Chapter 8
***"I demand to speak to Consolat Trag, and I demand to speak to him now."
"You are in no position to make demands," the unidentified Plon on the screen barked. "The Consolat is not to be disturbed. He is-"
"I don't care where he is or what he's doing. You are the fifth person to give me that lame excuse in the past two hours. I'm tired of getting the run-around. Now, you tell the Consolat that if he doesn't communicate with me within the next hour, I will fire two photon torpedoes at random coordinates."
"I will inform the Consolat." The screen went blank.
"Thank you," Janeway said sarcastically. "Janeway to Tuvok.
"Tuvok here."
"Arm two photon torpedoes and target two sets of random coordinates near downtown Plon."
"Captain?"
"Just in case my bluff is called."
Pause. "Yes, Captain." Another pause. "Torpedoes armed and coordinates laid in. Is there anything else?"
"Ask Commander Chakotay to join me." She walked over to the replicator. "Coffee, black." Her coffee materialized as Chakotay entered the office. "Would you like anything?"
"No thanks."
She took a sip and led him over to the sofa. "I believe Consolat Trag will be contacting us in about an hour."
"I guess he needed a little incentive."
"Mmm." She smiled. "I need you to help me go through the cargo manifest. Find everything we can afford to negotiate with."
"Is trading for our people plan A or plan B?"
"I'm not sure yet. I'm still holding out for diplomacy. But, I want to be ready to switch tactics quickly."
"I agree."
"I don't want to make another enemy if I can help it."
"You mean if 'we' can help it."
"I'm open to suggestions."
"Even ones you won't like?"
"What do you have in mind?"
"Well, our side is in the wrong. Harry and B'Elanna knew what they were doing. Tom, too."
"Here comes the part I'm not going to like."
"Maybe we can get them back by offering an act of contrition."
"Such as?"
"I haven't gotten that far yet."
"We're not the only ones at fault. These men lied to their people and to us."
"I know that. But, we brought about this great upheaval. Did you see what happened this afternoon? And the chaos that resulted?"
"Even more innocent people would have and may still die if we didn't get involved. I agree with you."
"Oh?" he said sarcastically.
"We shouldn't have gotten involved. I don't like what would have happened anymore than you do. And, I would have felt guilty too. But, we're in now. We can't change that. So, whatever we do now has to be based on the current state of affairs."
"But, we can make up for it," Chakotay said.
"How? If we help save those people in the mountain region, we'll lose diplomatic relations with the government altogether, which could have dire consequences, war even.. If we negotiate Harry and B'Elanna's freedom, they'll ask us to leave automatically, and those people could still die. They've put me in a hell of a position. I've half a mind just to leave them behind." She massaged her temples.
"Tom would never let you do that," Chakotay said. "I think Harry's friend can convince the people of the mountain region of the conspiracy and help most of them to freedom."
"We'd be able to give her more help," Janeway thought out loud.
"We can't negotiate diplomatically for our people 'and' help save Shyla's people."
"Can't we?"
"You're not that two-faced."
She sighed. "You're right. If we have to choose sides, our people win."
"Harry won't be happy about that. And, you might not be able to resist him."
"That's what I'm worried about.
***
"Harry, you have to eat something." He didn't answer her. "Harry, I order you to eat something."
"I've defied orders already. What makes you think I won't do it again?" He was lying on his back on the floor of the metal cell staring at the ceiling.
"Because I'll hurt you if you do."
He sat up and looked at her on the metal bench curled up against the pain. "You can't hurt me in your condition."
"You wanna bet."
He looked at her, wondering if she really could. Deciding he didn't want to find out, he scooted over to the tray and picked up a bowl with his left hand. His right wrist was broken, and B'Elanna had at least one broken rib. Their captors had brought them food, but hadn't appeared to notice their injuries. Harry had given up trying to figure out how long they had been prisoners.
"What about you? Aren't you going to eat?"
"I suppose I should try to eat something. But, the thought of throwing up again really doesn't appeal to me."
"It doesn't appeal to me either." He glanced under the bench. That was another thing their captors didn't seem to notice, although Harry wondered how they could have been so unaffected by the smell.
"I've been thinking about that hole in the containment system. There's got to be a way to compensate for it. If it can't be fixed, maybe it can at least be filled."
"Or covered."
Harry ate as much as he could of the yellowish paste as B'Elanna lapsed into ponderous silence. He had plenty to think about too and relished the quiet.
*** Shyla and company trudged through the woods until the light from the flares went out.
Everyone agreed to sleep as close to one another as possible under the two blankets they brought from the shuttle.
"What about taking watch in case something or someone tries to attack us while we sleep?" Tamil asked.
"All the creatures of these woods were scared off a long time ago by the security training exercises and the mining operations," Silando assured her.
"What if someone saw the flares? They'll know exactly where to find us if they saw where they went out.'
"The only ones who would be able to find us would be those security trainers who know the woods. For the past ten years, no one has known the woods better than Kilando and me; therefore, we were the only ones given clearance to bring cadets on their training exercises. Besides, all available security officers, cadets included are most likely busy with controlling downtown Plon or patrolling the woods on both sides to make sure we don't get out."
"So, there will probably be security guards waiting for us when we reach the mountain region?" Blin asked, although he knew the answer.
"Yes," Silando answered.
"And, they will have already alerted the citizens of the mountain region to be on the look out for us traitors," Shyla spat.
"Then, we need a plan more than we need sleep," Blin said.
"I don't know if I could sleep anyway," Shyla said.
"Me either," Tamil agreed.
"We'll devise a plan then rest until dawn," Silando said.
