Star Trek: Voyager - Elite Force Diaries Part Eight

This is my exploration of Star Trek: Voyager - Elite Force where I will chronicle my playthrough like a text-based Let’s Play. Now let’s finish Star Trek: Voyager - Elite Force…

Ensign Munro’s personal log, supplemental. We had successfully saved the ship from an alien attack, so now it was time to go on the offensive as I was invited to the senior staff briefing…

Lt. Torres reported that critical systems would be operational soon, and Cpt. Janeway said that the sooner we could escape, the better. However, I had an idea which might just help more than our one ship, so I spoke up. The crew were restless, as Neelix had told me, and eager to go on the offensive rather than await yet another attack. Cm. Chakotay and Seven of Nine both agreed with me, so I pressed the issue and the captain acquiesced — we had a responsibility to the others trapped here.

Janeway asked what my plan was, and I had two words: Trojan Horse. The others swiftly realised the gambit, to use the Harvester ship to enter the Forge and lower its defences. Then they could send reinforcements in shuttles, and we could shut down the energy dampening field.

Later, in the Hazard Ops briefing room, Lt. Tuvok and Chakotay explained that the Harvester ship had a recall feature, so we would load in and activate that. I was then asked to present team assignments, so I said that I would lead Cm.s Murphy, Biessman, and Chell in the Harvester ship. In theory, it would return to an outer docking ring, which coincidentally was in the same area as the defence system’s power grid which we needed to shut down. The other team consisted of everybody else, who would then board the Forge and help us take out the dampening field.

We soon met up at the Harvester umbilical and left Voyager. As we had hoped, the ship returned to the Forge and we gained access to the interior. Down a short hallway, we reached an unfinished section which was open to space, with several sections in progress. While sniping away at the aliens who were constructing the walls and floors, I made my way down to the bottom and activated a ramp which came out of a wall, giving the rest of the team a way to reach me.

Dropping in through a big hole, we entered the facility proper and encountered a beam of light which elevated whomever stepped into it. Going through a door, Chell said that there was a breathable atmosphere, so we removed our helmets for some reason. A noise came from above us, and looking up we spotted some bipedal bug-like aliens just before they attacked us. Once they were vaporised, I activated a control which dropped the several force fields blocking our way — but letting more aliens out to attack us!

We went through a door and dealt with some turrets at the top of a ramp, then arrived on the platform which the first two aliens had stood upon. Chell identified the holographic display and attached console as the perimeter defence controls. Unfortunately, he was unable to disable them. However, he had a workaround for it — fooling the sensors into thinking that there were no ships there. I reported our progress to Voyager, and Tuvok confirmed that shuttles would be on their way shortly. Our task wasn’t finished though, we were being sent to the central shaft of the Forge, which was where the energy dampening field was powered from.

We left through a door which Chell unlocked and were immediately attacked. Once the coast was clear, we witnessed various items taken from Voyager which were moving along some kind of antigravity beam. This included Biessman’s Nausicaan wrestling trophy, which made him extra angry. As things passed through a force field, it dropped and allowed me to dip past it, and deactivate it for the others. However, as before, this meant allowing a bunch of bipedal and insect-like Harvesters through!

Heavy resistance awaited us as we headed down a few levels, following the passageways, though as the enemy seemed to come from all directions, it was difficult to properly prepare for them. We reached a room with some containers which held the bipedal aliens in some kind of suspended animation, and we were ambushed once again by a swarm of creatures. They were able to move through the force fields, so I honestly questioned why they kept dropping them and allowing us to go through…

Taking a lift up, the containers also rose to the same level. Deciding to take preventative measures, I opened fire at the containers, which broke open and freed the aliens to attack us. I figured if the containers broke while we were in the middle of combat, it would turn overwhelming odds into impossible ones, so picking them off was much safer.

Moving into the room, we were attacked by impossible odds. Chell locked one door, but there were still at least four other routes into the room, and things looked bleak. Biessman took a stand, literally leaving cover, to make like a big, damn hero and despite making a nice dent in the Harvester numbers, he was shot and killed.

Moments later, Tuvok, Cm. Chang, Cm. Jurot, En. Paris, and Seven of Nine ran in to help. After an intense firefight, Tuvok reported that the shuttles had made it, and Voyager crew members were on several decks of the Forge. We beamed Biessman’s body back to Voyager, and Tuvok split us into teams. Chell and Murphy would go with Tuvok, Paris, and Seven, while Chang and Jurot went with me. We left through the level below, and as Chakotay reported that his team were under fire by something new, I opened a door to find a new type of alien. They appeared to be wearing ancient tribal masks, but they were clearly related to the bipedal aliens we’d been mowing our way through.

After dealing with them, we realised that the shaft in which we stood had wall-to-wall chambers filled with the big guys. Jurot suggested that it was an incubation chamber, and there were definitely too many of them. Suddenly, a voice forced its way into our minds, disabling us momentarily. It appeared to be the leader of the Forge, who planned to use the Reavers, as they called them, to rule the galaxy. And, they named their species: the Vohrsoth.

Jurot finally managed to block the leader’s voice from our heads, thanks to her telepathic abilities. Tuvok reported that everyone had received the same message from the leader, so since we now knew their plan, I told him that we had to destroy the Forge, not just disable it. He said that they would begin laying detpacks to blow the joint, however, my team still needed to disable that dampening field generator.

Reavers attacked us as we left the large room, and kept coming as we got on a lift down. It was difficult to hear what was happening to the other teams, as every time someone began to speak I had to unload my weapons into some aliens. Down another lift, we found ourselves in a bottomless pit — but with careful use of my phaser, I could light up the various invisible panels that showed a safe route across to the other side. More Vohrsoth got in our way as we took yet another lift down and followed a passageway to what appeared to be a control room, where we were rushed by Reavers.

Activating a control, I extended a bridge to the other side. While jumping to said bridge, I slipped and fell to the level below… Nobody said anything, and soon joined me, but I knew what they were thinking…

Another lift, another level down, as well as a bunch of those chambers — however, the forms inside were incomplete, so they didn't attack us. What did attack us were the many varied creatures in the next rooms and using the next series of lifts that we needed. Finally reaching the bottom, we found the massive generator, held in place by some electrified thingies (technical term), so I blasted those and stood back. Except, I must have stepped back the wrong way, because Reavers opened the door next to me, eager to kill us!

Once the way was clear, we followed the passageway and found Chakotay and Murphy, who beckoned us over. However, we were all assaulted by the leader’s voice once more, taunting that this wasn’t the only Forge, but the first of millions. They would launch “the Seed” and it would create thousands of Forges to continue this work. Jurot blocked the voice again, but it took its toll and knocked her out. I closed the door on the others, having decided to ensure the Seed didn’t accomplish its task. On later retrospection, I realised that Voyager could have shot it out of space, or the exploding space station could have dealt with it — but I’d argue that Voyager wouldn’t have been stuck in the Delta Quadrant if one person had decided to stay behind.

Taking a lift up, I fought my way to the Seed room which we had seen in the Vohrsoth leader’s vision, and I rode the same elevator up to get face-to-face with them. Tuvok attempted to contact me, but I ignored him. Later I would wonder why he didn’t just beam me off of the Forge from the elevator.

Entering the large room occupied by the leader, they addressed me if only to taunt that I couldn’t stop the Seed — which was hovering metres above me in a force field. Apparently, they were created by the Ancient Ones millenia ago to conquer the universe. Following Starfleet procedure, I tried to persuade them that they were mistaken in following whatever wishes these Ancient Ones had passed along, after all it was so long ago. They were uninterested in what I had to say, and summoned Vohrsoth to kill me.

As I fought, I could hear the leader saying something and cackling, but I couldn’t make it out over the sound of my weapons. However, none of my weaponry could affect the antigravity beam which carried the Seed! It was all that I could do to stay alive, until out of nowhere the Etherians of all people appeared and disrupted the beam! The Seed dropped to the floor and shattered, which was kind of anticlimactic because, dang, I could have spit on it and destroyed it…

They offered to take me with them as they left, but I declined. I wanted to kick this leader right in the tentacles. Speaking of, they tore themself free from what I assumed was a life support chair and attacked me. It took all that I had, but I managed to survive long enough to kill them — grudgingly it may be, but you have to respect a being who can survive many multiple shots from the Photon Burst…

The chamber began to explode, and just as something heavy was about to land on me, Voyager beamed me back, and the ship flew off at full impulse. As I rematerialised on the bridge, reports were being given to the captain that ships were now managing to escape the area under their own power. Better yet, the region of space that we had been taken to was over 200 lightyears closer to the Alpha Quadrant!

Some time later, I was in the mess hall having finally been given something to eat, when Murphy came to see me. She commented on the funeral service that we’d held for the dead crew, and told me not to blame myself. I honestly thought that she was going to try and kiss me, when Chell and Jurot joined us. Then Chang, Janeway, Chakotay, Tuvok, and Seven of Nine! Lt. Torres was sat playing 3D chess, I think with Paris, but En. Kim was nowhere to be seen, nor was Lt. Foster. Speaking of lieutenants — and probably explaining why Kim wasn’t there — we had found time somewhere to give me a promotion!

Janeway congratulated Tuvok on having the idea for the Hazard Team, saying that Starfleet should implement it across the fleet, but he said that its success was down to me. Though he did admit to having hand-picked me in the first place. The captain asked if Tuvok was displaying pride, but the lieutenant simply asked her to not insult him. Oh, we laughed, and laughed!

Final Thoughts

While I wasn’t expecting to have to rebind the controls, once I got used to them I really enjoyed this. It’s been a long while since I played it, and as a result was constantly being surprised with how things were put together. This is built on the Quake III Arena engine, after all, so they had to build around what that was capable of.

Since I originally didn’t play with the expansion pack, this time I got to experience Jeri Ryan as the voice of Seven of Nine (she was played by Joan Buddenhagen in the original game). Also, I got to have a look around Virtual Voyager, which lets you explore the ship, read logs, activate the self-destruct… You know, lots of fun stuff! You mainly just have to locate some action figures, find some secrets, wonder what Biessman is up to, and play some Borg Slayer.

Any fan of first-person shooters and Star Trek has likely played this already, but even if you just want to check out exactly how small the conference room is in the Virtual Voyager, it costs less than £10 when it’s full price. To complete the game took me almost eight hours (with the Virtual Voyager), so even if you go by the one hour=one pound “rule”, the game is regularly on sale for less than £7, so value for money.

Join me next time, as we check out Star Trek Elite Force II.