Survivors - Past and Present

by Nicol Leoraine & Anon

aka

VirtualQueens

Chapter 11

Somewhere above the red hued sky and swirling atmosphere, a silver ship orbited, hailing four missing members of their team. They would get no answer.

Voyager circled the planet slowly, scanners sweeping the surface. Storms were brewing in the atmosphere and they had detected several tectonic disturbances in the last few hours.
It was what they were not detecting however that worried them. Life signs their were aplenty, but comm badge signals...none. Four of Voyagers crew had vanished.

"B´Elanna!" Chakotay shouted, his voice hoarse from shouting. He stopped and listed, as he had before, and waited for a reply that didn't come. "B'Elanna! Harry!" he shouted again. The rumble of shifting stones was the only sound other than his voice and the faint rushing of water. Chakotay was covered in dust and his hands were bleeding from his futile attempts at digging through the piles of rubble.

"Chakotay!"

The former Maquis didn't hear the words, but he felt the hand that landed on his shoulder and jumped back in surprise.

"Conan?" he stuttered in surprise, barely making out the shape of the other man.

"It is me." Conan replied, his voice soft but sure. "We must go, quickly."

"I can't leave them." Chakotay protested, motioningat the heaps of rubble behind them.

"You must. We will never get through the dirt and stone that separates us from them. If they are on the other side they will find their way back to the others and to safety," the old man said gravely.

"And if they're under there, or hurt?"

"If they are hurt, help will find them. If they are under the rubble... they have no need of any help breathing men can offer."

Chakotay closed his eyes at this, composing himself. He knew what Conan said was right, but he was still a man of principles and it did not feel right to leave anyone behind.

"Come Chakotay." Conan said. "We must hurry now to turn off the think of no other explanation for the recent events other than that your ship has come looking for you. The closer they come the stronger the quakes and storms will be."

The older man said nothing more, turning away and beginning to pick his way over scattered rocks. After a long moment Chakotay followed, hoping they would be fast enough - and Voyager slow enough - to prevent what seemed to be an inevitable cataclysm.

Conan said nothing further, instead turning away and beginning to pick his way over scattered rubble. After a long moment Chakotay followed, hoping that they would be fast enough - and Voyager slow enough - to prevent what seemed to be an inevitable cataclysm.

xxxx

Five minutes. That was the total amount of time that B'Elanna Torres managed to sit on a rock and wait for rescue.

She jumped to her feet, startling a half conscious Kim.

"Pahtk! I can't wait any longer!" she all but shouted, making Harry cringe.

"B'Elanna?" he rasped, causing the half-Klingon to pause and then kneel beside him. There was a rustle of cloth as the woman searched for something next to him.

"Watcha...looking for?" Harry mumbled wearily.

"This!" B'Elanna said triumphantly, pressing two objects into his hands. One was a water canteen, heavy with liquid, and the other was a smooth circular fruit that smelled quite a bit like an apple.

"Water," she said by way of explanation "and fruit. I tried one earlier. Not bad."

"Well, no offence but...you're half Klingon. I would like to see a food you didn't like." Harry muttered. "Hey!" He complained as B'Elanna growled at him and slapped the back of his hand.

"Why'd you do that?" he whined childishly, "I'm already hurt."

"And you need food and liquid, so shut up and eat."

"Would you peel it for me?" Harry asked, holding out the fruit. He was glad for the darkness, because he was sure that if looks could kill, he'd be a pile of dust.

After a minute he took a bite of the fruit and chewed slowly. "Do you think they made it?" Harry asked after a moment, his tone no longer joking.

"Chakotay will be fine." B'Elanna said quickly. "He's survived worse. A little cave-in won't stop him. It shouldn't stop me either," she growled, hopping to her feet and stalking to the nearest pile of rocks. Harry wasn't sure of her intentions until the half klingon yanked a huge boulder out of the way, sending a shower of smaller stones onto Harry, or more precisely, Harry's injured leg. He cried out in pain as the rocks reawakened the hot pain of his injury.

B'Elanna looked a little frazzled by the amount of pain her actions had caused Harry and she stood still, watching as he breathed heavily.

"What the hell are you doing Torres!"

"Trying to get us out of here." She replied with her usual fierceness returning.

"Could you do it without amputating my leg?" Harry asked plaintively.

"It was just a couple pebbles!"

"So you say." Harry muttered. "Why are you trying to get through that part of the cave in anyways when the corridor behind us is less blocked?"

"Because," the engineer said with something resembling patience, "you need medical attention and the only person with that knowledge is on the other side of that!" she waved at the ceiling high pile of stones.

"But..."

"And I'm a half-Klingon on a world that's convinced they're at war with Klingons. I don't really want a repeat of earlier."

"But they know you aren't against them!" Harry reasoned.

"The only people who know that are Aiden and Conan. Neither of whom is around, in case you hadn't noticed."

Harry really didn't have a response to this and the pain in his leg had made him tired. "Oh." he said finally.

"I need to get through." B'Elanna said determinately, working her way carefully back to cave in.

xxxx

Tom was beginning to doubt he'd make it to their destination. Aiden claimed it would take a half a day in good conditions, but the pilot felt as if he would be lucky to make it through the next five minutes. His side throbbed with each beat of his heart and a deep pain in his chest made his breaths ragged and short. Aiden had set a quick pace and was now yards ahead of Tom. He stopped though, at a rocky outcropping.

"We should rest."

Tom wheezed in agreement and sat down where he was, leaning his head against a boulder and closing his eyes.

"I've never seen it so red before." Aiden said suddenly, staring at the sky. Tom didn't know what to say in response and Aiden stared, seemingly entranced, at the swirling red clouds for almost a full minute. Then he shook his head, as if to clear it, and looked over at the shivering pilot.

"Here," Aiden said gently, "Take my vest. It's nearly dry." He offered Tom the fur lined garment and after a moments hesitation Tom slipped it on. "Thanks." he mumbled, grateful for the warmth. It wasn't overly cold out, but there was a light wind and Tom was bare chested and still damp. He pulled the vest tighter around his body, mindful for the scars that traced over his back and chest. There were many, although the majority had faded to only thin lines, but the most recent among them twinged with renewed pain.

They'd been having power fluctuations and the ship was dark... Tom had finished a double shift on the helm and had decided to use the back corridors to get to his cabin. He'd run into someone, several someone's, and one had slashed his side with a knife. It had been a shallow cut from rib to hip, a warning rather than a full out attack. He'd patched himself up in his cabin and forgotten about the incident - it was only one of many. Now though Tom wondered what would happen if he made it back to Voyager. His scars had been seen by the others and he doubted that Chakotay, or rather Chakotay's sense of duty, would leave the issue alone. Tom shook his head tiredly, deciding it wasn't worth the energy to worry about it.

"I think we should move." He said, rising to his feet and swaying as the world tilted precariously. Aiden grabbed his arm and steadied him. "You're not feeling well."

"No." Tom said agreeably "I'm not. But waiting isn't going to make me feel any better and if I don't move now, I'm not sure I'll be able to."

Aiden looked worried but released the pilots arm and began walking, throwing worried glances back every few seconds.

"So tell me," Tom said after a bit, to take his mind off his increasingly painful existence "How is it that you speak standard when the others don't?"

"Conan taught me when I was young. He learned it from his father."

"Father to son thing huh."

Aiden raised a brow, wondering just how much Tom had heard in the cave, then nodded. "Yes. Conan is my father and he taught me as his father taught him."

"Who's Orsen then?" Tom asked.

"He is my uncle. Not a good man."

"But you lived with him..." Tom said, frowning.

"My mother was his sister. She died when I was young and Orsen raised me."

"Not Conan?"

"The rift between those who live in the mountain and those who don't is deep. My mother died outside of the mountains. By the time my father knew, Orsen had already taken me. Conan would have risked starting a war had he taken me back." Aiden grinned crookedly and added: "but Orsen could not stop me from meeting Conan."

"Have you ever been to the city?" Tom asked, changing the subject.

"No." Aiden frowned slightly. "Only the one who has the key can enter the city. Orsen has held the key for as long as I can remember."

"But Orsen doesn't live in the city...why?"

Aiden shrugged. "The city is ancient...I think even your people will not understand it. There are things there that...that make no sense and events occur near the city which should not be possible. Some say the spirits of the people who built the city remain to guard their treasure. People who go to the city or even have the key for long periods of time have died in strange ways or gone crazy. They see things and scream of ghosts before dying."

"Is that how your mother died?" Tom asked carefully.

"She was not crazy." Aiden said after a moment "but she did go to the city before she died. With Orsen."

"Is Orsen crazy?"

Aiden paused to think about his answer.

"He is. But I don't think it has anything to do with the city. He's just...bad inside. He's always been like that though."

Before Tom could ask another question they made it to the top of the most recent hill and suddenly the city was in view. Crimson clouds hung ominously over the city, its blue buildings sparking defiantly against the red. The whole city was shimmering and for a moment Tom believed everything he'd heard about spirits left behind to protect their city.

"By the Gods," Aidnen whispered, coming to a stop next to Tom, "I hope we aren't too late."

TO BE CONTINUE

A/N - This story is abandoned and will probably never be finished. Sorry to those who wanted more!