Equinox - Diane Carey [79]
Janeway's voice barely made it over the link. "I promise."
The sound of the alien tone began to break in Equinox's engine room. Fissures opening, the warp core winding up to overload ...
On Voyager Janeway indulged in a silent moan. This wasn't what she had ever had in mind.
As they watched, the Equinox raced away from the starship, rushing in a swept arc through the cloud of some past cataclysm. It dragged interstellar matter with it for a few thousand miles, farther and farther, smaller and smaller, until it was only a point of light in the deep distance.
Booooooooommmmmm
A wash of light broke, as if a child's finger had
drawn chalkdust across a blackboard. The tail of dust turned to spark les. Warp residue.
Ransom had, in the end, confirmed Chakotay's guess that he wasn't out for himself. Even at the last action, he was protecting his crew, if only to free them from having to follow him anymore. He had, with this single decisive action, commended his surviving crew to Janeway's command with his blessing.
/ wonder how long he was ready to die.
Surrounded by her somber crew, Kathryn Janeway watched the sad repercussion of a day gone bad.
Quick and crisp. If she could write her own farewell, this would do.
"Hang on, Captain," she murmured.
No one else heard. No one else was listening.
CHAPTER 15
"THE ALIENS FROM THE FISSURES, IT SEEMS, CAPTAIN,
have returned to their realm now that Equinox is gone. What are your orders?"
As he asked his question, Tuvok stood with Tom Paris, Harry Kim, and B'Elanna Torres at his sides, the scene looking incomplete. They were all reserved in their captain's presence. They hadn't quite forgiven her. Understandable, since she wasn't even close to forgiving herself.
"Secure from general quarters," she said, her throat dust-dry. "Put a team on the shields and get the integrity back up. Damage control should work around the clock, all watches. Make sure The Doctor's program is secure too, no lingering ghosts of the other doctor. Let's not take chances. Have him check Seven thoroughly and make sure she's back to normal. Convene a
meeting of the Equinox officers and all Voyager officers and department heads in the briefing room in thirty minutes. Have all other crewmen and the deckhands of the Equinox crew watch on monitors. Attendance is required. I want this all resolved in the next hour. It's over and I want it to feel over."
"Aye, Captain."
"The rest of you, take your posts. If anyone wants to speak to me privately, I'll be in my quarters this evening. Consider the invitation open. I'd like to hear what you think."
That alone seemed to relieve Tom Paris. His expression relaxed just to hear her invite them to tell her off. He met B'Elanna's eyes, and Janeway could tell that they were back on track. Quietly, they both moved to their posts. Harry Kim openly smiled at her as he, too, moved back to his console.
As Tuvok turned to fulfill those orders, Janeway stepped to the upper deck.
"Tuvok..."
He turned. "Yes?"
"Reinstate Mr. Chakotay to his post with my compliments. He can supervise the repair teams. Have the ship's log read that he acted in the best interest of the ship and crew."
"We will all be gratified, Captain. Thank you."
"Don't thank me. I don't want to be thanked."
Tuvok lowered his head once in a passive nod. "Understood."
And he really did.
"There. Good as new."
The sickbay was a reassuring place for Seven of Nine, especially as she heard The Doctor's words telling her she was whole and well again. Somehow that gave her a curious sensation in the middle of her body that did not compute in her mind.
"I'd like you to regenerate for the next few hours," The Doctor completed. "It'll help stabilize your cortical array."
"Understood." Seven stood up and allowed him to make a final