Togetherness Chapter 3
As it was, Kathryn never got the chance to meet with B'Elanna that night. Shortly after Voyager had broken orbit around Dartin VIII, Seven had informed her of a discovery she had made in Astrometrics so she had gone down there to check it out. Then there had been a problem with the food they had taken on from Dartin VIII and it had to be sorted out. Then there was a malfunction in a couple of the Bridge systems that demanded B'Elanna's attention. And so forth. It was one thing after another conspiring against her having her talk with B'Elanna.
Though she saw her Chief Engineer numerous times over the next three days, she never had the opportunity to speak with her in private. In fact, with all the rushing about from crisis to crisis, all thoughts of B'Elanna and Tom's personal problems flew out of her head. That was until three days after Tom and Tuvok's accident when she received word from the Doctor that "Tom" finally was being released from Sickbay with Tuvok's katra still in residence.
Given all the demands on her attention, she had not had the time to do more than look in on the Doctor's patients. Both times she had stopped in, "Tom" had been resting comfortably so had not disturbed him. She had momentarily paused when the Doctor had expressed puzzlement over the lack of visits from Harry Kim and B'Elanna Torres while Neelix and a few others had stopped in to check on the sleeping patients a couple of times. She knew the reason for their absence yet did not feel it her place to explain. She muttered something vague about the recent spate of problems on the ship and took her leave of the EMH.
Now, as she sat at her desk, she reviewed the status report on her Security Chief's body's health. The Doctor was not encouraging in his evaluation of the body's chances. The body still could not survive off of full life support. Two attempts to reduce the level of life support from full to partial had ended in the need to resuscitate. The body was healing itself, but the rate was extremely slow. Based on his observations, if it survived, he projected another couple of weeks until it might be strong enough to survive on partial life-support and his katra could be reintegrated. That estimate was provided there were not further setbacks.
She wondered how Tom and Tuvok would want to handle the next week or so. As per her order to the Doctor and Vorik, the only people on the ship who knew what had happened with regards to the katra were the two of them, the Doctor, Vorik, and herself. The remainder of the crew only knew the two had been in a bad accident and were recovering. Until she heard the men's wishes on the subject, she was holding off on making a ship-wide announcement. Tuvok, especially, hated having his privacy invaded. They might not wish anyone to know what was going on. She would ask them what they wanted to do when "Tom" arrived at the staff meeting that morning.
Her mind flew to B'Elanna and Harry. Before the problems on board, she had debated invading Tom and Tuvok's privacy and telling them. She already had made up her mind to tell them when Chakotay had come to her with his insight into the trio's latest catastrophe. Immediately, she knew how they were going to react to hearing the news about their best friend. B'Elanna and Harry's guilt would have increased tenfold. How would she have talked sense to them?
The "talked sense to them" caused twigged her memory.
B'Elanna.
Holodeck.
She was supposed to sort her out! Damnit all.
Kathryn's eyes leapt to her desktop chronometer. Not enough time before the meeting to talk to B'Elanna about everything.
"Computer, is there any unreserved Holodeck time today?" Kathryn barked out.
"Holodeck One is free from 1315 to 1630. Holodeck-"
"Reserve Holodeck One for me for the free time. Captain to Torres."
"Torres here."
"Lieutenant, will you meet me on Holodeck One at 1320?"
"We're in the middle of maintenance checks and drills down here."
Kathryn suppressed a sigh. The poor Engineering staff. "Didn't you just run them yesterday and the day before?"
"Yes, but-"
"And did you find anything major was wrong?"
"Nothing major, no, but-"
"Then you can be spared. I will see you on the Holodeck at 1320." Again Kathryn glanced at the chrono on her desk. "And at the Staff Meeting in five minutes. Janeway out."
"Tom!" Jenny Delaney practically choked as the turbolift doors opened and she recognized the occupant of the lift.
"Hi, Tom," Megan greeted, shoving her sister inside. "Deck Two," she called out as their destination.
"Tom, I'm so sorry," Jenny blurted.
Concealing her horror, Megan put an arm around her twin and laughed. Naturally they had heard, like everyone else, about the pilot's most recent stay in Sickbay. As much as she hated the idea of him being that sick, Megan had been thankful for the three days' respite from seeing him around the ship. It had offered her a chance to talk her sister around to her way of thinking about not telling him about Harry Kim and B'Elanna. And it had worked. Or so she had thought.
"Heavens, Jenny, you're horrible." Placing herself between the two of them, she turned her back on Tom and glared at her sister. "That's hardly tactful." Megan squeezed the shoulder and Jenny closed her mouth. Megan turned back to Tom. "We heard about your accident, Tom, but we didn't get a chance to come to Sickbay to see you. We feel just awful about that. You see Lieutenant Torres has had Engineering doing full, and I mean full, checks of everything and they found this tiny leak near our quarters. We had to move quarters while they repaired it then we had to move everything back. It was horrible. But the good news is, in having to pack everything up, we found another of those bottles of Rajen wine that you liked so much."
"I believe, Lieutenant," "Tom" said disapprovingly, "that Captain Janeway banned the crew from bringing Rajen wine on board Voyager. By possessing it, you are violating that order. I shall expect both of you in the Security office at 1100 with the contraband."
The lift doors opened on the Deck Two and the sisters automatically exited the lift. As the doors closed again, Jenny and Megan stopped, stared dumbly at one another then at the lift doors, not knowing what to make of their friend.
"He sounded like Tuvok," Jenny whispered.
"I know." Megan snapped out of her stupor and lightly cuffed her sister.
"Oww! What was that for?"
"For almost telling Tom about B'Elanna and Harry, that's what. I told you to forget it ever happened."
"Yeah, I know. But you know I hate lying to Tom."
"I know and I don't like it either, but it's for his own good. He can't know."
Jenny simply grimaced and nodded.
Having been delayed by a stop at Tuvok's office, "Tom" entered the Conference Room when all of the rest of the Senior Staff already were present. All had varying reactions to seeing him.
Kathryn, disappointed she had not been able to see him before the meeting to talk to him, nevertheless sent him a welcoming smile from her place standing beside her chair.
Chakotay echoed the smile at a slightly lesser wattage.
The Doctor, who was attending the meeting via the Emergency Medical channel so he could remain close to his only patient - Tuvok's body - merely nodded.
B'Elanna and Harry each stared assiduously at the tabletop, avoiding meeting each other's eyes as much as they were avoiding "Tom's." Each had erected a "forcefield" between each other and between themselves and Tom. Neither one could look at their friend. Harry kept his eyes on the table for fear of blurting out his guilt then and there in front of everyone. B'Elanna did likewise because her anger with Tom would not let her contemplate the idea of looking at him for fear of ending up on report for decking him.
Neelix had no such problems. Gleefully, he leapt out of his chair and attempted to hug the newly healed man. "Tom, it is so good to see you! I'm so sorry I wasn't able to come see you more than twice, especially since you were sleeping both times I was there, but-"
"Tom" disengaging himself from the embrace cut the apology short.
"Mr. Neelix, do we have to repeat our conversation regarding your inappropriate displays of affection?"
"Tom?" Neelix called, puzzled.
"Tuvok?" Kathryn whispered, dropping into her chair.
The eyes of everyone, including the Chief Engineer and Head of Ops, jerked from the Captain to "Tom."
"Yes, Captain."
"Tom...?"
"Is still here, Captain. He and I have discussed this at length and decided it would be best if things were done this way for the time being."
Neelix looked perplexedly from "Tom" to the Captain and back again. "I don't understand."
"If you will take a seat?" the Captain said slowly.
As Neelix did, "Tom" ignored Tom Paris' usual seat next to B'Elanna and assumed Tuvok's to the Captain's left.
Leaning towards "Tom," Kathryn whispered softly to him. "As I guess you can guess, I haven't said anything to the rest of the crew about what happened."
"The Doctor informed us of your... 'gag order' when we awoke the day before yesterday, Captain."
"I didn't know if you would consider it an invasion of your privacy or not to tell people."
"There is no other option except to tell the crew, Captain," he responded. "As we shall be like this for an indeterminate length of time, it will cause less confusion if they know."
"As you wish." She rested her folded hands on the table and addressed the others. "As you all know Tom and Tuvok were involved in a serious accident down on the planet. What you don't know is the extent of their injuries and certain actions which Tuvok undertook to survive."
With the exception of the Doctor and "Tom," everyone frowned in confusion.
"Doctor, perhaps you could give a *brief* explanation?"
In spite of the fact he did not appear to like the emphasis she had placed on the word "brief," he began to talk. "Very well. Briefly-" A slight dig was made to the Captain and went unnoticed - "Lieutenant Commander Tuvok's body remains in Sickbay recovering and shall have to remain there for some time. His consciousness, however, currently is residing inside of Mr. Paris' body. As Mr. Tuvok thought he was dying, they performed a Vulcan death ritual that passes on the dying person's katra or essence. However, since he did not die after all, his consciousness will be able to return to his own body once it is able to survive on its own."
There was a stunned silence.
At last, Neelix gestured to Tom. "So you're saying both Tom *and* Tuvok are... in there?"
"Yes, Mr. Neelix, they are."
The Talaxian seemed to be having difficulty believing this. "Mr. Vulcan?"
"Yes, Mr. Neelix, I can assure you that I am, as you say, in here." Though it was Tom's voice speaking, the words clearly were Tuvok's.
Neelix said nothing further, only stared.
"Mr. Paris and I have discussed it," Tuvok informed the Captain, "and I shall be the dominant personality for the duration of this experience. Be assured, Mr. Paris is fine. He is here, can hear everything, and speak when necessary."
"Dominant personality?" Chakotay asked.
"I essentially shall be the one in command of our mutual body." Tuvok all but grimaced. "Over the past seventy-two hours we have confirmed my supposition that Mr. Paris lacks the mental discipline necessary for controlling this experience. By seceding control to me things should go more smoothly from now on."
Tactfully, no one asked him to elaborate on what had transpired to bring them to this conclusion.
Of course tact was not the Doctor's strong suit so the moment did not last. "They have been experiencing disturbing dreams. Some of the mental trauma Ensign Vorik referred to, Captain," he disclosed. "Mr. Paris rather petulantly refuses to discuss them so I can help them through them and it appears to be rubbing off on Mr. Tuvok since he won't talk about them either. Therefore, the dreams have continued and I have resorted to sedating them whenever they become agitated so they can rest. I do not think the dreams or the sedation will do any lasting damage to either one of them."
"I wondered why "Tom" always was asleep when I checked on them," the Captain admitted.
"Well, the sedation has done them some good. Normally Mr. Paris would be crawling the walls and wheedling his way out of Sickbay. At least this way I was able to be certain they got the rest they needed."
Chakotay changed the topic. "So who's duties will you be fulfilling? Tom's or Tuvok's?"
"For the most part, mine, Commander," Tuvok answered. "Unless there is an emergency which demands Mr. Paris."
"Any idea how long you two will be...?"
"Until my body is able to sustain me once more."
The Doctor butted in again. "That may be some time away. The body is in grave condition."
"It may die?" Neelix gasped.
"I think that is a distinct possibility, Mr. Neelix. It is totally dependent on life support. Some progress is being made, but it is minute."
"There's nothing more you can do to help it?" Chakotay asked.
"No. We can only wait and see what happens."
"What about using some of Seven's nanoprobes?" Kathryn suggested.
"They are not a cure-all for everything, Captain. I've investigated that option and ruled it out. It is a complicated explanation. The main problems are-"
She held up her hand to forestall the explanation. "I'll read the report later."
The hologram was miffed. "Very well, Captain."
Everyone let the Doctor's words sink in. Tom was the one who broke the silence. "Tom" visibly shifted from Tuvok to Tom Paris, in attitude, tone of voice, and posture. All except B'Elanna and Harry - who were back to examining the tabletop - saw the transformation and stared, wide-eyed.
"I think we've got to go ahead with preparing another option for a permanent 'home' for Tuvok if his own body doesn't make it, Captain."
"Tom?"
"Yes, Captain."
"What other option is there? Transfer him into someone else?"
"Tuvok and I've discussed that and ruled it out. The only possible host on this ship really would be Vorik since he is Vulcan himself and would be better able to adapt to this."
"But?"
"But Tuvok would prefer a home of his own."
"Isn't the idea of finding him a new home a little premature?" Chakotay asked. "His body may still survive."
"You heard the Doctor, Chakotay. It might be soon die. Tuvok can't stay inside of me forever. He doesn't want that and I don't want that. It's too hard on both of us."
Kathryn tried to redirect the conversation back to the former topic. "So what do you two suggest as an option?"
"The schematics for the robots who took B'Elanna hostage a couple years ago are still on file. If Engineering can build one then Tuvok's consciousness can be transferred into it."
At the mention of her department, B'Elanna's head snapped up. "Transferred? How?"
"Vulcan's can't mindmeld with machines," Harry blinked at "Tom," "can they?"
"Some can, yes," Tom answered, "but that was not what I was suggesting. There's a highly classified procedure that can be used to do the transfer. I've talked this over with Tuvok and he's agreed to try this as a last resort, if it becomes necessary."
Kathryn frowned. "How is this an option for Tuvok? If it's highly classified, I doubt Voyager's computer will have any information on it or if it does, I certainly won't know the command codes to access it."
"The file will be there. Leave its retrieval and execution to me."
"If it is so highly classified, then how do you know about it?" Chakotay questioned suspiciously.
"That's not important. I just do. While Engineering's constructing the robot, Tuvok and I'll work on the rest of it."
"What exactly is this 'procedure' anyway?" Kathryn questioned worriedly. "Can you tell us that much?"
"Have you ever heard of Dr. Ira Graves?"
"No, I don't think so."
"I have," Harry interjected. "We covered him in one of our first year Ethics courses. He was a brilliant scientist who had some terminal illness. Before he died, he somehow transferred his consciousness to the android Data then later to the computer on the U.S.S. Enterprise then to a computer at the Daystrom Institute. Other than Data, the Head of the Daystrom, and a few people at Command, no one knows how he did it. There was this huge ethical debate about whether they should continue to protect his research so others wouldn't abuse it or was it more important to preserve the greatest minds in the galaxy and run the risk of abuse. Eventually, bigger matters came up and they had to shelve the entire debate along with the research."
"I shall have to see this research before it is tried," the EMH declared. "It may be too dangerous to attempt."
Tom shook his head. "No, Doc. Only Tuvok and I'll be seeing the information. Starfleet Command will be mad enough when they hear I know about it without my dragging the rest of you into it. You needn't worry about how it may effect us. I've been present when it was done successfully in the past. It'll work."
"Captain, I advise against this. Because it worked once does not mean it will again. Something could go wrong. And can you guarantee only Lieutenant Commander Tuvok is transferred and not yourself as well?"
"That's the one obstacle to the plan," Tom conceded. "Graves successfully transferred only himself and not Data also, but he was dealing with a positronic brain, not an organic one. It might be difficult to separate the two brainwave patterns, but not impossible."
The Captain rose and paced a bit then leaned on the back of her chair. "You agree to this option, Tuvok?"
The Vulcan re-emerged. "I do, Captain."
She sighed. "B'Elanna, start on the robot. And bring in Seven on this, too. Maybe she can apply some Borg technology to this."
"Captain-" the hologram spluttered.
"It is only an option, Doctor. We all hope that we won't need to use it, but I want it available if we need it. If you or anyone else can come up with another option, I'll gladly consider it." The Captain rubbed the back of her neck. "I supposed a general announcement will have to be made to the crew so they'll understand what is happening."
"Tom" nodded. "That would be the most appropriate action, Captain."
Megan Delaney stopped dead in her tracks at the announcement regarding "Tom." The moment the Captain's voice had faded away, she rushed off to her and her twin's quarters.
"We are in *so* much trouble," Jenny whispered as her sister entered.
"Don't I know it," Megan agreed and reached into their hiding place for one of the bottles of Rajen wine.
"What are you doing?"
"We have to be in the Security office at 1100 with this or have you forgotten."
Jenny shook her head.
In the past, they had been in trouble with Tuvok before for various infractions. They only hoped Tom's presence might soften the Vulcan Security Chief and their punishment would not be too extreme.
It had been a long morning for "Tom." After they had argued over the seriousness of Delaneys' crime, there had been a myriad of problems both in the Security and Conn departments that had demanded their attention. Plus Tuvok had scheduled an impromptu meeting with his staff to discuss certain developments during the time they had been in Sickbay. Then there was the weekly Conn meeting for which Tom had to prepare. A growling in Tom's stomach was what finally had driven them out of Tuvok's office and into the Mess Hall.
They barely had made it to the serving counter before Naomi Wildman slammed into Tom's leg.
"Tommy!" she squealed and wrapped her little arms tightly around his leg.
Everyone in the room went silent as they watched "Tom" with varying degrees of horror, concern, and curiosity.
The Vulcan's ill ease with the child was well known. It started with his refusal to hold her when she was an infant and continued to his having as little to do with her as possible as she grew up.
Tom Paris, on the other hand, adored the little girl. He spent plenty of time with her and never shied away from a chance to cuddle.
They all breathed a sigh of relief, at the gentle smile on "Tom's" face. Naomi's feelings were not going to be hurt by her playmate inexplicably - to her three-year-old mind anyway - rejecting her.
Then "Tom" shuddered. The smile vanished as conflicting emotions warred across the handsome face. He stumbled backwards. Neelix rushed around the counter to pull his goddaughter away from the trembling man.
"Tom?" he called softly. "Mr. Vulcan?"
"Tom" said nothing. He blindly turned and fled.
Hovering in the doorway to the Holodeck, B'Elanna's eyebrows rose. "Captain, is this important? I really ought to be in Engineering working on the robot designs."
"Yes, I think it is important," Kathryn answered. "Come in, B'Elanna."
The younger woman looked around her. The interior of Holodeck One looked like the interior of the Main Shuttle Bay, complete with the Argo flanked by two smaller shuttles. The two armchairs from Tom's San Moritz programme were a discordant note.
"Captain, what is all this?"
"'This' I'll get to in a moment. Join me?" She gestured to the empty chairs and took one herself. "B'Elanna," she began once her guest had been seated, "I want to talk to you about you and Tom."
Only the fact Kathryn was the Captain saved her from being told very bluntly where to go. As it was, B'Elanna made a move to surge to her feet.
"Captain-"
"We are staying here until we talk, B'Elanna, so you might as well get comfortable."
"Is that an order, *Captain*?"
"No. It is a request from someone who is very concerned about you two."
"Well, don't be. It's-"
"Computer, run programme," Janeway overrode.
Images of Tom and Chakotay suddenly appeared a couple of metres away and one of B'Elanna herself was shown leaving the Shuttle Bay. At first, B'Elanna tried not to watch, her anger with the Captain and Tom and everyone else who had tried to calm her down was too great. The moment she heard Tom asking Chakotay to promise to look after her for him, she relented. Slowly, she turned her head towards the holograms of the two men she knew so well. The beginnings of tears formed in her eyes at the desolation she heard in Tom's voice when he snapped at Chakotay.
"Don't ever presume to think you know how I feel about her. I am doing this for her - for everyone on this ship."
Once the rest of the encounter with Chakotay had played itself out, Kathryn stopped the recording of Tom's parole test. She leaned forwards in her chair, careful not to touch or startle the half-Klingon in anyway. She knew from the slight trembling of B'Elanna's features that the young woman was close to breaking down.
And Kathryn determinedly pushed her over the edge.
"Computer, Janeway mark two."
The armchairs remained but the location changed. Now it was the Bridge. The Bridge crew was unconscious and draped over consoles and chairs. Tom was shown entering the Bridge with Naomi in his arms.
Hot tears obscured her vision by the time Tom had reached her inert form next to the Engineering console. They fell as he gently caressed the sleeping face, his love for her plain in every line in his face.
"Computer, end and run programme Paris San Moritz Lodge."
Tom's skiing lodge appeared around them complete with roaring fire. Kathryn's wrapping B'Elanna's blanket around B'Elanna's trembling form was the overwrought woman's undoing. The tears ran down her face with no end in sight.
Perching on the chair arm, the mother hen gently enfolded her chick in her arms. As she rocked her back and forth, she cooed softly to her though did not try to convince her to stop crying. She knew B'Elanna needed this. The poor woman had been so emotionally on edge for so long now, she needed to let it out. If only she could do the same for Tom.
After a few minutes, the tears subsided into hiccups. Kathryn mopped B'Elanna's face with a corner of the blanket and smiled.
"Feeling better?"
B'Elanna nodded. "You know since I started seeing Tom, I've never cried so much in my life," she admitted with a self-deprecating smile.
Kathryn smiled kindly. "Or laughed as much?"
"No."
"You and Tom do tend to bring out the best and worst in one another." She wiped an errant tear away with her thumb. "I'm sorry I had to do it this way. You wouldn't listen to any of us. I knew the only way you'd finally see what really happened was if you were given no other choice."
"Too stubborn."
"Just like someone else we both know. Talk to him, B'Elanna. He loves you so much it actually scares me."
"What do you mean?"
She smoothed back B'Elanna's hair. "Some times, when I have to send you on an Away mission without sending him as well or something's happened in Engineering and he knows you're down there, he gets his look in his eyes. He does his duty, but there is little doubt as to where he'd much rather be. I honestly don't know what it would do to him if anything happened to you. I sometimes worry that we'd lose him, too, if we lost you."
There was silence as both women considered the importance of what had just been said.
"I know what happened on the planet with you and Harry," Kathryn admitted softly.
B'Elanna broke away to huddle deeper into her blanket.
"Chakotay talked to Harry after he talked to you and both of them were worried you might say something you were going to regret to Tom. So, Chakotay came to me to see what I thought should be done." She touched B'Elanna's arm. "Why did you kiss Harry, B'Elanna?"
"I don't know. He and I were talking - well, I guess you already know about 'what'?"
"You and Tom then how you sort of wished you and Harry were the couple since he was so easy going."
"And wouldn't give me any grief. I know we're not a good couple, Captain. Friends, yes. Couple, no." She half-laughed, half-snorted. "He's scared of me, you know. Doesn't ever admit it, but I know he is."
"That does not surprise me, actually. Harry is very calm, almost like Chakotay in some ways."
"Yeah. Not like Tom. Tom's not calm or scared of me in the least."
"Seems like the perfect match for you to me."
"Yeah."
"So why did you nearly screw it all up, B'Elanna?"
"I don't know. I guess I was desperate to push Tom right out of my life," she at last admitted to herself and the Captain, "and I thought maybe I was wrong about Harry and me being totally wrong for one another as a couple."
"So kissing him was what? Testing the waters?"
"And I found it to be a tepid pool."
"No spark whatsoever?"
"No. It was nice and all."
"But 'nice' isn't enough. You want... the raging river, not the tepid pool?"
B'Elanna nodded.
Kathryn smiled. "So now what?"
"I don't know. Tom hates me because I betrayed him by helping all of you with the parole test. He might never forgive me for that."
"I think he will. He loves you. If you explain why you did it, I think he'll forgive you and us in time."
"We haven't spoken more than absolutely necessary in a couple of weeks. And now..."
"And now there is Tuvok to think about."
"What if he is stuck inside Tom permanently? What if Tuvok's body dies and this option of Tom's doesn't work? I never get Tom back, whether he's willing to take me back or not."
"He will take you back, B'Elanna. Frankly, I don't think he's ever let you go anyway. And we have to think positively. The Doctor says Tuvok's body *is* improving extremely slowly. With luck, Tuvok eventually should be back in his own body where he belongs. Right now, you need to think about what you've seen here, not on 'what ifs.' I've authorised you to see all of the parole test if you want."
"Later? I have to work on the robot option and there's a certain Ensign I think I need to talk to first."
"He's off-duty I believe. Said something about practising his clarinet for the next performance." She smiled at the nod she received. "B'Elanna, there's still the matter of the letter he gave Chakotay for you. No one has read it. I don't know quite what to do with it."
"Tom should get it back unread," the intended recipient insisted.
"That is what I was thinking. I'll see you later."
"Neelix to the Captain," Kathryn's combadge chirped.
"Go ahead, Neelix," she invited as B'Elanna exited the Holodeck.
"I think we have a problem, Captain."
The tremors continued until well after "Tom" had entered Tuvok's quarters. When they had been released from Sickbay to shower and change into a clean uniform earlier that morning, Tuvok had put up only a token argument when Tom had stepped in and directed his body to his quarters instead of Tuvok's.
'It's my body so it will need to wear my uniforms,' Tom had argued. 'My uniforms are in my quarters. Therefore, it makes the most sense for us to stay there instead of in your quarters.'
'Agreed,' was all that the Vulcan had said.
Now, when he needed solitude and solace, Tuvok automatically had headed for his own home.
Tom was at a loss. He felt Tuvok's pain yet was not a part of it. Only briefly did he consider the correct course of action of remaining silent and permitting the Vulcan to regain his composure. Unfortunately for both of them, it was only briefly.
'Tuvok, are you-'
'LEAVE ME ALONE! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!'
'Tuvok-'
'YOU AND YOUR OUT OF CONTROL EMOTIONS! WHY COULDN'T YOU HAVE JUST STAYED PASSIVE LIKE WE'D AGREED? NO, YOU HAD TO PUSH ME OUT OF THE WAY JUST SO YOU COULD -' Tuvok broke off, frantically trying to regain control of his rampaging emotions.
Tom was at a loss. What had he done? Everything was fine one minute then spiralling out of control the next.
He replayed the past ten or so minutes, attempting to figure out what had gone wrong. They were talking about the penchant of the Delaneys and other crewmembers - Tom included - for minor infractions of the regulations. They entered the Mess Hall. Tom asked to table the discussion into the disregard by him and others for the rules that, according to Tuvok, were vital to the security of Voyager. They approached the serving counter and-
And Naomi latched on to them! Until then, Tuvok had been the one in control of their mutual body, but Tom automatically had stepped forwards to greet her as he always did.
'Naomi?' Tom asked softly. 'Her hugging us upset you? Everyone knows you don't like her, but -'
'Vulcans love children, Mr. Paris,' Tuvok gasped, 'we just don't show it.'
'But your discomfort in Naomi's presence?'
'I have children of my own. And now a grandchild I have never even seen. Miss Wildman, she reminds me of them at her age. Not in colouring, certainly, but in the sound of her voice, her curiosity about everything, her manner of movement.'
It was then that Tom finally began to understand the Vulcan in as far as Naomi was concerned. 'Every time you see her you get homesick.'
Tuvok was quiet for a moment then confirmed the conclusion.
'Tell me about them.'
'I don't-'
'It might help.'
After thinking it over, Tuvok opened his mind to Tom. His "roommate" watched the Vulcan's memories silently. Tuvok's first meeting with his potential mate. The births of their children. The last time he had seen them prior to departing for his secret mission with the Maquis.
That last one was the strongest for Tuvok and had the biggest impact on Tom. At the sight of the lovely Vulcan female, regally standing in the austere garden next to her offspring as they wished Tuvok success with his mission, hit Tom as hard as it did Tuvok.
Tears ran down their face. They were the human's, though the overwrought Vulcan felt as if they were his as well.
Harry gulped at the sight of his visitor. "B'Elanna, I-"
Before he could make up some excuse for not letting her inside his quarters, B'Elanna pushed past him and took a seat on the couch. "We have to talk, Harry."
Knowing he would be delaying the inevitable if he put her off, he set his clarinet on its stand then joined her on the couch. "We do need to talk, yes. About what happened on the planet, B'Elanna, I like you, you know that. You're a great person, a great *friend*, but I-"
"Harry, I don't want you either."
The Ensign gaped at his friend's grinning face then tentatively smiled himself. "Really?" All the relief in the Universe was in that one little word.
"Really. I want a certain - what was it? Cocky, restless, sarcastic-"
"You forgot 'moody.'"
"Oh, yes. Moody, sarcastic - you could go on - pilot," she smiled ruefully. "The Captain tricked me into seeing some of the parole test, the important parts I guess you could call them."
"So now you know what really happened?"
"Yes. I'm sorry, Harry."
"For what?"
"For giving you such a hard time the past couple of weeks. And for what happened on the planet. I was using you, hoping I might be able to forget Tom by replacing him with you. I'm sorry, Starfleet."
"It's okay, Maquis. As long as you know what happened was not... was not..."
She smiled at his loss for words. "The beginning of some grand passionate affair? I know, Harry."
He sighed in relief. "Have you talked to Tom yet?"
Her face fell. "How can I with Tuvok there?"
"They won't be this way forever. Tuvok's body will heal and he'll go back where he belongs or this robot thing might work."
"I worry how Tom's going to be after all this."
"What do you mean?"
"The minute I entered Engineering after the staff meeting, Vorik came to me. He warned me about 'mental traumas' Tom and Tuvok might go through while they're together. I didn't like the sound of it, Harry."
No longer worried about giving her the wrong impression, he clasped her hand in his. "Tom's strong, B'Elanna. He'll be okay."
They did not know how many times the door had chimed before they heard it. When they finally did, they lay there on the deck, unmoving for another two chimes. Whoever was on the other side of the door was not going to leave. Like the feeble old man they felt they were, they slowly got to their feet and straightened their uniform. By unspoken agreement, Tom took control of the situation and called out to the visitor.
"Who is it?"
"It's me," the Captain's concerned voice answered.
"One moment, Captain."
Tom walked them into the bathroom to quickly bathe their tearstained face. There was little he could do about the puffy, reddened eyes except keep the light level low and hope the Captain possessed the tact to overlook the obvious evidence of their breakdown.
"Come," he called, re-entering the sitting room.
Kathryn slowly did, clearly uncertain as to what she would find inside. What she did find was Tom Paris standing at Tuvok's typical near attention. She never suspected what she actually was seeing was the Tom Paris mask in place, not usual Tuvok's non-expression expression.
"I heard about what happened in the Mess Hall."
"A regrettable outburst, Captain," Tom agreed in a serious tone. "One which will not happen again."
"Can we be certain of that?"
"Yes. Mr. Paris and I have discussed what happened. We will avoid any such situations in the future and there shall not be a re-occurrence."
"Will it be possible to avoid them?"
"We shall endeavour to do our best, Captain. Please pass along our apologies to Miss Wildman. It was not our intention to upset her."
"I will. You are sure you're both all right? You don't want to talk about what happened?"
"No, we are fine, Captain."
"Even so, I want you two to take the rest of the day off."
"Understood, Captain."
Kathryn nodded and left.
After telling the computer to notify his staff of the cancelled Conn meeting, Tom slumped down into a chair and leaned his head against the chair back. His hands came up to cover his face.
'You imitate me rather well,' Tuvok's still shaky voice observed.
Tom smiled and lowered his hands. 'You should see my Janeway. I've been told I've almost got the Janeway stare down pat.'
'You should not be aping your superior officers, Lieutenant,' the Lieutenant Commander admonished.
'Oh, come on, Tuvok; it's tradition. Don't tell me you didn't see your fellow juniors imitating your seniors when you were a junior officer.'
'It was done, yes, but it hardly was appropriate then or now.'
Tom smiled further. Tuvok's voice was strong and he sounded like himself once more.
'I hardly see how my chastising you for inappropriate behaviour is reason to smile, Lieutenant.'
He tried to wipe the smile off of their face. 'No, sir.'
Tom could almost see one of Tuvok's brows raise at the snappy denial.
'Do you mind if we get some sleep? Tom asked, yawning. I seem to need it.'
'That would be acceptable, Lieutenant.'
Tom rose and walked over to Tuvok's bed instead of going back to his own quarters where they had planned to live. He removed all of his clothing and slipped beneath the sheets and was asleep within seconds.
As soon as REM sleep began, they shared a dream of Tuvok's family.
They were back in the austere garden with his loved ones. While they naturally could not express it openly, his family somehow communicated their contentment at all being together and their concern for Tuvok's safety. It made Tuvok feel happy and Tom along with him.
Then the scene began to change and their moods changed along with it. Another garden, almost as sparse and severe as its Vulcan counterpart, appeared. As did a woman.
She was breathtaking, but then most Pyzealean females were. Her name was DeLaur. Her occupation was chanteuse par excellence. Journalists had christened her the most talented singer of all time and the most beautiful female in the Galaxy. No one, not even her competition, had disagreed. It was hard to refute a statement when all the evidence was against you.
The man singing softly to himself as he tended the gardens behind the Yiimalt nightclub did not wish to refute it either. Though he did not betray the fact, he had taken a good look at her long before she took notice of him and was drawn to him.
"You," she whispered in awe. "What is your name?"
He rose and used a grimy forearm to sweep his shaggy blond hair away from the lenses of his sunglasses. "Rix Zavaleta, ma'am."
DeLaur reached out one exquisitely manicured hand towards his dirt and sweat encrusted throat. "Your voice. It's beautiful."
"Ma'am?"
"You must come with me," she insisted, hand dropping.
"Come with you, ma'am? I don't understand."
"A voice such as yours is too precious to be serenading mere flowers."
"But the flowers seem to like it, ma'am."
"None the less, you should be on a stage, sharing your gift with all, not merely the flowers."
"Me? On a stage, ma'am?" He laughed shyly and shook his head. "No, ma'am, that's for people like DeLaur." He gestured towards the club. "She's supposed to be here tonight. At least that's what one of the waitresses said. If you're here for the performance, it's not for another couple hours yet."
"Dear child, I am DeLaur."
He removed the eyewear and beautiful blue eyes openly stared at the beautiful woman before him. A soft "oh, my" was his only comment.
DeLaur's was an intake of breath. Her fondness for a certain shade of blue almost was as legendary as the tales of her beauty, talent, and presence. This man's eyes were precisely that shade. Perhaps that, as much as his singing abilities, was what made her call out to the club owner who was waiting at the table he personally had prepared for her lunch. The squat Wesnean waddled over to them, earflaps twitching convulsively in agitation.
"Is he bothering you, DeLaur?" Panfew turned his three huge eyes on the dirty, young human. "You were told you had to finish the gardens before lunch." He bowed to DeLaur. "My profoundest of apologies, DeLaur. This one is new here, only his third day. He is not too bright I am afraid." A glare was aimed at the gardener. "He will be leaving my employ immediately."
"Yes, he shall," the woman answered airily, "because I intent to take him with me when I leave Wesne."
"DeLaur?"
She ignored the unspoken question. "That will be all, Panfew. Please tell my assistant to join me."
"Yes, DeLaur." Panfew hurried away as fast as his stubby legs could carry him.
"What do most people call you?"
"Rix, ma'am."
"Fine then, Rix, I am offering you the opportunity of a lifetime. As you suddenly find yourself in need of a position, I am offering you one as I find myself in need of a protégé. My last one was killed in an accident a week ago. A terrible thing that was and so unfortunate. He had talent. Nothing like yours though, dear child."
She turned to see a petite human female with cascades of long brown hair flowing to her waist striding towards them. "Ah, Souris. Come."
"You wish to see me, DeLaur?" she asked in a soft alto voice.
"Yes. This is Rix Zavaleta. Take him to his lodgings, collect whatever belongings he has then take him up to the ship and make him comfortable."
"DeLaur?"
"He is to be my new protégé."
Rix tried to make an argument. "Um, ma'am, I-"
The chanteuse refocused her attention on him. "You are not married, are you, Rix?"
"No, ma'am."
"Involved with anyone?"
"No, ma'am."
"Sole support for your family?"
"I have no family, ma'am."
"So no close ties with this planet?"
"No, ma'am, I just arrived here."
"Then it's settled. I have need of a protégé. You have need of a job and have no reason to stay here any longer. It is the perfect arrangement."
"Well, ma'am-"
"Say yes, Rix."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good!" She clapped her hands together in joy. "We will begin your training first thing tomorrow. Souris, make him comfortable."
"Yes, DeLaur," Souris responded.
With that DeLaur left in a cloud of ultra-expensive perfume, never knowing until much later that she had been set up.
DeLaur looked down at her young lover and smiled into his eyes. Over the past three weeks, Rix Zavaleta had proven himself to be quiet the protégé in all areas except the one in which they current found themselves. Here in her bedroom, she had found herself to be *his* protégé and a very willing one at that.
"I wish we did not have to leave this room tonight, my dear child," she confessed, "yet we must."
"Is tonight truly that more important than us?" he asked guilelessly.
"Oh, Rix, it is not a matter of importance. It is a matter of fulfilling an agreement I made with Elxs Tho long before I ever met you." She smoothed back his slightly too long bangs from his forehead. "Tonight is the night all of Tho's planning has been leading up to. If I do not go, all shall be lost. I am the bait to ensure they come. They'll be reassured that nothing is going to happen with me there."
"But you will be in no danger? I have heard her name before, I think. She is said to be the most dangerous woman in the entire Alpha Quadrant yet no one can prove it."
DeLaur smiled. "She is, my dear child, she is."
"Then how can you be certain she will not harm you once her plan is complete? I don't think Souris or I will be enough to protect you from her. Perhaps you should bring some security people with us to protect you."
"Tho won't allow and it will unnerve her guests since they weren't allowed to bring anyone themselves. I'll be safe. Don't you worry."
She rose and walked across the blue on blue bedroom, totally unconscious of her nudity. Maybe not *totally unconscious* for she cast a glance over her shoulder, clearly with the intention of making sure he was appreciating the view. Propped up against the cushions of the wide bed, he gave every appearance of doing so.
"Now, don't you ever tell anyone about this, Rix, understand?"
Like an angelic child, he nodded.
She gave him a smile then shifted her attention to the wall.
Normally, DeLaur was cautious to the point of obsessiveness where her secrets were concerned. She had learned a great many things in her hard early life and never totally trusting anyone was one of them. But Rix was different. In her opinion, he was too stupid even think of betraying anyone. He just did not seem to comprehend the fact it might be to his advantage some how to do it. Added to that, he was totally besotted with her therefore would do anything she told him to. She knew her telling him to keep his mouth shut meant she could tell him anything and it never would go any further. Because of all this, she showed him her most prized possession, next to him.
Gracing the woodwork of the wall directly in front of her was a seemingly purely ornamental flower. She carefully pressed the face of her signet ring to the centre of that flower. The large stone of the ring was - like all her things - blue, in this case a semiprecious stone known as turquoise from Earth. Its carved face fitted neatly into the flower and triggered a hidden release. A panel in the wall slid up to reveal a state of the art safe. She entered the correct code to open the safe, removed a padd from inside and waved it at him.
"I know I am safe, my dear child, because I have this."
He rose and walked towards her. His lack of self-consciousness where his body was concerned was real, not feigned. And what a body, DeLaur's appreciative look told him, though he ignored the interest for the moment.
"A padd?" he asked, stopping before her. He made no move to examine it.
"Yes, but not just any padd," she murmured, wrapping her arms around his neck. "This padd has all the information there is to know about Elxs Tho."
His frown told of his lack of comprehension.
"I know everything about her. She won't dare try anything against me when tonight is over because if she does I will go straight to the authorities or, better yet, her enemies and she'll be finished. There won't be a safe place for her in the entire galaxy."
"But how will that protect you? She could just kill you and then she would be safe."
"She can't take the risk of killing me, my dear child," she smirked. "She doesn't know where I keep this padd or how many others I may have given copies of this to.""Why would you give copies to others?"
"As insurance, my dear Rix. In case anything happened to me."
"Oh. So you did that?"
"No, dear child. In order for me to take an interest in anything, it has to be valuable." As she traced his features with a finger, she became blunt with her words. "Like you. You're valuable because of your talents - vocal and otherwise." The implication that when his talents waned so would his value was deliberate. She wanted him to know that if he wanted to retain his place, she would have to be kept happy. From the look on his face, he got the message loud and clear.
"The same with other people and information and whatever," she continued. "The value is important. And if it is valuable, then I can't trust anyone else with it. Had I trusted anyone with this information about Tho, they might have gotten it into their heads to use it themselves. That might have become messy and all of Tho's planning leading up to tonight would have been wasted. I have too much at risk to let that happen."
"But what if something happens tonight?"
She ran the pad of a blue tipped fingernail down his jawline. "Nothing will happen other than what is supposed to happen." The chanteuse drew his head down to hers. "All this talk has made me so tense, Rix," she murmured. "I think I need relaxing."
As he kissed her, she reached backwards towards the safe and set the padd inside. With her eyes closed in ecstasy, she never saw the invisible hand reach out and snatch the padd along with the rest of the contents of the safe before DeLaur triggered the panel to close once more.
Almost five hours later, Rix wordlessly watched the proceedings around him. Half a dozen of the galaxy's most important criminals sat around a table and right in the thick of it all was Elxs Tho herself. It was rather entertaining to watch the others pretending they did not fear the seven foot tall Trasan. If anything, their anxiety was all the more obvious because of their attempts to disguise it.
And she was relishing every second of it almost as much as she had the private performance DeLaur had finished giving them only moments ago. Now the chanteuse was delighting all with her charm, particularly Eenaki, upon whose lap she currently was perched.
Once his duet with DeLaur was over, they paid little attention to Rix who went to prop up one wall. Souris also was overlooked as she quietly sat in a chair at the opposite end of the room to him. Underestimating them was their second mistake. Their first was assenting Elxs Tho's invitation.
"So why are we here?" Brunn asked, setting down his half empty glass of Romulan ale.
"Yes," Geird agreed. "As delightful as it is to hear DeLaur - and her protégé - sing, I must admit to being curious about this plan you alluded to for ending our troubles with the Orion Syndicate forever."
Nonchalantly, Tho interlaced her fingers and dropped her clasped hands to her lap as she leaned back in her chair. "Yes, I suppose now is as good a time as any to begin. Simply put-"
"Pardon me, Tho," O-Kis-Rhah squeaked, "but perhaps the others should go?"
She dismissed the concern over DeLaur, Souris, and Rix's presence with a flick of the wrist. "Oh, they are no problem. In fact, I want them to stay... since they are going to be such an important part of my plan."
For the next ten minutes, Tho slowly outlined her plan. Once she was finished they did their best to poke holes in her ideas then lapsed into thought while the woman who was to play such a large part in the plan resumed cooing away to Eenaki.
"How can you be so certain DeLaur can pull this off?" H'Th'Z'r finally asked. "No offence intended, DeLaur, but you are not a spy. How can we be certain she can get close enough to the head of the Syndicate?"
"Because he is my most ardent admirer," the chanteuse answered for Tho. "I can't tell you how many invitation from him I have refused - politely of course. When the next invitation is issued, I shall gracefully relent and go perform for him."
"And what assurance do we have, Tho," Caz hissed, "that this proposed partnership will continue after the Syndicate is crushed?"
The Trasan turned her amber eyes on him. "None, same as I have from all of you. We'll have to trust one another on this. Each one of us has a vital piece to contribute to this plan. It cannot be achieved without each of us fulfilling their end of the bargain. When it is all over and we are in control of the Syndicate, then we can decide how best to carve up what is left of it. There's plenty to go around."
"I have a better suggestion," a voice said seemingly from no where. "Merge your organizations with the Syndicate."
A general call of disagreement went up. Then it stopped. Puzzled looks came over their faces as they realized it was not one of their number who had done the speaking.
"So you do not wish to join with us," the voice continued. "That is a pity."
All eyes flew to the humanoid the shimmering transporter beam was depositing amongst them. The seven at the table leapt to their feet, taking up defensive stances. As Eenaki stood, DeLaur was unceremoniously dumped off of his lap. Only Rix's quick action saved her from ending up an ungainly heap on the polished marble floor. He drew her off to once side, holding her from behind with an arm around her waist.
"I had so hoped we could all do business together," the newcomer moaned.
Eenaki rounded on Tho. "You said this place was shielded against transporters."
Confused herself, Tho brought up a nasty looking phaser pistol from under the table and pointed it at the stranger.
"I am Zepfa," the right hand man of the head of the Orion Syndicate introduced. "As soon as we heard of this meeting, we knew we had to be present to protect our interests. It is regrettable you rejected our offer. Now we'll-"
Unseen hands slammed Zepfa into the wall.
Souris was out of her chair and had Tho disarmed and prone on the floor before the Trasan ever knew the tiny human had moved.
The cry from the others present abruptly was stifled at the decloaking of eight very heavily armed and hooded soldiers in midnight blue. A soldier laid a hand on each of the seven from the table and forced them back into their seats once Souris had searched them for weapons.
Zepfa tried to crane his neck to see the soldier who had him pinned to the wall. He subsided at the sound of a growl from under the head-concealing hood.
"Rix? Souris?" DeLaur cried. "What is going on?" She attempted to break her lover's hold on her arm yet could not. "Rix, release me. You're hurting me."
"My apologies, DeLaur," he answered solemnly.
She never saw the knife that slit her throat from ear to ear, silencing the most precious vocal cords in the entire galaxy for the last time.
But the others in the room did. One could have heard their own heart beat in the silence that descended over the room. Other than the soldiers and Souris, every single being in the room stared, stunned as the lifeless form of the famous singer slowly slid to the floor.
"The Syndicate was not the only one who wished to see their interests protected," AlphaOmegan 41783 informed them, casually stepping over the body. "We have a counterproposal to offer. I do not suggest you refuse it."
"Doctor to Paris."
"Tom" jerked upright. Blinking rapidly, Tom tried to shake off the memory. "Go ahead, Doc."
"Crewwoman Walesan is scheduled for her prenatal exam at 0715. Will you be joining us or should I perform it?"
'I really ought to go, Tuvok,' Tom explained. 'I have been there so far.'
'Fine, Lieutenant,' Tuvok answered distractedly.
"We'll be there, Doc. Paris out."
'Mr. Paris, we need to discuss your latest memory.'
Placing his clothing from the day before in the refresher prior to climbing into the shower, Tom thought about Tuvok's demand. Tom knew the Vulcan was not going to be put off again. He had gotten off easy when he had been able to delay the Uucuu incident discussion. Maybe avoidance was not the way to handle this after all. His "roommate" needed to be prepared for what would happen when the AlphaOmegans came to collect Tom. He had the right to know the danger Tom's good deed had unintentionally had landed him in.
'Lieutenant,' Tuvok continued, 'I know the name Elxs Tho, and those of some of the others. A Commander I once served under was assigned to the investigation into DeLaur's murder. You would have liked him, Lieutenant. He listened to his "gut instinct" also. It told him that, though all of the evidence pointed in one direction, the solution to the mystery lay in another. Oddly enough, he eventually conceded the obvious solution was the correct one. Clearly he was correct in his first conclusion. I now have witnessed your memories of two assassinations carried out by your own hand. As a Starfleet officer and Head of Security on Voyager, it is my duty to-'
'And it was my duty to do what I did,' he sighed.
'Your duty? You mean to say Starfleet ordered you to do what you did?'
'Not Starfleet, no. I was under orders from a part of the Federation government,' he oversimplified. 'They sent me to take care of some things that had gone out of control. The Romulan prisoner was taken into custody as a simple case of mistaken identity. By the next day, the warden would have had the conformation he needed to prove the Romulan's claims he wasn't the man they sought and he'd have been released to the Romulans. He'd have been free to carry on with his plan to orchestrate civil wars on several key Federation and Romulan planets, bringing both to their knees. I was sent to see that never happened.'
'I see. And DeLaur?'
'She was collecting information from her adoring and powerful fans and selling it to the highest bidder.' AlphaOmegan 41783 quoted from the official report on the operation. 'She had extracted some intell from a V.I.P. and did not realize its importance at the time. Had she lived five more days, she would have known the true value of the seemingly meaningless pillow talk they had exchanged and it would have jeopardized several key operations we had a vested interest in seeing completed.'
Tom sighed again, resuming control of the narrative. 'The death of her protégé originally set up to appear to be a mistake, a hit on her that missed so later, when she died, it would appear to be the work of some psychotic fan. Had things been carried out as they were meant to, your former commander would not have had any problems accepting the case as it was presented to him.'
'But...'
'But one of my colleagues, Souris, discovered there were bigger things a foot than just DeLaur's petty information brokering.'
'Elxs Tho.'
'Yes. We knew DeLaur had information on her. The plan had been to extract it from her then eliminate her. When we discovered she was involved in some huge plan of Tho's, we had to know what it was. Things did not go quite as planned. Zepfa showed up unexpectedly and we had to improvise. She ended up dying there, that way.'
'My former commander's coming to ignore his "gut reaction"-'
'Was because someone would have got to him and convinced him to fall in line, yes.'
'I see. He was pressured to abandon the case.'
'You could put it that way. Look, Tuvok, there are only two reason why I'm telling you all this. One, you've seen too much to neatly explain it all away. And two, the people who gave me my orders may be coming to collect me or eliminate me and you now have to worry about that too because you are sharing my body. Even after you leave me, you won't be safe. They give new meaning to the term "paranoia," Tuvok. They'll wonder exactly what I may have told you so you'll be in danger too. It's only fair you know what I've gotten you into.'
'Why would they wish to eliminate you and possibly me?'
'Because I know too much.'
'And now so do I.'
'You know a bit, yes. And like I said, they're paranoid. They've spent almost two centuries protecting the Alpha and Beta Quadrants. They won't appreciate having to worry about a possible threat to all of their efforts lurking out here in the Delta Quadrant. They'll do their best to eliminate that worry.'
'So how do we protect ourselves?'
'I had a plan, but it's useless now.'
'The one we revealed with the parole test.'
'It revealed part of it.'
'And the rest?'
'Can't help now.'
'This new insight into your life brings up many questions, Lieutenant.'
'Which aren't going to be answered.'
'Lieutenant -'
'The less you know, the better, Tuvok. You'll just have to trust me on that.'
Tom guided their body out of the shower and into the bedroom.
"Commander Tuvok. Lieutenant Paris."
As he fell into step with her, "Tom" inclined his head towards Seven. "Seven of Nine," Tuvok greeted.
"How are you and Lieutenant Paris feeling?"
An eyebrow rose at the question.
"I have been told it is considered polite to enquire after another's health as and opening to a conversation."
"That is a convention of some cultures, yes. Lieutenant Paris and I are feeling... fine." He paused. "How are you, Seven?"
"I am... well." The opening gambit played, she moved from polite niceties to something she understood. "Yesterday afternoon, Lieutenant Torres and I began planning modifications on the robot body. It is crude though it should fulfil its function within reasonable parameters once the modifications are finished. We will begin building the prototype this morning."
There was a lull in the conversation.
"When I was in Sickbay for my weekly medical examination last night, the Doctor said your body appeared to be improving."
"Yes, however the rate of progress is unacceptably slow. The body may still expire before it is sufficiently improved to reoccupy."
"That would be unfortunate."
"Yes, it would."
They entered a turbolift and requested their respective decks.
Seven was silent for a moment then turned to "Tom." "May I speak with Lieutenant Paris for a moment?"
Tom took the forefront. "Yes, Seven?"
"Lt..." Now that she had him, she seemed not to know what to say. She stiffly came to attention. "Computer, halt turbolift."
The lift stopped.
"Lieutenant, when I was with the Doctor, Mr. Neelix entered Sickbay to check on the Commander's body. He made reference to the parole simulation and your lingering displeasure with those who participated in the planning of it. Is this true?"
Tom's jaw tightened. "I was not exactly thrilled, no."
"I find the idea of being one of the objects of your displeasure... discomforting," she remarked, introspective in her tone. She met his eyes full on. "Though comfort is irrelevant, I find I no longer wish to be uncomfortable. The Captain says we meant well, but we did not do well. Is this the case?"
"Yes, Seven," Tom confirmed, unconsciously allowing his position against the conspirators to soften. "Everyone should have left well enough alone."
"I see. So your attitude and behaviours that so concerned the others and prompted their actions should have been ignored."
"I..." Tom turned away. "I don't want to talk about this anymore, Seven. Computer, resume."
The lift travelled the remainder of the distance to Deck Five and Tom exited. As the doors closed, Seven watched him, perplexed.
Crewman Ver Faran tolerated Tom Paris only because he had no other choice. That fact hardly was a secret from anyone with the exception of the Captain, Commander, and Chief of Security. Now it was only a secret from the former two. Tuvok had seen first hand how less than amiable the former Maquis was to the former Maquis traitor.
'Mr. Paris, the crewman dislikes you.'
'Gee, Tuvok, I hadn't noticed.'
'Why?'
Tom knew Tuvok was ignoring the sarcastic comeback and questioning Ver's animosity. 'I don't know. The usual probably.' "LaKeysha, I need you to hold still for a moment."
The pregnant young woman nodded and relaxed against the padding of the biobed. She was more than willing to lie there quietly while Tom did whatever he needed to do. At five months along, she already was at the stage that anything that got her off of her feet was welcomed with open arms.
Her mate was another story. "What are you going to do with that?" Ver demanded. It was a toss up as to which he was glaring at harder - Paris or the mysterious instrument in his hand.
"It's a Zebraskan scanner," Tom identified in his most civil tone. As he used it, he went on to explain exactly what it was and why he was using it. He did this even though he knew the young Bajoran did not really want to know.
Ver was spoiling for a fight with Paris, preferably a physical brawl. Since the early days of LaKeysha's pregnancy and the Doctor had assigned Tom to do the routine exams, Ver had tried every angle to try to get a rise out of the pilot. It was beginning to grate on his nerves that his enemy consistently refused to rise to the bait. Right now it seemed not even the presence of Tuvok or LaKeysha was going to keep him in check.
"There we go," Tom smiled. "All done. Your baby is developing normally. In about four months Voyager should be welcoming its newest edition to the Family. You're sure you don't want to know the sex?"
"We've said we are sure," Ver ground out. He roughly brushed Tom's hand away from LaKeysha as the medical assistant attempted to help the expectant mother to a sitting position.
Tom continued to ignore Ver's treatment of him.
"Why can't the EMH do these check ups?"
This was an old complaint.
"Faran, Lieutenant Paris has told you every time you ask that question that he is fully qualified to do these tests and if anything turns up that he can't handle the Doctor will step in."
"He's not a doctor. He's just..."
LaKeysha folded her arms across her chest and looked pointedly up at her mate. "He's just what?"
Tuvok chose this moment to step in "Yes, Crewman Ver," Tuvok said in his most serious tone, "what is Lieutenant Paris?"
'Leave it alone, Tuvok,' Tom admonished. 'LaKeysha's pregnant. She doesn't need anymore stress than she already is under. Don't confront Ver.'
Under LaKeysha's glare, Ver backed down and took her hand. "Come on, you need to get to your station or we'll both be late." He ushered her out of Sickbay without farewell.
'That is insubordination.'
'Tuvok,' Tom began, replacing the equipment he had used back into their respective receptacles, 'I told you not to push it. Some people don't like me and never will. Live with it. I do. Now what's on our schedule for today?'
The Vulcan reluctantly dropped the subject. And picked up another contentious one. 'Seven's statements in the turbolift have made me realize we should discuss some things.'
'What things?'
'The parole test for one.'
'Tuvok, not right now.'
'Now is the perfect time, Mr. Paris. You and I -'
"Ah, gentlemen," the EMH greeted as he stepped out of his office, "since you are here we should take this opportunity to give you a check up. Take a seat over here."
Tom breathed a sigh of relief and hopped up on the nearby biobed. He knew it was inevitable that they talk about what Tuvok now knew. Eventually he would have to tell Tuvok enough of the truth to pacify him. The question was how much would suffice?
