bungakertas | An Exercise In Futility: Chapter Six (Reply)

Tuvok found humans, in general, a highly interesting race. Compared to Vulcans, they were loud, messy, complicated, demanding, energetic… Many days he felt almost as if he were surrounded by five-year-olds. At least, right up until the part where one of them would say something so blindingly insightful he would be left puzzling for days how it was that such an illogical process had yielded such a result. That being the case, he had felt prepared to encounter to whatever it was that this new crew put him through.

And he found himself with a totally illogical sense of vague disappointment when they didn't put him through much of anything. Having apparently decided to allow Seven and him some access to their ship and technology, the commander of the Prometheus had installed them each at computer terminal in the back of the bridge with Jack O'Neill and Teal'c assigned to “show them the ropes.”

This was, of course, a polite way of giving them security guards. However, the fact that the duty had been assigned openly indicated that Pendergast wished him to be aware of the guards. The fact that it had been assigned courteously meant the desire for awareness indicated the positive attitude of we-are-not-seeking-to-trick-you rather than the negative one of we-think-you-are-a-threat. It was also, likely, a subtle indication of gratitude for the corollary courtesy of allowing Major Carter and Doctor Jackson to be stationed briefly on Voyager. And Colonel Caldwell was standing behind the starmap, overseeing events on the rear of the bridge, so they were hardly out of sight in any case.

Throughout this entire business, however, no one remarked on his lack of emotionality. No one chided him to smile or demanded to know why he did not. Of course, Colonel O'Neill seemed to fit right in with Tuvok's usual assessment of humanity. But he was, thankfully, guarding Seven of Nine at a nearby terminal. And he seemed to have an awareness of the point at which his antics became truly unpleasant and stopped before he reached it.

Tuvok was being watched over by Teal'c. Teal'c, he had learned, was a jaffa. A genetically altered off-shoot of the human race. Therefore Teal'c, though not precisely human, was—nominally—just as emotive as human beings. Nominally.

Realistically, the man might as well have been a Vulcan. His expression barely changed when he spoke. He spoke only when necessary and then only as much as required, and in general displayed all the traits Tuvok had come to expect only from Seven or other Vulcans.

Tuvok was not certain whether he should be unnerved or relieved.

Still, having been offered the courtesy of being placed at a computer terminal—another indication that his real mission here was not a secret, nor, to a limited extent, begrudged—he decided to take advantage of the moment and began casually sifting through the information on the screen.

Teal'c did not move nor did Caldwell make any change, though several of the nearby bridge officers began walking past his station more frequently. He was too engrossed in his discoveries to mind.

Everyone on Voyager had been stunned to find out that this ship's hyperdrive was capable of traveling much faster than their own warp engine. So much faster, in fact, that it was simpler for Prometheus to tow Voyager to their destination than for the two ships to go separately. Captain Janeway was, at this moment, debating with herself over whether—having so deeply violated the Prime Directive already—she could justify asking to trade for the hyperdrive with a society they were trying to minimize contact with.

Seated on Prometheus' bridge, surrounded by members of that society, Tuvok could not believe they were trying very hard.

Prometheus' sensors were not as precise as Voyager's, though they had a greater range. The weapons' systems were not accessible from his station in any way whatsoever. Details of the ship's original mission in this area of space were likewise denied him. Overall ship specifications listed twelve missile tubes and twenty-four railguns, from which he concluded that the armaments on Prometheus' were, indeed, somewhat less powerful than Voyager's. However, as he had previously noted to Seven, they were not insignificant. And, given the size of this ship compared to Voyager, the sheer number of guns it carried suggested that it was a primarily military vessel. By his estimation, a regular crew for this vessel would be more than double the number currently manning it. So, this ship had been hastily assigned half of a crew and taken to a sector of space that contained a satellite, the function of which was not fully understood. The most logical assumption was that this had most likely begun as a research mission.

Tuvok felt a tension he had been holding in his shoulders release fractionally. A people who would assign a ship like this one to the occasional research mission and who were willing to allow quid pro quo cursory examinations of their ships struck him as very like the Federation in ideology. It would enable him to drop some of his suspicions and focus more on assisting this crew resist the Borg.

To which end, he turned to Teal'c. “My thanks for your hospitality.”

The man nodded, distantly polite.

“I believe I have several suggestions which may aid in your ability to defend against the Borg, should we encounter them,” he said.

At this, Teal'c's focus turned entirely onto him. “Indeed?”

Tuvok nodded.

Teal'c made a signal and Colonel Caldwell and a man who was introduced to them as Sergeant Siler joined them. He called Seven over and they made several suggestions, including rotation of their shield frequencies and modifying the railguns to fire at varying rates of speed.

Caldwell didn’t look convinced at this last, but didn’t make any objections aloud.

Siler finally said, “That's an interesting idea. I'll look into it, sir, thank you.” He turned to the colonel. “With your permission?”

Caldwell gave him a nod. “Let us know what’s possible before you implement anything.”

Siler acknowledged and left the bridge. Caldwell turned to Tuvok and Seven and gave them a narrow, assessing look, but eventually said, “Carry on.”

And with that, he returned to his post.

“It would seem we have been accepted for the time being,” Seven said quietly.

Tuvok looked at O'Neill, who still eyed them both with a healthy suspicion and said, “For the time being, it would seem so.”

They turned to observing the people on the bridge, listening as reports on the anti-Borg modifications came from Siler's engineering teams. Then finally came the report they'd been waiting on.

“Sir, we are approaching the last known coordinates of Zipacna's ha'tak vessel,” the navigator announced.

“Thank you, Sergeant,” Pendergast replied. “Prepare to drop out of hyperspace. Lieutenant Simmons, be ready to raise shields immediately upon exiting the hyperdrive window.”

Tuvok watched as a familiar rhythm overtook the ship's personnel. The specific tasks carried out on this ship were different, but having been part of just this same rhythm many times, Tuvok knew it for what it was. The ship was readying for combat.

“Exiting hyperspace in five seconds,” the navigator reported.

“Shields prepped, sir,” Simmons said before the colonel could remind him.

“Railguns on stand-by,” Pendergast ordered. Caldwell relayed the order to a station near Tuvok who reported readiness immediately.

“Exiting hyperspace.”

“Shields up.”

“Shields raised, sir.”

“Voyager reports arrival, sir.”

“There is a ship, sir. Sensors indicate a modified ha'tak class vessel at the coordinates reported in the distress call.” This report came from Simmons, who was apparently cycling through several reports at his station.

Sensor reports were something Tuvok could access from his station, so he brought them up. It took him a moment to parse the unfamiliar presentation, but when he did, he frowned at what he found. The represented energy readings were vaguely reminiscent of the Borg, but they were…unusual.

“Modified how?” Pendergast asked.

“Unknown, sir. The patterns of energy use are atypical for goa'uld or Replicators,” Simmons replied.

That left only one logical conclusion. They were too late.

“Colonel Caldwell,” Seven said, “I believe there is a strong possibility the Borg have already assimilated the Replicators.”

Caldwell turned to report it to Pendergast, but the colonel apparently came to that decision on his own. “Simmons, route any extra power we have to the shields. Sergeant Benson, come left to a defensive posture.”

The navigator smoothly reoriented the ship.

“All right, Lieutenant Simmons, let's hope we've all made a big mistake. Communications to that ship.”

Simmons moved a moment and then nodded to the colonel. “Sir.”

“This is Colonel Lionel Pendergast of the tau'ri vessel Prometheus. We are responding to your distress call,” Pendergast said.

Remembering that the crew of this vessel had initially harbored no intentions of responding to the distress call, Tuvok felt this claim was a bit generous of the colonel, however technically accurate it might be.

They waited for a moment.

“No response of any kind, sir,” Simmons said after a moment. “Voyager also reports no answer to their communications.”

Pendergast nodded and opened his mouth to issue a new order.

The ship's internal broadcast crackled to life, cutting him off. Tuvok knew it was pointless, but long-practiced instinct caused him to tense regardless. The Collective was about to speak.

WE ARE THE REPLICATORS. LOWER YOUR SHIELDS AND SURRENDER YOUR VESSELS. RESISTANCE IS FUTILE.

Tuvok raised an eyebrow.

“Seven of Nine,” Pendergast called.

Seven strode forward, O'Neill shadowing her. “Is there any precedent for what we just heard?”

“None, sir,” Seven answered. “The Collective would never identify itself as anything but Borg.”

“Sir, I've never heard the Replicators introduce themselves at all,” O'Neill offered.

“Back us off, Benson,” Pendergast ordered. “Simmons, contact Voyager. See what they have to say.”

“Sir!” Tuvok heard a note of alarm in the voice of the woman who had just called out from near his station. “Internal sensors report the presence of several Replicator bugs and four unknown humanoids.”

“The ha'tak has launched gliders, sir,” Simmons said.

“Jack, go get our intruders. Benson, get us out of here,” Pendergast ordered. “Take Voyager with us.”

O'Neill turned to Seven and indicated she should follow him. They joined Tuvok, who stood.

The colonel looked at Seven. “You were one of them, right?”

“I was.”

He turned his gaze to Tuvok. “What exactly are you, on that other ship?”

“A vulcan,” Tuvok replied, very puzzled about the logic behind why that was significant.

“Congratulations,” O'Neill replied. “What is your job?”

A significantly more logical question to ask, Tuvok had to admit. “I am the security chief, and the third in command,” he replied.

O'Neill scowled. “I can not say how much I don't want to do this, considering how little we really know you people. But we're short-handed at the moment, so I'm drafting you both into security.” He turned to the woman who'd reported the intruders. “Where are they?”

“Level four, near the medical bay,” she replied.

O'Neill nodded. “Good. Contact Jacob Carter and Major Mitchell, tell them to join me in the security area on level five immediately.”

“Yes, sir,” the woman replied.

“Teal'c, Tuvok, Seven, let's go.” And with that he swept off the bridge, with Teal'c, Tuvok, and Seven all trailing behind.

The more Tuvok saw of this ship, the more he liked it. Its layout was logical and useful, and there were sensible precautions against intrusion.

After confirming that both he and Seven knew how to use them, O'Neill handed them P-90s, as he did Major Mitchell, before taking one for himself. When Seven told him about Borg personal shielding, he told Teal'c to take his staff weapon and handed one to Carter, and two more to Malek, and Anise, who had come of their own accord. Everyone was handed belts that held old-style projectile handguns.

“That ship's shields didn't seem to do so well with energy and projectile weapons at once, so we're going to assume that any personal shields will have the same problem,” O'Neill told them. “We pair off. Malek, you're with me, Tuvok with Teal'c, Anise with Mitchell, and Seven with Carter. Remember the Replicators don't like bullets. Check radios as we go.”

And with that, they were moving again. Tuvok fell into step behind Teal'c and they entered the elevator.

After the radio checks, there was a moment of silence. Then Seven looked at O'Neill. “If the drones see you, they ignore you unless they recognize you as a threat. If you appear harmless, the Collective will deem you irrelevant.”

O'Neill nodded.

Tuvok thought briefly if there was any information he had to inform O'Neill of prior to engaging the intruders, but could think of none. Instead he checked his weapon and then, in his mind, repeated the same taran of Surak he recounted before any battle. Cast out fear. There is no room for anything else until you cast out fear.

They exited the elevator, O'Neill and Teal'c advancing first from the elevator, followed by the rest when those two signaled it was clear. From there, they broke into their assigned pairings.

“Jacob, you and Teal'c sweep around to the starboard side of the deck. Mitchell, you come port with me,” O'Neill ordered. “Radio contact to a minimum.”

Tuvok moved as quietly as Teal'c. He moved along the left side of the hallway, and Seven along the right. Behind Teal'c, Tuvok came, with Carter behind Seven. The two in front carefully kept their eyes open for any sign of their quarry. Tuvok and Carter silently tested each door handle, making sure it was locked.

They approached the corner and Tuvok heard an odd clicking and whirring up ahead. Teal'c signaled a stop and they all came to a careful halt. They slid around the corner to see several small gray objects composed of little pieces determinedly trying to consume the door to the medical bay. With them was a Borg drone, a humanoid male. The armored plates he was wearing seemed to, in some places, be made up of the same little pieces as the bugs. On his forehead, standing out against paper-white skin, was a black tattoo in the same place Teal'c had a gold one.

None of them turned to observe the newcomers. As Tuvok watched, one of the Replicator bugs turned and attacked the drone. The drone, however, did not respond, and after a moment, the bug went back to the door.

Teal'c signaled them to open fire.

Tuvok concentrated first on the bugs. When hit from one of the P-90s, each bug broke into pieces which thankfully did not reform.

Seven and Carter began firing on the drone. It had apparently been anticipating the bullet fire because it was the blast from the staff weapon that made it through the shield, opening a hole in the drone's stomach.

The drone stumbled back, and Tuvok redirected his attention to a new Replicator bug. So when the drone surged forward again, hole in its stomach repaired by a set of little blocks, he was taken completely by surprise.

It seized Seven by the neck, knocking her gun away and raising her off the floor with one arm. Carter moved in to help her and was viciously knocked back by the drone's free hand. Teal'c and Tuvok moved closer, both firing madly on the Replicator bugs advancing on them.

Seven grasped the Beretta from her belt and got off three shots before the drone yanked it away. Two of them hit the plate of blocks over the drone's stomach, causing no damage and falling to the floor. One had hit the side of the drone's torso, but did not cause immediately critical damage. The drone's left arm came up, assimilation tubes extended and aimed for Seven's neck. She caught the arm by the wrist before it could make contact, but Tuvok could see her lips going blue. She would not hold out for long.

With Seven so close, use of his gun would be just as likely to hurt her. He reached out, going for the drone's neck. He had never attempted to use the to'tsu'k'hy on a drone, and it was not likely to work, but he was running low on options. As expected, it had no effect. The drone's free arm snapped out, seizing his uniform. It yanked him forwards and then flung him hard into the bulkhead. His vision whited-out for a moment and when he opened his eyes, he was on the floor with a Replicator bug extending Borg assimilation tubes and advancing on his face.

A very unvulcan burst of terror exploded in the back of his mind. He clamped down on it. Cast out fear.

He rose and drew his gun, kicking away the replicator bug, and then firing on it and those that were not too close to his teammates.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noted the drone suddenly turn and crush two of the bugs with his free hand. It was the second moment of unexplained aggression between the Replicators and the Borg. He made a note of this behavior to bring up later.

Teal'c had managed to avoid the initial swing of the drone at himself, but his staff blasts were having no effect on the drone's shielding. He unclipped a knife from the vest he was wearing and threw it hard. To Tuvok's surprise it sank deep into the neck of the drone, who reacted by turning to face Teal'c with a blank expression. It was bleeding profusely, and too distant to make contact, so it flung the only weapon it had into its attacker: Seven.

She hit Teal'c hard and the two of them fell in a tangle of limbs. Carter, who had recovered Seven's weapon at some point, caught Tuvok's eye and the two of them advanced on the drone, firing as they went.

The combination of injuries was too severe and the drone finally went down. They turned and pulled Teal'c and Seven away from the replicator bugs advancing on them, destroying each one they could get a shot at.

Finally, the only things left able to move were themselves. Seven was taking in deep gasps of air, but the color was returning to her face, and she had recovered Carter's staff weapon. Teal'c stood.

Tuvok didn't hear any shots from any other portion of the deck. Teal'c clicked his radio. “O'Neill. We have dispatched one drone and several Replicators.”

There was a brief silence and then O'Neill's voice came. “We had two drones, which still leaves one unaccounted for. Proceed with your sweep.”

“Understood, O'Neill,” Teal'c replied. Carter and Seven swapped their weapons back and the four of them continued cautiously down the hallway.

*~*~*

Author's Notes: Writing from Tuvok's POV is kind of hard, too, but in his case, it carries some benefits. As a Vulcan, and therefore, an eminently logical person, Tuvok would not refer to anyone in a manner that would be confusing, even in his own head. So if there are two Carters, he would always think of them in a way that would designate which one was being referred to at a given moment. So that's really helpful of him, I feel.

I was originally going to use a "Coburn" as the XO, who was a very minor character before the actor who played him was picked up to play Camulus. Steven Caldwell, who was probably chosen well in advance of the completion of Daedulus turned out to be much more logical, seeing as this gets him a chance to actually log some hours as part of the command team of a starship before assuming command of his own.

Tuvok's pre-battle chant is not original with me. I found it on the Vulcan Language Dictionary. Aside from being exactly the sort of thing I see Vulcan soldiers using to maintain their calm, it strikes me as good advice in general. The word taran is, according to the VLD, Vulcan for phrase or axiom. They didn't have a word listed for “mantra,” more's the pity.