PROLOGUE Captain’s Log, Stardate 62192.18: With three days left before launch, the lead crew of the USS Tesseract is busy making final preparations for our departure to the Delta Quadrant. All systems appear to be functioning well, and I’ve had the opportunity to meet the various department heads over the past day or so. The rest of the support staff will be arriving on transports from Deep Space 5 today and tomorrow. I look forward to trying to meet each of them, but with a crew of nearly 1500, the task will be monumental. I suppose it’s a good thing that I have seven years with them in which to complete it. Starfleet still reports no sign of the Borg since Admiral Janeway’s rather explosive return from the Delta Quadrant almost eight years ago. I am hopeful that, thanks to the destruction of the Unicomplex, we will find a thriving and comparatively peaceful quadrant, free of Borg activity. Unfortunately, history says that every time we think we’ve dealt the Borg a crippling blow, they come back stronger than ever. Captain Adele Oyugo was just finishing her log entry when the viewscreen in her ready room chirped, indicating an incoming transmission. A little early in the morning, isn’t it? she thought. She glanced at the screen to see who needed to talk to her before 06:00. When she saw the name, she quickly sat up straighter and smoothed out her uniform before activating the comm. link. The Starfleet emblem was instantly replaced by the face of Admiral Kathryn Janeway. “Good morning, Admiral,” Adele greeted her warmly. “To what do I owe the pleasure of seeing your friendly face so early in the morning?” “Oh, just checking in with you before you go,” Admiral Janeway said with her signature grin. “Are you ready for the trip of a lifetime?” Adele smiled back at the Admiral, whom she considered a friend and mentor. Kathryn had taken an interest in her when she found out she had been selected to lead the first mission back to the Delta Quadrant. She had wanted to share as much knowledge as she could, knowledge of the sort that wasn’t included in Captain’s logs and official records. “I think I’m ready, Admiral ... I hope I am.” She knew Kathryn would understand her hesitation. Janeway had been a brand new Captain on her first command when her ship, Voyager, had been pulled into the Delta Quadrant by a powerful alien technology. When the owner of that technology died, Janeway had destroyed it rather than let it fall into the wrong hands. It was a choice that had stranded both her crew and a group of Maquis 70,000 light years from home. That they had found a way to return just seven years later was nothing short of miraculous -- the trip should have taken seventy years at maximum warp. Adele knew most of the details of the circumstances surrounding their return, including the fact the temporal prime directive had been violated in the extreme to make it happen. What she, and most of Starfleet, did not and would never know, is who exactly had committed the violation. That information was highly classified, even higher than the stratospheric clearance level Adele had needed to achieve in order to take command of the Tesseract. The crew of Voyager, of course, knew what had happened -- but they weren’t talking. As a group, they invariably kept their secrets ‘in the family.’ “You’re up to this challenge, Adele,” Admiral Janeway reassured her. “How is your First Officer working out for you?” she asked with a twinkle in her eye. Adele spoke truthfully. “He’s efficient and polite -- charming, even -- and obviously brilliant. He’s also incredibly young.” “Yes, he is. But soon, I think you’ll wonder how you ever survived without him. Even as a child, his assistance on Voyager was invaluable.” “He’s not much more than a child now, Admiral,” Adele replied skeptically. “Oh, I think you’ll find he’s much more than that, Captain. Give him a chance. He’ll surprise you.” “I don’t doubt it, Admiral,” Adele replied. She did not add that her fear of being surprised by her First Officer was exactly what was keeping her up at night lately. Admiral Janeway was Starfleet’s strongest advocate for the handful of liberated Borg drones that had made their way to this part of the galaxy. The idea that such a person, especially one of her own protégés, could be a possible threat to mission security was not a topic open for discussion with Kathryn. “Well, Captain, I know you’ve got a full day ahead of you. I won’t keep you any longer. I just wanted to see your face again and wish you well before you head back to my old stomping grounds. Give my regards to the Delta Quadrant, will you?” Kathryn asked with a slightly wistful smile. “Certainly, Admiral,” Adele replied. Kathryn’s voice softened. “Be safe out there, Adele. Janeway out.”
CHAPTER ONE “Govno ... zavali yebalo blya ...” Dr. Irina Marchenko groaned and swore repeatedly under her breath in her native Russian as she fumbled in the dark trying to find and silence the wailing chronometer. She had never been what the North Americans called “a morning person,” and the wild night she’d just had wasn’t helping matters. She fumbled around for another moment until the nude ensign lying beside her mumbled into the mattress, “Just turn the fucking light on already.” “Computer, lights,” said Irina in her heavily accented English, and the room was illuminated. She found the chronometer on the nightstand and hastily turned it off. She turned to the young man next to her and apologized, “Sorry, I was trying to let you sleep.” “No one could sleep through that racket. What is that thing?” “A replica of a twenty-first century alarm clock. The computer just doesn’t do it for me, I sleep like the dead.” “I noticed,” said the ensign, rubbing his eyes and propping his well-built body up on one arm to look at Irina. “So, you’re headed to Sickbay?” “Yes,” affirmed Irina. “You can stay and sleep if you like. Or I can replicate some coffee.” “I’ll take the coffee. I should go anyway, my shift starts in two hours and I could use a shower.” He paused. “Thanks for last night.” “Anytime,” replied Irina. She couldn’t remember his name, but he’d been amazing in bed, so she’d look him up in the database and refresh her memory when she got to Sickbay. For the moment, though, she gave him a sultry kiss before putting on her silk robe and heading for her own sonic shower. On the way, she stopped at the replicator. “Two coffees, black.” By the time she exited the shower, the ensign had gathered his belongings and one of the two steaming cups of coffee and left. Irina dressed in her medical blues, slipped on her lab coat and headed for Sickbay. When she arrived, there was predictably very little going on. With not much more than a skeleton crew present on the USS Tesseract three days before launch, there weren’t many people around to need medical assistance. Her own presence there was due to a conference of the medical staff scheduled later that day to review the 37 species represented on the Tesseract and highlight the medical needs likely to arise with each. She sat at a station and looked up the young ensign she’d slept with last night. Eric Bouchard. A nice enough name, if a little North American for her taste. Her first preference was for Russian men, and failing that, she preferred aliens for sheer novelty. Ensign Bouchard was currently assigned to Transporter Room One. A tedious assignment. It was no wonder he was ready to blow off some steam after eight hours at a transporter console. Despite the fact that he was probably ten years Irina’s junior, Bouchard had shamelessly flirted with her in Ten Forward, and when she had invited him to accompany her to her quarters, he hadn’t needed any extra encouragement. She had poured them both shots of the real Russian vodka she always kept on hand, and a very pleasurable night had ensued. She smiled at the memory. The Sickbay doors opened and Irina quickly stopped smiling and closed Ensign Bouchard’s file. She looked up to see who had come in. It was the other two doctors assigned to her shift -- a young and pretty Indian woman named Sheila Duggal, and a Vulcan male named Sarik. The woman introduced herself first. “Hi, I’m Doctor Duggal.” She extended a slender brown hand. Irina stood up and took it. As she shook Dr. Duggal’s hand, she said “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Doctor Irina Marchenko. And you must be Doctor Sarik?” She turned to the Vulcan man, who shook hands with her stiffly and nodded. Properly introduced, the three doctors sat down at various stations and went to work, mostly reading up on what they expected to cover at the afternoon meeting. Irina scrolled through the pages and pages of biological information and her eyes quickly glazed over. How anyone could be expected to memorize the anatomy of 37 different species was beyond her, and in an emergency, they always had access to the databases. Where Irina excelled was at finding cures for rare and exotic diseases. She could handle trauma when she had to, but was grateful for the extensive databases at her fingertips in such situations. She was relieved when the silence in Sickbay was broken by Duggal. “We’ve got Borg on this ship?” Sarik replied, “Affirmative. A single ex-drone. The ship’s First Officer is a Brunali male liberated from the Borg Collective by the crew of the USS Voyager. Upon Voyager’s return to Earth, he entered Starfleet Academy and graduated first in his class. His current rank is Commander and his name is Icheb.” “Speak of the devil,” said Irina, as the Sickbay doors slid open and Commander Icheb walked in. The three doctors rose in unison as their commanding officer entered the room. “At ease,” Commander Icheb said. “I’m Commander Icheb. I’ve been assigned as First Officer of the Tesseract, but I’m a scientist first, with expertise in genetics. I’ll be spending a lot of time here assisting with research of any new species we encounter on our journey, as well as looking for possible cures for existing diseases using any new information we add to the databases.” At this, Irina looked up with interest. She spoke up before anyone else could. “Commander?” Icheb looked at her. “I am Dr. Irina Marchenko. I have extensive experience in the area of microbiology and rare diseases. I would be happy to assist you in your research during our voyage.” She gave him a coy smile and hoped he took her up on the offer. Not only was that area of research her life’s passion, but she found the ex-Borg drone kind of attractive in that excessively clean-cut Starfleet way. Icheb nodded. “Thank you, Doctor.” He sat down at a console across the room and began tapping on the keypad. Irina looked him over. Alien and cyborg. She was intrigued. With a barely perceptible smirk, she brought up the file on Icheb’s physiology. She was suddenly curious to know exactly which parts of him were enhanced. She was disappointed to learn that only his brain and vital functions were at all affected by the Borg implants. Well, I shouldn’t be surprised, she thought, the Borg aren’t exactly known for their sex appeal. She took another glance over at the First Officer. Still .... I wouldn’t kick him out of bed. “What are you doing?” asked Sheila suddenly. She was working at a console behind Irina’s, and Irina realized she was busted. Sheila shot her a conspiratorial glance and smirked. She lowered her voice to avoid Icheb hearing them from across the room. “All systems go?” Irina smiled, relieved to have found a friend. “No,” she replied quietly. “They are not. But you can’t blame a girl for wondering.” “No, I can’t,” Sheila agreed. She added, almost whispering, “He’s certainly not what I expected. I have to hand it to Voyager’s Doctor, he -- it -- whatever -- certainly knows how to do one hell of a makeover. Have you ever met Seven of Nine?” Sarik suddenly broke his monotonous silence. “Since you are both so fascinated by Borg physiology, you are no doubt aware that Borg cranial implants provide heightened sensory awareness, including enhanced auditory function.” Both women involuntarily glanced over at the First Officer, who had been sitting with his back to them. If Irina hadn’t known better, she would have thought she saw the Vulcan smirk. Icheb turned around in his chair, looking amused and slightly embarrassed. It was clear he’d heard every word they’d said. Sheila quickly looked down at her console, but Irina met his glance and gave him a bold, flirtatious smile. She’d often been told she had no shame, but she didn’t consider this a bad thing, in fact, she felt it gave her an edge on the competition. Commanding officer or not, she had made her decision. She wanted a night with the Borg.
CHAPTER TWO “O’Connor to Gopal, do you copy? Please lay in the test course I requested. Thrusters only.” The Helmsman’s answer sounded impatient. “I’ve laid it in three times now. The problem is down there.” Chief Engineer Maren O'Connor sighed. “There’s something wrong with the relays. I’m not getting anything from the bridge controls and everything checks out here. I’ll have to go up there and check it out.” Maren grabbed a PADD and a toolbag and walked over to the turbolift. Once inside, she gave her access code for the bridge. The lift rose so swiftly she felt dizzy. This is a big ship, I'll have to get used to that, she thought to herself. When the doors slid open at her destination, she froze for a moment and took a deep breath. She never could help but be a little in awe of the place where all the decision making and first contacts were made. Engineering was her life, but she’d always had a soft spot for the Captain’s chair. The ship was unlike any other in Starfleet history. For their mission to the Delta Quadrant, every scrap of future and alien technology that had come back with the USS Voyager nearly eight years before had been analyzed, re-engineered and incorporated into the design of the largest ship the fleet had ever constructed. More like a slipstream-ready, transwarp-capable floating city than a starship, the USS Tesseract was the Federation’s answer to the Borg Cube. Six-sided, with each side being two kilometers high and two kilometers wide and covered in ablative armor, it was somewhat comparable in size and shape to the Borg vessel on which it was based, with a couple of important differences: One was the slipstream drive. As far as anyone in the Federation was aware, the Borg had yet to assimilate that technology and still relied on a limited number of transwarp hubs to move quickly around the galaxy. The other was the gigantic interior bay filled with smaller ships. Two Saber-class starships; six fighters and a dozen specialized runabouts were available to the crew for almost every conceivable mission. Of course, there was also another important difference -- there was only one USS Tesseract, and untold thousands -- perhaps millions -- of Borg Cubes. On the nearly empty bridge, Maren walked up next to the main viewscreen and leaned over Ensign Anit Gopal’s shoulder, tapping intently on the console in front of him as she tried to diagnose the problem. She suggested Ensign Gopal go take a break, and the bored junior officer eagerly complied. She then knelt down and pried off the panel below the console, pulled a flashlight out of her tool bag and peered at the pulsating maze of optic relays and gel packs. She couldn’t help but roll her eyes when she saw the cause of the problem. “I hate these things,” she stated simply. A bank of bio-neural gel packs had failed. She tapped her communicator badge and requested the necessary replacements. Several minutes later, a different junior officer appeared with new gel packs, which Maren quickly installed in their proper location as she muttered under her breath, “Fantastic. The most advanced ship the fleet has ever known, paralyzed by a few bags of fluorescent goo.” She was exaggerating, of course, but she felt a little overwhelmed. Things would be much easier when her entire support staff had arrived on board, but for the next 72 hours, the pressure of maintaining the fleet's largest and most complex ship fell mostly on her shoulders. It was simultaneously thrilling and a bit much to handle. At that moment, Captain Adele Oyugo walked up behind Maren and cleared her throat. Maren could see in her peripheral vision that the Captain wasn’t alone. “Commander. I’d like you to meet Lieutenant Maren O’Connor, our Chief Engineer,” said Captain Oyugo. Maren quickly stood up and turned to face the Captain, a formidable coffee-skinned woman of about forty-five, who was standing with her First Officer -- a pale alien who looked like a human in his mid-to-late twenties but for a single smooth ridge running from the bridge of his nose up to his hairline, and a cybernetic implant above his left eye. “Lieutenant O’Connor, I’d like you to meet Commander --“ “Icheb,” Maren exhaled sharply. The color had drained out of her face. She fixed the ex-drone with a cold stare that she hoped covered up the fact that she felt like she was going to vomit. “I see you two already know each other,” the Captain said with a quizzical look, but Icheb wasn’t listening. He was staring at Maren with a strange, intense expression on his face. An awkward silence followed, broken by Maren. “We met at the Academy, ma’am,” she explained to Captain Oyugo, never taking her eyes off Icheb. “You’re looking well, Commander,” she added icily. Her gaze was hard, but her voice betrayed a curious mix of sadness and relief. “Thank you, Lieutenant. As do you,” Icheb said quietly. The odd stare down between the two officers was interrupted by the Captain’s brusque voice as she glanced from Maren to Icheb and back again. “Officers. If there’s some kind of history here, I don’t want to know the details. All I can say is that this is a seven-year mission, and I won’t put up with interpersonal drama before we’re even underway. If there’s going to be a problem with you two serving together, one of you is going to be sent back to Deep Space 5 on the next transport. Do I make myself clear?” “Yes, ma’am. There won’t be a problem,” Maren mumbled quickly, finally shifting her gaze away from Icheb. Icheb nodded his assent. “If you’ll excuse me, Captain, I have some diagnostics to complete in engineering,” said Maren to the captain, who nodded and replied “You’re dismissed.” Maren carefully edged past her superiors, exiting the bridge. Captain Oyugo looked pointedly at Icheb. “You’re the senior officer. Whatever that’s about, I don’t need to tell you it’s your responsibility to keep things professional. You may have invaluable experience in the Delta Quadrant and with the Borg, but so do others on this ship. Lieutenant O’Connor is the best engineer we’ve got. Better than you, even. I need her. Understood?” “Yes, captain,” said Icheb, although he got the distinct impression the Captain was bluffing.
CHAPTER THREE Maren sat on a barstool in Ten Forward, absentmindedly twirling a straw in her synthoholic drink and wishing it was the real thing. She stared out the window into space, lost in thought. “Maren! I was wondering when I’d run into you!” Lieutenant John Quigley enthusiastically dropped his lanky frame onto the barstool next to hers and ordered a Ktarian beer. “You found me,” Maren replied with a grim smile. She was happy to see her old classmate and friend, but too shaken by her recent encounter with the past to react with any enthusiasm of her own. “I heard you ran into Icheb on the bridge this afternoon,” said John. His voice was compassionate but curious. “Word travels fast,” replied Maren. “Did you talk to him or something?” “Not yet. I think he’s avoiding me. But Ensign Slidell has a big mouth -- I overheard him talking about it. How did it go? Slidell said he thought you were going to smack him.” Maren smiled ruefully and took another sip of her drink. “Well, I’m not under court martial for assaulting a superior officer yet, so I guess it went about as well as can be expected.” John shook his head and smiled. “You know you’re going to have to talk to him, Maren. The both of you can’t spend the next seven years pretending the last seven didn’t happen.” Maren groaned and squeezed her eyes shut as if to block out his words. “Please. Let’s not talk about Icheb -- just seeing him was more than enough for one day. I’d rather talk about you, anyway. How have you been? I’ve missed you.” John grinned. “Oh, you know me. As long as I’m not in one place too long, I’m happy. I’ve been bouncing all over the quadrant lately. I got to spend some time on the Titan serving under Captain Riker; that was exciting. And now I’m going to get to see the Delta Quadrant!” “We have to get there first,” Maren reminded him. She shared her friend’s enthusiasm for exploration, but the Delta Quadrant was a long way away, and they were entirely dependent upon brand new, relatively untested technology to get them there -- and hopefully, bring them home. “Maren, I have the utmost faith in your ability to keep any machine running, no matter what happens to it,” said John grandly. Maren tried not to wince at this and said a silent prayer that his faith would not be misplaced. She smiled at her friend, glad they had both been assigned to the Tesseract. His warm, encouraging presence -- not to mention his tactical prowess -- was exactly what she needed to get through the next seven years in unfamiliar, potentially hostile territory -- in addition to the completely familiar, definitely hostile territory on the bridge of the Tesseract. She had missed her easy friendship with John since they had graduated the Academy three years ago. Actually, she missed a lot of things since then. Their group of friends, once so close, had fallen apart since she and Icheb had parted ways. A certain amount of that was to be expected as they grew and changed and were scattered across the galaxy by their superiors at Starfleet, but it had been the aftermath of Icheb’s leaving Maren that had destroyed the cohesiveness the group had shared. Sides had been taken, ugly words exchanged. Maren wished they could have all known the whole story, but she had sworn to Icheb that she would protect his secret, and even after he left, she had kept that promise, even at the expense of some excellent friendships. Like so many things, it ate her up inside. After John had regaled her with a few stories about his apparently never-dull life with the Rikers on the USS Titan, Maren noticed it was getting late. Her shift started at 04:00 the next morning and she needed to at least try and rest. There were less than 72 hours before launch and it was her job to make sure the ship was ready. She made her excuses, gave John a quick hug and a promise to talk later, and headed for her quarters. She had almost reached her door when she saw him -- almost awkwardly upright posture, obsessively neat brown hair and that hideous Borg appliance over one of his hazel eyes. He was standing outside her quarters, looking hesitant and unsure. It was painfully obvious he couldn’t decide whether to buzz the intercom or flee. Maren fought both the urge to hide and the urge to call Security. Hiding was simply not a viable long-term plan, and one generally did not call Security on the First Officer unless one had a valid reason to do so -- simply standing in the hallway didn’t seem like sufficient cause. Indeed, Icheb, standing at her door looking lost and conflicted, was clearly no threat to anyone’s security. Maren took a deep breath. “May I help you, Commander?” She kept her voice as professional as possible. Startled, Icheb whipped around and faced Maren. She wordlessly closed the remaining five meters between them and leaned in front of the eyescanner for identification. The door slid open and she motioned for Icheb to step inside.
So far, you have a great start. My only personal gripe is I never really cared for the idea of Starfleet making huge Borg-like ships. But, if its done well, I think she'll grow on me. Especially if you expand on the gel pack problems. A big ship has a lot of maintenance needs.
Kes7: I've been visiting this site for a while now, at least a year, and never signed up, merely read the posts. I had to finally give in and sign up, though, just to say thanks for your return-to-the-Delta-Q story. I'm a huge fan of Voyager. I really like what you've started with Icheb. Still waters run deep, an' all that, no doubt. Now, I would love to see more of your story. (And some more non-humans and non-humanoids.) Kudos to you for going with a female captain. Thanks for that pleasurable read.
Thank you both! I have more coming (lots more) -- just making the endless rounds of edits. And Diogenes ... don't worry, there are lots more non-humans coming. Sarik and Icheb aren't the only aliens on the Tesseract.
You’ve struck a solid note with this introductory story to the adventures of the Tesseract. You’ve presented compelling characters, a new and untried super-ship, and the promising adventure that awaits them… who could ask for more? I’m liking the crew’s interpersonal dynamics so far. Icheb was a unique choice for XO, and with his unspecified troubled history with O’Connor, this hints at further trouble on the horizon. I’m looking forward to learning more about the crew, most especially Captain Oyugo and the man-eating chief medical officer. Great stuff!
Ditto to all of that. Especially the "man-eating" CMO. I appreciate her flagrant carnal forthrightness. Also, I like the name "Tesseract"--my mind buzzes with the prospect of hypercubes and the nifty theoretical stuff that attends.
I too liked this for the fascinating crew dynamics. An original Trek story stands or falls on the strength of the characters and based on that your off to a great start.
I really enjoyed reading the first couple of chapters. Your characters are three dimensional and engaging, and you put together an interesting crew. But I have to say you switched me off right when you described the Starfleet Cube which is so big it's a little ridiculous. I understand where you're going with it, but I won't be reading more, sorry.
The Starfleet Cube design is interesting because it surprises me. Fleet ship designers have evinced an enduring fidelity to the aesthetics and ethics of their the Federation. Starfleet ships are not painted with dark colours, always that almost white, silvery duranium. Fleet ships almost always have the bridge situated on the top of the ship, flouting obvious danger. Fleet ships--even attack dogs like the Defiant and Akira classes--do not have massive, martially ostentatious weapons arrays. Fleet ships boldly broadcast the Federation/Starfleet ethos of peaceful exploration; sword/phaser sheathed/holstered, but with, as the Capellans say, open hands and open hearts. I cant wait to see what happens when one of the DQ powers (let's say the Voth) mistakes the Tesseract for a Borg Cube.
The cube is light gray and significantly friendlier looking than a Borg cube. Windows, lights, Federation markings, etc. Within visual range, no one is going to mistake it for Borg. On long range sensors, it's possible. But if you saw something you thought was Borg on your long range sensors, would you intercept, or flee? (Guess that all depends on who you are ...) One more clarification because I see a couple of people somehow got this idea from the story even though it wasn't stated anywhere ... Irina Marchenko is not the Chief Medical Officer. She is one of a team of Doctors. There is a CMO, but he hasn't been introduced yet. Still working on rewrites to the next chapters ... more to come!
So true..and I agree. This story is off to a promising start. I also like how Janeway seems to show up alot in these fan fics, mine as well. She is an interesting character who deserved better writing than what she got... Great start Kes..keep it coming. Rob
A very good start, interesting characters and hints of further depth to be revealed. Don't like the city-ship concept but am willing to see where you go with it.
You were worried about posting this!?!?!?!!? This is great!!! I can't wait for more! Icheb as XO- brilliant! Love that - like the doctor too! Four (alien) thumbs up!
Question... is Oyugo a new captain, or does she have some experience under her belt? I have a hard time thinking Starfleet would have put a newly minted starship commander in charge of such an important mission. Oh, and just one note, Voyager was not Janeway's first command.
Question... is Oyugo a new captain, or does she have some experience under her belt? I have a hard time thinking Starfleet would have put a newly minted starship commander in charge of such an important mission. Oh, and just one note, Voyager was not Janeway's first command: http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Kathryn_Janeway
Hmmm. You're technically correct about that! Though she wasn't a Captain as far as I can tell ... hmm, time's up to edit, but I'm going to make changes to the one saved on my hard drive. If I get around to posting it on Ad Astra, it'll be fixed. Oyugo is not a new captain. I see now that it's vague from the way I worded that section. (You guys are very helpful! This is the first time I've written anything like this, so I need all the help I can get.) Oyugo is not a super, super experienced captain, either, though. She's smart and competent and has made a name for herself by handling command well under pressure in some nasty situations, but she's only in her mid 40s. For a seven year mission into possibly hostile territory, you don't want someone too old, especially with a second-in-command who is unusually young. I will say of Oyugo that there may be more at play with her than meets the eye as far as why she was picked. But I haven't written those chapters yet.