Echo beamed into a sand dune cavern and scanned her surroundings. Thankfully, there were no Hirogen or Klingons near her, which was why L'Naan had chosen the position. It was 'night', but the large moon in the sky lit the valley that she could see from the entrance to the cave.
Her eye turned icy blue as she searched for an exit. The trail led her deeper into the cave and upwards. Tunnels would connect and branch off, creating a labyrinth, but she had no trouble navigating it thanks to her ability. Several times she heard voices, laughs, and even a few snores echoing through the caves despite seeing no one along her path.
"Computer, exit!" Echo ordered, her eye revealing the doorway despite it being disguised as a solid rock wall.
The doorway was revealed as the doors opened into the main corridor. She stepped out and headed straight for the nearest jefferies tube hatch. It would take longer to move around the ship through them, but it would reduce the chances of coming across any Hirogen significantly. She headed up to Deck Five and found her way to the hatch that led into Sick Bay.
"L'Naan, I'm in position. How does it look?" Echo asked through her suit's comm system.
"Three people in the main room and the Hirogen is at the Science Station," L'Naan replied.
"Understood," she said then pulled off her helmet.
Slowly, she opened the hatch and poked her head out. The Doctor had heard the sound but was in the middle of treating someone, so he could only lean his head over to see who it was. The look of relief was unmistakable, and he instantly returned his focus to his patient. Echo smirked and climbed out quietly, then moved over to him while keeping out of sight as best she could.
"Hey, Doc, we don't have a complete plan yet, but I've brought you a device which will allow you to communicate with us on a secure channel. All you have to do is tap the crystal and speak but use it carefully. If the crystal turns blue, we are trying to contact, so activate it when you can. Be sure to tell Danara as well," Echo said as she placed a tool that looked similar to the other medical instruments on his tray, something that Katye had whipped up at her request. "I've got to get something similar to Harry, but I'll come back when we are ready to shut down the chips in the crew."
"I understand... and thank you for coming back," he replied.
Echo looked at him for a moment, the Doctor never looking away from his patient, then snuck back to the jefferies tube without another word. She headed for Deck Four where Harry's quarters were located. Again, she called L'Naan to scan the corridor before she left the jefferies tube and hurried over to Harry's room. She took off her glove and used her injection tubules to 'hack' her way into his room. Placing the bracelet on his pillow, she retreated back to the crawlspace and moved to an isolated section of the ship, where she set up her Territorial Domain and released Nyka from her body.
Transferring control of the Domain to Nyka, Echo sat down and quieted her mind, preparing to meditate. Nyka looked around the small junction before deciding that the only place worth sitting on was in Echo's lap, so she hopped in and made herself comfortable. Echo chuckled lightly and rubbed her companion's ears before settling into her meditation, waiting for a signal from Rebecca or L'Naan to act.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Echo just confirmed that the 'Americans' are due to invade in five minutes. With Echo's information and L'Naan's backdoor connection to the internal sensors, we have a good view of the conditions within the ship. The Klingon simulation stretches from Deck Twelve to Deck Nine while Six through Eight are tied to the World War Two simulation. A hundred and twenty-one Hirogen are onboard, mostly scattered through the holo-decks or in the crew quarters, but there are still clusters of them in key zones like the Bridge and Engineering," I explained, calling up a schematic of Voyager on the main screen, which was the main window on the bridge of our small ship.
"Once Echo knocks out the sensors, shields, and internal communication systems, L'Naan and I will take Engineering which leaves the Bridge for Rebecca and Sick Bay for Echo to secure. Do you remember what you are going to do, Filigree?" Katye asked.
"Wait for Echo's signal and fly the ship into the Shuttle Bay. Land and stay cloaked. Warn you if a large number of Hirogen are approaching the Bridge, Sick Bay, or Engineering," the pixie repeated.
"Good," Katye said, giving her a small smile.
Filigree was not a fighter, but she could still help us out significantly. Without her, one of us would have to stay back on the ship, or send the Fae Dragon away, since the price of most of Fae's systems doubled or tripled without outside input, likely to prevent us from abusing the option. As it was, with the core fully topped off and Filigree landing the ship in the Shuttle Bay within a few minutes, the core would run out within two hours due to the drain from the cloaking, secured comm channel, and sensor data, which prevented the fifteen Hirogen ships from noticing the Fae Dragon.
I placed a small handful of berries on the Conn station terminal, next to Filigree, and said, "Enjoy and pay attention, Little One. I'm going to top off the core, and I'll let you know when Echo signals."
Leaving those two behind, I headed into engineering where L'Naan was meditating in the corner. I did not bother her and just stepped over to the core, then sat down in front of it. My mind split into four, with two minds devoted to meditating, one transferring my mana into the core, and the last one holding my connection to Echo. She was awake and connected to Voyager's computer system, 'watching' the events of the World War Two play out.
[Chakotay and Paris just met up with Tuvok. They should be calling in the airstrike any minute.] Echo explained, sensing that I had 'focused' on her.
[Good, I want to take out some stress on people.] I replied with a dark chuckle.
I sensed Echo's amusement, but she reminded me. [Don't go overboard. We don't need them thinking that we are interesting prey, just that we got a lucky break.]
[Yes, mom.]
An explosion rocked Voyager as the Nazi Headquarters in the holo-deck was blown up by the explosives that Janeway and Seven had planted followed by the airstrike from the Americans. Without the safety protocols on, the explosions destroyed the holo-deck wall across multiple decks, revealing the hallways behind. This was the moment that we had been waiting for, and Echo switched her focus to the comm system.
"Echo has started shutting everything down. Time to get ready," I announced, opening my eyes and standing up.
L'Naan woke up and stood as well. Katye walked in a moment later with her exo-suit on, so we called out our suits as well and prepared to jump into the Yin Realm. The Fae Dragon was flying ahead of Voyager about fifty thousand kilometers away, so the plan was to drift over instead of teleporting as the Hirogen ships might pick up the signal.
Sensing Echo's success, I gave the order to Filigree, "Drop the shields."
The three of us shifted into the Yin Realm and launched through the back wall of our ship. The fifteen Hirogen ships were shining bright orange while Voyager was blue, proving that the shields were down. Using our mana, we aimed ourselves at our destinations and rushed ahead.
Stepping out of the Realm, I appeared in the center of the Bridge. Harry and the Hirogen, who I guessed was the leader, were at the Operation Station, trying to figure out what happened. There were another six Hirogen scattered across the room at different stations and two other Voyager crewmen. With a smirk, two gas grenades appeared in my hands and I tossed them out before pulling out a second set, throwing them in the opposite direction.
Several Hirogen shouted as they went for their weapons while others attached a piece of their suits over their mouths, obviously smart enough to be concerned that it was poisonous... which it was, but not life threatening. It was just knockout gas as we were not looking to start a war. I rolled forward, dodging a volley of phaser beams, and stuck out my left hand, which was uncovered, using my injection tubules to override control of Voyager, locking out major systems behind an encryption code that would take some time to crack. They fired another volley at me before I could disconnect, but I used my suit's shields to block the damage.
Once I was finished with the encryption code, I teleported myself before they could hit me anymore. I pulled out a custom phaser and fired at the nearest masked Hirogen. Those who did not put a mask on immediately had begun to fall, and even the masked ones were feeling some effects as their movements became sluggish. Taking the easy route, I aimed at their masks, destroying them one by one.
"Bridge secure," I announced through our comm system as I walked towards Harry.
He was slumped against the wall and his station while the suspected Hirogen leader's body was blocking my way. I dragged him out of the way, then squatted by Harry and put a rebreather on him, which would filter out the knockout gas, then purified his blood with my healing spell. His eyes blinked a few times before he fully woke up, realizing what was happening.
"Rebecca! You did it," he exclaimed.
"Did you doubt me? Here, go put these on the other crewmen, then pull them together. I'll purge the effects of the gas once I get all of the Hirogen in cuffs," I instructed, passing two more rebreathers to him.
"Sick Bay secure," Echo chimed.
I walked around the room and pulled the Hirogen into a group and bound their arms and legs with bands of metal. A few minutes later, Katye signaled that they had control of Engineering, which also meant that it was time for Echo to shut down the chips controlling most of the crew. After purifying the two Voyager crewmen that I vaguely remembered seeing in Engineering at one time or another, I summoned out another rebreather and placed it on the Hirogen that I believed to be the leader before casting my healing spell on him as well.
"Good evening, Commandant. You seem to be in possession of my friends' ship. I'm afraid that I can't allow that to continue," I said.
"It was a fair hunt. The ship is my trophy," he replied.
"Then, by that right, I can claim your skull and the ship as my own, but I don't want to do it that way. A team of four secured the Bridge, Engineering, and Sick Bay, where my companion is currently deactivating the chips that you put into the crew to control them. This ship and its technology are ours, and we will destroy it before we surrender it to you," I explained.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"Captain Rebecca Cox of the Federation Starship Fae Dragon, at your service."
"I should have known. Janeway mentioned you numerous times in her logs; I should have expected you to mount a counterattack. She thought you would die on your 'fool's errand' as she called it, but hoped that you would be able to overcome the impossible odds. If you are not wanting to kill me, then you must want something from me," he deduced rather easily.
I stood up, crossing my arms, and remarked, "And you want something from Voyager, the holo-deck technology. I can't promise it as it is Janeway's decision, but if you explain to her your vision for your people, I believe that you can convince her."
"And what do you know of my 'vision'?"
"A new way to hunt before the isolation of the hunt drives your race to extinction."
His eyes widened with surprise as I summarized his vision exactly and remarked, "I see why she trusts your judgement. How do you know my people so well?"
Obviously, telling him the truth was out of the question, so I gave a simple lie, "We've intercepted several transmissions between your people over the past three months since we discovered the relay network, and my ship has been following your convoy for weeks, able to study what you've been doing onboard. Even with my ship and Voyager, we can't make it out of your encirclement with Voyager surviving the exchange. I know it, you know it, but neither of us want that outcome."
He nodded his head with acceptance, so I helped him to his feet then stored away the metal bands on his arms and legs, except for the bracelets around his wrists which were charged with mana. I did not trust him fully, but I had faith that he would keep to his word. Harry was helping the two crewmen to their feet, both of whom were looking at me with relief.
"Harry, Captain Janeway will get a message to rendezvous at Sick Bay. Take the turbo lift to Sick Bay and meet up with Echo. She'll lead you to her and anyone else with her. Pass over your masks and ask her to come up here," I instructed and offered him my phaser.
"Yes, ma'am," he replied, taking the gun. "You two, with me."
The three of them walked to the turbo lift and left the Bridge. The Hirogen leader watched me with curiosity while I mostly ignored him and sat down in Chakotay's chair, pulling out a padd that was connected to the Fae Dragon's sensors. I also grabbed another smoke grenade but waited to use it until I knew that Echo and Janeway were on their way here or more guests were inbound.
"Is it arrogance or confidence that makes you act with such disregard?" he asked.
"I guess you can say both, but I feel like it's more confidence. You can fire that small phaser at me that you have stashed in your hand, but unless it is stronger than the rifles that your race typically carries, you don't have the ability to break my shields before I break the bones in your hands. My crew and I have been very respectful and used non-lethal means while securing our sections of the ship, but don't test my patience. Your actions in taking this ship have resulted in the death of sixteen members of the crew. I may be tired of killing, but that doesn't mean that I will hesitate if I see the need for it," I replied without looking up from the small screen.
He smirked and tossed the small weapon onto the ground. Looking at the bands around his wrists and those holding the other Hirogen, he realized how I had noticed the actions.
"This metal is unique… A Vazukuru creation, I imagine," he remarked.
I glanced up from the padd to him giving me a knowing look, so I sighed and played along, "Now, you have me interested in what the good captain has been putting into her logs. My race prefers to keep information about us and our technology minimal… but, I am sure that you are already aware of that. Trying to sow discord between me and Voyager, or are you simply sniffing for information?"
He laughed lightly to my surprise and remarked, "What an interesting prey. You seem to truly understand the Hunt."
I scoffed, "Not really, but one of my partners studies the Concept. She's the one who developed most of the strategy that we used to take back Voyager. There is a lot that she could learn from a Hunter like you, but I'm unwilling to trust her in the hands of a Nazi sympathizer."
"The Nazi lost the war. Were they not in the weaker position?"
"If you take away their crazed beliefs, arrogance, as well as knowing 'when' the Allies were due to attack, they weren't or you, rather. The Nazi were defeated because their rule was too extreme, so the common man within their ranks turned against them while the majority of the world turned against them too. That war caused a significant change to the culture of the Human race where the subjected masses turned on the 'powers' that ruled them, but those moments are reflected countless times throughout their history. Looking only at the battles paints a small picture of a culture, and their capabilities," I replied.
"I see, the Humans were still bound together due to the planet that they shared, so even if the Nazi had gained control of the world, the 'rebel' populous would still exist, hiding itself within what they ruled, and eventually rooting them out, or destroying the world... That's not a problem for our current culture, but in a few hundred years, what will remain of us? We've lost the ability to unite as a whole and progress," he mused.
"We have a problem... Janeway's trail has led me to a small building on the holo-deck in the World War Two simulation, and I have detected around thirty Hirogen circling the building with Janeway, Chakotay, Tuvok, Tom, B'Elanna, and Seven. They seem to be at a stalemate currently, but it won't last long as the holographic Nazis are converging on the location," Echo announced through our comm system.
"Of course, things couldn't end simply," I sighed my complaint then said, "I'm on my way to you, Echo. Katye and L'Naan, hold your positions in Engineering; I've already locked down all functions up here, so you should reroute the main systems there."
"Understood," Echo replied.
"We're moving to Stage Three: Lockdown," Katye stated.
Stage Three: Lockdown meant that Katye would fully layer Engineering in the trap spells that Echo's scroll had. Her mastery over the lower leveled traps was on par with Echo's best traps currently, but they would not recognize Friend from Foe while Echo's could. L'Naan would focus on keeping control of the main systems and preventing the Hirogen ships from noticing what was going on within Voyager.
My eyes turned to the 'leader' of the Hirogen, and I asked aloud while releasing my aura completely on him to hide that I connected to his mind with mana, "Do you want a 'ceasefire' and a good chance at the holo-deck technology, or do you want to have Voyager destroyed and possibly my own ship and crew killed for the 'Hunt'?"
He smirked, knowing that the power had truly shifted back into his hands, and replied, "I want the holo-deck technology and your word that we will have it."
I sighed, standing up, and weighed the outcomes. We need them to have the technology, so that one of the 'two-episode' season specials could happen, but promising things outright would tie us directly to the crimes that they would undoubtedly recreate, as the episode had played out. The bullshit of sticking to the timeline aside, we wanted the episodes to happen so that we would have an idea of how things would play out since we could predict the outcome better.
Did we want the blood of Voyager on our hands, or the holo-graphic programs that the Hirogen would torture through the simulations that they would create, which would have the holograms to remember their deaths and even feel pain, so that they could grow alongside the training Hirogen? Could holographic life hold the same value as organic life? It was a question that recurred throughout the show due to the Doctor and his personal growth, and now it was before me as well. The answer for me was simple; he was just as real as everyone else in this 'universe', just like those from my past 'universe'. But, despite knowing the horrors that the Hirogen would undoubtedly cause to the holograms that they would create, I made my choice to protect the people that I cared about first, just as I had done during my time in 'the 100'.
"You can have the core pieces of the holo-deck to recreate it on a grand scale, but I need your word that you will act for peace between your people and mine. Some of your people are holding Janeway and, if you try to betray me, you'll die first followed by every other Hirogen that I come across during my journey. The surrounding ships will likely destroy Voyager, but the Fae Dragon has a good chance of escaping along with myself and my crew... just as an extra promise should we survive your betrayal. Do we have an agreement?"
The Hirogen smiled lightly and agreed with a nod, and true honesty, "We have an agreement."