The Color of Truth
Chapter 4
Disclaimer - Paramount and Viacom own the characters from Voyager, although they didn't often treat them right. The story line belongs to me.
A special thanks to: My friend and editor of all my stories, Mill3rs.
"That's exactly what we want to know from you, Mr. Paris." The Captain's voice echoed in Tom's head and he opened his eyes. He tried to sit up again but the dizziness returned. He looked at the captain in confusion. What was a child doing on the shuttle? He glanced past the captain and noticed a young girl on biobed three. "Kyree! Is she okay?" Sitting up slowly he shook his head to clear the dizziness.
Kyree jumped off the biobed and ran to Tom. "Tom, you are okay! Harry is still asleep." She indicated Harry on the remaining biobed. Giving Tom a grin, she threw herself into his arms and gave him a hug.
Tom picked Kyree up and sat her on the biobed. "Kyree, what where you doing on the shuttle? How did you get on board?"
"I am sorry, Tom. I looked into your mind and read the access codes. After getting on board the shuttle, I hid in one of the compartments. I could not stay for the Gathering Period. I did not want to marry Makin."
Captain Janeway approached Kyree and put her hand gently on her shoulder. "We were not aware that your people were telepaths, Kyree."
"Father did not want us to let on to visitors. I am sorry, I was not to use my ability to see into other's thoughts but Tom's eyes looked so kind. I did not mean any harm." Kyree hung her head in fear of punishment.
A soft moan came from behind them; Tom and Kyree turned to see Harry slowly sitting up on the biobed. He looked over at the group of people at the other side of sickbay. Then he saw the girl. "Kyree? What are you doing here? What happened on the surface?" Harry asked in an unsteady voice.
Janeway walked over to Harry. "Ensign Kim, I'm glad that you are alright. Kyree decided to visit us on Voyager. We need to discuss the sensor readings we've received from the surface as soon as the doctor says you are able to leave sickbay." Janeway said as Harry got down from the biobed and looked across to Tom for some clue to what had happened.
The doctor scanned Harry and turned to the captain. "They are all free to leave sickbay, Captain. Mr. Kim may feel a bit groggy but should be fine by his next duty shift."
"Thank you, Doctor. Tom, why don't you take Kyree to the mess hall and get her something to eat. Harry, please join me in Astrometrics." Janeway turned to the doors and headed out of sickbay with Harry following behind.
* * * * *
Intense scanning of the planet's surface did not pick up any life signs. Voyager's crew was devastated at the news of the destruction of the Krill home world and the loss of all the people they had met. The senior staff met in the briefing room to discuss what they could do for Kyree now that her family was gone. They decided to try to contact some of the closer planets to see if there were any relatives or similar species that would take Kyree in.
Captain Janeway and Tom went to meet with Kyree to ask if she knew of anyone who could take care of her. They found her in the mess hall helping Neelix prepare dinner. Spying Tom as the doors slid open, she ran from behind the counter and gave him a hug. "Tom, Captain, I'm learning to cook. Neelix said I have a way with spices."
Tom and the captain exchanged grins as they thought of Neelix's way with spices. "Come sit down with us, Kyree." The captain said gently as they walked to a corner table with the girl. "I'm sorry but we've been unable to find any life signs on your planet. Do you know of another planet where you might find relatives or friends of your family?"
Kyree's face paled and her eyes grew large. "Oh no, Captain! I have to return to my home." The girl looked from the captain to Tom, her eyes filling with tears.
"But, dear, there are no life signs left on your planet. There doesn't appear to be anyone alive down there. There were massive earthquakes throughout the entire planet. We have to find some place else for you to stay." Janeway said softly as she touched Kyree's hand across the table.
"No, Captain. Please take me down to the surface. I must return to my father's house." Kyree spoke with such authority that Janeway had to concede to her wishes.
"All right, Kyree. We'll take you down to the surface as soon as we're sure the planet is stable." Janeway rose and left Kyree sitting with Tom.
* * * * *
The next day, an away team consisting of Captain Janeway, Tuvok, Tom, Harry, and Kyree beamed down to the surface. They found themselves on the grounds of the governor's estate. The buildings lay in ruins, either fallen to the ground or with huge cracks in the walls.
"Captain, my tricorder must be malfunctioning. The readings indicate that these buildings were destroyed almost three hundred years ago. Yet visual inspection corroborates the tricorder readings." Tuvok's calm voice interrupted their movements.
"Tuvok, that can't be. We were all here just two days ago." Harry stated. He was quite startled to see that the ruins did indeed look centuries old.
Kyree took Tom's hand and pulled him towards what was still standing of the main house. "Come, Tom. I have to show you something important."
"No, Kyree. We don't know if the building is safe to enter." He hung back with the others but Kyree resolutely let go of his hand and ran into the building. "Wait, Kyree!" he shouted.
The rest of the away team followed the girl into the building. Kyree was pulling a leather bound book off a small table in the front room as the Voyager crew entered. "Here, Tom. You must read this." She said, handing him the book.
Tom slowly opened the cover and read the inscription out loud. "Here I put down my memories of my life on the Krill home world. I leave this book for others to find and know of the friendship of our visitors from afar, the crew of the Starship Voyager. With their help, my people learned to change their destiny. When the time came that our planet was no longer safe, we used the technology we had developed to leave for a safer home."
"Kyree, I don't understand. This book is quite old and there are numerous entries." Tom said as he turned through several pages.
"You changed our lives, Tom. Thank you." Kyree stood on tiptoe and gave Tom a quick kiss. He closed his eyes at the frigid coldness of her lips on his cheek. When he opened his eyes, she was gone. "What happened? Where is Kyree?"
"She… she disappeared, Tom." Harry sputtered with a shocked look on his face.
Tuvok scanned the room and reported. "There are no life signs in the room except for the away team." Shaking his head, he stated quietly. "Captain there is definite evidence of subspace fractures within this building.
"Tom, what else does the book say?" The captain asked as she joined Tom at the table. Together Tom and the captain scanned through the book and found entries for Kyree's entire life. She had convinced her father to let her marry the young man from the picnic, Relvar. They had a daughter who grew up to become the new Governor and she established that women could use technology and pilot star ships. Their scientists found evidence of seismic activity and foretold the destruction of the planet. The Krill people were able to relocate to another world decades before the earthquakes came.
The last entry was made when Kyree was 123 years old. Tom once again read it aloud. "I have lived a long and happy life and leave my children and grandchildren to follow our destiny. I leave this book to once again show my appreciation to the people of Voyager for giving us our future."
Captain Janeway took the book from Tom and slowly, turned the page. There, pressed flat but still showing the brilliant blue color, was the single flower that Tom had placed in Kyree's hair so long ago at the picnic. There were two sentences written below the flower and Janeway read them aloud. "Father warned me not to look into other's minds but I knew when I heard Tom's kind voice and saw his gentle blue eyes, that he could be trusted. Thank you, Tom for my life."
Tuvok stepped forward with his tricorder. "Captain, I believe that when the initial displacement wave dissipated it went back 300 years in this planet's time. This caused subspace fractures which allowed us to also travel back in time. The displacement wave that Lieutenant Paris and Ensign Kim felt aboard the shuttle returned the planet to its current time period.
"But what about Kyree, Tuvok? Was she in our time period or hers?" Tom asked.
"That I am unable to ascertain, Lieutenant." Tuvok answered.
"That's one mystery we may never solve. Let's go home, people." Janeway stated.
Tom let out the breath he had been holding and closed the book. Turning to the table he carefully placed the book back where Kyree had picked it up. Joining the others he stood next to Harry as the captain contacted the ship. "Voyager, four to beam up."
The End