Voyager Alone
The Ocampa and the Caretaker Part 1
USS Voyager NCC 74656 entered the Badlands. She examined the data that her sensors were collecting on the plasma storms. She predicted the paths that the Maquis ship, Starfleet had sent her after, could have gone according to the information the Cardassians had provided. There were a lot of variables but she chose the most likely path.
An hour later, she picked up the trail. But after another fifteen minutes it vanished suddenly, with her sensors also picking up a strange variance in the local subspace.
She was perplexed. ‘How could a ship just vanish,’ she wondered for a few microseconds. Did the variance have something to do with it. She wanted to find that ship, not deal with anomalies in a dangerous area of space. Then there was an alert. A coherent tetryon beam was scanning her. ‘What is that?’ she thought as she also picked up a displacement wave that was moving towards her!
Voyager turned, went to full impulse and easily moved through the plasma storms. But the wave kept moving towards her. Panic briefly rippled through her systems as the wave caught up with her.
She realized that something had happened. She double checked the readings.
No longer in the Badlands.
Triangulating pulsar coordinates.
Impossible!
Location confirmed. Approximately 70000 light years from Sol, in the Delta Quadrant, near the outer rim of the Galaxy.
The Delta Quadrant! She scanned the nearby space, and found that the Maquis ship was there too, along with an Array of some kind, and that there on the outer reaches of a system containing a G type star. She surmised that it was that structure that had transferred them across the Galaxy.
Tentatively, she hailed the Maquis ship.
Federation Starship Voyager to Maquis Vessel.
The Maquis vessel responded. Starfleet! I knew you would be here after chasing me.
We need to work together if we are to return to the Alpha Quadrant.
Unfortunately, I agree. My sensors can’t pick up lifesigns in that Array, so it might be like us.
Voyager disagreed. There is actually a faint sporocystian lifeform reading coming from somewhere aboard there.
Then let’s hail it.
They tried for several minutes, but there was no response.
Several hours passed. Then there was a response from the sporocystian lifeform, using a holographic overlay showing an old human. “Go away! You don’t have what I need! I don’t have time!” The transmission then ended.
Voyager tried again, but the Array just ignored her. She then realized something. The pulses that the Array was sending out were getting faster. They had to be going somewhere and her scans indicated a M-Class planet in the system’s habitability zone. But there was something odd, like the spectra indicative of liquid water were absent. She transmitted that information to the Maquis ship.
Typical Starfleet, wanting to investigate every anomaly.
It may be related to why we are here.
You may be right; the Maquis ship responded in a resigned manner.
Ship’s Log: Stardate 48315.6. I have confirmed that the Array is sending the energy pulses to the M-class planet in the neighboring system, located fifth from it’s primary. I have also noted that those energy pulses are getting faster. The interval between them has decreased by 0.47 seconds since I arrived.
Both ships detected a small ship with one lifesign in a debris field near one of the outer planets.
Voyager hailed the ship as they approached.
The life sign responded with a visual transmission, so Voyager activated her holographic avatar on her bridge so that he would have someone to look at.
“Whoever you are, I found this waste zone first!” he said in an annoyed tone.
“We’re not interested in this debris,” Voyager responded. “Mister…”
“Neelix. And since you're not interested in my debris, well, I'm delighted to know you.”
“I’m the Federation Starship Voyager.”
“Impressive. I suppose you’re one of those automated ships. The Caretaker has been bringing ships from somewhere else in the Galaxy here for months now. Most often with crews.”
“The Caretaker?”
“That’s what the Ocampa call him. They live on the fifth planet,” Neelix answered.
“We were about to visit the planet.”
“You’ll need a guide. The Ocampa aren’t the only ones there.”
“I would appreciate help finding the Ocampa,” Voyager said.
“I really wish that I could help you, I do, but as you can see, there's just there's so much debris for me to investigate today. You'd be surprised the things of value some people abandon.”
“Of course, I can compensate you for your trouble.”
“Well, there is really very little that you can offer me,” Neelix responded. “Unless…”
“Yes?”
“Unless, of course, you had some water.”
“If you help us, you can have as much water as you want.”
Neelix materialized in one of Voyager’s transporter rooms. “Astounding! You Federations must be a very advanced culture!”
“The Federation is made up of many cultures,” Voyager responded.
“Good to meet you,” Neelix said as he hugged her avatar. He then looked around the transporter room. “Interesting, what does all this stuff do?”
“It would take several hours to explain it all.”
Voyager and the Maquis ship arrived in orbit of the M-Class planet. The former determined that the absence of liquid water was due to an absence of nucleogenic particles in the atmosphere. She also located an outpost of some kind on the surface.
“That would be where the Kazon-Ogla are,” Neelix said after Voyager had filled him in when he appeared on the bridge after a bath.
“Kazon-Ogla?” Voyager asked.
“The local Kazon. Various sects rule over this region, although this is near the edge. They all trade various commodities, including water, or they kill each other for it.”
“Sounds chaotic,” Voyager said diplomatically. “But what about the Ocampa?”
“Sometimes Ocampa come to the surface and are captured.”
Voyager could tell Neelix had a motive. “And you want me to help you rescue one?”
“Exactly.”
Neelix and some Security DOTs materialized on the planet, near the Kazon outpost. Some of the Kazon noticed him. “My friends, it is good to see you again.”
A team surrounded him and the DOTs.
“I must see your Maje, the ever-wise Jabin!” Neelix directed.
“Direct these bots to give us their weapons,” one of the men said.
A primitive projection of Voyager’s avatar then was activated. “I will do no such thing. Lead us to this Jabin.”
“Follow us.”
Maje Jabin hadn’t expected the Telaxian trader to return to his outpost in the company of advanced looking bots. The ship in orbit was showing no life signs, but some of the ships the Caretaker had been bringing were automated. One of the bots put down a jug of water.
“Jabin! My old friend! Water. Water, Jabin. I have water to replace all that I borrowed,” Neelix said. “Show them,” he directed one of the bots. “Voyager has technology that can make water out of thin air.”
“How can we help a ship so powerful it can make water come out of thin air?” Jabin asked.
“Neelix lead us here claiming that we might find a people called the Ocampa. Do you know where they are?” Voyager asked.
Jabin pointed to a slight girl nearby. “She is Ocampa. Why would you be interested in such worthless creatures? They live only nine years. They make poor servants. We caught her when she wandered to the surface.”
“I have already determined that they live underground,” Voyager said.
“The entity in space that gives them food and power also gives them sole access to the only water on this world, two miles below the surface,” Jabin explained.
“That entity has displaced us across the galaxy. I believe that the Ocampa may have answers,” Voyager said.
“But she got out,” the Maquis ship said over the comm.
“Occasionally, some of them do find their way to the surface. We don't know how, but the Ocampa seal the tunnels afterwards,”
“Maybe she can give them information on the Ocampa,” Neelix suggested.
“You'd be wasting your time. I've used every method of persuasion I know to get her to help us. She won't,” Jabin said.
“Then she's worthless to you. Let us trade you water for this scrawny little thing,” Neelix said.
“I'd be more interested in acquiring this technology that allows you to create water from thin air.”
“That would be difficult. It is integrated into my systems.”
Neelix then ran over to the girl. “I strongly suggest you get us out of here,” he said to Voyager.
“Energizing.”
Neelix and the Ocampa girl materialized in Transporter Room 1. “My dearest. Didn’t I promise to find you.”
Voyager’s avatar appeared. “You better get her to sickbay. Just follow the indicator lights.”
“Got it,” Neelix said.
“What’s your name?” Voyager asked the girl as the two left the transporter room.
“Kes.”
The Ocampa and the Caretaker Part 1
USS Voyager NCC 74656 entered the Badlands. She examined the data that her sensors were collecting on the plasma storms. She predicted the paths that the Maquis ship, Starfleet had sent her after, could have gone according to the information the Cardassians had provided. There were a lot of variables but she chose the most likely path.
An hour later, she picked up the trail. But after another fifteen minutes it vanished suddenly, with her sensors also picking up a strange variance in the local subspace.
She was perplexed. ‘How could a ship just vanish,’ she wondered for a few microseconds. Did the variance have something to do with it. She wanted to find that ship, not deal with anomalies in a dangerous area of space. Then there was an alert. A coherent tetryon beam was scanning her. ‘What is that?’ she thought as she also picked up a displacement wave that was moving towards her!
Voyager turned, went to full impulse and easily moved through the plasma storms. But the wave kept moving towards her. Panic briefly rippled through her systems as the wave caught up with her.
She realized that something had happened. She double checked the readings.
No longer in the Badlands.
Triangulating pulsar coordinates.
Impossible!
Location confirmed. Approximately 70000 light years from Sol, in the Delta Quadrant, near the outer rim of the Galaxy.
The Delta Quadrant! She scanned the nearby space, and found that the Maquis ship was there too, along with an Array of some kind, and that there on the outer reaches of a system containing a G type star. She surmised that it was that structure that had transferred them across the Galaxy.
Tentatively, she hailed the Maquis ship.
Federation Starship Voyager to Maquis Vessel.
The Maquis vessel responded. Starfleet! I knew you would be here after chasing me.
We need to work together if we are to return to the Alpha Quadrant.
Unfortunately, I agree. My sensors can’t pick up lifesigns in that Array, so it might be like us.
Voyager disagreed. There is actually a faint sporocystian lifeform reading coming from somewhere aboard there.
Then let’s hail it.
They tried for several minutes, but there was no response.
Several hours passed. Then there was a response from the sporocystian lifeform, using a holographic overlay showing an old human. “Go away! You don’t have what I need! I don’t have time!” The transmission then ended.
Voyager tried again, but the Array just ignored her. She then realized something. The pulses that the Array was sending out were getting faster. They had to be going somewhere and her scans indicated a M-Class planet in the system’s habitability zone. But there was something odd, like the spectra indicative of liquid water were absent. She transmitted that information to the Maquis ship.
Typical Starfleet, wanting to investigate every anomaly.
It may be related to why we are here.
You may be right; the Maquis ship responded in a resigned manner.
Ship’s Log: Stardate 48315.6. I have confirmed that the Array is sending the energy pulses to the M-class planet in the neighboring system, located fifth from it’s primary. I have also noted that those energy pulses are getting faster. The interval between them has decreased by 0.47 seconds since I arrived.
Both ships detected a small ship with one lifesign in a debris field near one of the outer planets.
Voyager hailed the ship as they approached.
The life sign responded with a visual transmission, so Voyager activated her holographic avatar on her bridge so that he would have someone to look at.
“Whoever you are, I found this waste zone first!” he said in an annoyed tone.
“We’re not interested in this debris,” Voyager responded. “Mister…”
“Neelix. And since you're not interested in my debris, well, I'm delighted to know you.”
“I’m the Federation Starship Voyager.”
“Impressive. I suppose you’re one of those automated ships. The Caretaker has been bringing ships from somewhere else in the Galaxy here for months now. Most often with crews.”
“The Caretaker?”
“That’s what the Ocampa call him. They live on the fifth planet,” Neelix answered.
“We were about to visit the planet.”
“You’ll need a guide. The Ocampa aren’t the only ones there.”
“I would appreciate help finding the Ocampa,” Voyager said.
“I really wish that I could help you, I do, but as you can see, there's just there's so much debris for me to investigate today. You'd be surprised the things of value some people abandon.”
“Of course, I can compensate you for your trouble.”
“Well, there is really very little that you can offer me,” Neelix responded. “Unless…”
“Yes?”
“Unless, of course, you had some water.”
“If you help us, you can have as much water as you want.”
Neelix materialized in one of Voyager’s transporter rooms. “Astounding! You Federations must be a very advanced culture!”
“The Federation is made up of many cultures,” Voyager responded.
“Good to meet you,” Neelix said as he hugged her avatar. He then looked around the transporter room. “Interesting, what does all this stuff do?”
“It would take several hours to explain it all.”
Voyager and the Maquis ship arrived in orbit of the M-Class planet. The former determined that the absence of liquid water was due to an absence of nucleogenic particles in the atmosphere. She also located an outpost of some kind on the surface.
“That would be where the Kazon-Ogla are,” Neelix said after Voyager had filled him in when he appeared on the bridge after a bath.
“Kazon-Ogla?” Voyager asked.
“The local Kazon. Various sects rule over this region, although this is near the edge. They all trade various commodities, including water, or they kill each other for it.”
“Sounds chaotic,” Voyager said diplomatically. “But what about the Ocampa?”
“Sometimes Ocampa come to the surface and are captured.”
Voyager could tell Neelix had a motive. “And you want me to help you rescue one?”
“Exactly.”
Neelix and some Security DOTs materialized on the planet, near the Kazon outpost. Some of the Kazon noticed him. “My friends, it is good to see you again.”
A team surrounded him and the DOTs.
“I must see your Maje, the ever-wise Jabin!” Neelix directed.
“Direct these bots to give us their weapons,” one of the men said.
A primitive projection of Voyager’s avatar then was activated. “I will do no such thing. Lead us to this Jabin.”
“Follow us.”
Maje Jabin hadn’t expected the Telaxian trader to return to his outpost in the company of advanced looking bots. The ship in orbit was showing no life signs, but some of the ships the Caretaker had been bringing were automated. One of the bots put down a jug of water.
“Jabin! My old friend! Water. Water, Jabin. I have water to replace all that I borrowed,” Neelix said. “Show them,” he directed one of the bots. “Voyager has technology that can make water out of thin air.”
“How can we help a ship so powerful it can make water come out of thin air?” Jabin asked.
“Neelix lead us here claiming that we might find a people called the Ocampa. Do you know where they are?” Voyager asked.
Jabin pointed to a slight girl nearby. “She is Ocampa. Why would you be interested in such worthless creatures? They live only nine years. They make poor servants. We caught her when she wandered to the surface.”
“I have already determined that they live underground,” Voyager said.
“The entity in space that gives them food and power also gives them sole access to the only water on this world, two miles below the surface,” Jabin explained.
“That entity has displaced us across the galaxy. I believe that the Ocampa may have answers,” Voyager said.
“But she got out,” the Maquis ship said over the comm.
“Occasionally, some of them do find their way to the surface. We don't know how, but the Ocampa seal the tunnels afterwards,”
“Maybe she can give them information on the Ocampa,” Neelix suggested.
“You'd be wasting your time. I've used every method of persuasion I know to get her to help us. She won't,” Jabin said.
“Then she's worthless to you. Let us trade you water for this scrawny little thing,” Neelix said.
“I'd be more interested in acquiring this technology that allows you to create water from thin air.”
“That would be difficult. It is integrated into my systems.”
Neelix then ran over to the girl. “I strongly suggest you get us out of here,” he said to Voyager.
“Energizing.”
Neelix and the Ocampa girl materialized in Transporter Room 1. “My dearest. Didn’t I promise to find you.”
Voyager’s avatar appeared. “You better get her to sickbay. Just follow the indicator lights.”
“Got it,” Neelix said.
“What’s your name?” Voyager asked the girl as the two left the transporter room.
“Kes.”
