Redemption
Chapter 14
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 having some difficulties over here, Mr. Hamilton. I'm afraid that we can't take off yet. Janeway out." The captain answered the crewman's hail.
Harry and Ayala moved away from the Kazon shuttle. "If we can even find one of those creatures, how will we carry it back?" Harry asked.
"Let's see if we can find a container." Ayala answered as they turned and headed towards Voyager's shuttle.
Nearing the hatch, Harry tapped the commbadge B'Elanna had given him. "Kim to Hamilton. Open the hatch." The ramp lowered and the two men walked into the shuttle. "Hey, Hamilton, we need some kind of locking container about half a meter long." Harry asked as he and Ayala began to search through the lockers at the rear of the shuttle.
Hamilton joined the two men in their search and pulled out a small food locker. "Will this do? It latches shut for easier transport to the surface." He handed the container to Harry.
"Yeah, thanks. I think this will be just fine." Harry answered as he and Ayala turned and left the shuttle. "Where should we look?"
Ayala pointed towards some rocks off in the distance. "They seem to like to hide out in the rocks. Let's start over there. Keep that phaser out; I sure as hell don't want to get bitten too."
Ayala took over carrying the locker as they walked towards the rocks. "What if we can't find any of the creatures?" Harry asked, the worry for his friend evident in his voice.
Ayala put the locker down, pulled his phaser off of his belt and, grabbing a long branch, began to poke it among the rocks. "Just listen for any sounds that something's moving in there."
* * * * *
"Captain, I'd feel better if we could move Tom to Voyager's shuttle." Kes spoke up in the quiet of the Kazon ship. "The Environmentals are more stable there and when the ion storm dies down, we could take off immediately for Voyager."
Janeway nodded and tapped her commbadge. "Janeway to Hamilton. I need you to transport Lieutenant Paris and Kes to our shuttle."
"Aye, Captain, right away. Captain, the ion storm has gotten much worse. I think you'd all be better off back here." Hamilton's voice came through Janeway's commbadge.
Glancing out the small viewport, Janeway could see the sky darkening. "I agree, Mr. Hamilton. We're on our way."
After Kes and Tom were transported to Voyager's shuttle, Janeway asked, "Commander, do you think you can walk?" When he nodded in agreement, B'Elanna and the captain assisted Chakotay to stand and helped to support him as they walked to their shuttle. They settled him onto one of the three bunks in the back of the shuttle.
Captain Janeway sat and talked quietly with Chakotay about the Kazon's attack; she told him that they had recovered Voyager's stripped down shuttle. She touched him reassuringly on the shoulder and then approached the other bunk. "How is he?" She asked Kes as she moved to Tom's side. His eyes were closed and his face was quite pale in the dim light at the back of the shuttle.
"He's holding his own, Captain." Kes replied as she checked the monitors on the respirator.
Tom's eyes opened slowly and he turned his head to look up at the captain.
Seeing his eyes open, Janeway leaned down and brushed a lock of hair off his forehead. "How are you doing, Tom?" She asked gently.
"Thirsty……I'm thirsty, Captain." Tom spoke quietly between breaths from the respirator.
Janeway looked to Kes who nodded and moved to the replicator. She handed Janeway a small bottle with a bent straw in the stopper. "Just a few sips, Captain."
Janeway held the bottle to Tom's mouth and he took several small sips, then closed his eyes again.
* * * * *
"There, behind that smaller rock." Harry pointed and raised his phaser. As the creature appeared, Harry and Ayala opened fire, together, stunning it.
"Keep me covered. There may be more than one of them in there." Ayala stated as he used the tree branch to lift the creature into the containment locker. He then lifted the container by the side handles and they headed back to the shuttle.
The two men squinted as the winds picked up and the sand was blown hard into their faces. As they neared the shuttles, Harry tapped his commbadge. "Kim to the Captain. We captured one of them, Captain."
"Good news, Ensign. We've moved to Voyager's shuttle. You need to get yourselves in here, the storm is getting worse." Janeway replied.
* * * * *
The seven crewmembers sat in relative silence waiting out the storm. B'Elanna sat, talking to Chakotay, trying to reassure herself that he was alright. He had been her protector in the Maquis and she felt very close to the older man. "You look tired, Chakotay. Try to get some rest." She stood and approached Janeway. "Captain, I would like to return with a team to try to finish collecting the dilithium crystals."
"We'll discuss this when we get back to the ship, Lieutenant." Janeway answered, smiling slightly to soften her words.
B'Elanna moved to Tom's side and looked at Kes who was scanning him again. "Will he be alright?" She asked.
"I do not know, Lieutenant. We need to get him to sickbay as soon as we can takeoff." Kes replied in her quiet manner.
B'Elanna sat in the jump seat, next to the bunk, watching Tom sleep. She thought back to another time and place when she also sat and watched him sleep…
* * * * *
The crew of the Liberty was finally getting some well earned shore leave after two weeks of intense fighting along the DMZ. Tom's skill at the helm had kept them from being shot down by the Cardassians. They encountered a ship as they left a small gas giant. It was almost as if the Cardassians knew just where they would come out.
A large group of the Maquis was sitting at a table in one of the local bars. They had ordered dinner and were beginning to eat when Chakotay and Tom entered. They had stayed behind to finish up the post flight check of the helm controls. "Hey, Captain. There's room for one more." Chell yelled over, pointedly ignoring Tom.
Chakotay spoke to Tom who just shook his head and moved to the bar. One of the women immediately sat at his side and draped herself across his back. He muttered something which made her laugh and she called for two glasses of ale. Chakotay continued to the table and was handed a plate of food.
An hour later, the crew watched as Tom and the woman left the bar. His arm was around her waist and she was whispering in his ear. Later the Maquis crew stood and went out to the street. "Hey, Cap. Let's go see the docks." Dalby said as they left the front of the bar.
"You go ahead. I'll just head back to camp." Chakotay replied and walked off in the opposite direction.
The rest of the group moved towards the docks. Suddenly, three local men, quite obviously drunk, approached B'Elanna and started to grab at her arms and her clothes. "Come with us, we'll show you a good time."
She tried to pull away from them and looked back to her crewmates for help. They just stood and laughed at her predicament. She pulled one arm from her attackers and shoved another to the ground. The third man let go and put his hands up in surrender. B'Elanna turned away and stalked off towards the camp.
As they entered the camp area, the men were still laughing about the incident by the docks. "Hey, Torres. Why didn't you just go with them? I bet they never slept with a Klingon before. You should have given them a little treat." One of the men shouted at her. She turned to glare at them, her hands fisted at her sides. As they moved away she went to follow them but was stopped by a quiet voice off to her right.
"Why do you let them do that to you?" Tom's voice came out of the darkness.
B'Elanna turned to see Tom sitting on a stump in the dark. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd be spending the night with that tramp from the bar." Her anger at the others still showing in her voice.
"Chakotay would kill me if I showed up tomorrow drunk or hung over." He answered. "Actually, I'm kind of tired after today and thought I'd turn in early. Why do you let what they say bother you? They're not worth it." He gave her a tired grin.
She looked at him in surprise. "Why do you care?"
He looked down at the ground and when he picked his head up, she looked into his clear blue eyes. "You're smart and deserve to be treated better. You've kept that bucket of bolts together and saved their hides more times than they could probably count."
B'Elanna was flustered at his response and mumbled a quiet thanks before moving to her sleeping bag. "Good night then, Paris."
"Night, Torres." He answered and he crawled into his sleeping bag.
Several hours later, B'Elanna was awakened by someone's voice. She couldn't make out the words but she looked to Tom and could hear him talking in his sleep. He sat up suddenly trying to catch his breath. B'Elanna quickly dropped her head so he wouldn't know she had seen him. After looking around him, Tom slowly lay down again and closed his eyes.
B'Elanna sat up and watched him sleep for several minutes before lying down and trying to go back to sleep. I wonder what demons he's brought with him. She thought as she drifted off to sleep.
* * * * *
The change in the soft beeping of the respirator brought B'Elanna back to the present. Kes was immediately at Tom's side. "What's wrong?" B'Elanna asked.
"The respirators taken over full time." The young Ocampa replied.
"What do you mean?" B'Elanna asked looking down at Tom's face.
"He's no longer breathing on his own." Kes replied.
"Captain, we have to get Paris back to Voyager, now." B'Elanna said as the captain joined her at the rear of the shuttle.
"The ion storm's too great, we have to wait." Janeway replied.
Ayala moved to the captain's side. "Captain, I can fly us back."
Janeway looked up at the tall man at her side. "It's too dangerous right now. We must wait until the storm lets up."
"Captain, Paris might not have that much time." Ayala said.
"I'm sorry, but we can't risk the safety of six other crewmembers." Janeway was insistent.
Chakotay sat up in the other bunk. "Captain, Ayala is a good pilot. He can get us through this."
Looking at her first officer, Janeway could see the confidence he felt in the other man. Nodding at Chakotay she turned to Ayalya. "Alright, Mr. Ayala, take us back to Voyager."
"Aye, Captain." Ayala smiled as he moved to the helm. "Better find seats and strap yourselves in; this is going to be a bumpy ride."
Kes and B'Elanna pulled two straps across Tom while the captain helped Harry to secure Chakotay. Then the rest of the crew took their seats and the shuttle lifted off into the dark night.
to be continued………
I want to thank all of the many readers, who have taken the time to review, not only this, but my other stories on Fanfiction. All writers crave a response and need the critique to improve their work. Without your encouragement I would not continue to write.
On a more personal note – I'm finding it difficult to finish this story with Tom in his present condition. I just received news that a friend has been in a terrible car accident and sustained a fractured neck. She is in a Halo brace and on a ventilator three weeks after the accident. This is a young woman who just began a career as a Physical Therapist and may now face a life of paralysis. Please keep Billie H. in your thoughts and prayers as she faces a most difficult time in her life. (11-3-02)