"It would appear," Tuvok stated with surprising calmness, "That the Borg have gathered a large enough force to commence another attack against us. Once we have been eradicated, they will, no doubt, proceed to earth. All our efforts to overcome the ships have proven inconsequential."
B'Elanna cut in with an emotional continuation. "They've started to systematically annihilate all signs of civilisation!" she cried, gesturing wildly and pacing the room with wide angry strides.
Harry picked up the report. "They started at the centre of this region of space, moving outwards with frightening speed." The young man appeared much like the man Tom knew, forced to give up part of his naïve innocence and trusting nature. He was shocked and disgusted; they all were, but Harry's face expressed his feelings more openly than the other occupants of the room. "There has been no response to our attempted communications with the Borg," he delivered the report in a terse voice, "And so far, there have been no survivors in the wake of their destruction. They're unstoppable."
"I feel like the victim of the biggest practical joke EVER!" Tom exclaimed, pacing around in what he knew to be Chakotay's office, but was in fact Kathryn's.
Chakotay looked up and followed his movements for a few seconds, but Kathryn ignored him, too busy studying the alien objects he had been carrying when he had beamed up. "You got all this on the alien planet you were talking about?" she asked.
"Uh, yeah," Tom replied, halting in front of the desk they both worked at. "With the exception of the tricorder and phaser of course. I found this lab, and I called... well, I called you actually, and we concluded that they must have kept things there that they found on other planets. There was also a mirror, like a slab of rock-" he was speaking fast "-It could have been made from alutritanium, but I don't know. Chakotay called you. You said we were leaving. I touched the mirror."
While Tom was repeating the story of events, Kathryn picked up the object he had seen just before he had gone through the mirror. Finding it interesting, she gestured to Chakotay, and now they were both scrutinising the object. Tom smiled, at least something here was the same: Kathryn and Chakotay worked closely together, both as colleagues and friends and could communicate without words. Some things, it seemed, were truly universal.
"Interesting," Kathryn spoke distractedly. "What is it?"
"I have no idea," Tom confessed.
Both Kathryn and Chakotay looked up at him immediately and Tom resisted the urge to take a step back.
"You said you touched a mirror?" Chakotay prompted, clearly wanting more information.
Tom nodded, then shook his head. "Well actually I touched that thing first. It turned on, I heard a noise, that's when I noticed the shimmering."
Kathryn lifted the object. "Maybe this is what controls it," she hypothesised.
"When I touched the mirror there was this," Tom paused, searching for the correct word to describe the sensation, "This surge, it was like getting an electrical shock just for a second. Then I went to find the Captain and Chakotay and Tuvok, so that they could help me carry it back, and we could see if Seven had assimilated any knowledge about the technology," he explained.
"She's the Borg you say is a member of Voyager's crew?" Chakotay confirmed.
"Yes, but I couldn't find them, it was like they were just gone. So I figured that maybe they had left without me, so I hit my commbadge and gave the order to beam up and I re-materialised in the transporter-" he stopped when the lights dimmed and the Red Alert klaxons sounded and cast an eerie flashing red glow about the room.
"Warhead one is loaded."
They hurriedly exited onto the bridge as the Lieutenant manning Tactical, another face Tom didn't recognise, called out, "Warhead two is loaded."
Tom scanned the scene and tried to assess the situation.
"Warhead three is loaded."
"Sir," Kathryn sounded. "Isn't our priority to get to Arcadia, repair the ship and get the crew to safety?"
"I believe it is more prudent to try to stop the Borg attack first." Tuvok replied, his voice calm and composed.
"What is this Arcadia?" Tom asked Chakotay. "What does she mean?"
"Warhead four is loaded," the tactical officer said as Chakotay replied to Tom.
"We are trying to reach a planet about 10 light years from here that we have nicknamed Arcadia. Once there we will be able to carry out repairs using the planet's rich resources and we hope that the ship will be shielded from Borg sensors. Certainly the crew will be able to take refuge on the planet, so that even if Voyager is destroyed we may survive to fight the Borg."
"Warhead five is loaded."
Tom seemed satisfied with Chakotay's answer. He looked at a console nearby and suddenly realised just what was going to happen. "You're going into fluidic space?!" he exclaimed.
"You got a problem with that?" B'Elanna retorted icily.
"You can't do that! The 8472 haven't done anything to you!"
"Yet."
"The 8472 aren't your enemy; you haven't even met them! That means the Borg haven't invaded fluidic space, so the 8472 haven't attacked. They're stronger than the Borg! Why unleash another wave of terror. Aren't the Borg bad enough?"
B'Elanna was looking angrier by the second. "Try to understand what's happening here. The Borg will kill us and then attack Earth and other Federation planets, assimilating others as they go. The death toll will be off the scale."
"The death toll will be higher when the 8472 come through into our space!" Tom exclaimed, hardly believing what was happening.
"Warhead six is loaded."
B'Elanna continued. "We want to open up a quantum singularity to fluidic space and set off a warhead to attract their attention. Hopefully then the 8472 will come through and attack the Borg. If they overlook us, as you say they did, then the Borg attack will be stopped and we'll be fine; we can repair our ship, send the 8472 back where they came from and be on our way. However, if they attack us, then we have the fire-power and the means to protect ourselves."
"Warhead seven loaded."
"This is wrong," Tom said. His comment was ignored.
"Open the quantum singularity," Tuvok commanded.
B'Elanna turned away from Tom and tapped in a few commands on the science console. "Opening the quantum singularity." Tom watched the progress on the viewscreen. "Quantum singularity open, sending warhead." As soon as the warhead went through to fluidic space B'Elanna shut down the quantum singularity. "Quantum singularity closed."
Tuvok stood from what Tom knew to be Kathryn's chair. "Proceed to Arcadia until it is time to open the next quantum singularity," he ordered.
"These aliens are innocent to our space! You will kill innocent people and they'll have no idea why."
"As will the Borg," Tuvok answered. "If this man has no further information that we may use, confine him to the Brig. I do not wish to see him again. Commander Janeway, you have the bridge." With that Tuvok left the bridge for the quiet of his ready room.
To Be Continued