Flight

Disclaimer: Star Trek Voyager and all of its characters are the property of Paramount. No copyright infringement is intended.

Author's Note: This can be seen as a companion piece to last year's Easy, as it concentrates on the away mission alluded to in that story. Both can be read as stand-alones, but the background I developed for that story was the starting point for this adventure.

Many thanks to Seema and Jemima for their beta efforts.

Flight
by Rocky

The cave was so dark, Janeway had trouble making out Chakotay sleeping just a few feet to her right. Only the sound of his slow, steady breathing gave his position away.

She had volunteered to take the first watch, knowing she probably wouldn't get much sleep anyway. As she stared at the entrance of the cave--through which only a few faint stars were visible--she thought about their predicament.

First contact with the Lentelians had occurred a week earlier. A passing freighter had given Voyager the coordinates of the homeworld, along with the assurance that the government would be amenable to trade--welcome news to a starship perpetually in need of food and other raw materials--and an official invitation by the Lentelian Magistrate had arrived shortly afterward.

From the moment Voyager entered their space, the officials had been most cordial, but that had been nothing compared to the effusive way Magistrate Bambas, his smooth head bobbing excitedly, had greeted their shuttle at the spaceport on the outskirts of the capital city. Janeway and the others were a bit taken aback by the elaborate ceremony, but it had been a pleasant change after the near-universal hostility and suspicion which had been their experience in the Delta Quadrant. The cheering crowd, as well as the oddly atonal music of the welcoming band, nearly drowned out Bambas's speech. After the initial remarks--which included a ritual presentation of three stalks of shefa grain--the children's choir had begun.

"Some welcome," Chakotay had said quietly. "They certainly seem happy to see us, wouldn't you say? Maybe a little too much so."

"And this strikes you as a cause for concern?" Janeway said, amused.

"By itself, maybe not. But together with some of the other things, like those armored satellites--" He paused. "I don't like that the presence of kalocite ore in the planet's crust interferes with our communications and transporters. It was nice of them to provide translation devices for us when ours failed, and there's no denying how pleased they are to host us. I'm just a little wary, that's all. This whole welcome is almost too elaborate. Speeches, music, an honor guard--they haven't missed a thing, have they?"

"There was no walk down the red carpet," Tom Paris said with a grin.

"Perhaps that activity is later on the agenda," Tuvok said dryly.

Janeway frowned at them, and then quickly turned her attention back to the magistrate, who beckoned her and Chakotay to step forward. A ripple of movement off to the side barely registered. The look of incredulity – and horror – on Bambas' face was Janeway's first inkling of any disturbance. The next thing she knew, someone was pulling her to the ground. She felt rough pavement beneath her, a stinging graze on her cheek, and heard screams of panic. Chakotay threw his arm across her, forcing her head down. Moments later, she heard the sharp crack of projectile weapons. A running Lentelian tripped over her, then stumbled and fell a few feet away. With a shock, she realized from his blank staring eyes he was dead.

There was an explosion nearby. "We can't stay here, Captain!" Chakotay said urgently as he helped her to her feet. "We've got to get to the shuttle!"

To their dismay, they quickly found their route cut off by a wall of flames. She had a fleeting glimpse of Paris and Tuvok crouched by the open door of the shuttle, fighting desperately. Directly in front of her, the main building of the spaceport was in ruins, thick black smoke filling the air as panicked individuals fled in every direction. More explosions occurred on either side. Several ground cars appeared, disgorging men in unfamiliar uniforms who promptly began firing into the crowd.

"Don't let the Outworlders get away!" a harsh voice yelled. "There they are!"

With only time for a fleeting prayer for their officers' safety, she and Chakotay fled in the only direction available to them--away from the spaceport, toward the surrounding hills.

That had been a day ago.

Chakotay slept on. No light filtered in from the outside. Janeway moved a little closer to the entrance of the cave and peered out. Though the night seemed endless, Janeway knew there were only a few hours to go until sunrise, when they could continue on their way once more. She went to wake Chakotay for his turn at watch, then closed her eyes.

"I was just about to wake you, Captain," Chakotay said when she joined him at the mouth of the cave, shivering slightly in the cool air. The sky was a dim gray, with a hint of red and gold around the horizon. "It should be fully light soon."

"All quiet?"

"I haven't seen anything moving." He turned to face her. "Do you think they're still looking for us?"

"Those men--whoever they were--haven't found us after a day," Janeway said, adding with an optimism she didn't entirely feel. "As time goes by, it's increasingly likely they'll abandon the search."

"So what's our plan? Return to the spaceport?"

Janeway considered for a moment. "No, Tom and Tuvok are long gone by now." She fervently hoped the shuttle had made it safely to Voyager.
"Regardless, I don't think it's wise to linger in the vicinity of the spaceport."

"As our last known location, it's the first place the ship will look for us."

"Their sensors won't be able to cut through the interference, not at this elevation," Janeway said. "Our best bet is to keep heading further into the hills. Once we're above the snow-line, we should be able to contact Voyager."

Chakotay nodded slowly. "And hope we're not still being pursued. Yesterday's 'incident' didn't seem like an isolated event. Captain, I caught a glimpse of the attackers--those were soldiers, not terrorists. There's a strong possibility the Lentelians are at war."

Janeway frowned. "Doubtless it was as much a surprise to our hosts as it was to us."

"But they did have those massive orbiting platforms," Chakotay said, gesturing toward the sky. "Tuvok said it looked like a weapons system, and remarked how unusual it was for a world at peace. Remember?"

"Yes," Janeway said shortly. She tugged on her jacket, and ran a smoothing hand over her hair. "We should be going, Commander."

They emerged from the cave, backtracked a bit to the east, and then scrambled, single file, over a pile of loose boulders to reach the path they had been following the day before. It was an old trail, overgrown in many places. Janeway doubted it had seen much recent use, but was still hesitant about using it. If anyone was still pursuing them, it was an obvious course for them to take. But it was easier than fighting their way through the brambles and waist-high scrub on the open hillside.

"As we continue ascending, it should get easier," Janeway said, pausing to let Chakotay catch up. She shielded her eyes from the glare--as well as the blowing dirt and grit--and strained to look ahead.

"Provided we don't starve or freeze to death first," Chakotay said, ducking his head as he maneuvered around a large boulder which sat squarely in the middle of the trail.

Already the early morning coolness had dissipated. "Freezing is unlikely, at least until we get much higher," Janeway said, pushing her hair out of her eyes and trying not to think of how dry her throat was. She added, "With increased elevation, the water situation should improve."

It was utterly still, the only sounds the slapping noise of their hands and feet over the rocks. Janeway had rarely seen anything as desolate as the gray-brown expanse surrounding them. There was little to see but dust and crumbling dirt underfoot, interspersed with rocks that became increasingly more numerous--and larger--the further they climbed. There was an occasional draft of hot wind. No bird calls, not even the chattering of insects, could be heard. Every now and then, Janeway thought she heard a rustling noise off to the side. It may have been a small animal burrowing in the undergrowth. Or perhaps it was just the wind. Periodically, Janeway tapped her badge, trying to raise the ship. Nothing.

At mid morning, Janeway called a halt. The day had remained overcast, but it was quite warm. Both of them were sweating. Chakotay knelt to examine some of the vegetation.

"Too bad the same interference preventing us from using our comm badges also affects our tricorders," Janeway said. Her hand unconsciously went to her belt, checking to make sure she still had her equipment. Her touch lingered on the hilt of the phaser for a moment, finding comfort in its solidity. She frowned when she saw its charge was nearly at zero.

"It would certainly help determine if any of these plants are edible," Chakotay agreed. "But we can keep going without food longer than water."

"I've rarely seen any place so arid," Janeway said. "It makes one wonder how anything manages to grow at all."

"I'm sure it's much different during the rainy season," Chakotay said. He indicated the gully off to their left. "That channel was carved by water. Notice how the stones at the bottom are smooth, as opposed to the ones on the path itself?"

"Even if the path remains above water, it's doubtless quite muddy--not to mention slippery--other times of the year," Janeway agreed. "I suppose there are advantages to coming through during a dry period." She snapped a twig off a nearby bush. Its center was a solid white pith, reminiscent of cork.

Chakotay handed her a few large, irregularly shaped leaves. They were tough and stringy. "Here, try this."

She bit into one cautiously. "It's moist inside," she said in surprise.

"Not quite what I'd call juicy, but it's better than nothing," he said, picking another handful for himself. "Try sucking the stem as well--there's a bit more liquid there."

"Not bad--provided it doesn't turn out to be toxic."

"It's a good thing one of us paid attention during the Doctor's lecture," he reminded her with a faint smile. "So we would know what we could or could not eat during the official banquet. I'm pretty sure this is hasa, which he said is a basic food staple. The Lentelians are primarily vegetarians, you know, having evolved from herd animals." He added, "Too bad our hosts weren't as forthcoming about other things as they were about their diet."

Janeway didn't answer.

Chakotay rolled up a few more leaves and tucked them into his belt. "Well, I have a feeling we missed the banquet, but we still get to sample some of the native cuisine."

Janeway licked her lips, wishing for a drink of water to rinse out her mouth. The hasa's taste was initially mild, but became progressively spicier, culminating in a strong aftertaste. She forced a smile. "Join Starfleet, see the galaxy, seek out new civilizations and alien foods."

"You don't even have to go that far for something exotic," Chakotay said. "Remember the grubs we ate during survival training at the Academy?"

"I don't know what variety you had, but ours weren't bad at all. Tasted like chicken. To be honest, I wouldn't mind some of those now," Janeway said, wiping her sticky hands on her uniform.

"Or even some leola root, for that matter, " Chakotay said.

"Now I know you're joking--" Janeway broke off abruptly, as she caught a glimpse of something in the sky. It seemed to be moving too rapidly for a bird.

Chakotay had seen it too. The two of them ducked down. Janeway looked around quickly. There was not much cover where they were--nothing in the area to provide more camouflage than they currently had, in the lee of a large boulder. She glanced at the gully, several meters away, wondering if it was worth the risk of trying to reach it.

The sudden roar of an engine almost directly overhead banished all thoughts of moving from her mind. They would be spotted for sure if they stirred. They pressed themselves flat against the dusty ground. The sound of the aircraft--clearly not a Starfleet shuttle--grew louder. She held her breath, expecting at any moment to hear shouts, orders to give themselves up.

She didn't know how much time passed, but the sounds gradually grew fainter and died away altogether. Even so, she waited a few moments longer before she moved. She glanced at Chakotay. "That was close."

"Now we know they haven't called off the pursuit. In fact, they've taken to the air," Chakotay said. He passed his hand over his face wearily, then flexed his shoulders to ease them.

"If they were looking for us specifically," Janeway said. "That might have just been a reconnaissance vessel."

"Military reconnaissance so close to the capital?" Chakotay said. "So you do agree yesterday's attack is part of a full-scale war."

Janeway nodded curtly. "We have no way of knowing for certain, but it makes sense. Unfortunately, we happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time." She forestalled any further comment on his part by adding, "Regardless, I don't think it's in our best interest to be captured."

As they rose to their feet, she caught sight of her red jacket and frowned.

As if reading her mind, Chakotay nodded. "These uniforms make us stand out. Two spots of color against a drab background. We'll need some camouflage." He reached down, scooped up a handful of dirt and started rubbing it on his clothes. Janeway did the same, and then patted dirt on her already grimy face and hands as well.

The path continued ascending into the foothills and the terrain grew rougher. The small bushes became more numerous, and they started seeing an occasional gnarled tree, rough-barked, with crooked limbs. They saw no further signs of pursuit for the next several hours.

After another halt in the late afternoon, Chakotay took the lead. "Still no sign of water," he said, panting. "I would have thought we'd find at least the remnant of a stream by now. Even a muddy puddle."

Janeway didn't answer right away. She gazed at the horizon. "I think we have another hour or so of daylight left. Maybe we'll find some water by the time we halt for the night." The planet had no moon, so travel by night wasn't feasible. They would have to proceed during the day, despite its attendant dangers. She tapped her comm badge again. "Janeway to Voyager, come in."

"No luck?" Chakotay asked, though he already knew the answer. He shielded his eyes to look up. They were nearly out of the foothills by now; a much taller slope than any they'd yet seen loomed ahead. "We should be in communication range soon." Suddenly, he grabbed her arm and flung them both flat on the ground. He tensed, then crawled deeper into a thicket. She followed.

Very soon afterwards, they heard footsteps.

"Anything, Netziv?" called a low, guttural voice.

"Nothing yet, sir," Netziv responded. "It is almost certain the Outworlders came this way, however. We are certain to find them soon."

"I hope so," said the first voice. "Our orders are to apprehend them as soon as possible. It will not look good on any of our records if they slip from our grasp."

"Filthy dobar Outworlders, in league with the accursed rebels!" said a third voice. "They obviously were plotting the best way to get so many of our high officials together when they were most vulnerable!"

Janeway and Chakotay exchanged startled glances.

"We will soon find them, and they will confess everything before long," the first voice said. "D'vash, what have you found?"

"The path curves down, to the left, after this," D'vash said, his voice growing louder as he approached. To Janeway's consternation, he was so close they could see the tops of his boots. She held her breath. "They probably went that way, back to more settled land."

"And I say their trail continues toward the mountains," protested Netziv.

The leader considered for a moment. "And yet, you have no proof, Netziv. We will turn back--for now."

With a surprising economy of motion, the patrol moved away.

"Another close call," Chakotay muttered when they were alone once more.

"Too close," Janeway said. "I wonder if the aircraft we saw earlier reported our position."

"That was hours ago. If we'd been seen, they'd have caught up to us before this. Besides, we don't know which faction the craft belonged to," Chakotay pointed out. He exhaled sharply. "I'd assumed we were being hunted by the rebels--after all, we were here at the Magistrate's invitation. But if the government troops are searching for us as well, thinking we sold them out--"

"It doesn't matter who is looking for us," Janeway said, a bit sharper than she intended. "The important thing is to stay ahead of them." She passed her hand over her face wearily, trying not to think about her aches and pains, or the way her cuts were stinging. The scrape on her cheek was particularly painful. "We would never have gotten involved in this mess in the first place if we'd known they were on the brink of war."

Chakotay bit his lip. "The indications were there, Captain. You just didn't want to see them."

Janeway stiffened. "Hindsight, Commander. We had no way of knowing--"

"That massive satellite weapons system," Chakotay interrupted. "That was one major clue all wasn't right here. Or the way Bambas seemed just a little too glad to see us, almost as if he expected something of us in return beyond a simple trade agreement. We should have been on our guard from the outset."

"Are you saying I deliberately refused to see anything wrong?" Janeway asked, her voice low.

"There are times you commit yourself to a course of action and then refuse to listen to any other opinions, ignore any contradictory evidence that arises," Chakotay said slowly, almost reluctantly. "Once you've made up your mind, you don't like changing it. You were a little quick to dismiss Tuvok's--and my--concerns."

"We had no indication there was anything wrong," Janeway insisted. "Nothing concrete. A class-M planet, a seemingly friendly warp-capable alien species willing to trade--what more could we have asked for?"

"Maybe we should have learned by now if something seems a little too good to be true, it usually is."

She looked at him for a long moment. "You can draw up a new set of First Contact protocols when we're back on the ship, Commander. But in the meantime, nothing is served by sitting here and pointing fingers."

"You're right," he said, glancing up at the sky. "We need to seek out some type of shelter before nightfall." He sighed. "I don't think we'll be lucky enough to find a nice cave this time."

Janeway pointed. "There's a thick copse of trees ahead. That may be the best we can do." They settled themselves down between three trees that grew close together.

"Too bad none of these trunks are hollow," Chakotay said. "That would provide even more cover." He glanced over at her. "Why don't you lie down, Captain? I'll take first watch."

"You had the last watch last night," she protested.

"It's all right," he said. "I'm not tired."

She gave him a skeptical look.

"I'm not that tired," he conceded. "Go ahead, Captain."

"Thank you." She lay down, hugging herself for warmth. "It's much colder than last night."

"Unfortunately, we can't risk lighting a fire." Suddenly, Chakotay smiled. "Assuming I could even get one going, that is. You know my track record in that respect."

She laughed, despite herself, remembering his inability to light a fire when they were stranded on Hanon IV by the Kazon in the second year of their journey. "I would have thought you would have corrected that deficiency by now, Commander."

"Unfortunately, you'll never know, will you?"

"I suppose not." She hesitated. "Good night, Chakotay."

The next morning, they hadn't gone very far when they discovered a trickle of water. They stopped and drank eagerly. Janeway was grateful to slake her thirst, even though the water had a bitter, slightly metallic taste.

"It's a good sign," Chakotay said. He gestured around them, at the dips and valleys now spread at their feet. The peak they had been aiming for yesterday was still some distance away, however. "We're getting higher." Janeway agreed. The water was even more important, as they had been unable to find very much else to fill their stomachs. Their spirits lifted, they continued on their way.

It was mid-afternoon. After another break, Chakotay was in the lead once more. The path rose steeply; they were increasingly climbing more often than walking.

Janeway paused to catch her breath, making sure Chakotay was still within her line of vision. She tapped her comm badge again. "Janeway to Voyager, come in. Do you read me, Voyager?" She held her breath. "Answer, damn it. Voyager!"

A burst of static emerged from the badge, dying away all too soon. She tried again, unsuccessfully. Still, it was another good sign, as Chakotay would say. She hurried to catch up to him, almost tripping in her eagerness.

"Chakotay, I think just a little more and we'll be able to make contact with the--"

"Better watch your step here, Captain," he called over his shoulder. "The ground seems a little unstable--" The rest of his words were lost as he suddenly vanished from view.

Moving as rapidly as she could, while still trying to be careful, Janeway pressed forward and gasped. The ground dropped away precipitously, into a yawning hole below. "Chakotay!"

There was no answer.

She threw herself full length on the ground, and peered down. "Chakotay, can you hear me?"

After an endless interval, she heard a faint response. "Yes, I hear you."

She strained to see in the darkness. "How far down are you?"

"Not sure. I tried grabbing on to something, but couldn't break my fall. I'm on the bottom of this--sinkhole, or whatever it is. I think--"

Suddenly, she heard him cry out.

"Are you hurt?" It was silent. "Chakotay?"

She looked around for something she could use as a rope, then settled on a length of tough root which she tied to a boulder near the edge of the hole. Slowly, she lowered herself, a drop of approximately 20 meters. She found him lying on the ground, gripping his leg and wincing.

"It's my ankle--I don't think it's broken, just badly sprained," Chakotay said through clenched teeth. She could just make out his features as her eyes adjusted to the dim light.

"What happened? One minute you were fine, the next--"

"I tried putting some weight on it, to try and climb up, but it collapsed under me." He sighed heavily. "Not too smart, I guess."

"Let me see." Carefully, she eased off his boot and examined his ankle. Already, the joint was swollen and the flesh was rapidly turning discolored. She prodded it gently, ignoring his gasp of pain. "No, it doesn't seem to be broken."

"That's a relief," he mumbled.

Janeway took off her dirt-encrusted jacket. She tugged at the shoulder seam till the sleeve came away, then ripped it lengthwise. Fashioning a makeshift bandage, she wrapped his ankle as tightly as she could. "How's that?"

"Better."

"Good." She looked at him for a moment, trying to ascertain if he had any other injuries.

"But you shouldn't have come down after me."

"Why?" she asked in surprise.

He gestured to the steep sides of the shaft around them. "How the hell are we going to get out of here?" He exhaled sharply. "Sorry. I don't mean to be ungrateful, Captain, but now we're both stuck. If you had stayed up there, you might have been able to lower me a branch or something."

"That's still a possibility," Janeway said. "The drop is not as much as you think." She held up the 'rope' she'd used to lower herself down. "We can use this."

"There's no way you can bear my weight along with your own, Captain," he protested.

"I don't intend to." She helped him to a standing position, trying not to stagger when he leaned heavily against her, then tied the end of the rope around his waist. "You should be able to raise yourself with this, even with just one good leg."

"Sounds like a plan," he said. Abruptly, he held up a hand.

She looked at him questioningly. "What is it?"

He was quiet for several seconds. "Sorry, for a moment there, I thought I heard voices--another patrol. Must have just been my imagination."

Slowly, painstakingly, Chakotay managed to lift himself up, then threw the rope down to her so she could join him.

They made camp early, as Chakotay was in no shape to move on. Janeway, studying him in the better light, thought perhaps Chakotay had been too optimistic in his assessment of his physical condition. Despite her best efforts at first aid, his ankle was clearly painful and was swelling beyond its wrappings. He also sported some deep new gashes and bruises from the fall. As the evening progressed, the cuts became red and warm. Not a good sign.

In the middle of the night, Janeway woke abruptly. Chakotay was supposed to be on watch, but he had fallen asleep. She heard him moan.

She crawled over and laid a hand on his forehead. It was hot to the touch. She shook him gently. "Commander?" He didn't respond. She shook him again, harder this time. "Chakotay?"

He opened his eyes, with difficulty focused on her face. "Yes."

"How do you feel?"

"I've been better," he said. "Feel dizzy. And hot."

She brought him some water. "Drink this. I think you're feverish."

He drank. "I'm not going to argue. Captain," he said slowly, "you're going to have to leave me."

"Don't be ridiculous. You'll be better in the morning, and then we'll--"

"No." He stared at her intently. "You don't know that. I can't go on the way I am; I'll only slow you down."

"I'm not in the habit of abandoning crew members," she said. "Besides, I thought you just said you weren't going to argue."

"Not about my being sick," he said. "But--"

"Shh," she said. "No more talking." She tore a strip of cloth off the hem of her jacket and used it to bathe his face. He seemed more relaxed afterwards. "Try and get some rest, Commander."

In the morning, Chakotay was very weak, but his clammy skin felt cooler than it had in the middle of the night. Janeway brought him water and a handful of dried hasa leaves. They ate their breakfast in silence.

"Any word from the ship?" he asked finally.

"Nothing, other than an occasional burst of static," Janeway said, trying not to sound as dejected as she felt. "The good news is, it's happening at more and more frequent intervals."

"You'd think they would be able to cut through the static from their end," Chakotay said, his breathing more rapid--and shallow--than usual. "That is, if Voyager is there at all."

"They are," Janeway said, injecting as much confidence as she could into her tone. If the upheaval on the planet surface had spread to space, it was possible Voyager had been caught up in the fighting. But surely the ship would have moved out of the line of fire--in which case it might still be out of transmission range. She forced herself not to think about that now. "I'm sure once we get to the summit, we'll have clearer communications and the ship will respond."

He nodded. "And speaking of getting to the summit, you'd better be on your way, Captain."

"Here," she said, handing him a long branch she'd broken off earlier. "I'll help you up."

He made no move to take the staff. "I'm only going to slow you down, Captain, increase your chances of getting caught. You'd be better off going without me."

"I'm not going to leave you here to get captured," she said. She didn't feel too steady herself, but grabbed his arms. "Now are you going to get moving, Commander, or do you want me to lift you myself?"

"I'd like to see you try," Chakotay mumbled, but he did pull himself to his feet.

"That's better. Let's get going."

He froze suddenly. "There's someone out there," he said, barely moving his lips.

No sooner had he spoken, than a group of men burst though the trees and surrounded them. "Stop right there!"

There were a total of five soldiers--wearing the same uniforms she recognized from the attack at the spaceport--all carrying large weapons whose barrels indicated they were projectile in nature, not energy based. Careful to keep her hands in plain sight and make no sudden movements, Janeway said, "I'm Captain Kathryn Ja--"

"We know who you are, Outworlders," said the tallest one, who appeared to be the leader.

"Then you also know that we are on your planet at the invitation of your Magistrate," Janeway said.

"Yes, you're in league with the vile tyrant Bambas, whose repressive government bleeds our people dry!" their captor said. He motioned to his men. "Take them."

One of the men prodded Janeway roughly with the muzzle of his weapon. "This way."

"Where are you taking us? What do you plan to do?" Janeway said.

"You're going to be very useful to us," said one soldier with a sneer.

"You'd better hope the Magistrate puts as much store in your friendship as you seem to," the leader said. At their questioning looks he added, "We should be able to get a lot of concessions in exchange for you."

The group set off at a rapid pace. There was a clearing a short distance ahead. Janeway caught a glimpse of a ground vehicle.

"Faster," said the guard nearest Chakotay, who was having difficulty. The guard gave him a shove, nearly knocking him off balance.

"My companion is injured," Janeway said angrily. "He can't move any faster."

The leader motioned to his men. "Help him."

Two soldiers grasped Chakotay's arms on either side, dragging him along the rough ground. Chakotay moaned and then slumped forward. It was clear he would have fallen were he not being held up.

The party halted. "What's wrong?" the leader demanded.

"It looks like he fainted," one of Chakotay's 'escorts' said.

"Is he still breathing?" the leader asked. The two guards surrounding Janeway turned to look as well. She took advantage of their momentary distraction to slip her hand to her belt.

"I think so--" the man's words were cut off as suddenly Chakotay rose up, and knocked his captors' heads together. They fell to the ground, temporarily dazed. Snatching up his staff from where it had fallen, he slashed the leader across the face, drawing blood.

Janeway drew her phaser and fired a few shots, broke into a run. "Come on," she said urgently over her shoulder. "There's a vehicle up ahead--probably belongs to our friends here."

Chakotay panted heavily as he tried to catch up to her. "Why'd you stop firing?"

They reached the vehicle, and swung themselves over the low door. "My phaser power cell is almost completely drained," Janeway said. She fumbled at the unfamiliar controls. "We've got to hurry--they'll be regaining consciousness any moment now." The engine sputtered to life, just as shots rang out behind them.

"Let's get the hell out of here!" Janeway shouted. With an unsteady lurch, they plowed forward. Chakotay snatched up her phaser and fired its last few shots at the soldiers.

The vehicle careered wildly from side to side of the narrow path, brushing against trees and other growth but somehow Janeway managed to keep them going. Chakotay winced and hung on tightly.

The path widened into a road. "Any signs of pursuit?" Janeway asked.

Chakotay twisted around. "No, I can't see--yes, a ground car just pulled up behind us. Looks like it's half a kilometer away, and gaining. And here comes another."

"This thing doesn't seem to go much faster," Janeway said. "Are they still gaining on us?"

"Yes," Chakotay said. "And now there's a third vehicle after us."

"We're not going to be able to outrun them," Janeway said. The road curved sharply to the left, and to her dismay she saw a roadblock up ahead. She stopped the vehicle so abruptly Chakotay's head banged into the dashboard.

"Looks like we're out of options." She slapped her hand urgently against her comm badge. "Janeway to Voyager. Come in."

There was no response.

She tried again. "Janeway to Voyager!"

A crackle of static, and then, "Voyager here," said Tuvok.

"Lock onto this signal and beam us aboard!" Janeway said. No sooner had the words left her mouth than she felt a familiar tingle.

They materialized in the transporter room. B'Elanna Torres said, "I've got them, Tuvok."

"Acknowledged, Lieutenant," said Tuvok over the comm. "Breaking orbit now."

Janeway breathed a sigh of relief as she stepped off the transporter pad. "Report."

"When the fighting erupted a few days ago, we managed to retrieve the shuttle with Tuvok and Tom, but then had to leave the system in a hurry when the orbital defense platforms started firing," Torres said. "There's a full-scale war going on here, Captain. We weren't able to get back in range until just a few hours ago, and have been scanning for you ever since. Sorry about the delay."

"Your timing is fine," Janeway said, glad to hear that the rest of the away team, as well as the ship, were safe. "In fact, it couldn't have been better."

"Are you all right?" Torres asked as the three of them entered the corridor.

"I'm fine," Janeway said, "but Commander Chakotay requires medical attention." She turned to him. "You need to get that ankle taken care of, not to mention that last bump on the head."

Chakotay winced as he probed the sore spot. "You have some injuries that should be looked at as well, Captain."

"I'm fine," Janeway repeated. "I need to get to the Bridge."

He shook his head. "There you go again, overlooking inconvenient facts that don't quite fit into how you'd like things to be." He put a conciliatory hand on her arm. "You've been through a lot, the last few days. We both have. And this ship needs its captain at her best."

Janeway opened her mouth to reply, and then considered. "I suppose I do need to get cleaned up first, at the very least."

"And maybe get something to eat, as well," he said, pressing his case. "Those hasa leaves weren't exactly very filling."

"You're right," she said, her mouth puckering involuntarily as she thought of their most recent meals. "Very well, Commander. You win--this time."

He smiled. "I'll take my victories any way I can."

She smiled as well. "Fortunately, this time was a victory for us all."

FINIS

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