"They've changed course," Ensign Kim announced.
Janeway did not move, "Where are they going now?"
Kim pressed a few buttons on his console then answered, "They are heading five mark one-three-seven. It's a planet."
Janeway gave Chakotay a curious looke, but her eyes were filled with hope.
"Place in the cooridents, and follow them."
"The report said the Lyante drop the bodies where ever they want," Chakotay said, "Maybe that's why they are going to the planet."
Janeway shook her head, "The leader said that Tom and B'Elanna were progressing well. They wouldn't be going to this planet to drop off bodies. They are continuing the experiments, and it has something to do with that planet."
Janeway had a determined expression on her face. She was not going to let the Lyante get the upper hand this time. She was going to get her crew members back, and nothing was going to stop her.
"Go to warp six," she said, "I want to get there before them."
"Setting a trap?" Chakotay asked, smiling.
"Once they put Tom and B'Elanna on that planet, we'll be them back to Voyager. I'm not going to waste anymore time with the Lyante. My patience is wearing thin."
Chakotay understood her frustration, for there was no telling what the Lyante were doing to Paris and Torres. They also refused to hand them over until the experiments were over. All they could do was to follow the ship, and hope for a chance to strike.

Tom Paris finally stopped pacing, and sat on the metal bed. He looked over to his right to see Torres' silouhette. The way she was standing told him that she was non too happy.
He knew what she was upset about, but if he lied on his back too much longer, he felt he would have melted into the bed. He sighed, and went over to her. He sensed more than saw her look at him.
"B'Elanna," he began.
"Save it, Tom," she snapped, "You've always done what ever you wanted. Why stop now?"
"So you're saying I should just lie down, and sleep the rest of my life away?"
"No," Torres said, not really wanting to fight with him, "I want you to take it easy. You could make the wound worse."
"Alright," Paris sighed, "I'll go lie down and take it easy."
Paris went back to his metal bed, and lied down. He stared at Torres as she stood in the middle of the room. She was still upset, but he felt she was trying not to act on it. After a moment, she went to her bed, and lied down. Paris rolled onto his back then, and closed his eyes.

"We're coming upon the planet," the Lyante pilot's voice filled the room.
"Good. Slow down now."
The Lyante captain looked at the monitor. She saw that their subjects had settled down to sleep. Her eyes glowed brightly as she pictured the two on the planet trying to survive on nothing, except their wits, and the trust of the other.
"Go get our guest, and take them to the craft."
The scientist bowed, then left the room. The captain headed toward the craft to watch over the procedures. She want to make sure everything went the way she wanted it.

"The planet is in viewing range," Tuvok announced.
"Let's see it."
The planet appeared in the screen. It was a small bluish-pink sphere floating alone in space.
"It is inhabited only by animals. There is no humaniod life forms on the planet," Tuvok reported.
"We'll reach the planet in twenty minutes," Kim said.
"Slow to impulse," Janeway said, "I don't want to come upon the Lyante too fast. I want Tom and B'Elanna on the planet."
As they drew closer, they could see the dark Lyante ship against the planet. Janeway knew they couldn't avoid a confrontation if the Lyante spotted them.

Torres was suddenly awakened by the sound of a heavy door opening. She sat up, and saw two pair of glowing eyes enter the room. One went off to her left toward Paris, the other headed for her.
She stood up and dashed for the alien who stood over Paris. She got as far as the first alien, who stopped her by grabbing her arm. She snarled and took a swing at the creature with her free hand. The blow was stopped short.
"Leave us alone!" She shouted, startling Paris awake.
"You will be soon," an icy voice came to her ears.
She was tossed forward out the door. A strong hand was placed on her shoulder, and she was steered toward the right. She was led down a long corridor before she was shoved into a tiny room. She turned around to attack the alien, but a sudden force knocked her back into the wall. She quickly realized they had pushed Paris into her.
"Sorry," he whispered, "I seemed to have tripped over my feet."
"Quiet," a harsh voice said.
To prove his point, he jabbed the butt of his weapon into Paris' back. He didn't cry out, for the force of the blow shoved him into the wall.
"Level six," the harsh voice said a moment later.
"Where are you taking us?" Torres demanded as she helped Paris to his feet.
"Your questions will soon be answered in time," the icy voice answered, "Till them, keep your mouths shut."
Torres sneered, taking full advantage of the darkness.
The doors of the lift finally opened. The aliens forced their prisoners forward. The sounds of their footsteps echoed in their ears. Before them, they saw a pair of glowing eyes.
"It is good to finally met you face to face," the voice belonged to the one that told Torres about the experiments.
"Does this meeting have anything to do with letting us go?" Paris asked.
"In fact it does, but not to Voyager. We are going to put you on a planet for the next level of experiments. You might enjoy it, for it is a change of enviroment."
"What!?" Torres spat. She tried to attack the captain, but strong hands quickly grabbed her arms and held her still.
"Put the braces on them. Then put them in the craft."
The creatures grabbed Paris and Toores, and snapped metal around their wrists. They were then shoved into a small shuttle. They heard the door hiss shut and lock.
"I hope there's sunlight on the planet," Paris said as he found a seat.
Suddenly, the female voice filled the craft, "The cooridents of the planet are already lain in, so there's no need to worry about flying it. You will be on the planet for four days. During that time, you will be monitored. That's why those wrist bands are for. They will tell us everything about you. From how and what you are feeling to if you are well or not."
"What has this got to do with our mating behaviors?" Torres shouted, standing up. She recieved a shocked expression from Paris.
"This will tell us how well you trust one another."
"Why teh craft? Why don't you just transport us to the planet the same way you brought us here?" Paris asked.
"We are using it's power for our shields," came the answer.
A moment later, before they could ask anymore questions, the craft's console lit up. They then heard the sound of a large door opening. The two felt the craft lift up, and back out the bay.

"Something was just launched from the Lyante's ship," Kim announced.
The bridge crew could see a small object leaving the dark ship, and head for the planet. They knew it was a shuttle, and they knew who was on it.
"Can we beam them out?" Chakotay asked.
"The shields are interfering," Tuvok answered, "It would be better to wait for them to land on the planet."
"We are being hailed," Kim said.
"Looks like they noticed," Chakotay said.
The planet and ship were replaced by a pair of glowing eyes. They gleamed brightly which made Janeway think the owner was angry.
"You have interupted us for the last time, Janeway," the voice was harsher than ever.
"I am just making sure you return my crew members when you are done," Janeway answered, keeping her own anger from her voice.
The eyes narrowed, but ceased gleaming, "Fine. It saves us the trouble of finding you. Just don't try anything. We will know if you do."
The eyes vanished to be replaced again by the Lyante ship and bluish-pink planet.
Janeway looked at Chakotay, who shrugged.
"Are they saying they'll know if we beam them back?" Kim asked.
Janeway pondered the thought. What if that's exactly what they are saying? I guess there is only one way to find out.
"We'll just have to take that chance. I'm tired of this and I'm going to end it now."

"Nice to see the stars again," Paris said as he stared out the front window of the craft.
"I have to admit, I thought I wasn't going to see anything again," Torres confessed.
Paris smiled as he watched the planet quickly fill up the window.
"Find something to hang on to, cause it's about to get bumpy."
"Like what?" Torres asked, groping around in the darkness.
"The floor's good. We're going to end up on it anyway."
The small craft started to jump around as it entered the planet's atmosphere. Torres lied down on the floor as the bouncing became worse.
"This is not helping my wound," Paris said as he winced in pain. He then gasped and clutched his stomach.
"Just wait till we crash," Torres mentioned.
Paris groaned at the mention of crashing. He looked up at the window, and saw trees quickly rushing up toward them. He lied back down, and braced himself for the impact that he knew would come.
A moment later, the craft suddenly leveled tiself, and slowly began to descend. The two got to their feet, and stared out the window.
"I guess they programmed it to land as well," Paris said.
"Yes, but I doubt it's going to be a soft landing," Torres mentioned. She then sat down in the space between a long seat and the back wall.
There was a jolt as the craft dropped itself closer to the ground. It then slwoly eased itself down until it finally set itself on the ground.
"That wasn't so bad," Paris said as he stood up.
He looked out the window, and suddnely wished he hadn't. Bright sunlight poured into the small craft, and straight into his eyes. He shut his eyes against the brightness, and turned away.
"It's bright out there," he tolf Torres.
"Thanks for the warning, Tom," she remarked as she tore herself away from the tiny space.
They heard a sharp hiss, adn they turned to see the door of the craft open. It let in even more light, and they put up their hands to shield their eyes.
After their eyes had adjusted to the brightness, the two walked into the sunlight.

"I'm picking up two humanoid life forms on the planet," Tuvok announced.
"Do we beam them up now?" Chakotay asked.
Janeway looked at the images on the view screen. The Lyante's words echoed in her mind. Did she really want to wait for the experiment to be over before they returned? Or did she want to take a risk that they could beam them back, and leave before the Lyante noticed? Would the Lyante relentlessly pursue Voyager in order to get their subjects back?
One thing she knew, she couldn't sit here pondering over several outcomes. She had to make a decision now.
"Are we within beaming range?" She asked.
"We need to get in closer," Tuvok answered.
"Then do so."
Voyager inched its way forward, so as not to startle the Lyante. It didn't work, for red-orange beam raced toward them. The crew was jerked as the ray it the ship.
"We are being hailed," Kim said grimly, "Audio only."
"You have been warned," a deep eerie voice filled the bridge, "Get any closer and you will never see your crew members again. You won't even see tomorrow. This is your final warning."
Janeway looked at Chakotay, who had a less than thrilled expression on his face.
"Looks like we wait," Janeway said, not at all happy.

The trees had a blue tint to their leaves, and the sky was a pale pink. The birds sang haunting song as the bugs buzzed around the two.
"It's beautiful," Torres gasped in wonder.
"All of a sudden, I feel like camping," Paris said. He then headed into the forest.
Torres quickly ran after him, "Hold on, Tom. I want to look at your wound now that I can see it."
Paris stopped, knowing that she would not give up until she checked the wound. He turned around, and his eyes opened wide. Torres seemed to radiate in the sunlight. The rays hitting her dark hair made it beam with a light all its own. Her dark eyes sparkled like fire, even though her expression was serious.
She came up to him, and stared at him strangely, "Lieutenant, your mouth is open. Shut it before a bug flies in."
He blinked at the remark, and closed his mouth. He looked at the ground, knowing his face was turning red.
"it's the first time I've seen you in days, B'Elanna," he said, "I almost forgot what you looked like."
Torres didn't say anything as she helped Paris sit on the ground. For the first time, she got a good look at the damage. His uniform was torn where he had been hit. She pulled back the quickly made bandage to reveal the wound.
The wound looked awful.It was still bleeding, and most of the skin was burnt. She placed the bandage back on, and looked at Paris.
"We have to find water," she said, "Maybe there's some plants on this rock that can be used as medicine."
"Did I mention you're a sight for sore eyes?" Paris whispered.
Torres stared at him. His hair was a mess, and had grown some since thier capture. His face was dirty and his uniform looked worse for wear. Underneath the mess, though his blue eyes sparkled.
"You look like something the cat threw up, Tom," she said playfully.
"Thanks, B'Elanna," Paris whispered in response.
"Let's go find that water," she said, standing up. She held out her hand to Paris, who took it. She helped his to his feet, and the two went into the forest.

On to Chapter Twelve
back to Paris, Voyager