"Tom?!!?" B'Elanna Torres awoke suddenly from a dream, although, strangely enough, she couldn't remember what it was she dreamt of. She looked over at the empty spot beside her and sighed.
"Ah yes," she remembered getting out of bed and heading over to the shower. "You're on an away mission." She placed a hand on her growing belly. "I guess it's just you and me now." She sighed again. "Computer, activate sonic shower."
---
Captain Kathryn Janeway had gathered an away team to scout a nearby planet, from which Voyager had received a distress signal. She was reluctant to send Tom Paris, but was forced to change her mind when the officer she had planned to send down became 'conveniently' to ill to travel.
Janeway sat in her captain's chair staring at an enlarged picture of the lush green planet on the viewscreen. It's been nearly two days since the team left the shuttle bay and still she hadn't received any transmissions or updates. The captain stood and turned to address the Security Chief who stood behind her.
"Tuvok, any word from the away team?"
"Negative, Captain," the Vulcan replied.
Janeway hit the communicator on her uniform. "Janeway to B'Elanna Torres!"
"Yes, Captain?"
"Meet me in my ready room," the Captain turned to her First Officer. "Chakotay, you have the bridge."
---
"Come in," Janeway called, at the sound of the door chime.
B'Elanna entered, in full uniform. She looked restless and not at her usual ease.
"You asked to see me, Captain?"
Janeway nodded as she motioned for B'Elanna to sit. The Captain leaned forward as B'Elanna did so.
"Yes. I wanted to inform you about the away team."
"Tom?" B'Elanna interrupted. Her heart sunk as her mind flooded with possibilities. "Did something happen to Tom?"
"B'Elanna you need to stay calm. Everything is alright!"
"Calm? Captain--"
"B'Elanna!" Janeway raised her voice. The Chief Engineer fell silent, taking a deep breath to calm herself. The captain, too, was quiet for awhile before she spoke again in her regular tone. "We haven't heard anything yet. Listen, take some time off--"
"Captain I--"
"B'Elanna...that's an order!"
"Tuvok to Captain Janeway. I think you better come to the bridge."
"On my way!" The captain informed.
B'Elanna was the first one out.
"Captain we are receiving a transmission from the planet. Audio only."
Janeway nodded.
"Cap...comply..."
The message was full of static and slightly distorted, but the Captain recognized who it was.
"Seven!"
She looked over at B'Elanna. Worry had filled every feature of the half-Kingon's face.
"Captain...ship down...Galen...Mara...lost...Paris...Kim damaged...Captain comply..."
"We lost the signal, Captain." The Vulcan spoke. B'Elanna looked weak on her feet. "Tom?"
Chakotay helped her sit down in his chair.
"Can you get a lock on them?" Janeway asked Tuvok without hesitation.
"Negative, Captain. There is to much interference. It appears that the planet is going through some sort of electrical storm."
"Tom?" B'Elanna's voice was soft and her human emotions were coming through stronger then Janeway had ever seen. She turned to address the half-Klingon.
"Get some rest, B'Elanna. I'll keep you informed."
---
Seven of Nine searched through the charred shuttle for a medical kit. Her transmission to Voyager had failed, or at least that is what it seemed, since the ship nearly blew up when she tried to send her message. She wiped her blond hair away from the wound on her face, picking up the remains of what looked like the med kit. The only useable object was a semi-working tricorder. It would help though.
Seven exited the shuttle and started off toward a nearby cave. It was dangerous to be out in the open during this storm, so she had helped the injured away team inside. Two other officers of the away team, Galen and Mara, Seven had not been able to find. Herself and Paris had only received minor injuries, but Kim was badly wounded.
The former borg looked up at the sky. Blue lightning danced all around her. The storm was getting closer. She picked up her pace, her hair falling loose around her shoulders.
"Find anything?" Tom Paris asked seeing Seven entering the cave.
Harry Kim stood near the fire that Paris had built earlier. Seven of Nine looked at him and raised an eyebrow, regretting that she did so, as pain shot through the side of her face. But she did not show her pain.
"Harry Kim, you should be lying down."
"I'm...fine Seven," Kim replied, noticeably in pain and clutching his ribs.
"You are damaged!" Seven of Nine walked over to him holding out the tricorder. She scanned him. "You have three broken ribs, possibly puncturing a lung. You are damaged!"
Realizing that he couldn't win, Kim lay down beside the fire. He was in a lot of pain and his breathing was erratic. He was hurt badly, he could tell.
"Did you get...hold of the ship?"
"No!" Seven said firmly.
"What about Galen and Mara?" Paris joined in the conversation. "Still missing, but..."
Seven collapsed against the wall of the cave, overcome by dizziness. Tom ran to her aid. Noticing the large gash over her left eyebrow, Tom grabbed the tricorder.
"It would seem that you are also damaged." Tom smiled inwardly.
"Elaborate."
"Well, this tricorder doesn't seem to be in very good working condition, but it looks like you have a concussion, Seven. I think you better take it easy for awhile."
The Lieutenant ripped some cloth off the sleeve of his uniform and wrapped it tight around Seven's head. "There! That should stop the bleeding...for now." He assisted Seven over to the fire. "Well, with that storm out side, it looks like we are going nowhere for awhile."
"If...you all don't...mind," Kim wheezed. "I think...I'm going to rest a bit."
Tom Paris nodded, noticing that Seven had already fallen asleep.
"Good idea!"
---
B'Elanna stood by the food replicater in her quarters, deciding what to order. She hadn't slept at all that night. She couldn't keep her mind off Tom.
"Paris...Kim damaged..." Seven's message had said. The message wasn't complete and Captain Janeway had told B'Elanna to stay calm until further details were investigated, but she couldn't.
"Computer," she said, finally making up her mind. "Hot coffee...strong." The half-Klingon watched, as the mug materialized in front of her. "Thank you," she replied under her breath.
She picked it up and held it close to her, letting the steam warm her face. She sat down on her couch and slowly took a sip. "Come on Tom. Where are you?"
She was about to take another sip, when Janeway's voice sounded.
"Janeway to B'Elanna Torres. I need you in the conference room."
"On my way, Captain."
---
Janeway studied the console in front of her. All the information of the planet that the computer could find, was neatly displayed on the screen. Chakotay, Tuvok, and B'Elanna, sat at the table behind her, listening. She turned to address them.
"An electrical storm," the Captain began. "It passes through the planet once every year. The planets way of cleansing itself." Janeway fingered a button on the computer screen and a new image appeared. An image of a tiny round, silver object orbiting the planet. "This is where the distress call came from." The Captain paused, a little upset to inform this news. "It's over thirty years old."
"What?!!?" B'Elanna's slammed her fist on the table in a sudden outburst. "So this away mission was for nothing?"
Janeway knew that B'Elanna would get defensive, but the Captain had to let her know. She touched another button, bringing up a new image. A ship, or what's left of one. B'Elanna fell silent.
"Tuvok!" Janeway sat down, letting the Vulcan speak.
"We believe that the away team has escaped the shuttle and found shelter. Possibly in a series of caves found near the crash site." The Vulcan enlarged the image at 25° NE, showing the large black mouths of about 7 caves. "These caves appear to travel deep underground in a sequences of tunnels. One would be completely protected inside any one of them. It would seem that whom ever had once lived on this planet dug these tunnels themselves, for each one is lined with a rare metal."
"With this metal in every tunnel and the storm going on, Voyager's scanners can't pick up the away teams signals." The captain joined in again. "It would seem that we have to wait the storm out. But I am afraid it will take awhile."
"How long, Captain?" B'Elanna asked anxiously. "How long is awhile?"
The Captain stood quiet, regretting what she was about to say. She and Tuvok had done extensive research on every aspect of the planet. There used to be life on that planet. An alien race. They were the ones that sent the distress beacon. After realizing that each year the electrical storm gets stronger and longer, the race built their tunnels deeper and deeper into the underground. Hoping that one day they would be rescued.
"Twelve days," the Captain answered. "Maybe more."
"Twelve days?!!? You're going leave them down there for twelve days? They could be dying down there, Captain."
"B'Elanna!" The Captain caught herself yelling and took a deep breath. "Any suggestion on how to beam them out through the storm?"
B'Elanna nodded. "It may not work, but it's worth a try."
Janeway sat down, as B'Elanna addressed the room.
"If I could re-root as much of the ships power as we can spare to the transporters, I may be able to penetrate the storm and the metal."
The Captain was silent a moment, as she calculated the suggestion in her head. She stood.
"That may work. B'Elanna, get to Engineering and start re-rooting as much power from unnecessary systems as possible. Welsh, Hesa, you go with her. Tuvok continue trying to get a lock on the away team. Chakotay, you have the bridge. Computer, yellow alert."
---
It was a long and restless night for the away team down on the planet. Tom Paris wasn't surprised to see that the storm was still going on when he awoke. He looked over at his injured crew members. Seven was sitting, leaning against the walls of the cave. Harry Kim, however, was still sleeping. His breathing getting weaker and weaker.
"Come on Voyager. Find us!" Paris whispered.
He tried his communicator again, not really expecting it work, but he was tired of being suck helpless in a cave, with two injured crew members and two missing ones. Paris walked as close to the large mouth of the cave as was safe. Lightening flashed everywhere. Hitting trees, bouncing off rocks. He watched in amazement as a bright beam came flying from the sky, piercing a tree clean in half.
Feeling the cold wind against his thin uniform, Paris turned back to the protection and warmth of the fire, only to find that he was completely alone inside the cave.
"Seven? Kim?"
He heard voices, but not ones he recognized.
The cave had four smaller openings. Tunnels leading to who knows where. Tom Paris walked over to the closest one and called out for Seven and Kim, but was only responded by his own echo.
"Seven? Kim? Hello?" The lieutenant called into another opening. This time he was answered by five pairs of glowing green eyes. Paris jumped back a step.
"Friend we." The eyes spoke in unison. Their voices were slurry and spoke in an almost musical harmony. "Come with we."
Paris was hesitant, but followed. He couldn't see the creatures' bodies, but their eyes lit up the tunnel like tiny high beams.
"Who are you? What species?" Paris found himself very curious about the glowing eyed race.
"The Mohue we." The creatures sang. "This planet, home to we."
Tom Paris felt almost hypnotized by their harmonizing voices. He almost forgot about his other crew members. "Seven? Kim? Do you know where they are?" Paris spoke up, suddenly remembering.
The Mohue stopped without warning and turned to face the human. "Explain word to we. Sevenkim."
Paris chuckled, trying to imagine a cross between the two. Kind of like Tuvix, he thought and shook the image away from his mind.
"Two of my crew members. Seven of Nine and Harry Kim. Those are their names. I am also looking for 2 others Mara and Galen. Have you seen them."
"Name? Explain word to we."
Paris sighed. It was like talking to a bunch of singing toddlers.
"A name is something you call someone. For example, my name is Tom Paris."
"Tom Paris." The Mohue mocked and as one they turned around and continued walking through the black tunnel, repeating each crew members name."
After a rather exhausting walk, the tunnel ended in a large circular room. On the walls, every few feet or so, there was a new opening. Tom Paris concluded that all the caves connect to this one spot.
"Sacred spot to we!" The Mohue harmonized.
The room was lit. By what, the human could not figure out, but he could see just as well as if someone had turned on the lights and he could see the Mohue now. Their eyes no longer glowing. There were hundreds of them. Huddled all together, swaying back and forth. Making a humming noise. A soft relaxing sound. As Tom listened, he felt his aching body release.
---
Tom Paris was glad to be back on Voyager and he could say the same for the others. Mara and Galen were found.
"Apparently rescued by the Mohue as well." Paris explained during a small party that Captain Janeway had thrown.
"Tell me, Tom," Janeway asked. "Who are these Mohue?"
"The Mohue are small black scaly creatures, who have a unique ability to heal. They once lived on the surface of the planet, but over time were forced to move deeper and deeper underground. They live as one and therefore only go by the name Mohue."
---
Captain's Log:
Tom Paris continued his story and Mara and Galen joined in. Even Seven added a few interesting facts. All in all, I would have to say this has been one interesting week.
The End
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