The Cloud: Part Two

Chapter 15: The Cloud: Part Two.

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Lieutenant Bini Filters POV

"Red Alert!" The Captain barked as the ship began to shake a little. The lights dimmed and the consoles lit up as red lights went off with the usual buzz of the alarm.

"Whatever they are, they're passing right through our shields." Chakotay commented as everyone attempted to keep their balance.

"Try reversing the shield polarity. Filters?" She looked at me.

"They are made of a non-reactive material that the senors don't recognize, Captain."

"Clarify. Are we under attack?" She asked.

"I don't know. There is no indication of directed fire." I replied.

"Torres to Bridge." Janeway quickly tapped her combadge.

"Go ahead." She replied and leaned against the front railing.

"These things are sticking to the hull. And I'm showing a drain on our energy reserves." B'Elanna shouted over the chaos of engineering.

"A drain? Why would we be losing energy?" The Captain snapped back.

"I'm not sure, Captain. They seem to be drawing it right through the shield grid along the hull." B'Elanna explained.

"We've lost five percent of our energy reserves. Recommend we shut down all non-essential systems." Harry insisted as everyone temporarily lost their balance as the ship jolted again. My cup smashed to the floor, I took a moment of praise that I finished it before the tidal wave hit. Something tells me this isn't a nebula...I am being sarcastic. It is sad that I need to tell myself that.

"Do it." Janeway barked.

"Reversing shield polarity hasn't had any effect." Chakotay shouted out among the chaos of crewmembers racing around the bridge.

"Energy reserves are down eight percent!" Harry exclaimed.

"This is not what I had in mind. Mister Paris, take us back through the energy barrier and out of here." Captain Janeway barked. Tom nodded.

"Reversing course.

We watched as we went full speed towards the barrier. suddenly we were all pushed by some invisible force, shoving everyone towards the floor. Everyone quickly scrambled up as others who hit their heads on consoles or whatever, like me. Where slowly trying to come to grips with reality as we pushed ourselves up.

"We're not penetrating the energy barrier this time." Tom called out on the merge of panic as I checked my readings. Thanks for stating the obvious, Tom!

"Engineering, I need more power!" The Captain called to her badge at a still open channel from the bridge to Engineering.

"We can't go back to impulse, Captain. That's how our problem started. Our best chance is to burn the aft thrusters beyond their recommended limits." B'Elanna suggested.

"Proceed."

"Acknowledged. Accelerating deuterium to rear thrusters."

Chakotay shot up from his chair and walked over to Janeway.

"We have a complement of thirty-eight photon torpedoes at our disposal, Captain." Chakotay reminded her as he stood next to her. She looked up at him with an annoyed expression.

"And no way to replace them after they're gone." She reminded him.

"Aft thrusters at one hundred five percent. One hundred fifteen percent." B'Elanna interrupted over the channel.

"Barrier still holding. We need something else." Tom said as the ship continued to jolt.

"Give me a two-second blast from the forward phaser bank." Janeway ordered. I nodded and sent the order to charge phasers. Within seconds it was ready.

"Firing phasers. The barrier is undamaged, Captain." I reported.

"Ready a photon." Chakotay ordered. I sighed and lazily typed in another command.

"Mister Paris, assuming we can breach the energy barrier, it's likely to close as fast as the first time."

"I'll be riding the tail of our torpedo, Captain." Tom assured her as he stabilized the ship.

"Torpedo is loaded." I said.

"Align coordinates along with ship's heading." Janeway snapped.

"Coordinates set."

"Fire."

We closely followed the torpedo as it effortlessly opened up a hole that we flew through quite easily. The ship started to shake again and sparks flew across the bridge.

"Fifty thousand kilometres to the perimeter." I yelled.

"I'm having trouble navigating through the energy currents. It's as thick as a Toarian ice storm out there." Tom complained.

"Thirty-five kilometres to the perimeter." I yelled. A sarcastic comment for Tom was on the edge of my tongue.

"Energy reserves are still falling." Harry called out.

"Fifteen thousand kilometres," I reported. I looked up and watched as the ship quickly exited the...thing. "We've cleared the central mass."

"Stand down red alert. Take us to two thousand kilometres off the perimeter and hold the position. Get a sample of that matter off the hull for Lieutenant Torres to analyze. I'd like to know what it was that humbled every defense system on this ship. How much of our energy reserves did we lose, Ensign?" Janeway explained and looked over to Harry.

"Eleven percent, Captain."

"I'm just going to have to give up coffee. That's all there is to it." She muttered to herself and began to pace.

"Can we all agree that this isn't a nebula yet?" I asked the room. Mummers and whispering filled the room.

-----

Lieutenant Bini Filters POV

(Time: 11 pm)

"Remind me why you are dragging me around the ship so late at night. I had the main shift today, I am almost to the point of exhaustion." I insisted as Tom had a firm grip on my wrist as we jogged through the corridor late at night.

"Hurry up, Bini!"

"Are you now deaf? Maybe you didn't hear me correctly." I insisted as Tom rolled his eyes and gave me a quick grin.

"Oh come on! This will make your week!" Tom insisted.

"After what I have been through. I don't think so." I mumbled. He ignored me and entered in a code into a door for quarters. I looked up at the name on the door.

"Ensign Harry Kim. You are breaking into Harry`s quarters." I said with a raised eyebrow towards him.

"Yeah, trust me on this." He insisted then a loud beep of refusal. I groaned and pushed him aside.

"Move over amateur." I was quickly able to release the security system and opened the door. Tom muttered something under his breathe.

"You are a real Mary-sue, you know that right?" He spoke up.

"This is real life, Tom." I countered as I carefully maneuvered around the living room. Still unsure to why we are here.

"You never know. We could just be characters in a book somewhere from the 21 century that could be self-aware. That makes you are mary-sue."

"That was strangely specific."

"I am a specific guy."

"I think you are a guy with a mid-life crisis."

"OK fine...rude Shadow."

"I heard that!"

He started to snicker as he gestured me to follow him into Harry's bedroom to the far right. We both quickly walked into Harry's room. He was sleeping with some sort of mask over his eyes, Tom and I looked at each other then back at Harry. I stood to one side as Tom shook him awake.

Harry only mumbled in response so I ripped off his face mask. His eyes blinked open then he shot up in alarm and glared at us.

"Dark enough for you?" Tom asked sarcastically as Harry struggled to understand what was happening.

"What?"

"Get up, Harry. Something you've got to see."

"See? How'd you get in here?" Harry demanded.

"You'd be surprised the things you learn in prison."

---20 minutes later---

We all walked down the corridor towards the holodeck 2.

"So Harry, want to explain why you wear a ridiculous face mask?" I asked, for once I was actually curious about something that seemed so stupid.

"MacAllister. James Mooney MacAllister. The guy never slept. He'd be studying his algorithms until dawn and the only way I could get any sleep was to wear a mask." Harry explained with a smirk.

"You could've changed roommates." Tom said.

"Are you kidding? MacAllister got me through fourth-year quantum chemistry." Harry exclaimed.

"Ah." Tom and I said in response.

"Besides, I got used to wearing it. Something about it that reminds me of being in the womb."

"The womb!?" I repeated.

"Harry, in order to be reminded of something, you have to first-"

"I remember being in my mother's womb."

"That's impossible." I said.

"Oh really?"

"I am way younger than you, I have no damn memory of something as disgusting as that." I complained.

"It is not disgusting! It is...comforting."

"Comforting!? How is anything like that comforting?!"

"If you remembered it, you would find it comforting too." He insisted. "So what is it you have to show me?"

"Nothing that's going to compare to that memory of your mother's womb." Tom joked and we all stopped in front of the holodeck. "Computer, activate holodeck programme Paris three."

We all entered into a dark street, dim lights reflecting around us as laughter, an accordion playing and aliens laughing in the background assaulted us. Tom guided us into a bar named Sardines. A place that Tom mentioned rarely on occasions.

We entered into the bar, the first thing I noticed was a pool table, surrounded by many special characters that grinned and smiled at us. But Harry and I both knew they were looking at Tom, and only Tom as if he was the most important person in the room.

"What do you think, guys?" Tom asked with a big smile on his face.

"What is it, a French bistro?"

"This is where I spent most of my second semester at the Academy. I chose the Starfleet base outside of Marseilles for my physical training. I always had a thing about the French." Tom explained.

"And the French always had a thing about you, Monsieur Thomas. And with a name like Paris and a face like that, how could anyone resist?" A blonde woman, looked like she was either 30 or late 40's.

"Sandrine, these are my friends, Harry Kim and Bini Filters."

"Oh, enchanté." Sandrine grinned as she slithered an arm around Harry's shoulders. He weakly smiled back at her, then looked towards me for help. I took a step back them, I shook my head in disagreement. No way, this was his problem.

"Sandrine owns the place. It's been in her family for over six hundred years." Tom continued to explain.

"Tommy? It's about time. I've been waiting for you." A pretty brunette said as she slipped off the pool table where she was slightly sitting.

"This is Ricky. I include her in all my holoprograms." Tom said, having a hard time to tear his eyes from her as she went to stand beside him.

"Hi." Ricky purred.

"Hi." Harry sheepishly said.

Ricky gived Paris a passionate kiss. Then settled down beside her.

"Your friend the gigolo, wouldn't leave me alone." She pouted and pointed towards a young french man behind me.

"It's what I do, Tom. Nothing personal." He said slyly and got up, then slithered his way next to me.

"Hey there darling, care to dance?" He said cheekily.

"Computer, delete a holo-program character closest to me." I snapped. His ugly face vanished from my sight and I looked back at the blushing face of Tom Paris. Harry was too busy trying to get Sandrine to give him some space. She finally moved on and went to grab Tom's other shoulder much to the disappointment and jealously Ricky.

"She just sits there and waits for you, huh? Like a little puppy dog?" Sandrine insisted.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Tom snickered.

"Oh, really? I thought you liked your women with a little bite?"

"Everyone knows about your bite, Sandrine. It's when you start sucking blood they get scared." Ricky barked.

"Monsieur, can I get you something to drink?" Sandrine extended to Harry after trying to holdback lashing at Ricky for her comment. Was I just invisible here?

"Just a cup of tea."

"Harry, this is France. Er, break open a bottle of that '46 Saint Emilion you save behind the bar for me."

"I don't like to drink this late at night. I get acid heartburn."

"Harry, it's holographic wine. It doesn't give you acid. Try to get in the mood, huh?"

"Sorry."

"I learned a great deal that semester at the Academy, most of it right here." Tom said with pride as Sandrine placed the drink down on the small table that Harry and I sat down at.

"Oui, and most of it from me." Sandrine bragged.

"I found this place just after my pocket was picked walking by the harbour." Tom continued as he poured Harry a glass of wine and then proceeded to order me a real hot chocolate. Well, replicated Hot Chocolate.

"Somebody picked your pocket? On Earth?"

"Oh, they just do it for tourists. They give it back. Most of the time."

"Nine-ball in the corner pocket." An older french man called out from the pool table as people started to spread out.

"You see that pool table, Harry? Bini? The table at Sandrine's at Marseilles has attracted the world's greatest hustlers throughout the centuries. I thought it might be fun to programme in some of the great players to shoot with." Tom exclaimed with excitement in his eyes.

"Eightball in the cross side." The older guy called out again. I pointed at him.

"Who is that guy?" I asked. Harry and Tom looked towards him as he called out another shot and sunk it.

"Gaunt Gary, Ames Pool Hall, New York City, 1953. They say that he hustled the great Willie Mosconi himself." Tom answered as Harry raised an eyebrow towards him.

"Mosconi? Was he some famous billiard player?" He asked.

"The game is pool, kid. Pool. I don't suppose you'd care to wager a fin on a game or two?" Gary directed at Harry.

"Oh, he's not ready for you yet, Gary. Let me teach him a few tricks first." Tom insisted. Gary rolled his eyes and moved around the table for another shot.

"Watch out for him, kid. He can swallow your wallet without ever losing his smile." Gary warned.

'I'll keep it in mind. What's a fin?" Harry asked.

"I'm not sure. Some old kind of Scandinavian currency. Come on. I'll rack them up, you pick out a cue. Harry, this is my idea of home. My little piece of Earth out here in the Delta Quadrant." Tom admitted.

"You shrug it off, or you like to make the rest of us think you're shrugging it off, but you miss it too, don't you?" Harry questioned.

"What?" Tom looked towards him, surprised.

"Home." Harry snapped.

-----

Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres POV

I held the precious container with the sample close to my chest, holding it close to one hand and the other preoccupied with holding my padd with the interesting results from engineering I had found out. I walked into sickbay, I quickly looked around sickbay, the Doctor was not around of course.

"Computer, activate Emergency Medical Holographic Programme."

He appeared in the door frame of his office.

"Please state the nature of the medical emergency." He barked immediately. I rolled my eyes and groaned internally as I crossed sickbay with the stuff still in hand.

"Why do you always have to say that?" I complained,

"I can only speculate about my programmer's motives. Perhaps he thought I might be summoned for important reasons." His bitter tone was clear.

"Under the circumstances, don't you think you really ought to change your programme?" I demanded.

"Now there's an interesting concept. A hologram that programs himself. What would I do with that ability? Create a family? Raise an army?" His eyes swimming with ideas as he continued on naming his plans to finally conquer us. A small part of me wouldn't doubt that if he could raise an army. He would most likely kill us all.

"I know a little about holographic programming. I could probably reprogram you." I suggested.

"That makes me feel particularly confident." He replied sarcastically.

"Has anyone ever told you, you have a lousy attitude?" I snapped.

"If you don't like the doctor's attitude, there's a man sitting in a console in the Jupiter Station Holoprogramming Centre you can write to. His name is Zimmerman. He looks a lot like me, actually." He ranted. "Now, not that I don't enjoy the repartee, but was there a reason you stopped in?"

"I need a second opinion on this." I replied and shoved the padd of information into his hands and set the sample carefully on the surgical bed.

"Who gave you the first opinion?" He asked with an accusing raised eyebrow.

"I gave it to myself. It's a sample of residue we picked up in a nebula." I replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"A nebula? What were we doing in a nebula? No, wait, don't tell me. We were investigating. That's all we do around here. Why pretend we're going home at all? All we're going to do is investigate every cubic millimeter of this quadrant, aren't we?" He ranted...again.

"The molecules are isolinear. No polycyclic structures, but-"

"But this is what brought you to me, isn't it? The nucleogenic peptide bonds." He snapped at me, almost disgusted.

"Is it some kind of phosopholipid fibre?" I asked. Trying to ignore his stupid attitude.

"And you were doing so well. No, I suspect it's something far more interesting than that." He teased with a slight smirk of triumph.

-----

Captain Kathryn Janeway's POV

*Chim*

"Come in." I barked and set the padd I was holding down on my desk as I turned off my computer, then drained the last of my cooling coffee. Commander Chakotay hesitantly stepped in, holding some sort of animal skin in his hands. Wrapped around something inside of it.

"Repair crews have degaussed the hull, Captain." He reported. I nodded.

"Good. Let's plan an oh seven hundred departure." I asked as I gestured towards the bundle in his hands. "What's this?"

"My medicine bundle. I've never shown it to anyone before. After what you said this morning, I thought it was important to let you see." He explained with a nervous smile.

"Will it help me find my animal guide?" I asked. Well, obviously it would. That is the whole point.

"Eventually you'll have to assemble your own medicine bundle, but this will allow me to assist you in your quest for a guide." He replied.

"Now?"

He nodded and stepped up a level in the ready room to the window, then placed his bundle on the low table and sat on the floor. Carefully spreading out each item with care. I took the hint and moved away from my work to join him. I sat on the floor across from him.

He held up each item for me to see. First, it was a black feather.

"A blackbird's wing," He said, then picked up a small stone. "A stone from the river." and finally a strange device. "An akoonah."

"Akoonah?" I asked.

"My ancestors used psychoactive herbs to assist their vision quests. Now they're no longer necessary. Our scientists have found more modern ways to facilitate the search for animal guides." He explained. "Place your hand on it and concentrate on the stone. A-koo-chee-moy-a. We are far from the sacred places of our grandfathers. We are far from the bones of our people. But perhaps there is one powerful being who will embrace this woman and give her the answers she seeks. Allow your eyes to close. Breath to fuel the light in your belly, and let it expand until the light is everywhere. Prepare yourself to leave this room and this ship, and return to a place where you were the most content and peaceful you have ever been. You can see all around you and hear the sounds of this place."

My surroundings faded away to turn into one of the corn fields in Indiana. Behind me was a large tree that stood for hundreds of years that I used to climb to escape reality and hide. On the ground was a rock. A rock I knew well as a child I had found myself tripping on it often as so did Micheal and Sarah.

"I know this place. It's-"

"You must not discuss with me what you see, or you will offend your animal guide. As you continue to look around, you will become aware of other life that shares this place with you. It will be the first animal you see. That is the one you will speak to. Do you see an animal?"

On the rock was a small salamander that looked up at me with small black round eyes.

"Yes."

"Speak to it."

I bend down and held out my hand to the creature. It scrambled into my hand as I relaxed against the ground.

"You are troubled." A female voice called from the creature. I was momentarily rattled.

"That is one way of putting it." I muttered.

"Explain." She demanded.

"You are already aware that I am troubled. Doesn't that mean you can read my mind?"

"I want to hear it from you."

"I don't know if I can get my crew home." I admitted.

"Anything else?"

"I am worried for my children."

"That is certainly a problem."

"Well, what am I going to do?"

"I think you know what to do. Just have patience."

I didn't feel this has really helped me. I suppose it would be better if I got to know my spirit guide better. I should try that sometime. Suddenly, the chim from the ready room door interupted me. I was back in my ready room. Chakotay looked startled for a moment.

"Sorry! I should've asked the computer for no interruptions. Come in." I called and got off the floor as Chakotay packed up. B'Elanna almost ran in and came to a screeching halt as she became aware of what was going on.

"The Commander was introducing me to my animal guide." I explained.

"I hope that you have better luck with yours than I had with mine." She said. I looked over to Chakotay for an explention. He shrugged as he got up and stood next to me.

"B'Elanna's the only one I know who tried to kill her animal guide." He chuckled.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but the Doctor and I have come up with a rather surprising analysis of the matter left on the hull. It's organic." B'Elanna continued.

"Microscopic life forms from the nebula." I concluded.

"That's not what I mean. The samples are clearly organic elements of a much larger life form. It appears, Captain, that this nebula is not a nebula at all."

-----

(Time 1 am.)

Micheal Janeway's POV

((I ran through the forest. Something was coming. Something was coming to kill us. Bini had a tight grip on my wrist as she urged me on as we kept running. Something told me that Mommy and Sarah were already dead. Grief ran through me as I struggled to keep up with her pace.

"Bini! I can't run anymore!"

Bini looked back at me with a crazed look with scratches and blood on her dirty uniform and face. We finally came to a stop and she grabbed me by my shoulders and shook me.

"Don't you get it? We are the last ones. They are going to hunt us down and kill us if we don't keep going!"

I heard rustling behind us. Bini swore and yanked out her phaser then started to become frantic as she pointed the phaser at any area where something rustled in the dark forest.

"Too late." She muttered.

I looked towards another area of-

Bini screamed behind me.

I spun around and looked towards Bini. Her chest was burnt. Her eyes were wide open in shock and fear as she struggled to breathe but collapsed to the ground. I screamed her name and ran over to feel her pulse. I pressed my fingers against her neck. A faint one. Suddenly she grabbed my wrist and yanked me down to near her mouth.

"Run you fool." She muttered with her last remaining strength and went limp. I checked her pulse. Nothing. I struggled to breathe as I now sat in the dark forest with only the corpse of Bini with me...))

I screamed as I awoke in my bedroom on Voyager in the darkness. I looked over to Sarah on the other side of the room. She stirred in her bed but didn't wake up. I wiped the sweat from my head and I started to shake. I don't want anyone to die. I hesitantly got out of my bed and opened my door to the living room. I looked for Mommy. Maybe she is back from work now. She wasn't in the living room.

I moved to Mommy's bedroom and opened the door. Mommy was sleeping in her bed. Surrounded by padds that emitted a dull light over the area as the stars outside provided extra light. I slowly tiptoed over to her bed and crawled in with Mommy. I didn't want to be alone.

"Micheal?" My mommy groggily said as she became aware of me.

"Hi, Mommy." I said.

"What are you doing here?" She asked. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"I had a nightmare."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No. It was really scary." I muttered. I saw her smile slightly and hug me closer.

"You can stay here if you want."

"Thank you, Mommy."

"Anytime, Micheal. Love you."

"Love you too."

I made myself more comfortable as Mommy held me close. I was starting to feel safe again.

"Mommy?" I called out.

"Hm?" She replied.

"What would happen if you died?" I asked. The thought sickened me.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"What would happen to Sarah and I if you died? Would they throw us off the ship?"

"I don't think that would happen, Micheal." She tried to assure me. I am not convinced.

"Okay."

"Goodnight, Micheal."

"Goodnight, Mommy."

Mommy pulled me into a hug as I drifted to sleep.

-----

(Time 10 am)

Captain Kathryn Janeway's POV

After reviewing and rereading the reports on the lifeform that seemed like a nebula only yesterday mourning, B'Elanna and I were struggling to find more information to see if we seriously harmed it. The EMH was on the main viewscreen, he attempted to help us just moments before to figure this out.

B'Elanna and I currently had our back to him as we went through the info at the bridge science station.

"I'm curious, Captain. Exactly what are you looking for?" He asked in an annoyed tone.

"I need to know if we did serious harm to this life form." I replied.

"Let's see. You ran your ship through it, fired phasers at it and blew a hole in it with a photon torpedo. I'd say it's a pretty good chance that you did some fairly significant-"

"Computer, mute audio." I snapped. The EMH grew quiet as he realized he was muted. "Isolate that concentration of omicron particles we were trying to get to," I ordered B'Elanna. She pointed to the particles on the screen in a map of the area.

"That would be right here." B'Elanna pointed out.

"Mister Tuvok?" I called over to the security station was Tuvok was finally back on duty. I was able to catch him up on the events earlier.

I'm afraid the concentration of particles is far lower than Lieutenant Filters originally observed. Furthermore, it appears that many of the particles have now moved outside the energy barrier.

"Is it possible they're leaking out through the breach we made?" I asked.

"That would be a logical conclusion." Tuvok replied with his usual stoned face expression.

"It's also a logical conclusion that all of the phenomena we've encountered were actually this life form's natural defence systems."

"The way the barrier was protecting the omicron particles almost suggests we were entering a vital organ." Chakotay pitched in from his chair.

"So it seems very clear that we've severely hurt an innocent life form. How do we repair the harm we've done?" I asked practically anyone on the bridge.

"Er, Captain?" Tom said and pointed towards the viewscreen as the EMH waved his hands wildly around for attention with his face twisted into a scowl as Filters watched the scene was amusement in the background. Near the last biobed. Loading a hypospray.

I could tell Bini was laughing by the way her body was shaking and her eyes were shut close as she covered her mouth. The still mute doctor turned back and started to scold her. Bini rolled her eyes an quickly grabbed the hypospray and ran out of the screen. I smirked as Bini disappeared from the background. She said some sort of sarcastic comment that set the doctor off, making him rage with wild hand gestures.

"Computer, resume audio."

"How kind of you." He snapped at us as he straightened his uniform. "You may be interested to know that the analysis of the organic sample suggested this life form has the capacity to regenerate. The process may simply need a helping hand."

"Any ideas of how we could stimulate regeneration?" I asked him.

"Lieutenant Torres has the answer." He said with a raised eyebrow towards us.

"I do?" B'Elanna frantically looked around at the bridge. Unsure if she was hearing it right.

"You were the one who first observed that this life form has a nucleogenic structure." The Doctor reminded her.

"If the life form has a nucleogenic structure, nucleonic radiation ought to assist its healing process. A nucleonic beam along the edges of the breach should theoretically promote regeneration."

"Bravo." He sarcastically said with a few sarcastic claps with added effects. Not one person on that bridge didn't roll their eyes that day.

"Commander, take us to yellow alert and advise the crew that we're going to re-enter the life form. Mister Kim, review all systems in light of our first experience and see if you can provide new safeguards. Tuvok, your job is to find some modification of the shields that will hold off this life form's natural defence systems. We begin at thirteen hundred hours. Dismissed." I ordered. They all nodded as the Doctor disappeared from the viewscreen.

-----

(One minute later.)

Crewmember Tal Celes POV

Neelix balance three meals trays on my two hands, he placed each carefully on the table as I, Lieutenant Bini Filters, Ensign Hogan looked up at Neelix, then back down at the food...if we could even call it that.

"Ah...Neelix? What is this?" Ensign Hogan asked.

"The bantan is a little on the spicy side. Kes grows them herself in the hydroponics garden. Don't eat any of the little pink things and you'll be fine." He assured us with his usual smile.

"Why not just take out the pink things?" Bini asked as she poked one of the many pink things that littered her plate. He simply shrugged and replied with something that I didn't have the heart to hear.

"All personnel report to stations. Yellow alert." Chakotay reported. Bini slammed her fork down with glee and a bright smile as she stood up. Much to the surprise of anyone else in the messhall.

"You heard him, people!" She yelled and pointed towards one of the exits. "Move out!"

She bolted for the door in a flash. We quickly apologized to Neelix on our and Bini's behalf before following her out.

"Now what? Neelix to Chakotay." I heard Neelix call out.

-----

Neelix's POV

"Now what? Neelix to Chakotay." I grumbled as I hit my combadge.

"Chakotay here. We're very busy up here, Neelix. What do you need?" He snapped at me over the commotion of the bridge and the now stillness of the Messhall as the last of the crewmembers left and Kes softly stirred in the kitchen behind me.

"This yellow alert business. I was just starting to serve-"

"Sorry."

"We found out that the nebula is actually a life form and we've got to go back in to repair some damage we did to it. Chakotay out." He abruptly ended the call.

"Go back in? Hello? Well, that's it. I've had it!" I exclaimed. Throwing my hands in the air.

"Neelix-" Kes's soft hand pressed on my arm. I shrugged it away. Too angry to listen to any rational thoughts or suggestions as I stormed out of the messhall.

"No. I'm going to the Captain about this." I demanded.

---Time: 10 minutes later---

"Come in." The Captain called. I swiftly entered into the ready room, where Captain Janeway sat at her desk. Her eyes glued to her computer as she sipped coffee.

"Captain, I understand that this nebula we've discovered is some kind of monster?" I demanded. She looked up at me as if red alert sounded or a bomb had fallen from the sky and was heading towards us.

"Not a monster, Neelix, but it is a life form." She corrected.

"Excuse me if I sound crazy, because someone may have been playing a joke on me, but you aren't planning to take us back into the belly of this beast, are you?"

"No joke."

"Why?"

"Because we hurt it, and we have to help it recover."

"I did not come on board this ship to be a veterinarian, Captain." I scowled.

"And I thought you were a man of unlimited talents." She mocked.

"I just reached my limit. So if you don't mind, Kes and I will wait on board my little vessel for you to return." I said as my anger raged through my body. Something must have snapped in her. Her usual pale complexion grew slightly red as she slowly rose from her chair and if looks could kill...if glares could kill. I would most likely be dead.

"All our crews are busy preparing for this mission. I'm not pulling them off their duties to prepare your ship for launch. And I'm not going drop you off on the side of the road every time we hit a bump. When we finished, if you want to leave that's your business, but for the moment, find yourself a seat with a good view, because just like Jonah and the whale, you're going in." She explained. Almost shaking with rage.

"Is that final?" I snapped at her like a disgruntled teenager that Tom Paris always mentions in small stories of his past or others.

"Dismissed." She snapped. I blinked at her in confusion. I don't know what that means. "That's a Starfleet expression for get out."

What is Jonah and the Whale?

-----

Ensign Harry Kim's POV

"Jonah? Whale?" Neelix muttered, more confused than angry as he was when he first entered. Tuvok simply raised an eyebrow towards him but did not answer. We all continued on to our work as the Captain walked out of her ready room. Casting a "death" glare (As Tom called it.) at Neelix with her fists clutched tight together.

"Approaching the perimeter." Tom called out. Dragged the Captain's anger away from him and Neelix didn't dare look up as he entered the turbo lift and disappeared.

"Disengage impulse engines." The Captain ordered.

"Impulse engines offline." Tom reported.

"Engage thrusters one third."

"Thrusters engaged."

"Red alert." The Captain barked. Within moments the lights dimmed and the lights on the consoles brightened for more visibility.

"Shields are up. Adaptive harmonics are operational." Tuvok reported.

"Density is already more than double what we encountered last time."

"EM hull pressure is approaching dangerous levels, Captain."

"Mister Kim?" She looked at me. I scrambled to get my damn heads out of the clouds and started to get my work together.

"If my research is right, releasing positive ions through the nacelle should repel some of the dust out there." I reported.

"Without causing further harm to the creature?" She asked.

"I believe so, Captain." I agreed. She nodded with a happy smirk and looked back at the viewscreen.

"Very well."

"Ion release confirmed."

"Ambient density is dropping."

The ship began to violently shake as we went farther and farther into the creature and lights of lightning flashed across the screen.

"Hull pressure is decreasing also."

"Hold your course." She growled.

"Fourteen thousand kilometres to the breach." Tuvok reported.

"I can see it." Tom called out.

"Magnify." She barked then tapped her combadge. Janeway to engineering. Engineering, ready your nucleonic beam."

-----

Lieutenant Bini Filters POV

My security team and I ran around, attempting to help out where ever we could as engineers frantically ran around trying to keep the ship together. I stumbled to only collapse to the floor as B'Elanna dragged me up and an explosion ripped through engineering. Dragged us back down as the ship shook violently. What the heck was going on up there?

"We've lost the rear driver coil assembly!" B'Elanna yelled over the chaos at the bridge over the still open channel. We finally got up.

"Bini!" Two small tiny voices yelled in the chaos. B'Elanna and I whipped our heads to the entrance of engineering as Micheal, Sarah and Mollie came bolting in and slammed against a nearby wall as Mollie barked at everyone and everything.

"What the-" Was all I could mutter before B'Elanna grabbed me by the shoulders.

"FILTERS!? Why the heck are they here!?" B'Elanna yelled at me.

"I don't know!" I yelled back and ran towards the three. "Come on!"

"Wait! Bini, the door-" Micheal cried out a bit too late as I walked right into the debris that blocked everyone inside engineering. I slammed into it as Sarah shrieked in surprise and stumbled back, collapsing to the floor as the door hissed shut again. I groaned as I pushed myself up by the elbows and managed to sit up among the chaos and look towards B'Elanna who stood beside a dumbfounded Ensign Seska as her jaw hit the floor and another explosion sent her back to reality.

Seska chose to ignore the fact that I was near the kids as she shot me a warning look and ran over to help crewmembers that had been thrown across the floor as B'Elanna openly swore and ran her hand threw her tangled hair. The ship sent us all to the floor again and I managed to just dodge the falling body as he came tumbling off the catwalk.

Micheal and Sarah helped me up as Mollie wagged her tail and barked as more explosions and sparks spilling over us.

"Engineering, initiate emergency shutdown of all thrusters." We heard the Captain order over the com channel as shots and cries were heard from the bridge. B'Elanna growled as she finally reached a console that was empty and not blow up at the moment and checked the systems.

"Captain, the only way we can shut down all thrusters is to vent their deuterium into space. We can't afford to lose all that fuel!" B'Elanna warned.

"We have no choice. Do it!"

"Acknowledged. Cutting thrusters."

B'Elanna ran across engineering and quickly reached another console while barking commands. After only a few moments the shaking had stopped.

"What just happened?" I heard a crewmember ask as everyone managed to calm their breath among the destroyed engineering department.

"Wouldn't we like to know." Another person muttered in the background as I kicked a piece of debris away and Micheal, Sarah, and Mollie followed closely behind me.

---End of Chapter 15: Next: The Cloud Part Three.---

AN: I wanted to update again because it has been a while and this chapter is already pretty long. Thanks for reading! Tell me what you think!