I carefully align the last power relay and then close the hatch on my little ship. Three months of more or less routine work on Voyager and I finally had enough time to finish the sublight overhaul. Once Seven clued me into the technology, its actually quite simple. At least as simple as Voyagers impulse drives, but much more compact and less...volatile. Impulse drives can overload.
If this thing overload it simply stop working and don't go up in large explosion.
Climbing down from the hull I step back and look her over. Almost done...Just warp drive, shields, weapons and the programming left and she will fly again.
I never was much of a mechanic. I never enjoyed repairing cars or working with bikes...but I think I'm starting to see the appeal.
Grinning I head over to to climb inside to get working on the shield generator.
A month later its all done. Shields, Warpdrive, life support...all done. The ship didn't have any weapons before but a pair of shuttle style phaser strips have been installed.
All that's left is the programming. Luckily we have plenty of time to work on it. We have entered a great expanse of space with no stars. Theta radiation block the sensor view of the other side making it look like there is no stars.
It will take us two years to cross the expanse.
Walking into Astrometrics I look around "Seven?"
"Over here." she answer from a console in the corner
"How is it going? Any progress on the software?" and she nod
"It's been completed." as she pull out a data storage device from the console docking port and hand it over.
"Already?" I cant help but ask "I was expecting at least a couple of more months."
She nod "This area of space has left astrometrics with very few useful tasks."
I hmm and lean against the console, turning to look at the big blank display "Indeed. There is nothing here. The rest of the crew are starting to have...difficulties with the emptiness."
She frown slightly "I have noticed the same. You dont?" and I shake my head
"Not really. Space is space. If I spent my time looking into the dark I might, but I don't. I plan to spend the time here in the Void getting the ship working and then tinker with something else." and she give me a approving look
"Efficient."
I give her a smile and motion towards the door "Let's get this thing installed so I can distract B'Elanna from where we are by having her look it over before we turn it on. I think that if she dont get anything real to do soon she is going to put Tom in the sickbay."
If I didn't know better I could have sworn Seven had a small smile when we exited astrometrics.
Two months into the Void we detected the Theta radiation source and set a course to identify it.
A day from the Object we dropped out of warp and then the entire ship loose power.
The resulting darkness was more annoying than anything else for me. I could still see perfectly well in infrared.
The creatures that had invaded the ship was easily fought of as soon as the crew where able to locate their flashlights. If I remember right they wasn't exactly difficult even in OT and now the crew have fought Sectoids and Orks...or at least simulations of them.
During the time we fought of the boarders Harry and Tuvok located their ships who then attacked Voyager. The new hullplating helped negate some of the damage as we escaped into Warp.
There was no sign of the toxic waste dumper but we located the wormhole, all the way under attack by the dark space aliens, before we used it to escape.
I frown slightly as I watch B'Elanna go through my now intact little ship a couple of weeks later. I cant help but feel I have fucked something up.
And not with the ship.