STAR TREK - VOY - 02 -The Escape

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Star Trek - Voy - 002 -The Escape
Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch
THE SHUTTLE DIPPED AND BUCKED.
CHIEF ENGINEER B'Elanna Torres kept her balance with practiced ease. She braced herself on the
control panels with the heels of both hands.
Her fingers dancing on the control panels like those of a concert pianist, constantly adjusting,
strengthening, shifting power. She hadn't flown a Starfleet shuttle much since her Academy days, but it
was coming back to her. The mission should have been a simple one.
The largest asteroid in this sector had deposits of armalcolite ore they needed to fix the Oltion circuits in
the warp processor. Torres had convinced Captain Janeway to allow her to take a shuttlecraft to the
asteroid for the necessary supplies.
Sensors had shown an easy ride. In reality, the asteroid belt was as volatile as the Badlands had been. If
Torres had known that before she started, she would have asked for Lieutenant Paris, the best pilot on
Voyager, to join her. Instead, the Vulcan security officer Tavok sat in the pilot's seat. His brow was
furrowed, making his eyebrows seem almost straight. He looked calm, but the beads of sweat on his
forehead showed his tension. He wasn't the best pilot on board Voyager, but he was good. They were
so close. The sensors on Voyager had shown a high concentration of ore in the area, and Torres needed
it. Desperately..
"I do not believe the shuttle can stand more of this." Tuvok spoke with his usual precision. "I don't know
if I can stand more of this." Torres shifted her hand onto the console and almost lost her balance. She
wanted something to work right. Anything.
She was tired of not having the right equipment or enough time to complete a task. It felt as if the entire
Delta Quadrant were out to get her. "Report." Captain Janeway's voice came clearly through the
communications system of the bucking shuttlecraft.
Torres almost snapped to attention, a habit she had thought lost until she met Janeway.
Torres glanced at the viewscreen. The asteroids surrounded their small ship like Cardassians around a
helpless Bajoran. What had been a vision of hope a few hours ago was now a symbol of frustration. "The
subspace forces that tore this planet into an asteroid belt are still at work," she said, trying not to let that
frustration into her voice.
She wasn't as 2 THE ESCAPE successful at it as Tuvok. But then she sometimes felt like she was all
emotion while Tuvok was all intellect.
"I'm not sure -- how much longer this craft can stand the punishment and I've found no way to block the
disturbance." "Thirty seconds to target," Tuvok said. "I would suggest then, B'Elanna, that you and Mr.
Tavok return to the ship. We will determine how to get the ore from here." "Captain, this will probably be
our only chance." Tuvok glanced at her, eyebrows raised in warning. She still wasn't used to the
strictness of the command structure on a Starfleet vessel. "Twenty seconds," he said. "It's your call,
B'Elanna. But I don't want to lose two officers on a mission this minor." B'Elanna opened her mouth to
retort when Tavok grabbed her arm. He shook his head.
No one seemed to understand how important this mission was to her. They needed the ore desperately
for repairs to Voyager. She needed the ore. She was the one who worked two and three shifts straight
juryrigging all the equipment. If the captain had had to do all that work, she would never have called this
mission minor.
The shuttle continued to rock in the subspace turbulence. Tuvok's steady hand kept them away from the
larger asteroids, but the tiny ones pelted the shields.
"Captain, just a few more seconds-was The interior lights of the shuttle dimmed for a 3 moment and
B'Elanna's fingers flew over the control board. On the viewscreen, a large asteroid loomed in front of
them. "Report," the captain said.
The subspace turbulence was damaging the shuttle in ways B'Elanna didn't have time to fix. They were
losing power and life support. "The shuttle is not responding easily to my comcommands," Tuvok said.
B'Elanna cursed under her breath. If they didn't turn back now, they might never get the chance. The ore
was important, but it wasn't worth losing the shuttle.
Or their lives.
"Let's get out of here," she said.
Tuvok nodded once as if any more movement would cause him to lose his precious control.
He was hunched forward as if he could move the shuttle with the force of his will. Within seconds, he had
the craft turned. But it bounced and rolled. The turbulence seemed almost worse now that they were
heading out of the field. Above Torres, something in the communica- tions system released a slow,
steady, irritating whine. The lights dimmed again, then went out. The darkness in the craft made her
clench her hand into a fist. Her left hand. She was still playing the controls with her right.
"Auxiliary power on," she said. The cabin lights flickered and came back on much dimmer than before.
"Shields at only twenty percent.
Don't hit any- thing too big." "With the shields at twenty percent, even a small impact could prove
disastrous." Tuvok spoke the obvious with the sincerity of a man giving a speech before the Federation.
Next time, she would ask for Paris. He at least would not have the need to comment on every statement
she made. She leaned forward herself. The subspace turbulence had somehow grown worse. It was as if
they were fighting back against a very real current where before they had been going with it. The shuttle
rattled like a child's toy. It was coming apart.
"Captain," Torres said. "Life support is failing. The shuttle is disintegrating. Request you put a tractor
beam on us." "Done," Janeway said.
Now even Tavok was sweating.
His fingers flew over the controls as fast as B'Elanna's. Again the ship was buffeted by a wave of
subspace disturbance, and then a loud crash echoed through the shuttle.
"What-T" The lights went out again, then came back on.
Sparks flew over both officers and the air filled with a thick smoke that smelled of burning insulation.
"That rock was 3.5 inches in diameter," Tuvok said in a matter-of-fact way. "Shields at five percent."
B'Elanna willed the shuttle forward. Instead of a fight to get into the belt, they were now in a race to get
out. "I'm doing all I can, but I can't divert any more power. There simply isn't any$99 Again the ship
rocked and a smash echoed through the cabin. B'Elanna winced at the red light blinking on her console.
"Hull breach in the rear cabin.
We're sealed in." The pressure door behind them slammed shut.
"That one was.53 inches," Tuvok said.
B'Elanna took a deep breath. Tuvok's calm seemed at times to almost be infectious. She let- the level of
her voice fall. "I'm holding five percent screens, but all life support is gone." "B'Elanna. Mr. Tuvok." The
captain's voice filled the smoky cabin. "As soon as we have a tractor on the shuttle, we'll beam you out."
The rattling of the hull and what seemed like every part inside it had become deafening. Tuvok's expert
piloting kept them from the larger asteroids, and five percent screens at least blocked the smaller dust
bits. But again something collided with the ship and sent it rocking. "Twenty seconds," the captain said.
"I hope we have twenty seconds," B'Elanna said to herself, She wiped sweat from her eyes with the
sleeve of her tunic. "I'm shutting down the engines and rerouting all power to the forward screens."
"Logical," Tavok said. "But wait for my mark. I will aim for the clearest possible path." He made a slight
evasive action and something else crashed near the rear. "Now!" Her fingers flew over the controls as she
put a power to the shields. Beside her Tuvok's hands stopped and hovered over his dead panel. "Sixty
percent on the forward screens." "Not enough." He pointed at the viewscreen ahead and the shuttle-sized
rock hurtling at them.
"Voyager!" B'Elanna shouted. "Lock on that asteroid directly in our path and blow it out of space.
Quick!" "We see it." The captain sounded as calm as Tuvok. Didn't they feel the stress?
EV-ERY ounce of power B'Elanna could find in the poor, beat-up shuttle she directed at the forward
shields, but she knew it would never be enough.
That piece of rock was far, far too large.
Then, at what seemed to be the very last instant, she felt the tingle of a transporter. As she vanished she
glanced at the viewscreen. It showed a phaser beam hitting the rough surface of the asteroid square in the
center.
Captain Kathryn Janeway stood in the center of the bridge, feet apart, hands clasped behind her back.
She was watching the asteroid explode on the viewscreen. The tractor beam around the tiny shuttle
barely pulled it clear.
"Both officers on board, Captain." Ensign Hoffman's mellifluous voice sounded tinny through her comm
link from the transporter room. Janeway let out the breath she'd been holding. That had been just a little
too close. So far from home, each routine action became a risk. She had hesitated before sending her
experienced officers on a mission like this one, but now she was glad she had. She would definitely have
lost two of the more inexperienced crew.
"Direct hit on the asteroid," said Ensign Harry Kim. For all his inexperience, Kim was already a good
officer. "The shuttle is out of danger." "Nice job, Ensign," Janeway said. Then she turned slightly to
Lieutenant Tom Paris.
"And nice job getting us in close. A fine piece of flying. Your quick action and skill may have saved their
lives." Paris let a smile cross his face without taking his eyes off his board. "Thank you, Captain."
Janeway held her position for a moment, the rigidity of her stance helping her control the fluttery feeling
she had each time she remembered that the Federation Starship Voyager was all alone in the Delta
Quadrant. She had flown missions without backup in the past, but she had always known that within a
few days at warp speed, she could be at a Federation station or near a friendly planet. Not only was
Voyager alone here, it was alone in uncharted space.
She knew that fact bothered the others, too, although they never spoke of it to her. Her first officer,
Chakotay, simply wasn't the type. He stood behind Paris, as if he didn't trust Paris's expert flying. The
two had an odd relationship, constantly- bickering, and yet beneath it lay respect for each other's
abilities. She had been lucky in both of them. She needed rebels and risk-takers out here. The average
Starfleet officer would have had to learn some of the skills that came to these men as naturally as
breathing.
She had been fortunate too in young Kim. He was so inexperienced in spaceflight that he adopted the
attitude of the people around him. He was sharp and decisive, traits she valued more than she cared to
name. The bridge crew had returned to its morning business. Two other ensigns bent over the science
station, deciphering information that came from the asteroid belt. A lieutenant stood in Tuvok's place near
security, awaiting his return.
The expedition to the asteroid belt had provided the morning's excitement and nothing more.
Or so it seemed.
The expedition had pointed out several problems that Janeway had to deal with immediately.
"I want all senior officers in the briefing room at 0930," Janeway said as she headed for her ready room
to prepare. "Commander Chakotay, you have the bridge until then." The briefing room, like the rest of
the ship, was done in gunmetal gray. Like everything else on Voyager, the room was designed for speed
as well as comfort. Janeway felt each time she walked into the room that decisions made here would be
swift, incisive, and important. The soft conversation stopped as soon as she entered. Neelix and Kes sat
on the far side of the table. Janeway's gaze was always drawn to their bright nonregulation clothing.
They had shown their worth as guides and companions, and she did not regret bringing them on board.
Chakdtay sat in his regular spot to the, left of the captain's chair. He was bea solid man, sturdy, like 9
Voyager herself. Paris sat on the other side of the table from Chakotay. Paris was not solid or sturdy, but
mercurial and occasionally brilliant, hiding depths behind a soft, sardonic manner.
Finally her gaze rested on the two shuttle passengers. Tuvok sat calm and seemingly undisturbed by the
morning's events. She was relieved to see him. She relied on his guidance more than she cared to admit.
She also relied on B'Elddanna Torres. The chief engineer was smiling, a reaction that Janeway would not
have expected. It seemed as if the near brush with death had lightened B'Elanna's outlook on life a little
this morning.
Janeway took her place beside Chakotay.
"It seems," she said without preamble, "that we're not going to recover any ore from this asteroid belt.
I will expect a full report on what happened as well as on the status of the shuttlecraft as soon as
possible." "You will have it within the hour," Tuvok said. "Captain," B'Elanna said, "I already have
Lieutenant Carey going over the shuttlecraft and starting what repairs he can." "Good," Janeway said.
She took a deep breath, then leaned forward slightly. "This morning's battle with the asteroid belt
exemplifies the seriousness of our problems. We are short of most parts, the repticators are functioning
only on an emergency basis, and the warp drive is down over fifty percent. Is that a fairly accurate
assessment?" She looked directly at B'Elanna, who for some reason looked relieved. B'Elanna must have
thought 10 that Janeway would do nothing about the engineering problems. "Actually," B'Elanna said, "I
don't think I can honestly guarantee more than another day of warp power until we find or manufacture
some replacement parts. And that's if we take it easy on the drives. If we push them I wouldn't count on
more than ten minutes." Janeway nodded. "I agree, I'm afraid.
I just-was "You need parts for the engines of this ship?" Neelix asked. Apparently he hadn't understood
what they had been talking about before. "Captain, you should have said so. Didn't I promise to take
care of YOUTI "Yes, Neelix," Janeway said, trying to keep the amusement out of her voice. "But you
said that you weren't certain what type of ore we needed-was "Ore." He made a chopping motion with
his small, mottled hand. "I'm not talking about ore.
You need parts for your ship and I know a place nearby where you can get plenty." As if on cue every
head in the room turned toward the short alien. He smiled and seemed to grow some under the attention.
Kes proudly patted him on the leg.
"Do go on," Janeway said.
Neelix laughed and squeezed Kes's hand.
"I'll take you to Alcawell. If you allow me to give you the coordinates, Captain-was "Alcawell?" Paris
asked. With that one word he managed to imply all sorts of questions. He also made II it clear that the
captain would not take coordinates until those questions were answered.
Janeway leaned back. The interaction among the crew had become predictable, and helpful.
Neelix never minded having the floor.
"Alcawell translates roughly into the Station. But it's not a station. It's a planet. Many races in this area
believe it to be sacred, a sort of home of the gods." He put an arm around Kes, almost as if his
performance were for her and her alone. "But I've been there. It's no home for anyone." "What's there
that would help us?" Janeway asked. "A lot of old ships. A looootttt of ships." Neelix smiled. "More
ships than you have ever seen in your entire life." "I doubt that," Paris said softly.
Neelix turned toward him, as if he needed to convince everyone. "Alcawell's been abandoned longer than
any race in this area has been traveling space. They have so many ships that I'm sure one will help us. We
can go in and take the parts we need out of the old wrecks. Or, perhaps, get the metals we need to
make our own parts." Interesting, but dangerous. Janeway leaned her head back on the chair. "You're
telling us that you know of an old spaceport with a few abandoned ships? And no one has touched these
ships?" Neelix shrugged. "Who can tell if anyone has been near them? There are more ships than you can
count. Believe me, a few parts won't be missed." "We do not steal," Chakotay said. The firmness in his
voice made Neelix shrink a little.
He frowned as if considering, then grinned.
"Once you see the place I doubt you would call it stealing. More like salvaging." "Under your definition of
salvage?" Paris asked. "Or ours?" This time Neelix ignored him. Neelix fixed his catlike gaze on Janeway.
She, at least, wanted to see the station.
"To what race did this base belong?" Tuvok asked. "I don't know," Neelix said, "but they've been gone
for centuries." Ilivok templed his fingers and tapped them against his lips.
"If it's such a good place to salvage," he asked slowly, "why haven't you gone back there?" Neelix pulled
Kes closer. She watched him in her calm, intent way. When it looked like he wasn't going to answer, she
nodded at him to continue.
He tilted his head, raised his bushy eyebrows, and shrugged again. "Honestly, I-was He sighed and
dipped his head so that they couldn't see his expression.
"I think the station's haunted." Paris snorted and sat back in his chair as if he had expected something like
that all along. Tuvok didn't move, but Janeway could sense his sudden dismissal of the plan.
Only B'Elanna still looked interested. "But there are a lot of old ships." Neelix brought his head up. "Yes."
"Abandoned ships." "Yes.
"Captain," B'Elanna said. "If we-was But Neelix interrupted her. "Captain, if there aren't 13 more ships
abandoned on Alcawell than you would care to count, you can leave me behind with the ghosts." "And
me too," Kes said softly.
"Thank you, my love," Neelix said, squeezing her hand. He turned to the others.
"Isn't she remarkable?" Janeway made a decision. They couldn't afford to overlook any opportunity. "I
think we should see Alcawell for ourselves. What say you, Mr.
Tuvok?" "I would agree, Captain." Janeway glanced at her first officer.
Chakotay nodded in agreement. Satisfied, Janeway stood. "Neelix, give Lieutenant Paris the coordinates
for Alcawell.
B'Elanna, I would like to get there quickly but without further damaging the warp engines-. What do you
recommend?" "Warp one," B'Elanna said.
Janeway turned to Paris and nodded. "Get us under way, mister." Paris slid his chair back and motioned
for Neelix to follow him onto the bridge.
As they left Janeway faced her remaining officers. "Salvage or not, we need the parts. At this point we're
in no position to be proud." Then she smiled as she stood. "Besides, who's afraid of a few ghosts?"
CAPTAIN JANEWAY SAT AT HER DESK IN THE READY ROOM, going over reports on a
padd. At times, she wished that she could jettison the busy work associated with the captaincy. But for
each bit of routine that she dispensed with, a bit of home went with it. She had already made decisions
that would never have been made in the Alpha Quadrant.
Occasionally she glanced at the long windows showing a view of the stars. Sometimes she wished the
positions were familiar. Sometimes she was pleased they were not.
"Captain." Ensign Kim's voice broke her concentration. "We are over the Station." "Excellent, Ensign,"
she said.
But he didn't wait for her comto finish. "And I think you need to take a look at this." She smiled at the
tone of fascination and awe in Harry Kim's voice. Perhaps there was something to Neelix's wild claims.
She hoped so.
Voyager had limped to Alcawell and Janeway had worried that she was using the last of their power for
a wild chase after nothing.
She placed the padd on her desk and stood, brushing her hair with the heel of one hand, making certain
not a strand was out of place. Then she left the ready room and stepped onto the bridge.
Paris sat immobile at conn, Chakotay was sitting on the edge of the captain's chair, and Tuvok stood at
his station in tactical. All stared, transfixed, at the main viewscreen. Her gaze followed theirs, and her
mouth opened involuntarily. She shut it quickly, glad no one had seen her. But the feeling that had caused
the reaction remained. Row after row, kilometer after kilometer of ships filled the viewscreen. They went
off the edge of the screen in all directions.
She made herself limit down her focus. Each ship seemed to be identical to the others, round with three
slender tripod legs, as a sort of landing gear. The ships were spaced an even distance from each other.
She pulled her focus back to the entire screen again. The rows of ships seemed to go on forever in all
directions. How was this possible? She was having real trouble grasping the scale of what she was
seeing. They looked almost like children's toys lined up neatly, Yet they were all real. Very real.
- "Captain." Kim was standing in operations, his fingers poised over the screen controls. "From what 1
16 can tell, this is the largest of four-ah, I suppose you could call them bases. Or maybe ports? There
seems to be a base or port in the middle of each of the continents on this planet." "Are there life sips?"
Chakotay asked.
Kim looked away from the screen, tapped the ops panel before him, and read the results. Then he shook
his head. "Nothing above rodent size." "Captain," Tuvok said. "There are extensive remains of a
humanoid civilization scattered over the planet, but nothing as preserved as these ships appear to be.
There are also large building ruins scattered between the ships at regular intervals. No ship is very far
from what was once a building. A very efficient design and use of space." "What's the size of this?"
Janeway asked, not taking her gaze from the screen. "I have comno sense of scale." Tuvok nodded.
"This facility alone is twice the size of the Federation's Luna Station. One-eighth of Vulcan would be
covered in these ships if all four bases, as Mr. Kim called them, were combined." "This base, or station,
is square," Janeway said, trying to put this in a perspective she understood. "You're telling me, Tuvok,
that if we put the northwestern comer of this base in Federation Headquarters in San Francisco, the
edges of the base would stretch south to the center of Los Angeles and east to Reno?" Paris whistled.
"Yes, Captain," Tuvok said, "although I doubt the ships would line up a tilde neatly on Earth." He took a
deep breath. Janeway recognized the pause. He made one just like it each time he imparted information
that had an element of speculation to it. "And one more thing. These ships were never meant to fly, at
least not by any means we know of." "What?" Janeway spun to look at Tuvok.
His steady gaze met hers. He understood her sudden excitement. Neelix had led them to a technology
they hadn't seen before. Janeway slapped her comm badge. "B'Elanna, ard you studying the ships
onscreen?" B'Elanna had spent the trip in Engineering, coaxing all the power she could out of the warp
engines. "Yes, Captain." "Do you have any idea what they were?" "Not from here, Captain. Without a
hands-on inspection I couldn't even tell you what their power source was, let alone what their function
might have been. But I can confirm that the metals in the ships" bodies and engines are ones we need for
repairs." "Captain." Kim had moved to the science station.
"The ruins around the ports are layered as far back as I can get readings. And this is a very, very old
planet." "So," Janeway said, turning back to stare at the incredible sight of square kilometers of ships
parked side by side, "we're talking about the home of a very old race that moved on, or maybe died out
a long time agoTs "It would seem that way," Chakotay said.
"Things are not always as they seem," Tuvok said.
66 Go on." "There is no logic in this situation," Tuvok said. "The ships are obviously quite old, yet they
are in a better state of repair than any of the surrounding Is ruins, including the buildings spaced evenly
throughout the port." "Your conclusion?" Janeway asked.
"I have no conclusion," Tuvok said. "But it is possible that the owners of the ships and the inhabitants of
the ruins may not be one and the same." Janeway nodded.
She paused a moment, then made a decision. She again tapped her comm badge. "B'Elanna, I would like
you to study one of the ships firsthand." "Aye, aye, Captain." B'Elanna sounded eager. Janeway smiled.
She envied the Engineer her mobility. Janeway herself would have loved to be the first to visit Alcawell.
She turned to Ensign Kim. "Find Neelix.
I want the two of you to join her." Beside her Chakotay nodded at her choice of away team in
agreement. Kim would keep Torres level.
Neelix would go along for local information in case they found anything on the old ships he might
recognize. Kim headed across the bridge for the door. He too clearly felt the same excitement. If this
station was a's promising as it looked, they might discover some new technology to help them find a way
home. Or clearly at least give them the raw materials to make repairs. "And Mr. Kim." He stopped and
turned to face her. "Yes, CaptainThat' "Your job is to guard her back while she works and keep Neelix
out of trouble.
Understand?" He smiled slightly. "Understood, Captain." Janeway said to Tuvok, "You have five minutes
to search that haystack down there for a working ship. I Is want you to be ready to send them to that
ship when they gather in the transporter room." Then she turned back to stare at the viewscreen.
Ships, parked in neat rows, extended beyond visible range. Thousands and thousands of ships. "They're
never going to believe this when we get home," she said.
THE TRANSPORTER DROPPED THEM ON A HARD, CONCRETE-LIKE surface near the south
edge of the Station. Cold wind cut at B'Elanna's uniform and bits of sand nipped her face. The air smelled
stale, and her mouth dried almost instantly from the total lack of humidity. The entire place had a feeling
of age and death that chilled her far more than did the biting wind.
She glanced quickly around, then just stopped and stared at the parked ships in complete amazement.
One after another, side by side, the ships stretched into the distance like images in facing mirrors. At first
glance they all seemed to be exactly the same, and she could tell from the dozens that towered around
them that they were very, very old. Some had weathered the 21 years better than others in the constant
wind and sand. To her left one had tipped slightly where its short, stemlike landing gear had given way.
When fully upright, the ships were held about four meters above the ground on tripod legs. A fairly
gentle-sloped ramp extended down from the center of each ship like a giant tongue. They'd have no
problems getting inside the ships, because they were all standing open. She looked slowly around,
studying the wrecks. One ship had a small hole in its side that looked as if something inside had exploded
and ruptured the gray hull. But all in all the ships had lasted much, much better than the ruins of a building
a hundred meters away. She couldn't tell for sure, but she thought she could see faint markings on the
concrete surface scoured by the years of sand. The markings seemed to lead from the bottom of each
ship's ramp toward the building.
The view from Voyager had given her a sense of scale for the station itself, but not for the ships. Each
ship was about two times larger than a Federation shuttlecraft. They were like slightly flattened round
balls. Even on their short legs they towered over her. The landing legs alone were twice her width, yet
under the weight of the ships they looked thin. She did a slow, full circle turn just taking in the ships that
hung precariously above and around her and stretched off into the distance in all directions. Large alien
machinery, toppling under the pressure of time and wind, in a very alien setting.
Drifts of sand had formed around the bases of a few of the nearby ships and the ramps leading up into
them. The wind made a strange whistling sound that sent shivers down B'Elanna's back.
She flipped open her tricorder. Ensign Kim did the same. The best way to fight the oddness of this place
was to focus on work, and that was exactly whateashe would do.
"Ghosts. Spirits. The undead. The past walks here,"" Neelix said, almost shouting to be heard over the
wind. "Can't you feel it?" He wrapped his arms tight around himself. "I don't know why I'm even here.
And it's cold. Very cold. Maybe I should beam up and get us all coats." "You're staying with us,"
B'Elanna said, her'voice discrisp. She didn't need any distractions.
Neelix huffed, but said nothing- Her scan showed no life signs and no obvious traps. Nothing but an
abandoned field of old ships that were never intended to fly through air or space.
Strange. Everything about this place was strange. She turned to her right and did a more careful scan of
the ship Tuvok had picked out for them. It seemed to be a good choice. The hull was the same dull
weathered gray as the rest, but she could see no obvious damage. Her readings indicated that this ship
was no different from the rest, but somehow it felt newer than the others.
"Let's see what the inside looks like," she said." "Good," Kim said. "This blowing sand really hurts." She
glanced over at him and Neelix. Both had turned their backs to the wind and were protecting their
eyeand Getting out of the wind would be a good idea.
Holding her tricorder in front of her and scanning for any signs of traps or life-forms, she moved to the
ramp under the center of the ship and looked up. The incline was gentle and the ramp was grooved to
keep users from slipping. The door at the top was wide open and B'Elanna could see a wall beyond with
a faded red arrow pointing to the-right. A small drift of sand had formed around the base of the ramp.
"This had a lot of traffic once," Kim said, scanning his tricorder over the ramp.
"Traffic?" Neelix asked, looking around as if he could see the traffic nearby.
6'Passengers would be my guess," Kim said.
"The design and the wear patterns indicate this boarding ramp was well used." "Used for what is the
question," B'Elanna said.
Kim shrugged. "This place reminds me of a shuttleport back home. Sort of." He kept staring at his
tricorder.
66 It reminds me how much I hate being cold," Neelix said. "And how my quarters are warm and dry$99
B'Elanna walked up the wide ramp to the opening, holding her tricorder in front of her.
She wanted to draw her phaser, but knew that would seem stupid under the circumstances. Nothing had
threatened them. There didn't seem to be anything on this planet 24 et that could threaten them. But she
still would rather have a phaser in her hand than a tricorder the way her stomach was twisting. She would
just feel better.
"The ship's empty," Kim said.
"Of course it's empty," Neelix said. "These are all abandoned ships." He stepped around Kim and
B'Elanna, and before either of them could stop him. he walked calmly inside and down the wide corridor
indicated by the faded arrow.
Indirect lighting flickered on marking the way as he walked. "Neelix!" B'Elanna shouted.
"It's warm in here!" he said.
"Amazing," Kim said, studying his tricorder.
"Lights and power source still functioning after all this time." "Yeah," B'Elanna said, scanning her tricorder
for any signs of danger before following Neelix.
The passageway was about ten meters long and turned sharply to the left into a large room with bench
seats around the outside and other seats attached to chairs in groupings throughout the room. The room
was larger than some Maquis ships. Over a hundred passengers could fit comfortably in this space.
Neelix stood in the middle with his hands open.
"See? Empty, just as I told you." "There are no other rooms," Kim said. "How did they pilot this thing?"
"All empty tin cans," Neelix said. "Good for salvage, huh?"
"There isn't even an engine room," Kim said.
"Or "for that matter, an engine." "Just don't touch anything," B'Elanna said, staring directly at Neelix. "At
least until we determine what these ships were and what controls them." Neelix sighed and sat down on
the nearest chair, leaning back and putting his feet up. "At least we're out of the wind in here." "Look at
this," Kim said, pointing at a blinking red sign over the passageway they had just come in. The sign was in
an unidentifiable language with a numberlike sequence tlbbat kept changing. "It started blinking when
Neelix sat down." "See if you can figure out what Jt says," B'Elanna said. She tapped her comm badge.
"Away team to Voyager- "Voyager here," Janeway's voice answered.
"We're inside. No signs of life. The ship still has an automatic power source of some sort that we
somehow triggered on entering." "Can you tell what the ships were used for?" Janeway asked.
"Passenger transport of some type. The insides are nothing more than a large room with benches and
chairs. But I can't imagine where these could go. Or for that matter, how. It will take me some time to
figure this out." "Pastenger?" Janeway said, more to herself than B'Elanna.
摘要：

StarTrek-Voy-002-TheEscapeDeanWesleySmithandKristineKathrynRuschTHESHUTTLEDIPPEDANDBUCKED.CHIEFENGINEERB'ElannaTorreskeptherbalancewithpracticedease.Shebracedherselfonthecontrolpanelswiththeheelsofbothhands.Herfingersdancingonthecontrolpanelslikethoseofaconcertpianist,constantlyadjusting,strengtheni...

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