Okay, as I said in the challenge announcement thread, IDK if this work has enough words to qualify, but even so, I've wanted to post this for a long time, and the "redemption" theme seemed a good a time as any.
Basically, this is a story that I wrote as a possible "pilot" for a new fanfic series called "Star Trek: Distant Star". The story is a direct sequel to VOY's finale, "Endgame", and deals with Admiral Janeway trying to redeem herself in her own eyes, after having wiped out the Borg in "Endgame", which she now considers an act of genocide, in hindsight.
So, here it is, for what it's worth... enjoy.
- BolianAuthor
STAR TREK: DISTANT STAR
"WAKING NIGHTMARES"
WRITTEN BY: BolianAuthor
--------------------------------------------------------------
Admiral Nechayev paused, looking at the highly honored and decorated Captain sitting before her. There was another thought on her mind... one she wanted to openly address... a question she wanted answered, and a point she wanted to make VERY clear.
"Captain... I've read the report you submitted to Admiral Brooks last year regarding the Borg you called "Hugh"..." she said, as she paused, considering her next words. "... and I've been trying to figure out why you let him go." she asked.
Captain Jean-Luc Picard stiffened slightly in his Ready-Room chair, as he faced the Admiral.
"I thought I made my reasons clear." he replied, calmly.
Admiral Nechayev remained unphased... she wanted her answer.
"As I understand it... you found a single Borg at a crash site... brought it aboard the Enterprise... studied it... analyzed it... and eventually found a way to send it back to the Borg with a program that would have destroyed the entire Collective once and for all." she said.
Picard was reactionless, merely taking in the Admiral's words. He could tell she was becoming more irate.
"But instead, you nursed the Borg back to health, treated it like a guest, gave it a name, and then sent it home. Why?" she asked.
Picard was unphased by the Admiral's harsher tone... if need be, he can and will confront this issue directly. He looked Nechayev directly in the eye, as he gave his answer.
"Once Hugh was separated from the Borg Collective he began to... grow and evolve into something more than just an automaton. He was a person. When that happened, I had no choice but to respect his rights as an individual." he said, firm.
Nechayev allowed a thin, almost devious smile to break on her lips, as she faced Captain Picard.
"Of course you had a choice. You could've taken the opportunity to rid the Federation of a mortal enemy... one that has killed tens of thousands of innocent people, and which may kill even more." she stated.
Now Captain Picard was beginning to see where the Admiral was leading with all this. He decided to meet her level of intensity, and his voice now became firm, and equally determined.
"No one is more aware of the danger than I am. But I am also bound by my oath and my conscience to uphold certain principles. And I will not sacrifice them in order to--" he began, as he was interrupted by the Admiral.
"Your priority is to safeguard the lives of Federation citizens... NOT to wrestle with your conscience. Now I want to make it clear that if you have a similar opportunity in the future... an opportunity to destroy the Borg... you are under orders to take advantage of it. Is that understood?" she said, with a stern tone that was not to be misunderstood.
Captain Picard stood up to directly match the Admiral's gaze, as he looked right at her, standing ramrod straight.
"Yes, Sir!" Picard said, as Admiral Nechayev shot him one last look, as she turned and exited his Ready-Room, leaving him to stare after her.
"Computer, end program!" the female voice ordered.
The image of the Ready-Room of the Enterprise-D and Captain Picard vanished, to be replaced by the yellow and blue squares of the hologrid. Standing in the Holodeck arch, was the source of the feminine voice... Admiral Kathryn Janeway.
UTOPIA PLANITIA STARFLEET YARDS, MARS
A small orbital observation structure orbited high above the surface of Mars, in close proximity to the massive network of orbital drydocks, shipyards, offices, and ASDB offices that also shared orbit of the red planet. Beside the small observation structure, a single Galaxy-Class ship held position.
Inside the structure, a dozen high-ranking Starfleet Admirals were gathered, facing the set of large windows, that looked out into space, and to the nearby starship. Their gazes were then drawn to a lone Starfleet Command officer... Commander rank. The man stepped behind a podium, and placed a large PADD on the surface, as he activated it, and looked to the Admirals, clearing his throat, as he began to speak.
"Gentlemen... I thank you for coming. I know you are all very busy. I think you'll all agree, this is worth it." he began.
The Commander directed the Admirals to the Galaxy-Class ship outside.
"Behold... the U.S.S. Rutan. In every regard, your typical, run-of-the-mill Galaxy-Class ship." he began. "But I urge you to look closer... much closer... and tell me what you see." he said, breaking into a small smile.
The Admirals all looked close and hard at the Rutan, taking in the minute details on the ship's hull. Finally, one of the Admirals, a Benzite, spoke up, looking to the Commander.
"I see it! It looks like there are new additional phaser banks on the upper and lower saucer, as well as the dorsal and ventral engineering hull!" he exclaimed.
This brought a chuckle from the Commander, as all the other Admirals turned to face him again.
"Very perceptive, Admiral Bruken, but you are wrong... those are not phaser banks." he began, as he turned to face the ship outside. "Allow me to demonstrate." he said, as he then tapped his communicator. "Delaney to Rutan... deploy armor!" he instructed.
In space, the U.S.S. Rutan held position, as at the same time, the new hull additions generated a surrounding shell of ablative hull armor, which totally encased the ship.
Inside the structure, the Admirals all gasped in awe at the sight they were witnessing. Finally, as the sight began to settle in, they again turned to face the Commander, who was now beaming with pride.
"It's called deployable hull armor." he said, smiling. "The folks at Starfleet R&D and the Vulcan Science Institute have been working with the minds at both M.I.T. and the Daystrom Institute, to come up with this... a way of generating a layer of ablative armor that would encase a ship fully... even a ship with as many windows as a Galaxy-Class ship... so that the entire vessel can be fully protected, on demand. This is the end result of that research... deployable hull armor." Commander Delaney explained.
The Admirals were floored. They just looked back at the now-armored Galaxy-Class drifting outside.
RESIDENCE OF ADMIRAL JANEWAY, SAN FRANCISCO, EARTH
The large wall monitor was displaying the current broadcast from GNN - the Galactic News Network. The anchorman was relaying information about an upcoming event... an event that Admiral Janeway knew was coming...
"And in San Francisco, on Earth, preparations continue for the upcoming twentieth celebration of Voyager Day... the day that Captain Kathryn Janeway successfully brought Voyager home. Every year, the event draws spectators from all over the Federation to the City of San Francisco, and the grounds of Starfleet Headquarters, as we all celebrate the triumph of Voyager's return home, and the heroism of her crew. This year's twentieth celebration promises to be no less grand." the male anchorman stated, as Admiral Janeway walked over to the wall monitor.
"Computer, deactivate broadcast." she ordered, as the screen went black, showing only her own reflection.
She walked over to her desk, and picked up her mug of tea, taking a sip, as she was interrupted by a call from her home's computer.
"Incoming transmission, from the Starship Rhode Island." the computer relayed.
Janeway set her tea down, and activated her desk computer, the light from the screen illuminating her face, in the otherwise dimly lit room. She smiled, at the sight of who was on the other end.
"Harry... congratulations on your promotion!" she said, smiling. "You'll make a fantastic First Officer for Captain Karkhun." she added.
On the other end, Commander Harry Kim returned his former Captain's smile.
"Thank you, Admiral." he began. "The Rhode Island won't be leaving orbit for another two days... I thought that since I'll have some time... maybe we could get together and chat a bit... talk about old times." he said.
Janeway smiled, looking into the screen.
"Harry." she said. "Of course we can get together. I'll clear my schedule for the next two days. As a matter of fact... I can use someone to talk to... I've been thinking about something, and it's been troubling my mind." she said.
U.S.S. RHODE ISLAND - NOVA-CLASS - EARTH ORBIT
The small ship circled the Earth slowly.
Inside the ship, Admiral Janeway sat across from Commander Kim in his quarters. The two were in the final stages of a dinner, and Kim added more tea to the Admiral's glass.
"So, Admiral... what's this issue that's been troubling your mind recently?" he asked.
Janeway wiped her lips with a napkin, as she leaned forward to explain the matter.
"Harry... you know the anniversary is coming up... twenty years since I brought Voyager home. And I know that in another few years, I am going to initiate that chain of events, by going back into the past." she said.
"A temporal causality loop?" Kim asked.
Janeway shook her head.
"It's more complicated then that, Mister Kim. You see, for twenty years, I have remained comfortable that since Voyager was home, everything was rosy... we came home with technology that is being developed now. That ensured that the Federation was able to rise out of the abyss after the Dominion War, and remain stronger than any other powers." she began. "But I've been thinking... at what cost? For all intents and purposes, in a few years, I will commit an act of genocide, in the name of getting Voyager home. Will it be justified, to get the ship home, and exalt the Federation into its current state?" she asked.
Kim took a sip of tea, and nodded, as he placed the glass down.
"Admiral, this future exists because of what you did. You know, yesterday, the Utopia Planitia Yards conducted the first successful test of the new hull armor, on the Rutan. Even though you brought that technology with you on Voyager, it was not until now, that we were able to reproduce the technology from scratch. So who is to say that any research into that technology would not have happened if Voyager had not given us the base model to start from?" he asked. "At the time of the Dominion War, the galactic climate dictated that the Federation explore more defensive and military avenues of technology... it was not until Voyager returned, that the Borg threat was deemed destroyed." he added.
Janeway just shook her head.
"But what does that say about the Federation as a whole? I recently reviewed a record of one of the Enterprise-D's logs on the Holodeck. At one time, Admiral Nechayev gave Captain Jean-Luc Picard an EXPLICIT order to destroy the Borg... the entire Collective, if he was ever faced with such an opportunity. And this log record was from a pre-Dominion War Federation... before the Borg battle from the Typhon Sector to Earth. And a peacetime Starfleet Admiral was essentially ordering an act of genocide. What does that say? Were we so threatened by the Borg, that we would resort to violating the very essence of the Prime Directive?" she asked.
Harry pushed his now empty plate aside on the table, as he responded.
"Again, Admiral... I bring up the armor technology test. As I understand it, the person in charge of the project was Admiral Shelby. If you will recall, she was Starfleet's expert on the Borg Collective during the time of Wolf 359. I remind you, that her efforts into anti-Borg technologies gave life to numerous research projects... the concept for this new hull armor was actually on the drawing board a long time ago... we just did not have the means to explore it at the time. Voyager's return early may have expedited the advances a little, but I don't think anything would have changed so drastically." he said.
Janeway sat back, and looked her old friend in the eye.
"I remember our first encounter with Species 8-4-7-2." she began. "I remember the sight of a dozen Borg Cubes, utterly demolished, in a graveyard of Borg ships. I remember that during that mission, Commander Chakotay told me how the Borg were like a Scorpion... that it was their nature to be the way they were, and that nothing could change the nature of the beast. It was simply the way things were. Trouble is, he was right." she said, pausing a moment. "But if that is the case, does it justify the extinction of a race, just to ensure the safety of our own culture? Can't we try to find some way to allow nature to stay its course, and deal with each threat as it arrives?" she asked.
Kim just shared his former Captain's look, sympathizing with her. This was obviously troubling her a great deal.
"Well... if it's any comfort to you, Admiral... in a few years, I'll be the one who tries to stop you." he said, smiling a bit, hoping to cheer her up a little.
U.S.S. VOYAGER - INTREPID-CLASS - SPACEDOCK
The proud old ship sat inside the massive structure, anchored to her berth by mooring beams and a gangway, leading from the dock to the starboard airlock, as around the ship, service craft and Workbees scurried about. On the outer hull, EVA teams were busy putting the final touches on the new armor deployment systems.
Inside the ship, Admiral Janeway stepped out of the turbolift, and onto the Bridge, as the lead service technician noticed her, and snapped to attention.
"Admiral on deck!" he shouted out, as everyone stopped what they were doing, and snapped to attention, facing Janeway.
Janeway looked around her old Bridge, taking in the sights and sounds. A lot was being changed... new LCARS, new station enhancements, new carpet and chairs... even the doors were new. The Bridge also seemed to be a different color now. Gone was the old brushed metal railing behind the Captain and First Officer's chairs... in its place, was a new wooden rail, that curved around the seating area. The Bridge seemed warmer somehow now... a touch more luxury... more like a Nebula-Class ship, than an Intrepid.
"As you were." she stated, allowing the techs to get back to work, as she walked to meet the lead technician.
"Status report." she asked.
The man began leading her around the Bridge, as he began to relay his report.
"The new software upgrades are complete... Engineering is running a final set of diagnostics on them now. The armor upgrades are almost finished... we'll be done by the end of the day." he said, as he paused in front of an open wall panel, which was exposing a cluster of bio-neural gelpacks, still hooked into the subsystem wall. "As you can see, we're still in the process of installing the new iso-neural circuitry systems." he added. "I estimate it'll take my teams another day to complete that task... we still have decks nine and twelve to complete." he stated.
Janeway nodded.
"I want to know the second this ship is ready to fly... is that clear?" she asked.
"Of course, Admiral." the tech replied.
"How about the weapons systems?" she asked.
"The phaser upgrades were completed yesterday morning. The supply of transphasic and chronometric torpedoes will arrive late tonight." he said.
Janeway suddenly flashed back to the very first time she had heard of those new weapons... all those years ago on Voyager, when the ship was still in the Delta Quadrant, so far from home...
The image on the Conference Room monitor showed the data clear as day... a rotating image of a photon torpedo casing, with multiple subspace fields emanating from it.
"They are called "transphasic torpedoes"... a typical photonic weapon, with an antimatter warhead, that has been enhanced to generate multiple subspace fields... allowing the unit to be in a constant state of spatial flux, thereby allowing the weapon to penetrate through any known shielding system." stated Seven of Nine, as she looked to the crew to get their reactions.
Captain Janeway moved closer to the monitor, and took in the data on it.
"And you believe that we can make these modifications to our own torpedoes?" she asked.
"Correct." Seven replied.
Tuvok raised an eyebrow.
"Fascinating. If this technology proves compatible with our own systems, we may finally gain a significant tactical advantage over the Borg, should we encounter any of their vessels." he stated.
Even though Seven had long since abandoned her Borg identity, and regarded herself as an individual, there was still some distant part of her being which held a perverse pride in her previous Borg status... the knowledge that what she once was still inspired such fear and awe at the same time. That part of her did not care for comments like Tuvok's.
"The Borg are resourceful... they may adapt." she shot back. "However... this will certainly ensure that Voyager gains an edge... an advantage we can exploit." she said.
"I agree." Chakotay added, also stepping forward. "I say we give it a try... we can use any advantage we can get." he said.
Janeway allowed a smile to escape to the surface, as she looked at her crew, enthused by this prospect.
"Very well... we'll give it a try." she said. "B'Elanna, Tom, Tuvok... I want you to work with Seven on this. We'll modify a handful of torpedoes, and test them in the nearest asteroid field we can find. Mister Paris... find me a collection of rocks to shoot at." she said, smiling.
Suddenly, Janeway was brought back into the present, standing on the Voyager Bridge, inside Spacedock. She looked to the viewscreen, which showed the forward view, looking to the massive space doors, as small craft zipped about, attending to their business. She then looked back to the technician.
"Very well. I'll remain on Starbase, if you need me... call me when the ship is ready." she said, as she moved to leave the Bridge.
- TO BE CONTINUED -
Basically, this is a story that I wrote as a possible "pilot" for a new fanfic series called "Star Trek: Distant Star". The story is a direct sequel to VOY's finale, "Endgame", and deals with Admiral Janeway trying to redeem herself in her own eyes, after having wiped out the Borg in "Endgame", which she now considers an act of genocide, in hindsight.
So, here it is, for what it's worth... enjoy.
- BolianAuthor
STAR TREK: DISTANT STAR
"WAKING NIGHTMARES"
WRITTEN BY: BolianAuthor
--------------------------------------------------------------
Admiral Nechayev paused, looking at the highly honored and decorated Captain sitting before her. There was another thought on her mind... one she wanted to openly address... a question she wanted answered, and a point she wanted to make VERY clear.
"Captain... I've read the report you submitted to Admiral Brooks last year regarding the Borg you called "Hugh"..." she said, as she paused, considering her next words. "... and I've been trying to figure out why you let him go." she asked.
Captain Jean-Luc Picard stiffened slightly in his Ready-Room chair, as he faced the Admiral.
"I thought I made my reasons clear." he replied, calmly.
Admiral Nechayev remained unphased... she wanted her answer.
"As I understand it... you found a single Borg at a crash site... brought it aboard the Enterprise... studied it... analyzed it... and eventually found a way to send it back to the Borg with a program that would have destroyed the entire Collective once and for all." she said.
Picard was reactionless, merely taking in the Admiral's words. He could tell she was becoming more irate.
"But instead, you nursed the Borg back to health, treated it like a guest, gave it a name, and then sent it home. Why?" she asked.
Picard was unphased by the Admiral's harsher tone... if need be, he can and will confront this issue directly. He looked Nechayev directly in the eye, as he gave his answer.
"Once Hugh was separated from the Borg Collective he began to... grow and evolve into something more than just an automaton. He was a person. When that happened, I had no choice but to respect his rights as an individual." he said, firm.
Nechayev allowed a thin, almost devious smile to break on her lips, as she faced Captain Picard.
"Of course you had a choice. You could've taken the opportunity to rid the Federation of a mortal enemy... one that has killed tens of thousands of innocent people, and which may kill even more." she stated.
Now Captain Picard was beginning to see where the Admiral was leading with all this. He decided to meet her level of intensity, and his voice now became firm, and equally determined.
"No one is more aware of the danger than I am. But I am also bound by my oath and my conscience to uphold certain principles. And I will not sacrifice them in order to--" he began, as he was interrupted by the Admiral.
"Your priority is to safeguard the lives of Federation citizens... NOT to wrestle with your conscience. Now I want to make it clear that if you have a similar opportunity in the future... an opportunity to destroy the Borg... you are under orders to take advantage of it. Is that understood?" she said, with a stern tone that was not to be misunderstood.
Captain Picard stood up to directly match the Admiral's gaze, as he looked right at her, standing ramrod straight.
"Yes, Sir!" Picard said, as Admiral Nechayev shot him one last look, as she turned and exited his Ready-Room, leaving him to stare after her.
"Computer, end program!" the female voice ordered.
The image of the Ready-Room of the Enterprise-D and Captain Picard vanished, to be replaced by the yellow and blue squares of the hologrid. Standing in the Holodeck arch, was the source of the feminine voice... Admiral Kathryn Janeway.
UTOPIA PLANITIA STARFLEET YARDS, MARS
A small orbital observation structure orbited high above the surface of Mars, in close proximity to the massive network of orbital drydocks, shipyards, offices, and ASDB offices that also shared orbit of the red planet. Beside the small observation structure, a single Galaxy-Class ship held position.
Inside the structure, a dozen high-ranking Starfleet Admirals were gathered, facing the set of large windows, that looked out into space, and to the nearby starship. Their gazes were then drawn to a lone Starfleet Command officer... Commander rank. The man stepped behind a podium, and placed a large PADD on the surface, as he activated it, and looked to the Admirals, clearing his throat, as he began to speak.
"Gentlemen... I thank you for coming. I know you are all very busy. I think you'll all agree, this is worth it." he began.
The Commander directed the Admirals to the Galaxy-Class ship outside.
"Behold... the U.S.S. Rutan. In every regard, your typical, run-of-the-mill Galaxy-Class ship." he began. "But I urge you to look closer... much closer... and tell me what you see." he said, breaking into a small smile.
The Admirals all looked close and hard at the Rutan, taking in the minute details on the ship's hull. Finally, one of the Admirals, a Benzite, spoke up, looking to the Commander.
"I see it! It looks like there are new additional phaser banks on the upper and lower saucer, as well as the dorsal and ventral engineering hull!" he exclaimed.
This brought a chuckle from the Commander, as all the other Admirals turned to face him again.
"Very perceptive, Admiral Bruken, but you are wrong... those are not phaser banks." he began, as he turned to face the ship outside. "Allow me to demonstrate." he said, as he then tapped his communicator. "Delaney to Rutan... deploy armor!" he instructed.
In space, the U.S.S. Rutan held position, as at the same time, the new hull additions generated a surrounding shell of ablative hull armor, which totally encased the ship.
Inside the structure, the Admirals all gasped in awe at the sight they were witnessing. Finally, as the sight began to settle in, they again turned to face the Commander, who was now beaming with pride.
"It's called deployable hull armor." he said, smiling. "The folks at Starfleet R&D and the Vulcan Science Institute have been working with the minds at both M.I.T. and the Daystrom Institute, to come up with this... a way of generating a layer of ablative armor that would encase a ship fully... even a ship with as many windows as a Galaxy-Class ship... so that the entire vessel can be fully protected, on demand. This is the end result of that research... deployable hull armor." Commander Delaney explained.
The Admirals were floored. They just looked back at the now-armored Galaxy-Class drifting outside.
RESIDENCE OF ADMIRAL JANEWAY, SAN FRANCISCO, EARTH
The large wall monitor was displaying the current broadcast from GNN - the Galactic News Network. The anchorman was relaying information about an upcoming event... an event that Admiral Janeway knew was coming...
"And in San Francisco, on Earth, preparations continue for the upcoming twentieth celebration of Voyager Day... the day that Captain Kathryn Janeway successfully brought Voyager home. Every year, the event draws spectators from all over the Federation to the City of San Francisco, and the grounds of Starfleet Headquarters, as we all celebrate the triumph of Voyager's return home, and the heroism of her crew. This year's twentieth celebration promises to be no less grand." the male anchorman stated, as Admiral Janeway walked over to the wall monitor.
"Computer, deactivate broadcast." she ordered, as the screen went black, showing only her own reflection.
She walked over to her desk, and picked up her mug of tea, taking a sip, as she was interrupted by a call from her home's computer.
"Incoming transmission, from the Starship Rhode Island." the computer relayed.
Janeway set her tea down, and activated her desk computer, the light from the screen illuminating her face, in the otherwise dimly lit room. She smiled, at the sight of who was on the other end.
"Harry... congratulations on your promotion!" she said, smiling. "You'll make a fantastic First Officer for Captain Karkhun." she added.
On the other end, Commander Harry Kim returned his former Captain's smile.
"Thank you, Admiral." he began. "The Rhode Island won't be leaving orbit for another two days... I thought that since I'll have some time... maybe we could get together and chat a bit... talk about old times." he said.
Janeway smiled, looking into the screen.
"Harry." she said. "Of course we can get together. I'll clear my schedule for the next two days. As a matter of fact... I can use someone to talk to... I've been thinking about something, and it's been troubling my mind." she said.
U.S.S. RHODE ISLAND - NOVA-CLASS - EARTH ORBIT
The small ship circled the Earth slowly.
Inside the ship, Admiral Janeway sat across from Commander Kim in his quarters. The two were in the final stages of a dinner, and Kim added more tea to the Admiral's glass.
"So, Admiral... what's this issue that's been troubling your mind recently?" he asked.
Janeway wiped her lips with a napkin, as she leaned forward to explain the matter.
"Harry... you know the anniversary is coming up... twenty years since I brought Voyager home. And I know that in another few years, I am going to initiate that chain of events, by going back into the past." she said.
"A temporal causality loop?" Kim asked.
Janeway shook her head.
"It's more complicated then that, Mister Kim. You see, for twenty years, I have remained comfortable that since Voyager was home, everything was rosy... we came home with technology that is being developed now. That ensured that the Federation was able to rise out of the abyss after the Dominion War, and remain stronger than any other powers." she began. "But I've been thinking... at what cost? For all intents and purposes, in a few years, I will commit an act of genocide, in the name of getting Voyager home. Will it be justified, to get the ship home, and exalt the Federation into its current state?" she asked.
Kim took a sip of tea, and nodded, as he placed the glass down.
"Admiral, this future exists because of what you did. You know, yesterday, the Utopia Planitia Yards conducted the first successful test of the new hull armor, on the Rutan. Even though you brought that technology with you on Voyager, it was not until now, that we were able to reproduce the technology from scratch. So who is to say that any research into that technology would not have happened if Voyager had not given us the base model to start from?" he asked. "At the time of the Dominion War, the galactic climate dictated that the Federation explore more defensive and military avenues of technology... it was not until Voyager returned, that the Borg threat was deemed destroyed." he added.
Janeway just shook her head.
"But what does that say about the Federation as a whole? I recently reviewed a record of one of the Enterprise-D's logs on the Holodeck. At one time, Admiral Nechayev gave Captain Jean-Luc Picard an EXPLICIT order to destroy the Borg... the entire Collective, if he was ever faced with such an opportunity. And this log record was from a pre-Dominion War Federation... before the Borg battle from the Typhon Sector to Earth. And a peacetime Starfleet Admiral was essentially ordering an act of genocide. What does that say? Were we so threatened by the Borg, that we would resort to violating the very essence of the Prime Directive?" she asked.
Harry pushed his now empty plate aside on the table, as he responded.
"Again, Admiral... I bring up the armor technology test. As I understand it, the person in charge of the project was Admiral Shelby. If you will recall, she was Starfleet's expert on the Borg Collective during the time of Wolf 359. I remind you, that her efforts into anti-Borg technologies gave life to numerous research projects... the concept for this new hull armor was actually on the drawing board a long time ago... we just did not have the means to explore it at the time. Voyager's return early may have expedited the advances a little, but I don't think anything would have changed so drastically." he said.
Janeway sat back, and looked her old friend in the eye.
"I remember our first encounter with Species 8-4-7-2." she began. "I remember the sight of a dozen Borg Cubes, utterly demolished, in a graveyard of Borg ships. I remember that during that mission, Commander Chakotay told me how the Borg were like a Scorpion... that it was their nature to be the way they were, and that nothing could change the nature of the beast. It was simply the way things were. Trouble is, he was right." she said, pausing a moment. "But if that is the case, does it justify the extinction of a race, just to ensure the safety of our own culture? Can't we try to find some way to allow nature to stay its course, and deal with each threat as it arrives?" she asked.
Kim just shared his former Captain's look, sympathizing with her. This was obviously troubling her a great deal.
"Well... if it's any comfort to you, Admiral... in a few years, I'll be the one who tries to stop you." he said, smiling a bit, hoping to cheer her up a little.
U.S.S. VOYAGER - INTREPID-CLASS - SPACEDOCK
The proud old ship sat inside the massive structure, anchored to her berth by mooring beams and a gangway, leading from the dock to the starboard airlock, as around the ship, service craft and Workbees scurried about. On the outer hull, EVA teams were busy putting the final touches on the new armor deployment systems.
Inside the ship, Admiral Janeway stepped out of the turbolift, and onto the Bridge, as the lead service technician noticed her, and snapped to attention.
"Admiral on deck!" he shouted out, as everyone stopped what they were doing, and snapped to attention, facing Janeway.
Janeway looked around her old Bridge, taking in the sights and sounds. A lot was being changed... new LCARS, new station enhancements, new carpet and chairs... even the doors were new. The Bridge also seemed to be a different color now. Gone was the old brushed metal railing behind the Captain and First Officer's chairs... in its place, was a new wooden rail, that curved around the seating area. The Bridge seemed warmer somehow now... a touch more luxury... more like a Nebula-Class ship, than an Intrepid.
"As you were." she stated, allowing the techs to get back to work, as she walked to meet the lead technician.
"Status report." she asked.
The man began leading her around the Bridge, as he began to relay his report.
"The new software upgrades are complete... Engineering is running a final set of diagnostics on them now. The armor upgrades are almost finished... we'll be done by the end of the day." he said, as he paused in front of an open wall panel, which was exposing a cluster of bio-neural gelpacks, still hooked into the subsystem wall. "As you can see, we're still in the process of installing the new iso-neural circuitry systems." he added. "I estimate it'll take my teams another day to complete that task... we still have decks nine and twelve to complete." he stated.
Janeway nodded.
"I want to know the second this ship is ready to fly... is that clear?" she asked.
"Of course, Admiral." the tech replied.
"How about the weapons systems?" she asked.
"The phaser upgrades were completed yesterday morning. The supply of transphasic and chronometric torpedoes will arrive late tonight." he said.
Janeway suddenly flashed back to the very first time she had heard of those new weapons... all those years ago on Voyager, when the ship was still in the Delta Quadrant, so far from home...
The image on the Conference Room monitor showed the data clear as day... a rotating image of a photon torpedo casing, with multiple subspace fields emanating from it.
"They are called "transphasic torpedoes"... a typical photonic weapon, with an antimatter warhead, that has been enhanced to generate multiple subspace fields... allowing the unit to be in a constant state of spatial flux, thereby allowing the weapon to penetrate through any known shielding system." stated Seven of Nine, as she looked to the crew to get their reactions.
Captain Janeway moved closer to the monitor, and took in the data on it.
"And you believe that we can make these modifications to our own torpedoes?" she asked.
"Correct." Seven replied.
Tuvok raised an eyebrow.
"Fascinating. If this technology proves compatible with our own systems, we may finally gain a significant tactical advantage over the Borg, should we encounter any of their vessels." he stated.
Even though Seven had long since abandoned her Borg identity, and regarded herself as an individual, there was still some distant part of her being which held a perverse pride in her previous Borg status... the knowledge that what she once was still inspired such fear and awe at the same time. That part of her did not care for comments like Tuvok's.
"The Borg are resourceful... they may adapt." she shot back. "However... this will certainly ensure that Voyager gains an edge... an advantage we can exploit." she said.
"I agree." Chakotay added, also stepping forward. "I say we give it a try... we can use any advantage we can get." he said.
Janeway allowed a smile to escape to the surface, as she looked at her crew, enthused by this prospect.
"Very well... we'll give it a try." she said. "B'Elanna, Tom, Tuvok... I want you to work with Seven on this. We'll modify a handful of torpedoes, and test them in the nearest asteroid field we can find. Mister Paris... find me a collection of rocks to shoot at." she said, smiling.
Suddenly, Janeway was brought back into the present, standing on the Voyager Bridge, inside Spacedock. She looked to the viewscreen, which showed the forward view, looking to the massive space doors, as small craft zipped about, attending to their business. She then looked back to the technician.
"Very well. I'll remain on Starbase, if you need me... call me when the ship is ready." she said, as she moved to leave the Bridge.
- TO BE CONTINUED -
