A Guardian From the Past
Chapter 2
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 light on the planet's surface grew dimmer, and the three crew members in the cave grew quiet. Once the soup was finished and the area cleaned up, Chakotay went outside and once again tried to contact Voyager, without success. When he returned, he checked on Tom, who was asleep just inside the entrance to the cave.
"We need to get him medical attention soon!" The Captain stated as Chakotay sat down beside her, pulling the third blanket over himself.
Glancing at the Captain, he noted that she was still quite pale. "You need to have the doctor check you out as well. If the shuttle hadn't gone down the cliff, we'd at least have a homing beacon to set out."
"Well, let's get some rest Commander, and see what we can do in the morning."
Back to "Commander." Kathryn's in Command mode again. He sighed as he lowered himself to the floor of the cave and pulled the blanket up over his shoulders.
* * * * *
Harry walked into Astrometrics and
approached Seven of Nine. She appeared deep in thought as she stood by the main
view screen and ran different scanning
patterns over the surface of the planet below them. She's so competent and so beautiful but she
doesn't give me the time of day. Harry thought.
Seven heard his approach and turned to greet him. "Good afternoon, Ensign. I have run numerous scans of the planet's surface but have been unable to locate the away team's life signs or any evidence of the shuttle."
"Did you scan for Duranium or Titanium?" Harry asked.
"There are too many minerals on the planet's surface to determine whether any of the findings indicate the shuttle's location."
"If you can think of anything else, Seven, you can com me at any time. I mean that, even if it's the middle of the night."
"I know you are worried about Lieutenant Paris, but I'm sure that between the three of them that they will safely return to Voyager." Seven gave him a slightly friendly look.
"Thank you, Seven." Harry said as he left Astrometrics for his quarters. There has to be some way of finding them, he thought as he entered the turbolift.
* *
* * *
A faint light began to enter the cave where the away team slept. Kathryn Janeway became aware of an arm wrapped around her shoulders and felt a warm breath on the back of her neck. She slowly turned around and looked into the face of her first officer. He's so handsome and so caring, she thought as she shyly reached up and traced the tattoo over his left eye.
He began to stir, and she quickly drew her hand away. "You don't have to stop; that feels nice." His deep voice startled her and dark brown eyes opened to look into blue-grey ones. He reached out and gently traced her lips with his thumb. He gave her a full smile, showing off his dimples, as he spoke. "It must have gotten quite cold in here last night when the heat wore off of the rocks."
She knew that she should pull away from
him, but the warmth coming from his body was comforting, and her head still
ached from the mild concussion she had suffered in the crash. They continued to stare into each other's
eyes for several more minutes, until they heard coughing coming from the
entrance to the cave.
"Tom!" the captain said as she
disentangled herself from the blanket. She stood, ignoring her headache, and
approached the pilot, who continued to cough softly. "Tom, how are you doing
this morning?"
He slowly opened eyes, glazed with pain. "I..I... hurt." Tom replied in a shaky voice.
"Let me get you something for the pain, Tom." Janeway said.
"I...I'm..... thirsty. Do we.... have any...more water?" He asked, with another cough.
"I'll get you some." She replied. She placed her hand on the side of his face to find his skin cold and clammy. "Chakotay, I think he's going into shock. We have to try to contact Voyager again."
Chakotay helped Tom into a sitting position and the captain held a flask of water to his lips.
"Take small sips only, Tom." Janeway said quietly frowning, as she realized how severe his injuries were.
He nodded at her, took several small sips and began to cough again. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and the captain was shocked to see blood on his hand.
* * * * *
Chakotay left the cave, walked into a clearing, and again tried to contact
Voyager, without luck. He scanned the
area and found high readings of Dilithium crystals as well as other minerals
they could use aboard the ship. This mission could have been very successful
if not for those strange energy surges that destroyed the shuttle's systems.
Tom needs immediate medical care that the medkits just can't provide. He walked back to the cave to deliver the bad
news to his fellow shipmates.
"Still no sign of
Voyager. I guess the storm's interference is long-term. I'm going to try
to get down to the shuttle and see if I can get communications up again."
"Please be careful, Chakotay.
We can't afford any more injuries." Janeway remarked with a small smile as he
left the cave. I can't afford to lose you, now that I'm finding you again,
she thought. She turned to Tom, offered him more water, and placed a hypospray
against the side of his neck. He shivered slightly, and the
captain pulled the blanket up to his neck and sat down next to him. She stared
out of the cave, wishing for Chakotay's safe return and for some sign from
Voyager.
* * *
* *
B'Elanna tossed and turned in her bed. She had not gotten more than two or
three hours of sleep during the night because she was so worried about the away
team. They were all close to her but her
major concern was for her husband. We have to find him soon. I have a very
bad feeling about this mission. She thought to herself as she got up and
got dressed.
* * * * *
Alpha shift was beginning on Voyager and Harry Kim once again headed for
Astrometrics. He knew there had to be a way to locate the shuttle and his
friend on the planet's surface. When he walked in, Seven
was already at one of the consoles. She looked as if she'd had trouble sleeping
the night before, and Harry thought, She's
as concerned about them as the rest of us. She just doesn't know how to express
it.
"Ensign Kim, I may have found something." She stated. "There is an unusual amount of plasma drifting over the northern continent of the planet. The shuttle may have gone down in that area. That's where we need to concentrate our scanners."
"Are there any other findings besides the plasma to be sure it's from our shuttle?" Harry asked.
"No, Ensign Kim. Is there
anything that would be peculiar to the shuttle that may not appear on the
planet's surface?"
Harry suddenly grinned. "Yes! There's
something unique to any shuttle that Tom flies. Could you scan for silver and
turquoise?"
"Ensign Kim, neither of those items is used in the construction of a shuttle."
"I know, Seven, but please scan for them anyway." Harry pleaded.
Seven gave Harry a curious glance, but proceeded to adjust the scanners for silver and turquoise. She gave him a genuine smile as she announced that there were trace elements of silver and turquoise in a ravine near a large lake on the northernmost continent.
"Thanks, Seven." Harry beamed as he leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. Then he took off for the bridge, comming B'Elanna on the way. "B'Elanna, I think we may have found the shuttle. Meet me on the bridge. Harry out."
to be continued…