"The three minutes are over, Ensign."
"I know, Tuvok. I'm about to try...I got them."
Everybody on the bridge sighed out aloud. Except Tuvok, who typically Vulcan, just raised an eyebrow.
"No, wait a minute, I've got only the signal of Tom!"
"Why? What happened to Lieutenant Torres?" asked the Captain.
"I don't know, I can't get her, maybe she's still under the surface?"
"I don't believe Mr Paris just left her. But maybe he's got answers. I'll go to the transporter room. Chakotay you have the bridge."
With that she headed straight to the turbolift, signalling to Tuvok that she wanted him to accompany her. Maybe a little logic could help. Especially as she didn't know what to expect.
/\
They arrived just in time. Ensign Bristow stood at the console when the Captain and Tuvok entered the transporter room to see a very pale Tom Paris standing on the platform. He looked shocked and a little disoriented "B'Elanna!" he cried, turning around to see if she was there. "Why haven't you transported her?" he shouted at the Captain.
"Mr. Paris," Tuvok warned him, "You are talking to your Captain.It is not-"
"Let him speak Tuvok. Tom, we weren't able to beam her up. We couldn't get her signal. What the hell happened down there?"
"We've got to go back!" was his response.
"First, you should inform me about what happened."
"I...I...had lost B'Elanna on our mission so I went to find her, after I told Neelix and the Doctor to leave in the shuttle. After an hour or so I came across a huge building that looked like a prison, just under the ground..." he trailed off.
"Go on..."
"I crept carefully into the prison I asked lots of the cell inhabitants if they had seen her and they told me exactly where they had brought her and what would happen to all of them. Including B'Elanna.
"That's how I found out that it wasn't a prison. It's for locking people up, their slaves. The prisoners described the way to her cell so I tried to get there as fast as possible. But those aliens had somehow gotten to know about my plans. Soon they followed me and captured me too. That didn't matter though because the put me in the same cell as B'Elanna. When they brought us food we broke free and tried to surface as fast as we could. B'Elanna was behind me, she was, I don't know, maybe ten metres away from me when two aliens who were chasing us shot her. Then I was transported back here...
"...We need to go back! I'll take a shuttle."
He headed quickly for the door.
"Tom!" Janeway called after him "You can't go back!"
As well as she could understand his position, it was just too risky.
"But we've got to or it will be too late! What if she gets sold right now? It'll be nearly impossible to find her again. If we don't get her out of there she'll lose her entire life...I can't take that risk. You've got to let me do this, Captain."
"With all due respect, Tom, what are you going to do? They won't let her break free again! We need a good plan, that's the only chance for us right now. Before we reflect on what to do go get some sleep. We need a pilot who is fit to fly."
Tom just couldn't understand why Janeway stayed so damn calm.
"Do you really think I'm able to sleep right now? We need to hurry, Captain!"
"We'll start formulating a plan Tom. I realise you won't sleep but take a shower and use your time to calm down."
"But..."
"Do you want me to make that an order, Lieutenant?"
After a minute of uncomfortable silence he answered "No, Captain."
"Oh and Tom? The Doctor should check on you and give you something so you can sleep the next few days."
Tom just nodded and left the transorter room in silence.
/\
He didn't go to the Doctor, physically he was fine. He knew that. And sleep, well, who would want to sleep in his situation? He certainly didn't. He just wanted to be alone, thinking about what had happened, thinking about what they were supposed to do.
While he was lying on his bed, he cursed himself for not having been able to help her. Why was he the one rescued? Tom was sure if it had been Seven of Nine who was missing, or even Chakotay for that matter, the Captain would have taken every risk she needed to take. But no, if it was B'Elanna she seemed to have other priorities. Get some rest? Was she crazy? Just an hour could mean that B'Elanna lost everything she had. Everything they had.
He realized how important their relationship was to him.They loved and trusted each other. Moreover their relationship had changed her; she wasn't so mad at everyone anymore and respected herself now, which meant she respected her Klingon half too. Their relationship had changed him as well; the times when he had let down everyone, because of his selfish behaviour, were over. Besides, he wasn't the "self-absorbed pig" anymore, as B'Elanna used to call him in the beginning when they were forced to work together as two senior officers.
He badly wanted to help her right now but he knew that he couldn't just walk over and start a fight with hundreds of aliens. The diplomatic way seemed to be out of question too, as he had experienced that they weren't a diplomatic race at all. The "just-get-her-out" way would also not succeed, he knew, because it had already failed before.
There weren't any other possibilities! He was so angry that he threw the glass that had been a precious gift at their first date as a couple against the wall. Their first date took place two years ago, when everything had been fine and happy. Now the glass was shattered into a thousand pieces...
/\
"Chakotay to the Captain."
"Go ahead, Commander."
"What did Tom say? What happened on the planet?"
"I suggest you come to my room. We have to work out a plan. See you there. Janeway out."
/\
In one of the tracts of Tevernaraia, amongst some of the grey, old cells down in the corridors, a woman lay on the floor, barely moving. She was no longer alone as two Ratans made their way to her.
"There she is! I told you we wouldn't let her escape, my lord."
"Can you guarantee she's alive?" His loud voice made clear that he outranked the Ratan who was with him.
"Well..."
"Then check! Do you think anyone would buy her if she's dead?"
"No, my lord." He said a little frightened while trying to feel her pulse. After a minute he finally got it. "She's alive but weak. We should no longer wait…Her friends could come back."
"Agreed. Make sure Viter starts soon. She looks kind of exotic, don't you think? Our customers will like her and pay an appropriate prize, for sure."
"Of course, my lord."
/\
Tom woke up hoping. Hoping that everything had been a dream, expecting B'Elanna to be lying next to him. But as soon as he started to open his eyes, his hope began to die.
Suddenly his comm badge chirped to adjourn his thoughts.
"Kim to Paris. Are you awake?"
"I seem to be."
"We have a senior staff meeting in approximately 10 minutes. See you there. Kim out."
Ten minutes. Not really much time to get ready. Maybe they had worked out a plan, and everything would turn out ...Maybe. Maybe their plan was damned to fail. Maybe they wouldn't even find her. Maybe... Stop it, Paris! Neither thinking about what could happen nor pitying yourself will help the situation. With that final thought he quickly put on his clothes, ready to start his day. Ten minutes would have to do.
/\
When he arrived in the meeting room he made his way to his seat next to Harry's. However the seat on his left remained empty.
"How are you?" the young Ensign who had become his best friend asked.
"Great just great, Harry." he said, not even trying to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.
"Look, I know it's hard for you, and I'm really, really sorry for what happened down there but you have to go on. Behaving like that won't help her at all."
"Oh come on, Harry. I'm worried, don't you understand?"
"Of course, but you have to be calm, that's the only way to help her right now."
"What would you do if you were in my position? You have no idea what we could do, do you? Just like the Captain, Chakotay and everybody else on this damn ship! We have to do something; I don't want them to hurt her. Just sitting here is driving me crazy!"
In that moment the Captain entered the room which meant the meeting was about to start.
Besides B'Elanna's chair, Seven of Nine's chair stayed empty during the meeting, as the ex-borg was exploring a strange nebula some lightyears away.
"Chakotay and I were working out a plan to rescue B'Elanna all night. We don't know if it's work but I think it's worth a try…" She looked at everyone in the room. "It's quite simple; if she's a slave, we'll buy her."
/\
At approximately 0900 the starship Intrepid class USS Voyager entered orbit of the Ratan planet. As soon as they reached it, they received a message.
"Welcome to Ratan territory. We are honoured to call you our guests. If you are interested in buying slaves, let us know. We have slaves for every use."
When Tom heard this message he pressed his fists so hard against the grey metal of his console that it almost broke his bones. For every use. The phrase was repeating constantly in his head. What would they do to her? Hurt her? Make her work so hard that she wants to
die? He thought about the last time he had seen her. "Tom" she had called out when she had been shot, but it was only a faint whisper he had heard too late. What if she hadn't survived the shot?
"Tom!"
"Captain?" He dared to take a quick look over his shoulder. The Captain wore that worried look.
"Is everything alright?" she asked
Had she really asked that question? He couldn't believe it. Of course nothing was "alright". Wasn't that obvious? However he knew he shouldn't let his personal problems interfere with his job. That would do no one any good. Neither him, the crew, nor B'Elanna. "I guess so, Captain."
/\
"Chakotay, Tuvok, you'll accompany me to the surface."
"Captain!" Tom interjected, "I should come with you. I know where to go!" He had to go with them. He just hoped he was able to convince Janeway. He looked at her as she seemed to think about it.
"Alright, then. Although I suppose you know that they could recognize you since you escaped just a few days ago."
Maybe that was true but he couldn't stay aboard. He knew he just couldn't do that. Janeway knew that too.
