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By Root 638 0

in her mouth turned sour, when the pressure of her command chair under her seemed unbearable. She kept her attention focused on the screen and on Tom's fingers, as he moved them around the very dangerous binary neutron star. The only thing showing on the screen was the binary. No ship had managed to get close to them yet.

But she knew that would soon end.

"Hail from Captain Qados," Kim said.

"On screen," she said, standing.

The binary was replaced by the sneering lizard-face of Captain Qados.

"You run, Captain," he said. "Surrender now and you will not be harmed."

"And why should I surrender to you?" Janeway said. "I have done nothing to harm the Qavok Empire. We have no desire to fight."

Qados laughed, or at least Janeway thought it was a laugh. "You harbor two Lekk thieves. And hold our prince's craft on your ship. Surrender now."

"We will gladly return your craft to you after the secondary star has exploded. The Lekk have asked for political asylum and I have granted it. We are here on scientific reasons." Janeway glared at the screen. "But we will not surrender."

"Then prepare to die," Qados said, and cut the transmission.

Janeway dropped back into her seat with a sigh.

"The guy can turn a cliche," Tom said.

"Three warships are in pursuit," Tuvok said.

"Good," Janeway said. "Ensign Kim, show a battle schematic of the locations of the seven Qavok warships, our position, and the binary."

"Yes, Captain," Kim said.

Janeway watched him as he worked furiously for a very long two seconds.

"On screen," he said without looking up.

She turned to stare at the battle schematic. It clearly showed all the Qavok warships with red dots and marked Voyager's position with a blue dot. In the center of the image were small, circling binary stars. A green dot showed the location of the Xorm ship, very close in.

Two Qavok ships were bearing down on them from the right, two from behind, one from the left, and two remained in position on the far side of the binary, blocking that route.

"Let's give them a little surprise," Janeway said. "Tom, reverse course hard. I want to go right through the center of those two pursuing ships. Forward shields on full, fire when in range."

"Aye, Captain," Tom said.

"Split screen, Ensign," Janeway said. "Half schematic, half forward images."

"Understood," Kim said.

The main screen split into two images. Schematic left, two Qavok warships on the right.

"Fire," Chakotay said.

Janeway sat, her hands gripping her chair as Voyager's phasers made short work of the two Qavok warships.

It wasn't even really a fight.

The phasers sliced open the ships as if they were child's toys.

Not one shot from a Qavok warship was even fired, it all happened so fast.

"Two Qavok warships have been destroyed," Tuvok said.

"Have our odds improved?" Janeway asked.

"Considerably," Tuvok said.

"Good," she said. "Ensign, hail Captain Qados."

"Aye, Captain," Kim said. After a moment he said, "No response."

"Idiots," Janeway said, staring at the schematic.

The three ships had now formed one group and were in pursuit. The other two Qavok warships were moving to block their path.

She hated this situation. The Qavok were clearly outgunned and had no defense against Voyager's weapons. Yet the only way to prove it to them was to destroy ships and kill hapless Qavok warriors.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

But Qados was giving her no choice in the matter.

"Mr. Paris, head right at the two blocking Qavok warships. Maybe if we take those two out, the others will pull back."

"Almost within firing range," Chakotay said.

"Fire when ready," she said.

She pushed her back against her captain's chair and watched as the blue dot showing Voyager bore down on the two red dots of the Qavok Empire.

"Firing," Chakotay said.

On the right side of the split screen two Qavok warships exploded as Voyager flashed past On the left side of the screen two red