Stuck in the Delta Quadrant | A Star Trek Voyager Fanfiction

Chapter 4-The Caretaker

The corn is as high as Harry's eye. Palomino ponies graze. A middle-aged woman comes off the verandah of a big white clapperboard house carrying a tray. "Come up here. Come on, now. I have a pitcher of lemonade and some sugar cookies." said Aunt Adah. Every crew person has a tricorder. "Captain?" asked Tom. "Don't believe your eyes, Mister Paris. We've only transported a hundred kilometres. We're inside the array." said Kathryn. "There's no indication of stable matter. All this must be some kind of holographic projection." said Harry and Kamisa in sync. "Oh, you poor things. You must be tired out. Come on and sit down and rest awhile. Have a cold drink, hmm?" asked Aunt Adah. "No, thank you. My name is Kathryn Janeway, captain of the Federation Starship Voyager." said Kathryn. "Now, just make yourselves right at home. The neighbours should be here any minute. Oh! Why, here they are!" exclaimed Aunt Adah.

A group of people arrive. "Well, good to see you. Welcome." said the Caretaker, he was an old man with a banjo. "We're real glad you dropped by." said the Daughter, Kamisa just rolled her eyes, sometimes there things about human women she didn't like. "Now we can get started. You're all invited to the welcoming bee!" said Aunt Adah. "Let's have some music!" said the Caretaker. The Caretaker starts playing and the farm folk dance. After a while - "The crew's scattered around this farm, Captain, but they're all accounted for." said Kamisa. "Move around. Scan the area. See if you can find anything that might be a holographic generator." said Kathryn. "Have some nice fresh corn on the cob. Fresh corn on the cob. Corn on the cob. Corn on the cob." said Aunt Adah. "Can you tell me why we're here?" asked Kathryn.

"Oh, we don't mean you any harm. I'm sorry if we put you out. Why don't you just put your feet up and get comfortable while you wait?" asked Aunt Adah. "Wait for what?" enquired Kathryn. "Isn't anybody hungry? Come on now, make yourselves at home. I'm sorry if we put you out." said Aunt Adah.

Kamisa, Harry and Tom walk around the house. A dog follows them. "Hey, let me show you around. The root cellar's right over there." said the Daughter flirting with Tom. "What's down there?" asked Harry. "Potatoes, onions. But it's real private." replied the Daughter, Kamisa looks behind her and rolls her eyes "Paris, she's only a hologram." Kamisa said sharing a look with Harry. "No reason to be rude." replied Tom when Harry got a reading on his tricorder that shocked him "whoa." he said, Tom pushes the Daughter away slightly "what?" Tom asked. "Sporocystian life signs. What's in the barn?" asked Kamisa getting the same reading's as Harry. "Oh, nothing but a big old pile of hay. Hey, come on, let's go see the duck pond. There's nothing in there. It's just a dark, smelly barn. Hey, do y'all want some devilled eggs? Huh?" asked the Daughter, Kamisa sighs and moves the girl aside, Harry and Tom enter with Kamisa following.

"See? Nothing but hay." said the Daughter following the trio in. "There is a life form here. Just one." said Harry, Kamisa looks are her tricorder agreeing "where?" asked Tom. "It's everywhere. I'm also reading some kind of matrix-processing device. It may be the holographic generator. Tom, Harry, humanoid life signs over here. I'm reading a Vulcan and several humans." said Kamisa, "I'm not ready for you yet!" the Daughter yells. The girl blocks their way and the dog snarls at them. "Paris to Janeway." said Tom tapping his comm. badge. The girl knocks Paris down, Kamisa heads to his side as Tom gets up, Kamisa touches his lip and notices there's blood.

"Janeway here. Paris?" asked Kathryn, when Tom doesn't respond, she gestures to her crewmembers "come on!" she said.

Adah appears from thin air with a pitchfork, then the rest of the farmers. Kathryn and the crew run in and the door closes behind them. "Very well. Since no one seems to care for any corn, we'll have to proceed ahead of schedule." said Aunt Adah. The barn wall disappears to reveal a high-tech room that goes on into the distance. Chakotay, B'Elanna and Tuvok are lying on narrow ledges with a long needles sticking into their abdomens. Just as the farmers and Voyager crew vanish we see that all the Maquis are there. The next shot is of Kathryn having her stomach skewered and her passing out. Tom is next to her, Kamisa is beside Tom, she screams as she gets a needle skewered into her stomach, she falls unconscious and across the aisle from Kamisa, Harry screams.