AN: Sorry it has taken me so long to get this last part out. I've been
busy and I've had a bit of trouble trying to figure out exactly what I
wanted to happen in this part. Also as my computer is the only one with
Internet access, it often happens that when I have the time to write my
computer is occupied.
Disclaimer: Voyager and all it's characters do not belong to me.
A Good Pilot Is Hard To Find
Epilogue
"How's he doing, doctor?" asked Janeway.
"I wasn't sure he was going to make it for a while there. His injuries were extensive and he lost a substantial amount of blood. I've repaired his injuries to the best of my abilities, but he will still need several weeks to recover. Someone seems to have done a rather poor job of cutting his vocal cords. I saved that till last, as it was not life threatening, but I was thinking, he doesn't really need that repaired does he?"
"Doctor," began Janeway sternly.
"I don't really mean it of course," the EMH interrupted. "You couldn't blame me for trying, though, could you? I still need to wait a few days to let him recuperate a bit before I submit him to another surgery. Even after the surgery it will be a while before he fully recovers his voice. For once I will have peace and quiet while he is here."
"He's not really all that bad, now is he?" laughed Janeway.
"I suppose not," he grudgingly admitted. "I have to admit with him being gone so long, I won't mind hearing his voice again, but don't let him know that."
"Good work, doctor. I'll be by later to check on him again. Let me know when he wakes up."
"Captain, there's one more thing."
Janeway turned to face him again.
"There seems to be a foreign substance suffused with his blood. I'm not sure what it is, but it seems to be causing him a great deal of pain, and I'm afraid I can't find anything to remove it from his system. Perhaps the Lodaikians would know how."
"I hope so. We'll head back to Lodakia right away."
Janeway left and Harry entered.
"Is it okay for me to see Tom now?"
"Yes, Mr. Kim I've done all I can for him for now, so now you may see him."
"How is he?"
"Alive, is the best I can say for him. He's been through quite an ordeal. He's resting now, but you may sit with him for a moment. I'm sure B'Ellana will be back shortly as well. You may inform her that she may sit with for a few minutes too. I have work I need to do, so I'll leave you alone for now. I'll be in my office if you need me."
The doctor left and Harry went to Tom's side. It pained him to see Tom lying there looking so pale and helpless.
"I'm sorry, Tom. I shouldn't have left you there."
The sickbay doors opened and B'Ellana rushed in. Spotting Harry and Tom she rushed over to them.
"How is he?"
"As well as can be expected," replied Harry. "The doc didn't tell me much. He said we could sit with him for a few minutes."
"You get better, Tom. Do you hear me? We've all missed you."
"It's all my fault. If I had just insisted that we go together, this never would have happened. Or, if I had never suggested that we go over there in the first place."
"It's not your fault, Harry. You had no way of knowing what would happen. I'm sure if Tom were awake he would say the same thing."
"I suppose."
"All right. Tom needs peace and quiet so he can rest. I'm afraid even the sedative I gave him doesn't seem to be helping much."
"Why is that?" asked B'Ellana.
"The pain from the foreign substance in his blood makes it difficult for the sedative to allow him the deep sleep that he requires. It seems that unless he is in a deep sleep, he has terrible nightmares."
As he spoke, Tom started tossing and turning restlessly.
"You better go now. I'll let you know when he wakes up."
B'Ellana and Harry nodded and left quietly. The doctor watched, as Tom drifted back into a deep sleep, then went back into his office.
Captain Janeway sat in her ready room, staring pensively out her window, when her combadge chirped. She tapped her badge.
"Yes?"
"We have arrived at Lodakia, captain," came Tuvok's voice.
"Open a channel. I'm on my way."
As she entered the bridge, a Lodaikian face that she did not recognize appeared on the view screen. He looked much younger than Guntak or Lunai.
"Captain Janeway! What a pleasant surprise. I am Glaku, the new leader of Lodakia, temporarily at least. After everything that has happened I didn't think you'd be coming back."
"Honestly, neither did I. However, a problem has arisen and we need your help."
"Anything you want. We want to make up for what Guntak and Lunai did to you. We feel really awful about it. We had no idea any of that was going on."
"Yes, thank you. Our doctor tells me that our pilot's blood is suffused with a foreign substance that is causing him pain. He is unable to cure him and we thought that you might know how."
"It sounds like he was injected with Solblodium. It is injected into the bloodstream and causes the person's body to feel as though it is on fire."
"Do you know how to cure it?" asked Janeway hopefully.
"Unfortunately, it is probably already too late."
"What do you mean by that? Is it fatal?"
"No, Solblodium is a torture device. It was engineered by one of the Dakans before they were banished. They used it on their own kind to find out all the details of the peace conference, which is how we know of it. We studied for a while on how to cure it, but learned that unless the cure is given within six hours of the injection, the cure will not work, as the solblodium is too integrated into the blood. After the last person injected with it died, there was no longer a reason to work on a cure."
"Thank you for that lengthy reply," said Janeway tersely. "Is there anything that can be done for him?"
"Sorry, captain. So much was kept hidden from you that I want to ensure that nothing else is. We were able to develop a temporary cure. It will stop the pain for approximately eight hours. We can give you that and all the research we accumulated while we were working on the cure."
"Thank you. That would be much appreciated."
"I just wanted to let you know that Guntak, Lunai, and all those involved in the plan to overtake Lodakia, have been dealt with. We have no crime, so we didn't have a prison, but we built one and put them there under heavy guard. Everyone else was transported off Daka. Most of us were unaware of Lodakia's history and the existence of Daka, or we would have done something sooner. I just want to say once again that I am truly sorry for what they did to you. When you left during the fireworks we thought that you had left entirely until someone stargazing saw the weapons fire and the explosions. One of the traitors stepped forward then and revealed everything to us."
"We appreciate your candor and accept your apology."
"Captain, if I may, I was curious about a few matters," spoke up Tuvok.
"Go ahead, Tuvok."
"I noticed as we passed by Daka that the sensors did not detect it."
"Yes, that was rather unfortunate," replied Glaku. "After we transported all of the Dakans off, we were going to deactivate the minefield. Unfortunately, there was only one individual who knew how to deactivate it, and he died without telling anyone. We didn't want anybody to stumble onto the minefield and get hurt, so we destroyed it. It was set up so that if the minefield were ever destroyed, Daka would be as well. What else can I help you with?"
"This device that we used to get through the minefield--why did Guntak never give it Lunai so that he could escape without going to so much trouble kidnapping a pilot?"
"The device was only recently developed. Guntak has had someone working unsuccessfully on building it for years now. Fortunately, the individual that he had working on it was secretly against him, and gave it to your crewmembers instead of Guntak when he finally discovered how to build it. Was there anything else you wish to know?"
"Thank you. I think you have sufficiently explained everything. Captain?"
"Yes, I agree. If you could just send us the items you agreed to send us, we will be on our way.
Disclaimer: Voyager and all it's characters do not belong to me.
A Good Pilot Is Hard To Find
Epilogue
"How's he doing, doctor?" asked Janeway.
"I wasn't sure he was going to make it for a while there. His injuries were extensive and he lost a substantial amount of blood. I've repaired his injuries to the best of my abilities, but he will still need several weeks to recover. Someone seems to have done a rather poor job of cutting his vocal cords. I saved that till last, as it was not life threatening, but I was thinking, he doesn't really need that repaired does he?"
"Doctor," began Janeway sternly.
"I don't really mean it of course," the EMH interrupted. "You couldn't blame me for trying, though, could you? I still need to wait a few days to let him recuperate a bit before I submit him to another surgery. Even after the surgery it will be a while before he fully recovers his voice. For once I will have peace and quiet while he is here."
"He's not really all that bad, now is he?" laughed Janeway.
"I suppose not," he grudgingly admitted. "I have to admit with him being gone so long, I won't mind hearing his voice again, but don't let him know that."
"Good work, doctor. I'll be by later to check on him again. Let me know when he wakes up."
"Captain, there's one more thing."
Janeway turned to face him again.
"There seems to be a foreign substance suffused with his blood. I'm not sure what it is, but it seems to be causing him a great deal of pain, and I'm afraid I can't find anything to remove it from his system. Perhaps the Lodaikians would know how."
"I hope so. We'll head back to Lodakia right away."
Janeway left and Harry entered.
"Is it okay for me to see Tom now?"
"Yes, Mr. Kim I've done all I can for him for now, so now you may see him."
"How is he?"
"Alive, is the best I can say for him. He's been through quite an ordeal. He's resting now, but you may sit with him for a moment. I'm sure B'Ellana will be back shortly as well. You may inform her that she may sit with for a few minutes too. I have work I need to do, so I'll leave you alone for now. I'll be in my office if you need me."
The doctor left and Harry went to Tom's side. It pained him to see Tom lying there looking so pale and helpless.
"I'm sorry, Tom. I shouldn't have left you there."
The sickbay doors opened and B'Ellana rushed in. Spotting Harry and Tom she rushed over to them.
"How is he?"
"As well as can be expected," replied Harry. "The doc didn't tell me much. He said we could sit with him for a few minutes."
"You get better, Tom. Do you hear me? We've all missed you."
"It's all my fault. If I had just insisted that we go together, this never would have happened. Or, if I had never suggested that we go over there in the first place."
"It's not your fault, Harry. You had no way of knowing what would happen. I'm sure if Tom were awake he would say the same thing."
"I suppose."
"All right. Tom needs peace and quiet so he can rest. I'm afraid even the sedative I gave him doesn't seem to be helping much."
"Why is that?" asked B'Ellana.
"The pain from the foreign substance in his blood makes it difficult for the sedative to allow him the deep sleep that he requires. It seems that unless he is in a deep sleep, he has terrible nightmares."
As he spoke, Tom started tossing and turning restlessly.
"You better go now. I'll let you know when he wakes up."
B'Ellana and Harry nodded and left quietly. The doctor watched, as Tom drifted back into a deep sleep, then went back into his office.
Captain Janeway sat in her ready room, staring pensively out her window, when her combadge chirped. She tapped her badge.
"Yes?"
"We have arrived at Lodakia, captain," came Tuvok's voice.
"Open a channel. I'm on my way."
As she entered the bridge, a Lodaikian face that she did not recognize appeared on the view screen. He looked much younger than Guntak or Lunai.
"Captain Janeway! What a pleasant surprise. I am Glaku, the new leader of Lodakia, temporarily at least. After everything that has happened I didn't think you'd be coming back."
"Honestly, neither did I. However, a problem has arisen and we need your help."
"Anything you want. We want to make up for what Guntak and Lunai did to you. We feel really awful about it. We had no idea any of that was going on."
"Yes, thank you. Our doctor tells me that our pilot's blood is suffused with a foreign substance that is causing him pain. He is unable to cure him and we thought that you might know how."
"It sounds like he was injected with Solblodium. It is injected into the bloodstream and causes the person's body to feel as though it is on fire."
"Do you know how to cure it?" asked Janeway hopefully.
"Unfortunately, it is probably already too late."
"What do you mean by that? Is it fatal?"
"No, Solblodium is a torture device. It was engineered by one of the Dakans before they were banished. They used it on their own kind to find out all the details of the peace conference, which is how we know of it. We studied for a while on how to cure it, but learned that unless the cure is given within six hours of the injection, the cure will not work, as the solblodium is too integrated into the blood. After the last person injected with it died, there was no longer a reason to work on a cure."
"Thank you for that lengthy reply," said Janeway tersely. "Is there anything that can be done for him?"
"Sorry, captain. So much was kept hidden from you that I want to ensure that nothing else is. We were able to develop a temporary cure. It will stop the pain for approximately eight hours. We can give you that and all the research we accumulated while we were working on the cure."
"Thank you. That would be much appreciated."
"I just wanted to let you know that Guntak, Lunai, and all those involved in the plan to overtake Lodakia, have been dealt with. We have no crime, so we didn't have a prison, but we built one and put them there under heavy guard. Everyone else was transported off Daka. Most of us were unaware of Lodakia's history and the existence of Daka, or we would have done something sooner. I just want to say once again that I am truly sorry for what they did to you. When you left during the fireworks we thought that you had left entirely until someone stargazing saw the weapons fire and the explosions. One of the traitors stepped forward then and revealed everything to us."
"We appreciate your candor and accept your apology."
"Captain, if I may, I was curious about a few matters," spoke up Tuvok.
"Go ahead, Tuvok."
"I noticed as we passed by Daka that the sensors did not detect it."
"Yes, that was rather unfortunate," replied Glaku. "After we transported all of the Dakans off, we were going to deactivate the minefield. Unfortunately, there was only one individual who knew how to deactivate it, and he died without telling anyone. We didn't want anybody to stumble onto the minefield and get hurt, so we destroyed it. It was set up so that if the minefield were ever destroyed, Daka would be as well. What else can I help you with?"
"This device that we used to get through the minefield--why did Guntak never give it Lunai so that he could escape without going to so much trouble kidnapping a pilot?"
"The device was only recently developed. Guntak has had someone working unsuccessfully on building it for years now. Fortunately, the individual that he had working on it was secretly against him, and gave it to your crewmembers instead of Guntak when he finally discovered how to build it. Was there anything else you wish to know?"
"Thank you. I think you have sufficiently explained everything. Captain?"
"Yes, I agree. If you could just send us the items you agreed to send us, we will be on our way.