Star Trek: Voyager is copyright Paramount and Viacom. I claim and own no rights to ST:V. No similarities to any other fics intended.

REVISED!

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Star Trek: Voyager

Children of Circumstance

Chapter 1

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The silence of space was disrupted by the sound of phaser fire. A small craft came out of warp and continued through space. Seconds later, a bright green light appeared, and a Borg cube emerged, firing repeatedly at the vessel. A young girl stood at the control console of the ship, her fingers moving furiously over the buttons. Another phaser blast hit the ship, and she was almost thrown to the floor. The bridge was a wreck, pieces of deck plates and other debris lay scattered everywhere, and computer consoles exploded after every hit.

"Computer," the girl yelled over the noise, continuing after the acknowledgement ping from the computer, "record the following message and repeat it every ten seconds on all sub-space frequencies. This is the commander of Carrier Vessel Grynnal 3 to any ships within range. We are under attack and are requesting assistance. End message."

"Repeating message on all sub-space frequencies," the computer informed her. Another blast shook the ship, and she clutched the control panel, her knuckles white from the strain. The sliding doors connecting the bridge to the rest of the ship slide open.

A young girl, a year or so younger than the first, ran into the room. The newcomer shook her blonde hair out of her face. "The others are secure. Now let's go. There is nothing left."

"No," the other girl cried, "If I don't disable the cube, everything we have accomplished was for nothing. Now go join the others."

The girl ignored her order and took the computer console to the left. The commander turned. "I gave you a direct order Evara, now go."

Evara looked up at the girl. "What about you? You are not safe here." A phaser blast shook the ship again and the systems consoles began to flicker. Evara looked down at the screen. "Primary systems are going offline. Shields are at thirty-five percent. Switching to Secondary systems. Attempting to re-route all non-essential power to the shields."

The commander glanced up from the sensor readings and said,"I am going to transfer power from life support systems. The stasis pods are powered independently from the rest of the ship, so you and the others should be fine, but you must return to the medical bay at once."

"But what about you?"

"My safety is irrelevant. Now go!"

Evara hesitated for several seconds, but exited just as another blast hit the ship.

"Computer, transfer life support power to the shields!" the woman cried, her black hair rioting forward as the ship was rocked with another weapon's blast.

Using what was left of weapon's power, the girl input shield modulations, targeting the ship's phasers to the Cube's shield matrix. For a moment, the young woman watched the Borg shields flicker. "Computer," the commander cried, "transport the three remaining torpedoes to the Borg cube, and set them to detonate 10 seconds after transport. Be ready to go to warp four on my mark."

"Transport complete. Waiting for your command to enter warp," the computer said. The girl watched the view screen, mentally counting down.

"We are Borg," the Cube told her, hundreds of voices as one.

"I know," the girl stated angrily through gritted teeth. "I know all to well." She watched as the Borg cube exploded. The shock of the explosion rocked the smaller ship violently, and the girl was thrown to the floor. "Go to warp now," she screamed, just as another shock wave rocked the ship, and knocked her unconscious. The ship zoomed into warp, but the bridge remained cluttered and loud with small explosions.

The sliding doors opened, and Evara rushed in. Evara screamed the young woman's name over the commotion, and spied her behind the main control console. Evara put her hands under the woman's arms and dragged her slowly out of the room, backwards. "Computer, activate fire safety and regeneration protocols once all crew are in stasis and head toward the nearest vessel. Reinitialize life support to the ship and recessitate Grynnal crew in the event of a Borg cube confrontation. Authorization, Evara Nine Beta Zero One." She heard a ping noise, the acknowledgement from the computer, and continued out of the bridge.

Several light years away...

"Captain," Tuvok said, "We are receiving a distress signal from an alien ship approximately five light years from our present location."

Captain Kathryn Janeway looked up from her position in her command seat. "Well, let's hear it."

"This is the commander of Carrier Vessel Grynnal 3 to any ships within range. We are under attack and are requesting assistance." The message had minimal sub-space distortion causing the voice to echo in and out, but could be understood clearly.

"Any indication of a ship, or debris?" Janeway asked.

"Yes Captain," Harry informed her, analyzing the data from his console and stiffened visably, "Scanners are detecting a massive field of debris ahead, but sensors confirm that the message is originating several light years away from the field's location. Captain," Harry called out anxiously, "the signature from the debris is definitely Borg."

Janeway and Chakotay shared twin expressions of alarm. Standing quickly, Janeway called out sharply, "Red alert." Her eyes adjusted quickly as the bridge darkened and the red alert klaxon flared, the bleeping noises echoing across the deck. "Find the Grynnal ship, and see if she still needs help."

Harry Kim looked down at his screen. "Captain, I am reading a ship not far from Grynnal's last position traveling at warp four."

"Go after it Mr. Paris."

Tom Paris turned to his helm control panel and entered several coordinates, then called out with a touch of amusement, "I won't have to Captain, the ship is heading in our direction. The ship has sistained heavy damage, and the navigational systems seem to be in control of their flight path."

"Then let's meet them have halfway, but be cautious Mr. Paris, we don't want an errand of mercy to turn out to be another battle for our lives," Janeway ordered softly.

"Yes ma'am," Tom Paris replied.

"Maintain continuous scans of the area Mr. Kim, I don't want to run into the Borg anytime soon,"

Janeway commanded quickly, and resumed her seat.

"Aye aye ma'am," Kim acknowledged.

"Maintain red alert Mr. Tuvok," Janeway ordered, "at least until we can be certain that the Borg are nowhere near this area. I don't want to be caught off guard."

"Captain, the Grynnal 3 has dropped out of warp, three hundred kilometers starboard. The craft isn't in any of the computer's databases," Harry called out.

Janeway leaned forward in her seat. "On screen."

A small brown craft with a rotating circular engine appeared on screen. The outer hull was laced with phaser burns, and missing hull plates.

"It's suffered heavy damage on the outer hull, primary systems and weapons are offline. Lifesupport seems to be the only system working at near full efficiency," Tuvok informed her.

Janeway gazed at the smaller vessel on the veiwscreen, a small frown on her face. "Life signs?"

"There are four life signs coming from within the alien ship, and one of them is extremely faint," Tuvok replied.

"Tuvok, assemble a rescue and repair team, see if they need help."

Tuvok nodded, "Ensign Kim, Seven of Nine, with me." The three entered the turbolift, and with a nod to Seven, the former Borg drone called out a command to the turbolift.

"Transporter Room Two."

Tuvok touched down on his com badge. "Tuvok to Lieutenant Torres and the Doctor. Meet me at Transporter Room Two." Both crew members responded quickly.

The five were transported to the Grynnal. B'Elanna looked around. "Looks like this ship's had one hell of a fight." The corridors were dark, with deep blue lights flashing in a lazy pattern. The walls were lined with burns and the smell of smoke. They took out their tricorders and scanned the area.

"Life signs are this way," Harry told them.

Seven of Nine frowned slightly as her tricorder sent out an alarm beep, and reanalyzed the findings before commenting bemusedly, "Scans indicate that the ship's circuitry and infrastructure have been modified by Borg technology. Several of the modified systems I can not identify, but have an obvious Borg signature."

B'Elanna examined her tricorder readings. "You're right. Readings indicate that the modifications were implemented very recently, most of the systems are still operating on alien backup algorithms."

"We must find this vessel's crew, they may be able to shed some light on what has happened here," Tuvok intoned patiently.

They followed the scans down several twisting corridors before the readings lead them to a large set of automatic sliding doors. "This is where all four life signs are located."

When the crew attempted to walk through the doors, they refused to open. B'Elanna frowned impatiently. "Looks like some of the power grids on the ship are offline."

"Begin working on the manual override," Tuvok ordered stoically. He moved to a side console embedded in the wall several feet away from the inoperable doors. The computer console was still working and Tuvok studied the text thanks to the universal translator and began downloading data from the computer.

"Commander!" B'Elanna called out, as the doors slid open a few centimeters. With Tuvok and Harry's help, the door was pushed open seconds later.

"Lieutenant Torres, Ensign Kim" Tuvok prompted, "continue to the engine room, and begin repairs if you can."

B'Elanna nodded, and continued on to see how the engine room was holding up, Harry following behind, his tricorder open and constantly scanning his surroundings.

Together Tuvok, Seven of Nine and the Doctor entered the room. It was large, nearly the size of a standard cargo bay, with large monitor stations set back against the far wall to the right. A command console stood directly beside the door, apparently a secondary station and a quick access to the main controls. Against the wall immediately to the left of the door, there were medical panels and medical tools. To their right there were experiment labs and tables. In front of them, against the wall were five pod chambers.

The Doctor hurried toward the pods, and scanned. "The four life signs are here. One is in need of medical attention, but the others, for the most part are fine, just a few minor wounds and broken limbs, nothing too serious."

The Doctor moved to the first pod and began to wipe the ice film that had developed on the glass.

He stared down at the form in the pod. "Commander, you need to see this." Tuvok strode quickly to the Doctor's side and looked over his shoulder at the pod inhabitant. His usual frown deepened. "Seven."

Seven walked forward and stared down at the image of a very human black haired, adolescent girl. Her face was pale, almost startlingly so against the darkness of her hair and the smudges under her eyes. She looked almost dead. But what most caught Seven's attention was the cortical stimulator located directly above and to the side of her left eye. The implant was similar to her own, except it was smaller, much less dominating the left half of her forehead, and followed the delicate line of a jet black eyebrow. The implant had a sleeker look, almost as if the girl was trying to create her own perverse trend. "Borg implants. This girl was once Borg. She has been freed from the collective." Seven walked to each pod and wiped the ice from the surfaces. "It is the same with the other three. They were all once Borg," Seven said thoughtfully.

The Doctor peered down at the black haired girl in the first pod. Her implant blinked a green light slowly at him, proof positive at least, that she was still alive. Her left arm, from elbow to fingers, was outlined in machine-like cords, much like Seven's hand, and nearly as thin as wire.

Tuvok activated his com. "Captain, we have found the Grynnal crew. They are in stasis; three of them have suffered several minor injuries. The fourth will require immediate medical attention and I recommend that they be transported to Sick Bay with the doctor. However, due to the delicate nature of the situation, I believe a security team should be stationed within Sick Bay."

"Delicate?" Chakotay asked, curiosity coating his question.

"The Grynnal crew is made up of four adolescents, two male, two female, and they all have identifiable Borg implants on their bodies."

On the bridge, Janeway and Chakotay gazed at each other, confusion rocking them both. Janeway called out, "Borg implants? Four children, freed from the collective, being pursued across space? But why would the Collective be interesting in a group of four youths? They have never been one to give up, but four? In a population of billions? They are wasting valuable resources chasing them down, why?"

"Why indeed?" Tuvok echoed, "but the answers lie within the Grynnal crew, and will only be answered once they recieve the necessary medical attention."

"Acknowledged," Janeway said.

The Doctor shifted his weight in agitation from one foot to the other, and asked Tuvok, "Commander, do you really think it is necessary to use such extremes to monitor four incapacitated teenagers?"

Tuvok gazed down his formidable nose at the Doctor, and answered in a patronizing tone, "Yes Doctor, I do. These adolescents may be incapacitated for the moment, but they will not remain so. We do not know how these children ended up in this section of the Delta Quadrant, or why the Borg were pursuing them. Without the answers, Doctor, it will be safe to assume that they are dangerous, and the possibility of a trap is highly logical."

"If you say so Commander," the Doc grumbled, more upset as to the disruption of his sickbay, than the possible threat to his person. He was a hologram after all, there was little the four adolescents could do to him. He had to concede the danger to the crew, who of course didn't share his "immunities." Positioning himself in front of the four inhabited pods, he clicked his com. "Five to beam up." The Doctor and the four pods disappeared in a flash of blue and white.

Tuvok activated his com. "Ensign Kim, Lieutenant Torres, are the engines operable?"

Two decks down, B'Elanna looked at the charred engine, and back at Harry, who had a defeated look on his emotionally open face.

"Well, it will take some time to repair," she answered, "but none of the primary systems have been irretrievably damaged. I'll need better tools then what I have to complete repairs. I have to return to Voyager."

"Yes, we are returning to the ship as well. Continue repairs when you can. The Captain will assign a repair team to assist you. Tuvok out." He looked at Seven and nodded. They walked out of the room together and continued down the corridor.

A/N: Revised! Kudos and hugs to Frek, for helping me, thanks a million! I will have the rest of the chapters revised and reposted when I can, because my spurts of inspiration hit me at different and short intervals. Graze tanto and please R/R! P