AN: Sorry for the delay in getting this part out. I had it all ready to post as soon as
fanfiction.net was up and running again, but when I went to post it about half of if had
somehow disappeared and I have been having difficulties in rewriting it.
Single quotation marks signify thoughts.
Disclaimer: Voyager and all its characters do not belong to me.
A Good Pilot Is Hard To Find
Chapter 10
B'Ellana, tired of pacing the floor, was now seated on a cot next to Seven, her eyes
still roving the walls. Seven was leaning against the wall with her eyes closed. The other
members of the captured crew were lying on the cots, or on the floor sleeping.
"Why don't you go to sleep?" asked Seven.
"I'm not tired," answered B'Ellana testily.
Seven opened her eyes to look at B'Ellana. "You look tired."
"Well, I'm not."
B'Ellana got off the cot and began pacing the room again.
"You've searched this room several times already. There is no way out."
"Your friend is quite right."
B'Ellana turned around to find a Lodaikin guard standing there with a tray with
pieces of bread and bottles of water.
"I've brought your supper," said the guard.
"Bread and water?"
"That is all that prisoners such as you deserve."
"Prisoners? Of what crime are we accused?" asked Seven.
"None, yet. If everything goes according to plan, you may not be accused of
anything. Your lives depend on their generosity. I suggest you be on your best behavior."
"Who are they?" asked B'Ellana.
The guard set his tray down. "Enjoy your dinner. It's all you're getting for a
while."
"What about Tom? Is he okay?"
"Tom?"
"The pilot Lunai kidnapped."
"I know nothing about that."
"You must know something! Isn't this all part of some plan to keep us from rescuing
him?"
"No! We do not associate with the Dakans. We are only detaining you, not Voyager.
Voyager is on its way now to rescue him."
"I don't believe you."
"I don't care if you believe me or not. I'd watch it if I were you, though. It is
not wise to ask too many questions."
The guard tapped his badge and was transported out of the room.
B'Ellana took bread and water for herself and Seven and returned to the cot.
She handed Seven a piece of bread and a bottle of water. "If you say 'I told you
so', you'll regret it."
"The thought had not occurred to me."
"Do you think he was telling the truth?"
"We have no way of knowing for certain, but I do not believe so."
They continued to eat in silence. When Seven finished, she set aside her empty
bottle and leaned back to think once more. B'Ellana got up and started to pace again.
"Why don't you go to sleep now? You know now that there is no escape."
"I can't sleep. I have to figure out a way out of here."
"At least do as I do, and rest your eyes to conserve your energy. It is inefficient
to waste your energy when there is nothing you can do."
B'Ellana sighed and joined Seven on the cot. B'Ellana leaned back and closed her
eyes, only intending to rest for a few minutes to satisfy Seven. She was surprised to find
she must have fallen asleep, for when she opened her eyes Seven was no longer beside her,
but across the room talking to a Lodaikain. Their conversation drifted across the room to
her.
"Why do you want to help us?" asked Seven.
"I don't want to see Guntak and Lunai succeed in their plans."
"What exactly are their plans?"
"To conquer Lodikia."
"What does that have to do with us?"
"If they fail, you take the blame. Please, take this."
"It does us little good while we are trapped here."
"Should a chance at escape arise, it will be needed if you ever wish to rescue your
pilot."
"Do you know of a way to escape?"
"I'm afraid not. I wish I could help you further, but if I get caught, I'll be in
real trouble."
"Thank you for your help," said Seven, accepting the small object that the Lodaikin
offered.
"Good luck," said the Lodaikin as he transported out of the room.
Seven walked back over to B'Ellana and sat beside her.
"What was that all about?" asked B'Ellana.
Seven held up the device she was given, which looked like a small black ball with
wings, "A means of rescuing Lt. Paris."
"What is it?"
"It will clear a path through the minefield."
"How does it work?"
"He would not tell me. He claimed that he did not have enough time to explain it to
me."
"Is Tom okay?"
"He did not know, but he said they would not kill Lt. Paris, as they need him too
badly."
"Did he say anything about Voyager?"
"As far as he knows, Voyager is still in orbit of Lodikia."
"As far as he knows?"
"He has not spoken with his source for over two hours. At that time Voyager was
still in orbit and surrounded by Lodaikin ships."
"Did he tell you how their transporters work so that maybe I could figure out how to
use them to get out of here?"
"I did not think to ask."
"Why didn't you wake me so I could talk to him too?"
"He requested that I not wake anyone else."
"Okay, so now we have a way to rescue Tom, but who's going to rescue us?"
"Wake up, Tom."
Tom wearily opened his eyes and wished that he hadn't. The fire was starting to get
worse again. Sonai stood over him looking anxious.
"Have you come to give me another shot?"
"No, Tom. I'm afraid I won't be able to get another one of those for a while. I
know the shot I gave you before is probably starting to wear off by now, but it will still
last you for a few more hours. I came to bring you this. You have to be quick. I was held
up, so I don't have much time before Lunai comes."
"Give me what?"
"The device I told you about. Remember? You wanted to record a message on it."
"What good is if Voyager is destroyed?"
"Destroyed? Voyager wasn't destroyed. You must have been dreaming."
"But it seemed so real."
"Yes, another effect of solblodium is it produces very realistic dreams. Here.
Quick, record your message."
Tom momentarily forgot his pain as relief flooded through him. He took the device
from Sonai and stared at it. It held some resemblance to something he had seen before, but
at the moment he couldn't get his mind to focus to make any sense out of the object in his
hands.
"How?"
"That's the camera there," she said pointing. "Just push that button below it."
"I want to send just a voice message. I don't want them to see me."
"Then push that button there and begin speaking."
Tom pushed the button she indicated and recorded his message. As he handed the
device back to Sonai, he took hold of her hand and looked earnestly into her eyes.
"I can't thank you enough, Sonai. You've done so much to help me at great risk to
your own life."
"I don't know you very well, Tom Paris, but I have the feeling that if our
situations were reversed, you would do the same thing. I couldn't let Lunai get away with
doing this to you. I stood by and watched as Guntak and Lunai committed genocide 40 years
ago, but I will not do so again."
"You're very brave, Sonai. Please be careful. I would hate for you to get killed
because of me. When I leave, though, Lunai will know that you helped me."
"Don't worry about me."
"Come with me. You'll be safe on Voyager."
"I have to go. Lunai will be here any minute."
Tom didn't let go of her hand. "Say you'll come with me."
"Okay. I'll come with you."
Tom let go of Sonai's hand and lay down again, his eyelids closing before his head
hit the bench. Sonai hurried out of his cell and down the corridor just in time. Only two
minutes later Lunai entered Tom's cell.
"Did you sleep well?" Lunai asked with an evil grin.
"Oh, very well, thanks. I'll have to recommend this place to all my friends."
"I told you that you should watch your mouth."
"Well, just give a mirror so I can see it, and I will."
Lunai pulled out a small knife that resembled a scalpel.
"You only have yourself to blame for this as I did warn you."
"I hope you don't plan on cutting my mouth off with that. I'm sort of attached to
it."
"That's not exactly what I had in mind, but the end result is the same."
Lunai approached Tom with the scalpel and brought it to Tom's throat.
"I thought you needed me alive," said Tom trying to keep the fear out of his voice.
"Oh, I'm not going to kill you. Did I ever tell you that I once studied to become a
surgeon?"
"You must of left that out of your autobiography. I read it cover to cover and
found no mention of it."
Lunai glared. "The point is, I am skilled at precision cutting. I have never met a
human before, so I may not do a very neat job of it. Also, I have no drugs to give you, so
it most definitely will be painful."
Tom started to lift his hand to block the knife, but Lunai pushed it back down and
reached beneath the bench near Tom's wrists, where apparently restraints were attached. He
locked it into a groove in the bench that Tom had not noticed before and did the same thing
to his other arm and his legs. With one hand he held Tom's head in place and the other hand
brought the scalpel to Tom's throat again. As the knife cut into his skin Tom bit his lip
to keep from screaming. He was grateful when only moments later, he lost consciousness.
When he awoke Sonai was again at his side applying a bandage to his neck. The fire
sensation seemed to have dulled somewhat, but it could have just been that it was minor
compared to the pain that he was experiencing from his throat. Tom tried to speak and was
alarmed when he found that he could not. His lips moved but no sound came out. He tried to
move, but found that he was still strapped down. He looked pleadingly at Sonai. Sonai
looked close to tears as she gently finished applying the bandage.
"I told you my brother was very impatient. I wish you hadn't antagonized him so.
Surely you could have refused to help him without all the smart-aleck comments?"
Tom wished he could communicate in some way with Sonai. If only he could at least
move his hands. He struggled to lift his arms, hoping that she would get the picture and
free him.
"I'm sorry, Tom. I can't free you. I have to agree with Lunai. We can't risk you
accidentally tearing your stitches. It's too dangerous. I gave you another shot to help
fight effects of the solblodium, but I couldn't get anything to help with the pain from your
surgery."
Tom was trying desperately to use facial expressions to let her know that he wanted
to know exactly what had been done to him, but Sonai seemed to be avoiding looking at his
face.
"Maybe when you are back on Voyager, your doctor can repair the damage my brother
did to your vocal cords."
'Maybe your doctor should do it before I go. My doctor may not be able to resist
the opportunity to leave me speechless.' Tom thought in her direction in the off chance
that her race had telepathic abilities.
Sonai didn't respond to his mental quip, so Tom knew that unfortunately that option
was out as well. He closed his eyes, hoping Sonai would leave. It was maddening having her
beside him when he had no way of communicating with her.
"I'm sorry, Tom. I wish there was something I could do to help you. The device is
on its way to Voyager. It should reach them sometime tonight or early tomorrow morning."
'Then they will take just as long to get back here, not to mention the minefield.
Wait! The minefield. How was Voyager going to get past that?'
Tom's eyes flew open and he tried to put the question in his eyes. Now Sonai was
looking at his face, and remarkably she seemed to understand.
"I have a friend on Lodikia. He knows of a device that can clear a path through the
minefield."
Tom raised his eyebrows questioningly and again Sonai understood.
"It creates an opposite magnetic polarity to that of the mines, thereby gently
pushing them to either side."
Tom nodded and smiled. Sonai smiled as well and stood up.
"I'll leave you to rest now. I've convinced my brother to leave you alone for now
as well, but I don't know how long he'll give you."
Tom closed his eyes again and Sonai left. When Tom opened them again sometime later
Lunai was standing over him.
"How are we feeling now?"
Tom glared at him.
"What, no clever remarks?"
Tom could only continue to glare at him.
"Are you ready to cooperate now?"
Tom shook his head no.
"Very well. I'd like you to meet a friend of mine who is going to assist me with my
next effort to change your mind."
'You mean you have friends?' thought Tom.
"This is Dumai."
Another Dakan stepped into the room. He was a good foot shorter than Lunai and his
face looked twice as mean and ugly.
'That explains it. With a name that sounds so much like dummy you can't be very
bright.'
"He possesses a very rare talent that I think may be useful. If you choose to
cooperate this will be much easier."
'Do you have a learning disability or something? You don't seem to understand the
meaning of the word no.'
"He doesn't think very much of you Lunai. You should hear the things he's thinking
about you," said Dumai.
Tom's eyes widened.
"I can see that you understand why I brought Dumai. He's a telepath. He can read
your mind and see what will make you go along with my plan. Since you don't seem to want to
be helpful we'll have to do this the hard way."
Dumai stood over Tom and put his hands on Tom's temples. Suddenly Tom felt as
though his head was plunged into a bucket of ice and hundreds of needles were being driven
into his skull. He squeezed his eyes shut against the pain. Images from his past flashed
before his eyes. He struggled to hang on as the pain increased. As suddenly as it started
it stopped. Tom felt dizzy from the sudden lack of pain. He opened his eyes and everything
was so blurry that he had to close his eyes again to keep from being nauseous.
"Well, what did you find out?" asked Lunai.
"He's tougher than I would have imagined. I wonder if all humans are as good at
protecting their thoughts. The only thing I was able to find out is that he his mind
contains many bad memories."
"I trust you left him with pleasant dreams?" asked Lunai with an evil grin.
Dumai grinned also. "Of course. There were so many memories to choose from ,but
one in particular seems to disturb him more than the others."
"Excellent."
Tom heard footsteps leaving the room. He didn't like the sound of their
conversation and struggled to remain awake. Unfortunately he was fighting a losing battle,
and shortly after the sound of their footsteps died away, he felt himself falling into a
deep, dark pit where something horrible waited for him.
Janeway paced the floor in her ready room. The situation still seemed hopeless.
Everything they thought of was thwarted by their lack of technology. Seven or B'Ellana
might have been able to come up with a way to improve their technology, but unfortunately
they were not on board. Janeway stopped pacing as the door to her ready room swished open
and Chakotay entered.
"Commander, I would have thought you would know better than to enter a room without
permission."
"I tried, but you never answered."
Janeway sighed. "I'm sorry Chakotay. I guess I was too preoccupied to hear you."
"That's okay. I think we're all a little preoccupied right now. There doesn't seem
to be any way out of this."
"Something will turn up. I know it's pretty difficult now, and I'm having a bit of
trouble myself, but we mustn't lose hope. "
"I'm glad to hear you say that. The crew needs to know that, too."
"I know. Let's go back to the bridge."
Janeway left her ready room and took her seat on the bridge. Chakotay followed and
took his seat beside her.
"Status, Mr. Kim," said Janeway.
"The same as it was two days ago," Harry answered somewhat bitterly.
"Mr. Kim," said Janeway sternly. "Regardless of how you may feel about the
situation on this bridge, you are to maintain a professional attitude."
"I'm sorry, captain."
"I know you're worried about Tom, but we will find some way out of this and rescue
Tom, so try and keep a positive attitude."
"Yes, captain."
"We all need to think positively."
"Captain, we're being hailed."
"Is it Guntak?"
"No, captain. It appears that we are being hailed by a probe."
"A probe? Very well, on screen."
"It's an audio transmission."
"Well, open a channel, then."
"Yes, captain."
"This is Lt. Tom Paris with a message for the starship Voyager. I have been told
that you are currently surrounded and unable to come charging to my rescue, so I guess I'll
just have to rescue you first. Approximately thirty seconds after this message concludes,
the shields on all the ships surrounding you and the planet will be down. How long they
will be down, I don't know, so I suggest you act quickly. Good luck."
"All right, everyone get ready. Harry, be ready to locate our crew and beam them up
as soon as the shields are down. Tuvok, be ready to fire on the ships surrounding us as
soon as we have our crewmembers. Baytart, be ready to set a course for Daka at warp 8 as
soon as we're clear of the Lodikian ships."
"Yes, captain," answered Harry, Tuvok, and Baytart.
"Shields are down," said Harry. "I've located our crew members and have beamed them
up."
Tuvok fired on the ship directly in front of them. Even without their shields, the
Lodikian ships were tough. Still, within a few minutes they were able to knock one the
ships out of the way and fly through the gap without sustaining much damage. Once free,
they headed towards Daka.
"Are they following us?" asked Janeway.
"Negative, captain," answered Harry.
"Good, now let's go rescue Tom." Under her breath she added, "I just hope we're not
too late."
"What about the minefield?" asked Harry.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
The doors to the turbolift opened and B'Ellana stepped out onto the bridge holding a
small black device in one hand.
"Captain, I have something that I think will prove very useful."
"What happened?" Guntak screamed at the view screen.
Matak, commander of one of the ships that had been surrounding Voyager, nervously
cleared his throat.
"I don't know sir. Something happened to the shields and Voyager got away."
"How did they disable our shields? They don't have the technology to do that."
"I don't know sir. Should we have followed them? You didn't tell us what we should
do if they got away."
"It's a little late to be asking that question, now isn't it? Not to worry though,
they'll never be able to get a ship the size of Voyager through the minefield. That doesn't
mean I'm not still upset with you for letting them get away. Alert all the ships that they
are to return to the planet. I'll think about what I am going to do to you later."
"Yes, sir."
The view screen went black and Guntak started pressing the display panel below it.
After trying to hit the same keys repeatedly, he hit his communicator.
"Dunta, why can't I contact Daka?"
"Long range communications are not working right now."
"I know that. Why not?"
"I don't know sir."
"Doesn't anybody around here know anything? Keep working on it. Let me know the
second we get long range communications back."
Unable to sit still any longer, Guntak rose and went for a walk in the gardens.
"Perhaps it's just as well that long range communications are down. Had I sent the
message then, I could have got caught. I can't risk the record of my transmission there
being found." Guntak tapped his communication badge again. "Dunta, never mind that last
order. Send out the communications probe instead, warning Lunai that Voyager escaped."
"But if Voyager has found a way through the minefield, the message will never reach
him in time."
"That can't be helped. He knew from the beginning that should the plan fail, the
blame was going to fall solely on him. I am not going to do anything that is going to risk
exposing my part in the plot."
"What about Voyager? Don't they know enough of the plan to expose us?"
"I made sure that they knew very little, but if they do somehow know of our plan,
I'll deny everything. Who are the people going to believe-some aliens we just met or their
beloved leader?"
"Wake up, Tom"
Tom opened his eyes, glad he could remember nothing of the nightmare he was awoken
from, to find Sonai standing over him with a small brown bag slung over one shoulder.
"Why don't you try sitting up?"
Tom looked at his wrists and found that he was no longer shackled to the bench.
Pulling his arm back, he attempted to push himself into a sitting position, but the effort
tired him and the movement made him dizzy, so he lay back down again and shook his head.
"You have to sit up."
Sonai sat by him on the bench and helped him into a sitting position. He leaned on
her shoulder and closed his eyes.
"Do you remember me, Tom?"
Tom opened his eyes, sat up straight, and looked at her in confusion.
"I heard about what they did to you. Nearly all of the Dakans I know that have had
that done to them no longer remember anything about who they were. Some of the stronger
ones were able to remember some of their past after a time, and only one was able to fully
regain their memories."
Tom's eyes widened and he pointed a finger at himself.
"The fact that you still remember me is a good sign. Try to think of something or
someone from your past."
Tom stared at the wall as he tried to think about his past. He looked over at
Sonai in fright as nothing came to him.
"Keep trying."
Tom tried harder and finally remembered a woman's face, but he couldn't put a name
to that face. Tom closed his eyes and tried harder. Finally he recalled a name-B'Ellana.
Tom's eyes flew open and he smiled as he looked at Sonai again.
"You remember something?"
Tom nodded.
"That's an excellent sign. You stand a good chance of regaining your memories."
Sonai looked nervously towards the entrance to the room and lowered her voice. "The
reason I came here is to tell you that Voyager is on its way." Noticing Tom's confusion she
explained, "Voyager is your ship."
Tom nodded slowly. The name did seem familiar to him.
"You have to be ready for them. Transporter beams can't penetrate this room, so I
must get you out of here."
Sonai started to help Tom up, but he stopped her. Pointing to himself and her, he
looked at her questioningly.
"You want me to go with you?"
Tom nodded. He pointed to her again and then to his lips.
"I know I said I would. I'm just surprised that you remember. Come on, it takes
much less time to get here when you don't have to worry about the minefield. Voyager
shouldn't be too much longer."
Tom allowed Sonai to help him up, but they didn't get far. Lunai appeared in
doorway.
"You're not going anywhere. I knew I couldn't trust you, dear sister."
"It's too late, Lunai. Voyager will be here soon. They will defeat you and rescue
Tom. We don't stand a chance against them as they are technologically superior to us."
"That's not true! Our technology is much more advanced than theirs."
"Yes, but we don't know how to use it!"
Lunai looked livid, but suddenly he smiled. "They can't take him. I have this."
Lunai held out a piece of paper.
"What's that?" asked Sonai.
"A contract of the trade of dilithium for Lt. Paris."
"It doesn't matter. They don't have to abide by that."
"Yes, they do--it's perfectly legal."
Tom pointed to himself, his eyes, and then Lunai.
"What is he doing?" asked Lunai.
"He wants to see the contract."
Lunai warily handed the contract to Tom. Tom looked over it and pointed something
out to Sonai, who smiled.
"This doesn't say that Tom is to be traded for the dilithium. It says that the
dilithium is to be traded for something of equal value to be determined at a later date."
Lunai snatched the contract back and looked at it. After a moment he crumpled it up
and threw it to the floor, mumbling something about incompetent fools. Dumai appeared,
looking quite agitated, and walked up to Lunai.
"I need to have a word with you, Lunai."
"Yes, what is it?" Lunai asked wearily.
Dumai's gaze darted over to Sonai and Tom and he lowered his voice. "Voyager has
just entered our orbit. What do you want us to do?"
"Keep them away from this room," growled Lunai.
"Yes, of course."
Dumai hastily departed, and Lunai stared calmly at Sonai and Tom.
"I had hoped, Sonai, that I was wrong about you. I have been planning for years to
get off this planet. Finally, the opportunity comes along to do so, and you ruin it."
Tom moved protectively in front of Sonai.
"Do you really think that I'd be heartless enough to harm my own sister? You
haven't the strength to protect her, anyway. You can barely stand up on your own."
Tom glared and stood up straighter.
"Very well, I guess I have no choice but to give up."
Lunai turned and headed for the doorway, but before he got there, he turned around
and threw something. Sonai pushed Tom out of the way and fell to the floor. Lunai walked
over to Sonai and retrieved his knife.
"At least I could count on her for one thing. I knew she would sacrifice herself
for you."
The sound of phaser fire could now be heard in the distance. Lunai walked to the
door and looked down the hallway. As he did so, Tom sat up and looked over at Sonai. Tears
threatened to fall, but he fought them back. He felt hope return as he noticed what had
fallen out of the bag Sonai had been carrying. Lunai was returning now, so he quickly
looked away. He had an idea now, but he wasn't sure he would be able to keep together long
enough to try it.
"I have a proposition for you. If you stay here and help us, I can get your ship
home."
Tom raised his eyebrows skeptically.
"We have all this technology, and we don't know how to use it. I know that one of
the items we have can send star ships great distances quickly. I don't know how it does it,
or how to get it to work, but I'm sure your people could figure it out."
The sound of phaser fire was nearer. As Lunai glanced nervously toward the doorway,
Tom made his move. He crawled the short distance to Sonai and grabbed the phaser that had
fallen out of her bag. Lunai turned back in time to see Tom grabbing the phaser. He threw
his knife as Tom fired his phaser at Lunai. The phaser beam hit Lunai square in the chest,
and he fell to the floor. Tom dropped the phaser as the knife imbedded in his side.
Darkness was threatening to engulf him as he pulled the knife from his side and crawled
toward the doorway.
"Can you pick up Tom's lifesigns yet?" asked Janeway.
"Negative, captian," replied Tuvok.
Janeway tapped her com badge. "How's it going down there?"
"Not good, captain," answered B'Ellana. "We've located two of the rooms that our
sensors were unable to penetrate, but we're meeting resistance at every turn."
"Keep trying. There are only two other rooms that he can be in. If they're still
fighting us off, he must still be alive."
"Captain, I'm reading another human life sign just outside one of the rooms we
couldn't scan, but it's very weak," spoke up Tuvok.
"Beam him immediately to sickbay and alert the away team to beam back as well,"
answered Janeway.
"Yes, captain."
"Once everyone is back on board, resume our previous course for Earth." Janeway
headed for the turbolift. "Tuvok, you have the bridge. I'll be in sickbay."
"Captain, may I come with you?" asked Harry.
"Certainly." Janeway laid a hand gently on Harry's shoulder as they reached the
turbolift. "Don't worry. He's going to be fine. He's tough, and I'm confident the doctor
will be able to repair whatever injuries he may have."
Harry nodded. The turbolift doors opened and they stepped inside. As the turbolift
headed down to the level of sickbay, Voyager headed away from Daka.
fanfiction.net was up and running again, but when I went to post it about half of if had
somehow disappeared and I have been having difficulties in rewriting it.
Single quotation marks signify thoughts.
Disclaimer: Voyager and all its characters do not belong to me.
A Good Pilot Is Hard To Find
Chapter 10
B'Ellana, tired of pacing the floor, was now seated on a cot next to Seven, her eyes
still roving the walls. Seven was leaning against the wall with her eyes closed. The other
members of the captured crew were lying on the cots, or on the floor sleeping.
"Why don't you go to sleep?" asked Seven.
"I'm not tired," answered B'Ellana testily.
Seven opened her eyes to look at B'Ellana. "You look tired."
"Well, I'm not."
B'Ellana got off the cot and began pacing the room again.
"You've searched this room several times already. There is no way out."
"Your friend is quite right."
B'Ellana turned around to find a Lodaikin guard standing there with a tray with
pieces of bread and bottles of water.
"I've brought your supper," said the guard.
"Bread and water?"
"That is all that prisoners such as you deserve."
"Prisoners? Of what crime are we accused?" asked Seven.
"None, yet. If everything goes according to plan, you may not be accused of
anything. Your lives depend on their generosity. I suggest you be on your best behavior."
"Who are they?" asked B'Ellana.
The guard set his tray down. "Enjoy your dinner. It's all you're getting for a
while."
"What about Tom? Is he okay?"
"Tom?"
"The pilot Lunai kidnapped."
"I know nothing about that."
"You must know something! Isn't this all part of some plan to keep us from rescuing
him?"
"No! We do not associate with the Dakans. We are only detaining you, not Voyager.
Voyager is on its way now to rescue him."
"I don't believe you."
"I don't care if you believe me or not. I'd watch it if I were you, though. It is
not wise to ask too many questions."
The guard tapped his badge and was transported out of the room.
B'Ellana took bread and water for herself and Seven and returned to the cot.
She handed Seven a piece of bread and a bottle of water. "If you say 'I told you
so', you'll regret it."
"The thought had not occurred to me."
"Do you think he was telling the truth?"
"We have no way of knowing for certain, but I do not believe so."
They continued to eat in silence. When Seven finished, she set aside her empty
bottle and leaned back to think once more. B'Ellana got up and started to pace again.
"Why don't you go to sleep now? You know now that there is no escape."
"I can't sleep. I have to figure out a way out of here."
"At least do as I do, and rest your eyes to conserve your energy. It is inefficient
to waste your energy when there is nothing you can do."
B'Ellana sighed and joined Seven on the cot. B'Ellana leaned back and closed her
eyes, only intending to rest for a few minutes to satisfy Seven. She was surprised to find
she must have fallen asleep, for when she opened her eyes Seven was no longer beside her,
but across the room talking to a Lodaikain. Their conversation drifted across the room to
her.
"Why do you want to help us?" asked Seven.
"I don't want to see Guntak and Lunai succeed in their plans."
"What exactly are their plans?"
"To conquer Lodikia."
"What does that have to do with us?"
"If they fail, you take the blame. Please, take this."
"It does us little good while we are trapped here."
"Should a chance at escape arise, it will be needed if you ever wish to rescue your
pilot."
"Do you know of a way to escape?"
"I'm afraid not. I wish I could help you further, but if I get caught, I'll be in
real trouble."
"Thank you for your help," said Seven, accepting the small object that the Lodaikin
offered.
"Good luck," said the Lodaikin as he transported out of the room.
Seven walked back over to B'Ellana and sat beside her.
"What was that all about?" asked B'Ellana.
Seven held up the device she was given, which looked like a small black ball with
wings, "A means of rescuing Lt. Paris."
"What is it?"
"It will clear a path through the minefield."
"How does it work?"
"He would not tell me. He claimed that he did not have enough time to explain it to
me."
"Is Tom okay?"
"He did not know, but he said they would not kill Lt. Paris, as they need him too
badly."
"Did he say anything about Voyager?"
"As far as he knows, Voyager is still in orbit of Lodikia."
"As far as he knows?"
"He has not spoken with his source for over two hours. At that time Voyager was
still in orbit and surrounded by Lodaikin ships."
"Did he tell you how their transporters work so that maybe I could figure out how to
use them to get out of here?"
"I did not think to ask."
"Why didn't you wake me so I could talk to him too?"
"He requested that I not wake anyone else."
"Okay, so now we have a way to rescue Tom, but who's going to rescue us?"
"Wake up, Tom."
Tom wearily opened his eyes and wished that he hadn't. The fire was starting to get
worse again. Sonai stood over him looking anxious.
"Have you come to give me another shot?"
"No, Tom. I'm afraid I won't be able to get another one of those for a while. I
know the shot I gave you before is probably starting to wear off by now, but it will still
last you for a few more hours. I came to bring you this. You have to be quick. I was held
up, so I don't have much time before Lunai comes."
"Give me what?"
"The device I told you about. Remember? You wanted to record a message on it."
"What good is if Voyager is destroyed?"
"Destroyed? Voyager wasn't destroyed. You must have been dreaming."
"But it seemed so real."
"Yes, another effect of solblodium is it produces very realistic dreams. Here.
Quick, record your message."
Tom momentarily forgot his pain as relief flooded through him. He took the device
from Sonai and stared at it. It held some resemblance to something he had seen before, but
at the moment he couldn't get his mind to focus to make any sense out of the object in his
hands.
"How?"
"That's the camera there," she said pointing. "Just push that button below it."
"I want to send just a voice message. I don't want them to see me."
"Then push that button there and begin speaking."
Tom pushed the button she indicated and recorded his message. As he handed the
device back to Sonai, he took hold of her hand and looked earnestly into her eyes.
"I can't thank you enough, Sonai. You've done so much to help me at great risk to
your own life."
"I don't know you very well, Tom Paris, but I have the feeling that if our
situations were reversed, you would do the same thing. I couldn't let Lunai get away with
doing this to you. I stood by and watched as Guntak and Lunai committed genocide 40 years
ago, but I will not do so again."
"You're very brave, Sonai. Please be careful. I would hate for you to get killed
because of me. When I leave, though, Lunai will know that you helped me."
"Don't worry about me."
"Come with me. You'll be safe on Voyager."
"I have to go. Lunai will be here any minute."
Tom didn't let go of her hand. "Say you'll come with me."
"Okay. I'll come with you."
Tom let go of Sonai's hand and lay down again, his eyelids closing before his head
hit the bench. Sonai hurried out of his cell and down the corridor just in time. Only two
minutes later Lunai entered Tom's cell.
"Did you sleep well?" Lunai asked with an evil grin.
"Oh, very well, thanks. I'll have to recommend this place to all my friends."
"I told you that you should watch your mouth."
"Well, just give a mirror so I can see it, and I will."
Lunai pulled out a small knife that resembled a scalpel.
"You only have yourself to blame for this as I did warn you."
"I hope you don't plan on cutting my mouth off with that. I'm sort of attached to
it."
"That's not exactly what I had in mind, but the end result is the same."
Lunai approached Tom with the scalpel and brought it to Tom's throat.
"I thought you needed me alive," said Tom trying to keep the fear out of his voice.
"Oh, I'm not going to kill you. Did I ever tell you that I once studied to become a
surgeon?"
"You must of left that out of your autobiography. I read it cover to cover and
found no mention of it."
Lunai glared. "The point is, I am skilled at precision cutting. I have never met a
human before, so I may not do a very neat job of it. Also, I have no drugs to give you, so
it most definitely will be painful."
Tom started to lift his hand to block the knife, but Lunai pushed it back down and
reached beneath the bench near Tom's wrists, where apparently restraints were attached. He
locked it into a groove in the bench that Tom had not noticed before and did the same thing
to his other arm and his legs. With one hand he held Tom's head in place and the other hand
brought the scalpel to Tom's throat again. As the knife cut into his skin Tom bit his lip
to keep from screaming. He was grateful when only moments later, he lost consciousness.
When he awoke Sonai was again at his side applying a bandage to his neck. The fire
sensation seemed to have dulled somewhat, but it could have just been that it was minor
compared to the pain that he was experiencing from his throat. Tom tried to speak and was
alarmed when he found that he could not. His lips moved but no sound came out. He tried to
move, but found that he was still strapped down. He looked pleadingly at Sonai. Sonai
looked close to tears as she gently finished applying the bandage.
"I told you my brother was very impatient. I wish you hadn't antagonized him so.
Surely you could have refused to help him without all the smart-aleck comments?"
Tom wished he could communicate in some way with Sonai. If only he could at least
move his hands. He struggled to lift his arms, hoping that she would get the picture and
free him.
"I'm sorry, Tom. I can't free you. I have to agree with Lunai. We can't risk you
accidentally tearing your stitches. It's too dangerous. I gave you another shot to help
fight effects of the solblodium, but I couldn't get anything to help with the pain from your
surgery."
Tom was trying desperately to use facial expressions to let her know that he wanted
to know exactly what had been done to him, but Sonai seemed to be avoiding looking at his
face.
"Maybe when you are back on Voyager, your doctor can repair the damage my brother
did to your vocal cords."
'Maybe your doctor should do it before I go. My doctor may not be able to resist
the opportunity to leave me speechless.' Tom thought in her direction in the off chance
that her race had telepathic abilities.
Sonai didn't respond to his mental quip, so Tom knew that unfortunately that option
was out as well. He closed his eyes, hoping Sonai would leave. It was maddening having her
beside him when he had no way of communicating with her.
"I'm sorry, Tom. I wish there was something I could do to help you. The device is
on its way to Voyager. It should reach them sometime tonight or early tomorrow morning."
'Then they will take just as long to get back here, not to mention the minefield.
Wait! The minefield. How was Voyager going to get past that?'
Tom's eyes flew open and he tried to put the question in his eyes. Now Sonai was
looking at his face, and remarkably she seemed to understand.
"I have a friend on Lodikia. He knows of a device that can clear a path through the
minefield."
Tom raised his eyebrows questioningly and again Sonai understood.
"It creates an opposite magnetic polarity to that of the mines, thereby gently
pushing them to either side."
Tom nodded and smiled. Sonai smiled as well and stood up.
"I'll leave you to rest now. I've convinced my brother to leave you alone for now
as well, but I don't know how long he'll give you."
Tom closed his eyes again and Sonai left. When Tom opened them again sometime later
Lunai was standing over him.
"How are we feeling now?"
Tom glared at him.
"What, no clever remarks?"
Tom could only continue to glare at him.
"Are you ready to cooperate now?"
Tom shook his head no.
"Very well. I'd like you to meet a friend of mine who is going to assist me with my
next effort to change your mind."
'You mean you have friends?' thought Tom.
"This is Dumai."
Another Dakan stepped into the room. He was a good foot shorter than Lunai and his
face looked twice as mean and ugly.
'That explains it. With a name that sounds so much like dummy you can't be very
bright.'
"He possesses a very rare talent that I think may be useful. If you choose to
cooperate this will be much easier."
'Do you have a learning disability or something? You don't seem to understand the
meaning of the word no.'
"He doesn't think very much of you Lunai. You should hear the things he's thinking
about you," said Dumai.
Tom's eyes widened.
"I can see that you understand why I brought Dumai. He's a telepath. He can read
your mind and see what will make you go along with my plan. Since you don't seem to want to
be helpful we'll have to do this the hard way."
Dumai stood over Tom and put his hands on Tom's temples. Suddenly Tom felt as
though his head was plunged into a bucket of ice and hundreds of needles were being driven
into his skull. He squeezed his eyes shut against the pain. Images from his past flashed
before his eyes. He struggled to hang on as the pain increased. As suddenly as it started
it stopped. Tom felt dizzy from the sudden lack of pain. He opened his eyes and everything
was so blurry that he had to close his eyes again to keep from being nauseous.
"Well, what did you find out?" asked Lunai.
"He's tougher than I would have imagined. I wonder if all humans are as good at
protecting their thoughts. The only thing I was able to find out is that he his mind
contains many bad memories."
"I trust you left him with pleasant dreams?" asked Lunai with an evil grin.
Dumai grinned also. "Of course. There were so many memories to choose from ,but
one in particular seems to disturb him more than the others."
"Excellent."
Tom heard footsteps leaving the room. He didn't like the sound of their
conversation and struggled to remain awake. Unfortunately he was fighting a losing battle,
and shortly after the sound of their footsteps died away, he felt himself falling into a
deep, dark pit where something horrible waited for him.
Janeway paced the floor in her ready room. The situation still seemed hopeless.
Everything they thought of was thwarted by their lack of technology. Seven or B'Ellana
might have been able to come up with a way to improve their technology, but unfortunately
they were not on board. Janeway stopped pacing as the door to her ready room swished open
and Chakotay entered.
"Commander, I would have thought you would know better than to enter a room without
permission."
"I tried, but you never answered."
Janeway sighed. "I'm sorry Chakotay. I guess I was too preoccupied to hear you."
"That's okay. I think we're all a little preoccupied right now. There doesn't seem
to be any way out of this."
"Something will turn up. I know it's pretty difficult now, and I'm having a bit of
trouble myself, but we mustn't lose hope. "
"I'm glad to hear you say that. The crew needs to know that, too."
"I know. Let's go back to the bridge."
Janeway left her ready room and took her seat on the bridge. Chakotay followed and
took his seat beside her.
"Status, Mr. Kim," said Janeway.
"The same as it was two days ago," Harry answered somewhat bitterly.
"Mr. Kim," said Janeway sternly. "Regardless of how you may feel about the
situation on this bridge, you are to maintain a professional attitude."
"I'm sorry, captain."
"I know you're worried about Tom, but we will find some way out of this and rescue
Tom, so try and keep a positive attitude."
"Yes, captain."
"We all need to think positively."
"Captain, we're being hailed."
"Is it Guntak?"
"No, captain. It appears that we are being hailed by a probe."
"A probe? Very well, on screen."
"It's an audio transmission."
"Well, open a channel, then."
"Yes, captain."
"This is Lt. Tom Paris with a message for the starship Voyager. I have been told
that you are currently surrounded and unable to come charging to my rescue, so I guess I'll
just have to rescue you first. Approximately thirty seconds after this message concludes,
the shields on all the ships surrounding you and the planet will be down. How long they
will be down, I don't know, so I suggest you act quickly. Good luck."
"All right, everyone get ready. Harry, be ready to locate our crew and beam them up
as soon as the shields are down. Tuvok, be ready to fire on the ships surrounding us as
soon as we have our crewmembers. Baytart, be ready to set a course for Daka at warp 8 as
soon as we're clear of the Lodikian ships."
"Yes, captain," answered Harry, Tuvok, and Baytart.
"Shields are down," said Harry. "I've located our crew members and have beamed them
up."
Tuvok fired on the ship directly in front of them. Even without their shields, the
Lodikian ships were tough. Still, within a few minutes they were able to knock one the
ships out of the way and fly through the gap without sustaining much damage. Once free,
they headed towards Daka.
"Are they following us?" asked Janeway.
"Negative, captain," answered Harry.
"Good, now let's go rescue Tom." Under her breath she added, "I just hope we're not
too late."
"What about the minefield?" asked Harry.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
The doors to the turbolift opened and B'Ellana stepped out onto the bridge holding a
small black device in one hand.
"Captain, I have something that I think will prove very useful."
"What happened?" Guntak screamed at the view screen.
Matak, commander of one of the ships that had been surrounding Voyager, nervously
cleared his throat.
"I don't know sir. Something happened to the shields and Voyager got away."
"How did they disable our shields? They don't have the technology to do that."
"I don't know sir. Should we have followed them? You didn't tell us what we should
do if they got away."
"It's a little late to be asking that question, now isn't it? Not to worry though,
they'll never be able to get a ship the size of Voyager through the minefield. That doesn't
mean I'm not still upset with you for letting them get away. Alert all the ships that they
are to return to the planet. I'll think about what I am going to do to you later."
"Yes, sir."
The view screen went black and Guntak started pressing the display panel below it.
After trying to hit the same keys repeatedly, he hit his communicator.
"Dunta, why can't I contact Daka?"
"Long range communications are not working right now."
"I know that. Why not?"
"I don't know sir."
"Doesn't anybody around here know anything? Keep working on it. Let me know the
second we get long range communications back."
Unable to sit still any longer, Guntak rose and went for a walk in the gardens.
"Perhaps it's just as well that long range communications are down. Had I sent the
message then, I could have got caught. I can't risk the record of my transmission there
being found." Guntak tapped his communication badge again. "Dunta, never mind that last
order. Send out the communications probe instead, warning Lunai that Voyager escaped."
"But if Voyager has found a way through the minefield, the message will never reach
him in time."
"That can't be helped. He knew from the beginning that should the plan fail, the
blame was going to fall solely on him. I am not going to do anything that is going to risk
exposing my part in the plot."
"What about Voyager? Don't they know enough of the plan to expose us?"
"I made sure that they knew very little, but if they do somehow know of our plan,
I'll deny everything. Who are the people going to believe-some aliens we just met or their
beloved leader?"
"Wake up, Tom"
Tom opened his eyes, glad he could remember nothing of the nightmare he was awoken
from, to find Sonai standing over him with a small brown bag slung over one shoulder.
"Why don't you try sitting up?"
Tom looked at his wrists and found that he was no longer shackled to the bench.
Pulling his arm back, he attempted to push himself into a sitting position, but the effort
tired him and the movement made him dizzy, so he lay back down again and shook his head.
"You have to sit up."
Sonai sat by him on the bench and helped him into a sitting position. He leaned on
her shoulder and closed his eyes.
"Do you remember me, Tom?"
Tom opened his eyes, sat up straight, and looked at her in confusion.
"I heard about what they did to you. Nearly all of the Dakans I know that have had
that done to them no longer remember anything about who they were. Some of the stronger
ones were able to remember some of their past after a time, and only one was able to fully
regain their memories."
Tom's eyes widened and he pointed a finger at himself.
"The fact that you still remember me is a good sign. Try to think of something or
someone from your past."
Tom stared at the wall as he tried to think about his past. He looked over at
Sonai in fright as nothing came to him.
"Keep trying."
Tom tried harder and finally remembered a woman's face, but he couldn't put a name
to that face. Tom closed his eyes and tried harder. Finally he recalled a name-B'Ellana.
Tom's eyes flew open and he smiled as he looked at Sonai again.
"You remember something?"
Tom nodded.
"That's an excellent sign. You stand a good chance of regaining your memories."
Sonai looked nervously towards the entrance to the room and lowered her voice. "The
reason I came here is to tell you that Voyager is on its way." Noticing Tom's confusion she
explained, "Voyager is your ship."
Tom nodded slowly. The name did seem familiar to him.
"You have to be ready for them. Transporter beams can't penetrate this room, so I
must get you out of here."
Sonai started to help Tom up, but he stopped her. Pointing to himself and her, he
looked at her questioningly.
"You want me to go with you?"
Tom nodded. He pointed to her again and then to his lips.
"I know I said I would. I'm just surprised that you remember. Come on, it takes
much less time to get here when you don't have to worry about the minefield. Voyager
shouldn't be too much longer."
Tom allowed Sonai to help him up, but they didn't get far. Lunai appeared in
doorway.
"You're not going anywhere. I knew I couldn't trust you, dear sister."
"It's too late, Lunai. Voyager will be here soon. They will defeat you and rescue
Tom. We don't stand a chance against them as they are technologically superior to us."
"That's not true! Our technology is much more advanced than theirs."
"Yes, but we don't know how to use it!"
Lunai looked livid, but suddenly he smiled. "They can't take him. I have this."
Lunai held out a piece of paper.
"What's that?" asked Sonai.
"A contract of the trade of dilithium for Lt. Paris."
"It doesn't matter. They don't have to abide by that."
"Yes, they do--it's perfectly legal."
Tom pointed to himself, his eyes, and then Lunai.
"What is he doing?" asked Lunai.
"He wants to see the contract."
Lunai warily handed the contract to Tom. Tom looked over it and pointed something
out to Sonai, who smiled.
"This doesn't say that Tom is to be traded for the dilithium. It says that the
dilithium is to be traded for something of equal value to be determined at a later date."
Lunai snatched the contract back and looked at it. After a moment he crumpled it up
and threw it to the floor, mumbling something about incompetent fools. Dumai appeared,
looking quite agitated, and walked up to Lunai.
"I need to have a word with you, Lunai."
"Yes, what is it?" Lunai asked wearily.
Dumai's gaze darted over to Sonai and Tom and he lowered his voice. "Voyager has
just entered our orbit. What do you want us to do?"
"Keep them away from this room," growled Lunai.
"Yes, of course."
Dumai hastily departed, and Lunai stared calmly at Sonai and Tom.
"I had hoped, Sonai, that I was wrong about you. I have been planning for years to
get off this planet. Finally, the opportunity comes along to do so, and you ruin it."
Tom moved protectively in front of Sonai.
"Do you really think that I'd be heartless enough to harm my own sister? You
haven't the strength to protect her, anyway. You can barely stand up on your own."
Tom glared and stood up straighter.
"Very well, I guess I have no choice but to give up."
Lunai turned and headed for the doorway, but before he got there, he turned around
and threw something. Sonai pushed Tom out of the way and fell to the floor. Lunai walked
over to Sonai and retrieved his knife.
"At least I could count on her for one thing. I knew she would sacrifice herself
for you."
The sound of phaser fire could now be heard in the distance. Lunai walked to the
door and looked down the hallway. As he did so, Tom sat up and looked over at Sonai. Tears
threatened to fall, but he fought them back. He felt hope return as he noticed what had
fallen out of the bag Sonai had been carrying. Lunai was returning now, so he quickly
looked away. He had an idea now, but he wasn't sure he would be able to keep together long
enough to try it.
"I have a proposition for you. If you stay here and help us, I can get your ship
home."
Tom raised his eyebrows skeptically.
"We have all this technology, and we don't know how to use it. I know that one of
the items we have can send star ships great distances quickly. I don't know how it does it,
or how to get it to work, but I'm sure your people could figure it out."
The sound of phaser fire was nearer. As Lunai glanced nervously toward the doorway,
Tom made his move. He crawled the short distance to Sonai and grabbed the phaser that had
fallen out of her bag. Lunai turned back in time to see Tom grabbing the phaser. He threw
his knife as Tom fired his phaser at Lunai. The phaser beam hit Lunai square in the chest,
and he fell to the floor. Tom dropped the phaser as the knife imbedded in his side.
Darkness was threatening to engulf him as he pulled the knife from his side and crawled
toward the doorway.
"Can you pick up Tom's lifesigns yet?" asked Janeway.
"Negative, captian," replied Tuvok.
Janeway tapped her com badge. "How's it going down there?"
"Not good, captain," answered B'Ellana. "We've located two of the rooms that our
sensors were unable to penetrate, but we're meeting resistance at every turn."
"Keep trying. There are only two other rooms that he can be in. If they're still
fighting us off, he must still be alive."
"Captain, I'm reading another human life sign just outside one of the rooms we
couldn't scan, but it's very weak," spoke up Tuvok.
"Beam him immediately to sickbay and alert the away team to beam back as well,"
answered Janeway.
"Yes, captain."
"Once everyone is back on board, resume our previous course for Earth." Janeway
headed for the turbolift. "Tuvok, you have the bridge. I'll be in sickbay."
"Captain, may I come with you?" asked Harry.
"Certainly." Janeway laid a hand gently on Harry's shoulder as they reached the
turbolift. "Don't worry. He's going to be fine. He's tough, and I'm confident the doctor
will be able to repair whatever injuries he may have."
Harry nodded. The turbolift doors opened and they stepped inside. As the turbolift
headed down to the level of sickbay, Voyager headed away from Daka.