Here goes: Disclaimer: Paramount owns, like, every Character on Voyager, this is story is only For entertainment, no copyright infringement intended. I'm merely Borrowing its fabulous characters. NOTE: Hello! It's my first time at writing fan fic - be gentle. By the way, My email is at taiworld@tm.net.my Comments(hopefully constructive) welcomed - lots! SANTIAGO'S LEGACY The world was a blaze of white pain and fear. As the light streamed uncontrollably around him, he tried to move his arm to shield his face, but his arm - if it was still there at all - did not cooperate, and the light continue to berate him mercilessly. And he could only rely on his thin, blood encrusted eye lids to do the job - and they weren't very good at it. He didn't know how long he stayed in that painful miasma, only that he moaned once in a while - a brief respite from his agony. But after a moment, he noticed that it had disappeared. The light had disappeared. And he grew terrified, because he knew he was dead. He struggled against the darkness He opened his eyes. I'm not dead! His mind screamed - but he saw only darkness. I don't want to die! Oh dear God, Bellana..he whispered in his mind. Oh God Bellana, I didn't even say goodbye! Then the light flashed anew, and he closed his eyes in half relief and pain. He nearly thanked the powers that be for doing that to him...until he saw its face. It gazed at him, and he gazed back, puzzled and frightened by its alien beauty. Then it reached for him - and Lt. Thomas E. Paris knew no more. THE MYTIS CLUSTER, FOUR MONTHS LATER The bulkhead came apart with a solid twang. The young half klingon woman peered through the piece of hull she ripped out - to a web of circuitry. "Looks like the isolinier chips are shot as hell." Said a voice behind her. Normally, she would have answered Ensign Kim with an enthusiastic growl, but Lieutenant Bellana Torres no longer had the strength nor the spirit to do so. She plunged herself straight into her investigation. Anything, just anything to find out what happened to- "Janeway to Lieutenant Torres." Torres stopped herself from ripping out the circuits and crushing them in time. "Yes Captain?" "I have asked Lieutenant Carrey to take over for a while; you can rest now." You can rest now. Not you're 'relieved', Lieutenant. Bellana pursed her lips tight, managing to suppress an emerging growl. The Captain was trying to be nice. It wouldn't do to bare her fangs at her at such at a time. "Captain, I'm not ready to go yet. Ensign Kim and I have retrieved the shuttle logs. We're closed to -" "That's an order Lieutenant." The voice might have come from a tiny communicator, but it still carried the weight of command well. Bellana resisted the urge to slam her fist into the bulkhead - and through it. "Yes...Captain." She rose, sidestepping the kneeling Ensign Kim as she made her way out. Her anger was boiling uncontrollably as always, and she didn't want Ensign Kim to be her next victim. As she made her way to the exit, she heard footsteps behind her. She tried her best to ignore them, but she knew Ensign Kim just too well. She turned. "What is it Harry?" she managed. Ensign Kim looked anxious, if not pressed. "I'll tell you if Carey finds anything." She paused for a moment, then nodded. "I'd appreciate that. Thanks." She was about to turn when Harry stopped her. "Bellana. We'll find him. You know that, don't you?" Bellana felt guilty suddenly. She hadn't given Harry credit for staying up all those late nights with her, working for a solution, and before, at stellar cartography, searching for any signs of the shuttle -- the shuttle that they'd just found a week ago, complete with 4 rotting corpses of crewmen Diaz, Loge, Amos and Lim. But no Paris. Somehow, that made it worse. Infinitely worse. With his death, there was only one possibility of his fate. With him missing, there were millions. "I'm sorry Harry," she whispered, watching his drooping eyes and slack mouth. She knew he was tired, perhaps even more tired than she was - "I forgot that you were searching as hard as I was." He looked puzzled. "What do you mean?" "I've been...ignoring you. Heck, I've been ignoring everyone. Just today the Captain told me that ...it has been four months, there might not be any hope, might as well just stick myself back to Engineering...." A wayward tear slid down her cheek, but she brushed it aside brusquely. "Hey." Harry said a little harshly. "If you're not giving up, I'm not giving up." Bellana smiled, then nodded. "You're an angel, Harry. You know that?" "Yeah." Harry smiled. "I know. And you're getting some sleep." "Or try to." She mumbled to herself as she walked away. Part 2 **************** The Mytis cluster, as Neelix poetically put it, is the Delta Quadrant's Museum. Littered with dead (or dying civilizations) it had been a haven for archeologists for centuries until the Xyrons ( a strange race whose history Bellana hadn't bothered to listen to) chose the cluster as their personal battlefield for their never-ending wars. It has been left untouched after the wars, and Voyager might be the first intruder. Now, as Bellana gazed into its murky brightness from her bed, she wondered which star contained which dead civilisation - and what the heck they have to do with Tom being missing. Grumbling, she pounded the pillow again and tried to be comfortable. Like always, it didn't work. Sighing, she got up. And debated whether to get a cup of Raktijino from her burgeoning replicator rations. She couldn't rightly remember the last time she'd used the replicator - or had eaten. As always, when she stopped moving or even thinking of a current problem, the Memory returned. This time she didn't stop it. *************** "You are being a fool!" "A fool. A pig. What's the difference to you? Everything is damned difficult with you!" "I'm just saying its not working out anymore!" she gazed hotly into his blue eyes. Tom grumbled angrily and settled into her couch, his arms crossed. "You give up too easily, Bellana." His voice was pensive. Bellana chewed her lip, but her Klingon side was reacting too strongly to the challenge in his words. Never say 'give up' to a Klingon. "We have been arguing for the past 3 months!" "We had great times too, for the past 3 months!" Tom yelled. "I'm just saying that each time we try to speak things civilly, this happens. We can hardly speak without fighting with each other nowadays. I need space. I need...a separation." Tom eyed her, his blue eyes unreadable. "I don't want a separation." He said quietly. Bellana felt her control slipping away. All she could think about was Tom stopping her. Tom preventing her freedom. Tom controlling her life. "Fine." She hissed. "I'm not asking you. I'm demanding it. I want it." Without a word, she stepped out of her quarters. She heard the doors slide open the moment she turned into the corridor. What caught her by surprise was how quickly he caught up. She was turned around by his grip before she could enter the turbolift. Tom looked deeply into her eyes. "Bellana...I. I'm sorry. But the fact is, I love you. We've been through rough times before...it's just. I can't loose you, Bellana!" Bellana bit her lip. "Then let me go." Her voice was cold even to her. His eyes clouded immediately. "I thought we have something special Bellana. It was difficult to be your friend. Goddamn, it was impossible loving you!" he released his grip on her and turned away, his steps fading quickly into the corridor. She didn't know what had come over her. Their relationship had been through a rocky period - there were more arguments than their usual fun, and for a moment, she remembered how it had been like before her father split. It had been exactly like the way they were. And she had panicked. Separation was the best way, she had thought. Time to be apart from each other. Better leave him before he left her. She was granted her wish -- he didn't speak to her for a few days after that. Bellana thought she could wait till he got over his hurt - and patch things up and be friends again. She didn't think that time was what she didn't have. Two days after their break up, Tom took the shuttle on a routine Supplies mission to Rhikari. And disappeared. Bellana closed her eyes. And that was when she realized how stupid, how foolish she had been. She had also realized that she loved Tom. Loved him so much that she couldn't bear to live without him. Tom was right. They'd been through rough times before. It was just her - she had panicked. She was a coward. Had been a coward all the time - just as she'd spent a year pushing Tom away before telling him the truth as she thought she was going to die. She had pushed him away instead of solving their problem. She was a fool. An errant tear trickled down her cheek. Spurred to action by her loss of control, Bellana angrily wiped the tear away and marched purposefully to the closed. Raktajino sounded nice. Part 3 ******************** "A very good morning to you, Lieutenant!" Neelix cried bubbly, as he plodded something pink infront of her. Before she could stop herself, her lip had curled up in distaste. "And this is?" "Kirellian Rat pudding. It's quite a delicacy." "No thanks. I think its too heavy for breakfast." "Or supper. It is after all, only 0340 hours." Neelix removed the plate without a complaint and gave her something else. Her eyebrows rose. "Peanut butter and jelly!" she exclaimed in surprise. "Oh yes, its quite a favorite breakfast dish. I remembered how Lieutenant Paris said it was comfort food...." His voice trailed away as he realized what he just said. He bent forward, watching her face. "I'm so sorry Bellana. I didn't mean.." "Its alright Neelix." She managed. "You made me smile for a moment there." And it was the truth. 'Comfort food'. She snorted to herself. How Tom loved to bring that said sandwiches on every picnic on the holodeck - till she wanted to scream. "Kim to Torres." "Torres here." She replied quickly. "I think we found something Bellana." "I'll be right there!" Bellana rushed to the cargo bay without a second glance at Neelix. She arrived at the Cargo bay just in time to see Lt. Joe Carey carry a torn bulkhead from the shuttle craft . "The logs? It came through?" Harry nodded almost happily. "And we've got something else too." Carey volunteered. "Something that could shed light on who attacked the Santiago." He showed her the bulkhead. "I don't believe it!" she said as she ran her hand over the engraved sign. "Why hadn't I seen it before? How could I have missed it?" "Maybe because it was dark with phaser burns? I managed to clean it out. I'm as surprised as you are." Engraved on the bulkhead was a circular symbol with a strange letter. "Whoever who left that symbol was determined to leave a mark -- like some sort of victory sign." Carey said. "But Tom beat them to it." Harry said, his voice sober. He returned to his console and tapped a few keys. The logs, badly damaged, sputtered to life. Bellana watched, fascinated as the static cleared to an image of the shuttlecraft interior. She could see crewmen Lim on the floor, her eyes wide open with a head wound. Projectile weapons, she reminded herself. And then she saw Tom. Tom was slumped over in a corner in a sitting position. There was a bloody gash to his forehead, and his hand hung limply on his side. Broken. The aliens were ugly -- she'd give them the credit for that. They roared with victory over their small kill, and one of them was engraving the symbol on the bulkhead. The universal translator faltered at translating their guttural language, but Bellana could make out the words "victory....success....honour gained." Then she saw it -- it was Tom! And he was opening his eyes. Slowly, he reached out from beneath him. A phaser. For a moment, static overcome the recording, but it cleared in time for her to see him draw the phaser to aim at the alien that was engraving the symbol. The shot rang true and pierced the alien from behind. It pierced its neck. Bellana smiled in ferocious triumph as it slumped forward, its head decapitated. The other four aliens turned and looked at Tom. One effectively tore the phaser out of his bloody hands. Tom only greeted their glares with a triumphant--and defiant glare. They didn't seem particularly concerned that their comrade is now missing a head and very effectively dead. "Spirit this one has. Death not worthy." Said one. Its tones were flat and almost surprised. "We will give him a deserving end." Said another. "Yes. We will give deserving end. We sell, yes?" "Sell. Sell. Much rubbarti gained. Much. Spirit this one has." Said the last alien as he approached Tom. He grabbed Tom. Tom didn't even struggle as it hauled him to his feet. And then the recording went dead. "It ended quite appropriately, didn't it?" Harry muttered almost to himself. "Tried as I might, I don't know what happened next. I suspect one of the aliens blew the console in purpose. It's a miracle we got anything out of this." He held the damaged chip as he looked at it. She took it from him and clutched it in her hand. "I think Neelix should see this." She whispered, her voice trembling with both rage, and eagerness. ******************** "The Mylkrie." Neelix shuddered. "Mylkrie?" Captain Janeway frowned as she stumbled over the pronunciation. They were still shuddering at the scene they'd seen from the shuttle logs. "They're warlike I gather?" Neelix snorted as if Janeway had just said a really, really big understatement. "Warlike? They live to fight. They fight to live. Both applies to them." He gestured towards that the symbol on the table. Bellana had taken the initiative to get a holopicture of it. "I'm a little worried about that though." "What?" Bellana bent forward eagerly. "What does it mean?" "Well, it's a symbol for Mylkrie slave traders. Quite a respectable profession to their race. Mylkrie slave traders are very aggressive. And are known to attack ships without any provocation. They take prisoners only when they think they are worthy." "Care to explain that, Neelix?" Chakotay asked, tapping the table with his fingers impatiently. "Well, Mylkrie don't usually take prisoners until they think a victim (that's what they call their..er, victims by the way) has successfully stood up to them. Which is never, or hardly -- that's what makes the slave trade respectable to them. A job of a slave trader is to...well, find worthy prisoners." "And they sell the prisoners?" "Why...yes." He cleared his throat. "From what I have seen from the shuttle logs, Tom has been deemed worthy. He would've been--" He cast a sympathetic glance towards Bellana, "--sold by now." Bellana clutched her armrest, looking down. At least I know where he is. At least...we have a lead. She leaned forward, intending to ask Neelix just how to get to the lead when Janeway beat her to it. "Where's the nearest outpost for these...Mylkrie?" "That'll be the Hynek Port. Just 7 light years from here." "Then let's get to it." Janeway smiled, nodding to Chakotay. As the senior officers left the conference room, Bellana looked to the stars of dead Mytis civilizations and thanked them.........and hoped they gave up their secrets soon. Part 4 ****************** Captain Kathryn Janeway looked at her PADD and at the hologram of what Neelix called the Hynek Port. To her, it looked like an oversized asteroid with antennas. Neelix said that the Hyneks are one of the very few races in the Delta Quadrant that had a trading agreement with the Mylkrie. The Mylkrie slave traders had made the Hynek Port an unofficial base of theirs. Janeway sighed. Could the answer be there? Or were they wasting their time..again? Kathyrn remembered how she'd almost given up hope of ever finding Lt. Tom Paris until Harry accidentally found warp trails at a distant area of space She remembered how the Santiago dissapeared. They were supposed to rendezvous with Voyager 24 hours after reaching Rhikari on their supplies mission, but had failed to reappear. "Activate the long range scan." She had commanded, not really worried then. The Santiago could have easily been delayed. The crew was capable and professional. She trusted them to handle themselves. Although it was curious that they hadn't reported their delay... "Captain..." "Yes?" she turned to look at Ensign Kim. His frown was deeper than usual. He looked up, his face a shade paler. "I-I can't find them." "Explain." She replied, calming herself. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Bellana's head shoot up from her engineering station. "I've scanned the entire Rhikari space just to be sure, but they're not there. Scanners picked up something else...an alien warp signature..." He then looked up. "And some space debris." She went to his controls, ran over them twice. Everything Seemed to be in order. She even commanded the computer to go beyond 5 light years - a range way beyond Planet Rhikari, but the Santiago was simply not there. The space debris...could simply just be space debris. Long range scanners didn't work that well somehow -- perhaps due to the strong electromagnetic interference from Rhikari's three suns. "Helm. Set a course for Rhikari." "Aye captain." Came the hesitant reply. She could feel the entire bridge's eyes on her. Especially Bellana. She just didn't have an answer for them. She didn't have an answer for them now, either. "This could be it, Captain." Harry had said a week earlier. His voice was determined. Bellana was standing determinedly beside him. If he succeeded in convincing the captain, and they do follow the warp trail, Voyager would be light years off course from Home. "What makes you so sure...that it is the Santiago?" "The warp trails in itself Captain." Bellana answered, surprisingly subdued. "They are uniquely Federation." "We have been analyzing and comparing warp trails of over 1000 space crafts -- courtesy of Neelix. We think this is definitely the Santiago." Kathryn bent to look at the astro chart that Harry had with him. "These readings indicate that the ...Santiago is 20 light years away from its original position." "Yes," Bellana said shortly, her temper definitely in check. "I have no idea how it would've gotten so far. But the warp trail is definitely Federation. But what led us to the Santiago was not its warp trail, but the same alien warp trail that we found at Rhikari. The warp core must have leaked, leaving a blinding trail for us to follow." "Get to it." Katherine nodded to both of them. And they did find the Santiago, or what was left of it. She remembered stepping into the shuttlecraft in her spacesuit, watching the dead bodies of crewmen Lim, Diaz, Loge and Amos floating grotesquely around her. Tuvok had averted his eyes in quiet Vulcan respect, while Chakotay had an unreadable expression on his face. "The hull had been breached. And...judging from the phaser burns on the helm controls....I'd be pretty sure that it was directed at the gravity controls too." Chakotay noted. Tuvok fingered one of the bloodstains. "Blood. They were killed." She had said unnecessarily. For the first time since donning the suit, the cold of space entered her bones. To die here, gazing sightlessly into the space that was reflected on the shuttlecraft front...she watched Diaz's blank eyes for a moment. His head was nearly decapitated. She didn't want to know how he was killed. "Get them down. And tell the doctor....to prepare them for a burial. A full Federation burial." Chakotay nodded, he was touched -- a full Federation burial, for three former Maquis crew members. "I'll tell him. Tuvok?" Tuvok nodded as he helped Chakotay to bring the bodies down. Bellana had almost been frantic with anxiety when they transported off Santiago. She was crushed when she was told that Paris was missing. "Some of the bloodstains belonged to Lieutenant Paris." The Doctor said, his voice soft and concerned. "He had...lost a lot of blood. But it wasn't enough to kill him." He added, hoping that it'll reduce the apparent death sentence he'd just pronounced. "Bellana." Janeway had whispered to her, "We'll find him. I promise you. Nobody does this to my crew and gets away with it." Bellana had looked at her with hopeless desperation then. Janeway could only grip her hand in to reassure her. Part 5 ********************* 2.5 LIGHT YEARS FROM HYNEK PORT Bellana looked down at her cooling Raktajino, her mind elsewhere. She didn't even notice Harry sitting beside her. "Hey." Bellana jerked, looking towards him. "Oh, Harry. You gave me a shock. Are we there yet?" "Almost." She nodded absently. "You know, I'm frightened to get there." She took a deep breath. "I'm afraid we won't find him there. Something inside me says, he is NOT there." Harry gripped her hand. "Seven says that the Mylkrie had been assimilated before. At least they're not invulnerable." Bellana laughed. "That's a funny thing to say." "Yeah, it is, isn't it?" Harry snickered. "I just don't know what to say. Definitely." He cleared his throat. "I miss the way it was, you know? When Tom would shoot pool at Sandrine's, when the bridge wasn't so quiet? He left us with a void. I miss him more than I could say. Even Tuvok misses him, I swear." "Well, yeah." She took a sip and almost immediately made a face. "Uggh, the replicator isn't as fixed as I thought it'll be. I'm getting sloppy." After playing with the mug in silence, she continued. "We had a fight before he left." Harry nodded. He'd been aware of their problems for the past few months before the incident. "Tom told me...before he went." "I was so stupid, Harry." She said quietly. "What came over me?" she shook her head. "I love him. I just couldn't bear him leaving me. So I left him first." She sniffed. "It was all Klingon pride, Harry. Just like how my mother..I just never knew that he would taken away from me so sonn." she shook her head again, draining her Raktajino in one gulp like a punishment. She made a face. "If this was liquor, I would've been dead drunk." Harry laughed shortly. "We'll find him, Bellana." She smiled. "I know. I don't want to loose him yet." Suddenly, the ship rocked. "What the?" Harry exclaimed. "We're being attacked!" Bellana cried - just as a huge, black winged space craft passed the mess hall windows. "Report!" Janeway's voice rang when Harry entered the bridge. "Mylkrie vessels!" Chakotay exclaimed in surprise. This particular Mylkrie vessel was the size of Voyager. Neelix had helpfully given them the schematics of their ships. "In case they ever attack. You can never know; being so close to Mylkrie space." "It didn't take them long." Janeway mused sardonically, remembering his prophetic words. "Ensign Rolles," she gestured to the man at helm. "Take evasive maneuvers beta 7" "Aye Captain." "Harry-" Harry came alive in an instant, fingering the keys, feeling its familiar hum. "-hail the Mylkrie. Let's see whether we can get them to listen." "Hailing." Harry replied automatically. He was surprised at the almost immediate response. "Captain. The Mylkrie-" "Human." Boomed the guttaral voice. The whole bridge fixated to the alien on the view screen. Almost immediately, Janeway gasped. She could see Chakotay looking at him slowly from the corner of his eye. The Mylkrie was wearing a Starfleet uniform. A command red Starfleet uniform. Obviously Paris'...since none of the other Santiago crew members were missing their uniforms. "What did you do to my crew man?" she nearly snarled. The sight of the Mylkrie, with its yellow eyes and fanged mouth wearing what could be Paris' death shroud- The Mylkrie gestured to his uniform. "Much honour gained from this human. We deal with him appropriately." "What did you do to him?!" Janeway turned around quickly to see Bellana step off the turbo lift in a half lunge. "Lieutenant!" she barked. Any sign of disunity or over- reaction could spark off the Mylkrie. "Nothing do." The Mylkrie replied, the computer generated translation coming off almost sly. "He ran. Very worthy prisoner. Great rubbati to be won." "What do you mean he ran?" Janeway whispered. "He escaped. Worthy!" he said almost ecstatically. "We hunt! We sell him when we find him." "Over my dead body." Janeway hissed. "I don't believe this tale. You will tell us where he went. Or rather, who you sold him to!" "Human - worthy victims." And the transmission went dark. "Captain!" Harry cried. "They're turning around - coming straight at us; they're firing their wea-" The torpedo came sooner than expected. When it hit, Janeway could see nothing but white for a moment - then she found herself sprawled on the floor. "Report!" she cried immediately when the light faded away. "Hull breach on deck 7, 8 and 19!" Harry choked out. "Bellana! I want you to get back to Engineering-now!" she barked, annoyed that Engineering is unattended at such a crucial time. Bellana, visibly chastened, nearly scampered off the bridge to the turbolift. Helm! The helm was un-navigated. She spotted Ensign Rolles at the side, his arm at an awkward angle. Thankfully, he was unconscious. She hoped he was. "Captain!" Chakotay called. "They're coming back." She watched, horrified, as the huge black winged ship returned. With a shudder, Voyager protested as the ship seamlessly cut through the shields , coming only meters close. "Ensign Kim-" she began. "They're using some sort of anti-magnetic shielding array! It's in cohesion with our shields!" he paused before continuing, this time more horrified than before. "Captain! The ship is changing shape! Something is extending from the ship." Harry reported. He looked horrified. "It looks like-" A claw. Janeway stared, fascinated at the sight of the ship reverting to a huge talon. Relentless, it came towards Voyager. The ship shuddered as one of the claws pierced the hull. We'll never survive this. She thought. But damned if I don't die fighting! *************** "Lieutenant! I'm glad you're here!" Carey choked from the smoke from burnt-out consoles. "It's Seven ! She's doing something-" Immediately, Bellana hurried to the blonde former Borg. Seven was at the deflector array controls, her fingers quick and sure as she did whatever she wanted to do. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" she barked. Seven merely looked serenely at her. "Configuring Voyager shields to withstand the Mylkrie attack." Bellana paused. She has little trust for the former Borg, but she had proven herself over and over again for the past few months since she'd come aboard. "Alright. Let's hear it." Bellana heard it all right - focusing her thoughts as Seven thought her through the steps. Amazed at how such simple calibrations could possibly disable the Mylkrie ship, a ship that virtually cut through Voyager's shields like cheese, Bellana snorted in happiness. "Careful. We are not to damage the ship. Tom might still be on it." Seven gave her a puzzled look. "I do not understand. What is the life of one - to the life of 200?" "Look," Bellana snapped, loosing patience. The ship rocked again - this time, she heard a visible crunch. She didn't want to know what caused it. "I have no time for a philosophical discussion on Borg vs. Human qualities right now. Now, you got a way to disable the ship without destroying it?" "Yes." Seven replied evenly. Without another word, she went back to her controls. A minute later, with the crunching sound becoming louder, Bellana hailed the bridge. "Captain. I think Seven has discovered a way to disable the Mylkrie ship. We believe that the deflector shields could be modulated to throw the magnetic field off - something like pouring water over a hot wire." "Do it! We don't have time-" the transmission was cut suddenly. "Looks like we're on our own. Seven, activate the deflector shields." Seven nodded. The hum that accompanied the activation of the deflector shields was accompanied by Voyager's shudders. Bellana clutched at her controls for dear life as Voyager shuddered violently, throwing some of the crew members on the floor. Seven, however, was miraculously holding her position. "The Mylkrie vessel is loosing shield cohesion. Damage to main engines." She announced flatly. ********* On the bridge, Janeway looked up in amazement at the Mylkrie vessel. Several portions of the ship was flaring up, blowing up right before their eyes. "Harry?" "Captain. Whatever Bellana did - it worked. The deflector is sending out shock waves big enough to damage the ship." With a roar, a large portion of the ship blew away. The chunk floated violently away, neatly missing Voyager. Janeway crawled from her position on the floor to stare at the Mylkrie vessel. Its lights, once blazing in triumph, was now dark. "Heavy damage to its warp core, Captain." "Try hailing the Mylkrie." Chakotay commanded. "No response, Commander." Harry replied, sounding particularly triumphant. "Janeway to Bellana." "Yes captain?" "Good work." "It was Seven. The Mylkrie had been assimilated before....after all." Janeway found herself smiling. Annika...or rather, Seven, had proven more useful as the days go by. "Understood. Janeway out. Chakotay?" The tattooed first officer glanced at her, his face slightly bruised. "Are you in a mood for an away mission?" PART 6 ************** Tuvok, Chakotay, Bellana and Janeway materialized on what appeared to be the bridge of the Mylkrie vessel. Cautiously, Tuvok moved his phaser around the room. "I detect one life form. He's badly injured. The others,5 of them, are dead." They moved north, in accordance with the signal. The bridge was strangely monolithic, with a ceiling that towered over 20 feet, it had an almost majestic feel to it - if not for the grisly trophies that covered most of the walls. Skulls, skins and other souvenirs decorated the walls. "Captain." Tuvok called. He gestured to an artifact on the wall. It was a portion of Santiago's hull. It had contained the Federation insignia. She ran her hand over the insignia, wondering how the Caretaker's actions four years ago could had led them to this. They walked past several dead Mylkrie. For the first time, she got a close look at them. In the heat of battle, she could only see the Federation uniform on the Mylkrie - here, she could see their features without any distractions for the first time. They had a heavy-ridged brow; their eyes were a beady black, no irises or pupils were visible. With a skin that was almost green, they could pass for reptilian, though Neelix had sworn that they were mammals 'who cared for their young better than Rajustian bird people' whoever they were. The fangs that decorated half their face were not so appealing however. They curved like tusks to their chins. Despite her trained tolerance for the physical appearances of aliens, Janeway had to agree with Bellana - 'not very pretty' indeed. "Captain." Chakotay called. Janeway managed to snap out it and walked towards the Starfleet uniformed Mylkrie. It lay on the floor before the view screen. Sternly, she studied the alien. According to the tricorder, it had suffered severe internal injuries, most of its blood vessels had ruptured. Janeway didn't know what Seven had concocted, but she definitely want an explanation soon. "It doesn't have much time." "Voyager, four to transport to sickbay." She commanded without thinking twice. When the transporter tingle subsided she walked towards the bed holding the Mylkrie. The Doctor was already there, frowning over the Mylkrie. "How is its prognosis, Doctor?" "Not good. Almost every blood vessel had burst. I don't think there's anything I could do. The damage is just too severe." He frowned, quite displeased that his huge range of medical expertise could not help. "Captain, its awake." Tuvok warned, walking protectively towards her. Janeway watched the Mylkrie as it turned its beady eyes to look at her. Its mouth curved to what Janeway could only term as a leer. "Where is my crew man?" she demanded, knowing he would die soon. "Where is Tom Paris?" "Ran." The Mylkrie gurgled. "You are indeed, worthy, Human. It is a pity I cannot watch you die." Janeway swallowed a lump of revulsion. Tuvok moved closer, frowning in Vulcan displeasure at the statement. "But there will be others..." it continued, its voice ending in an alien chuckle. "Where is he?!" Bellana demanded out of no where. Janeway had almost forgotten that she was there. She had been so quiet aboard the short jaunt on the Mylkrie vessel that she'd forgotten her presence. She raised her hand to stop her from lunging towards the alien. "Very well," the Mylkrie replied slowly. "Since you are going to die anyway, I will tell you-- Vega Surelis." "Vega Surelis? That's 20 light years away from here!" 20 light years; approximately 5 days at warp factor 9. More time wasted. Less time for Paris to survive. She cursed silently. "What did you do to him?" she demanded. The Mylkrie could only laugh. "Captain..." Bellana began, her eyes slanting into worried slits. "His wrist, there's a timing device-" She saw the symbols on the strange disc-like device on its wrist, alien as they were, in a down ward count. "Tuvok?" "He does not have any explosive device on him." Tuvok answered, scanning the dying creature. However, he didn't sound particularly satisfied. Chakotay's eyes widened in realization. "The ship!" Chakotay cried. The Mylkrie roared with laughter. The Mylkrie ship lay silent; three of its claw-like appendages still clutched Voyager in a vise-like grip. On board, a dead Mylkrie lay slumped over a control panel. The control panel had flared to life only moments ago. In the guttural language of the Mylkrie, it announced: "Self destruct sequence has been activated. 2.5 kiskna till destruction." "2.4 kiskna." "2.3-" On board Voyager, Janeway rushed to the bridge, breathless as she approached the Helm controls. Harry was there, replacing Rolles. "Helm! Phaser those appendages off Voyager's hull now! We're not going to be here when it explodes!" Ensign Kim went into action immediately, targeting the appendages - three of them - as the Chakotay went to Harry's controls to calibrate the weapons. "1.9 kiskna till destruction." Announced the Mylkrie computer. The first appendage was phasered off. The Mylkrie vessel careened dangerously close to the warp fields. "We have 40 more seconds!" Chakotay yelled. "0.8..." Janeway watched in desperation as the second appendage came off, but the third was only half way through. "0.3 kiskna..." "Now! Helm, Engage!" Ensign Kim needed no further prompting. "0-" The Mylkrie vessel exploded in a miasma of brilliant fire. Janeway could barely enjoy her triumph as she was tossed to the deck. Part 7 ***************** 2 DAYS FROM VEGA SURELIS Voyager limped weakly to their destination. Dogged relentlessly by Mylkrie war ships, it barely survived the last encounter as 4 Mylkrie vessels had swarmed around them. Thanks to Seven of Nine however, the deflector shields' effectiveness was increased 300%, effectively disabling, if not destroying, the vessels. But the numerous battles was wearing it thin. Bellana sat at the mess hall with Chakotay at her side, studying the stars that littered Vega Surelis. "This sector was once renowned for its beautiful planets. Each planet was a replica of your...Risa?" Bellana acknowledged the Talaxian with a small nod. She didn't take off her eyes of the PADD she had in front of her. "Only it didn't have Mylkrie warships waiting to kill you." Chakotay frowned. Bellana had been quiet since Hynek, too quiet. If Chakotay didn't know better, it seemed as if she had given up. "What happened here?" he said, hoping to distract her from her black thoughts. "Well," Neelix took that as an invitation to join them. He sat beside Bellana. "I did tell you once that the Xyrons waged battle here?" Chakotay nodded. "Well, in their war, they'd destroyed the civilizations that were here. It was a tragedy of monumental proportions. In fact, I remembered reading about a few hundred civilizations in this sector. There were supposed to be twenty to thirty planets in Vega Surelis. I'm shocked to find only three. But then again, the Xyrons were good at destroying things - even planets." Neelix announced. "I was good at History-" Neelix chuckled proudly. "In fact, back in Talaxia-" "Neelix." Chakotay prompted. "Oh, sorry!" he chuckled. "Well, once, the Xyron Empire covered 20 light years - now they're extinct. They spared no one, not even themselves. Talaxia was once under Xyron two millennia ago. Well, for a brief moment before they got caught up with their wars." Neelix sniffed. "Do you know anything more about Vega Surelis...other than the beauty of its planets?" Chakotay smiled, hoping it'll lighten the mood. "Well, it was the core of the sector! Trade, spiritualism, art...well, I've been reading your Earth history, and the best way I could compare Vega Surelis is to compare it with your ancient Romans? Or Greeks." "Hmm. The Romans had descended from civilized glory to homeless hardship." Chakotay noted, feeling immediately the sadness of lost knowledge. "Well, the only difference with the Romans is that they survived. The civilizations in Vega Surelis - did not." Neelix smiled and took off to the kitchen after spying a waiting crewmember. "Well that was a happy tale." Bellana snorted. Chakotay chuckled. "Sorry for that. I wanted to distract you." "Oh? From what?" a slight smile curled her lips. "From Tom." He answered softly. Bellana smiled slightly. "I can't help it. We're so close to him. But I'm thinking more about surviving the journey to that planet - than wondering whether he'll still be there." It was fortunate that the Vega Surelis system had only three M-class planets. Finding a system littered with hundreds of M class planets would not hasten the search. But Chakotay could feel Bellana's frustration. He wasn't exactly close to the pilot - heck, they'd been almost hostile in their first two years in the Delta Quadrant. However, the last 2 years had shaped their relationship from hostile - to grudging respect. "But I want to stop mooning about Tom, Chakotay." Bellana continued. "I realize that I've been...I've not been as efficient as I was. I'm ready to-' "What? Give up?" Bellana stiffened. Chakotay hoped he wasn't too harsh, but Bellana needed to snap out of her self-pity. It wasn't her. "The Captain understands your predicament, and more often than not, you're too hard on yourself. You're doing fine. That's my crew evaluation of you, Bellana." Bellana smiled. She'd often forgotten how she'd regarded Chakotay as her mentor - she was surprised at the warm glow she felt at his praise. "Well-" The ship rocked. Chakotay nearly fell from his seat. Their eyes met. They knew what that meant. ******** This time, 10 Mylkrie vessels hunted them. They came from behind a moon, like matjullah vipers. Voyager rushed on overworked warp engines dodging the small vipers, but 3 had latched onto its hull. "Damn!" Bellana snapped as another console blew. "Seven! What are you not doing with the deflector shields?" she stepped over a fallen crewman to get to Seven. "The deflector shields are too badly damaged." Seven of nine announced, a slight anxious tone to her voice. "I cannot do anything. The Mylkrie have learnt well." "No! We've come too far to be destroyed! Damn them!" "Damn them!" Janeway cried when Harry was flung from his console. He lay on the floor of the bridge like a broken doll, his head bleeding from a head wound. Immediately, she took over, manipulating the controls to dodge the Mylkrie. But they came relentlessly. She didn't know what was worse - she'd battled macroviruses, gone through Borg space and even fought a species that could destroy the Borg - but watching the Mylkrie warships chewing at her ship's hull... "Kathryn!" Chakotay yelled, in his panic forgetting to address her properly. "Get out of there! It's about to blow!" "No! Give me a few seconds!" She could do it. And even then her mathematical mind was steadfastly calculating the degree in which she should stimulate the shields to throw off the attached vessels. This might work! A sharp sound vibrated around the ship. For a moment, she looked up- And saw Chakotay lunging for her. The Doctor glanced helplessly as the lights flickered off an on. He took his eyes off Ensign Wildman's unconscious form. Multiple contusions, broken leg, his diagnosis component analyzed. He looked to beside the fallen ensign. Her daughter was bawling beside her, and Ensign Mark was trying to calm her. The sickbay was awash with casualties. He found himself wishing for Kes again. What he could do with her careful dependency- It didn't help that he'd lost his only other medical assistant, Tom Paris. "Lieutenant Carey! What are you doing up?!" he cried, noticing the lieutenant limping off to the exit. "Going back to engineering." He snapped, clutching his freshly bone-regenerated leg. "Over my-" the Doctor began when he realized he didn't have a body to step over to begin with. "Get back-" With a start, he realized something was wrong. "Oh no." he cried despondently. Lieutenant Carey stared in horror as the Doctor disappeared. The portable holo-emmiter fell on the ground with a small thud. "Umph!" Janeway fell a meter off Harry's console just as it blew off. "No! I could've made it!" she cried to Chakotay. "No, Kathryn! We have to evacuate the crew!" he shouted above the din of the red alert klaxon. In despair, Janeway realized that he was right. Without hesitation, she activated her combadge. "This is Janeway. All crewmen evacuate to-" A sharp, keening noise exploded over the audio channels. Kathryn instinctively covered her ears while Chakotay winced, glancing reflexively to the view screen. What he saw there took his breath away. Janeway followed his gaze. She gasped. "What the hell?!" The 10 Mylkrie vessels seem to freeze. Then, slowly, the 6 attached warships disengaged - making Voyager shudder for a moment - to face the new intruder. If Tom Paris were here, he would've said that this vessel was one giant of a beauty. The light was blinding, so Janeway could only squint to look at it. It was three times the size of Voyager. It had readings unlike anything Voyager had come across. Energy readings went off the charts and scanners, damaged as they were, show an engine unlike anything she'd ever seen. "Seven, do you know who they are?" "No." Seven announced shortly. "Its ships schematics do not match any ships the Borg had encountered." The ten Mylkrie ships had only paused a moment before they launched themselves at the alien ship. Obviously, they thought the alien vessel was a worthier 'victim'. The alien vessel did not react. Kathryn had a wild hope that this ship could buy them time perhaps even save them - but the hope sank as she watch, helpless as the ten ships attached themselves effortlessly to its hull. There was a bright light - and her last thought was that she'd brought another ship to destruction.