Renegades: Civil War Chapter Fifty-Seven

 In the middle of the night, Ro Laren was dragged from what could loosely be called her bed in the room known as 'The Place of Novices' by those on Cygnus Alpha. To say that she was asleep would have been an over-statement. The bed was as hard as a rock, mainly because that was what it was. Ro soon found herself stood before the tall, imposing figure of Vargas. Ro had only met him briefly before, but she could tell that he was capable of great treachery.

"So this is our new novice!" Vargas smiled. "An unexpected, and most welcome visitor!"

"What are you doing with this place?" Ro asked. "I thought this planet was meant to be a penal colony!"

"And that is what it is!" Vargas replied. "Except that the Federation left no garrison here to 'care' for us. Instead they left us to our own devices. The relative calm you see here before you never existed years ago when we first came here! Now, my dear Bajoran, you have two choices. You can join our order and usher in a new age for the universe with the help of some Istarian power, or you can stay in the Place of Novices, for the rest of your natural life, with just enough food rations to keep you alive!"

"What new age? What Istarian power?"

"You will find out, soon enough! Just give me your answer!"

"I would never join up with the likes of you!"

"Very well! Take her back!"

The two robed guards each grabbed an arm and dragged her away.

"Bring her back to me in six hours," said Vargas. "Perhaps if we leave her without any rations at all!"

Ro was soon thrown back into her cell. The door slammed shut behind her, leaving nothing but the light from the moon to light her cell.

The bridge of the Voyager was in utter chaos. The displacement wave had caused a great amount of damage, and only now was Captain Janeway coming to.

"What happened?" she asked, looking at the destruction around her.

Slowly, Kim got to his feet and checked the readings from his Ops terminal. At first he could not believe his eyes. Perhaps his systems were damaged as well. All the same, he gave Janeway his report.

"Captain, if these instruments are working properly, then we've travelled over seventy-thousand light years! We're on the other side of the galaxy!"

The news hit Janeway like a ton of bricks. Still, she knew she had to be strong, for the crew, for herself. She stood up and began to look around. Near her feet lay Commander Cavett. Leaning down, she checked his pulse. He was dead. Nearby, she saw Paris crouched over Stadi.

"How is she?"

Paris looked around. Before he spoke, Janeway knew what he was going to tell her.

"She’s dead!"

"Mister Kim! Can you get the viewer working, try to get a visual of anything outside!"

"I can try."

The image of the viewer was fuzzy at first, but after a few seconds, a clearer image appeared before them. It appeared to be some sort of giant space station, an array. At regular intervals, bursts of energy shot out of the array, shot deep into space.

"What is that...that array?" Janeway asked.

"Sensors are unable to penetrate the hull," Kim replied.

The questions Janeway had about the array in front of them had to wait. She knew that the first priority had to be her crew. She knew that many would be injured.

"Bridge to Sickbay."

There was no reply. Again she tried to call, but again, she got the same reply.

"Mister Kim, get down to Sickbay," Janeway ordered.

Leaving his Ops station, Kim soon entered the turbo-lift. He was about to leave when Paris called out to him.

"Harry! Wait! I'll come with you!"

The two of them soon left. Seconds later a call came in from Engineering.

"Captain, we've got a problem down here. We've got a coolant leak, and the warp engine could go."

"On my way!"

Kim and Paris soon entered Sickbay. Smoke came billowing out as they entered. The body of the doctor and the nurse was soon found. They had been standing next to a computer panel when it exploded. They were both dead.

Quickly, Kim got a fire extinguisher and doused the flames. He then put into action a back-up system.

"Computer, activate emergency medical holographic program."

There was a shimmer in the centre of the room, and suddenly, the holographic image of a man, dressed in a Starfleet uniform, and appearing to be in his mid-forties, appeared.

"What is the nature of the medical emergency?"

"The doctor is dead," said Kim as casualties began to come into Sickbay.

The first was laid on the bed before the Doctor.

"Tri-corder!" he ordered, holding out his hand.

"I’m afraid the nurse was killed also!" said Kim.

The young ensign then handed the Doctor a tri-corder. However, it did not meet with his approval.

"Medical tri-corder!" the Doctor snapped, handing the instrument back to Kim.

Paris then handed Kim the proper instrument, which he gave to the Doctor. He then began his scan.

"How soon can a replacement doctor be sent?" he asked.

"We’re a long way from replacements!" said Kim.

"There is no need to worry," said the Doctor. "I am capable of performing many functions, however, a long term replacement is more suitable."

"We’re going to have to put up with you for a while, Doc!" said Paris.

Janeway, meanwhile, had arrived in Engineering, and had been appraised of the problem.

"Can’t we lock down the magnetic constrictors?" she asked.

"Unadvisable," said Lieutenant Carey, now the senior engineer. "The systems are locking us out anyway!"

"Do it," said Janeway. "It may be our only hope!"

The engineers set to work. Every minute brought them closer and closer to a warp core breach. Then, after several minutes, everything was ready.

"Lock down the constrictors," Janeway ordered.

The constrictors were locked down, and Carey looked at his panel.

"It's working!" he said. "Pressure in the warp core is decreasing!"

"Good," said Janeway. "Now let’s..."

Before she said anything else, Carey vanished before her eyes, as if he were whisked away by something. Then others in Engineering began to vanish, and then Janeway vanished.

In Sickbay, the Doctor, with the help of Paris and Kim, continued to treat the wounded. The Doctor was near to completion on one examination.

"You are okay," he said to the patient. "You can return to duty."

The patient began to sit up, but then, before the Doctor's eyes, she vanished. The Doctor looked around, and seconds later, everyone else in Sickbay apart from him had gone, as if they had been beamed away. The Doctor then activated his communicator.

"Sickbay to Bridge. I did not authorise any beam out from Sickbay."

The Doctor's call met with no response.

"Sickbay to Bridge! Sickbay to Bridge!"

The Doctor sighed.

"Doesn’t anyone know how to turn off the program when they leave?"