by Alys Landale
“I can do a lot of things, but I think you know most of them already. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to Engineering.” He turned to leave again but this time Doc stopped him.
The EMH walked over to where Paris was. “Mr. Paris, I was hoping you might stay a while longer. I need to run a complete physical on you. If you where injured again, I’ll need to know how to treat you, and that means at least knowing a little about your anatomy. So if you would come over here, we can begin.”
He shot a glance to Janeway. “I know enough about my anatomy to take care of any problems that comes up. As I told the captain, I’ll work in any region of this ship, but sickbay is out of the question. I have copies of all the Jihaid’s files, if you want those from sickbay; I can send them to you. But right now, I’m leaving.”
Tom then left the room. Three bewildered humans and one confused hologram were left in his wake.
Xara looked at the food in front of her. She and Naomi had been in the mess hall with Neelix almost all morning. Her stomach growled again. She hoped Neelix didn’t hear. Her only alibi for not being able to eat his food was that she wasn’t hungry.
Naomi looked at Xara’s plate. So far, the other girl had managed to push her food around for the past hour but had only taken a few bites.
“Don’t worry,” Naomi told her. “It’s not so bad once you get used to it.”
*I don’t think it could get any worse* thought Xara, but she didn’t say this out loud. She didn’t want to hurt Naomi’s feelings. She knew how close the Talaxian and girl were.
Instead she just responded by taking another bite of the Leola root casserole. She gulped it down quickly and forced a smile. Neelix then walked over.
“I see your appetite is returning,” he said. “If you want, I have some more when you’re done with that.”
She struggled to come up with an excuse. Naomi took over for her. “I think this’ll be enough Neelix. I don’t think Xara’s that hungry today.”
Neelix smiled. “Alright, but if you change your mind, you know where to find me.” He then walked away to attend to one of the Ensigns who had just entered.
Xara let out a sigh of relief. “Thanks,” she said. “I don’t want to hurt his feelings, but I can’t take anymore of this stuff.”
Naomi giggled. “Yeah, Neelix is really nice, but he still hasn’t caught onto cooking just yet.”
Xara forced down another bite of food. “When can we leave?” she asked. “I want to go see where Rune is. There’s no
way he’s still in sickbay now.”
B’Elanna caught up with Tom. The man was half way to Engineering by the time she got him to stop.
“What was that about?!” she asked. “As much as I hate to say this, Doc’s right. You need to let him help you.” Her eyes were lit up with anger as she spoke to him. But it seemed she was more frustrated now than angry.
“I have my reasons,” he told her. After taking another look into her resolution-filled eyes, he relented a little. “Look, if you want, I’ll make a copy of the medical files I have. The Spirit knows Satira has had me in sickbay enough to create a novel on me.”
She gave in a little. “Okay,” she said finally. “But how did you manage to copy those files before the Jihaid was destroyed?”
A small smile formed on his lips. “It was sort of accidental.” His mind then wandered back to the people’s reactions in Engineering. “Tell you what, maybe I should work in Astrometrics. I don’t think your engineers were too receptive about how I work.”
B’Elanna was about to refute his statement, but he did have a point. She then nodded and the two adjusted their course to Astrometrics.
“I don’t think I’ll ever understand him,” said Doc in reference to Paris.
“Give him time Doc,” Chakotay told him. “I’m sure he has some things to work out first. He’ll come around.”
Janeway then got off the biobed. Both Doc and Chakotay protested to her movements but she pushed them away. “I’m fine. But I think I need to go see Tom.”
Doc reluctantly began to agree. “Your vital signs seem fine so I guess there’s no reason to keep you here.” he then changed the subject. His voice became a bit softer. “Just try and get some answers from Tom. Whatever happened to him, we need to know.”
Janeway nodded, and she and Chakotay left sickbay.
Tom and B’Elanna entered astrometrics. The only person in there at the time was Seven. She looked up from her console.
“Lieutenant Torres, Ensign Paris,” she said in greeting. “Is there something you need?”
“I just need a place to work for a while,” Tom said. “It seems to distract some of the other crewmen.”
Seven nodded in response and led him over to a console. “You may work from this terminal,” she told him.
B’Elanna came up beside him once Seven had left. She had something to ask him. “If you’re a telepath,” she said. “Do you know what I’m thinking right now?”
He looked up from his work for a brief second. “I don’t invade somebody’s privacy without their permission, but yes, I have stumbled onto some of your feelings before.”
Seven was on the other side of the room by now, so B’Elanna continued her questioning. “You know how I feel about you then.” she said. Her mind then worked on another puzzle that she had been wondering about. “When Commander Brandwin came on board, she acted strangely when we first met. Why did she give up her escape plans to stare at me? It was like she had seen me somewhere before. You looked at me the same way. If you don’t remember me, then why were you acting like that?”
Paris lowered his eyes as he worked. After a few moments, he responded. “I’ve seen you before,” he said. “Over the past year, I had dreams every now and then and you were in them.”
B’Elanna was caught off guard by his words. She thought her dreams had just been wishful thinking, but now it looked like they were more.
He continued. “Aria was the first person I met who actually tried to help me,” his voice was softer now as he began to reminisce the past year of his life. “I told her about the dreams and she tried to help me figure them out. That turned out to be a dead end though. Once the two of us first saw you, we thought maybe it really was a part of my past I was remembering.” He then looked up at her. His voice reverted back to its normal state. “But that doesn’t matter. Believe me; I’ve tried everything to recover my past. It can’t be done. The only thing I can do is accept it.”
B’Elanna grabbed him by the arm. “That’s just it. You’ve got your past back now. You’ve got us...”
She was cut off by the door of Astrometrics opening and pouring out the Captain and Commander. B’Elanna cursed their timing but stepped back from her mate anyway. She’d have to pick this topic up again later.
“I see the doctor let you out of sickbay.” Tom said as the captain approached him.
She nodded. “I have my ways of getting out of there, as I can see you do as well.” she shifted the topic for a moment. “Tom we need to talk.”
He turned back to his console. “Fine. What do you want to talk about?”
Janeway walked over to where he stood just as he linked himself with the computer. She stumbled for what to say for a few moments. “Well, for starters, we need to talk about that.” she said. “Tom I know this is sudden, but we need to talk about what happened to you.... How you were assimilated.”
He didn’t glance up. Half of his mind was busy downloading the Jihaid’s files into Voyager’s database while the other was listening to Janeway.
“Tom we just want to help you.” Janeway continued.
“I know that,” he said. “But I don’t think I can help you.” He glanced back at the captain. “I don’t remember a thing about what happened myself. I only know of what happened afterwards.”
“Well, why don’t you start there. Anything you know could help us.” Chakotay said. “Just start by telling us what you know. Then maybe we can find
a way to help you remember the rest of your past.”
Tom averted his gaze back to his work. Should he tell them? It wasn’t as if the Empire could get any of this information. And besides, there was little reason to keep this from them. He had nothing to gain either way. He finally decided to just go ahead and answer their questions.
“Alright,” he said. “Like I said, I don’t remember anything of what happened but I did manage to find out a few things from the files Takma kept as well as what Aria knew. It seems there was some sort of space station, I don’t know its origin, it wasn’t listed, but it was surrounded by a nebula. Takma’s vessel stumbled onto this place and transported me out of it before the facility exploded. The next thing I know, I’m in one of Takma’s research bases. Aria helped me escape and later on, I joined the Resistance. You’ve probably heard the rest already.”
Janeway’s heart jumped to her throat. The way he said everything was so nonchalant but that still didn’t hamper the fact that if she had have gone back for him, he wouldn’t have had to endure what he had gone through.
After a few more seconds, she asked. “You’re saying that you were assimilated in this station?”
He gave a short laugh. “You don’t actually think the Empire was smart enough to do something like this.”
Paris then disconnected his link from the computer. “There, if you have any other questions, you can go through these files.” he said. “As for me, I’m going to check on Xara. She’s probably wondering where I am.”
He then left the room. At this point, manners were far from his mind. He had been here only a day and already he was being interrogated. He pushed the thoughts from his mind however. If things worked out, he would have Voyager back in the Alpha
Quadrant and then he would be heading back to the Empire.
He smiled bitterly. Takma and Kail would regret the day they ever crossed him.
Xara and Naomi were still in the mess hall. A few more people had come in as well, but the two girls were too preoccupied with Neelix to notice. The Talaxian was busy telling them about one of the many stories he had acquired over the years. The two girls were listening so attentively that they didn’t notice Harry Kim come up behind them.
“I see your taking care of them today.” said Harry. He smiled down at the kids below him.
“Yes,” said Neelix. “I thought it would be best if I let them stay around with me today.” he said his next words in a lower voice. “It might give the Doctor a little more time to work.”
Xara, however, heard what he said. Neelix had been so busy with the two girls this morning that he hadn’t even heard that
Tom had left sickbay. Now it was almost lunchtime and he still didn’t know.
“If you mean that the doctor’s busy with Rune, don’t worry about that. I know Rune, he probably left sickbay a long time ago.” Xara told the group.
“Yeah,” Harry said. “The captain was showing him around the ship this morning.” The ensign was still plagued by the fact that his best friend didn’t remember him, but he swore that he would help Tom get his memory back.
Neelix looked confused. “I didn’t hear about any of this,” he said. “I thought the doctor would surely keep him in sickbay another day.”
Xara laughed. The other three stared at her in bewilderment. “You can’t possibly think someone could keep him in sickbay. Satira has fought to keep him in there thousands of times and the longest record she ever held of it was for him to stay in there two days. She used to say ‘Rune Landis can endure anything except stay in sickbay for more than two seconds’.” She said this in her greatest Satira impersonation.
Just as she finished saying this, Tom walked in. There were relatively few people in the mess hall but all those present averted their gaze to the man entering the door.
Xara’s face broke into a smile as she saw Rune enter. “Rune!” she said and ran towards him.
Paris’s face broke into the first true smile since the day had begun. He caught her as Xara jumped into his arms and lifted the little girl up to his level. She draped her arms around his neck and he carried her over to where the rest of her group was sitting.
“We were just talking about you.” Xara said.
“Oh you were,” Tom replied with a smile still covering his face. “And just what did you have to say?”
Harry and Neelix had to admit that Tom looked happier now than he had since they had first seen him. Both smiled as they watched the two converse.
“I was just telling them that nobody could ever possibly keep you in sickbay,” she said. Tom sat down with the girl on her lap.
He laughed a bit. “You know me too well.” he said. He then turned to Naomi. “So Xara, why don’t you introduce me to your friend here.”
Naomi was still staring intently at Tom. She was still getting used to the fact that her ‘Uncle Tommy’ was back. But it hurt her to know that he didn’t remember her.
“This is Naomi.” Xara said. “She helped me stay on Voyager to wait on you.”
“Partners in crime, huh.” he said with a mischievous smile. He then nodded in greeting. “It’s nice to meet you, Naomi.”
Naomi just nodded in agreement. “I’m glad you’re back Tom.” she said.
He smiled at the little girl.
Neelix then opened the conversation. He talked of the only thing he really knew of. Grabbing a tray of Leola root casserole, he placed it down in front of Paris. “Here Tom, I’m sure you’re starving. Sickbay doesn’t have a very nourishing cuisine.”
Tom pushed the tray back. Xara only laughed. “That’s okay.” Paris said.
Neelix didn’t relent. “Oh come on, you need to eat something. Why, I bet you haven’t had a bite to eat for at least two
days.”
Paris cast a bemused smile. “A lot longer than that.” Xara laughed even more.
“All the more reason for you to eat now.” pursued the Talaxian.
Tom looked down at the food and shook his head. “Really, I don’t think so. I just don’t have the stomach for it.”
Neelix looked confused. “If you’re not feeling well, then why don’t you ask the doctor to give you something to help?”
“I feel just fine Neelix. Believe me; I just got out of sickbay. I’m going back now.” Tom told him.
Neelix was getting even more confused. Xara on the other hand, had both her hands over her mouth to try and stop laughing.
Harry and Naomi stared at Xara in wonderment.
“Well, if you feel fine, then why don’t you eat something?” the cook asked.
“Like I told you, I don’t have the stomach for it.” At Neelix’s bewildered gaze, Paris chose to elaborate. “I can’t eat anything because I literally don’t have the stomach for it, or a digestive tract for that matter.”
Neelix and Harry’s mouths hung open as they took in the full value of his words.
Naomi then spoke. “You don’t eat anything?”
“As far as I can remember I never have.” at her questioning glance, he continued. “I have a self-replenishing energy system. It’s not that bad. It saves a lot of the hassle of having to sit down and eat.”
Xara just continued to laugh. It seemed so funny that these people would think that Rune Landis actually ate. It was just a law of nature that deemed that he would never do so.
*
On another plane of reality, two voices were wagering their eternal battle with one another. For a year neither could get the upper hand, but now it looked like one was finally struggling to overcome the other. Time meant nothing here. The only thing that existed were the two beings, two voices.
*You always were the weaker,* one told the other. *Soon you will be destroyed.*
*How many times have you said this?* asked the other voice. This one had a much more feminine voice than the other and silvery threads were woven through its speech.
The deep, masculine voice then responded to its counterpart. *We are both imprisoned here. Why
do you refuse to help me free ourselves?*
*Because to do so would mean destroying the one who holds us here. And I will not let you kill anymore, especially those who have helped us so.*
*’He’ has helped you; ‘he’ has tried to destroy me. I will make sure ‘he’ dies.* the masculine one replied. It then attacked the female.
She tried to rid herself of his grip, but she had to admit that he was getting stronger. Soon he would be able to overthrow her. And that meant she could no longer protect her benefactor. She felt herself being driven down by her attacker. There wasn’t much time left for her. She struggled under his hold even more, but she could feel herself coming closer and closer to the edge of the oblivion.
*You should have never plotted against me* he told her.
*I won’t let you kill ‘him’.* she said as she strived to overthrow him.
The other voice laughed. His masculine voice held contempt in it. Neither said the name of the man to which they referred; there was no need. Both knew who ‘he’ was as much as they knew themselves.
The overpowering voice spoke again. *You should not have enlisted ‘his’ help. Then I might have let ‘him’ live.*
She listened to her attacker’s voice. Her essence was beginning to slip farther and farther away as he spoke.
*You can’t kill ‘him’* she said. Her voice no longer possessed its confident tone however. *’He’ won’t let you.*
*’He’ won’t be able to stop me.* the deep voice laughed again. Soon she would be dead as would the ‘he’ that they spoke of. It wasn’t long.
She felt her grip falter. It wouldn’t be much longer. She hoped that ‘he’ wouldn’t let her attacker kill ‘him’. She didn’t want both of them to share the same fate.
Just as she felt herself begin to fade away, another entered. This new being engulfed her attacker and disposed of him quickly. The silvery voice regained her strength quickly now that she was no longer encumbered by her attacker’s strength.
*Who are you?* she asked.
The plane that they were on was one of complete darkness. There was no tangible object to be found. All that existed were the two who had been trapped here. And now this stranger had entered.
