CHAPTER
THREE:
From Home?
Captain's Log, Stardate 56911.2
It appears that the wormhole opens at least close to the Milky Way Galaxy. Our ship's sensors tell us that the ship that came through the wormhole is the USS Ranger. The computer tells us that this ship was not reported missing before we arrived in Andromeda, so it is logical to assume that the ship came from home.
"We are the Borg. Lower your shields and surrender your ship. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile."
They heard it loud and clear. Fear gripped JR as he stared at his view screen. As he watched a Borg Cube came through the wormhole and began to attack the Ranger. He knew they had to fight. He did not want to be assimilated. He could only hope that his time on the holodeck had taught him what he needed to know.
"Deploy armor!" he cried. "Man transphasic torpedoes."
"Torpedoes ready, Captain," said Chang.
"Target their weapons system and fire," JR said.
Seconds later an explosion could be seen on the view screen. The Cube fired one last shot at the Ranger before all shots ceased. A huge explosion occurred in the center of the cube just as the wormhole opened again and two more Cubes came though along with the Queen's Yacht. The second Cube was a tactical Cube and covered in armor. JR cringed when he saw it.
"Seven of Nine to the bridge," he called. "Lieutenant, I want those ships destroyed!"
"Yes, Sir," said Chang as more torpedoes were fired.
The second ordinary Cube exploded seconds after impact, but the tactical Cube spun in a complete circle and returned fire. The Queen's Yacht simply moved out of range of the torpedoes. JR hissed as the ship rocked from the impact of the Borg phasers. He thought fast and hard before he ordered Chang to fire again. Seven of Nine arrived on the bridge just as six more torpedoes struck the tactical Cube.
"Captain," she said as she took Telsia's place at the sensor bank. "If you fire on these coordinates you will destroy the tactical Cube."
"Fire at will," he said as more phaser blasts hit the armor. "Hail the Ranger."
"No response, Captain," said Seven. "Scans indicate that there are forty-seven life signs aboard the ship. All Borg."
"Lock on transphasic torpedoes," he said.
"Captain," said Munro. "We may be able to save them."
"Number One, I don't think that we'd be able to save all of them," he said.
"We should try," said Munro. "They're Starfleet . . ."
"Captain, the Queen's Yacht is moving off," said Seven, interrupting Munro.
"Let her go," he said. "Right now I want to know what's going on over on the Ranger."
"Telsia, Chang, you're with me," said Munro, getting to his feet. "Bridge to Sick Bay."
"Please state the nature of the medical emergency," replied The Doctor from Sick Bay.
"Doctor, meet us in Transporter Room 3," Munro said.
JR and Chad looked at each other. This would be the test they'd been looking for to determine if the crew could leave the ship. If they could that meant they were truly clones and not just holographic representations. If they couldn't then he would have a lot of explaining to do to the rest of the crew.
"Commander," he said. "You are to observe and report back."
"Yes, Captain," replied Munro as he and the others left the bridge.
He waited in anticipation of the transport. He so hoped that they were clones. It would mean a lot of explaining to Starfleet, but then he had a lot of explaining to do anyway. He decided to consult his mentor program about that. He had been meaning to use the program for days now. This seemed like the right time.
"Dodds, you have the bridge," he said, getting up to go to his Ready Room. Once inside the room he said, "Computer, activate Janeway Mentor 1 Program."
"JR, you look troubled," said Janeway when she materialized in front of him.
"We've encountered the Borg," he replied, walking over to sit on his sofa. "We've destroyed two Cubes and chased off the Queen."
"That sounds like good news," she said.
"Well yes and no," he replied. "The USS Ranger has been assimilated and I've sent an away team over to assess the chances of saving them."
"You're afraid they won't be able to leave the ship," she stated, coming over to sit beside him.
"Yes," he affirmed. "What if they are only holograms?"
"Q said that they were real," she pointed out. "Why would he lie to you?"
"You know Q as well as I do, Kathryn," he replied. "Why does he do anything?"
"Point taken," she said. "Still I believe that they are real."
"I want to believe it," he said. "Any moment now I'll have my answer."
"Munro to Captain Kirk," came the voice of Munro.
"Kirk here," he replied, holding his breath.
"Captain, the crew of Ranger seem to be only half assimilated," he said. "We've activated the Ranger's EMH and he and The Doctor are already working on Captain Sparks. Several are dead or dying."
"If The Doctor is sure that he can undo the damage to any of the crew proceed," he said, releasing his held breath. The away team had successfully beamed off the ship. That meant they were in fact real.
"Yes, Captain," Munro said, and the transmission ended.
"There, you see?" said Janeway. "You worried over nothing."
"Well that just means more explaining once we get home," he said.
"Trust me, once you mention Q everything will be explained," she said. "Starfleet is well aware of the havoc that Q has caused in the galaxy."
"I can only hope that they won't throw us in jail when we get home," he said. "That is if we ever get home."
"Oh you'll get home, JR," she said, touching his arm. "I have faith in you."
"Bridge to Captain Kirk," came Chad's voice.
"Go ahead, Mr. Dodds," he said.
"Captain, the wormhole is opening again," Chad said.
"On my way," he replied. "Computer, end program."
"Nothing came through, Captain," Chad said when he got to the bridge. "The wormhole opened and closed again."
"Take us away from the wormhole," said JR. "I don't want to be stuck here with Ranger when it opens again. Inform Commander Munro that we'll be heading for the planet we passed."
"Aye, Sir," said Chad as he got up from the captain's chair and went back to his station.
The ships moved out of range of the wormhole and away from any Borg activity. JR wondered how the planet they'd passed had not been assimilated or destroyed by the Borg. Sensors indicated that they'd found their first signs of life indigenous to Andromeda. Seven told him that the civilization seemed no more advanced than their own. They had warp capability though no ships from the planet were in orbit.
"It is a class M planet, Captain," she said. "Their environment is identical to that of Earth."
"Let's just stay out of their hair," he said. "Keep us high enough in orbit to escape detection by their satellites, Mr. Dodds."
"Aye, Captain," replied Chad.
Status reports came in from the Ranger and minor repairs were made to Lexus's armor while they waited. JR thought long and hard about the wormhole. Sure there was likely Borg on the other side of it, but what if it was another transwarp hub like the one that Voyager had used to get home? He was sure that Lexus would make it through. It was Ranger that he wasn't sure about. There had to be a way to make sure that the ship could stand up to Borg attacks.
"Munro to Captain Kirk," came Munro's voice interrupting his thoughts.
"Go ahead, Commander," he replied.
"Sir, Captain Sparks and Commander Porter are requesting to speak with you," said Munro.
"Has The Doctor cleared them?" JR asked.
"He has, Captain," replied Munro.
"Tell them to prepare for transport," he replied. "Juliet, if you'll join me."
"Yes, Captain," she said, getting to her feet and following him to the turbo lift.
"You are anxious," she said once they were inside the lift.
"Of course I am," he replied. "There are Borg all over the place, we're dangerously close to First Contact with a species that we have no business having anything to do with and I want to get us home."
"It's more than that, Captain," she said. "You're anxious about meeting Captain Sparks and Commander Porter. Why?"
"I'm not sure," he lied. Thankfully she didn't say anything about knowing he was lying to her.
Captain Alice Sparks was an older woman with graying red hair that she kept pulled tightly into a bun behind her head. Her green eyes were sharp as she looked at JR and she didn't seem happy. Commander Porter was a dark haired man who looked old enough to be JR's father. It made him uncomfortable to be faced with the pair.
"Welcome aboard, Captain, Commander," he said formally.
"Thank you, Captain Kirk," said Captain Sparks. "I must say Starfleet Officers get younger every day."
"I'm something of a special case," he replied.
"So we've heard," said Commander Porter.
"If you'll follow me to the conference room," he said, turning his back on his two guests. He wasn't happy with the way they were looking at him. He noticed that Juliet was eyeing them hard as well. He sighed as they made their way to the turbo lift. He could only imagine what they wanted to discuss.
"This is an impressive ship," said Captain Sparks as they boarded the lift. "Your armor is like nothing I've ever seen before."
"Lexus is the newest of the Intrepid Class starships," he said. "There isn't another like her."
"I'm sure," said Commander Porter.
He sat at the head of the table in the conference room as soon as his two guests were seated to his left. Juliet sat on his right. He wasn't looking forward to this conversation. He knew that they were going to comment about his age again, and he wasn't prepared to defend himself if they asked too many questions about Starfleet Regulation.
"I wanted to thank you, personally, for saving us from the Borg," said Captain Sparks once they were all seated.
"Gratitude is not necessary, Captain," he said. "The Borg must be stopped."
"Is that why you were approaching the wormhole?" she asked. "Were you attempting to seek out the Borg?"
"No, I admit we only arrived at the wormhole because of another ship," he replied. "We're kind of stuck here."
"How is it that this ship found it's way to Andromeda?" asked Commander Porter. "I wasn't aware that Starfleet was interested in this galaxy."
"We slipped through a spatial rip caused by unprotected warp drive," he lied. It was the lie that they had told the crew and it would have to do for now with the Captain and First Officer of the Ranger.
"We were dragged here by the Borg," Captain Sparks said.
"Do you know what's on the other side of the wormhole?" JR asked.
"That's what we came to talk to you about," she said. "We believe that the wormhole opens up on the Neutral Zone where we were patrolling. That's where we were when the Borg attacked us."
"If there is a wormhole along the Neutral Zone why is it that Starfleet doesn't know about it?" he asked.
"Perhaps it's newly formed," Commander Porter said.
"I'm not sure I want to go blindly through a wormhole that could take me straight into the arms of the Borg," he said slowly.
"But what if it's a way home?" Sparks asked.
"We can't be certain of that," he replied.
"But it's logical to assume . . ."
"It isn't logical," Juliet said, saying her first words since they'd sat down. "Captain Kirk is right. If we go through that wormhole we face the chance of falling into the hands of the Borg."
"Then will you help us to fit your armor to our ship so that we can go through the wormhole?" asked Sparks.
"If you're so sure it will take you to the Neutral Zone why do you need armor?" he asked.
"I'm sure it is hard for your sixteen year old mind to comprehend," she said hatefully. "Caution is a virtue."
"I'll warn you not to insult me on my own ship again," he snapped. "If you want any help from Lexus you will treat me and my crew with respect."
"You'll help us because we are both Federation," she snapped back.
"Do you see the Federation here?" he asked, smirking at her. "I'll tell you again that I don't take kindly to being insulted on my own ship."
"You shouldn't even be Captain of your own ship," she said. "No sixteen year old has the knowledge or experience required to be Captain."
"You've insulted me on my own ship once again, Captain," he said. "I'm going to have to ask you both to leave."
"I'm old enough to be your grandmother," she said, eyeing him hatefully. "That means that I technically out rank you."
"No, it means that you're getting old," he said harshly, tapping his com badge. "Captain Kirk to transporter room 3."
"Miller here, Sir," came the reply.
"Mr. Miller, please lock on to Captain Sparks and Commander Porter," he said. "I want them transported back to the Ranger immediately."
"Is there a problem, Sir?" asked Miller.
"Just do it, Mr. Miller," he said coldly.
"Now wait . . ." Captain Sparks began as she was transported back to her own ship.
"Do you think it was wise to do that, Captain?" asked Juliet.
"Probably not," he replied. "But it's done."
"She resents you because of your youth," Juliet said as they made their way back to the turbo lift.
"Deck One," he said when the doors slid shut.
An hour later the away team returned to the ship. Commander Munro told JR that Captain Sparks was furious with him and was planning to lodge a formal complaint against him once they were back in Federation Space. His response was to send an engineering team over to her ship to begin installing the armor and remodulating their shields. He had every intention of going through the wormhole. His ship would make it through a Borg attack. Without the armor and new shield modulations her ship would not. He was almost hoping that the Borg would capture her ship again.
It took an entire day to install the armor generators on Ranger's hull. The first team returned after six hours of work and another team was sent over. This continued until the generators were in place and the shields matched those of the Lexus. They were about to leave orbit when a ship approached them with raised shields and weapons armed.
"Red alert!" cried JR as soon as they appeared on the view screen.
THE LEXUS CHRONICLES