章 7: Time to Step Up
After my talk with Echo, things between Raven, Echo, and I seemed to finally be resolved. Raven had been holding out because she was respecting Echo's feelings, but since we had made up, I was no longer sleeping alone. Echo was even willing to pull herself away from the training programs in the mornings to join the rest of us to eat in the Mess Hall with the rest of the Voyager crew.
About a week later, the next episode popped up, but thankfully it was not a dangerous one. A race known as the Sikarians reached out to the Voyager and invited the crew to visit their planet for respite. The excitement came from a device that they had developed which could transport people up to forty thousand light-years away on the principle of space-folding. While it could have worked for Voyager in theory, the problem is that the technology was incompatible with Federation technology and nearly caused a warp core breach in the show. The twist had been that it was Tuvok, of all people, who had made the illegal, back-alley trade to get the trajector matrix.
With Raven's ability, it was easy to prevent the events from playing out this time. All I had to say was that while we were on the planet, she had watched the process and it used antineutrinos as a catalyst for the space-folding process. From there, they all understood that there was no way that they could use the technology, so things ended quietly, and we left the planet four days later.
Things were going well, but a couple of days later, Neelix suggested that we visited an uninhabited planet to collect some food stores. Instantly, my suspicions were raised because that was how the episode where Seska gets revealed began, and the mention of the infamous leola root confirmed it. It was not hard to get myself added to one of the away teams, and I chose to keep close to Neelix and Chakotay.
The events on the planet in the episode only appeared to take five minutes, but in reality, we ended up spending hours on the surface collecting fruits and vegetables before Tom discovered the Kazon ship hiding in orbit. Once the Voyager identified the ship, they recalled us back to the ship, but, of course, there was someone missing. Seska did not respond to her comm badge and could not be found on the Voyager's sensors, so that meant that someone had to go look for her.
"Chakotay to Seska," Chakotay said, tapping his badge, but there was no reply. "Transporter Room, can you locate Ensign Seska's comm badge?"
"Negative, Commander. I'm not reading any sign of her," the transporter chief replied.
"She was picking berries with our group, over by the hillside. There were caves nearby," Harry said, pointing in the direction where he had been.
"If she went inside one, it might be blocking her comm badge signal. The rest of you get back to the ship. I'm going to go look for her," Chakotay instructed.
"Commander, I can be of some help," I offered.
"I guess I can't say no to a captain. Thanks," he replied with a nod.
The two of us headed out the way Harry had pointed with our tricorders out and set to scan. While we walked, I infused my mana into the ground around us to create my Earth Domain. Over the years, I had learned how to manipulate my Domain to such an extent that it could be a thin layer, no thicker than an inch deep, which allowed me to stretch it out more than triple what the traditional hemisphere style of the spell allowed. This way, I could easily sense the slightest movement in a five-hundred-foot radius of myself and the lay of the land.
"I've found the entrance to the cave system," I said after ten minutes of hiking. "This way."
"Thanks for your help," Chakotay said, following me.
"Of course, Commander. If any of my group were missing, you'd be hard pressed to stop me from finding them," I replied.
"Chakotay... you do out rank me, after all."
"Perhaps, but I have no intention of taking any type of leadership role."
"Your crew seems to respect you greatly."
"They're all my lovers so I imagine that they do," I said bluntly.
Chakotay stopped dead in his tracks, completely shocked by my openness which made me chuckle.
"Come on, Chakotay. My hearing may be better than the average human's, but you've had to have heard the rumors about us if I have. My ship only has one bedroom, after all, and half of Engineering knows that now. If our relationship is what bothers or interests the rest of you so much, then I couldn't care less. We spent twelve years with people being scared of our abilities, so the crew can talk as much as they want if it's about our love-life," I laughed.
"I guess I can see your point," he chuckled.
"You fought against the Cardassians, but with a large group. It was just the four of us that had to act as the shield for our people for over ten years, so we were bonded together far deeper than comrades... but, you must understand my point with Seska."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Your pheromones change when you're near each other. If there isn't something between you two, then both of you are blind," I said.
While it was true that there was something between the two of them, I knew because of the show. He did not deny it, but from a private man like him, that was a confirmation. Their relationship had ended before they were pulled out into the Delta Quadrant, but their feelings for each other had yet to fade, which would have been a point of drama even after she betrayed the Voyager and joined the Kazon.
We entered the mouth of the cave, and I held a finger to my lips, gesturing for him to be quiet. There were two heavy sets of boots walking through the tunnel ahead of us that I knew must have belonged to the Kazon. They were coming towards us, so I pointed to a small outcropping of rocks and we both ducked behind them. It took a minute or so, but they passed our hiding spot without noticing us and kept heading towards the mouth of the cave.
Slipping past them, we went deeper into the caves. Being onboard the Voyager up in space was great, but I had also missed being underground like this where I could easily extend my senses hundreds of feet and all through the tunnels. I realized quickly that this would not be as easy as it had been since I could sense over two dozen people moving through the cave system.
"At least two dozen Kazon, spread out in teams of two to four people, but there is one person who is alone," I whispered.
"Seska," Chakotay suggested.
"My thoughts too. This way," I replied then led him down an offshoot of the main tunnel.
We did not go in a straight route to Seska, and I even opened up a wall of stone to connect us to another tunnel, but we approached without running into a single patrol. I pointed out the corner where she was hiding to Chakotay so that he could get her since I would not have put it past her to simply shoot me if I 'caught her by surprise'. As if a silent call had been relayed through the teams of Kazon, they all started converging on our location and I could only sigh.
"Oh, thank the Prophets!" Seska gasped.
"What are you doing here?" Chakotay asked.
"Mushrooms. I saw them growing at the mouth of the cave. I wanted to teach Neelix how to make your favorite soup."
"I appreciate the thought, but we've got to get out..."
"Commander, duck!" I shouted as three Kazon rounded a corner.
Immediately, they fired at Chakotay, but with my warning, they missed, and I returned fire with my phaser. Chakotay and Seska took down the other two before the Kazon could recover, but more were coming in quick. Although we could easily fight our way out of here, that was not the best Starfleet decision with my powers. Instead, I sealed off the tunnel ahead and behind us which turned everything pitch black.
"What the hell just happened?!?" Seska demanded with a hint of fear in her voice.
"Sorry about that," I said as I conjured up a ball of white fire. "We might be able to fight our way out, but I figured that it would just be easier to punch a hole through the rock and let the Voyager find us."
Seska had backed away a few steps and was pointing her phaser at me, but Chakotay grabbed it from her.
"I'm sorry, she didn't..." he started.
"It's fine, Commander. I know that I can be intimidating with my abilities," I said, cutting him off.
"You said that you can make a hole to the surface?" he asked.
"Already on it. I just need another few seconds," I said, but then the sound of phaser fire being directed at the two walls I created reached our ears.
Although they were drilling away with their weapons, I was not worried as I used most of my focus to open a hole in the thick rock. Once daylight spilled in, I dismissed the fireball and then used the extra bit of focus to expand the opening more while Chakotay contacted the Voyager.
"Chakotay to Voyager. Can you get a lock on us now?" he asked.
"No... wait, your signals are clearing up now," the transporter chief said.
"Then beam the three of us up!"
I felt the Voyager's sensor lock onto our position, so I retracted my mana before they beamed us up. Seska was looking at me like I had three heads, but since I knew that she must have already completed her deal with the Kazons, I could care less. It was only a matter of time before she would be exposed as a traitor, so my reveal of strength would just make her regret her actions more when she was caught.
"Would you mind if I took the rest of the day off, Commander? My personal energy reserves are not endless, unfortunately. I'll give the Captain my report in a few hours," I requested, though I still had plenty of mana left.
"Of course, take as much time as you need, and thank you for all of your help," he replied.
I gave him a nod, then looked at Seska and said, "I'm glad that we were able to get you out of there safely, Ensign."
"Yeah, thanks for your help... Captain," Seska said with a bit of hesitation.
I left the transporter room first and made my way to the Shuttle Bay. The door opened for me automatically and I headed upstairs. There was no one here since everyone had duty today, so I walked over to the couches and grabbed a Mind Linker.
"Fae, can you discreetly watch the Voyager's comm system and alert me if they get a distress call from a Kazon ship?" I asked in the white room.
"Affirmative," Fae replied as she manifested her body.
"Thanks. Load up the Spatial Lock program, so that I can get in some last-minute practice," I said, walking to my door.
"Everything will be ready once you step inside."
I had finally gotten the hang of the spell over the past week and a half, but the extra practice would not hurt. About two hours later, the others were off and came back to the ship. They had all heard about what had happened down on the planet, so they were all guessing that this was the moment that we had been waiting for which I confirmed. It was a waiting game for now, but we did not have to wait long before Fae interrupted dinner.
::The Voyager has picked up a Kazon ship's distress call.::
"I guess that's my cue," I said, standing up.
"Janeway to all Senior Officers. Please report to the Bridge," Janeway's voice came through my badge.
"Sounds like it, Captain," Katye teased.
I rolled my eyes as I walked around the table, kissing the top of Raven's head when I passed by. I walked off our ship and headed for the nearest turbo lift. As it went up, the lift stopped and Chakotay entered.
"Feeling better?" he asked.
"Yes, I have recovered my energy from this afternoon," I replied.
"Good; I talked with Seska and asked her not to spread around information about your abilities. She promised that she'll keep things quiet."
"Thanks, but it's bound to come out at some point on this long venture home."
"True, but let's let them get used to you as normal people before we reveal that your race is a step below the Q in terms of individual power."
"I can see your point," I chuckled and then the doors opened.
"We require help... immediately!" a heavily injured Kazon male gasped on the viewscreen. "Anyone who can hear this message, please help!"
Chakotay and I walked down to the main level where Janeway was standing, watching the message. The recording was a bit distorted and the ship in the background looked like some kind of explosion had gone off. Things were falling into place, just like the episode, but now it was time for me to get started.
"Long range scanners picked up the distress signal three minutes ago," Janeway explained.
"The ship's dimensions are identical to the vessel we encountered at the planet. It is a Kazon Nistrim ship, Captain," Tuvok said.
"Captain, this may be a trap," Neelix warned. "The Kazon Nistrim is one of the most violent sects in the entire Kazon Collective."
"We need immediate assistance! We have lost all Bridge operations. Barely able to function. Please... assist," the Kazon pleaded before the screen cut out.
"Mister Kim, can you determine if this ship has sustained genuine damage?" Janeway asked, walking towards his station.
"There are fluctuating nucleonic patterns. It might indicate a reactor breakdown on board," Harry replied.
"Mister Paris, run an extended scanner sequence to identify any other Kazon ships that might be in the area."
"Nothing showing up, Captain," Tom replied.
"Maintain scans and set heading to intercept," Janeway ordered as she crossed over to Neelix.
"New heading entered," he confirmed.
"I take your warnings seriously, Neelix, and will act with caution, but if we can help them, we should," she said. "Besides, this may be an opportunity to make a friend, and out here, we can use all the friends that we can get."
We took our seats while we waited to approach the Kazon ship. It was easy to appreciate the effect of changing scenes in a television show which could save hours of waiting in reality, since it had taken seconds to get there in the show, while it took an hour and a half to reach the ship now. When we got there, Chakotay brought along Tuvok, B'Elanna, and me to beam over to the vessel.
The ship was a mess. The explosion had knocked out the main power, so the only light sources were the emergency lights and our wrist lights. I could sense a containment shield around the main bridge area which was holding back a twisted, corrupted energy that I knew to be a form of radiation. There were Kazons that were literally fused to the metal inside the containment field which drew Chakotay's, Tuvok's, and B'Elanna's attention while I walked through the area where it was still open.
"What could do something like this?" B'Elanna asked.
"I'm seeing high levels of nucleonic radiation. It seems to be localized in that area," Chakotay said, tapping at his tricorder.
"It is likely that the ship's automatic containment systems were activated when the radiation entered the Bridge," Tuvok explained, then reached out and touched the shield, making the whole thing light up for a moment. "We should be safe as long as we stay on this side of the force field."
"Over here, I found someone," I said as my tricorder started to beep.
Chakotay hurried around the shield while I approached the Kazon slumped against the wall. He gave a groan when my flashlight shined on his face, but he was not fully conscious. With my tricorder, I could tell that he was in some kind of shock caused by the radiation, but I did not understand much more than that.
"Away team to Voyager. We've got a single male Kazon alive on the Bridge. Transport him directly to Sick Bay," Chakotay instructed.
"Energizing," the transporter chief answered and then the Kazon disappeared within blue light.
"It appears that the explosion emanated from this console," Tuvok said.
"Something look a little odd about it to you?" B'Elanna asked with suspicion in her voice.
"The structural pattern does not conform to the rest of the Bridge."
"No, there is something else strange about it. The residue has a point forty-one percent trace of a neosorium composite, and I don't know anyone who uses a neosorium technology, except for the Federation. So, how did it get into the hands of the Kazon?" B'Elanna asked, closing her tricorder.
"We need to recover the console," I said.
"Agreed, but if we release the force field, we will just fill the entire room with radiation and we can't get a transporter beam through this much radiation," Chakotay replied.
I put away my tricorder and suggested, "I can get passed the force field and my other form is very resistant to radiation. I could jump in, rip the console out of the deck, then jump back out which would only take a few moments."
"That sounds too dangerous. I'm sure that we can come up with another way to access the panel," he responded.
"Please, Commander, I'm very confident that I can do this safely," I asked.
"Even if you can, we need equipment to decontaminate it before we bring the console over to the Voyager. We'll discuss it with the Captain and let her decide," he said.
"Alright," I agreed.
We beamed back to the Voyager, and the four of us headed straight to the Briefing Room where Janeway was waiting for us. It was a quick conversation despite the heavy implications. Janeway agreed to allow me to try to get the console and sent B'Elanna to get the proper equipment. She left Chakotay in charge while she replaced him on the away team and Raven had been added to the group as well to help B'Elanna with the decontamination. As the two engineers set up the equipment, Janeway, Tuvok, and I spread out through the large room. I was curious why Janeway joined us, but I never really got the chance to ask before they were ready for me to get the console.
"Becca, when you teleport back, make sure that you are inside this field and you change back to your normal appearance, then we'll start the decontamination process," Raven said.
"Got it," I replied and then glanced around.
Janeway, Tuvok, and B'Elanna were looking at me because I was going to do a task, but there was a part of me that also felt like a sideshow freak. Katye's Dusa form was absolutely beautiful as she took the appearance of a busty, violet-haired Fairy Queen with four sparkling wings on her back. Mine turned me into the humanoid version of my Chaos Storm Dragon past life.
My body released a stormy gray light and transformed into a ten-foot tall, dragon-human hybrid. I was covered in armor-like dark silver scales from head to toe and there were solid plates over the muscle groups on my chest and back. A pair of ruby red horns sprouted from my forehead and my clawed hands and toes were topped with the same red color of talons. My clothing was a strip of crimson silk that wrapped my neck and covered my chest and draped down the front, secured by a piece of black silk which was the same length as the red. Both were cut to allow me to move easily and not restrict the large pair of dragon wings on my back or the long, thick tail below.
B'Elanna took a step back when I changed and then another when my eyes focused on her. Janeway suffered my gaze without retreating while Tuvok scanned me with his tricorder. Raven was not scared of this appearance, and she just smiled back at me.
I turned my attention away from them and teleported inside the shielded area. This was worse than the radiation that followed Praimfaya, but I was a lot stronger than back then. It tried to invade my body, but I repelled it with my mana, casting a silver shimmer across my body. I was not kidding when I said that I planned on ripping the console out as I grabbed it from the bottom and pulled. With the device still in my hands, I shifted back to my human form a moment before I teleported myself into the decontamination area.
Raven was the only person to not be stunned by the speed at which I did everything, so she started the machines. Tuvok gave Janeway a look, closing his tricorder, while B'Elanna stared at me with mild shock. I sighed, looking away, since it was easy to see that they were all a little scared of me.
"Time grants wisdom," Raven said in Trigedasleng, quoting a Grounder idiom. "You're still a hungry beast to them."
"And I'm not to you?" I retorted with a smirk, also in Trigedasleng.
"I just know how to tame the beast."
Our little conversation made the other three realize their actions, and I could see the looks of regret. They may not have understood us, but that just helped to prove the divide that they had already brought up. B'Elanna was just frightened by me, but Tuvok and Janeway had realized that I could be a risk to the ship because I was far stronger than what they could understand. Janeway sighed, and I could see a hint of regret in her eyes which gave me a bit of hope that she had not given up on me, but only Time could tell.
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