Series: VOY
Codes: Paris/Kim; established Chakotay/Tuvok
Rating: NC17
Categories: Humour, Romance.
Disclaimer: These characters are the property of Paramount-Viacom. I just borrowed them and am not writing for profit.
Summary: The crew of Voyager find it impossible to mind their own business... again. (Sequel to COMMAND LOGIC)
Warnings: This is NC17 rated so graphic descriptions of m/m sex.
Author's Note: It took me a long time to write this story and I finally finished it in August 2006. Amazingly, it won some GOs in the Star Trek GO awards. (Best Paris/Other slash - 1st place; Best Chakotay/Other slash - 2nd place; Best VOY novel - 2nd place)
Command Possession - Chapter 1
Ensign Harry Kim woke with a start, abruptly leapt out of bed, tripped over a blanket and fell flat on his face.
There he lay for a long while, wondering what had woken him so suddenly. He lifted his head, and peered suspiciously around the room. Nothing seemed unusual, so he slowly sat up and asked the computer for lights.
He blinked in the sudden onslaught of brightness and once more glanced around, still finding nothing strange in his quarters. Harry frowned in abstraction. Something had definitely woken him, something strangely familiar, and it wasn't a dream or a nightmare. Shaking his head in frustration, he rose to his feet. He was obviously sorely in need of some shore leave and he smiled to himself in delight as he remembered that the much-awaited stardate had arrived, and he was about to get some.
Voyager was still travelling through an empty, and he thought privately, very boring area of space. Indeed, the only entertainment the ship had enjoyed recently was the strange beginning of a relationship between Commander Chakotay and Lieutenant Tuvok. Harry grinned to himself, as he remembered how the Commander hadn't been too thrilled at the amount of interest the crew had shown; but it had brought about a very positive outcome. In a move that Harry suspected was motivated by a need for privacy, Chakotay had convinced the Captain to allow the scheduling of the holodecks for shore leave while they were in this quiet area of space, and then had been one of the first to take the opportunity, inviting Tuvok to join him. Of course, that meant that other crewmembers were scheduled for holodeck shore leave as well, including the senior staff. It wasn't as good as the real thing but Harry wasn't complaining. His own innocent involvement in the relationship of Commander Chakotay and Lieutenant Tuvok had been nerve wracking, and he definitely needed a break from the constant speculative gossip on the ship. Today, he and Tom would enter the holodeck to begin a four-day camping holiday, and they would only be contacted if there were an absolute emergency. And that wasn't likely to happen.
Harry asked for the time. It was still early, but he felt too excited and awake to go back to sleep. Dismissing whatever had woken him as part of that excitement, he went to his bathroom and turned on the sonic shower.
It was while he was in the shower that the Captain commed him.
"Yes, Captain?" Harry answered promptly, turning off the sonics.
"Ensign, I know that you are due to start shore leave today, but something has come up. I've already commed Lieutenant Paris, and I'd like you to join us in the conference room in ten minutes."
"Yes, Captain," Harry replied, struggling to keep the disappointment out of his voice.
The Captain made no effort to keep the amusement out of hers. "Don't worry, Ensign. I have a mission for you that may turn out better than your planned shore leave."
Harry smiled as she cut the com-line, and then went to find his uniform. As he left his quarters, he glanced regretfully at the backpack he'd packed the night before.
"Gentlemen," the Captain began, waving Harry and Tom into chairs and taking a seat herself. "During the gamma shift we came upon a class M planet and made contact."
"That's strange," Harry interjected. "Long range sensors showed no sign of any planets when I finished my shift."
"Yes, apparently it appeared on sensors just after you left, Ensign," explained the Captain. "The planet is called Klexis and the leader of their government initiated contact with us. I spoke to him, explained what we're doing here and he offered their help in anyway they could. It turns out that they have large sources of galacite and I was able to come to an agreement with them to make an exchange of some data-files for the galacite. Unfortunately, they seem to have some sort of strict prohibition on using transporters, so I need someone to take a shuttle down there and make the exchange."
"And that would be me, Captain?" Tom asked.
"Yes," agreed the Captain. "There's really no one else available. B'Elanna has a lot to do in engineering; Commander Chakotay and Lieutenant Tuvok are still on shore leave in Holodeck 1. I'm... ah... reluctant to cut that short. The other thing is that this should be a pleasant trip. A real shore leave. Klexis appears to be a lovely planet and the people seem friendly. I'm prepared for you to spend the four days down there that was scheduled for your shore leave here."
Harry glanced at Tom and he could see his own excitement reflected in the other's blue eyes.
"When do we leave?" asked Tom, grinning at the Captain.
"Immediately," she replied. "A shuttle is waiting for you in shuttle bay two. There's just one more thing. Klexis has three large moons. One of them is inhabited, and we are asked to avoid this moon. You'll have to plot a detour around it."
"Why is that, Captain?" asked Harry.
"Apparently the people there hold some unusual beliefs and practice some social customs that the people on the main planet do not agree with. I don't know what those practices are, but relations between the people on the moon and the people on the planet seem quite cordial. However because of their differences, these people created their own colony on the moon, and the Klexian leader recommended that we keep away. I could see no reason to disagree. Are there any more questions?"
"No, Captain," replied Tom.
"Then dismissed," the Captain smiled, "and have a good time."
"Harry, I can't believe our luck," said Tom gleefully as he piloted their shuttle out of the shuttle bay and away from Voyager.
Klexis hung in the sky before them, a huge green-blue jewel in the blackness around her. They could see only one of her moons, gleaming with the same green glow as the main planet and a quarter of her size. This was the moon they had been told to avoid, and Harry watched Tom's fingers fly over the console as he plotted a course around it. Suddenly, Tom stiffened and shot a quick frown at Harry.
"Harry, I can't believe our luck," he repeated, but this time his voice was filled with frustration and sarcasm.
"What is it?" asked Harry quickly, checking his own panel.
"Navigation is off line," Tom answered grimly, and hit the com panel. "Cochrane to Voyager."
His answer was a burst of garbled static.
"Harry?"
"Communications are blocked somehow. I'm trying to bypass it. Give me a second."
"What the hell is going on?" Tom's voice was again filled with frustration and a lot of confusion. "I don't know how many seconds we have here, Harry. We're getting closer and closer to that moon."
"There..." Harry burst out. "Cochrane to Voyager."
This time there was complete silence.
"Cochrane to Voyager," Tom tried. Again there was silence. "Well, this trip is looking better and better."
The shuttle shuddered.
"Warp and impulse engines are now off line. We only have thrusters," announced Harry.
"See!," answered Tom. "I'll certainly have some questions for B'Elanna about how the hell this shuttle was cleared for service when we get back." He was still working frantically at the helm, his hands moving rapidly while his face remained calm. "We're caught in the gravitational pull of the moon. Better hang on, it's gonna be a bumpy ride."
"Tom, we were supposed to avoid that moon," said Harry.
"I know, but we don't have much choice. I'm sure the locals will understand." Tom grinned at him.
"Well, that wasn't too bumpy, was it?"
Harry laughed at Tom as they both struggled around the debris and out of the rear hatch.
"Not too bad actually," Harry agreed. "I think we may even be able to salvage some of the shuttle," he added generously.
"Ha! Ha!" Tom smirked at him, and then glanced around their surroundings curiously. "Not bad, if you like green."
Harry nodded in agreement. They were standing in a small clearing in what could have passed for a tropical jungle on Earth. The foliage was thick and lush, and so brightly verdant that Harry's eyes watered slightly. Even the trunks of the trees were green and, when Harry looked up, what he could see of the sky through the trees appeared to also be a soft shade of green. It was certainly very green, and it was also very...
"Hot," said Tom. "Pheww!"
Harry nodded again and they both stripped off their uniform jackets. Then Harry snapped open his tricorder and began to scan.
"Looks like we're about to meet those locals you mentioned. Six lifesigns heading our way. They appear to be all male."
"Ok," nodded Tom. "Let's hope this is peaceful. Don't draw your phaser unless I give you a sign, all right?"
Harry nodded at him and they both stood side-by-side, waiting.
They did not have to wait long. After a minute, six humanoids cautiously entered the clearing and stood before them. Harry thought they were the most human like species they had met in the Delta Quadrant so far. They were tall, about Tom's height, or even taller, and they were slender with aquiline features. Their skin was pale, so white as to be almost translucent. They all had the same hair color, a sort of deep purple and their eye color seemed to vary from brown to pale yellow. The whole effect, while unusual, was very striking.
Three of them were wearing loose robes of some sort of light, flowing material with a pearly, almost metallic sheen to it. The robes were short sleeved with a deep v-neck, and Harry thought enviously that they were definitely more appropriate for the climate than Starfleet uniforms. The other three males, were clothed in the same material, but only in loose pants, slung so low on their hips and so revealing, that Harry felt his face heat up even more in embarrassment, and he quickly looked away. His eyes met Tom's, and when he saw the sardonic amusement directed at him, his blush deepened. Resentment stirred, as always, at the ease with which Tom always seemed to know exactly when Harry was feeling awkward.
Finally one of the aliens spoke in a high, clear voice. "We are the Be'lal. Which one of you is the leader?"
Tom stepped forward. "I'm Lieutenant Tom Paris from the Federation vessel Voyager. We were on our way to the planet Klexis when we crashed on your moon. We deeply apologise for this intrusion and would be grateful for any assistance you could give us in reaching Klexis."
The alien who had spoken blinked. "Are you the leader?" he finally asked.
"Ah, I'm the ranking officer here, yes," answered Tom.
The alien suddenly broke into a radiant smile. "I am Gelvar, a leader of the Be'lal. You and your possessed are welcome here."
"Ah... my possessed?" Tom asked with a frown. "I'm not sure..."
"Is he not your possessed?" Gelvar asked, pointing at Harry.
Tom glanced at Harry in confusion. "He's with me, yes. This is Ensign Harry Kim."
"It's a pleasure to meet you," said Harry with a warm smile.
The reaction he received was not equally warm. Gelvar's face seemed to freeze in astonishment and then he stepped back, whispering to the other two aliens wearing robes. The other three aliens stared at Harry in shock, and Harry could feel their look echoed on his own face. He glanced at Tom, but Tom merely shrugged his shoulders, the puzzlement obvious in his eyes. Eventually, the Be'lals conversation finished and Gelvar glanced coldly at Harry before stepping closer to Tom.
"You allow him to speak in public?" he asked Tom incredulously.
"What?" gasped Harry before he could stop himself, and Tom shot him a quick warning look. The leader, Gelvar was frowning at Harry, but Tom swiftly moved between them speaking quickly.
"I apologise for the offence. I was not entirely sure of your customs here. I appreciate the welcome and I hope we will not intrude on your generosity for too long. Our communication systems are malfunctioning and I wonder if you would be able to help us contact the planet, or our ship?"
Gelvar looked at Tom for a long moment, and then he finally broke into a smile. "Come. You will visit with us."
He turned and swiftly walked away, the other Be'lal falling into step behind him. Harry was still feeling slightly dumbstruck but Tom reached over, grabbed Harry's arm, pulling him along as they quickly followed the procession through the trees.
"Tom," Harry hissed, finally shaking off his surprise. "What the hell is going on, and what do you think you're doing?"
"Look," Tom whispered back. "These guys can probably help us contact Voyager, so let's not rub them up the wrong way, ok? For some reason they don't seem to want you to talk, so just keep your mouth shut."
"Tom, I have a bad feeling about this..." whispered Harry, pulling his arm out of Tom's grip.
"Harry, you know the rules of first contact, not to mention common sense. Try to honor their customs, particularly when paying an unannounced and unasked for visit. It's only for a little while."
Harry sighed, "Fine."
"Thanks, Harry." Tom buzzed in his ear. "You know, my track record isn't that great on away missions, and I'd kinda like to improve it."
Harry's heart sank.