The corridors were empty, the scattered crew of the night-shift busy
elsewhere. Therefore nobody noticed Tom Paris as he strolled casually down
the hall, silent as a ghost. It wasn't a conscious effort to remain silent;
it was just something he did. He didn't need to worry about that now
though, nobody knew he was up and about, and that was the way he wanted to
keep it.
It was 0300 in the morning, way too early to be taking a short stroll on his ship, but he preferred it to his cramped quarters. He couldn't sleep there; he wasn't used to it. He'd woken up on the floor beside his bed, clad only in his boxers. Habits died hard he supposed, but he remembered specifically lying down on the bed the night before. He also vividly remembered his dream. He didn't need images of his friends hating him and then every one of them dying because he had disobeyed orders.
He had a meeting with Voyager's Senior staff at 0700, after that he was reporting to the mess hall to help Neelix. Well, this is a great start to an exciting day. He turned sharply and entered the holodeck through its already open door. The one good thing about being up this early was the fact that the holodecks were usually unoccupied unless being used for testing purposes or other crewmembers who were supposed to be sleeping. Such as himself.
The doors slid shut and he stood staring into the room. He could feel the faint vibration of Voyagers engines as they flew through the uncharted space. He'd also noticed the slight change in direction Voyager had made a few minutes before, not that their current direction meant much to him. It seemed he was only hanging around for the temporary ride, according to the crew. He sucked in a breath and exhaled between his teeth, a slight whistling sound filled the room.
Ahh, the holodeck. The place where he could come and create anything he wanted. The place where he usually retreated every morning during his entire stay on Voyager. He shook his head at the thought, sadly smiling to himself. Ah, the secrets we mere mortals wield. He gave up on the poetic thought and strolled to the control panel, expertly manipulating it until his programs were listed in order on the screen before him. They were all there, with Sandrine's right on top. He grinned.
"Computer, activate program Sandrine's." In an instant the grated surroundings and the yellow stripes of the walls disappeared, the lights dimmed drastically, creating a warm glow and he was standing in the centre of the room. His room, as he'd claimed it when he first created the holodeck program. The wooden tables were polished nicely, the notches in the materials hard texture made all the more prominent. The occasional candle burned in the corner tables, the pool table was illuminated in its place of glory off to his right. And the bar, bottles lining the back wall covering the large mirror, was surrounded by a few of the regulars.
"Thomas!" It took no time for Sandrine to notice his appearance and she flowed over to him, her eyes alight with happiness and relief. She enveloped him in one of her famous hugs, and brushed her lips quickly across his cheek. Her perfume lightly walked across his senses. It had taken forever to make her program smell right. He returned the embrace before she stepped back, there was not one hint of the flirtatious women she could be when others were around.
"Darling. I am so glad you decided not to follow through with your plan. I was so worried that you would leave me. Though I am curious as to why you changed your mind." She gazed at him, waiting for a reasonable explanation. Instead she received a sad and apologetic look, before he answered.
"I did follow through with the plan Sandrine. Now I'm back." She stared at him a moment, and then realization dawned in her intelligent eyes. She gently grasped his hand and led him to a corner table, where they both sat. He waited for her reaction, and it came in the calm way he always remembered.
"How long my Thomas?"
"One year."
"One year." She stared silently at him a moment, and he hated himself for telling her. "No one has activated my program for one year." She stated the fact as though it was okay, but he saw the hurt in her eyes, and he cursed himself for telling her. He hated hurting her like this. Most people would have laughed at him for being so concerned for a program, but she wasn't just a program. He'd needed someone to talk to, someone whom he could tell his secrets. The real Sandrine was the only person he had ever entrusted his secrets with, so when he created her as a holodeck program he had made her sentient. Exactly like the Doctor, this Sandrine had emotions, the ability to think, and she knew exactly what she was. A hologram. That had never stopped her from being there for him. He needed to remove that pained look from her eyes.
"They haven't activated the program in a year, but it wasn't because of you Sandrine. It's because of me. They didn't take to well to my plan either."
"You have not told them have you Thomas?" He looked away for a moment, breaking their intense eye contact.
"No, I haven't."
"Thomas, you must tell them!"
"I know, and I might tell them one day, but right now it is not important."
"It is important Thomas! They need to know." He looked into her deep brown gaze, and hated what he was about to ask, simply because he knew she would hate it.
"Sandrine, I need you to make me a promise…"
"Non. Don't do this. You said to tell them the truth. You are back now Thomas, don't do this to yourself again."
"Sandrine please. Don't tell them, for me." He concentrated on putting every ounce of pleading he had into his eyes; She never refused him when he did that, until now.
"Non. This isn't right. You must tell them why you left. Do not be selfish!"
"I'm not being selfish!" He argued, sitting taller in defence. Was he being selfish? No, he wasn't. He was doing what was best for him, and them. What the crew of Voyager didn't know wouldn't hurt them.
"Thomas…"
"Sandrine please. If I ever needed you to keep a secret, it's this one. I know you remember our original agreement; that you wouldn't tell them until after they were home. They didn't get home, Sandrine. It didn't work." Remorse and the heavy feeling of failure washed through him so strongly that he was unable to conceal it, and Sandrine noticed. Her eyes shone with tears that she was trying not to shed as she reached for his hand, and grasped it firmly.
"I am so sorry Thomas."
"It's okay, just another screw up for my list. Let's make this one screw up they don't know about." She watched him, drinking in his sorrow and wanting to help him. He knew she didn't agree with him about keeping this all a secret. She didn't understand him enough to know how he was feeling, and therefore couldn't really judge him. When she finally nodded her agreement, he let out the breath he had been holding. She was as good as her word.
"Thank you." He rose smoothly from his seat.
"You will come visit non?"
He grinned at her. "Every chance I get."
"So I will see you in a year?" She joked, attempting to lighten the mood. He appreciated her effort.
"You can count on it." He kissed her lightly on the cheek, and shut off her program. Thank god that went as well as he'd hoped. If she hadn't agreed to keep it all a secret, he would have had to delete the knowledge from her programming. Considering that he considered her as a sentient being, it would have been a hard thing to do.
Once again standing in the barren room that was the holodeck, Tom went to the control panel to look at his programs. Nobody had deleted them, or visited any of them in his absence. It hurt to think that they had taken his leaving to such extremes as to not bother even deleting his programs. The fortunate thing was that now he didn't need to spend countless hours recreating them.
"Computer, upload program Paris Beta Grease-monkey and initiate privacy lock." The familiar garage surrounded him instantly, not a tool out of place and not a grease spot missing. And in the centre of it all: his Camaro. It was a beauty of a car, and he gave the red hood an affectionate pat as he passed by it, and walked out the back door without a backwards glance.
The gravel path just outside the door led away from the building, between two houses backyards. After a minute he was walking with long strides towards a grassy slope that was located at the edge of town, a good five minute walk from his garage. When he finally reached the top of the slope, he closed his eyes and let the morning's warm breeze brush softly by him. For a moment he forgot everything, and then it came rushing back and his eyes opened, revealing two emotionless light grey orbs. Time of peace was over for the morning; he needed to get his exercise running.
"Computer, deactivate Paris Beta Grease-Monkey's specific program safety locks. Authorization: Shik has seven toes and a lucky charm." He waited a moment for the holodeck to find his code. It was a detailed, and mainly hidden safety protocol that Tom had activated before he'd left Voyager. He hadn't wanted anyone to get hurt.
"Specific program safety locks deactivated on 'mark.'" He counted to two and a half, then spoke simultaneously with the computer:
"Mark." He'd also made sure that if anyone ever did figure out his program they would have to have the perfect timing to match the voice sequencing. If you were .3 seconds off, the program would delete itself permanently. What could he say? He was a cautious guy, when it came to others.
"Computer, deactivate holodeck safety protocol."
1
2 "Warning, safety protocols…"
"Override." He ordered and looked down the grassy slope, to the thick forest that lay at its base. The forest looked so welcoming and safe, the leaves glittering in the sun's rays. It was an artist's perfect painting, the ideal image, until you entered it.
This was his exercise program. It was one of the places which he had trained every day after beginning Voyager's journey. For the next hour and a half, he would fight against the deadly, cunning, and ever-changing warriors he'd long ago created. Every time he stepped into the trees, it was a new fight. His muscles tensed in anticipation. Over the last day he hadn't had any source of real exercise, and his energy level had skyrocketed. It was amazing how you got used to a routine, and when it was broken your body and mind were affected by its absence. There were always the instances when he hadn't been able to fit his workout into his daily routine. Those were the days he usually ended up getting on everyone's nerves. The first few months aboard Voyager had been the worst. With no program, and little time to work on one, Tom had not been very easy to get along with. The fact that everyone had already pretty much hated him had not helped at all.
Enough reminiscing, he thought. It's time to get down to business. He took a deep breath, preparing himself, and then he took off down the hill, towards the forest. His feet barely touched the ground, and by the time he reached the shelter of the trees, he was ready for the battle.
((/\))
Tuvok sat tall in his seat, silently observing each individual in the room. The atmosphere was tense, none of the Senior staff members were talking amongst themselves in their usual morning banter. And it was understandable that they were acting this way, considering the unusual situation involving Tom Paris. It seemed every member aboard Voyager had a problem with their pilot's return, with the exception of a few. Tuvok would be surprised in fact, to discover that the next five sectors of space along Voyager's path hadn't heard the news of Mr. Paris' return from the way the gossip mill was running.
At that last thought he allowed himself a moment of private satisfaction. The members of Voyager usually assumed that he didn't pay attention to the communication that was Voyagers 'grape-vine.' On the contrary, he heard everything that went on aboard his ship. He had always felt that it was necessary to be aware of every rumour on board for security reasons. He knew things that Neelix didn't, and that was saying something.
He turned his attention back to his surroundings as the door on the far wall opened, and Tom entered the room. Tuvok met his eyes and Tom nodded for a brief moment, before breaking the contact. He then proceeded to the far end of the room, where he stood tall and avoided eye contact with everyone. Any Vulcan would be proud to be able to exhibit the lack of emotion Tom now managed.
Gazing quickly around the room, Tuvok noted that B'Elanna hadn't stopped glaring at the pilot since his entrance. Harry avoided eye contact, Chakotay was impassive and Baytheart was uncomfortable, shifting in his seat every fifteen seconds. The tension was almost overbearing.
He admitted to himself that he had been…hurt, by Tom's departure but his respect for the man had not allowed him to interfere with his decision to leave. It never made sense to him why the pilot would just leave so suddenly, but he had always had some small suspicions. Ones he couldn't yet prove, and he wouldn't interrogate Tom unless he had a solid evidence to force the pilot to answer truthfully, but the suspicions were there all the same.
Captain Janeway walked into the room then, greeting everyone in turn. She didn't greet Tom who stood silently, still not a flicker of emotion evident on his face. She took her seat and the meeting immediately began. He noted with dissatisfaction that Tom was, again, not offered a seat.
They went through every general report which every station had to offer, before they began the important matter of how Tom arrived onboard Voyager. Tuvok had worked with Harry late into the evening, and early this morning and they had come up with no satisfactory explanation.
"Mr. Kim, Tuvok. Is there any explanation as to why Mr. Paris suddenly appeared with us?" The Captain's voice was void of its usual warmth and curiosity. She was not enjoying this situation anymore than the average member of the crew it seemed. Tuvok decided to let Harry answer, seeing as he was already opening his mouth to speak.
"No Captain. Whatever it was that brought Mr. Paris here left no trace to follow. Not even a brief flicker of special distortion, radiation, particle movement. Nothing." The Ensign did not hide the irritation in his voice, and Tuvok spared a quick glance towards Tom, who remained indifferent, staring silently at the wall.
"Perhaps I can help." The voice came out of nowhere, and Tuvok, along with everyone else in the room swiftly turned to stare at the man who had appeared by the closed door. Tuvok's fingers instinctively closed around his phaser, ready to strike as he also prepared to call for security.
"Relax Tuvok." The being looked directly at him, humour in his eyes. "I'm not hereto hurt your precious ship or crew. I come in peace." He grinned and raised his arms in mock surrender. Tuvok stared at him, still poised in case any action was necessary.
"Who are you, and why are you here?", the captain demanded, immediately trying to gain control of the situation. The man looked at her curiously for a moment, and then moved into the room, casually taking one of the empty seats.
"In all due course Captain. First, I would like 'everybody' to be comfortable." The man's deep brown eyes looked pointedly towards Tom. Tom's steel grey eyes were locked on the intruder, watching carefully for any form of attack. "Tom, have a seat. Join us for a while." The being waved towards the empty seat beside Tuvok, and waited.
"No thank you" was the clipped reply.
"I insist" the man pestered, and was firmly turned down.
"So do I."
The unidentified being stared at Voyager's ex-pilot a moment before chuckling, shaking his head and relaxing into his own seat.
((/\))
Chakotay stiffened in his seat. He felt like he had just been dealt a blow to the gut. Glancing at Kathryn he could tell that she had felt it too. What was wrong with him? It was no secret that he was extremely…ticked off with Paris, but it didn't give him any right to be acting in such a childish manner. This meeting had been ongoing for half an hour, and he hadn't even thought of offering the pilot a seat. In fact now that he thought about it, Paris hadn't moved at all since he had picked his place at the far end of the room.
"Enough of that, Aunt Kathy, how are you doing?" Chakotay felt his eyebrows rise in sudden thought. Aunt Kathy? He remembered Kathryn telling him about how Q had called her that when he had been introducing Q-junior, his son. Did that mean that this was…
"Bingo! Well Chuckletay, aren't we feeling smart today." The man, who was posed as a non-ranking Starfleet officer grinned proudly around at the whole group, his teeth shining an unnatural white. "I'm known as 'U,' Q's son. Oh, I know what you're thinking; "Why don't I just call myself Q along with the rest of my race? Well, that is so un-unique. I am an individual after all, and choose to be recognized as one. So I gave myself my own name." He paused to grin again, allowing a moment for his audience to think.
"Anyway, I came here quite often when I was growing up, learning from your human emotions and compassion and all that. Just like my father wanted. Actually, I wanted to thank you for all the insight on life. It's so frustrating trying to deal with the Q sometimes. They just can't grasp the basic concept of compassion, though I do admit they are getting better at it." He leaned back in his seat, grinning in a pleasant manner.
"So, why have I decided to grace you all with my presence? Well, for one I missed you people. It's been just over a year since I last stopped in and I wanted to see how you were all doing. You'd be amazed at how busy it's been, though I suppose it's to be expected considering the size of this universe. Then there are the universes beyond this universe and the ones beyond those but I won't go into that now." A glass filled with a clear liquid suddenly appeared in his hand and he paused a moment to sip.
Tom watched him intensely. It made complete sense now; the Q loved to mess around with others if given a good opportunity, and what better way to mess with Voyager than by putting him back on it? Did U know about Tom's last year? That could be a problem and Tom hoped that the almighty being wouldn't let anything about it slip to Voyager's crew.
Finally Tom dropped his intense gaze and fell back into the uninterested air which he had adopted early in his life. He had never felt like he didn't belong on Voyager more than at this moment. He knew he didn't deserve to be here, he wanted answers from U, but he wouldn't ask them now. He'd wait until no one else was present, seeing how uncomfortable it would make him. Thinking of uncomfortable, if this room was any quieter than it might as well have been a graveyard. At that thought, B'Elanna decided it was time to break the silence as her angry, accusing voice cut through the still air.
"Why did you bring Paris back?" A knife twisted in Tom's gut. He'd heard all of this contempt before in his life, but now it was something he actually cared enough to pay attention to. B'Elanna had been his friend, and for a while she had been more than that. He struggled to keep his face void of his pain at the words.
U took his time to answer, preferring to stare at Tom a long moment before looking at each individual in the room. "I was only answering a request. I'll stop in later." Then suddenly his solid form blinked out of existence.
Usually Tom would have cracked a joke to ease the tension, but at this moment it would probably be more appreciated if he shot himself out a torpedo tube; his attempt to lighten any mood would probably fall flat, so he remained silent until the Captain spoke.
"Dismissed." Tom was out of the room before she had even finished the word, while everyone was still pulling themselves from their chairs. He headed in a direct path to his quarters. He needed to change clothes and prepare for his first shift back on Voyager. Now that he knew how he arrived on Voyager, he wasn't worried about a threat to the ship. With the issue of Voyager's safety out of the way, he needed something else to focus his mind on…otherwise the memories would gain a foothold. Kitchen duty had never sounded so good.
It was 0300 in the morning, way too early to be taking a short stroll on his ship, but he preferred it to his cramped quarters. He couldn't sleep there; he wasn't used to it. He'd woken up on the floor beside his bed, clad only in his boxers. Habits died hard he supposed, but he remembered specifically lying down on the bed the night before. He also vividly remembered his dream. He didn't need images of his friends hating him and then every one of them dying because he had disobeyed orders.
He had a meeting with Voyager's Senior staff at 0700, after that he was reporting to the mess hall to help Neelix. Well, this is a great start to an exciting day. He turned sharply and entered the holodeck through its already open door. The one good thing about being up this early was the fact that the holodecks were usually unoccupied unless being used for testing purposes or other crewmembers who were supposed to be sleeping. Such as himself.
The doors slid shut and he stood staring into the room. He could feel the faint vibration of Voyagers engines as they flew through the uncharted space. He'd also noticed the slight change in direction Voyager had made a few minutes before, not that their current direction meant much to him. It seemed he was only hanging around for the temporary ride, according to the crew. He sucked in a breath and exhaled between his teeth, a slight whistling sound filled the room.
Ahh, the holodeck. The place where he could come and create anything he wanted. The place where he usually retreated every morning during his entire stay on Voyager. He shook his head at the thought, sadly smiling to himself. Ah, the secrets we mere mortals wield. He gave up on the poetic thought and strolled to the control panel, expertly manipulating it until his programs were listed in order on the screen before him. They were all there, with Sandrine's right on top. He grinned.
"Computer, activate program Sandrine's." In an instant the grated surroundings and the yellow stripes of the walls disappeared, the lights dimmed drastically, creating a warm glow and he was standing in the centre of the room. His room, as he'd claimed it when he first created the holodeck program. The wooden tables were polished nicely, the notches in the materials hard texture made all the more prominent. The occasional candle burned in the corner tables, the pool table was illuminated in its place of glory off to his right. And the bar, bottles lining the back wall covering the large mirror, was surrounded by a few of the regulars.
"Thomas!" It took no time for Sandrine to notice his appearance and she flowed over to him, her eyes alight with happiness and relief. She enveloped him in one of her famous hugs, and brushed her lips quickly across his cheek. Her perfume lightly walked across his senses. It had taken forever to make her program smell right. He returned the embrace before she stepped back, there was not one hint of the flirtatious women she could be when others were around.
"Darling. I am so glad you decided not to follow through with your plan. I was so worried that you would leave me. Though I am curious as to why you changed your mind." She gazed at him, waiting for a reasonable explanation. Instead she received a sad and apologetic look, before he answered.
"I did follow through with the plan Sandrine. Now I'm back." She stared at him a moment, and then realization dawned in her intelligent eyes. She gently grasped his hand and led him to a corner table, where they both sat. He waited for her reaction, and it came in the calm way he always remembered.
"How long my Thomas?"
"One year."
"One year." She stared silently at him a moment, and he hated himself for telling her. "No one has activated my program for one year." She stated the fact as though it was okay, but he saw the hurt in her eyes, and he cursed himself for telling her. He hated hurting her like this. Most people would have laughed at him for being so concerned for a program, but she wasn't just a program. He'd needed someone to talk to, someone whom he could tell his secrets. The real Sandrine was the only person he had ever entrusted his secrets with, so when he created her as a holodeck program he had made her sentient. Exactly like the Doctor, this Sandrine had emotions, the ability to think, and she knew exactly what she was. A hologram. That had never stopped her from being there for him. He needed to remove that pained look from her eyes.
"They haven't activated the program in a year, but it wasn't because of you Sandrine. It's because of me. They didn't take to well to my plan either."
"You have not told them have you Thomas?" He looked away for a moment, breaking their intense eye contact.
"No, I haven't."
"Thomas, you must tell them!"
"I know, and I might tell them one day, but right now it is not important."
"It is important Thomas! They need to know." He looked into her deep brown gaze, and hated what he was about to ask, simply because he knew she would hate it.
"Sandrine, I need you to make me a promise…"
"Non. Don't do this. You said to tell them the truth. You are back now Thomas, don't do this to yourself again."
"Sandrine please. Don't tell them, for me." He concentrated on putting every ounce of pleading he had into his eyes; She never refused him when he did that, until now.
"Non. This isn't right. You must tell them why you left. Do not be selfish!"
"I'm not being selfish!" He argued, sitting taller in defence. Was he being selfish? No, he wasn't. He was doing what was best for him, and them. What the crew of Voyager didn't know wouldn't hurt them.
"Thomas…"
"Sandrine please. If I ever needed you to keep a secret, it's this one. I know you remember our original agreement; that you wouldn't tell them until after they were home. They didn't get home, Sandrine. It didn't work." Remorse and the heavy feeling of failure washed through him so strongly that he was unable to conceal it, and Sandrine noticed. Her eyes shone with tears that she was trying not to shed as she reached for his hand, and grasped it firmly.
"I am so sorry Thomas."
"It's okay, just another screw up for my list. Let's make this one screw up they don't know about." She watched him, drinking in his sorrow and wanting to help him. He knew she didn't agree with him about keeping this all a secret. She didn't understand him enough to know how he was feeling, and therefore couldn't really judge him. When she finally nodded her agreement, he let out the breath he had been holding. She was as good as her word.
"Thank you." He rose smoothly from his seat.
"You will come visit non?"
He grinned at her. "Every chance I get."
"So I will see you in a year?" She joked, attempting to lighten the mood. He appreciated her effort.
"You can count on it." He kissed her lightly on the cheek, and shut off her program. Thank god that went as well as he'd hoped. If she hadn't agreed to keep it all a secret, he would have had to delete the knowledge from her programming. Considering that he considered her as a sentient being, it would have been a hard thing to do.
Once again standing in the barren room that was the holodeck, Tom went to the control panel to look at his programs. Nobody had deleted them, or visited any of them in his absence. It hurt to think that they had taken his leaving to such extremes as to not bother even deleting his programs. The fortunate thing was that now he didn't need to spend countless hours recreating them.
"Computer, upload program Paris Beta Grease-monkey and initiate privacy lock." The familiar garage surrounded him instantly, not a tool out of place and not a grease spot missing. And in the centre of it all: his Camaro. It was a beauty of a car, and he gave the red hood an affectionate pat as he passed by it, and walked out the back door without a backwards glance.
The gravel path just outside the door led away from the building, between two houses backyards. After a minute he was walking with long strides towards a grassy slope that was located at the edge of town, a good five minute walk from his garage. When he finally reached the top of the slope, he closed his eyes and let the morning's warm breeze brush softly by him. For a moment he forgot everything, and then it came rushing back and his eyes opened, revealing two emotionless light grey orbs. Time of peace was over for the morning; he needed to get his exercise running.
"Computer, deactivate Paris Beta Grease-Monkey's specific program safety locks. Authorization: Shik has seven toes and a lucky charm." He waited a moment for the holodeck to find his code. It was a detailed, and mainly hidden safety protocol that Tom had activated before he'd left Voyager. He hadn't wanted anyone to get hurt.
"Specific program safety locks deactivated on 'mark.'" He counted to two and a half, then spoke simultaneously with the computer:
"Mark." He'd also made sure that if anyone ever did figure out his program they would have to have the perfect timing to match the voice sequencing. If you were .3 seconds off, the program would delete itself permanently. What could he say? He was a cautious guy, when it came to others.
"Computer, deactivate holodeck safety protocol."
1
2 "Warning, safety protocols…"
"Override." He ordered and looked down the grassy slope, to the thick forest that lay at its base. The forest looked so welcoming and safe, the leaves glittering in the sun's rays. It was an artist's perfect painting, the ideal image, until you entered it.
This was his exercise program. It was one of the places which he had trained every day after beginning Voyager's journey. For the next hour and a half, he would fight against the deadly, cunning, and ever-changing warriors he'd long ago created. Every time he stepped into the trees, it was a new fight. His muscles tensed in anticipation. Over the last day he hadn't had any source of real exercise, and his energy level had skyrocketed. It was amazing how you got used to a routine, and when it was broken your body and mind were affected by its absence. There were always the instances when he hadn't been able to fit his workout into his daily routine. Those were the days he usually ended up getting on everyone's nerves. The first few months aboard Voyager had been the worst. With no program, and little time to work on one, Tom had not been very easy to get along with. The fact that everyone had already pretty much hated him had not helped at all.
Enough reminiscing, he thought. It's time to get down to business. He took a deep breath, preparing himself, and then he took off down the hill, towards the forest. His feet barely touched the ground, and by the time he reached the shelter of the trees, he was ready for the battle.
((/\))
Tuvok sat tall in his seat, silently observing each individual in the room. The atmosphere was tense, none of the Senior staff members were talking amongst themselves in their usual morning banter. And it was understandable that they were acting this way, considering the unusual situation involving Tom Paris. It seemed every member aboard Voyager had a problem with their pilot's return, with the exception of a few. Tuvok would be surprised in fact, to discover that the next five sectors of space along Voyager's path hadn't heard the news of Mr. Paris' return from the way the gossip mill was running.
At that last thought he allowed himself a moment of private satisfaction. The members of Voyager usually assumed that he didn't pay attention to the communication that was Voyagers 'grape-vine.' On the contrary, he heard everything that went on aboard his ship. He had always felt that it was necessary to be aware of every rumour on board for security reasons. He knew things that Neelix didn't, and that was saying something.
He turned his attention back to his surroundings as the door on the far wall opened, and Tom entered the room. Tuvok met his eyes and Tom nodded for a brief moment, before breaking the contact. He then proceeded to the far end of the room, where he stood tall and avoided eye contact with everyone. Any Vulcan would be proud to be able to exhibit the lack of emotion Tom now managed.
Gazing quickly around the room, Tuvok noted that B'Elanna hadn't stopped glaring at the pilot since his entrance. Harry avoided eye contact, Chakotay was impassive and Baytheart was uncomfortable, shifting in his seat every fifteen seconds. The tension was almost overbearing.
He admitted to himself that he had been…hurt, by Tom's departure but his respect for the man had not allowed him to interfere with his decision to leave. It never made sense to him why the pilot would just leave so suddenly, but he had always had some small suspicions. Ones he couldn't yet prove, and he wouldn't interrogate Tom unless he had a solid evidence to force the pilot to answer truthfully, but the suspicions were there all the same.
Captain Janeway walked into the room then, greeting everyone in turn. She didn't greet Tom who stood silently, still not a flicker of emotion evident on his face. She took her seat and the meeting immediately began. He noted with dissatisfaction that Tom was, again, not offered a seat.
They went through every general report which every station had to offer, before they began the important matter of how Tom arrived onboard Voyager. Tuvok had worked with Harry late into the evening, and early this morning and they had come up with no satisfactory explanation.
"Mr. Kim, Tuvok. Is there any explanation as to why Mr. Paris suddenly appeared with us?" The Captain's voice was void of its usual warmth and curiosity. She was not enjoying this situation anymore than the average member of the crew it seemed. Tuvok decided to let Harry answer, seeing as he was already opening his mouth to speak.
"No Captain. Whatever it was that brought Mr. Paris here left no trace to follow. Not even a brief flicker of special distortion, radiation, particle movement. Nothing." The Ensign did not hide the irritation in his voice, and Tuvok spared a quick glance towards Tom, who remained indifferent, staring silently at the wall.
"Perhaps I can help." The voice came out of nowhere, and Tuvok, along with everyone else in the room swiftly turned to stare at the man who had appeared by the closed door. Tuvok's fingers instinctively closed around his phaser, ready to strike as he also prepared to call for security.
"Relax Tuvok." The being looked directly at him, humour in his eyes. "I'm not hereto hurt your precious ship or crew. I come in peace." He grinned and raised his arms in mock surrender. Tuvok stared at him, still poised in case any action was necessary.
"Who are you, and why are you here?", the captain demanded, immediately trying to gain control of the situation. The man looked at her curiously for a moment, and then moved into the room, casually taking one of the empty seats.
"In all due course Captain. First, I would like 'everybody' to be comfortable." The man's deep brown eyes looked pointedly towards Tom. Tom's steel grey eyes were locked on the intruder, watching carefully for any form of attack. "Tom, have a seat. Join us for a while." The being waved towards the empty seat beside Tuvok, and waited.
"No thank you" was the clipped reply.
"I insist" the man pestered, and was firmly turned down.
"So do I."
The unidentified being stared at Voyager's ex-pilot a moment before chuckling, shaking his head and relaxing into his own seat.
((/\))
Chakotay stiffened in his seat. He felt like he had just been dealt a blow to the gut. Glancing at Kathryn he could tell that she had felt it too. What was wrong with him? It was no secret that he was extremely…ticked off with Paris, but it didn't give him any right to be acting in such a childish manner. This meeting had been ongoing for half an hour, and he hadn't even thought of offering the pilot a seat. In fact now that he thought about it, Paris hadn't moved at all since he had picked his place at the far end of the room.
"Enough of that, Aunt Kathy, how are you doing?" Chakotay felt his eyebrows rise in sudden thought. Aunt Kathy? He remembered Kathryn telling him about how Q had called her that when he had been introducing Q-junior, his son. Did that mean that this was…
"Bingo! Well Chuckletay, aren't we feeling smart today." The man, who was posed as a non-ranking Starfleet officer grinned proudly around at the whole group, his teeth shining an unnatural white. "I'm known as 'U,' Q's son. Oh, I know what you're thinking; "Why don't I just call myself Q along with the rest of my race? Well, that is so un-unique. I am an individual after all, and choose to be recognized as one. So I gave myself my own name." He paused to grin again, allowing a moment for his audience to think.
"Anyway, I came here quite often when I was growing up, learning from your human emotions and compassion and all that. Just like my father wanted. Actually, I wanted to thank you for all the insight on life. It's so frustrating trying to deal with the Q sometimes. They just can't grasp the basic concept of compassion, though I do admit they are getting better at it." He leaned back in his seat, grinning in a pleasant manner.
"So, why have I decided to grace you all with my presence? Well, for one I missed you people. It's been just over a year since I last stopped in and I wanted to see how you were all doing. You'd be amazed at how busy it's been, though I suppose it's to be expected considering the size of this universe. Then there are the universes beyond this universe and the ones beyond those but I won't go into that now." A glass filled with a clear liquid suddenly appeared in his hand and he paused a moment to sip.
Tom watched him intensely. It made complete sense now; the Q loved to mess around with others if given a good opportunity, and what better way to mess with Voyager than by putting him back on it? Did U know about Tom's last year? That could be a problem and Tom hoped that the almighty being wouldn't let anything about it slip to Voyager's crew.
Finally Tom dropped his intense gaze and fell back into the uninterested air which he had adopted early in his life. He had never felt like he didn't belong on Voyager more than at this moment. He knew he didn't deserve to be here, he wanted answers from U, but he wouldn't ask them now. He'd wait until no one else was present, seeing how uncomfortable it would make him. Thinking of uncomfortable, if this room was any quieter than it might as well have been a graveyard. At that thought, B'Elanna decided it was time to break the silence as her angry, accusing voice cut through the still air.
"Why did you bring Paris back?" A knife twisted in Tom's gut. He'd heard all of this contempt before in his life, but now it was something he actually cared enough to pay attention to. B'Elanna had been his friend, and for a while she had been more than that. He struggled to keep his face void of his pain at the words.
U took his time to answer, preferring to stare at Tom a long moment before looking at each individual in the room. "I was only answering a request. I'll stop in later." Then suddenly his solid form blinked out of existence.
Usually Tom would have cracked a joke to ease the tension, but at this moment it would probably be more appreciated if he shot himself out a torpedo tube; his attempt to lighten any mood would probably fall flat, so he remained silent until the Captain spoke.
"Dismissed." Tom was out of the room before she had even finished the word, while everyone was still pulling themselves from their chairs. He headed in a direct path to his quarters. He needed to change clothes and prepare for his first shift back on Voyager. Now that he knew how he arrived on Voyager, he wasn't worried about a threat to the ship. With the issue of Voyager's safety out of the way, he needed something else to focus his mind on…otherwise the memories would gain a foothold. Kitchen duty had never sounded so good.