Sounds of death follow me as I run.
Did the Solanae turn hostile, try to fight the Voth? They looked peaceful enough - but our own history with the Solanae isn't one of peace - but, on the other hand, the Voth don't need any excuses to start shooting.
All I hear is the shrill sound of Voth antiproton weapons - and a sort of screaming.
I didn't even bother pulling my gun out of the transporter buffer. There was no way I could take on a platoon of Voth troopers single-handed - but I am sick at heart, now, for the chance I must have missed. And for the deaths behind me.
I reach the end of one tubular corridor, and the round door opens before me. If I can lose myself in this warren, I might be able to make it back to the Timor before the Voth can find me. I don't think they saw me, but I'd be amazed if they haven't spotted me on sensors. Voth technology is good.
Beyond the door is a chamber, big and round and full of machinery. I don't know what any of it's for, but it might just be good for hiding in. I pause to catch my breath, and to take stock of what's around me. There are consoles around the walls, there are snaking tangles of cables between floor and ceiling -
There are soft rustling footsteps behind me. I spin around.
The Solanae is standing in the doorway, goggling at me with those huge eyes. It is crouched, appearing wary, and a loud, rhythmic rasping is coming from its mouth. Out of breath, I realise. Just like me. The creature must have run from the Voth -
I hold out empty hands towards it, hoping it can understand the gesture. "It's all right," I say. "I mean you no harm. I'm a friend." Or, at least, I would like to be. "My name is M'eioi."
The Solanae doesn't respond. I don't know if the universal translator even got my meaning across. But the creature doesn't run, either, and I guess that's a start.
"The Voth - the people who shot at you - they are my enemies, too," I say. "Is there somewhere we can be safe from them?" No answer.
I turn aside and begin to pace, carefully, around the chamber. The cables twine like massive vines, descending from holes in the ceiling, vanishing into matching holes in the floor. There is space to hide among them - there is space to make my way into the holes, though I don't know where they might lead. Behind me, the Solanae shuffles. I dart a glance towards it. It has made its way towards one of the consoles, is standing before it, appears to be puzzling over the interface.
Something moves in the corner of my eye. I turn round quickly, but there is nothing there. Except - is one of those cables swaying, just a little bit? I step forward to investigate -
And the air shimmers and ripples before me, and suddenly there is a black armoured shape in front of me.
Voth. Special ops, using a stealth field. This one is nearly seven feet tall, clad in black battle armour, and with scales nearly as dark. Ocular implants glow blue in its eyesockets, and that is the only touch of colour about it - no, not quite. There is a dull red glow, as of a banked fire, in the antiproton rifle the creature is pointing at me.
"Admiral M'eioi," the Voth says, and it sounds almost amused. "I do hope you can understand me."
"I can," I say, through a suddenly dry mouth. I weigh up my chances of jumping the Voth, or of getting my battle rifle out of the transporter buffer, and decide they're not so hot.
"Excellent," says the Voth. "I am Davrak Karzis, and you may consider yourself my prisoner. We have questions for you."
"I don't doubt it," I say. "M'eioi, Admiral, six four six dash delta dash two niner zero two seven."
Karzis chuckles. "I wonder how long it took to train you to do that? Never mind. We will have more entertainment from you in due course. Where is your ship? Where is the Timor?"
I say nothing. Behind Karzis, one of the cables twitches, again. I look up, involuntarily, and my eyes widen.
"Oh, come now," Karzis says. "Such a silly ruse! I have sensors, I have my implants, and I can see quite plainly that there are no life signs here save you, and me, and that useless arthropod."
"I don't doubt it," I say.
The figure that drops from above onto Karzis's back is clad in Starfleet uniform, is shaped like a human female with ash-blonde hair, but the metal eyes and the exposed circuitry on one side of the face give away her origins. The android grabs the Voth's elongated head crest, and twists with all her might. I am moving, dodging to one side and preparing to fight, but there is no need; the snap of Karzis's neck is clearly audible. The black-armoured form crumples to the ground. The android snatches up the antiproton gun.
"I broke his neck," she says. "It won't hold him for long. We'd better get moving, sir."
"Thanks," I say, a little more shakily than I wanted to. "Who are you, and what the hell's going on?"
"Commander Pearl, sir, from the Tempest."
"One of Fallon's people?"
"I was, sir." She glances back at the doorway. "I don't see more coming, yet, but they'll be on their way as soon as they miss this one."
"What's happening? I need to know, Commander."
"Yes, sir." She aims the weapon at the doorway, and speaks rapidly. "Commodore Fallon was tracking a Voth ship. It hit us with some kind of energy field - I think it was using the tetryon emitters in this spire. The Tempest was flooded with an intense biolytic field. I -"
"Wait. What happened to Fallon?"
The android might not be programmed for emotion, but there is something very bleak in her voice as she says, "He burned, sir. They all burned. Ever seen what thalaron radiation does to organic tissue? It wasn't that pretty."
I have no answer for that.
"I didn't know if the ship was stable. The radiation burned out our bioneural gel packs, the ship's systems took heavy damage. I engaged emergency backups, and they may have stabilized it by now, but I needed to get help, and there was only one thing I could think to try - beam over to the spire and try to reach you and the Timor. I was wandering for a while before I picked up your combadge's signature."
"Wait," I say. There are more urgent questions coming to my mind, and the first of them is - "What about the Tapiola? Why didn't you signal T'Pia for help?"
"The radiation field surrounded both ships, sir." She looks at me hard with those metal eyes. "You served with Admiral T'Pia for some time, didn't you? I'm sorry, sir."
I close my eyes, trying to take it all in. T'Pia is gone. The Voth are here in force, and they have a weapon that will kill our ships - kill us - at a single blow. I don't know what to do, now -
I have to figure something out. Fast. I open my eyes again.
"I got separated from my ship," I say. "We're at least three kilometres away, and I don't yet know the route back. We need to get away from here, find a safe spot where I can work on breaking through the comms interference and contact the Timor. I did it before, I can do it again."
Pearl nods. "Sounds like a plan, sir. Any idea which way to go first?"
I wish I did. The chamber has several doorways; I point to one at random. "Let's try there."
"No," says a new voice, suddenly, and we both turn around.
The Solanae. The Solanae has come forward, away from the console, and is speaking to us. The universal translator has got through to it. "No," it says again, and points to another exit with one claw-like hand. "There. That way leads to the rooms of the old machines. Siffaith is there. He understands the machines, he is helping Dyegh. We must find Siffaith. He will know what to do. He must."
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