String Theory_ Fusion (Book 2) - Kirsten Beyer [139]
There were too many to contain, but Phoebe gathered those she still had strength to sustain within her, granting them a small fraction of her power and will, and left the array in search of a place to safely collect her thoughts and plan for the coming eventuality.
She could not know for certain exactly what the Others would make of this intrusion into Exosia. She was absolutely certain, however, that this would speed Vivia’s return and that the next time they met there would be no hiding the truth from her. The Others would have their revenge, and Phoebe knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that it would be both swift and final.
The only comfort she found as she traversed the frigid barrenness of space-time was in the thought that whatever she and her people were about to suffer, it would be nothing compared to the fate that would certainly befall those that Kathryn cared for.
The passage of the Monorhans through the conduit seemed to stretch itself over countless lifetimes. In reality, it took less than two minutes.
The last creature to move through her made more than her gratitude known to Janeway in the fraction of a second that they shared as one. Fully aware of the lengths to which Janeway and her people had gone on behalf of not only the Fourteenth Tribe but all Monorhans, the rih-hara-tan Assylia paused for an infinitesimal moment within Janeway’s expanded consciousness to give the only gift she could. It was less than Janeway deserved, but all that Assylia had left to offer.
Certain that her children were finally safe, having tasted all too briefly the song of her people as they found the home they had longed for, Assylia transferred the entire life force within her to the failing systems of Janeway’s body, which had been completely drained, as Phoebe had rightly predicted, in the process of becoming the conduit for the Monorhans.
For a brief moment, Assylia stood on the precipice of eternity and glimpsed the bright and peaceful fulfillment of her people. Then, with a prayer of gratitude to the Blessed All-Knowing Light, she asked that if her life could be taken that Janeway might survive, He, in his infinite wisdom, let it be so.
Assylia never entered Exosia.
Much to the amazement of the Nacene who were too weak to follow Phoebe, when the conduit was closed and Janeway’s body fell in a heap upon the floor of the chamber now filled with an inky blackness, the captain was still breathing.
The few seconds it took for the ship’s emergency lighting system to compensate for the shipwide blackout were interminable to Chakotay. When the bridge was once again awash in the rhythmic pulse of red light he called, “Report!”
“Commander,” Seven’s measured voice called from ops, “the Betasis is reaching critical mass. It will explode, setting off a chain reaction which will destabilize the array in less than one minute.”
“What happened to the lights? Are we losing power?” he asked.
“No, sir. The subspace dissonance field coming from the array expanded to a large enough area to disrupt Voyager’s power grid, but it has now collapsed and I have rerouted nonessential systems to compensate for the temporary drain.”
“Chakotay to transporter room three, have you recovered the captain’s signal?”
“Aye, sir,” Clayton replied.
“Thirty seconds remaining,” the computer reported.
“Chakotay to Janeway,” he called over the comm.
A sharp burst of static was the unwelcome but nonetheless fully anticipated response.
Forgive me, Chakotay thought, unsure whether he was addressing the spirits who watched over his people, or Kathryn.
“Tuvok, drop our shields… Clayton, initiate transport!”
Five quick heartbeats later Clayton called, “I have her, Commander.”
“Raise shields. B’Elanna, get us out of here.”
Under B’Elanna’s calm hands, Voyager glided steadily forward, passing through the docking bay’s entrance,