Star Trek Voyager: Fragments

Star Trek Voyager: Fragments (Chapter 1)

A/n: This story is a rewrite of the series 7 episode "Workforce". Please review!

“Remember to make sure Neelix doesn’t bring back anything biologically contaminated, we don’t want a repeat of the Ladari stomach flu incident and I’ve heard that the Dash’Nar have some pretty strange delicacies…” Janeway reeled off her final instructions to her First Officer, despite the fact all of the senior officers had spent well over an hour discussing this very trading mission in that morning’s staff briefing.

“I’ll make sure of it Captain.” Chakotay assured her calmly, his inner irritation with her persistent lack of confidence in his common sense not even flickering over his handsome features after seven years of practice in hiding it from her. He picked up the PADD with the supplies they needed listed from her desk and tapped his comm. badge, “Ensign Kim, Neelix, meet me in Shuttle Bay 2 and we’ll get going.”

“On my way Comma…” Harry began to reply before his voice was abruptly cut off by a huge explosion that rocked the entire ship.

“What the hell…” Janeway muttered as she rose from behind her desk, her shocked expression focusing on Chakotay as if she expected him to give her an explanation.

“Captain!” Seven of Nine’s strident voice managed to echo through the now static ridden comm. system. “We have hit a sub-space minefield; the ship is being flooded with tetrion radiation!”

“Red Alert!” Janeway ordered sharply as both she and Chakotay ran from her ready room onto the Bridge.

The Doctor whirled away from his latest radiation patient as he heard Sickbay’s doors whoosh open once again, expecting another influx of injured and poisoned crewmembers to crowd an already overrun Sickbay, but instead he saw a frazzled and coughing but otherwise uninjured Janeway. “Captain! What’s happening?”

“We can’t stop the radiation coming in and power is failing, we need to evacuate…” She began to explain.

“I’ll prepare the injured for evacuation and we’ll…” The Doctor interrupted, for although he was shocked, he knew the crew’s bodies wouldn’t be able to take much more exposure to the radiation.

“No. I need you to stay here and vent the radiation while we look for assistance.”

The Doctor’s mouth dropped open in surprise before his concern for his patients overwhelmed him, “But…but Captain, you’re all in need of medical care…”

The Captain shrugged, a slight sigh leaving her lips as she said, “Well, we’ll just have to make do with med kits for now.” She studied him for a moment before suddenly calling to the Computer, “Computer, activate the Emergency Command Hologram, authorisation Janeway Omega 3.”

The Doctor’s blue medical uniform was exchanged for a red one of command in the blink of an eye. “Captain I…” He stuttered, stunned.

“I want her back in one piece Doctor.” The Captain told with a small smile before heading back towards the door, issuing orders, “Commander, start filling the escape pods…”

This unexpected development was now beginning to sink in with the Doctor and he beamed at her, filled with pride despite the situation, “I’ll look after her Captain.” The Captain gave him a quick nod and left to join the rest of her crew.

Around twelve hours later, long after the drifting white specks of the escape pods had disappeared from view, the Doctor, or ECH as he now referred to himself privately, was standing on the Bridge feeling mildly satisfied, he’d managed to vent the radiation entirely, now all he had to do was restore main power, and of course life support… Yes he’d soon be basking in the crew’s praise if everything continued to go to plan… These pleasing thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the familiar sound and sensation of phaser fire hitting Voyager’s hull and the Doctor hurriedly ran to the comm., making the attacker’s face appear on the viewscreen. “You are attacking the Federation starship U.S.S Voyager, cease and desist or I’ll…”