Read Violations for Free Online

was spinning out of control. “Did you have a comment, Lieutenant?” Tuvok asked.
    “I said they’re vultures,” Paris repeated. “Did you think I called them Vulcans?”
    “It doesn’t matter what they are!” Torres snapped, gripping the sides of her engineering console. What she really wanted to do was hit the sluggish panel with both her fists.
    She was lucky she was braced when the ship lurched, coming to a heart-stopping pause, then leaping forward again. Kim wasn’t as fortunate, and he let out a muted cry as he was thrown against the mainframe of the gel packs.
    “Systems failure in the velocity indicator,” Paris said, as if they couldn’t tell for themselves. “I’m getting it back on-line….”
    Kim crawled back up to the Ops terminal. “I’m reading falling pressure within the bioneural masses of the main core. The tissue may have been damaged when the shunts were severed.”
    “I looped those shunts myself,” Torres retorted. “Only the junction nodes were touched.”
    “That shouldn’t affect the rest of the ODN or the circuitry in the local subprocessors,” Kim agreed.
    The ship lurched again, and this time, Paris didn’t bother announcing the obvious.
    “We have to do something,” Torres insisted.
    “I’m taking suggestions,” Janeway retorted, her face flushed from the effort of staying in her seat. “Do you have any?”
    “We could disconnect the main core from the optical data network.”
    Torres took a deep breath, watching the captain’s reaction. “For some reason the systems are still trying to access the main core, instead of defaulting to the auxiliary computer. It’s causing minor failures and shutdowns as the ODN sends back null signals.”
    Kim gave Torres a dubious look, as if he didn’t agree.
    “Computing speed is already down ninety-four percent, and even if local subprocessors can operate routine systems—” “They can,” Torres interrupted. “And network processing should improve overall system reliability.”
    “I can’t advise it.” Even in the face of her conviction, Kim seemed uneasy. “The control unit is gone, but the main core continues to regulate the ODN. If you isolate the core, there won’t be anything to keep conflicting courses of action from shutting down individual systems.”
    “Isn’t that what we want?” Torres demanded.
    “We need the safety overrides,” Kim insisted. “Even if the ODN is operating slowly with many fault errors.”
    Torres made a derisive sound in her throat, but she managed to stifle her sarcastic retort. She’d made her point; now it was up to the captain to take control or they’d never get the ODN back on-line.
    “Sickbay to Captain Janeway,” Kes interrupted, speaking over the open tricorder.
    Janeway picked it up with an irritation that Torres could certainly sympathize with. “Go ahead, Kes.”
    The Ocampa’s voice was high and reedy through the small speaker.
    “The doctor’s holograph program keeps shutting off—” She paused, then added, “He’s back on again, but it’s interfering with the treatment of our patients.”
    “We’ll give priority power to sickbay,” the captain assured her.
    The doctor’s irascible voice replaced Kes. “Captain, the computer seems to be down at the moment—perhaps you could get someone working on repairs for the medical unit. And my holograph projector is malfunctioning again. If you want these people taken care of—” He didn’t finish, and the short silence was followed by Kes saying, “He’s gone again.”
    As if shifting mental gears, Janeway asked, “How many are seriously injured?”
    “We’ve got fourteen people down here right now. None are critical.”
    Janeway sighed, obviously relieved. “How is Chakotay?”
    “He hasn’t recovered consciousness, yet. They’ve all had a neural stimulant, and they’re in stable condition. But these malfunctions are interfering with the replication of the antidote.”
    “Understood,”