Marooned - Christie Golden [51]
Chakotay nodded, gasped for air. The sentinel ships were moving closer, and they fired again. The ship rocked, but the shields deflected the worst of it.
Had they been able to do it? They would have had to stay at the ten thousand kilometer distance for eight full seconds, and it sure as hell hadn't felt that long. "Bridge to transporter rooms," he gasped.
He didn't even have to finish the sentence. The disembodied voice was triumphant. "They got there safely, sir! All six of them, on three different ships!"
"Then let's get the hell out of here. Chell-"
Chell had beaten him to it. Once he heard that the mission had been accomplished, he'd already begun moving Voyager out of range at full impulse. The sentinel ships got off a final volley, but only one energy blast made contact. Then, the lights died, and they resumed their aimless floating once more.
"Bridge to sickbay. Be prepared for casualties. Henley, patch me through to-"
"Kim to Voyager."
A slow smile spread across Chakotay's face, even though the gesture hurt his scraped chin. "Chakotay here. How was your landing?"
"A bit rough," Kim confessed, "but I've checked in with teams B and c and we all made it."
"What's the status?"
"We're just starting to investigate it now, but I'm hopeful that we'll be able to figure it out in short order. Maybe even get life support up and running."
Chakotay smothered a grin, recalling how much Harry hated the envirosuits. "I'll let your teams get on it. Check in every twenty minutes, though."
"Understood, Commander. Kim out."
"Cancel red alert," ordered Chakotay. The lights did not change. Clearly they were one of many things that would need to he repaired before they would function properly again. With five engineering crewmembers serving on the away teams, and with the warp engines being off line, it might be awhile before things were up and running once more.
"Henley, get yourself to sickbay."
"But, sir-" Without turning around, Chakotay said, "I saw your arm. Don't make me make it an order."
"Aye, sir." She headed for the turbolift, and Chako tay didn't miss the flash of pain on her face as she cradled her arm.
The door didn't open. "Oh, just great," snapped Henley. "Nothing like crawling through a Jefferies tube with a broken arm."
"Just like the good old days with the Maquis, huh?"
Chakotay grinned wickedly.
The look that Henley gave him would have put a phaser blast to shame.
THE sun WAS HOT ON HER BODY, SOOTHING AWAY ALL worries, all cares.
The sun-stroked stone beneath her belly was warm, too, and she soaked up its heat with a quiet sense of10ythe little lizard looked at her with its swiveling eyes. She sensed amusement.
"Dream while - you may, and soak strength into your bones for the journey.
"Janeway!"
The voice was rough, growling, almost. Janeway blinked awake, reaching for a phaser that wasn't there. The darkness was blinding. She could see nothing, but, recalling where she was and who that rough voice belonged to, she relaxed.
"What is it, Hrrrl?" She maneuvered herself into a sitting position on the soft pelts, grimacing a little as she remembered just what kind of pelts they were.
Janeway was lying on the remains of Hrrrl's father.
In this harsh environment, nothing was wasted. When a Sshoush-shin died, after the proper ritual of the ttk ttk had been observed, he was skinned, that his pelt might serve to keep the living warm. A great feast was prepared from the flesh, if the deceased had not been dead overlong; another way that the dead cared for the living. While ritual cannibalism still unsettled Janeway, she had to recognize the brutal necessity of it in this case.
She smelled the not unpleasant, musky odor of the Sshoush-shin leader as he approached and reached to touch her, rubbing her back in that strange circular movement.