By Alex
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer:
Paramount owns the characters, Voyager and the images. No infringement of copyright is intended. I make no profit from them, just enjoy writing about them.
Acknowledgements:
This story is set during mid-season three and was written before species 8472 and their organic ships arrived in the Delta Quadrant.
Chapter I
The darkness was crushing him, squeezing the breath from his body while something black and formless was inside his skull, slowly eating away at his brain. He tried to scream, but his mouth opened in a silent rictus of terror as his throat closed treacherously on the sound. Tuvok sat up, gasping for air and felt the sheets fall from his upper body.
"Computer, lights!" He breathed a deep, shuddering breath and felt a bead of sweat trickle down his forehead as he looked around the comforting familiarity of his quarters.
An hour later, Tuvok lay on a couch in the sickbay, while an exasperated holographic doctor examined him with a medical tricorder.
"As I explained after my first examination, all your encephalic readings are within normal parameters for a Vulcan. There is nothing wrong with your brain, Lieutenant."
"In which case, why did I experience a nightmare?" Tuvok's voice hesitated almost distastefully at the word.
"As I have already explained to you, dreaming is a perfectly normal function of the brains of all sentient beings. Depending upon the psychological and emotional state of the subject, dreams may be pleasant or unpleasant. No matter how unpleasant your dream may have been, it is not the result of a physiological disorder."
"Doctor, Vulcans do not have nightmares."
"Lieutenant Tuvok, I have access to Starfleet's complete medical database," the doctor glared at his patient. "And I can assure you, there is no entry that confirms your statement. Most dreams are forgotten at the instant of awakening: you have probably unknowingly experienced many similarly unpleasant dreams. This is simply the first one you have been able to recall."
Tuvok sat up and swung his legs off the couch.
"You stated that dreams are influenced by the emotional state of the subject. Vulcans experience no emotion, therefore our dreams are never extreme. I repeat, we do not have nightmares."
The doctor studied Tuvok in silence for a moment.
"The strains of this mission manifest themselves in many different ways," his expression became thoughtful. "Maybe this nightmare is a way for your mind to release some of those emotions you have suppressed since Voyager arrived in the Delta Quadrant."
"I believe that is most unlikely, Doctor."
"Well, it's the only explanation I can offer at this time."
Vulcan and hologram stared at one another briefly until Tuvok nodded abruptly and left the sickbay .
Captain Janeway sat behind the desk in her ready room, the fingers of her right hand beating a softly impatient tattoo on its surface as she watched Neelix walking up and down the room, waving his arms as he voiced his concerns.
"We are down to less than thirty per cent of our normal food stocks, Captain and we are still only half way across the Empty Quarter."
"We knew this could become a problem when we took the decision to cross this section of space, Mr. Neelix" Janeway held up her hand as the little Talaxian drew breath for another onslaught. She refused to admit to him that he was not alone in his concern for the perilous state of Voyager's food supply. For more than a week, the long-range scanners had been constantly monitoring for a star system with even the remotest possibility of finding a food-bearing planet. The previous month, when Voyager's officers agreed with her to take the risk of crossing so large a distance in order to save several months on their journey time, it had seemed a calculated gamble. No one had believed the Empty Quarter really was empty. Even Neelix had admitted there were star systems in there; it was just that no one had realised how few they were, or how hostile. "We discussed the possibility of rationing before we entered the quarter. If we don't find a food source within a couple of days, then I want you to implement those proposals."
"The crew won't like it, Captain." Neelix sighed at the very thought of a limited food intake.
"I think you'll find they will prefer it to starvation, Mr. Neelix."
"Bridge to Janeway." Chakotay's voice held a note of suppressed excitement that had Janeway out of her seat and heading for the door even as she acknowledged his hail
.
"On my way, Commander." She gestured to Neelix to follow her and stepped onto the bridge.
"Long range sensors are picking up readings that indicate a ship at extreme range, Captain," Ensign Harry Kim frowned with concentration as he worked at his console to produce more detailed information for the expectant senior officers."The ship appears to be drifting; I'm getting some strange readings here, Captain. Power appears to be offline, no life forms on board, yet the ship is not a derelict: there are signs of bioelectric disturbance around the ship which is distorting sensor readings. However, sensors do indicate the presence of large quantities of carbon based substances and amino acids."
"Food?" Neelix leaned over Kim's shoulder and peered at the console screen "You mean there could be food on board that ship?"
"There certainly seems to be an unusually large quantity of organic compounds on the ship, Captain," Kim pointedly addressed Janeway and tried to ignore the irritatingly close proximity of Neelix' face at his shoulder. "Sensor readings are too erratic to be more precise about the nature of the compounds."
Janeway briefly exchanged glances with Chakotay as she turned to the conn.
"Lieutenant Paris, lay in a course for that ship. Warp six," she sat in her chair with a satisfied smile. "Maybe you won't have to worry about rationing after all, Mr. Neelix."
When the alien ship came within range, Janeway ordered maximum magnification on the viewscreen. A disconcerted silence followed the appearance of an amorphous dark shape that glittered slightly as it caught the refracted waves of distant starlight.
"Mr. Neelix, are you familiar with that design of ship?" Janeway looked up at the Talaxian, who now stood leaning against the back of her chair, completely impervious to Tuvok's disapproving scowl.
Neelix shook his head reluctantly.
"I'm sorry, Captain. I've never seen anything remotely like it before." As Janeway's self-appointed advisor in the Delta Quadrant, Neelix always hated to admit to ignorance of anything they encountered, but there was something about the ship on the viewscreen that discouraged any idea he might have had about dissembling.
Janeway studied the viewscreen image carefully.
"Mr. Kim, are the sensor readings any clearer?"
"No, Captain. If anything, they are becoming more distorted as we approach the ship's bioelectric field."
"Have you any idea what is causing that field?"
"I can't understand it. There are no indications of any life forms on board, and yet with the power source offline, the ship itself shouldn't be able to generate that kind of energy."
"Are we within transporter range yet?"
"We are within range, Captain," Tuvok interrupted. "But the transporter would be unable to lock onto coordinates inside the bioelectric field."
"We'll have to use the shuttle craft then," Janeway looked up when Tuvok did not immediately reply. He entered data into his console and frowned at the results.
"That too could be difficult. The ship does not appear to have either docking bay or entry hatch."
Exasperated, Janeway stood and went over to study Tuvok's console.
"There must be some means of entry." She looked carefully at the glittering dark shape, but found no hint of a break in the smooth bulges and curves of the strange ship.
Chakotay was studying the alien ship on his own console.
"We could always try cutting our way in."
"There may be a simpler way to gain entry." Tuvok turned to face Janeway. "I believe the transporter would work from within the bioelectric field. If we took a shuttle craft through the field and took up a position alongside the alien ship, we should be able to transport successfully through the hull."
"What about communications?" Janeway was always reluctant to permit an away team to enter any situation without full communication backup.
"Communication would be patched through via the shuttle's computer system." Tuvok replied.
Janeway looked thoughtfully at the menacing shape on the viewscreen and made the only possible decision in the circumstances.
"Very well. Tuvok, you will lead a full security team; take Neelix to survey the potential foodstocks. Mr. Paris, I want you to pilot the shuttle and remain on board to man the transporter."
"Aye, Captain." Paris grinned widely and followed Tuvok and Neelix from the bridge.
Janeway remained standing with her arms folded, watching the viewscreen.
"You feel it too, Captain?" Chakotay had approached silently to stand at her shoulder.
Disconcerted, Janeway looked up into his troubled eyes. She shook her head.
"It's just a shape, Chakotay. Made to look threatening by the designer, but without power or crew, what harm can it do?"
Chakotay's silence only echoed her own unspoken fears. She turned to Harry Kim.
"Ensign, I want a constant monitor on that ship's status .Even the slightest change, I want to know. And keep me fully informed on the away team's progress. I want reports every ten minutes from both Paris and Tuvok."
Half an hour later, Janeway was in her ready room with Chakotay, wondering if perhaps their fears had been groundless after all. She was listening to Tuvok's initial report from the alien ship, patched smoothly through the shuttle by Tom Paris. She watched Tuvok on her personal viewscreen as he made his report.
"We have transported into what would be the engineering section of more familiar types of ship, but have so far been unable to determine the method of propulsion."
"You mean you can't understand the alien engines? Perhaps Lieutenant Torres should join you?" Chakotay suggested.
"No, Commander, I do not mean that. We have been unable to discover the means of propulsion because the ship has no engines."
Janeway and Chakotay exchanged surprised glances.
"Do you think the ship lost its engines somehow?" Janeway asked, "Due to an accident or hostile action perhaps?"
"I do not yet have enough evidence to hypothesise." Tuvok studied his tricorder before continuing, "However, I am getting very strange tricorder readings. The structure of the ship appears to consist mainly of a cellulose-like substance combined with large quantities of water. There are complicated amino acids and the structure is carbon based."
"It's organic?" Janeway was incredulous. "You mean the ship itself is alive?"
"As far as I can tell from these readings, the ship is indeed alive. It seems to have been cultivated rather than constructed. However, it appears to be in some kind of stasis at this time. We are trying to locate its operational system."
"Tuvok, are you sure it is a ship? Could it be some strange life form that just happens to look like a ship?"
"I do not believe that to be the case, Captain. We are discovering definite indications that the structure is indeed a ship with facilities for humanoid life forms."
Several hours later, Voyager's senior officers sat around the table in the briefing room and listened to Tuvok's report with increasing amazement. Janeway and Chakotay, who already knew the contents of the report, watched hopefully for a sign of comprehension. When the Vulcan stopped speaking, B'Elanna Torres shook her head in disbelief.
"Let me get this straight Lieutenant; you are saying the ship is a vegetable? With no means of propulsion, no operational system, no crew and no weapons?" She laughed out loud at the idea. "It sounds like something from a fairy story."
"The ship is not a vegetable," Tuvok frowned at the chief engineer's levity. "It is an organic-based life-form with some basic chemical and cellular resemblance to our own familiar plant life. However, it also incorporates metallic elements and polymers within its cellular structure. I believe it was 'cultivated' for want of a more precise term, by an extremely sophisticated and advanced technology. The fact that we have been unable to discover its means of operation and propulsion does not mean they do not exist. It may be that we are too technologically ignorant to understand them."
"What about the crew?" Janeway asked.
"There are facilities for a number of humanoid lifeforms, but we have found no remains of dead aliens. Neither is there any indication of the existence of emergency escape pods."
"So it would seem we have salvage rights?" Chakotay looked enquiringly at the Vulcan.
Tuvok hesitated before replying.
"Although the ship appears to have been abandoned by its crew, it is not a derelict: it is still a living entity."
"But not sentient Mr. Tuvok?" Janeway frowned at the thought of yet another ethical dilemma not even dreamed of by the originators of Starfleet regulations.
"We do not know, Captain. The ship is in stasis, powered down to minimal life support. Until we can access the operational system, we have no means of discovering whether it has any degree of intelligence."
"If it is non-sentient, can we utilise any part of the ship?"
"Indeed. Most of the internal structure could be converted by the replicators to provide food."
Janeway left her seat and began to pace the room.
"Lieutenant Torres, I want you and Ensign Kim to go aboard the alien ship and try to discover the operational system. However much we may be in need of food supplies, we can't simply plunder a living organism without knowing if it possesses intelligence."
As the officers left the room, Janeway stopped Tuvok with a hand on his arm.
"Are you alright, Tuvok? You look tired." She was concerned by the way his eyes appeared dull and slightly sunken beneath the slanting brows.
"I did not sleep well last night, Captain. That is all."
"You an insomniac?" Janeway smiled. "I thought that was my prerogative," she studied his face for a moment, noting the grey tinge to his normally rich brown colour. "I also thought Vulcans could sleep whenever they chose. Maybe you should have the doctor check you over?"
"I have already consulted the doctor. He could find nothing wrong."
"Then I suggest an early night. There's nothing more you can do until Torres and Kim access that ship's operational system." Janeway watched the doors close behind the vulcan with a concerned frown creasing her forehead. While Chakotay was the solid rock behind her, Tuvok was her right hand and guiding counsel. In their present situation, she needed every bit of help she could get and the prospect of Tuvok being at less than a hundred per cent efficiency was not one she could imagine with equanimity.
Two hours later Torres and Kim reported back to Janeway in her ready room. One look at their faces gave her the bad news before they spoke a word.
"Nothing, Captain. No computer, no communications network, no engines or propulsion system." Torres paced the room like a caged tiger, glowering her frustration.
"Could it have a neurological system? Some kind of organic central processor?" Janeway asked Kim.
"A brain?" Kim shook his head. "We thought of that, but we scanned the whole ship from the inside. The bioelectric field only radiates outside the hull, so we were able to get perfect readings from our tricorders. Definitely no brain, no nervous system. The only thing we picked up was some very low level alpha waves. They barely registered and we assumed they have something to do with the bioelectric field."
"I don't think we can afford to make any assumptions about this ship, Mr. Kim," Janeway sighed. "We'll sleep on it and see if we can come up with something tomorrow morning. With rations so short, we can't afford to spend too much time on this problem. If we don't make any progress tomorrow, then we resume our course towards home and implement the rationing plans we discussed before we entered the Empty Quarter."
Janeway had declined to fight her insomnia and was sitting wrapped in a robe with a cup of her favourite tea when she was hailed in her quarters by Harry Kim.
"I think you'd better come to the bridge right away, Captain." Kim sounded perplexed rather than worried. Janeway was already reaching for her uniform as she acknowledged the hail.
She arrived on the bridge to find Kim and the Duty Officer staring at Kim's console. They moved aside for her and Janeway read the words on the screen:
*IAM MONAD. IAM THE ONE.* The words were repeated to fill the screen.
Janeway looked up at Kim.
"Is this message coming from the alien ship?"
"No, Captain.There is still no communication with it. And this message is being displayed on all the console screens on the bridge."
"Computer, what is the origin of the message on screen?" Janeway asked.
"Message originates from console forty six."
Janeway raised her eyebrows enquiringly at Kim who shook his head.
"Computer, what is the location of console forty six?"
"Location of console forty six, Lieutenant Tuvok's quarters."
There was a stunned silence as they tried to make sense of this information. Then slowly, Janeway brought her hand up to her comm badge and hailed Tuvok. There was a brief delay and then Tuvok's voice replied and the message vanished from the console screen at the same moment.
"Tuvok here, Captain."
"Mr. Tuvok, where are you?"
"In my quarters, Captain."
Janeway glanced at Kim, her face devoid of expression.
"Did I wake you, Lieutenant?" She asked levelly, but something in her voice caused Kim to glance at her sharply. Tuvok heard it too and hesitated before replying.
"Is something wrong?"
"Were you using your computer console when I hailed you?"
"No, Captain. I was asleep." He sounded almost apologetic for the admission.
"Stay where you are Mr. Tuvok. I'm coming to your quarters."
Janeway found herself holding her breath when she and Kim waited outside Tuvok's door with drawn phasers in their hands. The door opened smoothly at Tuvok's command and Janeway exhaled in relief as the vulcan approached with his customary urbane expression. He saw the phasers and raised one eyebrow quizzically.
"We weren't sure you were alone." Janeway replaced the phaser in her belt and signalled to Kim to do the same. "A message had been put into the computer from your console." Janeway recalled the message to Tuvok's screen and stood back to let him see it. He swayed and for a moment, she thought he was going to fall, then he turned to face her and she almost imagined she saw fear in his eyes before his face assumed its normal impassive expression.
"What does it mean, Tuvok?" She asked gently.
He took a deep breath before replying with an even tone:
"I do not know."
"It's that alien ship, isn't it? Communicating through you?"
"I do not understand how that could occur."
"This message appeared on the screens while you were asleep. It vanished the moment you woke up. Could that ship be using your telepathic ability to communicate with us while you slept?"
"It is ... unlikely"
"Nevertheless, I think that is what happened. Mr. Kim, did you consider the possibility of an operational system controlled by direct thought processes?"
"It didn't occur to us, Captain. I've never considered the possibility of such a system."
"Well, I think you should consider it now." Janeway turned back to the Vulcan. "Tuvok, would you be willing to try to re-establish contact with the alien ship, using your telepathic ability?"
The vulcan's brief moment of silence before replying spoke eloquently of his reluctance, yet his answer was quite firm.
"I will try, Captain." He sat at the console and closed his eyes.
At first, the screen remained blank, then slowly, letter by letter, the message appeared: *I AM MONAD. I AM THE ONE.* until it filled the screen.
Janeway and Kim watched and waited, but after several minutes, Tuvok took a deep breath and his eyes opened.
"I am sorry, Captain. That is all."
"You mean you can't get any more information?"
"There is no more information at this level. I believe this message to be similar to our automatic distress signals. The alien ship is simply transmitting a repetition of these phrases."
"With the hope that someone with telepathic abilities will pick it up?"
Tuvok shook his head slightly.
"This signal is so weak, it is unlikely to be noticed by even those beings with the strongest telepathic powers."
"Unless they were asleep!" Kim interrupted excitedly, "Captain, remember those weak alpha waves we picked up on board the alien ship? I knew they reminded me of something. I've just realised, they were similar to the pattern of humanoid brain waves during dream periods of sleep. I think that ship is not just in stasis, but is actively dreaming a signal while it sleeps."
"So, how do we wake it up?" Janeway smiled at Kim's enthusiasm.
"We do not know if it would be wise to 'wake it up', Captain." Tuvok interrupted. "The technology is so alien, we might experience difficulty controlling it."
"I don't think we can afford to pass up this opportunity. We're sitting next to an almost limitless supply of food at a time when our own rations are dangerously low." Janeway sighed. "I think we should all get a couple of hours sleep before we try to come up with a way to communicate with 'Monad' in the morning."
Tuvok addressed the meeting of senior officers in the briefing room early the following morning. He was acutely conscious of the knowledge that Monad's message had again appeared on all Voyager's computer console screens, when he had eventually fallen into a restless sleep for an hour or so before the crew began reporting for the first watch of the day.
"I believe it will be necessary for me to be inside the alien ship in order to initiate communication. The obvious method would be to use a mind meld. However," Tuvok glanced at Janeway to forestall the inevitable refusal of permission. "it should be possible to establish contact by normal thought processes."
Janeway studied Tuvok as she made her decision.
"Very well, Mr. Tuvok. I want you to go over to the alien ship with the same team you took yesterday, but with the addition of Ensign Kim. Mr. Kim, your specialist operational knowledge might be of assistance to Lieutenant Tuvok." She ended the meeting, but took Tuvok aside as the others left the room. "Remember your promise to me after that business with Lon Suder?"
"There will be no mind meld without your permission, Captain."
Janeway held his calm gaze searchingly then nodded her satisfaction.
"Take care over there Tuvok, and return to the shuttle at the slightest hint of hostile intent by that ship." She laid a hand on his arm for the briefest instant and then was gone, heading back to the bridge.
On their arrival deep within the alien ship, the away team reported an uneventful journey and Harry Kim began a continuous commentary as Tuvok initiated the deep concentration exercises necessary to access his telepathic power.
"It's difficult to tell if anything is happening, Captain." Kim's voice was unusually tinny and distant, due to the relayed communication channel. "Lieutenant Tuvok appears to be in a kind of trance, but there is no apparent change in the ship."
Janeway glanced at her computer screen, half expecting to see the alien message reappear. She wasn't sure whether to be pleased or sorry that the screen remained free of interference.
The minutes ticked by and still Kim reported no change in Tuvok's condition. Janeway began to stir uneasily in her chair, exchanging increasingly anxious looks with Chakotay. At last, unable to remain silent any longer, she interrupted Kim's commentary.
"Mr. Kim, how long has Tuvok been in that state?"
"Forty three minutes, Captain."
"I think that's long enough. I want you to...."
"Captain!" Chakotay's urgent voice interrupted and Janeway followed his startled gaze to the screen. The screen was blank, except for three words:
*DO NOT WORRY.*
"That doesn't sound like an alien ship." Chakotay looked puzzled.
"No." said Janeway grimly, "Tuvok, is that you?"
*YES.* Appeared on the screen.
"Have you made contact with Monad?"
The screen blanked briefly and the same word reappeared.
"Does it have any hostile intent?" Janeway asked.
*MONAD IS SLEEPING.* Appeared.
"Tuvok, I need to talk with you over the comm link. You must break contact with Monad, do you understand?"
"Understood." The word remained on the screen for a short time, then vanished before Tuvok's familiar voice sounded through the communicator.
"Monad is a fascinating entity, Captain."
"How did you communicate with the computer consoles?"
"Monad is able to transmit my thoughts directly to Voyager's computer."
Janeway glanced at Chakotay in consternation. She didn't care for the idea of an alien ship having control of any part of Voyager's computer. Not even a sleeping alien ship, she added to herself.
"I think I would prefer this more direct means of communication in future, Mr. Tuvok." She said firmly.
"As you wish, Captain." His reply was without emphasis and Janeway wished she could see his face.
"What did you learn about Monad?"
"Although Monad is presently inactive, I was able to access some of the data banks. I discovered there is no central processor or neurological network. Each of Monad's structural cells has neurological properties, and as each cell adjoins many other cells, the entire organism is in essence the processing unit and operational systems combined."
"What about propulsion and weapons capability?"
"As far as I have been able to ascertain, Monad has no weapons capability. As for the propulsion system, I was unable to understand the details, discerning only that a photonic process is involved, similar to photosynthesis in green plantlife. To simplify, Monad's exterior surface cells attract and intensify even minute quantities of light from distant stars, which is then transformed into energy and stored in bioelectric form. This energy of course is insufficient for interstellar travel, which necessitates a much larger light source. I understand that Monad needs to be in periodic close proximity to stars in order to charge its cells with sufficient energy for propulsion. I have to admit, Captain, that I have been unable to ascertain the means of propulsion."
Janeway shook her head in amazement.
"We've come across some strange life forms in the Delta Quadrant, but this ship is the oddest yet. Did you learn anything about the crew, or the people who made the ship?"
"Negative. I merely accessed a minute fraction of the data stored in Monad's cells."
"Were you able to discover why Monad is sleeping?"
"Apparently, there was some kind of disaster. Monad is not clear on the exact nature, but I believe there could have been a spatial distortion which drained most of the ship's energy and left it stranded out here, far from any light source. The distant starlight has been sufficient to maintain stasis, but Monad has insufficient energy to power up its systems."
"Do you know how long it has been out here?"
"Monad has no concept of time during stasis."
Janeway turned to her first officer.
"Your opinion, Chakotay?"
"I think we have another problem to add to our list."
"Yes." sighed Janeway, "I think so too. Instead of finding a vast supply of food, we seem to have discovered a sentient being, stranded in space and sending out a distress signal."
"Are we sure it is sentient, Captain? Tuvok seems certain it is a ship. If it needed a crew to operate it, then maybe it is as B'Elanna said, just a vegetable. One that's been programmed to operate as a starship, but basically, still a vegetable."
"I don't think so." Janeway indicated her console. "Remember the original message. 'I am Monad. I am the one.' Those are fairly sentient statements, wouldn't you say?"
"You think we should help it?" Chakotay said doubtfully. Every instinct cried out that it would be a bad idea to power up the alien ship, but he had no argument to back his feelings.
"We can't ignore the most basic rule of space travel. We have discovered a lifeform in distress; we must do what we can to help it." Having made the decision, Janeway pushed her own misgivings aside and briskly summoned her chief engineer to the bridge.
B'Elanna Torres listened to Janeway's explanation of the alien ship's problems with increasing excitement.
"It's simple, Captain. All we have to do is direct a weak photon charge towards the ship. Tuvok can tell us when there is enough power to enable him to bring Monad out of stasis."
Janeway had unpleasant first hand experience of some of Torres' over enthusiasm for alien technology and was determined to take no risks this time.
"Can you control the amount of energy Monad receives? I want only the absolute minimum for life support and communication."
"No problem: the moment Tuvok gives the word, we discontinue the photon charge."
Janeway hailed Tuvok via the shuttle craft and explained what Torres intended.
"I understand, Captain. Tell Lieutenant Torres to target the photon charge in a diverging beam to encompass as much of the ship's exterior as possible. Use minimum power. I would suggest a two second duration for the charge."
Janeway and Chakotay watched the bridge viewscreen as Torres initiated the photon charge from Harry Kim's ops console. Monad was briefly ablaze with a brilliant, glittering light, before plunging back into the comparative darkness of space.
"I think it's working, Captain." Kim's distorted voice sounded excitedly over the comm link. "Monad is definitely powering up some systems: we have lights and there are some weird things going on inside the walls of this room."
"What kind of things, Mr. Kim? I need accurate information." Janeway was sometimes exasperated by the young ensign's excitedly vague reports.
"I don't know, Captain. I'm getting tricorder readings I've never seen before."
"What's Lieutenant Tuvok doing?" Janeway exchanged a worried glance with Chakotay.
"He's staring at the wall. Lieutenant?" Kim was obviously trying to attract Tuvok's attention, when the Vulcan's calm voice interrupted:
"Monad is awake, Captain. It is communicating directly through my thoughts. Monad wishes you to know it is grateful for the awakening."
"Well mannered for a vegetable, wouldn't you say, Commander?" Janeway murmured before replying to Tuvok: "Have you learned anything about the crew?"
"Very little. Monad's memory banks appear to have suffered some minor damage. The crew apparently died shortly after the disaster that overcame the ship, but Monad is unable to specify the cause of their deaths."
"Does Monad know the location of its home planet?"
"Yes. It is in a star system almost two thousand light years from here."
"Well, we're certainly not going to give it enough power to get that far." Janeway said softly to Chakotay, "How far away is the nearest star system?"
Chakotay fed data into his console and studied the screen before replying.
"A little more than twelve light years. Are you thinking of giving Monad another photon charge to take it that far?"
"What else can we do? Assuming it is capable of travelling without a crew, we have a duty to at least set it on its way home."
"I don't like the idea of giving it that much power, Captain." Chakotay's doubts were clear as he spoke, "I think we should at least recall the away team and go to maximum range before allowing it another photon charge."
"I agree. B'Elanna, what's the maximum range of a photon charge?"
"Checking now, Captain." Torres entered data in the ops console and then stared in consternation at the screen. "Captain!"
Janeway looked up at her and then caught sight of her own screen. It was filled with the repeated words:
*I AM VOYAGER.*
"Computer! Delete console screen displays." Janeway's voice was sharp, but had no obvious effect. "Computer, I repeat...."
"I am Voyager." The computer voice interrupted her and the message on screen began to scroll upwards, slowly at first and then increasingly fast until it was an unreadable, flashing blur.
"Captain! Something has accessed our data banks." Torres' hands moved desperately over the console. "I can't stop it, the computer is not responding to commands."
"Go to the central processor, try to stop it there!" Janeway stood up as Torres raced from the bridge. "Why would Monad want our data banks?"
"I don't know." Chakotay replied as he continued trying to control his console, "But I would guess it's not for our benefit."
Janeway hailed the away team, but there was no response. She had more success with Tom Paris, whose anxious face appeared on the view screen.
"Captain, I've lost contact with the away team."
"I know; Monad is interfering with our computer. I want you to beam the away team back aboard the shuttle immediately."
"Aye, Captain." Paris worked with increasing desperation at the shuttle's transporter controls. "I can't get a lock on them. Monad seems to have increased the power in the bioelectric field; it's causing interference with the transporter coordinates."
"Keep trying Mr. Paris." One glance at her console told Janeway that Torres had not succeeded in her attempts to control the central processor.
"Maybe we should try talking to Monad?" Chakotay suggested quietly.
"How do we do that without a comm link?" The strain was beginning to show in the sharpness of Janeway's voice.
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