SYMBOLS

CHAPTER 58

"High Councilor, tell me where to find Captain Janeway or I'll destroy your station." Chakotay faced the purple robed man who stood to his right. He wasn't actually sure he could destroy the space station in entirety; they were having difficulty just destroying the plasma emitter, so he seriously hoped Zeron wouldn't call his bluff and they could end the fight now. But Zeron didn't alter his gaze from the viewscreen and his defiant expression remained unchanged. Chakotay hoped he was at least flinching on the inside.

"My station is impenetrable," Zeron finally returned after a few seconds.

"We'll see," Chakotay said. He altered his attention to Ensign Hamilton at the helm. "Take us in."

Voyager held a steady flight path as it approached the station.

Zeron took a few steps back and sat down in the Captain's chair. In response, the security team lifted their phasers. Chakotay told them that, since the High Councilor was unarmed, he posed no threat, while Zeron placed his hands on the armrests of the chair and made himself comfortable.

"Do you want to transmit an evacuation message?" Chakotay asked.

"That won't be necessary," Zeron replied.

"Tuvok, lock onto the following fracture coordinates." Chakotay fielded the data on his desired impact point. He'd found a weak spot in the station's exterior and hoped it might create some sort of cascade effect. "B'Elanna, engage the refraction envelope."

"Refraction envelope activated. I've programmed it to hold to the count of five." Torres indicated she had channeled enough power to deflect a five-second phaser burst.

Chakotay crossed his arms as he sat down in his chair, with Zeron seated to his side.

"You're absolutely sure you don't want to tell me anything?" Chakotay again challenged him and waited a few seconds in case Zeron decided to say something. He had really hoped that when threatened with the destruction of his station, Zeron would tell him where to find the Captain, hopefully alive. It was a bold move, one that could easily backfire. But the High Councilor was being typically obstinate and refused to cooperate. Not entirely surprising, but certainly frustrating.

"Arm phaser banks. Fire on my mark," Chakotay said.

He looked across at Zeron.

"Fire!"

The High Councilor didn't shift even slightly.

Voyager's phasers fired and the outer layer of the space station lit up. At first it looked like the blast was going to have no effect, then slowly some small cracks began to appear in the black shell of the station, like an egg tapped with a spoon. The cracks were highlighted in red and orange sparks, while fiery fingers of energy spread over the surface until a huge crevice suddenly opened in the shell, dividing part of the station in two.

Chakotay noticed that Zeron was now leaning forward in the chair. Unconsciously, the man swiped the hood away from his eyes for a clearer view.

Turning his attention back to the station, Chakotay watched the small fissures widen and spread. Fine cracks became huge open crevices revealing the interior of several sections, while fissures continued to spread in all directions, causing part of the station to cave in.

Chakotay stared at the bubble-shaped appendage on the side of the station as a nearby cleft opened, producing several smaller cracks that spread and raced toward the exterior of Zeron's observatory window. The gaps widened and multiplied until several reached the window and stopped. In that instant, the magnifying window shattered. Small and large fragments of metal and glass were projected in all directions, exploding inward and outward from the impact sight. The sudden change in atmospheric pressure crushed and blew out the contents of the room. Chakotay could see broken chair legs and parts of wall panels drifting in space.