Submerged
by Karen Fischer
Again, systems were failing. Voyager's power was diminishing by the hour as she began to limp along. They needed Dilithium, deuterium, and other substances to keep Voyager going. Seven and Harry had extended the sensors as far as they could so that they would hopefully find a planet with at least one or more of the minerals needed to boost the power.
Suddenly luck seemed to be on their side.
"Seven to the Bridge"
"Go ahead." Janeway answered.
"Sensors are picking up a Class M planet, approximately 4 light years from our present position."
"Relay the coordinates to the helm."
"Yes, Captain. Captain?"
"Yes, Seven."
"I should tell you that the sensors indicate that the planet is almost 80 percent H2O. From what I can tell, it is frozen. There is not much land mass."
"That's fine, Seven. We're looking for raw elements, not a place to settle down."
"Understood."
Janeway looked over at her First Officer.
"Do you think she might have been hinting at something?" He asked.
"I don't know. Maybe just letting us know that when we send an away team to retrieve the elements we need, they may need EVA suits to work underwater."
"Sounds like it to me."
"We won't know anything definite until we're closer." Then looking towards the helm, "Mr. Paris, can you give me an approximation as to how long it will take to reach this planet?"
"At our present speed, which is at best a slow trot, I'd say maybe seven or eight hours."
"Fine. Let me know when we arrive. I'll be in my ready-room." She said as she rose from her seat. "Commander, you have the Bridge."
"Aye, Captain." Chakotay answered, smiling at her.
Kathryn was going through the supply reports. Thank goodness the food supplies were in good shape. At the moment that seemed to be the only thing that was. And they still had such a long way to go before they were even near the Alpha Quadrant.
In an effort to conserve the power they still had, several decks had been shut down. Life support and gravity were turned off on Decks 12 through 15. Other parts of the ship were also sealed off and systems turned off. Some of the crew had been forced to double and triple up. Some people were even sleeping in Sick Bay, much to the dismay of the Doctor. He'd been told that, unless he had patients, the beds were available to whoever needed them. Some of the Bridge crew whose quarters were in the shut down areas were camping out in her Ready room during the night. It was the least she could do, since her quarters were still in a powered part of the ship.
As she thought about it, she glanced up to see the blankets and pillows lying on her couch. There were about six junior bridge crew members that were using her ready room as a bedroom at present. She smiled, knowing that they considered themselves lucky to be able to "camp out" in the Captain's ready room.
After about four hours, her door chime sounded.
"Yes, come in." She answered, almost absently.
"Captain?" Chakotay said.
"Yes, Commander?" She answered, looking up from a Padd.
Chakotay walked over to her desk. "Seems to me, you haven't eaten in a while. Care to join me for dinner in the mess hall?"
"What time is it?" Kathryn asked.
"Neelix would say, it's time to eat." He smiled back.
Kathryn returned the smile. "Very well, Commander. Between the growling of my stomach and your persuasive ways I guess I will join you for dinner."
They ate at a leisurely pace, Kathryn drinking at least four cups of coffee in the hour they were in the mess hall.
"You really should try to cut down on the amount of coffee you drink." Chakotay told her.
"Oh? You think I drink too much coffee?"
Chakotay smiled. "You know I do."
"Maybe later, but not today or anytime soon until we've gotten the substances we need to keep Voyager going, with a backup supply."
"Okay. I'll let you have that little crutch."
"How very magnanimous of you, Commander." She smiled back. "I need to finish up those reports on my desk before we get to the planet." She said, standing. "See you later."
"Later." Chakotay replied, remaining seated.
Three hours elapsed, with Janeway continuing to work on the supply and repair reports from all the departments on the ship. It had been slow going, but she thought she had things pretty much prioritized. Suddenly she was hailed.
"Captain Janeway to the Bridge." Chakotay's voice called to her.
She rose from her seat and headed out the ready room.
"Report." She ordered as she walked up the steps to the Bridge.
Chakotay was standing and looking at the view screen. "We've arrived, Captain. We're at Waterworld."
"Waterworld, Commander?"
Paris turned and smiled while Chakotay explained. "It was something a couple of the crew dubbed the planet, since it is mainly water..."
"I see." Kathryn replied, smirking. Then becoming all business again, she turned to Harry Kim at Ops. "What are the sensors showing?"
"I'm getting strong readings of Dilithium, deuterium, even some small deposits of polyferinide. It's almost too good to be true." Harry said.
"These deposits are reading several meters below the surface of the water. It may be necessary to send an away team in EVA suits to find the deposits." Tuvok reported.
"Can you tell how many meters?"
"Approximately 10000 meters from the surface of the ice flow." Tuvok answered back.
"Do we have enough power to pinpoint the materials we need and beam them to the ship?"
"Negative." Came Tuvok's reply.
"Then we'll have to send an away team." Kathryn began.
"That won't work either, Captain. We can't reroute enough power to the transporters to beam anyone to the surface." Harry said.
Looking at Chakotay, Kathryn then began to suggest..."Perhaps an away team in a shuttle..."
"That may not be feasible either, Captain." Tuvok began.
Kathryn turned to her tactical officer. "Why not?"
"The density of the snow in the upper atmosphere is too thick for a shuttle to safely fly through, the engines would fail upon entering the upper atmosphere, and would be unable to reinitiate in the lower atmosphere, thereby making it too dangerous for a shuttle to land." Tuvok explained.
"Explain further." Janeway ordered.
"According to our sensors, the snow flakes in the upper atmosphere are at least a meter in size. If they got into the nacelles, they would not melt due to the severe cold. Even in the lower atmosphere."
"Anything that size in a shuttle nacelle would cause the engine to stall. I understand thank you, Tuvok. So are you suggesting, that we land Voyager?"
"Precisely."
"I don't know if that would be such a good idea. Our power supply is already so low. If we land we may never be able to lift off again. Then what?" Chakotay said.
Kathryn just stared at the viewscreen. "I want to see the senior staff in the briefing room in 15 minutes." Kathryn announced suddenly. Then began to stride off the Bridge. "Commander you have the Bridge." She called over her shoulder just before entering her ready room.
Fifteen minutes later the senior staff was assembled in the briefing room. That included Neelix, Seven and the Doctor, as well as Tom, Harry, Tuvok, Chakotay and Janeway.
"Alright, people. I want suggestions on how we're going to get to the minerals we need to keep Voyager running? Transporting down is not an option. I'll accept that. Is there any way to make some kind of adjustments to a shuttle's shields so that the large snowflakes won't enter the nacelles?"
"Seven and I have been going over the possibility." Harry began.
"Anything?" Janeway asked.
"Nothing that would be viable, Captain." Seven finished. "The problem is the amount of power that would need to be generated to power the shields, and keep the shuttle stable. The Windshear is just too severe for any Starfleet shuttle to handle."
"She's right, Captain. Even I wouldn't be able to land a shuttle in the conditions on the planet." Tom added.
"Sensors show that the conditions on the planet are fairly constant. The wind blows at a constant and steady 80 to 100 kilometers on the surface." Tuvok rattled off.
"What is the wind chill?" Chakotay was asking.
"The sensors read the wind chill at about minus 100 degrees Celsius." Harry answered.
"Wow, that's pretty damned cold." Tom remarked.
Janeway didn't say anything, but she was agreeing in her mind with what Tom had said out loud.
"The conditions sound pretty harsh. I'm sure an away team could survive in EVA suits on the surface, but what about below, in the water?" She asked now.
"At those depths, I am not certain the suits would be able to handle the pressure." Tuvok began.
"I believe that some modifications could be made to make them capable of withstanding severe pressures. They were designed for non- atmospheric conditions." Seven began to say.
"Modify them, how?" Janeway asked, leaning over in her chair, placing her chin in her hand as she placed her elbow on the table.
Seven then went on to explain what kind of modifications could be made to the EVA suits. Harry confirmed Seven's calculations.
"Captain, I'm sure that if we shore up Voyager's shields we would be able to land her a lot more safely than we could a shuttle." B'Elanna piped up.
"Do we have enough reserve power to shore up the shields, Harry?"
"We could reroute power from some other non-vital areas of the ship..." He began to say...
"Captain, do you really think it's a good idea to land Voyager?" Chakotay asked now.
"Unless you can come up with another viable option, Commander, I don't see what choice we have."
"I agree with the Captain, Commander. It would seem that there are no other options available to us at this time." Tuvok pointed out.
Chakotay nodded his head. "I guess I was just hoping for some other kind of answer. It just seems like a pretty risky thing."
"Chakotay, we'll make this work." B'Elanna said from her seat at the end of the table.
"I know you will, B'Elanna."
"Is there anything else?" Janeway asked.
Everyone was silent. "Very well, dismissed."
Everyone stood and filed out of the briefing room to begin work on their varied tasks.
Only Chakotay remained behind.
"You're not happy with this are you?" Kathryn asked him.
"I'd be lying if I said I was. I know that we're in desperate need of those materials right now, but do you really think it's worth risking the ship for?"
"Chakotay, you heard me ask if there were any other options. We're stuck with this one. I don't like it any more than you do, but what else can we do?"
"Try to modify the shields on a shuttle and send the away team down that way."
Kathryn shook her head. "You heard what Tuvok said. A shuttle would probably break up when it landed, provided it survived the descent..."
"I guess I'm just grasping at straws. It's just that my gut is telling me this is wrong."
"I appreciate that you have reservations. Keep listening to your gut, it may keep us out of trouble." Kathryn told him, placing a hand on his chest and giving him a sick grin.
"Okay. If it's all I can do, then I will." He smiled at her. They then left and returned to the Bridge.
Two hours later, Harry reported that enough power had been shunted from other sections of the ship to shore up Voyager's shields. Seven reported that the modifications to six EVA suits had been made so that they could withstand the pressures of a deep sea dive.
B'Elanna reported that she had managed to boost power to the engines by 10%. Not as much as she would have liked, but better than anyone had hoped for.
As Kathryn read through the reports, she felt her chest swell with pride in the accomplishments of her crew. As always whenever she asked something of them that seemed almost impossible, they came through for her, as they had time and again since they had become stranded in the Delta Quadrant, over four years before. Even Seven of Nine was beginning to "assimilate" into Voyager's crew. She still had a long way to go, but she was finally beginning to make progress in becoming a contributing member of the crew.
Upon finishing going through the reports she headed for the Bridge. "Gentlemen, I think it's time." She said as she headed for her command chair. "Code Blue. Mr. Paris, prepare to land." She ordered, turning and sitting in her chair.
The lights dimmed and blue lights began flashing. "Code Blue has been initiated." Tuvok intoned. He then made a shipwide announcement. "Blue Alert. All personnel to their stations."
"Preparing to land. Beginning decent." Tom called out as his fingers flew over the helm console.
Just as Voyager began to enter the atmosphere, Tom lowered the landing struts. The ride was bumpy.
"Shields are holding." Harry called out from Ops, hanging on to keep from being knocked down.
"Entering the lower atmosphere." Tom called. One hand danced over the controls, while he tried to maintain his place with the other.
Janeway felt her fingers begin aching as she held on with a death grip to the arms of her command chair. When she looked over at Chakotay, he was doing the same.
Suddenly, they felt the lurch of Voyager's landing struts hitting solid ice and snow.
Rising from her seat, Janeway walked over to Tom and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Good job, Tom."
The pilot smiled, and proceeded to secure his station. "Alright, let's see about getting an away team together to get those materials." She ordered. Chakotay and Tuvok followed her to the turbo lift.
Normally, Chakotay would lead the away mission, but in this case, Janeway wasn't sure if he was the right person to lead this particular mission. Her knowledge of the needed materials was much more vast than his. B'Elanna would have to be on the mission, as would, most likely, Seven, because of their expertise as well.
"I've been giving some thought as to who should lead the away team." She began.
"Why, are you saying, you don't think I should lead it?" Chakotay asked.
"We need someone who's familiar with the materials and who knows how to mine it. I have more knowledge in that area than you do."
"But it's my job to keep you out of harms way, Captain." Chakotay argued, seemingly half-hearted.
"I would assume that you would allow me to accompany the away team, Captain?" Tuvok asked.
Janeway looked at him and smiled. "By all means, Tuvok. Can't go into a potentially dangerous situation without security, now, can we?" She said. Chakotay knew there was a slight jest behind the comment, and that it was totally lost on Tuvok.
By the time they finished their conversation, the three officers had arrived at Cargo Bay 2 where Seven of Nine and Lt. Torres were finishing up the modifications to several EVA suits.
"How are the modifications, coming?" Janeway asked as the doors slid aside.
"Just finishing up on the last suit now." B'Elanna said.
"Good."
"I have adapted the suits so that they can generate a low energy force field that will help when the pressure increases at the lower depths. It will allow the individual inside to withstand that pressure for up to approximately three hours. Descent will have to be gradual to allow for equalization of pressure, but that should only take an hour."
"Seven and I checked with the Doctor as to the guidelines for pressure and depressurization. He said that the assent will have to be very slow in order to prevent a condition known as "the bends", which could be fatal."
"Good work. Both of you. B'Elanna, Seven, you will both be part of the away team. Tuvok, two security people and myself will make up the rest of the team."
"Aye, Captain." B'Elanna said. "So, when do we go for our swim?"
"One hour. We'll suit up and meet in the shuttle bay. Since the gravity is the same as Earth's, we're going to need help getting into the water with the suits on. There will be crew there, ready to help us."
"Understood." Seven replied.
"Right." Said B'Elanna.
Forty-five minutes later, Janeway and the others were being helped into EVA suits.
The Doctor was scanning each of them with his medical tricorder as they pulled on the suits.
Nearby, but far enough to be out of everyone's way, stood Chakotay. "Any last-minute orders you want to give me before you enter the depths of the ocean?" He asked Janeway.
She looked over at him and smiled, as a crewman checked her suit and oxygen container for leaks, then checked the controls on her left arm. "No, I know I'm leaving the ship in good hands. Don't worry, we'll be in constant contact."
He grinned back. "I'm going to hold you to that."
"Your all set, Captain." The crewman told her.
"I'll wait until the others are ready before putting on the helmet."
"Claustrophobic?" Chakotay joked.
"Not at all. Just rather breath Voyager's recycled air a little longer."
Then the signal was given that everyone checked out okay. They then placed their helmets over their heads and secured them.
Four crewmen with thick, Starfleet issue, winter coats, hats and gloves prepared to lead the away team off Voyager and to the icy floor below her. Chakotay stepped toward the doors leading to the corridor outside the shuttle bay, when the bay doors were opened. Freezing air entered, and he wished he too had one of those thick coats to wrap around himself.
The away team was helped to the water's edge. Tricorders showed that it was part of an ice flow, and that there was a sheer drop off the ice, into the water.
Janeway instructed the group to tether themselves three together. She attached herself to Seven and a security guard, then slowly lowered herself into the water. Seven and the security guard followed her example and entered the water slowly as well.
It surprised Kathryn how much buoyancy the EVA suits had. Once she saw Tuvok and B'Elanna's teams enter the water, she began descending, totally oblivious to the freezing cold of the water outside her climate controlled EVA suit.
The souls of the shoes could be magnetized to maintain a firm footing in a zero gravity environment. In water it was close to zero gravity, but not in the exact sense. This part of the suits had been modified to give the suit's ballast so that they would act as individual submarines and submerge. Otherwise the suits would remain buoyant and not submerge. This was controlled by the controls on the arm of the suit that was as impervious to water as to the vacuum of space.
Within about 50 meters of the decent, she was grateful for the lights on the helmets of the EVA suits. It was getting darker the further the away team submerged into the depths.
All around them there was marine life swimming around. Kathryn had a feeling of dŽjˆ vu, remembering dives she had taken when she was a young girl back home on Earth, and on a trip to Mars that had gotten her in trouble with her father. Since this was a class M planet, despite the fact is was clear across on the other side of the galaxy from Earth, it seemed to have a lot in common with her homeworld. The marine life was one of those similarities.
Looking down at the control pad on her left arm, she checked the readouts for depth, then checked with her away team. "How's everyone doing so far?" She asked.
"This is a lot better than those zero gravity classes back at the Academy." B'Elanna said. "And I like the scenery better too."
"Everything is going well, Captain." Tuvok answered.
"How about you, Seven? How are you doing?"
"I am...adapting. I have never been submerged in an ocean before."
Kathryn felt a smile lift the corners of her mouth. "I'm glad to hear your okay." She told Seven.
The decent continued, then at a specified time she heard Chakotay's voice. "Voyager to Away Team."
"Janeway here."
"Good to hear your voice, Captain. How is everything going?"
"So far so good. It's been getting darker the deeper we descend."
"What depth are you at now?"
Janeway checked her wrist pad again. It showed they were now at a depth of 125 meters. She relayed the information to Chakotay.
"Fine. I'll check in again with you in 20 minutes."
"Look forward to hearing from you again, Commander." Kathryn replied.
Within 45 minutes they had finally reached the ocean floor 200 meters from the surface. The modified water-resistant tricorders found the deuterium and Dilithium in short order. Following the readings, Janeway lead the away team to the spot.
Once they were certain of their findings, the away team began setting up their equipment.
"How long do you think it'll take to mine enough for the ship's systems?" Janeway asked Torres.
"A little more time than our oxygen supply will allot. We may need a second team to come in and finish the job and haul it to the surface."
"Understood. I'll inform Chakotay. Janeway to Chakotay."
"Chakotay here, Captain."
"I need you to prepare a second team. We'll send up half our team then you can send in another group. You'll need to replenish the oxygen supply on the suits. B'Elanna thinks it'll take more time to mine the elements than we have air."
"Understood. Do you need someone with an Engineering background?"
"Chakotay," B'Elanna's voice came through now, "Send Vorik to lead the second group. He has a good understanding of exactly what's needed and how to mine it."
"Alright, B'Elanna. Captain?"
"You heard her, Commander. She's the Chief Engineer."
"Aye, Captain."
Moments after Chakotay had given the order to Vorik and two other crewmembers to prepare to meet three of the away team, Harry called to him.
"Commander, I think we have a problem."
"What kind of Problem, Harry?"
"Voyager appears to be sinking into the ice flow."
Chakotay walked around and looked at the readings on Harry's console. "I thought this area was solid ice?"
"So did the sensors. I guess they must have gotten some misleading readings."
"Check to see what could be causing us to sink, and how fast."
"Aye, sir." Harry answered, and immediately went to work checking the sensors..
Moments later, he thought he had an answer. "Commander, the ice is melting."
"What do you mean, it's melting?"
"The heat generated from Voyager's engines, and the hull from entering the atmosphere is apparently enough to cause the ice flow to begin melting."
"Will it stop when everything on the ship cools down?"
"I don't know, Sir. But if it keeps melting at the rate it is right now, Voyager will be submerged in about five hours." Harry replied.
"Submerged how far?"
"Completely, submerged."
"Damn! Until the Captain and the other's can get the materials back to Voyager, we don't have enough power to lift off. Will we be able to lift off from under water?" Chakotay asked.
"I don't know that, Commander. Voyager was designed for deep space, not deep water. I don't think we'll have to worry about flooding, since the ship is tight, but if she sinks to the depth that the away team's at, I don't know what might happen. There is no pressure in space."
"Except when traveling at warp speed. We could use the shields to ward off the pressure...but the big question is will the engines start under water..." Chakotay was half thinking out loud. Part of him was wishing he had a science background like Janeway. He was certain she'd figure it out, but at the moment she was at the bottom of this planet's ocean.
Problem was, he wasn't sure he should inform Janeway of the problem while she was still on the ocean floor. Maybe during her assent he might be able to bring her, Tuvok and Torres up to speed on the situation.
'Well, Kathryn, looks like my gut feeling was right after all.'
"Harry, keep a close eye on things, and keep giving me reports."
"Aye, Sir. Are you going to tell the Captain?"
"Not just yet. Let's see if we can't figure something out. I'll be in Engineering. Tom, you have the Bridge." He said as he headed for the turbo lift.
Once down in Engineering, Chakotay searched out and found Lt. Carey.
"Sensors show that the ice flow Voyager is sitting on, is melting out from under us. Is there anyway to cool down the ship to slow the melting process?"
"Not quickly enough, Commander. The data we've got shows that this ice is particularly sensitive to heat. I guess because this planet is in the beginnings of climatic flux."
"Climatic flux?" Chakotay asked.
"Yeah, according to the geological reports, this planet's climate is going through a change. As a result, its areas are sensitive to any unusual or outside influences."
"Great! If we can't stop the ice from melting, within a few hours, Voyager is going to be transformed from a starship to an underwater ship."
"Submarine." Carey said.
"What?" Chakotay asked, a bit distracted.
Submarine, Sir. That's what undersea ships on Earth were called. They were specifically built to be able to submerge beneath the sea."
Although Chakotay had visited Earth with his father, and had lived there while attending Starfleet Academy, he wasn't as familiar with his ancestral planet's history as he could have been.
"Thank you Lieutenant." He said and left Engineering.
Once Chakotay returned to the Bridge he asked Harry for a progress report...
"Not much change in status, Commander."
"You know, right now, I almost wished the Captain hadn't taken Seven with her. We could use her right now."
"I suppose she'd have a different take on the situation, but then, so might the Captain." Harry said.
"True. Hail the Captain."
"You gonna tell her what's going on?" Tom asked, from his position at conn.
"I don't have much choice. In less then five hours, her ship is going to be completely submerged and sinking to the bottom of this alien ocean." Then turning to Harry, "After you hail the Captain, I want information on what the water content of this planet is...how saline it is, everything you can think of...full spectral analysis."
"Aye, Sir, I'm on it." Harry said as he activated communications, then began activating sensors.
The away team had been working steadily for two hours since they had reached the site of the minerals they were mining for. It had taken them 45 minutes to reach the ocean bottom, and another 15 to find the source of the minerals they needed. The team had begun setting up lights and equipment almost from the moment the tricorders had pinpointed what they were after. All together it had been about three hours since they had submerged into the frigid waters of this Arctic planet. Still, they were oblivious to the cold. They were only aware of the darkness, made less by the artificial light and the lights on the helmets of their EVA suits.
Janeway worked as hard as the other members of her crew. She was as anxious as they to mine the materials and get it back to Voyager...
As she stopped for a moment, she felt herself sweating inside her suit. Her back felt soaked as did her neck and face. Just then she heard Chakotay's hail.
"Janeway here, go ahead."
"Captain, I'm afraid we have a problem up here."
His voice sounded worried. "What kind of problem?" She asked him, suddenly alert to the nuance in the tone of his voice.
"Voyager is sinking. The ice flow we're on is melting out from under us."
"How fast is it melting?" She asked him. At the same time she began to look upward. Why, she didn't know, she knew she wouldn't be able to see anything from this depth.
"Estimates are that Voyager will be submerged in approximately five hours."
"That's all?" Damn, she knew she should have paid more attention to Chakotay's gut feeling when he first told her he had a bad feeling about landing the ship.
"I'm afraid so, Captain."
"Even if we could refine the materials it would take longer than that to even get the engines running at full..." She didn't finish the thought. She didn't need to.
"Is the second shift of the away team, ready?" She asked then.
"Yes, they are. Why?"
"Seven, B'Elanna and I are going to come up. Have the second team standing by to get into the EVA suits when we return to the surface."
"Aye, Captain." Chakotay answered.
Janeway then activated the intersuit links and told B'Elanna and Seven that the three of them would be returning to the surface..
"Is there a problem, Captain?" Tuvok asked.
"Yes. The ice flow below Voyager is melting. The ship is sinking. We're needed to try to figure out a way to prevent the ship from sinking any further, or at least slowing the melting process. We'll send the other away team down. Continue working as long as you can."
"Understood, Captain." Tuvok replied and went back to work.
"Remember, we have to ascend slowly." Janeway reminded the other two.
They each nodded their heads.
It took them a little longer to ascend than it had taken to descend, but that was because of depressurization to prevent the bends. Once they broke the surface of the water, crewmembers were waiting to assist them out of the water.
The three were led to Voyager's shuttle bay, and they began removing the EVA suits. Once the helmets were removed, Janeway felt a chill on her head. The air inside the suit had been warmer, than the air on board Voyager. She didn't think anything of it, and began removing the suit.
That was when the disparity in temperature hit her. She'd been sweating inside the suit, and even after they had begun swimming toward the surface, she remained overheated. Now, that she was out of the suit, her skin was still wet from sweat, but Voyager's temperature was much cooler than her EVA suit had been. Seven and Torres didn't seem affected. Klingons were used to warmer temperatures, and Seven was probably protected by the Borg technology she still retained.
Chakotay had come to the shuttle bay to give Janeway a fuller and more up-to-date report on the ship's status. When he entered the shuttle bay he saw everyone crowded around someone, but couldn't make out who it was.
