He'd been walking down the unfamiliar street for the better part of an
hour, soaking up the warm rays of the planet's twin suns. The next day
Voyager would be leaving and Tom was determined to enjoy the last few hours
of his shore leave exploring the many sites of this beautiful city.
Actually, beautiful was almost too modest a description. This city, which
was the planet's capital, had buildings that were no more than four stories
high, and made of solid marble. Pearly coloured trees and multi-coloured
flowers were its chief attraction. The main streets of the city were
littered with stores selling a large variety of the planet's products. The
people were friendly, there always seemed to be some form of background
music coming from a hidden speaker or live band. The best thing about the
whole atmosphere was that though it was so open and inviting, it wasn't
friendly to the point where it became overbearing or suspicious. It was
just a beautiful city.
Tom got tired of it fairly quickly and had left the main street's busy area to take a look at the city's back shops. Lo and behold he finally found a bar huddled between two black buildings, and headed there. He had to take a closer look at the place, if only to be the man who had visited the most bars in the Delta Quadrant.
Walking into the building, he casually and thoroughly took in his surroundings. Tables filled every inch of space possible, surrounded by a variety of different sized chairs for the different sized customers. He grinned and headed to the bar, ordering a non-alcoholic beverage, and when he received the red liquid in a bowl he turned in his stool and looked around the room once more, sparing a glance at each occupant. He avoided real alcohol as much as possible, in fact the only time he truly remembered ever being drunk was at Harry's birthday party the year before. He had no tolerance for the stuff.
The establishment was fairly full, the main species present being the Kinkari who lived on this planet, but there were several other species he didn't recognize present as well. Twisting back to face the counter Tom froze, his eyes captured in the sight of a humanoid across the room who was staring at him. The pilot stared back into the deep green eyes that were almost completely surrounded by thick black eyebrows. He held the being's gaze for a moment until the unease crept into Tom's bones. There was something in this alien's gaze, a challenge that put Tom on edge.
Deciding he'd already been there long enough he slid off his stool, nodding a casual thanks to the bartender who was clearing away his now empty bowl, and headed towards the door. He put some effort into looking unthreatening, but it didn't pay off. Three beings stepped up to block his path. Great. A perfect way to end a shore leave: a nice planet, a nice bar, and three large, angry looking ogres. The largest one, standing in the middle of their group, took an intimidating step closer, almost leaning into Tom's personal space.
"Is there a problem here?" A curious voice interrupted the big mans' advancement and he spun around with his cronies to glare at the intruder. Tom leaned to the side and looked over the larger man's shoulder, a smug smile erupting on his face as he saw Tuvok, Harry, and several other Starfleet crewmembers piled in the door. Tom didn't care how big these goons were, fitting the description of classic bullies he figured a group larger than their own would scare them off. It looked like the seven Starfleet officers, packed together in a threatening manner, were scary enough to chase away the fight.
"No problem here." The big alien's high-pitched and squeaky voice only added to Tom's amusement, but for the grace of Starfleet he held his tongue.
"None at all" Tom quipped. "These gentlemen were just giving me the local greeting weren't you boys." Tom pushed past them as they glared and then stomped off to the bar. He ignored them as he joined his best friend and fellow crewmembers in the doorway.
"Can't stay out of trouble can you Tom?" Harry playfully ribbed, mock punching Tom on the arm.
"You have no idea Harry, no idea." They pushed their way into the street and began making their way back to the center of the city, joking around. Tom casually sidled up to Tuvok, walking in silence a moment before asking his question.
"How did you know I was there and that I needed help?"
"I saw you heading out of the main district of the city, naturally I suspected you would be in need of aid shortly."
"You don't think I can take care of myself eh?" Tom joked. Tuvok raised an eyebrow and glanced briefly at the cocky man.
"I believe, Mr. Paris, that you are far more capable of taking care of yourself than most people I have met. Today I felt it was necessary to provide aid."
Tom's playful cheer was evident in his smile, but if one were to look in his clear blue eyes they would see that he was absorbing and interpreting every word Tuvok spoke carefully. Just as the Vulcan had intended.
"Well I thank you Tuvok, for your ever logical thinking that saved my hide today."
"You are welcome." They reached the city center and everyone split up, Tom heading off with Harry, and Tuvok heading in the opposite direction. After a few minutes the Vulcan sat down on a bench in a perfectly kept garden, appearing to rest, when another man dressed in Starfleet uniform sat beside him.
"Bravo, you have diverted the catastrophe for now."
"Indeed" The Vulcan answered calmly and the man grabbed his shoulder, giving him a shake of congratulations. "Now, tell me why Lieutenant Paris's presence in that bar could have been a catastrophe. I am well aware of his superior fighting skills; he would have been fine."
"I'm sorry, I'm being rather rude aren't I? Here's the deal: 'originally' Tom beats those men into granola. (This term was lost on Tuvok but he was growing used to U's ramblings) Rather impressive for a human but I've come to accept that he isn't from the ordinary gene pool."
"So it would seem."
"Anyway, that fight was the beginning of the chain reaction that resulted in the next year which I don't think I need to rehash for you. To cut a long story short Tom now stays on Voyager and everyone is happy. The end."
"I highly doubt it is the end. What are the consequences of bringing us back to this time?"
"Consequences? Tuvok, buddy," U looked at him with a know-it-all grin. "I'm just summing this whole mess up as one big thing that was meant to happen. You're worried about the time continuum and all that? Ah, we changed it, things will be different now, but things can and will always be different depending on situations, people and so on. That's the way of the universe, and let's not forget the amount of universes out there, each with a different scenario and outcome…the outcome of one universe doesn't make all that big of a difference, at least not in this case."
"Then why bother changing ours?"
"Hey, a Q has got to have a favorite hangout somewhere in the vast world of worlds. I'll be making an appearance on the ship soon to stir things up. Try to act surprised." Tuvok didn't comment on that as U left Tuvok in peace. He sat there for a while, contemplating his current situation.
He was aware of the proceedings that had taken place previous to this moment, but no one else had any idea of the sacrifices Tom Paris had made on behalf of the ship, or in the end the sacrifice the ship had made for Tom. As security chief on Voyager Tuvok was going to watch Paris more closely, and slowly let the pilot know he was aware of his advanced talents. Perhaps he could convince the man to work with him quietly on ways to improve the ship. Perhaps with someone aware of what he could do Tom would open up more about his situation, and accept help from his family. With a basic plan of action Tuvok stood, satisfied, and noted Tom heading towards him waving a greeting.
"Can I help you Lieutenant?"
"You sure can Commander. Harry and I are going to grab a drink across the street. We were wondering if you'd care to join us?"
"I will, thank you Lieutenant." Tom looked pleased at the acceptance and they headed off to join Harry in companionable silence. With two alcoholic beverages and one fruit concoction they relaxed, safe and, Tuvok was pleased to note, still all together.
END.
That's all Folks. At least for now. Some time in the future I was thinking of writing some short stories based on the secret missions and accomplishments Tom "may" have been involved in on his days aboard voyager. But it all depends on whether or not I find the time ;)
Thank you so much for reading and especially for those who took the time to review (again and again :) It makes the story that much better and worth the time it took to write! If you have any questions as to why I chose to end the story the way I did drop a line and ask for the long winded or short winded answer.
As for all the little story lines I left unresolved…maybe I'll add tidbits of those in other stories, but I am basically leaving it up to your imagination. What's a little more mystery! Don't hold back your creativity and always look to the bright side of life!
Tom got tired of it fairly quickly and had left the main street's busy area to take a look at the city's back shops. Lo and behold he finally found a bar huddled between two black buildings, and headed there. He had to take a closer look at the place, if only to be the man who had visited the most bars in the Delta Quadrant.
Walking into the building, he casually and thoroughly took in his surroundings. Tables filled every inch of space possible, surrounded by a variety of different sized chairs for the different sized customers. He grinned and headed to the bar, ordering a non-alcoholic beverage, and when he received the red liquid in a bowl he turned in his stool and looked around the room once more, sparing a glance at each occupant. He avoided real alcohol as much as possible, in fact the only time he truly remembered ever being drunk was at Harry's birthday party the year before. He had no tolerance for the stuff.
The establishment was fairly full, the main species present being the Kinkari who lived on this planet, but there were several other species he didn't recognize present as well. Twisting back to face the counter Tom froze, his eyes captured in the sight of a humanoid across the room who was staring at him. The pilot stared back into the deep green eyes that were almost completely surrounded by thick black eyebrows. He held the being's gaze for a moment until the unease crept into Tom's bones. There was something in this alien's gaze, a challenge that put Tom on edge.
Deciding he'd already been there long enough he slid off his stool, nodding a casual thanks to the bartender who was clearing away his now empty bowl, and headed towards the door. He put some effort into looking unthreatening, but it didn't pay off. Three beings stepped up to block his path. Great. A perfect way to end a shore leave: a nice planet, a nice bar, and three large, angry looking ogres. The largest one, standing in the middle of their group, took an intimidating step closer, almost leaning into Tom's personal space.
"Is there a problem here?" A curious voice interrupted the big mans' advancement and he spun around with his cronies to glare at the intruder. Tom leaned to the side and looked over the larger man's shoulder, a smug smile erupting on his face as he saw Tuvok, Harry, and several other Starfleet crewmembers piled in the door. Tom didn't care how big these goons were, fitting the description of classic bullies he figured a group larger than their own would scare them off. It looked like the seven Starfleet officers, packed together in a threatening manner, were scary enough to chase away the fight.
"No problem here." The big alien's high-pitched and squeaky voice only added to Tom's amusement, but for the grace of Starfleet he held his tongue.
"None at all" Tom quipped. "These gentlemen were just giving me the local greeting weren't you boys." Tom pushed past them as they glared and then stomped off to the bar. He ignored them as he joined his best friend and fellow crewmembers in the doorway.
"Can't stay out of trouble can you Tom?" Harry playfully ribbed, mock punching Tom on the arm.
"You have no idea Harry, no idea." They pushed their way into the street and began making their way back to the center of the city, joking around. Tom casually sidled up to Tuvok, walking in silence a moment before asking his question.
"How did you know I was there and that I needed help?"
"I saw you heading out of the main district of the city, naturally I suspected you would be in need of aid shortly."
"You don't think I can take care of myself eh?" Tom joked. Tuvok raised an eyebrow and glanced briefly at the cocky man.
"I believe, Mr. Paris, that you are far more capable of taking care of yourself than most people I have met. Today I felt it was necessary to provide aid."
Tom's playful cheer was evident in his smile, but if one were to look in his clear blue eyes they would see that he was absorbing and interpreting every word Tuvok spoke carefully. Just as the Vulcan had intended.
"Well I thank you Tuvok, for your ever logical thinking that saved my hide today."
"You are welcome." They reached the city center and everyone split up, Tom heading off with Harry, and Tuvok heading in the opposite direction. After a few minutes the Vulcan sat down on a bench in a perfectly kept garden, appearing to rest, when another man dressed in Starfleet uniform sat beside him.
"Bravo, you have diverted the catastrophe for now."
"Indeed" The Vulcan answered calmly and the man grabbed his shoulder, giving him a shake of congratulations. "Now, tell me why Lieutenant Paris's presence in that bar could have been a catastrophe. I am well aware of his superior fighting skills; he would have been fine."
"I'm sorry, I'm being rather rude aren't I? Here's the deal: 'originally' Tom beats those men into granola. (This term was lost on Tuvok but he was growing used to U's ramblings) Rather impressive for a human but I've come to accept that he isn't from the ordinary gene pool."
"So it would seem."
"Anyway, that fight was the beginning of the chain reaction that resulted in the next year which I don't think I need to rehash for you. To cut a long story short Tom now stays on Voyager and everyone is happy. The end."
"I highly doubt it is the end. What are the consequences of bringing us back to this time?"
"Consequences? Tuvok, buddy," U looked at him with a know-it-all grin. "I'm just summing this whole mess up as one big thing that was meant to happen. You're worried about the time continuum and all that? Ah, we changed it, things will be different now, but things can and will always be different depending on situations, people and so on. That's the way of the universe, and let's not forget the amount of universes out there, each with a different scenario and outcome…the outcome of one universe doesn't make all that big of a difference, at least not in this case."
"Then why bother changing ours?"
"Hey, a Q has got to have a favorite hangout somewhere in the vast world of worlds. I'll be making an appearance on the ship soon to stir things up. Try to act surprised." Tuvok didn't comment on that as U left Tuvok in peace. He sat there for a while, contemplating his current situation.
He was aware of the proceedings that had taken place previous to this moment, but no one else had any idea of the sacrifices Tom Paris had made on behalf of the ship, or in the end the sacrifice the ship had made for Tom. As security chief on Voyager Tuvok was going to watch Paris more closely, and slowly let the pilot know he was aware of his advanced talents. Perhaps he could convince the man to work with him quietly on ways to improve the ship. Perhaps with someone aware of what he could do Tom would open up more about his situation, and accept help from his family. With a basic plan of action Tuvok stood, satisfied, and noted Tom heading towards him waving a greeting.
"Can I help you Lieutenant?"
"You sure can Commander. Harry and I are going to grab a drink across the street. We were wondering if you'd care to join us?"
"I will, thank you Lieutenant." Tom looked pleased at the acceptance and they headed off to join Harry in companionable silence. With two alcoholic beverages and one fruit concoction they relaxed, safe and, Tuvok was pleased to note, still all together.
END.
That's all Folks. At least for now. Some time in the future I was thinking of writing some short stories based on the secret missions and accomplishments Tom "may" have been involved in on his days aboard voyager. But it all depends on whether or not I find the time ;)
Thank you so much for reading and especially for those who took the time to review (again and again :) It makes the story that much better and worth the time it took to write! If you have any questions as to why I chose to end the story the way I did drop a line and ask for the long winded or short winded answer.
As for all the little story lines I left unresolved…maybe I'll add tidbits of those in other stories, but I am basically leaving it up to your imagination. What's a little more mystery! Don't hold back your creativity and always look to the bright side of life!