DEFECTIVE By T’Pam Disclaimer: Voyager and its crew belong to Paramount. I’m only borrowing them for a while and will return them to their regularly scheduled program later. No profit will be made, as this is just for fun.   Part Two Captain Katherine Janeway strode down the corridor towards sickbay. She hummed as she marched, slightly off-key to be sure, but it was such a good day today, she couldn’t help herself. Not only had they found an M-class planet rich in all the requirements they needed, they had made contact with the local inhabitants who were even more technically advanced than they were. The people seemed warm and friendly and were more than willing to trade. Captain Janeway couldn’t keep the smile off of her face as she thought of the planet they would soon be on. Chakotay had given her the shore leave rosters first thing this morning and she was looking forward to seeing the crew enjoy themselves. It had been less than two weeks since their last shore leave, but that day had turned into a disaster and the days following had been harrowing and sleepless for most of the crew. The smile slipped from her face as she thought about the last two weeks. They’d almost lost Tom and his recovery was slow and painful. According to the Doctor he was a ‘difficult’ patient and had been particularly trying the last couple of days. Janeway smiled to herself. When wasn’t Tom difficult? He’d always been a moody, impatient invalid; she could remember that from the numerous other occasions he’d had to be in sickbay. She’d visited him each morning and he’d seemed fine to her. Obviously he was on his best behavior around her though. Her smile widened. She didn’t know who she felt the most sorry for, Tom or the Doctor. The Doctor - definitely the Doctor she decided, shaking her head. Janeway hurried her pace a little. She was running late in her visit this morning, having been held up with the shore leave rosters. That reminded her of the planet again and her smile widened even more. A passing crewman was quite dazzled as he mumbled a ‘Good Morning’ to her. She thought she’d make this a short visit with Tom before hurrying to the mess hall for a quick breakfast. She was absolutely starving for some reason. Her stomach was even grumbling. The fact that she hadn’t eaten anything the night before, due to how busy she’d been, completely escaped her. Just as she reached the sickbay doors, they opened and Neelix came stumbling out. He was a comical sight in his colorful clothing and big chefs apron at the best of times but today he looked absolutely startling. He was wearing a bowl on the top of his head, which was oozing some sort of sticky mess resembling porridge - only green in color, and it was dripping all over his face. His apron was covered in a pink, slimy substance, that Janeway knew from past experience was Pandolvian scrambled eggs. "Neelix! What on----" "Captain! Oh! Oh! Good morning." Janeway looked at her Chef/Morale Officer in horror. "What happened?" "Oh this?" Neelix asked, rather stupidly pointing to his head. "It was nothing Captain. Just a slight misunderstanding." He wiped his face with a corner of his apron. "A slight misunderstanding?" The Captain repeated incredulously, crossing her arms over her chest and staring Neelix in the eye dangerously. "I know the Doctor can be a little testy at times. Especially with you taking food into sickbay, but I will not allow this. He’s gone too far this time, no matter what the provocation." She had started to march purposefully into the sickbay when Neelix grabbed her arm. "I’m sorry Captain," he blustered in embarrassment. "The Doctor didn’t do this to me. At least, he did kick me out of sickbay and told me never to come back unless I was dying, and even then he’d have to think about treating me. Which, when you think about it Captain isn’t very---" Janeway interrupted. "Well, who did then?" Neelix blushed. "I’m afraid I upset Tom. I certainly didn’t mean to. If I’d only known, I wouldn’t have said anything. That’s why it is so important that I, as the ships morale officer, be kept fully informed." "Do you mean to tell me that Tom threw his breakfast all over you?" Neelix nodded and looked down at the floor. Janeway followed his eyes down, noting his pants legs were wet - some sort of juice - until they reached the floor, where a rather messy puddle was forming. "Why?" she asked, looking back up at him. "Well, apparently Tom has been rather temperamental lately and is throwing a lot of---" "No. I meant why did you upset him? What did you do?" "Oh! Well I brought him this special breakfast to cheer him up, as I’d heard he was in need of my services. His morale is very low, I understand." "Why wasn’t I told this? I see him every day, and other than being impatient to be well again and giving the Doctor a hard time, he seemed fine. I should have been informed if his emotional well being was in danger." "Oh, well I’m sure I don’t know why the Doctor didn’t tell you. I wasn’t told either though Captain, it was lucky I heard about it in the mess hall last night." The Captains eyes narrowed. "You were listening to gossip? You know what this ship is like Neelix, never believe anything unless you see or hear it yourself." "Oh no, Captain. It wasn’t gossip." The little Talaxian was highly offended. "I don’t have anything to do with gossip. I happened to be in the mess hall with Commander Chakotay when B’Elanna came in." "And they were discussing Tom’s emotional state?" "Yes," Neelix agreed, but then hesitated. "Well, I wouldn’t really have called it discussing. B’Elanna was mainly yelling and the Commander was trying to calm her down. From what I could gather, the Commander was supposed to give Tom a little pep talk to try and cheer him up and get him to behave himself a little better, but instead the Commander made things worse and Tom was terribly upset." "I see. I can’t believe the Doctor didn’t tell me about this." "Perhaps he was going to when you were here this morning. I’m not sure how bad Tom was yesterday, but he’s certainly not good this morning." Neelix’s face was creased with worry. "All I did was mention that I thought he might like something to cheer him up after hearing the Commander and B’Elanna talking about him, and he became enraged and flipped the tray up. That’s not like him at all." Janeway patted his arm soothingly. "I know you were only trying to help. Leave it with me Neelix; I need to find out exactly what’s going on here. You’d better go and clean yourself up and get someone from maintenance to clean up the corridor. We don’t want anyone to step in this mess." "Of course Captain," Neelix told her as she stepped gingerly into the sickbay.   ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****   The Doctor looked over as he heard the doors open. If that fool, Neelix, thinks he can come back in here and probably cause even more trouble, he’s sadly mistaken, he thought fiercely. However, it was the Captain who entered the room. He’d been expecting her earlier. She usually visited first thing in the morning, and - for her - this was late. "Captain," he said. "I thought you might not be coming this morning." He turned his attention back to the bathroom door. "Mr. Paris, please come out. You have a visitor." "I was held up. Commander Chakotay and I were going over some rosters," the Captain said from behind him. "I take it Tom’s in the bathroom?" The Doctor nodded and knocked lightly on the door. "Mr. Paris, can you hear me?" "Can you tell me what’s going on here? I just ran into Neelix, and quite frankly Doctor----" "Mr. Neelix is an imbecile." The Doctor stated flatly. He knocked on the bathroom door again. "MR. PARIS. OPEN THIS DOOR." "DOCTOR! I want you to explain to me, just why you deemed it unnecessary to inform me---" "Not now Captain. MR. PARIS! YOU WILL COME OUT ON THE COUNT OF THREE." "DOCTOR!" Janeway’s voice was sharper than the deadliest Bat’leth. The Doctor ignored her. "ONE - TWO - " "Go away." A muffled voice came from the bathroom. "COME OUT - NOW!" the Doctor shouted. "No," the muffled voice answered. Janeway looked at the bathroom door and then back at the EMH. "Doctor," she asked quietly. "What’s going on here?" The EMH glanced at her in exasperation. "Isn’t it obvious Captain? We have a - situation. Mr. Paris has locked himself in the bathroom." "I see. Well can’t you override the lock?" "Oh my! Now why didn’t I think of that?" the Doctor asked sarcastically. The Captain gave him The Look. "Let me try. Computer, open these doors. Authorization - Janeway, Omega, Zero, Three, Two, Five." ‘Authorization invalid. Access denied,’ the computer chirped. "What? Why?" ‘A security override is in place.’ "See?" the Doctor said smugly. "I tried all that, before you came in." "Tom?" Janeway called through the door. "It’s me. What’s going on here? Come out, so that we can talk." "I just want some privacy, Captain." Tom’s muffled voice came through the door. "Privacy and Sickbay do not go together Mr. Paris," the EMH called out. The Captain repeated The Look. "Doctor - Please!" She turned back to the door. "Tom, I want you to come out of there right now, do you hear me?" "Captain," Tom’s voice whined. "Right now! That’s an order Mister!" A small thump from behind the door was her only answer. The Doctor became anxious. "I don’t like the sound of that. We have to get him out of there. Should I call security?" The Captain nodded. "Get Tuvok down here, while I try and talk him out. Tom?" she said softly through the door. "Tom, please open the door." There was no answer. No movement could be heard at all. "Tom, answer me. The Doctor and I are very worried." There was nothing but silence. The Captain turned back to the EMH. "How did he get in there? I didn’t think he could walk that far, yet." The Doctor sighed. "I left the crutch next to his bed, and he managed to hobble in there while I was still in the process of throwing Mr. Neelix out." The Captain ran her hands through her hair in agitation. "Why has he locked himself in there? I don’t understand." "Mr. Neelix," the Doctor pronounced the little Talaxian’s name as if was some sort of fungi infection, "should be locked up where he can do no more harm." "Neelix told me that all he said was something about Chakotay and B’Elanna discussing Tom, when he----" "Humph! That might have been what he was saying at the time that Mr. Paris decided to use him as a mixing bowl, but I believe that Mr. Paris was reacting to what Mr. Neelix told him before that." "Oh? Neelix didn’t tell me that." The Doctor sniffed. "Of course not. Apparently, there is a rumor going around the ship that Lieutenant Torres and Ensign Kim are having a wild passionate ‘fling’ behind Mr. Paris’s back. And have been for some weeks." "What a load of rubbish! Surely Neelix didn’t believe that?" "No, he said he knew it wasn’t true but felt that Mr. Paris should be forewarned. He also said he was concerned how quickly the rumor had spread and didn’t want Mr. Paris to hear it from somebody else." "I don’t believe this. Who starts these rumors anyway? Obviously people with too much time on their hands. How could Tom believe that?" "Oh no, Captain. I’m quite sure that Mr. Paris didn’t believe it, but he did become extremely upset that people were talking about them like that. Mr. Neelix received the brunt of his anger and quite frankly, I’m not surprised. I just wish he would come out of the bathroom now though." Janeway agreed and banged on the door harder. "Tom! I mean it. Come out now." She turned back towards the Doctor. "You don’t think he’d do something silly, do you?" "Quite frankly, I don’t know Captain. He has been behaving irrationally. Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, I believe. I should have diagnosed it earlier, but I dismissed his behavior because of how annoying he usually is in here." "That’s perfectly understandable Doctor, but when you became concerned about the way he was acting, you should have told me." "You’re right Captain. But Mr. Paris values your opinion of him very highly, you know. It’s very important to him. He became very agitated when I threatened to tell you about his behavior, and since personnel problems are normally handled by Commander Chakotay, I thought it would be easier to try and handle the situation without you." "I see. That normally is what would happen. Chakotay would handle it and then tell me." "In this particular case that didn’t work. I should have contacted you. Perhaps this situation could have been averted." Janeway nodded and turned back towards the bathroom door. "Tom, I order you to come out right now." Silence. "You’re disobeying a direct order Mister. I’m sure you’re aware of the penalties. The Doctor has called security." The EMH rolled his eyes. "If he was going to obey orders he’d be out by now." Tuvok arrived just then. "Captain, there appears to be a force field in place around the bathroom, as I am unable to transport inside." "I think something’s wrong," Janeway said worriedly. "I’m sure he would have come out by now if he could. Tuvok, I need you to override the lockout mechanism." Tuvok nodded. "If you’ll allow me?" He gently nudged Janeway out of the way. Studying the door’s control panel, he said. "Hmmn! It would seem that Mr. Paris has had some experience with locking mechanisms. It will take me a few minutes to open the door." "Hurry," the Captain urged him impatiently. "Meanwhile Doctor, I think you had better bring me up to speed on everything Tom’s been doing."   ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****   Tuvok was the first to react when the door finally slid open to reveal Tom, lying face first on the bathroom floor, surrounded by a pool of blood. "Mr. Paris!" He rushed over and knelt down beside him. The Doctor, quickly grabbing a tricorder, joined him. "What happened? Is he all right?" Janeway asked coming up behind them. The Doctor ran the tricorder over Tom. "It appears to be just a concussion. Commander Tuvok help me get him back to bed so that I can do a more thorough examination." They gently placed him back on the bed, and the Doctor continued his examination. "Hmmn! It’s just as I suspected," he diagnosed. "Luckily, Mr. Paris only has another head injury. They’re really rather commonplace with him." "He will be all right won’t he?" "Yes, Captain. I’m quite sure his head is made of wood, the abuse that he subjects it to. He should awaken shortly." Tuvok strode swiftly back into the bathroom and looked around. He emerged shortly afterwards. "I would surmise that Mr. Paris slipped as he was standing up and hit his head on the side of the bathtub. I believe he otherwise would have obeyed your orders, Captain." "Well, that’s good to know," Janeway said, a slight smile on her face. "You can go now Tuvok. I’ll wait for Tom to wake up. It’s time for he and I to have a little talk." "Of course Captain," Tuvok acknowledged. He quietly left the room as Tom began to groan softly, regaining consciousness. "Mr. Paris, lay still for a moment." The Doctor injected a hypo spray into Tom’s neck and then began to run a dermal regenerator over the cut on his forehead. "What’s the last thing you remember?" Tom grimaced and attempted to sit up. "I was trying to stand up, to unlock the door, and - and - the crutch slipped. That’s right. I remember trying to grab something, but---- " his voice trailed off. "Well, luckily for you, you landed on your head. Any other part of your anatomy and I might have been worried." "Thanks Doc, you’re all heart." "Tom," Janeway leaned towards him. "Do you want to tell me what was going on in the bathroom in the first place? Why you had a security override on the door and set up some sort of force field?" Tom flushed with embarrassment. "I just needed to be by myself for awhile," he mumbled. "The Doctor’s told me what’s been happening in here, the way you’ve been acting. I think we need to talk about it." Tom turned crimson and put his head down. "I’m sorry," he said miserably. "I know the Doctor can be a little irritating at times and downright annoying at others, but---" "Excuse me Captain, but I am standing right here you know." "Please don’t interrupt me Doctor." "Well, pardon me, I’m sure." The Doctor was at his most sarcastic. Tom shot him a rather startled look, amusement in the corners of his eyes, before bending his head down once more. "As I was saying, although you may feel justified in your accusations against the Doctor, your behavior has been unacceptable. You can’t throw a temper tantrum every time things don’t go your way." "I haven’t," Tom sulked. "That’s not what the Doctor tells me." Tom glanced up at that. "Did the Doctor tell you what he’s been doing to me?" "Mr. Paris, if you feel you have been unfairly treated, I can assure you----" "Doctor, I asked you not to interrupt. If you’re finding that too difficult, perhaps you should leave us alone for a minute," the Captain scolded briskly. "My apologies," the EMH said, stiffly. Janeway turned back to Tom. "Now apart from the Doctor, you have had arguments with B’Elanna, Harry, Tuvok, Chakotay and now poor Neelix. This really has to stop." "I’m sorry Captain. I really didn’t mean to do that. I don’t mean to argue with anyone - it just happens." "I know how difficult this is for you, Tom. I can only imagine what you’re going through, but you have to let us try and help you. Keep calm and follow the Doctor’s orders, you never know, it may even help speed up your rehabilitation." Janeway smiled down at him and patted his arm. "I’ll try Captain. I don’t know why I’m acting this way," Tom said in a choked voice. Blinking back tears, he lowered his head once again. "Tom, the Doctor may have the answer to that. Doctor, would you care to explain?" "Me? Oh, you mean I can speak now?" "DOCTOR!" Janeway warned. The Doctor turned his attention to Tom. "Mr. Paris," the EMH told him gently. "I think you should know, that I suspect you have a condition that is causing your behavior to be so out of control. I need to run a few more tests to be sure of course, but I suspect that you have been suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome." Tom looked up in surprise. "I haven’t suffered any trauma Doc. Other than falling off a cliff of course. But I wasn’t tortured or anything." "Your body has suffered a great deal of trauma and sometimes this can be the trigger. People can suffer from depression after a serious injury, especially if they have a slow and painful recovery in front of them." "I’m not depressed," Tom quickly argued. "And I do know about this condition, but it used to happen centuries ago, before all the advancements in medicine. It only happened to a very small percentage of people even then." "That doesn’t mean it can’t happen now. It does still occur. The treatment is relatively simple these days." "Well - maybe. But I wouldn’t have it. I know I’m only going to be like this for a few weeks. It’s not permanent or anything. I’m not looking at months of rehabilitation. Besides I’m improving every day. I’m sorry Doc, but you’re wrong." "A great deal happened to you, down on that planet. You had no control over these things and that has left you feeling frustrated and helpless. These feelings are manifesting themselves as-----" "DOC! Don’t analyze me, okay? I’m fine." "You are not fine Mr. Paris. You are not sleeping, you are argumentative - to the point of obstructing your own recovery - and you are not eating." "I ate breakfast yesterday," Tom interrupted indignantly. "That was over twenty four hours ago." The Doctor gave a long-suffering sigh. "Will you please stop arguing with me." "I’m not arguing. I’m simply pointing out that you’re wrong. You can be wrong you know." "Perhaps, but I’m not this time." "Doc, I’ve been in worse situations than I was down on that planet and haven’t freaked out afterwards, now have I?" "Mr. Paris, you have a tendency to bottle things up." "I do not!" "Sooner or later that bottle will become full and start to overflow." Tom snorted. "I’m used to handling whatever life throws at me." "And most of the time you don’t handle it very well. Need I remind you?" "Shut up!" "Losing your temper with me, just reinforces what I have been trying to tell you." "Tom, please. Listen to the Doctor. I think he’s right." Janeway told him. "Yeah, and your medical degree is----" he broke off as he realized who he was speaking to. "Sorry Captain." "I think that proves my point, Tom. Now I know you hate being in sickbay - most of the crew does, but I expect you to listen to the Doctor and do as you’re told. That’s an order. No more of this nonsense, is that understood?" "Yes Captain," Tom managed to choke out. "We all care a great deal about you, you know. I’ll be back to check on you later in the day. Okay?" The Captain watched Tom as he nodded, not trusting himself to speak. "All right Doctor, I’ll leave him in your capable hands." "Thank you Captain," the Doctor said gravely, looking at Tom closely. "Mr. Paris should be feeling a lot better within twenty four hours." Janeway hesitated as she reached the sickbay doors. Turning around, she was slightly surprised and more than a little touched to see the Doctor holding Tom and patting his back soothingly, as the pilot sobbed quietly into the shoulder offered.   ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****   "You should have seen Annabelle, Tom, she was as white as a sheet. She really thought that B’Elanna was going to throw her out the airlock." "Well, I wouldn’t have blamed either of you if you had," Tom replied with a smile. "Are you all right about it now Tom?" Harry asked, suddenly anxious. "I mean you know it wasn’t true, it was just a misunderstanding." "Of course," Tom answered quickly. "I know the two of you would never do that to me. I was just upset that people could think that you would." "Well that’s how I felt too. B’Elanna here though, thought the whole thing was hilarious. She couldn’t stop laughing when she heard." "Well the whole thing was too ridiculous for words. I still can’t believe that anyone took it seriously," B’Elanna defended herself. She started to chuckle again and Harry joined in, only to stop suddenly and begin to frown instead. "Hey, I just realized. I think I’ve been insulted. What’s so ridiculous about you and me being together anyway?" B’Elanna continued to chuckle. "It just is Harry." Harry’s frown deepened. "Why?" B’Elanna stopped chuckling. "Are you serious?" "Very. There are plenty of girls on this ship that think I’m cute." "I’m sure there are." "But, you’re not one of them. Right?" "I hadn’t really thought about it." "Why not?" "I don’t know. I just haven’t." "And that’s my point. Lot’s of girls would go out with me, if I asked them to, and be glad to, too." "Of course they would." "But, not you." "Harry, exactly what are you trying to say here? You want us to go out? On a date?" B’Elanna’s voice rose incredulously. "Have you forgotten? I’m already seeing someone. Tom - your best friend. The one who’s sitting right here between us." "I know that." Harry dismissed Tom with a wave of his hand. "Who said I wanted to go out on a date with you anyway? Thanks, but no thanks." B’Elanna growled dangerously, but Harry continued. "You’re not my type. All I’m trying to say is--" "No Harry," B’Elanna interrupted. "I don’t think you know what you’re trying to say. But if you don’t stop trying to say it I’m going to have to rearrange your mouth, so that it will fit into your ear. Got it?" Strange gurgling noises coming from the bed, made them turn around quickly to look at Tom, who could control himself no longer. He burst into loud peals of laughter. "What?" they both asked. "Gods! You two are better than watching a holovid," Tom finally managed to gasp out. "You found that funny?" B’Elanna was amazed. "Your best friend just hit on me. Right in front of you too." "Hit on you? Are you crazy?" Harry’s voice was full of horror. "Not as crazy as you, it would seem." "B’Elanna! I did not hit on you." "You said you wanted to go out - on a date - with me." "I did not say that! I only said - well actually I can’t remember what I said now - but I did not ask you out on a date." Tom had to hold onto his sides. "Stop it," he gasped. The Doctor came hurrying over. "Mr. Paris, are you all right?" Tom nodded. "I’m fine thanks Doc. These two are helping to cheer me up." "Well, don’t overdo it. You’ve made remarkable progress the last twenty four hours." Tom sobered. "All I’ve done is bawl my eyes out most of the time." "You needed to. There’s no need to feel embarrassed about it. You had to let out some of these feelings you keep on repressing. Don’t you feel better today?" Tom smiled. "I do actually. It’s a wonder though that I didn’t short out some of your circuits - all that water you know." "Oh very funny Mr. Paris. I see your rather dubious sense of humor is returning." The EMH turned his attention to B’Elanna and Harry. "Let’s not undo all the good work I’ve managed to achieve, shall we? Perhaps the two of you could keep the more hilarious jokes for another day or two?" he suggested. Harry nodded, dumbly. "I’ll be in my office if you need me," the Doctor told them before hurrying off. "You are better aren’t you?" B’Elanna asked Tom with concern. "You seem a lot brighter today." "Yeah, the Doc thinks I should be fine in another day or so, and walking around normally in another week." "Well that’s great," Harry told him, while B’Elanna smiled in delight. She picked up his hand and squeezed it lightly. "Are you up for more visitors? I think Chakotay’s going to come and see you a bit later today." "Gods! I hope not. I don’t think I’m quite ready for him yet. What’s he want to do? Shove the other boot in?" "No, as a matter of fact he wants to apologize." "Apologize? I don’t believe it. Is the Captain making him?" "Not that I know of. He just feels really bad about what happened the other night. He was trying reverse psychology on you apparently." Tom snorted. "That wasn’t reverse psychology. He was telling me what he really thinks of me. Hell, there were no surprises there." "B’Elanna’s right," Harry assured him. "The Commander had some strange idea that if he made you really mad at him, you’d go out of your way to prove him wrong. Now, I don’t know where he got that idea from." Tom laughed. "It’s not like I haven’t done it before." "He wasn’t to know that you were suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome," Harry continued. "He honestly did feel bad when he found out. He’s not such a bad guy, really. And you do know how to push his buttons." "Yeah, well he does a bit of pushing himself." "We’re telling you this, so that when he does turn up you don’t give him a hard time, okay?" B’Elanna told him. "Who? Me?" "Tom! I’m serious," B’Elanna growled. "It’s hard for him to admit when he’s wrong about something or somebody. He doesn’t find it easy to apologize. So don’t make the situation worse." "So," Tom said, deciding to change the subject. "Tell me about the planet we’ve been orbiting for the past few days. Regallia, I think the Captain called it. She seems to think fairly highly of it. Did either of you get to go down there yesterday?" Harry nodded enthusiastically. "It’s really something else. The Regallians have got everything you could possibly want down there. The crew are having a great time. They love every minute of it. The people are just so friendly and go out of their way to help you." B’Elanna snorted at this. "I take it you don’t agree?" Tom asked. "Oh no. Harry’s right. The planet is great and the people are extra friendly, but I don’t like them. There’s just something not quite right." Harry sighed. "You’re still upset over the first contact meeting. They’ve apologized over and over again about that." "What happened?" Tom asked in confusion. "When the Regallian First Minister and their Ambassador Persher were introduced to B’Elanna, there was a slight misunderstanding." "Misunderstanding, my foot, Harry. The Ambassador took one look at me and asked me if I was defective." "Defective?" Tom queried. B’Elanna nodded. "When the Captain asked him what he meant he asked what was wrong with my forehead." "To which, Ms. Protocol here answered - ‘Nothing, it’s supposed to be like that. What’s wrong with yours?’ The poor minister couldn’t stop apologizing." Tom laughed. "That’s my girl." "Well, he was unbelievably rude. It doesn’t matter how much he apologized afterwards, it doesn’t change the fact." "I don’t suppose you’ll be wanting to go down for some shore leave then?" Tom asked a slight smile on his face. "No, I don’t think I’ll bother. I’d rather wait for you anyway. If I go down with Harry it might start the gossips again, and we can’t have that." Harry blushed. "I don’t know how you can joke about it." "It’s a shame you won’t be coming down there though," Tom said a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "The Captain’s arranged for me to go down there the day after tomorrow, but the Doc won’t let me go without a companion." He sighed dramatically. "It looks like I’ll miss out, since I can’t imagine going anywhere so beautiful without you B’Elanna. Of course, I could always ask Seven." B’Elanna hit him on the arm. "Very funny. I’m over all that now. You can’t make me jealous by using Seven anymore. But I think I should go down there with you anyway, just to stop you from getting into any more trouble." "Oh, I don’t want to put you out," Tom teased. "No, I’m sure I can spare a few hours out of my busy schedule," B’Elanna said airily.   ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****   Tom sat down with a sigh of relief. As impatient as he was to get out of sickbay, and down to this wonderful planet everyone kept talking about, he wanted to be careful not to overdo it. B’Elanna and he had beamed down to a secluded area in a breath-taking garden, on the outskirts of Regallia’s main city, nearly three hours ago. They had been walking around; amazed at all they saw, ever since. It seemed a little strange to him that none of the local inhabitants seemed to take advantage of these beautiful surroundings. The gardens were obviously well looked after, but other than meeting a few of their fellow crewmembers, they had been on their own. Tom had felt a little disappointed, as he had been eager to meet the local people. Harry had told him that they were humanoid - breathtakingly beautiful - of all different skin colors and tones, and had slightly ridged foreheads - their ridges about half the size of B’Elanna’s. Harry’s enthusiastic account of their friendly, welcoming natures had had him intrigued. Tom leaned back on the bench and closed his eyes, while he waited for B’Elanna to return. The sun was warm on his face, and he soon found he was getting drowsy. "Mind if I join you?" a voice asked softly. Tom sighed silently. "Chakotay, long time - no see. What are you doing here?" "Same as you, I expect. These gardens are beautiful, aren’t they?" Tom nodded. "They sure are. I’m glad the Doc let me out to see them." Silence followed. "Where’s B’Elanna?" "She went to get us a drink. She should be back soon." "Oh, right. Well - - How’s the leg holding up?" "Fine. We’ve been taking it fairly slow." "That’s good." Silence again. Tom shifted uncomfortably. "So - - Are you down here by yourself?" "No. I came down with Ayalla, Saunders and Chell. They’re just over there." Tom squinted in the distance. "Oh, right." The silence stretched. Tom cringed inwardly. Gods this was awful. "That sun’s nice isn’t it?" he finally said. "Yes it is," Chakotay answered eagerly. "Feels wonderful on these old bones of mine," he chuckled. Tom laughed - a little too long and a little too loudly. After all, the Commander hadn’t said anything that funny. He felt himself flush with embarrassment. Is this what it’s going to be like from now on? Chakotay going out of his way to talk to me? Stilted, uncomfortable conversations? If so, I don’t think I can bear it. The Commander had come and spoken to him at length, the morning before. He’d apologized sincerely in his softly spoken way and explained what he had been trying to accomplish - that he hadn’t meant any of the cruel things he’d said. He had even offered his services as a counselor and told Tom he could talk to him anytime he wanted, not just about what had happened on the planet, but about anything he felt like - even his childhood. Now, why had he said that? What did he think he knew anyway? Tom had thanked him politely - knowing he would never take him up on the offer, and then to his everlasting shame, had promptly burst into tears. Chakotay had looked alarmed - no more than he was, he was sure - and then had tried to comfort him until the Doctor hurried over. Tom had felt completely humiliated; he hadn’t known he was going to do that - he’d been feeling so much happier the day before - and in front of Chakotay of all people. The Doctor had simply held him until his sobs had abated and then explained that these sudden mood swings were quite normal and nothing to be concerned about. Tom had kept his head down and eyes fixed firmly on his blanket as the EMH and Chakotay talked, the Commander saying how relieved he was that he hadn’t done anything to cause it. Chakotay had then squeezed his shoulder, exactly the same as the Captain would have done, and asked him if he was all right now. Tom had nodded; too embarrassed to say anything, and the Commander, with one final pat on his arm, had left. "So, I guess you’re looking forward to going back to your quarters when you get back on board," Chakotay was saying. "Um, yeah. I sure am." "The Doctor says it won’t be long till you’re back on duty." "I hope so." Tom, never at a loss for words, couldn’t think of anything to add to that. Chakotay suddenly jumped up. "Ah, B’Elanna." The relief was evident in his voice. "I was just keeping Tom company until you got back. I’ll leave you two alone now." "Okay," B’Elanna answered, clearly confused. She handed Tom a cup as the Commander hurried away. "What was that all about?" Tom sighed heavily. "I think I preferred it when we argued." "What do you mean?" "He’s trying to be nice." "Chakotay is nice - most of the time. What’s wrong with that?" "Nothing. It’s just - awkward and uncomfortable. Gods, you should have heard the conversation we just had. It was mainly one big silence while we each tried to think of something to say." "That will pass. Give it time." "I hope so. Every time I look at him, I’m so embarrassed." "Why? He did come and apologize, didn’t he? He told me everything was fine between you." "It is." "Well then, what’s the problem? You didn’t give him a hard time, when he came to see you, did you?" "No, of course not." Tom felt himself flushing with shame. "It was nothing like that." "Well that’s good." Tom decided to change the subject. "Hey, have I told you how nice you look in that outfit?" B’Elanna was wearing a tight, wine colored jumpsuit that showed her every curve. She knew she looked good. Nodding she answered, "several times in fact." "Well you do. You’re lucky I didn’t have a relapse or something. I’m sure my blood pressure went through the roof when I first saw you in the transporter room." B’Elanna laughed. "Flatterer. You don’t look too bad yourself." Tom was wearing navy, baggy pants and a light blue silk shirt. "I aim to please. I’m just glad to be out of those sickbay pajamas." He patted his stomach. "Are you hungry?" "A little bit. Why? Are you ready for lunch?" "I’m starving. Did they have anything to eat at the place you got this drink?" "No, we’ll have to leave the gardens for that. There are all sorts of café’s and things in the city. All we have to do is ask and someone will take us there." "Okay, we will in a minute. Right now I feel too lazy to get up." "Hmmn! Me too." B’Elanna snuggled down into his arms.   ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****   Tom noticed two small boys coming towards them. They were both silver in color; with the most beautiful angelic faces he had ever seen. "Hey! I was starting to think the locals didn’t use these gardens." "They mainly don’t," B’Elanna told him. "They don’t want to spoil the perfection of them, by coming inside. At least that’s what they said. Mostly visitors and the school children for their botany classes use them. That’s why I said these people were a little weird." Tom smiled. "Hello!" he called out to the two boys as they came nearer. "Hello," they replied stopping in front of them. "You’re more of the Voyagers aren’t you?" one of them asked. Tom nodded. "That’s right. I take it you’ve met some of us others?" The small boy smiled. "There’s four of you over there. We really liked the blue man. He was funny." "Oh, you mean Chell. He is a funny man. I’m Tom and this is B’Elanna." "How do you do," the boy said formally. "My name is Nadim and this is my friend Atsim." He nudged his friend, who was staring open mouthed at B’Elanna. "Don’t be rude," he whispered loudly. Atsim blushed. "I’m sorry. It’s just - you’re the lady we were told about aren’t you?" B’Elanna flushed. "Depends on what you were told," she growled. "That we weren’t supposed to stare and be rude," Nadim said nudging his friend once again. "They told us that those ridges on your forehead were normal for you. Is that true?" Atsim asked tentatively. B’Elanna nodded, obviously embarrassed. She hadn’t had this much attention focused on her forehead since she was a child. Nadim hit the other boy on the arm. "You’re going to get into big trouble now. You’ve embarrassed her. Hasn’t he?" he asked, studying B’Elanna’s face. "You’ve gone all red." Atsim looked alarmed at this. "Please, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to." B’Elanna smiled at the small boy. "It’s all right. I won’t tell anybody, if you don’t. That way you can’t get into trouble." "Thanks," Atsim gushed. "I take it you haven’t met many people from other worlds," Tom guessed. The boys shook their heads. "People come here all the time, but they don’t stay very long," Nadim told them. "Mostly they just trade and then leave." "That’s a shame. They’re really missing a lot," Tom said. Nadim shrugged. "We mainly go to other planets instead. That’s what I’m going to do when I grow up. Pilot a trading freighter." "Really, you want to be a pilot?" Tom asked. "Yes," Nadim nodded eagerly. "Well it just so happens that I’m the main pilot on Voyager," Tom boasted, while B’Elanna rolled her eyes. "You are? Wow! What’s it like?" "It’s great actually. All that power under your fingertips. It’s even better when you fly the smaller craft. You feel like your one with it, and that you’re actually flying, yourself. Well, at least I do." "I wish I could fly now," Nadim said wistfully. "Is there anything we can do for you?" Atsim suddenly asked B’Elanna. "To make up for embarrassing you before?" "We were just going to go and get something to eat. How about if you tell us somewhere nice to go." "There’s lots of places in the city, but hey - I’ve got a great idea. Why don’t you come back to my house? My mother is the best cook in the whole city." "Oh no, we couldn’t do that," B’Elanna said quickly. "She wouldn’t be expecting us." "That doesn’t matter. She’s always cooking and people come in all the time." "Atsim is right. His mother cooks the most delicious stuff, and there’s always a lot. Please say you will?" "It doesn’t feel right," B’Elanna murmured. "Thank you for the offer, but----" "Please," Atsim begged. "That way I won’t get into trouble for staring at you." "Shouldn’t you be in school or something?" "That all right. The teachers’ will understand. They’ll say that this was more important." "I don’t know." "Please. We’ll probably get extra credits for this. Atsim is failing in diplomatic sciences, and this will be a great help. His mother won’t mind, honest. She loves having people over, and for it to be two of the Voyagers, - well she’ll be thrilled." Atsim nodded his head up and down. "That’s right. I’m going to get into trouble if you don’t come back with us, I just know I am." "How far is it to your house?" B’Elanna could feel herself relenting. She really didn’t want the boy to get into trouble. "It’s not too far in a transport vehicle. We can catch one at the gardens gates." B’Elanna looked to Tom for guidance. "Well, what do you think?" Tom shrugged. "We can always go there and if the mother seems even in the slightest put out, we’ll make some excuse and leave." "Are you up to it? It could be kind of exhausting." "Sure. If it gets too much, we’ll explain and then go." He turned back to the boys. "Okay, lead the way." He stood up carefully, while B’Elanna picked his walking stick up from under the bench and handed it to him. Both boys stood there, transfixed to the spot. "What’s wrong?" B’Elanna asked, noticing the strange expression on their faces. "What’s that?" Nadim finally asked, pointing to Tom’s walking stick. "This?" he asked puzzled. "It’s a stick to help me walk better. Haven’t you seen one before?" The boys shook their heads. "Why do you need to walk better? Are you defective?" B’Elanna frowned. There was that word again. "No, he’s not defective," she said quickly. "He had an accident, and while his leg is healing he needs to use the stick to walk easier." "You injured your leg?" Nadim asked. Tom nodded. "That’s right. My leg should be better shortly and I won’t need the stick." "When we get to my house, my mother will call a doctor for you. He’ll fix your leg up." "Oh no, that’s all right. I’ve already seen our own doctor. I’ll be better in no time." The boys looked relieved, but still watched Tom closely as he hobbled along beside them. "How did you hurt your leg? Did you fall down?" Atsim asked. "Yeah, did I ever," Tom laughed. "It was a real adventure." "An adventure!" Both boys’ eyes lit up. "We love adventures," Nadim added. "Tell us about it - please." "Okay, when we get in the transport vehicle I’ll tell you all about it. At the moment it’s taking me all my time to concentrate on walking." Nadim frowned. "If your leg is that bad, we should get a doctor." "No, It’s all right. Our own doctor on the ship has fixed me up as good as new. I don’t need to see any more doctors." "But you’re still limping. You shouldn’t be limping if you’ve been fixed properly." Atsim sounded distressed. "Tom was hurt very badly in his fall. It will just take a little while till he’s fully recovered," B’Elanna soothed. "He’s fine. Please don’t worry." "How long will it take until you can walk properly?" Nadim asked. "We’re not sure. Each day it just gets a little better." "Each day?" Nadim sounded shocked. "How long have you been like this?" "The accident happened thirteen days ago. I fell off a cliff. You should have seen me at first. I couldn’t even sit up by myself, so you see I really am getting better." Instead of reassuring the boys, this seemed to upset them further. "We need to contact someone," Nadim turned to Atsim. "You stay here. I’ll do it."   ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****   "There’s no need to do that," B’Elanna called out to him as he hurried over to a console concealed in a flowerbed. She turned back to Tom, who was frowning. "Maybe their doctors are more advanced. Who knows? They may have you fixed up in no time." "Maybe, but I’m really sick of all the fuss. I don’t want to spend the rest of the day cooped up in some doctor’s office." B’Elanna smiled. "Well they can’t treat you against your will. So if it becomes too involved we’ll leave." She turned back to Atsim, who was staring at them as if they’d suddenly grown two heads. "What’s the matter?" Atsim simply continued to stare. Nadim walked back over to them. "They’ll be here soon." "They? How many doctor’s did you call?" B’Elanna laughed. "Too many, by the sounds of it," Tom grumbled. "You shouldn’t have bothered. I’ll be fine soon enough." "I didn’t call any doctors. It’s too late for them now," Nadim told them. "I really liked you too, Tom." Atsim nodded his head sadly. "Me too." Tom looked over to see three Regallians hurrying towards them. "Looks like we’ve got company." One of the men stepped forward. "Lieutenant Torres, I hope you remember me." "Ambassador Persher. How could I forget? You believed I was ‘defective’ at our last meeting." "To which I most humbly apologized. What more can I say?" B’Elanna sighed. "Nothing I suppose. You shouldn’t have been called down here though. I’m sure you must be terribly busy." "They thought it would be easier if I came along." "Oh, well it really wasn’t necessary. As we tried to explain to the boys, Tom is a lot better now and he doesn’t need to see any of your doctors. Our own doctor has him well on the road to recovery." "That’s right," Tom added. "But I do thank you for your concern. It’s really quite touching," he smiled brightly. He was more than a little worried about the two men standing behind the Ambassador. They had the definite air of ‘security’ about them. Would they force him to see a doctor? The men certainly didn’t look very friendly. "I do not understand," Ambassador Persher said in confusion. "Is it not true that you can not walk properly? That you have some sort of stick device to help you?" "Yes that’s true; but, unless you’re a lot more medically advanced than we realized, there isn’t a lot your doctors can do to help me anyway." "Help you? You are beyond help from our doctors." "That’s right. I’m glad we got that sorted out." Tom let out a sigh of relief. One of the other men took out a DATTA padd. "May I have your full name please sir?" "Is this really necessary?" B’Elanna asked, beginning to get annoyed. "I’m sorry, Lieutenant, but a full incident report must be filed." Tom groaned silently. He had been right. The other two men were security. He didn’t understand why they had been called down here though. He was starting to get a bad feeling about all of this. "How long will this take?" he asked. "Not long at all," the security man answered. "I have only a few questions." "Well I have a few as well. Why was security called?" "It’s normal procedure. We’ll be as quick as we can." "This is ridiculous," B’Elanna sputtered. "I’m sorry Lieutenant. I’m just doing my job." Tom sighed in resignation. "All right let’s get it over with. My name is Ensign Thomas Eugene Paris. I am the head conn officer on board Voyager." "Thank you Ensign. Now the boy reported you were injured thirteen days ago. Is this correct?" "Y-e-s," Tom answered slowly. What has that to do with anything? "The boy also reported that you fell off a cliff. Is this also true?" "Yes, but I don’t see why I’m----" "Please, just answer the questions Ensign. Did you receive extensive, life threatening injuries from this fall?" "Of course. Listen I’m not sure why you need to know all this?" "Can you please explain why you did not die?" "What the hell kind of question is that?" B’Elanna snapped angrily. "This has gone far enough." "Lieutenant Torres - please!" Ambassador Persher pleaded. "It will all be over a lot quicker if you don’t interfere." B’Elanna looked at him angrily. "I don’t like the way he’s asking these questions. It’s almost as if Tom has done something wrong." "I have to get all the facts, Lieutenant." "Why? This isn’t really any of your business." "The report is very specific." "It’s all right B’Elanna," Tom said tiredly. He turned towards the security man. "She’s right though, you know. You sound as if you disapprove of my still being alive." He sighed heavily. "The people on the planet I was on at the time of my fall had some very advanced medicines and they stabilized me until I could be taken back to Voyager." "Stabilized, but did not heal?" "No, I was too badly injured. As soon as I was brought back to Voyager I was put in stasis, so that I could stay alive long enough for the Doctor to work on me." "I see. I need to know the exact injuries you sustained." "What? Why?" Tom held up his hand. "Wait, I know. The report is very specific." The security man nodded. "Can you furnish me with these details?" "I suppose so, but this really is taking things too far. B’Elanna’s right. This really isn’t any of your business." The Ambassador stepped up to him. "Unfortunately it is, Ensign. When your Captain agreed to trade with us and send crewmembers down for shore leave, we made it quite clear that you would all have to abide by our rules. Part of our rules are to answer all questions asked of you in a pleasant, precise manner. Our reports may seem silly and offensive to you, but it is the way we have always done things." "Very well," Tom conceded. After all, he didn’t want to cause any problems for the rest of the crew. He wasn’t going to be the one to start a diplomatic conflict. "Good," the Ambassador approved. "Now, can you answer a few technical questions concerning your injuries or should we contact your doctor?" "I should be able to answer them. When I’m not piloting the ship, I’m the Doctor’s chief medical assistant." "A man of many talents," the Ambassador stated sadly. "Such a waste." "What’s that supposed to mean?" B’Elanna snarled. However, the Ambassador ignored her, indicating instead to the security officer to continue his questions.   ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****   While Tom provided the Regallians with all the information regarding his injuries and subsequent recovery, B’Elanna looked around the gardens for any sign of their crewmates. She knew something wasn’t right here. She had the feeling that Tom was in the process of being arrested, as ridiculous as that might seem. The Regallians were definitely acting as if Tom had done something wrong by being so severely injured. Since it hadn’t even happened on their planet she couldn’t understand why they were asking all these questions. And then there had been that strange remark of the Ambassadors, and the boys earlier had spoken strangely as well. She couldn’t shake the feeling that Tom was in trouble again. Although how or why, completely baffled her. She wondered whether she should contact the ship. She didn’t want to cause a diplomatic incident. but Tom was looking a little pale and tired and she could probably use it as an excuse. At least then she could tell some one else what was happening and then the Captain could decide if she was right in worrying. B’Elanna pulled the Ambassador to one side. "If you’ll excuse me for one minute, I think I should contact the ship. Tom’s looking a little ill and I’d like to notify the doctor." The Ambassador gave her an impatient look. "Naturally he’s looking ill. He’s defective." "I beg your pardon?" B’Elanna’s voice was icily polite. "I hope you don’t mean that the way it sounds." "What other way could I mean it? His leg is faulty - flawed - imperfect. How many more ways are there to describe it? He’s defective." B’Elanna went cold all over. "If that’s the way you feel, it might be better that we go back to the ship." She went over to Tom and grabbed his arm. "Come on Tom, we’re leaving. Our doctor can answer any more information you need for your ‘reports’," she told the security officer. "Please feel free to contact him; he’ll be only too pleased to help." "That’s all right Lieutenant," the man answered. "I’ve finished with my report now." "Good," Tom said with a tired smile. He obviously hadn’t heard the ambassador. "That took more out of me than I realized." He turned to B’Elanna. "I think I might have to rest for a little while, before we go to get something to eat." "That’s all right Tom. We’re going back to the ship." "Hey, that’s not necessary. I’ll be fine after a little rest. We’ve still got hours before we have to be back." "No, we have to go back now." Tom looked at her grim, set face. "Okay," he said softly. His eyes locked onto hers inquiringly, but she merely took his hand and squeezed it tightly. B’Elanna slapped her commbadge. "Torres to Voyager. Two to beam up." As soon as she rematerialized on the transporter pad, B’Elanna realized that she was no longer holding Tom’s hand. Looking over to where he should have been standing, she swore loudly.   ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****   Lieutenant Melanie Saunders and Commander Chakotay wandered aimlessly along the garden pathways. Chell and Ayalla were walking some way ahead of them. Melanie sighed blissfully. This was heaven. She felt like pinching herself, only was quite sure that if she did the Commander would notice. Nothing escaped him. "I know how you feel," the Commander said, smiling down at her. She jolted back to awareness. "What?" she managed to squeak out. She felt herself turning a fiery red. "All this," Chakotay answered, indicating the surrounding gardens. "It’s awe-inspiring." "Oh, yes it is. Sorry about that. I guess my mind wandered." Chakotay laughed. "That’s easy to do in here, that’s for sure." Melanie found it hard to breath. Those dimples!!!! And the way his eyes crinkle at the corners. What a hunk! She’d picked that saying up from the Delaney sisters. They knew a lot of twentieth century sayings - thanks to Tom Paris. Does he realize how gorgeous he is? Probably not, or he wouldn’t go around smiling at people like that. It is positively lethal. "I’m quite looking forward to seeing the city this afternoon," Chakotay continued. "Harry tells me that it’s beautiful. Everything is perfect." "Just like everything else here. The people seem to go to a lot of trouble to make everything perfect." Okay Melanie - think of something smart to say. Something witty. Something to make him look at you and think ‘Oh my god, this is the woman of my dreams’. "You’re right. They seem to have achieved it though." Melanie nodded. Okay it doesn’t have to be smart. Or witty. But it has to be something!!! Chell called out to them from further along. "Commander, Ayalla and I are hungry. Do you want to go and get something to eat?" "Sure," Chakotay called back. "Is that all right with you, Melanie?" I wonder if boiled Bolian is on the menu, Melanie thought viciously, before giving in. "That’s a good idea. I’m hungry too." "Must be all this walking around," Chakotay laughed. They headed towards the exit, but as they got closer the sound of arguing could be heard. Chakotay groaned. "I don’t know who the other voices belong to, but that one swearing and shouting is definitely Tom. Come on, let’s go. We’d better see what trouble he’s managed to get into this time."   ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****   As Chakotay raced around the corner, he could see two Regallians holding onto the pilot as he struggled to be set free. The Ambassador was standing across from them and seemed to be reading a DATTA padd. The Commander hurried over to him. "Ambassador Persher." "Why Commander Chakotay, how nice to see you again," the Ambassador smiled at him. "I hope you are having a pleasant day? It’s perfect weather to enjoy the gardens in, don’t you think?" Chakotay was rather taken aback. "Yes. Yes it is. Um Ambassador? May I ask what’s going on here?" "This? Oh it’s nothing. Merely routine." "Chakotay, these people are crazy." Tom struggled harder to get away. "Let me go, you pair of-----" "Tom," Chakotay cut him off before the insult could be voiced. "Calm down and let me handle this." He turned back to the Ambassador. "What did he do?" "Do? Why nothing. He is completely blameless. Ensign Paris is the victim here Commander, I can assure you." "Then he’s not under arrest?" "Why no, of course not." "That’s a lie," Tom shouted hotly. "They won’t let me leave the planet. When B’Elanna and I tried to transport back to Voyager a few minutes ago, only she beamed back. They stopped my transport somehow." "I explained that to you Ensign," the Ambassador said patiently. "We have a transporter lockout fixed on you." "You said he wasn’t under arrest." "Commander he isn’t. He’s in our protective custody." "Protective custody? Who are you protecting him from?" "Why, your doctor and your captain and his closest friends, naturally." Chakotay shook his head in bewilderment. "Why?" The Ambassador looked shocked at the question. "Your doctor has performed some very cruel procedures on the poor young man, and your captain gave him permission and his so called friends didn’t seem to think there was anything wrong with this. They are all equally guilty." "Didn’t I tell you they were crazy?" Tom snorted, managing to free himself with one final shove. Ayalla grabbed hold of him before he could fall and handed him the walking stick, he’d picked up off the ground. "Thanks," Tom panted. "This sounds to me like a simple misunderstanding. Ambassador, although your technology is more advanced than ours, one area that it is behind in, is medicine. We couldn’t help noticing this when we exchanged information. There was nothing cruel done to save Tom, I can assure you." The Ambassador shook his head. "Our reports are complete. I am a little surprised at you Commander. I thought you were a kind and gentle man. Out of all the Voyagers I have met, you seemed the most sincere." Chakotay frowned. "I’m not sure I understand." "Don’t I get any say in this?" Tom glared angrily around him. "I don’t need to go into protective custody. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you all along." "You are in no position to judge this." "But I am," Chakotay felt his temper beginning to rise. "I am his commanding officer and I am ultimately responsible for his welfare." The Ambassador ignored him, turning to Tom instead. "Ensign Paris, I really must insist that you come with us." "No." The two security officers stepped up once again, one on each side, ready to grab him. Ayalla stepped in front of Tom and glared warningly at them. "Ambassador, exactly what are you doing? Where are you trying to take him?" Chakotay tried to rein in his temper. "For treatment," the Ambassador sounded irritated. As if he really couldn’t be bothered answering all these questions. Well that was too bad! "Treatment? What sort of treatment? I don’t mean to insult you Ambassador, but there is nothing you can do for him that hasn’t already been done by us. Anyway, he doesn’t want to go, as you can see. You don’t treat people against their will. At least, not where we come from." "Enough of this," the Ambassador snapped. "Commander please don’t interfere. You agreed to our rules when you first came down here, so don’t argue about them now." "What if your ‘treatment’ hurts him worse?" "That is not possible. Compared to what he must have gone through over the last thirteen days, this is nothing. I find it rather hypocritical for you to be so concerned now anyway." Chakotay flushed angrily. "Listen, I know you’re trying to help him but this has gone far enough." "We are not trying to help him Commander. You obviously still do not understand." "You’re right, I don’t. There’s some sort of mistake going on here." "Your people made the mistake. We are merely trying to correct it." "What’s that supposed to mean?" Ambassador Persher sighed dramatically. "Ensign Paris should have died in that fall. You people went to extraordinary measures to keep him alive. You put him through unbelievable pain and suffering. It is time to put him out of his misery." Tom gasped loudly at this. "Don’t worry," the Ambassador told him kindly. "You won’t feel anything. At the Treatment Center you will be put to sleep." He looked around at the sudden realization dawning on the five Voyager crew’s faces and smiled in relief. "Finally, you understand." "You’re going to kill me?" Tom asked incredulously. The Ambassador frowned. "We prefer to use the term ‘treat’. Killing is for animals." "That’s not ‘treating’," Chakotay growled. "That’s ‘terminating’. Treating is fixing, helping, making you better." "No, that is healing," the Ambassador argued. "It doesn’t matter what you call it," Tom said flatly. "I’ll still be dead, won’t I?" End Part Two