Redemption
Chapter 15
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.
The shuttle lifted slowly off the planet's surface and was immediately buffeted by the severe ion storms in the lower atmosphere. Janeway clung to her seat and glanced nervously at the helm where Ayala fought with the controls. She had put her faith in the former Maquis at Chakotay's recommendation. He knew his men and she had to begin to trust them if they were ever to truly be one crew.
Glancing over to Tom's still form, she knew that she would have felt more comfortable with him in the pilot's seat. She thought back to her Academy days when she had first met Owen Paris and learned of his talented son. She was a third year cadet and had approached Captain Paris about being her mentor for her senior thesis the following year. There had been a picture of a blond haired young boy on the Captain's desk….
* * * * *
The inner door opened and Kathryn Janeway quickly put down the silver framed picture she had been admiring. "That's my son, Thomas. He's going to make a fine captain one day." The deep voice of Owen Paris came from behind Kathryn. She turned and stood at attention. "Please relax, Cadet. This is an informal meeting." The captain smiled at her and indicated a seat in front of his desk. He walked to the other side and sat in the large green leather chair.
Kathryn sat down and looked into the clear blue eyes of the older gentleman. She had heard horror stories of how strict the captain was with cadets but she also knew that having him as a mentor would give her an edge when it came to a posting, following graduation. He had been a science officer before becoming one of the youngest Captains in Starfleet history. He would understand her desire to be posted on a research vessel in deep space. For a young girl from Bloomington, Indiana, the thought of exploring unknown worlds had been a dream since she first sat on her father's shoulders and looked at the stars in the night sky. Her father, Edward, was an Admiral in Starfleet but he was stationed now on Earth's moon and did not actually enjoy space travel.
The meeting with Owen Paris had gone well and he had readily agreed to be her mentor. Over the next 18 months, she had occasion to meet with him several times and had even attended a holiday party in his home. He often spoke of his son and bragged about how he had already mastered several of the flight simulators at the Academy. It seemed that the youngster had a natural talent for flying. Tom had been formally polite and unusually quiet for a young child when she met him at the party. He shook her hand and told her how glad he was that she could attend the festivities. They talked for a few minutes about the different flight programs and she had been quite impressed with his knowledge of evasive maneuvers. His animated conversation came to an abrupt end when his father appeared with one of the Vulcan Ambassadors. Captain Paris insisted that Tom address the Ambassador in Vulcan and she could see him struggling with the complex language. When he stumbled over a difficult phrase, the captain angrily ordered him from the room.
Several years later, while serving on the Albatani, Kathryn again heard of the exploits of the young Tom Paris. He was flying small shuttles by himself by then and the captain always made sure that the latest achievement was shared with the bridge crew.
Years later, when she had been promoted to Captain and was preparing to go on the mission to track down Lieutenant Tuvok, Janeway had approached Admiral Paris about releasing his son from Aukland to help in the search. The Admiral had actually signed the papers remanding Tom to the maximum security facility.
* * * * *
A shrill alarm, sounding from the ventilator, brought Janeway's thoughts back to the present. Kes jumped from her seat and began checking the readings on the machine. Janeway quickly joined her and felt a rush of fear as she looked at the young Ocampa's face.
"He's gone into cardiac arrest, Captain." Kes sounded calm although her face paled and her hands shook slightly as she reached into the medkit. Taking a cortical stimulator out, Kes placed it on Tom's temple. She looked to Janeway and, grabbing a hypospray, she pushed it into the captain's hands. "I need 20 milligrams of Cordrazine, Captain."
Janeway dialed in the medication and, leaning forward, pressed the hypospray against Tom's neck. His skin was cold to the touch and she shuddered as she pulled the hypospray away. The shuttle lurched to the side suddenly and Janeway grabbed for the bulkhead to prevent herself from slamming into Tom's bunk. Pushing back up to standing, she looked down at her helmsman. Come on, Tom, you've got to pull through. I could never face your father when we get back to the Alpha Quadrant, if I didn't bring you home. "What else can I do to help?" Janeway asked.
"I need the cortical stimulator set at 50 millijoules while I monitor his readings." Kes answered as she scanned the ventilator. Janeway reached out, set the stimulator and looked up at Kes. "He's not responding. Increase the charge to 70 millijoules." Kes said loudly over the blare of the alarm. The sudden quiet filled the shuttle's cabin as Tom's heart began beating on its own again. Kes gave the captain a slight smile as she sank down onto the small seat next to the bunk. "He's alright for now but he needs to get to sickbay as soon as possible."
The shuttle cleared the planet's atmosphere and leveled off. Hamilton announced that they were being hailed by Voyager. "Tuvok to Captain Janeway. You are approaching transport range, Captain."
"Thank you, Lieutenant Tuvok. Have Lieutenant Paris and Kes transported directly to sickbay as soon as we are within range. Janeway out." The captain moved to Chakotay's side. "Commander, will you be alright until we are aboard Voyager?"
Chakotay looked up at the captain, fatigue evident in his eyes. "Yes, Captain. I'll be fine here on the shuttle. How is Paris?" He had been watching the captain and Kes working on Tom and was relieved when the blare of the ventilator had ceased.
"He's stable right now but not yet out of danger. I've requested an immediate beam out as soon as we are within range." Janeway's words were interrupted by Hamilton announcing that the transporter officer was hailing them.
"Janeway here. Please lock onto Lieutenant Paris and Kes's life signs and beam them directly to sickbay."
"Aye, Captain." The soft voice of the Ensign at transport came through the comm system. The swirling blue lights indicating a transport in progress appeared at the rear of the shuttle and Tom and Kes disappeared.
As Voyager came into view through the front view screen, Janeway moved towards the helm. "Mr. Ayala, bring us into the shuttle bay. And I would appreciate a smooth landing." She smiled, as he turned to her, to soften her words.
Returning her smile before he spun his seat back to the pilot's console, he replied. "Aye, Captain, shuttle bay it is." He guided them easily into the shuttle bay and turned off the engines. The force field sealed off the shuttle bay and the hatch lowered. Ayala immediately rose and moved to Chakotay's side. "Come on Cap; let's get you out of here." He said as he grabbed Chakotay's arm and helped him to stand. The commander winced as a wave of dizziness came over him. B'Elanna reached out to his other arm to steady him as they led Chakotay out of the shuttle.
"Commander, I believe it would be best to transport you to sickbay as well." Janeway said as she followed the three crewmen down the ramp. "Janeway to transporter room one, please lock onto my comm badge and beam Commander Chakotay and Lieutenant Ayala directly to sickbay." She stated as she placed her commbadge on the commander. They were instantly beamed out of the shuttle bay. Turning to the top of the ramp, Janeway looked at Harry. "Ensign Kim, I believe the EMH would like the specimen you retrieved on the planet. Would you and Mr. Hamilton please bring it to sickbay right away."
"Aye, Captain." Harry replied as he bent to lift the containment locker. Hamilton grabbed the other handle and the two men left the shuttle bay.
Turning to B'Elanna, the captain noted the concern on the younger woman's face. "They'll be alright, Lieutenant. I'd like you to monitor the scanners. When the ion storms abate, can you determine the exact location of the dilithium crystals? We need to re-supply our stores if we can safely return to the planet's surface."
"Aye, Captain, I'll get right on it." B'Elanna answered as the two women left the shuttle bay.
* * * * *
Captain Janeway entered the sickbay to find Harry and Ayala sitting on two of the biobeds. She noticed Chakotay on a third bed. The EMH and Kes were working on Tom in the surgical bay. He was lying on the surgical bed with the medical arch over his chest. The steady beeping of the bioscanners at the head of the bed reassured her that the helmsman was still alive. Janeway walked over to Chakotay and looked down at his face, pale and drawn with his eyes closed.
"I've sedated him for now." The voice of the EMH, suddenly standing behind her, startled Janeway. "Once Lieutenant Paris is stabilized, I will treat the others." He said, as he began to push a medical cart to the surgical bay. "I will keep you informed of the Lieutenant's progress." He stated, in a dismissive tone, as he approached the surgical bed.
The captain turned to Harry and Ayala. "When the doctor releases you, I would like a report on the incidents on the planet." She glanced back at the surgical bay, turned to look at Chakotay, and then slowly left the sickbay.
to be continued…