I frown slightly as the ship move closer to the ancient satellite. Just a week earlier we end The Doctor through one of those to the Alpha Quadrant where he saved a experimental ship with another hologram from the romulans.
Now starfleet are sending letters to the crew through it. I'm currently standing next to ensign Kim, having been transferred from engineering to the bridge because 'everyone is starfleet need a well rounded understanding of ships systems'.
For the foreseeable future I am Ensign Kim's assistant.
As we get to closer to it we start getting disturbances the ship shiver and I cant help but speaking up "Captain...Are you sure we should be poking that thing. I know the crew are very eager to get news from home, but poking a ancient satellite powered by a black hole don't sound like the best idea in the world. Even if nothing with the satellite itself go wrong, what if the owners don't want us to mess with their stuff? I don't know about you, but I don't want to hustle with someone that have tech that advanced."
She just give me a smile "Some risks are worth taking." before turning to Tom "Can we get any closer?" and he shake his head
"Not unless risking damage from the gravity waves."
Nodding she turn and walk out "I'll be in astrometrics."
I just sigh and try and focus on what Harry try to show me on the console about strengthening the connection with the satellite. The hunters are coming...and I cant reveal that.
That much I remember at least. Maybe I can do something though and I look up from the console "Commander Chakotay, can we at very least go to red alert? Just to be safe..."
He hesitate for a moment before glancing back at Tuvok before nodding "I guess it wont hurt. Red Alert."
Harry give me that 'you are acting paranoid' look as I sigh and go back to trying to figure out this sensor thing.
Five hours later Voyager is nose to nose with a hirogen ship with Seven and Tuvok captured.
When Janeway's negotiations failed she turn to Harry "Harry, can you get a transporter lock?" and he shake his head
"No Captain. Their hull are scattering my scans." and she nod
"Keep working on it." and he interrupt again
"Captain, I'm detecting more hirogen ships. Six of them, converging on this position!"
I look up from the console and frown slightly at the viewscreen "If the hull are scattering the scans...what if the hull wasn't there?"
Janeway look up at me "How do you mean?" and I continue
"If we could breach the hull, the transporter might be able to get a lock..." and Harry nod
"In theory...a couple of photon torpedos to bring down the shields and a focused phaser blast should penetrate the hull."
Chakotay shake his head "To dangerous. It might kill Seven and Tuvok."
I simply give him a flat look "More dead than having their spines removed by the hirogen? And we only have minutes before the hirogen fleet arrive. We don't have time for something fancy. Blow a hole in the thing and beam them to sickbay so we can get out of here!"
The Captain hesitate before nodding moving to the tactical station "Get ready with that transporter at my mark, Harry."
She set everything up before firing two photon torpedoes. They slam into the front shield of the ofguard hirogen vessel, collapsing the front shield before voyagers phaserbanks lash out, cutting a deep swat into the armor of the ship "Mark."
A few seconds pass before Harry grin "I have them! They are in medical." and Janeway nod
"Tom, get us out of here. Maximum warp."
Tuvok and Seven got through it all with a few seconds of vacuum exposure and Tuvok have a broken arm, but other than that they where fine. At maximum warp Voyager are faster than the hirogen ships and was able to out run them even if the ship is only able to keep that speed up for a day or two at most. Any more and the entire warpsystem need a entire refit.
Hopefully it will be the last we see of those damn predator knockoffs.