The Kajolan’s and the Mozorian’s had been fighting boarder wars for over half a century. In some ways they reminded Janeway of the Klingon’s and the Romulan’s. Unfortunately to get home Voyager would have to pass through one of these systems, a journey that would normally have taken them one week.
The Mozorian’s flatly refused Voyager permission to enter their space, where as the Kajolans on the other hand welcomed them. The problem was once Voyager entered Kajolan territory the Mozorian’s took umbrage and decided to use their presence as an excuse to escalate their boarder skirmish’s into an all out invasion.
Janeway’s response was, “We didn’t pick this fight but we’re sure dam well going to finish it.”
Two months later with Voyagers help the Kajolans sent the Mozorian’s scurrying back across their boarders to lick their wounds and contemplate on the futility of their actions. Regrettably not before thousands of lives were lost and nine colony’s destroyed. By nothing but a miracle none of the casualties had been federation but while Janeway slept her mind played over the tableau of Voyagers cargo bay laid out as a field hospital for all those that didn’t fair so well.
The bays were empty again now and after 2 days hard work on repairs, Voyager was preparing to leave the Kajolan system and resume a coarse for home.
Tom Paris stretched and yawned as he got up from his seat at Voyagers con, immediately a fresh faced Ensign Hart took his place.
“Anything to report Tom?’ She asked.
“No and it feels good to be able to say that.” Paris leant in close so that their conversation couldn’t be overheard. “After the past month I’m going to relish these quiet duty shifts for a while.”
“I know what you mean,” agreed Hart. “Those ‘Red Alert’ sirens were starting to do my head in.”
“Just between us, I was this close to pulling the plug on them.” Paris held up his thumb and forefinger indicating a very minuet gap between, then with a smile he picked up the compad from the console and turned away, leaving Hart to start her shift.
Paris was ready for a meal, shower, good company and a long restful sleep but first he had a report to hand in. Tuvox glared as he approached Captain Janeway’s ready room door but Paris ignored the overbearing Vulcan’s gaze and pressed the door chime. When Captain Janeway didn’t respond Paris overrode the door mechanism and glad to be out of Tuvox’s scrutiny let himself in.
“Captain sorry to disturb…you…”
Paris stopped mid sentence Janeway wasn’t at her desk and the room lights were subdued. For a moment he tried to remember if she had already left then his eyes became accustomed to the light and his vision was drawn to the rooms bay window and the long soft, bench seat below.
Janeway was sprawled along the seat with one arm stretched out in front of her as if she had fallen asleep while reaching for the compad clutched in her hand. Paris bounced up the two small steps that lead to the window area, as he got closer he noticed more Compad’s sticking out from beneath her and a pile scattered on the floor. Kneeling down Paris
gently pressed two fingers to the wrist of her exposed arm, when a strong rhythm tapped against them he let out a deep breath. It had been an exhausting month in which he had witnessed his captain rest very little so seeing her asleep now pleased him, it was just a pity she wasn’t in her quarters where it counted.
Easing the compad from between her fingers with one hand while brushing a stray strand of hair from her face with the other, Paris whispered, “Captain.”
Janeway stirred, her soft features flinching as her dreams began slipping away.
“Captain?” Paris called again, his voice still hushed but a little louder.
Blinking her eyes open Janeway left her dream world of noise and chaos behind, to take in the tranquillity of her ready room and the handsome features of her con officer.
“Tom? What?” Realizing where she was Janeway suddenly sat up. “I must have fallen asleep, what time is it?”
“You most certainly did.” Said Paris, remaining on his knees to gather up the Compad’s. “And it’s a little after twenty three hundr…”
Janeway turned her head to see why Paris had stopped mid sentence, only to find him staring transfixed at one of the pads he had picked up. “Tom!” Janeway called puzzled but Paris didn’t respond, he didn’t even blink. Worried she reached out, placed a hand on his shoulder, and then called his name again. “Tom?”
The weight of Janeway's hand brought Paris back to reality and he rubbed his tired eyes. “Sorry I was distracted.”
Curious, Janeway took the pad he had been staring at from the pile. “By what? There’s nothing on this pad except yesterdays date?” The question hung in the air unanswered as Paris stood and placed the rest of the pads on the coffee table. “Did I forget someone’s birthday?’
“No!” Paris hurriedly answered. “Its nothing really!”
Janeway was no fool and Paris cagey demeanour set alarm bells off inside her head. “I disagree this date distracted you and now your denying anything related to it.”
He caught the look in Janeway’s eyes that told him she wasn’t going to drop the subject and that he had better come clean or it would be the worse for him but still he hesitated.
“Lieutenant Paris?” Janeway called, while getting to her feet.
It was her authoritative voice and he new he couldn’t ignore it, he would have to tell her. Taking a deep breath then stepping back towards Janeway he looked her in the eye and poured her heart out.
“If you must know it’s the date of the incident that ended my original Starfleet career.
Paris watched as Janeway’s stern face melted, “Usually at this time of year the voices and screams of the pilots I killed are the first and last thing I hear each day.” Paris body trembled as he recalled the memories. “But this year…this year,” his emotions threatened to betray him as he stumbled over the words. “I didn’t hear them, they didn’t come to me.”
Janeway looked down at the compad then back to Paris, she could see he was in pain but wasn’t quit sure what she could do. “Given time Tom all wounds heal. Maybe the time has come to forget and move on.”
“You don’t understand,” he said shaking his head, “I don’t want to forget, I don’t have the right to forget.”
“Tom you can’t keep beating yourself up over this each year,” Janeway moved in closer to Paris and placed a sympathetic hand on his chest. Beneath her palm she could feel the beat of his heart. “Let it go, let them go.”
Paris shook his head again. “I can’t!” He whispered then without being dismissed turned away from his captain and headed for the door.
“Tom please!” Janeway begged making a grab for his arm.
Whirling around Paris pre-empted her next piece of advice. “And I’m not seeking counselling from the doctor either!”
Janeway gave Paris a hard stare but before she could respond to his statement, a voice rang out over the room’s communication system.
“Captain to the bridge.” Chakotay called and ten seconds later as if by magic she appeared from her ready room, Lieutenant Paris followed her out, his expression wasn’t a happy one leaving Chakotay to briefly ponder on the why.
“Report,” Janeway ordered as she crossed her bridge.
“We’ve picked up a distress signal from a Kajolan Star Fighter.” Harry Kim informed her. “Audio only.”
“Lets hear it.”
Everyone stood quietly as a young female voice came over the bridge com system “This is VADS1495, can anyone hear me, we are in need of urgent assistants. I repeat this is VADS1495 of the Kajolan boarder patrol, can anyone hear me, please respond, please!”
“Open me a channel Harry.” Janeway ordered without hesitation. She hadn’t taken her seat yet, preferring to stand Centre Bridge facing her officers. Paris stood at her side one eye on the helm behind her least she should need him to retake it. “This is Kathryn Janeway of the Federation Starship Voyager, we hear you loud and clear, what is your stasis?”
“Voyager! Oh praise the gods.” Came back a very relieved voice. “Can you help us? We are trapped, no lost in the solar asteroid system; we were evading a Mozorian’s boarder scout ship when we strayed too close to a solar flare. It fried our sensors and knocked out our navigation, we’ve been flying around for ten time cycles now trying to find a way out but I fear we have only gotten ourselves deeper.”
“Chakotay.” Janeway nodded at her commander, who promptly accessed the information needed from Voyagers sensors, then displayed it onto the main view screen so that when she turned around a schematic showing the position of the Kajolan fighters buried smack in the middle of the asteroid field was already up.
The field covered a region of space comparable with earth’s solar system and revolved slowly around an unstable sun. Long ago the hunks of lifeless rock had probably made up many flourishing planets but something drastic had caused them to break up and disintegrate, creating probably the largest asteroid field ever.
“Your fears are legitimate.” Said Janeway confirming the young women’s suspicions, “I’m looking at a map of your location now. My sensors are picking up 3 ships is that correct?”
“Yes.” The Kajolan fighter pilot replied, but her voice this time was tinged with sadness. “Can you help us?”
“Voyagers too big to enter the asteroid field and there’s too much solar radiation to transport you out.” Janeway explained.
“What about guiding us from where you are?” The pilot asked hopefully.
Janeway looked to Paris who silently shook his head. “My con officer says no.”
“It would be foolish to try and direct you out from so deep,” Paris elaborated. “One miss calculation and well I’m sure I don’t need to spell it out. Also some of those asteroids have momentum.”
“We know,” Came back the pilot’s voice solemnly. “There use to be four of us.”
“I’m sorry,” responded, looking to Janeway for help.
“Hold tight, we’re not out of options yet.” Janeway said trying to keep the Kajolans hopes up.
Suddenly Paris thought of something and asked, “what’s your oxygen supply levels?”
“About…. three hours.”
Janeway spun around to face Paris. “I’m sending you in to get them.”
Paris stepped in closer to her and lowered his voice. “They don’t have enough oxygen, its going to take me an hour and half at least to get to them, but a lot longer to guide them out.”
Janeway knew Paris was right but she wasn’t about to give up. “Is there anyway to replenish your oxygen in space?” she asked the pilot.
“No! Are ships are a sealed unit. We are only supposed to fly short re-cons.”
There was a hint of desperation creeping into the pilot’s voice and Janeway knew she had to make a decision. “I know you can do this Tom. I wouldn’t send you if I thought you couldn’t.”
Paris looked into her eyes and saw the confidence she had in him there and nodded his agreement.
“Take a type nine shuttle its got more manoeuvrability. Don’t spare the horses Tom but be dam careful.”
“Yes ma’am.” Paris replied with vigour then spun on his heels and took off for the turbo lift. This time he was going to be more than dam careful, this time he was going to do it right.
Janeway raised her voice to the open communication channel. “Stay where you are I’m sending my best pilot in to guide you out. In the mean time I’ll be positioning Voyager as close as possible to the asteroid filed while my engineers get to work on cutting through the solar interference with our transporters.”
“Thank you,” the Kajolan female gasped with relief. “Thank you.”
As Paris manoeuvred the streamline shuttle between the asteroid chunks, he remembered a simulator he had once tried out while visiting Starfleet Academy with his father. He was only five years old at the time and had been left in the care of three cadets while his dad talked business. They took him to the shuttle simulator room thinking they could entertain the admiral’s young son with a demonstration of their newfound talents. Little did they know Paris junior had talents of his own.
Sitting in the co pilot’s seat Tom watched as the cadet beside him tried to fly the simulated shuttle through an asteroid belt and failed miserably. He’d laughed like any other kid when the view screen simulated them crashing head on into a large rock then exploding. But when the cadet left the simulator to be consoled by his mates little Tom quietly scooted over to the pilots seat, copied what he’d seen the cadet do, sealed himself in alone and then activated the program.
Once the simulator had begun, the cadets were powerless to extract him but Tom hadn’t cared, he was having the time of his life looping around starship sized boulders and skimming across atmospheric rings before landing his pretend shuttle effortless on the assigned planet and gaining a maximum score. On exiting the simulator the young Tom Paris had found three red-faced cadets and a proud father, who greeted him with a big hug and a promise of ice cream.
There would be no ice cream this time though and laughter would be the last thing on his mind, if he made even the slightest mistake……. These thoughts and others kept Paris mind focused and his wits sharp as he careened around the twists and turns that would lead him to the stricken star fighters.
Back on Voyager Janeway paced her bridge. Too restless to take her command seat she watched as the view screen display tracked Tom Paris shuttle through the maze of asteroids. Every now and then she would hold a silent breath as he flew too close to an object or one moved to close to him. He was making good time but the further in he got the tighter the margins of error became.
Circling the bridge for the tenth time Janeway noticed Tuvox looked a little perturbed. Interested as to what was on the Vulcan’s mind she approached him. “Is there a problem Mr. Tuvox?”
“Seeing as you asked, Yes!” Tuvox replied in his usual non-plus manor.
Janeway moved closer to Tuvox so their conversation could be private. “Would you care to enlighten me?”
“I do not believe it was wise of you to send Lieutenant Paris on this mission considering the significance of yesterdays date.”
“And what do you know of yesterdays date?’
“You forget I have a memory for dates and events.”
“Then you’ll understand when I tell you its because of that event that I have the utmost faith in Lieutenant Paris to bring those pilots back alive.”
“Indeed,’ responded Tuvox raising one eyebrow very Vulcan like.
The time may have passed slowly on Voyager but for Paris it whizzed by as fast as the football sized asteroids that just missed shaving a slice off his port nacelle. This meant that all too soon he was within sight of the stranded Kajolans.
“Paris to Voyager?”
“Go ahead Tom,” Janeway answered. She very often used Paris first name; it felt more comfortable in tense situations. Like wise Janeway often called Ensign Kim, ‘Harry’ when he needed that little bit extra reassurance. Right now ‘Tom’ needed to know she was right behind him, what ever happened.
“I have a visual on the starfighters.”
“Good work Tom,” Janeway said proudly. “Keep this channel open from now on so we can better monitor your situation.”
“Aye captain,” Paris snapped back efficiently then nosed his shuttle under a particularly nasty looking asteroid before coming up again into the clearing where the three ships waited patiently in a V formation.
The fighters were sleek in design, tapered at the front and wider at the back where the engines and weapons were housed. The cockpit was just large enough for the pilot to sit comfortably and the windshields were polarized preventing Paris or indeed an enemy from seeing in but allowing the pilot to see out. As he got closer to them, Paris began to make out phaser burns and shrapnel damage to the exterior hulls of the three. Some of it looked months old suggesting previous battles and some lucky escapes.
Feeling very privileged, Paris manoeuvred his now somewhat bulky and spacious shuttle into the Kajolans line of sight then opened a channel. “High guys, lets get to know each other shall we, I’m Lieutenant Thomas Paris but you can call me Tom.”
“Greetings Tom, I am lieutenant Liyra of the 54th house, you may call me Liyra.”
“Hello Liyra,” Paris responded, recognizing her voice as the one in the distress message and earlier conversations.
“And I am flight sergeant Jolan of the 91st house. You may of course call me Jolan.”
The new voice was gruff and definitely masculine.
“Hi Tom,” sang out the third voice, a young male. “I am ensign Dollar of the 22nd house.”
“Dollar, greetings,” said Paris confirming his name before asking. “How old are you?”
“I have 17 solar cycles,” replied the young man, trying to sound as manly as he could, which was difficult considering his voice had yet to break.
Paris new in Earth years that made him only 15 and he briefly tapped the com-channel closed to the pilots so he could just speak to Voyager. “Captain he is just a boy!”
“They train them young Tom, he knows his stuff.”
“I hope so,” said Paris letting out a deep breath and reopening communications with the Star Fighters again. “Ok were going to play a game of follow my leader. Dollar you’re number 2, I want you to hang on my tail and copy every move I make.”
“Aye sir,” Dollar returned crisply.
Paris knew it was risky putting the young lad in such a responsible position but he didn’t have a choice and any way he wanted him where he could keep an eye on him. “Jolan, you sound like you’ve got some notches on your belt?”
“I’ve been flying one of these little lady’s for 25 years,” said Jolan with pride in his voice.
“Good you’re my number 4, I need you to watch the back door, ok?”
“Aye sir.”
“Liyra honey,” said Paris addressing the female pilot. “I’m putting you in the middle, you’re my number 3. Its your job to keep the formation tight.”
“No problem Tom,” Liyra affirmed in a steady, ready for anything manner.
Paris suspected that after there 4th had been killed, she’d been the one to keep the others together and preventing them meeting the same fate.
“I’ll start of easy at first but once we get going we’ll have to pick up the pace or your going to run dangerously low on oxygen before we get clear. If anyone has any problems maintaining speed or manoeuvring call out, I’d rather slow down than have to come back and scrape you off an asteroid. Is that understood?”
“Yes Tom,” came back three voices simultaneously.
Paris shook his head and smiled, “Lets go then, follow me in order and watch that first step.”
“Janeway to lieutenant Torres, Belanna are you making any progress with the transporters?”
“ Cough, some, cough, cough.” Came back a somewhat distracted chief engineer over Voyagers bridge com system. “I managed to lock onto a ‘cough’ two meter ‘cough’ square fragment of asteroid ‘cough’ but when I rematerialized it all I got was a dust cloud.’
“Very well keep working on it,” Janeway said despondently. “I have faith in Paris to bring everyone out in one piece but you know me, I always like to have a plan B.”
“Understood captain ‘cough’ Torres out.’ Belanna stood behind the console in transporter room 2 batting her arms around to try and disperse some of the dust. Voyagers air filters were doing their best but not fast enough for the Klingon’s liking or Seven of Nine who had disappeared in a puff of dust and could only be heard faintly choking somewhere off to Belanna’s right.
“I believe ‘choke’ the radiation is ‘cough’ evaporating the moisture out of the rocks as they dematerialized,” said Seven with difficulty but poise.
“You don’t say,” retorted Belanna, “I’ll be in engineering, call me when the dust settles.”
The pun went over Seven of Nines head as Belanna existed the transporter room along with a gust of dust; (It was going to take her weeks to wash it out of her hair).
Meanwhile back on the bridge, Janeway, who had been persuaded to take up her command chair, tapped her foot on the floor nervously as she watched the schematic display of Paris journey back through the asteroid field. It had proven just as impossible to get a visual signal through the solar radiation as a matter one, leaving them guessing as to what the conditions for the three pilots and Tom were.
Normally Paris would have just retraced his route coming in back out. But knock on effects of the moving asteroids within the field, meant spaces that he’d passed through only moments earlier, were now too narrow for his shuttle and straight runs had become chicanes with sharp turns. Like wise exists and safe corridors closed up behind them as they moved convoy style through the maze of rocks. Now in the midst of it all Paris could see just how easy it had been for the Kajolans to become lost and trapped. If it were not for his own navigation display, he would be equally as lost by now.
“Watch your distance and keep your eye on the guy in front of you.” Pairs warned, taking their speed up a notch for the third time.
So far the Kajolan pilots were performing well but the game had only just begun. At break neck speeds they moved within a foot of mile wide jagged slabs and dodged baseball sized pebbles that threatened to punch holes in their shields. Ninety-degree angle turns and seemingly, dead ends kept everyone on their toes. While stray asteroids, hurtling in from all angles made their route unpredictable.
Halfway home Pairs began to relax thinking that the worse was behind them and that they had deafened the odds but it was under this false sense of security that the first of three misfortunes befell them.
Jolan coming out of his third successive tight turn misjudged his speed, lagged behind and fell foul to a travelling asteroid, or so it appeared. Jolan saw the rocks shadow first as it descended upon him. He knew the correct procedure would be to increase speed and duck below it but instinct warned him off this course of action and wisely so. For moments, later another moving asteroid collided with the one above him knocking it into Jolan's flight path and the exact co-ordinates he should have been on.
As it was he had to execute a 360 degree loop the loop turn to avoid colliding with the red mass, then do some quick dodging to evade the shower of smaller chunks that had broken off when the two asteroids smacked together. The problem was he now had no idea where the others were.
“Jolan!” Liyra screamed as her fighter came around in an arch that gave her a brief glimpse of his ship disappearing behind a huge red boulder. Her scream over the open channel rang out across Voyagers Bridge and vibrated in Paris ears.
“No not again!” Paris prayed as he scanned the displays in front of him searching for Jolan. Only expecting to find wreckage or a vapour trail his heart flipped franticly when the fighter’s transponder blipped into life 200 yards to their port. Between the gaps in the asteroids, as they whizzed past, Paris could see Jolan’s ship running parallel with them.
“Jolan report?” Paris ordered.
“Sorry about that, got a little lost,” replied the elderly pilot.
“Don’t you dare scare me like that again, Jolan!” Liyra chastised much to everyone’s amusement.
“There’s a gap half a kilometre ahead of you, take it and rejoin the group.” Paris was too relieved to be angry. When Jolan’s transponder signal had winked out his mind had flashed back to the awful seconds many years ago when he realized he had lead his best friends and class mates to their deaths. It was one of the memory’s he had come to forget but now with his heart pounding in his chest he relived the tragedy over again in his head. Except this time, the people screaming were Jolan, Liyra and Dollar.
“Mr Paris-------Tom!” Janeway called, standing once again in front of Voyagers view screen. “Tom respond?”
On the shuttle Paris shook his head and blinked away the tears that were blurring his vision. They were less than an hour away from the asteroid field’s edge and coming out of the thicker regions but still in dangerous territory. No time to loose his head or be distracted by ghosts. “Captain, everyone’s ok.”
“Everyone Tom?’ Janeway asked her concern showing.
“Yes ma’am,” Paris replied confidently. He knew she was referring to his momentary lapse of concentration. “Our ETA is now 01.25 hours, put a light in the window we are coming home.”
“It’s already burning Tom, fly safe now.”
“Aye, aye captain,” said Paris signing off.
On Voyagers bridge Janeway closed her tied eyes and rubbed the furrows of her forehead. Then sensing the Chakotays presence beside her, she opened them again and turned to face him. “I wasn’t wrong to send him was I?” Janeway asked quietly so the other bridge crew couldn’t hear her.
“If I hadn’t thought so I would have spoken before Mr Paris left,” said Chakotay reassuringly.
Janeway smiled and remembered a something her father had said many, many years ago when she was a little girl. ‘A captain is only as strong as the support he receives from his crew.’ She hadn’t fully understood his words until the day she was given a command of her own. Consequently right then with Chakotay standing at her shoulder she felt very strong indeed.
The second event to rock the quads steady course came not long after Jolan had rejoined the group.
“I don’t want anymore incidents like that one guys. Let’s bring this formation together and get the hell out of here,” Paris announced trying to rally the Kajolan pilots.
“I’m right behind you Tom,” Dollar responded eager and chirpy. He had been quiet until now, hanging on Paris shirt tails copying his turns and manoeuvres perfectly, much to Paris relief.
“Don’t fret on my behalf,” came back Jolan. “I’ve been through worse than that. Why when………”
“Lieutenant……..Paris,” Liyra cut in while Jolan was speaking. “I don’t……feel very…….well!”
Paris recognized what was wrong at once; her slow and disjoined words were indications of hypoxia. “Liyra honey what are your oxygen levels?”
“I do….. not ……low!”
“Damn!” Paris swore out loud.
“Liyra what’s wrong?” Dollar asked but his fellow Kajolan didn’t reply.
“She is suffering from oxygen depravation,” Paris explained for everyone’s benefit.
“My levels are ok,” Jolan reported.
“And mine,” Dollar echoed.
“Liyra used more of hers up repeating distress calls and relaying information.” Paris clarified while wondering if she had done it deliberately so that the others wouldn’t deplete their supplies as well. “Belanna, transporter stasis?” Paris called hopefully over the open com link.
“Sorry Tom still no go.” Belanna replied from transporter room two where she had one arm buried up to the elbow in the circuits of the machine.
Paris wanted to swear again but he knew it would do no more good than release some of his frustration. “Liyra can you hear me……..Liyra!”
“I’m …tired,” Liyra eventually responded, while manoeuvring her fighter into a shaky turn and twist that would bring her back in line behind Dollar.
They were travelling now at maximum impulse and Paris feared the worst if Liyra should pass out. “Jolan do your ships have a dead man’s handle?”
“No! And our auto pilots are tied into our navigational systems which have not functioned since the solar flare.”
“In that case we have no option we’ll have to stop while I get a tractor beam on her.”
“From what you say Liyra doesn’t have time to make stop,” said Jolan, “Can’t you use your tractor beam while moving?”
“Normally yes but the magnetic ore in the asteroids is causing interference with some of my systems, even Starfleet technology has its limits.”
“Leave me…….get out,” Liyra whispered.
“No one gets left behind!” Paris raged then much quieter almost to himself he said, “Not this time.”
“There maybe a way,” Jolan announced. “Our ships have grappling hooks at the rear for towing cargo pods etc. I can use it to tow Liyra out of here.”
“But its impossible to deploy them whilst in motion!” chipped in Dollar.
“Not impossible, just dam difficult,” said Jolan. “I’ve done it before, all you need is a steady hand.”
“Sounds like a good plan to me,” said Paris, “But you’ve only got three minuets before our next course correction.”
“No problem,” quipped the elder Kajolan. “Just give me some room to manoeuvre.”
Paris pulled ahead with Dollar following then executed a turn that would allow them to double back slightly and see what Jolan had planned.
Increasing his own speed, Jolan leap frogged over Liyra’s ship, checked his distance then slowed to match her speed again. He only had one chance at this and there was no time to double-check anything. He just had to load what data he had press the buttons and pray.
Jolan felt the vibrations as the high-tension titanium cable with grappling claw shot out from the rear of his fighter. Moments later the claw clanged against the front of Liyra’s ship, making no sound in the vacuum of space but echoing harshly around the young women’s cockpit jolting her senses. As the claw contracted and bit into the fuselage of the fighter a red light turned green on Jolan’s motherboard then started flashing. Inside the stricken fighter Liyra, who had already lowered and locked the visor of her helmet, waited for the icy blast that would indicate Jolan had penetrated her inner hull. The gods were shining on her though and the super structure held. The test now was to see if the cable did.
Accelerating slightly to take up the strain, Jolan, with only seconds to spare before the end of the passage, turned a ninety-degree angle to port and whipped the Starfighter around behind him.
Suddenly, Liyra, who had momentarily closed her heavy eyes, was slammed sideways in her cockpit and awoken again. Without the thrusters engaged there was nothing to stop her fighter except the asteroid she was careering sideways into. Another jolt confirmed contact as did the sound of grinding metal on rock as the tip off her wing gouged out a mile long furrow.
“It worked! I’ve got her!” Jolan screamed over the com channel as he dodged under and over the next two asteroids to rejoin Paris and Dollar.
“Good work Jolan,” Paris praised. “Liyra honey are you ok?”
“----------Yes-------.” Liyra eventually replied, leaving Paris in no doubt that the young woman was now beyond controlling her own ship. The question was would there be sufficient residual oxygen left in her ship for them to get her back to Voyager.
“Just sit back and hang on Liyra we’ve not far to go now.” Paris lied they still had another half an hour at least and now with Jolan towing Liyra’s ship he would have to rethink every move.
The third event to impede their progress literally came out of left field. While Paris, Janeway and the rest of Voyagers crew were concentrating on the immediate path and exit of the four ships. Tuvox was keeping his eyes on the rest of the asteroid field.
Unfortunately, when the anomaly he was watching for occurred it transpired so fast even the lightening reactions of the Vulcan were not enough.
“Captain!” Tuvox uncharacteristically yelled out across the bridge. “Mr Paris is in danger.” Without permission, he changed the view screen schematic to show a larger view of the asteroid field and the knock on effect two super charged rocks were causing on the rim of the field. One of them was ploughing its way straight for the convoy and Lieutenant Paris shuttle.
The open com-link meant Paris, Jolan, and Dollar and maybe even Liyra all heard the exchange, but only Paris received telemetry and only Paris was in a position to anything. The problem was after calculating the time he had left then deleting three seconds for thinking about it, he realized that he had no time left at all to do anything. But history was going to repeat itself unless he did something and dam fast.
“Pull up Dollar!” Paris screamed. “Pull up NOW! Don’t follow me.”
Dollar didn’t completely understand Paris order but trained to follow any order without question he immediately broke off from Paris flight path and nudged his fighter into a vertical climb. Jolan followed Dollar but before he began his own ascent, he saw a huge flat red asteroid appear from nowhere beneath Paris shuttles left nacelle. The asteroid was like a giant hand scooping up the tiny craft and carrying it away.
“Tom!” Paris heard Janeway cry out just as the asteroid made contact. The noise of the rock mashing into the shuttle’s titanium hull at great speed was enough to pop Paris eardrums, but he was too busy protecting his body from serious injury to bother about his ears. Anyway the five seconds grace of realizing he was still alive while the shuttle was leaking atmosphere soon dissolved, when he saw out of the view port more rock rapidly descending towards him. Paris then spent a further five second trying to see if the shuttle would fly, which it couldn’t with only one nacelle and no structural integrity to speak of, before taking a deep breath and calling upon the only person who could help him now.
“BELANNA!”
Being transported doesn’t hurt, some say it makes their skin tingle and others go as far as to say it makes them queasy but there is no pain involved. Even so as Paris felt the familiar sensation deep in his stomach he screamed. A transporter takes 3.5 seconds and in those 3.5 seconds Tom Paris saw the miniscule diamond crystals in the surface of the fast approaching asteroid, felt the air and heat rush out of his shuttle and heard the crunching sound of its hull imploding. He wondered for one of those seconds if this was the view his friends had been privileged too moments before their demise. He also contemplated the fear they must have felt knowing there was no one to beam them away from certain death.
Belanna heard her name echo twice around the transporter room but the pleas were some what late arriving. Torres had been working on Paris signal from the moment Tuvox had suggested he was in danger. So by the time the asteroid made contact she was already locking his pattern into the buffers and initiating a transport.
As the centre pad glowed then hummed Belanna stole a glance sideways. Normally she wouldn’t take her eyes of the computer readouts but to her right Seven of Nine was standing with her arm extended and her Borg neural probes hooked up to the transporter circuits. Seven was providing the necessary boost and tweak needed to make the transport possible. It wasn’t with out some danger to Seven and Torres new she was going to owe the young women big time if things worked.
With this in mind the two women watched as Lieutenant Paris form congealed into a recognizable state then collapse into a heap. Paris had rematerialized in the same position he had dematerialized in, namely foetal with his arms raised defensively and a look of pure terror on his face. Fortunately though he had ceased screaming in favour of deep breaths of oxygen, something for the third second of his transport Paris shuttle had been lacking in.
“Belanna do you have him?” Janeway asked anxiously over the internal com system for the third time.
“Yes!” Belanna finally yelled back. “Yes and he’s ok.”
Sighs of relief echoed over the airwaves as Paris re joined the living, leapt to his feet and dashed across to the transporter controls.
“Liyra?” He asked in mid-motion.
“All ready tracking her down,” Belanna replied glancing across to see if Seven was still ok. The Borg half-breed nodded her head affirmatively but Belanna noticed she was looking very pale.
“Got her, signal locked,-----------energizing now.” Belanna didn’t need to tell Paris what she was doing the commentary was for the 140 odd Voyager crew listening in.
Another very slow 3..5 seconds passed for Paris as he first watched Belanna operate the transporter controls then turned to watch Liyra’s prone body fizz into cohesion before solidifying. Without waiting for an ok nod from Belanna Paris pounced on the Kajolan pilot’s lifeless form. The unfamiliar latches of her helmet seemed to take forever to unhook but in real time only five seconds lapsed before Paris deftly pulled it free. Once free the warm air of the room rushed at Liyra’s face and she gasped out aloud as the strange oxygen hit her lungs then bounced back again.
In the absence of the doctor Paris did a quick vitals check of the Kajolan, who appeared to be not only perfectly healthy but a ravishingly beautiful young women, something Paris immediately shook off as irrelevant.
“Liyra? Liyra?” He called shaking her gently by the shoulders.
Liyra opened her eyes at the sound of Paris voice, Unaware that she had been transported aboard Voyager the sight of his sandy hair, blue eyes and charming smile jolted her up right and pushed a hundred questions into her brain but only two words made it into cognitive speech. “Jolan? Dollar?”
Paris looked across the room to Belanna who with pained expression shook her head.
“I can’t get a lock on them there’s too much localized interference.” In hope Belanna turned to Seven of Nine but she shook her head also. The skin on Seven’s face was white and her body trembled.
Lifting Liyra to her feet Paris gave Belanna a one word order. “Bridge.”
Understanding she played her fingers over the transporter controls and performed a sight to sight transport, then watched as Paris with Liyra hanging onto his arm for support dematerialized.
Paris and Liyra rematerialized on the top deck of Voyagers bridge beside Harry Kim’s station. Harry, Paris noticed was relaying co-ordinates over the open com link to the two remaining Kajolans.
Captain Janeway was again standing behind the con-station keeping a vigil on the view screen schematic. But as the transporter shimmer faded she turned and beckoned the two newcomers to join her.
“Welcome back Tom,” she whispered once he was in ear shot.
“What’s happening?” Paris whispered back, leaning close so his voice couldn’t carry over the open channel. “Who’s in lead?”
“Dollar,” Janeway replied, “Harry is feeding co-ordinates to him.”
“You do know their oxygen supply is nearly expired?”
“We’ve taken that into account. Their ETA is 10 minuets,” Janeway responded to Paris then looked past him to his female companion. “You haven’t introduced me?”
“Oh sorry Paris flustered, in his concern for the 2 Kajolan pilots still at risk he had completely forgotten about Liyra. “This is Liyra, our mayday messenger. Liyra this is Captain Janeway.”
“Its good to meet you.” Janeway said smiling and taking the young woman’s hand. It felt so tiny in hers and she couldn’t help but stare for a moment at Liyra’s pale blue skin, white hair and pixie like ears. They all combined to give the girl a ‘fairy’ appearance and she half expected a pair of wings to fold out from the back of her garments.
“It is good to be here,” Liyra said breaking the spell she had on the captain.
Janeway blinked, drew her hand back then gave Paris a raised eyebrow look before turning once again to the view screen. Paris and Liyra remained at her side as they watched Dollar and Jolan edge slowly closer to freedom. With her con officer safe and sound, radiating heat and life beside her, Janeway found that the near miss’s played out on the schematic didn’t elicit quite such a deep breath or heart flutter from her anymore. It wasn’t that she wasn’t concerned for the two men it was just that she had the most important one back already.
“I CAN SEE THE EDGE!” Dollar suddenly squealed over the com-link. “Wait I can see Voyager.”
“Don’t get cocky Dollar, your not out of danger yet,” Paris called back to the young man.
“Tom your alive!” Jolan exclaimed. “Liyra is she ………?”
“I’m here too,” Liyra replied for herself. “I’m safe and well.”
“First ship breaking free of the asteroid field now,” Tuvox announced, then switched the view screen to show Dollars ship emerging from the nearest cluster, soon after Jolan’s ship still towing Liyra’s slipped free. At the sight of the two ships Liyra squealed in delight then flung her arms around Paris neck and planted a big kiss on his cheek. Paris in response hugged Liyra back, his arms encircling around her pint size body with ease.
“Would you like to meet them in transporter room two?’ Janeway asked Liyra.
“Yes thank you, thank you all,” Liyra gushed.
“Mr Kim would you do the honours?” Janeway ordered, casting a shadow of disappointment over the Kajolan females face.
“Can not Tom…….?” Liyra began to ask half releasing Paris from her grip.
“Sorry I need my Lieutenant,” Janeway didn’t feel any compunction in thwarting Liyra’s plans. “He’ll see you and your friends later.”
Liyra smiled a huge blue lipped smile then trailed after Harry Kim but her eyes were on Paris as she left the bridge.
Exhausted and over come with relief Paris took a grip of the handrail behind con and let his weary head drop.
“Tom?’ Janeway whispered into his ear then as he looked up beckoned for him to follow her. “Mr Chakotay you have the bridge. See that our guests are taken care of and lay in a course back to their base.”
“Aye Captain,” Chakotay responded efficiently.
Janeway lead Paris into her ready room and to the couch under the starry window at the far side. The stack of Compad’s still sat on the table were he had left them.
One in particular caught Paris eye but he passed it by without a second glance and took a seat next to his captain. “You know that Dollar is one hell of a pilot,” Commented Paris stifling a yawn and rubbing his eyes.
“He reminds me of someone I know.” Janeway caught Paris yawn and delicately sighed it away.
“I can’t think who.” Paris smiled.
As the corners of his mouth twitched into a smile Janeway remembered the day in Owen Paris office when the news of young Tom Paris accident had come through and the photo of a cheeky smiling boy that stood pride of place on the admirals desk. Somehow she figured it probably still did. “I’m proud of you Tom,” she said moving closer to Paris and turning her body sideways. “And you should be proud of yourself.”
“What I did today doesn’t make up for my incompetence ten years ago.” Paris became conscious of a hand resting on his chest and turned to gaze into Kathryn Janeway’s deep blue eyes. “But three for three should even the score some don’t you think?”
Janeway nodded, sympathy and pride written on her face. “Enough for you to lay their ghosts to rest.”
A tear spilt from Tom’s left eye, rolled down his cheek and splashed onto Janeway's hand. Neither of them moved that would have required effort and they were too drained.
“I’d like to sleep now,” Paris murmured quietly but made no undertaking to move.
“Ok Tom,” agreed Janeway.
And with that Paris closed his eyes put his head back and fell asleep. Janeway stayed with him resting her head on his shoulder while keeping her hand over his heart, allowing the sound of the beats and the slow rhythm of his breathing to gentle lull her into her own slumber.
Some time later Tuvox used his security pass and entered Captain Janeway's ready room. The tableau of the two officers raised but an eyebrow with the Vulcan after all they were doing nothing wrong. Perhaps a marginal infringement of certain Starfleet regulations but Tuvox was aware of the special relationship between Tom Paris and the Captain. A relationship he was keeping a close eye on!
There may be more to come of this story I haven’t decided yet.
