Chapter 8
"You will not go to the Academy. Only cowards need Starfleet to hide behind. You will grow to a brave and honorable warrior, serving that vast and great Klingon Empire." D'Elaine started. "If you wish, I will enter you in the Klingon Academy." Her voice was unusually bland, which meant her horrendous temper was in check for the moment. B'Elanna was so mad that her mother wouldn't let her go to the Starfleet Academy.
She'd been working for a year now, since she was 16 ½ to convince her mother that she could go. She had slept with all sorts of guys to guarantee good grades on group projects. She stayed up all night, weeks in a row, to pass the tests. Now that she was accepted into the Academy, her mother wouldn't let her go.
"You were married to a 'fleeter, or have you forgotten?" B'Elanna cried suddenly at her mother.
"No, I have not forgotten. That was the biggest mistake I ever made. It has caused me nothing but trouble." D'Elaine replied.
B'Elanna's whole body stung and then went numb. She knew her mother thought of her as a mistake, but it still hurt to hear her say it. A heavy fog settled over B'Elanna's brain. Then she quickly built up the walls that protected her from other people. The same walls she had used in her relationships with all of her boyfriends. She wanted to cry, her dreams had just been shattered. She loved engineering, now her mother wasn't going to give her the option to become one of the most prestigious engineers in the galaxy.
Not wanting to look at her mother any longer, B'Elanna stumbled to her feet and ran to her bedroom, slamming the door. After a few seconds, she heard all the locks click.
If she were ever going to do something with her life, it would have to start now.
Grabbing a black duffel bag from a shelf in her closet, B'Elanna began throwing what she'd need into it. Some extra clothes, a few pads with engineering manuals on them, and the letter of acceptance and full scholarship to the Starfleet Academy entered the bag.
She decided she'd hitch hike her way to earth. It wouldn't be any rougher than living at home.
Since her mother had thrown out Teznar, B'Elanna's life had gone downhill. She slept with any and every guy she crossed paths with. She'd lost count of how many guys that was, but didn't care to try and remember. She had become something of a sideshow at a perverse circus. Most of the guys just wanted to see if what they heard about Klingons was true. B'Elanna had always put on quite the act for them. There was never any type of love between her and the numerous partners, but she didn't care. It was a way to pass the time. At least when she was in bed with them, they didn't call her names.
At least that would be over now. No more sleeping with guys to guarantee a passing grade. She'd get away from her reputation, start over at the Academy.
B'Elanna walked over to the window and pried open the access panel beneath it. A few seconds later, the window opened. Shouldering the bad, B'Elanna slipped out into the reddish glow as the hot sun of Q'Nos set. Starting off at a slow jog, she headed down the road gradually increasing her pace. Her destination was the docking bay. She'd by a ticket for the next shuttle headed for the Alpha Quadrant. She didn't really care where its destination was, as long as she got there. She had six months before she turned eighteen and could enroll in the Academy.
B'Elanna felt very lucky, she couldn't believe her break. The next off-world flight was leaving tomorrow morning and heading straight for earth. B'Elanna bought a ticket. Tonight she'd stay in a hotel room and tomorrow she'd be off to follow her life's dream. She was headed for the Academy on a full scholarship. She, B'Elanna Torres, the half-breed mongrel, was going to become a member of the prestigious Starfleet.
After seven days travel, the shuttle docked on earth. B'Elanna didn't know what she was going to do. She still had six months until she could enroll in the Academy and no where to go. She had some Klingon money, but not enough for an apartment. She didn't have a job. For right now, she'd just have to check into a hotel. She began walking down the streets of San Francisco. Heads turned and people stared as she passed. Mothers shoved their children away from her. B'Elanna was use to it. People were scared of Klingons, even after the Federation/Klingon Peace Treaty. To B'Elanna, it was a fact of life.
After a few minutes, B'Elanna came to a cheap trashy hotel, owned by a Ferengi. She checked in at the front desk and then headed towards room 147. The room contained a bed, dresser and a small replicator unit. After throwing her duffel bag on the ground, she dropped onto the bed and fell asleep. She was extremely tired from her journey and she would have to start hunting for a job tomorrow. Maybe she'd look up her dad. When he had left, he'd been heading for earth. There was a slight chance he might still be here. It was not very likely, though, the geology of the earth was already pretty much explored.
The next morning, B'Elanna woke refreshed and with replenished energy. After a quick shower, she headed out to search for her father. She had decided the Starfleet Headquarters would be the best place to start. Upon arriving, she paid the fees to use the information console and chose the people search. She tapped in 'Torres, Paul' and 'human.' After a few seconds, the terminal displayed his service records. She downloaded them onto a blank padd and left. She didn't really want to read them now and even if she had wanted to, she didn't have the time. She had an interview at a repair shop in 10 minutes.
***
Running from a history, a past
Leave it all behind me
Will the next day be my last
Another fight, another win
Left a thousand lovers behind
Those I used to try and quench the rawness inside
It hurts worse still
Millions left me feeling lost and cold
Alone in a world of pain
Never one I loved did I behold
A contemplation
Of self mutilation
-By: Alyson Louise
***
Starfleet Academy. Eighteen years Tom had been outwardly waiting this time with happiness. But inwardly, he didn't want to be there.
He had stepped off the shuttle and was now standing in front of the Starfleet Academy Entrance building. It was huge. A flag of every Federation planet fluttered in the Californian wind and the fountain out front was spraying water, which caused mist to whip around Tom's face.
He was glad his mom had decided to stay home and not coming with him. He didn't want her there and making a big deal about him getting older. She'd done that at home.
What made Tom a little angry was that neither Danielle nor Nicole had come to see him. Nicole had been accepted into the Aldebaran Music Academy and Danielle was busy with her plant studies. In fact, Tom realized, he hadn't seen his oldest sister in the flesh in 4 years, and for some odd reason, that bothered him. What also bothered him was his life since he realized his best friend had been using him because of his father's position. Jeff and Tom hadn't gotten along since that incident with the shuttle and Tycho City. Their friendship ended soon afterwards and Tom had started hanging around friends that his parents didn't like, especially his father. Tom started drinking and gambling, and womanizing, which was now second nature in his life.
His father hadn't had much time to be around Tom, and they grew even further apart than before. Admiral Paris was hardly ever home, and when he was, he was arguing with Tom about his friends, or something else he didn't find satisfactory in Tom's life. Tom soon learned that Admiral Paris preferred to spend time away from his son, and Tom was fine with that, although he knew the Admiral wanted his son to excel in his studies and not his social life.
Sorry to disappoint, Dad, Tom thought bitterly.
"Are you going in or are you just going to stand here for the rest of eternity?"
Tom jumped at the sound and turned around. A half human, half Bajoran stood behind him, arms crossed. He was scowling.
"Maybe I'll just stay here." Tom snapped. He turned away, glanced down at his padd, then headed off towards his dorm.
While wandering through the halls of the Academy, Tom noticed the kid was trailing him. He quickened his pace, and so did the kid. Where the hell was his dorm?
"Are you following me?" Tom asked suddenly, turning to face the Bajoran.
The kid glared at Tom. "No."
"Good."
Tom continued walking, and so did the Bajoran.
108, 109, 110, 111…Tom stopped in front of room 112. So did the Bajoran.
Tom suddenly understood. "Oh no." He muttered.
"Hey, I don't like this any more than you do." The Bajoran snapped. He reached forward and touched the keypad.
The door snaked open and they entered together, squeezing through the door jam. Tom glared at the kid, then looked around. He knew what the dorms looked like, he had seen them on his tour when he was seven.
Tom flung his duffel bag onto the bed nearest to the door, immediately claiming it. Then he turned to the Bajoran/human.
"Since we're going to be sharing a dorm," Tom started. "I guess I should introduce myself. I'm Tom Paris." He extended his hand.
"Dnar Kevin." He took Tom's hand limply, then turned away to face his bed.
Tom frowned. Dnar Kevin? He knew Dnar wasn't human, but still…it clicked. Bajorans always put their last names first. It was a sign of family to them or something like that. "Mind if I call you Kevin?"
Kevin shrugged. "Go ahead."
Two weeks at the Academy and 10 calls from Tom's parents hadn't softened Tom Paris. He tried hard in all his classes, but still spent all his time checking out the hundreds of girls that attended the Academy. Kevin was scarcely seen in those two weeks, but Tom didn't mind. He liked spending time alone.
His parents seemed to not get the point, especially his mom. Every call they made lasted at least an hour and if Tom was lucky, only a half an hour. Mrs. Paris insisted on knowing everything that was going on at the Academy, as if she'd never been there before. She told Tom that she was 'counting down the days until Parent Visitation Day.' Tom, on the other hand, dreaded it.
"You have to show us your dorm and introduce us to your roommate." Tom muttered to himself, mimicking his mother. He hadn't done either.
Tom groaned inwardly. Four weeks he'd been at the Academy. With his parents there to look over his shoulder, things were going downhill, fast.
Admiral Paris had insisted on bragging about his son to every one of his captain and Admiral friends that were there for Parent Visitation Day. That drove Tom crazy. His mom asked who the 'social' people were and started talking to them. Tom knew his mom was always sort of a 'social butterfly' as they were called in the 20th century.
Tom sat alone at a table, nursing drink (which he was on his 3rd) and was extremely bored.
"Mind if I join you?"
Tom recognized the voice, so he didn't look up, just nodded.
Kevin sat down. There was silence between them. Kevin looked around and sighed.
"What?" Tom snapped, immediately regretting it. "Sorry. I guess I'm a little…annoyed with my parents."
"At least yours came." Kevin mumbled. He said it like he didn't care, but Tom knew disappointment when he saw it.
"Where are they?" Tom asked, offering Kevin one of his drinks.
"Mom's dead." He replied, gratefully accepting the drink. "She was a Resistance fighter on Bajor. I was four when she died. Don't know anything about my dad, never met him. All I know about him is that he is human." Kevin shrugged. "I grew up on a station called Terok Nor, it's a Cardassian station orbiting Bajor. Ever hear of it?"
Tom shook his head. "Can't say that I have."
"Oh. It's…kind of a death camp, like they had during Earth's WWII. I stowed away on a shuttle bound for earth last year and ended up here."
"You like history?" Tom asked, suddenly interested when Kevin brought up WWII.
"Sure. Anything from the 20th century, up."
"Me too!" Tom was starting to have 2nd thoughts about his roommate. Kevin wasn't as bad as Tom had first thought.
"Tom!" Mrs. Paris' voice cut through the conversation.
Tom groaned. "Uh oh. If I were you, I'd get out of here."
Kevin made a beeline for the door, but was cut off Mrs. Paris.
He sat down, casting a worried look at Tom, who raised his glass and downed the rest of his drink.
