At Face Value
Written - 7/03
Summary - A routine supply mission for Janeway and Torres leads to unexpected consequences for the crew when they find themselves entangled in an alien conflict.
Rating - G
Note - This story begins shortly after the incidents in the episode Juggernaut and concludes shortly after the episode Barge of the Dead.
Part 1
They materialized in the appointed place and at the appointed time and B'Elanna Torres and Captain Kathryn Janeway instinctively raised the collars on their heavy Starfleet parkas against the chill.
In the never-ending quest for supplies they had made contact with a race called the Hakonene who inhabited an underground world in the Northern Hemisphere of a largely glacial planet.
While the surface of the planet in Hakonene territory was completely inhospitable, the inhabitants were able to live and work below ground in huge caverns. The caverns were warmed by volcanic activity beneath the surface of the planet and supplied with water through the melting of glacial ice by those very same volcanic flows.
Their unique environment was lush with vegetation and populated by several small species of animals. Several fissures in the cathedral like cavern roof of the primary habitat allowed natural light from the surface to penetrate below, and the inhabitants had also added several types of artificial lighting of there own, creating a comfortably lit home. They lived in a completely self-sustaining ecosystem that could never be conceived of by looking at the surface.
Voyager had been hailed when they entered the system by a small patrol ship. Upon establishing a friendly first contact, they had been invited to trade for supplies. While Janeway had found it odd that they had not seen more than the patrol ship to indicate that this was a technologically advanced and warp capable society, there had been no sign of trouble. Quite possibly the Hakonene were simply not that curious about the galaxy beyond and so they had not seen fit to develop their space capability any further.
For the last several days, Voyager had been orbiting the planet, and now that their food supplies had been restocked, B'Elanna and the Captain had returned to investigate the possibility of obtaining useful raw materials.
While the Voyager officers and crew had been welcomed with open arms on their previous visits, they were not permitted to transport directly to the caverns below the surface. The Hakonene had a surface defense perimeter that was strictly enforced. They never mentioned what they were protecting themselves from, and Janeway was somewhat curious as to the need for such precautions. There were no other inhabited planets in the system, and while there was evidence of other races on this planet, they were widely scattered and there were no obvious signs of conflict among them, at least none that Voyager had detected.
On this trip, the two Voyager officers were to be met by a representative of the government and one of the Hakonene engineers to evaluate mining possibilities. They were somewhat surprised that their hosts were not already in the landing area to meet them. For previous meetings, two or more Hakonene representatives had met the Voyager away teams, who were always asked to transport to a different location without weapons, and were escorted to one of the cavern entrances. Normally this involved a walk of about a kilometer during which they were never allowed to use their tricorders. These trips were also made through driving snow, but the amount of supplies they had been able to obtain was well worth the effort.
Kathryn Janeway herself had made these trips several times over the last few days and was convinced that they never walked in the same general direction twice. The wind and snow would come at them from different sides making a perfect natural defense as well and giving her reason to believe that the Hakonene were deliberately making it as difficult as possible for them to memorize the way to the cavern entrances.
The weather and the perimeter defenses also prevented Voyager from determining the entrances from orbit, so they were completely at the mercy of these people in finding their way around once on the surface. From the very beginning they had also discovered that communication and transporter function was limited due to the same interference. In order to conduct trade negotiations, the Hakonene employed some type of signal booster that facilitated communication directly between the underground habitat and Voyager in orbit. It also supported the away teams in transporting unharmed to the surface. But simply stated, Voyager's normal scanning, transport and communication protocols were nearly impossible to sustain.
The entire situation had made Janeway uncomfortable at first. But the Hakonene government officials were pleasant enough. She had even spent hours in conference with Chakotay and Tuvok going over concerns with the Hakonene and their overly cautious security. In the end, they had all agreed to take the Hakonene at face value, believing their precautions posed no threat to Voyager or her crew. Working this way would be an inconvenience, but on balance, it seemed a small enough price to pay.
Now on the surface at the location directed by the Hakonene ambassador, Janeway was curious that there was no one around. She removed her tricorder from her pocket, knowing full well the readings would be erratic at best on the surface, and began to turn in a slow circle to scan the area.
As for B'Elanna, this away mission alone with the Captain made her more than a little uncomfortable. The last few months had been a challenge to say the least. First there had been a period where her behavior had been extremely erratic to all outward observers. She had spent several weeks assaulted by flashbacks and unresolved emotions over the fate of the Maquis. As a result she had been engaging in progressively more dangerous pursuits, putting herself in real physical jeopardy, all in attempt to 'feel something' as she had put it once to Chakotay.
The Doctor had eventually diagnosed her as clinically depressed and she distinctly remembered one encounter with the Captain during that time. While she was recovering in sickbay after one particularly dangerous incident left her severely injured, the Captain had given B'Elanna every opportunity to explain herself. She even expressed personal concern for her chief engineer. But B'Elanna hadn't been ready to admit anything then, and even after she was eventually treated and returned to duty, she was uncomfortable around Janeway. And quite frankly, she hadn't given it enough thought to understand exactly why that was so.
Only weeks later, B'Elanna had been attacked by an alien life form that physically attached itself to her, and in the process endangered her life. The Doctor had explored every option to disengage the creature without causing further injury to it's victim, until finally, with no other choice in evidence, it was suggested that he might find assistance through a unique application of the medical library. Janeway had given permission for the Doctor to enlist the aid of a Cardassian exobiologist, and expert in his field, by creating him as a holographic program.
B'Elanna had been violently opposed to the whole idea, particularly when it was discovered that the real scientist was suspected of using Bajoran prisoners as guinea pigs in his research. She had stated emphatically that she would rather die. Ultimately, the Captain intervened and made a highly controversial decision that allowed the Doctor to save her life. After all was said and done, B'Elanna had been very angry and had even gone so far as to accuse the Captain of interfering in something that she had no right to. Once again, the gulf between the two women widened.
Last but not least, another incident with a Malon waste ship had nearly cost all of them their lives. With everything else that had been going on in her life at that time, her temper was in full swing, and her patience was non-existent, and the Malon added to her agitation. She and the Captain had gone head to head several times while the Malon were on board over B'Elanna's lack of decorum with their so called guests.
In the hope of putting much of this period behind her, she had been working with both the Doctor and Tuvok and had finally wrestled her raging emotions back in check. Her relationship with Tom had been a great help as well. He had truly been there for her through all of it. He seemed to know just when to speak, when to listen, and when to simply envelop her in one of the patented Paris hugs that she loved so much.
She knew he understood at least some of what she was going through. Tom Paris was now an Ensign and wresting with is own conflicting emotions concerning Kathryn Janeway. She had recently demoted him and sent him to the brig for a month following a series of incidents on a planet covered with a vast ocean. He had gotten too close, too involved with the situation, and following his conscience had led him to open insubordination, defying direct orders from the Captain. While he acknowledged she really had no choice but to discipline him, he was still resentful and hurt over it and he and the Captain had been little more than guardedly civil to one another since.
Long talks and several very intense rounds of velocity on the holodeck with Chakotay were also an integral part of B'Elanna's recovery. He was a good friend. The best anyone could ask for. And he knew her so well after their long association that she could always count on him to see to the heart of what was bothering her and tell her exactly what he thought of a situation, even if it was painful or unpleasant to hear.
Even with all of that, there was still one relationship that she felt she had damaged and had yet to repair. There was a tension in the air when she was around Kathryn Janeway that she couldn't fully explain. Part of the problem was simply timing. Since the incidents, B'Elanna had spent very little time around the Captain outside of official staff meetings. Both had been busy with their own duties, and unbeknownst to B'Elanna, Janeway was intentionally giving her some space, hoping that she would eventually come to her on her own to discuss their working relationship, if nothing else.
Now, circumstances had thrown them together on this away mission. B'Elanna was doing all she could not to sound nervous at the reality of her first real one on one time with the Captain in a long time. With all that had happened, she wasn't entirely sure how this would go, so she had determined to keep to the business at hand, and maybe, just maybe, she could get through this with as little unease as possible. "Something wrong Captain?" she asked, shaking herself back to the present and noticing the intensity with which Janeway was staring at her tricorder, using her voice to convey a calm she did not feel.
Janeway answered B'Elanna's question while keeping her attention focused on the display on the tricorder. "I'm not sure yet. But I have a sneaking suspicion something isn't quite right about this. We've always been met immediately upon transport."
"Getting any readings?"
"Nothing conclusive. The interference is wreaking havoc with the signal." Janeway looked genuinely puzzled by the readout on her instrument even though she was well aware the chances of getting a clear reading were slim. "I'm reading several life-signs, fairly faint. But they seem to be coming from everywhere. I'm not sure what to make of them. There are apparently several small caverns somewhere to the south of our present location as well."
Suddenly B'Elanna cocked her head upward and looked apprehensive. "Do you hear that Captain?"
Janeway knew that her Klingon engineer had much better hearing, "Hear what?"
"It's hard to tell with all this wind, but it sounds like shouting."
Janeway joined B'Elanna and craned her neck around to try to pick up the sounds. There was little but the howling of the wind for several seconds and then she heard something as well. "I can't tell for sure, but I think I hear it too. It seems to be coming from that direction." Janeway pointed with the hand still containing the tricorder in order to get any information she could.
Within a few more seconds, several dark figures appeared over a snowdrift from the north. There were two distinct groups. The first group consisted of two figures moving as quickly as possible through the often knee deep snow. They were being followed by a group of six others. From Janeway's point of view, chased would be the more accurate term. She quickly looked at her tricorder and was now able to identify that the men in front were indeed the officials who had been sent to meet them. But as they got closer, it was clear that the figures chasing them were men from a race unknown to them. Janeway and B'Elanna could even make out the fact that there were projectiles being shot at the men in the front. They appeared to be arrows being fired from some type of extremely powerful crossbow as they were traveling the not insignificant distance between the two groups with relative ease.
Janeway impatiently shifted her stance in the snow. "Nice time to be without a phaser. Looks like were about to make another enemy."
"Apparently, guilt by association." commented B'Elanna with a shrug of her shoulders.
Within moments the two officials were within shouting distance of the two women. "Come with us. Run!" one was shouting as loud as he could.
Janeway reached for her combadge instead, "Janeway to Voyager, emergency beam-out!" and there was no response.
As the men got within thirty meters of them, a vicious looking, thick shafted and heavily barbed arrow hit the snow near her feet. Janeway tried again with a more than hint of urgency in her voice. Her response was the same, nothing. "Damn, the Hakonene signal booster must be down. Looks like we should do as they suggest."
Her companion heartily agreed. "Right behind you Captain."
Not knowing which way they should go, they trusted their hosts had some idea how to get away from their pursuers and waited with more than a little apprehension until the two men reached them and then joined them in their foot race.
Breathless, one of the men spoke to Janeway as they ran, "Follow us. There's a cavern entrance not far from here. We'll be safe there."
Meanwhile, their pursuers had gained some ground on them and their arrow shots were getting alarmingly close. B'Elanna heard one whiz past her ear and tried to control her inherent Klingon tendency to turn and face their attackers. Now would not be the time. Outnumbered, and without weapons of any kind, it would be suicide.
They had been running for what felt like forever when they noticed they were rapidly approaching a small rise in the landscape. Their companions seemed to be headed right for it. As they approached, they could see it was one of the openings to the underground world, although where it would bring them in was anyone's guess. It also appeared not much more than a large dark hole in the snow with no obvious bottom.
The leader of the group spoke to Janeway again as they ran. "When we get to the entrance, you must follow us very closely. Understood?"
"Do we have choice?" Janeway didn't really expect an answer to her question, and it was lost to the howling of the wind anyway.
Once more they noticed a fresh barrage of arrows as they approached the cavern entrance. The Hakonene leader reached inside his parka, and suddenly the complete blackness of the entrance was replaced with dim light allowing them to barely make out a rocky path leading down and away from the surface.
The two men moved rapidly to the far side of the entrance in order to take the appropriate path into the opening. Janeway could clearly see that to approach in any other manner would be treacherous. There was a steep drop on the side that they had originally approached.
Unfortunately, their slight hesitation to get into the proper position was enough to allow the chase group to gain ground. The Hakonene descended quickly into the darkness motioning for the women to follow. As she and B'Elanna headed for the opening, Janeway looked up momentarily to see their pursuers preparing to release one final volley of arrows in their direction. As the deadly projectiles were discharged, Janeway grabbed her junior officer and unceremoniously shoved her through the opening.
=/\=
Once inside the cavern, the leader turned toward the entrance that was now several meters above them and placed his hand inside his parka again. As he did so, a wave of blackness, reminding Janeway of the appearance of an oil slick, slid back into place, effectively blocking the opening to anyone on the surface.
"Who are they?" Janeway exclaimed, breathless.
As they continued down a narrow path and farther into the cavern, the leader answered, "They're called the Veret. They live on the shores of the ocean to the south in a somewhat more moderate climate. But since they live on the surface they have a very hard life. They have developed little technology of their own and seem to be highly suspicious of ours. Sometimes they form raiding parties and travel several hundred kilometers to see if they can scavenge from our supplies. That is why we have such an elaborate defense system. The Veret raiding parties are ruthless and will stop at nothing to get what they want. Before we were able to establish the defense system, many outlying cavern settlements were attacked, their possessions taken, their dwellings burned and their people massacred."
The group was rapidly approaching a fairly large, open area that had a sandy floor strewn with a handful of small boulders. There was a dim light permeating the darkness in shafts from fingerlike openings in the cavern ceiling above them. From Janeway's viewpoint, all of these were too small and too high to allow access into the cavern itself. Based on this, she surmised they were safe, for the moment anyway.
The second Hakonene with them finally spoke. "This will be a good place to rest."
"Good idea, I feel like I've been running a marathon." she said, still somewhat breathless from the exertion of the run, her heart pounding in her chest. "How about you B'Elanna?" She didn't receive an answer to her question and turned around expecting her chief engineer to be right behind her. When her eyes had adjusted somewhat to the change in the light level back up the path, she noticed B'Elanna was still quite far behind them. She had stopped, and was leaning heavily against a boulder.
"Lieutenant?" Janeway called somewhat louder. She still received no answer, and in the gloom, she could see B'Elanna push herself upright and continue down the path, something obviously wrong, her movements far too awkward and slow.
Janeway immediately ran back up the path. "B'Elanna, what is it?" she said as she reached her side.
B'Elanna wobbled back and forth while trying to maintain her balance. "My leg." she whispered breathlessly.
Janeway's eyes moved rapidly, searching, and within seconds she caught sight of a Veret arrow piercing the fabric on both sides of B'Elanna's right calf. "Take it easy B'Elanna..." was all she could think to say for the moment as she reached her arms out and helped to support her still wobbly junior officer.
Janeway turned and looked over her shoulder to find the other two in their party to solicit help and was pleased to see they had followed her back up the path. "Help me get her down to the clearing." The two men nodded and helped Janeway gently lift B'Elanna and carry her down the path.
When they reached a more open area, Janeway removed her parka, folded it in half, and used it to cushion one of the larger boulders as they leaned the Lieutenant against it. She then turned back to B'Elanna placing one hand on her arm. "I have to take a look at closer look at this." she said.
Torres bit her lip and nodded.
Kneeling in the dirt, Janeway moved to a position where she could get a better look at just how much damage the arrow had done. Veret arrows were short but sturdy, designed to handle the stresses of being fired from a powerful crossbow. This one had struck B'Elanna in the calf, the arrowhead passing clean through but leaving the shaft lodged in her leg and the feathers sticking out the other side.
Ever so gently, Janeway tore the material of B'Elanna's slacks around the arrow to make a true assessment of the damage, the blood soaked fabric now appearing shiny around the wound. After taking a good look, Janeway determined that while the wound certainly wasn't life threatening, it was bleeding quite heavily, and was obviously more than a little painful. But regardless of how it appeared, she needed to get B'Elanna back to the ship for medical attention as soon as possible. Standing, she reached her right hand across her chest she tapped her combadge. "Janeway to Voyager, come in please."
"It won't work here."
B'Elanna and Janeway both turned their heads to look toward the voice. They had all but forgotten about the two men with them for a moment. It was the Hakonene leader who had spoken. "We are in a remote section of the caverns. The perimeter shielding is stronger here because these areas are less traveled and not as heavily patrolled. The field intensity will prevent your communication devices from functioning."
"Well, that helps explain why we couldn't communicate with the ship on the surface in this area either." said Janeway. "So how do we get out of here? My officer needs medical attention."
The leader looked genuinely sympathetic. "We are several kilometers from the main cavern area. There are only two ways to get there. One is by the surface, which will probably not be safe to attempt for some time. The risk of attack is too great, even if your Lieutenant were in any condition to attempt such a journey. The only viable alternative is the route through the tunnels. While the shorter and less dangerous choice, it is an arduous journey. Even for someone in good physical condition."
"What do you suggest?" inquired Janeway, her voice impatient.
"Lieutenant Torres is in no condition to travel and it would appear that you should stay here to look after her. You will be better able to assist her than either of us. And as we know the way, we can travel faster alone."
Janeway was not at all happy with the situation. "How long is this going to take?"
"Under the best conditions, two hours to get to the central cavern."
"And under the worst?" B'Elanna chimed in, beads of sweat running down the sides of her face.
Janeway looked thoughtfully at B'Elanna and then turned to the leader and continued "Very well then, we'll wait here, I assume I can count on you to hurry."
The leader bowed to her out of respect and as he started to move off in the direction of the path through the tunnel, the Hakonene engineer moved over next to Janeway and pulled her away from Torres for a moment. He handed her what looked to be a small torch devise. "Use this to start a fire. You will find several grasses and small shrubs a short distance down the path. Even though green, they will burn." He also handed her two metal containers of water and removed his coat to leave it with her as well, saying only, "To make her more comfortable. And there is a small stream in the area near the grasses if you need more water. It is safe to drink."
"Thank you." Janeway said to him, honestly grateful.
"We will be back as soon as we can, I give you my word." and with that he was gone.
=/\=
Janeway stood collecting her thoughts for only a moment before returning to B'Elanna's side. Looking closely at the Lieutenant when she reached her, she noticed that she had closed her eyes tightly and was beginning to look noticeably pale, even in the dim light of the cave. "B'Elanna, are you alright?"
B'Elanna was far from alright, but she wasn't about to appear weak to her commanding officer, even if she had in truth spent the last minute or two trying to relax and prevent herself from passing out. Blinking her eyes several times, she finally responded. "I'm here, as for alright, I'm still reserving judgement." Then she took a deep breath, grimaced and dropped her chin to her chest.
"What do you say we get you sitting down so I can do something about that leg of yours? I'll be able to do more to help you when I'm not worried you're going to fall over on me." she said, hoping to lighten the mood.
The two women smiled at each other as the Captain helped her chief engineer sit down, making her as comfortable as possible with her back now resting against the boulder.
Janeway generally avoided sentimentality with the crew. It was easier to be Voyager's commanding officer that way. But they had all been through a lot together and were more of a family than she would ever have thought possible. Lately, B'Elanna had been the wayward child, straining the relationship between them. But right now, she needed support and encouragement. Resting her hand against B'Elanna's arm and looking deeply into her dark eyes Janeway said, "Everything's going to be fine B'Elanna, you just take it easy and I'll take care of this, okay?"
B'Elanna simply nodded, beads of seat still making their way down her face and neck, her expression giving evidence to just how much pain she was really in. Klingon or not, she was having a hard time.
"I'm going to have to put a tourniquet on this to slow the bleeding." stated Janeway with clinical precision, already shifting into command mode in order to think her way carefully and methodically through what needed to be done.
B'Elanna nodded again, silently giving permission for the Captain to proceed, even if she really didn't require it.
Squeezing B'Elanna's arm one last time, Janeway repositioned herself so she could work on the wounded leg. She began by removing her jacket and turtleneck and tearing one of the sleeves from the shirt. "B'Elanna, do you still have your tool kit?"
Torres replied, "Yes Captain." and reached inside her parka to retrieve the article in question, handing it to Janeway.
"Thank you." Janeway said as she took the kit. Reaching inside she removed a small laser cutter and a mining probe with a long slender handle. Once she had what she needed, she carefully lifted B'Elanna's injured leg from the ground, wrapped her shirt sleeve just above knee, and used the mining probe to tighten the tourniquet as much as she felt safe, constantly checking on B'Elanna's expression as she did so and observing that although B'Elanna had to be in a great deal of pain, she managed to keep most outward displays of discomfort to a minimum.
When the Captain was finished tying the tourniquet in place, she set the leg back on down, gently resting it on the coat the Hakonene had left behind. She patted B'Elanna's thigh and spoke. "There, that should hold you for a few minutes. How do you feel?"
"Great, just great Captain." B'Elanna's voice was positively dripping with sarcasm. She was expending a great deal of energy to keep her temper in check. While she was in pain, what was really bothering her was the fact that she had gotten shot, subsequently incapacitated, and now someone else was being inconvenienced because of it. Quite possibly they may both have been put in danger because of it as well. To make matters worse, she was uncomfortable being dependent on the Captain, a woman she generally felt uncomfortable around these days as it was. Plainly put, she was angry, and an angry Klingon was far more cantankerous than an injured one.
As far as Janeway was concerned, B'Elanna's mild outburst was not a surprise. The engineer had been far to quiet for the last few minutes, given the circumstances. "Look, I know this is all highly frustrating and uncomfortable, I'm sorry about that. But you really need to try to relax. It'll be easier on both of us." Janeway said, again fixing her intense blue eyes directly on B'Elanna's. "Now, I need to gather some things before I can treat this, will you be alright for a few minutes?" Interpreting B'Elanna's silence as a yes, she rose to her feet and went about gathering grasses and wood for a fire.
Using the laser cutter, she was able to amass quite a large pile of fuel in a very short time. Returning to B'Elanna with her arms full, she set everything down on the ground as close as she felt was safe and set to building a fire. Within minutes, and with the help of the torch given to her by the Hakonene engineer, she had a modest but effective fire burning. Then she placed one of the containers of water near the fire to heat.
The next step was to make more bandages, so she began tearing the rest of her shirt into long strips of material. The arrow needed to be removed and the wound cauterized. It was the only way Janeway knew to control the bleeding given the uncertain timeline of their rescue and their limited resources.
As she made her final preparations, her mind wandered a little. She was quite concerned about B'Elanna and their situation. She wasn't a doctor. She could only do so much. And the fact that they were alone, without weapons or communication made things that much worse. They'd just have to do the best they could and hope for a swift rescue.
As she finished with the bandages, she became aware of movement behind her. Turning, she noticed that B'Elanna was trying to shift positions and appeared extremely uncomfortable. Moving to her side one again, she observed B'Elanna was still perspiring, quite heavily, and was starting to shiver. Reaching out to place her hand on her forehead, she also registered that her skin felt cool to the touch.
Trying desperately to get more comfortable, B'Elanna was beginning to feel cold even though she was still in her parka. She'd been sitting with her eyes closed, her head resting against the boulder, trying to take her mind off of her predicament. Her eyes fluttered open as she felt the Captain place her hand on her forehead. Once she was able to focus, she found herself staring into the profoundly concerned eyes of her commanding officer.
"I think it's time we got you lying down Lieutenant." Janeway said as she pulled her hand away from B'Elanna's forehead, sliding it gently to the side of her face in a gesture of comfort, and then to her neck to check her pulse.
Torres struggled to shift her position, her back somewhat uncomfortable against the boulder, even leaning against a parka. The gentleness and concern in Janeway's touch surprised her. In all their time together on Voyager, this was the first time that they had been in a situation like this. Alone, out of contact with the ship, with one of them hurt, she was getting to see a side of her captain that she really had not observed before.
The two women had certainly had their share of discussions and disagreements over the years on Voyager. Interestingly enough they seemed to have come full circle and then taken a decidedly antagonistic tangent. From the first day when Torres had wanted to physically attack Janeway for stranding them in the Delta Quadrant, to their heated discussions around the time B'Elanna took over as Chief Engineer, they had survived a rocky start to eventually establish a kind of cautiously respectful mentoring relationship. Their conversations during that period had been thoughtful, informative and supportive of one another.
Then things began to change, and B'Elanna couldn't clearly identify when or why. Their relationship over the last year or so had slowly trended back toward the way they had been in the beginning, but with a decidedly more hostile undertone. Recent events had fostered a deeper resentment toward the Captain than had previously been evident.
Looking into her captain's eyes now, she saw nothing there but warmth and concern. "Aye Captain." she replied, finally giving in to how she felt and allowing someone else to care for her.
Janeway recognized resignation in B'Elanna's tone, but something else she couldn't quite identify came through her eyes. Whatever it was, she interpreted it as a good sign and began to make the Lieutenant more comfortable. First, she pulled B'Elanna gently forward toward her and helped her remove her parka. Next, she grabbed her own parka and laid it on the ground. Turning B'Elanna slightly to one side where she could lay flat on the ground, she helped her lie down, used her uniform jacket as a pillow, and then covered her with her own parka. "You should warm up soon, the fire will help." she said as she tucked the parka around her. Then she carefully straightened B'Elanna's legs, again using the Hakonene's coat to prop them up.
"Thanks." B'Elanna replied.
Janeway could plainly see the struggle in the Lieutenant's eyes and had to admit she was impressed with the steely determination the woman was exhibiting not to show any weakness. Unfortunately for both of them, it was quite possible that she would need that determination for some time yet. "B'Elanna, I'm going to have to remove that arrow. I'm afraid I won't be able to control the bleeding otherwise. Every time you move it does more damage, and we have no idea what we might be up against before we're rescued."
B'Elanna thought she saw just the briefest hint of uncertainty in the Captain's eyes, but it was there and gone so quickly she couldn't be sure she hadn't imagined it. "I'm not going anywhere." was her terse response. Thinking things over for a moment, she then decided to offer something to her captain for the first time in a very long time, "Go ahead, it's okay, I trust you." she said in a weak but sincere voice.
Janeway looked intently at her and smiled warmly, resting a hand briefly on B'Elanna's leg again. "We're in this together, whatever happens, okay?"
B'Elanna smiled back and closed her eyes.
Janeway forced the last of her uncertainty to the back of her mind and began to make preparations for what must be done. She began by retrieving the engineering kit. She set the laser cutter on the ground, then pulled out another small tool. Laying it across a nearby rock, she took a second smaller stone and striking the tool several times, she managed to break off a blunt strip of metal approximately fifteen centimeters in length and four centimeters in width. Returning to the fire, she placed the blunt end of the metal strip in the fire with the other end leaning against a rock around the perimeter. Then she retrieved the now hot water from the fire and returned to the lieutenant's side.
Janeway was a capable field medic, several years in the Delta Quadrant, and a myriad of previous experiences during her years in Starfleet making that almost a necessity. She knew that the wound was not going to stop bleeding on its own, and that it would be necessary to try to stop it to buy them time. It could be hours before the Hakonene returned. Finally ready, she returned to crouch beside B'Elanna, leaning her forearms on her bent knees.
Instinctively realizing someone was looking at her, B'Elanna slowly opened her eyes. For several long seconds, the two women simply stared at each other. Janeway eventually broke the silence. "Ready?"
B'Elanna nodded in spite of herself and Janeway began laying everything she needed out on the ground. Within a few moments, she was ready. Once again, she and her chief engineer made eye contact. "This is likely to hurt B'Elanna, I'm sorry."
"I know." B'Elanna said, and then closed her eyes and pressed her head into the material of Janeway's jacket, hardening herself against the inevitable discomfort.
Janeway began by cutting a long slit in the leg of B'Elanna's slacks high enough to enable her to peel the material away from the arrow and provide a clear area in which to work. Next, she used some of the bandaging material from her shirt, dipped in warm water, to clean the wound as best she could. Through the process, B'Elanna Torres remained largely still, her fists clenched tightly, an occasional low moan emanating from between her pursed lips.
Veret arrowheads were approximately four centimeters in total length and a little over two centimeters at the widest point. There were four separate edges that came together at the point. Each one of those edges was covered with small barbs, ensuring as much damage to the victim as possible. This one had certainly lived up to its reputation.
Janeway finished the easiest part of the procedure quickly and then moved on to the next, and definitely the worst, step. For a brief moment, she observed the Lieutenant. She was still perspiring and was breathing heavily, but had seemed to relax somewhat during the momentary break.
Wasting no time, Janeway retrieved the laser cutter and used the tool to slice the arrowhead completely from the shaft.
The slight movement involved in this first step had caused B'Elanna a great deal of pain and she bit her lip silently against it. Her leg felt as if it were on fire and every few moments there was a sharp and intense pain that shot up the back of her calf muscle. If just moving the arrow was this uncomfortable, what was removing the damn thing completely likely to feel like? And while she knew she really had no interest in knowing, she was unavoidably about to find out.
Doing her level best not to think about the discomfort she was causing, Janeway braced the leg as best she could and carefully but quickly pulled the remainder of the arrow out of B'Elanna's leg the way it had gone in. Within seconds, she was holding the offending weapon in her hand.
B'Elanna gasped as the arrow slid from her assaulted flesh and saw stars forming before her eyes.
Tossing the arrow aside, Janeway quickly used some of the water to rinse the excess blood away, and taking another strip of cloth in her hand, she reached back to the fire to pick up the metal strip that was now red hot on one end. 'Hang on B'Elanna.' she thought to herself. She had to cauterize the wound and this was the only way she could think to do it. Without hesitation she slid the hot metal strip into both the entrance and exit wounds in rapid succession.
When she had finished her work and pulled the metal strip away from B'Elanna's leg, she tossed it on the ground as well, immediately rinsing the wound one last time and covering both sides with cloth, folded into thick rectangles. Then she wrapped the other sleeve of her shirt around everything to hold it in place.
Looking back at her patient, she spoke, "All done B'Elanna." And then she stopped herself as she noticed B'Elanna's head leaning heavily to one side. Her eyes were closed and her expression almost peaceful. Raising a hand to B'Elanna's neck to check for a pulse, she waited a second to find it, but it was there, strong and steady.
The Captain then removed the tourniquet, and for the next few minutes watched for any signs of excessive bleeding. Once satisfied that all looked fine for now, she gathered the bandaging material she had previously used, as well as the now near empty water container and headed for the stream. She washed everything in the cool water, filled the water container, and moved back to sit next to the fire where she could stay warm and watch B'Elanna at the same time, the chill dampness of the cavern finally making itself known to her exposed arms, now that her upper body was clothed only in her tank top.
It didn't take long before she was shivering ever so slightly as she sat, and not entirely from the chill in the air. She would like nothing more than for Chakotay and Voyager to rush in and release them from their predicament. While some would probably be surprised, not the least of whom the officer with her on this away mission, Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation Starship Voyager was not immune to the emotional effects of having to cause her junior officer additional pain, even if it was necessary, nor was she blind to the fact that they would probably have several hours to wait before help arrived, and she hated waiting almost more than anything else in life.
Besides, would it really hurt to allow herself to acknowledge her uncertainty, if only for a brief period? She had doubts and second thoughts just like everyone else, but her years as a command officer, and her current position as Captain of a lost crew and the ultimate authority for Starfleet in the Delta Quadrant, made it impossible to allow them out of the carefully constructed compartment in her heart and mind very often.
Time was their enemy right now. Without proper medical treatment, B'Elanna could suffer complications, and without weapons, and with their mobility severely impaired because of B'Elanna's injury, they were potentially vulnerable to the Veret. Drawing her knees to her chest and wrapping them in her arms, she stared into the flames of the fire. Taking a deep breath, she used her command presence and her years of experience to keep her negative thoughts in check and push them back to where they belonged. Planning for the worst was appropriate, but worrying about it was unproductive at best.
=/\=
Some time later, and unbeknownst to Janeway, B'Elanna had come around and was now observing her captain sitting by the fire. Janeway's head was turned away so she could not see that her companion was awake. B'Elanna thought the Captain's position made her appear somewhat like an anxious child. It was an image she would never have believed she could associate with the woman in question.
While observing Janeway, she began to relive the events of their escape from the Veret. In particular she remembered being roughly shoved through the cavern opening. One thing that was standing out loud and clear was that the Captain had pushed her out of the way at the risk of her own safety. She must have seen the last volley of arrows coming. And even though B'Elanna had been struck in the leg, that unselfish act may have saved her life. She had originally been in the most vulnerable spot at the back of the group and would have been the last one below ground had Janeway not intervened. While they would never know for sure, it didn't matter.
Turning her head away from Janeway for a moment, she noticed a small piece of cloth lying in the dirt beside her, something on it glinting in the flickering firelight. Quietly reaching her hand and arm out from under her parka, she grasped the material with two fingers and pulled it to her. As soon as she had it completely in her hand, she knew what she had, even before she opened her hand and glanced at it. It was a strip of material from the discarded collar of Janeway's turtleneck, four shiny captain's pips attached in a neat row across one side. It seemed odd to B'Elanna that the Captain would so easily discard the very thing that made her different from the rest of them. But maybe, just maybe, there was more to it than that.
With everything they had been through lately, with everything that B'Elanna had faced, even with the way she had treated the Captain after her own brush with death, it had made no difference. Janeway had willingly risked her life. In her mind she was having a difficult time understanding why the Captain would put herself at risk for someone who felt less than worthy of such a sacrifice. She lie there for some time, her thoughts in turmoil, unconsciously sliding her thumb across the pips in her hand, until she could stand it no longer.
Slipping the strip of material in the pocket of her parka, she pulled herself together and attempted to sit up. Lifting the parka that covered her, she placed her hands to either side and began to pull her lower body back along the ground until she was resting, albeit somewhat awkwardly, against the same boulder she had used as a back rest before.
=/\=
The sound of B'Elanna's movement brought Kathryn Janeway out of her own reverie and she slid herself over next to the engineer to help her get more comfortable.
She was more than willing to acknowledge just how complex her relationship with her chief engineer had been of late. That was precisely why she insisted that B'Elanna accompany her on this mission. She sincerely hoped that their time together would provide an opportunity to put the recent past far behind them and get back on the right track, both professionally and personally. There was only one problem, B'Elanna getting shot, and the two of them getting stranded in a cave, wasn't what she had in mind for an excuse for quality time between the two. And she sincerely hoped it would not turn out to be more than their fragile relationship could bear.
Janeway set B'Elanna's parka behind her and then helped her lean against the boulder again. "Welcome back, Lieutenant."
"Thanks, I think." replied B'Elanna. "Captain, could I have some water please?"
"Sure, just a minute." Janeway reached around to her other side and picked up one of the water containers. She turned back to B'Elanna and opened the cap and handed it to her but kept her grip on the bottom of the container as B'Elanna's hand was visibly trembling.
B'Elanna took several easy sips and then stopped. "Thanks." she said swallowing. Then, "How long was I out?"
Janeway recapped the water container and set it aside as she answered the question. "Not that long at all, only about an hour."
"Any word from Voyager or the Hakonene?"
"No, not yet. But then it's probably too soon to hope for that. By the way, how are you feeling?"
"I think I'll live."
"Good." said Janeway as she reached over with her hand and placed it gently on the Lieutenant's forehead and then her neck. "You seem to be back to normal now. You were showing some signs of shock earlier and I was worried. How's the pain?"
"Tolerable." said B'Elanna closing her eyes.
"Why don't I believe you?" Janeway sneered and rolled her eyes, looking as skeptical as she sounded.
Torres opened her eyes again and looked at her with a hint of impatience in her expression, the situation momentarily getting the best of her. "Do I have a choice?"
"No I guess you don't. I am sorry about that. Believe me. I really hated to have to cause you any more pain, but there was no other way."
Realizing that her tone of voice had probably implied something to the Captain that she didn't mean, she smiled and spoke softly "I understand. You did what you had to and I'm grateful."
"Thanks, that helps. Contrary to popular opinion, I don't enjoy torturing my crewmembers. Let's just hope we can get back to Voyager soon so the Doctor can take proper care of you." Janeway then moved to check on the bandages again. She noticed that there was a good deal more blood on the cloth than before, but it didn't look too bad. She decided to simply add another layer of material and retighten the binding. "I have to work on this bandage a little."
"Whatever you say doc." replied Torres. While Janeway worked, B'Elanna kept talking trying to distract herself from her discomfort. "You know, if you keep this up, you might give Tom a run for his money as a medic when we get back, that is if you decide that your current job isn't interesting enough." Then she winced and blew out a heavy breath at a sudden sharp pain.
"I'm not sure Tom would appreciate the competition." Janeway said with a chuckle. She managed to get through the exercise fairly quickly and without causing any more stress than necessary to her engineer, but she could tell it had still been uncomfortable for her.
During the pause in the conversation, Janeway offered her more water and B'Elanna accepted it gratefully. Watching her while she drank, and shortly thereafter, Janeway noticed that she looked very tired. She was probably forcing herself to override the signals her body was sending her. But even a Klingon could only hope to accomplish this feat for so long. "B'Elanna, you look tired, why don't you get some sleep? I'm sure it will still be a while until the Hakonene return."
B'Elanna knew the Captain was right, she really shouldn't fight the way she felt, and right now, even though she had been conscious for only a few minutes, she was fighting an overwhelming urge to sleep. "Alright, you win."
"I didn't realize it was a competition." Janeway said with a smile and a slight shake of her head. "Just rest. I'll let you know if anyone shows up to take us home."
With that, B'Elanna rested her head back and slowly closed her eyes, but at least this time it was voluntary.
TBC
Written - 7/03
Summary - A routine supply mission for Janeway and Torres leads to unexpected consequences for the crew when they find themselves entangled in an alien conflict.
Rating - G
Note - This story begins shortly after the incidents in the episode Juggernaut and concludes shortly after the episode Barge of the Dead.
Part 1
They materialized in the appointed place and at the appointed time and B'Elanna Torres and Captain Kathryn Janeway instinctively raised the collars on their heavy Starfleet parkas against the chill.
In the never-ending quest for supplies they had made contact with a race called the Hakonene who inhabited an underground world in the Northern Hemisphere of a largely glacial planet.
While the surface of the planet in Hakonene territory was completely inhospitable, the inhabitants were able to live and work below ground in huge caverns. The caverns were warmed by volcanic activity beneath the surface of the planet and supplied with water through the melting of glacial ice by those very same volcanic flows.
Their unique environment was lush with vegetation and populated by several small species of animals. Several fissures in the cathedral like cavern roof of the primary habitat allowed natural light from the surface to penetrate below, and the inhabitants had also added several types of artificial lighting of there own, creating a comfortably lit home. They lived in a completely self-sustaining ecosystem that could never be conceived of by looking at the surface.
Voyager had been hailed when they entered the system by a small patrol ship. Upon establishing a friendly first contact, they had been invited to trade for supplies. While Janeway had found it odd that they had not seen more than the patrol ship to indicate that this was a technologically advanced and warp capable society, there had been no sign of trouble. Quite possibly the Hakonene were simply not that curious about the galaxy beyond and so they had not seen fit to develop their space capability any further.
For the last several days, Voyager had been orbiting the planet, and now that their food supplies had been restocked, B'Elanna and the Captain had returned to investigate the possibility of obtaining useful raw materials.
While the Voyager officers and crew had been welcomed with open arms on their previous visits, they were not permitted to transport directly to the caverns below the surface. The Hakonene had a surface defense perimeter that was strictly enforced. They never mentioned what they were protecting themselves from, and Janeway was somewhat curious as to the need for such precautions. There were no other inhabited planets in the system, and while there was evidence of other races on this planet, they were widely scattered and there were no obvious signs of conflict among them, at least none that Voyager had detected.
On this trip, the two Voyager officers were to be met by a representative of the government and one of the Hakonene engineers to evaluate mining possibilities. They were somewhat surprised that their hosts were not already in the landing area to meet them. For previous meetings, two or more Hakonene representatives had met the Voyager away teams, who were always asked to transport to a different location without weapons, and were escorted to one of the cavern entrances. Normally this involved a walk of about a kilometer during which they were never allowed to use their tricorders. These trips were also made through driving snow, but the amount of supplies they had been able to obtain was well worth the effort.
Kathryn Janeway herself had made these trips several times over the last few days and was convinced that they never walked in the same general direction twice. The wind and snow would come at them from different sides making a perfect natural defense as well and giving her reason to believe that the Hakonene were deliberately making it as difficult as possible for them to memorize the way to the cavern entrances.
The weather and the perimeter defenses also prevented Voyager from determining the entrances from orbit, so they were completely at the mercy of these people in finding their way around once on the surface. From the very beginning they had also discovered that communication and transporter function was limited due to the same interference. In order to conduct trade negotiations, the Hakonene employed some type of signal booster that facilitated communication directly between the underground habitat and Voyager in orbit. It also supported the away teams in transporting unharmed to the surface. But simply stated, Voyager's normal scanning, transport and communication protocols were nearly impossible to sustain.
The entire situation had made Janeway uncomfortable at first. But the Hakonene government officials were pleasant enough. She had even spent hours in conference with Chakotay and Tuvok going over concerns with the Hakonene and their overly cautious security. In the end, they had all agreed to take the Hakonene at face value, believing their precautions posed no threat to Voyager or her crew. Working this way would be an inconvenience, but on balance, it seemed a small enough price to pay.
Now on the surface at the location directed by the Hakonene ambassador, Janeway was curious that there was no one around. She removed her tricorder from her pocket, knowing full well the readings would be erratic at best on the surface, and began to turn in a slow circle to scan the area.
As for B'Elanna, this away mission alone with the Captain made her more than a little uncomfortable. The last few months had been a challenge to say the least. First there had been a period where her behavior had been extremely erratic to all outward observers. She had spent several weeks assaulted by flashbacks and unresolved emotions over the fate of the Maquis. As a result she had been engaging in progressively more dangerous pursuits, putting herself in real physical jeopardy, all in attempt to 'feel something' as she had put it once to Chakotay.
The Doctor had eventually diagnosed her as clinically depressed and she distinctly remembered one encounter with the Captain during that time. While she was recovering in sickbay after one particularly dangerous incident left her severely injured, the Captain had given B'Elanna every opportunity to explain herself. She even expressed personal concern for her chief engineer. But B'Elanna hadn't been ready to admit anything then, and even after she was eventually treated and returned to duty, she was uncomfortable around Janeway. And quite frankly, she hadn't given it enough thought to understand exactly why that was so.
Only weeks later, B'Elanna had been attacked by an alien life form that physically attached itself to her, and in the process endangered her life. The Doctor had explored every option to disengage the creature without causing further injury to it's victim, until finally, with no other choice in evidence, it was suggested that he might find assistance through a unique application of the medical library. Janeway had given permission for the Doctor to enlist the aid of a Cardassian exobiologist, and expert in his field, by creating him as a holographic program.
B'Elanna had been violently opposed to the whole idea, particularly when it was discovered that the real scientist was suspected of using Bajoran prisoners as guinea pigs in his research. She had stated emphatically that she would rather die. Ultimately, the Captain intervened and made a highly controversial decision that allowed the Doctor to save her life. After all was said and done, B'Elanna had been very angry and had even gone so far as to accuse the Captain of interfering in something that she had no right to. Once again, the gulf between the two women widened.
Last but not least, another incident with a Malon waste ship had nearly cost all of them their lives. With everything else that had been going on in her life at that time, her temper was in full swing, and her patience was non-existent, and the Malon added to her agitation. She and the Captain had gone head to head several times while the Malon were on board over B'Elanna's lack of decorum with their so called guests.
In the hope of putting much of this period behind her, she had been working with both the Doctor and Tuvok and had finally wrestled her raging emotions back in check. Her relationship with Tom had been a great help as well. He had truly been there for her through all of it. He seemed to know just when to speak, when to listen, and when to simply envelop her in one of the patented Paris hugs that she loved so much.
She knew he understood at least some of what she was going through. Tom Paris was now an Ensign and wresting with is own conflicting emotions concerning Kathryn Janeway. She had recently demoted him and sent him to the brig for a month following a series of incidents on a planet covered with a vast ocean. He had gotten too close, too involved with the situation, and following his conscience had led him to open insubordination, defying direct orders from the Captain. While he acknowledged she really had no choice but to discipline him, he was still resentful and hurt over it and he and the Captain had been little more than guardedly civil to one another since.
Long talks and several very intense rounds of velocity on the holodeck with Chakotay were also an integral part of B'Elanna's recovery. He was a good friend. The best anyone could ask for. And he knew her so well after their long association that she could always count on him to see to the heart of what was bothering her and tell her exactly what he thought of a situation, even if it was painful or unpleasant to hear.
Even with all of that, there was still one relationship that she felt she had damaged and had yet to repair. There was a tension in the air when she was around Kathryn Janeway that she couldn't fully explain. Part of the problem was simply timing. Since the incidents, B'Elanna had spent very little time around the Captain outside of official staff meetings. Both had been busy with their own duties, and unbeknownst to B'Elanna, Janeway was intentionally giving her some space, hoping that she would eventually come to her on her own to discuss their working relationship, if nothing else.
Now, circumstances had thrown them together on this away mission. B'Elanna was doing all she could not to sound nervous at the reality of her first real one on one time with the Captain in a long time. With all that had happened, she wasn't entirely sure how this would go, so she had determined to keep to the business at hand, and maybe, just maybe, she could get through this with as little unease as possible. "Something wrong Captain?" she asked, shaking herself back to the present and noticing the intensity with which Janeway was staring at her tricorder, using her voice to convey a calm she did not feel.
Janeway answered B'Elanna's question while keeping her attention focused on the display on the tricorder. "I'm not sure yet. But I have a sneaking suspicion something isn't quite right about this. We've always been met immediately upon transport."
"Getting any readings?"
"Nothing conclusive. The interference is wreaking havoc with the signal." Janeway looked genuinely puzzled by the readout on her instrument even though she was well aware the chances of getting a clear reading were slim. "I'm reading several life-signs, fairly faint. But they seem to be coming from everywhere. I'm not sure what to make of them. There are apparently several small caverns somewhere to the south of our present location as well."
Suddenly B'Elanna cocked her head upward and looked apprehensive. "Do you hear that Captain?"
Janeway knew that her Klingon engineer had much better hearing, "Hear what?"
"It's hard to tell with all this wind, but it sounds like shouting."
Janeway joined B'Elanna and craned her neck around to try to pick up the sounds. There was little but the howling of the wind for several seconds and then she heard something as well. "I can't tell for sure, but I think I hear it too. It seems to be coming from that direction." Janeway pointed with the hand still containing the tricorder in order to get any information she could.
Within a few more seconds, several dark figures appeared over a snowdrift from the north. There were two distinct groups. The first group consisted of two figures moving as quickly as possible through the often knee deep snow. They were being followed by a group of six others. From Janeway's point of view, chased would be the more accurate term. She quickly looked at her tricorder and was now able to identify that the men in front were indeed the officials who had been sent to meet them. But as they got closer, it was clear that the figures chasing them were men from a race unknown to them. Janeway and B'Elanna could even make out the fact that there were projectiles being shot at the men in the front. They appeared to be arrows being fired from some type of extremely powerful crossbow as they were traveling the not insignificant distance between the two groups with relative ease.
Janeway impatiently shifted her stance in the snow. "Nice time to be without a phaser. Looks like were about to make another enemy."
"Apparently, guilt by association." commented B'Elanna with a shrug of her shoulders.
Within moments the two officials were within shouting distance of the two women. "Come with us. Run!" one was shouting as loud as he could.
Janeway reached for her combadge instead, "Janeway to Voyager, emergency beam-out!" and there was no response.
As the men got within thirty meters of them, a vicious looking, thick shafted and heavily barbed arrow hit the snow near her feet. Janeway tried again with a more than hint of urgency in her voice. Her response was the same, nothing. "Damn, the Hakonene signal booster must be down. Looks like we should do as they suggest."
Her companion heartily agreed. "Right behind you Captain."
Not knowing which way they should go, they trusted their hosts had some idea how to get away from their pursuers and waited with more than a little apprehension until the two men reached them and then joined them in their foot race.
Breathless, one of the men spoke to Janeway as they ran, "Follow us. There's a cavern entrance not far from here. We'll be safe there."
Meanwhile, their pursuers had gained some ground on them and their arrow shots were getting alarmingly close. B'Elanna heard one whiz past her ear and tried to control her inherent Klingon tendency to turn and face their attackers. Now would not be the time. Outnumbered, and without weapons of any kind, it would be suicide.
They had been running for what felt like forever when they noticed they were rapidly approaching a small rise in the landscape. Their companions seemed to be headed right for it. As they approached, they could see it was one of the openings to the underground world, although where it would bring them in was anyone's guess. It also appeared not much more than a large dark hole in the snow with no obvious bottom.
The leader of the group spoke to Janeway again as they ran. "When we get to the entrance, you must follow us very closely. Understood?"
"Do we have choice?" Janeway didn't really expect an answer to her question, and it was lost to the howling of the wind anyway.
Once more they noticed a fresh barrage of arrows as they approached the cavern entrance. The Hakonene leader reached inside his parka, and suddenly the complete blackness of the entrance was replaced with dim light allowing them to barely make out a rocky path leading down and away from the surface.
The two men moved rapidly to the far side of the entrance in order to take the appropriate path into the opening. Janeway could clearly see that to approach in any other manner would be treacherous. There was a steep drop on the side that they had originally approached.
Unfortunately, their slight hesitation to get into the proper position was enough to allow the chase group to gain ground. The Hakonene descended quickly into the darkness motioning for the women to follow. As she and B'Elanna headed for the opening, Janeway looked up momentarily to see their pursuers preparing to release one final volley of arrows in their direction. As the deadly projectiles were discharged, Janeway grabbed her junior officer and unceremoniously shoved her through the opening.
=/\=
Once inside the cavern, the leader turned toward the entrance that was now several meters above them and placed his hand inside his parka again. As he did so, a wave of blackness, reminding Janeway of the appearance of an oil slick, slid back into place, effectively blocking the opening to anyone on the surface.
"Who are they?" Janeway exclaimed, breathless.
As they continued down a narrow path and farther into the cavern, the leader answered, "They're called the Veret. They live on the shores of the ocean to the south in a somewhat more moderate climate. But since they live on the surface they have a very hard life. They have developed little technology of their own and seem to be highly suspicious of ours. Sometimes they form raiding parties and travel several hundred kilometers to see if they can scavenge from our supplies. That is why we have such an elaborate defense system. The Veret raiding parties are ruthless and will stop at nothing to get what they want. Before we were able to establish the defense system, many outlying cavern settlements were attacked, their possessions taken, their dwellings burned and their people massacred."
The group was rapidly approaching a fairly large, open area that had a sandy floor strewn with a handful of small boulders. There was a dim light permeating the darkness in shafts from fingerlike openings in the cavern ceiling above them. From Janeway's viewpoint, all of these were too small and too high to allow access into the cavern itself. Based on this, she surmised they were safe, for the moment anyway.
The second Hakonene with them finally spoke. "This will be a good place to rest."
"Good idea, I feel like I've been running a marathon." she said, still somewhat breathless from the exertion of the run, her heart pounding in her chest. "How about you B'Elanna?" She didn't receive an answer to her question and turned around expecting her chief engineer to be right behind her. When her eyes had adjusted somewhat to the change in the light level back up the path, she noticed B'Elanna was still quite far behind them. She had stopped, and was leaning heavily against a boulder.
"Lieutenant?" Janeway called somewhat louder. She still received no answer, and in the gloom, she could see B'Elanna push herself upright and continue down the path, something obviously wrong, her movements far too awkward and slow.
Janeway immediately ran back up the path. "B'Elanna, what is it?" she said as she reached her side.
B'Elanna wobbled back and forth while trying to maintain her balance. "My leg." she whispered breathlessly.
Janeway's eyes moved rapidly, searching, and within seconds she caught sight of a Veret arrow piercing the fabric on both sides of B'Elanna's right calf. "Take it easy B'Elanna..." was all she could think to say for the moment as she reached her arms out and helped to support her still wobbly junior officer.
Janeway turned and looked over her shoulder to find the other two in their party to solicit help and was pleased to see they had followed her back up the path. "Help me get her down to the clearing." The two men nodded and helped Janeway gently lift B'Elanna and carry her down the path.
When they reached a more open area, Janeway removed her parka, folded it in half, and used it to cushion one of the larger boulders as they leaned the Lieutenant against it. She then turned back to B'Elanna placing one hand on her arm. "I have to take a look at closer look at this." she said.
Torres bit her lip and nodded.
Kneeling in the dirt, Janeway moved to a position where she could get a better look at just how much damage the arrow had done. Veret arrows were short but sturdy, designed to handle the stresses of being fired from a powerful crossbow. This one had struck B'Elanna in the calf, the arrowhead passing clean through but leaving the shaft lodged in her leg and the feathers sticking out the other side.
Ever so gently, Janeway tore the material of B'Elanna's slacks around the arrow to make a true assessment of the damage, the blood soaked fabric now appearing shiny around the wound. After taking a good look, Janeway determined that while the wound certainly wasn't life threatening, it was bleeding quite heavily, and was obviously more than a little painful. But regardless of how it appeared, she needed to get B'Elanna back to the ship for medical attention as soon as possible. Standing, she reached her right hand across her chest she tapped her combadge. "Janeway to Voyager, come in please."
"It won't work here."
B'Elanna and Janeway both turned their heads to look toward the voice. They had all but forgotten about the two men with them for a moment. It was the Hakonene leader who had spoken. "We are in a remote section of the caverns. The perimeter shielding is stronger here because these areas are less traveled and not as heavily patrolled. The field intensity will prevent your communication devices from functioning."
"Well, that helps explain why we couldn't communicate with the ship on the surface in this area either." said Janeway. "So how do we get out of here? My officer needs medical attention."
The leader looked genuinely sympathetic. "We are several kilometers from the main cavern area. There are only two ways to get there. One is by the surface, which will probably not be safe to attempt for some time. The risk of attack is too great, even if your Lieutenant were in any condition to attempt such a journey. The only viable alternative is the route through the tunnels. While the shorter and less dangerous choice, it is an arduous journey. Even for someone in good physical condition."
"What do you suggest?" inquired Janeway, her voice impatient.
"Lieutenant Torres is in no condition to travel and it would appear that you should stay here to look after her. You will be better able to assist her than either of us. And as we know the way, we can travel faster alone."
Janeway was not at all happy with the situation. "How long is this going to take?"
"Under the best conditions, two hours to get to the central cavern."
"And under the worst?" B'Elanna chimed in, beads of sweat running down the sides of her face.
Janeway looked thoughtfully at B'Elanna and then turned to the leader and continued "Very well then, we'll wait here, I assume I can count on you to hurry."
The leader bowed to her out of respect and as he started to move off in the direction of the path through the tunnel, the Hakonene engineer moved over next to Janeway and pulled her away from Torres for a moment. He handed her what looked to be a small torch devise. "Use this to start a fire. You will find several grasses and small shrubs a short distance down the path. Even though green, they will burn." He also handed her two metal containers of water and removed his coat to leave it with her as well, saying only, "To make her more comfortable. And there is a small stream in the area near the grasses if you need more water. It is safe to drink."
"Thank you." Janeway said to him, honestly grateful.
"We will be back as soon as we can, I give you my word." and with that he was gone.
=/\=
Janeway stood collecting her thoughts for only a moment before returning to B'Elanna's side. Looking closely at the Lieutenant when she reached her, she noticed that she had closed her eyes tightly and was beginning to look noticeably pale, even in the dim light of the cave. "B'Elanna, are you alright?"
B'Elanna was far from alright, but she wasn't about to appear weak to her commanding officer, even if she had in truth spent the last minute or two trying to relax and prevent herself from passing out. Blinking her eyes several times, she finally responded. "I'm here, as for alright, I'm still reserving judgement." Then she took a deep breath, grimaced and dropped her chin to her chest.
"What do you say we get you sitting down so I can do something about that leg of yours? I'll be able to do more to help you when I'm not worried you're going to fall over on me." she said, hoping to lighten the mood.
The two women smiled at each other as the Captain helped her chief engineer sit down, making her as comfortable as possible with her back now resting against the boulder.
Janeway generally avoided sentimentality with the crew. It was easier to be Voyager's commanding officer that way. But they had all been through a lot together and were more of a family than she would ever have thought possible. Lately, B'Elanna had been the wayward child, straining the relationship between them. But right now, she needed support and encouragement. Resting her hand against B'Elanna's arm and looking deeply into her dark eyes Janeway said, "Everything's going to be fine B'Elanna, you just take it easy and I'll take care of this, okay?"
B'Elanna simply nodded, beads of seat still making their way down her face and neck, her expression giving evidence to just how much pain she was really in. Klingon or not, she was having a hard time.
"I'm going to have to put a tourniquet on this to slow the bleeding." stated Janeway with clinical precision, already shifting into command mode in order to think her way carefully and methodically through what needed to be done.
B'Elanna nodded again, silently giving permission for the Captain to proceed, even if she really didn't require it.
Squeezing B'Elanna's arm one last time, Janeway repositioned herself so she could work on the wounded leg. She began by removing her jacket and turtleneck and tearing one of the sleeves from the shirt. "B'Elanna, do you still have your tool kit?"
Torres replied, "Yes Captain." and reached inside her parka to retrieve the article in question, handing it to Janeway.
"Thank you." Janeway said as she took the kit. Reaching inside she removed a small laser cutter and a mining probe with a long slender handle. Once she had what she needed, she carefully lifted B'Elanna's injured leg from the ground, wrapped her shirt sleeve just above knee, and used the mining probe to tighten the tourniquet as much as she felt safe, constantly checking on B'Elanna's expression as she did so and observing that although B'Elanna had to be in a great deal of pain, she managed to keep most outward displays of discomfort to a minimum.
When the Captain was finished tying the tourniquet in place, she set the leg back on down, gently resting it on the coat the Hakonene had left behind. She patted B'Elanna's thigh and spoke. "There, that should hold you for a few minutes. How do you feel?"
"Great, just great Captain." B'Elanna's voice was positively dripping with sarcasm. She was expending a great deal of energy to keep her temper in check. While she was in pain, what was really bothering her was the fact that she had gotten shot, subsequently incapacitated, and now someone else was being inconvenienced because of it. Quite possibly they may both have been put in danger because of it as well. To make matters worse, she was uncomfortable being dependent on the Captain, a woman she generally felt uncomfortable around these days as it was. Plainly put, she was angry, and an angry Klingon was far more cantankerous than an injured one.
As far as Janeway was concerned, B'Elanna's mild outburst was not a surprise. The engineer had been far to quiet for the last few minutes, given the circumstances. "Look, I know this is all highly frustrating and uncomfortable, I'm sorry about that. But you really need to try to relax. It'll be easier on both of us." Janeway said, again fixing her intense blue eyes directly on B'Elanna's. "Now, I need to gather some things before I can treat this, will you be alright for a few minutes?" Interpreting B'Elanna's silence as a yes, she rose to her feet and went about gathering grasses and wood for a fire.
Using the laser cutter, she was able to amass quite a large pile of fuel in a very short time. Returning to B'Elanna with her arms full, she set everything down on the ground as close as she felt was safe and set to building a fire. Within minutes, and with the help of the torch given to her by the Hakonene engineer, she had a modest but effective fire burning. Then she placed one of the containers of water near the fire to heat.
The next step was to make more bandages, so she began tearing the rest of her shirt into long strips of material. The arrow needed to be removed and the wound cauterized. It was the only way Janeway knew to control the bleeding given the uncertain timeline of their rescue and their limited resources.
As she made her final preparations, her mind wandered a little. She was quite concerned about B'Elanna and their situation. She wasn't a doctor. She could only do so much. And the fact that they were alone, without weapons or communication made things that much worse. They'd just have to do the best they could and hope for a swift rescue.
As she finished with the bandages, she became aware of movement behind her. Turning, she noticed that B'Elanna was trying to shift positions and appeared extremely uncomfortable. Moving to her side one again, she observed B'Elanna was still perspiring, quite heavily, and was starting to shiver. Reaching out to place her hand on her forehead, she also registered that her skin felt cool to the touch.
Trying desperately to get more comfortable, B'Elanna was beginning to feel cold even though she was still in her parka. She'd been sitting with her eyes closed, her head resting against the boulder, trying to take her mind off of her predicament. Her eyes fluttered open as she felt the Captain place her hand on her forehead. Once she was able to focus, she found herself staring into the profoundly concerned eyes of her commanding officer.
"I think it's time we got you lying down Lieutenant." Janeway said as she pulled her hand away from B'Elanna's forehead, sliding it gently to the side of her face in a gesture of comfort, and then to her neck to check her pulse.
Torres struggled to shift her position, her back somewhat uncomfortable against the boulder, even leaning against a parka. The gentleness and concern in Janeway's touch surprised her. In all their time together on Voyager, this was the first time that they had been in a situation like this. Alone, out of contact with the ship, with one of them hurt, she was getting to see a side of her captain that she really had not observed before.
The two women had certainly had their share of discussions and disagreements over the years on Voyager. Interestingly enough they seemed to have come full circle and then taken a decidedly antagonistic tangent. From the first day when Torres had wanted to physically attack Janeway for stranding them in the Delta Quadrant, to their heated discussions around the time B'Elanna took over as Chief Engineer, they had survived a rocky start to eventually establish a kind of cautiously respectful mentoring relationship. Their conversations during that period had been thoughtful, informative and supportive of one another.
Then things began to change, and B'Elanna couldn't clearly identify when or why. Their relationship over the last year or so had slowly trended back toward the way they had been in the beginning, but with a decidedly more hostile undertone. Recent events had fostered a deeper resentment toward the Captain than had previously been evident.
Looking into her captain's eyes now, she saw nothing there but warmth and concern. "Aye Captain." she replied, finally giving in to how she felt and allowing someone else to care for her.
Janeway recognized resignation in B'Elanna's tone, but something else she couldn't quite identify came through her eyes. Whatever it was, she interpreted it as a good sign and began to make the Lieutenant more comfortable. First, she pulled B'Elanna gently forward toward her and helped her remove her parka. Next, she grabbed her own parka and laid it on the ground. Turning B'Elanna slightly to one side where she could lay flat on the ground, she helped her lie down, used her uniform jacket as a pillow, and then covered her with her own parka. "You should warm up soon, the fire will help." she said as she tucked the parka around her. Then she carefully straightened B'Elanna's legs, again using the Hakonene's coat to prop them up.
"Thanks." B'Elanna replied.
Janeway could plainly see the struggle in the Lieutenant's eyes and had to admit she was impressed with the steely determination the woman was exhibiting not to show any weakness. Unfortunately for both of them, it was quite possible that she would need that determination for some time yet. "B'Elanna, I'm going to have to remove that arrow. I'm afraid I won't be able to control the bleeding otherwise. Every time you move it does more damage, and we have no idea what we might be up against before we're rescued."
B'Elanna thought she saw just the briefest hint of uncertainty in the Captain's eyes, but it was there and gone so quickly she couldn't be sure she hadn't imagined it. "I'm not going anywhere." was her terse response. Thinking things over for a moment, she then decided to offer something to her captain for the first time in a very long time, "Go ahead, it's okay, I trust you." she said in a weak but sincere voice.
Janeway looked intently at her and smiled warmly, resting a hand briefly on B'Elanna's leg again. "We're in this together, whatever happens, okay?"
B'Elanna smiled back and closed her eyes.
Janeway forced the last of her uncertainty to the back of her mind and began to make preparations for what must be done. She began by retrieving the engineering kit. She set the laser cutter on the ground, then pulled out another small tool. Laying it across a nearby rock, she took a second smaller stone and striking the tool several times, she managed to break off a blunt strip of metal approximately fifteen centimeters in length and four centimeters in width. Returning to the fire, she placed the blunt end of the metal strip in the fire with the other end leaning against a rock around the perimeter. Then she retrieved the now hot water from the fire and returned to the lieutenant's side.
Janeway was a capable field medic, several years in the Delta Quadrant, and a myriad of previous experiences during her years in Starfleet making that almost a necessity. She knew that the wound was not going to stop bleeding on its own, and that it would be necessary to try to stop it to buy them time. It could be hours before the Hakonene returned. Finally ready, she returned to crouch beside B'Elanna, leaning her forearms on her bent knees.
Instinctively realizing someone was looking at her, B'Elanna slowly opened her eyes. For several long seconds, the two women simply stared at each other. Janeway eventually broke the silence. "Ready?"
B'Elanna nodded in spite of herself and Janeway began laying everything she needed out on the ground. Within a few moments, she was ready. Once again, she and her chief engineer made eye contact. "This is likely to hurt B'Elanna, I'm sorry."
"I know." B'Elanna said, and then closed her eyes and pressed her head into the material of Janeway's jacket, hardening herself against the inevitable discomfort.
Janeway began by cutting a long slit in the leg of B'Elanna's slacks high enough to enable her to peel the material away from the arrow and provide a clear area in which to work. Next, she used some of the bandaging material from her shirt, dipped in warm water, to clean the wound as best she could. Through the process, B'Elanna Torres remained largely still, her fists clenched tightly, an occasional low moan emanating from between her pursed lips.
Veret arrowheads were approximately four centimeters in total length and a little over two centimeters at the widest point. There were four separate edges that came together at the point. Each one of those edges was covered with small barbs, ensuring as much damage to the victim as possible. This one had certainly lived up to its reputation.
Janeway finished the easiest part of the procedure quickly and then moved on to the next, and definitely the worst, step. For a brief moment, she observed the Lieutenant. She was still perspiring and was breathing heavily, but had seemed to relax somewhat during the momentary break.
Wasting no time, Janeway retrieved the laser cutter and used the tool to slice the arrowhead completely from the shaft.
The slight movement involved in this first step had caused B'Elanna a great deal of pain and she bit her lip silently against it. Her leg felt as if it were on fire and every few moments there was a sharp and intense pain that shot up the back of her calf muscle. If just moving the arrow was this uncomfortable, what was removing the damn thing completely likely to feel like? And while she knew she really had no interest in knowing, she was unavoidably about to find out.
Doing her level best not to think about the discomfort she was causing, Janeway braced the leg as best she could and carefully but quickly pulled the remainder of the arrow out of B'Elanna's leg the way it had gone in. Within seconds, she was holding the offending weapon in her hand.
B'Elanna gasped as the arrow slid from her assaulted flesh and saw stars forming before her eyes.
Tossing the arrow aside, Janeway quickly used some of the water to rinse the excess blood away, and taking another strip of cloth in her hand, she reached back to the fire to pick up the metal strip that was now red hot on one end. 'Hang on B'Elanna.' she thought to herself. She had to cauterize the wound and this was the only way she could think to do it. Without hesitation she slid the hot metal strip into both the entrance and exit wounds in rapid succession.
When she had finished her work and pulled the metal strip away from B'Elanna's leg, she tossed it on the ground as well, immediately rinsing the wound one last time and covering both sides with cloth, folded into thick rectangles. Then she wrapped the other sleeve of her shirt around everything to hold it in place.
Looking back at her patient, she spoke, "All done B'Elanna." And then she stopped herself as she noticed B'Elanna's head leaning heavily to one side. Her eyes were closed and her expression almost peaceful. Raising a hand to B'Elanna's neck to check for a pulse, she waited a second to find it, but it was there, strong and steady.
The Captain then removed the tourniquet, and for the next few minutes watched for any signs of excessive bleeding. Once satisfied that all looked fine for now, she gathered the bandaging material she had previously used, as well as the now near empty water container and headed for the stream. She washed everything in the cool water, filled the water container, and moved back to sit next to the fire where she could stay warm and watch B'Elanna at the same time, the chill dampness of the cavern finally making itself known to her exposed arms, now that her upper body was clothed only in her tank top.
It didn't take long before she was shivering ever so slightly as she sat, and not entirely from the chill in the air. She would like nothing more than for Chakotay and Voyager to rush in and release them from their predicament. While some would probably be surprised, not the least of whom the officer with her on this away mission, Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation Starship Voyager was not immune to the emotional effects of having to cause her junior officer additional pain, even if it was necessary, nor was she blind to the fact that they would probably have several hours to wait before help arrived, and she hated waiting almost more than anything else in life.
Besides, would it really hurt to allow herself to acknowledge her uncertainty, if only for a brief period? She had doubts and second thoughts just like everyone else, but her years as a command officer, and her current position as Captain of a lost crew and the ultimate authority for Starfleet in the Delta Quadrant, made it impossible to allow them out of the carefully constructed compartment in her heart and mind very often.
Time was their enemy right now. Without proper medical treatment, B'Elanna could suffer complications, and without weapons, and with their mobility severely impaired because of B'Elanna's injury, they were potentially vulnerable to the Veret. Drawing her knees to her chest and wrapping them in her arms, she stared into the flames of the fire. Taking a deep breath, she used her command presence and her years of experience to keep her negative thoughts in check and push them back to where they belonged. Planning for the worst was appropriate, but worrying about it was unproductive at best.
=/\=
Some time later, and unbeknownst to Janeway, B'Elanna had come around and was now observing her captain sitting by the fire. Janeway's head was turned away so she could not see that her companion was awake. B'Elanna thought the Captain's position made her appear somewhat like an anxious child. It was an image she would never have believed she could associate with the woman in question.
While observing Janeway, she began to relive the events of their escape from the Veret. In particular she remembered being roughly shoved through the cavern opening. One thing that was standing out loud and clear was that the Captain had pushed her out of the way at the risk of her own safety. She must have seen the last volley of arrows coming. And even though B'Elanna had been struck in the leg, that unselfish act may have saved her life. She had originally been in the most vulnerable spot at the back of the group and would have been the last one below ground had Janeway not intervened. While they would never know for sure, it didn't matter.
Turning her head away from Janeway for a moment, she noticed a small piece of cloth lying in the dirt beside her, something on it glinting in the flickering firelight. Quietly reaching her hand and arm out from under her parka, she grasped the material with two fingers and pulled it to her. As soon as she had it completely in her hand, she knew what she had, even before she opened her hand and glanced at it. It was a strip of material from the discarded collar of Janeway's turtleneck, four shiny captain's pips attached in a neat row across one side. It seemed odd to B'Elanna that the Captain would so easily discard the very thing that made her different from the rest of them. But maybe, just maybe, there was more to it than that.
With everything they had been through lately, with everything that B'Elanna had faced, even with the way she had treated the Captain after her own brush with death, it had made no difference. Janeway had willingly risked her life. In her mind she was having a difficult time understanding why the Captain would put herself at risk for someone who felt less than worthy of such a sacrifice. She lie there for some time, her thoughts in turmoil, unconsciously sliding her thumb across the pips in her hand, until she could stand it no longer.
Slipping the strip of material in the pocket of her parka, she pulled herself together and attempted to sit up. Lifting the parka that covered her, she placed her hands to either side and began to pull her lower body back along the ground until she was resting, albeit somewhat awkwardly, against the same boulder she had used as a back rest before.
=/\=
The sound of B'Elanna's movement brought Kathryn Janeway out of her own reverie and she slid herself over next to the engineer to help her get more comfortable.
She was more than willing to acknowledge just how complex her relationship with her chief engineer had been of late. That was precisely why she insisted that B'Elanna accompany her on this mission. She sincerely hoped that their time together would provide an opportunity to put the recent past far behind them and get back on the right track, both professionally and personally. There was only one problem, B'Elanna getting shot, and the two of them getting stranded in a cave, wasn't what she had in mind for an excuse for quality time between the two. And she sincerely hoped it would not turn out to be more than their fragile relationship could bear.
Janeway set B'Elanna's parka behind her and then helped her lean against the boulder again. "Welcome back, Lieutenant."
"Thanks, I think." replied B'Elanna. "Captain, could I have some water please?"
"Sure, just a minute." Janeway reached around to her other side and picked up one of the water containers. She turned back to B'Elanna and opened the cap and handed it to her but kept her grip on the bottom of the container as B'Elanna's hand was visibly trembling.
B'Elanna took several easy sips and then stopped. "Thanks." she said swallowing. Then, "How long was I out?"
Janeway recapped the water container and set it aside as she answered the question. "Not that long at all, only about an hour."
"Any word from Voyager or the Hakonene?"
"No, not yet. But then it's probably too soon to hope for that. By the way, how are you feeling?"
"I think I'll live."
"Good." said Janeway as she reached over with her hand and placed it gently on the Lieutenant's forehead and then her neck. "You seem to be back to normal now. You were showing some signs of shock earlier and I was worried. How's the pain?"
"Tolerable." said B'Elanna closing her eyes.
"Why don't I believe you?" Janeway sneered and rolled her eyes, looking as skeptical as she sounded.
Torres opened her eyes again and looked at her with a hint of impatience in her expression, the situation momentarily getting the best of her. "Do I have a choice?"
"No I guess you don't. I am sorry about that. Believe me. I really hated to have to cause you any more pain, but there was no other way."
Realizing that her tone of voice had probably implied something to the Captain that she didn't mean, she smiled and spoke softly "I understand. You did what you had to and I'm grateful."
"Thanks, that helps. Contrary to popular opinion, I don't enjoy torturing my crewmembers. Let's just hope we can get back to Voyager soon so the Doctor can take proper care of you." Janeway then moved to check on the bandages again. She noticed that there was a good deal more blood on the cloth than before, but it didn't look too bad. She decided to simply add another layer of material and retighten the binding. "I have to work on this bandage a little."
"Whatever you say doc." replied Torres. While Janeway worked, B'Elanna kept talking trying to distract herself from her discomfort. "You know, if you keep this up, you might give Tom a run for his money as a medic when we get back, that is if you decide that your current job isn't interesting enough." Then she winced and blew out a heavy breath at a sudden sharp pain.
"I'm not sure Tom would appreciate the competition." Janeway said with a chuckle. She managed to get through the exercise fairly quickly and without causing any more stress than necessary to her engineer, but she could tell it had still been uncomfortable for her.
During the pause in the conversation, Janeway offered her more water and B'Elanna accepted it gratefully. Watching her while she drank, and shortly thereafter, Janeway noticed that she looked very tired. She was probably forcing herself to override the signals her body was sending her. But even a Klingon could only hope to accomplish this feat for so long. "B'Elanna, you look tired, why don't you get some sleep? I'm sure it will still be a while until the Hakonene return."
B'Elanna knew the Captain was right, she really shouldn't fight the way she felt, and right now, even though she had been conscious for only a few minutes, she was fighting an overwhelming urge to sleep. "Alright, you win."
"I didn't realize it was a competition." Janeway said with a smile and a slight shake of her head. "Just rest. I'll let you know if anyone shows up to take us home."
With that, B'Elanna rested her head back and slowly closed her eyes, but at least this time it was voluntary.
TBC