How To Save A Life- Chapter 11
Deep Space Nine
Tom Paris was standing on the Promenade of Deep Space Nine. Next to him was Q who was leaning against the wall. There was no one walking around them, everyone was frozen in place. Jadzia was half way between the stairs and the Bajoran shrine.
"I know what I'm going to do." Tom said to Q.
"Good, what is it?" Q asked.
"I know what the right thing to do it." Tom started. "The right thing to do is to let her die."
Q looked at Tom with only a tiny bit of surprise. "You're going to let her die?" Q asked.
"It's the right thing to do." Tom replied and then he looked at Q, offering a small smile. "But I don't always do the right thing."
"Wait, what?" Q asked.
"I'm going to save her." Tom answered. "I'm going to save Jadzia. If letting her live makes the Dominion War last longer, imagine what will happen if I tell her what to do! If one person can make that drastic of a difference…I think they're worth keeping around."
"What?!?!?!" Q asked raising his voice.
"You said that even if I could tell Jadzia everything, she would still suffer from the miscarriages, right?" Tom said.
"Yes, but-" Q started.
"Are you going to let me tell her what she should do or are you going to force me to let her die?" Tom asked.
Q stood there looking at Tom straight in the eyes. He had been in so much trouble with the Q council recently that he was jeopardizing his powers to coming here and helping Paris. Why was he doing it? Because he felt like it and also because Q wanted to give the finger to the council saying that he didn't really care what they thought, even though he actually did, he just didn't want them to think that.
But the real problem was that Q expected Tom to let Jadzia die after learning of the terrible consequences that would befall the war with the Dominion. The two things that the Q preached were: Don't provoke the Borg and to keep the Dominion war as it is. Q had to think, if Tom Paris kept Jadzia alive and had told her the specific things that needed to be done, would the end really be that different than what it should have been?
"Q, are you okay?" Tom asked. "You're kind of giving me the creeps."
"Why do you humans seem so simple, but turn out to be so god damn complex?" Q shot back. Q looked away from Tom for a second, and then looked back. "I will tell you what you need to tell her. She'll remember you, but if she utters a word about seeing you, then she's dead."
Tom nodded his head. "Got it." Tom replied. "Can we get this started?"
"Fine." Q said and then snapped his fingers, yet nothing happened…at least on Deep Space Nine. Back on Voyager the viewscreen went back to black, Tom's face disappearing.
"Why do you keep snapping your fingers and nothing happens?" Tom asked.
"It's not important, don't worry about it." Q replied. "Are you ready?"
"I'm as ready as I'll ever be." Tom answered. Q snapped his fingers and the people around them began to move. Tom was now in the process of saving his best friends life.
