In a Single Heartbeat
Disclaimer – See Chapter One.
Chapter Nine – Cave-in
"Captain," Harry tapped his console. "please report to the bridge. We are receiving a signal from the planet."
Janeway strode onto the bridge from her ready room. "Report, Ensign." She moved to the Ops station.
"There's a lot of interference, but I picked up a faint signal." Harry replayed the message.
. "V…ger, ..is ,… respond."
There were several large busts of static and then silence.
Janeway spoke to the communication system. "This is Captain Janeway of the Starship Voyager. Please resend your message."
"Captain, ..is ….lanna. Can you …me?"
"Captain, that was B'Elanna's voice," Harry said while trying to clear up the reception. He punched his console in frustration. "I've lost the signal, again."
"Keep trying, Mr. Kim." Janeway moved to Tuvok's console. "Can you break through the interference? Could we send another shuttle down to the surface?"
"I am unable to establish contact with the surface, Captain. I feel that another shuttle would also become victim to the fate of the away team," Tuvok replied. "Perhaps it would be best to contact the Helmar ship and ask for guidance."
"Of course, Lieutenant." She turned to Harry. "Ensign Kim, please contact Lorish and route it to my ready room."
"Yes, Captain. Right away." Harry turned to his console while Janeway left the bridge.
# # #
The men worked steadily, only stopping when the guards brought the midday meal. Tom managed to stay partially hidden behind an outcropping of rocks, so the guards did not see the bandage around his head. When the shrill whistle sounded, alerting the men to the guards approach at the end of the day, Tom was able to stash the bandage inside his jacket.
"I see that you all were able to fill the quota of 20 bins of ore today," the lead guard said after circling the cavern. "You will all eat tonight. That is good, because we have a very good meal prepared for you." He smiled as he left the cavern. "Bring them along." As the men left the mine another band of Helmar, guarded by five Goroth soldiers entered with antigravity sleds to load up the bins of ore. A large ground transport was at the entrance of the mine.
Tom and Chakotay sat next to Bromar and Dolon, close to the fire. "It feels like snow in the air," Chakotay said as he broke off a piece of dark bread to scoop up some of the vegetables that were in the broth this time. "I don't think those thin blankets will keep out the cold tonight." He coughed slightly and winced when it caused a sharp pain in this ribs.
"Tonight when the guards are inside, I will come to your hut with more medicine," Dolon whispered to the two Voyager crewmen. "I see that some of the swelling has gone down around your eye, Tom. How do you feel?"
Tom smiled at the elderly gentleman. "Much better, thank you. I wasn't as dizzy as yesterday and I'm actually able to keep down this food. The throbbing has decreased around my eye, although I still can't open it."
"I'm sorry that I am unable to perform surgery on the fractures. If we were back on my planet, I could show you my clinic. It is quite modern, and I would have the two of you healed in less than two days." He slumped against the log. "I hope to some day get back to my wife and family."
The guards returned and snatched up the remaining bowls of broth and the basket of bread. "The meal is finished. Return to your huts. All except the young one, here," the lead guard motioned to Bromar. "You will tend the fire tonight." He smirked at the young man who sat shivering in the frigid air.
"Yes, Sir," Bromar responded and moved slowly to the fire. He glanced at Tom and Chakotay as they moved past him.
Tom gave Bromar a quick grin and mouthed the words, "I'll sneak out later and help you." The guard shoved Tom toward the hut but did not appear to notice the message being given to the boy.
# # #
"Retrill, if I could get to my shuttle, I know that I could get a message through to Voyager," B'Elanna said as the Helmar communications system failed again.
"It is too dangerous to go when it is still daylight, B'Elanna," the elderly man replied. "When it is dark, I will send my grandson to scout ahead. If the guards have left, you may try your shuttle's systems." He rose slowly and headed back to the camp.
B'Elanna slammed her hand against the side of the console and turned to leave the small shelter. I've got to get through to Voyager. Tom may be badly injured and needs medical attention now. Suddenly the ground shook beneath her, pitching her against the wall of the building. B'Elanna grabbed onto the door frame to keep from falling, and when the shudders ended, she turned to check on the equipment.
Retrill appeared in the doorway. "Is it broken?" he asked, the fear evident on his face. "We have not had disturbances like that in several weeks. They usually start out small and increase for several days."
B'Elanna turned at the sound of Retrill's voice. "Everything appears all right."
"Come, we will return to camp. The guards will surely leave, now. They do not like to be outside during the tremors. We have had many injured from falling trees and rocks." The two walked slowly back to camp.
# # #
"Captain, sensors are picking up signs of seismic activity on the planet's surface," Ayala's voice came over the comm system in the Captain's ready room.
"There has been such activity in the past few months, Captain," Lorish said and walked to the display on the wall. "Our scientists believe it has to do with the moon nearing our sun. The gravitational pull is disrupting the planet's inner layers and they are shifting."
"It's like an earthquake," Harry said. "How strong are these shifts?"
"They come in cycles, Ensign Kim. The last one was several weeks ago and lasted for four days," Lorish answered. "Unfortunately, they appear to be increasing in intensity and duration."
"Lorish, you were explaining how we might fool the Goroth's sensors and be able to get to the moon's surface," Tuvok brought the conversation back to the attempt to rescue the away team.
"Yes, my sister and I believe we have come up with a way to modify the shields on a small ship and get to the surface. Ours would be caught in their sensors, but your Ensign Kim said that you have other small shuttles that we could try the system on."
Harry looked nervously at Captain Janeway who smiled back at him. "It's okay, Harry. We aren't sharing the shuttles with the Helmar, but working together to find the away team and rescue their people." Janeway moved to join Lorish at the wall screen. "Now, please explain this system again."
# # #
Tom opened the door of the hut and looked for the guards. When he saw that they were not outside, he moved quietly to Bromar's side. The fire was beginning to die down, so Tom positioned two of the larger logs on the top of the pile. He then carefully stirred up the brush underneath until the flames grew higher. "I guess all the nights of camping that my father dragged me on are finally paying off." He smiled at Bromar who was huddled against the log. "I'll get two more of the larger pieces and when it starts to die out again, just cross them on top like I did and stir it up underneath."
"Thanks, Tom. I guess I'm not very good at fending for myself or others," the youngster said. He shivered slightly and glanced off in the distance. "I have two older brothers, but the Goroth took them to their planet to help build a new settlement. I haven't seen them in many months."
Tom sat down next to Bromar. "I understand. We've been trying to get home for almost seven years now. I have two older sisters; one of whom was getting married just before we left. I just got married, myself, a few weeks ago." B'Elanna, please be alright and back safe and warm on Voyager. "Let me get that wood." Tom's voice was slightly husky as he rose and started to walk toward the wood stack. The ground shifted suddenly, throwing him off balance. "Damn! What the hell was that?" Tom fell to his knees.
"The tremors are back," Bromar announced as he moved to Tom's side and helped him to stand. "They started several months ago." He glanced at the ground transport. "You'd better get back inside before the guards catch you out here."
Tom nodded and returned to the hut. When he entered, he found Dolon re-wrapping Chakotay's ribs. "How is he?" Tom asked the doctor.
"The pain has returned, and I'm afraid that I do not have an endless supply of my medications." Dolon indicated that Tom should sit on his cot. "Let me check your eye again, Tom."
"I'm all right. You need to save that for your own people. If anyone else gets injured, we'll need it. Those guards won't help us." Tom moved to the small window and glanced outside. "You were right about the weather, Chakotay. It's beginning to snow." Tom turned back to Dolon. "How often does this seismic activity occur? Bromar said that they started several months ago."
"Yes, I'm afraid that the sun's pull on this moon is disrupting the layers under the surface. Each time the tremors return they are stronger and longer lasting."
The men could hear the guards moving amongst the huts. "You'd better get back, Dolon," Chakotay said as he cracked the door open slightly. "They're at the far end of the huts. You can get back now."
Dolon left and Chakotay and Tom tried to get some sleep. There were several small tremors through the night and soon it was morning.
# # #
Bromar had managed to keep the fire going through the night and after the men were given some food, they were brought back to the mine. Several inches of snow covered the ground, and it continued to fall at a steady pace. When they reached the mine entrance, the men were wet and cold. They broke into work groups and started to fill the bins again.
There were several small tremors about an hour after they began working. Bromar turned to Tom who was breaking off large chunks of rock from a wall at the far side of the cavern. "I think they are getting worse. I can feel the walls trembling."
Tom nodded as the dust rose from the floor when another tremor began. "I think we should move toward the entrance in case we need to get out of here quickly." The two of them walked toward the rest of the Helmar who had pushed several bins together just to the right of the entrance. Chakotay stood working with Lonten at the far end of the group.
Suddenly a large tremor was felt and a cloud of dust fell from the wooden supports. Chunks of rock crashed to the floor of the cavern as several aftershocks were felt. The Helmar looked around in fear and dropped their tools. Chakotay glanced at the entrance and noticed one of the supports start to wobble. "We need to get the hell out of here, now!" he shouted. He looked back and saw Tom pushing Bromar toward the entrance. He grabbed Lonten by the shoulder and started to move forward. There was another significant tremor and the cavern was filled with dust and the thunderous roar of falling timbers.
Several seconds passed and Bromar pushed himself into a sitting position. His head throbbed and he coughed violently from the dust he breathed in. He could see Dolon and Lonten lying next to the rubble from the fallen timbers. As the dust settled and he could see in the dim light of the remaining lanterns on the wall, he saw a flash of red and black under the larger support.
tbc…