"Kill us? We mean no harm," Harry said worriedly.

"I understand," Hikari nodded, "If it were up to me I would let you take the ore, but we have protocols just like you."

"You keep reading our minds," Tom smirked.

"I am trying to learn to save you if need be would you have it any other way?" Hikari asked.

"No, I didn't mean it like that," Tom said.

They approached a bigger tent that was adorned with colored cloth, gems, and ribbons. Hikari walked in holding the curtain. Tom and Harry walked in looking around they saw a bigger Numani with furs, and bones adorned all over. He looked mean and scary. He was a bit older as he looked at Hikari and Tom.

"Viat kahn Hikari?" the man said.

"This is chief Hudon," Hikari bowed forward, "Juvani eit Hudon," she looked at Tom and Harry expectedly.

"Juvani eit Hudon," Tom said mimicking Hikari.

"Juvani eit Hudon," Harry mimicked Tom and Hikari.

"Hudon, veer meit lak tol eit gratch'mei?" Hikari took a step forward.

"Kaa," Hudon nodded. Hikari closed her eyes and as they opened they seemed to glow, Tom noted her eyes were normally blue but now they were purple.

"Good now Hikari?" Hudon asked. His voice was deep and bellowing.

"Yes Hudon," Hikari smiled gently.

"Who are you? Why are you on my land?" Hudon asked.

"My name is Tom," Tom explained, "This is my friend Harry," Tom gestured towards Harry, "We're humans. We have a ship and need dilithium ore to fuel our ship. We detected some here and wanted to mine it. We'll leave however if you'd rather us not touch it."

"Fuel?" Hudon asked.

"Like the wood for our fires," Hikari explained.

"I see," Hudon looked at Tom, "I cannot allow you to defile our lands…"

"We understand, we'll leave," Tom went to turn around.

"I cannot allow you to leave," Hudon shook his head, "You will reveal our location to other ships that need this fuel. You are a danger for others to find us."

"Our people are orbiting your planet, we have to come back or they'll come looking for us," Tom explained, "If we don't go back they'll come."

"They will not find anything," Hudon said sternly.

"Hudon, if we let them leave I am sure they will not harm us," Hikari explained.

"We'll wipe your planet out of our database, please," Harry pleaded.

"I will not risk this…" Hudon explained, "You can still be a risk."

"Sir," Tom began.

"It is decided," Hudon's voice boomed, "Put them in our prison Hikari, take their things."

"Batah," Hikari began.

"Do not Batah me!" Hudon growled, "Do as I say!"

Hikari nodded as she began to walk the two of them out. Tom looked at her.

"Please…" Tom began.

"Hush," Hikari moved through the village as she headed towards the cages she went past them and nodded, "Get back to your ship," She picked up some dirt and began rubbing it on herself.

"What are you doing?" Tom asked.

"You are going to go back to your ship and leave," Hikari instructed, "I will say you escaped."

"You should come with us," Harry explained, "Maybe if you see what we have…" Harry began.

"Batah will not understand," Hikari shook her head.

"What does Batah mean?" Tom asked.

"Father," Hikari said gently.

"Hudon is your Father?" Harry looked shocked.

"Yes," Hikari nodded.

"Let's go Harry," Tom looked at Hikari, "Thank you."

"Think nothing of it," Hikari smiled gently, "Your mate would be upset if you were to be impaled again."

"You have no idea," Tom chuckled looking at Harry, "Let's go."

Hikari could hear shouting as Tom and Harry ran off she sat on the ground and pretended to be hurt.

Some hunters came and ended up seeing Hikari. Tom and Harry were halfway to the ship. Harry looked back as he could see they were gaining. Tom pushed Harry forward and nodded.

"Go," Tom said sternly, "Get to the ship," Tom took out his phaser as he slowed down, "I'll hold them off."

"No way, you're not doing this again Tom!" Harry said sternly.

"It wasn't a request…" Tom said sternly, "It's an order, Ensign."

"Tom!" Harry said angrily.

"Go, or I'll write in the report you disobeyed a direct order," Tom looked at Harry, "Captain might even take your rank."

"That's not fair Tom," Harry said angrily.

"Go Harry," Tom said looking at the hunters. He fired his phaser causing branches to collapse and halting the Hunters distracting them. Harry ran off furious now.

He made it to the shuttle and began trying to get the com system back up. He sighed as he closed the hatch and began to mess with settings and amplified the signal.

"Ensign Kim to Voyager, come in Voyager!" Harry called out.

"We hear you, Harry, what's going on?" Kathryn called out.

"Tom is distracting this species called the Numani, they're primitive, we couldn't avoid them, we tried. Their Chief attempted to kill us, the chief's daughter saved us and let us run. I guess their hunters caught wind of it...Tom is out there alone, he pulled rank...I didn't want…" Harry sighed heavily, "I didn't want to...lose mine."

There was a pause as Harry began looking for how the engine was. He heard Kathryn's voice again.

"We can get a lock on you and the shuttle Harry...if you get Tom in there we can get you back, we don't know how long it will last. Get Tom Harry," Kathryn said quickly.

"Yes ma'am," Harry nodded leaving the shuttle quickly as he heard phaser fire.

Harry ran towards the phaser fire and noticed Tom on the ground. He saw the hunters messing with the phaser. Tom was groaning and pale. Harry set his phaser to stun and pointed it at the hunter with the phaser. He shot the hunter with the phaser stunning him. The other hunters looked over and Harry shot the other two as well stunning them. He ran up to the hunter who had the phaser and took it. He looked at Tom as they had stabbed him a few times. Harry went over to Tom and saw he was barely breathing.

"I…" Tom gasped, "I told you...to go…you….disobeyed a...direct...order."

"I think the Captain telling me to come to get you overrides that," Harry said, he looked up hearing a sound he held up the phaser. He lowered it seeing Hikari.

"Oh no," Hikari sighed, "They knew…" she looked at the hunters.

"They aren't hurt," Harry said swiftly, "Just mild burns. They're just stunned."

"Well," Hikari nodded looking at Tom, "I'll help you move him."

She went to the other side of Tom and they began to move him. Tom groaned as they moved him as they got to the shuttle Hikari heard yelling. She helped them get inside and nodded seeing all the technology.

"Go," Hikari nodded.

"You should come, they'll know you betrayed them," Harry said softly.

"No, they won't...they won't remember you, I will make sure of that," Hikari said softly.

"Wh-What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"I will wipe their memory of you...go," Hikari said gently, quickly backing out of the shuttle, "Take care Harry," she smiled gently.

"Thank you," Harry nodded.

"I'm sure you will find your mate...she will be worthy of you, and you of her," Hikari nodded, "As my people say, Lui'aili voor'a mahkt'ak. It means 'Good fortune and love to you'."

"Thank you," Harry smiled as he tapped the interface a few times, "We're ready to beam up Captain, Tom needs sickbay."

Hikari watched as Harry, Tom and the shuttle were beamed away.

Tom was taken to sickbay along with Harry and the shuttle was back in the shuttle bay. Harry helped the Doctor get Tom onto the bed and the Doctor looked at him.

"What happened?" the Doctor asked.

"No dilithium for us," Harry sighed, "A native species found us...attacked us."

"Let me guess, Mister Paris told you to go," the Doctor said scanning Tom.

"He ordered me," Harry said frustrated, "Pulled rank...he never does that."

"Well, he obviously cares about you," the Doctor explained.

"Is he going to be okay?" Harry asked.

"I can fix him Mister Kim," the Doctor typed into the biobed interface and it closed in over Tom's chest, "He'll be okay."

"B'Elanna is gonna kill me," Harry sighed.

"It's not your fault," the Doctor said grabbing a few hyposprays and a few other gadgets Harry didn't recognize, "You're not injured are you, Mister Kim?"

"No," Harry shook his head.

"Good, you should leave, and rest. Or at least report to the Captain that we didn't get the dilithium," the Doctor suggested.

"Of course Doc, thanks," Harry nodded leaving quickly.

Harry went into the turbo lift as he began thinking about how he just listened to Tom. He didn't question him. He didn't disobey him the first time...he just...listened. He was furious with himself. He felt something tug at him and he felt tears coming to his eyes. Tom could've died if he hadn't gone back out there. They may not even be in this position if Harry just stayed and fought. He backed into the wall and slid down as he hugged his knees and began to cry. He didn't know why he was crying. It could be that he felt he let Tom down, and B'Elanna. He felt that for once he had the chance to take action but didn't. He'd forgotten he sent himself to the bridge. By now, Voyager was far from the planet. As the doors opened everyone on the bridge could hear Harry's crying. Kathryn and Chakotay stood up and walked over. Kathryn's face went from confusion to sadness and sympathy.

"Harry," Kathryn walked into the turbolift and Chakotay kept his foot in the door.

"I'm sorry Captain," Harry shook his head, "I could've...I should've…"

"It's okay Harry," Kathryn hugged Harry looking over at Chakotay who looked down, "It'll be okay Harry."

Kathryn looked away realizing that Harry must have seen what happened to Tom or the aftermath of it. Them being as close as they were it obviously got to him.

TBC...