DISCLAIMER: Everything besides the pirates and the planet belong to Paramount.
SUMMERY: Paris and Chakotay must rely on each other when they crash on a barren planet. Rated PG.

The shuttle left the small space station and headed back to Voyager. Captain Janeway had sent Commander Chakotay and Lieutenant Tom Paris to the station for supplies. Getting the needed supplies took hours of discussion and hearly a fight, but they recieved them. Now, a tired Chakotay and Paris gratefully headed back to the ship.
"I'm glad to finally be out of there," Paris said, breaking the silence.
Chakotay smiled, "For a moment, I thought you were going to hit Krend."
"His prices were too high."
"Have to agree with you there, Tom, but he wouldn't have brought them down if he was unconscious."
"Guess not."
Chakotay then hailed Voyager. Captain Janeway's voice came over the comm.
"What took so long?" Janeway asked, her voice filled with annoyance.
"He refused to lower his prices," Paris answered.
Chakotay smiled, "We finally settled on a price."
"Don't take as long getting back. You have the co-ordinants?"
"Yes," Chakotay said.
"Good. Janeway out."
The communication ended, and Paris placed in the coordinants to the ship.
"I can almost hear my bed calling me," Paris said.
"Arguing over prices can get tiring."
"Especially if it's for hours!"
Chakotay smiled and shook his head. He knew that Paris had nearly hit Krend out of frustration. Still, a fight nearly broke out had he not agreed to pay Krend's prices for the supplies. Krend then suddenly had agreed to drop the prices to which Paris told the vendor to make up his mind. Chakotay then dropped some currency onto the table, and took the supplies. He was not going to be preventing fights while he was there.
A sudden jolt brought the commander out of his thoughts.
"What the hell was that?" He shouted, looking at his console.
"We're being fired upon!" Paris answered as they were jerked forward.
Paris' fingers flew across the console as he tried to avoid the shuttle from being hit again. Chakotay attempted to hail their attackers to no avail.
"I think they are more interested in killing us than talking to us," Paris mentioned.
The shuttle was hit again, and sparks flew behind them. Paris was able to avoid another attack, but the next attack hit the shuttle.
Chakotay began to search for somewhere to land before they were killed. After another attack, he finally found one.
"Head for five-two-one mark six. It's a planet. We'll land there and contact Voyager."
"What about contacting them now?" Paris asked as more sparks flew behind them.
"I don't want our attackers hanging around when Voyager gets here. I want them to think we crashed."
The two were jerked forward again. Paris put in the course to the planet.
Their attackers followed them. Paris was able to avoid some of the fire, but he was quickly running out of ideas. Chakotay was able to return most of the fire, but another hit took the phasers offline.
After what seemed forever, their destination appeared before them. The planet became larger as the attacks became less frequent.
"Good," Chakotay said, "they think we're crashing."
"We are," Paris mentioned, "I'm trying to land this manually."
Chakotay felt his stomach turn. He braced himself against his chair as they flew into the planet's atmosphere. Sparks flew everywhere as they were jolsted about. He looked over at Paris. He saw tension spread across the pilot's face as he tried to manually bring the shuttle under control.
"Tom, you look like you're about to pass out. Let me take the controls."
"No! I almost got it."
Chakotay looked at the screen and saw the ground coming upon them fast. He could see that the planet was barren and mountainous. He hoped Paris got the shuttle under control before they became part of the scenery.
"Tom! The ground is coming up fast!"
"Shut up! I can see that!"
Paris was able to finally bring the shuttle under control. He looked up once and saw a mountain looming before them. He tried to fly over it, but Chakotay grabbed him, shoved him into the other chair, and took the controls.
"What the hell are you doing!?" Paris shouted.
"Taking over, you're paniking."
"Like hell. Give me back the controls!"
"Sit still, so I can land this!"
Paris was about to take the controls back when the shuttle jerked to one side. He looked out the window, and saw that they were flying around the mountain. Behind it were more mountains.
"So, where were you planning to land?" Paris asked, folding his arms across his chest.
Chakotay didn't answer as he pressed buttons to guide the shuttle. He saw what Paris was talking about: there were few places to land in the mountain range. He would just have to land somewhere fast.
"Hang on. I'm going to set it down now."
Paris saw a narrow trail between two rows of mountains. He braced himself for the rough landing as Chakotay manually controlled the shuttle.
The shuttle jerked them as it camed closer to the mountains. Chakotay tried to keep the craft pointing toward the narrow passageway. The craft was suddenly tossed off its course by a strong gust of wind. Chakotay frantically tried to get it back under control, but it was falling fast.
"Now who's paniking?" Paris asked as he attempted to take the controls again.
"Stay put, Lt." Chakotay commanded, "I'm going to land here."
"More like crash here."
Chakotay said nothing. He tried to make the crash as painless as possible. The ground was coming up fast, and he knew it was no use trying to level the shuttle. He finally gave up and left his chair.
"Forget it, Paris, brace yourself!" Chakotay shouted, knowing that the pilot would try to land it himself.
He looked back, and saw Paris following him. He then looked behind Paris and saw the ground. He quickly dived for the floor, taking Paris with him.
~~
Tom Paris slowly woke to find himself pinned under a piece of the shuttle. He looked up and saw brown sky. He then realized that the piece was part of the ceiling. He looked around and spotted Chakotay under the control console. He could see a gash in the commander's leg, and a cut on his forehead.
Paris slid the piece of metal off his mid-section, and tried to sit up. He cried out in pain, but he gritted his teeth as he crawled across the floor to Chakotay.
He brought out his tricorder and scanner to check how bad the commander's injuries were. He moved the scanner over Chakotay's body then looked at the tricorder.
"Looks like your spirit guide was with you today," Paris said, "You only have a injured leg."
Chakotay moaned and opened his eyes. He looked up to see Paris sitting next to him. He tried to sit up, but a sudden pain in his head prevented him.
"What happened?" He asked, putting his hand to his head.
"We crashed. You have a gash in your leg, and I can guess a headache."
Chakotay stared at Paris, who was tending to the injured leg. He then looked at his surroundings to see the hole in the ceiling. His gaze fell upon the missing piece then back to Paris.
"What about you?" He asked.
"Don't know, yet. The ceiling fell on me."
"Maybe you should find out. I can tend to my own injuries."
Paris stared at him, "I'm almost done here. If you want, you can bandage your head."
Chakotay touched his forehead and looked at his hand. He saw the blood and he realized why he had a headache. He tore a piece of his sleeve, and applied it to his forehead.
"Next time we go on one of these outings let's bring the Doctor," Paris said as he finished bandaging Chakotay's leg.
Chakotay smiled as Paris helped him sit up. He tied the torn piece around his head. He could see that the pilot was in pain, he just didn't know from what.
"All right, Lt. It's your turn."
Paris looked at Chakotay, "Later, we have to signal Voyager."
"That can wait, Tom. I can see that you're in pain. You don't have half the shuttle fall on you and have just a headache."
Paris sat in a chair and pressed a couple buttons. It lit up almost at once causing him to sigh in relief. He began to press buttons to send a distress signal.
"I can do that, Tom," Chakotay said, standing up, "We need to find out how bad you're injured."
Paris didn't answer, but continued to tap at the console. After a moment, he fell back into the chair. He looked at the commander, who was non too happy.
"Now can we find out what's wrong?" Chakotay asked.
Paris tried to stand up, but a sharp pain sent him back into the chair. Gritting his teeth, he brought out his tricorder and scanner. He pointed the tricorder at himself as he tried to catch his breath.
Chakotay, seeing that Paris was in too much pain, took the tricorder and scanner from him. He then scanned the pilot a couple times, and looked at the tricorder.
"You're bleeding from internal injuries. We have to get you back to Voyager."
"And how do you suppse we do that?" Paris asked weakly, "The shuttle is not flyable and we don't know where Voyager is."
"They should get the signal you sent. They'll be here before you know it."
Paris tried to smile, but he closed his eyes and clutched his mid-section. He tried to catch his breath, but he coughed instead.
Chakotay placed his hands on Paris' shoulders, and helped his sit back in the chair. He calmly told the pilot to relax. The commander relaxed himself when Paris finally opened his eyes. He put a hand on Paris' forehead to find it hot and wet.
"You're burning up, Tom," he said, "I'm going to find some water."
Paris leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes. Chakotay patted Paris' shoulder then stared at the rubble before him. He remembered seeing some containers filled with liquid they bought along with the supplies.
He waded through the broken pieces until he came to the fallen piece of the ceiling. He looked up and saw the brown sky. He blinked back the dirt that was falling into his eyes. He then looked back down at the metal and shivered. He bent down and slid it to one side. He then went over to the crates the supplies were in. He rumaged around them until he found the containers. He picked one up and saw the oragne liquid.
Chakotay opened the container and sniffed it. There was a sweet scent to the liquid. He then took a small sip, and found it tasted like water with a slight peachy flavor. Satsified, he stod up, and limped back over to Paris.
He saw that Paris was asleep. He bent down and spoke into the pilot's ear.
"Tom, wake up. I want you to drink this."
When he didn't open his eyes, Chakotay shook him as he called Paris' name. The pilot's eyes flew open. He tried to get up, but Chakotay put a hand on his shoulder.
"I found some water," he said calmly, "I want you to drink some."
Paris looked at the container in the commander's right hand. He then stared at Chakotay.
"You drink it first," he said, suspicious.
"I already took a sip. It's not poison. I'll take another if you want."
Paris shook his head, and took the container. He put it to his lips, and drank thirstily. A sharp pain caught him off guard, and he winced in pain. It resulted in him swallowing the wrong way, and he coughed again.
Chakotay took the container, and calmly talked Paris into relaxing again. When he saw that Paris was breathing regularly again, he poured a little of the liquid into his palm. He then placed his hand on the pilot's forehead.
"If they gave us water," Paris whipsered, "do you think they gave us food as well?"
"I'll take a look. You stay here and rest."
"can't do anything else," Paris said, smiling.
Chakotay returned the smile.
~~~
"Captain, something is coming in," Harry Kim announced, "It's a message."
Janeway turned around, "What does it say?"
Kim looked at his console as he tapped some buttons. He then looked up and answered, "It says that Chakotay and Tom are stranded on a planet. They were attacked after they left the space station. Chakotay has an injured leg. It ends there."
"Trace the signal and head back to the station. I want to know who attacked them and why."
~~
Chakotay had went through all the crates three times, but did not find any food. He finally gave up, sat down beside one of the crates, and took a drink from the container. He looked over at Paris, and felt a twinge of regret. It should have been him that was bleeding from internal injuries. He then told himself that he had to find food. There was no way of telling when Voyager would find him, but he couldn't sit around feeling guilty.
He stood up and limped over to Paris. He saw that the pilot was still unconscious. He put a hand on Paris' shoulder and shook his awake.
Paris' eyes flew open. He then looked at Chakotay in shock then annoyance.
"Quit shaking me!" Paris shouted, "How would you like it if I shook you!?"
"About as much as you like it," Chakotay answered, "There's no food on the shuttle. I'm going to see if I can find some on this planet."
Paris stared at him, "There's nothing out there, Chakotay. This planet is nothing, but dirt."
"I'll find food. There has to be some kind of life on this planet. Even if it's insects."
"I'm hungry already," Paris said, sitting back in the chair.
"Stay here. I shouldn't be gone long."
Paris watched as Chakotay opened the shuttle door. A strong gust of wind nearly knocked the commander down. Paris felt the cold breeze flow over him, offering him a moment of relief from the fever. He closed his eyes and took in the refreshing, but dust filled air. He then heard the door close, and he opened his eyes. He saw that he was alone. He decided it was time to get out of the chair.
He slowly stood up, wincing in pain. He placed his left hand on the chair to steady hismelf. He stared at the mess the shuttle was in. There was dirt over everything. He spotted the crates, and he slowly made his way toward them, using the shuttle's wall as support.
After what seemed like forever, he finally made it to the crates. He carefully knelt before one, and looked inside it. All that was in the crate were metal parts that could be used in Engineering. He looked up and saw the containers filled with the orange liquid. He moved aside the crates that were in his way, and picked up one of the containers. He opened it and took a drink.
Before long, he had drank half the liquid. He slowly stood up and he was quickly reminded of his injuries. He gritted his teeth, and made himself stand up. He then saw his tricorder on the console.
Might as well find out the extent of the injuries, Paris thought to himself.
He slowly walked to the front of the shuttle, keeping his eyes on the tricorder for something to focus on. He almost tripped over a broken piece of the shuttle had he not placed his hand on the wall to catch himself. He finally reached the navigator's chair, and he plopped into it. He sat there for a few moments, catching his breath. He stared at the tricorder a moment before he leanded forward and picked it up. He grabbed the scanner along with it.
Paris quickly leaned back in the chair when he felt a sharp pain in his stomach. As he caught his breath again, he opened the tricorder and pointed it at himself. He ran the scanner over himself a few moments. He then turned the tricorder back around, and tapped a couple buttons. He didn't like what he saw.
"Oh damn," he whispered in shock, "I'm.."
"Going to bled to death," a voice said behind him.
Paris spun around to see Chakotay standing in the doorway. The commander was holding a strange creature in one hand,a nd his phaser in the other.
Chakotay followed Paris' gaze to the creature. He smiled slightly, "I told you I would find something."
He limped to the pilot's chair and sat down. He looked at Paris, who was pale. He lowered his gaze to the tricorder and scanner Paris held in his hands.
"Now you find out," Chakotay said, "There's not much you or I can do. We'll have to hold out till Voyager arrives. They should have recieved your message by now."
Paris stared at him, "I'll probably be dead by then."
Chakotay looked up. He could see in the pilot's blue eyes that Paris believed what he said. Chakotay didn't like that.
"Don't say that, Tom. You don't know that for sure."
"If you don't believe me then take a look for yourself!" Paris said, shoving the tricorder toward Chakotay.
The commander relunctantly took it and looked at it. Paris had a ruptured spleen which Chakotay was deffinatley concerned about. He also had a bruised stomach and a couple broken ribs. He slowly closed the tricorder and looked at Paris, who was unconscious. He leaned forward and checked for a pulse. He found a steady one, and he relaxed. He then remembered the creature he killed, and decided to fix dinner.
~~
Tom Paris woke to the smell of food. He slowly opened his eyes to see Chakotay sitting before him. His eyes focused, and saw that the commander was holding something in his hand. He tried to sit up then thought better of it.
"I spent the last ten minutes cooking this," Chakotay said, "It was hell trying to keep the fire going in the wind, and the dirt away from the food. You sure as hell going to eat, if I have to force you."
Paris looked at Chakotay then at the piece of meat he held in his hand. He took the meat, tasted it then took a bite. It tasted sweet and he thanked Chakotay for his trouble.
"Your welcome, Tom," Chakotay said. He then handed Paris a container. The pilot took it and drank it greedily. He then finished off the meat.
"I'm going to send another message," Chakotay said of a sudden.
Paris stared at the commander, "Why? You said Voyager might have recieved the one I sent."
"If they knew how bad you're injured they might hurry."
"I told them that we crashed," Paris said, "They should know we're hurt and need medical attention. You don't need to send another mesage."
"It'll make me feel a whole lot better."
"Fine, Chakotay, send the messgage."
Chakotay gently moved Paris to the pilot's chair. He then sat down and began pressing buttons. He was just begining to mention Paris' injuries when the light went out on the console.
"Great," the commander said.
"Don't worry about it," Paris whispered, "The first message should be enough."
Chakotay looked at Paris, who was fighting to stay awake. He admired the young pilot's stubborn ability to survive everthing that happened to him. He just hoped this wasn't the day Paris luck ran out.
"You're wasting what little energy you have left," he told Paris, "You need to rest."
Paris looked at him, dazed. He shook his head to clear the cobwebs then tried to stand. Chakotay put a hand on Paris arm to stop him.
"Where are going?"
"To lie down. The chair is not very comfortable," Paris answered.
"The floor can't be much more comforatble."
Paris' eyes roamed around the shuttle. He spotted the long seat up against the right wall.
"Is the bench alright with you?" He asked, annoyed.
Chakotay followed Paris' gaze to the bench. There was a pile of rubble on it, but that could be dealt with.
"Go ahead, Tom," the commander said, "And I promise not to shake you awake."
Paris rolled his eyes, and went over to the bench. He swept off the rubble onto the floor. He then lied down as carefully as possible. He gasped once, getting Chakotay's attention. He raised his hand to stop the commander.
"I'm all fight," he said, wincing, "It's just a catch."
"The hell it is, Paris," Chakotay snapped, "You're bleeding to death, and we don't know where Voyager is!"
"Try your commbadge, commander. You might feel better."
Chakotay smiled and tapped his badge, "Chakotay to Voyager."
"Commander....." There was static, but the voice was Janeway's.
"Yes, Captain. I'm all right. Where are you?"
"...way to station," Janeway's voice answered, "...Tom?"
Chakotay looked at the pilot. He was unconscious and was lying so still that it scared him. He was moving toward Paris when he heard Janeway's voice repeat her question.
"Tom's in worse shape," he answered as he checked for a pulse, "He has internal injuries. He also has a fever."
Chakotay barely heard what the captain said. He had found a pulse. It was slow, but steady as if Paris had gone into a deep sleep. He placed a hand on the pilot's forehead and found it clammy.
"Don't you die on me," Chakotay demanded, "That's an order."
JanewaR> "...on our way. Try to....comfortable."
The communication ended. Chakotay went back over to the front of the shuttle and picked up the container. He went back to the bench, and poured some of the liquid into his palm. He put his hand on Paris' forehead to cool it. Paris moved his head, but didn't open his eyes. He moaned weakly, and Chakotay felt a shiver go up his spine.
"Hang on, Tom," he said, "Voyager is on it way. Just don't die on me."
Paris moaned again then began coughing. Chakotay whispered a curse as he tried again to calm the pilot.

"Forget the space station," Janeway said, "Set a course for the planet the signal was coming from warp eight."
"What ever attacked them might still be there," Tuvok mentioned.
Janeway nodded in agreement, "Scan for other ships near the planet. I don't want to be caught off guard like Paris and Chakotaty were."
Ensign Kim's fingers flew across his console. Like everyone else on the bridge, he barely heard what the commander said. What he did hear sent a chill down his spine. He was grateful, thought that Chakotay was with Paris. The idea alone helped Kim concentrate on his task.
After a moment, he looked up, "There is one ship in the area of the planet. We'll be in hailing range in fifteen minutes."
Janeway nodded, "Good. I want to ask them some questions."
And I want them answered, she thought as she stared at the view screen.

Paris finally stopped coughing and began to breathe normally. He opened his eyes to see Chakotay hovering over him. The commander helped him sit up then brought the container to Paris' lips. He drank the liquid as if he hadn't had anything to drink in days. He gave the container back to Chakotay then lied down.
"Voyager is on it's way," Chakotay mentioned.
"You said that twenty minutes ago," Paris whispered.
"This time I know for sure. I told Janeway about your injuries. She's getting here as fast as possible. You'll be back piloting Voyager before you know it."
Paris smiled weakling, "And you'll be back to being a stick-in-the-mud in no time."
Can't resist being a wiseass, can you, Paris? Chakotay thought. Outloud he said, "Only towards you, Tom."
"Thanks. I feel much better."
Chakotay smiled, "Get some rest, Tom. When you wake, you'll be back on Voyager."
Liar, Paris thought as he close his eyes.

On to Conclusion
Back to Paris, Voyager