Disclaimer: I don't own Andromeda or Star Trek Voyager or their characters.
Thanks for the reviews people. They really make me update faster.
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Chapter 4
The family quickly led Paris to what they called their home. It was a just a small hut without much in the way of furniture or other amenities. Furniture consisted of a small camp style stove, some cots and not much else.
Paris waited as the two girls were herded by their parents into another smaller room. Tom Paris felt for this poor family. They had very little except for their obvious love for each other. Paris wondered if Harper had once lived in a home similar to this one.
Paris suddenly realized he still didn't know the names of the family he had helped. "I'm sorry. I don't think we've introduced ourselves yet."
The parents entered the main room and looked down at the ground, obviously embarrassed at their breach of etiquette. "We're sorry," the woman apologized. My name is Elizabeth Sinclair and this is my husband Larry. Our daughters are Amanda and Chloe."
Paris shook the couple's hands and smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair. My name's Tom Paris. You daughters are adorable."
Mr. Sinclair smiled wearily. "Thank you. It's nice to meet a friend of Harper's Mr. Paris."
"Thank you Mr. Sinclair. So, how do you know Mr. Harper?" Paris questioned.
"We don't know him personally. We have heard many stories of how Harper got off of Earth and is fighting the whole Dragan fleet out in space," Mrs. Sinclair informed.
"Word gets around here in the ghettos. Harper keeps his friends here on Earth updated on what he is doing and we eventually hear about it through the grapevine," Mrs. Sinclair added.
Paris easily imagined the grapevine. It wasn't much different on the Earth in his universe. "I imagine the grapevine is the only real means of communication you have here."
Mr. Sinclair nodded his head in agreement. "You don't look like you're from around here. What brings you here to our neck of the woods?" he asked casually.
Paris tried thinking of an answer that was honest, but not too informative. He couldn't just say he came from a parallel universe. "I'm afraid I'm a little lost. You see I crash landed here and need to get back to my ship."
Mr. Sinclair tensed up and eyed Paris more suspiciously then before. "If you crash landed here then I doubt your ship would be of much help."
"I was in a shuttle when I crash landed on Earth," Paris lied. "I meant I need to get back to the ship where I live."
Sinclair relaxed a little, but Paris could tell the man was still wary. The helmsman couldn't blame Sinclair; the man had kept his family alive so far by being cautious with his trust.
"Right. Well, we can't help you there; we're fresh outa shuttles," Sinclair retorted as he sat down on a beaten up armchair.
Elizabeth Sinclair made her way to the couch. "Larry, please. Mr. Paris saved us from the Ubers. He saved our daughters."
Sinclair sighed as he looked over at Paris. "Mr. Paris, if you're telling the truth then I'm sorry because we can't afford to trust you."
Paris doubted that the Sinclairs could help be of much help to him anyway. "I understand. I can't say I would feel any differently in your position. You have your wife and daughters to protect."
"I'm glad you can see that," Sinclair replied, leaning back in his chair. "My family is my first and only priority."
"Well, I better get going and try to find a ride out of here," Paris announced. Paris figured he could steal a ship as a last resort if things came down to that.
Mrs. Sinclair walked up to Paris and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank for your help Mr. Paris. I'm sorry we can't do anything to repay you."
Paris smiled down at the frail woman. "It's alright. I'm just glad all of you are safe now."
Tom Paris walked outside into the cold evening air and started wandering around. The air was stifling, causing the Starfleet officer to cough violently. He couldn't imagine how people like the Sinclairs were able to survive.
***
On the Andromeda the search had begun for Harper as soon as Holo Rommie reported no signs of the engineer onboard. Captain Dylan Hunt had instructed Andromeda to scan the surrounding solar system for any sign of Harper.
"Dylan, we're not stopping until we find Harper," Beka Valentine announced to Hunt. Ever since she had picked up Harper from Earth and hired him on as the engineer of her ship, Eureka Maru, Valentine felt responsible for the blond engineer.
Hunt felt responsible for Harper as well. As a High Guard officer, Hunt had always accepted responsibility for members of his crew. "You don't need to tell me that Beka. I'm not letting a member of my crew just vanish into thin air."
Tyr Anasazi arrived on Command in time to overhear the tail end of the conversation. "That is a curious mystery; one which our former visitor, Q, might be able to solve."
Hunt turned to the Nietzschean saying, "That's just who happens to be on the top of my list of prime suspects. We just have one slight problem; we don't know how to contact Q."
"How about we just send out a general transmission asking Q to contact us?" Valentine suggested. "He's supposed to be powerful so he should be able to pick it up somehow."
Anasazi frowned at the blonde executive officer and folded his arms across his broad chest. "If Q is responsible for the Little Professor's disappearance then it is unlikely that he would respond to our signal."
"I'm afraid I have to agree with Tyr," Hunt admitted. "But it's the only so option we have right now so we'll give it a shot. Rommie, send out a signal on all frequencies telling Q to contact us."
Hunt had no sooner given the order when Q materialized on Command, wearing a High Guard uniform. "No need to bother. I'm already here."
Hunt and Valentine breathed an audible sigh of relief upon seeing the Continuum member. The only thing that kept Valentine from attempting to harm Q was that she knew the Continuum member could just disappear.
Q held up a hand just as Hunt was about to speak. "Before you ask me I am not responsible for you engineer's disappearance."
"Okay, so who is then?" Valentine asked with a suspicious glare.
Q's expression suddenly turned serious, which worried the Andromeda crew members. "I'm afraid that my son is responsible for unfortunate circumstance, but don't worry. Mr. Harper is safely aboard Voyager right now. However, Tommy Paris is on Earth."
"That doesn't sound good. I take it you are referring to the Earth in our universe; the one with the Nietzscheans and Ubers?" Hunt concluded. It wasn't a difficult conclusion to make since Q seemed genuinely concerned.
Q nodded his head. Deep down he did feel regret over the situation. "I am attempting to locate my son and will have a long talk with him when I do. I am sorry for the trouble he has caused, but I assure you no harm was intended."
"Why don't you just snap your fingers and send Harper and Paris back to where they belong?" Beka inquired as she stood inches in front of the Continuum member.
"I could do that but my son would just send them back again," Q explained. "I could then undo his actions but as you can guess, it would be a never ending cycle."
Anasazi unfolded his arms, eyeing the Continuum member with curiosity. "Then what do you propose we do?"
Q looked over at the dark-skinned Nietzschean saying," Nothing. I will handle this myself."
Hunt sensed that Valentine was about to say something she'd regret and immediately put a hand on her shoulder to stop the blonde executive officer. "Since we have no reason not to trust you Q I'll give you 24 hours to find your son and talk to him. If Harper isn't back here safely aboard Andromeda then we'll have no choice but to bring this before the Q Continuum."
Q was mildly surprised at the ultimatum. He wasn't used to being given ultimatums. This Captain Hunt was a uniquely interesting human. It was a shame that Hunt and Kathryn Janeway expressed no desire to become a couple. "Very well, Captain Hunt I will be back in 24 hours."
Hunt saw Q raise his hand, preparing to snap himself out of existence. Hunt hurried to speak before Q could disappear. "Good. Before you leave Q I need to let you know that if anything happens to Mr. Harper I will hold the Q Continuum responsible. Hurt my crew; hurt me."
Q paused in the middle of his vanishing routine and sighed. "You are dramatic aren't you Captain. Let me leave you with this warning. Hut my son; hurt me." With that the Continuum member vanished.
Thanks for the reviews people. They really make me update faster.
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Chapter 4
The family quickly led Paris to what they called their home. It was a just a small hut without much in the way of furniture or other amenities. Furniture consisted of a small camp style stove, some cots and not much else.
Paris waited as the two girls were herded by their parents into another smaller room. Tom Paris felt for this poor family. They had very little except for their obvious love for each other. Paris wondered if Harper had once lived in a home similar to this one.
Paris suddenly realized he still didn't know the names of the family he had helped. "I'm sorry. I don't think we've introduced ourselves yet."
The parents entered the main room and looked down at the ground, obviously embarrassed at their breach of etiquette. "We're sorry," the woman apologized. My name is Elizabeth Sinclair and this is my husband Larry. Our daughters are Amanda and Chloe."
Paris shook the couple's hands and smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair. My name's Tom Paris. You daughters are adorable."
Mr. Sinclair smiled wearily. "Thank you. It's nice to meet a friend of Harper's Mr. Paris."
"Thank you Mr. Sinclair. So, how do you know Mr. Harper?" Paris questioned.
"We don't know him personally. We have heard many stories of how Harper got off of Earth and is fighting the whole Dragan fleet out in space," Mrs. Sinclair informed.
"Word gets around here in the ghettos. Harper keeps his friends here on Earth updated on what he is doing and we eventually hear about it through the grapevine," Mrs. Sinclair added.
Paris easily imagined the grapevine. It wasn't much different on the Earth in his universe. "I imagine the grapevine is the only real means of communication you have here."
Mr. Sinclair nodded his head in agreement. "You don't look like you're from around here. What brings you here to our neck of the woods?" he asked casually.
Paris tried thinking of an answer that was honest, but not too informative. He couldn't just say he came from a parallel universe. "I'm afraid I'm a little lost. You see I crash landed here and need to get back to my ship."
Mr. Sinclair tensed up and eyed Paris more suspiciously then before. "If you crash landed here then I doubt your ship would be of much help."
"I was in a shuttle when I crash landed on Earth," Paris lied. "I meant I need to get back to the ship where I live."
Sinclair relaxed a little, but Paris could tell the man was still wary. The helmsman couldn't blame Sinclair; the man had kept his family alive so far by being cautious with his trust.
"Right. Well, we can't help you there; we're fresh outa shuttles," Sinclair retorted as he sat down on a beaten up armchair.
Elizabeth Sinclair made her way to the couch. "Larry, please. Mr. Paris saved us from the Ubers. He saved our daughters."
Sinclair sighed as he looked over at Paris. "Mr. Paris, if you're telling the truth then I'm sorry because we can't afford to trust you."
Paris doubted that the Sinclairs could help be of much help to him anyway. "I understand. I can't say I would feel any differently in your position. You have your wife and daughters to protect."
"I'm glad you can see that," Sinclair replied, leaning back in his chair. "My family is my first and only priority."
"Well, I better get going and try to find a ride out of here," Paris announced. Paris figured he could steal a ship as a last resort if things came down to that.
Mrs. Sinclair walked up to Paris and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank for your help Mr. Paris. I'm sorry we can't do anything to repay you."
Paris smiled down at the frail woman. "It's alright. I'm just glad all of you are safe now."
Tom Paris walked outside into the cold evening air and started wandering around. The air was stifling, causing the Starfleet officer to cough violently. He couldn't imagine how people like the Sinclairs were able to survive.
***
On the Andromeda the search had begun for Harper as soon as Holo Rommie reported no signs of the engineer onboard. Captain Dylan Hunt had instructed Andromeda to scan the surrounding solar system for any sign of Harper.
"Dylan, we're not stopping until we find Harper," Beka Valentine announced to Hunt. Ever since she had picked up Harper from Earth and hired him on as the engineer of her ship, Eureka Maru, Valentine felt responsible for the blond engineer.
Hunt felt responsible for Harper as well. As a High Guard officer, Hunt had always accepted responsibility for members of his crew. "You don't need to tell me that Beka. I'm not letting a member of my crew just vanish into thin air."
Tyr Anasazi arrived on Command in time to overhear the tail end of the conversation. "That is a curious mystery; one which our former visitor, Q, might be able to solve."
Hunt turned to the Nietzschean saying, "That's just who happens to be on the top of my list of prime suspects. We just have one slight problem; we don't know how to contact Q."
"How about we just send out a general transmission asking Q to contact us?" Valentine suggested. "He's supposed to be powerful so he should be able to pick it up somehow."
Anasazi frowned at the blonde executive officer and folded his arms across his broad chest. "If Q is responsible for the Little Professor's disappearance then it is unlikely that he would respond to our signal."
"I'm afraid I have to agree with Tyr," Hunt admitted. "But it's the only so option we have right now so we'll give it a shot. Rommie, send out a signal on all frequencies telling Q to contact us."
Hunt had no sooner given the order when Q materialized on Command, wearing a High Guard uniform. "No need to bother. I'm already here."
Hunt and Valentine breathed an audible sigh of relief upon seeing the Continuum member. The only thing that kept Valentine from attempting to harm Q was that she knew the Continuum member could just disappear.
Q held up a hand just as Hunt was about to speak. "Before you ask me I am not responsible for you engineer's disappearance."
"Okay, so who is then?" Valentine asked with a suspicious glare.
Q's expression suddenly turned serious, which worried the Andromeda crew members. "I'm afraid that my son is responsible for unfortunate circumstance, but don't worry. Mr. Harper is safely aboard Voyager right now. However, Tommy Paris is on Earth."
"That doesn't sound good. I take it you are referring to the Earth in our universe; the one with the Nietzscheans and Ubers?" Hunt concluded. It wasn't a difficult conclusion to make since Q seemed genuinely concerned.
Q nodded his head. Deep down he did feel regret over the situation. "I am attempting to locate my son and will have a long talk with him when I do. I am sorry for the trouble he has caused, but I assure you no harm was intended."
"Why don't you just snap your fingers and send Harper and Paris back to where they belong?" Beka inquired as she stood inches in front of the Continuum member.
"I could do that but my son would just send them back again," Q explained. "I could then undo his actions but as you can guess, it would be a never ending cycle."
Anasazi unfolded his arms, eyeing the Continuum member with curiosity. "Then what do you propose we do?"
Q looked over at the dark-skinned Nietzschean saying," Nothing. I will handle this myself."
Hunt sensed that Valentine was about to say something she'd regret and immediately put a hand on her shoulder to stop the blonde executive officer. "Since we have no reason not to trust you Q I'll give you 24 hours to find your son and talk to him. If Harper isn't back here safely aboard Andromeda then we'll have no choice but to bring this before the Q Continuum."
Q was mildly surprised at the ultimatum. He wasn't used to being given ultimatums. This Captain Hunt was a uniquely interesting human. It was a shame that Hunt and Kathryn Janeway expressed no desire to become a couple. "Very well, Captain Hunt I will be back in 24 hours."
Hunt saw Q raise his hand, preparing to snap himself out of existence. Hunt hurried to speak before Q could disappear. "Good. Before you leave Q I need to let you know that if anything happens to Mr. Harper I will hold the Q Continuum responsible. Hurt my crew; hurt me."
Q paused in the middle of his vanishing routine and sighed. "You are dramatic aren't you Captain. Let me leave you with this warning. Hut my son; hurt me." With that the Continuum member vanished.