Redemption
Chapter 12
Disclaimer - Paramount and Viacom own the characters from Voyager, although they didn't often treat them right. The story line belongs to me.
A special thanks to: My friend and editor of all my stories, Mill3rs.
"We're about 30 kilometers from where the shuttle went down. I'm not sure what direction. The ion storms reeked havoc with our tricorders but we were following the sun. I repeat Commander Chakotay and Lieutenant Paris are in need of immediate medical care. Kim out." Harry turned from the communications station. "Well, I've sent it off with a Starfleet signature. Let's just hope that Voyager is looking for us. Since we didn't check in at all and Tom managed to send up the message beacon, they should realize we're in trouble." He walked to the back of the Kazon shuttle and sank down next to the bunk where Tom still lay unconscious.
"Hey, you did all that you could." Ayala spoke quietly, glancing at Chakotay, relieved that the commander was finally sleeping. Noting Harry's worried look, Ayala said. "Don't worry, Janeway seems pretty competent. I'm sure they're looking for us right now and with the sophisticated scanners on that ship they should be here in no time at all. Why don't you get some rest? I'll keep watch."
Harry nodded and leaned against the bulkhead. He looked up at Tom once more, closed his eyes and put his head down on his folded arms.
Ayala glanced around the shuttle and took stock or their situation. We've got some of that 'wine' and some sort of dried meat along with three loaves of bread. The kid's got Environmentals up and running, so at least it's warm in here. The Cap's gonna need to be seen by that EMH guy and I'm not sure Paris will make it until Voyager shows up. Ayala stood and moved to the hatch to check out the lock. They had been forced to close it manually and he wanted to be sure they had no surprise visitors during the night. Glancing out the side viewport he could see the sand blowing in the midst of a rather severe ion storm. Even if Kim's message got into subspace, Voyager's scanners won't be able to penetrate that storm. We'll have to hold out until morning. Moving back to his place next to Chakotay's bunk he glanced at Tom's still form again. He thought back to several hours ago when Harry had tried to get Paris to drink some of the 'wine'. The Lieutenant had whispered to Harry that he could no longer feel or move his arms. Harry had to lift Tom's head up to help him take a drink. If Voyager didn't arrive by morning they were going to be without a Chief Helmsman.
* * * * *
"Captain, we are picking up a subspace message." Tuvok announced from his station. "It appears to have a Starfleet signature to it." He looked down at the command chair where Captain Janeway sat with her eyes closed. He felt sure that she was fighting a losing battle with sleep but she insisted on being on the bridge to hear the latest findings from the planet's surface.
Her eyes snapped open and she rose slowly from her seat. "Put it on audio, Mr. Tuvok.
"Ensign Kim to Voyager." Harry's voice came over the speakers. "A band of Kazon warriors have taken the shuttle. Commander Chakotay suffered a concussion when we were shot down and Lieutenant Paris was bitten by one of the native creatures on the planet. He appears to be affected by some sort of paralyzing agent and can no longer move his arms or legs. He is in need of immediate medical care. We were left on the planet's surface with no water or supplies. Commander Chakotay and Lieutenant Paris managed to sneak several phasers and a tricorder off of the shuttle along with three hyposprays. We found shelter for the night in a cave where Lieutenant Ayala and I had been held captive by the Kazon. We were able to locate the Kazon's shuttle and have taken shelter inside. Their engines are down and we are not able to take off. We're about 30 kilometers from where the shuttle went down. I'm not sure what direction. The ion storms reeked havoc with our tricorders but we were following the sun. I repeat Commander Chakotay and Lieutenant Paris are in need of immediate medical care. Kim out."
Janeway immediately headed for the turbo lift and hit her commbadge as she walked. "Janeway to engineering and sickbay. Lieutenant Torres and Kes, please meet me in shuttle bay one immediately. Crewman Hamilton report to shuttle bay one now." Turning to the tactical station she nodded to Tuvok. "You have the bridge. Keep us in a tight orbit following a 30 kilometer circumference from the coordinates that we received from Lieutenant Paris."
"Aye, Captain." Tuvok responded as he moved to the command chair.
* * * * *
Ayala glanced over to Tom and noticed that the pilot was sleeping restlessly. Could Chakotay be right about the young man? He thought back to when he had first met Tom Paris…..
* * * * *
"Could I have some more?" Ayala heard the quiet voice asking Chell as he entered the mess tent at the temporary Maquis base. Looking over to the serving table, he noted the tall, too thin young man holding out his bowl. He shook his head as he wondered who could possibly want a second serving of Chell's stew. As the younger man turned, he saw the worn clothes, the rather long sandy blond hair curling over the collar of the heavy shirt. As his eyes moved up, he saw the bruise darkening over the right cheekbone and the way the other man held the bowl awkwardly in his left hand with his right arm held stiffly against his side. He sat down, not looking at anyone else in the room and began to scoop up the stew. Ayala heard someone come up beside him and turned to see the half-Klingon engineer that had joined their cell several months ago.
"Hey, Gregor, what are you staring at?" B'Elanna asked.
Indicating Tom with a nod of his head, Ayala answered. "You'd think that kid hadn't eaten in days."
"Maybe he hasn't. Chakotay picked him up in a bar on New Taos last night." B'Elanna said as she moved towards the serving table.
Ayala, walking next to her, looked at Tom and back to B'Elanna. "What's with the black eye?"
"He was accused of cheating at a card game, trying to win enough to pay off a hefty bar tab. He's got a couple of broken ribs too. Chakotay paid off his balance and they got here this morning." B'Elanna answered as she grabbed a bowl off the table and held it out to Chell.
"What the hell did he do that for? We don't have money to spare to pick up some stray!" Ayala snapped. "Who is he anyway?"
B'Elanna took several spoonfuls of her dinner before she looked up at Ayala. "His name's Paris and he's our new pilot."
"He's just a kid. What could he possibly fly?" Ayala asked.
"Yeah, he's just twenty-two but Chakotay said he aced all the flight tests at Starfleet Academy."
"He's Federation?" Ayala gasped "What was the Captain thinking?"
"Relax, he's not Federation anymore. He had some sort of accident and was kicked out." B'Elanna returned to her meal.
"Paris, I heard of a Paris, some Admiral's kid who got kicked out. Wonder if that's him?"
"All I know is that Chakotay said he can fly circles around any Maquis pilot in this sector."
* * * * *
Chakotay's mumbling brought Ayala's thoughts back to the present. Pushing himself up, he stood over the commander's bunk. Chakotay was still asleep but moving restlessly. Ayala pulled the thin blanket over the commander's shoulders and walked slowly around the shuttle, checking the lock on the hatch, the communications system, and looking out the viewscreen to see if the storm had abated. Returning to the back of the shuttle, he checked on Harry who was leaning against the bulkhead, asleep. Stopping at Tom's bunk, he saw the pilot's pale face and noticed that his hair was plastered across his forehead with sweat. He felt a twinge of guilt as he thought back to their time on the Liberty…
* * * * *
Chakotay had been right about Tom Paris. He easily flew circles around the other Maquis pilots. They had been surprised several times by Cardassian scout ships that had come out of nowhere. Two other Maquis ships had been either shot down or boarded, but Tom's skills kept them out of danger.
Landing on one of the smaller planets in the Tartikoff Belt, four of the Liberty's crew disembarked from the ship's single shuttle. There had been a fire fight against the Cardassians who once again seemed to know just where they would exit a large nebula. As they entered the metal hut that served as their temporary quarters, they were greeted by several Cardassians pointing weapons at them. Ordered to the far side of the building and told to sit on the floor, the tired crew complied. They were questioned about the whereabouts of the ship and Captain Chakotay. They all refused to talk and, when the leader pulled Ayala to his feet and held a gun to his head ordering him to tell them the information they wanted, Tom jumped to his feet claiming he could show them where the Liberty had landed. He told them a pretty convincing story giving them coordinates in the opposite direction from their base camp. When the Cardassians reported back that there was nothing at those coordinates but a small gas cloud, Tom was hauled to his feet and led to the front of the building to be shot. Loud shouts drew their attention to the doors and seconds later, Chakotay and twelve members of their cell stormed the building and rescued them.
* * * * *
A low wheezing roused him from his thoughts; Ayala stood and approached Tom's bunk. The younger man's eyes were open and he was struggling to breath. "Kim, help me sit him up." Ayala shook Harry's shoulder waking him. Together, they helped Tom into a sitting position, propping him up against the bulkhead. His breathing eased and he looked up at Ayala with relief in his eyes.
"Thanks." Tom whispered but his face still showed the fear of not being able to take in a breath.
"Voyager better get here soon." Harry said in a quiet voice as he looked into the frightened face of his friend.
to be continued…