Disclaimer: Give me programming, ready to receive instructions. Paramount does not compute, but is the supreme being.
When sensors picked up a metallic mass, we at first didn't know what to expect. The past tells us to out rule out any possibilities. Kathryn ordered B'Elanna to the Transporter room, then took Tuvok with her to investigate. She was almost giddy (that renowned scientist in her). When she contacted me and told me what we had beamed aboard, her voice was pure excitement, as well as B'Elanna's in the background.
We may have just found a Delta Quadrant 'Data'.
**
B'Elanna was having trouble. Nothing we had was compatible to this androids power supply. Knowing B'Elanna, she was probably racking her brain to find some solution. Eventually, I assumed she did because she called Harry and Kathryn to help her with a sudden brainstorm she had. Resourceful as B'Elanna is, she'll pull another miracle out of her hat.
**
Kathryn told me about her chat with B'Elanna. She told me she hated telling her no, to help this group build a prototype. She sympathized with B'Elanna, but she cannot violate the Prime Directive for even androids. Kathryn said her own scientific curiosity was peaked, but she couldn't allow it. I hope B'Elanna understands.
**
We contacted the Pralor ship, to inform them we had their drone and were waiting to transport him back to them. B'Elanna was seeing off her project. Or maybe I should say, patient.
"Captain, somone's initializing a transport." I said, watching my console. "It's Torres and the robot." Kathryn told Harry to block it, but it was too late, that their patterns were already in the buffer.
When Harry reported they were gone, her face registered disappointment. Had B'Elanna defied her orders? I hope for B'Elanna sake, she hadn't. We couldn't get a lock on her, since they had engaged some sort of sub space shielding around their ship. Kathryn ordered a hail, but there was no response. She ordered a channel opened, wide space band. Kathryn was pissed now (I can tell by her walk).
She told them that by taking B'Elanna, they had showed aggression and she would fight. But there was no response. They heard us alright. Kathryn ordered Tuvok to ready the forward phaser banks.
No response, no way to penetrate their shields.
"Commander, is there any sign that they're planning to attack?" Kathryn asked me.
"Their shielding is making it difficult to get clear readings. I can't even tell you what their weapon capabilities are." Nothing I said could help us.
She ordered Tuvok to make a hole big enough to transport through and ordered Harry to adjust the modulation to the same. We fired and made progress. We were just about to try again when they began firing at us. Quantum resonance charges.
The aft shields were penetrated. I told Kathryn we had to get out of here.
"Agreed." She said.
Dead in the water. No propulsion, hull breaches, environmental going down, oxygen critical on some decks, injuries being reported. We were being beat by these robots. As I reported, we were losing life support, the firing stopped. We were hailed.
It was B'Elanna. She checked to make sure everything was all right here. She'd agreed to build their prototype and Kathryn's voice sounded of a cross between anger and disappointment.
But it was the only way to keep Voyager from being destroyed.
**
At least six days of repairs to fix the damage. To Kathryn; unexceptable. She wanted B'Elanna back before she had time to complete the prototype. Warp drive then became our top priority. Harry's estimate was 24 hours too long. Kathryn was exasperated. We were dismissed.
**
Our idea was to use a distraction to send a shuttle in to get B'Elanna. Paris was ready at the get go to get her. I reminded him that we were all suppose to be working on this plan. Besides, we couldn't afford to lose anymore shuttles. Of course, he had a smart-assed reply. Kathryn stopped the banter, telling us she wanted a diversion within the next twelve hours.
**
Later on , I went to Kathryn's ready room to give her a progress report. "We're making progress on the dilithium matrix. It should be stable enough to reintialize the warp core in about six hours." Probably the best news we had had in a while.
"Good. What about our diversion? Any suggestions?" She asked me, giving me a small smile.
"When we were in the Maquis, B'Elanna once hooked a holo-emitter to a deflector array and projected the image of another ship into space."
"I like it." She said, rising from her chair. "But do we have enough power?"
"We will by the time the warp core is on line. I already have Kim working on the Holodeck two. . ." Tuvok and his renowned Vulcan punctuality cut in.
We had another guest approaching our co-ordinates. Kathryn and I went to the bridge. No organic lifeforms. A ship run by automated units. Kathryn wondered aloud if we had stumbled into some robotic war. Anything was possible.
"We've got to get Torres back now." I said.
"Agreed." Kathryn said.
The other vessel told us we should leave. Kathryn told them not without our crew person. The unit told us to hold position or be fired on. Kathryn ordered Harry to engineering to give us as much power as possible, Tom to the shuttlebay to get B'Elanna and me to the conn.
**
We got her back. A little worse for the wear, but in one piece. They were so involved in fighting, they didn't even notice our departure. B'Elanna felt bad. She'd built a prototype, it had worked, but it's creation would wipe out the others, so she destroyed it.
Kathryn called it an achievement, an accomplishment.
That it was.
**End Log**