Just a little something I wrote in Econ today.
Little More
It starts like this…
The Captain, B'Elanna, Neelix and three security officers go on an away mission. The planet they've beamed down too is M-Class, just barely. Scans had shown that there were high amounts of some chemical B'Elanna and the Captain thought might boost the efficiency of the warp drive. Then Neelix thought he might be able to find some new food on the surface; he really didn't like cooking with replicated food. Worst case scenario, they wasted a few hours (like they hadn't done that before) and only found some more Leyola root. Best case scenario, B'Elanna found that she could make the chemical work with the warp engines, and they shaved a few years off their seemingly endless journey.
And it goes like this…
The chemical B'Elanna needs is difficult to obtain and not available in high enough concentrations for the Captain to justify remaining on the planet. Neelix found some funny looking fruits that even he isn't sure is edible. Janeway agrees to bring some back to the ship for testing, if only for a couple of hours.
And it happens like this…
The planet is home to savage creatures that somewhat resemble the Vidiians, but they have no desire to steal the crews' organs for medicinal purposes. They seemed to be driven entirely by the desire to devour whatever form of meat they could find, whether it be dead or alive.
And it goes like this…
The away team managed to beam off the surface quickly, but one of the creatures had been a little quicker. B'Elanna managed to survive long enough to get to the Doctor, and almost two hours after. The Doctor tried for what seemed like an eternity to save her. Nothing he did was enough. Her injuries were just too extensive.
And it went like this…
Try as he might, Tom can't seem to find it in himself to be devastated by his wife's death. He was sad, sure, sad that he'd lost a friend. He'd lost friends before and this felt no different. She may have been his wife, but it seemed to take her death to realize they were little more than friends.
And it ends like this…
Harry drags him to Sandrine's to get piss drunk like any grieving widower should. The alcohol is good and the company is welcome, but Tom has no desire to drown his emotions in a bottle of liquor, when the only emotion he's really feeling is happy to be with his best friend in a way he hasn't been there since he got married.