Star Trek Voyager (P/T)

Rating: PG

Episode: Course: Oblivion

Summary: The demon planet ship did make it to the real Voyager. More are alive than there were at the end of the episode,but not everyone. 

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When there's only one left,.
 

"This is the last one." The tricorder snapped shut, "Cellular membranes fully intact". A small smirk, "Thanks in no small part to yours truly." The doctor gave a small bow and strutted away, humming softly to himself. 

"I'd like to thank you again. Though I don't know exactly how I can explain this." The woman on the biobed looked directly at Captain Kathryn Janeway. 

"Well,Captain, I'm not sure of what to do. The only thing I am sure of is that the demon planet is far to behind us to return you to it." Kathryn Janeway studied the face before her. It was her own face. The hair was a bit different, just a little more flip on the left side. However the height, shape, eye color, skin tone, and virtually every other physical feature of the woman before her was identical to her own. This woman was her silver-blooded replica, the same as her down to her DNA. 

"I suppose you should call me Kate. Two Captain Kathryn Janeways running around would be more than a little distracting. I must admit though, " the woman smiled, " I wouldn't figure we would still look so identical nine months later." 

"Most of your crew still strongly resembles mine." Janeway smiled as well, "We great minds think alike." Her smiled faded. "I did, however, notice a few,missing crewmembers." 

Kate lowered her eyes, "Many died before we even knew what was going on. B'Elanna Torres being the first." 

Janeway nodded, " I thought as much. Her,proximity to the warp core." She glanced at her Tom Paris, who was helping the Doctor finalize his findings and tidy Sickbay, "that would explain your Tom Paris's,lack of concern for his health." 

Kate nodded, " Well, if I had just lost the love of my life and learned I wasn't who I thought I was...and neither was she,I would care to much about anything either. It's hard enough for me as it is. And I didn't lose my wife. "

"Wife? They were married?" Janeway glanced again at her Paris, this time for a little longer. 

"Yes, they had just gotten married in fact. She was twenty minutes from going off duty for her honeymoon when she discovered the problem." Kate studied Janeway, who was still looking at her pilot. "Why? Aren't your Tom and B'Elanna," she stopped, " they aren't, are they?" 

"No, and I can't remember the subject even being discussed." Janeway turned back to her counterpart "But then again, I wouldn't know everything they discuss." 

"And I assume you had no new births aboard." 

Janeway started at that, " No, no one is even pregnant." 

Kate sighed heavily, "I guess I wouldn't be so lucky," at Janeway's quizzical look she explained, "the baby was one of the first to die, despite her short exposure. She was too little to have any resistance." 

Janeway sighed at that too. She couldn't understand with how it must have been for them to discover that they were not the people they thought they were. However, she could understand the loss of a baby and crewmembers. She still remembered when Ensign Wildman lost her baby, Naomi. Except the alternate Harry Kim had brought an alternate baby Naomi from a self-destructing alternate Voyager. She gave a small smirk, there were just too many Voyagers in space. 

"For now Captain I'd like to assemble my crew," the woman on the biobed expelled a small amount of air, "what's left of them." Kate smiled softly, " We need to recollect ourselves." 

"Of course, Cargo Bay one should accommodate you. I'm sure you remember where it is." Janeway stood and was followed quickly by her counterpart. "I'll make an announcement." 

Kate nodded, " Thank you Captain, I'm sure I'll find my way." 

Tom Paris watched the two Captains leave Sickbay. He couldn't help but wonder what would happen now that two of everyone was running around. Well, two of some people. 

"Hey, Doc." Paris slid up next to the EMH as he was replacing hyposprays. " Did you happen to treat B'Elanna's counterpart while I wasn't here. I, um, didn't see her." 

ÔThat's not a surprise. She died aboard the other Voyager before we discovered them." He turned and watched Paris's face fall, "I'm,sorry Mr. Paris." 

Paris swallowed, " Yeah, um, well I guess that would explain my counterpart's behavior." He frowned, his counterpart's complete apathy towards treatment, and the chance to live, had surprised, and slightly disturbed, Paris earlier. 

"Losing Lt. Torres added to such stress as he was under would make for his loss of desire to live,if your and our Lt. Torres's relationship is any indication." The Doctor replaced the last hypospray. " I believe we're done here Mr. Paris. May I suggest you return to your quarters." He placed a hand on Tom's shoulder, " And see B'Elanna." He let his hand dropped and turned away, sparing Tom from responding. 

"Thanks, Doc,I will." With that Paris strode quickly away from sickbay.

As the cargo bay doors slid shut behind the final few to reach the meeting Kate Janeway, for lack of a better title, stood on a platform in front of her assembled, abeit smaller, crew. As she looked over them she felt a peace she had not experienced in weeks. They were heathly, and maybe, just maybe, a little happier and at peace with their situation. 

"I'd like to thank you all for coming so quickly. I'm sure your eager to be adjusting to your living situations." She grimaced slightly, " However I feel it necessary to remind you that this is not permanent." The mood dimmed a little but she had to press forward, she couldn't lie to them. " We will be leaving this ship. It's not possible to remain with this crew. The next inhabitable Y-Class planet we come across will be our final stopping place." 

"What should we do until then?" The question was from a sullen Tom Paris, " Just pretend like we belong here? Have a few chats with our counterparts?"

She decided to ignore his attitude. "Yes. If you'd like. Or if you'd prefer to sit quietly until we find a planet, please, suit yourself." She checked herself, before she got too emotionally involved with his insubordination. He needed her help, not anger. "What we need to do now is figure out ways to live on the same ship as people with identical DNA, names, lives," She stopped, she knew they understood. "Names will be the most difficult. The Voyager crew has agreed to go by their rank and last name. We will try and respond to first names only. It will be confusing but it's the best we can do." She smiled down on them, " I do suggest you spend sometime with your counterpart. Learn some things about their past nine months. Enjoy yourselves. I'll be on Deck Nine in Section eleven if you need anything." She paused to look at them one last time, 

"Dismissed." 
 
 

"Hey, B'Elanna? You in here?" The doors shut behind Tom Paris as he entered B'Elanna's quarters. 

"Over here." She was facing out the window, huddled under a blanket, on her chair. "I suppose you heard." 

Tom stopped, "Heard what."

She turned and gave a humorless smile, "That I died." She looked down as he nodded slowly. " You know, " she rubbed her fingers against the blanket, "it upsets me more than I thought it would." 

" How'd you hear about it?" He caught one of her hands and held it in his. 

"Vorik actually." She looked at him, 

"Not exactly who I'd like to hear that news from." He chuckled mirthlessly then paused, "You ok?" 

She nodded and resumed her rubbing with her free hand, "He gave me his report this afternoon and Ôoffered his condolences on my untimely death'." She gave a smirk, "needless to say I was kind of thrown." Tom nodded and squeezed her hand. "Carey had come over during this and then explained what had happened." She squeezed his hand now, "I heard I was the first." 

He nodded, "Yeah, you were. Proximity to the warp core." 

She sighed, "We all know how excited I was to have a clone made of me." 

"Yeah, not at all. If I recall correctly." He gave her a little smile.
"That's understating it. I was really uncomfortable with it." Her brow furrowed, " But now,I guess she was me, in a way. Different only by a matter of nine months, And now she's dead." 

"I'm sorry B'Elanna." He reached for her, drawing her closer. The idea of her,dying, even if it wasn't really her, was more than a little unsettling. 

"Yeah, me too." She scooted over in the chair to make room for him to sit and then rested her head on his chest. 

"B'Elanna," He smoothed her hair down with his outside hand. " I have a favor to ask of you." She drew back to look at his face.

" What?" He took a deep breath, 

" I'd like you to talk to my counterpart." 

"What?!" 

" Just for a little bit." At her disbelieving look he pleaded with her, "You should have seen him, B'Elanna. He was insubordinate, sullen, moody, completely depressed. I'd say something to him but he won't listen to me." 

She raised an eyebrow. "Why not?" 

Tom shrugged, " I wouldn't. Not if you had died and he was comforting me." She shuddered at the image. "But he'll listen to you B'Elanna. And I think it would do him good to talk to you again." He closed his eyes, "If he loved her half as much as I love you I know it will do him good." He opened his eyes and looked back at her, 

"Please B'Elanna. Just for a few minutes." 

She searched his eyes, " Alright, I'll do it." 

The holodeck doors slid shut behind B'Elanna. A golden, red sun was falling behind rust colored mountains. She recognized it, the Demon planet. 

" I thought I'd find you here." She stopped right behind the lone figure in the room who was hunched over on a small bolder. His head perked at her voice. Then fell back down, 

"Oh, it's you." B'Elanna climbed up on the adjacent bolder facing towards the man who still wouldn't look at her. 

"Oh, it's me?" She raised and eyebrow.

He looked up, still mostly avoiding her face. "You, the real B'Elanna Torres." He finally looked at her face and smiled humorlessly, "You look just like her." A small breath caught in his throat. "You here to offer me condolences, see what Tom Paris is like without you?" He chuckled mirthlessly. 

"No." He stopped laughing and looked at her as she continued, " I not. I know you wouldn't want my pity." 

He nodded, "Thanks. At least someone understands that." He swallowed hard. "So, what are you here for. I doubt you came to watch the demon sunset." 

" No, I didn't come for that either." She did look over at the setting sun, however. It was beautiful. In it's own way. 

" Then what are you here for?" 

" Honestly?" He nodded. " Tom wanted me to." 

He shook his head at that, "Concerned with his other self. How,touching." He looked at her. She was the same woman, just slightly different memories. But still the same woman he had loved, had married. He placed his forehead in his palms, " We were married you know." 

Her eyes grew larger though he couldn't see her, " What?" She swallowed hard, 

"Married?" He nodded almost imperceptibly. "How long?" 

"A little over a day. We were about to leave on our honeymoon when you,.when she,died." B'Elanna gasped. 

"I take it you and the other Paris aren't married." He raised his head and looked at her.

"No, we haven't talked about it." 

"Too bad for him. Best thing I ever did." 

B'Elanna looked back at the almost gone sun, " When did you,ask her? What happened?"

He looked over at the horizon to watch as the final strands of gold fell over the mountains, " It was after a alien race tried to control us by tampering with our environmental controls." He picked up a shard of rock and tossed it towards the distance, "B'Elanna was trapped in a Jeffries tube and the atmosphere was vented,.we almost lost her." He shuddered at the memory. "It was no different than any of the multiple times one of us has had one of those pesky near-death experiences." He tossed another rock, avoiding looking at her, " But somehow it was. I realized how nothing was really going to matter if she wasn't with me." He ducked his head and smiled, " It's corny. But gods, I was right. Not much does anymore." He glanced quickly at her and then resumed his rock tossing, "I had it all planned so well. A huge holodeck bonanza with dinner, and beaches, and music,. The whole nine yards and then some." He laughed out loud then, " But of course you,she,got caught in engineering." B'Elanna smiled at that, it was just like her.

He continued, " I came down and pestered her, but she had plasma manifolds and sick engineers,.it was quite a blowout. After we exchanged a few volleys she finally threw a PADD down and turned to me. 

ÔWhat is so important about this stupid meal? I'm busy Tom!' At that I threw down the box with the ring to the floor next to her PADD. 

ÔI wanted to ask you to marry me! But I'll wait until you not so busy!' I turned and started to walk out. She stopped me,kissed me,and said yes." He fought back tears, "It was the best moment of my life until that point." 

B'Elanna placed her hand on his, "I'm so sorry." 

" Me too." He removed his hand. 

B'Elanna cleared her throat, " Tell me about the honeymoon." 

He looked at her, uncertain if he wanted to, "Well,it was Chicago. On earth in the 1920s. Flappers, big easies, grand hotel."

"Champagne?" B'Elanna watched as his face grew ashen, "What? What's wrong with champagne?" 

He cleared his throat, " Nothing. It was just,.the last thing you, she said." He removed a small yellow chip from his shirt. " This is it." He smiled at her confused look, " The program,.our honeymoon." He regarded it sadly, " Take it." He handed it to her, "At least you'll enjoy it. The clothes are your size, foods to your taste," 

"I'm not sure." At his pleading look she stopped and took it, " Thanks." She placed it in her vest. "You know Tom, I'm not her. Not the whole her that you married. And even if we could recreate her from me," 

"We can't. I looked in to it. The silver blood is not in excess anymore," 

" I know, but even if we could it wouldn't be her. It'd be me and I obviously have different memories." 

He nodded, "I know. I'm on my own." 

" Yes, you are. But,.As much as I'm different from her,I am the same. We have the same personality, qualities,,feelings," She cleared her throat, "my point is that I know I wouldn't want Tom like this, " she indicated him, " if I were to die. And I know your B'Elanna wouldn't either." 

He chuckled mirthlessly again, " I apologize." 

" Don't. Because I understand as well. But I know she loved you. More than she could have ever told you. And I know she thanks whatever gods there are that she found you and that such a wonderful person as you could love her,.I can't ask you to be happy. Just,don't give up." She took a deep breath, 

He looked her dead in the eye, " I can't make you promises. Hell, I don't even know who I am," he stopped and cocked his head, " but since you are,in essence,her,.and I could do nothing to hurt her,I'll try. "

"That's all I can ask." She stood and got down from her rock now that the sky was growing dark. " I have to go. I probably won't see you again, the Y-class planet is within a few lightyears now," She dusted off her legs, " But,good luck," She stopped, having nothing else to say that wasn't trivial. 

He didn't respond but simply watched her retreating form, the last time he'd see her,any her,in living form. As the doors closed he turned back to the moonlight sky, hugged his knees to his chest, and closed his eyes. 
 
 

The End