The Personal Logs of Tom Paris

Author's Note: This will be a rather long project as I plan to do a log entry for all the episodes.

Caretaker

Stardate 48315.6

Personal Log, Tom Paris, Starfleet Observer

I don't even know where to begin. Captain Janeway got me out of the penal colony to help find the Marquis ship where her Tactical Officer was working undercover. Next thing you know, we were flung to the other side of the galaxy. Several people died. I have to admit not feeling too bad about Cavit or the Doctor because they treated me like dirt. Lieutenant Stadi was a different matter. She was nice enough, even with my flirtatious attitude.

Captain Janeway went to help in engineering because the chief was dead and the core was on its way to breaching. She told Harry to get down to sickbay since no one was responding down there. I had two choices...stand on the bridge and do nothing or go with Harry. We found the Doctor and his nurse dead. Harry activated the Emergency Medical Hologram—some sort of new emergency supplement to a ship's doctor. He started barking out orders, not realizing we were not medics.

Before we could even get a start on treating people, we were transported inside the array to some sort of holographic simulation of a farm. Harry and I found life signs in the barn. That's when all hell broke loose.

We were all put in some sort of lab. Needle like probes pierced our chests. The last thing I remember was Harry screaming.

We ended up back on Voyager three days later; everyone except Harry that is. The Maquis ship also had a missing crew member. Captain Janeway suggested that they work together to find them. Chakotay, Ayala, and Tuvok—Janeway's Chief of Security who was working under cover beamed over.

To say Chakotay was not happy with that or seeing me would be a vast understatement. Captain Janeway was quick to make him back down when he verbally ripped into me. I was glad because I have feeling fists would have soon followed his words.

The Captain decided to break out the compression phaser rifles. As they started to leave, I stopped her and asked to go with them. At first she thought it had something to do with what Chakotay said. I assured her it didn't, that I just didn't want anything to happen to Harry. She let me come along.

We didn't find them on the array. Only the old banjo player was there. He said we didn't have what he needed and ended up sending us back to Voyager.

We headed to a planet where the array was firing the energy pulses. As we headed there we found an alien named Neelix who offered to help us for water of all things.

We meet another alien race he called the Kazon-Olga and rescued Neelix's girlfriend from them. At first I thought it was a rather rotten trick, but then his girlfriend, Kes who was an Ocampan insisted they help us.

We beamed to the underground where the Ocampans live and began a search. After a lot of confusion, Neelix, Kes, and I found them in a tunnel. Meanwhile the Array had begun sealing the energy conduits and we couldn't be beamed up. We got to the barrier where there was a breach and got through. Neelix and I used out phasers to make an opening to escape through. After we got everyone out, I was able to contact Voyager to arrange a beam up when a energy pulse hit dust billowed up out of the hole we'd just climbed through. I couldn't get any answers to my hails to the Captain, so I ordered Voyager to beam the others back so I could help the others. Neelix stayed behind to help too.

I ended up saving Chakotay's life. I may not really like the man, but I wasn't going to let him die.

We battled with the Kazon over the array. Captain Janeway beamed over to the array to try to arrange to have both Voyager and the Maquis ship sent back to the Alpha Quadrant. I was so surprised when she told me to take the conn station.

Chakotay ended up sacrificing his ship to help save Voyager; we beamed him out just in time.

When the Captain got back to the ship and destroyed the array to save the Ocampa's. The Caretaker as they called him was dying and the battle had caused damage to the array's self destruct system. B'Elanna Torres, Chakotay's engineer went off, but Chakotay stopped her.

After things settled down, the Captain called me into her Ready Room. I found out some things in there. Chakotay and the other Maquis were going to be a part of the crew. Chakotay would make sure the Maquis crew didn't hassle me. He was going to be the First Officer and me…Tom Paris would be the Lieutenant assigned to conn.

Neelix and Kes decided to go with us with Neelix acting as our guide as we make our way back to the Alpha Quadrant. With the Captain's determination, I know we'll make it back in a lot less than 70 years.

I have a fresh start that I thought would never be possible. I am not going to let my Captain down.