Tuvok sat in the captain's chair watching the view screen. "Fire!"

Voyager let loose a volley of phasers against the Vizian ships. They returned fire but their discharges bounced off of Voyager's shields.

"They are retreating, sir," the tactical officer said. "Holding position just off the port bow."

"Keep them there," Tuvok said. "Damage report?"

"None, sir. Voyager is intact but we have weapons fire in the hostage area."

Chakotay saw Ronan level his rifle at the Captain and immediately jumped up and ran for her. He tackled her body and felt the heat from the weapon's discharge as it passed. He landed hard on the floor almost on top of her and smelled the smoke.

The room broke into chaos as crew members took the opportunity to overwhelm their hostage takers. More weapons discharged as the crew successfully fought and disarmed the small group of men. They pinned them to the floor and wrapped them up tight in secure holds as Ronan rushed over to where Chakotay and Janeway lie.

Chakotay covered her limp body to protect her from the collateral damage going on around them. As the room settled and the crew gained control, he rose and brushed her hair away from her face. He saw an angry burn spread across the side of her face where the rifle fire had skimmed her cheek and noticed bruising around her neck. His anger flared as she stirred as he held her in his arms and softly called her name. Suddenly, he felt the barrel of a rifle in the back of his head and froze. He instinctively pulled her to his chest and tried to cover her once again.

"Your crew lets my men go or you die," Ronan said. "Listen up, everyone! Release my men or your officer here dies."

Tom and Belanna held the struggling Kelvin down between them. They exchanged glances and Belanna shook her head and tightened her grip. Tom scanned the room and saw everyone's attention on him. As the highest ranking officer not in imminent danger, he knew he'd have to be the one to make the call. Without back up, he also knew he didn't have a choice. He gave Belanna one last glance as he stood up and said, "If you do kill him, you'll die next."

Crewman with rifles aimed in his direction but Ronan flexed his fingers on his trigger and re-aimed. "As you wish."

"Wait!" Tom called.

Ronan relaxed and grinned. "Second thoughts?"

"Tom, no!" Belanna said softly. "We've got them!"

"At the price of Chakotay's life?" He stepped back from Kelvin and addressed the crew. "Release your men. That's an order."

Kelvin tried to rise and throw Belanna but she held him down tight and glared at him. The rest of the crew also hesitated but slowly let their captives loose. Rifles exchanged hands again until Ronan's men were once again armed. The crew settled back down to the floor. Tom pulled Belanna back and she shoved Kelvin as she got up. He shoved her back down to the ground and Tom's fists clenched but he held back. Kelvin acknowledged his restraint and laughed.

"Kelvin," Ronan said as he moved his own rifle from Chakotay's head. "Go find another group. I don't need any further trouble."

Kelvin scowled but exchanged places with one of his fellow comrades. "I could just save you a lot of trouble and take them out now," he said. "Just like I did with that Borg woman and the kid."

A gasp went through the crowd and Belanna saw Tom's look of shock and anguish. She pulled him down to her and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Harry," he said quietly.

"You'll do nothing unless I tell you to," Ronan said. He turned his attention back to Chakotay. "Get up."

Chakotay cradled the Captain in his arms. He knelt and lifted her up as he stood to face Ronan.

Ronan watched as she began to regain consciousness. Her blue eyes fluttered open to look at him. He smiled and said, "You're lucky, Captain. I usually don't miss."

Janeway's head pounded and she felt disoriented. She lifted a hand to her burning face but was stopped by Chakotay's voice. "Don't touch, Captain. You'll infect it and make it harder to treat." He watched her drop her hand and then looked back at Ronan. "She needs to go to sick bay."

Ronan swung his rifle around and put his hands on his hips. "Request denied. Besides," he nodded towards the burned panel. "You have no way to get there with those fancy transporters of yours. You should have behaved yourselves earlier. Now go sit down."

Chakotay hesitated before pulling Janeway to his chest and walking over to where Tom and Belanna sat. He knelt down and Belanna helped lay the captain on the floor. Tom blinked to clear his watery eyes and scrambled to round up the remnants of the med kit. With the little bit he had left, he managed to at least make her more comfortable for the time being.

Chakotay leaned over her and whispered, "You'll be fine, Captain. We'll get you out of here as soon as we can. I promise."

Janeway gave a tired smile and took his hand in hers. "I haven't been relieved of duty yet, Commander. There's no doctor here to do that."

He grinned and said, "Then consider this a mutiny because you are in no condition to keep going."

"I beg your pardon? You're creating another security issue on my ship?" she said. "I think I have my hands full today." She tried to sit up but Chakotay pushed her down.

"You can beg another time. Right now, rest." With a sigh, she laid back and closed her eyes. Chakotay turned to Tom. "Thank you."

Tom busied himself with putting the med kit back together. "Don't mention it. I couldn't save two other people today. At least I saved you. Seems to be a habit."

Chakotay grabbed his arm. "There was nothing any of us could have done to save Harry and Seven. They hit us too fast."

Tom brushed him off. "Yeah, stuff happens in this life and I choose it, I guess." He slammed the box shut and sat on it. He turned around and gazed out the window.

Belanna gave Chakotay a sympathetic look as he turned back to attend to Janeway. She reached out to stroke Tom's back but thought better of it and let her arm drop. Instead, she just moved to sit beside him and watched the stars with him.