SYMBOLS

CHAPTER 57

Tom Paris levered himself off the floor, scrambling up onto his hands and knees. Slowly, he stood. Staggering toward the viewscreen, he threw himself into an empty seat. He blinked a couple of times to try and get a clearer picture of the hazy battlefield ahead.

"What's happening?" Paris asked.

"Tuvok's trying to reduce the integrity of the station's interferonmetric field so he can shut-down the plasma emitter," Chakotay replied.

"Voyager's leaking."

"An Anawin ship collided with the hull," Seven said.

The little bronze fleet seemed to be taking turns firing on the Flyer and Voyager, and the starship had sustained quite a bit of damage in the attack.

"Maybe we should take some of the heat off them. Create a diversion," Paris said. He crept up to the conn, entered his command code and overrode Ensign Hamilton's access to the helm, forcing Hamilton to quickly change places with him.

Paris turned the Delta Flyer around and piloted it directly into the flight path of the enemy ships. His eyes were still not entirely focused so he aimed phaser fire in all directions. Then he cheered as his random shots disabled two of the vessels.

"That's two down!" Paris announced, as he countered the attack of the Anawin ships through his blurred vision.

Chakotay stared at him.

Paris was squinting hard. He steered the Delta Flyer through harsh, rapid swerves and circles in an effort to lure away the vessels that were acting like limpets and were firing on Voyager at very close range. Then he took the Flyer into a dive.

"Pull up, Tom," Chakotay said.

"Nearly there," Paris replied. He continued to direct the Flyer down.

"I said pull up, Lieutenant." Both the Anawin ships and Voyager were getting very close. Chakotay could clearly see the paint strokes within the letters on Voyager's hull.

In comparison with the great bulk of Voyager, the Anawin ships had seemed small, but the remaining ships now loomed large beneath the plummeting Delta Flyer.

"Pull up now!" Chakotay shouted.

Paris leveled the Flyer. It sped over the top of the enemy ships, raining weapons fire down over them. The nearest Anawin ship took a direct hit, losing flight control, and cascaded away from the battlefield in a spiral pattern.

Paris continued to fly almost recklessly. He went to maximum impulse to catch up with the one enduring Anawin ship still firing on Voyager. Weapons fire lanced out in all directions and Paris got the effect he wanted. The bronze ship lost interest in pounding Voyager and changed course to fire on the Delta Flyer instead.

"Shields are down to thirty percent," Seven said, as the hull lit up and sparks cascaded from the ceiling.

"We can't afford another hit," Chakotay stated.

The Flyer lit up again and the crew lurched forward at their stations.

"Direct hit. Shields are down," Seven spoke again.

"Take her home, Mr. Paris," Chakotay ordered.

"Voyager, we're coming in!" Paris said. He directed the Flyer toward the shuttle bay opening on Deck Ten.

The one remaining bronze ship swerved and doubled back over the top of the Flyer. It matched the Flyer's course and speed, firing intermittently. The ship was in rapid pursuit and chased them toward the shuttle bay.