"Launch the message buoy."

"Aye, Captain."  Kathryn Janeway watched as the buoy moved away from Voyager on a path to nowhere.  Its sole purpose was to transmit a message to Starfleet Command as soon as it picked up a Federation signal the next time the array made communication possible.  With a little luck the message would be old news because the slip stream drive would have taken Voyager back in Federation space by the time the buoy's message reached Earth.  If Voyager weren't home by then and was unable to communicate directly, at least Starfleet would know what had happened.

"Mr. Paris, is Voyager ready to engage the slip stream drive?"

"Aye, Captain."

"Open a channel to the Flyer and establish the relay link."

Kathryn continued giving the orders that would put into practice their solution to correcting the instability of the slipstream drive.  She settled into her chair as she gave the final order.

"Do it."

When Kathryn woke up she had hazy memories of fleeting success with the drive before it destabilized and dropped Voyager out of the stream within the gravitational field of a planet.  She remembered images of ice-covered mountains on the screen as Tom tried desperately to control Voyager's plunge to the surface.  She had garbled impressions of B'Elanna working furiously to give Tom at least thrusters as Tuvok reported inertial dampeners were off line.  B'Elanna must have succeeded because Tom managed to level Voyager off before Kathryn was thrown again the helm console by their impact.

Even before she opened her eyes, Kathryn became aware of the cold.  Cautiously she tried to move.  Her head ached and she thought a rib or two might be fractured but otherwise seemed to have only cuts and bruises.  She opened her eyes and realized that the helm console had protected her from more extensive injuries.

The lighting was poor, probably only one of the batteries was trying to illuminate the entire ship.  From where she lay on the floor Kathryn could see Tom.  Blood was oozing from his head but he was breathing steadily.  Carefully, she moved to his side wanting to determine the extent of his injuries.  The cut was not serious but the bruise around it told her he had hit his head quite hard.  She was afraid to move him until she knew more about his injuries.  Struggling to her feet she turned her attention to the silent bridge.  As she glanced around, that silence struck her.  It was too quiet.  She made her way to the Ops station, then the Science station, to find the officers who had manned those stations dead.  She moved back toward the turbolift nearly tripping over Seven's arm extending out from under a beam that had fallen.  She found Tuvok near his station face down, a piece of metal extending from his neck and a pool of blood on the floor beneath his head.  Kathryn nearly moved on when she realized someone was under him.  Carefully she turned her friend's body over to find B'Elanna curled against the Security console.  Kathryn reached for her wrist not expecting to find a pulse but was surprised to find a steady one.

"B'Elanna?  Can you hear me?  Wake up, B'Elanna.  Please, wake up."  Gently Kathryn turned B'Elanna over trying to wake her.  Her words were rewarded by a slight groan as B'Elanna shifted her position.  She roused slowly then opened her eyes, looking at Kathryn with confusion.

"What happened?"

"Tom leveled us off, but couldn't get enough height to clear the mountains."

"Tom?!"  B'Elanna jerked to get up but Kathryn held her down.

"Shh.  He's alive, which is more than I can say for the rest of the bridge crew."

"I've got to get to him."  She winced as she moved to get up.

"Slow down.  We'll both help him, but rushing around isn't the best way.  We need medical supplies and we need power.  Most of all we need to keep our heads and do what we've been trained to do in emergencies.  Now let's see what wrong with you."

"It's my shoulder.  I think it's dislocated.  I didn't even think to ask if you're hurt.  I'm sorry."

"I think I have a couple of cracked ribs and I know I have a headache, but I think that's it.  Now, do you think you can get Tuvok's jacket off him?"

"I think so, why?"

"We need to keep Tom warm until we can get blankets or heat up here.  I'll check the others.  Bring Tuvok's jacket over to the helm."

Ten minutes later they had covered Tom as best they could.  They quickly discussed what they knew about the condition of the ship, where they could find supplies and how they could get to the supplies.  They had retrieved wrist lights from the tools locker at the engineering station.

"The mess hall on Deck 2 should have a basic first aid kit in the kitchen. I can get that far and back."  B'Elanna sounded far more confident than she felt.  Kathryn wasn't fooled nor was she willing to take any chances.

"That might be true, but we're going together.  We can't afford for either of us to sustain any more injuries.  Let's get going."

Other than being dark the stairs down to Deck 2 were clear.  They came out in the corridor only to find it had sustained damage similar to that on the bridge.  All of the crew on duty had been at their stations so there were very few bodies in the corridor.  The sight that greeted them when they entered the mess hall confirmed Kathryn's fear.  Most of the Delta shift had still been gathered at the tables as they relaxed after completing their shift.  Bodies and chairs were piled at the forward end of the room, witness to the violence of their impact.  Kathryn moved to the kitchen and dragged every emergency supply out.  She pulled out a tricorder and scanned B'Elanna.

"You're a good doctor, B'Elanna.  You're right, other than a dislocated shoulder and bruises you're fine."  Kathryn paused as if reluctant to say anything else.  "Did you know you're pregnant?"

"What?"  If B'Elanna's shocked tone hadn't answered the question, the expression on her face would have.

"Guess not.  Unless this tricorder is malfunctioning or I'm reading it incorrectly, you're about three weeks pregnant."  Kathryn quickly got out a hypospray and injected B'Elanna.  "That should help the pain in your shoulder until we can figure out how to relocate it."

Kathryn passed the tricorder to B'Elanna who quickly confirmed that Kathryn did indeed have three cracked ribs and a very mild concussion.  She rummaged through the repair kit.  "Darn, there's no osteoregenerator in here.  You'll have to wait until we get one from sick bay and I can't give you anything for the pain until that concussion improves."

"I'll be fine."  Kathryn took back the tricorder and quickly scanned the room.  "Damn!  There's someone alive in there."  Kathryn's thoughts raced to set priorities.  "You take blankets and the med kit back to Tom while I try to find whoever it is that's still alive here.  Leave me one of the tricorders."

"Aye, Captain."  B'Elanna gathered up the supplies in her good arm and headed for the door.  She paused at the weapons locker.  "What are you doing?"

"It's cold up there.  I can heat some of the scrap metal with a phaser to keep him warmer.  I'll be back to help you as soon as he's settled."

Kathryn began the task of moving bodies and furniture in her search for whomever it was alive.  As she worked she tried to figure out how a few people might have survived the impact.  The only explanation she could come up with was that they had been sitting at that end of the room and been knocked to the floor before the final impact.  Since they hadn't been thrown across the room their injuries were probably less severe and the bodies of the others had protected them from being killed by flying chairs. She started to move another body so she could check for breathing when she heard a moan.  Carefully she turned the crewman over.

Ayala's eyes opened and he started to get up before falling back in pain.  "My leg!"  He closed his eyes to fight the pain and breathed slowly.  As he relaxed, he opened his eyes again but this time did not move.  "What happened?"

"It's a long story, Lieutenant.  I'll fill you in later.  For now, other than that leg are you hurt?"

"I don't think so."

"Try moving your arms carefully."  Ayala did so gingerly.  He relaxed a bit as the movement proved painless.  "Good."  Kathryn picked up the tricorder.  "The good news is that your leg is your only serious injury and it appears that the bones are not displaced.  The bad news is I have to move you and there is no osteoregenerator so it's going to hurt."

"I'm quite happy where I am if it's all the same to you, Captain."

"Unfortunately, it's not all the same.  There are still people in that pile alive and you're in the way.  I have to move you."

"I didn't realize, Captain.  Of course."  Ayala glanced around trying to see where she would be placing him.  "Can I make a suggestion?"

"Of course."

"If you take one of those ceiling panels and put it behind me, you'll be able to drag me much more easily.  You’re going to have enough trouble moving me without having to get me over those larger objects."

"Good idea."

Quickly Kathryn located a ceiling panel and placed it behind Ayala.  "You're going to have to sit up so I can get this under you."  Carefully she helped him sit up and moved the panel into place.  As Kathryn bent to put her arms under him, he stopped her.

"You'll have better leverage if you use my arms.  Just try to keep my shoulders on the panel so you aren't supporting my body weight."  Before he lay down, Ayala put his hands next to his side and shifted himself so he was sitting on the panel.  His face contorted in pain as his motion jarred his broken leg.  Once under control again, he extended his arms.  "Do me one favor, Captain, once you start moving me, don't stop until I'm where you want me."

Kathryn grasped his wrists then stretched his arms full length while she checked her footing.  She took a deep breath, trying not to signal when she would start pulling, then gritted her own teeth against the pain she knew would come from her own injured ribs then pulled.  Ayala's only response was a gasp and tightening his grip on her wrists.  She knew when he passed out from the pain because his grip relaxed almost causing her to drop his arms.  Fortunately he slid easily across the panel and was almost to her chosen spot when her strength gave out.  She did drop his arms at that point and struggled to regain control over her own pain.  Once she had, she moved his arms down to his side.  She scanned his leg again with the tricorder to make sure she had not caused further damage.  She was pleased to see that moving him had not moved the broken bones out of alignment.  She covered him with blanket and returned to her search.

Half an hour later B'Elanna returned to the mess hall to find Kathryn working quietly over a young ensign from hydroponics.  Kathryn glanced up.  "How's Tom."

"Sleeping I think.  He has a pretty bad head injury, more than we can treat right now with the equipment in that med kit.  He had some internal injuries that I managed to at least partially repair.  We need the equipment from sickbay."

"Do you think it would be safe to move him?"

"Probably, but I don't think we should try until we have more help.  If we jarred him or dropped him, we'd probably make his injuries worse.  I managed to get some scrap heated up so it should stay reasonably warm up there for a couple of hours.  What can I do here?"

"Could you check on Ayala and give him something for the pain.  He has a broken leg.  He passed out when I moved him and should be waking up pretty soon."

"How are the others?"  B'Elanna glanced at the three people near Kathryn.

"Not good.  Concussions, internal injuries, two have broken ribs that punctured their lungs not to mention broken bones.  We can't do more for them without sickbay."

B'Elanna stood from checking Ayala. "I'll get some heat sources set up in here, too."  Her actions followed her words.  As she finished, Ayala spoke.

"Thanks, Lieutenant.  The heat feels good.  This floor is cold."

"I didn't think of that."  Carefully she adjusted the phaser and stared at the floor.  Then she aimed at a point near Ayala who spoke in mock fear. "I wasn't complaining, honest!"

All three smiled as his words allowed them to relax from the tension of the last few hours for a brief moment.  B'Elanna fired the phaser at the floor. "Tell me as soon as it starts to warm up."

Ayala waited until he could feel the floor warming.  "Now."

B'Elanna quickly stopped firing.  "I don't want to get it too hot or you'll get burned."  She turned to the area where the three other people were lying and fired on either side of them for the same length of time.   She readjusted the phaser and heated the areas farther away.  When she was finished, she handed the phaser to Ayala.

"If it starts getting cold, don't try to heat the floor again.  There are three ceiling panels – heat them up.  Wait for us to get back to reheat the floor."

As Kathryn and B'Elanna prepared to make their way to sickbay, Ayala spoke.  "You're starting to feel the cold, aren't you, Lieutenant?"

"I'll be fine."

"You won't be by the time you get to sickbay.  Take my jacket.  I don't need it here."

"He's right, B'Elanna.  We can't heat every part of the ship this way."

B'Elanna reluctantly took Ayala's jacket.  "Thanks.  I owe you one."

"Just bring back an osteoregenerator and we'll be even."

An hour later Kathryn and B'Elanna had made their way to Deck 5 using turbolift shafts and maintenance tubes.  They started to take the most direct route but were forced to turn back.  Something had caused the hull on that side of the ship to collapse.  As they retraced their steps Kathryn realized that she was coming to accept seeing her ship in ruins and the bodies of her crew strewn in the corridors and around the few departments they had checked.  Kathryn forced her mind back on their task as they reached the door to sickbay.

"Are the manual releases working?"

"I'm not sure.  I don't know whether we can force it on our own."  B'Elanna was fiddling with the door's mechanism.  "Ahh, I think I have it."  The door popped about one-third open.

"Good enough.  We can at least get in."  As they scraped through the opening Kathryn continued speaking.  "You check the systems and I'll start looking for the mobile emitter.  I only hope the doctor downloaded his program when he realized we were in trouble."

B'Elanna worked with the systems in sickbay for about ten minutes before announcing that without power, they were useless.  She started sorting through the mess with Kathryn pulling out instruments that looked like they were still functional and checking them.

Kathryn had moved into the doctor's office in her search.  "Finally!"  She emerged from his office holding the portable emitter.  She handed it to B'Elanna.  "You'd better check this; I think his chair landed on it."

"Are there anymore usable instruments in there?"

"No.  You have the least damaged of the lot.  Are any of them still working?"

"Well, there are three dermal regenerators and half a dozen hyposprays with your basic analgesics, antibiotics and stimulants.  Without the replicators we can't replace the drugs and can't make those used to treat specific injuries.  We have one osteoregenerator that may or may not work.  I'd test it on your ribs but I think we should save it for Ayala's leg.  We're going to need him mobile."

"You're right.  I'll be all right. What else do we have?"

"Another regenerator that I think will work for Tom's head injury but I'm not sure about the others in the mess hall.  Tom could tell us if we can get him awake.  I found two more medical tricorders that are working, but I don't know for how long.  That's about it on the medical equipment.  I can keep the regenerators working using the power packs from the hand phasers.  We should probably try to locate some larger weapons to use for heat sources and save the hand phasers."  While she was talking, B'Elanna had been examining the emitter.  "This doesn't look good.  It's going to be at least half an hour before I know whether I can get it working and if the doctor wasn’t downloaded, it will be useless."

Kathryn picked up a tricorder and squeezed through the door.  "I'm going to check on down the corridor to see how far it's clear and in some of the departments.  I'll stay within voice range."

Thirty minutes later, Kathryn returned to sickbay carrying two phaser rifles and a backpack and wearing a coat designed for cold weather.  "Well, this deck is in the same condition as the others but I did find a weapons locker that had stayed closed.  I also checked the escape pods and pulled out some of the survival gear.  I brought you a warmer jacket.  I also have some rations from the pods."

B'Elanna gratefully accepted the coat.  "Thanks.  I'm almost ready to try to activate the doctor."  She stood up and held the emitter at the approximate height of the doctor's shoulder and activated it.

The image fizzled then faded.  B'Elanna smiled.  "At least he's in there.  I'll be able to work better in the mess hall and Ayala is probably hungry by now.  There's nothing here we need right now.  You didn't bring another backpack did you?"

Kathryn grinned and reached in out into the hall.  "I have three more, one empty just for you."  Quickly they gathered the medical equipment and as many blankets as would fit in the pack before they headed back to the mess hall.  Settling one of the backpacks on B'Elanna proved a challenge because of her shoulder.  Eventually they managed to secure it between her good shoulder and her opposite hip.  Kathryn put the heaviest of the remaining packs on her back.  Just as they were starting to argue whether B'Elanna should carry one of the other two, they heard the sound of something fall down the corridor.

Startled, the two women looked at each other.  Kathryn quickly dropped her pack, stuffed a hand phaser in her pocket and grabbed a phaser rifle.  "I'll check.  It's probably nothing.  Wait here until I come back."  B'Elanna's arguments were stopped by a hard look from Kathryn.

Kathryn made her way down the corridor past the area she had explored to the point where her path had been blocked by debris.  She listened as someone or something shifted the debris.  Finally voices made their way through the rubble.

"There has to be a better way.  We'll never get through all this."

"We tried the only other way.  The other corridor is completely collapsed and the turbolift shaft we used doesn't go any higher.  Besides, sickbay is just a few doors down this corridor."

Kathryn listened trying to place the voices.  They were muffled enough to sound nearly identical to her.  Suddenly recognition dawned.  Of course they were identical; they belonged to the Delaney sisters.  "Megan!  Jennifer!  Can you hear me?"

"Captain?  Is that you?"

"Captain?  Help us!  We can't get through."

Kathryn now examined the blockage with a different purposed than easy passage.  She only needed to get them through the debris once; they didn't need to go back the way they came.  "Look down to your left along the wall.  Do you see an opening?"

"Yes."

"I see it!"

Kathryn smiled.  "Do you have a light?"

"Yes."  Unison returned.

"Shine it along that opening."  Kathryn got down so she could see along the wall and was rewarded by a steady light about four meters along the wall.  "Good.  I can see the light easily.  Now, can you crawl through that opening?"

"We'll try.  There's a beam near this end that might be in our way.  Give us a minute."

The voices continued and the young women moved debris away from their end of the 'tunnel.'  Kathryn heard them strain to move something heavy and their disgusted resignation that it was not moving.  There was more shuffling followed by more muttering before a voice called to Kathryn.  "Ok, I think I can get through but you might have to pull me out at your end."

"That's fine.  Just get close enough for me to reach your hand."

Kathryn looked down the tunnel to see one twin on her back evidently trying to push her way along with her feet.  Her progress stopped when she had to lower her knees to clear the access to the other end of the tunnel.  Her arm strained toward Kathryn but was a good meter out of Kathryn's reach.

"I can't reach you, Captain."

"Just a minute.  I'll find something.  Kathryn started scanning the debris for a likely tool when her eyes fell on the phaser rifle. Grabbing it, she quickly removed the power pack and made sure any charge was discharged.  Returning to the 'tunnel' she pushed the grip end toward the twin in the tunnel.  "Get a good grip on the handle and tell me when you're ready."

"Ok."  There was a slight pause as Kathryn felt the rifle move around before she heard,  "Ready."

Kathryn gripped the phaser rifle and pulled.  Thankfully the twins were both much smaller than Ayala.  As soon as she was clear, the twin let go of the phaser rifle and sat up to pull herself the rest of the way out.  Kathryn's ribs protested the abuse forcing her to sit down along the wall.  She was trying to regain control over the pain when a pair of legs stopped in her line of vision.

"Why didn't you call me to help?"

Kathryn had forgotten B'Elanna was waiting.  "I'm sorry, B'Elanna.  You're right."

Another set of legs appeared next to the first.  "Captain, what's wrong?"

Kathryn finally looked up to see two very worried crewmen.  "I just have a couple of cracked ribs, Jenny.  You're going to have to pull Megan through the tunnel though."

Ten minutes later all four women were standing in the corridor outside sickbay collecting the supplies they would take to the mess hall.  On the journey back Kathryn had them stop at two more rescue pods to retrieve blankets and more rations and water.  There was no point in wasting the opportunity.

They reached the mess hall to find that it had started to cool down.  B'Elanna quickly took a phaser rifle and heated the floor again.  "I need to check on Tom."

"No, I'll go check on him.  You get the doctor online.  Tom needs him."  B'Elanna was torn between checking on Tom personally and following orders. "Trust me, B'Elanna.  I can make sure Tom is ok but you're the only one who can get him the doctor he needs."

B'Elanna yielded.  "Yes, Captain.  Tell him I love him, ok?"

"I'll give him your message.  Now, get to work.  Have Jenny and Megan organize our supplies and see what kind of food is in the kitchen."

Kathryn headed for the bridge to check on Tom.  The temperature on the bridge had dropped considerably lower than in the mess hall.  Kathryn knew they had to move Tom soon.  They were wasting resources heating both areas and treating him would be much easier in the mess hall.  She checked Tom's vital signs before moving to renew the heat sources.  She went back and checked him again.  He was stable but showed no signs of regaining consciousness.

Assured that he was warm she went to her ready room.  She was surprised that the sun was shining brightly outside the viewport.  After the darkness of the ship she had been expecting it to be night.  The view was breathtaking.  Tall jagged peaks reached into a clear sky.  The blue was a bit too purple but was beautiful non-the-less. She stared for a long time before realizing that she was waiting for someone, and that he was not going to come join her in this room ever again.  Tears glistened in her eyes as she stared out at the ice-covered mountain range.

Forty minutes after she left, Kathryn returned to the mess hall.  "Tom's fine, B'Elanna.  He's still asleep but stable.  How's your progress on the emitter?"

"Well, I hit a few snags I hadn't expected but I think I'll be ready to try it again in about five minutes."  B'Elanna hesitated before continuing.  "Simpson was dead when we got back, Captain.  Ayala said she coughed for a while about an hour before we got back, then her breathing seemed to get more regular before simply slowing down until it stopped."

"How are the others?"

Megan and Jenny joined them.  "Not good, Captain.  I'm not sure there's much we can do even if we get the doctor back on line."

"I was afraid of that.  We'll keep doing what we can.  While we wait for B'Elanna to finish with the doctor, tell me what you know about the damage to the ship."

Jenny and Megan exchanged glances, seeming to decide who would speak. Jenny was designated.  "Well, we were both off duty but we wanted to watch the readings for the journey so we went to the auxiliary lab on Deck 8 where we could monitor the readings coming in to the main lab.  We were thrown against the wall and knocked out, but I don't think for very long.  That lab is fairly small and there really wasn't much damage in it.  We only had some bruises but decided we may as well go to sickbay.  Backup power was on for a while in that area.  As we were getting ready to leave, the ship shook again and we could hear something that sounded like thunder only louder and much closer.  That's when the lights went out.  We tried to contact security for assistance only to find that the comm lines were down, too.  Megan was near the maintenance locker and took out some lights.  The manual release on the door was working.

"We were shocked when we saw the corridor.  There was debris everywhere.  We started aft but only got about thirty feet when we were completely blocked.  The ceiling had completely collapsed.  It looked like something had smashed through the hull and crushed all the decks above down to at least Deck 10.  We could feel a draft of cold air.  We just turned around and went the other direction."

"Had you seen anyone at that point?"

"No, Captain.  We found a few bodies as we approached the turbolift.  We might have passed a lot more but not noticed them under the debris in the dark.  I'm sorry, we should have been paying more attention."

"It's ok, Jenny.  What did you do next?"

"We forced the turbolift door open.  The bottom looked like the shaft stopped two decks down, so we went up hoping we could get to sickbay.  That shaft ended on Deck 5, which was where we had decided to go, but we couldn't get the door open.  I think something was jamming it in the corridor.  Anyway, we went back down to Deck 6.  We got that door open and worked our way to the next turbolift shaft.  The damage on the deck was terrible.  It took us over an hour to get through to the next turbo lift shaft but a lift was stopped above us and we couldn't get around.  We got to the next shaft in about forty minutes and were lucky.  The manual release was working and the shaft was clear.  We had been working our way along Deck 5 to sickbay for about twenty minutes when you heard us.  You have no idea how good it was to hear your voice, Captain."

"Almost as good as it was to hear yours, Jenny.  You both did exactly what you should.  Why don't you get some rations for yourself and Ayala and take a few minutes break."

"We'll do better than that; we found leftovers from breakfast and the beginnings of lunch.  We have enough food for all of us for at least a week.  We put it in the corridor where it would stay cold."

"Well done.  Now go feed Ayala."

"Yes, Captain."

Kathryn was not happy with the content of their report.  The damage to the ship was more extensive than she had thought.  Whatever had crushed the hull had probably taken out the main computer banks and the primary and auxiliary power couplings.  She glanced around her.  Even if by some miracle they could repair the ship she did not have enough crew to get into orbit much less make a journey of thousands of light years.  She had known in the ready room but had stubbornly clung to a thread of hope; now she had to admit that she had failed.  She had let her crew down and would never be able to keep her promise to get them home.  She glanced around her.  Part of her wanted to wallow in grief but she could not allow herself that luxury.  She still had a few people depending on her and she vowed to keep fighting for their lives.

Kathryn joined B'Elanna at a table.  "How's it going?"

"I was just getting ready to try again."  B'Elanna stood up and held the emitter in front of her before touching the activation control.  The doctor shimmered into existence fading in and out; B'Elanna adjusted the emitter and his appearance solidified

"Please state the nature of the medical emergency."

"Well, there's nothing wrong with that part of his program."

Quickly they filled the doctor in on the condition of those present.  He turned to the two crewmen who were still unconscious and scanned them with the tricorder. "I need to move them to sickbay immediately."

"There's no point.  Sickbay has no functioning equipment.  You can't do anything for them there that you can't here.  These are the only instruments that we found that still function."  Kathryn motioned to the small supply near the doctor.

"How can you expect me to treat people without the proper equipment?"

"I don't care how you treat them, but I expect you to try.  Now what more can we do for them?"

"Right now, nothing."  As the doctor was talking he had been scanning the captain with the tricorder.  "You have three fractured ribs."

"I know that.  Check the others."

"This will only take a moment to heal."  He reached for the osteoregenerator only to have B'Elanna snatch it out of his hand.  "What do you think you're doing, Lieutenant?"  He snatched the instrument back from her.

"Don't use that yet."

"Why not?"

"It's not functioning perfectly."

The doctor examined the instrument and started to make adjustments only to have B'Elanna take it from him once again. "I said don't use it."

"I can easily make the repairs."

"Not without deleting its settings."

"Which are easily restored."

"No, they aren't.  There is no way to access the main computer to restore those settings if you erase them."  B'Elanna's voice left no doubt that she was serious.

"Then I'll use it as it is."

"There are others who may need it more than I do.  Broken ribs will heal but I can still get around while they do that.  Ayala has a broken leg and Tom has a head injury.  You need to decide who needs that the most before you use it."  If B'Elanna had been firm in her comments, the captain was emphatic.

"As you wish, Captain."  The doctor turned sulkily toward B'Elanna with the tricorder.  "You are three weeks pregnant, Lieutenant.  You also have a dislocated shoulder."

He put down the tricorder and began testing the position of the bones with his hands.  He grasped her elbow to see how much movement she had before she felt pain.  She let him know in no uncertain terms when it hurt.  He continued his exam thoughtfully.  Suddenly, he tightened his grasp on her elbow and did a twisting-pushing-pulling motion.  B'Elanna cried out.  The doctor picked up the tricorder and checked her.  "You will continue to feel some discomfort for a few days.  Don't put any strain on that shoulder for at least twenty-four hours."

"You could have warned me."  B'Elanna was not amused despite knowing her shoulder had been returned to its joint.

"That would have served no useful purpose.  You would have been tense and that would have increased the pain caused by the maneuver without improving the results of the treatment."

The doctor moved over the Ayala and the Delaney's.  He scanned all three before speaking again.

"He has a broken leg; the others have only minor bruises."  Kathryn and B'Elanna both sighed in exasperation.  He had been repeating what they had told him.  "Now, where is Mr. Paris?"

Kathryn and B'Elanna led the doctor to the bridge where Tom was still unconscious.  He scanned Tom thoroughly before speaking.  "Despite the severity of the blow to his head, his skull is not fractured.  However, he does have a severe concussion and has suffered numerous though minor internal injuries."

"Can he be moved?"  Kathryn queried.

"I wouldn't recommend it."

"I didn't ask if you recommended it, I asked if he could be moved."  She was in no mood for the doctor's typical attitude.

"Carefully, yes.  Sudden movements would have to be kept to a minimum.  Who do you propose to use?  Your ribs could cause you to move unexpectedly or even drop him.  The lieutenant's shoulder makes her an equally unreliable porter.  Mr. Ayala is unable to walk at the moment and I don't think the young ladies are strong enough on their own."

"You can carry him."

"What?  I'm a doctor not a pack mule."

"You're a hologram with force fields that can support ten times his weight.  You can balance on any footing for the same reason.  You are capable of doing this on your own so you will do this on your own.  Now, with or without the blankets over him while you are moving him to the mess hall?"  Kathryn made it clear that the doctor was going to contribute in whatever manner was required.  She and B'Elanna gathered the equipment up then Kathryn sent B'Elanna ahead to put down blankets for Tom before leading the doctor back to the mess hall.

Fifteen minutes later B'Elanna was sitting next to Tom eating while the doctor was treating Ayala's broken leg.  "You were the lucky one.  Let's see if this will work long enough to heal those fractures."  The doctor moved the osteoregenerator over Ayala's lower leg, trying to heal both bones equally.  He snorted in irritation when the instrument failed before he had finished the treatment.  Picking up the tricorder he checked how much he had accomplished.  "Well, the good news is that you should be able to move that leg without pain but you won't be able to walk on it for at least two weeks.  It will be two additional weeks before it is completely healed.  I will endeavor to make you a pair of crutches so you can move around the room on your own."

Over the next three days, Kathryn, B'Elanna, Jenny and Megan sought out more supplies and survival equipment.  The doctor searched through sickbay for more usable instruments.  He met with little success but did find a medical reference book that he added to their supplies.  After consultation with the captain, he moved the bodies of the crew to Deck 3 where the temperature had dropped significantly.

Without consulting with the others, on the second day Kathryn had left the ship using an escape hatch in the conference room.  She needed to see for herself the extent of the damage to her ship.  One nacelle was lying farther down the mountain about 100 meters already lightly covered by drifting snow.  She didn't see the second one.  The lower decks were gone.  She couldn't tell if they were buried below the main hull or if they had been sheared off when Voyager struck the mountain.  Part of the hull had been crushed by what looked like a small landslide from higher up the mountain.  She suspected the rocks had been loosened by Voyager's impact.  She didn't limit her inspection to Voyager.  She moved forward and looked down the mountain past the tree line.  The snow appeared to taper off and she could still see green in the valley.  Her estimate was that the valley was at least two kilometers lower in altitude and at least fifteen-kilometers from Voyager.  Fifteen?  That sounded so easy but there were no trails, no paths and from everything she could tell winter was fast approaching – the actual distance could easily be two or three times that distance.  She had a decision to make and very little time to make it.

B'Elanna had been working with their communicators trying to get them functioning but had been unsuccessful.  Without the ship's main systems they were little more than locator beacons.  She didn't give up; if they encountered any intelligent life they would need the universal translator.  She turned her attention to the doctor's program as the alternative.  After tinkering for two days, she finally managed to download a copy of the universal translator subroutine to a tricorder.  The voice sounded strange but they could understand it and it was functioning.  A few more hours and the tricorder could also locate the other communicators and provide the direction and distance.

On the third day, the two seriously injured crewmen died about five hours apart without regaining consciousness.  Kathryn knew that with their deaths, the decision she knew was best for them all could be made.  She gathered the small group to talk after breakfast on the fourth day.

"I think you all know the situation as well as I do.  Voyager is beyond repair and we have very few resources.  We have food for the immediate present and rations that should last us at least another month.  We're on a frozen mountain and every indication is that winter is approaching.  We have no idea how long winter lasts here but this planet's year is about 25% longer than Earth's so it's reasonable to project a winter of at least four and possibly as long as eight months.  In short, this mountain is not the best place for us to be for the next few months.

"Our choices are limited.  We can stay here or we can try to find a better place to spend the winter.  Normally our procedure would be to send out teams to locate a better spot and then make the decision to move.  We don't have the luxury of time to do that even if we had a team we could send out.

"I'm not going to ask for discussion because I've already decided what we're going to do.  We're leaving Voyager and moving down the mountain into the valley.  If this planet is anything like Earth, the change in altitude alone could bring us into temperatures significantly warmer than on this mountain.  We are also more likely to find food in the valley.

"We leave tomorrow.  Today we need to assemble our supplies.  Our priorities are warm clothing, food, water, and medical supplies such as they are.  Take extra tricorders, communicators and phasers.  If we don't have room for all that, then we need as many power packs for them as we can manage.  We need extra coats and boots for everyone if we can carry them.  B'Elanna, go through the crew quarters on Deck 4 and get as many personal supplies as you can find – soap, tooth brushes, razors, anything we might need. I'll do Deck 3.  Ayala, you can't move around as well as the rest of us; you keep an inventory of what we've collected and where it is as we assemble it.  Megan, you get the food and rations packed.  Plan for us to take it all.  Jenny, find another set of severe weather gear for all of us and as many extras as you can and make sure we didn't miss anything in any of the escape pods we can access.  We'll leave it behind if we have to, but I want it ready in case we can carry it.  Doctor, you're going to have to carry Tom and as much in a pack as possible.  Consult with Ayala so that the pack you carry is balanced and as heavy as possible.  If you're not sure about something, bring it to Ayala.  We'll decide later whether to include it.  Any questions?"

Kathryn waited but other than some minor clarification about a few things everyone understood.  As they started to move to their assigned tasks, Kathryn stopped them.

"Wait.  I have something else I want to say and I'd rather say it now than tomorrow.  This was not an easy decision.  Voyager has been our home for many years and we're leaving many friends behind us.  Many of us have thought of this crew as family and it has been family.  We've all been there for each other at one time or another.  When we leave here tomorrow we move on to a new life and it will be time to change from thinking of ourselves as family to acting like family starting with how we address each other.  My name is Kathryn and I'll expect you to use my name after we leave.  There is no way for me to abandon my responsibilities to you so I'll still be the one who has to make major decisions but on a day to day basis we are a team of equals.  Now, you all have your assignments."

Everyone stood and cleared their dishes from the table leaving Ayala a cleared work area.  Kathryn headed to Deck 3 to search for personal items.  She started with her own because she knew where to find the items she needed.  She dug out a carryall and filled it with warm sweaters and leggings knowing that the women could put them on under their uniforms before they left.  She continued her search of quarters.  She found more leggings in B'Elanna's quarters and made a point of searching through Tom's clothes for something warmer than his uniform. That search was unsuccessful.

Kathryn approached the last room slowly.  She had deliberately left it for last, dreading having to go through it.  She forced herself to enter and gathered all the personal items she could find.  Then she went through the closet, finally finding something that might keep Tom warmer than his uniform would.  She took others for Ayala.  She finally allowed her thoughts to wander from the task at hand as she was leaving.

She glanced around the room, remembering the meals she had eaten here, the conversations, the arguments and long hours working in quiet harmony.  Chakotay had been the perfect first officer for her; he balanced her strengths and weaknesses.  He had offered alternatives to almost every decision she made, forcing her to listen when he thought she should.  He never hesitated to tell her if he thought she was wrong but had never once said 'I told you so,' at least not as criticism or in anger.  He had been her friend.  As she turned to leave, her glance fell on his medicine bundle on the coffee table.  She walked over to it and stroked the leather gently.  Acting on impulse, she picked up the bundle and added it to her collection.  She wanted, she needed, something tangible to carry with her, not to help her remember him, but to help her find peace with herself.

B'Elanna noticed the bundle in Kathryn's pack but didn't say anything.  After the evening meal, while Ayala was arguing with the doctor about the size of his pack, B'Elanna slipped to Kathryn's side.

"Are you going to be ok?"

"My ribs will heal in a couple of weeks.  I'll be fine."

"That's not what I meant.  He might be ok, you know."

Kathryn was startled at B'Elanna's words.  "He?"

"I saw his medicine bundle in your pack."

"Oh.  I shouldn't take it.  There is probably something much more important that I could carry, but I need to take that with me."

"I understand.  You know he still loves you, don't you?"

"He never actually said it and it has been a long time since he even hinted at that, so no, I don't know."

"Well, he does.  He never actually told me how he felt about you, but I know him.  I've watched the two of you.  You're the center of his universe."  B'Elanna's voice was quiet and heavy with emotion.  It carried only the concern of a friend.  "Did you ever tell him how you felt?"

"I'm not sure I knew.  At least I never admitted what I felt to myself and certainly not to him."

"Well, when you sit with his medicine bundle and think about him, tell him.  He'll hear you."

Jenny was arguing furiously with Ayala about something.  Megan was ready to enter the fray when Kathryn interrupted.  "Ok, what's the problem?"

"I brought one of the life rafts from the escape pods.  I think we should take it but Ayala says it's too awkward."

"We don't need a life raft on that mountain and it's only for one person in the first place."

"Jenny, why do you think we should take it?"

"I know it's only for one person, but that means it's not very big.  I thought we could inflate it, put our supplies in it, and then Megan and I could drag it along.  We can drag a lot more than we can carry."

"That sounds like it could work.  Ayala, do you see any problems in carrying out that plan?"

Ayala thought about the idea now that he had heard all of it.  He had to admit if it worked it would allow them to take more supplies.  He considered possible defects in the plan.

"It could work.  Even if it doesn't work and we have to abandon it and whatever we can't carry, we're no worse off than if we don't try it.  I don't think our problem will be the effect dragging it has on the bottom of the raft; it's pretty strong.  The bigger problem will be keeping it from sliding down the mountain too fast in the steeper sections.  If we take ropes from the pods we can let it slide down slowly.  I think it's worth a try."

"Good enough for me.  Megan, why don't you gather more rope while Ayala and Jenny figure out how much they can put in the raft?"

"Captain?"

"Yes, Megan?"

"I was thinking, if you help Megan and I work with B'Elanna on the rough spots, we could do two rafts and carry even more.  I know you can't do a lot of pulling, but you could carry a few things when we hit rough areas and B'Elanna can pull with one arm at that point.  If the bad places aren't too wide, Megan and I could do them both, one at a time.  We aren't any worse off trying except maybe fifteen minutes to pack or unpack the raft."

"Ok, if you both agree, we'll try it.  Ayala, put communicators on both rafts.  Even if we have to abandon one, we might be able to go back and get it later."

Kathryn went over to sit with B'Elanna next to Tom.  "He's improving steadily, B'Elanna.  He's going to be fine.  The doctor has already said there is no permanent damage."

"I know, but I'm still worried.  I'm not used to him being so quiet and still.  I don't enjoy arguing with him but I am happier when he can argue.  I wonder what he'll say when he finds out I'm pregnant."

"He'll probably be speechless, something I hope to see."  Kathryn's teasing voice turned serious.  "He's going to be thrilled.  He's also going to be a great father.  Now, it's getting late and we have a big day tomorrow.  Try to get some sleep, ok?"

"Sure.  You should do the same you know."

"I know.  I'm going to take once last walk over my ship and say goodbye first.  See you in the morning."

B'Elanna watched as Kathryn stopped and took something from her pack before she headed for the bridge.  A few hours later the sound of movement woke B'Elanna.  She saw Kathryn settling into her sleeping space on the heated portion of the floor.  B'Elanna pitched her whisper to reach Kathryn.  "Did you tell him?"  Kathryn only nodded.

The next morning they started out using the rafts.  Their first hour of progress was significantly slower than Kathryn had hoped.  She was nearly ready to abandon both rafts when she realized that the group's speed was already as much as Ayala could handle on his makeshift crutches.  At least this way they were taking along more supplies and he didn't feel like a burden.

They eventually covered about a kilometer the first day, only about half of Kathryn's goal.  They heated some rocks to take the chill off the air while they ate.  Kathryn eyed the tree line still at least half a kilometer below them knowing it would be warmer for them at night with the windbreak offered by the trees but also know that traveling with the rafts would be more difficult.  B'Elanna joined her.

"Well, are you satisfied with our progress?"

"Not really.  We need shelter from the wind."

"Well, we might have to spend tonight in the wind but tomorrow we'll be below the tree line.  We didn't lose any supplies, no one was injured today and we're starting to work as a team and a family.  I think it was a very good day."

"I guess you're right.  I keep focusing on what we could have done not what we did accomplish.  I'm going to need you to help me do that now."

"Well, if I forget, just stop and think what Chakotay would have said to you."

"Thanks, B'Elanna."

They both rose and started the process that would become the group's routine for the night, cleaning up after the meal, spreading blankets to block the chill of the ground and heating rocks to lessen the impact of the cold.  Huddling together for warm, they fell asleep.

The next morning the sun woke Kathryn as it crept over the peaks to the east. Smiling softly she realized that she had assigned the direction on the basis of old Earth customs.  Well, they were familiar to her small band so it made sense to use them.  Time enough to adapt to any local customs if they encountered any intelligent species.  Looking around at the snow covered landscape from where she lay she doubted that she needed to worry about that just yet.

Kathryn started to sit up and was rewarded by her muscles reminding her they had been strained the previous day then subjected to a cold night on the ground.  She groaned slightly and forced herself upright.  Her movements must have roused B'Elanna for she heard a similar groan followed by what had to have been a Klingon curse.  B'Elanna's head and torso appeared from under a blanket on the other side of Tom.

"I hope we kept him warmer than he kept us."  Reminded by her own words that Tom was injured, B'Elanna reached for a tricorder to check his condition.  Her relief at her findings was in her voice even if her words belied her feelings. "The ungrateful pig is sleeping comfortably and his body temperature is normal.  That's more than I can say for mine!"

"Can you reach the food without getting out of the blankets?"  Kathryn saw no reason to get any colder than necessary just to eat.

"I think so."  B'Elanna reached toward her feet, stretching for a food container, but it was beyond her grasp.  "Ayala!  Wake up!  Can you toss us one of the containers next to you?"

Ayala and the twins stirred at the shout directed their way.  Moans told Kathryn and B'Elanna that they were just as stiff.  The previous night when Kathryn and B'Elanna has prepared their sleeping places next to Tom to try to keep him warmer, the twins has wasted no time following suit to provide poor injured Ayala with similar tender, loving warmth.  This morning they were less willing to provide that care as they argued who was closest to the container.  In exasperation, Ayala sat up, reached a long arm out for the contained and tossed it to B'Elanna.  The twins' cries must have carried for miles as Ayala's movements took their blankets with him and left them exposed to the cold air.

Kathryn watched as B'Elanna calmly pulled out her phaser and heated the container, took out her portion and passed it to Kathryn.  The other three were engaged in a heated debate that eventually settled into soft chuckles and giggles.  Kathryn shook her head – it was a good thing Ayala knew how to coax the young women into better moods.  A few minutes later the trio sat up this time keeping their blankets around them.  Kathryn smiled and tossed the container back to Ayala.

Kathryn watched as what was left of her crew ate.  The sun was climbing over the mountains, the sky blue, well maybe violet was a better word, and cloudless.  They had survived the night and were eating a warm breakfast.  She supposed it was a good morning all things considered, but she would have preferred a bad morning on Voyager with a pair of brown eyes across her coffee cup.  Coffee!  Hot, brown and liquid – traits shared by the two things she missed the most.

Kathryn dragged her thoughts back to the present. She forced herself to leave the relative warmth of the blankets and get up to start what she knew would become their morning routine.  The others followed slowly, equally reluctant to leave the warmth of their beds, and set about repacking the bedding and collecting the food containers.  B'Elanna reactivated the doctor and put him to work preparing the rafts for the journey.

An hour after Kathryn awoke, they were moving slowly and steadily along the mountain slope.  An hour after that and they were stopped at the top of an extremely steep grade trying to decide whether to attempt it or find another way down.  The slope ran roughly two kilometers dropping nearly 1500 meters before it leveled out below the tree line.  It was covered with small rocks and gravel where the snow and ice had melted in the summer sun.  Even without their supplies, experienced climbers would have found it challenging.  For Kathryn's group it was a hazardous route at best.   If they could make it down, they would have better shelter from the weather as well as fuel for a fire.  Kathryn looked around.  "Comments or suggestions?"

Ayala spoke first.  "Captain, I'll try it but I don't think I'll get far.  The only one who could probably walk the whole way down is the doctor and he can't carry all of us."

"He's right, Kathryn.  None of us are going to be able to walk down that slope.  But why do we have to walk?"  B'Elanna spoke.  "If I tried to walk, I'd eventually slip and fall then slide a couple dozen meters until I slowed to a stop.  Wouldn't I be better off if I just started off sliding?"

The discussion continued for an hour as they came up with various approaches to making the descent.  They agreed that Ayala could not make it down unassisted and that none of the others were strong enough to provide that assistance except the doctor.  There was the added problem of getting the rafts down the slope safely.  They finally decided that their best option was for the doctor to make the journey two times since his force fields would make his footing stable and he would not tire from the journey or return climb.  Kathryn and B'Elanna would descend with the doctor carrying Tom leaving Megan and Jenny with Ayala.  While they waited, they would rearrange the supplies in the rafts so there was room in one for Ayala.  Once the doctor returned to the trio, Ayala would make the descent in that raft.  The doctor would let the rafts slide ahead of him downs the slope, controlling their speed.  Megan and Jenny would follow him.  The women would all do their best to slide on their heels rather than walking upright for most of the descent.

Kathryn and B'Elanna put enough food for their lunches in their pockets.  They would eat at the bottom of the slope.  Ayala, Jenny and Megan would eat before they started down.  Kathryn glanced around then looked directly at B'Elanna.  "Shall we?"

"After you, Kathryn."

Kathryn moved down the slope to where it dropped off more steeply, squatted down and started her slide.  As she felt her boots start sliding she hoped she was spared the indignity of an immediate fall but her attention was quickly brought to the task of staying balanced.  About one-third of the way down, the slope leveled out briefly and Kathryn's slide slowed to a stop.  She straightened to work the kinks out of her knees when B'Elanna slid to a stop about three meters away.

"Wow!  If I hadn't been so worried about injuring my shoulder that might have been fun."

"I know.  How long did that take?"

"I'd say about twenty minutes, maybe a little less."  Kathryn glanced back up the slope where the doctor was making his way rather more slowly down the mountain.  "Should we wait for him to catch up?"

"Probably.  We may as well rest for a few minutes.  He won't get to the bottom any sooner if we get too far ahead of him."

They waited until the doctor reached their level and then continued their slide.  They had two more fairly long stretches and one short but extremely steep section before they reached the point where the land started to level off a bit.  After trying to slide on that stretch, they changed their stance to upright and began a sliding walk the last two hundred meters.  Kathryn and B'Elanna searched for a level area large enough to make camp and waited for the doctor to catch up with them.  As they watched him cover the last hundred meters, B'Elanna commented, "It's too bad he can't climb like a mountain goat.  He'd get back up to the others..."

Her voice trailed off as she and Kathryn exchanged looks of inspiration and then dismay at not having thought of it sooner.  "Of course!  Make the adjustments as soon as he settles Tom."

Ten minutes after Tom was comfortable, the doctor was huffing and snorting at his new appearance.  He finally began the assent looking like a cross between a centaur and a satyr in a Starfleet uniform jacket, grumbling all the way.  Fortunately the three at the top of the hill had enough time to control their laughter before he got too near them.  Once he reached their level, the twins helped him start the first raft down the slope before moving to start the raft with Ayala down the incline.  Once both rafts were at their maximum distance from the doctor, the twins started their own descent following as closely as they could the path Kathryn and B'Elanna had taken.  The doctor waited until they were well down the slope before starting his own descent.  Though he would never admit it to B'Elanna or Kathryn, the extra legs and cloven hooves improved his stability and allowed him to move faster.

The sun was still high in the sky an hour after the trio reached the temporary campsite.  Kathryn debated stopping for the night, but they had several hours of daylight left and she hated to waste the opportunity to find better shelter for the night.  The doctor has been returned to his two legged version and was busy fussing over Tom.  Kathryn was trying to decide which way to go – directly down the mountain or to angle along its side hoping for an easier route.

"Captain?"  Kathryn looked at Megan but refused to acknowledge her.  "Uh, Kathryn?"

"Yes, Megan."

"Could I make a suggestion?"

"About what?"

"About which way to go next.  While we were waiting for the doctor, I was looking down the mountain.  I couldn't see much except the tops of trees below this point, but further down, those trees disappear in spots.  I think those could be steep cliffs that might be hard to avoid.  If we go off to the left, it looked like the trees were more even and there were no open spots."

"Anyone have any better ideas?"  Kathryn looked at the others who were shaking their heads slightly. "Ok, then we'll go to the left.  Good analysis, Megan."

They gathered their supplies then Joe picked up his crutches and started in the general direction Megan had indicated with B'Elanna while the twins took the ropes for the rafts to follow.  The doctor and Kathryn followed.  By the time the sun started setting behind the mountain, Kathryn knew that they would have to abandon at least one raft.  While it was easier for them to walk through the forest, the rafts were dragging over branches and rocks slowing their speed and tiring those pulling them.  Kathryn's cracked ribs and B'Elanna's shoulder hindered their ability to assist.

B'Elanna and Ayala found a sheltered clearing and waited for the others to catch up.  The twins gave their approval of the site by dropping the ropes to the rafts and sitting down on a log.  B'Elanna quickly removed most of the supplies from one raft and arranged the blankets for Tom.  Kathryn had Megan start getting a meal prepared while she and Jenny searched for rocks.  They couldn't find enough to make a fire pit so Kathryn settled for heating them with a phaser.  That was a luxury that would have to be abandoned once they were in the valley.  Megan hadn't settled for just heating the food.  She found a rock with a relatively flat surface, cleaned it off, and heated it before putting the food on it.  The aroma alone was worth a little dirt and it gave them all the feel of cooking around a campfire instead of eating week old leftovers.

"I think we're going to have to abandon the rafts, people.  B'Elanna and I aren't much help and Jenny and Megan aren't going to be able to keep going like we did today."  Kathryn got everyone's attention immediately with that statement.  They all knew that leaving behind the rafts meant leaving behind precious supplies they might need later.  Ayala glanced up.

"The girls have been asking me a couple of questions about that.  I told them I thought I could manage a backpack if the land stays the way it's been the last hour or two.  If you, B'Elanna and the doctor each take a backpack, they think they can manage one raft with all the supplies together."

"That's still too much for them even if we take the heaviest packs out."

"What if we make a few changes in the raft, Kathryn?  Remember your history?  The first people to settle in North America used poles to make a kind of sled with only one point of contact on the ground.  They picked up the other end of the poles and pulled it.  If we put two long branches under one of the rafts, maybe together they could pull it with all our supplies."

B'Elanna's words set off another debate and planning session.  Jenny and Megan wanted to try.  Although it might delay their start in the morning, the general consensus was the possibility of taking all their supplies was worth a slight delay.  Kathryn agreed.  Jenny and Megan searched through the woods near their camp in the dwindling twilight for suitable branches.  They brought back five that might suit their purposes.  Then they settled with Ayala to bind two together and work out the best way to drag the other ends.

While the others worked on their latest project, Kathryn and B'Elanna cleaned up after their meal and searched out some clean ice to melt to replenish their water supply.  Once the area was cleaned up, they sat on a log near the fire and watched the other three at work.  Kathryn pushed the hood of her jacket back and shook out her hair.

"I never thought I'd miss a sonic shower."

"I know what you mean.  Maybe we'll find a stream in the valley and it will be warm enough to get cleaned up a little."  B'Elanna paused for a minute before changing the subject.  "What do you think of our trio?  I never expected Megan and Jenny could adapt to something like this so quickly."

"I'm impressed by all of you.  It's hard for all of us.  We left so much of our lives behind in the Alpha Quadrant when we ended up at the Caretaker's array; now we've left behind what little we still had and almost everyone we know on that mountain.  We're all doing what we've been trained to do.  Eventually we're going to have to deal with what we're feeling, but none of us are ready for that yet.  I'm not sure I ever will be."

"Don't blame yourself.  You didn't cause this."

"I know I didn't cause this but I made the decision that led to this end.  I am responsible."

"Chakotay supported your decision."

"He may have supported it, but he advised against it.  He thought it wasn't worth the risk.  He was right but I wanted to get everyone home.  I wanted the journey over.  Well, I got what I wanted; our journey is over and I have to live with that.  Right now I have to focus on getting us to a place where we can survive the winter."  Kathryn's eyes were glistening but her voice was steady if a bit softer than usual.  B'Elanna had never seen her look so alone.

"You're not the only one here.  We're all a team now, a family.  We've known each other for years and worked together.  We're going to build on what we have and be stronger because of it.  Isn't that why you are making us use your name?"

"Thanks, B'Elanna.  In part but it's really more selfish.  I don't know if I can explain.  Answer this question – honestly.  If I made a decision that you thought was wrong but there was a possibility that it was right, would you challenge me on it?"

B'Elanna thought for a while searching for an example in her experience.  "Challenge you?  I doubt it.  I might ask questions or even propose an alternative, but I don't think I'd actually challenge you."

"Someday that could cost one of you your life.  I need someone to tell me I'm wrong, to challenge my decisions.  I also need to fit in with the rest of you, to be part of this team, not just its leader.  As captain I'm treated differently than the rest of the crew, not accepted at the same level as everyone else.  Chakotay did all that for me, for Kathryn.  He told me when he thought I was wrong and he accepted me as a person and not just the captain of the ship, but he's not here so all of you will have to do it for him.  It will be easier for you to do that if I'm Kathryn instead of the captain."

"You know, I never thought I could be comfortable calling you by your name but I think I was wrong.  You can help me get used to it one way."

"What's that?"

"Keep talking to me like this.  If you talk to all of us about how you feel, it will be easier for all of us to talk to you.  I guess that's why you left your pips on the ship, isn't it?"

"In part, but they were part of the life I left on the mountain.  They have no place in my future.  All of you are my future now.  I have to look forward or at least try to look forward."  Kathryn looked at the small group.  "Enough about me.  Let's check Tom and settle in for the night.  I think Ayala has done all he can tonight."

They reactivated the doctor to check Tom while they spread blankets for everyone.  It was the unspoken consensus that the sleeping arrangements be the same as the previous night even though they were much more sheltered from the wind.

As they were settling, Tom roused unexpectedly.  B'Elanna checked him anxiously.  "Whaaaaat?"  He slurred the word but she understood him easily.

"Shh.  It's ok.  I'm right here."

"B'Elanna?  Why do you look so furry?  What happened?"  Tom spoke more clearly then turned his head toward her voice.  "Ow!"

"Don't move.  You have a concussion.  What's the last thing you remember?"  He calmed as she spoke but didn't respond.  Quickly she grabbed the portable emitter and reactivated the doctor.

"He's sleeping peacefully."  His patronizing tone was rewarded by immediate deactivation.  Kathryn smiled at her reaction.

"He's fine, B'Elanna.  Let's get some sleep."

The next morning Kathryn looked over Ayala's design for dragging the raft. He had taken apart a couple of backpacks and adapted the straps to make a shoulder harness for each pole.  He had also used other straps to make loops where the person pulling the raft could put their wrist making it easier to hold the poles.  The poles extended a good meter and a half in front of the raft.  There were two more wrist straps at the point they made contact with the raft, obviously a place for others to help in difficult spots.  There was even a long strap at the back.  Ayala saw Kathryn's puzzled look as she inspected that one.  "If we ever get stuck, I can't help move the raft forward, but I can lift it up."

"Well done."

"I can't take all the credit.  Megan and Jenny thought of using the backpacks.  I just figured out how to use them."

Kathryn had them deflate the other raft and strap it on top.  Even if they couldn't inflate it, it could come in handy at some point.  She helped Ayala and B'Elanna with their packs before picking up her own.  The doctor picked up Tom and the group was ready to start.  Kathryn stepped forward to lead the way indicating that B'Elanna should join her.  Ayala and the doctor followed the raft, ready to assist if needed.

Jenny and Megan quickly found the most effective ways to maneuver their contraption, but were unable to move quickly.  At first Kathryn selected their path based on the smoothness of the land.  She was eventually forced to take a slope that was slightly steeper than she would have liked because it was covered with small branches and rocks.  She was surprised to see that the slight increase in the slope more than compensated for the extra small obstacles.  After that she tried to find slightly steeper routes and their pace improved slightly.  At one point, B'Elanna had to move behind the raft and slow its slide down a short slope using the rear strap.

Although they took frequent breaks and had a long lunch to allow Jenny and Megan to rest, Kathryn was satisfied with their progress for the day. There were well below the tree line and well protected from the night wind.  As the group relaxed after their evening meal, Kathryn and B'Elanna discussed the doctor.

"How long is his power supply going to last?"

"It's really hard to be sure.  It was never designed to work with any of our systems and the only reliable way to be sure we can recharge it was destroyed.  Under normal conditions I'd say months, but this is not normal.  He's using his force fields the entire time he's carrying Tom and that's a tremendous drain."

"If we continue to shut him down whenever we can, will it make much difference?"

"It might; it certainly can't hurt."  B'Elanna chuckled.  "I have to admit that I love having an excuse to deactivate him."

"Well, Tom needs him right now.  How's he doing tonight?"

"Pretty good actually.  He was awake long enough to insult the doctor right after we stopped.  When I was giving him some water he was talking to me.  It wasn't the most intelligent conversation I've ever had but it was good to hear his voice."

"When are you going to tell him about the baby?"

"After we get off this mountain and he's awake long enough to actually have a complete adult conversation."  Kathryn stifled a chuckle prompting B'Elanna to add, "Well, maybe not adult but at least complete."

The next two days saw them make similar progress and Kathryn was starting to believe they really would find food and shelter in the valley.  They abandoned the second jackets on their fourth day adding them to the supplies on their raft.  B'Elanna insisted on taking short turns pulling the raft saying her shoulder wasn't hurting her as much.  Only twice did all four women have to combine their efforts to move the raft.

Ayala motioned to the group, pointing ahead. "Do you see what I see?" he asked.

Kathryn couldn't help but smile. "I sure do."

Quickly the group deactivated the doctor and transferred Tom to the raft.  They could come back for their supplies later.  As they finished, Ayala sighed, "You know, it would be just our luck that they're a village of maniac's, bent on killing anyone they come across."

Kathryn swatted him on the arm. "That's the positive attitude I've been looking for. The village looks quite primitive; the prime directive would say that we shouldn't…"

Before she could finish Ayala grabbed her arm nearly dropping the crutches, pulling her back, "Kathryn, watch out!"

A large animal was coming towards them; it looked almost like a bear but was a bit smaller. Ayala leaned on one crutch and waved the other in the air intending to use it as a weapon when a humanoid of sorts started towards them, "Conchi, come."

By now the animal stood in front of Kathryn, excitedly wiggling its behind, proving itself no threat at all.  The group stood there speechless. The owner had to be one of the more odd looking humanoids they had ever come across, almost resembling a bird. It stood almost the height of a human, and its entire body was covered with down like feathers. It had three fingers, no beak, and a tuft of feathers where the ears were probably hidden underneath.  It was dressed in a tunic type top with pants obviously underneath.

Kathryn stood in awe until she heard it speak. "I am sorry; he won't hurt you. My, oh my, now where did you come from?" said the humanoid eyeing them with wonder.

"We are… from over the mountain.  We lost our home and we have injured," explained Kathryn. "My name is Kathryn," she said, then quickly introduced the rest of the group.

"My name is Tam; we are of the Brilto. You already met Conchi," he said, pointing to the animal." He is a broolt, rather large but very gentle."

Kathryn reached down with her hand allowing the broolt to sniff her hand then began to pet its short soft fur. "He almost reminds me of a large dog."

"Dog?" asked Tam. "Well, never mind. You look like you have traveled far. Why don't you come to the village?  Your friends look like they need some place to rest."

"We would really appreciate that. You wouldn't have a place we could stay for a while, do you? I have a feeling winter is coming and we have no shelter or…"

"I'm sure we could find something for you. Come," said Tam as he headed back toward the village.

"Captain," said Tom groggily, "Is that chicken talking?"

Kathryn turned to Tom, "Shh, they are friendly and offering us a place to stay."

"Chickens, planet full of talking chickens," Tom mumbled.

Kathryn smiled, grateful to hear Tom making at least a little sense; Tom had been silent for far too long. She studied the village as they got closer and smiled again. It was primitive, consisting of several homes that she would best describe as log cabins.   A small crowd was gathering at the edge of the village, curious to see the group approaching.  'They did look a lot like birds, probably descendants of them,' thought Kathryn as they came into view.

Tam led the group over to a small house and led them in. "This is my cabin. Your injured friends can rest here for right now."  The twins set the rafts near the edge of the house and helped to lay Tom on a blanket they had spread out on the ground. Once he was settled the four women each took an end and carried him into the cabin.

"This is so kind of you, thank you," said Kathryn with relief.

"It is nothing, I'm sure you would do for us as we do for you," he said.

Kathryn touched the man on his arm and smiled. There were no beds, only furs on the floor but at least they looked warm and comfortable.   The floor was dirt covered with branches, some type of large leaves, and dried grasses.  Some of the grasses must have been aromatic for there was a fresh scent lingering in the air.  The grass was piled the thickest under the furs making a soft, warm bed.  Extra furs were rolled next to them, evidently to use as a blanket or pillow.  At one end of the room, a fire burned in a hearth built from rocks.

Kathryn helped Ayala down to the furs near the fireplace and the twins lay Tom next to him.   Ayala struggled out of his coat and pulled a fur over him.  He hadn't realized how tired he was until he put his head down.  He drifted to sleep to the sound of B'Elanna muttering insults at a sleeping Tom as she removed his coat and covered him with a fur before moving to help the twins arrange their supplies outside.   Together the women pulled some sweaters from their packs and secured all the technology they carried.  B'Elanna put the emitter in her pocket, planning to give it to the captain later.

The door to the cabin opened and a small child flew in, stopping only a couple feet from Kathryn, staring up at her in awe.

Tam quietly explained, "We don't get many visitors.  You look a little unusual to us."

Kathryn bent down to the child's level, "Hello there. My name is Kathryn.  What's yours?"

"Mara," said the child quietly.

Tam approached her, wrapping his arm around the child, "Mara is of my family -- my sister's daughter."

Kathryn reached out take the child's small three-fingered hand, "It is our people's custom to shake the hand of a new friend.  It shows we hold no weapons and mean no harm."

Mara took her hand and shook it, "Why would you have weapons?"

Kathryn chuckled, " No need to worry, Mara, " said Kathryn with a smile.

"Where are they going to sleep, uncle?" asked Mara.

"Well, tonight they will stay here with us.  After that I'm not sure yet," started Tam.

"What about the old Otra's place? It has been empty for a long time," asked Mara.

"Why didn't I think of that?" said Tam. He turned to Kathryn, "It's small, only two rooms and the walls are in need of repair. No one has sealed the logs since old Otra moved in with his son."

Kathryn looked at her group, nodded then back to Tam, "It sounds wonderful.  I don't know how we could pay you for it…"

"Nonsense, you will assist the village as we all do; that is what we need most. Come, let me show it to you so you can begin to make plans," said Tam leading her back out of the dwelling. "You can stay with me tonight and you can make the cabin ready for living tomorrow."

She nodded to B'Elanna knowing she would want to stay near Tom, "Megan, Jenny, you're with me.  Let's see what we have ahead of ourselves here."

After a short walk they finally arrived at the small building, a shack would be more like it but beggars couldn't be choosers. Kathryn's mind was still reeling when Tam pointed out the community bathhouse. The idea of an entire village sharing it made her cringe on the inside, but it would have to do. Tam had assured her that they would have their own time to clean up and the villagers would not interrupt them.  That made her feel slightly better but it was still obvious that he expected them to bathe together; this was the only access to the one hot spring that supplied the entire village.

Old Otra's house was indeed small; under normal conditions it would barely be big enough to hold a family of two let alone six adults. A lot of the chinking had fallen off and the gaps needed to be filled in to keep in the heat.  There weren’t any windows, but that would only help in keeping them warm.

Kathryn noticed a small fireplace in the center of the far wall, obviously the source of heat as well as for cooking. The entire house was covered in a layer of debris such as leaves, twigs, and other stuff that had blown in over the years; cleaning would be their first priority here.   She glanced at the floors.  There were still branches but the leaves and grasses had dried and crumbled.  She wondered if there was going to be any way to replace them.  She glanced over to the small room attached to the side of the house.  It was small but it would do as a bedroom for at least two or three of them.

Tam spoke up, "I know it isn't much, but will it do for so many of you?"

"I'm sorry if I don't seem appreciative, Tam.  It's been a long and tiring journey for us," explained Kathryn. "This will be just fine.  It's more than we could have hoped for and certainly more than most people would have been able to offer us.  We'll never be able to repay you."

"Good, good.  Now I know it's small, and with winter approaching there isn't a lot you can do besides fix up what needs to be done. But…" he seemed a bit hesitant, "you can add on to the cabin easily enough.  There's plenty of land to do so. That is if you plan on staying."

"We have nowhere else to go," she said softly.  "Unless your people want us to leave, this will be our home."

"I can't imagine what you have been through, but whatever it was it must have been quite devastating," said Tam.

Kathryn did her best to hold back the tears that threatened to spill forth, "Yes, you could say that. We lost a lot of good friends, people that were family. It's only the six of us now."

Megan was wandering around the barren cabin, "What will we sleep on? There really isn't anything…"

"Be grateful, Meg. Look what they've given us already," interrupted Jenny.

"We sleep on furs from the wild broolt," explained Tam. "I'm sure we could find a few to spare from the village. I will go see if I can find something for you to clean this place up and borrow those furs.  I'll also ask if anyone has grasses or floor coverings to spare.  It is too late in the season to gather them now."

Tam left quickly leaving the trio alone in their new house. "Well, it looks like we'll have to keep up the current sleeping arrangements. You two and Ayala can take the smaller room.  B'Elanna, Tom and I will just make up a bed over in the far corner.  Privacy is a luxury was can no longer afford."

"I'm curious about that bathhouse. That sure sounds… interesting," said Jenny with a small chuckle.

"There are probably going to be a lot of things we'll have to get used to here. You heard the man, it sounds as if the families bathe together. I would like to include the others in this discussion but as much as I would like to say we could split this up by the sexes, the men will both need assistance for a while at least," said Kathryn.

"We'll help Ayala," the girls said in unison.

Kathryn thought they sounded a bit to eager but blew it off. "I guess I can go in with Tom and B'Elanna.  Hopefully the village won't mind us splitting up. If they do, we'll just deal with it later."

"We'll get used to this, Kathryn; it could almost be fun," said Megan.

Kathryn shook her head, "I'm going to go outside and take a look at our new property then go and let the others know the plan. We can all get busy cleaning our new home tomorrow." The girls nodded then turned away to explore the cabin further.

Kathryn strolled quietly down the path noticing Tam at another house talking to the owner. She was still somewhat in shock over just how easy going this species was.  They couldn't have asked for a smoother first contact or a more generous people.  She was coming upon another house and saw a small child sitting next to another one of the broolts. The mother was sitting next to the child and motioned for Kathryn to come over.

"Hello, I am Tersa. This is my child Molti.  You are one of the lost ones?" asked the woman.

"Yes, my name is Kathryn," she said. She bent down to pat the lazy broolt and noticed the bulging belly. "Is the broolt pregnant?"

"Yes, the babies should emerge in a few more weeks."

"Emerge?"

"Yes, the babies were born about thirty days ago and are now in her pouch.  There are three females and one male in this litter."

Kathryn sighed, "I used to have a pet similar to this. When I left she too was going to have a baby or two."

"Did you get to see the babies?" asked Molti.

"No, that was a long time ago. We … lost our way and I never made it back home to see them," she explained in a soft voice. It was still hard to admit that she would never make it back to Earth to see Molly or her puppies.

"That’s sad," said the little girl. "Maybe you could have one of Lott's puppies?"

"Oh, I wouldn't think of taking one of your puppies," said Kathryn to the little girl.

The mother spoke up, "Well, we cannot keep the puppies, and she would help keep you warm."

Kathryn stood up. "Then I think I would like that, thank you. Well, I should be going," she said before getting up and heading back to Tam's.  She made her way back to Tam's cabin and let B'Elanna and Ayala know what was happening. Tom was sleeping peacefully and Kathryn knew B'Elanna wouldn't want to leave him just yet.

"I think the three of us can get that place clean in no time tomorrow, B'Elanna. It really is quite small but it will have to do. There's only one bedroom so having separate sleeping arrangements will have to take a back seat."

"I don't mind continuing with Jenny and Megan," said Ayala trying to hide his grin.

Kathryn laughed, "Somehow I didn't think you would."

"Captain, you would freeze at night by yourself. You should sleep with Tom and me," said B'Elanna.

"I told you to call me Kathryn, B'Elanna.  Please."  Kathryn paused and B'Elanna smiled her agreement before Kathryn continued.  "I was hoping you would say that.  We can fine-tune these arrangements as we go along. But for now this will work."

"Are you sure you don't need my help? I don't want to just sit around…" started B'Elanna.

"Don't worry about it. You won't be sitting around much once we are in our own place. I need you to stay here with these two.  Tom is most comfortable with you so if he wakes up it would be best to have you here," explained Kathryn. "Well, I think I will get back and see what we need to get that place up and running."

Kathryn made her back way down the path and was surprised to see a small crowd gathered around her newly acquired cabin.  Tam approached her.

"We will get your roof patched up. That is what we think needs to be a priority. Tomorrow you can clean then the next day we will show you how to patch the logs, but you can still live in here while that is being done."

Kathryn was moved to tears. "This is so generous of you."

"It is nothing. We are a close community. We are all here to help each other, and now that you are a part of this community, we are here to help you, too," explained Tam.

The next day it took them hours and it was nearly dark when they finished but the small cabin was beginning to look livable.  The rest of the villagers had finished the work a short time ago and all went back to their own cabins.  A very dirty Kathryn, Jenny and Megan had decided to stop for the night.

"Do you think we can use the bathhouse?  I feel disgusting?" asked Megan.

"I don't see why not.  They said they are all finished with it by dark. Why don't the two of you go get Ayala and see if he would like to get cleaned up, too? Tom, B'Elanna and I can go after you three," said Kathryn.

"Thanks, Capt…sorry, Kathryn," they said in unison.  Kathryn just smiled and shook her head as she watched the girls run off towards Tam's cabin.

Kathryn had to admit she felt a bit awkward. At the moment Tom was leaning on B'Elanna mumbling to himself. He seemed to become more aware as B'Elanna dribbled the water over him, rinsing off the soap and Kathryn knew it would be her turn to hold him next.

That wouldn't be a problem except as he woke further his hands seemed to wake faster as they began following a familiar path over B'Elanna's nearly naked body.

They had decided, for Kathryn's comfort, to keep on their underwear. Over time they might get a bit more comfortable stripping off everything but for right now they would stick with this.

"Okay, can you take him now?" asked B'Elanna.

"Sure, I'm all done and feel a hell of a lot better," she said moving to Tom's side.

B'Elanna shifted him so that he was leaning onto Kathryn and proceeded to wash herself.

Tom of course didn't have a clue where he was because his hands moved to Kathryn's leg, wandering up her thigh, their destination apparent.  "Even only semi conscious he has just one thing on his mind," mumbled Kathryn as she moved Tom's hands back to his own leg.

B'Elanna just laughed, "That is a fact."

"Kiss me," mumbled Tom.

"I'm not going to kiss you, Tom," said Kathryn.

She saw him open his eyes and look at her, "I must be dreaming, Captain, where are your clothes?"

"Tom, just go back to sleep. It was better that way," laughed Kathryn.

"I don't think so," said Tom.

"That water seems to have woken him up a bit," said B'Elanna. "Just what are you trying to do, Tom?"

"I don't know, but I think I like this," he said looking from Kathryn to B'Elanna and back again.

B'Elanna finished up then grabbed a towel and dried herself off, moving to Tom next. Tam had provided them with what they could best describe as gowns. It was what all the women of the village wore, and would be much better than the uniforms they had been wearing for days.

Tom groaned, "A dress?"

"I think I liked him better when he was quiet," B'Elanna said with a chuckle.