In a Single Heartbeat
Disclaimer – See Chapter One.
Chapter Four – The Goroth
Chakotay stumbled and would have fallen except Tom reached out and grabbed the commander's arm. "Thanks." Chakotay's voice was harsh from the dust that rose from the floor. The guard prodded him in the back and he shuffled forward again. The two officers were in a line of ten men, all of whom had shackles around their ankles and wrists chained to belts around their waists…
They had awakened earlier in a tiny room filled with other prisoners. Chakotay's head throbbed and he knew, by the sharp pain when he tried to sit up, that one of his ribs must be broken. Tom was lying on his left side on the floor next to Chakotay. There was a dark bruise over Tom's right eye and his uniform was covered in a fine gray dust.
"Paris, wake up." Chakotay shook Tom's shoulder but the Lieutenant only curled into himself more. Chakotay was about to shake him again when the door opened and three men entered carrying large compression rifles. They stood at least a foot taller than Chakotay. Their skin was a deep gray and they had large ridges running from their foreheads to their ears. The lead guard motioned to Tom and the second one grabbed him, hauling him to his feet.
Tom's eyes snapped open and he winced in pain when a third guard turned his head toward the dim light coming in through a small window in the back wall.
"He's fit for the mines." The guard announced and pushed Tom against the wall. "Prepare them." He turned and left the room. Two other men entered carrying sets of chains.
Chakotay reached out to steady Tom, but he pulled away. "There was a woman on the shuttle with us." Tom approached the first guard. "Where is she?" Receiving no answer, he moved in front of the taller man. "I asked you a question."
"Tom, let it be." Chakotay moved to grab Tom's arm.
The guard glared down at Tom. "Women are not useful in the mines." He sneered and turned away.
"What have you done to her?" Tom shouted.
The guard swung his rifle around and slammed it into the right side of Tom's head. "Silence!" he roared as Tom fell to the floor, blood running down the side of his face.
Chakotay pulled Tom away from the guard. "He won't be any more trouble." He used his jacket sleeve to wipe the blood away from Tom's right eye. "You won't be any good to B'Elanna dead," he whispered.
Tom nodded slowly and staggered to his feet. The new guards attached thick leather belts around their waists. These were linked by chains to metal cuffs locked to their wrists. A set of larger cuffs were placed on their ankles with a length of chain about two feet long connecting them. Then the guards motioned them out of the room.
They were marched to a ground transport where they sat on the floor under armed guard for the long ride through the night. Tom's head dropped forward as he fought off the dizziness he felt when the transport bumped along the rough ground. A sudden sharp turn to the left caused him to fall back against the side of the transport. He winced when his head hit the hard metal.
"You okay?" Chakotay asked, noting Tom's pained expression. His own ribs were painful and his head still throbbed.
"I've been a hell of a lot better," Tom paused with a slight smile. "And a hell of a lot worse." The transport lurched to a stop and the guards opened the doors and jumped out. "I guess this is our stop." Tom struggled to his feet and was hauled out of the transport by a new guard. This one stood a good eighteen inches taller than Tom and roughly grabbed his chin to turn his head into the dim light from an overhead lantern.
"I see you've already been welcomed to our little mining operation." The man said and turned to laugh among the other guards. He shoved Tom into a sitting position with the other prisoners and turned to Chakotay. "You are in charge of this one?" he asked indicating Tom.
"Yes, I'm his superior officer. I want to speak to whoever is in charge here." Chakotay answered. "We were unaware that this planet was inhabited. We were simply scanning for mineral deposits that we needed."
The guards began to talk and laugh amongst themselves. "You will find all of the mineral deposits you desire. Unfortunately, they belong to the Goroth and we will be keeping all that you mine." He pushed Chakotay down to join the other men on the ground.
Chakotay coughed as the gray dust swirled around him. Tom shivered next to him. They both stared at the guards who continued to point their compression rifles at them.
"You will work in ten hour shifts with one break for a meal. We will provide you with adequate supplies of water and two rest breaks. You will be required to fill ten bins with ore during your shift. Any of you who fail to do so will forfeit the evening meal. You will sleep in those huts at the entrance to the cave." He indicated five small metal buildings encircling a fire pit. "You will keep the fire going throughout the night. It does get quite cold here at night. If the fire goes out, it will not be re-started for two nights. You are responsible for yourselves." He turned and walked toward the transport.
"There's no fire there now and it's already quite cold." Tom mumbled. Another guard glared at him and shifted his rifle in his arms.
The first guard turned back to Tom. "Since you are so concerned about the fire, you will stand the first watch." He motioned to two of the smaller prisoners. "You two, gather some wood from that pile." He pointed to a small wood stack next to one of the huts. "Place it next to the pit." When they had dumped several loads of wood next to the pit, the guard motioned Tom forward. "You can build a fire?"
Tom nodded and began to stack the wood in a pyramid in the middle of the pit. The guard motioned him away and fired into the stack with a phaser. Small flames began to flicker in and out of the timbers.
"You will keep the fire going tonight." The guard smiled. "Tomorrow, it will be someone else's responsibility. The rest of you should get some sleep. It will be morning in five hours." He indicated the huts and the other prisoners moved toward them.
"I'll stay here with you, Paris." Chakotay said and moved closer to the fire.
The first guard strode over to the two Voyager crewmen. "No, you are to go to your hut. Tonight the fire is his responsibility." He pointed his rifle at Tom.
"It's okay, Chakotay. I'll be fine." Tom huddled in front of the fire. "Hell, my father used to take us camping when I was a kid. I should be able to keep this thing going."
Chakotay frowned but moved toward the hut when the guard prodded him with the rifle. He glanced back at Tom, who was shivering despite the heat from the fire. I'll have to check out his injuries more closely in the morning. He entered the small hut and noticed two threadbare blankets lying on narrow cots. There was a small window in the back wall of the hut and a flimsy wooden door which he pulled shut after he walked inside.
Tom pushed another small log into the fire, being careful not to dislodge the pyramid. He felt another wave of nausea come over him and he stood and took several deep breaths to calm his stomach. Glancing at the sky, he noted how dark it still was. There's probably several more hours until morning. I wonder if they give us any food before we hit the mines.
The tall guards still stood in the shadows with their rifles held loosely in their arms. Tom knew that he would never be able to move fast enough to overcome them. He squatted beside the fire again and pulled his jacket more tightly around himself trying to keep out the cold.
tbc…..
Author's Note: Sorry this update took so long. My computer got one of those 'worms' and I've had a hell of a time getting it back up and running properly. Please forgive me and send some reviews my way. Thanks, Cat