“You knew this could happen?” Patel said, horrified.
“Honestly, part of me hoped it would,” he said.
The fluid continued to advance. Containment would fail in minutes, perhaps less. And when it did, everyone on board the runabout would be at risk.
Suddenly, Devi Patel began to taste iron. She found herself standing alone in the massive cavern connected to Station Four. Lasren, Vincent, and Jepel had transported to safety and it was her turn to join them. At her feet, the tricorders the team had used to collect the data on everything they had found were linked together. She had already decided what she must do. All that remained was summoning the courage to do it. Some things were worth dying for. She knew that then.
And she knew it now.
“I’m sorry, Commander,” she said. Turning to Gwyn she ordered, “Stun him. Now.”
Gwyn did not hesitate. Patel ducked behind O’Donnell as Gwyn redirected her phaser and shot the commander. Shock and betrayal were etched on his face as he fell into Patel’s arms.
“Transporter pad,” Patel said as she laid him gently on the deck.
“The transporter lock is still stable,” Gwyn reported as she studied the transporter controls. “I’ll alert Demeter to initiate—”
“No,” Patel interjected as she stepped onto the pad, “I’m not leaving. You’re going to transport me inside the alcove and then you need to drag O’Donnell up here and signal Demeter to get you to safety.”
“The hell I am,” Gwyn replied.
“There’s no time to explain. The Edrehmaia asked for me when they came here. They transmitted my genome and that of my interlocutor. They’re expecting me. I don’t know why or what will happen, but if O’Donnell believed he would survive exposure, my guess is he was right.”
“Devi, no. You can’t do this,” Gwyn said. “I’ve already been attacked by that stuff once. I barely survived.”
“The process was interrupted when Seven fired on the substance,” Patel insisted as the sound of sensor alarms added to her growing anxiety. “It never actually touched you. I’m sorry, but I have to do this. There is no other way.”
“This was not the plan.”
“I know. But you need to trust me. This is what is supposed to happen. I just know.”
Gwyn shook her head. “I can’t lose you,” she said simply. “That’s one of the things I realized. You are my best friend. You’re my sister. Please don’t ask me to do this.”
“There is literally no one else who can, Gwyn,” Patel said. “This is the only chance we have of saving everyone.”
“I don’t like our odds.”
Patel smiled faintly. “Unless we’re talking about trajectories, you suck at math.”
Tears began to stream down Gwyn’s face. She took a deep breath and initiated transport. A second later, Patel appeared in a cascade of light inside the alcove.
The fluid was drawn to her instantly. Withdrawing from the walls, it pooled at her feet. The moment it touched her, she felt a painful surge shooting through every cell of her body.
Gwyn had returned to the front of the alcove. She stood there, watching, witnessing, and, in her way, honoring the sacrifice Patel had just made for all of them.
“I love you, Devi Patel,” Gwyn said.
These were the last words Patel heard.
VOYAGER
The view of the rogue star on the astrometric lab’s gigantic screen was majestic. Seven rarely found astrological phenomena extraordinary, but in this case, she was willing to make an exception.
The quantum sensors she, Bryce, and Icheb had constructed and deployed were functioning optimally. Vesta and Voyager were moving into position to execute the slipstream maneuver that would nudge the star off its present course.
Torres stood beside Seven, her display divided into a dozen segments showing each of the quantum sensors. Voyager would be exiting the slipstream corridor first and, assuming that went well, would be in position to track any response from the asteroid energy field. The moment they detected its activation, all quantum fluctuations would be visible. These readings would be used to extrapolate the location of the Edrehmaia and, ultimately, the Galen.
“Bryce, can you hear me?” Torres asked.
“Yes, Commander.”
“Module Eight’s calibration is fluctuating.”
“It’s attempting to compensate for the motion of the field. Give it a second.”
“If it doesn’t stabilize, we might have to call this party off.”
“I’m seeing a point zero four deviation. Anything less than point zero five will be fine,” Seven noted.
“Bridge to astrometrics. Are you guys ready? It’s starting to get a little bumpy up here,” Commander Paris called over the comm.
As if to punctuate his point, the deck beneath Seven’s feet began to shudder.
“We should begin,” Seven said.
“We’re only going to get one shot at this,” Torres reminded her.
“My recommendation remains the same,” Seven said.
“B’Elanna, we need to go now or break off and recalculate our trajectories.”
Torres locked eyes with Seven, who nodded.
“Fine. We’re ready.”
Admiral Janeway sat to the right of Captain Chakotay on the bridge she had called home for seven years. Commander Paris had resumed his former flight control station. Lieutenant Lasren stood at ops and Lieutenant Aubrey controlled tactical.
A thousand kilometers ahead, Vesta was standing by to open the slipstream corridor both ships would use to make the relatively short jump required to alter the star’s course. Voyager would exit the corridor at the farthest distance for their long-range sensors and immediately reverse course at maximum warp in order to capture the quantum sensor data. It would take Vesta a little longer to rejoin them, as she would maintain the corridor’s stability for the duration. At the near impossible speeds of slipstream travel, that would leave a distance of almost half a light-year between them when the maneuver was complete.
“ Vesta to Voyager,” Farkas’s voice rang out over the comm.
