Capítulo 62: Quarrel in the Continuum
A/N: The bottom half is unedited and might change a little. If it does, I'll make a note at the top of the next chapter if it is anything significant. Sorry, I've been sick all week and barely finished the chapter in time.
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The next few days played out much like the episode, though I got to see some of Q's seduction attempts. He really did fill the Bridge with roses which would have been cute if it had not been from him, and it made me want to step up my game with Katye, Raven, and Echo. Janeway was beyond annoyed by everything he was doing to win her affection, but she found a safe haven onboard our ship since it was the only place that he could not 'pop' into, so she ended up having dinner with us a few times.
Thankfully for Janeway's sanity, it only took three days for everything to come to a head. I was on the Bridge, monitoring our long-range sensors for any signs of any more supernovas. It was midday when I spotted the first, but I knew that it would not be the last.
"Bridge to Janeway. You'd better come in here," I said, tapping my badge.
"On my way," she replied and a moment later she walked out of her Ready Room with two Qs following behind her. "Report."
"You're not going to believe this, but another star in this cluster just went supernova," I explained. "It's point zero two light years from our current position."
"Make that two supernovas. I just picked up another one at two-one-seven mark four-seven. Estimated time of implosion: sixty-seven seconds," Harry added.
"Get us out of here, Tom," Janeway ordered.
"I can't... the subspace shockwave from the star is collapsing the warp field," Tom replied.
"Red alert. Tuvok, increase power in the shields. Tom, lay in a course away from that shockwave, maximum impulse," Janeway instructed as she circled around the railing and headed straight for Q. "A star going supernova is an event that occurs once every century in this galaxy. Now we're about to witness our third in less than three days... all in the same sector. Why do I suspect that you have something to do with this?"
"She may be a member of an intellectually challenged species, but she's right. Your irresponsible behavior is continuing to have cosmic consequences," the female Q said.
"I would recommend not insulting the Captain in my presence," I growled softly.
"Dystina? Why are you here?" she asked with surprise.
"Oh, just touring the Delta Quadrant with some friends," I retorted. "But, back to the matter at hand, do you want to explain what's going on, Q?"
"Are you causing the supernovas?" Janeway asked.
"Well, not exactly," he replied.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It's no use, Captain. The shockwave is too fast for us," Tom warned.
"Try evasive maneuvers," Janeway suggested.
"I'm afraid a course correction will be futile, Captain. There are three distinct shockwaves heading towards us on various trajectories. It will be impossible to avoid them all," Tuvok explained.
"Divert auxiliary power to the shields," Janeway said.
"If we can come to a stop, I can add another layer of defense," I offered.
"Wait," she instructed then turned to Q. "You have the ability to get us out of here, so do it."
"Sixteen seconds to impact," Tom warned.
"Do something, Q!" Janeway demanded.
"Well... if you insist," Q said then snapped his fingers, causing him and Janeway to vanish in a white flash of light.
"That two-timing toad!" the female Q growled and snapped her fingers.
"Tom, cut the engines!" I ordered before teleporting myself out of the ship.
Immediately, I shifted into my Dragon form and summoned my Chaos Storm. I wrapped the clouds around the shields just moments before the first impact hit. The shockwave was just an echo of the power behind the supernova, yet it still shook me as the pressurized mana wave passed by. The second and third wave hit just a few seconds apart, giving me a number of minor internal injuries, but I used the mana that my Chaos Storm absorbed to heal myself, and then returned to Voyager after transforming back into my humanoid form.
"Rebecca?!?" Chakotay exclaimed when I appeared next to him.
"Apologies, Commander, I took the easiest method to get back here. How did Voyager weather the shockwaves?" I asked.
"Just some minor damage; thanks for your help," Chakotay replied.
"Of course, this is my home too, but right now, we need to talk with our guest if we want to get Janeway back," I said, looking at the female Q who was standing up shakily. "She's going to help us get into the Continuum."
There was a bruise over her right temple, and I could tell that she was slightly dazed by a spell backlash. Ninety-nine percent of her mana was drained, and her aura was significantly weakened since her link to the Continuum was damaged temporarily. Right now, she was nothing more than a human with a level of intelligence that was only dwarfed by her massive ego.
"And why would I do that?" she retorted.
"Aside from your love affair with Q, your powers have been sealed since your connection to the Continuum has been damaged. I'm no expert on Q's abilities, but I assume that you can't restore the link from here, so unless you want to spend the rest of your life as a human, then you're going to help us," I shot back with a smirk.
"Hmm... well, there is one possibility, but, somehow, I don't think this rickety barge or your half-witted crew members are up to the challenge," she replied with annoyance.
"May I remind you, madam, that this 'rickety barge' and 'it's half-witted crew' are your only hope at the moment," Tuvok stated, making me chuckle.
"Gotta love that Vulcan sass," I teased, making several other people chuckle while Tuvok gave me a raised eyebrow, and Q rolled her eyes.
"Here, this should have all the information that your little engineer needs to recalibrate the shields," she said, tossing a familiar gold coin to me.
"Sancu?" I mumbled with surprise.
"Q had me bring that along when I was finally able to track down Q, but I didn't know why at the time. The old snake must have seen all of this coming since he is one of the few that can 'see' your actions," she huffed.
"Rebecca?" Chakotay asked.
"Sancu is what we call a particular Q, and this is his calling card. Think of it like a P.A.D.D. that can give you information directly to your mind by connecting our mana to it. I'll take this to Raven and between her, B'Elanna, and L'Naan, we should have a way to rescue Janeway, but there will be a catch; there always is when he's involved," I explained. "Can you call Katye and have the senior officers meet in the briefing room? I'll explain as much as I can when I get back."
"Of course," Chakotay agreed.
"Thanks," I replied before heading for the turbo lift.
Once I ordered it to go to Engineering, I sent a thread of mana into the coin which caused Sancu's voice to echo in my mind.
{Are you ready for a new game? This one will be straight forward, but that does not mean that it will be easy for you, since you have still yet to meld with your Chaos Storm. The Q will sense you, Katye, Raven, and Echo the moment that any of you enter the Continuum, and the Old Guard will attack you at all costs. The only way to stop their attacks is by capturing the Southern General, but reaching him yourself will be all but impossible, though you know a solution. It's your choice if you decide to use it.}
The information to reconfigure the shields entered my mind and, while I did not understand most of it, I did realize that these changes were meant for the Fae Dragon and not Voyager itself. I let out a sigh of mild annoyance, since I could guess the underlining meaning of it being our ship that can go, and his warning that we would be sensed as we entered the Continuum. Taking Raven, Echo, and even Katye, would be extremely dangerous.
The two of them might be able to stay conscious in the presence of a single Q now, but not the entire Continuum while they were fighting; even I was worried about the amount of pressure that the combined might of them would put on me. This was likely meant to be a trial by fire to force me to meld with my storm, or I could very well die at the hands of the Q if they attacked me directly. Honestly, though, I was more scared of telling Raven and Echo that they will not be going with me into the Continuum, than I was of the pain and the chance of dying that went along with this 'game' of Sancu's design; they were both too stubborn for their own good sometimes, disregarding their own safety at times.
I walked into Engineering and immediately spotted Raven, B'Elanna, and L'Naan waiting for me. It was easy to guess that Chakotay, or someone on the Bridge, had alerted them, so I tossed Raven the coin. She injected her mana into the coin and frowned a moment later, no doubt hearing Sancu's message.
{I know what you are going to say, but you can't come. Their auras alone would crush you and Echo despite the hard work that you've been putting in. Katye and I only have a chance because of our past selves.} I sent telepathically.
Raven tightened her grip on the coin and looked down at the ground angrily, but said aloud, "You're right... I'm not strong enough yet."
"You'll get there, Raven. You were a normal person less than three years ago and I've never really been 'normal'," I replied with a soft sigh.
Raven sighed as well, knowing that I was right. "The specifications are for our ship, not Voyager," she said, turning to B'Elanna. "If you can give me L'Naan, we can have the alterations done in an hour."
"Alright," B'Elanna agreed, albeit a little confused.
"Can you talk to Echo? We both know how she can be," I pleaded while rubbing the back of my neck.
"I'll try, but no promises," Raven replied.
"Thanks," I said with a nod, and then turned back to the turbo lift.
I took it back up to the Bridge and headed to the Briefing Room where Katye, Chakotay, Tuvok, Tom, and Harry were already seated around the table with, surprisingly, the female Q. Even more surprising was that she was willingly explaining the civil war that was going on in the Continuum, but Katye's small nod explained my unasked question that she was behind it. That saved me from having to come up with a reason why I knew about the war, so I sat down and waited for her to finish.
When she finished, I explained that the specs we were given were for our ship and not the Voyager, then laid out my plan. The show had not explained exactly how the crew had gotten to the backlines of the 'Southern' army, playing it off as the Q were simply distracted because they were about to execute Q and Janeway. This time, I would be providing a distraction while Chakotay would lead an away team, with help from the female Q, to find Q and Janeway. I would prefer not to use anyone from Voyager, but I was not arrogant enough to think that I could handle everything on my own. While the others left the room to get ready, Katye stayed behind, but I had already expected it.
"Do you really think that I'm going to let you go alone?" Katye asked with a sigh.
"Can you become intangible?" I retorted.
"Can you?" she shot back.
I sighed, leaning back in my chair, and replied, "That's the point of this game, Katye. Melding with my storm is the first step to learning how to control the Chaos within me which is the point of all of this. If you come, I'm going to worry about your safety, and I can't be distracted."
"And if you actually die?"
"Be nice to my reincarnation and pick something other than 'The 100' for our start," I retorted with a smirk.
"Becca," she complained.
"I know that you're worried about me, but this is something that I have to do," I replied. "This was an innate ability of Dystina's that led to how she became the Embodiment of Chaos. With it, I'll become a lot stronger and harder to kill."
"Like you need to be any stronger," she huffed, crossing her arms. "Fine, but if you do die, I'm going to baby your reincarnation so much that she'll curse you for eternity."
I stood up as I chuckled, "Fair, but I don't plan on dying yet."
"Mmm... Talk to Echo before you go," she said dismissively.
"Already planned to," I sighed.
With her refusal to look at me, I really was not excited about talking to Echo. Katye was always the sensible one, so I had expected her to understand my reasoning, though knowing her, she would not have agreed otherwise. She was worried about me and not happy that I was going into a dangerous situation alone, but the importance of this ability could not be denied and my own practice of it had stagnated.
I walked out of the room and stopped at a console in the corridor. I used it to locate Echo who was working in one of the armories and made my way there. Thankfully, she was alone, but as soon as she saw me, I received a cold glare. She could easily guess why I was here since we have discussed it several times over the past few days.
"You said that you wouldn't leave us behind for a fight again," Echo remarked.
"It's one of Sancu's games, not a fight. It's either meld with my storm or suffer, my specialty," I sighed. "You and Raven wouldn't be able to handle their unrestrained aura, and Katye doesn't have a spell to become intangible like my storm. I'm using the method from the show and just acting as a distraction."
Echo huffed and turned her back on me.
"Look, I know I'm an asshole with this, but I'm also right. It's suicide to enter the Continuum right now for us and I have the best chance at survival. I'm the ticking time bomb, not you. I need to keep advancing, or I could be the one who kills you," I said grimly.
"If we can't stand by you then we are nothing more than anchors that are dragging you down."
"Anchors are also points of stability. No amount of power can change how I feel about you or Katye and Raven. You're why I don't give up hope of controlling the Chaos within me. If I have you three, I have three reasons to fight," I said.
"Then you need to find a fourth reason before you lose the other three. We'll talk when you get back," she replied coldly.
"I love you, ai homplei," I replied softly before leaving the room.
What I would find out after leaving the 'Voyager universe' was that this game had two sets of rules; one for me, and one for the three of them. I was told that this was a hopeless challenge of melding with my storm or die while they had to act like I was signing my own death certificate to increase the 'bonus time' they got in the holo-deck that he had already changed while also promising that I would not actually be killed. Raven had been the one to get the message first and then used the special link on our comm badge which allowed for telepathic messages to be sent via our ship. She tipped off Katye and Echo long before I got the chance to talk to them.
I left the room annoyed and headed for the Shuttle Bay. Raven and L'Naan were finishing up with the shields, so I sat off to the side since there was not much that I could do to help them. The female Q, Chakotay, Tuvok, Tom, Harry, and a few more security officers showed up a few minutes later, so I showed them to the second floor before saying goodbye to Raven.
"I expect you back in one piece," Raven said after kissing me.
"I'll do my best," I promised.
She smiled at me weakly before she left the ship with L'Naan. The female Q and Chakotay were present for the short exchange but were wise enough to not comment on it. With a sigh, I led them to the little Bridge and had Chakotay take over the Tactical station while I took the Conn. I flew us away from Voyager and towards the nearest star that was about to go supernova. Crazy as it was, the only way we could enter the Continuum was by going straight into the supernova right as the star collapsed. The vacuum would pull us into the Continuum if we timed it right or destroy the ship if we were just a little off, but thankfully, Fae could time it out precisely for me.
I could sense a sort of barrier that we crossed through as we flew into the exploding star then suddenly found myself standing in a forest. I was not sure what annoyed me more, the frilly dress that I was now wearing or Sancu's smug smile as he stood across from me.
"I took the liberty to start you in another place to further hide the fact that the Voyager crew members have also entered. It should take them ten minutes to capture the Southern General, but the real question is, can you last that long?" Sancu asked before vanishing with the tap of his cane.
As soon as he was gone, I was hit with the pressure of at least fifty powerful auras. I could not help but feel threatened, yet that also stirred a defiant anger and pride from deep within me. Dragons were not the type to simply bow their heads and admit defeat without even trying. They may have had the bigger fist, but I would make sure they broke it when they punched out at me.
I shifted into my Dusa form, which thankfully got rid of the dress, then summoned my Chaos Storm Clouds. Quickly, I realized that everything that I could see was made out of pure mana as my storm consumed it all in its path. Instead of holding it back as I normally did, I let my storm run wild as the Q raced towards me since I needed every bit of my focus if I wanted to succeed.
They did not even try to talk to me and get me to stop. Instead, as soon as they were close enough, they opened fire with what looked like muskets, but they were far more deadly than a simple lead bullet. I dodged a few of the shots by teleporting myself around the confines of my storm, but a lucky shot hit one of my wings.
Surprisingly, there was no pain, just a small hole the width of a finger, but that only worried me more. I would not be able to realize how much damage that I had taken until I fell over half-dead. My thoughts were broken by another volley of 'musket' fire and three more bullets ripping holes through my scaly hide like it was paper.
With a roar, I shifted into my Dragon form and pushed my concerns out of my mind. What Dystina had told me during my training with her was that I think too much. Chaos was not something that could be defined, only felt and experienced. I needed to let my instincts guide me and trust that I would not lose myself to them.
By changing into my Dragon form, I did become a larger target for the Q's weapons, but the size of the wounds did not change. My body was quickly filling up with holes, but I was able to dodge anything aimed at my head and heart while I listened to the storm around me.
It was like an orchestra warming up with no consideration for any of the instruments around them. It was disjointed and unpleasant, yet there were notes that resonated deep within me. That was what I focused on and slowly, more and more of the strange song emerged within my mind. If I could have seen myself at the moment, wisps of silver clouds would have been seen leaking out of my wounds instead of blood.
My body froze in place for a moment and the Q surrounding me took the chance to fire at my head. My head exploded due to the shots, but it did not kill me since the song was finally complete. My entire body transformed into silver clouds, and I could feel myself swelling with power as I regained control over my entire Chaos Storm. I did not seek to control, rather to turn its fury on the Q who were trying to kill me.
They could resist the corrupting influence of my storm, but that was about all they could do since I no longer had a physical body for them to attack. My clouds surrounded them and released bolts of crimson lightning occasionally, but they would slap it away like it was nothing. We fell into a sort of stalemate for several moments before someone else ran up. Her aura was so pitifully weak that I barely sensed her, but it was also familiar.
"Rebecca! Stand down. The war has stopped," she shouted from the edge of my storm.
I snorted in response. Someone so weak had no business telling me what to do, but my memories quickly resurfaced. It was Janeway. I was not here to fight, but rather to rescue her. I pulled my Chaos Storm back inside me as I solidified back into my humanoid form.
"Good to see you again, Captain," I sighed, exhausted.
It seemed that using that ability quickly drained my Soul Power, but there was always some kind of exchange for that level of power.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"Just tired," I replied as I fought to stay awake.
"Thank you for stopping her, Captain Janeway. Dystina is one of the most difficult Vazukuru to kill, so it would have done even more damage to the Continuum if we had had to seal her away," Sancu said, appearing next to her.
"Are we free to leave then?" she asked.
"Of course," he replied then taped his cane.
The next thing any of us knew, we were all standing on the Bridge of Voyager. The others looked around in confusion while I stumbled over to the bench next to the captain's chair. I did not even bother explaining and slumped across it, falling asleep as soon as my head touched the seat.
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