Authors Note: This is the third story in what will hopefully be a long line of stories. This story continues the adventures of the Lieutenant Simon Hartstone. While not necessary to read the two stories "Punishment" and "Captured!" it would be advisable to set up why this new character is aboard Voyager. If you read "Training" I should let you know I have decided to take that down considering I don't know where to take the story as well as the fact of the matter is I wasn't too happy with the first chapter I wrote and the second chapter wasn't going so well either. I wanted to write a story that included the whole Hazard Team and not just about Lieutenant Hartstone and I obviously wanted to write a kick ass story as well. Also I don't know how to work out stardates, I have looked on the star trek website to try and discern a pattern for them but their doesn't seem to be one they just seem to be a load of random numbers, I have set this in season 6 after the episode "One Small Step." I wanted log entries to feature more as I think they were a primary way of story setting on most of the Star Trek episodes.

Happiness

Read Chapter 1 for disclaimers and some other junk.

Chapter 9: More Options

"Wake up" Simon knew someone was shouting, he was trying to wake up, someone was very rude to break into his quarters. Then he opened one eye and looked around at the bare walls, this wasn't his quarters. "Get up disbeliever scum" as he opened the other eye and someone was holding a food tray, he rolled off the bed and got up. Trying to test the weight on his ankle he got up slowly and made his way towards the force field.

"Hey stay back" one of them held up a rifle, Simon raised his hands and stepped away as they deactivated the force field and one of them put the tray down and he reactivated the force field. Simon walked up to the food knowing that he should eat whatever they give him. He picked it up and slowly moved over to the bed, he picked up the fork and he scooped up some food and he put it in his mouth and chewed it a few times before swallowing it. He put the fork down and the tray down as he looked over it with a complete look of disgust.

"Prison food, I'd rather eat my boots"

"Go ahead, eat your boots, its better than you deserve, scum" the guard said sitting back down behind the desk. Simon took off his boot and looked at his twisted ankle, it was swelling up pretty bad.

"Hey, could I get some ice for my ankle"

"No" was the very short reply, Simon looked at the guard before opening his jacket and pulling out some medical items that the Doctor had given him before they left. He took out some bandage and he dressed his ankle, that's all he could do for now he thought as he put his boot back on. He looked at his weapons on a table at least thirty feet away and separated by a force field. So agonisingly close but yet so agonisingly far, from two things that would be a sure fire thing to use in an escape, he looked around the cell anything he could use, all he had was the clothes on his back, a bed, a very thin mattress that made Starfleet mattresses look thick and full and some disgusting food. He picked up the fork and took another scoop and winced at the taste before swallowing. He looked at the floor, he was worried about the away team, are they dead, did they make it back to Voyager, did they get blown out of the sky, a number of possible scenarios came into his head, before the guard stood up.

"Hey scum, get up, your presence is blessed" he looked up and he saw the Lord's massive frame enter the room once again.

"I am here to offer you a reprieve" he smiled and opened his arms, as Kathryn joined her side.

"And what is the Captain here for"

"Its Kathryn remember" she raised the rifle she was carrying

"Not to me it isn't and Captain Janeway is in there somewhere and I could probably guess she is pretty furious about now."

"Well she is gone, and Kathryn is all that remains, now do you want to hear about this reprieve or not" the Lord interrupted

"No, but does my opinion matter" Simon remarked

"No, your opinion doesn't matter so shut up and open your ears" Lord and Hartstone stood toe to toe if only if it was not for the force field, Hartstone would have thrown a punch. "I will put it in your eloquent way of putting things. Option A, give yourself over to me and you can go free and live a happy life here"

"And Option B"

"You will be executed" Kathryn looked at her Lord like she had just been shot she couldn't believe that he would stoop to executing someone. She thought he would use his love for all to destroy his hate.

"I'm sorry while Option A is a very nice offer, I would have to take Option B, I would rather die than be a slave" he looked directly at Kathryn as he said the last of his sentence "Frankly I was surprised that you didn't chip me already and bring me into your little love nest, and it was interesting to me as to why you didn't chip Mr Tuvok either"

"If you must know, those that can resist the mind control from the start, are not fit to be chipped, if we do then their imbalance can bring down our whole society"

"I see" Simon nodded

"So now that my generous offer has been extended, its time I leave, a community doesn't run itself"

"Of course it doesn't" Simon smiled

"Come on, Kathryn" Lord Serbist turned on his heels, Kathryn just looked at the fire in Hartstone eyes, with a worried look in her eyes.

"Captain Janeway would find a way to rescue one of her crew" Simon shouted, he didn't know if she had heard him. Simon hobbled back to the bed and sat down now knowing that he was awaiting his inevitable death.

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"Lord is it necessary that you execute Simon, maybe you could give him a week or so to come around to your way of thinking." Kathryn started as they walked out of the prison building and towards the main square of the town

"This Lieutenant Hartstone will never come around to my way of thinking, he is to egotistical, smug, and wrapped up with himself, he must be dealt with before he brings more disbelief to this society"

"You didn't execute Tuvok"

"He was different a special individual who I was studying in great detail, a man completely devoid of emotion, it interested me. Lieutenant Hartstone is an infuriating individual who I will get great satisfaction from seeing him, dying begging for mercy at my feet."

"So you don't intend on making this quick then?" Kathryn asked

"Oh no, the level of quickness will be decided by the Lieutenant if he persists in resisting, the death will be long and painful, if he becomes more cooperative then his death will be quick and painless" Kathryn still looked concerned on her face, she thought that execution in any form was wrong, she didn't care what the person had done, if anything at all.

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Lieutenant Hartstone sat in the cell trying to think of a way to escape, but not thinking of anything, he checked the cell walls, he checked around the surrounding force field, for any weaknesses in the field, nothing. He sat down back on the bed and held his head in his hands.

"Lieutenant" he looked up and he saw Kathryn staring at him

"What do you want?" he said with uncharacteristic rudeness towards his Captain but for some reason he didn't seem to care anymore.

"You have to reconsider your decision, surely living here would be better than being killed" she walked straight up to the force field as Simon got up and hobbled towards her.

"It's all about beliefs Captain, you believe that this Lord Serbist can save you or give you a better life or whatever but he is messing with your mind," Simon pointed at his head and tapping it "you ever noticed that chip in the back of your neck."

"I'm starting to think that maybe this life isn't so great" Kathryn looked at the floor

"You know, I don't pretend to know Captain Janeway for that long but she would never give up hope on getting us home. That's what she believed and while at first I didn't believe it was worthwhile. This is what I used to belief" Simon threw his arms out "Not being locked in a cell awaiting execution, but I would find a planet, settle down and live out the rest of my life in the Delta Quadrant, but then I went to fight the Borg and at one time I believed that I could defeat the Borg and then I met you and the Voyager crew" Simon stood face to face with the Captain "You were doing something that I considered impossible and futile and that hit home for me. I always considered what I was doing was pushing back the boundaries between what was impossible and what was possible, but here you were doing something that I considered impossible. I realised that for the first time it wasn't impossible and it wasn't futile and before the Borg came to crash the party I was honestly thinking of staying with Voyager anyway."

"You were!" the Captain was surprised by this remark, she had always thought that if the Borg hadn't attacked they would have spent a few weeks together swapped tactical and astrometric data before they parted company.

"Yes Captain, now if you believe that you and the Voyager crew should stay here then, if you could contact Voyager have them beam me out and I will continue the impossible dream because that is now what I believe"

"And if I don't believe anymore?" the Captain asked

"Contact Voyager and have them get you out of here and the crew"

"What about you?" she asked with an almost loving look on her face

"I have always known that I would go down in the line of duty, and if my death is the distraction that you need then you use it." Kathryn just looked at Simon like he was dying as he sat back down, he laid down and turned away from her obviously having nothing else to say, she turned on her heels and left. She looked at Lieutenant Hartstone's phaser and comm badge on the desk before leaving the room.