The Benjamin rocked again and again with the onslaught of energy firepower as Tom watched helplessly through the viewscreen - one of the only of the ship's functions, unfortunately, that was still functioning.  He gripped his console tightly to stay in his seat, any other option for action taken out of his hands - he'd completely lost helm control.  All he could do now was hold on and endure the ride.  And watch as his shuttle drifted slowly towards the cloud barrier - a prized destination it would never reach.

In moments, life support was down past twenty-five percent, and Tom could feel the difficulty with which he was breathing.  The interior temperature had risen a good ten or twenty degrees, he guessed, and his mind, now accustomed to easy medical diagnosis after all those days training in sickbay, calmly sped through an analysis of the effects the changing atmosphere was having on his body. 

He still gazed out at the looming cloud barrier, oxygen-deprived mind hoping to see Voyager come barreling through at any moment.  His vision was growing fuzzy, but he could still focus long enough to find the comm controls on his console. 

Should he even bother transmitting again?  Why not - what else had he to do at the moment besides grow closer to unconsciousness?  Briefly a myriad of thoughts and emotions sped through him - characteristic images and sensations of the last moments of a seemingly hopeless situation. 

Tom spoke into the comm, not quite sure, even, of what he was saying or even if he was saying anything at all.  Having been through one too many such instances of near-peril in his short but dangerous lifetime, he supposed he spoke sort of on automatic pilot.  Inwardly he was thinking how odd it was that he no longer heard the hissing of laser-fire hitting bulkhead, though he could still feel the ship rock with the assault.  He watched with some dismay as yet another console near him burst into flames, yet he didn't bother trying to distance himself from the fire; even felt himself smile.

'Atleast I won't be around to see those ugly little bastards blow the rest of my ship apart,'  he thought.  Then thought 'Maybe not' as one of his atagonists suddenly appeared dead ahead of the shuttle, its lasers aimed straight at the Benjamin. Tom Paris had stared down the barrel of one kind of viscious-looking weapon or another too often to have any misconceptions about the Minkani's intentions.  He knew a final shot when he saw it coming. 

He didn't look away, just calmly faced his one brush with death too many as the flames rose around him, eating at what was left of the oxygen in the severely savaged cabin.  In the distance he heard his own voice as his distress signal repeated again and again:

"Benjamin to Voyager.  The shuttle has been hit; I cannot make it past the cloud barrier.  I repeat, the Benjamin is underattack.  I cannot make it past the cloud barrier.  Require assistance...."

Then that final shot reached its destination, and Paris felt the grip of unconsciousness take him....


                                                              ****


"...shuttle's...hit...cloud barrier...repeat, the Benjamin...attack...cannot make it...assistance..."

Onboard the tnese bridge of the U.S.S. Voyager, Captain Kathryn Janeway stood, hands on hips with a grim expression crossing her features, listening to the jagged pieces of transmission they'd been receiving for the last few moments.  She stared into the colorful face of the anomalous cloud before her on the viewscreen and cursed.  "Damn."

"Hull integrity of the shuttle is failing, Captain," Tuvok reported dispassionately from his station, looking up at her then.  "It will not survive any further assault."

Janeway looked back at the viewscreen, her expression no less grim, but she had made her decision.

"Lt. Baytart, take us past the cloud barrier.  Carefully."  she could practically feel Chakotay's disagreement at the command, but to his credit he said nothing.

"Aye, Captain," said her pilot.

"Mr. Kim, try and get a hail through to those attacking ships.  Order them to cease fire immediately."

Harry Kim responded in kind, and the Captain made her way down the bridge to her seat in its center.  She exchanged a look with  Commander Chakotay and sat down.

"Mr. Tuvok, be ready with the phasers.  They might not respond to our hails, but they'll respond to a little fire for fire.  I don't want them to get another single shot off at that shuttle, understood?"

"Aye, Captain."

Janeway watched silently and expectantly as the cloud barrier neared...then parted around the nose of the ship as Voyager eased it's way through.  When she spoke, her words were barely a mumble and directed towards noone, except perhaps herself.  And maybe the Minkani

"I won't allow that shuttle to be destroyed," she said.  And then mentally added, 'Not again.'

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