“You truly are perplexing compared to the others,” Fae sighed. “On your own, you’ve developed multiple Elemental Domains and even Elemental Domination over four elements, but Spatial Lock is still giving you this much trouble. We’ve exhausted the training information that Tori bestowed on me, and it has done little good. Are you sure that this is what you must learn next?”
“Specifically, next? No, but if I can’t block a transporter beam, then I’m going to need to come up with some way of revealing that Seska is a traitor,” I grumbled while sitting on a rock in my personal Mental Plane Training Arena.
The space looked a lot like a roman coliseum in the distance while the area that I would always find myself in was the pit. Water ringed the walls and there were braziers larger than my whole body which were always ablaze. Boulders littered the field and there was always a strong breeze that hinted at the building storm overhead which only needed a slight nudge to awaken.
“From what I can see from your memories, you should have plenty of information to convince Captain Janeway and Chakotay,” Fae said.
“Hey, Kathryn, Chakotay, I know that I’ve only known you for a month, but Seska is a Cardassian spy that will betray you at her first chance. You may have fallen in love with her Chakotay, but it doesn’t change the fact that she has been lying to you for how many years?... Yeah, that will go over great in the next senior staff meeting,” I retorted sarcastically.
“I agree that your plan to just stop her from leaving the ship would be far more acceptable to them, but if you approached them in a more tame and relaxed manner, you might have some luck.”
“Betting our future on being lucky isn’t something that I’m willing to do. I’d rather let her escape and get the chance to finish her off in the second season than expose her before she has proven herself as the traitor that I know she is. Janeway won’t condemn anyone without solid proof, for better or for worse. I’m already using that goodwill to make a place for our group.”
“My place is merely to instruct you and the others and carry you around, so to that matter, shall we start again?” Fae sighed.
Since we had started using this Mental Plane for more than just learning about the Voyager and the Federation, I had been trying to learn what Fae called Spatial Lock. There were countless times that being able to deflect a transporter beam could have been helpful in the show, especially if I could prevent others from being teleported away. Unfortunately, I had zero luck so far in preventing any of Fae’s attempts to teleport items away from me and the rest of my training session went the same.
My eyes opened in the real world, and I pulled off my Mind Linker while Raven and Katye did the same. Echo had the day off, so it was likely that she would spend the whole day inside the Mental Plane. Katye and Raven had their regular shifts in Sick Bay and Engineering, respectively, while I had a rare shift on the bridge today. There was not a lot that I could do on the bridge, so I typically just sat to the side of Janeway and Chakotay and studied a data pad since nothing special had popped up yet.
“Are you coming to breakfast today? Neelix is making his seven-spice Jabalian omelets,” Katye asked.
“As... ‘interesting’ as his food creations are, I’ve got an EPS diagnostic that B’Elanna wants done by the end of my shift, so the sooner I can get started, the more time I will have to study the propulsion system,” Raven said, excusing herself from the meal.
“I’d like to believe that you can’t ruin eggs that much,” I chuckled as I stood up.
“Your stomach is just a black hole,” Raven teased.
“Fae, a thermos of Hawaii Kona Coffee, and an extra cup of it with two sugars,” Katye requested, heading over to the food replicator.
The replicator chimed and a silver canister and a cup appeared on the shelf. Katye grabbed the coffee and handed Raven the cup. She gave her a quick peck on the cheek before she hurried downstairs. There was still over an hour before our duty shifts started, but Raven was never the type to just sit around when work needed to be done.
Katye and I followed her off the ship and out of the Shuttle Bay, but that was where we split ways. Raven continued down the corridor while we took a turbo lift up to Deck Two where the Mess Hall was located. There were already a number of people in the room, eating breakfast, which included some familiar faces. We got in line like the others and Neelix gave us each a plate with his omelets then Kes waved us over.
“Where are Raven and Echo?” Kes asked as we joined her at the small table.
“Raven said that there was some diagnostic test that she wanted to get a head start on and, since it’s Echo’s day off, she’ll probably be holed up in her training programs,” I replied.
“Did you join the crew just to make the rest of us mere mortals look bad?” Tom joked as he sat down at a table next to us with Harry.
“Just specifically you, Tom. Wait until Katye decides to dust off her romance skills and you’ll find yourself outclassed in every aspect,” I chuckled, making others around us chuckle as well.
“I guess that’s why you are still sleeping alone,” Katye taunted which made me hang my head and gave the chance for Tom to laugh at my misfortune.
With the morning banter done more or less, we ate our breakfast. Neelix’s cooking was not as bad as they made it out to be, on the show, but it was on the spicy side and I could breathe fire, so maybe I was not the best judge. As usual, about the time that all of us had finished eating, Janeway walked into the Mess Hall on the hunt for coffee. When she realized that she had, yet again, missed the communal pots of coffee that Neelix replicated every morning, I gave her a wave and held up the thermos that Katye had ordered earlier.
“Chiporofita?” Janeway asked with amusement.
“No, it’s just the fourth time that you’ve missed the coffee over the last week. It’s from our ship, so you don’t have to worry about replicator costs,” I chuckled as I poured her a cup of coffee.
She savored her sip of coffee and replied with a genuine smile, “Thanks.”
“Not a problem, Captain,” I said.
“I’ll... see you on the Bridge,” Janeway said with a slight hesitation.
That was the problem that Janeway had in the beginning of the show. The Starfleet way kept Captains from interacting too much with their crews, so she was not sure how to interact with her subordinates yet. She would get better throughout the series, but I had it easier since I had given up my command, in her eyes anyways.
The truth was that I had never thought of myself as a real leader. I had stepped forward when I needed to and realized the importance, but it had been Katye’s plans that we were following throughout our last life. What had made me look up to Captain Janeway growing up was that she was that natural leader, set by her principles and steadfast... Everything that I wished to be, before I realized that, that was just not who I was. Katye and Janeway were very similar in that they could keep a level of objectivity, while also not betraying the emotions that made them who they were.
“Hoping to add a fifth member to our crew?” Katye teased in Trigedasleng as we walked out of the Mess Hall.
“Janeway would never leave Starfleet,” I retorted, also in Trigedasleng.
“We’ve done more impossible things,” Katye chuckled then said in English, “Have fun on the bridge.”
“Thanks, you too in Sick Bay.”
We split ways at the turbo lift so that she and Kes could go down to Sick Bay while I headed down the corridor towards the bridge. Tom and Harry were following behind me, but instead of bothering them, I started reading the data pad that I had with me while I walked. Most of the bridge crew were already at their stations and Tom and Harry quickly took their own, while I sat in my usual spot on the bench next to the captain’s seat.
The morning was quiet for the first couple of hours, but then the sensors picked up something that no one knew existed. The Federation Periodic Table had two hundred forty-six elements, but on the asteroid rings of a Class-D planet, they have discovered the two hundred forty-seventh. B’Elanna was called up to the bridge while Harry got started on a detailed analysis of the new element. It did not take long before they were ready to brief us around the Science Station.
“The element has an unusually large atomic mass, over five hundred fifty nucleons, and the readings are constant. The element appears to be stable,” Harry explained.
“A stable, transuranic element inside a natural environment. This is a first!” Janeway said with a hint of excitement.
“Can you imagine what we could make with this stuff? Probe casings that could go into the core of a sun. Ultrathin reactor shielding,” B’Elanna theorized.
“That’s assuming that we can mine it. Ensign, try and locate the highest concentration of the element,” Janeway instructed.
“The element is present in most of the asteroids that comprise the rings. I can isolate a sample and beam it onboard,” Harry replied, tapping away at a console.
“Or better yet, maybe we could get a firsthand look at this element in its natural environment,” B’Elanna suggested. “It looks like most of these asteroids support Class-M atmospheres.”
“Good idea,” Janeway agreed. “Commander, you’re in charge.”
“Aye, Captain. B’Elanna... Mister Kim, would you like to join us?” Chakotay asked.
“I wouldn’t miss it, sir,” Harry said enthusiastically.
“Could I tag along as well?” I asked. “It’s not every day that you get to see a new element, and my ability to manipulate most minerals and metals could be helpful if there isn’t direct access in those caves.”
He looked over at Janeway who nodded with a light smile, so he agreed, “Alright, you have a good point.”
I chuckled and followed the three of them to the turbo lift. It was a little crowded with four people inside, but the trip did not take long. Seska was on duty when we entered Transporter Room Two, so I did my best to keep a neutral expression though I did feel my eye twitch when our gazes met briefly. There was little more that I wanted to do than reveal her true identity, but without proof that she betrayed the ship, Janeway would not act with only knowing that she was a Cardassian spy.
Harry passed out wrist lights from a locker off to the side then we all climbed onto the transporter pad. Chakotay gave the go-ahead and Seska transported us to the asteroid. After I got over the uncomfortable sensation of teleporting, I realized that I was still feeling uncomfortable, but that was due to the environment. There was a staleness to the air that a normal person could feel, but despite blocking off most of my mana sense, I could still sense the heaviness of the Death element and something unstable about the Space within this area.
“Rebecca?” Chakotay asked, gently touching my shoulder.
“Sorry, Commander,” I said, snapping out of my daze. “Things don’t exactly feel right here.”
“Can you explain what you mean?” he asked. I glanced at Harry and B’Elanna which he saw and assured me, “They’re Senior Officers. They won’t disclose any information about your abilities.”
I nodded and explained, “My kind has the ability to sense elements, but in a conceptual meaning versus the Periodic Table. Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Space... the list is long, I promise you. Typically, I dampen my ability to sense the elements, so the fact that there are two elements standing out for different reasons is not a comforting thing.”
“And those two ‘elements’ are?”
“Space which feels unstable and... Death, though it is a peaceful feeling.”
“Is death ever peaceful?” B’Elanna remarked with a slightly mocking tone.
“When you’ve accepted it, or it ends a long suffering,” I replied easily which made her flash a hint of regret. “I’m not saying that we need to abandon the mission, only to be careful.”
“You heard her. Tricorders in full scanning mode and pay attention to any subspace disturbances,” Chakotay instructed.
We all listened to his orders and pulled out our tricorders, Chakotay too. I already had a hunch that this was another episode since the discovery of such a valuable mineral would be important to a ship of explorers and scientists, even if I could not remember Voyager being capable of what B’Elanna had guessed that they could do with it. Now that I was here, sensing this environment, I was fairly confident that I knew which one.
“I’m picking up bio-matter this way. I think it may be a body,” Chakotay said, pointing his light down a tunnel.
Other people might have turned around at the prospect of dead bodies, but not Starfleet Officers. Chakotay was an anthropologist and his curiosity towards different cultures would drag the Voyager crew into a few adventures throughout the journey home. Starfleet’s main goal was to seek out new life, so even things like a burial ground could be the basis for understanding a new race.
Chakotay led the way and ran into what looked like cobwebs, but I knew better since that confirmed the episode that I remembered. The ‘cobwebs’ were a biopolymer residue that the dead bodies of this species excrete during their decomposition. A scan from my tricorder confirmed my thoughts, but I did not share the information because it was more disturbing than helpful right now.
“Make that bodies,” B”Elanna said as we entered a large cavern.
There were eighteen bodies, eleven male and seven female, and all Class-Five humanoids which related to the complexity of their DNA. They were in different stages of decomposition, ranging from years to just hours. Despite everything matching up to the episode, that did not fill me with any comfort.
Originally, a subspace vacuole would open, and the Away Team would try to transport back to Voyager, but the beam would be messed up. Voyager would get Chakotay, B’Elanna, and a new alien while Harry would be pulled into the vacuole and brought to another world or dimension; the show was not too specific. This being Tori’s universe, I could easily imagine that I would be the one to appear in coffin instead of Harry, but it was something that I wanted to avoid for both of our sakes.
“...In fact, one body arrived less than twelve hours ago,” Chakotay explained over the comm system, back to Janeway.
“Arrived from where?” Janeway asked.
“I don’t know, Captain, but from the position of the arms, I’d say that we are looking at some kind of a burial site.”
“What about the element that we discovered?” Janeway asked.
“It’s emanating from their bodies, Captain,” B’Elanna said. “We think that it’s some kind of a byproduct of their decomposition process.”
“I recommend that we leave these bodies in peace, Captain. However, Mister Kim has a different opinion,” Chakotay added.
“With all due respect, Captain, I have to disagree with the Commander. This is our first contact with this race, and I think that we should be learning all that we can about them. It’s a unique anthropological opportunity,” Harry said, giving his opinion.
“I understand the chance for scientific discovery, Captain, but whatever beliefs this race has, they clearly want for their dead to be left alone and I think that we should respect that.”
“I’m afraid that I agree with Commander Chakotay. Set your tricorders for passive scans only. I don’t want to disturb anything,” Janeway replied.
“Captain, the sanctity of these bodies should be respected. I recommend that we make visual observations only. No tricorders,” Chakotay suggested.
“Very well. Keep me informed. Janeway out.”
“Alright right. All the sensors that you have left are your eyes. Concentrate on details; we’ll have to do a thorough report when we get back. I haven’t forgotten your warning, Rebecca, but we have a duty to respect whatever beliefs that they may have,” Chakotay said.
“Of course, Commander,” I replied, putting away my tricorder.
The others put away theirs as well and spread out through the cavern. Harry and Chakotay went one way while B’Elanna went another, obviously annoyed by the situation. I could not really blame her, since the whole reason that we came here was for this element and not only could we not harvest it, but she was also being forced to explore a pitch-black burial site with the flashlights on our wrists as the only source of illumination; this was not the dimly lit set of the show, but a true, lightless cavern.
All of my hopes laid on suddenly casting the Spatial Lock spell that I had been trying to train with Fae. I had been unsuccessful so far, but my time in ‘The 100’ had taught me that I performed best under pressure. I could practically feel the seconds ticking away, but I tried to quiet my nerves and ‘listen’ to the Space around me.
It was not exactly like meditating, but close. It was like listening to a large orchestra and trying to pick out a single instrument. Typically, it would be a hard feat, but when a solo appears, it becomes quite easy. The Space element was not exactly a solo act within this environment, but the differences in it here versus onboard Voyager made it stand out.
“Commander, thanks for letting me voice my opinion to the captain,” Harry said.
“I remember the first time I went on a tomb excavation on Ktaria Seven. I wanted to keep a memento of the experience, so I picked up a rock from the burial site. Only I found out later that it wasn’t just a rock,” Chakotay reminisced.
“What was it?”
“It was a sacred stone. The Ktarians lay thousands of them in the tomb. Each one represents a special prayer. Without realizing it, I had desecrated that man’s grave.”
“Well...” B’Elanna complained, wiping off the ‘cobwebs’ she had brushed through, “I think I’ve found out about all I can with my eyes.”
“Really? What have you learned about this culture so far?” Chakotay retorted.
“They like to bury their dead on asteroids. That’s about all I can tell without a tricorder. No artifacts, no inscriptions... just some naked dead people,” she shot back.
“You’re looking, but not seeing. The fact that they are naked says a lot. It means that this race doesn’t believe in dressing their deceased, and the lack of artifacts could indicate that they don’t believe that any worldly goods can be taken into the afterlife.”
“What makes you think that they believe in an afterlife at all?” Harry asked.
“Look at the position of the arms and hands. The bodies have been arranged in poses of serenity and they appear to wrapped in the same biopolymer residue that we found in the passageway... all indications that this culture has a great deal of ritual associated with disposing of the dead. That normally indicates some belief in the afterlife.”
“The Klingons believe in an afterlife, but there’s no burial ritual. They just dispose of the corpse by the most efficient means possible,” B’Elanna commented.
“Good point, however, some archeological digs on the Klingon...”
Finally, the moment had come. I felt the subspace vacuole begin to form a moment before it gave off a high-pitch whine and bright white light. Chakotay did not hesitate for a second and ordered us to draw our tricorders. While they scanned the anomaly, I rushed forward to close the distance between us since my range would not be great if I did succeed.
I was hopeful that my little bit of inspiration out here on the asteroid would be enough to do this, or someone would get pulled to another world. I channeled my mana into the air around me and the attribute naturally shifted to the Space Element as I created a Space Domain. It used my mana faster than any other Single-Element, but I had already learned that it was due to my limited understanding of it, rather than a lack of affinity.
The difference between a Domain and a Spell was how the mana was manipulated. For a Spell, you would give it a task of sorts, like make a fireball, move stone, or create a water whip. A Domain was more about sensing the location around you through the elemental medium and giving you the ability to strip away an opponent’s attack. The Spatial Lock was a little bit of both because of the nature of Space. Everything was connected on some subatomic level, so unless I could completely block everything, the spell had a big chance of backlashing.
Still, it was my only chance right now. The rapidly forming subspace vacuole was releasing a lot of energy at my Domain, but it was all directed at us which made it easier to push it back. Chakotay called for the Emergency Beam Out and I felt Voyager’s sensors trying to lock onto us, but the anomaly was making it difficult. Seska told us all to gather closer and, when they did, I felt the transporter beam closing in on us. Normally, this was when my Spell fell against Fae’s attempt to steal something away from me, but this time I had some outside help. Instead of completely blocking the transport, I redirected it into what was already pulling at it, the subspace vacuole.
It was not exactly the Spatial Lock spell that I wanted, but it was a step in the right direction, and I could build on the feeling. Unfortunately, my spell was not invisible and created a streak of orange energy which looked like it shot at the vacuole, making it disappear. Harry and B’Elanna were both scanning me with their tricorders while Chakotay was looking at me with curiosity.
“If the transporter beam crossed the subspace vacuole, one of us could have been caught in it and drawn into whatever dimension laid on the other side,” I sighed, coming up with an easy excuse that fell in line with the show.
“Voyager to Away Team. Are you okay?” Janeway’s voice came through our comm badges.
“We are, Captain. What happened?” Chakotay asked, tapping his badge.
“Somehow, the transporter beam was deflected, and we beamed a dead body aboard, that may be of the same species that you discovered,” she replied.
“I may have an explanation for that, but we should be able to beam out safely now,” I said.
“I look forward to hearing it,” Janeway replied. “Transporter Room One, try the transport again.”
