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Snow	By : steff Category: Star Trek > Voyager Views: 5926 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek: Voyager, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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SNOW Part 1

Disclaimer:
Characters belong to Paramount � not me.

Author: RebelGirl

Rating: Will be
NC-17 eventually

Feedback: If you
wish � rebelgirl_uk@yahoo.co.uk
if]>
Archive: Well, it�s
not been beta�d as I did intend this to be just a short, but Caro, Damon and
Rach are all welcome. Anyone else
(laughs ironically) please ask!

Summary: Response to
a challenge issued several millennia ago.
I think the only rule was that snow had to be involved but not generated
by the holodeck! If there are more
rules, let me know quickly and I�ll see what I can do about incorporating them!

Dedicated to the originator of the challenge � sorry I can�t
remember who it was, and of course, to Caro, who mentioned it again � I blame
you for getting me started on yet another story!

�Warning, hull integrity at 20%,� the computer�s voice
reminded the occupants of the shuttlecraft as they were tossed around by
another shockwave.

Torres growled at the information, her fingers flying over
the workstation, as she furiously looked for a way to re-route the power the
shuttle had left to the shields.

�Lieutenant, communications are offline and life-support is
failing.� Seven of Nine�s composure
appeared to be a stark contrast to the Chief Engineer�s. She remained seated and her body was still
as her hands worked the console quickly.

�Life-support�s going to be a fat lot of good if we lose
hull integrity,� B�Elanna spat back, annoyed that the ex-drone had distracted
her. �Look for a way to get more power
Seven. Use anything you can,� she
ordered, not even looking up at the blonde woman.

The two women had been sent in a shuttle on a complicated
mining expedition. Ordinarily, Voyager
would have diverted course, but a medical distress call had meant dividing resources. Knowing that minerals and ores were a
precious commodity, Janeway was reluctant to pass an opportunity by. Knowing that B�Elanna and Seven would work
quickly and efficiently, if not harmoniously, the Captain had despatched them
in a shuttle with the assurance that they would rendezvous at the medical
catastrophe site.

The Chief Engineer and Astrometrics officer had worked well
together. B�Elanna had been glad to get
away from Voyager and the break up of her engagement with Tom Paris. There were only so many sympathetic looks
she could put up with and Seven had thankfully not brought the subject up. Seven had proven to be the ideal
companion. They hadn�t spoken much, but
B�Elanna had found herself not so defensive or suspicious of the ex-drone�s
suggestions and solutions and even found herself complimenting Seven on some
excellent ideas for mining the materials.

For her part, Seven had enjoyed the Klingon hybrid�s
company. Now that she was on her own
and somewhat subdued by recent events, Seven had the opportunity to see
B�Elanna�s quick thinking and innovation at close quarters and she was
impressed and somewhat envious of the older woman�s talent.

The mining mission had been a total success and they had
been well on their way back to meet up with Voyager when a nearby gas-giant had
become unstable and exploded. The
resultant shock waves had buffeted the small shuttlecraft viciously and all
systems had suffered.

�Lieutenant, I have scanned the area. There is a Class N planet nearby. Landing may be our best option.� The Astrometrics officer had long ago learnt
not to tell B�Elanna in definitive terms the best solution to problems. The engineer always seemed to take exception
to her theories. It was easier to just
suggest an option and allow the Klingon to make the final decision.

B�Elanna didn�t reply as she thought through the
possibilities.

�Warning, hull integrity at 10%,� the computer interrupted
her musings abruptly.

�Damn, I can�t get anything more out of her,� the Klingon
hybrid cursed, banging a clenched fist on the console in front of her.

She sighed. �Seven,
how long will it take us to get to that planet?�

�On full impulse, we can reach the planet in eight minutes
and twenty seven seconds,� the ex-drone replied, still busy at her own station.

�That�s too long,� B�Elanna exclaimed in surprise. �We�ll have broken up by then,� she
protested.

�If we re-route all remaining power to the engines, we will
be able to engage the Warp Drive for thirty seven seconds. That will take us to within a few seconds of
the planet.�

�But with no shields to protect us when we land,� the
raven-haired woman pointed out, her voice rising in anger. �Seven are you mad?�

�My last examination with the EMH�� Seven began.

�Seven,� the engineer warned, in no mood for the ex-drone�s
annoying ability to take everything she said in the literal sense.

The tall blonde woman ceased speaking and waited
expectantly. She resisted the urge to
point out to the Klingon that the longer she took to come to a conclusion, the
less time they would actually have to run the engines.

Fortunately, it took Torres only a few seconds for her mind
to race through the permutations.
�Okay, here�s what we�re going to do,� she surmised, her hands still
working the console. �You�re right
Seven, the planet is our best option, anything else is certain death.�

Seven raised an eyebrow at the lieutenant�s acknowledgement
but made no comment.

B�Elanna continued, oblivious to Seven�s reaction to her
statement. �Prepare a distress buoy
repeating the co-ordinates of that planet while I sort the power re-route. pan>pan>Commght ght be out but if we leave a
calling-card, hopefully Voyager will find it and then us,� she paused a beat. �Whatever�s left of us that is,� she
amended.

Seven nodded, and mentally scolded herself for not thinking
about some kind of distress beacon. It
took her only a few moments to set the buoy and she jettisoned it from told old
without waiting for permission.

B�Elanna did not seem to mind the ex-borg working on her own
initiative this time, she was too busy trying to maximise the power
exchange. When she was satisfied she
turned in her chair to face the younger woman.
�You ready?� she asked.

Seven nodded. �There
will be minimal power for control of landing once we are in range of the
planet,� she advised.

�Yeah, I know.
Better buckle yourself in. I�m a
terrible pilot,� B�Elanna returned, smirking at the look of alarm that suddenly
flitted across the usually stoic features of the tall woman. �I�m kidding. You didn�t think that I�d get away with dating Tom for all that
time without him insisting on me improving my skills did you?� she asked
rhetorically.

�It is just a shame that he didn�t appear to take any
lessons from you regarding honour,� Seven replied quietly, referring to Tom�s
indiscretions with other members of the crew that had finally lead to their
less-than amicable break up a few weeks ago.

Torres was startled.
She hadn�t thought that Seven would take an interest in anyone�s
personal affairs. It was also the
nicest and most appropriate thing anyone had said to her since the end of her
relationship with the helmsman.
�Thanks,� she murmured. �Ready?�

�I am prepared,� Seven acknowledged.
p clp class=MsoNormal>
The engineer transferred the last of the power in the shuttle
to the engines and engaged the warp drive, taking the craft on a course set by
Seven. There was nothing more they
could do now than hope that the engines would last long enough to take them
close to the planet.

The engines lasted for exactly thirty-nine seconds. When they finally ran out of power, the
shuttle came to an abrupt stop.
B�Elanna smiled as she began scanning the planet. �Your calculations were slightly out Seven,�
she couldn�t resist but point out.

�Ilectlected to factor in your uncanny ability to make
something out of nothing,� the tall ex-drone retorted.

B�Elanna couldn�t work out if the comment was a slight or a
compliment but she laughed just the same.
�Let�s hope you the the same when we land this thing,� she replied. Suddenly she noticed the results of the
surface scan. �Seven, you said this was
a Class M planet, right?�

�Negative Lieutenant.
Class N. It is a barren worldith ith surface temperatures varying between �40 and �10 degrees. I have detected no life signs other than
hardy, scrub-like vegetation. However
the atmosphere is breathable.�

�We>�We�ll freeze down there,� B�Elanna protested, shivering at
the thought.

�We stand a better chance of survival than on the shuttle in
space. I calculate that we have less
than two hundred and eight seconds before the hull breaches.� Seven�s voice remained impassive.

�That doesn�t give us much time to land,� the Klingon
grumbled but she concentrated on the controls and began to prepare.

As the lieutenant made her adjustments, Seven moved quickly
to gather materials together. She was
uncertain as to how successful the landing would be and she knew that the
environment they were headed for was hostile.
She managed to put extra blankets, clothing, tricorders and phasors into
two storage holdalls that were stored in the rear of the shuttlpan pan
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> She just had time to throw in several ration
packs before B�Elanna yelled back at her to take her seat.

The willowy blonde hurried back to the cockpit and sat down
barely in time before the shuttle was thrown about, this time by the upper
atmosphere of the planet.

�Hold on, Seven,� the Klingon warned. �This is going to be rough.� The dark engineer gritted her teeth and
began the landing sequence.

�Warning: Hull
integrity at 5%,� the computer intoned.

�Computer, mute all warnings,� B�Elanna ordered, wondering
why she hadn�t thought of that earlier.
She could feel sweat begin to form on her brow as she concentrated at
the controls, fighting the elements as the shuttle was thrown around.

The view screen changed from black to a deep red as the hull
surface heated, the friction of the atmosphere inflicting yet more pressure on
the beleaguered shuttle. Suddenly, the
view changed agao a o a bright white and the half-Klingon squinted as her eyes
adjusted to the change in luminance.

Unfortunately, there was nothing to see except a bright
white expanse. B�Elanna concentrated on
the instruments in front of her, knowing that she would not be able to judge
the height of the shuttle visually. The
brunette woman could feel Seven�s eyes boring into the back of her head and
realised that the ex-drone had said nothing for some time, obviously not
wanting to distract B�Elanna from her task.
Knowing that it wasn�t just her neck on the block spurred the Klingon to
concentrate and she willed herself to make the landing, even as she fought
against the hostile environment.

For a brief second, the Chief Engineer thought that they had
made it. The shuttle trajectory was
good and their approach to the surface was sound. However, just as she was bracing for impact, a cruel but powerful
gust of wind forced the shuttle to dip slightly to one side. The left undercarriage clipped the ground
and suddenly, the craft flipped. When
it landed again, the shuttle began to cartwheel through the snow, the sides
crumpling with each impact. By the time
it had spun twice, both occup wer were unconscious.

* * *

B�Elanna opened her eyes and realised that she was slumped
over the forward console of the craft.
She made no further effort to move, having a dread feeling that there
would be pain involved. The shuttle was
in shadow, with beams of natural light slicing through the dark from the holes
in the hull of the shuttle. Her head was pounding and her left shoulder and right leg had
localised pain. Now that she was
conscious, B�Elanna was aware of icy cold drips hitting the back of her neck
and it was irritating enough to force her to sit up, albeit somewhat
gingerly. Her jacket creaked and she
realised that she was soaked through from the water that had been dripping
through a breach in the hull above her head, and most of the water had frozen
on her back.

The brunette groaned as her back straightened and more
pressure was put on her shoulder.
Moving her arms disturbed the ice on her back and it dislodged and
slipped to the ground. As she exhaled,
a huge plume of mist escaped her lips indicating how cold it was inside the
shuttle and B�Elanna registered the harsh environment for the first time.

She glanced down and saw that her tunic was not only soaked
with water. Her shoulder was
bloodstained from the injury she had sustained there. She lowered her right hand and examined her thigh carefully,
grimacing as she found evidence of more blood.
After gentle prodding, she surmised that the leg wasn�t broken.

Now that she knew that she could stand up and move, B�Elanna
forced herself to get up and look for Seven.
The back of the shuttle had taken a great deal of damage and debris was
scattered across the cockpit, much of it already frosted over.

Underneath one large pile, but clearly visible, was a pale
hand.yes"> She frowned. �I still
have pain in my head.�

�You and me both.
I�m not surprised after the impact we had. I didn�t want to give you any painkillers until you were
conscious though. I needed to make sure
what I did was satisfactory,� B�Elanna explained, reaching over to place a hypospray
at the younger woman�s neck.

As the pain receded, Seven�s face relaxed slightly. �I was fortunate to be in the shuttle with
you Lieutenant,� she told the brunette.
�There is no one else on Voyager who would have been able to deal with
my condition so effectively.�

�Yeah, well,� the raven-haired woman tried to shrug the comment
off. �I need you at your best if we�re
going to survive out here.� She
shivered again as her body reacted to the cold inside the shuttle.

Her action was enough to spur the ex-Borg into action. �I packed equipment and supplies. We need to leave the shuttle and make our
own shelter.�

�You�re kidding right?
It�s freezing in here. How much
colder is it going to be out there?�
B�Elanna was incredulous at Seven�s suggestion.

The younger woman was already standing and trying to locate
the holdalls. �The hull is breached in
many areas. We have no power to sustain
a warm environment and the material of the shuttle will get, and then stay cold
very quickly. We need to build a small
shelter that does not require much to retain the warmth.� Seven bent down and retrieved the bags. She tossed one in the engineer�s
direction. �If there is anything else
you wish to take for immediate use, I suggest you pack it now. We can return to salvage other supplies once
we have a base secured.�

B�Elanna stared sullenly at the taller womant ant another
icy blast reminded her of the conditions within the shuttlecraft and the
engineer knew that Seven was right. She
grabbed the bag and slung it over her shoulder, wincing as her shoulder was
pulled by its weight. Transferring it
to her other shoulder, B�Elanna made a sweeping gesture with her right
arm. �Lead the way,� she suggested.

Seven cocked her head slightly, wondering why B�Elanna had
acquiesced so easily but made no further comment. Locating the exit to the shuttle, the blonde woman easily
wrenched the door open and squinted into the blinding glare of the terrain.

�There are some hills over there,� she pointed. �We should use the natural slope as a
shelter.�

�Just as long as I�m not out here too long,� B�Elanna
muttered, feeling her teeth chattering already.

The two women jumped down from the wreckage and surveyed the
landing path of the shuttle. Seven
raised an eyebrow as she saw the deep winding scar of the shuttle�s path. �I believe my initial calculation ofrvivrvival should be revised. The odds
appear to have been far worse than I calculated,� she commented blandly, her
mouth curling slightly.

B�Elanna didn�t respond.
She was too busy feeling the cold.
�Come on Seven. Get moving. I�m freezing,� she muttered, annoyed that
she was admitting weakness.

The tall borg looked closely at her companion with
concern. B�Elanna was looking pale and
she was shivering uncontrollably. �The
exercise will help warm you,� she told the Klingon and then set off at a brisk
pace, all the while keeping a surreptitious check on the shorter woman.

They made surprisingly rapid progress, which was just as
well as B�Elanna�s Klingon physiology was beginning to suffer greatly from the
environment. As she surveyed the
hillock in front of her, Seven made some rapid calculations. �If we dig out a T shape hole, we can
shelter in the top of it and store our belongings at the bottom. If made small enough, our own body heat
should keep the shelter at a survivable temperature, particularly as there
appears to be nothing that can act as fuel in the immediate vicinity.�

B�Elanna just nodded: too cold to object to Seven�s
plan. She fumbled in her bag to
retrieve a phasor and then handed it to Seven apologetically. �My hands are shaking too much. I think it�ll be easier if you cut it,� she
admitted.

Seven tried to keep the shock from her face and quickly set
to work in creating their makeshift shelter.
She made several neat incisions and then several more so that the compacted
snow could be taken out block by block.
B�Elanna assisted in the removal of the blocks and in a few minutes they
had managed to hollow out a small but adequate shelter.

Seven then ensured that the roof of the shelter was smooth
so that no unwelcome drips would irritate them and also cut out a ventilation
shaft so that there would be no dangerous build-up of carbon dioxide.

Satisfied with her handiwork, she turned to present the
shelter to B�Elanna, only to find the Klingon slumped on the ground. �Lieutenant,� she exclaimed, quickly
dropping to the brunette�s side.

�Frozen,� B�Elanna mumbled, barely conscious.

The Astrometrics officer acted quickly. She grabbed a bag and dug out a survival bag
and blanket, preparing one of the sleeping areas. Then she went back to where B�Elanna lay, picked the woman up and
carried her into the shelter.
Supporting her with one arm, Seven awkwardly removed the lieutenant�s
soaked and freezing tunic, shifting the smaller woman in her arms in order to
free her from the garment. Then she
worked off B�Elanna�s trousers, managing to prise the woman�s boots off with
her feet at the same time.

Seven was frightened at how cold the Klingon�s skin was but
forced herself to work methodically, rather than rush and make mistakes. Once the smaller woman was clad only in a
grey tank top and underwear, Seven rolled her into the sleeping area and worked
the survival bag up from her feet to encompass the woman who had now,
alarmingly, stopped shivering.

�You will warm up quickly Lieutenant,� Seven told her before
placing another blanket over the top of B�Elanna.

Seven rapidly prepared her own sleeping area on the other
side of the T bar shape, knowing that her own body temperature was beginning to
drop and recognising that she needed to sleep to assist with the recovery of
her injuries now that regeneration was no longer an option. She was deeply worried for the
engineer. The survival bags worked by
retaining the body heat emitted by the user.
At the moment though, B�Elanna was too cold to generate much heat.

Seven found herself in a dilemma. She knew that she should assist the lieutenant in raising her
body temperature but was uncertain how the fiery Klingon would react. Coming to the conclusion that it was better
for the engineer to be alive but furious, Seven quickly got down from her own
sleeping area and approached B�Elanna.

�Lieutenant?� she asked softly.

There was no response.
Torres lay unmoving in the shelter, her breath coming in short, shallow
gasps.

�Lieutenant?� Seven
tried again more forcefully. When there
was still no reaction, the blonde decided to take action. She quickly removed the blanket that covered
the Klingon and then rolled down the survival bag. She jumped up onto the ledge and stretched out next to the
Klingon, alarmed at how cold the woman was.

�What are you doing?� the engineer mumbled, lucid enough to
recognise the invasion of her personal space.

�Keeping us both alive,� Seven retorted shortly as she
adjusted her body next to the other woman.
She worked the survival bag around the two of them. It was a tight fit but eventually, she
managed to cover the pair of them with both the bag and the blanket.

Settling down, she wrapped her arms round B�Elanna, spooning
the shorter woman and rubbing her hands roughly over her arms in order to
encourage the circulation round her body.

At first, B�Elanna didn�t react but after a few moments her
body warmed enough to begin shivering again.

�Shared body heat is more efficient,� Seven whispered into
B�Elanna�s neck, anxious for the woman�s condition to improve.

B�Elanna could feel the warmth radiating from Seven�s body
and tried to relax into the younger woman�s grip and soak up some of that heat
for her own frozen body. She could feel
the curves of the woman press into her back and took comfort from the close
proximity of the ex-drone. Even in her
semi-conscious state, she realised what Seven was trying to do and was grateful
that the younger woman had thought to share body heat. She stilled Seven�s moving hands by placing
hers on top of them before pulling on them slightly to encourage Seven to hug
her. She whispered into the dark. �Thank you.�

Seven sensed the change in B�Elanna�s body. Her shivering had become less violent and
the woman was no longer rigid with cold.
There was something else that changed, but the Astrometrics officer
couldn�t determine what it was.

She did know that she was revelling in the nearness of the
older woman. She had been attracted to
B�Elanna for some time but had not acted on her feelings. All the time B�Elanna had been in a
relationship, Seven knew it would be inappropriate to reveal her desire. When Tom and B�Elanna broke up, Seven wasn�t
sure how long to wait before saying or doing anything. She had found it much easier to hide behind
the relationship excuse and now had difficulty confronting her emotions.

All she knew at the moment was that B�Elanna needed her, if
only for her body heat. For the time
being, that was enough.

To be continued�
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