Title: Any Other Name
Author: Zappy Zaps
Category: AU Drama/Action/Adventure
Summary: Neh..
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: All the Star Trek characters are Paramount's. I don't own them (yet). ;) Archiving: Please do, but tell me! zappyzaps@hotmail.com
Author's note: Now you get to here about Sobey and Tom's trip to the Liberty. And now back to my favourite genre! Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe!! Mwa-ha ha ha haaa!! (
May 02/June02
Part 7
Chakotay paused just inside the entrance the Captain's quarters. The doors slid shut behind him. "Why do you want to know about him?" Chakotay asked.
Janeway proceeds to tell him about the information she found in the database, but not how she found it. That's classified.
"Intelligence report no doubt," Chakotay said when Kathryn had finished. She gave him a small smile. "Is my file in there too?" he asks playfully but Kathryn gets him back on the topic of Sobey and their encounter with Corrin.
"Sobey joined my sect about a year before Tuvok did. Sobey was between thirty and thirty-three years old when we met. Corrin was only about."
"Twenty four," Janeway guessed. That's how old Tommy Paris would have been at that time.
Chakotay nodded. "That sound about right. He and Corrin were very much alike in demeanour but Sobey, I could read his eyes and know what he was thinking, maybe it's a betazoid thing but Corrin.Corrin's eyes are like ice."
"Not always." B'Elanna whispered to herself.
((=/\=))
The Liberty was taking heavy damage. Shields had failed and nothing they tried could lessen the effect of the Cardassian weapons. Inside the ship they could hear the screeching sound as the hull started to buckle. A few moments later another explosion rocked the ship, weapons were gone too.
"Suggestions, " Chakotay said desperately to the people around him hoping they had an idea that would be their saving grace. Silence was the only response. Chakotay tried to manoeuvre the near crippled vessel but the impulse engines had taken heavy damage and the navigation system was just one major glitch. It seemed that this would be the end of the Liberty and her valiant crew of freedom fighters but Sobey hadn't given up.
At the Operations stations Sobey had long given up trying to bring shields back online, for now that was a lost cause. Currently he was trying to coax that subspace communication beacon to send out one short message. He had been met with nothing but problems for the past few minutes that he had been trying, but finally the message was sent. He let out the breath he had been holding and hoped his colleague and friend got here in time.
"Captain," Ayala got Chakotay's attention, "A ship just decloaked off our starboard bow."
"Who is it?" Chakotay asked hoping it wasn't another Cardassin come to join the fun. He doubted it was a Maquis ship; very few of them had cloaking devices.
"Unknown. The ship's unmarked and there's no transponder."
"He's a friend," Sobey stated as he looked out the view port. The sleek ship sailed by and engaged the larger Cardassian warship.
"He doesn't stand a chance," Chakotay said as he looked at the sensors. If the reading were right the small ship was already heavily damaged. How would it be able to survive taking on a warship alone?
"Don't count him out just yet," Sobey said confidently. Tom had never let him down before.
The sleek vessel pitched and rolled avoiding the weapons fire directed at it while it unleashed a hail of torpedoes on the Cardassian ship and relentless phaser fire. The amount of ammunition the small ship unleashed looked like more than it could possibly hold.
The amount of ammunition was running low and the pilot of the ship decided to hold on to his last few torpedoes for the time being. The Cardassian ship still had weapons and that was bad news for the Liberty. They had no means of defence and the ship would only be able to take one or two more direct hits.
The Cardassian commanding officer also knowing this decided to concentrate their efforts on the disabled Maquis vessel but they underestimated the small ship attacking them.
The Cardassian ship fired on the Liberty sending two torpedoes at it but at the same time the small craft let out two carefully aimed torpedoes at the Cardassian vessel just before it sped away to protect the Liberty.
Using his second last torpedo the pilot of the small ship destroyed the first torpedo the Cardassians had shot but when he tried to fire the second one the launcher jammed. The damaged had finally been too much for the ships weapons to take.
The single torpedo sped towards the Liberty with the other ship hot on it's trail. In two seconds it would impact the Liberty and that might be the one final blow needed to destroy the old ship and all who reside within it.
The Cardassian ship was dealing with its own problems. The last two hits they had taken had destroyed over half of the back up systems the ship had been using and caused a massive power surge thorough out the ship. For reasons unknown to them the torpedoes had easily penetrated their shield and the damage was staggering. Dead in the water they watched as their torpedo approached the Liberty with the small troublesome ship trying to catch up.
"Hang on!" Chakotay yelled as the torpedo was nearly upon them but they waited and felt only a slight shudder when they should have felt the ship falling apart around them. Looking outside or at the sensors they knew what had happened.
The small ship had been guided to intercept the torpedo and save the Liberty. The shockwave had only slightly rocked the Liberty leaving it safe for the moment.
A small device was shot from the small ship to the hull of the liberty. It attached itself and activated. It released a field that strengthened the structural integrity of the damaged ship.
As the ship started to leave the scene Sobey instructed Chakotay to follow and he did, leaving the Cardassians to fume. Slowly the two ships lurched towards the destination known only by the single occupant of the smaller vessel. They entered a nebula that almost completely blocked out their sensors. For nearly an hour they crept along as fast as they could go until final their destination was in sight. And L-Class planet (with a breathable atmosphere though it was a severely arctic climate) appeared on their sensors. They had not even known of its existence.
"The other ship is badly damaged," Ayala said and just then an explosion erupted from the small craft guiding them. Plasma started to leak and as it reacted with the nebular gases more explosions damaged the ship.
"The planet's gravity is pulling it down!" Chakotay tried to get their tractor beam online to save the other ship but before he could the ship disappeared in the planets atmosphere. There was silence on the bridge as they helplessly watched their saviour plummet to the planets frozen and rocky surface. At the speed the ship was going there was now way the occupant survived, that's what most of them were thinking but not Sobey.
"As soon as transporters are online we have to go down and help him." Sobey said evenly as he went to work. Chakotay thought Sobey was having difficulty coming to terms with the person's death.
"Sobey," he looked at the dark haired man he had come to respect, "He's gone."
"No, he's not. Trust me," he looked into Chakotay's eyes, "please." The black eyes of the betazoid man held an unwavering belief that the occupant of the shuttle was alright and so Chakotay conceded to his request.
Nearly three hours later Chakotay, Sobey, Ayala and Golwat, a female Bolian, all beamed to the planets surface wearing heavy jackets to shield them from the cold. Golwat had some medical experience and despite her aversion to cold climates she joined the away team.
The moment the transporter beam released them the harsh wind bit at their exposed skin and they tried to cover up more. Sobey was the first to start walking. The wind was against them but his grim determination gave him all the strength he needed to fight his way through.
During the last hours on the ship Sobey had been working quickly trying to speed up the process of repairs. Chakotay had watched in worry as he worked hoping to all the spirits that Sobey's friend who had saved them was still alive.
They had beamed down about three hundred meters away from the crash site. The ship had crashed in a valley between two rather large peaks. The targeting scanners on the Liberty were not state of the art and could not place them safely on the hillside so they settled for the other side of the smaller rise.
Sobey kept a pace the other could hardly keep up with, but he stopped every once in a while to help the others and let them catch up. Golwat was a small person and she was having trouble fighting against the wind so Ayala had to help her quite a bit making progress slow. Eventually they made it to the valley and the winds died down to nearly nothing.
Carved into the hard surface ice was the small craft's skid path when it crashed until finally it slid to a rest. Weapons burns marked the side of the ship but hey could not see the other side of the ship were the torpedo it had intercepted had struck.
As they neared the entrance hatch to the ship Sobey told the other to stay back. He knew the person inside was not unconscious and just might attack them if he felt they were a threat.
He forced open the hatch hoping to feel some heat exit the ship but the interior was as cold as the planet's surface. He stepped in and looked around but didn't see any one. Conduits had ruptured mixing toxic gases into the air. The smell of burnt material assaulted his senses as he looked at the damage. Bulkheads had been damaged a few consoles had exploded including the helm, exactly were the pilot would have been sitting.
Sobey turned to face his shipmates that were still standing outside to tell them he couldn't find anyone but as he did a form dropped from his hiding place on the ceiling and landed behind the intruder. With a disrupter to the back of his head Sobey stayed very still.
"Corrin, it's me, Sal."
A second later the weapon was dropped and Sobey turned around.
"Sorry, I didn't know," Corrin said softly as he stumbled backwards.
"Holy shit," was the first words that left Sobey's mouth when he saw the state of his friend.
"I taught you that phrase," Corrin said in a weak voice as he sat down on a storage container.
Sobey waved the others to come over and went back to his assessment of Corrin. Blood had dried (or frozen) on the side of his face from a gash on his forehead. His neck had a plasma burn on it. The sleeve of one arm of his shirt looked liked it had been partly burnt and partly ripped off and a crude bandaged was soaked in blood as it covered a deep gash in his upper arm. Burn marks covered the tattered uniform and Sobey knew how much those suits were designed to hide injuries. If the suit was that badly damaged the injuries inside would be far worse.
Sobey also noticed the blue tinge to Corrin's lips and the pale cast to his skin. The temperature in the shuttle was well below freezing yet Corrin wasn't shivering; that was definitely not a good sign.
Golwat also noticed the injuries and opened the med kit she had brought with her. She approached and scanned the human looking man before her. The results were not comforting. His body temperature had dropped several degrees and he was entering the early stages of hypothermia. There were serious internal injuries that they had to take care of and there was another serious wound covered by the suit he wore. She reached to open it up and heal what she could of the injury but Corrin moved away from her hands.
"Believe me you don't want to look," he said. He could barely keep his eyes open.
"Stop being stubborn and let her help," Sobey said sternly and started to unzip the front of the shirt portion of the suit.
"You sound like Reigh," Corrin mumbled softly.
As he opened the uniform blood dripped out and Sobey cursed again. The inner shirt was fairly shredded and stained with blood. Taking one of the medical instruments he and Golwat went to work healing some of the wounds. Tom slipped into unconsciousness for a moment before stirring again.
"Stay still," Sobey ordered, preoccupied with his work.
"You can't order me around." Tom mumbled.
"Not now Corrin." Sobey was seriously worried about Tom's condition. Don't die on me, Sobey kept repeating in his head and Tom picked up on the fear.
"I'm not going to die Sal. I still owe you," Tom mumbled before he lost consciousness again. Sobey looked at the man unconscious before him and hoped that he would be alright. He zipped up the suit again. He draped one of Corrin's arms over his shoulder. Corrin woke up from the painless bliss of unconsciousness as the pain in his arm sharply increased with the motion.
"Ow," he said deliberately, letting Sobey know he was conscious.
"You'll be okay," Sobey assured as Chakotay went to Corrin's other side to help support the man.
"I know that," Corrin said but it was cut at the end as a sharp pain ripped through his chest.
With Chakotay and Sobey's help Corrin was guided out of his ship and into the open. Ayala contacted the Liberty to beam them up and a moment later the five people vanished.
Slowly awareness returned to him. Where was he? What had happened? His memory failed him at the moment. Sal. Had he really been there or had the hypothermia and blood loss made him delusional.
He couldn't be sure what had happened so falling back on what he was taught he did not move. He listened carefully to his surrounding trying to determine his location.
"Corrin, it's Sal. I know you're awake so open your eyes already," a familiar voice ordered.
"He's unconscious," another voice said.
"No, I'm not," Corrin rasped as he tried to sit up, startling the person who thought he was unconscious.
"Hey! I said open your eyes, not get up," Sobey said as he helped Tom up. "How do you feel?"
"Like I just went ten rounds with a dozen angry Ktarian," Corrin joked as he looked at the bandages around his torso. "Where's my suit?"
"You mean what's left of the blood soaked and shredded material you were wearing? I disposed of it."
"At least you left my pants," Corrin mumbled to himself as he noticed he was missing a very important item. "Sal, where's my-" Corrin started as he felt his left wrist where the item usually was.
"It's over here," Sal said as he fetched the obeject Corrin was looking for. Sobey picked a metal band about six inches wide that wrapped abound Corrin's forearm. Tom had received this on Fierum Prime and it was considered an honour to wear. One the metal band there was a symbol carved into it and an inscription in hieroglyphics that went aournd the band. Corrin placed it back on his left forearm and closed the clasps to lock it in place.
"Thanks," Corrin said. Corrin then turned his attention to the man with a tattoo on his forehead looking at him and Sal. "Captain Chakotay, I presume." the man nodded and stepped closer. "Why is it so damn cold in here?" Corrin asked.
"It's not. You were suffering from hypothermia not too long ago-" Chakotay said.
"How long have I been out?"
"Only two hours," Sobey informed him. "You were slipping in and out of consciousness for the first little while."
"Hmm, that's great," Corrin intoned disinterestedly as he got off the biobed. He headed for the door.
"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Sobey stopped the still injured man before he reached the door.
"Back to my ship. I have work." He trailed off as he suddenly became light-headed.
"Come on. Back to bed you go," Sobey helped him back to the biobed. "You lost quite a bit of blood. You won't be going anywhere for while."
Corrin didn't say anything. The few steps he had taken to try and get to the door had taken more energy than he'd willingly admit. He also had to concentrate on ignoring the pain all over his body, which was becoming increasingly more difficult to do.
Sobey helped him lay down. Corrin stared up unseeing at the ceiling. Sobey looked down at him before closing his eyes and reaching out telepathically and touching the surface Corrin's mind.
"Relax," Sobey whispered and Corrin's eyes began to droop. "Don't fight me Tom," Sobey said quietly. The blue eyes fluttered closed and finally he slept. Sobey pulled back and left Tom in peace.
"Will he be alright?" Chakotay asked as he moved to Sobey's side.
"Yes, if he takes care of himself," Sobey said in a doubtful tone.
"I take it he's fairly reckless," Chakotay said looking down at the young man who slept peacefully.
"Reckless is an understatement."
Sobey and Chakotay walked through the corridor of the Liberty heading to the bridge. They still had repairs to do. They were silent most of the way. Sobey's thoughts were with the man in sickbay and Chakotay's were centred around the man walking beside him. There was so much he didn't know about Sobey but had always been too busy to ask.
"How do you know Corrin?" Chakotay asked.
"We used to work together," Sobey said not giving Chakotay much to work with.
"He's quite young. What did you two do together?" Chakotay inquired further.
Sobey only shrugged. "This and that."
"Is he Maquis?" Chakotay asked wondering what sect he could be from.
"No he's not. He usually works alone."
"Maybe he should join us. His ship is badly damaged," Chakotay suggested but Sobey shook his head.
"It's only scratched."
In sickbay Tom woke again only this time he remembered everything and sat up immediately. He looked around and saw a young bajoran man looking at him. Tom swung his leg over the edge of the bed and stood, slowly.
"Where's Sal?" he asked the younger man.
"Sal?" There was no one on the ship by that name.
Tom closed his eyes as he tried to recall the other name Sal sometimes went by. "Sobey,"
"I'll contact him," the Bajoran said as he went to a console to contact the bridge where he knew Sobey would be.
Meanwhile Tom tested the range of motion he had with his injuries. Most of his injuries had to be treated the old fashioned way with gauze and bandages as they could not afford to use too much energy on the regenerators. Tom gently pressed at the bandage over his torso wondering idly what injuries he had. Once he felt a sharp pain he stopped and moved to a different area.
He looked at his arms and noticed a few more bandages. I was banged up pretty badly, Tom thought to himself as he tested his shoulder. There was some pain when he moved but he could manage. There was also a bandage on the right side of his neck covering another wound.
"Stop poking. You're just going to aggravate it." Tom turned to the entrance to the room and saw Sal walk in.
"Always ordering me around," Tom shook his head from side to side.
"It's not like you listen to me anyway" Sobey turned to Gerron and thanked him for watching his friend. Gerron responded and left the room leaving the two men alone. "I'm glad you were in the area."
"Me too," Tom said. "So now how many do I owe you?"
Sobey smiled, something he didn't do in the company of many people. "You don't owe me anything," the betazoid told the younger half human/half Fieran.
"I should get back to my ship. Start on repairs and.stuff,"
"Sure," Sobey conceded and gave Tom a shirt he had taken from his own limited wardrobe.
"Thanks," Tom said as he put on the black shirt. They left the sickbay and headed towards the transporter room. Sobey nodded at the passing shipmates as he and Tom talked about what had been happening lately.
Sobey told Tom about some of the crewmembers on board. Captain Chakotay was a good man and it was an honour to be part of his sect. B'Elanna Torres the head engineer, Sobey spoke very highly of. Talented, pretty, brilliant and rather fiery.
"You'd like her," Sobey concluded. Tom just rolled his eyes.
"There are a couple of crewmembers that don't sit quite right with me." Tom listened carefully knowing that Sobey was an experienced man and if something didn't feel right to him, it's because it wasn't. "There's another betazoid on board but I don't feel anything from him."
"Mental barrier," Tom suggested.
"No. From you I feel next to nothing because of your barriers but from him it's different. There's also a woman who I find..questionable."
"Questionable?"
"She's secretive," Sobey tried to describe.
"So are you." Tom said plainly.
"Then what is she hiding?" Sobey asked but Tom didn't have the answer.
"Watch her, and watch your back," Tom advised as they reached the transporter room.
"I always do," Sobey said as they entered.
Inside Captain Chakotay was waiting to thank Corrin for his help and at the controls was B'Elanna Torres.
"Corrin, thanks for your help," Chakotay said as he extended his hand. Tom shook it. "Are you sure you want to go back down there-"
"I'm not going to abandon my ship because it's been scratched," Corrin said.
"Corrin, be careful," Sobey warned as Tom took his place on the transporter pad.
"I always am, Sal." Tom nodded to the woman at the controls and in an instant he vanished.
Sobey took a deep breath and wondered if he would every see his friend again. He had nearly lost him again and now he's on his own once more. He left the transporter room without a word to anyone.
Torres and Chakotay glanced at the other wondering what was going on. Corrin seemed to know Sobey very well and vice versa but from where did they know each other from?
((=/\=))
End Part 7
I'll write more about Sobey later! You just wait! zappyzaps@hotmail.com
Author: Zappy Zaps
Category: AU Drama/Action/Adventure
Summary: Neh..
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: All the Star Trek characters are Paramount's. I don't own them (yet). ;) Archiving: Please do, but tell me! zappyzaps@hotmail.com
Author's note: Now you get to here about Sobey and Tom's trip to the Liberty. And now back to my favourite genre! Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe!! Mwa-ha ha ha haaa!! (
May 02/June02
Part 7
Chakotay paused just inside the entrance the Captain's quarters. The doors slid shut behind him. "Why do you want to know about him?" Chakotay asked.
Janeway proceeds to tell him about the information she found in the database, but not how she found it. That's classified.
"Intelligence report no doubt," Chakotay said when Kathryn had finished. She gave him a small smile. "Is my file in there too?" he asks playfully but Kathryn gets him back on the topic of Sobey and their encounter with Corrin.
"Sobey joined my sect about a year before Tuvok did. Sobey was between thirty and thirty-three years old when we met. Corrin was only about."
"Twenty four," Janeway guessed. That's how old Tommy Paris would have been at that time.
Chakotay nodded. "That sound about right. He and Corrin were very much alike in demeanour but Sobey, I could read his eyes and know what he was thinking, maybe it's a betazoid thing but Corrin.Corrin's eyes are like ice."
"Not always." B'Elanna whispered to herself.
((=/\=))
The Liberty was taking heavy damage. Shields had failed and nothing they tried could lessen the effect of the Cardassian weapons. Inside the ship they could hear the screeching sound as the hull started to buckle. A few moments later another explosion rocked the ship, weapons were gone too.
"Suggestions, " Chakotay said desperately to the people around him hoping they had an idea that would be their saving grace. Silence was the only response. Chakotay tried to manoeuvre the near crippled vessel but the impulse engines had taken heavy damage and the navigation system was just one major glitch. It seemed that this would be the end of the Liberty and her valiant crew of freedom fighters but Sobey hadn't given up.
At the Operations stations Sobey had long given up trying to bring shields back online, for now that was a lost cause. Currently he was trying to coax that subspace communication beacon to send out one short message. He had been met with nothing but problems for the past few minutes that he had been trying, but finally the message was sent. He let out the breath he had been holding and hoped his colleague and friend got here in time.
"Captain," Ayala got Chakotay's attention, "A ship just decloaked off our starboard bow."
"Who is it?" Chakotay asked hoping it wasn't another Cardassin come to join the fun. He doubted it was a Maquis ship; very few of them had cloaking devices.
"Unknown. The ship's unmarked and there's no transponder."
"He's a friend," Sobey stated as he looked out the view port. The sleek ship sailed by and engaged the larger Cardassian warship.
"He doesn't stand a chance," Chakotay said as he looked at the sensors. If the reading were right the small ship was already heavily damaged. How would it be able to survive taking on a warship alone?
"Don't count him out just yet," Sobey said confidently. Tom had never let him down before.
The sleek vessel pitched and rolled avoiding the weapons fire directed at it while it unleashed a hail of torpedoes on the Cardassian ship and relentless phaser fire. The amount of ammunition the small ship unleashed looked like more than it could possibly hold.
The amount of ammunition was running low and the pilot of the ship decided to hold on to his last few torpedoes for the time being. The Cardassian ship still had weapons and that was bad news for the Liberty. They had no means of defence and the ship would only be able to take one or two more direct hits.
The Cardassian commanding officer also knowing this decided to concentrate their efforts on the disabled Maquis vessel but they underestimated the small ship attacking them.
The Cardassian ship fired on the Liberty sending two torpedoes at it but at the same time the small craft let out two carefully aimed torpedoes at the Cardassian vessel just before it sped away to protect the Liberty.
Using his second last torpedo the pilot of the small ship destroyed the first torpedo the Cardassians had shot but when he tried to fire the second one the launcher jammed. The damaged had finally been too much for the ships weapons to take.
The single torpedo sped towards the Liberty with the other ship hot on it's trail. In two seconds it would impact the Liberty and that might be the one final blow needed to destroy the old ship and all who reside within it.
The Cardassian ship was dealing with its own problems. The last two hits they had taken had destroyed over half of the back up systems the ship had been using and caused a massive power surge thorough out the ship. For reasons unknown to them the torpedoes had easily penetrated their shield and the damage was staggering. Dead in the water they watched as their torpedo approached the Liberty with the small troublesome ship trying to catch up.
"Hang on!" Chakotay yelled as the torpedo was nearly upon them but they waited and felt only a slight shudder when they should have felt the ship falling apart around them. Looking outside or at the sensors they knew what had happened.
The small ship had been guided to intercept the torpedo and save the Liberty. The shockwave had only slightly rocked the Liberty leaving it safe for the moment.
A small device was shot from the small ship to the hull of the liberty. It attached itself and activated. It released a field that strengthened the structural integrity of the damaged ship.
As the ship started to leave the scene Sobey instructed Chakotay to follow and he did, leaving the Cardassians to fume. Slowly the two ships lurched towards the destination known only by the single occupant of the smaller vessel. They entered a nebula that almost completely blocked out their sensors. For nearly an hour they crept along as fast as they could go until final their destination was in sight. And L-Class planet (with a breathable atmosphere though it was a severely arctic climate) appeared on their sensors. They had not even known of its existence.
"The other ship is badly damaged," Ayala said and just then an explosion erupted from the small craft guiding them. Plasma started to leak and as it reacted with the nebular gases more explosions damaged the ship.
"The planet's gravity is pulling it down!" Chakotay tried to get their tractor beam online to save the other ship but before he could the ship disappeared in the planets atmosphere. There was silence on the bridge as they helplessly watched their saviour plummet to the planets frozen and rocky surface. At the speed the ship was going there was now way the occupant survived, that's what most of them were thinking but not Sobey.
"As soon as transporters are online we have to go down and help him." Sobey said evenly as he went to work. Chakotay thought Sobey was having difficulty coming to terms with the person's death.
"Sobey," he looked at the dark haired man he had come to respect, "He's gone."
"No, he's not. Trust me," he looked into Chakotay's eyes, "please." The black eyes of the betazoid man held an unwavering belief that the occupant of the shuttle was alright and so Chakotay conceded to his request.
Nearly three hours later Chakotay, Sobey, Ayala and Golwat, a female Bolian, all beamed to the planets surface wearing heavy jackets to shield them from the cold. Golwat had some medical experience and despite her aversion to cold climates she joined the away team.
The moment the transporter beam released them the harsh wind bit at their exposed skin and they tried to cover up more. Sobey was the first to start walking. The wind was against them but his grim determination gave him all the strength he needed to fight his way through.
During the last hours on the ship Sobey had been working quickly trying to speed up the process of repairs. Chakotay had watched in worry as he worked hoping to all the spirits that Sobey's friend who had saved them was still alive.
They had beamed down about three hundred meters away from the crash site. The ship had crashed in a valley between two rather large peaks. The targeting scanners on the Liberty were not state of the art and could not place them safely on the hillside so they settled for the other side of the smaller rise.
Sobey kept a pace the other could hardly keep up with, but he stopped every once in a while to help the others and let them catch up. Golwat was a small person and she was having trouble fighting against the wind so Ayala had to help her quite a bit making progress slow. Eventually they made it to the valley and the winds died down to nearly nothing.
Carved into the hard surface ice was the small craft's skid path when it crashed until finally it slid to a rest. Weapons burns marked the side of the ship but hey could not see the other side of the ship were the torpedo it had intercepted had struck.
As they neared the entrance hatch to the ship Sobey told the other to stay back. He knew the person inside was not unconscious and just might attack them if he felt they were a threat.
He forced open the hatch hoping to feel some heat exit the ship but the interior was as cold as the planet's surface. He stepped in and looked around but didn't see any one. Conduits had ruptured mixing toxic gases into the air. The smell of burnt material assaulted his senses as he looked at the damage. Bulkheads had been damaged a few consoles had exploded including the helm, exactly were the pilot would have been sitting.
Sobey turned to face his shipmates that were still standing outside to tell them he couldn't find anyone but as he did a form dropped from his hiding place on the ceiling and landed behind the intruder. With a disrupter to the back of his head Sobey stayed very still.
"Corrin, it's me, Sal."
A second later the weapon was dropped and Sobey turned around.
"Sorry, I didn't know," Corrin said softly as he stumbled backwards.
"Holy shit," was the first words that left Sobey's mouth when he saw the state of his friend.
"I taught you that phrase," Corrin said in a weak voice as he sat down on a storage container.
Sobey waved the others to come over and went back to his assessment of Corrin. Blood had dried (or frozen) on the side of his face from a gash on his forehead. His neck had a plasma burn on it. The sleeve of one arm of his shirt looked liked it had been partly burnt and partly ripped off and a crude bandaged was soaked in blood as it covered a deep gash in his upper arm. Burn marks covered the tattered uniform and Sobey knew how much those suits were designed to hide injuries. If the suit was that badly damaged the injuries inside would be far worse.
Sobey also noticed the blue tinge to Corrin's lips and the pale cast to his skin. The temperature in the shuttle was well below freezing yet Corrin wasn't shivering; that was definitely not a good sign.
Golwat also noticed the injuries and opened the med kit she had brought with her. She approached and scanned the human looking man before her. The results were not comforting. His body temperature had dropped several degrees and he was entering the early stages of hypothermia. There were serious internal injuries that they had to take care of and there was another serious wound covered by the suit he wore. She reached to open it up and heal what she could of the injury but Corrin moved away from her hands.
"Believe me you don't want to look," he said. He could barely keep his eyes open.
"Stop being stubborn and let her help," Sobey said sternly and started to unzip the front of the shirt portion of the suit.
"You sound like Reigh," Corrin mumbled softly.
As he opened the uniform blood dripped out and Sobey cursed again. The inner shirt was fairly shredded and stained with blood. Taking one of the medical instruments he and Golwat went to work healing some of the wounds. Tom slipped into unconsciousness for a moment before stirring again.
"Stay still," Sobey ordered, preoccupied with his work.
"You can't order me around." Tom mumbled.
"Not now Corrin." Sobey was seriously worried about Tom's condition. Don't die on me, Sobey kept repeating in his head and Tom picked up on the fear.
"I'm not going to die Sal. I still owe you," Tom mumbled before he lost consciousness again. Sobey looked at the man unconscious before him and hoped that he would be alright. He zipped up the suit again. He draped one of Corrin's arms over his shoulder. Corrin woke up from the painless bliss of unconsciousness as the pain in his arm sharply increased with the motion.
"Ow," he said deliberately, letting Sobey know he was conscious.
"You'll be okay," Sobey assured as Chakotay went to Corrin's other side to help support the man.
"I know that," Corrin said but it was cut at the end as a sharp pain ripped through his chest.
With Chakotay and Sobey's help Corrin was guided out of his ship and into the open. Ayala contacted the Liberty to beam them up and a moment later the five people vanished.
Slowly awareness returned to him. Where was he? What had happened? His memory failed him at the moment. Sal. Had he really been there or had the hypothermia and blood loss made him delusional.
He couldn't be sure what had happened so falling back on what he was taught he did not move. He listened carefully to his surrounding trying to determine his location.
"Corrin, it's Sal. I know you're awake so open your eyes already," a familiar voice ordered.
"He's unconscious," another voice said.
"No, I'm not," Corrin rasped as he tried to sit up, startling the person who thought he was unconscious.
"Hey! I said open your eyes, not get up," Sobey said as he helped Tom up. "How do you feel?"
"Like I just went ten rounds with a dozen angry Ktarian," Corrin joked as he looked at the bandages around his torso. "Where's my suit?"
"You mean what's left of the blood soaked and shredded material you were wearing? I disposed of it."
"At least you left my pants," Corrin mumbled to himself as he noticed he was missing a very important item. "Sal, where's my-" Corrin started as he felt his left wrist where the item usually was.
"It's over here," Sal said as he fetched the obeject Corrin was looking for. Sobey picked a metal band about six inches wide that wrapped abound Corrin's forearm. Tom had received this on Fierum Prime and it was considered an honour to wear. One the metal band there was a symbol carved into it and an inscription in hieroglyphics that went aournd the band. Corrin placed it back on his left forearm and closed the clasps to lock it in place.
"Thanks," Corrin said. Corrin then turned his attention to the man with a tattoo on his forehead looking at him and Sal. "Captain Chakotay, I presume." the man nodded and stepped closer. "Why is it so damn cold in here?" Corrin asked.
"It's not. You were suffering from hypothermia not too long ago-" Chakotay said.
"How long have I been out?"
"Only two hours," Sobey informed him. "You were slipping in and out of consciousness for the first little while."
"Hmm, that's great," Corrin intoned disinterestedly as he got off the biobed. He headed for the door.
"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Sobey stopped the still injured man before he reached the door.
"Back to my ship. I have work." He trailed off as he suddenly became light-headed.
"Come on. Back to bed you go," Sobey helped him back to the biobed. "You lost quite a bit of blood. You won't be going anywhere for while."
Corrin didn't say anything. The few steps he had taken to try and get to the door had taken more energy than he'd willingly admit. He also had to concentrate on ignoring the pain all over his body, which was becoming increasingly more difficult to do.
Sobey helped him lay down. Corrin stared up unseeing at the ceiling. Sobey looked down at him before closing his eyes and reaching out telepathically and touching the surface Corrin's mind.
"Relax," Sobey whispered and Corrin's eyes began to droop. "Don't fight me Tom," Sobey said quietly. The blue eyes fluttered closed and finally he slept. Sobey pulled back and left Tom in peace.
"Will he be alright?" Chakotay asked as he moved to Sobey's side.
"Yes, if he takes care of himself," Sobey said in a doubtful tone.
"I take it he's fairly reckless," Chakotay said looking down at the young man who slept peacefully.
"Reckless is an understatement."
Sobey and Chakotay walked through the corridor of the Liberty heading to the bridge. They still had repairs to do. They were silent most of the way. Sobey's thoughts were with the man in sickbay and Chakotay's were centred around the man walking beside him. There was so much he didn't know about Sobey but had always been too busy to ask.
"How do you know Corrin?" Chakotay asked.
"We used to work together," Sobey said not giving Chakotay much to work with.
"He's quite young. What did you two do together?" Chakotay inquired further.
Sobey only shrugged. "This and that."
"Is he Maquis?" Chakotay asked wondering what sect he could be from.
"No he's not. He usually works alone."
"Maybe he should join us. His ship is badly damaged," Chakotay suggested but Sobey shook his head.
"It's only scratched."
In sickbay Tom woke again only this time he remembered everything and sat up immediately. He looked around and saw a young bajoran man looking at him. Tom swung his leg over the edge of the bed and stood, slowly.
"Where's Sal?" he asked the younger man.
"Sal?" There was no one on the ship by that name.
Tom closed his eyes as he tried to recall the other name Sal sometimes went by. "Sobey,"
"I'll contact him," the Bajoran said as he went to a console to contact the bridge where he knew Sobey would be.
Meanwhile Tom tested the range of motion he had with his injuries. Most of his injuries had to be treated the old fashioned way with gauze and bandages as they could not afford to use too much energy on the regenerators. Tom gently pressed at the bandage over his torso wondering idly what injuries he had. Once he felt a sharp pain he stopped and moved to a different area.
He looked at his arms and noticed a few more bandages. I was banged up pretty badly, Tom thought to himself as he tested his shoulder. There was some pain when he moved but he could manage. There was also a bandage on the right side of his neck covering another wound.
"Stop poking. You're just going to aggravate it." Tom turned to the entrance to the room and saw Sal walk in.
"Always ordering me around," Tom shook his head from side to side.
"It's not like you listen to me anyway" Sobey turned to Gerron and thanked him for watching his friend. Gerron responded and left the room leaving the two men alone. "I'm glad you were in the area."
"Me too," Tom said. "So now how many do I owe you?"
Sobey smiled, something he didn't do in the company of many people. "You don't owe me anything," the betazoid told the younger half human/half Fieran.
"I should get back to my ship. Start on repairs and.stuff,"
"Sure," Sobey conceded and gave Tom a shirt he had taken from his own limited wardrobe.
"Thanks," Tom said as he put on the black shirt. They left the sickbay and headed towards the transporter room. Sobey nodded at the passing shipmates as he and Tom talked about what had been happening lately.
Sobey told Tom about some of the crewmembers on board. Captain Chakotay was a good man and it was an honour to be part of his sect. B'Elanna Torres the head engineer, Sobey spoke very highly of. Talented, pretty, brilliant and rather fiery.
"You'd like her," Sobey concluded. Tom just rolled his eyes.
"There are a couple of crewmembers that don't sit quite right with me." Tom listened carefully knowing that Sobey was an experienced man and if something didn't feel right to him, it's because it wasn't. "There's another betazoid on board but I don't feel anything from him."
"Mental barrier," Tom suggested.
"No. From you I feel next to nothing because of your barriers but from him it's different. There's also a woman who I find..questionable."
"Questionable?"
"She's secretive," Sobey tried to describe.
"So are you." Tom said plainly.
"Then what is she hiding?" Sobey asked but Tom didn't have the answer.
"Watch her, and watch your back," Tom advised as they reached the transporter room.
"I always do," Sobey said as they entered.
Inside Captain Chakotay was waiting to thank Corrin for his help and at the controls was B'Elanna Torres.
"Corrin, thanks for your help," Chakotay said as he extended his hand. Tom shook it. "Are you sure you want to go back down there-"
"I'm not going to abandon my ship because it's been scratched," Corrin said.
"Corrin, be careful," Sobey warned as Tom took his place on the transporter pad.
"I always am, Sal." Tom nodded to the woman at the controls and in an instant he vanished.
Sobey took a deep breath and wondered if he would every see his friend again. He had nearly lost him again and now he's on his own once more. He left the transporter room without a word to anyone.
Torres and Chakotay glanced at the other wondering what was going on. Corrin seemed to know Sobey very well and vice versa but from where did they know each other from?
((=/\=))
End Part 7
I'll write more about Sobey later! You just wait! zappyzaps@hotmail.com