Chapter Text
Captain Kathryn Janeway gripped the armrests of the command chair as the ship continued to tremor from the energy-charged nebula. “Back us off, Tom!” She ordered the helmsman before turning to the Operations Station. “Mr. Kim, I thought you said we were at a safe distance from the energy pulses?”
Harry Kim’s eyes narrowed as he furiously inputted various keystrokes. “That was the reading moments ago! Somehow the energy discharges have followed us, even with us maneuvering away.”
A sudden jolt shook the entire ship, automatically triggering Red Alert status throughout Voyager.
“Damage report!” The captain called out towards the Tactical Station off to her right, slightly behind her shoulder.
“Shields are down to 80 percent,” the ever-calm Chief of Security’s voice answered. “The energy discharges are increasing…”
“Confirmed!” Ensign Samantha Wildman spoke up from the Science Station down on a lower level from the Ops Station, directly left of the Helm Station. “The frequency intensity is increasing…” energy discharges started arcing throughout the Science station instrument panels.
“Samantha!” Janeway couldn’t help calling out as the science officer automatically threw up her hands in an attempt to protect her face.
Another turbulent shudder shook the entire ship, throwing every seated crew member onto the floor. “Lt. Paris, get us outta here!” Captain Janeway ordered as she assisted Ensign Wildman from off the floor, relieved to discover the science officer relatively unharmed. “Put as much distance between us and the nebula as you can!”
Another energy discharge penetrated through the main viewer’s surrounding control panels as Tom Paris’ fingers worked in a virtual blur over the flight controls. “B’Elanna,” he called towards the Engineering Station completely mirror opposite of the Science Station. “You’re gonna need to give me more power to the impulse engines!”
“I’m working on it!” The half Klingon Chief Engineer shouted back. “Use thrusters to compensate!”
“Shields at 65 percent,” Tuvok reported as another control panel exploded from one of the panels behind the command chairs in a massive shower of sparks.
“Captain,” Ensign Kim spoke up, “another massive energy pulse incoming! It’s gonna be bigger than any of the other ones.”
“Tom, get us outta here!” Janeway repeated her order. “B’Elanna, divert all power…”
The entire bridge illuminated with an intense, blinding light as the energy practically overwhelmed everyone’s senses…
Just as quickly, however, simultaneously an eternity later, the blinding light vanished.
Blinking rapidly to clear her eyes, Captain Janeway barked out: “Status report!” as she double checked Samantha Wildman still grasped within her hands.
Indistinctive voices murmured as the bridge personnel continued to recover from the blinding surge.
“We seemed to have been thrown clear from our original position near the nebula, Captain.” Lt-Cmdr Tuvok reported in the ever calm, logical voice. “Which is fortunate due to our minimal shields.”
“All stop,” Janeway ordered as she wordlessly assisted Ensign Wildman to a nearby built-in seat near the command chairs. Thankfully the science officer had only superficial burns to her hands, from the console explosions, and slightly singed hair.
“Mr. Paris…” Captain Janeway’s voice trailed off as she noticed Chakotay suddenly bolt upright, retrieving a phaser from the security compartment between the command chairs.
Before the captain could utter any words, the moaning sounds caught her ears. Janeway practically spun around the direction of her first officer’s focused gaze and unconsciously gasped. The captain barely heard her own voice instructing her Chief of Security to scan for additional intruders as she took a tentative step towards the stranger.
She was essentially on her hands and knees with her left hand occasionally reaching to her left cheek corresponding with moans of pain. Approximate shoulder length brown hair obstructed the face as they struggled to rise up on their knees.
“Where am I?” The uncertain female voice shook as human hands shakily reached up to brush the unruly hair away from a shockingly human face. Despite the pinkish orange lenses covering her eyes, Captain Janeway could clearly see them widen to impossible proportions as the human female took in her surroundings.
“Who are you?” Captain Janeway found herself automatically demanding as she gradually approached the stranger.
“I… I’m…” the woman stuttered as her left hand came back up to the side of her face. Her eyes continued to widen as she took in the entire bridge and everyone present. “Voy… Voyager?!”
She quickly started looking at individual directly. “Wang,” the brunette practically whispered. “Hower,” she gasped when making eye contact with Ensign Wildman. Her hands slowly rose up as her eyes locked with Chakotay’s, who continued to have a phaser defensively pointed at her. “Beltran,” she rasped and met the captain’s eyes, “Mulgrew.”
The brunette’s eyes continued to take in everyone else seemingly to recite: “Russ, Dawson,” and “McNeil” before returning her focus on Captain Janeway… along with the Commander due to the phaser. She continued to keep her hands up at chest level, somehow projecting her intention of being a non threat.
“How… how is this possible?” she seemed to ask more to herself than to anybody on the bridge. “This… this HAS to be a dream!”
Janeway motioned for Chakotay to lower his phaser as the stranger flinched in sudden pain in her left face and collapsed back down to her elbows. “Who are you?” The captain asked again as she assisted the woman into a sitting position on the bridge deck.
“Cl-Claudia…” the woman flinched as she spoke, “but I go more by my last name… which… which is Conley.”
“Conley,” Janeway repeated, “Irish.”
A slight chortle emerged from Conley. “Irish, Scottish… but mostly German Bohemian from my maternal line. But that’s not important,” the woman continued to flinch, grimace at her face as her blue near hazel eyes took in the entire bridge once more. “Voyager… how? How is this even possible?” Her eyes hesitantly met Captain Janeway’s. “Wh-What year is this… the Gregorian calendar year… not the Stardate?” Conley’s voice was now at a near whisper when she finished, grimacing at her left cheek once more.
“The year is 2377, nearly to be 2378.”
Claudia’s eyes widened even further. “The 24th century? H-How?” She groaned, flinching once more at her face. “How can any of this be possible? Wh-Where is this… this p-pain coming from? F-Feels as if something hit my face… and is burning…” Conley’s body slumped forward as she lost consciousness entirely.
Janeway nodded towards Ensign Wildman and had her take one of the stranger’s hands into hers. “Computer, initiate site to site transport. Beam Ensign Wildman and the intruder to sickbay.”
The captain turned towards Tuvok as the two disappeared in shimmering blue light. “Send a security team to Sickbay. Any other intruders on board?”
“None detected… so far,” the Vulcan replied. “However, I am already dispatching security teams to sweep each deck should they be able to evade our methods of detection.”
Janeway nodded as she stepped down towards the helm and able to view the Engineering station at the same time. “Engine status?”
The half Klingon engineer kept her eyes on the displays as she continued to input commands. “Those last two EM power surges knocked the warp engines off line. Still have partial power to impulse and thrusters, yet I’d advise against using impulse for the time being until I can assure of no lingering effects from those energy discharges.”
“Agreed,” Janeway acknowledged before turning to Tom Paris and the helm controls. “Lieutenant, are we for certain at a safe distance from the nebula?”
The blonde headed pilot nodded. “Affirmative, Captain.” Lt. Paris entered a few keystrokes and activated the main view screen displaying the details of Voyager’s position in relation to the nebula. “Apparently that last surge that blinded the entire bridge also threw Voyager several hundred thousand kilometers from the nebula.”
“Confirmed,” Harry piped up as he entered a few keystrokes, causing a portion of the view screen to display the nebula. “Hopefully we’ll be at a guaranteed safe distance this time…”
Captain Janeway looked over her shoulder towards the Operations officer. “Mr. Kim?”
“It’s just bringing back memories of that electromagnetic life form we had to re-home to another nebula.”
Janeway’s eyes met Chakotay’s, both officers also remembering another event, which involved a nebula like phenomena along with intense energy discharges that fractured the entire ship into segments of various, separate time periods.
Could this be happening again? The captain thought as she returned her focus on the data and images on the main viewer. Could that mysterious guest beamed to Sickbay be a far more advanced form of that electro-magnetic life taken on human appearance?
A hand came up to Kathryn’s mouth as a more haunting, even terrifying prospect entered her thoughts. What if we’ve stumbled upon another covert Species 8472 invasion group? Their Boothby couldn’t exactly guarantee he could communicate with all of their training facilities. What if we’ve stumbled upon a rogue element of Species 8472 and one of their human imposters is in our Sickbay?
Bringing her hands to her hips, the captain’s eyes narrowed at the view screen. “Mr. Paris,” her subtly hardened voice spoke, “move us another five hundred thousand kilometers away and go to all stop.” Janeway then turned to both Chakotay and Tuvok. “You two, take security teams and go over every deck of this ship. Run every possible scan you can think of…”
“What are you expecting us to find?” The first officer slowly approached, asking in his calming tone of voice.
“Anything that could explain what happened earlier,” Janeway answered in a subtly lowered tone of voice. “I don’t want to leave anything to chance- whether it be some time fracture, potential intruder take over, or another electro magnetic life form or a human disguised Species 8472. Scan for any and everything.” Janeway turned to make eye contact with Ensign Kim. “Same goes for you, Mr. Kim. Scan everywhere you can of the area around Voyager, especially for potential cloaked ships.”
Kathryn Janeway nodded her dismissal to the First Officer and Security Chief, who proceeded for the turbolift as she strode over to the Engineering station. “Lt. Torres,” her voice still subtly low, but in command mode. “Have all of engineering go over every bit of the engines with a fine-tooth comb. If there’s even the slightest variance that cannot be accounted for, I want to know about it.”
“Yes Captain,” the half Klingon promptly replied and proceeded for the turbolift.
Kathryn Janeway finally allowed herself a long exhale after resuming her place in the command chair. Briefly rubbing her left temple, she could not help but feel deep down there would somehow be no anomalous readings anywhere. Why do I get the feeling there’s not going to be any explanations for what’s happened? Kathryn released another sigh as her hand descended to her chin while bringing her elbow onto the armrest. And why did she call me Mulgrew?