Cracks 07 The Judgement of Karis Read online

  The Star Trek: Voyager premise and its characters belong to Paramount Studios, a Viacom company. No infringement on Paramount's or Viacom's rights is intended. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  Greek mythology tells the story of the Judgment of Paris. Paris, a prince of Troy, was banished to the life of a shepherd by his father Priam. Priam had been warned that Paris would someday be the undoing of his kingdom, the kingdom of Troy. One day while tending his flock, three goddesses appeared before Paris asking for his judgment. Who was the most fair? Hera, the wife of Zeus and queen of the gods? Athena, Zeus' daughter and the goddess of wisdom? Or Aphrodite, the goddess of love? Paris judged not on their beauty, but rather on their bribes; turning down Athena and Hera, who had offered him power, and choosing Aphrodite who had offered him love. Of course, the woman of his dreams, Helen, was married to somebody else. This small detail started a rather large war, but that's another story -- sort of. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  "The Judgment of Karis"

  by the P/T Collective

  Harry stole a sideways glance at Voyager's pilot. Tom sat perfectly still, arms folded, staring through the transparent aluminum of the shuttlecraft's viewport. Harry then glanced over his shoulder into the rear of the shuttlecraft. "How did it come to this?" he murmured conspiratorially. "I mean, one minute we were negotiating for permission to fly through their territory, and the next . . . ? Wow." Tom said nothing. "I keep going over it in my mind and I can't figure out how it went from 'hello, how are you?' to -- " He glanced again into the cabin's rear. Tom did not move, respond, or even acknowledge that Harry had spoken. "We were doing so great. The Danira had agreed to let us pass through their side of the Neutral Zone. They had even agreed to trade with us for the supplies we need. Then -- " He paused as a small noise came from behind him, then lowered his voice to a bare whisper. "Okay, let's take it from the top." He leaned back in his chair and frowned. "Negotiations were over. That Minister of Finance -- what was his name? Lord Drenn? He and his son left. Those two business types, they came in with those three religious um, brothers, I guess, for want of a better word. We started to talk about how far from home we are, and you joked we'd all be dead of old age before we got back to Earth. Then Karis came in with that decanter of blue stuff and you drank to their health with that 'Live Long and Prosper' toast. Nice work." A nerve twitched in Tom's jaw. If Harry noticed, he didn't say anything. He merely continued his ruminating. "Then I went out on the balcony with that Minister of Sciences, Dr. Kray, we talked about transwarp technology, and when I came back in you were getting all chummy with that Prefect of theirs. What on Earth did you say while I was out there?" Tom still sat staring at the streaking starfield. "Next thing . . . ." Harry faltered. A moment passed before he added, "Good thing they didn't insist we spend the night." Tom Paris slowly turned and gave his friend a cold stare. Harry then fell silent himself and several minutes passed. Finally a light on Harry's console blinked. In a low voice he said, "Voyager's in com range." "Hail them," Tom said immediately. The captain instantly appeared on their small viewscreen, obviously in a good mood. "Welcome back, gentlemen. I must say I was glad to pick up your subspace transmission a few hours ago. I was very pleased to hear that your negotiations with the Danira were going well, because we have not been particularly successful with the Tane. Talk about your Scylla and Charybdis! I hope things ended on a very positive note, because it would be insanity to expect to traverse the Neutral Zone between these empires without getting caught in a crossfire," she laughed. "I -- " She stopped suddenly. "Lieutenant Paris, who is this?" Both men whipped their heads around. Neither had heard a thing as the tall redhead had awakened, left her bunk, and silently come to stand between their chairs. She answered for herself. "I am Karis, Daughter of the Fourth House of Danar." She put a hand down gently on Tom's shoulder. "Lieutenant?" Janeway asked Tom took a deep breath. "Captain," he said. "I got married." "Excuse me, Tom, I don't think we heard you clearly. Can you please repeat that?" asked the captain. "You heard me correctly. I got married," he said slowly. Suddenly there was a stunned cry from behind the captain and B'Elanna raced out of the room before any emotion could show on her face. "Excuse me if this is the wrong question, congratulations might truly be in order, but why did you get married?" inquired Captain Janeway. "Um, well, it's kind of a long story. I'll -- " here Tom paused to cough, "tell you all about it when I get back to Voyager." "How did the negotiations go?" a flat voice that had to be Tuvok's questioned. "Well, we got out of there without starting a war," Harry said lightly, but for a split second a worried face broke through his cheerful facade and he added, "barely," under his breath. Tom's stoic face still hadn't cracked a smile. "Of course now you'll be protected by us. Who would dare shoot on a vessel *I* was on? After all, as the Daughter of the Fourth House of Danar almost every citizen on my planet would risk his life for me," Karis said as she started to massage Tom's shoulders. "Besides, Tom is the leader of a tenth of our people now. They'd all risk their lives for him as well. Now, is there any way this can go faster? We really should be getting back home." A confused look passed over the captain's face at Karis' last statement. "Back home? I think we'd best wait until you're on board Voyager before we continue this. Ensign Lang, how long until we rendezvous with the shuttle?" "Approximately five hours at full impulse, Captain." "Very well. Tom, we'll meet you in five hours. I expect a full report on the away mission from both of you. Voyager out." The channel closed on a last confused look from the captain. ***** "That is your captain?" Karis asked, her voice soft in Tom's ear. "Yes, Captain Kathryn Janeway." "A strong woman. I think I shall like her." "If you think she's strong willed, wait until you meet B'Elanna Torres," Harry said. A look of horror crossed his features as soon as he realized what he had done. "Tom, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to . . . " he trailed off, thinking better of saying any more. Karis looked from one to the other, confused by the statements of her husband's friend. "Why should you be sorry, Harry Kim? What is this B'Elanna Torres to my husband?" Seeing Harry's hesitation she redirected her inquiry. "Tom? Who is she to you?" Harry stared intently at the shuttle's controls, trying not to laugh at Tom's predicament. *After all the times he's teased me about MY relationships,* Harry thought to himself. *He's in it deep now.* Tom exhaled loudly, trying to phrase a response so that Karis wouldn't take offense. *How do you tell your wife that you're already involved, mated, betrothed, whatever, to another woman before she married you?* he silently wondered. Karis' people were born and bred as warriors; even the Klingon martial tradition had nothing on that of the Danira. He decided to try a tactful, oblique approach. "Karis, B'Elanna is our chief engineer," he began. "Oh? Intelligence as well as the strength Harry ascribes to her? That is good." "Right. B'Elanna is the best engineer I've ever met -- " "That still does not tell me what she is to you, Tom," Karis interrupted. "She is not married to you, I hope." Her hands, previously massaging his shoulders gently, dug into the muscles with a surprising strength at that statement. "No, we're not married. It gets a bit complicated here, what with two different cultures." He shook his head with a wry grin at the truth of that statement. "According to my culture, we are . . . courting, I suppose is the word. According to hers, or a part of hers, we would be betrothed." "Courting? Betrothed? These are steps prior to marriage, are they not? You and she are not married?" "No, we aren't -- " Tom tried to explain. "Have you mated?" Karis pressed on. A noise resembling a strangled laugh escaped from Harry, and was ignored by the other two. "That's none of your -- " Tom caught himself. It was her business, he just wished he didn't have to answer in front of Harry. "Yes, we have." "It matters not. I am still First Wife to you. From what you and Harry have
said about her, I think I could accept her as your Second Wife." Harry's head snapped up and around, staring at Karis, then back at Tom. "First Wife, Karis?" Tom asked hesitantly. "Yes, it is fortunate you did not marry this B'Elanna Torres, my husband. I could never be Second Wife to any man. When I meet her, I will decide if she will be acceptable as your Second Wife. I must be able to at least like her as a friend, if not love her as a sister. If I dislike her, I may have to kill her." With that, she leaned down and kissed Tom on the cheek, exactly where B'Elanna had bitten him on Sakari IV. ***** As B'Elanna left the bridge her thoughts were in turmoil. She couldn't think of what to do or where to go. She just felt like screaming! What did Tom mean when he said he got married?! The questions kept repeating: *How? When? Why?* She thought that Tom loved her. How could he do this to her? B'Elanna never noticed the crewmembers she passed, the confused looks on their faces as they saw tears streaming down her cheeks. Before she knew it she was at her quarters and upon entering saw the gift that Tom had given her not so long ago. Giving into her anger, she picked up the music box and threw it across the room, shattering it against the wall. With the worst of her anger spent, she collapsed in the corner, shaking and crying, completely exhausted by the ordeal. ***** As Karis kissed him, Tom stood and pushed her away with a force that bordered on violent. "Just -- No! Stay away from me!" he shouted angrily, then the lieutenant stalked to the sleeping area of the shuttle, with Harry and Karis staring after him. "I shall see what is the matter," the woman said, starting to follow the one she called her husband. A restraining hand on her arm stopped her. "No," Harry said. "He needs some time. Let him be alone for now." Karis looked down at him thoughtfully. Then, with a degree of cooperation Harry hadn't expected, she sat down in the pilot's seat. "All right. You have known him quite awhile. Perhaps in this case you know what is best." ***** Tom flung himself down onto the lower bunk. Burying his face in his hands, he clenched his eyes shut, willing this to all go away. The reality of the situation hadn't hit him until just then, with Karis kissing him. Until then, it had been like a dream, an unreality. He had seen what was going on, but had been . . . detached, unconcerned. But she had to go and kiss him just where B'Elanna bitten him. The thought of B'Elanna caused a fresh wave of pain, frustration, and anguish to wash over him. Oh gods. B'Elanna. She had been on the bridge. She had heard. How was he ever going to explain this? Things had been going so well. He thought everything was finally going to work out for once. Finally. He and B'Elanna together, just like he had always wanted. *But you had to go screw things up again, didn't ya, Tommy?* said a quiet voice in his head. *Nothing new about that. Surprise, surprise. You didn't actually think that something that good could last, did you?* "Shut up!" Tom murmured into the pillow. Turning onto his back, Tom stared up into the gray metal supporting the upper bunk. Smooth, continuous gray metal. One could almost lose oneself in it. Maybe if he stayed this way long enough everything would go away. He slept fitfully for a few hours, then his finely honed pilot's senses caught the echo of a telltale beep, and he woke. They were about to dock with Voyager. ***** The second the ramp hit the deck of Shuttle Bay 1, Harry Kim bolted from the small craft almost knocking over Captain Janeway. "Good to have you back, Ensign," remarked Janeway dryly, grasping Harry's shoulder to steady them both. "Sor -- sorry, Captain," stammered Harry. He let out a semi- hysterical giggle. "I didn't see you," he finished, shaking his head as if to clear it. "Perhaps you should go get cleaned up, Ensign," added Commander Chakotay who was standing next to Janeway, arms folded in a perfect imitation of his captain. "Then you can start work on your written report. I'm sure Lieutenant Paris can cover everything we need to know at the moment." "Yes, sir. Right away, sir. Thank you, sir," replied Harry, a look of pure relief on his face. He began to step around his commanding officers, but stopped to add, "It really wasn't Tom's fault. I mean, mostly it wasn't his fault. I mean, who knew?" Harry let out an involuntary snicker, shrugged his shoulders, and beat a hasty retreat from the shuttle bay. Janeway and Chakotay shared a quick look before turning back to the shuttle and the at once grim and ludicrous situation before them. "Captain. Commander." Tom Paris stood stiffly at the top of the ramp, a tall, strikingly beautiful woman on his arm. She was clothed practically in soft leather pants and a heavy, yet colorful long sleeved shirt. She wore a belt which reminded Chakotay of the holsters worn by gunslingers in North America's ancient West. A ceremonial dagger hung on her right hip, a small blaster on the left. Dazed, Janeway realized that the U.S.S. Voyager was probably worth only a bit more than the sparkling tiara perched atop her head. "Captain Janeway, Commander Chakotay," murmured Tom dully, "may I present Karis, Daughter of the Fourth House of Danar." There was a slight pause while Tom cleared his throat before announcing firmly, as if to convince himself, "And my wife." Janeway stepped forward as Tom led his wife down the ramp. "Welcome to Voyager, Karis," she greeted. The captain began to extend her hand for a handshake, but changed her mind when Tom, a wild look in his eye, shook his head violently to the contrary. Quickly, she switched to a simple head dip. "It is good to meet you, Captain Janeway. My husband speaks highly of you," announced Karis, returning Janeway's gesture. "So, how did you two kids meet?" asked Chakotay. Paris cleared his throat. "Um," he tried, attempting to look bold and confident. "We met at . . . at . . . ." His brow furrowed as he tried to remember the name of the . . . of the . . . where had they met? He winced and thought harder. "We met," he tried again, "at -- " Putting on a great show of confidence, he turned to the woman beside him. "What was the name of it again?" For a moment, he thought Karis had fixed a very penetrating glare on him, but then the moment passed and she smiled gently. "How quickly you forget," she said in a light and musical voice. "How quickly you forget . . ." her voice trailed off for a moment, and then she continued. "At the reception in the Great Hall, Beloved." She smiled. "Where else?" Tom smiled back and prayed that no one, especially Karis, could see how nervous he was. "Now then," Karis continued. "Perhaps you could introduce me to this . . . chief engineer you are courting? B'Elanna was it?" Tom froze. Suddenly the world seemed to be crumbling around him. He barely noticed the expressions on the faces of the captain and Chakotay as he asked, "B'Elanna? Who's B'Elanna?" He began to feel slightly dizzy. "I believe she is referring to me," a voice called from the front of the shuttle bay. Tom found himself suddenly praying to a god he had never really believed existed. *Oh please, God, let that be a really good impersonator. Please, please, please.* Tom found his prayers unanswered as he spotted the familiar figure walking toward him and his companions. His prayer changed. *Oh please, don't let her know. Please, please, please, oh please.* B'Elanna came to a stop to the left of Chakotay. She ran an appraising eye over Karis and flicked her gaze toward Tom. As their gazes met, the helmsman felt his heart stop. *Oh god.* The realization crashed in upon him. *She knows.* Chakotay had been watching the chief engineer's actions and saw her expression turn dark as she looked at Paris. The commander didn't quite yet know what was going on, but it couldn't be good. Eager to avoid a confrontation, he asked, "B'Elanna, have you finished the repairs on the ODN power lines?" "Yes." The reply was clipped, but as B'Elanna turned to face Chakotay, he was relieved to see a professionalism slip over her demeanor. Voyager would keep her chief pilot, at least for the moment. B'Elanna launched herself into a lengthy description of exactly what the problem had been and the corrective measures that had been taken. She didn't know how much time she had spent in her quarters, curled into a ball on her couch, staring blankly at the stars outside the window. Quite a bit, to be sure. Then, she had resolutely gathered her wits about her, marched down to Engineering, and immersed herself in her engines. The problem with the ODN had been a welcome distraction from her other problems. "The ODN's should be fine, as long as you don't try to channel too many functions through one outlet." "All right. I'll be sure to tell Harry," Chakotay answered. There was a moment of uncomfortable silence. Torres stared at Tom, the pilot stared back, while the captain, Chakotay, and Karis stoo
d by. The Starfleet personnel were painfully aware that something was happening that would probably affect the entire ship; the alien girl, meanwhile, stood by in blissful silence, until -- "Tom?" the melodic voice broke the silent reverie. "When can I see our quarters?" Tom's panicked face flew to Karis'. In the same instant, B'Elanna stalked silently out of the room. As soon as Tom realized that she had left, he made a motion to follow, but he was stopped by the captain's voice. "Well. Let's see how we can accommodate you two, shall we?" Tom's eyes flew to the captain, silently beseeching her to help him find a way out of this situation. *Oh please, Captain,* he thought silently, *please have some way of delaying this. I really don't know what to do here, and I don't want to be alone with her.* Kathryn Janeway could see the panic in her helmsman's eyes and for a moment was tempted to let him suffer. After what he had just said about 'Who's B'Elanna?' she wasn't sure why she should help him. Then she looked a bit deeper and the pain she saw in his eyes at B'Elanna's leaving nearly broke her heart. "Before we can get you situated, Karis, there are a few things we need to do." All heads in the shuttlebay turned toward her at that. The expressions were varied; Karis was curious, Tom hopeful, and Chakotay simply incredulous with an undercurrent of barely contained fury. "What are these 'things,' Captain?" asked Karis coolly. "First, we'll need to have our doctor examine you so that we have a full medical file on you." Seeing Karis about to object, she continued. "We need this in case something should happen to you. If the doctor has full information now, he can better treat you later. Also, our ship's cook will need to know about any dietary or nutritional needs you may have. While you're doing this, Lieutenant Paris will be giving us his report on the negotiations with your people, and we'll be arranging quarters for you both." "Arranging quarters? Does he not have quarters now?" "Yes, he does. However, as a single officer, his quarters are too small by far for two people. We will arrange larger quarters for you both, but it will take a few days. In the mean time, we will provide you with guest quarters. Now, if you will please allow Commander Chakotay to escort you to Sickbay we can get these troublesome details out of the way." She turned to Chakotay. "Commander, please inform the doctor of what needs to be done and inform Engineering," she gave him a meaningful gaze, "of the situation with quarters." Chakotay looked back at her, then turned to face Karis. "If you'll come with me, please." Karis kissed Tom on the cheek, then inclined her head and followed Chakotay out of the shuttlebay. As the doors hissed closed, Tom fell back against the shuttle's hatchway with a heavy sigh. The captain watched silently as he slowly slid down to the floor and buried his face in his hands. After a moment of watching him, she tapped her communicator. "Janeway to the doctor." "Yes, Captain?" "Commander Chakotay is bringing you a female Danira who may be joining our crew. I want you to run her through every test you have. Twice." "Captain?" "You heard me, Doctor. Every test, twice. And get a full medical history." "That's going to take -- " "Precisely. I want her delayed there until I can find out what's going on. It's up to you and Commander Chakotay to buy me some time." "Understood, Captain." "Oh, and Doctor, she's a very important person on her world, so don't upset her. Janeway out." She closed the channel without giving him a chance to reply. That done, she walked up the ramp to stand next to her helmsman. "Tom. Tom. Mr. Paris!" Tom looked up, and she was shocked to see the anguish evident on his face. "Aye, Captain?" he responded in a desolate voice. "Pull yourself together, Tom," she said. "If we're going to find you a way out of this, we're going to need to know what happened down on Danar. I've bought us some time, but I have no idea how long the doctor and Chakotay will be able to keep your 'wife' occupied. Now get on your feet, I'm not going to conduct a debriefing in the shuttlebay. I want you in my ready room, now. I'll join you there in five minutes." Tom stood slowly, and straightened his uniform. "Aye, Captain." He started to leave then stopped and turned toward her. "Captain? Thank you." "You're welcome, Tom, but save the thanks until we get you out of this mess. Now, go!" Once he left, the captain waited two minutes, then activated her communicator again. "Janeway to Torres." There was no reply. "Janeway to Torres," she repeated. "Torres here, Captain." "B'Elanna, I want you in my ready room in five minutes." "Captain, I -- " "Five minutes, Lieutenant," she said as she walked down the ramp and out the door. "I don't care if there's a warp core breach in progress." "Aye, Captain." "Well," she said to herself as she boarded the turbolift for the bridge. "This promises to be interesting." ***** Tom paced nervously in the captain's ready room, waiting for her to arrive. The fact that Tuvok sat calmly watching him was doing nothing to help his nerves. When the doors opened and Harry Kim entered, Tom stopped and stared at his friend. Harry walked over and stood close to his friend. He could see how this was wearing at Tom and all traces of the humor Harry had seen in the situation vanished. It was obvious to him how painful this was to Tom. "Tom, are you all right?" Tom shook his head. "She knows, Harry. She knows, and I didn't have a chance to tell her what really happened. She thinks I -- " The doors opened interrupting his sentence, as the captain walked in and took a seat at her desk. "All right, I've called this meeting to try and find out the details behind this 'marriage' Mr. Paris seems to have gotten into." "Perhaps we should hear everything from the moment negotiations began, Captain," Tuvok said. At that moment the doors opened again, and B'Elanna came charging through. "Captain, I really have to -- You!" she whispered as she saw Tom. She walked stiffly up to him, and stared into his pain- filled blue eyes. "B'Elanna, let me -- " His explanation was cut short by a vicious punch to his midsection. "How could you?" B'Elanna ground out, drawing her fist back to swing again. Harry jumped between them, and Tuvok stood, moving up behind B'Elanna. "It wasn't his fault, B'Elanna," Harry said, locking his gaze with hers. "He didn't do anything to encourage this. I swear to you there was no way Tom could have known what he was getting into. You know he loves you. There's no way he'd ever -- " "That's quite enough of that!" the captain snapped, coming around her desk. She grabbed Tom by the shoulder and pushed him into a chair saying, "You sit there." Turning back to B'Elanna, she took hold of both the infuriated woman's shoulders and pushed her into the chair opposite him. "And you sit there. Your personal problems are tangled up in this, but we're not going to solve them by beating Tom into a pulp. Sit there and listen. If you have something constructive to contribute, then say it. Otherwise, just act like a Starfleet officer! That goes for all of you! Understood?!" As she sat behind her desk again, she gave one final glare at the three officers gathered there, then looked at Tom. "All right, Tom. You landed on the planet. You were met by a reception. And?" Tom looked forlornly at B'Elanna, who refused to acknowledge his presence. Sighing, he turned back to the captain. "We were met by a delegation of the ruling houses of Danar. They escorted us to their Great Hall and had a reception waiting for us. Harry and I were introduced to the various ministers. Danar is a feudal society. Various families send representatives to a Council of Nobles which governs the planet. They were exceedingly hospitable, and the negotiations went off without a hitch. We have not only their permission to travel in their space, but their guarantee of protection while within their borders. They are eager to trade for anything we want or need, and have offered to allow us shore leave on Danar itself." "That sounds exceedingly generous," Tuvok interjected. "It is. The Danira are a friendly people, but as we found out, their feudal code is a bit of a problem," Harry replied, earning him a glare from Tom. "You can say that again," Tom sighed. "That's what got me into this mess." He noticed B'Elanna watching him and continued his tale. "The reception was over and the negotiations were concluded successfully. They . . . Karis, that is, brought in a bottle of something to toast our two peoples." "This is the start of the problems," Harry interrupted. "Right. Anyway, she gave me the first glass, and I thought nothing of it. Once the rest of us had glasses I toasted them, 'Live long and prosper.'" Tuvok raised an eyebrow at that. "Everyone drank to the toast, and Harry and their Minister of Sciences went out on the balcony to talk. The Prefect -- who I later found ou
t is Karis' father and the head of the Council of Nobles -- and I were discussing what it's like to be seventy years from home and lost among alien stars. Then another Danira walks up, steps in between us, and slaps me across the face." B'Elanna tilted her head, listening a bit harder to what Tom was saying. "It seems that he was supposed to marry Karis and when she gave me the first glass for the toast instead of him, it meant she no longer wanted him." "Actually, Tom, it meant she chose you over him," Harry clarified. "The Minister of Sciences told me about that when you were fighting him." "'Fighting him'?" B'Elanna and the captain both asked. "Yes. He challenged me to a duel. When I said I wouldn't fight him, the Prefect told me if I didn't it would be a grave insult to Karis, and that there was no way the Danira would honor any agreements with a people who had insulted them in such a way." "So you had no choice but to fight him," Tuvok stated. "Right. My first thought was to just fight him, let him win, and be done with it. Then they said that if I didn't win it would be proof we were too weak to defend ourselves, and that would make us fair game for anyone stronger than us, particularly the Tane. So I had to fight to win and I did." "That still doesn't explain your marriage," B'Elanna growled. "Actually, it does. When I defeated Gareth -- that's his name, by the way -- I took his place." "What exactly do you mean, Tom?" the captain asked. "I mean I took his place; his titles, his lands, possessions, and his fiancee all became mine. Except that since I had won her by combat, she became my wife, not my fiancee," he concluded, looking beseechingly at B'Elanna. "I really had no idea what was going on, and once I found out -- " "Once you found out, you couldn't do anything about it," she concluded, looking in his eyes. "But what about that 'Who's B'Elanna?' bit in the shuttlebay?" Tom blushed furiously and looked away, unable to bring himself to answer. "He did that to try to protect you, B'Elanna," Harry said softly. "You see, the Danira have some odd customs about marriage. Karis wants to include you in one." "She what? What do you mean 'include me in one'? I'm not going to marry anyone except T -- anyone!" "That's it. She wants to meet you to see whether she can accept you as Tom's second wife, and Tom has no say in the matter," Harry said softly. "WHAT?!" ***** B'Elanna Torres paced her quarters. "Computer? Time," she growled. "The time is 0500 hours." "He's late," she hissed. B'Elanna had wanted to talk about it straight away, but Tom had been exhausted from the constant mental strain of the past few days. 'Lets sleep on it,' he had said. 'Let's see how we feel in the morning,' he had said, but B'Elanna hadn't slept a wink. Her quarters were dark, illuminated only by the soft starlight drifting in from the window. B'Elanna had always thought it was funny how everything seemed more intense in the dark. *Your thoughts, your dreams, his body pressed close to mine.* The door chimed, interrupting that particular train of thought. She didn't know if she were grateful or not. "That had better be you, Helmboy," she warned, but the doors hissed open to reveal Captain Janeway. The captain looked around a little sheepishly. "I'm sorry, Lieutenant. Are you waiting for someone?" "Well, as a matter of fact, yes, I am." "Would you like me to leave?" B'Elanna thought for a second. "No, it's all right, Captain. Come in. Can I get you anything?" "No, it's okay, B'Elanna," she replied, sitting down on the couch that B'Elanna had been crying into for the last few hours. "I just came to talk." B'Elanna stopped her pacing and turned to look at the captain. Their eyes met, and suddenly the heavy grief and emotions of the past day came flooding back, too much for one person. Her shoulders trembled, and a single tear trickled down the side of her nose. A strangled cry escaped her lips and she grunted with both the effort of not breaking down and the total frustration and anger welling inside of her. "It's just so . . ." she searched, looking for the right word. None came to mind, so she screamed. A long, low, primal moan echoed through her quarters. Kathryn couldn't bare to see so much pain alive in one person, so she did the only thing she could. Kathryn Janeway stood up and hugged her senior officer, her chief engineer, her friend. ***** Karis impatiently rolled onto her left side and beat her pillow, trying to fluff it up. She was having the hardest time sleeping. "Ugh -- how do these Starfleet sleep in such inadequate beds?" she muttered to herself while untangling the blanket from around her legs. Gathering her red hair up with her left hand, she once again rolled to her other side, giving up in a sigh. "Enough of this. I can't sleep. Computer? Time, please." "The time is 0500 hours." Climbing out of bed, she lifted her long, light green nightgown up to keep from tripping, and walked over to the console in her temporary quarters. "What a perfect opportunity to get to know my husband," Karis smirked to herself, and sat down to key in the commands to access Tom Paris' file. She quickly scrolled through his biography. *Hm . . . an admiral's son. Certainly worthy of me, I should think.* Karis scrolled down further. She paused, surprised at what she had just read. *Prison? He was in prison?* Reading further, she slowly began to smile. *A rogue. I love that in a man. He obviously doesn't have any true loyalties. That can work to my advantage in the long run.* After an hour of reading of Paris' life history, and satisfied with what she had learned of her husband, she stood up and stretched. *Yes. I do believe that I chose wisely. Tom Paris is a better distraction than Gareth ever could be, not to mention much more handsome. With everyone involved and distracted by the coronation of the new Noble of the Fourth House, they'll never realize what is happening right under their noses. Together, Tom and I will be able to overthrow my father, and introduce the citizens of Danar to their new perfect Prefect. Me." She turned off the console and walked back to bed while another wicked smile spread across her face. *Ah, Tom. You couldn't have come at a better time. But, then again, that's a difference of opinion. I'm sure you'll eventually wish that you never stepped foot on Danar. As for now, let's have a little fun, shall we?* Karis began to laugh to herself and then stifled a yawn. Feeling the much desired drowsiness, she gathered up her nightgown and hair and crawled back into bed. Karis arranged the blanket around herself and lay on her back. Staring at the ceiling, she continued to talk to herself. "But until the fun begins, I have business to attend to and get rid off. And that business is one B'Elanna Torres." And with that, Karis, the Daughter of the Fourth House of Danar, wife of Lieutenant Tom Paris of the U.S.S. Voyager, and the future Prefect of the Danar House of Nobles, fell asleep. ***** "B'Elanna, I know this all must be very hard for you," Kathryn said, while holding and comforting her chief engineer. "I'm here for you. Try to work out your feelings. You need to talk about what has happened." Seeing the broken remains of what looked like several items on the floor, she continued with a little grin, "It's certainly better than throwing things against the wall." As B'Elanna slowly gathered her composure, she looked around her, and seeing the mess she had made earlier, chuckled softly, saying, "You're right, Captain. If I don't, I'll run out of items to throw." "That's better," said the captain, "but if it would make it easier, call me Kathryn. In circumstances like this, it's best to be just two women talking, not Captain and Lieutenant. Don't you think?" "Thank you, um, Kathryn. This will take a little getting used to. By the way, I'm sorry for my outburst earlier. It was very unprofessional of me, to say the least." To this, Kathryn could only reply, "It's okay. I understand your frustration and anger. That is why you need to talk it out, to avoid more outbursts like that. Let's get some tea, or whatever you would like, and sit and talk for a while." "That sounds nice. I'll get the tea. Please make yourself comfortable and I'll be right with you." Just as the two women were getting settled for a nice long talk, the door buzzed. They were both startled; B'Elanna had completely forgotten that Tom was supposed to be there, and had been late. She hastily got up to answer the door. No sooner did it open did Tom say, "B'Elanna, we need to talk. I must explain everything to you. I love you, and can't bear to see you hurt by what has happened." He threw his arms around her and held her so tightly that she could hardly breathe. Then he noticed the captain sitting on the sofa. Stepping back, but still holding B'Elanna in his arms, he said, "Captain? Um . . . ." "What is it, Lieutenant?" "Well," he replied, "I see that you and B'Elanna were talking, but
, um, would you mind leaving us alone for a while? I have a lot to explain and I think we need to work things out between us." "Yes, you do," she said with a grin. "I will leave the two of you to discuss your situation, if that is all right with you, B'Elanna?" B'Elanna just nodded, still stunned by Tom's admission of love for her, and her confusion about this whole situation. The captain got up to leave, saying, "Tom, B'Elanna, take all the time you need to work things out. I'll have Chakotay remove you both from active duty for today's shift, and tomorrow's, if needed." Just before going out the door, she added, "B'Elanna, when you're ready, we can continue our talk. I'll be waiting to hear from you." "Thank you, Kathryn." The doors closed behind the captain and the two lieutenants stood staring at each other. Finally Tom glanced around at the broken objects lying around the floor. "You've been throwing things. I hope that doesn't mean you've had . . . company." B'Elanna could not control her rage. She flew right at him and they both went down in a pile to the floor. "How DARE you say that to me!" she snarled, getting a good grip. "After you've been in your quarters with HER!" "Hang on! Hang on! I haven't been with ANYONE! Let go!" B'Elanna stopped mid-twist. "You haven't?" "Well, yeah, I guess I have." B'Elanna started twisting again. "STOP! OW! I've been with Harry on the holodeck!" "I don't know if I believe you." Now it was Tom's turn to get angry. "B'Elanna, stop it. You're acting like a spoiled child. Act like the officer you are. Let go." B'Elanna felt herself ice over. With a royal sniff of disdain, she let go and got up. Tom slowly got up as well. "'Lanna, I'm sorry. I can only imagine how you feel. I've been thinking about how I'd feel if someone stole you away from me. I only just found you, just made you understand the man I've become. I'm hurting too, you know. There was just nothing I could do. I figured if I came back to the ship the captain could help . . . change things." "I have been waiting for you for hours," she said icily. "I know. I'm sorry. I went to my special thinking place. Harry followed me in and we talked for hours. I didn't realize how late it was getting." "Where's the blushing bride?" she asked sarcastically. "Tuvok told me she spent most of the night with the doc. He told her he needed a complete family history starting at the beginning. Like, as in, The Beginning. Tuvok said she got snippy about 0100 and wanted to quit but the doc said he wasn't tired a bit, was she? He kept her going until almost 0300 and now I think he knows their planet's entire history. I don't think she realized he's a hologram." *Doc, I owe you one,* thought B'Elanna. She sat down on her sofa and pulled her knees up under her chin. Tom slowly sat beside her and pulled one hand into his own. "Please understand. We'll work it out. We'll find a way. Don't give up on me now, not when we've come so far." "She's got beautiful hair." "I like brunettes." "She has green eyes." "I like brown-eyed girls." "She's so tall," B'Elanna said shortly. "She's almost as tall as you are." "Eh! I like 'em shor -- uh, diminutive." A half-smile flitted across B'Elanna's face. She shifted slightly so that her shoulder touched his chest. Tom wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. "I love you, B'Elanna. Nothing is ever going to change that." "You married HER." "Yeah, but look who I spent my wedding night with." "Yeah," she paused. "Harry." Tom turned her face to his. "I am going to make you pay for that." They kissed each other tentatively, like strangers. Then both felt the familiar passion stir that only the other inspired. B'Elanna broke it off. "Tom, I -- " She was cut off by a *boom* as the ship shuddered. "Someone just fired on us!" "Red alert!" came Chakotay's voice. "All hands to battle stations!" ***** "Lieutenant Tom Paris is in the quarters of Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres," announced the computer efficiently just as it had been programmed to do. Karis, who had been just seconds from sleep, sat up swearing. Quickly she rose from bed searching for her clothing. She was dressed in less than a minute. Heading out the door of her temporary quarters, Karis vowed to take care of the B'Elanna Torres problem immediately. Stepping from the turbolift, Karis turned right and stalked down the corridor. She quickly reached B'Elanna's door, and was about to hit the enunciator when the ship was rocked by a blast. She was thrown against the door and fell to the floor. "Red alert!" came a voice over the ship's com system. "All hands to battle stations!" As Karis picked herself up, B'Elanna's door flew open. Karis, feeling rather undignified, glared up at Tom and B'Elanna. "So, husband," she grated out. "You leave me in the unmerciful care of that arrogant doctor on our wedding night and run directly to your mistress, I see." "Karis," returned Tom, hauling her roughly from the floor, careful to place himself between her and B'Elanna, "we don't have time for this right now. We're under attack. We have jobs -- " "Exactly," declared Karis, cutting Tom off. "We're under attack. Most likely it's the Tane. They have probably heard that I'm here, which I shouldn't be. We should be back on Danar touring our estates. You should be learning what it means to be Lord of the Fourth House. But I realized that this was a bit of a change for you and agreed to come meet your captain and shipmates because you claimed them as family. However, I think it's time we went home." "Home?" asked B'Elanna, her ire rising. She should be down in Engineering helping to keep Voyager going, not standing in a hallway listening to this spoiled woman whine. "Yes," replied Karis, a challenge in her eye. "You didn't think this was anything more than a quick visit, did you? Tom's place is now on Danar." "We don't have time for this!" yelled Tom. "B'Elanna, we need you in Engineering and I should be on the bridge. Let's go," he said, pulling them both toward the nearest turbolift. "What am I supposed to do? Wait for the Tane boarding party?" growled Karis. "No, you're coming with me. You're going to try to identify the ship that's firing on us," answered Tom, signaling for a turbolift. "If she's going to the bridge so am I," added B'Elanna. "I can work from the engineering station there." Tom gave B'Elanna a look of pure disbelief. She always insisted on spending a firefight within sprinting distance of the engines, but seeing the look of determination on her face, he answered, "Fine," as he pulled the two women onto the turbolift with him. In a matter of seconds the lift reached the bridge. Despite the concerted effort the bridge crew was making to maintain shields and return fire, most members did take a few seconds to gawk at the scene before them. Everyone had heard about Tom's new status. Some had even heard about Karis' offer to make B'Elanna Tom's Second Wife. No one, however, had anticipated his showing up on the bridge with both of them. Captain Janeway wasn't going to lose this battle over a titillating piece of gossip. "Mr. Kim, shield status," she barked. "We're at 78 percent, Captain," returned Harry, once again concentrating on his console. "Good. Tuvok, fire at will. Mr. Paris, please take the conn. Torres, either get down to Engineering or get to your station. And Karis -- " "I brought her to identify our attackers, Captain," announced Tom, making his way to the conn, Karis in tow. "Good thinking, Tom. So Karis, who are they, and what do you think they want?" asked Janeway. The ship rocked as it was assaulted by another round of phaser fire. Karis stumbled to the side, grabbing onto the arm of Chakotay's chair for support. "This is ludicrous! They can't do this! When my planet finds out, they shall be -- " Kathryn Janeway was having none of it. "If you're not going to be of any help, Karis, GET OFF MY BRIDGE!" She threw her gaze to her security officer. "Tuvok, what's the status of the other ship?" "Our phaser fire seems to be having no effect." At this, the captain shook her head in exasperation. "Evasive maneuvers, Mr. Paris!" "Initiating pattern Delta 4," the helmsman responded, his able fingers flying over the smooth console. The ship pitched and swerved in response to the commands. "Now, excuse me, Karis," Janeway said bitingly. "Can you tell me who these people are?" Karis took a look at the viewscreen then did a double take. "What? This is not possible!" Her face reflected pure astonishment and a hint of fear. "They disappeared ten years ago! We drove them out of our space!" "Who are 'they'?" Chakotay repeated the question. "What do they want?" Karis' response was drowned out by the boom of another shot hitting Voyager. "Tom! Get us out of here, warp four!" called Janeway over the cacophony. The assault stopped as Voyager sped away from the attackers. Several minutes later, after leaving sensor range of their enemy, the captain commanded, "All stop." The pilot
complied immediately, and the frustrated captain stalked over to the visitor still standing next to Chakotay's chair. "All right. I'm going to ask you this one more time," came her low, angry voice. "Who were they, and what do they want?" For the first time since she arrived on Voyager, Karis' voice was subdued, humbled. "They . . . they are the Yalaset. They want me. I am . . . " Karis' voice broke on the word " . . . married to the commander of that ship." The sound of surprise that Tom and B'Elanna made in unison was accompanied by the sight of their two heads snapping up to regard the alien visitor. "Your husband?" repeated the captain. "And you wanted to have B'Elanna as a second wife? Just how many spouses is one allowed on Danar, Karis?" Janeway was peeved at having her ship attacked, but she would have been much angrier if this situation had not promised a way out of her helmsman's dilemma. "We, uh . . . are allowed to have one husband at a time." Karis said, definitely looking ill. "But multiple wives are allowed?" The glare in B'Elanna's eyes rivaled any of those seen from Janeway in intensity. Karis did not answer, but she mutely appealed to Tom to rescue her. Tom, however, was not in a rescuing kind of mood. "Are you telling me that you were married to that man and your people drove him away?" "I was, uh, married to him, but my father did not know." "Then how could you be engaged to Gareth? How could I 'win' you in a battle if you were already married to somebody else?" Tom's face was flushing an extremely becoming shade of red, only slightly less bright than the yoke of his uniform. Karis was spared answering Tom when Tuvok said in his mellow, dispassionate tones, "Captain, the alien vessel that was firing on us is following us. They are hailing us." "Keep out of range of their weapons, but answer them, Commander. I'd certainly like to talk to them," Janeway said, an edge to her voice as she broke eye contact with her visitor. At Tuvok's signal, she said, "This is Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation starship Voyager. What is the meaning of this unprovoked attack?" The figure of a man dressed in leather scattered with what appeared to be razor sharp blades flickered onto the viewscreen. "Alien vessel," he announced, "you have strayed into our space. If you do not halt, we will fire on you again and destroy you. Prepare to be boarded." "Your space? I have been informed that this space is claimed by the Danar and the Tane. Your people also claim this area? You are the Yalaset, I've been informed." She turned towards Chakotay and Tuvok who echoed her upraised eyebrow. With a slight shake of his head, Tuvok signaled her back that no, the Yalaset vessel did not have the weapons to back up its captain's boast. Janeway turned back to the viewscreen with a small smile on her lips. "Yes, we are the rightful owners of this space," he continued. "I see who your informant must have been. Karis, my love, if you've been harmed in any way these Federation people will pay!" "I assure you, there has been no harm done to her," replied Janeway. "She has been treated well. We are somewhat confused, however. Is Karis your legal wife? We had been told she was only betrothed." "Betrothed! Impossible! She was stolen from me ten years ago when we were on Yalis on our wedding progress through our lands. Her father and his lackey Gareth came to 'visit' us. Before I knew it, she was taken from me. I have been searching for her ever since!" "You seem to have found her, Commander . . . ?" "I am called Tizarlek. I demand you return Karis to me at once!" "I'm certainly open to hearing your suit, Tizarlek. If you are willing to call a truce, we will be happy to have you come aboard our vessel to discuss the matter." After a hurried conference with someone out of sight from the viewscreen, Tizarlek agreed to the truce and to the conference. "Do not worry, Karis. Our long separation is finally over," he said just before the communication channel was closed. "Karis, if your father did not know you were married, how was it that you were 'stolen' back by him?" "It's, uh, a very long story." "I'll bet it is," said Tom. "Shall we adjourn to the conference room to hear it, Karis?" Janeway pointed the way. "All senior staff, please join us." Karis walked over to Tom, holding her arms out to him. "Tom?" she pleaded. Tom's arms warded her off. "Forget it, Karis. The only way I'm getting anywhere near you is if giving you a hug gives me a divorce." B'Elanna added, bitingly, "We take a pretty dim view of bigamy in Starfleet." As Harry followed the three of them off the bridge, all he could think of was that if B'Elanna had her way, the problem would be solved -- and there would be at least two widowers left behind. ***** Just as Captain Janeway took her seat in the conference room, another blast rocked the ship. She turned to the Yalaset commander who had joined them. "What's the meaning of this?" she demanded. "I thought we had a truce." For a moment, Tizarlek just stammered. "And I have obeyed," he finally managed. "Oh, really?" the captain answered incredulously. "In that case, would you mind telling me who it is exactly that's firing on us? "I, I don't know," he answered, his dusky skin turning greenish. "In that case," Janeway answered in a no-nonsense voice as she rose from her chair, "I'd suggest we find out. Wait here." With those words, she exited the conference room, the others all behind her. "Who fired that shot?" she demanded as Tuvok rushed to his station. "Unknown, Captain," he responded calmly. "Was it the Yalaset?" she demanded. "Negative, Captain." "Can you put them onscreen?" "Doing so now, Captain." Janeway scrutinized the image on the screen, a ship shaped roughly like a spear, but not exactly. It appeared to be vaguely familiar, but it was definitely not the Yalaset. She turned to Karis. "Who are they?" she asked in a voice that was just the slightest bit laced with harsh frustration and worry. Karis blinked, shook her head, and blinked again. "They are . . . from Danar," she finally stated. Janeway turned to Tuvok. "Hail them," she ordered. "I want to know what business they have firing on us!" "Aye Captain -- " Tuvok began to answer, but Harry Kim cut him off. "Captain, there's another vessel approaching, and it's charging its weapons." Janeway thought quickly. "Mr. Tuvok," she finally ordered, "hold off on that communication for just a moment and put the second ship onscreen." "Aye Captain." As it appeared, Janeway turned to Karis. "What's that one?" she asked. Karis spat. "They are the Tane," she answered bitterly. That was when both ships fired on Voyager at once. "Evasive maneuvers, Mr. Paris!" "Aye, Captain!" The inertial dampers were unable to keep everyone from having to grab on to a console or bar to prevent them from flying across the bridge. Karis, not having had any previous opportunity to experience Tom Paris' interpretation of that particular command, did not grab hold of anything quickly enough and landed near B'Elanna's engineering station. As Tom's tricky flying managed to keep all three ships from making any direct hits on Voyager's shields, B'Elanna took a few seconds to hiss at the red- haired woman at her feet, "So, Karis, you married to anybody on that Tane ship?" Karis did not answer, but from the changing color of her complexion and her sudden inability to meet the chief engineer's eyes, B'Elanna assumed an answer. "Terrific. I know Captain Janeway likes to think of everyone on Voyager as one big family, but this is getting ridiculous!" Kathryn Janeway was quickly losing her patience. "Hail the new attackers, Mr. Kim!" The young man did as ordered, and the firing abruptly stopped as the enemy acknowledged their hail. "Onscreen!" Another alien appeared on the viewer, his expression angry. "I am Haq'als of the Tane! We are here to claim one of our own!" He caught sight of Karis climbing to her feet. "Karis! Are you all right?" Janeway's gaze flew to the object of Haq'als' attention. "Well," she said, "apparently we have a slight problem here." Shifting her gaze back to the viewscreen, she asked, "May I ask what relation you are to our visitor?" Haq'als' expression turned to one of pride as he said, "She is my wife!" The bridge crew glanced at Paris as he made a funny sound at the conn. Janeway's eyes narrowed. "Hmm. Haq'als, I promise you, we have not harmed your . . . " she cleared her throat, " . . . wife. If you'd like to beam over to our ship, we could discuss our situation." After receiving an affirming nod from his "wife," Haq'als said, "It would be my pleasure, Captain. It will be a few moments, however." The viewscreen went dark as he signed off. "Mr. Kim, hail the Danira ship. Chakotay, find out what they want. Mr. Tuvok, take a security team and go to the transporter room. Accompany our Tane visitor to the conference room when he arrives." Both men nodded their acquiescence and went about their tasks.
"Karis, Tom, I want to talk to you in the conference room. NOW." Turning on her heel, Janeway stalked off the bridge, with the two younger people following. The Yalaset commander Tizarlek looked up in surprise and stood as the conference room doors opened and Janeway, Karis, and Paris came in. "Please, sit down," said the commander of Voyager. The man obeyed, as did the pilot and Karis. Janeway went to the front of the table and leaned on it. "Look, Tizarlek," she said in her most diplomatic voice, "you claim to be Karis' husband. However, there is a Tane commander on his way who claims he is her husband. And Karis claims to be married to our pilot." She gestured to Tom. Tizarlek growled and began to stand up, making a move for Tom. "You *kajd*!" The universal translator was unable to make out the word, but the angry voice in which it was said let the occupants of the room know it couldn't be good. "I'll -- " Tom held up his arms in a gesture of surrender. "Hey!" he said helplessly. "You can have her!" "GENTLEMEN!" Janeway scolded. "Listen to me. We are going to work this out BEFORE anyone leaves this ship. Understood?" The three people nodded. "Good." Tuvok's voice sounded over the communicator. "Captain, the Tane commander is on board. We are now making our way to the conference room." "Good." Janeway opened her mouth to address Tom, but was cut off by another invisible person. "Kim to Captain." "Yes, Harry?" "I have the Danira on a channel. They are claiming . . . " Harry's sigh was audible, " . . . they are now claiming that Karis is still legally betrothed to Gareth. They are demanding Karis back. They are requesting transport RIGHT NOW." Janeway sighed as well. "Invite Mr. Gareth on board, and tell Tuvok that I'll join him. Warn him the Danira will likely arrive before the Tane. Let's see if we can't get this settled." Janeway shot what the crew termed her "death glare" to Karis, then walked to the door, pausing just before she left. "Tom," she said as an afterthought, "come take the conn until everyone gets on board. You two, STAY HERE." Paris rose to follow his captain, leaving Karis and Tizarlek alone regarding each other uncomfortably across the table. ***** Janeway and Tuvok arrived at the transporter room just as a very angry and confused Gareth of Danar materialized on the transporter pad. "What is going on? Where is Karis? If you have harmed her -- " "Enough!" Janeway had heard this argument before. "You will accompany us to the conference room and we will attempt to sort out this whole mess." "Hurumph," sighed Gareth. When they arrived in the conference room he was completely taken aback by the sight that greeted him. Karis sat at the head of the table, head down and hands folded across her lap. Tizarlek, a man he didn't know, sat to Karis' right. Tom Paris, whom he knew all too well, sat to Karis' left, and a beautiful young woman, a species that Gareth had never seen before, stood hovering over Paris' shoulder. This woman was B'Elanna Torres. "I demand to know what is going on!" This time it was Tizarlek who spoke. His brow was creased in obvious frustration. Karis tried to speak, but was cut off mid-breath by Gareth. His attention still lingered on B'Elanna, who was growing increasingly nervous under his gaze. "Tom Paris, you can have Karis. You have won her in a fair fight." Tom looked confused. "I have found another who delights my fancy." Gareth turned to B'Elanna. "I do not know your name, but I will take you for my wife." B'Elanna looked horrified. Janeway's jaw dropped. Tuvok raised an eyebrow. But it was Tom who broke the silence. "Over my dead body!" Tom slowly rose from his chair and turned to face Gareth. B'Elanna's eyes widened when she saw the expression on his face. The normally calm, carefree pilot was obviously prepared to kill the Danira with his bare hands. "Tom," she began, laying a restraining hand on his shoulder. Tom caught B'Elanna's hand in his, and kissed her palm before dropping it and continuing to stalk Gareth, who had drawn himself to his full height and assumed a defiant stance. As Tom came closer to him, his defiance faded a bit, and he began backing up, coming to an abrupt halt against the wall. Tom closed the distance between them in an instant, leaning down to stare directly into his opponent's eyes. "I let you live last time, Gareth. I really didn't want to fight you then, and you lost. If you persist in this, I'll kill you," he hissed. "Mr. Paris, that's enough," the captain said. "Not quite yet, it isn't, Captain," Karis quietly interjected. "First, Gareth has to respond to Tom's challenge. He overstepped his bounds, and spoke to his House's Lord's intended as he would any female. Tom has challenged him on it, and he must either accept the challenge, or admit his error and beg forgiveness." Gareth stood looking up into the ice-blue eyes of his alien Lord. As he looked, he remembered the first time he had fought Paris, and how he had been defeated, even though Tom hadn't fought with all his heart. Seeing the determination now evident in the pilot's eyes, he knew he was facing his death. He bowed his head and knelt, exposing the back of his neck. "I do beg forgiveness, my Lord. I have spoken out of turn, and offended you. I submit to your judgment." Tom stared down at the kneeling Danira silently, trying to get control of the rage that was flowing through his veins. He stepped back a pace and drew a deep breath. "You offended me, Gareth. That I forgive." He turned away and walked to stand beside B'Elanna, wrapping his left arm about her waist. "You have offended B'Elanna more. I suggest you direct your plea to her. She shall decide your fate." Gareth looked up, then repositioned himself to face B'Elanna. "My Lady, my fate rests in your hands. I humbly beg your forgiveness. My only excuse is that your beauty struck me so strongly, I spoke without thinking," he finished and again bowed his head. B'Elanna turned to look at Tom, who met her gaze. His eyes were much calmer, and he even offered a slight smile to her. "Go ahead, Bella," he whispered. "Decide his fate." B'Elanna rolled her eyes at the pilot's mischievous expression, then turned back to the Danira bowed before her. "Sit there," she commanded, pointing to a chair next to Tizarlek. "You will sit through this conference without complaint." Gareth bobbed his head in a sign of submission and did as he was told. "Now," B'Elanna said, "we are going to work this mess out!" Karis opened her mouth to speak, when "Kim to Janeway," interrupted her. "Go ahead, Mr. Kim." "The Tane commander has beamed aboard, shall I escort him up?" "Go right ahead, Harry." Janeway tapped her combadge to close the line. She looked around the table at the others. "Nobody move. I'll be right back," she said sickly sweet, standing up from the table. ***** "Tuvok, come with me," Janeway ordered as she walked back out onto the bridge, Tuvok in tow. "Hail the Danar homeworld. I want to speak to the Prefect." "Aye, Captain." Chakotay gave Kathryn a bemused looked. "May I ask what you're planning?" "I think it is about time someone told the Prefect what his daughter is up to," she responded. "Channel is open, Captain," Tuvok stated. "Onscreen," the captain ordered. "Hello, I am Captain Kathryn Janeway," she introduced herself. "Ah, yes. Both Mr. Kim and Mr. Paris spoke very highly of you. How may I be of help? Is my daughter causing any problems?" he asked in a way that seemed like he had asked that question quite often. "Actually she is the reason I have contacted you. About her marriage to Mr. Paris; it seems Mr. Paris did not know of the full implications of yesterday's events. He is already betrothed to someone here on Voyager and this, among other things, is causing quite a problem," she explained. "Well, it is customary on our world for a man to have more than one wife. If Karis agrees this woman may be his Second Wife," the Prefect offered. "Can a woman have more than one husband as well?" the captain asked. "No! If this woman is already married to another man she cannot marry Mr. Paris as well. Such an act is greatly frowned upon on our world. It would mean disgrace to the woman's family and they would be stripped of their lands and titles. These would be given to the family of the woman's first husband as a means of penance." "Prefect, I think your presence may be needed here on Voyager. Would you mind meeting aboard our ship?" Captain Janeway requested. "No, I would be honored to come and see the home of my daughter's new family," he returned. "Good. When you come into range transmit your coordinates to us and we will beam you aboard. Janeway out." The turbolift doors opened and Harry and the Tane commander stepped onto the bridge. "I am Captain Janeway. If you will follow me we will try to work all this out," she said as she strode toward the conference room. "Chakotay, will you go and greet our new arrival as soon as his ship arrives at the desig
nated coordinates? Don't tell him what's going on, but beam him aboard and bring him up here. Tuvok, you have the bridge." With that the captain and the Tane commander entered the conference room. As the Tane commander entered the conference room, he cried out, "Karis! Beloved! Are you all right? I have been so worried about you!" "I am well, Haq'als. You have nothing to worry about." Karis' words were placating, but they were delivered hesitantly, with little joy. Despite her anger at the Danira woman, B'Elanna was beginning to feel sorry for her. With every new husband that entered the conference room, Karis seemed to shrink a little more. Of course, with every new husband, Karis' claim on Tom was getting weaker and weaker. That suited B'Elanna just fine. "I always worry when my wife is away from me! Captain Janeway, I demand that my wife be returned to me!" Haq'als declaimed. Tizarlek of the Yalaset and Gareth of Danar looked alarmed. Tom only said, "Get in line, Haq'als. There's a couple of others who want her too. I'll be only too glad to get OUT of line. Just tell me how!" The other three men glared at each other. Gareth yelled out an epithet at Haq'als; another was hurled by Tizarlek at Gareth; and Haq'als brandished a fist at Tizarlek . B'Elanna felt the blood surge in her and started to stand up, but Tom grabbed hold of her elbow to halt her rise. Karis started to slip down in her seat, as if she wanted to climb under the table and make her escape. Everyone was frozen by a shouted, "HALT! ALL OF YOU!" from Captain Janeway, who simultaneously gripped onto Karis' arm to stop her steady slide. "Thank you. Now, we are going to get to the bottom of this as quickly as possible! But there will be NO aggressive acts by anyone in this room! GOT IT?" Muttered complaints circulated the room, but everyone must have "gotten it," as the contenders for the hand of the Danira woman all took seats around the conference table. Seconds later, the conference room doors opened and Ensign Ethan Simms walked in. "Captain, Commander Chakotay wanted me to tell you that the Prefect's ETA is twelve hours from now. Uh, Captain, the commander also suggested you might want me to stay here a while? To help out, I mean." The auburn-haired ensign looked around at the group seated at the table. The commander's exact words to Simms had been, "You'd better get in there and help the captain ride herd on the combatants, Ensign. She's got her hands full with that wild bunch. B'Elanna's still pretty upset by the whole situation with Tom, and I'm not sure how calm Mr. Paris is at the moment, either." From the sour faces on the three alien men and one alien woman, Chakotay seemed to have assessed the situation correctly. "Mr. Simms, I think your services would be a decided asset in this situation. In fact, I'd like you to summon Mr. Hudson as well. I'm sure he'd love to visit with our guests. Any objections, gentlemen? Karis? No one has any objections? Splendid. Now, first things first. Let's get our time frames straight. Karis, I believe I need you to explain how it is that you were married to Tizarlek ten years ago, and to Haq'als, too, sometime, but Gareth also was your betrothed on Danar. We'll leave Mr. Paris out of it, for the moment. We know how he fits in." The only thing holding the Danira woman in her seat was Captain Janeway's firm grip on her arm. Sighing, Karis admitted, "I was married to Tizarlek first. My father never knew. He wanted me to marry a man from a noble house on Danar, but I preferred Tizarlek." The Yalaset man beamed, while the Tane and the Danira men became visibly upset. "You were to marry me, Karis! You preferred this *pefrelombiska* to me?!" cried Gareth. "Gareth, please, if we are to ever get to the bottom of this mess we need everyone to stay quiet until it's their turn! You'll have your chance to speak," admonished the captain. Karis sighed again, then went on. "When my father and Gareth came to Yalis to bring me home to Danar, I didn't want to admit I'd married Tizarlek, because there was already talk of a war with the Tane. I knew that my father was worried about it, so I just went back home." Karis looked up at Janeway. "Do I have to tell this next part with them all in the room? Can't I keep this private? Just between us, Captain?" The captain shook her head. "It's too late, Karis. There's been too much double dealing and behind-the-back actions for that now. What happened next?" Sighing, she went on. "All right. I really cared for you, Tizarlek, but I knew that I might need to be available in case a political marriage with the Tane was necessary. So, I made it look like I was abducted. I'm sorry, really. I truly loved you, Tizarlek! But a noblewoman has to do what a noblewoman has to do. You do understand, don't you?" A strangled sound came from Tizarlek's throat, but he managed to keep both his temper and his tongue. B'Elanna thought that this was a remarkable feat, as she wanted to throttle the Danira woman for her duplicity and was sure that the Yalaset wanted to do the same. After an awkward pause, Captain Janeway commented, "Whether he understands or not, how does Haq'als fit into all of this?" "I met Haq'als at a reception for the Tane. He was very charming. I thought that if the two of us got together, we could prevent the war which was threatening, so I went away with him." "You married me, Faithless One! You told me that I was the only man!" "Haq'als, you'll have your turn!" Janeway interrupted. The Tane commander swallowed the rest of his words, but his eyes were fiery with bottled up anger. "When was this, Karis?" asked the captain, turning back to the Danira woman. "I met him eight years ago, and we were married seven years ago," Karis replied. "And stolen from me six years ago, by that dog of a Prefect and his lackey here, Gareth!" cried out Haq'als. As he jumped to his feet, Ethan Simms moved behind his chair to restrain the angry Tane. It took a few minutes to calm down Karis' second husband sufficiently for Karis to proceed with her story. Again, perceiving that her father "needed" her, Karis had returned to him, making it look to her Tane husband as if she had been abducted. "That brings us to Gareth. How was it that you were betrothed to him?" the captain asked Karis. "Gareth was the one who . . . do I have to go on?" Karis appeared to be in real distress, but Janeway was merciless and insisted that Karis continue. Sighing, Karis admitted, "He was the one who rescued me from the Tane. At least, that's what my father thinks." "You had been kidnapped by them, Karis!" Gareth looked pleadingly at the red-haired Danira woman. Tom interjected, "Captain, may I just ask one question? What is the war between the Tane and the Danar about?" Gareth drew himself up proudly, "Why, to avenge ourselves upon the Tane, cowardly stealers of our Prefect's daughter!" B'Elanna looked at Janeway, speechless. After all that had been said, Gareth still didn't understand. The Tane and the Danira were fighting a war over a woman who had been arranging her own abductions for at least ten years! The door to the room slid open and Ensign Mikel Hudson entered, a phaser securely holstered to his side. Janeway silently conveyed her approval with a slight nod of her head at the young security officer as he went to join his partner. "Ethe, what's happened so far?" he whispered to Simms. Mikel did a cursory survey of the room. Everyone looked angry, annoyed, interested, confused, or a combination of all five. "How much did I miss?" "Well, apparently Karis -- " Simms began in a low tone, trying to keep an eye on the proceedings and talk to Hudson at the same time. "Karis? She's Lieutenant Paris' wife, right? Mrs. Karis Paris?" "This is no time for jokes, Mik," hissed Ethan Simms, wishing he'd thought to bring a phaser along with him. The look on the Tane's face didn't seem to forecast any peaceful conferences in the near future. "Apparently, Karis married the Yalaset, Tizarlek, the Tane, Haq'als, and was betrothed to the Danira, Gareth, as well as Lieutenant Paris." "Talk about polygamy," Hudson remarked, and shrugged at his friend's reproachful look. "Sorry, couldn't help myself." Kathryn Janeway looked with exasperation at her security team. "If you gentlemen are finished? Thank you." She turned back Karis. "Now, then, Gareth 'rescued' you -- " "And out of gratitude, my father betrothed me to him." She turned to look at Gareth before continuing. "I'm sorry, Gareth, but I never felt anything for you. I knew that an alliance between our Houses would be important in the coming war with the Tane, so I didn't object, but I never cared for you. Then when I saw Tom, an alien with no ties to our world, I saw my way out of the whole mess." The young Danira noble flushed and turned away, mortified at having cared for one so callous and duplicitous. "And you made your overtures to him, in public, forcing me to challenge him or be humiliated before ev
ery noble on Danar!" He looked back toward her, fury in his eyes. "It is fortunate for you I am not your husband! If I were, I would have you stripped of your titles and cast out of my House! I withdraw any suit I may have put forth for you! I no longer wish to see your face again. If you are found on lands of the Fourth House, I will have you executed!" Karis' jaw dropped as his tirade progressed, then she stood and walked toward Tom's chair. As she moved around the table, her eyes never left Gareth's, and she was oblivious to B'Elanna moving to stand between her and Tom. "You can't do that, Gareth," she said with a short, vicious laugh. "You're no longer Lord of the Fourth House. The new Lord is my husband, Tom. And I know that -- " Her words cut off abruptly as she felt a hand grab her shoulder and spin her about. Her eyes opened wide when she found herself being pulled down face to face with an infuriated B'Elanna Torres. Before either Simms or Hudson could intervene, B'Elanna backhanded Karis across the mouth. If not for the grip she had on Karis' neck, the Danira woman would have been sent flying across the conference table. "I've had enough of this you cowardly little *yIntagh.* You said Tom won you by challenge? Then I challenge you!" Simms and Hudson both moved to pull B'Elanna off Karis, only to find the unlikely pairing of Tom Paris and Gareth blocking their path. "Ethan," Tom warned, "you aren't even thinking of -- " "It is her right!" Gareth growled. "You will not interfere!" "That's enough!" came the captain's shouted interjection. "I've had all I'm going to take of this!" She rose from her chair, and pointed at each person as she spoke. "Lieutenant Paris, escort Lieutenant Torres to her quarters and calm her down. Mr. Simms, find these gentlemen suitable visitor's quarters until the Prefect arrives. Mr. Hudson, take Karis to Sickbay, then confine her to her quarters. Tuvok, I want a guard posted outside each of the quarters until this is resolved." B'Elanna released Karis as Mikel Hudson took hold of her arm. As soon as she felt B'Elanna release her neck she went for her dagger, only to find her sheath empty, and the dagger in the hands of Ensign Hudson. "I wouldn't, if I were you, Miss," Mikel warned. Karis ignored him, lashing out with a backhand of her own as she screamed at B'Elanna, "I accept your challenge you little freak!" She was pleased to feel her hand connect with B'Elanna's cheek and shocked to find it had no more effect than if she had hit the bulkhead. B'Elanna grinned up at her and turned away, wrapping an arm around Tom's waist. With a smile she left the room, towing the pilot with her. Ensign Hudson gripped Karis' arms and started to pull her towards the door. "Let me go you *gopalsh!* As a Daughter of the Fourth House of Danar I deserve more respect!" demanded Karis. "After the stunts you pulled, I don't think you really deserve much respect. Anyway, I have my orders. Sickbay, then you'll be confined to your quarters. Let's go." With a tug Hudson got Karis to move, even if she did shoot him an evil glare. *Gosh, I always get the interesting jobs, don't I?* he thought to himself. ***** As Ensign Hudson shot a glance at Karis on the way to Sickbay, his eyes widened. "Hudson to Simms," he spoke quietly into his communicator. "Simms here," came Simms' voice over the combadge. "Why are we talking quietly?" "Umm, I have a problem. Is Karis supposed to be a shapeshifter?" "No. Mikel, what's going on?" "What would you do with an exact look-alike of yourself, before they thought you knew they were shifting? She seems to be preoccupied with shifting into me." "Get a phaser on her, now!" ***** The doctor perused his medical tricorder. "Hmm. Captain, I have no idea if there truly is a shapeshifter aboard this ship, but anything Mr. Hudson may have said before he lost consciousness will have to be taken with the proverbial 'grain of salt.' His system has a large dose of a potent psychogenic substance in it. If he'd reported meeting little green men riding pink elephants and leading a Romulan marching band, I wouldn't have been surprised. He could have seen almost anything with this amount of the drug in his system." "Keep me posted concerning his condition, Doctor." Turning away from the EMH, the captain tapped her communicator. "Captain Janeway to Commander Tuvok." "Tuvok here, Captain." "The doctor says that Ensign Hudson was apparently under the influence of a hallucinatory drug. There's a strong possibility that Ensign Simms' report of a shapeshifter loose on Voyager was merely a figment of a drug-induced delusion." "That would appear to fit in with our facts, Captain. Mr. Kim reports no sign of any sensor readings that would be consistent with a Changeling or any other known shape-shifting race. There are some anomalous readings, however, which our guest Gareth has confirmed may be from a phase-shifting generator. He informs me that the hilt of Karis' dagger has a small device which can, for a short time, permit someone to shift out of phase with our reality, rendering the wearer invisible to our normal means of detection. Mr. Gareth has been convinced to reveal the energy modulation signature of the device to us. Seven of Nine has volunteered to have her Borg- enhanced eye recalibrated to this signature, so she can search for Karis as she did with the aliens who were performing scientific experiments upon the crew recently. The device also has a limited power supply. We are hopeful that we will be able to locate her promptly, Captain." "I hope so, Commander. We are expecting her father to arrive on board Voyager within the next hour. It won't do for his daughter to still be missing when he arrives." "I quite agree, Captain. We will endeavor to complete our mission as quickly as possible. Although an hour may in fact be 'pushing it,' as I believe your saying goes." "It may be 'pushing it,' but I want everyone to push themselves to find her as soon as is humanly possible." Hesitating a moment, Janeway added, "or Vulcanly possible, if you don't mind my saying so." "Quite. Tuvok out." "Janeway out." Janeway smiled. She could almost hear Tuvok's eyebrow raising in the tone of his voice. *Humor, the great coping mechanism,* the captain thought. Sighing, she turned back to the doctor, but before she could ask him how long Ensign Hudson would be out of commission, her communicator beeped. Chakotay was contacting her with news that would have been welcome an hour ago but which now was simply another complication to an already mind- bending situation. "Captain, the Prefect has reached the coordinates early and is requesting that we transport him aboard Voyager. Do you want me to delay him until we have better news of where Karis is?" Janeway stopped and thought for a moment. Delaying the inevitable in this case might not be the best of ideas. "No, Chakotay, bring him aboard and apprise him of the situation. Maybe he can help us look for his wayward daughter. In the meantime, I'll be in my ready room. Janeway out." ***** Karis remained crouched in the closet on Deck 8. The crew of Voyager had never realized she was there when they'd removed the unconscious Hudson. Her secret drug had worked once again to free her from an unwanted, controlling male. Too bad it wouldn't work on a larger scale. If only she could just have inherited the post of Prefect in her own right, instead of having to go through all of these machinations! Danira law was so archaic! These Federation people knew how to use their personnel in the right way, according to their talents. They even had a female captain and a female chief engineer! Still, Karis felt a pang. Tizarlek. It had been hard to see him again. When she'd left him ten years ago, she had been so torn; but she had convinced herself that it was for the good of her people. Her father had wanted to drive the Yalaset out of this region of space, and up until now, it had seemed that he had succeeded. Karis had thought she would never see Tizarlek again. Seeing him again now, she remembered anew what his lips felt like against hers, the wonderful way he had of holding her close. Those few weeks together as his bride had truly been the most beautiful of her life. Tizarlek was a man, not like that goon, Haq'als, or that weakling Gareth, who was probably even now tattling on her and revealing her secret phase-shifting device to Janeway and the rest. Karis knew she would have to get away from Voyager, but how? Hoping that her device would continue to hide her from the eyes of the starship crew, Karis proceeded down the corridor, searching for a way out. ***** Tom glanced at B'Elanna as they relaxed in her quarters. "She just can't wipe that grin off her face," he thought, somewhat amusedly. He tried to put on a reproachful expression. He failed miserably. "You can't go through with the challenge," he stated. "And why would that be?" "I worry about you." She bristled. "You have that little f
aith in me?" Oops. "Too much, actually." "And what is that supposed to mean?" "Think the Danira use capital punishment?" "For whom?" "Oh, people who defeat members of a high ranking house or something." He grinned, but his eyes betrayed his worry. He looked at the floor, then straight into her eyes. "B'Elanna, be careful. I . . . I don't want anything to happen to you." "It's not me you should be worried about," B'Elanna smirked. "It's your 'wife.'" "Hey that's not fair! I didn't ask for this, you know!" "Neither did I! The captain sent you on simple mission. A marriage to a total stranger does not a simple mission make." B'Elanna was doing all she could to needle Tom. She loved it. He'd gotten himself into some trouble before, but nothing like this. "I had no idea how I was supposed to tell you that I got married. It wasn't exactly my idea of a good time. I happen to enjoy my life. I don't need you to end it for me." Tom laced his long arms around B'Elanna's slim waist. "You never let me have any fun, do you?" B'Elanna stood on tip toes to kiss the handsome lieutenant. "You're really going to go through with this, aren't you?" Tom already knew the answer, but he was hopeful. "Tom?" "Yes?" "Shut up and kiss me." ***** Captain Kathryn Janeway paced around her ready room trying to decide how best to handle this situation. Obviously Karis was excellent at manipulating people to get what she wanted, especially the men in her life. Of course, now that they knew what she had done . . . . Kathryn would have to think of a way to use this knowledge to her advantage and get Tom Paris out of this mess before B'Elanna actually went through with her challenge. After all, there was no telling what would happen if B'Elanna won, and Kathryn had no doubt in her mind that she would. There was always the possibility that, according to Danira custom, she could end up married to Gareth! This is something that, as captain, she could not allow to happen. The fact that Tom got caught up in Karis' plans was bad enough. *This is getting me nowhere,* she said to herself as she paced. *I need to FIND that woman, and solve this dilemma.* At the sound of the door chime, Kathryn stopped pacing and said, "Come in." As the door opened, she saw that it was Chakotay, as she expected it would be. "I have apprised the Prefect of the situation," he said, "and asked his advice on how best to find his daughter. He says that he has experience with Karis disappearing, and she won't make any moves for some time. It would be pointless to do anything until she makes a move." "Better assign him some quarters, too, then." While Chakotay was making his report, he noticed the tension in the captain's movement. As he was finishing his report, she passed him, and he reached out to stop her in her tracks. "Kathryn," he said, "you look tired. Why don't you get some rest?" "I can't," she said, as she tried to walk away from him. "I need to think of a way to get Tom out of this mess." At this, Chakotay took her by the shoulders, and looking into her eyes, said, "Kathryn, worrying yourself sick about this isn't doing anyone any good, especially you." "But," she started, only to have Chakotay put a finger to her lips in a silencing motion. "Kathryn, you need to relax," he said, as he turned her so that he could massage her shoulders, and loosen the knots of tension he found there. "We will talk with the Prefect, Gareth, Tizarlek, and everyone else involved with this and we'll find Karis." With a little grin, he added, "Don't worry about Tom and B'Elanna. I think they are working out their part of this all right. As long as we can get Tom off the hook with this marriage to Karis, everything should work out okay for them." "Mm, if you think so," she whispered, the tension gradually leaving her shoulders and neck. "Thanks, Chakotay. I didn't realize how tense I was until you started this," she said, as he gently messaged her neck muscles. "Oh, that feels so much better." "You're welcome. Is there is anything else I can do?" he asked, with a bit of mischief in his voice. "Oh, I can think of a lot of things," she replied with a grin, "although I try not to." "Such as?" he asked, as he turned her to face him once again. At this, Kathryn reached up to touch Chakotay on the cheek, saying "Maybe I'll tell you later, after all of this is over." With that, she kissed him on the cheek and said, "Good night, Chakotay," and turned away from him. "Good night, Kathryn. Sweet dreams." He left the ready room. ***** Ensign Hathaway peered around the corner before cautiously stepping into an intersection of the corridor. Behind him, an invisible Karis followed in closely, digging a phaser squarely into his back. "Now where?" she demanded. Silently, he pointed left. Karis responded with a slight nudge of the phaser, indicating him to continue walking. *Why did this have to happen to me?* Hathaway begged silently. *Why did this invisible woman have to sneak into MY quarters in the middle of the night, take MY phaser, and take ME hostage to lead her to the shuttlebay?* He clenched his jaw, almost wishing someone would walk into this particular corridor of the ship and save him from the mad woman who had the power to kill him the instant she decided it was appropriate. He walked slowly into corridor after corridor, hoping each time they made a turn that he'd find some way to get out of this. He'd obeyed her order to stay away from the more heavily populated regions of the ship, but he deliberately avoided the completely vacant areas, hoping they'd find somebody to help him. But they were nearing the shuttlebay, and they'd made it this far, somehow managing not to encounter anyone. Just as he made another turn, he spotted another one of the crew with her back towards them. Apparently Karis saw her too, for she yanked a struggling Hathaway back around the corner, clapping her hand over his mouth. "Don't even think about it!" she rasped into his ear. Too late, Karis realized that her angry outburst came out a tad louder than she'd intended. "Ensign Kim, I do not understand why Lieutenant Torres is so upset with Lieutenant Paris for getting married to someone other than herself. I have been told by the doctor that they have what he referred to as a 'tempestuous' relationship. They argue frequently. I would think she would prefer to find someone else that she does not wish to fight with all the time if she wishes to copulate." "Seven!" Harry was momentarily aghast at his companion's colorful comment as they walked down the corridor towards the shuttlebay. Then he found himself smiling. Trust his beautiful but naive companion to cut to the heart of the matter, even though she still had little comprehension about "matters of the heart." "Yes, Mr. Kim? Did you perceive something which might let us know where this Karis has disappeared to?" Seven immediately began to cast her enhanced Borg ocular implant around the corridor, trying to detect any evidence of the out-of-phase Prefect's daughter. "Uh, no, Seven, that wasn't it. I was just reacting to what you said about Tom and B'Elanna and the fact that they tend to argue a lot." "Do you agree? They would be better off apart?" She turned her head to regard him with a little less dispassion than usual. Harry found himself wishing, not for the first time, that Seven would turn her beautiful eyes towards him with such warmth on a more regular basis, then jolted himself back to answering her question. "As a matter of fact, I don't, Seven. That 'fighting' they do is a very Klingon thing. Tom loves 'that Klingon stuff,' as B'Elanna likes to call it. B'Elanna does too, really, even though she doesn't like to admit it. It sort of turns her on. And Tom likes her, uh, that way. Uh, Seven, maybe we should concentrate on trying to find Karis." Harry was uncomfortably aware of just how powerful an effect the former Borg was having on him at the moment. Changing the subject seemed like a very good idea. "You mean they use fighting as an aphrodisiac?" Harry choked upon hearing this, finding that all he could trust himself to do was shrug his shoulders and nod his head in agreement. "I see. This seems to be a most cumbersome method of reproduction. What if she should hurt him? This group could be without the services of its most accomplished pilot at a critical juncture. Most inefficient." Clearing his throat with a cough, Harry countered, "Perhaps, but it's just the way they are. They seem to both like a challenge. They're very passionate in their . . . passions. Humans don't always like things easy when it comes to relationships. Besides, they love each other." "Yes, I have discussed this 'love' concept with Commander Tuvok. He was unable to explain it to me to my satisfaction." "I'm not surprised. Vulcans suppress their emotions. It's really impolite for Vulcans to even talk about emotions like love." "He answered my questions." "But you didn't understand his answers," Harry replie
d gently. "No. I must admit I did not. You are saying that as a Vulcan, Tuvok does not have any experience with this emotion?" "I'm not saying that, Seven. Commander Tuvok has a wife back in the Alpha Quadrant. He has children, too. I've heard him speak of them. Even though he would never admit to feeling love for his wife and family, it's obvious that he does when he talks about them. It's just a Vulcan thing." "Like humans sometimes like to fight with the people that they love?" "I don't know about 'like' to fight, but it happens. Particularly with people who are very passionate about everything. I mean, when you listen to B'Elanna talk about her engines, sometimes she sounds like she's talking about her children! And Tom, when he talks about flying -- remember when we were in the mess hall that night a couple of weeks ago? We were all talking about things we like to do? When Tom told B'Elanna how much he loved flying Voyager? He mentioned that he could feel the engines through the helm controls and could tell when B'Elanna had them tuned to the optimum efficiency. After that, Tom said that flying Voyager then made him feel like he was a kid opening his birthday presents. I thought she was going to kiss him on the spot when he said that. Complimenting her engines is like complimenting her children. Or even her. They're both passionate about their work, and they're equally passionate about each other." "I am aware that Lieutenant Torres can become quite -- I believe the word is 'proprietary' -- about this ship." "That's exactly it, Seven. And she's pretty 'proprietary' about Tom, too. That's why she's so upset with Tom for being married to Karis. Although now, I'm not sure they really ARE married, with all the other husbands turning up. I hope one of those husbands whisks Karis away from here before B'Elanna's fight with her tomorrow. I don't think she'd really hurt Tom badly in a 'fight,' but I'm not sure what she might do to Karis." "Do you like to 'fight' with a person who meets your specifications for an emotional attachment, Ensign Kim?" "No, not me. I like more of a partnership. Two people, helping each other get along in life. There's so much that can go wrong anyway, it's really nice to have someone you care about, somebody that you can trust to be willing to fight along side you, instead of fighting WITH you all the time." As he said this, Harry realized that one of the reasons he was happy for his friends, rather than jealous of them, was this very fact. They were a lot happier sparring with each other than he was. He liked to be supportive. To help people. Seven stepped along the hallway for quite a while after this, looking for the missing Danira while in apparent contemplation of Harry's explanation. Finally, she said, "I believe I see. It still seems like a complicated method of adding to this group. Assimilation is much more efficient." As they reached a junction in the corridor just outside of the shuttlebay, Seven turned her body to face Harry, fastening her large blue eyes upon the ensign's face and, as usual, standing well within his personal boundaries of comfort. With those eyes staring into his, almost at the same level as his own, Harry found himself thinking that this formidable person was someone he definitely wanted to fight alongside, rather than with. Not to mention that in his case, Seven hadn't needed to inject him with any nanoprobes to assimilate him. Harry knew he'd been effectively assimilated into Seven's "group" already. Harry was about to say something when he heard a small sound, like someone whispering in a theatrical way, up the corridor behind Seven. He raised his eyes to look beyond her shoulder to the next bend of the corridor. "Hathaway, is that you?" Harry called to the only crewman within sight. Seven turned around to view the speechless crewman. "It was either Ensign Hathaway or the woman who is holding on to him." "What woman?" "She is apparently not visible to you, Ensign. Since she is slightly out-of-phase with the rest of our reality, I presume that it is Karis who is holding on to Ensign Hathaway. She is holding a phaser to his head." ***** Karis cursed under her breath. That woman, or whatever she was, could see her! She was certain of it. Suppressing a grumble, she nudged Ensign Hathaway ahead of her to meet the pair who were blocking their path. It no longer made sense to be out of phase; she could hear the man, Ensign Kim if memory served, already reporting her location to the others. The generator had a limited power supply, and now she was wasting it, so, without removing the phaser from Ensign Hathaway's head, she reached down and turned it off. The man who was Ensign Kim began to lift his phaser, but Karis held up a hand. "Drop it or he dies," she announced in the commanding voice that had repeatedly served her well. The ensign's hand immediately went slack, and the phaser fell. Karis turned to the strange woman. "You," she ordered, "kick it over here." The woman stared inquisitively down at the phaser in question. Harry watched her, waiting for her to kick it aside as told, but she didn't. "I will not," she said. Karis was surprised. Never had her orders been questioned, especially when she was holding a weapon to someone's head. "I suggest you do as I say, or I WILL kill him," she recovered, tapping the phaser against Ensign Hathaway's skull. He grimaced as his teeth clanked together. "You will NOT kill him. At least not with that phaser and not now." "What! You don't think I'm capable of it?! Well, I'll tell you -- No!" Karis threw her arm around Hathaway's neck and pointed the phaser at his temple as Seven began to move forward towards the couple. "Get back! Now!" "Seven, what are you doing?" Harry cried desperately. He moved forward to grab Seven by the waist and pull her back, but Karis' eyes darted towards him and he stopped. For the life of him he was sure she was one moment away from phasering Hathaway's brains to a crisp, and Seven's actions were only exacerbating the situation. In his mind he was willing Tuvok to hurry with the security team he knew was on its way. He was afraid they would not come soon enough. Seven continued to move forward slowly. There was no fear in her eyes, and this unnerved Karis. There was no emotion at all in her features. Only caution and careful scrutiny. Karis tightened her grip on her prisoner's throat. "Stop!" she screamed. "I will kill him! I have no qualms about doing it!" Stopping as Karis said this, Seven cocked her head to one side in contemplation -- a very mechanical look. "Then I presume you have not planned out your next course of action should you kill Ensign Hathaway. I believe you should be quite apprehensive about killing him. If you consider the situation carefully, you will understand that the threat you pose to his life is the only way you will escape from this situation, or even this ship." Karis face blanked. "What do you mean?" "Let us speculate on the outcome of the situation should you kill him. You will no longer have a hostage. There is a possibility that you might be able shoot either myself or Ensign Kim, but not both of us due to our close proximity to you. One of us will surely be able to render you immobile. There is also the possibility that you might be able to take one of us hostage. However, this has little probability of success. I estimate it would take you three point seven seconds, given your approximate height, mass and body weight, and that of what would then be Ensign Hathaway's corpse. Given that I am shorter in stature than you and obviously weigh less, and that I would not be bearing the weight of an inactive body, I should be able to restrain you in approximately one point two seconds. Mr. Kim would also be able to do the same in two point four seconds." Seven paused here and Karis saw the metallic piece around her left eye move in some minute manner. "We can also speculate on how much damage you would be able to inflict on Ensign Hathaway now that your phaser has been deactivated by internal sensors." Karis stared at the woman before her, then looked to Harry Kim for his take on the situation while Hathaway stood rigid against his captor. With a defeated sigh, she dropped her arm and Hathaway scurried beyond her grasp. Seven stepped forward and claimed the phaser, handing it to Harry as she took Karis by the arm and spun her around so that she faced the wall. Seven removed the generator from Karis' belt just as Tuvok and three armed officers rounded the corner. "Everything is under control, Commander," she told him. He motioned his deputies forward and they escorted a solemn-looking Daughter of the Fourth House of Danar away. "Where is the equipment Karis used to shift her body out of phase?" Tuvok asked. "I have confiscated it from her," Seven said, holding it out to him. "Now, I believe you should return to Sickbay and have the doctor restore your sight to normal, Seven. Then you a
nd Mr. Kim should report to the captain. Ensign Hathaway, should your side of the story be required Captain Janeway will send for you. If you are not in need of medical assistance, carry on with your duties." "Aye, sir." Tuvok turned and left, as did Hathaway, though not before incessantly thanking his saviors. As Seven and Harry turned back down the corridor on their way to sickbay, Harry stopped her. "Seven?" "Yes, Ensign?" "You lied." He paused, waiting for her to respond. "This phaser is still active and still set on the highest setting. She could have killed him had she checked to see if you were right." Seven raised her eyebrow Vulcan-like, betraying that subtle, offbeat sense of humor only Harry knew existed. "I did. However, given the circumstances and the positive outcome, I see no fault in it." Harry opened his mouth to further express his surprise, but closed it again. He smiled. "Nor do I." ***** Ensign Hathaway stumbled into Stellar Cartography, still slightly dazed from his recent experience. *Well,* he thought, *that brightened up an otherwise boring day!* As he walked over to his station, he felt the strangest sensation in his stomach, not pain exactly, but still very strange. It slowly spread down his back in an icy shiver to his knees, making them buckle. He suddenly felt very weak, and his head went cold and strangely fuzzy. He slid to the floor. As he lay on his side on the deck plates, he was aware of Ensign Wildman rushing over, concern etched over her pretty features. Hathaway was barely conscious, cold and hot at the same time, sweating hard. His vision was swimming and his stomach felt so strange, but there was still no pain. Megan and Jenny Delaney, noticing for the first time that something was amiss, came over cautiously to see what was happening. Megan squealed, "Ah! What's happening to his belly?" ***** Sam Wildman stood next to her colleague in Sickbay. He looked pale and a little mushy, and that wasn't a figure of speech! His entire torso had gone transparent, rippling occasionally when he moved like ripples on a pond. She could see the surface of the biobed through him. The holodoc swept out of his office with a grim expression. "Doctor!" Wildman called. "Do you know what it is?" He looked at her, distracted for a moment. "What? Oh, yes. Ensign," he stated, addressing Hathaway, "from what I can tell, you are suffering from some very unusual side effects from being in such close contact with Karis' cloaking device." Hathaway just stared at him blankly. "Your stomach has become out of phase with the rest of you. Which is basically what Karis' device did for her, but . . ." he trailed off, obviously following a new train of thought in his head. "Can you do anything about it?" Wildman asked for the weak Hathaway. "Not until I know more about this device Karis uses. I'll have to talk to her and her father. In the mean time I'm going to notify the captain. You may return to your post, Ensign." "But -- " Samantha protested, then changed her mind, and with a last glance at Hathaway, strode out of sickbay. ***** It was a first for Kathryn Janeway. Owen Paris had been here. Demora Sulu had been here. Benjamin Sisko had been here. Jean-Luc Picard had been here. Even that space icon himself James T. Kirk had been here. But she had never found herself in the middle of a group of furious aliens shouting insults over the tables, threatening each other with war, and generally not giving a flip about who they hurt, what they said, or if they had the means to back any of it up. She glanced around the room. Hudson and Simms stood side by side on one side of the room, watching the goings-on like spectators at a hoverball match. Paris and Torres stood on the other side like a matching pair. Tuvok sat, fingers steepled, at the opposite end of the table, while in between the dignitaries of three space-faring, warp-capable nations acted like small children. Kathryn slowly rolled her eyes shut then opened them. Very deliberately, she pushed back her chair, stood, and found that quality she shared with those famous Starfleet legends. She spoke one word. "Enough." She had the command to carry it off, too. In the moment of surprised silence that followed, she took the floor with no intention of yielding it to anyone. "Now is not the time or place to discuss the current political situation in your space. Nor is it the time to discuss ancient prophecies, old injuries, out-dated treaties or long forgotten battles. Now IS the time, however, to settle the dispute about to whom this woman is married and how to proceed from here." "What gives you the right to act as mediator?" snapped the Prefect. "Perhaps you would rather I act as captain of a warship whose various crewmen were duped, assaulted, held hostage, and threatened with execution by your daughter?" The Prefect did not miss a beat. "I accept Captain Janeway as mediator." She looked around the table and got curt nods of assent from Haq'als and Gareth. Evidently none of these men were used to a woman giving orders. She glanced at Tizarlek who gave her a courtly bow and graceful hand gesture. "First off, I want the matter of Karis' marriage to my pilot resolved." The Prefect sighed. "I understand your unfamiliarity with our customs. But not only is my daughter married to your helmsman, she has been challenged for her position as his First Wife. She must accept the challenge. If she loses, she will still be Second Wife. There is no other way." "My engineer rescinds her challenge." At this, B'Elanna's eyes flew open, but at the captain's look she said nothing. "She cannot," the Prefect countered. Janeway narrowed her eyes and said very deliberately, "She just did." There was a silence, then the Prefect said, "Then Karis and Paris are well and truly married." Janeway leaned over and put her hands on the table. "Is there no such thing as divorce in your world? Annulment?" By the puzzled looks on the faces of their visitors she could tell these words did not even translate. She slowly sat down again, lost in thought. She barely heard her communicator beep. "Chakotay to the captain. Another Danira diplomatic ship is approaching and requesting permission for a representative to board." "Fine. Anything. Let me know when the Borg and Ferengi get here." Chakotay wisely let it pass. "Aye, Captain." "Prefect, is there any way we can, um, not to put too fine a point on it, BUY our way out of this? Our resources are limited, but -- " "What do you mean 'your resources are limited'? YOUR resources are MY resources. Is your crewman now not my heir? The heir to the Fourth House of Danar? Do you realize what that encompasses? We have land, mines, forests, shipyards, jewels, industries -- " "Stop. I get the picture." "Captain," interrupted Tom. "I don't want any of that." The men seated at the table turned incredulous eyes to the tall pilot. "I just want safe passage for Voyager." "Are you sure, Tom?" Tom squeezed B'Elanna's hand. "Just give me a fast ship and a star to sail her by." Janeway hid a smile and tried a different tack. She turned to the Yalaset commander. "Tizarlek, I am curious. How did you come to know about the marriage of Karis to our lieutenant? You found us awfully fast. How did you know our coordinates? How did you get through Danira and Tane space without being seen?" "That is a very good question," snapped Gareth. "You seem to have a lot of secrets at your fingertips, Tizarlek. Do you have a spy in your employment? I would not put it past you." He paused as the doors opened behind him. "Has someone been feeding you information?" "Yes," said a powerful voice behind him. Everyone turned to look at the newcomers. "Lord Drenn!" "I wished to avoid the war I saw coming with the Tane. Not, my dear Karis, over you -- you I saw as merely the catalyst. We are powerful nations. I thought if I involved the Yalaset I might be able to restore a balance of power." "They are nothings!" shouted Haq'als, jumping to his feet. "They are nothings with a cloaking device," said Drenn calmly. Heads whipped around to face Tizarlek. "Just something I whipped up in my spare time," he said. "All those lonely nights, you know." A profound silence settled on the room. It lasted nearly an entire minute. At the end of it, Tuvok stood and casually took the phaser from his belt. He very deliberately fiddled with the controls, then calmly turned to the blond blue-eyed man at his side. "Mr. Paris," he said, "Live long and prosper." There was a brilliant blast, and Paris went down rather gracefully for such a tall man. Gasps of wonder, terror, and outrage filled the small room. Tuvok continued in the same dry voice. "Mrs. Karis Paris now appears to be a widow." "TUVOK!" shouted everyone in the room who knew his name. Hudson yanked the phaser out of Tuvok's hands and Simms mercilessly twisted his arm. Torres dropped to her feet and frantically began pulling loose Tom's uniform to see how badly he was burned. Pe
rhaps the doctor could save him. Perhaps Seven's nanoprobes could -- She was interrupted by Tuvok's words. "I apologize, Captain. I seem to have snapped under the pressure." "Pressure!?" shouted Hudson. "You've just killed a fine man! One of our best!" "Now Lieutenant Torres and I are both free to pursue our love for each other," he said dourly. "Lieutenant, you can now no longer doubt how ardently and passionately I admire you. If you could but hear the songs your beauty has inspired me to compose. My database can hardly contain them." Kathryn Janeway had seen better acting than this in a kindergarten pageant, but she rose to the occasion. "Tuvok, how could you? I thought you loved only me!" she said. By moving only his eyes, Simms cast an imperceptible glance at Hudson. His friend responded with an equally imperceptible shrug. Below her hand, which still rested on the pilot's chest, B'Elanna felt a rumble that threatened to blossom into a moan. She leaped to her feet, and pointed an accusatory finger at Karis. "YOU!" she said icily. "You started all this. Now I'm going to END it." She snatched the phaser away from Hudson and advanced on her rival. Haq'als and Gareth leaped out of the way, but Tizarlek gracefully shot across the table to intercept. "No," he said. "There has been enough violence. It is not right to solve our problems like this. If you wish to harm Karis you must strike me down first." B'Elanna was now at a loss. She had no idea what to do, and below the table she felt a weak hand wrap itself around her ankle. She fell to her knees and gathered Tom's body into her arms, bursting into loud messy sobs. "Get out of here! All of you!" she screamed. "As Kahless as my witness, I will never love any man ever again!" "Karis!" thundered the Prefect, "Look what your duplicity has wrought! See what you have caused!" "Only because there was no other way!" Karis shrieked with a toss of her head. "I am intelligent enough to rule my House -- indeed my world! -- without a man beside me!" "That is not our way," said the Prefect. "Maybe it should BE our way!" "As Lord of the FIRST House I will consider proposing it to the Council of Elders," said Lord Drenn. "Now we must leave these people alone with their grief. Everyone, return to your ships!" ***** Kathryn sat back in her command chair watching the ships depart. She touched her console. "Doctor, report." "Mr. Paris is already conscious, Captain, and whining to be released. He claims I'm cutting into his off-duty time." "Let him go, Doctor. Tell him he need not report for duty until the next rotation." "Thank you, Captain!" came Tom's voice. "Captain, considering Mr. Paris' propensity to get into trouble on away missions, may I suggest -- " "Yes, doctor, I will keep you in mind. Janeway out." "Captain," said Harry, "we are being hailed by the Yalaset vessel." "Onscreen." Tizarlek's face came into view. "Captain, I am sending a contingent of cloaked ships to escort you through this sector." "I appreciate that, Commander, but I think we'll be all right." "Things may get a little tricky, Captain. I'm afraid the Daughter of the Fourth House of Danar is missing. Tempers are bound to flare." A smile flitted across his handsome features as his eyes shifted to the upper bridge. "I see your murderous security officer has returned to duty." Janeway looked over her shoulder at Tuvok, standing at the main bridge security console, eyebrow raised. "He has already paid for his crime, Tizarlek. Commander Chakotay told me you had already been informed of the entire situation." "Yes, he told me. My 'condolences,' again, to Lieutenant Paris' Klingon 'widow.'" "They will be passed on to her, rest assured. Is there any chance that you can get a message to Lieutenant Paris' 'widow,' to let her know that all is forgiven now that Lieutenant Paris, um, 'remains' with us?" The smile deepened, and the Yalaset commander's eyes twinkled as he nodded his head. "I will see what I can do to let her know. Has your Ensign Hathaway been returned to health, Captain?" "Yes, Tizarlek. The device you sent over has reversed the effects of Karis' device upon him. It was coincidental, I suppose, that your people have such a grasp of this sort of cloaking technology that you could provide us with an 'antidote' so quickly?" "Not exactly. The Daughter of the Fourth House of the Danira borrowed her device from her husband's family. Her FIRST husband's family." Janeway laughed. "I hope that you can work everything out, Tizarlek. I don't envy you. I think you'll have your work cut out for you keeping your own 'First Wife' in line." "I believe I will be able to do that, Captain. She is a spirited woman, but the problem has been her own people have not known how to use her gifts properly. I do not plan on making their mistake. I hope you and your crew have a safe journey home. Tizarlek out." The screen blinked back to the passing starfield. ***** As the screen on the desk in the quarters of the Yalaset commander winked off, Karis stormed over to Tizarlek. "What do you mean, by that, Tizarlek? 'Keep me in line!' How dare you . . . ?" Her angry reply was halted by his plundering mouth, hungrily demanding and receiving a kiss from her. When his lips finally left hers, she was still breathless for several seconds. No one had ever kissed Karis the way Tizarlek did. "My wife, my first wife, my one wife, and, through the intercession of the gods, hopefully my only wife, I plan to keep you in line by keeping you at my side as my partner in life. Did you learn so little about my people when you were with us that you did not learn the Yalaset do not believe in having a woman subservient to a man? You will be my equal. You will even succeed me if I should die. I hope that prospect does not tempt you too much, my love. Lord Drenn has told me of his suspicions about your true reason for wishing to be the bride of Lieutenant Paris instead of Gareth." "Gareth was unworthy of me. Why else would I have put off actually marrying him for six years?" "With your love of weddings, I have no doubt. Haq'als?" "That was a political marriage, nothing more. My father never recognized the marriage, nor the sacrifice I was making for him. When he called me back to his side, I came." "Because you hoped to lead the Fourth House yourself?" "I should have been his heir! There is no one else! Why should a woman be forced to give up her lands and possessions to a distant cousin? It is unjust!" "It is! And with my help, and Lord Drenn's, we will work to change that. I suppose, my beloved Karis, you thought to change it by marrying the handsome young lieutenant from Voyager?" "He told me his people believed in the equality of men and women. Yes, I thought he could have helped me in my fight for justice. And, I also admit, I thought Lieutenant Paris would have been amusing, for a while. I regret his death. I cannot believe that Captain Janeway has let his murderer live! That he still serves her on her bridge!" Tizarlek laughed. "My love, Lieutenant Paris most assuredly is NOT dead." "What! Why Tizarlek, then I still belong to him! If my father finds out -- " "How will he find out, Karis? Captain Janeway will not let him know her helmsman still lives. Unless you tell him, he will never know. If you do tell him, you would be relegating yourself to Second Wife status. Why would you do that?" "Second Wife? Tizarlek, no, I would be First Wife, of course." "My love, Lieutenant Torres was already his wife." "He said they were not married!" "Lieutenant Paris was sparing your feelings and trying to help those on his ship. Commander Chakotay told me. On the world of a people called the Sakari she bit him on the cheek and claimed him as her husband. They have been intimate, and by the customs of her people, they are mated for life. This all happened many months ago. Tell, me, after Lieutenant Paris 'wed' you, did he ever take you as his own?" "No, I was put in separate quarters. But the computer never said anything about their being man and wife when I checked." "It is known to all on their ship. Perhaps they did not need to put it in their computer. Perhaps it is listed where you did not go. Could you read all the entries?" "No," she admitted. Tizarlek added, "Captain Janeway and her Commander Tuvok protected your interests, Karis. They knew what the insult being a Second Wife would be to the Daughter of the Fourth House of the Danar. They also knew that Lieutenant Torres would not stand by and let her man be taken from her." Karis sighed. "I was not looking forward to fighting her. She may even have beaten me." Tizarlek half closed his eyes as he drew Karis into his arms. "There is no one to fight with here, Karis, except me. And I have much pleasanter ways of spending time with you than fighting with you." Shivering in anticipation, Karis agreed, breathlessly, "Yes, my husband. My first, and now, my only husband. Forgive me, Tizarlek. I have much to make amends for. How ca
n I make up for all the pain I have caused you?" Lifting her from her feet and into his broad arms, Tizarlek carried her to his bed. "If you try very hard, I believe you can do it." "Let me start now, my husband." The Daughter of the Fourth House of the Danar gathered the Commander of the Yalaset into her arms, kissing him and making amends so that he told her, in joy, that he forgave her -- but she'd better not ever do it again. ***** "I'm never letting you out of my sight again, Thomas Eugene Paris! No more shore leaves without me! No more away team missions without me!" "B'Elanna, I think you'll have to clear that with the captain, don't you think? Hmm. That feels good. How about a little lower?" The chief helmsman of Voyager was stretched out on the couch in his quarters, being lovingly berated by the chief engineer of that ship while her strong hands massaged his spine. Moving her attentions to the small of his back, she replied, "Don't think I won't do just that, Mr. Paris, the first chance I get. Better?" "Hmmm. Much better. If this is the treatment I'd be getting afterwards, I wouldn't mind dying for you again. Just as long as it isn't a permanent kind of dying." B'Elanna bent low over his shoulder and breathed softly, "I'd much rather be giving you this treatment without you having to go through the bother of getting killed, Tom." A slowly growing smirk appeared upon Lieutenant Paris' lips as he turned over to face Lieutenant Torres. As she slid into his embrace, B'Elanna suddenly bit his right cheek. Tom barely grunted as her teeth sank into his flesh. "That kind of night, B'Elanna?" "That kind of night, Mr. Paris." Her eyes were gleaming with a Klingon glow that sent his pulse racing. "My favorite kind, B'Elanna. I'd better get that dermal regenerator handy." "We may even be needing the bone regenerator. The captain's given me off until next shift rotation, too." Lieutenant Paris' smile grew even broader, contemplating all the wonderful ways he was going to be passing the time between now and his next visit to Sickbay. About one shift rotation from now.