Chapter 8
The day was turning out to be a perfect one. The temperature was mild, and there was a light breeze. The odd looking creatures that looked a little like the birds of Earth were out in force this morning calling to each other. It was a mixture of birds singing and a humming of insects. Not at all unpleasant. They seemed to be one species, and looked like a large canary type bird. They were all different colors, blues,yellows,oranges and some even had all colors. When they all rose to fly it looked like a kaleidoscope of colors.
Tom was on his way to the clinic to help the Doc with the physicals. They had finished the clinic a couple of months ago, and had transferred most of sick bay to the clinic. The Doc seemed happy to be off the ship. Harry's system of solar panels now powered most of the community. They only needed Voyager's impulse power occasionally now. The colony was coming along nicely. Some of the crew housing was finished, and some of the crew had opted for homes together. Some lived in a type of dormitory configuration having a large living area, kitchen, and then bedrooms. Some had five to a home and some had only two.
They had decided to let the senior staff decide how they wanted to do their dwellings. At this time, Tuvok was the only senior staff member who had chosen to keep his quarters onboard Voyager. Some of the other crew had also chosen the ship. Most though had wanted to build on the planet. The Captain's had been the first they had built. It was a nice ranch type home with a good size living room, a den and three bedrooms. She had not wanted a kitchen, because she hated cooking, but Tom had convinced her to have a nice kitchen built. He had told her he would cook for her, and said he needed a good kitchen to work in. She had been surprised he was such a good cook, and he had finally confessed that his aunt had taught him when he had spent time with her. He also told her that Sandrine had taught him a few things about french cooking. Tom was, for the moment, living with his mother but he had plotted out a lot for a home that he hoped would be for him and B'Elanna. They were starting to get closer, and he hoped that B'Elanna was beginning to feel towards him as he did for her.
They had told the crew that he was Kathryn's son over a month ago, and the crew seemed okay with it. Of course they didn't go into details of how it came about, but now the crew seemed to accept the fact. He was still the same Tom Paris he'd always been with the exception that he was more relaxed, not so on guard. His feelings were more open, and he seemed to be a lot happier. His friends were glad to see the change, and even the crew who had not particularly liked him were seeing a new man and beginning to like the young pilot.
He arrived at the clinic and went in calling out as he did
"Hey, Doc, You here?"
The Doctor came out into the main part and said
"And where else would I be?"
Tom smiled at him and said
"Just checking Doc, now that we're planet side you could be anywhere."
The Doctor had taken to wearing his mobile emitter all the time, as he never knew when he'd be needed. There had been some minor injuries in the last month. It had involved him going to the patient. Tom knew he was enjoying it immensely. The only time he took it off was when he deactivated at night.
"Mr. Paris, we have a lot of work to do this morning. We have twenty-five physicals to perform, and Kes will not be able to help this morning, as I have her monitoring some cultures I'm doing, so lets get started."
Before Tom could say anything, the first had arrived. The Doctor had scheduled them in shifts of twenty-five so they could get them done easier. They had been on the planet now for seven months, and he was anxious to see how the crew was holding up. So far they had not detected any dangerous elements and all of the crew seemed healthy, but it didn't hurt to stay on the same schedule that they had been on Voyager. With both of them running the physical's, they could take care of all the crew in a week.
They had gotten through the whole twenty-five crew members by 1300, and Tom was on his way to the communal dining room, wondering what Neelix had made for lunch. He smiled to himself as he though of the fact that there was no more leota root. For some reason, which he was very thankful for, the root would not grow here. Neelix had been very sorry, but Tom knew everyone else was happy. Tom had taken the time to help Neelix, and had taught him some simple meals. Now people were no longer grumbling about the food. As he came to the screen door, the aroma of fresh pasta and tomato sauce drifted out. His stomach began to rumble. He walked in to see several of the crew eating. There was talk and laughter all over, and it made Tom feel contented. Everyone had put their differences behind them, and they were beginning to function as a happy family. Several people waved and greeted him with a smile and a word. He walked up to the counter, and Neelix beamed at him
"Tom are you ready for some lunch? I was hoping the Doctor wouldn't keep you past lunch."
He began to dish up some pasta and then ladled on the sauce. He added a thick slice of bread, and then handed the plate to Tom.
"And how is the Captain today?"
Neelix was probably the only one, other than Kes, who still called his mom captain. Most now called her Kathryn, and only a special few called her Katie, but not in public. He smiled at Neelix and said cheerfully
"She's just fine Neelix, now that she has her home finished. I thought she was going to drive Chakotay crazy with all the changes she made to the plan, but he was great and never once got upset."
Neelix nodded. Since they had been here, the Captain and Commander were closer than ever, and everyone including Tom knew it was only a matter of time before they would marry. And, Tom was happy for them. He had come to look up to Chakotay, and Chakotay seemed quite happy to treat Tom like a son. He had taught him a lot about woodworking, and now Tom was almost as good as he was at making furniture. But he had surpassed him in the intricate detailing of design on the carvings. Chakotay knew it was due to Tom's dexterity and his eye for detail, something a good pilot needed.
Tom took his lunch and went to join Greg, Ken and Harry who were talking about the morning's work. He sat down, and when he took his first bit of lunch, without even realizing it, he sighed. It was good. The three other men smiled and Greg said
"So, you think Neelix has master some good old Alpha Quadrant foods, Tom?"
He nodded and said
"This is good, I didn't realize I was so hungry."
"Doc kept you busy this morning?"
Harry said as he took a drink from the glass in front of him.
"Yeah, we got the first twenty-five done and that means only one hundred to go. Kes is still finishing up. I told her not to wait too long, or she'll miss lunch."
Now Ken said
"So, how long will the Doc be keeping you? I could still use your help on the shuttle. I can't seem to get the sensors aligned."
"I can help you after lunch, the Doc has cut me free for the afternoon."
"Great, maybe we can get it done before sunset."
He said as he smiled. Greg shot him a sly smile and said
"Got a hot date Ken?"
Ken just looked at him with a knowing smile and nodded and said
"Yeah, Jenny Delaney and I were going to watch the moon rise tonight."
The three other men just chuckled and Greg said
"That's what you're going to do on this hot date? Watch the moon rise?"
"Well, we may cuddle a bit."
They had been getting close, and it seemed that they were closer than the three knew. The crew was starting to pair up, and quite a few couples were showing up. They had made a park along the river, and now many a night you could find couples sitting on the benches and chairs that they had scattered throughout the area. It was a perfect place to go and watch the moon rise.
Greg got up and picked up his plate and glass and said
"I've got to get back to work, we've almost got the new house finished. And the other team has started on the walls of the other one. See you all tonight at dinner."
He took his plate to Neelix, and with a word to him, he left, whistling. Harry turned to both Ken and Tom and said
"Hey, guys, I can give you a hand on the shuttle. B'Elanna has some work to do on the power grid this afternoon and doesn't need me underfoot."
He grinned at Tom and Tom nodded. They both knew how B'Elanna could get when she had things to do. So did Ken. Tom had finished his lunch, so they all rose, took the dirty things to the counter, and left to work on the shuttle.
Tom was under the console tinkering around. Finally he called out
"Okay, Ken, try them now."
Ken turned on the sensors, and scanned the colony. They seemed to be working properly now, and he let out the breath he had been holding. Tom climbed out from under the console and checked the readings. Everything looked good. Ken clapped him on the back and said
"Thanks Tom. I had worked on this all morning and now with the three of us, we got it fixed in two hours."
Harry had joined them at the console as Tom said
"It was just a misaligned sensor, but it was hiding behind that other sensor that had burned out."
Harry also put his hand on Tom's shoulder and said
"Tom, I'd never would have thought of replacing both sensor relays. I'm glad you saw it."
Tom hung his head slightly and blushed a little. He still had a hard time accepting praise. He was getting better, but he still couldn't believe he was a valued member of the community.
"It was nothing, Harry. I guess it was my navigational instinct that kicked in."
He grinned at both men.
"Well, I'd never had found it, thanks both of you."
Ken said. They shut everything down, and exited the shuttle. Ken went to the get ready for his date and Tom and Harry walked towards the town square. It was a nice place, and had been constructed around several trees, so the square was nice and shady. They had figured out a way to add a fountain, and the sound of the water was relaxing. It was one of Tom's favorite places, and he could be seen sitting on the bench sometimes, just relaxing. Now he sat down, and Harry said as he sat next to him
"So Tom, do you have any plans for tonight?"
"Yeah, I promised mom that I'd make dinner tonight. She invited Chakotay over for the evening and we were going to watch a vid."
Harry looked at him and said with a grin on his face
"You sure Chakotay wants a third wheel?"
He was laughing now as he teased his best friend. Tom joined in the laughter and replied.
"I asked her that this morning and she said that Chakotay was looking forward to see what I'd come up with for dinner and what vid we would watch."
They both chuckled and Tom continued
"You know, sometimes they act like an old married couple now. They seem content to sit at home at night and watch vids and play games."
"Good thing you have such a big collection."
Tom nodded and then fell silent for a moment. Harry watched his friend's face and knew he was thinking about his mom and Chakotay. He wondered what Tom thought about the relationship. He knew that both Tom and Chakotay had grown closer since they had been on the planet. He hoped that Tom was accepting the closeness of his mother and the first officer. Tom, since he found out that the Captain was his mother, had been somewhat possessive of her time. Not unreasonable, but he had seemed to want to spend all his free time with her. Now Tom said
"You know, I almost called Chakotay dad yesterday."
He turned to face Harry who said
"If they get married, he will be your step-dad."
"No, Harry, he will be my dad. The Admiral, even though he is my biological father, was never a dad to me. I think he even hated me. He certainly didn't love me. Even though I don't think Chakotay would ever love me as a son, I think he could like me and respect me and he would be a great dad."
Harry smiled and said
"Tom, I'm sure Chakotay respects you, and I think he is really proud of you. It's obvious with every look he gives you. He really loves your mom, and I think he could love you as a son too."
Tom looked at Harry with a look of longing on his face. He so craved the love and acceptance from the people around him. Harry was really getting to dislike the Admiral a lot. Tom was such a wonderful person, and the Admiral had tried to beat all the decency out of him. He had almost succeeded. But then they had gotten lost in the Delta Quadrant and now Tom was away from the abusive environment. He was glad that he had someone like the Captain to love him, and a good man like Chakotay that he could emulate. It was a win-win situation.
"Well, Har, I better get home so I can clean up. I'm sure I'll get a dressing down if dinner isn't ready on time."
He stood as he chuckled. Harry said goodnight, and went off to find B'Elanna to see how her day had gone, and if they were closer to getting the grid to extend throughout the colony.
Tom entered the living room and went to the bathroom to shower. He was glad they had set up a way to have running water throughout the town. They recycled all non drinking water to use to irrigate the fields of vegetables they had planted. They had a good crop and with the wild wheat, and fruit trees, they would not need to use the replicators all the time. They tried to only use them for things that the planet could not produce.
Tom turned the water on and undressed for his shower. He stepped in and stood under the hot water and let the water wash away the dirt and grime of the day. Once done, he turned off the water and stepped out to dry off. He then went into his bedroom, and got dressed. Then, he went to the kitchen to start dinner. He looked at the clock on the wall and saw he had over an hour till his mom got home. She, Chakotay and Tuvok were discussing the future of the colony. They wanted to set up some kind of governing body, and they wanted to name not only the planet, but also the town. They planned to call a planet wide meeting tomorrow night to vote on the items under discussion. They had gotten feedback from everyone, and they wanted it to be fair. Tom had given her his ideas, and he knew that all the others had too. He was anxious to know what they had talked about today.
He had decided to make a vegetable soup and salad for dinner along with biscuits. After he had the soup cooking, he turned to getting the dough made for the biscuits. He cut the biscuits and put them on the cooking sheet and put them into the oven to bake. He then went to set the table. He checked the soup, and saw that it should be ready in half an hour, so he replicated the ingredients for the salad. As he mixed the items, he smiled and thought that next year they'd all have fresh vegetables to eat. The wild wheat was growing well and then they could have flour for bread. Neelix wanted to open a bakery and Tom hoped he would. He had lots of recipes he wanted to give him.
The cow like animals had been easy to tame, and now they had a good herd of them. The milk they gave was a little richer than earth cows, but it was nutritious. Tom had designed a machine to act like a churner, so they had fresh butter. They'd also built an incubator, and Kes had been able to hatch some chicks, so now they had fresh eggs too. He was glad that they had the eggs to hatch. They now had fifty laying hens and fifteen roosters.
He had the salad finished, and as he took the biscuits out of the oven, he heard the door open and voices. He placed the biscuits down to cool and went out into the hall to find Chacotay, Tuvok and his mom coming in. He greeted them, and said
"Tuvok, are you going to stay for dinner? We've got plenty to go around."
He leaned over and gave his mom a quick peck on the cheek. She patted him on the arm and said
"Yes, Tuvok will be staying for dinner."
Tom smiled and said
"I'll go set another place. Dinner's all ready."
He went to get the extra place setting, and the others went to wash up. As soon as Tom had the food on the table, they all sat down to enjoy a meal together. The conversation was as good as the food was. The rays of the setting sun shown through the window and was a wonderful background to the meal they shared.
TBC
