Disclaimer: All characters, vessels, science, and the original plot belong to Paramount with the exception of Sarah Janeway, the new parts of the plot, and anything else that I made up.
Author's Note: I know, I know—I've taken a long time to update before, but this is just ridiculous. My life is pretty icky. (Even Christmas was lousy.) I won't go into the sordid details, but let's just say writing my stories has become a low priority because of everything else. I'm currently trying to get it up higher on my priority list so that you don't have wait months for an update. We'll see how that goes.
Now, about this episode: CSI: Delta Quadrant, anyone? :) I'm really thinking about doing a Voyager—CSI crossover, since they're my two favorite shows of all time. If you have suggestions, send me an e-mail or a private message. I'd love to hear from you guys!
I hope you enjoy this most recent installment in the series. I apologize for the copious amount of original dialogue, but when you're in a rush to get another chapter out, it helps to use that as a sort of 'place-filler'. I did try to insert several new scenes to compensate for that fact.
Please review if you can. Reading all the messages you took the time to write, even after reading such a long story, helps lift my spirits. :) I appreciate you guys, a lot.
Anomaly
'Ex Post Facto'
Sarah paced back and forth nervously in her mother's ready room. "They should have been back already," she worried aloud. Her stomach tingled unpleasantly and she twisted her hands together, hoping it was normal anxiety and not the return of her 'gifts'.
"Sarah, you're wearing a trench in the carpet," Kathryn gently chided her daughter as she glanced over a service report. "Stop worrying. It'll take them a while to work out a deal for a new collimator."
The young girl shook her head. "No, something's wrong. I can feel it." She had barely finished her sentence when a voice came over the comm system.
"Tuvok to Captain Janeway."
The captain tapped her commbadge. "Go ahead."
"Captain, our shuttle is approaching, but with only one lifesign aboard. I can not get them to respond."
Her eyes wide and fearful, Sarah stared at her mother, who responded, "Understood." The two of them then rushed onto the bridge. "Janeway to Sickbay. Activate Emergency Medical Holographic program," Kathryn ordered.
"I'm already on, captain. What can I do for you?"
"We've got an incoming shuttle with an injured crewman on board."
"Any details?"
"It's either Ensign Kim or Lieutenant Paris. We haven't been able to raise them."
"Understood."
Tuvok looked up from the panel in front of him. "Sensors indicate damage to various subsystems."
"You're sure there's only one lifesign aboard?" Kathryn asked.
"That is confirmed, captain."
"Transport him to Sickbay. I'll be down there," she ordered Chakotay, then entered the turbolift with Tuvok and Sarah. Inside, she ordered "Deck 5," and then turned to her daughter. "How did you know?"
The child gulped nervously. "I think it was just a gut feeling this time, not…not…something else." I hope, anyway.
Kathryn nodded. When the lift came to a stop, she led the other two to Sickbay at a brisk pace.
Harry Kim was laying on the main biobed. He looked pale and sickly, and Sarah heard the Doctor saying something about dehydration. What happened to him?, she moaned silently. And where's Tom?
Her mother was thinking along the same lines. "Can you tell us what happened to Paris, Mr. Kim?"
"They made me leave without him. They said he'd committed a murder," Harry replied weakly.
There was a barely audible collective sharp intake of breath throughout Sickbay. "Do you have any idea who the victim was?" Kathryn asked, hiding her anxiety.
"An engineering physicist we were working with. His name was Tolen Ren. The Banean Minister of Science introduced us to him just after we'd arrived. He said his wife would be happy to have company for supper and that we could look over Voyager's specifications then. There was no reason to say no. If we hadn't gone with him that night, none of this would've happened." At this point, the Doctor injected Harry with a hypospray. "We went into the other room and started to work on the navigational beam specifications. It was pretty dry stuff, you know, re-writing baseline code algorithms. Tom got bored. He left us alone for a while. I guess he was with Mrs. Ren. I know they saw each other the next day. That was the night Professor Ren was murdered," he finished.
"Did you talk to Lieutenant Paris after he was detained?" Tuvok asked.
"No. They never let me see him. They interrogated me for almost two days straight. They asked me a lot of questions about the Numiri. At first they must have thought we were Numiri agents or something. Professor Ren was the inventor of the Banean ship technology."
"He's completely exhausted. Can some of this wait until he's had a chance to rest?" the Doctor interjected.
Captain Janeway nodded. "We'll find out about Paris, Mr. Kim." She tapped her commbadge. "Janeway to Chakotay."
"Go ahead," came Chakotay's reply.
"Set a course for the Banean homeworld, commander."
"Aye, captain."
With that taken care of, Kathryn motioned for Tuvok to leave with her. Sarah stayed behind. The Doctor watched her for a minute, and then when he found she merely intended to offer her presence, he entered his office.
She stood silently beside the biobed for a while, gazing around the room. When she looked back at Harry, she saw that he had fallen asleep. He must be exhausted. Curiously, as she watched his sleeping form, she began to feel rather drowsy herself. I guess it couldn't hurt to take short nap here…
With that, she slid to the floor and promptly fell asleep.
The next thing she knew, she was standing in doorway in a building on what appeared to be an alien world. Four men stood in front of her, two of them being Tom and Harry. The other two were aliens with strange grey and red headdresses and ridges on their foreheads. She didn't recognize their species, but theorized that they were Baneans.
She watched the man the grey headdress introduce Harry and then Tom to the man with red headdress, Tolen Ren. So the first man is the Banean Minister of Science…
"So, you're from the other side of the galaxy," Tolen Ren was saying.
"70,000 light-years, give or take a few," Tom replied with his easy smile.
"If anybody on this world can help you, Professor Ren can. He's developed four generations of navigational arrays for our ships," the Minister of Science continued.
"We have to stay one step ahead of our neighbors, the Numiri. Did you bring your ship's specifications with you?"
Harry held up a PADD. "It's all here."
"Splendid. Why don't we begin to look it over at my home this evening? My wife would be delighted to have company for supper."
Harry and Tom agreed and followed Tolen Ren out of the room. Sarah moved to follow suit, but everything suddenly faded to black. When things faded back in, she saw that they were now in a private home. A tiny, scruffy-looking dog barked at them insistently.
Tolen Ren picked it up. "Oh come on now, Neeka, stop that racket. They're friends!" She stopped barking immediately. "That's better, that's better. What a good doggie, what a good doggie." He called out, "Oh dearest, are you dressed? We have guests." Turning to the two Starfleet officers, "I should've called. I just don't think of the common courtesies. She's really wonderful about tolerating my dreadful manners."
Just then, his attractive young wife strolled into the room, casually checking her blonde hair in a mirror on the wall. "So you've done it to me again?"
"Yes, dear. I apologize. Oh Lidell, this is Ensign Harry Kim and Lieutenant Tom Paris. They're from the other side of the galaxy."
"Hello," she addressed Tom and Harry.
Tom was clearly taken with her and replied, "Nice to meet you."
Sarah frowned disapprovingly, although she realized that for some reason, none of them could see her.
Lidell turned and rearranged some flowers in a vase. "You might've called."
"You're absolutely right. Do you have enough to feed us all or shall we go out?" Tolen answered apologetically.
"No, it's fine. I have some leftover rolk from yesterday. I'll just throw it in the stew."
"Wonderful. Gentlemen, make yourselves at home. I'm going to put on my slippers. Lidell will take good care of you."
He left the room, and Lidell turned to Tom and Harry. "Would you like a drink?"
Tom said nothing, so Harry hastily replied, "Sure."
Lidell opened a skinny wooden cabinet and said, "Help yourself." Then she too left the room.
Harry gave Tom a look.
"What're you looking at?" Tom asked.
"Not the same thing you're looking at, that's for sure."
Neeka barked at the two of them again.
"What're you looking at?" Tom asked her sarcastically.
Lidell re-entered the room with a plate and threw a piece of food on the floor. Neeka rushed over and gobbled it up as the Starfleet men gave their hostess a puzzled look.
"If the rolk was spoiled, Neeka wouldn't eat it," she replied.
Once again, things faded to black. A very confused Sarah then found herself standing next to Harry who was seated at a dinner table with Lidell, Tolen, and Tom.
Tolen ladled some of the stew into Harry's bowl. "Nothing too fancy, nothing exotic round here. We're very simple folks."
"You're very kind to include us at your supper table," Harry courteously replied.
"We enjoy an occasional guest. I think Lidell would prefer us to entertain more often than we do, yes? She's er, far more social than I am. I'm afraid she gets a little bored here sometimes. I'm so consumed with my work."
Tom shook his head apologetically. "And here we are bringing more of it home to take your husband's attention away for the evening."
"Whether you were here or not makes no difference. Tolen would work anyway," Lidell countered simply.
"I'm afraid she's right. We are at war after all. By the way, how did you get past the Numiri patrols?"
Harry smiled. "Lieutenant Paris is our best pilot."
"Captain Janeway decided not to take our ship into orbit. She wanted to avoid getting involved in your conflict. So we came in on a shuttlecraft that would avoid immediate detection by the Numiri. I hid behind the rim of the moon before I made a break for your defense perimeter. By the time their sensors picked us up they didn't have a chance to catch us," Tom explained.
"Well done!" Tolen clapped Tom on the shoulder.
At that moment, Lidell stood up from the table.
"Finished already?" her husband wanted to know.
She put her untouched plate on the floor for Neeka to eat. "The meat doesn't taste right," she said, unconvincingly, and she promptly left the room.
"Well, we do have a lot of work to get done," Tolen spoke up. "Perhaps we should begin."
At that moment, everything faded to black once again. This time, however, it stayed black.
Suddenly, Sarah could feel someone's hand on her arm. She forced her eyes open and saw a few hazy shapes swimming before her face. She tried to say something, but it was as though she had no control of her tongue. She could feel it roll around in her mouth and she could hear some sort of noise, but she had no idea what she'd said, if anything at all.
"Sarah, are all right? What are you trying to say?"
Her mother's voice. Apparently she had said something. She tried it again.
"What? Sarah, say it one more time."
She obeyed, and this time she could hear herself: "Neeka."
As soon as she saw the faces of her mother, the Doctor, and Tuvok, she knew it had been the wrong thing to say.
"How do you know the dog's name?" Kathryn asked, shocked.
Sarah wanted to pretend it had been because of something else, but the truth spilled from her unwilling lips: "I saw it."
"What all did you see? Did you see the murder?" Her mother couldn't help becoming a little excited at the prospect that they could have evidence to exonerate Tom, but immediately she felt guilty for half-hoping that her daughter had seen a murder.
"No, I just saw what Harry saw." A few warm tears leaked from Sarah's eyes. Not this again…
Kathryn took pity on her small daughter and gently lifted her from floor onto her shoulder. "I'm going to take her back to our quarters. Is she all right?"
The Doctor ran a medical tricorder over her. "She's fine physically."
Kathryn nodded in acknowledgement and left Sick Bay with Sarah draped tiredly over her shoulder.
Back in their quarters, she tucked her daughter into bed and gently brushed the hair off her sleeping face. She stood and watched her sleep for a while, wondering for the millionth time where Sarah's incredible powers came from and why they showed up at odd and unpredictable moments.
She still couldn't understand exactly how Sarah had seen what Harry had seen. After an hour or two, the Doctor had summoned them back to Sick Bay saying that Harry had recovered somewhat and wanted to give them more details on what had happened. That's how she herself had learnt the name of the Rens' dog. At the time, she had merely raised an eyebrow at her daughter's sleeping form on the floor near Harry's biobed thinking perhaps she was just tired. However, when she began to stir and murmur things to herself, looking distressed, Kathryn had tried to wake her, with the result of learning it was another one of her 'episodes'.
She watched her sleep a while longer. Finally, Kathryn kissed Sarah's forehead and left their quarters for her ready room, determined to get to the bottom of Tom's accusation and hoping that the sooner they got out of the area, the sooner Sarah's condition would sort itself out, as it had when they had encountered the creature that had at first appeared to be a nebula. She was sitting at her desk when the door chime sounded. "Come in."
Neelix entered the room. "You sent for me, captain?"
She gestured at the chair in front of her desk and he sat down. "Lieutenant Paris has gotten himself into trouble. I'm taking the ship into orbit while we try to sort things out."
"Be prepared to be intercepted by Numiri patrols. They always try to intimidate travelers to the Banean planet."
"The stakes are too high to send a shuttlecraft this time. I want to show our flag to make it clear that we mean business," she said grimly.
"I understand."
Kathryn stood up and started to pace around the room. "Based on your experience, what can we expect the Numiri to do to intimidate us?"
"To be honest, whenever I saw the Numiri coming I always left before the intimidation began," Neelix replied, laughing at his own joke.
The captain was not amused. She stopped pacing and stood behind him with her arms folded sternly.
Neelix abruptly stopped laughing and became serious again. He turned around and stood to face her. "Er, however, I know from knowledgeable sources that they have directed energy weapons comparable to your own, our own, that is, plus regenerative shields that may even give them a certain advantage over us in a fire fight."
"Tell me about them, as a people. Are they aggressive, technical, intellectual, emotional, anything that might help me deal with them?"
"The Numiri and the Banea are quite different from one another, even though they once co-existed on the same planet. That's why I recommended the Banea to you in the first place. The Numiri have a remarkably covert society."
Great, Kathryn thought to herself. Suddenly, the comm signal sounded.
Chakotay's voice came through. "Captain to the Bridge."
"On my way," she called back. Neelix followed her out of the ready room and onto the bridge. Chakotay stood facing the view screen, looking somewhat tense.
"We're scanning the Numiri vessel approaching," he reported. "They're at combat readiness, captain."
Kathryn didn't hesitate. "Shields up. On screen."
The main viewscreen showed a small, functional-looking grey vessel. "Standard patrol vessel. Curious," Neelix said, puzzled.
"Why?" she asked.
"I would've expected them to send out more than one tiny patrol to meet a ship like this."
"Let's hope it's a positive sign. Hail them."
Tuvok did so, and then reported, "They're responding."
The image of the ship on the main viewer was replaced with the image of the patrol ship captain—a rather ugly alien man with brown skin, multiple ridges on the forehead, and one ridge on either cheek. He wore a high-necked olive green uniform with strips of shiny silver material running up and over each shoulder.
"I am Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation starship Voyager," she informed the Numiri captain.
"What is your business in this system?" he asked in a straightforward manner.
"One of my crewmen is being held on the Banean planet. We're on our way to investigate."
"Consider this official notice that you are entering a war zone. You do so at your own risk."
"Understood."
"Any attempt to provide aid or supplies to the Banea will be considered an act of war against the Numiri."
"You have my word that we intend to remain neutral in your conflict. Our only interest is in our own crewman," Kathryn said firmly.
"Proceed. Your activities will be monitored." With that, the Numiri captain ended their contact.
Neelix looked at the screen, once again displaying the image of the patrol ship, in a confused manner. "Very, very curious. In Numiri terms, that greeting was downright friendly."
Kathryn frowned thoughtfully. "Have all security stations remain at full alert. Continue long-range scans for Numiri vessels around the clock."
"Aye, captain," came Tuvok's response.
She went over and sat in her chair before ordering, "Take us into orbit."
An hour or so later, Captain Janeway and Tuvok beamed down to the Banean city. They were promptly escorted to the office of the Banean Minister of Science, a medium sized utilitarian room with soft grey walls and bright wall-mounted lights shaped like tongues of flame and framed in silver metal. The minister's desk was shaped like a half circle and made of what resembled grey marble. The chair behind the desk had an extremely high rectangular back, while the two chairs in front of the desk had backs that started low one side, then swooped up and back down in a circular fashion to become low backed again on the opposite side. Kathryn barely took any of this in as she shook the minister's hand. She was determinedly focused on finding Tom and sorting everything out.
"Captain. It's unfortunate that we must meet under these circumstances," he was saying.
Indicating Tuvok, she said, "My chief of security, Lieutenant Tuvok." The minister shook his hand as well.
The minister then indicated the chairs in front of his desk as he seated himself in the chair behind his desk. "Please."
Kathryn was too focused to sit down. "Exactly what are these circumstances, Minister? All we know is that a member of our crew has been accused of murder."
"Oh I'm afraid he's been more than just accused. He's been convicted and punished according to our law."
Execution? Fear settled in her throat, but she managed to keep her voice firm. "What form of punishment?"
"The perpetrator of a murder is forced to relive the crime through his victim's eyes."
Tuvok spoke up. "How is this achieved?"
"I can have our Chief Medical Officer describe the procedure in detail if you wish. We have the capability of isolating memory engrams in the brain. We take them from the final moments of life. After they're used in the trial they're transplanted into the perpetrator's brain."
"These memories are used in the trial as evidence?" she asked, somewhat taken aback.
"An artificial lifeform serves as host to the engrams and testifies as to their content. In this case, the victim's last memories clearly show Mr. Paris caught in an embarrassing episode with Mrs. Ren. An argument ensues. Paris is then seen by the victim's own eyes killing him. The evidence of his guilt is incontrovertible."
Kathryn and Tuvok exchanged glances, not completely sure of what they were hearing.
The minister led them to another room, not unlike a waiting room, with several low couches scattered about. A few guards and a Banean doctor escorted Tom inside. Kathryn and Tuvok hurried to his side.
"Are you all right, Tom?" the captain asked.
"I've been better," he replied wryly. His hair was messy and his uniform was rumpled, but he seemed outwardly to be fine.
Kathryn turned to the minister. "May we speak to him alone?"
"Of course." The minister signaled to the guards and the doctor, and they followed him out of the room.
"That rehab colony back in New Zealand doesn't seem so bad right now," Tom said sarcastically as soon as they had gone.
Without wasting time, Tuvok immediately asked, "Lieutenant, did you murder Professor Ren?"
The answer was swift, firm, and anxious. "No."
"But the victim's own eyes identified…" the captain began.
Tom interrupted her. "You don't have to tell me what the victim's own eyes saw, captain. I don't understand it either. But I did not kill him."
"Were you having improper relations with his wife?" Tuvok questioned.
"Their marriage was over. She told Tolen they were finished the same day he was killed."
"That does not answer my question."
"Nothing happened between us. Almost nothing."
"Tom, it's very important you tell us everything," Kathryn insisted, hoping desperately that there was a way to fix this mess. "Harry said you spent some time with Mrs. Ren while he and the Professor were working."
He sat down on one of the couches and rubbed his eyes tiredly. Kathryn sat down beside him and put a gentle hand on his shoulder as he recounted what had happened. "I was bored. You know how it is when two science guys get together. I came out of the other room, looked over and saw her in the atrium. Her eyes were a million kilometers away, staring at stars I'd just flown by the day before. We talked…"
Suddenly Tom flinched hard, as though he'd been punched. His face screwed up in pain and he started to shake.
Kathryn could feel color drain from her own face as her conn officer thrashed about in pain. "What's going on?"
"Apparently he's entering another cycle," Tuvok replied.
He shook for another dozen or so seconds, and then his eyes snapped open. He had a horrified look on his face as the cycle ended and he promptly collapsed, unconscious.
The Banean minister of science and chief medical officer rushed into the room. The doctor scanned Paris with a medical instrument.
"Is this normal?" the captain wanted to know, worried, as she slipped one hand under Tom's head.
"We had some problems integrating the Banean engrams into his alien neurology. This is the first time he's lost consciousness since the implant."
"I'd like to take him back with us, to our medical facility," she said decisively.
"I'm sorry, but I can't authorize that," the minister replied.
"Perhaps we should consider her request, minister," the Banean doctor spoke up. "We don't want to risk general synaptic failure. Their doctors may be better suited to stabilize his condition."
"All right," he acquiesced. "But you're not to leave orbit with him."
Kathryn Janeway turned to him, her face set determinedly and her voice like stone. "Minister, we don't intend to leave orbit until we prove his innocence." She slipped an arm under Tom's shoulders as Tuvok tapped his commbadge.
"Away team to Voyager. Three to beam up."
The three of them faded away in a sparkle of blue light.
Sarah had no idea how long she'd slept when she finally opened her eyes again. However, the exhaustion permeating her being told her it had been quite a while. She sat up in bed, slowly, and rubbed her eyes. "Computer, what time is it?"
"1400 hours," the computer replied.
"Computer, locate Captain Janeway."
"Captain Janeway is on the planet Banea."
I've been asleep for a long time…
Almost immediately, there were two computerized beeps in a lower key than usual. "Correction," the computer announced. "Captain Janeway is in Sick Bay."
Hope rose within her. Maybe… "Computer, locate Lieutenant Paris."
"Lieutenant Paris is in Sick Bay."
Yes!! Sarah crawled out from under the covers and slipped on her shoes. They got Tom back! Everything will be ok now!
She hurried out into the hallway and almost ran into another crewmember. "Sorry!" she called over her shoulder as she hurried to the turbolift around the corner at the end of the hall.
She bounced into Sick Bay, ready to welcome back her mother and friend. She stopped short and her insides went cold when she saw Tom laying on a biobed with the black scanning panels closed over him and the Doctor, her mother, Kes, and Tuvok hovering around a medical console.
"It's medicine clearly beyond anything we've ever encountered before. What bothers me the most is the neural pathway damage it seems to be causing. It appears to be progressive," the Doctor was saying.
The captain reviewed the cerebral scan on the monitor as she replied, "Then this punishment could actually be causing serious brain damage?"
"How long it might be before he's seriously affected I have really no idea."
"I would appreciate receiving a copy of your neurological analysis, Doctor," Tuvok chimed in.
"It's extremely technical. To the layman it would be virtually indecipherable."
"Nevertheless, I will want to examine it in detail."
The Doctor moved away to prepare a copy for him.
In a quiet tone, Captain Janeway added, "This might be the basis for an appeal of the sentence, don't you think?"
"Perhaps. However, before the neuro-implants were developed, the Banean punishment for murder was lethal injection. It is possible they would view that as the only alternative punishment in this case."
Kes asked the Doctor, "Will he regain consciousness?"
"I believe so, but each time the cycle repeats I'm afraid his brain will take another damaging blow."
Sarah shivered. She had heard enough. She left Sick Bay still unnoticed. She began to pace the ship's corridors, worried and not sure where she was going. Tom didn't kill that man. Not my friend Tom. He just didn't…
Still in Sick Bay, Tuvok glanced over the PADD the Doctor had given him. "When he wakes up I will require an autonomic response analysis while I question him again, Doctor."
"Do you really think Tom would lie to us?" Kes asked in her quiet way.
"As an investigator, I do not have the freedom to ignore any possibility. Mr. Paris maintains his innocence, yet the victim has identified him from the grave, and the victim's wife has testified against him at the trial. Someone is obviously lying. An ARA will tell us if it is Mr. Paris."
"I'll have it ready for you," the Doctor said.
"In the meantime, captain, I request permission to return to the surface."
Kathryn Janeway looked curiously at her tactical officer. "What do you have in mind, Tuvok?"
"I would like to examine the murder scene and speak with Mrs. Ren."
Sarah sat cross-legged on the floor of the hydroponics bay, the soothing echoes of a guitar twirling through the air around her. Slowly, the sounds of the metallic strings reverberating began to calm her and melt away her anxiety. The knots in her stomach began to untie themselves. The adults are going to work this out, she kept telling herself. There's not much I can do and worrying is just going to give me a terrible stomachache. Images of Tom's unconscious body lying in Sick Bay kept creeping into her mind, but she determinedly shut them out, focusing instead on the computer's music selection. The song, if she concentrated hard enough, became a visible light show in her mind. The rising and falling of the beats corresponded to a blue wave infused with silver shimmers. She wasn't entirely sure how the sounds became sights in her mind's eye, but she appreciated the distraction and closed her eyes and simply watched.
She had been sitting there for nearly two hours when a comm signal broke through her music.
"Doctor to Sarah Janeway."
Startled, her eyes flew open. She simultaneously ordered the computer to pause the song and pressed her commbadge.
"I'm here."
"Would you please report to Sick Bay? Lieutenant Paris would like to have a word with you."
Somewhat reluctant after what had happened with Harry, she got to her feet. "Tell him I'm on my way."
A few minutes later she was standing beside Tom who was still on the central biobed. "Hi, Tom," she said.
"Hey there, Shadow," he replied with a grin.
"How are you?"
"Oh, I've been better."
"What did you want to talk to me about?"
Tom was silent for a moment. "Hear me out before you say no."
Sarah paused before answering, uncertain where he was going with this. "Ok…"
"Remember when that nebula creature was sending you telepathic messages?"
She cringed. "Unfortunately, yes, I do remember."
Now he paused. "I wouldn't ask if I wasn't desperate…I know how you feel about your abilities…"
She did not like the sound of this at all.
"But…is there any way for you to get inside my mind and prove that it wasn't me?"
She felt her face pale and her limbs stiffen. "No, no I can't…"
Tom's face was beseeching. "Please, Shadow. You have no idea what it's like to go through one of those cycles…Please…"
And you have no idea what it's like to be a freak and experience weird things that you have no control over…
Sarah looked at the ground for a minute or two, wrestling with her conscience. Tom was her good friend—didn't he deserve anything and everything she could do that might help? She sighed and looked up, doing her best to look brave. "All right," she said. "I'll…I'll try to do something…" The problem was she had no idea how to proceed. Her abilities always came on sporadically and she'd never actually tried to summon them.
She closed her eyes and concentrated on Tom, trying to figure out how to see what he had seen. Unlike with the music, no images came to her mind. There was only darkness. She tried harder, frowning in concentration and shutting her eyes even tighter than before. Even still, there was absolutely nothing. She tried for another minute or so before conceding defeat. "I'm sorry, Tom. Those things just…happen to me. I can't control them and I don't know how to use them."
Though he tried to hide it, disappointment still showed on Tom's face. "That's all right. At least you tried."
She quickly clambered up onto the biobed next to him and rested one of her small hands on top of one of Tom's. "Don't worry—they'll get this straightened out."
Meanwhile, Tuvok had beamed down to the Banean planet and stood in front of a Banean home. A young blonde woman holding a small, scruffy dog answered the door. The dog appeared unsettled and growled in its throat.
"Mrs. Ren?" Tuvok asked.
"Yes," she answered.
"I am the Starfleet chief of security investigating Lieutenant Paris' alleged participation in your husband's murder."
The dog began to bark and squirm in her grasp.
"Stop it, Neeka," she scolded, and then by way of explanation, added, "She just doesn't like strangers."
Tuvok followed Mrs. Ren into the living room area. "Based on your testimony I assume that this is where the murder occurred."
"Yes, right there. I had to have a professional cleaning crew come in to remove the bloodstain." She lounged on a small couch with Neeka.
"You chose to remain in the house after an act of such violence occurred?"
"This has been my home for over ten years, Mr. Tuvok. Do you really find that so hard to believe?"
"I am a Vulcan, Mrs. Ren. By nature we are a dispassionate people. It is rare to encounter someone as dispassionate as we are."
"Dispassionate? Is that how I seem to you? I think you'd get an argument from Tom Paris." She stood up and let Neeka down, and then made her way to the drink cabinet. "Can I get you a drink?"
"Thank you, no."
"Mind if I have one?"
"Please."
She helped herself to a small glass of red liquid as Tuvok continued, "You testified at the trial that you and your husband had an argument the afternoon before he was killed."
"I never said there was an argument, Lieutenant. Have you ever had to end a marriage?"
"No."
"Are you married?"
"My wife and I have been married for 67 years."
"I'm sure she's a fine dispassionate woman. I hope you never have to find out for yourself, but I can tell you, ending a marriage, it's a quiet thing. The arguments are long over and there's really nothing much left to say at all." She reclined in a chair with her drink and put her feet up on an end table.
"May I ask why you decided at this time to end your marriage to Professor Ren?"
"Because I was attracted to another man. I didn't want to deceive my husband."
"That other man was Lieutenant Paris. Lieutenant Paris would've been departing this planet in a few days and yet you left your husband of ten years for him."
"Maybe Tom gave me the push I needed. I already knew in my heart that it was time to start over."
"Exactly when did you see Mr. Paris on the day of the murder?"
"I went to see him at the Engineering Institute after I talked with my husband. Once I was free I knew he wanted to be with me."
"How did you know?"
"A woman knows, lieutenant. He left his friend Harry to finish the technical research and walk me home. We were caught in a cloudburst on the way. I made some marob root tea. We talked for a while. Then we went out to the atrium to watch the storm, and the rest you know."
"Did you leave the room at any time during the fight between your husband and Lieutenant Paris?"
"I saw Tom murder my husband, Mr. Tuvok. I tried to stop him. I couldn't."
Suddenly, Chakotay's voice broke in over the comm system. "Voyager to Tuvok."
"This is Lieutenant Tuvok."
"Mr. Paris has regained consciousness and he's ready to talk to you. I thought you'd want to know."
"Thank you. I will be returning shortly. Tuvok out." He turned to Lidell. "Thank you for your help, Mrs. Ren." He started for the door.
"Lieutenant," Lidell called.
Tuvok turned to face her.
"When you see Tom, would you tell him that I forgive him?"
He nodded once, and then left.
Sarah stood nearby one of the wall biobeds as Tuvok and the Doctor conducted an ARA on Tom. As Tuvok finished recounting what Lidell had told him, Tom replied, "Everything she told you is true. Except I don't remember going into the atrium or anything else after that."
"The last thing you remember is…?" Tuvok prompted.
"Sitting with her, drinking tea, talking about the central effects of eclipses. After that I must've fallen asleep. When I woke up I was in a cell."
The doctor peered at the readouts above the biobed. "He's telling you the truth," he informed Tuvok.
"Was there any evidence of a sedative in his system when he returned here?" Tuvok asked the doctor in reply.
"The Banean medical authorities checked him. They didn't find any drugs in his blood, plus narcotics would've gone from his system by the time he got to me."
The ship suddenly jolted. The adults were merely jostled, but Sarah was actually knocked off her feet.
The comm signal sounded. "Chakotay to Tuvok. You're needed on the Bridge. We're under attack by Numiri patrols."
"On my way, commander," Tuvok responded, and he hurried out of Sick Bay.
The bridge was a scene of barely controlled chaos as two Numiri patrols fired repeatedly at Voyager.
"Evasive pattern beta-one-four-zero, dual attack mode," Kathryn called out.
At the helm, Chakotay responded, "Evasive pattern confirmed."
"They're attempting to lock a tractor beam on us," Harry informed them.
"That is a standard tactic for the Numiri when they intend to board your vessel. Well, at least now you know I was telling you the truth about them, captain, although I take no pleasure in being right, mind you," Neelix explained very quickly.
Frustrated, Kathryn asked, "Why now? Why an unprovoked attack? What are they after?"
Neelix shrugged. "The Numiri have never needed an excuse to attack anyone."
As they took another hit, Harry added, "Shields at 90% and holding."
"Commander, prepare to initiate attack maneuver kappa-zero-one-zero," Kathryn ordered.
Chakotay responded, "Captain, if you don't mind, there's a Maquis trick we sometimes use to get out of situations like this."
"Be my guest."
Chakotay leaned towards the Engineering II station where B'Elanna sat. "B'Elanna, remember Teluridian IV, the Starfleet runabouts?"
A grin lit up her face. "I'm with you. Blowing out the dorsal phase emitters. Torres to Engineering."
"Go ahead."
"Vent a couple of LN2 exhaust conduits along the dorsal emitters. Make it look like we're in serious trouble."
"Understood."
"Cut all engines," Chakotay added.
"Engines offline," came B'Elanna's reply.
"Tuvok, lock phasers on their navigational deflectors."
"Acknowledged. The Numiri ships are closing, 4,000 kilometers."
Kathryn stood in the middle of the bridge. "Not to belittle Maquis tactics, commander, but this a very old trick."
"It worked against those Starfleet runabouts."
"You're lucky I wasn't commanding one of them," she responded, half-serious, half-teasing.
"2,000 kilometers," Tuvok called out.
"Besides," Chakotay added with a grin. "Out here in the Delta Quadrant every old trick is new again."
"1,500 kilometers."
"They're sending out tractor beams again," came Harry's voice.
"That's our cue. Fire phasers. Engage impulse engines."
Voyager's phasers slammed into the unsuspecting Numiri vessels before moving away at high speed.
"Both Numiri vessels are disabled, captain."
Kathryn moved to stand beside Chakotay and put a hand on his shoulder. "That's one trick you won't be able to use again when we get back."
He grinned up at her. "I have more."
They both laughed.
Kathryn ordered, "Cancel red alert. Take us into high orbit."
As the lighting returned to normal, Neelix spoke up, warning, "Captain, more Numiri will be coming, I promise you."
We have to get this sorted out before Tom and Sarah suffer any more, Captain Janeway thought to herself in frustration. She turned to her tactical officer. "Mr. Tuvok, any progress with your investigation?"
"Based on the ARA," Tuvok replied in his calm, logical way. "I am convinced that Lieutenant Paris believes what he is saying. However, I can offer no tangible evidence on his behalf. Considering the urgency of the situation, I believe the only logical alternative at this time is to witness the crime myself."
Her skin prickled. She knew what he was implying.
"Yourself?" Chakotay asked, confused.
"I propose a mind-meld with Lieutenant Paris."
Neelix was the only one on the bridge who didn't know what it was or what it entailed. "A, a what? What did he say? A mind-what?"
Sarah was startled to see her mother and Tuvok enter the Sick Bay. "What's going on?"
"Tuvok wants to attempt a mind meld with Tom to prove his innocence," her mother told her as Tuvok conferred with the Doctor.
"Isn't that dangerous? I mean, if these cycles are damaging a human brain, what are they going to do to a Vulcan brain?" the small girl asked worriedly.
"I've examined the Doctor's neurological reports," Tuvok interrupted, "And I believe the risk is acceptable."
"Tuvok…" Kathryn began.
"Captain, the answers I seek can only be found in the eyes of the murdered man. It may be our only chance to prove Lieutenant Paris innocent."
Sarah, Kes, the Doctor, Tuvok, and the captain gathered around Tom who was on the main biobed. They stood in silence for a minute before Kathryn nodded somewhat reluctantly.
With a feeling of trepidation, Sarah watched Tuvok place his long, dark fingers on either side of Tom's pale face. She well knew the risks of a mind meld even under normal circumstances. In this instance, there was no telling what kind of damage might be done to either Tom or Tuvok. She felt herself tense and closed her own eyes as Tuvok closed his. If only I could take that horrible vision away from him before he gets hurt again… She concentrated as hard as she could, not sure what she hoped to accomplish.
Suddenly, she felt that familiar tingling sensation of lightness that accompanied the resurfacing of her abilities. This time, however, instead of fighting it and being afraid, she embraced it. Let me help Tom…let me help Tuvok…
Her wishes were granted.
Behind her eyelids, she saw a vision in black and white, like one of those ancient movies. A woman she recognized as Lidell from the visions she had garnered from Harry was embracing Tom. "Tolen!" she exclaimed.
From Sarah's point of view, a man's voice angrily said, "Now I understand."
"I better be on my way," Tom said, pushing away from Lidell.
"You don't have to go, Tom. He's got no right."
"No right? This is my home. You come into my home and steal my wife, and I have no right?" It was rather disconcerting to see something literally through another's eyes.
"That's not the way it happened," Tom insisted.
"We'll see what your captain has to say about this. When I'm finished with you, you'll never wear that uniform again," answered Tolen, furious.
"I can't let you do that," came Tom's response, and he grabbed a knife and went after Tolen.
"No, Tom, don't! Stop, no!" Lidell yelled.
Sarah watched in horror as Tolen, from her perspective, was stabbed. It looked as though the knife was being plunged into her own stomach. As Tolen collapsed, dead, she came out of the vision.
She found she was shaking and her head was aching fit to burst. She had an arm unconsciously wrapped protectively around her middle as she slowly lowered herself to the floor. Once sitting, she couldn't help from letting out a laugh. "I did it, Tom!"
As her mother and Kes hurried to her side, she heard the Doctor exclaiming, "There's no neurological damage at all. Did you actually see the murder? Did the meld work?"
"Yes," Tuvok answered. "I do not understand what was different this time…"
"What did you do, Sarah?" her mother was asking.
"I took the cycle from Tom. I was a…filter, I guess. I took the neurological stress on myself and let the image go through to Tom and Tuvok." She looked up at the Doctor. "They're ok, right?"
"Yes, they're both fine…" He still looked very puzzled.
"How?" Kathryn asked gently, a hand on either one of her daughter's shoulders.
Sarah shared a smile with Kes. "My gifts. I was actually able to make them work for me this time."
"Captain," Tuvok said urgently. "I must consult with Ensign Kim immediately."
Captain Janeway helped her daughter to her feet. "With Kim, why?"
"I assume that he has access to Professor Ren's research. I believe it will explain not only why Lieutenant Paris has been accused of a murder he did not commit but also why the Numiri chose to attack us."
Several minutes later, Kathryn contacted the Banean Minister and Chief Medical Officer via her ready room's portable computer. "His condition has continued to deteriorate. He'll have serious brain damage if the implants are not removed," she told the image of the two men.
The minister looked concerned. "We are not a barbaric people, Captain. This was meant as punishment, not torture." He turned to the Banean doctor. "I see no alternative but to remove the implants, do you?"
"There is no legal precedent of course, but we can petition the courts immediately," the doctor answered.
"I cannot assure that you'll find an alternative sentence more to your liking," the Banean Minister warned Captain Janeway.
She looked at him determinedly. "We're still committed to proving his innocence, minister."
"When do you intend to return him to our custody?"
"Due to the nature of his condition, we're concerned that our transporting device might cause further medical complications, so we're sending him back by shuttlecraft. They'll leave this ship in one hour."
"I'll make the necessary preparations," the Banean doctor replied before the visual link ended.
Kathryn looked up at Tuvok who had been listening to the conversation unseen. She nodded once and he nodded back.
Sarah joined her mother on the bridge as the shuttle launched from Voyager. It was all she could do to keep from squirming in anticipation. We have them now… She sat on the ledge beside Chakotay's chair, as Neelix was seated beside her mother.
"Numiri patrol approaching. Bearing 067 mark 24," Tuvok reported.
"Red alert. On screen," Kathryn said calmly.
"Range 100,000 kilometres and closing. They're changing course, captain."
Chakotay sounded impressed as he remarked, "They're going straight for the shuttle, just as you said they would, lieutenant."
Sarah listened intently as her mother instructed Tom and Harry in the shuttlecraft to offer no resistance to the Numiri, even when they locked a tractor beam onto the shuttle.
Tom and Harry watched as a group of Numiri that had boarded the shuttle came onto their equivalent of a bridge. The lead Numiri looked down at a small device and then looked up at Tom, saying, "He's the one."
The two Starfleet officers exchanged a look right before they were beamed off the shuttle.
Captain Janeway ordered a channel opened to the Numiri. "This is Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation starship Voyager. You have illegally seized one of our shuttlecraft," she said in a firm tone.
The rather ugly Numiri captain appeared on Voyager's viewscreen. "I warned you that you were entering a war zone at your own risk."
"Yes, we appreciated that warning and took appropriate precautions. If you read the sensor readouts in front of you, you will see the shuttle is carrying 40 tons of thalmerite explosives, enough to destroy your ship. I'm prepared to detonate those explosives in 30 seconds if you do not release our vessel. End transmission."
Tom and Harry entered the bridge just as Chakotay reported, "The shuttle's being released. The Numiri ship is withdrawing."
"Tractor the shuttle and take us into low orbit. Cancel red alert. Mr. Paris, how soon before your next cycle?" Kathryn asked.
"Seven hours," was Tom's answer.
"That should be enough time to clear this up. Mr. Tuvok, this is your show now."
"With your permission, I would like to invite all interested parties to the scene of the murder in 2 hours," the Vulcan man replied.
"I'll invite the Minister myself."
Sarah could no longer contain herself and ran over to Tom. He caught her up in a hug. "Thank you, Shadow."
"You're welcome." Her soul felt lighter than it had in weeks. "Tuvok has this all figured out. Everything's going to be fine now."
Tom set her back on the ground and held his hand out to her. "Shall we?"
She grinned and placed her hand in his by way of an answer.
After they beamed down, Sarah entered the Rens' living room along with her mother, Harry, Tuvok, and Tom. The Banean Minister, the Banean doctor, and Mrs. Ren all looked rather shocked to see her there. "Who is this child?" the minister demanded to know.
"This is my daughter, Sarah," Kathryn calmly explained. "She was instrumental in sorting out this mess."
I only played a small part, Sarah thought, but something in her mother's face kept her from voicing this particular thought. She then followed Tom and Harry to stand by the wall. Her mother signaled to her from where she sat in a large, comfortable red chair, but Sarah declined the offer for the chair with a shake of her head. She wanted to be near Tom until everything was officially fixed.
After everyone else had found a place to sit, Tuvok began his explanation by simply stating, "Lieutenant Paris was not the man Professor Ren saw before he was murdered."
"Not the man?" the minister asked. "But it was clearly established at the trial."
"It is true Paris' image was seen in the memories examined during the trial. However, that is because someone altered the engrams from Professor Ren's brain."
The Banean doctor held up a hand and shook his head. "But that simply isn't possible for this procedure."
"I would suggest, sir, that there is no such thing as a technology that is entirely safe from tampering."
Lidell broke in as she adjusted the straps of her bright white layered tank top type dress. "You're forgetting one thing: I was here and I saw him do it."
"On the contrary, I've not forgotten your statement, Mrs. Ren. However, I now know it is clearly false."
"Just what was in that tea you gave me, Lidell?" Tom interrupted.
"Hold on," the Banean Minister said. "Is this just idle speculation or do you have some evidence?"
"Mr. Paris, would you please stand next to Mrs. Ren?" Tuvok requested.
Lidell interjected, "What for?"
"If you wouldn't mind," Tuvok repeated, somewhat more firmly.
Reluctantly, Lidell rose to her feet and met Paris in the middle of the room.
"The man Professor Ren observed with his wife was virtually equal in height to her. Clearly, Lieutenant Paris is several centimeters taller."
"How do you know what my husband saw?" Lidell demanded.
"Vulcans have the ability to meld telepathically with another's mind. I observed your husband's memories as Lieutenant Paris went through his cycle. I watched as the killer stabbed Professor Ren, right here," he demonstrated on his chest. "Through the intercostal space between the eighth and ninth right ribs, the exact location of the Banean heart. The killer clearly knew Banean anatomy. Lieutenant Paris did not."
"Are we supposed to take your word for all of this?" the Banean doctor said dismissively.
"There is additional evidence. For example, we can now say for certain that Professor Ren was murdered by a Numiri agent."
The Banean Minister erupted at that. "What?!?"
Tuvok turned to Tom. "Lieutenant, did you notice the stream of symbols and numbers that were superimposed on the images?"
Tom looked thoughtful for a moment. "Symbols? Well, yeah, I guess I did. I didn't know what they meant. I thought they were just part of the procedure."
Tuvok turned back to address everyone. "In researching this procedure I found no other reference to this phenomenon. I have now confirmed that these symbols and numbers were equations taken from Professor Ren's weapons research. Someone intended them to be delivered to the Numiri."
The minister was shaking his head, trying to digest all of this. "You're saying someone tried to use his brain to send secret data to our enemy?"
"He was a logical courier. The Numiri agents knew he could leave the planet surface without raising suspicion. The Numiri made two attempts to gain access to Mr. Paris. They attacked just after he returned to Voyager, and then again when he was in the shuttle."
Kathryn Janeway spoke up for the first since Tuvok had begun his explanation. "Someone on the surface had to be informing the Numiri of Lieutenant Paris' movements."
"Do you know who did this?" the minister asked, still rather shocked.
"You knew when Mr. Paris would be in transit, minister," Tuvok replied. "The doctor is the one who encouraged you to release him to our custody. He is also the one who performed the implant procedure. I know of no one else who had the opportunity and knowledge to carry out this plan."
Everyone was now looking at the Banean doctor who appeared rather flustered and irritated. "I'm not going to listen to any of this."
The minister stopped him as he got up and was about to walk out, saying coolly, "I really would like you to listen, doctor."
"Please stand again, Mrs. Ren," Tuvok said.
Lidell grudgingly did as he asked and stood next to the doctor.
Sarah felt a smile cross her face. The two of them were nearly the same height.
"So we're the same height," the doctor added crossly. "It proves nothing. I never saw this woman prior to the death of her husband. I was never in this house before today."
"You forget the other witness who was here on the night of the murder, doctor," Tuvok replied. "Would you mind asking her to come in?"
With a confused look on his face, the Banean doctor did so, moving past the two Banean guards who had accompanied the minister. He opened the door.
Neeka scampered inside, whining and jumping on her hind legs and pawing to greet the doctor.
Captain Janeway and the Banean Minister leaned forward in surprise to get a better look at what was transpiring.
Tuvok tipped his head to one side and stated simply, "It appears that you are no stranger to Neeka, doctor."
The room seemed to explode. Lidell made a mad a dash for the door. In the ensuing chaos, the doctor twisted away from the Banean guards and darted over to where Tom, Harry, and Sarah were standing. In a split second, he darted his hand out and grabbed Sarah's hair, pulling her close to him and exposing her neck.
Sarah had no time to react as the Banean doctor roughly jerked her around. Suddenly, she saw a flash of silver in his hand.
It took a second for her mind to realize that it was a knife—a knife with a rust-colored stain on the razor-sharp blade. The handle was definitely familiar.
It was the same knife used to murder Professor Ren.
And now Sarah could feel its cold, cruel blade held tightly against her quivering throat. She was pretty sure she heard her mother gasp, but she couldn't see much of anything. She felt her heart racing in fearful anxiety as the man who restrained her snarled, "Everybody back off or the girl gets her throat slit."
Time seemed to stand still. All she could hear was her own nervous breathing and the frantic thumping of her heart.
Then, suddenly, everything seemed to explode for a second time. She heard the impact of a fist and the Banean doctor went flying, taking her with him and causing the blade to dig into her neck. She felt the metal split skin and the warm ooze of blood. Before she could even try to free herself, her mother came running over. Desperate to protect her child, she put herself in harm's way, instinctively going for the weapon that threatened Sarah. She forced his arm to the floor and twisted his wrist, making him gasp in pain. The knife dropped to the carpet and she kicked it away.
Still stunned, she watched as Tom hurried over. He forced the man's hand to let go of the her hair and then picked her up and took her away from where her mother was now restraining her attacker. One of the Banean guards dashed over and took the doctor into custody, while the other kept a hold on Lidell.
Relieved of her prisoner, Kathryn Janeway rushed to her daughter. Tom placed the small girl in her mother's arms.
"Sarah, are you all right?" Kathryn asked, her voice shaking. She kissed the top of her daughter's head.
Suddenly fully realizing what had just happened, Sarah began to cry and shiver.
"Shh, shh, it's ok. I'm here." Her mother gently tipped her chin up to look at the cut on her neck. Tom came to her side and looked at the injury.
"Nothing a dermal regenerator can't fix," he said with a smile.
Embarrassed, Sarah hiccupped and wiped at her eyes. "I'm sorry…I was just…really scared."
"It's ok to be scared," Kathryn murmured into her daughter's hair.
"Everyone's safe now, though," replied Sarah, managing a smile. "Everyone's safe. Who hit him, by the way?"
"I did," Tom replied. "You saved me—I was just returning the favor." He smiled at the small girl and she smiled back.
From the door, Lidell, restrained by one of the guards, yelled, "He lied to me, Tom. No one was supposed to get hurt. You know I could never do anything to hurt you!"
Tom's face was stony. "Yeah, you could."
The guards escorted their two prisoners out of the room. The Banean Minister addressed both the captain and Tom. "I must apologize. This should never have happened. The implants will, of course, be removed immediately."
They nodded. "Thank you minister."
Sarah rested her head on her mother's shoulder and closed her eyes. Everything's right again. Everything is the way it should be.
Author's Note: Once more, I apologize for the lateness of this update. Reviews are greatly appreciated. Thank you!