryn glanced at the commander before turning her gaze to the table to hide her growing distress. She exhaled a long sigh. Of all the things to take, she would go for the gel packs. Every time we loose one of those packs, it's like loosing a vital artery.

I'm not finished yet, Captain. It gets worse. When we finally put all the important parts together, we got this. Torres opened the case she'd set near Kes' legs and pulled out a convoluted mess of wires and a gel pack surrounded by a flimsy metal support. An adapter connected everything to an extra replicator matter board, which in turn was linked to what looked like the front part of a phaser. She held it up. It's a weapon, she announced. A high energy molecule enhancer.

Chakotay blinked. A what?

Here, we'll show you. Kim looked around at the utensils scattered on the medical storage tables, then sighted the captain's spoon. Captain, may I? He reached for it.

She handed him the requested item. Be my guest.

He started to lay the spoon on the nearest medical bed, but B'Elanna stopped him. Not there. Use the forceps.

Harry grabbed a pair of long-handled forceps from the doctor's neatly arranged tray and clamped the ends around the spoon handle. He held them both as far from his body as he could. How's this?

Okay, she answered. She pushed a power button on the device, turned a dial, and said, Here we go. Torres took a step back, then pressed one more button.

The device glowed red and they could all see the power surging through the gel pack. In the next second, a beam lanced out of the phaser end and attacked the rounded head of the spoon. The head disappeared. Quickly the beam ate through the rest of the utensil, playing out the command that Torres had given it, and shut off just as it touched the edge of the forceps still in the ensign's grasp.

Kim dropped the forceps to the floor. That's hot! he exclaimed. The tool lay on the tiles at his feet, smoke curling from its tip.

It isn't confined to two dimensional objects, either, Torres was already saying as she leaned in to flip off the machine. We practically ate through the laboratory table before we could turn it off in Engineering.

Chakotay hesitantly asked, And you're saying that Seska is building something like this in a Kazon ship to use for...what?

B'Ellana regarded him with one hand firmly planted on her hip. She gestured at the device with her free hand. They rig this thing into the main phaser banks of a ship, even a Kazon ship that has inferior fire power, and we have a big problem.

All they would have to do is aim and it would eat right through Voyager from one side straight to the other, Kim insisted grimly.

Silence settled over the group as they digested this unwanted information. Finally Janeway spoke. You said it was a molecule enhancer. How does it work?

Ensign Kim answered, Sort of like a replicator, only with the opposite effect. Instead of using energy to create matter...

...it rearranges the molecules in matter that's already there, the captain finished for him.

That's right.

Torres said, But it does more than simply rearrange the molecules; this machine blasts them apart until there's nothing of the original left. And unlike a transporter, there's nothing to contain and reorganize the mess into recognizable matter again.

It sounds rather like a Romulan disruptor, Commander Chakotay commented.

Torres shook her head. This has a much bigger punch than any disruptor I've ever seen. We have to remember that this isn't even a scale model. She pointed to the device. If Seska's building this weapon, and it's my best guess that she is, we could be in for real trouble.

Janeway propped her chin on her uplifted knees and thoughtfully gazed at Torres' creation. Is there any defense against this enhancer? she asked at last.

Neelix spoke up. Of course there is. I suggest we stay as far away from it as possible, he concluded. Now is a good time to continue our journey home, don't you think, Captain? Full speed ahead - what do you say?

What about the shields? Chakotay asked, ignoring the Talaxian's comment. Will they hold up against a beam like that?

Shields won't have any effect in this case, answered Ensign Kim. The enhancer will simply rearrange the energy the minute it comes in contact with it. I think Neelix has the right idea; stay away from it.

Neelix beamed. There, see, I told you so.

The captain frowned and massaged her temple with her fingers. But there's no point in hiding from something when we don't know if it even exists. Besides, where would we go? The ship can only maintain top speeds for a few days. Our energy and supplies would have to be replenished eventually, and who knows if we could find what provisions we might need, she said with a helpless gesture.

What about sitting right here and waiting for her? Paris proposed. We could spend the time trying to come up with a defense against this weapon of hers instead of wasting it with regular ship's business.

The commander was shaking his head before Paris even finished his thoughts. We could be sitting here for days, weeks maybe. It's possible that we aren't even an intended target. The Kazon could easily use that thing against each other as against us.

Janeway chimed in, No, continuing on our present course is the only logical thing to do.

Chakotay nodded. Anyway, if Seska wants to find us, she will, no matter what we do or where we go.

Janeway glanced at the commander as if for support and said, Then it's agreed. Mr. Paris, maintain present course and speed.

Aye, Captain. We should reach the next system in about ten hours.

Good. Lieutenant Torres, I want your team in Engineering to see if they can come up with some sort of defense against Seska's device. Something a little more refined than staying out of its way, she ended with a glance at both Mr. Kim and Mr. Neelix.

I'll see what we can do, Torres said, though her tone indicated that she didn't believe they would have much success.

And give a demonstration to Tuvok; he might have some ideas that we haven't considered, she added as B'Ellana replaced her concoction in its case. She stopped Torres and Kim as they turned to leave Sickbay. Good work, you two, was all she said.

Still, the compliment made Harry Kim duck his head to hide his suddenly red cheeks, and even B'Ellana almost smiled. They left, followed by Tom Paris on his way back to the Bridge.

Neelix lifted the empty soup bowl from the blanket's folds on the diagnostic bed, then looked about for the spoon before he remembered that it had just been disintegrated. He shuddered. Well, I think I'll retreat to the innermost part of the ship and start praying that the Kazon are too busy fighting each other to bother with us. Coming, my sweet? he said to Kes.

She nodded, but first asked, Do you need anything before we go, Captain?

The comment interrupted Janeway's suddenly pensive attitude; her thoughts were already churning over possible solutions to this newest threat against her ship. She had to force her attention back to the Ocampan before she could say, Thank you Kes, but I'm fine now.

Neelix wrapped his fingers around Kes' hand and led her to the door, but stopped at the sound of the captain's voice.

So much for a way home.

It was the sorrowful tone more so than the words that arrested the Talaxian's attention. Where Kathryn Janeway had been so commanding and authoritative only a moment earlier in front of her crew, she now seemed harried by an uncertainty bordering on defeat. He had a sudden need to reassure himself that, though things looked bleak, everything would be all right. He turned to look back at the woman curled up on the medical bed and the man standing next to her.

Chakotay, what do you think she'll do? she asked next.

Chakotay studied the floor a long moment before he lifted his gaze back to Janeway. The truth? he asked. She nodded once. I'm worried, he admitted. If Seska truly is constructing a molecule enhancer like B'Elanna suggests, then who knows what she's capable of. I don't think she wants to destroy us - we're still her best way home. But one thing I do know; Seska holds tightly to her grudges. She won't make life pleasant for us.

She'll be back? She spoke the question like a threat.

Chakotay nodded. You can count on it.

Janeway sighed and looked away to the farthest corners of the room. She sounded tired as she murmured, That's what I thought you'd say.

Commander Chakotay didn't say anything more. There was nothing he could add to encourage her hopes or alleviate their situation. But he did offer his hand, and Captain Janeway placed her own hand inside his. Their fingers clasped tightly together, a simple commitment in the face of the coming turmoil.

Neelix instinctively knew that some horrible catastrophe was about to befall the ship, probably an adventure they would be better off avoiding. But for that moment, at least, he felt that something good had happened.

He looked down just in time to catch a ghost of a smile flit across Kes' elfin face. Then she calmly retreated with him into the empty corridor.

Chapter 7 || Contents || Chapter 9