Chapter seven
"I'm not stupid, Captain Janeway." Paris snorted. "I only act like it." He replicated some water and came back to sit down at the console. "Now we can talk."
As Paris never acted so deliberately of his own accord they all sat very still. Even Tuvok had the slight downward tilt of his eyebrow that indicated concern. Their captor took a long drink of his water, blue eyes never leaving Janeway's face. After he set the cup down, he got up and walked to edge of the force field.
"You served with Admiral Paris, didn't you?" He said. A bitter tone flooded his voice the moment he mentioned his father. It was a tone of voice that she had forgotten he could use, the adventures of trying to get back home wiping her mind to Tom's old person. Yet here he was again, brought back because of an accident. "I recognized your name. He believed you were the best there could be." He paused and appraised her once more with such a gaze that she was more likely to see on her tactical and security officers.
"The old man isn't a fool. You aren't the one I'm looking for, but you should know Captain, you have a Shadow on board your ship." Paris said.
From the way he said it they all knew he meant deadly serious business. But as Paris watched them none them betrayed any surprise, only puzzlement. This did not allay Tom's suspicions. He smirked, a cold, lifeless grin that sent a shudder through Kes.
"No one wants to confess?" Paris sat down on a chair he pulled up. "Tell me Captain, do you know what a Shadow is?"
"I assume you do not mean the darkness cast by an object between light and the floor." Janeway answered.
"A Shadow is an agent placed in a government or hierarchy with the purposes of swaying politics or events to happen that benefit's the Order of Enlightenment." Tuvok informed them.
"So, they aren't as well kept a secret as they were years ago." The helmsman said, but his eyes were still mirthless. "Either that or you are confessing, Tuvok."
"I am not. However, I cannot claim my race as proof. Shadows have been discovered on my own home world. If you truly believe that a Shadow is on board Voyager, why did you not come to me or the Captain?"
Paris leapt to his feet, fear flashing over his face. "I still don't know if you aren't one! I don't know why I'm here. Clearly my presence here is a problem. You had me strapped to the bio-bed! I can tell you this; I will kill myself before I let you touch me again!"
"Mr Paris, I do not believe there are any Shadows on board Voyager." Tuvok stood up. "Since you clearly have hacked your way into the ships systems to be able to create a force field around Sick Bay and disable the ship from obeying the captain, access my security files. You will see no suspicion of such activity."
Tom was pale, but Janeway was close enough to see he was sweating heavily. The strain his flashbacks was having on him, mingled with his still weak head, had to be disastrous for his health, and she was growing more alarmed for the state of his mental health. Yet at the same time, she marveled at how well he was keeping it together in spite of his brief bursts of fear.
He returned to the console and attempted to do what Tuvok said, but he swayed and leaned against the console after only a few moments. Straightening up he picked up the phaser. His hand was not so steady now, and Janeway held up a hand when Ayala stood up. "Careful." She whispered.
"Only Tuvok." Tom hissed in a hoarse voice. None of them made a move as the force field was lowered and Tuvok stepped back into the Sick Bay. Once the force field was raised again, Tom pointed at the console. "Come here and show me."
Tuvok obeyed, walking to the console. Tom stepped back, out of his reach, but watched as the Vulcan's long fingers typed rapidly. The pilot drew nearer unconsciously.
Tuvok turned as soon as Paris was near enough, grabbed the pilot's pressure point in his neck and then gently lifted the now unconscious man up before he collapsed to the floor. Chakotay rubbed his own aching head, clearly wishing Paris had shared his ignominious heap. Two minutes later, they were all free and were working to restore contact with the rest of the ship.
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Once the holo-emitters had been replaced, the Doctor and Kes had run a complete bio scan on Paris, who had apparently succumbed to a comatose state again. He was moved to the same bay where he had held his hostages and place on full monitoring, while a force field was erected to keep him from causing further trouble, though even Chakotay had admitted they could not in good conscious press charges against the confused man. Ayala remained in Sickbay as a sort of guard at his own volition.
In the mean time the senior staff, minus the helmsman, gathered in the conference room. There the whole situation was laid before them, including Tom's accusations and the explanation Tuvok had offered. The Tactical Commander had more to add.
"Captain, you will recall that Mr. Paris referred to me as Corvik when I first entered Sick Bay. I am puzzled that he could know that name, and know him enough that he could mistake my features for his. However, the very fact that Mr. Paris knows of the Order of Enlightenment and their Shadow agents, could be accounted for by the fact that he knows Governor Corvik."
"Corvik is a governor?" Janeway was surprised.
"Yes Captain. There is a small three-planet system a day and four hours flight from Betazoid. All three planets can sustain life, although none of them have any native sentient life. Colonists who were trying to create a simple life after the Romulan War settled the planets a hundred years ago. Settled there one hundred years ago. In the years that have passed they have become a prosperous world and they have united their government into one. The planets were settled first by a co-colony of humans and Vulcans, but they welcomed all who could come with designs of peace.
"These planets call themselves the independents. While they are allies of the Federate, they are also their own separate entity. Due to a disagreement on the moral relativity of the Prime Directive, they refused admission to the Federation. As of the time of our arrival in the Delta Quadrant, Corvik of Vulcan was governor of the Independents."
"Well, Mr. Tuvok, we appear to have a mystery on our hands. How does Mr. Paris know such a reputed man as Corvik?"
"Indeed. I would like to know. Mr. Paris' own reputation would not indicate him being welcomed in that system."
"What I want to know," Ensign Kim spoke up, "is how Tom could know of an Order that is kept so secret only Tuvok knows about it."
"If this incident has taught us anything, it is that Tom Paris knows a good deal more than any one suspects." Chakotay pointed out. "He not only managed to swipe phasers from two highly trained officers, he also managed to isolate Sick Bay in only a quarter of an hour, cutting us off from the rest of the ship without even communications. I don't think anyone could just do that."
"The Order of Enlightenment is a group of an unknown number of persons who influence politics and evens to their ends. Their chief end is to gain power for themselves. Since the few planets that we know of have always been adversely affected by their actions it can not be expected that they want to use said power for any good." Tuvok said. "I am only aware of it myself due to my previous posting in Starfleet Acadamy. My immediate superior was Admiral Liruk, also a tactical officer. The Admiral had served with Ambassador Spock, who was the first to uncover evidence of this conspiracy."
"This does not answer how Paris, of all people, would know about them." Torres blurted.
"Now does it seem to explain why these people tortured Tom? How is he a threat to them?" Kes said sadly. Janeway was startled by the innocent girl's question, for she immediately realized that if they could answer that they would see the puzzle pieces fall into place.
"Commander Tuvok, I believe that under the circumstances we should go through Mr. Paris's personal logs. Not only have his own actions endangered people, but his accusations could indicate a much larger threat that he may have knowledge of, but that he cannot communicate in his present state." The Captain said. Her officers were immediately uncomfortable. None of them would wish for such an invasion of privacy, yet none protested. Both the possible threat and the mystery of the one man they had all thought they could read like a book made them accept the charge.
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Ensign Harry Kim let himself and Commander Tuvok into Tom Paris's neat quarters. Although Tom collected all sorts of odds and ends, his military upbringing had instilled a sense of order in him. Yet even in his arrangements of his personal items, there was a hint of rebellion. His clothes might be neat and carefully arranged, but he intentionally mingled his uniforms among his civvies. He openly displayed such odd trinkets as a bat'leth, a model ship that he had designed himself, and odd rocks and souvenirs he would come up with on their various away missions, many of which were bizarre and dark.
The two men sat down at the computer console and Harry mournfully pulled up the log in screen. He felt as if they were violating his friend's peace of mind. He entered Tom's code. After Tom had repeated broken into Kim's quarters the ops officer had complained hard enough that the pilot had taught him how to 'pick the lock' and after that they had always know each other's codes, barging in and out of the others rooms with a sense of brother-ship.
"Access denied." The computer informed them in its nasal monotone.
Harry sighed and set about hacking into Tom's personal database. He found the task much more difficult than he had imagined. Tom had encrypted his files well. It took the combined efforts of Harry and Tuvok to break in.
They pulled up Tom's personal Logs.
They were encoded to: Thomas E Paris, to be sent to Governor Corvik of the Independents and Ianna Loio in the event of his death.
Harry started to play the first file.
